Sweet and Soul-Persuading Inducements Leading Unto Christ, Chapter 16
CHAP. XVI.
IF you demand how it comes to paſſe that vain man is ſo prone and forward to exalt himſelf,Grounds of mans pronenes to ſelf-exaltation. to magnifie himſelfe in the eyes of men, and ſo ſlow and backward to exalt and ſet up Chriſt?
I anſwer, this ariſeth 1.1 Mans ignorance of his baſe eſtate. From mans ignorance of his own corrupt and baſe eſtate; did man ſee how he is a dead man in whom is yEph. 4 19.no life of grace, a bond-man, a ſpirituall zIſa. 49.9.priſoner unto Satan, having many luſts like chains and fetters tying him, an aRo. 7.18. Lev. 13.empty houſe wherin dwelleth no good, and a loathſome Leper having no ſpirituall beauty on him, but altogether deformed and defiled with the contagion of ſinne, he would with the Leper in Leviticus lay his hand upon his mouth, and cry out, uncleane, uncleane, uncleane; Paul while he ſaw not the baſeneſſe and badneſſe of his naturall eſtate, put no price upon Chriſt, walked as an adverſary againſt Chriſt, being filled with high thoughts of himſelfe; but after the commandement bRom. 7.9.came, preſenting his ſpots like a glaſſe before him; he humbled himſelfe, he was in his owne apprehenſion as a dead man, in whom was no life, no beauty, no excellency, then he was an abhorring to himſelfe, and Chriſt was precious in his eyes, then all was dung and droſſe in compariſon of the cPhil. 3.8.excellent knowledge of Chriſt; then he did no more exalt himſelfe but Chriſt; then hee determined to know d1 Cor. 2.2.nothing but Chriſt and him crucified; then he preached Chriſt and not himſelfe; then he put himſelfe wholly upon the ſervice of Chriſt, and made it his crowne and comfort to draw men unto Chriſt. He that is moſt ignorant of himſelfe, is moſt proud, and moſt ſtudious to exalt himſelfe. Mans ignorance of his neceſſity of Chriſt makes him regardleſſe to exalt Chriſt.
2 Inconſiderateneſſe of receivings.2. Mans inconſiderateneſſe of his receivings. He conſiders not that he is a ciſterne, and God the fountaine, a branch and Chriſt the root, that all that he hath is a eIam. 1.17.gift, a borrowed thing, the Lords and not his; He remembers not that he hath nothing of his owne beſides his ſinne, that all his f2 Cor. 3.5.ſufficiency is of God, both naturall and morall, temporall and ſpirituall, as all the bright and lightſome ſufficiency of the aire is from the Sunne: He cannot ſenſibly confeſſe with David, g1 Chron. 29.riches and honour come of thee, and thou reigneſt over all, and in thy hand is power and might, and in thy hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Vaine man lookes on all that he hath, as Nehuchadnezzar on his hDan. 4.30.Babel, as on a houſe of his own building, as on a tree of his owne planting. He iHab 1.16.ſacrificeth to his owne net, and burneth incenſe to his owne dragge; and therefore like Nebuchadnezzar, he exalts and magnifies himſelfe and not Chriſt. He that doth not ſee and feele Chriſt in his receivings, can never admire Chriſt in them, nor be drawne to Chriſt by them, but is vainly puffed up againſt Chriſt in the preſence of them. When Jeſuran kDeut. 32.15.waxed fat, was filled with all earthly abundance, he kicked, rebelled againſt God, refuſed the Lawes and ordinances of God, he forſooke God which made him, and lightly eſteemed the rocke of his ſalvation. And why ſo, whence proceeded this exalting of himſelfe, and this ſleighting of his God. The reaſon is tendred: He was unmindfull of the rocke that begate him, and forgot the God that formed him, He remembred not that God was the authour of his being, the rock of his preſervation, and the fountaine that miniſtred all his fulneſſe to him. The great receivings which ſhould move man to walke humbly with God, through inconſideration doe often occaſion man to exalt himſelfe againſt God.
