Geue mee thy hearte thou vvouldest saye vnto him as Peter did vvhen Christe vvoulde vvashe his feet Lorde not my feete onely but my hands and my head not my heart onely but all my bodie and my thoughtes and my vvords and my vvoorkes and my goods and my life take all that thou haste geuen For vvhy should not vve geue him our heartes as vvell as our lippes vnlesse vvee meane to deceiue him vvith vvoordes for deedes If Abram gaue Lot leaue to choose vvhat parte hee did like shall not vvee geue God leaue to choose that vvhich hee loueth I hee did not loue thee hee vvou'de not require thy hearte for they vvhich loue require the heart Th◠master requires labour the lande lorde requires seruice the captain requires fight but hee that require◠the heart requires it for loue fo◠the heart is loue Wee vvill geue him little if vvee vvil not geue him that vvhich hee askes for loue tovvardes our selues though hee say giue it yet indeede hee hath bought it and that dearely with the deerest bloud that euer was shedde Hee gaue thee his heart before hee desired thy heart but heart for heart a liuing heart for a hart which died thou doest not lose thy life as he did for thee but thou bestowest thy life to glorifie him thou doest not part from thy heart when thou giuest it but hee doth keepe it for thee least the serpent should steal it from thee as he stole paradice from Adam when it was in his own custodie he cā keep it better than vve and he wil keepe it if we commit it to him and lay it in a bed of peace and lap it vith ioy and none shal take it out of his handes Therefore if ye aske mee why you should giue your heartes to god I doo not answere like the Disciples which went for the asse and the colte The Lorde hath neede but wee haue neede For vnlesse wee geue our soules hovv can hee haue them And vnlesse hee haue them hovve can hee saue them Therefore vvee haue neede if euer the saying vvere true It is more blessed to geue than take more blessed are they vvhich geue their heartes to GOD than they vvhich take possession of the vvorld Abigail did not gaine so much by her gifte to Dauid as vve for our gifte to God for shee vvas married vnto Dauid but vve are married vnto Christ of vvhom the Church doth sing in the 5. of Canticles that no wel beloued is like her beloved what hart would not be loued of him though it doe not loue him Who can assoyle this riddle vve vvoulde haue Christ our bridegrome and yet we vvil not be his spouse I would haue him take my heart yet I wil not geue it Hovv should he keep it or saue it or glorifi it if I hide it away like the seruant that buried his talent in the earth So much as I keep from God so much I keepe from heauen and vvill not suffer him to glorifie it as I did vvishe one part to be saued and another damned He vvhich vvould haue his hart sanctified and comforted and enlightened and vvil not geue it to God is like a woman which would haue her dough leauened and layeth her dough in one placee the leauen in another vvhere one cannot touche the other then commeth the tempter and takes them asunder and seaseth vpon the heart because he findes her alone This is his seede time novv hee enters into it and filles it vvith his poyson till the temple of God be the sinke of sin and the hearr vvhich shoulde bee the seate of holinesse grace and vvisedome a heart of pride a hearte of enuie a hearte of luste more like a bellie than a hearte hovv many things lodge in the hart vvhen God is not there It is a vvorlde to think hovv the diuine soule vvhich descended from heauen to bring forth fruit is become afit soyle for euery vveed vvherby vve may see vvhat hearts vve haue before vvee geue them to GOD Therefore novv aske your heartes vvhose they are and hovv they are mooued vvith these vvordes hovve many here vvill geue to this collection vvhose heart is gone vp vnto him since I beeganne to speake Here one and there one runs vp the ladder like the angels that Iacob savve in his dreame and sing vvith Dauid My heart is prepared my heart is prepared and why not thou as vvell as hee Doeth not he sende for all alike vvilt thou be the thorne or the stone or the high vvay vvhere the seede doeth lose his fruite vvhy hadst thou rather be cōpelled then inuited since thou art called to a banquet Howe manie heartes moe might we draw to God if all that be heere woulde goe to him this day But thus it standes God hath sent vnto vs for our heartes and wee answere him as the husbandes of the vineyard when he sent for fruites or as Nabal aunswered Dauid when hee sent for foode who is Dauid or who is the Lord That I shoulde take my heart from pleasure and sinne and giue it vnto him Thus we demurre vpon the cause when we should giue whether we should giue or no and aske the fleshe and our lusts and our pleasures and if the deuill