|
|
Post by Admin on Oct 25, 2024 15:00:11 GMT -5
1 JOHN 5:4.
This is the Victory that overcomes the world, even our Faith.
In this former part of the Chapter, we have a double description of them that are born of God.
1. A Priori, from that which is thee heart of the New Creature; that's faith, v.
1. Whosoever believeth is born of God.
2. A Posteriori, from one special fruit of the New Birth, Victory over the world,
3. Whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world. In this whole verse, wherein the Text lies, we have,
A Proposition, Its Exposition.
1. A Proposition. Whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world. A Christian is a Conqueror, a great Conqueror; greater than he that for his Victories was surnamed Magnus, or The Great. He hath conquered all the world.
2. An Exposition of this Proposition. But what is this Conquest of a Christian! And how is it obtained? Why it is a spiritual Conquest, and obtained by Faith. This is the Victory that overcomes the world, even our Faith.
CHAP. I – The Text Opened
For the opening of the words;
By the world, understand whatsoever is in the world, that hinders us in that Race which Christ hath set before us, and holds us short of our Crown.
Those three things which the Apostle tells us, 1 Joh. 2:16, are in the world, the lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. And also the objects of these lusts, as they are such; the pleasures, the profits, and the pomp’s of the world; together with all worldly tribulations and afflictions.
By Faith understand, a living saving Faith, which unites to Christ, and
thereby engages him in our Combat with us.
This is the Victory, even our Faith. Faith is said to be our Victory.
1. Formally. The world hinders and holds us back from Christ, Faith is our coming to Christ; our coming to Christ, is our Victory over all that which held us back.
2. Instrumentally. This is the Victory, that is, this is our arm, or our hand, this is the weapon of our warfare, that hath gotten for us the Victory. Divers observations lie in the words;
Doct. 1. The world is a Christians Enemy. A Conquest supposes a Combat,and a Combat supposes an Enemy.
Doct. 2. A Believer hath his Enemies under his feet, even whilst he is in the fight. He is a Soldier as soon as he is a Believer, and he is a Conqueror as soon as ever he is a Soldier. His very taking up Arms is his Victory.
Doct. 3. A Christian overcomes the world by his Faith. In the prosecution of this third Doctrine, whereon I intend to bottom the following discourse, I shall show,
1. Wherein the enmity of the world against Souls stands.
2. Wherein the strength of the world lies, whereby it prevails against our Souls.
3. Wherein the strength of faith lies, whereby it overcomes the world.
4. The conflict of faith with this warring world; or the several ways in which faith so maintains the fight, that it obtains the victory.
5. The Conquest of Faith over the conflicting world; or wherein this victory stands.
1. Wherein the enmity of the world against souls stands, or discovers itself. The world is an Enemy (as before.) It pretends to be a friend, but its friendship is enmity; enmity against God, Jam. 4:4, and therefore against souls; its kindnesses are darts, its kisses are swords and arrows, its very
peace is war against the soul. But what is this Enmity, or wherein is it discovered?
For the better understanding of this, I shall premise these four things.
1. Every creature of God is good. The whole Creation, in their Original, were man's friends or
servants; there was nothing hurtful that was made.
2. The enmity that is, came in by sin. Sin was the only Make-bate; as betwixt God and Man, so betwixt Man and the rest of the Creatures; all the Enemies which man hath, in Heaven or Earth, he may thank his sin for.
3. There is no malignity in the creature properly, against man in his lapsed state. They are yet all capable of being good and serviceable to him. 1 Tim. 4:4,5. Every creature of God is good, —it is sanctified by the Word of God, and Prayer. Riches are good, yea, and honors and pleasures may be
good and useful to man.
4. It is by accident, and not from the nature of the things, that the creatures are become enemies to us. Sinful man is a distempered diseased creature, distempered in his mind; and hereupon he misapprehends and mistakes the world; and looking for that good that is not in it, he loses that
which is; making it his happiness, it becomes his undoing. He is distempered and diseased in his heart, yea and his whole man; And here upon, as in bodily diseases, the best of creatures, which would be nourishment to the healthy, are to the sick the nourishment of their diseases; and as such are apt to lust after those things which are most noxious, so is it with diseased souls; our appetites are vitiated, and whilst we lust after, either that which we should not, or more then we should have, those very things which are good in themselves, become mischievous and hurtful to us,
the maintaining and increasing our disease
|
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Oct 25, 2024 15:16:38 GMT -5
CHAP. II. – Wherein the enmity of the world against Souls stands or discovers itself.
WHEREIN THE ENMITY OF the world against Souls stands or discovers itself.
These things premised, I shall now show wherein the enmity of the world against our souls stands; and that is in these two things especially.
1. In withdrawing our souls from God. Particularly.
1. In withdrawing our affections from God as our Portion.
2. In withdrawing us from our Allegiance to God as our Sovereign.
1. In withdrawing our affections from God as our Portion. The world by the advantage of our distempered minds and appetites, sets up itself as our God; as our happiness or chiefest good; it proposes its self for a portion to us, and that both as a richer portion, and more suitable then God would be; it persuades us to take our portion in hand, and to take up with what's before us, as our happiness, and not to be so unwise as to make an adventure for an unknown happiness, with the hazard of that present felicity and contentment, which we taste and see to be so good.
CHAP. II. – Wherein the enmity of the world against Souls stands or discovers itself.
God calls, Come unto me, and I will give thee rest, I will be thy portion and reward; come up to the other world, there's an Inheritance for thee. No, no, saith the world, stay with me, dwell here below; thou sees what thine entertainment is here, there thou knows not what thou shalt find; here thou hast substance, here thou hast Sunshine, here thou hast hearts ease, here thou art full and abounded; thou hast thy house full, and thy hands full, and thy belly full, and thy heart full; thou knows what thou hast, thou canst taste, thou canst see how good this world is; the Treasures of the other world, though they be called Treasures of Light, yet to thee they are but Treasures of Darkness, thou knows not what they are; be content, dwell here below, where thou art well.
2. In withdrawing us from our Allegiance to God as our Sovereign. When it hath once drawn away the heart, it will with ease pull away the shoulder; if God's Crown be despised, his Yoke will quickly be shaken off; we break our faith with God when once we are fallen in love with the world; if it become our treasure, we yield ourselves to it for servants; the strength of its temptations lies in the esteem we have of it, and the affection we bear it.
What will the Authority of the Lord do with us, when he hath lost our hearts, and we have chosen us another God! What cannot the world command us to, if we have once set it before us, as our Goal and Prize? If it be our end, it will appoint us our means and way; no unrighteousness but will be right in our eyes, that will serve our worldly designs; farewell faith, truth, mercy, honesty, and all conscience of sin, further then we can make a gain of godliness: And by withdrawing us from our love and obedience to God, to this I might add
3ly, It exposes us to his wrath and displeasure; when we will none of him, he will none of us; when he is forsaken by us, he sets himself against us; by despising the riches of his goodness, we fall under his fury and fiery indignation. This is the state into which the world is leading us.
2. In withholding us from Christ. Christ comes to bring us back unto the Father, 1 Pet. 3:18, to reduce us to our duty, and restore us to our happiness:
The world that withdraws us from God, withholds us from Christ.
Particularly,
It holds us back from coming to Christ.
It holds us in from following of Christ.
1. It holds us back from coming to Christ. And this it doth by these four means: By,
Darkening our sight.
Deadening our sense.
Hanging upon our hearts, and about our necks.
Furnishing us with excuses.
1. By darkening the sight, that we cannot see, either the excellency, or the necessity of Christ; Christ draws on Souls to him by love and fear. First he frights us in, by presenting the danger and misery that is falling upon us, and we cannot escape if we stand out. Look to thyself Sinner, this world will betray thee to thy ruin: thy pleasures are thy traitors, thy carnal friends are thy traitors, thy estate is thy traitor; they are feasting thee and feeding thee, but tis for the day of slaughter: the butcher the butcher of souls is near thee, into whose hands they are betraying thee: they seek thy life, thou art but a dead man; death is already feeding upon thee, the curse of God doth
already cleave to thee, and is ready to fall upon thee in its full weight; thou wilt be devoured, thou wilt be swallowed up ere thou art aware: come away, come to me and thou shalt be safe: this house is falling on thine head, escape for thy life; the avenger of blood is at thy heels, flee to the City of
refuge; I am thy City of refuge, come unto me. Thus he provokes by fear.
And this is such an argument to drive Souls into Christ, as a clap of thunder,or a storm of hail is to the Traveler, to hasten him to shelter.
Then Christ draws by love; presents himself and his salvation to the Soul, displays all his beauty and excellencies before it; opens the Gospel, wherein his grace and his glory appear and shine forth: the Gospel is sent down full of Christ; there are all the treasures and unsearchable riches of Christ, and
all held forth in open sight, to invite sinners unto him.
Now the world dashes all this, that it works nothing on the Soul; by blinding the eye that it cannot see what Christ sets before it: what is either beauty or blackness, to the blind soul? 2 Cor. 4:4. The God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. We are naturally born blind, and if our eyes begin a little to be opened, this earth is thrown as dust in our eyes, that we may not see what’s before us. The things of this world as the Moon interposed, causes an eclipse in our souls,
that we cannot see the Sun, we cannot discern either light or darkness, either the light of the glorious Gospel, or the darkness of the Pitt; either our hopes or our dangers; this earth keeps both Heaven and Hell out of sight.
The things of the world should be a glass wherein we may behold the glory of the Lord; we may see God in every creature. The Heavens declare the glory of God, Psa. 19:1. And so doth the earth also, and all that is therein; but that which God made a glass in which we might see his glory, the Devil makes a cloud to take God out of sight; what God made a window to let in the light, the Devil makes a shut, to keep it out. Worldly men fix and terminate their eyes in worldly things; they can neither look besides them nor through them. It is not with them according to the course of nature
[The Sun dazzles men's eyes that they cannot see the Earth]
but the quite contrary [The Earth dazzles their eyes that they cannot see the Sun] Men usually carry their eyes in their hearts, they will not look but where they love; or if they should look heavenward, yet they could not see, the earth hath dazzled their eyes.
Sinners, take heed of these riches, take heed of these pleasures; these substances and these shadows, which your hearts are set upon; they will not only be as clogs to keep you down from ascending heavenward, but as clouds to hinder you from looking thither. It may be they appear as bright clouds, but a bright cloud will hide the Sun out of sight, as well as a black.
2. By deadening the sense; they can neither see nor feel: they see not the excellency, nor can feel their need of Christ, who are drunken with these worldly vanities: they who altogether live by sense, are without sense of any but the present things: they can make a shift to [live] without Christ; the
less of Christ the better for their turns. Christ and the things of Christ are the only things that stand in their way; are their way to poverty not to wealth, to reproach and shame not to honor: they can well enough want Christ while they live, but what need they may have of him after this life,
that enters not into their hearts; they are so busy with what they find here, that they look not so far as the grave, much less beyond it.
'It is hard dealing with such hearts, but when you find them alone; retired and withdrawn from the world; and how long may we wait ere we meet with such a season? Find them in a crowd, among their carnal friends and companions, find them among their Sheep or Oxen, or at their pleasures,
and the noise of these will so drown all that can be said, that its like to make as deep impression, as a shower upon a stone: cry out in their ears, fire, fire,
throw Death and Hell in their faces, it moves them not so much, as to draw
forth such a question, What may I do to escape?
We never will come to Christ till we see we need him; and we never see our need of Christ, till being withdrawn from the hurries of this World, we have leisure to sit down and consider.
How seldom do carnal hearts ask, What use is there of Christ?
Wherefore is he come?
What want would there be of him if there were no Christ?
If God that spared not his Son, but gave him a ransom for the world, had spared all this cost, it had been all one to them; they could have lived as merrily, and as plentifully here however, and that’s all they mind or regard.
Or if they have any sense of their need of Christ at all, it is so little, that it will do nothing to the persuading them after him: the wound is not so deep, but the name of a Savior will skin it over. Seldom does it rise so high as to wring out such a serious question, What may I do that Christ may be mine?
How many Houses, and Markets, Shops, and Companies may we come into, ere we hear any such question?
Go into the Field, where Men are busy a plowing and sowing or reaping, and there you may hear them enquiring, how may I keep off the Birds, or how may I keep out the Beasts from hurting my field! When will it be rain? Or when will it be like to be fair weather!
Come into the Market, where men are buying and selling and trading, and there you may hear them
asking, how goes the price of Corn, or of Cattle!
Where are the best Commodities!
Where is the best choice!
Come into the houses where they are eating and drinking or working, and there you may hear them enquiring, what must we have for the next meal, what for tomorrow, &c. But oh how seldom do we hear amongst them all, any such questions, How is my Soul provided for! How, how doth my soul prosper!
No, no, when the world is gotten into the heart, there's no sense of Souls or the concernment of them:
where the world is in the heart Death and Hell may be there too, and never regarded.
Could we once make men deeply sensible, how great their need of Christ is, what they are without Christ; in what slippery places they stand, in what jeopardy they go daily, what a dreadful gulf of woe and misery, the wind and tide of their worldly prosperity, are carrying them down into, and how
suddenly they may be swallowed up in perdition and destruction, and what miserable comforts their past pleasures, and plenty will then be to them; were they sensible, that nothing but Christ, and a part in him would stand them in any stead, to save them from that gulf; that the casting anchor on that rock of ages, would alone secure them from splitting on those fatal rocks, from perishing by those tumbling waves and billows, that are hurrying them down to the lake beneath; were they sensible, that tis Christ only that can secure them from these dangers, their need would be argument enough to drive them to him. But being drunken with the pleasures of sin, whilst this wine is in, the wits are out, they will not consider, they do not perceive the danger they are in. When the Prodigal, Lk. 15, had spent all that he had in his riotous living, when his whole stock was wasted, and not a husk left, then he had time to consider, and bethink himself what a case he was in; and the pinching sense of his necessitous state, to which his folly had reduced him, this brings him to his wits again; he comes to himself, and then away he will to his father. If you had met him a little before; in his cups, and amongst his whores, if you had found him at his riotous table, and in the heat of his lust, and should there have preached to this Prodigal,
Friend this life will not last always, twill be thy wisest course to consider in time what thou dost. Be sober be temperate, run from these Harlots, and return to thy Father; how would he have laughed and scoffed at such a sermon; at least the next cup would have washed it off his heart: but when his hunger and thirst preach thus to him, Get thee home to thy Father, then away he goes.
3. It hangs upon our hearts, and about our necks: The world hath gotten hold of our hearts, and there it will keep its hold while it can. Its gotten so much within us, and hath so twisted and twined itself about our affections, that it will be very hard getting it off.
We cannot close with Christ, but we must break with the world; we must be divorced from this, ere we can be married to our second husband: worldlings see what work Christ makes, in those hearts where he gets possession; he whips out the buyers and sellers and their merchandise out of his Temple: he changes the customs, and pleasures, and business of the heart, Its dealings and its delights: Its love and its labor must be no longer bestowed, and consumed upon meat, and drink, and money, and mirth; he
hath other delights for it, and other work to keep it doing.
These things must be minded in their place, and in their season, but they must keep their place: Stand off Farms and Oxen, stand off Lands and money, keep your distance, get you down and take the lower room, give this man place who is more honorable than you all. Christ and the world contend for the place, which shall sit uppermost, and go foremost in the soul: Christ will not come in to be an Underling, he will have the chief room, the chief respect and esteem; he will have the command of all that is in the house: herein stands Christianity, or our conversion to Christ, in surrendering up the Throne to Christ; ’tis not the question, whether thou canst find a corner in thine heart to entertain Christ in, but who sits in the Throne, who hath the government of thy soul, who hath the right hand
within thee; Canst thou say to the Lord Jesus, Sit thou on the right hand, let all thy foes be made thy footstool?
