Body of Divinity, Book 7 · Chapter 22
CHAP. XXII. II. Desire and Flight.
THe next affection is that of Desire.See M. Pembl. Vindic. grat. p. 129, 130.
It differs no more from love then the Act from the Habit, it being the exercise of love.
The surest Character you can make of a man is by his desiresaIn these hungrings & thirstings of the soul there is as it were the spawn of faith, Semen sidei, there is aliquid sidei in them. Psal. 10. 17. & 145. 19. Isa. 55 1. & 44. 3. & Luk. 1. 52. Revel. 22. 17. Bolton on Mar. 5. 6. It is the reaching of the soul after that which likes us, because it is like us. It is an assection of pursuing or following after the absent good. It is that by which the minde stirs up in it self longing and wishing, and quickens it self to seek and attain that good which it loveth, and yet is not present with it, Phil. 3. 14. Prov. 18. 1. Bonum delect abil… non est absolutè objectum concupiscentiae, sed sub ratione absentis: sicut & sensibile sub ratione praeteriti est objectum memoriae. Aqu…n 1a, 2ae Quaest. 30. Art. 1., as much as the Physician can judge of his patients condition by his appetite.
In this affection four things are considerable:
1. The Nature of it.
2. The Image of God in it before the fall.
3. How extreamly depraved our desires are in their natural condition.
4. The work of grace in sanctifying of it.
Desire is the going out of the will endeavouring after that we love, a good thing not yet enjoyed or not perfectly, the making out of the soul for the fruition of that good.
There are three affections conversant about good, say some, Love about good in general, present or absent, Desire about good absent, Joy about good present. Des Cartes saith, not only the presence of good absent, but also the conservation of a good present is desired.
God gave to the soul of man when he created it a two-fold appetite:
1. Sensitive or natural, whereby the desires are carried violently after their own preservation.
2. Rational, or the will, these rational desires are exercised about spiritural things in the fruition of which one placeth his happinesse.
Of the Image of God in our desires in our innocent condition.
The understanding then lookt on God as his only absolute Good, and the will of man did adhere to him, and acquiesce in him.
He desired, 1. A more perfect fruition of God, and that he might lay out himself more for him. Natural desires were few, moderate, subordinate to this, to be helps and furtherances of the perfect enjoying of God.
2. The depravation of this affection.
A great deal of our original corruption is vented out this way, the corruption of the understanding, will, love, hatred, thoughts, fall in here.
1. The object of the desire, whereas God should be only desired, in our sinful condition we have no desire after him, only vellieties, faint wishings and wouldings. Though the soul be full of desires, they are taken off from God and wholly carried to some poor empty creature.
2. The Qualities or Properties of these sinful desires.
3. The woful fruits of them.
The qualities of our corrupt and carnal desires.
1. The vanity of them, which appears in three particulars,
1. There is no reason to be given of our corrupt desires, as Samson, Give me her, she likes me.
2. The things that we desire appear to be toyes.
3. The innumerablenesse of them.
2. They are intense and violent, the soul pursues such things.
3. They are insatiable.
3. The woful effects and fruits of them.
1. These corrupt desires have got the regiment of the soul, they enslave reason the most noble faculty of it.
2. Destroy all hope of profiting, they take up our time and study, the soul is ever imployed about some of these unworthy desires.
3. They make the soul extreamly unthankful for the mercies already received, they make the Soul and Spirit of a man base.
4. The work of Gods grace in renewing or sanctifying our desires.
The activity of grace appears chiefly in our love and desire, for the good things of Christians are not yet enjoyed, and therefore is this affection so much exercised.
1. In general, the work of grace is to renew that which our original corruption spoiled in the affections, or to repair the image of God once stamped there. It takes off the desire from the creature and turns it to the proper object of it in a due order, method and measure.
2. Particularly.
1. The true object of a sanctified desire, primary and ultimate, is God, Christ,Christ brings the heart to heaven first, and then the person: His own mouth spake it, Mat. 6 21. He that had truly rather have the enjoyment of God in Christ, then any thing in the world, shall have it. Baxters Saints everlasting Rest, par. 1. c. 3. and all the graces of his Spirit, and the means of Grace, the Ordinances, and in a due place moderately the creature, and what ever is helpful to me.
