The Imperfection of the Creature, Part 1 · Sermon 1
SERMON I.
PSALM CXIX. 96.
I have seen an End of all Perfection; but thy Commandment is exceeding broad.
THIS Psalm gives us a fair, and beautiful, Idea of exalted Piety; every Verse of it breathes the deepest Devotion, and expresses, in bright Characters, the Psalmist's high Gust, and Relish for the Divine Law. How deeply is it engraven upon his Heart? while his continual Meditation upon it is sweet, and his utmost Care is to regulate himself, in his whole Conduct, by it, as the perfect Rule of Life. How does it dwell upon his Tongue? while he triumphs in the Praise of it, and recommends it to us, as most worthy of our highest Regards, by the most alluring Arguments, of its own native Excellency, and the blessed Advantages that ever accompany a sincere and hearty Observation of it; and as transcendently illustrious, when compared with the utmost Perfection, and Dignity, the whole Creation can pretend unto.
It is by Way of Comparison, that, in the Words I have read, he raises his own Value, and Esteem of it; and urges it upon us, as challenging our most prevailing Affection, and vigorous Endeavours to conform our selves to the holy Rules of it: I have seen an End of all Perfection; but Thy Commandment is exceeding broad. In which Words, there is evidently a Comparison made, between the Perfection of the Creatures, or all the Excellency that is to be found upon the Things of this World, and the Excellency of the Divine Commandment; and the holy Psalmist, who had a just Acquaintance with all that is excellent in the Creature, as being King in Jesburun, and a large Experience of the Sweetness of the Commandment of GOD, as being a Favourite of Heaven, and so a proper Judge in the Case, (besides his being under the Influence of the Divine Spiration) plainly declaring in Favour of the Law of God, and assuring us, that, tho' there is an End to all the Perfection that is to be found upon the Creatures, yet the Commandment of God is exceeding broad; the Excellency of it far surpasses that of the Creatures, both in Extent, and Duration.
I have seen an End of all Perfection, or I have seen to the End of all the Perfection the whole World can boast of. When I examine the Beauties, and Excellencies, of the Creatures, I need not to travel far, in the Search, before I come to their utmost Limits, and see their culminating Point; they fall within the Compass of my Understanding, and, at most, are to be measured by finite Reason and View. I have seen too; by Experience, that all created Perfection is as finite in its Duration, as limited in its Nature; and however fair, and promising, it appear'd to me, while at a Distance, yet, when it came within my Reach, and I was ready to flatter my self with a long Series of Happiness in the Enjoyment of it, I was soon convinced of my wild Mistake, for it winged it self away from me. So the greatest Lustre here, not only has its dark Spots, but performs its stated, and short, Revolutions, and then sets in Obscurity. The Glory of this World is transient and fading, and the fairest Lilly will soon wither away. So have I seen an End of all Perfection in the Creature; all the Things of this World, which Men value and esteem at so high a Rate, their Wisdom and Knowledge, their Strength and Fortitude, their Beauty and Gaiety, their Wealth and Furniture, their showy Trapings and Marks of Honour, their Greatness and Magnificence, the Excellency of it all is limited in its Measure, and finite in its Duration.
But, Thy Commandment is exceeding broad. The Excellency, and Perfection, of thy Commandment vastly transcends, both in Measure, and Duration, all that is to be found upon the Creature. This is an unmeasurable Field; the further I travel in it, the more indeed I see of its large Extent; but yet, I am never the nearer to the End of it. Here lies the superior Excellency of thy Commandment, that, view it which Way I will, I see it all bright and illustrious, without the least Spot to shade its Glory; and the more I examine the Beauties of it, the more I behold the Wonders out of thy Law, but yet there remains an inscrutable Depth behind, which I am not able to fathom. The higher I climb this steep Ascent, I am the more raised above the loftiest Pinnacle of created Perfection, but the Excellency of thy Commandment maintains a continued Elevation, and is forever above my Reach, and View. So is it, too broad at Bottom, and at Top too high, for the utmost Stretch of finite Understanding.
