that he might not have sinned yet it was possible for him to sin and he did sin but in eternal life the will shall be so confirmed as that there shall not be a possibility of sinning Oh! how great will that happiness be when the soul shall enjoy the sweetness of eternal joys without intermission when the soul shall forget all its sins and sorrows as to any sense or experience of them yet not so as to be unthankful to him who hath been its Saviour and Deliverer 2. We should breathe long and suspire after eternal life We should elevate and lift up our hearts abovetime and this lower world breathe after the sweetness and delights of the Heavenly Country Those breathings that are in the hearts of the Saints after eternal things Cum sitimus res coelestes tum sentimus perpetuò aliquid gaudii voluptatis Roloc. in Joh. give them some taste of those things When we thirst after heavenly things saith a judicious Divine we do always perceive and experiment something of joy and sweetness Those breathings that are in the hearts of the Saints after eternal life are some of the first fruits of the Spirit Rom. 8.22 We our selves which have the first fruits of the Spirit even we our selves groan within our selves waiting for the adoption the redemption of our bodies Other men feel no such longings and breathings as these are for although there be a natural instinct in all men which carries them out to desire happiness yet none but the Saints long and breathe after the enjoyment of God as their happiness Therefore so far as we finde a thirst kindled in our souls after the sight and enjoyment of God in eternal life so far we have an earnest of eternal life in our souls How great a thing should it be to us to be admitted to the sight of the Divine Majesty to be taken up from the light of the Sun and Moon to the light of him who made the Sun and the Moon as Austin expresseth it It is a good observation of Luther How much joy is there when God doth exhibit by the Word one drop of consolation to such as are tempted and afflicted in conscience but far greater and unexpressible will that joy be when the God of all consolation shall reveal himself and shall wholly pour himself forth unto us in eternal life How should we breathe after this life Thirdly let us place our happiness and expect it no where but in eternal life We should carry our hope and expectation above this world and never expect to finde happiness Ipse finis erit desideriorum nostorum qui sins fine videhitur sine fastidio amabitur sine fatigatione landabitur Aug. until we come to live with God in eternal life He shall be the end of our desires who shall be seen without end loved without nauseousness praised without wearisomness This is life eternal c. It is a vain thing to expect happiness until we come to see God and to live with him in his eternity If the Lord make our passage in any measure tolerable thorow this world this is a mercy if he give us any comfort in outward things in this world these are mercies so far as he is seen and loved in them otherwise the best comforts here on earth are pitiful things for what can be truely good from which the chief good is absent Deus est omnis boni bonum God is the good of every good and nothing is good but as he appears in it But we ought to remember that our true and great happiness is to live in the Divine presence above and to have the sight of God to eternity And it is not possible that any soul that hath had one glimpse or one true taste of him should think any thing to be happiness short of that sight This therefore is to lay hold of eternal life to keep our spirits aloof off from the world as much as may be and to keep our spirits reserved for the enjoyment of God in eternal life The enjoyment of God in eternal life is the point and centre that we should be moving and tending unto When the Lord gives us any of the comforts and blessings of this life when he gives us estates friends the comfort of relations we should say These are the gifts of God and so far they are good but these are not my happiness my happiness is God himself my happiness is to see him and to live with him in his eternity Here should our desires rest and terminate and though we defire and use many things for necessity in the present state yet our desire and expectation should be still carried above these things and end no where but in the enjoyment of God Quis alius noster est finis nisi pervenire ad regnum cujus nullus est finis Aug. What other end have we but to come to that kingdom of which there is no end Fourthly we should labour to be in a readiness and preparedness of spirit to enter upon eternal life 2 Pet. 3.14 Be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace without spot and blame Our ambition should be to be found in such a posture and to keep our souls in such an holy evenness as that nothing may impede or hinder our free passage out of Time into Eternity We should labour to keep our Consciences pure We should see that the guilt of no sin remain upon our Conscience unpardoned unrepented of We should see that our affections be not intangled with the inordinate love of lawful things much less with the love of any sin We should labour to have our hearts fortified with a stedfast belief of the things God hath promised us in the other world the weakness of our faith in believing the things promised makes us very unfit for the enjoyment of eternal life We should often contemplate eternal life we should be thinking of it night day all the comforts that we enjoy all the necessary