02 Ways a Christian must put forth holy contd
The reasons why there must be this offering violence to Heaven are:
1. God’s indispensable command. He has enacted a law, that whoever eats of the fruit of paradise, shall eat it in the sweat of his brow. 2 Peter 1:10. "Give diligence to make your calling and election sure."
2. God’s decree. The Lord has in his eternal decree joined the end and the means together: striving and entering, the race and the crown. And a man can no more think to come to Heaven without offering violence, than he can think to come to the end of his journey, who never sets a step in the way. Who expects an harvest without plowing and sowing? How can we expect the harvest of glory without labor? Though our salvation with respect to Christ is a purchase—yet with respect to us, it is a conquest.
3. We must offer violence to Heaven in regard to the difficulty of the work: Taking a kingdom. First, we must be pulled out of another kingdom, "The kingdom of darkness," Acts xxvi.18. To get out of the state of nature is hard, and when that is done, and we are cut off from the wild olive tree, and implanted into Christ, there is new work still to do; new sins to mortify; new temptations to resist, new graces to quicken. A Christian must not only get faith—but go "from faith to faith," Romans 1:17. This will not be done without violence.
4. We must offer violence to Heaven in regard to the violent assaults made against us.
1. Our own hearts oppose us. It is is a strange paradox: man, who does naturally desire happiness—yet opposes it; he desires to be saved—yet hates that holy violence which would save him.
2. All the powers of hell oppose us. Satan stands at our right hand, as he did at Joshua’s, Zech. 3. Shall we not be as earnest to save our souls, as the dragon is to devour them? Without violent affections we shall never resist violent temptations.
5. We must be violent, because it is a matter of the highest importance. A man does not beat his head about trifles—but about matters wherein his life and estate are concerned. Violence is to be offered, if we consider:
1. What we shall save: the precious soul. What pains do we take for the feeding and enriching of the body, the brutish part? O then what violence should we use for the saving of the soul? The body is but a ring of clay; the soul is the diamond. The soul is the mirror wherein the image of God is seen. There are in the soul some shadows and faint representations of a deity. If Christ thought the soul was worth the shedding of His blood, well may we think it worth spending our sweat.
2. Consider what we shall gain: a kingdom. What pains are used for earthly crowns and empires; men will wade to the crown through blood. Heaven is a kingdom which should make us strive for it—even to blood. The hopes of a kingdom (says Basil) should carry a Christian cheerfully through all labors and sufferings.
There must be an offering of violence in regard to that aptness and proneness in the best to grow remiss in piety. When they have been quickened in a duty, they are apt to grow dead again. When they have been heated at the fire of an ordinance, they are apt to freeze again; therefore they still must be offering violence. The heart, like the watch, will be apt to run down; therefore it must be continually wound up by prayer and meditation. The fire of devotion will soon go out if it is not blown up. A Christian’s own experience of his inconstancy in performing good, is reason enough to holy violence.
If there must be this offering of violence, it shows us it is not so easy a thing as men imagine to get to Heaven. There are so many precepts to obey; so many promises to believe; so many rocks to avoid, that it is a difficult matter to be saved. Some imagine that there is a pleasant, easy way to Heaven—an idle wish, a deathbed tear—but the text tells us of offering violence. Alas, there is a great work to be done; the bias of the heart must be changed. Man by nature does not only lack grace—but hate it. He has an envenomed spirit against God, and is angry with converting grace; and is it easy to have the heart metamorphosed? for the proud heart to be made humble? for the earthly heart to be made heavenly? Can this be done without using violence? It is all up hill to Heaven, and it will make us sweat before we get to the top of the hill.
"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Matthew 7:13-14. Indeed hell will be taken without storm: the gates of hell, like that iron gate, Acts 12:10. open of their own accord; but if we get to Heaven, we must force our way; we must besiege it with sighs and tears, and get the scaling ladder of faith to storm it.
We must not only work—but fight. Like those Jews who built the wall of Jerusalem, Nehemiah 4:17-18. "Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked." A Christian is commanded to difficult service; he must charge through the whole army of his lusts, every one of which is stronger than Goliath. A Christian has no time to drowse; he must be either praying or watching; either upon the mount or in the valley, on the mount of faith or in the valley of humility.
