Christianity Requireth a Renunciation of the World, and All Worldly Tempers.
By Law
FOURTHLY, This entire love of God is as possible as the attainment of several other duties, which still are the rules of our behaviour, and such as we are obliged to aspire after in the utmost perfection. The sincere love of our enemies is, perhaps, of all other tempers the hardest to be acquired, and the motions of envy and spite the most difficult to be entirely laid aside; yet, without this temper, we are unqualified to say the Lord's Prayer. We see examples of this love of God in the first followers of our Saviour; and though we cannot work miracles as they did, yet we may arrive at their personal holiness, if we would but be so humble as to imitate their examples. Our Saviour told them the infallible way of arriving at piety, which was by renouncing the world, and taking up the cross, and following him, that they might have treasure in heaven. This was the only way then, and it would still be as successful now, had we but the faith and humility to put it in practice. But we are now, it seems, become so wise and prudent, we see so much farther into the nature of virtue and vice, than the simplicity of the first Christians, that we can take all the enjoyments of the world along with us in our road to heaven. They took Christ at his word, and parted with all; but we take upon us to reason about the innocence of wealth and stately enjoyments, and to possess every thing, but the spirit of our religion. It is sometimes said in defense of the dullness of our affections towards God, that affections are tempers which we cannot command, and depend much upon constitution; so that persons, who are possessed of a true fear of God, may yet by reason of their constitution feel less vehemence of love, than others who are less piously disposed. This is partly true, and partly false. It is true, that our affections are very much influenced by our constitutions; but then it is false, that this is any defense of our want of affection towards God. Two persons, that equally feel the want of something to quench their thirst, may show a different passion after water, by a difference in their constitutions; but still, thirst after water is the ruling desire in both of them. Two epicures, by a difference in their constitution, may differ in the manner of their eagerness after dainties; but still it is the love of dainties that is the governing love in both of them. It is the same thing in the case before us, two persons may equally look upon God as their sole happiness; by reason of their different tempers, one may be capable of greater fervors of desire after him than the other, but still, it is the ruling desire of the other. Therefore though good men may content themselves, though they have not such flames of desire, as they may see or hear of in other people; yet there is no foundation for this content, unless they know that they seek and desire no other happiness than God, and that their love, though not so fervent as some others, is still the ruling and governing affection of their soul. Notwithstanding the difference in constitution, we see all people are affected with what they reckon their happiness: if therefore people are not full of a desire of God, it is because they are full of, or at least engaged with, another happiness; it is not any slowness of spirits, but a variety of enjoyments, that have taken hold of their hearts, and rendered them insensible of that happiness that is to be found in God. When any man has followed the counsels of our blessed Saviour, when he has renounced the world, rejected all the flattering appearances of worldly happiness, emptied himself of all idle affections, and practised all the means of fixing his heart upon God alone, he may be pardoned if he still wants such warmth of affection as so great a good might justly raise. But till all this be done, we as vainly appeal to our constitutions, tempers, and infirmities of our state, as the unprofitable servant appealed to the hardness of his master, and therefore hid his talent in the earth. And as it is there said, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant; thou knewest that I was an austere man, &c. Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank? &c. So we may justly fear that we shall be judged out of our own mouths; for, if we know the loving God with all our heart and soul, to be so difficult to the temper and infirmities of our nature, why therefore do we not remove every hindrance, renounce every vain affection, and with double diligence practise all the means of forming this divine temper? For this we may be assured of, that the seeking happiness in the enjoyments of wealth, is as contrary to the entire love of God, as wrapping up the talent in a napkin is contrary to improving it. He that has renounced the world, as having nothing in it that can render him happy, will find his heart at liberty to aspire to God in the highest degrees of love and desire; he will then know what the Psalmist means by these expressions, My heart is athirst for God; when shall I appear before the presence of God? And till we do thus renounce the world, we are strangers to the temper and spirit of piety; we do but act the part of religion, and are no more affected with those devotions which are put into our mouths, than an actor upon the stage is really angry himself, when he speaks an angry speech. Religion is only what it should be, when its happiness has entered into our soul, and filled our hearts with the proper tempers, when it is the settled object of our minds, and governs and affects us, as worldly men are affected with that happiness which governs their actions. The ambitious man naturally rejoices at every thing that leads to his greatness, and as naturally grieves at such accidents as oppose it. Good