A Treatise of Self-Denial, Chapter 4 · Section 2 · Subsection 2 · Sub-subsection 13
The Thirteenth Direction.
13 Have an eye continually to the recompence of reward.
This Direction I take from the example of Moſes, recorded Heb. 11.24, 25, 26. In the 24. verſe, yee have his Self-denial, hee refuſed to bee called the Son of Pharaohs daughter; and in the 25. verſ. yee have the reaſon of it, Hee had reſpect unto the recompence of reward; 1 You have what hee did. 2 Why hee did it. Firſt, What hee did, Hee refuſed, foreign, he denyed, the ſame word that is in the Text, hee denyed to bee called the Son of Pharaohs daughter. Here is a ſtrange denial indeed, ſuch a peece of Self-denial as a carnal heart cannot ſufficiently wonder at. May the wiſdome of the world bee judge in this caſe, it will bee cenſured as the groſſeſt act of folly that ever any man in the world could bee guilty of; for Quis niſi mentis inops, who but one beſides himſelf, who but a mad man, that hath not the uſe of his reaſon, and knows not what hee doth, would refuſe ſuch an honour? Thus if Moſes ſhould bee arraigned at the tribunal of Carnal reaſon, hee would bee found guilty, and bee condemned for the verieſt fool in the world. I, but to bee ſure Moſes was no fool, hee knew what hee did well enough, hee had ſomething elſe in his eye, which hee knew would abundantly recompence the loſs of all that honour and pleaſure which hee might have had, had hee continued the Son of Pharaohs daughter. And therefore hee peremptorily refuſed that which with ſo much ſhew of reaſon hee was importuned to accept, For hee had reſpect unto the recompence of reward, which is the ſecond thing, why hee did it.
Sometimes when a man refuſeth a good offer, and wee come to hear of it, though for a great while wee very much wonder at it, yet at laſt wee conclude, that hee would not have done it for nothing, but that there was ſomething in the matter that every one knows not of; that hee had ſomething in his eye which hee preferred before it; and ſo wee may ſay of Moſes here, hee would not have refuſed all this honour out of an humour, Moſes had ſomewhat elſe in his eye; and what was that? Why it was the recompence of reward, and the reſpect hee had unto that, quite took away all reſpect unto the honours and pleaſures of Pharaohs Court.
We ſee then that if we would deny our ſelves, it will be good for us to have continually in our eye, the recompence of reward.
Two things there are to bee opened in this Direction.
1 The Object.
2 The Act.
1 The Object, and that is the recompence of reward, foreign retributio mercedis. Men are afraid of this duty of Self-denial, for fear they ſhall undo themſelves: I but no ſuch fear, this is the way to make themſelves. For hee is faithful that hath ſaid it, and hee is able to make it good. Hee that will loſe his life ſhall finde it. Whoſoever denies himſelf for the Lord Jeſus, in obedience to his command, for his glory, hee ſhall not loſe his reward, there is a reward promiſed, and it ſhall bee a recompence, that is, ſuch a reward as ſhall abundantly make amends for all.
This recompence of reward is twofold.
1 The recompence of reward in this world.
2 The recompence of reward in the world to come.
This diſtinction you have in Matth. 19.29. Peter ſaid unto Chriſt, verſe 27. Behold wee have forſaken all, and followed thee, what ſhall wee have therefore? Chriſt anſwers, Every one that hath forſaken houſes, or brethren, or ſiſters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my Names ſake, ſhall receive an hundred fold, and ſhall inherit everlaſting life. In Mark 10.29. it is more expreſs, Verily I ſay unto you, there is no man that hath left houſe or brethren, &c. but hee ſhall receive an hundred fold, now in this time, houſes, and brethren, and ſiſters, and mothers, and children, and lands, and in the world to come, eternal life. In Luke 18.30. it is, In this preſent time.
1 Then there is a recompence of reward for all that deny themſelves in this world, in this preſent time. They ſhall bee ſo far from being loſers, that they ſhall be the greateſt gainers, they ſhall have an hundred fold, houſes, brethren, &c. Let all the Merchants in the world ſay here, whether there bee any gain like to this; you count ten in the hundred a great matter, but here is an hundred for one. What a rich return is here! for one pound here is an hundred.
