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
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
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
Lakes of Fire and Brimstone was my native place my deserved Portion those unquenchable Flames should have lain on me that never-dying Worm should have fed on me But that unsearchable rich Grace and infinite Love in God through the most precious Blood of my Redeemer I am delivered from that place of Torment Eternal Life is the Gift of God through Jesus Christ my Lord Did not I neglect Grace and make light of the Offers of Life and slight my Redeemer's Blood a long time as well as those poor damned Souls Did not I waste my time forget my God and my Soul and walk after the Flesh as well as they Was not I born in Sin â—nd Wrath as well as they Or who made me to â—iffer Should I ever have loved God if he had not first loved me Or ever been willing if he had not made me willing Had not I been in those â—ames if I had my own way and if he had let me â—lone to my own will Oh how free was all this â—nfinite Love and how free is this Crown of Glory that so glorious a Crown should be set on the Head of so vile a Creature 3. The third Property of this Glory is that it shall be fully satisfying and contenting for it is a weight of Glory an exceeding weight of Glory It shall be a perfect freedom from all Evil and a perfect fruitiâ—ns of all Good This Glory shall be perfectly suiâ—â—ed to our Natures for as here in this Life every gracious Soul is made partaker of the Divine Nature of the Life of God in some measure and made like Christ in some degree so in the Life to come he shall have a Nature more fully like God his holy Image more fully printed on him and made more fully like Christ When he shall appear we shall see him as he is and we shall be like him â— Job 3. 2. When we awake at the glorious morning of the Resurrection we shall be satisfied with his likeness Psal 17. 15. This Glory shall be perfectly suited also to the Desires of the Saints then the So shall have all that Heart can wish all that ever thou O poor believing Soul didst ever pray or labor for there thou shalt find thou wouldst rather have God in Christ than all the World why there thou shalt have him O what wouldst thou give for the Assurance of his Love Why there thou shalt have Assurance beyond all suspicion yea thou shalt have infinitely more than thou canst desire This Glory is suited also to all the Necessities of the Saints it will make a full supply to all our wants for it is an exceeding weight of Glory My God shall supply all your need with the riches of his glory in Jesus Christ Phil. 4. 19. Here in this World we are always complaining of Wants for Soulor Body or both we want Grace want Peace and Comfort we want Health and Friends nothing but Wants But when once we come to possess this exceeding weight of Glory we shall have no more cause to complain of Wants we shall never want any thing for ever for we shall be filled with all the Fulness of God we shall ever be with the Lord and dwell in his presence for ever in whose presence is fulness of Joy and at whose right hand are Pleasures for evermore Solomon said That Mary answereth all things I am sure that Glory will answer all things 4. Fourthly This Glory is incorruptible 1 Cor. 9. 25. This is an Inheritance incorruptible and undefiled 1 Pet. 1. 4. We shall then have Joy without any mixture of Sorrow Rest without Weariness As there is no mixture of Corruption with our Graces then so no mixture of Sufferings with our Solace Our best Comforts here are mixed with Crosses we have no Flower without Prickles Our best Wine is mixed with Water and some times with Vinegar and Gall. We are now sometimes even at the gates of Heaven and presently almost as low as Hell Today we are well to morrow sick to day in credit to morrow in disgrace to day have Friends to morrow none The only thing that corrupts and imbitters our sweetest Comforts here is our Sins and God's hiding his Face from us for our Sins It is Sin that puts Gall and Wormwood into all our pleasant Cups but when we shall receive that exceeding weight of Glory we shall sin no more for ever Hark O my Soul the best News that ever thou heardst since that greatest good news of a Saviour the time is coming when thou shalt sin no more Rev. 21. 27. then Saints are Saints indeed Eph. 5. 27. O poor Believer if it were put to thy choice wouldst thou not rather chuse to be freed from Sin than to be made Heir of all the World Wait till then and thou shalt have thy desire That hard earthly carnal Heart that thou hast so often complain'd of to the Lord those vain and vile Thoughts which did lye down and rise with thee shall trouble thee no more Oh blessed state blessed time 5. And Lastly It is an eternal weight of glory a Crown of Glory that fadeth not away that Life is everlasting there is no more Death it is everlasting Peace everlasting Joy Pleasures for evermore Eternal Glory O blessed Eternity The Saints shall be Pillars in the Temple of God and go no more out for ever What! to be eternally blessed to be ever with the Lord What can my shallow Thoughts conceive of this O happy Souls in Hell if they could escape after millions of years