CHRISTIAN REMEMBRANCER

CHAPTER XXII

On the Opinion of Carnal Men

The judgment which natural men form of spiritual life, is altogether wild and extravagant, gross and injurious. “The things of God himself are foolishness unto them, neither can they know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” And can those think rightly of the people of God, who have not the faculties to think rightly of the things which render them distinct from other men, and which are the very grounds and principles of God’s conduct towards them? And ought a Christian to be moved exceedingly at the judgment of ignorance and error?

This world’s opinion of all divine things is indeed very foolish and vain. It condemns what it hath not seen, and despises what it doth not know. It laughs at the wisdom of God, which it is too weak to apprehend, and sets up its own mutable reason, which is but folly, in its stead. A few years shall lay it low; and the wisest of the worldly-wise will be the first to condemn themselves for the madmen and the fools. Wisdom v. 4.

Be satisfied, then, fellow-christian, with the just judgment of God. Thou canst not be more despised than thy Saviour was. He indeed deserved no scorn, but thou much more than thou canst have. If they called the master of the house “Beelzebub,” shall those, who are of the household, think to escape a hard name? No; let them bear it for his sake: it will never disgrace them in heaven.

CHAPTER XXIII

On the Esteem of Good Men

Though a nice sense of honour, consistent with his profession, becomes a christian, yet, an overnice care to get honour from any man is neither the duty nor practice of the christian life.

Be not too anxious, my brother, for the good opinion even of the best of men, nor altogether judge of thy state by so uncertain a rule. Concern of this kind seems to argue a too fond regard of thy carnal self, or of thy own state in the world. If they show disrespect, and if it arise from mistake, rejoice that thy true hidden life depends not on the opinion of mortals, but on the love and just judgment of an unerring Redeemer. The opinion of others can neither make nor unmake thee as a christian. But if their disesteem be founded in truth, fear not to dive to the bottom of thine own undeservings, and cease not to pray for grace to correct them. Be not offended with thy brethren in either case; for this will lead to ruptures, neither for their profit nor thine. The glory of God and of his truth is also concerned, which should fill thee with the greater forbearance and caution in all thy dealings with “the household of faith.” Pray for wisdom to examine thy cause faithfully, and to know the worst that can be found of thyself, and to see into the truth or mistake of others. And if, in thine own conscience, the right be with thee, be thankful for the mercy, and cease not, because they need it, to pray for them who are in the wrong. Thy true charity should relieve, in this way, their spiritual necessity, and so rise, with that lawful triumph of a christian, by a holy and inward superiority of meekness and of truth.

Beware of anger and offence. The wrath of man cannot work the righteousness of God. Be humbled by every disesteem, whether just or unjust, within thyself. This is gaining a step in the great inward and spiritual progress of self-renunciation; for which end, these means, though unpleasant to proud nature, may have been mercifully and providentially ordained.

Fear not to see the worst of thine own infirmities: tremble rather, lest they should be hidden from thee. When thou art made truly low in thine own eyes, the slights and contempts even of good men, proceeding, as they usually do, not from grace but common infirmities, will not over-much vex thee. It is the fondness of self, and the pride of our hearts, which render all outward insult and injury distressing and painful. He that thinks little of himself, can bear to be thought little of by others: but he that is lifted up within, is grieved when he cannot find that tribute of respect which his own foolish fondness hath ordained for himself.

The best remedy for spiritual disorder is spiritual prayer. Corruption inflicts or feels pain; and grace should subdue corruption. It is the true wisdom of a christian to set his faith, and not the passions of his unholy nature, at work upon evil. Grace will teach him not to huff, or snort, or resent, or speak great swelling words of carnal indignation; but to bear and forbear, and pray, and wait, and entreat according to the occasion. When the rough north wind of trial rages and raves, then the graces of the christian should more abundantly flow. All this is difficult, without a doubt; but will not a gracious success be afterwards a comfort to the believer, both as it affords a real proof of the true life of Christ within him; and an occasion of glorifying God before men? And if it answer these ends, how great is his reason to be thankful!

CHAPTER XXIV

Weakness Is Impatient

It is not strength, but weakness, which complains. He that is strong, can well bear the infirmities of the weak: he that is weak cannot bear at all, but is overwhelmed with his own. A father in Christ can put up with the forwardness and indiscretion of the babe in Christ; but the latter, having his mind but little exercised, is full of dislikes, and always wants his own will and way: otherwise, he complains.

This weakness is commonly captious; fonder of finding errors than healing them, and more able to discover the grounds of difference than wisely to take up the points of unity. Sincere, yet quarrelsome; troubled, yet headstrong; young in the faith, yet presuming; fond of parties and persons, of modes and of forms of doctrine, with warm heart and little experience; all this is the character of most young or weak professors. When they grow older in grace, they become wiser in the kingdom, more catholic, forbearing, candid, and forgiving. They see a thousand mistakes and wilfulness in their own first profession; and these incline them, through an increase of wisdom and strength, to suffer kindly the infirmities and frailties of others. They then love what is real, encourage what is weak, pardon what is childish, endure what is troublesome, correct what is evil, and pray, not rave, when they see but slow improvements.

CHAPTER XXV

On Retirement

Whatever is a man’s first great business in life, that he will pursue most, and desire to study with the least interruption and disorder. A man of this world hath his heart in the world; but a christian gets as much as possible into heavenly things, because his heart and his treasure are in heaven.

The God of wisdom himself hath said, that no man can serve him and mammon. We have but one heart, which we cannot divide; and, if it were possible, “a heart and a heart,” or a heart divided, would be a hateful offering to the Most High.

