Moses Choice, Treatise · Part 3 · Chapter 58
CHAP. LVIII. How the Recompence of Reward may be attained.
BUt what is to be done that we may attain to Queſt.this glorious recompence of reward?
I anſwer, Are your hearts ſerious in asking Anſ.this queſtion? Do your ſouls ask this queſtion indeed in the earneſtneſs of them? as they did, Men and brethren, what ſhall we do to be ſaved? ſo as to be willing to yield to whatſoever God ſhall reveal: If you have ſuch a reſolution, know this comes from Heaven, and if it be followed to purpoſe, it will bring you to Heaven: But for direction, if you would make your ſelves partakers of this reward,
Firſt, conſider the infinite diſtance that is between I.you and Heaven naturally. That bleſſed Martyr Mr. Hooper, though he was a gracious man, yet he cryed out, Lord, thou art Heaven, and I am hell; If he cryed out ſo, how much more may many of you, whoſe conſciences may accuſe you, Lord, thou art heaven, but I am one not onelyonly that deſerve hell, but that am hell it ſelf? What ever wickedneſs is in hell, is in every mans heart naturally; when as any are caſt into hell, certainly hell puts no new ſin into them, there is but the venting of that ſin which was there before, and all the wickedneſs of mens hearts that was reſtrained, is now let open: Now look what infinite diſtance is between hell, and all this glory, and the glorious thoughts of God for the ſalvation of a poor creature, the ſame difference is between this glory and that condition a man is in naturally: O labor to ſee this, and be convinced of this, and work this upon your hearts, what is that reward that you do deſerve, make your hearts truly ſenſible of that.
Secondly, it concerns us much, if we would not 2.miſcarry here, to acquaint our ſelves with the myſtery of the Covenant of Grace, for it is upon that your eternal eſtate depends more then any thing elſe; onelyonly in the Covenant of Grace is revealed the counſels of God concerning bringing mankinde to eternal happineſs, and how he will bring about this glory, and without ſome knowledge of the Covenant of Life and Grace in Chriſt, all that can be done in the world, can never bring any ſoul to Heaven; and that ſoul is in a very good forwardneſs to eternal life, that is acquainted with the Covenant of Grace.
Thirdly, conſider what is the ſpecial ſin that your 3.heart is naturally moſt inclined unto, and you finde the corruption of your hearts vent it ſelf moſt in, and look to that, take heed that be not your bane in the concluſion, let there be a renouncing of that, or elſe all is to no purpoſe, all your ſerving of God is nothing. St. Paul when he ſpoke concerning his running the race, and attaining an incorruptible crown, ſays, I therefore ſo run, not as uncertainly, and ſo fight I, as not one that beateth the air; as if 1 Cor. 9. 26, 27.he ſhould ſay, I hope my labors and endeavors after Heaven and this incorruptible Crown ſhall not be in vain, as one that beateth the air: How ſo? becauſe I keep under my body, and bring it into ſubjection, leſt that by any means when I have preached to others, my ſelf ſhould be caſt away. He was afraid of that body of his, wherein corruption did ſtir, and his giving way to ſome bodily fleſhly content that he found ſtirring in him ſhould diſappoint him, and therefore ſays he, I keep down my body, in the Original foreignit is, I beat my body black and blew, I club it down: his conſcience was convinced of Gods ways, but he felt the fleſh and body of his working in ſome ſinful way, and his conſcience began ſo far to reflect upon himſelf, as to think if I do not look to this body of mine, I ſhall loſe this incorruptible crown, and I ſhall but beat the ayr, therefore ſays he, I keep under my body. What ſhall St. Paul, ſuch a glorious Apoſtle, ſo filled with the grace of God as he was, have ſuch thoughts, for fear he ſhould labor after Heaven and the incorruptible crown, as one that beateth the ayr; what ſhall become of a company of wretched creatures, that do nothing but ſatisfie the fleſh, & minde nothing but to give full ſatisfaction to the deſires of the fleſh every way, their thoughts are after nothing elſe but to make proviſion for the fleſh. If you will not labor after heaven as one that beats the ayr, beat down your bodies; if you do not beat down your bodies, there is little hope of the ſalvation of your ſouls: it was St. Pauls care, let it be yours.
