and glory the heavenly riches the heavenly inheritance the heavenly sonship when all these things vanish and come to nothing then comes in the true Kingdome Sonship and Inheritance Againe 2. wee know them in this world by way of taste for the things of the life to come there are few of them but Gods children have some experimentall taste of them in this world God reserves not all for the life to come but he gives a grape of Canaan in this wildernesse Thirdly by arguing from the lesse to the greater If peace of conscience bee so sweet here what is eternall peace If a litle joy here bee so pleasant and comfortable that it makes us forget our selves what will bee that eternall joy there If the delights of a kingdome bee such that they fill mens hearts so full of contentment that oft-times they know not themselves what shall we think of that excellent kingdom So by way of taste and rellish we may rise from these pettie things to those excellent things which indeed are scarce a beame scarce a drop of those excellencies If Peter and Iohn when they were in the mountain were not their owne men when they saw but a glimpse but a little glorie of Christ manifested in the mount what shal we think when there is the fulnesse of that glorious revelation at the right hand of God where there is fulnesse of pleasures for ever How shall our soules be filled at that time Thus by way of rising from the lesser to the greater by tasting feeling and by divine revelation wee may know in some measure the excellencie of those things prepared for us Now to cleare this thing more fully know that there are three degrees of revelation First there must bee a revelation of the things themselves by word and writing or speech and the like as we know not the minde of a man but either by speech or writing so there must bee a revelation of these things or else the wit of Angels could never have devised how to reconcile Justice and Mercie by infinite wisedome by sending a Mediator to procure peace God-man to worke our salvation Therefore wee could not know them without a revelation and discoverie outward this is the first degree that wee may call Revelation by scripture or by the doctrine of the Gospel Who could discover those things that are meerly supernaturall but God himselfe Then againe 2. when they are revealed by the word of God and by men that have a function to unfold the unsearchable riches of Christ by the ministerie of the Gospell yet notwithstanding they are hidden riddles still to a company of carnall men Put case the vaile be taken off from the things themselves yet if the vaile bee over the soule the understanding will and affections there is no apprehension of them therefore there must bee a second revelation that is by the Spirit of God Ofnecessitie this must bee for even as the Apostle sayth in this Chapter None knoweth the minde of Man but the spirit that is in Man so none knoweth the mind of God but the Spirit of God What is the Gospel without the Spirit of Christ to discover the minde of God to us We know not the good meaning of God to us in particular wee know in generall that such things are revealed in scripture but what is that to us if Christ bee not our Saviour and God our Father unlesse we can say as S. Paul sayth He loved me and gave himselfe for mee Therefore you see a necessitie of revelation by the Spirit But this is not all that is here meant there is 3ly a higher discovery and that is in heaven that that is revealed here is but in part and thereupon if wee believe wee believe but in part and wee love but in part If our knowledge which is the ground of all other graces and affections be imperfect all that followes must needs bee imperfect also Therefore St. Iohn sayth We know that wee are the Sonnes of God but it appeares not what we shall bee What we shall be in heaven it doth not appeare now there must bee a further revelation and that will bee hereafter when our soules shall bee united together with our bodies and then indeed our eyes shall see our ears heare and hearts shall conceive those things that while wee are here in the wombe of the Church wee neither can see nor heare nor understand more than the childe in the wombe of the mother can conceive the excellencies in this civill life Thus we see these truths a little more unfolded I will now adde somewhat to make use of what hath been spoken First of all therefore for matter of instruction if it be so that the things of the Gospell bee such as that without a revelation from God they could not bee knowen then we see that there is no principle at all of the Gospel in nature There is not a sparke of light or any inclination to the Gospell but it is meerly above nature for hee removes here all naturall wayes of knowing the Gospell eye eare understanding therfore the knowledge of it is meerly supernaturall For if God had not revealed it who could ever have devised it And when hee revealed it to discover it by his Spirit it is supernatural but in heaven much more which is the third degree I spake of Therfore by the way you may know the reason why so many heresies have sprung out of the Gospel more than out of he Law the misunderstāding of it There are few or no heresies from that because the principles of the Law are writtē in the heart men naturally know that whoredome and adulterie and filthy living c. are sins men have not so quenched nature but that they know that those things are naught therefore there have been excellent Law-makers amōg the heathens But the Gospel is a meere mystery discoured