True Christianity Part 67

2. Wherefore, as thou now lovest thine own will, and endeavorest to gratify it in all things, so thou must, for the future, prefer the will of G.o.d to thine own will, and think it better to submit to G.o.d's good pleasure than to humor and gratify thyself. Thou art in love with honor and esteem, and wouldest have everybody bow to thy superior merit and character; turn now this inclination of thine, and apply it to promote the glory of G.o.d, and pray that all men may unite to do the same. As thou hast hitherto been angry with every one that has opposed thee in thy pursuits of glory, so oughtest thou now to oppose those that oppose the glory of G.o.d.

3. Whilst thy heart is full of self-love, thou art greedy of praise, and wouldest have everybody think and speak well of thee; do thou the same for G.o.d; labor and pray that G.o.d may be glorified by all men, and that every creature may praise and magnify His name. As thou art very industrious to be thought a man of truth and honesty, and wouldest be very uneasy to be counted a liar; so oughtest thou also cheerfully and industriously to propagate and vindicate the truth and veracity of G.o.d. From all which it appears that every man may read in the book of his own conscience the obligation he is under to love and honor G.o.d rather than himself.

Chapter x.x.xVI.

Divine Joy, The Fruit Of Divine Love.

_Let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice._-PS. 5:11.

The end and perfection of everything is the fruit it bears, or the effects it produces, which are as various as the seeds from whence they spring.

Therefore, as there are two different seeds or roots in man, namely, the love of G.o.d and the love of ourselves, which are diametrically opposite to each other; so likewise are the fruits which they produce. Now the end and fruit of all human actions is either joy or sorrow. Joy, as it is a good fruit, must necessarily proceed from a good root; and sorrow, being evil, must proceed from an evil root; that is, in short, all true joy must proceed from the love of G.o.d, and all sorrow and anguish of mind from the love of ourselves.

2. For as all joy arises from love, and depends upon it, such as is the _love_, such also must be the _joy_. If the love be divine, the joy will be divine; if earthly, the joy also will be earthly. Now so long as our hearts are united to G.o.d by true love, they cannot but rejoice and be happy in him. This is a foretaste of eternal life, in which both our love and our joy shall be completed and perfected together. Therefore, as we shall there live eternally unto G.o.d, so our love also shall be eternal; and as our love shall be perfected, so it shall be united with a perfect, absolute, infinite, and eternal good, being itself also perfect, unchangeable, constant, and eternal. And from a love so pure, immaculate, and heavenly, shall flow a river of joy, divine, pure, precious, full of rapture, full of grace, glory, and immortality.

3. For eternal life itself is nothing but this eternal joy, with some drops of which, faithful souls, even in this life, have been often refreshed and comforted. This is the meaning of that pa.s.sage in Canticles 2:4, "He brought me to the banqueting-house: stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples." And whosoever has tasted of this joy, can have no relish for worldly pleasures. But as that proceeds from the true love of G.o.d, arising from faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, it follows, that if we desire to obtain so great a good, and, by tasting some drops of this sweetness, to enjoy this earnest and foretaste of everlasting life, it must be obtained by a lively faith, operating by divine love. Whence St. Paul tells us that "the love of Christ pa.s.seth knowledge." Eph. 3:19.

4. And as this divine love is not a thing _without_ us, but _within_ us, it follows that this does not depend upon our external goods or possessions, such as riches, honors, learning, meat, or drink, or any other outward blessing; but that all these things are contained _in it_.

And as this love shall attain its full perfection in the other life, so the peace and joy that flow from it, shall be perfect and everlasting.

This treasure a man shall have in himself, and no one shall take it from him; he shall have a river of living pleasure rising up in himself, independent of all external blessings and comforts. And as no man knoweth this treasure, but he that has it; so he that has it, is in perfect ease; he envies n.o.body, covets nothing, thirsts after nothing but the fulness and perfection of divine love.

5. The first fruits of this treasure may be possessed by faithful souls even in this life, without lessening the reversion in the next life; yea, it rather increases and spreads itself to infinite degrees, so that though all mankind should unite together in this divine love, they would be no hinderance to each other, but would rather increase and improve their united stock of love and joy. For the more earnestly any man loves G.o.d, the greater is his joy. And if it be so in this world, how great shall our joy be in the next, when G.o.d shall pour out the fulness of his joy and love upon his elect, and He himself shall be "all in all." 1 Cor. 15:28.

Chapter x.x.xVII.

Of The Evil Fruits Of Self-Love.

_Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: and let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness._-JAMES 4:9.

As true and divine joy proceeds from true and divine love, so nothing can proceed from false love but false joy. For as self-love aims at nothing, delights in nothing but honors, riches, and sensual and worldly pleasures, all which are fading, perishing, and subject to a thousand casualties; therefore the man whose heart is set upon them, cannot but be always fearful, apprehensive, and jealous of every accident that may deprive him of his happiness; so that his joys are never solid or lasting, but false and perishing, mixed with fears and cares, and ending in disappointment and sorrow. For as the seed is, such is the fruit.

2. Now we have already shown, that self-love is corrupt, impure, unjust, abominable, and unnatural, the seed and root of all evil, the parent of weakness, blindness, error, and death. And the fruit or joy arising from it is of the same sort, unjust, impure, opposed to G.o.d, to our neighbor, and to all righteousness; it rejoices in iniquity, and contempt of G.o.d.

