Chapter 25: Whatever is but for a season, cannot satisfy a gracious heart

THat whatever is but for a season, cannot satisfy a gracious heart: Or, Nothing but thatwhich is eternal, can satisfy a gracious heart.

Moses, if he would have been satisfied with any thing that abided but for a season, he might have had satisfaction enough; but his heart was set upon eternity, and therefore could have no satisfaction in things that were but for a season. St. Paul says in 2 Cor. 4:18 We look not at things that are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. We do not so much as look at things seen, for they are temporal, but there are other things that our hearts are upon, which are eternal; we look not at things that are seen, but at things not seen: The word notes these two things especially, not only that we believe things that are not seen, eternal things, but we look at them, we mind them; we do not much mind things that are temporal, but eternal things are minded of us.

Secondly, we do not make things that are seen, that are temporal, to be our scope and aim; that which satisfies the heart, is that which is looked at as the end, and aim, and scope of the spirit: so that if a man could look at things seen as his aim and scope, they would satisfy him, but nothing that is seen can be the scope and aim of a gracious heart, but eternal things are his scope and aim, and therefore they satisfy him.

That nothing which is but for a season, can satisfy a heart rightly principled, appears:

First, because there is no proportion between an immortal soul, and fading transitory things; indeed the sensitive soul that does depend upon the present temper of the body, that is satisfied only with present things, and the reason is, because it depends upon that which is present; but the rational soul being immortal, and not depending upon any such thing, whatever it be that continues not for ever, cannot satisfy it.

Secondly, a gracious heart knows the things of eternity after another manner then any other does, God has revealed eternal things to it, and upon the sight of those eternal things, it comes to know it is taken off from all temporal things; for all temporal things, be they never so glorious, yet in comparison of eternal, they are but as the point of a centre to an infinite circumference: Indeed while a man knows no better then temporal things, the heart is let out upon them, as the greatest good, but when it comes to know the things of eternity, the heart is greatned, and all temporal things are but small to that soul; when it comes to know what an eternal God is, and what an eternal crown is, and an eternal inheritance, when it knows that God does intend to communicate himself eternally to his creature, it cannot be satisfied, unless it knows it shall live to enjoy those things that God shall communicate eternally.

Thirdly, a gracious spirit has received an eternal principle within it, that does work the heart beyond things for a season, that works the heart all to eternity; for the work of Grace that is in the soul, it is begotten of the immortal seed of the Word, and it is an eternal principle, that is infused by God into it, and therefore it works beyond things that are for a season; every creature works according to the nature of its principles; as sensitive creatures according unto sensitive principles, and rational creatures according unto rational principles, but grace is beyond reason, and is of an everlasting nature, and therefore it works the heart beyond all that is but for a season.

Fourthly, a gracious heart cannot be satisfied with things that are but for a season, because God has loved such a heart with an eternal love, and there is the impression of the same love in the soul, that carries the soul to God in some measure with that love wherewith it is loved, that causes the soul to love God with an eternal love, and not to be satisfied with any work of love that it can work in time; and therefore grace must have eternity for to manifest the love again that it has to God, or else it has not a love proportionable in its measure to the love wherewith God has loved it, but that is in every gracious heart.

Fifthly, there is a kinde of image of Gods infiniteness in the souls of men, and according to this print of Gods infiniteness, the enjoyment of God is desired, where the heart is gracious: though it is true, our souls are not infinite creatures in themselves, yet having a print of Gods infiniteness upon them, they manifest this in their infinite desires; and because they cannot enjoy an actual infinite good in themselves, therefore they desire an infinite good in duration at least; let there be never so much good, yea, as much as an infinite power can let out for present good, yet this does not satisfy the soul, unless it can have it infinitely for duration; for an enlightned soul knows that it is not capable to hold that good that an infinite God can, and has a purpose to communicate to his creature, if it should come all together, therefore it desires to enjoy communication of what good it is capable of to all eternity. To receive good from God is not sufficient, except it be received in an infinite way; now it cannot receive any thing infinite for the present, and therefore it must have it in an infinite way in regard of duration.

Sixthly, there is nothing that is but for a season, can satisfy a gracious heart, but it must be some eternal thing, because such a one has received light from God to understand the infinite consequence of eternity, to make any good to be infinite, or any evil to be infinite: When as one enjoys any good, and knows it shall continue infinitely, it makes that present good to have a kinde of infiniteness in it; and and so for evil, if there be any evil upon the heart, though the evil should be never so little, yet if it be an evil, and the soul knows it must continue infinitely, it puts a kinde of infiniteness to every moment; and that is the principal thing that makes the misery of the damned to be so miserable, and the happiness of the godly so happy; they are not only happy and miserable, because they shall be happy and miserable for ever, but because they know there is continance in happiness, and in misery; their knowledge of this is that which puts infinite weight upon every moment.

