The Life of Faith, Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII. What a dangerous temptation the world is, What it is to overcome the world. The Story of Conſtantius his Courtiers. The Parable of the thorny ground. Luke 8.14. opened. How Faith overcomes the world. Heb. 11.24, &c. illuſtrated. Matth. 6.30, &c. cleared. How Faith overcomes by looking to the recompence of reward. How it diſcovers the vanity of the world, 1 Cor. 7.29, &c.
THe world in our ſpiritual conflict is as the Midianitiſh women which cauſed the Children of Iſrael to ſin, Numb. 31.16. according to the wicked counſel of Balaam, ſpoken of Rev. 2.14. the ſtory of which we may read, Num. 25. and more fully in Joſ. de Ant. Jud. l. 4. c. 6. And though the neceſſaries of this life ſometimes prove a temptation to many, yet the chief baits of the world are the ſuperfluities of it, as riches, pleaſures, honors, and preferments. Now as the Moraliſt ſaith of vices, we conflict with them, not that we may wholly overcome them, but that we may not be overcome by them: So if we can maintain our ground ſo farr againſt the world, that it doth not intangle and overcome us, it is a good degree of victory, though we be ſometimes ſolicited by the allurements of it. And we thus overcome the world.
1. When we do not uſe any unlawfull means for the attainment of the things of it. This was it which that good man feared, Prov. 30.9. that being preſſed with poverty and want, he ſhould be tempted for the ſupply of his neceſſities to take ſome ſinfull courſe, and ſo make his Profeſſion of the name of God to become vain.
2. When we do not for the things of the world caſt off the Profeſſion of Religion; like the Courtiers of Conſtantius, whoſe Story is worth ſetting down: The Chriſtians were ſometimes in great eſteem with the heathen Emperours, becauſe by means of their Prayers they ſometimes obtained great victories, and had wonderfull ſucceſſe, whereof there is a memorable inſtance in the Letter of Aurelius, which he ſent to the Senate of Rome, the copy of which is to be read in the Magdeburgenſes Cent. 2. cap. 3. ſo that Conſtantius had a minde to know whether there were any true Chriſtians in his Court; and to that end made a Decree, that whoſoever would ſacrifice to their Idols ſhould be preferred in his Court: but thoſe that would not muſt depart, and be thankfull that they might depart without puniſhment: Hereupon many did renounce their profeſſion, others reſolutely maintained it, and would not by any means be prevailed with to worſhip their falſe Gods. Constantius, when he had hereby made tryall who were ſincere in their Profeſſion, and would rather loſe their honors and Preferments than quit it, theſe he highly honoured and advanced, but the other he ſeverely reproved, and baniſhed them from his Court, as being unfit to be truſted by men, who would not be faithfull to God, Euſebius, de vita Constantini, & Hiſtor. Trip. L. 1. c. 7. So the young man, Matt. 19.22. left Chriſt, being overcome with the love of riches: and thoſe John 12.42. had ſome convictions that Chriſt was the Meſſiah, but durſt not make confeſſion to Salvation, becauſe they loved the praiſe of men more than the praiſe of God; as many doubtleſs are ready to ſay with Balaam, Numb. 23.10. Let me die the death of the righteous, being convinced they are in the right way, yet think if they ſhould live their life, and betake themſelves to a ſtrict courſe of holineſs, they ſhould be accounted ſome ſilly ſneaksbies, or dull hypocondriaques, men of no port or breeding, among the eſprits forts, or brave gallants of the time; and they will loſe heaven rather than runne the hazzard of ſuch an imputation.
