Matthew Mead · 3 of 7

A Name in Heaven. · Part 1

LUKE x. 20.

—In this rejoice not, that the Spirits are subject to you: but rather rejoice, because your Names are written in Heaven.

IT is the Philosopher’s Opinion, that Joy (considering the effects which it accidentally produceth within) doth more harm in the World than sorrow and sadness; and they give this Reason, That Joy, naturally dilating the Spirits brings the Mind to a loose carriage, and takes the Sense of Weariness from about it: but sadness, contracting the Spirits, keeps the Mind within the limits of sobriety, and brings it to serious Thoughts. And the wise Man, in favour of this Opinion, tells us in Eccles. vii. 3. that Sorrow is better than Laughter, for by the sadness of the Countenance the Heart is made better.

But this seems a great Paradox, that joy should hurt, and sadness do good, that Sorrow should be better than Laughter. Is Hell better than Heaven? is not Hell a Place of sorrow? And who is made better by it? and is not Heaven a Place of Joy? And who is made worse by it?

The End of all our Motions and Desires is to avoid Sorrow, Perturbation, and to attain Rest and Delight; which is nothing else but the Sabbath of our Thoughts, and that sweet Tranquility of Mind which results from the Fruition of that Good whereto our Desires have carried us. The great End of Religion is to promote and stablish the Joy of the Soul, sin being the proper parent of Grief and Sorrow. Nay the great End of the coming of our Lord Christ was to bless the World with Peace and Joy, and therefore his Birth is called by the Angel that published the News of it (Luke ii. 10.) good Tidings of great joy to all People. The End of his Doctrine was to fill them with Joy; St. John xv. 11. These things have I spoken to you that my Joy might remain in you, and that your Joy might be full.

This then being the End of all our Desires and natural Motions, the End of Religion, the End of Christ’s coming and Doctrine, to fill us with Peace and Joy in believing; it no way interfereth either with the Opinion of the Philosopher, or the Doctrine of the Preacher to averr, that Joy is better than Sorrow, as Peace is better than Trouble, Light better than Darkness, Sweet better than Bitter, and Heaven better than Hell; the one being a Place of boundless Joy, the other a Place of endless Sorrow. That Joy therefore which the Philosopher charges with such mischievous Consequences, and which Solomon prefer’s Sorrow to, is that which results from the Presence and Fruition of improper and unsuitable Objects, or which runs into excess and inordinacy, into which the Nature of Man, since the Corruption and Disorder of the Faculties and Passions, is too apt to degenerate: For this is certain, that there is nothing we can delight in much, without sin, but those things that lie most remote from Sence, the things of the invisible World.

And hence it is that our Lord Christ here in the Text, calls off his Disciples from rejoicing much in that which yet was as lawful and likely a Cause of Rejoycing as any, viz. Victory over infernal Spirits, and Successes against the Powers of Darkness; to fix their Joy upon a Good, infinitely to be preferred to that, and desired before it, and that is, a Name written in Heaven. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the Spirits are subject to you; but rather rejoice, because your Names are written in Heaven.

In the Words you have,

A Prohibition,

An Exhortation:

Somewhat from which they are dehorted; somewhat to which they are invited.

That from which they are dehorted is, rejoicing in their Success over infernal Spirits; rejoyce not in this that the Spirits are subject to you.

That to which they are invited is, to rejoyce in a Mercy of a much nobler Nature, and that is, their Share and Interest in the Glory and Blessedness above; Rejoice that your Names are written in Heaven.

I shall begin with the Prohibition, and speak a little to that, Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the Spirits are subject to you.

You will think a (rejoice not) very unwelcome Entertainment when the Work ye come about is to rejoyce, to remember the Mercy of this Day, the Pangs and Throws the Lord brought ye through on this Day; the hopeful Son that took his Birth and Breath from this Day. This was doubtless a very great Mercy, if the Mother had been spared, though the Child had died, there had been Mercy in that, but that the Lord should preserve the Root and the Branch both; make your Honour the Mother of a Child, and that Child a Son, and that Son perfect, not a Monster, not misshapen, not born Blind, not Dumb, not Deaf, not deformed and crooked: How many Mercies are in this one Mercy! Now to afix a rejoice not, upon such a Cause of Joy as this, seems very unwelcome and unseasonable.

But I hope by that time I have done ye will justify my choice of this Text, which hath not the least Design to suppress your Joy; but to raise it from Objects of Sense to Spiritual Delights, from lower and lesser Mercies to greater and higher Priviledges, from a Name on Earth, to a Name in Heaven.

Rejoice not in this that the Spirits are subject to you.

This Prohibition of our Lord Christ doth clearly imply that this casting out of Devils, by the Power of the Disciples’ Ministry in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, was matter of great Joy to them; and one would think, if any thing in the World could justify the running out of their Joy below God, this casting out of Devils might.

For, I. It was a great and miraculous Gift of Jesus Christ.

II. It was a Gift foretold by the Prophets, as reserved for Gospel time.

III. It was a Victory over the most potent Enemy, who laughs to scorn all humane Power, a stronger than he must come and bind him.

IV. It was a Victory very conducing to the Honour of the Lord Christ, that his naked Disciples in his Name alone, could make the Powers of Hell submit and stoop; so that certainly here was in the Success of this Service sufficient Cause of Joy to the Disciples; and yet saith our Lord Christ to them, Notwithstanding, in this rejoyce not. It is not an absolute Prohibition, but rather we may call it a cautionary Limitation, Rejoice not so much in this; though it was a true Ground of Joy, yet the Lord Christ takes them off from it, by raising their Hearts above it, to a higher and nobler Cause of Joy; and that for a twofold End.

1. To free them from the Danger of spiritual Pride, which is very apt to insinuate it self into our rejoycing: The Success of Duty is too apt to puff up and swell us beyond our Proportions. The Prosperity of the Creature in its Attempts, becomes a Temptation to sacrifice to its own Net, and burn Incense to its own Drag. When spiritual Pride mixeth it self with our Joy in God, we take from him more than we give to him, we rob him of his Glory, whilest we rejoyce in his Mercy.