Part 20

24. _Therefore take no thought for the morrow._ Not only, take ye no thought, how to lay up treasures on earth, how to increase in worldly substance; take no thought how to procure more food than you can eat, or more raiment than you can put on; or more money than is required from day to day, for the plain, reasonable purposes of life: but take no _uneasy_ thought even concerning those things which are absolutely needful for the body. Do not trouble yourself now, with thinking what you shall do, at a season which is yet afar off. Perhaps that season will never come: or it will be no concern of yours: before then you will have passed through all the waves, and be landed in eternity. All those distant views do not belong to _you_, who are but a creature of a day. Nay, what have you to do with _the morrow_, more strictly speaking? Why should you perplex yourself without need? God provides for you to-day what is needful to sustain the life which he hath given you. It is enough: give yourself up into his hands: if you live another day, he will provide for that also.

25. Above all, do not make the care of future things, a pretence for neglecting present duty. This is the most fatal way of _taking thought for the morrow_. And how common is it among men? Many, if we exhort them to keep a conscience void of offence, to abstain from what they are convinced is evil, do not scruple to reply, “How then must we live? Must we not take care of ourselves and of our families?” And this they imagine to be a sufficient reason, for continuing in known, wilful sin. They say, and perhaps think, they would serve God now, were it not that they should by and by lose their bread. They would prepare for eternity; but they are afraid of wanting the necessaries of life. So they serve the devil for a morsel of bread: they rush into hell, for fear of want; they throw away their poor souls, lest they should some time or other fall short, of what is needful for their bodies.

It is not strange that they who thus take the matter out of God’s hand, should be so often disappointed of the very things they seek; that while they throw away heaven, to secure the things of earth, they lose the one, but do not gain the other. The jealous God, in the wise course of his providence, frequently suffers this. So that they who will not cast their care on God, who taking thought for temporal things, have little concern for things eternal, lose the very portion which they have chosen. There is a visible blast on all their undertakings: whatsoever they do, it doth not prosper. Insomuch, that after they have forsaken God for the world, they lose what they sought, as well as what they sought not. They fall short of the kingdom of God and his righteousness; nor yet are other things added unto them.

26. There is another way of _taking thought for the morrow_, which is equally forbidden in these words. It is possible to _take thought_ in a wrong manner, even with regard to spiritual things; to be so careful about what may be by and by, as to neglect what is now required at our hands. How insensibly do we slide into this, if we are not continually watching unto prayer? How easily are we carried away, in a kind of waking dream, projecting distant schemes, and drawing fine scenes in our own imagination! We think, what good we will do, when we are in such a place, or when such a time is come! How useful we will be, how plenteous in good works, when we are easier in our circumstances! How earnestly we will serve God, when once such an hindrance is out of the way.

Or, perhaps, you are now in heaviness of soul: God, as it were, hides his face from you. You see little of the light of his countenance; you cannot taste his redeeming love. In such a temper of mind, how natural is it to say, “O how I will praise God, when the light of his countenance shall again be lifted up upon my soul! How will I exhort others to praise him, when his love is again shed abroad in my heart? Then I will do thus and thus: I will speak for God in all places: I will not be ashamed of the gospel of _Christ_. Then I will redeem the time. I will use to the uttermost every talent I have received.” Do not believe thyself. Thou wilt not do it then, unless thou dost it now. _He that is faithful in that which is little_, of whatsoever kind it be, whether it be worldly substance, or the fear or love of God, _will be faithful in that which is much_. But if thou now hidest one talent in the earth, thou wilt then hide five: that is, if ever they are given; but there is small reason to expect they ever will. Indeed _unto him that hath_, that is, uses what he hath, _shall be given, and he shall have more abundantly. But from him that hath not_, that is, uses not the grace which he hath already received, whether in a larger or smaller degree, _shall be taken away even that which he hath_.