out of the breast of God without all principles of nature there are thousands of errors that are not to be reckoned about the nature the person the benefits of Christ about justification and sanctification and free will and grace and such things what a world of heresies have proud wits continually started up This would never have beene but that the Gospell is a thing above nature Therefore when a proud wit and supernaturall knowledge revealed meete together the proude heart stormes and loves to struggle and deviseth this thing and that thing to commend it selfe and hereupon comes heresies the mingling of naturall wit with divine truthes If men had had passive wits to submit to divine truthes and to worke nothing out of themselves as the spider out of her own bowells there had not beene such heresies in the Church but their hearts meeting with supernaturall truthes their proud hearts mingling with it they have devised these errours that I note in the first place Then againe if the things that wee
exquisite in this but what profite have they by it The poore soule that heares these things by the helpe of the Spirit hee can say these are mine as the man for whom the ground is measured As it is with those that come to a Feast the Physitian comes and sayes this is wholsome and good and this is good for this and that but eates nothing others that know not these things they eare the meate and are nourished in the meane time so when such men discourse of this and that a poore man that hath the Spirit he relisheth these things as his owne the other goes away onely discourseth as a Philosopher of the meate and eates nothing And therfore when you read heare these things content not your selves with the first degree of revelation no that is not enough when you have done that desire of God to joyne his Spirit to give you spirituall eyes and hearts that you may close with Divine truths and be divine as the truths are that there may bee a consent of the heart with the truth then the word of God will be sweet indeed Againe here we see this divine truth That a man when he hath the Spirit of God knowes things otherwise than hee did know them before though he did not know them by outward revelation of hearing and reading c. And hee believes them otherwise than he did before he sees them by a new light It is not the same knowledge that an unregenerate man hath with that he hath after when God workes upon his heart for then it is a divine supernatural knowledge And it is not the same faith and beliefe the Spirit of God raiseth a man up in a degree of creatures above other men as other men are above beasts hee gives new eyes new ears a new heart he moulds him anew every way Therefore you have good men somtimes wonder at themselves when God hath touched their hearts that they have had such shallow conceits of this and that truth before Now they see that they were in the darke that they were in a dampe before that they conceived things to be so and so and thought themselves some body but when God opens their eyes and takes away the skales and lets them see things in their proper light heavenly things by a heavenly light and with a heavenly eye they wonder at their former foolishnesse in divinity especially so farre as concernes the Gospell for there is more in the Scripture then pure supernaturall divinity there are many other arts in the Scripture The Gospell I say is a knowledge not of naturall men or great wits but of holy sanctified men Therefore we must not think that these things may be known by nature c. It is a sacred knowledge so much as will bring us to heaven it is a knowledge of holy men that have their hearts brought to love and tast and relish that they know Therefore it is no wonder though a company of men of great partes live naughtily they are no true divines because they have no true knowledge The divell is no divine nor a wicked man properly though hee can discourse of such things yet he is not properly a divine because he knowes not things by a divine light or heavenly things by a heavenly light The knowledge of the Gospell it is a knowledge of sanctified holy men but to come neerer to our practise If eye hath not seene nor eare heard nor hath entered into the heart of man to conceive those things that God hath prepared for his Then let us make this the rule of our esteeme of any thing that is good or any thing that is ill make it a rule of valuation The Apostle here you see hath a ranke of things above the sight of the eye or the hearing of the eare or the conceiving of the heart of man if there be such a ranke of things above this then the greatest ills are those that eye hath not seene nor eare heard nor hath entred into the heart of man and indeed they are so Wee grieve at the Ague and at the Stone and the Goute they are grievous things indeed oh but what bee these things that wee feele and see to those in another world that wee cannot apprehend for the greatnesse of them The torments of hell wee cannot conceive and understand them here for it is indeed to bee in hell it selfe to conceive what hell is and therfore when God enlargeth mens spirits to see them they make away themselves And so for the greatest good these goods here this outward glory we can see through it Christ could see through all the glory in the world that the Divell shewed him And these are things that wee can heare of and here the utmost that can be spoken of them therefore surely they are not the greatest good there are more excellent things than they because the eye