A Christian Library, Chapter 7
CHAP. 7. That it weanes them from the love of the world.
4 FOurthly, our sufferings wean us from the love of the world, yea, make us loath and contemn it; and contrariwise, fix upon heaven with a desire to be dissolved. Saint Peter, at Christs transfiguration, enjoying but a glimpse of happiness here, was so ravished and transported with the love of his present estate, that he breaks out into these words, Master, it is good for us to be here; he would fain have made it his dwelling place: and being loath to depart; Christ must make three tabernacles, Mat. 17.4. The love of this world so makes us forget the world to come, that, like the Israelites, we desire rather to live in the troubles of Egypt, then in the Land of Promise. Whereas S. Paul having spoken of his bonds in Christ, and of the spirituall combate; concludeth, I desire to be dissolved, and to be with Christ, which is best of all, Phil. 1.22, 23. Yea, it transported him to Heaven before he came thither: as Mary was not, where she was, but, where her desire was, and that was with Christ. Prosperity makes us drunk with the love of the world, like the Gadarens, who preferred their swine before their souls: or him in the Parable, that would go to see his farm…, and lose Heaven: or the Rich Glu…ton, who never thought of Heaven, till he was in Hell: and thousands more, who if they have but something to leave behinde them, 'tis no matter whether they have any thing to carry with them.
But, as sleep composeth drunkenness; so the cross will bring a man to himself again: for when the Staff we so nourish to bear us, becomes a cudgel to beat us: when we finde the world to serve us, as the Iews did Christ, carry us up to the top of the hill, and then strive to throw us down headlong: Luk. 4.29. When the minde is so invested with cares, molested with grief, vexed with pain, that which way soever we cast our eyes, we finde cause of complaint; we more loath the World than ever we loved it, as Amnon did his sister Tamar: yea, when life which is held a friend, becomes an enemy; then death which is an enemy becomes a friend, and is so accountted: as, who, having cast An…hor in a safe Road; would again wish himself in the storms of a troublesome Sea?
Yea, in case we have made some progress in Religion, and found a good conscience sprinkled with the blood of Christ, (the marrow of all comforts,) and resolved with Ioseph, to forsake our coat rather than our faith: yet if the World make new offers of preferment, or some large improvement of profits and pleasures; we begin to draw back, or at least we know not whether to chuse: like a horse that would, and yet would not, leap a ditch. And after a little conflict, having half yielded to forsake that with joy, which cannot be kept but with danger; we resolve thus. The same God, which hath made my crosses chearful; can as well make my prosperity conscionable. Why then should I refuse so fair an offer? but alas, having made choice; it is not long, ere these pleasures and honou…s, these riches and abundance; prove as thorns, to choak the good seed of Gods Word formerly sown in our hearts: as it is, Matth. 13.22. For, prosperity to Religion, …s as the Ivy to the Oake, it quickly eats out the heart of it: yea, as the Missel…o and Ivy (sucking by their straight embraces the very s…p that only giveth v…getation from the roots of the Oake and Hawthorn) will flourish when the Trees wither; so in this case, the corruption of the good is alwayes the generation of the evil: and so on the contrary, crosses in the estate, diseases of the body, maladies of the minde, are the medicines of the soul: the impairing of the one, is the repairing of the other.
When no man would harbour that unthrift son in the Gospel; he turned back again to his Father, but never before. Lais of Corinth while she was young, doted upon her Glass, but when she grew old and withered; she loathed it as much: which made her give it up to Venus. When Satan is let loose upon us to shew us our sins, and the danger we are in; then farewel profit, farewel pleasure, treasure, and all, rather then I will endure such a rack, such a hell in my conscience.
Whereas, if we should only hear of misery, or read what is threatned in the Word: though it might a little fright us; it would never amend us. Birds are frighted at first, with the Husbandmans scarcrowes: but after a while, observing that they stir not; are bold to sit upon them, and defile them.
Thus as harmonious sounds are advanced by a silent darkness; so are the glad tydings of salvation. The Gospel never sounds so sweet, as in the night of persecution, or private affliction.
