The Combat Between the Flesh and Spirit, Sermon 7
SERM. VII.
1 Cor. 7.30,31.
—And they that rejoyce as though they rejoyced not.
I Shall at this time briefly ſpeak to theſe two things. Firſt, I ſhall ſhew you when your worldly joy is exceſſive. And ſecondly I ſhall lay you down ſome Rules, whereby to keep your joy within bounds.
Queſt. 1 Worldly joy, when exceſſive in 8. particulars.Q. 1. When is worldly joy exceſſive and inordinate? and that I ſhall ſhew you in theſe 8. particulars.
Anſw. 1. Worldly joy is then exceſſive, when it interrupts godly ſorrow for ſin, when a man ſhall be of ſuch a jolly and merry temper, that he cries out, hang ſorrow, and caſt away care; he will never be ſorrowfull again, …or …ver have any ſerious thoughts of ſin; ſuch a joy as this is exceſſive, and ſinfull. When one grace juſtles out another, when worldly joy thruſts out ſorrow for ſin, then it is inordinate. Thus it was with Belſhazzer, in Dan. 5.2. He ſpent his dayes in mirth and jollity, quaft and carouſed in the Veſſels of the Temple, in one day he feaſted a thouſand of his Lords, and was merry through wine; but what was the iſſue of all, you may ſee in the 20. verſe, his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardned in pride: his joy was exceſſive, becauſe it hardned his heart, and hindred and interrupted him from mourning for ſin. Thus Saul called for Muſick, when he ſhould have given himſelf to ſorrow for ſin. 1 Sam. 16. Why now beloved, look into your own boſoms, though God allowes you to rejoyce moderately in his mercies, yet if you be ſo taken up with joyes and pleaſures, that you are averſe from ſorrow and ſerious thoughts of heart, in remembrance of your ſins, then your joy is exceſſive.
2. Your rejoycing in worldly comforts is then exceſſive, when it deprives and robs you of that fellow-feeling and compaſſionate affections which you ſhould have toward the ſorrows and afflictions of Gods Church and people. This you have laid down as a mark of exceſſiveneſs of joy, in Amos 6.4,5,6. They lie upon beds of Ivory, and ſtretch themſelves upon their couches, and eat the Lambs out of the flock, and the Calves out of the midſt of the ſtall, that chant to the ſound of the violl, and invent to themſelves inſtruments of Muſick, that drink wine in Bowles, and annoint themſelves with chiefe ointments, but they are not grieved for the afflictions of Joſeph. Iſrael here was wanton, and ſpent their time in pleaſures and jollity; but they were not grieved for the afflictions of Joſeph, what is that? why, by the afflictions of Joſeph are to be underſtood, the miſeries of the Tribe of Manaſſeh, becauſe that Tribe came from Joſeph: as the 10. Tribes were called Ephraim, becauſe Jeroboam the firſt King of the 10. Tribes, came of the poſterity of Ephraim: and that one Tribe enduring great afflictions, as we may read, 2 Kings 13.7. under King Joaſh, the nine Tribes were not mourning for them, that was their ſin; and therein their joy was exceſſive. Now beloved, all you whoſe hearts do ſuggeſt this to you, that you live merrily in the world, and ſo ſpend your time in mirth and jollity, that it quite eats out all compaſſion and fellow-feeling in you, towards the miſeries and afflictions of the Church of God; that let Religion and the cauſe of God, ſink or ſwim, and let the people of God ſtand or fall, it ſhall never trouble you, in this caſe your joy is exceſſive.
3. When your worldly joy doth damp and dull your delight in God, and in ſpirituall duties, then is your joy exceſſive, when thy delight and reliſh in the Creature is as ſweet as hony; but yet canſt take no more joy in communion with God, in performing duties to him, and receiving grace and ſpirituall mercies from him, then there is taſt in the white of an Egge: this is a ſign thy joy is exceſſive: as in Job 21.11,12.13,14,15. Job ſpeaks there of the wicked, that they ſend forth their little ones like a flock, and their Children dance, they take the Timbrel and Harp, and rejoyce at the ſound of the Organ, they ſpend their dayes in mirth, and in a moment go down into the grave: here are jolly men indeed, they ſpend their dayes merrily; but what is the iſſue of all this? therefore they ſay unto God, depart from us, for we deſire not the knowledge of thy wayes, what is the Almighty that we ſhould ſerve him? and what profit ſhould we have, if we pray unto him? Here you ſee their joy was exceſſive and immoderate, becauſe it did damp their love & duty to God. All recreation ſhould be as a whetſtone to ſharpen us to duty, as Phyſick to ſharpen the ſtomack to reliſh food, not to dog and dull our appetite to ſpiritual things.
