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This is the last example of the third class or order of that cloud or company of witnesses, that are brought in here by the Spirit of God to prove this necessary conclusion, that there was never any since the beginning of the world, either man or woman, that was justified in the sight of God, or did enter into heaven, or had any estimation with God, or were in favor with him, but only they who had faith and believed; and that the kirk of God here upon the face of the earth is nothing else but a company of penitent and believing souls. For he begins at the very beginning of the world, and descends in order to Abel, from Abel to Enoch, from Enoch to Noah, these were before the flood; and then after the flood he comes to Abraham, to Sarah a woman, to Isaac, to Jacob, to Joseph, and then he comes to Moses, and then to the people of Israel; and then last in that third rank, he comes to that woman, Rahab the harlot. And afterwards he brings in examples of believers in the time of the Judges and Kings of Israel. In this third rank or order of this cloud of witnesses, beside the example of Moses himself, there was also the example of the whole people of God, who through faith forsook Egypt, came through the Red Sea, overcame those kings, Og and Sihon, and as you heard, made the walls of Jericho to fall; and used no means to overthrow them, but compassed them about seven days, as God had prescribed to them, and as he had directed Joshua, who was their vicegerent, but Jesus Christ was the captain of the host. This example, it is also added here, and we have not the like of it among them all; for Abraham, or Isaac, or Jacob, etc., these noble and famous patriarchs might be marked for some notable and famous quality that was in them, that made them to be had in estimation with God; but here there is an example of one of the weaker sex, Rahab a woman, and not only is she a woman, but a woman of Canaan, and not only so, but she had been all her days a prostitute or a harlot: Yet even she, Rahab, a woman of Canaan, and a whore, hearing the report what God had done for his people, what he had wrought for them by his Spirit, she believed; and so by the Spirit of God she was singled out from among the rest; for they trusted in their walls, but she trusted in the living God. And thus, while these among whom she lived perished tragically, and with a curse upon them who should build up these walls again, yet she was saved through her faith, because it was not feigned. For albeit she had professed to believe in the God of Israel, if so be that it had been in hypocrisy, she had not been saved thereby, but had perished among the rest; for the unbeliever and the hypocrite must perish together; and certainly, if there be any odds between them, the destruction of the hypocrite, it must be greatest. Yet she did believe in her heart as she spoke, and so she was safe. And howsoever in some respects her faith was weak, yet in some respects it was strong; and she gave notable testimony of the strength of it. That albeit enemies were sent out to spy the kingdom and country wherein she lived, and her native city, yet she hazards to receive them, and puts them away safe; yet she hazards not upon ill warrants, but upon sure grounds; and she takes them into her house, and entertains them, and hides them when the king sent to search for them. And when the messengers and pursuers are sent from the king to apprehend them, she gives them counsel what way they shall escape best and most safely; and, which was also a great proof of her faith, she takes an oath of them that they should be careful to preserve her and her father’s house, when all the rest were destroyed. For she knew that the city would be delivered to them, and they would have the victory, and then they would put all the city to the sword; for if she had not been sure the city would be delivered to them, she would not have been so careful to have been kept from their sword.
That you may take up the purposes the better, and that they may do you the more good, you shall consider of them in this order. 1. The description of the person that is commended here, “Rahab the harlot.” 2. The virtue, (if so I may term it), for the which she is commended, “Faith.” 3. The notable proof or testimony she gave of her faith, “Received the spies in peace.” 4. The large recompense or retribution which God gave unto her, which was the reward of her faith, “Perished not.” 5. The evidence and greatness of this recompense which she received. It was evident to her, and to all who knew her, that it was a recompense of her faith, because all the rest perished; and it was great also in this respect, “That she perished not with them who believed not.” If all of them had been safe, it could not have been so evident that it was a recompense and retribution of her faith; but she only, and those who were in the house with her, being safe, and none more, this made it to be sensible that she was preserved by faith. No question, albeit you were living in the midst of a Jericho or Sodom, as Lot was, who vexed his righteous soul with the abominations thereof, or in the midst of an impious and wicked generation, if so be that you have true faith, and so make your faith manifest by your works, the recompense of thy faith, it shall be sure to you, and you shall be preserved when all the rest shall perish. Albeit the whole world were destroyed, yet in the midst thereof you shall have an ark to save you, as Noah had, as Lot was safe in Sodom, and Rahab in Jericho.
