a passage from a sermon by Richard Sibbes pertinent to social media use--"So flesh and blood. If there be anything done that is good, all the world must know it presently."

It was about thirteen years ago that a friend of mine gave me a birthday gift, Richard Sibbes' The Bruised Reed.  The book made quite an impression on me, a strongly positive one.  Americans tend to think of Puritans and immediately think of Cotton Mather or Jonathan Edwards rather than Richard Sibbes and Roger Williams but I don't mind saying that I do admire a few of the Puritans and I have found I admire Sibbes the most and respect Williams' valuable contribution to theological/political thought in the embryonic United States.  Without getting into boring or maybe unpleasant details I was immensely grateful to my friend for giving me The Bruised Reed during that period of my life. 

There wasn't exactly such a thing as the internet that we know of today in the life and times of Richard Sibbes.  Nevertheless, his observation that there are some people who say `Come up and see my zeal for the Lord' seems relevant to the era of Christian righteousness by Twitter ... or Facebook ... or some other form of social media.   

https://archive.org/details/completeworksofr01sibbuoft/page/30

The Description of Christ
a sermon by Richard Sibbes

text
Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my Spirit upon him, and he shall show judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets, &c. Matt XI. 18.


...

Now, by Christ's example we should learn this, ,not to be vainglorious, not to make a great noise. You have some, if they do anything that is good, presently all the world must know it. This was not Christ's disposition. [emphasis added] It is a disposition that is hardly wrought out of man's heart without an exceeding great measure of the Spirit of God; for we see good men have been given this way. David would number the people, that it might be known what a great monarch he was, what a great number of people he had, 2 Sam. xxiv. He was a good man, yet vainglorious. He smarted for it. So good Hezekiah. Ambassadors were sent to him from the king of Babylon, and that they should know Hezekiah was no beggarly prince, out must come the vessels of the temple and all his treasures, to show what a rich king the king of Judah was. 2 Kings xx. 18, et seq. His vainglory cost him all his riches, as the prophet told him. So the disciples. Before they received a great measure of the Spirit, how vainglorious were they! They contended for the higher place; therefore they advise Christ to go up to Jerusalem, that he might be known. As Jehu said to Jonadab, `Come up and see  my zeal for the Lord of hosts', 2 Kings x. 16, he accounts it nothing unless it be seen. So flesh and blood. If there be anything done that is good, all the world must know it presently. Christ chargeth them that no noise should be made, but that they should conceal him. [emphasis added]

What should we learn hence?

To be of Christ's disposition, that is, to have no more care of the knowledge of things than the light of the things themselves will discover, to do works of light, and if the things themselves will break forth to men's eyes and they must see our light shine, then let them, and imitate our good works; but for us to blazon them abroad ourselves, it is not the spirit of Christ.

Let us labor to have humility of spirit, that that may grow up with us in all our performances, that all things that we speak and do may savour of a spirit of humility, that we may seek the glory of God in all things more than our own.

And let us commit the fame and credit of what we are or do to God. He will take care of that. Let us take care to be and to do as we should, and then for noise and report, let it be good or ill as God will send it. [emphasis added] We know ofttimes it falls out that that which is precious in man's eye is abominable in God's. If we seek to be in the mouths of men, to dwell in the talk and speech of men, God will abhor us, ad at the hour of death it will not comfort us what men speak or know of us, but sound comfort must be from our own conscience and the judgment of God.  Therefore, let us labour to be good in secret. Christians should be as minerals, rich in the depth of the earth. That which is least seen is his riches. We should have our treasure deep.  For the discovery of it we should be ready when we are called to it, and for all other accidental things, let them fall out as God in his wisdom sees good. [emphasis added] So let us look through good report and bad report to heaven; let us do the duties that are pleasing to God and our own conscience, and God will be careful enough to get us applause. Was it not sufficient for Abel, that though there was no great notice taken what faith he had, and how good a man he was, yet that God knew it and discovered it? God sees our sincerity and the truth of our hearts, and the graces of our inward man, he sees all these, and he values us by these, as he did Abel. As for outward things there may be a great deal of deceit in them, and the more a man grows in grace, the less he cares for them. As much reputation as is fit for a man will follow him in being and doing what he should. God will look to that. Therefore we should not set up sails to our own meditations, that unless we be carried with the wind of applause, to be becalmed and not go a whit forward [emphasis added]; but we should be carried with the Spirit of God and with a holy desire to serve God, and our brethren, and to do all the good we can , and never care for the speeches of the world, as St. Paul saith of himself: ` I care not what ye judge of me, I care not what the world judgeth, I care not for man's judgment,' 1 Cor. iv. 3. 

Twitter or Facebook or, yes, a blogger account, too, can give all sorts of people the opportunity to set up sails to their own meditations.  The era of Twitter can show us how many Christians there are who, like Jehu, count it nothing unless it is seen whatever the good they believe they have said or done.  All the world must know it presently.