subject let me in the name of God ask you what is there that hath been yet done upon you what is there that hath been added to your holy love to your holy desires and joys fears and griefs are there any little sparkes added to you do you love God a little more then you did do you desire after him a little more strongly are your fears of sin your fears of temptations to sin your grief and sorrow for sin a little encreased Is there any abatement of your love to the World of your worldly desires and joys Is there any allay of your fretful angry passion Who of you can say I thank God these words have not been spoken to me in vain I thank God I find this World taken down a little lower I do not love it so well nor desire it so much nor I hope shall ever again seek it so earnestly as I have done are you any thing the more in fear of sin or greiv'd for sin are you in hope that your anger shall henceforth not be without a cause nor above or higher then its cause nor ever last as it has used to do Friends consider in the name of God consider What is there nothing done are you as cold in your love to God as hot in your love to the World as much without fear and greif for sin as if none of all this had been spoken The Lord be merciful to us what shall become of such hearing What serves this Preaching for what serves this hearing for Doth God take pleasure or can you take comfort in your coming together to hear and being a little affected with the word whilst 't is preaching or speaking some words after of your approbation and liking what you have heard when yet the Word doth not work nor leave any standing and abiding impressions upon you It s vain to commend a Sermon in words if the fruit it brings forth commend it not The best commendation of your food is by your eating it and maintaining your health and gathering strength by it O Friends that 's the commendation we would have of our preaching and the only commendation that we can take comfort in that our word reacheth its end that there is some sign of our ministry upon your hearts and in your lives that we may say concerning you as the Apostle concerning the Corinthians 2 Cor. 3.2.8 Ye are our Epistle and are declared to be the Epistle of Christ written not with ink but with the spirit of the living God Those are the best Sermon Notes that are written not with ink and paper but by the Spirit of the living God in the fleshly tables of our hearts These are the best Sermon Notes and these are the best commendation of our preaching Now pray friends consider I do not ask you what there is written of these Sermons in your note books but what is there written of them in your hearts Is there any thing more of the love of God of desires after God of fear of sin c. written or begotten within you Had I ability and opportunity of personal converse with you I should be willing to deal with you in private hand to hand and to ask you these questions man by man but to supply that defect of speaking personally and in private to each one of you take what I speak in my publick Ministry as if it were spoken to thee in particular and I were dealing with thee hand to hand Though thou canst not give me thine answer yet fail not to give answer in thine own heart when I ask thee whither thou hast gotten any more love to God any more desires after God any abatement of thy love to the World any more fear of Sin c. Answer thine own Conscience in this particular I must substitute thy Conscience in my room and let Conscience take thine Answer Speak every man of you iâ— your Consciences how do you find it is there any thâ—ng done upon you by these words or is there nothing 〈◊〉 what do you think of all your hearing these words if thâ—re be nothing done if there be as much love to the World as little love to God or fear of Sin if there be the same touchiness the same pettishness the some angry distemper as if you had kept you at home all this while and never heard any of all that has been said Are not you ashamed are not you afraid that these words of the Lord should have no effect upon you Beloved I have preached to you in hope I have hoped for fruit I have hop'd for some change for the better upon you in all these respects O set your hearts unto all these words remember what you can and recover what you have forgotten look up to God look up to God and pray this prayer to him Lord let the things that have been spoken be written Let them be written not with ink and pen but by the Spirit of the living God not in a book or paper but in the fleshly table of mine heart Look up to God for his help and determine in your selves to set your hearts to it to follow after this blessed Order and Government of your hearts Study within your selves how to get up your affections to things above to get loose your hearts from the World and things below be not content to be thus dead in your hearts towards God thus alive towards the World nor be content to wish for more of the divine love to wish you could abate towards this world but in good earnest make it your business and study so to do Might we once bring you to this that while we are labouring with you in the Word and Doctrine you would labour with us in the Lord to work your hearts to an affectionate compliance with our words if you would be stedfast and unmoveable and abounding in this work then there would be hope that neither our labour nor yours should be in vain in the Lord then should we look to see the death of these Worldly loues and lusts and a spring of the divine love and life and joy and glory this earth and flesh under foot and the Spirit of Glory and of God resting upon you Put on therefore in the fear of the Lord set you close to this Heart-governing-work quicken strengthen encourage your hearts herein with these words Yet further the Government of the heart stands 4. In suppressing all manner of evil and exciting and maintaining the good that is in your hearts There are in the heart as there are in a Kingdom two parties the evil party and the good party The evil party are the Rebellious Lusts of our hearts the good party are the Graces of God The Government of the Heart is to be as the Government of a Kingdom for the suppressing the evil and the encouraging and upholding the good The evil Party are the lusts of the Heart Pride Envy Malice Covetousness c.
and so shift for thy self hope for the Victory hope in God for his help hope in Christ for his strength and in that hope stand against Temptations 3. The girdle of Truth ver 14. Having your loyns girt about with truth Look especially to this that you be armed with truth and uprightness of heart Whatever other Armour you seem to have what ever faith you have whatever hope you have whatever word you have to support you whatever Prayer you make to help you there 's no armour will hide an hypocritical heart from God or the Devil God strikes his dart into the false heart through the joints of thine armour And for the Devil he is gotten in already the Devil is already in thine heart if it be a false and hypocritical heart O get sincerity and uprightness before the Lord see that there be truth in your inward parts A sound heart will be the best shelter both against the Accusations and Temptations of all your adversaries whereas if there were no enemies from without a rotten heart will be its own ruine That rust and that moth which is bred within will eat thee out though there should be no Theif to assault thee from abroad 4. The breastplate of Righteousness Put them both together Truth and Uprightness of heart and righteousness of Life will be a mighty security against the Devil and all his whole Party The Psalmist would trust to no other Armour without that Psal 25.21 and that he will trust to Let integrity and uprightness preserve me for I wait on thee Faith without Truth Hope without Righteousness or Uprightness will never secure us Sincerity and Uprightness of heart is our best heart Armour the Hypocrites Faith will not save him the Hypocrites hope will perish with him 't is sincerity that will carry the day Be honest and plain hearted towards God Let there not be Guile and Unrighteousness found in you Prov. 10.4 He that walketh uprightly walketh surely Hic murus ahaeneus esto A good Conscience is a wall of brass against all the darts that are cast against us 5. The Sword of the Spirit Ver. 17. which is the word of God This was the weapon by which Christ conquered the Devil when he fought him hand to hand Mat. 4.3 It is written man shall not live by bread onely It is written thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God It is written thou shalt Worship the Lord thy God Be well versed in the Scripture and you have a sword by you to resist every Temptation Art thou tempted to Pride Remember it is written God resisteth the proud Art thou tempted to a Covetous worldly Life it is written take heed and beware of Covetousness Art thou tempted to Anger and the bitter expressions of it it is written if ye bite and devour one another ye shall be consumed one of another Art thou tempted to a carnal vain sensual Life it is written if ye live after the flesh ye shall die Art thou tempted to a cold Lukewarm indifferent temper or way it is written because thou art neither hot nor cold I will spue thee out of my mouth And so whatever the Temptation be have a particular word ready at hand which may be a sword to strike through it 6. The spirit of prayer Ver. 18. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit Meet every Temptation with the Sword in your mouth and with a Prayer in your heart Believe and Pray Hope and Pray be True be Upright and pray the Lord rebuke thee The Lord strengthen and uphold me pray to him be true to him hope in him who was tempted himself and is able to succour them that are tempted Put on all this Armour and stand to your Armes be always up in Armes be alwayes ready to receive the Alarm Let that word be for an alarm to you and be ever in your ears Rise Sampson the Philistines are upon thee Rise Soul Sin is upon thee the World is upon thee thy Company are upon thee or that Word of Christ Mat. 26.46 Arise he is at hand that betrays me that ease that thou lovest those Pleasures that thou lovest that Money thou lovest that carnal Acquaintance that thou lovest whom thou never suspectest to be Enemies they have a design to betray thee of thy life to take away thine heart from God and they are ever at hand to betray thee however thou thinkest thou art armed take heed of being secure of what use is Armour to him that is asleep Remember Saul and his whole Army when they were asleep David came upon them and had them at his mercy for all their Arms and if he had hearkned to Abishai had smitten him dead in the place be never secure stand upon your Watch or you never stand to your Armes Never think you are out of danger you are in jeopardy every hour your Enemy the Devil is ever walking up and down and watcheth to devour you Therefore that Counsel is needful 1 Pet. 5.8 Be vigilant be sober for your adversary c. Be alwayes as the besieged in a Town that have their Enemy close at the Gates and the Walls they are upon their Guard night and day especially let the main fort the heart be still well watched and guarded Set fear for your Sentinel live in constant fear of a surprize fear will keep the Soul waking be conversant in the World in fear be amongst your carnal friends and acquaintance in fear eat and drink in fear pass the time of your whole warfare here in fear O this fearless secure heart how often hath it betray'd us into Mischief How often have our hearts been even choked up of the World and surfeited of carnal Pleasures and rob'd of its peace and spoil'd of its Treasuries and we have exchanged a sprightful lively chearful healthful Soul for a flat leaden earthly senseless frame before we were aware and all because we were secure and without fear Live in fear daily and in constant jealousie be jealous of your friends be jealous of your enemies be jealous of this world be jealous of every sin be jealous of your selves Let an holy jealousie dwell in your eye and let it keep you waking and watching After all your professing and praying and believing and hoping would you not loose your hearts at last and loose all you have hoped and laboured for then beware of Security if you would be in safety then be never secure but always stand with your loins girded and your lights burning Stand upon your watch Tower keep your doors shut but your windows open Let your eye observe the approaches and be ready and prepared for the assaults that your enemies are making daily upon you I never look you should be flourishing or conquering Christians till you will be perswaded to be jealous Christians fearing and watchful Christians and therefore what I said to you before I say to you again and again stand upon your guard