But how infinitely happy are those in Heaven that shall live there eternally O this amazing this astonishing word Eternity O my Soul study this word Everlasting methinks it should revive thee in thy deepest Agony Thy Heaviness shall endure but for a night God will hide his Face but for a moment thy Afflictions are but light and short thy Temptation shall be but an hour thy Tribulation but ten days but thou shalt receive a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory Believe this O my Soul and let thy Heart break and melt that thou art no more affected with that eternal Love that purchased this eternal Glory for thee For ever adore and admire eternal Love and Grace and double thy Diligence to secure thy title to this eternal weight of glory and live in the Love and in the high Praises of thy dear Redeemer and patiently bear all thy Afflictions because they are preparing thee for this Glory Thus we have seen a little of the Preparatives to and Properties of this far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory and alas how little do I know of it Now before I proceed let us also enquire who shall be the Possessors of this Glory or what those happy persons are that shall be made partakers of this Blessedness that we may know whether we our selves have any title to it and have any good hope through Grace that we shall one
excellency and highest concernment And saith the Apostle we that are Gospel-christians we look to these things upon these we spend our most serious thoughts and our best affections these possess our hearts and minds and we live in the continual prospect of these unseen and eternal things Before I come to the Reasons of the Point a little more to open this Act of gracious Souls and the Object of it I. For the Act Looking which may note these things 1. It notes Reality it is no Fancy Dream or empty Imagination but we look we see we behold them the Eyes of our Understandings being enlightned and our Minds illuminated by the Spirit of God and having the Spirit of Faith in us we discern and behold those invisible and eternal things Heb. 11. 1. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen We do as fully believe them as if they were visible to our Bodily Eyes 2. It notes Certainty what we see with our Eyes we are certain of we are fully perswaded of them Heb. 11. 13. hence this Sight is called Knowledge 2 Cor. 5. 1. 3. Fixedness it is not glancing or casting an Eye on them but we look on them that is fixedly and stedfastly we aim at them we lock on them as our Mark and End Thus for the Act. II. For the Object they are things that are not seen What they are hath been showed the Properties are these 1. They are spiritual things so in their Nature and revealed by the Spirit 1 Cor. 2. 8. and they are spiritually discerned and not otherwise 2. They are all high great and glorious things yea the highest the greatest and the most glorious things All other things are but Dross and Dung in comparison of them 3. They are the choicest and the best things most worthy of our Hearts and Minds and of our choicest Affections What is the Chaff to the Wheat What is the Dross to the Gold What is Earth to Heaven or the Creature to God 4. They are Heart-transforming Heart-gladding Heart-elevating Heart-strengthning things 2 Cor. 3. 17 18. 1 Pet. 1. 8. These things looked unto by the Eye of Faith will change the Heart and cause joy unspeakable and glorious 5. They are real solid substantial things not Shadows as visible temporal things are Hebr. 10. 34. They joyfully took the spoiling of their goods for they were but Shadows Trifles because they had in Heaven substantial things The things of this World are all vain lying Vanities things that are not Prov. 23. 5. 6. They are Soul-satisfying and Heart-contenting things such as have them shall never thirst more John 4. 14. that is inordinately and immoderately after Earthly things 7. And Lastly They are eternal things permanent abiding lasting everlasting things eternal Life eternal Glory everlasting Consolation everlasting Rest We shall ever be with the Lord. O my Soul Can I be a true Christian and be a Stranger to this Practice of conversing with those invisible eternal things Can I be regenerate born of God born from above and be a Stranger to this Practice Can I be quiet in Conscience so long as I live in the neglect of this Can I groundedly hope to live and converse with God and Christ for ever hereafter and be such a Stranger to this converse with him here Can I have any Support in Trouble without this Can I have any true Comfort in Life or Death or bid Sickness or Death welcome and be a Stranger to this Certainly no Therefore O my Soul labour for more familiar Acquaintance with those invisible eternal things and exercise thy self more in the Meditations of them The Grounds and Reasons of the Point Why gracious Souls do most seriously mind intend and aim at invisible eternal things Reas I. Because they are commanded so to do Col. 3. 1 2. Set your affections upon things above not on things below Mat. 6. 19 20. Lay up for your selves treasures in Heaven not in Earth 1 Tim. 6. 19. II. Because truly-gracious Souls are endued with invisible divine and eternal Principles which do encline dispose and suit them to those invisible and eternal things Jam. 1. 