are of the Lords own teaching ever study that Lesson for as for others they love and like their hearts wel that when they are convinced of every thing else in the world they will boast of their heart that that is right but when a man can say as Hezekiah said to God Oh Lord remember I pray thee that I have with an upright heart sought thee as if he should have said If I could have done thee more service I would I would have prayed better and beleeved better and been more active but thou hast had my heart the Soul that can say so the Lord would answer it even as David said to the Lord in 1 Chron. 29. Oh! Lord saith he I know that thou lovest the heart when he had offered up an Oblation he and his People Oh Lord saith he I know thou regardest the heart and hast pleasuere in uprightness as for me in the uprightness of my heart I have sought thee So when thou shalt say Father my memory is weak my utterance bad my temptations strong and my corruptions great I can deny none of these but the Lord knows he hath my heart could I get it in a better frame I had rather see it in a better frame than have the estate of an Emperor Where there is a willing mind it is an excellent Speech of the Apostle in 2 Cor. 8. in the point of Alms and I wil give you an instance in that that you may make of it in a hundred other things when he would stir them up to contribute he saith where there is a willing mind it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not as if he should have said The Lord hath given me a heart I like this cause so wel I would willingly give twenty shillings to this cause but I am not able to give above a penny Hast thou a willing mind to give more thou art accepted according to what thou hast The liberal gift is but the work of Gods Providence the willing mind is the work of Gods Grace The same wil run throughout all duties go to prayer one man hath such an utterance conception working fancy can speak admirably to the affecting of all but these are but gifts and parts and if he hath an humble broken heart goes with it there is Spirit too but it may be another poor Soul that joyneth in the Duty that can hardly speak a few words of sense together but God knows if they could pray if they could pour out their souls if they could wrastle with God they had rather do it than any thing else in the world that is the work of prayer the other is but the work of common gifts that is for the edification of others therefore know this all of you we poor creatures deal with men and it is almost impossible but we value men according to their parts a man whom God enableth with parts and gifts to edifie others especially if there be Grace in his Heart too he is measured by the value of his parts by all men God goes not by that value No that Soul that takes most care about his Heart give me a Woman a handmaid that wrestles more in secret that she may bring her wil to Gods wil and may love and hate nothing but what God loves and hates find such an one out they are Gods choice ones and his Jewels therfore be not discouraged for the want of any thing while you can say The great God that knows al knows my great study is about my Heart I will conclude this use with a speech I have often heard of one Mr. Banes a man that was indeed an excellent emminent Man for any thing that was good and not long before he died some friends were with him in his Library it was an excellent one and they fel a commending of it I saith he There they stand but the Lord knows that for many years last past I have studied my Heart more then my Books Oh! There was a study give me a Scholler that can say I study my Heart more then my Book I study my Heart more then my Shop-book I study my Heart more then my Counting-House I study my Heart more then a Bargain that it may be pure and Holy this Man is a blessed Man and Woman that hath but attained this and then Lastly the last Use that I would make and I wil but even name it is this USE 3. I beseech you therefore for the time to come will you all make this your study You have heard it is a dangerous Heart you bear about you whatsoever you are that think you may be most secure of your heart you are but Fools to trust it and your Conversation wil be as your heart is remember all the Arguments I gave you and let it prevail with you for the time to come to enter into this serious study how you may keep it in a good frame continually and this now would have been an Introduction to the second Question for this is sufficient to prove that it ought to be so But now the next is Quest. Wherein stands the keeping of the heart in a good frame It is true I confess it is comfortable to hear of the general endeavor of it but what are the rules and directions the Servants of God should attend to when they would keep their hearts in so good a frame that it may be such a Temple of the Holy Ghost for the Lord to delight in Answ. That is too great a Question in truth to handle in a little time only these two or three things I would say in general before I dismiss you As First 1. There is no talking it is not for any man living ever to talk of keeping his heart in a good frame until first the Lord have broken it to pieces and new molded it that is for certain while the heart is as we come into the world as we are in a state of nature the wildest Beast under Heaven will be easilier tamed than the heart of a man wil ever be ordered It is just as a Bel that hath a crack throughout al the Bel-founders in the Town Country they may hew it and chip it and scurfe it and I know not what they wil never make it sound right til it be choped a pieces and new cast So I say the heart of man is by nature so forlorn so ful of wickedness so utterly destitute of all good that if all the Teachers and Tutors under Heaven had it to work to bring a man up and make him right til God take away the heart of stone and regenerate him and give him a new heart there is no talking of ever keeping it in a good frame Therefore if you be not throughly grounded in it get your heart knocked in pieces the first thing you do pray God Almighty to break it through break it down break it up
