BOOK 5. THE MESSAGE.
CHAPTER 1.
5.1.2. Of the Preaching of John the Baptist.
Of the Preaching of John the Baptist.
For the preaching of John the Baptist, now it was that the gospel began to dawn, and John, like the morning star, or the blushing day, springing from the windows in the east, foretells the approaching of the Sun of righteousness; now it was that he laid the first rough, hard and unhewn stone of the building in mortification, self-denial, and doing violence to our natural affections. I read not that ever John wrought a miracle, but he was a man of an austere life; and good works convince more than miracles themselves. It is storied of one Pachomius, a soldier under Constantine the emperor, that his army being well near starved for want of necessary provision, he came to a city of Christians; and they of their own charity relieved them speedily and freely; he wondering at their so free and cheerful dispensation, enquired what kind of people those were, whom he saw so bountiful? It was answered, They were Christians, whose profession it is to hurt no man, to do good to every man. Hereupon the soldier convinced of the excellency of this religion, he threw away his arms, and became a Christian, and a saint. To this purpose, I suppose, John the baptist spent his time in prayer, meditations, affections, and colloquies with God, eating flies, and wild honey in the wilderness, that he might be made a fit instrument of preparation and dissemination of the gospel of Christ.
In his sermons, he sometimes gave particular schedules of duty to several states of persons, he sharply reproved the Pharisees for their hypocrisy and impiety; he gently guided others into the ways of righteousness, calling them the "straight ways of the Lord;" and by such discourses and baptism, he disposed the spirits of men for the entertaining of the Messias, and the doctrine of the gospel. John's sermons were to the sermons of Jesus, as a preface to a discourse.
But observe this, that his most usual note was repentance, "The axe to the root, the fan to the floor, the chaff to the fire:" as his raiment was rough, so was his tongue: and thus must the way be made for Christ in stubborn obstinate hearts; plausibility, or pleasing of the flesh is no fit preface to regeneration; if the heart of man had continued upright, Christ might have been entertained without contradiction; but now violence must be offered to our corruptions, ere we can have room for grace; if the great way-maker do not cast down hills, and raise up valleys in the bosoms of men, there is no passage for Christ: never will Christ come into that soul, where the herald of repentance, either on one motive or other hath not been before him.
Shall we hear that sermon which John preached in his own words? Matt. iii. 2. In brief gives it in thus, "Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand:" these are the words when he first began to preach the gospel of Christ; and indeed we find Christ himself doth preach the same doctrine in the same words, "Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" Matt. iv. 17. And when Christ sent out his disciples to preach the gospel, he commanded them to preach the same doctrine also, "Go ye, preach, saying, Repent; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," Matt. vi. 12, and x. 7. In this sermon we must observe these two parts, here is, 1. A duty, and, 2. A motive to this duty.
1. The duty is. Repent; it is not a legal but an evangelical repentance that is here meant: indeed the law strictly takes no notice of repentance, but the gospel: true, and thorough, and consummate repentance is a gospel grace.
2. The motive is this, "For the kingdom of heaven is at hand." This phrase, "The kingdom of heaven;" hath several acceptations, and accordingly it hath occasioned some differences.
(a). Sometimes it is taken for that glorious condition of the other world: this may be implied; but this I suppose few understand to be the sense of this place.
(b). Sometimes it is taken for the church of Christ; q.d. Repent, for now the pedagogy of the Jews is expiring, or breathing its last, and the church of Christ is at hand, a people that shall bear the very style of Christians; that shall profess Christ, and close with Christ as their Saviour and Messiah: of which church that you may be a part, prepare for it, repent.
(c). Sometimes it is taken for the spiritual kingdom of Christ, in opposition to those earthly temporal kingdoms, which bore the sway, and domineered over all the world with cruelty and tyranny, before Christ coming: of this Daniel, ii. 44. prophesied, "And in the days of these kings, shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed;" Now, what was this kingdom, but the kingdom of grace? It is by an Hebraism called. The kingdom of heaven, that is, an heavenly kingdom: The Jew's expected the Messiah, and dreamed of an outward, glorious, and pompous kingdom: now, saith John, The Messiah is come, and his kingdom is come, but it is not earthly, but an heavenly kingdom, and therefore repent.
