BOOK 1. THE SUBJECT.
CHAPTER 2.
1.2.1. The Duty of Looking off all other things Confirmed and Cleared.
First Doctrine.
But first we must look off all other things, the note is this. We must take off our mind from every thing which might divert us in our Christian race from looking unto Jesus. (Aphorontes,) the first word, or first piece of a word in my text, speaks to us thus, hands or eyes off from anything that stands in the way of Jesus Christ. I remember it was wrote over Plato's door, "There is none may come hither, that is not a geometer" But on the door of my text is written clean contrary; "No earthly minded man must enter here." Not anything in the world, be it ever so excellent, if it stand in the way of Jesus Christ, is to be named the same day; we must not give a look, or squint at anything that may hinder this fair and lovely sight of Jesus.
This was the Lord's charge to Lot, "Look not behind thee" Gen. xix. 17. He was so far to renounce and detest the lewdness of Sodom, as that he must not vouchsafe a look towards it.
"At that day shall a man look towards his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the holy One of Israel, and he shall not look to the altars, the works of his hands," Isa. xvii. 7, 8. This was the fruit of God's chastisement on the elect Israel, that he should not give a look to the altars, lest they diverted, or drew his eyes from off his Maker.
"We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen," saith Paul, 1 Cor. iv. 18. A Christian's aim is beyond visible things. O when a soul comes to know what an eternal God is, and what an eternal Jesus is, and what an eternal crown is; when it knows that great design of Christ to save poor souls, and to communicate himself eternally to such poor creatures, this takes off the edge of its desires as to visible temporal things; what are they in comparison?
First Question.
But what things are they that we must look off in this, respect? I answer,--A. Good things. B. Evil things.
A. Good things.
The apostle tells us of a cloud of witnesses in the former verse, which no question, in their season we are to look unto. But when this second object comes in sight, he scatters the cloud quite, and sets up Jesus himself; now the apostle willeth (apkoran) to turn our eyes from them, and to turn them hither to Jesus Christ, q.d. If you will indeed see a sight once for all, look to him, the saints though they be guides to us, yet are they but followers to him; he is the archguide, the leader of them, and of us all. Look on him. There is a time when James may say, "Take my brethren the prophets who have spoken in the name of the Lord for an example." But when Jesus comes forth, that said, "I have given you an example," an example above all other examples, then "be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord," James v. 10. John xiii. 15. Zech. ii. 13. Let all saints and seraphims then cover their faces with their wings, that we may look on Jesus, and let all other sights go.
B. Evil things.--1. In general. 2. In special.
1. In general. We must look off all things that are on this side Jesus Christ, and so much the rather, if they be evil things. In a word, we must look off all self; whether it be sinful self, or natural self, or religious self, in this case we must draw our eyes off all these things.
2. In special. We must look off all that is in the world; and that the apostle compriseth under three heads, "The lusts of the eyes, the lusts of the flesh, and the pride of life," 1 John ii. 16.
(a). Pleasures, (b.) Profits, and (c). Honours.
(a). We must look off this world in respect of its sinful pleasures; Jude tells us, such as are sensual have not the Spirit, Jude ver. 18, 19, We cannot fixedly look on pleasures, and look on Jesus at once. Job tells us, "That they that take up the timbrel and harp, and rejoice at the sound of the organ, that spend their days in mirth," are the same that say unto God, "Depart from us, for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways; what is the Almighty that we should serve him? And what profit should we have if we pray unto him?" Job xxi. 12, 15, 14, 15. We have a lively example of this in Augustine's conversion; he would indeed have had Christ, and his pleasure's too, but when he saw r it would not be, Oh! what conflicts are within him? In his orchard (as he stories it in his book of confessions) all his pleasures past, represented themselves before his eyes, saying, "What wilt thou depart from us forever, and shall we be no more with thee forever? O Lord, (saith Augustine writing this confession) turn away my mind from thinking that which they objected to my soul! What filth? What shameful pleasures did they lay before my eyes?" At length after this combat, a shower of tears came from him, and casting himself on the ground under a fig-tree, he cries it out, "O Lord, how long, how long shall I say. To-morrow, to-morrow? Why not. To-day, Lord, why not, to-day? Why should there not be an end of my filthy life even at this hour?" Immediately after this he heard a voice, as if it had been of a boy or girl, singing by, "Take up and read, take up and read and thereupon opening his Bible, that lay by him at hand, he read in silence the first chapter that offered itself, wherein was written, "Let us walk honestly as in the day, not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying, but put ye on the Lord Jesus, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof," Rom. xiii. 13, 14. Further than this sentence I would not read (saith Augustine) neither indeed was it needful, for presently, as if light had been poured into my heart, all the darkness of my doubtfulness fled away. His eyes was now taken off his pleasures, and forever after it was set on Jesus.
(b). We must look off this world in respect of its sinful profits. A look on this keeps off our looking unto Jesus. "Whosoever loveth the world, the love of the Father is not in him," 1 John ii. 15. Just so much as the world prevails in us, so much is God's love abated both in us, and towards us, "Ye adulterers and adultresses, (saith James) know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?" James iv. 4. Covetousness in Christians is spiritual adultery, when we have enough in God and Christ, and yet we desire to make up our happiness in the creature, this is plain whoring. Now there are degrees in this spiritual whoredom, as--
(i). The minding of this world; ye know there may be adultery in affection when the body is not defiled; unclean glances are a degree of lust, so the children of God may have some worldly glances, straggling thoughts; when the temptation is strong, the world may be greatened in their esteem and imagination.
