and the humbler the Soul is the fitter for God Isa 57.15 and 66.2 Thank God for that humility 3. You may and must be thankful for the Mercies which you have and cannot deny but God hath vouchsafed You have your lives for a prey are out of Hell which is more then you deserve you have abundant outward Mercies do not these deserve thankfulness Yea Christ hath purchased grace and glory for some nay further he hath put thousands into possession of this inheritance and should not this make you thankful Yea further Heaven is offered to you and you are under the means of grace and in a possibility of obtaining this happiness which Devils and damned Souls are not and is not this ground of thankfulness 4. Be sure you keep in mind the distinction of habitual and actual meetness for Heaven If you have not the former either relative or real be not adopted or justified are neither converted nor covenanted with God I say the Lord have mercy on you your case is doleful you have great cause of lamentation Oh man I am not now speaking to thee Be afflicted and mourn let your laughter be turned into mourning your joy to heaviness Jam. 4.9 Yea you graceless rich men weep and houl for your miseries that shall come upon you Jam. 5.1 I have not a word of comfort from the Lord to you Your eatthly inheritances shall be taken from you and you shall be thrust into the dungeon of Hell You may for a while kindle a fire and walk warm in the sparks you have kindled but faith God this shall you have of mine hand ye shall lye down in sorrow Isa 50.11 Stand you by while the Saints take comfort in their portion Read Isa 65.13 14 15. It is to you the heirs of promise to whom I am now speaking and bear you this in mind that its one thing to have right to this inheritance another to know you have right Many a gracious Soul is much in the dark about its relation yet its state safe for the main What sayest thou Hast thou not the things that accompany Salvation Heb. 6.9 Hath not God been dealing with thy heart as he useth to deal with such as he designs for Heaven Hast thou not seen thy woful state by Nature The necessity of Christ and grace Hast thou not experienced a change from Nature to Grace from Death to Life Hath not this new birth cost thee griefs and groans prayers and tears Dost thou not delight now in what thou didst disdain Is not thy principle rule end otherwise then formerly Hast thou not changed thy company courses manner of life Speak out man belye not thy self deny not Gods grace something like grace thou seest in thy self and to be sure Satan and World oppose it and man and thy self could not work it It is of God a seed sown by the hand of omnipotency And he that hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ Phil. 1.6 As to actual meetness for Heaven I refer you to what hath been laid down before look it over deal impartially see if your experience do not answer those heads hath not God helped you in the exercise of the graces of Faith Hope Love Humility Hath not God given you some grounded evidence of sincerity by diligence in duty reflection on your state appealing to God and pleading with God for the Spirits sealings Hath not God helpt you to be dispatching your work off your hands Spiritual Temporal Relative and Publick Are you not much mortified to corruption worldly injoyments and have you not spiritualized earthly things and got more intimate familiarity with God What say you to these things Do not your hearts eccho back with your probatum est setting your seal to these things I have not time nor room to inlarge further but I would have you diligently compare your selves now with what you were some years ago Is not your Repentance more Evangelical Doth not the sense of divine love extort from you more tears of godly sorrow and more vehement hatred of all sin purely it is offensive to God Hath not your Faith been more vigorous in its actings upon your dear Lord In closing more fully with promises Have you not been more frequent and serious in renewing your Covenant with God And have not such dayes and duties been solemn heart-melting opportunities Have you not been more constant and inlarged in the duty of secret Prayer with shorter intermissions and more favouriness Do you spend your time better then formerly Do you fill up every vacancy with some useful business for Earth or Heaven Have you not more incomes of grace and assistance in duties both as to matter and manner To knit your minds and raise your affections to God and sometimes suggest words to you Do you not more concern your selves for the Souls of Relations and others in Prayer and Discourse being more weighted with the necessity of their Conversion Are you not more endeared to Saints as Saints though poor or disobliging and of a different perswasion Have you not got power over your Passions to regulate them And if you feel unruly motions can you pray them down and through grace calm them Can you not put up injuries and affronts and not only so as not to revenge and forgive but pray more heartily for the repentance and remission of such as are most malicious against you Is it not more the grief of thy heart when God is dishonoured his Spirit grieved his Gospel reproached by the sins of profane or professours If thou think any body is offended by thee is it not more a real trouble to thee then formerly And thou canst not be quiet till thou seekest Reconciliation And if thou be conscious of giving them just occasion thou confessest thy fault and humblest thy self to them Hast thou not learned more faithfully and discreetly to manage