(d). Sometimes it is taken for the preaching of the gospel, or for the preaching of the kingdom of grace and mercy of God in Christ unto men: q.d. "O sirs! look about you, there is now a discovery made of the glory and grace of God, in another way than ever formerly; and therefore prepare for it, repent."
(e). Sometimes it is taken for the gospel of Christ, as it is published and preached unto all nations; observe, I do not only say for the gospel, as it is preached; but as it is preached to the Gentiles, or among all nations; and this shows how proper and pregnant an argument this was to enforce the doctrine and practice of repentance upon the Jews, because the calling of the Gentiles was near at hand, which would prove their rejection and casting off, if they did not repent.
Oh how seasonable is this sermon to us? Christians! hath not the kingdom of heaven approached unto us? Take the kingdom of heaven for the kingdom of glory, are we not near to the door of glory, to the confines of eternity? "What is our life, but a vapour that appeareth for a little time, and after it vanisheth away?" We know not but ere the sun have run one round, our souls may be in that world of souls, and so either in heaven or hell. Or take the kingdom of heaven for the church of Christ, and what expectations have we now of the flourishing state of Christ's church here upon earth? "Then shall the children of Israel and Judah be gathered together, -- for great shall be the day of Jezreel," Hos i. 11. A time is at hand, that Israel and Judah shall be called together, that the fulness of the Gentiles shall come in; and what is this, but the great day of Jezreel? Oh then what manner of persons ought we to be? How spiritual? How heavenly minded? "Arise, arise, shake off thy dust, for thy light is coming, and the glory of the Lord is rising upon thee," or, take the kingdom of heaven for the preaching of the gospel of grace, mercy and goodness of God in Christ, what preachings are now in comparison of what hath been formerly? How doth the Lord set forth his free love, and free grace in the churches of Christ? No question but many former ages have enjoyed their discoveries in some sweet measure, and yet after ages wonder that they have known no more? and how much of the kingdom of heaven do saints find in this age, as if there were a new manifestation of God unto the world? And yet I must tell you, that the ages to come shall know more of this kingdom, there shall be further and further openings of this great mystery of grace unto the sons of men: mark the apostle, "That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace, in his kindness towards us through Jesus Christ," Eph. ii. 7. How is this? Had not God revealed grace enough in former ages? Or had not God revealed grace enough in that present age? Did he not then call in the Gentiles? Were not many thousands converted at only one sermon? What a deal of that grace had Paul himself received? He tells us that "the grace of our Lord Jesus was exceeding abundant to himwards," 1 Tim. i. 3, And is there yet more grace to be revealed? O yes! herein lies the mystery of grace. That he hath reserved exceeding riches of grace for the ages to come, grace that never saw light before; and I believe there is yet a fuller magazine of the riches of his grace for latter ages, even for the ages to come to be discovered, than ever was yet. Oh then repent, repent! Why? "For the kingdom of heaven is at hand; the very openings of God's love and grace unto souls, is a way and motive to draw our souls unto God. Or take the kingdom of heaven for the preaching of the gospel to all nations, Jews, and Gentiles, what fears and jealousies may this breed in us as well as the Jews? O boast not against the branches! It may be thou wilt say. The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. Well, because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith; be not high minded, but fear. For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee: behold therefore the goodness, and severity of God, on them which fell severity; but towards thee goodness, if thou continue in his goodness, otherwise thou shalt be cut off." But I must not dwell on this; my design is to consider of Jesus, and of the transactions of Jesus in reference to our souls health: now, John's sermons were only a preparative to the manifestation of Jesus; he was only the fore-runner of Christ, and not Christ himself, as himself witnesseth.