The Divine Life, Treatise 3 · Part 2
BUt let us look further into the Text, and see what is the cause of the failing and forsaking Christ in the Disciples; and what it is that they betake themselves to, when they leave him.
[Ye shall be scattered every man to his Own.]
Self-denyal was not perfect in them, selfishness therefore in this hour of temptation did prevail. They had before forsaken all to follow Christ; they had left their Parents, their Families, their Estates, their Trades, to be his Disciples: But though they believed him to be the Christ, yet they dreamt of a visible Kingdome, and did all this with too carnal expectations of being great men on earth, when Christ should begin his reign. And therefore when they saw his apprehension and ignominious suffering, and thought now they were frustrate of their hopes, they seem to repent that they had followed him (though not by apostasie and an habitual or plenary change of mind, yet) by a sudden passionate frightful apprehension, which vanished when grace performed its part. They now began to think that they had lives of their Own to save, and families of their Own to mind, and business of their Own to do: They had before forsaken their private interests and affairs, and gathered themselves to Jesus Christ, and lived in communion with him, and one another. But now they return to their trades and callings, and are scattered every man to his own.
Selfishness is the great enemy of all societies, of all fidelity and friendship: There is no trusting that person in whom it is predominant. And the remnants of it where it doth not reign, do make men walk unevenly and unsteadfastly towards God and men. They will certainly deny both God and their friends, in a time of tryal who are not able to deny themselves: Or rather he never was a real friend to any, that is predominantly selfish. They have alway some interest of their own, which their friend must needs contradict, or is insufficient to satisfie. Their houses, their lands, their monies, their children, their honour or something which they call their Own, will be frequently the matter of contention; and are so near them, that they can for the sake of these cast off the nearest friend. Contract no special friendship with a selfish man: nor put no confidence in him, whatever friendship he may profess. He is so confined to himself, that he hath no true love to spare for others: If he seem to love a friend, it is not as a friend, but as a servant, or at best as a benefactour: He loveth you for himself, as he loveth his money, or horse, or house, because you may be serviceable to him: Or as a horse or dog doth love his keeper, for feeding him: And therefore when your provender is gone, his love is gone: when you have done feeding him, he hath done loving you. When you have no more for him, he hath no more for you.
Object. But (some will say) it is not the falseness of my friend that I lament, but the separation, or the loss of one that was most faithful: I have found the deceitfulness of ordinary friends; and therefore the more highly prize those few that are sincere. I had but one true friend among abundance of self-seekers; and that one is dead, or taken from me, and I am left as in a wilderness, having no mortal man▪ that I can trust or take much comfort in.
Answ. Is this your case? I pray you answer these few Questions, and suffer the truth to have its proper work upon your mind.
Quest. 1. Who was it that deprived you of your friend? was it not God? Did not he that gave him you take him from you? Was it not his Lord and owner that call'd him home? And can God do any thing injuriously or amiss? will you not give him leave to do as he list with his own? Dare you think that there was wanting either wisdom or goodness, justice or mercy in Gods disposal of your friend? Or will you ever have Rest, if you cannot have Rest in the will of God?
2. How know you what sin your friend might have fallen into, if he had lived as long as you would have him? You'l say, that God could have preserved him from sin: It's true: but God preserveth sapientially, by means, as well as omnipotentially: And sometime he seeth that the temptations to that person are like to be so strong, and his corruption like to get such advantage, and that no means is so fit as Death it self, for his preservation. And if God had permitted your friend by temptation to have fallen into some scandalous sin, or course of evil, or into errors or false wayes, would it not have been much worse then death to him and you? God might have suffered your friend that was so faithful, to have been sifted and shaken as Peter was, and to have denied his Lord; and to have seemed in your own eyes, as odious as he before seemed amiable.
