Chapter 8

Of the deceitfulness of the Temporaries obedience.

We have examined the two former grounds, upon which the Temporary builds his opinion of himself, to be the child of God, and discovered the deceitfulness of them both, namely his faith, and repentance: It remains now that we should do the like to his third ground, namely his obedience, and so dismiss him.

Obedience is twofold; Active in doing that which God commands: Passive, in suffering that which God inflicts. And the temporary may seem to have both these.

1. For active, the temporary believer may go far. There is no outward good work, which a true believer can do, but the temporary may do it also, and that in outward appearance, with as great spirit and zeal as the true believer, as in Jehu, who did not only execute God's judgments upon Ahab, and his house, and destroyed Baal, and his Priests, but did this (as others and himself thought) with great zeal, and in the heat of godly indignation; so that, to the outward eye, little difference between the spirit of Jehu, in his reformation, and of Josiah in his. So Herod reverenced John, and did many things in obedience to his doctrine. So likewise did Saul reverence Samuel, show great humility in hiding himself, when to be King, and after he was King, great zeal and courage in revenging the cause of those of Jabesh against Nahash, in fighting the battles of the Lord against the Philistines, and in destroying of witches, great mercy also and moderation in sparing, and forgiving those wicked people, that despised him, etc. Yet, for all this, his end was fearful, God took away his mercy from him. And therefore the obedience that seems to be in this kind of men is deceitful: else God would not, as he threatens by the Prophet, blot it out, who according to Nehemiah's prayer wipes not out any of the good services of his children.

That this deceitfulness may the better appear, let us examine our Temporary's obedience by the notes of true obedience; which are specially three, sincerity, universality, and a settled constancy.

1. Sincerity: when all base and selfish regards are laid aside, and only the conscience of God's commandment and the desire of his glory sways with us. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies (says the prophet), but because there may be much guile in keeping, he adds, and seek him with their whole heart. The true keeping of the testimonies is when we seek God, and not ourselves, in keeping; when, as Jeremiah says, we be circumcised to the Lord — that is, in respect of God's commandment, and not the magistrate's, as it is with too many. Hence that phrase (which is so frequent with the prophet) of seeking God's commandments: "I am yours, save me, for I seek your precepts" (Psalm 119:94). Which implies this much: that all that we are to seek in our obedience are the precepts themselves; the thing we are specially to aim at is obedience itself to the precepts. But God's precepts may say to the temporary believers, "You seek not us but yourselves" — as Christ said to some of them, "You seek me because of the loaves." Some (Proverbs 1:28) are said to seek God, and yet of the same men it is said in the next verse that they hated the knowledge of God. How can they be said to seek that which they hate? But that they sought not God sincerely, but only for their own ease's sake, to be delivered out of their trouble — and so indeed they sought not God but themselves. For all their obedience is either slavish or mercenary: sometimes it is the obedience of the bondslave, sometimes of the hireling, always base, corrupted with some wry and wrong consideration or other. Sometimes the fear of man works it, as in Esau's marrying no longer with the Canaanites but with the posterity of Ishmael — Moses notes the ground of it to have been the consideration of his father's distaste of his Canaanite wives. Sometimes again the fear of God's judgments — as of the rack of an accusing conscience, of the torments of hell fire, etc. — holds us to it. But here that which the apostle speaks concerning magistrates' laws, that we ought to be subject not only for wrath (namely of the magistrate, and the punishment which that wrath may inflict) but for conscience sake (Romans 13:5), is true much more in God's laws: that we ought to perform obedience not so much for wrath — no, not for God's own wrath and the punishment it will inflict — but though there were no hell, yes, though there were no heaven, of very conscience, because the Lord God has commanded us. Otherwise again the temporary man obeys upon hope of some good that may thereby accrue to him, as profit, praise, and such like. And here that depravation of Satan has his truth: Does Job observe God for nothing (Job 1:9)? Does Saul love God for nothing? No, it is for a kingdom. Does Jehu root out Ahab's race for nothing? No, it is to confirm himself in the kingdom. Does he destroy Baal for nothing? No, it is for glory in the world, that he may boast and call up good Jonadab to applaud him and his zeal: "Come and see what zeal I have for the Lord." You deceive yourself, Jehu — it is for yourself. Therefore God says afterward by the prophet, "I will visit the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu" (Hosea 1:4). Though it were shed by God's own appointment, yet because Jehu obeyed not God's commandment so much as his own ambition and pride in the shedding thereof, therefore God will punish it as disobedience, not reward it as obedience. So likewise, though God commanded the burnt offerings, the new moons, etc., yet he asks the Jews, "Who required these things?" (Isaiah 1:12), because it was not the conscience of God's commandment that moved them to perform those services. And again, "Have you fasted to me, to me?" says the Lord (Ezekiel 7:5), because it was not any true regard of God's word that caused them to fast. Obedience in the word is compared to fruit, and the doing of good works is called the bringing forth of fruit. Now fruit comes of seed. Seed must first be received of the ground before it can yield us any grain. This seed is the word, the commandment of God. First, we must receive this seed before we can bring forth any fruit: first we must hear the word, and by faith apply to and urge upon ourselves the commandment, and then obey. Obedience without respect of God's word is but wild oats — it grows of itself; there was no seed sown to bring forth this fruit, and therefore it is not good. And such is the obedience of the temporary man: he hears not the word though it speaks to him, neither does he do what he does as responding to the word. The word indeed requires of him what he does, but he does it not as hearing himself requested by the word, but rather by his own corruption. If God had asked Jehu concerning his destroying of Ahab's posterity, Baal's priests and worship, "Who required this at your hands?" he might truly have answered: vainglory, ambition, pride, policy. And here is the first detection of the temporary man's obedience.

