The Imperfection of the Creature, Part 1 · Sermon 2
SERMON II.
PSALM CXIX. 96.
I have seen an End of all Perfection; but thy Commandment is exceeding broad.
I Have observed these two doctrinal Truths, as plainly contained in those Words of the royal Psalmist which I have read; viz.
Doc. I. The Perfection of the Creature is limited and finite.
Doc. II. The Commandment of GOD is exceeding broad.
I entered upon the Consideration of the first of these the last Opportunity, namely,
Doc. I. The Perfection of the Creature is limited and finite.
In discoursing upon this Subject, I proposed to evidence these two Things:
I. The Perfection of the Creature is limited in its Nature, and Measure. And
II. The Perfection of the Creature is finite in its Duration. I have already offered something to the first of these Heads, and shewed you, that
1. Upon a more abstracted View of the Creature, we shall evidently see its Perfection limited; forasmuch as there are none of the Creatures that can pretend to the Possession of all possible Excellencies, nor of any one Excellency in, the utmost possible Degree thereof, but the highest Degree of their Perfection falls within the Compass of a finite Mind. I have also entred upon the Consideration of the Creature,
2. In its Relation, more especially to Man: and to evidence the Imperfection of it, I proposed these two Arguments, as clear Proofs of it, viz. That it cannot be perfective of our Nature; neither is it compleative of our Happiness. I have shewed,
I. The Creature is not perfective of our Nature: And that neither in the Knowledge of it, the Enjoyment of it, nor in the best Improvement we can make of it. I now proceed to consider the Force of the second Argument, viz.
II. The Creature cannot be compleative of our Happiness. These are the two Rules, by which, I said, we are to examine and try the Perfection of the Creature, in its Relation to us, viz. As it is perfective of our Nature, and compleative of our Happiness; for nothing can be truly and fully perfect, respecting us, but what is able to answer both these great Ends. I have examined the Excellency of the Creature, by the first of these Rules, and it is found wanting; we plainly see that it is too mean, and low, to restore us to our primitive Integrity, Uprightness, and Perfection; and this affords us full Conviction, that, so far, the Perfection of the Creature is limited in its Nature and Measure.
I am now to examine the Excellencies of the Creature, by the second Rule, and see whether it will compleat our Happiness; and if it fail in this also, we may be sure that there is an End of all Perfection.
Now, besides the Consideration that our Happiness cannot be compleat, while as yet our Nature is not perfected; because there will be something, wanting, in our very Temper, and Disposition, to give us the true Gust, and Relish, of Happiness; and something, inwrought into our Temper, that would render us unhappy; I say, besides this, it must be remembred, that our Happiness lieth, in the true, and full Enjoyment of a Good, foreign to us, that is every Way exactly proportionable to us.
For the very Make, and State, of the humane Nature necessitates it, that a Man look around him for some foreign Aid, in the Enjoyment whereof he may be happy. If we examine the Make and Constitution of the humane Nature, we shall plainly see, that, with Respect to both its constituent Parts, Soul, and Body, Man is a dependant Creature, which derived his Being from another, and is beholden to something out of himself for his Powers, and Capacities, his Support, and Comfort; and his Happiness can no more arise from himself than his Being could: So that, seeing he is not self-sufficient, let his Felicity consist in what it will, it must necessarily originate from some other Cause than himself. This was the Case even of innocent Man, in Paradise, who, though his Powers were much more bright and healthy, than any of his natural Descendents, yet, was a Creature that derived his Being from another, and was subordinate to, and wholly dependent upon, that Cause from whence he received his Being; and consequently all the true Happiness he could expect, or grasp, must be derivative. But if we take a View of Man's present State, since the Fall, it will appear, in the clearest Light, that we are insufficient for our own Happiness, and are beholden to another for it, if ever we attain thereto; because our present State is evidently a State of very great Weaknesses, and Deficiencies, and that both of Body, and Mind. So that nothing can be more evident, than, that a Man must seek abroad, and look around him, for some Object, in the Possession whereof, to delight himself, and be truly happy. It is the Prerogative of GOD alone to be self-sufficient; and 'till any Man can boast of equal essential Excellencies, Perfections, and Glories, with those of the self-existent, independent Deity, he will remain in a State of Dependance, Craving, and Want, and need something, out of himself, and foreign to him, to compleat his real Happiness.
