And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.
— Luke 7:29-30
Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
— Luke 13:24
The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.
— Luke 16:16
Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
— John 6:27
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
— Ephesians 6:11-13
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
— Philippians 2:12
The Zealous Christian Taking Heaven By Holy Violence, by Christopher Love. The following contains an excerpt from his sermons on the subject.
Matthew 11. 12.
And from the dayes of John the Baptist untill now, the Kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
The fourth use is for caution, and that in four particulars. 1 Take heed of pleading for, or being contented with a moderation in matters of religion. Moderation in religion is accounted a vertue in these times, whereas Jesus Christ would have spued us out of his mouth. If Jesus Christ commend an holy violence in the matters of religion, what becomes of this moderation? Indeed for men to be moderate in things that are lawfull is good. It is the advice of the Apostle, Phil. 4. 5. Let your moderation be known unto all men; the Lord is at hand: that is, let your moderation be in the love and desire of things lawfull and indifferent, of things in this world; be moderate in those things, that they may not hinder you in your course towards heaven, but not in any case to be moderate in religion; and that I shall make appear in these four particulars.
1 Moderate estates do not content you in the world. Men rise up early, and go to bed late, and eat the bread of carefulnesse, and are eager and indefatigable in their pursuits of the world? If you get not so much this year, you will indeavour to get more the next year; no man hath moderation after the things of this world, no man is contented with that estate they are in, but labours to improve it. Like the Chaldeans, of whom it is spoken, Habak. 2. 5. He inlargeth his desire as hest, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied But gathereth unto him, all nations, and heapeth unto him all people. And is it reason that you that are so immo¦derate in the pursuit and desire of the things of this world, should be moderate in the things of heaven?
2 You have been very immoderate in your desires after your lusts before your conversion, and therefore in all reason you should not now be moderate in your desires after God and the things of God. How many times have you bin as it were sick till you have you accomplisht your ends in a sinful course, and will you not now be sick of love after Christ, and after heavenly things? Hast thou not burnt in lust, and will you now be key-cold in religion?
3 God doth expresse as great, yea more dislike of lukewarmnesse in religion, as if a man were of no religion. Famous is that instance of Laodicea, Revel. 3. 15, 16. I would thou were either cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, & neither cold nor hot, I will sp••e thee out of my mouth. Not that God would have men to continue in, or return to Paganisme or Judaisme, both of which his soul abhors; but onely because he doth exceedingly distaste lukewarmnesse in the prefession of Christianity.
4 In a false religion men have shewed much zeal and forwardnesse, Isa. 46. 6. I heylavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the balance, & hire a Goldsmith, and he maketh it a god, they fall down, yea they worship, &c. The people were so violent in an Idolatrous religion, that they did spare no cost nor pains to accomplish it. So those false Prophets, those prophets and worshippers of Baal, 1 King. 18. 28. They cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancers till the blood gushed out upon them. So Paul when he was a Jew and adversary to Christianity; beyond measure he persecuted the Church of God, and wasted it, Gal. 1. 13. Jerem. 32. 35. Those superstitious Jews built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to passe through the fire unto Moloch, which I commanded them not. So zealous and servent were they in their Idolatrous worship and service, that they would cause their children to be burnt as a sacrifice to their false god. So likewise among us the Papists are zealous and eager for their worship, witnesse their whippings and scourgings and fastings and other penances. If men be thus zealous in false wayes, how servent should we be in a true? But so much for the first branch of the Caution.
(Caution 2) 2 Take heed you do not think you shall ever go to heaven without this holy zeal and violence. It was onely the violent in John Baptist’s dayes that took heaven. You can never go to heaven except you strive to enter in at the strait gate. You must strive till you sweat, you must strive with all your might, and all will be little enough. Take heed therefore you do not think it an easie thing to go to heaven. But withall take this, though you cannot go to heaven without this holy violence, you shall never go to heaven for it. James 1. 25. Whosoeverlooketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetfull hearer of the Word, but a doer also, this man shall be blessed in his deed. So that you see a man shall not go to heaven for his doing, though he cannot go to heaven without it.
