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Post by Admin on May 23, 2024 16:23:37 GMT -5
A Treatise on Earthly-Mindedness
TO THE READER
It was the saying of a servant of Christ, "Every day a Christian
spends on earth is a day lost in heaven." He meant it of the place,
not the company, for what makes heaven, but union and
communion with God in Jesus Christ? This being attainable in this
life, what keeps a Christian from living in heaven while he lives
upon earth? Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His
Son Jesus Christ, 1 John 1:3 . Our conversation is in heaven, said
another apostle, Phil. 3:20 . And I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in
me, and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of
the Son of God, Galatians 2:20 .
These were men on the earth, subject to infirmities as we are, yet
living in heaven. And there are yet in this declining, wanton, Christdenying age,
a generation upon earth thus living, whose lives and
graces, though hidden under a mean outside, under many
reproaches and infirmities, yet shine inwardly with the glory of
Christ upon them who, though they are in the world, yet follow the
Lord with a different spirit than the spirit of the world; and among
these hidden ones of the Lord, this blessed man (the Preacher of
these sermons, of whom the world was not worthy) was such a one
who, while he was upon earth, lived in heaven. And as you may
easily perceive, the end and scope of these sermons is to wind up
your heart to a like frame and posture, viz., to take it off of perishing
vanities, and to set it on that which is the real and durable substance.
We see upon what weak shoulders the fair neck of all worldly pomp
and glory now stands, and how the Lord is winding up and putting
an end to the glories of the kingdoms of men, who have not
contributed their strength and power to the advancing, but rather to
the pulling down and eclipsing of the glory of the kingdom of Jesus
Christ. Besides what the world tells us, never has an age had more
examples laid before them of the world's vanity than in our days.
Therefore, our hearts should sit loose to all things that cannot
stretch themselves to eternity. The Apostle's reason is full of weight,
It remains that both they that have wives, be as though they had
none; and they that weep as though they wept not; and they that
rejoiced as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy as though
they possessed not; and they that use the world as not abusing it.
And this exhortation he puts on by this argument, The time is short,
or as the word is, "The remainder of our season is now folding up, as
a veil or curtain into a narrow room."
Time is short and life shorter, and the end of all things is at hand.
We have greater things to mind and to set our hearts upon. The
divinity of this holy man's spirit did much appear in this, that
having much of the comfort that earth could afford him, he still
looked upon all creature contentments with the eyes of a stranger,
and in order to the raising of his soul to a more holy, humble,
serviceable, self-denying walking with God. For a man who enjoys
little or nothing in this world to speak much of the world's vanity
and emptiness, and of taking the heart off that, is not as much as
when a man is surrounded with the confluence of creature comforts
then, by a Divine spirit, to tread upon the neck of these things, and
to be caught up into third Heaven, bathing, solacing, and satisfying
itself with sweet and higher enjoyments, with the more savory and
cordial apprehensions it has of Jesus Christ. This is comparable to
the one who is made a partaker of the Divine nature, and who lives
above the world in the enjoyment of the world.
So now, reader, you have these sermons twice printed: once in the
practice of this holy man and once again in these papers which we
present to you in this preaching style (though we confess things
might have been more contracted) because we find this more
desired, more acceptable to his hearers and, if we mistake not, more
working upon the affections and more profitable to the greatest
number of Christians The Lord Jesus be with your spirit, and go along with these, and all
his other precious labors, to the furtherance of the joy of your faith,
building you up in the inner man, and directing you in the way to
your eternal rest.
Thomas Goodwin, William Bridge, William Greenhill, William
Adderly, John Yates, Sydrach Simpson, Philip Nye.
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Post by Admin on May 23, 2024 16:26:06 GMT -5
Chapter One: Doctrine: There is a great difference between a wicked man and a
godly man. The one minds the earth; the other's conversation is in heaven
The Text Opened, Philippians 3:19 , "…who mind earthly things…"
This precious Scripture clearly holds forth the different dispositions
of wicked and of godly men, especially of such wicked men as set
themselves against the Gospel, for it relates to such as were
professed enemies to the cross of Christ, that labored as best they
could to hinder the success of the ministry of Paul. You will find, if
you look back a few verses, that this is meant of that kind of men
especially, for he tells us that many walked so, as they were enemies
to the cross of Christ. They were those that opposed the preaching
of Paul and his ministry. He describes those men by divers
characters, but I'll treat none of them but this, who mind earthly
things, who savour or relish earthly things, you may translate this
as well. It is a general word comprehending the actions and
operations of both the under-standing and the will. It is, in
Scripture, applied to both, but most commonly to the actions of the
will and affections. We will deal particularly with actions of the will
Earthly things are those that are on the earth, whatever they are, the
beauty, the glory, and pageantry of the earth; the profits that are
earthly, the pleasures and honors of the world; who mind any things
inordinately that are sublunary accommodations. But we carry and
behave ourselves as free citizens of the city of Heaven, for so the
words in the original are, if we should thus read them, "Our city,
where we are citizens and where we have rights, is heaven."
But our conversation, our city converse, is of things that are above
the earth. When the Apostle would have men to follow his example
and not the example of others, in the 17th verse, he uses this as an
argument that such and such men are enemies to the cross of
Christ, and they make their belly their god, and they mind earthly
things. Do not follow them; do not harken what they say to you;
they come up and down from house to house and whisper this and
that to you, and would take you off from the ways of God. God has
begun to enlighten you and to stir your consciences; do not let the
precious affections of your souls run toward them, but be followers
of us as we are of Christ, for our conversation is in heaven with our
Lord and Master, this argument coming in the 20th verse. That
being the only scope and meaning of the words, take this doctrinal
truth: THIS IS THE GREAT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A WICKED
MAN AND A GODLY MAN: ONE MINDS EARTHLY THINGS, AND
THE OTHER HAS HIS CONVERSATION IN HEAVEN. I intend to
handle both these in order.
One of these minds earthly things. It is a parallel Scripture to
Romans 8:5 , For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of
the flesh. "Do mind," there is the same word, only here it is the
participle and there it is the verb, but the meaning is the same. They
that are after the earth mind earthly things; they that are after the
flesh favor fleshly things. The first part of this point is the
description of wicked men, they that are enemies to the cross of
Christ and to the ways of godliness. They are men that mind earthly
things, and the more gross of them are described before this as
having their bellies as their gods. Some of them are very sensual,
drunken, unclean, and altogether given to satisfy the flesh in fleshly
lusts. But there are others that do not appear to be so brutish, yet
they are men of earthly minds who savour only earthly things, and
these are the men that are secret enemies to the cross of Christ, yea,
and will many times appear so to be; it will break out at length. Such
a man whose spirit has been earthly for a long time will appear at
length to be an enemy to Christ's cross. Now in the handling of this
point, I will propound these five things:
First, what it is to mind earthly things in a sinful way, or thus:
When a man may be said to be an earthly-minded man, that we may
know when a man is an earthly-minded man, what it is to mind
earthly things that the Apostle describes here a wicked man by.
Without the opening of this, all that I shall say afterwards will be to
little purpose.
Secondly, the great evil that there is in minding earthly things, and I
shall help you discover a greater evil in it than you are aware of.
Thirdly, lay down some proofs whereby those men and women that
think they are clear of this sin may have it revealed to their
consciences that they are the men and women that do mind earthly things.
Fourthly, I shall search into the reason why the hearts of men and
women are so much after earthly things.
Fifthly, I shall labor to take your hearts off of earthly things. These
are the five things that are to be done in the first part of the point,
namely, the character of wicked men here laid down, who mind
earthly things. '
First, who they are that mind earthly things. Certainly they are not
all those that enjoy earthly things. All men who make use of earthly
things must not be condemned for minding them. Paul himself, in
this very epistle, Philippians 4:12 , wrote that though he knew how
to want, yet he knew how to abound. He could tell how to make use
of earthly things, and he gives charge that all those that are
instructed should make such as had instructed them partakers of all
their goods. Paul charges this! Yea, Christ Himself, in that Scripture
where He labors most to take the thoughts of men off the earth, and
not to take any thought for what they should eat or drink, still says,
Your heavenly Father knows that ye have need of these things,
Matthew 6:32 . Galatians 6:6 , Let him that is taught in the Word
communicate unto him that teacheth all good things, and if there be
any pretense against it, yet he says, Be not deceived, God is not mocked
for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Therefore, it is not here charged, as a mark of an evil man, to have
earthly things, and to justly require what is due unto him, as Paul
does here. And the Galatians could not charge him with breaking his
own rule which he wrote to the Philippians. Therefore, we must
inquire what is meant by minding earthly things. When does a man
or woman mind earthly things in a sinful way? For that there are
several particulars.[/font]
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Post by Admin on May 23, 2024 20:38:38 GMT -5
Chapter Two: Earthly-Mindedness
Discovered in Nine Particulars
The first is this: when a man looks upon earthly things as the
greatest things of all, when he has a high esteem of earthly things as
THE things. As if it were thus, "Oh, if I had such and such things as
others have, oh how happy I would be. How happy are such and
such men that do enjoy such earthly things at their will, in their
dwellings, their furniture, their comings in; oh, these are the
excellent things, these are the delightful things. These are THE
things in which felicity and happiness consist."
When men promise themselves felicity in any earthly things, they
mind earthly things. I remember golden-mouthed Chrysostom had
a speech about a covetous man who looked upon his money and saw
more beauty in his money than in the very sun that shines in the
firmament. Men look upon the things of the earth as the most
beautiful things in their eyes. Certainly a man is in a distemper
when he puts such a high esteem upon any earthly things. This
esteem is not according to what God and His saints put upon earthly
things. God never puts any great eminency on any earthly thing. He
never made any earthly things to be any great conduit or means of
conveyance of any great good from Himself unto His creature. If
you would know where your heart is, you may know it by this one
sign as much as any: what do you count your excellency? According
to what any man or woman counts their excellency to consist in, so
is their heart. Their hearts are suitable.
In Genesis 27:28-39 , you find Isaac blessing Jacob and Esau. But I
would have you observe the difference in the placement of them.
Observe the blessing of Jacob in verse 28. There God gives the dew
of heaven and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine
as Jacob's blessing. Now look at Esau's blessing, for the blessing was
suitable to their disposition. Jacob's father answered and said unto
him, Behold thy dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth, and of
the dew of heaven from above. Mark it, Isaac blesses them both
with the dew of heaven and fatness of the earth. But in Jacob's
blessing the dew of heaven is first and the fatness of the earth is
second, while in Esau's blessing, the fatness of the earth is first and
then the dew of heaven. Note this, that a godly man stands in need
of earthly things. As Christ said, Your Father knows you stand in
need of these things. But the great thing in the first place that a
godly heart minds is the dew of heaven, and then secondly the
blessing of the earth. Now a carnal heart thinks that it has some
need of the things of heaven, it will acknowledge that. But it's the
fatness of the earth they desire and then the dew of heaven. So
that's the first thing: earthly-minded men look upon these things as
the high and chief things, and hence it is that the choice thoughts of
an earthly-minded man are carried out on worldly objects.
Secondly, when the creamy, choice thoughts of men and women are
busied about earthly things, they mind earthly things in a sinful
manner. You may know what kind of hearts you have by your
thoughts about anything. The thoughts are the immediate
ebullitions or risings up of the heart, that is, the bubbles that come
from the heart immediately.
A man cannot know what is in his heart as much by words and
actions as by the thoughts, because the thoughts immediately
spring from the heart. For example, I can tell what the water is in
such a fountain better from that which bubbles up immediately
from the fountainhead than I can tell by the water that runs in the
stream a mile or two off that never came from the fountainhead.
That which immediately bubbles from the fountainhead reveals the
nature of the fountain.
The thoughts are, as it were, the firstborn of the heart and,
therefore, the heart may be known by the thoughts. The Holy Ghost
said in Proverbs 23:7 , As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. That
which is here spoken in particular may be applied in general. As a
man thinks in his heart, so is he; as his thoughts are, so is he. The
heart is as the thoughts of the mind are. Men may keep words in
and actions out by respects. If you could know what the heart is and
look into the haunts of it in secret, that would reveal to you what
you are. Many of your servants, when in your presence or before
others, may, out of respect, carry themselves fairly. But if you would
find them out, labor to know what they do when they are alone in
their private haunts.
So, would you know your own hearts? Do not look so much at them
and take a scantling of them by how you behave yourselves in words
and actions before others, but what they are in your private
chambers, what they are in the inward thoughts of the mind; there
the heart comes to be discovered most. By these thoughts I do not
mean every kind of injection or suggestion, for sometimes the Devil
may cast evil thoughts into the most holy. But I mean such
thoughts as are sweet to the soul, whereby the soul comes to suck
out sweetness and contentment, for that's minding earthly things:
when you find the strength of your thoughts to be upon the things
of the earth; and they are more suitable to your hearts than any
other. It is not when through weakness the mind may be wandering
this way or that way, or through suggestions or temptations, but
men or women are most themselves when alone and free. Can you
say when you are alone, "O the very thoughts of God are sweet to
me, I meditate in His law day and night." Can you suck out
sweetness there as from a honeycomb? But an unclean wretch will
suck sweetness out of his unclean thoughts when he is alone. The
earthly-minded man will suck sweetness out of his earthly
thoughts, and the ambitious man the sweetness of his pride when
he is alone, and these are the most contentful thoughts to him. He
can run two or three hours and take delight and pleasure in them,
that's earthly-mindedness.
The third thing is this: an earthly-minded man is one whose heart
cleaves to the earth. As I told you, the word was not only to mind,
but to savour the things of the earth, his heart cleaves to the earth.
The Psalmist, in a far different case, said that his soul cleaved to the
dust, but that's true of many men in this case. Their very souls
cleave to the dust, their spirits are mixed with the earth, and
therefore they are dross. It may be they have some good common
gifts, some good natural parts, and some workings of the Holy
Ghost upon them, yet their spirits are drossy, because they are
mixed with the earth. Talk to these men of the vanity of the things
of the earth. They will give you a hearing, but when you have done
all, their souls cleave to the earth. And talk to them of the excellency
of heavenly things. They will hear you, but when you have done all,
their souls still cleave to the earth, as a man whose soul cleaves in
love to a woman (as it is said of Samson, his soul did cleave to
Delilah). Say what you will against that woman, or of the excellency
of any other woman, yet his soul cleaves to that woman. So it is in
an earthly-minded man: let what will be said against the things of
the earth, or what can be said for the setting forth of the excellency
of the things of heaven, yet his soul cleaves to the earth, as the
serpent's belly did to the dust of the ground. That's an earthly
minded man.
Fourthly, an earthly-minded man is one whose heart is filled with
distracting cares about the earth, what he shall eat and drink, and
what he shall put on, how he shall provide for himself and his
family, and what shall become of him. Though he is well now, what
may become of him afterwards? When the heart is filled with
distracting cares about the things of the earth, as far as the heart
has these prevailing over it, so far such a man may be judged to be
earthly.
There are but two things that cause distracting cares about any
business,
The first is an apprehension of some very great evil. In case I should
be disappointed, I look upon my disappointment as a most
intolerable evil to me. If I should be disappointed, I do not know
what in the world to do. That's the first.
The second is an uncertainty in the means for the prevention of this
disappointment. When I look upon disappointment as a great evil, I
cannot trust those things that prevent and help me against
disappointment to do so. I see them as being too weak to help me;
notwithstanding such means, I may yet be disappointed. This causes
distracting thoughts.
