of Satan and Instruments of the Devil which is to them an evident Token of Perdition but to thee of Salvation and that of God The Consideration of a sure full everlasting heavenly Reward will keep thee from sticking at any Suffering Satan can never terrisy and dishearten thee with the Fear of Death or temporal Torments but thou wilt be able patiently to endure and cheerfully to go through any Suffering if thou doest but weigh the Recompense of Reward and well consider that eternal Salvation will richly compensate the suffering Christian That is the second Advantage of the fore-mentioned Meditations The Consideration of a perfect State of heavenly Glory will help and enable thee to resist and repel the taking or terrible the flattering or affrighting Temptations of Satan 3. The due Consideration of a perfect State of heavenly Glory will enable thee to live in an holy Contempt of this present World and in the serious real visible Exercise of constant heavenly-mindedness 1. The often renewed Thoughts of a future perfect heavenly Happiness will effectually provoke thee to live in a manifest rational holy Contempt of all external and earthly Things and in quiet Contentment with what Share and Allowance God allots and affords thee of outward Comforts and Accommodations here in this World 'T will cause thee to slight and undervalue the Things of the World which God in the Gospel has so disgraced and disparaged To despise and contemn them in thy Judgment Affections Speeches Actions in comparison of the nobler richer Things to be enjoyed in the other World The raised Thoughts of a celestial Happiness will teach thee to take all sublunary Glory for a Shadow or a Dream and move thee to complain of the World's Dotage in the pathetical Words of that divine Poet [r] Herb. Poems Dotage But Oh the Folly of distracted Men Who Griefs in earnest Joies in jest pursue Preferring like brute Beasts a loathsome Den Before a Court ev'n that above so clear Where are no Sorrows but Delights more true Than Miseries are here These Thoughts will preserve thee from being so foolish as to mind Baubles and to follow after Butter-flies from being excessively fond and greedy of a tickling transient Pleasure from catching earnestly at a Vapour a Puff of Honour from stooping low to a base and filthy Clod of Earth from striving over-eagerly for any of this World's Goods which thou must certainly soon part with and which if thou couldst hold never so fast and keep never so long thou couldst find no solid real rational Happiness in From envying those that have * Ps 7.14 their Portion in this Life And will cause thee to dread the Thoughts †Luke 16.25 of receiving thy good Things ‖ 6.24 thy Consolation here To tremble to think of going shortly out of this World and leaving all thou hast behind thee and of having nothing at all that is truly good to reap and receive in another World The Meditation of heavenly Provisions and Enjoyments will wean and loosen thy Heart from deaden and disaffect it to the drossy or kexy Things of this base and dull Earth which are wholly unworthy of the choice Affections of thy heaven-born Soul It will direct thee to use this World as if thou didst not use it to use earthly Things but not to mind them nor with thy whole Heart to desire them nor to place thy Happiness in them nor to dull thy Appetite to heavenly Things by them To consider seriously that God has provided such Riches and Treasures in another World for thee this is a likely Means to free thee from affecting inordinately Worldly Greatness and to moderate thy Desires and Endeavours after earthly Things to enable thee to live without them to live above them to have thy Conversation here without Covetousness and to be content with such Things as thou hast in thy Passage and Way to Heaven since Heaven will make up all at last Reckoning with thy self that the Discontent of thy Life would be a kind of rude Blasphemy against Heaven a pronouncing and proclaiming of all the promised Glory of Heaven what Solomon does of all earthly Glory that this also is Vanity A telling all the World that thou verily thinkest either there is no Heaven at all or that Heaven is not enough to satisfy thee The fixed Thoughts of a promised heavenly Reward will serve to consirm and stablish thy Heart against worldly excessive Fears and Cares and immoderate Labours for outward and earthly Things and will prompt thee to argue thus with thy self Why should I fear the Loss of any Thing here in this World when it is my Father's good Pleasure to give me a Kingdom and why should I doubt of earthly Necessaries when God has allotted and apportioned an heavenly Kingdom to me If he hath promised me an heavenly Kingdom he won't withhold such temporal Supplies as are necessary for me in my present Pilgrimage And what need I cark and care labour and sweat toil and trouble my self for meer Vnnecessaries and vain and hurtful Superfluities 2. The Meditation