3. How know you what unkindness to your self, your dearest friend might have been guilty of? Alas there is greater frailty and inconstancy in man, then you are aware of. And there are sadder roots of corruption unmortified, that may spring up into bitter fruits, then most of us ever discover in our selves. Many a Mother hath her heart broken by the unnaturalness of such a child, or the unkindness of such a husband, as if they had died before, would have been lamented by her, with great impatience and excess. How confident soever you may be of the future fidelity of your friend, you little know what tryal might have discovered. Many a one hath failed God and man that once were as confident of themselves, as ever you were of your friend. And which of us see not reason to be distrustful of our selves? And can we know another better then our selves? or promise more concerning him?
4. How know you what great calamity might have bifallen your friend, if he had lived as long as you desired? When the Righteous seem to men to perish, and merciful men are taken away, it is from the evil to come that they are taken, Isa. 57. 1. How many of my friends have I lamented as if they had died unseasonably, concerning whom some following providence quickly shewed me, that it would have been a grievous misery to them to have lived longer! Little know you what calamities were eminent on his person, his family, kindred, neighbours, country, that would have broke his heart: What if a friend of yours had died immediately before some calamitous subversion of a Kingdome, some ruines of the Church, &c. and if ignorantly he had done that which brought these things to pass, can you imagine how lamentably sad his life would have been to him, to have seen the Church, the Gospel, and his Country in so sad a case? especially if it had been long of him? Many that have unawares done that which hath ruined but a particular friend, have lived in so much grief and trouble, as made them consent that death should both revenge the injured on them, and conclude their misery. What then would it have been to have seen the publick good subverted, and the faithful overwhelmed in misery, and the Gospel hindered, and holy worship changed for deceit and vanity; and for conscience to have been daily saying, [I had a hand in all this misery: I kindled the fire that hath burned up all!]
What comfort can you think such friends if they had survived, would have found on earth? Unless it were a comfort to hear the complaints of the afflicted, to see and hear such odious sins as sometimes vexed righteous Lot to see and hear; or to hear of the scandals of one friend, and the apostasie of another, and the sinful compliances and declinings of a third; and to be under temptations, reproaches and afflictions themselves? Is it a matter to be so much lamented that God hath prevented their greater miseries and wo?
5. What was the world to your friends while they did enjoy it? Or what is it now, or like to be hereafter to your selves? was it so good and kind to them, as that you should lament their separation from it? was it not to them a place of toil and trouble, of envy and vexation, of enmity and poison? of successive cares and fears and griefs? and worst of all, a place of sin? Did they groan under the burden of a sinful nature, a distempered, tempted, troubled heart of languishings and weakness of every grace; of the rebukes of God, the wounds of conscience, and the malice of a wicked world? And would you have them under these again? Or is their deliverance become your grief? Did you not often joyn in prayer with them, for deliverance from malice, calamities, troubles, imperfections, temptations and sin? and now those prayers are answered in their deliverance: and do you now grieve at that which then you prayed for!
Doth the world use your selves so well and kindly, as that you should be sorry that your friends partake not of the feast? Are you not groaning from day to day your selves? and are you grieved that your friends are taken from your griefs? you are not well pleased with your own condition: when you look into your hearts you are displeased and complain: when you look into your lives, you are displeased and complain: when you look into your families, into your neighbourhoods, unto your friends, unto the Church, unto the Kingdome, unto the world, you are displeased and complain: And are you also displeased that your friends are not under the same displeasedness and complaints as you? Is the world a place of Rest or trouble to you? And would you have your friends to be as far from Rest as you?
And if you have some Ease and Peace at present, you little know what storms are near! you may see the dayes, you may hear the tydings, you may feel the griping griefs and pains, which may make you call for Death your selves, and make you say that a life on earth is no felicity, and make you confess that they are Blessed that are dead in the Lord, as resting from their labours, and being past these troubles, griefs and fears. Many a poor troubled soul is in so great distress, as that they take their own lives to have some tast of Hell: and yet at the same time, are grieving because their friends are taken from them, who would have been grieved for their griefs, and for ought they know might have fallen into as sad a state as they themselves are now lamenting.
