2. When trifling does appear
2. When trifling does appear
We are now, to show wherein this trifling and slight work in such a weighty business does appear.
2.1. It appears in persons engaging themselves to the Lord, without being at pains to prepare themselves, and bring up their hearts to the duty. O what a light thing do most people make of covenanting with God! It is but the saying of a word in prayer; and this is soon said. It is but taking the sacrament; and this is soon done. In the meantime, the heart, like Abraham's donkey, is left at the foot of the hill; Genesis 22:5, Matthew 15:8, "This people draws near unto me with their month, and honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me." They are strangers to God who are strangers to heart-work. They who find no difficulty in bringing their hearts to duties, do not bring them to them at all. The true Christian finds much difficulty in this. "I find," says Paul, "a law that when I would do good, evil is present with me." It is but trifling to give the hand to the Lord, while the heart is far from any due concern about the business, and from that solemn seriousness requisite to get it rightly managed. This appears,
2.2. When people engage themselves to the service of the Lord, but do not give their hearts to him. Many engage with the Lord, as a married servant with a master; the master is to get his service, but another has his heart; Jeremiah 12:2, "You are near in their mouth, and far from their reins." The heart may remain glued to lusts, while the soul pretends to be engaging itself to the Lord; and if it were not so, there would not be such a sad account of many who covenant with God. This is but to trifle with God, who requires the heart, or nothing; Proverbs 23:26, "My son, give me your heart." Jeremiah 30:21, "For who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? says the Lord." It is an ill-made second marriage, when there is neither the death of, nor a divorce from the first husband. There is no right engaging with the Lord, but where the soul forsakes all others for him, and the heart takes up its eternal rest in Christ. This trifling appears,
2.3. When people have any secret reserves in their closing with Christ, as is the case when the heart is not well content to take Christ with whatever may follow this choice: Luke 14:26, "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." There is none make right work here, but those who, weighing all things, are content to put a blank in Christ's hand, saying, "Lord, what would you have me to do?" Acts 9:6. They do but trifle who have their right-hand sins which they wish not cut off, for they will in this case mar the bargain; and also those who cannot digest that tribulation which is in the way to the kingdom. No cross, no crown. That heart, which is not reconciled to the cross, is not such a heart as is required. This trifling appears,
2.4. When people overlook the Mediator in their covenant of peace with God but transact with God for peace and pardon without respect to the sin-atoning blood of Christ. It is natural to all men to come immediately to God without a Mediator; Exodus 19:8, "And all the people answered together, and said, all that the Lord has spoken, we will do." They are thus for coming without a Mediator, until the terror of God correct their rashness, and they see what a consuming fire God is, and that, if they would be safe, they must come to him under the covert of Christ's wings. If a soul sincerely desires to come to God, the first person to which they must go, is to Christ, the secretary of Heaven. For "by him we have access into that grace wherein we stand," Romans 5:2. And he is "the Mediator of the new covenant," Hebrews 12:24. God out of Christ is a consuming fire. But there are beasts that will touch the mountain, though they be thrust through with a dart. Would you transact with God a covenant of reconciliation? then go to him on the mercy-seat? not the seat of mercy merely for mercy's sake, such a mercy-seat has no being in Heaven, but only in the vain imaginations of men on earth; but to the mercy-seat for Christ's sake, where mercy is abundantly distributed with the cordial consent of justice: 2 Corinthians 5:19. "To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them." It is to God as veiled with flesh, that the guilty can only approach; otherwise, it is but trifling. For Jesus is "the way, and no man comes to the Father but by him," John 14:6.
2.5. This is turned into solemn trifling with God, by people's not taking Christ for all, but only for making up that of which they may come short; thus endeavoring to patch up a garment of their own righteousness and of his together. Thus many think to please God by doing what they can to fulfill the law, and looking to Christ to make up that of which they come short. It was forbidden, under the law, to wear a garment of divers sorts of woolen and linen together. And they will find themselves befooled, who will adventure their salvation on this party-colored garment: Galatians 3:12, "And the law is not of faith; but the man that does them shall live in them." A garment pieced up of sundry sorts of righteousness, is not meet for the court of Heaven. That heart which would share the glory between Christ and the man himself, is not right with God, and will be left to its own weight. — This trifling appears,
2.6. By persons making a covenant of works with Christ; the tenor thereof is, that if Christ will save their souls, they shall serve him as long as they live. If Christ will give them wages, they will give him work. If he will pay their debt, they shall be his servants, while they have breath in them. And upon this, men may take the sacrament to bind them the faster. And thus, I fear, many make sad work at sacraments and other ordinances. That this is but solemn trifling with God, appears, if you consider, that this is a covenant which has no warrant in the Word of God, and therefore Christ will never set his seal to it, though we should seal it with our blood. It is quite opposite to the covenant of grace; the design of which is to draw the sinner into the debt of free grace, and to set the crown only on Christ's head, Romans 4:14–16, and 11:6. The covenant of grace, is an everlasting covenant; once in, never out: Isaiah 55:3, "I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David." But this is a tottering covenant, broken every day. This is a servile covenant, to give Christ service for salvation. The other is a filial covenant, where the soul takes Christ and salvation freely offered, and so is a son: "For to as many as believed on him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, John, 1:11. Therefore, they do not serve, that they may get the inheritance; but because the inheritance is theirs, therefore they serve, Galatians 4:24. and downwards. To take hold of God's covenant, is for a poor empty-handed sinner to come and live freely on Christ; this is to come and buy from him. In order to bring this charge home, I shall mention some evidence of the above practice. — Such as,
2.6.1. Persons looking upon and making use of the sacrament only as seals of their vows, and not as seals of God's promises. I do not say but the sacrament is a seal, to seal our engagement to be the Lord's; but this is but the one half, and even the least half as I take it, 1 Corinthians 10:16. Why then do people so overlook this, but because, not being shaken out of themselves, they look more to the confirming of their resolutions, than their faith and communion with Christ in his fullness?
2.6.2. A second evidence is, persons coming to the Lord in this ordinance, rather to engage themselves to duties, than to get strength for the performance of them.
2.6.3. A third evidence is, persons drawing their peace and comfort rather from their duties, and the performance of that to which they have engaged, than what Christ makes over to sinners in the covenant of grace. It was not so with David, for the covenant itself was all his salvation, and all his desire, 2 Samuel 23:5. But when the other works, he expects his wages; when he fails, he has no hope, as one who has broken covenant with Christ. But, when the true covenanter fails in his duty, yet all that his soul depended upon still remains a covenanted righteousness; all that he trusted to for his duties also remains, to wit, covenanted strength, Romans 7:24, 25, and 8:1. And so there is new application for covenant-benefits; whereas when many fail in their covenant, all is gone, and it must be made over again, before he can have any new footing. This trifling appears, when,
2.7. Persons lay hold on Christ with a faith of which the mighty power of God was not at the forming, Ephesians 1:19; but is merely the product of a person's natural faculties. Most men's faith is like wild oats, that grow up without the labor of the gardener. They come too easily to it to make any sure work by it. The evil heart of unbelief is not so easily shaken off as men imagine. Those who find no difficulty, do but trifle and beat the air; if the work were heartily plied, it would not be so easy.