4. Your joy was exceſſive in that worldly comfort which you grieve too much in the loſſe and want of. A man never grieves too much in the want of any mercy; but he did rejoyce too much before in the enjoyment of it.
5. Then your joy is exceſſive in outward comforts, when it makes you inſult and triumph over the miſeries and afflictions of other men, that want thoſe comforts that you enjoy. Judges 16.23.25. Sampſon (you know) when he diſcovered wherein his great ſtrength lay, the Philiſtins cut off his hair, and then his ſtrength was gone, and he became as another man, and the Philiſtins took him and put out his eyes, and bound him in fetters of braſſe, and made him grind in the priſon-houſe, they made him their drudge and their ſlave, and the Lords of the Philiſtins gathered themſelves together to offer ſacrifice to Dagon, and to rejoyce, and when their hearts were merry, they called for Sampſon to make them ſport: their immoderate joy did make them inſult over this poor blind man in miſery. Beloved, then is your joy exceſſive, when you make the afflictions of other men to be matter of your Joy.
6. Your Joy is exceſſive when it is mingled with luxury and ſenſuality. 2 Sam. 13.28. Luke 15.23,14.Hence it is that you read ſo often in Scripture, of mens being merry with wine, in 1 Sam. 25.36. and as an Authour obſerves, the ſame word in the Hebrew, that ſignifies to be merry, ſignifies to be drunk, in the 43. Gen. laſt; when mirth proceeds ſo far as to drunkenneſs and ſenſuality, E…h. 1.10.then it is exceſſive.
7. When worldly joy breeds ſecurity and inſenſibleneſs of Gods judgements approaching any place, then it is inordinate. Thus Ethiopia was called the rejoycing City that dwelt ſecurely, Zeph 2.16. and hence it is, that in Pſal. 2.11. fear is adjoyned to rejoycing; ſerve the Lord with fear, and rejoyce with trembling. And hence it is, that Abſolom when he would by treachery ſhed the blood of Amnon, gave this Counſel to his Servants, When you ſee Amnon merry, then fall upon him, as knowing that when his heart was merry, he would then be ſecure. And ſo thoſe in Amos 6.3.6. that chant to the ſound of the Violl, and drink wine in Bowles, are ſaid to be men that put far away the evill day, and were ſecure in their pleaſures, and ſo theſe in Eſay 22.12.13. In the day that the Lord called for weeping and mourning, and baldneſs, and to girding with Sackcloth, behold joy and gladneſs, ſlaying Oxen, and killing ſheep, eating fleſh and drinking wine, let us eat and drink, for to morrow we ſhall die: they would not believe the prophet that foretold them the Judgements of God that were coming upon them; but in ſcoffing and jearing manner, ſaid one to another, let us eat and drink, for to morrow we ſhall die. And ſo again in Eſay 56.12. Come ye, ſay they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill our ſelves with ſtrong drink, and to morrow ſhall be as this day, and much more abundant, they feared not want nor alteration of their condition; which ſecurity of theirs, declared their joy to be exceſſive and inordinate.
