Chapter 24: We should satisfy ourselves in communion with the Saints, and improve it to the utmost advantage we can
AGain, another branch of the exhortation is this; if there be so much good to be had in this communion, labor to satisfy yourselves in it, so as to take heed of breaking from it; the forsaking the assemblies of the Saints, is made by the Apostle an argument of Apostacy, Heb. 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling ourselves together, as the manner of some is. Do not think to go and make up your comfort with going, and joining with the world. Certainly, when men that are members of a Church shall for form come and join with Gods people, but their consciences tell them, when they are in the world, their hearts are more content and satisfied; this is an argument of a carnal heart, that has dallied with God. It is a dishonor to godly men; as men that are raised to high priviledges, count it a dishonor to company with those that are mean. Those who were free of the City of Rome, were not to be free of any other place. It is enough that we are Citizens of the new Jerusalem, let us satisfy ourselves in this.
Godly men, though never so poor, are to look upon those who are carnal, as base and vile, especially to think to take satisfaction in eating, and drinking, and playing with them, when as there are such holy Ordinances, and high priviledges with Gods people, to satisfy yourselves in, and in those your hearts withdraw from them; Certainly, your hearts must needs be very carnal and sensual: Can God take it well at your hands, to go and shake hands with his enemies? Job 8:20 God will not take the wicked by the hand; so it is in some of your books; Why then will you? can you be in any place where you seest God dishonored, and be merry? Certainly, the sight of sin, wherever it is committed, should cause horror in the heart; thus it was with David, Psalm 119:53 Horror has taken hold upon me, because of the wicked that forsake your Law: It should make men forbear to come into such company where they see sin committed.
It is reported of Mezentius the Hetrurian Tyrant, that he devised this torment, to chain a live man, and a dead man together, and so wherever he went, he should have the dead man to rot before him, and stink in his nostrils, till he was poysoned with it: Surely this was a great misery, a most grievous death: And Gods people should count it as great an evil to have filthy dead wretches, that are unsavoury in any thing that is good, to be joined with them: David prays in Psalm 26:9 Gather not my soul with sinners: Would you not have your souls gathered with sinners hereafter? for the present take heed of joining with them. It was the prayer once that I have heard of a good Gentlewoman, when she was to dye, being in much trouble of conscience, O Lord, let me not go to hell where the wicked are, for Lord you knowest, I never loved their company here: She prayed with David, Lord gather not my soul with sinners: If you would have evidence that God will not gather your souls to sinners, but that he will gather them to the godly, labor to satisfy your souls with Gods people.
Seventhly, if there be so much good in this way, labor to improve it to the utmost: Therefore is there a price in the hand of a fool? This is a great price; if many had seen the days that we have seen, how would they have blessed God? what use would they have made of them? Seeing God therefore has given you this opportunity, improve it: if you have any advantage in your trading, you will improve it. Take heed of such things as may hinder that good you may have in communion with the Saints: What are they?
The first thing that I would forewarn Christians of, it is sullenness of spirit, that makes them love solitariness rather then communion; and this is amongst many that have true grace: and certainly it comes sometimes from abundance of pride, for if they come among others, they think they shall discover their weakness, and rather then they will discover their weakness, they will deprive themselves of all that good which they might have. Consider how unfaithfully you deal with God, God has given you a talent, and you are not to wrap it up in a napkin, but to use it for God. Again, it is a wrong to the Church, for your gifts are not your own, but the Church has an interest in them, and therefore you are to use them for their good. Again, you do much wrong to the Ordinance of God, when you do prefer the contenting of a pettish humor, before the Ordinance of God. God threatens it as a judgement, Hosea 4:16 To feed his people as a Lamb in a large place; that is, to scatter them from the fold, that they should go one and one, as a Lamb bleating alone in the wilde wilderness: take heed you do not bring it upon yourselves.
Again, there is a great deal of danger in this solitariness of spirit.
First, there will soon grow a wonderful driness, and barrenness of spirit: It is just with God to deprive men of gifts, that have not hearts to improve the gifts that God has given them.
Again, you will be ready to run into error, and strange conceits; for if you observe the workings of your hearts, you have strange opinions of things, and think you are sure of them, and when you come amongst others, though you could not see the weakness of your opinions, others can quickly see them, whereas if you will not come amongst them, but be stiff in your opinions, you may run into errors.