Besides, 'tis forever settled, and made fast in Heaven: that, when the Perfection of the Creature shall fail, and all it's Excellency perish, in the Ruins of Time, the Lustre of thy Law shall forever flourish, nor shall the longest Duration be able to corrode it, or dust it's Glory. Thus I have seen an End of all Perfection; but thy Commandment is exceeding broad.
Having given this general Discant upon the Words, I am now, more particularly, to discourse on the several Parts of them, under these two Doctrines, which are evidently contained in them: viz.
Doc. I. That the Perfection of the Creature is limited, and finite.
Doc. II. That the Commandment of God is exceeding broad.
I shall begin with the first of these Doctrines.
Doc. I. That the Perfection of the Creature is limited, and finite; limited in it's Measure, and finite in it's Duration.
In discoursing on this Head, I shall endeavour to evidence these two Things.
I. That the Perfection of the Creature is limited in it's Nature and Measure.
II. That the Perfection of the Creature is finite in it's Duration.
I. The first Thing I have to do is, to shew, that the Perfection of the Creature is limited in it's Nature and Measure. And this will sufficiently appear, if we take a View of the Creature abstractedly, and by it's self, or in it's Relation.
1. Let us take a View of the Creatures, abstractedly, and by themselves, and we shall plainly see an End of all Perfection. For there is nothing, within the Compass of created Nature, so exalted in its Form, and Endowments, as to lay Claim unto the high and honourable Title of Perfection. There is, indeed, a Sort of Perfection belonging unto all the Creatures, namely, a Perfection of Being; that is, that they are Creatures of that Rank, and Order, which the great and wise Creator designed them for; so they are perfect in their Kind, and want nothing to render them as compleat, in their Natures, as they were originally intended to be. And therefore when the Infinite Mind surveyed the Works of His Hand, after He had finished the Six Days Creation, He said of them all, (a)Gen. 3. 31.they are very good: that is, prefect in their Kind; and as they all were made what they were intended for; so they shall all answer the several wise Ends for which they were created, and all conspire to this ultimate End of their Being, the shewing forth of their Maker's Praise. But though the Creatures can boast of this Perfection of Being, or Kind, which agrees to the meanest Insect; as well as to the highest Angel, yet this hinders not, but that we may see to the End of all Perfection upon the Creatures, as to the real Nature, Measure, and Degree thereof. For this Perfection of Being is but improperly called Perfection. Perfection, properly speaking, comprehends in it all possible Excellencies, and in the utmost possible Degree of these Excellencies. And there is no Man can imagine, but that the great Creator could, if He had pleased, have furnished any of His Creatures with some Excellencies which they are now destitute of, or have endowed them, with those Excellencies they are possessed of in a higher Degree; though yet it is no Argument that they are not perfect in their Kind, that more, and greater, Excellencies are not conferred upon them, than their Nature required and to find Fault that the Creatures have not that Perfection which any of them might have had, is to complain of the Creator for His making such a Variety of Creatures, or, indeed, for His making any Creature at all, for the very best does and cannot but fall short of Perfection, because it is a Creature. So that we may plainly see an End of all Perfection in the Creatures, in that,
1. There are none of the Creatures that can pretend to be possessed of all possible Excellencies. God has furnished His several Creatures with a very great Variety of Excellencies suited to their particular Natures, to some more, and some less, but there is none of them all can boast, I have all, and can have no more added to me: But, to allude to the Apostle's Expression, (b)1 Cor. xv. 40, 41.There are celestial Bodies, and Bodies terrestial; but the Glory of the celestial is one, and the Glory of the terrestial is another: There is one Glory of the Sun, and another Glory of the Moon, and another Glory of the Stars; yea, and one Star differeth from another Star in Glory. So the alwise Creator hath distributed to the several Creatures their various, and particular, Excellencies; and while one prides himself in his Beauty, another triumphs in his Strength, and a third glorieth in his Wisdom and Understanding; but none of them can say, I am possessed of all Excellencies, and need no more to attain unto compleat Perfection. The most penetrating Eye cannot say to the active Hand, I have no Need of thee; nor the exalted Head to the depressed Feet, I have no Need of you. There may be some Excellencies, in the lower Order of Beings, which, perhaps, the higher are without; and there are other Excellencies which are altogether incompatible unto any mere Creature, even the highest; such are the incommunicable Perfections of the supream Deity, whose Prerogative alone it is, to say, I am that I am. (c)Exod. iii. 24.Besides,
