Consider ourselves as men, poor creatures, consider ourselves as sinful men, we have reason to expect reproof from God.
Consider ourselves as men: Job iv. 17-19, " Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker? Be hold, he put no trust in his servants ; and his angels he charged with folly : how much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth ?" If God chargeth his very angels with folly, — that is, an unanswerable- ness unto his infinite holiness and wisdom, — what can poor mortal men expect, that dwell in houses of clay, that are crushed before the moth ? Therefore, upon that very consideration, when Abraham spake unto God, Gen. xviii. 27, " Behold/' saith he, "I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, who am but dust and ashes ;" — ' Let not God be angry that I, who am but dust and ashes, speak unto thee/ We may upon this consideration, but much more upon the considera tion that we are sinful men, expect God will reprove us.
We may refer the grounds whence we should be in a continual ex pectation of reproof from God unto these three heads : —
(1.) The consideration of God's own holiness. This ground the prophet lays down, Hab. i. 13, ' " Thou art of purer eyes than to be hold evil, and canst not look on iniquity;" and therefore I must consider what I shall say when I am reproved/ Such is the in finite purity and holiness of God, that we cannot expect but that we shall fall under reproof when he comes to deal with us. The reason why men think they shall not be reproved by God is, be cause they think God is such an one as themselves, having no re gard to the holiness of God. But saith God, ' I will reprove thee, and manifest myself to be a holy God/
(2.) We may justly expect to be reproved, because of the defilement that is in the best of our duties. Poor Habakkuk here was a great wrestler with God, yet he had such defilements cleaving to the best of his duties that he might justly expect to be reproved by God upon that account. Isa. Ixiv. 6, " All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags;" and if, in any thing we have to do with God, the best righteousness we have is but as filthy rags, may we not expect to be reproved ?
VOL. xvn. 33
514 FAITH'S ANSWER TO DIVINE REPROOFS.
(3.) We have reason to fear upon the account of sin : Ps. cxxx. 3, " If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities/' what is done amiss, we have done so many things amiss, " who shall stand ? " So Ps. cxliii. 2, " Enter not into judgment with thy servant;" he deprecates God's reproving of him: " for in thy sight shall no man living be justified/'
I say, it is good to apprehend upon all these accounts, of God's holiness, the imperfection of our best duties, the multiplication of our sins, that God will reprove us. Fear always. Blessed is the man that doth so.
2. Observe from hence, also, that it is good to be well prepared with an answer to give unto God when we are reproved. Saith he, " I will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved." It is good to be prepared with an answer to give unto God. Job thought so : Chap, xxiii. 3, 4, " Oh that I knew where I might find him ! that I might come even to his seat ! I would order my cause before him, and fill my mouth with arguments." You know who was reproved, and had nothing to answer; — the poor creature that came in to the wedding, as we all do. Our profession is our coming in to the wedding. Christ comes and reproves him : " Friend, how earnest thou in hither, not having a wedding garment?" The poor creature had nothing to answer, — he was speechless. What then ? " Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into outer darkness." If we have nothing to answer when God reproves us, that will be the issue with every one of us.
And there is a fourfold evil answer that men betake themselves unto under God's reproof: —
(1.) There is Adam's answer. " Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat ? " " The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat/' Men think to answer God by palliating excuses. God will reprove them, and they will make palliating excuses in their own hearts. ' It is not so and so ; there was this and that occasion of it/ This answer will not stand.
(2.) There is Jonah's answer when he was reproved. " Doest thou well to be angry ? " saith God to Jonah. He tenderly reproves j him. " Yea^ I do well to be angry, even unto death." Men [there are] that, under God's reproofs, will justify themselves in all their sins; like the man in Deut. xxix. 19, who when he heareth the words of the curse yet saith, " I shall have peace, though I add drunkenness to thirst;" — ' Notwithstanding all these reproofs of God, I do well to go on in the way wherein I am/ This answer also will not stand.