Again, you will be lyable to the temptations of Satan; immoderate solitariness, is joined with immoderate melancholy, which is the common shop of the Devil for to forge his temptations in, and it is a great evil to keep the Devils temptations close; and therefore come into communion with the Saints.
And secondly, when you do come into communion, take heed of pride; pride sometimes keeps away from communion, and pride is a great hinderance to the benefit of communion: As round things do not join but only in one point, but take flat things, and they join in every point; and so hearts swoln with pride cannot join with others, but only in such particulars as will serve their turns, but if we have plain hearts, we will close in all things. If a bladder be blown with wind, when you touch it or handle it, it goes away, but when it is pricked, it falls, and you may handle it: so hearts that are swoln with pride, will not close as low humble hearts will. A swoln member is fit for nothing, but all members must serve that; As a gouty leg, all the members must tend that, but it is unfit to be serviceable to any: and so a proud heart, it expects every one should attend it, but when it comes to be serviceable to any, it is unfit.
Thirdly, take heed of envying at the gifts and graces of one another; the wicked men of the world do envy one another, because the good they look upon as their last end, is so strait, that if one have much room, the other is straitned; but the godly need not be straitned, their good is in God, and they have place enough to expatiate themselves, and satisfy themselves. If men were riding or sailing in a narrow passage, they would envy him that were sailing before them, that hinders; but in the Sea they do not envy them, because they have room enough to sail: So in Christians that place their happiness in God, where there is room enough, there should not be envy.
Fourthly, take heed of pettishness, and frowardness, or passions, these do darken communion: the meek spirit is fit for communion. Moses suffered much for communion with Gods people, and indeed he was fit to get good, and to do good by communion, he was the meekest man upon earth.
Fifthly, take heed of self-ends in communion: when men are so politick, as to wheel about their own ends, and not seem to aim at such things, this hinders the sweetness of communion, and though such may carry things a while, as not to be discerned, yet at last they will be discerned to have self-ends, and all will be shy of them. If you would have sweet communion indeed, labor for open hearts to one another, that you may trust one another.
Sixthly, labor so to improve your communion now, as every time you do enjoy it, it may make your hearts to spring, putting you in mind of that blessed communion you shall have with God, and his people; and think thus, If we finde so much joy, in enjoying communion with Gods people here, what will there be in that communion our souls shall have in Heaven, when we shall not only have communion with some few of Gods servants, but with all, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the Prophets, and Patriarchs? As Cicero has a notable speech concerning the happiness of his death; O famous day, that I shall go to the counsels of those famous men, that I shall go from this rout of people, and go and converse with those famous men! But brethren, for us to think that we through Gods mercy, here have communion with Gods people, and shall hereafter enjoy communion with the Saints of God for ever, what is it worth the enduring? if it were but the enjoying of communion with Moses alone, it were worth all you have endured; and therefore comfort yourselves for the present in that you have, and let your hearts be raised in hope of better things hereafter, when you shall have them perfect. Now we rejoice that we are with Gods people, if they be conferring about any thing of God and Christ; but hereafter we shall see nothing but God in his Saints, we shall see the full glory of God shining in them; then the very bodies of the Saints shall shine more glorious then the Sun; How glorious shall their souls be then? There shall then be no more danger of fallings out, and frampold carriages, no more jealousies and suspitions, but we shall see the image of God perfectly in them; and we shall have perfect love to rejoice in the salvation of any as in your own salvation, and then we shall be with them in all holy exercises: It is good to be with Gods people, to trade with them, but better to be with them to pray with them, to receive Sacraments with them; the better the exercise is, the better it is to be with them: Then what is it to enjoy communion with them, and to be always in holy exercises, always singing praises to the Lamb, and giving glory to him that sits on the Throne for evermore, blessing God for the great Mystery of the Gospel? And therefore improve your communion so here, as not only to put you in mind of your communion hereafter, but to prepare and fit your souls for it: And thus is this point finished; and now we are come to the seventh and last Doctrinal point, out of Moses his Choice, which is from the last words of the Verse, Then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.
The Doctrinal Conclusion is this:
