The Works of Mr. George Gillespie Part 43
ROBERT OGLE AND OLIVER AND BOYD
M. OGLE & SON AND WILLIAM COLLINS, GLASGOW. J. DEWAR, PERTH. W. MIDDLETON, DUNDEE.
G. & R. KING, ABERDEEN. W. M'COMB, BELFAST
HAMILTON, ADAMS, & CO., AND JAMES NISBET AND CO., LONDON.
1645.
REPRINTED BY A. W. MURRAY, MILNE SQUARE, EDINBURGH
1844.
PREFACE TO THE READER.
I have in this sermon applied my thoughts toward these three things: 1.
The soul-ensnaring error of the greatest part of men, who choose to themselves such a way to the kingdom of heaven as is broad, and smooth, and easy, and but little or nothing at all displeasing to flesh and blood, like him that tumbled down upon the gra.s.s and said, _Utinam hoc esset laborare_. 2. The grumbling and unwillingness which appeareth in very many, when they should submit to that reformation of the church which is according to the mind of Jesus Christ, like them that said to the seers, "See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things," Isa. x.x.x, 10; and again, "Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us," Psal. ii. 3. 3. The sad and desolate condition of the kingdom of Scotland, then calling for our prayers and tears, and saying, "Call me not Naomi (pleasant), call me Mara (bitter): for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me," Ruth i. 20.
We were "pressed out of measure, above strength," and "had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in G.o.d which raiseth the dead; who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver; in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us," 2 Cor. i. 8-10.
Our brethren also "helping together by prayer for us," that for the mercy bestowed on us by means of the prayers of many, thanks may be given by many on our behalf. "The Lord liveth, and blessed be my Rock: and let the G.o.d of my salvation be exalted," Psal. xviii, 46; He is our G.o.d; and we will prepare for him an habitation; our father's G.o.d, and we will exalt him, Exod. xv. 2; "Blessed be the Lord G.o.d, the G.o.d of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory," Psal. lxxii. 18, 19. Scotland shall yet be "a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy G.o.d," Isa. lxii. 3; and shall be called Hephzi-bah and Beulah. Only let us remember our evil ways, and be confounded, and never open our mouth any more because of our shame, when the Lord our G.o.d is pacified towards us. Now are both kingdoms put to a trial, whether their humiliations be filial, and whether then can mourn for sin more than for judgment. And let us now hear what the Spirit speaketh to the churches, and not turn again to folly New provocations, or the old unrepented, will create new ones; therefore "sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto us."
SERMON.
MALACHI iii. 2.
"But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap."
If you ask, "Of whom speaketh the Prophet this, of himself or of some other man?" (Acts viii. 34)-it is answered, both by Christian and Jewish interpreters: The Prophet speaketh this of Christ, the Messenger of the covenant, then much longed and looked for by the people of G.o.d, as is manifest by the preceding verse. And as it was fit that Malachi, the last of the prophets, should shut up the Old Testament with clear promises of the coming of Christ (which you find in this and in the following chapter), so he takes the rather occasion from the corrupt and degenerate estate of the priests at that time (which he had mentioned in the former chapter) to hold forth unto the church the promised Messiah, who was to come unto them to purify the sons of Levi.
But if you ask again, Of what coming or appearing of Christ doth the Prophet speak this? whether of the first, or of the last, or of any other?-the answer of expositors is not so unanimous. Some understand the last coming of Christ, in the glory of his Father, and holy angels, to judge the quick and the dead. This cannot stand with ver. 34, "He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them," &c.; but at the last judgment it will be too late for the sons of Levi to be purified and purged, or for Judah and Jerusalem to bring offerings unto the Lord, as in the days of old.
Others understand the first coming of Christ. And of these some understand his incarnation, or appearing in the flesh; others take the meaning to be of his coming into the temple of Jerusalem, to drive out the buyers and sellers (Matt. xxi. 10-12), at which time all the city was moved at his coming. This exposition hath better grounds than the other, because the coming of Christ (here spoken of) did not precede, but soon follow after the ministry of John Baptist, and therefore cannot be meant of our Saviour's incarnation, but rather of his appearing with power and authority in the temple. But this also falleth short, and neither expresseth the whole nor the princ.i.p.al part of what is meant in this text; for how can it be said that the prophecy which followeth, ver. 3, 4 (which is all of a piece with ver. 2), was fulfilled during Christ's appearing and sitting in the temple of Jerusalem? or how can it be conceived that the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem were pleasant to the Lord at that time, when the Gentiles were not, and the Jews would not be brought in, to offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness? So that whether we understand by Judah and Jerusalem the Jewish church or the Christian, this thing could not be said to be accomplished while Christ was yet upon earth. And in like manner, whether we understand by the sons of Levi the priests and Levites of the Jews, or the ministers of the gospel, it cannot be said that Christ did, in the days of his flesh, purify the sons of Levi as gold and silver.
