the subduing of sin; but yet he looketh that the chief help against it
doth lie in the pardon of it. Suppose a man should stab his neighbour
with his knife, and afterwards burn his knife to nothing in the fire,
would this give him help against his murder? No, verily,
nothwithstanding this, his neck is obnoxious to the halter, yea, and his
soul to hell-fire. But a pardon gives him absolute help: It is God that
justifies; who shall condemn? Rom. viii. Suppose a man should live many
days in rebellion against God, and after that leave off to live any
longer so rebelliously, would this help him against the guilt which he
had contracted before? No, verily; without remission there is no help,
but the rebel is undone. Wherefore the first blessedness, yea, and that
without which all other things cannot make one blessed, it lies in
pardon. “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is
covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord will not impute sin;”
Psalm xxxii.; Rom. iv.
Suppose a man greatly sanctified and made holy; I say, suppose it: yet if
the sins before committed by him be not pardoned, he cannot be a blessed
man.
Yet again, suppose a man should be caught up to heaven, not having his
sins pardoned; heaven itself cannot make him a blessed man. I suppose
these things—not that they can be—to illustrate my matter. There can be
no blessedness upon any man who yet remaineth unforgiven. You see
therefore here, that there was much of the wisdom of the Holy Ghost in
this prayer of the Publican. He was directed the right, the only, the
next way to shelter, where blessedness begins, even to mercy for the
pardon of his sins. Alas! what would it advantage a traitor to be taken
up into the king’s coach, to be clothed with the king’s royal robe, to
have put upon his finger the king’s gold ring, and to be made to wear,
for the present, a chain of gold about his neck, if after all this the
king should say unto him, But I will not pardon thy rebellion; thou shalt
die for thy treason? Pardon, then, to him that loves life, is better,
and more to be preferred and sought after, than all other things; yea, it
is the highest wisdom in any sinner to seek after that first.
This therefore confuteth the blindness of some, and the hypocrisy of
others. Some are so silly and so blind as quite to forget and look over
the pardon of sin, and to lay their happiness in some external
amendments, when, alas! poor wretches as they are, they abide under the
wrath of God. Or if they be not quite so foolish as utterly to forget
the forgiveness of sin, yet they think of it but in the second place;
they are for setting of sanctification before justification, and so seek
to confound the order of God; and that which is worse unto them, they by
so doing do what they can to keep themselves indeed from being sharers in
that great blessing of forgiveness of sins by grace.
But the Publican here was guided by the wisdom of heaven. He comes into
the temple, he confesseth himself a sinner, and forthwith, without any
delay, before he removeth his foot from where he stands, craves help of
pardon; for he knew that all other things, if he remained in guilt, would
not help him against that damnation that belonged to a vile and
unforgiven sinner.
This also confuteth the hypocrites, such as is our Pharisee here in the
text, that glory in nothing so much as that they are not as other men,
not unjust, no adulterer, no extortioner, nor even as this Publican; and
thus miss of the forgiveness of sin; and if they have missed of the
beginning good, they shall never, as so standing, receive the second or
the third. Justification, sanctification, glorification, they are the
three things, but the order of God must not be perverted. Justification
must be first, because that comes to man while he is ungodly and a
sinner.
Justification cannot be where God has not passed a pardon. A pardon,
then, is the first thing to be looked after by the sinner. This the
Pharisee did not; therefore he went down to his house unjustified; he set
the stumbling-block of his iniquity before his face when he went to
inquire of the Lord; and as he neglected, slighted, scorned, because he
thought that he had no need of pardon, therefore it was given to the
poor, needy, and miserable Publican, and he went away with the blessing.
Publicans, since this is so weighty a point, let me exhort you that you
do not forget this prayer of your wise and elder brother, to wit, the
Publican that went up into the temple to pray. I say, forget it not,
neither suffer any vain-glorious or self-conceited hypocrites with
argument to allure you with their silly and deceitful tongues from this
wholesome doctrine. Remember that you are sinners as abominable as the
Publican, wherefore do you, as you have him for your pattern, go to God,
confess, in all simple, honest, and self-abasing, your numerous and
abominable sins; and be sure that in the very next place you forget not
to ask for pardon, saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner.” And
remember that none but God can help you against, nor keep you from, the
damnation and misery that comes by sin.
