Sermon

(For Preparation to the Communion)

by Rev. David Dickson
“Nevertheless, the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” 2 Timothy 2: 19.

With you of this congregation, I have ado for the present; as for others, let them take a share, as God’s word is dealt. It is love to your souls, and a longing to see God’s work thriving amongst you, after so long labour, that makes me sharp upon you this evening, and to speak hard things against you. And now, I am sent forth to you with as hard and as comfortable a message as any, — a hard message to you who will not amend, but a sweet message to you who are begun to amend, or have a solid purpose to amend. As for you who will not amend, but will live on in your profanity, drunkenness, worldliness, malice, deceit, ambition, lechery, or in any known sin, I have a message to you this day, to tell you, that ye look like vessels of dishonour fitted for destruction, reprobate, whom God in his justice has rejected, and all the ministers in the earth shall not be able to convert, — yea, albeit Christ himself should preach, a reprobate villain would not be converted, — such as those to whom Christ spake in the days of his flesh, and told them, that they were not of his sheep; for if they had been his sheep, he says, they would have heard his voice: but they, like stinking gaits¹, went away their own way, that they might perish as filthy beasts. So say I to you. If ye will not turn in to God, he shall turn you from him, when he separates the sheep from the gaits; ye shall be ranked on his left hand, and he shall say to you, “Depart from me, ye workers of iniquity, I know you not.” For ye have said, as those who said, “Make the Holy One of Israel to cease from us, for we will have none of his ways:” so says this hypocritical generation, “that draw near me with their lips when their hearts are far away.”

The apostle knowing that such persons are rejected, and that there are others, who for the time, having made defection (such as Hymeneus and Philetus), were a great stumbling-block to the people of God; therefore, in this text, he sets himself to guard those who were not fallen, by laying before them the doctrine of election and reprobation, and the use that should be made thereof. Therefore, I wish that ye would take heed to that which shall be spoken, if possibly the wicked may yet forsake his way, that he may return unto the Lord.

1. He tells us, that Hymeneus and Philetus, counterfeit hypocrites, had brought in damnable doctrine, saying that the resurrection is past, and so had overthrown the faith of some; whom, when the people perceived them to have made defection, might conclude and say, We see the faith of some is overthrown; why may it not fall forth so with us also? Yon men were teachers of others, yet are they fallen from Christ, and have drawn others after them: why may not all fall away as they? The apostle answers, Be not troubled for that; let those that are fallen from Christ go, for none of his will leave him; if they will go, let them go, for Christ may well spare them, they were never his. But never one of the elect shall go from him, for the foundation of the Lord standeth sure, having this seal, “The Lord knows who are his; and Let every one that names the name of Christ, depart from iniquity.” God’s elect will be kept fast, go away who will; and they will so adhere to Christ, as they will depart from iniquity.

Yet will they object and say, Those who are fallen from Christ, were once in the kirk as well as we; they came to the word and sacraments, they were teachers of others; and now, they are fallen into Satan’s net, — what if we fall also? He answers, A fair matter that they were in the kirk, and came to preachings and communions, and now are gone to sorrow: know ye not, that as in a great man’s house there are some vessels to honour made of gold and silver, for honourable uses, and some vessels of wood and earth, to carry out the refuse and jugs² of the house; so in the house of God, or bosom of the kirk, as there are vessels of honourable elect souls, so are there filthy vessels, that are filled with the devil’s refuse, and their own reprobate persons full of rottenness and uncleanness. Let such filthy buckets and their dirt go away together out of God’s house, and let nobody bemoan them. Why should any body be troubled to see such filthy vessels flung to the door?

Yet they may object and say, How shall we be made sure that we shall not follow their course? He answers, “If a man purge himself from those, he shall be a vessel of honour,” (verse 21); as if he said, Ye are now in the high-gate; hold you in it; purge yourselves from such errors and uncleanness; keep you well from their fashions, and here I make a promise to you, in the name of the Lord, that ye shall be vessels of honour kept for your Lord’s use, and prepared for every good work: let the filthy be filthy still, and hypocrites, like Judas, go to their place, but ye who are holy, be holy still.

Hereof we gather first, in general, that the doctrine of election and reprobation, is a doctrine which may be safely taught and propounded unto people, without fear of any inconveniences that men would pretend, albeit men use to say, it is a doctrine hard, and should not be meddled with; because (say they) it makes some men despair, and others become careless what they do. I answer, Let God make an answer for his own doctrine, who has commanded us to teach it, and has pointed it out in so many places of scripture. If some abuse this doctrine to licentiousness, and others desperately run away from God, let them answer for it; to themselves be it said. Yet God has propounded this doctrine in such indefinite terms, that no particular person can conclude from anything that God has said, that he is a reprobate; but he has told plainly, that of those who come to him, he will put no man away, he will shoot out none that will stay in his house. Therefore, the apostle says boldly, the election obtained it, and the rest were blinded; and that the god of this world has blinded the eyes of many, who will not receive the gospel. Or would Christ have propounded this doctrine, if it had been dangerous? Therefore, we oppose to such carnal men, secure sleepers in sin, this doctrine of Christ and his apostles, clearly set down in scripture. Let none take offence at this doctrine, for Christ’s sheep will hear his voice, and if any will startle away, let them go.

