A Little Cabinet, Section 34
Of the World, Fleſh and Devil, the three great enemies of man.
Firſt of the World.
TAke the world in all its beauty, bravery, and glory, and you ſhall find ſorrow attend worldly joy: danger attend worldly ſafety, and loſs attend worldly joy labours, and tears attend worldly proſperity.
Where one thouſand are deſtroyed by the worlds frowns, ten thouſand are deſtroyed by the worlds ſmiles, it ſings to us and ſinks us, it kiſſeth us and betrayeth us: Let heaven be a mans object, and the world will ſoon be a mans ſubject; the faſhion of this world paſſeth away, why ſhould we ſet our eyes upon that which is not; heaven hath a foundation, the earth hath none; again, worldly light is mixt with darkneſs, Joy with ſorrows, pleaſure with pain, honour with diſhonour, riches with want, wine with water, honey with gall, and our Sugar with wormwood, and roſes with prickles, in a word, worldly comforts entertained with great delight, are ſeldom loſt without exceeding great Sorrow and grief.
Of the Riches of this world.
THE good things of this world are not ſo abſolutely given us, but that God retains ſtill a right to it, and an intereſt in it, and may demand it, how and when he pleaſe, And uſually the worſt of men have moſt of theſe outward things, and the beſt of men have leaſt of earth, and moſt of heaven.
A man may be great and graceleſs with Pharaoh, honourable and damnable with Saul, rich and miſerable with Dives: A man may have enough of the world to ſink him, but he can never have enough of the world to ſave him: A man may as ſoon fill a bag with wiſdom, and a cheſt with vertue, or a circle with a tryangle, as the heart of man with any thing here below, therefore it is better to be gracious then great, inwardly holy, then outwardly happy; the riches of this world, although well gotten, are but like the manna, thoſe that gathered leſs had no lack, and thoſe that gathered more, had little or none to ſpare; the conſideration of this rayſed up the ſpirits of thoſe Saints, Heb. 11. to triumph upon all the beauty, bravery, and glory of the world, they having acquaintance with, and an intereſt in a better and more durable riches; theſe are uncertain riches. For one ſtorm at Sea, one coal of fire, one falſe friend, or one unaviſed word may make a rich man a beggar, and a priſoner altogether: Oh how do riches hinder the actings of Faith upon God, how do they interrupt our ſweet communion with God, how doth it abate our love to the people of God, and cool our love to the things of God? oh the deadneſs, dulneſs and the barrenneſs that attend men having large poſſeſſions in this world, and when they fall ſick, a crown of Gold cannot cure the head ach, nor a velvet ſlipper the gout, nor a chain of gold about the neck, cannot take away the pain of the teeth.
Many times he that we account the richeſt man, is the pooreſt man in the world.
VVE account him a poor man that doth want meat for his belly, cloaths for his back, and money in his purſe, and a houſe to put his head in; and in this reſpect every man that is out of Chriſt, although the moſt richeſt and honourableſt man in the worlds account, is but a poor man.
1. He is a poor and beggarly man that hath no money in his purſe; now if your bags be full of gold and ſilver, and your hearts empty of grace, you are poor and beggarly in a Scripture account, yea you are poor, and blind, and miſerable, and naked, Rev. 3. 17.
2. He is a poor man that hath no meat to put in his belly; but every man that is out of Chriſt, doth not, nor cannot feed upon that true manna, the bread of life, nor drink of that water of life, John 6. 55.
3. He is a beggarly man that hath not an houſe to put his head in; this is the caſe of all thoſe that have no intereſt in Chriſt, when death cometh they know not what to do, nor where to go, unleſs it be into a dungeon of darkneſs, full of devils and damned Spirits, Mat. 25. 41.