Now, this foreign Good, which is sufficient to render a rational, and immortal Creature happy, must necessarily be, every Way, proportioned to us; because no Object can have any, the least, Tendency to advance our Happiness, any farther than as it is agreeable to us, in one Respect, or other; and that which pretends to render us compleatly happy, must be every Way exactly agreable, without the least Deficiency in its Correspondency to us; otherwise the Disagreement between Us, and That, will everlastingly cramp all the Happiness which else might arise therefrom, and give us a painful Uneasiness. For what is Misery? but something or other disagreeable to us; and the Degrees of Misery, are more, or less, proportionable to the Disagreement of the Object to us. But then, upon Supposition of a Good proportionable to us, it must be truly, and fully enjoyed by us, or there cannot possibly be any Happiness derived from it, to us. For if the greatest Good is not applied to us, how can we receive any Benefit from it? The most Miserable may know that there is such a Thing as compleat Happiness, and in what it consisteth, and yet, without a suitable Application of it unto themselves, that is, without their Enjoyment of it, be nevertheless miserable; yea, their Knowledge of it will be so far from abating their Misery, as that it will but so much the more encrease it upon them. Our blessed Saviour therefore acquaints us, that it will be a very great Addition to the Misery of the Wicked, that they shall be able to discern something of the Happiness of the Righteous, which they themselves shall have no Part and Share in; saying, (in Luke's Gospel,) There shall be weeping, and gnashing of Teeth, when ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the Prophets, in the Kingdom of GOD, and you yourselves thrust out. †Like xiii. 28.If therefore the Creature fail in both, or either, of these Respects, it can never compleat our Happiness. This then is what I have to do, to shew, that the Creature is neither a proportionable Good, nor truly enjoyed by us, and therefore cannot compleat our Happiness.
1. The Creature is not a proportionable Good, and therefore cannot compleat our Happiness. In order to a Good's being proportionable to us, it must exactly correspond with our Nature, be suited to our various Wants, and Desires, and be durable, or continue as long as we shall have any Being, or Occasion for it; for if it fail in any of these Regards, if it should be jarring with our Nature, or unable to satisfy us, or to continue with us, it is very certain, that then it holds no Proportion with us, and therefore can be no sure Foundation for our Happiness; and yet in all these Regards the Creature is disproportionable to us. As, briefly to hint,
1. The Creature is not proportionable to our Nature. For the humane Nature is not entirely made up of Flesh and Sense, but has a spiritual and immortal Part essentially belonging to it, which is more excellent than our Bodies, and greatly to be preferred before them. Our Thinking, our Reasoning …d our Reflection, besides our Capacity …r compleat Happiness, and our Desires after it, are evident Proofs, that our Nature consists of, what we call Spirit, as well as Body. For mere Matter, according to all its known Properties, and the Laws of Motion, will never be able to produce one Thought, so that That Part of us, which thinketh, is very different from our Bodies, having none of the same Properties belonging to it, and therefore is Immaterial, or Spirit. And accordingly we find the Apostle Paul distributes the Nature of Man into Spirit, Soul, and Body. (a)1 Thess. v. 23.The Body is the gross Substance, made up of Flesh, and Blood, and Bones, and is the Object of Sense; the Soul, I take it, means the animal Life, with its vegetative, nutritive, and procreative Powers; and by the Spirit is intended the proper immaterial Substance, the intellectual Mind, that spiritual and immortal Part, which we generally call the Soul.
Now, though the Creature may be, in a very great Measure, suited unto the Body, and to the Support, and Comfort, of the animal Life, yet, 'till the true intellectual spiritual Part in us, has its rectified, (not disordered,) Nature gratified, with a Good every Way answerable unto it, the Man can never be happy, let the Enjoyments adapted to the Body be what they will; because the pure Spirit, being the more noble and exalted Part of the Man, will remain destitute, and uneasy, whatever be the Dreams of Happiness, in the fullest Gratifications of the lower Appetites, while this distinguishing Part of us is left unprovided of sutable Entertainments. For since that Part of us which we call Spirit, is so very different in its Nature from our Bodies, as that none of the essential Properties of the Latter are to be found in the Former, it follows, that something very different in its Nature from that which is accommodated to our Bodies, (that is, something, more peculiarly adapted to the Nature of our Spirits than any of the Enjoyments of this World,) must be found out, before we can suppose any Man to be happy in the exact Correspondency of his Nature to the Thing objected to him: Therefore the Preacher observes, *Eccl. vi. 11.Seeing there are many Things that increase Vanity, (he means all the Things of this World, which are adapted to our Senses, all of which tend to increase our Vanity, and to disappoint us with their Vanity,) what is Man the better? How will these things, which hold no Proportion to his spiritual Nature, add one Grain to his true and real Happiness: For what hath a Man of all his Labour, and of the Vexation of his Heart, wherein he hath laboured under the Sun? †Eccl. ii. 22.Should the Man enjoy all the Creatures, which yet he cannot, he would still want Something that should bear a Correspondence with the Nature of his Spirit, which the Objects of Sense do not. The material World, and an immaterial Spirit, are so widely different, in their Nature, that the former can never be a Foundation for the Happiness of the latter. Nebuchadnezzar's grazing among the Beasts was a more exalted Degree of Happiness, to the Body, even of a mighty Monarch, than the fullest Enjoyment of the brightest of the Creatures, can possibly afford to an intellectual Spirit.