3. Forgetfulneſſe of mans place and ſtation. 3. Forgetfulneſſe of mans place & ſtation.Man remembers not that his place is not the place of a Maſter, but of a ſervant, not of a King but of a Subject, not of a Lord but of a Steward: The greateſt earthly Potentates are under God as ſervants, lyable to an lLuk 16 2…account for all their receivings, bound to imploy their mMat 25 23. 2 Cor. 8.14.talents to Chriſts advantage, to miniſter to others of their abundance, and not to exalt themſelves above others, becauſe they poſſeſſe more then others. The Mother hath full breaſts given her not for inſultation over the childe, but for miniſtration of milke to the childe; God fils the breaſts of ſome with great abundance, not to magnifie themſelves above others, to trample and tread downe others, but to communicate to others neceſſities. Kings and Queenes are the nIſa 49.23.nurſes of the Church, no mans greatneſſe exempts him from obedience unto God, and ſerviceableneſſe to the Church of God: On ſome God beſtowes but little to try their patience, on others he conferreth much to exerciſe their humility and meekneſſe: But mans forgetfulneſſe of this doth often occaſion him to walke inſolently towards his poore brethren, and in ſtead of being an Olive, a Vine, a Fig-tree to his brethren to ſhadow, feed, refreſh, and cheere them: He becomes a oIudg 9.9.bramble to vexe and annoy them; in ſtead of honouring God with his ſubſtance, he labours to honour himſelfe in the eyes of others.
4. Miſpriſion of the true glory of man. 4. Miſpriſion of Mans glory.Mans honouring Chriſt is the trueſt honour of man: Holy and humble obedience is the honour of a Chriſtian; The honouring of the Father, Husband, Soveraigne, is the honour of a Sonne, a Wife, a Subject; and the honouring of Chriſt is the glory of them who are the Children, the Spouſe and Subjects of Chriſt. He (ſaith Saint Paul) that in pRom. 14.18theſe things, in righteouſneſſe, peace of a good conſcience, and ſpirituall joy, ſerveth Chriſt is acceptable to God, and approved of men: Very honourable in the eyes of God and good men; but vaine and carnall man thinks no honour comparable to the honour which men give, he qJoh. 12.42.loves the praiſe of men more then the praiſe of God; and therefore labours more to worke himſelfe into the hearts of men, then into the favour of God, doth more to draw the eyes of mens vaine admiration, then the eyes of Gods gracious approbation towards him, and ſtrives more to have the teſtimony of man applauding him, then the witneſſe of Gods Spirit, ſealing him up unto the day of redemption; and for this he ſtudies to exalt and make himſelfe appeare Simon Magus like, Some great one in the eyes of the people, for this he many times ſhunnes Chriſt, and declines him in his ordinances, in his heavenly truths, in his members, in his preſcriptions, ſo farre as he diſcernes them to prejudice his reputation in the eyes of the people.
5 Vnſenſiblenes of the unhappy fruits of Self-exaltation5. Ʋnſenſibleneſſe of the evill and unhappy fruits of ſelf-exaltation. Many men have no thought, no apprehenſion of the wretched and ſhamefull effects of this exalting and magnifying themſelves above that which is convenient, they perceive not how it makes their ſoules the Subiect of all uncleanneſſe, the ſlaves of Satan, the ſervants of men, the enemies of God, ſtrangers to Chriſt, an abomination in the eyes of God; uncapable of all benefit and comfort by the ordinances of God; impatient of croſſes; despicable in the eyes of men, diſcerning their ambition; unteachable receiving no inſtruction of wiſedome from them that teach them, no reproofe from them that admoniſh them; hypocriticall in their profeſſion of Chriſt, like a Sepulchre whited without, but full of dead mens bones within; envious and full of griefe to ſee the welfare, proſperity, and honour of others; unſavoury in the noſtrils of their brethren, through the rotten and loathſome breath of their ſelf-commendation; and at laſt, the Subiect of all ſhame and confuſion, the Lord making their ſhame ſutable to their pride, and the degree of their confuſion anſwerable to the meaſure of their ſelf-exaltation.
O therefore if thy gifts be more eminent then others,Cure of Self-exaltation. 1. God makes the difference. conſider it is the Lord makes thee to differ, and Gods favour muſt be unto thee as motives to humility and meekneſſe, and as obligations to ſincere and ſound obedience.
2.2 Well uſing of gift, honour of receiver. Remember that it is not the greatneſſe of the gift, but the well uſing of the gift, that is, the glory of the receiver: It is not the having of any thing, whether much or little, but the having of Chriſt with it, that makes it full and ſatisfactorie, ſweet and comfortable, uſefull and beneficiall unto man.
3 Conſider whatſoever thou haſt, if it puffe thee up, 3 Gifts puffing up, a curſe.and make thee ſwell, it is not food but poiſon, no mercy but a curſe, no evidence of divine favour but of ſevere anger to thy ſoule.
