The Heavenly Trade, Tract · Application 4 · Part 3
3. Counſel to Earthly Traders.
The third branch of Exhortation is to Earthly Traders, who meet with breaches and diſcouragements in the purſuits of their Earthly Trades. This is manifeſtly the caſe of England this day: The Lord blows on mens intereſts, makes breaches on their Trades, ſends in wants as an armed man; Trade fails, a blaſt is on mens labours, and the Nation becomes poorer every day: This ſhould be for a lamentation, but few lay it to heart; men murmure and complain; ſome are dejected and ſink in their ſpirits, others ſeeing God plucking their Idols away, hold them the faſter, become more cloſe and covetous; others ſink the deeper into the world, turn more earthly and exceſſive in their carkings and labours; others more griping and oppreſſive; but few in appearance look to God, and make a right uſe of this ſore ſtroak. Now towards a better improvement of this providence, give me leave to propoſe to all ſuch theſe few Counſels.
Counſel 1.
Firſt, By your diſappointments and loſſes in your Earthly Employments, be convinced of the tranſcendent excellency of this Heavenly Trade (which you have, it may be, in purſuit of thoſe too much ſlighted:) There are no ſuch iſſues of Wiſdom's Merchandiſe, if duly followed: Religion breeds no ſuch worms to devour its treaſures; Riches and honour are with me, yea durable Riches and Righteouſneſs: My fruit is better than gold, yea than fine gold, Prov. 8. 18, 19. There are no ſuch hazards in the waies of God, as here in my earthly buſineſs I am expoſed to: I labour hard, and can hardly live out; I ſow much, and bring in little; I eat, but have not enough; and drink, but am not filled; I cloathe me, but am not warmed; I earn wages, but put it into a bag with holes; I look for much, and it comes to little, and when I have brought it home, the Lord blows upon it, Hag. 1. 6, 9. But 'tis not ſo in that Heavenly Trade I have neglected; there are no ſuch diſappointments; they that ſow to the Spirit, in due time do ſurely reap; they that labour for that bread, ſhall have it given to them. O how do Wiſdom's Merchants proſper when I decay! their faces ſhine, their basket is bleſt; whatever they have in the world, 'tis enough for them; they eat their bread with gladneſs, and ſingleneſs of heart, and are freed from thoſe anxious cares and fears I am almoſt conſum'd with: That's the beſt Trade, I now ſee it; when all fails, that holds; when others famiſh, that feeds; when others undo men, that enriches them: O bleſſed Calling! thou excelleſt them all. This is one good uſe of your earthly waſtes, to ſee the excellency of Heavenly Treaſures.
Counſel 2.
Secondly, See God in theſe afflictions that lie upon your Earthly Trades and Intereſts: Affliction cometh not forth of the duſt, Job 5. 6. nor promotion from the Eaſt, or from the Weſt, but God is the Judge, he putteth down one, and ſetteth up another, Pſal. 75. 6, 7, 'Twas not the wind, the fire, the Chaldeans, or Sabeans that undid Job, but it was God that took away, it was by his permiſſion all thoſe loſſes came, Job 1. 21. This help'd Job to a due deportment under his troubles, that he ſaw God in it: He doth not fall out with man, or complain of the Devil; he is not angry with chance or fortune, with ſtars or conſtellations, but looks to God in all. Is there any evil in the City, and the Lord hath not done it? Amos 3. 6. I form the light, and create darkneſs; I make peace, and create evil, Iſa. 41. 7. Iſrael decayed in their eſtates, and God ſaies, 'twas he that blowed upon them: Men uſually lay it on the times; cry out of one, and other, but few look to God, and that's one reaſon men make no better uſe of this Rod, becauſe they do not ſee it in the hand of a holy God: You will never lay your hand on your mouths, till you caſt your eyes on God in theſe troubles, nor take a right way for cure before you ſee the hand that ſmites you, Pſal. 39. 9.
Counſel 3.
