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A43583 Meetness for heaven promoted in some brief meditations upon Colos. 1. 12. discovering the nature and necessity of habitual and actual meetness for heaven here, in all that hope for heaven hereafter. Designed for a funeral legacy. By O.H. an unworthy minister of the Gospel of Christ. Heywood, Oliver, 1629-1702. 1679 (1679) Wing H1771; ESTC R216793 64,886 228

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be above with God CHAP. XIII Some practical Inferences from this Doctrine USE of all this briefly is in four consectaries 1. That there is undoubtedly such a future state as bliss and blessedness for Gods ' Children after this life There remaineth a rest to the people of God Heb. 4.9 I need not go about to prove this it s sufficiently and abundantly confirmed by abler hands not only from Scripture but Nature Reason Divine Providence in the world and the grace of God in the hearts of his people Enough is said to silence Atheism in our Spirits and to stop the mouths of all Atheists on Earth Can any rationally imagine that God should endow Man with such a noble Soul and endue that Soul with such noble faculties of Mind Will and Conscience and Affections capable of knowing loving injoying God with fears and hopes of a future state and all this in vain Can we think the holy just good wise righteous God will always promote the wicked and punish the godly and not right these things in the next world Hath Christ come into the world to no purpose What would become of his Birth Life Doctrine Death Resurrection Ascention Intercession coming to Judgment if there were no life of future retribution What would become of the precepts promises threatnings motives means helps to an holy life here and to attain eternal life hereafter if there were no such thing Can we imagine that the great God governs the world by a lye Are Heaven and Hell bug-bears or meer imaginations of brain-sick fools Is there not a reality in Satans temptations to draw or drive us from God and future happiness Or are there no Devils or Spirits and so by consequence no God Away with these wild conceits contrary to the sentiments of all Mankind 2. Then it follows that assurance is attainable not only objective assurance that there is a glorious inheritance and that God will give it to some but subjective also that this is mine that its for me I have a title to it else how could persons thank God for making meet for this inheritance This assurance ariseth from actings of Faith and produceth rejoycing in hope of this glory of God Rom. 5.1 The gospel is a gospel of peace not of fears and doubts Assurance may be had not only by divine revelation but in the use of ordinary means I know in whom I have believed 2 Tim. 1.12 Read on and you 'l find not only his assurance of his present state but his perseverance and future felicity and it s not his peculiar priviledge but common to other Believers 2. Cor. 5.1 It s true God is a free Agent and may bestow it on whom and when he pleaseth Some have it most clearly at first Conversion as Bernard for a time after his Conversion remained as it were deprived of his Senses by the excessive consolations he had from God Cyprian saith He thought before his Conversion it was impossible to find such raptures and ravishments as now he found in a Christian course Many a close walking Christian can set his seal to this truth only it ordinarily comes in after hard conflicts with temptation wrestlings with God much experience and exact walking with God There is Salvation and there is the joy of Gods Salvation Psal 51.12 This saith Mr. Latimer is the sweet-meats of the feast of a good Conscience There are many other dainty dishes at the feast but this is the banquet This is better felt then expressed but must be endeavoured after prayed for Ask saith our Lord and ye shall receive that your joy may be full Joh. 16.24 3. That the work of thankfulness is the great duty of a Christian This this is the proper character and imployment of a Christian God commands it priviledges call for it gracious Souls have been much in it it is comprehensive of mans whole duty Vrsin entitles the practical part of his Carechism de Gratitudine of Gratitude Oh that Christians were more in it Praise is comely for the upright This is the Epitome of Religion the Emblem of Heaven the proper Air in which a Christian breaths It s most acceptable to God creditable to Religion and profitable to the Christian Mr. Fox tells us the City Zurick ingraved the Year of their deliverance from Popery upon Pillars in Letters of Gold for a lasting Memorial And have not Christians cause to thank God for grace and glory The Heathens could say Call a Man ingrateful and you cannot call him worse Hezekiah brought wrath on himself Judah and Jerusalem for not rendring to the Lord according to benefits done to him 2 Chron. 