The True Christians T est, Part 1 · Meditation 26 – Meditation 27
MEDITAT. XXVI. Of the inordinate Love of Life.
COnſidering the World Phyſically, I muſt a little meditate upon Natural Life, as a Phyſical Good. I need not employ my thoughts about the lawfulneſs of a ſubordinate Love of Life, a Doctrine eaſily entertain'd, without the aſſiſtance of any Arguments or Motives; but I will here meditate upon theſe three following Poſitions.
Firſt, If any man love this Natural Life more than Truth and Righteouſneſs, that he would rather chuſe to live ſinfully, than not to live, he is a predominant Lover of the world.
Secondly, If a man be not willing to lay down his Life at the Will of God, he is a Lover of the World.
Thirdly, If any man be content to ſpend his Eternity in this world, though it were in a ſinleſs ſtate, but imperfect, he is not arriv'd at that degree of Divine Love as becomes us to aſpire after.
Concerning the firſt of theſe: It muſt needs be confeſt, that the Devil gueſs'd ſhrewdly, that Job, as good as he was, would quit his integrity, at leaſt to ſave his Life; go about to take that from him, and he would quit that patience and ſubmiſſion that he had ſhew'd in his other Loſſes. And, oh God, How many have quitted their Integrity, to ſave their Lives! How many have proſtituted their Bodies in Acts of Adultery, their Souls in Acts of Idolatry, to preſerve the Union betwixt Soul and Body! How many cowardly Soldiers of Chriſt, to ſave their Lives, have over-run their Colours, forſaken their Profeſſion, renounc'd the Truth! It is ſaid that the Papiſts, in the Iriſh Rebellion, made ſome to renounce the Truth, to ſave their Lives, and then killed them. A complete Murder indeed, to kill Soul and Body at once. How many have deny'd the Lord that bought them, blaſphemed, ſaid even to Sin it ſelf, Make me as one of thy hired Servants, put me to any drudgery whatſoevere, ſo I may but eat Bread and live. Theſe are they that find their Lives in the loſs of their Souls, but they ſhall loſe them. Alas! there are too many that will commit any ſin, as well as undergo any ſlavery, to live: Many Jaberites, that to ſave their Lives, ſuffer (at leaſt) one of their eyes to be put out▪ I mean, embrace Idolatry in a blind obedience.
And is Life ſo ſweet, as to be preferred before Truth, Righteouſneſs, and Holineſs? ſo ſweet, as to be preferred before God the uncreated Life? It is indeed the higheſt Temptation, as the Devil too truly intimated; and they are more excuſable that ſin to preſerve Life, than they that ſin to maintain Honour or Eſtate; but yet inexcuſable too. The Church would not do ſo, Pſal. 44. 17. All this is come upon us, yet have we not forgotten thee, nor dealt falſly in thy Covenant.
But did not Peter, to ſave his Life, deny his Lord? Yes, and Peter was in that Act a predominant Lover of the world. We know how dear it coſt him: And if any man will encourage himſelf by his example, let him be ſure of his Repentance, before he venture as he did. Many have deny'd their Lord, and never owned him more; have ſo run away, as never to return or look back; and that by a juſt judgment of God, who thereupon gives men up to believe Lyes: and commonly the next thing is, to find out ways to juſtifie and defend their ſin.
To prefer Life before Truth under any Temptation, is a ſingle Act of worldly Love; but being convinc'd of the ſin, yet to live in it, onelyonly to preſerve the Life ſo ſtolen, denominates an habitual Lover of the world. Peter ſaved his Life, by abjuring his Lord; but he did not maintain it ſo. Yea, ſome have given back their Lives ſo feloniouſly obtained to the flames; have ſought out the Executioner, have voluntarily offered up their Lives, as being unwilling to keep them upon ſuch baſe terms.
All that uſe unjuſt means to preſerve Life, and allow themſelves in the uſe of ſuch means, are predominant Lovers of the world.
Lord, let me hate that Life, that must be purchaſed at ſo dear a rate, as Divine diſpleaſure!
The Kings of Iſrael, one conſulting the God of Ekron, the other the Witch of Endor, are recorded for wicked men, and were ſadly rewarded too; both loſt their Lives, ſeeking unduly to preſerve them: ſo true is that of Chriſt, in more ſenſes than one, He that findeth his Life, ſhall loſe it.
