Part 61 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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Part 62 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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[4.] Fourthly, Consider that worldly riches and holiness do often meet together. A man may be a very holy man—and yet a rich man too. Abraham and Lot were as wealthy men as most in their time—and yet behind none for faith and holiness. David, and Solomon, and Jehoshaphat, and Hezekiah had crowns on their heads and scepters in their hands, and very great revenues at their commands, and in all these grace and greatness sweetly meet. [Isaiah 41:2. Abraham is called the righteous man.] Job was a very holy man—and yet a very rich man, Job 1:3, 8. If you cast your eye upon the first of Job, and survey his estate, you shall find that he had seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred she-donkeys, and a very large family; but if you will look into the last of Job, and survey his estate, there you shall find it doubled. Joseph, Nehemiah, Mordecai, Daniel, and the three Hebrew children, were very gracious—and yet very high and great in the world. As every wicked man is not a rich man—just so, every holy man is not a poor man. If you will but set the gracious against the graceless, the holy against the profane, I doubt not, but for one holy man whose estate is low and poor, you will find thousands of wicked men whose conditions are beggarly and low in this world. God many times delights to confute the devil's proverb—namely, that "plain dealing is a jewel—but he who uses it shall die a beggar." Now God by heaping up riches and honor and greatness upon the righteous, gives the devil the lie, and lets the world see that holiness many times is the ready way to worldly greatness.
It is observable, that when all the sons of Jacob returned with corn and money in their sacks from Egypt, Benjamin had not only corn and money in his sack—but he had over and above the silver cup put into the mouth of his sack, as a singular pledge of his brother Joseph's favor, Gen. 44. Just so, God many times gives to his Benjamins, the sons of his right hand, not only as much of the world as he does to others—but more of the world than he does to others; he does not only give them corn and money in common with others—but he also gives them the silver cup, the grace cup; he puts in some singular temporal blessings into their sacks more than into other men's; for he is the great Lord of all, and therefore may dispose of his own as he pleases. But,
[5.] Fifthly, Consider that most men are best in a low condition. David was never better than when he was in a wilderness condition, for degrees of grace, and for the exercise of grace, and for communion with the God of grace. It was best with David when his condition was low in the world, Psalm 63:1-4. It was never better with Jacob than when he passed over Jordan with a staff in his hand, Gen. 32:10. Job's graces never shined so gloriously as when he sat upon a ash-heap, and could bless a taking God as well as a giving God, Job 1. Though John the Baptist was poor in the world—yet the Holy Spirit tells us that he was the greatest, Mat. 11:11. Paul was but a poor tent-maker—and yet his life was in heaven, Phil. 3:20. The church of Smyrna was the poorest church—but yet the best of all the seven churches in Asia, Rev. 2:8-9.
Christ knew very well that his disciples would be best in a low condition, and therefore he fed them but from hand to mouth. He who could have turned stones into bread, could as easily have turned stones into gold, and so have made his disciples rich and great in the world—but he would not. Christ could easily have changed their rags into robes, and their cottages into stately palaces, and their barley loaves into costly banquets—but he knew that their hearts would be best when their condition was lowest; and therefore he makes them live upon common fare.
As there was none so holy as Christ—just so, there was none so poor as Christ, Mat. 8:20-21. Christ lived poor and died poor, for as he was born in another man's house—just so, he was buried in another man's tomb. Austin has long since observed, that when Christ died he made no will; he had no crown lands; all he had was a coat, and that the soldiers parted among them. Had there been any true happiness or blessedness in gold and silver, mirthful clothes, stately mansions, gorgeous attendants, or in well-furnished tables, etc., Christ, who was, and still is, the Lord of all, would certainly have been so favorable to himself, and so kind to his disciples, as not to have deprived himself or his family of that happiness and blessedness which they might have enjoyed, by enjoying the costly things of this world; but he very well knew that true happiness and blessedness was too great and too glorious a thing to be found in any such worldly enjoyments, and upon that ground, was willing to be without them himself. And in his wise providence he so ordered the affairs of his own house, that those whom he loved best should have least of those things wherein there was no true happiness.
Lazarus was very poor—but very holy; he was houseless—but not Lordless; his body was clothed with rags—but his soul was adorned with grace; he had no bread to eat—and yet he had bread to eat that the world knew not of. While he lived, the dogs, being more kind than their master, licked his sores—but when he died, the angels carried him into Abraham's bosom. In all ages this has been an experienced truth, that most men are best in a low condition. Pope Martin reports of himself, that while he was a monk, and lived in the cloister, he had some evidences for heaven—but when he was a cardinal, then he began to fear and doubt whether ever he should go to heaven; but afterwards, when he came to be pope, he utterly despaired of ever going there.
Ah, how holy, how humble, how heavenly, how gracious, how serious, how zealous, how prudent, how vigilant, and how diligent have many men been while their condition was low, and poor in the world! but when under various changes they changed their brass into silver, their copper into gold, their cottages into palaces, their shops into lordships, and their sheep-skins into scarlet, etc., ah, how proud, how worldly, how earthly, how carnal, how careless, how cold, how formal, how lukewarm, how indifferent, how light, how slight, how vain, how loose—did they generally grow!
I have read of the pine-tree, that if you pull off the bark it will last a long time; but if the bark remains on, it will rot the tree. Ah, how has the bark of honor, the bark of riches, the bark of pleasure, the bark of success, the bark of applause, and the bark of preferment, etc., has rotted, and corrupted, and worsened many glorious professors in these days! And oh that, now their bark is taken off, they may with the pine-tree grow better and better! Oh, that now they may grow more holy than ever, and more humble than ever, and more heavenlythan ever, and more spiritual than ever, and more watchful than ever, and more faithful than ever, and more friendly than ever, and more united than ever! etc.
Now if most men are best in a low condition, then there is no reason why any man should turn his back upon holiness because of poverty, which often treads upon holiness' heels. The cypress-tree is high—but barren; and the olive-tree is low—but fruitful. Ah, Christians, it is infinitely better to be an olive-tree, low and fruitful, to be low in the world, and full of the fruits of righteousness and holiness; than to be a cypress-tree, high in honors, riches, and worldly greatness, etc., and to be barren of all grace and goodness. But,
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Part 62 HOLINESS, the Only Way to Happiness
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