Luke, Chap. vi. From the 36th to the 42d verses, inclusive.
36. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
37. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
38. Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete, withal it shall be measured to you again.
39. And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?
40. The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall, be as his master.
41. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
42. Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.
In this text, we have described the works of forgiveness, charity, and forbearance; which we should exercise one toward another. To this point the Lord hath also spoken before, in the same chapter: "Love your enemies, do good unto them which hate you, bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you;" all of which he hath, briefly comprehended in these words: "Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful." Here we have set before us, in a very brief manner. the rule of conduct which should govern us in our dealings toward our neighbour, and toward our fellow creatures in general; which if we carefully observe, and endeavour to follow, we shall do well.
Ye have often been taught, that God needeth not our good works, as he can neither be strengthened nor enriched thereby; but that they are to be directed toward our neighbour, who alone can be benefited by them. This therefore ye should bear in mind; to exercise your good works toward man, and to deal with God by faith alone. We should place our trust and confidence in him alone, for whatsoever things we need; for we enjoy no blessing, either temporal or spiritual, that doth not proceed from his bounteous grace and goodness.
But there are some who place confidence in themselves, and in other men; who rest upon their traditions, and put their trust in things that some great man hath invented. Of such God speaketh in Jeremiah ii. 13: "For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water; and have hewn them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water." In the same manner, the papists of the present time, forsaking the way of life, which is faith in Christ, look for salvation through their own works, such as their fastings and formal prayers, and the celebration of masses which they have instituted.
This religion of rites and forms, though it may appear to them a living fountain, is nevertheless a broken cistern, capable of holding no water. Of such as these, God hath elsewhere said, "They presume to contend with me, bringing their own works into account, and pleading therefrom their own justification.
Behold, they go about to defend their own works, which is another sin."
Whereupon the Lord again saith: "I will contend with thee in judgement: I will show how thou goest hither and thither to change thy ways."
Thus we see, that we must place our trust in God alone; that we must apply to him in faith for whatever things we need, whether they be temporal or spiritual; and that we must ask them as the gift of his divine grace, and not as a recompense which our works have merited. And so likewise, when we do a benevolent work toward our neighbour, it should be done with humility, as a duty we ought to discharge without expecting a reward. When we go to God for his blessings, we must not bring our good deeds into account; but as Abraham, when in the country of Moriah, left his servants and asses at the foot of the mountain, and took only Isaac with him; so must we, if we will ascend to God, leave behind us those servants and asses, our own works, and take with us only the Isaac of faith.
Thus far we have endeavoured to explain the true offices of faith, and works.
We have shown that true faith worketh inwardly, and is directed toward God; but that works proceed outwardly, and are wrought toward our neighbours; and if we attend to what is here inculcated, we shall be accounted righteous, not only before God, but also before the world. Thus much may suffice for the introduction of this sermon: we will now attend to the words of the text in order.
Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Let us then inquire, how, or wherein our heavenly Father is merciful? The answer will be, that he bestoweth upon us all things of which we stand in need: that he giveth us rest if we be weary; that he clothes us when we are naked; that he provideth us food if we be hungry, and affordeth us drink if we be thirsty. If we are sick and in trouble, he healeth, and giveth us consolation. And, what is still more important, when we are on the brink of death and damnation, he giveth us life and salvation.
In order, therefore, to imitate the mercy of our heavenly Father, we must bestow our alms upon such as are necessitated, and show kindness to all mankind indiscriminately, whether they be friends or enemies: for if we give only to the great and wealthy, thinking to receive from them again, this is not charity; but rather a clandestine manner of lending for the sake of profit: and if we love only our friends, we act from motives entirely selfish. Of this sort of charity and love, Christ speaketh in the chapter from which our text is taken, verses 32, 33, and 34; ''For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners do also even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again."
Take heed, therefore, what distinctions ye make in your deeds of love and charity; for if ye act from pure love to God, ye will make no difference between friends and enemies; but if ye show partiality to your friends, of whom ye expect a recompense, ye act from impure and selfish motives. Christ saith, Luke vi. 35.