_Secondly_, As the Publican imploreth help, so notwithstanding the
sentence of the law that is gone out against him, he saith to God, Be
merciful to me: and also in that he concludes himself a sinner. I say,
he justifieth, he approveth of the sentence of the law, that was now gone
out against him, and by which he now stood condemned in his own
conscience before the tribunal of God’s justice. He saith not as the
hypocrite, Because I am innocent, surely his anger shall turn from me;
or, What have we spoken so much against thee? No, he is none of these
murmurs or complainers, but fairly falls before the law, witnesses,
judge, and jury, and consenteth to the verdict, sentence, and testimony
of each of them; Jer. ii. 36; Mal. ii. 13.
To illustrate this a little, suppose a malefactor should be arraigned
before a judge, and that after the witnesses, jury, and judge, have all
condemned him to death for his fact, the judge again should ask, him what
he can say for himself why sentence of death should not pass upon him?
Now, if he saith, Nothing, but good my lord, mercy; he confesseth the
indictment, approveth of the verdict of the jury, and consenteth to the
judgment of the judge.
The Publican therefore in crying, Mercy, justifieth the sentence of the
law that was gone out against his sins. He wrangleth not with the law,
saying, that was too severe; though many men do thus, saying, “God
forbid; for then woe be to us.” He wrangleth not with the witness, which
was his own conscience; though some will buffet, smite, and stop its
mouth, or command it to be silent. He wrangleth not with the jury, which
were the prophets and apostles; though some men cannot abide to hear all
that they say. He wrangleth not with the judge, nor sheweth himself
irreverently before him; but in all humble gestures that could bespeak
him acquiescing with the sentence, he flieth to mercy for relief.
Nor is this alone the way of the Publican; but of other godly men before
his time. When David was condemned, he justified the sentence and the
judge, out of whose mouth it proceeded, and so fled for succour to the
mercy of God; Psalm li. When Shemaiah the prophet pronounced God’s
judgments against the princes of Judah for their sin, they said, “The
Lord is righteous.” When the church in the Lamentations had reckoned up
several of her grievous afflictions wherewith she had been chastised,
she, instead of complaining, doth justify the Lord, and approve of the
sentence that was passed upon her, saying, “The Lord is righteous; for I
have rebelled against his commandment.” So Daniel, after he had
enumerated the evils that befel the church in his day, addeth, “Therefore
hath the Lord brought it upon us; for the Lord our God is righteous in
all his works which he doth: for we obeyed not his voice;” 2 Chron. xii.
6, Lam. i. 18; Dan. ix. 14.
And this is the case with our Publican. He has transgressed a law that
is holy, just, and good: the witness that accuseth him of this is God and
his conscience; he is also cast by the verdict of holy men; and all this
he knows, and implicitly confesses, even in that he directs his prayer
unto his judge for pardon. And it is one of the excellentest sights in
the world, to see or understand a sinner thus honestly receiving the
sentence of the law that is gone out against him; to see and hear a
Publican thus to justify God. And this God would have men do for these
reasons.
1. That it might be conspicuous to all that the Publican has need of
mercy. This is for the glory of the justice of God, because it
vindicates it in its goings out against the Publican. God loveth to do
things in justice and righteousness, when he goeth out against men,
though it be but such a going out against them as only tendeth to their
conviction and conversion. When he dealt with our father Abraham in this
matter, he called him to his foot, as here he doth the Publican. And,
sinner, if God counts thee worthy to inherit the throne of glory, he will
bring thee hither. But,
2. The Publican, by the power of conviction, stoops to, and falleth
under, the righteous sentence gone forth against him, that it might be
also manifest, that what afterward he shall receive is of the mere grace
and sovereign goodness of God. And indeed there is no way that doth more
naturally tend to make this manifest than this. For thus; there is a man
proceeded against for life by the law, and the sentence of death is, in
conclusion, most justly and righteously passed upon him by the judge.