I deny not but the Lord Jesus did then begin to set about this work. But that which is more princ.i.p.ally here intended, is Christ's coming and appearing in a spiritual, but yet most powerful and glorious manner, to erect his kingdom, and to gather and govern his churches, by the ministry of his apostles and other ministers, whom he sent forth after his ascension.
Of this coming he himself speaketh, Matt. xvi. 28, "Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here which shall not taste of death till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom;" Mark addeth, "with power" (Mark ix.
1). Neither was that all. He did not so come at that time as to put forth all his power, or to do his whole work. He hath at divers times come and manifested himself to his churches; and this present time is a time of the revelation of the Son of G.o.d, and a day of his coming. We look also for a more glorious coming of Jesus Christ before the end be: for "the Redeemer shall come to Sion" (Isa. lix. 20), "and shall turn away unG.o.dliness from Jacob" (Rom. xi. 26); and he shall destroy Antichrist "with the brightness of his coming," 2 Thess. ii. 8; in which place the Apostle hath respect to Isa. xi. 4, where it is said of Christ, the rod of Jesse, "with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked." There, withal, you have the church's tranquillity, the filling of the earth with the knowledge of the Lord, and the restoring of the dispersed Jews, as you may read in that chapter. Some have observed(1404) (which ought not to pa.s.s without observation) that the Chaldee Paraphrase had there added the word _Romilus_: "He shall slay the wicked Romilus;" whereupon they challenge Arias Monta.n.u.s for leaving out that word to wipe off the reproach from the Pope. However, the Scriptures teach us, that the Lord Jesus will be revealed mightily, and will make bare his holy arm, as well in the confusion of Antichrist, as in the conversion of the Jews, before the last judgment and the end of all things.
By this time you may understand what is meant in the text by the day of Christ's coming, or e?s?d??,-_coming in_, as the Septuagint read, meaning his coming, or entering into his temple, mentioned in the first verse; by which temple Jerome upon the place rightly understandeth the church, or spiritual temple.
When this temple is built, Christ cometh into it, to fill the house with the cloud of his glory, and to walk in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks. The same thing is meant by his appearing: "When he appeareth," saith our translation; "When he shall be revealed,"; others read, "When he shall be seen," or "in seeing of him." The original word I find used to express more remarkable, divine, and glorious sights, as Gen.
xvi. 13, "Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?" xxii. 14, "In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen." From this word had the prophets the name of seers, 1 Sam. ix. 9; and from the same word came the name of visions, 2 Chron. xxvi. 5, "Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of G.o.d."
Now, but what of all this? might some think. If Christ come, it is well,-he is the desire of all nations. O but when Christ thus cometh into his kingdom among men with power, and is seen appearing with some beams of his glory, "Who may abide, and who shall stand?" saith the text. How shall sinners stand before the Holy One? How shall dust and ashes have any fellowship with the G.o.d of glory? How shall our weak eyes behold the Sun of righteousness coming forth like a bridegroom out of his chamber? Did not Ezekiel fall upon his face at "the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord"? Ezek. i. 28. Did not Isaiah cry out, "Woe is me, for I am undone," "for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts"? Isa.
vi. 5.
But why is it so hard a thing to abide the day of Christ's coming, or to stand before him when he appeareth in his temple? If you ask of him, as Joshua did, "Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?" (Josh. v. 13,) he will answer you, "Nay; but as a captain of the host of the Lord am I now come," (ver. 14.) If you ask of him, as the elders of Bethlehem asked of Samuel (while they were trembling at his coming), "Comest thou peaceably?"
He will answer you as Samuel did, "Peaceably." What is there here, then, to trouble us? Doth he not come to save, and not to destroy? Yes, to save the spirit, but to destroy the flesh; he will have the heart-blood of sin, that the soul may live for ever. This is set forth by a double metaphor: one taken from the refiner's fire, which purifieth metals from the dross; the other, from the fuller's soap; others read the fuller's gra.s.s, or the fuller's herb. Some have thought it so hard to determine, that they have kept into the translation the very Hebrew word _borith_. Jerome tells us,(1405) that the fuller's herb which grew in the marsh places of Palestina, had the same virtue for washing and making white which nitre hath. Yet I suppose the fuller's soap hath more of that virtue in it than the herb could have. However it is certain that ???,-_borith_, cometh from a word which signifieth to make clean, according to that, Mark ix. 3, "His raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them."
