Qicest. What is then dissuaded ?
Ans. A perplexing oppressing trouble about sensible and worldly things.
Here I shall show you — (1.) The causes of this trouble ; (2.) The nature of it.
SERMONS UPON JOHN XIY. 1. 347
First^ The causes of this trouble, which are —
1. Carnal self-love, which is all for bodily ease and welfare, or the pleasures, and honours, or profits of the world. They that are under the power of it seek great things here, and the disappointment of their carnal expectations breedeth trouble. Solomon telleth us what was the result of his accurate and deep search into all worldly and human afi"airs : Eccles. i. 14, ' I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and behold all is vanity and vexation of spirit.' He found all worldly things not only vain and inefi'ectual to confer happiness, but, which is worse, apt to bring much trouble and affliction upon the hearts of those who are too earnestly conversant about them. There- fore the best way to be free from trouble is to look for no great matters here in the world.
2. The life of sense, which only looketh to the present state of things, and if we have not all things which we affect under the view of sense, trouble fiUeth our hearts : Heb. xii. 11, 'No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous.' There are two emphatical words, 7rpo9 TO Trapbv, ' for the present,' and SokcI, ' seemeth ; ' they both intimate the causes of our trouble, present sense and false appear- ance. Of the latter I shall speak in the next head, the former is to our purpose now. All affliction is ungrateful to flesh and blood, and so cannot but be troublesome to us if we look only to the present ; but then in the end it giveth us a full recompense for all our patience, namely, such an increase of grace as bringeth peace along with it.
3. Fancy, vain conceit, and false appearance ; and so we are often troubled at what may afford joy. The sad point which the disciples could not digest was Christ's departure ; yet our Lord telleth them how necessary it was for his own honour and their comfort. His honour : John xiv. 28, 'Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again to you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I go to the Father, for my Father is greater than I.' If ye were kind to me, ye would have looked upon it with joy, because his going to the Father was the advancing him to a higher condition than that in which he was , now ; the ignominious cross was the way to dignity and honour. Again, it was for their comfort : John xvi, 7, ' It is expedient for you that I go away ; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you ; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.' They were full of sadness at the thought of his departure, as if it were their utter ruin and un- doing ; but the coming of the Holy Ghost would be of more advantage to them than his staying with them ; it was for his glory and their benefit. Thus we often misinterpret God's dispensations ; those hard trials which are ordered for our comfort and peace increase our troubles and perplexities. We judge according to appearance, and therefore do not judge righteous judgment ; so we wound ourselves by our own fancies, and make our evils much worse than they are by our vain conceit.
All these concurred in the present case. They had dreams of shar- ing honours in Christ's kingdom, all which would be disappointed by his ignominious death ; and they looked to the present face of things, and so could not see glory in this shame. And besides, they did quite mistake the dispensation.
348 SERMONS UPON JOHN XIV. 1.
Secondly, The nature of this trouble, wherein it consisteth in three things — (1.) A fear of danger, or evils to come ; (2.) Sorrow for evils present ; (3.) A fretting indignation or dislike of God's dispensations. It is distrust to be troubled about what is to come ; despondency or uncomely dejection to be troubled about what is present ; impatiency and murmuring to dislike God's way of dealing. All these constitute that trouble of heart from which Christ dissuadeth his disciples.
1. There was fear in it of approaching dangers. Christ was to depart, and they were to be left to an unquiet world : John xiv. 27, ' Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.' They were afraid what should befall themselves when their master and guide was gone, from whose direction and protection they promised themselves so much comfort and safety. Future things are to be left to God's provi- dence. Every day that bringeth its cares and difficulties bringeth also its incident comforts : Mat. vi. 34, ' Take no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself : sufficient vmto the day is the evil thereof.' We must not be over- solicitous about future contingencies, nor be anxious for that to-day which may be soon enough cared for to-morrow. But we usually anticipate our troubles, and make our present condition more grievous by bearing the charge and burden of the future also ; and so by our cares and fears about futurity, oppress, and so both overwhelm ourselves, and take God's work out of his h.ands.