6. Do you think it is for the Hurt or the Good of your friend, that he is removed hence? It cannot be for his Hurt unless he be in Hell. (At least, it is uncertain whether to live would have been for his Good, by an increase of Grace, and so for greater Glory.) And if he be in Hell, he was no fit person for you to take much pleasure in upon earth: He might be indeed a fit object for your compassion, but not for your complacency. Sure you are not undone for want of such company as God will not endure in his sight, and you must be separated from for ever. But if they be in Heaven, you are scarce their friends if you would wish them thence. Friendship hath as great respect to the good of our friends as of our selves. And do you pretend to friendship, and yet lament the removal of your friend to his greatest happiness! Do you set more by your own enjoying his company, then by his enjoying God in perfect blessedness! This sheweth a very culpable defect either in Faith or Friendship; and therefore beseemeth not Christians and friends. If Love teacheth us to mourn with them that mourn, and to rejoyce with them that rejoyce; can it be an act of rational Love to mourn for them that are possessed of the highest everlasting joyes?
7. God will not honour himself by one only, but by many: He knoweth best when his work is done: When our friends have finished all that God intended them for, when he put them into the world, is it not time for them to be gone, and for others to take their places, and finish their work also in their time? God will have a succession of his servants in the world. Would you not come down, and give place to him that is to follow you, when your part is played, and his is to begin? If David had not died, there had been no Solomon, no Jehoshaphat, no Hezekiah, no Josiah, to succeed him and honour God in the same throne. You may as wisely grudge that one day only takes not up all the week, and that the clock striketh not the same hour still, but proceedeth from one to two, from two to three, &c. as to murmur that one man only con…inueth not, to do the work of his place excluding his successors.
8. You must not have all your Mercies by one messenger or hand: God will not have you consine your Love to one only of his servants: And therefore he will not make one only useful to you: but when one hath delivered his message and done his part, perhaps God will send you other mercies by another hand: And it belongeth to him to choose the messenger who gives the gift. And if you will childishly dote upon the first messenger, and say you will have all the rest of your mercies by his hand, or you will have no more, your frowardness more deserveth correction than compassion: and if you be kept fasting till you can thankfully take your food, from any hand that your Father sends it by, it is a correction very suitable to your sin.
9. Do you so highly value your friends for God, or for them, or for your selves, in the final consideration? If it was for God, what reason of trouble have you, that God hath disposed of them, according to his wisdome and unerring will? should you not then be more pleased that God hath them, and employeth them in his highest service, than displeased that you want them?
But if you value them and love them for themselves, they are now more lovely when they are more perfect; and they are now fitter for your content and joy, when they have themselves unchangeable content and joy, than they could be in their sin and sorrows.
But if you valued and loved them but for your selves only, it is just with God to take them from you, to teach you to value men to righter ends, and upon better considerations: and both to prefer God before your selves, and better to understand the nature of true friendship, and better to know that your own felicity is not in the hands of any creature, but of God alone.
10. Did you improve your friends while you had them? or did you only Love them, while you made but little use of them for your souls? If you used them not, it was just with God for all your Love to take them from you. They were given you as your candle, not only to Love it, but to work by the Light of it: And as your garments; not only to Love them, but to wear them; and as your meat, not only to Love it, but to feed upon it. Did you receive their counsel, and hearken to their reproofs, and pray with them, and conser with them upon those holy truths that tended to elevate your minds to God, and to inflame your brests, with sacred Love? If not, be it now known to you, that God gave you not such helps and mercies only to talk of, or look upon and Love, but also to improve for the benefit of your souls.
11. Do you not seem to forget both where you are your selves, and where you must shortly and for ever live? Where would you have your friends, but where you must be your selves? Do you mou…n that they are taken hence? Why, if they had staid here a thousand years, how little of that time should you have had their company? when you are almost leaving the world your selves, would you not send your treasure before you to the place where you must abide? How quickly will you pass from hence to God, where you shall find your friends that you lamented as if they had been lost, and there shall dwell with them for ever! O foolish mourners! would you not have your friends at home! at their home and your home, with their Father and your Father; their God and your God! Shall you not there enjoy them long enough! Can you so much miss them for one day, that must live with them to all eternity? And is not eternity long enough for you to enjoy your friends in?
