INSTANCES WHEREIN the Christian is to Express the Power of Holiness 2/3

 

Second Particular.  Thou must not only endeav­our against all sin, but that, on noble principles.  Here lies the power of holiness.  Many forbear to sin upon such an unworthy account, that God will not thank them for it another day.  As it is in actions of piety and charity, God makes no account of them, except he be interested in them.  When we fast or pray, God asks, ‘Do you fast and pray to me, even to me?’ Zech. 7:5.  When we give alms, ‘a cup of cold water’ for his sake, given ‘in the name of a disciple,’ is more valued by him, Matt. 10:42, than a cup of gold, for private and low ends.  As in these, so it is in sin, God looks that his authority should conclude, and his love constrain us to renounce it; before the com­mandments—as princes, before their proclamations, prefix their arms and royal names—God sets his glor­ious name.  ‘God spake all these words,’ saying, &c., Ex. 20:1.  And why this, but that we should sanctify his name in all that we do?  A master may well think himself despised by that servant that still goes on, when he bids him leave off such a work, but has done presently at the entreaty of another.  O how many are there that go on to sin, for all that God says to the contrary!  But when their credit bids, for shame of the world, to give over such a practice, they can knock off presently.  

When their profit speaks, it is heard and obeyed.  O sirs! take heed of this; God expects his servants should not only do what he commands, but this, at his command, and his only.  And as in abstaining from evil, so in mourning for sins commit­ted by us, if we will be Christians indeed, we must take in, yea prefer, God’s concernments before our own.  Indeed, it were to be wished that some were kind to their own souls, as to mourn for themselves when they have sinned—that they would cry out with Lamech, ‘I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.’ Gen. 4:23.  Many have such brawny consciences, that they do not so much as com­plain they have hurt themselves by their sins.  But, little of the power of holiness appears in all this. There may be a great cry in the conscience, ‘I am damned! I have undone myself!’ and the dishonour that is cast upon God by him, not laid to heart.  You remember what Joab said to David, taking on heavily for Absalom’s death, ‘I perceive,’ said he, ‘if Absalom had lived, and all we had died this day, then it had pleased thee well,’ II Sam. 19:6.  Thus we might say to such selfish mourners, ‘We perceive that if thou couldst but save the life of thy soul from eternal death and damnation, though the glory of God miscarried, thou couldst be pleased well enough.’ 

But know, that a gracious soul’s mourning runs in another channel.  ‘Against thee, thee only have I sinned,’ is holy David’s moan.  There is a great difference between a servant that works for another, and one that is his own man.  As we say, the latter puts all his losses upon his own head: ‘So much,’ saith he, ‘I have lost by such a ship—so much by such a bargain.’  But the servant that trades with his master’s stock—he, when any loss comes, he puts it on his master’s account: ‘So much have I lost of my master’s goods.’  O Chris­tian! think of this.  Thou art but a servant.  All the stock thou tradest with is not thine, but thy God’s; and therefore, when thou fallest into any sin, bewail it as a wrong to him.  ‘So much, alas! I have dishon­oured my God; his talents I have wasted; his name I have wounded; his Spirit I have grieved.’

           Third Particular.  He must not only abstain from acting a sin, but also labour to mortify it.  A wound may be hid when it is not healed—covered, and yet not cured.  Some men, they are like unskilful physi­cians, who rather drive in the disease, than drive out the cause of the disease.  Corruption thus left in the bosom, like lime unslaked, or a humour unpurged, is sure at one time or other to take fire and break out, though now it lies peaceably, as powder in the barrel, and makes no noise.  I have read that the opening of a chest where some cloths were laid up—not very well aired and cleared from the infection that had been in the house—was the cause of a great plague in Venice, after they had lain many years there, without doing any hurt.  I am sure we see, for want of true mortifica­tion, many who, after they have walked so long unblameably as to gain the reputation of being saints in the opinion of others, upon some occasion, like the opening of the chest, have fallen sadly into abomin­able practices; and therefore it behoves us not to satisfy ourselves with anything less than a work of mortification, and that followed on from day to day.  ‘I protest,’ saith Paul, ‘by my rejoicing in Christ, I die daily.’  Here was a man who walked in the power of holiness.  Sin is like the beast, Rev. 13:3, which seemed at one time as if it would presently die of its wounds, but by and by it was strangely healed so as to recover again. 

Many a saint, for want of keeping a tight rein, and that constantly, over some corruption which they have thought they had got the mastery of, have been thrown out the saddle, and by it dragged dangerously into temptation, unable to resist the fury of lust, when it has got head, till they have broken their bones with some sad fall into sin.  If thou wouldst, Chris­tian, show the power of holiness, never give over mortifying-work, no, not when thy corruptions play least in thy sight.  He that is inclined to a disease—gout, stone, or the like—must not only take physic when he hath a fit actually upon him, but ever and anon should be taking something good against it.  So should the Christian, not only when he finds his corruption stirring, but every day keep his soul in a course of spiritual physic, against the growing of it.  This is holiness in its power.  Many professors do with their souls in this respect, as deceitful chirur­geons with their patients—lay on a healing plaster one day, and a contrary the next day, that sets the cure more back than the other set it forward.  Take heed of this, except thou meanest not only to bring the power of holiness into danger, but the very life and truth of it into question in thy soul