spirits keepe their Sabaths and criminall Assises and Sessions a filthy sinke where wicked and impious men like Hogges continually wallowe And therefore Iesus Christ I say to bring his Apostles to perfection and to put them and all the faithfull in the way to heaven he exhorts them to keepe their hearts pure cleane and naked from all sinne filthinesse and iniquity to extirpate the thistles bryers from the fields of their soules to plow and till it carefully with the share and harrow of contrition and repentance for their sinnes In a word to make it a ground fit and fruitfull to receive the holy seed of the word of life and to make it beare fruites to immortality and eternall life As men would bee curious to sweepe and cleanse a house wherein a King resolues for a while to be resident and may justly accuâ—e him of impâ—udence and impudence who having advice and notice of his comming would not make hast to perfume it to adorne and enrich it with the fairest furniture to embellish it with all the rarities and most pretious jewels they could recover So alas the hearts of the faithfull are nothing else but the house of God the glorious throne of his beloved Sonne and the tabernacle which the holy Ghost hath chosen for his habitation where is then that heart of stone that soule so base and obstinately resolved to bee lost that knowing the happy and most honourable arrivall of the great King of Kings of the three divine persons of the ineffable and incomprehensible Trinity and trine-unity doth not sweepe and cleanse the house of his heart and doth not purifie it from all dirt and filthinesse who I say will not adorne it with the richesâ— treasures and with the rich ornaments that holinesse justice and innocencie abundantly affords purposely to receive with honour and reverence so magnificent a King who promiseth us to come unto us when hee saith in the 14. Chap. of Saint Iohn If a man love me he will keepe my words and my Father will love him and we will come in unto him and make our abode with him Our good Master Iesus Christ the Saviour of our soules teacheth us in the 22. Chap of Saint Mathew how much and how dearely purenesse is acceptaâ—le before him saying That the Kingdome of heaven is like a certaine King which made a marriage for his sonne and having invitâ—d many the banquetting roome was filled and the King himselfe being come in to see the guests hee there sawe a man which had not a wedding garment and said unto him Friend how camest thou in hithâ—r not having a wedding garment And hee was speechlâ—sse Then said the King to the servants bind him hand and foote and cast him into utter darknesse where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth for many are called but fewe are chosen Can we desire a more lively representation or an example more formall to shew us that God delighteth in the sincerity and purenesse of our soules and contrariwise that he abhorreth and detesteth the filthinesse of sinne the inke and coales of iniquity which blacks and defiles our consciences for it is impossible ever to tast of the dainty and delicious Viands served at the Lambs wedding at the sumptuous and magnificent feast of the onely Sonne of the great King of Kings before we have left off our working dayes cloathes the infected and stinking coate of our naturall corruption to put on the white roabe of holinesse purity and amendment of life and to use the very words of Scripture Colos. 3. Wee must cast off the old man with his deedes and put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him And Ephes. 4. concerning the former conversation Cast off the old man which is corrupted according to the deceitfull lusts of his heart and be renewed in the spirit of your minde and put on the new man which like unto God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse And in Rom. 6.6 Our old man is crucified with Christ that the body of sinne might be destroyed that henceforth wee should serue sinne no more but walke before him in renovation and newnesse of life The clearest waters are alwayes the best and therefore commonly see that the excellentest springs are derived from the rockes and fetch'd from the highest hills because that the water distilling through many narrow passages and strait places the farther it goes the more it is purified the most subtill and clearest springs seeke the highest places as approaching nearer to the nature of the ayre whose nature and propriety is still to ascend And contrariwise you may observe and marke that the thick and heavie waters are alwayes filthy and stinking and are conserved in pitts and deepe sinkes as participating of the nature of the earth and therefore are fit for nothing but to breed serpents and Frogges whereof some kill us by their mortall venome and the other trouble us with their unsufferable croaking These cleare and pure waters doe lively prefigure and set forth unto us the faithfull servant of the Lord who hath purified and as it were distilled himselfe at the fire of the love of God thereby to leave off what was earthly ponderous and troublesome in him as hatred ambition sensuality and vaine glory purposely to soare aloft and to elevate himselfe to the holy mountaine of Syon towards heaven which is the center whither the circumference of his desires designes and thoughts tendeth These black and muddy waters