2. There is no Excellency possess'd by any of the Creatures in the utmost possible Degree of that Excellency. There are not only several Excellencies, which are peculiar to this or that Creature, which others are destitute of, but even those, among the Creatures, which have the largest Share in the Divine Bounty, yet are not Owners of any one Excellency, no not that which they most glory in, in its proper Perfection. For where there is proper Perfection, there is an Infinity of that Excellency, and there cannot be any possible higher Degrees of it. But if the particular Excellency, any Creature is possessed of, will admit any further, or higher, Degrees of the same to be yet added to it, 'tis then very evident, that that Excellency is not possessed in its utmost Fulness, and that therefore it wants of proper Perfection: And to suppose, that any one Creature, even the brightest among all the Sons of the Morning, should be Owner of any one Excellency, in the utmost possible Degree thereof, is to suppose that Creature to be equal with GOD; than which what can imply a greater Contradiction? The Distance between Finite, and Infinite, is too great to admit of any Gradation, so that there is no passing from the one to the other: 'Tis utterly impossible, that a Creature, which is, by the Law of his make, of the lower Order of Being, should ever rise to the highest, as he must do to be invested with any one Excellency in a proper Infinitude; because it can never cease to be a Creature; as it necessarily must do to be Infinite. Where there is true Perfection, there is all; all in Kind, and all in Degree, and This is no where to be found but in the great Creator, who is all Perfect, to whom nothing can be added, nor from whom any Thing substracted, in whom is every real Excellency, and in the most transcendent Measure, and Degree, beyond all that we can speak, or think of. All the Excellencies of the Creatures are derived from GOD, the immense Fountain of Perfection, the Father of Lights from whom comes every good and perfect Gift; and the Streams, which any of the Creatures partake of, necessarily fall short of, and are, in Degree, below, that Fulness which is in the Fountain, that constantly supplies them, where all Excellencies centre, and are in their highest Exaltation. Therefore GOD justly challenges His People, in that Strain, of the Prophet Isaiah, (d)Isa. xlvi. 5.To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal; and compare me, that we may be like? To which I might add,
3. That the highest Degree of Perfection in the Creature may be scanned, examined, and compassed, by an intelligent finite Mind. Though we may not be able to understand all the Excellencies that are in some of the Creatures, yet this may be, not the Want of Capacity in us to comprehend them, but, the Want of their lying open to our Search and Enquiry. There are Intelligences, of a higher Order than our selves, that excel in Wisdom and Knowledge, who may have a just Understanding of their own Excellencies, and of the Creatures below them. Yea, we our selves are able to conceive of much greater Excellencies, greater Degrees of Perfection, than are to be found upon any of the Creatures; as the infinite Perfections of GOD. So that a finite and bounded Capacity may reach to the utmost Extent of created Excellency; which shews that the Perfection of the Creature is limited as to its Nature, Measure, and Degree, if we consider it abstractedly, and by it self. And now,
2. Let us take a View of the Creature in its Relation, and we shall plainly see an End of all Perfection. The Excellencies of the Creatures will shine in their greatest Lustre, if we consider them, in their Relation to one another; because there is an exact Symmetry, and Proportion, in the several Parts of the Creation, and the Excellency, each Part is endowed with, exactly corresponds to that Symmetry, and is wonderfully adapted to secure the Order, and promote the common Good, of the whole by a relative Serviceableness of one Thing unto another. So that we might well cry out, with the Psalmist, †Psalm civ. 24.O Lord, how manifold are thy Works; in Wisdom hast thou made them all! My Business here is not to Philosophise, and therefore I shall forbear such a Discourse upon the Relation, Dependance, and Usefulness, of the several Parts of the Creation, to one another, as my Subject would naturally enough lead me to, and confine my Thoughts to the Aspect which the Creature has, in its Relation to Man, the most noble of the visible Creation; and consequently, in its Relation to whom, its Excellencies will shine with the brightest Rays.