But yet there is a 3. way, farr more dangerous, whereby the world prevails againſt multitudes, and this is intimated in the Parable of the thorny ground, Luke 8.14. thoſe do not fall away, as they v. 13. but hold on in a Profeſſion of Religion; but it comes to nothing at laſt, they bring forth no fruit to perfection, being choked with cares, and riches, and pleaſures of the world, they deceive themſelves by thinking to ſerve both God and mammon, to keep up a Profeſſion of Religion, which will conſiſt with their luſts & carnal intereſts. Now theſe things hinder the growth of the Word, as thornes hinder the growth of the corne, 1. by drawing away the heart of the earth, whereby the corne ſhould thrive and grow, 2. by overtopping the corne, and keeping it down. While theſe ſhould be meditating in the Word of God day and night, having their thoughts much exerciſed therein. that ſo they may be as a tree planted by the rivers of water, bringing forth fruit in due ſeaſon, Pſal. 1.2, 3. they have their thoughts wholly taken up with diſtracting cares about the neceſſaries of this life, what they ſhall eat, and what they ſhall drink, and wherewith they ſhall be cloathed, Matth. 6.31. Or if their abundance ſet them above this temptation, then riches or pleaſures ingroſs their thoughts; they are either projecting, how for the future to make proviſion for the fleſh, to fulfill the luſts of it, Rom. 13.14. how to compaſs ſuch a place, or purchaſe, where to meet with ſuch company to enjoy their pleaſure, how to morrow may be as this day, and much more abundant, Iſa. 56.12. or elſe they are acting over their former ſinne… in their imagination, that they may again enjoy the pleaſure thereof by rumination, pleaſing themſelves with the remembrance of what they did in the dayes of old, Ezek. 23.19. at ſuch a time, in ſuch a place, in ſuch company, which is worſe than the firſt commiſſion of it, being in effect a juſtifying of their former ſin, and wiſhing they had an opportunity to commit it again upon ſecond thoughts, (which ſhould be wiſer than former) every one knowes beſt himſelf how much of his ſolitary time is thus taken up; and ſuch thoughts as theſe prey upon the vitalls of Chriſtianity, as the diſeaſe called the wolfe preys upon the body. Or elſe, as the thornes overtop the corne; theſe make a profeſſion of Religion, and bear Chriſt fair in hand, while they can make his intereſt and theirs agree; but if they have an opportunity for ſatisfying their luſts: Chriſt muſt be ſerved as the man, Luke 14.8. he muſt take the loweſt room, to give place to another, and make way for their luſts. This was Herod's caſe, who heard John gladly, and did many things which he taught, but he muſt enjoy his pleaſure whatever John ſaid, Mark 6.17, 20. This is the ruine of thouſands of ſoules, who have a form of godlineſs, but are lovers of pleaſures, or elſe lovers of riches, and honors, more than lovers of God, 2 Tim. 3.4, 5. Now it is by Faith that we overcome theſe, This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith, 1 John 5.4. a clear proof hereof we have in Moſes, Hebr. 11.24. in whom God would let us ſee the victory of Faith as clearly as we did in Solomon the vanity of the world. Obſerve in this place the ſtrength of Moſes temptation, his abſolute conqueſt, and the means whereby he overcame: to enforce the Temptation he had on one hand, the offer of being accounted the ſon of Pharaoh's daughter, there was honor, ver. 24.2. the pleaſures of ſin, verſe 25.3. the Treaſures of Egypt, verſe 26. and if upon refuſall of theſe he might have lived quietly, and enjoyed a competent eſtate, the temptation had been ſmall in compariſon: but on the other hand he was preſented with reproaches, afflictions, and the wrath of the King, which is as the roaring of a lion, Prov. 19.12. yet Moſes choſe theſe rather than the former: Many make a vertue of neceſſity, and deſpiſe thoſe things which they have no hopes or means to attain: but in ſuch a caſe there is no temptation. Moſes had his choice of theſe, and we ſee what it was, that he preferred to all theſe offers of the world, not the glory which ſhall hereafter be revealed in us, Rom. 8.18. but the reproach of Chriſt, ver. 26. And the time when he did this is conſiderable, it was not when he was young and unable to judge of the worth of theſe things, but when he was come to years, even when he was forty years old, Acts 7.23. neither was he then likely to be perſwaded to it by his mother: and all this he did by faith, ver. 24.
Now Faith overcomes theſe temptations:
1. As it relies firmly on the Promiſe and Providence of God. This will keep us from anxious cares, or the uſe of unlawfull means for the neceſſaries of this life. There is a known Story of a Good Man, who being in a ſtrait for mony, told his wife, he had a Bond lying by him, and now all failed he would go put that in ſuit, and this was the Promiſe of God, that he would never fail him, nor forſake him, Heb. 13.5. And ſuch a promiſe is better ſecurity to Faith than if we had the beſt eſtate in the Land morgaged to us. Though a man ſhould ſay to his ſoul, with him, Luke 12.19. Thou haſt goods laid up for many years. Riches may take to themſelves wings, and fly as an eagle towards the heavens, Prov. 23.5. quite out of ſight, and never to be recalled; but whoever wants, he that ſeeks the Lord ſhall want no good thing, that is, nothing that is formally good for him, Pſal. 34.10. It is better to be at Gods finding, than to live upon a ſtock in our own hands. One would have thought Elijah had been well provided of water, if he had been as ſure of meat, 1 Kings 17. he ſate by a brook, but his meat was to be brought him by ravens, no very truſty ſervants; but the brook failed, when we do non read the ravens failed him: he had a ſupply of water according to the ordinary courſe of nature, his meat in a ſpeciall way of Providence. And Faith will likewiſe rely upon Providence as well as upon a Promiſe. Mat. 6.30, &c. we have
1. The ſin which Chriſt reproves, that was over ſolicitous care about the things of the world
2. The cauſe of theſe diſtracting cares, that was, The weakneſſe of their Faith, ver. 30.
3. The Arguments which he uſeth for the ſtrengthening of their faith; and amongſt many others, one is taken from Gods generall Providence, for all creatures, verſ. 28. another, from his ſpeciall providence for his own children, ver. 32.