And if it be a sin only to love anything which G.o.d hateth, how much more grievous a sin must it be to delight and rejoice in it? Such a joy as this, which is opposite to the nature of every creature, and contrary to the nature and express will of G.o.d, cannot but end in everlasting sorrow, death, and darkness.

3. For as divine joy brings us nearer and nearer to G.o.d; so carnal joy carries us farther and farther from him. Divine joy makes us the friends of G.o.d; but worldly joy makes us his enemies. The former confirms and strengthens the will in the love of G.o.d, makes the conscience easy, cheerful, and happy; the latter disquiets and torments the soul, making it turbulent, restless, and uneasy. That may be obtained without labor or charge; this requires both, and all too little to support and secure it.

The one produces, improves, and preserves love, peace, and friendship among men; the other creates discord, contentions and quarrels, wars, violence, and bloodshed. From the one all good, from the other all evil things proceed. The one is a lively, salutary, and sober joy, full of virtue, full of pleasure, and acceptable to G.o.d; the other is fleshly, vicious, dishonest, base, and hated of G.o.d. The one increases our devout longings after G.o.d and goodness; the other inflames our corrupt desires.

That enlightens the understanding, filling it with divine light and wisdom; this darkens and blinds it, and fills it with ignorance and error.

That is true and substantial; this treacherous, deceitful, and false.

Chapter x.x.xVIII.

Everlasting Sorrow And Death, The End Of Self-Love And Carnal Joy.

_If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die._-ROM. 8:13.

As we have already shown everlasting joy to be the genuine fruit of divine love; it follows, that without that love, we cannot be partakers of the joy, but must sit down at the last in eternal anguish and distress. For when the condemned sinner comes to reflect and consider, that by his own fault, he has irrecoverably lost all the blessings of a happy eternity, how great must his sorrow, how bitter must his grief be! Annihilation itself would be to him a blessing; but alas! he wishes for it in vain, he must bear his burden, and undergo his punishment to all eternity.

2. This must raise in him an eternal hatred and abhorrence of himself, and all his adherent impurities and sin; which, whether he will or not, will forever stare him in the face, revenging, as it were, upon him the past sacrilege of his self-love.

Chapter x.x.xIX.

All That We Have Must Be Offered And Consecrated To G.o.d.

_O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker._-PS. 95:6.

As we are a.s.sured that G.o.d is our Creator, Preserver, and loving Father, to whom can we more reasonably pay our honor, duty, and service, than to him? Whom shall we rather implore and pray to, whom shall we rather praise and glorify, than him that made us? Whom shall we rather trust? In whom shall we rather hope? Whom shall we rather love? In whom shall we rather rejoice and be happy? Shall we not love him, who hath created us in his own image? Shall we not honor him, who has exalted us above all creatures?

Shall we not devote ourselves entirely to him, who has given himself entirely unto us? Who created us for the end that we might live, abide, and rejoice with him forever? Shall we not love and honor him, who has adopted us for his children?

2. Think, therefore, and consider with thyself, O man! that as G.o.d has given thee a rational soul, so thou oughtest to consecrate all the powers and faculties of it to his honor and service. He has given thee the faculty of loving: therefore love him; he has given thee understanding: endeavor to know him; he has given thee fear: therefore fear him; the power of honoring: therefore honor him; the gift of prayer: therefore pray to him; of praise and thanksgiving: therefore praise his name. He has given thee the power of believing, hoping, and trusting: therefore depend, and trust, and hope in him; of rejoicing: therefore rejoice and be glad in him. Lastly, as all things are in him, and he has an infinite power of doing all things, consider this with thyself, that if thou rest and rejoice in him alone, thou shalt in him possess all things.

3. And hence arises the true and genuine worship of G.o.d. He that loves him, honors him; he that loves him not, affronts him. So likewise he that fears him, honors him; he that fears not, despises him. And all the other vices and virtues are of the same nature. By obedience, G.o.d is honored, and he is dishonored by disobedience; the same may be said of faith, hope, charity, and grat.i.tude.

4. From all this it appears, that there is nothing better, more honorable, or more profitable for man, than to honor G.o.d; and nothing more base and abominable than to dishonor him.

Chapter XL.

He Can Never Praise And Glorify G.o.d, Who Seeks His Own Glory.

_Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory._-PS. 115:1.

He that in all things seeks not the glory of G.o.d, and endeavors to promote it, does not act like a creature of G.o.d, but directly opposes his Maker, and all his designs, seeing he made all things for his own glory. And he does even worse, who measures all things no otherwise than as they contribute to the raising of his own glory and honor. Such a one usurps the honor due to G.o.d alone, and, like the rebel Lucifer, sets himself in G.o.d's throne.

2. And this he does not only in his own soul, but endeavors to lead others into the same guilt, by filling their hearts, which ought to be thrones and temples of G.o.d, with the same notions of love and honor to himself, as he has entertained in his own mind; endeavoring as much as in him lies, to dispossess his Maker and settle himself in his room. But what greater sin can there be than this? Now as the consequence of this irregular loving and honoring a man's self is, that it makes him the enemy of G.o.d, and casts him out of his presence into the pit of destruction, it follows, that he who would be the friend of G.o.d, must hate and deny himself.