the duty of private admonition of an offending Christian Drawing out bowels of compassion for and to such as are fallen Do not publick concerns of Church or Nation lye nearer thy heart daily Canst thou not more rejoyce in the gifts graces holiness usefulness of others though it obscure thine Art thou not more glad when corruptions are mortified then gratified When occasions of sinning are removed rather then afforded though it cost thee dear Dost thou not more sensibly understand the sweet life of faith in temporals Committing all to God thou findest provisions have been strangely made Are not thy affections more spiritualized towards dearest Relations Dost thou not love them in the Lord and the Lord in them and canst freely part with them upon Gods call Art thou not more taken up with Gods Mercies to give him the glory of them then any personal content thou hast in them Is not thy heart daily more weary of the world and longing for Heaven Yet after all this canst thou not say thou art nothing deservest nothing but Hell And if God glorifie his Justice in thy confusion thy mouth is stopped and thou must justifie him for ever with flames about thine Eares Dost thou not account thy self the greatest of Sinners least of Saints and by the grace of God thou art what thou art And this thou canst truly say that God is more thy exceeding joy and Christ more precious to thy Soul then ever Canst thou in thy sober solid setled frame answer these questions thy state is safe and sweet and thou art meet for Heaven yet not so meet but still breathing after more meetness till thy last gasp of breath for no man on this side death was ever meet enough and all must be ascribed to grace grace in the foundation grace in the topstone I shall conclude all with a part of a Poem in Mr. Herbert called Grace p. 52. Death is still working like a Mole And digs my Grave at each remove Let Grace work too and on my Soul Drop from above Sin is still hammering my heart Vnto an hardness void of love Let suppling Grace to cross his art Drop from above O come for thou dost know the way Or if to me thou wilt not move Remove me where I need not say Drop from above 2 Cor. 5.8 We are confident I say and willing rather to be absent frrm the body and to be present with the Lord. Amen FINIS Some Books to be Sold by Thomas Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapside A Call to Sinners such as are under sentence of Death and such as are under any prospect of it from the long suffering and gracious but most righteous God Three Questions resolved briefly and plainly viz. 1. What Conceptions ought we to have of the blessed God 2. What are those Truths whereof the Knowledge appeareth most indispensably necessary unto our Salvation and therefore to be first and most learnt by us 3. What is the change wrought in a Man by Gods H. Word and Spirit before he can safely conclude himself passed from Death to Life Being the Summ of three Sermons The Christian Temper Or the Quiet state of Mind that Gods Servants labour for Set forth in a Sermon at the Funeral of Mrs. Vrsula Collins A seasonable Question plainly resolved viz. What are we to judge of their spiritual estate who neglect the Lords Supper And what is that discerning of the Lords Body in it without which men do Eat and Drink their own Damnation The Christians earnest Expectation and Longing for the Glorious Appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ Set forth in a Discourse occasioned by the Decease of that Excellent Christian and Minister of Christ Mr. Noah Webb late of Sandhurst in the County of Berks. FINIS In Answer to this question see 3 Opinions in Dr. Tuckney Theses Praet Theol. ubi videa praeclare furius disputata p. 269. ad p. 292.
the Life of Paul the aged within a few days and my Lord only knows how soon my sun may set though I cannot say my Natural Vigour either of Body or Mind is in the least abated but I am mortal and am loath to be surprized unawares 2. I see a great failure in my self and other Christians in this that terminate our studies and endeavours in getting a title and then think all is well we need no more but surely there is much behind we have abundance of work upon our hands for obtaining actual meetness without which we cannot evidence our habitual meetness 3. I never yet met with any Treatise upon this subject though it be of great importance for every Christian surely Heaven is worth minding and methinks Abrahams Query in another case should be ours Gen. 15.8 O Lord God whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it 4. I have observed a commendable practice of some Christians which is to order some Books to be distributed at their Funerals The first that I knew of that nature was Mr. R. A. his Vindiciae Pietatis and some other practical pieces which by Gods Blessing have done much good Such a Memorandum would I bequeath as my last Legacy to you my dear People amongst whom I have laboured above thirty nine years in publick and private serving the Lord in some measure of Integrity and Humility with many Tears and Temptations through variety of Dispensations Excommunications Banishments Confiscations and Imprisonments but out of all these the Lord hath delivered me and set my feet in a large place and God that searcheth the heart knows what hath been my design in studying preaching praying preparing you a place to meet in to Worship God and what are the agonies and jealousies of my Spirit to this day least I leave any of you unconverted and so cashiered from Gods presence at the great day and now at last I solemnly charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect Angels that you rest not in a graceless state another day lest that be the last day and you be found unready And I solemnly require you that have a principle of Grace gird up your Loins trim your Lamps and observe these few Rules and the dispositions mentioned in this small Treatise I only hint further Be much in the love of God Dayly act Faith on Christ Walk in the Spirit Design Gods Glory Intermit not holy duties Be not content therein without communion with God Mingle Religion with civil acts Increase every Grace Redeem time Profitably converse with Gods Children Aim at perfection Maintain tender Consciences Keep strict accounts Study the life of Heaven Be still doing or getting good Set God before your eyes Trample on worldly things Live in dayly view of death Be nothing in your own eyes Be much in heavenly praises Say O Lord who am I and what is my Fathers house that thou hast brought me hitherto What is man what am I the least and worst of the children of men that the heart of God should be working for me and towards me in infinite bowels of eternal love That the Lord Jesus should shed his heart-blood for me That the holy Spirit should take possession of me That God should provide such an inheritance for me Assure me of it by precious Promises seal it to me in his holy Supper That ever God should give me an heart to fear him Heal so many backslidings Prevent total Apostacy Pardon all my iniquities Vouchsafe me such large priviledges Supply my wants Hear my Prayers Help me over so many a foul place in my journey Brought me to the borders of Canaan Given me so many foretasts of the promised Land Tells me the Jordan of death shall be driven back and give me a safe passage to Heaven O Blessed blessed be God all this is from sovereign Grace God doth what he pleaseth I would not exchange this hope for the worlds possessions Eternity will be little enough to be taken up in the praises of rich grace Thus the gracious Soul may quickly lose it self in these Divine Praises and Contemplations as that zealous German Martyr Giles Titleman who in his Prayers was so ardent kneeling by himself in some secret place that he seemed to forget himself being called many times to meat he neither heard nor saw them that stood by him till he was lift up by the Arms and then gently he would speak to them as one waked out of a deep sleep Oh that there were such a spirit in Gods children That our hearts were so intent on things above as to pass through the world as unconcerned in it Then shall you be content to leave all and go to Christ Then will you not be afraid of the King of Terrors though armed with Halberts Racks Fires Gibbets then will you have a brighter Crown and higher degrees of Glory and shall shine as the brightness of the Firmament and as one Star differs from another in Glory so you will be set in the highest Orb and having had largest capacities on Earth shall have fullest joys in Heaven I will conclude with the blessed Apostles Prayer 1 Th. 3.12 13. The Lord make you to increase and abound in love one towards another and towards all men even as we do towards you to the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God even our Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his Saints Amen and Amen Thus prayeth Your Servant in our dearest Lord Oliver Heywood COLOS. 1.12 Giving thanks unto the Father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light CHAP. I. The Text opened Doctrines raised and explained PRayer and Praise are the two wings upon which a devout Soul mounts Heavenwards Prayer fetcheth down occasions of Praise These two are as Chariots and Factors to maintain intercourse betwixt God and his Children Paul was a great man in both for after the Inscription Subscription and Benediction in this Epistle he falls to Praise ver 3. then to Prayer ver 9. and in the Text he falls again to Praise and Thanksgiving wherein observe 1. The Duty Praise 2. The Mercy for what In the former observe 1. The Act giving thanks 2. The Object the Father 1. The Act 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It signifies a being of a good Grace having a very grateful Spirit and expressing it in words and actions Col. 3.15 Be ye thank ful or be ye amiable one to another or grateful both in conferring and receiving Benefits But here it referrs to God Obs 1. That thank fulness is the duty and property of a Christian Thankful retribution for Mercies is the study and enquiry of gracious Souls Psal 116.12 Prayer and Thanks are like the double motion of the Lungs the air of Mercy that is sucked in by Prayer is breathed out again by the duty of Praise O happy Christian that can and must in every
clear up grace Blowing up sparks will best discover them A flame is sooner discerned then a spark in the embers Christians by stirring up the gift of God discover it 2 Tim. 1.6 Motion is a good evidence of life Activity for God and tendency Heaven-ward will put you out of doubt All duties tend to assurance or spring from it Striving running fighting will be crowned with clear evidence God loves to crown diligence To him that hath i. e. useth and improveth well what he hath shall be given and he shall have abundance i. e. more grace and the comfort of it as the collision of Flint and Steel begets light so the acting of grace produceth this fruit viz. Assurance For the work of righteousness is peace and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever Isa 32.17 Now now the Soul is ready for glory when he is in duty above duty