may sometimes be of carnal respects that may have an influence upon the exerting and bringing them forth yet the great poise that moves the Wheels the swaying motive that brings us on is God and our respects to his will and Honour Now for this also the Lord undertakes promising not onely assistance but success sufficient grace and efficacious grace I will cause them to walk in my Statutes and they shall keep my judgments and do them I will not onely teach them my Statutes I will not onely incline their hearts to my testimonies I will not onely strengthen them for my work but I will cause them to walk in my Statutes The even shall be sure they shall keep my judgments and do them my word shall fail my promises shall be of none effect let me be accounted unfaithfull if I do not make them faithful to me CHAP. XVI Perseverance in the Covenant 8. PErseverance Jer. 32.40 I will make an everlasting Covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good but I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me The Perseverance of the Saints is founded on the Election of God and the immutability of his Counsel The foundation of the Lord standeth sure Rom. 8.38 Whom he did Predestinate them he also called and whom he called them he also justified and whom he justified them he also glorified This golden Chain will hold not a link of it shall be broken on whomsoever the first link Election hath taken hold it will infallibly bring him up to the last Glory God is not as man that he should repent But not to wade farther into this deep our business lyes in the Promise of God There are two sorts of Promises concerning Perseverance There are Promises To Perseverance Of Perseverance 1. The Promise of eternal life is made to Perseverance Hold out to the end and be saved Overcome and reign Be faithful to the death and I will give thee a Crown of life Rev. 2,10 If thou forsake him he will cast thee off for ever 1 Chron. 28.9 If any man draw back my soul shall have no pleasure in him Christians beware of Apostacy beware of Presumption Pass the time of your sojourning here in fear Let it not be said of you ye did run well He runs well that gives not off that sits not down on this side the goal So run that ye may obtain 2. There are Promises of Perseverance The Covenant of God is an everlasting Covenant He hath commanded his Covenant for ever Psal 111.5 There are two things in the fore-mentioned Scripture Jer. 32.40 secured to Believers which secure their Perseverance 1. God will not depart from them 2. They shall not depart from him 1. God will not depart from them I will not turn awâ—… from them God is with me but I fear I shall provoke him away I shall weary him out by my sins and drive him from me No saith the Lord I will not turn away from them to do them good I will never fail thee nor forsake thee 2. They shall not depart from him 'T is true the Lord will be with me but t is onely while I am with him if I depart he wil depart if I forsake him he will caâ—… me off for ever Here 's my great fear that I shall turn away from him there is in me an evil heart of unbelief that 's ever departing from the living God Oh this false and fickle heart I dare not trust it for a day I dare not undertake for it for an hour I doubt it will be gone ere I am aware my corruptions are strong my temptations are many every day brings its temptations and I am in great fear that by one means or other one day or other I shal fall before them and depart from the living God! No saies God fear not thou shalt not depart I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me They shall be kept by my Almighty Power through faith unto salvation My grace shall be with them and my grace shall be sufficient for them and shall preserve them to my Heavenly Kingdom And here is the Saints security The Lord God will not turn away from them nor ever suffer them to run away from him If the Promise fail then may their faith also fail It s true there may be gradual declinings and departures of the Saints from Christ for a season but total or final there shall not be They shall not be of them that draw back unto perdition but of them that believe to the saving of the soul Though they fall they shall rise again they may turn but they shal return As Hypocrites will not stay with Christ alwaies so neither will Saints alwais stay from him And there 's a like reason of both Sinners sometimes will step aside and salute Religion and take some turnes with Christ but after a while away they must again And there is a double Reason of it 1. There 's that within them 2. There 's one without them That will fetch them back 1. There 's that within them that will fetch them back Corrupt nature the power of unmortified Lust this it that bears the sway in their hearts and however for the time the stream may be somewhat turn'd out of its course or bayd up however by the impetus of some external Motives or Arguments or the impulses of an awakened Conscience or some sudden heat of affection they are carried on after and in some fair compliance with the Lord Jesus yet when the Bay is removed when the external force is spent Conscience laid to sleep the heat of affection allaid which is often almost as soon out as in thou very natures will reduce and bring them back to their old course What is it that pulls a Stone or a lump of Clay down again that is thrown into the Ayr Why when the vis impressa by which they were forc'd up is spent their natures their innate gravities will bring them down to their place Sinners need no other weights to pull them down to this Earth then their earthly hearts 2. There 's one without them that will fetch them off Satan the god of this world whose they are and whom they serve who though he indulge them so much liberty for their Religion as is consistent with their captive state and may possibly secure them the more under his Dominion Hypocrites are often the faster to Satan for being so near to Christ the very Religion they have is but the Devils snare by which he holds them back from Religion yet lest by venturing them too farr they should be lost to him at last he that first tempted them so near to Christ Hypocrites are often beholding to the Devil for their Religion they have will quickly tempt them back again And so on the other side there are the like Reasons why Saints cannot alwaies