When Vertue came down from Heaven (as the Poets feign) rich men spurned at her, wicked men abhorred her, Courtiers scoft at her, Citizens hated her: and being thrust out of doors in every place; she came at last to her sisters, poverty and affliction: and of them; found entertainment. When it ceased to be with Sarah, after the manner of the World; she conceived Isaac: so when it ceaseth to be with us after the manner of the Worlds Favourites; we conceive holy desires, quietness, and tranquillity of minde, with such like spiritual contentments. Yea, we make faith our only option: whereas before; we kept open house for all vices, as the States are said to keep open house for all Religions: or if not; it fares with piety as with holy water, every one praiseth it, and thinks it hath some rare vertue in it; but, offer to sprinkle them with the same; they shut their eyes, and turn away their faces: and no marvel, for we never taste this Manna from Heaven, until we leave the leaven of this Egypt.
Now, better the body or estate perish, then the soul: though we are too sensual to consent unto it, Plùs Pastor, in vulnere gregis sui vulneratur. The loss of a graceless childe, cannot but grieve the father, though the father him self were in danger of mischief by that childe: as David mourned for Absalom, that would have cut his throat. True prosperity is hearty meat, but not digestible by a weak stomack: strong wine; but naught for a weak brain: The prosperity of fools destroyeth them, Proverbs 1.32. So that all temporall blessings are, as they hit: but if the minde do not answer, they were better mist. The more any man hath, the more cause he hath to pray, Lord, lead us not into temptation: for we cannot so heartily think of our home above, whiles we are furnished with these earthly contentments below; but when God strips us of them straightwayes, our minde is homeward. Whiles Naomies husband and sons were alive, we find no motion of her retiring home to Iudah: let her earthly stays be removed; she thinks presently of removing to her Countrey: a delicious life, when every thing about us is resplendent and contentful, makes us that we have no minde to go to Heaven: wherefore as a loving mother, when she would wean her childe from the dug; maketh it bitter with Wormwood or Aloes: so dealeth the Lord with us, he maketh this life bitter unto us by suffering our enemies to persecute & oppress us; to the end we may contemn the World, & transport our hopes from Earth to Heaven: he makes us weep in this veil of misery, that we may the more eagerly long for that place of felicity, where all tears shal be wiped from our eys. Our wine (saith Gregory) hath some gall put into it, that we should not be so delighted with the way, as to forget whither we are going. And this is no small abatement to the bitternesse of adversities, that they teach us the way to Heaven: for the lesse comfort we finde on earth, the more we seek above, and the more we esteem the best things: and we are very ungratefull, if we do not thank him for that which so overcomes us, that it overcomes the love of the world in us.
Experience shewes, that in Countreys where be the greatest plenty of fruits, they have the shortest lives, they do so surfet on their abundance. Sicily is so full of sweet flowers, if we believe Diodorus Siculus, that dogs cannot hunt there: and it is questionable, whether the enjoying of outward things, or the contemning of them; be the greater happinesse: for, to be deprived of them, is but to be deprived of a Dye, wherewith a man might either win or lose,: yea, doth not a large portion of them many times prove to the owner, like a treacherous Dye indeed, which flatters an improvident Gamster with his own hand to throw away his wealth to another? Or to yield it the uttermost; gold may make a man the richer, not the better; honour may make him the higher, not the happier: and all temporal delights are but as flowers, they onelyonly have their monethmonth, and are gone; this morning in the bosome, the next in the Besome. The consideration whereof, made the very Heathen Philosophers hate this world though they saw not where to finde a better. Yea, it made Themistocles so under value transitory things in comparison of vertue, that seeing rich Bracelets of precious stones lie in his path, he bade his friend take them up, saying, Thou art not Themistocles. And indeed it is Heaven onelyonly that hath a foundation, Earth hath none: God hath hanged it upon nothing: and the things therein are very nothing.
