An old man being asked if he grew in goodness, answered, Yea, doubtless I believe I do, because the Lord hath said, ' They shall still bring forth fruit in old age, they shall be fat, and flourishing;' or green, as the Hebrew hath it.^
In the island of St Thomas, on the back side of Africa, in the midst of it is a hill, and over that a continual cloud, wherewith the whole island is watered. Such a cloud is Christ to weak saints. Though our hearts naturally are like the isle of Patmos, which is so barren of any good as that nothing will grow but on earth that is brought from other places, yet Christ will make them like 'a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not,' Isa. Iviii. 11.
The eigJdh support is this :
Support 8. That the least good that is done by the iveakest saint shall not he despised, hy Christ, but highly esteemed and reivarded.^
As you may see in ^lat. xix. 27, ' Behold we have forsaken all, and followed thee, and what shall we have?' A great all! a great catch indeed, as I have formerly shewed you ; they left a few old boats and torn nets and poor household stuff, j^et Christ carries it very sweetly and lovingly to them, and tells them in verse 2S, that they should ' sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.' Christ tells them they shall sit as ambassadors or chief councillors and presidents, which have the chief seats in the kingly assembly, yea, they shall sit as kings. Tkey are here but obscure kings, but kings elected ; but in that day they shall be kings crowned, kings glorified, kings acknow- ledged. Then they shall as far outshine the glory of the sun, as the sun now outshines a twinkling star. In that day they shall be ' higher than the kings of the earth/ Ps. Ixxxix. 27. So in Mat. x. 42, ' And who- soever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones, a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he .shall in no Avise lose his rev/ard, for a cup of cold water/ Water, the common element, and cold water, which cost them not so much as fire to warm it ; for that, there is a torrent and a very sea of all pleasures provided for thee to all eternity. God esteems men's deeds by their minds, and not their minds by their deeds. The least and cheapest courtesy that can be shewed shall be rewarded. There is an emphasis in that deep asseveration, ' Verily I say unto yau, he shall in no wise lose his reward/ Mercy is as sure a grain as vanity.^ God is not like to break, neither will he forget the least good done by the least saint. The butler may forget Joseph, and Joseph may forget his father's house, but the Lord will not forget the least o'ood done by the weakest saint.*
The Duke of Burgundy, being a wise and loving man, did bountifully reward a poor gardener, for offering of him a rape-root, being the best pre-
' D*33ini. From hagnan, green.
'■* A dying saint once cried out, ' lie is come, be is come!' meaning the Lord, with a great reward for a little work.
3 So in all the editions. Qu. Mercy, typified by 'grain' or seed, [Cf. Ps. xcvii. 11], yields as ' sure' a harvest of 'good' or blessing, as does ' vanity' of ' evil ?' — G.
* Agrippa, having suffered imprisonment for wishing Caius [Caligula. — G.] emperor, the first thing Caius did when he came to the empire was to prefer Agrippa [grandson of Herod. — G.] to a kingdom. He gave him also a chain of gold as heavy as the chain of iron that was iipon him in prison [whither he had been sent by Tiberius. — G.]. And will not Christ richly reward for all our well-wishes toward him, and for all our gracious actings for him ? Surely he will. He has a king's heart, as well as a king's purse.
68 THE UNSEARCHABLE [EPH. III. 8.
sent the poor man had ; and will not our God, whose very nature is goodness, kindness, and sweetness, &c., do much more ? Surely he will reward the least good done by the weakest saint. Therefore be not dis- couraged, weak Christians, though you should meet with hard measure from the world, though- they should reward your weak services with re- proaches, &c., for the Lord will reward you ; he ' -will not despise the day of small things,' Heb. vi. 10. What though, O precious soul, thy language be clipped and broken ? what though thou canst but chatter like a crane ? what though thou canst not talk so fluently and eloquently for Christ as others ? what though thy hand be weak, that thou canst not do so much for Christ as others ? nor do so well for Christ as others ? yet the Lord, seeing thy heart sincere, will reward thee. Thou shalt have an everlasting rest for a little labour, and a great reward for a little Vv'ork.
The ninth support is this :
Support 9. TJatt as your graces are weaker than others, so your ternjy- tojtions shall be feiver, and your afflictions lighter than others.
God in much wisdom and love will suit your burdens to your backs, he will suit all your temptations and afflictions to your strength. Your burdens shall not be great, if your strength be but little, as you may see, 1 Cor. x. 13, ' There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man ; but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.' The Lord, O weak Christian ! will suit thy burden to thy back, and his sti'okes to thy strength. This is most evident in Scripture, that the strongest in grace have always been most tempted, afflicted, and distressed.'
If Abraham excel others in faith, God will try the strength of Abra- ham's faith to the uttermost, and put him to that that he never put man to before, Gen. xx. If Moses excel all others in meekness, the Lord will try the strength of that grace, and Moses shall have to do with as proud and as murmuring a generation, as ever man had to do with. If Job carry the daj^ from all others, in point of patience, he shall be exer- cised with such strange and imheard of afflictions, as shall try not only the truth, but also the strength of his patience to the uttermost. If Paul have more glorious revelations than the rest of the apostles, Paul shall be more buffeted and exercised with temptations, than the rest of the apostles.2
And thus you see it clear by all these instances, that the best and choicest saints have always met with the worst and greatest temptations and affliction.s. So when the disciples were in the lowest form, when they were weak in grace, the Lord Jesus exercises them but with light afflic- tions ; but when tiiey had a greater measure of the Spirit poured upon them, then their troubles were increased and multiplied, and their for- mer troubles, in comparison of the latter, were but as scratches of pins to stabs at the heart. Acts ii. 1 to 21. When the Spirit of the Lord was poured out upon them, then they were afflicted, opposed, and