may expresse and set forth hell unto us where there is nothing but horrible darknesse and fearefull obscurity where that old serpent is iustly banished for his deserts and where the damned gastly and frightfull soules doe nothing else but vexe themselves and curse But to apply it to the subject of our text these stinking and corrupted waters may very fitly be compared to the wicked and to the men of this world who have Woolfes or Lyons hearts under the shape and forme of men who wallowe like Hogges in the mire and dirt of carnall security who runne not after pietie and vertue but remaine fast chained and bound to sensualitie and vice casting all their affections on the earth whereof their body is made and composed never ayming nor levelling their thoughts at heaven whence their soule had their originall True serpents in malice hatred and envie that with mortall venome infect the Lillies and Roses of the best consciences Frogges in prating and slandering that never open their mouthes but to utter unsufferable blasphemies oathes lyes and detractions Take yet this farther conceit upon the purity of the heart to wit that as the eyes ore-vayled with clowds or with carracts and webbs cannot clearely discerne the objects or colours which are exposed before them because their faculty is prevented and hindered by the interposition of these obstacles which are placed betweene the object and the sight whereas contrariwise good sound and well disposed
and blood his domesticall enemies that often overcome him and would quite keepe him downe if hee were not upheld and fortified by the spirit of grace and by â—he Almighty hand of God that raiseth and delivereth him The faithfull servant of the Lord is againe called pure in heart because â—ee is such in part already and that besides the great disposition that is in him to tend to his perfection hee already here begins to tast the excellent sweetnes of that delicate fruit whereof he shall hereafter be fully and perfectly satisfied and satiated in Gods Paradise Blessed then are the pure in heart for they shall see God Wee have another circumstance here very pregnant and remarkable to wit that Christ exhorteth us here to be pure in heart and not of our head or hands because that the heaâ—t being the seate of the soule sinne is most busie to vitiate and infect it with his foule and filty corruption which it doth not in the other parts of the body and therefore you see that God doth so strictly command us to keepe our hearts for his part and behoofe saying My sonne give mee thy heart Now to omit or let passe nothing worthy consideration like the inhabitants of Nilus wee will draw water in running We say then that this word heart is diversly taken in the Scripture First it is taken for faith as Rom. 10. For with the heart man beleeveth unto rightâ—ousnesse and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation 2. It is taken for the thoughts and for the gift of regeneration as 1. Epist. of Saint Peter Chap. 3. ver 4. The hidden man of the heart in that which is not corrupâ—ible even the ornament of a meeke and quiet spirit which is in the sight of God of great price and estimation 3. For the understanding as Rom. 2. They shew the worke of the law written in their hearts 4. It is taken for the conscience as in the 1. of Sam. the 24. chap. 5. ver Davids heart smote him because he had cut off Sauls skirt And in the 1. to the Thessal chap. 3. To establish your hearts unblameable in holinesse before God Here is yet another very cleare passage in the 1. Epist. of Saint Iohn chap. 3. ver 2â— If our heart condemne us God is greater then our heart and knoweth all things and if our heart condemne us not wee have confidence towards God And in this last signification it is taken in our Text to wit for the Conscience as if Christ had said Blessed are those that possesse a holy pure and just soule a good cleane and spotlesse conscience David desirous to raise himselfe from his fall and to restore the temple of his body polluted by wicked adultery desired of God a new Altar praying him to create in him a cleane heart and to renew a right spirit within him Psal. 51.12 Iudas Maccabeus having seene the Temple of Ierusalem prophaned by Antiochus his sacrilegious hands he purifieth it destroyes all the Altars where that Pagan had sacrificed to his Idols and called that the renewing of the Temple Our bodies are the living temples of the holy Ghost our hearts the Altars on the which having wickedly sacrificed to the Idols of our passions we must breake them and destroy them by our true repentance and conversion to God who despiseth not a broken and a contrite heart And afterward we must build new ones pure and clean on the which wee must offer to God Hecatombes of Iustice and solemne burnt offerings and sacrifices wherein hee delighteth The Etymologists hold that this word Cor is derived of Cura that is care because that part communicateth sendeth and doth distribute blood and life to the rest of the body Even so all our study all our exercise and occupation should be to seeke the meanes fit for the conservation of our soules for what will it profit a man if hee gaine the whole world and loose his soule Math. 16.26 As soone as the Embrion is conceived the first part which is formed in the heart being as it were the center whence the severall