innumerable company of Angels and Spirits of Just men made perfect or with Cain and Pharaoh and Judas with the Divel and his Angels and Legions of unclean Spirits 't is said Acts 1. 25. of Judas at his death he went to his own place Brethren as sure as you have all places of abode here on earth which you call your own homes so shall every one of us have either in heaven or hell a home that shall be our own place In this world neither the wicked nor the Righteous are in their own places here for the most part the wicked and the ungodly have got the upper places the Children of God sit lower-most Dives sits at his table feasting and Lazarus lies at his Gate begging Beltshazars place here is a throne of Majesty and righteous Daniel a prison and a Den of Lions But it shall be quite otherwise when all by death enter into their own proper places in Eternity The worst places in the world are too good for sinners and the best in heaven are prepared for Saints who in Christ are blessed with all Spiritual blessings in heavenly places Me thinks this should be a very affecting meditation O my Soule where wilt thou be when thou art gone to thy own place when thou art removed from hence and shalt have left Husband and Wife and Children Neighbours and Friends and all these things that are seen where will thy abiding place be Where must I spend my Eternity which can indeed never be spent certainly if men would but use all diligence as the Apostle sayes they might come to know where their Eternal mansion shall be every man in this world may be said to chuse his own place in the world to come Joshua 24. 15. Chuse you sayes Joshuah to the Israelites whom you will serve but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord Psa. 119. 173. I have chosen thy precepts sayes David he that chuses Christ for his Lord and King to be ruled by his word to be Sanctified and guided by his Spirit he consequently chuses heaven for his future habitation But you that here refuse to serve the Lord that will not let Jesus Christ reigne over you you that chuse your lusts for your Lords and walke after the flesh as a servant after his Master you that chuse Mammon for your Master and the world for your portion you turn your back upon heaven and run head-long to destruction you make a Covenant with death and an agreement with hell That there shall be your habitation what a gnawing worme will this be in the Consciences of wicked men for ever in hell to consider This is a place of our own chusing here is the same Company we chose for our acquaintance on earth we cared not for Communion with Saints nor fellowship with God on earth here we are sentenced to an everlasting separation from them we are justly miserable being made so by our own choice and consent volenti non fit injuria O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self Lastly proceed a little farther in thy meditations concerning Eternity what provision and preparation hast thou made for Eternity The fool in the Gospel applauded himself in this that he had much goods laid up for many years but nothing was laid up for Eternity hast thou been any wiser Faelix quem faciunt c. hath his woful Example item'd thee into more Carefulness what art thou provided with for thy long home in Eternity It is a commonly known true saying Ex hoc momento aeternitas The great weight of Eternity hangs upon this small wire of time time hath an influence on Eternity a few drops of bloud will discolour a great quantity of water the well or ill-spending of this moment of time will colour the great sea of Eternity into a white of happinesse or blacke of misery Thinke seriously of it Christians every action word or thought of thine will make thy Eternity better or worse My houres preaching and your hearing at this time will adde either to both our eternal happiness or to both our eternal miseries All that we now do will rebound againe upon us in Eternity As when we put a lump of Sugar into a cup of wine or water it falls presently to the bottome out of sight but there it dissolves and diffuseth it selfe over the whole cup and may be tasted in every parcel of it thus do all our actions sinke as it were out of sight and out of memory into the bottom of Eternity there they operate and effect either our happiness or misery which will be felt and tasted by us throughout all Eternity Every wound which thou now givest thy Soule by sinne kept never so secret now will then fall on bleeding openly and smarting Eternally O what miserable abused Soules will then be to be seen most cruelly hackt and hewen with sin all over full of bruises and putrified sores every good action and holy duty will then be seen blossoming forth Peace and Joy and Consolation Consider that place of the Apostle Gal. 6. 