Now, There are two Rules by which we may examine the Perfection of the Creature, in its Relation to us, which seem to me to be determinative in the Case, viz. as it is perfective of our Nature, or compleative of our Happiness: And if, upon Examination, we find the Nature, Measure, and Degree of Excellency in the Creature, fall short of coming up to these Rules, it will be a plain Conviction to us, that there is an End of all Perfection.
I. First then; Let us examine whether the Creature is perfective of our Nature. And in Order to pass a true Judgment, it will be necessary, first, to say wherein the Perfection of our Nature lies; for if we are not determined in this, we shall in vain enquire, how far the Creature is able to answer this End.
Now I take it that the Perfection of our Nature consists in its moral Rectitude, or the Harmony of the Soul, in the Actings of all its Powers, in Subordination to right Reason, and pure and undefiled Religion: Because then only do we act like our selves, and preserve the Dignity, and End, of our Make, when right Reason presides, and has the full Government of us, in all the inward Operations of the Mind, as well as the outward Actions of the Body, so as to preserve us from the Tumult of the Passions, and Usurpation of the Senses, and to direct all that we do to the ultimate End of serving and glorifying our Maker, and supream Lord. And however any, sunk under the Power of a depraved Mind, and the Government of their Senses, may be ready to imagine, that the Perfection of their Nature consisteth in the Health, and Strength, of their Bodies, and the full Enjoyment of their sensual Gratifications, yet a little Observation will convince them, that there may be all of this, while they enjoy only the Perfection of the Brute, and not of the Man. For certainly, the Perfection of the humane Nature must lie, in its Likeness unto GOD, who is all perfect. The moral Perfections of the Deity are the truest Glory of the divine Nature. GOD is glorious in Holiness. (e)Exod. xv. 11.The nearer we resemble GOD herein, the nearer we arrive unto true Perfection, being perfect as our Father, which is in Heaven, is perfect.(f)Matth. v. 48.
Now we find, to our Sorrow, if we take a serious View of ourselves, that, as we come into this World, and walk according to the Course of it, there is a perpetual Jarr and Discord in our Souls, the Actings of our Understanding, and Will, often interfere, and our Passions clash among themselves, and the Senses ride in State, so that there is nothing but Irregularity and Disorder in us; and as the Heighth of this Mischief upon us, to do Good we have no Knowledge, while to do Evil is present with us: (g)Jer. iv. 22. Rom. vii. 21.So true is what the inspired Prophet tells us, (h)Isa. i. 5, 6.The whole Head is sick, and the whole Heart is faint; from the Sole of the Foot, even unto the Head, there is no Soundness, but Wounds, and Bruises, and putrifying Sores. That is, the humane Nature is vitiated by Sin, so that there is not a just Man upon Earth that doth Good and sinneth not; and if we say we have no Sin, we deceive our selves, and the Truth is not in us; as the sacred Oracles teach us. Doubtless, this is the Weakness, and Imperfection of our Nature; not what we received from our Maker, but what we have contracted to our selves, by our Apostacy from Him; and therefore the Perfection of our Nature consisteth, in having all these Maladies cured, these Wounds healed, these Disorders rectified, and in having the Soul brought into such a Constitution, and Temper, as to be able to act by the Rules of right Reason, and live up to the Heighth of its noble Endowments, in a religious glorifying of its Maker, and serving its Fellow-Creatures: That is to say, in being renewed in the Spirit of our Mind, and having on the new Man, which, after GOD, is created in Righteousness, and true Holiness.(i)Eph. iv. 23, 24.
Now, if we consult the whole Circle of created Beings, and examine the highest Advantages they are capable, of themselves, of affording us, upon this Account, in their nearest Relation to us, we shall find, that they are not, nor can they be, thus perfective of our Nature. If it were in their Power to answer this great and noble End, it would be either in the Knowledge of them, or the Enjoyment of them, or the Improvement of them; but in all of these they are greatly defective, and leave us as they find us. Let us view over these Particulars.
