Lesson 28. (The Self-Evident Beauty of the Gospel, and the Blind World that Cannot See)

Worship service:
Greetings saints, grace, mercy and peace from God the Father through Christ His beloved Son. We are beloved through the Son and are enabled to enter into the presence of God boldly through His mediation. 
Ephesians 1:5-6 says, 
“Who hath predestined us, to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ in himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us freely accepted in his beloved.” 
We are able to come before the Lord in worship, because He has called us to it. He has chosen us to be saints. He has paid the price for the redemption of our soul which was enslaved to sin and misery. And He has brought us into fellowship with Him by uniting us to Christ in our effectual calling and regeneration. Washing us from the guilt and pollution of sin, and further sanctifying us by His grace, even by His word. 

Psalm 4.

1: When Saul persecuted him, he called upon God, trusting most assuredly in his promise, and therefore boldly reproveth his enemies, who willfully resisted his dominion, 7 and finally preferreth the favor of God before all worldly treasures.

To him that excelleth on Neginoth. A Psalm of David.

4:1 Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.

2 O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? how long will ye love vanity, and seek after lies? Selah.

3 But know that the Lord hath set apart for himself him that is godly: the Lord will hear when I call unto him.

4 Tremble, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.

5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and trust in the Lord.

6 There be many that say, Who will shew us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.

7 Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased.

8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou alone, O Lord, makest me dwell in safety.

David maintains his boast in God and reproves those who would pray to him in an ungodly manner. David is persecuted in this case, not by the Philistines or the Amalekites, but by Saul, the king of Israel. Therefore Saul’s profession of being a member of God’s (spiritual) people must be immediately called into question, and David here holds that the Lord answers those who walk uprightly and not the rebellious whose chief delight is in corn and wine. 

(1599 GNV)
1Among them that were appointed to sing the Psalms, and to play on the instruments, one was appointed chief to set the tune, and to begin: who had the charge, because he was most excellent, and he began this Psalm on the instrument calleth Neginoth, or in a tune so called. 

Ainsworth: To the master of the musicke] or, To the overseer, to him that excelleth: the Chaldee translateth it, to sing. The originall word signifieth one that urgeth the continuance of any thing unto the end, or the going forward with a worke till it be overcome, 2 Chron. 2. 2. 18. and 34. 12, 13. Ezra. 3. 8, 9. and such as in 2 Chron. 2. 18. are called, masters, are in 1 Kings 5. 16. called, rulers. And in musick, there were Levites appointed for severall duties, and some, to be over the rest, 1 Chro. 15. 21. and these were such as excelled in the art of singing & playing on instruments, to whom sundry Psalmes are entitled, that by their care and direction they might be sung excellently unto the end. There were in Israel some Levites singers that attended therunto, & had no other charge, 1 Chr. 9. 33.

I chose “him that excelleth” from the GNV rather than the chief musician because it is a more general term. “singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” 

Calvin, 
In these words there is shown the faith of David, who, although brought to the uttermost distress, and indeed almost consumed by a long series of calamities, did not sink under his sorrow; nor was he so broken in heart as to be prevented from betaking himself to God his deliverer. By his praying, he testified, that when utterly deprived of all earthly succor, there yet remained for him hope in God.

Calvin again,
Righteousness, therefore, is here to be understood of a good cause, of which David makes God the witness, while he complains of the malicious and wrongful conduct of men towards him; and, by his example, he teaches us, that if at any time our uprightness is not seen and acknowledged by the world, we ought not on that account to despond, inasmuch as we have one in heaven to vindicate our cause.

Finally the 1599 Geneva Footnotes say,
The multitude seek worldly wealth, but David setteth his felicity in God’s favor.

Therefore let us also seek God according to righteousness as David here is set for an example, and let us call upon God in the day of trouble knowing that He will answer us when we come in uprightness and sincerity. 