All sinful pleasures, all sinful gains, must depart, and come no more where Christ dwells; and those which are lawful must come under, and be brought into subjection to him; no more sensuality or carnal mirth, no more covetousness or oppression, no more pride or self-exalting, away with these, cast them out, and never take them in forever, if thou meanest that Christ shall take up his habitation in thee: And no more zeal for the lawful concernments of this life; no more pleading business against Religion, no more pleading safety against duty, no more pleading credit against conscience, no more pleading gain against godliness, preserve and improve thy estate, maintain thy credit, provide for thy safety, follow thy business, thou mayest, and thou must; but bring all under, make all to stand aside, and
give place to Christianity and Conscience: Christ will be no underling, he resolves for the Throne, where ever he dwells.
And the world that hath already gotten the Throne, is loath to become the footstool; ’tis who shall be King, ’tis who shall be God, that the great Contest is about; and the world that hath King'd it so long, knows not how to be content to be a subject; it sees it must come down if Christ come in,
there cannot be two Kings in one Kingdom, it must come down, this pride must come down, this credit, these pleasures, this carnal mirth, this covetousness must be laid in the dust, if Christ set footing here. And therefore it does all it can to resist Christ; stops the ears, blinds the eye,
turns away the heart from hearkening to him.
Christ stands at the door and knocks; Christ cries and calls, Come unto me,open to me. Christ promises and offers, Come and I will receive you, open and I will come in unto you, and dwell with you.
If the soul begins to listen to the call of Christ, the world steps in, and objects, What dost thou mean simple soul? What art thou doing? Whither art thou going? Hearken to Christ, hearken to this Word, hearken to this Conscience, and what then shall become of me? What shall become of thy estate? What shall become of thy esteem? What shall become of thy liberty?
What shall become of all thy love, and friendship, and pleasure thou hast in the world?
Art willing to be poor? Art willing to be in bondage? Art willing to be in reproach and disgrace?
Open that door once, let Christ in, have anything to do with Conscience, and thou art undone; all that ever thou hast, all that ever thou loves in all the world, must thenceforth become strangers to thee.
Hast thou not given [me] thy heart?
Have not I lain in thy bosom?
Hast thou not cherished me, and cared for me as thine own soul?
And have not I deserved thy care, and respect?
Have not I been thy food, and thy raiment, and thy joy, and all the comfort of thy life?
What wilt thou be when I have left thee, when thy estate hath left thee, thy pleasures have left
thee, thy friends have left thee?
I know thou loves me; thou loves to be rich, and to be great, and to be at thy ease, and thy liberty, as thou loves thy life: I know I have thy heart, and thou art loath to leave me. I, but therefore consider, and take heed; if thou hearken to Christ once, if thou meddle too far with Religion, and wilt be dealing for another world once, then farewell this.
But canst thou find in thine heart to leave me?
Have I been a Wilderness to thee, or a Land of darkness?
Hath it not been well with thee?
Hast thou wanted anything?
Hast thou not been full and abounded?
Hast thou not flourished and prospered?
Hast thou not had thy belly full of meat, and thy belly full of mirth, and thy bones full of rest, and thy heart full of ease and content?
What hast thou wanted whilst thou embraced my love?
And canst thou now find in thine heart to part? Look to thyself; what day thou strikes hands with Christ, thou must shake hands with all the world. Look for no more favor from me; thou dost not know when thou art well, when thou hast enough; but henceforth, if thou take this course, thou shalt have little enough?
If Christ carry thee, he shall carry thee naked, thou shalt leave all thy good things behind thee; and look for it, I have not been so great a friend, but now I will be as great an enemy; I will persecute thee, and plague thee, and vex thee; and if I may no longer sleep in thy bosom, I will stick in thy sides; if I may no longer be the treasure of thine heart, I will be a dart in thy liver.
But consider, be advised foolish soul, let us not part thus; stay, stay with me, go not after thou knows not what; forsake not an old friend for a new; believe it, the old is better; if thou wilt be wise, stay as thou art, and mind thy present commodity; lay by the thoughts of the other world, let hereafter take care for itself, never stand amusing thyself about thou knows not what, I have not been so good to thee, but I will be better to thee then ever; come let's take our fill of love, eat, drink, and be merry; gather, keep, lay-up what's before thee, and cast away care: And thus it woos, and flatters, and bewitches it into a neglect of Christ so long, till it hath smitten the soul under the fifth rib, and stabbed it to death, and drowned it in perdition and destruction.
4. It will help men to excuses for their neglect of Christ. Men are ashamed to play the Fools, but they would have something to say for it, to stop mouths withal; to stop the mouth of Conscience, to stop the mouths of Men, to stop the mouth of their Judge, if it be possible, Lk. 14:18. Those that
were invited to come to Christ, its said, they all began to make excuses; they were ashamed to say, they would not come, that had been too gross; but they excuse themselves, we cannot come, Ruth 4:6.
The Kinsman of Ruth, that had the offer of redeeming the Inheritance of his deceased Kinsman, answered no, I cannot redeem it, lest I mar mine own Inheritance. He would not say, I will not redeem it; no, an excuse must be found out, I cannot redeem it, I should mar mine own Inheritance, if I redeem my
Brothers. So these here, they do not say I will not, but I cannot come. Why, what's the matter you cannot come to Christ? What excuse have you? Whence have you your excuse? Oh the world furnishes them with an excuse; I have a Farm, says one, I have Oxen to look to, says another; I have a Wife to mind, says a third, I pray thee have me excused, I cannot come.
Christians, have your hearts never made this use of the world, to make it your excuse for your neglecting Christ, and your souls?
It hath hindered you many a time from coming to Christ, and then excused you for not coming.
How many prayers hath it lost you? How many Sabbaths hath it lost you?
The loss of these may be the loss of Christ, the loss of your souls: How much of these spiritual advantages hath the world lost you? And when they are lost, when you have lost a praying time, or hearing time, lost a Sabbath, or a Sermon, or a Sacrament, this must serve for an excuse, I was busy, and could not come.
An excuse is a pretense, or a shift that men find out, to save themselves from blame, for all their neglects of Christ, and their souls; as if they should say, its a shame for men to neglect Christ that have nothing else to mind in his stead; its a shame for men to neglect their souls, that have nothing else to look to; I have no mind to Christ, and his ways, this looking after my soul, and my Conscience, and the matters of the other world, are things that I like not, and list not to be meddling withal; but what shall I say for myself if I neglect them? I am ashamed to say, I care not for Christ, I care not for my soul, I care not for heaven and everlasting glory, I care not though I
perish and die, I dare not say thus; and yet these things that Christ calls to me, are so contrary to me, that I have no mind to meddle with them: But what shall I say for myself, if I do not? Some excuse or other I must have, what may be my excuse?
Why, hast thou never a Farm to look to, never a Wife nor Family to look after?
Or hast thou not a house, or a horse, or a companion?
Hast thou no sports, nor pleasures, no Hawks nor dogs to follow?
Hast thou nothing to do?
Hast thou nothing to say? Tell Christ, tell Conscience, thou hast other business to do; thou hast thy friends, or thy pleasures, that call thee another way; anything may serve, a bad excuse is better than none. An excuse is a pretense to have reason for what we do: no man can have reason to neglect Christ, no man can have reason to continue in sin; and yet there are few cases, wherein men will not pretend to have reason for it, especially the worldling, whoever wants, he will be sure to find reason enough for his worldliness.
Though the Drunkard can hardly say, I have reason to be drunk;
though the Adulterer can hardly say, I have reason to follow Harlots;
though the Swearer can hardly say, I have reason to swear, or blaspheme;
though the Prodigal can hardly say, I have reason to waste, and spend my Estate;
yet the worldling will easily say, I have reason to get an Estate, to keep what I have; reason to be a good Husband, and to be provident; who shall keep me when I am old? Who shall take care of my Family? I have reason to take care for myself; who will take care for me, if I do not take care of myself?
And though this may be looked on as a miserable Plea for the neglect of Christ, I am following a Whore, and I cannot come; I must to the Alehouse, or the Tavern, and I cannot come; yet this will pass for a fair excuse, I have a Wife, or a Family, or a Farm, and I cannot come.
I pray thee have me excused? For what? That thou dost not come to Christ, and hearken to, and follow him? That is, excuse me that I undo myself, that I stab, or drown, or hang myself, that I go to the Devil and damn my soul: If I go to hell, and there perish forever, I pray do not blame me for it, I have reason for what I do; I [must] take care of this world whatever becomes of me in the other world: as for those that have nothing else to do, but to mind Christ and Salvation, if they neglect it, let them answer for themselves, if they can; for my part I have reason enough to do as I do: Hast thou reason to go to hell? Reason to be damned? Go then and bear thy burden forever, till thy sense too late teach thee better reason.
Oh what wise men are the men of this world! What very fools are the worldly wise! They destroy their souls to please and provide for their carcasses; they count the world their happiness, and this their happiness must have the killing of them: some men's businesses must have the killing of them; some men's money must do it, some men's pleasures must do it, some men's friends must have the killing of their souls: some are too rich, some are too busy, some are too merry, some are too high, some are too
civil and courtly, to come to Christ and save their souls. Behold the wisdom of this world!
Consider this Brethren, if some of you do not find it thus; how is it with your souls?
In what case are your souls?
Are you in Christ?
Are you converted to God? Have you gotten any saving knowledge, or anything of the Grace of God in your hearts?
Or are you not still without Christ, without Grace, without God in the world? What is it that hath hindered you, but your fleshly and worldly hearts, which have held you under the power of
these fleshly and worldly things?
It may be you might have had grace in your hearts, if you had not had so much money in your purse, if you had not had so much to do in this world, you might have done more for the world to come: whilst you have been busy here and there, as the man in the Prophets Parable, 1 King. 20:40, your souls are lost, the Kingdom is lost: if you had not had so many sheep, and oxen, and trades to be looked after, it may be your souls had been better looked to; if you had not had so many carnal friends about you, it may be Christ had been entertained by you; these are they which you have taken in exchange for Christ, these are they for which you have sold the Gospel, these are they for which you have sold your souls to the devil.
You wonder at those poor miserable creatures, the Witches, who for a little money, or a few years pleasure, do by express bargain and sale, make over their souls to the devil, and yet will do the same things yourselves.
Where are your souls? In whose hands are they? Who hath the possession? Who hath the dominion of them? Are they with Christ? Doth he govern? Doth he rule them? Hath he taken possession of them? Do you
think he hath indeed? Are the ignorant, the idle, the simple, the sensual, the earthly, the careless, the barren souls of the world, are these the possession of Christ? Would Christ have left you in such a carnal senseless state, if you had ever come into his hands? Do ye think he would? Who are they that are without Christ, if you are in Christ? Who are the sinners, if you are the Saints? Who are the children of this world, if you be the children of the Kingdom?
Are you they whom God hath chosen out of this world, to be a peculiar people to himself?
Are you they that have forsaken all for Christ, who have forsaken Christ for this world?
Are you the Children of Light, Vessels of Honor, the Images of God, his mortified ones, his crucified ones, his sanctified ones?
Will Christ leave his chosen vessels to be such wooden, and iron, and earthen vessels, as your Souls are at this day? What a poor and low and miserable thing do you make of Christianity, if this be it, which you have attained to? Look to it, if you have any such thought, sure you have deceived yourselves to this day.
Are you not in Christ? What is it that hath hindered you? Christ hath invited you in; the Gospel of Christ hath been preached to you, the everlasting door hath been set open to you, the servants have been sent out among you, to call you and compel you to come in; but the world hath kept you back, your friends have hung about you, your business have lain upon you, your estates have called you another way, and would not suffer you to enter in.
And that these are they that have done it, it is apparent, since these are they that must serve you for an excuse. I have had so many encumbrances and entanglements and diversions every day, that I could not do for my Soul, as others may.
And oh how glad have you often been of an excuse! That you have had something to say for yourself, and to silence Conscience under the neglect of Christ? More glad of an hindrance then of an opportunity; there is such an ungratefulness and unpleasingness of Christ and his ways, to carnal hearts, that when Christ hath been dealing with them, and persuading and awakening them, to look after them, the world seems to do them a kindness in stepping in, and calling their hearts back and putting all out of mind.
When Christ calls to a duty, to an ordinance, to bring us near to him, that he might deal with us, and treat with us about the matters of eternity; whilst some rejoice to come in, to appear in his presence, to hear his voice, to pour out their Souls to him in prayer or fasting, &c. Others are glad that they have something to say, that they could not be there; glad of a business or of a friend that kept them off, glad of a temptation; that the Devil laid a block in their way, that the world called them out another way; not considering what an eternal loss they may have hereby sustained.
Behold now the friend of sinners; the Idol, the god whom they serve, this present world: this is your beloved, this is your friend. But what is its friendship to you? What kindness hath this world for you? You love it and seek it and serve it, and work for it; it hath your time, and your strength, and
your hearts, bestowed upon it; for this you live, and labor, and sweat, and toil out all your days; but when all is done, what kindness doth it show you? What reward have you? It feeds you, and clothes you; and pleases and pampers your flesh, but it kills your Souls: It blinds, it hardens, it holds you
in a sottish, senseless, carnal state and course, keeps Christ and your hearts apart, holds your Souls in death, and shuts you out from the kingdom of God. This is your God whom you hug, and worship, and bless yourselves in, and busy yourselves for: this is your beloved, here is the kindness of your friend: and is not this friendship of the world enmity? What can the Devil do more, then keep you from Christ, and what doth the world do less?
Hitherto it hath kept you off, and when do you think if you hearken to it, will it give you leave to go over to him? When will it say unto you, thou hast served me long enough; thou hast served thy pleasures, and thy estate, and thy friends long enough, now go thy way and serve thy God, now go to
Christ and look after thy Soul; how long will it be ere the world will thus give thee leave? Or if it will not give thee leave, how long will it be ere thou take thy leave.
Be not deceived, that which hath hindered doth hinder, and will hinder thee from ever making a saving close with Christ, till thy Soul and it be parted.
Depart, depart: depart from your worldly ways, depart from your worldly pleasures, and let a worldly heart depart from you, and then welcome Christ and his Gospel, then welcome Grace and Holiness, then welcome God and the everlasting kingdom.
2. The enmity of the world shows itself, in hindering the Soul from following of Christ. If it cannot quite keep us off from Christ, it will hold us back, that Christ shall have but little service of us, 2 Tim. 2:4. No man that warreth entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please
him who hath chosen him to be a Soldier. Christ's servants are all Soldiers; and the world is one special enemy we are to fight against: there’s like to be but heartless fighting, where we are in league with the enemy; whilst we should be charging it, we shall be like enough to be treating for peace, if not quite to forsake our colors, and run over to the enemies camp: Christ entertains none, but those that are free and disengaged persons; and by how much the more free, by so much the more fit for his service: no man that warreth [entangleth] himself: a Soldier that fights in fetters, fights
thereafter: we must put off our fetters, if we will put on our armor.
[In the affairs of this life] the work that Christ hath to put his servants upon, lies in the affairs of the other life; he that is entangled in the affairs of this, will do little about the affairs of the other life.