1. The Creatures are not perfective of our Nature in the Knowledge of them. It is true, when we consider Man only as rational, or capable of understanding, the more advanced any are in Knowledge, the truer Insight they may have into the Nature of Things, the better Acquaintance they gain with the Reason of the Connexion, Dependance, and Operation, of Causes, and Effects, and the further Discoveries they make into the Arcana of Nature, they are so much the more raised above the Level of those meaner Souls, who know, scarce, nothing, but that they are. This enlarged Knowledge may brighten a Man, enable his Mind, and set him above his Neighbours, as being furnished with what is really a very great Excellency, too high for them to attain unto; but yet all the Knowledge, in Nature, any Man can attain unto, will leave him at as great a Distance from moral Rectitude, as the Devils themselves are.
The brightest Character of our perfected Nature is Religion; and the Knowledge which is serviceable to that End is, the Knowledge of the only true GOD, and JESUS CHRIST, whom He hath sent (k)John xvii. 3.; that is a spiritual Wisdom, and Understanding, in the Mysteries of GOD, and our holy Religion, which is ever productive of a renewed Mind, and a vertuous and religious Conversation, and is therefore called a being wise unto Salvation. (l)1 Tim. iii. 15.Now if the bare Knowledge of the Creatures had this good Effect upon the Minds of Men, we might rationally expect to find, that those who are of the acutest Judgment, the clearest Reasoning, the politest Learning, and have the greatest Acquaintance with the Mysteries of Nature, and Art, should always be Men of the greatest Religion, the deepest Devotion, and the purest Morals. These certainly, if any, should be the Men, who are the most God-like in their Temper, and Behaviour, who have the Divine Image stamped upon them, in whom old Things are done away, and all Things are become new: These, of all Mankind, should be the Men of the greatest Vertue, and Probity; who have the best Government of their Appetites and Passions, and most steadily preserve a Decorum in all their Actions; who are least offensive to their Maker, and injurious to their Neighbours; who are most constant, and regular, in their Acknowledgments to the supream Being, and their Beneficence to Man. But, alas! we often see the very Reverse of all this! Daily Experience convinces us, that the most advanced Knowledge in the hidden Things of Nature, and of Art, does not correct the Excesses, and inordinate Appetites, of a depraved Mind; but the wisest of Men, for worldly Wisdom, are often the greatest Fools, with Respect to that Wisdom that is from above, and are utter Strangers to a Life of true Religion. Thus the Apostle minds us, (m)I Cor. i. …6.that not many wise Men, after the Flesh, are called.
There have, indeed, through the sovereign Grace of GOD, been some of the great, and wise, and learned, Men, of the World, effectually called off from their Subjection, and Slavery, to vile Lusts, as well as from heathenish Idolatry, to the Knowledge, Love, and Service of the only true GOD, and His Son JESUS CHRIST; but there have not been many such. The Men of the greatest Knowledge, and Learning, have generally been too haughty, and opinionated of themselves, and fond of their own Parts, to submit their Understandings to the Government of Divine Revelation, and credit those Doctrines which they looked upon as no better than Foolishness, because they could not understand the Mysteries contained in them; and too stubborn to comply with those holy Rules which interfered with their gratifying their carnal Appetites, and pursuing their secular Interests. More generally, they have been Men of lower Parts, and Attainments, who have applied themselves less to Speculations, and more to Practice, that have received the Dictates of Divine Wisdom, and corrected the Disorders of their Nature, by a conscientious Regard to the holy Rules of the Gospel. Our blessed Saviour therefore said, (n)Matth. xi. 25.I thank thee, O Father, Lord of Heaven, and Earth, because thou hast bid these Things from the wise, and prudent, and hast revealed them unto Babes. The greatest Masters of Reason, in our Saviour's, and the Apostle's Days, as the Scribes, and Pharisees, among the Jews, and the learned Philosophers, among the Gentiles, were the greatest Enemies to this Perfection of our Nature, and the most violent Opposers of that Divine Philosophy, those heavenly Doctrines, which the Son of GOD came to instruct the World in: And it were well if there were not too many such in our Days also.