4.4. A mans tenure, a tenancy at will. Thinke upon the tenure by which thou holdeſt all that thou haſt, thou art but a tenant at will, the inheritance is Chriſts, and he may turne thee off when he liſt: All things goe and come at his command, as the ſouldiers at the command of the Centurian.
5.5. Chriſt mans glory and fulneſſe.Know and be aſſured that the glory and fulneſſe of man is Chriſt, all abilities are a very vanity and emptineſſe without Chriſt Jeſus. He that hath moſt of Chriſt Jeſus is of all perſons the moſt glorious, neither hath man cauſe of glorying and rejoycing in any thing but in Chriſt alone. He that glories muſt glory in the Lord, and in nothing elſe: He muſt glory in the power of Chriſt ſupporting him, in the wiſedome of Chriſt directing him, in the bleſſing of Chriſt making all ſucceſſefull to him, in the all-ſufficiency of Chriſt putting a fulneſſe into his poſſeſſion, whether much or little, in the righteouſneſſe of Chriſt juſtifying him, in the preſence of Chriſt encouraging him, and in the love of Chriſt ſolacing him. That man hath the greateſt glory, and the ſweeteſt and ſureſt fulneſſe who hath moſt of Chriſt Jeſus.
6 Iſſue of all dependant upon Gods All-diſpoſing hand.6 Obſerve and weigh well how the iſſue and event of all is not ſo much dependant upon the abundance and excellencies of mans abilities, as upon the all-dispoſing hand of God. I returned and ſaw under the Sunne (ſaith Solomon that the race is not to the ſwift, nor the battell to the ſtrong, neither yet bread to the wiſe, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill, but time and chance happeneth to them all. The event and iſſue is not according to the abilities of man, but according to the decree and diſpenſation of God: It is not in the power of the ſwift to eſcape by running, nor in the power of the ſtrong to overcome in the battell, nor in the power of the wiſe to fill himſelfe with bread, nor in the power of the prudent to furniſh himſelfe with wealth, nor in the power of the skilfull to obtaine favour with men. Haſael though ſwift as the Hart yet he fell in running; Goliah a man of mighty ſtature fell in the conflict with little David; The Barley cake in the Midianites dreame overturned the Midianitiſh Hoaſt: David a man of ſingular wiſedome ſometime wanted bread, and Paul was in hunger and in thirſt often: Joſeph a man of ſingular wiſedome was hated of his brethren, and undeſervedly caſt out of the favour of Potiph…r. Mans welfare, comfort and happineſſe ſprings not from the excellency of his abilities, but from Gods gracious, wiſe, and all-ruling providence. A horſe (ſaith the Pſalmiſt) is a vaine thing for the battell, neither ſhall he deliver any by his great strength. Behold the eye of the Lord is upon them that feare him, upon them that hope in his mercy. It is not the perfection and excellency of the inſtrument, but the Coagency of God with it that puts efficacy into it, and makes it helpfull, honourable and comfortable to the uſer of it. The meditation of the ſubjection of all abilities under Gods gubernation and providence is of great power to purge their poſſeſſors of all ſelf-exalting cogitations.
7. Vnexpected change.7. Meditate upon the ſudden and unexpected change which may come. The river of mans abundance may be turned another way, dryed up, or faile like the waters of Tema, and be empty like Hagars bottle: The Sunne of mans proſperity may be ſuddenly ecclipſed, and ſhine no more: The ſhadow of mans earthly comforts may be ſmitten, and vaniſh like Jonahs gourd. Very ſudden and diſmall outward changes are incident to all ſorts of perſons. Jobs riches was ſoone changed into poverty, Nebuchadnezzars glory was quickly turned into ignominy. Man (ſaith Solomon) knoweth not his time, he knoweth not his time of want when he is full, his time of trouble when he is at peace, his time of diſgrace when he is in honour, nor his time of death when he is in health. As the fiſhes that are taken in an evill net, and as the birds that are caught in the ſnare, ſo are the ſonnes of men ſnared in an evill time, when it falleth ſuddenly upon them. Man hath ſmall cauſe to magnifie himſelfe in the preſence of things ſubject to ſuch ſad and ſudden changes. Were man well ſtudied in, and truly ſenſible of the mutability of all abilities, he would never glory in their preſence, he would undoubtedly walke in a holy feare, and in much humility and meekneſſe in the midſt of the greateſt fulneſſe.