Two Treatises, Treatise 1 · Chapter 5
CHAP. V.
NOW the main thing that is ſtill behind in the Point, It is therefore to endeavour to take off the minds of men and women from the things of this earth, that ſo by it I may make preparation to the next Point, which is of infinite concernment, The Converſations in Heaven. But becauſe their converſations cannot be in Heaven till their minds be taken off from the earth, till the diſeaſe of Earthly-mindedneſſe be cur'd; therefore we muſt now propound thoſe things that may help to take off the minds of men from the earth.
Eleven Conſiderations to take off mens hearts from Earthlymindedneſs.
Firſt, Conſider this, That all the things of the earth that thy mind and heart is upon, if thou couldſt poſſeſs them all as thine own, yet there is not ſo much good in them as to countervail the evil of the leaſt ſin, not of the leaſt ſin of thought; thy heart is mudling upon the things of the earth, and thinkeſt that thou ſhouldeſt be bleſt if thou badſt thus and thus as others have. Let me tell thee, if thou haſt but one ſinful thought, there is more evil in that than there's good in all that ever thou ſhalt get all the daies of thy life in the world; and if this be ſo, that there is more evil in the leaſt fin than there is good in all the things of the earth, it concerns thee rather to have thy mind how to avoid ſin, or how to get the evil of ſin to be remov'd, and how to get thy ſin to be mortified, that concerns thee more than the minding and plodding about the things of the earth: that's one conſideration.
A Second Conſideration.
A ſecond is this that may take off the hearts of men from the things of the earth, That the chief things that are in the earth yea, name what terrene excellency poſſibly a man may be crowned with under Heaven, hath been the portion of Reprobates heretofore, and is to this day, and ſhall be the portion of multitudes whom God hates, and hath ſet apart to glorifie his infinite Juſtice upon eternally. Shall thy mind and heart be ſet upon ſuch things as are the portion of Reprobates? will a Reprobates portion content thee? will it ſerve thee? art thou ſatisfied with dogs meat? If it will not content thee, why is it that thy mind is ſo much upon the things of the earth? It may be thou that art poor and mean in the world; thy mind is upon ſome little matter: thou canſt never expect to have any great things in the world, and yet thou mindeſt them as if that there were thy portion, and thy happineſs, ſome ſmall pittance to furniſh thy houſe, to provide for thy ſelf and thy poor family; Oh friend! if it were poſſible for thee to get the Empire of the whol world under thy foot, yet thou ſhouldeſt get no more than hath been the portion of ſuch as God hath hated; and if ſo be that Kingdoms and Empires have been the portion of Reprobates, why doeſt thou mind things that are lower abundantly, and let the ſtrength of thine heart flow out upon ſuch things as theſe are?
A Third Conſideration.
A third conſideration is this, Surely God hath made man for higher things than the things of this earth. Oh! if thou hadſt but thy thoughts often working this way, Wherefore do I think in my conſcience hath God made the children of men, for what end? why hath he ſent them hither into the world? Of all the creatures that God hath here upon the earth, he hath none capable to know him the infinite Firſt being of all things but only the children of men, & God hath given them ſuch a nature as is capable of ſome converſe with him, ſurely then there be other things that God made man for than to have meat, and drink, and cloathes, and here to live a while only to enjoy creatures. Do not we reade often, That Jeſus Chriſt was God and Man, took mans nature upon him, and died for man? Surely there muſt be ſome other manner of things that are the fruit of the purchaſe of the blood of Chriſt than the things of the earth; Oh my brethren! had you but this ſetled upon you, that certainly God hath great, glorious, high, and wonderful thoughts about man-kind, this would be a mighty means to take off your hearts from the things of this earth, when thou haſt thy heart grovelling here: Oh but are theſe the things that God made man for? had not God higher thoughts in making of the children of men? do not I find in the word that when man was made there was a kind of Divine conſultation with the Trinity, Come, let Ʋs make man according to our own Image? God had other thoughts of man than of other things. And if man were made for nothing elſe but meerly to dig in the earth, Certainly, the thoughts of God about man have been but very low and mean (as I may ſo ſpeak with holy reverence) for theſe are but low and mean things here that men enjoy in the earth.
The Fourth Conſideration.