So, in the things of the earth, an earthly-minded man or woman has
his thoughts filled with distracting cares about the world. First,
looking upon the things of the world as such great things, they think
that if they are disappointed, they will be undone. They look upon it
as such a fearful, insufferable evil to be deprived of their estate and
outward comforts in this world. Secondly, they don't look upon the
means of provision for themselves and their families as having any
certainty in it, which is a main thing to be considered. As for
outward things in the world, they find by experience there is
uncertainty in them. And then for any promise that there is in
Scripture that God will provide for them and their families, alas,
that they dare not trust. That's a thing that of all means they think
to be the weakest. "Lord, have mercy upon us," they say. If they
have nothing else to trust but a word of Scripture, they think of
themselves as most miserable and wretched.
But now, it would be otherwise with the soul if it were not earthly
minded. It would not be at any great pause how things fall out here
in the matters of the world. It's true, perhaps I may miscarry in such
a business, and my estate may be taken from me by the Chaldeans
or the Sabeans, as was Job's, but I shall not be undone, my
happiness is not gone. I shall have that which will comfort me when
all that is gone. Suppose the worst, yes, this will not undo me.
Indeed, a man that sends his whole estate abroad in a venture is
very solicitous because, if there is bad news about it, he is undone.
But another man who has a great deal of riches, house, and lands,
and a stock at home to maintain him and his family, if bad news
comes he thinks, "I have a stock at home to live on." He is not as
solicitous. So a worldly man has all his stock in the earth, there's his
only portion, and if he miscarries there, he is undone. But a godly
man, though he has the things of the earth, yet he has something
else, treasures in heaven to rest upon besides the earth, and
therefore he is not as solicitous.
And then for the second, the uncertainty of means and help. If a
godly man looks upon outward causes, he sees all is uncertain, but
he has a promise to rest upon, I will never leave you nor forsake
you. Cast your care upon Me for I care for you. This he looks on as a
certain means and help. Whatever falls out, here's a promise that he
can build upon, and therefore this takes off his solicitous cares. But
an earthly-minded man's heart is filled with distracting cares,
becadse he looks upon himself as undone if he miscarries here and
has nothing more than the creature does for his provision in this
world.
Fifthly, an earthly-minded man or woman is one whose great
business of his heart, and endeavors of his life, are about the things
of the earth. He makes it his great business, and the strong
endeavors of his spirit are exercised in the things of the earth. He
eagerly and greedily works with the strongest intention about these
things; how the whole soul, the whole man is laid out about the
world; it is the adequate object of his soul.
You will say, "Other men are busy in their callings as well as these
that you account earthly-minded men." Yes, but they are busy in
their callings in obedience to God. And, for outward things, they set
aside their obedience to God. Then all the things that they busy
themselves with in the world, were it not under that consideration
that they were obeying God in it, they would not be adequate objects
for their souls. By an adequate object, I mean that which is
sufficient to take up the whole strength of the, soul to lay it out
fully.
I'll give you this example to show you what I mean by an adequate
object. You have a little child playing sports. This sport has as much
in it as there is in his spirit, there is a kind of equality between his
spirit and such a sport. A child receives enough benefit from a sport
that it's worth laying out all his strength and might upon it. Now, it
may be, sometimes a man or woman will play with their child. They
will play as the child does, but this sport is not an adequate object. A
man or woman will play with the child for awhile, but there is not
enough good in this play to fill their souls, though it is fully
adequate to the desires of the child. These things are not fully
adequate to the desires of a man or woman. They have other
matters in their heads than these, and businesses of a higher
nature. And so it is in those that are not earthly- minded. Though
they may be busied about the things of this world, yet they use the
world as if they used it not. The things of the world are not adequate
objects to their hearts. A spiritual heart reserves the chief strength
of it for higher things. I follow these things in the world, but I
reserve the chief strength for a more desirable good.
If a man has friends come to him, perhaps some of an ordinary rank
come first. He makes ordinary provision for them, but if he has any
choice things for entertaining, he reserves them for some choice
friends that are coming. So a man that is not of the world, though he
may be busy in earthly things, yet the choice of his heart he reserves
for things of a higher nature. I remember Tertullian had a speech of
the Christians, how they ate and drank when they supped. "They ate
and drank so as they remembered they were to pray that night
before they slept." So a gracious, spiritual heart follows his outward
business in the world, but remembers he is to converse with God
that night before he sleeps, so that he reserves the strength of his
spirit for communion with God. But the other lays out all his
strength as if he had nothing to do afterwards. In this, an earthly
and a spiritual heart are quite contrary.
The Apostle would have godly men to use the world as if they used
it not. Contrarily, an earthly-minded man uses spiritual things as if
he used them not. How an earthly-minded man's heart is in
spiritual things, so a spiritual mind is in earthly things. An earthly
minded man will do some things that are spiritual. He will come
and hear the Word, perhaps he will pray in his family and read a
chapter, but his heart is not there. He does it as if he did it not,
come and hears as if he heard not, and prays as if he prayed not. He
does not make it his business to pray or hear. A spiritually-minded
man does worldly things as if he did them not, in comparison to
being busy in spiritual things. Those he does with all his might. An
earthly-minded man is like Corah, Dathan, and Abiram. We read
that they were swallowed up by the earth. So, the truth is, the things
of the earth, contentments, provision for themselves and families in
earthly things, opens and swallows up the very hearts of earthly
minded men.
Sixthly, suppose a man does not seem to be so strongly inclined to
layout his whole strength and heart about earthly things. Yet when
any man or woman shall seek any earthly thing. for itself, and not in
subordination to some higher good, this is an earthly-minded man,
for as this prevails, in 2 Corinthians 4:18 , our Apostle Paul speaks
of the things that are seen that are but temporal. While we look not
at the things that are seen, for the things that are seen are earthly
and temporal. The word is as much as if to say, "While we look upon
temporal and earthly things that are seen, we do not make them our
end. We seek them in subordination. There is something else that
we look at as higher in all these' things."
For instance, a man who is godly follows his business as other men
do, but what is it that I)e would have? It is this: I show my
obedience to God, and I would provide those things that may be
helpful to me to serve God in my generation; that's my end. I can
appeal to God in this, that even in following my business and all
outward things, it is so that I might follow God in the use of means
for the providing of such things as may enable me to serve him the
more in my generation. This is my scope in what I do.
But now on the other side, an earthly-minded man makes his scope
to follow his business and look about the business of his calling that
he might gain. He would get that he might get; he would have more
that he might have more, and that he and his children might be
somebody in the world. It may be that he might have enough to
have his will and lusts, and therefore he follows his business very
intently, merely that he may get to satisfy the flesh. Yes, indeed, all
the good things that he does, he brings them in subordination to
earthly things. You may take it thusly, a spiritual man does not seek
earthly things for himself, but an earthly man does. Or more fully,
an earthly man is earthly in all that he does do, both in earthly and
spiritual things, and a spiritually-minded man is spiritual in all he
does, both in spiritual and in earthly things. When an earthly man is
in earthly things he is altogether earthly, he does not look at
obedience to God in what he does. A spiritual man says, "I'll follow
my calling because God has required it," but an earthly man thinks,
"I'll follow it because I see gain coming from it." This is earthly.
Though the things are lawful, (and it's your duty to follow your
calling) but to follow it merely for gain, this is earthly. But because
it is your duty and it is the place God has set you in, that is
spirituality in earthly things. An earthly man is earthly in earthly
things, and he is more earthly in spiritual things. When he performs
spiritual duties, he has an earthly end in it, either to get esteem
from men, or to cover some evil. Perhaps merely for form or fashion
he does it in an earthly way, and it may be at most that he does it
merely for his own quiet, to satisfy his own conscience.
Now a spiritual man is spiritual in earthly things. One of a spiritual
mind is more heavenly and spiritual when he is about his calling,
though it be the lowest, like cutting hedges, digging ditches, pulling
ropes or lines, or using his axe or hammer. He is more spiritual at
these than is an earthly man when he is praying or hearing, or
receiving Sacraments. Certainly it is so, and it will be found to be so
at the great day of judgment, when all the secrets of all hearts shall
be disclosed.
That which we may add as a seventh is, that he is earthly in spiritual
things. I grant that the best of the saints may have some earthliness
in spiritual things, but I speak of the predominance. It's that which
rules in the heart, so that in the performance of spiritual things, his
very ends are but earthly, and the frame of his heart is but earthly in
spiritual performances.
The eighth thing wherein we may find an earthly-minded man is
this, that he passes through many and great difficulties in matters
of the earth, and they are very little to him. Though he toils a great
deal in matters of the earth he is never weary because he is in his
proper element. Therefore, let there be what difficulties there will
be, which to another man would be very great, he makes them as
nothing and, though there is much toil and labor, yet he is not
weary. Why? Because he is in his own element. The fish is not
weary with swimming, but a man is quickly weary. It is because the
fish is in his element and the man is not. Observe this, when a
man's spirit is in this kind of temper, let him be busied about
earthly things, wherein earthly advantage comes in, no difficulties
will hinder him, no wind or weather. He will rise in cold mornings
and go abroad, do anything in the world. Oh! What difficulties will
men endure in storms at sea, and hazards there and troubles at
land, and sit up late, and rise early, and toil themselves, and
complain of no weariness or difficulties. But, let them come to
spiritual things, to soul business that concerns God and their
spiritual estates. Every little difficulty puts them aside and
discourages them. Every mole hill is a mountain in their way. I
would do so and so, but it's so hard, and 'tis tedious. to rise in a
morning, especially in cold winters. It is very hard and difficult to
read and pray. And so he complains of the difficulty of these things.
To watch over the heart is a very difficult thing. To an earthly man,
any spiritual thing is difficult and the difficulties discourage him. In
spiritual things, oh how weary are they! In Malachi 1: 13 , they cry
out, What a weariness is it! But they can follow the business of the
world from morning to night and never get tired. They can work like
a horse and never be out of breath! I wish you would try once to
spend one Sabbath exactly and see what a weariness that would be
to you. Resolve just one Sabbath to rise early in the morning, and to
have your thoughts spiritual and heavenly as much as you can. Then
get up and pray alone in your closet. Then read, and hear, and
meditate, and mark what you hear. And when you go home, think of
it and confer about it. And when you come again to attend on the
Word, and so spend the whole day in hearing, reading, meditating,
and conferencing about good things, calling your family to account,
and praying again. See how tiresome this will be to your hearts if
they are carnal.
However, a spiritual heart will call the Sabbath a delight. And the
Sabbath unto such a one is no other than a type and forerunner of
that eternal day of rest it shall enjoy in the kingdom of heaven. One
that is spiritual counts the Sabbath to be a day of rest, but an earthly
man is quickly tired in spiritual things. He will give up his work and
not go through it. We read in Nehemiah 4:6 that Nehemiah spoke of
the great difficulties that they met with in their work, and yet the
work went on, for they had a mind to it. So look how a man's mind
is, he will be able to go through with his work. If a man is an
earthly- minded man, he will go through with his work. If he takes
up worldly business, he will go through with it, for he has a mind to
it. He is an earthly-minded man. But let him take on a spiritual
work and he will lay it aside before it is half done! He will seldom
bring to perfection any spiritual work. Why? Because he has no
mind to it, whereas, if the heart were spiritual and there were any
spiritual work undertaken, such a one would go through with it
until all was finished. Another note (the ninth particular) which
describes an earthly-minded man is this: an earthly-minded man is
one that conceives the most heavenly truths that are revealed in the
Word in an earthly way, according to his mind, his genius, and the
disposition of his own heart. I truly think this is meant in a special
manner in this place, for the Apostle is speaking of those that
opposed him in his ministry and that were enemies to the cross of
Christ. Now, these mind earthly things, their minds are of an earthly
temper, and therefore it is no wonder they do not savor those
heavenly and spiritual truths that we bring to them, for their minds,
being earthly, do only apprehend those things after an earthly
manner.
Now what was the great truth that the Apostle brought to the
Philippians? It was the way of reconciling the world to God, of
making our peace with God, and of our justification through Jesus
Christ. Now there is no point of religion more spiritual, heavenly,
and divine, than the doctrine of reconciliation, and of justification
by Jesus Christ. So that one who is of an earthly disposition, though
he may be convinced of a necessity of pardon of sin and peace with
God, yet apprehends the making of his peace with God and
obtaining pardon of sin in an earthly manner. He has carnal
thoughts and apprehensions about his place with God and obtaining
pardon of sin. He thinks it is the same way that one man obtains
peace with another when there has been a falling out, and of getting
pardon from another man that he has offended. He conceives it in
an earthly way, he looks upon his making peace with God by
something that he must perform. But the free justification by the
grace of God in Christ? It's too divine, spiritual, and heavenly for an
earthly-minded man to apprehend. An earthly- minded man's
apprehensions of God are only in a carnal, earthly way.
As the prophet speaks in Isaiah 1:3 , The ox knows his owner, and
the ass his master's crib. In the same way an earthly- minded man
knows God, like an ox knows his owner, and the ass his master. The
ox knows his owner since he brings him fodder daily, so an earthly
minded man has no other apprehensions of God but that God gives
him good things in this world. God makes his corn to grow or
prospers his voyage. An earthly-minded man may rise so high as to
have apprehensions of God as bringing good things unto him here
on earth, but one that is spiritual and heavenly apprehends God as
God. He does not look upon God merely as good in respect of the
benefit he receives from God here, but he looks upon God as He is
in Himself. He sees the face of God. There's a great deal of
difference between a man that knows another man and a beast that
knows a man.
The ox knows his owner. The ox knows the man that brings hay or
provisions to him, but a man knows a man in another way. He
knows what the nature of a man is, what it is to be a rational
creature. So one who is spiritual knows what God is in Himself; he
sees the face of God, and understands what God is in another way
than others do. The difference between the know ledge of God that a
spiritual soul has, one who is pure in heart, and the knowledge of
God that an earthly heart has, is just as different. As the ox knows
the man that drives him to fat pastures, so an earthly man knows
God gives him good things. But a spiritual man knows God as one
man knows another, not in the full excellency, but there is such a
difference in some degree between the apprehensions of God in a
spiritual heart and the apprehensions of God in an earthly heart.
We might mention many other spiritual and divine truths that an
earthly mind apprehends only in an earthly way. For example,
consider heaven itself. How does an earthly mind apprehend that?
He apprehends that he shall be delivered from pain and shall have
some kind of glory, but he knows not what it is. He conceives it
according to the way of the earth, some pompous, glorious thing,
that he shall live in pleasures and not in pain, and so apprehends all
the glory of heaven but in sensuality. A spiritual heart looks at
heaven in another way. He looks upon the enjoyment of
communion with God and Jesus Christ in heaven, and living the life
of God in heaven. That's a thing an earthly heart has no skill in at
all, neither does such a heart so much as savor it.
Thus I have in these several particulars revealed what an earthly
minded man is. Oh, that you would lay your hands upon your hearts
and consider how far these things reach you! But besides these, I
have divers other arguments to convince the consciences of men
and women that there is still much earthliness in them, but we shall
treat them in order later.
The second head to consider is this: the great evil of earthly
mindedness is that they mind earthly things. "Is that such a great
matter?" you say. "We cannot imagine the transcendency of the evil
there is in this. We think there's a great deal of evil in swearing,
whoring, drinking, and such scandalous sins. But to have an earthly
mind? We do not think this to be such an exceeding evil." Yet you
will find that the Scripture speaks most dreadful things against this,
and if God is pleased to set them upon your hearts, I hope that
much glory may come to God by it, and much good to you in particular.