In short; Happiness ever arises from a Likeness, in the Nature of the Thing enjoyed, to the Nature of the Possessor. There must be an Agreement in Sounds to produce an Harmony, and a Proportion in Parts to constitute a Beauty; and so there must be an Agreement in Nature, with the possessed Object, to create that Harmony and Beauty, in the Soul, which we call Happiness. Even GOD Himself cannot render a reasonable Creature happy, until He has first formed him, in some measure, after His own Likeness. Now, what we generally call the Soul being a pure Spirit, breathed into us by the Almighty, (for there is a Spirit in Man, and the Inspiration of the Almighty hath given him Understanding (b)Job. xxxii. 8.,) and the whole visible Creation being formed of the Dust of the Ground, as may be seen in the inspired Account of the Creation (c)Gen. Ch. i.; these Two have no Likeness, Affinity, and therefore can have no such good Agreement between them, as is necessary, in Order to the Enjoyment of the Creature's being capable of compleating the Happiness of the Soul.
2. Nor is the Creature proportionable to the Wants of the Soul. The Soul must be possessed of a Good, answerable to it's present, and future Circumstances, as well as its Nature, or it can never be happy; because if the Spirit, of superior Part in us, is not accommodated with what is every Way agreeable unto it's Circumstances, and sufficient to answer it's Necessities, it will remain in a State of Want; and no Man can suppose that Happiness, and Indigences, can meet in the same Beast, at the same Time. There may, indeed, be the want of a Lesser Good, while the Possession of the Greater renders us truly comfortable and far from Misery; so the Good Man has his Degrees of Happiness, in the Favour of GOD, in the midst of all the Afflictions of the present Life; and if the FigTree should not blosom, neither should Fruit be in the Vine; if the Labour of the Olive should fail, and the Fields yield no Meat; if the Flocks should be cut off from the Fold, and there should be no Herd in the Stall; yet he can rejoice in the LORD, and joy in the GOD of his Salvation (d)Hab. iii. 17, 18..But to compleat Happiness, there is requisite such a full Possession of every needful Good, as that there shall remain no Want unsupplied. For if there be any one Appetite unsatisfied, the Man will be in a State of Indigency, and this will necessarily excite Uneasiness, and interrupt his Felicity. Haman, surrounded with all the Honours and Glories of the Persian Court, was far from Happiness, while his wicked Soul thirsted after the Blood of poor Mordecai, so that he cryed out, *Est. v. 13.All this availeth me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai setting at the King's Gate. And how much more restless and uneasy must the Soul be, if it's regular Desires remain unsatisfied.
Now let us but consider what the known Wants of the Soul, or supream Spirit in Man, are, and this will afford us a convincing Proof, how disproportionable all the Things of this World are to us. As now,
The Soul, as sinful and polluted, wants to be relieved from the vile Subjection which it is in to Flesh and Sense, and to be reinstated on the Throne of Liberty, and put into a Capacity of acting freely for itself, and it's greatest Interest; and the Creature is so far from lending an helping Hand here, that it treacherously assists in putting the Chains on, and so much the more subjects the Soul under the basest Tokens of Bondage and Slavery. Hence is that Caution of our Saviour, *Luke xii. 15.Take Heed, and beware of Covetousness. The greedy Desires of the Things of this World enslave the Soul to them; and so does the heedless and immoderate use of them: hence is that Caution, †Luke xxi. 34.Take Heed to your selves left at any time your Hearts be overcharged with Surfeiting, &c.
The Soul wants to be freed from that Guilt, and Horror, she has contracted, by her Fall, and her vicious and sinful Actions; and the Blood of Bulls and of Goats, Thousands of Rams, and Ten Thousand of Rivers of Oil, and the Fruit of the Body, added to them, will not be sufficient to make Expiation for the Sin of the Soul (e)Mic. vi. 7.but instead thereof they are greatly instrumental to multiply her Crimes, and increase her Guilt, as the Love of the World, and the ill Improvement of it debases the Soul, so do they load the Soul with Remorse, and Guilt, by withdrawing it from the Love of GOD, and Delight in his Commandments.
