The Christians Great Design, Title page – Dedication
THE CHRISTIANS great design on earth, IS, To attain assurance for Heaven: OR, How in this life hee may lay hold on eternall life: SET FORTH In a SERMON preached before the Right Honourable the Lord MAjOR, the Court of Aldermen, and other worthy Citizens of the City of London, at a solemn anniversarie meeting, April 8. 1645.
By Jeremiah Whitaker.
MAT. 6.33.
But seek yee first the kingdom of God and his righteousnesse, and all these things shall be added unto you.
Imprimatur, JOSEPH CARYL.
LONDON, Printed by G. Miller for John Bellamie at the Sign of the three golden Lions in Cornhill near the royal-Exchange, 1645.
TO THE Right Honourable the Lord Major and Court of Aldermen of the renowned Citie of LONDON.
Right Honourable,
IT is the transcendent felicity of men above all other sublunary creatures, not that hee may live, and live long, but that hee may live happily, and live eternally; the two former seem almost to all men great things, and are generally by all greatly desired; the two latter are great,Beati omnes esse velumus. Cicer. in Hortens. —Arist. l. Eth. Aug. de Trin. l. 13. Lombard. l. 4. d. 49. Estius l. 4. p. 337. Cum omnes perpetuò velint vivere, omnes id agere debent, ut vitam participare possint: inconsultissimum, ut quod affectu, & voto velint, id ipsum re at{que} actu nolle videantur. Salv. ad Eccl. Cath. lib. 1. and yet are greatly and almost by all universally neglected. It is asserted by wise men, Heathens and Christians in all ages, ancient and modern; That happinesse is so desirable, that there is not any man living, but in some kinde or degree wisheth hee might live happily; but it is the pravity of mans nature, that hee discerneth happinesse (what it is, or wherein it is) very weakly; that his minde being diverted, considereth it very weakly; that his heart being seduced, hee desireth or gropeth after it very confusedly.—If all men desire to be happy, then all should make it their end and work how to partake of happinesse; What can be imagined more uncounsellable, then in act and deed to pull down that which in wishes we seem desirous to set up? What more voyd of reason, then to say our wishes and desires are for life, that wee might be happie, when our work and labour tendeth to death, that so we deceive our selves in being seemingly happie, but taking a course to be really and irrecoverably miserable?
It is a certain truth, no man can live blessedly, that doth not live eternally:Vide haec omnia eleganter & accuratissimè disputata, apud Aug. de Trin. l. 13. c. 4, 5, 6, 8. for suppose a man not to live eternally, then we must suppose there is a time when life must leave him, and when he ceaseth to live, he must necessarily cease to live blessedly, when he dieth, his life departeth from him, being unwilling to leave it, or willing, or neither; if being unwilling to part with life, and yet life departeth from him, how can he be happie that hath life in his affection, but must not be suffered to have it any longer in possession? to want the comforts of this life, which wee greatly desire, is a branch of unhappinesse, for no man is happie, but hee that willeth no evil, and he that enjoyeth all the good he willeth; but now to want life which the soul desireth above all things, for which it desireth all other things, must needs make man miserable; true, if man be so in love with life, and yet must leave it, he cannot be happie: but suppose him as willing to part with life, as life to part with him; surely that life is not happie, which man is willing to part with, for no man would be sever'd from that which hee accounteth his happinesse: If any man say, hee is neither willing nor unwilling, but equally indifferent for either, then how is that life happie, which is not worthy of the love of him that hath it? or how is it loved, when whether it flourish or perish, whether it come or goe is not regarded? Can we love other things to make us happie, and yet not love happinesse? If this be the decree of Heaven, that all that are happie shall desire for ever to be happie, then they that enjoy happinesse cannot be indifferent, whether this happinesse be continued or abolished; thence it is that every soul, which either is actually, or desireth to be happie, must needs desire to be immortall, and to live eternally.
If these great things of eternity did dwell upon our hearts,2. Pet. 3.11. What manner of persons would men be, in all holy conversation and godlinesse? and the greatest strife amongst us would be, not who should be the highest or the richest, but who should be the humblest, the holiest, the happiest.—Many in all ages have made it their greatest search to finde out wherein happinesse did consist, and though they had accurate wits, and did abound with leisure and industrie, and had the helps of all humane arts, yet they could not finde for the immortall soul an immortall happinesse: but unto us God hath brought this life and immortality to light, and hath declared evidently, 2 Tim. 1.10. 1 Joh. 5.11.that this life is in his Sonne. The great design of Satan is, by things of this life to divert our thoughts from things of eternity, and how hath the god of this world prevailed in other ages, and in our generation, to blinde the eyes of the most of the sonnes of men? How many thousands when they are dying, cry out, Oh this world, how hast thou deceived us? Many of us have heard their groans, seen their tears; none of us can rationally denie the way of worldly minded men to be folly, and yet that madnesse and folly is in our hearts, that unlesse God Almighty over-power our hearts, we shall erre their errours. It was the sad complaint and expostulation of that pious man in his time;*Quae insania, ô miserrimi! ut haeredes alios faciatis, vos ipsos verò exhaeredetis, ut alios relinquatis vel brevi divites, vos ipsos aeternae mendicitati damnatis? Salv. ad Eccles. lib. 2. Satis infidelis & stultus est, qui mavult praestare alijs, ut fit miser, quâm fibi, ut sit beatus. Salv. l. 4 ad Eccl. Cath. Novum hoc monstri genus, cuilibet quemquam velle consulere, tantum non sibi—idem. l. 3. ad Eccles. What greater madnesse then to provide for others, and to be improvident for ones self, to dis-inherit your selves, that others may inherit your labours, that you may leave your children or friends rich, to make your self poor to all eternity? It is folly and infidelity beyond expression, that a man should bear so much respect to others, as for them to be content to hazzard himself to be miserable, then that he respect himself to give all diligence to assure himself to be happy: What strange kinde of monster is it, that (when all the world can say, that all men wish better to themselves then to others) yet when as the poor soul is going out of the body, hastening to the dreadfull barre every moment, approaching nearer to give an account, freely letteth out it self to be carefull for others, and is contented wholly to neglect it self? Though our naturall self is in many cases to be denied, and our carnall self is in all cases to be abhorr'd, yet our spirituall and eternall self is ever to be regarded.—To settle this great truth upon your hearts is the scope of this Sermon: it is due to your Lordship, because by your appointment it was preached, and is now published according to a copie of Notes taken by your Lordships appointment, in the time of the delivery, by the hand of a ready Writer, without almost any alteration, saving the quotations in the Margent, which time did not permit then to nominate: if any inanimadvertency through haste escaped either my tongue or his pen, I hope your Lordship will pardon it.—The great God delight in this great City, which hee hath highly honoured in these sad times, to be a Zoar to them that have escaped the Sword in sever all Countries, and make you and all the Governours of it, an eternally excellencie in the hand of our God. This is the earnest prayer of
Your Lordships servant to be commanded in the Lord, Jeremiah Whitaker.