the nostrils feel and smell So knowledge is involved in every grace Faith knows and believes Charity knows and loves temperance knows and abstains patience knows and suffers humility knows and stoops repentance knows and mourns obedience knows and does compassion knows and pitties hope knows and expects confidence knows and rejoyces And therefore wee believe and love and obey and hope and rejoyce because we know God gives us this knowledge as the eye of our souls and by that eye hee enters with all his power and Glory Ephes 3.19 That ye may know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge and bee filled with all the fulness of God Day-light is not that light wee receive by reflection from the Moon and Stars at second hand when the Sun is risen and come in among us then it is day When the Sun of Righteousness is risen in the heart there 's the light of life God is and God dwells in this light and where God dwells every unclean thing vanishes can Darkness dwell with the Sun can Death dwell with Life according to the measure of the manifestation of God in us so far forth is sin necessarily vanished Thou art but the carkasse of a Christian the light that is in thee is darkness the life that is in thee is death if thou bee not in the whole man renewed after the Image of him that Created thee If Christ bee not formed in thy heart if the Love the humility the meeknesse the patience the compassion the holiness of the Lord Jesus be not begotten in thee whatever thou knowest thou knowest nothing as thou oughtest to know if thou hast all knowledge and hast not charity and so if thou hast all knowledge and hast not humility meekness holiness thou art nothing thou art but as sounding brass or a tinkling Cimbal Doubting Christian that complainest of and bewailest thine ignorance and fearest that thou knowest not God look upwards where his Glory dwells lift up thine eyes and see or if thou canst not see lift up thy heart for eyes Lord where dwellest thou let mee see thy Face shew mee thy Glory pitty thy blinde let the eyes of this blinde bee opened and the tongue of this dumb shall bee loosed and speak forth thy praise Look upward and if yet thou seest not thy God look inward canst thou see his Face in thy soul canst thou see his Image on thy heart canst thou behold in this Glasse the Glory of the Lord and finde thy self changed into his Image Comfort thine heart how short sighted soever thou seemest to bee how dimme soever thy Candle burns how weak soever in the Knowledge of God thou complainest thou art thou hast seen God thou hast seen his Face in peace God that commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shined into thine heart and given thee the Knowledge of his Glory in the face of Jesus Christ 2. A Fructifying Power this Sun-shine makes a fruitful soil Colos 1.9,10 my desire for you saith the Apostle is that you may bee filled with the Knowledge of his Will in all Wisdome and Spiritual understanding That yee might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing being fruitful unto every good work and encreasing in the Knowledge of God Strengthened with all might according to his glorious Power unto all Patience and long suffering with joyfulness and Phil. 1.11 Being filled with the fruits of Righteousness which are by Jesus Christ unto the Glory and praise of God Full of Light and full of Love of Faith of Patience of Humility and fruitful in every good work Mat. 12.35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things A good man hath a good treasure within him a treasure of Heavenly Wisdome of Divine Truth a treasure of Light God hath shined into his heart Hee 's filled with all the fulness of God And what is laid up within hee brings forth without An evil man hath an evil treasure Satan hath been filling his heart Act. 5.3 Why hath Satan filled thine heart the treasures of darkness are there a treasure of lust and lies Falshood and folly are found with him these treasures of darkness within bring forth darkness dark souls lead dark lives their way is dark their deeds are darkness O how fruitful are sinners in their unfruitful works filled with all unrighteousness fornication wickednesse covetousness maliciousnesse envy murther debate deceit malignity c. Rom. 1.29,30 Their hearts are full and thereupon their mouths full their eyes full their hands full mouths full of cursing eyes full of adultery hands full of violence filled with all unrighteousness O Generation of Vipers how can yee being evil having such hearts speak good things all is evil that comes from you and how can it bee otherwise Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks And in like manner O Generation of Believers How can yee being good but bring forth good things Or how can you say or think there is a treasure of Grace a fountain of light within when no streams spring forth Penury in the life speaks no great plenty in the heart the Truths of God within you are the Seed of God the good seed that hee sows in his fields where there 's good seed sown in good ground you will expect a fruitful Harvest a barren crop speaks a barren soil or no good seed sown there 1 John 2.3 Hereby we do know that wee know him if wee keep his Commandements We know God but are you sure of it are you not mistaken No wee are not mistaken wee know that wee know him But how do you know it Why how are trees known By their fruits ye shall know them How do yee know that this is indeed the Tree of Knowledge Why see what fruits are hanging upon it wee keep the Commandements Here 's Obedience growing here 's Holiness and Righteousness and Mercy Doubtless this is the right Tree for behold all the Commandements the two Tables hanging upon the boughs of it and not broken but kept and observed Wee may as well say Obedience is no Obedience Duty is no Duty Faith and Love and Humility and Patience are not what they are as that the Tree that brings forth this fruit is not the Tree of Knowledge Wee know that wee know him because wee keep his Commandements Yea and the Tree of Life too both in one a Tree of Life to them that lay hold upon her Prov. 3.18 Where these fruits are not found where are nothing but shews and sounds painted fruits where are nothing but the fruits of unrighteousness contention strife covetousness sensuality and the like he 's very ignorant indeed that is not able to say what ever I am ignorant of this one thing I know that I know not God Christian boast not of what thou hast but consider what thou doest try thy head by thine heart and thy
their cups amongst their Harlots or in their houses It is good for mee to bee here No wonder Christians that carnal hearts are such strangers to the Word can so well fit out at Duties and can want Ordinances Preaching and Praying and Sabbaths they can spare and not feel their want what wonder What is Heaven to Earth what is God to flesh these Chariots would carry them away from their Gods carry them out of their own Country into a strange Land where they have neither possession nor acquaintance But oh what a sad wonder is it that Saints should go up so often into the Chariots and yet be gotten no nearer home that they should be still so much on the Earth that have been so often mounted for Heaven that those hearts should still bee on the dunghils whose feet are so often on the mountain of the Lord that the Wagons should bee so often sent down and go up empty scarce an heart sent up in them yea that they should be so far from God when God is among them Where 's your love Christians how is it that it is still below what have you here your City is above your home is above your God your Jesus your treasure is above oh how is it that where your treasure is your hearts bee not also hear from God and not God with the messenger send up to heaven your eyes your hands your prayers your complaints your promises and still leave your hearts below send up hearts to heaven and let them return again down to this earth remain earth and flesh and filth and vanity after so much converse or pretence to it with the holy God of spirits lovest thou God when thou canst so often go where hee is and not care to see him or if thou meet him canst let him go without a blessing or if he bless thee canst go presently and exchange thy Fathers blessing for a mess of pottage canst lose a duty in a dinner the comforts and revivings of a Sermon of a Sacrament of a Sabbath in an hours carnal converse in the world did wee love our God more certainly wee should bee more with him and to better purpose His meetings would bee more precious and the fruits of them more lasting Wee should neither go away without his blessing nor throw it away when wee had gotten it Thus much for the object of love 2. It s Act. Love is a natural Affection The love of God is the souls clasping or closing with the Lord. It is the expansion or going out of the heart in its strength after God the uniting or knitting of the soul vvith God vvith a complacency and acquiescence in him There are three things included in this love 1. The strength of the heart making out after God This is that vvhich is commonly called our amor desiderii or our love of desire the breathing or thirsting or panting of the heart after God Psal 42.1 The hearts vvorking God-vvards with its might loving him above all things desiring him above all things and that both Intensivè vvith the greatest vigour and intention and adaequatè as its compleat and adequate object God is its All. Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee 2. The uniting of the soul with God Our cleaving to him By love heart cleaves to heart soul cleaves to soul It s said of Shechem Gen. 34.3 that his heart clave unto Dinah Hee loved her vvith his heart shee vvas gotten into his heart and there his heart holds her Acts 11.23 Barnabas exhorts the Church that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. It is the knitting of the soul vvith God Its said 1 Sam. 1.18 That the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David and Jonathan loved him as his own soul And of Jacob Gen. 44.30 to express his tender love to Benjamin 't is said his life was bound up in the lads life Of the multitude of believers wee read Act. 4.32 that they were all of one heart and of one soul Their love had knit them up all into one By love wee are one with God and hee with us It is the souls willing of God as I may so speak Willing of God to it self and willing it self and all to God All praises all honour all blessedness to him Bee thou mine Lord nothing less nothing else Bee thou mine I need no less I desire no more Let mee bee thine be to thee bee for thee thy servant thy sacrifice or what thou wilt and let all mine bee thine mine heart and my hand and my tongue and my time and mine interest Let all thine bee to thee thy heavens and thy earth with every person with every creature in them Let every heart every mouth every limb every creature bee a praise to the Lord. Let the Lord live and blessed bee my rock let the God of my salvation bee exalted Let every knee bow let every tongue confess unto God This is the amor unionis our love of union as 't is called And 't is the heart the very essence of saving love wherein are included both our accepting of God and our surrender or resignation of our selves unto God Amor non est nisi donum amantis in amaetum And our wishing and willing all glory dominion and blessedness to him And so here also is our amor benevolentiae our love of benevolence All these may bee included in that opening of the heart mention'd Acts 16.14 It s there said that the Lord opened Lydia's heart The heart is then savingly opened when it freely lets out it self upon God all its streams run in to the Lord and when it takes in and takes down God into the depth of the soul The heart thus opened to the Lord when God is come in will close upon him Abide with me thou hast entred upon thine habitation oh let this bee thy dwelling for ever Onely this must bee farther added that with God it takes in all the things of God his Word his Ordinances his waies and all his dispensations With his love his laws with his comforts his counsels with his counsels his corrections with thee I accept of all that 's thine both thy staff and thy rod both thy yoke and thy cross thy self Lord thy love Lord and what thou wilt with thee 3. The souls talking pleasure and taking up its rest in him This is call'd our Amor complacentiae Where wee love there will bee a delightful stay or immoration of the mind upon God Ubi amor ibi oculus The object dwells in the eye we are still looking where we love Anima est ubi amat When I awake I am still with thee there his thoughts are of him is his meditation all the day long My meditation of him shall bee sweet Hee that loves dwelleth in God I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever And why there why there his