Secondly, Faith overcomes the world, as it hath reſpect to the Recompenſe of Reward, Heb. 11.26, 27. For firſt, we thereby ſee the excellency of ſpirituall things, which doth much abate our eſteem of the world, and conſequently the force of the temptation. Theſe things having no glory in compariſon of that glory which excells, as the Apoſtle ſaith in another caſe, 2 Cor. 3.10. ſo faith diſdains the offers of the world in compariſon with Chriſt; as a Merchant would the offer of ſome contemptible thing for an exceeding rich jewell. So whatever the Devil can offer the ſoul in lieu of heaven, though he ſhould make the offer which he did to Chriſt, Matth. 4.8, 9. The Believer would by faith diſdain to hear him, or to look to him, and be filled with indignation againſt him, as offering him incomparably leſſe, yea nothing in compariſon with that which he would bereave him of. Super omnem estimationem & cogitationem, & cogitatum minus quam decens ſit, & nihil prorſus comparatione illius: Gu…l. Pariſienſ. de Tentat. & reſiſt. prope finem. Away fawning pleaſures, that would bereave me of thoſe pleaſures which are at Gods right hand for evermore: begone deceitfull and vaniſhing honors, which would beguile me of that glory of which I can never be diveſted, from which I ſhall never be degraded. Valeat vita, pereat pecunia, &c. Farewell riches, farewell life, if I cannot enjoy you without the loſſe of Eternal life, of a Kingdome that hath no end, an Inheritance that fadeth not away. But further, Faith having reſpect to the recompence of reward, can by patience wait for it: Omne peccatum impatientiae aſcribendum: Every ſin is to be aſcribed to impatience, ſaith Tertullian de patientia, c. 5. When men like the Prodigal, muſt have their portions preſently, Luke 15.12. muſt have their good things in this life, Luke 16.25. cannot be content to be guided by Gods counſel here, and brought to glory hereafter, as Aſaph, Pſalm 37.24. Faith can ſtay, being the ſubstance of things hoped for, Heb. 11.1. reſting as quietly in expectation thereof, in confidence of Gods faithfullneſs, as if they had already a reall ſubſiſtence.
Thirdly, Faith overcomes the world, as we thereby diſcover the vanity of it. Faith eaſily ſees through the world, and ſo eaſily contemns it, ſees the bottome of theſe things, as the Spaniſh Ambaſſadour did the bottome of the Venetians coffers, when they ſhewed him their Treaſure. Senſe is blinde, and cannot ſee afarre off, 2 Pet. 1.7. But Faith is a perſpective which makes things at a diſtance ſeem as at hand. Pariſienſis de Tent. L. 4. tells us a Story of a young man of Burgundy, that alwayes carried about with him the skull of a very beautifull woman, whom he had known in her life time, ('tis likely) that when at any time he found himſelf enticed by the beauty of any, he might look upon that skull, and deſpiſe it, conſidering what that will be brought to, in a ſhort time, which he is now ſo apt to doat upon: and as Gregory, Qualis erat mortua caro quae viva concupiſcitur. Faith needs not ſuch helps, but can look upon all the glory of the world, and weep over it, as Xerxes over his Army of ſo many hundred thouſands: Or, as Chriſt on the buildings of the Temple, wherewith the Diſciples were ſo much taken, Mat. 24.1. thinking how ſoon we ſhall deſpiſe or lament the ruines of what men now ſo much admire. The Apoſtle, upon this ground. 1 Cor. 7.29. bids, that thoſe who have wives ſhould be as if they had none; and they that weep as though they wept not; and they that rejoyce as if they rejoyced not; and they that buy, as if they poſseſſed not; and they that uſe this world as not abuſing it, for the faſhion of this world paſſeth away. No more effectuall Conſideration, to moderate our affections to the things of the world, and ſo prevent the abuſe thereof, than that of the vain appearance of happineſs which is in them, and their tranſient nature: Neither the comforts which we rejoyce in, nor the croſſes which we weep for, will be of any long continuance: Ce n'est qu'une ombre paſſagere qui s'en va & une vaine apparence du bien, Amyrald in loc. A flitting ſhadow quickly gon, A vain ſhew or appearance of happineſſe. Seneca hath a paſſage, Epiſt. 110, which may ſerve for good gloſs upon this place, Quid miratis? Pompa est: ostenduntur istae res, non poſſidentur: dum placent, tranſeunt. When I behold (ſaith he) a brave houſe, a gallant train, &c. I ſay with my ſelf, Why doeſt thou wonder? &c. all theſe things are meer pageantry, a ſhew which is gone while we pleaſe our ſelves with it. He could ſee thus farr by reaſon; but a Believer may much more clearly diſcerne theſe things by the eye of Faith.