careful to please one another according to the word of God their hearts are not sound if Children be not obedient to their Parents Servants serving their Masters not with eye-service but with singleness of heart as unto the Lord their hearts are not sound many will hear the word of God and talk of good things but care not for doing their duties in their places how do they fill up their relations but now if you be sound hearted you will fill up your relations you stand in Seventhly a sound heart can bear sharp afflictions very quietly and meekly a sore Shoulder will bear no burthen a Horse with a gall'd back will winch and kick and fling take a hand that the skin is off and pour vinegar upon it or lay Salt upon it and how terrible is it but if the hand be sound it can bear it if the Shoulder be sound it can bear a burthen if the Horse be sound he can bear the Rider so a sound heart can bear any burthen Moses was a meek man and he bore all the burthen that was upon him But now if the heart be not sound there 's fretting murmuring and repining when the heart is not sound every little thing doth disturb and disquiet it but when its sound it 's like Christ's heart it can bear all burthens whatsoever Eighthly A sound heart is the same towards God in the darkest dispensations that can be as it is to God in the sweetest dispensations that may be when God carries it most strangely and most enemy-like unto the soul that soul is the same towards God still as it was towards God before in the most sweet and pleasing dispensations saith Hab. in his 3. ch Though the Fig-tree should not blossem neither should fruit be in the Vine the Labour of the Olive should fail the fields should yield no meat the flock shall be cut off from the soul and there shall be no heard in the Stall yet will I rejoyce in the Lord I will joy in the God of my Salvation Though there be so great a famine as there is nothing left without or within yet will I rejoyce in God a man uses to rejoyce in God when he hath abundance of the creature but saith Hab. Though none of all these be and there be nothing but famine and I am ready to perish yet will I rejoyce in the Lord his heart was sound and he was the same towards God in one dispensation as in another So Job in the 13. ch 15. v. Though he slay me yet will I trust in him I trusted him when I had all things abounding about me and I will trust in him when all things are taken from me a sound heart is the same at all times Who is among you that feareth the Lord that obeyeth the voice of his Servant which walketh in darkness and hath no light Let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay himself upon his God A sound heart will trust in God in Winter as well as in Summer in a Dark night as well as in a Sun shine day in Phil. 4. I have learned saith Paul in whatever estate I am therewith to be content I can want and I can abound God hath made my heart sound and I can rejoyce in all conditions The Cananitish woman Christ calls her Dog here was a dark dispensation but she calls him Lord Lord the Dogs eat the Crumbs that fall from their Masters Table So that if your hearts be sound in the Statutes and in the things of God your hearts will be the same towards God in adversity as in prosperity in sickness as in health in poverty as in glory and honour Ninthly a sound heart will never turn aside from God or out of his way upon any pretence perswasion or advantage whatsoever but keeps on in Gods way in the Kings road in the way of holiness in the way of truth in the way of righteousness it keeps on in this way and will not be warp'd or turned aside it 's said in 1 K. 15.5 That David did that which was right in the sight of the Lord and turned not aside from any thing that he commanded him all the dayes of his life save onely in the matter of Uriah the Hittie 〈◊〉 through some violent temptations David turned aside once but now here was the integrity and soundness of his heart that he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord and turned not aside from the things that he commanded him all the dayes of his life so that a sound heart will not turn aside 't is not flattery 't is not fear 't is not advantage will make him do it but God is God Truth is Truth as Christ hated iniquity and loved righteousness so doth a sound heart this is the way of God and I will go this way saith a sound heart in the 11. Acts they cleave to God with purpose of heart the Apostle would not take money to give unto Simon Magus the gift of the Holy Ghost and a sound heart it will not be brib'd it will not be couzened it will not turn to the left hand or to the right hand but goes right forward to the end of the way Tenthly A sound heart hath a spiritual confidence and boldness in it and can come unto the Lord in another manner than an unsound and corrupt heart can I say it hath a spiritual boldness and considence in it Heb. 10.19.22 having therefore Brethren boldness to enter into the holyest by the blood of Jesus how comes any to have a spiritual boldness he must have his heart sound if he have any boldness in him if his heart be guilty if his heart be corrupt and rotten there can be no boldness nor confidence but being sound a man hath boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus A man that hath interest in the blood of Jesus hath a sound heart and v. 22. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of Faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil Conscience here 's that makes the heart good and makes the heart bold when the heart is sprinkled with the blood of Christ the Conscience is made sound and good and being thus now let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance such a heart as is sound may come with assurance and confidence unto God and beg of God what he stands in need of this is the nature of a sound heart 11. A sound heart depends upon God alone for all spiritual mercies in 1 Cor. 1. saith the Apostle But of him are ye in Christ Jesus that is of God are we in Christ Jesus God hath drawn you to Christ and stated you in Christ so that of him are ye in Christ Jesus who of God is made unto us Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption who of God is made unto us Those that are in Christ Jesus have soundness of heart they have