Suppose now, that after this, this man lives, and is exalted to honour,
enjoys great things, and is put into place of trust and power, and that
by him that he has offended, even by him that did pass the sentence upon
him.
What will all say, or what will they conclude, even upon the very first
hearing of this story? Will they not say,—Well, whoever he was that
found himself wrapped up in this strange providence, must thank the mercy
of a gracious prince; for all these things bespeak grace and favour.
But,
3. As the Publican falleth willingly under the sentence, and justifieth
the passing of it upon him; so by his flying to mercy for help, he
declareth to all that he cannot deliver himself: he putteth help away
from himself, or saith, It is not in me.
This, I say, is another thing included in this prayer, and it is a thing
distinct from that. For it is possible for a man to justify, and fall
under, the sentence of the judge, and yet retain that with himself that
will certainly deliver him from that sentence when it has done its worst.
Many have held up their hand, and cried Guilty, at the bar, and yet have
fetched themselves off for all that; but then they have not pleaded mercy
(for he that doth so, puts his life altogether into the hands of
another), but privilege or good deeds, either done or to be done by them.
But the Publican in our text puts all out of his own hand; and in effect
saith to that God before whom he went up into the temple to pray, Lord, I
stand here condemned at the bar of thy justice, and that worthily, for
the sentence is good, and hath in righteousness gone out against me: nor
can I deliver myself: I heartily and freely confess I cannot; wherefore I
betake myself only to thy mercy, and do pray thee to forgive the
transgressions of me a sinner. O how few be there of such kind of
publicans, I mean of publicans thus made sensible, that come unto God for
mercy!
Mercy, with most, is rather a compliment, I mean while they plead it with
God, than a matter of absolute necessity; they have not awfully, and in
judgment and conscience, fallen under the sentence, nor put themselves
out of all plea but the plea of mercy; indeed, thus to do is the effect
of the proof of the vanity and emptiness of all experiments made use of
before.
Now, there is a twofold proof of experiments; the one is the result of
practice, the other is the result of faith.
The woman with her bloody issue made her proof by practice, when she had
spent all that she had upon physicians, and was nothing bettered, but
rather grew worse; Mark v. But our Publican here proves the emptiness
and vanity of any other helps, by one cast of faith upon the contents of
the Bible, and by another look upon his present state of condemnation;
wherefore he presently, without any more ado, condemneth all other helps,
ways, modes, or means of deliverance, and betakes himself only to the
mercy of God: saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner.”
And herein he sheweth wonderful wisdom. For,
1. By this he thrusts himself under the shelter and blessing of the
promise; and I am sure it is better and safer to do so, than to rely upon
the best of excellencies that this world can afford: Hos. xiv. 1–3.
2. He takes the ready way to please God: for God takes more delight in
shewing of mercy than in any thing that we can do; Hos. vi. 6; Matt. ix.
13; xii. 7. Yea, and that also is the man that pleaseth him, even he
that hopes in his mercy; Psalm cxlvii. 11. The Publican, therefore,
whatever the Pharisee might think, stood all this while upon sure ground,
and had by far the start of him for heaven. Alas! his dull head could
look no further than to the conceit of the pitiful beauty and splendour
of his own filthy righteousness. Nor durst he leave that to trust wholly
to the mercy of God; but the Publican comes out, though in his sins, yet
like an awakened, enlightened, resolved man, and first abases himself,
then gives God the glory of his justice, and after that the glory of his
mercy, by saying, “God be merciful to me a sinner;” and thus in the ears
of the angels he did ring the changes of heaven. And,
3. The Publican, in his thus putting himself upon mercy, sheweth, that
in his opinion there is more virtue in mercy to save, than there is in
the law and sin to condemn. And although this is not counted a great
matter to do, while men are far from the law, and while their conscience
is asleep within them; yet when the law comes near, and conscience is
awake, who so tries it will find it a laborious work. Cain could not do
thus for his heart, no, nor Saul; nor Judas either. This is another kind
of thing than most men think it to be, or shall find it, whenever they
shall behold God’s angry face, and when they shall hear the words of his
law.