2. Note of true obedience is universality. And this necessarily springs from the former: for if obedience be sincere; that is, if it be performed only because of God's commandment, it must needs be universal, to one commandment as well as to another: for there is the same divine authority binding the conscience in one as in another. And therefore truly is it said, whatever is done for God's cause is done equally, because the same God that commands one precept, commands also the other. Hence is that of James, He that breaks one commandment is guilty of all: for the law is wholly copulative. So that, as where many friends are linked together in a sure bond of friendship, if you offend one of them, you offend all, all the rest will interest themselves in their friends' quarrel: so is it with the commandments; they are so knit and chained together, that, when one is violated, all the rest are ready as it were to take its part, and to enter in God's Court their action of trespass against us. Hence it was, that when some of the Israelites had broken the fourth commandment in going out to seek Manna on the Sabbath, God challenged them for breaking of all his commandments; "How long do you refuse to keep my commandments?" And Ezekiel reckoning up many abominations, fastens the imputation of all of them on him that had actually offended in one only. It is a remarkable place, and therefore I will set down the words at large. "If he beget a son that is a thief, or a shedder of blood, if he do [any one of these things] though he does not all these things, but either has eaten upon the mountains, or defiled his neighbor's wife, or oppressed the poor, etc. shall he live? He shall not live. Seeing he has done [all these abominations] he shall die the death." Here he says all: and yet before, he said one only, because break one and break all, keep one truly and heartily, and keep all. From which it is that some one good action has blessedness ascribed to it, as the making of peace (Matthew 5), because of this concatenation of the commandments, and the virtues therein commanded, that a man cannot keep one, but he must keep the rest, he cannot have one grace, but he must also have another. For there is a double both keeping and breaking of the commandments; habitual and actual. Habitual in the preparation, purpose, desire and disposition of the heart: actual in the outward deed. Now however he that breaks one, breaks not all actually; yet breaking that one habitually, he breaks them all habitually, his heart stands alike affected to break any of the rest, and whenever occasion shall serve, he will break them. And however he that keeps one, keeps not all actually, indeed he that keeps most breaks all actually; yet he that keeps one commandment habitually, that is, in the purpose and inclination of his heart, he keeps them all in the same manner, his heart stands honestly disposed to the keeping of the rest; he may say with David, "My heart is prepared." So that it may be truly said, the wicked do break even those commandments they keep; that is, they break in regard of the fitness and preparation of their hearts, those they keep sometimes outwardly: and so in the same sort, the godly do keep those commandments, which actually they break. The best of God's children are often overtaken with diverse sins, and with some one more than with another, and so fail more in the breach of some commandment than of another: yet still they keep that commandment in regard of the bent and affection of their hearts, they consent with Paul to the law, even in that commandment they most break, that it is holy and good. Now when we say true obedience is catholic and universal, the keeping of all the commandments, it is to be understood of this habitual obedience, when with David we look towards, or have respect to them all. See then the deceit of the temporaries' obedience. Though they do many things as Herod and Judas; yet they live in the habitual breach of some one commandment at least. As Herod in the habitual breach of the seventh commandment, in his incest: Judas in the habitual breach of the eighth, in his covetousness. Their hearts were set on those sins, and they drank them in as the fish does water. They hated those good commandments of the Lord, that forbade those sins, and could have wished with all their hearts there had been no such commandments: which showed that even in those commandments they kept, as Herod in hearing John, Judas Christ, their obedience was rotten and unsound, and without all regard of God's commandment: for the same God, that bade Herod reverence John's ministry in the second commandment, bade him also possess his vessel in holiness and honor, in the seventh. And if conscience had made him love the second commandment, surely it would not let him have hated the seventh commandment. So Judas if he had truly hated other sins, because they were sins, he could not then have loved, and so lived in covetousness. And if God's fear had made Jehu put down Baal's worship, he would not then have still retained Jeroboam's calves, the same God forbidding both. Let the temporary then mark himself well, and he shall find that in some point or other he has a dispensatory conscience with God's word. And as rogues under hedges without the magistrates, so he can make licenses to himself without God's warrant, to continue in his or that sin. Whereby his profane contempt of God is manifestly betrayed, and his obedience in other things convinced to be no obedience to God, but to man, or to himself, or to that respect, whatever it is, that drew it forth.