This is the Argument the royal Preacher Pursues. He lays this down as the Sum of the Matter, (o)Eccl. xii. 13.Fear GOD, and keep His Commandments, for this is the whole of Man: And having examined how far Wisdom, and Knowledge, that which is natural and humane, would conduce to this high and noble End, he found, upon Trial, that it all fell vastly short, and therefore inscribes Vanity upon it. I gave my self, says he, (p)Eccl. i. 13, 14.to seek, and to search out, by Wisdom, concerning all Things that are done under Heaven;—I have seen all the Works that are done under the Sun, and behold all is Vanity. So again, (q)Ch. vii. 25, 29.I applied mine Heart to know and search, and to seek out, Wisdom, and the Reason of Things;—and lo, this only have I found, that GOD made Man upright, but they have sought out many Inventions. This Knowledge, and Wisdom, has been abused by them, and instead of purifying their Hearts, and rectifying their Lives, and perfecting their Natures, it has been misimproved, by them, to the nourishing of their Lusts, to Profaneness, and Contempt of GOD, and Religion, to insult, and oppress their Fellow Creature; and thus GOD has been the more dishonoured, and humane Society the greater Sufferers, by them. So that the Knowledge of the Creature is not perfective of our Nature:
2. Nor are the Creatures perfective of our Nature in the Enjoyment of them. This also Solomon, (than whom no Man had greater Opportunities to know,) assures us, from his own Experience, (r)Eccl. xi. 8, 11.I gathered me, says he, Silver and Gold, and the peculiar Treasure of Kings, and of the Provinces; I gat me Men Singers, and Women Singers, and the Delights of the Sons of Men, as musical Instruments, and that of all Sorts; So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me, in Jerusalem;—and whatsoever mine Eyes desired, I kept not back from them; I withheld not my Heart from any Joy: for my Heart rejoiced in all my Labour;—then I looked on all the Works that my Hands had wrought, and on the Labour that I had laboured, [that is, to see what was the Produce of it all, what influence it had upon my fearing GOD, and keeping of His Commandments,] and behold all was Vanity, and Vexation of Spirit, and there was no Profit under the Sun. That is, I plainly saw, it had no Tendency to rectify the Vitiosity of my depraved Nature.
And, accordingly, we see, that Men of the greatest worldly Possessions, surrounded with the Affluence of earthly good Things, who have more than Heart could wish for, are not, ordinarily, the meek, and humble, the temperate, and sober, the truly vertuous and religious Persons. Did the Enjoyment of the Creature perfect our Nature, then the more a Man possessed, the more regular would he be, in the Actings of his Mind, and in his outward Behaviour; and none but the worldly Poor would be the Servants of Lust and Passions. Were Men to excell in Vertue, and Holiness, proportionable to the Difference of their Temporal Accomodations, what mighty Heroes should we see? what angelic Creatures should we converse with? Whereas, though the wealthy and great may affect, what is called a more genteel, and polite Carriage, and, in their general Conduct, be less rough, and boisterous, yet we may easily observe, that they are, many of them, never the less under the Dominion of various Lusts, and Passions, and ordinarily give a greater Scope to them, though with more of Caution, than other mean Men. Hence the Apostle James says, (s)James. xi. 6. 7.Do not rich Men oppress you, and draw you before the Judgment Seat? Do not they blaspheme that worthy Name, by the which ye are called? What is there more common, than to see those that are increased in Goods, living in Contempt, and Defiance, of that GOD who bestoweth all upon them; and grievously oppressing their poor Neighbour, with burdensome, needless, and often unjust Law Suits; by hard Usage, and cruel Gripings, in their Dealings with him; by Delays of Payment, when they have it by them, and making him to dance Attendance as much almost as his Debt is worth, and at last putting him off with near a Third less than his Dues, by an exorbitant Demand upon their Goods beyond what they could have been purchased with his Money; and all this while the rich Man wipes his Mouth, and cries I am Innocent, and do no Harm, I must live by my Business, and make the best of my Wares: thus his Abundance but encreases his Thirst, blinds his Eyes, and deludes his Judgment, and leads him into some of the most enormous Crimes. Yea, I saw under the Sun, the Place of Judgment, that Wickedness was there; and the Place of Righteousness, that Iniquity was there, said the Preacher *Eccl. iii. 16..Thus their worldly Enjoyments do but make many to become devouring Wolves to their more innocent Neighbours, instead of subduing their various Lusts and Passions: the Multiplicity of their Possessions increases their Appetites, and, when these are uppermost, no Wonder Reason and Religion, are trampled on.
