A Glimpse of Eternity, Chapter 12
CHAP. XII. …f looking to Eternal things as our end, enforced by eight ſeveral Arguments.
… WE ſhould look to them as our aim and end; this I conceive is chiefly meant in the …ext, the word ſignifies(a)foreign. to look as the Archer doth at …e mark he aimeth at, though there may be many …hings before him worth his looking on, and which …e would look to at another time; yet now his eye …s upon the mark he ſhooteth at: ſo it was with the …poſtles; it was not temporal, but eternal things they …oked to; They were the mark they aimed at, the …reat end they propounded to themſelves: ſo, I preſs …ward the mark (b)Phil. 1.11, 14. foreign.; this he made his great work and …uſineſs; whatſoever he did, he did in tendency to his; he thought all he could do, little enough, if by …ny means he might attain unto the Reſurrection of the dead. And thus it ſhould be with us, we ſhould loo… upon all other things as things acceſſary (c)foreign., we ſhoul… do them as if we did them not, uſe them as if we uſe… them not; allow them only the fragments of our time; they are things eternal that we ſhould mainly aim at, that ſhould be the end we propound to our ſelves▪ there is a twofold end, the end of the worker, that is▪ the Glory of God, which is the ultimate end into which all muſt be reſolved; and there is the end of the work… that is ſalvation: that you may receive the end of you… faith, the ſalvation of your ſouls. Though the glory o… God be the great ultimate end we ſhould aim at, ye… we may have reſpect to our own ſalvation, as an en… ſubordinate; and things that are ſubordinate are not o… poſed one to the other: theſe two like Naomi and Rut… go hand in hand together; whatſoever maketh fo… Gods Glory, conduceth to our ſalvation; that therefor… we may, nay and next to Gods Glory ought to mak… the end. we propound to our ſelves: And this being the thing that is chiefly meant in the text; I ſha… the more enlarge my ſelf upon it, and the rather becauſe it is a thing of very great import, as will appea… from theſe following Conſiderations.
(1.) This is the great thing God looks at; there is n… thing in this world that God ſo much reſpects … man; All theſe things have my hands made, but to th… man will I look (e)Iſa. 66.2., Nothing in man ſo much as th… heart; My Son give me thy heart; that is the M… Sion which God loveth above all the dwellings of Jacob; and nothing in the heart ſo much as the aim a… end of it: it is true of God, what the Apoſtle ſpeaketh of the word of God, it is a diſcerner of the though… and intents of the heart (f)Heb. 14.12.. Let a mans profeſſion be never ſo glorious, let him be never ſo abundant in th… performance of duties, yet if his end be wrong, a… his pretenſions and performances are but beautif… abominations in Gods eſteem: Simon Magus had been …aptized, deſired the gift of the Holy-Ghoſt, but did not this with a right aim and intention, but to get …oney; therefore Peter telleth him, his heart was not …pright in Gods ſight (g)Acts 8.21.: On the other ſide, though a mans failings be many, yet if his aim and end be …ight, if the frame and tendency of his heart be toward God, and Heaven, this works his acceptation in Gods ſight. Jehoſhaphat offended greatly in his affinity with Ahab, and the Prophet reproveth him ſeverely for it; yet withal tells him, nevertheleſs there are good …hings found in thee, in that thou haſt prepared thy heart …o ſeek God (h)2 Chron. 19.3.. And thus Hezekiah deſcribeth the …incerity of thoſe that came to the Paſſeover, The …ood Lord be merciful to every one whoſe heart is ſet to …eek the God of his Father, although his heart be not clean…d according to the purification of the Sanctuary; (i)2. Chron. 30.8.al…hough they failed in that particular, yet their heart …eing ſet upon God, that both delared their ſince…ity, and wrought their acceptation. Barnabas exhorts …he Chriſtians at Antioch that with full purpoſe of heart …hey would cleave unto the Lord (k)Acts 11.23., We read before that …e was ſent by the Church at Jeruſalem to viſit the Bre…hren at Antioch; and when he came to them, we read …f no other exhortation, but only this; implying that …his is the concluſion of the whole matter, the great …hing God looks at, and that ſhould be one engagment …o us, to look to theſe things as our end.