17 18. They are begotten of God born of God their extraction is heavenly 1 Pet. 1. 23. 2 Pet. 1. 4. They must needs mind God for they are begotten of him He is their Father they have his Image on them and they must needs mind Christ for he is formed in them and the Spirit for they are born of the Spirit Heaven is their Father's House their own Home their Inheritance the Principles of the Divine Nature enclines and disposeth them to mind things above As they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh so they that are after the spirit do mind the things of the spirit for this is the characteristical difference between the carnal and the spiritual man Rom. 8. 5 6. 1 John 5. 4. Every thing acts according to its Principles If Men and Women have no other Principles in them but such as they brought into the World with them which are only earthly and have no other Spirit than the Spirit of the World iâ— them they cannot mind heavenly things for such as is the earthly such are they that are earthly Heavenly things are contrary to their Natures and to their Principles and therefore they cannot mind them But holy Souls have Principles of the Divine Life and they live the Life of God III. Because their Hopes are set grounded fixed on those invisible eternal things their hopes are not in this Life but in God in Christ Glory Heaven and Eternal Life are the Objects of the hopes of all truly-gracious Souls 1 Cor. 15. 19. Rom. 5. 2. Heb. 6. 18 19. Tit. 2. 14. Tit. 1. 2. 1 Pet. 1. 13. 1 John 3. 3. We must needs mind them and set our Affections upon them because we hope to enjoy them for ever Phil. 3. 20 21. IV. Because the People of God have had experience in some measure of the sweet and powerful Influences and Operations of those invisible eternal things on their own Hearts and Spirits they have tasted that the Lord is gracious they have had fellowship with the Father and the Son in some degree they have been made partakers of the Holy Ghost in many saving fruits and effects on them they have felt the power efficacy and comfort of the Word and Promises and they have in some measure received the first-fruits and earnest of their Inheritance Rom. 8. 23. Eph. 1. 13 14. V. Because by all these things gracious Souls live and in all these things is the Life of their Souls Their Life is hid with Christ in God and should they not mind God and Christ Christ liveth in them and they in him Gal. 2. 20. They live in the Spirit and walk in the Spirit Gal. 5. They live by and live upon the Promises Job 23. 12. They live by Faith in the purchased
I could converse more with God and have my Conversation more above Thus holy Souls pant and breath after God and Heavenly things 4. In esteeming prizing valuing those invisible eternal things above all earthly temporal things Psal 30. In God's favour is life Psal 63. 3. His loving-kindness is better than life Psal 4. 6. Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us This will put gladness into our hearts more than the encrease of corn and wine 5. In applying and appropriating these invisible eternal things to our own Souls My Lord and my God my Jesus The kingdom prepared for me the crown belongs to me 6. In frequent conversing with them by meditation contemplation consideration spreading and spending our most serious Thoughts and our most fixed and deepest Cogitations on them and never leave thinking and thinking pondering musing ruminating and dwelling on them until our Hearts be warmed and our Affections kindled our Desires enlarged and our Delights raised Psal 37. 5. Delight thy self in the Lord. Psal 104. 34. My meditation of him shall be sweet Alas we have so few and such short and inconstant and unfixed Thoughts of God and Christ of Heaven and Glory that our Hearts are not affected nor raised and enflamed 7. And lastly In a conversation suitable to those invisible eternal things Phil. 3. 20. the Apostles and Primitive Christians had their Conversations in Heaven This alone is true real minding of and conversing with those Heavenly things when we live the life of God live like God like Jesus walk in the Spirit to be holy in all manner of conversation 2 Pet. 3. 14. 1 Pet. 1. 18 19. To be like Christ in Meekness and Humility Matth. 11. 28. and in Purity 1 John 3. 3. in contempt of the World and Vanities of it in Heavenly-mindedness And thus we ought to look unto and mind invisible and eternal things and this will bring true Joy and perfect Peace Isa 26. 3. Psal 112. 