Colonial Sunday, October 20, 2002

 My name is John Cotton. Many people consider me one of the influential preachers of our day, one of the founders of Colonial Puritanism. I was born in England in 1584. I had my spiritual "awakening" as we call it, during my years at Cambridge University. I taught there and served as dean.

 After my awakening and further training, I was appointed pastor of St. Botolph’s Church in the Lincolnshire area of England. St. Botolph’s Church was in a little coastal village named, Boston -  Boston, England. Because of my awakening I was drawn to Puritan movement back in England.

 We Puritans get our name because we seek to purify the Anglican Church. We often do away with things that seem too ritualistic and repetitive. I began omitting certain parts of the liturgy, and developed a simpler service . We also simplified our churches - no stained glass windows, statues, or fancy altar cloths or vestments. The Lord’s Day service is simply for worship, prayer, and the teaching of the Word.

 Well, in 1632, because of the changes I had made in the order of service, I was called before the Court of High Commission, for disciplinary action. But instead of going before the court, I set sail for the colonies. I arrived in Boston, Massachusetts on Sept. 4. By October 10 I had become the pastor of First Church, Boston.

 Today I am known primarily for two things. First, I am known as the Puritan who led the way an
d made the strongest case for requiring new, prospective church members to give a personal account of their spiritual awakening as a requirement for church membership. In others words, I believe it’s very important for Christians to be able to put their faith into words, to describe the conversion and convictions of their hearts. I made such a testimony a requirement for membership, and this has become the practice in most Puritan Churches here in New England. That may seem harsh to you, but the book of Hebrews says, "Always be ready to give a defense for the hope that is in you." We need to be able to put our faith into words.

 Well, I never had trouble putting it into words. In fact, the other thing I’m known for is very long sermons. Sometimes my Sunday morning prayers and sermons lasted 6 hours. I suspect I’d lose most of you after 3 hours, so let me give you just a taste of my preaching.

 This first meditation is entitled, "Wading in Grace."
 Ezekiel 47 is a passage of great encouragement for us. It shows the marvelous efficacy of the spirit of Grace in the days of the Gospel. First, a Christian wades into the rivers of God’s grace up to his ankles. He has some good frame of spirit, yet he may be weak. For he may have some strength in his ankle bones and yet have feeble knees. As far as you walk in the waters of grace, so far are you healed.

 Next, a person must wade up to one’s knees. This gives him more strength to pray and to walk in one’s calling with more power and strength. But if a man wades in only to his knees, his loins are not drenched, for nothing is healed but what is in the waters.

 Now the affections of a man are placed in his loins. A man may have unruly affections, even though he be paddling in the ways of grace. He may walk in some contentment, and yet have many distempered passions, and may have just cause to complain of the rottenness of his heart in the sight of God. Why then have you waded in just to the knees? It is mercy that you have come this far, but yet the loins want healing. Wade in further until the loins, the passions, are all in the river, and grace is poured upon you.

 If you have come this far, and God hath in some measure healed thy affections, then you can be angry and not sin. This is good and something we must all attain to. Go in further into the river of the grace of God, so that you may laugh at temptations, and bless God in all changes. Go another thousand cubits and you shall swim. There is such a measure of grace in which a man may swim as a fish in the water, with all readiness and dexterity, so that the Christian does not creep or walk, but runs in the ways of God’s Commandments. Whatever he is to do or to suffer, his is ready. And so in every way he is drenched in grace. He is never drawn dry. Why wade in the grace of God, when you can be drenched?

 These next reflections are some of my major points from a sermon entitled, "Christian Calling."

 We must now speak of living our faith in our outward and temporal lives. We live as members of this or that city or town or commonwealth, in this or that particular vocation and calling. We must live by faith in our natural and temporal lives.

 A true believing Christian, a justified-by-faith person, lives in his vocation by faith. Not only in my spiritual life, but even my civil life in this world, all the life I live, is by the faith of the Son of God. The true believing Christian exempts no part of life from the agency of his faith. Faith draws the heart of a Christian to live in some noble calling. As soon as a man begins to look towards God and the ways of his grace, he will not rest, until he find some calling and employment.