Thirdly, Search out the cauſe of them: You will not find the remedy, till you ſee the reaſon. Shew me wherefore thou contendeſt with me, Job 10. 2. Wherefore doth a living man complain, a man for the puniſhment of his ſin? let us ſearch and try our waies, and turn again unto the Lord, Lam. 3. 39, 40. The Lord may well ſay to the Complainer, Friend, I do thee no wrong, Mat. 20. 13. And as David did to Eliab, What have I now done? is there not cauſe? 1 Sam. 17. 29. Hath God conſumed your eſtate, broken your Trade, brought you to a morſel of bread? and is there not cauſe? There are ſeveral ſins which do uſually prove waſting to mens earthly intereſts.
Firſt, A letting down of Religion, and decaying in this heavenly Trade, is uſually followed with waſtes on mens outward comforts and intereſts, as hath been already ſhewn: Godlineſs hath the promiſe of the life that now is, as well as of that which is to come, 1 Tim. 4. 8. When that flouriſheth, all things go well: when Religion goes down, nothing proſpers. 2 Chron. 24. 20. Why tranſgreſs ye the Commandments of the Lord, that ye cannot proſper? becauſe ye have forſaken the Lord, he hath alſo forſaken you. For this letting down of Obedience did God threaten to make Iſrael waſte, and a reproach; to ſend evil arrows of Famine, and to break the ſtaff of Bread. Ezek. 5. 14, 16, 17. Becauſe ye multiplied more than the Nations round about you, and have not walked in my ſtatutes, neither have kept my judgments, neither have done according to the judgments of the Nations round about you; you have increaſed in abomination more than the Heathens and Nations round about you, and have not kept thoſe Laws, and done that Righteouſneſs which they have done: [Greenhill,] Therefore behold I, even I, am againſt thee:—Moreover, I will make thee waſte, &c. Falling back in holineſs will make men fall back in the world too, bring a curſe on their abundance. Now this decay of Religion is the ſin of this day, as hath been fully demonſtrated.
Secondly, Declenſion in the worſhip of God hath been followed with declenſions in mens intereſts: Mal. 1. 9. Iſrael brought to God a corrupt thing, the blind, and lame, and ſick, the worſt of the flock, and departed from God's Ordinances, and the Lord brought on them a curſe; dLege talionis ut Domos ipſorum vaſcet qui Domum Dei non curant.I will even ſend a curſe upon your bleſſings, yea I have curs'd them already, becauſe ye do not lay it to heart. To give glory to God, (ſaith Cocceius eQuia non revocatis ad animum dare divino nomini gloriam, foreign, Sept.that honour and worſhip that is due to him: They had corrupted God's worſhip, and God corrupted their ſeed, Mal. 2. 3. I will deſtroy your fruits before they are ripe; which Cocceius thinks was fulfilled in that great famine in Claudius his days mentioned Acts 11. 28. They had made the ſervice of God contemptible, Mal. 1. 7, and God made them contemptible: Chap. 2. 9. Therefore have I alſo made you contemptible and baſe before all the people, foreign according as you have not kept my ways, but have been partial in my law: you have caſt dung on my Ordinances, (for ſuch are corruptions, foreign in God's worſhip;) and I will ſpread dung on your faces; Mal. 2. 2. Even the dung of your ſolemn Feaſts, excrements. fTanta copia ſtercorabo vos ſementis loco ut fimo inquinati plane obruamini; Jun.I will inſtead of ſeed throw ſo much dung upon you, even the excrements of your corrupt ſervice; as the defilement thereof ſhall even overcome and ruine you: For theſe corruptions in the worſhip of God, did God ſtretch out his hand over Iſrael, and diminiſh their ordinary food, delivering them to the will of them that hated them: Ezek. 16. 26, 27. I have cut thee ſhort of thy allowance, gforeign, demenſum tuum.I have diminiſh'd thy portion, [Greenhill] thy lawful things, hStatutum cibum tibi; Lav.Sept. God's worſhip is his name, by which he is known and diſtinguiſh'd from all Idols, Exod. 20. 4. his glory, Rom. 1. 23. To corrupt his worſhip, is to defile the place of his Throne, Ezek. 43. 7. and to defalcate, and cut off his tribute and revenues from the earth: And no wonder if God blaſt their Trade, who adulterate his Treaſure.