4. He is a poor man that hath no clothes to put on his back; thus every man out of Chriſt, is not only poor, but naked too, Rev. 3. 17. ſurely he is the pooreſt man in the world, for he wanteth an intereſt in God, Chriſt, the Spirit and promiſes, he wanteth peace with God, and peace in conſcience, he wanteth acceptation and reconciliation, he wanteth righteouſneſs, Juſtification and adoption, and redemption, he wanteth the pardon of ſin, and power againſt ſin, and freedom from the reign of ſin, he wanteth thoſe riches that periſh not, that glory that fadeth not, that kingdom that ſhaketh not.
5. We do account that man a poor man that is in debt over head and ears, and hath little or nothing where withall to pay; even this is the caſe of moſt of thoſe men that have feathered their neſts by raking and ſcraping together the muck of this world: they are in debt to men, let every bird have his feather and they will have little enough: and they are in debt to God, ten thouſand times more then they are worth, and having no ſurety, they muſt lie in priſon perpetually; and as for the honours of the world, what are they? the beſt mans honour is▪ as glaſs britt and brittle, and ever more in danger of breaking; as a bird hoppeth from tree to tree, ſo do the honours and riches of this world from man to man: and ſo much of the world.
Of the Fleſh.
NOw the works of the fleſh are manifeſt,Galat. 5. 19. which are theſe, adultery, fornication, uncleanneſs, laſciviouſneſs, therefore great need of this exhortation, 1 Pet. 2. 11. dearly beloved I beſeech you as ſtrangers abſtain from fleſhly luſts, Rom. 7. 18. in my fleſh dwelleth no good thing, for to will is preſent with me, but how to perform that which is good I find not, for all fleſh is grace, and all the goodlineſs thereof as the flower of the Field, the graſs withereth, and the flower fadeth, Iſa. 40. 6. 1 Pet. 1. 24. Pſal. 37. 2. Pſal. 90. 5, 6. & 92. 7. & 103. 15. Iſa. 37. 27.
What ſhall I ſay more? all mankind are under the wrath and curſe of God, being full of blindneſs of mind, having a reprobate ſenſe, liable to ſtrong deluſions, hardneſs of heart, horror of conſcience, and vile affections, having the curſe of God upon the whole creation for mans ſake; and beſides all this, man is ſubject to all manner of evil, in body, name and eſtate, and relations, and imployment, together with an utter undiſpoſed mind to all that is good, and wholly inclined to all that is evil, and that continually.
What man is by nature.
NOT only born in ſin, but left in a condition not able to help himſelf, Job 14. 4. Who can bring a clean thing out of an uncelan? not one, Job 25. 4. How can he be clean that is born of a woman? Pſal. 51. 5. Behold I was ſhapen in iniquity, and in ſin did my mother conceive me, Mich. 7. 2. there is none upright amongst men, there is none righteous, no not one, Rom. 3. 12. We go aſtray as ſoon as we are born, Pſal. 58. 3. Every imagination of the thoughts of our hearts is only evil, and that continually, Gen. 5. 6. Nay all the Saints themſelves before conviction, converſion, and regeneration, were guilty of originall and actual tranſgreſſion, and ſo were by nature the children of wrath as well as others, Eph. 2. 3. 1 Cor. 6. 9. Tit. 3. 3. 1 Tim. 1. 13. Eccleſ. 7. 20. What ſhall I ſay more, the underſtanding is full of vanity, Pſal. 94. 11. Nay its full of blindneſs, 1 Cor. 2. 24. unteachableneſs and incredulity, 2 Cor. 4. 4. The will of man is wholly depraved, being contrary to God, his word and ſpirit in all things; as for the memory, that alſo is full of corruption, it will forget the things that it ſhould remember, and remember the things that it ſhould forget, it will retein trifles, and let go matters of moment; and as for the conſcience, that alſo is wholly corrupted, it is without feeling, whereas it ſhould excuſe or accuſe, it doth abuſe and pervert the light it hath, by making great ſins ſmall, and ſmall ſins no ſins; and as for our affections, they are alſo corrupted, they come as a tempeſt and carry us away, either to make us overlove, or over-great, and to hate our brother we ſhould love, and love our luſts we ſhould hate.