Prov. 22.3 The prudent man fore-seeth the evil but fools go on the snare is never nearer than to the secure bold venturous sinners never want woe the Devil may spare his cunning when hee hath to do with such nothing that looks like sin offers it self to a tender heart but hee presently suspects it every pleasant morsel every pleasant cup every pleasant companion that comes any thing that tickles and gratifies the flesh hee looks through it e're hee will touch with it least it betray his soul from God there may bee a snare in the dish a snare in my cup a snare in my company and what if there should he feeds himself with fear dwells walks converses works recreates himself vvith a trembling heart and jealous eye 2. In its Caution Fear is warie some Commanders have set their scout watches unarmed that fear might make them watchful a fearful Christian will take heed what and whom hee trusts hee dares not trust himself in such company as may bee a snare unto him hee dares not trust his heart among temptations hee 'l keep the Devil at a distance hee will not come near where his Nets do lye Blessed is hee that thus feareth alwaies O the unspeakable mischief O the multitudes of sins that wee run upon through our secure hearts I never thought of it I never dreamed of any such danger Oh I am undermined I am over-reach'd I am surprized my foot is in the Snare the grin hath taken mee by the heel my soul is among Lyons Sin hath gotten hold on mee mine heart is gone e're I was aware the enemy hath come in and carryed it away hath given it to lust to the world to pleasure to divide it amongst themselves my faith hath failed my conscience is defiled my love is grown cold my grace withered my comforts wasted my peace broken and my God O! where is hee become Woe is mee the evil that I feared not is come upon mee had I feared I had not fallen O that I had been wise had kept my watch had stood upon my guard had I thought had I thought I had escaped all this danger O Christians bee wise in season and take heed of the fools too late had I wist 3. There 's a tenderness of sorrow Sorrow is the melting of the heart the stone dissolved sorrow is the wound of the heart a wound is tender love is tender and therefore Godly sorrow which is the sorrow of love you may call it a love sickness love is both the pain and pleasure of a mourning heart 't is love that wounds and love that heals it is both the weapon and the oyle this sorrow hath its joy the melted is the most joyful heart 't is love that makes it sad it therefore weeps because it loves and 't is love that makes it glad too It therefore joyes because in its sorrows it sees it loves 'T is love that makes the wound the matter of this sorrow being love abus'd what hast thou done Soul who hast thou despised against whom hast thou lift up thy self thou hast sinned thou hast sinned and hast thereby smitten and grieved thy God that loves thee and whom thou lovest Thou hast but one friend in Heaven and earth and him thou hast abused to pleasure thy lust thou hast pierced thy Lord thou hast transgressed his Commandements and trampled upon his Compassions hast broken his Bonds and kick'd at his Bowels his greatness and his goodness his Law and his very Love hath been despised by thee him who loved thee hast thou smitten Is this thy kindness to thy Friend O vile ungratious unkinde unthankful unnatural heart what hast thou done Put all this now together and you have the heart of flesh which the Covenant promises a Tender Heart an heart that is tender of sin and duty that carefully shuns sin or is sure to smart for it that neither slights sin nor duty that sayes not of the one or the other 't is but a little one that can feel sufferings but not fret at them a Tender Conscience that will neither winck at sin nor excuse the sinner that will not hold the sinner guiltless nor say unto the wicked thou art righteous that will not bee smitten but it will smite again that will give due warning and due correction a flexible tractable heart that will not resist and rebel that sayes unto the Lord what wilt thou have mee to do and will not say of any thing hee will have any thing but this A willing ductile heart stiffe against nothing but sin that a word from Heaven will lead to any thing An Heart of Love that bears good will to the Lord and all that hee does or requires in which good will lies radically every good work that saies not of any duties or sufferings this is too great or of any sin this is nothing that would bee any thing or nothing So God may bee all That would rather bee displeased than displease that is not displeased where God is pleased A trembling Heart that fears more than it sees and flies from what it fears whom fear makes to beware A melting Heart a mourning heart that wounds it