would do and there he sets down all the infirmities that Sheep are subject to I seek them that are lost some of them wander I seek them that are lost others of them are driven away by a violent temptation I wil fetch back that which is driven away saith the Lord then others of the Lords Sheep are wounded I will heal that that is wounded wounded in their Consciences with guilt the Lord wil heal them others of them their very Limbs are broken I wil bind up that that is broken and compare that with another place where some of them are unable to stir I wil lay them upon mine own Shoulders and bring them home Mark If they wander be driven away wounded broken lamed and spoiled he hath a heart sutably compassionate to them all that is One Jesus Christ compassionates us under our sinful infirmities as we Parents do our Children under their bodily infirmities we are far from loving them the less for them But if any one by the way should ask If he do so Why doth he not heal them Stay but while I come to the last Conclusion and that wil satisfie you that is the first Secondly 2. Jesus Christ at his Fathers right hand prevails that the sinful infirmities of his People make no breach in the league of love that is betwixt God and them mark what I say his Intercession prevails for them he bearing their names and pleading their cause prevails that there is no breach made in Gods good will towards them But even as it is with us that have a poor Child that goes about to do our work and oftentimes spoils it when he would fain do it and somtimes forgets to do it when yet he had a mind to do it we knowing the frame of the Child we kiss it notwithstanding So God is such a gracious Father through Jesus Christ to his people that notwithstanding al our infirmities the Lord never breaks his league of love but we may go to him and pray to him and call him Father leave our supplications with him and make that use of him as the Covenant of Grace holds him out to all his people as freely in the midst of all our infirmities as if we were quite delivered from them Now this the Scripture is wonderful plain in I could turn you to a great many That Speech of Micah is admirable Who hath such a God as we have Why what is our God He passeth by the transgressions of the remnant of his Inheritance he never looks after them or if any one shew him them he casts them behind his back drowns them in the depth of the Sea never laies them to the charge of them that fear him Thou art a dead hearted Creature and canst not pray without wandring and do nothing as becomes thee but thy own flesh rangles with it that al is an abhomination in thy own eyes that thou doest thou hast a friend in Heaven that presents all to God as if there were no blemish in them Thou art all fair my Dove there is no spot in thee Is not this good news to all those that endeavor to walk with Christ in sincerity The first is He pities them under them The second is He prevails that there is no breach made betwixt God and the Soul because of them Thirdly Another which is a very great one and that is 3. Jesus Christ gives his Spirit unto his People to relieve their infirmities The Spirit it self helpeth our infirmities you have that expression in Rom. 8. That the Lord Christ our Mediator doth give his holy Spirit to help us against our infirmities What is that I humbly conceive that Christ helping his Saints against their infirmities signifies these three things possibly it may signifie more but these three me thinks are very cleer The one is 1. The Lords Spirit helps the Lords People so about their infirmities that they shal not be quite overrun with them I he doth as he said to the Sea the proud waves of it when they come roaring hitherto you shal go there you shal stop So the Spirit of God keeps our corruptions in bounds otherwise he whose corruption is gotten loose and taints his understanding with a speculation that would carry him on to action and so to an habitualness No saith the spirit of God here I wil stop you you shal go no further that is one It is through the help of Gods Spirit only that the strength of every corruption that assaults us makes us not act it to the very height of it As when I walk with a man that hath overthrown me then I am in his power he may cut my Throat if I had not some friends to succor me Gods Spirit succors us that Satan and our corruptions should not totally subdue us Secondly 2. He raiseth us up again when corruption hath brought us down for you must know Brethren and that you wil easily understand that the nature of sin is such that when a man is committing it that he would rol down to the bottom of the Hil and when he is there the waight would lie upon him that he should never rise again Now the Spirit of God doth like the friend of a Wrastler by him when he hath thrown a man down he plucks him up again and sets him upon his feet again So when any thing hath overpoured the Soul it would never rise again were it not for the Spirit of Christ but Christs Spirit that is sent to relieve us sets us again upon our feet Yea Thirdly which is more 3. The Spirit of Christ so assisteth all his people that notwithstanding their corruptions be too strong for them they shal again oppose it yea and by degrees get strength against it Crucifie it and Mortifie it all As the Apostle expresseth it in Rom. 8. that when our corruptions are most potent by the help of the Spirit you shal mortifie and crucifie the deeds of the Body thus doth Christ for all his people he doth not only compassionate and keeps peace with God for them but keeps their corruptions in some bounds that they do not quite over run them or when they have prevailed in part sets them up again yea and gives them strength to get up again And then Fourthly and Lastly and then I draw to a Conclusion which is the Mystery of all the rest and that is this 4. The Lord Jesus appearing in Heaven for his People doth not only thus succor them but like a Heavenly Physitian maketh Treacle of these Bites he doth his Children Good by their Corruptions and helps them more on in their way to Heaven even by the opposition of their corrupt natures This I acknowledg to flesh and blood is a mystery not to be opened but you will see it cleerly to be so only understand me thus When I say the Lord wil do his people good by their sinful infirmities I mean not that there is any thing in
