thy pleasure on my Holy day and call the Sabbath a delight the holy of the Lord honourable and shalt honour him not doing thine own wayes nor finding thine own pleasure nor speaking thine own words Then shalt thou delight thy self in the Lord thou wilt find sweetness in the Lord and sweetness in the words and wayes of the Lord in all things of the Lords thou wilt find sweetness such sweetness as will make thy soul to delight in the Lord. Thirdly If you would find sweetness in the word of God then take that which is suitable to your conditions There is somthing alwayes suitable to your conditions when you read the word or hear the word Preach'd something will concern you now that which is most suitable to your condition will be most sweet unto you If one want peace and there be a word suits you take that if one want comfort take that if one want counsel take that that that is suitable to the soul that 's sweet Fourthly Lastly make the word your delight Psal 119.24 Thy Testimonies are my delight So in the 77. v. Thy Law is my delight They were the delight of David and so he delighted in them that he meditated in them day and night Thy Testimonies are my Meditation v. 99. what you delight in you find a sweetness in so if you would delight much in the word of God you would find much sweetness in the word of God Thus you see those questions answered I shall now come to some Inferences or Conclusions First If the word of God be sweet and sweeter than the Honey and the Honey-comb then they that find no sweetness in the word of God they are in an ill condition they are in a state of death they are dead men and dead women A dead man tastes nothing so that man or woman that tastes no sweetness in the word of God is a dead man you read in Scripture of men dead in sins and trespasses and twice dead Let the dead bury their dead saith Christ how can the dead bury their dead let them who are dead in sins bury those that are dead in body if you find no sweetness in the word of God you are dead men dead women Secondly If the word be so sweet then it 's no wonder if some persons are so taken with the word of God they are always reading the word of God and looking into the word of God and meditating in it and why its sweet and delightful to their souls Those that have Gardens full of sweet flowers they love to be often looking into their Gardens so those that are Godly how do they find sweetness in the word of God In every promise in every truth in all the providences and experiences of the Saints they find a great deal of sweetness therein Thirdly If the word of God be so sweet then praise and bless the Lord for the sweetness of his word that he hath given you out such a word praise him for his sweet invitations for his sweet promises for the sweet and heavenly doctrines for the sweet titles you meet with therein In the 56. Psal you have it three times I will praise his word praise the word and praise God who hath given you such a word such a word that is so sweet that is so precious have you not found the sweetness of it in your affliction in your temptations in your darkness in your desertions O praise the Lord for his sweet word and let God have the glory of it Fourthly If the word of God be sweet and sweeter than Honey and the Honey-comb then surely they do ill that cast off the word of God and cast off his Ordinances and leave off the things that are good Many in these dayes they cast off Ordinances and lay aside the word of God and are altogether for the light within and nothing but for the light within but it is to be seared that their light is but darkness for the light of the Scripture will never direct men to cast off it self The word of God is to be a light unto our feet and a lamp unto our paths therefore they do ill who cast off the word of God that is sweeter than Honey and the Honey-comb and that lay aside the Commands of God and the Ordinances of God But they will say we lay aside the Honey-comb and we take the Honey For answer to that look into the 5. Cant. 1. I am come into my garden c. I have eaten my Honey-comb with my Honey The Church would eat the Honey-comb with the Honey she would have the Ordinances and the sweetness through the Ordinances by the Ordinances The Ordinances are the Honey-comb and the sweetness that God conveys through them is the Honey Fifthly If the word be sweeter than Honey and the Honey-comb then in all your afflictions and bitter waters you have to drink sweeten them with this Honey and this Honey-comb sweeten them with the word of God Afflictions are very sowr sad and heavy many times but the word of God is Honey to sweeten them when they came to the waters of Marah and could not drink them they were murmuring and troubled and they should perish for want of water but Moses takes a bough and throws in and sweetens the waters so that they could drink them and were revived and refreshed So if men and women would but sweeten their afflictions with the word of God they would go down very sweetly The steps of a good man saith the Psalmist are ordered by the Lord and he delighteth in his way though he fall he shall not utterly be cast down what though you fall into afflictions you shall not utterly be cast down for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand and James 1.12 Blessed is the man