But to whom will Christ thus reveal himself? And who are they whom he will refine from their dross, and wash from their filthiness? That we may know from the two following verses: He is not a refiner's fire to those that are "reprobate silver," (Jer. vi. 30,) and can never be refined; neither is he as fuller's soap to those whose spot "is not the spot of his children" (Deut. x.x.xii. 5): nay, Christ doth not thus lose his labour, but he refineth and maketh clean the sons of Levi, also Judah and Jerusalem.
This, I doubt not to aver, doth princ.i.p.ally belong to the Jews, for to them pertain the promises (Rom. ix. 4), saith the Apostle, and the natural branches shall be graffed into their own olive-tree (xi. 24); but it belongeth also to us Gentiles, who are cut out of the wild olive-tree, and are graffed into the good olive-tree. G.o.d hath persuaded j.a.phet to dwell in the tents of Shem; and so we are now the Judah and Jerusalem, and our ministers the sons of Levi. G.o.d's own church and people, even the best of them, have need of this refiner's fire and of this fuller's soap.
And so much for the scope, sense, and coherence of the text. The general doctrine which offereth itself to us from the words, is this:-
"The way of Christ, and fellowship with him, is very difficult and displeasing to our sinful nature, and is not so easy a matter as most men imagine."
First of all, this doth clearly arise out of the text. As when the people said to Joshua, "G.o.d forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other G.o.ds," (Josh. xxiv. 16,) Joshua answered, "Ye cannot serve the Lord, for he is an holy G.o.d; he is a jealous G.o.d," (ver. 19.) Just so doth the Prophet here answer the Jews, when they were very much desiring and longing for the Messiah, promising to themselves comfort, and peace, and prosperity, and the restoring of all things according to their heart's desire, if Christ were once come. Nay, saith the Prophet, not so: "Who may abide the day of his coming, and who shall stand when he appeareth?"
Secondly, Other scriptures do abundantly confirm it: The doctrine of Jesus Christ was such as made many of his disciples say, "This is an hard saying; who can hear it?" John vi. 60. And from that time many of them "went back, and walked no more with him." A young man, a ruler, who came to him with great affection, was so cooled and discouraged at hearing of the cross, and selling of all he had, that he went away sad and sorrowful, Mark x. 21, 22. The apostles themselves having heard him say, that "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of G.o.d," "they were exceedingly amazed [at this doctrine], saying, Who then can be saved?" Matt. xix. 24, 25. As for his life and actions, they were such that not only did the Gadarenes beseech him to depart out of their coasts (Matt. viii. 34), but his own friends and kinsfolks were about "to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself," Mark iii. 21. His sufferings were such, that all his disciples did forsake him, and went away every man to his own home again. And what shall be the condition of those that will follow him? If we will indeed be his disciples, he hath forewarned us to sit down first, and count our cost, Luke xiv. 28. He hath told us, It will cost us no less than the bearing of the cross, the forsaking of all, yea, which is hardest of all, the denying of ourselves, John v. 26; ii. 33. We must even cease to be ourselves, and cannot be his, except we leave off to be our own, Matt.
xvi. 24. And what shall the world think of us all this while? "Know ye not (saith James) that the friendship of the world is enmity with G.o.d?
whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of G.o.d,"
James iv. 4; "Let no man deceive himself (saith Paul). If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise," 1 Cor. iii. 18. What do ye think now? Are not all these hard sayings for flesh and blood to hear? I might add much more of this kind.
Thirdly, Thus it must be, to set the higher value upon Christ, and upon the lot of G.o.d's children: "Will I offer burnt-offerings to the Lord my G.o.d (saith David) of that which doth cost me nothing"? 2 Sam. xxiv. 24.
And shall our lines fall to us in pleasant places? or shall we have a goodly heritage which doth cost us nothing? How should the preciousness of the saint's portion be known, if we lose nothing that is dear to us to come by it? Phil. iii. 7, "What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ;" Matt. xiii. 44-46, "The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant-man seeking goodly pearls; who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it." Jacob's family must give away all the strange G.o.ds, and all their ear-rings also (Gen. x.x.xv. 4), before they get leave to build an altar unto the Lord at Bethel; Abraham must get him out of his country, and from his kindred, if he will come unto the land which the Lord will show him; Moses must forsake the court of Egypt, if he will take him to the heritage of Jacob his father; the disciples must leave ships, nets, fathers, and all, if they will follow Christ. And as they who come in sight of the south pole lose sight of the north pole, so, when we follow Christ, we must resolve to forsake somewhat else, yea, even that which is dearest to us.