lines are drawne to the circumference of our bodies it is also the first member living and when the paines of death have compassed a man the blood from all parts retires to the heart as to a citadell so that it is also the last part that dieth in us according to that common saying Cor est primum vivens ultimum moriens So when the faithfull of the Lord resolveth to live piously he must cast for a sure and unmoveable foundation the righteousnesse of a pure and cleane conscience which must be the Ocean where all the rivers of hisaffections must runne and tend the corner and fundamentall stone on the which must be edified this his Pilgrimage All the building of this mortall and transitorie life must begin with the just mans beginning and never end till his death when it shall bee augmented and perfected in heaven It was Gods commandement under the law that all Israelites all the seed of Abraham should offer and consecrate to him the first borne both of man and beast now if wee unvayle the letter and consider what it therein figured unto us we may note among other things that God desired by this Decree whose letter and figure is abrogated though the truth and sence of it be eternall that wee should offer and consecrate unto him our hearts which are the first borne of our selues The greatest part of Physitians hold that the soule being generally all over the body hath her principall seat in the heart as the King hath in his Court although his power reach thorow all his Kingdome so that the soule being that very man which God requireth it is then not without reason that God demandeth our heart which is her throne My sonne give me thy heart The heart is knowne to bee the originall of naturall heat now God being a burning fire of love and affection towards his children wee ought to consecrate that part to him for his Tabernacle The heart is red and bloody to shew us the fervencie and zeale that should be in us to Gods service and glory and that our thoughts should alwayes burne with love to him and with charity to our neighbours It is little whence wee may learne not to puffe or swell it with pride but to keepe it alwayes humble and modest Vertues that seeke not afâ—er large and spacious Pallaces but are contented in the narrowest and remorest places His beating and panting is upwards so all our desires and thoughts should tend towards the end of our supernaturall vocation according to the Apostles advice Seek the things that are above The heart is agitated by a continuall motion by reason of his vitall spirits that animate and nourish it So our thoughts should beare and conduct us to the actions of Iustice innocencie and godlinesse and to follow the steps of the Scripture Charity alwayes worketh and is never
idle by reason of the spirit of grace dwelling in our soules who inspires continually in us holy and religious thoughts There is but one heart in man and yet his shape and forme is triangular a figure bearing proportion to his object that is God one in Essence and three in persons So our soules should be adorned with these three beautiful vertues Faith hope and Charity He is open at the top and that way he receiveth his nourishment Which teacheth us that our soules should alwayes be open to proclaime the praises of our Creator and Redeemer that nourisheth them with the holy and wholsoâ—e meat of his sacred word sent dowâ—â— from heaven The least angle or corâ—eâ— is turned downewards to shew us that 〈◊〉 least care should bee for earthly things It is againe not hayrie to teach us that our soule which is hiâ— hostesse must be voyd of the foolish and light imaginations of the weake and unconstant considerations of this world that so she may hope and ayme at nothing but heaven her blessed Countrey wherein it is impossible to enter before our heart after Moses his example have pulled off the Shooes of our corruption and worldly affection that so wee may come neare this burning bush this fearefull fire Gods divine justice The Oracle of Apollo being once enquired what was the most pleasingst thing of God after his ordinary manner hee answered ambiguously and obscurely Dimidium sphaerae sphaeram cum principe Romae An answer most true though it came from the father of lies for a C is the halfe of a Sphere and O is a Sphere and the beginning of the word Rome is an R which letters put together make COR that is the heart and questionlesse it is the most pleasingst gift that can bee offered unto God and which no man can justly refuse him The poore may say I cannot give almes the sicke I cannot goe to Church I can neither watch nor pray but none can say I cannot loâ—e God for thy others defects may be excused by â—hy poverty or sicknesse but to refuse God with 〈◊〉 heart it cannot be excused but by malice as S. Augusâ—ine very learnedly saith Let us remember thâ—â— how charitable so ever our actions be if our hearâ— doe not goe before to enlighten them all of them will tumble downe together into the obscure darkness of the deepe Our actions are of no value without the heart but the heart may bee good without the actions God had respect to Abel and afterwards to his offering the good Thiefe to obtaine mercy gave nothing but his heart Marie Magdalene but her teares and Saint Peter but sighes and lamentations proceeding from the depth of his soule Now that this heart may be pleasing