"But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest; for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil."
The passage just quoted, as also some parts of the text under consideration, such as, "judge not, and ye shall not be judged; condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned; forgive, and ye shall be forgiven," may appear to some to contain a doctrine at variance with what we have before taught. These passages seem to indicate that we must secure the mercy and pardon of God by our work, notwithstanding you have frequently been told that we are saved by faith alone.
But let it be understood, that good works are only the fruits of faith, whereby it is set forth and manifested to the world; for if I have faith, I shall be merciful, I shall not judge nor condemn, but shall forgive my neighbour, and be kind to him.
Of the office of works, we have an illustration in Genesis, chap. xx. When Abraham was commanded to offer up his son Isaac, he obeyed the command of the Lord, and drew forth his sword to slay him: whereupon the angel of the Lord stayed him, saying unto him, "Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from me." Thus Abraham manifested his faith by the work of obedience which he performed in not withholding his darling child when he was required of him.
Our works do not produce faith, but faith produces good works. We do not lay the foundation; neither do we give before we receive. The sheep do not seek the shepherd, but the shepherd seeketh the sheep. God also findeth us before we seek him, and answereth us before we call upon him; as he declared, Isaiah lxv.
1. "I am sought of them that asked not for me; I am found of them that sought me not." And also in the end of the same chapter he saith, "And it shall come to pass, that before they call I will answer; and while they are yet speaking I will hear." St. Paul likewise saith, Romans iv. "Now to him that worketh, is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justified the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." And again, in the eleventh chapter: "There is a remnant according to the election of grace; and if by grace, then is it no more of works, otherwise grace, is no more grace." We should therefore do good works without requiring any thing for them; for we receive every thing from God without merit or desert.
Our works may also serve as a testimony to ourselves, whereby we may know if our faith is sincere; for if I am assured that my works proceed from love, and that my heart is inclined to mercy and forgiveness toward my neighbour, it is a testimony that my faith is of the right kind, and that God has pardoned my sins.
And such testimony should every man possess; for though I have a strong and well-grounded faith, if I am ignorant of it, it profiteth me no more than a chest of gold buried in the earth, which I knew not of till someone discovereth it to me, who would then do me as great a favour as if he had made me a present thereof.
God knew, indeed, that Abraham had faith, but it was necessary that Abraham should also know it, and that he should manifest his faith; which things were accomplished by the readiness with which he obeyed the command of the Lord.
Thus we see, that although we are to be saved by faith, yet good works are necessary, as an evidence and confirmation of it: as Peter also signified in his second epistle, chap. i. After exhorting his brethren to add to their faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, and brotherly love, he concludes with these words: "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall; for so an inheritance shall be ministered unto you abundantly, into the everlasting kingdom of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." Christ hath also said that he will require works in the last day, and will say to the condemned, "I was a hungered, and ye gave me no meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me not in;" &c. (Mat. xxv.)
Now, ignorant and bigoted men have inferred from these and similar texts, that we must be saved by our works; than which, no doctrine is more contrary to the whole tenour of scripture. These passages do indeed enforce the necessity of good works, but they by no means encourage us to rely upon them for justification. It must be remembered that we are composed of two principles; the spirit and the flesh; and as these two principles are essentially different from each other, some texts are adapted only to the former, teaching us how we must live in the spirit, and deal with God by faith alone; other passages teach us only how we should live in the flesh, and regulate our outward conduct in the world; of which sort are the texts above quoted.
If it be asked, why we should be perplexed in reading the word of God, with passages that appear contradictory to each other, as those we have mentioned may seem to some? I answer, that they only appear so on slight examination; which is an advantage rather than a hinderance; as it will lead men to reflect and examine more attentively, and likewise prevent them from imagining that they are perfectly acquainted with the scriptures, while as yet they are almost wholly ignorant of their true import. Ye should therefore endeavour to become well acquainted with the language of scripture, that ye may not apply to the spirit, that which is spoken only of the flesh; and thus confound the office of faith with that of works: for works are only commendable when they benefit our neighbours, and are the fruits and evidence of faith; but we must by no means rely upon them for justification.