1. The apostle brings out this doctrine of election and reprobation, when filthy errors are risen in the kirk, that he may stint the defection of those who are not fallen, and make such a bar betwixt them who are fallen, and those who are standing; which lets us see, that this doctrine of election and reprobation, is a profitable and useful doctrine, and brings special vantage to the godly. It is a fence to keep them from defection, a guard to hold them from stumbling when they see others fall, a bar to hold them from running after a godless world; for, take away this doctrine, men would be atheists. If men saw, that the doctrine of Christ’s gospel makes no reformation in the life of professors, they might think and say, that Christianity is no religion, seeing the professors of it are of such lewd lives. But this doctrine tells, that God’s elect will be loath to make the gospel be evil spoken of by their lewd conversation; albeit the bulk of deboshed titular Christians do so, the elect will leave their courses, let the reprobate abuse religion as they will. And what are the elect the worse, that there be reprobates in the kirk? — as he were an evil-skilled husband-man, who should take a whole bing of stuff³ to be chaff, because there is much chaff in it; for the owner of it might say, albeit he counted it but chaff, he will not sell it good cheap; for let his bing go through wind, and the chaff shed from the corn, then the corn shall kythe. So in Christ’s kirk, albeit there appear to be many more hypocrites than true Christians, yet when the fan comes to winnow, the chaff shall blow away, and Christ shall gather the good stuff in the girnel⁴, and burn the chaff in unquenchable fire. Be not troubled then, albeit many knaves haunt the kirk and communions, and the next day turn them to the devil’s service; for such fashions keep up their own damnation, and the means that help others to heaven, help them to hell. Let none scaur⁵ because they see some fall away, but rather be confirmed by their fall: for as a goldsmith, out of ten pounds of drossy metal, can purge out that which is good, and cast the rest away, so God, for one or two pickles of good stuff, will purge it, and cast away the bad.

2. This doctrine is full of comfort, strength, and encouragement to those who are walking in a good way, and aiming to seek God as they should: for if they be purging themselves from the filthiness of the flesh and spirit, to them it is an evidence that God has chosen them, albeit thousands should be reprobates beside them; for if their ear be nailed to the post of the Lord’s door, and they be contented to be his servants for ever, when they hear the doctrine of election and reprobation, and find themselves in the elect’s way, it is to them a sweet leaning-stock, to rest and comfort them.

3. When we consider the apostle’s drift, who condemns those for reprobates who are fallen away, and uses the doctrine of election and reprobation as a means to hold the rest from falling, we see, that this doctrine is a strong attractive, to draw back those who are fallen in error or vice, that they lie not in it; for this doctrine forces such men to turn to God, or else, to take on the name of reprobates, and to blot out their own name out of the book of life. It is a doctrine meet for this age, wherein God is mocked and blasphemed by the lewd lives of those who are called Christians, to tell them, that they must either turn in to God, or take home with them those black tidings, that they are vessels of dishonour, fitted for destruction.

This doctrine is very needful to put men to their preemtours;⁶ and yet it condemns not a man to hell presently, who is lying in sin; but it tells him, that there are some elect, who will come home, and some reprobate, who will not come home. Therefore, if a man be elect, albeit for the time he be a deboshed villain, this doctrine will serve him for the third and last summons; for when he hears that he must either quit his sinful courses, or have no portion with God, presently he must resolve, I will renounce my old lovers, my uncleanness, drunkenness, worldliness, and turn in to God, and seek a covering to hide my vileness, and a garment to make me beautiful in the eyes of God. This effect will this doctrine work in the elect.

1. This doctrine is only terrible to those who are walking in an evil way, and will not quit it; who, like swine, delight in filthiness, and will not come out of it; as the adulterer or drunkard, who will come to the communion, and back again to his adultery, and again to the communion, and back again to his adultery. For such a person, it were better for him never to have known the way of righteousness, than after having known, to turn away from the holy commandment. Dearly shall he buy his coming to the communion: better to him to have eaten a fiery coal, than to have eaten the consecrated elements. If any, for that is said, will go on desperately in the way of Cain, renounce God and Christ, have preferred their pleasures to him, or with Esau, selling their birthright for pottage, who can hinder them to go to destruction? But let us tell them their doom ere they go. Because they will not quit their sins, the curse of God go with them, for they have chosen to mock God, and dare him to his face, living like filthy dogs; therefore, like dogs, let them be debarred out of New Jerusalem. So, then, this doctrine serves out those who will not come to Christ, and will not quit the devil’s service; and it is a doctrine to keep all who have a sore heart for sin; for when others go on in their filthiness, as vessels of dishonour, sealing their own damnation in their bosom, they are preserved, as vessels of honour for their master’s use. This in general: now we come to particulars in the text.