and acceptable to God it must be cleare bright and shining to the end that as in a glasse God may see his owne image and likenesse after which he at the first created it and when it is once cleane and pure then right so and in that manner we must keepe it in the same glorious estate for Non minor est virtuâ— quam quaerere parta tueri And to that end we must imitate the Bees which to hinder the drones and spiders from comming into their Hives to corrupt or devoure their honey stop the entries of them with bitter and stinging hearbs as good Husbandmen who enclose their grounds lest passengers or the wild beasts should spoile them Even so should wee alwayes keepe the passages of our senses of our hearts and of our thoughts fenced with the feare of God which is a bitter Rue and Worm-wood that the devill cannot endure to tast or relish Marke and observe with me the care and diligence which is used to conserve Christall and China Dishes what paines are taken to keepe them cleane bright and shining because they are deare and rare And what can wee finde in this world more precious and rare then our heart then let us with a diligent care and carefull sollicitude seeke the cleâ—nenesse and purity thereof following the Apostles counsell Let every one possesse his vessell with sanctifiâ—ation and honour 1. Thess. 4.4 When a vessell is cleft or crackt it is unfit to containe any liquid thing Now the wicked heart is a crackt vessell saith Eccles. chap. 21. A broken heart threatneth death to a living creature as a Ship split and torne with the violence of the waves threatneth undoubted death ruine and shipwrack so that heart that is not well united to God that is broken and shattered by the force of worldly affections threatneth and fore-telleth an infallible ruine and destruction To fill a vessell in a Well or in a Fountaine we must needs bend it downwards so must we humble our heart to fill it with heavenly graces I have inclined my care and I have received wisedome saith the wise man Sap. 61. Againe we know that none caâ— fill a vessell with any good and wholesome liquor wherein there is some corrupted before he first empty it and make it very cleane If we defire to fill our hearts with the love and other graces of God wee must first expell and exempt the love and delights of this world that have beene so long resident there and then when wee have done those things we shall be sure fully to enjoy the inestimable effects of this divine promise Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see GOD. In this second part wee have demonstrated unto us the reason why Christ calleth the pure in heart Blessed it is saith he because they shall see GOD. This conjunction for joyning those two sentences sheweth and marketh out unto us the reason of this felicity and happinesse that cannot receive a name enough emphaticall and significant to represent to our senses and to our understandings the least beame the least spark the least drop of that inexhaustible Ocean of that devouring fire of that Sunne of righteousnesse whose brightnesse if we should undertake to contemplate it would strike us blinde whose immense depth if wee should search it would swallow us up whose burning heat if wee approach it would convert us to ashes and would make us pay deere for our curiosity The Poets faine that the Giants attempting to clime up to heaven were thunder-stricken as they were heaping Olympus and Pelion upon Ossa one mountaine upon another A fable derived from that truth taught us in the Scripture touching the building of the Tower of Babell whose Builders were shamefully confounded the Allegorie of this truth the morality of this fable sets forth unto us the curiosity of them who thinking to pierce too farre into Gods secrets are cast downe into a deepe Abisse of confusion by their audacious presumption Empedocles desiring to know the cause why mount AEtna did cast forth such flames was swallowed and devoured by them â—od indeed depresseth and dejecteth the proud designâ—s of those that are so rash as to discourse of that which is altogether ineffable and
miserable hearts where they lodge and therefore the ancient Fathers of the Church openly pronounce that the greatest felicity wherein Adam the first modell of mankinde was created was peace of the heart that rest of conscience which hee possessed absolutely within Paradise having no other care or thought but to love his Creator to honour his Conseruator and to adore his God But after that hee was fallen from that state of innocencie by the greatnesse of his fault after that sinne by disobedience had driven away peâ—ce from his heart then you see him in trouble he flieth he hideth himselfe he is afraid of himselfe he covereth his nakednesse with figge leaves he trembleth and dareth not answere to that terrible and fearefull voyce which hee heard walking in the Garden behold the first effects which his sinne brought forth The Royall Prophet David Psalm 85.10 saith Righteousnesse and peace have kissed each other vpon which Saint Augustine discourseth thus Duae sunt amicae justitia pax tu forte unam vis alteram nonfacis nemo enim est qui non velit pacem sed non omnes volunt operari justitiam si amicam pacis non amaveris neque te amabit pax ipsa Righteousnesse and Peace bee two friends thou it may bee desirest the one and wilt not practise the