Use

Use 1: Since so many offer up only common fire to God, you should examine whether the righteousness you think pleases God is anything more than fire of your own kindling.

First, examine the origin of the righteousness that is kindled in your heart and blazes in your life. Was it kindled in you by fire from heaven — that is, by the Holy Spirit coming down in God's ordinances upon you as fire, burning up your lusts, dissolving the works of the devil, kindling sparks of true love to God and zeal for his glory, which are beyond the reach of natural human ability? Or is it no more than this: that whereas every person has some sparks of honesty toward others, sobriety, and devotion to a deity raked up in the ashes of corrupt nature — for even the pagans had the law written in their hearts (Romans 2:14) — which sparks, through living in the church where civility and religion are professed, through civil education, natural wisdom, and the accusations of natural conscience enlightened, have been blown up to some blaze, to some just dealing and common care for serving God. Yet know that if there is no other principle and nothing more, it is only fire of your own kindling, and you will lie down in sorrow.

Second, examine what duties are especially the fuel of that fire in you — in what duties is the righteousness you think pleases God chiefly spent and exercised? If they are principally the duties of the second table — just dealings with others and sobriety — and perhaps you bring along a stick or two of the first table, that is, some duties you must not omit for your reputation's sake, like attending God's public ordinances of worship: this fuel, if there is no more, argues only common fire. Look into the households of the pagans and you will find most of this practiced; and in that you put the chief of your religion in these duties, it is argued to be only a fire kindled from those sparks raked up in nature. For those common sparks that are in all people's hearts are especially those of the second table. But if it were fire from heaven, though those would not be left undone, yet the chief heat of your heart would be toward the duties of heaven and the worship of God, public and private. When people practice only as much righteousness as is necessary to live in the world with any comfort or credit — to be just and sober, and to attend God's ordinances as the situation requires — that is different from when a person's zeal and fervor also contend and live upon duties the world does not regard, such as mourning for sin, taking pains with the heart in private between God and one's own soul, feeding upon heavenly things and thoughts, being such a fire as the world quenches — this is a sign it is more than common fire.

Third, in these duties, common fire warms only the outer person, as the fire you feel daily does — it does not heat you within. So common righteousness contents itself with bodily exercise and a formal performance of public and private duties. But fire from heaven heats first within, heats the heart within — as at the hearing of the word: 'Did not our hearts burn within us?' So it heats the heart in prayer and makes a person fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.

Fourth, examine what incentives cherish and keep alive that fire of righteousness in you and make it flame — that is, what motives drive you to do what you do. If worldly ends make you abstain from sin and be just in your dealings — such as reputation with the world, fear of disgrace, the accusations of conscience only, fear of hell, or hope of heaven — this is only common fire. But if love to God, the consideration of his mercies, his eternal love, the love of Christ, and zeal for his glory are the bellows, the fire is heavenly. But if when you are to be moved by such things they do not stir your heart, it is only common fire.

Use 2 is to take heed of walking in the light of such fire — that is, resting in it for salvation and contenting yourselves with it, as most people in the world do and as the Jews here did — for you will lie down in sorrow if you do.

But you will say: we do not trust in this our own righteousness, for we profess Christ and believe in him, and this, added to what we have, is enough.

I answer: though you profess Christ, yet first, unless you have had a light that has shown you that all the righteousness you have by nature and improved in nature is a false righteousness, you still rest in your own righteousness and do not rely wholly on Christ. So in Philippians 3, Paul first counted everything loss and rubbish, gave up his own, that he might gain Christ — implying he could not have him otherwise. People may seem to take Christ's title, as many will obtain the king's title for a property to make all secure, yet they keep and stick to and plead their own. But you must give up your own first and rely wholly on Christ, or he will not save you.

Second, one who does not daily above all things directly and immediately aim at and seek out Christ's righteousness — making it the chief focus of his thoughts, prayers, and business, and being restless without it — still rests in his own. For when Paul had given up his claim in his own, he mainly sought after this: to be found in Christ (Philippians 3).

Third, you will seek from Christ a new righteousness of sanctification also. For you will see that the common righteousness of nature and education will not please him, and Christ must be made sanctification to you (1 Corinthians 1:30) as well as righteousness. Nicodemus, though a civil man before, when he came to Christ, found his old civility would not serve without being born again and becoming a new creature. So you must not think to make a supplement or addition to Christ with fire of your own kindling — you must have all from the altar. Your moral virtues must be turned into graces by having a new end put into them, carrying your hearts in them unto God.