8. When men will run to worldly joyes and pleaſures, to ſtill and ſtifle the troubles and terrours of their conſciences.
When a man ſhall have a conviction upon his conſcience, which troubles and perplexes him for ſome groſſe evill he hath committed in his life, and ſhall then run to his recreations and pleaſures, or get amongſt jolly Company, to caſt away and ſhake off theſe troubles that are upon him: this ſhews his joy is immoderate. And thus Saul did diſcover a joviall and ſenſuall ſpirit, 1 Sam. 16.15. when an evill ſpirit from the Lord troubled him, that is, when he had ſome guilt and terrour lying upon his Conſcience, then he commanded his Servants to ſeek him out a man skilfull in Muſick to play before him; but he had been better to have gone to prayer upon his knees, then to call for Muſick, and run to ſenſuall delights to remove his trouble. And thus it was with thoſe Idolaters, that ſacrificed their Children unto Moloch, they had Inſtruments of Muſick, but what to do? why firſt it was to drown the cries of their Children, and ſecondly, to provoke them to merriment and jollity, that their Conſciences might not trouble them for ſo cruel a murther as the ſacrificing their Children. Why (now beloved) you that can when a Sermon hath come home to you, and toucht you to the quick, and the word of God hath come with power, and wrought effectually upon you, to the diſcovering and convincing you of your ſin. If you then run to your recreations and pleaſures, to company-keeping and Stage-playes, or the like, to divert your thoughts from your ſins, and remove the terrour and trouble of your conſcience. This is a ſign your joy is exceſſive and ſinfull; indeed this is the way rather to increaſe then to quiet the checks of conſcience. The Pellican to put out the fire, flaps it with her wings, and ſo inſtead of putting it out, kindles it the more, & burns her ſelf; ſo do thoſe that ſeek by worldly pleaſure and jollity, to ſtifle the checks of conſcience. And thus I have very briefly run over theſe 8. particulars, to ſhew you wherein a mans worldly joy for outward comforts is exceſſive.
I have only now a ſecond thing to run over, and then give you a ſhort uſe, and ſo have done.
Query 2 2. What Rules and directions can you preſcribe us to keep our worldly joy for outward comforts within bounds.
Anſw. Anſw. I ſhall give you 3. or 4.
1. Conſider, that you have better things to rejoyce in, then any thing here below; Directions for mode rating our joyes in worldly comforts.thou haſt better objects to tranſport thy ſoul with joy, as thy reconciliation with God, communion with Chriſt, the comforts of the Holy Ghoſt, aſſurance of the pardon of ſin, the juſtification of thy perſon by the merits of Chriſt, the ſanctification of thy nature by the ſpirit of Chriſt. Thou haſt thy election, vocation, redemption, glorification, thou haſt all theſe objects to provoke thy Joy, and to faſten thy delight upon. Would any man rejoyce and delight himſelf in Counters, if he might have ſo many peeces of Gold in the room of them: or would any man delight or rejoyce ſo much in Pibbles, if he might have as many Pearls for them, or in a flint ſtone that hath a Diamond, (oh beloved) you have things of more worth then any thing in this world to rejoyce in. There is a great deal vaſter difference between the things of Heaven, the mercies of eternity, and theſe outward comforts here below, then there is between Braſſe and Gold, between Pibbles, & Pearls, between the Sun and a Candle. Therefore Conſider, I have a God and Chriſt, Heaven and happineſs, pardon, reconciliation, ſanctification, Juſtification, redemption, and glorification. I have all theſe to fix and place my Joy upon, and therefore why ſhould I rejoyce ſo much in the things of this world. The Diſciples of Chriſt thought themſelves ſome body, and were puffed up becauſe they could caſt out Devills, and work miracles; but ſaies Chriſt to them, rejoyce not in that the Devills are ſubject to you; but rejoyce that your names are written in Heaven, Luke 10.20. the more any is taken with the eſtimation and contemplation of the Joyes of Heaven, the leſſe he will be in the valuation and admiration of comforts here on earth. The higher you ſtand, the leſſe you ſee things below: will any rejoyce in the light of a Candle, when he ſees the brightneſs of the Sun ſhining in its full ſtrength. It is a Rule amongſt Divines, that as Phyſicians when a man bleeds at noſe, to ſtop and make a diverſion of the blood, will open a vein: ſo the way to keep your worldly Joy from being exceſſive, is ſeriouſly to ponder and conſider what great cauſe you have of ſpirituall Joy and reioycing, and this will divert your joy from worldly objects. To turn all the affections on the right objects, is the way to keep them from being exceſſively bent upon the wrong; fear God, and you will not fear men, love Chriſt and you will not over-love the Creature, weep for ſins and corruption, and you will not mourn too much for outward croſſes, rejoyce in ſpirituall things, and you will not joy over-much in temporalls.
2. Rule. 2 If you would be kept from exceſſive joy in outward comforts, conſider, that nothing here below is worthy of your joy: the world is not worthy of a godly mans affections; Heb: 11.38.40.and therefore ſaies Amos in Amos 6.13. why do ye rejoyce in a thing of nought, the world is as nothing, the faſhion of this world paſſeth away, it is not worthy of a Chriſtians joy, Acts 25.23. when Agrippa came to the court of Judicature to judge Paul it is ſaid, he came with great pomp; but in the originall it is, foreign.he came with a meer fancy, all the honours, and riches, and bravery of the world, are but meer fancies, very unworthy of a Chriſtians Joy.