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Post by Admin on May 23, 2024 21:16:13 GMT -5
Chapter Three: Six Evils of Earthly Mindedness
THE FIRST EVIL. The Scripture calls it adultery. It is spiritual
adultery in James 4:4 , "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not
that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?" They were
adulterers and adulteresses in respect of their love to the world. You
that would abhor the thought of a temptation to adultery, yet you
may commit spiritual adultery. A man or a woman may be an
adulterer or adulteress before the Lord, though they never commit
the act of uncleanness with another. Yet if their hearts are towards
another, they are guilty of uncleanness, for Christ said that whoever
looks on a woman to lust after her in his heart has committed
adultery already. That is, he has sinned against that command
which forbids adultery. If a man lets his heart go after another
woman more than his wife, and a wife after another man more than
her husband, this is adultery before the Lord. So if our hearts go
after anything more than the Lord Jesus Christ, to whom we profess
to be married and who is our Husband, this is adultery in Scriptural
terms.
THE SECOND EVIL. A worldly or an earthly mind in Scriptural
terms is called "Idolatry" in Ephesians 5:5 . Speaking of divers sins
that should not so much as be named among them, as is becoming
saints, he lists covetousness among the rest. And he adds this, and
covetousness, which is idolatry. Now what is earthly-mindedness
but covetousness, which is idolatry? A man or woman is an idolater
who is of an earthly mind. Idolatry, which is a worshiping of sticks
and stones, you all account to be a great sin; but do you and all
others take heed of another idolatry that may be as bad, which is to
have your hearts make the god of this world -the cursed mammon
of unrighteousness -to be your God, to make the things of the earth
to be your Christ by falling down and worshiping the golden calf of
the world? It's certain that the thing a man's heart is most taken
with and set upon is his God. And therefore. in this verse, it is said
they made earthly things (their bellies) their god. The voluptuous
and drunkards make their bellies their God, and the unclean person
makes his strumpet to be his goddess and worships that.
Whatever your heart is most set upon, that is your God. Therefore,
you must know, that this is the meaning of the Commandment,
Thou shalt have no other Gods before Me. That is, you shall give
Me, and nothing else, the strength of your soul. I am a God to My
creature when I have its strength exercised about Me, to lift up Me
as the highest good. But if there is anything else that your soul is set
on as the highest good, that's your god, and it's worse than bowing
the knee. You bow your soul to that thing.
Now the more base anything is that we make a God of, the more vile
is the idolatry. When the Egyptians worshiped divers sorts of gods,
they were accounted the most vile idolaters, whereas other
heathens worshiped more excellent things: the sun, moon, and
stars. The Egyptians worshiped dogs, cats, onions, and vile things,
and therefore their idolatry was vile. So, the more vile any thing is
that men or women set their hearts upon, the more vile is their
idolatry. For a man to set his heart upon unclean lusts and to make
them to be a god, satisfying those lusts, is abominable. To make any
earthly thing a god to us is most vile for, of all the things of the
works of creation that God has made, the earth is the lowest. It is
the basest and lowest thing and has the least beauty in itself, and it
is the most dull and meanest element of all. To make earthly things
to be a god to you is most vile.
OBJECTION: You will say for this idolatry, "What is there in it?"
ANSWER: There are two particulars to open the evil of idolatry or
earthly-mindedness.
First, the evil of idolatry is in this: you depart from God. In letting
your hearts go out to these things, you go off from God, and
renounce the protection of God, the goodness and mercy of God.
You leave it all by this. In Hosea 4: 12 , they are said to go a-whoring
from under their God. It is a notable phrase. By going to idols, they
went out from the protection of God whereas, while they were
worshiping the true God, they were under the protection of God.
But when they went to idols, they went from under their God, from
under His protection. So when you set your heart upon God and lift
up the infinite First Being of all things as the Chief Good to your
soul, you are under the influence of this grace and mercy, but when
you depart from Him and make other things to be your chief good,
you go from under His protection and from His goodness and
mercy.
Secondly, God is slighted and condemned when you choose to make
the earth your god rather than the infinite First Being of all things.
A man might despise his wife, an abominable sin, and choose to go
to a Queen, the most beautiful woman in the world, forsaking his
wife. But to leave a Queen or Empress, who is the most beautiful
woman upon earth, and to have the heart cleave to a base dunghill
raker, would this not be a great show of contempt to the beautiful
Queen ? Yet it is so when you forsake the blessed, eternal God as
your Chief Good, and choose the things of the earth. For the truth is
that the earth is the sink of all the creatures of God's making, and
for you to leave the most blessed and eternal One, and to make the
earth your god is, of necessity, a very vile and abominable thing.
Therefore the prophet Jeremiah, in speaking of this idolatry, calls
the heavens and the earth to be amazed at it. Jeremiah 2:12 , Be
astonished, O ye heavens at this, and be horrible afraid. be ye very
desolate, saith the Lord. Why? What's the matter? For my people
have committed two evils, they have forsaken me the fountain of
living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns that can
hold no water. So it is here. You forsake the fountain of living
waters, the blessed God, and your heart cleaves to the dust. You
seek your contentment and happiness in cisterns that can hold no
water! Let the heavens be astonished at this horrible wickedness.
THE THIRD EVIL. Thirdly, earthly-mindedness is enmity against
God. You would hate to be found an enemy against God. Certainly
it's true that an earthly-minded man or woman is an enemy to God.
The Scripture makes it to be enmity in the very text, James 4:4 ,
know ye not that the love of the world is enmity to God? Observe
this, for there's much in it: if God would be pleased to lay this on
our hearts, you will find by experience that earthly-mindedness
makes men to be enemies to that which is spiritually good.
Therefore, well might the Holy Ghost say, 'tis enmity to God, for
whatever is enmity to anything that is spiritually good is enmity to
God. As much as my heart or any of your hearts are against
anything that is spiritual, so much mine or any of your hearts are
enemies to God. Here, in this text, the earthly-minded men are
made enemies to the cross of Christ, that is, enemies to the spiritual
preaching of Christ and holding forth of Christ. Indeed, if they
would have mixed Christ and circumcision together, then they
would have been content with it, but now this spiritual way of
preaching Christ and being justified by faith alone, and Christian
religion in its purity, was that which was not suitable to their carnal
hearts, and therefore they were enemies to it.
Oh! Earthly-mindedness makes us enemies to spiritual things.
Where you have greater enemies unto the things of God, unto
spiritual things, unto the ministry of the Word and to the work of
God's grace upon the hearts of men and women, there are no
greater enemies unto these things than earthly-minded men, men
that savour the things of the earth. They can go up and down, and
they do not care as long as they can go about their business, grow
rich in the world and fare deliciously every day with Dives, making
provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof. There is an
antipathy in their spirits against Jesus Christ and all goodness.
THE FOURTH EVIL. Fourthly, there is scarcely any disposition
more opposite, more contrary to the work of grace, to the work of
godliness in a man's own heart than earthly-mindedness. 'Tis so
exceedingly cross to the nature of grace, that you may as well put
men or women on the stand, and put them upon examination
whether there be any grace or not in their hearts, if earthly
mindedness prevails. If God should suffer your corruptions to
prevail over you, so that you should break forth into some notorious
sins, then it may be you would begin to think, "Can this stand with
grace? And how can that stand with such workings as I have had
before? Have I not cause to fear that I am but a hypocrite, a rotten
professor?" This earthly-mindedness has as much opposition to the
nature of grace and the power of godliness in the heart as almost
any sin that you can name. It is quite contrary to the very beginning
of the work of grace, not contrary to the degrees only, but to the
very beginning! The main work of God, at first, in working grace in
the soul, is to disengage the soul from the creature. It is to take it
off from the earth and from all creatures here below. It is naturally
true that as we are of the earth, so we are earthly and have our
spirits engaged to the things of the earth. But then comes the work
of grace upon the soul and takes it off, and discharges the heart
from the earth. Therefore you find that Christ lays this in as the first
lesson, He that will be My disciple, must deny himself, and take up
his cross and follow Me. As if He should say, "Never think of being a
Christian unless you will deny yourselves." Self? What's that? It is
all natural contentment, natural self, and sinful self.
To be emptied wholly of yourselves, and creature comforts, and
contentments, and take up His cross, to be willing to suffer anything
in regard to earthly comforts, to be willing to lay down all at His
feet, to give up your interest in all, and to take up His cross, this is
the very first beginning of Christ's bringing disciples to Himself. The
soul then says, "Let me have my sin pardoned, and farewell earth;
it's heaven, holiness, renewal in the image of God, communion and
union with God, and living to the eternal praise of His name in
Christ that my heart is upon." This is in the beginning of God's
working the heart to Himself.
The work of grace, when it is first wrought, has the name of
"vocation" or calling. What is it for a man to be called? Give
diligence to make your calling and election sure. To be called is this:
whereas before you were altogether digging and delving in the earth
and seeking for your happiness In the world, it pleased God to make
you hear a voice behind you, calling you and telling you, "O poor
soul, your happiness is not here. There are other things in which the
Chief Good consists. You were made for higher and better things
than these. God has nobler thoughts about mankind than merely to
let him have a few contentments here in the earth.
Oh soul! Come away and look after higher things. Here's the first
work of grace, and the soul answers unto this call of God and says,
"Lord, I come," and so the soul goes up to God to dispose of earthly
things, and this is the beginning of the work of grace. Now how
contrary is earthly-mindedness to the work of God in bringing grace
into the heart?
Think of it in these three things.
1. The very work of conversion is set out in Scripture by God's
calling the soul out of the world, whom He hath predestinated, him
He hath called. When God effectually begins to work upon the heart
of a sinner, He causes a voice to be heard in the soul. Oh soul! You
have been busying yourself about many things, but there is one
thing necessary. Oh, come out of that way of yours which you are in.
You can never be happy otherwise. You will be undone in it." The
Lord calls the soul out of the world, and that is the very work of
conversion, the soul's answering to God's call. Now, can the soul
answer God's call and still have a heart cleaving to these things?
Surely such a one is not yet effectually called out of the world.
2. From this follows the soul's answer to this call. The Lord
disengages the heart from all creature comforts, and teaches the
first lesson: to deny himself and take up Christ's cross. Now, what is
more opposite to self-denial and the taking up of the cross of Christ
than earthly-mindedness? The text here says, They are enemies to
the cross of Christ.
3. A third thing in conversion is the resigning up of the soul to God
as the Chief Good. The soul, upon the call of God, learns the lesson
of self-denial and taking up the cross, and so being disengaged from
the creature, now resigns itself to God as an infinite soul-satisfying
good forever. Now, you cannot but in the naming of this see how
opposite earthly- mindedness is to it.
Next we turn to the work of grace upon the heart, after the heart is
convened and turned to God. First, grace brings a new light into the
soul. A spiritual and divine light is set up in the soul upon the
conversion of a sinner to God. But the earth, you know, is the dark
part of the world, and earthly-mindedness causes darkness to be
upon the spirit, as the interposition of the earth between us and the
sun hinders the sight of the sun from us. So the interposition that
there is of earthliness in the soul of man between God and itself
hinders the sight of God from the soul. There is a divine light set up
in the soul, and God works grace that discovers things of a higher
and more excellent and glorious nature, than those things were,
which before the soul did so much cleave to.
In the second place, the Scripture sets forth the work of grace by the
phrase, "the new creature." In the soul, all things are made new, old
things are passed. He that is in Christ is a new creature. Now,
earthly-mindedness is opposite to the new creation of the soul. It's
the old man that is of the earth. The first man is of the earth,
earthly; and so it is apparent that you are still only in the stock of
the first man, of the earth, who are an earthly-minded man. But the
second man is the Lord from heaven. But now, you who are an
earthly-minded man or woman are yet but a child of Adam, the first
man, and so are of the earth, earthly. This is opposed to grace, for
grace works a new creation in the soul.
Thirdly, grace is of an elevating nature. It raises the heart above
itself and above the creature, yea, above the world; in some respect
above angels themselves, above principalities and powers, above all
created things. Grace is of a raising nature, but an earthly-minded
man sinks down to low and base things.
Fourthly, grace is of an enlarging nature. It enlarges the heart, so
that it cannot be satisfied with any earthly thing. Though God
should give the whole world to a heart that has grace, this would not
satisfy that heart. Why? Because it is so enlarged by the work of
grace. The work of grace is the divine nature, the image of God in
the soul, and therefore makes the soul like God. It's said of God in
Isaiah 40: 15 , that all the nations of the earth are to Him but as a
drop in the bucket, and as the final dust in the balance. Now, grace
earthly man will strain hard but he will get over it, but were a man's
heart taken off from the earth, though he had never gone so far in
business, if there should come a stop in a matter of conscience, just
a doubt that such a thing was a sin would be enough to stop him. A
mere doubt lest he should sin would be enough to make him say,
"Let the business fall if it will, there may be a snare in this, and I see
some cause to doubt." Now, if the heart were spiritual, it would be
taken off, but an earthly mind will go through many dreadful things
and does not trouble itself, and so ensnares itself exceedingly, that
may get an estate, or preserve it once he has it.
THE SIXTH EVIL. The sixth thing wherein the danger of earthly
mindedness consists is this: that 'tis one of the greatest hindrances
in the world to profiting from the ministry of the Word. O many of
you cannot but be convinced in your consciences that you have not
profited by the Word, and sometimes you will complain of the lack
of profiting under the means! O that you had hearts to look into the
cause of it, as to why it is that you profit so little! It will appear that
it comes from your earthly-mindedness. You bring a heart full of the
world, full of dross, with you. It is no wonder that you do not see
those spiritual, heavenly things that are in the Word when there is
so much dross in your eyes.
Summer travelers, traveling in the midst of dust and in company, do
not have the freedom of their eyes to see things like they do at other
times. O many men come to the Word with their thick clay, and a
great deal of filth that clams up their very eyes, and deadens their
hearts in the hearing of the Word! You know what Christ said to
Martha, when Mary was sitting at Christ's feet and hearing HHis
Word. Martha was encumbered with many things. So it is many
times with those that come to hear the Word. Though they are in
the presence of Christ and have the sound of the Word in their ears,
yet their hearts are encumbered about many things. There's a great
noise in their hearts. They are busied in the world even while they
are hearing the Word. As you find in Ezekiel 33:3 I, there's a notable
description which, I fear, may be true of many of you, And they
come unto thee (said the Lord to the prophet) as the people cometh,
and they sit before thee as My people, and they hear thy words, but
they will not do them, for with their mouth they show much love,
but their heart goeth after their covetousness.
They sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, and
they show much love with their mouth. They will commend the
sermon. It may be that they will say, "He is an excellent preacher, it
was a very good sermon that we heard today." They will show love
with their mouths, but yet their hearts go after their covetousness
for all that. They heard a man speak fine things, and bring excellent
expressions to set forth the matter at hand, but their hearts are after
the things of the earth, and after their covetousness.
They had carnal, earthly, drossy hearts, and hence it was that no
good came to them by the ministry of the Word. That famous place,
which shows" it clearly, is in Matt.13:22 . You know the' several
sorts of ground that had the seed of the Word sown into them, but
there was but one of them that was good and faithful The other was
thorny ground. He that received seed among the thorns is he that
hears the Word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of
riches chokes the Word and it becomes unfruitful. I beseech you to
observe it: these that our Saviour speaks of herein this parable, who
get no benefit from the Word, are not men that live lewdly
(drunkards, swearers, or whoremasters), but those who have earthly
hearts. It says, "the deceitfulness of riches." The things of the earth
do not hinder in an open way, for thousands of men who have
earthly hearts do not know that they have earthly hearts. No, it is
the deceitfulness of riches, and it chokes the Word. It may be, just
when they are hearing the Word, if affects them. Oh, they think it's
sweet, and they will remember it, but the deceitfulness of riches and
the cares of this world choke the Word. When these things come,
they have worldly businesses, and their houses, and gardens, and
comings in, and full tables, and all the delights that they have in the
world. All these things come and possess the heart, so that the Word
is choked. It cannot get down into the soul to sink in there and so to
prevail in the soul to bring forth fruit. The Word is choked.