The Soul wants to be delivered from the Sentence of eternal Condemnation, and rescued from everlasting Burnings, the just Desert, and Wages, of her Crimes; but so precious is the Soul that the Redemption thereof ceaseth for ever, as to any Thing among the mere Creature being a sufficient Ransom therefore; for we are not redeemed with corruptible Things, as Silver, and Gold,—but with the precious Blood of CHRIST (f)I. Pet. i. 18, 19.: and the Creature, by tempting, and drawing the Soul into Sin, does but so much the more bring it under the condemning Power of the Law, and doom it to suffer the divine Vengeance.
The Soul wants a suitable Place for it's eternal Residence, that, when it shall be uncloathed of its earthly Tabernacle, it may not be left naked, and destitute, but may put on Immortality and possess a Building of God, an House, not made with Hands, eternal in the Heavens, accommodated with all possible Delights and Satisfactions; and what is there in this World, among all the Treasures of it, that can purchase such an happy Seat for her: all the Objects of Sense can neither form such a glorious Mansion for her, nor are fit to give in Exchange therefore, nor can and Way, of themselves, convey her to that blessed Abode: for eternal Life is the Gift of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord(g)Rom. vi. 23.
In short, as all created Nature cannot buy off the Punishment due to the sinful Soul, so neither can-it afford the least Support and Comfort to her, under her Wants, which would be her eternal Torment. Mountains of peruvian Gold, and Rocks of Diamond, would be looked upon with Horror and Anguish, should they present themselves in the Day of the LORD'S Visitation, and but add Oil to the Flames that surround the unhappy Soul; may, so far would all Creatures be from affording any Relief to the poor miserable Soul, that they would stand aloof off, as mocking at her Torment, and not a single Drop of Water would move to cool her enflamed Tongue. (b)Luke xvi. 24.So that by no Means would any, or all, of the Creatures be able to supply the Wants of the Soul, and therefore could not render her happy.
3. Nor is the Creature proportionable to the Desires and Cravings of the Soul. This necessarily follows upon the former Head. For if the Creature is not answerable unto the Wants of the Soul, it cannot possibly fulfil its Desires; because it will necessarily crave to have its Wants supplied. There is a Sort of Infinity, and Boundlessness, in the Appetites of an intelligent immortal Spirit, which finite Nature, alone, can never satisfy. We see something of the unwearied Restlessness of the Mind of Man, in their perpetual Search and Inquiry into the hidden Mysteries of Nature, and Art, in the constant Labours of Men after the Profits, Pleasures, and Honours of this World; in their Thirst after perpetual Existence, and their Endeavours to out live the Grave, in their Name, Manners, and Offspring; and yet, after they have done all, they are as unsatisfied as ever. Who ever found their most enlarged Stores, the greatest Variety, Degrees, of sensual Gratifications, or the most numerous and glittering Honours they were encircled withal, have been able to set Bounds to their Appetites, that they had, no farther Desires after them: This restless State of the Mind of Man, the Preacher elegantly descriheth, by a lively Metaphor fetched from the Sun; (i)Eccl. i. 5, 6.The Sun, (saith he,) also ariseth, and the Sun goeth down, and basteth to the Place where he arose; in his daily Motion from East, to West, he cometh to the same Point again: So the Sun (for of this he continueth his Speech, the Wind not being in the Original, †See Mr. Pool.goeth towards the South, (to the Southern Tropic,) and turned about to the North, (then returns to the Northern Tropic,) it whirleth about continually, (in it's annual Motion,) and returneth again according to the Circuits: it cometh to the same Point again, after all it's Revolutions. And as Restless is Man in every Condition of Life, ever seeking to alter his present State, as he thinketh for the better; yet, after all, he is just where he was, as to any real Rest and Satisfaction, to his Mind, he hath gained by all his Changes. Therefore the Preacher observeth, (k)Ver. 8.The Eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the Ear filled with bearing; for, (as the Royal Instructor had, in the Verse before, elegantly expressed the Unsatisfactoriness, of all Things here below, to the Soul,) All the Rivers run into the Sea, yet the Sea is not full. The Sea has already more in it self than the Rivers can supply it with, and its Capacity vastly exceeds all that the Rivers can communicate, and therefore it can never be filled by all the Streams that run into it.
