The Happiness of Enjoying and Use of Christ, Part 1 · Chapter 5
CHAP. V. Setting forth the folly of neglecting Chriſt, and ſeeking fulneſſe elſewhere.
THis diſcovers the folly of ſuch as neglect Chriſt, leave Chriſt, ſtep out, Uſe. and goe aſide from Chriſt, and ſeeke for fulneſſe elſe-where. Theſe are like the men of Shechem in Iotham's Parable,ſIudg. 9.9. leaving the Vine, the Olive and the Figge-tree, addreſſing themſelves unto the Bramble, and hiding themſelves under the ſhadow thereof. All that is without and beſide Chriſt, is but a Bramble in compariſon of Chriſt, miniſtring no ſafety, no defence, no ſure and comfortable ſhadow of refreſhment to them that have recourſe unto it. It is our greateſt fooliſhneſſe to leave the Lord Jeſus, to ſeeke out other proppes and pillars to ſupport us; an evill very common, and incident to the ſoules of men, an evill of which our Saviour doth complain,tJoh. 5.40 Yee will not come to mee, that yee might have life: yee will not come to mee, yee will not beleeve in mee, yee will not love and embrace mee, yee will not reſt and relye on mee, yee will not ſubject your ſelves to mee, yee will not ſolace and delight your ſelves in mee, yee will not quiet and content your ſelves with mee, yee will not come to mee, as Schollers to their Teacher to bee taught of me, touEpheſ. 4.22. learne mee, as the truth is in mee: yee will not come to me, as ſicke men to their Phyſician, to bee healed and cured by mee, as they that ſit in darkneſſe come to the light to bee ruled & guided by me, who am the true light; ye will not come to mee, as the poore to the rich, to bee fed and cloathed by mee; as the thirſty to the fountaine, to be refreſhed and filled by mee; as the ſervant to his Lord, to feare and ſerve mee, to honour and exalt mee: yee will not thus come to mee. There is in the ſoules of men a very ſtrong and wonderfull backwardneſſe to come to the Lord Jeſus, to come fully and freely off from the creature unto Chriſt, as the wife commeth off from herwPſa. 45.10. owne people, and her fathers houſe, to live and abide with her husband, to ſet her love on him, to quiet her ſelfe with him. There is againe in the ſoules of men, a very ſtrong and marvellous proneneſſe to decline to goe from Chriſt to earthly vanities.
Some leave Chriſt and ſeek for fulneſſe in the outward and common creatures;4 Seekers of fulneſſe deceived. but the fulneſſe of God is not in them, but in Chriſt: the creature is full of vanitie, Chriſt alone is the ſubject of all ſufficiencie; without Chriſt the whole creation is but an emptie veſſell, as Iob ſometime ſaid of wiſedome,xIob 28.15. Where ſhall Wiſedome bee found, and where is the place of Underſtanding? Man knoweth not the price thereof, neither is it found in the land of the living: the Depth ſaith, It is not in mee; and the Sea ſaith, It is not with mee: So may wee ſay of fulneſſe, Where ſhall fulneſſe bee found? and where is the place of all-ſufficiencie? Man knoweth not the price thereof, neither is it found in the land of the living: Honours and high places, fleſhly delights and carnall pleaſures ſay, It is not in us: riches, ſtrength, beauty, art, wit, ſay, It is not with us. Man is exceedingly deceived, that leaves the Lord Jeſus, and ſeekes for fulneſſe in the creatures. For,
1. Folly of ſeeking fulneſſe in the Creature. 1. Emptineſſe.Firſt, the creature without Chriſt is an empty thing, a lamp without oyle, a bone without marrow: The houſe without the husband, ſeemes emptie to the wife: the Throne without the King, appeares empty to the ſubject: without the Lord Jeſus the ſoule meets with emptineſſe in the greateſt worldly fulneſſe; it is Chriſt thatyEpheſ. 1.23. filleth all in all. He puts a fulneſſe into all the things of his ſervants; a fulneſſe into their poſſeſſions, that they reſt contented: a fulneſſe into their low eſtates, that they rejoyce in it: a fulneſſe into their cup, whereby their thirſt is quenched: a fulneſſe into their bread, whereby their hunger is removed: a fulneſſe into their dinner of greene herbes, ſatiating them as a ſtalled Oxe: a fulneſſe into all his Ordinances, making them inſtruments to fill the ſoules of his ſervants with all ſaving graces. It is not the abundance of the creature, but Chriſt Jeſus that miniſters the fulneſſe: Chriſt is the marrow and fatneſſe of the feaſt; with Chriſt there is ſatisfaction in the ſlendereſt portion, without Chriſt there is nothing butzHag. 1.6 emptineſſe in the greateſt fulneſſe: without him man can never have aIſa. 56.11.enough. Hee that doth not gaine Chriſt, earnes nought: hee that drinkes not of this fountaine,bEccleſ. 5.10. increaſeth his thirſt by drinking.