Thirdly, A covetous with-holding from God turns away the bleſſing of God on mens labours, and tends to poverty. Prov. 11. 24. There is that ſcattereth, and yet encreaſeth; and there is that with-holdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. Many think that loſt which is laid out for God, and be-think nothing but what goes to pious uſes. O how ſparingly do moſt ſow, as if they thought their ſeed caſt away! and thence 'tis they reap ſo ſparingly, 2 Cor. 9. 6. Mens former charity, rather like ſhowers than ſtreams, are dried up; and therefore are God's ſhowers with-held alſo: expences for God having been many, ſeems now burdenſome, through mens ſelf-love and unbelief. While Alexander had hope for more, he never wanted a heart or hand to part with the Frankincenſe and Gold he had: certainly mens Faith fails when their Charity fades: Few in their ſcarcity dare, with the Widow of Zarephtah, give the firſt cake to the uſe and ſervice of God, 1 King. 17. 13, 14. No wonder the barrel of Meal and cruiſe of Oil fails; 'tis Chriſtians wearineſs in well-doing, and defectiveneſs in ſcattering for God, hinders their reaping and gathering, Gal. 6. 9. This was one of thoſe ſins that brought a curſe and devourer on Iſrael's encreaſe, Mal. 3. 9, 10, 11. and is ſtill as pregnant of blaſtings and mildews as ever it was.
Fourthly, Greedy deſires after the World are oftentimes followed with diſappointments: Ye looked for much, Hag. 1. 9. and it came to little, foreign. Sept. To look with deſire and affection. 'Tis mercy in God, when mens hearts run too faſt after the World, to lay ſome blocks in their way, to hedg it up with thorns, that they might not overtake their Lovers iSpes in oculis, luctus in manibus; Jerom.. Hoſ. 2. 6. Thorns in mens way is ſafer than ſpears in their bowels, and that would have been the iſſue of ſuch Lovers when they meet. Covetouſneſs is the Hydropick diſtemper of old aged profeſſion: to cure which, the great Phyſitian hath providentially preſcribed abſtinence, and in his holy jealouſy hath made men to read their ſin in their puniſhment. The Lord ſees it dangerous for his people to have much of this World, becauſe it becomes a ſnare to their ſouls; They that will be rich fall into temptation and a ſnare, 1 Tim. 6. 9. Earthly things are the very bane of Religion, they entangle mens feet, and keep them from attendance on God in his appointments. The invited gueſts had no leiſure to enjoy refreſhments for their ſouls, becauſe of their interrupting intereſts of this World, Matth. 22. 5. The things of Heaven ſeem light to ſuch, compar'd with their other things: They made light of Chriſt's invitation, and put men on pleading excuſes for neglect of God, and on juſtifying their omiſſions of holy duties: They began with one conſent to make excuſe: Chriſt and his people would have more of mens company, if the World had leſs of their hearts.
Theſe earthly things do not only hinder mens duties, but their thrivings alſo under priviledges: 'Tis the cares of this World, and deceitfulneſs of Riches, that choak the Word, and make men unfruitful, Matth. 13. 22. They make careleſs, ſleighty, forgetful hearers; they hinder convictions, quench the motions of the ſpirit, take away the taſtes of divine ſweetneſs, and make all the attempts of Grace fruitleſs: They take away the heart from God and ſpiritual things, and ſo nouriſh formality and hypocriſie in profeſſion and duties, cauſing men to draw near with their mouths to God, when their hearts are far from him, Ezek. 33. 31. Iſa. 29. 13. This made Judas, Ananias, Demas, Simon Magus ſuch hypocrites in Religion, becauſe they loved this preſent World, 2 Tim. 3. 2, 5. 2 Tim. 4. 10.