Besides, these Things being different in their Nature from what the Soul thirsts after, can never yeild any true Satisfaction, and fill her Appetites. 'Till these Temporal Things can change their Nature, and rise up to Spiritual, and Eternal, the Soul can cast them all, unworthy of her Care, or lodge them in a narrow Corner, and never rest satisfied, until the infinite ALL, she bears some Likeness to in her Spirituality, and Immortality, and still has some faint Reaches after, even in this her imperfect State, comes, and fills her, with everlasting Satisfaction.
4. Finally; The Creature is not proportionable to the Soul in Duration. That the Soul is immortal, or endless in Duration, may be fairly argued from the general Sentiments of Mankind, and their natural Desires of Immortality, and from the Powers of Reason, Judgment, and Reflection &c. which evidently belong to the humane Nature, and are as evidently different from all the known Properties of Matter, howsoever disposed and moved; and from our Consciousness of our own Actions, and the Judgment we pass upon them, which sheweth that we are capable of rendering an Account to our supream Ruler and Judge: But after all, the sacred Scripture affords us the fullest Evidences of the Soul's Immortality, Life and Immortablity being brought to Light by the Gospel. There we are told, (l)Metth. x. 28.They, that kill the Body, are not able to kill the Soul; that, when the Body dies, the Spirit goeth to GOD who gave it (m)Eccl. xii. 7.; and we may observe that, throughout the New-Testament especially, the Soul is treated as an immortal Being, in the constant Proposal of future eternal Rewards and Punishments; and the Assurance it gives us, That, at the Death of their Bodies, the Souls of good Men go to (n)Luke xxiii. 43.Paradise, to (o)Luke vi. 23.Heaven, to (p)Mat. xxv. 42.eternal Life, to (q)1 Thess. iv. 17.be ever with the LORD; and that the Souls of wicked Men go to (r)1 Pet. iii. 19.Prison, to (s)Luke xvi. 23.Hell, to the Place of Torment, to (t)2 Thess. i. 9.everlasting Punishment: All of which clearly evinces the Immortality of the Soul, or, that it existeth forever.
Suppose, now, that the Creature was ever so well adjusted to the Nature of the Soul, being spiritual as that is, and were most admirably suited to its present Wants, and Cravings; yet, if after all, it falls short of the Nature of the Soul in Duration, This, alone would render it utterly impossible that it should ever compleat our Happiness.
For, whenever the Creature shall run out these Line of its Continuance, and come to its End, (as I shall shew under another Head, it certainly will) there will then be no Room left for the least Pretensions to Happiness in the Enjoyment of it; because it will then have no Existence. And, as, in the mean while, the Fears of losing, what, we know, will anon cease to have any Being, would so distress the Soul, in the Midst of her Enjoyments, as to leave her unhappy in the fullest Possessions, so the total ceasing of it, would render her Condition the more miserable, from a Reflection upon her former comfortable State, while she was in Possession of it.
Thus we see, that upon Supposition of a true Enjoyment of the Creature, it cannot compleat our Happiness, because of the vast Disproportion there is between all the Objects of Sense, and a spiritual and immortal Soul: For the Things of this World are proportionable neither to the Nature, the Wants, the Desires, nor the Duration of the Soul.
I proceed now to say,
2. We do not truly and fully enjoy the Creature, and therefore it cannot possibly compleat our Happiness. What I have said under the former Head, of the Disproportion of the Creature to us, holds good upon Supposition of our fullest Enjoyment of it, and I now argue the Insufficiency of the Creature to compleat our Happiness, were it otherwise ever so proportionable to us, in that we have not the true, and full Enjoyment of it.
For, after all our Pretentions to Enjoyment, and the plesant Dreams of Happiness we flatter and delude ourselves with, in the Possession of it, if our Title be challenged, we shall find that we have no true Right to it, and so do not truly and fully enjoy it. For barely to have in our Hands, and keeping, this or the other desirable Good, is not properly, and fully, to enjoy that Good; as the Keeper of the Crown is not properly said to enjoy the Crown; the Fee, and Right, must be in us, and in us solely, to constitute a full Enjoyment, otherwise, our present Possession is dependant, and precarious. Now it is certain, that, whatever our Claim may be, we are not to look upon ourselves as the Lord's Proprietors of what we have, but only Stewards at Will: the Earth is the LORD's with the Fullness thereof, the World, and they that dwell therein (k)Ps. xxiv. I.GOD alone is the rightful Proprietor of all the Creatures; and because HE is the great Creator, therefore is HE also the most high Possessor of Heaven and Earth: and this His Right He has not alienated, nor will He devolve it upon another. 'Tis impossible any One of the Creatures should enjoy all the rest; and those that we have in our Hands cannot render us happy, because we have no true Propriety in them.
