| VI. Another thing that gives great disgust to many, is the
disposition that persons show, under great affections, to speak so much;
and, with such earnestness and vehemence, to be setting forth the greatness,
and wonderfulness, and importance of divine and eternal things; and to
be so passionately warning, inviting, and entreating others.
Concerning which I would say, that I am far from thinking that such a
disposition should be wholly without any limits or regulation (as I shall
more particularly show afterwards); and I believe some have erred, in
setting no bounds, and indulging and encouraging this disposition without
any kind of restraint or direction. But yet it seems to me, that such
a disposition is in general is what both reason and Scripture will justify.
Those who are offended at such things, as though they were unreasonable,
are not just. Upon examination it will probably be found, that they have
one rule of reasoning about temporal things, and another about spiritual
things. They do not at all wonder, if a person on some very great and
affecting occasion, an occasion of extraordinary danger or great joy,
that eminently and immediately concerns him and others--is disposed to
speak much, and with great earnestness, especially to those with whom
he is united in the bonds of dear affection, and great concern for their
good. And therefore, if they were just, why would not they allow it in
spiritual things? And much more in them, agreeably to the vastly greater
importance and more affecting nature of spiritual things, and the concern
which true religion causes in men's minds for the good of others, and
the disposition it gives and excites to speak God's praises, to show forth
his infinite glory, and talk of all his glorious perfections and works?
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That a very great and proper sense of the importance of religion, and
the danger sinners are in, should sometimes cause an almost insuperable
disposition to speak and warn others, is agreeable to Jer. vi. 10, 11.
"To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may hear?
Behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: Behold, the
word of the Lord is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.
Therefore I am full of the fury of the Lord; I am weary with holding in:
I will pour it out upon the children abroad, and upon the assembly of
the young men together; for even the husband with the wife shall be taken,
the aged, with him that is full of days." And that true Christians,
when they come to be as it were waked out of sleep, and to be filled with
a sweet and joyful sense of the excellent things of religion, by the preaching
of the gospel, or by other means of grace, should be disposed to be much
in speaking of divine things, though before they were dumb, is agreeable
to what Christ says to his church, Cant. vii. 9. "And the roof
of they mouth is like the best wine, for my beloved, that goeth down sweetly,
causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak." The roof
of the church's mouth is the officers in the church, that preach the gospel;
their word is to Christ's beloved like the best wine, that goes down sweetly;
extraordinarily refreshing and enlivening the saints, causing them to
speak, though before they were mute and asleep. It is said by some, that
the subjects of this work, when they get together, talking loud and earnestly
in their pretended great joys, several in a room talking at the same time,
make a noise just like a company of drunken persons. On which I would
observe, that it is foretold that God's people should do so, in that forementioned
place, Zech. ix. 15--17. Of which I shall now take more particular notice.
The words are as follows; The Lord of hosts shall defend them, and they
shall devour and subdue with sling stones, and they shall drink and make
a noise as through wine, and they shall be filled like bowls, and as the
corners of the altar. And the Lord their God shall save them in that day
as the flock of his people; for they shall be as the stones of a crown,
lifted up as an ensign upon his land. For how great is his goodness, and
how great is his beauty! Corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new
wine the maids." The words are very remarkable: Here it is foretold,
that at the time when Christ shall set up an universal kingdom upon earth
(ver. 20.) the children of Zion shall drink, till they are filled like
the vessels of the sanctuary. And, if we would know with what they shall
be thus filled, the prophecy does in effect explain itself; they shall
be filled as the vessels of the sanctuary that contained the drink-offering,
which was wine. And yet the words imply, that it shall not literally be
wine that they shall drink, and make a noise, as through wine, as if they
had drank wine; which the wine of the drink-offering typically represented,
which is the Holy Spirit, as well as the blood of Christ, that new wine
that is drank in our heavenly Father's kingdom. They shall be filled with
the Spirit, which the Apostle sets in opposition to a being drunk with
wine, Eph. v. 18. "This is the new wine spoken of, ver. 17. It
is the same with that best wine, spoken of in Canticles, "that
goes down sweetly, causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak."
It is here foretold, that the children of Zion, in the latter days, should
be filled with that which should make them cheerful, and cause them to
make a noise as through wine, and by which these joyful happy persons
shall be as the stones of a crown lifted up as an ensign upon God's land,
being made joyful in the extraordinary manifestations of the beauty and
love of Christ; as it follows, "How great is his goodness! And
how great is his beauty!" And it is further remarkable that,
as is here foretold, it should be thus especially amongst young people;
"Corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maid."
It would be ridiculous to understand this of literal bread and wine. Without
doubt, the same spiritual blessings are signified by bread and wine here,
which were represented by Melchizedek's bread and wine and are signified
by the bread and wine in the Lord's supper. One of the marginal readings
is, "shall make the young men to speak;" which is agreeable
to that in Canticles, of the "best wines causing the lips of
those that are asleep to speak."
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We ought not to be, in any measure, like the unbelieving Jews in Christ's
time, who were disgusted both with crying out with distress, and with
joy. When the poor blind man cried out before all the multitude, "Jesus,
thou Son of David, have mercy on me!" and continued instantly
thus doing, the multitude rebuked him, and charged him that he should
hold his tongue, Mark x. 46-48. And Luke xviii. 38, 39. They looked upon
it to be a very indecent noise that he made; a thing very ill becoming
him, to cause his voice to be heard so much, and so loud, among the multitude.
And when Christ made his solemn and triumphant entry into Jerusalem, (which,
I have before observed, was a type of the glory and triumph of the latter
days,) the whole multitude of the disciples, especially young people,
began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice, for all the mighty
works that they had seen saying, "Blessed be the King that cometh
in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest!"
The Pharisees said to Christ, "Master, rebuke thy disciples."
They did not understand such great transports of joy; it seemed to them
a very unsuitable and indecent noise and clamour that they made, a confused
uproar, many crying out together, as though they were out of their wits;
they wondered that Christ would tolerate it. But what says Christ? "I
tell you, that if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately
cry out." The words seem to intimate, that there was cause enough
to constrain those whose hearts were not harder than the very stones,
to cry out, and make a noise; which is something like that other expression,
of "causing the lips of those that are asleep to speak."
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When many, under great religious affections, are earnestly speaking together
of divine wonders, in various parts of a company, to those who are next
them; some attending to one, and others to another; there is something
very beautiful in it, provided they do not speak so as to drown each others'
voices, that none can hear what any say. There is a greater and more affecting
appearance of conversation. When a multitude meets on any occasion of
temporal rejoicing, freely and cheerfully to converse together, they are
not wont to observe the ceremony of but one speaking at a time, while
all the rest in a formal manner set themselves to attend to what he says.
That would spoil all conversation, and turn it into the formality of set
speeches. It is better for lay persons, speaking one to another of the
things of God, when they meet together, to speak after the manner of Christian
conversation, than to observe the formality of but one speaking at a time,
the whole multitude silently and solemnly attending to what he says; which
would carry in it too much of the air of the authority and solemnity or
preaching. The apostle says, 1 Cor. xiv. 29, 30, 31. "Let the
prophets speak, two or three, and let the others judge: If any thing be
revealed to another that sitteth by let the first hold his peace: For
ye may all prophesy, one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted;"
but this does not reach the present case, because what the apostle is
speaking in the church by immediate inspiration, and in the use of the
gift of prophecy, or some gift of inspiration, in the exercises of which
they acted as extraordinary ministers of Christ. |