There is no christian but who feels and bewails how often his common affairs draw off his mind from his best affairs, and throw him into fulness and distraction. He feels and bewails this because he is a Christian, and because his best affections are somewhere else. His grief is not so much, that he must apply himself to social duties, which are indispensable to every one according to his place under Providence, but that he cannot carry more of the true spirit and unction of religion into them. Could they be more and more sanctified by the word of God and prayer, and could his mind be more delivered from the worldliness both of them and of those with whom he must have to do, they would grow into a kind of holy ordinances to him, and, instead of hindering his faith, would improve his joy. We forget to bring religion into our common course of life; and so that course is suffered to bring its own punishment and trouble upon us. A Christian, living like a Christian in his outward profession, is far more in the way of rendering glory to God, and of doing good to men, than a hermit, who doeth nothing in his wilderness but seek himself; or a monk, who, by the torture of his body, thinks to work out his own righteousness, by which to merit heaven. The true retirement is retiring from the sinful customs and spirit of this world, and giving up the soul of God in all things.

Having said this, it is also right to say, that there should be hours of secret retirement to every Christian, if possible; or, at least, as much time as possible, for prayer, meditation, and reading, upon the things of God. Where this time is through necessity short, as it often must be among the poor, who generally are God’s own rich ones; still the retired believer, in the midst of any or all of his business, may now and then sweetly dart up his soul to God in fervent ejaculations, which will keep up the true frame of his mind, and draw down many comforts from above. These short and silent breathings will show a lover’s heart, and prove, that, whatever may employ his hands, his mind is truly engaged for heaven.

Where circumstances of life, and the capacity of persons, will admit of farther separation from the world, it will be right, because advantageous, to use it. The retirement, however, must be for God, and not for self; in the spirit of religon, and not for laziness; to be more quickened for heaven, and not to be more useless upon earth. Hence it will be seen, that all Christians are neither called to, nor fit for, an entire seclusion from the world: their habits, dispositions, abilities, and occupations of life, render it improper for them.

When a Christian can fill up all his retirement with the things of God, and for his glory, with no just demand upon him from secular affairs, it is certainly a most high and desirable privilege. Such a one may and ought to further himself in knowledge, and devote all he knows, through grace, to the glory of God and the edification of men. Leisure is abused when employed in tattle and dissipation, as it often is; and the abuser had much better be engaged in some active calling and employment.

To retire indeed unto God, is the most severe and solemn business in the world. It is a sort of middle state between heaven and earth, which no carnal mind can either understand or love. The froth and levity of the flesh must be subdued, else all the retirement will end in vanity. Humble and ardent prayer should begin the day, the study or the exercise of gracious things should carry it on; some intervals must be found for supplications and praise; strict watchfulness and trials must be continually made upon the heart; and growing meetness for death and heaven must appear in the life, and no rest be taken at night, but after humble prayer and surrender of all into the hands of God, for time and eternity. A true retired Christian is more careful of his time than any other man, because he can spend it more preciously. He thinks it a sad loss to throw away hours, which might have been employed in the works or word of God.

When the truly retired Christian is alone, he is, as one says, “never less alone”; for God is with him, and in him of a truth. He not only goeth into his study or his closet, but gets within himself, into the closet of his heart, and watches all the motions of nature and grace. Thus in time he becomes truly learned in that most difficult subject—his own self.

When we talk much with others, it is hardly possible, in a nature so fallen and corrupt as ours, not to talk amiss. But when we commune with God, he speaketh so with us, as to give an increase of wisdom and grace, with much solid refreshment of mind. His word and will become plain and familiar to our souls; we enter into the spirit of his ways; and our spirits feel many undoubted proofs, both of their own immortality and of the great blessedness of approaching glory. This, wherever it abounds, deadens the affection of a Christian to the low and vain discourse of the world; renders him more happy in, and fit for, his retirement, and enlivens his hopes for God and heaven. What improvement thus to live! What blessedness thus to die!

Many retire, that they may see and hear more of the world, and be entertained with its novelties or news: but the believer would withdraw to dive more fully into himself, as into a subject deep and little known, and to be more acquainted with his Redeemer in all the wonders and manifestations of his grace. It is a day lost indeed, when he obtains no prospect of heaven, or hath made no steps towards it.

If a man doth not thus retire, he only opens a wide door to all sorts of temptations to rush in upon him. So very few are fitted for, or called to this kind of leisure, (though by abuse only it becomes leisure,) that God, in his wisdom, hath appointed so much corporeal employment in the world, even for his own children. As the earth would be more an Aceldama, or field of blood, than it is, but for necessary labours, which call away, in some respect or other, almost all men; so the church itself would be more defiled, and individuals more unholy, than they are already, if manual or active duties did not take up the greatest part of their time.

I have known many professors, and some of an order too, which should have engaged them entirely in things divine, who have wasted, in frivolous discourses, mean pursuits, idle engagements, and other sad dissipations, large portions of that time which should have been devoted to studious improvement, serious conversation, or actvie piety. Vessels thus ever running out, how and when can they be filled? And what have they for others, who lay up so little for themselves?

O Lord, help me to retire indeed, but yet chiefly for thee, and for greater communion with thee! When I find thee not in my heart, it is hard and darkened: when thou art not in my closet, it is either full of confusion as a market, or it is desert as a wilderness. I can get nothing; and I soon feel that I am nothing, but an empty, unprofitable void. O cheer thy poor servant with thy presence, who would indeed be a stranger and a pilgrim upon earth; yea, if it be thy will, a stranger to every thing but thee; having my heart in thy home, and my soul, in every respect, under thy command. Lord, thus help me to withdraw from the world, only to draw nearer, both in spirit and in truth, unto thyself, and to whatever relates to thy glory!

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