self in the wounds it hath given to the Lord and his Name that can grieve in love and can love and grieve where it cannot weep In summe 't is an heart that can feel that can bleed that can weep or at least that can yeild and stoop where it cannot weep nor feel but little that will easily bee commanded where it is not sensibly melted this is a soft heart this is the heart of flesh I will take away the stone and give them an heart of flesh Oh what a blessing is such an heart what a plague is an hard heart oh what prisoners are the men of this evil world in prison under Sathan in prison under sin bound under a curse shut up under unbelief and impenitence the hard heart is the iron-gate that shuts them in that they cannot get out Rom. 2. Oh what an hospital is this world become of blind and lame and sick and creeples and wounded creatures whence are all the calamities and distresses that befall them but from the hardness of their hearts the stone in their hearts breeds all their diseases brings all their calamities hath blinded their eyes and broken their bones and wasted their estates there is not one misery that befalls them but they may write up over it this is the hardness of my heart Oh what a Sodom is this world become for wickedness as well as for wrath what drunkenness what adulteries what oaths what blasphemies and all sorts of monstrous sins do every where abound whence is all this but from the hardness of mens hearts if you say 't is from other causes 't is from unbelief from ignorance from impotence from temptations let it bee granted yet still 't is from hardness of heart They are wilfully ignorant wilfully weak vvilfully run into
HEAVEN OPENED OR A Brief and plain DISCOVERY OF THE RICHES OF Gods Covenant OF GRACE By R. A. London Printed Anno Dom. 1665. To The Reader Reader THe Providence of God hath led mee on to the publication of the ensuing Treatise much beyond my first intentions There came to my hands A Synopsis of the Covenant of Grace on Gods part with a Soliloquie annexed both penned by the worthy Authour of that form of Mans Covenanting with God inserted in my Vindiciae Pietatis attended with the Authours desires and of divers other Christians that this also might bee incorporated into the same book These desires neither being able to resist nor willing to deny I prepared some meditations to bee premised with a purpose to have put forth another Edition of that Book with this addition but finding it to grow into too great a bulk to bee there incerted both this on Gods part and the former on mans part come into thy hands in this distinct Treatise followed with my Prayers that the good Land whereof some Clusters are here presented to thee may be thine Inheritance See and take Thine because the Lords Covenant servant R. A. July 8. 1665. The Contents THe Introduction pag. 1 Chap. 1 God himself granted in the Covenant p. 3 To bee our Friend Portion Sun Shield Chap. 2. Christ in the Covenant 22 As The Light of life The Lord our righteousness Our Lord and King Our head and Husband Chap. 3. The Spirit in the Covenant 35 As a Spirit of Wisdome and Revelation Holiness and Sanctification Truth and Direction Comfort and Consolation Chap. 4 The earth in the Covenant 51 The good things of the Earth The evil things of the Earth 1. The Covenant hath its Cross 2. By vertue of the Convenant the Cross is a blessing The Blessing of the Cross stands 1. In its being separated from the earth 2. In its being sanctified to its ends 3. In its being proportioned to our needs and strength 4. In the special comforts annexed to it Chap. 5. The Angels of light in the Covenant 74 Chap. 6. The powers of darkness delivered over in the Covenant 78 Chap. 7. Death in the Covenant p. 84 Chap. 8. The Kingdome in the Covenant 87 Chap. 9. All the means of salvation in the Covenant 88 1. External means 2. Internal means In special a new heart Chap. 10. An heart to know the Lord. 96 Chap. 11. One heart 114 Chap. 12. An heart of flesh 141 Chap. 13. An heart to love the Lord. 166 Chap. 14. An heart to fear the Lord. 193 Chap. 15 An Obedient heart 221 Chap. 16. Perseverance in the Covenant 249 Chap. 17. A Synopsis of the Covenant of Grace on Gods part by another hand 262 Chap 18. A Soliloquie representing the Believers Tryumph in Gods Covenant and the various conflicts and glorious conquests of faith over unbelief 316 Chap. 19. An exhortation to sinners with directions for their entring into Covenant 342 Chap. 20. A form of words expressing mans covenanting with God 365 Chap. 21. An Exhortation to the Saints 369 Heaven Opened OR A brief and plain discovery of the Riches of Gods Covenant of GRACE The Introduction GOod news from Heaven the day-spring from on high hath visited this undone world after a Deluge of sin and misery behold the bow in the Cloud the Lord God hath made and established a new Covenant and this is it that hath cast the first beam on the dark state of lost and fallen man and hath brought life and immortality to light This Covenant is the hope of Sinners The riches of Saints the Magna Charta of the City of God The forfeited Lease of eternity renewed Gods Deed of Gift wherein hee hath on fair conditions granted sinners their lives and settled upon his Saints an everlasting Inheritance Hear O yee forlorn Captives who have sold your selves to eternal bondage spoiled your selves of all your glory sealed your selves up under everlasting misery you are dead in your sins guilty before God under wrath under a curse bound over to eternal vengeance But behold there is yet hope in Israel