Christians, that are so wise as to aim only at one happiness, will as naturally be affected in this manner, with that which promotes or hinders their endeavors after it. For happiness, in whatever it is placed, equally governs the heart of him that aspires after it. It is therefore as necessary to renounce all the satisfaction of riches and fortune, and place our sole happiness in God, as it is necessary to love him with all our heart, and all our soul, with all our mind, and all our strength. Another duty, which also proves the necessity of this doctrine, is the love of our neighbor: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Now he that thinks he can perform this duty, without taking our Saviour's advice of forsaking all, and following him, is as much mistaken, as if he imagines that he loves his neighbor as himself, though he heaps up treasures for his own self-enjoyments and self-gratifications. If a man would know what this love of his neighbor implies, let him look impartially into his own heart, and see what it is that he wishes to himself, and then turn all those same wishes to his neighbor, and this will make him feel the just measure of his duty, better than any other description. This will also teach him, that this true love of his neighbor is as inconsistent with the love of the world, as duelling is inconsistent with meekness and forgiveness of injuries. This love is a temper of mind that suits only such beings, as have one common undivided happiness, where they cannot be rivals to one another: now this is the state of Christians, who have as truly one common happiness, as they have one common God; but if we put ourselves out of this state, and project ourselves other felicities in the uncertain enjoyments106of this life, we make ourselves as incapable of this neighborly love, as wolves and bears that live upon prey. Now one common undivided happiness being the only possible foundation for the practice of this great benevolence, it is demonstrable, that if we seek any other happiness than this, if we do not renounce all other pretensions, we cannot keep clear of such tempers, as will show that we do not love our neighbor as ourselves. This love, as has been said of the entire love of God, is suited to the state of angels, it being not to be imagined that they have more benevolence than this for one another; they can readily perform their duty, because they never vary from their one true happiness; and as this makes it easy to them, so nothing can make it possible for us, but by imitating them, in placing our only happiness in the enjoyment of our true good. If our happiness depends upon men, our tempers will necessarily depend upon men, and we shall love and hate people in proportion as they help or hinder us in such happiness. This is absolutely necessary, and we can never act otherwise, till we are governed by a happiness where no men can make themselves our rivals, nor prevent our attainment of it. When we are in this state, it will be no harder to love our neighbor as ourselves, than it is to wish them the enjoyment of the same light, or the same common air; for these, being goods which may be enjoyed equally by all, are not the occasion of envy. But whilst we continue eager competitors for the imaginary enjoyments of this life, we lay a necessary foundation for such passions, as are all directly contrary to the fruits of love. I take it for granted, that when our Saviour delivered this doctrine of love, he intended it should be a governing principle of our lives, it concerns us therefore, as we have any regard to our salvation, to look carefully to ourselves, and to put ourselves in such a state, as we may be capable of performing it. Now in this state we cannot be, till we are content to make no more of this world, than a supply of our necessities, and to wait for one only happiness in the enjoyment of God. I do not appeal to niggards and worldlings, to the proud and ambitious, let those who think themselves moderate in their worldly desires and enjoyments, let such deal faithfully with their own hearts, and see whether their prosecution of worldly affairs permits them to love all Christians as themselves. Their moderation may perhaps keep them from the bitter envyings and hatred to which ambitious worldlings are subject; but still they have as certainly, in their degree, and in proportion to their love of the world, their envyings and hatreds, and want of sincere love as other men. If any one's heart can bear him witness, that in thought, word and deed, he treats all men with that love which he bears to himself, it must be one whose heart fervently cries out, with the apostle, God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of Jesus Christ, by which the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. Any other glory than this, any other use of the world than being thus crucified to it, is inconsistent with this degree of brotherly love. For a farther proof of this truth, we need only look into the world, and see the spirit that appears amongst almost all Christians. We need not go to wicked and loose people, let us go into any virtuous family whatever, we shall find that it has its particular friendships and hatreds, its envyings and evil speakings, and all founded in the interests and regards of the world. Now all this necessarily proceeds from hence: that all Christians are busy in attempting to their worldly interests, intending only to keep clear of dishonest and scandalous practices, that is, they use the world as far as honest heathens, or Jews would do, and so consequently have such tempers as Jews and heathens have. For it is not only cheating and unlawful practices, but the mere desire of worldly things, and the pleasing happiness in them, that lays the foundation of all these unchristian tempers, that begets particular friendships