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It is not without cause that the Apostle says, Romans 5:4, “Experience makes hope.” It’s true, I grant, faith makes hope also; for where there is faith to believe the word and the promise of God, there there is hope to expect the thing promised; yet it is true also that experience makes hope to be more; for experience assists, backs, and strengthens faith, and is as it were a pillar to uphold it. Without experience, I grant, we have ground good enough to hope; but when there is experience joined with our hope, then we hope more; and this is very sensible to every true Christian in his course of Christianity. When he knows that there is a promise of deliverance to the people of God, and he sees it In the word of God, this makes him to hope; and when he knows that others has found the like, this makes him to hope, for he knows that God is unchangeable. And when there is another promise, and a proof of the truth of it, then his hope is further strengthened: and if he find the proof of as many deliverances as make up an experience, then his hope is mightily strengthened. And therefore ye know that this man who wrate this psalm at another time says, “That same Lord who delivered me from the paw of the bear and the lion, will also deliver me from this uncircumcised Philistine.” He makes mention there of two proofs he had of God’s delivering of him, which were as many as made up an experience; and therefore he hopes that that same God, who was his God then, will be his God still, and never leave him, nor forsake him. And as it is with the experience of any particular person, so is it with the kirk also. For the experience that the kirk has found of any deliverance in time past, when they look upon it, it maketh the kirk and every Christian to hope that it shall go well with them, but it shall go badly with the enemies. If so be that they will still continue to be his people, as they have professed to be, then they are sure that God shall still be their God, and shall do great things for them, and against their enemies.
And therefore he who was the penman of this psalm, he insists upon this. First, he tells what the Lord had done for his kirk and his people in time past; and then he tells what the kirk and the people of God may look for in time to come. In time past: Israel or the kirk of God was afflicted; and her afllictions began early, even at her youth. Secondly, they were often, and reiterated. “Many a time have they afflicted me.” Thirdly, they were great and grievous afllictions; and therefore they are compared to plewmen plewing upon the back of God’s people. Yet, nevertheless, Israel or the kirk of God found this to be sensible also, that “her enemies had not prevailed against her.” Albeit their afflictions began timeously, and were many and great, yet the Lord delivered them out of them all. And the Lord did as easily, and as quickly, as when a pleugh is going, and a man comes by, and draws out his sword, and cuts the cords or the theits wherewith they were drawing the pleugh: even so the Lord comes, when his enemies are plewing upon the backs of his people, and cuts asunder their cords, so that they must stand still. And therefore he resolves, that as the Lord has done in time past, so will he do also for time to come: and this is that which is set down in these words which now I have read to you.
These words may be expressed either by way of prediction,—foretelling that such a thing shall be; or by way of prayer,—praying to God that such a thing should be. And both these are one; for there is not a prayer that the children of God presents before the throne of his grace, in the name of his son Christ, dyted (indited) by his Spirit, but it may be called a prediction that such a thing shall come to pass. And so let the enemies of the kirk glory as they will for a while, yet there is a time coming when they shall be confounded and ashamed; and though they be going fordward with great speed, and think at an instant to bring the utter destruction of the children of God upon them, and so to have them at a final end, yet at an instant God will interrupt that wicked course of theirs, and turn them back. And then all their designs shall be frustrate, in such a sort that, albeit they made a fair show for a while, as the grass does that grows upon the house-tops, or between the seams of the stones of the platforms, yet they shall be unprofitable all ways—they shall do no good to themselves; and as the grass that grows upon the house harms the house, so shall they be hurtful to all whom they have to do with. Yea, the malediction of God shall be upon them; for they shall not have a blessing from God, nor yet shall any pray for a blessing to them: nor dare they themselves pray for a blessing from God to their work.
That ye may take up the purposes the better, consider of them in these two parts:—1. The description of the enemies of the kirk: “Haters of Sion.” 2. The judgments of God, as they are described here, (for they are diversely expressed in Scripture,) that comes upon these who are haters of Sion, which are fourfold. First, Shame and confusion comes upon them. Secondly, They are turned back. Thirdly, They are like the grass upon the house-tops, which springs fair for a while, but in end they are neither profitable nor pleasant to any. Fourthly, They want the blessing of God to their course, and so consequently they have his malediction, and they want the prayer of all these who knows God, to pray for success to them.
