Richard Sibbes
From Demas forsaking Paul and embracing the present world, we learn that the love of Christ and of the world cannot lodge together in one heart.
Reason 1. They are two masters, ruling by contrary laws. Christ was resolved to suffer, but the world says, “Spare thyself” (see Mt 16:22). How can these agree? I deny not but a man may be truly religious and abound with all outward blessings, but the love of the world and love of religion cannot live in one breast. When the love of the world entered into Judas, it is said the devil entered into him (Jn 13:2). Now Christ and Satan are contrary one to the other. Where religion is, it carries the soul upwards to heaven and heavenly things; but where the love of the world is, it brings the soul downward to the earth and things below.
Application. This shows the gross hypocrisy of such men as labour to bring God and the world together – which cannot be. Where the world has possession of the heart, it makes us false to God and false to man. It makes us unfaithful in our callings and false to religion itself. Labour therefore to put the world in its own place, under your feet; for if we love the world, we shall break with religion, with the Church, and with God Himself. We see how it hindered the man in the Gospel from blessedness: when once Christ told him he must sell all that he had and give to the poor, “he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions” (Mt 19:22). How these things steal the good word out of our hearts, as the birds stole the seed that was on the wayside (Mt 13:4)! It even chokes the word, as the tares choked the corn when it sprang up (Mt 13:26). Where this worldly love is, there can be no true profession of Christ – let men delude themselves never so much.
1The second of two extracts from a sermon entitled, “The Danger of Backsliding”; Sibbes’ text was: “For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world” (2 Tim 4:10). Taken, with editing, from Works of Richard Sibbes, vol 7.
Question. But how shall I know that I love the world?
That will be seen by observing the bent of our heart, how it is swayed towards God and His service and how towards things below. When two masters are parted, it will be known who their servants are as they each follow their own master. Blessed be God, in these times we enjoy both religion and the world together; but if times of suffering should approach, it would be known whose servants we are. Consider therefore beforehand what you would do. If trouble and persecution should arise, would you stand up for Christ and set light by liberty, riches, credit, all – in comparison of Him?
Yet we must know it is not the world as such that draws our heart from God and goodness, but the love of the world. Worldly things are good in themselves and are given to sweeten our passage to heaven. They sweeten the profession of religion; therefore do not bring a false report upon the world. It is your falseness that makes it hurtful, in loving it so much. Use it as a servant all your days, and not as a master, and you may have comfort in it. It is not the world itself that hurts us but setting our hearts upon it. When God should be in our thoughts, our spirits are even drunk with the cares below. Thorns will not prick of themselves, but when they are grasped in a man’s hand they prick deep. So this world and the things of it are all good, and were all made by God for the benefit of His creature, unless our immoderate affection makes them hurtful, which indeed embitters every pleasant thing to us.
This is the root of all evil. When once a man’s heart is set upon the world, how lightly he treats God, and the peace of his conscience, to attain his ends! How he breaks with God, His truth, religion and all, to satisfy a lust! Indeed as we fasten our love, so we are either good or bad. We are not as we know, but as we love. If we set our love on earthly things, we ourselves become base and earthly; but if we love heavenly things, our way of life will be spiritual and divine. Our affections are those things which declare what we are. If we do not love religion, it is no matter what we know or talk of it.
He that loves the world brings it into the Church with him. It is chief in his thoughts, and therefore he carries it about with him in his heart wherever he goes. As it is said of Israel that they brought Egypt with them into the wilderness, so these bring the world to the ordinances of God; they come to the hearing of the word like drones, leaving their stings behind them.
Paul does not say here that Demas forsook him for fear of persecution, but for the love of the world. Faults are aggravated by deliberation. Peter denied his Master, but it was not after deliberation, whereas Demas did it in cold blood. He loved the world; he set up something created higher in his heart than the Creator.
Application. Labour to know the world so that you may detest it. In religion, the more we know the more we will love; but the more we know all worldly things the less we will love them. So a picture afar off will look good, but come near it and it is not so. Let us see then what the world is. Alas, it is but the present world, which will vanish away suddenly. Poor Demas thought a bird in the hand was worth two in the bush, and therefore he would brave it out a while; but what has become of him now? Often, when a worldling seeks these things, he loses himself and the world too; but a Christian never loses what he seeks after: God and Christ, and the things of a better life. The better we know the vanities of the world and the excellences of grace, the more we will love the one and hate the other.
Labour then for faith, that you may overcome the world. It was an excellent speech of Christ, when He sent forth His disciples, “Lacked ye any thing?” And they said, “Nothing” (Lk 22:35). Labour therefore for faith to rely on the promise for provision, protection and all things needful. If God is our shepherd, we are sure to lack nothing.
And cherish a waking heart; lay hold of eternal life. The way to get this is not to be drunk of the world, but to be wise, redeeming your time; and balance these earthly things with heavenly. See what these fading comforts are in comparison with eternity. All the things we see here are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Cor 4:18). Therefore we should let our affections run the right way and have Abraham’s eyes to see afar off, and feed our meditations with the things which we shall have hereafter, as Moses did.
I beseech you, let us prize the favour of God above all that the earth affords. What though we endure hardness here! Did Christ come to this earth to suffer for us, and shall not we suffer some difficulties for Him? Faith can see greater good in Christ than in the creature. This is what will set out the vanity of the world and the excellence of heaven, the certainty of the one and the perishing nature of the other. It will make things to come seem present with us, and find out a sufficiency in the worst state.
This is given as the glory of the grace that was to be administered under the gospel – that it should change the nature of the vilest men; that it should take away cruelty from the wolf and violence from the leopard, rage from the lion and poison from the asp – making them gentle and useful as the kid and the calf, the cow and the ox (Is 11:6-9). The main business of believers in this world is diligently to seek after the city of God, or the attainment of eternal rest with Him; and this is the character whereby they may be known.
Divine worship respects, as its object, each person of the blessed Trinity equally, not as this or that person, but as this or that person is God.
John Owen