sees them the eare heares of them and the understanding can conceive of them but there be things that the eye hath not seene nor eare heard not the soule conceived and those bee the joyes of heaven And thereupon to descend to practise if this bee a rule to value things that the best things are transcendent beyond sence and comprehension then shall I for those things that I can see can heare and feele and understand shall I lose those excellent good things thaâ— neither eye hath seen nor eare heard c. Is not this desperate folly to venture the losse of the best things of the most transcendent things that are above the capacitie of the greatest reaches of the world shall I lose all for pettie poore things that are within my owne reach and compasse How foolish therefore are those that are given to pleasures they feele the pleasure indeed but the sting comes after They delight in those ill things that they can heare and heare al that can be spoken of them and never thinke of the excellent things that eye hath not seen nor eare heard c. Let this make us in love with divine truthes in the Scripture with the Gospel that part of the Scripture that promiseth salvation by Christ and all the graces and priviledges of Christianity they are above our reach Wee study other things we can reach them we can reach the mysteries of the Law by long study and the mysteries of physicke and to the mysteries of trades by understanding when men have done all they may be fooles in the maine Solomons fooles they may do al these things and be wise for particular things by particular reaches of that which eie hath seen and eare heard c. and then for the best things that are above the capacitie of men they may die empty of all and goe to the place oâ— the damned To bee wise to Salvation is the best wisdome What a pittifull case is this that God should give us our understandings
wisdome that was hidden before the world was And to invite you and make you more in love with it it is a wisedome To your glory God hath a delight to shew himselfe wise in devising a plot to glorifie poore wretched man As for the words themselves they are a proofe of what he had sayd before why none of the Princes of the world knew this great mysterie If so be that the eye of any man hath not seene nor the eare of any man hath heard nor the heart of any man hath conceived what doe you tell us of the wise men which were not all nay what should I speake of men the very Angels as we know by other places are excluded from a full knowledge of these mysteries Therefore it is no mervaile though none of the Princes of this world knew them They are universally hidden from all naturall men This I take to be the sence of the words They are taken out of Isaiah S. Paul delights to prove things by the Prophets but here it is not so much a proofe as an allusion which we must observe to understand many such places For Isaiah there speakes of the great things God had done for his Church such as Eye had not seene nor Ea e heard And the Apostle alludes to it here and addes somewhat This clause nor hath entred into the heart of man is not in that place but it is necessarily understood for if the eye doe not see and the eare heare it never enters into the heart of man For whatsoever enters into the heart of man it must be by those passages and windowes the gates of the soule the sences And whereas St. Paul sayth For them that love him It is for them that expect him as in Isaiah The sence is all one Whosoever love God they expect and wait for him where there is no expectation there is no love This is the Apostles drift If God did doe such great matters for his Church as eye hath not seen nor â—are heard according to the Prophet Isuiah what shall we thinke he will do in the kingdome of grace here and of glory hereafter The words then as wee see containe the excellencie of the mysteries of the Gospell described first by the hiddennesse of it to men at first Secondly by the goodnesse of the things revealed such as neither eye hath seene c. The hiddennesse and excellency of the Gospell in that respect is set forth by way of negation Eye hath not seen nor Eare heard nor Heart conceived And indeed this is the way to set forth excellent Divine things God himselfe is set out by way of deniall by removing imperfections he is invisible immortall c. And so heaven that is neare to God as being prepared by him it is set out by way of deniall as S. Peter sayth It is an inheritance immortall undefiled c. 1. Pet. 1. So here positive words could not be found sufficient to set out the excellencie of the things that God hath prepared As for the Knowledge of the mysterie of salvation in Jesus Christ we neither can come to it by naturall invention nor by naturall discipline All the things that we know naturally we know by one of these two wayes but divine things are knowne neither way Where could there have been any knowledge of Christ if God had not opened his breast in the Gospell and come forth of his hidden light and shewed himselfe in Christ God-man and in publishing the Gospell established an ordinance of preaching for this purpose where had the knowledge of salvation in Christ been To prove this wee have here a gradation the eye sees many things but wee heare more things than we see yet neither Eye hath seen nor eare heaâ—d I but the conceits of the heart are larger than the sight of the eye or the hearing of the eare yet neither eye hath seen nor eare hath heard nor hath entred into the heart of man to conceive c. The Philosopher sayth