Flesh and Fleshly Relations fail us our Outward-man perisheth daily our Bodily strength decays our Friends fail us our own Hearts fail us this should comfort us that our Lord is gone to Heaven to prepare a place for us and he is now preparing us for that place by his Spirit by his Word and Rod and when he hath prepared us he will come again and take us to himself that where he is we may be also And where is that but at his Father's right hand in Glory Col. 3. 3 4. 2. The second Preparative to this far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory is that great and glorious Work of Christ in raising our Bodies from the Dust and uniting them again to our Souls the wonderful Effect of Almighty Power and Love Read 1 Cor. 15. 1 Thess 4. 15. Death shall not dissolve the Union between Christ and us not turn away his Affections from us but in the morning of Eternity he will send his Angels yea come himself and roll away the Stone and unseal our Graves and awake us out of our long sleep and call us forth to receive our own Souls again and oh what a joyful Meeting will that be and what unspeakable comfort will that produce The Devil had the power of Death till he was overcome by Death Heb. 2. 14 15. but he that liveth and was dead and is alive for evermore hath now the Keys of Death and Hell Rev. 1. 18. The Saints Resurrection to Glory is only the fruit of Christ's Death and this fruit they shall certainly partake of The Promise is sure Joh. 5. 28. All that are in the graves shall hear his voice and come forth Joh. 6. 39. And this is the Father's will which hath sent Christ that of all which he hath given him he should lose nothing but should raise it up at the last day So Ver. 40. Joh. 14. 19. As sure as Christ is risen we shall rise also because he lives we shall live also Besides this mortal life we now live we have a life that 's hid with Christ in God And when Christ who is our life shall appear then shall we also appear with him in glory Col. 3. 3 4. Oh then beloved Fellow-christians Let us be stedfast unmovable alwaies abounding in the work of the Lord forasmuch as we know our labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. Let us never look at the Grave but let us look to the Resurrection beyond it Let us contentedly commit these Carcasses to the Dust that dark Prison shall not long contain them Let us lye down in Peace and take our Rest it will not be an everlasting Night nor endless Sleep no no there will come a most joyful and glorious Morning What if we go out of the Stirs and Troubles of this World and enter into those Chambers of Dust and the Doors be shut upon us and we hide our selves as it were for a little moment until the indignation be overpast as sure as we awake in the morning after we have slept out the night so sure shall we then awake And what if in the Grave we become loathsome Dust cast out of the sight of Men as not fit to be endured among the Living What if our Bones be digged up and scattered about the Pits brink and Worms consume our Flesh yet we know our Redeemer liveth and we shall see him with these Eyes And why should we be loth to lay down these Bodies of Flesh how comely or fair soever they are they have been but the Prisons of our Souls Clogs and Hinderances to our Souls in the Work of God and Way to Heaven What care labour grief and sorrow have they cost us How many a weary painful tedious Day and Night Grudge not O my Soul that God should disburthen thee of all this and free thee from thy Fetters and break open thy Prison door remember that when this Earthly House of thy Tabernacle is dissolved thou hast a Building of God an House not made with hands eternal in the Heavens O my Soul labour now to have thy part in the first Resurrection now labour to get into Christ and to live in him by Faith and Love now labour to know O my Soul the Power of his Death and Resurrection in thy dying to Sin and living to Righteousness now act thy Faith on Jesus and thy Love to him and let Jesus live in thee and manifest his Life in thy mortal Flesh and let thy Thoughts and Affections be set on things above let thy Conversation be in Heaven and let thy Heart be where thy Treasure is now live to him that dyed for thee and rose again and then fear not Death but be confident that as sure as Jesus dyed and rose again so sure shall all they that sleep in Jesus rise also and that altho' thy Body be sown in Dishonour it shall be raised in Glory 1 Cor. 15. 43. This is the Second Preparative 3. The Third Preparative to this far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory is that great Assize and general Judgment when the Lord Jesus shall sit upon the Throne of his Glory with all the innumerable Host of glorious Angels about him and all the Sons and Daughters of Men that ever lived upon Earth shall stand before him Rom. 2. 16. 14. 