16. Remember also that Christ was against the Pharisees' outside, hypocritical, ceremonious worship, consisting in lip-labour, affected repetitions, and much babbling; their ' touch not, taste not, handle not,' and worshipping God in vain, according to their traditions, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. He taught us a serious, spiritual worship: not " to draw nigh to God with our mouth, and honour him with our lips, while our hearts are far from him;" but to "worship God who is a Spirit, in spirit and truth b." h 17. Christ was a sharp reprover of hypocritical, blind, ceremonious, malicious Pharisees; and warneth his disciples to take heed of their leaven. When they are offended with him, he saith, "Every plant which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up. Let them alone, they be blind leaders of the blind," &c. To teach us to take heed of Autonomous, supercilious, domineering formal hypocrites, and false teachers, and to difference between the shepherds and the wolves. 18. Though Christ seems cautiously to avoid the owning of the Roman usurpation over the Jews, yet rather than offend them he payeth the tribute himself, and biddeth them "render to Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's, and to God the things that are God's." The Pharisees bring their controversy to him hypocritically, "Whether it be lawful to give tribute to Cæsar or not?" (For that Cæsar was an usurper over them, they took to be past controversy.) And Christ would give them no answer, that should either ensnare himself, or encourage usurpation, or countenance their sedition: teaching us much more to pay tribute cheerfully to our lawful Government, and to avoid all sedition and offence. 19. Yet is he accused, condemned, and executed among malefactors, as aspiring to be " King of the Jews," and the judge called, " none of Cæsar's friend," if he let him go: teaching us to expect, that the most innocent Christians should be accused, as enemies to the rulers of the world, and mistaken governors be provoked and engaged against them, by the malicious calumnies of their adversaries; and that we should, in this unrighteous world, be condemned of those h Matt. xv. 6-9. John iv. 23, 24. Matt. xxiii. i Matt. xv. 12-14. 1 Matt. xxii. 21. crimes of which we are the most innocent; and which we most abhor, and have borne the fullest testimonies against. : 20. The furious rout of the enraged people deride him by their words and deeds, with a purple robe, a sceptre of reed, a crown of thorns, and the scornful name of " King of the Jews;" they spit in his face, and buffet him, and then break jests upon him and in all this, "being reviled he reviled not again, but committed all to him that judgeth righteously." Teaching us to expect the rage of the ignorant rabble, as well as of deluded governors; and to be made the scorn of the worst of men: and all this without impatience, reviling, or threatening words; but quieting ourselves in the sure expectation of the righteous judgment, which we and they must shortly find. 21. When Christ is urged at Pilate's bar to speak for himself, he holds his peace: teaching us to expect to be questioned at the judgment-seat of man; and not to be over careful for the vindicating of our names from their most odious calumnies, because the judgment that will fully justify us is sure and near. 22. When Christ is in his agony, his disciples fail him ; when he is judged and crucified, they "forsook him and fled to teach us not to be too confident in the best of men; not to expect much from them in a time of trial, but to take up our comfort in God alone, when all our nearest friends shall fail us. 23. Upon the cross he suffered the torments and ignominy of death for us, praying for his murderers: "leaving us an example that we should follow his steps"; and that we should think not life itself too dear to part with, in obedience to God, and for the love of Christ and one another, and that we forgive and pray for them that persecute us. 24. In all this suffering from men, he feels also so much of the fruit of our sin upon his soul, that he crieth out, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" To teach us, if we fall into such calamity of soul as to think that God himself forsaketh us, to remember, for our support, that the Son of God himself before us cried out, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? And that in this also we may expect 11 Pet. ii. 21-23. Matt. xxvi. 56. n 1 Pet.ii. 21. • 1 John iii. 16. a trial to seem of ourselves forsaken of God, when our Saviour underwent the like before us. I will instance in no more of his example, because I would not be tedious. Hither, now, let believers cast their eyes : if you love your Lord you should love to imitate him, and be glad to find yourselves in the way that he hath gone before you. If he lived a worldly and sensual life, do you do so; if he was an enemy to preaching, and praying, and holy living, be you so: but if he lived in the greatest contempt of all the wealth, and honours, and pleasures of the world, in a life of holy obedience to his Father, wholly preferring the kingdom of heaven, and seeking the salvation of the souls of others, and patiently bearing persecution, derision, calumnies and death, then take up your cross, and follow him in joyfully to the expected crown. Direct. vi. If you will learn of Christ, you must learn of his ministers, whom he hath appointed to be the teachers of his church.'