Opening prayer, 
Our righteous and holy Father, whose name is glorious and worthy to be praised, we come before thee and ask thee for that which thou hast already promised. Therefore we come not uncertain of thy favor, or they blessings, but confident that whatsoever we ask, we know and are assured by thy word and thy oath that thou didst swear, we know thou wilt do even more than we could ever ask or think. We know that a good thought comes from thee. A good word comes from thee. A holy petition. Pious breathings of the soul, achings for salvation, all these come from thy free spirit. So grant us thy salvation O Lord and teach us what to ask for. Cause us to know our sin and misery that we might plead for deliverance at thy hand. For thou art pleased with mercy. Cause us to behold thy righteousness in thy providence towards us, in that thou carest for us like a loving Father. We pray that thou wouldest establish thy kingdom on earth, yet not as the carnal world imagines. But in the soul, in the heart of the elect by regeneration and sanctification. Cleanse us from sin, destroy the works of Satan in us that we might worship thee in holiness and love before thee forever. Lift up the downcast, save us from our daily trials. Heal the sick, purify us and make us ready to serve. O prepare us for thy kingdom by the free grace of the Spirit that thou O Lord might be glorified, for all power, sovereignty and victory is thine and thine alone. We pray in the name of the Lord Jesus, our might, our strength, our captain and governor, our salvation. In His holy name, amen. 

Lesson 28.

1. Gold stands not in need of varnish, nor diamonds of painting: give us leave only to tell you, that we cannot but account it an 2. eminent mercy to enjoy such helps as these are. 3. It is ordinary in these days for men to speak evil of things they know not; but if any are possessed with mean thoughts of these treatises, we shall only give the same counsel to them that Philip gives Nathanael, Come and see, John i. 46

Intro. 
The section explained. The immediate context vs the wider application. 
1. The beauty of the gospel.
i. The beauty of scripture is self evident. 
App. Read it and you will benefit. Read it and more and more you will see it’s beauty. 
ii. The beauty of the gospel is self evident.
App. Those that hold onto their opinions of self-righteousness, free will, human merit having heard the beauties of free grace are worse than madmen. 
iii. The beauties of this confession is self evident. 
App. Use it, learn it, meditate on it, memorize it. 

2. The mercy of God in the use of means.
i. The ministry.
How rare is a Christian! How rare is a minister! 
ii. Helps and treatises.
How precious truth is! How we should bless God in delivering the truth to us so abundantly and clearly! 

3. The ignorance of natural men and their contempt of holy doctrine. 
i. The know not the beauties of the gospel.
a. In eternal election.
b. In effectual redemption.
c. In covenantal regeneration.
ii. They know not the benefits of a holy life.
a. Peace of conscience. The effect of which is peace with neighbor. 
b. Duty to God. Service to the most high.
c. Discipline and living according to reason.
iii. Despite their ignorance they are willing to contemn us and speak evil of us.

But come and see our doctrine and you will see it is pure. See our lives and you will see piety and uprightness before God. Love for God and love for our neighbor. 
a. By accusing us of pride.
Answer. To disagree with the leaders of religion is not necessarily pride. We accuse the leaders in the Church today of evil acts, (teaching contrary to the word of God, that which is always evil), all they accuse us of is evil motives which cannot be proven. Beware of accusing others of that which is hidden in the affections. 

b. By accusing us of hatred. (unloving, uncharitable) 
Answer, hatred for heresy and contempt of holy doctrine is justified. Case of Phineas. 
Numbers 25:1-15
“They joined themselves also unto Baalpeor, And ate the sacrifices of the dead. Thus they provoked him to anger with their inventions: And the plague brake in upon them. Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment: And so the plague was stayed. And that was counted unto him for righteousness Unto all generations for evermore.” Psalm 106:28‭-‬31