Many of you come here three times on the Lord's Day and have
precious seed sown all those times, and yet how it is choked by the
cares of this world and the deceitfulness of the things of this world!
You bring with you, and keep with you, and carry along with you,
earthly minds, and hence it is that the Word prevails not with your
hearts. Oh! What do you lose through this earthliness? You lose the
fruit of the Word that should save your souls. A spiritual heart,
having received some one truth into it, later blesses God for it, and
would not for ten thousand worlds have it otherwise than that he
should have that truth preached unto his heart at such a time. Oh,
he has cause to bless God for such a morning, for such a day, that he
has such a godly pearl of great price presented to him! Taking root,
it's more than if God had given him thousands of worlds to possess.
But now, many of you, having your thoughts and hearts about some
petty thing of this world, all those blessed truths that you hear from
time to time, things that the very angels desire to pry into, are all
choked and come to be unfruitful. Why did the young man who
came to Christ to know what he should do to inherit eternal life
receive no good? The text says, he had great possessions. A man
may, no doubt, be a rich man and yet a godly man, a holy man. But
it was the heart, mixed with the earth which hindered the young
man from embracing Jesus Christ. Young men are, for the most
part, guilty of fleshliness rather than seeking after the riches of the
world. Yet sometimes it has been the bane of some young men.
They were very forward when they were servants; oh, how precious
was the Word to them! But when they got into the world and found
the sweetness of it coming in, then the Word was choked in them,
and they have lost the savour they had in the Word. They have lost
the relish of the Word. It is not as sweet now to them as formerly it
had been. That's the great evil of earthly-mindedness; it hinders the
great benefit of the Word, and there is much evil in this. If you had
hearts to receive what is delivered, your hearts would tremble at the
thought of this. Oh, Lord! What shall I do so as not to be hindered
in profiting from this Word? 'Tis the great blessing of God to the
world. It's that which must save my soul; there's more worth in it
than ten thousand worlds. Whatsoever might hinder my profiting
from Thy Word, I must take heed of it. Take heed of
earthlymindedness. Many of your consciences cannot but tell you
this. Sometimes any business will keep an earthly- minded man
from coming to the Word, and when he does come, there is earth in
his heart, and ears that keep him from attending upon the Word.
When your thoughts are about earthly things in the hearing of a
sermon, it may be that some truth passes by your soul that might
have saved you eternally, and you have lost that opportunity which,
perhaps, you shall never have again
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Post by Admin on May 23, 2024 21:30:18 GMT -5
Chapter Four: Eight Additional Evils of Earthly-Mindedness
In the seventh place, earthly-mindedness causes many foolish lusts
in the heart, and that's a great evil. I will expand them in six
particulars. You have the same Scripture as was used previously for
the temptations and snare, 1 Timothy 6:9 , But they that will be rich
fall into a temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful
lusts, lusts that are very foolish and simple. First, it causes men to
follow after things that are very vile and mean. It causes men to
bestow the strength of their immortal souls on things that have no
worth at all in them. That's a foolish lust, to bestow the strength of
an immortal soul on vanities. If you should see men of excellent
gifts spending their time on trifles and toys, like catching flies or
chasing feathers, you would say that they had begun to be dull
minded. So the soul of man, capable of such excellency as it is -of
communion with God, with the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost -to
have its strength spent on such poor, trifling things that cannot
profit in the evil day. Oh, this is a foolish lust!
2. Foolish lusts, or earthly-mindedness, cause you to be a servant to
your servants. You would think a man is a fool who is a servant to
his servants. God has made the things of the earth to be servants to
you, and yet you come and place your neck under your servant's
yoke and become a servant to your servant! Yea, is it not a great
folly for a man to expect all his honors and respect to come from a
servant rather than from any excellency in himself?
Suppose a man is traveling and is shown some respect, but for his
servant's sake rather than for his own. Once he realized this, he
would account it a great dishonor to himself. But an earthly heart
puts itself into such a condition, since it is its greatest honor to have
honors from its estate and riches. Earthly men do not respect other
men for any worth that is in them, or for any excellency of their
own, but for their riches alone, which is to say that a man is not
respected for himself, but for his servant!
Take some men that have had estates, but are now deprived of them
and have become as poor as almsmen or beggars. Who regards them
now? But, let a man have grace and holiness, if he loses all and is
made as poor as Job, yet he is one that the angels of heaven look
upon with honor, and would glory in attending. This is the
difference between the carnal, earthly heart, and the spiritual heart.
It's a foolish lust to make yourself to be a servant to your servants.
3. Earthly-mindedness brings a man into foolish lusts, for a man
might have much more of the earth if he did not mind it as much as
he does. For a man to mind the earth and to endanger himself in
doing so, when he might have it better not to do so, is surely a
foolish thing. For a man to bestow a great deal of labor on a thing,
when he might have it with less labor, is surely foolish. If you are
one who belongs to God, you may expect God to bless you if you
keep your hearts more spiritual. You might expect that God would
grant you more of the good things of this world if you were less
earthly-minded than you are. And it's your earthly-mindedness that
makes God cut you short of these things. I am persuaded that there
are many who have had bad success in their earthly affairs, and it's a
fruit of God's displeasure upon them because their hearts are so
much on worldly business. Were you to go on in your employment
in obedience to God and commit it to God for success, you might be
crowned with more success than you have been. Now what a foolish
thing is this?
4. Yea, further, it's a great folly for any of you to buy a thing and pay
a greater price for it than it is worth. Suppose you sent a servant to
buy something, and when he returned you asked him what it cost,
and he told you that he paid ten times more than it is worth. You
would think you had sent a fool to the market. So an earthly-minded
man manifests himself to God, His angels, and all the saints, to be a
fool. How? You bestow upon this world that which is a thousand
times more worthy than the things of this world. You bestow upon
this world that which might bring you to heaven.
I may say to an earthly-minded man, "Those thoughts, cares,
affections, and endeavors that you spend on the things of the world,
had they been spent on the things of God, they might have saved
your soul to all eternity! You might have gotten Christ, and heaven,
and eternity. The Lord would have gone along with you, and you
may come to say at the great day when all things shall be opened
before men and angels, 'Had I spent those thoughts and cares and
endeavors on understanding the ways and things of God and eternal
life, my soul might have been saved forever!' " Not that our works
will do it, but that God would have gone along together with you in
those ways.
Now for you to spend those thoughts and cares on that which you
may never have (for many men and women spend their souls on
things of the world and never have them), this is a sad thing. Oh!
Will this not be a folly? Will you not curse yourself hereafter for
your folly? "Oh, that I should spend myself and be spent on that
which I have not gotten, and I must be damned for that. Whereas,
had I spent time on things that concerned my soul and eternal life, I
would have been more likely to have gotten those things."
God does not fail men in spiritual things as He does in earthly
things. A man may be as diligent as is possible in earthly business
and yet miscarry. But show me a man or woman that was ever
diligent in seeking the things of God and eternal life who
miscarried! I truly believe that, at the day of judgment, there will
not be found one man that shall be able to say, "Lord, I improved
the talents that You gave me to the uttermost to save my soul but,
Lord, because I was not able to do any more without Your grace.
You denied Your grace to me and, therefore, now I must be
damned." I believe there will not be any soul that will be able to say
this. But in the matters of the world, men do say this, that they have
done all they could, labored and toiled, and yet for all this they
miscarry. Oh, what a foolish thing is this, then, to toil and labor on
that which is so uncertain, for is it not a foolish thing for a man to
bestow all his estate on buying stones and that which will not afford
him any benefit at all? This folly is in the heart of man.
Two of you might go to the Indies, where there are precious stones.
And one might purchase a cargo of precious stones and other rich
commodities, while the other, with an equal amount of money, lays
out all his money on baubles and trifles. Both went out with the
same amount, both came home loaded, but one came home with
precious stones that made him and his posterity great, while the
other brought home nothing but stones which made his neighbors
scorn and jeer him. O how would he tear his flesh for his folly in
this matter!
This will be the difference between men and women at the day of
judgment for, the truth is, what is this world but a seafare? We are
sailing in this world, with either a load of pearls, or with that which
has no worth at all. When you live in the times of the gospel, there
is a market for pearls, for those things that will enrich you to all
eternity. One man bestows all the strength of his thoughts and heart
on those things for which he shall be blessing God in the highest
heavens to all eternity, and the other bestows his thoughts and
heart on the things of the earth, loading himself down with thick
clay. There is a man or woman that shall be blessed for all of
eternity, that shall join with angels and saints in the highest
heavens to magnify the free grace of God in Christ. And there is
another that, had he bestowed his thoughts and heart on the same
things, he might have been blessed forever also, but he, minding the
things of the earth, is a cursed fool and is the scorn and contempt of
men and angels to all eternity.
Earthly-mindedness brings men into foolish lusts. Oh! Men of
earthly minds think themselves the only blessed men and applaud
themselves at home. Let men think what they will, but the Holy
Ghost said that those lusts caused by earthly- mindedness are
foolish lusts.
5. It is folly for a man to do that which he must undo to gain. This is
especially true of those earthly-minded men who have this
earthliness so prevailing upon them as to get some earthly thing by
some false ways. Such men must undo all they have done. You have
gotten so much of the earth in some cunning, cheating way, and you
bless yourselves that you found out such a mystery of iniquity. This
is a foolish lust. Foolish? Why? Because it must be done again.
Either you must eternally be damned, or else you must restore as
Zaccheus did, if you are able, even though it might make you
impoverished. All the sorrow and repentance that can be will not be
sufficient. You cannot be pardoned even with all your sorrow and
repentance if you do not restore, if you are able, what you have
gotten by means.
I do not know that there was ever any minister of the gospel on the
face of the earth who did not hold to this, that it was of absolute
necessity to salvation to restore. And this one reason cannot but
satisfy any man's conscience, that A MAN CANNOT TRULY
REPENT OF A SIN AND YET WILLFULLY CONTINUE IN IT!
Unless you restore, you are willfully continuing in that sin. Why?
You do not only wrong the man the first hour, but as long as you
keep anything that is his, you wrong him still. If you are able to
restore and do not, simply because you are loath to part with so
much money or so many goods, you willfully continue in the sin.
Now, no man or woman can truly repent of a sin and yet willfully
persist in that sin. What a foolish lust is this, for a man or woman to
get the things of this world in such a way that he must undo it all,
though it is to his shame.
O consider what a folly it is! You deceitful servants that spend away
on your lusts that which you cheat your master of. Afterwards,
when you come to set yourself up, you must restore what you have
stolen, and it may be that a great part of your estate must be repaid
by way of restitution. It must be done, there's no way around it.
Therefore, what a foolish lust it is to be so set upon the things of
this earth as to get them in an earthly way.
6. By earthly-mindedness, they lose the comfort of earthly things
before they have them. For example, suppose a man or woman has
troubling thoughts about the things of the earth. It may be that, by
their inordinate thoughts, cares, and affections about some earthly
things, they contract much guilt. Yet after this, perhaps, God gives
them that earthly thing. Now when they have it, if they have any
light in their consciences, their convicted consciences will then
reflect thusly, "I have this indeed, but do I have it with the blessing
of God? I have it in my custody, but I got it dearly, it cost me such
thoughts and cares and affections. Now I have it, but I cannot say it
comes out of God's love. I rather fear that God has given it to me in
His wrath, because I got it in such a way."
Now all the comfort is gone and lost whereas, had it come in the
way of God and had you given up yourself to God and let Providence
bring such a comfort to you, you might have enjoyed much of God
in it and blessed God for it. "The Lord has blessed me in my trading.
Oh, I have it from the love of God." But now, because your heart
was earthly before it came, when it does come you have no com. fort
in it. The comfort of all is lost before it comes, you have spent so
much upon it. As when a man gets something, and after he gets it he
thinks thusly, "What has this cost me? It has cost me a great deal
more than it's worth; now the comfort of it has vanished."
THE EIGHTH EVIL. Earthly-mindedness is the root of apostasy. I'll
give you but one Scripture and compare it with another. II Timothy
4:10 is a notable text that shows how earthly-mindedness breeds
apostasy. 'Tis the example of Demas. The Apostle said that Demas
hath forsaken me. What was the matter? Having loved this present
world. It was that which made Demas to be an apostate. Why? What
was Demas before this? Compare this Scripture with the Epistle to
the Colossians, and you shall see what he was before this. He was
an ardent disciple of Paul's, and the Apostle held him in high
esteem. Read Colossians 4: 14 , where Paul was directed by the Holy
Ghost, Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas greet you. Paul
ranks Demas here among the famous professors of religion. The
Apostle, writing to the Colossians, said, Demas greets you among
the rest. When we write to our friends and say, "Such and such a
one commends him to you," we usually do not name them unless
they are good friends.
The interpreters think it was the same Demas, and the word gives
some ground for this. In Timothy, you find that he names Luke
there, too. It seems that Demas and Luke were two great associates.
Paul mentions them together. When Demas had forsaken him, Luke
still rode with him, and when Paul sends them the greetings of
Luke, the beloved physician, he sends the greetings of Demas, too.
But one was truly godly and, whatever sufferings Paul met with, one
cleaved to him and would not forsake him. But when Paul began to
suffer, Demas thought, "There's no thriving for me if I follow this
persecuted Apostle." Demas would have no more of Paul; he
thanked him for his company and departed from him. He hath
forsaken me. What's the reason? He has embraced this present
world. Another note: though he was an ardent professor, Paul's
heart was not very affectionate towards him, for he said Luke, the
beloved physician, and Demas greet you. He did not say "the
beloved Demas." It's true, Demas was an ardent professor, and he
seemed to wear a cloak of religion, yet Paul was directed by the Holy
Ghost only to speak of him as a professor.
The Holy Ghost directs Paul to speak of the two as companions
together, giving one an epithet, "beloved," while only giving the
other's name. Two men, both very ardent, and companions together,
yet those that are godly, old disciples can savour one more than the
other. They are both professors, and both have excellent parts and
gifts, yet there's more spirituality and greater experiences in one
than in the other, for it appears that there was more in Luke than in
Demas. Your earthly- minded men afterwards prove to be apostates.
Usually, before their grand apostasy, they manifest some deadness
and waywardness of spirit to that which is good. Yes, their spirits
reveal them to be earthly spirits. They smell of the earth.
Before a man dies, his breath will smell very earthy. You will say,
"Oh, such a one cannot live, his breath is so earthy!" So it is with
those that are great professors of religion. Those that have an
intimate acquaintance with them before they apostatize smell their
breath to be earthly in their duties, in their conferences. Oh, take
heed of earthly-mindedness, lest it be the root of apostasy. This may
be written on an apostate's grave, "THIS WAS AN
EARTHLYMINDED MAN OR WOMAN IN SPITE OF THEIR
PROFESSION." And hence it is that they fell from the truth in times
of danger. When they were brought to the trial, they were base
backsliders from God and His truth
THE NINTH EVIL. Earthly-mindedness wonderfully deadens the
heart in prayer. It sinks the spirits of men and straightens them out
in spiritual duties. Indeed, it defiles every duty of religion. In Psalm
119:37 , David prays there to God that He would turn away his eyes
from beholding vanity, and that He would quicken him in His Law.
Certainly, the vanity of which he speaks there means the things of
the world, and by his eyes he means the eyes of the mind, chiefly
working on the thoughts of his heart after earthly things.