that endureth Temptations that is afflictions for when he is tryed he shall receive the crown of life which the Lord hath promised to them that love him who would now be troubled at temptations and afflictions when a blessedness is fixed to them Blessed is the man that endureth Temptations c. You shall have a crown of life for your temptations what if they take away life you shall have another life and a crown of life so that we should sweeten our afflictions with the consolations of the word 2 Cor. 4.17 The outward man decayes but the inward man is renewed daily and saith he our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory Here 's light affliction here 's weighty glory here 's glory opposed to affliction here 's weight opposed to light here 's eternal opposed to momentary and here 's exceeding above all that How sweet would this be in our afflictions if we did lay it to heart and receive in these truths to sweeten our afflictions Sixthly If the word of God be sweeter than Honey and the Honey-comb Then esteem the word of God very
will keep from these so if you would preserve your hearts sound have nothing to do with unsound men or unsound books Tit. 3.10 A man that is an Heretick after the first and second admonition reject have nothing to do with him but to admonish him and tell him of his corrupt opinions and after the first and second admonition reject him his Heresie may spread his words may be a Gangrene and may eat up the soundness of thy heart if thou wilt have to do with him and so in the second Epistle of John Look to your selves that we lose not those things which we have wrought but that we receive a full reward for whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the Doctrine of Christ hath not God he that abideth in the Doctrine of Christ he hath both the Father and the Son If there come any unto you and bring not this Doctrine receive him not into your house neither bid him God speed If any one come unto you and bring not the Doctrine of Christ the Doctrine of Christ in the true sence of Christ but with their own fancies sences glosses and corrupt mixtures receive him not into your house and what will you receive him into your hearts bid him not God speed but bid him be gone like a Deceiver an Imposter a Jugler an Enemy to God and Christ and in Rom. 16.17 saith the Apostle I beseech you Brethren mark them which cause divisione and offences contrary to the Doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them If men come with Doctrines and opinions contrary to the Doctrine you have received 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. Tim. 6.3 or besides it so is the Greek and make divisions and dissentions in Churches in Families avoid them have nothing to do with them Secondly if you would preserve your hearts sound then take pains about your hearts to keep down all lusts that are stirring for unless you keep under your lusts you will never keep sound hearts you must do by your hearts as by your Gardens would you have a neat garden you are oft digging oft cutting down the weeds so you must do with your hearts when any lusts arises you must be sure to keep them under do as by your Shâ—ps if there be a leak you fall a pumping presently There are many that have an itching desire or humour after some novelty some new noâ—ions and opinion and when they hear of a man hath some new doctrine new notions or new opinion they must hear him but mortifie this lust this humour and then you shall live live sound in the faith and dye comfortably dye in the Faith dye in the Lord but if you will not you are in hazard of miscarrying soul and body to all Eternity Therefore saith Solomon keep thy heart with all diligence Suffer not any lust to get in suffer not any truth to start out therefore keep your hearts with all diligence Thirdly Would you preserve your hearts sound then be much conversant in the word of God that which makes a sound heart preserves a sound heart the form or pattern of wholsom words is the word of God so your minding and meditating on the word of God keeping to the word of God will keep your hearts sound Psal 119. O how I love thy Law it is my meditation all the day I love thy Law for it self I love thy Law for its purity I love thy Law for its soundness and for the soundness it works in my heart I love thy Law and it is my meditation all the day and all the night too Psal 1.2 and Ps 119.104 Through thy precepts I get understanding therefore I hate every false way If there be a false way without I hate that if there be a false way within I hate that so that if you would have a sound heart meditate much upon the word of God his words are wholsom words and make the heart sounder and sounder every day Fourthly if you would have your hearts sound then whatsoever the sickness or disease be put forth frequent acts of faith upon Christ Crucified about Christ and his Death Christ and his blood Christ and his merits Christ suffering for sin and Sinners the more faith is acted upon Christ Crucified the more sound will be your hearts for the blood and death of Christ are of a cleansing virtue a sin-killing virtue a soul-healing virtue and will make your hearts gracious and sound indeed 1 John 1.7 The blood of Christ cleanseth us from all sin if we do believe in him his blood cleanses from