The Dejected Souls Cure, Sermon 9
SERMON XI.
Pſal. 42. 11.
Why art thou caſt down, O my ſoul? and why art thou diſquieted within me? hope thou in God, for I ſhall yet praiſe him—The health of my Countenance, and my God.
Uſe. 2 I Proceed to a Second Uſe by way of Exhortation, to perſwade you all to labour to check your own hearts for being troubled for the outward proſperity of wicked men; and that I may prevail with you herein, I ſhall leave with you theſe three Conſiderations
Firſt, You have no cauſe at all to be troubled, if you conſider this; What Gods ends are in ſuffering wicked men for to proſper in this World.
Secondly, If you do but conſider the ends themſelves that wicked men have that do proſper in the World.
Thirdly, If you do but conſider Gods ends why he would not have the godly to be troubled and diſquieted at the proſperity of the wicked, and what Gods ends are in not ſuffering his people ſo to proſper in this World: and if theſe three conſiderations were ſeriouſly conſidered by the people of God, it would take away and allay all murmurings and troubles and diſquietneſs from the hearts and minds of Gods people in ſeeing wicked men for to proſper in the World.
Firſt, If thou wouldſt allay trouble of mind in ſeeing the wicked to proſper, do but conſider Gods ends in ſuffering them for to proſper in the World. Now there are Seven ends which God hath, all of which might allay the troubles of mind in the hearts of Gods people in ſeeing wicked men to proſper.
The Firſt is this, God doth ſuffer wicked men to proſper in the World that ſo they might have the more opportunity to act their ſin and wickedneſs, whereas if they were in a poor and in a low and in an afflicted condition, they could not have ſuch opportunities to draw forth thoſe acts of ſin and wickedneſſe that lie hid in their own hearts: if theſe vines of Sodom, and if thoſe fruits of Gomorrah were not warmed with the Sun of proſperity, we ſhould not ſee thoſe grapes of God, and cluſters of bitterneſſe are in them: Now God is pleaſed for ends beſt known to himſelfe to heap the proſperity of the world upon them, to draw out that ſin and wickedneſſe that lieth hid in the heart, and to make it to come to publique view; have we not a pregnant inſtance of this in Hazael when he was in power, and when he was in proſperity? that was an opportunity to diſcover and draw forth that wickedneſs that lay hidden in his heart: well ſaid the Prophet, Thou ſhalt rip up women with child, thou wilt burn their ſtrong holds with fire, and ſlay the young men with the ſword, and daſh their children in the ſtreets: But now what ſaid Hazael to the Prophet, Am I a Dog that I ſhould doe ſuch things as theſe are? but ſaid the Prophet, thou ſhalt be King, and then thou ſhalt doe it: even all theſe things; when he was poor and in a low condition, he was not in a capacity to doe this villany; I but when the World favoured him, and he did begin to proſper and become great in power and great in the World, then was the opportunity to draw out 2 King. 8. 12. 13.this wickedneſſe: the ſtory you may read in 2 Kings 8. 12, 13. As we ſee in our daies, if there had not been this licentious liberty, and this general toleration amongſt us, we had not heard of ſuch wickedneſſe. And wicked men would have wanted opportunity to have vented ſuch wickedneſſe, which now is made manifeſt to the face of the World; and the people of God gain good by all this; for by this means they come to ſee what is in mens hearts. Dan. 8. 24. 25. 'tis ſaid of Auliacus, that his power ſhall be mighty, and ſhall proſper and Dan. 8. 24, 25.practice, and ſhall deſtroy the mighty and the holy people, (or according to the Chaldee, the people of the holy one,) and through his policy he ſhall cauſe violence to proſper in his hands, and he ſhall magnifie in his heart, and by peace (or proſperity) ſhall deſtroy many, &c. If this man had not come to be a King, a great man in power and proſperity, the wickedneſs of his heart had not been diſcovered, but his being in proſperity, thereby he had an opportunity to draw out that miſchiefe that was in his heart, to be made manifeſt to the view of the World. There is in Job 12. 6. mention made of a Tabernacle of robbers that proſpers: God lets them proſper that ſo they might ſee the evil that is in their evil hearts: a ſhower of rain falling on the ground, it doth cauſe the weeds to appear, which otherwiſe would not appear. The Snake, in the Fable, when it was frozen, it could not ſting; but when it was in the boſome, in the warm, then it could ſting. The Moral is, when men are in a low condition, in a poor condition, then they cannot hurt, becauſe they have not power in their hand; but when they come to be warm with the proſperity of the World, then they will hurt and doe miſchief.