I. Haters of Sion. Before ye heard he said, “They did afflict Sion.” “Many a time have they afllicted me from my youth, may Israel now say.” And now, when he considers wherefore this trouble is, and what is the cause of the enemies' fury and rage, wherefore they do afllict the people of God, it is because of their hatred of Sion and Israel that they afflict them. If ye would consider that God has his hand in the afflictions of the kirk, when the enemies afflicts her, for there is no ill thing that comes upon us but by the providence of God. God has a providence about ill as well as about good, and he has a providence not only in the punishment of sin, but even in the sin itself, and therefore this afflicting of the kirk and the children of God, it is common to God and to the wicked. God is said to afflict his kirk and children, and the enemies, they are said to afflict his kirk and children, but here is the difference—The enemies afflict and trouble the kirk, from that hatred and inbred malice they have against her; but for God again, he afflicts his kirk and children, out of that great and superabundant love he has to her. And, indeed, in afflicting the kirk, God shows his love to be no less to her, than he does by giving her prosperity. Ye know when Joseph was sold to Egypt by his brethren, (yet I reckon them not among the number of the wicked), they afflicted him then, and that very sore, and yet it was God who sent him to Egypt, and Joseph acknowledges this, when he made himself known to them. He says, It was not ye, it was God who sent me here. He meaneth not that his brethren had no hand into this, for they had a strong hand into it, but he acknowledges that the providence of God was stronger in bringing him there, for his brethren did it out of hatred, and that they might be quite of him; but for God, he suffered it to be done out of a great love both to Joseph himself and to his brethren. Surely this is wonderful, that one work should come from diverse motives moving to do the work. God thinks it good to afflict his kirk for her good, but the enemies think it meet that the kirk should be destroyed, and therefore they afflict her. It was one thing that moved Judas to sell Christ, the people to cry out to crucify him, Pilate to consent to it, etc.; but it was another thing that moved God to suffer him to be crucified. God did it out of a great love that he had to mankind, for their salvation and redemption; but for the rest, it was either for satisfying their greed or revenge, or pleasing men. I mark this to you for this cause, that albeit we see the afflictions of the kirk to come from the hatred which the enemies has against her, yet look to God’s part again, and consider that what they do out of hatred, he does it out of great love: and here we will see a very wholesome mixture for the soul, of sweet and sour mixed together. For there is nothing worse than this is, to look only to men’s ill-will and their hatred in afflicting the kirk, and not to look to God’s goodness, coming from his love and favour, in that same affliction.
First they afflicted Israel; now they are called haters of Sion or Israel. Their afflicting was the persecuting of the kirk, and the cause of their afflicting and persecuting of the kirk was because of their hatred thereof. So these goes ever together—the aflliction or persecution of the kirk, and the hatred thereof. And if any be a hater of the kirk, albeit for the present they afflict her not, yet when the time comes, they will afflict her also. It is hatred that causes persecution; and that is sure, if any be a hater of Sion, the Lord gives vent to their hatred, and ofttimes the Lord gives them occasion how to get it vented, and as a bird he leads them into the snare: and therefore we should take heed to this, that we be not haters of the kirk. Certainly there is none who hate the people of God and his cause, but they hate God in their hearts; there is a antipathy between these, God’s people, his kirk, and himself, they and the wicked in the world will never agree; the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent will never agree: the wicked hate God and his kirk. So if ye would speir (ask), what is it that moves these people to do all this ill to the kirk, while she does no ill to them? sometimes indeed it is through pride, sometimes for greed of geir (worldly goods), sometimes to please other men; yet if there be none of these seen to be the cause, (and especially living in a country where authority countenances not the kirk and the servants of God, it may be they afflict her for that,) still they will do all the ill they can to her, because they hate her. And I may say, for lovers and haters of Sion, they hate Sion for there can be no mediocrity here; there is no adiaphorists of this kind; for these who love not Sion, they hate Sion. “Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.” If so be thou love not God, his kirk, and his children, and their cause, thou art a hater cf them. These who say, I will take me to no side, till I see how matters go; I will be no enemy to the kirk, but I will not join with her; this testifies that thou art an enemy to the kirk, for lukewarmness is as great an opposition as can be; and therefore the fault of the kirk of Laodicea is counted to be as great, yea, and a greater fault than any of the rest. And, therefore, if thou joins not to Sion, thou art a hater thereof and if occasion offer, thou shall not miss to be a persecutor and afflicter. For it is but for some worldly respect, that thou joins not thyself to the people of God; and when that goes against thee, thou shall not miss to afflict them, and to be a persecutor: and so that which thou entertains in thy affection, at last it shall break out in action.