6 7. Moreover I conceive that the Apostle and Primitive Christians did look also unto the invisible eternal Evil things and spent some Thoughts upon them as The Terrour of the Lord Everlasting Destruction Eternal Death the Wrath to come c. These things they minded two ways 1. By way of Praise and Thanksgiving admiring the Love and Grace of God in Christ by which they were delivered from those invisible eternal Miseries which their Sins had deserved as we find often in their Praises 2. In their Diligence to escape those eternal Evils labouring for the assurance of their full deliverance from them constantly exhorting all men to give all Diligence that they might not fall short of their Everlasting Rest But principally I think they looked unto those invisible eternal Good things to secure their Title to them and Interest in them and so minding them as still to press forward towards the Mark of the Price of the high Calling and with the fore-thoughts and fore-sights of them did support their Spirits under their Troubles and sweeten their passage through this present evil World So much for the Doctrinal part The Application First For Information 1 Inference Hence appears the extream Folly and Madness of People by Nature who look at mind and aim only at visible temporal things but totally neglect Invisible eternal things God Christ Heaven is not in all scarce in any of their Thoughts Lovers of themselves of their own things of Profits and Pleasures more than of God Phil. 1. 21. 2 Tim. 3. 4. that make themselves the Mark they aim at but the Glory and Honour of God the pleasing and enjoying him are strange things to them things they never minded never thought on God complains of this against the Jews Hos 8. 12. I have written to them the great things of my Law but they counted them as strange things So may Jesus Christ justly complain of Men under the Gospel I have revealed the great and glorious Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven the Mysteries of Salvation the unsearchable Riches of the Grate and Love of God in the Gospel Life and Immortality is brought to light by the Gospel the true and only way to Heaven and Eternal Life to Everlasting Happiness is clearly made known in the Gospel the only Means to get an Interest in the great God in Jesus Christ in the New Covenant how to get Pardon of Sin Peace with God how to be justified saved and glorified for ever All these things are fully and clearly revealed in the Gospel The invisible eternal things of the World to come which are the greatest Realities and Excellencies the choicest greatest and best things But woe and alas how little are those things minded It is Corn Wine and Oyl Who will shew us any good any visible temporal good Now is not this extream Folly and Madness for reasonable Creatures made for God made capable of enjoying God and all those invisible eternal good things for them thus to labour and pant after the Dust of the Earth to spend their Thoughts Minds and Strengths upon that which cannot satisfie which will not endure but thus to waste precious Time and Breath and Spirits for perishing fading things and neglect invisible eternal things the incorruptible Crown that fadeth not away the undefiled Inheritance the everlasting Kingdom eternal Life and Salvation not to look on those nor mind them nor labour for them Yet this is the common neglect of the World It is amazing Madness astonishing Folly Thus God expresseth Jer. 2. 11 12 13. Be astonished O ye heavens at this be ye horribly afraid be ye very desolate saith the Lord For my people have committed two evils they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters and hewed out Cisterns broken Cisterns that can hold no water Prov. 1. 20 21 22. Yet such is the Madness of all by Nature and it is greatly to be lamented This shews also the blindness and darkness of Men by Nature that they cannot see the excellency of those invisible eternal things nor their own absolute necessity of them and concernment in them The God of this World hath blinded the minds of them which believe not lest the Light of the glorious Gospel of Christ who is the Image of God should shine into them This glorious light shines upon them and shines into many of their Heads this Light they cannot resist but it shines not into their Hearts to transform and change them as it doth into the Hearts of God's Elect and it 's greatly to be lamented 2 Cor. 4. 4. 2. Inf. Secondly Hence appears the beguiling bewitching nature of the World that it should so strangely win and gain the Hearts and Affections of Men and Women and so easily prevail with them while God and Christ are offered to them and are not embraced Heaven gates are opened to them and they invited entreated perswaded by Promises by Threatnings commanded to come and enter but they will not they make light of it no
a glass the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the spirit of the Lord. These believing loving sights of heavenly things will change us into the image of them 9. By this we shall be made more and more willing and desirous to leave this World and to go to a better Compare this Text with the beginning of the next Chapter 2 Cor. 5. 