will you die Turn and live God may speak thus once and twice and ten times but is not regarded his words have no weight his counsels have no credit his warnings are of no value with hardned fearless hearts If the Devil speak but onâ—e he is heard if Lust speak but onâ—e 't is obeyed if a proud companion speak but once he is followed whilest the word of the God of glory is made a reproach and a scorn Oh the intollerable contempt that 's poured out upon the most High by men that fear not God! Make thy promises and give thy gifts to whom thou wilt give Grace and give Glory where thou pleasest the World for me my Pleasures mine Honours my Liberty for me this world for me look after the other who will Let the Lord threaten let the day of the Lord come let it hasten that we may see it let the Almighty do his worst I will not hearken nor turn This is the blasphemy of hardned fearless hearts 4. God will recover his Honour in the hearts of his people He will put his fear in their hearts whilest others are hardened they shall tremble whilest others kick they shall stoop who ever despise me of these will I be had in honour 5. What this fear of the Lord is that he will put into their hearts The fear of God is taken in Scripture 1. Sometimes more largely as it comprehends all Religion Job was said Chap. 1. to be a man fearing God that is a godly man but in this â—…nse I shall not here speak of it 2. Sometimes more Strictly as a distinct grace as distinguished from Faith Love Hope and other graces of the Spirit And being taken in this sense there are these two things included in it 1. A Reverence of God 2. An Abhorrence of evill for Gods sake 1. A Reverence of God To fear God is to have the awe of God abiding upon the heart to be under a sence of the Majesty and Glory of the Lord shining forth in all his Attributes especially in his Holiness and Omniscience the glory of his Holiness and the sence of such an holy eye upon the soul strikes it with dread and consternation This is exprest in Scripture by Sanctifying the Lord in the heart Levit. 10.3 I will be sanctified in them that draw nigh me Isa 8.13 Sanctifie the Lord of Hosts himself and let him be your fear and let him be your dread There is mention in Scripture of a sanctifying of God and a justifying of God As God doth justifie and sanctifie his people so they are to justifie and sanctifie God These two the justifying and sanctifying of God though they be much the same yet there is some difference betwixt them To sanctifie God is to reverence him in our hearts and to represent him in the glory of his Holiness before men To justifie God supposeth a sinful judging and foolish charging of God in the hearts of men and is our vindicating of him from such charges Is God righteous How is it then that he is so partial in his dealings with the righteous and unrighteous that he deals worse with those that fear him then with those that fear him not Is God good How is it then that he is so hard not onely in imposing but inflicting such hard things upon his own Is God true How is it then that he fails his people so often when he hath said I will never fail them nor forsake them Our flesh hath failed and our heart hath failed yea and our God hath often failed us too we have often called and have had no answer we have often trusted and have had no deliverer Yet God is righteous yet God is good yet God is true he hath not been unrighteous he hath not been an hard Master he hath not failed nor forsaken this is to justifie God Our justifying of God hath some kindes of resemblance with Gods justifying of us Gods justification of us stands in his not imputing sin to us and accepting us as righteous and our justifying of God stands in our not imputing evill to him and our acknowledging him to be true just and good God hath justified me from my sins and that 's enough to proclaim him good and faithfull whatever his other dealings be Let him afflict me let him chastise me since he will not judge me nor condemn me with the world God hath justified himself in my Conscience I have found that the Lord is gracious I have found that God is faithfull he hath said he will not and I must say he hath not forsaken He hath not failed when he hath most failed me when he hath been farthest off from my help he hath even then been a present help in trouble He hath answered when he hath been most silent he hath been most good when he hath been most hard I have never found more sweet then in his bitter Cup I must judge my self not my God I have sinned I have sinned against him and therefore I must justifie him when he speaketh and clear him when he judgeth Hold thy peace querulous heart be silent all the Earth before the Lord for truly God is good to Israel and to them that are of a clean heart There be few among the worst of sinners but if Conscience might be suffered to speak it would justifie God 'T is Lust that quarrels not Conscience 'T is vain to serve the Lord and what profit is there to keep his Ordinances His waies are unequal and hard his promise failes take one time with another oftner then 't is made good Who is it that plagues and disappoints and crosseth and vexeth us This evill is of the Lord why should I wait on the Lord any longer Nay whom doth he punish moâ—e then those that are nearest him Who have sorrow who have trouble in the flesh Who are reproached scorn'd hunted up and down the world but these This they may thank God for and their following of him 'T is better being the servant of sin then the servant of Christ Thus Lust blasphemes but speak Conscience Is God unrighteous Is God false of his word Are the pleasures of sin better then the gain of godliness Have the children of this world made a wiser choise then the children of light Speak sinner let thy Conscience speak whether it be thus or no. God hath not left himself without witness in the hearts of sinners much more will his Saints when they do speak their hearts speak good of his name But this by the way To return to the matter in hand To sanctifie God is especially to reverence him in the heart to have such an high an holy and honourable esteem of him as commands an awe upon the heart and that 1. At all times My son be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long My son 'T is not only for Slaves but for Sons to fear Be thou in the fear of the Lord. 'T is not only
this world these shall not be thine hire the everlasting God will be thy reward thine exceeding great reward exceeding not thy work only but thy very thoughts also A little is too much for thy earnings but the whole world is too little for his bounty less than nothing might satisfie for thy labours but less than himself will not satisfie for his love the eternal God will be thy reward Oh the unsearchable riches of the poorest of Saints Onimium foelices bona si sua nôrint Poor what and yet hast a God! In want what and yet hast all things Is he a God that is thine and art thou still in straits Would a few sheep and oxen vineyards and olive-yards make thee a rich man and can a God leave thee a beggar Is not a pearl more than pebbles Milk and wine than mud and water Men use to say Money is all things meat and drink and clothes and friends and lands virtually all things And is not God more than money Sure he hath said to his Gold thou art my god that cannot say Let God be mine and then go thou thy way Hast thou a God and yet poor Nay farther would the fatness of the earth and the fulness of heaven if thou hadst both be enough for thee Would corn and wine and houses and lands and pleasures here and eternal life hereafter suffice thee And is not God alone as much as all this Dost thou want Star-light when thou hast the Sun Is the Ocean more full for the Rivers that run into it Or would there be any want there if all these were stopp'd and dry Can they contribute to it which have their rise from it Hath the almighty God a self-sufficiency and hath he not enough to satisfie a poor worm Is he blessed in himself and mayest not thou be blessed in him He that thinks any thing less then God will suffice understands not a soul and he that wants any thing more understands not God God alone is as much as God and all the world and this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord God is their portion If enough be not yet said look a while and consider whence thou art taken up into this blessedness What hast thou left What an exchange hast thou made Thou wert taken with the Prodigal from the trough with the beggar from the dunghil yea as a brand out of the burning there thy lot was fallen Oh where hast thou left the rest of the world Blessing themselves in vanity pleasing themselves with shaddows and apparitions feeding on ashes warming themselves at their painted fires sporting themselves with the wind rejoycing in a thing of nought their crackling thorns their glozing pleasures their drinkings and dancings and riotings their horses and their dogs and their hawks and their harlots making a shift a while to make merry with these whilst they are hasting to the pit To that fire and brimstone which is the portion of their cup. Consider man what is the chaffe to the wheat What is a Comet to the Sun What is the night to the day What are bubbles and childrens toyes to â—…e durable riches What are things that are noâ— to hâ—m whose name is I am But oh what is death and wrath and the curse which was once all thine heritage to that life and love and peace and joy and glory which thou now possessest in that God that is thy portion What a poor wretch wert thou once when thou hadst nothing but sin and shame and misery that thou couldst call thine own these thou mightest call thine sin was thine woe was thine death and the grave and the curse and the pit were thine own but that was all thou hadst thy good things thou livedst upon had they been of never so great value were none of thine thine house and thy lands are none of thine thy gold and thy silver and thy substance are none of thine they are all but borrowed or committed to thee as a Steward and all to be given up upon demand and what thou hast spent of them thou must be brought to a reckoning for a poor wretch thou wert and hadst just nothing all that thou hadst was none of thine But now God is thine own all that he is all that he has is thine never couldest thou lay such a claim to any thing thou possessedst to house or wife or childe or body or soul as now thou mayest to thy God God is as surely thine as thou art thy self as sure as thou art a man thou hast a God Come Christian here 's now thy poâ—tion the light of thine eyes the lifting up of thinehead the joy of thine heart the strength of thy bones thy stock thy treasure thy life thy health thy peace thy rest thy all Whom have I in heaven but thee and in the earth there is none that I desire besides thee My flesh and mine heart faileth but God is the strength of mine heart and my portion for ever Psal 73.25,26 Here is thy portion know it for thy good take it for thine own live upon it and live up to it 1. Live upon thy portion Here thou mayest feed herein thou mayest rejoyce herein thou mayest bless thy self for ever Let him that blesseth himself on the earth bless himself in the God of Truth Let him that rejoyceth in the earth rejoyce in the God of truth Let the strong man live upon his strength let the wise man live upon his wits let the rich man live upon his lands come thou live upon thy God come enjoy God and thy soul enjoy God in thy soul enjoy thy soul in God Thou hast possession what should hinder thy fruition In fruition the Schools tells us there are three things which go to the making it up Cognitio Delectatio Quietatio 1. Knowledge according to the clearness or cloudiness of our apprehensions of any good we more or less take the pleasure or comfort of it and therefore the full fruition of God is not till at last when we shall know as we are known Here we see but as in a glass and darkly we know but in part and while we know but in part we love but in part and joy but in part the dimness of our sight makes an abatement upon our joy When the vail shall be taken away when we shall come to see face to face then we shall fully feel what it is to have a God Christian know thou the God of thy Fathers the more thou knowest the more thou hast The carnal world enjoy not God at all God is not known in their Tabernacles In Jewry is God known his Name is great in Israel at Salem is his Tabernacle and his Dwelling in Zion But what of God in Edom or Ammon or Amaleck or Aegypt those dark Regions wherein neither Sun nor Star appears Leave them to their dunghil gods to the gardens which they have desired and the Oaks which they have chosen The
upon his heart and upon his shoulders This is that Jesus who is THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS 3. As our Lord and King A King shall reigne in righteousness in him shall the Gentiles trust Zach. 9.9 Shout O daughter of Zion behold thy King cometh Isa 9.6 The Government shall be on his shoulder God hath more care of his Saints than to leave the government of them on their own shoulder Is not her King in her He is a King to gather them a King to govern them a King to defend and save them to save them from their temporal enemies the sons of violence the men of this evil world from their spiritual enemies to save them from their sins Thou shalt call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins Matth. 1.21 'T is a mercy to be under government under government and under protection What would become of us were there no King in Israel Where there 's no King all are kings more kings than men Sathan will be king every lust will be a lord as many kings as there are devils and sins Whither would our unruly hearts carry us How easily would our wily and potent enemies ruine us What tyrannie would sin exercise within What cruelty should we suffer from without Whither should we wander where should we fix What peace what order what stability Whence should counsel and protection and salvation come were there no Lord over us 'T is a mercy to be under government but to be under such a government under a king and such a King such a wise and potent King such a meek and merciful King such an holy and a righteous King O what a wonder of mercy Rejoyce greatly O daughter of Zion shout O daughter of Jerusalem behold thy King cometh unto thee he is just and having salvation lowly and riding upon an asses colt c. Zach. 9.9 He is just having salvation as a Priest he hath purchased as a King he bestows his salvation He comes not to get but to give not to give Lawes only but to give Gifts unto men and he gives like a King Palmes Crowns and Thrones salvation to his people by the remission of their sins Oh how unthankful oh how foolish is this rebellious world Impatient of subjection shake off the yoke groan under duty under discipline We will not have this man to rule over us Who then shall save you hard to be a Christian strict laws severe discipline no liberty Is this thy complaint that is wo is me I am so limited and hedg'd in on all hands that there 's no liberty left me to be miserable if I will be his I must be happy Let fools inherit their own folly but let Israel rejoyce in him that made him let the children of Zion be joyful in their King for the Lord taketh pleasure in his people he will beautifie the meek with salvation Lift up your heads O ye Gates and be ye lift up ye everlasting doors and the King of glory shall come in Who is this King of glory the Lord of hosts yea the Lord our righteousness he is the King of glory The Lord is our Judge the Lord is our Law-giver the Lord is our King he will save us Praise ye the Lord. Come all ye Nimrods ye mighty hunters on the earth come all ye sons of Anak ye seed of the Giants come all ye sons of Belial ye seed of the Adulterer and of the whore come all ye Ishmaelites and Ammonites ye Moabites and Hagarenes associate confederate take counsel together smite with the tongue bite with the teeth push with the horn kick with the heel come all ye gates of hell and powers of darkness thou dragon with all thy armies with all thy fiery darts and instruments of death come thou king of terrors with thy fatal dart the Virgin the Daughter of Zion hath despised you all she hath laughed you to scorn the Daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at you her King is in the midst of her the Lord is her King he will save her 4. As our head and husband He that is given to be head over all things to the Church is given to be the head of the Church Eph. 1.22,23 and of every member in particular 1 Cor. 11.3 Believers are all joyned to the Lord 1 Cor. 6.17 United in Christ as fellow members united unto Christ as their common head From which all the body by joynts and bands having nourishment ministred and knit together increaseth with the increase of God Coloss 2.19 they are married to Christ 2 Cor. 11.2 I have espoused you to one husband From this Union follows 1. A Communication of Influences 2. A Complication of Interests 1. A Communication of Influences Having nourishment ministred Christ our head is our fountain of life Our head is our heart also out of it are the Issues of life from him we live and are nourished and maintained in life He is our Joseph all the treasures of the holy Land are with him In him are hid all the treasures of Wisdome and Knowledge Coloss 2.3 It pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell Coloss 1.19 He is the onely begotten Son of God full of grace and truth Here note 1. What grace there is in Christ The Schools tell us that in him there is a three-fold grace 1. Gratia Unionis The Grace of Union The humane Nature of Christ hath received the high grace or favour to be personally united to the second person in the God-head by vertue of which Union the fulness of the Godhead is said to dwell in him bodily Bodily that is personally or substantially in opposition to the types and shaddows of the Old Testament in which God in a figure is said to dwell God is said to dwell in the Tabernacle in the Ark of the Covenant in the Temple but in these he dwelt onely as figures and shaddows of the humane nature of Christ In Christ he dwells not in a figure but personally and substantially As Christ Coloss 2.17 is called the Body in opposition to the types of old which were but the shaddow so bodily here notes not a figurative but a personal inhabitation Christ is the body not a shaddow and God dwells in him bodily that is substantially and not in a shaddow 2. Gratia Habitualis Habitual Grace All those moral perfections wherein stands the holiness of his nature The love and fear of God his humility meekness patience in summe his perfect conformity to the Image and whole Will of God Such an high Priest became us who is holy harmless undefiled separate from sinners Heb. 7.26 3. Gratia Capitis or that honour which is given to him to be head of the Church 2. How Christ is said to be full of grace there is a twofold fulness of grace 1. Ex parte ipsius gratiae In respect of grace it self thus he is said to be full of grace that hath all grace and
