By THOMAS BOSTON.
IX.
(Continued from Vol. xliii. p. 490.)
Sixthly, Christ contemned the world; he slighted it as not meet for any of His followers. He became poor, that we might become rich, Matth. viii. 20. He gave Himself entirely, at least after His inauguration, to matters that concerned the calling He had to the work of the gospel, John, ix. 4. All, especially preachers, are to follow Christ in the contempt of the world. Yet we must beware of imitating Him in those things which we are not commanded to follow, as voluntary poverty, this being a part of His satisfaction for the sins of the elect. Neither doth this exempt the preachers of the gospel from a lawful provision of things necessary for themselves, or others they are concerned in: for the apostle tells us, that he is worse than an infidel who doth not provide for his family, 1 Tim. v. 8; where churchmen
are not excepted. Yea, it is clear that the ministers of the gospel may sometimes work with their hands for their maintenance, either when the iniquity of the times wherein they live does not allow them what may be for their maintenance, or when the taking of it will hinder the propagation of the gospel, as is clear by the practice of the Apostle Paul. So that that in which, with respect to this, thou are to follow Christ, O my soul, is, that thou do not needlessly involve thyself in worldly matters, to the hindrance of the duties of thy calling and station. As thou are a preacher of the gospel, other things must cede and give place to that. This is that which our Lord teaches us, Matth. viii. 22, Follow thou me; and let the dead bury their dead: and the Apostle, 2 Tim. ii. 4, No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life. Which was a thing not observed by some, especially our bishops, who acted as magistrates as well as ministers; a thing which our Lord absolutely refused: Who made me a judge or a ruler? says he; yet digested by them, being an infallible sign of their ignorance of the weight of that work. And, in my opinion, it is not observed either by some ministers now-a-days, who, when they have their glebes and stipends sufficient for their maintenance, do notwithstanding take more land a-farming. For my part, I see not how such can be said not to entangle themselves with the affairs of this life, and go beyond what doth become them as ministers of the gospel. Neither of these are my temptation now, being a probationer. But seeing I am unsettled, a corrupt heart and a subtle devil may take advantage of me, if I be not wary, and by their arguments from my present state may cast me off my feet, if I take not heed. Therefore, O my soul, 1. Beware of preaching smoothly upon the account of getting a call from any parish. Have a care, that the want of that, viz., a call, do not put thee upon men-pleasing. No, no; that must not be thy business. Remember God provides for thee even now liberally, as He sees fit. Thou dost not want even so much of the world as is very necessary; and He that has provided for thee hitherto, yea,
took thee, and kept thee from the womb, will not forsake thee as long as thou dost not forsake him, but remainest faithful. Remember, God hath set the bounds of thy habitation, and determined the time. Though men and devils should oppose it, they shall not be able to hinder it. It is God Himself that sets the solitary in families; and why shouldst thou go out of God’s way to procure such a thing to thyself, or to antedate the time which is appointed of God? Go on in faithfulness, fear not; God can make, yea, will make a man’s enemies to be his friends, when his ways please the Lord. And though their corruptions disapprove of thy doctrine, and thyself for it, yet their consciences may be made to approve it, and God may bind them up, that they shall not appear against thee. See more to this purpose before, in the comparison of spiritual and carnal wisdom, (p. 11-13). And what though thou shouldst never be settled in any charge at all? Christ and His apostles were itinerants. If the Lords see it fit, why shouldst thou say against it? If the Lord have something to do with thee in diverse corners of His vineyard, calling thee sometimes to one place, sometimes to another, thou are not to quarrel that. Perhaps thou mayest do more good that way than otherwise. If thou hadst been settled at home, then some souls here, which perhaps have got good of thy preaching, would have been deprived of it at least as from thee; and God will always give thee meat as long as He gives thee work; and go where thou wilt, thou canst not go out of thy Father’s ground. Further, if thou shouldst take that way, and transgress for a piece of bread, thou mayest come short of thy expectation for all that, and lose both the world and a good conscience. But suppose thou shouldst by that means gain a call and a good stipend, thou lovest a good conscience, which is a continual feast. No; Lord, in thy strength, I resolve never to buy ease and wealth at such a dear rate. 2. Beware that thou close with no call upon the account of stipend. Lay that by when thou considerest the matter. See what clearness thou canst get from the Lord, when any call may be given thee, and walk according to His mind, and the mind of the Church. Woe is me, if a stipend should be that which would
engage me to a place. I would shew myself a wretched creature. Consider matters then abstracting from that. For surely, (1.) This is direct simony; selling the gift of God for money. Let their money perish with themselves, that will adventure to do so. Such are buyers and sellers, that God will put out of His temple. Such are mere hirelings, working for wages; and too much of Balaam’s temper is to be found there. (2.) That will provoke God to curse your blessings, and to send a moth among that which thou mayest get; and it surely will provoke God to send leanness to thy soul, as He did with the Israelites in the wilderness, when He gave them what they were seeking. (3.) Thou canst not expect God’s blessing on thy labours, but rather that thou shouldst be a plague to a people whom you so join with. In a word, thou wouldst go in the wrong way, and be discountenanced of God, when you have undertaken the charge.
(To be continued.)