of a perfect heavenly Happiness will help thee to live in the serious real visible Exercise of constant heavenly-mindedness to seek and care for to * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Col. 3.1 2. savour and set thy Affections on Things above to have thy Soul like the Flame of a Candle alwaies aspiring upward to live by Faith to affect the Kingdom of Heaven which the primitive Christians had so much in their Hearts and Tongues that the Heathen [s] Just Mart. Apol. 2. ad Antonium suspected they affected Caesar's Empire To desire a better that is an heavenly Countrey and to look for a City which has Foundations whose Builder and Maker is God To have thy Conversation in Heaven to lead and frame thy Life according to heavenly Rules and Patterns To order and to judg of every thing with respect had to these heavenly Things To be so taken with their Beauty and Excellency Sweetness and Pleasantness as to thirst after them with an unsatiable Desire and to refer every thing to the obtainment of them 4. And lastly If God hath wrought such due and requisite Qualifications in thee as may fit and prepare thee for an heavenly State thy Meditation then of a perfect State of heavenly Happiness will provoke thee to live in daily thankful delightful Fore-thoughts and sweet refreshing comfortable Foretastes of a perfect State of heavenly Glory and blessed celestial Immortality It will invite and constrain thee to think and speak well of God and Religion to laud and magnify the Divine Munisicence to admire and extol the Bounty of God who sweetly and kindly allures thee to Piety by a most ample and inestimable Reward and ingages to give thee such great Wages for so little Work eternal Life for the Labour and Service of a few Years an exceeding eternal weight of Glory for such small Pains spent in a
to oblige him to Industry and Activity But when the Gospel-revelation does give thee Assurance of the Perpotuity and endless Duration of this Felicity the due Consideration of so great and infinite a Reward will have a more forcible powerful Influence upon thee It greatly raised and much affected David's Heart to be able to say to God ‖ 2 Sam. 7.19 thou hast spoken of thy Servant's House for a great while to come How then is it likely to spirit and encourage thee to consider that God has spoken of an heavenly Happiness to be bestowed upon thee that shall last as long as Eternity it self that shall last as long as God himself 2. The serious Thoughts of a perfect heavenly State of eternal Bliss will quicken and encourage thee not only to do but to [q] Nihil crus sentit in nervo quando anmus est in coel Tertul. suffer any thing for God and Christ and the Gospel to chuse * Heb. 11.25 26. with Moses rather to suffer Affliction with the People of God than to enjoy the Pleasures of Sin for a Season esteeming the Reproach of Christ or for Christ far greater Riches than any Worldly Treasures out of a respect unto the Recompense of the Reward And with Christ for †12.2 the Joy that is set before thee to endure the Cross and despise the Shame ‖ 1 Pet. 4.13 To rejoice to be a Partaker of Christ's Sufferings that when his Glory shall be revealed thou maiest be glad also with exceeding Joy To be ready to (*) Heb. 10.34 35 36. take joyfully the spoiling of thy Goods knowing in thy self that thou hast in Heaven a better and an enduring Substance But of this I shall speak more under the next Head That is the first The serious Consideration and earnest Expectation of a vast and ample Reward in Heaven will encourage and enable thee not only to do but to suffer for Christ Jesus 2. The Consideration of a future perfect heavenly Happiness will help and enable thee to resist and repel both the fair and furious Temptations of Satan By Meditation put on for an Helmet the Hope of Salvation and that will defend thee against the Assault and will ward off the Blows of the Devil It will 1. Enable thee to answer and oppose the subtil and powerful Temptations of Satan when he fairly promises any pleasing Good to thee The consideration of what God offers thee will make thee reject and disdain whatever Satan for the present proffers thee because he can make no proffer valuable and considerable equal and answerable to what God has made in the Gospel to thee This Sun will presently put out the Light of all his twinkling Stars As Saul said to his Servants to keep them from falling away to David * 1 Sam. 22.7 Will the Son of Jesse give every one of you Fields and Vineyards and make you all Captains of thousands and Captains of hundreds So thou wilt say to thy considering self are the Devil and the World able to afford me those Honours and Dignities Riches and Treasures Delights and Pleasures and to entertain me with such a Paradise as God hath prepared for me and promised to me Are the Devil and the World and all the Pleasures of Sin which are slight and short and last but for a Season ever able to make me