Again further, if you would have this recompence 4.of reward, labor to unſnarl your ſelves from the creature, labor to get your hearts looſe and untangled from whatſoever is in the world, from all earthly engagements. It is a ſpeech that I have read of one Demades, when the Emperor ſent to his Countreymen of Athens, to give him Divine honor, and they were loth to yield unto it, but conſulted about it, ſays he, Take heed you be not ſo buſie about heavenly matters, as to loſe your earthly poſſeſsions; that indeed is the voyce of a carnal heart, Let not me look after the high conceits of heavenly matters as to loſe my earthly poſſeſſions: but rather turn it the other way, Take heed you be not ſo buſie about earthly matters, as to loſe your heavenly poſſeſſions.
I have read of Antipater King of Macedonia, that when one preſented him a Book treating of happineſs, his anſwer was, foreign, I have no leiſure; you have been preſented with Sermons, and now with a Book treating of heavens happineſs, take heed that no earthly entanglements ſo take your heart, that you ſhould put off all with ſuch a thought, I muſt minde and follow my occaſions; let no other things take up your heads or hearts, that you ſhould have no liberty to your ſpirits to ſeek after theſe glorious things, or at leaſt not ſo to ſeek after them as becomes things of ſuch a high and glorious nature as theſe are.
The Apoſtle in 1 Tim. 6. 19. ſays, They that will be rich, fall into a temptation, and a ſnare, and into many fooliſh and hurtful luſts, which drown men in deſtruction and perdition: they that ſet their hearts upon the creature, they muſt have ſo much of the creature, they drown themſelves in the creature. As a man when he is drowning, he catcheth hold of any thing that is next him, and by faſtening upon that which is next him, he loſes faſtening upon that which might ſave his life: So thoſe that have their hearts engaged to the creature, and reſolve they muſt have ſo much of the creature, they are drowning in perdition, and they catch hold upon that which is next them, ſome preſent content and pleaſure; and though ſomething be caſt to deliver them, they let that go: We in the Goſpel caſt forth a line to you to help you from drowning, (for every man naturally is ſinking in perdition) but becauſe your hearts are ſet upon the creature, and engaged there, you falling down to the ground, catch hold upon that which is next you, ſome contentment in the creature, and that drowns you in perdition, and all our preaching is not available to ſuch a ſoul that hath faſtened it ſelf upon any creature contentment here, you take not hold on our line that we throw out to you, and ſo you drown in eternal perdition, take heed therefore of all creature earthly engagements.5.
Again, if you will obtain this recompence of reward, follow that Scripture, and make much uſe of it, in Pſalm. 73. 24. Guide me with thy counſel, and afterward receive me to glory: Would you be brought to glory? Be willing to be guided by the counſels of God: What do you think in your conſciences are the counſels of God concerning you? Take heed it be not ſaid of you, as it was of the Phariſees., They rejected the counſels of God: Never talk of hoping and truſting in Gods mercy, if you neglect the counſels of God revealed in his word: thoſe counſels of his which were in his heart from all eternity, that ſhould be the way of bringing men to happineſs. It is all one with that of the Pſalmiſt, in Pſalm. 17. 15. As for me, I will behold thy face in righteouſneſs, I ſhall be ſatisfied when I awake with thy likeneſs; as if he ſhould ſay, I look to receive ſatisfaction from the likeneſs of God, by beholding his face in righteouſneſs. Now I appeal to thee, Canſt thou behold the face of God in righteouſneſs? Are they ſuch righteous ways as thou walkeſt in, as thou canſt look upon his face, and behold him with comfort? this is the way to come to this recompence of reward, for ſo the Scripture ſays, God hath called us to glory and vertue; if you would come to glory, go on in the way of vertue.