concerning this thing the Lord God hath taken compassion upon you hath opened a way for you to escape out of all this misery and bondage Lift up the hands that hang down comfort the trembling knees An Ark an Ark hath God prepared in which is salvation from the Flood A Covenant a new Covenant hath hee made and established which if you lay hold on it will recover all you have lost ransome you from death redeem you from Hell and advance you to a more sure and blessed condition than your original state from which you have fallen This is the hope of sinners This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord. Glorious tydings good news indeed but what is this Covenant or what is there that is given and granted therein Why in summe there 's all that Heaven and earth can afford all that can bee needed or desired and this by a firm and irrevokable Deed made over and made sure to all that will sincerely embrace it Particularly God hath in his Covenant granted and made over 1. Himself 2. His Son 3. His Spirit 4. The Earth 5. The Angels of Light 6. The Powers of Darkness 7. Death 8. The Kingdome 9. All the means of Salvation CHAP. I. God in the Covenant 1. THe Lord God hath made over himself in this Covenant That 's the great and comprehensive promise Jer. 31.33 I will be their God I am God and what I am 't is all theirs my self my glorious incomprehensible essence all my glorious attributes my omnipotence my omniscience my wisdome my righteousness my holiness mine all-sufficiency my faithfulness c. I will make over my self to them to be henceforth and for ever theirs Their Friend Portion Sun Shield 1. Their Friend I was angry but mine anger is turned away I was an adversary I had a controversie with them but I am reconciled I have found a ransome the quarrel is composed my wrath is appeased I am friends with them I will forgive their iniquity and their sin will I remember no more I will take away their iniquity and receive them graciously I will heal their back-sliding I will love them freely for mine anger is turned away from them Jer. 31.34 Hos 14.4 Glory be to God on high on earth peace good will towards men Fury is not now in me favour and friendship love and good will is all they may henceforth expect from me Sinners what is there to be feared what is there dreadful but an angry provoked God Thence is sorrow and anguish thence is famine and pestilence and sword thence is death and hell he doth not know what the wrath of God means that doth not see in the bowels of it all the plagues above ground and all the vengeance of eternal fire Whatever terrors or torments have seized upon thee upon thy body upon thy soul whatever losses crosses
mine and shew it unto you As much as you have in the world to afflict and amaze you as little as you have of your own to comfort you either in your hearts or in your houses or among your friends hee shall shew what I have for you to refresh you O Christians a sight of Christ in our sorrows in our fears in our thickest darkness what day-light would it bring in When thou lookest into thine heart and art astonished and confounded at what thou findest there at the blindness and the hardness the poverty and the emptiness the guilt and the guile the pride and the peevishness the evil thoughts the vile affections the filthy lusts that are swarming and working in thee when thou lookest into the world and tremblest at what thou beholdest there the malice the craft the power that is engaged against thee the furious spirits the fiery tongues the fierce looks the violent hands that are flying upon thee and the little relief the earth will afford thee when thy heart faints and dies within thee at the sense of this thy woeful and forlorn state A sight of what thou hast in thy Lord presented to thee by his Spirit look thee here soul what thy Jesus hath sent thee down a glance from his eye a drop from his heart a messe from his table and all to tell thee yet I do not forget thee behold the care I take of thee the treasures I have for thee to encourage thy love and reward thy faithfulness Oh! how will this make all thy darkness to depart and turn the shadow of death into the morning Thus is the Holy Spirit given to the Saints to bee the light of their eyes the death of their sins the guide of their waies the stay of their hearts to up-hold their grace and to maintain their peace to subdue their enemies or their fears to secure them from temptations or succour them when tempted to wipe off their reproach or make it their crown to heal their diseases or make them their cure to help their infirmities to work their works to make their yoke easie and their burthens light to turn their sighs into songs to form their groans into prayers to send them up to their Lord and bring down their returns to comfort their hearts to establish strengthen settle them that they be neither offended at the chain nor moved from the hope of the Gospel CHAP. IV. The Earth in the Covenant 4. GOd hath put the earth into the Covenant Though the Saints have not their reward in this life their portion in this world yet this world also is theirs Mat. 5.5 The meek shall inherit the earth 1 Cor 3.22 Things present and things to come all are yours 1. The good things present 2. The evil things present 1. The good things present Mark 10.30 Houses and Brethren and Sisters and Mothers and Children and Lands now in this time Prov. 3.16 Length of daies are in her right hand and in her left hand riches and honour Houses and Lands and Riches and Honours where are they who are the poor of this World the