10. to be judged by him and to receive their final Doom Rev. 20. 12 13. Matth. 25. 31. at which time there will be made an exact separation between the Sheep and the Goats between the precious and the vile and then the Saints shall be first acquitted and justified and then with Christ shall judge the World Those that have truly repented and sincerely believed in the Lord Jesus they that have chosen the Lord for their God and Chief Good and Portion placing all their Happiness in him and have unfeignedly accepted of the Lord Jesus for their only Lord and Saviour and have unfeignedly given themselves wholy up to his Government by his Word and Spirit and entred cordiasly into Covenant with him and became entirely his these shall sit on his Right hand these have often judged themselves iâ— Heart-breaking Confessions and therefore shall not be then judged to Condemnation by the Lord for there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh hut after the spirit Rom. 8. 1. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's Elect Shall the Law These are not under the Law but under Grace their Surely hath fulfilled and satisfied the Law for them the Law of the Spirit of Life which is in Christ Jesus hath made us free from the Law of Sin and Death it is God that justifieth who shall condemn The Judge himself hath said That he that believeth is him shall not perish but shall have everlasting life he shall not come into condemnation Joh. 3. 16 17 36. but will say to all such You have confessed me before men and
For saith he our light affliction c. In which Reason or Argument we may observe 1. The Nature of the Saints Troubles they are Afflictions 2. The Qualities of them they are light and but for a moment 3. The Tendency of them or their subserviency to their eternal good through God's blessing on them they work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory 1. For the Nature of the Saints Troubles they are Afflictions and our Afflictions All the Saints Troubles in this Life are Afflictions and but Afflictions they are not properly Punishments inflicted on them to make Satisfaction for Sin They are not Destructions no they are but Afflictions The original word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth a pressing from the effect of them on the Saints for they are sent to press out their hidden Corruptions that were in the Heart undiscovered to make manifest that which lay hid before Affliction is as God's Wine-press also to press out the sweet Wine of Grace that it may appear in Act and Exercise It is also God's Fullers-press to press out the inward spots and defilements of their Souls Afflictions are not to the Saints Executions of Vengeance not Destructions as they are to others Destruction upon Destruction that is one Trouble and Distress upon another so they are to the Wicked 2. They are our Affliction too this may note first the commonness of them to all men 1 Cor. 10. 13. No Temptation befals us but what is common to Men to all Men and mostly to all Saints it is their Lot their Portion yea it is God's Gift to them Phil. 1. 29. Secondly It may note the Propriety the Saints have in their Afflictions and Benefit they have by them These Afflictions are ours 1 Cor. 3. 22. All things are yours things present the present Afflictions are ours that is they are sanctified and made profitable to us they are our Friends Friends to our Souls not our Foes they are our Helps not our Harms they are ours in common also they are the Churches Troubles others sympathize with us and they count our Afflictions theirs And if this be so what reason have we to faint and sink under our Troubles seeing they are but Afflictions not Destructions and seeing they are ours also for our good and advantage appointed and ordered to us by the loving Hand of our only-wise God and gracious Father and seeing all the People of God have a share in them by way of sympathy and we have a share in their Prayers for us therefore we faint not 2. The second Branch of this Argument is the Quality of those Afflictions expressed here by two words 1. They are light 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 leve the same word in Mat. 11. 30. My burden is light that is it is tolerable sufferable such as may be endured and suffered Christ's Government is not intolerable neither are the Afflictions of his People Object But how can that be that the Troubles of God's People are light Were David's Troubles light from whom we often hear such sad and bitter Complaints And were Job's Troubles light Job 6. 3 4. And were the Primitive Christians Troubles light See the 7th and 8th Verses of this Chapter and elsewhere the Apostle complains that they were pressed above measure and despaired even of Life Answ The meaning plainly is comparative Afflictions are light not simply considered in themselves but by way of comparison as thus 1. They are light in comparison of what our Sins have deserved Sin deserves Eternal Death everlasting Flames in Hell everlasting Destruction easeless endless remediless Torments The Wages of Sin is Death eternal Damnation 2 Thess 1. 