I have made this digression in order to show the proper office of works, lest I should seem to confirm the doctrine of the papists, who think they shall be saved thereby. We will now resume the subject of the text.
We have already briefly considered the words, Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful; and on this part of the text little more need be said at present, as Christ himself hath given the interpretation thereof in the words which follow: to which I shall now direct your attention.
Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: give, and it shall be given you.
Here the Lord maketh three divisions of mercy, in order that we may know what kind of mercy we are required to exercise toward our neighbour. In the first place, we are forbidden to judge or condemn; secondly, we are commanded to forgive our neighbour if he hath committed aught against us: and lastly, it is enjoined upon us to assist the needy. If we carefully observe, we shall discover that the word mercy, wherever it is found in the scripture, includeth these three offices; all of which should proceed from a sincere heart, without ostentation, hypocrisy, or respect of persons.
At present, we will attend to the first of these divisions of mercy: viz. that which forbiddeth us to judge or condemn. Christ hath no reference here to the judging of public crimes, for this belongs to the civil magistrate, who is appointed for that purpose, and is amenable to God, and to the laws of his country, if he judge unjustly. All judgements of this kind pertaineth not to the kingdom of Christ, but to earthly government; for God hath left the worldly affairs of men to be decided by worldly judges: as is evinced by his answer to him who desired that he would command his brother to divide the inheritance with him: "Man, who made me a judge, or a divider over you." Luke xii. 14.
But that which Christ hath forbidden in the text, is the judging of the righteousness or unrighteousness of our neighbour; which judgement belongeth only to God. The Lord knoweth all things, even the most secret thoughts of our hearts, and is therefore capable of judging righteously. But the knowledge of man is extremely limited, and confined to external appearances; which are oftentimes a very improper criterion. Besides, we are extremely liable to be blinded by prejudice, and to endeavour to pluck the mote out of our brother's eye, while there is a beam in our own. Although a man may have committed many faults, it is possible that he hath repented; and surely, we have no right to impute sin to any whom God hath forgiven. Let no man, therefore, presume to judge of the righteousness or unrighteousness of his neighbour; for in so doing, he assumeth the office of God, and is accounted more guilty than the thief or adulterer.
Many persons delight in publishing the faults of their neighbours, and in putting the worst construction upon their conduct. Such persons will often misrepresent circumstances, and magnify a trifling errour into an enormous crime. Although they may not do the same things themselves, yet they rejoice that others are guilty of them, that they may be esteemed more righteous than their neighbours. However, it often happeneth that they do secretly commit far greater offences than those of which they accuse others. But a truly good man will endeavour to hide the failings of his neighbour, while he examines with the closest scrutiny into his own motives and actions. He will cast the mantle of charity over the frailties of human nature, and interpret every thing in the most favourable manner. If his brother commit sin, instead of rejoicing at it, and publishing it to the world, he will endeavour to reclaim him; and will pray to God for him, that he may repent, and receive forgiveness. This is true
Christianity; This is that mercy which the gospel inculcateth, and which it is our indispensable duty to show to our neighbour: for it is certain, be we ever so merciful, we shall never equal the mercy which God has manifested toward us, miserable and wretched sinners.
Of those that judge others, Christ speaketh thus in the text: "Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye."
The meaning of this parable is, that men who are wicked and ignorant themselves, will often attempt to instruct and direct others; whom they will make like unto themselves; for as Christ saith, "the disciple is not above his master." It is, moreover, a common proverb, that a pupil cannot learn more of a tutor, than he knoweth himself; wherefore, those who are led by such blind guides, will most certainly fall into the ditch. It however commonly happeneth that those who have the least godliness, and are most ignorant of the truths of the gospel, are the most forward to judge and instruct others. For those who are best acquainted with the doctrine of the scriptures, know that there are many things of difficult interpretation; and if they are sincere, they will be diffident and cautious, lest they should teach that which is contrary to the word of God. But those who are wicked themselves, care not how bad they make others, if they can, obtain honour and emolument thereby. As ignorance and confidence are always companions, such persons esteem themselves better and wiser than the rest of mankind, and therefore assume the province of judging and directing others.