27. *And _take no thought_ for the temptations of to-morrow. This also is a dangerous snare. Think not, “When such a temptation comes, what shall I do, how shall I stand? I feel, I have not power to resist: I am not able to conquer that enemy.” Most true: you have not _now_ the power which you do not _now_ stand in need of. You are not able at _this time_ to conquer that enemy; and at _this time_ he does not assault you. With the grace you have now, you could not withstand the temptations which you have not. But when the temptation comes, the grace will come. In greater trials you will have greater strength. When sufferings abound, the consolations of God will in the same proportion abound also. So that in every situation, the grace of God will be sufficient for you. He doth not suffer you _to be tempted_ to-day, _above that ye are able to bear_. And _in every temptation he will make a way to escape. As thy day, so thy strength shall be._

28. *_Let the morrow_ therefore _take thought for the things of itself_; that is, when the morrow comes, then think of it. Live thou to-day. Be it thy earnest care to improve the present hour. This is your own; and it is your all. The past is as nothing, as though it had never been. The future is nothing to you: it is not yours: perhaps it never will be. There is no depending on what is yet to come; for you _know not what a day may bring forth_. Therefore live to-day: lose not an hour: use this moment; for it is your portion. _Who knoweth the things which have been before him, or which shall be after him under the sun?_ The generations that were from the beginning of the world, where are they now? Fled away: forgotten. They _were_; they lived their day; they were shook off the earth, as leaves off of their trees. They mouldered away into common dust. Another and another race succeeded; then they _followed the generation of their fathers, and shall never more see the light_. Now is thy turn upon the earth. _Rejoice, O young man, in the days of thy youth._ Enjoy the very, very now; by enjoying him, _whose years fail not_. Now let thine eye be singly fixed on him, _in whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning_. Now give him thy heart: now stay thyself on him: now be thou holy as he is holy. Now lay hold of the blessed opportunity of doing his acceptable and perfect will. Now _rejoice to suffer the loss of all things, so thou mayst win_ Christ.

29. *Gladly suffer to-day, for his name’s sake, whatsoever he permits this day to come upon thee. But look not at the sufferings of to-morrow. _Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof._ Evil it is, speaking after the manner of men: whether it be reproach or want, pain or sickness. But in the language of God, all is blessing: _it is a precious balm_, prepared by the wisdom of God, and variously dispensed among his children, according to the various sicknesses of their souls. And he gives in one day, sufficient for that day; proportioned to the want and strength of the patient. If therefore thou snatchest to-day what belongs to the morrow, if thou addest this to what is given thee already, it will be more than thou canst bear: this is the way not to heal, but to destroy thy own soul. Take therefore just as much as he gives thee to-day: to-day do and suffer his will. To-day give up thyself, thy body, soul and spirit, to God, through _Christ Jesus_: desiring nothing, but that God may be glorified in all thou art, all thou dost, all thou sufferest: seeking nothing, but to know God, and his Son _Jesus Christ_, through the eternal spirit: pursuing nothing, but to love him, to serve him, and to enjoy him at this hour, and to all eternity!

Now unto God the Father, who hath made me and all the world; unto God the Son, who hath redeemed me and all mankind; unto God the Holy Ghost, who sanctifieth me and all the elect people of God: be honour, and praise, majesty and dominion, for ever and ever! _Amen._

SERMON XXX.

UPON OUR LORD’S SERMON ON THE MOUNT. DISCOURSE X. MATT. vii. 1‒12.

_Judge not, that ye be not judged.

For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged, and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and behold a beam is in thine own eye?

Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then thou shalt see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

Give not that which is holy unto dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine; lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rent you.

Ask and it shall be given you: seek and ye shall find: knock and it shall be opened unto you.

For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened.

Or what man is there of you, who, if his son ask bread, will give him a stone?

Or if he ask a fish, will give him a serpent?

If ye then being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven, give good things to them that ask him?

Therefore all things whatsoever you would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets._

1. OUR blessed Lord, having now finished his main design, having first delivered the sum of true religion, carefully guarded against those glosses of men, whereby they would make the word of God of none effect: and having, next, laid down rules touching that right intention, which we are to preserve in all our outward actions: now proceeds to point out the main hindrances of this religion, and concludes all with a suitable application.

2. In the fifth chapter our great Teacher has fully described inward religion in its various branches. He has there laid before us those dispositions of soul, which constitute real Christianity; the tempers contained in that holiness, _without which no man shall see the Lord_; the affections, which when flowing from their proper fountain, from a living faith in God thro’ Christ Jesus, are intrinsically and essentially good, and acceptable to God. In the sixth he has shewn, how all our actions likewise, even those that are indifferent in their own nature, may be made holy and good, and acceptable to God, by a pure and holy intention. Whatever is done without this, he declares is of no value with God: whereas whatever outward works are thus consecrated to God, are in his sight of great price.