8 9. Now in comparison of Hell and Damnation all our Afflictions are but light but as Flea-bitings to those eternal Torments Oh what is the Wrath of Man to the Wrath of a GOD What is the Displeasure of a Father to the Revenge of an Enemy Oh what is Sickness Poverty a Prison Losses c. to Hell-fire 2. They are light in comparison of the cruel bitter dreadful Sufferings of Jesus Christ the Son of God He upon whom the Spirit of Might did rest was even sunk by them if we do but duly consider Christ's Sufferings his bloody bitter Agony in the Garden when his Soul was exceeding sorrowful even to death he was sore amazed when all the Sins of the Elect were laid on him made to meet on him Isa 53. 6. all the Wrath of Men and Devils on him yea and which was heaviest of all his Father's Wrath was on him it pleased the Father to bruise him and to put him to grief Isa 53. 10. All this would have sunk Ten thousand Worlds this made our dearest Lord sweat great drops of Blood c. Oh the inconceivable love of our Blessed Jesus O the cursed nature of Sin But what are all our Afflictions all our Sufferings in comparison of Christ's He was afflicted he was oppressed infinitely more than ever any man was or can be 3. Light too in comparison of what the Wicked shall suffer hereafter see Psal 11. 6. 2 Thess 1. 9. Revel 21. 8. Our Afflictions are light surely very light in comparison of these 4. Light also in comparison of the Glory that God's Suffering Saints shall afterwards enjoy This our Apostle affirms Rom. 8. 18. I reckon that the sufferings of this present life are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in vs. Not worthy to be compared with that far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory Thus are our Afflictions said to be light 2. Another Quality of our Afflictions noted here is That our Afflictions are short also as they are light so they are short too 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 momentany for a moment Object But how can this be Did not David complain that he was afflicted from his Youth and the Church in Affliction four hundred years at once How then are their Afflictions short Answ This for a moment or short time must be understood comparatively also Our Afflictions are short and for a moment in comparison of what the Damned must suffer for their Death is eternal their Destruction is everlasting everlasting Damnation in Hell the Fire never goeth out the Worm never dyeth But especially our Afflictions here are short as well as light in comparison of that far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory that the Saints shall possess hereafter Observe the Antithesis or opposition here in the Text which duly considered and Faith acted on it is enough to support a Christian under all his Troubles Mark it well For Afflictions here he shall have Glory hereafter for light Afflictions he shall have a weight of Glory for short Afflictions an eternal weight of Glory yea a far mâ—â—e exceeding and eternal weight of Glory in comparison of which Afflictions all our Afflictions may well be termed light and short Let us seriously consider how strangely and wonderfully the
I will confess you before my Father and the holy Angels This will be the joyful day indeed the day of our full Redemption the time of refreshing indeed the fore-thoughts of this day should support us under all our present Troubles 4. The Fourth Preparative is the Saints solemn Coronation and receiving into the Kingdom of their Father Now the Crown of Righteousness of Life of Glory which was promised them from the beginning of the World and purchased for them by the most precious Blood of Jesus and laid up in Heaven for them shall by the Lord the righteous Judge he given them at that day they have been faithful unto Death and therefore shall receive the Crown of Life The Lord Jesus will then say to all his Saints Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world Every word is full of joy and comfort COME will Christ say Approach this exceeding Glory come is near as you will for the way to it is open for you I have made your passage plain by my blood Christ will not say then Come take up your Cross and follow â—â— but Come now and receive your Crown COME YE BLESSED In the world ye were accursed but now ye are blessed and shall be blessed for ever OF MY FATHER You are the objects of my Father's love he loveth you as he loveth me INHERIT You are the heirs of the promises the heirs of the kingdom the heirs of salvation No less than the Kingdom of Heaven You shall reign with me for ever and ever PREPARED Eternal Love hath laid the Foundation He prepares the Kingdom for us and then prepares us for the Kingdom FOR YOU for you all poor penitent Believers called Regenerate Souls for all you that received me by Faith and persevered therein to your death Thus much for the Preparatives to this far more excceeding and eternal weight of Glory II. Secondly I shall speak a little also of the Properties of this Glory but oh how short and shallow are my Apprehensions of this also Lord enlighten my Understanding and affect enlarge and quicken my Heart 1. This glorious state of Happiness is called The Purchased Possession Eph. 1. 