O the unsearchable Riches of Christ that hee that searcheth all things reveals unto the Saints O the hidden treasures they now discover in this deep Mine To you that beleeve hee is pretious a Praise an Honour all Fair all Glorious and you have seen his Glory as the Glory of the only begotten Sonne of God full of Grace and Truth Again there are marvellous evils as well as good things that by this light are brought to light Sin with all the hidden things of darkness that lay below in those chambers of death the secrets of the evill heart of man Sin appears a wonder to the savingly enlightened soul Exceeding sinful a world of wickedness There 's Death and Hell and the Devil in every sin unkindness unthankfulness folly enmity rebellion spite and the blackness of darkness What once appeared as a pleasure a delight a beauty or at least if an evill yet but a trifle a matter of nothing is become a plague a terrour a burthen a bondage bitterness shame sorrow and such an high provocation that whereas once hee swell'd and murmur'd and cryed out of rigour feverity cruelty in the least punishment of it now hee wonders at the clemency and patience and forbearance of God that such an affront and provocation had not long since turned the whole earth into an Hell Christian thou complainest thou canst not see thou canst not feel thou canst not mourn thou canst not break under all the guilt that lies upon thee thine heart is hard thine eyes are dry not a tear not a groan scarce a sigh will all this evill fetch out from thee O this blinde and sottish minde O this dead and senseless heart what shall I do what would I not do to get mee a melting mourning broken spirit but I cannot I cannot I cannot see I cannot bleed nor break O beg the light of this Holy Spirit and if the sight that that will present thee with of this wonderfull evill do not rend thy heart and turn thy stomack and open all thy sluces and let out thy soul in sighs and groans in shame and sorrow thou mayest then well be a wonder to thy self But be nor discouraged bee not dismayed do not say this Rock will never break this Iron will never melt I may go sighing for sighs mourning after tears groaning after groans but all in vain it will never bee past feeling past feeling sorrow flies still from mee repentance is hid from mine eyes do not thus discourage thy self wait for this spirit open to it and thou shalt see flowing in such streames of self-shaming self-confounding light as shall flow forth in self-abasing self-abhorring streames of tears 3. These marvellous things are revealed with marvellous clearness That is in comparison of what they are to the purblinde world and in comparison of what they themselves once saw They come to see the glory and the beauty and the reality of the wonderful things of God Wee have seen his glory saith the Apostle Joh. 1. The kindness of God our Saviour appeared But we all with open face behold as in a glass the glory of the Lord. 2 Cor 3.18 Out of Zion hath hee appeared in perfect beauty It 's Prophesied Isa 53. of the unbeleeving world that when they should see Christ they should see no beauty in him Strange though hee were all beauty yet they should see him and yet see no beauty That is they shall see him and yet not see him They see not wood for trees What is thy Beloved more than other beloveds VVhat is Christ more than an ordinary man VVhat is the Gospel more than an ordinary Story VVhat is the Spirit What is Truth VVhat is there in this Faith and Love in this Holiness and Righteousness in this Peace of Conscience and Joy of the Holy Ghost VVhat substance is there in them VVhere 's the Glory and wherein is the Excellency of them Which way came the Spirit of the Lord from mee to thee Thou shalt know in that day when thou shalt call to the Mountains to fall on thee and the Rocks to hide thee from the face of God and the Lamb. Wee know whom wee have beleeved Wee know that wee know him Wee speak that which wee know and testify what wee have seen Wee have an Vnction from the Holy one wee know all things God hath revealed them to us by his Spirit for the spirit searcheth all things even the deep things of God Now wee have received not the spirit of this world but the Spirit which is of God that wee might know the things that are freely given to us of God VVee have a clear and certain sight VVee do not see men as Trees walking with our eyes half open wee see men as men Christ as Christ Truth as Truth in its naked lustre and evidence This wee have seen and do testify neither deceiving nor being deceived VVee thank thee O Father Lord of Heaven and Earth that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto Babes And as they see Truth and Holiness and Goodness in their wonderful Glory and Beauty so also Folly and Falshood and Sin in its wonderful uglâ—ness and deformiâ—y Sin appears to bee sin to them Rom. 7. Folly to bee folly falshood to bee falshood they see men as men Christ as Christ Truth as Truth Holiness as Holiness and they see beasts as beasts fools as fools sin as sin devils as devils hell as hell They see all things as they are temptations as they are delusions as they are they see what 's under them the hook under the bait the sting in the Locust's tail the warre in the Devils heart carried on under his fawning face Wee are not ignorant of his Devices Sinners cease your wondring at the Saints let them bee no longer for signs and for wonders in Israel cease your wondring at the Saints come and wonder with them Wonder not that they say not as you live not as you run not with you after the same follies and vanities Oh! if ye once come to see what they see you will bee a wonder to your selves Mock not at their blessedness Blessed are their eyes for they see The blinde envy but do not disdain the seeing Say not these men are in a dream or drunken or mad take heed blaspheme not the Holy Spirit call not his light darkneâ—s put not your darkness for light Would you know when these men testifie what they have seen and heard whether they are sober or beside themselves Come and see I say not stand and see you cannot see at that distance you stand come near come in and you shall see see your blindness first if ever you will see the light Oh! bewail your darkness and seek light seek and you shall see it Son of David have Mercy on mee Why what wilt thou man Lord that I may receive my sight Shall that bee thy cry O pitty thy blinde soul O pray
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
it Rule till it hath put all thine Enemies under thy feet till every thought imagination every high thing be made low and brought into captivity to Christ Let not the light of the Lord help thee to do the Devil's Work Let it not bee fodder for thy flesh lest it bee fuel for thy flames Let it not repent thy God nor thee that ever thou hadst such a talent committed to thee Let it neither be loss to God nor the eternal loss of thine own soul Hee that hath appeared on earth in beams of light will bee revealed from Heaven in flames of fire rendering vengeance to all that Know God and obey not the Gospel of Christ Woe to those that neither know nor obey but Oh! what to those that obey not though they Know Christians know the Lord but know and fear know and serve know and honour thy God Know God and know thy self thy sinne and thy misery thy dangers and thy temptations Know and mourn know and bee ashamed know and fear and watch and fight and overcome Know God and know his Will thy duty and thy way thy priviledges and opportunities thy Race and thy Crown Know and do and run and suffer and wait and hope and rejoyce in hope of the Glory of God Know God but God in Christ God reconciled pardoning absolving accepting through him Know and believe accept adventure upon resign commit thy self to him Know thy God and behold him look upon thy God in his power in his wisdome in his holiness in his goodness in his loving-kindness in his mercy Behold him in his Word in his Works in his Providence in his Saints in thy Soul in his Son Set him before thine eyes look upon thy God and never leave looking till thou art changed into his Image and satisfied with his Visage and when thou art brought up to this then hee hath done for thee what he hath said I will give them an heart to know mee CHAP. XI One Heart 3. ONe Heart Ezek. 11.19 I will give them one Heart Wee read Hos 14.11 Ephraim is like a silly Dove without an Heart Hath no heart at all none for his God that 's as good as none and Psal 12.2 Wee read that Israel had a double Heart an Heart and an Heart more hearts than one but saies the Lord I will give them an Heart and it shall bee but one and no more For the opening of this to let passe the signification it hath as it respects Christians collectively as it respects each particular Christian This one Heart may bee taken as opposed To A wavering A divided A double Heart 1. As opposed to a wavering unstable Heart Jam. 1.6.8 VVavering minded men have almost as many hearts as they live daies or meet with cases An heart that changes with the weather and tacks about with every winde that resolves and repents that chuses and changes that like a wave of the Sea is tossed about with every VVinde This you may call either many hearts or no heart as you will Thus this one heart is a fixed established resolved heart Heb. 13.9 It is good that the heart bee established with grace Grace fixes and establishes the heart brings it to a consistency in it self which before was any thing or nothing 2. As opposed to a divided Heart Hos 10.2 An Heart cut in two as it were some talk that the Devil hath a cloven foot but what-ever the Devils foot bee to bee sure his Sons have a cloven heart one half for God the other for sin one half for Christ the other for this present World God hath a corner in it and the rest is for sin and the Devil Thus this one heart is an entire heart all the powers of it are united within it self and go the same way God hath the whole heart Psal 103.1 Bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless his holy name All its springs are in him and thither do all its streams bend their course 3. As opposed to a double heart or an hypocritical heart properly so called Psal 12.2,3 that 's it which is called an heart and an heart an heart in the breast and another in the tongue Our outside is presum'd to be an expression of our inside what wee speak wee pretend to bee our very hearts 'T is the heart in the tongue that speaks the heart in the eye that weeps the heart in the hand that works the heart in the foot that walks no 't is not so with the Hypocrite he shews another heart in his tongue in his waies than that which is within him He hath an heart and an heart one in his tongue or life and quite another in his breast His course speaks him another man than hee is and thus one heart signifies a single or a plain heart To summe up all together this one heart is such as 1. Pitches on one end 2. Has but one thing to do 3. Does what it does 1. Pitches on one end God is its end There it wholly bestows it self I am thine Psal 119. And there only it takes up its rest Psal 39.7 And now Lord what wait I for my hope is in thee God is both its work and its wages To please God this is its whole business and to enjoy God this is its happiness This is the mark it hath in its eye this is the scope of all its motions to honour and enjoy God This it wills this it loves this it desires designs hopes labours for that the Lord may possess and be the possession of it Particularly it gives God the place the power of the end 1. The place of the end God is its first and last Hee 's first in the eye and it looks no farther It makes him not onely the chief but in a sense its onely aim It will have no other God and therefore no other end but the Lord. It makes all things else not onely to stoop and stand by but to serve to him Get you hence stand off is its language to all that stands up in his room or stands in his way Evil men what-ever honour they pretend to have for the Lord they do but make him a servant to their other Gods Religion they will take up but 't is onely to serve their own turns to bring about their carnal ends they serve not the Lord but their own bellies saith the Apostle Rom. 16.18 Phil. 3.19 Nay they make the Lord their fellow-servant They serve and their Religion must serve their sensual appetites Hee that will have so much religion onely as he may live upon which is the measure of the most makes the Lord no longer his God but his servant A sincere Christian will set God upon the throne and makes all things else his servants or his foot-stool What-ever will not be serviceable must bee trodden in the dirt Nothing will bee loved and embraced but what will set God higher or bring God nearer to his