The other interpretation I add is that the fire of outward comforts is also meant. While people enjoy these, they go on merrily, neglecting God and Christ and communion with him. But the soul of a believer who lacks this communion with God is in darkness, and until he enjoys God again can take comfort in nothing. Thus in Ecclesiastes 7:6, the laughter of the wicked is compared to the crackling of thorns.

Fire is a comfortable element, having both heat and light in it, which serve and help against cold and darkness — two of the greatest evils to the senses.

Heat is comfortable. Therefore in Isaiah 44:16, the prophet says: 'He warms himself and cries, Aha!'

Light also is comfortable. For Solomon says it is a pleasant thing to behold the sun. Therefore fire here stands for outward comforts.

But what kind of fire is it? Only kitchen fire — what the philosopher calls earthly fire. For it is fire of their own kindling, says the text — not that purest element of fire above. God is said to be light and fire, whom the saints enjoy, being refreshed with his light and seeing light in it.

And the comparison in this sense also holds strongly.

For a kindled fire has two things that go to making it, both of which together are called fire.

First, fuel — such as wood or coals.

Second, the element that preys upon these.

Correspondingly, the carnal pleasures and delights that wicked people enjoy and rest in have two answering elements.

First, the object, which is like the fuel — things earthly and of this world.

Second, their fiery hot and burning lusts, which prey upon and live upon this fuel. Both together make the fire spoken of here, and the comparison holds in many ways.

First, because the fuel of these fires of their lusts and comforts is base — things only here below. What is the fuel of your kitchen fires? Things dug out of the earth: dung, wood, coal. So earthly things are fuel to their desires. Their lusts are therefore called 'members upon earth' (Colossians 3:5), for all their comforts consist in earthly things and their desires are after them — their fair wives, children, houses, food and drink; their god is their belly and they set their minds on earthly things (Philippians 3:19).

Second, when this fuel is taken away the fire goes out, and so do people's hearts die when outward things are taken from them. When Nabal thought David might still come and take his goods, his heart died within him. For people live in the creatures, and when those are gone they die.

Third, as fire is a consuming thing (Hebrews 12, last verse) and leaves nothing but ashes, so are people's lusts (James 4:4). They ask in order to consume everything on their lusts. All the pleasures they have leave nothing behind; nothing of the strength they gain by them remains. They do all for themselves, and with themselves all dies.

Fourth, fire is a devouring thing — a whole world would not satisfy it if it were left to burn on. And one day this whole world will be burned up by fire as punishment for enticing people. Just such are people's desires after pleasures — never satisfied. The more fuel is added, the more can be added; they enlarge their desire as the fire of hell (Habakkuk 2:5).

Fifth, the pleasures that arise from the meeting and joining of this fuel with their lusts are only like sparks. Job calls sparks 'the sons of fire,' being engendered by it upon fuel. Pleasures are the sons of your lusts when the object and they couple together. And they are not long-lived — they are only sparks, dying as soon as born (Colossians 2:22), perishing in the using, and like the crackling of thorns they soon go out.

Sixth, smoke accompanies such fires since the fuel is muddy things. So much sorrow accompanies their comforts (Proverbs 14:13), and they go out and end in smoke — as the text says: they shall lie down in sorrow.

Put these together then: both the strange fire of their own righteousness that is from and in nature unchanged, and the kitchen fire of outward comforts. These are the two main hindrances that keep all wicked people from Christ and justification through him.

For the covenant of grace has these two main promises in it.

First, that God himself — who is the God of comfort — will be an abundant reward (Genesis 17:1-2). By faith we take him to be so and are divorced from all other comforts in comparison with him.

Second, that Jesus Christ his Son is made the Lord our righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6). Therefore before we take him to be so to us, we must be emptied of all our own righteousness by nature, so that God and Christ might be all in all to us. Therefore the first and main work of grace consists both in emptying the heart and bringing it to nothing in its own righteousness, and also in regard to all outward comforts, so that no flesh might boast in his sight. Corresponding to these two are found two main obstacles in people by nature.

First, because in nature they find some sparks of civil goodness, they rest in them and take them for grace and neglect Christ.

Second, finding also that they are warmed in this world by many outward comforts, being surrounded by sparks, they content themselves with these. So as long as that young man had righteousness of his own and possessions of his own, he cared nothing for Christ or communion with him or righteousness from him. Well, says Christ here: flatter yourselves with your own righteousness and cheer yourselves with your own sparks and walk on. But know that you will lie down in sorrow when the godly rest in their beds (Isaiah 57:2). You will lie bedridden in hell, or as a woman in labor who will never rise again.

FINIS.