I. “Rahab the harlot.” Thus she is called here. She was by birth a Canaanite, and therefore by birth she was a stranger from the people of God, even as you would now say a Turk, a pagan, an infidel, or an idolater were to you, for the Lord was only known to his own people; and yet, you see, the Lord finds out a way, because her name was written in the book of life before all eternity, how to gather her in to his people. Israel at this time was the wet fleece, and all the rest of the world, being the Gentiles, they were the dry fleece; and yet the Lord makes some of the drops of the dew of his grace to fall upon her soul. He gives her his mark, that she may be knew thereby, and possesses himself into her house; and makes a change in her every way, —he changes her heart by faith, and her uncleanness by repentance, which all her time before she had been a slave to. Beloved, when the Lord has chosen any to himself from among the wicked, he has ways enough to save them; he will light the candle, and soup (sweep) the house for one lost piece of money, and when he has found it, will lay it up into his treasure. And we need not to think, let papists or our own hearts object what they will, that all our predecessors or those who are under the French or Spainiard or the hardest inquisitions, that all of them perished. No, for we may be sure the Lord has ways enough, to come to his own in the midst of all these ills. And this also should-give us a warrant and a ground of confidence that, although we were driven from our habitations, and could not have the means of God’s public service and worship,1 yet the Lord, he would be a refuge to us; when we wanted the outward sanctuary, then he would be an inward sanctuary to us by his Spirit. The Lord has promised this, when people draw not these ills upon themselves, or when they withdraw not themselves willingly from the public service and worship of God. He who went in into this city, which was so wicked and cursed every way, and choosed out of it so sinful a person to himself) he can come in secretly to the hearts of his own elect, and make himself known to them, so that all the world shall not make a divorce again.
“Harlot.” You see she is called a harlot, and the word is no other but only this same, for so it is in Exod. [Josh.?]: for he that did write it in this language did take it from the like word in the Hebrew language, in the Old Testament; and it cannot be denied but the proper translation of the first original cometh from a word that signifies a harlot, whether bodily, or spiritual, or idolatrous, or whether it be fornication, or adultery, for the word is used to all these. It’s true, indeed, the Jews, out of a respect they had to themselves, and to Rahab, because she was joined to the people of God, and so out of a preposterous zeal to their own nation, they would have her not to be a harlot, but a victualler or taverner, one that sold meat and drink. It’s true, indeed, the word may be applied to that, but we may not think that the word which is here does properly signify so, but may only be driven to that exposition, and so the one of them to express the other. And the reason of it is this, because it is ordinary to these who are taverners, and sell meat and drink, to be harlots also, and to receive hire for that, (whence the Dutch word whore seems to be taken), as they are ready to receive money for their meat and drink. We may observe here, that there is a sort of sin which uses not to be sensible to us; and these sins which are insensible are the most dangerous sins, and these are these sins which are joined with our employment and calling, and we are daily exercised about. When any sin becomes personal and predominant to us, that sin uses not to be sensible to us, albeit it should be most sensible. He that is a proud man can find fault with the worldling, that he is over sparing, and takes over great pains to gather the world (the world’s goods) together; and the worldly man can find fault with him again that he is over presumptuous; and so every sinner can find fault with another; but for a man’s own bosom sin, it is insensible to him. Secondly, there is the sin of the country and land: we are insensible of that, because everyone commits it, and it rings (rcigns) in all; albeit that makes the cry louder in God’s ears, yet we hear it the less. Third, if it be a sin that rings mto an age and a generation of people, albeit it be condemned in the Word of God, yet we cannot be brought to believe that it is a sin. And therefore this is the wisdom of the true Christian, to ripe up such sins as these, and to be sensible of these sores, and not to be partakers of the sins of the time when they live, nor the place wherein they live, nor to flatter themselves in their own bodily sins, which we will find to prevail with a man according to the constitution of the temper of his body; and even to take heed to the sins of their calling. For certainly there is no calling but it has a sin joined to it by us: and so when we are prentices to the calling, we are prentices to the sin also; and when masters of the calling, then masters of the sin also. And yet, for all that, we may live as a Christian every way, be liberal to the poor, and charitable enough; and yet, for all that, if thou will consider how thou has gained that which thou has offered that way, thou shall find it to be but a sacrifice of thy superfluity: and so a little from another may be more acceptable to God. Certainly from the highest to the lowest there is none who rules in any place, but they are in danger of the sin of their calling; kings and magistrates, yea, even ministers has sins that adheres to their calling, and each calling has a sin with it. Not but the calling of itself is lawful, but thy abusing of it makes it to be a sin; and so many gets a curse with their calling. And therefore we should learn to study this well, what is the sin of our calling, seeing that each calling has a sin. It is pitiful that the husbandmen shall be aye complaining each season, and never saying, Now we have received a good crop; they may well acknowledge the former year, when it is gone, but never acknowledges the goodness of the present time: and thinks no sin to sell dear, and to take all they can get for their corn. Indeed there are great sins in buying and selling. It were good therefore for us, whatever be the calling we have, that we should labor to see the fault of it; for the calling itself is from God, but the fault is from the devil. And if so be that thou see not a fault adhering to thy calling, it is not because there is not a fault adheres to it, but because thou art blind, and therefore I would have you to search diligently till you see it; and having seen it, then strive against it.
