Part 20 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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Part 21 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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2. Secondly, If ever you would be holy—oh, then take heed of the witch—take heed of the world! The world often swells the heart with pride; it makes men forget God, neglect Christ, slight ordinances, and despise holiness, Deut. 32:15, 22. Ah, the time, the thoughts, the strength, the energies—which this enticing world has made many to spend and consume, while their souls have lain a-bleeding, and eternity has been hastening upon them! Oh, the deadness, the barrenness, the listlessness, the heartlessness to anything which is holy—which attends a worldly temper! Many men are so bewitched with the profits, pleasures, and honors of the world, that they mind not holiness, they regard not holiness, they care not for holiness, nor the means that lead to holiness: Phil. 3:18-19, "For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now I tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ; whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is their shame, who mind earthly things." [That cardinal was wretched as well as rich, who would not leave his part in Paris for a part in paradise.] Who were those who walked disorderly? why, those who minded earthly things. Who were those who fetched tears from the apostle's eyes? why, those who minded earthly things. Who were those who were enemies to the cross of Christ? why, those who minded earthly things. Who were those whose end is destruction? why, those who minded earthly things. Who were those whose God was their belly? why, those who minded earthly things. Who were those whose glory was their shame? why, those who minded earthly things.
Sicily is so full of sweet flowers, that dogs cannot hunt there; and what do all the sweet contentments and delights of this world—but make men lose the scent of heaven and holiness?The world proves silken halters to some, and golden fetters to others. All the flowers of this world, are surrounded with many briers. The world is all shadow and vanity; it is like Jonah's gourd—man may sit under its shadow for a while—but it soon decays and dies. He who shall but weigh man's pains with his pay, his miseries with his pleasures, his sorrows with his joys, his crosses with his comforts, his needs with his enjoyments, etc., may well cry out, "Vanity of vanity, and all is vanity." The whole world is circular, the heart of man is triangular, and we know a circle cannot fill a triangle. [If the whole earth were changed into a globe of gold, it could not fill your heart.]
O sirs, if your hearts are not filled with holiness—they will be filled with the world, the flesh, and the devil. Either holiness or Satan must possess you.
Some there are, who have much holiness, and much of the world too; as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, David, Hezekiah, Daniel, etc.
And others there are, who have no holiness, nor anything of the world either. These men are fair for two hells—a hell of misery here, and a hell of torment hereafter.
Some have much of the world—but not a spark of holiness; as Saul, Haman, Dives, Herod, etc., who had a world of wealth—but not a grain of grace.
And others have a great deal of holiness, who have but little or nothing of the world; as the apostles and Lazarus, etc., James 2:5; Mat. 11:5.
Is it not infinitely better to have holiness without the world, and so be happy forever—than to have much of the world without holiness, and so be damned forever?
A man bewitched with the world will lose many precious opportunities of grace, which are more worth than a world: witness rich Felix, who had no leisure to hear poor Paul, though the hearing of a sermon might have saved his soul, Acts 24:24, seq. A man bewitched with the world has his sinning times, and his eating times, and his sleeping times, and his trading times, and his feasting times, and his sporting times, etc.; but he has not his hearing times, nor his praying times, nor his reading times, nor his mourning times, nor his repenting times, nor his reforming times, etc. He can have time, yes, and he will have time, for everything—but to honor his God, and to make himself happy forever.
A man bewitched with the world will, when it is put to his choice, rather part with Christ to enjoy the world, than part with the world to enjoy Christ: witness the young man in the Gospel, who preferred a drop before a sea, a crumb before a crown, and his treasure on earth before eternal treasure in heaven, Mat. 19:16, 23. He would not leave that on earth which he could not long keep, for the enjoyment of that in heaven which he should never lose; rather than he would let his possessions go, he would let God and Christ go, and heaven go, and all go, etc. If heaven can be had at no cheaper a rate than parting with his possessions, "Christ may keep his heaven to himself," says he, for he'll have not have heaven upon those terms.
Again, a man bewitched with the world will prefer the most base and contemptible things before the Lord Jesus Christ; he will, with the Gergesenes, prefer his very swine before a Savior, Mat. 8:28, seq.; when they saw what a sad market their hogs were brought to, they desired Christ to depart out of their country; these Gergesites had rather lose Christ than lose their porkers; they had rather that the devil should possess their souls than that he should drown their pigs; they prefer their swine before their salvation, and present a wretched petition for their own damnation; they besought him that he would depart out of their coasts; though there be no misery, no plague, no curse, no wrath, no hell--compared to Christ's departure from a people—yet men bewitched with the world will desire this. "Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region." Matthew 8:34
Men bewitched with the world will prefer a Barabbas before a Jesus. They will with Judas betray Christ, and with Pilate condemn Christ, and with the Scribes and Pharisees they will cry out, "Crucify him crucify him! Away with this Jesus! Away with this Jesus! Let Barabbas live—but let Jesus die! Let Barabbas be saved—but let Christ be hanged!" Ah, what incarnate devils will such men prove, who are bewitched with this world!