and enmities, and divides Christians into more parties than there are families amongst them. Were there no dishonest persons amongst us, yet if Christians give themselves up to the happiness and enjoyments of this world, there would still be almost the same want of the loving our neighbor as ourselves. So that it is purely the engaging so far in the world as sober Christians do, it is their false satisfaction in so many things that they ought to renounce, it is their being too much alive to the world, that makes all, even the devout and religious, subject to tempers so contrary to the love of their neighbor. How comes it, that most people find it so easy to love, forgive, and pray for all men at the hour of their death? Is it not because the reason of enmity, envy, and dislike, then ceases? All worldly interests being then at an end, all worldly tempers die away with them. Let this therefore teach us, that it is absolutely necessary to die to the world, if we would live and love like Christians. I have now done with this subject of renouncing the world, and all worldly tempers. I hope I have been so plain and clear upon it, as is sufficient to convince any serious reader, that it is a doctrine of Jesus Christ, that it is the very foundation of his religion, and so necessary, that without it we can exercise no Christian temper in the manner that we ought. Some people have imagined that they only renounce the world, as it ought to be renounced, who retire to a cloister, or a monastery: but this is as unreasonable, as to make it necessary to lay aside all use of clothes to avoid the vanity of dress. As there is a sober and reasonable use of particular things, so there is a sober, reasonable use of the world, to which it is lawful to conform as it is lawful to eat and drink. They renounce the world as they ought, who live in the midst of it without worldly tempers, who comply with their share in the offices of human life, without complying with the spirit that reigneth in the world. As it is right to go thus far, so it is wrong as soon as we take one step farther. There is nothing right in eating and drinking, but a strict and religious temperance. It is the same thing in other compliances with the state of this life; we may dress, we may buy and sell, we may labor, we may provide for ourselves and families; but as these things are only lawful for the same reasons that it is lawful to eat and drink, so are they to be governed by the same religious strictness, that is to govern our eating and drinking: all variations from this rule is like gluttony and intemperance, and fills our souls with such tempers, as are all contrary to the spirit of Christ and his religion. The first step that our desires take beyond things of necessity, ranks us among worldlings, and raises in our minds all those tempers which disturb the minds of worldly men. You think yourself very reasonable and conformable to Christianity, because you are moderate in your desires; yet you do not desire an immense estate, you desire only a little finery in dress, a little state in equipage, and only to have things genteel about you. I answer, if this be your case, you are happy in this, that you have but little desires to conquer, but if these desires have as fast hold of you as greater desires have of other people, you are in the same state of worldly-mindedness that they are, and are no more dead to the world than they that are fondest of it. A fondness for three or four hundred pounds a year is the same slavery to the world, as a fondness for three or four thousand; and he that craves the happiness of little fineries, has no more renounced the world than he that wants the splendor of a large fortune. You hate the extravagance of dress, but if you cannot depart from your own little finery, you have as much to alter in your heart as they shall like none but the finest of ornaments. Consider therefore, that what you call moderate desires, are as great contrarieties to religion as those which you reckon immoderate, because they hold the heart in the same state of false satisfaction, raise the same vain tempers, and do not suffer the soul to rest wholly upon God. When the spirit of religion is your spirit, when heavenly-mindedness is your temper, when your heart is set upon God, you will have no more taste for the vanity of one sort of life than another. Farther, imagine to yourself, that if this pretence in favor of moderate desires, and little fineries, had been made to our blessed Saviour when he was upon earth, preaching his doctrines of renouncing the world, and denying ourselves, I dare say your own conscience tells you, that he would have rebuked the author of such a pretence with as much indignation as he rebuked Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan, for thou savest not of the things that be of God. Now the spirit of Christianity is the same spirit that was in Christ, when he was upon the earth; and if we have reason to think such a pretence would have been severely condemned by Christ, we have the same reason to be sure, that it is as severely condemned by Christianity. Had our blessed Saviour, a little before he left the world, given estates to his apostles, with a permission for them to enjoy little fineries, and a moderate state in genteel show and equipage, he had undone all that he had said of the contempt of the world, and heavenly-mindedness, such a permission had been a contradiction to the most repeated and common doctrines that he had taught. Had his apostles lived in such a state, how could they have gloried only in the cross of Christ, by which the world was crucified unto them, and they unto the world? How could they have said, Love not the world, nor the things in the world, for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world? Had they lived in a little estate, in a moderate