will not giue his assent thē we return to an excuse it is not mine to giue or if thou cāst get the diuels good will I vvill not stand or let sinne and pleasure haue it for a while and when they haue done with it thē God shal haue it Thus euery thing which should be throwen out hath a place in our heart and hee vvhich shoulde bee receiued in can haue no roome there though hee would open the dores of heauen if vvee would open the doores of our hearts that the king of glorie might come in What shal become of those hearers vvhen he which craues them novv shal iudge them hereafter Then they shal stande like Esau and see them blessed like Iacob which gaue their heartes and crie themselues as hee did to his father Isaac haste thou not reserued a blessing for vs What a heauie heart will it bee then vvhen it may not ioye any longer heere and the ioyes of heauen are shutte against it and he vvhich desired it vvil not haue it because it comes like the foolish virgines when the dores of mercie are shut Thus ye haue heard vvhat God requires for al that hee hath geuen you and hovv all your seruices are lost vntill you bring it What shal I vvish you novv before my departure I vvish you vvould geue al your heartes to God vvhile I speake that yee might haue a kingdome for them sende for your hearts vvhere they are vvandering one from the banke another from the Tauerne another from the Shoppe an other from the Theaters Call them home and geue them all vnto God and see how he vvil
is the vvorldes like Ieroboams vvife vvhich vvould not seeme Ieroboams vvife By this thou shalt knovve vvhether thou haste geuen it to him or no If thy hearte bee gone all vvill follovve as the Sunne riseth firste and then the Beastes arise from their dennes the Fovvles from their neastes and men from their Beddes so vvhen the heart settes forvvard to God all the members vvill marche after it the tongue vvil praise him the foote vvil follovv him the eare vvill attend him the eye vvil watch him the hande vvil serue him nothing vvill stay after the heart but euerie one goes like handemaydes after their mistresse this Christ verifieth saying Make cleane vvithin and all wil be cleane that is the eye and the eare and the tongue and the hande and all as the Father gaue vs all vvhen hee gaue his Sonne so vvee geue him all vvhen vve geue our hearts This is the melodie which Paul speaketh of Ephe. 5.19 Make melodie to the Lorde in your hearts shevving that there is a consort of all the members when the heart is in tune that it soundes like a melodie in the eares of God and makes vs reioice vvhile vvee serue him vve haue example hereof in Christ vvhich said that it vvas meate and drinke vnto him to doo his Fathers vvil and Dauid vvhich danced to see the Arke and the Israelites of vvhome it is saide that they reioised vvhen they offered frō their heart vnto the Lord. Therfore Salomon pricking out the heart for God speaks as though he vvold set vs the pleasantest and fairest and easiest way to serue him vvithout any grudging or toyle or vvearines touch but the first linke and al the rest vvil follovv so set the heart a going and it is like the poize of a clock vvhich turnes al the vvheeles one vvay such an oile is about the heart vvhich makes all nimble and currant about it therefore it is almost as easie to speake vvell and do vvell as to thinke vvell If the heart indite a good matter no maruell though the tongue be the penne of a ready writer but if the heart bee dull al is like a left hand so vnapt and vntovvard that it cannot turne itselfe to any good Therefore Gods suites haue so hard passage in our counsailes iudgemēts and parliamentes because men doo not giue him their hearts vvhich should be the first offering of all if they did giue him their heartes before they sit dovvne to heare his cause they coulde not denie him any thinge that is for his honor though it vver against their profite but as Christ saith not my vvill but thy vvill so they vvould say it is not our kingdom but thy kingdom it is not our Church but thy church therefore not our vvill but thy vvil not our lavv but thy lavv not our disciplin but thy disciplin raigne in it all that giue their heartes subscribe to this the rest say not thy wil but our wil not thy lavv but our lavve not thy disciplin but our discipline because as the Apostle saith they seek their own glory and not Christs Phil. 2.21 This hath bin the rubbe euer since reformation began Herod cannot see how he shoulde bee King if Christ should raigne therfore as the imagemakers cried stormed whē images should goe down alledging that they liued by this crafte so if ye mark what kind of men they be which preach and write and labor so hotly against the discipline it is they that are like to lose some of their dignities or their commodities