Worldly Possessions have no Tendency to make a Man truly vertuous, and give him the Mastery over himself: and, indeed, how should they? When the Enjoyments of this World are so peculiarly adapted to the carnal and sensual Part of the Man, and have no Affinity with a spiritual and immortal Soul, and so can have no natural Influence to bring that unto Perfection, by rectifying it's Disorders, and producing in it the highest Acts of Reason, and Religion; but rather the directly contrary Tendency, to keep the Soul in it's imperfect State, and under the Power of it's natural Depravity, by blinding the Eyes, biasing the Will, and pre-engaging of the Affections, with the Glitter of Riches, and Honour, Grandeur, and Magnificence, and the like.
For, besides the present Union of the Soul to the Body, and consequently the Communication from the Senses to the intellectual Powers, by which Means the Soul becomes affected with what affects the Body, that is to say, is pleased, or pained, as Things are agreeable, or disagreeable, unto the Body, and so is inclined to will, and embrace, what is pleasurable, and reject, and fly from, what is painful to the Senses; I say, besides this, the natural Depravity which the Soul labours under, has sunk it so much below its original Dignity, that instead of its being the Guide and Director of our Senses, and wise Governor of our Appetites, it is fallen under the Power and Dominion of them, and its Volition and Choice is now governed, by the greedy Desires of Sense, and her mean and low Joys arises only from sensual Gratifications: Thus the Mind is become carnal, fleshly, subject to fleshly Lusts, and minding the Things of the Flesh. And hence the Enjoyment of the Creature, which so exactly corresponds with our vitiated Appetites, instead of exalting the Soul, by freeing it from the superior Influence the Senses has over it, and restoring it to its primitive Rectitude, and Dominion, does but so much the more debase it, and enslave it to the Delights of the animal Life: For these Enjoyments, affording such Delight and Pleasure to the animal Spirits, please the vitiated Soul also, and hence urges her upon breaking through all the Boundaries of Reason, and Religion, rather than go without them.
A Sense of this made Agur put up that Petition, (t)Prov. xxx. 8, 9.Give me neither Poverty, nor Riches, left I be full, and deny thee, and say, who is the LORD? Or left I be poor, and steal, and take the Name of my GOD in vain. And hence 'tis, that the Apostle says, (u)I Tim. vi. 9.They that will be rich, fall into Temptation, and a Snare, and many foolish and hurtful Lusts, which drown Men in Destruction and Perdition. Thus much also our blessed Saviour hath taught us, when He said, (w)Matth. xix. 23.Verily, a rich Man shall hardly enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Which, at least, supposes thus much, that their Riches, and Abundance, is so far from promoting their real Vertue, that they rather tend greatly to hinder it; and so render it the more difficult, for those that enjoy them, to withstand their Temptations, and get safe to Heaven at last.
So that we see, that neither the Knowledge, nor the Enjoyment of the Creature, is, of its self, perfective of our Nature.
3. Nor will the highest Improvement, we can, of our selves, make of the Creature, have this blessed Effect upon us, the Perfection of our Nature. This is the last Result, and here we may see the utmost Advantage the Creatures can be unto us, in the Improvement which may be made of them.
And now, if upon Examination, the Creatures are not found to be perfective of our Nature, by the highest Improvement we can make of them, we may then justly write upon them all, I have seen an End of all Perfection; and yet, alas, here they all fail us!
For, suppose a Man to make the greatest Advantage of the Creatures, that he possibly can; 'tis evident, that his Eating, and Drinking, of the most delicious, and in the greatest Abundance, his most gorgeous Apparel, and sumptuous Buildings, and the most eager Pursuit of his Sports, and Pastimes, and the utmost Indulgence of the Pleasures of Sense, have not the least Look towards the refining, and perfecting of his Nature. Suppose him then, to think soberly, and make Use of the Creatures as Topicks, and Heads of Argument, for the Confirmation of the Truth of our holy Religion, which I think is the highest Improvement the Man, in the Exercise of his Reason only, can make of them; yet, will this change his Heart? Will this bring him to a proper religious Acknowledgment of GOD? or stamp the Divine Image upon him? Certainly, it will not. Even this noble Advantage the Creatures are improvable unto, has nothing of a truly religious Aspect, in the natural Man, but only tends to the Advancement of his speculative Knowledge; and 'tis much, if, at the same Time, it does not the more nourish his Pride and Haughtiness, which will but throw him at a greater Distance from GOD, and Goodness.