(2.) This is the great thing in which the Devil ſeek…th to deceive men: though he ſeeks to deceive us in …ll the paſſages of our life, yet it is ſtill in order to …n chief Good, or End: Mithridates the King of Pon…us, being worſted by the Romans, and fearing he …hould not eſcape them, cauſed a great deal of Gold, …nd Silver, and rich furniture to be ſcattered in the wayes, which while the Roman Souldiers gathered with great eagerneſs, he eſcaped their hands, and got into a place of ſa…ety: the Devil knowing what taking, tempting things the profits and pleaſures of the world are to men, he ſcattereth them in their way, that being buſied about them, he might hinder them in their purſuit of Heaven, and things Eternal; that is the great thing the Devil driveth at in all his temptations: he is willing men ſhould go to Church, and hear, and read, and pray, ſo as he can deceive them in their end, their chief Good; this is that great deceit, under which the greateſt part of the world will periſh: and that he ſhould deceive ſo many in this, as it will be a matter of the inſultation to Satan, that he can thus gull many, who are otherwiſe knowing, underſtanding men; ſo it will be matter of the greateſt confuſion to themſelves, that they ſhould ſuffer the Devil to cheat them of their chief Good, that he ſhould put them off with ſo mean inconſiderable things, and lead them blindfold to Hell, like an Ox to the ſlaughter, or a fool to the correction of the ſtocks; the nature of man doth exceedingly abhor to be cheated, there being not only loſs in it, but a diſparagement, an imputation of weakneſs laid upon the man to ſuffer himſelf to be outwitted; men uſe to ſay when they are cheated but in a ſmall thing, They had rather have given away three times as much; but to be cheated of our ſouls, our eternal ſalvation, that is more grievous; were it only in the matters of this life, it were not much, but to be deceived in things of the higheſt concernment, in the buſineſs of eternity, that is moſt ſad; but that which makes it more ſad, is, becauſe it is ſuch a groſs and palpable deceit; to take a counterfeit Pearl for a true one, there being a great likeneſs, may ſometimes befall an underſtanding man; but to take a pebble for a Pearl, a flint for a Diamond, this is ſo groſs, that none but a fool or mad-man would be thus miſtaken; and for men to take earth for heaven, things temporal, for things eternal, to ſuffer Satan to cozen them of their ſouls and eternal Salvation, and put them off with ſuch mean, petty things, this is the greateſt cheat in the world, and that men ſhould be ſo far deluded by Satan, as to make things ſo much below themſelves their ultimate end, will be to them matter of confuſion for evermore; Shew your ſelves men, ſaith God to the Idolatrous Iſraelites, who of their ſilver and gold made themſelves a God (l)Iſa. 46.8., That any ſhould ſo …man themſelves, as to make theſe things their God, …heir chief good, their end, cannot but be in th… end matter of great aſtoniſhment! This is another Conſi…eration, which ſhews of what grand concernment it …, to propound a right end to our ſelves.
(3.) To look to things eternal as our end, is the great …ing wherein the work of Converſion doth conſiſt: Con…erſion bringeth a great Change, the Apoſtle calleth … a transformation (m)Rom. 12.2. foreign, Ego ſum Ego., it makes a man as it were a…ther man, I am not I, ſaid that young Convert: yet … is, though a great Change, it is no ſubſtantial Change; …e man is the ſame ſtill for his nature and ſubſtance: … is chiefly a Change of the heart, and that is ſeen …ainly in the aim and intent of the heart; a Bowl …at runneth on the left hand, if the bias be but tur…d, it runs as much on the right, without any change … the ſubſtance of the Bowl; the Painter that was …oken to by a Gentleman, to draw a Horſe running …th full ſpeed: it hapned when he brought it home …at he preſented it to the Gentleman with the bottom …ard; and ſo it ſeemed to be a Horſe tumbling up… his back; at which the Gentleman being angry, the …nter bad him but turn the ſides, and then it would … according to his deſire: ſo it is here, let but the … be changed, and then the man that