14. It is the Friâ—â— of the Love and Blood of our dear Redeemer whom we shall in Heaven behold and enjoy We shall have our Redeemer alwaies before our Eyes and the liveliest sense and freshest Remembrance of that bleeding-dying-love still upon our Souls Oh how will it fill our Souls with perpetual Ravishments to think that in the Streams of this Blood we have swam through the violence of the World the snares of the Devil the seducements of the Flesh the curse of the Law the wrath of aâ— offended God the Accusations of a guilty Conscience and the vexing doubts and fears of an unbelieving Heart and are passed through all and are safely arrived at the Bosom of God O think and think again what weight of Woâ—â— and Wrath of Sin and Sorrow lay upon the Soul and Body of our most dear Lord to purchase foâ— us this exceeding weight of glory His Soul was oppressed exceedingly oppressed his Body broken his Blood shed to purchase this Glory We value things by the Price they cost If any thing we enjoy were purchased by the Life of our deareâ—â— Friend how would we esteem it Certainly thâ— bitter Death and Blood of our Lord will everlastingly sweeten our Heavenly Glory Oh that the Joy we shall then leave those Hearts of Stone and Rock behind us the Sin that here so close hâ— sets us and the sottish Unkindness that followeâ— us so long shall not be able to follow us into that Glory but we shall behold as it were the wounds of Love with Eyes and Hearts of Love for ever Now his Heart is open to us and ours shut to him but when his Heart is open and our hearts open too oh what a weight of Joy will there then be What a passionate meeting was there between our new-risen Lord and the first-sinful silly Woman that he appears unto How did Love struggle for expression Mary saith Christ Master saith Mary and presently she clasps about his Feet having her Heart as near his Heart as her Hands were to his Feet What a meeting of Love then will there be between the new-glorified Saint and the glorious Redeemer But I am here at a loss my Apprehensions fail me and fall short only this I believe that it will be the singular Praise of our Glory that it was bought with the price of that Blood and the singular Joy of the Saints to behold the Purchaser and the Price together with the Possession 2. Secondly This Glory also is most free it was dear to Christ but free to us Silver and Gold could not purchase this Glory nothing but the precious Blood of the Son of God but we have it freely for nothing without Mony and without Price It 's true this Glory is promised on Conditions but the Condition is but hearty Acceptance and to take him for our Lord who hath redeemed us especially when the Condition is also given as it is by God to all his Chosen Faith which is the main Condition is the gift of God O the everlasting admiration which must needs surprize the Saints to think of the freeness of their Glory O what did the Lord see in me to count me meet for such a state That I a poor diseased despised Wretch should be cloathed in the brightness of this Glory That I a silly worthless Worm should be advanced to this high Dignity That I who was but lately groaning weeping dying should now be so full of Joy as my Heart can hold Yea should be taken from the Grave where I was rotting and stinking and from the Dust and Darkness where I seemed forgotten and here sit before the Throne of God in Glory when the poor self-denying self-accusing humble Soul that thought himself unworthy the ground he trod on unworthy the air he breathed in unworthy to eat drink or live that this Soul shall find himself wrapt up into Heaven closed in the Arms of Christ crowned with Glory in a moment Dâ— but think with your selves what a transporting astonishing thing this will be surely our Unworthiness shall not hinder our Glory God hath chosen the Poor of this World rich in Faith to be Heirs of that Kingdom Grace is most free so is Glory As we pay nothing for our Pardon so nothing for our Glory What an astonishing thought will it be to think of the unmeasurable difference between our Deservings and our Receivings between the state we should have been in and the state we are in to look down upon Hell and see the vast difference between us and them to see the Inheritance which we were born to so different from that we are adopted to O what pangs of Love will it cause within us to think yonder in that dreadful place in those
