The Marrow of the Oracles of God, Chapter 9
CHAP. IX
The misery of life, in respect of the world.
THirdly, consider but what the world is, in which thou liuest; and that either in the apparent miseries of this world, or in the vexations that accompanie the best things the world hath to offer to giuegive thee. First, for the apparent miseries:
1. It is exquisitely like a wildernesse; 9 Apparent miseries … in this world. 1. Like a wildern …. …. like Egypt.no man, but for innumerable wants, liues as in a desart here.
2. It is a true Aegypt to the godly; it continually imposeth hard taskes, and seruile conditions. Life can neuer bee free from grieuous burthens and inexorable molestation.
3. This world is verily like 3. Like Sodom.Sodom, full of generall and vnspeakeable filthinesse: All the world lyeth in wickednesse; scarce one Lot to be found in a whole Citie, or Parish. If God would seeke but fiue righteous men; that are truly or absolutely godly, they are not to bee found in the most assemblies in the world; nay, in the Church too.
4. Yet more; this world is a 4. Like a P…st-housevery P…st-house, spiritually considered. EueryEvery man that a godly man comes neere, hath a mischieuous plague-sore running vponupon him, yea, the godly themselues are not without this disease: so as there i… a necessity, as it were, to infect, or be infected, still in all places, or companies. Oh who would louelove to liue in a Pest-house, that may dwell in a place for euer free from all infection?
5. Yet more, this World, why, it is a very Golgotha, a place 5. Like a very Golgotha.of dead men; we liue amongst the Graues: almost all we see, or hauehave to deale with, are but men truely dead. Alas, what should wee reckon of the life of mens carkasses, when their soules are In this world the dead bury the dead.dead, and both soule and body sentenced to eternall death? Almost all that we meete with, are malefactors, vnderunder sentence, ready to bee carried to execution; the wrath of God hanging ouer their heads, and vnquenchable fire kindled against them; and shall wee bee so besotted, as to louelove the dead more then the liuing? or the society of vile and miserable malefactors in a prison, rather then the fellowship of the glorious Princes of God, in their Palace of endlesse and matchlesse blisse?
6. Why should wee louelove the 6 It hates VIWorld that hateth vsus, and casts vsus off, as men dead out of minde? Are we not crucified to the world? Galat. 6. 14. and doe not wicked men hate vsus, and enuy vsus, and speake all manner of euill sayings of vsus, because we follow good? The World loues her own, but vsus it cannot louelove, because we are not of this world. Can darknesse louelove light? or the sonnes of Belial care for the sonnes of God? In this world we shall hauehave trouble; and if wee found not peace in Christ, wee were of all men most miserable, Ioh. 15. 19. Eccles. 4. 4. Ioh. 17. 14. 2 Cor. 6. 17. Ioh. 16. 33. And if they hate vsus for well-doing, how will they triumph, if our seet do but slippe? Wee should desire death, euen to bee deliuered from the feare of giuing occasion to the world to triumph, or blaspheme in respect of vsus. Yea, so extreme is the hatred of the World, that a iust man may perish in his righteousnesse, when a wicked man prolongs his dayes in his wickednesse, Eccles. 7. 17. & 8. 4.
7. Do we fall into any speciall miserie in this world? why, behold 7 It wil not helpe vsus, if wee be in miserie.the teares of the oppressed, and there is none to comfort them. We are either not pittied, or not regarded: or the compassion of the world is like the morning dew, it is gone as a tale that is told our mistery will last, but there will soone bee none to comfort vsus. Miserable comforters are the most that can bee had in the world, and for this reason Salomon praised the dead, that are already dead, aboue the liuing, that are yet aliue, Eccles. 4. 1, 2.
8. There is vsually no Christian, but in thi… wo…ld hee hath 8 EueryEvery Christian hath some speciall miserie.some speciall miserie vp…n him, either pouerty, o… deb… ▪ … disease in his body, or the … &c.
9. We daily …ffet th… …se of our friends, that were the companions of our life, and the causes of contentment to vsus. Now who would tarry behind them, or esteeme of this world, when they are gone from vsus?
And thus much of the apparent miseries of this world.