employments we are engaged in should not take us off from the frequent meditation of eternal life What so necessary to be thought of as that state which when once it is begun shall never have an end This whole life is but like one long dream in comparison of eternal life Oh! let us not forget eternal life but be still preparing and making ready for it Fifthly we should not take up or rest satisfied with what we have already attained in grace but press forward toward that which lies before us and is yet wanting to us This is the direction the Apostle gives us from his own example Phil. 3.13 Brethren I count not my self to have apprehended but one thing I do forgetting those things which are behinde and reaching forth unto those things which are before I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus Paul's aim and scope was to obtain
〈◊〉 signifies to value and esteem a thing as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to under-value and despise a thing and this appears by the Text it self Set your affections on things above not on things on the earth The Antithesis and opposition that is between these two shews what we are to understand by setting our affections on things above Set your affections on things above not on things on the earth as much as if he should have said Have the highest value for spiritual things set the highest price upon spiritual things esteem spiritual things above all earthly things This value and estimation of spiritual things Paul had when he said Phil. 3.8 I count all things but loss and dung for the excellencie of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. Spiritual things bught to bear the greatest weight in our thoughts we ought to approve them as the best things and see a far greater excellencie in them then in all temporal things Davenant There is a Learned man that observes upon this Text this word translated to set our affections comprehends two acts in it 1. It notes the act of the minde or understanding when it thinks of any thing 2. It notes the act of thâ— will or affections approving or loving a thing so that to set our affections on things above is to approve of them in our estimation as the beâ— things Phil. 1.10 That you may approve the things which are excellent III. To seek the things which are above it is to intend these things as our principal aim and scope Matth. 6.33 Seek first the kingdom of God that is let your principal aim and scope be to get an interest in the kingdom of God So here Seek the things which are above that is let your principal aim and scope be to acquire and get these things let the main bent and tendencie of your souls lye towards these things Every rational Agent that acts out of reason and understanding intends some end now that which the Apostle would press us to is this to intend and designe spiritual and eternal things as our great end There is no man but he hath some last end that he prosecutes now that which the Apostle would press us to is to make eternal things the things of the other world our great and last end as much as if he should say Whereas others are sursuing after other things Riches Honour Pleasures and making them their uttermost end do you intend another end do you make God and Christ and the things of other world your principal aim and scope Seek the things that are above Two are implyed in it 1. Make this your end to make sure your interest in these things 2. Get a holy meetness and preparedness of Spirit to injoy these things 1. Make this your end to make sure your interest in these things 2 Pet. 1.10 Give all diligence to make your calling and election sure Phil. 3. â—4 I press toward the mark for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus Paul pressed toward the mark of eternal Glory Paul's great ambition was to win the price of eternal Glory 2. As we should make sure our interest in these things so we should make this our end to get a holy meetness and preparedness of spirit to injoy these things Seek the things which are above that is labour as much as may be to get up into the Spirit of heaven here on earth labour to get a suitableness to the future life Others converse with present sensible things but do you converse with the things of the other world see how you may get up into a spirit and temper that is fit for the life which is above Phil. 3.20 Our conversation is in heaven that is we labour to converse as men in heaven and to get our spirits suited and adapted to that life IV. To seek the things which are above it is to see that our affections bâ— mainly carryed out after these things to see that our desire love and delight do run out after these things and lye in these things where the treasure is there the heart will he If we judge and esteem these things as the best things if we intend them as our principal aim and scope then these things ought to draw our affections after them our desire love and delight should be carried out after these things God and Christ should have more of â—ur hearts then the creatures have we should solace and delight our selves in the thoughts of the future life and â—e more pleased in the thoughts of what we shall injoy hereafter in â—he future state then in any thing we â—njoy at present here on earth To â—et our affections on things above is to have our affections so fixed on these â—hings as that nothing here on earth should be able to loosen unhinge unsettle or take off our affection from these things To set our affections on things which are above it is to cleave to God as our chief