And this is according to the tenour of the Scripture all along. In the keeping of thy Commandements there is great reward, ſaith the Pſalmiſt, Pſal. 19.11. Behold the righteous ſhall bee recompenced in the earth, ſaith Solomon, Prov. 11.31. As for thoſe that ſeek themſelves in a ſinful way, it is ſaid of them too, That they have their reward, Matth. 6.2. I but that is far differing from this. 1 That is rather of their own chooſing, than Gods giving. 2 It is an effect of common providence, it comes not to them by promiſe. 3 It is given in wrath, not in love. 4 It is ſuch as godly men are afraid of, Pſal. 17.14. 5 It is onelyonly in this life, but this in the life to come alſo, ſo that it is but an earneſt-penny of a full payment hereafter.
Queſt. But what have they?
Anſw. Why conſider,
1 They have many times a great increaſe of the ſame things in ſpecie, in which reſpect, the latter end of Job was better than his beginning.
2 Though they have not the ſame things, yet they have all that comfort, and contentment which thoſe things would afford if they had them.
3 They have all this an hundred fold more than before, ſo that if they had an hundred houſes for one that they loſt, &c. they could not have more comfort and contentment than nowthey have.
2 There is a recompence of reward for them in the world to come, Luke 14.14. Things preſent are yours (ſaith the Apoſtle to the Corinthians) and things to come alſo; and who can tell what thoſe things are? Wee know what wee are, ſaith St. John, but not what we ſhall bee; Eye hath not ſeen, nor ear heard, nor hath it entred into the heart of man to conceive, what things God hath prepared for them that love him. Say what you will of them, you cannot ſay too much, they are beyond our apprehenſions, and therefore may well exceed our expreſſions.
Our Saviour comprizeth all in theſe two words, Life Everlaſting, in which note,
1 The greatneſs of the reward, it is Life.
2 The continuance of it, it is Everlaſting.
1 The greatneſs of it, it is life, and what greater reward can bee given to a guilty priſoner than his life? of all things in the world there is none to be compared to this, Skin for skin, and all that a man hath will hee give for his bodily life, but what is that to ſpiritual life? This is comprehenſive. As by death in the firſt Covenant all the evils written and not written are meant: So by Life here, all good things whatſoever, that are needful to make the ſoulfully and compleatly happy
1 It ſhall bee a life of Perfection. There ſhall bee the preſence of all good, and an abſence of all evil. Grace ſhall bee then in its triumph, and ſo ſhall comfort too. Sorrow and ſighing ſhall flye away.
2 A life of Glory, foreign, 2 Cor. 4.17. Maſſie glory. The very body ſhall bee made like unto Chriſts glorious body, Phil. 3.21. When Chriſt who is our life ſhall appear, then ſhall ye alſo appear with him in glory, Col. 3.4.
2 The continuance of it; it is Everlaſting. Life without end. Therd is no death, death dyes at the beginning of this life. I am hee that liveth, and was dead (ſaith Chriſt) and behold I am alive for evermore, Rev. 1.18. And becauſe I live, yee ſhall live alſo, Joh. 14.19. Wee ſhall bee for ever with the Lord. For ever; Oh comfortable word! Were it not for this it would bee but a ſmall recompence of reward, but this makes it infinite; and oh! an infinite reward for a finite ſervice! How is this Lord! Can wee ſpeak of this, and hear it without wonder? By the conſideration of this, thoſe that are in heaven can ſetch in all the comfort that they ſhall to all eternity injoy, every moment. Thus you ſee the Object. Now conſider,
2 The Act, which is eying, or having reſpect to this recompence of reward. Moſes had the recompence of reward inoA foreign. his eye. The Object affects not, but as it is apprehended, it will have no influence upon our wills and affections to prevail to Self-denial, unleſs wee have it in our eye, unleſs wee behold it. Two things then are herer equired.
