1. How far the honours and glories of the world are to be renounced and forsaken.
2. What influence faith hath to induce us to do this.
First, How far honours and worldly advantages are to be renounced and forsaken. There are two rocks that we must avoid ; on the one side the rock of Popish and superstitious mortification, or a sluggish retreat from business, to live an idle life, sequestered from other chris- tians, as we find in their monkery ; on the other side carnal compliance, or an affectation of worldly greatness.
1. It is not simply evil to enjoy worldly honour ; good men have lived sometimes in bad courts — Obadiah in Ahab's court, Joseph in Pharaoh's ; and we read, Phil. iv. 22, of saints that were in Nero's household, under the very noise, and in the sight of that grievous per- secutor and monster of mankind ; Mordecai in Ahasuerus' court, and Daniel in Nebuchadnezzar's. And Acts xiii. 1, we read of Manaen, a prophet or teacher, who had been brought up with Herod the Tetrarch ; in that wicked court he was godly ; and so we read, Acts viii. 22, ' There was a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority, under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was a pagan, and had the charge of all her treasures ; ' and we read of an Ebedmelech in Zede- kiah's court. God, to show the freedom of his mercy, and the power of his truth, and that Christianity is no enemy to civil relations, and that his people may have occasion more eminently to show forth his grace, and to express their self-denial, that they have something of value to esteem as nothing for Christ ; God, I say, doth so order it that even in the courts of pagan princes have been found those who have been very sincere with God ; therefore these honours are not unlawful, nor to be renounced but upon just and convenient reasons.
432 SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XL [SeR. LVIII.
2. Though honours must not be renounced, yet v/hen we enjoy them, they are to be entertained with a holy jealousy and watchfulness. And though honours be not simply renounced, yet we must consider how we come by them ; if we be advanced by the fair providence of God, and God sets us there, we may enjoy them with a good conscience, and may the better venture upon the ordinary temptations that attend them. He that ventures upon slippery places had need have a good warrant, and that his calling be clear. David refused not a crown when God put it upon his head; yet he says, Ps. cxxxiii. 1, 'Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty ; neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.' He did not aspire after great things, nor seek to wrest the kingdom out of the hands of Saul ; but though he had God's promise that he should enjoy it at length — and though he was incited by the bitter persecutions of Saul, yet he con- tains himself within the bounds of his duty and calling. But ambition is restless, it hurries on men, and is like a whirlwind that tears down all that is in our way, and breaks down whatever may seem to oppose our greatness ; a good conscience, and all, must go to the ground that they may rise. Moses would not keep that when there was sin attend- ing it, which came in fairly and by God's providence. Therefore if it be got by ill means, if men renounce, deny, dissemble truth, stretch conscience to the humours of men, and all that they may be great, and enjoy something here in the world that is honourable and glorious, then we must abandon it. Nay, though it be not so, yet ambition and affec- tation of worldly greatness is not only seen when means are apparently evil, but when men make much ado to get honours, and their hearts are set upon them, and they do not tarry for a fair invitation of God's pro- vidence, but put themselves forward ; this is exercising ourselves in great things, and in matters too high for us ; therefore it is said, Prov. xxv. 27, "For men to search their own glory is not glory ; ' that is, to be so earnest and so greedy upon such a thing. If men were worthy of hon- our, their worth would be attractive ; as a violet shrouded by its leaves is found out by its smell. Where the matter is combustible, we need not blow the fire so hard ; but when men are so vehement and earnest to thrust themselves into slippery places, this is that which must be checked by such an instance as Moses. Again, though we come by it by never so holy means, by a fair course of God's providence, yet it must be entertained with a holy jealousy and watchfulness, that the heart may not be ]Hiffed up, but still kept humble, as a spire that is least in the top : Prov. xvi. 19, ' Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.' Better to be left out of the account and tale with men, than to be called to divide the spoil, and to be puffed up. But this is not all, negatively, that our hearts be not corrupted by it ; therefore, positively, see it be im- proved for God. Whatever honour, greatness, and outward advantage you enjoy, reckon that you must some way or other be a gainer by it, and this must be improved for God's glory. Has God that honour that he expecteth ? What a shame is it that you should enjoy so much, and God should have so little glory ! When David was advanced to a crown, he was thinking what to do for God, 2 Sam. vii. 2, ' I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.' God