As God hath higher thoughts concerning man; ſo the dignity of mans Nature, the rational ſoul of man is of too high a birth for to have the ſtrength of it ſpent about the things of the earth. God breathed into man his ſoul: It's (I may ſay) a kind of a Divine ſpark, the ſoul of man it is of the ſame nature with Angels, a ſpirit as Angels are: the thoughts of the minds, the Faculties and Powers of the ſoul are more precious things than to be powred out as water upon the ground. If a man have a Golden Mill, he would not uſe it only to grind dirt, ſtraws, and rotten ſticks in. The mind of man, the thinking faculty is too high to be exerciſed in the things of this earth; the mind of man it is of a moſt excellent capacious Nature: it is fit to converſe, not only with Angels, but with the eternal God Himſelf, with Father, Son, and Holy Ghoſt; and to beſtow the ſtrength of ſuch a faculty that God hath put into the ſoul of man upon ſuch dirtie, droſſie, low, baſe, mean things, as earthlyminded men and women do beſtow it upon, this muſt needs be a great evil. Know, the dignity of your Nature, the excellencie of your Mind, the Soul of man it is of a tranſcendent being. Put all the world into the Ballance, with it it's nothing. Therefore you know what Chriſt ſaith, What ſhall it profit a man, to gain the whol world, and loſe his ſoul? The ſoul of the meaneſt gally-ſlave is more precious than Heaven and Earth, Sun, Moon, Stars, and all the hoſt of them: Let me add then, all the Silver and Golden mines under ground; and al the unſearchable Riches of the great and wide Sea, yea put all theſe together; and the Soul of the moſt contemptible beggar that cries for a cruſt of bread at thy door, is unexpreſſibly more worth than all theſe: Now, if mans ſoul be of ſuch an high-born Nature, if God hath put ſuch a Spirit which is a ſpark of Heaven into the boſom, for man of him to imploy it in no other uſe and ſervice, but meerly to be an earth-worm to creep in and upon the ground: this muſt needs be a very great evil.
The fifth Conſideration.
The fifth Conſideration is, The Ʋncertainty of all theſe things, Ʋncertain Riches. How may any Cauſuality come and take away from thee al the things of the earth that thy mind is upon? God ſends but a little too much heat into the body, and puts thee into a feavour, and where's thy delight then? thy body being either too much heated, or too much coold, what's become of all thy comfort here in this earth? Thou goeſt abroad, and art dangerouſly wounded by an enemy, what refreſhing then doeſt thou receive from all theſe things? Let me tell thee, thou art in the midſt of a thouſand thoſand Caſualities here, every moment ready to take away all the Comforts of the earth; and uſually at that time (obſerve it) when the minds of men and women are moſt fixed upon the earth, that's the time that God hath to ſtrike them in thoſe things, they be then neereſt to be depriv'd of the Comforts of the earth, when their thoughts and minds be moſt ſet upon them. As you know it was with the Rich man in the Goſpel, when he was bleſſing himſelf, and crying to his ſoul, Soul Soul, take thine eaſe, thou haſt goods laid up for many years; even that night (the text ſaith) this meſſage came so him, Thou fool, this night ſhall thy ſoul be taken away from thee, and then, whoſe ſhall al theſe things be? And at that time that Nebuchadnezzer was bleſſing himſelf in the pallace that he had built for His Honor, then there comes a meſſage to him from Heaven, ſo that he was preſently outed of all his Court-vanities to graze among the beaſts of the field. So you may find it in your own experience, that God hath many times then moſt croſt you in the things of the earth, when your minds and hearts have been moſt glued to them: and it may be in mercy, yea, it's a greater mercy to be croſt of theſe things at ſuch a time, than to proſper in the midſt of them; for it may be a good argument that God intends good to a ſoul, to croſſe him at that time when he is moſt earthly. Oh! many that have been godly indeed, but yet have bin earthly minded, and have found God coming at ſuch a time and croſſing them in ſome earthly Contentment have ſeen cauſe to bleſſe God for thus dealing with them. Whither was I going? I was going altogether to the earth, and minding ſuch things, my heart was ſet upon them, and God came in in a ſeaſonable time, to ſhew me the vanity of my heart, and of thoſe things that my mind was buſied about; Oh it was a happy croſſe that I had at ſuch a ſeaſon, there was much of Chriſt that did hang upon it. And that's the fift Conſideration.