there is nothing in the understanding but it came into the sences before and therefore it cannnot enter into the heart of man if it enter not by the eye or by the eare The things here spoken of be especially the graces and comforts and priviledges to bee enjoyed in this life and the consummation and perfection of them in heaven Christ brings peace and joy justification sanctification c. the like And even in this life the perfection of these is in heaven where the soul and the body shall be both glorified in a glorious place together with glorious company The Father Sonne and holy Ghost innumerable Angels and justmen These are those things that eye hath not seen c. The beginnings here and the perfection and consummation of them hereafter Having thus farre unfolded the words I come to the poynts considerable First God hath a company of beloved children in the world that he means a speciall good unto The second God hath prepared great matters for them If great persons prepare great things for those whom they greatly affect shall we not thinke that the great God will prepare great things for those that hee hath affection to and that have affection to him If God be a friend to the llect they be his friends surely he wil answer friendship to the utmost answerable to the great love he beares his children he hath provided great things for them If that bee excellent that is long in preparing then those things which belong to Gods children must needs be excellent for they were preparing even before the world was Salomons Temple was an excellent Fabrick it had long preparation Ahasueros made a feast to 127. Provinces it was long in preparing great things have great preparation Now these things that God intends his children have been preparing even from everlasting and they are from everlasting to everlasting they must needs bee excellent But before I dwell on any particular poynâ— here is a question to be answered If the things that God hath prepared for his children be secret and excellent how then come we to know them at all We come to know them 1. by Divine Revelation God must reveale them first as it is in the next vers God hath revealed them by his spirit The Spirit reveales them by way of negation and indefinitely as also by way of eminence Whatsoever is excellent in the world God borrowes it to set out the excellencie of the things that hee hath provided for his Children in grace and glory A feast is a comfortable things they are called a Feast A Kingdome is a glorious thing they are called a Kingdome Marriage is a sweet thing they are set forth by that by an inheritance and adoption of children and such like So that all these things are taken to â—e shadowes of those things And indeed they are but shadows the realitie is the heavenly kingdome of grace
have in the Gospell be such divine truthes above nature altogether Then we must not stand to looke for reason too much nor trust the reason or wit of any man but divine authority herâ— especially For if divine authority cease in the Gospel what were it nothing the law is written in mens hearts but we must trust divine authoritie in the Gospel above al other portions of scripture and not to the wit of any man whatsoever The Church of Rome that is possest with a Spirit of pride and Ignorance and tyranny they will force knowledge on them that be under them from their sole authoritie the Church saith so and wee are the Church and it is not for you to know c. and scriptures are so and so but is the Gospell a supernaturall mysterie above the capacitie of any man and shall we build upon the authoritie of the Church for these truthes oh no! there must bee no forcing of Evangelicall truthes from the authority or parts of any man But these are not things that wee stand in so much need of therefore I hasten to that which is more usefull Eye hath not seene nor eare heard c. Here then we have an use of direction how to carrie our selves in reading and studying holy truths especially the sacred mysteries of the Gospel how shall we study them Wee thinke to breake into them with the engine of our wit and to understand them and never come to God for his spirit God will curse such proud attempts Who â—nowes the things of man but the spirit of a man and who knowes the things of God but the spirit of God Therefore in studying the Gospell let us come with a spirit of faith and a spirit of humility and meeknesse there is no breaking into these things with the strength of parts That hath been the ground of so many heresies as have beene in the Church Only Christ 〈◊〉 the key of David that shutteth and no man openeth and openeth and no man shutteth he hath the key of the Scripture and the key to open the understanding And to presse this poynt a little if eye hath not seene nor eare heard nor hath entred into the heart of man to conceive the things of the Gospell without the revelation of the spirit then we must come with this mind when wee come to heare the things of the Gospell Lord without thy holy spirit they are all as a clasped booke they are hidden mysteries to mee though they be revealed in the Gospell If my heart be shut to them they are all hidden to me Wee see men of excellent parts are enemies to that they teach themselves opposing the power of the Gospell whence is all this because they thinke only the opening of these things makes them divines wheras without the holy Ghost sanctifying and altering the heart in some measure to tast and rellish these things that as they are divine in themselves so to have some