VeR. 43.] SERMONS UPON PSALM cxis. 465
which is in Christ Jesus ; ' Acts ix. 27, ' Barnabas declared unto them how he had preached boldly to them at Damascus iu the name of Jesus ;' ver. 29, ' He spake boldly iu the name of Jesus ; ' Acts xiv. 3, ' Long time therefore abode they speaking boldly in the Lord ; ' Acts xiii. 46, ' Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold/ Fear and shame argueth diffidence of the truth which we profess, or else a distrust of the God from whom it cometh, or at least the unsoundness of the profess- ing party, that he hath a naughty conscience, or a great deal of fleshly fear unmortified. As he cannot walk stoutly that has a stone in his shoe, so he that hath sin in his conscience. Ohmutescit facundia si ccgra sit conscientia, saitli Ambrose — a bad conscience stoppeth the mouth.
[4.] "With sincerity, without dissimulation and guile. Profession without answerable duty is like leaves without fruit. \Yords must come from the heart. To be talking of God when they lie under the guilt of known sins. James ii. 16, 'If one say unto the poor. Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled ; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body, what doth it profit ? ' Ps. 1, 16, 17, ' Unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldst take my covenant into thy mouth, seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my word behind thee ? '
[5.J With meekness and reverence : Peter iii. 15, ' Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear ; ' not in a passionate, froward, arrogant way, but with meekness of spirit, without all show of passion, and with sober and respectful language.
[6.] The general end is the glory of God and the edification of our neighbour ; and the means to this end is the fear of God, which keeps us out of all faulty extremes : Eccles. vii. 16, 17, 'Be not righteous over-much, neither make thyself over-wise : why shouldest thou destroy thyself ? Be not over-much wicked, neither be thou foolish : why shouldest thou die before thy time ? ' Some drive all things to ex- tremity, hot like gunpowder ; others freeze into a compliance and time- serving. W^hen the heart is seasoned by the fear of God, and we are guided by reasons of conscience rather than interest, and we constantly wait upon God for direction, then will God guide us.
Doct. 2. Such trials may befall God's children that the word of truth may seem to be taken out of their mouths.
This may come to pass two ways : —
1. They may not have liberty to own it ; as Acts iv. 18, 19, ' They commanded them not to speak at all, nor to teach in the name of Jesus: and they said, W^hether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you or unto God, judge ye.' The magistrate's command is a silenc- ing of them, shutting of their mouths ; only here cometh a question whether ministers forbidden by magistrates should desist from preach- ing ? If we say they ought, it seems to be against the apostle's reply ; if we say not, we shall seem to deny obedience to secular and politic powers, who ought to be satisfied in the persons that exercise a public ministry in their dominions, and so lay a foundation for public disturb- ance and disorder. For answer — We must distinguish between persons employed to preach the gospel ; some immediately called by Christ himself, others mediately called by men ; some fallible and obnoxious
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466 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR. XLIX.
to errors and many failings, whicli render them unworthy of such a calling ; others infallibly guided and assisted. These latter, without flat disobedience and injury to Christ, could not own any command contrary to the precedent authority of Christ, being the only men of that order that could witness these things. It is true ' a necessity is laid upon us' of preaching the gospel, 1 Cor, ix. 16, so as not vohmtarily to relinquish our station, but we may be forced to give way to the greater force. Some are silenced by authority and opposition of men, a dis- pensation God often permitteth for despising the truth and playing the wanton with an opportunity of open profession. When men dally with the light, God removeth their candlestick, and the door is shut upon them.
2. "They may not have courage to own the word of truth for fear of danger, because of many adversaries. There is a great deal of this unmortified fleshly fear in the best, and may be tongue-tied when God's glory is concerned, and awed by the menaces and insults of evil men, or discouraged, that they dare not trust God with events, and are out of all hope of success : Ezek. iii. 26, ' I will make thy tongue cleave to the roof of thy mouth, and thou shalt be dumb, and shalt not be to them for a reprover, for they are a rebellious house.' By these and many other ways they may be discouraged from speaking of God and his trnth. But now, when such a case falleth out, what shall we do ? That in the third point.