houseless harbourless and friendless who have wo and want and shame and sorrow who are Strangers and Pilgrims dwelling in tents driven into corners into dens and caves hunted up and down upon the mountains of the earth to whom is hunger and thirst cold and nakedness but to the meek of the earth Is this to inherit the earth All theirs when nothing theirs yet they do inherit the earth For 1. They shall ever have as much as will suffice them and that 's as much as all They shall not want any thing but what they may want Your Father knoweth that you have need of these things and he knows how much they need More than needs is more then enough and more then enough is a prejudice Many men have too much too much money too much esteem too many friends more than they can bear so much as to sink them and drown them in perdition and destruction Christians shall have enough they shall never be in such a needy state but whatever is necessary for them in all the earth they shall have it The earth is the Lords and the fulness thereof and he hath said That those that seek him shall not want any thing that is good Psal 34.10 if the whole world can supply them out of all its store they shall be supply'd 2. What they have they have a better and farther title to then any others in the world Though the dominion be not founded in grace yet by grace it is established What they have descends upon them not barely by providence but by promise Heb. 1.2 Christ is heir of all things and they are fellow-heirs with Christ A little coming from the promise hath more in it than the greatest abundance that 's only handed down by common providence that which comes in from the promise comes in with a blessing if thou hast but an handful thou hast a blessing in thy hand if thou hast but a corner thou hast a blessing in thy corner A little from love is a great blessing Thou hast God in every morsel thou eatest and in every drop that thou drinkest a drop from heaven will turn thy bran into the finest flower and thy Water into Wine O what serene and quiet lives how void of care distracting care might the Saints live in the world what are the burthens that do gall our backs what are the briars that tear our flesh what are the thorns that pierce through our hearts ordinarily but the cares of this life what shall I eat what shall I drink wherewith shall I be clothed where shall I dwell how little have I for to day what for to morrow what for hereafter how shall I secure what I have when this is gone whence shall I be supplyed thus do we go on piercing our selves through with many sorrows Our cares for supply eat up what we have our thoughts cut deeper than our wants we cannot at so cheap a rate fear as we often bear the want of all things And why take ye thought the earth is the Lords and the fulness thereof and he hath said All this is yours you shall want nothing You have not only your Deus providebit providence to live upon you have also your Deus promisit the promise before you and this hath all things in it all is yours What for to morrow what for hereafter why what saith the promise Thou shalt want nothing neither thou nor thine Never saw I the righteous forsaken nor their seed begging their bread Hast thou two worlds made sure to thee and canst thou want thou mayst as well whine and make a pittiful cry at a full table Oh where shall I have my next morsel as under such a full promise Oh where shall I have my next meal O how much beneath the spirit of Christianity are the carking anxious lives of too many
nothing but love to restrain us from sin and constrain and quicken us to duty Christians have wee but one thing to do in all wee do sometimes wee are busie in doing nothing Though there bee a Prayer in our mouths the praises of God in our mouths Christ heaven holiness glory a new heart a new life upon our tongues there 's nothing within no prayer no praise no Christ nor heaven what have we been often doing in the closet in the family in the congregation when wee seemed to have been praying nothing nothing but sowing wind and good words Sometimes we have too many things in our hearts what a world of carnal devices and fleshly projects have wee wrapt up in the garment of our Religion Peter's sheet had not a more heterogeneous miscellany of creatures four-footed beasts wilde beasts creeping things and fowls of the air than our religious duties have of designes and ends Wee have men to please our pride our bellies to offer sacrifice to wee bring our farms and our oxen and our trades before the Lord are not our hearts which should bee the houses of prayer the houses of merchandise are wee not talking or pursuing or in a journey or a sleep or driving bargains O Christians if wee were privy to one anothers hearts as God is privy to them what abominations should wee see brought into the holy places What monsters would our most sacred services appear VVhich whilst the out-side is onely viewed are applauded and admired Is this our singleness of heart Oh! for shame and blushing and confusion of face Oh! for a Vail to hide such hearts from the jealous eyes of the holy God a varnish a fair out-side hides all from men but nothing but a dark Vail of shame and sorrow and tears and repentance a Vail dipt in Blood in the blood of Christ will hide them from the eyes of the Lord. Oh how little plainness and singleness of heart is there in our ordinary course in our dealings and conversings in the VVorld how little faith or truth is there in us how little trust is there to us what doubling what deceitful dealing defrauding over-reaching