12. Consider how dishonourable it is to the living God to serve him
292 SERMONS UPON TITUS II. 11-14. [SeR. XXII.
■uith a dead heart and cold affections, when he hath indented with you upon such glorious and noble terms. Heathens, that worship the sun, offer to him a flying horse, because of the swiftness of his motion : 2 Kings xxiii. 11, * He took away the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun.' So our worshipping of the living God must not be dead and cold : Heb. ix. 14, ' How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your consciences from dead works to serve the living God ?' God, that is a living God, must have lively service ; but men worship him as a dead idol. In an earthly matter we would not be so cold and careless in our treaties and transactions : ]\Ial. i. 8, ' Offer it to thy governor ; will he be pleased with you, or accept your person, saitli the Lord ? ' AVhat you do, it must be done with all the heart and all the might. Consider, religion is not a fancy. You do not worship the vanities of the e;entiles, therefore be not dead, cold, and careless. You worship the living God, and he will be served with life, zeal, and strength of affection.
SERMONS UPON HEBREWS VI. 18.
SEKMON I.
That hy two immutable tilings, in toliicli it ivas impossible for God to lie, lue might have a strong consolation, luho have fled for refuge to lay hold icpon the hope set before tis. — Heb. vi. 18.
To give you tlie occasion of these words, we must look back into the context. The apostle proveth the firmness of the promises, and yet the great need of faith and patience ere they be accomplished. He proveth both by the instance of Abraham, who was long exercised in waiting, and had God's promise ratified with the most solemn assurance that can be conceived under heaven, with an oath, which is held sacred and inviolable among all nations. But here some might object, that if Abraham had such a special assurance from God, what is that to us ? To this the apostle replies, that though God's oath were given to Abraham, yet it concerns all the heirs of promise, every believer hath the same ground of certainty that Abraham had ; so it is asserted, ver. 17, ' Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of ]iromise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath.' There is an emphasis in the phrase, ' more abundantly.' God's oath was not given out of necessity, but out of condescension. Not out of necessity, as if his word was not valid and authentic without an oath, but he would give his oath that, over and above and by all solemn ways of assurance, the Lord would provide for our certainty and assur- ance, that we might have strong consolation upon solid grounds, ' That by two immutable things,' &c.
In the words we have the ]nn'port and the aim of God's oath, which is to give believers more solemn assurance. Take notice of three things —
1. The ground of this assurance, ' That by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie.'
2. The fruit of this assurance, ' That we might have strong consola- tion.'
3. The persons to whom God hath given this assurance, we ' who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope that is set before us.'
Suitable to the three parts there are three main points —
294 SERMONS UPON HEBREWS VI. 18.
[1.] God's word and oatli are tlie immutable grounds of a believer's certainty and confidence.
[2.] That the fruit of this confidence and certainty is strong con- solation.
[3.] That the persons to whom God hath deposited his oath, and by it administereth so strong a comfort and consolation, are those who fly for refuge to take hold of the hope that is set before them.
Doct. 1. That God's word and God's oath are the immutable grounds of a believer's confidence and certainty ; for these are the two immut- able things spoken of. I shall speak of each distinctly.
First, God's single word is an immutable ground ; having this, you have enough. And so it will appear if you consider the power and the certainty of it.
1. The power of God's word. His word is nothing else but the declaration of his powerful will ; the force of it was discovered in creating the world. God created all things by his word : Ps. xxxiii. 9, ' He spake and it was done ; he commanded, and it stood fast.' This whole fabric of heaven and earth, which we now behold with wonder, was made with a word. And mark, God's creating word and word of promise do not differ, they are both tlie word of God ; and there is as much force and power in this word ' I will take away the heart of stone,' as there was in this word, ' Let there be light.' There is as much power in this sentence, ' I will make your vile bodies to be like to Christ's glorious body,' as there was in that word, ' Let there be a firmament.' God's word was powerful enough to make a world when it was nothing before. All the works of God subsist by the force of his word : Heb. i. 3, ' Upholding all things by the word of his power.' It is but for God to say, Let it continue, let it be, and either are accord- ingly. One word is enough to undo the world, and one word is enough to uphold and preserve it. God's word is the declaration of his almighty and powerful will ; whatever he did in the world, he did it by his word. Therefore if you have this immutable ground, if God hath deposited and plighted his word, you have enough to establish strong consolation, for it is powerful to all purposes and intents whatsoever.