Secondly,2. Feebleneſſe. the creature without Chriſt is a feeble and weake thing, as a tree without roots, like Ieroboams withered c1 Kings 13.4. Iſa. 30.…arme. Without Chriſt the ſtrength thereof is to ſit ſtill; like Pharaohs Chariots, when the wheeles were ſmitten off, it cannot carry us out of the waters of diſtreſſe, it can doe nothing. Gehezi with his maſters ſtaffe, could bringd2 Kings 4. no life, nor heat into the child, untill his maſter came: the creature can doe nothing for us, if it bee not attended with Chriſts power and preſence.
Thirdly, the creature without Chriſt,Troubleſomnes. is troubleſome: a bed of Thornes, and not of Downe; a tempeſtuous ſea, and not calme waters; bread of ſorrowes, and not of peace; poyſon, and not pleaſant wine. Aurum ampliùs cruciat apud quem largiùs fuerit; aurum amanti nihil de poſſeſsione ſua permittit, ſaith Auguſtine, Gold torments him moſt that hath moſt; it ſuffers him to enjoy nothing of his poſſeſſion, who purſues it with an inordinate affection. Sooner or later the creature is poſſeſſed with much torment, if we enjoy not Chriſt in and with it; as the poſseſſion, ſo the trouble increaſeth, i… wee have not Chriſt to ſanctifie it; like …he waters of Marah without the tree, they t…at poſſeſs them cannot drinke a comfortable draught of them.
Fourthly,4. I… …nt. the creature without Chriſt inbondageth, uſurps authoritie over the ſoule, cauſeth it to bow downe, aseI…dg. 7.5. Gideons Souldiers to the waters, takes away all the liberty thereof, inthralles it to the world, & ſubjecteth it to the command thereof, as the Souldiers to the command of thefMat. 8 8. Centurion. Men that will not ſerve the Lord Jeſus, become ſla…es to the creatures: God makes them ſhamefully to ſerve the creature, who will not joyfully ſerve Chriſt their Lord and Maſter. Mans deniall of obedience unto Chriſt, gives the creature dominion over him; the creature is ever that mansgMat. 6.…4. maſter who will not be Chriſts ſervant. As the Lord threatned the children of Iſrael, ſaying,hDeut. 2….47. Becauſe thou ſervedſt not the Lord thy God with joyfulneſſe, and with gladneſſe of heart for the abundance of all things, therefore ſhalt thou ſerve thine enemies which the Lord ſhall ſend againſt thee, in hunger, and in thirſt, and in nakedneſs, & in the want of all things; and he ſhall put a yoke of Iron upon thy necke, untill hee hath deſtroyed the. Thus man that will not ſerve the Lord with ioy and gladneſſe, with ſincerity and ſingleneſſe, the Lord gives him over to ſerve the creature in hunger and thirſt, with tormenting care and diſtraction, with much griefe and labour, in great ſtraights in the midſt of his ſufficiencie, the creature putting an Iron yoke upon his neck, making him ſuch a wretched ſlave to the world,iEccleſ. 6.1, 2. that he hath no power to eate of what he doth poſſeſſe. Qui pecuniae ſervit, & praeſentibus compedibus conſtringitur, & futuris paratur, ſaith Chryſoſtome. Hee that ſerves money, is bound with preſent, and prepared for future fetters; ſo chained, that hee cannot come to God; ſo bowed downe, that hee cannot looke up to God; God is not in all his thoughts, hee is altogether a ſtranger to him.
Fifthly, the creature is tranſient,5. Tranſitorie. a ſervant that changes many maſters, it ebbes and flowes like the Sea, waxeth and waneth like the Moone: There is ſtedfaſtneſs in Chriſt,kHeb. 13.8. hee is the ſame yeſterday, to day, and for ever: there is mutability in the creature, conſtant onelyonly in alteration; this goes and comes like the Souldiers at the command of the Centurion; like Jonahs gourd, thatlIona 4.8. came up over Jonah to bee a ſhadow over his head to deliver him from his griefe; and Jonah was exceeding glad; but when the morning aroſe, a Worme ſmote the gourd, that it withered, and the Winde and Sunne did beat on Jonahs head, that he fainted: The creature, like a gourd, is to day a ſhadow to us, and wee much reioyce in it, to morrow it is withered, and wee have much diſcomfort: The ioy of the creature doth uſually turne to ſorrow, it miniſters more griefe in the loſing then ever it gave ioy in the poſſeſſing: and hereupon Solomon diſſwades man from the creature, Labour mProv. 23.4.not (ſaith hee) to bee rich, ceaſe from thine owne wiſedome, wilt thou ſet thine eyes on that which is not? for riches make themſelves wings, they flye away as an Eagle towards heaven.