-He purposely enabled them, inclineth them and sendeth them to instruct you: not to have dominion over your faith, but to be your spiritual fathers, and “the ministers by whom you believe, as God shall give” (ability and success)" to every one" as he pleases, "to plant and water," while "God giveth the increase, to open men's eyes, and turn them from darkness to light," and to be "labourers together with God, whose husbandry and building you are," and to be "helpers of your joy." Seeing therefore Christ hath appointed them under him, to be the ordinary teachers of his church, he that "heareth them" (speaking his message) "heareth him," and he "that despiseth them despiseth him 9." And he that saith, I will hear Christ but not you,' doth say in effect to Christ himself, ' I will not hear thee, nor learn of thee, unless thou wilt dismiss thy ushers, and teach me immediately thyself.'. Direct. VII. Hearken also to the secret teachers of his Spirit and your consciences, not as making you any new law or duty, or being to you instead of Scriptures or ministers; but as bringing that truth into your hearts and practices, which Scriptures and ministers have first brought to your eyes and ears,'-If you understand not this, how the P See 2 Cor. i 4. Acts xxvi. 17, 18. 1 Cor. iii. 5. iv. 15. 4 Luke x. 16. office of Scripture and ministers differ from the office of the Spirit and your consciences, you will be confounded as the sectaries of these times have been, that separate what God hath joined together, and plead against Scripture or ministers, under pretence of extolling the Spirit, or the light within them. As your meat must be taken into the stomach, and pass the first concoction before the second can be performed, and chylification must be before sanguification; so the Scripture and ministers must bring truth to your eyes and ears, before the Spirit or conscience bring them to your hearts and practice. But they lie dead and ineffectual in your brain or imagination, if you hearken not to the secret teachings of the Spirit and conscience, which would bring them further. As Christ is the principal teacher without, and ministers are but under him; so the Spirit is the principal teacher within us, and conscience is but under the Spirit, being excited and informed by it. Those that learn only of Scriptures and ministers (by reading or hearing), may become men of learning and great ability, though they hearken not to the sanctifying teachings of the Spirit or to their consciences: but it is only those that hearken first to the Scriptures and ministers, and next to the Spirit of God and to their consciences, that have an inward, sanctifying, saving knowledge, and are they that are said to be taught of God. Therefore, hearken, first with your ears what Christ hath said to you without, and then hearken daily and diligently with your hearts, what the Spirit and conscience say within. For it is their office to preach over all that again to your hearts, which you have received. Direct. vIII. It being the office of the present ordinary ministry, only to expound and apply the doctrine of Christ, already recorded in the Scriptures, believe not any man that contradicteth this recorded doctrine, what reason, authority, or revelation soever he pretend. To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to these, it is because there is no light in them'.'-No reason can be reason indeed, that is pretended against the reason of the Creator and God of reason. Authority pretended against the highest authority of God is no authority: God never gave authority to any against himself; nor to deceive men's souls; nor to r Isa. viii. 20. dispense with the law of Christ; nor to warrant men to sin against him; nor to make any supplements to his law or doctrine. The apostles had their power only to edification, but not to destruction.' There is no revelation from God, that is contrary to his own revelation already delivered as his perfect law and rule unto the church; and therefore none supplemental to it. If an "apostle or an angel from heaven 'per possibile vel impossibile' shall evangelize to us besides what is evangelized," and we "have received," he must be held "accursed." Direct. IX. Come not to learn of Christ with self-conceitedness, pride, or confidence in your prejudice and errors: but as little children, with humble, teachable, tractable minds.'-Christ is no teacher for those that in their own eyes are wise enough already: unless it be first to teach them to "become fools" (in their own esteem, because they are so indeed)" that they may be wise "." They that are prepossessed with false opinions, and resolve that they will never be persuaded of the contrary, are unmeet to be scholars in the school of Christ." He resisteth the proud, but giveth more grace unto the humble." Men that have a high conceit of their own understandings, and think they can easily know truth from falsehood as soon as they hear it, and come not to learn, but to censure what they hear or read, as being able to judge of all, these are fitter for the school of the prince of pride and father of lies and error, than for the school of Christ. "Except conversion" make men as "little children," that come not to carp and cavil, but to learn, they are not "meet for the kingdom of Christ"." Know how blind and ignorant you are, and how dull of learning, and humbly beg of the Heavenly Teacher, that he will accept you and illuminate you; and give up your understandings absolutely to be informed by him, and your hearts to be the tables in which his Spirit shall write his law, believing his doctrine upon the bare account of his infallible veracity, and resolving to obey it; and this is to be the disciples of Christ indeed, and such as shall be taught of God. Direct. x. Come to the school of Christ with honest, ⚫ 1 Cor. x. 8. 2 Cor. xiii. 10. 1 Cor. iii. 18. * 1 Pet. v. 5. Gal. i. 6-8. y Matt. xviii. 3. John ii. 3-5 |