good to imbrace God as our onely portion with the full bent of our affections Scis occultorum cognitor Deus quod non solum terrâ omnibus quae in ea sunt mihi cariores sed etiam coelo omnibus quae in ca sunt mihi acceptabilior es They are rare strains of affection which Austin hath O God saith he the knower of all secrets thou knowest that thou art not onely dearer to me then the earth and all things that are in it but thou art more acceptable to me then heaven it self and all things that are in it God is the sum of all good things to us God is our chief good O how happy were it for us if we could get such strains of love to God and appeal to God as he did and say O God the knower of all secrets thou knowest that thou art not onely dearer to me then the earth and all things that are in it but thou art more acceptable to me then heaven it self and all things that are in it This is to seek the things which are above when our souls cleave more to God then to any created thing V. Lastly To seek the things which are above it is to use our uttermost care study diligence and endeavour to get an interest in these things and to be fitted for the injoyment of these things It is observed by a Learned man Quaerendum vocabulum indicat laborem conatum atque excludit otïosam velleitatem Davenant This expression of seeking notes labour and industry and it is opposed to an idle velleity we may not content our selves with general desires and faint wishes after the things which are above but we must strive to enter in at the straight gate as our Saviour's expression is to seek after a thing Quaerere est cum studio ferri tendere ad res habendas vel fruendas is to be carried out with study care
Spirit of God by him That which men pursue as their last end they are apt to take up their rest and happiness in it when once they have acquired it That appears from that of the rich man in the Gospel Soul soul thou hast much goods laid up for many years take thine ease eat drink and be merry Worldly men make the world their chief good and acquiesce in it as their chief good Now not to set our affections upon the things on the earth is not to acquiesce in and take up with the creature as our chief good and happiness A Christian ought to say Bonorum summa Deus est Deus est nobis summum bonum Aug. God is my portion he is my happiness my felicity God is the sum of all good things God is our chief good this should be the language of a Christian A Christian should take up in nothing as his happiness but in God himself 3. Not to set our affections on things on the earth is this not to imploy our principal care and industry about these things Matth. 6.33 Seek first the kingdom of God and the righteousness thereof Our chief and principal care ought to be about spiritual and eternal things and then we do not set our affections on earthly things when our first and principal care is not about earthly things but about those other things To seek after and to set a mans affections on earthly things in this place Toto corde desider are Davenant it is with all a mans heart to desire after these things with all a mans might and endeavor to seek after these things Now in this sense we should not set our affections on earthly things that is the main strength of our desires the main strength of our endeavours should not run out to these things It is an expression of Austin Ad Creatorem tendere jubemur non ad crea turam ut efficiamur beati We are commanded to have our tendencie towards the Creator not towards the creature that we may be made happy The command is Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and all thy soul and all thy strength and all thy might We are no where commanded to love other things so we are no where commanded to love the creature with all our heart and soul and strength and might we may and ought to love the creature in its place and in subordination to God but we may not love the creature as we love God 4. To have a mans heart taken off from the world it is to be spiritually dead to the world Paul saith of himself that he was crucified to the world and the world was crucified to him Gal. 6.14 We ought to have dead affections as it were to the world and to earthly things and to have living affections towards God and spiritual things Non usque adeo diligenda terrena quin amplius diligendus Deus Aug. not but that the creature is to be beloved in its place but earthly things are not so to be beloved but that God is much more to be beloved We ought not to love any thing better then God nay we ought not to love any thing equal with God Minus te amat qui aliquiâ— tecum amat quod non propter te amat It is a sweet speech of Austin He loves thee too little who loves any thing together with thee which he doth not love for thee This is to be spiritually dead to the world when if our love to God and the creature be compared our love to the creature is but poor and mean in comparison of that higher love we finde working in our hearts towards God himself A holy soul should be able to say Lord thou art dearer to me then heaven and earth yea then all things in heaven and earth David said so Whom have I in heaven but thee or whom have I on earth that I desire in comparison of thee III. What is that holy contempt of the world we should be aspiring after For thus it is express'd in the Doctrine A Christian ought to have his heart carryed forth to an holy contempt of this world That may be opened in a few particulars briefly 1. We should have low and mean thoughts of the world The contempt of the