Page images
PDF
EPUB

the enjoying of him: and whence was this, but because God was the portion and treasure of his soul? he was the health of his countenance, and his God: v. 11. Wheresoever God and the things of God are made the soul's treasure, there will be proportionable affections drawn out to these things. Never was it known, that a treasure wanted affections.

"But alas," may some say, "I fear then that I have no share in this Heavenly Treasure. Never was I so strongly affected with the discoveries of God and Christ and the things of heaven, never was I so taken and ravished, as with some temporal mercies and enjoyments. I could never feel such transportations of spirit in communion with God, as you speak of; no such ravishments of love, nor such meltings and vehemency of desires to the things of heaven, as I have often found to the concernments and in the enjoyments of the world. Never do I remember, that I rejoiced so vehemently in God, as in some new unexpected mercy; or that ever I mourned so bitterly for sinning against God, or for the hiding of the light of God's countenance from me, as I have done for some cross outward providence: and how then can I say, my treasure is laid up in heaven, since earth and the things of earth have the sway and pre-eminency in my affections?"

This may, possibly, trouble some.

To this, therefore, I answer, That there are two things, by which the predominancy and sway of a man affections may be judged.

By their violent Passionateness:

By their judicious Valuation and Esteem.

Thou complainest, that earth and earthly things have the predominancy and sway in thy affections. But look what sort of affections they are: are they only thy fondlings, thy violent and passionate affections? this may be so, and yet heavenly things be thy treasure. Many times, so it is, that, what is superior in these may be inferior, nay almost contemptible, in thy rational and judicious affections. Men may be fond of those persons, for whom they have not such solid and judicious affections, as they have for others. So is it here: a Christian's fondness may be more to the things of this world; when yet his judicious affections may be far more to the things of heaven, "But how shall we try this?"

(1) Observe, as you must not judge of your value and esteem of earthly things by your passionate affections to them; so neither must you judge of your valuing heavenly things, by your speculative judgment of them.

It is not enough, when you compare heavenly things with earthly, barely to pronounce heavenly things to be infinitely better and more desirable than earthly. Truly, every man's conscience tells him thus much. There is no man, whoever he be, that thinks of heaven, but is withal verily persuaded, that it is infinitely more glorious than earth is; and, that the enjoyment of God, a crown of life and immortality, is infinitely more to be preferred than all the trash and trifles here below. And there is no worldling, when his conscience beckons him aside and whispers these things in his ears, but is convinced, and assents unto these things as truths: and yet this man's treasure is not therefore laid up in heaven, because he judges, in his speculative judgment, that heavenly things are better than earthly this is to say they are better, and to judge them so; but not to esteem and value them so.

And, therefore,

(2) The true valuation of heavenly things as the soul's treasure, lies in the practical part of the soul.

Valuation is a practical thing. I cannot be said to value an object, unless that esteem hath some influence upon my actions, as relating to that object: either it will put me upon endeavours to obtain it, or stir up care in me to keep it. Mark that place in St. Peter: 1 Pet. ii. 7. Unto you, which believe, he is precious : but unto them, who are disobedient.....he is a rock of offence: in the 6th verse, he tells us, Christ was precious in himself: I lay in Sion a...corner-stone, elect and precious: in the 4th verse, he tells us, he was precious to God, chosen of God, and precious: and, in the 7th verse, he comes to shew what esteem men had of him to believers, saith he, he is also precious; but unto them, who are disobedient....he is a rock of offence. What is the reason, when he opposes wicked men to believers, that he calls them disobedient persons, and not rather unbelievers? the reason is, because we must not look to men's outward acknowledgment, whereby they judge what is precious to them; for all will so pronounce God, and Christ, and the things of heaven in their speculative judgment: they will pass this sentence: but you must look to their practice, and see what influence this valuation hath there. And, thus, Christ is not precious to unbelievers,

because that esteem they have of him doth not enforce them to obedience to him.

Examine, therefore, which hath most influence into your life and practice: whether your Passionate Affections for the things of this life, or your Judicious and Deliberate Affections for the things of heaven; for, thereby, you may, in part, guess what is your treasure. A small torrent runs very violently, and makes a loud noise; yet hath not that strength in it that a river hath, though it move silently. So it is with the affections of a child of God: though they may run out violently towards the things of the world; yet have they not that strength in them, which there is in his sober affections for the things of heaven.

How violent soever your affections be to temporal mercies; suppose friends, children, estate, or the like: yet if you do value and esteem heavenly things as your treasure, this valuation and esteem will have the sway and pre-eminency in Two things especially.

[1] It will enforce the soul to use more diligence and care to increase its spiritual treasure, than to increase any temporal good thing whatever.