Secondly, God doth let wicked men proſper, that ſo their mouths might be ſtopped, and they may have nothing to ſay when God ſhall proceed in Judgement againſt them, when God ſhall ſay to them, I gave you mercies and you never performed your duty towards me; I gave you proſperity and you returned me no glory; and God ſhall ſay that ſuch a man that had no riches, no proſperity in the World which you had, and yet he did his duty, and had more grace, and brought me more glory then ever you have done; I have been bountiful towards you, but you have not been humble before me; you have had much from me, and yet returned little to me: this proſperity will be an Argument to ſtop their mouths that they ſhall not be able to ſpeak a word againſt God.
Thirdly, God doth let wicked men proſper, to this end, that ſo he might ſee whether his people will love God for himſelf, love Chriſt for his own ſake, whether they can love a naked God, a naked Chriſt, and a naked truth; for their own ſakes God doth it to try his people whether they will love holineſſe, and love grace, and love the ways of God, when they are paved with thorns, as well as when they are ſtrewed with roſes; and to ſee if his people will love Religion, when it is a perſecuted Religion; and to love holineſs and exact walking when it is ſcorned, and the profeſſors thereof reproached; and love Religion when it ſhall have neither power nor ſucceſſe on its ſide, rather then to love ſin and the ways of vanity when proſperity and profit, and pleaſure, and ſucceſſe, and all on that ſide: and this is one and whereby he doth try his own ſervants, by letting the men of the world proſper, to ſee if they will love God for himſelf.
Fourthly, That thereby it may haſten and aggravate the ruine of wicked men; what is the main end of putting Oxen into fat paſtures, but to fatten them up againſt the day of ſlaughter? So the Lord doth put wicked men into fat paſtures of proſperity and riches in this world; but it is for this end, to fatten them up againſt the day of flaughter, and to make them be a ſweeter morſel, not only for worms in the grave, but Divels in hell; God lets wicked men for to proſper, and to let them have the world at will; but it is that it might carry them with the more ſpeed into the place of darkneſſe, Pſal. 92. When the wicked ſpring up as graſſe, and all the workers of iniquity do flouriſh, that they might Pſal. 92.(ſaith he) be deſtroyed for ever.
Fifthly, That the proſperity of wicked men might be a ſhelter and deſence to his own people: What was the reaſon that Cyrus a wicked man ſhould ſo proſper in ſtrength and power in the world and to deſtory the Caldees and Baby lonians? he was a Heathen, and God did make uſe of him for his own peoples ſafety; it was by the hand of Cyrus that deliverance came to the poor Jews out of captivity. It was a queſtion what might be the reaſon that Egypt muſt be the fruitful place in the ſeaven years of famine, when all the Nations round about them had famine in them: now Gods end was this, that they might have proviſion to maintain his own people, and Jacob and his Sons: So the Cananites, the Land of Canaan, was never ſo fruitful as it was that very year that the Jews were to inherite it; now what was the reaſon? God did not love the Cananites: But they build houſes, and Gods people come and live in them; they ſhall plant Vineyards, and Gods people come and eat the fruit of them; it was for their ſakes that he ſuffered them to do this; God did not love Pharoah, and God did not love the Cananites; but God did love his own people, and for their ſakes he did all this, to let them proſper and thrive, and grow great in the world, that his own people might enjoy the lands for their poſſeſſion. Now you ſhall find that there are three Texts more particularly that do intimate and ſet forth this more clearly; the one is in Prov. 13. 22. A good man leaveth an inheritance to his childrens children, but the wealth Prov. 13. 22.of the ſinner is laid up for the juſt. It may be a wicked man will ſell his conſcience and ingage the ſoul and all to the Divel, and all to get a little wealth in the world; and God may ſuffer him to proſper in his ways, and to get wealth by this ſinful way; but what then? then the end will be, it ſhall be laid up for the juſt, they ſhall have it: God ſo orders it many times that that which wicked men do get, godly men enjoy. So likewiſe in Job 27. 16, 17. Though they heap up ſilver as the duſt, and prepare rayment as the clay. v. 16. Job 27. 