If you look at the 36th verse, he says, Incline my heart to Thy
testimonies, and not to covetousness. Oh, Lord, let not my heart be
inclined to covetousness, turn away my eyes from beholding. vanity,
so that my heart may not be inclined to covetousness. Lord, let not
my thoughts be busied with such vain things, but quicken me in Thy
Law. It is as if he were to say, "Lord, while my mind is turned to
vanity or my heart to covetousness after the things of the earth, I
always find my spirit dull and heavy in any holy duties. I have no
quickness at all in my inward man when I come into Thy presence,
and, by experience, I find this to be the reason that my heart is so
drossy, because my thoughts and mind are set on earthly things that
are vain." Therefore, "Lord, let not mine heart be inclined to
covetousness, nor mine eyes after vanity, but turn away mine eyes
from these things and quicken me in Thy Law."
If you would have your hearts quickened in God's Law, in the duties
that God sets you on, take heed of your eyes that they look not after
vanity, and your hearts that they follow not after covetousness, for
an earthly spirit will be a dead spirit. As the dust of the earth is the
most sluggish, dead element of all, so earthliness in the heart makes
the heart sluggish, dead, and lifeless to any holy and spiritual duty. I
appeal to your consciences in this. When you have let your hearts
out after the things of this earth, and have been exercised in the
world and in business, then when you have come to have
communion with God, oh, how dead have you found your hearts! A
drossy heart must be a dead heart in heavenly exercises. You
complain many times of your vain thoughts in the performance of
holy duties. You cry out of dead spirits then, but here lies the cause.
You have given yourselves up so much to the things of the world at
other times, that when you come to converse with God, your hearts
are so dead and dull. This is the ground of it, this is the great root of
all, it lies here in your earthly-mindedness. Oh, how many prayers
have been spoiled by an earthly heart! Whereas those who have
spiritual hearts have enjoyed blessed communion with God at the
throne of His grace, and have been sweetly refreshed, while you
have gone with a dead heart and continued there, and come away
with a dead heart without any quickness and life. This is that which
comes by your earthly-mindedness, which is such a restraint to
duties.
THE TENTH EVIL. Earthly-mindedness is so great an evil, wherever
it prevails, that it would be just of God that your name should be
written in the earth. Those that are earthly-minded and have this
prevailing upon their hearts, and who are not sensible of it, have
cause to fear God lest He should write their names in the dust, yea,
lest God already has written their names in the earth. In Jeremiah
17:13 , we read such an expression, Oh, Lord, the hope of Israel, all
that forsake Thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from Thee
shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord,
the fountain of living waters. It's apparent that he speaks of earthly
spirits here, for in the 11th verse he says, As the partridge sitteth on
eggs and hatcheth them not, so he that getteth riches, and not by
right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall
be a fool.
Then he goes on to describe the excellency of God and His
sanctuary, A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of
our sanctuary, etc. It is if he should say that there are a company of
foolish vain men that seek after nothing but getting richer in the
things of the earth, but a glorious high throne from the beginning is
the place of Thy sanctuary. O Lord, we see an excellency in You, and
in Your ordinances, and in Your sanctuary. O Lord, the hope of
Israel, in whom there is such excellency, is there any that forsake
You, who have so much excellency in Yourself, who are the hope of
Israel? O Lord, it would be just that their names should be written
in the earth, that they should never come to partake of those good
things that are in You, the excellent things that are in Your
ordinances, and in Your Gospel. But, Lord, let their names be
written in the earth, let God write concerning such a man or
woman, "EARTH SHALL BE THEIR PORTION." Their mouths shall
be filled with earth one day, and that's all the good they shall have
from the Almighty. O those who have known God and the things of
eternal life cannot but apprehend this to be a sad and grievous evil,
to have their name Written in the earth!
THE ELEVENTH EVIL. An earthly-minded man has the curse of the
serpent upon him. What is that? Upon thy belly shalt thou go, and
dust shalt thou eat. You have the curse of the serpent, you grovel
upon the earth, as it were, upon your belly. Your soul cleaves to the
ground in a sinful way, and you feed upon dust. While the saints are
feeding upon Jesus Christ, upon the very flesh and blood of Christ,
refreshing themselves with the hidden manna, angels' bread, corn
from heaven, you satiate yourself with the earth. That's your food,
and that's the very curse of the serpent. It's a sign of a serpentine
brood, and of the old serpent, to be groveling upon the earth and to
feed upon it.
THE TWELFTH EVIL. Earthly-mindedness is a dishonor to God and
a scandal to religion. What, do you profess an interest in Christ, and
are there no higher things to be had in God than the base things
your heart is set upon? What, do you hold forth the everlasting
gospel in your hand to others, and openly profess to be nearer to
God than others, and is there no difference between the workings of
your heart and the workings of others after the things of this world?
Oh, how does this darken the excellency of grace! If there is any
grace at all, it very much clouds it. Like the mixing of earth and
drossy stuff with pure metal takes away the excellency of the pure
metal, so the mixing of the earth with the profession of religion
blemishes the beauty and splendor of the profession of religion.
You will never be the man or woman who is likely to convince any
by your conversation; you are never likely to be a means to draw any
to the love of the ways of godliness, because there is so much
darkness and earthliness in your conversation. "Oh," they will say,
"indeed he or she makes a great blaze in the world and talks much
of religion and ordinances and such things, but they are as worldly
as any and groveling in the earth as much as any." People that are
bystanders will think that profession is but a mere verbal thing, or a
pretense, when they see as much earthliness in your conversation
as in the conversation of those that are without the profession of
religion. You bring a bad report upon the things of God, as did the
spies about the land of Canaan.
Every professor of religion should endeavor to put a luster on
religion, and to make the ways of God to be beautiful, amiable, and
glorious in the eyes of all who behold them. But to give a lie about a
gospel profession by your earthly conversation is a very great
scandal to the name of Christ that is upon you, and to His gospel
that you seem to stand up for! Oh, there's a great evil in this, and a
very bad report comes upon the ways of religion by this. Many that
have had little religion in them have some kind of generosity of
spirit, so that they scorn such base sordidness as some professors
are given to. Oh, for shame! Let not those that have only common
gifts of nature and education outstrip you that seem to be the
followers of Christ. Away with that base, muddy, earthy, saving,
pinching disposition. It becomes none but Judas that carried the bag
and betrayed his Lord and Master for eighteen shillings and four pence.
Let me argue with you who have to deal with friends or neighbors
who you are afraid do not have the power of godliness in them that
you desire. You see they have much ingenuity, generosity, and a
concern for the public good. Take heed of scandalizing such men,
for certainly if such men could be brought to the love of religion, to
the power and strictness thereof, had they the work of the Holy
Ghost upon their hearts to humble them for sin, and to show the
excellency of Jesus Christ, they would be glorious instruments in
the church of God and the Commonwealth. Therefore, it's a very
great evil to scandalize such men as these. No, you should labor to
walk so that they might see a beauty and excellency in the ways of
religion by your conversation. Oh, it would be a thousand times
better for you to be cut short of the things of this world, than that
you should scandalize the ways of God, and the profession of the
name and gospel of Jesus Christ.
THE THIRTEENTH EVIL. Earthly-mindedness exceedingly hinders
preparation for death, and it is likely to make death very grievous
and terrible when it comes. "Take heed to yourselves," Christ said to
His disciples, "lest any time your hearts be overcharged or filled
with indulgence and drunkenness and cares of this life." Note how
He puts them all together. It's very strange, you might say, that
Christ should say this to His disciples, to forewarn them of this. We
do not think that they were drunkards, following after taverns or ale
houses, or reeling in the streets. But by this drunkenness, He means
any excessive use of meat or drink, and professors of religion may
be subject to that, to give themselves up too much to sensual
delights and excess in the use of the creature.
But besides that, though there are many that would abhor gluttony
and drunkenness, yet the cares of this life take up their hearts.
Therefore Christ said, Take heed to yourselves lest at any time your
hearts be overcharged with the cares of this life. Why? What evil
would come from filling the heart with the cares of this life? Mark,
says the text, And so that day will come upon you unawares. For as a
snare shall it come upon all them that dwell upon the face of the
whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always.
I may apply this to death, though the Scripture is speaking of
Christ's coming. In the time of death, Christ comes particularly.
There is a particular day of judgment at the day of death. It may
likewise be applied to the time of any affliction. Then the evil of
earthly-mindedness appears in this, that it hinders the preparation
of the soul for affliction. Oh, earthly-mindedness will make your
affliction grievous and heavy to you. An affliction is a very grievous
thing to an earthly spirit. If God comes to take away any comforts of
this world because your heart cleaves so closely to them, there must
be a rending of them from you, and that will put you to pain.
A man that wears loose garments can easily put them off when he
goes to bed at night, but if a man has a sore upon his body, and his
inward garments cleave to the sore, when he pulls them off, it puts
him to a great deal of pain. Oh, then he cries out in his pain! Truly,
this earthly-mindedness comes from distemper of spirit, and the
things of the earth cleave to the hearts of men and women that are
earthly like the inward garment would cleave to a sore on a man's body.
Now, when afflictions or death come to take away the things of the
earth from them, or them from the things of the earth, it's painful to
them, it's grievous to them. For one who has an earthly spirit, it's a
hundred to one against him having any light of conscience left in
him. But his conscience will trouble him in time of sickness, and
then tell him how he has spent his time and strength of spirit on the
things of the earth, when they should have been spent on more
excellent things.
When he comes to die, then, his spirit will be troubled thusly, "I am
now to leave all these things that I have spent my care and thoughts
on and let my heart go after, and what good is it to me now? What
good is it that I shall leave so much more than my neighbor does,
what great content is this to me when I am upon my sick and death
bed? What comfort can I have in all the good things I have enjoyed?
Yea, through the earthliness of my spirit, I have enjoyed little of
them, yet I have troublesome thoughts. But now death is likely to be
to me as a strainer, that strains out the good and leaves the dross
and the dirt behind it. So all the good of the things of the world is
gone, but the guiltiness that I have contracted upon my spirit with
my immoderate care and affections is now upon my spirit."
I remember a man that lived in a place not far from where I
formerly lived who had a covetous, earthly spirit. When he was
about to die, he called for his money and fell to swearing, "Must I
leave you now?" He was speaking to his bags of money and hugging
them! What! "Must I leave you now,?" Here was an earthly man
who had spent his spirits and strength upon these things, and
indeed, let out his heart to them as his portion. Then he saw that he
must be stripped of all. He must bid an eternal farewell to all, no
more houses, no lands, nor money. Oh, death is grievous to such a
man!
Now, what should the life of a Christian be but a continual
preparation for death? Many of the heathens said of philosophy that
it was but a preparation for death. It is a special excellency of
Christianity that it is a preparative for death, and therefore you
should let out your hearts to the things of this world, and be
continually thinking of death, so that when God calls you to part
from these things, you may do it with as much ease as a man who is
going to bed casts off his loose clothes. The grave is a bed to the
saints where they fall asleep when they die, and so they may lay
down all things and go to their sleep with ease and peace.
A man or woman can have their consciences tell them, "I have been
diligent in my calling, but God knows through faithfulness to Him
rather than love to the world. And I have kept my heart close to God
and faithful to Him. I can bid the world farewell now. As the world
has done with me, so I have done with it. So long as my time was to
work for God, God continued those things that this frail nature of
mine needed. Now my work is done; farewell to the comforts of this
world. I expect other comforts where I am going." Such a one that is
spiritual may die with comfort, but those that have their hearts
filled with the cares of this life will have the day of Christ come
upon them unawares.
THE FOURTEENTH EVIL. Earthly-mindedness is that which will
bring destruction at last, as it will drown your soul in perdition.
There are two texts for it. The first is here in this text. The Apostle
says here, speaking of men who mind earthly things, their end is
destruction. He joins both together: earthly-mindedness will bring
destruction at last.
And the other place, for our purposes, is 1 Timothy 6:9 , where the
Apostle speaks of bringing them into snares and foolish lusts, which
drown men in destruction and perdition. Some who are washing
themselves in the Thames River go a little way at first, and then
venture a little further and further, and at length, they are over their
heads and ears. There they are drowned and cannot recover
themselves. So it will be with your hearts if you look not to them.
You think you may venture so far to the things of this world. Why?
Are they not good and in themselves lawful? "I did not get my estate
by wrongdoing or cheating." And so by degrees your hearts are
stolen away from God and are taken with these earthly things. You
get deeper and deeper into the world until, at length, you are
plunged in over your head and ears before you are aware, and then
you cannot recover yourselves. That man who gives his heart to the
things of this world and thinks that he will go no further, I bet a
hundred to one that once these things have taken up his heart, he
gets more and more advantage, until this man is drowned in
destruction and perdition.
A man or woman may be undone as much by earthliness and be
damned and perish eternally as by adultery, drunkenness, murder,
or any notorious sin. Many who are great professors of religion, it's
very likely that the earthliness of their minds will be the sin by
which they will perish to all eternity. Do not deceive yourselves into
thinking that because you keep from those gross and notorious sins
that others live in, therefore you hope to be saved. Your earthliness
may damn you as well as anything else. Upon dung-hills, you cast
not only carrion and such nasty stuff, but the dust that you sweep
from your houses. I may compare hell, which is the place where
God casts those damned out of His presence, to the common
dunghill upon which filthy creatures are cast. Now upon that
dunghill, there are not only carrions and filthy blasphemers,
whoremasters and thieves, but there will also be dust upon that
dunghill, and scrapings from your houses cast upon the dunghill of
hell from the presence of God. Therefore, do not satisfy yourselves
that you do not lie in such filthy, abominable lusts as others do.
If you have foul, earthly hearts, you may be cast upon the dunghill
as well as those that have lived most notoriously wicked. Therefore
take heed of earthly-mindedness.
There is a great deal of evil and danger in earthly-mindedness, may
the Lord keep us from it. I shall enlarge my meditations upon this
subject by opening some proofs, to further convince men and
women that there is a great deal of earthly- mindedness in them.
And for preparation, I will lay this down. First, that a man or woman
may be earthly-minded, and yet little think of it themselves, not
knowing that they are so. Yea, and it may be even perish eternally
through their earthly- mindedness, and not know it of themselves
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Post by Admin on May 23, 2024 21:42:53 GMT -5
Chapter 5: Five Things May Be Wrought In
A Man, and Yet Earthly-Minded
1. A man may be convinced that there is vanity in all the things of
this world and yet be an earthly-minded man. Many think they are
not earthly-minded. Why? Because they are convinced that all these
things are vanity. Come and speak to them about the things of this
world and they will acknowledge that there is a vanity in all these
things, that they are vanity of vanities, all is vanity.
2. A man may have some kind of contentment is his estate and yet
have an earthly mind, as in Genesis 9:33 . Esau was one of the
earth. He said he had enough, yet he was certainly one of an earthly
spirit and his portion was in the earth. How many of you have come
as far as did Esau, to say of your estates that you have enough? Oh,
'tis a shame for those that are professors of religion, and would
seem to be of the seed of Jacob, to not be able to say they have
enough, when an Esau can say he has enough.
3. Men and women may speak very great words about the vanity of
all the things of this world. When you come to converse, you may
discourse much about them and yet have a very earthly spirit.
4. A man may be free from getting anything of this world by false
means, by deceit, by injustice, etc., and yet be earthly for all that.