heart 2. The power of the end the end hath a four-fold power it draws directs governs rewards 1. It draws the heart to it God who is a Christians end is also his beginning Our first step heaven-ward wee owe to the influence of heaven upon us Draw mee wee will run after thee Cant. 1. No man can come unto mee unless the Father which hath sent mee draw him Nothing but God will do it as nothing will draw the soul another way the pleasures of sin the wages of unrighteousness are poor and low baits to entice a soul away from God that is so far as 't is renewed so 't is nothing but God that draws the soul on its way and he will do it God draws the soul not by an act of power onely but by moral swasion that 's the proper casuality of the end Not by efficiency onely but by sympathy as by the water the thirsty soul is drawn to the water-brooks It is God that draws hearts after him there are instruments as his Word and Ministers and and there are arguments by which God draws but whatever the instruments or arguments are 't is God that does it What is the work of either Word or Ministers but to set God before them and this draws Instruments can do nothing unless God bee the Preacher by them arguments can do nothing unless hee bee the medium of them as 't was said concerning the peoples following Saul so much more concerning those that follow the Lord. Those onely follow him whose hearts God hath touched 'T is not mans teaching but Gods touching the heart that draws it heaven-ward The tongue of man may touch the ear 't is God onely that touches the heart And when he touches then the heart will follow As you know the needle when it s touched with a Loadstone then it turns after it The Loadstone is not more naturall attractive of the needle than God is of that heart which he hath touched Cant. 5.4 My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door and my bowels were moved in mee He did but touch the door and her heart felt him and moved tovvards him O Christians when you have been waiting upon God in prayer hearing or any other spiritual duty or ordinance consider hath mine heart been touched this day my tongue hath been touched mine ear hath been touched mine heart hath been treated with but hath the Lord touched it hath there vertue come forth from him which hath enticed and drawn my soul after him Sometimes by a message or visit from heaven the Lord hath drawn a good word from the lip a tear from the eye but O for touches upon souls for turning of bowels for the flowings out of hearts after the Lord Hee is the only load-stone that prevails on gracious souls Others that have many hearts have many attractives every heart hath its peculiar god twenty gods it may be in one man because so many hearts Their pleasures are their Gods their profits their gods their belly their god their wives or their children their gods and so many gods so many ends And every end is a loadstone to draw them after them Every heart will after its God A Christian that hath but one heart hath but one God and this is he that draws it on its way Thou sayest the Lord is thy God thou acknowledgest thou ownest thou hast chosen him for thine but what doth thy God whom thou hast chosen do upon thine heart what will the sight of God or thy love to God or thy hope in God do upon thee how far will it carry thee which way runs thy heart which way dost bend thy course dost feel thy God drawing thee and is thy heart running after him running notes motion and a swift or violent motion I shall lay before you these six or seven expressions the Scripture uses to note the running of those hearts after God whom he hath drawn 1. The desiring of the soul after God Isa 26.8.9 The desire of our soul is to thy name with my soul have I desired thee in the night yea with my spirit within me will I seek theee early Desire is the soul in motion God-wards Towards him are their desires and they come deep ab intimis ab imo pectore from their inwards from the bottom of the heart With my soul have I desired thee with my spirit within mee will I seek thee Psal 38.9 Lord all my desire is before thee 't is not all my desires but my desire thou seest all and 't is all but one desire Hee desires pardon hee desires peace hee desires help and the heealing of his wounds but all this is but one desire God is all One thing have I desired Psal 27.4 2. The thirsting of the sout Psal 42.2 My soul thirsteth for God for the living God Thirsting is the extremity of desire hunger and thirst are the appetite or desire heightened violent and painful appetites my soul thirsteth and is in pain till it be satisfied 3. The longing of the soul Psal 63.1 O God thou art my God early will I seek thee my soul thirsteth for thee my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land where no water is Longing causeth languishing and abortions if it be not satisfied Psal 119.20 My soul breaketh for the longing desire it hath to thy judgments My heart panteth my flesh faileth the light of mine eyes is gone from me Psal 38.10 4. Calling after God Psal 4.1 Hear mee when I call O God of my righteousness Calling upon God is the voice of desires The desiring soul will not keep silence the tongue the eye the ears the hands the knees must all be oratours when the flame is once kindled within 5 Crying after the Lord. This is an expression answering the thirsting of the soul Crying is a passionate and importunate praying I cryed unto the Lord with my whole heart Psal 119.145 6. Crying out after God This is the manner of the longing soul Crying out notes more than bare crying loud cryes strong cryes forced out by a paroxisme of love or an agony the soul is in Psal 84.2 My soul longeth yea even fainteth for the courts of the Lord my heart and my flesh cryeth out for the living Lord. 7. Following hard after the Lord Psal 63.8 My soul followeth hard after thee This expression is more comprehensive it notes both all the workings and breakings and breathings of the soul within and its diligent pursuing in the use of all outward means and pressing on after the Lord. All those labourings and watchings and runnings all that holy violence wherewith a Saint presses into the Kingdome of God Put all this together and you will see the power and influence the Lord hath on holy Souls to the drawing of them after him they are in motion Heaven-vvard desiring thirsting longing calling crying crying out follovving hard after him What aileth these souls vvhat 's the matter vvith them
vvhat vvould they have Judg. 19.23 What aileth thee said the Danites once to Micah that thou comest thus after us vvhat aileth thee Why you have taken avvay my Gods and vvhat have I more VVhat aileth these crying longing running Souls vvhy 't is after their God they cry 't is after their God they run 1 King 19.20 Go back Elisha said once the Prophet to him vvhen hee had cast his Mantle on him Go back for vvhat have I done unto thee VVhat hast thou done enough to hold me from going back there vvent vertue vvith the Mantle the Mantle fell on his heart as vvell as his back and drevv it after the Prophet Should you say thus to these go back soul go back from follovving thy God for vvhat hath hee done unto thee Oh hee hath gotten mine heart no no I cannot go back hee is my God and vvhat have I more 2. The end guides and directs to means Whither shall I go from thee thou hast the words of eternal life 3. The end governs I shall put these both together what is it that Governs sinners but their ends this points them out their work and their way this holds them to their work and keeps them in their way what ever fetters and chains their lusts are to them 't is their carnal ends to which they are in bondage these are they that Lord it over them and hereupon it 's impossible to perswade a sinner to make a through change of his way till hee hath changed his ends herein stands the conversion of a sinner in the changing of his ends when hee ceases to bee any longer to himself to his flesh to the world and for a worldly happiness and is brought about to pitch on God as his portion and happiness to whom hee devotes and dedicates himself there 's conversion Sin is our turning away and conversion is turning back to our God Beloved consider not barely how but to what you live not onely what you do but what you would have and never count your selves truely Godly what-ever of God bee in your way till God bee in your heart and eye Hee that hath first chosen God and therefore a Godly life whose Godliness of life springs forth as the fruit of his choice of the Lord that 's a Godly man God Governs as our King and as our End as our King by his Soveraignty as our End by his Excellency by his worthiness and goodness as our King by Laws as our end by love Love will find out our way will tell all our wandrings will check us for our sins sweeten our labours quicken us on our course cut out our way through dangers and difficulties and keep us in our way till wee come to the fruition of our end Therefore 't is said by the Apostle 1 Tim. 1.9 The Law is not for a Righteous man Love will save the law a labour the Law is not for a Righteous man not so much at least as for sinners not as to the coertion of it though still as to its obligation the constraint of Love will much supersede the coertion of Laws 4. The end Rewards they have their Reward Mat. 6. that is they have their end the reputation for devout and charitable men was the end of their Devotion and Charity They prayed and fasted and gave almes for no other end and the obtaining that reputation was their reward Verily I say unto you they have their reward God is the reward of his Saints Gen. 15.1 I am thy exceeding great reward Isa 46.4 My judgement is with the Lord and my reward with my God God is the reward they shall receive and the reward they look to receive Heb. 11.29 Moses had respect to the recompence of reward And therefore the Argument is weighty which Christ us'd to disswade his Disciples from being in their Devotions in their Alms-deeds as the Pharisees and Hypocrites are who disfigured their countenances in their fasts who sounded a Trumpet to proclaim their Alms Bee yee not like them for they have their reward The Argument was strong to the Disciples who being men of another Spirit could not bee satisfied with such a reward In these two things Saints greatly differ from the men of this world 1. They are not willing to defer their Duties till hereafter and 2. They dread it to have their reward here they would dispatch their work and are willing to go upon trust for their wages Sinners would have their wages in hand and bee trusted for their work till hereafter they would bee happy here and can bee content to stay for holiness till hereafter 't is soon enough to bee Saints in Heaven But Oh! it would bee a dreadful word to Saints there are thy good things take them these are thy reward these are not their end and therefore they cannot take them for their reward Poor foolish worldlings how are you dis-joynted how are your weary hearts scattered through the ends of the earth how many masters do you serve how many matters have you to minde you weary your selves in the greatness of your way and what is your reward What the fields can give you have what your sheep or your oxen can give you have what your beds or your tables or your houses or your cloathes can give you have here a little and there a little you get up your beds give you ease your houses shelter your sports and companions pleasure your parasites honour and that little you can pick up here and there this is your reward Verily I say unto you you have your revvard unhappy souls you are troubled and carefull about many things for nothing one thing is needful and if yet yee will be wise chuse that good part which shall not bee taken from you 2. This one heart hath but one thing to do Philip. 3.13 This one thing I do There are all things in that one thing all things needful How many things soever his hand findeth to do all is but one Hee intends in all God A renewed heart designs God and is making God-wards in all hee does Whatever journy he goes 't is God is his home whatever race he runs 't is God is his mark and prize Whatever battel hee fights against flesh and blood against principalities and powers 't is that hee may cut his way through all to his God What-ever he does hee does it for God what-ever hee suffers hee suffers for God When hee hears or fasts or prayes 't is all for God When yee fasted did yee at all fast to me Yes to thee a Christian is able to say hee hath many things to pray for and fast for hee hath bread and cloaths and friends and health and safety and liberty to pray for but in all hee prayes for God Hee entitles God to all hee hath and marks it up for him and he sees and enjoyes God in all hee has hee will not own that for a mercy that hath not God in it
and is not a foot or wing to carry him on towards him And therefore what-ever hee begs to himself 't is that he may have it for God What hee gives he gives to God whom hee forgives 't is for the Lords sake whether hee eats or drinks or works or buyes or sells or what-ever else hee does hee does it all to the glory of God 1 Cor. 10.31 For him hee prayes for him he waits for him he labours for him hee suffers for him hee lives to him hee dies To me to live is Christ Phil. 1.21 according to my earnest expectation and my hope that in nothing I shall bee ashamed but that with all boldness as alwayes so now also Christ may bee magnified in my body whether it be by life or by death This is the one thing hee intends this is the one thing he seeks in all take his whole course together hee can say with the Apostle This one thing I do forgetting those things which are behinde and reaching forth unto those things that are before I press toward the mark for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus 3. Hee does what hee does And that 1. Not feignedly but really 2. Not faintly but heartily 1. Really Hee pursues this end in a plain and honest way He that hath this one heart hath but one way Heart and life go hand in hand he makes strait steps to his heart and his heart makes strait steps to his feet he doth 〈◊〉 and he doth also 〈◊〉 As hee looks strait on so hee walks strait on to his mark Hee doth not look one way and row another Hee is a Jacob a plain man a plain-dealing man a Nathanael in whom is no guile Hee turns his inside outwards his life is not a Cloak but a Commentary on his heart The expositours of his inward man His end is in his heart and his heart is in his face in his tongue in his duties and all his wayes He is no Politician 2 Cor. 1.12 Not in fleshly wisdom his Religion is not a blind or a device to delude the simple hee is down-right and in earnest in all hee does Hee does the same thing he seems to do his praying is praying indeed his fasting and almes are such indeed his very profession is practice he would not believe nor make others believe but that hee is what hee is Hee seeks not commendation from men but approbation with God His design is not inordinately to commend himself to the good opinion though hee would bee made manifest in the consciences of others Hee would not bee a lye or a cheat Hee abhorres all lying but most of all a religious lye He would not lye for God much less against him such a lye is as blasphemy to him Hee loves not Images hee would have a soul in all his practices A prayer without a soul a sacrifice without an heart a religious carkass is an abomination to him Hee would not make such a noble medium as Religion to serve to so base an end as the serving the flesh Hee hath other work to do than