68 SERMONS UPON MATTHEW XXV. [SeR. XXIII.
saw we thee an hungry or athirst ? ' Their true and sincere humility will make them cast their crowns before the throne, saying, ' Thou art worthy, 0 Lord, to receive glory and honour.' Lord, it is thy goodness ; what have we done ? The saints, when they are highest, still show the lowest signs of humility to their Eedeemer, and confess that all the glory they have they have it from him, and are contented to lay it down at his feet, as holding it by his acceptance, and not their own merit ; they have all and hold all by his grace, and therefore would have him receive the glory of all.
2. They shall wonder at the greatness of Christ's condescension and hearty love to his servants, though poor and despicable ; for in the day of judgment he doth not commemorate the benefits done to him in person in the days of his flesh, but to his members in the time of his exaltation: he doth not mention the alabaster box of precious ointment poured on his head, nor the entertainments made him when he lived upon earth, but the feeding and clothing of his hungry and naked servants. The greatest part of christians never saw Christ in the flesh ; but the poor they have always with them. Kindness to these is kindness to him. Again, among these he doth not mention the most eminent, the prophets and apostles, or the great instruments of his glory in the world, but the least of his brethren, even those that are not only little and despicable in the esteem of the world, but those that are little and despicable in the church, in respect of others that are of more eminent use and service. Again, the least kindness shown unto them : Mat. x. 42, ' Whosoever shall give to drink to one of these little ones a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.' He had spoken before of kindness to prophets and righteous men, men of eminent gifts and graces ; then ordinary disciples ; among these, the least and most con- temptible, either as to outward condition or state of life, or to use and service, and, it may be, inward grace. Now all this showeth what value Christ sets upon the meanest christians, and the smallest and meanest respect that is showed them. The smallness and meanness of the benefit shall not diminish his esteem of your aftection : anything done to his people, as his people, will be owned and noted. When the saints, that newly came from the neglects and scorns of an unbe- lieving world, shall see and hear all this, what cause will they have to wonder, and say, Lord, who hath owned thee in these ? Alas ! in the world all is quite contrary. Let a man profess Christ, and resemble Christ in a lively manner, and own Christ thoroughly, presently he is (arjiJidov avrckeyofievov) set up for a sign of contradiction ; and that, not only among pagans, but professing christians ; yea, by those that would seem to be of great note in the church, as the corner-stone was refused by the builders, 1 Peter ii. 7. And therefore, when Christ taketh himself to be so concerned in their benefits and injuries, they have cause to wonder : Christ was in these, and the world knew it not.
3. At the greatness of the reward; that he should not only take notice of these acts of kindness, but so amply remunerate them. In the rewards of grace God worketh beyond human imagination and apprehension : 1 Cor. ii. 9, ' Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither
Vers. 37-40.] sermons 'upon matthew xxv. 69
have entered into the heart of man, the things God hath prepared for them that love him.' We cannot, by all that we see and hear in this world, which are the senses of learning, form a conception large enough for the blessedness of this estate. Enjoyers and beholders will wonder at the grace, and bounty, and power of their Redeemer. It is a transcendent, hyperbolical weight of glory, 2 Cor. iv. 17. Where is anything that they can do or suffer that is worthy to be mentioned or compared with so great a recompense ? When these bodies of earth and bodies of dust shall shine like the stars in brightness, these sublime souls of ours see God face to face, these wavering and inconstant hearts of ours shall be immutably and indeclinably fastened to love him and serve him and praise him ; as without defection, so with- out intermission and interruption ; and our ignominy turned into honour ; and our misery into everlasting happiness : Lord, what work of ours can be produced as to be rewarded with so great a blessed- ness ?
Use. That which we learn from this question of theirs, supposed to be conceived upon these grounds, is —
1. A humble sense of all that we do for God. The righteous remem- ber not anything that they did worthy of Christ's notice ; and we should be like-minded : Neh. xiii. 22, ' Remember me, 0 my God, concerning this also, and spare me according to the greatness of thy mercy.' When we have done our best, we had need to be spared and forgiven rather than rewarded. On the contrary, Luke xviii. 11, ' The pharisee stood and prayed thus to himself, Gocl, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.' And those, Isa. Iviii. 3, ' Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not ? wherefore have we afflicted our souls, and thou takest no knowledge ?' They challenge God for their work. None more apt to rest in their own righteousness than they that have the least cause. Formal duties do not discover weakness, and so men are apt to be puffed up ; they search little, and so rest in some outward things. It is no great charge to maintain painted fire. The substan- tial duties of Christianity, such as faith and repentance, imply self- humbling ; but external things produce self-exalting. They put the soul to no stress. Laden boughs hang the head most ; so are holy christians most humble. None labour so much as they do in working out their salvation ; and none so sensible of their weaknesses and imperfections. Old wine puts the bottles in no danger, there is no strength and spirits left in it ; so do formal duties little put the soul to it. On the other side, they are conscious to so many weaknesses as serious duties will bring into the view of conscience, and have a deep sense of their obligations to the love and goodness of God, and a strong persuasion of the blessed reward. None are so humble as they : they see so much infirmity for the present, so much obligation from what is past, and such sure hope of what is to come, tliat they can scarce own a duty as a dut}'. None do duties with more care, and none are less mindful of what they have done. They discern little else in it, that they contribute anything to a good action, but the sin of it. This is to do God's work with an evangelical spirit ; doing our utmost, and still ascribiniir all to our Mediator and blessed Redeemer.