3. A note of true obedience is settled constancy, when, as the Scripture speaks, we walk in the commandments of the Lord and exercise ourselves therein; as the wicked are said to be exercised in covetousness, in that they constantly follow it as the craftsman does his trade. But indeed the temporary does not walk in these ways, as does the honest traveler in the broad highway, but only like the thief comes darting and crossing over them. His obedience is like the true Christian's disobedience, which is not settled and rooted, but only for a fit. The good Christian quickly remembers himself, and returns to his course of godliness, when through distemper, he has begun to stray: and so the temporary Christian as quickly returns to his intermitted wickedness, when sometimes he chances to stumble upon devotion. His obedience is a moody and passionate obedience; soon forgot. It is like Saul's affection to David; when the evil spirit comes upon him, then that religion which before he seemed to make so much of, shall be run through with the spear of gross and willful disobedience. He does not, neither can he cleave to the Lord with full purpose of heart, as the true believer.

And so much for his active obedience: Now for passive in suffering, we would think it strange, if the temporary believer might go so far as to suffer for the truth. But it is a plain case he may. Did not Peter speak in the name of all his fellows, and so of Judas when he said, Master we have forsaken all and followed you? Did not Judas leave his calling in the world, whatever it was, and did he not neglect all other means and possibilities of his livelihood, and cleave only to Christ for three years space, being partaker with him in his sufferings? So did Demas and Alexander with Paul; and yet both afterward became fearful apostates, insomuch as Alexander (of being persecuted) turned a persecutor, and that of him, who before had turned of a persecuting Jew, a persecuted Christian; for Saint Paul writes of him, that by putting away a good conscience he had shipwrecked the faith, that he had done him much evil, that he withstood his preaching sorely, that he blasphemed the truth; and yet we shall find in the Acts, that in Paul's cause he was very near to martyrdom: when he was violently dragged forth and cast as a prey to the teeth of those raging Ephesians. Nicholas the deacon joined himself to the persecuted Church, and yet afterward became a ring-leader and the head of a horrible wickedness: for of him were those Nicolaitans, Saint John speaks of, so called. The like we may see in Ananias and Sapphira, that were content to sell their whole estate, and to give half of it to the Church, and yet but hypocrites: indeed Augustine thinks, as we showed before, that hypocrites may suffer martyrdom. If it be objected, that Christ says these temporaries are offended and go back when persecution comes because of the word, and therefore that they cannot go thus far as we say; I answer that is to be understood of one kind of the temporaries, namely those that are noted out by the stony ground; and not of the second sort of temporaries, which are represented to us by the thorny ground; for the very rise our Savior uses in that parable must needs imply that as the stony ground went beyond the highway; so the thorny goes beyond the stony; which cannot be otherwise than in this, that the thorny ground's fruit can well endure the heat of the sun, and is not perished that way, as was the stony ground's, but only by its own thorns. Of this sort of temporaries was Judas, Alexander and the rest above-named, in whom the good seed was overthrown, not by the parching sun of persecution, which in some measure they endured, but by the choking thorns of covetousness, ambition, and such like corrupt affections. The temporary believer then may proceed thus far to suffer: but yet as Paul tells the Galatians, in vain, because he suffers not sincerely, and with a good mind: for he that suffers aright, must suffer in denial of himself, and his own carnal affections, according to our Savior's direction given to all such, whom he calls to