to serve times or tables then to please himself or men than to serve wills or humours or lusts hee hath a soul a conscience a God to look after he hath but one business to do but one Master to serve if hee be a Magistrate he rules for God if he bee a Minister hee preaches for God if he bee a Parent he educates for God if hee bee a Master hee governs for God to him he dedicates himself and his house hee writes on his doors this is Bethel this is none other but the house of God If he be a childe or a servant he obeyes in the Lord and for the Lord he knows he hath to do with God in all hee does when hee is dealing with men with his friends with his family in his calling in his recreations in all hee hath to do with God and hee can take comfort in nothing but what God will take pleasure in Thou hast no pleasure in iniquity Thou lovest truth in the inward parts And there 's no truth in the inward parts but when there 's truth also in the outward parts when the heart and tongue and wayes agree 'T is vain to say mine heart is good when the ways are naught A false tongue deceitful wayes will give the lye to the heart Hee cannot subsist longer than hee hath smiles from heaven Communion with God is his life his all is in God His heart dies when that fountain is stopp'd If hee cannot have clearness and boldness in the presence of God hee can no longer look himself in the face but blushes and hangs downs his head with shame Hee values not either the applause or the scorns of men so hee may have a witness of his acceptance with God O Lord dost thou regard wilt thou accept of me 't is enough Let all the world call me Thou Fool Thou Pharisee Thou Hypocrite so the Lord will say my childe 't is well 'T is falsely spoken 't is foolishly 't is weakly done 't is pride 't is singularity 't is scrupulosity thus the world cry let them alone oh my soul I will hearken what the Lord God will say if hee saies Thou hast been faithful I will hearken what conscience will say if it says well done let all else say what they please this is my rejoycing mine onely rejoycing the testimony of my conscience that in all simplicity and godly sincerity not in fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God I had my conversation in the world 2. Heartily What-ever hee does for God he does it with a good will Hee hath cast up all his business into one and hee is intent upon it Hee works righteousness as sinners work wickedness with both hands earnestly Micah 7.3 Hee is religious in good earnest hee prayes in good earnest he hears in good earnest hee runs in good earnest the powers of his soul being all united in one chanel run more strongly his many springs falling all into one stream make a river that bears down all bayes before it The Psalmist prays Psal 86.11 Vnite mine heart to fear thy Name Unite my heart to thee and unite mine heart in it self that it may all run toward thee Unite my heart to fear and so unite my heart to love thy name unite mine heart to serve and follow and live to thee As if he should have said O my God mine heart is divided and discomposed scattered up and down I know not where my pleasures have a part my estate hath a part my friends have a part my family hath a part there 's little or none left for God I have too many things to fear too many things to love and care for too many things to serve and follow to follow the Lord with any strength or intention of mind Call in all Lord all my parts all my powers command their joynt and united
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
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
spurres and goads in our sides to quicken us on our way calling to us arise sleepers put on sluggards stirre up your spirits mend your pace I will not bee put off as I have been no more such loitering and idling and trifling and halting as hath been I must have other manner of service other manner of praying and hearing and walking and working than hath been be zealous and amend more labour more care more watchfulness more activity more of the Spirit and Soul of what you professe When the Lord hath been thus goading and spurring us on and though our flesh feels yet our hearts will not feel nor answer the Goad or Spur Is this an argument of tenderness When great duties are little and lesser are none when great sins are infirmities and little ones are nothing when lying and defrauding when false weights and false wares and false dealings when defaming back-biting tale-bearing railing reviling do stand for little more than cyphers when fellowship and familiarity with evil men in their sins when compliance with or connivance at their wickedness when sinful courtings and complementings of such to the fleshing them and hardning them in their waies do pass for virtues and civilities when frothy vvanton discourse and communication vvhen scoffing and making a sport at the sins or infirmities of others vvhen sinful vain jesting vvherein rather Conscience than wit must bee deny'd when all these pass for our ornaments rather than our evils Where 's our tenderness When upon the auditing of our accounts the examining our books and reckoning up our scores where a talent is owing wee bid conscience take thy bill and write down a shekel where twenty or an hundred sins to be reckoned for take thy bill and write down ten or but one and that a little one when wee are so free in multiplying and so false in numbring our iniquities where 's our tenderness Well Christians the Lord hath promised a tender heart to make these stones flesh and something possibly is done already upon you towards it O let this sad sight now laid before you this view of what 's wanting have some influence upon the making it up let the sense of no more done work what is yet undone as is said before let your unbrokenness break your hearts let the stone that yet remains make your flesh to bleed If you yet feel no more may you at least feel this that you feel not CHAP. XIII An Heart to love the Lord. 4. AN heart to love the Lord. Deut. 30.6 The Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul Love is the soul of the new creature the closure of the soul with God He that hath most of God is most a Christian and hee that hath most of love hath most of God God is love In the opening of this love to God wee shall consider its Object Act. 1. It s Object The Object of divine love is God God is good and good is amiable God is all good There is none good but one that is God God is essentially good goodness in the abstract hee is infinitely excellent hee is all perfection In this one Attribute all the rest of the Attributes of God are included and this in each of them However the Scriptures speaking to our capacities describe God and his glorious Attributes in several and distinct notions yet in each one all are included each one is infinite and infinite perfection is essentially all perfection God is originally good the fountain and pattern of all that moral good that is in the creatures hee is bountifull and gracious ready to do them good and hee is the felicitating end or the blessedness of the soul The goodness of God to his creatures according to its different respects to them hath its different and various appellations As it is freely bestow'd 't is Grace As it respect them as needy so 't is Bounty as in misery so 't is mercy and compassion as Provoking so 't is Patience as it intends their good so 't is love as it answers both their necessities and capacities so 't is Al-sufficiency All these his bounty mercy compassion patience love al-sufficiency all these are in one word his goodness and goodness calls for love The Object of this love is God Particularly 1. God in himself 2. God in Christ 3. God in all the things of God 1. God in himself as hee is infinitely excellent as before and so worthy of all love God is to bee loved in himself and for himself for his own worthiness God is good in himself and therefore to bee loved for himself 2. God in Christ In whom alone considering us as sinners hee can bee said to be good to us There is a four-fold incentive of love Perception Proportion Propriety Possession 1. Perception or the apprehension or understanding of the Object to bee loved wee must know before we can love now God cannot immediately be seen by mortals hee dwelleth in light but that light is to us invisible Christ is the glass in which this glory may bee seen We cannot see God but through a vail of flesh in the face of Jesus Christ 2 Cor. 4. No man hath seen God at any time but the only begotten of the Father who is in the bosome of the Father hee hath revealed him 2. Proportion And there is a double proportion requisite 1. In respect of quantity there must bee sufficiency 2. In respect of quality there must bee suitableness God himself is proportioned to us consider us as rational creatures and in our state of innocency is both a sufficient and a suitable good but God in Christ onely being considered as lapsed creatures in a state of sin God in Christ is a God of pitty and compassion to us a God of patience a God of mercy with whom is plentious redemption A God pardoning iniquity and passing by transgression loving us in our low estate loving us and pittying us loving us and pardoning us loving us and washing us loving us and saving us from our sins and from the wrath to come And such love is the great flame that kindles love love breaking forth out of a cloud of wrath and fury and displeasure abused love provoked love and yet forgiving love to whom much is forgiven they will love much 3. Propriety What 's good good for us and our own good that carries our hearts Wee most love our own good because wee most love our selves Our love to God is heightened from our due self-love there is a sinful self-love when either wee love that for a self which is not our self when wee love our flesh and fleshly interest or when wee love our selves inordinately more than God and God only for our selves and there is a lawful self-love when wee love our selves in the Lord and for the Lord. And the more wee thus love our selves the
more is the Lord loved by us and the more hee is our own the more love hee hath Now in Christ the Lord is our God Our own God even our own God Psal 67.6 O God thou art my God and I will praise thee Thou art my God and I will love thee The Lord is God and wee therefore love him the Lord is good gracious merciful and wee therefore love him yea and ought to love him whether he bee ours or no but when both meer hee is God and our God hee is good and our good gracious merciful all-sufficient and all this to us hence is our love made perfect in us 4 Possession wee can love a distant an absent good A good that 's only possible there 's love in hope but by how much the nearer good is to us that is really so by so much the more attractive and acceptable ' t is 'T is then most in our hearts when 't is most in our hands Indeed those things which have only speciem boni that are fancied good or those things that are finite good and good over-rated that are judg'd better than they are are lov'd most at a distance because when they come to hand wee see our mistake But that which is what it seem'd much more that which is above our thoughts beyond our expectations infinite good by how much the nearer 't is ever the dearer to us All worldly good is most valued at least by carnal hearts at a distance they promise themselves more contentment in it than it hath to pay them their possession is their disappointment Whilest they lusted they idoliz'd they ador'd but when they have tasted and eaten it comes out at their nostrils Or else they sit down with the shame of the disappointed they are either surfeited or hungry still Is this all all you can do for mee all the pleasure and comfort I shall have of you is all my expectation of delight and satisfaction come to no more but this Miserable comforters are you all possession and fruition is the proof of all things And vanity proved is the less loved But God being an all-sufficient incomprehensible good by how much the nearer to us by how much the more hee is ours by so much the more wee prize and love because now wee find when wee have him wee enjoy him that before the one half was not told us Now in Christ wee have not onely a propriety in God but in some degree a present possession Hee that hath the Son hath the Father also We see his light wee feel his love wee taste of his goodness wee enjoy his presence wee have God with us wee have God in us wee have fellowship with him he dwelleth in us and wee in him and hence wee love and herein wee rejoyce 3. God in all the things of God in his Word Ordinances Sabbaths Saints in graces duties in all his waies the Saints love God and love his word 't is God in the word they love they love God and they love Ordinances and Sabbaths and Saints 't is God in all these they love They love the waies and works and all the dispensations of God and 't is God in them all they love they see God in every thing and they love God where ever they see him They look on all these things with another eye and therefore embrace them with another heart then other men The Saints love to the things of God is their love to God for 't is God in them as was said that they love their love to them is founded either on their participation of God or relation to God Or else you may say they love the things of God because they are the Off-spring the Images the Chariots of God 1. The things of God are the Off-spring of God as the Saints are born from above so all the things of God are 〈◊〉 they come down from above and therefore may also bee called as the Apostle stiles them 〈…〉 things above Phil. 3.1,2 If yee bee risen with Christ seek those things that are above set your affections on things above things above and the things of God come all to one whatsoever is from God and belongs to his Heavenly Kingdome is divine and heavenly and hee that loveth him that begets therefore loveth those which are begotten and whatsoever proceedeth from him 2. The Word and the Saints are the Images of God the character and impresse of God are upon them the Grace in the Saints and the holy truths in the Word are the very face of Christ who is full of Grace and Truth and this is their Rule love God and love his Image 3. The things of God are the Chariots of God Hee that makes the Clouds his Chariots makes also his Word and his Ordinances and his Ministers his Chariots wherein he rides down into these lower parts to give the World a meeting When Ministers come and the Word comes down God comes down in them to visit his people as 't was said of Paul So 't is true of Apollos and Cephas and all the dispensers of the Gospel they are chosen Vessels to bear his Name before the Sons of men and as they are the Chariots in which God comes down so are they also the Wagons which hee hath sent them to fetch them up to himself The Saints send up their hearts in their duties their hearts in their prayers in their praises unto God Old Israel's heart leap'd when hee saw the Wagons which Joseph had sent Oh what love doth the Psalmist expresse to the House and Courts of the Lord O how amiable are thy Tabernacles I was glad when they said unto mee let us go up into the House of the Lord. Hee was glad to go thither because thence hee hoped to bee carried higher from the Mountain to the Mansion from Mount Zion here below to Jerusalem which is above It 's the duty and the delight of the Saints to bee ascending Heaven-wards they are dead with Christ they are risen with Christ and 't is not as they would with them but when they are ascending up with Christ they are dead with Christ by repentance and humiliation they are risen with Christ by faith and sanctification and they ascend with Christ by love and holy affection this is their Chariot of fire a Chariot within a Chariot that through Duties and Ordinances rides up in its own flames to the God of Love Or if you will the Ordinances of God are our Jacobs Ladder reaching from Heaven to Earth by which Angels descend and souls ascend God comes down and hearts go up praises go up and blessings come down thou hast not prov'd what an Ordinance is what Prayer means or Preaching means or Sacraments mean that hast not seen God coming down nor felt thine heart ascending by them hee that hath felt this will say here let mee dwell let others bee where they will amongst their flocks amongst their herds upon their beds or at