(Caut. 3) 3 When you see the servants of God zealous and violent in the wayes of God, take heed you do not judge of this as the world doth, that you do not judge it a vain and needlesse thing, or that you do not judge it folly and madnesse. When Paul was thus violent for the propagation of the Gospel, when he came before Festus, Festus told him, that much learning had made him mad: But Paul said, I am not mad, but speak forth the words of truth and sobernes.
(Caut. 4) 4 Take heed thou doest not abate thy ••al in the matters of religion, because it may be thou meetest with much reproach and many scandals from the men of the world for the sake of religion. David was more eager in his dancing before the Ark, notwithstanding the scoffings of his wife. 〈◊〉 scandals and reproaches and troubles will make thee abate thy zeal for God, hou wilt never be able to hold out to the end. I will never believe that man will indure a rack for his religion, that cannot bear a reproach. He that cannot indure a frown for it will never indure fire and faggot; if thou canst not indure a taunt or jeer for thy profession of religion, much lesse wilt thou endure a Gibbet. And so much for the use of Caution.
(Use. 5) The next use is this: This Doctrine may stirre up in us an holy lamentation: If it vvere so, that in the dayes of John the Baptist men were so holily violent after Jesus Christ and his Ordinances; then how should we lament and bewail our times, when we consider hovv defective men are novv adayes, and hovv much vve fall short of those converts at the first plantation of the Gospel?
We fall short of them. 1 In regard of their love and union. It was observed that the primitive Christians were so full of love and affection to one another, that they could be acquainted together as well in half an hour as in half a year. In those times they were so conversant in that duty of love, that St. Paul saith, They needed not that he should write to them concerning love, 1 Thess. 4. 9. In those dayes they were of one accord. The very Heathens took notice of it, and said: Behold, how the Christians love one another. But we are fallen into those times wherein the love of men grows cold; we, upon whom the ends of the world are come, bite, and teare, and devour one another.
2 We come short of them in the contempt of the world. You know hovv much those Christians, Hebr. 11. lived above the vvorld: They confessed that they were but strangers and pilgrims upon earth, verse 13. They vvere not satisfied vvith the vvorld, but sought after a better Countrey. They came and laid their wealth at the Apostles feet to do with it whatsoever he pleased. For cloathing they vvere contented with sheeps skins and goats skins; and instead of our stately houses they vvere satisfied vvith dens and caves of the earth.
We fall short of the primitive Christians herein also, that they vvere taken off from that form of religion vvherein they vvere born and bred up, and received a nevv form of religion. Whereas they might have objected, all our fathers vvere bred up in the law of Moses, and shall vve take upon us a nevv vvay, a nevv religion? But they did not contend about it, they forsook the rudiments of Moses, and imbraced this nevv vvay and doctrine, vvhich as they thought vvas never taught before. But vve are more addicted to customes then Scriptures, vve chuse rather to follovv vvhat hath been, then to consider vvhat should be. Many have much reasoning and contention for the old forme of religion. Many are so setled in their old formes and wayes, wherein they were born and bred, that they will not indure or seek for a better form and way. Heylin in his Geography reports of the King of Morocco, that he told the English Embassadour in King Johns time, that he had lately read Pauls Epistles, which he liked so well, that were he to chuse his religion, he would imbrace Christianity; but every one ought to die in the faith wherein he was born: So it is with many among us, they are perswaded they ought, and resolved they will live and die in those customes and wayes wherein they were born; they will not deny themselves in these triviall things for the exaltation of Christ; and herein also we fall short of the primitive Christians. And thus much for the last use. And so I have dispatched the first and main Doctrine, I hat in the times of the first promulgation of the Gospel greater successe did attend the Ministery, and multitudes did come in with more holy violence after the ordinances then ever did before.
MATTHEW 11. 12.