all sin cleanseth from all the guilt of sin and purges the dead works out of your Consciences it cleanses from the power of sin and there will be a death upon your Corruptions O look upon him whom you have pierced so often with your sin and put forth acts of faith and you will find virtue from Christ and will dye to sin and live to God Fifthly If you would be sound hearted men and women and not led away with errors nor with the evils of the times then have God constantly in your eye God is present every where he is in you all through you all and over you all And did you see God and set God before you and acknowledge Gods presence and eye upon you you would not meddle with weeds you would not meddle with errors you would not give way to lusts Ps 16. saith David I have set God at my right hand and therefore I shall not fall I have set God alwayes before me I look upon God and I see God looking upon me God is at my right hand I can do nothing but what God would have me do therefore I shall not be moved the Corruptions of my heart shall not move me to go this way or that way but I will keep them under and not suffer them to rise and appear in the sight of God did men and women more mind God the presence and authority of God over them they would not be led away nor entertain nor practice corrupt things but they would approve themselves to God and then the heart is sound when it is approv'd to God Sixthly Lastly if you would keep your hearts sound regard oft your latter end remember Death remember Account remember Judgment saith the Lord O that they were wise that they understood this that they would remember their latter end they go out to other Gods and false worship and they practice base things violence and blood is among them but what 's the reason of it they are not wise they dont understand this they do not remember their latter end that they must dye that they must give account that they must be judged and disposed of to all Eternity Did they remember this they would never leave me nor my wayes nor be seduced therefore if you would keep your hearts sound remember your latter end you must dye you must
fruit of Christ where there is a spiritual life there is a spiritual taste where there is no spiritual life there is no spiritual taste at all Heb. 5. They had their senses exercised to discern between good and evil some have no spiritual senses they cannot discern between good and evil therefore they find no â—â—etness in the word of God that 's one reason men and women are dead in sins and trespasses and never are quickned with the life of grace Secondly Some have their tastes yet find no sweetness because they have a fullness of other things in them Prov. 27.7 The full soul loatheth an Honey-comb If there be a fulness in us nothing is sweet unto us now men and women are full of several things First some are full of the world Amos 8.5 when will the new moon be gone that we may sell Corn and the Sabbath that we may set forth wheat and the like these were full of the world and so they could not taste of spiritual things Matth. 13.12 He that received among Thorns is he that heareth the word and the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the world and he becometh unfruitful Secondly Some are full of conceitedness in Luke 18.11 The Pharisee he was conceited of his own goodness righteousness and doings and the Church of Laodicea she was full and wanted nothing and so could not taste the dainties of the Lord nor the sweetness that was in his Ordinances and his word there was such a fullness in them of their own conceitedness that they wanted nothing Thirdly There is a fullness of errors in many a fullness of opinions Scribes and Pharises they found no sweetness in Christ nor in Christs way they were full of their own opinions errors traditions and false doctrines So many now are full of their own light and the light within that 's all in all unto them and they find no sweetness in Ordinances nor in the means of Grace Fourthly Many yea most are full of creature delights and creature contentments and creature comforts full of sensual pleasures they take so much pleasure in the creature in their outward comforts contentments in their estates and relations in their gifts and parts and things of that nature that they can taste no sweetness in the word of God Thirdly Men taste not the sweetness in the word because of their slighting of the word and hence it is a just Judgment of God to suffer them not to taste the sweetness that is in the word when they made light of the Gospel and the Gospel dainties prepared for them Matth. 