undermining are wee guilty of how false are wee in our promises how insignificant are our words what an uncertain sound do they give our yea may often stand for nay and our nay for yea Psal 12.2 They speak vanity every one with his neighbour with flattering lips and a double heart do they speak trust yee not in a friend put not confidence in a guide Blessed bee God the Lord hath a Generation on whom this cannot bee charged Children that will not lye nor deceive though Satan and this evil world binde up all in a bundle they are all naught they are all false vain boasters and deceitful workers there 's none up-right no not one but thanks bee to God Satan is a lyer the accuser of the Brethren is a false accuser God hath his children that will not lye But woe bee to those professours by reason of whom the offence cometh Christians hath God promised to give you one heart Let it bee once said this day is this Scripture fulfilled O may you bee the accomplishment of this good word Hath God promised to give you one heart Do not you say but I will not take it two are better than one I have found so much the sweet of deceit that there 's no life like it Hath God said I will give one heart let not any one among you say But I fear he will not Make not the promise of God of none effect either by your impiety or unbelief Doth God promise to give this one heart hee that promised it doth also require it Bee thy self Christian Let it bee said thou art what thou art bee true bee but one have but one heart and let thy one heart have but one tongue but one face and but one thing to do Beware of hypocrisie beware of carnal policy make not thy God to serve thy flesh call not the serving of thy flesh a serving of God and make not thy serving of God to bee a serving of the flesh Bee not divided betwixt God and the World O how easie would our lives bee did we finde our whole souls running one way taking up w th God as the adequate object of all our powers the marke of all our motions and the reward of all our labours did all our streams empty themselves into this Ocean and all our lines meet in this one center Did God onely draw and allure our hearts and the sincerity of our hearts give motion to all our wheels Guide our eyes govern our tongues order our steps animate our duties direct and quicken us in all our goings Oh how sweet oh how beautiful were such a life the Sympathy betwixt our hearts and end there 's sweetness the harmony of our hearts and waies there 's beauty O how sweet are the drawings of love the free and full closure of our Spirits with God dissolving themselves into his Will acquiessing resting satisfyed in his goodness is a sweetness which no man knows but hee that tastes it the harmony of the power of the soul within its self of its motions and actions in the life there 's the beauty which will eclipse the glory of the world Christian bee it thus with thee and thou hast the blessing that covenant blessing which the Lord hath promised in saying I will give them one heart CHAP. XII An Heart of Flesh 4. AN Heart of Flesh Ezek. 36.26 I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an Heart of Flesh The old heart is a stone cold as a stone dead as a stone hard as a stone but I will take away the stone and give an heart of flesh An heart of flesh is a soft and tender heart Flesh can feel any thing that 's contrary to it puts it to pain Sin makes it smart it cannot kick but it is against the pricks by its rebellion and resistance against the Lord it receives a wound it cannot hit but it hurts it self A soft hand gets nothing by laying on on an hedge of thorns A soft heart when it hath been medling with sin is sure to smart for it It can neither escape the pain nor yet endure it and what it cannot bear 't will take warning to avoid it Flesh will bleed A soft heart will mourn and melt and grieve when hard hearts are moved at nothing Flesh will yield It s apt to receive impressions The power of God will awe it his justice fear it his mercy melt it his holiness humble it and leave the stamp and image of it upon it And as the Attributes so the Word and Works of God will make sign upon it Who sets a seal upon a stone or what print will it receive upon the wax the print will abide God speaks once and twice but man hardned man will not regard it Neither his
are over and wee make our returns from Heaven to Earth How much work have wee to keep our hearts by the Lord how do they slink away e're wee are aware and whilst wee are in his Presence how seldome do wee rejoyce in his Presence What hungry meals what jejune feasts do wee make before the Lord Wee relish not his Daintys his Wine is but lees his Marrow and his fat things are but leanness to our Souls a little love would sweeten every drop would season every morsel that comes from his Table would make our very Fasts to bee pleasant bread Wee feed upon the dish or the trencher and not the meat on the bone and not the marrow Ordinances and the external Exercises of Religion are but the bone or the shell or the dish it is God that is the Kernel the Marrow and Fatness How little Communion have wee with the Lord in our approaches to him and how little sweetness do wee finde in the little wee have Communion is the pleasure of Love and Love is the sweetness of Communion Now I am where I would bee O! how amiable are thy Tabernacles very pleasant art thou to mee O Lord that is the voice of Love Had wee more love wee should bee more spiritual and spiritual things would bee more grateful to spiritual hearts Divine Love is like the fire it rarifies