1 To think upon it. To eye a thing is to have it in our thoughts. The expreſſion is figurative, and this is one thing meant by it, that wee have it much in our thoughts. I ſhall branch out this head into two particulars.
1 Think upon it ſolemnly and ſeriouſly. It is not a tranſient thought or two, now and then occaſionally that will do the deed, it muſt bee a ſerious thinking; wee muſt think on it over and over, again and again; wee muſt have it continually running in our mindes. Finally brethren (ſaith Paul) whatſoever things are true, whatſoever things are honeſt, whatſoever things are juſt, &c. If there bee any vertue, any praiſe, thinke on theſe things, Phil. 4.8. As wee are to think on our duty, ſo on our reward alſo. If there bee any vertue, any praiſe. Wee yeeld unto Self oftimes out of forgetfulneſs, not onelyonly out of forgetfulneſs of the Precept, which tells us what wee ſhould do by way of obedience, but alſo out of forgetfulneſs of the promiſe, which tells us what wee ſhould expect, by way of recompence and reward. Not thinking of the end, makes us go out of the way. The reaſon why men ſeek the things of this world ſo much, is, becauſe they miude earthly things; to this the Apoſtle oppoſeth the having our converſation in heaven, Phil. 3.21.
2 Think ſeriouſly upon it in time of temptation. This is a ſpecial ſeaſon; Now if ever, wee ſhould have heaven in our eye. Moſes refuſed, having reſpect unto the recompence of reward, whereby is intimated, that hee had it in his eye at that inſtant when hee was tempted to yeeld. When any buſineſs of concernment is propoſed, before wee determine any thing, wee ſay, Wee will thinke upon it.
Now there are two things that wiſe men uſe to think on in ſuch caſes. 1 What they ſhall get on the one hand: And ſecondly, What they may loſe on the other, and accordingly they reſolve. Let us do ſo in this caſe, when wee are tempted to ſeek our ſelves in any baſe ſinful way, let us conſider, if wee do this, wee may haply get a little pleaſure that will laſt for a ſeaſon, and yet that is a queſtion; I but if wee deny our ſelves, and do it not, wee ſhall have pleaſure that indures to all eternity; if wee do it not, wee may likely loſe the favour of men, ſome preferment, &c. I but if wee do it, wee ſhall ſurely loſe the favour of God, wee ſhall bee ſhut out of heaven.
The next thing here required is:
2 To aim at it as our end. When a man aims at a mark, hee hath it in his eye, looks off from all other things, and fixeth his eye upon that alone. This then is another part of the Direction, Aim at the recompence of reward, that is, make it your deſign, and the ſcope of all your actions that you may attain it.
1 This would make things of the world of ſmall account with us.
1 The good things of the world, as pleaſures, profits, and honours. See Heb. 11.9, 10-35. verſ.
2 The evil things of the world. Christ for the joy that was ſet before him, endured the Croſs, and deſpiſed the ſhame, Heb. 12.2. Paul ſpeaks of his manifold ſufferings, as but one light affliction, while hee looked not at the things that are ſeen, but at the things that are not ſeen, 2 Cor. 4.17.
2 This would turne the ſcales in any temptation. You know a man ſets at nought all things (whatſoever they be) that will not further him to the attaining of his end, which his heart is ſet upon as his chief good; and therefore offer him never ſo much, hee will not regard it, if it make not for his end; and though never ſo many difficulties way-lay him, hee makes nothing of them, that ſo hee may attain his end. Thus it is with one whoſe heart is ſet upon the recompence of reward, though the Devil come with temptations of pleaſure or profit, ſaying, All theſe will I give thee, yet hee prevails not ſo, when with afflictions, &c.
3 This would make us preſs forward with ſtrength of reſolution in our Chriſtian race, ſo that nothing ſhould bee able to turn us out of our way. See Phil. 3.14. Come to one that is running a race, and tell him of ſuch a merry meeting, ſuch a good bargain, &c. hee will not hearken, there is no talking to him; So it is with a Chriſtian, that hath nothing more in his thoughts than that hee may come to the marke, for the price of the high calling of God in Chriſt Jeſus.