Expositions Upon Matthew 1-10, Treatise · Chapter 6 · Section 13
Means to inlightning.
1 Remove the hindrances: the devil and world caſts duſt in our eyes that we cannot ſee, 2 Cor. 4.4. The God of this World blindes many, the glory of the World dazles our ſight, clouding miſts, diſtilling humours and skins growing over, hinder ſight, ſo do miſts of ignorance and hardneſs of heart hinder ſight.
2 Cry mightily to God for light, Pſalm 119.18. Prov. 2.4, 5, 6. and be wail thy ignorance, as Hagur, I am more brutiſh than any man, Prov. 30, 2.
3 Be often asking queſtions. A good Scholar muſt be foreign a queſtioniſt. The woman of Samaria perceiving Chriſts abilities asks him diverſe queſtions, Joh. 4.19. People ſhould be like the Queen of Sheba who poſed Solomon with hard queſtions, 1 Kin. 10.1.
4 Caſt up thy gains thou haſt made, when ever thou hears or reads the Word; look as you do when you have been at a market, you conſider what you have got. Good hearers ſhould be like ſieves that lets chaff go but retains the wheat. Many are a like a ſieve in the water at hearing or reading, when in the water its full, when its out of the water nothing remains in it.
5 Meditate of what thou reads or hears, ſo do godly men, Pſal. 1.1. So did Joſhua, cap. 1.8. and David, Pſal. 119.15.148. Thoſe that read and hear much, and meditate little, are like thoſe that have a ſharp appetite after food, but by reaſon of a cold ſtomack they cannot digeſt it. Meditation is to the ſoul as digeſtion to the ſtomach, for want of which the word heard is as a writing writ in the ſand, which the firſt blaſt of wind doth utterly deface.
6 As the light of the ſun or ſome other light muſt meet with the light of the eye before ſight can follow, ſo in order to ſpiritual light God muſt ſhine in our hearts, 2 Cor. 4.6. Beſides the light of wiſdom in the ſoul, there muſt be the light of divine revelation. The inſpiration of the Almighty gives underſtanding, Job, 32.8. I will make known my words unto you, Prov. 1.23. Matth. 16.17. Fleſh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee, but my Father which is in Heaven.
V. 24. No man can ſerve two Maſters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or elſe he will hold to the one and deſpiſe the other; yee cannot ſerve God and Mammon.
Chriſt to the end of the chapter ſets down 2 things, 1 a dehortation from worldlineſs and carking cares, from ver. 24. to ver. 33. 2 an exhortation to true carefulneſs, ver. 33.
For the dehortation, it is confirmed by divers reaſons, the firſt is from the impoſſibility of ſerving God and the world, or loving God ſoveraignly, and the world ſoveraignly.
No man can ſerve two maſters] Mammon, as Aretius and many others obſerve, is a Syriack word, and ſignifies wealth, or as Heſichius interprets foreign a treaſure. This Mammon or wealth is ſaid to be a Lord or Maſter, not as if it were ſo by nature or in deed, but onelyonly in the eſtimation of men, and becauſe it poſſeſſes the chief ſeat in the hearts of earthly minded men. Not as if it were unlawful to have Mammon or wealth, for Chriſt bids us make to our ſelves friends of the Mammon of unrighteouſneſs, Luk. 16.9. But he bids we ſhould not make an Idol of it, to ſerve it as covetous men do, who ſet their hearts upon their wealth and make a God of it. Abram, Iſaac, David, Solomon, had wealth, but ſet not their hearts on it.
We may ſee what it is to ſerve Mammon, by conſidering what it is to ſerve God. To ſerve God is to acknowledg him, to reverence him as our Lord and Saviour, to obey him, to truſt in him alone, to lift him up in our hearts above all creatures and enjoyments, when he and they ſhall come in competition, to ſeek and promote his glory onelyonly; all or moſt of this covetous and earthly men aſcribe to wealth, now God will be worſhipped alone or not at all.
Now whereas covetous men object, we can ſerve God and the World together, we can have leaſure for Gods worſhip and our own gain. I confeſs I am eager to get wealth, but I will not omit the worſhip of God. To this Chriſt anſwers, No man can ſerve two Maſters, for either he will love the one and hate the other. This Proverb means it of Maſters in the whole, as the Lawyers ſay, there cannot be two Lords or Maſters of one and the ſame thing.
2 No man can ſerve two Maſters, that is, commanding contrary things at one and the ſame time, for elſe we may ſerve divers Maſters ſubordinate one to another, as the Council here and thoſe that derive power from them, and thoſe who derive power to them. 1 Peter 2.12, 13. and two Maſters that are in equal power.
Beſides immoderate love of the World will alienate the heart from God, yea, getting a reign in our heart it will throw God out of government there.
