And again, we should not pass * to neijlect auij earthhj thinrj, to fjaiti advantage of our soids, because they are perishing things. "We should force ourselves to contentment in the loss of earthly things for the gain of spiritual. The loss of things perishing is an easy matter. We lose things that will perish whether we lose them or not. All earthly things perish either in our time or after us. We should not therefoi'e be over-eager in getting of these earthly things. Let us leave things that perish to men that perish. You see therefore how strong a reason our Saviour Christ allegeth here, ' Labour not for the meat that perisheth, because it perisheth.'
And learn here from our blessed Saviour a point of heavenly wisdom. You see when he would take us off and dissuade us from the pursuit of earthly things, he takes an argument from' the nature of them.. They are perishing things ; and therefore, when we look upon the outward lustre of earthly things, we should withal consider the perishing nature of them. When we are tempted to too much delight in the creature, wo should present to ourselves the perishing and fading nature of outward things. When we are tempted to sin, either to commit or to leave that which is good for anything that is outward, we should consider. What do I now ? I stain my soul, I crack my conscience, I contract guilt and grounds of terror for the time to come for that which is perishing. ' It is always good to have present to our souls and to our fancies the nature of earthly things, that they may be as present as the temptation that Satan from them urgeth and forceth upon the soul. It is good always |to remember that they are perishing things, and that as they are perishing in themselves, so they will destroy us, cause us to perish in the pursuit of them. But my meaning is not to dwell long upon this.
* That is, = ' hesitate' — G.
FOR ETERNAL FOOD.
8G3
' Labour not for the meat that perisheth.'
What ! Doth Christ mean that we should not'labour at all for earthly things ? Doth he read a lecture of ill husbandry, and unthi-iftiness, and negligence ?
No. He doth as we do. When we would set a crooked thing straight, we bend it as much the contrary way. Our Saviour saw that they were desperately addicted to earthly things, that they followed him for their bellies, sought him for the loaves, therefore he bends the stick the con- trary way : ' Labour not for the meat that perisheth ; ' that is, labour not for it in comparison of better things ; labour not so inordinately, so im- moderately, labour not so unseasonably. It is said of the Israelites that they brought Egypt into the wilderness, because they brought the love of the garlic and onions of Egypt with them, Num. xi. 5. We have many come to the church, to these holy exercises, to this holy place, but they bring the world with them. They come with carnal afiections. Labour not so unseasonably. It should be our heavenly wisdom to lay aside im- portunate earthly thoughts of earthly things ; to drive them away, as Abra- ham did the birds from the sacrifice, Gen. xv. 11. We should leave them as he did the beasts and his servants, at the bottom of the mount, when he went up to sacrifice unto God, Gen. xxii. 5. Thus, labour not; labour not immoderately ; labour not inordinately ; labour not unseasonablj'.
But how shall we know when our labour is immoderate, unseasonable, and inordinate after earthly things ?
I answer. In a word, when they either hinder us from, or hinder us in, holy things ; when they keep us from holy duties, as from the sanctifying of the Lord's day, or from any other service of God ; or when they hinder us in them ; when they fill us full of distractions ; when they turn the soul from the business in hand, &c. Thus, when they do either hinder us fi'om or hinder us in better things, we may know we ofiend against this dissuasion of Christ. ' Labour not for the meat that perisheth.'
But why doth our Saviour begin first with his dissuasion, ' Labour not for the meat that perisheth,' and then enjoin what they should seek after, but ' for the meat that endureth to everlasting life ' ?
Because he saw that their souls w^ere corrupted, and desperately set upon the seeking after earthly things ; and when the soul is invested to anything, there must first be a removal of that ; as in ground, the thorns must first be rooted out before there be any sowing of seed ; and in bodily distempers, there must first be a purging of the malignant humour before there be any cordials given. So Christ, he first takes them off" from an immoderate and inordinate seeking after the world and earthly things, and then he directs them what they should do, what they should seek after : ' Seek the food that endures to everlasting life.'
Here is the prerogative of Christianity. A heathen man, out of the strength of moral discourse and outward experience, can teach the negative part, can tell you that all earthly things are vain and perishing. A stoic will declaim wittily and gravely from moral principles and daily experience upon these things ; that these earthly things of themselves are all vain and fading, and that it is our conceit of them only that bewitcheth us to them : it is that only that renders them to us green and fresh. But now for the affirmative part, what we should seek after ; here paganism is blind. That is only to be learned in the church of Christ. It is proper to Christianity to direct us here, as I shall discover better to you when I come to speak of the duty enjoined, which is that I especially aim at.