[That he may please him who hath chosen him to be a Soldier] The servant must so serve his master, as to please him; he that is Christ's servant, must devote himself to the pleasing of his Lord; he must not please men, he must not please himself; his appetite, his pride, his covetousness; is this thy pleasing of Christ, to be serving his enemies? If you be Christ's indeed, you herein displease your selves, in being self-pleasers. He that is not angry with himself for his flesh pleasing, he that can humor, and favor, and gratify his earthly and sensual heart, and be pleased with himself, and be patient with himself, for so doing, Christ hath little in that man; and if your pleasing yourself cannot stand with the pleasing of your Souls, which have devoted themselves to Christ, much less will it stand with the pleasing of your Lord, who hath chosen you for his Soldiers.
But more particularly, the world discovers its enmity here.
1. In cutting Christ short of that service and those fruits which he should reap from us.
2. In cutting us short of that service and peace that we might receive from him.
1. The world cuts Christ short of that service, and those fruits which he should reap from us,
Hos. 10:1. Israel is an empty vine he bringeth forth fruit to himself. Israel is an empty vine; that is, to his Lord: tis but a poor vintage, little or no fruit he brings forth to God; he is his vine; he hath planted, he hath watered, and he hath fenced him, and he looks for grapes, but finds none; why what’s the reason of it? Oh he hath brought forth all his fruits to himself; he hath store of fruit, but no such fruit as God looks for, he brought forth so much to his flesh, that there's none for his God. Phil. 2:2. All seek their own, and not the things of Christ. Here's little seeking of Christ among you, saith the Apostle; the worship and service of Christ, the honor and interest of Christ is little regarded; there's a general neglect of him. None, that is, there are scarce any among you, none in comparison, that mind the things of Christ: but why is Christ so neglected?
Why because every man is for himself; and all seek their own, that is, their outward and earthly things Their own things?
Why are not the things of Christ so much thine own, as the things of the world? Are thy carnal friends more thine, then Christ is thine?
Are thy earthly possessions, thy earthly pleasures, thy meat, and thy drink, and thy money, the things of thy body, more thine then thy Soul, and the concernments of it?
Thou art a pitiful Christian, if the things of Christ be not more thine, then the things of this world; if the things of Christ and thine own things, be not the very same; but yet thus our fleshly hearts count, our carnal things are our own things; and the more we seek our own, the less the things of Christ: the most careful Worldling is the most careless Christian.
Brethren, how little is there done for Christ? How little is Christ served or sought?
Judge ye everyone in your own selves: how little hath been done for Christ, or is now a doing! Look back, and sum up all that you have done, and gather together all, concerning which you can say, this hath been done for Christ: this day, or this hour was spent in seeking of Christ; and see into what a narrow room all will be brought: look into your hearts, and see how many shops and fields you may find there, to one sanctuary; how many Markets and Fairs have been kept there, to on Sabbath; how many
servants hath Christ at work for him within you? All that is within you have the name of the servants of Christ; every faculty is his servant; your thoughts, affections, understandings consciences; every member; your hands, eyes tongues, have all the name of the servants of Christ: but are these at work for Christ?
Are your understandings viewing Christ?
Are your thoughts searching after Christ?
Are your affections working up towards Christ?
Are your consciences pleading for Christ?
Are your tongues speaking for Christ?
Are your hands laying up, or laying out for Christ?
The Devil hath his servants busy a working for him; our carnal thoughts, our fleshly lusts, our earthly affections, all our earthly members are hard at work for the Devil; to harden us against Christ, to entice us from Christ, to defile and destroy our Souls; but how little is done for Christ would make our hearts to tremble if we did consider how little; may be there may be divers of our souls, in which there hath not been one stroke of work done for Christ, since they had a being, and in whom there's anything done, oh how little is it?
What footing hath Christ gotten in your hearts?
What faith, or love, or fear, or honor hath he in you?
How goes his sanctifying work, his mortifying work on in you?
How fares it with his enemies in you, your lusts, and passions, and carnal affections?
Are not these still Lording it in his room?
Oh how little is it that is yet done for Christ within us?
How little power and authority hath he in us?
How low is it with us both in point of grace and peace?
How little is he minded, or loved, or praised, in us?
How little pleasure or delight do we take in him?
How little care take we for him?
Any little good thing that he hath committed to us, how hath it been cherished, and nourished, and improved?
Doth it not languish, and pine away?
Whilst our faces shine, our flesh flourishes, our outward man thrives, in what a withering perishing case is our inner man?
Think with yourselves, are matters with you within as you could wish they were?
Is it with your souls as Christ would have it?
Do you think he will say to you, in the case you are in, well done, thou hast been a faithful servant, a good Steward of my manifold graces?
How is it without you?
What are your duties?
What are your ways?
What praying, or hearing, or walking?
Oh what shuffling over duties, what halting in your goings?
What do you more than others? Are you not carnal and vain as others?
Are you not proud and froward as others?
Are you not unsavory and unprofitable as others?
Of what use are you to those you walk amongst?
What examples are you to them?
Wherein are they the better for you?
Does your light shine?
Do ye provoke them to love and good works?
What do you for your Relations, for your friends, for your families, or any of the members of Christ?
What mourning is there under the dishonor of Christ?
What sense of the sufferings of Christ?
Doth not Christ suffer much in the world, in his Ministers, in his Members, in his Worship, in his Sabbaths and Ordinances?
How fares it abroad with Christ?
How fares it with his Gospel, with his Saints? Is all well? Is it peace?
Doth the Church prosper? Doth Religion flourish?
Or doth it not suffer, and mourn, and bleed, and is even ready to vanish away?
And yet who is there almost that cares for any of these things?
How few are there that lay them to heart?
Where are the hearts that tremble for the Ark of God?
That ask, how fares it with the Israel of God?
Oh Brethren, its lamentable to see how little upon any account whatsoever, the things of Christ are anywhere minded. But what's the reason?
Why look abroad everywhere in the world, you may see reason enough; what is there a doing everywhere?
Go into one Town, go into another; go into one house,and another,and another, and what are they doing?
How busy are we in buying, and selling, and building, and planting, ploughing, and sowing, marrying, and giving in marriage?
This is it; we are so busy for this world, that Christ and the things of Christ are little regarded by us. 2. It holds us short of that grace, and true peace, which we might receive from him. The cares of this world choke the Word, that it cannot prosper in such souls, that it can neither quicken us, nor comfort us: Grace is a flower that will grow best in those Gardens where it hath least of earth: A worldly-minded Christian, a worldly-minded Professor, will never be but a Dwarf, will be but an Infant in Religion, at forty years old. How many may we see among us, that have lived many years under the profession of Religion, and have had some hope towards God, and some confidence that Christ is in them of a truth; who if they should take an account of themselves, what increase have I made in the grace of God all this while? What hath been added to me; to my faith, or love, or zeal of God? To my knowledge of God, to my acquaintance with mine own heart? How much humility, spirituality,
mortification? What power over my corruptions, my pride, my passion, my peevishness, my fleshliness have I obtained? What evidences have I gotten for heaven? What clearness, and grounded confidence and assurance am I grown up to now more then I was, seven, or ten, or twenty years agone?
What have I gotten? How much, and wherein have I improved in all this time?
Oh how may most of us sadly answer, What have I gotten?
How have I grown?
Oh the Lord he merciful to me, have I not lost?
Have I not sunk and decayed?
Is it not worse with me now, then many years ago; my faith grown, my love grown, my holiness and my hope grown, my comfort and my confidence grown? The Lord help me, rather my fears, and my doubts,
my darkness and my deadness, and my sins are grown upon me; I have less life, and less love, and less joy, and less peace, then when I first looked after Christ. Let worldly-minded Professors, prove and consider themselves narrowly, if this, such a lean, starveling, lifeless state of soul, be not all the
kindness they are beholding to their worldliness for; it hath built you houses, and bought you Lands, and filled your purses, and fed your carcasses, and provided for your Families; but it hath starved your souls. O my leanness, my leanness, my dry and withered soul, my weak heart, my wasted Conscience; Oh how little truth or tenderness, how little love, or life, or warmth, do I feel within me? Oh how much pride, and frowardness?
Oh how much lust and liberty to sin, hath there grown upon me? I can fret, and vex, and chafe; I can be false, I can lie, and dissemble; all the Religion I have gotten into my soul, after so long a time of profession, is not enough to restrain these vile abominations: Oh my soul, how sad is it with thee? How low is it with thee to this day? How comes this to pass? Why, this is thy good husbandry, this is thy worldliness; thy laboring so much, thy hungering so much after the meat that perishes, or thy being given to thy pleasure, or thy ease; this is it that hath held thee in such a poor case, such
an unfruitful and barren state, such a dark and uncomfortable state, as thou art in at this day: for all this unhappiness thou art beholding to the world, and thy worldliness.
Thus you have seen the enmity of the world against souls, it holds back from Christ, darkens the sight, that we cannot see the excellency or the need of Christ; deadens the sense, and hinders from following Christ, keeps Christ short, &c.
Let this, by the way, be an argument to dissuade from worldliness; are you Christians, or would you be so?
Would you ever come to anything in Religion?
Would you prosper in holiness?
Would you have the comfort of Christianity? Then take heed and beware of a worldly heart, which will either hinder you from ever coming to Christ, or else be a Canker and a Moth, to devour and eat out the spirits of all that Christianity you have.
|
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Oct 25, 2024 18:10:56 GMT -5
CHAP III. – Wherein the strength of the world lies, whereby it prevails upon so many souls
WHEREIN THE STRENGTH OF the world lies, whereby it prevails upon so many souls.
It is a wonder it should ever prevail so as it does, that ever men of
understanding, endued with immortal souls, should suffer themselves to be
led up and down as they are, by such a pernicious and mortal Enemy; that
when they have seen so many lost and undone by it, they should never take
warning; that it should ever be trusted as it is, that it should ever be loved as
it is, that it should ever be hearkened to as it is, especially considering how
unreasonable its demands are, and how inconsiderable its rewards.
What does the world demand? What would it have? This is it, if it would
speak out; Come sell me thy God, come sell me thy hopes that thou hast for
the other world, come sell me thy soul, come give me thy heart, love me,
and serve me.
But what shall be mine hire? What wilt thou give me then? If it would
speak out, this is the reward it gives, Vanity and vexation, death and
destruction; Hell shall be thine hire. But suppose it should give what it says
CHAP III. – Wherein the strength of the world lies, whereby it
prevails upon so many souls. it will; all the good things on this side the grave; riches, honors, pleasures,ease, abundance of all these, and all manner of contentment in the
enjoyment of them; yet what's all this thou shouldst gain, on this side the
grave, to what thou shalt loose, and to what thou shalt suffer on the other
side of the grave? What's Earth to Heaven? What's Time to Eternity?
Suppose it should say plainly, come take thy good things here, and thy
evil things hereafter; take thy riches in this, and thy poverty in the other
world; take thy pleasures here, and thy plagues beneath; be full or be merry,
prosper, flourish, rejoice for a few hours, or for a few days, and be
miserable, cry howl be in torments to Eternity.
If the World should speak out thus to Men (this it designs) if it should
speak out thus, into what madness must those Souls be bewitched, that
would hearken to it? And yet behold, though this be the design its driving
on, and men might know it if they would but consider; yet behold how the
whole world almost, are wondering after this beast, and busy in making
bargains with it to be its captives and servants: yea not only suffering
themselves to be persuaded, and beguiled in o this bondage, but also
willingly offering themselves for servants. I pray thee take me into the
number of thy servants: Take [my] Soul, world says one, take [my] God,
says another, take my hopes, says another. Let me be but a rich man, let me
be a great man, let me have so much money, or so much lands, or so much
pleasure, or ease or honor; let but this Moon shine upon me, and take the
Sunshine, whoever will; let me be this world’s favorite, and I am content to
be its servant; and so along they go after it, till they be lost forever.
What a wonder is this? And yet how many such prodigies are to be seen
every day, and in every place? This is the case of every worldling; thou that
wilt be rich, thou whose heart goes after thy covetousness, thou who art
given to thy pride, or thy pleasures, or thy ease, thou art boring thine ear to
the threshold of thy mortal enemy; thou art doing away thy patrimony for
husks, thou art doing away thy Soul, and its eternal inheritance to buy in thy
life into an house, or parcel of Land; or for a bundle of crackling thorns, to
make thee blaze, before which thou mayest dance and be merry for an hour
or two, and then go down to everlasting darkness.
This being such a marvelous thing; that such an enemy, that is so known
and confessed to be, by the very men that suffer themselves to be led
Captive by it, (for what worldling is there that will not confess that this
world is an Enemy) that such a known Enemy, should still so easily prevail
in the world: (as the Apostle in another case, Gal. 3:1,3. O foolish Galatians
who hath bewitched you? Are ye so foolish that having begun in the Spirit
ye will be made perfect in the flesh? O foolish worldlings who hath
bewitched you! Are ye so foolish that being born to things Spiritual and
Eternal, you will be thus led captive by things Temporal and Fleshly?) this
being such a marvelous thing, it will be worth our time to inquire, wherein
the strength of the world lies, whereby it so strangely prevails.
And indeed it is a piece of the best policy, and that which gives great
advantage against an enemy, to study and find out where his strength lieth,
Judge. 16:6. &c. When Delilah attempted the delivering of Samson bound
into the hands of the Philistines, she lies at him day by day, tell me where
thy great strength lieth, tell me where thy great strength lieth: in vain did
they assault him, in vain did she bind him; her Cords, and her Withs, and
her webs could never hold him, till at length she found out where his
strength lay; which when she had once found out, she quickly spoiled him
of it, and delivered him a captive to his enemies: find out the strength of the
World, what it is, and wherein it lies, and then you will understand your
way to the conquering of it.
But where lies this strength of the World? I answer, In,
The Spirit of the World within us, In the God of the World without us.
1. In the spirit of the world within: the world hath a strong party within
man, which sides with it, 1 Cor. 2:12. We have received not the spirit of the
world but the spirit which is of God [we] have not; we who have that spirit
of God in us have not received the spirit of this world: but all others have
no other spirit. In the whole generation of worldly men, there is the same
spirit; as in the whole generation of the Saints there is the same divine
spirit, the same spirit of grace, the same spirit of faith, the same spirit of
love, the same holy spirit. So in all the men of this world there is the same
worldly spirit.
The spirit of this world is an earthly Spirit, 1 Cor. 15:47, the first man is
of the earth, earthy: in his creation he had an earthy body, and by sin he is
come to have an earthy Soul. Sin was his fall from Heaven to Earth, as in
his choice he made for himself: he chose an earthly inheritance; so in his
temper, and disposition, and tendency; his very nature now inclines, and
bends towards earthly things; his Soul as well as his Body, lusts after, and
feeds upon dust.
The spirit of the World is a short-sighted spirit: it cannot see afar off, 2
Pet. 1:9. Heavenly things are too far distant to be discerned by it, it loves
and gapes for, and grasps things present, things to come are far out of its
sight.
The spirit of the world is a low and narrow spirit, these poor and beggarly
things that this earth affords, are the highest of its ambition.
Seekest thou great things for thyself?
Yes I do: what, worldly greatness?
Are these the great things thou seekest? A great name, a great estate? Great
possessions? Thou mistakest thyself man, these great things are but small
things, below the spirit of a man, below a divine and immortal Soul: meat,
and drink, and mirth, and money? Are these the best things thou findest for
thy heart to be set upon? For thy soul to take pleasure in? Sure thou hast
changed Souls with the bruits, that canst take up with such things as these.
The Spirit of the World is an homebred spirit: it hath never been abroad,
but hath been born and bred in this worldly region: it hath never set foot,
nor been acquainted in a better land: the spirit which is of God, carries up to
the upper regions; the regions of light, and life, and glory and immortality;
where it hath made discoveries of other manner of treasures, and joys, and
glories, then are here to be found; but the spirit of the world hath ever dwelt
at home; the souls of worldlings dwell in their houses of clay, and never
travail farther; then they can, with the snail, carry their houses upon their
heads: their Souls travail no farther than their carcasses.
