William Huntington

XXI. The Envied Man's Retinue, and the Honourable Man's Beggary.

"He that is despised, and hath a servant, is better than he that honoureth himself, and lacketh bread." Pro. xii. 9

IT is not a form of godliness without the power, nor an empty profession void of possession; nor is it a dry barren ministry, whether heterodox or orthodox; that will incur the displeasure of these despisers.

A profession made under the influence of the spirit of this world, and a system of gospel truths preached by the children of the flesh, will make but little stir among these enemies. Hypocrites and impostors are the best friends the devil has; for by these he counterfeits the kingdom of God to support his own empire. Men may preach about creation and providence, about election and redemption, about justification and sanctification: Satan cares nought about that; for all these may be in the head while the strong man reigns in the palace. Satan knows that the kingdom of God stands not in word, but in power; and nothing but divine power can dethrone and dispossess him. The above things have been and still are enforced by many who are enemies to God, in alliance with Satan, and in union with those whose guests are in the depths of hell. By such instruments he communicates hardness of heart, impenitency, daring boldness, arrogance, blind zeal, false faith, and perilous presumption; all which are profitable to the devil. And this may be called spiritual wickedness; for it is the influence of Satan counterfeiting the full assurance of faith in the unsanctified souls of hypocrites. That which makes a man despised, and which, by Satan's help, fills the despiser with all his rage, is the faith of Gods elect; which faith is both Gods gift and Gods work: it flows from Gods eternal love, through Christ the mediator, and is wrought in the soul by the powerful arm of God revealed. This faith deals with the Lords atonement, and purifies the heart by it; it puts on an imputed righteousness, gives the sinner an existence in the heart of Christ, and Christ a dwelling place in the sinners heart. This faith overcomes the world, and explodes the spirit of it, and purifies the heart from the root of all evil, and lays hold of the love of God, and works by it, which is the root of all real godliness: it applies the promises, it attend our petitions, mixes itself with the word preached, assures us of our sonship, and is always attended with the witness of the Holy Spirit. Take faith in a twofold point of light: first as a grace from Christ acting, and take Christ as the object of faith acted upon, and faith is the substance of things hoped for; for what can a sensible sinner hope for but the enjoyment of Christ? Faith is the evidence of things not seen, which things are the glories of heaven; and the firstfruits of the Spirit are the earnest of that glorious harvest; and faith is one of those firstfruits, and is our assurance of it, and is wrought in our souls to persuade us that the promised inheritance is sure to all the seed. Now all this being Gods own work in us, it must be despised. "Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish; for I work a work in your days, a, work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you." And this may be seen in Paul at Jerusalem. While Paul declared his extraction, his education, manner of life, and his persecution of the Christians, they heard him with. all attention; but, when he delivered his conversion, and call to preach to the Gentiles, then they lifted up their voices and said, "Away with such a fellow from the earth, for it is not fit that he should live." "Make haste," said the Lord, "and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem, for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me." That which these men despise is not us, but God's work, God's dear Son, and God himself for revealing him in us; and so says the Lord himself: "He that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me." But each of these despised ones hath got a servant; therefore he is better than he that honoureth himself, and lacketh bread.

I must now describe the servant, Our Jacob, the everlasting father of Israel, served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep. Nor is he ashamed to be called our husband; for he made himself of no reputation, but took on him the form of a servant, and in that form he served for his wife, and obtained her as the reward of his work, Hence she is called the travail of his soul. To purchase her, discharge her debts, and to rescue her from the hands of thieves, robbers, and usurpers, was all his labour and travail. "The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister." He washes her from all her sins in his own blood and, if he wash us not, we have no part in him: yea, he disdained not to wash his disciples feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded, John xiii. 5. And this is repeated again and again, for he makes us feel the need of it often; and we are as sensible of it when it is done. And, after his resurrection, his disciples found a fire on the sea coast, and fish laid thereon, and bread; himself made the fire, and dressed the dinner, and he called his disciples to it, saying unto them, "Come and dine," John xxi. 12. "Whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? Is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth." This is the angel that redeemed Jacob, and the God that fed him all his life long. And surely washing us, washing our feet, making a fire, dressing our meat, and calling us to the entertainment, is the menial work of a servant. But what is that which divine and invariable love will not do? Nor does he stop here, but he puts on our clothes, and all our trinkets; for we have neither eyes to see them, nor hands to apply them, ourselves. "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels," The crown upon her head, the chain upon her neck, the bobs in her ears, the bracelets on her hands, and the shoes on her feet, are of his preparing and putting on, Ezek. vi. 9:12. All her inward glory and outward ornaments, the provision of Zion's table, and the furniture of her toilette, the powder of her hair, and the perfumes of her robe, are all prepared and provided for her. Wisdom prepares her bread, kills her beasts, mingles her wine, furnishes her table, and bids her guests, saying, "Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine that I have mingled." This is the provision of her table. And, as for her apparel, he says, Thou art comely through my comeliness that I have put upon thee. He is her watchman by night, and her guardian by day, and never slumbers nor sleeps; he refreshes her every moment, and keeps her by his power: she is indebted to him for both her food and her physic; and he makes all her bed in her sickness; he supports her on the bed of languishing, and he attends her both in the furnace and in the bath, to keep the flame from kindling, and the waters from overflowing; nor will he relinquish his endearing attention till the solemnization of the eternal nuptials takes place. "Let your loins be girded, and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their Lord, when he will return from the wedding. Blessed are those servants whom the Lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat and will come forth and serve them," Luke xii. 37. Oh, unparalleled condescension! He will gird himself with all the power, glory, and majesty, of infinite deity, raise his church from the dead, form it and fashion it like unto his own glorious body, present her to himself without spot, wipe all tears from her eyes, lead her to living fountains, feed her with his own fullness, and set her down amidst all the realities and dainties of paradise. A despised one, that hath such a servant, is better than.

