2. For thus saith the Lord, that none may ever conceive, there is any other way than this, Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord; have we not prophesied in thy name? And in thy name have cast out devils? And in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me ye that work iniquity. Therefore every one that heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man which built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house: and it fell, and great was the fall of it.
3. I design in the following discourse, first, to consider the case of him, who thus builds his house upon the sand: secondly, To shew the wisdom of him who builds upon a rock, and thirdly, To conclude with a practical application.
I. 1. And, first, I am to consider the case of him who builds his house upon the sand. It is concerning him our Lord saith, Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. And this is a decree which cannot pass: which standeth fast for ever and ever. It therefore imports us in the highest degree, throughly to understand the force of these words. Now what are we to understand by that expression, That saith unto me, Lord, Lord? It undoubtedly means, “that thinks of going to heaven by any other way than that which I have now described.” It therefore implies, (to begin at the lowest point) all good words, all verbal religion. It includes whatever creeds we may rehearse, whatever professions of faith we make: whatever number of prayers we may repeat, whatever thanksgivings we read or say to God. We may speak good of his name; and declare his loving-kindness to the children of men. We may be talking of all his mighty acts, and telling of his salvation from day to day. By comparing spiritual things with spiritual, we may shew the meaning of the oracles of God. We may explain the mysteries of his kingdom, which have been hid from the beginning of the world. We may speak with the tongue of angels rather than men, concerning the deep things of God. We may proclaim to sinners, Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world. Yea, we may do this with such a measure of the power of God, and such demonstration of his Spirit, as to save many souls from death, and hide a multitude of sins. And yet ’tis very possible, all this may be no more than saying, Lord, Lord! After I have thus successfully preached to others, still I myself may be a cast away. I may in the hand of God, snatch many souls from hell, and yet drop into it, when I have done. I may bring many others to the kingdom of heaven, and yet myself never enter there. Reader, if God hath ever blest my word to thy soul, pray that he may be merciful to me a sinner!
2. The saying, Lord, Lord! may, secondly, imply, the doing no harm. We may abstain from every presumptuous sin, from every kind of outward wickedness. We may refrain from all those ways of acting or speaking, which are forbidden in holy writ. We may be able to say to all those among whom we live, Which of you convinceth me of sin? We may have a conscience void of any external offence, towards God and towards man. We may be clear of all uncleanness, ungodliness and unrighteousness, as to the outward act: or (as the apostle testifies concerning himself,) touching the righteousness of the law, i. e. outward righteousness, blameless. But yet we are not hereby justified. Still this is no more than saying, Lord, Lord! And if we go no farther than this, we shall never enter into the kingdom of heaven.
3. The saying, Lord, Lord! may imply, thirdly, many of what are usually stiled good works. A man may attend the supper of the Lord, may hear abundance of excellent sermons, and omit no opportunity of partaking all the other ordinances of God. I may do good to my neighbour, deal my bread to the hungry, and cover the naked with a garment. I may be so zealous of good works, as even to give all my goods to feed the poor. Yea, and I may do all this, with a desire to please God, and a real belief that I do please him thereby: (which is undeniably the case of those our Lord introduces, saying unto him, Lord, Lord!) and still I may have no part, in the glory which shall be revealed.
4. If any man marvels at this, let him acknowledge he is a stranger to the whole religion of Jesus Christ: and in particular, to that perfect portraiture thereof, which he has set before us in this discourse. For how far short is all this, of that righteousness and true holiness, which he has described therein! how widely distant from that inward kingdom of heaven, which is now opened in the believing soul? Which is first sown in the heart as a grain of mustard-seed, but afterwards putteth forth great branches, on which grow all the fruits of righteousness, every good temper and word and work.
5. Yet as clearly as he had declared this, as frequently as he had repeated, That none who have not this kingdom of God within them, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: our Lord well knew, that many would not receive this saying, and therefore confirms it yet again: Many, (saith he; not one; not a few only; it is not a rare or an uncommon case) shall say unto me in that day: not only, we have said many prayers; we have spoken thy praise; we have refrained from evil; we have exercised ourselves in doing good: but what is abundantly more than this, We have prophesied in thy name. In thy name have we cast out devils; in thy name done many wonderful works. We have prophesied: we have declared thy will to mankind; we have shewed sinners the way to peace and glory. And we have done this, in thy name, according to the truth of thy gospel. Yea, and by thy authority, who didst confirm the word, with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. For in or by thy name, by the power of thy word and of thy Spirit, have we cast out devils; out of the souls which they had long claimed as their own, and whereof they had full and quiet possession. And in thy name, by thy power, not our own, have we done many wonderful works: insomuch that even the dead heard the voice of the Son of God speaking by us, and lived. And then will I profess even unto them, I never knew you: no, not then, when you were casting out devils in my name. Even then I did not know you as my own: for your heart was not right toward God. Ye were not yourselves meek and lowly, ye were not lovers of God and of all mankind: ye were not renewed in the image of God. Ye were not holy as I am holy. Depart from me, ye who notwithstanding all this, are workers of iniquity; ἀνομία. Ye are transgressors of my law, my law of holy and perfect love.
6. It is to put this beyond all possibility of contradiction, that our Lord confirms it by that apposite comparison. Every one, saith he, who heareth these sayings of mine and doth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house: as they will surely do, sooner or later, upon every soul of man; even the floods of outward affliction, or inward temptation; the storms of pride, anger, fear or desire. And it fell and great was the fall of it: so that it perished for ever and ever. Such must be the portion of all, who rest in any thing short of that religion which is above described. And the greater will their fall be, because they heard those sayings, and yet did them not.
II. 1. I am, secondly, to shew the wisdom of him that doth them, that buildeth his house upon a rock. He indeed is wise, who doth the will of my Father which is in heaven. He is truly wise, whose righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees. He is poor in spirit; knowing himself even as also he is known. He sees and feels all his sin, and all his guilt, till it is washed away by the atoning blood. He is conscious of his lost estate, of the wrath of God abiding on him, and of his utter inability to help himself, till he is filled with peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. He is meek and gentle, patient toward all men, never returning evil for evil, or railing for railing, but contrariwise blessing, till he overcomes evil with good. His soul is athirst for nothing on earth, but only for God, the living God. He has bowels of love for all mankind, and is ready to lay down his life for his enemies. He loves the Lord his God with all his heart, and with all his mind and soul and strength. He alone shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, who in this spirit doth good unto all men; and who being for this cause despised and rejected of men; being hated, reproached and persecuted, rejoices and is exceeding glad, knowing in whom he hath believed; and being assured, these light, momentary afflictions will work out for him an eternal weight and glory.
2. *How truly wise is this man! He knows himself: an everlasting spirit, which came forth from God, and was sent down into an house of clay, not to do his own will, but the will of him that sent him. He knows the world; the place in which he is to pass a few days or years, not as an inhabitant, but a stranger and sojourner, in his way to the everlasting habitations: and accordingly he uses the world, as not abusing it, and as knowing the fashion of it passes away. He knows God, his Father and his Friend, the parent of all good, the center of the spirits of all flesh, the sole happiness of all intelligent beings. He sees, clearer than the light of the noon-day sun, that this is the end of man, To glorify him who made him for himself, and to love and enjoy him for ever. And with equal clearness he sees the means to that end, to the enjoyment of God in glory, even now to know, to love, to imitate God, and to believe in Jesus Christ whom he hath sent.