the very heart and mind of Christ now saith he who of God is made unto us Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption That soul depends upon God for Wisdome from Christ for Sanctification from Christ for Righteousness from Christ for Redemption from Christ it doth not depend upon its own Acts it s own Experiences it s own Graces it s own Comforts it doth not depend upon the Law it doth not depend upon the Gospel but upon God through Christ so that a sound heart sees through all unto God who is the root and fountain and fetches all from thence it takes up all from God from God through a Covenant of Grace from God through Christ so that as it is in Isa 45.24 Verily shall one say in the Lord have I righteousness and strength I have it not from an Ordinance I have it not in my self but from God through Christ from God through an Ordinance saith David my soul wait thou onely upon the Lord for from him cometh thine expectation 12. Lastly for discovery of a sound heart a sound heart is that conforms to Gods word not to the world in Rom. 12. beginning be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your minds that ye may prove what is that good that acceptable and perfect will of God When a man is transformed by the renewing of his mind he is a sound minded a sound hearted man but till then he is a corrupt hearted man Now if you be sound hearted you will not conform to the world but to the word which is the will of God revealed That good that acceptable that perfect will of God you will conform to saith Paul in 6. Gal. 14. I am Crucified to the world he now conforms to the good and acceptable will of God for God would have us to look at Christ Crucified and to dye to sin through the death of Christ and Paul looks at Christ Crucified and is dead to the world and the world was dead to him he would not conform to the world a sound heart conforms not to the world worldly worship worldly customes worldly fashions worldly manners but conforms to the word therefore look to it for few sound hearted there are so many conform to the world and so few to the word but a sound heart will conform to sound Doctrine the sound word and not to the world that lyes in wickedness and thus you see several discoveries of a sound heart Use 4. The fourth Use is of consolation of comfort to all those that find they have sound hearts have you sound hearts hearts well principled with divine truth have you hearts undivided and carried wholly to God have you hearts that are healthy and sound have you hearts that have truth of grace in them hearts without hypocrisie and guile hearts set for God to do his will you are then fit for Gods use and service you are then like to the Lord Jesus Christ you are precious in the sight of God you are dear unto him you have a blessedness then upon you I you are differenced from all hypocrites and such as shall perish you are those that shall hold out to the end you will be the honour and glory of the Gospel you will be the honour and glory of the Ministry 1 Thess 3.8 For now we live if ye stand fast in the Lord O you Thessalonians we live if you stand fast if you be sound hearted you will stand fast you will continue to the end and this will be our life I it will be your honour and your Crown and Glory if you stand fast So that here 's comfort and great comfort to those are sound hearted Vse 5. The fifth and last use of this point is to exhort men and women to labour to get soundness of heart sound minds sound spirits see to it for 't is of concernment that you have sound hearts Lord saith David let my heart be sound in thy Statutes O Lord let me have a heart sound in thy Statutes though I have no Kingdom though I have no Army though I have no outward Comforts yet let me have a sound heart I shall here first shew you how you may get a sound heart Secondly how you may keep a sound heart Thirdly some motives to press you on to it First how to come to have a sound heart First If you would have soundness of heart then labour to cleanse out of your hearts all that may corrupt your hearts or make your hearts unsound you know a Garment if it have Dirt in it Moths in it wet in it it will corrupt the Garment therefore you will take a course to get out the Moths and to dry it and to beat out the dust that so your Garments may be sound if there be worms in the timber it will rot and consume the timber If there be ill humors in the body you must out with them or they will destroy the body so if you would have sound hearts you must cleanse out all that is of a corrupting nature there are two things that make a corrupt heart principally First Erroneous opinions and principles Secondly Mens lusts Now as for errors they are call'd the errors of the wicked wicked men take in wicked errors wicked opinions corrupt opinions and these make corrupt minds corrupt consciences corrupt hearts and corrupt men and women and so lusts they are deceitful lusts defiling lusts Ephe. 4.22 That ye put off concerning the former Conversation the old man which is corrupt according to deceitful lusts if you have a lust of envy envy is rottenness to the bones if a lust of pride uncleanness of covetousness c. you must put them off you must cleanse your selves from them you must wash and scower your hearts so that if you would have sound hearts away with corrupt opinions away with deceitful and corrupt lusts Secondly if you would have sound hearts then labour to get sound truths into them 2. Tim. 1.13 Hold fast the form of sound words which thou hast learned of me Timothy I have taught thee wholsom and sound Doctrine I have Preached unto thee the Gospel of Christ I have given thee Rules and Laws whereby to direct thee hold fast the pattern or form of sound words or of wholsom words there are corrupt words which are not sound there are corrupting words and such words do a great deal of hurt as in the 2 Ch. 17. v. and their words do eat as doth a Canker c. These are corrupting words gangreening words words that eat out soundness when men come with such opinions as there 's no Christ no God no Heaven no Hell and these Scriptures are not the word of God Oh what Gangreening words are these therefore hold fast the pattern of wholsom words get sound words into your hearts and they will make your hearts found Solomon tells you of sound wisdom Prov. 3.21 keep sound wisdom and discretion there is