22.5 They went away and flighted the invitation to the Gospel feast It is said in Luke 14.24 none of them shall Taste thereof that is none of them shall ever taste the sweetness or goodness therein they might hear but they should taste no sweetness in their hearing and therefore to slight the word of God is a great evil and will hâ—nder persons from tasting the sweetness that is in the word of God Fourthly A fourth reason is that formality that is in the people they come to the Word and Ordinances of God with formal hearts and spirits we come not to the Ordinances as the Ordinances of God we come not to the word as the word of the great God we hear not for time to come we hear not for eternity we hear not as matters of life and death and therefore we dont find that sweetness as they do that hear so Men pray but not in the Spirit serve God but not in Spirit they draw near God with their lips but their hearts are far from him Fifthly And I may add one thing more people dont find sweetness in the word of God because they do nourish some base lust or corruption in their hearts And Peter gives you an intimation of this 1 Pet. 2.1 Wherefore laying aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisie and envies and evil-speakings as new-born babes desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby If there be in our hearts such things we shall not taste the sweetness of the sincere milk of the word neither shall we grow thereby so now you see what hinders the tasting of the sweetness of the word Qu. Another question may arise hereupon and that is What should we do to find sweetness in the word of God An. First If you would find sweetness in the word of God get hungry souls Prov. 27.7 To the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet If we had hungry souls the bitterest truth in all the word of God would be sweet unto us Now there be three things which beget hunger in men and women there 's Fasting Purging and Excercise First If you would have hungry souls you must fast much I dont mean a fasting from bread meat and drink but from sin fasting from pleasures and delights fasting from lawful things of the world 1 Cor. 7.29 The time is short It remaineth that both they that have Wives be as though they had â—one and they that weep as though they wept not and they that rejoyce as though they rejoyced not and they that bay as though they possessed not Fast from your lawful enjoyments from your pleasures delights and contentments and this will breed an appetite to the word of God Secondly Purging we take bitter things to purge us so we should take something to purge our Hearts our Heads and Consciences Be sensible of sin and the bitterness of sin what a bitter and evil thing sin is what danger sin doth involve the soul in and expose it to the wrath of God hell and damnation we should take some pills to mortifie our lusts and then the word of God would be sweet unto us indeed Thirdly Exercise will beget a stomach 1 Tim. 4.7 Exercise thy self to Godliness If men and women did pray much read much meditate much and have their hearts much in Heaven they would have hungry souls after the word of God and find a sweetness in the word of God Joh. 7.17 saith he there If any man will do his will he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God or whether I speak of my self He shall know whether the Doctrine be not an heavenly Doctrine and a sweet Doctrine he shall taste the sweetness of my Doctrine that I have brought down from my Father if he will do the will of God So that that 's the first thing to get hungry Souls and then we shall reâ—ith the word of God and find sweetness in it Secondly If we would find sweetness in the word of God we should make much Conscience of the Lords time and day and sanctifie the Lords day if we did sanctifie the Lords day as we ought to do we should find sweetness in his Ordinances and sweetness all the week after in his Ordinances and in his word Isa 58.13.14 If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath from doing
give account to God and be judged to all Eternity Now some Arguments or motives why men and women should keep their hearts sound First you should do this because there 's an hour of Temptation coming upon you Rev. 3 10. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience I also will keep thee from the hour of Temptation which shall come upon all the world to try them there is an hour of Temptation that must come upon the whole world to try them what will become of you now if you have unsound hearts when the time of Temptation comes if you be stubble you will burn if you be rotten you will be thrown by if you be unsound wo be to you there is an hour a coming and an hour of Temptation and it will try men and women to the quick well if God will come and try you then get sound hearts and keep sound hearts for there will be such an hour e're long Nay is there not such an hour at this time God is sifting and trying the Nation by wayes and means that seem best in his wisdom to discover Men what they are and it may come upon you and your Families very suddainly a fiery Tryal may come upon you Secondly We should do it because there are very few men ad women in the world have sound hearts In Sodom there was one Lot had a sound heart but what had all the rest in the old world there was one Noah found favour and grace in the eyes of God and had a sound heart he was sound in the faith and sound hearted towards God and his worship 't is very rare and hard to find a sound hearted man a faithful man saith Solomon who can find one of a thousand he found but one man of a thousand and in Phil. 2. All seek their own and none seek the things of Christ It 's very rare very hard to find out a sound hearted man Thirdly Consider that an unsound heart is very grievous and burthensom like a sore leg or a sore arm O how burthensom and grievous is it but what if a broken leg or arm that 's more burthensom if you have unsound hearts you will be full of guilt and full of fears and