This weakens faith, blinds the mind, ſtarves the affections, rules the will, and ſo mans all the royal forts of the ſoul againſt Chriſt; by which the ſalvation of that ſoul becomes exceeding difficult.
And they make proviſion for the fleſh to fulfill the luſts thereof, feeding the carnal mind, and yielding ſuch nouriſhment to ſin, as that it always reſiſts the Holy Ghoſt, wins the day, renders damnation ſure to all that are not by a mighty hand redeemed from theſe ſpiritual enemies; ſo that it becomes in ſuch a caſe needful to ſtarve earthly deſires, by a remove of thoſe things that feed and maintain them; and men may look upon thoſe afflictive providences on their intereſts, as the procurements of their earthly affections: Haſtening to be rich, hath poverty at the heels, Prov. 28. 22.
Fifthly, Unfaithfulneſs in mens Callings puts them out of the way of bleſſing, and uſhers in waſtes on their intereſts, Mic. 6. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. The Lord had a controverſy with his people, v. 2. and till this was taken up, all their religious ſervices were to no purpoſe; ſacrifices and duties could not prevail, or ſtop his diſpleaſure, till their ſins were removed, v. 6, 7. 'Twas not to wait on God in publick duties was all that he called for, but to do juſtice, ſhew mercy, and to walk humbly with him, wherein they had been defective; and therefore had he brought a rod upon them, v. 9. he had made them ſick in ſmiting them, and would make them deſolate, v. 13. They ſhould eat, but not be ſatisfied; and there ſhould be a caſting down in the mid'ſt of them; they ſhould be blaſted in their labours and intereſts; they ſhould ſow, but not reap; tread the Olive, but not anoint themſelves with it; have ſweet Wine, but not drink it; and then comes to reckon with them, wherefore this was brought upon them; ver. 10, 11, 12. Are there yet the treaſures of wickedneſs in the houſe of the wicked? and the ſcant meaſures that is abominable? Should I count them pure with the wicked balance? and with the bags of deceitful weights? for the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the Inhabitants thereof have ſpoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouths. They were full of wickedneſs, and among the reſt, were falſe and deceitful; they did not walk humbly with God, nor juſtly with men, but were deceitful in their Callings, had falſe weights, ſcant meaſures, were injurious to others, and not juſt and faithful in their dealings; ſome oppreſſed, others defrauded; ſuch as were over others were cruel task-maſters, exacting their labours, Iſa. 5. 8. 3. grinding the faces of the poor, eating them up as bread, Pſal. 14. 4. by defrauding them of their due, keeping back the hire of the Labourers by fraud and injuſtice, Jam. 5. 4. which they do (ſaith one) who give them not a proportionable hire, working upon their neceſſities, ſucking out the ſtrength and ſweetneſs of the Labourers, Dr. Manton. A ſin that cries in the ears of the Lord of Sabbaths, cries out aloud, foreign, and their groans are entred into his ears, as a God of vengeance to requite it, and to give his poor a Sabbath, and reſt from their oppreſſions: A ſin that God will ſurely and ſeverely puniſh; He will be a ſwift witneſs againſt them that oppreſs the Hireling in his wages, and turn aſide the stranger from his right, and fear not me, ſaith the Lord of Hoſts, Mal. 3. 5. Sins joyn'd with Adultery, Sorcery, and Swearing; provocations in God's ears, and actions that plainly ſhew no true fear of God in ſuch perſons that dare oppreſs their poor Labourers, changing their wages as Laban did Jacob's, Gen. 31. 41. Theſe God will ſurely take in hand; he will be both Judge and Witneſs againſt them; he will not delay neither, but proceed ſpeedily to ſentence and execution againſt ſuch as oppreſs their poor labourers: Of all oppreſſion, the oppreſſion of the poor is greateſt, and carries moſt cruelty in it, to tread on them that are down already, and abuſe them that have no helper; to take the bread out of their mouths which are ready to ſtarve, and to defraud them of their wages, which is their life, and God calls it down-right robbery, Levit. 19. 13. To build up their houſes, and raiſe up eſtates upon the ruines of the poor labourers, is to lay the foundation in blood, and hath a woe pronounced againſt it from the Lord of Hoſts, Hab. 2. 9, 10, 11, 12. This is one of thoſe ſins which bring a people down to the ground, and make them deſolate: Ye have eaten up the Vineyard, the ſpoil of the poor is in your houſes; what mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? ſaith the Lord of Hoſts. Her gates ſhall lament & mourn, and ſhe being deſolate, ſhall ſit upon the ground, Iſa. 3. 14, 15, 26. This is a God-provoking, and an eſtate-waſting ſin, and one of the great, viſible, crying ſins of this day.