7 8. Be not deceived God is not mocked for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap for he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting Every man is a sower his actions are his seed this life is his seed-time Eternity is his harvest his reaping-time The husbandman that sowes oates does not expect to reap wheate his crop depends upon his seed Sirs Whatever you do now is but sowing to Eternity when you are hearing and praying you are sowing when buying and selling you are sowing when you are swearing and lying you are sowing and all these several sorts of seeds will certainly come up in Eternity doest thou ravel out thy time in vanity and sensuality and sin and yet look to be happy Eternally This is to sow thy field with oates or tare and to look for a crop of wheate If thy seed be sin thy crop will certainly be misery O! what an encouragement should this be to Saints to be fruitful and abundant in good duties in Praying Fasting Repenting for sin c. Although no present difference appears between him that prayes and pray not The good husbands â—aâ—d that is well sown yields at pâ—eseâ—â— no more profit then the slâ—ggaâ—ds that is unsown and over 〈◊〉 with thiâ—â—les and nettles the Husbandman wâ—itâ— until the time of 〈◊〉 â—omes You Harvest â—s 〈◊〉 then you 〈◊〉 have been â—owing to the 〈◊〉 shall reap life 〈…〉 Be abundan◠〈…〉 of the Lord For 〈…〉 rally shall reap liberally and he that soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly And because all will rise again in Eternity â—o what you do accurately As that famous Painter Zeuxes being asked why he was so accurate in drawing all his pieces answered Pingo Aeternitati I Paint for Eternity You Pray and Hear and
For our light affliction which is but for a moment work for us a far more exceeding eternaâ— weight of glory No translation caâ— reach the height of the Apostles Rhetoricke in those expressions foâ— Afflicton there is glory for lighâ— affliction a weight of Glory foâ— Momentany affliction an exceedinâ— Eternal weight of Glory Concerâ—ing Paul's afflictions we may read little Martyrology of them 2. Corâ— 11. 23 24 c. In stripes above measure in prisons frequent in Deaths oft of the Jewes five times received I forty stripes save one Thrice was I beaten with rods once was I stoned thrice I suffered ship-wrake anight and a day have I been in the deep in journeying often in peril of waters in perill of Robbers c. One of these Gospel-chaines would feel very heavy to us yet Paul makes light of them all setting against them An exceeding Eternal weight of Glory which they work for him A farther support in his sufferings he and his Fellow-sufferers had from the Consideration laid down in my Text We look not at things which are seen but at things which are not seen q. d. we set not much by the things of this world we reckon little upon them we aime not at them for they are all but Temporal The object of our desires aimes and endeavours are things not seen which are Eternal The Text may be called a pair of Scripture Scales or Balances in which may be observed 1. The Commodities weighed they are things which are seen and things which are not seen 2. The great Difference appearing betwixt them upon the weight of them the superpondinm of things not seen Things that are seen being weighed are found very light very vanities they are but {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} for a season for a while so the word is elsewhere translated Buâ— things that are not seen they weigâ—â— very heavy they are all Eternal Eternity makes every thing weighty whether it be Glory or Misery 〈◊〉 the verse foregoing my Text wâ— have {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} An Eternal weight of Glory 3. The right improvement to bâ— made of this knowledg of the difference between things that are seeâ— and things that are not seen implyeâ— in that word {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} which signifiâ— so to look as the Archer at the 〈◊〉 he aims at we make not these worldly things that are seen our aime 〈◊〉 catch not at them we linger noâ— after them we trouble not our selveâ— much about them our aimes arâ— higher we look at things that are not seen that are Eternal Many profitable Lessons might be learnt out of the words as Christian Religion teacheth us to know and believe things that are not seen Our Christian faith makes evident to us things not seen Some things we know by sence as the Sun shining and fire burning others by reason as the Creation of the world but our Christian Religion hath revealed to our knowledg such things as neither the eye of sense nor Reason have seen Our lowstatured dwarfe-understandings by the help of Scripture-Revelation have been advanced to some Discovery of things Eternal Christianity calls the mind off from poring on those low trivial objects of perishing things that are seen and employes it in the Contemplation and study of things Eternal Christianity puts men upon making it their great Business to look after things eternal we Christians we Beleevers look at things that are not seen 't is not {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} but {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} we do not only look on them by intellectual speculations but we look at and after them affectionately and practically in our dayly endeavours and intentions This is to be a Christiaâ— to purpose to be dayly busy abouâ— things Eternal This is indeed Christians calling Christians shoulâ— be mainly skilful about things eternal and mainly painful about thing eternal Things of this life temporal things should be your {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} your by-business you should 〈◊〉 them as if you did them not use 〈◊〉 world as if you used it not the worâ— should be served only with God Leavings it should have but the fragments of thy time and the fragments of thy affections things eternal should in all things have precedence and preheminence He thaâ— believes not things eternal is an in fidel but he that believes them yeâ— lookes not after them is worse the an Infidel yet alas how full 〈◊〉 all streets of such men that arraking all kennels and scrapinâ— Dunghils turning over every stonâ— for worldly pelfe gathering things temporal but scattering things eternal eternal â—ad immortal Souls Think of it Christians things eternal are worth your looking after and if you would walk worthy of the Name whereby you are called you must sequester your selves from the world leave the looking after it to men of this world of whom you shall hear more anon whose calling it is whose portion it is do you devote and dedicate your selves chiefly to the care of things eternal But I come to a third Observation which I chiefly intend to handle at this time It is Eternity makes the great difference between things that are seen and things that are not seen The things of this life are but for a season but the things of the life to come are eternal If the good things and evil things of this life and the life to come were to be compared and weighed one against the other many other differences would appear to give the things of the life to come precedence But that which mainly infinitely indeed casts the Scale makes the things of the life to come to preponderate is this word Eternity they are all eternal eternally good or eternally evil you do but weigh a grain of sand against a huge Mountain a drop of water against the whole Ocean or a pins head against the whole globe of heaven and earth that weigh a temporal good against an eternal good or a temporal evil against an eternal evil I 'l speak a little to three particulars for the better clearing up this Doctrine 1. What is meant here by things seen and things not seen 2. What by Temporal and Eternal 3. What are those things not seen eternal which Christians are to look after 1. Things seen and not seen what are they Man you all know Consists of two parts a Carnal part and a Spiritual a Body and Soul Flesh and Spirit an Earthen vessel and a Spiritual Treasure a Candle and a Lanthorn a plain Cabinet and a Rich Treasure The Body one part of Man is visible the Soul being a Spirit is invisible According to this double part of man one of which may be seen the other cannot be seen all things which concern man may be divided either into suchthings as maybe seen or as may not be seen The things which immediately concern the body whether
from everlasting to everlasting the Creatures is from such a time when it began To everlasting Me thinks it makes my weak understanding as it were giddy to stand a little and look either backward from everlasting or forward to everlasting One quarter of an houres deep meditation of eternity makes head and heart fall an aking as not able to bear it As the eye can bear with ten or twenty or thirty Candles all lighted at a time in a roome and look on them without any pain or trouble but a little gazing on the Sun weakens and dazles it being Excellens Sensibile so it is with the weak eye of man's understanding if you keep it within the Horison or compass of time although at hundred and thousand years distance it will hold out with vigour and quickness but if thy thoughts approach a little neer Eternity to Consider it seriously thou wilt presently be sensible of a great weakness in thy Intellectualls thy head will scarce hold out to serve thy hearts Necessity about the considerations of Eternity So much at present for that second particular what 's meant by Temporal and Eternal 3. What are those unseen eternal things which Christians look after I might instance in many particulars Take these four 1. The new Spiritual life of a Christian in his union to Christ began by Regeneration As natural life consists in the Conjunction of the body and Soul So does spiritual in the union of the soul to Christ And as the body without the soul is dead so is the soul without Christ This spiritual life of a Believer is a very secret hidden thing Colos. 2. 