This Spirit of the World, by what hath been hinted, of the make and
temper of it, you see, hath a suitableness to worldly things; and this is the
great advantage the World hath upon us, it tempts us to that we love and
like: all that the World persuades us to, is to seek what we have a mind to,
to do what we have a mind to, to follow our natures and dispositions, to find
out what will best please us, and there to take our fill.
The difficulty of Christ's victory over Souls, lies in this, that he calls and
commands them to things and to ways contrary to their natures; not to
please, but to deny themselves; to kill their Flesh, to cross their appetites, to
contradict their own mind; to pursue an happiness, which is so sublime and
spiritual, and so unsuitable to their carnal natures, that it is altogether
unsavory to them; and hereupon he hath hard work to prevail, and tis but
here and there one amongst many, that will be prevailed upon, to hearken to
him: to how many houses may we come, to how many souls may we bring
the everlasting Gospel, ere one will open and accept? How many are called
to Christ, to one that comes? O brethren, you are witness, how hardly any of
your souls were persuaded to come along with Christ; and may be, some of
you stand off, and hang back, and will not be persuaded to come fully in, to
this day: What's the reason of this? Oh carnal men think that Christ calls
them to their loss, persuades them to their hurt, that they have a better
being, whilst they are wallowing in their riches, and their pleasures, then
ever they should find in following of Christ.
But now the advantage that the world hath on Souls, is, that it tempts
them to things pleasing to them; their natures join with the world, and draw
them the same way: Whilest Christ calls, if any man will be my disciple let
him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me, this is all the world
requires, if any man will be my servant, let him seek himself and shift for
himself, and please himself, and shun the cross, and follow his own heart;
and what great difficulty is there, to persuade men to follow their own
minds? When worldly temptations meet with worldly spirits, when
temptations to pride, meet with proud hearts, when temptations to pleasure,
meet with flesh-pleasing hearts, when temptations to vanity meet with vain
hearts, when temptations to covetousness meet with covetous hearts, how
mightily must they needs prevail? From this suitableness of the spirit to
worldly things, it doth,
Readily take in of the World, Greedily make out after the World.
1. It doth readily take in of the World, the world never knocks but the
heart opens, the world never offers, but the hand is ready to receive; yea
though the terms upon which we must have it be never so unreasonable;
though for every draught of pleasure, they must after drink the double in
wormwood, though with the gains of the world, they must drink in a curse,
yet like men in a dropsy, though to drink will be death, their thirst must be
quenched.
It may be when the world is a tempting the Soul, conscience stands by,
and gives it warning, take heed of these pleasures there's poison in that cup,
or there's wormwood at the bottom; take heed of these deceitful riches,
there's a snare lies under, there's a curse cleaves to them; look to thyself
Soul, the world is but a playing the Devil with thee; these pleasures and
these riches it hath sent to fetch away thy Soul: it holds thee so busy about
thine earthly affairs, that thou mayest the mean while loose the opportunity
of making Christ thine, of making the other world sure to thee: look to it,
thou wilt never have any part in Christ, thou wilt never have any hope
towards God, if thou be tampering thus, and trading thus greedily for this
present world: it may be Conscience doth thus stand by, and give warning
to the worldly heart; but all’s one for that, come what will come the heart is
so set upon it, that it will not be warned.
2. Hence it is that they so greedily make out after the world, Oh what hast
do they make to be rich? How do their Souls hunger after worldly
greatness? They covet greedily all the day long, Prov. 21:26. They enlarge
their desire as Hell and are as death and cannot be satisfied, as it was said of
the Chaldean, Heb. 2:5, they enlarge their desire as Hell, of which tis said,
he hath made it deep and large; they have deep desires, the bottom of their
Soul comes up; they have large desires, they never have enough, Ezek.
33:31. Their heart goeth after their covetousness: that is, either after those
earthly things, which are the objects of their covetousness; or after the
ductus or leading of their covetousness: their covetousness leads on and
their heart follows: their heart goes, yea it runs after it: their heart out runs
their feet, their heart out works their hands: when I awake I am still with
thee, saith the Psalmist; and when the worlding awakes, where is his heart
presently? In the field, in the shop, in the market; his heart is there, before
his body can get there: it may be that must stay a time in the house after he
awakes, and put on his clothes or take his breakfast, or may be to make a
short prayer, for a fashion; but his heart goes presently abroad, as soon as
ever he awakes, and leaves only his tongue behind to pray.
But whence is this eagerness this hungering and riding post after the
world? Why tis his love to the world that makes him gape so wide after it;
he loves to be rich, he loves [give ye.]
Christ is proposed and set before his eyes, the bread of life, the water of
life, the windows of Heaven are opened, the fountains above are broken up;
the durable riches, the everlasting pleasures, life and peace, and rest, and
joy, and glory are set forth in open sight before the world: and as Psal. 14:2.
God looks down to see if any would understand and seek God: to see who
amongst all the world had a mind to his riches, to his treasures; who was for
Christ, who was for Grace, who was for Heaven; but behold they are all
running another way; there's none that understands, none that will seek
God; every door is shut, every heart's asleep when God passeth by. If he
should never give, till many ask, if he should stay till they seek him, how
long might he stay? He must come and call, and knock and break open their
doors, and pour into their mouths, and tis well if Heaven will down with
any at last; whilst full tables, and full draughts of this world, will down and
never stick, now and then a crumb, now and then a drop from above, is all
that will be taken in. Oh this agrees not with our stomach, tis the world that
is our savory meat.
Oh what abundant proof is there brethren, of this difference of our
appetites, to things spiritual and things carnal? Oh what thriving and what
grown Christians had we been, had we been as hungry after grace, as after
greatness in this world; had there been so much craving and catching after
God, as after Mammon; had there been such good husbandry among us for
things to come, as for things present?
What's the reason that our Souls are such dwarfs, and babes, and
starvelings? Are they not so? Is it not very poor and very low with us? What
treasures have you gotten? How little knowledge or Faith, or love, or power,
or vigor of spirit, have you attained, how is death still feeding upon us?
Death in our understandings, Death in our affections, Death in our
Consciences, Death in our duties? We walk up and down more like the
Ghosts of Christians; then like living Christians; pale and wan, and weak
and cold; mere carcasses of Christianity, when the Soul and Spirit of
religion is not. Look about, inquire among you and see, how many such
dead carcasses there are, to one living lively Soul: how many empty casks
that make a little sound, to one full vessel.
The Lord be merciful to us, though the name and shell of Religion be
among us, and upon us, yet the spirit and kernel of it seems to be almost
quite vanished out of the earth.
It was once said Rev. 3:4. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis, that have
not defiled their garments: But oh may it not be said, thou hast [but] a few
names, neither in Sardis, not Thyatira, nor Philadelphia, nor anywhere
among all the Churches; thou hast but a few names anywhere, that have any
more than a name that they live.
Brethren, how is it with us who are here before the Lord? Turn in
everyone his eye upon his heart, go down and ask every one of you, Soul
how fares it with thee? How art thou fed oh my Soul? How art thou
clothed? What hast thou by thee? What grace, what peace, what hope to
comfort thee? Who is there within thee? Is Christ there? Is the holy spirit
there, quickening thee, and cleansing thee? Or is not the world there
preying upon thee and consuming thee? Ask your Souls, art thou in health
O my Soul? Dost thou live, and thrive, and hold up thy head, and hold on
thy way, and thy work? Or art thou not sick? Head sick, and heart sick, and
weak, and poor and blind and naked? Look in each one of you, step down,
and take an account of your state. If you would do so, I doubt there are few
of us, but would find all within, in a very pitiful and lamentable case.
What's the reason of all this? The Lord God hath offered to feed us, and
nourish us, and nurse up these languishing Souls; the Lord God hath stood
among us, with his baskets of bread and his bottles of wine; hath put such
meat to our mouths, that would have nourished us up, from babes to be men
from such weaklings to be strong in the Lord; but there is such an
unsuitableness betwixt the things of God and our carnal hearts, that we have
no appetite to them, and so they will not down; whereas the things of the
world do find such a Spirit of the world in us, that of anything that it hath to
offer us, nothing comes amiss; we not only readily take it in, but greedily
hunger and make out after it.
By the way Christians learn, that if ever you would get victory over the
world, you must first get you another spirit: in vain do you think to live
other than a worldly life, whilst the spirit of the world lives in you: Oh have
you been so long professors of Christianity, and have not yet gotten the
Spirit of Christianity? Is this the Spirit of Christ, that leads you on in an
earthly course? Did God give you his Spirit, to teach you, how to be such
drudges to the world? Did God give you his Spirit, to teach you how to
plow, and sow, and buy, and sell, and hoard up treasures on earth? What are
your thoughts, your designs, your courses, your ordinary talk and
discourse? What is it but earth? Are these the thoughts, the ways, the
language of the Spirit? Can any one that beholds our conversation, that in
the general bent and tenor of it, is all about the world, and but now and then
a cold wish, or a few heartless words, about the things of God; can any man
that beholds us, say, I, these are the persons that are dead to the world; that
are crucified, that are mortified to things below? These are they that have
received the spirit of Christ indeed? These speak like Christians, and look
like Christians, and live like Christians, like men of another world? Can it
be said thus of us? Can we say thus of ourselves? My life is a spiritual life,
my course is a heavenly course, my steps are all bending to another
country? Can we say thus? Would not our daily course, our daily discourse,
give us the lie if we should? Oh we are yet of an earthly sensual Spirit; the
Spirit of this world is yet bearing rule in us; our very Soul is but a lump of
earth and flesh; Oh for another Spirit, a new Soul, a more divine and
celestial frame! O seek, O wait for this better Spirit, and then we should
quickly see another life: once let the world be thrust out of the heart, and we
shall quickly see more of Heaven breaking forth in the life,
2. The strength of the world lies in the God of this world, Satan gives
strength to, and marshals its temptations so, as that the success of them
depends much on him: this he doth.
1. By over rating the good things present, and underrating the good things
to come.
2. By sharpening the edge of the evil things present, and blunting the edge
of the evil things to come.
3. By an active stimulating, and provoking the Soul, on any terms
whatsoever, to pursue the present good, and to escape the present evil.
1. By over rating the good things present, and under rating the good things
to come: He that looks on the world through the Devils glass, shall see it
double to what it is: he gives the same prospect to us, as he did to our Lord,
Matth. 4:2, shows it in its Glory; every Comet Shines as the Sun; he makes
the silver as gold, the brass as silver, stones as iron; everything hath a
borrowed face, and looks better than it is. The Apple whereby he tempted
our first parents, Gen. 3:5, he makes a deifying Apple. In the day that you
eat your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God's, knowing good and
evil. Satan's design is, to blind, and put out men's eyes; knowing, that they
can never see the terrene glory, till their eyes be out; but his pretense is to
open eyes; to make such discoveries of the hidden excellencies in these
earthly treasures, as will transfigure Earth into a Heaven.
He presents the world, as that which hath substance, sufficiency,
contentment, hearts ease, satisfaction in it: he says to his friends, as the
Lord says to his, Prov. 8:17. &c. I love them that love me, and them that
seek me early shall find me: riches and honors are with me, yea durable
riches and righteousness; I will cause those that love, me to find substance,
and I will fill their treasures: thus the Lord speaks to his, and the Devil
gives the world a tongue, to speak at the same rate. I love them that love
me, I have riches and honors, durable riches, and I will fill them with
treasures.
And as the world speaks, so worldlings think, it cannot boast greater
things of itself, then will be believed. Hos. 12:8. I am become rich, says
Ephraim I have found me out substance: the shadow is a substance in those
eyes, that see no better things.
Hence these things are taken up by the men of this world, as their portion
as their heritage, as their happiness and hope: thou givest them their portion
in this life, Psal. 17, and they take them as their portion: and now Lord what
wait I for, saith the Psalmist, my hope is in thee: and now world, what wait
for? What work I for? What live I for? Truly my hope is in thee: the
worldling says, God is my portion; and in a sense he says true, for the world
is his God.
And on the other side, as Satan over rates this, so he under rates the other
world, 2 Cor. 4:4. The God of this world hath blinded the minds of them
which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the
image of God, should shine unto them. The Gospel is a window, through
which the light and glory of the other world breaks in, and shines down
upon this: here the pretended opener of eyes, smites with blindness; by a
veil of unbelief, he keeps the Gospel, and all the glory of it out of sight:
unbelief gives the lie to all that the Gospel speaks; calls all into question,
holds under uncertainties, whether there be any such thing or no; and what's
doubtful and uncertain whether it be or no, will be valued thereafter.
What a low price do carnal hearts put upon the deep things of God, upon
the great things of eternity? Glory and honor and immortality and eternal
life, what cheap things are they accounted? Whilst soul, and conscience,
and peace, and hopes, and life are so ordinarily sold, to purchase an earthly
inheritance, (that's the bargain that everywhere is driving in this earth) how
few are there that will deal for Heaven and Glory, though it may be bought
without money, and without price? Though it may be had for the seeking
for; though it be bought to their hands, yet they will not take it. Now what
advantage is this to worldly temptations, when the price of things to come is
so beaten down, when the price of things present is so hoisted and raised, as
if the one could hardly be over-bought, and the other were scarce worth the
dealing for?
2. By sharpening the edge of present evils, and blunting the edge of evils
to come. The afflictions of this life are made to cut deeper than the
vengeance to come. The persecutions of men are more feared than the
Plague of God: Satan makes his Vassals to think, there is no Heaven or Hell
to those on Earth; Poverty looks more dismally than eternal Fire, Disgrace
than Damnation, the Wrath of man than the Curse of God.
Let Death and Damnation be preached to the World, and this stirs them
not, let the Devil preach of Tribulation and Persecution for righteousness
sake, and how are they frighted? Let the Word declare unto them, with
never so much plainness and power, He that believeth not shall be damned;
If you live after the flesh you shall die; The Wrath of God shall be revealed
from Heaven against all unrighteousness and ungodliness of men; Who
shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the
Lord, and the glory of his Power: And how little is this regarded, who doth
believe this report? How few are convinced? How few are awakened, so
much as to consider how they may escape? How weak are all those
Arguments, which are either fetched down from above, or fetched up from
the deep, and how little will they work? On the other side, let men be told,
He that departs from evil makes himself a prey; All those that will live
godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution; Ye shall be reproached,
reviled, and cast out of men, made as the filth of the world, and the offscouring of all things; Ye shall be as Sheep among Wolves, as Lilles among
Thorns; The Devil shall cast you into Prison; You shall be as Signs and
Wonders in Israel; Many are the troubles of the Righteous, &c. Let the
Devil take such Texts as these, and preach to them, and how deep does his
word go? If this be the portion of Christians, if this be the wages of
Righteousness, and the fruit of Holiness, let me take heed of Christ and his
ways. A mocking Ishmael, a cursing Shimei, a railing Rabshakeh, will do
more to fright them off from holiness, than the Worm, than the Fire, than all
the Vipers, and Scorpions, and Stings, and Torments beneath will do, to
drive them back from Sin: They dare not be Saints for fear of the barking of
Dogs, but they dare be Sinners notwithstanding the roaring of Lions; The
Devil hath made such fools of them, that a few grains laid on them at
present, seem more heavy, than those Talents that the Almighty is casting
down upon them.
3. By an active stimulating and pressing them on, whatever becomes of
them hereafter, to pursue the present good things, and to prevent the present
evil things. If the Devil can but make the Premises take with them, That the
good things present are so good, that there's nothing better, That the evil
things present are so evil, that there are none greater; then he’ll easily gain
the Conclusion; Therefore it's the best and wisest course, to secure the one, and escape the other.