what divine in the heart to tast these things it is impossible but that the heart should rise against them and so it doth for when it comes to particulars you must deny your selfe in this honour in this pleasure coÌ„moditie now you must venture the displeasure of man for this and that truth the heart riseth in scorn and loathing of divine truth when it comes to particulars they know nothing as they should For when is truth knowne but when in particulars wee stand for it and will neither betray it nor do any thing that doth not benefit a Christian If we have not the spirit of God to relish truthes in particular they will doe us no good And except the spirit sanctifie the heart of man first by these truthes the truth will never be understood by the proud naturall heart of man Therefore the course that God takes with his children is this those that he meanes to have he first inspires into their hearts some desire to come to heare and attend upon the meanes of salvation to understand the Gospell and then under the means of salvation he shines into the understanding by a heavenly light and inspires into the will and affections some heavenly inclination to this truth of the Gospell to justification sanctification selfe-denyall and the like and workes a new life and new sences and upon them wrought under the meanes comes the soul to relish and to understand these mysteries and then the eares and the eies are open to see these things and never before A holy man that hath his heart subdued by the spirit of God in the use of the meanes oh he relisheth the point of forgivenesse of sins hee relisheth the point of sanctification he studies it daily more and more and nearer communion with God hee relisheth peace of conscience and joy in the holy Ghost they are sweete things and all the duties of Christianity because hee makes it his maine busines to adorne his proâ—ession and to live here so as hee may live for ever hereafter And this must be of necessitie for marke out of the text If the naturall eye and eare and heart can never see nor heare nor conceive the things of God must there not be a supernaturall eare and eye and heart put into the soule must not the heart and all be new molded againe If the former frame bee not sufficient for these things of necessitie it must be so From hence learne to arme your selves against all scandalls when ye see men of parts and account and such there may be men of deepe apprehensions and understanding in the Scripture for matter of notion and for the language of the Scripture exquisite and yet to be proud malicious haters of sanctity next to divells none greater consider what is the reason either they have proud spirits that despise and neglect the meanes of salvation altogether or if they doe come they come as Iudges they will not submit their proud hearts to the sweet motions of the Spirit stumble not at it if such men bee both enemies to that they teach themselves and those that practise it the reason is because their proud hearts were never subdued by the Spirit to understand the things they speake of For such a teacher understands supernaturall things by a naturall light and by humane reason that is to talk and discourse c. but hee sees not Supernaturall things by a supernaturall light divine things by a divine light Therefore a poore soule that heares the things published by him understands them better by the helpe of the Spirit than he that speakes them better indeed for his use and comfort As we see there are some that can measure land exactly but the man that oweth the land measured he knowes the use of the ground and delights in it as his owne the other can tell here is so much ground c. So some Divines they can tell there are such poynts and so they are raysed and they can bee
discovery of heavenly things First in the doctrine of them and so they are hid to them that are out of the Church And then secondly in the spirituall meaning of them and so they are hid to carnall men in the Church And then thirdly in regard of the full comprehension of them as they are indeed and so they are reserved for heaven wee have but a little glimpse of them a little light into them in this world Now in this place is meant the things that are discovered in the Gospell especially as they are apprehended by the Spirit together with the consummation of them in heaven For they differ onely in degree the discovery of the heavenly things in the Gospell here the priviledges and graces and comforts of Gods children and the consummation of them in heaven And wee may reason from the lesser to the greater if so be that a naturall man though hee have naturall eyes and eares and wits about him cannot conceive the hidden mysteries of the Gospell spiritually with application much more unable is he and much lesse can hee conceive those things of a better life Now the things of the Gospell the priviledges the graces and comforts which Christ the spring and head of them all in whom all are and whence we have all cannot be comprehended by a naturall man he can discourse of them as far as his natural wit conceives them but not understand heavenly things in their owne light as heavenly things as the things of the Gospell They can talke of repentance that wee commonly speake of which is a mystery but notwithstanding who knowes repentance by the light proper to it but he that by the spirit of God hath sinne discovered to him in its owne colours Hâ— knowes what it is to grieve for sin The sicke man knowes what it is to bee sicke the Phisitian knows