Worldly things are not obtained without labor. What toiling is there in the shop? What sweatings are there in the furnace? And do we think Heaven will be had without labor? Do men dig for worms, and not for gold? Those who are in Heaven are employed; much more should those who are getting there. The angels are ministering spirits, Hebrews 1:14. The wings of the seraphim are many—to show us how swift they are in God’s service. If the angels in Heaven are busying themselves in noble and honorable employment, how industrious should we be who are getting up the hill of God, and have not yet arrived at a state of glory? Is salvation-work so easy? Can a man be saved by a faint wish? Can he leap out of the Devil’s arms into Abraham’s bosom? Oh no! there must be offering violence.
Some think free grace will save them; but it must be in the use of means. "Watch and pray." Others say, the promises will bring them to Heaven—but the promises of the Word are not to be separated from the precepts. The promise tells us of a crown—but the precept says, "Run in such a way as to get the prize," 1 Corinthians 9:24. The promises are made to encourage faith, not to nourish sloth. But others say, Christ has died for sinners; and so they leave him to do all for them and they will do nothing. Then the text would be out of date, and all the exhortations to striving and "fighting the good fight of faith," are in vain. Our salvation cost Christ blood; it will cost us sweat. The boat may as well get to shore without rowing, as we can get to Heaven without offering violence.
2. It shows us the great mistake of ignorant people, who think the bare doing of duties, though in an ever so slight and superficial manner, is enough. The text tells us of offering violence,
1. In the business of PRAYER. They think it is enough to utter over a few words though the heart be asleep all the while. What offering of violence is here? Christ was "in an agony" at prayer, Luke 22:44. Many when they pray, are rather in a lethargy than in an agony. Jacob wrestled with the angel in prayer, Genesis 32:24. The incense was to be laid upon burning coals, Leviticus 16:12. Incense was a type of prayer and incense upon burning coals was a type of fervency in prayer. Few know what the spirit of prayer means; or what it is to have the affections boil over. When they are about the world they are all fire; when they are at prayer they are all ice.
2. In the HEARING OF THE WORD. Many people think it is enough to bring their bodies to the assembly—but never look at their hearts. They satisfy themselves that they have been at church, though they have not been with God, while there. Others go to a sermon as to the market—to hear the latest news. New notions please their fancy—but they do not attend to the Word as a matter of life and death. They do not go to meet with Christ in an ordinance; to have the breathings of his Spirit, and the infusions of his love. Alas, what little violence for Heaven is to be seen in most people’s worship! In all the sacrifices of the law, there was fire. How can those duties be accepted which have no fire in them, no offering of violence.
3. If there must be this offering of violence to Heaven, then it shows us how dangerous moderation in piety is. Violence and moderation are two different things. Indeed, moderation in the things of the world is commendable. We should moderate our worldly desires—and "use the world as if we used it not," 1 Corinthians 7:31. We may, as Jonathan, dip the end of the rod in honey—but not thrust it in too far. In this sense moderation is good—but moderation in matters of practical piety is sinful—it is contrary to offering violence. Moderation, in the world’s sense, means not to be too zealous, not to be too fierce for Heaven. Moderation is not to venture further in piety, than may coexist with self-preservation. As the king of Navarr told Beza—he would launch no farther into the sea than he might be sure to return safely to land. To keep on the warm side of the hedge, is a main article in the politicians creed.
Moderation in the world’s sense, is neutrality. The moderate person finds a medium between strictness and profaneness; he is not for debauchery, nor for purity. It was the advice Calvin gave Melanchthon, that he should not so affect the name of moderate, that at last he lost all his zeal. To be lukewarm in matters of piety, is far from offering violence to Heaven, Revelation 3:19. "Be zealous and repent." If any should ask us why we are so violent, tell them it is for a kingdom. If any shall ask us why we make such haste in the ways of piety, tell them we are running a heavenly race, and a softly moderate pace will never win the prize. Moderation has made many lose Heaven; they have not made haste enough; they have come too late, (like the foolish virgins) when the door has been shut!