Martin Luther:
In philosophy, a small fault in the beginning, is a great [and a foul] fault in the end. So in divinity, one little error overthroweth the whole doctrine. Wherefore we must separate life and doctrine far asunder. The doctrine is not ours, but God’s whose ministers only we are called; therefore we may not change or diminish one tittle thereof. The life is ours: therefore, as touching that, we are ready to do, to suffer, to forgive, etc. whatsoever our adversaries shall require of us, so that faith and doctrine may remain sound and uncorrupt; of the which we say always with Paul: ‘A little leaven leaveneth,’ etc. In this matter we cannot yield even an hair’s breadth. For the doctrine is like a mathematical point, which cannot be divided; that is, it can suffer neither addition nor subtraction. Contrariwise, the life, which is like a physical point, can always be divided, always yield somewhat. A small mote in the eye hurteth the eye. Hence the Germans say of remedies for the eyes: ‘Nothing is good for the eyes.’ And our Savior Christ saith; ‘The light of the body is the eye; therefore when thine eye is single, then is thy whole body light; but if thine eye be evil, then thy body is dark;’ again ‘If thy body shall have no part dark, then shall all be light’ (Luke 11:34,36). By this allegory Christ signifieth that the eye, that is to say, the doctrine ought to be most simple, clear, and sincere, having in it no darkness, no cloud, etc. And James in his Epistle saith: ‘He that offendeth in one point is guilty of all;’ which saying he had not of his own spirit, but doubtless had heard it of the fathers. The doctrine ought therefore to be as it were a golden circle, round and whole, wherein there is no breach; for where there is the very least breach, the circle is no longer complete. What profit is it to the Jews, that they believe in one God, even the Creator of all things, or that they believe all the articles and accept the whole Scripture, when they deny Christ? ‘He therefore that offendeth in one point, is guilty of all.’ This place therefore maketh very much for us against these cavillers which say, that we break charity to the great hurt and damage of the churches. But we protest that we desire nothing more than to be at unity with all men: so that they cleave unto the doctrine of faith entire and uncorrupt. If we cannot obtain this, in vain do they require charity of us. Accursed be that charity which is preserved through the loss of the doctrine of faith, to the which all things ought to give place, be it charity, an Apostle, or an angel from heaven, etc. Therefore, when they make this matter of so little account, they do sufficiently witness what store they set by the Word of God. Which if they did believe to be the Word of God, they would not so trifle with it, but would hold it in high honor, and without any disputing or doubting would put their faith in it, knowing that one word of God is all and all are one. Likewise they would know that one article [of doctrine] is all and all are one, so that if one is set aside, then by little and little all are lost: for they are joined the one to the other, and are bound up together as it were by one common bond. Let us suffer them therefore to extol charity and concord as much as they list: but on the other side, let us magnify the majesty of the Word and faith. Charity may be neglected in time and place without any danger: but so cannot the Word and faith be. Charity suffereth all things, giveth place to all men. Contrariwise, faith suffereth nothing, giveth place to no man. Charity in giving place, in believing, in giving and forgiving, is oftentimes deceived, and yet notwithstanding being so deceived, it suffereth no loss which is to be called true loss indeed, that is to say, it loseth not Christ: therefore it is not offended, but continueth still constant in well doing, yea even towards the unthankful and unworthy. Contrariwise, in the matter of faith and salvation, when men teach lies and errors under the color of the truth, and seduce many, here hath charity no place: for here we lose not any benefit bestowed upon the unthankful, but we lose the Word, faith, Christ, and everlasting life. Wherefore if thou deniest God in one article, thou hast denied him in all…

c. By accusing us of schism.
Answer, separating from the established churches is necessary for the purity of the soul. We do not hear the voice of strangers. 
Hearing the voice of God in the word. John 10:4-5. Psalm 95. Isaiah 30:20-22. 
Not hearing false teachers.
Deut. 18:20. Isa. 8. Jer. 23:16. Ezekiel 13:9.