"He that honoureth himself, and lacketh bread." Are we blind also? say the Pharisees. O no; burning and shining lights. They shine in the counterfeited rays of Satan, and burn in rage against Christ as he did. They do the works of their father.

"Stand by thyself, come not near unto me, for I am holier than thou," said another. "These many years do I serve thee," said the elder son in the parable, "and never at any time transgressed I thy commandments." "All these have I kept from thy youth up," said the young man; "What lack I yet?" All these honoured themselves, and received honour one from another. And we have plenty of such in our days. The papist, whose obedience exceeds the demands of the law; the perfectionist, who is complete in the flesh; the self-righteous, with all his stock of natural power and inherent grace; and those who boast of all their light within, but have none without: these all honour themselves, and are therefore in unbelief; for, "How can ye believe which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour which cometh from God only?" These must want bread, because they cannot believe. "I am the bread of life," says Christ; and "He that believeth on me hath everlasting life." But how can you believe? And, if they have no faith, they have no bread.

Their pride will attend them out of the world, for they will honour themselves at the great day. "When saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, and did not minister unto thee?" And again, "Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name, and in thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works?"

The grand contest between God and all graceless professors is, who shall have the glory of a sinners salvation. This glory God claims, and will never give to another; nor will the self-righteous ever give it to him. Hence the Saviour, who stood in the gap and made up the breach, is rejected, and any thing substituted in his room. Free agency is opposed to his sovereignty; the workings of a natural conscience are called inherent grace, and are set up in opposition to the Lords fullness; dead works stand as a rival to his spotless obedience; and sinless perfection in competition with his sanctification: while, on the other hand, the Lord seeks the lost, shines upon the blind, quickens the dead, gives power to the faint, saves the vilest, heals the sick, and justifies the ungodly. And this is the glory of Gods elect, while all others labour in vain. It is going about to establish their own righteousness, being too blind to see, and too proud to submit to the righteousness of God. Such shall stumble, and fall, and be snared, and be broken, and be taken. They stumble and take offence at the Son of God; they are broken off from both covenants, and taken in their own craftiness; for what can men hang upon who reject Christ? And this is now the case with the Jews; they are driven to such shifts as to pray on their death-bed that their own death may atone for their sins. These are the men who honour themselves and yet lack the bread of life, and will perish to all eternity in their wants. It is intolerable to them to have their honour laid in the dust, and therefore it must he in the flames; for, "He that exalteth himself shall be abased." At the great day it will be seen, and shall be acknowledged by all, that "He that is despised and hath a servant, is better than he that honoureth himself, and lacketh bread."

He that is despised is better than he that honoureth himself, &c. Blessed are they that are reviled and persecuted for Christs sake, for great is their reward in heaven. But the Lord pronounces his wo upon professors when all men speak well of them.

But a member of the Laodicean church, who is rich, increased with goods, and in need of nothing, thinks it strange to be invited to buy wine and milk without money and without price; and, even if at any time conscience pinch him, he turns a deaf ear to the voice of divine bounty. "Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness." All such kind invitations are lost upon a free-willer. "The full soul loatheth an honeycomb." And therefore wo unto them that are full, for they shall hunger. All that come to the feast must be brought; a bare invitation brings no guest. "None of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper;" therefore bring in the poor, the maimed, the halt, and the blind, that my house may be filled with guests. These, these shall eat bread in the kingdom of God, when many shall beg in harvest, and have nothing. Better is he that is despised and hath a servant, than he that honoureth himself, and lacketh bread.