Of mans own righteouſneſs.
BUt we are all as an unclean thing, andIſaiah 64. 6. all our righteouſneſs is as filthy rags, and we all do fade as a leaf, Jer. 2. 22. For though thou waſh thee with Niter, and take much Soap, yet thine iniquities are marked before me, ſaith the Lord God, Job 9. 30, 31. If I waſh my ſelf in Snow-water, yet mine own cloaths ſhall abhor me, Hoſea 6. 4. O Ephraim, what ſhall I do unto thee? O Judah what ſhall I do unto thee? for your goodneſs is as the morning cloud, and as the early dew it goeth away, Iſa. 28. 20. The bed is ſhorter then that a man can ſtretch himſelf on it, and the covering is narrower then that a man can wrap himſelf in it, Iſa. 50. 11. Behold all ye that kindle a fire, walk in the light of your fire, and in the Sparks that ye have kindled, this ſhall ye have of my hand, ye ſhall lie down in Sorrow, Job 35. 7. If thou be righteous, what giveſt thou to him, or what receiveth he of thine hand? verſe 8. Thy wickedneſs may hurt a man as thou art, and thy righteouſneſs may profit the Sons of men, &c. See Job 22. 2, 3. Titus 3. 8. Pſalm 16. 2.
Of the Devil.
THE Devil ſinned from the beginning of the world, compare John 8. 44. with Jude 6. and you ſhall ſee he was the firſt ſinner in the world, and the ſole cauſe of all other ſinners; he drew his apoſtate Angels with him, hence came that phraſe, Mat. 25. 41. The Devil and his Angels; he deceived our firſt parents in the Serpent, and ſo brought ſin upon all the world, Gen. 3. And ſtill he as a roaring Lyon walketh about ſeekinng whom he may devour; ſometimes in Scripture he is called Satan, becauſe he doth mortally hate mankind; ſometimes Devil, becauſe he doth ſlanderouſly accuſe men to God and man, Job 1. 11. & 2. 5. Rev. 12. 8, 9. 10. Sometimes he is called the old Serpent, for his ſubtile temptations; ſometimes the great dragon, for his deſtroying of many, Rev. 12. 8, 9.
But here lies much of a Saints comfort, the Devil muſt have a double leave, before he can do any thing againſt him; he muſt firſt have leave from God, as we find in the example of Job. 1. 11, 12. & 2. 3, 5. though the Devil had malice enough to deſtroy him, yet he had not ſo much as power to touch him, till God gave him commiſſion: ſo Luke 8. 32. they could not ſo much as enter into the ſwine without leave from Chriſt; ſo Satan could never have overthrown Ahab and Saul, but by a commiſſion from God, 1 Kings 22 And as Satan muſt have a leave from God, ſo he muſt have leave from us; when he tempts we muſt conſent, when he commands we muſt obey, or elſe all his temptations will be fruſtrate, Act. 5. 3. Why hath Satan filled thy heart, to lie to the Holy-Ghoſt? why haſt thou given him an advantage to fill thy heart with infidelity, hypocriſie and obſtinacie to lie to the Holy Ghoſt? when a temptation comes, and the ſoul cries out, & ſaith, O help, help Lord for thine honour ſake, for thy Sons ſake, for thy promiſe ſake, for thy mercies ſake, then the evill that he tempts us to, ſhall be put down only to his account: what ſhall I ſay more? thoſe that be the objects of Gods deareſt love, are many times the ſubjects of the Devils deepeſt rage: Satan watcheth all opportunities to break our peace, to wound our conſciences, to leſſen our comfort, to impair our graces, and to ſlur our evidences; it is as eaſie to compaſs the heavens with a ſpan, and to contein the ſea in a nut-ſhell, as to relate fully Chriſts goodneſs, and Satans devices, for he aims principally to make us walk ſinfully, that ſo we might live uncomfortably, and die miſerably, and be tormented with him eternally.