how the time is gone nor how burdensom I may be to you and although this was all the use I intended when I prepared this Sermon for this place yet since I finished it there is brought somwhat to my hands that doth enable me to make another use of it at least of one branch of it and I beseech you give attention to it and I have done I am informed that it is one of the ends of this grave honorable and solemn meeting of the Magistracy of the City and of this holy service to promote a work of Mercy and Charity towards the poor of the several Hospitals to let the wel affected be acquainted how things are and what may be expected or desired from them and that I may do it in a few words have patience but while I read this short paper to you and then I shal spend a little more of my Theam about it and then I have done Here is a true report c Thus Beloved I have read over this paper and I think I shal not need to tell you how it fals within my Theam I told you that one special branch of Self denial is to resign up all that we have of Wealth Lands Mony Trades Parts Abilities to resign them up to Christ to serve him with them to lay them out in the way that he wil appoint Now your hearts could not wish for a way more cleer and evident for the testifying your being good Stewards for Christ than in owning the present business that hath been read to you and to make it good I wil say but these two things in a few words First 1. That of al the Services of al kind of Services that ever we can do for Christ next to the saving our souls the work of Mercy and Compassion to People is most accepted with him that that himself wil most own in the great day when there shal not a cup of cold water go unrewarded that ever hath been given for his sake I am confident you so frequently hear of the excellency of the work of mercy and bounty to the poor that I shal not need to spend any more time to commend it to you only I pray you to think of it 2. But the other thing that I would commend to you is this and I beseech you beleeve I would not willingly flatter but according to the best information that ever I could obtain There is no such Treasury in the Christian world no such Banck where a man might promise what he doth to be faithfully and wisely and most advantagiously laid out as in this Treasury of the honorable City of London and the Governors of these Hospitals I have often heard for I am but an ignorant man my self in the affairs of this City Godly men and wise men often say that had they any Hospitals to erect any sums of mony were it a hundred thousand pounds that they would promise themselves to be laid out so that it should not go into private mens purses or be given to Vagrants and Knaves but to the halt and the lame that have need of it they have professed they would put it into the hands of those that are the Governors of the Hospitals about London where things are done in such a way that setting aside such frailties as al humane affairs are suhject to in the generality they are above making personal gains but desire only to be faithful Stewards and therefore if God do put it in any of your hearts that you would shew your self-denial and would indeed make Christ beholding to you as he will be pleased to cal himself your Debtor know that such things as these are very fit objects for your thoughts And the Lord of Heaven direct you about it I dare stay you no longer FINIS THE SAINTS DUTY To keep their HEARTS In a GOOD FRAME Opened in a Sermon at Olaves Silverstreet November 9. 1654. PROVERBS 4.23 Keep thy Heart with all Dilligence or as it is chiefly read Keep thy Heart with all keepings for out of it are the Issues of Life IN most of the Chapters of this Book of the Proverbs there is no connection of one verse with another that one should give light or help to clear the other but they are as a multitude of excellent Pearls put into a large Box whereof every one singly is of a very great price and it is thought by many that they were but so many sentences that King Solomon did utter usually when he sate in judicature according as the cause or condition was that was heard before him so there was a divine sentence in the Lips of the King and the Lord in his good providence and love to his Church hath recorded them to be for instruction for his People to the end of the world and amongst them al if you go from one end of the book to the other if it be lawful to make comparisons I may freely say there is not one Pearl of greater price one sentence of more divine use than this that I have read to you and shal endeavor God willing to open as far as I can within the compass of an hour and in it there are these two things plainly laid down Here is first 1. A Duty enjoyned to all the Lords Children in these words Keep thy heart above al keeings Secondly 2. Here is an Argument to enforce to this Duty in these words for out of it are the issues of life 1. And in the Duty there are likewise two things First 1. Here is the subject matter the thing that is to be done and that is Keep thy heart Secondly 2. Here is the manner how it must be done and that is as we translate it with al diligence Keep thy heart with all diligence or above all keepings keep thy heart Now give me leave briefly to interpret the meaning of the words and then I will put it all into one instruction which I will endeavor to handle in this hour First 1. What is meant by the heart And 2. Keeping the heart And 3. Keeping it above all Keepings And so 4. Of the issues of life that flow from it Let me give you a brief interpretation of each of them 1. What doth Solomon mean by the heart here that must be kept No doubt it is not meant of the heart made of flesh that is in the midst of our bodies it is spiritually meant that no man doubts of Now take the heart spiritually and somtimes in the holy Scripture the heart is put for the whol soul somtimes it is put for the understanding faculty somtimes it is put for the memory somtimes it is put for the Conscience sometimes it is put for the Wil sometimes for one or two Affections it were endless to give you the instances of all these but here is a Key in the Text which will tel you what is meant here for without question that is meant by the Heart here that is