will keep from these so if you would preserve your hearts sound have nothing to do with unsound men or unsound books Tit. 3.10 A man that is an Heretick after the first and second admonition reject have nothing to do with him but to admonish him and tell him of his corrupt opinions and after the first and second admonition reject him his Heresie may spread his words may be a Gangrene and may eat up the soundness of thy heart if thou wilt have to do with him and so in the second Epistle of John Look to your selves that we lose not those things which we have wrought but that we receive a full reward for whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the Doctrine of Christ hath not God he that abideth in the Doctrine of Christ he hath both the Father and the Son If there come any unto you and bring not this Doctrine receive him not into your house neither bid him God speed If any one come unto you and bring not the Doctrine of Christ the Doctrine of Christ in the true sence of Christ but with their own fancies sences glosses and corrupt mixtures receive him not into your house and what will you receive him into your hearts bid him not God speed but bid him be gone like a Deceiver an Imposter a Jugler an Enemy to God and Christ and in Rom. 16.17 saith the Apostle I beseech you Brethren mark them which cause divisione and offences contrary to the Doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them If men come with Doctrines and opinions contrary to the Doctrine you have received 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. Tim. 6.3 or besides it so is the Greek and make divisions and dissentions in Churches in Families avoid them have nothing to do with them Secondly if you would preserve your hearts sound then take pains about your hearts to keep down all lusts that are stirring for unless you keep under your lusts you will never keep sound hearts you must do by your hearts as by your Gardens would you have a neat garden you are oft digging oft cutting down the weeds so you must do with your hearts when any lusts arises you must be sure to keep them under do as by your Shâ—ps if there be a leak you fall a pumping presently There are many that have an itching desire or humour after some novelty some new noâ—ions and opinion and when they hear of a man hath some new doctrine new notions or new opinion they must hear him but mortifie this lust this humour and then you shall live live sound in the faith and dye comfortably dye in the Faith dye in the Lord but if you will not you are in hazard of miscarrying soul and body to all Eternity Therefore saith Solomon keep thy heart with all diligence Suffer not any lust to get in suffer not any truth to start out therefore keep your hearts with all diligence Thirdly Would you preserve your hearts sound then be much conversant in the word of God that which makes a sound heart preserves a sound heart the form or pattern of wholsom words is the word of God so your minding and meditating on the word of God keeping to the word of God will keep your hearts sound Psal 119. O how I love thy Law it is my meditation all the day I love thy Law for it self I love thy Law for its purity I love thy Law for its soundness and for the soundness it works in my heart I love thy Law and it is my meditation all the day and all the night too Psal 1.2 and Ps 119.104 Through thy precepts I get understanding therefore I hate every false way If there be a false way without I hate that if there be a false way within I hate that so that if you would have a sound heart meditate much upon the word of God his words are wholsom words and make the heart sounder and sounder every day Fourthly if you would have your hearts sound then whatsoever the sickness or disease be put forth frequent acts of faith upon Christ Crucified about Christ and his Death Christ and his blood Christ and his merits Christ suffering for sin and Sinners the more faith is acted upon Christ Crucified the more sound will be your hearts for the blood and death of Christ are of a cleansing virtue a sin-killing virtue a soul-healing virtue and will make your hearts gracious and sound indeed 1 John 1.7 The blood of Christ cleanseth us from all sin if we do believe in him his blood cleanses from all sin cleanseth from all the guilt of sin and purges the dead works out of your Consciences it cleanses from the power of sin and there will be a death upon your Corruptions O look upon him whom you have pierced so often with your sin and put forth acts of faith and you will find virtue from Christ and will dye to sin and live to God Fifthly If you would be sound hearted men and women and not led away with errors nor with the evils of the times then have God constantly in your eye God is present every where he is in you all through you all and over you all And did you see God and set God before you and acknowledge Gods presence and eye upon you you would not meddle with weeds you would not meddle with errors you would not give way to lusts Ps 16. saith David I have set God at my right hand and therefore I shall not fall I have set God alwayes before me I look upon God and I see God looking upon me God is at my right hand I can do nothing but what God would have me do therefore I shall not be moved the Corruptions of my heart shall not move me to go this way or that way but I will keep them under and not suffer them to rise and appear in the sight of God did men and women more mind God the presence and authority of God over them they would not be led away nor entertain nor practice corrupt things but they would approve themselves to God and then the heart is sound when it is approv'd to God Sixthly Lastly if you would keep your hearts sound regard oft your latter end remember Death remember Account remember Judgment saith the Lord O that they were wise that they understood this that they would remember their latter end they go out to other Gods and false worship and they practice base things violence and blood is among them but what 's the reason of it they are not wise they dont understand this they do not remember their latter end that they must dye that they must give account that they must be judged and disposed of to all Eternity Did they remember this they would never leave me nor my wayes nor be seduced therefore if you would keep your hearts sound remember your latter end you must dye you must