We ought to desire,
1. For our selves only good things, Prov. 11. 23. God chiefly, Psal. 42. 2. & Revel. 3.
2. Christs righteousnesse and the vertues of the Spirit, the means and helps to grace, as the sincere milk of the Word, and the company of the Saints, and the like helps, as Paul desired to see Timothy, places and occasions of doing good if we finde our selves furnished for them, 1 Tim. 3. 1. Natural benefits and good things, health, liberty. We ought to desire for others, their conversion, Rom. 10. 1. and growth in grace and salvation, the welfare of the Church.
Secondly, The act or measure of it carried to its proper object, God and Christ, with greatest intensnesse, called hungring and thirsting, As the Hart pants after the water brook, and moderately carried to the things of this world, grace is a spur to our desires for spiritual things, and a bridle to them for earthly.
We must 1. Desire spiritual things more then temporal, Mat. 5. 6.
2. Among spiritual things those most which may do us most good, as Paul bids us covet spiritual gifts, chiefly that we may prophesie.
3. The publick good more then our own.
There is no evidence of grace so constantly to be found in a gracious heart, as the holinesse of their desires, Nehem. 1. 11. The desire of our hearts is toward thee, Rom. 7. Cant. 1. Draw me, and we will run after thee.
Reasons. 1. Because their good is absent from them, the heart which cannot say, I pray and believe, can say, I desire to pray and believe. The true desire of grace is grace it self in a degree.
2. The Saints of God have ever pleaded their desires as an evidence of their interest in God, when they could plead nothing else, My soul longeth for thy salvation.
Marks to try whether our desires after these things be sanctified:
First, Then thou desirest all that is good, Christ, Grace, the Ordinances; the Gospel holds out Christ to be good to me, therefore one may somewhat desire this, and not be sanctified. I must desire him to be my King and Lord as well as my Saviour.
Secondly, It hath five Properties:
1. It is the greatest and strongest the soul hath of rational not sensitive desires, therefore set out by hunger and thirst, panting after God, Whom have I in heaven but thee, and in the whole earth in comparison of thee? Desires put out on Election and counsel are put out most on these things.
2. It is accompanied with sadnesse and languishing if it attain not the thing desired, Hope deferred makes the heart sick.
3. They would enjoy the object presently. Balaam could desire it at later end; If I desire a thing as an end, I cannot but desire it presently.
4. These desires are constant till the thing be fully enjoyed, Ioh. 4. 14.
5. Such desires are operative, otherwise if they put us not on the use of means, they are not right. Such an one will be at any cost for exalting, adorning that thing. What is a mans happinesse, end, glory, he desires to make as excellent as may be. Who ever truly desires spiritual things, desires them as their glory, they will give all for the glory of Christ, and the beauty of the Gospel.
How to know whether our desires after the things of this life be sanctified, try that by two things:
1. In the point of subordination, as they may stand with subordination to the great things he desires. As farre as these outward things may be usefull and helpfull to the things of Gods Kingdome. One thing have I desired, saith David, as an end. Ze…h. 7. 5, 6. Whether you eat or drinke, or what ever you doe, and so desire, do all to the glory of God.
2. You shall try it by the moderation of your spirit, If you desire these things as inferiour goods, 1 Cor. 7. 27. Means or Directions to keep your desires strong and vigorous after spiritual things, and to moderate your desires after earthly things.
Of the first,
1. Labour for a thorow knowledge and acquaintance with these spiritual things, knowledge of a thing stirs up the appetite. Two men did vehemently desire a spiritual communion with God, Moses and Paul, and none knew more of Christ then these. Study the things of God, of Christ, and Gods Kingdom, not only a speculative knowledge but a practical taste of God, rest not till thou hast some experience of this supernatural object. Other truths quickly …loy, when one understands an Art or Tongue, the knowledge of spiritual things quickens the appetite and enlargeth the soul.
2. Labour to be acquainted with thine own emptinesse, how empty of all grace, and full of corruptions thou art, Tecum habita, labour to get a sense of these things, what a great evil an hard heart is, and what it is to be deprived of God, so the Lord counsels the Angel of Laodicea.
