Inquiry for a Suitable Return for Continued Life In and After Time of Plague, Part 6
DIRECTION VI.
Since you live after the Plague, be dead to the World.HAth God ſpared you in time of Peſtilence; Then be dead unto the World, and to things below: Take heed that you do not returne with too great an eagerneſs after the Affairs of this world; as if you had not ſeen ſuch ſights, as you have ſeen, of Death, and the vanity of the World: You are not dead in your Grave; let this Mercy move you to be dead to the World, and ſinful Affections: You are living in the World, but, you muſt be dead to the World. It is to be feared, that there are many will be as eagerly bent after the things of this World, as they were before; notwithſtanding the Courſe that God hath taken by ſmarting Judgments, to weane them from the World: That will be like unto a Stream ſtopped and dammed up; when it gets over the Bankes, and the obſtruction is removed, runneth down with greater force. God hath put many by their way of Trade, for ſome Moneths; Now take heed, that through over-much eagerneſs, to regain what loſs you have ſuſtained by the forbearance of your Calling, you do not let out too much of your heart and affections upon theſe things; nor give them more of your time, than you can well allow from the neceſſary Duties of Gods immediate Worſhip, and the things that do concerne the ſtate of your Soules in the life to come. Be dead to the
Profits,
Honours,
Pleaſures,
Wiſdom,
of this World.
SECTION I.
1. To the Profits of the world.SHould not you be dead to, and take heed of returning, in your love, back again unto the Riches of the World, after ſuch a Judgment as this hath been? To prevent an over-eager purſuit of the Riches and Profits of this World, when (by the removal of this Judgment) you have opportunity of returning to your Callings; conſider.
1. Are corrupt…ble. Hurtful.The Riches of this world are corruptible riches; they are periſhing treaſures: Silver and Gold are things corrupting others, and are corruptible in themſelves, 1 Pet. 1.18, 19. But, you have an incorruptible Kingdom and Crown before you to ſtrive after, reſerved in Heaven for believers, and for thoſe that are ſo vehemently ſet for Heaven, that they will take it by force.
2. Unprofitable.The riches of this world are unprofitable riches; therefore be not too eager in your purſuit of unprofitable profits: They cannot profit you in tim… of g…eateſt need. Have not you had the experience of the unprofitableneſs of riches? that they are unprofitable (1.) For diverting of Judgments, or removing evils that come upon you; whether temporal, as Sickneſs, Plague, Death; or ſpiritual, as Hardneſs of Heart, Blindneſs of Minde, Terrors of Conſcience; none of all theſe can be removed by worldly riches. (2.) For the procuring of good; whether temporal, for the Body, as Health in time of Sickneſs, or Eaſe in time of Pain; or ſpiritual, for the Soul, either Grace, or Comfort, or Glory; if Conſcience be wounded, they cannot heale your Conſciences, nor comfort your Hearts.
3.Hurtful The riches of this world are oftentimes hurtful to the owner and poſſeſſor of them, Eccleſ. 5.13. There is a ſore evil which I have ſeen under the Sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt. Grace and Christ can never hurt you: but, your riches may, by being clogs to your affections in holy duties; by being ſnares and temptations to you in your converſe in the world; by increaſing your account, when you have not well improved them.
4.Uncertain. The riches of this world are uncertain riches, 1 Tim. 6.17. after you have got them, you may preſently loſe them: The loſs of outward riches may ariſe,
1. By Men; by Force and Power; by fraud and deceit.
2. By Caſualty; your Houſes may be conſumed with flames of Fire.
3. By Gods ſecret Curſe, Hag. 1.6. —He that earneth wages, earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
5. Eaſily valued.The riches that Men get in this world, are eaſily valued: A Mans Eſtate is eaſily computed; But there are riches in Chriſt, which are unſearchable: ſeek and ſearch after more of them, Epheſ. 3.8.