things honestly in all things and at all times This exercise of keeping to conscience is a painful exercise you can never live a conscientious life unless you will be content to live a painful life to take pains with your hearts to take pains with your thoughts and affections to take pains with your tongues and all your members to hold them close to the rule of conscience this painful exercise will get you an heat will beget warmth in those cold and careless hearts The most conscientious Christians are the most warm and lively Christians and according as you get and keep your hearts warm so will your diseases waste the health of your souls return into you Remember what I have said if ever you would recover your lost souls recover conscience if ever you would recover conscience get the guilt the guile of conscience purged away by the bloud of Christ and water of repentance keep the eye of conscience open let conscience be the Supervisor of all your ways let the book of conscience be kept clear from blots and blurs and let there be a faithful record kept there of all your ways let the tongue of Conscience have leave to speak and warn you from day to day and submit to its Scepter and government be no longer govern'd by Will or by appetite or by lust or by the fashions and customs or examples of men but be govern'd by Conscience Do not give Conscience a Kiss and a Stab hearken to it in some things and wound it in other things but study to live in all good Conscience on your Sabbath-dayes on your working-dayes in the House of the Lord in your own houses in the houses of your Friends in the Field in the Market in the matters of God in the matters of the World when you are alone when in company when you are in good company when you are fallen into evil company wherever you are whatever you are a doing still have an eye upon Conscience an ear open to Conscience and let Conscience prescribe to you what you should do and how you should carry it in every affair 3. Beware of taking cold That 's a special rule Physicians use to give to the recovering Patient when Persons are upon recovery of their bodily diseases how ordinary is it that upon a little cold they relapse and sometimes die of their disease Is thy Soul upon recovery take heed of Colds Soul such there are who when they begin to be wrought upon and brought to any sence of Religion there appears a great heat and fervour of spirit upon them 't is with them as with the Prophet Jer. 20.9 Thy Word was in me like fire their love and desire and zeal for God seem all in a flame O what warm affections have they how warm in their Duties how warm in their converses they seem to be all Life and Soul and then after a time they grow stark cold and little life is left in them and some of them never recover again while they live Hath thy Spirit gotten an heat hath the Word heated thee and those Exercises of Prayer Repentance and keeping Conscience gotten thee into an heat then take heed of growing cold keep you constant to those Exercises that have begotten an heat in you Keep you in the Sun-shine all your heart-warmth is begotten and must be maintained from above live in the beholding the face of God live under the Sun-beams of the Sun of righteousness keep you close to God keep you near to Christ live in intimate communion with God Take heed of those clouds your sins that will obscure the Sun Isa 59.1 Take heed of an Eclipse see that this Earth do not interpose betwixt your Souls and Heaven take heed of the damp Influences of the dead that you live amongst We live in a cold World a cold Age that Age has overtaken us which Christ Prophesied of Mat. 24.20 Wherein the love many of should wax cold Those that are grown cold themselves will serve for nothing but to chill and damp the Spirits of others Be not unnecessarily conversant with this cold World trust not your selves in their Company have you never found how much your Souls have lost by carnal Correspondencies Professors how is it with you Do you still retain your first vigour as when you began to be recovered May not the Lord complain over some of us as of Israel Jer. 2.2 I remember the kindness of thy Youth and the love of thine Espousals I remember it as a thing that is past that now is not or as Ephesus Rev. 2.4 Thou hast lost thy first Love and what follows from this decay Hence is it that we are become a Company of sickly Professors of Carnal Professors of Earthly Professors the World hath return'd upon us the Flesh hath gotten head again in us the things that are Eternal and the influences of them upon us are even lost and swallow'd up of things Temporal our Stocks and our Businesses and our Trades how have they even choak'd up our Religion Friends it 's matter of astonishment to consider how very few lively Christians there are to be found amongst us Thus we every one talk what a General decay of Religion there is among us has not thine own Mouth complain'd of the coldness of this Age But whilst thou complainest of the Age how is it with thee Art not thou sick of the same Disease Look homeward look inward into thine own House into thine own Heart what Spirit of Religion is there going in thine own Family Hast thou not by thy negligence let all run to decay there What Life of Religion is there maintain'd in thine own Heart Friends feel you every man his own Pulse lay your hand every Man upon his own Heart and feel how faintly it beats Heaven-wards Sure Friends if we should examine our own Cases we should find enough to set us all a Weeping over our own decays and she should hear that voice within us Weep not for others but weep for thy self and thine own Children O take heed lest such of you as are fallen back among the Sick do not also return among the Dead and make your recovery again more hopeless at last than 't was at first You that stand be warn'd by those that are fallen stand with your Loyns girded and your Lights burning and you that are fallen fallen to decay fallen to a dead and flat and lifeless State you that are fallen remember whence you are fallen remember and repent remember and recover strengthen the things that remain if there be any sparks left blow off your Ashes blow up the Coals Let the Life of God and the love of Christ and a Zeal for Holiness be again kindled in you and if ever the Lord should recover you again there 's great hazard whether he may thou mayest die of the Cold thou hast taken the Consumption that hath Eaten up so much of thy Vitals may be unto
to be religious but bridle not their tongues they pretend to be of circumcised hearts but are of uncircumcised lips 3. The unbridleness of their tongues is an evidence that their Religion is in vain When is Religion in vain Why when it cannot reach its end when it cannot save the soul and sure that Religion which cannot bridle the tongue cannot save the soul Man in what a case art thou Thou professest Religion and hopest for salvation but if thou art of an unbridled froward tongue thy Religion is vain and cannot save thee III. Frowardness hinders all that little Religion that such men have in the exercise of it it puts them besides Prayer or Reading or Meditation or spending one serious thought upon Eternity all Religion is thrust behind the doors when the froward fit is up Friends pray do not make light of this grievous evil turn every one of your eyes homeward and reflect upon your own spirits and carriages do not presently say I am not guilty or I am not much guilty this way it may be it is for want of observing thy self Look again and again how thou carriedst it at such a time how to such or such persons and you thaâ—â—re guilty do not make light of it do not count it aâ—â—ll fault Is that but a small evil which proves thee an hypocrite Where this evil reigns and is not checked nor controlled by thee is not mourned over nor art thou ashamed of it nor wilt resist it when this evil reigns it is a sign thou art but an hypocrite and thy religion is in vain Christians our Lord Jesus whose Disciples we profess our selves to be and to learn of him was meek and lowly in heart Mat. 11.29 and art thou his Disciple who art of a proud and furious spirit The Apostle tells us that a meek and quiet spirit is an ornament to the Gospel and of great price in the sight of God 1 Pet 3.4 If meekness be an ornament then frowardness is a blot and a blemish and a stain upon our Profession If meekness be pretious then frowardness is odious in the sight of God Wouldst thou make thy self a disgrace to the Gospel an odium and an abomination unto the Lord If thou wouldst not then cease from thy frowardness and study and follow after that gentleness that sweetness and candor and meekness of heart and behaviour which is so grateful both with God and men Friends though I would not say much yet finding it lie in my way I would not pass by this evil without saying something though but thus briefly to it But though I have said but little yet pray let not this little be forgotten especially by any such among you whose Consciences may tell you God hath sent this Word as an Item to me Doctr. from V. 26. Every foot hath his path There are two paths in one of which every one is walking There is the good path or way and there is the evil path These two are distinguished by their ends or term to which they lead that is the good path that leads to Good called the path of life Psalm 16.11 that is the evil path that leads to Evil the way of death and destruction Mat. 7. 2. By their Adjuncts or Qualities The good way is general the way of Holiness in particular the way of Humility Meekness Temperance Patience c. the way of Faith and Love and Prayer The evil way is the way of Sin in general and in particular it is either the way of Lying or the way of Covetousness or the way of Pride or Envy c. But here note â—â—at the good way is made up of all these good Qualities or else it cannot be the good way but any one of the evil Qualities makes the way evil He that is humble and is not temperate he that is temperate and is not patient he that is patient and is not merciful he whose life is not led in universal holiness that hath any one grace wanting is not in the good way one Fly spoils the whole Box. Christians must stand compleat in all the wills of God Col. 4.12 But for the evil way he that walks in any one particular branch of that his way is evil He that is not a Liar if he be a Swearer he that is not a Swearer if he be a Drunkard he that is not a Drunkard if he be Covetous he that is none of all these if he be carnal and walks after the flesh or any one particular Lust thereof he is in the evil way the path of sin if it be but any one sin that is our path or our way wherein we use and allow our selves to walk the path of sin is the way of death Now every one in the World hath his path is either in the good way the way of Holiness or the evil way the way of Sin And of those that are in the way of Sin some are in the way of the Proud others in the way of the Scornful others in the way of Lying others in the way of Covetousness every one hath his way Doctr. 2. Every path must be pondered To ponder our ways is to weigh and consider them the same which is charged Hag. 1.5 Consider your ways spend some deep and serious thoughts upon them Now there is 1. A consideration of the ways that we have hitherto gone on in A bethinking our selves a reviewing our course this is that which the Psalmist did Psal 119.59 I thought on my ways that I had hitherto been walking 〈◊〉 I thought and repented of what I had done I thought and turned And this is that for which Israel was reproved No man said what have I done No man said in his heart no man thought with himself what have I done For the Objects of these thoughts must be 1. The matters that we have done the particular actions of our lives Carnal men never observe or mark what they do they never review or reflect upon their actions How many words do â—â—en speak how many works are men engaged in that they never observe or mark or bestow one thought upon they cannot remember their ways because they do not observe their ways Think what you have been doing all your life long think what you have neglected to do and think what you have done and are doing to this day let your eye be upon the particular actions of your lives 2. The Quality of our ways whether they are good or evil whether they are holy or sinful Thy way hath been the way of Lying the way of Covetousness the way of Pride a carnal careless fleshly way think with thy self Is this a good way or an evil way do these my ways please God or are they contrary to God 3. The end of our ways or whither they tend and to what issue they will come at last Is this my way to God Is this the way of the everlasting Kingdom Is this the path
expecting and looking for such a gracious work We may say concerning this first coming of Christ into the heart as is said concerning his coming to Judgment Heb. 9.28 To them that look for him shall he appear without sin unto salvation So to those that look for him shall he appear to their sanctification Look to meet with Christ this day in his word look for Christs coming down to meet with you this day desire that he would pray that he would and expect and look for his coming down and appearing to you This is the hope wherein I would exhort you to attend on the means of grace with desires and expectations of the gracious success of them upon you And if you would thus come to hear in hope it would much encourage us to preach in hope to you and to pray in hope for you Well to conclude this let every sinner of you know that whilst the word of reconciliation is continued to be preached to you so long there is hope concerning you that you may be recovered There is hazard great hazard a great doubt whether you may be saved a great fear that many of you may never be converted and saved but though there be hazard yet there is hope 3. The great care that lies upon every sinner in the world should be that he get to be recâ—vered out of his lost state 2 Tim. 2.25.26 Instructing those that oppose themselves if God peradventure will give them repentance that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil who are taken captive by him at his will Here observe 1. That lost sinners are in the hands of the Devil taken captive by the Devil held in the snares of the Devil That is a lost souldier that is fallen into the hands of his enemys That is a lost sheep that is fallen into the paw of the Wolf That is a lost soul that is fallen into the snares of the Devil and in those hands are every lost soul How art thou so secure sinner how so merry how so much at ease Dost thou know where thou art Thou art in the hands of the Devil that soul of thine is taken captive by the Devil and lies bound in his snares the Devil hath taken thee and the Devil hath bound thee that thou canst not get loose O it were well if sinners understood their case and in whose hands they lye There is never a one of all the sinners among you but the Devil hath him in custody Whither ever thou goest the Devil goes with thee to watch thee that thou mayst not escape him If thou goest to read the Devil goes with thee to thy Bible to hinder it from working upon thee if thou goest to pray the Devil goes with thee to hinder thy praying and now thou comest hither to hear the Devil comes to Church with thee to harden thine heart against the Word Thou dost not see the Devil here and thou dost not think he is here but thou mayest know by the effect that he hath been here with thee every day and at every Sermon thou mayst know it by this that the Devil hath been here with thee that the Word hath prospered no more with thee to the rescuing thee from his snares and he that hath been here is now come again and he is now watching thee that thou hearken not to the recovering Word 2. That lost sinners oppose themselves against their own recovery Instructing those that oppose themselves that is that resist the word of grace that Deafen their ears and harden their hearts against it Acts 7.51 Ye have always resisted the holy ghost The word of God comes and the spirit of God comes to convert sinners but they resist their own mercy The enmity that is in their hearts opposes it self against the Word and spirit Mat. 23.37 How often would I have gathered you but you would not 3. The end of preaching the gospel to sinners is to recover their lost souls Instructing them c. that they may recover themselves out of the snares of the Devil To open the blind eyes to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Sathan unto God Acts. 26.18 We are sent as Christ was to preach deliverance to the captives and the opening the prison to them that are bound and not only so to preach upon the prison doors but to perswade the prisoners to come out of prison Is 46.9 That thou mayst say to the prisoners come forth God hath sent us with this word to you that are imprisoned under Sathan come forth poor prisoners come forth out of prison Sinners give no better entertainment to us than if our word to them were come into prison come into bondage they take that word come into Christ as if it were the same with come into into prison come into bondage that christianity which we perswade sinners to they look upon it as meer bondage but what ever sinners think our business is to perswade them out of their house of bondage Come shake off your chains knock off your fetters break that yoke of the Devil which is upon your necks get you loose from those sins and those lusts wherewith the Devil hath held you and come unto Christ it is no bondage to be a Christian Christs servants are all free-men you are all bond-men already in the bond of Iniquity Acts. 8.23 But who among you would be set at liberty What do you mean sinners will ye die Bondmen We may say concerning you as Christ concerning the woman Luk. 31.16 Whom Sathan hath bound these 18 years You are the men whom Sathan hath bound not only these 18 years but some of you these 38 years nay some it may be those 60 years or more Have you been bound so long bound by the Devil and are you not willing to be loosed will you go prisoners to the Grave From this upper prison shall the Devil carry you down into the eternal prison O sinners that is our business from God to you to perswade you to make an escape and to be recovered out of the snares of the Devil 4. Sinners recovery begins in their repentance If God give them repentance that they may recover They are only the penitent that are recovered souls As long as thou art an impenitent sinner thou art a lost soul Acts. 28.27 Lest they should be converted and be healed a converted sinner is an healed a recovered sinner 5. It is God that recovers lost souls If peradventure God may give them repentance that they may be recovered It is the Devil that takes sinners captives but it is God that rescues the prey from his teeth It is the Devil that leads men to sin and holds them under sin but it is God that gives them repentance Is thine heart hardned in thy sin Is thy heart hardned against repentance Canst thou not turn Canst thou not repent Go to God poor sinner it is he that must give thee