amends if I make a refusal of God's Kindness Are they ever able to countervail and make up the Loss of God and Christ and the heavenly Kingdom to me What 's all the outward Splendor and Glory of this World to the incomparable unconceivable Glory of Heaven What are these Meats and Drinks here below to the celestial Food and the full Satisfaction of all my spiritual Desires What signify all the filthy impure Pleasures here to the Enjoyment of the Society of immaculate Angels and the glorious Presence of the immaculate Lamb hereafter How are all the Pleasures of Sin put in the Ballance against the Joys of Heaven but as a Feather against a Mountain How poor and beggarly are all the Riches on Earth to the vast and sure Treasures laid up for me in Heaven How mean a Cottage what a very Dunghil is the most sumptuous Building and stately Habitation here to the beautiful spatious glorious heavenly Palace What vile Weeds and sorry Rags are the costliest Garments and richest Apparel here to the white Ornaments and glorious Robes of Saints triumphant in Heaven How contemptible and despicable is all Honour with Men in comparison or Honour with God and Angels any secular Preferment and worldly Power in respect of the heavenly Crown and Kingdom What Invitation or Inducement is this carnal Company to me that I should so covet and fondly embrace their Society to the Loss and Forfeiture of all blessed Fellowship with God and Christ with Saints and Angels to all Eternity Shall I ever become such a meer Bedlam and humane Beast as to slight and undervalue a perfect State of heavenly Glory and to place my Happiness in Sensuality and Flesh-pleasing Further 2. The Meditation of the high and heavenly Felicity and Glory will serve to counterpoise the heaviest Temptation when Satan or his Initruments shall terribly tempt thee and sharply assault thee by threatning any great and grievous Evil to thee If Satan threaten thee with Persecution with the Loss of thy Estate or of temporal Life it self this will instruct thee to tell him what Christ himself hath told thee that * Mat. 5.10 11 12 Blessed are they which are persecuted for Righteousness sake for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven That blessed art thou when Men shall revile thee and persecute thee and shall say all manner of evil against thee falsely for Christ's sake that then thou must rejoice and be exceeding glad for great is thy Reward in Heaven That †19.29 every one that hath forsaken Houses or Brethren or Sisters or Father or Mother or Wife or Children or Lands for Christ's Name 's sake shall receive an hundred-fold and shall inherit everlasting Life That ‖ 16.25 whosoever will save his Life shall lose it and whosoever will lose his Life for Christ's sake shall find it It will enable thee to tell the Devil what the great Apostle of Christ has told thee That (*) 2 Tim 2.12 if thou sufferest thou shalt also reign with Christ and be glorified with him but if thou deniest him he also will deny thee That thou (†) Rom. 8.17 18. reckonest that the Sufferings of this present Time are not worthy to be compared with the Glory which shall be revealed in thee That thy (‖) 2 Cor. 4.17 light Affliction which is but for a Moment not only worketh but [*] 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 worketh out for thee a far more exceeding and eternal Weight of Glory This will cause thee to be [†] Phil. 1.28 in nothing terrified by thy Adversaries the Agents
will use all Diligence and good Conscience in their Calling and Trading on the Week-day And their Pains-taking and honest Dealing is likely to bring God's Blessing on their outward Estates Besides They that faithrully worship God on the Lord's-day will seek to God for a Blessing on the Week-day and they that seek it are likely to find it Once more God won't be wanting to those who would not be wanting to him God will bless you six Daies for your Blessing and Serving him one whole Day in seven 2. Our Observation of the Lord's-day as it is a spiritual wise redeeming of that special Season so it is a good Help to the spiritual Redeeming of all the six Daies following The more Liberty Men allow themselves upon the Lord's-day the more loose their Hearts are and negligent of good Duties and religious Exercises all the Week after They that pray not on the Lord's-day will hardly so much as say a Praier all the Week long They that hear not a Sermon on this Day will searcely read a Chapter the whole Week They that rob God of his due on the Lord's-day will rarely deal justly and honestly with their Neighbour on the Week-day But if we keep holy the Lord's-day then every Week-day will have a Tincture and Savour of the Lord's-day Our being Spiritual on the Lord's-day will put us into a very good Frame of Heart will awaken Principles of Conscience compose our Minds six our Wills call in and set in order our Assections Our Sanctification of this Day will season and sanctify us