But more particularly, the Devil manages and quickens the temptations of the World,
By proposing of Objects.
By provoking the Appetite.
1. By proposing of Objects. He brings the World in sight. Sometimes he presents it immediately to the fancy; he raises great thoughts of heart about it; he calls the thoughts abroad with him, to take a view of the glory, and the riches, and the pleasures of his Kingdom; sets men a thinking on the pomp’s and fashions, or the sports and pleasures of the world; a rolling over in their minds, the gains and sweetness’s of a worldly life.
Sometimes he presents it to the Eye. There is a quick passage from the eye to the heart: If the Devil can but turn the eyes to behold vanity, by the eye he will easily infect the heart. The Devil presents Objects to the eye, leading men up and down, where his baits and snares do lie, 2 Tim.3:6.
Sinners are said to be led about by divers [Lusts.] The Devil leads Lust, and Lust hath the leading of the Man. But whither do men's Lusts lead them?
Why everywhere, up and down, where the Devil hath laid his baits to take them: Some men's Lusts lead them to their Companions, to their sports and pastimes, to the Ale-house, to the Tavern; other men's Lusts carry them into the City, or into the Field, over Sea and Land, to find them out wealth and substance; Some men's Lusts lead them to the Courts of Princes, to the Palaces of Nobles, to see fashions, to get favor, and to climb up into dignities and high places. Men need consider whither they go, and what their call is thither; the Devil hath oftener a hand in the leading us up and down, than we are aware of; and he that goes whither the Devil leads him, ’tis ten to one but he's in the Net before he returns: We are never more secure than when we keep aloof from temptations, when the Devils baits are out of sight. We are never in more danger, than when the hook is out of fight and the bait is in sight: that's Satan's course, as to hide the hook, so to show the bait. He turned Eve’s eye to the Apple, Achan’s eye to the wedge of Gold, Ahab’s eye to Naboth’s Vineyard, and then what work did he make with them.
2. By provoking the Appetite; And this he doth, not only by propounding of Objects at all adventures, but such objects as are most suitable and taking with those he has to deal: Satan is a skillful Philosopher; he understands our natures and complexions, and the several inclinations that flow from them:
Satan is a cunning Fisher, and knows at what baits every kind of Fish will bite; and accordingly angles for them: Some men he observes are naturally of a sensual heart, given to the pleasures of the flesh; for these he hath sports and pastimes, Mirth and Jollity, Wine, Beauty, &c. Look thee here saith the Devil, what a life thou mayest live if thou wilt; Arise, take, and eat, here's meat thou lovest, take thy fill, and make thee an happy man: if thou meddle too far with the Scriptures, or hearken to these Preachers, what a sad Soul wilt thou become? A sour unpleasant and morose spirit, thou wilt be even eaten up of thy melancholic dumps: thou must cross thyself, and be
ever vexing thine heart, with intolerable severities, if thou wilt hearken to them: let them alone, let them Preach to whom they will, run not after them, hearken not to their words; believe thy senses, taste what I set before thee, taste if it be not good.
Others he observes to be of earthly minds, gaping after wealth and riches; tis not mirth, and jollity, and pleasures, and such like trash, and chaff, that will take with these; they must have substance; and for these he hath money, and lands, fields, and farms and oxen:
Wilt thou be a rich man? Wilt thou be a wealthy man? Wilt thou increase thy stock and thy store? Wilt thou enlarge thy possession? Hearken to me, be a good husband; wast not thy time about impertinencies, reading hearing, praying, &c. Mind thy business, and thine interest, set thine heart upon thy work, let this be the one thing thou mindest. Nourish not needless scruples, this is a forbidden course, this ought not to be done; away with such fears; the more free thou
art to venture on anything, the greater will thy gain be: let Men or Conscience clamor against thee, call thee Earth-worm, unjust, extortioner, oppressor; let them alone, thou shalt increase in substance, and that will make thee amends for all; and for conscience, if that be sore or troublesome, a little repentance at last will heal that sore.
Others are of aerie Spirits, proud and ambitious; and for these he hath the breath of popular applause, respect and esteem in the world, honor and reputation.
Others are of a timorous and fearful heart; and with these he deals in thunder and storms; threatening’s, persecutions, bonds and banishments reproaches and cruel mocking’s.
Look before thee foolish creature: what art thou a doing?
What art thou preparing for thyself? See what rods I have in brine for thee; knowest thou not that I have power to make thee or to undo thee! Art thou able to stand against all the world? See how all my Armies are confederate against thee, and running upon thee to devour thee, and swallow thee up: consider the rage of their hearts, the fury in their faces, the violence of their hands; behold them already on their march against thee; they are many, they are terrible, they are potent, they are near that seek thy ruin. Awake from thy folly, be not accessory to thine own undoing: save thyself, go and make thy peace with them, cast in thy lot amongst them, join with the multitude, be as they are, let thy voice and thy way be as theirs; let go this pride and singularity, and be as others, and it shall be well with thee.
Thus subtly doth our adversary deal with us; with every man according to his humor, according to the several dispositions of their hearts; and in this subtlety, his strength lies, and thereon his success depends. What wonder, that the fearful are frighted? That the proud are lifted up, that the greedy gape so wide? That the full draughts of the worlds stolen waters, do so easily down with such, whose Souls are panting after them?
Doth he observe our dispositions, and accordingly order his temptations?
Let us learn this wisdom, to know our own hearts, and to observe our own inclinations, and accordingly there to stand most constantly on our guard, where we find the adversaries most like to assault us; and to have a special eye to those enemies that are most like to make a breach upon us.
Art thou a person given to pleasure? Is a merry,jolly,frolic,wanton,luxurious life grateful to thee?
Art thou given to appetite? To indulge thy throat, to study thy belly?
Are meats and drinks, curiosities and varieties of them, the things thou mind?
Art thou given to pride? Is honor or applause, is the highest place, the finest clothes, the newest fashions, are these thine hearts delight?
Is merry company, lightness, vain jesting, wanton or amorous books or discourses, are these the delight of thine heart?
Whenever thou sees them before thee, tell thine heart, how pleasing soever
these be to thee, these things I must never allow thee:
Whenever thou sees such objects before thee and opportunities inviting thee to satisfy thy lust,
when thou falls into company that are of the same spirit, when sports and pastimes when delicates and dainties or any other voluptuous Objects are before thee, then say, Now I must look to myself; the Devil stands in the crowd, to steal away my soul: these are the flies with which he uses to bait his hook for me; he hath catches me with them many a time, and now he is come angling for me again: O my soul I know thou hast a lust to be nibbing: these are the things thou naturally loves, here thy great danger lies, and I must look the more narrowly to thee here. A heart given to pleasure, should hold itself under a greater restraint, and allow itself less liberty, than others that are not thus inclined; that may be safe for them, which would prove fatal to thee.
Art thou an earthly minded person?
And dost thou see substance before thee; a Field, or a House that may be gotten?
Does the world come crowding and flowing in upon thee?
Hast thou good trading, rich merchandise, gainful bargains before thee, and is thy soul in chase of them?
Take heed to thyself, these are the things by which thou art like to be lost:
thou art never in such danger of becoming poor, as by growing rich: When are Worldlings hearts so ready to take their leave of God, and Heaven, as when they are entertained with the flatteries of a smiling World? Their gains are usually their greatest loss, they never decline or go back so much, as when they have the best trading. How hardly shalt rich men enter into the Kingdom of God? When riches increase, how hard is it for such, not to set their hearts upon them?
How little are the Counsels or Promises of God regarded, whilst we have the World at will?
How little is it regarded, that God Promises, I will be thine, Christ shall be thine, the Kingdom shall be thine; whilst the World stands by and says, I will be thine, Money says, I will be thine, Sheep and Oxen say, we will all be thine! The Lord is hereupon often put to it, to take away our money, to drive away our cattle, to burn down our houses, to turn our fruitful Land into a Wilderness, to bring us to wants and straits, ere he can be regarded, Hos. 2:14. I will bring her into the Wilderness, and there will I speak to her heart: speak to her anywhere else, and she will give me the hearing; in the Wilderness my Word will reach her heart.
Oh that men were sensible of this; that they are never so like to starve as upon their heaps, that their prosperous times are the Devils seasons to impoverish their souls; that the abundance that is set before them, are the Devils tokens, whereby he is enticing their hearts after him.
I am rich and have found me out substance, now I shall be happy? No, no, foolish soul, these riches are Satan's Millstones which he hangs about thy neck, to drown thee in perdition and destruction; if anything sink thee, ’tis this load upon thy back; thy Golden age is like to be thine Iron age: Satan knows thy mind, and what will please thee; he's trucking with thee for thy life: He knows thou hast a greedy heart, and that there's nothing so dear unto thee, but he can buy it for money, and that's the bargain he's driving with thee; Sell all that thou hast, thy God, thy Hopes, thy Soul, and come and follow me, and thou shalt have treasures on Earth.
Christians, stand ever upon your Watch, but especially when there's anything before you, that your carnal hearts like, and are apt to fall a lusting after, if ever you would fear the Devil, fear him then, when he is tickling your flesh: he never does us more mischief, than by doing us good turns:
God seldom does us more good than by his frowns, and the Devil never does us more hurt than by his kindnesses. It never fares better with God's Children than when they are crossed, nor ever fares it worse with the Devils Children, than when they are cockered: never suspect the Devil more, than
when he pretends to do you a courtesy; whatever it be, by which he usually pleasures you, dread that as Death and Hell: Mistake not God's chastisements, nor the Devils complements; be content that God should displease you, and be afraid when the Devil pleases you; be convinced that God's smiting’s are a precious Balm, and the Devils stroking’s are stabs at your heart; fear not his Thunder and Storms so much as his warm Sun.
Beware of this folly, Whatever pleases me is good for me. Beware of this madness, I [must] be pleased whatever comes of it, mine eye must be pleased, my humor must be pleased, mine appetite must be pleased, I must be pleased whatever it costs me: If you be for that, the Devil knows where
to have you: though God does not please you, though holiness does not please you, though Heaven does not please you, the Devil that knows your palate, will find something that will: If Money will do it, if Mirth will do it, if Meat, and Drink, and fine Clothes or merry Company will do it, this he offers you, and by this he holds you captive at his will.
|
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Oct 25, 2024 18:20:04 GMT -5
CHAP IV. – Wherein the strength of faith lies, whereby it overcomes the world
WHEREIN THE STRENGTH OF faith lies, whereby it overcomes the world.
What a mighty enemy is here? Who can stand before it?
What is little David to Goliath?
What is a sling and a pebble to a sword and a spear? To a helmet and greaves and a target of brass? The mighty Philistim comes blustering, and boasting, and fuming, and chafing, so that he made an
earthquake in the Camp of Israel; and what could a poor stripling do to undertake this mighty Champion? What hope is there of victory over him?
Little David tells us, 1 Sam. 17:45. Thou comes to me with a Sword, and a Spear, but I come unto thee in the Name of the Lord of Hosts: this day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and all this assembly shall know, that the Lord saves not with Sword and Spear, the battle is the Lord's, and he
will give you into our hands.
The strength of Israel is this David; the strength of David is his Faith, the strength of Faith is the Name of the Lord, Prov. 18:10, the Name of the Lord is a strong Tower, the righteous runneth into it and is safe.
CHAP IV. – Wherein the strength of faith lies, whereby it overcomes the world.
But to come closer to the matter in hand, this general I shall dispatch in these two Particulars.
1. The strength of a Christian is his Faith.
2. The strength of Faith is Christ.
1. The strength of a Christian is his Faith, Mark 9:23, to him that believeth all things are possible; there's nothing impossible to Faith, because there's nothing impossible to God: The 11th chapter to the Hebrews is a short Chronicle of the mighty Acts and Atchievements of Faith. It spoiled Death
of its prey; as in the case of Enoch, verse 5, his Faith carried him to Heaven another way, he was translated and did not see death: It made an Ark to save from a Flood; as in the case of Noah, verse 7. It caused a living issue to spring out of dead bodies; as in the case of Abraham and Sarah, verse 12. It received a living Child from the dead, by offering it up to death; as in the case of Abraham offering up his Son Isaac, v. 17,19. It foretold things to come, and conveyed down the Fathers blessing on his posterity; as in the case of Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph, v. 20.
But more fully to our purpose, It overcame the world.
1. It despised and rejected the prosperity of the world, v. 15. They were not mindful of their earthly country, they had a better, a Heavenly country in their eye, and were content to be Pilgrims in this, in hope to be possessors of that better inheritance. v. 24. Moses by faith forsook the glory
of Egypt, the Court of Pharaoh, the bosom of Pharaohs daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.
2. It triumphed over the power, and wrath of the world, v. 33. It subdued Kingdoms, wrought righteousness, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword; out of weakness it made strong, turned to flight the Armies of the Aliens; endured cruel mocking’s and scourging’s; yea
moreover, bonds and imprisonments; endured stoning sawing asunder, wanderings about in sheep-skins and goat-skins, destitute, afflicted, and tormented. In all these things the servants of God were more than conquerors [through Faith] in him that loved them. Christians, where is your faith?
How is it that the world is still on horseback, riding on conquering and to conquer! Not only riding over our backs, but riding over our Faith, crowing over our consciences, triumphing
over religion, and righteousness; as if Christ had lost the day, and conscience had run the field?
Oh how many Captives hath it taken from the mighty?
What multitudes of prisoners hath it gotten?
Some it hath in golden chains, fettered in riches and worldly gains, in honors and dignities.
Some it holds with a Spiders web, which yet they cannot break; the fashions and fooleries of the world;its pomp’s, pleasures and humors: others it hath laid fast in iron chains, manacled with fears, and dread of its fury and violence: they dare not be Saints any longer; their faith, and their love, and their zeal, are all thrown away; they dare not appear in their Armor, lest they should be known for Christ's disciples.
How many renegado’s, and Apostates hath the world made; that have run from their colors, and have listed themselves under the Devil; under whose conduct they are fighting against that faith, and holiness, which once they professed?
And those that are left behind, how weak and faint-hearted are they most become?
Afraid not only of sufferings but of their duty. O how are we lost in our conflicts with temptations? Whither are our hearts run?
Some into our fields, some into our shops, some into our gardens, some into our beds of ease, where we may sleep in a whole skin.
Some are gotten into sanctuary, turned aside to iniquity to escape affliction.
Oh how few hearts are there left behind with Christ, and those that are how cold and spiritless are they become!
Tis woeful to observe with what a pale face Christianity looks at this day.
May we not sadly invert the words of the Text,
This is the victory that hath overcome our Faith even this present world?
Whilst the Apostle boasts that the believers of old, by their faith, subdued Kingdoms, wrought
righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of Lions, quenched the violence of Fire, &c. May we not now hear the world triumphing, that it hath, shaken the Kingdom of Christ, wrought wickedness, vacated promises, stopped the mouth of Conscience, quenched the heat of zeal, slain holiness with the edge of the sword, put to flight the hopes of the Saints, left for dead those whom God hath raised up to life, left the Church that living vineyard as a field of dead carcasses, their peace slain, their comforts slain, the Spirit of light and life within them vanished into dimness and deadness?
And all this because our Faith hath so much failed: what are we become?
To what a low ebb are we brought? O we of little faith? Well, but yet there is hope concerning this thing. This stump if there be but life in the root, will spring again and recover again: you that have but a little faith, blow up that living sparkle, and your sick, and spoiled and half dead Souls, will revive again; let your faith once out of weakness be made strong, and it will recover all you have
lost.