Laſtly, be willing to endure any difficulty, any 6.hardſhip in the world; The ſtone will fall down to come to its own place, though it breaks it ſelf in pieces: ſo we, that we may get to our center which is upward, though it be to break our ſouls in pieces, that ſhould ſuffice us. It is ſaid of Cyrus, one day he ſet his Soldiers to hew wood, and to do hard work; the next day he feaſted them, with a great deal of delight and pleaſure, then he asked them, which day they had rather have? they ſaid, the latter: he ſays to them, If you would always have ſuch days, you muſt be willing for a while to ſtrive with your enemies, and then you ſhall have the ſpoil, and always have ſuch merry days: and this he did to put heart into them. Shall eating, and drinking, and a little pleaſure here, put heart into men to ſuffer hardſhips, to endure difficulties? How much more ſhould the obtaining of this glorious recompence of reward, put heart into us to endure any difficulty? We read of the Devil, he came to Chriſt, and ſhewed him all the glory of the world, and ſaid, Fall down and worſhip me, and all this will I give thee: but here is another maner of invitation to worſhip God; God ſays to every man and woman, Fall down and worſhip me, and all the glory of heaven will I give thee: It was but the glory of the world that the Devil ſhewed, and he could not give it him; it was but the Devil that offered it, and it was by worſhiping of the Devil to get it; but it is the God of glory that hath all glory at his diſpoſe, that calls to you this day to worſhip him, that is ſo infinitely worthy of all worſhip; fall down and worſhip me, and not onelyonly the glory of this world, but the glory of heaven, and of an incorruptible crown, will I give unto you, I will make it ſure to you. God does outbid all the world: when ſin and temptation comes to offerany thing to you, know that God out-bids them, they cannot give that which will reach this. If a chapman come and bids for a commodity, and another man comes and out-bids him, he carries it away: Hath any temptation come to draw away your hearts from God? God comes and out-bids all temptations in the world, to that end you may come and fall down and worſhip the Lord. O do not ſtick in the droſs and mire of your filthineſs ſtill. I have met with a Text in 1 Chron. 4. 23. which one interprets to be meant of the baſeneſs of people, that regard baſe things, rather then joyning in Church-communion with Gods people, God ſpeaks of them in away of diſgrace, Theſe were the potters, & thoſe that dwelt, &c. When the people of God ſhould return to Ieruſalem, they would ſtill dwell with the King of Babylon, and live amongſt their pots, ſo they might have maintenance, rather then return to Ieruſalem, where the true worſhip of God was, their own country, and a type of heaven, theſe are thoſe baſe ſpirits. It may be applyed to many, if they live in places where they may follow their callings, make pots ſo as to get a livelihood for themſelves, and their families, rather then they would venture any thing to joyn with the people of God, they would ſtay there. But how much more baſe is it, for people ſtill to ſtick in the mire and droſs, rather then to ſeek after theſe glorious things?
Wherefore for concluſion of the Exhortation; as St. John preached, and ſo Chriſt himſelf, Repent, repent, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand: So ſay I; Repent, repent, break off ſin, reform, for the kingdom of heaven, not onelyonly the kingdom of the Goſpel, and of grace, but the kingdom of glory is at hand. And therefore what remains, but as we read in Rom. 1. 18. the Apoſtle ſpeaking of the glory of heaven, ſays, There is glory to be revealed in us. We have had in the opening of this Point, the glory of heaven revealed to us; the Lord grant that the glory of heaven may be revealed in us. And thus we have finiſhed the Application of the glorious recompence of the reward of Gods people; the great argument that encouraged, that ſtrengthned, that confirmed Moſes in this his bleſſed choice.
FINIS.
End of the text · Jeremiah Burroughs, Moses Choice (1650)