sit and dispose us for a close and holy Walking with God all the Week after If we attend upon God and converse with him on this special Day of his own Appointment we shall find a sensible spiritual Vigour a divine Power and heavenly Strength to carry us through all the Duties of the whole Week following relating either to God or Man If we earnestly redeem the Lord's-day the Observation of that Day will have a strong and mighty Influence on our Lives on other Daies too We shall endeavour to carry our selves after it suitably to it to live and walk and act continually as those that have newly or lately enjoyed so blessed and happy an Opportunity as those that have heard of God heard from him spoken to him had to do with him we shall labour to live in pursuance of the End and Design of the work and Business of the Lord's-day Mot. 2. Our Sanctification and good Improvement of the Lord's-day will fit and prepare us to keep and enjoy a blessed Rest and eternal Sabbath in Heaven They that delight in God here will much more delight in him hereafter and those whom God delights in here he will delight in for evermore They that keep holy the Christian Sabbath here shall be translated and admitted to sanctify and celebrate an everlasting Sabbath in Glory hereafter [g] The Church-porch p. 15. He that loves God's Abode and to combine With Saints on Earth shall one Day with them shine But on the other side your gross continued Neglect and wilful resolved Profanation of the Lord's-day will unfit and unqualify you to keep a glorious festival and a joyful happy Holy-Day in Heaven God can take no Complacency and Delight in you if you can take no Complacency in him no Delight in his Sabbaths no Pleasure in his Worship and Service They that refuse to sanctify a Sabbath and totally to rest on that Day from their worldly Labours and secular Negotiations have reason to fear lest God sware in his Wrath that they shall never enter into his Rest. They that will not rest from their Works and Pleasures on this Day have cause to conclude that in Hell they shall have no Rest neither Day nor Night They that will do their own Works on the Lord's-day may expect to suffer for their evil Deeds in the Day of the Lord. They who wilfully absented themselves from God's House on God's Day have no ground to hope that God will receive them to Communion with himself in his heavenly Kingdom And as God can take no delight in you so if you pollute and profane break and violate the Lord's-Day neglect Religion contemn the Worship and despise the Service of God if you changed your place you would there no more delight in God than you do here Heaven would be a Burden Heaven would be an Hell to the unsuitable Spirit of an irreligious profane voluptuous Person Thou that art weary of Praiers and Praises here what wouldst thou do in Heaven tro there is nothing else there You that are sick of a Sabbath here and long till it be over and can't endure to think of spending a whole Day in Religious Exercises what wilt thou do in Heaven where there is a perpetual Sabbath to be kept for ever Thou that hatest the Communion of Saints here I wonder what thou wouldst do in Heaven where next to the Fruition and Enjoyment of God in Glory the best Entertainment will be the Company and Society of the holy Angels and of the blessed and glorified Saints to all Eternity I have given you some Motives to perswade and engage you to the due Observation and right Redemption of the Lord's-Day Now what are you resolved upon Shall your former Profanation of this Day be the present Burthen of your Spirits and Sadness of your Souls Will you live as those that are convinced that Religion depends upon the Sanctification of this Day and your Salvation upon Religion Will you forbear any more to break into God's Inclosure to encroach upon God's Propriety sacrilegiously to engross God's Day to your selves or to make bold with any Part of it for worldly Employments or vain Pleasures or such Recreations as are apt to prove Lets and Hindrances of your Duties and Devotions and be careful to give God that Portion of Time which is his due Will you for the future sequester your selves from worldly Cares Affections Affairs on this Day and henceforth dedicate the Lord's-Day to the Honour of God and Christ Will you not only cease to censure those serious Christians who dare not lose this choice Time and precious Opportunity as profanely and desperately as formerly you have done But will you so consider the Worth of this Time and so far weigh the great Consequences and weighty Concernments of the well or ill spending of it as to count it honourable and keep it holy without intermixing of secular Matters or indulging profane Thoughts and introducing inconvenient improper Discourses in any part of it Will you labour to walk accurately exactly precisely on this Day and not be afraid of being [h] He keeps the Lord's-day best that keeps it with most Religion and with most Charity Bp. Taylor 's Rule and Exerc. of Hol. Lif chap. 4 sec 6. rul 8. Hypocrites are out disputing the Obligations to their Duty and asking How do you prove that it is a Duty to pray in my Family