before lay tumbling as is were upon his back, kicking againſt God and Heaven, will be running the wayes of Gods Commandements: the change of the heart is much in the change of the end, and if the heart be changed, the man is changed; when he once cometh to this reſolution, time was when I made the world my end, and that I purſued with all eagerneſs, ſuch and ſuch ſins as my end, and then it was a pleaſure to me to do wickedly, whereas now by Gods aſſiſtance I reſolve to make it my buſineſs to lay up treaſure in heaven; whatſoever elſe I do, I will be ſure to do that whatſoever I neglect, I will not neglect this one thin… neceſſary: when a man cometh thus to change his end this is the great thing wherein Converſion doth co… ſiſt, for, as natural corruption conſiſts chiefly i… that de-ordination, whereby the heart is taken o… from God, as the chief good, and eternal happine… as the chief end, and placed upon ſin, or the world and therefore Auſtin makes ſin to be nothing elſe tha… to uſe that we ſhould enjoy, and enjoy that we ſhould uſe (n)Utendis frui, & fruendis uti.ſo Converſion is nothing elſe but a turning fro… ſin to God, from the Creature to the Creator, fro… things temporal to things eternal. Converſion in Scripture is termed Vocation, or Calling; whom he ha… predeſtinated, them he hath alſo called, and converte… men are ſaid to be called out of the World; concei… it thus, a man hath his face toward the world, an… ſin, and hell, while he is marching furiouſly … theſe wayes of his own heart. God makes him hea… as it were a voyce behind him, ſaying, this is not t… way; neither are theſe the things; there is anothe… way you muſt take, other things you muſt ſeek, … you would be happy: when God thus calleth, a… ſometimes Chriſt his Church, Come with me from L… banon my Spouſe, come with me from Lebanon; a… withal, enclineth the heart to hear and obey th… Call; this is to be called out of the world, this is it in which the work of converſion conſiſts: when thoſe Goſpel-converts were effectually wrought upon, the work chiefly appeared, in making eternal life the matter of their Enquiries: what ſhall we do to be ſaved? What ſhall we do to inherit eternal life? If then we would have evidence of our converſion, without which there is no Salvation, it muſt be by making eternal things our aim, and end.
[4] The end denominates the Perſon, ſuch as the end is, ſuch is the man. Philoſophers ſay,(o)Dat eſſe, diſtinguere & operari. that the Form giveth Being to the thing, diſtinguiſheth it from other things, and is the principle of all its operations: now it is a Rule ſome give, what the form is in natural things, that the end is in morals; and in all theſe reſpects it will appear, of how great concernment it is to look to our end. As in naturals, the form giveth the Being, man being informed by a reaſonable ſoul, that makes him a reaſonable creature; ſo the end doth in morals, every man is as his end is: If wordly, earthly things be a mans end, he is a man of the world; Deliver me from the men of the world: a man of earth; That the man of earth may no more oppreſs (p)Pſal 17.14. and 10. ult.. Theſe earthly things transform them into their own nature; on the other ſide, he that maketh ſpiritual, heavenly things his end, he is a ſpiritual man; ſo he is called, Ye that are ſpiritual, reſtore him a heavenly man: As is the heavenly, ſuch are they that are heavenly (q)Gal. 6.1. with 1 Cor. 15.43.. They ſay, tho Eagle tryeth her young ones by holding them againſt the Sun, if they can face the Sun, ſhe looketh upon them as legitimate: if we be ſuch as make it our delight to acquaint our ſelves with God, and have our converſation in Heaven; it is a good argument that we belong to God, that we have title to heaven, when our knowledge and learning, will prove but weak arguments of true Grace; when gifts of preaching, praying, di… courſing, will afford us little comfort; when the profeſſion of Religion, and outward performance of Duties, will ſtand us in little ſtead; this, that we hav… made God our chief good, and Salvation our chief end will be the beſt evidence of uprightneſs, and ſincer… ty; by that therefore we ſhould make it out to ou… ſelves.