they are members of Christ they are members of Christs body and they should be of the mind of the head the members are ruled and governed by the head now all true Churches and Christians are the members of Christ Eph. 4.15 But speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things which is the head even Christ O speak the truth in love saith he or truth it in love and grow up in him in Christ in all things which is the head you must grow up into his mind because ye are members and he is the head so in 2 Col. 7. Rooted and built up in him and stablished in the faith stablished in the Doctrine of Christ abounding therein with Thanksgiving Why because we are members of Christ we should therefore grow up in the faith of Christ and in the doctrine and mind of Christ Thirdly We should be of the same mind with Christ because the Lord Christ became like unto us therefore we should be like unto him v. 7. and was made in the likeness of men and so in Rom. 8.3 For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh Christ was like us in the likeness of sinful flesh and condemned sin in the flesh now what a vast distance was there between Christ and us when Christ was in Heaven the Son of God had not he came down from Heaven and taken our nature upon him and been made like unto us we could never have been made like unto him for he must take away that black Image and corruption of our nature and deformity that we might be made like unto him now the Lord Christ having done thus we should be like unto him upon that account and if we be not of his mind we shall never come to be like him 1 Joh. 3.2 3. beloved now are we the Sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is Then shall we be perfectly like him and every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure If you have hope to be perfectly like him hereafter you must be of his mind here and purifie your selves even as he is pure so that upon that account that Christ became like unto us in our nature we should be of his mind that we may be like unto him in his nature Fourthly we should be of the same mind with Jesus Christ because if we be not of his mind we shall be of an evil mind we shall be either of the worlds mind and the worlds mind is bad enough it lyes in wickedness or of the Devils mind and that 's worse or of the flesh's mind and that 's worst of all for the Devil and the world work by our flesh now saith the Apostle to be carnally minded is death and the carnal mind is enmity unto God it is not subject unto God neither can it be Now if you be not of Christs mind you are either of the worlds mind or the Devils mind or the flesh's mind and that 's death and will end in death eternal and you cannot please God Fifthly we should be of the same mind that Christ is because this is a way to keep us from falling into errors and corrupting opinions and from damnable Heresies and the like those have Christs mind will admit of nothing but truth they will not admit of the spirit of Antichrist and the spirit of errors of which you read 1 Joh. 4.3 6. There 's the spirit of Antichrist and the spirit of errors now if men be of Christs mind they will never admit of those errors and Antichristian Doctrines The Doctrine of Antichrist is the worshipping of Images now if you have Christs mind you will never worship Images Babes keep your selves from Idols Antichrists mind is that Priests must not marry if you be of Christs mind Marriage is honourable in all and it will never admit of that Doctrine So transubstantiation that 's Antichrists mind but if you be of Christs mind you will never admit of that Acts 3.20 He shall send Jesus Christ which before was Preached unto you whom the heavens must receive until the times of restitution of all things he shall send him he dont send him wherever the Sacrament is and there turn the bread into Christs flesh and the wine into Christs blood but he shall send Jesus Christ which before was Preached unto you whom the heavens must receive until the times of restitution of all things here 's the mind of Christ now and those that have the mind of Christ will not receive the mind of Antichrist So invocation of Saints that 's the mind of Antichrist an erroneous and a damnable Doctrine but here 's the mind of Christ Joh. 16.23 Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name not in Maries name or Peter's name or this or that Saints name but in Christs name So for the Popes Supremacy and the Lordliness of his Prelates if you have Christs mind you will never entertain any thing of that Luke 25. and he said unto them the Kings of the Gentiles exercise Lordship over them and they that exercise authority upon them are called Benefactors But ye shall not be so but he that is greatest among you let him be as the younger and he that is chief as he that doth serve What you my Disciples and you to have Supremacy you to have the Titles of Lords and Holy and Gracious and the like it shall not be so among you here 's the mind of Christ so in 1 Pet. 5.3 Neither as being Lords over Gods Heritage but being ensamples to the Flock no Lordliness no domâ—nion power greatness nor glorious titles and the like here 's the mind of Christ so that if we have the mind of Christ we shall be kept from eâ—rors So all traditions and ordinances of men and impositions inventions of men Mat. 15.9 In vain they do worship me teaching for Doctrines the Commandments of men That 's a vain worship which is worshipping in vain and v. 6. ye have made the Commandments of God of none effect by your traditions So in 2 Col. 20. wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the Rudiments of the world why as though living in the world are ye subject to ordinances c. after the Commandments and Doctrines of men Here 's the mind of Christ you must not be subject to ordinances and impositions of men and their additions to the worship of God but have the mind of Christ and you will admit of nothing but what is from Christ Sixthly we should be of Christs mind because it is the way to union to meeken and sweeten spirits and to make harmony between all sorts and to much unity Isa 11.6