Believe more, nourish and cherish and exercise Faith more; lean on the rock of ages, look unto Jesus, lay hold on the Covenant, live in the word of promise, hang upon the shoulders, feed upon the fullness of the Lord, and there let your Faith gather strength again, and this will be the strength of
your hearts; will renew your life, recover your love, enflame your zeal, set your holiness, and your hopes again upon the wing, and bring the world and its temptations again under your feet: the strength of a Christian is his Faith.
2. The strength of Faith is Christ. Christ is the mighty one: the mighty God, Isa. 9:6. The rock of ages, in whom is everlasting strength, Isa. 26, through Faith this mighty God is our God, this rock of ages is our rock, 1 Joh. 4:4. Ye are of God little children and have overcome them, because
greater is he that is in you then he that is in the world: who is he that is in you?
Tis Christ that is in you: who is he that is in the world? The Devil is in the world. Christ is greater than the enemy, and therefore you have overcome. He that is in the world is great, but he that is in you is greater, he that is in the world is strong, and subtle, but he that is in you is stronger and wiser than he [little] Children ye have overcome: what are a company of poor children to a mighty giant? But behold the children's Champion, and you will quickly see on which side the victory will go.
There are 2 things in Christ which are the strength of faith. His Power, Victory.
1. His power: he is a mighty one as before: I have laid help on one that is mighty, Psa. 89:19, he hath power, To prevent, To deaden Temptations. To succor those that are tempted.
1. He hath power to prevent temptations, 1 Cor. 10:13, he will not suffer us to be tempted above what we are able: You may conclude from the promise of Christ, to his power; he will not promise more then he can do; when he says he will not suffer us to be tempted, you may be sure he hath power to restrain the tempter. Christ hath all our tempters and temptations in his power; the Devil in his power, the World in his power, they must have leave ere they can strike a stroke. If he say the word, the Assyrian shall not come against Jerusalem, nor dig a trench about them, nor shoot an arrow against them, he hath his hook in the nose, and his bridle in the Jaws of all his enemies. As the Devil could not tempt Christ, so neither any of his servants unless the Spirit lead them into the wilderness to be tempted: therefore he directs us to pray, Lead us not into temptation.
2. He hath power to deaden temptations; to take off the edge of them, that so though they come, yet they shall not enter: though Satan strikes, yet his arrows shall not stick, Gal. 6:14. By him the world is crucified to me and I am crucified to the world. Christ by his Cross hath slain the world; its now become to the Saints as a dead thing. Its beauty and glory is dead, dried up and withered. Christ by his cross hath discovered the glory of the other world; life and mortality are hung forth in open sight on the Cross of Christ; and that sunshine hath withered all the flowers here below; who will play at such small games, that sees the invisible Crown, which the Cross of Christ hath set before his eyes. And as the beauty and glory, so the power and wrath of the world is slain. Christ by his death killed all the powers of darkness: a Christian sees, that the world can now do him neither good nor hurt, it can neither befriend nor mischief him: who would be enticed by a dead Carrion, or affrighted by a dead Lyon?
[And I am crucified unto it] Christ hath slain the World without us, and our worldly Lusts within us: Our old man is crucified with Christ, Rom. 6:6, ye are dead, saith the Apostle, Col. 3:3, dead to this World: Set your affections on things above, for ye are dead to things below: I am crucified to the World; that is, worldly temptations are no more to me, than if I were a dead man: What are meat, and drink, and clothes, and pleasures, and honors to a dead man? If the Devil should go and preach among the tombs, and call out to the dead, hearken to me, and I will feed you with delicates, clothe you in scarlet, enrich you with silver and gold, exalt you to honor; what skull or bone would be moved? The same success will he have in his tempting crucified Saints: were they totally thus mortified, the highest temptations would move them nothing at all, no more than a Carcass in the grave; and according to the degree of that mortification, they have attained to, so far forth is the edge of temptation blunted.
3. He hath power to succor those that are tempted. Though the Tempter be
let loose, and temptation come thick, and strike deep, as by reason of our
imperfect mortification they may; our experiences sadly testify, how much
the World is often too hard for us, how often we are entangled and led away
by it; what breaches it makes on our peace, what wounds in our hearts, and
what fears and misgivings hereupon arise in our souls, how we shall stand
for the future; thus are we weary and distressed and hard bestead; but
though it be thus with us, in the midst of all these there's this to support us,
Heb. 2:18. In that he suffered being tempted, he is able also to succor those
that are tempted.
2. His Victory over the world. Christ hath power over the World to restrain it from tempting, to deaden its temptations, to succor those that are tempted; yea more than that, he hath already overcome the World, and thereby secured our final victory, John 16:33. In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be ye of good comfort, I have overcome the World. Why what comfort's that, that he hath overcome? Why,
1. It is some encouragement, that our enemy is not invincible; he that hath been beaten, may be beaten.
2. There's this farther comfort to us, that in his victory we have overcome: Who is it that hath overcome? Our Captain, our Champion hath overcome; he hath overcome, and overcome for us; he hath overcome, and we in him; We are more than Conquerors through him that loved us, Rom. 8. Faith unites to Christ; and thereupon,
1. All the Power of Christ is engaged to our help and assistance; We are hereby interested in his Victory; Christ's Victory is our Victory; and also in his Power; he is now concerned to protect and help us: we are his own, the attempts that are made against us, are made against him; the spoil that is made upon us, is made upon him, as in all our afflictions he is afflicted, so in all our temptations he also is tempted; our enemies are his enemies, our sufferings are his sufferings, our temptations are his temptations: Is not Christ concerned to look to his own? Isa. 63:15,19. Look down from Heaven and behold from the habitation of thine holiness, and thy glory; where is thy Zeal and thy Strength? Why, what have you to do with me, or with my strength? O we are thine, say they, ver. 19. So are not our enemies, thou never barest rule over them, nor are they called by thy Name, Psa. 119:94. I am thine, save me: I am thy Child, saith the Believer, thy Servant, a Lamb of thy Flock; thou art my Shepherd, I have committed myself to thee, and thou hast undertaken for me: If Satan prevails upon me, he prevails upon thee; if the World steal away my heart, it robs thee of thy due:
I am thine save me.
2. By virtue of this Union, there is a diffusion and shedding forth of the strength of Christ into the soul: strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man, Ephes. 3:16. Believers as they have the mighty hand of Christ over them, so they have the mighty Spirit of Christ in them, whereby they
wax strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Christians, beware of excusing your falls, by pleading want of strength, as sometimes some do; I could not help it, I am not able to stand in the day of temptation; the cares of this life are too hard for me, either to bear, or to deliver myself from: there's no man knows what a load they are to me, how
they run upon me like a flood, which I am no way able to withstand. I [cannot] keep my heart free, I cannot mind my God and my Soul, as I would and desire to do; one business or other, one care, one trouble or other is still upon me, dividing, distracting me so, that I cannot do as I would; ’tis
no comfort to me to live at the rate I do, but I can do no more than I can, I cannot help it.
Others, it may be, will make the same complaint, concerning the pleasures of this life; I know a severe and self-denying life would be much more comfortable to me, if I could bring my heart to it; I am troubled at myself, and angry with myself, that I am so often led aside to fleshly liberty; I find
mischief enough and sorrow enough afterwards, that my vain mirth and my vain company bring upon me; I have many a sad night after my merry days; but yet there is such an unhappy proneness of my nature and disposition, to such a life, that whenever I have temptations before me, I have no power to forbear. It hath cost me something, I have prayed and hoped for more seriousness and circumspection, but still I am overcome, and how to help it
I cannot tell.
But art thou a Christian?
Where is thy Faith man? Hast thou Faith, and no Christ?
Hast thou Christ and no strength?
Is the world too hard for Christ?
Is the flesh too strong for the Spirit?
Hast thou the Spirit of the living God in thee, and yet canst thou say, I cannot help it to be thus earthly and thus fleshly? Mistake not thyself; thou hast reason to fear lest thy [cannot help it]
be a [will not help it] or a [care not to help it] thou art too willing of this carking caring life; thou art too willing of this vain and looser life; and it may be art glad thou hast so much to say as thou art inexcusable O man, who pleadest inability, when all the power of Christ is
before thee, and he hath said to thee [if thou believest thou mayest.
|
|
|
|
Post by Admin on Oct 26, 2024 12:18:30 GMT -5
CHAP V. – The conflict of Faith with the tempting world: or the ways and means by which faith overcomes the world
THE CONFLICT OF FAITH with the tempting world: or the ways and
means by which faith over comes the world.
These are,
1. It gives a right Judgment of the world: It discovers its true value, what
the world is worth. By faith we understand, Heb. 11:3, as whence the world
was, we understand its original; so what the world is, we understand its
worth and its power; what it can do for us or against us; what help there is
in it, and what hurt it can do us: and we understand its end too, of what
durance it is, as well as its beginning.
Faith takes its estimate of the world from the word, and gives its judgment
of it according to the Scriptures. The word speaks of everything as it is; of
God as he is, of Sin as it is, of the present World as it is, and of the world to
come, as it is: what the word speaks, God speaks, and whatever Faith
speaks, it hath it from the word.
What a poor and contemptible thing doth the Word make the World? A
figure, a shadow, an image, a dream, vanity, a lie, things that are not, of no
CHAP V. – The conflict of Faith with the tempting world: or the
ways and means by which faith over comes the world. consistency, or endurance.
When the word speaks of the world to come, how highly doth it speak?
What a wonderful and glorious report doth it make, of the promised land,
and the new Jerusalem, that state of blessedness prepared for the Saints? A
Kingdom, a Crown, an eternal weight of glory, an inheritance incorruptible
undefiled that fades not away. Riches rest joy pleasures, such as neither
tongues can express, nor hearts conceive.
And how dreadfully doth it speak concerning the miseries of the other
world! A prison a place of darkness, a bottomless pit, a lake of fire where is
weeping and howling and gnashing of teeth.
Faith seals to the Judgment of the Scriptures, Joh, 3:33. He that believeth
hath set to his seal that God is true: when the word speaks most highly of
things to come, Faith saith it is even as it hath been told me of the Lord; and
it cannot speak so contemptibly of things present, but Faith will believe its
report.
Unbelievers will not be persuaded that the world is so poor a thing as it is,
Hos. 12:7. He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand: the
unbeliever will not weigh things in the balance of the sanctuary, but in his
own deceitful balances. Balances may be said to be balances of deceit in a
double sense. There are balances where by men deceive others, as those
false balances, which unrighteous men use for their own advantage, to buy
or sell by; which may be those there meant; and there are false balances,
whereby men deceive themselves. Ungodly men as they weigh their
commodities they sell, in false balances, thereby to deceive others; so they
weigh their gains that they get to themselves, in false balances, and thereby
deceive themselves: their bargains that they make, they could never count
them such good bargains, unless they weighed them on their deceitful
balances. If sense may be Judge, the world is a good bargain when dearest
bought; though if faith may be Judge, when the world may be had cheapest,
it is not over safe dealing for it.
Now when the worth of the world is understood, the Devils market is
spoiled. No man will care to deal with such a peddler, whilst the Merchant
stands by: who will sell his inheritance for counters, or his patrimony for
dirt and dung? Who will spend his money for that which he knows is not
bread, or his labor for that which profits not? The strength of the
temptation is broken, when once we understand of how little value the
things are, we are tempted by.
Christians, study the world more; search the Scriptures, and what these
testify of it, believe the Scriptures, which have written upon all under the
Sun, Vanity and vexation of spirit; understand what an insignificant cypher
this figure of the world is. Believe your own words; you can sometimes
speak contemptibly of the world yourselves. Who of you will not say, this
world is but a shadow, and the fashion of it passes away? Do ye think as
you speak? Do not dissemble; either speak your minds plainly, that this
earth is your substance, your treasure, your portion, and that its worth the
venturing your Souls for it; or if you go on to say, this is not your rest, you
have here no continuing City, there's no building on this sand, here's no
contentment nor continuance here, if ye go on to speak thus, believe your
own words, and then Judge how wisely you deal for yourselves, in
venturing your eternity for such empty perishing things.
2. By Faith the soul pitches upon an eternal inheritance. Its our choosing
the good part, Luke 10:42, our laying hold on eternal life. 1 Tim. 6:12, those
believers Heb. 11:14, are said to seek a country; they were not mindful of
this, they confessed themselves, and were content to be strangers and
pilgrims here, their country was on the other side Jordan, and thither they
sent their hearts.
Faith descries a better country; it sees into the invisible world, Heb. 11:27,
its the good spy that's sent out to search the land of Canaan; and finding it
to be a good land, there the Soul pitches. It says unto the Lord, thou art my
God, thou art my portion forever: this is my rest, here will I dwell. If I can
bear through this weary land, and at last enter into that rest; however
matters go with me here, I am not careful about that, if I can but attain to
the resurrection of the dead, if I can but get to Heaven, that’s all my desire
and design.
Meet a believer where you will, and ask him, whether art thou bound? Oh
for the Holy Land: whom seeks thou thou? Jesus of Nazareth: what
runs thou for? What waits thou for? The incorruptible Crown.
Ask him again, will nothing less content thee? Look about through all the
earth, canst thou find nothing worthy thy love? What is silver and gold, and
houses, and lands, and honors, and pleasures, are these nothing with thee?
May not these satisfy thee? No, no, these are not God, this is not Heaven;
there's no rest here for the sole of my foot; my house, and my home is
above, my hope, and my treasure is above, and my Soul is above, and
cannot be content to dwell in the dust.
Ask him yet again, But how wilt thou get into that good Land? There are
difficulties and dangers in the way; thou hast a wilderness to go through, a
red Sea, and a Jordan to pass over; there are Lions in thy way, there are
Giants in thy way; thou mayest be a prey to thine enemies, torn in pieces of
wild Beasts, or swallowed up in the waters, or at least thou mayst wander in
the wilderness, and loose thy way, and never come into thy rest at last.
Well, but however, I [must] venture, I am resolved for heaven, how
difficult or dangerous soever the way may prove: I will venture all here;
Heaven or nothing, Christ or nothing. Henceforth let no man trouble me
with other business, for I bear in my heart the prints of the Lord Jesus, he is
gotten within me, he is engraven upon my breast, and on my soul, and this
heart can never be at rest till I be with him where he is: Lord be thou my
God, and bring me into thine holy habitation; lift up the light of thy
countenance upon me, and show me thy salvation; this one thing I desire,
let this be granted me, and then my heart shall be glad, and my glory shall
rejoice, my flesh also shall rest in hope. I have enough; thou wilt show me
the path of life; In thy presence is fullness of joy, and at thy right hand are
pleasures for evermore.
And now world, where art thou, with all thy glory? This earth is trodden
to dirt, when the heart is once in earnest for heaven.
Christians, come pitch your Tents here; where will you that your lot shall
fall? You have two worlds before you, which will you choose? Hang not
betwixt both. Will you get up to the Mountains, or will you dwell in this
Plain? Come to a resolution; you will never get clear of this world, till you
climb up to the other.
'It is only the milk and honey of Canaan, that will wean your souls from
the Onions and Garlic of Egypt. The flowers of the field will be beautiful,
till you see the Roses of the Garden. The fatness of the earth will be your
delight, till you understand the sweetness of heaven: you will never be
content to loose from this shore, till you see the banks of a better Land: you
will not part with your present purchases, till you see where you may have a
better bargain.
Its to no purpose to think to get off your hearts by common arguments;
This world is vain, this world is troublesome, uncertain, fading, a barren
Land; if that be all you can say, ’twill never do; your hearts will answer, A
barren Land is better than none, a house of Clay is better than no habitation:
If my soul may not dwell here, where shall I be better?