6. Unſatisfying.When you have got them they will not ſatisfie your deſires, Eccleſ. 5.10.
II.To the Honours of the World. Should not you be dead to the honours of this World, which will be a bait to many after ſuch a Judgment? Should not you, who are yet alive to behold the Graves of ſome Honourable Perſons, now in the duſt, call off your heart from ſeeking after them? Have you not ſeen, that Death reſpects not the Honourable more than the Ignoble? the Reverend and Eſteemed no more than the Mean and Contemptible? Thoſe that have Honourable Names and Titles, Honourable Friends and Relations, Honourable Callings and Imployments, Honourable Preferments and Enjoyments, are equalized in the Grave with others: And, have not you ſeen ſome fall? and, heard of others in this Judgment, and yet, after all this, ſet your heart upon the Honours of this world?
III. To the pleaſures of the World.Should not you be dead to the pleaſures of this World, which will be ſnares for others? Should you, after ſuch a Judgment as this, give your ſelf to live a ſenſual fleſh-pleaſing life? and ſpend your time in needleſs delights and recreations? when you have heard ſo many dying Men complain of the loſs of time, when they were well, and the want of time when they came to die? Conſider what theſe Pleaſures be, that you are ſo much addicted to; that ſuch ſadning ſorrowful ſights, that you have ſeen, will not we…n you from them: Nay, when Gods ſmarting Rod upon your own body, by the Plague, will not imbitte… your worldly pleaſures and delights; but, you will go out of ſuch a dreadful Judgment of God, to your Gamings and Sports; to the pleaſing of the fleſh, in ſatisfying the luſts and deſires thereof, in acts of uncleanneſs.
Conſider theſe (1.) are ſhort pleaſures, they are but for a little while; they are paſſing away while you are at them: But, theſe ſhort pleaſures may bring you to eternal torments and endleſs woe, Heb. 11.25. Chooſing rather to ſuffer afflictions with the People of God, then to enjoy the pleaſures of ſin for a ſeaſon. (2.) By giving up your ſelves unto theſe Pleaſures, you deprive your ſelves of the Pleaſures of Gods Houſe in his Ordinances, which others drink of, Pſal. 36.8. (3.) You deprive your ſelf of the Pleaſures of Gods Houſe above in Heaven; of the Rivers of Pleaſures which are at Gods right hand for evermore, Pſal. 16.11. (4.) Theſe pleaſures are more brutiſh pleaſures, and do but delight the more brutiſh, i. e. ſenſitive part in Man: The rational Soul, as ſuch, is not delighted in the pleaſures of the Fleſh, in eating and drinking, a Horſe doth find pleaſure in this as much as you; and ſome unreaſonable Creatures herein do excel you. (5.) They are empty, and unſatisfying pleaſures: they do not fill, content, nor ſatiate them that give themſelves moſt to follow after them.
IV. To the wiſdom of the World.Should not you be dead to, and take heed of reſting in the wiſdom of the World; in the attainment onelyonly of Humane Learning; after you have ſeen the Learned die as the Ignorant; and the Wiſe Man as the Fool: Humane Learning is more deſirable than Riches and Honours, and the Pleaſ…res of this World; but, yet it is not to be acquieſced in, without the knowledg of God in Chriſt. Notions in Learning will never deliver from the Torments of Hell: many learned ſinners have gone to eternal Miſery, and their torments there are greater than the torments of the Ignorant, and unlearned: the vanity of the wiſdom of this World, compared with the knowledge of Chriſt, appeares, in that
1. It cannot redreſs the ſinfulneſs of the thoughts, nor help againſt the vanity of the mind: The wiſe and learned Heathens became vain in their imaginations, Rom. 1.21.
2. It doth not prevent ſinful elections, and choiſe of the will: Men of great knowledge chooſe the World, and Honours, and Eaſe, and Preferments before Chriſt.
3. It doth not remedy a ſinful Converſation: M…ny know things to be evil, and yet do them; and ſo is an aggravation of their ſin, and will be of their miſery.
4. It doth not ſeaſon Mens communications, nor prevent corrupt Diſcourſes; but makes them more witty, and able to ſcorn Godl…neſs; jeſt with Scripture, and deride the Profeſſors of the Goſſpel: But, the knowledge of Chriſt, i… is (1.) the ſweeteſt knowledge. (2.) It is the ſureſt knowledg; being by the Revelation of the Spirit of God: (3.) It is ſaving knowledge: Thus take a true account of all the things; the beſt, the moſt excellent, the moſt deſirable things in this world; and you will ſee no reaſon why you ſhould wholly ſpend the reſidue of that time, which God hath …ent you from the Grave, in ſuch an eager purſuit of any thing of this life.