and changes hearts into its own likeness and then there 's sweetness O we are carnal and that 's enough to evidence that there 's little of the love of God abiding in us Consider these things and you will see that love is a rarity there 's but little true love in the world O prize the love of God let its want make it prized shall it bee so rare and yet so cheap prize it and press on after it What do these hearts below are they not still below so cold such clods of clay and yet above so carnal so sensual and yet in Heaven so hungry and so greedy in sucking the juice of this earth in taking in its pleasures so busy in digging out the Wealth of the earth and searching for its treasures hearts so busy this way and yet not here how canst thou say I am walking with the God of Glory when thou art still worshipping the Gods of the Earth how canst thou say this heart is risen it is not here when it may bee said to thee behold the place where it lyes it is still in the field in the ridges and furrows thereof it is still in the Mines in the heart of the earth see the place where it lyes we sow our hearts with our seed we send them down to dig in the heart of the Earth But what do these hearts below sursum corda get you up get you up leave nothing but the Mantle here your carkasses Earth to Earth Dust to Dust Come heave these souls Heaven-ward let them take the wing and be gone O that I had the wings of a Dove that I might fly up and be at rest Be lower than ever by humility but let love be on high Behold those cords of love that are let down in every Ordinance in every Providence there 's a cord let down to gather up hearts hearken to those calls of love come up hither come up hither we come Lord thou bid'st us come O lend us thy hand and lift us up Come on Christians come let 's be happy if wee love wee are happy Come let 's rejoyce if wee love wee joy come let 's live wee dye wee dye while wee linger on this earth if wee love wee live let 's live and let our life bee love let our works bee labours of love our sufferings seals of love our sorrows the sorrows of love our wounds loves scars our prayers the cryes of love our praises love songs to our Lord and God Let every duty every exercise let every member every power let our bodies let our souls bee loves Sacrifices as we see in all his so let the Lord see love in all our waies Canst thou not love look till thou canst look up to thy God send up thy thoughts thither let thy Meditations bee of him these will not bee long before the Throne e're they fetch up thy heart Look on thy Jesus behold his hands and his feet come and put thy finger into the print of the Nails and thrust thine heart into his side and there let it lie till thou feel it warm Look up to thy Jesus lift up a prayer Lord let mee love thee if thou lovest let mee love thee I will seek till I can see let mee see till I can love What have I here Lord my all is with thee my help my hope my treasure my life is hid with Christ in God And yet behold this all is nothing to mee while mine heart is no more with thee take it Lord take it up where my treasure is there let mine heart bee also Doubting Christian who because thou lovest so little fearest thou lovest not at all cry for more but bee thankful for what thou hast bee ashamed thou lovest no more but bee not dismayed thou complainest thou canst not love God but dost thou love his Image his Saints his Word his Works his Waies Whilst thou sayest thou lovest not God dost thou love Godliness if thou canst not love can'st grieve can'st lament after him hast thou chosen dost thou hang upon trust in the Lord If thou canst not love can'st fear and follow the Lord If he be not sensibly in thy affection is he in thy thoughts in thy mouth in thine eye Is hee thy aim and thy scope doth thy course bend towards him Comfort thine heart in these things thou mayest see though thou canst not feel thou lovest CHAP. XIV An heart to fear the Lord. AN heart to fear the Lord Jer. 32.40 I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me I shall proceed to the opening of this by these steps I shall shew 1. That the Lord God is a dreadful God 2. That the Lord hath put the dread of himself upon the hearts of all the earth 3. That yet by sin the heart of man is much hardned from the fear of the Lord. 4. That God will recover his Honour and again put his fear into the hearts of his people 5. What this fear of the Lord is that he will put into them 1. The Lord God is a dreadfull God he is dreadfull in the Excellency and Glory of his Majesty Job 13.11 Shall not his Excellency make you afraid and his dread fall upon you His Power is dreadfull Fear ye not me saith the Lord Will ye not tremble at my presence Which have placed the sand for the bound of the Sea by a perpetuall decree that it cannot pass it and though the Waves thereof toss themselves yet they cannot prevail though they roar yet can they not pass over it Fear ye not me saith
