Chapter 2: The Scholar and His Proficiency — "I Have Learned"

I begin with the first. 1. The Scholar, and his proficiency: I have learned. Out of which I shall in transitu observe two things by way of paraphrase. 1. It is not 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, but 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. The Apostle does not say, I have heard, that in every state I should be content; but, I have learned. From which: 1. Doctrine — It is not enough for Christians to hear their duty, but they must learn their duty. It is one thing to hear, and another thing to learn; as it is one thing to eat, and another thing to digest. Saint Paul was a practitioner. Christians hear much, but it is to be feared, learn little. There were four sorts of ground in the Parable, and but one good ground. An emblem of this truth: many hearers, but few learners. There are two things which keep us from learning.

1. Slighting what we hear. Christ is the Pearl of great price; when we disesteem this Pearl, we shall never learn, either its value, or its virtue. The Gospel is a rare mystery; in one place it is called the Gospel of Grace, in another, the Gospel of Glory; because in it, as in a transparent glass the glory of God is resplendent. But he that has learned to despise this mystery will hardly ever learn to obey it. He that looks upon the things of Heaven as things by the by, and perhaps the driving of a trade, or carrying on some political design to be of greater importance — this man is in the high road to damnation, and will hardly ever learn the things of his peace. Who will learn that which he thinks is scarcely worth learning?

2. Forgetting what we hear. If a scholar have his rules laid before him, and he forgets them as fast as he reads them, he will never learn. Aristotle calls the memory the scribe of the soul; and Bernard calls it the stomach of the soul, because it has a retentive faculty, and turns heavenly food into blood and spirits. We have great memories in other things; we remember that which is vain. Cyrus could remember the name of every soldier in his huge army; we remember injuries. This is to fill a precious cabinet with dung; but, quàm facilis oblivio boni? as Jerome says, how soon do we forget the sacred truths of God? We are apt to forget three things: our faults, our friends, our instructions. Many Christians are like sieves — put a sieve into the water, and it is full; but take it forth of the water, and all runs out. So, while they are hearing a sermon, they remember something; but take the sieve out of the water, as soon as they are gone out of the church, all is forgotten. Let these sayings (says Christ) sink down into your ears; in the original it is, put these sayings into your [reconstructed: ears]. As a man that would hide a jewel from being stolen locks it up safe in his chest — let them sink. The word must not only fall as dew that wets the leaf, but as rain which soaks to the root of the tree, and makes it bear fruit. Oh how often does Satan, that fowl of the air, pick up the good seed that is sown!

Use: Let me put you upon a serious trial. Some of you have heard much; you have lived forty, fifty, sixty years under the blessed trumpet of the Gospel. What have you learned? You may have heard a thousand sermons, and yet not learned one. Search your consciences.

1. You have heard much against sin: are you hearers, or are you scholars?

How many sermons have you heard against covetousness — that it is the root on which pride, idolatry, and treason do grow? One calls it a metropolitan sin: it is malum complexum, it does twist a great many sins in with it. There is hardly any sin but covetousness is a main ingredient into it; and yet are you like the two daughters of the horse-leech, that cry, Give, give. How much have you heard against rash anger — that it is a short frenzy, a dry drunkenness; that it rests in the bosom of fools; and upon the least occasion do your spirits begin to take fire? How much have you heard against swearing? It is Christ's express mandate, Swear not at all; this sin of all others may be termed the unfruitful work of darkness. It is neither sweetened with pleasure, nor enriched with profit (the usual vermilion with which Satan does paint sin). Swearing is forbidden with a subpoena. While the swearer shoots his oaths, like flying arrows at God, to pierce his glory, God shoots a flying roll of curses against him. And do you make your tongue a racket, by which you toss oaths as tennis balls? Do you sport yourselves with oaths as the Philistines did with Samson, which will at last pull the house about your ears? Alas! how have they learned what sin is, that have not yet learned to leave sin? Does he know what a viper is, that plays with it?

2. You have heard much of Christ: have you learned Christ? The Jews (as one says) carried Christ in their Bibles, but not in their hearts. Their sound went into all the earth (Romans 10:18). The prophets and apostles were as trumpets, whose sound went abroad into the world; yet many thousands who heard the noise of these trumpets had not learned Christ. They have not all obeyed (verse 16).

1. A man may know much of Christ, and yet not learn Christ. The devils knew Christ (Mark 1:24).

2. A man may preach Christ, and yet not learn Christ; as Judas and the pseudo-apostles (Philippians 1:15).

3. A man may profess Christ, and yet not learn Christ. There are many professors in the world that Christ will profess against (Matthew 7:22-23).

Question: What is it then to learn Christ? Answer: 1. To learn Christ is to be made like Christ. When the divine characters of his holiness are engraved upon our hearts — we all with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image (2 Corinthians 3:18). There is a metamorphosis made; a sinner viewing Christ's image in the glass of the Gospel is transformed into that image. Never did any man look upon Christ with a spiritual eye, but went away quite changed. A true saint is a divine landscape or picture, where all the rare beauties of Christ are lively portrayed and drawn forth. He has the same Spirit, the same judgment, the same will with Jesus Christ.

2. To learn Christ is to believe in him: My Lord, my God (John 20:28). When we do not only credere Deum, but in Deum; which is the actual application of Christ to ourselves, and as it were the spreading of the sacred medicine of his blood upon our souls. You that have heard much of Christ, and yet cannot with humble adherence say, My Jesus — be not offended if I tell you, the Devil can say his creed as well as you.

3. To learn Christ is to live Christ. When we have Bible-conversations, our lives as rich diamonds cast a sparkling luster in the Church of God; and are (in some sense) parallel with the life of Christ, as the transcript with the original. So much for the first notion of the word.