show of figure, equipage, and worldly delight, how could they have said, that she that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth? How could they have said, that they who will be rich, fall into a temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction? For it is not the desire of great riches, but it is the desire of riches, and a satisfaction in the pleasure of them, that is the snare and the temptation: and that fills men's minds with foolish and hurtful lusts, that keeps them in the same state of worldly folly, as they are whose desires are greater. Lastly, Had the apostles lived in that manner, how could they have said, that whatsoever is born of God, overcometh the world? For certainly he who is happy in the pleasure and figure of a small estate, has no more overcome the world than he that is happy in the splendor of one that is greater. Thus therefore matters stand with relation to our blessed Saviour and his apostles; the doctrines they taught made it impossible for them to take any part, or seek any pleasure, in the show, and figure, and riches of this world. One would think that this one reflection was alone sufficient to show us what contempt of the world, what heavenly affection, we are to aspire after. For how blind and weak must we be, if we can think that we may live in a spirit and temper which could not possibly be the spirit and temper of Christ and his apostles? Another pretence for worldly care, and labor after riches, is to provide for our families. You want to leave fortunes to your children, that they may have their share in the figure and show of the world. Now consider, do you do this upon the principles of religion, as the wisest and best thing you can do, either for yourself or your children? Can you be said to have chosen the one thing needful for yourself, or the one thing needful for them, who make it your chief care to put them in a state of life, that is a snare, and a temptation, and the most likely of all others, to fill their minds with foolish and hurtful lusts? Is it your kindness towards them, that puts you upon this labor? Consider therefore what this107kindness is founded upon, perhaps it is such a kindness, as when tender mothers carry their daughters to all plays and balls; such a kindness, as when indulgent fathers support their sons in all the expense of their follies, such kind parents may more properly be called the tempters and betrayers of their children. You love your children, and therefore you would leave them rich. It is said of our blessed Saviour, that he loved the young rich man that came unto him, and, as an instance of his love, he bid him sell all that he had, and give to the poor. What a contrariety is here! The love which dwelleth in you, is as contrary to that love which dwelt in Christ, as darkness is contrary to light. We have our Saviour's express command to love one another as he hath loved us; and can you think that you are following this love, when you are giving those things to your children, which he took away from his friends, and which he could not possibly have given them, without contradicting the greatest part of his doctrines? But supposing that you succeed in your intentions, and leave your children rich, what must you say to them when you are dying? Will you then tell them, that you have the same opinion of the greatness and value of riches that you ever had; that you feel the pleasure of remembering how much thought and care you have taken to get them? Will you tell them, that you have provided for their ease and softness, their pleasure and indulgence, and figure in the world; and that they cannot do better than to eat and drink, and take their fill of such enjoyments as riches afford? This would be dying like an atheist. But, on the other hand, if you will die like a good Christian, must you not endeavor to fill their minds with your dying thoughts? Must you not tell them, that they will soon be in a state, when the world will signify no more to them than it does to you; and that there is a deceitfulness, a vanity, a littleness, in the things of this life, which only dying men feel as they ought? Will you not tell them, that all your own failings, irregularity of your life, your defects in devotion, the folly of your tempers, the strength of your passions, and your failure in christian perfection, has been all owing to wrong opinions of the value of worldly things; and that if you had always seen the world in the same light in which you see it now, your life had been devoted to God, and you would have lived in all those holy tempers and heavenly affections, in which you now desire to die? Will you not tell them, that it is the enjoyment of the world that corrupts the hearts and blinds the minds of all people, and that the only way to know what good there is in devotion, what excellence there is in piety, what wisdom in holiness, what happiness in heavenly affection, what vanity in this life, and what greatness in eternity, is to die to the world and all worldly tempers? Will you not tell them, that riches spent upon ourselves, either in the pleasures of ease and indulgence, in the vanity of dress, or the show of state and equipage, are the bane and destruction of our souls, making us blindly content with dreams of happiness, till death awakes us into real misery? From this therefore it appears, that your kindness for your children, is so far from being a good reason why you should so carefully labor to leave them rich, and in the enjoyment of the state and show of the world, that if you die in a spirit of piety, if you love them as Christ loved his disciples, your kindness will oblige you to exhort them to renounce all self-enjoyment of riches, as contrary to those holy tempers, and that heavenly affection, which you now find to be the only good and happiness of human nature.—LAW.