“Haters of Sion.” Observe here, that we should judge of our affections ordinarily by the object that they are set upon; for hatred in itself is not a fault, neither is love in itself a fault; but hatred of Sion, that is a fault, and the love of sin, that is a fault. They who oppose themselves against sin, that is no fault, but to oppose all our power against Sion, that is a fault. And we should [have] entertained these affections, when the heart is renewed by grace; for we must not think that then the affections are away. No, no, for their love is as strong as it was before, and so is their hatred; but this is the difference, what they loved before they hate now, and what they hated before, they love it now; what they desired before, they fear it now, and what they feared before, they desire it now; what they did rejoice in before, they sorrow for it now, etc. So once let the object of thy affections be right, and then let-thy affections be as bent as they can be. Loves thou God? let thy affections be strong then: hates thou the enemies of God? let thy affection be strong also,—hate them with a perfect hatred. We should therefore consider of this. Many thinks if they be once changed by grace, then they must quite all their affections,—they may not hate nor may they love any,—then there may be no more sorrow nor joy. No, no, think not that, for thy love may be as strong then, as ever it was before, and thy hatred must be as great also: and thy joy may be as great then, as at any time before, yea, it may be greater, according to the proportion of the object whereupon it is set. For before thou was overjoyed, that is, thou rejoiced more than thou had cause to rejoice; but if thou rejoice in God, thou cannot be overjoyed; thy joy cannot ascend above the excellency of the object whereupon it is set. And therefore let us consider of this, that so our affections may be set upon the right object; hold not our faces in the wrong airt;1 love exceedingly, hate with a perfect hatred, “rejoice evermore;” but let all be done for the right cause: for there is no difference between the godly and the wicked in their affections, but only this anent (concerning) the object. The godly love Sion, the wicked hate it; the godly rejoice in the service and worship of God, and are grieved when they commit sin; the wicked hate the service and worship of God, but rejoice in sin.
And it would be taken notice of here also, that God looks not only to the outward actions of men, but he looks also to their inward affections,—what they love, and what they hate, what is their joy, and what is their sorrow, etc. And it is no wonder that it is so, for the law of God is as God himself; it is a spiritual law, as God himself is a spirit; and therefore the thoughts are subject to the law of God, as well as the words and the actions are; a good thought is agreeable to the law of God, an evil thought is a breach of it; good thoughts are commanded into the law of God, but bad and despiteful thoughts are forbidden. And it is these affections of love and hatred that the Lord looks most unto; so when these are right, then all the rest are right. It is by the affections of love and hatred that God ties the heart to him, and makes thee quite all things else: they are like a weight that is hinging (hanging) by anything; once louse that, and then the weight still falls, till it be at the place of rest; so once set the love on God, and louse it from the world, and it carries the heart up till it be at God, and the hatred till it hate all things that are contrair to him. And therefore, above all your affections, look to your love and to your hatred, for it is only these that brings us to any perfection. It is pitiful, when many who are going to die, they will justify themselves in this, and say, God be thanked, I never did anybody wrong, I never oppressed any; but they never consider what they have been loving and hating all their days, what they have been desiring; they look to their outward actions, but looks not in to their heart: but ofttimes, when ye justify yourselves outwardly, if ye would look in to your affections, ye would find them wrong placed.