interest that the Saints have in God and the ground of it Their great interest in God is this that whatsoever they ask they receive of him they have such interest that God grants their Prayers whatever they ask And the ground of it is because they keep his Commandements and do those things that are pleasing in his fight Now least they might scruple what Commandements they were that he mean't he tells them in the Verse read of two especially and that is That they believe and that they love one another There be three great Commandements in the Gospel Believing Loving and Repenting Two you have here in the Verse the third in Acts 17.30 The Lord commands every man every where to repent and these two of Loving and Repenting cannot be rightly performed without the first Believing Believing in the Son of God for that love which is without faith is but natural love and that Repentance which is without faith in the Son of God is but legal repentance but that love and that repentance which springs from faith in the Son of God is spiritual love and spiritual repentance The Apostle tells you in 1 Tim. 1.5 The end of the Commandement is charity out of a Pure heart and of a good Conscience and of faith unfeigned If love dont come from faith unfeigned it is not spiritual love In the words read you have First the Commander in the word his Secondly The thing commanded Believing Thirdly The object or person in whom they are to believe or we are to believe set out First by his Relation the Son of God Secondly by his Titles Jesus and Christ The Commander here is God there is none greater than he and therefore his Commands are of greatest authority if in the word of a King there be power how much more in the word of the great and high God and 't is not a verbal Command onely but 't is a written Command that all may take notice of it and may yield obedience unto it The point that I shall commend unto you is this Doct. That believing in the Lord Jesus Christ is a duty under Command In Mark 1.15 saith he Repent ye and believe the Gospel Repentance is commanded and believing the Gospel is commanded and a man cannot believe the Gospel unless he believe in the Son of God I shall not multiply Scriptures to prove it the Text is enough This is his command that we believe in his Son Jesus Christ Now I shall in the prosecution of this point shew you what is imployed in Believing 2. What 's meant by the Name of the Son of God 3. What believing in the name of the Son of God doth also imply And then answer some questions and improve the point For the first what is implyed in believing First Knowledge is implyed in it 't is a blind faith where there is no knowledge the Papists believe as the Church believes and such a faith is a fancy rather than true faith Paul saith I know in whom I have believed and in Joh. 17.3 knowledge there is put for faith so essential is it to faith that it is put for faith it self this is life eternal that they might know thee the onely true God So that in believing there must be knowledge and understanding else it will be a blind believing a blind faith Secondly In believing there is implyed assent of the understanding to the truth that is propounded truth is the object of the understanding As Christ came into the World to save sinners I must assent unto this truth God is in Christ reconciling the world unto himself Such truths and Propositions as these there must be the assent of the understanding unto and Papists will go thus far in the point of faith and make the very formal nature of faith to lye in assent 't is a truth there must be assent but assent is not enough They place it altogether in the understanding and fix it there but the Devils believe and tremble and give assent unto truths they said Christ was the Son of God they gave assent yea the Devils believe and tremble therefore this is not enough though this is required and necessary assent there must be but there must be more than assent But Thirdly There must be Consent which brings in the heart and will and looks at the goodness of the truth or person some good that is in any truth propounded or any person to be believed in Rom. 10.9 10. If thou confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart Not in thine head for with the heart man believeth unto Righteousness with the heart man believes there must be the heart in believing and not the head and understanding onely so that there must be consent of the will and heart unto the thing believed Now this consent must be free and full to have Christ and whole Christ to have Christ at the best and have Christ at the worst whatever may fall out in true believing there is such a free and full consent that it will have Christ whatever it cost Fourthly Lastly in believing there must be affiance a confidence or trust and that you will find express'd in Eph. 1.12 that we should be to the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ there must be trusting After we know and give assent and consent then we must trust and depend and rely upon Christ So in 2 Tim. 1.12 I know whom I have believed in your margin it is whom I have trusted so that there is a trust a confidence a relyance a recumbency a dependance upon the Lord Jesus Christ where there is a right believing Thus you see what is implyed in believing Secondly What 's meant by the name of Jesus Christ Not the Letters or Syllables as many bow at the name of Jesus that is not the meaning but Name is put for the Thing or put for the person Psal 34.3 Let us exalt his Name together that is God himself let us exalt God himself so thou shalt reverence that dreadful name Jehovah that 's God himself and when you read of Sanctifying the name of God in Scripture that is God himself And so here Rom. 10.13 you will find by Name is meant God himself whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved that is shall call upon God himself And Acts 4.12 There is none other Name under Heaven given among men whereby we must be saved that is there is no person but Jesus whereby you can be saved And Joh. 3.18 he that believeth on him is not Condemned but he that believeth not is Condemned already because he hath not believed in the Name of the onely begotten Son of God Now what is it to believe in his name or in him First it implyes the receiving into our heads and hearts all things God hath revealed from Heaven concerning him As that he is the Son of God that God gave him for