With Respect unto Men, our Fellow-Creatures, we may be the sole Owners of this, or that, and they may be guilty of Injustice, and Oppression, by their forcible or crafty invading our Right; but our Title will not hold good should we attempt to contest it with the Most High. Yea, so far are we from a full Possession of any thing, as that we ourselves are not our own, but belong to, and are dependant upon, that GOD, who hath made us, and formed us for Himself, and in whom we live, and move, and have our being; so that He has a Right to us, and all that we have.
Nor will our present Possession, such as it is, or our holding any of the Creatures in our Hands, make good our Claim, and Propriety in them, against the Demands of the Almighty; because we hold all upon good Pleasure only: so that we are but Stewards to our great Lord and Master, who has committed to our Trust, as pleaseth Him, to some two, to others five, and to others ten Talents, and commanded us to occupy until He come, and to improve all in his Service, and to the Honour of His Name; and to whom, e'er long, we must account for our Stewardship, how we have traded, and what we have gained; and receive our Rewards according to that we have done (l)See Mat. xxv. from ver. 14-28. and Luke xix. 12-27.. Since we are but Stewards, therefore what is put into our present Possession, is not alienated and made over, to us as our own, but our sovereign LORD reserveth unto Himself an unquestionable and full Right, as to the Interest, so to the Principal, of all our Talents, and the Power to take from us what He has lent us, or deposited in our Hands, when it shall seem good unto Him.
Hence it will follow, that the Creature is not, nor can it be, compleative of our Happiness, because we cannot properly call it our own. For, upon Supposition that it were in it's own Nature, ever so perfect in Kinds and Degrees of Excellency, and so were capable of rendring us happy, yet since it is not our own, and we have no unalienable Right and Property in it, what will it signify to us, how good and excellent it is in itself, or how agreeable it might be to us? Unless there be a Contract, or Union, between the Subject and the Object, there can no delightful Sensations be handed to the Soul: and this Union is founded in Possession and Propriety. We may see That in the Possession of our Neighbour, which, if we could call it our Own, might go a great Way towards the satisfying of our present Wants and Desires, and afford us abundance of Delight and Pleasure, in the Agreebleness of it to us; but since it is another's, and not ours, though we ought to rejoice in the Welfare of our Neighbour, yet, all the Satisfaction we might propose to ourselves, from the Enjoyment of it drops of Course. The all-perfect Deity affords no Happiness to a rational Mind, 'till it can say of this GOD, He is OUR OWN GOD; but the Want of this is the Misery of the damned who are sufficiently acquainted with the Perfections of GOD, to know that there is enough in Him to compleat the Happiness of any, or all, of His Creatures, but yet find themselves miserable in their Separation from Him, or want of an Union to Him as their GOD, and Portion.
Thus, because we have no true Right, and Propriety, in the Creature, 'tis vain for us to expect Happiness from it; and though we ought to be contented with the present Portion our bountiful Master has assigned us, and be thankful to Him for it, because the least we have the Improvement of, is more than we deserve, yet, we cannot think seriously of the Weakness of our Title to it, and at how uncertain a Tenour we hold it, but it mares all the fine Schemes of Happiness a sensual Mind may be apt to propose to himself from it.
So that we see an End of all Perfection, in the Creature; it's greatest Excellency is limited in it's Nature and Measure, whether we consider it abstractedly by itself, or in it's Relation to us.