5. Through some predominant lust for something else, a man may
seem to despise some earthly thing. For example, many men who
have a lust for ambition will seem to despise money. Those who
have a lust to show themselves generous, and those that have a lust
of sensuality, will seem to despise the things of the world. Many a
man, through one lust, will seem as if he hates the other, but the
truth is he does not hate it as sin but because it is opposite to some
other lust that he has. He does not hate it; he has no dislike of it as
a sin against God. Your prodigals, your young spendthrifts, speak
against covetousness as if they hated that sin, whereas the truth is,
no wicked man hates any sin any further than one sin crosses
another. He may hate it, but not as a sin.
In Isaiah 13: 17 , the text says, I will stir up the Medes against them,
which shall not regard silver, and as for gold they shall not delight
in it. The Medes were heathen, wicked people that had no grace in
them at all, and yet the text says that they shall not regard silver nor
delight in gold. Some men think it is through the work of grace,
because they find that they are above the base covetousness they
see in other men. They do not regard silver and gold, or getting all
for themselves, and they despise those men that are of such a base,
covetous way. Upon that they think that their condition is good
because they think they are above that lust. But you see it is not
different than a Mede. A heathen may disregard silver and gold, but
how? It is because his spirit is upon another lust, that's the ground
of it.
Can you say this, you who seem to scorn covetousness and hate
such base sordidness as you see in some men, "The Lord has made
me to know what communion with Himself in Jesus Christ means,
and since that time I bless God that my heart has been above all
these earthly things. And that's the reason that I look upon all these
earthly things as vanity, because the Lord has revealed to me those
excellent and glorious things that are infinitely above these earthly
things."
That's something, indeed. If you can be above earthliness on this
ground, that's a good argument! Therefore, examine upon what
ground it is that your spirit is against such things, whether it be
upon the sight and experience of better things. If so, then it's right.
But certainly men and women may go far in seeming to be above
earthly things in respect to the sin of covetousness, and still have
earthly minds. Now I will proceed to give you arguments, besides
those things to which I have hinted.
How does a man value himself and others? Is it not because those
others, or yourselves, have much of the things of the earth? Can you
value a poor man who is godly above the richest man who is
wicked? And so, can you value yourselves for the least work of grace
upon your hearts to make you more excellent than the greatest
gathering of your estates? But these things we have already hinted.
And then, where lies the chief joy and sorrow of men's hearts? What
is it which most troubles your hearts? Is it the loss of the light of
the face of God or the loss of an estate? The loss of a voyage, or the
commission of a sin? What's your chief joy? Your profiting from the
Word or gaining from a bargain? You have come to the Word and,
sometimes, God has there revealed some truth to you and you have
profited. Can you go away rejoicing because God has made you to
know His Law? "The Lord has darted some truth into my soul this
morning. Oh! I will go away rejoicing, and my heart is filled with
more joy than I've ever had from some bargain." These are two
proofs at which we had not hinted before.
NINE PROOFS OF EARTHLY-MINDEDNESS
1. Seriously consider this: when a man rests upon earthly props,
upon worldly helps for the good that he expects, if he can have those
things, his heart seems to be upon the wing; he is very pleasant. But
there is nothing else that can revive his heart, nothing else that can
keep his spirit. Now that which a man or woman most trusts in,
they have made to be their god. It properly belongs to God to put
our trust in Him. We make God, then, to be our God when we roll
ourselves upon Him. You will say, "I cannot trust in earthly things
to bring me to God." No, but to trust in them for the comforts of this
life while you are here in this world is an argument of an earthly
spirit for, the truth is, the comfort of a man's life consists not in any
earthly thing that he might enjoy.
OBJECTION: You will say, "Do not these things make our lives
more comfortable?"
ANSWER: Yes, so far as God is pleased to let Himself out through
them, but if your heart rests on these for comfort, and does not look
higher than these for comfort, even for outward support, certainly
you have an earthly heart. And so, when you are about any business,
you have some earthly means to further you.
OBJECTION: You will say, "God would have us to take all outward
means to help us."
ANSWER: Aye, but not to trust in anything. IF RICHES INCREASE,
SET NOT YOUR HEARTS UPON THEM. If friends increase, set not
your hearts upon them, but trust in the living God. Let it be the
living God that you rest on for all outward things in this world.
2. A second proof is when men make most provision for the things
of this world, both for themselves and for their children. Are these
not your thoughts? I do not know what I may want hereafter, and I
see many who have lived finely when they have been young yet,
afterwards, they have lived miserably, and therefore I must make
provision for aftertimes. But now, do you reason thus for the things
of heaven? Do not I see many that have made a great blaze of
religion, and yet afterwards they have come to nothing? They have
gone out in a snuff as men that God has forsaken, and they have
died in horror of conscience. Therefore, let me lay up provision now
against an evil time, that I may not miscarry in the matters of my
soul as others have done. This is a sign that your minds are not earthly.
God has sent you children and, oh, how you toil and labor! Your
thoughts run in the night, and as soon as you wake in the morning,
about what you shall get for their portions, and an estate for them.
Now I appeal to your consciences before God, the Searcher of all
hearts. Have your cares been to provide in a suitable way for their
souls, for their spiritual and eternal estates? There is no question
but that it's lawful for parents to provide in a providential way for
their children, and they that do not are worse than infidels. But
what is your chief provision for? Are your thoughts more solicitous
to provide portions for them, than that they should have
instructions in the fear of God, an interest in Christ, grace wrought
in their hearts? You are loathe to die before you can bring your
estate to its fullness so you may leave it to your children. Are you
not loathe to die before such a time as you can see some work of
grace wrought in the heart of your children? These would be your
thoughts if you were spiritual!
"Oh, could I discern just some seeds of grace sown before I was
dissolved, I could rejoice abundantly," 'tis repeated of Austen's
mother. The great thing she desired to live for was to see her son
converted. God granted her desire, and then she found herself
willing to die. There's nothing which will make the spiritual heart of
a father or mother more willing to depart from this world, than to
find grace wrought in their children. "Oh, that I may see before I
die, my child left under the promise in covenant with God." But
those whose cares and thoughts are mostly for these earthly things,
in providing for themselves and their children, give proof that their
hearts are earthly.
3. A third proof (which is very notable, and I beseech you all to lay
this to heart and consider it seriously) of the evil of this earthly
mindedness is that it is a very secret and close sin. Therefore I am
going to be longer in this point.
The proof is this: that man who can be content with a slight
assurance in the matters of heaven, except for the matters of earth,
never thinks himself sure enough. But he is very careful to make all
things so infallible that there can be no way he can be deceived, that
he may surely build upon what he has in the things of the earth.
This is proof of an earthly mind. Come to men that are earthly and
talk with them about matters that concern their souls. "What
evidence have you that you are gone beyond any formal professor,
that you are better than the stony ground that we read of in
Scripture? What evidence have you that the saving work of grace is
wrought in you? That you have shot the gulf? That you are
translated out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of
Jesus Christ? And that your sins are pardoned and your souls
justified? That you are at peace with God? What evidences do you
have of peace made between God and your soul?"
This answer would be given, "I hope I am converted. I trust in God's
mercy. I am sure I have grace. I shall be saved, for God is merciful."
But what evidences can they show? They scarcely know any. You
will have many like that, because they do not know what assurance
means, therefore they will think nobody can be assured. We may
hope well, but we cannot come to be assured of it.
A heart that is truly gracious and godly would loathe that to be true.
They would not lose their part in the blessings of assurance for a
thousand worlds, even if God were to make them kings or queens of
the earth. But you have an earthly, drossy heart, and do not look
much after assurance for matters of your soul and eternal estate.
You will venture those matters and put them upon chance. But
when it comes to the matters of the earth you'll make sure there,
and go from this lawyer to that lawyer for counsel. If there is
anything you can do to be more sure, you will do it. If you could but
hear of anything your neighbors had done to be more certain than
you, you would not even rest until you had done as much. Is it so in
matters of your eternal estate?
Do you not hear of many saints of God who walk comfortably in the
midst of all afflictions upon the assurance of God's love? You will
have some who will be able to say, "Aye, and it's this Scripture I
build upon and, through God's mercy, such has been the work of
God upon my soul in revealing Himself to me, and such a promise I
have sucked an abundance of honey from." But now, come to people
upon their sick beds, and, generally, all they say is that they hope in
God's mercy. But for the ground of hope, for showing how God has
been pleased to bring their hearts and the Word together, and what
real effects there have been upon their spirits by the Word, they can
show nothing. You have, therefore, not gotten that assurance for
your soul and eternal estate as others have, and yet you can go on
quietly.
Oh, it concerns you who are so busy in making all sure for your
outward estate, to spend more thoughts and care in the matters of
your soul and eternal estate than ever you have done. Here's an
earthly-minded man that can be contented with slight assurance for
the matters of his soul, and be satisfied with no kind of assurance in
the matters of the world but would make those things more and
more sure continually.
4. Further, an earthly-minded man may be convinced of his
earthliness in this, that he is content with a little degree of
sanctification, but regarding the matters of the world, he would
have more and more. He looks at those that are the most eminent in
his rank, and he would get as high as they are in the things of this
life. But in matters of religion, he looks at the lowest Christians and
is content to be as low as they are.
Take an earthly-minded man that is of such and such a trade. If
there is anyone of his profession or calling that had as little to begin
with as he, and was thriving better, he would desire to get that high
himself, and he is troubled that he is not as rich. That's how it is in
the world.
But now, take them in matters of God. There are such men who
began when you began, and had as little means for the good of their
souls as you have had, who have thrived and gone beyond you
abundantly in the matters of God. Does this trouble you? Are your
thoughts solicitous about this?
Do you say, "Oh, that I could attain to the degree of grace that man
has, for he has a spiritual mind, and is full of the joy of the Holy
Ghost! He is full of faith, he is able to depend upon God in the lack
of all outward comforts, and certainly enjoys much communion
with God, but I am far beneath him." Do these thoughts trouble
you? It is ordinary for earthly spirits to look upon the lowest
Christian and be satisfied that they are like them, but for the
matters of the world they look upon the highest, and are not
satisfied unless they attain to that level. That's a fourth evidence.
5. A fifth proof is this, earthly-minded men are very wise in matters
of the world, but in matters that are spiritual are very weak and
simple. You have many men who, in matters of religion, are very
ignorant. If they do speak in points of saving knowledge, they speak
like children, so that one would wonder where their understandings
were. Now turn such men to the matters of the world. Oh, how wise
they are in their generation. How subtle and crafty are they! The can
see an objection there and know how to answer it. They can discern
anything that will let them see a profit many miles off. But in those
things that hinder their souls, they cannot see things there. They are
wise in their generation and have memories for the matters of the
world. They can understand things and remember things, and they
can meditate there, but put them to meditate upon a point of
religion, they come to a standstill. Let me appeal to you. Do not your
consciences tell you? In worldly matters, when you are walking
from here to London, you can run your thoughts on business all the
way. You can plot this and contrive that. You can foresee this
objection and that one, and you can answer each one in your own
thoughts. But let me put this to you. When you walk through the
fields, settle upon one meditation about Christ and see whether you
are able to draw out that meditation the entire time you walk,
whereas you can spin out an earthly meditation no matter how far
your journey is. When you awake in the night, your thoughts are
upon the things of the world, and you can draw them out and work
with understanding, but how about the things of God? Oh, how
barren and simple are you there! There is scarcely anyone who can
outdo you in the things of the world, but in the matters of religion
you are outdone; every slight temptation overcomes you there.
6. Besides this, you may know earthly-mindedness by the discourse
and words of men. I John 4:5 says, They are of the world, therefore
they speak of the world, and the world heareth them. Their breath is
earthly. Oh, it's an ill sign that when you come to a friend's bedside
and fear that they will die because their breath smells so earthy. It's
symptom of the death of their bodies. So your hearts smell earthy,
and it would be somewhat tolerable if it were only on the days when
your calling requires you to talk about business. But even during
that time that God has set apart for Himself, you are often
discoursing in your own thoughts about the business of the world.
You do it when you are praying, you do it when you are hearing the
Word. The communication and discourses of men should relish
what they have heard out of the Word, not go and talk about some
earthly occurrences.
Oh, it's this that has lost many precious truths. It may have been
when you have been hearing the Word, God has darted some beam
of gospel light into your souls, and you have lost it before you got
home, and have come to lose the impression of the truth you have
heard. Oh, what a seemly thing it is that those who come to hear the
Word, depart with no discourse about what they have heard! Oh,
how often are you in company and never leave anything to refresh
one another's spirits, or to further one another in the way to eternal
life! Though God gives you allowance to speak about your business,
yet still, if you are spiritual and heavenly, He would have you to
have something of eternal life before you depart.
7. A further proof is this, when spiritual things must give way to
earthliness upon every little business. Prayer must pay for it. If I
have any business to do, I will take it out of prayer time, or converse
in the Word the less, or hear the Word less. When earthly things are
as high as spiritual things, heaven must stand by until earth is
served. This is an evil sign of an earthly spirit. Whereas, were the
spirit heavenly, the very first thing that you would do when you
awake in the morning would be to season your heart with
something that is spiritual.
In Psalm 139:17-18 , we read, How precious also are Thy thoughts
unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I count them,
they are more in number than the sand, when I awake I am still
with Thee. That is an argument of a spiritual mind, to be with God
upon awaking, When I am awake I am still with Thee. But now, I
appeal to you, who are you with when you awake? Can you say,
"Lord, when I awake I am still with Thee. I find an inclination in my
spirit to be upon the matters of heaven, and when I am up, I would
rather my worldly business give way than my spiritual duties."
8. When a man or woman cares not how it is with the church, with
the kingdom of Jesus Christ, as long as it is well with them in
matters of the world, this is proof of an earthly mind. When things
are stirring abroad in the world, he does not inquire how things are
in respect to the privileges of the saints, the ark of the church, as
long as his cabin is safe. Truly, there is nothing needed but the
examining of your own hearts, how they have been these last years
of Jacob's troubles. In the time of war, Eli sat trembling because of
the Ark of God. He did not sit trembling because the Philistines
might prevail and take his home. No, it was because of the Ark of
God. That was proof of the spirituality of Eli's mind.
Likewise, it may be an argument of great comfort to you in these
dangerous times if your consciences tell you this, that God, who
knows all things, knows that the great thing your heart was
solicitous in these evil days was "What shall become of Thy great
name?" Lord, what shall become of religion? What shall become of
the gospel? Lord, these were the things that took up my heart, not
so much what should become of my estate and outward
accommodations and relations in this world.
Oh, examine your hearts in this, whether the care of your spirits is
more for the furtherance of the kingdom of Jesus Christ or for the
furtherance of your estates. But for that man or woman who is most
solicitous about the business of his or her outward estate, and does
not much care how religion goes, or how the way of the kingdom of
Christ is maintained, God at this time speaks to that soul.
You are an earthly-minded man or woman and, therefore, take heed
lest what has been spoken concerning the great evil there is in
earthly-mindedness befalls you, and especially these words, whose
end is destruction, who art drowned in perdition. Lest hereafter, this
be the thing that you shall lie crying out and cursing yourself for.
"Oh, I had a base and earthly heart, and sought the things of the
earth. I made my portion there, and in the meantime, the blessed
God has been forsaken. I have lost my portion in the Holy Land, for
I had my portion in Egypt among the Egyptians, according as I
chose for myself."
9. The more spiritual any truth is that is revealed, the less it takes
with his heart. Some truths of religion move him, perhaps, but these
are as bywords to him, he does not mind them at all. The more
spiritual an ordinance is, the less his spirit is moved by it. If he
comes to the Word and there is some earthly, natural excellence
mingled there -like natural parts, wisdom, wit, eloquence, and
learning -that will move him. It may be that some fine story is more
pleasing to him than the goodly pearls of truth that are revealed in
the Word, like the enjoyment of communion with God, the longing
after Jesus Christ's coming, the living by faith upon a bare promise,
the excellency that there is in suffering for Jesus Christ. These
truths are spiritual, the mortifying of the inward lusts, self-denial.