Many things may be quitted to preſerve Life: Whether Abraham told a Lye or no to ſave his Life, or David ſinned in denying his reaſon before the King of Gath, or the Hebrew Midwives lyed to ſave the Lives of the Infants, is doubtful; much may be ſaid to clear them all. But that a man may with Abraham, deny himſelf of the Converſation of his Wife for a time; forſake his Countrey with David, yea, though the Houſe of God were there; that he may make ſome diſguiſes of himſelf; that he may uſe ſome pretences and excuſes, is evident from the example of Samuel, when he went to anoint David; and Jeremiah, when he diſcours'd the King about rendering up the City to the Caldeans. It is evident, that men may part with their Eſtates to ſave their Lives, as in the caſe of danger of Shipwrack; or with ſome part of their Liberty, as Chriſt quitted his opportunity of teaching the People for a time; that they may with Moſes, forſake their Countrey, and their Fathers Houſe: But it will in no caſe become lawful, to quit ones Integrity for the preſervation of Life; to prefer Life, before Virtue; and ſo, Propter vitam vivendi perdere cauſas. Lord, mortifie this Love, this inordinate Love of Life, which puts us upon ſo many ſinful ſhifts to maintain it, and let us love Life only in thee!
MEDITAT. XXVII. Of Unwillingneſs to Dye.
2dly, IF any man be not willing to lay down his Life at the Will of God, he is a Lover of the world.
The Will of God is juſt, righteous, pure, perfect, and more deſirable than Life it ſelf. The Will of God is God himſelf, and he that reſiſteth, or oppoſeth, or is not chearfully ſubject to the Will of God, whether his preceptive or diſpoſitive Will, is a Rebel.
Alas! How little Conſcience do men ordinarily make of inward hearty ſubmiſſion to the Will of God! They are always reckoning theſe Murmurings and Diſcontents, and Acts of Self-will, amongſt humane infirmities, at worſt; but ſuch as they deſire not to be cured of neither. God ſays, Come away; the ſelfiſh worldly Nature cryes, I will not come, or yet a while longer. And what is Rebellion, if this be not? It cannot be, but that God takes ill all that reluctancy and lothneſs that is found in us, as he did in Lot, and eſpecially Lot's Wife.
Remember her, O my Soul, when ever thou offerest fondly to look after worldly things, in any way of reluctancy against the Will of God!
But it will be ſaid, Have not good men been unwilling to dye, when they have known it to be the Will of God to remove them? Was not Hezekiah loth to ſtir, when he had a Meſſage ſent him from Heaven, Set thine houſe in order, for thou ſhalt dye?
To this I reply, If good men have been guilty of this Lothneſs and Non-compliance, it is no part of their goodneſs. Good men are never the better for many things that are recorded of them in Scripture; yea, make the beſt we can of it, certainly it is an imperfection to be loth to dye; and if it be no worſe, I am ſure a wiſe man will not be proud of it, nor a good man pleas'd with it.
The beſt and moſt perfect Saints have been uſually willing to dye. There was no more to do with Aaron, but Go up into this Mountain, and put off thy Cloaths, and dye there; and he went up and undreſt himſelf, and dyed. No more to do with Moſes, but Go up into this Mountain, and ſee the Land of Canaan, and dye; and he went up and ſaw, and dyed. If I ſhould here ſtand to take a View of the way of the Saints entertaining Death, I ſhould find that all of them entertain'd the Summons of Death contentedly, many chearfully, and ſome not ſo much chearfully as greedily: onelyonly Hezekiah deſired to live a little longer, to ſee the Kingdom ſettled, and (as it ſhould ſeem) to ſee an Heir of the Crown, and it muſt be made an example to encourage Lingringneſs, and Lothneſs to dye. It's true, he prayed to live, but whether he was abſolutely unwilling to dye or no, or whether he reſiſted the Will of God, I dare not determine, and I know no body can prove: For even Chriſt himſelf prayed, That the Cup might paſs from him; yet with ſubmiſſion of his Will, Not my Will, but thy Will be done.