his Providences to observe and comply with them answering them by suitable Duty 2. Secondly We look unto our Blessed Jesus the Image of the Invisible God the eternal Son of God He was once visible and seen in the Flesh and shall be so again at his second coming Acts 1. But now we see him not yet now we believe in him and look on him by Faith And that we may look upon and behold this unseen Jesus and by Faith and Love to enjoy Union and Communion with him to know him living in us and to have fellowship with him in his Death and Resurrection and in his Life to receive of his fulness Grace for Grace This the Saints aim at and spend their Thoughts and Cares about and make this the main and principal work of their Lives Phil. 3. 8 9 10. That they may be joyned to Christ married to him engrafted into him partake of his Spirit Life and Grace that they may be conformable to him and enabled to walk as he walked that he may sup with them and they with him that he may dwell in their Hearts by Faith and take up his abode with them and manifest his Love unto them that they may grow up in all things like unto him These are the Aims Intentions Desires Prayers Longings and constant Endeavours of truly-gracious Souls Not to be rich and great and honourable in the World but to partake of the unsearchable Riches of Christ to get and possess Jesus this Pearl of greatest 〈◊〉 to be rich in Faith to have a clear Title to â—e Crown of Life which Jesus hath purchased â—â— promised to live in Christ and to please hoâ—â—ur and enjoy Jesus This is their Chief Laâ—â—ur 3. The holy Spirit is invisible and eternal the â—â—cious Influences and Operations of the Holy â—host on the Hearts and Spirits though the â—ects may in some sense be said to be visible â—â— of eternal efficacy yet the Operations are in 〈◊〉 sence invisible the Graces of the Spirit â—â—ch I take to be those Waters of Life which our â—â—d speaks of John 4. which spring up to Eterâ—al Life the Joy the Comforts of the Spirit the â—aintings teachings guidings of the Spirit the â—â—iness and sealings of the Spirit all these are inâ—â—able and eternal things and these are the things â—hat natural men cannot know nor discern 1 Cor. 2. â—1 13 14. Strangers intermeddle not with this by because Strangers to it It is hidden Manna â—â—at these are the unseen things that gracious â—als mind seek and breath after and always â—â—g for Oh that they may be filled with the â—pirit filled with the Graces and Comforts of the Spirit and enjoy Communion with the Spirit 4. The Word of God the glorious Gospel that is invisible and eternal not in the Letter of it for that is to be seen in the Book but the Mysteries of â—t are hidden Mysteries Matth. 11. 25. These things are hid from the wife and prudent of the World It 's true the sound of the Gospel is gone â—ut abroad throughout the World but the power and efficacy the vertue and inward workings of it the sweetness of it that is invisible to the Eye of the Body and hidden to the World 1 Cor. 2. 9 10. God reveals those things to his People by his Spirit The infinite Beauty of Christ his transcendent Excellencies the Beauty of Holiness the surpassing sweetness of the Promises the glory of Heaven with many many other unspeakable Excellencies which are held out in the Gospel all which bodily Eyes cannot see nor carnal Hearts understand The powerful enlightning quickning transforming nourishing strengthning refreshing and comforting power and vertue of the Gospel but very few see and feel none but such as are spiritualized and whose Understandings are savingly enlightned Eph. 1. 17 18 19. There are great and glorious things represented in the Gospel but Men's Understandings must be enlightned before they can see them Life and Immortality is brought to light by the Gospel Heaven and Hell opened in the Gospel but not to be seen by the bodily Eye Hence the Gospel is said to be hid 2 Cor. 4. 4. and this word abideth for ever 1 Pet. 1. 25. and it is an everlasting Gospel Now saith the Apostle we look to the Word of God and mind the glorious Mysteries of the Gospel and feel the sweet and powerful effects of it we desire the sincere milk of the Word that we may grow thereby we esteem the Word of God above our necessary food Job 23. 12 13. and it is sweeter to us than the hony or hony-comb Psal 19. 9. 5. We look unto and mind all the exceeding great and precious Promises which are in the Word of God the vertue sweetness and good of them are all invisible to carnal Eyes Tell a carnal man of the goodness and sweetness of the Promises it is a Riddle to him give him present Enjoyments he never tasted any sweetness in them but true Christians look on them as exceeding rich things and look up to them and embrace them and live upon them they could not â—re without them The Promises are dry Breasts â—â— carnal Hearts they can draw no vertue from them but they are full Breasts to gracious Souls â—â—il 27. 