such strong Affections for any profane Writings as by means of them to be taken off from perusing and studying the Scriptures which were given by Inspiration of God and are every way profitable to the Edification and Salvation of our Souls [e] Scriptura visa mihi est indigna quam Tullianae dignitati compar arem Aug Conf. l 3. c. 5. St. Austin confesses it as his great Folly and Fault that in his unconverted State the Scripture-stile was a mean and contemptible thing in his Eye and not to be compared for Dignity with the Eloquence of Tully And [f] The Life of Bp. Usher p. 27. Dr. Bernard relates of Bp. Vsher that in his younger Years in the Times of his private Sequestration and strict Examination of himself he lamented his too much love of his Book and humane Learning that he should be as glad of Munday to go to that as of the Lord's-Day for his Service 3. We should take care to redeem the Time from the most plausible taking Treatises of moral Philosophers whose Precepts commonly make Men grow more in Knowledg than in Goodness We have an Account indeed of one [g] 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Origen contra Cels l. 1. p. 50. Phaedon and one Polemon that were famous Converts to Philosophy and were reclaimed and reduc'd from a very luxurious and impure Life by Socrates and Xenocrates But what vast Numbers and great Multitudes have not only been brought to alter their Opinions but have been really recovered from the inward Love and Liking as well as the outward gross Practice of Sin and Vice by reading and ruminating on the Writings of the Old and New Testament St. Austin declares that Plato's Writings have not the [h] Non habent illae paginae visltum pietatis hujus August Conf. l. 7. c. 21. § 2. Visage and Colour of that Piety that is apparent in the sacred Scriptures The heathen Philosophy has nothing of that holy Nature and transforming Power which is to be found in Scripture-truth which has a rare Efficacy not only to civilize but to sanctify [i] Sapientia eorum non excindit vitia sed abscondit Pauca verò Dei praecepta sic totum hominem immutant exposito vetere novum reddunt ut non cognoscas eundem esse Lactant. l. 3. §. 25. Da mihi virum qui sit iraeundus maledicus effrenatus paucissimis Des verbis tam placidum quà m ovem reddam c. Num quis haec Philosophorum aut unquam prastitit aut praestare si velit potest qui cùm atates suas in studio Philosophiae conterant neque alium quemquam neque seipsos si natura paululum obstitit possunt facere meliores Id. ib. The Wisdome of Philosophers saies Lactantius it does not cut up Vices but only cover them But a few divine Precepts saies he do so change the whole Man and putting off the old make him every way such a new Man that you would not know him to be the same Person The most improved Discourses of heathen Moralists are also short in the relief and comforts which they offer to afford to troubled Minds If you peruse the Writings of all the Platonick Philosophers St. Austin will tell you you can never find such strong Cordials in any of them as those which the Gospel exhibits and holds forth to you you [k] Nemo ibi audit vocantem Venite ad me qui laboratis Aug. Conf. l. 7. c. 21. §. 3. can never hear there any calling and crying to you Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Nor do the Writings of the most raised sublime Philosophers furnish and fortify a Person with any Motives and Arguments to help him quietly and contentedly to bear the Afflictions and Calamities of this Life like those of the perfect Pattern of Christ's patient though undeserved Sufferings and the great and gainful Reward in Heaven that * 2 Cor. 4.17 exceeding and eternal Weight of Glory proposed and promised in the Gospel of Christ to those that endure the Evils and Sufferings of this present Life with Christian Patience [l] Feci ego persaepe periculum fugi semper od Codices sacros quod in iis quaerebatur levamen inveni nec à spe nec à desiderio meo fraudatus Baptist Mantuan de patientia l. 3. cap. 32. Baptista Mantuanus declares it as his comfortable and constant Experience that his recourse to the Scripture was on all Occasions a present happy Remedy against all Griess of Body Anxiety of Mind and Sadness of Soul and that he never fail'd of Ease in taking this course and using this means Once more 4. We should religiously redeem the Time not only from mere Philosophical Writings but from the Ecclesiastical Theological Writings of Men not immediatly inspired to spend in reading over the Bible which is the infallible Word of God and is peculiarly accompanied with the special Operation of the Spirit the Word of God being vehiculum Spiritûs the Charet in which the Spirit of God rides in Triumph This made Luther