Where mayst thou be better? Come and see; lift up your eyes to the hills;
look you towards Zion, the City of the great King; mark all her Bulwarks,
tell all her Towers, behold her Foundations; Is it not a strong City? Walk
through the midst of her, behold the Tree of Life, bearing all manner of
fruits, of which whosoever eats shall live forever. Behold the River, those
streams of everlasting pleasures, that run through the City of God; of which
whosoever drinks, shall never die. Behold the Palms, and the Robes, and
the Crowns, the rest, the joy, and the glory of the Inhabitants of this City;
God is in the midst of her; the all-blessed, all-glorious, all-sufficient God,
he is their light and their life; there shall be no Clouds, nor storms, no night
nor darkness, no wants nor fears, no sorrow nor complaining in her street;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads, and sorrow and sighing shall flee
away. Look towards this holy City; live in the view and contemplation of
the glory to come; and then look down, and see what a dark Mist will
becloud the world’s most glorious Sunshine.
And then demand; Now soul, which wilt thou choose? Where wilt thou
pitch? Both Lands are before thee, which shall be thine Inheritance? Art
thou for God or the world? For heaven or earth?
What shall I say? I wot not what I shall choose? Why is the choice so
hard? Is it such a difficulty to determine whether light or darkness, joy or
sorrow, life or death, be the better choice?
Well, the lot is cast; God shall be my portion, and the lot of
mine inheritance. O my God, wilt thou be mine? Shall my dwelling be with
thee? The matter is ended; the lines are fallen to me in a pleasant place, and
I have a goodly Heritage. Remember me, O Lord, with the favor thou
bearest to thy children, and visit me with thy salvation; let me see the good
of thy chosen, let me rejoice in the gladness of thy Nation, let me glory with
thine Inheritance, and I have no more to ask.
Brethren, when once you have by Faith made this choice, there's an end of
the Devils hopes. Look up therefore, look up to that blessed Country, cry
unto God, Lord open mine eyes, and let me see, Lord reach down thine
hand and help me up, take up this heart to thee, and there let it fix. Oh what
clods of earth, what dead lumps of flesh are these hearts, that do not yet
begin to rise; Lord let this flesh become Spirit, let our ashes flame and
ascend to thee; once for all, let us come to thee, and never return to this dust
again.
3. By Faith we understand that the good things present cannot further, and
the evil things present cannot hinder our eternal happiness: We are apt
either to be pleased or distasted, with the various objects and occurrences
we meet withal, according as they serve or cross our end. He that hath made
God his end, and Eternal Glory his end, doth value all things according to
their tendency thitherward; as anything hinders or helps heavenward, so is it
regarded: It is a sign thou hast made thy flesh thy end, when flesh-pleasing
objects and courses are the taking things with thee, and everything is a cross
that touches upon thy fleshly interest: what is a furtherance to thy soul, thou
canst want it; what is an hindrance to thy soul, thou canst bear it, and find
no trouble; but what serves or disserves thy flesh, these are the things that
move thee: Let such souls never talk of making God their end. If God be
your end indeed, if you be for heaven in earnest, ’tis what will please God,
and what leads heavenwards that are the only considerable things.
Now by Faith we understand that the things of the world, in themselves,
make neither one way nor other as to our future happiness: The good things
of the world cannot further our happiness; there's no man the nearer heaven
for being rich or honorable; the Palaces of Princes are not the porch to
glory: Believe it Christians, to be rich in this world, and to be rich towards
God, are two things; the favor of Princes is no mark of divine honor, nor
medium to it; the pleasures of the flesh are not of kin to the pleasures
above, nor subservient to them. These things may undo us, our gold may
sink us, we may break our necks from our high mountains; our temporal
prosperities and advantages may shut us out from the everlasting Kingdom,
Matth. 19, may be the death and damnation of souls, (and do they not often
prove so) but never their salvation.
And so on the other side, The troubles and afflictions of this world cannot
hinder or happiness. Faith sees as open and near a way to heaven, from the
dunghill, as from the Pinnacle of the Temple; from the Prison, as from the
Palace; from the Cross, as from the Crown: The gate of heaven shall never
be shut against any, because he is poor or persecuted; ’tis not a Purple Robe,
or a Gold Ring, that shall procure entrance, nor are they rags, or sores, or
reproaches that shall shut the door. We read Jam. 2:2,3, that there was such
a practice among men; If any one come into [your] assembly with a gold
ring, or goodly apparel, or in a poor habit and vile raiment, they were
entertained thereafter; they had their different respect, according to the
pomp of the one, or the poverty of the other; But it will not be so in the
great Assembly above.
'Twill never be demanded, when you knock for entrance into glory, what
Estate have you gotten in the world? In what honor and grandeur did you
live? Where are your Bags and your Barns, your Mansions and Manors, that
you have gotten? Will the Lord, think you, ever say to him that comes and
knocks, and calls, Lord, Lord, open to me; will he ever say, No friend, you
are a poor man; here's no place for you? You were so greedy after grace and
holiness, that you never minded the getting an estate in the world; you have
wasted your time in reading, and praying, and fasting; you have wasted
your Estate, in giving and lending, in feeding and clothing others; you are a
poor man, away from me, here's no place for thee; will the Lord ever say
thus at last?
Men covet, and labor, and hoard up these earthly things, as if this were the
condition of everlasting blessedness, as if their souls and eternal life lay on
them; men shift and shun affliction, as if these were the way to the Pit: But
Faith sees, that these things will not be so: No man shall be disowned
because he bears in his body the marks of the Lord Jesus. Well may the
Cross be a Ladder by which we may ascend into glory, but it shall never be
a clog to detain us from ascending.
These things being by Faith understood, the world loses a believer’s heart;
the good below he can spare, and the evil below he will not fear.
There's the same ground why believers sit so loose from the world, and
the things thereof, as there is, why unbelievers sit so loose from God, and
the things of God.
Carnal men can want the presence and favor of God; can spare Religion,
and the duties and comforts thereof, and never find any miss of them; why
so? Why, because these things do not at all serve their design; they can be
as rich, and as great, and as merry, without minding God, or holiness, or any
such thing. And upon a like ground, a Believer can want his ease, or his
pleasure, or any of his outward comforts; why so? Why, because these if he
had them, would as little serve his design, as Religion will the Worldlings.
Hearken to me, saith Satan, and whatever the world doth afford shall be
thine: Why, will this world stand me instead in reference to the world to
come? Can my soul feed upon this earth and ashes? Shall I be ever the
better man for being a rich man? Will these earthly things commend me to
God? Is he a respecter of the rich above the poor, of the honorable above
the despised? Is this following after riches or pleasures thou persuadest me
to, Is this my way to life? Avoid Satan, thou comest but to mock me, and
beguile me.
4. By Faith we understand, that the design of temptations is to deprive us
of our Inheritance. A Believer knows, that the Devil owes him no good will,
how fair soever he treats him; he sees that all his promises are cheats, that
all his gifts are bribes, to corrupt us first, and then to destroy us: he marks
him for his mortal Enemy, whose drift is to keep him out of the Paradise of
God: he hath learned from the Scriptures, who ’twas that at first thrust him
out thence. This Serpent was he, Gen. 3, and now he has him out, that his
work is to keep him from ever recovering in. And he observes how his
particular temptations do serve his general design, to destroy souls:
whatever the voice is, this is the meaning of every temptation, Thou shalt
never see God, thou shalt never get to heaven, if I can help it.
Faith understands what use the Devil [hath] made of the world; whither
did the rich man's Purple, and fine linen, and delicious fare lead him? Luk.
16:19,23. If you had seen him in the state he was in, v. 19, in his gorgeous
apparel, at his voluptuous Table, what carnal heart but would have blessed
him? O this is a happy man! But where do you find him v. 23. Oh how
sadly is the Scene changed; Behold this brave Gallant in hell torments. A
Believer would have seen him in hell in his first view; whilst in the midst of
all his Gallantry and Gluttony.
Psa. 73:17. When I went into the Sanctuary, I saw the end of these men.
How was it with them when he saw their end? Where were they? Why in
the midst of all their prosperity, in the height of their pride, in the heat of
their lust, in the heaps of their wealth; fat and flourishing, as full of mirth
and jollity as their hearts could wish, and out of all fear of a fall; even then
he sees their end, in their very noon-tide he espied their night: Where shall
we have you a few hours hence?
But what end was it he saw these men would come to? V. 18. Thou hast
set them in slippery places, thou castest them down to destruction; how are
they brought to desolation in a moment? That's the end he saw was
hastening upon them, Desolation and Destruction.
But how came he so soon to see their end? I went into the Sanctuary, there
I understood their end. When I consulted with God about it, when I left
consulting with Sense, and consulted with Faith about it, then I understood,
how matters were like to go with them.
Believers, while they consult with flesh and blood, are too apt to be
envious at the foolish, to fret themselves at the ungodly, whose way doth
prosper, and to call the proud happy: yea and to murmur and think hardly of
the Lord, who suffers his enemies to eat up the fat and drink the sweet, and
feeds his people with hunger and thirst. I was envious at the foolish, when I
saw the prosperity of the wicked.
But when they come to understand themselves, what the meaning of all
this plenty and prosperity of the ungodly is, and where it lays them at last,
no more envy then; much good may do them with all their glory and
greatness; by that the fruit of all their doings comes up, they will pay for all
their pleasure dearly enough.
Christians, do ye see the proud insulting oppressing ruffling world? Do
you see the vile of the earth scrambling for wealth, climbing up to honor,
dividing the spoils and sharing among themselves the preferments and
pleasures of the world? Beware you envy them not. Look a little farther, and
you will see no matter of envy but of pity and praise. Pity over them, who
are but fatting for the slaughter; and praise on the behalf of your selves, that
you Souls are not gathered with them. But this by the way.
Faith understands from those many instances it finds in Scripture what use
the Devil hath made of the world; what mischiefs and ruins he hath hereby
brought on Souls; and when this is understood, then sure its bewitching face
notwithstanding all its paint, will not look so beautiful and amiable.
5. Faith makes experimental and fuller discoveries of the glory of that
inheritance the Soul hath pitched upon. As I said before, there's no way
possible to divide the heart from this world, till you can show it a better:
that’s the voice of every heart, which is said, Psal. 4:6, to be the voice of the
worldling’s heart, Who will show us any good? And whatsoever it finds and
apprehends to be good, that it grasps, and will hold till a higher good come
in sight.
This world is apprehended to be the worldlings good; and tis the best he
knows; and he must be bought out of it, ere he will let it go; he must be
bought out of his house, bought out of his livings and pleasures, by
something that is, or is apprehended to be a valuable price at least, ere he
will quit what he has. Its vain to persuade the rich to voluntary poverty,
unless you can present him with a reward that will compensate his loss. All
the arguments in the world, from the unsufficiency, instability, vanity,
vexation in these earthly things, will be easily answered. But where shall I
have better? Better half a loaf then no bread, a short meal is better than
starving the heart will not let go this world but upon the discovery of a
better.
And according to the degree of the manifestation of those better things
above, so will there be more or less an abatement of our affection to things
below. A little light from Heaven will make the world look dim; and as the
Sun rises higher, all our stars creep into darkness: at the first entrance of
God upon the Soul, the world loses the place, as was said before; and its
thrust lower and lower still as God rises higher, till at length it be brought
quite underfoot.
Its impossible that God and the world should be intensely loved together:
that both should be our God, our end, and chiefest good, is a contradiction;
Its irrational for any to conclude that they have any great respect for God,
who are strongly affected to the world. Many professors of religion may be
convinced, that their religion is vain, by this, that to what ever height it
seems to be raised its still overtopped by their earthly mindedness. 1 Joh.
2:15. If any man love the world (intensely, chiefly) the love of the Father is
not in him.
Never talk of Christianity till you cease to be worldlings, and never look
to be less worldlings, till you understand better what Heaven is.
Faith in its first entrance into the Soul brings this tidings, that God is
better than the world; and according as it grows higher so is its testimony to
this truth, more clear and full. As the Apostle saith concerning the
righteousness of God, Rom. 1:17, so is it true of his Goodness, kindness,
mercy, all sufficiency; the goodness and kindness of God is revealed from
faith to faith: that is, according as faith grows, so is God and all the
excellencies of his glorious name more known. Every cubit added to the
stature of our faith, is a new beam of light sprung forth from the face of
God: and God known is Heaven known; our blessedness, our inheritance
known; God is our inheritance.
Faith, as was said before is the good Spy Num. 13, sent forth to view the
land of promise. The two Generals, Christ and Satan, have each of them
their Spy, which they send forth. Christ's Spy is Faith, the Devils Spy is
Sense. The Devil will be sending forth his Spy; Sense must go and view the
inheritance of the Saints. But this being shortsighted, and not able to travail
far, must take up all its tidings upon hearsay; and finding no good report
amongst all its acquaintance, (sensual men will never speak well of the
things of God) it hereupon returns with an evil report; Its a dark land, and a
dry and barren land; there's nothing of all that thou lovest to be found in it,
and it is uncertain whether there be any such land or no: everlasting joy and
rest are represented as fancies and conceits, to carnal hearts. Its better here,
here are houses and lands and pleasures, we know there are, we see there
are, but what there is in the other world, is altogether dark and uncertain to
us.
Beloved, hath your sense never dealt thus by you? What apprehensions
have you of the glory to come? Have not your blind senses disparaged and
disgraced the things of the Kingdom of God to you. You take everything to
be as sense Judgeth it; and what is the Judgment of sense, of these glorious
things? It speaks highly of things temporal; this world is good, a land
flowing with milk and honey; But what says it concerning things eternal?
Are none of you the men and women, whose carnal hearts have told you,
and you have believed them, that tis uncertain whether there be an Heaven
or no; or if there be, yet the happiness of it is so much unknown, that if you
might, it would be more to your content, to live your eternity among these
sheep and oxen, in these gardens and orchards, in the possession of your
earthly delights and pleasures, then ever to be carried hence to that
unknown world?
Your opinions of these higher things, we may guess at, by the care you
take about them.
What care is there taken about the things of God? What is there a doing,
in your houses, in your closets or anywhere about these matters? Have you
taken up any design for Heaven? Are you taking any effectual course for
eternal blessedness? Are you as hearty and serious in seeking God as in
seeking this world? Whilst your hearts are so hot and so zealous and busy,
in pursuing things temporal, is it not, upon the matter, indifferent to you
whether you do anything or no, or how you do it, in seeking the Kingdom
of God? Do you pray and labor and watch for your Souls, with as good a
will as ever you did work for your living? Do you hunger and thirst after the
knowledge and grace of God, after a part in Christ, after the pardon of your
sins, as ever you do after your appointed food?
What enquiries do you make? How is it with me? What evidences have I
for Heaven? Have I any right to the tree of life? Is there no fear I may fall
short of the rest, and be shut out of the Kingdom of God? How may I know
whether Christ be mine or no? Consider are there any such enquiries? No,
no, your sense hath so much disparaged things to come, that they are to you,
even as if they were hardly worth the inquiring after.
But now Faith is the good Spy, that makes a good report of that Holy
Land: it makes more diligent search after the riches of it, and finds out its
hidden treasures, and then speaks as it finds: faith hath a glass, wherein it
can behold, and whereby it doth reveal to the Soul, the glory of God. The
gospel is its glass, 2 Cor. 3:18, the promises are its glass, those great and
precious promises, 2 Pet. 1. The promises are the deeds and conveyances by
which this inheritance is made over. Now as among men, in their Deeds,
there is a recital of all the particulars made over by them: The houses, the
lands, the gardens, the orchards, the rivers, the royalties and all the
immunities belonging thereto; so is it here, the promises are a Map or
Survey of Heaven; and Faith is often looking into these deeds, reading over
the writings, and thence understands what a glorious purchase it hath.