SECTION II.
BUt, that you may know, whether you (yet living) are dead to the things of this world, I ſhall give you this general Character, viz.
☜If you carry your ſelf towards the world, as thoſe that are dead to God, do carry themſelves towards God, then are you dead unto the world: and, this general is reſolved into theſe particulars.
1. Signes of a Man that is dead to the world▪Thoſe that are dead to God, they ſee no real excellency in God and Chriſt; but they ſee ſomething more in the things of the world: they ſee more excellency in their Gold and Silver; in their Profits and Preferments; in their Pleaſures and Delights: ſo, if you are dead to the world, you do not admire the Choiſeſt and the Chiefeſt things that are therein; but, do ſee more real worth in God and Chriſt, and one dram of Grace; then in all the Mines of the moſt precious things in Nature: and, in your practical judgment do account them but dung and droſs in compariſon of the excellency of the knowledge of Chriſt Jeſus our Lord.
2. Thoſe that are dead to God, do make choice of the World, and the things thereof, before God: The will, following the ultimate comparative, practical dictate of the underſtanding, in wicked Men, doth chooſe Earthly things before God and Chriſt: For, though their abſolute judgment might be for God, yet the comparat judgment (all circumſtances conſidered) is for the world; and their will doth make choice of it accordingly: So, if you are dead to the world, you make choice of God for your chiefeſt good, and greateſt happineſs. For, though you may, in your abſolute judgment, look upon the Things of the world, uſed with moderation, and kept in their proper place, as good; yet, in your comparative judgment (all circumſtances conſidered) you do ultimately conclude, That God is better in himſelf and for you, yea, in both reſpects, and your will doth chooſe him accordingly.
3. Thoſe that are dead to God, though they may Pray to God, and talk of God, yet they do this as though they did it not: and Pray, as if they Prayed not: God hath their Tongues, but, the world hath their Hearts. So, if you are dead to the world, though you may talk of the world, and Trade in the world, yet you do all this as if you did it not: You buy as if you poſſeſſed not; and you uſe this world as if you uſed it not: and, though the world may have your hands, yet God hath your heart.
4. Thoſe that are dead to God, they are not troubled at the loſs of God, nor rejoyce at the tidings how they may have the enjoyment of him; So if you are dead to the World, you are not chiefly troubled at the loſs of theſe things, nor count it ſo great matter of joy, if you have them and enjoy them. A man that is dead to God deſireth the world, and let who will look after God: So a man dead to the world, deſireth God, and let who will look after the World as his portion, and his chiefeſt happineſs, he will not.
5. A man that is dead towards God, is not reſtrained from ſin by Gods moſt terrible threatnings; though God threaten him with eternal death and everlaſting damnation, with the loſs of heaven and eternal happineſs, if he perſiſt in his wickedneſs, and continue in ſin, yet fear of the puniſhment of loſs, nor of the puniſhment of ſenſe, will not awaken him to Converſion and through Reformation. So a man that is dead towards the World, all the threatnings of men, that he ſhall have inflicted upon him, divers penalties, loſs of goods, liberty, life, yet all this is not cogent to bring him in to a courſe of ſin, and to do wickedly.
6. A man that is dead towards God, is not drawn nor allured with the precious and moſt glorious promiſes of God to do that which is good; Though God promiſe him heaven and eternal happineſs, the pardon of ſin, and his favour, yet all this moves him not to come to Chriſt, nor forſake his ſins: So a man that is dead to the world, all the offers, preferments, enticements of the world to allure him into ſin will not prevail, he is dead to theſe things; and offers and over…ures of the greateſt things move not a dead man. Thus you may try whether you are dead to the world or no. You live in the world, even after ſuch a devouring Peſtilence, you cannot live anſwerably to this great mercy, except you be dead to the World.