with God in the lively actings of grace which is a part of and a prologue to glory The Christian is going from strength to strength till he appear before God in Zion Oh happy soul that is thus upon the wing 2. Reflection upon Heart and Life and comparing both with the word of God This is Gods way to get assurance Have I the conditions of Gospel-promises Faith and Repentance Do those graces within me answer the characters of such in the Scriptures Doth my Soul eccho to the experiences of Saints in the word of God Can I follow the Rules and prescriptions that my Lord hath laid down To deny my self take up his Cross and follow him Have I the essential characters of a Christian I dare not believe Satan and my own treacherous heart I will examine and prove my self 2 Cor. 13.5 I will not spare my self in any thing I will be impartial and deal faithfully by disquisitive tryal now as I would be found in the decisive tryal at the last day It s a matter of life and death I will lay judgment to the line I will go to the Law and to the Testimony The word must judge me at the great day it shall be my judge now No matter what the World saith of me nor must I be determined by the votes of the best Christians or Godly Ministers I must and will and do prove mine own work and then I shall have rejoycing in my self alone and not in another Gal. 6 4. 3. Appealing and approving the heart to God Alas the best Christian is too apt to be partial in his own case or blind at home our Minds are as ill set as our Eyes neither of them apt to look inwards and when we do look alas we are apt to look through a false or flattering glass or our Eye is vitiated with bad humours and therefore must we with Job appeal to God ch 10.7 Thou knowest that I am not wicked And ch 23.10 He knoweth the way that I take And though David had communed with his own heart and his spirit had made diligent search Psal 77.6 yet he challengeth God to a further privy search Psal 26.2 Ezamine me O Lord and prove me try my reins and my heart And again Psal 139.23 Search me O God and know my heart try me and know my thoughts Not as though God were ignorant of them till he searcht but it s spoken after the manner of Men And that God might further acquaint David with the secrets of his heart Thus the sincere Christian faith Lord I set my self before thee as a glass in the Sun look upon me look through me thou knowest all things see how my heart is affected towards thee discover to me the inmost working of my Soul if there be any secret guile in folding it self in the lurking-places of my heart bring it to light if there be any flaw in my evidences let me see it before it be too late I am too apt through self-love to judge the best but do thou declare my state and my frame as it is Thou that must be my judge shalt be my witness My witness is in Heaven and my record is on high Job 16.19 Here 's a Soul usually comforted in his integrity and such an one is meet for Heaven 4. Praying to God for the shinings and sealings of his Spirit For indeed let all these means be used yet evidence will not come unless God be pleased to shine upon his own grace in the Soul My Conscience saith Paul bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost Rom. 9.1 and Rom. 8.16 The Spirit it self beareth witness with our Spirit that we are the Children of God This indeed is the Sun-light assurance This alone scatters all mists answers all objections banisheth all doubts and fears and oh what an honour and satisfaction is it to a Child of God that the Third Person of the Sacred Trinity should come down and give in its infallibe Testimony at the Bar of a Believers Conscience This is like the Son of God coming down into our nature and dying for us Oh transcendent condescention Oh unparallell'd priviledge of Gods Children Yet this is purchased by Christ and promised to Believers not only to be a Witness but a Seal 2 Cor. 1.22 and 5.5 Eph. 1.13 This is often yea ordinarily given after believing and when it comes it brings its own evidence along with it So that the perplexed Child of God after many fore conflicts struglings ruggings sad thoughts of heart comes at last to some consistency as to expel fears cares doubts and now at last is brought to that that he no more questions Gods love then his faithfulness and this usually comes in after some notable wrestlings at the Throne of Grace in Prayer according to that Joh. 16.24 Hitherto ye have asked nothing in my name i. e. Very little comparatively and as you shall do Ask and ye shall receive that your joy may be full God will have his Child to beg when he designs to give to exercise our Obedience and to honour his own Ordinance Then he gives assurance and the joy of his Salvation and now the believing Soul is meet to be translated into the joy of his Lord. But you will say is none meet for Heaven but such as have assurance Then what shall a poor doubting Soul say of it self that is dark and much discouraged as many a good Soul is Answ 1. A title to this Inheritance is necessary but knowledge of this title is not absolutely necessary Many have dyed safely though under clouds Our Lord himself cryed dying My God my God why hast thou forsaken me There was Relation my God yet in some sense he was forsaken 2. There 's degrees of assurance as he that said Lord I believe help thou mine unbelief Few enjoy a full plerophory and those that have it yet have it not at all times Mr. Pauls Bains said dying Sustentation I have but suavities spiritual I do not feel 3. It s one thing what God doth in an arbitrary way of suspending the