The Christians Heavenly Treasure, Part 1 – Part 4
How base a Worldling is.
HOw base and vile a thing for a christian heart to be wedded to worldly things,…. Basenesse may appeare by this, that man at the first, was created in innocency & holines, and in Christ is restored to the same againe, of all creatures hee is now the most noble, crowned with glory and honour, but a little inferiour to the Angels, hauing all things subiect vntounto him, and all things are to doe him seruice, as the Angels to guard him, the Sonne of God to ransome him, the word of God to instruct him, the spirit of God to guid him, the children of God to visite him, the graces of God to adorne him, and …he Kingdome of God to enrich him. And this is the estate of a Christian. Now for him that is so honourably descended, so highly aduanced, so dearely redeemed, and so mightely enriched, to hauehave his hart closed vp in some old wal, or locked vp in an iron Chest, or diging in the ground, like a Swine or Mole, or hunting after Vaine-glory, as after a feather, or wedded to vaine delights, or bathing in filthy pleasure, cannot bee iudged but for a very base thing, and matter of great indignitie.
It is not for a Noble mans sonne to addict himselfe to the conditions of the vulgar sort, nor for a heroicall spirit, or man of great place, to besot himselfe in Ale-house pastimes: nor for honest persons, to ioy in the company of filthy packs: neither is it for a Christian mind, who is truely noble, and altogether heauenly, to set his hart vponupon earthly things, which at the best are but vanitie and vexation of spirit. Therefore let Christians say as the Apostle saith:1. Cor. 13. 11 When I was … childe I spake as a childe, I vnderstood as a childe, I thought as a childe: but when I became a man, I put away childish things: so when I was an earthly worldling▪ I spake as a worldling, I vnderstood as a worldling, I studied as a worldling, worldly things onelyonly, but when I became a right Christian indeed, I put away worldlinesse, and set my heart vppon Treasure that is in heauen.
And therefore as Nehemiah (when he considered the place of Magistracie and rule wherein hee was) said, Should, should, Nehe. 6. 11.a man as I flye? so thou wilt say that art a true Christian, and considerest thy excellent calling, and what thou are borne againe vntounto by grace, should such a man as I, bee an earth-worme? and thus wee see how the dignitie of a Christian, sheweth how base a thing it is, to set the heart vponupon earthly vanities, where Moths fret, Rust eate, & Theeues dig through and steale.
How miserable a Worldling is.
AS nothing is more base and sordid, so nothing is more miserable then to set the heart vponupon earthly things, for that is to subiect the Prince to the Subiect, the Maister to the Seruant, or a Tyrant rather, who commaundeth both all the sences of the body, and all the powers of the soule without any rest at all.Prouerbs. Salomon saith, it is intollerable for a seruant to beare rule, if intollerable then miserable and much to bee pittied. Paul saith: They that will bee rich fall into temptations and snares, 1. Tim. 6. …and into many noysome and foolish lusts, which drowne men in perdition and destruction. Money is not vnfitly resembled in an Emblem by some to a Queene aduanced on a Chariot, which is drawne by a couple that represent the golden fooles of the world, Periculum & Pauor, Perill and Feare: the first draweth the Chariot in a coller stickt full o… Daggers with the points inward, and going bare footed vponupon sharpe thornes: the other draweth with a sad countenance, and a gnawing conscience, still casting his eye backward to see who is neare, the attendants of this Golden Queene are bloudy Murther, spoyling Theft, frantick Folly, and hart gnawing Enuy, all couered with her vaile. The speach that she is receiued with is this following.
Te bijugi inuectam curru exitiale periclum
Sollicitus que pauor Regina pecunia ducunt.
At quia stultitiam, furtum, caedes que cruent as
Velas, cunctorum hinc in te spes firma recumbit.
In English thus:
Both danger deepe and gastly feare are yokt
to draw thy Chariot O golden Queene:
For fooles, & theeues, & bloudy murdring mates,
thou with thy vaile dost hide from being seene,
For which sole cause the harts and hopes of all
In thee reposde hauehave alwayes firmely beene.
This is true, yet of greater authoritie is that of the Apostle, to the same effect, The desire of money is the root of all euill, …. Tim. 6. 10.which while some hauehave lusted after, they erred from the faith, & pearced themselues through with many sorrowes, to shew that a man cannot set his heart vponupon transitorie things, except hee will bee a murtherer of his owne soule, and liue in continuall sorrow, for earthly treasures and pleasures are lined and stuffed with sorrowes, not a few but many, not easie but sharp and pearcing, not a little way, but quite through to the very hart. Lo, thus is the worldling tormented on eueryevery side, like one rolled in a barrell of nailes. Sathan sheweth onelyonly the glory of the world, but Paul the sorrowes of the world; Sathan the hony, but Paul the sting; Sathan the honor, Paul the dishonour, to teach vsus what course wee must take to auoid, or to make void this miserable match. What greater misery then to hauehave, and bee neuer satisfied? Crescit amor nummi, &c. The desire of money encreaseth, as the heape encreaseth. Here is no end of gathering, as in the Dropsie there is no end of drinking, because by continuall drinking the thirst is more kindled, but no whit quench…d.