16, 17.He may prepare it, but the juſt ſhall put it on, and the innocent ſhall divide the ſilver. This is the portion of wicked men, to heap up ſilver as duſt, and to prepare rayment as clay, &c. But this he may do, but the juſt ſhall divide it, and the innocent put it on; God will not let good men be ſo far tempted to get the world, but he lets wicked men imbrace that temptation; but after they have done, his own people ſhall enjoy it. The third and laſt place for this purpoſe is in Prov. 28 8. He that by uſury and unjuſt gain increaſeth his ſubſtance, he ſhall Prov. 28. 8.gather it for him that will pitie the poor. Therefore we ſee how that many men it may be go to hell for getting riches, and leave it to them that are godly and liberal to injoy that ſubſtance; and ſhall this trouble godly men? it may be thou ſeeſt wicked men get riches; he doth run the hazard of loſing a ſoul to get it, and thou injoy the benefit after him; the child that ſhall ſee his fathers ſhepherd to have many ſheep, ſhall the child envy him? he doth but keep them till his father dies. So do wicked men get the world, and run the hazard of a ſoul, and do not know who ſhall injoy what they have gotten; for godly men have a right to that which God ſuffers wicked men to injoy. I do not ſay they have a civil right, for that they have not; but they have a religious right, and a ſpiritual right to that and to all the World; for all the World is given unto you for your good; and though wicked men are ſuffered to proſper in the World, be not diſquieted at them.
Sixthly, God doth it for the ſpiritual good of his own people; when Gods people ſhall ſee that the wicked do proſper in the world, and they themſelves do not proſper in the world, this doth adminiſter an occaſion to them to live the life of faith. If God ſhould leave marks of diſpleaſure upon every one that provokes him, and marks of favour on every one that pleaſes him, then we would live by ſight and not by faith; but now in that time that they ſhall ſee themſelves to be perſecuted, and holineſſe to be derided and ſcorned at, and the profeſſors thereof to live low in the world, and to ſee wicked men to flouriſh and thrive, and grow great in proſperity of the world, and not afflicted as other men, but to live in all kind of pleaſure that the world can afford, and to have more then heart can wiſh; now this doth adminiſter an occaſion for the people of God to live by faith.
Seventhly, God doth ſuffer wicked men to flouriſh in proſperity in the world for this end, becauſe they living in ſuch power and proſperity, they are ordered by God for to do God ſome ſervice in the World: So you read that Jehu did God ſome ſervice in the world, he living in proſperity; and God did reward him for it, for he and his poſterity ſhould have the Kingdom for the ſpace of four Generations; and for this temporal ſervice, God gave him a temporal reward.
Secondly, Then as you are to conſider Gods ends in ſuffering wicked men for to proſper; ſo you are to conſider the wickeds end in living in proſperity, and in the conſideration thereof you will not be troubled at their proſperity: and that appears in theſe particulars.
Firſt, if you conſider, That outward proſperity it is all the portion that God hath allotted that wicked men ſhall enjoy for ever; they have no other, nor ſhall never have any other portion and happineſſe but in this world: therefore do not envy their proſperity. In Job 9. 24. The earth is given into the hands of the wicked: he covereth the faces of the Judges: Job. 9. 24,if not, where, and who is he? A wicked man he enjoyes the earth, but he doth enjoy no more; this is all his Heaven, all his Happineſs, all his Portion, all his Comfort, he ſhall have no Heaven to reward and receive him, no God, no Chriſt to ſmile upon him, no grace to be crowned with glory; nothing is given to them but only the proſperity of this world. So Pſ. 17. 14. David there prayes to God to be delivered from men Pſal. 17. 14.who have their part in this life, and portion in this life, whoſe belly thou filleſt with thy hid treaſure. God gives them their treaſure in this world; I but God giveth them none of the treaſure of Heaven, They ſhall never ſee his face, they ſhall never have the light of his countenance; no Communion with the Father, and with the Son, no joyes and comforts of the Holy Ghoſt, no true peace of conſcience, neither ſhall they ever enjoy any part amongſt thoſe that are ſanctified by faith in Chriſt: they have the earth in their hands, but nothing of Heaven in their hearts, they bear ſway in the world who are ſlaves to the world, they rule others at their will who are ſlaves to the will of Satan: they may have the treaſure of the world the portion of ſlaves; but they ſhall never have the inheritance of ſons: therefore do not envy them.