and every abomination dwells Christ hath come and called to thee open to me let me come and dwell there and cast the Devil out How many knocks hath he given at thy door How many Messengers hath he sent to thee with this word Open those wretched hearts open the everlasting doors and the King of Glory shall come in And hast not thou slighted all this and put a contempt and a scorn upon an offered Jesus Who I God forbid I adore and honour that worthy name I acknowledge him to be the Son of the living God and the Saviour of the World and worthy of all acceptation I but hast thou accepted Hast thou opened unto him Hast thou received Christ Jesus the Lord Is Christ within thee Is the light of Christ the love of Christ the holiness of Christ in thee Hast thou resigned up the throne and dominion of thy soul to him and given him hearty leave to put all that is within thee in subjection to himself and to cast out what ever is an offence to him to cast the World out to cut the flesh down and the lusts thereof Hath he new made thee and new molded thee Is there another Spirit begotten in thee a new heart bestowed upon thee Hath he made a Christian of thee a sincere inward Christian not in word nor in tongue but in deed and in truth Art thou become his hearty Disciple and his follower in holiness Hath he given thee the understanding of a Christian Dost thou know God and art thou now acquainted with the mystery of the kingdom of God Dost thou know Christ and the mystery of Christ crucified Hath he given thee the heart and affections of a Christian Hath the World lost thine heart have thy companions lost thee thy carnal pleasures lost thine heart Is thine heart set upon Christ and upon all his holy ways Art thou now brought about from sinful pleasing of men or affecting to live in their good repute and good will to be all for pleasing God Is thy soul that was bent upon earth and the vanities thereof now bent for God and for heaven and for holiness the way to the Kingdom of heaven Sinner If thou hast received Christ into thy soul there are all these works begun there is such a change as this wrought upon thee 2 Cor. 5.17 He that is in Christ is a new Creature and if there be no such change if thine old ignorance thine old worldliness thine old delights in the lusts or friendship or fellowship of the World remain if thou hast not the inwards of a Christian an holy heart an heavenly mind yea and something of the outwards of a Christian an holy conversation an heavenly life If there be not such a change wrought in thee but thou art of the same life and the same spirit thou wert of thou hast not received Christ he hath been offered thee but thou wouldst none of him he hath come unto thee but thou hast refused him And what ever honour thou hast in thy mouth for Christ if thou hast refused to receive him thou art one of those that hast made light of Christ yea and set him at nought That which is rendred refusing Psal 118.22 The stone which was refused by the builders is exprest Acts 4 11. to be setting at nought This is the stone which was set at nought Sinners every one of you that have not received Christ into your hearts you have set Christ at nought you have despised and trampled him under your foot and if you go away from his word to day as you have used to do other days and return home without accepting of him you go on to set Christ at nought You that hear Christ preached and will not receive him if you should be asked when you come home what you have done at Church to day You must answer I have put a slight and contempt upon Christ he was preached to me and I was told of his wonderful excellencies and his worthiness but I have despised and neglected it all I have been at Church but to mock Christ and to set him at nought This do every one of you to whom Christ is preached and yet you will not receive him 2. Those that make light of Christ are not recovered by him This is so evident from what hath been said that I shall add no more concerning it but this if Christ be the only recoverer of lost souls then those that refuse him are not recovered He is our Redeemer and there is no other saviour He is our Physitian and there is no other helper neither is there salvation in any other Act 4.12 If there be no other Saviour but Christ Jesus the Lord if there be none recovered by Christ but those that prize and put such an high value on Christ as to embrace and accept of him then those that make light of Christ and refuse him are lost souls to this day These are the negative marks which evidence souls still lost If you are not grosly ignorant but have understood somthing of the doctrin of Christ If you have somthing of conscience If some prizing of Christ yet you may not be recovered but if not thou art a grosly ignorant soul and of no conscience to be sure thou art a lost soul to this day 2. Affirmatively 1. The man whose eyes are opened that is who hath recovered his understanding and the saving knowledge of God The first step towards the conversion of a sinner is the recovery of his sight Acts 26.18 To open blind eyes c. And it is not every little opening the eyes and the getting in a little knowledge that is a sure sign of conversion There are knowing sinners knowing hypocrites It is an enlightning of the mind and a renewing of the mind Rom. 12.2 Be ye transformed by the renewing of your minds The mind of the Convert doth not only see other things than it saw before but looks upon them with another eye as he hath another heart so he hath another eye a renewed mind a sanctified understanding that perceives the beauty and excellency of God and his ways of Christ and his graces that sees wisdom and goodness and an excellency and desirableness in them the carnal mind what ever it perceives of the things of God yet they are foolishness to him 1. Cor 2.14 The natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit for they are foolishness to him neither can he know them Where see 1. What account carnal men have of spiritual things they look on them as foolish things poor and weak and contemptible things and look upon them all as a company of fools and giddy brain-sick folks that will have any thing to do with them 2. That whilst he looks on the things of God as foolishness as such contemptible and unworthy things he doth not know them nor can he know them whilst he continues to be such a foolish soul Thou takest upon thee to
rejoicing over the recovered souls Our great joy should be every man over the recovery of his own soul With what joy should this word be spoken this my soul was dead and is alive and we should rejoice over any other recovered souls It is matter of rejoicing when we can say this my Child or this my Brother or this my Neighbour was dead and is alive What joy is it to a travailing woman when she is safely delivered of a living child J h. 16.21 A wâ—man when she is in travail hath sorrow because her hour is come but as soon as she is delivered of thâ— chilâ— she remembreth no more the anguish for joy that a man child is born into the World Sinners your deliverance may cost you pain and travel but when you are once delivered and recovered you will forget all this pain then you will and then you ought to rejoice What joy is the day of victory to the triumphing Souldier What joy was the year of Jubilee to the indebted or the servants when they were to go out free from there debts and service What joy to the Mariner who hath been tossed with tempests to have gotten safe to shore Hast thou shot the gulf and gotten safe to land Hast thou gotten death and hell under thy feet Is death destroyed and is life and immortality brought to light in thy soul Art thou passed from death to life O what a day of joy what a day of praise should this be to thee Rejoice in the Lord O ye righteous and again I say Rejoice Phil 4.4 Stand Christian stand and look back on that death that was lately feeding on thy soul stand and look down into the hole of the pit from whence thou art delivered Remember how it was with thee not long since when thou wert without Christ and without hope and without God in the World when thou wert a slave to every lust in thy heart to every vile companion when thou wert by led by the Destroyer and posting on to destruction When thou Wert without fear and without sense of that danger and misery which was running upon thee like a floud Remember how it was with thee when God first open'd thine eyes and thy fears came upon thee How did thy soul cry out I am lost I am undone when thou sawest what a gulf there was fixed between thy natural estate and the state of grace When thou sawest a necessity of conversion and yet wert astonished at the difficulty of obtaining it When thy proud heart would not stoop thine hard heart would not break nor yield unto the Lord When thou wert afraid that thou shouldst have perished in the birth and never have seen life remember how it hath been with thee and how it is now What hath the Lord delivered thee from thy fears conquered to thee thy difficulties Is thine heart broken and brought about to the Lord Is the day broken and the day star risen in thine heart art thou passed from death to life What s y st thou now Is it not meet thou shouldst rejoice Is not this birth day the day of thy new birth a day of joy and praise Dost thou not bless thy self that it is not with thee as it hath been Does not thine heart shake to think what if I had been let alone let to go on in the way that I was going I went with the Drunkards I was among the Lyars and Swearers and Covetous and the Scoffers I was one of them As much against a new heart and new life as any of them as true a drudge to my flesh and this world as the worst of them How is it that the Lord God singled my soul out of that wicked crowd and brought me up out of that state of the dead and brought me into the light of life and hath written me amongst the living in Jerusalem Bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless his holy name Magnifie the Lord O my soul and let my spirit rejoice in God my Saviour He that is mighty hath done for me great things and holy is his name 3. Let us again take up a lamentation over the imperfection of our recovery Rejoice in the Lord but rejoice with trembling Psal 2.11 Rejoice that the work is begun that thou art come to the morning of the day of redemption that the day is dawned that the Sun is risen upon thee yet lament that there are still such clouds yea so much of the darkness of the night remaining upon thee Rejoice that thou art born again but yet lament that thou art but as a new born Infant so imperfectly washed from thy pollution in thy bloud and that so much of the shame of thy nakedness is yet appearing that though thou art made a child of light yet there is so much of thine old darkness of thine old ignorance and unbelief abiding upon thee that though thou art born from above yet thine heart should be so much below that though thou art risen with Christ thy affections should be so little set on things above that though thou art born of the Spirit the Flesh should still have such power in thee Lament and bewail it that thou art no more perfectly recovered that it can yet hardly be discerned whether thou be alive or dead or if it appear thou art alive lament that thou art such a a dwarf still or such a sickly and unthriving child that thou art such a froward and unruly child Lament that thy recovery is so imperfect and be growing up towards perfection be working out those remains of thine old corrupt state be working out this carnality and this earthliness and working up thine heart to more spirituality and heavenliness and let both thine heart and thy life be as the path of the just which shineth more and more unto the perfect day Prov. 4.18 Christians whilst I have hope of many of you that you are passed from death to life and in this hope do rejoice over you yet I have sorrow in mine heart for you that you that have life have it no more abundantly that you are yet so imperfectly recovered from among the dead and that you are not which I doubt is the case of too many among you contending and reaching forwards towards perfection How many living Christians soever there be of you yet I can see but few growing Christians among you Pray Friends look inwards what sensible improvement have any of you made of late years Yea how many of us are there that do not lay it to heart that do not lament it that they are improved no more Who of you can say that you are breathing and thirsting after an increase or if you thirst for more grace how very few are reaching forth and labouring and that in so good earnest that they are impatient in their spirits and restless till it may be better with them O what might I do to whet your appetites after