world consists in this in having low and mean thoughts of the world he that contemns a thing hath low and mean thoughts of that thing He that contemns a thing apprehends no great worth or excellencie in it for which he should esteem it A Christian's contempt of the world consists in this when he hath mean thoughts of the world he sees no such great worth or excellencie in it for which he should admire it Paul accounted all things but loss and dung for the excellencie of the knowledge of Jesus Christ Phil. 3.8 A Christan that hath a true contempt of the world apprehends there is little good or worth in worldly things in comparison of God and Christ and eternal things It is a great expression of the Apostle We look not to the things which are seen 2 Cor. 4.18 We look not to them What then we overlook them we despise them we look above them we have something greater in our eye and therefore these things seem little to us He that hath a greater good in his eye overlooks a lesser thing a greater good swallows up a lesser good This is an holy contempt of the world to have low and mean thoughts of the world to look upon the world as having no excellencâ—e in it in comparison of God and Christ and eternal things 2. The contempt of the world we should press after is this we should not be too anxious and solicitous about earthly things Matth. 6.31 Take no thought saying What shall we eat what shall we drink or wherewithal shall we be cloathed that is take no anxious no solicitous thought about these things Contemnere est rem negligere de tâ non curare To contemn a thing is to neglect it and not to take care about it that is a signe of our contempt of the world when we have no anxious thoughts about it when we are not much concerned about it when we have an holy indifferencie of spirit about it we are thankful to God if he give us these things and yet we are not too much dejected or cast down if he deny these things to us I have learned Phil. 4.14 faith the Apostle in whatsoever estate I am therewith to be content Contentation of spirit with a mans present state is a signe that a man is crucified to the world For if a man be wedded to the world then he is troubled and discontented if he have not all he would have 3. The contempt of the world and of earthly things consists in this when a man accounts and thinks with himself that he may be happy without these things Let
us observe this well the contempt of the world lyes much in this when a man accounts and thinks with himself he may be happy without these things when a man lives under this apprehension My happiness lyes not in these things if God deny me these things I may be happy without them the essence of happiness lyes not in these things This is a signe of the contempt of the world he that hath such an opinion of a thing as that he thinks he may be happy without that thing such a man may be said to have a contempt of that thing This is the contempt of the world we should labour after so as to think we may be happy without these things The Stoicks say of their wise man He may be without many things but he wants nothing Truely a Christian should be able to say so much more though he be without many things yet he wants nothing nothing that is essential to true happiness though he be without many earthly comforts that others injoy yet he hath God and Christ and the hope of eternal things to live upon and he may be happy in these things although he want other things When a man is fixt in his own thoughts in the estimation of happiness he knows he may be happy without this world this is a signe such a man is crucified to the world 4. To contemn the world is for a man to think he is not made happy by earthly things when he hath these things as the Apostle speaks in another case Meat commends us not to God If we eat we are not the better if we eat not we are not the worse So a Christian may say It is not any temporal thing that commends me to God if I have much or little it is not that which makes me accepted with God But let us not be mistaken here First I grant that a Christian may see a vein of love in temporal things He delivered me because he delighted in me Psal 18. David saw special love peculiar love in a temporal deliverance Having given us his Son Rom. 8. how shall he not with him also freely give us all things Matth. 6. And seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all other things shall be added to you When a Christian sees temporal blessings flowing from covenant-love when he sees them given in as appendices to greater mercies so far he may see the love of God in these things Secondly Temporal things so far as they conduce to a higher end may be said in a subordinate way to conduce to a Christians happiness The things of this world so far as they conduce to keep a man from sin and to make him serve God the better so far they are to be valued Prov. 30.8 Give me neither poverty nor riches feed me with food convenient for me lest I be full and deny thee and say Who is the Lord or lest I be poor and steal and take the Name of my God in vain Temporal things so far as they are means to keep us from sin and fit us for the service of God so far they are to be esteemed but that which I say is that temporal things considered in themselves do not constitute or make up a Christians happiness A Christians true happiness lies out of the road and chanel of these things and therefore when he hath these things he ought to say My happiness lies above these things Omnis mibi copia quae Deus meus non est egestas est