Nay more, Faith brings down some of the fruits of this good land; this
good Spy comes in loaden with some clusters from Canaan.
A believer that walks with God, God lets fall to him now and then some
handfuls of that harvest, some drops of that vintage, which is ripening for
him above: what are those beams of divine light, that sense of divine love,
those intimations of divine acceptance, those communications of the divine
image, in the increases of holiness and righteousness, that joy of faith, and
peace in believing, what are these, but a Specimen of Heaven, the first fruits
of glory?
By Faith the Kingdom of Heaven is within us: there's God within us, and
Christ within us, and glory within us. Those believers that live in the power
of Faith and holiness, need not travail far in search for Heaven, tis but
looking inward and there they may find it; say not who shall ascend, in
search for Heaven, tis in thine heart. Sinners need not go down to the deep,
to search for Hell, there's a Hell within them? The filth and stench of Hell,
in their vile affections; the smoke and flames of Hell, in their reeking and
burning lusts; the darkness of Hell, in their darkened and blinded minds;
and sometimes the torments of Hell, in the anguish of their guilty and self
revenging consciences. And as sinners may find a hell, so believers a
heaven in the heart; a heaven of light, an heaven of love, and joy, and
praise: Thus it is with some, and thus it might be with all, were we stronger
in Faith.
Oh what do we lose by living thus by Sense, when we might live by
Faith! How have our carnal hearts, by consuming and spinning out our days
in sloth and idleness, sticking at the labor of duty, whining under
difficulties, shrinking from sufferings, indulging to our ease, and our
pleasure, and liberties; how have our carnal hearts robbed us of the life of
God, the pleasures of Angels, the joys of the Upper Region, and left us little
more of Christianity, then its wounds and bruises, its mourning’s and
complaining’s, its sighs and sorrows! Oh foolish hearts, that consult so
unwisely for ourselves; that choose rather to live in Brakes, among these
briars and thorns, then among the Beds of Spices; that will rather laze it in a
Wilderness, then get us up to the Garden of the Lord:
The life of Faith is a heavenly life. The life of God, Ephes. 4:18, though
Faith shall never come into heaven, itself, yet thither it translates our hearts.
It came down from heaven; it is the gift of God; and though it must not
return thither ('tis love not Faith that shall dwell before the Throne of God)
yet thither it raises those hearts in which it lives.
Though it may not dwell there hereafter (Faith shall then be lost in sight)
yet now its travelling thither, going and returning every day and hour.
Phil. 3:20. Our conversation is in heaven; there's all our business: where
should a Christian be? Where does he live, but where his business lies? A
Believer that had heretofore so many things to do, dividing his heart and
time, hath now cast all his business into one, hath brought all his business
near his home; he hath nothing to do abroad in the Tents of wickedness, in
the Camps of the Uncircumcised; he hath done with serving flesh and lusts,
and times, and tables, and carcasses; here his whole work did lie, but no
more of these now, they must be all laid aside, or at least made to come and
serve with him in his higher business: God and glory, the loving, and
praising, and serving, and securing God to his soul, is all he hath to do, Phil.
3:13. This one thing I do, forgetting that which is behind, and reaching forth
to that which is before: I press to the mark, for the prize of the high calling
of God, in Christ Jesus our Lord. These lower things, his outward
privileges, hopes and advantages, were once the things before him; but he's
now gotten beyond, and hath left them all behind him; not only his Jewish
privilege, whereof he had boasted, but much more all earthly things; he hath
cast off these weights, and is now flying upon the wing of Faith, ascending
in flames of love, winding up his soul by constant labor, above this dung
and darkness, to the Regions of light and glory: This is his business.
And hence is his blessedness; heaven is his work and his meat, his labor
and his hire; he will know nothing for a blessing, or a comfort, but what his
Faith brings him down from above.
Why art thou cast down O my soul? Why art thou so disquieted within
me? Bid him, Hope in God; tell him, thou shalt yet praise him, who is the
light of thy countenance, and thy God; and this will comfort him.
Say to him while you will, Man be of good comfort, the fig-tree blossoms,
the labor of the Olive will not fail; there is fruit in the Vines, there are
Flocks in the Folds, there are Herds in the Stalls, comfort thine heart, what
wouldst thou have more? And how little will this ease him?
Oh where is my God? How is it with my soul? What tidings from above?
Have I a treasure there? Doth God smile? What tidings from within? Is it
peace there? Doth my soul prosper? Is there grace there? Is truth in my
inward parts? This is good news; Come in thou blessed of the Lord, thou
comest with good tidings; this shall comfort me.
This is the life of Faith; a conversation in heaven: Thus we should, and
thus we might live more than we do; but I doubt I have been here in telling
you a Mystery, whereof the most of us have but little experimental
understanding.
Christians, what acquaintance have you with this life of God? Is this your
business, heavenly work? Are these your comforts, heavenly supports? We
are yet carnal, and walk as men: Oh this earth, earth, how doth it hang on
our spirits; we live as if there were a middle Region betwixt heaven and
earth; a middle state betwixt Faith and unbelief: Some little we have
attained of this heavenly life, and blessed be the Lord for anything; but oh
how little is it?
Friends, wonder not that you see no more of the Divine Glory, conclude
not that there is no more to be seen; put it to the proof, live more with God,
more purely, more closely, more constantly with him; live in the daily
exercise of Faith, and you will get the sight of other manner of glorious
things then can be told you.
What's the reason that unbelievers are so wholly in the dark, and can see
nothing of God, no more than they can despise and laugh to scorn? O ’tis
because they come not near where God is; they are alienated from the life
of God; their whole business is in the heart of the earth; here they dwell,
and here is their whole converse.
Speak ye unbelievers, where dwell ye? What is your Occupation? Where
is your Conversation? Far enough from heaven sure, where ever it be.
Speak ye proud and haughty ones, where is your Conversation? Our
Conversation is in the air, we feed on wind, live upon breath; honor and
applause is all we work for, and live upon.
Speak ye Covetous, where is your Conversation? Our Conversation is in
the earth; we feed upon dust and ashes, and in these our business lies.
Speak ye contentious quarrelsome ones, where is your Conversation? Our
Conversation is in the fire; in storms and tempests.
Speak ye voluptuous Sensualists, where is your Conversation? Our
Conversation is in the mud and mire, in lasciviousness, wantonness, and all
manner of filthy lusts.
Speak ye Ranters, Ruffians, Swearers, Cursers, Blasphemers, where is
your Conversation? Our Conversation is in Hell, in the Alehouse, the
Tavern, the Brothel-house; we live where Satan's Throne is, in the very
Suburbs of Hell.
Oh what a difference hath Faith put betwixt Believers and all others in the
world! Whilst they only live the life of God, all others live the life of Bruits
or Devils.
Oh bless God for Faith; even ye of little Faith: at its first entrance it gives
your soul a lift from heaven to earth. There it lists your names, no longer
men of this world, but henceforth, Citizens with the Saints, and of the
household of God; there it hath laid you up an Inheritance, and thence it
brings you your maintenance: thither it turns your eyes and all your
streams; it shows you what you have there, and by those beams it draws you
up thither. Those to whom it shows the least of that glory, it shows enough
to disgrace the glory of the world; and as this Sun-light grows, so doth all
the beauty of the world fade, and vanish out of sight.
By Faith our conversation is in heaven. Now by how much the more our
conversation is in heaven, by so much the more our hearts are there; by how
much the more our hearts are in heaven, by so much the less on earth; and
when once the world hath lost our love, it hath lost its power over us.
1. By how much the more our conversation is in heaven, by so much the
more our hearts and affections are there; we ordinarily love to be where we
use to be. No such damp grows upon affection, as by distance and
estrangement: when we lose our acquaintance, we lose our delight in God.
Acquaint thyself with him, and be at peace, Joh 22:21. Acquaint thyself
with him, and be in love; there wants nothing to fix our affections on
heaven, but being better acquainted there. Intimacy begets dearness.
Do you not love God? ‘Tis a sign you have had little to do with him. Is
not your delight in Heaven? ‘Tis a sign you are seldom there. Is prayer and
holy meditation and exercising yourselves in the Scriptures and attendance
on ordinances, a weariness and altogether unpleasant to you? Sure you have
little known what the spirit of Prayer and Communion with God in his word
and ordinances mean: those whose Souls dwell by the wells of salvation,
and often let down the bucket, do taste that the waters thereof are sweet;
they shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thine house, and thou
shalt make them drink of the rivers of thy pleasures, for with thee is the
fountain of life, Psal. 36.
Those that walking closely with God, do dwell in the secret of his
presence, under the sweet dew and influences of his grace; the business of
whose life, is to behold, and love, and serve the Lord, their hearts have
found such rest there, that they can find no rest elsewhere.
2. By how much the more our hearts are in Heaven, by so much the less
are they on earth: worldly professors have all their religion in their mouths,
there's little within, whatever they talk. If any man love the world the love
of the father is not in aim; If any man love the Father, the love of the world
ceases. Heaven and Hell may meet as well as Heaven and Earth, in the
same heart: Set your affections on things above and not on the earth; on
both you cannot: your bodies as easily as your Souls, may dwell in Heaven
and Earth together. You use to say, I cannot be here and there too; no, sure
enough you cannot; whilst your Souls are the inhabitants of this, they are
exiles from the other world; and when they have their dwelling in Heaven,
they are but strangers and Pilgrims on the Earth: this world hath lost your
hearts when God hath gained them.
3. When once the world hath lost our hearts, it hath lost its power over us:
who will be enticed by what he hates or slights? God and the world rule,
both, by love. If God hath our love, he hath the command of all that ever we
have: if we love the world, what can it not do with us? Whither can it not
lead us? If the world hath lost our love, it were even as good lay down its
weapons, and let us alone: let them follow God, let them be holy, let them
to Heaven, their hearts are gone and there's no holding them back. It may
still hang in their heels, and retard their motion Heavenward, but their
hearts being gone, thither their main course will bend itself.
6. Faith gives assurance of this better inheritance. Heb. 11:1. Faith is the
subsistence of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. It is an
evidence, not only that there is another world, and a better world then this;
and that this better state may be obtained; that there is an entrance into the
everlasting Kingdom possible; that these mortals [may] be clothed with
immortality; that these corruptibles may put on incorruption; and these poor
worms, that creep on the dust, may get them wings, and fly away hence into
everlasting bliss; but it is also an evidence, that all this [shall] be; that there
shall be a performance of all those glorious things which God hath spoken
concerning his Saints. Blessed is he that hath believed for there shall be a
performance of all that hath been told him. Luk. 1:45.
Faith hath taken bond for performance. The Almighty God hath bound
himself to us; and lest through unbelief, we should stick at taking his single
bond, he hath given security, hath brought in his Son and heir, the Lord
Jesus Christ to stand bound with him. Faith hath taken this bond; and
having itself sealed to the Articles or conditions on our parts, upon the
performance whereof the inheritance stands sure to us, upon the greatest
security that Heaven and Earth can give; it keeps it by it, and hath it ready
to produce upon all occasions, to stop the clamors of unbelief. The
Covenant of God, that's our security, The Almighty's bond and articles
wherein he hath made over all that ever he hath, by an immutable and
irrevocable deed to his Saints, Heb. 6:17,18.
Nay more, Faith will show a believer his own name in this deed.
If it can but show itself to us, can make it evident, that it is what it is, the
Faith of God's elect; if it does but once appear that we do sincerely believe,
it therein shows us our names in the promise of God. To say to any one that
knows he believes, to say to him, He that believeth shall be saved, is fully
as much, as if it had been said to him by name, Thou O man, even thou
shalt be saved; thy name is written in the book of life.
Unbelief will be staggering at the promise, and will call in question all
that the Lord God hath said. And when this world comes upon us and
tempts us; opens its pack and shows us its wares, and offers us our choice of
whatsoever will please us; Take it says unbelief, make sure of something;
let not go such pennyworths, they may be the best thou art ever like to have.
Mayst thou be rich? Mayest thou live in pleasure and in honor here? Be not
such a fool as to neglect thyself for a conceit of some strange things (thou
knowest not what) thou mayst find hereafter. Who can tell what there is in
another world? Whether there be any other state of blessedness then what
our eyes do see? But grant there be such a happy state, what may this be to
thee? God knows whether ever thou mayst be the better for it: when thou
hast done all thou canst, and lost all thou hast, and left thyself a poor and
miserable and forlorn wretch, an abject an exile from all thy comforts and
contentment’s; after all this, thou mayst never come to Heaven at last:
foolish man lose not a certainty for an uncertainty, know when thou art
well, and keep what thou hast; what thou hast thou art sure of; thine house
is thine own, thy estate is thine own; thy friends and thy pleasures and thy
liberties, do not thine eyes see them, dost thou not taste that they are good?
Here thou hast something, but what thou mayst have hereafter who can tell?
And what can a poor Soul answer to such temptations, that's held under
unbelief? I confess there's no great wisdom in losing certainties for
uncertainties; I see I have something here, and if I were sure it should be so
well with me hereafter, I could be content to venture all I have; to follow
Christ naked, to follow holiness even to bonds imprisonment and death. But
what if there should be no such thing as Heaven, or I should never come
there?
But now Faith will reply, what are thy good things, thou counts so sure
to thee?
What, but vanity and vexation?
But were they better than they are,and worth what thou counts them,
what is the assurance thou hast of them?
For how long are they thine? For how many years? For how many
days?
What thine eye sees today, where may it all be by tomorrow?
Or suppose the most thou canst, thou canst have but a lease of life in them;
when thou diest, thy estate dies, thy pleasures die, thy friends die to thee;
and here’s the assurance thou boasts of; at present thou hast something
that pleases thee, and may be, they may last for an hour or two longer, or for
a few days more; but to be sure after a few years at utmost, they will be
gone and thou must know them no more. This is thy assurance.
But is Heaven no more sure then this? Is that enduring substance, like
these transient shadows? Can stability be removed, or eternity expire? Or if
the doubt be, whether ever thou shalt obtain this blessed state, what hath
God said? He that believeth shall be saved.
Is it uncertain whether God be true? Hath God helped me to believe, and
therein told me I shall be saved, and shall I yet question whether I shall or
no?
At least this is sure beyond all contradiction; Heaven [may] be had; thou
shalt certainly be saved, if it be not thine own fault; if thou wilt thou mayst;
The Gospel is a mockery, if this be not true; it apparently offers life to all
that will, and therefore to thee amongst the rest. Rev. 22:17. The Spirit and
the bride say come—and [whosoever will] let him take of the water of life
freely: there is this only uncertainty now remaining, Its a question whether
thou wilt or not; If thou wilt thou mayst.
Now when a Soul is brought to this, much more when a believer,
understanding that he believes, can read his own name in the book of life,
then let the world try its skill: what a hard task will it have before it? Come
change thy God and thy glory for that which profits not; forsake the
fountain of living waters for these broken Cisterns, purchase the pleasures
of time with the loss of Eternity. Come let the other world go: what wilt
thou give me then?
Why whatever thine heart desires, of all that thine eyes
do see. No, no, deceitful world, I have better things then these, and I will
now use thine own words, I will not lose a certainty for uncertainties. God
is mine, but after a few days whose shall these things be, that thou offerest
me? I mean not to be so put off, as to take mine Heaven on Earth. Let this
earth be my prison, my purgatory, my Hell rather than my Heaven; my life
is bought into that eternal inheritance reserved in Heaven for me and I will
not sell mine inheritance.
|
|
