This way God also took with Moses and with his people of Israel.  They must go to possess the land of the giants, a people high and tall as the cedars, a people of whom went the proverb, “Who can stand before the children of Anak?” They must not be afraid of Og the king of Bashan, though his head be as high as the ridge of a house, and his bedstead a bedstead of iron.

This should teach us not to fear the faces of men; no, not the faces of the mighty; not to fear them in the matters of God, though they should run upon us like a giant.

Persecution, or the appearance of the giants against the servants of God, is no new business; not a thing of yesterday, but of old, even when Noah did minister for God in the world.

“And Noah began to be a husbandman.”  This trade he took up for want of better employment; or rather, in mine opinion, from some liberty he took to himself to be remiss in his care and work as a preacher.  For seeing the church was now at rest, and having the world before them, they still retaining outward sobriety, poor Noah, good man, now might think with himself, “I need not now be so diligent, watchful, and painful in my ministry as formerly; the church is but small, without opposition and also well settled in the truth; I may now take to myself a little time to tamper with worldly things.”  So he makes an essay upon husbandry:  “He began to be a husbandman.”  Ha, Noah, it was better with thee when thou wast better employed; yea, it was better with thee when a world of ungodly men set themselves against thee—­yea, when every day thy life was in danger to be destroyed by the giants, against whom thou wast preacher above a hundred years—­for then thou didst walk with God:  then thou wast better than all the world; but now thou art in the relapse.

Ministers, servants of the church.

Gifts and office make no men sons of God; as so, they are but servants; though these, as ministers and apostles, were servants of the highest form.  It is the church, as such, that is the lady, a queen, the bride, the Lamb’s wife; and prophets, apostles, and ministers are but servants, stewards, laborers for her good.

As therefore the lady is above the servant, the queen above the steward, or the wife above all her husband’s officers, so is the church, as such, above these officers.

Gifts and grace in ministers.

A tinkling cymbal, 1 Cor. 13:1, 2, is an instrument of music with which a skilful player can make such melodious and heart-inflaming music, that all who hear him play can scarcely hold from dancing; and yet behold, the cymbal hath not life, neither comes the music from it, but because of the art of him that plays therewith; so then the instrument at last may come to naught and perish,—­though in times past such music hath been made upon it.

Just thus I saw it was and will be with them that have gifts, but want saving grace:  they are in the hand of Christ, as the cymbal in the hand of David; and as David could with the cymbal make that mirth in the service of God as to elevate the hearts of the worshippers, Christ can so use these gifted men, as with them to affect the souls of his people in his church; and yet when he hath done all, hang them by, as lifeless, though sounding cymbals.