Thirdly, The Christian is heavenly in his keeping of earthly things. The same heavenly law which he went by in getting, he observes in holding them. As he dares not say he will be rich and honourable in the world, but if God will ; so neither that he will hold what he hath, he only keeps them until his heavenly Father calls for them that at first gave them. If God will continiie them to him, and entail them on his posterity too, he blesseth God ; and so he desires to do also when he takes them aw^ay. Indeed God's meaning in the great things of this world, which sometimes he throws in upon the saints, is chiefly to give them the greater advantage of expressing their love to him, in denying them for his sake. God never intended by that strange providence, in bringing Moses to Pharaoh's coiu-t, to settle him there in worldly pomp and grandeur ; — a carnal heart indeed would have expounded Providence, and inter- preted it as a fair occasion put into his hands by God to have advanced himself into the throne, which some say he might in time have done ; — but as an oppor- tunity to make his faith and self-denial more eminently conspicuous in throwing all these at his heels, for which he hath so honourable a remembrance among the Lord's worthies, Heb. xi. 24, 25. And truly, a gracious soul reckons he cannot make so much of his worldly interests any other way, as by oftei-ing them up for Christ's sake; however, that traitor thought Mary's ointment might have been carried to a better market, yet no doubt that good woman herself was only troubled that she had not one more precious to pour on her Saviour's head. This makes the Christian ever to hold the sacrificing knife at the throat of his worldly enjoyments, ready to offer them up when God calls ; overboard they shall go, rather than hazard a wreck to faith or a good con- science ; he sought them in the last place, and therefore he will part with them in the first. Naboth will hazard the king's anger, which at last cost him his life, rather than sell an acre or two of land which was his birthright. The Christian will expose all he hath in this world, to preserve his hopes for another. Jacob in his march towards Esau sent his servants with his flocks before, and came himself with his wives behind ; if he can save any thing from his brother's rage, it shall be what he loves best. If the Christian can save any thing, it shall be his soul, his interest in Christ and heaven, and then no matter if the rest go; even then he can say, not as Esau to Jacob, I have a great deal ; but as Jacob to him, I have all, CJen. xxxiii. 9, 11 ; all I want, all I desire ; as David ex- presseth it, ' This is all my salvation, and all my desire,' 2 Sam. xxiii. 5. Now try whether thy heart be tuned to this note. Does heaven give law to thy earthly enjoyments ? Woiddst thou not keep thy honour, estate, no, not life itself, to prejudice thy heavenly nature and hopes? Which wouldst thou choose, if thou couldst not keep both, a whole skin or a soimd conscience ? It was a strange answer, if true, which the historian saith Henry the Fifth gave to his father, who had usurped the crown, and now dying, sent for this his son, to whom he said. Fair son, take the crown, (which stood on his pillow by his head,) but God knows how I came by it. To whom he answered, I care not how you came by it ; now I have it, I will keep it as long as my sword can defend it. He that keeps earth by wrong, cannot expect heaven by right.
CHAPTER XIII.
AN EXHORTATION TO THE PURSUIT OF HEAVEN AND HEAVENLY THINGS.
Use 3. Thirdly, Is it heaven and all that is heavenly that Satan seeks to hinder us of? Let this provoke us the more earnestly to contend for them. Had we to do with an enemy that came only to plunder us of earthly trifles, would honours, estates, and what this world affords us, stay his stomach, it might sufter a debate, in a soul that hath hopes of heaven, whether it were worth fighting to keep this lumber ; but Christ and heaven, these sure are too precious to part withal upon any terms. ' Ask the kingdom for him also,' said Solomon to Bathsheba, when she begged Abishag for Adonijah. What can the devil leave thee worth if he deprive thee of these ? And yet I confess I have heard of one, that wished God would let him alone, and not take him from what he had here. Vile brute ' the choice of a swine, and not a man, that could choose to
IN HEAVENLY THINGS. 159