At the best it decays with it; The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away. How easily and quickly hath the highest splendor of a man's prosperity been blasted, either by men's power, or by the immediate hand of God! The Spirit of the Lord blows upon it, and not only the grass withers, but the flower fades, though never so fair. When thou dost correct man for iniquity, says David, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth, Psal. xxxix, 11. How many have the casualties of fire, or war, or shipwreck, in one day, or in one night, or in a small part of either, turned out of great riches into extreme poverty! And the instances are not few, of those who have on a sudden fallen from the top of honor into the foulest disgrace, not by degrees coming down the stair they went up, but tumbling down headlong. And the most vigorous beauty and strength of body, how doth a few days' sickness, or if it escape that, a few years' time, blast that flower! Yea, those higher advantages which have somewhat both of truer and more lasting beauty in them, the endowments of wit, and learning, and eloquence, yea, and of moral goodness and virtue, they cannot rise above this word, they are still, in all their glory, but the flower of grass; their root is in the earth. Natural ornaments are of some use in this present life, but they reach no further.. When men have wasted their strength, and endured the toil of study night and day, it is but a small portion of knowledge they can attain to, and they are forced to lie down in the dust in the midst of their pursuit of it. That head which lodges most sciences, shall within a while be disfurnished of them all; and the tongue that speaks most languages, be silenced. Archimedes was killed in the midst of his demonstrations. The great projects of kings and princes, and they also themselves, come under this same notion: all the vast designs that are framing in their heads fall to the ground in a moment; They return to their dust, and in that day all their thoughts perish. If they themselves did consider this in the heat of their affairs, it would much allay the swelling and loftiness of their minds; and if they who live upon their favor would consider it, they Div. No. V. M would not value it at so high a rate, and buy it so dear as often they do. Men of low degree are vanity, says the psalmist, but he adds, Men of high degree are a lie. From base, mean persons we expect nothing; but the estate of great persons promises fair and often keeps not; wherefore they are a lie, although they can least endure that word. And as particular men, so whole states and kingdoms have thus their budding, florishing, and withering; and it is in both, as with flowers-when they are fullest spread then they are near their declining and withering. And thus it is with whole generations of men upon earth; as Solomon says, One goeth and another cometh, but not a word of abiding at all. We in our thoughts shut up death into a very narrow compass, namely, into the moment of our expiring; but the truth is, as the moralist observes, it goes through all our life, for we are still losing and spending life as we enjoy it, yea, our very enjoying of it is the spending of it. Yesterday's life is dead to day, and so shall this day's life be to-morrow. We spend our years, says Moses, as a tale, or as a thought, so swift and vanishing is it. Every word helps a tale towards its end; while it lasts, it is generally vanity, and when it is done, it vanishes as a sound in the air. What is become of all the pompous solemnities of kings and princes at their births and marriages, coronations and triumphs? They are now as a dream; as St. Luke calls the pomp of Agrippa and Bernice, a mere phantasy. Hence learn the folly and pride of man who can glory and please himself in the frail and wretched being he hath here; who doats on this poor natural life, and cannot be persuaded to think on one higher and more abiding, although the course of time and his daily experience tell him this truth, that all flesh is grass. Yea, the prophet prefixes to these words a command of crying. They must be shouted aloud in our ears, ere we will hear them, and by the time the sound of the cry is done, we have forgotten it again. Would we consider this, in the midst of those vanities that toss our light minds to and fro, it would give us wiser thoughts and ballast our hearts; make them more solid and stedfast in those spiritual endeavours which concern a durable condition, a being that abides for ever; in comparison of which the longest term of natural life is less than a moment, and the happiest estate of it but a heap of miseries. Were all of us more constantly prosperous than any one of us is, yet that one thing were enough to cry down the price we put upon this life, that it continues not; as one answered to him who had a mind to flatter him in the midst of a pompous triumph, by saying, What is wanting here?" Continuance," said he. It was wisely said at any time, but wisest of all to have so sober a thought in such a solemnity, in which weak heads cannot escape either to be wholly drunk, or somewhat giddy at least. Surely we forget this, when we grow vain upon any human glory or advantage. The color of it pleases us, and we forget that it