The Great Duty of Self-Resignation to the Divine Will, Section 2 · Chapter 15
CHAP. XV. That the frequent consideration of the great Recompence of Reward is a mighty help to the attaining of Self-Resignation.
15. TEnthly and lastly: In order to the attaining of Self-Resignation, let us look to the great recompence of Reward. Let us with an eye of faith frequently look upon the promise of eternal life, the prize that is set before us, the Crown of Life and Glory, that fadeth not away, reserved in Heaven for all obedient and resigned Souls.
It is said of Iesus, Heb. xii. 2. that for the joy that was set before him, he endured the Cross, (as exquisitely painful as it was) and despised the shame; all the mockings and insultings of his enemies over him, and the vile ignominy and infamy of his Death.
And in conformity to him a Christian may be enabled to endure the inward Cross, in being crucified to the world, in dying to sin and his own corrupt will, by eying stedfastly the joy and glory set before him, by often contemplating the future Reward, which is infinitely above all the labours that accompany Self-Resignation, and the pains and sorrows that do attend it.
The Great Apostle of the Gentiles, who was acquainted not onelyonly with the greatest sufferings from the world, and the labours and pains of Mortification and Self-denial, but also with this blessed Reward, (having been rapt up into Paradise, where he saw and heard unutterable things) he (I say) having well weighed both, doth thus pronounce, Rom. viii. 18. I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared (bear no proportion) with the glory that shall be revealed in us. If the sufferings be laid in one ballance, and the glorious Reward in the other, the Glory will unspeakably outweight them: For it is a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory; in comparison of which our heaviest afflictions are but light, and our longest but for a moment.
That God is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek him, 2 Cor. iv. 17.is the first principle to be believed in Religion, without which all our motions and endeavours therein will be weak and feeble. And the End of our Faith & Obedience being much in our eye, the excellency and infinite desireableness thereof will sweeten all that sowrness, and take away all that unpleasantness which may be in the means.
A firm Belief and frequent fixed thoughts on the heavenly Reward would fill our hearts with joy and strength, and carry us with great ease through whatsoever difficulties lye before us in the way of entire Obedience and Self-Resignation. None of the Divine Commandments can can be grievous to the heavenly minded, no trials over-burdensome.
The serious believing thoughts of the glory to be enjoyed will put such life, spirit and vigour into us, as will cause us to run the race set before us, not onelyonly with patience, but with delight and joyfulness: So that we shall sing in the ways of the Lord, as the expression is Psal. cxxxviii. 5. and glorifie him even in the jires, Esay. xxiv. 15. We shall be enabled to submit to God's Will under great afflictions, as without murmuring, so with thankfulness.
They that grudge to give God more than the fruit of their lips, than some good words, wishes, or intentions, or some formal ceremonious observances, or some reformation in lesser and easier matters, and think they have done as became those that sought God's Kingdom, surely these have a very mean esteem of, and miserably undervalue the glory and felicities of the life to come. They never spent so many thoughts on Heaven as to have any true and worthy conception of the happiness of it; otherwise they could never imagine the doing and suffering no more than this comes to, to be fit to be recompenced with such a Reward: or that God will ever reward such a shadow of Religion, with so real and substantial a Happiness, their withering leaves of outward profession, with such a Crown of Glory as shall never fade. But those that frequently affect their Souls with the thoughts of that bliss which is promised in the Gospel to those who deny themselves, and take up their Cross and follow Christ in spiritual Obedience and Resignation, can never think much of any pains or trouble this may put them to. If the Devil can prevail and perswade as he doth by those aiery and imaginary satisfactions he promiseth, what influence would God's promises of fulness of joy, and pleasures for evermore, and an everlasting Kingdom, have upon all those that duly consider them?
How will men deny themselves, what labours will they undergo, what hardships will they suffer for some worldly advantages which fall far short of a Kingdom? for some petty principality and dominion over others, for a preferment that hath some little authority in it, or brings in some profit? But had any such ambitious ones hopes of a Kingdom, how would they be transported with all excesses of joy, what difficulties, dangers and painful labours would they go through and think them nothing? And can we grudge to do or suffer as much, if it were necessary, for an infinitely more glorious Kingdom than any in this world, if we really believed it attainable by us?
If we were promised a great earthly reward upon condition we would abstain from such and such things as are very pleasing and grateful to us, would we not do it? And shall not the eternal blessedness which God, who is as faithful as able to perform, hath promised, be of like power and force with us? Nay, shall it not be of far greater force proportionable to the quality of the Reward? When all that we can do is but very little and utterly unworthy to be compared with this glorious Reward, is it possible we should do less than we can, for the obtaining of it, if we consideratively and believingly thought of it?