Ques. Wherefore is it that this note of disgrace is put here—harlot, and it has now been so many ages remembered, and will be so long as the world stands? Is this to teach us that fornicators and adulterers shall enter into the kingdom of heaven? A. No, certainly, for the Spirit of God, by this same apostle, has taught the contrary—that fornicators and adulterers shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. They who has these sins, and repents not of them, but remains into them, shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven; profane filthy persons, such as Esau was, who are like the threshold of a door, where everyone tramps (treads) and leaves the filth of their feet, for he was so profane that no temptation to sin gaed (went) by him but he was defiled with it, such persons as these shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. But this womau is called Rahab the harlot, as Simon is called “Simon the leper” by our Master and Saviour in the gospel; for I am sure he would have been as loath to have entered in a leper man’s house as any other man, but he is called so because once he was leper (leprous), but now he is whole again. So Rahab was once a harlot, and so still she is called a harlot, but now she has repented, and has gotten grace to believe, therefore she is registrat thus. Neither is this that God delights to upbraid his people with their sins, or that he would have others to upbraid them; for the sin which God has once forgiven, he will not remember it in despite, as men will do; but if they be penitent he will forget them, and the most he will say will be, Once they were so, but now they are another thing than they were. But he does this to shew the greatness of his mercy, who shew (shewed) mercy to such a person as she was; and he does it also that he may put further honor upon her.
1. For the mercy of God was great in this, that albeit she had been all her days before an idolater, born and brought up among idolaters, and was a whore or a strumpet all her days, yet the Lord, he had plenty of mercy to bestow upon her when she repented, and is ready to forgive her all her sins. And why shall I begin to speak of that now which has not an end, the height, the breadth, the length, and depth, whereof the wit of man and angel is not able to comprehend? it cannot be measured out by them all. Manasseh, he is an example of this, to shew the great mercy of God. He was an idolater, given to witchcraft, and, which was worse nor any of them, even nor the shedding of innocent blood, which he was also given to, he made Israel to sin, which is a mark that is often put upon Jeroboam the son of Nebat, “who made Israel to sin;” and yet, for all that, he turning to the Lord by repentance, he obtains mercy. And the sins of Paul, they are remembered in Scripture by him self, that he was a persecutor, a blasphemer, etc., and yet, for all that, he finds mercy. It’s true, indeed, many times when this is spoken, it is taken as if the children’s bread were casten to dogs, but it is not so. Albeit dogs receive it not aright, yet it must be spoken for all that; for it is a very hard thing for the child of God, who has gotten a sight of his own sins, and of the deserving of them, to be assured of mercy. Look not so much to thy sins thou has committed all thy time as to that measure of repentance, faith, and grace, that thou has; for albeit thy sins were never so many, and never so great, yet if thou can repent of them, and have faith to believe in Christ, thou shall obtain mercy. Ay, through this great mercy of God, publicans and sinners shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, when these who seems to be more righteous in their own eyes, and in the eyes of the world about them, shall be barred out. And this is done to the end that these who finds this mercy may love much, because much is forgiven, and may make much of the mercy of God; and, indeed, this mercy of God, it should even invite us to repentance—that the Lord should shew mercy to a idolater, a persecutor, a harlot. And therefore I would entreat you that you would strive to believe and repent, that so you may be partakers of this mercy. And if so be thou thinks, I am not such as she was, then I say thou sees not thyself well, if so be thou knows not more of thyself than thou knows of her, what zver she had that was unknown. And albeit, indeed, everyone are not alike sinners, yet every one of the children of God says, and thinks it in effect, “I am the chief of sinners;” for if so be that thou will search thyself, thou will see into thy own heart, but thou sees not their heart. And, indeed, in the hearts of the best there are great mountains of corruption lying hid, which none sees but themselves, and that is a cause of great and daily humiliation to them, and therefore great need have we to repent daily because of these, although we had no other sin that either others or we ourselves knew. For as the Lord has put a mark upon her, and called her harlot, so might he have put a mark upon thee; and if so be that the Lord has kept this secret between him and thee, if Rahab was obleist to God for mercy, then thou art double obliest, both for shewing mercy and in keeping up thy shame, that it was not made open to the world.