Ye cannot ſerve God and Mammon] Irenaeus derives Mammon of Mum, that is, a ſpot, and Hon, that is, Riches; ſo that Mammon is the ſpot of Riches, ſuch is covetouſneſs, which hides Riches up that they are eaten up of Ruſt and Moth.
From the words Ile gather one Obſervation.
Obſ. The love of God and the love of the World cannot in any ſovereign and eminent degree be in one and the ſame ſoul at one and the ſame time, James 4.4. O ye adulterers and adultereſſes, know ye not that the friendſhip of the world is enmity with God? 1 John 2.16. If any man love the world the love of the Father cannot abide in him.
Reaſ. 1 From the contrariety of one to the other.
2 Becauſe God, among all the affections of the ſoul, challenges our love, Matth. 22.38. yea, and that in a ſovereign degree, Matth. 10.37. therefore the World cannot have it. When we give up our ſovereign love to him, then he gives us back ſome of it that we may beſtow it upon Wives, Children, Eſtate; with this intention, that we love them ſubordinately to himſelf.
3 From the abſurdity of placing God and the World in one and the ſame Throne. It's all one as to joyn light and darkneſs together, which cannot have communion, 2 Cor. 4.14. To be tranſlated out of the World, and to love the World cannot be together in one and the ſame ſubject; it's an argument à repugnantibus.
Uſe. 1 For information. See how far they are from Chriſtianity whoſe hearts are knit to any earthly thing more than God.
1 Theſe earthly things thou ſo affects are not able to fill thy ſoul. God onelyonly fills the ſoul, Eccleſ. 5.10. He that loveth Silver ſhall not be ſatisfied with Silver. He ſpake like a Fool that ſaid, Soul take thine eaſe, eat, drink, and be merry. You may as ſoon fill a Cheſt with Grace, as a Soul with Gold.
2 Conſider for whom God placed the affection of love in thee, was it not for himſelf? As the eye was made for colour, ſo was our love for God. To fall in love with the World and not with God is as if a man having a beautifull, virtuous, noble and rich virgin offered him, he ſhould ſlight her and fall in love with ſome baſe and beggerly ſtrumpet.
3 The love of the World will eat out the love of God, 2 Tim. 3.4. Lovers of pleaſures more than lovers of God. The more love to God the more remiſs about earthly things, and the more love to earthly things, the more remiſs to God and his ſervice.
4 All earthly things thou ſo affects are not the true good, Matth. 19.17. Why calleſt thou me good? there is none good ſave one, that is God. Chriſt himſelf, though nearer to good than any creature, yet if men had ſet their affections on him as a creature, they had done amiſs. When worldly men ſay, who will ſhew us any good? meaning from Corn and Wine, the Prophet judging theſe not to be the true good, ſaith, Lord lift up the light of thy countenance upon me, Pſalm 4.6, 7. as if he ſhould ſay, The Lord and the light of his countenance is onelyonly the true good.
5 Earthly things cannot make us happy, but God can. That God can make the ſoul happy appears, Pſalm 16.11. In his preſence is fulneſs of joy. Pſalm 17.15. I ſhall be ſatisfied, when I awake, with thy likeneſs. Pſalm 30.5. In his favour is life. Acts 2.28. Thou wilt make me full of joy with thy countenance. Now fulneſs of joy muſt needs procure ſatisfaction.
Now earthly things cannot make us happy. 1 They cannot free us from miſery. Belſhazzar, Dan. 5.6. for all he had wealth and honour in abundance, yet ſeeing the hand-writing he was ſtartled, his knees ſmote one againſt another. When the rich mans Barns could not hold his Corn, the Devils carried his ſoul to Hell. So the rich man Luke 16. who lived like a Gentleman yet died and went to Hell; and for temporal evils, there are ſome evils earthly things cannot turn away, as War, trouble of conſcience: ſuppoſe they turn away ſome evils, what avails it to have one evil turned away, and another as bad lying upon us?
2 Earthly things are not proportionable: nothing fits the ear but ſounds, nothing fits the ſmell but odours, nothing is proportionable and fit for the ſoul ſave God. Hence God to Abraham, Gen. 15.1. I am thy exceeding great reward. Men that have the moſt of earthly things, God puts ſometimes a ſecret diſproportion betwixt them and their eſtates, that they have no comfort therein.