These things are favored but little by an earthly- minded man.
Tell him of the privileges of the saints, the mysteries of the gospel.
Anything that is spiritual is but a notion to him. As it is with men
that are upon the earth, they look up to heaven and see the things of
heaven only slightly. Why is it that the stars seem so small to us
here? It is because we are on the earth. The earth seems a vast body
to us, but the stars seem little to us, even though they are far bigger
than the earth. Were we in heaven, the heavenly bodies would seem
vast to us, and the earthly bodies would scarcely be discerned by us.
Were men's hearts heavenly, all the things of the earth would seem
little to them, but because they are earthly, the things of heaven and
spiritual mysteries are very small in their eyes.
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Post by Admin on May 23, 2024 21:50:21 GMT -5
Chapter Six: Seven Reasons of Men's
Earthly-Mindedness
I shall now proceed to the reasons why it is that men's hearts are so
set upon the earth, minding earthly things. Briefly, I will give you
these reasons for it.
First, the things of the earth appear real to them, but spiritual and
heavenly things are just a notion. That which has reality in it takes
most with the heart. Men are deceived in this, though, for the
Scripture speaks of spiritual things as the only real things, and
earthly things as those which have no being at all. In Proverbs 23:5 ,
it says, Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? (speaking of
the riches of the world) it has no reality in it at all. But in Proverbs
8:20-21 , "Lead me in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the
paths of judgment, that I may cause those that love me to inherit
substance to inherit that which is, that which has a being." The
honors of the earth are but a fantasy and vain show. You have read
of Bernice and Agrippa. They came with much pomp, with great
fancy, as the original says. But to an earthly man, these earthly
things are real things, and therefore he minds them. Wisdom is a lie
to a fool.
Secondly, they look upon these things as necessary, though the
Scripture tells us but of one thing that is necessary. Yet they think
that these earthly things are present now, they only have need of
heavenly things hereafter. They may have need of reconciliation
with God, pardon of sin, peace of conscience, and such things. They
may have need of them, that is, when they depart out of this life. O
the infinite folly of most hearts to think that there is so present a
necessity of spiritual and heavenly things, whereas indeed, our life
consists in them for the present! This is eternal life. We may come
here in this world to enjoy eternal life, but the majority of people
look upon all spiritual things only as our good for the future, when
we leave here and are seen no more.
Thirdly, these things are most suitable to men's hearts. It's no
wonder that they mind earthly things, they are of the earth, and
from the earth; they have nothing but the first Adam in them. The
first man was from the earth earthly. The truth is, the happiness of
man's estate even in innocency, in the morning of the day of his
creation, in comparison of the things that are now revealed by the
gospel, was but earthly.
Take man when he was in paradise; that paradise was but earthly.
But then take man in his fallen and corrupt estate. He cannot help
but be earthly, and everything closes with what is suitable to that.
Comfort does not come so much from the goodness of a thing, but
from the suitableness of the object with the faculty. Now the things
of the earth are suitable to men that are of the earth, and therefore
they mind them. The heart will abundantly run out upon that which
is suitable to it.
Fourthly, these things of the earth have a very fair show in the flesh.
They have a kind of goodly appearance in the eye of sense, and in
the eye of that reason that is now corrupted by sin. We have a most
elegant expression of these earthly things, and those earthly
minded men who have their hearts set upon these things. It is in
Galatians 6:12 . As many as desire to make a fair show in the flesh,
says the Scripture. The words are to signify when a man looks smug
and neat. You shall have some men that dress themselves curiously
and, having handsome bodies, they look so trim, fine, handsome,
and very splendid to the eyes of all who behold them. So, he says,
these men that are false teachers desire to make a fair show in the
flesh. That is, they look upon the things of the flesh as those things
that are appealing to the eye, and they look to have all things so
complete about them so that they may look smug, and carry
themselves with such beauty before the world.
Oh, this is their happiness, this they take satisfaction in! They seem
to have fine estates, and to have appealing clothing, and all curious
things about them. This looks so good in the eyes of the world, and
therefore it is that their hearts are upon them. They are here
enemies to the cross of Christ. They think suffering for Christ,
poverty, or disgrace looks bad. But now, those that desire to make a
fair show in the flesh, that would have their countenances well
washed, fair, and beautiful wherever they go, and be somebody in
this world, forsake the truths of God and seek to provide for
themselves in the things of the flesh.
Fifthly, men naturally never knew better things than the things of
the earth. It is no marvel, therefore, that they mind the things of the
earth so much. Children that are born in a dungeon and never knew
any better place can play up and down in the dungeon. So it is with
men that never knew what the things of heaven and eternal life
meant. They can mind earthly things better than those, but when
the Lord opens the eyes of their understanding to see into the
reality, excellency, and glory of spiritual things, then they wonder at
their former blindness in minding such poor, low, mean, foolish
rattles, as the things of the;! earth are.
Sixthly, there are earthly principles continually dropped into men by
conversing with other earthly men. Psalm 49:11 says, "Their inward
thoughts are that their houses shall continue forever, and their
dwelling place to all generations; they call their lands after their
own names. Their hearts are set on earthly things." Then, in the
13th verse, "Their way is folly," yet their posterity approves their
sayings. They are applauded by men. They see that everybody
applauds them in these ways, and when they converse with one
another, they converse about the things of the earth. They see
everybody following the things of the earth, and they are greedy
after these toys. That also inclines their minds to the things of the
earth.
Lastly, the sensible experience they have had of the sweetness there
is in the things of the earth takes their minds off spiritual things,
and makes them to mind the things of the earth. But though these
are the reasons why men mind the things of the earth, someday it
will be shown to be folly.
Though an earthly-minded man blesses himself in this way, and
thinks he has good reason for what he does, and thinks all men
fools who do not grovel in the ground like a mole with him, and
look upon the matters of religion as mere words and talk, let them
do what they will, I will find contentment here. Their way will be
proven folly. As the Holy Ghost said in the 49th Psalm, "Their way is
folly."
In the end, the wise men of the earth, those that have sought the
things of the earth and bless themselves in their way, will prove to
be the greatest fools; the Holy Ghost accounts them so. In Jeremiah
17:11 , it says, As the partridge sitteth on eggs and hatcheth them
not, so he that getteth riches and not by right, shall leave them in
the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool. He applauds
himself for what he presently has, but at the end he shall be a fool
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Post by Admin on May 23, 2024 21:55:21 GMT -5
Chapter Seven: Eleven Considerations to
Take the Mind Off of Earthly-Mindedness
The main thing we have tried to do thus far is to take the minds of
men and women off of the things of the earth. This will prepare us
for the next point which is of infinite concern, our conversations in
heaven. But because a man's conversation cannot be in heaven until
his mind is taken off of the earth, until the disease of earthly
mindedness is cured, we must now propound those things that may
help take off men's minds from the earth.
First consider this: if you could possess all the things of the earth
that your mind and heart are upon, there is still not enough good in
them as to undo the evil of the least sin, not the least sin of thought.
Your heart is muddling upon the earth, and you think that you
would be blessed if you had thus and thus as others have. Let me
tell you if you had but one sinful thought, there is more evil in that
than there is good in all that you shall get all the days of your life.
And, if this is so, it concerns you rather to have your mind on how
to avoid sin, how to get the evil of sin removed, and how to get your
sin mortified. That ought to concern you more than minding and
plodding about the things of the earth. That's one consideration.
A second consideration that may take off the hearts of men from the
things of the earth is this: the chief things that are in the earth have
been the portion of reprobates heretofore and are to this day, and
shall be the portion of multitudes whom God hates and has set
apart to glorify His infinite justice eternally. Shall your mind and
heart be set upon such things as are the portion of reprobates? Will
a reprobate's portion satisfy you? Will it serve you? Are you
satisfied with dog meat? If it will not content you, why is it that
your mind is so much upon the things of the earth?
It may be that you are poor and low in the world. Your mind is upon
some little matter. You never expect to have any great things in the
world and yet you mind these little matters as if that were your
portion and your happiness, some small pittance to furnish your
house, to provide for yourself and your family. Oh, friend! If it were
possible for you to get the empire of the whole world under your
foot, still you would get no more than has been the portion of such
as God has hated, and if kingdoms and empires have been the
portions of reprobates, why do you abundantly mind things that are
lower and let the strength of your heart flow out upon such things
as these are?
A third consideration is this, surely God has made man for higher
things than the things of this earth. Oh! If you had your thoughts
working this way, "For what end do I think God has made the
children of men? Why has He sent them into the world?" Of all the
creatures God has here upon the earth, none are capable of knowing
Him, the infinite First Being of all things, except the children of
men. And God has given them a nature that is capable of conversing
with Him. Surely, then, there are other things that God made man
for, than to have meat, drink, and clothes, and to live here awhile
just to enjoy creatures.
Do we not read often that Jesus Christ was God and man, took
man's nature upon Himself, and died for man? Surely there must be
some other manner of things that are the fruit of the purchase of
the blood of Christ than the things of the earth! Oh, my brethren, if
you only had this settled upon you: that God has great, glorious,
high, and wonderful thoughts about mankind. This would be a
mighty means to take your hearts off of the things of this earth,
when you have your hearts groveling here. Oh, but are these the
things God made man for? Had not God higher thoughts in making
the children of men? Do not I find in the Word that when man was
made there was a kind of Divine consultation with the Trinity?
Come, let us make man according to our Image. God had higher
thoughts of man than of other things. And if man were made for
nothing else but to dig in the earth, certainly, the thoughts of God
about man have been very low and mean (as I may so speak with
holy reverence), for these are but low and mean things here that
men enjoy on the earth.
Fourthly, as God has higher thoughts concerning man, so the
dignity of man's nature, the rational soul of man, is of too high a
birth to have the strength of it spent on things of the earth. God
breathed into man His soul. It is a kind of a Divine spark. The soul
of man is of the same nature as angels, a spirit as angels have. The
thoughts of the mind, the faculties and powers of the soul are more
precious than to be poured out as water upon the ground.
If a man had a golden mill, he would not use it just to grind dirt,
straw, and sticks in. The mind of man, the thinking faculty, is too
high to be exercised in the things of this earth. The mind of man is
of a most excellent, capacious nature. It is fit to converse, not only
with angels, but with the eternal God Himself, with Father, Son, and
Holy Ghost, and to bestow the strength of such a faculty upon such
dirty, drossy, low, base, mean things as earthly-minded men and
women do, this is a great evil Know this, the dignity of your nature,
the excellency of your mind, and the soul of man is that of a
transcendent being. Put all the world into the balance with it, it is
nothing. Therefore you know what Christ said, What shall it profit a
man, to gain the whole world, and lose his soul?
The soul of the lowest galley-slave is more precious than heaven
and earth, sun, moon, stars, and all the host of them and, let me
add, than all the silver and golden mines underground, and all the
unsearchable riches of the great and wide sea. Yea, put all together,
and the soul of the most contemptible beggar that cries for a crust
of bread at your door is unexpressedly worth more than all these.
Now if man's soul is of such a high-born nature, if God has put such
a spirit, which is a spark of heaven, into the bosom of man for him
to employ in no other use and service but to merely be an
earthworm to creep upon the ground, this is a great evil.
The fifth consideration is the uncertainty of all these things,
uncertain riches. Any casualty come and take away from you all the
things of the earth that your mind is on. God sends a little too much
heat into the body and puts you into a fever, and where is your
delight then? Your body will either be too hot or too cold, and what's
become of all your comfort in this life? You go abroad and are
wounded by an enemy, and what refreshment do you receive from
all these things? Let me tell you, you are in the midst of a thousand
thousand casualties here, every moment ready to take away all the
comforts of the earth. Usually, at the time when most minds of men
and women are fixed upon the earth, that's the time God has to
strike them in those things. That's when they are closest to being
deprived of the comforts of the earth, when their minds are most
fixed upon them.
As you know, when the rich man in the gospel was blessing himself
and crying to his soul, Soul, soul, take thine ease. Thou hast goods
laid up for many years, that very night, the text says, this message
came to him, Thou fool, this night shall thy soul be taken away from
thee, and then, whose shall all these things be? And at the time that
Nebuchadnezzer was blessing himself in the palace he had built for
his honor, a message came to him from heaven so that he was
ousted from all his court vanities to graze among the beasts of the
field.
You may find in your own experience that God has many times
most crossed you in the things of the earth when your minds and
hearts have been most glued to them. And it may be that He has
done it in mercy. It's a greater mercy to be crossed in these things at
such a time than to prosper in the midst of them, for it may be a
good argument that God intends good to a soul to cross him at the
time he is most earthly. Oh, many that have been godly indeed, but
have been earthly-minded and have found God coming at such a
time and crossing them in some earthly contentment, have seen
cause to bless God for thus dealing with them. Where was I going? I
was going altogether to the earth and minding such things. My heart
was set upon them and God came to me in a seasonable time to
show me the vanity of my heart, and of those things that my mind
was busied upon. Oh, it was a happy cross that I had at such a
season! There was much of Christ that hung upon it.
Sixthly, consider what has become of those that have been earthly
heretofore, that enjoyed the greatest accommodations of the earth.
What has become of those men in former ages of the world that
lived here, and vapored so much in their generation, who had all the
earth according to their desires? What's become of Agrippa and
Bernice with all their pageantry and greatness? Now they have acted
their parts and are gone off the common stage of the world, and all
their vanity is buried with them in one grave. What difference is
there between the poor and rich when they die? They all go the
same way. They lived for a little time and flourished in the things of
the earth and now are gone, but have left a great deal of guiltiness
behind them. Look to their example, and what's become of them?
Consider that your case must be as theirs within a short while. The
wheel is turning around which will bring you as low as them, so that
you, before long, must be numbered among the dead. Oh, it's a
mighty means to take our hearts from the things of this earth!
Seventh, consider how short the time is that you have in this world.
That's the argument of the Apostle, because the time is short.
Therefore, let us use the world as if we used it not. Therefore, let
our hearts be taken off these things. We have only a little time and a
great deal of work. We have in this short winter's day of life to
provide for eternity. Considering the great weight of the work that
depends on us here in this world, it may be a mighty reason for us
to bid adieu to all the things of this world. If we had enough time for
our work, and were sure of our time, then we might spend it on
trifles.
If a man comes into the city to do some business of great weight
and consequence, and has only a little time to spend on it, he does
not mind anything he sees in the city, he does not mind anybody
that comes by him, but goes up and down the streets minding his
own business. Oh, it should be so with us, brethren. Consider the
great work we have to do, and the little time we have to effect that
work in. Upon our little, short, uncertain inch of time, depends
matters of more consequence than ten thousand, thousand worlds
are worth, and if we miscarry in this little time of our lives, we are
lost and undone forever. Better we had never been born, or had
been made toads or serpents, or the vilest beasts, than unreasonable
creatures.
Oh, have you so much time for spending the very spirits of your
souls upon the things of this earth, can you spare so many hours?
Certainly, if God made known to you what eternity means, if the
Lord caused the fear of eternity to fall upon you, you would not
misspend as much time as you do. Many times, though, you
complain of a lack of time for spiritual things. Oh, how much time
do you spend in letting out your thoughts and affections upon the
things of the earth? More than you need!
In the eighth place, consider that a little will carry us through this
world. We are here but as on a pilgrimage or a voyage. A little will
serve to carry us through this world. Men will not take more on a
journey than may help them. If a man who is going on a journey
should get a whole bundle of sticks and lay them on his shoulder,
and you ask him the reason why he is carrying that bundle, he
might say that he is going on a great journey, and he does not know
how many sticks he will need to help him. Now, it's true, to carry a
staff in a man's hand will help him, thus Jacob was helped by his
staff over Jordan, but to carry a bundle upon his shoulder will
hinder him.
