10. He does much good, and makes but little noise
The first singular action of sanctified Christians, is, To do much good, and make but little noise.
Some people say much, and do nothing; but Christians do much, and say nothing. To deserve praise where none is obtained, is better than to obtain it where none is deserved. The old maxim is worthy to be revived; he that desires honour, is not worthy of honour.
Take heed that you do not your alms before men, to be seen of men; otherwise you have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. A saint may be seen doing more works than any; and yet he does not desire to do any of the works, to be seen. An alms which is seen, is by no means unpleasant to God, provided it be not given with a design to have it seen. Though good ends make not bad actions lawful; yet bad ends make good actions sinful.—The harp sounds sweetly; yet it hears not its own melody. Moses had more glory by his veil than he had by his face. It is truly pleasant to behold those living in the dust of humility, who have raised others from the dust by their liberality.
That ancient caution of our Saviour is very suitable to modern times: Therefore, when thou dost thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee as the hypocrites do in the synagogues, and in the street, that they may have glory from men. What the first verse calls doing to be seen of men, this calls doing to receive glory from men.
Hypocrites would never be anxious for men to see them; but that by seeing them, men should praise them. The indigent are more indebted to their vanity than their charity. They give alms, not so much for the poor to live upon, as for the
D 3 rich to look upon. This is employing the master's coin for the servants' gain. Hypocrites are more zealous for the market, than for the closet. They can pray better in the corners of the streets, than in the corners of their houses.
It is both meat and drink to a formalist to fast, if others do but see it. It is reported, that the nightingale never sings so sweetly, as when others stand by to hear its melody. Come, see my zeal for the Lord of hosts; when there was no zeal for the Lord of hosts to be seen. Jehu only made religion a stirrup, to mount upon the saddle of popularity.—Sounding souls are seldom souls that are sound. The vote of a Jehu is always linked to the heart of a Judas. Some persons are like hens, which no sooner drop their eggs, than they begin to chatter. If such bestow a little money on a church's repairs, it must be recorded upon glazed windows.
How frequently do the enemies of grace lurk under the praises of nature! While an hypocrite is extolled, grace is injured. By how much we arrogate to ourselves, we derogate from God's honour. Vain-glory is like Naaman's leprosy; a foul spot upon a fair paper. What are the acclamations of man, to the approbation of God? Of what real advantage is it to be cried up on earth by those about us, and cried down in heaven by him who is above us? One flaw in a diamond diminishes both its splendour and value. Where self is the end of our actions, there Satan is the rewarder of them.
When thou dost thine alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth. Acts of mercy are right-hand acts; but the left hand must not know them, because it will make them known. It is a singular thing for Christians to do much in secret, and to keep it secret when it is done. God is nearer to us than we are to ourselves. We need not sound a trumpet for any thing that is bestowed: for when the great trumpet shall sound, every work shall be revealed.
Where the river is the deepest, the water glides the smoothest. Empty casks sound most; whereas the well-fraught vessel silences its own sound. As the shadow of the sun is largest when his beams are lowest; so we are always least, when we make ourselves the greatest. Wicked Saul would rather resign his crown than his honour. Honour me before the people. There is little worth in outward splendour, if grace yield it not an inward lustre.
When the sun of worldly grandeur is in its meridian, it may be masked with a cloud. By climbing too high on the bough of honour, you may hang yourselves on the tree of dishonour. Some would rather suffer the agony of the cross, than the infamy of the cross. It is worse, in their esteem, to be dispraised, than it is to be destroyed. Thus Abimeleck the fratricide conceived of it. 'A certain woman cast a piece of mill-stone upon Abimeleck's head, and broke his scull; then he called hastily to the young man, his armour bearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword and slay me, that men may not say, a woman slew me.' Poor man, he dies, but his pride does not die!
How frequently does God reject those as reprobate silver, whom men esteem as fine gold! He is a Jew, who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, whose praise is not of man, but of God. The praise of an hypocrite is not of God, but of man; the praise of an Israelite is not of man, but of God. The former desires to seem good, that he may be admired; the latter to be good, that God may be honoured. The self-abased saint on earth imitates the angels in heaven; while the self-admired sinner on earth imitates the fallen angels in hell.
The cherubims in Ezekiel's vision had the hands of a man under their wings. They had not their wings under their hands; but their hands under their wings. Their hands denoted skill, their wings celerity; and their hands under their wings, the secrecy of their actions. They would not have others fall down and worship them, who were only round the throne; but they fell down themselves to worship him who is upon the throne.
It was foretold of our Lord Jesus Christ, who did the most excellent works that ever were done, that he should not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the streets. He should not cry; that is, he should not be contentious: he should not lift up his voice in the streets; that is, he should not be vain-glorious.
How repugnant to this was the conduct of the boasting pharisee! The pharisee stood, and prayed with himself: God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are; extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. Hypocrites are better in setting forth their own worth, than their own wants; in displaying the banners of their perfections, than in discovering the heinousness of their own transgressions. I am not as other men are! As if he had been such a fellow, as had had no fellow. Because he was not so bad as most, he thought himself as good as the best. Ambition is so great a planet, that it must have a whole orbit to move in; and is envious at its equals.
A sun-burnt face seems fair, compared with an Ethiopian; but cyphers can never constitute a sum. This pharisee was as far from being religious, as he was from being scandalous. But upon what foundation did he rear his superstructure? I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all I possess. He proclaims out of doors, all which was done within. He forgot that he was like the sea, which loses as much on one shore as it gains on another. He hid his sins, which he should have confessed; and published his good deeds, which he should have concealed.
What victory a formalist seemingly obtains over one lust, he loses by being overcome of another. He trades not for God's glory, but for his own. If a tear be shed, or a prayer be made, as it is performed by him, so it is divulged by him. He who trafficks in God's service, to freight himself with man's praises, shall suffer shipwreck in the haven.
It is reported of Alexander's footman, that he ran so swift upon the sand, that the prints of his footsteps were not to be seen. Thus may it be with Christians. Nothing is more pleasing to God, than a hand liberally opened, and a tongue strictly silent.
Most persons are like Themistocles, who never found himself so much contented, as when he heard himself praised. I will not say a gracious heart never lifts up itself; but I will say, that grace in the heart never lifts it up. Grace in the heart constantly acts like itself; but a gracious heart does not always do so.
Saints should resemble a spire steeple; which is minimus in summa, smallest where it is highest: or those orient stars, which the higher they are seated the less they are viewed. Usually, the greatest boasters are the smallest workers. The deep rivers pay a larger tribute to the sea than shallow brooks, and yet empty themselves with less noise. I have read of an harlot, who offered to rebuild the walls of a city, which Alexander had demolished, so that she might but set her own arms upon them. What will not a hypocrite do, so he might but see his own signet upon it when it is done!
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