Moses Self-Denial, Treatise · Chapter 6
CHAP. VI.
Comfort to thoſe who in the midſt of earthly contentments have their affections ſet upon Heaven.
HEnce there is much comfort,Vſe 1. and encouragement to thoſe whom the Lord hath raiſed above others in outward things, and together with their eſtates and honour he hath given them hearts to returne the glory of all to himſelfe,Laudandi atque praedicandi qui dignati non ſunt etiam cum mundo florente florere. Aug. Ep. 45. ad Armentarium. in the midſt of all the comforts they have, yet their hearts are above all for God, and for the things of heaven and eternity. Theſe are to bee praiſed, their honour is to be publiſhed, who have refuſed to flouriſh with the flouriſhing world. Bleſſed be God, there are yet ſome ſuch in the world, and we hope the Lord is raiſing up of more: bleſſed are they of the Lord, and honorable in the eſteeme of the Saints.
Firſt, this is a moſt evident argument, that all the good things they have in the world, comes from the ſpirituall favour and love of God to them, and this is no ſmall matter; there is more ſweetneſſe in this knowledge of the principle from whence the good things we have doe come, then in any thing that they afford of themſelves. The difference of Iacobs bleſſing from Eſau's is obſervable, Gen. 27. 28. there is Iacobs, God give thee the dew of heaven, and the fatneſſe of the earth; Eſau's bleſſing is v. 29. where the dew of heaven and the fatneſſe of the earth is likewiſe given to him, but the reference it hath to God is left out, it is not there, God give thee.
A carnall heart cares not, ſo he may have the thing it ſelfe, he does not looke to the principle from whence it comes, but the chiefe ſweet to a gracious heart is that he can ſee God, the love and mercy of God in all the bleſſings he enjoyes. Now there is no ſuch argument as this to demonſtrate Gods love in them; outward things are no certaine arguments of the love of God: wicked men, the objects of Gods hatred may have them as well as the godly, but outward bleſſings with a heart to give God the glory of them, doe alwaies come from Gods love in Chriſt.
God does oftentimes give the ſame thing to one out of ſpeciall favour in Chriſt, to another out of a generall bounty, that God hath raiſed you above others, this is a mercy; but that he hath given you this grace, in this he hath raiſed you indeed, this mercy is of an higher nature, the other things are called the goods of fortune, but this is the fruit of Gods eternall love in Ieſus Chriſt, this is a mercy peculiar to the choſen of the Lord.
Secondly,2. this is an evident ſigne that God intends to uſe you in excellent ſervices, for the honour of his name: as Saul collected from the ſpirit of David, when he ſaw how he was able to deny himſelfe in not taking that advantage he had of him, when he might have had his will upon him to the full: bleſſed bee thou my ſonne David, ſayes, Saul, thou ſhalt both doe great things, and ſhalt alſo ſtill prevaile, 1 Sam. 26. 25. So when a man may have his will to the full, and yet can deny himſelfe, it is a ſigne that God intends to uſe ſelfe-denying ſpirits in his ſervice, none to them; and this ſelfe-deniall is of the higheſt kind.
Thirdly,3. this is the higheſt improvement of all outward mercies that may bee: this changes poore meane things into moſt excellent glorious things; it is impoſſible to make ſo much advantage of any thing in the world any other way as in this way: here is a ſpirituall divine improvement of naturall, of vaine droſſie things, here is a turning of ſtubble and dirt into gold and pearles, for great, and precious, and glorious are the mercies that God uſes to recompence this ſelfe-deniall withall.
Fourthly,4. this ſelfe-deniall is highly acceptable to God, God glories in ſuch; Daniel kept cloſe to God, and denyed himſelfe much in his great proſperity, and hee is called a man greatly beloved, Cap. 10. 11. vir deſideriorum: a man of deſires, ſo the words are, as when a man is compaſſed with temptation to deſpaire, a little breathing of faith is acceptable: ſo when hee is compaſſed with temptation of ſatisfying the fleſh, of ſecurity, of preſumption, then a little, much more eminent ſelfe-deniall, oh how acceptable is it!
Fifthly,5. if you in the fulneſſe of all your earthly contentments ſhall acknowledge Ieſus Chriſt, and bee willing to lay downe all for him, when he ſhall come in the fulneſſe of his glory hee will acknowledge you, and will put glory upon you, when hee ſhall come with his mighty Angels, full of majeſtie, to be admired of his Saints; then he ſhall owne you, and make you partakers of his owne glory, hee will then remember every cup of cold water given for his names ſake, much more then the giving him the praiſe and honour of ſo much in the things of the world as you have enjoyed. The being made partaker of the fulneſſe of Chriſts honour in that day will then a thouſand times recompence the emptying of your ſelves of any fulneſſe of outward contentments in the creature you have had here.
Sixthly,6. if ever you ſhould live to come to come to any adverſity in this world, ſurely it will bee much ſweetned to you, if you bee willing to give God the honour of the ſweet of proſperity: though adverſity may come, yet God will keepe the bitterneſſe of it from you: if you ſo know God in proſperity, as to deny the comforts of it for him, hee will ſo know you in adverſity, as to take off the gall and bitterneſſe of it from you: in all your ſeeking of God in the time of trouble, you may have a holy boldneſſe, and freedom of ſpirit, having aſſurance that it is not out of ſelfe-love that you ſeeke him, that it is not out of conſtraint, becauſe driven to him by afflictions; but it is out of love to that God to whom your ſoule flowes, as to a God in whō you have an eſpeciall intereſt, that God who was ſo deare to you in the midſt of the enjoyment of the abundance of the creature; ſo that now in the want of all things, you ſhall bee freed from thoſe checkes of ſpirit that others have, damping their hearts when they are about ſeeking after the Lord in the time of their trouble.
Seventhly,7. it is ſo much the more honorable,Perpauci ſunt quibus contingit & faelices eſſe & ſapere. Sen. ep. 94. and may bee ſo much the more comfortable to you, by how much the more rare it is: God hath but few ſelfe-denying ſpirits in the world; there are a word of people that will be crying to him in the times of affliction,Difficile eſt in honore eſſe ſine tumore, in praelatione ſine, elatione, in dignitate ſiu e vanitate. Ber. but a few peculiar ones, who have hearts to ſeeke his face, and honour his name in the height of their proſperity, few that are then humble and ſelfe-denying: to be ſet on high, and yet to have the heart kept downe, is hard and unuſuall, ſaies Bernard; but the more unuſuall, the more glorious.In alto poſito non altum ſapere difficile eſt, & omnino inuſitatum, ſed quanto inuſit atius, tanto glorioſius. Ber. Ep. 42.