6. Deceitfulneſſe.Sixthly, the creature is very fraudulent: Laban changed Iacobs wages ten times; many are their changes who ſerve the creatures. The Pſalmiſt ſaith of them thatnPſal. 107 26. goe downe to the Sea in ſhippes, and doe buſineſſe in great waters, They mount up to the heavens, they goe downe againe to the depths, their ſoule is melted becauſe of trouble: The like may wee ſay of them that goe downe to the creature, and ſeeke for great things, and doe great buſineſſe in the ſea of this world, They mount up in honor, in wealth, in favour, and they goe down again in povertie, diſgrace, contempt and hatred, and their ſoul doth even melt with trouble; never man truſted the creature, but was deceived by it, his ſoule ſmarted for it; when the promiſes thereof are greateſt, the deceit thereof is moſt dangerous: as Diogenes ſometimes ſtiled flattering ſpeech, Melleum laqueum, a honey ſnare; ſuch a ſnare …re the honey-ſweet promiſes of the creature: this like a Delilah, ſings us aſleepe, makes us ſecure, ſhaves off our lockes, robbes us of our ſpirituall ſtrength, and delivers us into Satans bondage. When Abſolom feaſted Amnon, and Amnons heart was merry with wine, then Abſoloms ſervants fell on Amnon and murthered him: when the world feaſteth man, and the heart of man is merry with the worlds wine, drunken with the fulneſſe of the world, then honours, riches, pleaſures, the worlds ſervants, fall on man, betray man, and murther the ſoule of man, fruſtrate the expectation of man, prove a deceitfull Bow, and a ſandy foundation unto man, and the folly of man is made manifeſt in ſeeking fulneſſe in the creatures, wherein, without Chriſt Jeſus, the ſoule of man meets with nothing but emptineſſe, weakneſſe, bondage, changes and deceitfulneſſe; all is vaine without Chriſt, a thing of nought, a very nullitie, a non-ens, like Iobs friends,oIob 13.5. Phyſicians of no value; they cannot cure us, helpe us, eaſe us, fill us, they can doe nothing for us.
2. Folly of ſeeking fulneſſe in our ſelves.Some ſeeke for fulneſſe in themſelves, they pleaſe themſelves with themſelves, they goe not out of themſelves, they looke not beyond, nor above themſelves for any thing to fill them, to enrich them, to make them happy; they ſuppoſe they have water enough in their owne Well, treaſure enough in the ſtore-houſe of their owne ſoules. Goliah ſuppoſed hee had fulneſſe enough of ſtrength in his owne arme, in his owne weapon, and looked out for no other fulneſſe to aſſiſt him in the conflict with David. Vaine man, corrupt man, ſuppoſeth hee hath fulneſſe enough in himſelfe; fulneſſe enough of wiſedome to guide him, of libertie to convert himſelfe, of power to vanquiſh the adverſaries of his ſoule, of righteouſnes to juſtifie himſelfe in the ſight of God, of merit to procure ſalvation at the hands of God, and therefore he goes not out of himſelf, he addreſſes not himſelfe to Chriſt, hee ſeekes not to be filled with the fulneſſe of Chriſt; they truſt in themſelves that they pLuk. 18.9.are righteous; they looke for no righteouſneſſe, but their owne; for no garment to cloath them, but that which growes at home, is ſpun and woven at home, in the houſe of their own fleſh; for no Well to refreſh them or waſh them, but what they digge out of their owne earth; for no armour to defend them, but that which is framed and made at home of their owne metall; they areqRev. 3.17. rich and full, and want nothing, in their owne opinion; they are wiſe in their owne eye, and leane to their owne rPro. 3.5.underſtanding, and truſt not to the Lord, looke not unto him, regard not to be filled with his knowledge, with his power, with his goodneſſe: hee that hath higheſt thoughts of his owne fulneſſe, doth ever leaſt regard the fulneſs of Chriſt; hee is ready to ſay to Chriſt, tendering to him his fulneſs, as Eſau did to Iacob ſending him a preſent, I ſGen. 33.9.have enough, my brother, keep that thou haſt unto thy ſelfe. It is wonderfull to conſider how mens ignorance, and unſenſibleneſs of their own wants, doth cauſe them to under-value the fulneſs of Chriſt. O how little doe they who have high thoughts of their owne fulneſs, diſcerne or taſte of Chriſts fulneſs! And what is man without Chriſt, that hee ſhould ſeeke for fulneſs in himſelfe? but antRom. 7.18. Eph. 2.…2. empty houſe, wherein dwelleth no good; a dead man, in whom is no life; a blind man, in whoſe ſoule is no light; a loathſome leper, on whom is no beautie; as the world without the Sunne, the flocke without a ſhepheard, the members without a head, the ruſh without mire, and the flagge without water, as ſometime Iob ſpake; as the field of the ſloathfull without a diligent hand to dreſs it, is over growne with thornes and nettles, ſo and ſuch is the ſoule of man without Chriſt. Did man ſee his owne emptineſs and vileneſs without Chriſt, hee would never bee at reſt untill he were filled with Chriſts fulneſſe.