this will be a burthen unto you and a great burthen unto you to have guilt and fears upon your spirits they may sink you see what the wise man saith in Pro. 14.30 A sound heart is the life of the flesh but envy the rottenness of the bones A sound heart is the life of the flesh if a man be sound hearted he will be lively and chearful but if he be unsound hearted he will be like a dead man envy is the rottenness of the bones every sin tends to it if a man have an unsound heart he will have many lusts and sins and every one will be rottenness to his bones Nabal his heart was as a stone within him the righteous is bold as a Lyon he is full of courage and mettle but a wicked man he that hath an unsound heart he flyes when none pursues him his heart is his torment his heart is his hell it will be a burthen unto him Fourthly A man should labour to keep his heart sound otherwise he can never love the Lord Jesus Christ in truth an unsound hearted man will love somewhat else more than Christ but Eph. 6. last grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity a man of an unsound heart cannot love Christ in sincerity for sincerity is one part of a sound heart if therefore you would love the Lord Jesus in sincerity in truth get soundness of heart and keep your hearts sound let not your hearts be divided let not your hearts be Hypocritical they are unsound hearts but let your hearts be sincere and then you will love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity but if you do not what saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 16.22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be Anathema Maranatha If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ that is if he love him not in sincerity for if he seem to love him and it be otherwise so much the worse he will have Anathema and Maranâ—â—ha with advantage if you have an unsound heart you cannot love Christ sincerely but now if you would have this testimony that you love the Lord Jesus in sincerity get soundness of heart keep soundness of heart Fifthly you should do this because the Lord himself is coming to Judgment James 5.9 grudge not one against another Brethren least ye be condemned behold the Judge standeth before the door The Judge is very near he is knocking at your door he is coming to Judge you and it will not be long but you must be Judged and the Lord I say stands at the door therefore look to it that your hearts be sound what will become of you if the Lord find you Hypocrites if the Lord find you unsound hearted men and women if he find your hearts are divided between him and the world that they are sick with lusts that you are under the dominion of sin that you have but seeming grace and not real grace what will become of you the Judge is at the door and you may go this night for ought you know Thou fool this night shall thy soul be taken from thee look to it that your hearts be sound for God will search you to the quick he will discover men and women what they are to the full and open every secret Sixthly Lastly labour for soundness of heart upon the account of the Text Let my heart be sound in thy Statutes that I be not ashamed you will be ashamed one day if your hearts be not sound And so I come to the last point and that is Obs 4. That those that have not soundness of hearts sooner or later will be made ashamed In Prov. 26.26 whose hatred is covered by deceit his wickedness shall be shewed before the whole Congregation when men do cover up their wickedness and have unsound hearts they hate their Neighbor and give them sweet words and the like but they hate them in their hearts and the man whose hatred is covered by deceit his wickedness shall be discovered before the whole Congregation Laodicea was luke-warm and had a rotten heart and did not God say I will spew thee out of my mouth Judas had a rotten heart and was he not discovered and ashamed Judas the Traytor and the Scripture is full of such instances every where there is no need to stick upon it Now for the word Shame not to trouble you with many things There be three things make a man ashamed all which will be found in an unsound heart First when a man shall be found that which others did not think him to be and he thought not himself to be as when a man is prov'd a Bankrupt others thought him to be a man of credit
be kept from wrath to come and to have everlasting life Now can you have greater benefit then to be delivered from all evil and enjoy all good God commands us therefore to believe that we might partake of these benefits God commands men to repent he would have them repent and be saved 2 Pet. 3.9 so here he commands them to believe and he would have them come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved 1 Tim. 2.4 God commands you to believe in his Son Jesus Christ that you might not perish but be sav'd he is very willing why will you dye why do not you come to my Son and believe in him I have lay'd help upon him that is mighty why do you not look for help from him God is willing that poor sinners should have the benefit that is to be had from Christ Thirdly I infer from hence a sufficient answer to all Objections that a doubting Soul can make Doubting souls are apt to make many Objections against believing troubled souls are ready to raise Objections Object