And from the dayes of John the Baptist untill now, the Kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
There is but one Doctrine behinde, and that is taken from the consideration of the quality of those persons who did expresse this holy violence; who they were our Saviour himselfe acquaints us, Matth. 21. 31. Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that the publicansand harlots go into the Kingdome of God before you. Verse 32. The publicans and harlots believed John. The Pharisees that led strict lives, had a kinde of legall righteousnesse, yet they were not the people that did receive Jesus Christ, but publicans and harlots. The Pharisees and lawyers rejected or frustrated the counsell of God against themselves, or within themselves, being not baptized of him. But the Publicans justified God, being baptized with the baptisme of John, Luke 7. 29, 30. They that used this violence were men that lived by rapine, deceit, exaction, and oppression; so did the Publicans. Whence the observation is this.
(Doct. 2) That usually those that have been most sinful before conversion, do expresse the more holy violence and eagernesse of affection after Jesus Christ in the Gospel after they are converted. In the handling of this point I shall do three things.
1 I shall demonstrate the truth of it by Scripture-instances.
2 I shall shew the reasons why God did pitch upon such chiefly, who were most notorious ill-livers.
3 I shall shew why such men are more violent in religion then others.
1 I shall demonstrate the truth of the doctrine by Scripture-instances. I shall give but two instances; the one in Mary Magdalene, the other in Paul. 1 Mary Magdalene, she was an unclean person, a very harlot, a great sinner, but after her conversion she thought nothing too much for Christ. 1 She anointed his feet with a pound of Spikenard that was very costly, worth three hundred pence, that is, worth above nine pound in our money, John 12. 5. 2 She broke through many difficulties to come to Christ. Christ was in another mans house, (and he Simon a Pharisee) Luke 7. 36, 37. and set down to supper. She might have raised an objection, and said, I cannot come at him, and they in the house may think evill of it; but all this could not keep her back. Further, there were more discouragements. Not onely Judas but others were angry at her, Mark 14. 4. There weresome (not onely Judas, but others also) that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? Yea, the Disciples too had indignation at her: Mat. 26. 8. The Disciples had indignation. Yet she came to Christ through al these difficulties, and she wept, Luke 7. 44. And that so plentifully,that she washed the fect of Christ with her tears. Her eyes that had been windows of lost, were now flood gates of tears.
2 Another instance is that of Saul. Before his conversion he was a notorious sinner. He had an hand in the death of that holy man Stephen, Act 8. 1. He was a man that breathed out threatenings and slaughters against the Disciples of the Lord, Act. 9. 1. He was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and injurious, 1 Tim. 1. 13. he cared not what he did to the people of God. Yea, further he did compel others to blaspheme, Act. 26. 11. and being exceedingly mad aagainst them, he persecuted them even to strange Cities. And yet behold, this man that was so eminent a sinner before his conversion, afterward made recompense; he grew and abounded in grace; he grew as eminent in grace, as he was notorious in sin. As he had hailed men to prison formerly, so now he drawes them to Christ. He preached that faith that once he persecuted, Gal. 1. 23. So much for the first particular, the proof of the point by Scripture-instances.
The second particular is this: Why did God pitch upon such chiefly, as were most notorious ill-livers?
(Answ. 1) I answer; Two reasons may be given of it.
1 To beat off the Pharisees from resting in their own righteousnesse, that they might see that salvation was of grace, and not of works. Had this effect appeared in multitudes of the Scribes and Pharisees, some would have attributed it to their learning, others to their strict and holy walking, and austere conversation, people would have thought they had merited this at Gods hands; And therefore God passed by them, and made choice of others far more unholy and profane, to knock them off from their own righteousnesse, and from dependance upon it.
2 It was to magnifie the riches, freeness and greatnesse of Gods grace, that was brought in and manifested by the Gospel. God would hereby give to understand that the doctrine of the Gospel was a doctrine of grace (not that men might live as they list, for these vile people were not incouraged in, but redeemed from a vain conversation, but) Johns work • as a tough and hard work to pull down those that were as high as mountains in pride, as hard as the rocks of those mountains, to make rough and crooked things smooth and straight. And yet all this John was to do, all this John did in the preparation of the people for Christ, Isa. 40. 4. The greater the wound is, the more is the skill and care of the Physician seen and commended. The more and greater the sins are that are pardoned, the more is the grace of God advanced.