The ſixth Conſideration.
Do but conſider what's become of thoſe that have been earthly heretofore, that injoyed the greateſt accomodations of the earth, what's become of thoſe men in former ages of the world, that lived here, and vapour'd ſo much in their generation, who but they at Court and in Citie, and had all the earth according to their deſires? what's become of Agrippa and Bernice with al their pagentry greatneſs? now they have acted their parts and are gone off the common ſtage of the world, all their vanity is buried with them in one grave. What difference is there between the poor and rich when they die? they go all the ſame way; only they were for a little time, and flouriſhed in the things of the earth, and now are gone, but have left a great deal of guiltineſs behind them; look but to their example, and what's become of theme? and conſider thy caſe muſt be as their's within a while, the wheel is turning round, which will bring thee as low as them, ſo that thou ere long muſt be numbred amongſt the dead. Oh! it's a mightie means to take off our hearts from the things of this earth.
The Seventh Conſideration.
Conſider further, How ſhort thy time is that thou haſt here in this world. That's the argument of the Apoſtle, becauſe the time is ſhort, therefore let us uſe the world as if we uſed it not, therefore let our hearts be taken off from theſe things; we have but a little time, and a great deal of work, we have in this ſhort winter day of life to provide for eternitie, now conſidering the great weight of the work that doth depend upon us here in this world, it may be a mightie reaſon for us to bid adue to all the things of this world; indeed if we had time enough for our work, and were ſure of our time then we might ſpend it about trifles. If a man comes into the Citie to do buſineſs, of great weight and conſequence, and hath but a little time to ſpend about it, he never minds any thing he ſees in the Citie, never minds any body that comes by him, or any ſhews in ſhops, what braverie there is there, but goes up and down the ſtreets minding only his own buſineſs. Oh! ſo it ſhould be with us my brethren; conſider the great work we have to do, and the little time that we have to effect that work in, there depends upon our little ſhort uncertain inch of time matters of more conſequence than ten thouſand thouſand worlds are worth and if we miſcarry in this little time of our lives, we are loſt and undone for ever, better we had never been born, or had been made toads or ſerpents, or the vileſt beaſts whatſoever, than reaſonable creatures. Oh! have you ſo much time for the ſpending the very ſpirits of your ſouls upon the things of this earth, can you ſpare ſo many hours? Certainly if God did but make known to you what eternitie means, if the Lord did but cauſe the fear of eternitie to fall upon you, you would not miſpend ſo much time as you do; many times though you complain for want of time for ſpiritual things, Oh how much time do you ſpend in letting out your thoughts and affections upon the things of the earth, more than you need?
The Eighth Conſideration.
Conſider therefore in the next place, That a little will ſerve the turn to carry us through this world. We are here but in our Pilgrimage, or in our voyage; now a little will ſerve the turn here for the carrying of us through this world: men will not take more in a journy than may help them. If a man that is to go a journy ſhould get a whol bundle of ſtaves and lay them upon his ſhoulder, and you ſhould ask him the reaſon why he carries that bundle, why ſaith he, I am going a great journy, and I know not what need I may have of ſtaves to help me; it's true, to carry a ſtaff in a mans hand will help him; thus Jacob was helped by his ſtaff over Jordan; but to carrie a bundle upon his ſhoulder will hinder him: Now a little will ſerve your turn, if you have but meat and drink, food and raiment (ſaith the Apoſtle) be content; and the ſervants of God in former time, paſt through this world with a very little, and manie of them the leſs they had, the more peace and comfort they had in God, and they were the more fit to die. I remember Ecolampagius when he was to die being verie poor, profeſſ'd that he would not have been richer than he was, for he ſaw what a hindrance it was, and ſo he could paſs out of the world with more eaſe and quiet a great deal; Certainly a little will ſerve the turn here: we ſay, Nature is content with a little; and if there were Grace it would be content with leſs; and therefore let not our minds be upon the things of the earth: we have not ſo much need of the things of the earth as we think for.