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
the latter dayes But how can goodness be the Object of fear We fear evill and not good The meaning is they shall fear to wrong or abuse goodness They shall fear to wrong the Lord because he is good in the latter dayes These latter dayes that this Promise refers to shall be dayes of more grace wherein there shall be not onely a more clear revelation of the goodness of God they shall know the Lord and his goodness But a more plentifull communication and diffusion of the goodness of God they shall love the Lord and his goodness They shall see themselves both more obliged by goodness and shall feel themselves more seasoned with goodness By grace they shall be better natured Religion doth not make morose but more generous free and ingenuous There 's nothing more abhorrent to an ingenuous spirit then to be base and unworthy Abuse of goodness is an unworthiness which an ingenuous nature abhors as death to be guilty of 't is its destruction 't is disingenuity The abuse of the goodness of God is great unthankfulness and unthankfulness is great disingenuity Ingratum si dixeris omnia dixeris Call me unthankfull and you call me all that 's naught Call me any thing else but unthankfull Indeed were I all thanks I should still be unthankfull I should still be behind-hand with the goodness of the Lord my debt is greater then I can pay yea greater then I can acknowledge but shall I return evil for his good If I cannot pay should I deny my Debt He that is unthankfull whatever God requires of him saies wickedly this is more then I owe thee God I owe thee nothing I care not for thee Oh this is dreadfull to a gratious heart If this be in sin for all sin is unthankfulness if this be in sin if this be the signification of all my neglects of God and my duty to him then the Lord forbid what ever I suffer that I should yeeld to sin How shall I do this wickedness How shall I neglect this duty and sin against God How should I look my God or my own soul in the face should I be so unworthy For thy sake Lord let me not sin against thee thou art good thou art kind thou art gracious thou art holy O let me not be a Devil what heart where a Devill is not but such goodness will charm it into love Shall I sin Shall I rebell For thy sake Lord I will not do it I will not for mine own sake for where then shall I appear In sinning against God I sin against mine own soul I dare not for my life sin and Death sin and Hell are link'd together but were it not so might I sin and escape sin and not die yet for thy sake Lord I will not do it Thou art good good in thy self good to me thou att my God thou art my Father love care tenderness compassion kindness is all that is in thine heart towards me what I am what I have what I hope for that I breathe that I live all is thy goodness thy bounty to me Oh let me not rise up against the Womb that bare me and the Paps that give me suck I would not to my childe to my servant to my friend but Oh let me never to my Father to my God return evill for good and hatred for his good will Let not this evill which I fear ever come upon me put thy fear into mine heart O Lord that I may not sin against thee CHAP. XV. Obedience in the Covenant 7. OBedience Ezek. 36.27 I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and ye shall keep my judgments and do them Obedience is either of the Heart or of the Life In this Scripture God undertakes for both 1. For the obedience of the Heart he undertakes in the former words I will put my Spirit in your heart where the Spirit dwells be rules Where Satan dwells he rules and where the Spirit of the Lord dwells there God rules the Spirit in the heart is the Law in the heart Those two Promises I will put my Spirit in your hearts and I will write my Law in your hearts signifie the same thing The Law in the heart is the will of man melted into the will of God The Law of God may be in the mouth and the heart a Rebel its reception into the heart notes the hearts subjection to it The Obedience of the heart includes two things 1. The opening of the heart to the Word 2. The resolution of the heart for the Work of the Lord. 1. The opening of the heart to the Word What wilt thou have me to do Lord That 's the voice of an obedient heart Veniat verbum submittemus Speak Lord command Lord what wilt thou And when he speaks whatever it be the word is embraced and accepted of the heart Dan. 4.27 Let my counsel be acceptable to thee The acceptance of the word in the heart is signified by its hearkening to it To hearken is more then to hear though they sometimes note the same thing yet ordinarily hearing is of the ear hearkening of the heart Psal 81.11 Israel would not hearken my people would none of me They heard what the Lord spake but they would not hearken that is as t is there interpreted they would none of the Lord. They rejected the word of the Lord which he spake unto them When the word is let come in with Authority suffered to rule in the soul when the heart gives up it self unto it then it is accepted there 's its hearkening to it 2 The resolution of the heart for the work of the Lord Psal 110.106 I have sworn and I will perform it that I will keep thy righteous judgments I have vowed and I will perform I have covenanted and I am determined to keep thy statutes The word which thou hast spoken to us in the name of the Lord we will not do that 's the rebellious Whatsoever the Lord shall speak we will do that 's the obedient heart Where the heart is thus resolved to obey this is that obedience which shall be accepted unto salvation Where this resolution is as there is opportunity there will be practice and where there 's not opportunity in Gods account this is it This is Praying this is Hearing this is giving and feeding and cloathing and visiting this is walking circumspectly working righteousness shewing mercy exercising Faith and Patience and Repentance this is our keeping the Commandments of God and walking in his Statutes an heart to obey is our obeying an heart to do is our doing an heart to suffer in Gods account is our suffering for his Name But here it must be carefully noted that though sincere resolution for Obedience be Obedience yet every resolution is not that resolution Resolution for Obedience is then sincere where 1. It flowes from an inward and rooted inclination 2. It 's bottomed on a
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
wander or stay sway from Christ 1. There 's that within them which will bring them back the grace of God within them will bring them home The grace of God is now their nature Sinners whilest walking with Christ and Saints whilest wandring from Christ are both under a force they are carried against the stream when the winds are down that carried them on they will return to their course The grace of God is the seed of God He that is born of God sinneth not that is not unto death the seed of God remaineth in him Thy seed of God is immortal seed it may languish and be ready to dye but it shall not dye it shall recover 2. There 's one above them which will bring them back Though he suffer them for a time to wander from the way yet he will not suffer them to perish from the way Of those whom thou hast given me I have lost none He hath lost none and he will lose none He sends a word of command after them Jer. 3.14 Return O lack sliding children for I am married to you Whither are you running Whom are you following after Come back from your Lovers return to your Husband I am married to you and we may not part After the word of Command he sends a word of Promise ver 22. I will heal your back-slidings Return from your back-slidings and I will heal them I will forgive your back-slidings and I wil cure you of your back sliding heart All the Breaches they have made shall be made up I will pass by all that you have done and be reconciled to you If you will return return and I will receive you And this word of Promise is a word of Power I will bring you to Zion then shall she say I will go and return to my first Husband Hos 2. Behold we come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God Jer. 3.22 He that will not leave his Israel after the flesh with their Idols much less will he leave his Israel after the Spirit Phil. 1.6 Being confident of this very thing that he that hath begun a good work will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ A good work may be said to be begun in double sence 1. When there is some good think a doing Or when something is done towards it when it is in fieri When the Lord hath been ploughing up the fallow ground making his Batteries against the strong Hold shaking secure hearts breaking false hopes awakening Consciences convincing sinners spreading sin and death and hell before them entring upon a Treaty with them and perswading them over to Christ to make an escape There may be hopes in this The pains of Travel gives hopes of a Birth But this may go back and after the highest hopes prove an abortion Sinners awakened sinners beware you make not a stand at the Threshold beware that your Plough'd ground be not left to lye fallow Beware that the Womb prove not the Grave of all your hopes Mistake not Conviction for Conversion make on let not your God nor your souls lose the things which here been wrought 2. When there is some good thing done When 't is in facto esse When the Rubbish is removed and the first stone is laid when the Plough hath been going and the good Seed is sown when the New-creature hath passed the Birth when Christ is formed and the light of life is newly sprung up in the soul it there be but a grain of Mustard-seed the least and the lowest degree of saving Grace broken forth in the heart the question is not whether it be much or little if it be grace there 's the immortal seed there 's the good work begun which shall be carried on till the day of Jesus Christ Grace is a security for Glory Yet beware Christians let not this security make you secure though there be an Harvest in the seed yet the seed must be cherished watched and well looked to that it may grow up to the Harvest He that lets it dye for want of looking to proves that it was dead whilest alive Let not your falling short of Glory prove that your Grace was not Grace Christians lay hold on the Promise and lift up your heads you are under fears however it be with you for the present you are in doubt how it may be your way is long and dangerous yet your hearts are deceitful and unstable you are going on at present but doubt how you shall hold out I may meet with Lions in the way which may fright me back I may lose my way and never recover I may be weary and faint in the way and lye down and give off My Lord and my soul have been often upon the parting point I have been almost gone and I tremble to think what may yet become of me Yet remember who it is that hath said I will not turn from you to do you good I will put my fear in your hearts and you shall not depart from me Rise soul take care for to day and take no thought for to morrow Mind the present duty go on thy way though weeping and trembling and hard bestead go on thy way and then commit thy way and thy self to him by whose mighty Power thou shalt be kept through faith unto salvation Faithful is he that hath called you and will do it And now you have all Let us hear the Conclusion of the whole matter God hath made a Covenant with his people hath given himself for their Portion his Son for their price his Spirit for their guide in the way his Earth for their accommodation by the way his Angels for their Guard the Powers of darkness and death for their Spoils everlasting Glory for their Crown And because their way is difficult and their work is contrary to them he hath given them all that grace that is necessary to bring them to Glory In General a new heart in all things suited to their way and throughly furnished for every good work In Particular Knowledge to guide oneness to fix and intend tenderness to submit ro and yeeld love to constrain and bring on fear to fence and hold in obedience to perform and bring forth and perseverance to go through and hold out to the end and there grace and glory meet This is the Covenant of grace this is the word which by the Gospel is preached unto you It will be said But if God hath undertaken all this for us what is there then left on us to do Here 's a Doctrine according to sinners hearts if this be Gospel then soul take thine ease take thy liberty cast away care make much of thy body God will take care of the rest But is there nothing required of us Let the Scriptures speak Ezek. 36.37 Yet for all this will I be enquired of or sought unto by the house of Israel otherwise let them look for no such things He that will not ask in