3. In the former part of this chapter he points out the most common and most fatal hindrances of this holiness. In the latter, he exhorts us by various motives, to break thro’ all, and secure that prize of our high calling.

4. The first hindrance he cautions us against is judging. _Judge not, that ye be not judged._ Judge not others, that ye be not judged of the Lord, that ye bring not vengeance on your own heads. _For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged, and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again_: a plain and equitable rule, whereby God permits you to determine for yourselves, in what manner he shall deal with you in the judgment of the great day.

5. There is no station of life, nor any period of time, from the hour of our first repenting and believing the gospel, till we are made perfect in love, wherein this caution is not needful for every child of God. For occasions of judging can never be wanting. And the temptations to it are innumerable: many whereof are so artfully disguised, that we fall into the sin, before we suspect any danger. And unspeakable are the mischiefs produced hereby: always to him that judges another: thus wounding his own soul, and exposing himself to the righteous judgment of God: and frequently to those who are judged, whose hands hang down, who are weakened and hindered in their course, if not wholly turned out of the way, and caused to draw back even to perdition. Yea, how often, when this _root of bitterness springs up_, are _many defiled thereby_: by reason whereof the way of truth itself is evil spoken of, and that worthy name blasphemed whereby we are called.

6. Yet it does not appear, that our Lord designed this caution, only or chiefly for the children of God: but rather for the children of the world, for the men who know not God. These cannot but hear of those, who are not of the world, who follow after the religion above described: who endeavour to be humble, serious, gentle, merciful and pure in heart; who earnestly desire such measures of these holy tempers, as they have not yet attained: and wait for them in doing all good to all men, and patiently suffering evil. Whoever go but thus far, cannot be hid, no more than _a city set upon a hill_. And why do not those, who _see_ their _good works, glorify their Father which is in heaven_? What excuse have they, for not treading in their steps? For not imitating their example, and being followers of them, as they are also of Christ? Why, in order to provide an excuse for themselves, they condemn those whom they ought to imitate. They spend their time in finding out their neighbour’s faults, instead of amending their own. They are so busied about others going out of the way, that themselves never come into it at all: at least, never get forward, never go beyond a poor dead form of godliness without the power.

7. It is to these more especially that our Lord says, _Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye_, the infirmities, the mistakes, the imprudence, the weakness of the children of God; _but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye_? Thou considerest not the damnable impenitence, the satanic pride, the accursed self-will, the idolatrous love of the world, which are in thyself, and which make thy whole life an abomination to the Lord. Above all, with what supine carelessness and indifference art thou dancing over the mouth of hell? And _how then_, with what grace, with what decency or modesty, _wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye_, the excess of zeal for God, the extreme self-denial, the too great disengagement from worldly cares and employments, the desire to be day and night in prayer, or hearing the words of eternal life? _And behold a beam is in thine own eye!_ not a mote, like one of these. _Thou hypocrite!_ Who pretendest to care for others and hast no care for thy own soul! Who makest a show of zeal for the cause of God, when in truth thou neither lovest nor fearest him! _First cast out the beam out of thine own eye._ Cast out the beam of impenitence. Know thyself. See and feel thyself a sinner. Feel, that thy inward parts are very wickedness, that thou art altogether corrupt and abominable, and that the wrath of God abideth on thee. Cast out the beam of pride. Abhor thyself. Sink down as in dust and ashes. Be more and more little and mean, and base and vile in thine own eyes. Cast out the beam of self-will. Learn what that meaneth, _If any man will come after me, let him renounce himself_. Deny thyself and take up thy cross daily. Let thy whole soul cry out, _I came down from heaven_ (for so thou didst, thou never-dying spirit, whether thou knowest it or no) _not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me_. Cast out the beam of love of the world. Love not the world, neither the things of the world. Be thou crucified unto the world, and the world crucified unto thee. Only _use_ the world, but _enjoy_ God. Seek all thy happiness in him. Above all, cast out the grand beam, that supine carelessness and indifference. Deeply consider, that _one thing is needful_, the one thing which thou hast scarce ever thought of. Know and feel, that thou art a poor, vile, guilty worm, quivering over the great gulph! What art thou? A sinner born to die: a leaf driven before the wind: a vapour ready to vanish away: just appearing, and then scattered into air, to be no more seen! See this, _And then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye_. Then, if thou hast leisure from the concerns of thy own soul, thou shalt know how to correct thy brother also.