Know ye not (saith the Apostle) that they which run in a race, run all, but one receiveth the prize? so run that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery, is temperate in all things: Now they do it to obtain a corruptible Crown, but we an incorruptible, 1 Cor. ix. 24, 25. If they in the Isthmian Games were so careful to observe an accurate diet for the preparing and enabling them to those exercises; if they were temperate and continent in all things, denying themselves in their sensitive desires; if they were willing to weary and spend themselves in the race, to endure blows and wounds in their combat; and thought no diligence, no labour, no pains nor hazards too great for but a flowery or leafy, a fading and corruptible Crown, a short and perishing Reward; would not Christians much more run their race with patience, fight the good fight of faith, endure hardship, deny themselves and their fleshly desires, while an exceeding and eternal weight of Glory is in their eye? If the men of this world shall think no pains too great for uncertain riches, and which, while they enjoy them, are imbittered with many fears and anxious cares; would not the lively hope of eternal life, and a treasure in Heaven, which neither the moth can eat, nor rust corrupt, nor thieves steal, ingage us to greater labours and self-denials? Would it not more enravish our hearts, more strongly affect us, and make us more intent, earnest and industrious? Surely it would.
Awake, awake then, O thou delicate and lazy Christian! rouse up thy self, and stir up the gift of God in thee: Go up to Mount Nebo, and take a fair view of Canaan, that pleasant and glorious Land: See what a goodly Heritage is reserved for theee, and how great that goodness is which God hath laid (or *foreign Psalm xxxi. 10.stor'd) up for them that fear him Eye the fulness of the Reward: Keep it in thy mind, believe it with thine heart, and then how chearfully wilt thou travel through the Wilderness to Canaan before thee. Yea, this will make the very Wilderness a little Canaan, or Land of rest and delight to thee; it will make it a little Eden, and Garden of the Lord. Nor wilt thou then grudge at it, if God shall prove and humble thee by a long journey in the Wilderness, to know what is in thine heart, Deut. viii.(as it is said of Israel in the figure and letter) whether there be in thee an obedient will, a resigned, patient, submissive temper as to his commands and disposals. Thou wilt not be difficultly perswaded to believe that Canaan will make an abundant recompence for all thy travels and wearisome labours. And if in the mean while God feeds thee with the bread of heaven, sustains thee with Manna in the Wilderness, art thou not well dealt with and kindly treated by him? Hereafter to feed with Angels; to sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Iacob in the Kingdom of Heaven, and here to be provided for with Angels food (as Manna is called) to the full: To have joy unspeakable and glorious, an eternity of pleasures hereafter, and with all peace which passeth all understanding here; inward pleasures and delicious satisfactions from reflexions upon the doing of thy duty; the peaceable fruit of righteousness, which thy sowing to the Spirit will yield thee, in this life: To be crowned with Glory in Heaven, and on Earth to be crowned with loving kindness and tender mercies: These fore-tastes of happiness and earnests of the great Reward, these aureolae, and little Coronets for the present, and the assurance of a massie Crown, a weight of glory, in the other life, methinks should be of force to endear obedience, and greatly to sweeten patience to thee; to remove all apprehension of difficulty and harshness in what God will have thee either do or suffer.
If there be any Generosity in thee, thou canst not but be very angry with, and condemn, thy self, whensoever thou feelest any secret grudging and repining at what God would have thee undertake, seeing he hath proposed such a Reward to animate thee to it.
If there were any Ingenuity in thee, thou couldst not chuse but blush and be ashamed at that little thou either sufferest or doest for the Kingdom of God.
Thy Obedience is due to his Commands, and thy submission, to his wise, righteous, and good will, though there were no future Reward for thee: But will God bestow on thy Obedience and thy Patience (the two parts of Self-Resignation) so glorious a reward? Will he reward an obedience for a short time, and that far short of perfection too, and a momentary suffering of affliction, with an eternity of bliss, with a glory so transcendently and astonishingly great?
And is this great Reward so near? this present life is but short, thou hast but a few days to continue here, there is but a step between thee and eternal life: There is between this and the other world the Vale of the shadow of death, a darksome passage, but a very short one, and thou shalt enter upon possessing the reward of the inheritance; which at the glorious appearance of Jesus Christ shall be grown up to its full proportion.
Canst thou seriously consider these things, and think any thing too dear and precious, which God would have thee part with, and deny thy self in; or call any thing grievous, which he either commands or tries thy Resignation to his Will by?
The End.