gone away hardned from many a Sabbath thou hast gone away hardned from many a Sermon and must this Day and this Word leave thee as all the rest have done When dost thou hope to be recovered if thou wilt not be broken Wilt thou say it is no matter though I never be recovered though I perish and die in this hardned state Wouldst thou fear to be let alone till thou be past recovery to be lost forever Then yield to the stroke of the Word and let thine heart be humbled and broken and brought to repentance 4. Get the temper of your hearts to be changed Let the Word work to the mollifying you and to the changing of you to the renewing you after the image of God in righteousness and holiness And what ever awakenings there have been of your sleepy consciences what ever light or understanding there may be conveyed into your minds yea and what ever wounds and breaches there have been made upon your hard hearts yet till you be renewed in the very frame and temper and dispositions of your hearts never count your selves to be recovered Thou art a lost soul till thou art a sanctified soul that is till thine heart be broken off and brought back from the love and lusts and ways of this World and brought about unto God and his holy ways till godliness be gotten into thine heart and formed into thy nature and thou hast a love of it and hearty good liking of it and the very bent of thine heart which was formerly towards sin and vanity be now towards holiness and heaven When thou art brought to this this new frame of heart then thou art recovered Now Sinners let this be that you have in your eye and upon your hearts let this be your endeavour let this be your prayer that God would so bless his Word to you that it may awaken your sleepy consciences enlighten your blinded minds soften and break your hardned hearts that you may be changed and renewed after the image of God in righteousness and true holiness that you may be wrought into a new temper changed into another spirit loving and savouring and delighting in the holy ways of God that Religion may become sweet and pleasant to you that your spirits may be made suitable to God and his holy ways that the food of God may relish with you and the work of God may be more easie to you Sick men can neither relish their food nor endure their work Dost thou find no relish in Religion Does the work of holiness seem contrary to thee Dost thou groan under it as that thou canst not bear Dost thou groan under this praying and repenting and watching and striving against sin and denying thy self and mortifying thy flesh Canst thou not endure to be held to such work It is a sign that thy sickness is still upon thee and thou art not recovered O get your hearts to be so changed and renewed by the Word and Spirit of the Lord that both the food of God may relish with you and his work may be pleasant 3. His Rod. Sinners are fools and the Rod is Physick for Fools The rod is for the Fools back Prov. 26.3 Psal 119.67 Before I was afflicted I went astray but the Rod reduced me now have I kept thy word Sinner thou hearest the awakening word but it doth not awaken thee thou sleepest on Thou hearest the mollifying and breaking word but it does not break nor mollifie thee thou art still a wilful stubborn soul and thine heart is so obstinately set upon thine own loose and wild ways that thou wilt not be broken off thy will nor broken off from thy course but God may bring some affliction upon thee bring thee into poverty cast thee on thy sick bed set death at thy beds foot to stare thee in the face and this will tame thee then thou mayest be spoken to then the Word there is hope will enter into thee and work upon thee Indeed some sinners are so desperately hardened that neither word nor rod will do What afflictions come they rather stupifie than awaken them They continue as very stocks under the smitings of God as they are under his teachings and therefore take heed the longer thou goest on to harden thine heart against the word there is the less hope that thou wilt be humbled by afflictions Dare not to encourage your selves and harden your hearts against repentance by hopes and purposes that when sickness comes and death looks thee in the face then thou wilt repent no no the longer thou hardnest thy self against the word the less hope there is that thine heart will be broken by afflictions But some hope there is that when the word awakens not the rod may But if that do not neither then God be merciful unto thee there is but one thing more and that will certainly do it the unquenchable flames will awaken thee Hell will do that which all the means under Heaven cannot do But that fire will not be thy physick to cure thee but thy plague to kill thy soul for ever The afflictions of this life are Gods physick for the recovering thy soul O take this cup at the hand of the Lord take this physick for thy soul But what is it to take this medicine so as it may be recovering physick 1. Submit to afflictions when God lays them on Be patient and contented that the Lord should afflict thee Do not fret nor murmur at the afflcting hand of God Some froward patients if their Physitian be forced to give any harder physick it will not down but they fret and fume against the physitian as if he were cruel and will not submit to take what he offers them Be patient under the hand of God and submit to what ever he layes on 2. Consider thine afflictions Eccl. 7.14 In the day of adversity consider Affliction is a considering time Sinners you will not consider now but you may have time enough to consider it afterwards You will neither consider what you do Ecles 5.1 They consider not they do evil Nor will you consider what the Lord speaks to you you hear our words that we speak to you from the Lord but we cannot perswade you to consider them Consider what we say and the Lord give you understanding in all things Think over the words that you hear It is a miserable plague that hath seized upon your hearts this inconsideration and that which hinders you from profiting by the word and holds you under your senselessness and hardness of heart Think of what you hear think what a wretched case the word declares you to be in When you hear such words He that committeth sin is of the Devil 1. Joh. 3.8 He that liveth after the flesh shall die Rom. 8.13 He that is not born again cannot inherit the Kingdom of God When you hear such words as these then consider then think with your self what a word have I heard to
Death Eternal Death but if ever God should recover thee again and revive his work and enliven that almost Dead Carkass then at last learn from thine own miserable experience to take heed of taking Cold again as long as thou livest Thus much for the recovering the Heart which is pre-supposed to the keeping of the Heart The Heart thus recovered out of its lost State must be kept and well look'd to that it fall not back again and here 2. Now I shall shew you what it is to keep the heart or how it must be kept and so 1. It must be kept under Government 2. It must be kept under Guard 1. It must be kept under Government here I shall shew 1. The necessity of keeping the Heart under Government 2. How the Heart must be Governed 1. The necessity of keeping the Heart under Government that will appear by considering what an Heart it is and because the Heart is recovered in part and there is much of its Old and Original pravity remaining in it which will be apt to boil up and break forth again I shall a little open the wretched temper and disposition of it which will evidence how great a necessity there is to keep it under Government 1. It is a wicked mischievous heart Jer. 17.9 Desperately wicked Psalm 5.9 Very wickedness Rom. 8.7 Enmity against God It is the Fountain whence all the filthy streams that pollute and defile our lives do flow and are cast forth It is the Furnace whence all the stinking fumes and smoaks that annoy the World are sent forth It is the Nest where all the Cockatrices Eggs are Hatched It is the Sink that gathers in all manner of filth into it and then sendeth it abroad to do mischief Psal 41.6 His Heart gathereth iniquity to it self as the Sinks gather in all the filth of the Town and when he goeth abroad he telleth it only there is this difference between this and other Sinks other Sinks gather in the filth but 't is in order to the conveying it and carrying it away Into this evil evil Sink of the Heart all the filth is gathered and there it stops and stinks and casts it self back in its annoying streams Out of the Heart comes evil Thoughts Murthers Adulteries c. Mat. 15.19 All this Filth and Mudd all this Wickedness and Malignity as it Naturally dwells in every Heart so there 's much of it remaining even in renewed Hearts and will if there be not constant care to keep down and by degrees to cast it out will rise and swell and work up again in them Christians you may thank God that there is Salt cast into these filthy Fountains for the healing these muddy waters that there is a Spring of Living Waters broken in your Hearts by degrees to drain out your Dirt that there is Grace begotten in you to resist and repell the contagion of Lust but this little Grace will be choak'd up again if Lust be not kept under And as it is a Wicked so 't is a Mischievous Heart it 's set upon mischief Wickedness will be doing wickedly as 't is said of the Workers of Iniquity so 't is true of all as far forth as they are unrenewed Mischief is in their Hearts Psal 28.3 There 's the same Reason of keeping our Hearts under restraint as of keeping Mad-men in they will be doing mischief if they have their liberty Besides the mischief that our evil Hearts will be doing to others they will be mischiefing themselves Mad Men will tear their own Flesh will cut and wound themselves if they be let alone and there is no such danger of evil Hearts as in regard of that mischief they do themselves 1. Our evil Hearts will hinder us from doing good to our Selves or of receiving or laying up good for our Selves Rom. 7.19 The good that I would I do not why what hinders See Vers 21. I find a Law the Law of Sin in the Heart When I would do good evil is present with me Gal. 5.17 The Flesh lusteth against the Spirit so that we cannot do the things that we would Sometimes good Counsel is given us from the Lord but we do not take it How many good Counsels have you heard from the Ministry of the Word that are lost and forgotten and come to nothing Sometimes a good motion comes into the Heart to repent and amend our ways to pray or to Meditate or to search out Hearts to cease from this Earth and Flesh from serving our Sense and minding only the present and to lay up Treasure in Heaven and provide for the time to come have you never such motions Do you never hear such a voice within you Get you Baggs that wax not Old a Treasure in Heaven that faileth not Choose the good part lay hold on Eternal Life give your self to Praying keep a good Conscience take heed and beware of Covetousness use more diligence live with more heedfulness have your Conversation in Heaven and keep your self unspotted of the World keep your self in the love of God set the Lord alway before your Eyes behold his Face in Righteousness study to shew thy self approved of God and to walk so in all things that thou mayest be accepted of God are there not such motions as these come into your hearts You that are Christians sure you have many such good motions But how do they take What do they bring forth If you had obeyed all the good motions that you have sometimes felt within you O what manner of Christians would you have been What mortified what circumspect what raised and Heavenly minded Christians had you been But how do your good motions take What success are they attended with Do not you see that they are often strangled in the Birth and die away and come to just nothing Or at least do you not meerly halt and trifle in the pursuace of them If you Pray or hear or set your Hearts to humble your selves before the Lord how are you Distracted and Diverted and Deadned and all your duties spoiled in the doing so that you can have little comfort or real advantage by what yo do Do you not often mourn over your Prayers and Sermons and Sabbaths as meerly lost to you When you would work up your Hearts Heaven ward and fix above when you would love and del ght your selves in the Lord and Solace your selves in the contemplation of the Divine Love and Goodness when you would fain set your Hearts to live such a Godly Conscientious Circumspect Self-denying Life and comfort your selves with such thoughts I hope I shall never live such a Careless Carnal Useless Unsavory Earthly Life again I hope you have many such Thoughts Desires Hopes and Aims you are lamentable Christians if you have not but how do they succed What do they bring forth Do they not often prove Abortive and bring forth nothing May it not be said of you as of those Job 15.35 They conceive
mischief and bring forth vanity or a lie May it not be said of you I have conceived Truth conceived good I have had many hopeful conceptions and yet at last I bring forth a lie I am utterly frustrated and dâ—sappointed of all my good Hopes Desires and Aims But how comes this to pass that you are thus disappointed that your desires succeed not that your labours prosper not that you are brought to no better a pass O this is your evil hearts that hinder you when you would do good evil is present with you so that you cannot do the good that you would 't is that evil Law in your Membets that evil heart that does you all this mischief that spoils all your Prayers that distracts all your holy Meditations that breaks all your holy Purposes that defeats and frustrates all your good designs for a more holy and fruâ—tful life this heart is that which hinders you that you cannot do as you would you cannot pray as you would nor hear as you would nor live as you would and thus it will serve you as long as you live if you do not get those evil hearts into and keep them in better order 2. It tempts and turns us aside after that which is Evil. As our hearts hinder us in that which is good so they betray us and entice and tempt us to that which is naught Jam. 1.14 Every man when he is tempted is drawn aside by his own lust his hearts lust and enticed You that have given up your Names to Christ and count your selves the People of God sometimes turn aside after the Lusts and ways of the World and instead of having your Conversation in Heaven live as men that are written in the Earth mind earthly things live a worldly greedy life and like those 2 Pet. 2.20 who after they seem to have escaped the pollutions of the World through the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ are again entangled therein and overcome Are there none of you Professors with whom 't is thus hath not the world return'd upon you the love of the World and the cares of the World and the inordinate minding and following of the World are you none of you again entangled by the World encumbred by the world and even overcome of those encumbrances 'T would make a tender heart to shake and bleed to consider how sadly this worldly mind and Life hath grown upon Professors and hath eaten out the