Third Part — Chapter 5
Good Husbands labour for posterity,
To after ages; Saints must have an eye.
OBSERVATION.
PRovident and careful Husbandmen do not only labour to supply their own necessities while living, but to lay up something for their posterity when they are gone; they do not only leave to their children what their progenitors left them, but they desire to leave it improved and bettered. None but bad husbands and spend-thirfts are of the mind with that Heathen Emperor Tiberius, who having put all into such confusions in the Empire, that it might be thought the world would end with him; yet pleased himself with this apprehension, that he should be out of the reach of it; and would often say, When I am dead, let heaven and earth mingle; if the world will but hold my time, let it break when I am gone: But provident men look beyond their own time, and do very much concern themselves in the good or evil of their posterity.
APPLICATION.
VVHat careful Husbands do, with respect to the provisions they make for their children, that all prudent Christians are bound to do, with respect to the truths committed to them, and do them, to be transmitted to succeeding Saints.
In the first age of the world, even till the Law was given, faithful men were instead of books and records; they did by oral tradition convey the truths of God to posterity; but since the sacred truth has been consigned the writing, no such tion (except full consentient with that written word) is to be received as authentick; but the truths therein delivered to the Saints, are by verbal declarations, open confessions, and constant sufferings, to be preserved and delivered from age to age. This was the constant care of the whole cloud of witnesses, both ancient and modern, who have kept the word of Gods patience, and would not accept their own lives, liberties or estates; no, nor the whole world in exchange, for that invaluable treasure of truth; they have carefully practised Solomons counsel, Prov. 23. 23. Buy the truth, but sell it not; they would not alienate that fair inheritance, for all the inheritances on earth. Upon the same reasons, that you are refuse to part with, or embezel your estates, Christians also refuse to part with the truths of God.
You will not waste or alienate your inheritance, because it's precious and of great value in your eyes; but much more precious, are Gods truths to his people. Luther professed, he would not take the whole world for one leaf of his Bible. Though some profane persons may say with Pilate, What is truth? yet know, that any one truth of the Gospel, is more worth than all the inheritances upon earth; they are the great things of Gods Law, and he that sells them for the greatest things in this world, makes a soul-undoing bargain.
You will not waste or part with your inheritance, because you know your posterity will be much wronged by it. They that baffle or drink away an estate, drink the tears of their sad widows, and the very blood of their impoverished children. The people of God do also consider, how much the generations to come are concern'd in the conservation of the truths of God for them; it cuts them to the heart, but to think, that their children should be brought up to worship dumb idols, and fall down before a wooden or a breaden God. The very birds and beasts will expose their own bodies to apparent danger of death, to preserve their young. Religion does much more intender the heart and bowels, than nature does.
You reckon it a foul disgrace to sell your estates, and be[••]me Bankrupts; 'tis a word that hears ill among you: And a Christian accounts it the highest reproach in the world, to be a traitor to, or an Apostate from the truths of God, When the primitive Saints were strictly required to deliver up their Bibles, those that did so, were justly branded and husht out of their company, under the odiou title of Traditores, or deliverers.
You are so loath to part with your [•]states, because you know its hard recovering an estate again, when once you have lost it. Christians do also know, how difficult it will be for the people of God in times to come, to recover the light of the Gospel again, if once it be exinguished. There is no truth of God recovered out of Antichrists hands, without great wrestlings, and much blood. The Church may call every point of reformed doctrine and discipline so recovered, her Nap[••]alies; for with great wrestlings, she has wrestled for them. Earnestly contending for the faith, once delivered to them, Iude 3.
To conclude, rather than you will part with your estates, you will chuse to suffer many wants and hardships all your lives; you will fare hard, and go bare, to preserve what you have for your posterity: But the people of God have put themselves upon far greater hardships than these, to preserve truth; they have chosen to suffer reproaches, poverty, prisons, death, and the most cruel torments, rather than the loss of Gods truth. All the Martyrologies will inform you, what their sufferings have been, to keep the word of Gods patience; they have boldly told their enemies, that they might pluck their hearts out of their bodies, but should never pluck the truth out of their hearts.
REFLECTIONS.
BAse unbelieving heart! how have I flinched and shrunk from truth when it has been in danger? I have rather chosen to leave it, than my life, liberty or estate, as a prey to the enemy. I have left truth, and just it is, that the God of truth▪ should leave me. Cowardly soul, that durst not make a stand for truth! yea, rather bold and daring soul, that wouldst rather venture to look a wrathful God, than an angry man in the face. I would not own and preserve the truth, and the God of truth will not own me, 2 Tim. 2. 12. If we deny him, he will deny us.
Lord! to me hast you committed the precious treasure and trust of truth; and as I received it, so do I desire to deliver it to the generations to come, that the people which are yet unborn, may praise the Lord. God forbid I should ever part with such a fair inheritance, and thereby begger my own, and thousands of souls! You hast given me your truth, and the world hates me, I well know that is the ground of the quarrel; would I but throw truth over the walls, how soon would a retreat be sounded to all presecutors? But Lord! your truth is invaluably precious; what a vile thing is my blood, compared with the least of all your truths? You hast charged me to sell it, and in your strength I resolve never to lift a fine, and cut off that golden line, wherey your truths are entailed upon your people, from generation to generation: My friends may go, my liberary go, my blood may go; but as for you, precious truth, you shalt never go.
How dear has this inheritance of truth cost some Christians? how little has it cost us? We are entred into their labours; we reap in peace, what they sowed in tears; yea, in blood. O the grievous sufferings that they chose to endure! rather than to deprive us to such an inheritance, those noble souls, heated with the love of Christ, and care for our souls, made many bold and brave adventures for it; and yet at what a low rate do we value, what cost them so dear? like young heirs, that never knew the getting of an estate, we spend it freely. Lord, help us thankfully and diligently to improve your truths, while we are in quiet possession of them. Such intervals of peace and rest, are usually of no long continuance with your people.
The Poem.
A Publick spirit scorns to plant no root
But such from which himself may gather fruit.
For thus he reasons, if I reap the gains
Of my Laborious predecessors pains;
How equal is it, that posterity
Should reap the fruits of present industry?
Should every age but serve its turn, and take
No thought for future times? it soon would make
A Bankrupt world, and so entail a curse
From age to age, as it grows worse and worse.
Our Christian predecessors careful thus
Have been to leave an heritage to us,
Christ precious truths conserved in their blood,
For no less price those truths our fathers stood.
They have transmitted, would not alienate
From us their children such a fair estate.
We eat what they did set, and shall truth fail
In our dayes? shall we cut off th' entail?
Or end the line of honour? nay, what's worse
Give future ages cause to hate, and curse
Our memories? like Nabot[•], may this age
Part with their blood, sooner than heritage.
Let pity move us, let us think upon
Our childrens souls; when we are dead, and gone;
Shall they poor souls, in darkness grope, when are
Put out the light, by which they else might see
The way to glory? yea, what's worse? shall it
Be said in time to come Christ did commit
A precious treasure, purchas'd by this blood;
To us, for ours; and for our Childrens good?
But we like cowards, false, perfidious men;
For carnal ease, lost it, our selves, and them.
O let us leave to after ages more,
Than we receiv'd from all that went before.
That those to come may bless the Lord, and keep
Our names alive, when we in dust shall sleep.