Sixthly, Another reaſon why God conſumes the intereſts of men, and makes a breach on their Trade, ſeems to be this; That by this means he might bring them down to his foot, and bring them back to himſelf: Proſperity in mens intereſts feeds their pride, and makes them too high for God's uſe and pleaſure; riches do puff men up: Thine heart is lifted up …; thy riches, behold therefore I will bring … upon thee, the terrible of the Nations, and … ſhall draw their ſword againſt the beauty of … wiſdom, and they ſhall defile thy brightneſs; th… ſhall bring thee down to the pit, they ſhall deſtroy thy riches wherein thou glorieſt, and counteſt thy beauty, Ezek. 28. 5, 7, 8. Men are apt to glory in their riches, and to give that reſpect to them which is due to God, and this he will not bear, but comes out in indignation againſt mens Idols, Jer. 9. 23. Abundance of earthly intereſts doth alſo unfit men for God's uſe and delight, rich in goods, and poor in grace; proſperity in the world cools mens hearts towards God, and lames their feet in his way: 'Tis the poor of the flock that waits on God, Zech. 11. 11. that preſs his Vineyard, and bear the heat and burden of the day, Jer. 52. 15. When men grow full, they are lazy; & when great, they become fearfull to adventure for God: Give me thy ſheild (ſaid Epaminondas to his ſervant, when he had got a great ſum of mony) for now thou art grown rich, I am ſure thou wilt not adventure thy ſelf into dangers. Smyrna was the pooreſt of the ſeven Churches in Aſia, but yet was richeſt in grace and ſerviceableneſs for God. I know thy poverty, but thou art rich, Rev. 2. 9. This may be one reaſon why the Lord makes this Nation poor, that he might by this make them pure, he melts away our droſs, that we may be the more refined, and takes away our Lovers, that he might come in the room of them: I will hedge up thy way with thorns; ſhe ſhall follow after her Lovers, duplicate page duplicate page … not overtake them; and ſhe ſhall ſeek … ſhall not find them; then ſhall ſhe ſay, … go and return to my firſt husband, for then it … better with me than now, Hoſ. 2. 6, 7. Men …om return to God fully, till ſtript of other …mforts; nor ſee God to be beſt, till their con…ion in the world be bad; and therefore doth God remove theſe mountains of earthly intereſts, that his people may the better ſee and go after himſelf.
Counſel 4.
Fourthly, If God hath made breaches on your Trade, get the breach between God and your ſouls compoſed: Hoſ. 4. 1, 2. Hear the Word of the Lord ye children of Iſrael, for the Lord hath a controverſie with the inhabitants of the Land, becauſe there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the Land; by ſwearing, and lying, and killing, and ſtealing, and committing Adultery; they break out, and blood toucheth blood: There's a controverſy between God and a ſinning people (and ſuch are we:) Sinners contend with God, & God by afflictions contends with them, and till this controverſie be taken up, there's no peace. And if ye will not for all this be reformed by me, by theſe things, but will walk contrary to me, then will I alſo walk contrary to you, and will puniſh you yet ſeven times for your ſins, Levit. 26. 23, 24. Hear the Word of the Lord: Lay this to heart, they that ſtrive with him ſhall periſh; there is no contending with God; bow we muſt, or break, return, or be ruined: Waſh ye, make ye clean, put away the evil of your doings, Iſa. 1. 16. Get waſht away your blood by ſound Repentance; get into Chriſt's blood by ſaving Faith; ſet upon a thorough reformation, perſonal, family, publick, each one in his place, help to carry out the uncleanneſs of thy heart, hand, houſe and land to the Brook Kidron, 2 Chron. 29. 16. Get tradingſins removed, if you would have trading mercies enjoy'd: Take every man his Cenſer, and ſtand in the gap; pour out ſtrong cries for returning-mercy, that the Lord would ceaſe from his fierce wrath, and turn again, and heal our Land, and bleſs our ſubſtance, accept the work of our hand, and dwell in our Land.