very heart and life of their Religion O how many Demas's are there amongst the followers of Christ that have forsaken him and embraced this present World Christians in the name of the Lord I warn you I charge you before God and his holy Angels to consider if it be thus with none of you Is it thus with thee How comes this to pass this is a mischief that thine own heart hath done thee Ezek. 33.31 32. Their hearts go after their Covetousness They hear the Word thou art to them as a lovely Song of one that hath a pleasant voice they will hear a good Minister they seem to love a good Sermon the Doctrines of God and his Gospel the Doctrines of Christ and his Redemption and the most enlivening and affectionate discourses of the Righteousness Holiness Kindness Compassion of God in Christ and of the hopes and joyes of his Saints these have a pleasant sound to them they are taken and pleased at the hearing of them but for all this they are gone they have embraced this present World their hearts are gone after their Covetousness And as some mens hearts carry them after their Covetousness so others hearts carry them after their vain company others after their slothfulness others after their carnal Pleasures their hearts have tempted them and by their hearts lusts they are thus drawn aside and enticed Consider these two sorts of mischiefs mens hearts do them their heart hinders them from what 's good and tempts and carries them away after that which is evil and then you will understand what a necessity there is that such mischievous hearts should be carefully kept under government 2. It is an unruly heart It 's said concerning the Tongue Jam. 3.8 It is an unruly evil but whence is the unruliness of the Tongue but from the unruliness of the heart 'T is the heart that is the Lord of misrule Prov. 16.32 He that ruleth his own Spirit is better than he that taketh a City There 's need of more Wisdom of more Watchfulness of more care and skill to rule the heart than to rule a whole City or Countrey Governours of Kingdoms do not find it so hard to rule their numerous People as to govern their own hearts To shew the unruliness of the heart I shall instance 1. In the Thoughts of the heart Who can rule his own Thoughts Who is there that hath such command of his Thoughts that can think of nothing but what he should think of What rovings and stragglings and wanderings are there of the Thoughts Prov. 17.24 The eyes of fools or his Thoughts are in the ends of the Earth running about every where to sin to vanity to impertinencies Consider your selves in your praying or hearing or any of the most serious and important Exercises of Religion your thoughts then most especially should be composed and fixed should be fix'd upon God should be all giving their attendance upon the work of God Those most weighty things the eternal things that you are dealing about should take up all your thoughts But how do we find it at such times what distractions and wandrings and runnings off of our thoughts do we then find We can't hold our selves in to think what we pray for to attend on what we hear and this is the great reason of the deadness of heart in Prayer of the inefficacy and unfruitfulness of our hearing we that preach to you should have more hope of Success upon you if we could but fix your hearts and get you to think more intently on what we speak but when the thoughts are gadding we may to as good purpose speak to Stones as to Souls How is it with you now and how does it use to be with you when you come to the Worship of God where have your thoughts been since you came here how many things have you been thinking of that you should not It may be thy thoughts have been at home all this while or abroad in the Fields upon thy Business or upon thy Pleasures or thou knowest not where Who are there of us that do use to gird up the loyns of our minds and to keep them close to the work we are upon and whether do your thoughts run at other times how little room is there left for the thoughts of God or of our Souls or of the things Eternal amongst those crowds and swarms of worldly thoughts of wicked and vile thoughts of vain and impertinent thoughts which are still thronging in upon us
These evil thoughts are not only from the suggestion of the Devil or from that variety of Objects that we have before us from what we see or hear but are also the streamings up of a corrupt heart as out of a boyling Pot of filthy Liquor or out of a reeking Dunghill there arise stinking and noysom steams and smells so naturally doth a corrupt heart steam up into the head and fill it with vile thoughts and imaginations and therefore the cure that is prescribed for these evil thoughts is the cleansing of the heart from wickedness Jer. 4.14 O Jerusalem wash thine heart from wickedness how long shall vain thoughts lodge within thee Get thine heart washed from its wickedness and that 's the best way to free thy self of wicked thoughts We have many complaints of vain thoughts of disturbing and distracting Imaginations and we hear People asking often How shall I be rid of these evil thoughts Wo is me what wandring roving distracted Thoughts have I so that I can never have comfort in any thing I do but man consider thou art under a worse Disease the unmortified Lusts of thine Heart from whence these Thoughts arise Canst thou bear the Lusts of thine Heart the Pride and frowardness and worldliness of thy Heart canst thou complain of thy Thoughts and not complain of thy Lusts One unmortified Lust hath more mischief in it than an hundred evil Thoughts Thy Duty is to complain more of thy naughty Heart thy naughty disposition and inclination and to get these to be changed and that 's the best way to cure thee of evil Thoughts I say this is the best cure get you better Hearts wash your Hearts from those evil Lusts that dwell in them If you would get rid of worldly Thoughts purge out worldly Lusts if you would be rid of Proud Thoughts get the Pride of your Hearts slain get you an humble Heart and that 's the best cure of proud imaginations if you would be free from vain Thoughts light and impertinent and useless Thoughts get you cured of the Vanity of your Spirits get you to be serious get an Heart more intent upon serious things and that will discharge you of such runagate and vagabond Thoughts It is seldom that People complain of distracting or vain Thoughts but there is a worse Disease whence they arise that they take no notice of Thou hast a vain trifling Heart thou art not in good earnest in thy Religion thou art not sensible of the weight and importance of thine everlasting concerns thou hast an unmortified Heart unmortified Lusts in thine Heart thou lovest the World and lovest thy pleasures and lustest after thine ease or thy carnal delights thine Heart sits too loose from God and the things of God thou art not powerfully and resolvedly bent for the Blessedness to come thine Heart is not yet fixed upon Christ and Christianity this is a worse Disease than evil Thoughts though that be bad enough and the very root from whence they arise Do not therefore enquire barely how shall I be freed from evil Thoughts but chiefly how may I get my Lusts subdued how may I purge out those evil Dispositions and Desires how may I get my Heart more intently fixed on God and things above Get that done once and thy evil Thoughts will quickly fall 2. In the Passions of our Hearts we have unruly Thoughts and unruly passions there is an unruliness in all our Affections who can love and fear and desire and grieve for nothing but what he should what he should fear and desire What we should not fear we fear and what we should fear we cannot What we should love we cannot and what we should not love we set our Hearts upon We cannot raise up good desires in our Hearts nor keep down evil there is an unruliness in all our affections but especially the passion of Anger and Wrath when this breaks forth what Rude and brutish and wild Creatures do men become like a roaring Lion or a ranging Bear like a Bear robbed of her Whelps such is a man in his rage to those that stand in his way The breaking forth of rage is as the breaking forth of fire in an House how much water must there be to quench it this unruliness of Spirit the whole World abounds with proofs of every Countrey every City nay but few Families are there whom their experiences do not teach them what an unruly thing the rage of the Heart of man is And is there not a necessity of keeping such an Heart under Government of governing the Thoughts and governing the Passions and unruly Affections the necessity of Government upon the accompt of the unruliness of our Thoughts and Passions will appear if we consider that our Eternal State is highly concerned in our Thoughts and Passions For 1. These are the Instruments by which men work out their own Salvation or Damnation 2. These are Evidences of what we are in respect of our Eternal State 1. These are instruments by which men work out their own Salvation or Damnation Holy Thoughts holy Affections set us a working out our Salvation the exercising of our Thoughts upon God upon Eternity upon the Blessedness to come and upon the Wrath to come the exercising of our Affections the keeping our Selves in hope of the Salvation of God the keeping our selves in fear of the Reprobation of God the maintaining desires after God and his Salvation these all will be as so many Cords to hold us in as so many Springs to put us on in the way of Salvation Thinking Christians and Hoping Christians and Fearing Christians and Desiring Christians will be Working Christians I thought on my ways and turned my Feet unto thy Testimonies Psal 119.59 He that hath this Hope purifieth himself as God is pure 1 Joh. 3.3 Work out your Salvation with Fear and Trembling Fear a Miscarriage fear falling short fear to be Damned and this will set you a working out your Salvation Men will not work because they do not desire because they do not Fear men do not desire or fear because they will not think think more of God think oftner what 't is to be Saved what 't is to be Damned think much thus and this will stir up your desires and fears desire more the Salvation of God fear more his indignation and Wrath and this will set you to work out your Salvation and to secure your selves from falling into Condemnation And as good Thoughts and well order'd Affections will set us a working out our Salvation so by evil Thoughts and unruly Affections men work out their Damnation Unruly Thoughts disorderly affections in the Soul are as cross Winds or as Storms or Tempests upon the Sea How can the Mariner ever get to the Haven when the wind is contrary and what kindness do Tempests do him but to dash him against the Rocks and drown him in the Deep ungoverned Thoughts and Passions in the Heart are like Mutineers
Counsel be well advised and run not thus headlong upon thine own ruin O hold up such Government in your Spirits that your Hearts may be tractable and flexible plyable Hearts let them be stiff and fast to the concernments of God but loose and easily withdrawn from the interest of Self Stiff against sin stiff against Temptation resolute for Holiness Is thy will brought about for God for Religion for Conscience Stand to it to the Death never be perswaded out of your Religion never be perswaded out of your Consciences or Consciencious walking let your Hearts be resolved for the greatest strictness of Religion and be strict and stiff in such Holy resolutions but never again be so set upon your own wills your Carnal wills here get a pliable Heart never to be perswaded off from God easily to be perswaded back from Self and Flesh It 's Prophesied Isa 11.6 There shall be such a change wrought upon the rough and furious and ravenous Spirits of Sinners by the power of Christ that the Wolf and the Leopard and the Lyon shall be so tamed that a little Child may lead them They shall be so flexible and pliable that they may be easily lead that the least Items or Intimations from God or from Conscience may bring them to any thing that when Lust puts hardest upon them for sin when Self presses most impetuously upon them for minding or pursuing it's Interest or will a Word from God an Item from Conscience may bring them about after the Lord that Self may never be able to fortifie them against Conscience but that Conscience may with ease break the Bands and loose the Cords of Self and command them after their God It was said of Caesar's Souldiers that where his Interest was concerned they were more than Men in their own concernments they were less than Women Let the Servants of Christ learn so much of the Souldiers of Caesar let them be so true so fast to the Interest of Christ and Religion of Holiness that they may be above the Spirit of a Man and so the Spirit of a Christian is above the Spirit of a Man but let them sit so loose from the Interest or the Commands of Self that a Woman or a little Child may bring them back from the pursuance of it that such a word from whatever Mouth it comes what is this Self or this Flesh to thee that thou so hearkenest to it or insistest so upon it Wilt thou obey thine adversary Wilt thou cleave to thy Mortal Enemy Self is no better 't is the worst Enemy thou hast and wilt thou feed thine Enemy Strengthen thine Enemy Fight for thy Enemy That such a word may be enough to countermand the will of the Flesh and to bring the Heart back from obeying it's strongest motions and Lusts This will be the blessed Fruit of a due Heart-government the defeating and subduing of Self-will and the sweet and easie compliance of the Heart with and it's complacency in the will of God and it will be no hard thing for such a Soul to say Not my will but the will of the Lord be done 3. Self-love 1. There is a Self-love which is our Duty there is an innate Principle of Love planted by God himself in the Nature of Man in his State of Innocency God hath made all Men living lovers of themselves and he would have them so That word Thou shalt love thy Neighour as thy Self evidenceth that we must love our selves The fruits of this Self-love are 1. Self-preservation 2. Self-blessing 1. Self-preservation the securing our selves from Mischief the saving our selves from danger Acts 2.40 Save your selves this generation He that said Save your selves from this evil generation hath therein said much more save your selves from Condemnation To save our selves from sin to save our selves from Wrath to save our Souls this is a great Duty lying on every man in this World and this Self-saving or Self-preservation our Self-love will prompt and press us to He that loveth himself will save himself he that duly loveth his Soul will do what he can to save his Soul That men destroy and Damn themselves that men neglect Christ the Author of Salvation that men neglect Religion and Godliness the way of Salvation is for want of a true love to themselves Sinners Christ is Preached unto you and tendred to you and if you lov'd your selves better