Let this then be a warning to all false teachers, compromising with Arminian idolatry, Baal worship, the carnal imaginations of men’s depraved understanding, and then calling upon the Lord in his temple and imagining yourselves blessed, though you are in league with His enemies. Either we speak in the name of the Lord and all the churches who fellowship with idolaters and fail to conform to our doctrine are enemies of the gospel, or let them prove otherwise that we are false and under this condemnation. 
We defy them and account them accursed. 
Jer. 7:1-16, 2 John 9, 10

Thomas Watson writes, 
“2. We must not so seek peace with others as to wrong truth. ‘Buy the truth—and sell it not’ (Proverbs 23:23). Peace must not be bought with the sale of truth. Truth is the ground of faith, and the rule of life. Truth is the most orient gem of the churches’ crown. Truth is a deposit, or charge that God has entrusted us with. We trust God with our souls. He trusts us with his truths. We must not let any of God’s truths fall to the ground. Luther says, ‘It is better that the heavens fall—than one crumb of truth perish.’ The least filings of this gold are precious. We must not so seek the flower of peace—as to lose the diamond of truth.
We ought not to unite with error. ‘What communion has light with darkness?’ (2 Corinthians 6:14). There are many who would have peace, by the destroying of truth; peace with Arminian, Socinian, and other heretics. This is a peace of the devil’s making. Cursed be that peace which makes war with the Prince of peace. Though we must be peaceable—yet we are bid to ‘contend for the faith’ (Jude 3). We must not be so in love with the golden crown of peace, as to pluck off the jewels of truth. Rather let peace go—than truth. The martyrs would rather lose their lives—than let go the truth.”

John Owen writes in his display of Arminianism, 
An agreement without truth is no peace, but a covenant with death, a league with hell, a conspiracy against the kingdom of Christ, a stout rebellion against the God of heaven…were there but this one argument for to seek the peace of the church, because thereon depends the peace of the commonwealth, it were sufficient to quicken our utmost industry for the attaining of it. Now, what peace in the church without truth? All conformity to anything else is but the agreement of Herod and Pilate to destroy Christ and his kingdom. Neither is it this or that particular truth, but the whole counsel of God revealed unto us, without adding or detracting, whose embracement is required to make our peace firm and stable. No halting betwixt Jehovah and Baal, Christ and Antichrist; as good be all Philistine, and worshippers of Dagon, as to speak part the language of Ashdod and part the language of the Jews: hence, hence hath been the rise of all our miseries, of all our dissensions, whilst factious men labored everyday to commend themselves to them who sat aloft in the temple of God, by introducing new popish-arminian errors, whose patronage they had wickedly undertaken. Who would have thought that our church would ever have given entertainment to these Belgic semi-Pelagians, who have cast dirt upon the faces and raked up the ashes of all those great and pious souls whom God magnified, in using as his instruments to reform his church; to the least of which the whole troop of Arminians shall never make themselves equal, though they swell till they break? What benefit did ever come to this church by attempting to prove that the chief part in the several degrees of our salvation is to be ascribed unto ourselves, rather than God? — which is the head and sum of all the controversies between them and us. And must not the introducing and fomenting of a doctrine so opposite to that truth our church hath quietly enjoyed ever since the first Reformation necessarily bring along with it schisms and dissensions, so long as any remain who love the truth, or esteem the gospel above preferment? Neither let any deceive your wisdoms, by affirming that they are differences of an inferior nature that are at this day agitated between the Arminians and the orthodox divines of the reformed church. Be pleased but to cast an eye on the following instances, and you will find them hewing at the very root of Christianity. Consider seriously their denying of that fundamental article of original sin. Is this but a small escape in theology? — why, what need of the gospel, what need of Christ himself, if our nature be not guilty, depraved, corrupted? Neither are many of the rest of less importance. Surely these are not things as Austin speaks, — “about which we may differ without loss of peace or charity.” One church cannot wrap in her communion Austin and Pelagius, Calvin and Arminius. I have here only given you a taste, whereby you may judge of the rest of their fruit, — their doctrine of the final apostasy of the elect, of true believers, of a wavering hesitancy concerning our present grace and future glory, with divers others, I have wholly omitted: those I have produced are enough to make their abettors incapable of our church-communion. The sacred bond of peace compasseth only the unity of that Spirit; which leadeth into all truth. We must not offer the right hand of fellowship, but rather proclaim “a holy war,” to such enemies of God’s providence, Christ’s merit, and the powerful operation of the Holy Spirit. Neither let any object, that all the Arminians do not openly profess all these errors I have recounted. Let ours, then, show wherein they differ from their masters. We see their own confessions; we know their arts,— “the depths and crafts of Satan;” we know the several ways they have to introduce and insinuate their heterodoxies into the minds of men. With some they appear only to dislike our doctrine of reprobation; with others, to claim an allowable liberty of the will: but yet, for the most part, — like the serpent, wherever she gets in her head, she will wriggle in her whole body, sting and all, — give but the least admission, and the whole poison must be swallowed. What was the intention of the maintainers of these strange assertions amongst us I know not, — whether the efficacy of error prevailed really with them or no, or whether it were the better to comply with Popery, and thereby to draw us back again unto Egypt; — but this I have heard, that it was affirmed on knowledge, in a former parliament, that the introduction of Arminianism amongst us was the issue of a Spanish consultation. It is a strange story that learned Zanchius tells us, how, upon the death of the Cardinal of Lorraine there was found in his study a note of the names of divers German doctors and ministers, being Lutherans, to whom was paid an annual pension, by the assignment of the cardinal, that they might take pains to oppose the Calvinists; and so, by cherishing dissension, reduce the people again to Popery. If there be any such amongst us, who, upon such poor inconsiderable motives, would be won to betray the gospel of Christ, God grant them repentance before it be too late! However, upon what grounds, with what intentions, for what ends soever, these tares have been sowed amongst us by envious men, the hope of all the piously learned in the kingdom is, that, by your effectual care and diligence, some means may be found to root them out. Now, God Almighty increase and fill your whole honorable society with wisdom, zeal, knowledge, and all other Christian graces, necessary for your great calling and employments; which is the daily prayer, of your most humble and devoted servant, JOHN OWEN.