All that abundance of mine which is none of my God is but my penury and want says Austin All earthly things compared with God and Christ are none of a Christians happiness 5. The contempt of the world consists in this and I take it that much of the spirit of the contempt of the world if I may so express it lies in this When a mans heart is carryed off from the world because his heart is reserved for higher things We look not to the things which are seen but to the things which are not seen Paul's heart was taken off from present things because his heart was referved for and taken up with higher things Our conversation is in heaven Phil. 3.20 He had spoken of some before that minded earthly things now he saith Our conversation is in heaven The reason why Paul had his heart taken off from earthly things was because his conversation was in heaven he expected other things A Christian should have his heart rapt up with the contemplation and admiration of eternal things A Christian should cry out as Austin doth O amare O ire O sibi perire O ad Deum pervenire O to love God O to go to him O to die and perish to a mans self O to come to God! A Christian should solace and delight himself with the thoughts of the Divine presence and account all things here on earth little in comparison of that presence It is an expression which Luther hath Debemus magno animo contemnere mundum pleno pectore anbelare ad gloriam futurae vitae We ought with a great soul to contemn this world and with a full gale of affection to breathe after the glory of the future life This is the truest contempt of the world when the thoughts apprehensions desires and expectation of future things causeth us to reserve our affections mainly and principally for these things when we look upon these as those things which mainly and principally deserve our love A Christian should keep his heart reserved for God and say Lord I would not love any thing that may not consist with my love to thee I would not enjoy any thing that may not consist with my communion with thee A Christian should be able to turn his eye upon God say Here is my riches here is my true sweetness my solace my delight Dominus Deus meus vita mea dulcedo mea sancta my great happiness and felicity The Lord my God he is my life my holy sweetness saith Austin This is another discovery of our contempt of the world when a man hath his heart carried off from these things upon this account that his heart is reserved for higher things and that other things have taken up his heart 6. The contempt of the world consists in this When our hearts sit loose from the world and we are at a parting point with these things Luk. 14.33 Whosoever he be of you that forsakes not all that he hath cannot be my disciple 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doth not bid farewel to all things is not ready to take his leave of all things God doth not always call us to an actual forsaking of all things but we must be in an habitual readiness to forsake all things when he calls us so to do Our hearts must not be so riveted and glued to earthly things but we must be in a readiness to
soliticious to serve and please God 1. A covetous man loves these outward things more then he loves God that is a mans God which hath most of his heart The great Commandment is Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy soul and with all thy strength When a man loves any thing more then God that is his god Therefore it is well said of one of the Ancients that a covetous man is guilty of idolatry Non exhibitione ceremoniarum sed oblatione concupiscentiarum not by the offering any ceremonies of worship to his gold and silver but by the oblation of his own desires and affections What the affection of the heart goes out most unto that is set up in the place of God 2. A covetous man trusts in his riches It is proper to God onely to be the object of our trust He that I make to be my God he onely ought to be the great object of my trust Psal 91.2 I will say of the Lord He is my refuge and my fortress in him will I trust So that whatsoever it is we make the great object of our trust that is our God A covetous man trusts in his wealth Psal 52.7 Lo this is the man that made not God his strength but trusted in the abundance of his riches 3. A covetous man serves 〈◊〉 riches Hence is that of our Saâ—â—our Matth. 6.24 Ye cannot seâ— God and mammon All a covetoâ— mans care is to serve his own profâ— he hath little care to serve and pleâ— God This is the first thing to shâ— the evil of covetousness it is Idâ—latry 2. Covetousness is such a sin 〈◊〉 doth in a peculiar manner alienâ— and estrange the heart from God Thâ— School-men observe that covetouâ—ness is such a sin as makes us cleaâ— fastest to the creature Maximè adhaesivum creature maximè aversivum à Deo and turns us arâ—â— farthest from God The proper for mal reason and nature of sin lyes iâ— these two things 1. In the averâ—sion of the soul from God the chief good 2. In the conversion of the soul to the creature and covetousness carries both these two in it iâ— carries the soul from God the chieâ— immutable good and carries it to the creature and inferiour mutable good 3. Covetousness is altogether inconsistent with the love of God 1 Joh. 2.15 Love not the world nor the things of the world If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him Austin observes from those words There are two loves the love of the world and the love of God If the love of the world inhabit in us the love of God cannot enter into us And hence he