13. I had fainted unless I had believed that â—â— in the Promises to see the goodness of God in the 〈◊〉 of the living The Promises That God will be our God in Christ and our Portion and exceeding great Reâ—ard Gen. 17. 1. That He will be a Sun and a â—ield to us give us Grace and Glory and will with-hold no good thing from us Psal 84. last â—romises of Pardon of Peace of Holiness and â—â—essedness of Rest for our Souls Mat. 11. 28 29. Promises of his good Presence with us in all our â—roubles of Supports Supplies and of a gracious 〈◊〉 out of all gracious Souls trade in the Promises converse with the Promises these they mind â—nd rest upon and find Sweetness and Comfort in 6. And Lastly We look unto all those great and glorious things which the Great God hath prepared for us from the foundation of the World and which our most dear Lord Jesus hath purchased for us by his most precious Blood Oh the great and glorious things which God our Father â—ath prepared for us that blessed Vision of God that Kingdom of Heaven that Life eternal that Crown of Glory of Life of Righteousness that inheritance incorruptible undefiled and that saâ—â—th not away that far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory that everlasting Rest all these things are invisible and eternal And unto these â—â—seen and eternal things we saith the Apostle 〈◊〉 and set our mind upon And also the great and glorious things which our Lord hath purchased as Peace with God his Favour Acceptance with him Adoption Sonship Heirship Remission of Sins an heavenly Inheritance these are all invisible and eternal things great and wonderful things things of the greatest
this Rule we shall find our Hearts so earthly so carnal our Minds so fleshly so set upon visible temporal things but our Thoughts on invisible eternal things so short so weak so inconstant so seldom so soon tired and our Affections so unsetled so unfixed that we shall have great cause to bewail our selves and cry out with St. Paul O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death Rom. 7. 24. And this will make us cry to God also to renew the Spirits of our Minds and to transform the Image of our Minds and this should make us look up to God's Covenant for new Hearts for Hearts joyned and united to the Lord Psal 86. 11. Psal 57. 7. 108. 1. Oh what cause have we to bewail the frequent departings and wandrings of our Hearts from God their slidings from God and to cry with holy David Quicken me uphold me Our Hearts are not fixed nor stayed on God we do not abide with God Third Vse of Exhortation To this great Duty of most serious minding of and looking unto invisible eternal things O let us mind and look unto and aim at God Christ the Spirit the Word the Promises the great and glorious things purchased by Christ and prepared for us in the other World Oh mind the full enjoyment of God and Christ in Heaven for ever and ever to dwell with him in whose presence is fulness of joy and at whose right hand are pleasures for evermore Let us mind eternal things in good earnest with all our Hearts and Souls Look off look off visible temporal things shut your Eyes to the World turn away your Eyes from beholding Vanity But open your Eyes towards Heaven hold your Eyes to invisible eternal things Here I shall shew I. The Hinderances to this Duty II. Means to help us to perform it III. Motives to perswade to it I. The Hinderances which are many and which must be avoided 1st Hinderance is living in any known or beloved Sin this will keep us down from heavenly Meditation Heb. 12. 1. No looking unto Jesus except we lay aside the Sin that doth so easily beset us in some Passion in some Weariness of well-doing in others Pride or Covetousness is the Sin that doth easily beset them This must be hid aside whatever it be it must be repented of and reformed 1 Thess 5. 22. Abstain from all appearance of Evil Sin interposeth between God and our Souls and hides his Face from us If we would mind the Heavenly Word of God so as to profit by it in hearing or reading of it we must lay aside all known Sin 1 Pet. 2. 1 2. Sin divides us from God and heavenly things If we regard any Iniquity in our Hearts God will not hear our Prayers The sacrifices of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord. 2ly Worldly Cares Fears Joys Sorrows If we suffer these to take up our Hearts and to fill our Minds and Thoughts there will be no room for heavenly things We must therefore be watchful to cast out and keep out those bad guests Luke 21. 34. Phil. 4. 