you would love Christ and accept of him You are exhorted to Repentance to Godliness and if you loved your own Souls you would repent and be holy Thou art an hater of thy Self an Enemy a Murderer of thine own Soul who art not a lover of Christ and of Religion and godliness What a Brute art thou O sinner yea worse than a Brute thou canst love thy Friends thou canst love thy Wife and thy Child thou canst love thy Companions yea thou canst love thy sins and thy lusts only thou hast no love to thy Soul 'T is laid down as a mark of wicked Persons among many others 2 Tim. 3.3 Without natural Affection For a Child to be without natural Affection to the Parents for Parents to be without natural affection to the Child for men to be strangers to their own flesh without natural Affection to their Friends or Relations this is a mark of a wicked man What is it then for men to be without natural affection to their own Souls wilt thou say thou lovest thy Soul when thou so sadly neglectest thy Soul when thou takest no care for thy Soul when for the love of thy Lusts and thy Pleasures and thy Companions thou wilt Damn thy Soul Sinners what have you done for your Souls ever since you were born You have done something for your Flesh you have fed it and cloathed it and wrought hard for it to get a provision and maintenance for it but what have you done for your Souls what pains didst thou ever take that it might be well with thy Soul what knowledge hast thou gotten what Grace hast thou gotten what Peace for thy Soul hast thou gotten Peace with God hast thou done any thing toward the reconciling thy Soul to God thou knowest how little thou hast done thou hast loaden sin upon thy Soul thou hast loaded guilt upon thy Soul thou hast left it like the Soul of a Laodicean Rev. 3.17 Poor and miserable and Blind and Naked that Soul within thee is a miserable Soul a guilty Soul a blinded hardned Soul a polluted naked Soul it would make your hearts ake if you consider'd it in what woful wretched case you have left your Souls to this day If you have so much sense in you think of it and lay it sadly to Heart what a miserable case you have left your Souls in the reason of this is because you are without love to your Souls hence is it that you have had so little care of your Self-preservation 2. Self-blessing Isa 65.16 There is a Self-blessing that is
therefore mine Heart is glad and my Glory rejoiceth Thou wilt shew me the path of Life in thy presence is fulness of Joy and at thy Right hand there are Pleasures for evermore And as it is with Divine Joy the Object whereof is God so is it in a poor and pittiful manner with Earthly Joy the Object whereof is the good things below This Joy is raised from our Contemplating of Worldly things and those Carnal Delights they will yield and thereby sucking out such Juice as they have for our Carnal hearts to feed upon by expectation and hope that these things that we may get get Money get us Estates and the comforts of them and also by our Fruition of them when we get them our loving and taking the delight and contentment of them and according to what we have of these things and the Degree of our Love to them such is the joy that ariseth to us from them 2. I shall give you some Directions for the right raising and due limiting of your Joy 1. Rejoice in the Lord and let your joy in the Lord 1. Bear some Proportion as much as those narrow Hearts can reach to to that fulness and those Everlasting Treasures of infinite Love and Goodness which are in God for you I could tell you something of that satisfaction and rest which your Souls shall one day enjoy in God from the Word of God and the Experiences of some of his Saints will tell you much more but when your Eyes shall come to see God then you will say That one half was not told me If some drops of this Joy let fall upon the Saints here on Earth have sweetned all the Waters of Marah turned their Prisons into Pallaces yea their very Stakes and Gibbets into Triumphal Chariots if a few drops of that Joy have been so sweet and so powerful what will the Rivers of his Pleasures be As the Apostle 1 Joh. 1.4 These things I write so these things I speak that your Joy may be full Rejoice in the Lord and let the Joy of the Lord be your Strength let this Joy be the Strength of your Hearts and the Strength or Top of all your Joyes 2. Let your Joy in God be raised 1. From the Evidence of your Interest in God at present from your sincerity in the grace of God and your Union with Christ You must be in Christ ' ere ever you can rejoyce in Christ Jesus what will it be to Joy in God if God be none of yours Satisfie not your selves with mistaken Joyes There is the Joy of the Hypocrite some there are who upon some light touches of the Word of God upon them and some little change it makes are all on a sudden wrapt up into Extasies of Joy though still they remain short of the grace of God yet they seem to be transported with the Joy of God such Joy often proves to be but as a Flash of Lightning which comes in on a sudden and then vanisheth into greater Darkness Job 20.5 The Joy of the Hypocrite is but for a Moment it comes on a sudden and in a great Flash and on a sudden it is gone again The Joy of the Saints is not so sudden but it is lasting it is not such a glorious Flash but is solid and substantial like a deep River that makes no great Noise when the shallow Brooks make a greater Bubling See that the Foundation of your Joy be laid in Peace and the Foundation of your Peace be laid in Grace Get an Interest in Christ soundness of Heart towards God and sincerity of Love to Christ see to it that you be his own that you be not Hypocrites and Hangby's upon Christ but his real Members and Hearty Disciples Thou rejoicest in God thou rejoicest in Christ Jesus but art thou of the Circumcision Of a Circumcised and Sanctified Heart Dost thou worship God in the Spirit as the Apostles expressions are Phil. 3.3 Is thine Heart with the Lord Dost thou love him with thine Heart and cleave to him with thine Heart and serve him in thy Spirit in thine Inwards and all the Powers of thy Soul If thou art of the Circumcision and thus worshippest God in the Spirit which are the Properties of sincere Disciples then thou mayest rejoice Beware of trusting to the most Elevated Joyes that you seem any of you to have felt in Religion and the Exercises thereof you may seem to have much of the Joy of God who have nothing of the Grace of God Thou mayest carry such Joyes with thee to the Grave and they may drop down with thee into Hell and be swallow'd up of everlasting Sorrow judge not of your Religion by your Joyes but judge of your Joyes by your soundness in Religion See then that thou art gotten beyond an Hypocrite before thou meddle with the Joy of the Saints 2. From your Hope of the Glory of God Rejoice in Hope of the Glory of God Rom. 5.2 Thou that art a real Christian it may be thou hast little sense of the sweetness of Religion thou goest heavily under thy Burthens the Burthen of thy Corruption and Infirmities thou livest much in the Dark the Light of the Lord is within the vail and thou canst perceive but very small glimmerings of it thou goest heavily on thy way hungring and thirsting and fearing and fainting and mourning over thine uncomfortable condition yet lift up the Hands that hang down yea lift up your Heads you disconsolate ones though the Light and the Love and the Comforts and the Kindnesses of God be vailed from thine Eye yet let thine Hope enter into that within the vail Psal 42.11 Why art thou cast down O my Soul Why art thou disquieted within me Why how can it be otherwise wherewithal may I be cheared and comforted Why Hope in God Hope in God for I shall yet praise him who is the Light Let these two Directions go both together 1. Let the Foundation of Joy be laid in sincerity of Grace I can never bid thee rejoice till thou be perswaded to be an Hearty Christian 2. Let your supply of the want of Joy in Sense be made up from the Joy of Hope If thou art a Stranger to all present Joy yet if thou art not a Stranger from Love thou hast this Hope to chear thee that thou shalt verily see the goodness of the Lord in the Land of the Living 3. From your Increases in the Grace of God They are ordinarily the Stronger and more grown Christians who can sincerely rejoice in God Younger Christians are often Mourners and do but go on lamenting after God It 's true there are some Young Converts or that seem to be such whose Joyes meet them at the very entry of Christianity who at the very first being wrought upon seem to be all in a Flame of Love and Joy Jer. 2.2 I remember the kindness of thy Youth and the Love of thine Epousals who have a bright Morning of
but for a Moment 4. Sinners live in their own Light in the Light of their own Fires and Sparks Walk in the Light of your Fire that 's all the Light you have it is all Dark to them from above the Sun shines not the Candle of the Lord gives them no light God speaks Terrour and Trouble to them but they speak Peace to themselves their own Joy and Mirth is all they have to comfort and chear them 5. Sinners Light serves for nothing but to Light them down to Darkness Walk in your Light this shall ye have of mine Hand ye shall lie down in Sorrow Sinners how Light soever your Walk be how Merry soever your Lives be yet what is your lying down like to be He is a Wise Man that taketh care that how uncomfortable or weary soever his Way and his Walk be yet he may have a comfortable lying down Psal 37.37 Mark the Just Man and behold the Perfect Man the End of that Man is Peace But O ye Jolly and Merry Souls what is your End like to be Remember your lying down when your Hearts are Merry within you when you live such Laughing and Sporting Lives in the midst of your Cups of Pleasure your Musick and Dancing your Feasting and Sporting and the Jollity of your Revelling and Rioting think with your selves What doth all this lead to When these Merry dayes are over what a Night am I like to have of it When the Candles of your Worldly Prosperity are Burnt down in what a stinking Snuff will they go out What a stink will they be in your Nostrils When your Fires and your Sparks will Light you no longer then they will burn you your Mirth will burn you your Pleasures will burn you your abused Prosperity your Riches your Money your Plenty and the Joy that you now take in them will burn you and they will burn to the bottom of Hell Will you yet rejoyce in these Carnal things Rejoyce with Trembling Tremble to think what the End of these things will be Prov. 14.13 In the midst of Laughter the Heart is Sorrowful and the End of this Mirth is heaviness if the former of these in the midst of Laughter the Heart is sorrowful c. should not be true if you should Laugh and rejoyce and know no Sorrow if it should be with you as with those Merry ones Job 21.9 Their Houses are far from Fear and your Hearts should be as far from Sorrow as your Houses from Fear if you should have all Sweet and no Bitter all Sun-shine and no Clouds if the first Part should not be true upon you if in the midst of Laughter your Hearts should not be sorrowful yet the latter shall certainly be true there shall be no avoiding of that the End of your Mirth shall be heaviness Hold up while you will maintain the Mirth and the Jollity of your Hearts while you can the End of this Mirth will be heaviness you shall lie down in Sorrow Sinners what will ye choose What would a Wise Man choose A Merry Life or a Joyful Death Which do ye think in your Judgments and Consciences is the best choice to Die in Peace to Die in Joy or to Die in Sorrow How would you have it with you when you come to Die Would you then find that all your Sorrow is gone and now your Joy is come Or would you be forced then to say Now farewel all my Mirth I have seen my last of it and henceforth nothing but Sorrow and Anguish for ever Dost thou not tremble to think What if this should be my Case Know it for a Truth there 's no avoiding it if you go on to live this Merry Jolly Life this shall be thy End thou must lie down in Sorrow Christians envy not the World's Mirth nor let your Hearts lust after it you have other Joyes than their crackling Thorns will yield you have your Sorrows while they have their Mirth but you have this advantage of the World 1. You have Joy in your Sorrows as in the midst of Laughter the Heart is sad so in the midst of your Sorrows your Hearts may be Joyful 2. Your Sorrows shall End in Joy this shall you have of the Hand of your God you shall lie down in Peace You that Sow in Tears shall reap in Joy Psal 126.6 Whilest those that Sow in Mirth shall Reap in Tears you that go on your Way weeping whilest they go on their Way Laughing yet mark the End of both Isa 65.13 14. Behold however it be now behold how it shall be hereafter How shall it be My Servants shall Eat but ye shall be Hungry my Servants shall Drink but ye shall be Thirsty my Servants shall rejoyce but ye shall be ashamed my Servants shall sing for Joy of Heart but ye shall cry for Sorrow of Heart and shall howl for vexation of Spirit and ye shall leave your Name for a Curse to my chosen for the Lord God shall slay thee Now your Enemies Eat and some of you are an Hungry c. But think how it will be in the Day when the Scales be turned when the Sinners Eating Days and Drinking Days and Jolly merry Dayes are over and their Hungring Dayes and howling Dayes overtake them and you that now Hunger and are Sorrowful shall Eat and Drink and be satisfied with the Joy of the Lord. O envy not and meddle not with the sinful Joyes of the World these Strangers shall not meddle with your Joy Prov. 14.10 Meddle you as little with theirs let your God be your Joy and if he give you any matters of rejoycing in this World and allow you some Measures of Joy even in these outward things yet rejoyce with trembling and let your Fear so moderate your Joy in these lower things that you do not lash out into that Carnal Mirth the End whereof is Heaviness Especially when the Matters of Worldly Joy increase upon you you that grow Rich and Prosper in the World that find the World smiling and come crowding in upon you that have even what your Hearts could wish and then feel your Hearts to be tickled and pleased and delighted in your Prosperity then take heed then fear lest you forget God and your Soul and neglect and lose the Joy of the Lord and your care of pleasing the Lord in your abounding Worldly Joyes and never count any such Joyes lawful or safe for you but such as make you to love the Lord the more and serve the Lord with more chearfulness and care If you do not serve the Lord better and walk with God closer and bring forth more of the Fruits of Holiness and Righteousness in more Spirituality and Heavenliness of mind if you be not some way the better God-wards and Heaven-wards in the abundance of all things than you could be or than others are in the want of all things count that Prosperity greater cause of trembling than of rejoycing to you 4.