“Nevertheless” — that is, for all the falling away of some, and drawing away of other some, yet the foundation of the Lord stands sure; the Lord knows who are his. We see, that albeit there be some in the kirk who depart from the faith and grounds of religion, and by their fall draw others after them, yet the elect shall be preserved, albeit not from falling, yet from falling away; albeit a thousand filthy bodies in a congregation, who call themselves Christians, and live like Pagans, who should run away, yet not one shall run away, but shall be severed from them. Let them go; God shall tine⁷ nothing when they are gone; there shall not be a penny or jewel less in his treasury, a sheep fewer in his fold, nor a pickle of stuff less in his garner.

When some see men of lewd lives in the kirk, taking liberty to fall out into the common gross evils of the land, they think they may do as they, and then say, God forbid that all such men go to hell — will any man say, that all proud folk, all greedy folk, all malicious folk will be damned! We answer, whatever they be that live in known sin, albeit they were never so many, shall be damned; for Tophet is large and wide; there is fire and brimstone enough, God has wrath enough; and if there be not room enough in hell, let them be laid on heaps above other, or bound together like bunches of thorns, to burn all together.

1. “The foundation of the Lord stands.” — Ye will say, How do the elect stand, when others fall? I answer, The ground of that standing is the foundation of the word, which lets us see, that it is nothing in the elect’s self that makes them stand when others fall, but the sure laid foundation of God’s work in them makes them stand. God’s free love and grace, his solid purpose and decree, brought them to Christ, keeps them in Christ, and lets them not fall into deadly errors: it is God that holds their hearts in the hatred of sin, when others hunt after it. It is not their own strength that makes them stand; but their strength is of the Lord, who has builded them on his unalterable grace and love, and has foreordained them to be partakers of his kingdom.

If any run not away with the wicked, let them thank God, and not their own strength; for it is the strong arm of God’s decree that holds them, and the mighty pull of his hand that pulls them from among the wicked. Thank God that thy heart scunnners⁸ at the conversation of the wicked, and that Satan’s chain is loosed from thy neck — that they are strong in sin, the devil and they going on together, when God’s strength has made thee to stand.

1. The apostle propounds here the doctrine of election, to fortify them who are not departed from the faith. We see, that those who stand when others fall, and depart not when others make defection, may take that standing for an evidence of their election, and lean to it, as a strong ground of their strengthening, to keep them from staggering when others fall: for if they stand when others fall, it is a token God has begun, even here, to separate the sheep from the gait, the metal from the dross, and the chaff from the corn; and if he has done so now, much more hereafter. It is, because God has tane pleasure in thee, to make thee confirmed to His Son Christ. Take it then for a token of election, and lean upon it as a rock. Let it be an encouragement for farther welldoing, yea, a confirmation of thee in the way, and a thing to make thee bless God that thou standest when others fall. Even now, the Lord’s fan is in his hand by the preaching of the word, severing the good from the bad; and the preaching is like the wap⁹ of a fan, to tell the one that they are chaff, and the other that they are corn, but with this difference — albeit the preaching call the one chaff, and the other corn, yet that which is chaff now, may become corn, by earnest prayer and dealing with God to make a change: but not hereafter. Here is a vantage by the fanning of the word: that which is on the worst side, may be brought to the best. But hereafter, that is, after this life, that which is set apart to the worst side, shall not come to the best; they who are ranked to the left hand, shall not come to the right. Therefore I wish, that those who now, by the preaching of the word, find themselves to be chaff, would pray to God, to fill their chaff with some good stuff; for he can put his Spirit in them, to make of chaff, corn; for if he was able to cause the rod which was in Aaron’s hand, bud, flourish, and bring forth ripe almonds in one night, why can he not make of chaff, corn? Therefore call upon him that he may change thee.

2. “Having this seal.” — He takes a comparison from things kept under lock and key; or things stamped with a seal, which men would have closed and confirmed. It lets us see, that all the elect are under God’s great seal and sure custody, reserved for himself; and their election is a secret thing kept up with God from the world, and from the elect themselves, till he be pleased to reveal it. Seldom are the elect revealed to the world, albeit in due time he will reveal it to themselves, so as he will make them cry, “Abba, Father,” and make his Spirit bear witness to their spirits, that they are the children of God: he seals them to the day of redemption.

If election be a thing sealed and secret, let none unreverendly break up the Lord’s seal: but if ye would know it, know it the way that God has ordained, and wait for his revealing of it. This I speak, to reprove those who will not serve God, till he reveal to them whether they are elect or not. I tell them it is a wrong question at the first: for first, they must set them to do God’s bidding, and then, speir if they be elected; but use not preposterous haste to break up God’s seal and coffers, till he like. It is not for the profane to win in upon God’s counsel: the secret of the Lord is revealed to them who fear him; it is the pure in heart that see God. If then thou would know God’s love and purpose about thee, purge thine heart; for the love of sin must be out, ere the love of God be shewn. If thou scrape not out of thy heart the love of sin, thou shalt never read thy name written in the book of life truly.

1. Goats
2. Jugs
3. Heap of Grain
4. Granary
5. Take fright
6. Decisions
7. Lose
8. Nauseates
9. Sweep