32.25 Oh Sirs you little know what an evil ingratitude is you fill your Souls with guilt you too much resemble wicked men whose character is unthankful 2 Tim. 3.2 That sin makes hard times yea it makes you like the worst of Heathen for which sin God gave them up Rom. 1.21 24. you act disingenuously as those that have served their turns of God and then disown him How can you own God in the next strait that are so much in arrears Will not your mouth be stopt and Conscience fly in your face Do you not daily depend on God for new Mercies And is not thankfulness a natural duty Is not gratitude for Spiritual Mercies a great evidence of your interest in them And is not every Mercy sweetened by thankfulness Nay is not this a mean to continue them The more thankful any have been the more eminent they have been Their graces have shined and glistered like Pearls and Diamonds Yea once more the more thankful you are and the more cause of thankfulness you will both have and see Thankfulness for what you are sure you have will produce a fuller evidence of that you are doubtful of The Lord humble us for our gross ingratitude which is as one saith a Monster in Nature a Solaecism in Manners a Paradox in Divinity and a parching Wind to damme up the Fountain of Divine Favours You 'l say Oh Sir I could be thankful with all my heart if I knew I were fit for Heaven and that my Soul shall at death enter into peace but alas as long as I am doubtful and at uncertainties how can I be thankful Conscience would check and condemn me and indeed I have more cause to be humbled and ashamed for my unmeetness then thankful for any meetness I find in me for Heaven Ans 1. There may be grounds both of humiliation and thankfulness in the same soul and subject Let the best Saints do the best they can and attain to the highest pitch imaginable they shall have cause of humiliation for their defects 2. Holy jealousie fears cares do well in Gods Children to keep them humble and indeed as grace increaseth fight of imperfections increaseth and sense of short-coming the more discoveries of Gods holiness the viler will the Christian be in his own eyes as Job and Isaiah Job 42. Isa 6.5
and the humbler the Soul is the fitter for God Isa 57.15 and 66.2 Thank God for that humility 3. You may and must be thankful for the Mercies which you have and cannot deny but God hath vouchsafed You have your lives for a prey are out of Hell which is more then you deserve you have abundant outward Mercies do not these deserve thankfulness Yea Christ hath purchased grace and glory for some nay further he hath put thousands into possession of this inheritance and should not this make you thankful Yea further Heaven is offered to you and you are under the means of grace and in a possibility of obtaining this happiness which Devils and damned Souls are not and is not this ground of thankfulness 4. Be sure you keep in mind the distinction of habitual and actual meetness for Heaven If you have not the former either relative or real be not adopted or justified are neither converted nor covenanted with God I say the Lord have mercy on you your case is doleful you have great cause of lamentation Oh man I am not now speaking to thee Be afflicted and mourn let your laughter be turned into mourning your joy to heaviness Jam. 4.9 Yea you graceless rich men weep and houl for your miseries that shall come upon you Jam. 5.1 I have not a word of comfort from the Lord to you Your eatthly inheritances shall be taken from you and you shall be thrust into the dungeon of Hell You may for a while kindle a fire and walk warm in the sparks you have kindled but faith God this shall you have of mine hand ye shall lye down in sorrow Isa 50.11 Stand you by while the Saints take comfort in their portion Read Isa 65.13 14 15. It is to you the heirs of promise to whom I am now speaking and bear you this in mind that its one thing to have right to this inheritance another to know you have right Many a gracious Soul is much in the dark about its relation yet its state safe for the main What sayest thou Hast thou not the things that accompany Salvation Heb. 6.9 Hath not God been dealing with thy heart as he useth to deal with such as he designs for Heaven Hast thou not seen thy woful state by Nature The necessity of Christ and grace Hast thou not experienced a change from Nature to Grace from Death to Life Hath not this new birth cost thee griefs and groans prayers and tears Dost thou not delight now in what thou didst disdain Is not thy principle rule end otherwise then formerly Hast thou not changed thy company courses manner of life Speak out man belye not thy self deny not Gods grace something like grace thou seest in thy self and to be sure Satan and World oppose it and man and thy self could not work it It is of God a seed sown by the hand of omnipotency And he that hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ Phil. 1.6 As to actual meetness for Heaven I refer you to what hath been laid down before look it over deal impartially see if your experience do not answer those heads hath not God helped you in the exercise of the graces of Faith Hope Love Humility Hath not God given you some grounded evidence of sincerity by diligence in duty reflection on your state appealing to God and pleading with God for the Spirits sealings Hath not God helpt you to be dispatching your work off your hands Spiritual Temporal Relative and Publick Are you not much mortified to corruption worldly injoyments and have you not spiritualized earthly things and got more intimate familiarity with God What say you to these things Do not your hearts eccho back with your probatum est setting your seal to these things I have not time nor room to inlarge further but I would have you diligently compare your selves now with what you were some years ago Is not your Repentance more Evangelical Doth not the sense of divine love extort from you more tears of godly sorrow and more vehement hatred of all sin purely it is offensive to God Hath