2. He testifies hereby that he had done a great honor to her, that even she who had been a harlot all her time, that he would put her in among the calendar of the saints for her faith. And certainly I may say it is’a greater honor to be enrolled in Hebrews 11, for one of the faithful, than to be enrolled in the most famous chronicles in the world, for an emperor; yea, although there were a whole history written of thee, yet it would not be so great a honor as Rahab has by this, the Spirit of God being the dyter (inditer) of it, and saying to the penman of it, I will have you to put this woman’s name also in this roll. And which was the greatest honor of all, that even where there was so great uncleanness, yet now he will put this note of honor upon her; as when a man has rent any part of his garment, he will busk (deck) that with a ribbon or a rose, and so will draw the eyes of more to behold it, than any of it which is whole. Even so the Lord, he does with his own children, and to this woman, that she should once been a harlot, and yet, for all that, that he should put in her name among the saints, as one who had faith, and that her faith should be set down for an example to all believers in after ages. When sinners are feared their sins are so great that they shall not find mercy, it may be said, Why shall they not find mercy as well as this woman? if so be they will believe, as she did, and repent, then they shall find grace, as she did. And there is another honor she gets, which is as great as any of these, if it be not greater, for, Matthew 1:5, she is reckoned there among the genealogy of Christ. And, which is observable also, that there uses no names of women to be reckoned in genealogies, and yet there are four reckoned there who might all be thought rather worthy of disgrace than of any honor—Tamar, she was incestuous; Ruth, she was a Moabitess, and so was born without the covenant; Rahab, a Canaanite born, and a strumpet; and Bathsheba, the wife ot Uriah, who was an adulteress. We will find none in no other genealogy, and yet is it not strange that there be four women insert there, and four such women also? And all this is to let us see the greatness of the mercy of God, offered in the gospel; and to let us see how hard a thing it is to assure a sinner, that is sensible of sin, that they shall get mercy. Thou who carries about with thee a conscience of sin and guiltiness, it will be a very hard matter for thee to be assured of mercy; but thou who carries about with thee a conscience of sin, and finds it daily crying in thy crop,2 and yet, for all that, thinks it an easy thing to get mercy, and finds not a struggling to be assured of it, then it may be said, that is no right assurance which thou has, but only a presumption; for I will assure you, to a sinner sensible of the weight and burden of sin, it is no easy thing to get assurance of mercy.
II. Now she was commended for her faith. You may say it is no marvel, seeing she was commended at all, that it was for her faith, for there was no other thing in her worthy of commendation, for she was altogether vile in her body all her time by uncleanness, and by it her soul was defiled also. But we may see here, wherever there is faith, all the rest is commended for it; and although thou had never so many good parts, yet if thou have not faith all these are slighted and passed by. You may take this in another example, to wit, Moses. He was [as] a wise man as had life, as appeared by his ruling of so great and so gainsaying a people; he was also a very valorous man; he was a meek, discreet, and patient man, as the earth did bear; he was a well favoured man; he was a man well stuffed and plenished (furnished) within, for he was learned in all the wisdom of Egypt, which was very great, and so much the greater that God’s people had been long there; and yet, for all that, when the Spirit of God remembers of him, there is not a word that he did anything by any of these good parts, but, “By faith Moses did this; by faith Moses, etc.” And so that which is commendable in Moses, Rahab has it; and so Rahab is as commendable to God as Moses was; as the blessedness of the saints is a thing common to all of them, as David says, “Blessed is the man whose sins are forgiven.” If he had said, “Blessed is the man who has a kingdom to rule, as I have,” it had not been true, neither had it been a common thing; but remission of sin is a thing common to all the saints of God. So albeit thou had all good parts, yet if so be that thou has a graceless soul, all these will get no commendation before God;. for such good parts may well serve to get thee commendation in this world, but not in the world to come, for that cuinyie (coin) is not current there. There is nothing that will justify us before God but only faith; and when we praise faith, the praise that we give to it returns upon Christ; and so when we praise a believer, we praise Christ. And, therefore, let none of us pride ourselves in anything we have here, for we must leave all that behind us; but faith is a thing which will not be separate from us, but will stay with us to all eternity. When thou shall be separate from house, wife, children, goods, etc., ay, when thy soul shall be separate from thy body, yet faith shall not be separate from thee, but shall come with thee before the judge of all, who is Christ; and then Christ, seeing himself in thee, (for seeing faith he sees himself in thee), he cannot hate thee. If a man were in danger of shipwrack, then he would tie that jewel which he loved best fast to him, that so if he were safe himself, it might be safe also; even so there is a shipwrack abiding these bodies of ours, and therefore it were good for us timeously to have this precious jewel knit fast to us. And then albeit thou were as vile as Manasseh, or Paul, or Rahab, if so be that now thou be cleansed by faith, thy faith shall be acceptable to God, and through it thy person shall be acceptable also.