it by definition by books and so he can inlarge it but if he be not sicke the sicke patient will speake to better purpose So there is a mysteryin the common things of the Gospell repentance and griefe for sinne A holy man feels it another matter because he feeles sinne discovered by the Spirit of God and so in faith in the love of God and every grace of the Gospell is a mystery If one come to the schoolemen they will tell you of faith and dispute learnedly of it and deduce this from that but when he comes to be in extremitie when the terrours of the Lord are upon him when he comes to use it he is a meere stranger to it to cast himselfe being a sinfull creature into the armes of Gods mercy hee cannot doe it without a further light of the Spirit discovering the hidden love of GOD to him in particular and so for other graces Therefore they do but speake of these things men that are unsanctified as a blind man doth of colours they inwardly scorne the truth they speake of and those to whom they speake if by the power of Gods Spirit they come to profit by the things they teach if themselves be carnall they hate them A carnall man believes not a whit of what hee sayth hee hath onely a common light for the good of others a common illumination to understand and discover things and a doctrinall gift to unfold things for other and not for themselves for themselves they scorne them in their hearts and in their lives conversations and they will speake as much when it comes to selfe-deniall in preferment in pleasures in anything that is gainfull tush tell him what hee hath taught or what hee knowes out of the booke of God he cares not hee knowes them onely by a common light but for a particular heavenly light with application and taste to himself springing from an alteration by the Spirit hee never knowes them so Therefore content not thy selfe with a common light for together with our understanding God alters the taste of the whole soule he gives a new eye a new eare to see and heare to purpose and a new heart to conceive things in another manner than he did before But you will aske How can a godly man know them at all seeing eye hath not seen nor eare heard c. I answer First the things of another life as wee see here are knowne by negation as God is by way of removing imperfections The naturall eye sees them not nor the naturall eare heares them not c. no nor the spirituall eye nor eare in a full measure so things transcendent that are above the reach of man are described in the Scriptures by the way of denial which is one good way of knowledge That yee may know the love of God that is above knowledge sayth the Apostle Ephes. 3. that yee may know it more and more but it is above all knowledge in regard of the perfection of it As a man may see the sea but hee cannot comprehend the sea hee may be much delighted in seeing the sea but hee sees neither the bottome nor the bankes he cannot comprehend such a vaste body he may see the heavens but hee cannot comprehend them So a man may know the things when they are revealed but hee cannot comprehend them apprehension is one thing and comprehension is another there may be apprehension in a poore degree sutable to the capacitie of the soule here but alas it is farre from the comprehension that we shall have in heaven That is one way of knowing them by way of negation and deniall of imperfections to them And then secondly they are knowne as wee call it by way of eminence that is by comparing them with other things and preferring them before all other excellencies whatsoever as wee may see the sunne in water by resemblance for God borrowes from nature termes to set out grace and glory because God will speake in our language for they are called a Kingdome and a feast and a crowne by way of comparison Shallow men thinke there is a great deale in a kingdome and indeed so there is if there were no other There is great matters in a crowne in the feasts of kings and the like but alas these be shaddowes and there is no Rhetoricke or Amplification in this to say they be shaddowes a shaddow is as much in proportion to the body as these are to eternall good things the true reality of things are in the things of another world for eternity If wee talke of a Kingdome let us talke of that in heaven If of a crowne of that wherewith the Saints are crowned in heaven If we talke of riches they are those that make a man eternally rich that hee shall carrie with him when he goes out of the world what riches are those that a man shall out live and die a begger and not have a drop to comfort him as we see Dives in hell had not here are riches indeed So if
and strength of our affections with all my strength bee a man what hee will be if hee bee a Magistrate with the strength of his magistracy if he be a minister with the strength of his ministeriall calling in any â—â—ndition I must love him with al that that condition inableth me to For it is a commanding affection and being so it commands all within and without to give content to the person loved it commands the wit to devise and the memorie to retaine good things it commands joy and delight it commands anger to remove hindrances and so all outward actions love commands the doing of all things it sets all on worke It is a most active affection it is like to fire it is compared to it it sets all on worke and commands all that man is able to doe Therefore those that studie not in all their indeavours according to their callings and places according to every thing that God hath intrusted