Christs Justification of Marys Choice, Preface
THE PREFACE.
IT is not a needless Subject which I here offer about needless or less needful things. Little do most men think how much of their Wisdom or Folly lyeth in their right or wrong valuing and using things lawful, and that have an inferiour sort of Goodness; and how much their Salvation or Damnation is herein concerned. Men are condemned for an Evil Love, but not for the Love of Evil as Evil: Nature is against that. To love a lesser Good too much, and a greater too little; to love the End but as the Means, and the Means as the End, is an evil Love; Non malum volumus, sed malè: It is the Act that is evil when the Object is good, either indeed, or in the Apprehension of the Lover. He may will Hurt, as Hurt to another; but it is as conceited to be some good to himself. Apprehension of Good or Evil, that is, practical Judgment ruleth the Wills and Actions of the World; of how great Moment then is it to have a truly informed Judgment, and to have Teachers that will thus truly inform us; not about matter of meer Talk and Dispute, that little concerneth us, but about that which is good or evil to ourselves, and to know indifferent things to be indifferent: It is the pernicious enmity of the fleshly Appetite to the Soul, that it byasseth the practical Judgment and Will to take things indifferent to be good and desirable, and almost necessary; and a small sensible good to be a great one, and a great good which displeaseth Sense and Appetite, to be small, if not a hurtful Evil.
And indeed the Holy Ghost hath told us, Rom. 8. 5, 6, 7, 8. That this is the difference betweeen the truly godly and ungodly, That one is spiritually minded, and the other carnally; that is, one savoureth things spiritual, and judgeth of things according to spiritual Reason and Interest, and loveth and chooseth them for spiritual goodness; but the Carnal have no such Gust, Judgment or Love, but value things as the Appetite and Interest of the Flesh inclineth them. Be they both of the same Calling, Education and Profession; if both were Pastors of the same Churches, and Preachers of the same Doctrine, yet this difference is at the Hearts of spiritual and carnal Men; and it usually appeareth to others in their Lives: If they be publick Persons, they will shew men what things they value, and what gain it is that they pursue. The Flesh loveth not Mortification, nor the Cross; it is always against spiritual Laws and Life, and spiritual Worship and Persons, so far as they cross their carnal Interest. He that will worship God that is a Spirit, in Spirit and Truth, must have a Judgment that most valueth spiritual things, and place his Love and Hope on spiritual Delights and Happiness. A carnal Mind that savoureth only carnal things, and neither is, nor can be subject to God's spiritual Law, will hardly relish spiritual Worship, or a spiritual kind of Life.
One of the greatest signs of an Hypocrite is, making a great matter of little (wordly and fleshly) things, and making a little matter of great things. All the things of the Flesh and World are things indifferent in themselves, or almost indifferent, further than their Relation to spiritual good doth make them become good or evil; good if they further it, and evil if they hinder it. But the Hypocrite is never indifferent toward them; he feeleth no great need of spiritual thoughts, spiritual Counsel, or Discourse, or Preaching, or Books, or Company: Perhaps he can bear them, but he can be without them; and doth neither much desire them or delight in them. A History, or Romance, or merry Jest, or Game, is pleasanter to him. But his Thoughts are serious for his carnal Commodity, Pleasure and Reputation; what he shall eat and Drink, and wherewith he shall be cloathed. If his House, his Maintenance, his Meat and Drink be not such as the Flesh desireth, especially if it be put to Streights and Sufferings; his Sense of it is as quick, and his Complaint as serious as if he were half undone, or it were some great matter at least that he complaineth of. The Complaints and Tears of many that are in some Streights or Sufferings, should cause wiser Tears from serious Believers, to see men so miserably carnal, like Children that cry for a Pin or a Feather, as if they had lost their greatest good.
Seriousness is it that sheweth what is next to a man's Heart. It is Seriousness and Earnestness about fleshly Vanity, and want of Seriousness about things Spiritual and Eternal, which is the Temperament and Character of the Hypocrite.