Obj. How could it be possible that Rahab had faith, for she dwelt in a city where the word of God was not? and yet it appears by her discourse, Joshua 2, that she had a great measure of faith; and it declares that she had it by hearing also, albeit not by a preacher; but what she wanted of the outward means the Lord made it up by his Spirit. This is not to move any to cast a loathing at the outward means, but only to let us see that we should lippen always to God (depend on God) for his direction and instruction, both having the means and wanting them. For the rest of the people, they heard of this as well as she did, the king and all that were of them; and this was it that made them to shut up the ports of their city, for they trusted that their walls and their ports should save them: but she trusted in God, that he would destroy that city, and save her. Now, what was the difference, seeing all the rest heard this as well as she did? The difference was from the outward calling of God to believe this, and from the working of the Spirit of God with the word that was spoken.
What is the cause that so many hears the word, and receives the sacraments, from very powerful instruments, and yet these who hears and receives from these who are weaker, are more bettered by the means than they? The reason is, because the one resists the Spirit of God, the other resists not. And therefore oftentimes you will find this to be ordinary, where the preachers of the gospel are but weak, and has but mean gifts, you will find many of the people of God to be there; and where preachers again are more strong and better furnished every way, (I mean in respect of others), there you will find the people to be very lewd and wicked. Now, whereto can the cause of this be ascribed, but only that the Lord shews mercy on whom he will shew mercy, and whom he will he hardens? And indeed every one who will search right, he will find the cause of this to be only in himself.
“By faith.” This faith of hers, in some respects it was but a weak faith, but in other respects it was strong; according to that testimony which our Lord and Saviour gives to another Canaanitish woman, in the gospel, “O woman, great is thy faith!” Her faith, it was weak in respect of her knowledge, for there was but little of the will of God revealed to her; but it was strong in apprehending that which was revealed: and so you see that faith may be great, and may be weak, in diverse respects. For there be many complaints made of the apostles' faith before Christ’s resurrection, and before the Holy Ghost came down upon them; their faith then was not entire, full, and perfect: but still they desired to have more faith, and still they drew nearer to Christ, to know more of him. And when Christ said to them, “Will you also leave me?” they answer, “Master, whither shall we go, if we go from thee? thou hast the words of eternal life.” That is, we know that thou has all the words that belongs to life eternal, albeit that we ourselves have not many of them; therefore we will stay with thee, and get more of them from thee. And therefore let none of us pride ourselves in our knowledge; for there be some who thinks, because they have much knowledge, therefore they have much faith; but thou may have much knowledge, and yet in the meantime have but little faith. If so be that with thy knowledge thou has not a sense of that which thou knows, because thou has no sense of thy unbelief, and because thou strives not to the obedience of that which thou knows; if so be that thou have not sincerity and uprightness with thy knowledge, and thy obedience be not answerable, and so lives not a life answerable to the same, then thou has no faith. And therefore let us evermore be striving to know more, and think with ourselves, and acknowledge it, that we know but in part; and then let us join obedience to our knowledge; and if we do so, then the Lord will count our faith to be great, and we will find the quickness and acrimony of it in ourselves, in making us to eschew ill, and striving to do good. And thus shall we find it to be acceptable to God, comfortable to ourselves, and it shall bring forth fruit in our life and conversation; which we crave may be done, in and through the merits, etc.