They bear themselves out with these things ; perhaps the truth crosses them in their designs, and shames them, and frets them. What makes them undermine good causes, and go desperately to kick against the pricks, to dash themselves against wrath which is stronger than they ? They think to bear themselves out with their greatness, with their friends, with some carnal support or other. This is to trust against God, which is worst of all.
And this makes that harlot of Rome so confident against the church of God. ' I sit as a queen,' saith Babylon, Rev. xviii. 7 ; not only outward Babylon, that was the type, but spiritual Babylon, ' I sit as a queen.' I shall be hereafter as I am now. Therefore saith God, ' Thy destruction shall come in one day,' Rev. xviii. 8. Thy destruction shall come unre-
136 COMMENTARY ON
covcrabl}' and suddenly, because she blest herself in an ill course ; as now at this day they think uU is sure.
If we trust anything but God, we must trust them as instruments, as helps in their rank and place which God hath set them ; so much and no more. ' Let a man esteem of us as ministers of Christ,' saith St Paul, 2 Cor. vi, 4. If they esteem of us more, it is too much ; if less, it is too little, just so much ; as ministers, but ' as ministers of Christ.' So there is a due to everything. No more ; for then you wi-ong God ; no less ; for then you wrong the thing and God too. Just so much as God would have it, and then we shall have just the grace that God intends.
Seeing there is such a danger in false confidence, let us take heed of it by all means.
' Tliat nr may not tnist in ourselves.'' That is, in any earthly thing in our- selves, or oiTt of ourselves, wit, honour, riches, learning, or whatsoever, but God and his truth and promises. Let us labour to have a sanctified judgment in everything ; to judge of things in their nature and order and rank as we should do, and be not carried with opinion of things. Judge of them as the Creator of things judgeth of them, as God judgcth, and the Scripture judgeth.
Now, of all outward things that we are prone to trust in, how doth the Scripture judge of them ? How doth God judge of them ? They are uncer- tain riches. ' Eiches they have wings,' Prov. xxiii. 5. They are nothing, as the prophet saith. ' Wilt thou set thy heart upon that which is nothing ?' Job vii, 17. They are vanity ; they are of nothing, and they tend to nothing.
When the hour of death comes, what, will all these do good ? They are uncertain, and weak, and inefficacious for that for which we trust them. They will not make us happy. They commend us not a whit to God. He hates us no more if we want them. He loves us no more if we have them. They make us not the better in ourselves, but the worse. They make us more indisposed to good things.
We say of those that are intoxicate with any kind of frenzy or lunacy, twice as much physic will not serve their turn as will serve another, because of the distemper of their brain, and the inflammation of their blood and spirits. Certainly it is true of those that are spiritually drunk with the conceit of the creature, with honour, with riches, &c. Three times, many times so much means, will not serve the turn, to bring them to goodness, as will serve meaner men.
Wliat is the reason the poor receive the gospel ?
Because there is a lesser distance between them and the blessed truths of God than in others, though perhaps they belong to God too ; for the things of this life will work a little.
We say of weak brains, that strong drink doth much weaken them ; and so weak stomachs, hard meat will not digest in them, it will overcome them. And weak brains, though strong water overcome them not, yet it will weaken them. So in these things, great parts and great place set a man further off from the gospel. A great deal of corruption cannot be overcome and digested without a great measure of grace. The proportion of grace it must be great, it must be treble to men that have great matters in this world ; it must be greater than to poorer men, who [are] in a less distance from heaven.
Hence we may see the reasons of God's dispensation, why God doth seldom work by great means. I say seldom, sometimes he doth, to shew
2 CORINTHIANS CHAP. I, VER. 9. 137
that they arc good means. As it is said and obsei'ved by an ancient father, that seldom he saw any good come by General Councils. Why ? They are good in tlifmsolves, but men trust too much upon them, and therefore God disappoints them of that they trust to. Because the naughty nature of man puts too much trust in these things, therefore God will not give that issue that we look for, but, on the contrary, a curse.