Use 1: Since so many offer only common fire to God, you should examine whether the righteousness you think pleases God is anything more than fire of your own kindling.

First, examine the source of the righteousness that is kindled in your heart and burns in your life. Was it kindled in you by fire from heaven — that is, by the Holy Spirit coming down through God's ordinances upon you like fire, burning up your lusts, breaking the power of sin, and kindling sparks of true love toward God and zeal for His glory, which are beyond the reach of natural human ability? Or is it nothing more than this: that since every person has some dormant sparks of honesty toward others, sobriety, and devotion to a deity buried in the ashes of corrupt nature — for even the pagans had the law written on their hearts (Romans 2:14) — these sparks, through living in a church context where moral uprightness and religion are professed, through decent upbringing, natural wisdom, and the prodding of conscience, have been fanned into some blaze of moral behavior and outward religious observance? Know that if there is no other principle and nothing more, it is only fire of your own kindling, and you will lie down in sorrow.

Second, examine what duties especially fuel and sustain that fire in you — in what duties is the righteousness you think pleases God mainly exercised? If they are principally duties toward other people — honest dealing and sobriety — and you bring in a stick or two from the first table, that is, some religious duties you cannot neglect without losing your reputation, such as attending public worship: this fuel, if there is nothing more, indicates only common fire. Look at the households of the pagans and you will find most of these practiced there; that you make these the heart of your religion suggests it is only fire kindled from those sparks buried in nature. Those common sparks present in every person's heart correspond especially to the second table of the commandments. But if it were fire from heaven, those duties would not be neglected — yet the chief heat of your heart would be directed toward the duties of heaven and the worship of God, public and private. There is a difference between practicing just enough righteousness to live in the world with some comfort and reputation — to be honest and sober and to attend God's ordinances as the situation demands — and a person whose zeal and intensity also reach toward duties the world does not value: mourning for sin, laboring over the heart in private between God and one's own soul, feeding on heavenly things and thoughts, maintaining a fire the world itself would quench. This second pattern is a sign of something more than common fire.

Third, in these duties, common fire warms only the outside — as the fire you use daily does — it does not heat you within. So common righteousness is satisfied with outward observance and a formal performance of public and private duties. But fire from heaven heats within first — it heats the heart — as at the hearing of the Word: 'Were not our hearts burning within us?' So it heats the heart in prayer and makes a person fervent in spirit, serving the Lord.

Fourth, examine what drives and sustains that fire of righteousness in you — what motives lead you to do what you do. If worldly ends are what keep you from sin and motivate honest dealing — such as your reputation, fear of disgrace, the accusations of conscience alone, fear of hell, or hope of heaven — this is only common fire. But if love for God, consideration of His mercies, His eternal love, the love of Christ, and zeal for His glory are the bellows that fan the flame, the fire is heavenly. If when you ought to be stirred by such things they leave your heart cold, it is only common fire.

Use 2 is to guard against walking in the light of such fire — that is, resting in it for salvation and being satisfied with it, as most people in the world do and as the Jewish people in this text did — for you will lie down in sorrow if you do.

But you may say: we do not trust in our own righteousness, for we profess Christ and believe in Him, and this — added to what we already have — is enough.

My answer is: though you profess Christ, first — unless you have had a light that has shown you that all the righteousness you possess by nature and have developed through nature is a false righteousness, you still rest in your own and do not rely wholly on Christ. So in Philippians 3, Paul first counted everything a loss and rubbish, surrendering his own righteousness, in order to gain Christ — implying that there was no other way to have Him. People may seem to invoke Christ's title, as many add the king's title to a property deed to secure it, while still holding on to and pleading their own claims. But you must surrender your own first and rely wholly on Christ, or He will not save you.

Second, someone who does not daily, above all things, directly and immediately aim at and pursue Christ's righteousness — making it the main focus of his thoughts, prayers, and efforts, and finding no rest without it — still rests in his own. For when Paul had given up his claim to his own righteousness, the thing he sought above all else was to be found in Christ (Philippians 3).

Third, you must also seek from Christ a new righteousness of sanctification. You will see that the common righteousness of nature and upbringing will not please Him, and Christ must be made sanctification to you (1 Corinthians 1:30) as well as righteousness. Nicodemus, though a moral person before, when he came to Christ found his old morality would not serve without being born again and becoming a new creature. So you must not think to supplement or add to Christ with fire of your own kindling — everything must come from the altar. Your moral virtues must be transformed into graces by receiving a new end — one that carries your heart, in all that you do, toward God.