Obj. But I do not know whether ever I shall there have any distinct knowledge of them, or love to them, and whether God shall not there be so far All in All, as that we shall need or fetch no comfort from the creature.
Answ. There is no reason for either of these doubts. For, 1. You cannot justly think that the knowledge of the Glorified shall be more confused or imperfect then the knowledge of natural men on earth. We shall know much more, but not so much less. Heaven exceedeth earth in knowledge, as much as it doth in joy.
2. The Angels in Heaven have now a distinct particular knowledge of the least believers; rejoycing particularly in their conversion, and being called by Christ himself [Their Angels.] Therefore when we shall be equal to the Angels, we shall certainly know our nearest friends that there dwell with us, and are employed in the same attendance.
3. Abraham knew the Rich man in Hell, and the man knew Abraham and Lazarus: Therefore we shall have as distinct a Knowledge.
4. The two Disciples Knew Moses and Elias in the mount, whom they had never seen before: Though it is possible Christ told them who they were, yet there is no such thing expressed: and therefore it is as probable that they knew them by the communication of their irradiating glory. Much more … we be then illuminated to a clearer knowledge.
5. It is said expresly, 1 Cor. 13. 10, 11, 12. that our present knowledge shall be done away only in regard of its imperfection; and not of it self, which shall be perfected: [when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away:] As we put away childish thoughts and speeches, when we become men: The change will be from [seeing in a glass] to [seeing face to face] and from [knowing in part] to [knowing even as we are known.]
2. And that we shall both Know, and Love and rejoyce in creatures even in Heaven, notwithstanding that God is all in all, appeareth further thus.
1. Christ in his glorified humanity is a Creature: and yet there is no doubt but all his members will there Know and Love him in his glorified humanity, without any derogation from the glory of the Deity.
2. The Body of Christ will continue its unity, and every member will be so nearly related, even in Heaven, that they cannot choose but Know and Love each other. Shall we be ignorant of the members of our Body? and not be concerned in their felicity with whom we are so nearly one?
3. The state and felicity of the Church hereafter, is frequently described in Scripture as consistent in society. It is a Kingdom, the City of God, the Heavenly Jerusalem: and it is mentioned as part of our happiness to be of that society, Heb. 12. 22, 23, 24, &c.
4. The Saints are called Kings themselves: and it is said that they shall judge the world, and the Angels (And Judging in Scripture is frequently put for Governing) Therefore, (whether there will be another world of moreals which they shall Govern as Angels now Govern men; or whether the Misery of damned men and Angels will partly consist in as base a subjection to the glorified Saints, as dogs now have to men, or wicked reprobates on earth to Angels; or whether in respect of both these together the Saints shall then be Kings, and Rule and Judge; or whether it be only the participation of the Glory of Christ, that is called a Kingdom, I will not here determine, but) it is most clear that they will have a distinct particular Knowledge of the world, which they themselves must judge; and some concernment in that work.
5. It is put into the description of the Happiness of the Saints, that they shall come from the East, and from the West, and shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, in the Kingdom of God. Therefore they shall know them, and take some comfort in their presence.
6. Love (even to the Saints as well as unto God) is one of the graces that shall endure for ever, 1 Cor. 13. It is exercised upon an Immortal object (the Image and Children of the Most High) and therefore must be one of the Immortal Graces. For Grace in the Nature of it dyeth not: and therefore if the Object cease not, how should the Grace cease, unless you will call it's perfecting a ceasing?
It is a state too high for such as we, and I think for any meer Creature to live so Immediately and only upon God, as to have no use for any fellow Creature, nor no comfort in them. God can make use of Glorified Creatures, in such subserviency and subordination to himself, as shall be no diminution to his All sufficiency or Honour, nor to our glory and felicity. We must take heeed of fancying even such a Heaven it self, as is above the capacity of a Creature; as some very wise Divines think they have done, that tell us we shall immediately see Gods Essence (his Glory being that which is provided for our intuition and felicity, and is distinct from his Essence; being not everywhere as his Essence is.) And as those do that tell us because that God will be All in All, therefore we shall there have none of our comfort by any creature. Though flesh and blood shall not enter into that Kingdom, but our Bodies will then be Spiritual Bodies; yet will they be really the same as now, and distinct from our souls: and therefore must have a felicity suitable to a Body glorified: And if the soul did immediately see Gods Essence, yet as no reason can conclude that it can see nothing else, or that it can see even Created Good, and not Love it, so the Body however must have objects and felicity fit for a Body.
