The True Christians T est, Part 2 · Meditation 48
MEDITAT. XLVIII. A further Motive to the love of God.
LAſtly, Let us conſider with our ſelves, that whatever inducement there is to the Love of the World, there is the ſame to the Love of God, and greater. Is there any worthy conſideration, that recommends the World to our Affections, and does not the ſame recommend God? I will not here again think of the beauty or excellency of the Creatures, having already ſhewed, that the God that made any of them excellent, muſt needs be more excellent than they.
Do we Love the World for its convenience and agreeableneſs to our Appetites? Meats and Drinks becauſe they gratifie our Hunger and Thirſt? Fields becauſe we are ſerved by them? Sleep becauſe we are refreſht by it? Warm Houſes, becauſe they are a defence to us? Friends, becauſe they are a Kin to us, becauſe they Love us or aſſiſt us? Goods and Cattle, becauſe they bring in Money or Money becauſe it anſwers all things? And is not God the moſt agreeable good to us? Have not our Souls their appetites as well as our Bodies? And what can gratifie and perfect our Underſtanding, Wills and Affections, but Truth and Goodneſs? yea, and as to Corporeal Appetites, although God has ordained ſuch things, as Meat and Drink, and S…p, Houſes and Friends and Money for our gratification, …freſhment, defence, aſſiſtance, yet he can perform all th…ſe for us without the help of thoſe. Man liveth not by Bread alone, but by every Word that proceed…th out of the Mouth of God, who can maintain us and refreſh us forty days, yea forty years or ages, if he pleaſe, without Meat, or Drink, or Sleep. He is nearer a Kin to us than any Relation, and can aſſiſt and comfort us in the abſence of Lovers and Friends, and take care … even … our Father and Mother do caſt us off. An… … ſhould be granted to ſupply the want of all things, … God is more full and agreeable, who can ſupply the want of Money it ſelf: They were Rich men and wanted no good thing, nay, they made many Rich, and gave ſuch good things as Money cannot purchaſe, who ſaid, Silver and Gold we have none. But (to digreſs a little) I ſee no reaſon to grant ſuch an omnipotence to Money, nor (with the leave of the …) ſuch a Tranſlation of the Text, whether we … [all things] or [all men.] By anſwering all things … be meant, that it ſtands inſtead of all things: It could no… ſtand inſtead of Meat to Midas, who ſtarv'd in the midſt of his Gold: for though men ſhould eat Gold, as …hey ſay the Jews did in the Siege of Jeruſalem, it would not keep them from famiſhing: It could not ſtand inſtead of Drink to the thirſty King; if it could, he that had ſo much of it, would not have been ſo prodigal as to offer a Kingdom for a Cup of Water. It cannot ſtand inſtead of ſo mean a thing as Apparel; he that is never ſo well loaden with thick Clay, may for all that be in ſuch Circumſtances, that he ſtarves with Cold. Neither by anſwering all things, can be meant, that it can purchaſe all things and furniſh men with whatever they want. If it could, how comes Money and the want of the moſt deſirable thing in the World to be ſo compatible, as in our own Language to be made up into one Word▪ called the Rich-Gout. It often happens, that Health cannot be purchaſed with Money. Aegro Dives habet n…mm…s ſ…d … habet ipſ…m. Liberty is often not recoverable, Life not preſer…a…le by Money. The poor Apoſtle might have had his Liberty, if he had had Money; But the King of Judah had Money enough, and yet could not get his Liberty. Rich men may fall into the Hands of ſuch men, that will not regard Silver nor delight in Gold, that they ſhould receive a ranſome for them from thence, Iſ …3. 17. And as for Ingenuity, Learning, Wiſdom, Grace, one may ſay of them as Wiſe Solomon (who did Simul amare, & ſap… re, Cant. 2. 9.) ſays, concerning Love, If a Man would give all the ſubſtance of his Houſe for them, it would utterly be contemned, nay rejected with Scorn, thy Money periſh with thee.
Neither is it true, That Money anſwereth all men, as others interpret it, who thus Paraphraſe upon the Words, Let there be Money and all M…n have their Hearts deſire. For there are many in the World, that prefer the Favor of God, and their own Conſciences before Thouſands of Gold and Silver. Nay, and thoſe very men, who love Money beſt, and have moſt of it too, are not yet anſwered, they are not ſatisfy'd by Money, I could heartily wiſh for the ſake of thoſe that Damn themſelves with the Love of Money, and take encouragement ſo to do from this Text, that the Tranſlation of it were amended, or the Senſe fully explained by the juſt conſideration of the Context, according to the learned Tremellius, the judicious Cartwright, or if any one can do it better.
Do men love the World becauſe it is pleaſant to them, they ſee and taſt and handle it? I confeſs the World by being ſo nigh our Senſes, does affect and charm them: But is not God as nigh to us as any thing in the World? The inviſible things of him, are ſeen by the things that are made, praeſentem monſtrat quae libet herba deum. Well might the Apoſtle ſay, He is not far from every one of us, (Act. 17. 27.) Which is but a Rhetorical Meioſis, for he is very nigh to every one of us; ſo nigh, that he is in us, and over us, and round about us; or rather indeed we are in him, who is the infinite Goodneſs and omnipotent Life, containing all things in himſelf. God is as nigh to our Reaſons as the World is to our Senſes, and it is as eaſie and obvious to conclude, that ſome one made the World, as it is to ſee that it is made.
Do men love the World becauſe they apprehend it neceſſary to them, they cannot live contentedly and pleaſantly, nor indeed live at all without it? This may be preſumed to be one of the faireſt excuſes for the Love of the World: For who can chooſe but love that which is neceſſary to Life? How can any man live without Money as the World goes? In extream old Age we ſhall be forſaken and miſerable, if we have not Eſtates, therefore we will ſtick at nothing to get them whilſt we are young.
This neceſſarineſs of the World may indeed juſtifie the moderate induſtry of Men for the obtaining of a competent Portion of it: but it will never juſtify coveting after abundance, nor the predominant Love of the World. For Life it ſelf, for whoſe ſake, we ſay, we Love the World, is in it ſelf but a mean thing, and not very deſirable; and in compariſon of the favour of God, abominable, and to be hated. But ſuppoſing Life never ſo deſirable, and conſequently the World neceſſary, and conſequently the Love of it juſtifiable, yet certainly God is more neceſſary to us than the World or any thing in it. Our Souls are ſure more excellent than our Lives, and conſequently the Grace of God, which is the Life and Happineſs of Souls, more neceſſary than the World can be to the maintainance of Life. It is not neceſſary to us to Live, but it is neceſſary to be Saved: If a Man loſe his Life he may find it again, but if he loſe his Soul, it is paſt Recovery. Without the World we cannot Live, therefore it is neceſſary: without God we cannot be Saved, therefore He is more neceſſary; Nay indeed neither can we Live without h… ▪ it is becauſe he is that we are, and if we could ſuppoſe that he ſhould withdraw himſelf from the World, it may eaſily be conceived, That the World would hide its Head, and ſteal away into its firſt nothing.