Folly of ſ…eking fulneſſe in naked uſe of ordinances.Some ſeeke for fulneſs in the naked preſence, and bare uſe of Gods ordinances, never labouring to ſee Chriſt, to taſte Chriſt in them, to receive Chriſt and his fulneſs through them, to bee brought to the enjoyment of Chriſt by them. Aſa u2 Chron. 16.promiſed himſelfe a fulneſs of health from the Phyſicians; he looked not beyond and through them to the Lord; hee ſought not to the Lord, but to the Phyſicians: Gods ordinances are the phyſicke, his Miniſters the Phyſicians: Some ſeeke to them, ſtay in them, promiſe themſelves fulneſſe of health from them, they ſeeke not, they come not home to the Lord by them, they partake not of Chriſt and his fulneſſe in them. The JeweswIer. 7.4. promiſed themſelves fulneſſe of defence, ſafety, victory, ſalvation, from the naked preſence of the Temple, without amendment of their doings, without obedience to the God that dwelled in the Temple. Micah perſwaded himſelfe of the fulneſſe of all bleſsing, becauſe heexJudg. 17.13. had a Levite to his Prieſt, though he ſtill retained his Idol, and learned not of his Prieſt how to ſerve that God aright, from whom commeth all bleſſing. How many men doe turne the meanes of ſalvation into meanes of deſtruction, not learning God in them, not being led home to God by them. Queſtionleſſe mans uſe of Gods Ordinances is fruitleſſe, untill in them he both ſee and enjoy Chriſt and his fulneſſe. As therefore the Shunamitiſh woman thought it not enough that Gehazi was ſent with his maſters ſtaffe, buty2 Kings 4.30. laid hold upon the Prophet, and would not goe till hee himſelfe went with her: ſo think it not enough that ye have Chriſts ſervant, and Chriſts ſtaffe, Chriſts Miniſter, and Chriſts Word; but lay hold of Chriſt, cleave to Chriſt, and carry Chriſt with you: You come to the Miniſtery to little purpoſe, if you carry not home with you Chriſt Jeſus, if you be not filled with his fulneſſe.
Folly of ſeeking fulneſſe in humane inventions.Some ſeeke for fulneſſe in humane obſervations, in ſerving God after their owne fancies, or the doctrines of men,zLev. 10.2. Ier. 2.12. Ier. 23.28. Gen. 11. in offering ſacrifice with ſtrange fire, in a falſe worſhip, in a deviſed religion: theſe ſeeke for fulneſſe of water in a broken ciſterne, for fulneſſe of ight in an empty lamp, for fulneſſe of bread in a heap of chaffe, for fulneſſe of figs upon a thiſtle: theſe, like them that builded Babel, build to their own confuſion: theſe are like men running from the Sun, and ſeeking light in a Glow-worme; like the Prodigall thataLuk. 15. ranne from his fathers houſe where was all fulneſſe of bread, & ſought his meat among the ſwine; to whom I may ſay, as ſometimes the Angell did to the women, Why bLuk. 24.5.ſeeke yee the living among the dead? So why ſeeke ye life, ſalvation, ſpirituall fulneſſe, among dead, vaine, and empty ceremonies? The diſeaſed womancMark. 5. ſought in vaine for health among the Phyſicians untill ſhe came to Chriſt; and man ſeekes in vaine for fulneſſe untill he comes to the Lord Jeſus: Therefore as Peter ſometime ſaid to Chriſt, Lord, dIohn 6.68.whither ſhall we go? thou haſt the words of eternall life: ſo, brethren, let me ſay to you, Brethren, whither will ye goe? on what rocke will you build? what guide will you follow? what friend will you chuſe? what treaſure will you ſeeke? Chriſt and none elſe hath the fountaine of all fulneſſe: O therefore leave all, and come unto him, that he may fill you with his grace firſt, and with his glory laſt.