Secondly, Do not envy their proſperity on this ground, becauſe that they have the curſe of God that doth go along with all that they do enjoy in the world. In Prov. 3. 31. Prov. 3. 31.Envy not thou the Oppreſſor, (or the man of violence) nor chuſe none of his waies: Why? What is the reaſon? becauſe the Lords curſe is in the houſe of the wicked, ver. 33. So likewiſe Job 5. 3. I have ſeen the fooliſh taking root: but ſuddenly I curſed his habitation: Gods curſe goeth along with the proſperity of the wicked. Do not thou envy that which God curſeth, although they may have good things from God, yet they have never a good thought from God; nothing from him but his curſe and anger.
Thirdly, Gods end with the godly why he withholds proſperity from them.
1. Gods end is that he might give his people better things then outward proſperity in the World; he gives good things to them that are evil, but better things, ſpiritual and heavenly riches to them that are godly: he denieth evil things to his people, but he gives them good things: God keeps thee empty from the world, that ſo he might fill thy heart with grace, and with Jeuſs Chriſt; God lets thee enjoy leſſe of the world, that ſo he might give thee more of himſelf. God would not geve Moſes the land of Canaan, a temporal good; but God give Moſes Heaven, a ſpiritual and an eternal good: ſo God denieth thee outward proſperity to give thee inward grace, to have an inheritance among them that are ſanctified by faith in Chriſt; this he will give thee, but he will deny outward inheritances in this world: he doth cloth thee but meanly with the world, that ſo he might richly cloth thee with the righteouſneſs of his Son; he hath a Benjamin's meſſe, a rich portion for his children; a portion that lies not in duſt, and rubbiſh, but in ſpiritual bleſſings, in heavenly places; God doth not fill thy houſe with lumber, but he will fill thy heart with himſelf; he giveth thee little in this world, that he might give thee pardon of ſin, the love of Chriſt, and to give thee Heaven and Glory, and whatſoever may tend to make thee to be eternally glorious in Heaven.
2. God doth deny his people proſperity in this world, becauſe he ſees that they can hardly uſe proſperity well. David he was exceeding good when he lay under a low condition, and under perſecution; I but when David came to the Throne, and when he grew great, and rich, and in power, then he did heap up more ſin then he did before: ſo Solomon, what abundance of ſin did Solomon heap up not being able to uſe proſperity ſo well as he ſhould; his wealth did him more hurt then his wiſdome did him good. When God gives you proſperity in the world, it is a hundred to one if you uſe it well; ſhould God give you full gales of proſperity and fill you with the world, it would over-turn your little veſſel; therefore God doth deny you that which he will ſuffer wicked men to have to their own ruine. Proſperity in the world doth deſtroy more then troubles, and bonds, and perſecution doth; more are ſlain by proſperity in their Chamber, then by the ſword in the field: therefore it is a mercy for God to deny his people that which would doe them ſo much hurt.
Uſe. The Uſe is this, If it be ſo that Gods people are denied of the proſperity of the world: O then do not cenſure Gods people becauſe they are but mean in the world: there is an aptneſs in men to run into two extremes.
1. For to juſtifie men who do proſper in an evil courſe; and
2. To condemn thoſe who do not proſper in the world in a good way.
Firſt, Do not cenſure thoſe who do not proſper in a good way: It is poſſible that the Church of God, that hath God, and Chriſt, and the truth, and all on their ſides, and yet not to have victorie; for to cenſure men by this, you may by the ſame reaſon cenſure Chriſt, and the Church of old, and by the ſame reaſon you might juſtifie the Turk and Pope, and condemn Chriſt, if you ſhould paſſe your cenſure by the victory and prevailing party; for enemies have much prevailed againſt the Church: do not cenſure becauſe of ſucceſs, and that you may free your ſelves from this unjuſt cenſure, take this conſideration. It is a Metaphor drawn from the Trees, the one applyed to Chriſt, the other to Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon in Daniel 4. 22. from verſe 4. to 12. mention is made of this viſion where the King ſaw a Tree, It was in the midſt of the Earth, and the height thereof was great, ver. 10. The Tree grew and was ſtrong, and the height thereof reached to Heaven, and the ſight thereof unto the end of all the Earth, the leaves thereof fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was me…t for all: the beaſts of the field had ſhadow under it, and the fowls of the Heaven did dwell in the ſhadow of it, and all fleſh was fed of it. This is to be underſtood of Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon, of his Kingdom: which did ſpread over all the earth. Now again it is ſpoken of Chriſt, in Iſa. 53. 2, 3, For he ſhall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor conelineſs in him: Iſa. 53. 2, 3.and when we ſhall ſee him, no beauty that we ſhould deſire him. This is the Teſtimony of this Tree, this is meant of Jeſus Chriſt; and yet this Tree, there is no form or beauty that we ſhould deſire it: this Tree was nothing comparable to the Kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar for power and greatneſs, and riches in the world, and yet Jeſus Chriſt muſt be a deſoiſed plant. So likewiſe when you ſee the men of the world for to proſper, and to live in proſperity in the world, do not cenſure them, that are as low plants in the world, poor and low: if you doe, you muſt condemn Jeſus Chriſt, and the Church of God, and the generation of the juſt.