and wealth and it may be he did not think himself to be one but when he comes to be prov'd to be one he is discovered to be that he was not so in Rev. 2. Thou hast tryed them and found them Lyars they said they were Apostles but they were found by the Church to be no Apostles but Lyars and now they were ashamed so they that said they were Jews and were not but he 's a Jew that is one inwardly and not outwardly only unsound hearted men will be found that which they are not in their own apprehension and in the judgments of others now this will bring shame when men shall be found that which they are not at present and which they were not in the judgment of others Secondly that which brings shame is disappointment when men are disappointed of their expectations Jer. 14. And their Nobles sent their little ones to the waters they came to the pits and found no water they returned with their vessels empty they were ashamed and confounded and covered their heads So that disappointment causes shame as in Isa 20.5 They shall be afraid and ashamed of Ethiopia their expectation and of Egypt their Glory So that when men are disappointed of their expectations then they are ashamed now unfound hearted men they will be disappointed of their expectations they look for Comfort Peace Heaven happiness and Glory but they shall be disappointed the five foolish Virgins they thought to go in to Heaven but they were disappointed of their expectation and so greatly ashamed Thirdly When great evils not look'd for come upon men and women then they are ashamed 2 Sam. 10.5 The men were greatly ashamed there were Ambassadors sent to Hanan and he cuts off half their Beards and half their Garments and here was evil come upon them they look'd not for and they were greatly ashamed so men that are unsound will have evils come upon them that they look'd not for God will bring evil upon them that they look'd not for evil upon their States and evil upon their Names and evils upon their Bodies and Souls and this will make them ashamed Now this shame frequently is in this Life but alwayes at the day of Judgment In this life how are men asham'd what a multitude of men in these dayes are discovered to be unsound hearted full of rotten principles Errors Heresies and sinful complyances and this is their shame what a multitude have divided hearts between God and Mammon what a multitude are discovered to have but seeming grace and no truth of grace in them what a multitude of Hypocrites have we in the world that have pretended fair and high and yet now their Hypocrisie appears they have left the sweet Grapes of Canaan for the stinking Garlick of Egypt what a multitude have we whose hearts are not set to practice what they hear these are all unsound hearted and these are discovered and more and more shall be discovered daily But at last when the Goats shall be set at the left hand and the Sheep at the right hand and Christ shall say go ye Hereticks go ye erroneous persons go you Apostates go you prophane wretches go you Persecutors begon to hell to the Devil and his Angels now they shall be ashamed and confounded for ever So that God he hath his time sooner or later to discover unsound hearted men and women Now that that I shall do here shall be first to shew you who are like to prove unsound and corrupt hearted men and women Secondly to give you some Directions or Arguments to prevent unsoundness of heart shame and confusion First who are like to prove rotten and unsound at the heart First those who do receive truth into impure hearts into divided hearts truth is holy truth is pure and truth never dwells or abides long but in a pure heart t is true truth doth sojourn sometimes in a corrupt heart Lot he sojourns in Sedom a little while Christ lay a while in the manger but he staid not there long and so mens corrupt wills thrust out truth out of the heart it will not let it stay long unless the heart be pure and holy 1 Tim. 3.9 holding the mysterie of the faith in a pure Conscience That is holding the Doctrine of the Gospel and a pure Conscience unless mens hearts and Consciences be pure they will never hold the mysterie they may have some part of the mysterie conveyed unto them which may visit them a little while but their hearts and Consciences cannot hold the fame and then such men and women will prove unfound at the latter end Secondly They are like to prove unsound who do take upon them the profession of Religion and Godliness and do much and go far but not for right ends many have their ends why they will profess Religion why they will have a form of Godliness and why they will do this and that they have their ends why they will get into Church-fellowship some will profess Religion and go far for credit esteem and respect when Religion is in fashion in credit and esteem they will be religious so Scribes and Pharises sought honour of men and so we have those seek honour and credit of men and because of that they will enter upon Religion but they will not be sound some do it for preferment and advantage some again for livelyhood they are poor mean and low in the world and have heavy pressures that way and therefore they will get into a Church that they may be maintained and so live by the sweat of others and think the Church is bound to maintain them and theirs such men as these will prove unsound at the last but have you no better ends to move you then these to be Religious and to look unto Gods Statutes Let my heart be sound in thy Statutes the Glory of God must be your end the good of Souls must be your end the good of your own foul and all other ends must be lay'd by now if men have not such ends as these they will prove rotten at last and will be discovered to their shame Thirdly Those are like to prove unsound at last and be ashamed who have not seriously considered what it may cost them to profess the Gospel to be Christians to enter into Church state and are not resolved to buy the Pearl though it be at the dearest rate they will prove unsound it may cost you something to be Christians so in Luke 14.26 and so forward If any man come to me saith Christ and hate not his Father and Mother and Wife and Children and Brethren and Sisters yea and his own life Mark he cannot be my Disciple and whosoever doth not bear his Cross and come after me cannot be my Disciple for which of you intending to build a Tower sitteth not down first and counteth the cost whether he hath sufficient to finish it least haply after he hath lay'd the Foundation and is