3 They are not everlaſting: nothing can be called happineſs which is not everlaſting. Now earthly things are like a flock of birds in your backſide which on a ſuddain take wing, Pro. 23.4, 5. Crowns and ſcepters are not for ever, Prov. 27.24. Riches are not for ever, and the crown doth not endure to every generation. Adonibezek, Belſhazzar, and many others have loſt their kingdoms: he that rides the multitude rides a skittiſh horſe that knows not how ſoon it may fling him. The world paſſeth away and the luſts thereof, 1 Joh. 2.17. foreign the word is, like a ſwift flowing river. That all earthly things are periſhing food, Joh. 6.27. appears in Hamans honour, Jobs riches and Aegypts pleaſures, called onelyonly pleaſures for a ſeaſon, Heb. 11.25. and ſuch are all your pleaſures and delightful acts, any of you have had in uncleanneſs, revenge and drunkenneſs, for not onelyonly the world paſſes away but the luſts thereof, 1 John 1.17.
2 Reprehenſion of the inordinate love, men have to the world, ſeen,
1 In their exceeding joy in the having of them, and their exceeding ſorrow in the loſs of them. Laban when he ſaw the bracelets and ear-rings Eleazar had put on Rebekkahs arme, ſaith he to a ſtranger he never ſaw before, Come in thou bleſſed of the Lord, Gen. 24.30, 31. Job did not thus rejoyce in his goods, cap. 31.25. thus to rejoyce is to rejoyce in a thing of nought, Amos. 6.13. like Jonas in a gourd. We have a command for remiſſeneſs of joy herein, 1 Cor. 7.30, 31. Theſe exceſſive joys procure exceſſive ſorrows. Jobs wife having loſt her goods falls to rating her husband for his uprightneſs, and provokes him to curſe God.
2 In that they can rejoyce to ſee their children worldly, to ſee them inclined to any other vice they are grieved at it, not for this.
3 In their eager purſuit of earthly things. How eager was Balaam for the rewards of divination for Balaks gold? ſuch were thoſe wicked teachers, Jude ver. 11. who ran greedily after the error of Balaam: now what is this wealth men ſo run after? What is gold and ſilver but white and red earth called thick clay? Hab. 2.6. What are Diamonds but the beams of the ſun (as ſome think) incloſed in a piece of earth? What are Margarites but the excrements of ſhell-fiſhes? What is purple but the blood of a fiſh of that name called purple? What is ſilk, but onelyonly the ſpinnings and webs of wormes? Bern. Balaam had a denial from God to curſe the people of God, yet the deſire of gold ſo tranſported him that he would make one eſſay more, to ſee whether he might curſe Iſrael, Numb. 22.10, 11, 12. compared with ver. 18, 19, 20.
4 In their penurious pinching and ſcraping, as the Emper Veſpaſian, who made a gain of urine: hence came the proverb, ſweet is the ſmell of gain, that comes from any thing. Some call ſuch men cuminopreſtas, that is ſuch as will not give a whole cummin ſeed, but divide it in two. Theſe perſons baſely withhold from themſelves and families; There is a man (ſaith Solomon) that wanteth nothing for his ſoul of all that he deſireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, Eccleſ. 6.2. How much more do ſuch withhold from good uſes? The Lord hath need of their aſſe, but they will not let him go, Matth. 21.3. The poor want their dues, Prov. 3.27. but they are like unfaithful ſtewards that keep the ſervants wages in their hands.
5 In their multitudes of imployments above the reach of, 1 their capacity: no man in the world, his parts never ſo large, is able to go through that buſineſs which ſome one man of meaner parts hath, and retain communion with God; how then can he of mean parts retain his communion? Every mans ſoul is like a veſſel which being once full is able to hold no more.
2 Above the reach of their time, as Pharaohs ſeven lean kine did eat up the fat, ſo their time for worldly imployments eats up the time due for Gods ſervice. As he is a lover of pleaſures more then a lover of God, who ſuffers paſtimes to devour his time for holy duties; ſo he is a worldling, who ſuffers worldly imployments ordinarily and uſually to hinder him from religious exerciſes. Such were the old world, and the Sodomites, Luk. 17.27, 28. They did eat and drink, they married and were given in marriage, they bought, they ſold, they builded, they planted. Why? are not all theſe things lawful? Yes, but when mens hearts are ſwallowed up of theſe, when men follow theſe with the excluſion of religious duties, as they did the preaching of Noah and Lot, then they become unlawful and forerunners of great hardneſs and deſtruction.
3 Above the reach of Chriſtian liberty. The utmoſt of Chriſtian liberty is that we provide for us and ours in reference to an everlaſting life, having our hearts remiſs and looſe to earthly things, 1 Cor. 7.29, 30.
6 In their ſollicitous cares for living: one ſaith what ſhall I do when I am old? another ſaith, husband, what ſhall I and my five children do when you are dead? what ſhall I do in a dear year, and from hence to be ſet on work to provide exceſſively? ſome have but one child or two, yet are they as full of carking, as if they had twenty; nay ſome have never a child, yet are they more ſcraping and more full of carking cares, then many that have a charge.
3 Uſe To diſwade us from inordinate love of earthly things.