Suppose a beast should have happiness suitable to its nature for eternity, that would come infinitely short of the happiness of a rational creature, that knows in which happiness consists, and what eternity is; for the beast enjoys nothing but the present happiness, but a reasonable creature it has happiness for the present, and it can by the thoughts of the mind fetch in the infiniteness of the duration, and put it upon the present content it receives, and so have infinite satisfaction every moment: And so for misery; it were not so much if God by his power should hold a brute beast in the fire eternally, as if a man were in misery; because though it has pains, yet it has no thought of future pains, but what it now feels: But if a rational creature be in misery, by the thoughts of his mind, he can fetch all the pains that shall be in hundred thousands of years, and put them upon that instant, and this makes it to be miserable indeed, in a kinde of infiniteness, beyond that which any other creature is capable of.

You think to be tortured with fire is miserable, and to be so eternally is miserable; but there is something more, every instant you shall be in misery, there shall be a kinde of infiniteness, because you shall by your thoughts bring whatever is to come, and put it upon the present moment, and nothing can swallow up a mans spirit so much as this, if he understands eternity. Now then a gracious heart that knows this, that knows what the consequence of eternity is, cannot be satisfied, except it has made good provision for eternity; whatever it enjoys for the present, cannot satisfy the soul, unless it has made good provision for that which it understands, to be of such infinite consequence as it is. A soul that understands the consequence of eternity, sees it as an infinite Ocean, that it is lanching into, and must for ever swim in: Now if a man were to go a voyage in the vast Ocean, that he must go thousands of miles, could he be content that he had made provision of such a Vessel, that he could make shift to get over some narrow water with? so it is here; yea, this similitude comes short of the expression of the folly of any that knows any thing concerning eternity, to think to satisfy themselves in any thing that is but for a season; for any thing that is but for a season, let it be for as long a season as you will, if it were for Methuselahs season, that is but as some small Brook, and what is this to the going of many thousand miles in the infinite vast Ocean? and therefore a gracious heart knowing the vastness of it, except it has made some provision for it, can never be quieted with what it can enjoy for a season.

Seventhly, a gracious heart cannot be satisfied in any thing that is but for a season, because there is nothing that is but for a season, but it can make the end of it as really present; If so be that the end of things that are but for a season were present, they could not satisfy: Now a gracious heart makes the end of all things that are but for a season to be really present: If grace enables a man to make the things of God, and eternal things to be present, much more will grace in the heart make the end of all worldly things to be really present: Now a gracious heart being wise, and considering, and looking upon these things that are but for a season, as if the end now were; hence it is that it has the same judgement of things that are but for a season now, as it shall have when the end of all shall be: Now when the end of all things we enjoy for a season is come, then every man will see the vanity of them, and cry out of them, and say they will not satisfy: Yea, we shall not only see the vanity of them, but in some respect see it a greater misery, then if we had never enjoyed them; now that thing which will not only fail us, but when it shall fail us, it will be a greater vexation to us that we had them, then if we had never enjoyed it, certainly they which know this cannot be satisfied with it.

Eighthly, a gracious heart makes use of all the experiences that it has had of the vanity of the creature , of all things that are but for a season; when God in the way of his providence gives to one that is gracious, experience of things, he will treasure up his experience: vain light hearts, though God do give them experience of the vanity of the creature, and of things that are but for a season, they do not treasure up their experiences, but though they cry out of the vanity of the creature at some time, yet they run out again as greedily in their desires after it as before: but a gracious heart findes when God takes away the creature, in which it had placed a great deal of confidence, God has showed it how fading it was, and the setled condition of it is nothing but vanity: and so the experience of the vanity of former things, does take off his heart from any thing that it looks upon as abiding for a season.

Lastly, that which is but for a season, does want an especial ingredient in it, which is required for satisfaction : the special ingredient unto satisfaction, is security, that there may be soul-safe security. Augustine says, The soul cannot enjoy any thing freely with satisfaction, unless it can enjoy it with security: Now when the soul enjoys a thing for a season, it cannot be satisfied, because it must be solicitous to provide something when that is gone, which it has for the present. So that these arguments being put together, you may see evidently, Nothing that is for a season can give satisfaction to a gracious heart. Having laid these things in the explication of the point, all that we have to do is to apply it.

Hence we may see the excellency of a true gracious spirit: where there is grace in the soul, it puts a wonderful excellency upon the soul, as in many other respects, so this one does wonderfully declare the excellency of a gracious heart, that it is so raised, so enlarged, so greatned, that nothing that is for a season can satisfy it, but it looks for things beyond a season. Let all the world, the things that are in Heaven and Earth, present themselves to the soul to satisfy it, the soul will say, What are you, temporal or eternal? If the answer be given temporal, the soul rejects them, and puts them off as too mean things to be satisfaction for it; If you had brought eternity with you, says the soul, I could have embraced you, and closed with you, and have been satisfied in the enjoyment of you, but if the inscription of eternity be not in you, you are too mean for me, my happiness is not here, I must look higher, I am lost for ever if I do not look higher then these things. When Basil was offered money and preferment to tempt him, he answers, Give money that may last for ever, and glory that may eternally flourish.