“Haters of Sion.” That is, in effect, haters of the service and worship of God, and haters of the people of God. We will not stay now to distinguish betwixt Sion and the other mountain that was beside it, and whether the temple was builded upon this or upon the other; but Sion is here named for the temple, and the temple is taken for the service and worship of God, and for the people of God. So this their description, that they are called haters of Sion; thatis, that they neither love the service and worship of God, nor love they the people of God. And so ye may see that this has much ill in it—to hate Sion; for they who hate Sion hate the service and worship of God, and they who hate these, hate his people also. For what is it that God loves best? He loves himself best; and his service, and his people who serve him, are likest himself, and so he loves them more than all others; and, therefore, they who loves the service and worship of God, and loves his people, they love himself; and they who hate these, they hate himself. And God only loves thee in so far as thou loves these, and he sees thee to be like himself. He loves his creatures, indeed, as he is a God of grace, whill (till) it be defaced: but if so be that thou love not the service and worship of God, and love not his people, then thou loves not himself, and consequently he loves not thee. We should put ourselves to a trial in this. If thou loves the service and worship of God, . and loves his people, then thou loves God himself; but if thou hate these, thou hates himself: are not all of us guilty of this? Ay, if thou loves anything more than thou loves Sion, then thou may be said to be a hater of Sion. But many of us loves ease, wealth, peace, to eat, drink, sleep, etc., more than to serve God; and when we go to these, we go to them with an earnest delight and desire: but when we go to the service and worship of God, we do it hangedly (reluctantly),2—we are drawn to it. Try if thou has any appetite after natural things, but has not an appetite after spiritual things; if we find refreshment in natural things we go about, but finds no refreshment in spiritual things. Then see how thou art affected to the communion of saints. If thou can say, There is no fellowship nor society whom I delight so much in as in these who fear and love God, then it is a token that thou art a lover of Sion; but if so be that thou wearies in their company, and delights in the company of lewd and profane men, and to hear idle and filthy speaking, and delights to speak of it thyself; and if thou has no desire nor delight to hear of the things of God from others, nor to speak of them thyself, then it is a token that thou loves not Sion, but hates it. And, therefore, let us examine ourselves in these things. See if, above all things else, thou loves the means of the service and worship of God, and thou art never so well as when thou art employed about them and thou thinks thyself never to be in so right company as when thou art in the company of the godly: and when thou art in the company of the wicked, and forced to be there, thou says, Woe is me, that I should sojourn so long in Mesech, and dwell in the tents of Kedar!—thou art grieved for this, when thou cannot find the occasion of the society of the godly. If we would try ourselves by this, O but we would find great guiltiness! And yet we would not be altogether discouraged, though we find not our whole heart bent towards the godly, and though we weary somewhat when we are in their company, and would be at the company of these who are more louse, and wearies not with them so much; but this is the mark, when thou delights only in the company of the wicked, but has no delight in the company of the godly. For our natural part would evermore be at liberty, and therefore it inclines to that; but see if there be a corrective of grace in thee against that, when thou can say, I see this to be sinful, and my nature would be at it; but I strive against it as far as I can, and it is my grief that I cannot get it subdued; and I am still preassing to hold it down, and to get it in subjection. And thou has a delight in heavenly things; albeit thou cannot be about them as thou would, yet thou can say that thou has a delight to be about things of that kind; then it is a token that thou loves Sion.
II. The judgments that comes upon haters of Sion. 1. “Let them be confounded, or ashamed.”
There is a twofold shame spoken of in Scripture. There is a shame of sin; there is a shame as a punishment of sin. First, there is a shame of sin. Ezra 9:6, he confesses, “O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee.” And certainly there will be great shame of this kind in the children of God, and they will be forced to acknowledge and confess, Shame and confusion belongs to us, because we have sinned against thee; and this is a profitable shame, when we are ashamed of ourselves, and of our sins. The prodigal, he was ashamed of himself, and says, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and against thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son;” and all the children of God knows what this shame is. These who has been renewed by the Spirit of God, and tasted of the sweetness of his mercy, when they return to sin again they are ashamed of themselves, and dare not look God in the face, nor bide to hear him speak to them; and through this shame, many times, they are forced to bide from prayer. Howbeit, indeed, this ought to be done at no time, no, not in our greatest extremities, yet it is good in this respect, that they are so ashamed of themselves, they think, Fy, that they should have done so far against their purpose, and against their promise!—they will be so ashamed that they will be almost at the point of despair.
Secondly. There is a shame which is a punishment of sin, and that is when men has promised to themselves great things in following of such a course, and has promised to others also that they shall have great things; yet even then they are disappointed, and come short of that which they looked for, and which others looked that they should obtain; and yet ofttimes, where they looked for satisfaction, they find vexation; where they looked for joy, they find sorrow and grief; for wealth, they find poverty; for honour, they get shame; when it comes thus, that they promise great things to themselves, and others are made to hope so also, and yet they are disappointed, then they are ashamed. And this is a thing that is very ordinary, that the Lord suffers the wicked to promise to themselves great things, and to put the world about them in hope that they shall get that which they look for, and they will go very far on into that way wherein they intend to get it; and yet at an instant the Lord meets them, and cuts the cords wherewith they were drawing the pleugh, and there they stand still, ashamed and blushing: they know neither what to say nor what to do, they are so far from getting that which they aimed at. And this is a notable difference between the godly and the wicked:—the godly it is said of them, They shall never be ashamed; but for the wicked, they shall be confounded and ashamed. That is, the godly shall never be ashamed of the punishment of sin; he may well have the shame of repentance, for that is sure, shame does evermore accompany sin; but the godly, they are ashamed and sorrow for sin; but this shame in disappointing of their designs, it is only proper to the wicked,—the godly cannot be disappointed thus. And there are two reasons for this. 1. Because they put their confidence in God, and therefore David says, Psalm 25:2-3, “O my God, I trust in thee, let me not be ashamed; let not mine enemies triumph over me: yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed.” It is impossible that these who put their trust in God can be disappointed of that which God has promised to them, and they look for; for God is true to keep his promise, and strong and able for it; he cannot be hindered from it. And in Esay3 it is said to this purpose, “The Lord is my help, in whom I trust, therefore I know I shall not be ashamed.” That is, because God is my help, and I put my confidence in his name, I shall not be ashamed: and therefore he is confident in this, and holds up his face boldly to say, I know this, I am sure of it. How knows he this? “Because God is my help, I trust in God: 1T trust not in man, otherwise I might be disappointed.” But for the wicked, because they trust in other things beside God, therefore they shall be confounded. The second cause, why the godly shall not be ashamed, is set down Psalm 119:6. “Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect to all thy commandments.” That is, I set myself, in the integrity and uprightness of my heart, to do the will of God in everything that he has commanded me, and therefore I am sure I shall not be disappointed. O but this be a sweet thing, to join confidence and a course of holiness together! but to have one of them without the other, that is not right. For to have confidence in God, and not to join a course of holiness with it, that is nothing else but presumption; and to profess to lead a holy life, and yet not to put thy confidence in God, that is to put thy confidence in thyself. If we could join these two together, then we might be sure not to be frustrate of that which we aim at, neither here nor eternally hereafter. Look to the commandment of God, and have a respect to it, and to his truth in performing of his promises, and then the wicked may indeed be ashamed, but thou shall not be disappointed and ashamed.
We may learn here, that the most impudent and shameless persons in the world, who can think shame of nothing, God can make them to stand up bluntly,4 although they never did it before. In describing of Caligula, it is set down of him, that he had many good parts, but he thought this to be the best of all, that he could think shame of nothing; and yet, for as shameless as he was, God could make him to think great shame, and great fears came upon him. Howbeit, indeed, I think he knew not that it was God who did it, yet it was only God who did it. Albeit a man were a shameless and impudent liar, and could tell his lies with a brazen face (as they say,) and will not blush though all the world should put him back again (contradict him), but will still lie, and not think shame; yet God can bring shame on him. But it is the meetest thing for us to take such a course wherein we shall not fear to be ashamed. When God brings down the wicked from the high top of their honours and designs, and lays them down low in the dust, then it is not possible but they must be ashamed; but for the children of God, they shall not be ashamed, because they trust in God: but those who trust not in God, but in themselves, they shall be ashamed and confounded.
Secondly, “Turned back.” This is another judgment that comes upon the wicked,—to be turned back. That is, they shall not prosper in their courses. O at the first they have broken fast to the gate,5 and runs fast and strongly! and so they think, who can hinder them? Yes, even then there is one who comes and stands up in their way, and hinders them, and turns them back. As there is two sorts of shame, so there is also two sorts of turning back. 1. There is a turning back from sin, when God works the conversion of a sinner. And this is when we have been turning our back upon God, and our face to sin, and has been going fast on that way, the Lord makes us to turn about again, and set our face to God and our back to sin: this is not the turning that is meant here. 2. But without turning their face to God, and their back to sin, God thrusts them back, so that their face is aye to sin, although they cannot win to it: and there be two diverse words expressing these. Even as a man should meet a man, and tell him that he is wrong, and then turn him about from the wrong way, and set his face in the right way, and he walks there; and he meets with another, and he sees he is wrong, but turns him not about, but thrusts him back, so that his face is still to the wrong airt. When the godly are changed thus and turned back, where (whereas) before they hated God and loved sin, now they love God and hate sin: but for the wicked, they are thrust back from sin, they cannot get it committed, but their eye is still upon it; they have a strong desire to it, although for the present they cannot get it fulfilled. Even as a man should come by a dead horse, and scare a dog or a raven from it: for fear of the man the raven would fly away a little, and the dog would run away a little from the dead beast; but still their eye would be upon it, and as soon as he were away they would return to it, so the wicked, they are restrained by violence,—they are holden back from sin outwardly, but their heart is never a whit changed. The Lord, when he will, he can interrupt the wicked in their courses; they may have zeal to their wrong course, but yet, for all that, they cannot win to it to accomplish it: and this indeed is their misery that it is so. Sometimes the Lord will turn back their will from an ill course, albeit not because it is sin, but for fear of some inconvenience; as the Scribes and the Pharisees, many times, they did no harm to Christ, because they feared the people. Sometimes they may turn back from an ill course, because it may be to their profit if they do it, and to their harm if they do it not, as the brethren of Joseph; for I do nothink that they choosed that course to sell him, for any respect they had to himself, but only to get something to themselves, and to be free of his blood. And these are two things that ordinarily makes men turn back from an ill course, which once they were going in. First, because they think the way to be cumbersome, or a thing impossible te get done, therefore they must leave it;—albeit they would fain prosecute it, yet they cannot. Secondly, they see it will be more profit to leave it undone than to do it, and therefore they turn back. For there be three things, as they say, that hinders men into an ill course; there is utile, jucundum, et honestum. If wicked or worldly men think it to be most profitable for them to turn back, they will do it; or it they see it to be a thing impossible for them to win fordward in their course, then they turn back; but for honesty, that is the thing they never look to. Sometimes, again, the Lord takes away the power of the enemies, that they cannot go on in their intended course, suppose they would be at it; as he slew in one night of Sennacherib’s host so many that he behoved to remove his siege. And the two captains with their fifties that went out to take Elias, the Lord killed them, and could have done so with the third also, if so be that he had not repented in time. Sometimes, again, the Lord turns back his enemies by opposing a greater strength against them than their own; as Uzziah, when he was going to offer sacrifice, the priests hindered him, being a greater company than he. So the Lord, he has ways enough to turn away the wicked from their ill courses. Always (nevertheless), when the Lord suffers them to go fordward, it is because his people turn not to him, nor turns not from sin; and so the best way for us to get the enemies turned back in an ill course, is to turn our face to God, and our back upon sin.:
The third judgment is,—“They are like grass upon the house-tops, wherewith the mower filleth not his hand.” This is a very fit comparison for them.
I will but only point at some things, and not insist now. He speaks of the houses of that land, that had platforms,— plain roofs, and not as our’s are: and this grass grew in the seams of the stones of that platform. Now, seeing it grew there, first, it could not be well rooted, for that was not a meet ground for it, nor could it receive the dew, to make it sappy. Secondly, it grew high, for it was upon the top of all the house. Thirdly, the mower filled not his hand with it: it had no substance, nor bouk (bulk). When a man gets a well-bouked sheaf, it will fill his arm; but that does not so, that grows on houses. Fourthly, It did harm to the house it grew upon, for it made way for drops to win in into the house. Even so is it with the wicked in the world. 1. They are not well-rooted, for there is no permanency but in Christ. Let us not look for a blessing if we be not in Christ, nor for the dew of heaven to make us spring up to life everlasting. 