solemnly profess [m] Ego ipse eam ob causam odi mâ—os libros saepe opto eos interire quòd metuo ne morentur lectores abducant à lectione iâ—sius Scriptarae quae sola omnis sapientiae fons est Ac terreor exemplo superioris aetatis c. Luth. Loc. Com. collect à Fabricio prim Class cap. 24. pag. 70. ex Tom. 2do in Genesin in cap. 19. p. 143. that he hated the Books set forth by himself and often wish'd them perish'd and utterly abolish'd lest they should be a means to divert and withdraw Men from the reading of the Scripture which alone is the Fountain of all spiritual divine and heavenly Wisdome for fear of this he could like Saturn have eaten up his own Children destroyed his own Works the Fruit and Issue of his Mind Thus thus redeem and gain the Time from other Things to apply it to the busie study of the Scriptures Let the Scriptures have the Preeminence above all Books and Writings in the World Keep a constant course of serious reading those divine Writings reade them frequently reade them unweariedly [n] Septies ter imò septuagies septies seu ut plus dicam infinities legendae sunt vel milties relegendae sunt Idem ibidem pag. 70 71. It is a common proverbial Speech saies Luther that the Letters of Princes are to be read three times over Surely then the Divine Letters God's Epistles as Gregory calls the Scriptures are to be read seven times thrice yea seventy times seven they are to be read even a thousand times over they are to be read infinitely because they are the divine Wisdome which cannot be comprehended presently at first sight If any one reade them by the by as things known and easy he deceives himself Is not Time well spent in often and narrow searching into those things
fit to meet their Persons and to enjoy their holy Company and happy Society in the heavenly Glory hereafter 6. And lastly Love and delight to enlarge thy Thoughts in the frequent Meditation of the Vninterruption Perpetuity and Eternity of this blessed State To sit down and consider that thou hast the Promise of eternal Life eternal Salvation eternal Glory a continuing City an everlasting Habitation a House eternal in the Heavens an Inheritance incorruptible an everlasting Kingdom a Crown of Glory that fadeth not away That if thou art a righteous Person thou shalt be ever with the Lord and as a Son abide in thy heavenly Father's House for ever and reign in the Kingdom of thy Father for ever and ever that thou shalt be a Pillar in the Temple of thy God and go no more out That if once thou entrest in thou canst never pass out of that State of Bliss that the Eternity of thy Felicity will be the Compleatment of thy Happiness That there will be no fear of ever losing or relinquishing thy pleasant Possession That to admit any such Thought would be a lessening and diminishing a souring and imbittering the Joys and Delights of that blessed State and a kind of Hell even in Heaven it self That therefore in Heaven thou shalt surely live an immortal Life of endless Love and continual Joy and perpetual Praise This Meditation will sweetly constrain thee to labour earnestly to become meet to enjoy a Perpetuity and Eternity of perfect and consummate heavenly Felicity 'T will make thee mindful to lay the Foundation of Life eternal in thy self here in this World to pass from Death to Life even in this Life to get the Seed of eternal Life here Grace the Seed of Glory to get eternal Life initial that thou maiest be sit for eternal Life perfectional To obtain the good Beginnings of Life everlasting as an earnest in this Life of that which is to follow and a good Preparation for Life everlasting to be conferred in the World to come To begin by Grace to live here that thou maiest be fit to live eternally in Glory hereafter And this Meditation will engage thee to give God here thy whole remaining Time that thou maiest be fit to enjoy his blessed Eternity To be careful that there be no voluntary Intercision or Interruption of thy Obedience To endeavour to serve God in Holiness and Righteousness before him * Luke 1.75 all the Daies of thy Life without any wilful departing backsliding withdrawing declining or moral discontinuance of thy holy and religious walking with him by gross Neglect of what thou oughtest to do or by doing the contrary to thy Duty This will incline thee to deal with God as thou wouldst that he should deal with thee and move thee to say thus to thy self Would I have God give me Admission into Heaven and afford me only a Taste of Happiness and then presently put an end to those transporting ravishing Joys and ere long annihilate me or at least turn me quite out of Paradise and for ever deprive me of that joyful blissful State and Place and thrust me into far a meaner and lower Condition Would I be well contented with this If not why then let me not only enter into God's Service but continue therein to my Life's End If I expect a perfect perpetual Happiness from God is it sit and reasonable