A Prospect of Heaven, Treatise · Chapter 35
CHAP. XXXV. An exhortation to offer violence to the Kingdom of Heaven.
THeſe things being ſo; how ſhould the conſideration hereof ſtir up to labour after eternal life and bleſſedneſs: eternal life is the ſtipend of our warfare, the hire and wages of our works; God hath not appointed Heaven for idle Droans and Loiterers, but for ſuch as labour for it; Heaven is a Crown or Garland, win it and wear it; it is an Harveſt, labour for it, if thou wilt enjoy it; it is a Field of Treaſure, thou muſt purchaſe it, if thou wilt poſſeſs it: it is a ſtrong City, and muſt be taken by force and violence. S. Bernard hath this diviſion, Alii mercantur, alii furantur, &c. Some do Merchandize for Heaven, and they are ſuch as make friends with the Mammon of unrighteouſneſs; others do ſteal Heaven, and they are like the Woman that was healed by the ſecret touch of our Saviours garment: many invade Heaven, and take it by force, (for indeed the Kingdom of Heaven ſuffereth violence) and they may be compared to Jacob that ſtrove with God, wreſtled with the Angel and prevailed; but none of theſe ſhall merit eternal life hereby: but life eternal ſhall be the conſequent of a Holy life, and the reward of their labour that ſtrive to enter in at the ſtrait gate; God having ſo ordained the one to be the way whereby he will bring us to the other.
S. Paul ſaith of himſelf, 2 Tim. 4.8. I have fought the good fight, I have kept the faith, I have finiſhed my courſe, henceforth is laid up for me a Crown of righteouſneſs, &c. where obſerve, 1. He acted like a mighty man of war, fighting valiantly againſt all the enemies of his Salvation, both within and without, that went about to hinder him from getting the crown. 2. He finiſhed his courſe, he ran with all his might, he put forth himſelf to the uttermoſt, that ſo he might finiſh his courſe. 3. He kept the faith, he would not ſuffer men or Devils to rob him of this precious jewel; and he was ſure to ſpeed, here was his confidence, henceforth, ſaith he, is laid up for me a Crown of righteouſneſs. Iren. lib. 4. c. 27.Now ſaith Irenaeus, the good combatant exhorteth us to the combat of immortality, that we may be crowned, and may think the crown precious, as being obtained by ſight, and not of it ſelf accrewing to us: and by how much the more it cometh by fight, ſo much the more precious it is; and the more precious it is, ſo much the more we may love it, and ought ſo much the more to labour after it. So run that you may obtain, 1 Cor. 9.24. He that runs for a prize runs with all his might, he runs himſelf all over in a ſweat: I run, ſaith Paul, not as uncertainly; ſo fight I, not as beating the air; he ran, but not as ſome do, in a cold and negligent way, not knowing whether he ſhould come to the end of the race or not, but with all earneſtneſs, as one that was reſolved to finiſh his courſe. A Soldier that fighteth in the Wars, fighteth with violence, he fighteth for life and honour both; ſo much more one that fighteth the good fight, even for eternal life and glory: a Soldier that fighteth in the War, fighteth to ſave his own life, and for glory beſides; ſo a Soldier of Jeſus Chriſt fighteth to ſave his life from eternal ruine, and to gain eternal glory. Some of God's Children are ſo violent, that the world looks upon them as mad men; they may think them out of their wits, but, they may anſwer with Paul, If we are beſide our ſelves it is for God and Chriſt, it is for Heaven and everlaſting Salvation. The Apoſtle thus exhorts the Philippians, Work out your own ſalvation, Phil. 2.12. foreign, break out thorow all difficulties, work out, work thorow all, 2 Pet. 3.11, 12. What manner of perſons ought ye to be in all holy converſation and godlineſs, looking for, and hastening to the coming of the day of God? as if he had ſaid, I am not able to expreſs, what manner of perſons ſuch ought to be, what exactneſs is required of thoſe that will be ſaved, how they ought to walk in all holy converſation and godlineſs, as perſons that are in haſt to meet with Chriſt, and have no leiſure to turn out of the way of holineſs, into crooked paths with the workers of iniquity.
Things of the greateſt worth are uſually accompanied with the greateſt difficulty, and are hardeſt to be gained; ſo it is in the things of the world; the greater worldly deſigns men do purſue, the more pains it coſts them to attain their end; high honour, and a great eſtate is not gotten without much ſweat, and great endeavours; much more when a ſoul will get an incorruptible crown, what holy contention is required in this caſe? Though it be moſt true, that the Prince and Captain of our ſalvation hath already overcome the greateſt difficulty of all, without which it had not been poſſible for any of the Children of Adam to have come to glory, yet he will have his children conformed to himſelf in going through many difficulties unto glory. Moreover, powerful enemies do beſet the way unto, and entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven; Principalities and Powers, the Rulers of the darkneſs of this world, and ſpiritual wickedneſſes in high (or heavenly) places, Eph. 6.12. now ſmall forces in a narrow way are able to keep back a great Army for a long time; now theſe ſtrong and mighty enemies muſt be removed by violence, or elſe there is no paſſing: Oh what neceſſity is there now required to break thorow all theſe, and in the power of Chriſt to tread the Devil and all his Angels under our feet, if we will enter in at the ſtrait gate; to march on, though never ſo many forces of the world, and Legions of Hell ſhould ſtand in the way; to contend mightily, as knowing there is no middle condition between everlaſting death and victory, that we muſt overcome or periſh.
How vigorouſly and vehemently doth the Apoſtle preſs this, 1 Cor. 16.13. Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit your ſelves like men, foreign.be strong. Where in moſt pithy and ſinewy expreſſions, he giveth a fourfold exhortation of this kind, and every one in the Original is delivered in one word, except the ſecond: the firſt is, foreign, watch you, be not ſecure, but very vigilant: the ſecond is foreign, Stand faſt in the faith, keep your ground, do not give back: the third is, foreign, play the men, quit your ſelves like men of Heroick ſpirits: the fourth is, foreign, be ſtrong and of a good courage: in theſe quick expreſſions, the Apoſtle, as a wiſe Maſter-builder, ſought out choice words, that he might faſten them as Nails and Goads, peircing the hearts of men, and quickening their dull ſpirits to more vehemency and holy violence in the great buſineſs of their ſalvation: now where theſe mighty ſtrivings after the Kingdom of Heaven are, they are effects of God's eternal counſel and purpoſe, in thoſe whom he hath ordained to everlaſting life and glory: Theſe are fruits of God's election; becauſe God hath choſen them, therefore he hath ſtirred them up to act violently for the Kingdom of Heaven:Occuliae praedeſtination… indicia, futurae faelicitatis p…ae…agia, via regni, non cauſ… regnandi. Bernard de g…at. & lib. arbitr. they are no cauſes, but the evidences of their election; their works are not the proper cauſe for which the Kingdom of Heaven is given to them, but as ſigns and tokens that they are the perſons for whom Heaven is prepared; they are tokens of our occult praedeſtination, foretokens of our future happineſs; the way to the Kingdom, not the cauſe of our obtaining it, ſaith devout Bernard.
FINIS.
End of the text · William Gearing, A Prospect of Heaven (1673)