Counſel 5.
Fifthly, Get advantage from decaies in your Earthly Trade, to further your Heavenly Trade; gather materials from your earthly ruines, for your heavenly building. Chriſtians, there's a great deal of good you may get from theſe evil things in the world, to quicken your purſuit after the things of Heaven.
Firſt, By your earthly loſſes you may be convinced of the vanity and uncertainty of all things below God: Men are apt to take up too much pleaſure in their booths, till God ſends a devouring worm and conſumes them; and to ſit down under their ſhadows with great delight; and therefore doth God make them like ſhadows to fly away; what expectations do men raiſe from their ſwelling-comforts, thinking their mountains are made ſo ſtrong, they ſhall not be moved, till the Lord by ſome levelling providence ſoon corrects their fond opinion! and what dependencies do we uſually take up on thoſe uncertainties, leaning ſo hard on our reeds, till they break under us, and ſend ſplinters into the arm which ſtaies upon them? O the contentment, pleaſure, profit, men fancy to be in creatures, friends, relations, honours, eſtates, before by ſome killing ſtroak they ſee themſelves to be deceived! What mercy is it then to meet with diſappointments in theſe groundleſs hopes, that we may come to ſee before it be too late, what poor, empty, periſhing things all the wares of this lower world are! This way David came to have his errour ſeaſonably corrected. And Solomon, by a ſerious review of paſt enjoyments, comes to ſee that all was vanity and vexation of ſpirit, Eccleſ. 2. 1. Surely every man walketh in a vain ſhew; they are diſquieted in vain; he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who ſhall gather them, Pſal. 39. 6.
Secondly, Divine rebukes on mens earthly intereſts, help them to a diſcovery of thoſe ſins that procure them, Deut. 31. 17. Afflictions are Chriſt's clay and ſpittle to open his peoples eyes, and to bring them to ſee thoſe evils that have brought thoſe deaths upon their comforts, and breed thoſe worms that have deſtroyed their ſubſtance. Times of correction, are times of inſtruction, Job 36. 8, 9. When Jacob's Sons were cut ſhort of their proviſions, reduced to great diſtreſs, and plunged in ſore dangers, then they thought upon their ſin, and wrong done to their brother Joſeph, Gen. 42. 21. Then they ſaid one to another, verily we are guilty concerning our brother, in that we ſaw the anguiſh of his ſoul when he beſought us, and would not hear, therefore is this diſtreſs come upon us: Whence one hath this note, Affliction is a dark condition, yet it brings much light into the ſoul. Men come to read their miſcarriages beſt by the fire-light of affliction; then Manaſſeh knew that the Lord was God, 2 Chron. 33. 13. Now the ſoul comes to ſee his abuſe of theſe mercies he hath loſt, his inordinate love to them, and wandrings from God, and this helps to after-wiſdom, and greater freedom from theſe entanglements for the time to come, which is no ſmall advantage to future godlineſs.