that I should give God a broken imperfect flitting inconstant Obedience Would I have God's Goodness last for ever then let not my Goodness be as a * Hos 6.4 Morning-cloud and go away as the early Dew Let not me be off and on with God Let not me serve him by Fits and Starts but let my Heart stand alwaies bent for God and let me perform a constant Course of Obedience to him Let me not only enter into the Race and run for a Spurt and then sit down or start aside and fly out of the Way but let me here hold out to the End or I shall be unfit for an endless Felicity in another and better World The Consideration of all that has been spoken both in general and particular of the glorious Happiness of Heaven will be of further Use and Advantage to thee as to the Redemption of thy Time in several respects for 1. 'T will hearten and encourage thee to do and suffer any thing for God 2. 'T will help and enable thee to answer and oppose the fair and furious Temptations of Satan 3. To live in an holy Contempt of this present World and in the serious real visible Exercise of constant heavenly-mindedness 4. And lastly To live in delightful fore-thoughts and fore-tastes of the Glory to come 1. The foregoing Meditations of a perfect heavenly glorious Reward will quicken and strengthen hearten and encourage thee to do and suffer any thing for God 1. The serious frequent Consideration of a perfect State of heavenly Glory will ammate and encourage thee to lay out thy self to the utmost for God and to act vigorously in the performance of thy Daty in this State of Probation in which thou art placed in this lower World All the forementioned Particulars of this Reward will be so many Cords to bind thee to thy Duty and as so many Magnctical Hocks to draw thee to Obedience Thou wilt up and be doing upon this Consideration that there is enough to be gotten by well doing Thou wiâ—t * Col. 3.23 24. heartily serve the Lord Christ that Christ that died for thee of whom thou knowest thou shalt receive the Reward of the Inheritance who hath promised a Reward to the Gift of a †Mat. 10.42 Cup of cold Water only and therefore will undoubtedly give a great Reward to a constant course of sincere Obedience Thou wilt besorward to do any thing * Col. 1.5 for the Hope that is laid up for thee in Heaven considering that all thy good Duties and faithful Performances shall be †1 Pet. 1.7 found unto Praise and Honour and Glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ The deep Thoughts of the heavenly Glory will render the Duties of Religion easy to thee The Meditation of an everlasting heavenly Rest will facilitate the Yoke and lighten the Burden of Christ to thee The Greatness of thy Reward will lessen and take off the Difficulty of thy Labour Thou wilt surely think no Task no Duty no Diligence no Care no Cost no Pains too much to get to Heaven which at last will fully make amends for all Thou wilt strive to do thy best in all thou doest because as Apelles said of his great Care in drawing a very curious Picture Pingo Aeternitati I limn for Eternity so whatever thou doest thou doest for Glory Honour Immortality a blessed Eternity If by the Eternity of thy Felicity were meant only an Aevum of very long Duration yet it would seem a weighty Motive to any considering rational Man to engage him to Godliness and Christianity and
short Race who though thou maiest sometimes start aside or stumble in the Way yet will not deny thee thy Reward nor lessen thy Crown but if thou doest thy best will reward thy Sincerity largely and liberally and will abundantly recompense the very meanest faithful Performance the giving but a Cup of cold Water in the Name of a Disciple It will excite thee to give thanks to God who hath begotten thee again to a lively Hope and made thee very rich in Hope It will enable thee to live comfortably and walk cheerfully as an Heir of the Promises an Heir of the Grace of Life of eternal Life or Glory which will be bestowed by the free Grace and Favour of God To rejoice with Joy unspeakable and full of Glory as one whose Name is written in Heaven and that hast a Mansion prepared by Christ in Heaven for thee To rejoice and be exceeding glad to consider that great is thy Reward in Heaven To rejoice in the first Fruits of the Spirit in the earnest of the Spirit which is the earnest of thy Inheritance given by God as a Pledg or first part of Payment of that Inheritance which he hath destin'd to thee To sit down and express and vent thy Thoughts in the feeling affectionate words of the fore-cited sweet Singer [t] Herb. Poem The Glance If thy first glance so powerful be A Mirth but open'd and seal'd up again What wonders shall we feel when we shall see Thy full-eyed Love When thou shalt look us out of pain And one Aspect of thine spend in Delight More than a thousand Suns disburse in Light In Heaven above If thou shalt use to think much of Heaven thou wilt rejoice in that Sight which thou gettest