So much for the second particular.
The third particular is this: Why are such vile and sinfull persons most eager and violent after their conversion?
(Answ. 1) Answ. 1. This proceeds from an holy indignation against themselves, which is a fruit of repentance or conversion, as you read, 2 Cor. 7. 11. For this self-same thing thatye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulnesse did it work in you? yea what clearing of your selves, yea what indignation, yea what fear, yea what desire, yea what zeal, yea what revenge? There ariseth in such a desire to be revenged upon themselves, Isa. 30. 22. Ye shall defilealso the covering of the graven images of silver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold, thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth, thou shalt say unto them, Get thee hence. Isa. 2. 20. In that day a man shall casthis idols of silver, and his idols of gold which they have made, each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats. Cranmer burned his right hand first, because it had subscribed his recantation, and oftentimes repeated in the flame, Oh this unworthy right hand! An holy indignation makes him to reason thus within himself. Could I sin worse then others, and shall I now be contented with lesse grace then others? Could I be as swift as a Dromedary in the wayes of sin, and shall I creep like a snail in the wayes of God? Have I been zealous for the committing of sin, and shall I be cold in my motions after Christ? Such persons are ashamed of their former wayes, and therefore they now labour to take off that reproach by making some reparations.
2 This proceeds from that sense that is in such persons of an utter and absolute necessity of getting into Christ. You know a man that hath but cut his finger will not make much ado, but he that hath got a great and dangerous wound sees a necessity of the cure, and that he is a dead man if he do not get help. So a man that lives in a common way of sinning, he thinks his sins are inconsiderable, he sees no necessity of closing with Christ for cure. But a man that hath been much in sin, and notorious in wickednesse, when God comes and opens his eyes by effectuall calling, he sees a necessity of getting help by Jesus Christ, and that if he have not Christ, he is undone for ever, he shall perish eternally. And thus I have finished the doctrinal part: I proceed now to make application. And this doctrine is eminently usefull to three sorts of men. 1 To those that have been formerly very vile and great sinners, but are now converted. 2 To meer civill and honest men. 3 To those that yet remain and go on in a sinfull course.
1 To those that have been formerly very great sinners, but are now converted: To them I have two things to say.
1 Labour to follow this pattern that is here propounded in the Gospel, and in this doctrine. Labour to proportion your graces now that you are converted, to the number and greatnesse of your sins before conversion. As you have been violent in sin formerly, so see that now you be as violent after the things of heaven. So did Manasses, he was a great sinner, he filled Jerusasalem with blood, he was a grosse Idolater, a destroyer of Gods worship, 2 Chron. 33. 12. And therefore he humbledhimself greatly before the God of his fathers. So Paul, because he was a greater sinner then the rest of the Apostles; therefore he laboured more abundantly then they all. If therefore sin hath abounded, see that grace doth abound also. As you have formerly added iniquity unto iniquity, so now see that you adde grace to grace. As you have with much eagernesse given up the members of your bodies, as instruments of unrighteousnesse unto sin and uncleannesse; so see that you give them up as instruments of righteousnesse unto holinesse. Particularly, see that you do abound, 1 In the grace of humiliation. 2 In the grace of love. 1 In the grace of humiliation; little humiliation is not suitable to great sins. That garment that hath most spots in it, must have most rinsing; that which hath most dust in it, needs the most beating. There must be a sicut, not onely qualitatis, but aequalitatis also, if possibly it can be. There should be some equality between the strength that was put forth in the service of sin, and that we now put forth in the service of God. It is very observable, Levit. 11. 24, 25. He that toucheth an unclean thing, shall beunclean till even; but he that beareth an unclean thing, shall wash his cloathes, and be unclean till even. Though a man be but defiled a little with sin, if he doth but touch a sin as it were, commit a little sin, he had need be humbled; but those that wallow in sinfull courses, and bear sin about them, they must look to be more humbled then otherswere.