I am now,
2. In the second Place, to show, that the Perfection of the Creature is finite in it's Duration. There will be an End to all worldly Perfection. I hinted at this before, in shewing that the Creature is not proportionable to the Soul in Duration, and the daily Experience we have of this renders it less necessary to insist largely upon this Head: I shall therefore but briefly …un it over, and shew, that if there were a Perfection of Number, and Degrees, of Excellencies in the Creature, yet it would fall short of proper Perfection, for Want of Duration. True Perfection admits of no Limits in Duration, any more than in Degrees; for that which is finite in its Duration, wants a very essential Ingredient in Perfection, namely Continuance, or constant Existence: though it have an Existence at present, yet if, by and by, it shall have none, this shews that there is wanting to it that which is necessary to it's very Being, and that which wanteth cannot be perfect. And this is the Case with the Creature, with all the Things of this lower World, we converse with, they are finite in their Duration. For,
1. The Creature it self will have an End, and then the Excellency of it ceaseth, and is no more. As this World had a Beginning, so it will have an End, and shall not continue always. Whether Matter perishes, or any, the least, Part thereof be utterly destroyed, or no, is not at all material to us, because the Form is all we are conversant about, in Objects of Sense; Though I see no Absurdity in the absolute Corruptibility of Matter, which once had no Being. However, since the Form gives Being to every Object of Sense, and the Existence of Matter strip'd of all Form, (if such a Thing can be,) would be utterly imperceptible to us, therefore when ever the Creature puts off its present Form, with Respect unto us, it then comes to an End. Thus the Apostle tells us (m)1. Cor. vii. 31.the Fashion of this World passeth away; by which he means so to affect us with the Consideration of the fading, perishing, Nature of the Things of this World, as to draw us off from that over-fond Opinion we are so prone to entertain of the Objects of Sense, that we may not have our Hearts too much set upon them. And we may plainly see, that all Things about us are hastening on to the Change of their present Posture, and Relation, and the Time is coming, in the which the Heavens shall pass away with a great Noise, the Elements shall melt with servant Heat, and the Earth, with the Works that are therein, shall be burnt up: as the Apostle Peter acquaints us (n)2Pet. iii. 10.. Decay is written, in indelible Characters, upon all the Beauty, and Excellency, of this visible World, and we see it daily making Advances upon all Things about us. The very Heavens wax old as doth a Garment (o)Psal. cii. 26., and a little Time often puts a Period to the brightest Lustre of this World. What is become of the flourishing States, and Kingdoms, the magnificent Structures, and the applauded Heroes, which, some few Ages ago struck the World with Wonder and Admiration? They have all sunk in the Ruins of Time. Where are our dear Friends, and valuable Relations, that, a little while ago, we took Comfort in? alass; they are buried under the Clods of the Valley! and their Excellency, which they once had, has perished with them. So does the Perfection of this World, like Riches, make to itself Wings, and flee away, as an Eagle towards Heaven, with a swift, and almost imperceptible Motion.
But then,
2. We ourselves shall, e'er long, come to the End of our Continuance in this World. For we cannot live here always; 'tis but a little while we can remain in the delightful Possession of our present worldly good Things; our Houses, and Lands, our Riches; and Honours, our Friends, and Acquaintance, we must quickly take our final Leave of them all, and the Eye that hath seen us shall see us no more and the Places that have known us shall know us no more. Our Days on Earth are as a Shadow, and there is none abiding (p)1 Chr. xxix. 15.What is your Life? It is even a Vapour, that appeareth a little while, and then vanisheth away (q)Jam. iv. 14.Even while we are here, the Excellency which we pretend to, as giving us the Precedency to the Creatures around us, often decays, and fades away; and a Man of Wisdom, and Strength, in a few Years becomes as a Child in Weakness, and Folly; and a Man of Wealth, and Honour, may, anon, be as poor as Job, and despised as Lazarus. But however, it will not be long before Death will put a final Period to our Abode on Earth, and we shall lie down in the silent Grave, and the Worms feed sweetly upon us, and then, the Beauty which we have shall consume away in the rotting Grave. (r)Ps. xiix. 14.And when we go down to the dark Vault, the House appointed for all the living, we shall then have no further Occasion for any of the Enjoyments of this World, nor reap any Advantage from them; for, we can carry Nothing out of this World with us, nor will our Glory descend after us (s)Ps. xlix. 17.but as we came naked into this World, without bringing any of the Accommodations of it with us, so naked shall we return (t)Job. i. 21.: The Thought of which made Solomon inscribe Vanity upon all Things under the Sun; Yea, I hated my Labour, (says he,) because I should leave it unto the Man that should come after me (v)Eccl. ii. 18.And of what Avail will all the Profits, Pleasures, or Honours, of this World be to us, when we are at last forced to take our Leave of them? Ah! vain World! Whose greatest Excellency, as in a Moment, vanisheth from us, or dies with us!
Thus I have finished the First Doctrine, That the Perfection of the Creature is limited and finite; it is not proper Perfection, nor can it continue; and so we see an End of all Perfection.
Before I proceed to the Second Doctrine, it will be proper to make some Improvement of this, and apply it unto ourselves, for our Instruction, Correction, and Exhortation.
USE 1. This Doctrine may be improved for our Instruction, and Information, in several Things. To name one at present, and conclude.