3. Hope of attaining is the whetstone of desiring, study those promises, He will satisfie the hungry soul, and those that thirst after the Well of life, and open thy mouth and he will fill it.
Directions how our desires after the things of this life may be sanctified.
In general. The sanctification of these desires stands in their moderation we must have a care that they be not inordinate.
First, Labour in general for a contented minde, Heb. 13. Be without covetousnesse, Get a contented spirit which may stand in an indifferency to these things.
3. Rules: 1. Let thy desires be fully let out after the things of heaven, this will moderate them to all other things, because they will satisfie them.
2. Labour to be rightly informed what all these worldly things are, and thy soul will be moderate toward them, know six things of them.
1. None of all the things of this life have any good in them to us further then they are useful. There is a necessity of food and raiment to uphold our natural being, but otherwise all these things are but useful in a subordinate way, not good further then of good use.
2. They are of no use at all to the saving of thy soul; I am going to a place, said the Martyr, where money is nothing worth, the thing I am to look after is the saving of my soul.
3. They are all by Gods own appointment most inconstant and fading things; Riches take themselves to their wings, they are but flowers, these three considerations limit the good in them.
4. They are all vain, empty not simply, but entitatis debitae, a Well is empty, though it be full of Air, if it have no water in it Salomon challenged all the world to finde more in learning, pleasures, then he did, What can the man do after the King?
5. They are vexation of spirit, either in getting, keeping, fear of losing or real parting.
6. They beguile, bewitch and make us worse,
1. Blinde the judgement with erroneous principles, that they are prone to think amisse of God and his wayes.
2. Draw the heart from God, he (who is the great disposer of all earthly blessings) out of his fatherly love will measure out of all these mercies the best portion unto thee, therefore be careful for nothing, but let your request be made known to God.
The affection opposite to Desire is *Some call it Abomination. Scio equidem vulgò in Scholis opponi Passionem quae tendit in bonum, & quae sola nominatur cupiditas vel desiderium, ei quae tendit in fugam mali, qu… vocatur Aversio. Sed cum nullum detur bonum cujus privatio malum non sit, nec ullum malum, cujus privatio non sit bonum; Et cum quaerendo, exempli gratiâ, divitias, necessariò fugiatur Paupertas, ac fugiendo morb…s, quaeratur sanitas, & sic de aliis; mihi videtur eundem semper esse motum, qui simul fert ad prosecutionem boni, & ad fugam mali quod ipsi contrarium est. Des Cartes de Passion. Animae part. 2. Artic. 87.Flight. This was Moses his fault, Exod. 4. 13.
It is a stirring of the soul to get away from the evil before it come too near, and have surprized a man.
We have an example of it in him that owing a man money, knowing or thinking that he will come to such a place, findes a kinde of lothnesse to meet with him, and is moved to go out of the way, or absent himself that he may not meet with him.
It must be exercised on such things as are fit to be loathed and shunned.We must not shun good things, as Christ shunned not his sufferings, Act. 21. 13.
1. Such things as may be hurtful to us:
1. All manner of sinful actions, Luk. 12. 1, 15. 2 Tim. 2. 22, 23. & 1 Pet. 3. 11. 1 Cor. 10. 14. & 6. 18.
2. All manner of occasions and sollicitations to sin, 1 Ioh. 5. Babes keep your selves from Idols. Prov. 5. 8. Ioseph …ed from his mistresse.
3. The familiarity and friendly society of sinners, chiefly such as would and do sollicite us to sin, Prov. 1. 15. & 4. 14. Away from me you wicked, saith David, 2 Tim. 3. 5. 2 Thess. 3. 6. Rom. 16. 17.
4. Natural evils, when we are not put upon them by necessity of our calling; as poverty, disgrace, danger of limb or life, liberty and the like, and such things as may be hurtful to others.
5. Things unprofitable, vain and uselesse, Tit. 3. 9.
For measure of working
We ought
1. To loathe and shun spiritual evils more then temporal, sin then danger.
2. To loathe publick evils and shun them more then private, the hurt of the Commonwealth or Church more then our own losse or danger, as David did when he went against Goliah.
3. To shun those natural evils most which most hinder goodnesse, vertue and the discharge of the duties of our place, as the losse of life more then of goods, of good name more then of liberty.