The Ninth Conſideration
And then further, conſider though upon our minding the things of the earth we ſhould enjoy never ſo much; Yet there is no comfort, no good to be had in them any further than God will be pleaſed to let himſelf through them; they are but as channels to convey the bleſſing and goodneſs of God to us: Man lives not by bread, nor meat only, you are deceived to think that if you had ſuch and ſuch things you ſhould certainly have a comfortable life, I ſay you may be deceived in this, for it is God in theſe that doth comfort the heart, there is a notable Scripture for this in the 62. Pſal. where the holy Ghoſt ſaith at the 10. verſe, Truſt not in oppreſſion, and become not vain in robbery, if riches increaſe, ſet not your hearts upon them, do not mind them, why? in the 11. verſe, God hath ſpoken once, twice have I heard this, That power belongeth unto God, if riches increaſe, ſet not thy heart upon them; let not your hearts and minds be upon riches, or any thing in this earth: why? God hath ſpoken once, twice have I heard, that is, again and again: God hath ſpoken effectually to me that all power to do any good belongeth unto him, it's not in riches, there's no power there for making of thee happy, but all belongs to him. This I confeſs is a ſpiritual meditation that earthly minded men will have but little skill in, yet where earthly-mindedneſs prevails in any one of the Saints, this may do him good, whereas the truth is, it is not in the creature, or creature-comforts can do me good, if I had a thouſand times more than I have, I might be miſerable in the earth, and have as little comfort as thoſe that have leaſt, and therefore let me ſet my affections upon things above, and not on things on the earth.
The Tenth Conſideration.
Moreover lay this to heart, If you be godly God promiſes to take care for you for the things of this earth, and to that end that he might eaſe you of the burden of your care, caſt your care upon God for he careth for you, and take no thought for theſe things, for your heavenly Father knows you have need of them, your heavenly Father takes care, See how he cloaths the lillies, and are not you much better than they? Now children they do not much mind the things of the earth to provide for themſelves, becauſe they know they have their father to provide for them; a child that hath his father and friends to make proviſion for him, it very much eaſeth him; but indeed thoſe that are left fatherleſſe, and friendleſſe, they ſeem to have ſome excuſe; I had need take care of my ſelf for. I have no body to provide for me: I but the Saints cannot ſay ſo, they have a father to provide for them, and all the earth is the Lords as well as heaven, and the fulneſſe of them both; now the earth being the Lords as well as heaven, the earth being thy fathers, why ſhould thy care be ſo much upon the things of the earth? Let thy care be to do thy duty to thy father, to walk as a child, but let it not be for the things of the earth, thou doſt as much as diſavow the care of thy father for thee; and canſt thou beleeve that God ſhall give his Son to thee and not give thee all things elſe? hath not godlineſs the promiſes of this life as well as of that to come? Oh! thou unworthy child that profeſſeſt an intereſt in ſuch a father, or unworthy Chriſtian that profeſſeſt an intereſt in ſuch promiſes, and hop'ſt that God hath done ſuch things for thee as he hath done, and yet haſt thy heart in the things of this earth, as if the Lord had ſettled thee only here, and put thee to ſhift for thy ſelf here from door to door: no certainly, the care of God is over his people in the things of the earth, as truly as it is over them in regard of ſpiritual and eternal things. Some men can think, at leaſt they truſt that they do truſt God for their ſouls, but cannot for their bodies ſo well; but ſurely faith wil teach thee to truſt God for thy body as wel as thy ſoul, for God hath care of both, and both were redeem'd by the blood of Jeſus Chriſt, and hath told thee, that he that fears the Lord ſhall never want any thing that's good for him: Now theſe conſiderations may mightily prevail to take off the hearts of men from the things of this earth.
The Eleventh Conſideration.