be his disciples. If any man, says he, will be my Disciple, he must deny himself, and take up the cross. It is not enough simply to take up the cross, but first he must deny himself, and so take up the cross. But the temporary seeks himself in taking up the cross. They are his own proud, ambitious, vainglorious, covetous affections that make him stoop to take up the cross. The fruit of the thorny ground is able indeed to bear the heat of the sun, and is not consumed with it, as the stony ground's: but what's the reason? Because the thorns covering it do fence off the sun. And what's the reason our thorny temporary is so ready sometimes to run himself into the briars of persecution, but that the thorn of some wicked lust or other is a spur in his side. Mark the best of the temporaries in their sufferings, and you shall see, that for all the thorns of persecution, with which the adversaries prick them, they still continue pricking their own souls, with the thorns of covetousness, pride and vainglory. These thorns prick them forward to the suffering of the other thorns; as in Judas he looked one day for a good day, he hoped to have no mean place in Christ's temporal kingdom, and withal in present he felt the sweet of carrying the bag. He carried the cross on his back, that he might carry the bag in his hands. The delight and comfort he took in licking his fingers after the receipt of the alms, made him willingly endure the little pain of his back. The bag in the hand was a staff and prop to uphold his back from sinking under the burden of the cross. The sweetness, not of God's love shed into his heart, but of man's love shed into his hands was that, which allayed the sourness of the cross. So with others, the cool wind not of God's, but of men's praises is that which refreshes them in the scorching of this sun, and makes them with some comfort bear the heat of the day. Though I give my body to be burned, says Paul, and have not love, I am nothing. Insinuating that men may burn their bodies, as he burned Diana's temple, of self-love, of love of glory and fame in the world, and not of any true love to God, or his Church. Let us not then please ourselves overmuch, if we have suffered something for the truth, because, even in suffering, the heart is deceitful; but let us search our own hearts, and see whether, as the adversary persecutes the new man in us, so we take occasion to persecute the old man in ourselves: whether we turn the sword, thrust at us to kill the life of grace, to the opening of our abscesses: whether, as it were by one nail driving out another, we use the thorns of persecution, as means and medicines against the thorns of covetousness, and worldliness. It is an ill sign, when we can bear the world's yoke in persecution, and yet, at the same time, not endure God's yoke in mortification. Again, let us examine the ground, and end of our suffering, whether we can truly say with Paul and the Psalmist, The love of Christ constrains, for your sake we are killed, and we suffer all things for the elect's sake: for as we have showed, covetousness, pride, and vainglory sets many on this work. And, which is not all out so bad, perhaps others may be forced by the fear of God's judgments, threatened against them, that deny the truth. But then, as God said once to the Jews in the matter of fasting, have you fasted to me, so here also may he say to us in the matter of suffering; Have you suffered for me. And when we shall begin to tell Christ of such kind of sufferings, and to say with Peter, We have left all and followed you, he may twit us with the same answer, with which he then pinched Judas, whom Peter included in the generality of his speech, Whoever shall forsake houses, lands, etc. for my name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold. But Judas, and so all other temporary believers, whatever they have suffered for Christ, it has not been for his sake, but for their own. Therefore their sufferings have been deceitful: and as they would have deceived Christ by them, so assuredly Christ shall deceive them, in disappointing them of their hoped for reward.