2. As the grass was high, so the wicked exalt themselves as far as they can. And what is the cause why they labour to exalt themselves so high? They think if they were come tosuch a place, then they shall be happy: and when they are come to that, if they see a house-height or two above them, they think they cannot be happy whill (till) they win there, but if they were there, O then they would be happy! Even as bairns playing at the foot of a hill, when they look to the top of it, they think if they were there then they would touch heaven, and so they still wrestle to win higher on it: and yet when they have been sweating all the day to win to the top of it, and when they are there, they see themselves to be as far from heaven as when they were at the foot of it; and so they come down more fools than they gade up. Even so is it with fools in the world. They think, If I were in this place all would be well with me; if I were Chancellor of a kingdom, if T were primate and metropolitan of a kirk, if I were Thesaurer, Privy Seal,6 etc., then I would be in a heavenly estate, and would get all my desires fulfilled. And so they spend their strength, and climb to win there; and [3.] it may be that when they have spent all their time, that they come not to that which they aimed at; but when they come there, they are as far, yea, ofttimes farder from their heaven of contentment than they were before: and they are forced to acknowledge that all these things are but vanity, and that there is no contentment to be found in them: yea, when they have gotten them, they are grief and a vexation to them. 4. And then, beloved, it is also true that these of that kind, they do more harm than they do good; for that which the mower fills not his hand with, it destroys the house. ~When a kirkman climbs up as high as he can, till he win up to the kirk rigging,7 what good can he do there but ill? while in the meantime it were meeter for him to stay down low in the body of the kirk, and teach others, rather than to climb up there, and both endanger himself and others.8
The fourth judgment is,—The malediction of God is upon them: there is none who will pray for a blessing to them. Would any man who were wise, coming by a man who were shearing pyles (blades) of grass upon the platform of a house, say to him, “God bless you and your labour?” Nor could they say to him again, “And God bless you also.” None in their right wit would say this. When a godly man comes by these who are climbing up to the top of their ambition, will he pray to God to bless them in their work? No. So this is a token of a good work, when we may pray to God for a blessing to it; but it is a token of an ill work, when thou cannot do it. If thou were meeting a man going to drunkenness, or fornication, etc., could thou pray to God for a blessing to him, that he should be blessed in it? No; thou might rather say there should be curse on them, if they turned not from it. But when thou meets any going to the kirk, or to their lawful calling, or thou art going there thyself, thou may say, “Lord, this is done for thy honour, and because it is thy will; therefore send a blessing upon it.” And so never attempt anything but that whereto thou thyself may crave the blessing of God, and others also may crave it for thee. Objection. I am going to play; how shall I pray for a blessing to that? Ans. Yes, thou may, when thou goes to it, that thou may thereby be more enabled to serve God, and to do the duty of thy calling; then thou both mayest and ought to pray for a blessing to it. And then when ye come by others whom ye see well employed, ye should pray to God to bless them; and if they fear God, they will give you a meeting (greeting in return), and say, “God bless you also.” But if ye meet a man going to the bordel-house, could ye pray to God to bless him in that? No. Or if ye met a man who were riding up to court, could ye say, God bless him, and send him good speed?9 No, ye ought rather to say, God send him ill speed. Surely, beloved, if we would bring any work that we have in hand, or that we see others have in hand, to this trial, to see if we may crave a blessing from God to it, or if others may do it for us, it would resolve us of many doubts Howbeit it’s true the Word is the ground of all, yet this would clear us also. If it be to a good work, we ought to pray both for ourselves and others; but if so be that it be an ill work, we ought rather to use imprecations against it.
Observe here, that this speech imports that good increase is from the blessing of God; as it is Deuteronomy 11:14, it is the Lord who gives both the first and the latter rain. We have gotten the first rain; but if we get not the latter rain also, it will do no good. And, Psalm 65:9-11 the prophet insists much upon this: “Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enriches it with the river of God, which is full of water: thou preparest them. corn, when thou hast so provided it. Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou crownest the year with thy goodness.” And many of the prophets insists much upon this: and Acts 14:17 it is also set down: and therefore consider of this. The heathen, when they went to their work, they used to hold up their hand to heaven; knowing that there was a divine power there to send down a blessing to them: but ye who are Christians should not only pray for a blessing when ye go to it, but also pray when ye have done with it. And when ye say, “God bless you,” to others, say it in earnest, and from your heart, and not for a custom, as many does: and acknowledge this, that it is God who gives fruitful seasons, and plagues with barrenness.
Finally, ye may see here that these who are haters of Sion, and through that are afflicting her, none can pray for a blessing from God to them; because they are going in that way where a maledlctlon is. And And therefore we ought to be lovers of Sion, if we would have a blessing from God upon anything we do And indeed it is very comfortable to us, that the Lord has given a large testification, that there be. many lovers of Sion into this land: howsoever indeed, there be many also who be haters of it. And, therefore, let us be constant in our affection, that we may love and delight in the service and worship of God, and in his servants. For all that is done into this land at this time is only for this end, that the worship of God may be established here in the land; and that there may be servants of God here, who may delight themselves in him, and every one of them in another. This has been the aim, so far as can be seen, of all these who has joined to this.10 And if we will continue in this, we shall not be ashamed; nor shall our labours be unprofitable: but the wicked shall be ashamed, turned back, and be unprofitable; and they shall be accursed of God and man. But for these who love Sion, blessedness shall be upon them here, whill (till) they come to eternal blessedness in the heavens, through Jesus Christ. To whom, etc.