However, our Publican did it, and ventured his body, soul, and future
condition for ever on this bottom with other the saints and servants of
God, leaving the world to swim over the sea of God’s wrath (if they will)
in their weak and simple vessels of bulrushes, or to lean upon their
cobweb-hold, when he shall arise to the judgment that he hath appointed.
In the mean time, pray God awaken us as he did the Publican; pray God
enlighten us as he did the Publican; pray God grant us boldness to come
to him as the Publican did; and also in that trembling spirit as he did,
when he cried in the temple before him, “God be merciful to me a sinner.”
Thus having passed over his prayer, we come in the next place to his
GESTURES; for in my judgment the right understanding of them will give us
yet more conviction of the Publican’s sense and awakening of spirit under
this present action of his.
And I have observed many a poor wretch that hath readily had recourse to
the Publican’s prayer, that never knew what the Publican’s gestures, in
the presence of God, while in prayer before him, did mean. Nor must any
man be admitted to think, that those gestures of his were a custom, and a
formality among the Jews in those days; for it is evident enough by the
carriage of the Pharisee, that it was below them and their mode, when
they came into the temple, or when they prayed any where else; and they
in those days were counted for the best of men; and in religious matters
men were to imitate and take their examples at the hands of the best, not
at the hands of the worst.
The Publican’s gestures then were properly his own; caused by the guilt
of sin, and by that dread of the majesty of God that was upon his spirit.
And a comely posture it was, else Christ Jesus, the Son of God, would
never have taken that particular notice thereof as he did, nor have
smiled upon it so much as to take, and distinctly repeat it, as that
which made his prayer the more weighty, also to be taken notice of. Yea,
in my opinion, the Lord Jesus committed it to record, for that he liked
it, and for that it will pass for some kind of touchstone of prayer that
is made in good sense of sin and of God, and of need of his goodness and
mercy. For verily, all these postures signify sense, sight of a lost
condition, and a heart in good earnest for mercy.
I know that they may be counterfeited, and Christ Jesus knows who doth so
too; but that will not hinder, or make weak or invalid what hath already
been spoken about it. But to forbear to make a further prologue, and to
come to the handling of particulars:
“And the Publican standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his
eyes to heaven, but smote upon his breast,” &c.
Three things, as I told you already, we may perceive in these words, by
which his publican posture or gestures are set forth.
1. He stands “afar off.”
2. He “would not lift up so much as his eyes to heaven.”
3. He “smote upon his breast,” &c.
For the first of these, He stood afar off. “And the Publican standing
afar off.” This is, I say, the first thing, the first posture of his
with which we are acquainted, and it informeth us of several things.
_First_, That he came not with senselessness of the majesty of God when
he came to pray, as the Pharisee did, and as sinners commonly do. For
this standing back, or afar off, declares, that the majesty of God had an
awe upon his spirit; he saw whither, to whom, and for what, he was now
approaching the temple. It is said in the 20th of Exodus, that when the
people saw the thunderings and lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet,
and the mountain smoking (and all these were signs of God’s terrible
presence and dreadful majesty), they removed themselves, and “stood afar
off;” Exod. xx. 18. This behaviour, therefore, of the Publican did well
become his present action, especially since, in his own eyes, he was yet
an unforgiven sinner. Alas! what is God’s majesty to a sinful man but a
consuming fire? And what is a sinful man in himself, or in his approach
to God, but as stubble fully dry?
How then could the Publican do otherwise (than what he did) than stand
afar off if he either thought of God or himself? Indeed the people afore
named, before they saw God in his terrible majesty, could scarcely be
kept off from the mount with words and bounds, as it is now the case of
many: their blindness gives them boldness; their rudeness gives them
confidence; but when they shall see what the Publican saw, and felt, and
understood, as he, they will pray and stand afar off even as these people
did. They removed and stood afar off, and then fell to praying of Moses,
that this dreadful sight and sound might be taken from them. And what if
I should say, he stood afar off for fear of a blow, though he came for
mercy, as it is said of them, “They stood afar off for fear of her
torments;” Rev. xviii. 10, 18.