1 2 3. the Apostle having said We look not on visible temporal things but on those things which are not seen which are eternal presently adds for 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 for in this House we groan earnestly to be clothed upon with our House which is from Heaven And this made Paul desire to be dissolved that he might be with Christ which was far better or best of all Phil. 3. Certainly such as really apprehend and truly believe those invisible eternal things and their title to them and portion in them will be really willing to dye that they may enjoy them knowing that they lye on the other side of Death and cannot be enjoyed but by dying and after Death Death being the In-let to all that purchased promised Glory Now the more we do seriously think and meditate on those glorious things the more willing we shall be to leave all those fading vain and vexing Comforts to enjoy those eternal Delights And it is a great Mercy and sweet Priviledge to be willing to dye and I know nothing will more effect this willingness in us Now let all those Motives effectually perswade us to draw off our hearts from those visible temporal things and to set our Affections upon things above How long shall vain Thoughts lodge within us how long shall this present evil World gnaw and feed upon our Spirits consuming and wasting them and eating out our time and strength how long shall the God of this World blind our Minds and the Dust of it fill our Eyes how long shall we misplace our Affections and mistake our Rest Our Rest is not here our Heaven and Happiness is not here Earth is going from us and we from it and shall we hug what we cannot hold Shall we kiss and embrace that which is withering in our hands and dying in our arms Are there not infinitely-better things to be minded Duke de Alva wickedly said when one told him of an Eclipse that was then present I have so much to do on Earth I have no leisure to mind Heaven O that it may not be so said of any of us Let us call to mind what those invisible eternal things are aforementioned as God Christ the Holy Ghost the Promises the Purchased Inheritance the Glory of Heaven c. withal let us mind Christ's second Coming to Judgment the manner and end of it 2 Thess 1. 6 7 8 9 10. which the Apostle often spoke and wrote of and minded Tit. 2. 13 14. the glorious Appearing of the great God and our Saviour the Resurrection of the Body and the manner of it 1 Cor. 15. the full Redemption and glorious Manifestation of the Sons of God the happy uniting of the Souls and Bodies of the Saints after so long a Separation and the uniting and solemn Marriage of both to Christ the King of Glory the passing of the Saints into Heaven with Christ in Triumph their living for ever with God seeing his Face and knowing him as we are known Oh that we could mind these things and set our Faith and Love our Hopes Dâ—stres and Delights on work upon these things what sweet Contentment what Soul-refreshing Joy and Comfort would such thoughts yield to our Souls even in the midst of all our Troubles No wonder we are such Strangers to the Joy of the Lord because we are such Strangers to God himself and to the great things of his Kingdom I shall conclude this Use with that of the Apostle 2 Pet. 3. 14. Wherefore beloved seeing that ye look for such things be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless Be diligent to prepare for the enjoyment of all those great and glorious things and to secure our title to them which Preparation consists in two things mainly as exprest in that Scripture 1. In a state of Reconciliation with God 2. In a spotless blameless Conversation 1. In a state of Reconciliation with God Be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace There will be a most strict and accurate search made at the last day all those that look for those invisible eternal good things at last must be exceeding careful about this to make this the Mark Design and Aim all their Life and at Death that they may be found in a reconciled state in a state of Peace with God This is the critical point the main hinge whereupon hangs all the safety and happiness of a Man or Woman for Eternity Not whether rich or poor high or low honourable or contemptible in this World the Differences and Distinctions will signifie nothing then nor whether Presbyterian or Independent c. but whether reconciled to God or no. This strict search will be made by the Lord who cannot be blinded nor deceived And the consideration of the issue of this search should quicken us to diligence in our Preparation which shall be 1st on them that shall then be found not reconciled the danger will be to their whole man Soul and Body Depart ye cursed c. most dreadful and most intolerable 2dly On them that are found reconciled their Comfort will be unspeakable the Lord Jesus will own them all as the Purchase of his Blood and will embrace them all Come ye blessed of my Father c. and will commend them Well done c. and will crown them with a Diadem of Eternal Glory Oh then let us presently engage all the Powers of our Souls in striving to be found of God in Peace And if we will be found of God in Peace at that day we must 1. Fall out with all Sin and make an open breach with all Ungodliness and all Worldly lusts Tit. 2. 11 12. No Peace with God so long as we have Peace with any Sin We must search for our Sins of Heart and Life heartily repent of them declare open War against them all not regarding any Iniquity in our Hearts but hating and mortifying all Go to God to give you sound Repentance Acts 5. 31. 3. 19. 2. Fall in and close unfeignedly with Jesus Christ the only Peace-maker accepting him on his Terms taking him for Only Lord and Saviour resigning up our whole selves unto him in all things giving him the Preheminence in us and over us and heartily submitting to his government by his Word and Spirit Thus by true Repentance and Faith we are to make our Peace with God And this