I am not elected saith one and therefore it is not for me to believe Answ What saith God here dont thou look after thine election that 's a secret hidden thing but here 's a command that is visible and thy duty and I command thee to believe on my Son Jesus Christ Object I am a great sinner saith another and God will not pardon my sins Answ I but God commands thee to believe that thou mayest have pardon of thy sins though they be very great Object I have relapsed often into the same sin into passion and wantonness and covetousness and worldliness and the like I have a hard heart saith another I have no qualifications and dispositions The promises dont belong to me saith another I am not humbled enough I am dead and dull and weak and it 's not for such a one as I am to believe in Christ Answ Well know there 's nothing in us fits us to believe and nothing should hinder us from believing why here 's Gods command and shall thy indisposition or thy sins and fears cross and null a command of the great God whether shall prevail Gods command or thy fancy thy sins indispositions or want of qualifications here 's a command of the great God that thou believe in his Son Jesus Christ stop therefore the mouth of every Objection and say well here 's my duty God hath commanded me to believe Moses wrangles with God a great while but he must go at last so God hath commanded me to believe and I will lay down all my Objections and do my duty I will believe in the Lord Jesus Christ This concerns us all that we should not stick at any thing but answer Death Corruptions Flesh and World with this that he commands me to believe and shall I not obey the voice of God and when it is so for my good and I shall have relief against all that troubles me and burthens me and the like Fourthly We may see here also what is the right and best course for a troubled soul to take being wounded with sin and wearied with its sins We usually take the wrong course and the wrong way when we have sin'd and offended God we pray we mourn we groan we reform and labour to walk more exactly these things are not to be condemned I but it is not the right course to have the soul healed and therefore all comes to little of this nature Many have thoughts by such courses to please God and to make God some amends for their sins but this will never do it the right way is to hearken unto God here I command you to believe saith he 1 Joh. 2.1 I write unto you that ye sin not yea but we shall sin well If any do sin what then We have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins we are to go presently to Jesus Christ who is our Advocate and propitiation for our sins and to believe this well Jesus Christ is my Advocate and propitiation for my sin which I have fallen into through infirmity or temptation or incogitancy or any occasion whatsoever this is the way Did not Nathan deal thus with David when he had sinned he tells him the Lord hath forgiven thy sins and David comes to his penetential Psalms after his belief that his sin was forgiven and that 's the true repentance that flows from the apprehension of Gods mercy towards us in the forgiveness of sins When the soul hath sinned observe it it must be setled upon that which can take away sin and upon a righteousness that is not its own but is far beyond its own now who is that can do this but the Lord Jesus Christ For the first the soul must be setled upon him that can take away sin 1 Joh. 29. Behold the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world Behold him and look upon him that takes away the sin of the world he shall take away your sin the guilt of it the trouble of it and the vexation of it it must be the Lord Jesus Christ 't is not your Prayers nor repentance nor any thing comes from you can do it no 't is the Lord Jesus Christ alone that takes away sin Heb. 1.3 When he had by himself purged our sins 't is the Lord Jesus Christ alone that purges away sins Christ being without sin comes to take away sin and to purge away sin so that he condemns sin in the flesh Rom. 8.3 and our old man was Crucified with him Rom. 6.6 so that now there is nothing man can do that tends to the taking away of sin there 's nothing left for any man or woman in the world to do to take away sin but the Lord Jesus Christ he hath taken away sin and I am to believe on the Son of God who hath taken away sin and doth take away the sins of his people that they commit daily And if you will say as 't is in the 16 Prov. 6. By mercy and truth iniquity is purged By mercy and truth what 's the meaning of that that is by Gods promise in sending Jesus Christ and his truth in performing his promise iniquity is purged by Jesus Christ whom he sent and fulfilled and made good the promise so that sin is purged by Jesus Christ and by none else Therefore when we have sinned we are to look to Christ and to Christ alone Secondly So for righteousness it is Christ's must stand us in stead not our own as there is no sin to be satisfied for now but all is satisfied for in and by Jesus Christ so there is no new righteousness to be wrought now by any for salvation but what Christ hath already wrought Christs righteousness is everlasting righteousness perfect righteousness he hath brought in everlasting and perfect righteousness and 2 Cor. 5. last he was made sin