faith let not that man think he shall receive any thing of the Lord Jam. 1.7 And can he think to receive any thing that neither believes nor prayes That neither prayes in faith nor prays at all Phil. 2.12,13 It 's God works in you both to will and to do What then Therefore sit you still and do nothing No such matter therefore work out your salvation with fear and trembling saith the Apostle The promise of God was never intended to make the command of God of none effect God in promising grace promises a power for duty and as he doth not give so we must not receive â—hat power or grace of God in vain Whilst he gives what he requires he still requires what he gives That promise of God ye shall be my people though he undertake to make it good yet it is also the matter of our stipulation And in this promise wherein the Lord assures us what de facto we shall be is included a Precept wherein we may understand what de jure we ought to be In undertaking to give us a new heart a tender and obedient a persevering heart the Lord doth promise both to make us what we should be and to help us in what we are bound to do and gives us at once a clear hint both of our mercy and our duty This is the sence and summ of that Promise The Lord will work all that in us and will help and cause us to perform all that which is required unto salvation and so the Promissum on Gods part doth not make void but establish the Debitum on ours Do we then make void the Law through Faith Nay we establish the Law Though it be certain as to the event that all that 's necessary to salvation shall be accomplished in us God hath undertaken that yet it is altogether as certain that God hath made our loving him fearing him obeying his whole will and our sincerity and perseverance herein so necessary that we cannot otherwise be saved Christians mistake not nor abuse the grace of the Gospel The Lord never meant your mercy should make void your Obligation to duty Redemption from sin was never intended as a toleration of sin He gives not his Spirit in favour of the flesh What he undetakes to work for you was never with a mind to maintain you in idleness Tit. 2.11,12 The grace of God that bringeth salvation teacheth us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world Though you are saved by grace yet you are still in a sense debtors to do the whole Law Perfect Obedience to the whole Law even to the utmost Iota is still due from you and if it be not in your hearts to pay all that you owe that is if there be any duty commanded in the whole book of God that you must be dispensed with that you will not set your hearts to observe and obey if there be any one sin that you must be excused in and will not part with if there be any the highest pitch of holy Care Activity Industry Zeal for God and Holiness that you will not be perswaded to press hard after this is an evidence of such an unsound heart as hath no part in the Gospel or the salvation thereof Perfection is still due though sincerity will be accepted Sincerity shall be accepted but what is sincerity less then an hearty willingness to be perfect attested by a striving and pressing on to that mark which is set before us O admire and bless the Lord the Lord for grace but do not turn the grace of God into licentiousness Shall we continue in sin because grace that abounded Will ye thus requite the Lord Will ye thus deceive your selves O foolish people and unwise Will you slight him because he hath loved you Kick at him because he hath cared for you Shake off his Yoke because he hath secured you the Crown Will you serve his enemies because he hath saved you from them Will you nourish your diseases because he hath said he will cure you Will you live and not eat Reap and not Plough Will you not eat because he hath given you meat Will you not run because he hath given you Leggs Nor work because he hath given you hands Nor watch because he hath given you eyes Or will you tempt the Lord and call that your trust in him Awake from such madness Christians say not If God will I shall whether I take care or no believe or no repent or no be obedient or rebellious whether I wake or sleep work or be idle my unbelief my disobedience my negligence shall not make the faith of God of none effect But rather since God hath said you shall let thine heart answer I will walk in his statutes Arise O my soul up and be doing work out thy salvation because its God that worketh in thee to will and to do Shake off thy sloth set to thy work run out thy race since God hath said thou shalt not run nor labour in vain And look to it for however thy Idleness or greatest Unfaithfulness will not make void the Covenant of God yet will it make manifest that thou hast no part nor lot in it But to all these glorious things that have been spoken possibly some will reply O if all this be so then happy Saints indeed Happy are the people that are in such a case yea blessed are the people whose God is the Lord. But will the Lord indeed do all these things for Mortals Will he take notice of Worms Shall such dry bones live Will he set such vile dust as the Apple of his eye Is not this too good to be true Too great to be believed Are we not all this while but in a Dream or a fools Paradise Oh that I were sure the one half were as it hath been told me Too great to be believed As if it must be questioned whether the Sun light because it dazles our eyes But what certainty would you have Is all this too great for the great and Almighty God to do who hath said Isa 55.9 As the Heavens are higher then the Earth so are my wayes higher then your wayes and my thoughts then your thoughts Can he not do it who can do all things Will he not do it when he hath said he will Will the Lord mock Can God deceive Shall his Word yea and his Oath too those two immutable things in which it is impossible for God to lye can these fail If you should hear the Lord himself speaking to you from Heaven with audible voice My Covenant I make with thee and it is my intent and purpose to perform every word that is written in it according to the plain import and meaning thereof there shall not a tittle fail neither will I alter the thing that is gone forth of my lips Heaven and Earth shall fail but my word shall not fail
to abide in my house for ever o o Ioh. 8.35,36 Whatever love or care children may look for from their father that may you expect from me p p Mat. 6.31,32 and so much more as I am wiser and greater and better then any earthly parents If earthly fathers will give good things to their children much more will I give to you q q Luke 11.13 If such cannot forget their children much less will I forget you r r Esay 49 15. What would my children have your Fathers heart and your Fathers house Å¿ Å¿ â—ob 7.17 Ioh. 14 2 your Fathers care and your Fathers ear t t 1 Pet. 5.7 Mat. 7,9 your Fathers bread and your Fathers rod u u Luk. 12.30,31,32 Heb. 12.7 these shall be all yours He promiseth his fatherly affection You shall have my fatherly affection my heart I share among you my tenderest loves I bestow upon you w w 1 Iohn 3.1 Ier. 31.3 Esa 54.8 His fatherly compassion My fatherly compassion As a Father pittieth his children so will I pittie you x x Psa 103.13,14 I will consider your frame and not be extream to mark what is done amiss by you but cover all with the mantle of my excusing love y y Psal 78.39 His fatherly instruction My fatherly instruction I will cause you to hear the sweet voice behind you saying This is the way z z Esay 30.21 I will tender your weakness and inculcate mine admonitions line upon line and seed you with milk when you cannot digest stronger meat a a Esay 28,13 1 Cor. 3.2 I will instruct you and guide you with mine eye b b Ps 32.8 His fatherly protection My fatherly protection In my fear is strong confidence and my children shall have a place of refuge c c Prov. 14.26 My Name shall be your strong Tower to which you may at all times flie and be safe d d Prov. 18.10 To your strong hold ye prisoners of hope e e Zec. 9.12 I am an open refuge a near and inviolable refuge for you f f Ps 48.3 Deut. 4.7 Ioh. 10.29 His fatherly provision My fatherly Provision Be not afraid of want in your Fathers house there is bread enough g g Ps 34.9 Luk. 15.17 I will care for your bodies Cark not for what you shal eat drink or put on Let it suffice you that your Heavenly Father knoweth that you have need of all things h h Mat. 6.25 to the end Luke 12.22 to the 34. I wil provide for your souls Meat for them and Mansions for them and Portions for them i i Ioh. 6.32 to 59. Ps 15.12 Lam. 3.24 Behold I have spread the Table of my Gospel for you with priviledges and comforts that no man taketh from you k k Esay 25.6 Mat. 22 4. Prov. 9.2 I have set before you the bread of life and the tree of life and the water of life l l Joh. 6.48 Rev. 2.7 and 22.17 Eat O friends drink abundantly O Beloved But all this is but a taste of what I have prepared You must have but smiles and hints now and be contented with glimpses and glanses here but you shal be shortly taken up into your Fathers bosom and live for ever in the fullest viewes of his glory m m 1 Thes 4.17 His Fatherly Probation My Fatherly Probation I will chasten you because I love you that you may not be condemned with the world n n 1 Cor. 11.32 Prov. 3.11.12 God the Son to be a husband to us My Son I give unto you in a Marriage-Covenanâ— for ever o o Esay 9.6 and 42.6 2 Cor. 11.2 I make him over to you as Wisdom for your Illumination Righteousness for your Justification Sanctification for the curing of your Corruptions Redemption for your Deliverance from your Enemies p p 1 Cor. 1.30 I bestow him upon you with all his fullness all his merits and all his graces He shal be yours in all his Offices I have anointed him for a Prophet Are you ignorant he shal teach you he shal be eye-salve to you q q Esay 49.6 and 42.16 Rev. 3.18 I have sent him to Preach the Gospel to the poor and recovering of sight to the blind to set at liberty them that are bruised r r Luk. 4 18. I have established him by Oath as a Priest for ever Å¿ Å¿ Psal 110 4. If any sin he shall be your Advocate He shal expiate your guilt and make the Atonement t t 1 Joh. 2.1,2 Zech. 13.1 Have you any sacrifice any service to offer bring it unto him and you shal receive an Answer of Peace u u 1 Pet. 2.5 Heb. 13.15 Present your Petitions by his hand him will I accept w w Ioh. 14.13.14 Having such an High Priest over the house of God x x Heb. 10.19,20,21,22 you may come and wellcome come with boldness Him have I set up as King upon my holy Hill of Sion He shal rule you he shal defend you y y Esay 9.6,7 Mat. 1.21 He is the King of Righteousness King of Peace and such a King shal he be to you z z Heb. 7.2 Jer. 23.6 Eph. 2.14 I will set up his Standard for you a a Esay 49.22 I will set up his Throne in you b b Psal 110 2. He shal reign in righteousness and rule in Judgment and he shal be a hiding place from the wind a covert from the tempest and the shadow of a great Rock in a weary Land c c Esay 32 1â—2 He shal hear your causes judge your Enemies d d Esay 11.3.4,5 and reign till he hath put all under his feet e e Psal 110.1 1 Cor. 15.25 Yea and under your feet for they shal be as ashes under you and you shal tread them saith the Lord of Hosts f f Mal. 4.3 Yea I will undo them that afflict you and all they that despised you shal bow themselves down at the soles of your feet g g Esay 60. â—4 Zeph. 3.19 And you shal go forth and behold the carkasses of the men that have transgressed against me for their Worm shal not die neither shal their fire be quenched and they shal be an abhorring to all flesh h h Esay 66.24 God the Spirit to be Counsellour and Comforter to us My Spirit do I give unto you for your Counsellour and your Comforter i i Ioh. 16.7 Rom. 8.14 He shal be a constant Inmate with you and shal dwel in you and abide with you for ever k k Ezek. 36 27. Iohn 14.16,17 I consecrate you as Temples to his Holiness l l 1 Cor. â— 16,17 and 6.19 He shal be your Guide he shal lead you into all truth m m Gal. 5.18 Ioh. 14 26. He shal
shal I be affraid to believe O my soul it is the highest honour thou canst put upon thy Lord to believe against difficulties and to look for and reckon upon great things and wonderful passing all created Power and humane faith Let not the greatness nor the strangeness of the benefits bequeathed to thee put thee to a stand It is with a God thou hast to do and therefore thou must not look for little things that were to darken the glory of his munificence and the Infiniteness of his Power and Goodness Knowest thou not that it is his design to make his Name glorious and to make thee know he is able to do for thee above all thou canst ask or think Surely they cannot be any small or ordinary things that shal be done for thee when the Lord shal shew in thee what a God can do and shal carry thee in Triumph before the world and make Proclamation before thee Thus shal it be done to the man whom the Lord delighteth to honour What wonder if thou canst not comprehend these things If they exceed all thy apprehensions and conceptions This is a good Argument for thy faith for this is that which the Lord hath said That it hath not entered into the heart of man to conceive what things he hath prepared for them that love him Now if thou couldest conceive and comprehend them how should his word be made good It is enough for thee that the Lord hath spoken it Is not the word nigh thee Hath God said I will receive you You shal be Kings and Priests unto God and inherit all things and shal sit in Thrones and judge Angels and be ever with the Lord and shal I dare to say him nay Unreasonable Unbelief What never satisfied Still contradicting and blaspheming False whisperer no more of thy tales Acts 27.25 I believe God that it shall be as he hath told me 2 Cor. 2.14 Psal 71.23 Psal 92.4 Psal 104.33 And now thanks be to God who alwaies causeth us to triumph in Christ therefore my lips shal praise thee and my soul which thou hast redeemed For thou hast made me glad through thy word and I will triumph in the works of thy hands I will praise the Lord whilest I live I will sing praises to my God whilest I have any being Oh my soul if thou couldest wear out thy fingers upon the Harp and wear thy tongue to the Roots thou couldest yet never sufficiently praise thy Redeemer O mine Enemies where is now your confidence and where is your Armour wherein you trusted I will set Christ alone against all your multitudes and all the Power and Malice and Policy wherewith they are Armed Col. 2 15. 