Secondly, Do not juſtifie the wicked though they do proſper in the world: you muſt not therefore judge their cauſe good, becauſe they proſper. The Papiſts make their proſperity and ſucceſſes to be an argument of the truth of their Church, and their proſperity to be an argument of their being in the right way. Many men make this to be a ſtanding mark, and upon all occaſions will be ready to juſtifie evil actions with this, Do you not ſee them proſper? all breach of Covenant, and all wickedneſſe and ſinful actions, they are ready to juſtifie them, becauſe they proſper, and none to lift up a hand againſt them; and becauſe they carry all before them: this is as bad an action as the Papiſts, they make proſperity to be an argument of the goodneſſe of the cauſe, and the truth of their Church. When Dionyſius had robbed the Church and carried all away that they had, he could then ſay, (to juſtifie his action) Behold, how the Gods favour us! he made his proſperity to be an argument to juſtifie his ſacriledge. When men have full gales of wind in the proſperity of the World, and when they do proſper in an evil courſe and none to diſturbe them, and all is well with them and the World at will, then can they laugh in their ſleeve, and think that the God of Heaven doth juſtifie them in all their actions; they have Armies on their ſide, and ſtrength and powers of the World on their ſide; but we have truth on our ſide, and God on our ſide; and though the Church and People of God may be in the duſt, may be trampled under foot by wicked men; yet the time ſhall come that the Church and People of God ſhall prevail: therefore do not juſtifie the wicked in an evil way.
Thirdly, Labour to abound in grace, as you doe in bleſſings. We read of an Altar made by Moſes, and alſo we read of an Altar made by Solomon, and that which he made, was Exodus 27.four times bigger then that which Moſes made, becauſe Solomon had more riches then Moſes had, and more peace: Moſes's was made in the Wilderneſſe, Solomon's in Canaan. I may allude to this, You that God hath beſtowed much riches, and cauſed you to proſper in the World, whoſe eſtates in the World are four times bigger then others are; now God doth require four times more ſervice from you then he doth from others. You whoſe eſtates are great and come upon you yearly without pains and labour, God doth expect that you ſhould imploy your ſelves to his glory, to bring God glory anſwerable to what is required of you, more then he doth expect from handy-craft tradesmen in the world, though they muſt ſerve God in the performance of thoſe duties which God requires of them; they muſt ſequeſter ſo much time from their callings, and rob their back to ſerve God, and pinch their bellies to do their duties: but this is a good exchange to rob their bodies to ſave their ſouls. It was ſaid of the Athenians, the beſt Land and the beſt Laws, fruntentis uterentur, legibus nequaquam, they made uſe of their Land, but neglected their Laws; take heed your mercies do not make you forget your duties.
Fourthly, Admire not the proſperity of wicked men. Haec bona ne putentur mala, dantur bonis, & rurſus no putentur ſumma bona dantur & malis, Aug, Epiſt. 70. theſe good things that they might not be accounted evil, are given to good men, and leſt they ſhould be thought the onelyonly good, are given to wicked men: If there be any thing better then other, the worſt men ſhall never have them. Now grace is the beſt good in all the World; therefore the beſt men ſhall have it. Now the riches of the World, is the worſt riches; therefore wicked men ſhall proſper therein. Proſperity is not the beſt good, becauſe it is that which God uſually doth deny his beloved people, and his dear children, and beſtoweth it on them that are the worſt men. Now when he ſhall deny it to his ſons, and beſtow it on ſlaves, it is an argument it is not the beſt good: and thus much for the firſt Head for which Gods people are apt to be caſt down.