A little will serve your purpose. If you have only meat and drink,
food and clothing, be content, said the Apostle. The servants of God
in times past, passed through this world with very little, and many
of them, the less they had, the more peace and comfort they had in
God, and the more fit they were to die. I remember Ecolampadius
was very poor when he was to die. He professed that he would not
have been richer than he was, for he saw what a hindrance it was,
and so he could pass out of the world with more ease and quiet.
Certainly a little will serve your purpose here.
We say that nature is content with a little, and if there were grace, it
would be content with less. Therefore, we do not let our minds be
on the things of the earth. We do not have as much need for the
things of the earth as we think we do.
Ninthly, consider that there is no comfort. no good to be had in
things of the earth any further than God will be pleased to let
Himself through them. They are but channels to convey the blessing
and goodness of God to us. Man lives not by bread, nor meat only.
You are deceived to think that if you had such and such things you
should certainly have a comfortable life. I say you are deceived in
this, for it is God in these that comforts the heart.
There is a notable Scripture for this in Psalm 62, where the Holly
Ghost says in the 10th verse, Trust not in oppression, and become
not vain in robbery, if riches increase, set not your hearts upon
them. Do not mind them, but why not? In the 11th verse, God hath
spoken once, twice have I heard this. That power belongeth unto
God, if riches increase, set not thy heart upon them. Let not your
hearts and minds be upon riches or anything in this earth. Why not?
God has spoken again, twice have I heard, that is, again and again.
God has spoken effectually to me that all power to do any good
belongs to Him. It is not in riches; there is no power there to make
you happy, but all belongs to Him.
This, I confess, is a spiritual meditation in which earthly-minded
men will have little skill, yet where earthly-mindedness prevails in
anyone of the saints, this may do him good. Whereas the truth is,
this power is not in the creature, or creature comforts. Neither can
do me any good. If I had a thousand times more than I have, I might
be miserable in the earth and have as little comfort as those that
have least. Therefore. let me set my affections upon things above.
and not on things on the earth.
Tenthly, lay this to heart. If you are godly, God promises to provide
the things of the earth for you, and to that end He might ease you of
the burden of your care. Cast your care upon God for He careth or
you, and take no thought for these things, for your Heavenly Father
knows you have need of them. Your Heavenly Father takes care, see
how He clothes the lilies, and are not you much better than they?
Children do not much mind the things of the earth, to provide for
themselves, because they know they have their father to provide for
them. A child that has his father and friends to make provision for
him is very much eased by this. But those that are left fatherless
and friendless seem to have some excuse, "I have to take care of
myself for I have nobody to provide for me." Aye, but the saints
cannot say so, they have a Father to provide for them, and all the
earth is the Lord's, as well as heaven, the earth being your Father's.
The earth being the Lord's, as well as heaven, the earth being your
Father's, why should your care be so much on things of the earth?
Let your care be to do your duty to your Father, to walk as a child,
but do not let it be for things of the earth. You as much as disavow
the care of your Father for you. Can you believe that God shall give
His Son to you, and not give you all things else? Does not godliness
have the promises of this life as well as of that to come? Oh, you
unworthy child that professed an interest in such promises, and
hoped that God had done such things for you as He has done, and
yet have your heart in things of the earth. As if the Lord had settled
you here only, and left you to shift for yourself from door to door.
No, certainly, the care of God is over His people in the things of the
earth as truly as it is over them in regard of spiritual and eternal
things.
Some men think, or at least believe, that they trust God for their
souls, but cannot trust for their bodies as well But surely faith
teaches you to trust God for your body as well as your soul, for God
has care of both, and both were redeemed by the blood of Jesus
Christ. I have told you that he that fears the Lord shall never want
anything that is good for him. Now these considerations may
mightily prevail to take off the hearts of men from the things of the
earth.
The last consideration I shall name is this, that all who are
professors of religion are dead to the world, or should be so. Nay, if
you are truly religious, you are so. By profession, you profess
yourselves to be dead to the world. The Scripture makes this
argument in Colossians 3:2-3 , Set your affection on things above,
not on things on the earth. Why? For you are dead, and your life is
hid with Christ in God. You are dead, the Apostle writes to the
Colossians, and yet he tells them they were dead. The Scripture
speaks much of the death of the saints. It's said of women who lived
in pleasures in I Timothy that they were dead while they lived. So it
may be said of Christians that they are dead while they live, dead to
the world. I am crucified to the world, says the Apostle, and we are
dead with Christ. I find that some interpret the Scripture in I
Corinthians 15:29 , Else what shall they do that are baptized for the
dead? as that all those that came in, which were heathens and
converted to Christianity and were baptized, were baptized for dead
men, that is, by their baptism. Now there was a profession. They
professed themselves, from that time forever as dead men to the
world, "baptized for the dead." You have it in some of your books
"over the dead," but the word is fur, and so it is translated in this
last translation, for dead men. Your baptism is administered to you
as a sign of your profession, to live henceforth as if they were dead.
This is the profession of Christians, to be as dead men to the world.
Oh, do not dishonor your profession of religion, for, indeed, it is a
greater evil for professors of religion to be earthly-minded than for
any others, and yet how many are guilty of this? It's an observation
of Luther that when God revealed Himself to Abraham and told him
that He would multiply his seed He made use of two similitudes.
One was this, that He would make his seed as the stars of heaven,
and at another time God said that He would make his seed as the
sand upon the seashore. Now, said Luther, by these two expressions
are signified two sorts of Abraham's seed. There are some that are
as the stars of the heaven, that are heavenly-minded. There are
others that are as the sand of the sea, that is, there are some who
profess themselves to be of Abraham's seed, but are of earthly
spirits.
Oh now, my brethren, we should labor to have such minds and
hearts so as to appear to be the seed of Abraham, as the stars of
heaven, to be of the number of those that are as the stars of heaven,
that is, through heavenly-mindedness. But we shall come to that
when we speak of the conversation of Christians, and how it ought
to be in heaven.
But now, may not someone ask, "May we not mind earthly things
and heavenly things, too?" There is a great mistake here. You cannot
serve two masters, God and mammon. It's very plain that the text of
Scripture in Colossians 3:2 marks the opposition, Set your
affections on things above, not on things on the earth. They are
opposed to one another. Set your affections or minds, for I think it
is the same word as that in my text, who mind earthly things. A man
cannot look up to heaven and down to earth both at the same time.
There is an opposition between these two, between the earthly
mindedness that has been opened to you, and minding of heavenly
things.
But you will say, "We have a need for these things while we are on
the earth. How can we do otherwise but mind them? When we come
to heaven, then we shall have dispositions suitable to heaven, and
not until then." To that I answer, though Christians live upon the
earth, they are not of the earth. There's a great deal of difference
between one that is of the earth, and another that lives on the earth.
Christ said, concerning Himself, that He was not of the earth. It's
true, He did live awhile on the earth, but He was not of it. In John
3:31 , He that cometh from above is above all, he that is of the earth
is earthly, and speaketh of the earth. While Christ spoke these
words He was on the earth but He was not of the earth. And so it is
with Christians, they are upon the earth but they are not of the
earth. They are a people redeemed from the earth! It's true, these
are things we need; therefore, we must not mind them, for in
Matthew 6, where Christ speaks against taking thought for what we
.shall eat, or drink, or put on, He said, Your heavenly Father knows
you have need of these things. You have some need, aye, but you
have need of other things, and greater need of other things than of
these things. What need is there for you to live upon the earth, but
in order to provide for eternity, and of living to the honor of Christ
and the praise of His gospel? I say, you have no need of anything on
the earth but in subordination to higher things. There is no need
that you should live, except for some other end. Therefore, do not
let that be an argument to plead for earthliness, as indeed an earthly
spirit is very witty in pleading for itself. I shall close this point with
some exhortation to you, and directions about this point of earthly mindedness.ly
upon your heart, especially you that are young beginners in the way
of religion, lest it proves to be with you as it has with many that are
digging veins of gold and silver underground. While they are digging
in those mines for riches, the earth, many times, falls upon them
and buries them, so that they never come up out of the mine again.
And so it is with many that are beginning in the way of religion, that
are digging in the mines of salvation, for unsearchable riches, for
that is abundantly better than gold and silver.
Now while you are thus seeking for grace and godliness, take heed
that you are not covered with the earth while you are digging in the
world. Keep wide open some place to heaven, or otherwise if you dig
too deep, noxious gas vapors will come up from the earth, if it
doesn't fall on you first. There will be noxious gas vapors to choke
you if there is not a wide hole to let in the air that comes from
heaven to you. Those that are digging in mines are very careful to
leave a place open for fresh air to come in. And so, though you may
follow your calling and do the work that God sets you here for as
others do, be as diligent in your calling as any. But still keep a
passage open to heaven, that there may be fresh gales of grace come
into your soul. If, at any time, you are in the world just one day, and
have not some spiritual air from heaven, take heed, there's a vapor
coming up that will choke you. Oh, that Christians would consider
this while they are here below.
I remember reading Austin's comments on Psalm 72:19 , "They that
dwell in the wilderness shall bow before Him, and his enemies shall
lick the dust." In a witty way he applied it to earthly-minded men by
saying, "If you lick the dust, by this you will come to be counted as
one of the enemies of God." It's true, the scope of the place is
different, but take heed that, in this metaphorical sense, you do not
lick the dust and so come to be counted as an enemy of God. You
who would be counted as friends and seek a reconciliation with
God, do not lick the dust to be always here as moles upon the earth.
Moles, though blind, are said to have their eyes open if they are on
top of the ground, and then they shake and tremble. So, though the
earth may close the eyes of men here for awhile, certainly there will
be a day when their eyes shall be opened, to see how they have
guiled and deceived themselves. It's worse, too, in the time of the
gospel to be an earthly- minded man than at other times. It was not
such an evil thing to be an earthly-minded man in the time of the
Law, when all the promises of God were carried in a kind of earthly
way.
This is not to say that all promises that were made under the Law
were merely earthly, but that they were carried out in an earthly
way. Therefore you shall find that when God promised His people
great mercies in the time of the Law, it is done by earthly
expressions, like gold, silver, and such kinds of things. Their
promises for heaven went under the expression of living in the land
of Canaan, as being a type of heaven. They were taken with earthly
things, though, when God revealed Himself to them in an earthly
manner.
Now in the time of the gospel, lift up your hearts for your calling is
from above. Now there are heavenly things revealed. He that is from
above is come among us, and the heavens are broken open, and the
glory of it shines upon the churches in a far brighter manner than it
did before. Therefore, gospel light aggravates the sin of earthly
mindedness, and now, above all times, should the hearts of men and
women be disengaged from the things of the earth
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Post by Admin on May 23, 2024 22:08:48 GMT -5
Chapter Eight: Five Directions How to Get
our Hearts Free from Earthly
Mindedness
The First Direction
First, to that end, be watchful over your thoughts. Do not take
liberty to let your hearts run too far in the things of the earth. What
time you have for meditation, let it be as much as can be reserved
for spiritual things. Most men and women think they may take
liberty in their thoughts. Why, the thing in itself is not unlawful!
Aye, but your thoughts will steal upon you and affect your heart
very much; therefore, watch narrowly over your thoughts, keep
them within Scripture bounds.
The Second Direction
Be humbled much for sin, for that will take off the heart from
earthly-mindedness. Earthly-minded men, who have earthly and
drossy hearts, have not known what the weight and burden of sin
means. Just let God lay the weight and burden of sin upon the soul,
for that will take off the soul from earthly things quickly! Oh, those
men that have gone on in the world in a secure condition, and never
knew what trouble of conscience meant for sin, have grown seared
in those earthly contentments. But those men that have had the
weight of sin lie upon them know what it is to have to deal with an
infinite God. In bearing the burden of the wrath of an incensed
Deity, such men know that they have other things to look after than
the things of the earth. If God would just humble your hearts, the
humiliation of your spirits would quicken you, take off the dullness
and deadness of your spirits, and stir you up to look after things
other than the things of this life.
The Third Direction
Further, set the example of the saints before you who have been the
most precious servants of God in former times. Note how they
counted themselves as pilgrims and strangers here on the earth. At
your leisure, read Hebrews 11:13 , These all died in faith, not having
received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were
persuaded of them and embraced them, and confessed that they
were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
Mark, therefore, how it follows in the 37th verse, They were stoned,
they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword,
they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute,
afflicted, tormented. Who were these people? They were those of
whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts, and in
mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth, and yet were such
precious saints of God that the world was not worthy of them. Now
when we set before us how joyfully these servants of the Most High
went through all their wilderness condition, this should make us
ashamed of our earthly-mindedness, and would be a mighty help to
us.
The Fourth Direction
Then, if we consider the great account that we are to give for all
earthly things, you will note that you only look upon the comfort of
them. But consider the account you must give for them. This would
be a means to take off the heart from earthly-mindedness. And
consider, what if you were now to die and go the way of all flesh.
What good would it be to me to remember what contentments and
pleasures I had in the earth?
The Fifth Direction
But above all, set Jesus Christ before you and be meditating on the
death of Jesus Christ. That's the great thing that will take the heart
from the things of the earth. Be looking upon Christ crucified, how
He who was the Lord of heaven and earth put Himself into such a
low condition merely to redeem us! Conversing much with the
death of Jesus Christ deadens the heart much to the world. In
Philippians 3 we have a notable text for that, in the example of Paul.
He counted all things as dung and dross for Jesus Christ. In the 8th
verse, I account all things but loss for the excellency of the
knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for Whom I have suffered the
loss of all things, and do count them but DUNG that I may win
Christ. Then, in the 10th verse, That I may know Him, and the
power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings,
being made conformable to His death.
Paul desired to be so conformable to the very death of Christ, that
he counted all things in the world but as dung and dross in
comparison of that. Paul had the death of Christ before his eyes, and
meditated much on the death of Christ, and that meditation had a
great impression upon his spirit. That made him count all these
things as dross, as dog's meat by comparison, that he might have
fellowship with the death of Christ.
Perhaps some of you think of the glory of Christ in heaven, and that
may, for the present, make you less worldly. But let me entreat you
to meditate on the death of Christ, and know that there is an
excellency in conformity even to the death of Christ, such an
excellency that may take your hearts from the things of the world.
It's said of the King of France that he, asking once about an eclipse,
said, "I have so much business in the earth that I take little notice of
the things of heaven."
O my brethren! To close all this, I beseech you, let not this be said
concerning any of you, that you have such and such worldly
enjoyments that you cannot inquire about Jesus Christ. Do not
plead that you have such great business, that you had so much to do
in this earth, that you take little notice of the things of heaven.
Surely, the saints of God have their business in heaven as we shall,
God willing, see hereafter. Their city business, their trading, their
aims, their bent is higher than the things of this earth. There are
things that a man may let out his thoughts and affections to as
much as he wants. This shows the vanity of the things of this world,
that a man needs to be very wary how much he minds them. He
cannot enjoy the comforts of this earth without some fear. But now,
when he comes to converse with heaven, there he may let out
himself to the uttermost. That shows the excellency of these things.
You that are poor and lowly in the things of this earth, do not be
discomforted because there is a charge from God that men should
not mind these things. Surely there is no great matter in them since
God charges that we should not mind them. O the excellency lies in
things above which are heavenly and spiritual, where the saints
have their conversation! But of this, there is more in the following
TREATISE OF GOSPEL CONVERSATION
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