How vaine a worldling is.
AS the worldling is most base and miserable, so nothing is more vaine, for what greater vanitie then to bee addict…d or deuoted to those things which cannot performe that which is expected from them? which are of so short continuance, which are so little while possessed, & are no mans lesse then his that gathereth them: such are all earthlie things, and hee that lusteth after them, to set his hart vponupon them, is like those vaine fooles that lust to eate of painted grapes; or rather like the rich foole in the Gospell, who hauing enlarged his Barnes, cryeth out, like one in a dreame, and bids his soule now take rest (for indeed hee had found but little rest before) and his reason is, because hee hath now goods inough for many yeers, but as he was thus dreaming of many yeeres goods and rest, a voice comes and awakes him and tels him plainly that he doth vtterly mistake the matter,Luk. 12. Thou foole (saith hee) this night shall they fetch away thy Soule, and then whose goods shall those be that thou hast gathered? So is it (saith Christ) with him that gathereth riches to himselfe, and is not rich in God. This vanitie is well set out by the holy Ghost, when Salomon saith,Eccle. 5. 12 there is an euill sicknesse, namely, …iches reserued to the hurt of their owners, and these riches perish by euill trauaile. And this is also an euill sicknesse (saith the man of experience) that in all points as hee came, 15so shall hee goe, and what profit hath hee that he hath trauailed for the winde? Cap. 6. 1.I hauehave also seene a man (saith he) to whom God hath giuen riches, and treasures, and honour, and he wanteth nothing for his soule of all that he desireth, but God giueth not power to eate thereof, this is vanitie and vexation of spi…it.
As this vanitie is a vexation to the spirit of man, so is it no lesse grieuous to the spirit of God, for that contrary to the minde of our heauenly father, we bestow our louelove so fondly,A dishonour to God. vponupon that which cannot help vsus. The commandement saith, wee must honour our parents; now amongst other things tending to the honour of our earthly parents, this is not the least, for a child to require the consent of his parents in bestowing of himselfe in marriage; and to marrie against their mindes, especially when there is reason to the contrary, cannot bee but a great dishonour offred to our parents. But what earthly parents hauehave so great interest in their children, as God hath in vsus? what childe oweth such dutie to his earthly parents, as wee owe to God? If I be your father (saith the Lord) where is my honour? …al▪ 1. 6.as if hee had said, if you depend vponupon me for your prouision, and looke for my blessing, how is it that you set your harts vponupon my creatures, & not vponupon mee, knowing that my minde is so much against such foolish bestowing of your selues? as though I could not or would not fill your harts with as much ioy and gladnesse, as my creatures can doe, and more too. Therefore saith Paul to Timothy, Charge them that are rich in this world, …. Tim. 6.that they bee not high minded, 17and that they trust not in vncertaine riches, but in the liuing God.
How dangerous worldliness is to the Soule.
THere is no truer Nobilitie, then to be a citizen of the heauenly Ierusalem, sonne and heire to the most high, all which is defaced and abolished, if the hart lie buried in earthly things. There is no sounder ioy, then the ioy of the holy ghost, which is a fruit of Faith, & is grounded on the louelove of God, but this cannot bee relished or tasted by him, whose hart doth cleaue to this miserable bondage of worldly cares. There are no such goods as the sanctifying graces of the holy ghost, which onelyonly make a man truely happy, as to cleaue vntounto God by faith, to louelove the Lord from the hart, to worship him in spirit and truth, and to bee wholly vnited vntounto him. But far is hee from these things, whose hart is set vponupon earthly goods:Eze. 33. 31 At the Sermon, his minde runneth after his couetousnesse, and with his mouth hee maketh iests, both of the doctrine and Doctor, because hee liketh neither the one nor the other; like the Pharises which mocked Christ when hee spake against couetousnesse,Luk. 16. 14 because themselues were couetous. When the Sermon is done, they forget al, because their harts wer choked with the thorny cares of the world: if they fall to reporting of the Sermon, it is with additions and detractions, mistakings and falsify cations, most strange to heare, as if the Preacher had ben mad, or drunke, or in some dreame, when he spake. Thus the word of life and grace, which is a sweet sauour of life, vntounto life eternall, to the regenerate and spirituall minde, yeeldeth a most fearefull sauour of death, vntounto death euerlasting, to the carnall & worldly minded man. Seeing therefore to bestow the hart & affection vponupon earthly things, is proued to be a match so base, and vnbeseeming the dignitie of a Christian, so wretched and miserable, so vaine and deceiptfull, so dishonourable to God, and preiudiciall to our owne saluation, let vsus labour by earnest prayer and holy meditation, to hauehave our mindes purged from this euill sicknesse of worldly louelove, and neuer giuegive the Lord any rest, vntill by zealous prayer wee hauehave obtained of his diuine Maiestie the wings of a liuely Faith, whereby our heauie harts, and dull spirits may bee mounted vp aloft, to seeke for our Treasure in heauen, and then indeed shall wee bee heauenly minded, for where the Treasure is, there will the hart bee also▪