3. your life is hid with Christ in God 't is hid from the world and hid oftentimes from believers themselves so that they are often in great feares and troubles about their spiritual Condition whether in Christ or out of Christ they cannot tell They are not to be numbred the many careful thoughts that the hearts of true Christians are filled with about this one thing Their Regeneration This is a thing not seen not regarded nor understood by the world yet this is an eternal thing your souls passing from death to life its first step towards that life that is eternal over this narrow bridge of Regeneration Oh Sirs hath this been looked after by you your New-birth many talke much of their Birth and Parentage and Ancestors you are but meanly descended and base-born all of you that are not born again of water and of the Spirit The differences of men by flesh and blood and titles of honour such as are Gentlemen Esquires Knights Lords c. are but temporal for a while but the differences of men by nature and the Spirits regenerate and unregenerate these are Eternal 2. Justification or the sense of sin pardoned Thy person accepted God reconciled these are things greatly looked after and laboured for by good Christians yet things not seen nor discerned by the world Rev. 2. 17. To him that overcometh I will give to eat of the hidden manna and will give him a white stone and in the stone a new name written which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it This hidden manna are the Comforts of the Spirit of God in the hearts of believers upon the sense of their Reconciliation to God The white stone is their absolution and Justification It being a manner used in some Iudicatories to give a white stone in token of approbation and absolution and a black stone in token of Condemnation or rejection O this white stone Believers search and look and dig for as a Treasure Justification is an eternal thing Rom. 8. 30 whom he justified them he also glorified 3. Adoption the Souls Relation to God in a state of Son-ship that 's a thing not seen Relationes non incurrunt in sensus this is a thing that Beleevers are inquisitive after to have the Spirit of God bearing witnesse with their Spirits that they are the Children of God Rom. 8. 16. God hath a seed among the children of men whom having new-begotten by his Spirit he hath certainly adopted to be his children his affection to them exceeds farre yours who are Natural parents towards your children he hath Paternal affections towards them and they filial dispositions towards him he a paternal care and providence over them they filial Confidences and Dependences on him as you parents lay up for your Children so does God for them This Dignity indeed hath no outward appearance to discover it self to the world It doth not yet appear who are Gods sons nor how such shall be glorified The heirs of eternal glory walke up and down the streets of the world in very contemptible appearances Sometimes in Sheep-skins and goat-skins being destitute as having nothing yet possessing all things two or three of them sometimes are crouded together into one poor thatcht cottage yet not one of these though it be a thing not seen of the world stirs abroad without a guard of Angels the Spirit of glory and of God resteth on them The poor petty heirs of this world make a great shew and noise where they goe they are looked after and pointed at There goes such a Knights eldest son such a Lords heir c. only the sons of God and children of the Most High who shall every one of them inherit an Eternal Kingdome their glory is a thing not seen therefore is not their condition valued by men of the world but Blessed is that Soul who has received this New-name of a Son or daughter of the Lord Almighties 4. The last thing which I shall name among things not seen which believers look after is an Inheritance in heaven uncorruptible undefiled that fadeth not away while other men are busied wholly in laying up for themselves treasures on earth they are laying up for themselves treasures in heaven 1. Cor. 2. 9. Such things as eye hath not seen nor ear heard nâ—ither have entred into the heart of man for them that love him God is preparing heaven for them and they are preparing themselves for heaven They are clearing up their evidences and securing their titles to Glory by making their calling Election sure they observing wisely how slippery mens present standings are on earthly possessions are laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold on eternal life 1 Tim. 6. 19. O this heavenly inheritance is that which a Beleever hath his eye upon on all occasions His short Commons on outward Mercies he makes up often with the remembrance of the plentiful feast provided for him in his fathers house and Kingdome His heavy afflictions are made light by Considering that exceeding eternal weight of Glory they worke for him The yoke of Duty and service is made easy by having Respect unto the recompence of Reward when ever any thing troubles him or goes