1. Hence we may learn, what Reason we have to mourn over our Apostacy from GOD, as the grand Cause of very much of the Imperfection of the Creature. For it is certain, that very much of the Imperfection of the Creature is accidental to it, and has been procured, originally, by our Sin and Fall from GOD. As the Creature, with us, first came out of the Hands of our Maker, it was suited to our pure and innocent Nature, so far as Man could, then, have any Desires about it, and would have been abundantly more advantageous, and serviceable, to him, in his Integrity, than it can be to us, now, in our lapsed State: and we find it a Part of the Curse, which the great GOD denounced in the Day of our Apostacy, (w)Gen. iii. 17, 18, 19.Cursed is the Ground, for thy Sake; in Sorrow shalt thou Eat of it, all the Days of thy Life: Thorns also and Thistles shall it bring forth unto thee,—in the Sweat of thy Face shall thou eat Bread, 'till thou return unto the Ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for Dust thou art, and unto Dust shalt thou return. By Means of this Curse there is a Sort of Variance put between Man and the Creature, and this Vanity is consequent upon it, that our Appetites and Desires are irregularly carried our after it, and there is nothing in it sufficient to satisfy them; and after we have walked in a vain Shew, for a little while, we must bid Adieu to all sublunary Enjoyments, without so much as allowing us Room to hope that they will ever be any further serviceable to us.
The Earth was a Paradise to Man, in Innocency, a Garden of Delight, and Pleasure, because every Way suited to all that he could want from it, and answerable to all the Desires he could have about it, and because of the high Propriety which he had in it. For innocent Man was not subject to many of those Wants, which now distress us, nor could he have any of those irregular Appetites after the Objects of Sense, which now are the Reproach of our Reason, nor have any Expectations from the World but what it was able to answer; and therefore there was a proper Agreement between them, and the Creature so far perfectly suted his rational and religious Thoughts of it, and was improvable by him to the noblest Ends and Purposes. Besides, what rendered the Creature more perfect to him was, the true Propriety which he had in it. For, as he saw and adored GOD in the Creature, so he enjoyed it in GOD, and GOD in it; thus the Creator, and the Creature, ever came together, in his View, and Enjoyment; and while there was a close Union between GOD, and the Works of His Hand, a Union not yet broken by Sin, as Man, then, had a Propriety in GOD, as his own GOD, so had he in the Creature also.
But, now, our Fall from GOD hath broken this Union, has separated between GOD and the Creature, has strip'd the Creature of much of its Excellency, and filled us with Desires, and Expectations, which it can never answer, and so has turned the Blessing into a Curse. 'Tis This that has rendred this World a Wilderness of Briars and Thorns, and filled it with Vanity, and Vexation of Spirit: So that the Creature was made subject to Vanity, not willingly, (not by any natural Propensity) but by the Will of Him who hath subjected the same, (though) in Hope, as the Punishment of Sin; the Creature being in the Bondage of Corruption; to be delivered from which, the Creation groaneth and travaileth in Pain until now (x)Rom. viii. 20, 21, 22..
This then shews us, what Reason we have to mourn over our Apostacy and Rebellion against GOD, which have procured so much of the Imperfection of the Creature, and rendred it so unprofitable, and ensnaring, to us. It should make us to cry out, Oh! that our Head were Water, and our Eyes a Fountain of Tears, that we might weep Day and Night, for the Offence offered unto GOD, the Injury done unto the Creature, and the Damage brought upon ourselves, by our very great Folly, in refusing to obey the Divine Commandment. This ought to be Matter of perpetual, and deep Humiliation to us, as often as we see the Weakness, the Insufficiency, and Instability, of the Creature, that it groans under the Curse we have brought upon it, and that we ourselves so constantly feel the sad Effects of it. 'Tis this that furnishes every Thing we converse with, with the Sting that pierces and wounds us. 'Tis This is the Root of Bitterness, the baneful Tincture whereof has turned all our Enjoyments into Gall and Wormwood. The Creature was full of Beauty, and Honour, glittered with the Sparkles of divine Light upon it, would have afforded us wonderful Refreshment, and Satisfaction, and was an Enjoyment with which GOD might have been abundantly glorified, as well as we ourselves greatly delighted, but our Sin has stained the Glory of the Divine Workmanship, robbed GOD of His Due, the Creature of its Excellency, and our selves of Comfort; and it ought therefore forever to humble and abase us, and fill us with Brokenness of Soul, to think of our high Crime, in defiling our Nature, and throwing the whole Creation into Disorder and Confusion. Well therefore may we cry out, (y)Lam. v. 16.The Crown is fallen from our Head; wo unto us that we have sinned.