of God and Christ here as a real Pledg of a clearer Vision and nearer Fruition of God and Christ hereafter Thou wilt rejoice in that Communion which thou holdest with the Saints in the Church here as an earnest and assurance of thy Fellowship with them in the heavenly Glory hereafter Thou wilt delight in that measure of spiritual Knowledg and those Beginnings of eternal Life thou attainest here as Tokens and Pledges of a perfection of Knowledg a perfection of Life eternal to be received and enjoyed hereafter Thy thankful cheerful Life will answer the Reward the Riches the Crown the Kingdom which God hath plainly promis'd thee and given a sure Earnest and certain Pledg of to thee The last of the four last Things proposed as the subject Matter of Meditation in order to the right Redemption of Time Let [a] Reade Mr. Bolton of Hell in his 4 last things And Mr. Richard Adams's serm of Hell in the M. E. at St. G. Hell and its Torments be the Subject of thy solemn and frequent Meditation which will be of great Use and Advantage to thee for preventing the mis-spending and promoting the right redeeming of thy Time Hope of Heaven and Fear of Hell are the great Engines apt to turn about our Wills and the forcible Spring of all our Actions and nothing so strongly affects as Fear And we have need enough in this present State to get every Affection wrought upon and to use all possible Motives with our selves for the furthering and promoting the Salvation of our Souls And therefore surely she was overhasty and acted rashly that ran about the City with a Brand of Fire in one Hand and a Bottle of Water in the other and said her business was to set Heaven on fire with the one and to quench Hell-slames with the other that there might be neither of them left only pure Love to move and incite her Piety The devout St. Bernard puts us upon a wiser and better Course [b] Descendamus in insernum viventes ne defcendamus moriâ—ntes Let us go into Hell by Meditation while we live saies he that we may not go into Hell when we die Seriously consider that if thou shouldst prove a final impenitent Sinner when thy Soul shall quit the Tabernacle of thy Body it shall pass immediatly into a State of Misery and dwell in the Region of Devils and of evil discontented Spirits and that thou shalt be raised at the last Day to the * Ioh. 5.29 Resurrection of Damnation to †Dan. 12.2 Shame and everlasting Contempt be raised as a Malefactor is fetched out of Prison to appear in Judgment first and then to be had to the Place of Execution be raised though thou wouldst [c] Malunt extingui penitus quà m ad supplicia reparari Minucius Fel. p. 84. rather chuse to be annihilated than to be restored and raised again to Punishment That then thou shalt be ranked among the Goats on the * Mat. 25.41 left Hand and sentenced to * Mat. 25.41 depart That then thou shalt be excluded and banish'd from the Face and Favour the comfortable †2 Thess 1.9 Presence and blessed Enjoyment of God and Christ in Glory That thou shalt suffer the Loss of all thy outward and earthly Enjoyments have impetuous Desires after terrene and sensual Things still remaining and yet want the Objects which should suit and satisfy please and gratify those Desires But that thy greatest Punishment shall consist in the Loss of God and Christ and of all real substantial Good by the Loss of God and Christ the chiefest Good Consider further That thou shalt be forc'd to depart from Christ into Hell-fire not a purging but plaguing not a purifying but tormenting Fire That it will be no small Pain that will arise from an acute Feeling and lively Sense of the unutterable Losses and unrecoverable Damages thou shalt then sustain by reason of thy Sin from a quick and terrible Apprehension that thou art bereaved of God forsaken of Christ and utterly deprived of all the glorious Good that was so fairly offer'd to thee and from the sad Consideration that they whom thou didst despise and vilify and trample on here on Earth and account the very Off-scouring of the World are at last possess'd and made Partakers of that blissful State which thou findest thy self deprived of As it heightned and aggravated Dives's Misery to behold Lazarus in Abraham's Bosom But well consider That this will not be all but that there shall be a real Presence of all Evil as well as a privation of all Good That as all the Members of thy Body and Powers of thy Soul have been Weapons of Unrighteousness so thou shalt be punished in all the Parts of thy Body and Faculties of thy Soul which then shall be made more capable of Torment and shall suffer-Pain without any Diversion or Intermission Mitigation or Relaxation at all finding * Rev. 14.11 no Rest day nor night That then thou shalt be fill'd with Horrour of Conscience troubled and vexed to think and consider that all the Torments thou indurest are sent in Vengeance and inflicted by Divine Justice by way of Punishment for thy wilful Faults and