by it if the gouernment should change the Scribes Pharisies resisted Christ more then the people because he denounced wo to them and misliked that they shoulde bee called Rabbi hovv hard it is to follovv Christ when he saith leaue all nay if hee bid vs to leaue any thing for him though vvee should leaue our very selues Mat. 16.24 The tongue will not praise because the heart doeth not loue the eare vvill not heare because the heart doeth not mind the hand wil not geue because the heart doeth not pitie the foot vvil not goe because the heart doeth not stir al stay vpon the hart like the Captaine that should giue the onset Secondly God requiring the hart sheweth that all the thinges of this worlde are not worthie of it nor a peece of it nor a thought vnlesse it be to contemne them as Salomon thought of vanitie Thirdly that all should consent so with the heart that we shoulde speak as if the heart did speak pray as if our heart did pray heare as if our heart did heare giue as if our heart did giue remit as if our heart did remit counsell as if our heart did counsell as the Apostle saith Doe all thinges heartily Coloss. 3.23 which if we would keepe nothing that we doe should trouble vs because nothing is troublesome but that vvhich goeth against the heart Fourthlie that vve shoulde serue god for himselfe and not for our selues as he vvhich giues his heart dooth all for loue This christ requires vvhen hee castes off that disciple vvhich offered to follovv him for aduantage The birds haue nests the foxes haue holes saith christ but the sonne of man hath not a place to hide his head shevving this disciple if he vvill follovve him he must not looke for a place to hide his head vve must leaue all to follovv christ as Peter did and not seeke al by follovving him as they that vvent after him for bread Fiftly that vve should not serue god by fits as vve vse to pray vvhen the night comes to hear vvhen the Saboth comes to fast vvhen Lent comes to repēt when death comes but the seruice of the heart is continuall seruice like in that 1. Thes. 5 Reioyce euermore praye continuallie in all thinges geue thankes Who is this which reioiceth and praieth thanketh continually The tongue praieth but sometime the eare attēdeth but sometime the hand giueth but sometime but the heart prayeth and praiseth and vvorshippeth alvvaies a man may serue God alvvaies vvith his heart and neuer be vvearie because the heart cannot serue him vnlesse it reioyce in his seruice and therefore they praised God vvith musicke vvhich did not delight god but shevved that they delighted in his seruice as they did in musicke 1. Chr. 15.16 but if the tongue or the hande or the eare thinke to serue God vvithout the heart it is the yrksomst occupation in the vvorld the houre of tediousnesse like a long sicknesse hee is tired before hee beginne and thinketh himselfe in the stockes till the sermon be ended till his praier be doone that hee may bee at libertie and turne to his byas agayne Lastly this shewes how God mislikes our coldnesse in hearing or praying if wee cannot say with the Virgin My hearte doth magnifye the Lord. Al that comes short of this is hipocrisye and pleaseth GOD like the
offering of Cayne Genesis 4.5 As Ioseph charged his brethren Genesis 42.15 that they shoulde not come to him for corne vnlesse they brought Beniamim vnto him vvhome they lefte at home so GOD vvill not haue vs speake to him nor come vnto him for any thing vnlesse vvee bring our hearte vnto him vvhich vvee leaue behinde The tongue vvithout the hearte is a flattering tongue the eye without the hearte is a vvicked eye the eare vvithout the hearte is a vaine eare the hande vvithout the heart is a false hand Doest thou thinke that God vvil accept a flattering tongue a wicked eye a vain eare a false hand which reiecteth a sacrifice if it be but lean or brused No saith Paul If I geue all that I haue haue not loue that is geue not my heart it auailes me nothing he saith not that they vvhich geue not their heartes geue nothing but that they shall haue nothing for such offerings hee vvhich brings but a mite bringes his hart brings more then he which offers a talent he shall goe avvay more iustified then he which saide All these haue I kept from my youth vpward for God is not mocked but knowes how much is behind thogh Ananias seem to bring al. He marks hovv I speak and how you heare hovv vve pray in this place if it come not from the heart hee repels it as fast as it grovves vp like the smoake vvhich chmes tovvardes heaueÌ„ but neuer comes there man thinkes vvhen he hath the gift that he hath the heart to but god vvhen he hath the gift cals for the hart stil the Pharisees praier the harlots vow the traitors kisse the sacrifice of Caine the fast of Iezabelle the teares of Esau the oblation of