That is a man's treasure, to which he is still adding and throwing one precious thing after another; nor will he ever think it can be too full and too rich. And therefore you have that expression, in 2 Pet. i. 5, 6, 7. Add to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience, and to patience godliness, and to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness charity. See here how the Apostle strings up these pearls. Now, what is it you are most careful and industrious to add unto? Truly, that, which most men make their business, is to add house to house, and land to land, that their names may dwell alone upon the earth. Suppose we had lived in Solomon's time, when silver and gold were as common as stones in the street, if one should spend all his time in gathering up straws and feathers, could you in reason think, that he made God his treasure? yet this is the foolish and busy care of worldly men, that, though they might gather up that which is far more precious than gold and silver; yet they rather employ themselves in picking up straws and feathers, and think with them to build their own nest. But, there is a holy covetousness in a child of God, that makes him still to be gathering up heavenly riches: still, he is adding grace to grace: and, though he thinks, to be the meanest Christian in the world is

more worth than the world; yet he would not be content to be the meanest. As to outward respects, he is well content to keep the station wherein Providence hath set him: if he stand at a stay in worldly enjoyments, it is no great trouble to him. But he cannot bear a standing at a stay in grace: there, he must be growing and thriving, and going forward: let his affections be set never so eagerly upon his outward comforts, yet he is not so eager to increase them as he is his Heavenly Treasure. And, that it is so, appears in Two things:

1st. In that he sets a higher price upon opportunities, for the increasing of his Heavenly Treasure, than upon any other seasons and opportunities whatever.

Oh, what gain and enriching doth he make on a market-day for his soul! Sabbaths to him are precious: ordinances to him are precious: why? but because, in them, he sees the glory of Christ displayed, and the fulness of the promises unfolded? because, by them, his faith is strengthened, his love is inflamed, his hope confirmed? He goes far more wealthy from them, than he came to them; and therefore it is an argument, that he labours to increase his Heavenly Treasure, because he sets a higher price and value upon opportunities, to increase that treasure, than he doth upon any other whatever.

2dly. It appears, in that he is willing to stand at a stint in outward enjoyments, but he cannot bear a stint in grace.

He cannot live upon a set allowance there. Let God deal how he pleaseth with him in cutward things, let him reduce him to a morsel of bread and to a cup of water, it is enough; so he gives him but a Benjamin's portion in himself: let him seize upon all his temporals and take them away, if so be he doth but instate him in a great possession of spirituals, he is content. "My body," says he, " can subsist with a little; but my soul cannot. My spiritual charges and expenses are great, and multiply upon me daily: I have many strong temptations to be resisted, and many prevailing corruptions to be mortified, and many holy and spiritual duties to be performed; and how shall I be able to defray all this with no better a supply? my present stock is not able to maintain it." Still he is complaining, that he hath too little to maintain him in his work, that he may be such a Christian as he aims at and would be: and, therefore, he cries out, "Lord, though I thank thee for what I do possess;" yet he still craves more of himself: "Thou art infinite, and what is it to enjoy a little of an infinite God? More of thy

Son: he is all-sufficient: and what is it to have an insufficient portion in an all-sufficient Saviour? More of thy grace: that is free and what is it to enjoy a limited portion of unlimited and boundless grace?" This is the property of heavenly riches, that they make them that have them still to be covetous after more: the worldling adds heap to heap: and the Christian adds grace to grace, and one degree of grace to another; and thinks he hath attained to nothing, till he hath attained so far, as that there is nothing farther to be attained; and therefore he goes on labouring after more, till he doth insensibly ripen into glory, and hath nothing more for him to desire. If you value heavenly things now as your treasure, you will still be adding to this treasure; growing every day richer than other towards God.

[2] And, then, if you do practically value and esteem heavenly things as your soul's treasure, you will sooner part with all other comforts and enjoyments, than with this. It may be, you cannot say that ever you felt such pangs of joy and delight in the enjoyment of God, as you have done in some outward mercy: you never felt such comfort in spiritual mercies, as you have in some outward comforts, that providentially were bestowed upon you: and, therefore, you have cause to fear, that your treasure is here below, and not above. But this is still to judge by the passionateness of your affections, that is as a disturbed water that cannot reflect your face aright. If you would judge truly, then put this question to your soul: "Soul, now that thou dost so vehemently delight in this comfort and in that enjoyment, which wouldst thou rather part with; this delightful comfort, or thy God?" Certainly, a child of God would have a holy indignation against himself, should he but debate the question. "Oh," will he say, "though God take every thing from me but himself, yet he leaves me enough to make me happy; and, in the enjoyment of other things, I were truly miserable, could I be made so by their loss." A saint's rational affections, consisting in the due valuation and esteem of heavenly things, will triumph over his more eager and passionate affections to the things of the world. Think with thyself now what is dearest to thee in the world, and then set God and heaven in the balance against them; and then thou shalt see, though earthly comforts may engross too much, of thy affections and lie near thy heart, yet that God and heavenly things still have the greatest sway and predominancy in thy affections, if thou dost truly value them. And, so, for

« PreviousContinue »