462 SERMONS UPON MATTHEW XXV. [SeR. XIV.
Christians that have five or two talents must give an account for five or two ; but heathens, that have but one talent, the light of nature, give an account for one. The apostle telleth us, ' That as many as have sinned without the law, shall perish without the law, but as many as have sinned in the lav/, shall be judged by the law,' Bom. ii. 12 ; every one according to the dispensation they have lived under. The apostle intimateth a distinction of two sorts that are to be judged : 2 Thes. i. 8, ' In flaming fire, take vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.' Those that have great parts and great opportunities will not be accepted with the same improvement that others are that have fewer ; neither from the same person will God accept a like service when sick as when well ; but according to their abilities and opportunities he doth expect. Well, but let us see what account he bringeth that had but one talent. The parable offereth —
First, The servant's allegation or excuse.
Secondly, The master's answer or reply.
We are now upon the former ; and there —
1. The remote cause of his neglect ; his prejudice against his master, "Lord, I knew thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sowed, and gathering where thou hast not strawed.'
2. The effect of this prejudice; and so the next and immediate cause of this neglect, ' I was afraid.'
3. His negligence and unfaithfulness itself, in bringing his talent without improvement, ' I went and hid thy talent in the earth : Lo, there thou hast what is thine.'
[1.] In the prejudice, Christ impersonateth our natural thoughts and the secret workings of our minds ; we dare not say so, but many think so : as if God were a hard and morose master, whom it is impossible to please. The servant in the parable had as little cause for his pre- tence as we have for our hard thoughts of God : he knew the contrary. If he would consult his own experience, he might have found his master to be good and kind, who had taken him into his family, intrusted him with a talent, waited long for his improvement. But this is the nature of man ; self-love will rather blame God than acknowledge our own fault and sin, tax his severity than confess its own negligence.
[2.] In the servant's being afraid, Christ would teach us that ill opinions of God beget pusillanimity and slavish fear.
[3.] In his non-improvement, but rendering the talent as he received it, that pusillanimity or slavish fear and sloth go together, or those that are afraid of God will never do him hearty service.
I cannot handle all the points that will arise from this paragraph, yet I shall discuss one, that will take in the substance and effect of all. And that is —
Doct, That slavish fear is a great hindrance to the faithful discharge of our duty to God.
First, Let me observe to you that there is a twofold fear — filial and servile, childlike and slavish. The one is a lawful and necessary fear, such as quickeneth us to duty, Phil. ii. 12, and is either the fear of reverence, or the fear of caution. The fear of reverence is nothing else but that awe we are to have of the divine majesty as creatures, or
Vers. 24, 25.] sermons upon matthew xxv. 463
our humble sense of the condition, place, and duty of a creature towards the Creator. The fear of caution is a due sense of the importance and validity of the business we are engaged in, in order to salvation: certainly none can consider the danger we are to escape, and the blessedness we aim at, but will see a need to be serious. And therefore this fear is good and holy.
1. But there is, besides this, a slavish fear, which doth not further, but extremely hinder our work ; for though we are to fear God, yet we are not to be afraid of God. This is that which the apostle calleth, irvev/na SouXeta?, opposite to the ' spirit of adoption,' Kom. viii. 15, and a cowardly fearful spirit, opposite to that spirit of power and love and of a sound mind, which is the principle of all faithful service to God. They that are under the spirit of bondage serve not God as children serve a father, but as slaves serve a hard and cruel master. Fear is the inseparable companion of this spirit, which must needs be a great hindrance to our duty, because it begets hatred to God, and the tor- ment it bringeth to ourselves. As it breedeth hatred to God : oderunt quern metuunt, quern odimus periisse cupimus. When we only dread God for his vengeance, we keep off from him, as a dissolute servant hateth that master who would scourge him for his debaucheries. The nature of this fear is to drive us from God : Gen. iii. 7-10, ' I was afraid.' So because of the torment it bringeth to us, Eph. iv. 18, for the legal spirit, it is called a ' spirit of bondage/ Rom. viii. 15 ; it hath fear and torment in it, and is an enemy to us, for it banisheth all those sweet principles which should enliven our service ; as love to God, and delight in our work, which doth enliven and inspire everything that we do with an earnest spirit. But where love is wanting, and all the com- fort that should accompany our duties, it is lost ; either a man doth nothing, or all that he doth is in a compulsory manner, by mere force; and so our hands must needs be weakened in God's service, if we be not totally discouraged ; for often it endeth in a despair of pleasing, or being accepted with God. There is a lazy sottish despair, as well as a raging tormenting despair : Jer. xviii. 12, ' There is no hope ; we will walk in the imagination of our own hearts.' Cast off all care of the soul's welfare. This was the fear of the slothful servant in the text ; and such a fear have many others in the bosom of their hearts, by which they can never do anything effectually in the business of religion, by reason of their strong prejudices, occasioned by their own torment- ing fear.