To envy the rich, as if they were the certain possessors of comfort and ease, is one of the greatest of all mistakes and follies; happiness must dwell in the mind and the heart; it must depend altogether upon the state of mind and heart; it is not to be purchased with money; money, we must grant, may be made to minister to it, but this must entirely depend upon the disposition, the spirit, the manner, in which it is used: the smallest pittance upon earth, possessed in the faith of the gospel, in the fear and love of God, produces infinitely more enjoyment, than the countless treasures of those, who seek or spend or save them, with a view to themselves and this world alone.
Some are revelling in the dreams of ambition; and imagine, that if they could attain a particular eminence, they should be happy: but the road is steep and slippery, toilsome and dangerous; and the summit, if ever they reach it, is not a land of repose, not the habitation of contentment and peace; “seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not.” [322] Ambition is always dissatisfied; if not the most unclean, it is one of the most tormenting spirits in the bosom of man; and yet it is fondly and generally cherished both by rich and poor. Be humble; be moderate; be content; if thou wouldest be happy.
In what are called the pleasurable scenes of life, it is unnecessary for me further to insist, how vainly we rove in quest of substantial delight: this indeed is a truth still more level to the experience of us all; it is a path we have often trodden, but never I think with satisfaction. Witness the continual changing, the endless variety of amusements, which are found necessary in order to relieve satiety and disgust, necessary even when they are innocent; and in sinful pleasures, in lust and intemperance of every kind, it is needless to tell you, there can be no peace; health is impaired and the conscience is burdened; they are like a two-edged sword, cutting on both sides, destroying both body and soul.
The force of these arguments may be made to appear from another consideration; for whatever delusions may be practised upon men, to induce them to reckon and build upon earth alone; to trust for happiness to their own inventions, to human schemes and devices; yet will they never, in their serious moments, contend for the wisdom of their choice; or say, that their expectations have been answered; they will never, when they come to die, recommend to their friends, assembled round their bed, the course which they pursued, as a sure foundation of comfort in their lives, and peace in their latter end; the dying father will not recommend it to his children, nor the dying brother to his brethren. No: it will then be seen, either by the tears of bitter remorse or the agonies of unrepented guilt, that the way of the world was “the broad way that leadeth unto destruction;” that the soul can never find rest, till it returns to the forsaken paths of righteousness, to the lost image of its God.
And thanks to the unspeakable mercy of God in Christ Jesus, the way of recovery is abundantly made known; the kingdom of heaven, with all its joys and treasures, is opened to every believer. Wisdom has come down from above, to tabernacle with sinful man; to lighten his darkness, and to rejoice his soul; and “her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace”—pleasantness and peace to those, who seek them with their whole heart, implicitly and devotedly, as manifested in the gracious revelation of their God.
But unhappily, in the way of religion also, in their professed walk of faith, men will be seeking out many inventions of their own, instead of submitting themselves, with simplicity and godly sincerity, to the gospel of Jesus Christ. They are seeking to accommodate His divine law to their corrupt inclinations and indulgences, to the maxims and fashions and interests of an ensnaring world: and thus they fail of the happiness, which they were led to expect. No wonder, that they find not the christian promises realised; that they fall short of the comfort, as they do of the obedience of faith. To the believing in our crucified Lord, with all the heart and soul; to “the seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness;” to the “forsaking all and following Him;” to “the spirit of God dwelling in us, and mortifying the deeds of the body;” to the sincere desire after holiness “as He is holy;” to “the fulfilling of the law of righteousness;” to a living hope of “the inheritance that fadeth not away”—to these things, the promise of life is made; of joy and favour here, and eternal felicity hereafter; but if we, in dependence upon our own vain inventions, seek to be blessed in any other way; with a less entire belief, and a less holy profession, and a less devoted obedience, and a less exalted hope, we must not complain or wonder, if we lose our object and aim; “Be not deceived, God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap; he that soweth unto the flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth unto the spirit, shall of the spirit reap life everlasting.”
The merciful God, when He created man innocent and happy, graciously revealed to him the means, by which his innocence and happiness might be preserved; and shewed thereby, that they were inseparable, that the loss of the one would be the loss of the other. “The Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” [327a] And no sooner had Adam disobeyed, no sooner was his innocence forfeited, than his happiness was gone; he found to his sorrow, as he would not believe to his comfort, the truth of his Creator’s word: and thus miserably ended the first covenant of God with man, the covenant of obedience and works.
Under the covenant of grace, by the blessed and eternal Son of God, it is revealed to us, with equal clearness, how the lost happiness of man is to be recovered; “the way we know:” “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved;” [327b] “set your affections on things above, not on things on the earth:” [327c] this is the way, call it by what name you please—a condition, or a means; it is the only way: happiness, here or hereafter, is attainable in no other. For this, we have the assurance of that word, which we have seen, under the first covenant, awfully fulfilled; of that word, which can never fail. My brethren, I cannot doubt, that we are all of us convinced of this truth: then let us pray fervently and faithfully, that the conviction may live in our hearts; that we may, from this day forward, go to “the fountain of living waters, and not hew out for ourselves broken cisterns, that hold no water;” [328a] that we may renounce the vanity of all human inventions, and seek our happiness in God, and God alone. “Be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind; that ye may prove, what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God:” [328b] that ye may “have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.” [328c]
SERMON XVIII.
THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD REVEALED TO THEM THAT FEAR HIM.
Psalm xxv. 14.
The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him; and He will shew them His covenant.