 An example, you have the Prodigal Son, that after he had received and spent his portion of the inheritance in vanity, he came home to himself and home to his Father. The very next thing after his confession and repentance of his sin - the very next petition he makes is, "Make me one of thy hired servants." After his desire for the pardon of sin, his next desire was to work, even though it be as a hired servant, he would live out his faith and his calling.

 Next, the Christian offers his work up to God as a free-will offering. It settles the heart in God’s peace and his life is settled in a good calling, even though it be but that of a day-labourer. "Yet make me one that does service unto Thee." This is a part of faith, to have employment to fill the head and hand with.

 Next, living out faith in our temporal world entails finding a noble calling, where in we may aim not only at our own good, but also at the public good. This is a noble calling. As the scripture says, "Seek not every man his own things, but every man the good of his brothers. I Cor. 10:24. Seek on another’s welfare. Faith works all by love. Gal. 5:6 Therefore a person will not find a comfortable calling unless it serves not only one’s own good, but also the good of others.

 Thirdly, faith is expressed in our employment when God has given the gifts to a man to do it.  - that one is acquainted with the mystery of it, and hath gifts of body and mind suitable to do the work. Prov. 16:20 - "He that understands a matter shall find good." He that understands his business wisely - God leads him on to that calling. God shows you that he has led you to a place by giving you some gifts fit for that place, especially if the place be suitable and fitted for your best gifts. For God would have your best gifts improved to the best advantage.

 Another work of faith within a man’s vocation is when he depends upon God for the quickening and sharpening of his gifts in that calling, and yet depends not upon his gifts for the going through his calling, but upon God that gave him those gifts. Yea, he depends upon God for the use of his gifts within his calling. Faith does not say, "Give me such a calling and turn me loose to it." Faith looks up to heaven for skill and ability, though strong and able, faith looks up to God to refresh and breath life into one’s gifts. "Blessed be the Lord my strength, that teachest my hands to work and my fingers to fight." Psalm 44:1 It is the Lord who puts strength in my hands. Thus it was with David and Goliath. David had skill but he relied upon God for his strength. And so when he comes into Goliath’s presence and looks into his face, he tells him that he comes in the name of the Lord. He looks to God for the skill and the strength.
"The Lord who delivered me before will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine."

 Another work of faith, of living by faith in our vocations, is when in serving God we serve one another, and in serving one another we serve God. The Apostle Paul sweetly describes this calling in Ephesians 6 - "Work not with eye service as men-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart with good will, as unto the Lord, and not unto men." This is the work of every Christian person in his calling - that when he serves others he serves the Lord. He does the work set before him, and he does it sincerely and faithfully, so as he may give account for it. And he does it heavenly and spiritually. He uses the world as if he used it not.  I Cor. 7:31. We work not for wages, nor for praise, if so we have not been servants of Christ. A person who serves Christ in serving others, he does his work sincerely as in God’s presence, and as one that has heavenly business at hand, and therefore comfortably, as knowing God approves of his way and work.

 There is more to be said, but I will summarize quickly . . .
Another act of faith in one’s vocation is to cast all the failings and burdens of one’s calling upon the Lord. That is the proper work of faith - it rolls and casts all upon him.  Cares about the successes of work. Cares about the dangers that may befall us at work.

 And one final act of faith concerning a person’s vocation - and that is to take all success with moderation, to equally bear prosperity or want. Phil 4:11 "I have learned in whatever estate I am in to be content." If God prospers a man, he learns to not be puffed up. If he is exposed to want & need, he learns not to murmur. Faith keeps the heart in equal frame. Faith moderates the frame of a man’s spirit on both sides.

 So live by faith in your vocation. Offer your work to God. Ask God to quicken and sharpen your gifts and strengthen your spirit. Serve God by serving others. Serves others by serving God. Amen.

Rich Knight