(ii). The setting of the heart upon the world; this is an higher degree of this spiritual adultery, our hearts are due and proper to Christ, now to set them on the world, which should be chaste and loyal to Jesus Christ, what adultery is this? "Ye cannot serve God and Mammon," Matth. vi. 24. That woman that is not contented with one husband, must needs be an harlot.
(iii). The preferring of the world before Christ himself. This is the height of covetousness, and the height of this adultery; what, to make the members of Christ the members of an harlot? Why, worldings! those admiring thoughts are Christ's, those pains are Christ's, that love is Christ's, that time, that care, that earnestness is Christ's; they are all Christ's, and will you give that which is Christ's unto the world? And prefer the world before Christ with his own? What, live as professed prostitutes, that prefer every one before their husbands? How will this expose you to the scorn of men and angels? At the last day they will come pointing, and say, "This is the man that made not God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches; this is the Gadarene that loved his swine more than Christ Jesus," Psal. lvii. 2. "Love not the world," (saith John) 1 John ii. 15. Christ is never precious in man's apprehension, so long as the world seems glorious to him. As we begin to relish sweetness in Christ, so the world begins to be bitter to us. The more sweetness w r e taste in the one, the more bitterness we taste in the other.
(c). We must look off the world in respect of its sinful honours, what is this honour but a certain inordinate desire to be well thought off, or well spoken of, to be praised, or glorified, of men? As if a man should run up and down the streets after a feather flying in the air, and tossed hither and thither with the gusts and blasts of infinite men's mouths, it is a question, whether ever he gets it. But if he do, it is but a feather; such is this pride of life, honour, vain glory; it is hard to obtain it, but if obtained, it is but the breath of a few men's mouths, that alter upon every light occasion; but that which is the worst of all it hinders our sight of Jesus Christ. "Not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called," 1 Cor. i. 26 . Worldly honours keeps many back from Christ, and therefore Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter,--Esteeming the reproaches of Christ, greater riches than all the treasures of Egypt," Heb. i. 25, 26 . If the blind man in the way to Jericho, had depended on the breath, or liking, or approbation of the multitude, he had never received the benefit of his sight, for they (saith the text "which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace," Luke xviii. 39. They dissuaded him from running and crying so vehemently after Christ, experience tells us, how these things pull and draw us off from Jesus Christ. "The lusts of the eyes, the lusts of the flesh, and pride of life."
Second Question. But why must we look off everything that diverts our looking unto Jesus?
1. Because we cannot look fixedly on Christ, and such things together, and at once; the eye cannot look upwards and downwards at once in a direct line; we cannot seriously mind heaven and earth in one thought, "No man can serve two masters," saith Christ, Matth. vi. 24. Especially such as jar, and who have contrary employments, as Christ and Mammon have.
2. Because, whilst we look on these things, we cannot see the beauty that is in Christ; suppose a squint look on Christ, whilst we have a direct look on other things, alas! Christ, will be of no esteem that while; this was the voice of sinners concerning Christ, "He hath no form nor comeliness, and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him," Isa. liii. 2. Indeed beauty is the attractive of the soul, the soul must see a beauty in that which it lets out itself to in desiring: but our wishing looks on other things makes Christ but mean and contemptible in our eyes.
3. Because all other things, in comparison of Christ, are not worthy a look, they are but as vile things, as under things, as poor and low and mean, and base things, in comparison of Christ, "I count all things but loss (saith Paul) for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.--I count them but dung, that I may win Christ, Phil. iii. 8. (skubala,) some translate it chaff; others dogs-meat; others excrements, dung; all agree, it is such a thing as men usually cast away from them with some indignation.
4. Because it is according to the very law of marriage. "Therefore shall a man forsake father and mother, and cleave to his wife," Gen. ii. 24. The Lord Christ marries himself to the souls of his saints, "I will betrothe thee unto me forever, I will betrothe thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving kindness, and in mercies," Hos. ii. 19- And for this cause the soul must forsake all, and cleave unto Christ, as married wives use to do, we must leave off all for our husband the Lord Jesus; "Hearken, O daughter, and consider and incline thine ear, forget also thy own people, and thy father's house," Psal. xlv. 10.
5. Because Christ is a jealous Christ; now, jealousy is a passion in the soul, that will not endure any sharing in the object beloved; the woman that hath a jealous husband, must leave all her old companions: if she cast any amorous looks or glances after them, the husband will be jealous, and "jealousy is cruel as the grave," Cant. viii. 6. Christians! our God "is a jealous God," Exod. xx. 5. Our Christ, is a jealous Christ, he cannot endure that we should look on any other things, so as to lust after them.
6. Because all other things can never satisfy the eye, "All things are full of labour (saith Solomon) man cannot utter it, the eye is not satisfied with seeing," Eccl. i. 8. It is but wearied with looking on divers objects, and yet still desires new ones: but once admit it to behold that glorious sight of Christ, and then it rests fully satisfied. Hence it is, that the daughters of Zion are called to come forth; "Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart," Cant. iii. 11. Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, lay aside all private and earthly affections, and look upon this glory of Christ. As the daughters of Jerusalem sitting or remaining in their chambers, closets, houses, could not behold the glory of King Solomon passing by, and therefore they were willed to come forth of their doors: even so, if we will behold the great King, Jesus Christ in his most excellent glory (a sight able to satisfy the eye, and to ravish the heart) we must come out of our doors, we must come out of ourselves, otherwise we cannot see his glory; we are in ourselves shut up in a dark dungeon, and therefore we are called upon to come forth into the clear light of faith, and with the eyes of faith to behold, in daily meditation, the glory of Christ Jesus.