Fourthly, If it were not so, there should be no sure evidence of our closing in covenant with Christ; for then, and never till then, doth the soul give itself up to Christ to be his, and closeth with him in a covenant, when it renounceth all other lovers, that it may be his only.
Shall a woman be married to a husband with the reservation of another lover, or upon condition that she shall ever stay in her father's house?
So the soul cannot be married to Christ, except it not only renounce its bosom sins, l.u.s.ts, and idols, but be content also to part with the most lawful creature-comforts for his sake: "Forget also thine own people, and thy father's house," Psal. xlv. 10. The repudiating of creature-comforts, and a covenant with Christ, go hand in hand together, Isa. lv. 2, 3.
Nahash would not make a covenant with the men of Jabesh-Gilead, unless they would pluck out their right eyes, intending (as Josephus gives the reason) to disable them from fighting or making war; for the buckler or shield did cover their left eye when they fought, so that they had been hard put to it, to fight without the right eye. This was a cruel mercy in him; but it is a merciful severity in Christ, that he will make no covenant with us, except the right eye of the old man of sin in us be put out.
O then, let us learn from all this how miserably many a poor soul is deluded, imagining, as the Jews did, that Christ shall even satisfy their carnal and earthly desires, and that the way of salvation is broad and easy enough. If the way of Christ be such as you have now heard, then surely they are far from it, who give loose reins to the flesh, as David did to Adonijah (1 Kings i. 6; Eccl. ii. 10); who have not displeased their flesh at any time, nor said, "Why hast thou done so?" who do not withhold their heart from any joy, and whatsoever their eyes desire, they keep it not from them; who are like the "wild a.s.s used to the wilderness, that snuffeth up the wind at her pleasure" (Jer. ii. 24), and like "the swift dromedary, traversing her ways" (ver. 23); who cannot endure to be enclosed into so narrow a lane as ministers describe the way to heaven to be. These are like fed oxen, which have room enough in the meadows, but they are appointed for slaughter, when the labouring oxen, which are kept under the yoke, shall be brought home to the stall and fed there. Was it not so with the rich man and Lazarus? Luke xvi. 25. Nay, and many of the children of G.o.d fall into this same error, of making the way of Christ broader and easier than ever Christ made it, and taking more liberty than ever he allowed; therefore mark ye well our Saviour's words: "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it," Matt. vii. 13, 14. There be but few that seek it, and yet fewer that find it, but fewest of all that enter in at it.
But how doth all this agree with Matt. xi. 30, "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light;" and 1 John v. 3, "His commandments are not grievous."
I answer, 1. That is spoken to poor souls that are labouring and heavy laden; a metaphor taken from beasts drawing a full cart,-which both labour in drawing, and are weary in bearing. But my text speaketh to those that are like undaunted heifers, and like bullocks unaccustomed to the yoke.
The same Christ is a sweet and meek Christ to some, but a sour and severe Christ to others.
2. Christ's yoke is easy in comparison of the yoke of the law, which neither we nor our fathers were able to bear.
3. As wisdom is easy to him that understandeth, so is Christ's yoke easy, and his burden light, to those that are well acquainted with it, and have good experience of it: "When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shall not stumble," Prov. iv. 12: this is spoken of the way of wisdom. But he saith, "When thou goest," not "when thou beginnest," or "when thou enterest." If thou art but once upon thy progress, going and running, thou shalt find the way still the easier, and still the sweeter.
4. Mark Christ's own words: It is a yoke, though an easy one, and a burden, though a light one: a yoke to the flesh, but easy to the spirit; a burden to the old man, but light to the new man. He poureth in wine and oil into our wounds: oil to cherish them, and wine to cleanse them. He can both plant us as trees of righteousness, and at the same time lay the axe to the root of the old tree: he will have mercy upon the sinner, but no mercy upon the sin; he will save the soul, but yet so as by fire.
And thus much, in general, of the difficulty and hardship of the way of Christ,-the great point held forth in this text; which I have the rather insisted upon, as a necessary foundation for those particulars which I am to speak of. Were this principle but rightly apprehended, it were easy to persuade you when we come to particulars.
Some Papists have alleged this text for their purgatory. Here is indeed a purgatory, and a fire of purgatory, and such a purgatory that we must needs go through it before we can come to heaven. But this purgatory is in this world, not in the world to come. The flesh must go through it, and not the soul separated: and it must purge us from mortal, not from venial sins; and by a spiritual, not a material fire.
I will now come to the particulars: Christ is to us as a refiner's fire, and as fuller's soap, three ways: in respect of, 1. Reformation; 2.