Of such ignorant and blind guides, who exalt themselves above others, and even think their counsel ought to be followed rather than the word of God, Paul thus speaketh, Romans ii. "Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, and knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law, and art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, an instructer of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law: thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest, a man should not steal, dost thou steal? thou that sayest, a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law, dishonourest thou God?"
In this passage, the apostle very justly reproveth those boasting hypocrites, who being themselves ignorant of the way, presume to lead others, that they may destroy them also. In the beginning of the same chapter, he denounceth those who judge their neighbours: and especially those that condemn others for the same faults which they commit themselves: "Therefore, thou, art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art, that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest, doest the same things. But we are sure that the judgement of God is according to truth, against them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgement of God?"
From what hath been said of mercy on the first part, the conclusion is, that we must not judge our neighbour, whether he be good or evil; for God only knoweth the heart, and to him belongeth the office of judging both our neighbour and ourselves. Let us not, therefore, assume the office of the Almighty, lest he should bring us also into judgement: who will be able to stand before his tribunal, by his own righteousness? But let us endeavour to imitate the mercy of our heavenly
Father, for this we are commanded to do, in order that we may also obtain mercy: let us forgive, that we may be forgiven.
The second part of mercy is forgiveness; and is enjoined upon us in the words, "forgive, and ye shall be forgiven." A Christian can never be so injured but that he ought to forgive his injurer, not only seven times, but seventy times seven: as Christ said unto Peter, Mat. xviii. 22. I have said before that we do not give before we receive. And indeed, God forgiveth us our sins, that we may also forgive those who have offended us; as he declareth in an instructive parable, which he concludeth with these words: "So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses." And in the Lord's prayer, we also pray to God that he will forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us.
Ought we, who are miserable and wretched sinners, to think it a hard matter to forgive our neighbour a small injury, when God forgiveth us all our manifold transgressions? We have lived from our youth in the violation of his divine laws, and were he strict to mark our iniquities against us, we could in no way escape condemnation. So greatly have we sinned against him, that if one should kill our parents, we should have less cause to be angry with him than the Lord hath to be so with us. Nevertheless, if we repent, God freely forgiveth us all our sins, receiveth us as heirs into his kingdom, and permitteth us to enjoy his presence forever. What can equal the mercy of our heavenly Father? or what return can we make for such grace and goodness? Surely we cannot be so ungrateful as to be unwilling to forgive our neighbour, how much soever he may have sinned against us.
The third office of mercy, is the bestowing of alms; or what is commonly called charity. The practice of this kind of mercy is certainly a duty of Christians; and it is inculcated in various other passages of scripture, besides the one now under consideration. Thus John saith; "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him!" 1 John iii. 17. Wherever the love of God is, it will always show itself in the outward conduct of those who possess it; and in nothing will it be sooner manifested, than in their readiness to assist the needy.
Christ hath also promised rich rewards to the liberal in heart, in these words:
"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom." And he addeth in conclusion, "For with the same measure that ye mete withal, it shall be measured to you again."
All these different kinds of mercy God exerciseth toward us, if we repent of our sins, and come to him through our Saviour Jesus Christ. He doth not judge nor condemn; he forgiveth all our transgressions, and bestoweth upon us all things that we need; and therefore he requireth that we do the same by our neighbour; as he saith in Mat vii. 12. "Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that man should do to you, do ye even so to them; for this is the law and the prophets." Christ also pronounceth blessings on the merciful: Mat v. 7. "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy."
Thus much shall suffice concerning the different kinds of mercy which we ought to show to our neighbour: let us conclude by calling to mind the precept which Christ gave to his disciples at his last supper: "A new commandment I give unto you: That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." Let us endeavour to obey this precept, and to exercise mercy, and do good to each other; for hereby are Christians known, when they show love to the brethren. Thus ye have the meaning of the text.