I know what it is to go to God for mercy, and stand all that while
through fear afar off; being possessed with this, will not God now smite
me at once to the ground for my sins? David thought something when he
said as he prayed, “Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy
Holy Spirit from me;” Psalm li. 11.
There is none knows, but those that have them, what turns and returns,
what coming on and going off, there is in the spirit of a man that indeed
is awakened, and that stands awakened before the glorious Majesty in
prayer. The prodigal also made his prayer to his Father intentionally,
while he was yet a great way off. And so did the lepers too: “And as he
entered into a certain village there met him ten men that were lepers,
which stood afar off: and they lifted up their voices and said, Jesus,
Master, have mercy on us;” Luke xvii. 12, 13.
See here, it has been the custom of praying men to keep their distance,
and not to be rudely bold in rushing into the presence of the holy and
heavenly Majesty, especially if they have been sensible of their own
vileness and sins, as the prodigal, the lepers, and our poor Publican
was. Yea, Peter himself, when upon a time he perceived more than
commonly he did of the majesty of Jesus his Lord, what doth he do? “When
Simon Peter saw it (says the text), he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying,
Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord;” Luke v. 3–8. Oh! when
men see God and themselves, it fills them with holy fear of the greatness
of the majesty of God, as well as with love to, and desire after, his
mercy.
Besides, by his standing afar off, it might be to intimate that he now
had in mind, and with great weight upon his conscience, the infinite
distance that was betwixt God and him. Men should know that, and tremble
in the thoughts of it, when they are about to approach the omnipotent
presence.
What is poor sorry man, poor dust and ashes, that he should crowd it up,
and go jostlingly into the presence of the great God—especially since it
is apparent the disproportion that is betwixt God and him? Esther, when
she went to supplicate the king her husband for her people, made use
neither of her beauty nor relation, nor the privileges of which she might
have had temptation to make use of, especially at such a time, and in
such exigencies, as then did compass her about; but, I say, she made not
use of them to thrust herself into his presence, but knew, and kept her
distance, standing in the inward court of his palace until he held out
the golden sceptre to her; then Esther drew near, and touched the top
thereof; Esth. v. 1, 2.
Men, also, when they come into the presence of God, should know their
distance; yea, and shew that they know it too, by such gestures, and
carriages, and behaviour, that are seemly. A remarkable saying is that
of Solomon, “Keep thy foot,” saith he, “when thou goest into the house of
God, and be more ready to hear than to give the sacrifice of fools; for
they consider not that they do evil.” And as they should keep their
foot, so also he adds, “Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine
heart be hasty to utter any thing before God; for God is in heaven, and
thou upon earth, therefore let thy words be few;” Eccles. v. 1, 2.
Three things the Holy Ghost exhorteth to in this text.
The one is, That we look to our feet, and not be forward to crowd into
God’s presence.
Another is, That we should also look well to our tongues, that they be
not rash in uttering any thing before God.
And the third is, Because of the infinite distance that is betwixt God
and us, which is intimated by these words, “For God is in heaven, and
thou upon earth.”
The Publican therefore shewed great wisdom, holy shame, and humility, in
this brave gesture of his, namely, in his standing afar off when he went
up into the temple to pray. But this is not all.
_Secondly_, The Publican, in standing afar off, left room for an Advocate
and high-priest, a Day’s-man, to come betwixt, to make peace between God
and his poor creature. Moses, the great mediator of the Old Testament,
was to go nigher to God than the rest of the elders, or those of the
people; Exod. xx. 21. Yea, the rest of the people were expressly
commanded to worship, “standing afar off.” No man of the sons of Aaron
that had a blemish was to come nigh. “No man that hath a blemish of the
seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the
Lord made by fire. He shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his
God;” Lev. xxi. 21.
The Publican durst not be his own mediator; he knew he had a blemish, and
was infirm, and therefore he stands back; for he knew that it was none of
him that his God had chosen to come near unto him, to offer “the fat and
the blood;” Ezek. xliv. 13–15. The Publican, therefore, was thus far
right; he took not up the room himself, neither with his person nor his
performances, but stood back, and gave place to the High-priest that was
to be intercessor.