2 See that you proportion your love to Christ to your sinfulnesse against Christ in times past. Hast thou been a great and a vile sinner before conversion, know that a little love to Christ is not answerable to thy great sins. Luke 7. 17. Her sins which are many are forgiven her, therefore she loved much. Jesus Christ expects and requires more love of such to whom he hath pardoned much, then he doth of those to whom little is forgiven. We read in John 21. 15. Jesus said unto Peter, Simon, son ofJona•, Lovest thou me more then these? Jesus Christ did not ask him, Lovest thou me at all? nor, Lovest thou me as these? but, Lovest thou me more then these? Thou hast sinned more then these, doest thou love me more then these? Christ expected more love from Peter then from the rest of the Disciples. And so Peter did return more love to Christ then the rest did. And though the book of the Acts be called the Acts of the Apostles, yet there is more spoken of Peter then of all the rest of the Apostles that had seen Christ in the flesh. Peter after his fall did shew more love then the rest. 1 Peter preached the first Sermon after Christs resurrection and ascension, Act 1. 15. 2 Peter was the first that went into the Sepulchre after Christs death and resurrection. Although Peter and John did run to the Sepulchre, & John out-ran Peter, and came first thither, yet Peter first went down into the Sepulchre to see where Christ was laid, John 20. 6. 3 When Christ after his resurrection was walking upon the waters, Peter cast himself into the Sea to go to meet Jesus, he had no patience to stay till he came at him, Joh. 21. 7. 4 Peter converted more souls to Christ then all the rest of the Apostles did, 3000 souls at one Sermon. 5 Peter died for Christ, he was crucified for Christ; and he desired that he might be crucified with his head downward, because he thought it was too much honour for him to die as his Master. So you see that as Peter had been more treacherous to his master then the rest; so Peter was more ardent in his love to Christ then the rest. And so you must all learn to see, that as your sins have been more and greater then the sins of other men; so your humiliation must be more, your love must be stronger. That is the first branch of the first Use.
2 This may teach you to magnifie the riches and freenesse of Gods grace, that God should cast an eye of grace and love upon such a wretch as thou wast; that God should passe by such men as the strict Pharisee, and pitch upon thee: that God should not make thee as exemplary in punishment as thou wast in sin; that thou shouldest be made a monument of his mercy, who deserved to be a spectacle of wrath; that God should make his mercy to rest upon thee, that might cause his justice to take hold upon thee. So much for the first Use.
2 This Doctrine is usefull to men of a civil carriage, of an honest and in-offensive behaviour in the world, that have been religiously educated, lived ingenuously, that never broke out into such grosse and exorbitant courses as other men have done:
To you I would say three things.
1 Whereas you say, that you are of a more civill life then others, and so you are apt to perswade your selves your case is better then others: Consider, others are more easily and ordinarily converted then you are: Publicans go to heaven before you. You read in Luke 18. 14. the Publican went away justified rather then the Pharisee. Luther hath a notable glosse upon these words: It is far more easie for harlots and notorious sinners to be saved, then for proud titular Saints; because the former are easily brought to a sense of their sins, but the latter are like to perish in the conceit of their own righteousnesse, except they be converted in an extraordinary manner. This I speak, not that I would disswade you from a civill course of life, or draw you to in open profanenesse; but that you may not rest upon your moral accomplishments, upon your good meanings, and think that you are sermon-proof, that the Minister can hardly meet with your corruptions and consciences.
2 If God doth convert such men usually, they are not so eminent in grace then others. This is expressed, Luke 7. 43, &c. He to whom most is forgiven, loves most, and doth most service. Usually such content themselves with smaller measures of grace, then they whose transgressions have exceeded.