We stand with Watson and Owen and condemn the Arminians and their abettors though they swallow up ten thousand worlds with their numbers and influence. 

Let the word of God be maintained and established against all heresies and idolatries of men, and let them perish who contend against us for their propagation and continuance. Let heaven and earth and all leagues of men and pastors and churches fall before one word of God. 
As it is written: “Heaven and earth shall pass away but my words shall NOT pass away. ” Matt. 24:35

And again, 

Thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire. For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: but because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the LORD brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations; and repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them: he will not be slack to him that hateth him, he will repay him to his face. Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments, and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do them. Deuteronomy 7:5‭-‬11

Let us therefore hold fast to the word of God and be a separate people, for we are called to holiness, and as we have been effectually called by a Sovereign Lord, let us worship Him as Sovereign Lord, knowing that those peoples who invent for themselves an idol, who gives grace to all men and waits for *them* to exercise Sovereignty is not worthy to be called Lord, but is an abomination and worthy of execration. So let us pray for God’s kingdom to be established, for the kingdom of Satan to be destroyed and for others also to be brought to humility and service to the true Sovereign of all the earth.

Closing prayer,
Our gracious and Sovereign Lord, we beseech thee for mercy in these our days of apostasy. Thy doctrine is despised and all men bless themselves in their heart though they follow after idols. Save thy church and people O God and redeem us from our present troubles. Deliver us from false teachers, and the lies of Satan. Bring down the high and exalting thoughts of man. Abase them and bring them to nothing by thy strength and power that they might know that thou art the Lord. We know that we have brought this upon ourselves for our own sin, we and our fathers, despising the word of thy prophets who have spoken in thy name. For thou art thy word and have entrusted us with thy precious truths to be believed, received, cherished, admired and proclaimed faithfully. We give thee thanks therefore for redeeming us from our sin and enlightening our eyes by the Spirit making us to see the beauties of the gospel of free grace. Revive us therefore according to the grace promised in the word. Complete and perfect the work thou hast begun in us and perform it until the last day, when all earthly kingdoms shall be dissolved, heaven and earth shall melt away and the Kingdom of the Lord Christ shall be established forever. That kingdom which is begun in our hearts, perfect it in us that we might adore thee more fervently and more purely. And this we pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen. 

YouTube Audio: https://youtu.be/tj4LymyJXTM