infers Exclude malum amorem mundi ut implearis amore Dei Shut out the evil love of the world that so thou mayst be filled with the love of God When the heart is fraught and filled with other loves there is no room for spiritual and divine love This is a sure rule There cannot be two last ends if the world be a mans last end he cannot love God as his last end and therefore the love of the world is inconsistent with the love of God 4. Covetousness is such a sin as is most inconsistent with our communion with God It is a speech of one of the Ancients Amatorem mundi odit spiritus Christi The Spirit of Christ loathes a man that is a lover of the world God is curious of nothing so much as of his peoples affections My son give me thy heart and Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart When those affections which should be reserved for God are reserved for other things God loathes and abominates such a man If any man love me he will keep my words and my Father will love him and we will come unto him and make our aabode with him Joh. 14.23 God promises if a man love him he will make his abode with him covetousness is such a sin as is inconsistent with our love to God therefore where the love of God is not God will never make his abode with such a soul 5. Covetousness is such a sin as is most directly contrary to the nature of grace and the work of the new creature in the soul the reason is the nature of grace is to carry out the soul to spiritual things and to cause it to desire spiritual things grace causeth the soul to minde a spiritual happiness and to look after a spiritual happiness grace makes a man see an excellencie in the pardon of sin in the favour of God in the image of God and in conformity to God On the contrary covetousness causeth a man to place his happiness in external things a covetous person placeth his happiness in those things which are bona corporis the good things of the body he regards not grace and spiritual things which are bona animi the good things of the minde Hence it is that the Scripture ranks covetousness amongst the worst of sins Ephes 5.5 Colos 3.5 1 Cor. 6.9 Be not deceived neither fornicators nor adulterers nor esseminate nor abusers of themselves with mankinde nor thieves nor covetous nor drunkards nor revilers nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God Here we see covetousness is rankt with the worst of sins covetousness is as directly contrary to the nature of grace as a gross sin and in some respect more and the reason is because it is possible a man by surprize and upon a sudden temptation may be overtaken with a gross sin when yet the bent of his soul hath been set against it but covetousness consists in this when the bent of a mans affections lyes towards earthly things and therefore nothing is more directly contrary to the nature of Grace then this sin and it becomes us to look to this because it is so inconsistent with the nature of Grace The thorny ground fell short of a true work of Grace upon this account because the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches did choke the world Many a mans profession comes to nought and never rises up to true grace because the love of the world is predominant in him though he may go far and have some seeming good affections yet all comes to nothing because the world hath the predominancie in his heart How much doth it concern us to look well to it to see that we do not loose all our profession upon this accompt that the world hath had more of our hearts then God and Christ have had 6. Covetousness is such a sin as is most contrary to our future life hereafter God shall be all in all hereafter we shall live upon God immediately without other things In heaven as we shall have no other happiness but God so we shall desire no other happiness but God himself If it were possible that the Saints and Angels could desire any thing which
Neither is there any thing we can conceive to be truely excellent and good but it is in him yea whatsoever perfection is possible to be it is in God Deus est bonum infinitissime infinitum Bradwardin God is such a good as is most insinitely infinite O! what folly is it then to have our hearts taken off from the infinitely-blessed God and to have them set upon little narrow things It is an expression that one of the Ancients hath to this purpose The Angels are so inflamed with divine love that all other things yea they themselves seem vile to themselves in respect of God whom they love Did we know God more we should not be so fond of other things Oh! let us turn our souls upon God the chief good there may we love freely and cannot exceed in loving him Fourthly consider the world and earthly things cannot give happiness unto men That is wise love when a man loves that which will make him happie Earthly things cannot do this You may say How doth that appear That is easily made out in few words Earthly things cannot give a man satisfaction while he hath them they cannot keep him from death they cannot comfort him in death and least of all can they be a happiness to him after death Now who would love that which will not answer the end for which he loves it The reason why men love earthly things although they will not confess it it is because they think to finde happiness in them but now that happiness that men think to finde is far from them No temporal thing will afford that to a man which he desires and expects from it Men expect satisfaction from what they do pursue but satisfaction is far from them Why should a man be