3. Conſider, that the more you rejoyce in any outward mercy, the leſſe you will rejoyce in the God of your mercies: the more you rejoyce in your comforts, the leſſe you will rejoyce in the God of your comforts. And therefore exceſſive joy in outward comforts is no leſs then robbery, you deprive God of that which of right belongs to him.
4. Conſider, that thou ſpoileſt thy mercies by rejoycing too much in them, you provoke God to take away that which you ſo much rejoyce in; I may very fitly compare rejoycing in your mercies to a poſie in your hand. Now you know, if you handle a poſie gently, and ſmell to it now and then, it will continue freſh and fragrant a whole day together; but if you cruſh it in your hand, and are continually ſmelling to it, it will die and wither the ſoo… So the more you rejoyce in the things of the world, … they will forſake and leave you, whereas if you did …, and joy in them moderately, and not affect them ſo much, you would injoy them more, and keep them longer with you.
5. Conſider, that if you rejoyce over-much in thoſe mercies you injoy, you will grieve and ſorrow over-much in the want of thoſe mercies when God ſhall take them from you. If you would live with ſuch weaned affections from the world, that the comforts of it might be but as the Gloves to your hands, then you would eaſily part with them, without any great trouble; but if you love the world ſo dearly, and the comforts of it cleave ſo cloſe to you, as the skin to your fleſh, you will not part with them but with a world of grief, and a world of pain and trouble. And thus I have done with the ſecond query, I have but a word of application, and ſo I ſhall conclude.
Applicat. And the uſe that I ſhall make of it ſhall be by way of caution in four or five particulars.
Caution 1 1. Is this ſo, that Chriſtians muſt take heed that they do not exceed in their worldly joy: then do ſo much honour to Chriſtianity, as to let it appear, that it does bear a greater ſway and authority over your affections, then any thing in the world beſides. Let Chriſtianity be ſo far honoured by you, as to have your love, and joy, and ſorrow, and all your affections regulated by it.
Caut. 2 2. Never be prejudiced againſt Religion, as if that were an enemy, or any way deſtructive to your worldly joy; for it doth not extirpate, but regulate your joy. It is not a weeding-hook to pluck up and root out your Joy, but a Pruninghook to moderate and rectifie your Joy; oh do not therefore entertain hard thoughts of Religion.
Caut. 3 3. Take this caution, you that are Chriſtians, do not diſparage Religion to the world, in abridging your ſelves of that lawfull Joy and comfort that God hath given you, and his word allows you, in the mercies and bleſſings of this life; for a Chriſtian to hang down the head, and pull in the lip, to have teares in his eyes, and ſorrow upon his heart, not to have a chearfull look, nor a comfortable word, this diſparageth and laies a ſcandall upon Religion; and therefore do not abridge your ſelves of the lawfull Joy in the Creature that God allowes you. I remember Calvin ſaies, that becauſe he was ſuch a penſive and ſorrowfull man, the Papiſts would not embrace his Religion, he being ſo ſad and mournfull.
Caut. 4 4. Take heed likewiſe of too much jollity. As you muſt take heed of a ſad diſconſolateneſs: ſo you muſt take heed of a lightneſs of ſpirit, of too much joviallneſs, you muſt as it were cut a hair in two, neither be too ſad, nor yet too joviall.
Caut. 5 5. Take heed of ever running into worldly joy and pleaſures, to expell and drive away trouble in your mind. You that uſe ſuch baſe ſhifts and unlawfull means to quiet your Conſciences, and to remove terrour of mind. It is the ready way, rather to trouble and diſquiet, then to appeaſe your Conſciences. You that in your ſorrows give your ſelves to mirth and paſtime, and merry meetings, thinking thereby to drive them away, you do rather increaſe and augment them. Juſt like the Pelican, of whom it is reported, that being naturally affraid of fire, the ſhepheards are wont to carry ſome Coles, and lay them by her neſt, and ſhe poor …illy Creature, keeps a fluttering with her wings, thinking thereby to extinguiſh and put them out, but does inflame and kindle them; and by this means the fire burns both her neſt and ſelf too. So for us to go to worldly joyes and paſtimes, to quench the ſorrow and trouble of our minds, is the ready way, rather to increaſe then remove our grief.