them with to please God and to honour him in their conditions they love not God What a shame is it that when God hath given us such a sweet affection as love that hee should not have our love againe when wee make our selves happy in loving him He is happy in his owne love the father Sonne and holy Ghost but when hee intends to make us happy it is a shame that wee should not bestow our affections upon him Much might bee sayd to this purpose for the triall of our selves whether we love God or no. Let us not then forget these things for it is the command both of the old and new Testament they run both upon love I give you a new Command sayth Christ and yet it is no new command but old and ordinarie But it is commanded now in the Gospell that is it is renewed by new experiments of Gods love in Christ that we should love him as hee hath loved us which is wonderfully that wee should love him and love one another And all this is in this affection as we see when the holy Ghost would set out the disposition and qualification of such as those great things are prepared for that neither eye hath seen nor care heard nor hath entred into the heart of man hee sets it downe by this They are for those that love him FINIS SERMON the fourth 1 COR. 2. 9. As it is written eye hath not seene nore care heard nor hath entred into the heart of man the things that God hath prepared for them that love him THat which hath already been sayd should force us to begge the Spirit of God to teach the heart to teach us the things themselves the inside of them for a spirituall holy man hath a spirituall knowledge of outward things of the creatures hee fees another manner of thing in the creature then other men doe As another man hath a naturall knowledge of spirituall things so a holy man hath a spirituall knowledge even of the ordinary Workes of God and rayseth and extracts a quintessence out of them that a worldly man cannot see to glorifie God and to buyld up his faith in the sense of Gods favour c. This I adde by the way to that But the highest performance of this that there are things provided for Gods people that neither eye hath seene nor eare hath heard c. It is reserved for another World for the promises of the Gospell have then their fulfilling indeed These words are true of the state of the Gospell here now but they have their accomplishment in Heaven for whatsoever is begun here is ended there peace begun here is ended there joy that is begunne here it shal bee ended there Communion of Saints that is begun here it shall be ended there Sanctification that is begun here it shall be ended there so all graces shall be perfect and all promises performed then That is the time indeed when God shall discover things that neither eye hath seene nor eare heard c. In the meane time let us learne to beleive them and to live by faith in them that theâ—e are such things And GOD resetves not all â—or another World but gives his Children a tast of those things before hand to comfort thâ—m in their distresses in this world as indeed there is nothing in this world of greater use and comfort to rayse them then the beginnings of Heaven upon earth a little peace joy in the holy ghost will make a man swallow all the discontents in the world Now God is so far good to us as that he lets us have somâ— drops of these things before hand to rayse up our spirits that by a tast we may know what great things hee hath reserved for us but of these things and the use of them I spake before We came then to speake of the qualificatioÌ„ of the persons For them that love him Not that we love God first and then God prepares these things for us but God prepares them and acquaints us what he meanes to doe with us and then we love him A christian knowes before what title he hath in Christ to Heaven and then he works he knowes Christ hath wrought salvation for him and then he workes out his salvation in a course tending to salvation in a course tending to salvation for there must be working in a course tending to the possession of salvation that CHRIST hath purchased wee must not worke and thinke by it to merit Heaven wee know wee have Heaven and those great things in the Title of Christ and then wee fall on loving and working There is a cleane contrary order betweene us and those mercinaries they invert the order of God for for whom God hath prepared these things hee discovers them to the eye of faith and then faith works by love this I adde by the way Now he sets downe this description of those persons for whom these excellent things are prepared by this affection of love by this grace of love as being the fittest for that purpose to describe a Christian. Faith is not so fit because it is not so discernable we may know our love when wee cannot know our Faith Oft times those that are excellent Christians they doubt whether they beleive or no but aske them whether they love God and his truth and children or no oh yes they doe Now God intending to comfort us sets out such an affection as a Christian may best discerne for of all affections we can discerne best of our love But to come to the affection it selfe there are 3. things in love There is the Affection Passion Grace of love wee speake of the grace here The affection is naturall The passion is the excesse of the naturall affection when it over flowes its bound Grace is the rectifying of the naturall affection and the elevating and raysing it up to a higher object then nature can pitch on The Spirit of God turnes nature into grace and workes corruption and