fond of that which when he hath it his happiness must be in something above it and when he wants it it is possible for him to be happie without it If we had all the things in this world we could desire if we are the children of God and have indeed tasted that the Lord is gracious there is something above those things that we shall still desire Now if when we have the greatest abundance and confluence of earthly things there is something else that we desire and something else that must make us happie in the midst of these things viz. the presence of God and the enjoyment of him and that it is possible for us to be happie in those things without earthly things then there is no reason why our hearts should be so inordinately set upon these earthly things Fifthly consider the inordinate love of earthly things is a perverting of the End for which God gives us these things God never gave us the creatures that we might make them our happiness or pursue them as our last end but God gives us the creatures that we might see himself in them admire him in them and pass from them to him It is a speech of Austin The creature is to be praised for the sake of God the author and original of it not to be worshipped and adored as if it self were God All things are of him and by him and to him Rom. 11.36 All things are from God and they ought to lead to him therefore when we love the creatures as our chief good and stick in them as our last happiness we pervert the end for which they were given to us the creatures were never given for such an end but they were given for this end that we might ascend to God by them We ought to use the creatures not to enjoy them Now then do we use a thing when we use it to a farther end we ought to use the creatures in order to our enjoyment of God as our last end but we ought not to take up with them as if we had no higher end then to enjoy them Sixthly consider the inordinate love of earthly things is an argument of great ignorance and unbelief Every man would desire and love the best thing did he certainly know and believe that there are better things then these that are present to Sence he would love those things We look not to the things that are seen 2 Cor. 4. Paul knew that there were better things then those things that are seen and that these things were real and substantial and therefore his heart was carried out after these things Now because the generality of men do not see these things nor are acquainted with them therefore they desire them not The world lies before men as a fair and pleasant garden and there is many a goodly flower to be seen in it here is pleasure there is profit there is honour these captivate the eyes of men and because things invisible to the outward sences are not seen or perceived by them therefore they minde not these things But O ye sons of men how long will ye turn the glory of God into shame how long will ye love vanity and seek after leasing Psal 4.2 What folly and ignorance is it to think that there are no higher things then those which the Brutes are capable of conversing with as well as you The Brutes may have their outward senses delighted as well as you they may be taken and affected with present visible things as well as you but where are your souls in the mean time where is your intellectual part Can Reason discover nothing to you but what is present and obvious to Sence why then is the candle of the Lord set up within you What sottishness and stupidity is it to believe that there is no happiness to be found but what is to be found in this world As if the life which God lives were no happiness as iâ— so be the life which the Saints and Angels live in above were no happiness While men onely seek earthly things it is a certain signe that they are ignorant of these things Seventhly consider the inordinate love of the world and of earthly things doth greatly unfit a man for death Die we must that is certain and the time of our life here is mosâ— uncertain Now what folly is it to be found in such a frame as will certainly unfit us for death Pythagoras saith of Philosophy That it is a meditation of death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Certainly the life of a Christian should be a continued meditation of death and if a Christian should always be meditating of death that he may die well die happily and die comfortably then certainly it will be his greatest folly to be taken up with those things that must greatly unfit him for death Now there is nothing that will more unfit a man for death then the inordinate love of earthly things If a mans heart lie in the world how â—oth will he be to part with the world No man is willing to part with that which he loves much When a man that is a lover of the world comes to