[5.] As the form in Naturals, ſo the end here giveth not only Being, but diſtinction, ſerving beſt t… diſtinguiſh between one man, and another: the grea… difference between the worldling and the Saint, lyet… in this; as, in matters of this life, doth the worldlin… take pains in his Calling, avoid neceſſary expence… manage his buſineſs to the beſt advantage, lay up ſom… thing for his Children? All this the Saint doth, th… difference chiefly lyeth in the end; the former gettet… that he may get, followeth the world, that he may enjoy the world, worketh for more, and deſires more that he may have more: whereas, the other dot… this for higher ends, that he may honour God with h… ſubſtance, that he may maintain good works, and lay up a good foundation for himſelf: So in matter o… Duty, the Hypocrite goeth as far in outward performances as the true Believer. Did David pray thre… times a day? ſo did the Phariſees, yea, and make lon… prayers (r)Mar. 12.40.. Did David and Daniel faſt? ſo they, and that twice in the week (s)Luk. 18.12.: Did Cornelius give almes the like did they(t)Mat. 6.2.: Did Abraham pay tythes? they tythed their very Mint and Rue (u)Luk. 11.42.. The great difference lyeth in the end, the Hypocrite doth all like the Phariſees, that he may have praiſe from men, or ſome other ſiniſter end; at beſt he prayeth that he may pray, and heareth that he may hear, and ſo maketh praying the end of praying, and hearing the end of hearing: whereas the upright Chriſtian, though he may think it a deſirable thing to be well eſteemed by thoſe that are good, and this may be ſome encouragement to him; as David, I will wait upon thy name, for it is good before thy Saints (x)Pſal. 52.9.: yet he doth not make this his end: nay, he looketh upon it as a ſnare to be applauded, and cryed up; as Luther ſaid, He would not have Eraſmus his honour for the whole world: neither doth he make Duty the end of Duty; the end he aimeth at in all his ſervices, is, firſt the advancing of Gods glory, and then the furthering of his own ſalvation; if then we would have our righteouſneſs exceed the righteouſneſs of the Scribes and Phariſees, and do more than others, as Chriſt expects(y)Mat. 5.47., we muſt do it chiefly by this, by doing all to the right end.
[6.] The end doth not only give Being and diſtinction, but it gives likewiſe operari, it hath a powerful influence upon the actions, it is the principle of all operations, the end and the means go together, the one draweth on the other (z)Poſito fine ponuntur media ad finem.; he that maketh riches his End, will be forward to labour, and take pains for it: Solomon ſaith, There is no end of his labour; he riſeth early, goeth to bed late, rides, runs, ſtudies, raketh every kennel, ſcrapeth every dung-hill, moves every ſtone, leaveth no means unattempted to enrich himſelf; no pains ſeems too much to him, no difficulty can deter him; like him that gave this impreſſion in his Eſcutcheon, a hand with a Pickax, digging a way thorow a Rock with this Motto, I will either find a way, or make one: In like manner, if we look to things Eternal, making them our end, we will be diligent in the Uſe of all means conducing thereunto; we will Pray, Seek, Knock, Hear, Read, Confer, Strive, give all Diligence; Prayers, Watchings, Faſtings, Humiliations, Out-cries to Heaven, and other things which carnal men cannot indure to hear of, will be willingly entertained, if by any means we may attain the end of our deſires; he that means to go to Heaven (ſaith Chryſoſtome) will ſtick a no difficulties, nor queſtion, what is rough in the way what is laborious? like Solomon's ſluggard, there is a Lion in the way; he will not ſay as Judas, why is thi… waſte? or, Naaman, what needs ſo often waſhing▪ why ſo much praying, and hearing, and labouring? bu… will be forward to do any thing, and think no labou… too great, ſo as he may finiſh his courſe with joy.
(7) The End doth not only engage to the Ʋſe of th… Means, but it renders the Means pleaſant and delightful: the End gives an amiableneſs to all the Means (a)Finis dat amabilitatem omnibus mediis.; h… that maketh riches his end, the very labour and pai… he taketh in getting them, is delightful to him. I… all labour there is profit (b)Prov. 14.23., and this profit it bringeth maketh it pleaſant; harveſt, the time of greateſt l… bour, is the time of the greateſt joy, they reioyce according to the joy of harveſt (c)Iſa. 9.3.. On the other ſide, h… that maketh things Eternal his End, doth not only uſe the Means conducing thereto, but he doth al… with delight; he rejoyceth to work righteouſneſs, he delights to do Gods Will; he is glad when they ſay we will go up to the houſe of the Lord; he doth not only pray, but delights in approaching to God; not only hear, but the word is ſweet to him; not only obſerv… the Sabbath, but calls it his delight; longs for it before it comes; like the Jew, who, they ſay, put on his beſt apparel to welcome the approach of it and ſeems to haſten its approach, wooing it wit… this invitation, make haſte my beloved; when it comes he chearfully addreſſeth himſelf to the duties of it like the Primitive Chriſtians, who, if the queſtio… were asked, Haſt thou kept the Lords day? anſwered, I am a Chriſtian, I cannot but keep it: in a word, whatſoever he doth in Gods ſervice, he doth it with delight and complacency: ſome make this obſervation from that of our Saviour,(d)John 14.23, 24. foreign. If a man love me he will keep my word; He that loveth me not, keepeth not my ſayings: In the former clauſe, ſpeaking of him that loves, he ſaith [my word] in the ſingular number, for ſo it is in the Original, implying that to ſuch an one all Gods commandments are as one, they are facile and pleaſant to him; but ſpeaking of him that loveth not, it is [my ſayings] in the plural, becauſe to him the commandments ſeem many and grievous; this is the great difference between them, he that loveth not, may do the ſame things the other doth, but he doth them not with delight; he looketh upon Gods ſervice as a wearineſs, and ſnuffeth at it; he cryeth, When will the Sabbath be gone? whereas, he that hath his love ſet upon Chriſt and Heaven, looketh upon his yoke as eaſie, counts it his meat and drink to do his will.