Thirdly, By this loſs of earthly things, the ſoul comes to ſee a neceſſity of looking after, and enſuring better treaſures: Heb. 13. 14. Here have we no continuing City, but we ſeek one that is to come. Uncertainties on Earth ſhould put ſouls the more to look after Heaven. The Prodigal never thought of returning till all was gone, Luke 15. 14. to verſe 18. The Steward never conſidered how to ſecure his future ſtate, till goods were waſted, and Stewardſhip in danger of removal, Luke 16. 1, 2, 3, 4. Think of ſwiming aſhore (ſaid Mr. Rutherford) after a ſhipwrack. 'Tis a mercy in this ſtormy Sea to get a ſecond wind, for none of the Saints get a firſt. This is advantage indeed, when having nothing, you ſeek to enjoy all things; and when the world flies from you, to purſue Heaven the faſter. Could a Heathen ſay, I never gain'd mere than when I loſt all; becauſe his ſhipwrack became the occaſion of obtaining knowledge; and will not you Chriſtians by your earthly loſſes be provoked to make after heavenly intereſts?
Fourthly, Loſſes in the world have an advantage through grace to looſen the heart from the world. Afflictions on mens eſtates are like wormwood on the breaſt, that tends to wean the hearts of God's children from them: Love of the world hath been the ſin of this Age; and the ſhipwrack of worldly things is the likelieſt way to cure it; this diſeaſe is beſt conquered by faſting. Abſence of Lovers is ſometimes the way to ſtarve affections; and poverty with diſtreſs is God's uſual method to chaſtiſe mens wanton affections to this world. Afflictions when ſanctified, are Sanctuary-fire to purge away the droſs of our affections, Mal. 3. 3.
5ly. Soul-enlargement is another fruit of ſanctified ſtraits, and ſo a help to the heavenly trade. Chriſtians are never fit to make any ſpeed in the way to Heaven, until their hearts be enlarged, Pſal. 119. 32. Enlargements in the world are oft-times bonds to the ſoul: He that hath moſt of the Earth, hath uſually leaſt liberty for Heaven. When the Lord cuts ſhort the intereſt of his people, he doth but knock off golden fetters from their feet, that he may bring their ſoul out of priſon. Afflicting Providences are God's dieting his racers, that they may be more longbreath'd, and ſwift in their run towards glory. O how impriſon'd are redeemed ſouls in the many things of this world! they cannot have time to pray, read, hear, confer for the entangling-affairs of this life, till God by ſome deaths upon their employments ſets them at liberty. Removes of worldly treaſures are but the taking off of a heavy cloak-bag from the ſhoulders of Sion's Travellers, that they may the more comfortably travel to their journeys end. Good ſouls, whiles crouded with earthly buſineſſes, are like perſons in the midſt of a thicket, and thorny grove, when they would be going forward, one briar hangs in their skirts, and another thorn ſtops their way; ſo that when God takes off their intereſts, he doth but cut out a way for his children to paſs the more comfortably and ſwiftly through the brakes of this world, and lighten the veſſel that it might ſail faſter and ſafer to its deſigned port; and is not this advantage?
Sixthly, Sweeter reliſhes of heavenly things are to Believers the bleſſed iſſues of the world's bitterneſs: Harſh Providences on earthly comforts make heavenly things the more pleaſant. Men ſometimes engraff ſweet fruit on crab-treeſtocks, and God gives honey to his children at the top of the rod, Pſal. 94. 19. [The thorn is one of the moſt curſed, and angry, and crabbed weeds, and yet out of it ſprings the Roſe, Rutherford.] The ſweet-meats of this world do too often put Chriſtians pallats out of taſte; to cure which, doth the Lord diſh out his daintieſt meat with ſowre ſauce: Heavenly things never reliſh better, than when there is leſs ſweetneſs in the creature. What a value did David put upon ſpiritual things when ſtript of all! Pſal. 63. 1. Goſpel-comforts will not down with ſuch as are choak'd with the world's delicacies; but when once the Saints are emptied of the world by croſs providences, then is Chriſt precius: & is not this a help to Heavenly Traders? O then! the more croſſes you meet with in the world, the more haſte do you make to your Crown. Doth the world fly from you? purſue Heaven the faſter. Doth gain fall? then advance godlineſs: And if your gettings from Earth be ſmall, let your layings out for Heaven be great. And thus much for the third Branch of Exhortation.