The laſt that I ſhall name is this, That all that are Profeſſors of Religion, they are dead to the world, or ſhould be ſo: nay, if you be truly Religious you are ſo, by profeſſion you do profeſſe your ſelves to be dead unto the world. The Scripture makes this argument to take off mens hearts from the things of this world, in the 3. Coloſ. 2, 3. Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth: why? for you are dead, and your life is hid with Chriſt in God. Ye are dead, the Apoſtle writes to the Coloſſians, and yet he tels them that they were dead; the Sripture ſpeaks much of the death of the Saints: As it's ſaid of women that liv'd in pleaſures in Timothy, that they were dead while they liv'd: ſo it may be ſaid of Chriſtians that they are dead while they live, dead to the world, I am crucified to the world (ſaith the Apoſtle) and we are dead with Chriſt, I find that ſome interpret that Scripture in the 1. Cor. 15. 29. Elſe what ſhall they do that are baptized for the dead? they interpret it thus, That all thoſe that came in, which were Heathens and converted to Chriſtianity and were baptized, they were baptized for dead men; that is, by their baptizm; now there was a profeſſion that they did profeſſe themſelves from that time for ever as dead men to the world, baptized for the dead; you have it in ſome of your books over the dead, but the word is, for, and ſo it is tranſlated in this laſt tranſlation, For dead men: your baptizm is adminiſtred unto you as a ſign of your profeſſion, to be as dead men unto the world, ſo I find ſome carry it. This is the profeſſion of Chriſtians to be as dead men to the world; Oh do not diſhonor your profeſſion of Religion, for indeed there is a greater evil (as we ſaid) for profeſſors of Religion to be earthly minded than for any others, and yet how many are guilty of this? It's an obſervation of Luther, when God rivealed himſelf to Abraham and told him, that he would multiply his ſeed; he made uſe of two ſimilitudes, one was this, That he would make his ſeed as the ſtars of Heaven, and at another time God ſaith, that he would make his ſeed as the ſand upon the ſea ſhore; Now ſaith Luther, by theſe two expreſſions there is ſignified two ſorts of Abrahams ſeed, there are ſome that are as the ſtars of Heaven, that are heavenly minded; There are others that are as the ſand of the Sea: that is, There are ſome profeſſe themſelves to be of Abrahams ſeed but are of earthly ſpirits: Oh now, my brethren, we ſhould labor to have ſuch minds and hearts ſo as we ſhould appear to be the ſeed of Abraham, as the ſtars of heaven, to be of the number of thoſe that are as the ſtars of heaven, that is, through heavenly-mindedneſſe. But that we ſhall come to when we come to ſpeak of the converſation of Chriſtians, how it ought to be in heaven.
But now, if any one ſhould ſay, May we not mind earthly things and heavenly things too?
Know there is a great miſtake here, you cannot ſerve two maſters, God and Mamon; and it's very obſervable that text of Scripture, in the 3. of Coloſ. 2. verſe, mark the oppoſition, Set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth: they are there oppoſed one to another: Set your affections or minds, for ſo I think it is the ſame word with that in my text, who mind earthly things. A man cannot look up to heaven and down to the earth both at the ſame time, there is an oppoſition between theſe two, between the earthly-mindedneſs that hath been opened to you, and minding of heavenly things.
I but you will ſay, For theſe things while we are upon the earth we have need of them, how can we do otherwaies but mind them? When we come to heaven, there we ſhall have diſpoſitions ſutable to heaven, but ſure not till then?
To that I anſwer, Though Chriſtians do live upon the earth, yet they are not of the earth, there's a great deal of difference between one that is of the earth, and another that lives upon the earth: Chriſt ſaith concerning himſelf, that he was not of the earth, it's true, though he did live a while upon the earth, yet he was not of it: In the 3. of John 31. He that cometh from above, is above all, he that is of the earth is earthly, and ſpeaketh of the earth: now Chriſt while he ſpake theſe words he was upon the earth; but He was not of the Earth: And ſo it is with Chriſtians, they are upon the Earth, but they are not of the Earth, they are a people redeem'd from the earth, therefore that's not enough: it's true, theſe things are things that we need, therefore we muſt not mind them, for ſo in the 6. of Mat. where Chriſt ſpeaks againſt taking thought what we ſhall eat, or what we ſhall drink, or what we ſhall put on. Saith he, Your Heavenly Father knows you have need of theſe things; you have ſome need, I but you have need of other things, and greater need of other things than of theſe things, what need is there for thee to live upon the earth but in order to providing for eternity, and of living to the honor of Chriſt and the praiſe of his Goſpel? I ſay thou haſt no need of any thing on the earth but in ſubordination to higher things; there is no need thou ſhouldeſt live, but for ſome other end, and therefore let not that be any ſuch argument to plead for earthlineſs, as indeed an earthly ſpirit is very witty in pleading for its ſelf.
I ſhall cloſe this Point with ſome Exhortation to you, and Directions about this Point of Earthly-mindedneſs.