Nothing feeds pride, nor keeps off repentance so much as prosperous advantage. 'Tis a wonder to see a Favourite study for ought but additions to his Greatnesse▪ God shall have much ado to make him know himself. The cloth that hath many stains must pass through many larthers. If Musk hath lost its sweetness, there is no way to recover it, except you fling it into the sink among filth. No less then an odious leprosie will humble Naaman, wherefore by it the only wise God thought meet to sawce the valour, dignity, renown, victories, of that famous General of the Syrians. If I could be so uncharitable as to wish an enemies soul lost, this were the only way, let him live in the height of the worlds blandishments, for how can he love a second Mistresse that never saw but one beauty, and still continues deeply inamoured on it? Why is the Lapwing made an Hieroglyphick of infelicity? but because it hath a little Coronet upon the head, and yet feed… upon the worst of excrements. The Peacock hath more painted Plumes, yet is the Eagle accounted the Queen of Birds, because she flieth neerest heaven. We often see, nothing carries us so far from God, as those favours he hath imparted to us. 'Tis the misery of the poor; to be neglected of men: 'tis the misery of the rich; to neglect their God. The Badger being wounded with the prickles of the Hedghog his invited guest, whom at first he welcomed and entertained in his Cabbin, as an inward friend, mannerly desiring him to depart in kindnesse, as he came; could receive no other answer then that he for his own part found himselfe very well at ease, and they that were not, had reason to seek out another seat that might like them better. It is but a fable, yet the moral is true, perspicuous, profitable. Many shall one day repent, that they were happy too soon. Many a man cries out, Oh that I were so rich, so healthful, so quiet, so happy, &c. Alas, though thou hadst thy wish for the present, thou shouldst (perhaps) be a loser in the sequel. The Physician doth not hear his Patient in what he would, yet heareth him in taking occasion to do another thing more conducible to his health. God loves to give us cools and heats in our desires: and will so allay our joyes, that their fruition hurt us not: he knows that as it is with the body touching meats, the greater plenty, the less dainty; and too long forbearance causeth a Surfet, when we come to full food: So it fares with the minde touching worldly contentments; therefore he feeds us not with the dish, but with the spoon, and will have us neither cloyed nor famished. In this life, mercy and misery, grief and grace, good and bad, are blended one with the other; because if we should have nothing but comfort, Earth would be thought Heaven: besides, if Christ-tide lasted all the year, what would become of Len…? If every day were Good-Friday, the World would be weary of Fasting▪ Secundus calls death a sleep eternal, the wicked mans fear, the godly mans wish. Where the conscience is clear; death is looked for without fear, yea, desired with delight, accepted with devotion: why? it is but the cessation of trouble, the extinction of sin, the deliverance from enemies, a rescue from Satan, the quiet rest of the body, and infranchizement of the soul. The Woman great with childe, is ever musing upon the time of her delivery: and hath not he the like cause, when Death is his bridge from wo to glory? Though it be the wicked mans ship-wrack, 'tis the good mans putting into harbour: And hereupon finding himself hated, persecuted, afflicted, and tormented by enemies of all sorts; he can as willingly leave the World, as others can forgo the Court: yea, as willingly die as dine; yea, no woman with childe did ever more exactly count her time. No Iew did ever more earnestly wish for the Iubile, No servant so desires the end of his years, No stranger so longs to be at home; as he expects the promise of Christs coming. It is the strength of his hope, the sweet object of his faith, in the midst of all sorrows; the comfort of his heart; the heart of all his comforts; the incouragement of his wearied spirits; the common clausule; the continual period, and shutting up of his Prayers: Come, Lord Iesus, come quickly.
Whereas the Worlds Favourites go as unwillingly from hence, as boyes from the midst of a game. Neither hath the Rich man so much advantage of the poor; in enjoying, as the poor hath of the Rich, in leaving. True, Rich men may also learn this slight: for, the way to grieve less, is to love less. And indeed, what shouldest thou do in case thou seest that the World runs not on thy side, but give over the World, and be on Gods side? Let us care little for the World that cares so little for us. Let us cross sail; and turn another way: let us go forth therefore out of the Camp, bearing his reproach; for we have no continuing City, but we seek one to come, Heb. 13.13, 14.