6. Be careful in nothing If our Affections be set on visible temporal things they cannot be set on invisible eternal things No man can serve two Masters God and Mammon saith our Lord. If the World be Master of our Hearts and Minds of our Thoughts and Affections then surely they cannot be set on GOD and things above 3ly Worldly Company where is nothing but Earthly Discourse They that are of the Earth are earthly Worldly Company will cool the Affections and dull and deaden the Heart and draw it from God Therefore is that Exhortation and Prohibition Eph. 5. 11. Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather reprove them True Christians are Christ's Doves his Turtle-Doves they have no Society with the Birds of Prey They are Christ's Sheep what have they to do among Swine They are his Children what have they to do among his Enemies We are not aware of the very great mischief that carnal company doth bring to our Souls If at any time we have had any communion with God in any Ordinance and Duty and then presently go into vain carnal Company we shall quickly lose all savour and relish of God and Heavenly things as if you eat Hony and presently eat Gall after you lose all the taste of Hony And that 's not all but by being in worldly Company you will soon be infected and will bring away on your Spirits the ill savour of the Earth and filthy World as a man that comes out of a Garden of sweet Flowers goes and wallows on a stinking Dunghil The best of us should not go into worldly Company but as Physicians into a Pest-house when lawfully called and with our Preservatives with us We having so much Flesh and Earth in us Worldly Company will make us more fleshly and earthly 4ly Pride and High-mindedness God resisteth the proud 1 Pet. 5. 5. Psal 10. 4. There are many precious Promises made to the humble Job 22. 29. God will dwell with the humble teach them save them None have so sweet Communion with God as humble Souls Heavenly things and humble Souls are things very suitable and agreeable one to the other 5ly Sloth and Idleness 'T is easie we say to go down the Hill but not so easie to go up 'T is easie because natural and usual and ordinary to mind visible temporal things but there must be Pains-taking Industry and Labour used to raise up our Hearts to invisible eternal things a stirring up our selves 2 Tim. 1. 6. And we must often call upon our own Souls and provoke one another and ill too little We must have Resolution and Zeal 6ly The greatest Hinderance of all is Vnbelief Men do not fully believe nor are fully perswaded of the Reality and transcendent Excellency of invisible eternal things This is the grand Impediment Why is not the great God the good God the Fountain of all Goodness the Alsnfficient Good minded thought on loved feared trusted served no more but because He is not believed He is not believed to be that which he is indeed and which he hath revealed himself to be Heb. 11. 6. He that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him Oh the cursed rooted Atheism and Unbelief that is in all our Hearts more or less Why is not Jesus Christ Precious Jesus Blessed Jesus Lovely altogether Lovely Jesus the Brightness of his Father's Glory the Chiefest of Ten thousands the fairest of all the Sons of Men is whom dwells all fulness oh why is he no more minded thought on spoken of why no more admired loved and sought after but because He is not believed To them to all them that believe he is precious most precious 1 Pet. 2. 7. And why is not Heaven and Happiness that far more exceeding and eternal weight of
glory that Everlasting Rest in the full and perfect enjoyment of the Blessed God for ever thought on minded and laboured after more but because these things are not fully believed O cursed Unbelief Men believe that Life Liberty Health Honour Estate c. are good things and therefore they mind them and labour after them and count no Pains too much to obtain them labouring as it were in the Fire to get those things Those that believed those better things in the other World counted those visible temporal things of this World but Toyls and Trifles Heb. 10. 34. 2 Cor. 5. 1 2 3 4. So Heb. 11. throughout It is our Unbelief is the cause why God and Christ and Heaven have so little of our hearts and minds so little of our thoughts and affections Oh let us all bitterly bewail our Unbelief Lord subdue and pardon it These are the Hinderances II. The Means to help us to this Work that we may most seriously and most heartily mind invisible eternal things 1. First We must labour clearly to know and understand the Truth and Reality the exceeding Greatness and Excellency of those invisible eternal things as was hinted before Our ignorance of them is much the cause why we mind them no more Ignoti nulla Cupido No man minds or loves what he knows not Let us set our Hearts in earnest to consider what it is to enjoy God who is All-fulness what it is to have Fellowship with the Father and the Son what it is to have Communion with the Holy Ghost to have the gracious Presence of the Holy Spirit to feel the