of the heart This is the very nature of sin The hearts departing from the living God Heb. 3.12 And therefore this is the great wrong of God There is but one thing in the world that God respects and this sin steals away Sin is the insurrection and rebellion of the heart against God it turns from him and turns against him it runs over to the camp of the enemy and there takes up arms against God Sin is a running from God and a fighting against God it would spoil the Lord of all the Jewels of his Crown It opposeth the Soveraignty of God A sinfull heart would set up it self in Gods Throne it would be King in his stead and have the command of all Sinners would be their own Gods Our tongues are our own who is Lord over us God shall not be God where sin is gotten up as Lord. It assaulteth the wisdom of God Vain man would be wise wiser then his Maker It charges the Lord with folly and proclaims it self the onely wise Sinners pretend to know how to choose for themselves and order themselves to their advantage better then God If God would let me alone to my self to be at mine own finding at mine own ordering it should quickly be better with me If every thing might be with me as I would have it my case would be well mended from what 't is now that every thing must go as God will have it All our quarrellings at Providence all our murmurings and discontents at our Lott are our hearts charging the Lord with folly It casts dirt on the holiness of God it disparages the goodness of God it abuseth mercy violates his Justice despises his Power In summe it disgraceth the Throne of his glory and layes his honour in the dust sets the Almighty below the lowest of his creatures Every companion shall be respected more then God every pleasure shall be loved more then God the Devil shall be feared more then God Where is his love VVhere is his fear VVhere is his Honour Nay where were the Lord might sin carry it Sin is the wrong of God and this wrong is the especial Object of this abhorrence A gracious heart would do no wrong he would not wrong his Neighbour he would not wrong his Servant his Enemy no not his Beast that he possesses But Oh should I wrong my God Hath he ever done me any wrong Hath he not been just to me Yea hath he not been ever good to me Kinde pityful patient bountiful Who hath fed me cloathed me kept me succoured me comforted me What friend have I in all the world What Father what Portion what Hope but the Lord What were I What had I but vanity but woe and misery had I not a God I cannot wrong my God but I wrong my self Prov. 8.36 He that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul But if I did not if my Arrowes would not recoil could I go out with all this injury and suffer nothing by it Yet he is God whom I wrong he is holy he is righteous he is good he is glorious he is excellent he onely is God and shall I be injurious to him He is worthy he is worthy of all that I have of all the service I can do of all the respect I can give of all the Praise I can offer up if I had a thousand tongues if I had a thousand hands if I had a thousand lives if I had a thousand soules if I had all the Earth for an offring to the Lord all would be nothing to shew forth the praise that is due to his Name as he is God and I his creature and when I owe so much and have nothing to pay shall I steal from him Shall I rise up against him Wast thou not afraid to lift up thy hand against the Lords Anointedi 2 Sam. 1. Shall I not be afraid to lift up mine hand against the Lord himself To kick against God to fight against God Oh the Lord forbid What art thou O my soul What servest thou for If thou canst not tremble if thou dost not turn within me if thou dost not start back at the very thought of so great wickedness 2. The loss of God As was said before He that finneth against God wrongeth his own soul His loss is thy loss and more thine then his though no thanks to thee the Lord will be no loser at last when sinners have done their worst he can get up his Honour out of Dishonour he can recover his spoils out of the ashes if he had lost all the world he had lost nothing he is all things in himself When Earth and Hell have spent all their malice God will be God Holy Wise Glorious blessed for ever Though such be the malignity of sin that it would not give over till God ceaseth to be God yet God is above too high for sin to reach its Darts fall short of its Mark God cannot God will not sit down a loser by all that sin can do But what dost thou suffer what dost thou lose that sinnest against God The carnal world understand not what nor would make much reckoning of it did they understand it The loss of two pence goes often nearer them then the loss of God But now a Christian knows no other fear fears no other loss let God be secure and all is well Sin will be the wrong of God and the loss of God it may be a total and eternal loss for ought he knows at least if not assured God lost is the soul lost the Kingdom lost this is Hell the loss of God Better have no being better be a Dog or Toad then a man without a God or if he be not utterly lost yet to his present sence 't will be all one as if he had no God his peace is lost his comfort is lost and his soul is often given for lost from whom God is departed though but for a season he can take pleasure in nothing he can find rest no where whose God is out of fight He knows not what a God means who can spare him till Death or Judgment A Christian cannot live a day without him 't is night 't is all dark he knows no day while the Sun is set upon him How grievous do they find this loss who have proved what it is What wilt thou do for me whilest I go childless What can be done for me whilest I go Fatherless Here is my house here are my friends and my lands but where is my God My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Now I see what this Earth is without an Heaven now I see what ease and pleasure and carnal friends are and how little they can do for me Yea what is prayer What are Sabbaths What are Sermons Sacraments Promises whilest God looks not down Oh I was wont to meet with God here these glasses were my Windows into Heaven and then how pleasant were they to me