A man bewitched with the world will gain no good by the ministry of the word. Witness Ezekiel's hearers, "So they come pretending to be sincere and sit before you listening. But they have no intention of doing what I tell them. They express love with their mouths, but their hearts seek only after money. You are very entertaining to them, like someone who sings love songs with a beautiful voice or plays fine music on an instrument. They hear what you say, but they don't do it!" Ezekiel 33:31-32. Witness the stony ground hearer, Mat. 13:22; and witness Christ's followers, John 6.
Some writers say that nothing will grow where gold grows. Be that as it may, certainly where the love of this world grows—there nothing holy will grow. A heart filled either with thelove of the world, or the profits of the world, or the pleasures of the world, or the honors of the world, or the cares of the world, or the businesses of the world—is a heart incapacitated to receive any divine counsel or comfort. It is a heart shut up against God and holiness, it is a heart possessed with many devils; and therefore no wonder if such a heart loathes the honeycomb of holiness! Yes, it is no wonder to see such a heart to deride and scorn holiness as the greatest foolishness, "The Pharisees, who dearly loved their money, naturally scoffed at all this." Luke 16:14
The myth tells of Lycaon being turned into a wolf; but when a worldling is made holy, there is a wolf turned into a man! Yes, a devil is turned into a saint! Therefore the Holy Spirit, speaking of Zaccheus, who had long been bewitched by the world, brings him in with an "Behold!"—as if it were a wonder of wonders that ever such a worldling should be made holy.
A man bewitched with the world will venture the loss of his soul to enjoy the world, Mat. 16:26; as that pope that sold his soul to the devil for the enjoyment of the popedom six years. We hate the Turks for selling of Christians as slaves; but ah, how many are there among us, who call themselves Christians, who yet sell themselves and their souls to the slaves of the devil for a penny! Look! as Shimei, by seeking his servant, lost his life—just so, many, by seeking of the world, have lost their souls. Now though of all losses the loss of the soul is the greatest, the saddest, the sorest, the heaviest, and the most intolerable, inconceivable, and irrecoverable loss—yet a man bewitched with the world will run the hazard of losing it, of damning it, to enjoy the world.
You know the Reubenites in Joshua 22 preferred the country that was commodious for the feeding of their cattle, though it was far from the temple, where they might have fed their souls, and have got heaven and holiness for their souls—before their interest in the land of promise. Well, so men who are bewitched with this world in these days, oh, how do they prefer their sensual delights, their brutish contentments, and their carnal enjoyments—before the heavenly Canaan, and before the beauties of holiness, and before the temple of God's holiness, where holiness sparkles and shines in all its bravery and glory, and where their souls might be abundantly satisfied and delighted with the most ravishing joys, the most surpassing delights, and the most transcendent pleasures which are at God's right hand!
To draw to a close, the Arabic proverb says that the world is a carcass, and those who hunt after it are dogs. If this proverb is true, what a multitude of professors will be found to be dogs—who hunt more after earth than heaven; who hunt more after terrestrial than celestial things; who hunt more after nothingnesses and emptinesses, than they do after those fullnesses and sweetnesses which are in God, Christ, heaven, and holiness!
Well, friends, as ever you would obtain that real holiness, without which there is no happiness—take heed of a witch—take heed of this world! And to that purpose, oh that you would always look upon the things of this world—as you will look upon them when you come to die! Oh, that you would now look upon all the pomp, state, bravery, and glory of the world—as you will look upon it when your souls shall sit upon your trembling lips! Oh, with what a disdainful eye, with what a weaned heart, do men look upon those things then! Do so now, and I dare assure you, that though the world may trouble you—yet it shall never bewitch you.
I have read of a man who, lying in a burning fever, professed that if he had all the world at his dispose, he would give it all for one draught of beer; at so low a rate do men value the world at such a time as that is. If men were so wise to value the world at no higher a rate in health than they do in sickness; in life than they do at the time of their death—it would never bewitch them, it would never be as a wall of separation between holiness and them. As ever you would be holy here, and happy hereafter, take heed of this witch! And believe it to be a witch before it has bewitched you—or else you may believe it too late.
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Part 21 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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