1 Cor. 15.57 The field is already won and the Captain of our salvation returned with the spoils of his Enemies having made a shew of them openly triumphing over them in his Cross And thanks be to God who hath given us the Victory through our Lord Jesus Christ Of whom then should I be affraid Behold he is near that justifieth me who shal plead with me Matt. 16.18 O ye Powers of Hell you are but chained Captives and we have a sure word that the gates of Hell shal not prevail against us Though the world be in Arms against us and the Devil in the head of them as their Champion 1 Sam. 17.45,46,47 yet who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defie the Armies of the living God Behold I come out to thee as the stripling against Goliah not with Sword and with Spear but in the Name of the Lord of Hosts in whose strength I am more then a Conquerour O Grave where is now thy Victory Christ is risen and hath broken up thy Prison and rolled away the stone so that all thy Prisoners have made an escape Mic. 7,8 Rejoyce not against me O mine Enemy though I fall I shal rise again though I lie in darkness the Lord shal be a light unto me Enlarge not thy desires O Tophet but shut up thy flaming Rom. 8.1 mouth for there is now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Joh. 16.33 1 Cor. 3.22 O deceitful world thou art already overcome and the conquered Enemy is become my servant and I am fed with the honey taken out of the carkass of the slain Lyon 1 Pet. 1.5 1 Joh. 5.4 I fear not thy Threats nor the Enchantments of thy Syren-songs being kept by the Power of God through a Victorious faith unto salvation O my sins you are already buried never to have any Resurrection and the remembrance of you shal be no more Heb. 8.12 I see my sins nailed to the Cross and their dominion is taken away though their lives be prolonged yet for a little season Awake therefore O my glory awake Psaltery and Harp and meet the Deliverer with triumph Psal 98.1,3 for his right Hand and his holy Arm have gotten us the Victory and all the ends of the Earth have seen the salvation of our God 3. It upbraids the trembling Soul with its Vnworthiness Yet methinks my unworthiness flies in my face and I hear my cavilling Unbelief thus upbraiding me and crying out O proud Presumption That thou that art conscious to thy self of thy great unworthiness shouldest pretend a claim to God and glory Shal daring dust think to share with the Almighty and say of his endless Perfections They are my right Bold sinner stand off and tremble at thy presumptuous Arrogance Faith subscribes the charge and Triumphs in Gods free grace O my God I lay my hand upon my mouth I confess the charge of mine unworthiness My guilt and shame is such as I cannot cover but thou canst and dost Thou hast cast a Mantle upon my nakedness and hast promised my transgressions shal not be mentioned and that thou wilt multiply Pardons And shal I rake up what thou hast buried and then affright my self with the Ghosts that infidelity hath raised Is it presumption to take the Pardon that thou dost offer or to receive and claim thee as mine when it is but what thou hast promised I durst not have approached thee but upon thy call nor have pretended a Title but upon thy Grant I should have thought it Diobolical pride to have pleaded an Interest in thee and claimed kinred to thee but that thou hast shewed me the way And thou my soul art thou ignorant of Gods great Design Knowest thou not that it is his purpose to glorifie Free-Grace And how should Grace appear to be Grace indeed were there any worthiness in the subject Thine unworthiness is but a foyle to set off the Beauty and Riches of Free Love and Mercy 4. It questions the Believers Title to Gods grace and interest in the Promise But I cannot shake off this Briar Alas what a cavilling Sophister is Unbelief And will never be answered Now is it ready to tell me What if
Hast thou yet such a far deeper sence of the eternal sufferings thou art in danger of such a setled belief of thy absolute necessity of Christ to thy escaping these such an high value of the love of Christ and the everlasting salvation thou expectest by him as does over-ballance and swallow up the sharpest and the quickest sense thou hast or canst have of the greatest things thou shalt suffer by him hast thou cast up all afflictions imaginable and then put thy soul to it now resolve what to do either this or no Christ either this or no Crown either this Cross or the Curse either the wrath of man or the wrath of God Scorpions and Dragons and Devils shriecking and howling and gnashing of teeth for ever and ever Confess Christ and be confessed of him suffer with Christ and reign with him weep with Christ and rejoyce with him die with Christ and live for ever deny Christ forsake Christ and perish for ever hast thou thus put thy self to it and after the most solemn debate thou hast had what is the result Now tell me Christ or no Christ wilt thou have Christ for better for worse how dear soever he cost thee 3. Wilt thou forsake all others Thou hast three Husbands that lay claim to thee Sin the World and the Devil Wilt thou renounce and be divorc'd from all these There 's no compounding betwixt Christ and them he or they must go The renouncing of sin stands In the disengaging of the heart from it In the engaging of the heart against it 1. In the disengaging or loosening of the heart from sin 'T is an hearty willingness to let it go a willingness to part is our parting with sin A breaking the Peace the cutting off the League betwixt sin and the soul when a sinner stands so clearly convinc'd of the worth of Christ of the value of a soul of the enmity of sin against Christ and and the soul of the unworthiness of sin with all its pleasures and so advantages to be laid in the ballance with Christ is willing to be rid of it What is there in it What can it do for me How long will it last me Where will it lead me O the after births of sin O the tail of these Locusts the sting the sting that I see there Can I want a Christ or can I hope that he 'll dwell with such Neighbours Can I bear the loss of my soul or can it escape if these escape I see its vain to think of keeping both Christ and Lusts its vain to think of saving both my sins and my soul t is all one as to be saved and to be damn'd I may as well bring Heaven and Hell together Well let them go henceforth hold thy peace sin plead no more with me for entertainment be a stranger for ever to me henceforth I know thee no more 2. In the engaging the heart against sin When the heart is not onely content to let it depart but gives it a Bill of divorce and sends it away When it can want it and cannot bear it when it deals with it as the Egyptians with Israel at first they have onely leave given them to be gone but at length they thrust them out Exod. 12.33 They were urgent upon them that they might send them out of the Land in hast for they said we be all but dead men Be gone sin I am but a dead man if thou abidest with me and so it will no longer court it as a friend but curse it as an enemy fears it hates it and is resolved to be its mortal enemy and to this end is determined to use all Gods means To discover To destroy it 1. To use all Gods meanes to discover it to bring to light the hidden things of darkness Sin goes under a disguise t is hard to know friends from enemies they had need have their senses about them and well exercised too that can discern betwixt good and evil Heb. 5.14 Who can understand his Errours Psal 19.12 Sinne lies in the dark The heart of man is desperately wicked who can know it There 's too much wickedness and it lies too deep to be discerned by every eye he that means in earnest to cast out must first search out his iniquities Let us search and try our wayes Lam. 3.40 He must search the Scriptures which describe these Enemies and mark them out what they are and how many and how they may be known where ever you finde them and under what disguise soever they appear must search the heart where if they walk no more openly they will hide themselves that they be not discovered or suspected Thou art a fool a self-deceiver Sinner who takest thy self to be an adversary to sin and takest no care to find it out much more who willingly hidest it out of sight He takes part with sin which will not take pains to know it I hate the Devil and all his works I repent I forsake all my sins and though I have done iniquity by the Grace of God I will do so no more Thus vain men talk but dost know what thou sayest What is sin Dost know a friend from an enemy good from evil What are thy sins What hast thou done Wherein hast thou transgressed What are they that have done thee mischief What are their names May be thou wilt say their name is Legion for they are many In many things I have transgressed in many things I have offendied but in what things Dost know thine enemy when thou seest him or wouldst thou know him if thou couldst Dost thou make any search or enquiry after him when thou readest of a proud heart in the Scriptures art able to say there 's one of them that have done me mischief or of a covetous heart there 's another of them or of an envious malitous froward heart there are more of them or of an hard and hypocritical ignorant unbelieving heart this is he This is my great Enemy or if thou canst not tell dost ask Is not this he Are not these they O that I could understand mine errours Lord make me to know my transgressions Sinners never make your selves believe you are enemies to sin till you make narrow and particular enquiry after it after all sin the several kindes of it whether of Omission or Commission whether Outward or Spiritual Open or Secret Greater or Smaller sins of Ignorance or Knowledge of Infirmities or Presumption your beloved your most pleasing sins your most gainful sins whatever they be you never renounce till you resolve to make a diligent search after them 2. To use all Gods means to destroy and overcome them He that hides his enemy and he that will spare him when he hath found him is not an enemy but a friend He that sayes I will destroy and will not use his weapons either knows not what he sayes or sayes what he never means Thou sayest thou wilt renounce and
will they not prove themselves so to be but specially graces will be their own evidence Things outward fall alike to all No man knowes love or hatred by ought that befalls him Eccles 9.1 Thou mayest be a son or a bastard notwithstanding all that thou enjoyest or sufferest here but not one of the fore-mentioned graces but is a childes portion Gods mark upon the heart to distinguish children from strangers Prove that thou truly knowest the Lord hast one heart a tender heart c. and thou therein provest thy self to be a child of Promise Read over the descriptions that have been given of these graces observe diligently where the main differenâ—e lyes betwixt common and special grace compare thine heart with it and thereby thou mayest give a judgement of thy state If it be yet questionable whether it be sound or no sit not down till thou hast obtained but having obtained 2. Keep your evidences clear Have you peace maintain it carefully The hidden Manna will never breed worms by long keeping Content not your selves that you once had peace 't will be but a poor livelihood you will get out of what 's wasted and lost Get you good evidences that God is yours and keep them by you till you need them no more Grace is your best evidence cherish and preserve it Get a seeing eye and keep your eye open get a single heart and let it not be again divided get a tender heart and keep it tender let the love and fear of God be acted in holy Obedience An obedient gracious watchful active life will keep grace in heart and flourishing grace will speak for it self and you Look not that the Lord should so far countenance your declinings to a more fleshly careless state as to smile upon you in such a state God will not be an Abettor to sin Count upon it that your grace and peace your duty and comfort will rise and fall together suspect those comforts that accompany you into the tents of wickedness and forsake you not when you forsake your God Keep up your spirits and then lift up your heads keep heedfully on your way and your joy shal no man take from you Particularly 1. Keep close by God 2. Keep hold on Christ 3. Keep touch with the Spirit 4. Keep in with Conscience 1. Keep close to God Keep thy self under his eye and influences Both thy grace and thy comforts as they had their birth so must they have their nourishment from Heaven Lose the sight of the Sun and darkness follows Let thine eyes be towards the hills Let divine love be the pleasure of thy life Let it be thy Lords cord upon thine heart let it binde thee to him be loves Captive let thine ear be bor'd to the threshold be familiar in Heaven keep thine acquaintance there and be at peace chide back thy gadding heart Soul whither art thou going who hath the words of eternal life let the interviews of love betwixt thy Lord and thee be constant let them not be onely on some few holy days of thy life Count not thou hast lived that day in which thou hast not liv'd with God Keep close to God by keeping close to duty Keep close to duty and keep close to God in duty Call not that a duty which thou canst not call communion with God Make not duty to do the work of sin to take God out of sight Let not Prayer or Hearing or Sacraments be instead of a God to thee Such praying and hearing there is amonst many but know not thou any thing for Religion wherein thou meetest not with God Behold the face of God but behold his face in righteousness Psal 17.15 'T is ill looking on God with a blood-shot eye Guilt upon the heart will be a cloud that will make the Sun as darkness to thee Walk in the light of the Lord. Walk in the light as he is in the light In thy light the holiness of thy life thou shalt see his light The light of his holiness in thee will be attended with the light of his countenance upon thee By the light of his countenance thou wilt both see thy self in thy way to thine hopes and learn thy way more perfectly Psal 119.135 Make thy face to shine upon thy Servant and teach me thy statutes God hath many ways of teaching he teaches by Book he teaches by his Finger he teaches by his Rod but his most comfortable and effectual teaching is by the light of his Eye Send forth thy light and thy truth let them lead me let them bring me to thy holy Hill 2. Keep hold on Christ He is thy peace Appear not before God but in the blood of the Lamb let him carry up thy duties and own not that for a comfort which is not brought thee by his hand Let him be thy way to the Father and thy Fathers way to thee Keep fresh upon thine heart the memory of his death and satisfaction and let that be thy life and thine hope Hast thou cast Anchor on this Rock lose not thy hold hang upon the horns of the Altar Thou canst not live but there if thou must dye say but I will dye here Put forth fresh Acts of faith everyday and hour Believe believe believe and thou shalt be established Fall not into Unbelief then thou art gone thou departest from the living God Heb. 3.12 3. Keep touch with the Spirit Observe and obey his motions when he excites get thee on when he checks get thee back know the holy from the evil spirit by its according or differing with the Scriptures reject that spirit in the heart that is not the same with the Spirit in the word Try the Wind what and whence it is by thy Card and Gompass To the Law and to the Testimony And when thou perceivest it s from above hoise up thy sails and get thee on Quench not the Spirit Grieve not the holy Spirit of God whereby thou art sealed to the day of Redemption 4. Keep in with Conscience Make not thy witness thine enemy Deal friendly with it thou wilt need its good word which thou canst not have if it receive blowes from thee it will not learn this Lesson to speak good for evil or if thou shouldest beat it into it thou art undone if an abuse conscience speak peace it becomes thy Traytor Give due respect to Conscience Let it abide with thee in Peace and in Power Keep up its Authority as Gods Vicegerent Next under God commit the keeping of thy soul to conscience as the Lord hath so do thou make it superintendent in thy soul the Judge and Over-seer of all thy motions and actions Let conscience counsell thee and tell thee thy way let conscience quicken thee and put thee on in thy way let conscience watch thee that thou turn not out of thy way let conscience check thee and reduce thee into thy way Whither ever thou goest carry conscence along with thee carry