The second meaning I add is that the fire of outward comforts is also intended. While people enjoy these, they go on happily, neglecting God, Christ, and communion with Him. But the soul of a believer who lacks communion with God is in darkness — and until he enjoys God again he can find comfort in nothing else. So in Ecclesiastes 7:6, the laughter of the wicked is compared to the crackling of thorns.

Fire is a useful element — it provides both warmth and light, which are remedies against cold and darkness, two of the greatest hardships the body faces.

Warmth is comforting. So in Isaiah 44:16, the prophet says: 'He warms himself and says, Aha! I am warm, I have seen the fire.'

Light is also comforting. As Solomon says, it is pleasant to see the sun. This is why fire here stands for outward comforts.

But what kind of fire is it? Only kitchen fire — what the philosopher calls earthly fire. For it is fire of their own kindling, as the text says — not the purest element of fire above. God is described as light and fire, and the saints enjoy Him, refreshed by His light and seeing light in it.

And the comparison in this sense holds well.

A burning fire has two components, both of which together are called fire.

First, fuel — such as wood or coals.

Second, the element of fire that feeds on the fuel.

Correspondingly, the earthly pleasures and satisfactions that wicked people enjoy and rest in have two matching elements.

First, the object — like the fuel — which consists of earthly and worldly things.

Second, their intense burning lusts, which feed on and live off this fuel. Both together make the fire spoken of here, and the comparison holds in many ways.

First, because the fuel of these fires — their lusts and pleasures — is base and earthly. What fuels a kitchen fire? Things dug from the earth: dung, wood, coal. In the same way, earthly things are the fuel for their desires. Their lusts are therefore called 'the members of the earthly body' (Colossians 3:5), for all their pleasures consist of earthly things and their desires are set on them — beautiful spouses, children, houses, food and drink; their god is their belly and they set their minds on earthly things (Philippians 3:19).

Second, when the fuel is taken away the fire goes out — and so people's hearts die when outward things are taken from them. When Nabal realized David might come and seize his possessions, his heart died within him. People live in created things, and when those are gone they die.

Third, as fire consumes and leaves nothing but ashes (Hebrews 12, final verse), so do people's lusts (James 4:4). They ask in order to consume everything on their pleasures. All the gratification they obtain leaves nothing behind; none of the strength spent on it remains. They live for themselves, and with themselves everything dies.

Fourth, fire is voracious — a whole world would not satisfy it if left to burn on. And one day this whole world will be consumed by fire as a judgment on it for having enticed people. Just the same are people's desires for pleasure — never satisfied. The more fuel is added, the more can be added; they enlarge their desire like the fires of hell (Habakkuk 2:5).

Fifth, the pleasures that arise from lusts meeting their objects are only like sparks. Job calls sparks 'the sons of fire,' being generated when fire meets fuel. Pleasures are the offspring of your lusts when desire and its object come together. And they are short-lived — they are only sparks, dying almost as soon as they are born (Colossians 2:22), perishing in the using; and like the crackling of thorns, they quickly go out.

Sixth, smoke accompanies such fires since the fuel is impure. So much sorrow accompanies their pleasures (Proverbs 14:13), and in the end it all goes out in smoke — as the text says: they will lie down in sorrow.

Put these two together then: the strange fire of their own righteousness — produced by and remaining in unchanged nature — and the kitchen fire of outward comforts. These are the two main things that keep all wicked people from Christ and from justification through Him.

For the covenant of grace contains two main promises.

First, that God Himself — who is the God of all comfort — will be an abundant reward (Genesis 17:1-2). By faith we receive Him as such and are separated from all other comforts in comparison with Him.

Second, that Jesus Christ His Son is made the Lord our righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6). Therefore before we receive Him as such, we must be emptied of all our own righteousness from nature, so that God and Christ might be all in all to us. This is why the first and chief work of grace consists in emptying the heart and bringing it to nothing — both in terms of its own righteousness, and also in regard to all outward comforts — so that no person may boast in His presence. Corresponding to these two promises, there are two main obstacles found in people by nature.

First, because in nature they find some sparks of moral goodness, they rest in them and mistake them for grace — and so neglect Christ.

Second, finding themselves also warmed in this world by many outward comforts and surrounded by sparks, they are satisfied with these. As long as that rich young man had righteousness of his own and possessions of his own, he cared nothing for Christ, for communion with Him, or for righteousness from Him. Very well, says Christ in effect: flatter yourselves with your own righteousness and warm yourselves with your own sparks and walk on. But know that you will lie down in sorrow when the godly rest peacefully in their beds (Isaiah 57:2). You will lie down bedridden in hell — like a woman in labor who will never rise again.

THE END.