die his heart is as it were rent from him his heart lies in the world and yet he must be rent from that which he loves so much An holy soul an heavenly-minded man hath sent his heart beforehand into heaven and it is no difficult thing for him to be willing that his person should be removed there where his affections are gone before but now an earthly-minded man when his person comes to be removed out of the world he leaves his heart as it were behinde him and it must needs be very grievous and bitter to him to part with the world that hath seen nothing better then the world Eighthly to take us off from the love of earthly things consider that all these things must have an end The earth also the works that are therein shall be burnt up 2 Pet. 3.10 Should a man set his heart upon that which after a little while must be consumed to ashes If a man would love wisely he should love that which he might always love Nothing but eternal things last always and therefore the truest wisdom is to love these things It is easie for a man to think himself out of all the happiness of this world A man may think himself beyond the happiness that is in riches honours or pleasures a man may easily come in his thoughts to the end of the happiness that is in these things Now should a man make that his happiness which he can think beyond there is a happiness that a man cannot think himself out of nor think beyond it this happiness is our God who is infinite and eternal this is such a happiness that we can never come to the bottom of Oh! it is good to love him as our happiness if we love the world as our happiness we and our happiness are like to pass away together When the Apostle admonisheth us Love not the world what is the argument he urgeth The world passeth away and the lust thereof The world is a transient thing and as the world passeth away so the lusts thereof pass away when those things are gone which men had made the object of their love and affections they have nothing left to set their affections upon When this world comes to be burnt up and the works thereof none of those objects are to be seen or injoyed which now at the present draw mens hearts so much to them Nay not to go so far when men must enter with their naked souls into eternity and must leave all these things behinde them what will they have to love then how stript and naked and forlorn may we well suppose a carnal soul who was onely filled and fraught with creature-loves and the love of earthly things to be when he comes to leave these things behinde him All the objects of his affections are left behinde him he hath none of those things left him which once he let out his heart upon What a pitiful empty thing is a miserable soul that is separated from the Divine presence while he lived here on earth he made a shift to love the creatures and to suck out as much contentment from them as he could but now he is in Eternity he hath none of these things to love And now it is a great aggravation of his misery to remember that he loved these things that did deceive him Ninthly The inordinate love of earthly things is a signe that a man is of an earthly carnal spirit and that his name shall be written in the earth 1. The love of earthly things is a signe that a man is of an earthly spirit Talis est quisque qualis ejus dilectio terram diligis terra eris Every man is as his love is if he loves the earth he himself shall be earth saith Austin Every man is moulded into the nature of what he loves if he loves the earth he himself is turned into a piece of earth Austin observes That the two sorts or kindes of love that are in the world have constituted two kindes of Cities the heavenly City and the earthly City If a man be a lover of heaven and the things above he is a Citizen of the Heavenly Jerusalem if he be a lover of the earth he is a Citizen of this world therefore let a man put the question to himself and ask himself what it is that he loves and he may know what Citizen he is The predominant love of the world and of earthly things is a signe that a man is a worldly man a man of this world and that he belongs to it and that he hath nothing to do with the heavenly City and the spiritual corporation that is above 2. The love of earthly things is a signe that a man shall be written in the earth It is a great expression of the Prophet Jer. 17.13 O Lord the hope of Israel all that forsake thee shall be confounded they that depart from thee shall be written in the earth c. When do men forsake God when they leave God and adhere to the creature that the following words make out because they have forsaken the Lord the fountain of living waters When men forsake the living God and imbrace dying creatures then they depart from God Now all such shall be written in the earth Coelo extorres aeternum ad exitium destinati Glassius an Elegant expression what is the meaning of it Banished from heaven and destinated to eternal destruction So one Learned man interprets it Calvin carries it much to the same sense Your name shall be here on earth but it shall be blotted out in heaven that is there shall be no portion for you in the Kingdom of Heaven The Apostle saith expresly No covetous person which is an idolater hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God Ephes 5. Or we may understand it thus They shall be written in the earth whatsoever account and estimation men may be of in this world they shall be of no account above with God and the holy Angels their names shall be written in the earth they love the earth and all the honour they shall have it shall be upon the earth their honor and esteem shall not go beyond this world Earthly minded men that leave great Estates Dignities and Honours behinde them they may be famous in the Records and Annals of this world they may be renowned for their riches and the great things they have enjoyed here but this is all they shall have they shall have no estimation in the upper world their name shall not and dye on the earth they shall have no honour nor carry any esteem in the heavenly Country Tenthly Consider there is much of vanity and vexation in earthly things We know whose words they are All is vanity and vexation of spirit First earthly things are vain things 1. There is not in them that which they promise to us Earthly things promise much more then we finde