Work the Witness the Sealing the Joy the Consolation of the Holy Spirit all which all true Christians know and feel in some measure and rejoice in them Consider also what it is to live in Christ and to have Christ to live in us to dwell in our Hearts to manifest his Love to us to come in to us to sup with us and we with him to take up his Abode with us what it is to know the Power of his Death and the Vertue of his Resurrection to be made one with him joyned married to him made one Spirit with him and what it is to be made like him here and what it is to be made like him hereafter both in Soul and Body â—ad to appear with him in Glory at last and to be for ever glorified with him what it is to see this Face and to dwell in his presence for ever Oh chese are the only things that are worthy of all our Hearts and Minds most worthy of all our Affections and Desires of all our Labourings Longings Pantings Breathings Hungrings and Thirstings of Soul Oh shame on us all that we spend our Affections on Toys and Trifles on Dreams Fancies and Shadows Oh that such Folly and Madness such Brutishness should possess us Let us lament and lament it And let us labour to know and understand those high and excellent things and let us be fully perswaded of them and of their infinite worth and value These things are worth glorying and rejoycing in Jer. â—â— 23 24. Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom But let him that glorieth glory in this that he understandeth and knoweth me that I am the Lord which exercise loving-kindness judgment and righteousness in the earth for in these things I delight saith the Lord. Let us consider also the exceeding-great and precious Promises and what our Blessed Jesus hath purchased and what God hath prepared for his People in the other World and let us ponder upon and by Meditation work these things into our Hearts and Minds Labour for a distinct knowledge of all those things Labour to prove your particular Right and Title to all those invisible eternal good things and then you will mind them indeed A bare Knowledge of them without an Interest in them will do you no good No wise man will much mind those things in which he hath no Interest let us then search and try whether we have any true Title to these things whether we have any good and solid ground to hope that we shall one day be possest of them and shall certainly enjoy them Then we shall think of them and speak of them with Joy and Comfort when we can say with Paul There is laid up for me a crown of righteousness And we know that when the earthly house of this tabernacle is dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens We all hope to enjoy that promised purchased Inheritance all hope to see God in Glory and to be happy but let us try our Title by the Word of God by that Word which must judge us all at the last day We may easily deceive our selves as those in Matth. 7. 21 22. and as the foolish Virgins no Deceit so easie nor so common nor so dangerous for it is irrecoverable and a little serious tryal might prevent this Self-deceiving Self-searching may prevent Self-deceiving and Self-undoing Briefly then let us ask our selves Is Jesus Christ ours Then All is ours All depends on this If Christ be ours God is ours Pardon Life Salvation Heaven and Earth is ours 1 Cor. 3. 22 23. Are we Christ's really and sincerely his Then He is ours My beloved is mine and I am his Are we his all we are his Hearts Heads Tongues Time Talents are we all his Are we new Creatures 2 Cor. 5. 17. If any man be in Christ he is a new creature Mark it a new Creature all old things are pass'd away and behold all things are become new new Insides new Out-sides new Principles new Ends new Affections new Desires new Delights new Company new Language all new if new Creatures Have we the Spirit of Christ in us If any man have not the spirit of Christ the same is none of his Rom. 8. 9. Doth Christ live in us Is Christ most precious to us Do we believe in him Let us try the truth of our Faith doth it purifie our Hearts Doth it work by Love by Love to Christ to all that hath the Image of Christ on it Doth it overcome the World Doth it support under Trouble Let us see that it be Faith unfeigned the Faith of God's Elect. Have we with all our Hearts chosen the Lord for our Portion and placed our Happiness in him fixed our best Loves Desires and Delights in him and have we resigned up our whole selves cordially and unreservedly to him Have we broken our League with all Sin and with all the Idols of our Hearts Do we hate and detest all Sin and do we keep a continual watch and war against all Sin Have we an equal respect to all God's Commandments Can we deny our selves and part with all things for Christ Are we the Heirs of the Promises If we be really Christ's then are we Heirs of the Promises Gal. 3. 29. Are we the Children of God If Children