And here I would intreat some that I hope are godly, to forbear so suspicious and disgraceful a course, as they are openly guilty of; I mean, when they talk so concernedly and eagerly about their Meat, and Drink, and Cloaths, and every fleshly thing, as if their Hearts were set upon it. Passion and chiding if all be not as their Fancies or Appetite would have it, doth shew that they are dangerously diseased at least. This Meat is not well drest, and the other is too little or too much; and that Sawce is not rightly made, and something or other is still amiss: And all these are talkt of as seriously, as if the fleshly Appetite were the Man. In a word; the more serious any man is about great things, the more indifferent he will be about things indifferent: And the more indifferent a man is about the greatest things, the more earnest and serious will he be about things indifferent; and vice versâ, the more serious he is about things indifferent, the more indifferent he will be about the One Thing Necessary. Taking great things for small, and small things for great; necessary things for indifferent, and indifferent or smaller things for necessary, is the Folly, and the Sin, and the Damnation of the Ungodly. And because all men will do as they are, it is also the Corrupter, Troubler and Divider of the Christian Societies, in Doctrine, Worship, Discipline and Conversation; and the Confounder of the World: Of which Faith and serious Godliness is the Remedy, which valueth and useth all things as they are.
Septemb. 29. 1684.
THE One Thing Necessary: OR, MARY'S Choice Justified.
LUK. 10. 41.
Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art carefull and troubled about many things; but one thing is needfull.
HAving long ago published some Sermons on the One thing needful, in a Treatise called, A Saint or a Bruit, I find by more experience than I had then, that it is more necessary to say something on the former part of the Text than I thought it was: I then lived among poor labouring honest People, who had indeed some temptations from outward wants, but little from wealth and superfluities, nor had leisure to waste time upon so many trifles, as I see rich and idle Persons think they have.
It is here very considerable, 1. That the Author of this Reproof, was one who was not to be suspected to mistake through ignorance or want of love to Martha: And though he lived in a low manner, and not as the rich, yet it was not because he wanted such things, that he blameth the minding of unnecessary things. For he was Lord of all; and for our sakes he became poor, yet suffered as rich men that are supposed to be usually the greatest sinners. He made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death. Isa. 53. 9.
2. And that his Reproof was very Serious and Compassionate, repeating her Name, Martha, Martha.
3. The Person Reproved, was not a wicked, fleshly, worldly Person, but one that was beloved by him, and a religious Believer.
4. The matter which she is reproved for, is partly positive expressed (being carefull and troubled about many things,) and partly implyed as privative; not preferring the one thing needfull at that time so much as she should have done: Which implyeth, 1. That the many things were needless, or less needful things. 2. That they took up both her unseasonable time, and the cares of her mind, unto her trouble.
I need no more words to convince you, that Christ here teacheth us this Lesson, viz.
That Care and Trouble about many needless or less needful things, hindering them from the due minding of the one thing needfull, is a sin which Christ reproved in Martha, and therefore blameth in all others who are guilty of it.
Here, I. Let us consider what Martha's sin in particular was. II. Whether we are not like to be more guilty of the like. III. In what kind this sin is usually committed. IV. What are the excuses for it. V. What is the evil of it, which deserveth such Reproof. VI. What use we should make of Christs Reproof.
I. Martha's Sin (already mentioned) was over-much Care and Trouble about her Table for Christs Entertainment, while Mary sate hearing his holy Discourse; which shewed that she had less Appetite than Mary to the Holy Doctrine of Christ, that could easilyer be without it. 2. And that she over-valued the lower part, his bodily entertainment.
Yet there were these extenuations of it, 1. It was not doing any sinful work in it self.
2. It was not needless in its time and measure.
We are allowed to pray for our daily Bread; and here is no mention of any superfluities or excess: And so worthy a Guest deserved the best Provisions; and it's probable that Martha was the chief House-keeper, to whom it most belonged. And no doubt it was a work of Love and Honour to Christ: Yet though it was for his own Person, and had such excuses, Christ would not take part with it, or forbear to blame it.
And indeed one half of her fault lay in blaming her Sister that was wiser, and chose better than her self; and Christ spake this as much to justifie Mary, as to blame Martha, as the following words shew.
II. And if we judge but by her quality and case, and ours, we are far liker to be thus culpable than Martha was. For, 1. That Countrey was poor in comparison of ours, and had not half the Temptations to many needless things, as we have by our Riches and their effects.
2. Christ would not have endured such Vanities and Excesses as we are usually guilty of.
3. It's like Martha that was so Familiar with Christ, was less addicted to Vanites than we now are.
4. Our Common Vanities, for which few of the better sort blame themselves, have no such extenuations or excuses as the Case of Martha had.