in these Dayes remember how is it with poor Jerusalem Is our Jerusalem in Prosperity Doth the Church of Christ flourish Is Religion and sincere Christianity countenanced and encouraged Are not the Tents of Jacob smitten and fallen and do they not look Black and all torne and Weather-beaten It was said once though by an evil Tongue Numb 24.5 How goodly are thy Tents O Jacob and thy Tabernacles O Jerusalem But where is their Goodness where is their Beauty Are not the Daughters of Zion all Sun-burnt with Affliction 'T was said once by the Church I am Black but Comely Cant. 1.5 Sun-burnt with Affliction but Beautiful through Grace but may it not now be said We are Black and Deformed not only Sun-burnt but Collied Black as a Coal by Iniquity Is there not only a Marring of our outward Beauty but a failing of the very Spirit and inward Beauty of Christianity Though it were once said Psal 45.13 The Kings Daughter is all glorious within and her Cloathing of wrought Gold must it now be said Our cloathing is in Sack-cloth and we are become Black and Pale and all Withering within Is not Christianity in most Places dead at the Heart May there not an Ichabod be Named among us The Glory the inward Glory is departed from Jerusalem It 's well for us if it be not thus with us if the Pale Horse hath not ridden into our very Inner-man if there be not Death in our Hearts if our Faith and our Love and our Holiness and our Zeal be not dead if we be not grown stark Cold many of us or at least our highest pitch be not Lukewarmness Consider how 't is with your selves but if it be better with us O that it were so O that the Lord had not a Controversie with us even with us for the loss that we are at and the fall that is to be seen among us but if it were better with us in our Particulars than it is yet forget not how it is abroad with the generality of Professors amongst us It is in every Bodies Mouth what a general and lamentable Decay there is every where of the Soul of serious Christianity And is all this nothing with you Is this a Season to rejoice and make Merry in Ezek. 21.9 10. A Sword a Sword is sharpned and is also furbished it is sharpned that it may make a sore Slaughter it is furbished that it may glitter should we than make Mirth Beloved we may Read in our Decayes and Hypocrisies that the Lord may be sharpning and furbishing an outward Sword against us to avenge and to punish an Hypocritical Nation But the Spiritual Sword of the Lord is sharpned already and what a sore Slaughter hath it made What a Slaughter of the Faith and the Hopes and of the Graces and the Comforts of the Love of the Humility of the Meekness of the Self-denial what a Slaughter hath been made of all these already How little of them is there left alive Is there such a Spiritual Sword such a Javelin smitten through the Heart such a sore Slaughter made of the very Spirit of Religion and should we yet make Mirth Is this a Season to be so Merry or so Jolly in What a Woe is there denounced Amos 6.1 6. against those Merry ones and Jolly ones upon this Account that they are not grieved for the Afflictions of Joseph and what should we be Merry and so Merry as to be without Sense of the Afflictions and also of the Sins of Joseph The inward Languishings and Consumptions of the People of God Christians I doubt we have too much forgotten all this we do not consider we do not remember or lay it to Heart how sadly it goeth with the Interest of Christianity among us sure it would change many of our Countenances and abate us our Pleasant Hours were this duly Weighed It is our Fault and our Sin that it is thus with us and 't is a sign that thou art of the Number of those sick Souls thou art one of them there is a sad Slaughter made in thine own Soul thine Heart languisheth and thy Grace is whithered 't is a Sign it is so if thou canst be so Merry and not to be Afflicted with the Whitherings of others O Friends remember these things and whatever Rejoycings you have in outward things let these things be an allay to them Rejoyce as if ye Rejoyced not Weep as if you Wept not saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 7.30 I cannot say the latter word to you in such a time Weep as if you Wept not but Weep as if you wept Weep in good earnest Weep heartily Weep abundandly let your Eyes run down with Tears I cannot say Weep as if you Wept not but yet rejoyce as if you rejoyced not abate and moderate all your Joy and Mirth 4. For our Fear this is well governed when we fear nothing but what â—e should fear and this we fear as much and no more than we should For the Regulating our fears First We are to keep our Hearts in a due fear of what we should fear 1. God is to be feared The Glory of his Excellent Majesty of his Holiness of his Righteousness of his Omnipotence and all his Glorious Attributes The Attributes are his Glorious and Fearful Name Deut. 28.58 That thou mayest Fear that Glorious and Fearful Name the Lord thy God this fear of God is a Fear of Reverence to Fear God is to stand in aw of his Glorious Majesty but in special there must be a fear of the Indignation of God and the Power of his Wrath. Luke 12.5 I will tell you what you should fear fear him who is able to destroy both Soul and Body the fear of God is the Ground and Reason of all other Fears 2. Sin is to be Feared 2 Sam. 1.14 How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine Hand and destroy the Lords Anointed It was thy Wickedness thy great Sin to do that Act How is it that thou wert not afraid to do it Sin is the most formidable of Evils if Men knew what it were to Sin against God 't would make them tremble not only great sins but little sins not only open but the most secret sins there 's enough in every sin to make Men afraid that Men are so vile and so wicked as they are it is because they fear not sin fear sin and you will fly from it 3. Temptations to sin are to be feared Therefore we are to pray Lead us not into Temptation It is our fear that must bring us on our Knees to make this Hearty Prayer If sin be to be feared then whatever enticeth or leadeth to sin is to be feared Some of our Temptations are to be feared and shunned evil Companions are a Temptation these must be shunned the liberty of unnecessary Sports and Recreations of sumptuous Feastings of curious and costly Apparel c. are Temptations and therefore must be shunned others of our
who will reply why they were even as good come amongst us as amongst some of your selves and as much they are like to get and as little harm by us as by you Friends I have more than once provoked you to be more Spiritual and more Heavenly in your Converses but what hath been the fruit Is it better then it hath been O that you could tell me it was I thank God it is a little better I have set mine heart upon it I have put my self to it to bring forth something of what I have learned for others benefit I must tell you this unprofitableness is an ill sign as to your selves as well as it may be a snare to others barren lips are a sign of barren hearts 't is to be feared there is not so much of Christ within you when there is so little coming forth that there is but little truth in your hearts when there is so little Grace in your lips O Friends that you would yet check your selves for this neglect that you would yet charge it upon your hearts to be more fruitful this way To what purpose are you preach'd unto to what purpose do I warn you if you will not amend I 'le tell you one way to help it Let your own hearts be more set upon God get more spiritual savour more life and power of holiness in your own spirits and it will find an easier vent More divine Communion will be the best help to more holy Communication But this by the way 5. For our Grief or Sorrow I shall shew here 1. That the Object of our Sorrow is evil The Evils we are to greive for are 1. Sin 2. Misery or Affliction 2. What are the due degrees and just limits of our Grief 1. Sin This is the great and special object of Sorrow and sorrow for Sin is the best and most necessary of sorrows Sin is a grievous evil and it most calls for grief of heart He loves neither God nor himself that grieves not for sin Sin is the abuse of God and the wrong of our own Souls How canst thou say thou lovest God if thou canst abuse him or see him abused without sorrow how canst thou say thou lovest thy self when thou canst wrong thy self and not be grieved what wilt thou grieve for if not for that which is so provoking to God and so distructive to thy self Sin seems good in the eyes of sinners and therefore it seldom troubles them 't is that which pleaseth them and suits with their tempers 't is that which profits them and brings them in all their gains Sinners that must hereafter die for their sins do at present live by their sins they are beholding to their sins for their livelihood Some men live by lying and stealing and defrauding by Coveteousness and oppression 't is that which brings them in their Estates they had been some of them but poor men if their sin had not gotten them Estates Others live by their Pleasures and carnal merriments 't is their mirth and their pleasure that keeps them alive Sorrow and Melancholy they think would kill their hearts Sinners live upon their sins and therefore will not be grieved at them But though thou thinkest thou livest by thy sins thou must die for thy sins thy sins are making a grave for thee and carrying thee to it thy sins are preparing an Hell for thee and leading thee down to the chambers of Death Thy sin spoils thee at present of all that is good and makes thee good for nothing but to be fuel for the fire Holiness prepares the Saints and makes them meet for the inheritance of the Saints in light Col. 1.12 and sin prepares sinners and makes them meet for the inheritance of everlasting darkness fit to serve none but the Devil fit to dwell with none but the Devil Sinners you that go on in your sins you are herein but fitting and preparing you for the Devil This Pride that you live in these Pleasures that you live in this Covetousness that you live in by all these the Devil is preparing you for Hell There is a fire prepared for you Mat. 25.41 Everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels there is an Hell prepared for you and your sin is as fast as it can preparing you for that place of Torment Your going on in your sin is your ripening for wrath thou art almost ripe already and art ripening every day and as soon as thy sin hath but made thee fully ripe thou droppest as ripe fruit uses to do down thou droppest to rottenness into the grave and into the darkness of the pit Thou art grown to that height in sin that thou mayst be ripe before to morrow and as soon as thou art ripe thou wilt be rotting thy Body in the dirt thy Soul in Hell This is the fruit that sinners get and shall get at last by their sins Rom. 6.23 The wages of sin is death But yet because at present they live by their sins their sins make them merry their sins make them Rich they get money by them they get Estates by them therefore they are not troubled though they sin they will not sorrow Thou hast smitten them but they have not grieved Jer. 5.3 'T is said with respect to the punishment of sinners and it might be said concerning them they have smitten themselves and yet have not grieved Sin seems good in the eyes of sinners and therefore it doth not trouble them but sin seems to be sin to Saints Rom. 7. that is the greatest and worst of Evils for so sin when it appears to be sin doth appear to be the worst of Evils and therefore to them its matter of Sorrow When sin appears to be exceeding sinful as the Apostles Expression is before then the heart will be exceeding sorrowful the degrees which by the right Government of the heart this sorrow for sin is held up to and the bounds and limits it is held within are these 1. This sorrow must be so great as to answer the ends and bring forth the proper fruits of it The end of this sorrow and the fruits it must bring forth the Apostle tells us 2 Cor. 7.9 is Repentance I rejoyced that ye sorrowed unto Repentance And ver 11. This self-same thing that ye sorrowed after a godly manner what carefulness it wrought in you yea what clearing of your selves c. What ever trouble for Sin what ever sorrow any of you have in your hearts if it doth not bring forth Repentance a forsaking and turning from sin if this sorrow doth not work a fear of falling back into sin if it doth not work a care of preventing your fall if it do not work to Indignation and Zeal against Sin if it leave you the Friends of sin still the followers of sin still if this be all you can say I am troubled at it but I cannot help it it 's my trouble that I am a Drunkard it
