06. Observations

Observations

Obs. 1. First, We may learn here, that till Christ himself discovers himself, no teaching will serve the turn. No. The teaching of angels will not serve the turn, till Christ himself by his Holy Spirit discovers himself. When Christ doth it, it is done. And therefore it should teach us so to attend upon the ministry as to look up to the great doctor that hath his chair in heaven, and teacheth the heart.* If he teach, it is no matter how dull the scholar is. He is able to make any scholar, if he instruct. I will not enlarge the point, because there be particular places wherein they will be enlarged.

Obs. 2. The second thing I will observe is this, that Christ, when he teacheth, he doth it by words, not by crucifixes, not by sights. We lost our salvation and all our happiness by the ear, and we must come to it by the ear again. Adam, by hearkening to Eve, and Eve to the serpent, lost all; and we must recover salvation therefore by the ear. As we have heard, so we shall see. We must first hear, and then see. Life cometh in at the ear as well as death. Faith, you know, is the quickening of a Christian, the spiritual life of a Christian. Now, faith comes by hearing; and therefore I beseech you in the bowels of Christ, set aside prejudice, and meekly attend God’s ordinances. Do not consider who we are; we are but poor ministers, frail men as yourselves. But consider the Lord, that is pleased to convey life, and salvation, and grace, and whatsoever is fit to bring to heaven, this way. Therefore they that despise this way, set light by salvation; as the apostle saith, Acts 13:46, ’They judge themselves unworthy of the kingdom of heaven.’ They can read at home, but is that the way God hath sanctified? Did not the manna stink when gathered on the Sabbath day? There is a curse upon all private industry and devotion when it is with neglect of public ordinances. She could have no comfort till Christ spake. Nay, the very sight of Christ could not comfort her. Let this, I pray you, be enough, that I may not enlarge the point any further. This is the way for comfort. We must hear him in his ministers here, if we will hear him comfortably speaking to us hereafter, ’Come, ye blessed of my Father,’ &c., Mat 25:34.

Obs. 3. It was but one word, ’Mary;’ and is there so much force in one word? Yea, when it is uttered by Christ. One word coming from Christ, and set on the heart by the Spirit of Christ, hath a mighty efficacy. The word hath an efficacy in creating all things, fiat, fuit. Let it be done: it was done; ’Let there be light: there was light.’ So let there be light in the understanding, and there it shall be presently. So in all Christ’s cures, he said the word, and it was done. So in all spiritual cures, let him say the word, it is done. Nay, a very look of Christ, if the Spirit go along with it, is able to convert the soul. Respexit Christus, flevit Petrus aware: Christ looked on Peter, he wept bitterly. What will his word do, when his look will do so much? It was but a word, and but one word: ’Say but the word,’ saith he in the gospel, ’and my servant shall be healed,’ Mat 8:8. This should make us desire that Christ would speak though but few words to the soul; that he would clothe the words of men mightily with his word and with his Spirit; and then they will be mighty in operation and works. One word, but it was a pregnant word. It was full of affection. She knew it well enough: ’Mary.’ What! to call her so familiarly, so sweetly, by her accustomed name? It wrought on her bowels presently.

Obs. 4. But to go on. You see here again, that Christ must begin to us before we can answer him. He began to ’Mary,’ and then she said ’Rabboni.’ All the passages of salvation are done by way of covenant, by way of commerce and intercourse between God and man, but God begins first. In election, indeed, we choose him; but he chooseth us first. And he knoweth who are his, and we know him; but he knows us first. And in calling, we answer, Ay; but he calleth first, and we do but echo to his call. In justification, forgiveness of sins, we accept of justification, and submit to the righteousness of Christ, and God’s purpose of saving man that way; but he giveth faith first, for faith is the gift of God. We glorify him here on earth, but it is from a result of God’s glorifying us in heaven. Some earnests we have, but they are of God’s giving. All we do is but reflection of his love first, or his knowledge first. The Christian soul saith, ’Thou art my God;’ ay, but he saith first, ’I am thy salvation,’ Psa 35:3. As Austin saith, Non frustra dicit anima, Deus salus tua: when God saith, ’I am thy salvation,’ it is easy for the soul to say, ’Thou art my God’ (e). And this may teach us in our devotions, when we are to deal with God, when we are to bring to him any request, to desire him first to reveal himself to us, desire Christ to reveal himself by his Spirit to us. It is an error in the case of men’s devotions. They think to bring something of their own strength, and to break in, as it were, upon God, without his discovery first. But Paul saith, Gal 4:9, ’We know God, or rather, are known of him.’ We must desire that he would make known his heart to us first, and then we shall know him again; that he would speak to us by his Spirit, and then we shall answer to him again. That he would say to our souls, he ’is our salvation;’ and then we may lay claim to him, ’he is our God.’ Desire the ’Spirit of revelation,’ to reveal his bowels and love to us in Christ by his Holy Spirit; for certainly, in every return of ours to Christ, God begins to us, all in all, though not sensibly. But we ought to pray, every day more and more, for a sensible revelation, that God would reveal his love to us in Christ. And we cannot but answer. If Christ saith, ’Mary,’ Mary cannot but answer, ’Rabboni.’

Obj. But you will say then, It is not our fault, but Christ’s fault, if he must begin. If God begins, we shall answer.

Ans. I answer briefly, that God doth always begin to us, and is beforehand with us in all dealings with ourselves. He giveth us many motions, and never withdraweth himself from us, but when he is despised and slighted first; therefore, let us take heed that we labour to answer Christ’s call when he doth call. If we slight it, then in a judicious* course he ceaseth to speak further to us, if we slight his beginnings of revelations. There be many degrees and passages to faith and assurance. If we do not observe the beginning, how God begins to reveal himself to us by little and little, speaking to us by his Spirit in our hearts when he begins, then in a spiritual judgment sometimes he leaves us to ourselves. And therefore let us regard all the motions of the Spirit, and all the speeches of the Spirit of Christ, for he begins by little and little, else our consciences will say afterward, we are not saved, because we would not be saved. We would not yield to all the passages of salvation; but when he was beforehand with us, and offered many sweet motions, yet we loved our sins better than our souls, and so repelled all. Therefore, I beseech you, do not refuse the sweet messages from heaven, the gracious and sweet motions of the Spirit of Christ.† Make much of them. God hath begun to you, be sure to answer. Learn it of Mary. When Christ began, she set not her heart and infidelity against it, but she opened her heart, and said, ’Rabboni;’ learn, therefore, the duty of spiritual obedience. When God speaks, ’Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth,’ 1Sa 3:10. Do not shut your ears to the motions of God’s blessed Spirit; do not harden your hearts against his voice, but open your hearts as she did: ’Rabboni.’ Our Saviour Christ here saith, ’Mary;’ but when? After he had concealed himself from her a long time. It is not presently ’Mary,’ nor ’Rabboni.’ He had concealed himself a great while. Christ doth not usually open himself fully at first, though at first he doth in some degree; but he observeth degrees, as in the church in general. You see how that he discovers himself in his gracious promises by little and little; darkly at first, and at last the Sun of righteousness ariseth clearly. So the day-star ariseth in our hearts by degrees. It is a great while before Mary heareth the satisfying speech of Christ, ’Mary.’