8. But what is properly the meaning of this word, _Judge not_? What is the _judging_ which is here forbidden? It is not the same as evil-speaking, altho’ it is frequently joined therewith. Evil-speaking, is the relating any thing that is evil, concerning an absent person: whereas _judging_ may indifferently refer, either to the absent or the present. Neither does it necessarily imply the speaking at all, but only the _thinking evil_ of another. Not that all kind of thinking evil of others, is that _judging_ which our Lord condemns. If I see one commit robbery or murder, or hear him blaspheme the name of God, I cannot refrain from thinking ill of the robber or murderer. Yet this is not evil _judging_: there is no sin in this, nor any thing contrary to tender affection.

9. The thinking of another, in a manner that is contrary to love, is that _judging_ which is here condemned. And this may be of various kinds. For, first, we may think another to blame when he is not. We may lay to his charge (at least in our own mind) the things of which he is not guilty: the words which he has never spoke, or the actions which he has never done. Or we may think his _manner_ of acting was wrong, altho’ in reality it was not. And even where nothing can justly be blamed, either in the thing itself, or in the manner of doing it, we may suppose, his _intention_ was not good, and so condemn him on that ground; at the same time that he who searches the heart, sees his simplicity and godly sincerity.

10. But we may not only fall into the sin of _judging_, by condemning the innocent, but also, secondly, by condemning the guilty, in a higher degree than he deserves. This species of judging is likewise an offence against justice as well as mercy: and yet such an offence as nothing can secure us from, but the strongest and tenderest affection. Without this, we readily suppose one who is acknowledged to be in fault, to be more in fault than he really is. We undervalue whatever good is found in him. Nay, we are not easily induced to believe, that any thing good can remain in him, in whom we have found any thing that is evil.

11. All this shews a manifest want of that love, which οὑ λογίζεται κακόν· _thinketh no evil_: which never draws an unjust or unkind conclusion, from any premisses whatsoever. Love will not infer, from a person’s falling once into an act of open sin, that he is accustomed so to do, that he is habitually guilty of it. And if he was habitually guilty once, love does not conclude, he is so still: much less, that if he is now guilty of this, therefore he is guilty of other sins also. These evil reasonings all pertain to that sinful _judging_, which our Lord here guards us against: and which we are in the highest degree concerned to avoid, if we love either God or our own souls.

12. But supposing we do not condemn the innocent, neither the guilty any farther than they deserve: still we may not be altogether clear of the snare. For there is a third sort of sinful _judging_, which is the condemning any person at all where there is not a sufficient evidence. And be the facts we suppose ever so true, yet that does not acquit us. For they ought not to have been supposed but proved, and till they were, we ought to have formed no judgment. I say, till they were: for neither are we excused, altho’ the facts admit of ever so strong proof, unless that proof be produced before we pass sentence, and compared with the evidence on the other side. Nor can we be excused, if ever we pass a full sentence, before the accused has spoken for himself. Even a Jew might teach us this, as a mere lesson of justice abstracted from mercy and brotherly love. _Doth our law_, says _Nicodemus, judge any man before it hear him and know what he doth? John_ xvii. 51. Yea, a Heathen could reply, when the chief of the Jewish nation desired to have judgment against his prisoner, _It is not the manner of the Romans to_ judge _any man, before he that is accused have the accusers face to face, and have licence to answer for himself, concerning the crime laid against him_.

13. Indeed we could not easily fall into sinful _judging_, were we only to observe that rule, which [116]another of those Heathen _Romans_ affirms to have been the measure of his own practice. “I am so far, says he, from lightly believing every man’s, or any man’s evidence against another, that I do not easily or immediately believe a man’s evidence against himself. I always allow him second thoughts, and many times council too.” Go thou who art called a Christian, and do likewise, lest the Heathen rise and condemn thee in that day.

14. But how rarely should we condemn or judge one another, at least, how soon would that evil be remedied, were we to walk by that clear and express rule, which our Lord himself has taught us? _If thy brother shall trespass against thee_, (or if thou hear, or believe that he hath) _go and tell him of his fault, between him and thee alone_. This is the first step thou art to take. _But if he will not hear, take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word may be established._ This is the second step. _If he neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church_; either to the overseers thereof, or to the whole congregation. Thou hast then done thy part. Then think of it no more, but commend the whole to God.