3 What thy sins want in bulk and magnitude, thou makest up in number; Your transgressions are many, your back-slidings are increased, Jerem. 5. 6. Thy continuance in sins makes thy sins equivalent to greater sins; if your sins fall short of others in nature, it may be they exceed in aggravations; it may be thou sinnest against more mercy, more knowledge: it may be thou maiest have more sin in thine heart, though anothers sins do more break out in his life.
So much for the second Use.
3 This Doctrine is usefull to profane men, to the looser sort.
1 Let this be an invitation and incouragement to you to come in to Christ, and to imbrace the Gospel. 1 Though your sins be great, yet they are not so great as the mercies of God. The mercy of God is compared to a sea; the sea, you know, is a very great deep. A great Leviathan may be covered in the sea, as well as a little fish; a great rock as well as a little pebble. A remarkable place you have, Isa. 44. 22. I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions, and as a cloud thy sins; return unto me, for I have redeemed thee. The Sun can scatter both thick and thin clouds.
2 Though thou hast been very sinfull, yet thy conversion taketh away all infamy from thee. Paul was once a blasphemer, &c. but that reproach was rolled away, when through the grace of God he found mercy. It is very observable, that in the genealogy of Christ there are but four women mentioned, (it is not usuall to mention women in genealogies) and the Scripture sets a mark of infamy upon them all. The first is Thamar, Matth 1. 3. she was an incestuous woman, for she lay with her father in law, as it is recorded, Gen. 38. 38. The second is Rahab, verse 5. she was an harlot, Heb. 11. 31. The third is Ruth, verse 5. she came of Moab, the son of Lot by incest, begotten of his own daughter, Gen. 19. 37. The fourth is Bathsheb. 1, vers. 6. she was guilty of adultery. This is done for the comfort and incouragement of the most infamous sinners to come in to Christ.
3 If God call you, you are likely to be greater instruments of his glory then others. A persecuting Saul became a preaching Paul; a wanton Mary became a weeping Mary; she, whose whoredomes had been spoken of in all the places where she dwelt, afterward her grace came to be spoken of wheresoever the Gospel was preached. So much for the first branch of that use.
2 Because Doctrines of comfort many men suck poyson from, and so get their ruine; therefore I shall lay down a Caution or two. Take heed you do not abuse this doctrine.
1 Do not make the conversion of any scandolous sinner to be any stumbling block in your way to heaven. It was the great stumbling block in the way of the Pharisees, when they saw that Christ would eat meat with Publicans and sinners, they said, He was a friend of Publicans and sinners. Do not entertain hard thoughts of Christ, not of the wayes of Christ for that. Indeed, if religion were any cloak for sin, if it did countenance and incourage men in sin, it were something; but it is that which makes of a sinner a Saint. Conversion, though it finde us vile and bad, it doth not leave us so.
2 Take heed you do not suck this poison from it, that when you hear, the worse men are before conversion, the better they will be after conversion. Some, it may be, will draw this inference from it: That it is the best to be as vile and wicked as one can, for so one shall be most zealous afterward. Take heed of that. For
1 It is a great question whether God will convert thee or not; and if thou, be not converted, all thy sins will be so many cords to tie thee in hell, the aggravations of thy sin will be additions to thy torment and punishment.
2 The deeper thou art in sin, the greater must thy humiliation be. Will any wise man break his leg, because a broken bone well set and knit again will be stronger then ever it was before. Knotty timber shall have most blowes.
3 The longer thou continuest in sin, the longer will God keep thee under suspension, and it will be long before he vouchsafeth the comforts of his Spirit, he will fill thee with indignation and horrour. Though great sins cannot vast are gratiam, lay waste the grace of God, yet they may vast are conscientiam, lay waste the peace of conscience; though it may be they will not put thee into a state of ejection, yet they will bring thee into a state of dejection; if thou art not cast off; yet thou shalt he cast down: and therefore take heed thou doest not abuse this precious doctrine.
And so much for this last use.
And so I have done with both Doctrines, and finished the Text; And from the dayes of John the Baptist untill now the Kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
FINIS.
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