FIRST. For the first; desires in general may be thus described:—They are the workings of the heart or mind, after that of which the soul is persuaded that it is good to be enjoyed; this, I say, is so without respect to regulation; for we speak not now of good desires, but of desires themselves, even as they flow from the heart of a human creature; I say, desires are or may be called, the working of the heart after this or that; the strong motions of the mind unto it. Hence the love of women to their husbands is called ‘their desires’ (Gen 3:16); and the wife also is called ‘the desire of thine’ the husband’s ‘eyes’ (Eze 24:16). Also love to woman, to make her one’s wife, is called by the name of ‘desire’ (Deut 21:10,11). Now, how strong the motions or passions of love are, who is there that is an utter stranger thereto? (Cant 8:6,7).
Hunger is also a most vehement thing; and that which is called ‘hunger’ in one place, is called ‘desire’ in another; and he desired ‘to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table’ (Luke 16:21; Psa 145:16). Exceeding lustings are called ‘desires,’ to show the vehemency of desires (Psa 106:14, 78:27-30). Longings, pantings, thirstings, prayers, &c., if there be any life in them, are all fruits of a desirous soul. Desires therefore flow from the consideration of the goodness, or profitableness, or pleasurableness of a thing; yea, all desires flow from thence; for a man desires not that about which he has had no consideration, nor that neither on which he has thought, if he doth not judge it will yield him something worth desiring.
When Eve saw that the forbidden fruit was a beautiful tree—though her sight deceived her—then she desired it, and took thereof herself, and gave to her husband, and he did eat; yea, saith the text, ‘when she saw that it was a tree to be desired, to make one wise, she took’ (Gen 3:6). Hence that which is called ‘coveting’ in one place, is called ‘desiring’ in another; for desires are craving; and by desires a man seeks to enjoy what is not his (Exo 20:17; Deut 5:21). From all these things, therefore, we see what desire is. It is the working of the heart, after that which the soul is persuaded that it is good to be enjoyed; and of them there are these two effects.
First. One is—on a supposition that the soul is not satisfied with what it has—to cause the soul to range and hunt through the world for something that may fill up that vacancy that yet the soul finds in itself, and would have supplied. Hence desires are said to be wandering, and the soul said to walk by them; ‘Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire,’ or than the walking of the soul (Eccl 6:8,9). Desires are hunting things, and how many things do some empty souls seek after, both as to the world, and also as to religion, who have desirous minds!
Second. The second effect is, If desires be strong, they carry all away with them; they are all like Samson, they will pull down the gates of a city; but they will go out abroad; nothing can stop the current of desires, but the enjoyment of the thing desired, or a change of opinion as to the worth or want of worth of the thing that is desired.
[What are the desires of the righteous.]
SECOND. But we will now come to the thing more particularly intended, which is, To show what are the desires of the righteous; that is that which the text calls us to the consideration of, because it saith, ‘The desire of the righteous shall be granted.’
We have hitherto spoken of desires, as to the nature of them, without respect to them as good or bad; but now we shall speak to them as they are the effects of a sanctified mind, as they are the breathings, pantings, lustings, hungerings, and thirstings of a righteous man. The text says ‘the desire of the righteous shall be granted’; what then are the desires of the righteous? Now I will, First. Speak to their desires in the general, or with reference to them as to their bulk. Second. I will speak to them more particularly as they work this way and that.
[The desires of the righteous in the general.]
First. For their desires in the general: the same Solomon that saith, ‘The desire of the righteous shall be granted,’ saith also, ‘The desire of the righteous is only good’ (Prov 11:23). This text giveth us, in the general, a description of the desires of a righteous man; and a sharp and smart description it is: for where, may some say, is then the righteous man, or the man that hath none but good desires? and if it be answered they are good in the main, or good in the general, yet that will seem to come short of an answer: for in that he saith ‘the desires of the righteous are only good,’ it is as much as to say, that a righteous man has none but good desires, or desireth nothing but things that are good. Wherefore, before we go any further, I must labour to reconcile the experience of good men with this text, which thus gives us a description of the desires of the righteous.