For, what Improvement can unsanctified Nature make of any Thing, but what is agreeable unto its self, and serves to promote its sensual Gratifications? And this is so far from curing the Irregularities of the lapsed Soul, that, as I have already shewed, it does but so much the more debase, and pollute it. It will be but a Provision for the Flesh, to fulfil the Lusts thereof. Hence the Apostle gives this as a Reason, why carnal Minds receive not the Things they pray for, (x)Sam. iv. 3.Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your Lusts. The feeding, and nourishing of his Lusts, are the great Ends, the carnal Man, who walks after the Flesh, aims at, in all that he does; and therefore the promoting of these Ends is the utmost Advantage he can improve any Thing for.
Though a sanctify'd Heart receives his Enjoyments, as the Bounty of his heavenly Father unto him, is thankful for them, and endeavours to improve them to the Honour of his gracious Benefactor; yet, one under the Power of his original Apostacy has no such vertuous, and holy Principles in him, no such high and noble Ends to aim at; and therefore, instead of sacrificing to the living JEHOVAH, we can expect no other from him, than that he should take his Corn, and Wine, and Oil, and Silver, and Gold, and burn Incense unto Baal therewith, as GOD complains His People of old did. (y)Hos. ii. 8.And the more his Enjoyments are, we may reasonably fear a more exalted Degree of Wickedness, unless the common restraining Grace of GOD prevent it; because he will now have the fairer Opportunity in his Hands, and the stronger Enticements, to comply with his carnal Desires, and follow after his Lusts with Greediness.
There is nothing in the Creature that has any natural Tendency to recover us from our lapsed Condition, and therefore it is not improvable by us, from any Vertue in it self, or any Power in us, to this glorious End. And though GOD, by His Almighty Power, and the Operation of His Divine Spirit, may make Use of any Creature, as Means, to recover us to a holy and religious Conversation, and improve His Embassadors, as Instruments, in the converting of a Sinner from the Error of his Ways, and award unto them a proportionable Crown of Glory for their Serviceableness therein, yet the unconverted Soul has no Power and Ability, of himself, to make this good Improvement even of them.
In short; it is a supernatural Work of Grace, wrought in the Soul, by the Almighty Power of GOD Himself, that alone is sufficient to quicken us, who by Nature are dead in Trespasses and Sins, to recover the Soul from the Confusions our Apostacy has brought upon it, and restore our vitiated Minds to their original Perfection; and it is not in the Power of all created Nature, improved by finite Skill, and Strength, to the utmost Advantage, to accomplish this glorious Work, because it is supernatural. Nay, if we could converse with Angels, and had the same Opportunity of making Advantages from them, that we have of good and holy Men, among whom we dwell, we should find that, though they have Vertue enough for themselves, yet they have none to spare to us, and therefore, in vain should we expect any from them, nor could they be so much as instrumental to work this Change in us, without the Co-operation of GOD, whose Workmanship we are, created, in CHRIST JESUS, unto good Works. (z)Eph. ii. 10.And if our best Improvement of the pure and holy Spirits, would not perfect our Nature, much less, I am sure, would any Thing in the visible Creation, be able to restore us to a Participation of the Divine Nature, and bring us to live the Divine Life, in our Conformity to the Holiness and Purity, the Righteousness, Mercy, and Truth of GOD; because this beautiful and glorious Image, is not any Ways inherent in, or necessarily connected to, any of them, as an essential Property of their Nature, nor indeed is any Ways applicable to the most of them; and they cannot be supposed to produce an Effect, so infinitely more noble and glorious, than any Thing they have in themselves.
Thus we see an End of all Perfection, in the Creatures, in that they are not, nor can they be, of themselves, perfective of our Nature, neither in the Knowledge, the Enjoyment, nor the Improvement of them.