not your Faith been more vigorous in its actings upon your dear Lord In closing more fully with promises Have you not been more frequent and serious in renewing your Covenant with God And have not such dayes and duties been solemn heart-melting opportunities Have you not been more constant and inlarged in the duty of secret Prayer with shorter intermissions and more favouriness Do you spend your time better then formerly Do you fill up every vacancy with some useful business for Earth or Heaven Have you not more incomes of grace and assistance in duties both as to matter and manner To knit your minds and raise your affections to God and sometimes suggest words to you Do you not more concern your selves for the Souls of Relations and others in Prayer and Discourse being more weighted with the necessity of their Conversion Are you not more endeared to Saints as Saints though poor or disobliging and of a different perswasion Have you not got power over your Passions to regulate them And if you feel unruly motions can you pray them down and through grace calm them Can you not put up injuries and affronts and not only so as not to revenge and forgive but pray more heartily for the repentance and remission of such as are most malicious against you Is it not more the grief of thy heart when God is dishonoured his Spirit grieved his Gospel reproached by the sins of profane or professours If thou think any body is offended by thee is it not more a real trouble to thee then formerly And thou canst not be quiet till thou seekest Reconciliation And if thou be conscious of giving them just occasion thou confessest thy fault and humblest thy self to them Hast thou not learned more faithfully and discreetly to manage the duty of private admonition of an offending Christian Drawing out bowels of compassion for and to such as are fallen Do not publick concerns of Church or Nation lye nearer thy heart daily Canst thou not more rejoyce in the gifts graces holiness usefulness of others though it obscure thine Art thou not more glad when corruptions are mortified then gratified When occasions of sinning are removed rather then afforded though it cost thee dear Dost thou not more sensibly understand the sweet life of faith in temporals Committing all to God thou findest provisions have been strangely made Are not thy affections more spiritualized towards dearest Relations Dost thou not love them in the Lord and the Lord in them and canst freely part with them upon Gods call Art thou not more taken up with Gods Mercies to give him the glory of them then any personal content thou hast in them Is not thy heart daily more weary of the world and longing for Heaven Yet after all this canst thou not say thou art nothing deservest nothing but Hell And if God glorifie his Justice in thy confusion thy mouth is stopped and thou must justifie him for ever with flames about thine Eares Dost thou not account thy self the greatest of Sinners least of Saints and by the grace of God thou art what thou art And this thou canst truly say that God is more thy exceeding joy and Christ more precious to thy Soul then ever Canst thou in thy sober solid setled frame answer these questions thy state is safe and sweet and thou art meet for Heaven yet not so meet but still breathing after more meetness till thy last gasp of breath for no man on this side death was ever meet enough and all must be ascribed to grace grace in the foundation grace in the topstone I shall conclude all with a part of a Poem in Mr. Herbert called Grace p. 52. Death is still working like a Mole And digs my Grave at each remove Let Grace work too and on my Soul Drop from above Sin is still hammering my heart Vnto an hardness void of love Let suppling Grace to cross his art Drop from above O come for thou dost know the way Or if to me thou wilt not move Remove me where I need not say Drop from above 2 Cor. 5.8 We are confident I say and willing rather to be absent frrm the body and to be present with the Lord. Amen FINIS Some Books to be Sold by Thomas Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapside A Call to Sinners such as are under sentence of Death and such as are under any prospect of it from the long suffering and gracious but most righteous God Three Questions resolved briefly and plainly viz. 1. What Conceptions ought we to have of the blessed God 2. What are those Truths whereof the Knowledge appeareth most indispensably necessary unto our Salvation and therefore to be first and most learnt by us 3. What is the change wrought in a Man by Gods H. Word and Spirit before he can safely conclude himself passed from Death to Life Being the Summ of three Sermons The Christian Temper Or the Quiet state of Mind that Gods Servants labour for Set forth in a Sermon at the Funeral of Mrs. Vrsula Collins A seasonable Question plainly resolved viz. What are we to judge of their spiritual estate who neglect the Lords Supper And what is that discerning of the Lords Body in it without which men do Eat and Drink their own Damnation The Christians earnest Expectation and Longing for the Glorious Appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ Set forth in a Discourse occasioned by the Decease of that Excellent Christian and Minister of Christ Mr. Noah Webb late of Sandhurst in the County of Berks. FINIS In Answer to this question see 3 Opinions in Dr. Tuckney Theses Praet Theol. ubi videa praeclare furius disputata p. 269. ad p. 292.