Ananias are nothing to him but still he cries bring thy heart or bring no thing like a iealous husbaÌ„d vvheÌ„ he hath a vvife yet he is iealous vvhether he hath her hurt so vvharsoeuer thou do yet god is iealous still respects not what thou dost but whether thou do it froÌ„ thy hart of mere loue tovvard him If Pilat had vvashed his hart vvhen he vvashed his handes he had bin cleaner than NaamaÌ„ vvheÌ„ he came out of IordaÌ„ if the Sichemites had circumcised their harts vvheÌ„ they circumcised their flesh they had saued their soules vvhen they lost their liues if Cain had offered his heart vvhen he offered of the fruites his offering had bin as acceptable as Abels but as svvÃns flesh vvas like shépes flesh yet vvas not accepted because it caÌ„e froÌ„ an vncleane beast so Caines offering Pilats vvashing the Sichemits circuÌ„cision the pharisces praier and fasts alms vver as fair as the apostles yet they had no revvard but wo to you hypocrits because they vvaÌ„ted the heart vvhich is like the fire that kindleth the sacrifice but vvil he requit our praiers fasts almes as he did theirs yea saith Christ except your righteousnes exceed the pharisees that is except vve giue our harts besides our lips our eares our almes vvhich they gaue more than vve we shal not enter into the kingdom of heauen because our righteousnes doth not exceed the righteousnes of the pharisees but their righteousnes exceedeth our Christ doth not bid them wo because they vvere Pharisees as vve are not but bicause they were hypocrites as we are God delights him self in giuing therfore loueth a cheerfull giuer but he cannot giue cheerfully which giues not his heart Therefore Iudas thought the oyle spent which was powred vpon Christ wisht the price of it in his purse so they grudge and greeue when theie should doe good and think shall I giue it Can I spare it what will it bring So the good worke dieth in birth like a Bride which drowpeth in the hand whiles the head considers whether he shall let her goe or holde her still as easie to wring Hercules club out of his fists as to wring a penitent teare from their eies or a faithfull praier from their lips or a good thought from their hart which cannot affoord the hart it selfe euery thinge is too much which they do and they think God more beholding to them for blurting out a Pater nosler or staying a sermon or fasting a fridaie than they to him for al his benefits and when they haue doone what is their reward wo be vnto you Scribes and pharisies hipocrites because you gaue not your hartes therefore we doe but vexe our selues and loose our labour thinking to make God beleeue that we praie when indeed our lippes doo but praie wherby it comes to passe as we serue him so he serueth vs our peace is not in deede but in vvorde our ioy is not in heart but in countenaunce a false comfort like our false vvorship for he vvhich geueth God his lips in stead of his heart teacheth god to geue him stones in steade of bread that is a shadovv of comfort for comfort it selfe Novv vvhen vve haue giuen god faire vvords and long prayers and solemne fastes and mourning countenances hee puts in but a vvorde more to fill vp the sacrifice Geue me thy heart and it suffiseth It is like the laste suite of Abraham when hee saide to God I will speake but this once so if thou wilt heare him in this hee wil aske no more therefore nowe conclude vvhether God shal haue thy heart or nothing If thou consider vvhat right he hath to aske it and what cause thou hast to giue it thou canst not keepe it til I ende my sermon Of all the suters vvhich come vnto you it seemes there is none which hath any tytle to claime the heart but God which challengeth it by the name of a sonne as if hee should say thou shalt giue it to thy father vvhich gaue it to thee art thou my son my sons giue me their hearts and by this they knowe that I am their father if I dvvel in their heartes for the heart is the Temple of God therefore if thou be his son thou wilt giue him thy hearte because thy father desires it thy maker desires it thy redeemer desires it thy Sauiour desires it thy Lorde and thy King and thy Master desires it which hath geuen his Sonne for a ransome his spirit for a pledge his vvorde for a guide the vvorlde for a vvalke and reserues a kingdome for thine inheritance Canst thou denie him any thing vvhich hath geuen the heire for the seruant his beloued for his enemie the best for the vvorst Canst thou denie him any thing vvhose goodnesse created vs vvhose fauour elected vs vvhose mercie redeemed vs vvhose wisedome conuerteth vs vvhose grace preserueth vs vvhose glorie shall glorifie vs Canst thou denie him anie thing O if thou knevve as Christ sayde to the Woman of Samaria vvhen shee huckte to geue him vvater if thou knevve who it is which saith vnto thee