Moses Self-Denial, Treatise · Chapter 4
CHAP. IIII.
SECT. 2.
Wee muſt denie all worldly pleaſures and preferments in the very prime of our time, when we have opportunity to enjoy them to the full.
THe ſecond thing obſervable is the time when he did this. Some may thinke, when he refuſed all this glory he might have had, that ſurely it was when he knew not what hee did, it was when hee was a child, in ſome raſh fit of his youthfull folly, when he was a novice, before hee came to underſtand himſelfe, it was before hee could have any experience to know what theſe brave things were: or if not ſo, it was then when he began to grow old, and to dote, when his honours and pleaſures began to leave him, and he was wearied, and diſcontented with them. No ſuch matter, it was when he came to be of yeres, not a child, and in the ripeneſſe of his yeares, in his full ſtrength, in the prime and choice of all his time, not in his decrepid age;foreign. it was then when he might have enjoyed all honours and delights to the full, yet now he denies himſelfe in them all: it was when his parts were in the ripeneſſe and full ſtrength of them, yet now hee refuſes, for ſo the words in the originall imply all theſe, when he came to be great: from whence the obſervation is, That it is an honorable thing for one to deny himſelfe in the prime of his time, when hee is in the midſt & height of the enjoyment of the delights, honours, and profits of the world, even, then when the world proffers whatſoever it hath to give content in, when the world courts a man in all her bravery, and preſents whatſoever is deſirable to fleſh and blood, yet then to be above all, to deny ones ſelf in all, to be crucified to the world before the world be crucified to us, then to bee crucified to all, to be crucified to the world, when we may have full poſſeſſion of it, this is ſomething indeede.
Neceſſity takes away the honour of an action; to doe a thing when wee muſt needs, when wee are forced to it whether wee will or no, though the thing be good we doe, yet the honour of it is loſt in great part. That which we reade of Gelimer King of the Vandalls was well,Paul. Diac l. 6. hiſt. being taken captive by Belliſarius, and brought to Iuſtinian, when hee ſaw the Emperour ſet upon his tribunall, and the people ſtanding about him, he cryes out, vanitie of vanitis, all is vanitie, but it was more honorable for Solomon, while hee enjoyed the glory of his kingdome, yet then to cry out thus of all the glory of the world, that all was but vanity. Auguſtus when hee was to dye could acknowledge all the pompe of the world to be but a fable,Seneca. ep. 55. but David while he lived could acknowledge all but as a dreame.Illum lauda & imitare quem non piget mori cum juvet vivere. Commend him, and imitate him, ſaies Seneca, who is not unwilling to die when he may live delightfully. As it is nothing for a man that is at eaſe, and enjoyes all comforts about him to his hearts deſire, then to talke of patience, and contentedneſſe, & cherefulneſſe in the hardeſt, ſoreſt, and longeſt afflictions that can befall him: but whē a man is in the depth of them, preſſed ſorely under them, continuing long in the bitterneſſe of them, yet now to retaine his ſweet chearefull contented frame of ſpirit, this is ſomething.
So when men are kept downe by afflictions, & croſſed in the world at every hand, the world frownes on them, they have but little of the comforts of the world,Non magnum eſt eſſe humilem in abjectione, magna prorſus & rara virtus humilitas honorata. Ber. Hom. 4. Super Miſſus eſt. neither have they hopes of ever comming to have much, for theſe men to talke of the vanity of the world, & all the delights thereof, and that men ſhould not bee proud of that they have, that they ſhould be willing to part with all, for them to ſay, that al the riches of the world what are they? they are but droſſe, dirt, & honours are but ſhadowes, and all the pleaſures are but froth & vanity, this is nothing: but when they come to enjoy them themſelves, or at leaſt to ſee probably that they may have them ere long, when the world comes in flatteringly upon them, inſinuating it ſelfe into them, when they feele what the delights of it are indeede, yet now to bee above them, & to ſlight them, and not to have the heart taken with them, this is truly honorable.
Baſil, foreign. Baſil.in his Homilie upon the forty Martyrs who ſuffered together, hath this expreſſion: Hee that is put upon neceſsity is not to be accounted ſtrong in ſuffering, but hee who hath abundance of delightfull things which hee may enjoy, if he holds out in ſuffering evills.Hom. in 40 Martyr There is a great deale of difference in the working of things upon mens ſpirits, when they are onelyonly in imagination, and when they come to bee made reall indeede; men cannot thinke what alteration there will be in their ſpirits, when things come as reall to worke upon them. We reade, Luke 16. 14. when Chriſt had preached againſt covetouſneſſe,foreign. thoſe who were rich and covetous derided him; The word is in the originall, they blowed their noſe at him, manifeſting their ſcorning at what hee ſaid; as if they ſhould have ſaid, hee may talke what he vvill, but if he had riches himſelfe I vvarrant you hee vvould delight in them as vvell as any, if hee ſavv hovv to come by them, hee vvould bee as greedy as any after them. And thus certainely doe men, who are in honour, thinke of all that ſpeake lightly of their honours: and ſo thoſe that enjoy the ſvveet of pleaſures. As on the one ſide, thoſe vvho are in afflictions, and have their ſpirits ſinke under them, they thinke vvithin themſelves, let men talke vvhat they vvill, if they felt vvhat I doe, their ſpirits vvould ſinke as much as mine: ſo on the other ſide, they vvho enjoy the ſvveet of proſperity, they thinke, let men ſay vvhat they vvill, if they had vvhat vvee have, they vvould prize it and delight in it as much as vve.
Here then is the true and reall honour, when a man is in the height and top of all proſperity, yet then hee can be above all, then he can trample upou all:Lib. 11. cap. 2. It was thus with Moſes; it was thus with Daniel; it hath beene thus in many worthies of the Lord. Vincentius reports of one Euſtochius whom Trajane had ſent againſt the Barbarians, and he having got the victory, returned home; the Emperour being joyfull goes to meete him, and brings him in gloriouſly to the citie: now was a time for Euſtochius to enjoy the favour of the Emperour, and what hee could deſire; but at this time, this very day, refuſing to ſacrifice with the Emperour unto Apollo, Cent. 2. cap. 3.he ſuffers the martyrdome of himſelfe, his wife, and children even now denyes all his preſent pompe and glory for Chriſt. God hath ſtill choiſe ſpirits in the world that can doe this, and certainely there is a great deale of glory in it.