is but a flower, and foolishly over-esteem it. This is like that madness upon flowers, which is somewhere prevalent, where they will give as much for one flower, as would buy a good dwelling-house. Is it not a most foolish bargain, to bestow continual pains and diligence upon the purchasing of great possessions or honors the best of which is no other than a short-lived flower, and to neglect the purchase of those glorious mansious of eternity, a garland of such flowers as wither not, an unfading crown, that everlasting life and those everlasting pleasures that are at the right hand of God? Now that life which shall never end, must begin here. It is the new spiritual life, whereof the word of God is the immortal seed; and in opposition to corruptible seed and the corruptible life of flesh, it is here said to endure for ever. And for this end is the frailty of natural life mentioned, that our affections may be drawn off from it to this spiritual life which is not subject unto death. Ver. 25. But the word of the Lord endureth for ever ; and this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. THE word of God is so like himself, and carries so plainly the image and impression of his power and wisdom, that where they are spoken of together, it is sometimes doubtful whether the expressions are to be referred to himself or to his word; but there is no hazard in referring them either way, seeing there is truth in both, and pertinency too. But I rather think, that the apostle speaks here of the word. This is not to be taken in an abstract sense of the word only in its own nature, but as the principle of regeneration, the seed of the new life. Because the word is enlivening and living, therefore they with whom it is effectual and into whose hearts it is received, are begotten again, and made alive by it; and because the word is incorruptible and endureth for ever, therefore that life begotten by it is such too, cannot perish or be cut down, as the natural life; no, this spiritual life of grace is the certain beginning of that eternal life of glory, and shall issue in it, and therefore hath no end. As the word of God in itself cannot be abolished, but surpasses the permanence of heaven and earth, and all the attempts of men against the divine truth of that word to undo it, are as vain as if they should consult to pluck the sun out of the firmament; so likewise in the heart of a Christian, it is immortal and incorruptible. Where it is once received by faith, it cannot be obliterated again. All the powers of darkness cannot destroy it, although they be never so diligent in their attempts that way. And this is the comfort of the saints, that though the life which God by his word hath breathed into their souls, have many and strong enemies, such as they themselves could never hold out against, yet for his own glory and his promise sake, he will maintain that life, and bring it to its perfection. God will perfect that which concerneth me, saith the psalmist. This is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you. It is not sufficient to have these thoughts of the word of God in a general way, but we must be persuaded, that the word which is preached to us is this very word of so excellent virtue and of which these high things are spoken; that it is incorruptible and abideth for ever, and therefore surpasses all the world and all the excellencies and glory of it. Although delivered by weak men, the apostles, and by far weaker than they in the constant ministry of it, yet it loseth none of its own virtue; for that depends upon the first Owner and Author of it, the everliving God, who by it begets his chosen unto life eternal. This therefore is that which we should learn thus to hear, and thus to receive, esteem, and love-this holy, this living word; to despise all the glittering vanities of this perishing life, all outward pomp, yea, all inward worth, all wisdom and natural endowments of mind, in comparison of the heavenly light of the gospel preached unto us; rather to hazard all than lose that, and banish all other things from the place that is due to it; to lodge it alone in our hearts, as our only treasure here, and the certain pledge of that treasure of glory laid up for us in heaven. To which blessed state may God of his infinite mercy bring us! CHAPTER II. Ver. 1. Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, 2. As new born babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye muy grow thereby. THE same power and goodness of God that manifests itself in giving being to his creatures, appears likewise in sustaining and preserving them. To give being is the first, and to support it is the continued effect of that power and goodness. Thus it is both in the first creation and in the second. In the first, the creatures to which he gave life, he provided with convenient nourishment to uphold that life; so here, in the close of the former chapter we find the doctrine of the new birth and life of a Christian, and in the beginning of this, the proper food of that life. And it is the same word by which we there find it to be begotten, that is here the nourishment of it; and therefore Christians are here exhorted by the apostle so to esteem and so to use it; and that is the main of the words. 19 Low Scope |