(8.) What a man maketh his end now, that ſhall be his portion; God leaves every man to his own choice, I have ſet before you life and death, therefore chuſe life (e)Deut. 30.19. and 11.26., Every mans choice is according to his inclination, and apprehenſion of things; for the Will followeth the ultimute dictate of the Ʋnderſtanding; the man that liveth by ſenſe, thinks theſe temporal things more worthy of his choice than the other; he looketh upon his money, (ſaith Chryſoſtome) and thinks he ſeeth more beauty and luſtre in the gold in his purſe, than in the Sun in the firmament; theſe temporal things are things ſeen, (ſaith the Text) he ſeeth them, he hath them; whereas Eternal things are things not ſeen, for ought he knoweth they are but an Idea, a fancy of more credulous ſpirits, who believe every thing is told them; or if there be ſuch things, they are things future; and better he thinks one bird in the hand, than two in the Buſh; better a Wren in the cage, than an Eagle in the clouds, therefore he maketh choice of them, but will not chuſe the fear of the Lord: whereas a godly man, upon whom God hath wrought both by irradiating his Ʋnderſtanding to ſee an excellency in heavenly things, and by enclining and determining the Will to embrace the dictate of the Underſtanding thus enlightened; ſuch an one peremptorily concludeth, that Heaven or nothing ſhall be the object of his choice, that if Eternal things be not his portion, there is none worth the having; accordingly (as there are two things we are ſaid to will, the end, and the means; the former they call the will, the other the choice *foreign.,) he wills ſalvation, and Eternal… happineſs, as (next to God) his chief good, his end; and chuſeth the ſervice of God as the way and mean… of attaining it; Chuſe you whom you will ſerve, ſaith Joſhua, but I and my houſe will ſerve the Lord. Le… thine hand help me, ſaith David, for I have choſen thy Commandments: Mary hath choſen the better part. Now God giveth to both theſe according to their choice Before man is life, and death, and what him liketh ſhall be given him (g)Eccleſ. 15.17.; the worldly man chuſeth tempora… things as his chief good, and God for the moſt part giveth him his deſire, fills his belly with hid treaſures … but this is all he is ever like to have; woe to you tha… are rich now, for you have received your conſolation (h)Luke. 6.24.He hath not reaſon to look for Heaven, which he would not chuſe. When wicked-men ſhall cry with th… fooliſh Virgins, Lord, Lord, open to us: God will ſoo… ſtop their mouths, by telling them they had tha… which themſelves choſe. On the other ſide the godl… man, who maketh things Eternal the matter of his choice and looketh upon them as his end, this man at preſent is not far off from the Kingdom of God, an… ſhall certainly have at laſt according to his choice that which is his end now by way of election, ſhal be afterward his end by way of fruition; according to that excellent Saying of St. Auſtin, Eternal bleſſedneſs is begun in election, and perfected in fruition; while Martha was cumbred about many things, Mary choſe to attend the preaching of Chriſt, the means of Salvation: and what ſhe choſe, ſhe ſhould certainly have, Mary hath choſen that better part that ſhall not be taken away from her; ſaith the ſame Father: Happineſs is neither given to any man againſt his will, but is matter of his choice, nor is taken from any man againſt his will; he who chuſeth ſalvation for his portion, and looketh upon it as his chief good, ſhall certainly at laſt obtain his choice, ſhall have a wide and large entrance into the kingdom of Heaven: From all theſe particulars it appeareth, how much it doth concern us, to make eternal things our end, and aim.