Obj. But it is said, If we knew Christ after the flesh, henceforth know we him no more.
Answ. No doubt but all the carnality in principles, matter, manner and ends of our knowledge will then cease as it's imperfection: But that a carnal knowledge be turned into a spiritual, is no more a diminution to it, than it is to the glory of our Bodies, to be made like the stars in the Firmament of our Father.
Obj. But then I shall have no more comfort in my present friends than in any other.
Answ. 1. If you had none in them, it is no diminution to our happiness, if indeed we should have all in God immediately and alone. 2. But if you have as much in others that you never knew before, that will not diminish any of your comfort in your antient friends. 3. But it is most probable to us, that as there is a twofold object for our love in the Glorified Saints; one is their Holiness, and the other is the Relation which they stood in between God and us, being made his instruments for our conversion and salvation, so that we shall Love Saints in Heaven in both respects: And in the first respect (which is the chiefest) we shall love those most that have most of God, and the greatest Glory (though such as we never knew on earth) And in the second respect we shall Love those most that were employed by God for our greatest good.
And that we shall not there lay by so much respect to our selves, as to forget or disregard out benefactours, is manifest, 1. In that we shall for ever remember Christ, and Love him, and Praise him, as one that formerly Redeemed us, and washed us in his blood, and hath made us Kings and Priests to God: And therefore we may also in just subordination to Christ, remember them with Love and Thankfulness, that were his Instruments for the collation of these benefits.
2. And this kind of Self-Love (to be sensible of Good and Evil to our selves) is none of the sinful or imperfect selfishness to be renounced or laid by, but part of our very Natures, and as inseparable from us as we are from our selves.
Much more, were it not digressive, might be said on this subject; but I shall only add, that as God doth draw us to every holy duty by shewing us the excellency of that duty; and as perpetuity is not the smallest excellency; so he hath purposely mentioned that Love endureth for ever (when he had described the Love of one another) as a principal motive to kindle and encrease this Love. And therefore those that think they shall have no personal Knowledge of one another, nor personal Love to one another (for we cannot Love personally, if we know not personally) do take a most effectual course to destroy in their souls all holy special Love to Saints, by casting away that principal or very great motive given them by the Holy Ghost. I am not able to Love much where I foreknow that I shall not Love long. I cannot Love a comely Inne, so well as a nearer dwelling of my own, because I must be gone to morrow. Therefore must I love my Bible better than my Law books, or Physick books, &c. because it leadeth to Eternity. And therefore I must Love Holiness in my self and others, better than meat and drink, and wealth and honour, and beauty and pleasure; because it must be Loved for ever, when the Love of these must needs be transitory, as they are transitory. I must profess from the very experience of my soul, that it is the belief that I shall Love my friends in Heaven, that principally kindleth my Love to them on Earth: And if I thought I should never know them after death, and consequently never love them more, when this life is ended, I should in reason number them with temporal things, and Love them comparatively but a little; even as I Love other transitory things (allowing for the excellency in the nature of Grace) But now I converse with some delight with my Godly friends, as believing I shall converse with them for ever, and take comfort in the very Dead and Absent, as believing we shall shortly meet in Heaven: and I Love them, I hope, with a Love that is of a Heavenly Nature, while I Love them as the Heirs of Heaven, with a Love which I expect shall there be perfected, and more fully and for ever exercised.
12. The last Reason that I give you, to move you to bear the Loss or Absence of your friends, is, that it gives you the loudest call to retire from all the world, and to converse with God himself, and to long for Heaven, where you shall be separated from your friends no more. And your forsaken state will somewhat assist you to that solitary converse with God, which it calls you to: But this brings us up to the third part of the Text.