other there bee none but wish for peace but all will not doe righteousnesse if thou love not the friend of peace peace also will not loue thee Iustice with reason is called the mother of peace because it goeth alwayes before and is immediatly followed by it Peace is the worke of justice saith the Prophet Isaiah chap. 32.17 And the Psalmist in the 72. Psalm ver 7. In those dayes righteousnesse shall flourish and abundance of peace And Psalm 119. ver 165. Great peacâ— have they which love thy law From which propositions wee draw this conclusion that to have this peace of conscience it is needfull for us to be just to feare God and to walke exactly in the obseruation of his sacred commandements So contrarily the wicked can have no peace because of the worme of sinne that gnaweth continually their soules as we read Psalm 28.3 Ill lucke and unhappinesse is in their wayes and the way of peace have they not knowne There is no peace for the wicked saith the Lord they thinke neverthelesse that they have this peace when they enjoy their pleasures but this peace lasteth but a moment and like their pleasure is presently followed by an extreame griefe it is lethargick sleepe very dangerous it is a security but it is carnall it is a sleepe but that representeth unto them a thousand apparitions and a thousand strange visions The wicked mans peace is like those fires which by night appeare burning in hills and medowes the which if a man follow they will insensibly leade him into terrible downefalls but the true peace of a good conscience as saith an ancient Author is the title of Religion â—he Temple of Salomon the field of blessing the garden of delights the Angels joy the Arke of the covenant the treasure of the great King the Court of God the Tabernacle of his Sonne the tent of his Spirit the tower of Sion the booke with seaven seales which is to be opened upon that great and fearefull day of judgement Saint Augustine in his Citie of God speaketh thus of it Pax nostra propria hic est cum Deo per fidem in aeternum erit cum illo per speciem talis est paxut solatium miseriae sit potius quam beatitudinis gaudium Our owne peace that is the peace of our hearts is here with God by faith and in eternall life shall it be with him by vision that peace which now we enjoy is but a sparke in respect of that great fire here it suâ—sisteth but by faith then it shall be effected In a word let us say that the peace of conscience is a particular feeling and knowledge that God is pacified with us that he hath blotted out our misdeedes that hee hath cast away our iniquities from before his face like a clowd that wee are no longer under the Kingdome of Satan nor of the flesh but are received in our heavenly Fathers favour like the prodigall child that wee shall dwell in his house all the dayes of our life and there receive those goods joyes and delights which he hath reseruâ—d for his children Hitherto wee have spoken of peace in generall and in particular of politique peace and of the care must bee used to bring it to passe of peace of conscience or with God of the worlds or wicked mans peace that troubleth all them that live not like him now let us speake of that peace which is in our selues and of the vertue of it Among all the perfections wherewith our first Father Adam was adorned during the state of his innocencie mildnesse was one at the sent whereof all living creatures ranne to him to doe him homage and yeeld him obedience Moses in the booke of Numbers is called the debonnaire or gracious for which quality God loved him dearely and for a testimoniall of his love called him to that honourable charge of deliverer Prince and law giver of his people The King and Pâ—ophet David had this vertue in great measure in him for which cause God changing his Sheepheards crooke into a Royall Scepter gave him victory over a world of enemies that rose up continually against him which maketh him to cry out in one of his Psalmes Lord remember David and his mansuetude or clemencie Iâ— the booke of Leviticus God commandeth the Priests to offer him a Lamâ—e without blemish for a peace offering a Lambe is the symbole of mildnesse then according to that command hee that will receive the peace-makers recompence from God must offer him his soule full of gentlenesse and mildnesse The Lambe in the Revelation of all living creatures was onely found worthy to open the booke sealed with seaven seales so among all men the faithfull onely and among the faithfull the meeke shall bee able to open the booke of life there to behold his name written before the foundation of the world The Bridegroome in the Canticles calleth thuâ— his beloved Come my Dove that aâ—t in the clefâ—s of the rocke thy eyes are like Doves eyes and thy cheekes like Turâ—les my Dove is alone and perâ—ect Now it is familiar and common enough that of all creatures Doves arâ— the symbols of mildnesse and meekenesse for it is noted that they have no gall And here to apply these places to our designâ— let us know that the Bridegroome in this epithalamium or marriage song is Iesus Christ himselfe speaking to his Church setting her forth by her lively colours by the pensill of his love shewing us in this comparison of the Dove the perfections wherewith shee is adorned where if wee waigh and consider diligently the force of every word wee shall finde them