's my grief that I am a Worldling or proud or froward but God be merciful to me I can't get rid of these evils if your sorrow whatever it be doth not bring forth Fruit unto Repentance it is not wrought up high enough there must be more load layd on there must be more of its Thorns and Spears and Stings thrust into that hard Heart of thine thou must feel more of its Gripes it must fetch out more Groans and Sighs and Tears out of thee thou must be brought to another manner of trouble for sin then yet thou art e're it reach the due degree of Godly sorrow 2. This sorrow must not be so great as to hinder the exercise of any other Grace or Duty 't is seldom there is an errour in the excess we don't use to sorrow over much no no we are apt to err in the defect we do not usually come up to sufficient sorrow our hearts have but a light hurt upon them our wounds ordinarily are not deep enough 't is this which mostly undoes us we find our sin to be too light a burthen 't were well if our hearts were more sick that we could find them bleeding inwardly and bleeding more abundantly as 't was said of false Teachers Jer. 6.14 They heal the hurt of the Daughters of my People slightly It is seldom that we can now a dayes hear of such a thing as a troubl'd Soul and a wounded Spirit We are even Professors of too whole and unbroken hearts The Sacrifice of God is a broken heart Psal 51.17 but how few such Sacrifices are there any where found for the Lord The work of the Ministry God helps us is seldome that more acceptable work an healing work to heal the wounded Soul to bind up the broken heart to comfort them that are cast down but the main of our work lyes in making wounds in pricking to the heart in casting down the high and hardned hearts Is not there much of this work lying upon our hands to be hammering and humbling and piercing your hearts through with Godly sorrow How few are there of you who can truly say I thank God this work is done upon me the breaking work the afflicting work the affrighting work is done upon me my heart through Grace is brought low and made soft and made sick of my sins so that I am prepared for the healing and comforting work That sharp two edged Sword of the word hath pierced so deep and made such work such wounds in my heart that now the Oyl is more needed and the Balm to heal my wounds O it is matter of trouble and sadness of heart to find no more such sad Souls and sorrow bitten hearts then we can either see or hear of in the World 'T is seldom therefore I say that there is too much of this sorrow that trouble for sin riseth too high but yet sometimes and in some cases it may be so there may be an excess of sorrow for sin Christians may be pressed down over measure they may be swallowed up of overmuch sorrow as the Apostle intimates and would have prevented 2 Cor. 2.7 Comfort such an one lest perhaps he should be swollowed up of overmuch sorrow Therefore in this case there must be Limits set to our sorrow and it must be held within these Limits It must be so much only as may not hinder the exercise of other Graces and Duties it must neither hinder our Hopes nor hinder our Faith nor our Love no nor our Joy in the Lord It should be with Christians in this case as with the Apostle in another case 2 Cor. 6.10 As sorrowing yet alwaies rejoycing Sorrowing yet believing sorrowing yet hopeing cast down yet comforted It must not hinder our Duties Some Christians have been so overwhelmed with trouble that they have not been able to hear nor pray nor think with any Comfort upon God or the things of God this is an excess of sorrow and must be restrained Sorrow for sin no more then will help you to believe and Hope and Love and praise and serve the Lord. 2. Affliction This is another object of sorrow The Degrees and Limits of this are 1. That we sorrow not so little but that we have a due and a deep sense of the hand of the Lord upon us Otherwise we despise the chastning of the Lord which the Apostle forbids Heb. 12.5 Despise not thou the chastning of the Lord. By afflictions I mean here the sufferings of this Life Crosses and Losses of Estates of Friends Husband Wife Children or near Relations Sufferings in our persons by Sicknesses Pains Languishing and the like these must be grieved for God complaines Jer. 3.5 I have smitten them but they have not grieved 'T was their sin that they did not sorrow 2. That we sorrow not so much as to sink under our sorrows That we be not swallowed up of overmuch sorrow As we may not slight or despise the chastnings of the Lord so we may not faint when we are chastned The Apostle tells us 2 Cor. 7.10 That worldly sorrow the sorrows of worldly-men for their worldly crosses worketh Death It sometimes kills their Bodies some men die of their griefs but it often kills their Hearts sinks them in their Spirits stupifies them and makes them fit for nothing We may not be so depressed with sorrows but that we still keep our Hearts alive and to be of good courage 3. Not as men without hope We must sorrow for all our afflictions but as the Apostle would have Christians sorrow for the dead 1 Thess 4.13 Sorrow not says he as others which have no hope The Righteous hath hope in his Heart and his hope must moderate his sorrow This sad state will not last alwaies there 's hope of an end of his afflictions and that should moderate his sorrow The Righteous hath hope in his Death Prov. 14.32 and hath this double hope 1. That Death will put an end to his sorrows 2. That the end of his Sorrows shall be the beginning of Everlasting Joyes and in this hope he must comfort himself under his sufferings and moderate his sorrows for them 4. Alwaies as men that have worse matters to sorrow for The least sin is a worse evil then the greatest affliction and calls for more of our sorrow Christians must take heed that they do not loose the sense of sin in their excessive sorrowing for affliction When affliction lyes too heavy sin usually lyes too light Jer. 30.15 Why cryest thou for thine affliction because thy sins were increased I have done these things unto thee Why art thou impatient under thy sufferings Whatsoever thou sufferest how hard soever it goes with thee in the World there 's a worse thing then all this that should set thee a crying thy sin thy sin which is the root of all that which thou sufferest 5. Let your sorrow for Affliction never be so great as to hinder your sorrow for sin Sorrow more
meek man none would be a fury but a Fool. Meekness of Spirit is the way to get every mans love and good opinion and the way to our own ease and serenity of heart Frowardness and fretfulness is its own punishment what vexations and galls are such Persons to their own hearts and what a reproach and a by-word and an odium are they to others Others are easily provoked and hardly pacified a little spark will kindle a fire but many waters will not quench it A soft answer saith Solomon Prov. 15.1 turneth away wrath In some 't will but in others neither soft nor hard words will do it no contending no stooping no yielding no loving obliging words or carriage will stop the current till time hath a little allayed and worn it out This is a wretched temper and next to the worst soon angry and long angry Others are soon angry and never pacified The grudge of their hearts is a cancer in their breasts there it corrodes and frets but will not be cured These are Devils incarnate 't is the malice of the Devil that is implacable malice That 's the 4th limit not long Angry 5. Restrain the sinful effects of Anger Such as are 1. Angry looks we read Prov. 25.23 of an angry countenance an angry look is either a furious look the fire of the heart sparkling out at the eye or a sowre and sullen a dogged or discontented look 2. Angry words as reproachful words Mat. 5.22 Racha or thou fool calling names Liar Theef Varlet Knave or railing and bitter words words dipped in Vinegar or Gall spoken on purpose to irritate and provoke 3. Distances and Estrangements Keeping aloof refusing society with those we are angry with I 'le do him no hurt but I 'le never have to do with him more there 's an angry resolve Never talk you are not angry whilst this fruit of it distance and estrangement continues 4. Revenge When the grudge lyes burning within and watching to do him an ill turn or to be even with him as they usually express it Revenge is the intending endeavouring or doing hurt to such as offend us to satisfie our malice and wrath We may right our selves upon those that abuse and wrong us either in our Estates or our Names in just and honest ways and in such cases where God or Conscience or the honour of Religion does not call upon us to suffer wrong and pass by or put up abuses we may right our selves in case of wrongs but never out of Malice to satisfie our wrathful hearts Some wretched spirits there are that in some trifling offences that are offered them could pass them by but only for the satisfying their malice their wrath must be satisfied This if it be a righting of thy self yet if that which puts thee upon it be the malice of thy heart this is a revengful righting of thy self how often do some men speak at such a rate not so much that I do regard the thing but I scorn to be abused Well these are the limits to bound your Anger Be not angry with God nor any of his Providences be not sinfully angry with men not soon angry not angry without a cause not over angry where you have a cause not long not implacably angry lay aside an angry look restrain an angry tongue and beware of meditating revenge let not there be a secret grudge remaining which will make revenge sweet to thee Now because this is a great peice of the Government of the heart and of great difficulty I shall direct you to some means for the bringing it about 1. Prize seek and maintain your peace with God 1. This will find you other work to do then to mind every little offence that comes athwart you The wrath of God is as the roaring of a Lion Whilst you are in fear of that or caring how to escape it you will not mind the barking of a Dog or the hissing of a Goose What hast thou nothing else to take up thy thoughts then these trivial things its an ill sign 't is a sign thou mindest not God as thou shouldst nor thy soul as thou shouldst when thou art so apt to be in a pett at every little thing 2. Your breaking peace with men is your breaking peace with God Art thou sinfully angry with thy brother or with thy husband or thy Wife take heed God is angry with thee Psal 18.26 With the froward thou wilt shew thy self froward You that are given to frowardness study that Scripture and tremble Canst thou stand before an angry God wouldst thou that God should carry it as frowardly towards thee as thou catriest it towards others wouldst thou see such a frowning face wouldst thou hear such words of fury from the Lord against thy Soul thou must look for no other from him if thou carriest it thus frowardly to thy Friends Mind your peace with God more be more solicitous about the taking up that deadly Controversie that hath been betwixt him and thee and prevent the raising of new quarrels with God and then we should have fewer quarrels one with another Is it peace betwixt God and thy Soul is all fair and friendly betwixt him and thee methinks thou shouldst bear any thing then from men Is it not peace betwixt God and thee Is that great work yet to do Is there such a weighty concern lying upon thee Is thy Peace with God yet to make What a foolish wretch art thou to disturb thy self with these little matters 2. Totally espouse the interest of God and renounce the interest of this Self and Flesh It is this self that is the make-bate and the rise of all our quarrels If you would know no other interest but the interest of God you would never be angry but where you should be angry you would only be angry with sin against God If you had renounced your felfish and fleshly interest you would never take its part nor take up the Cudgels on its side all our carnal anger it is but our taking part with carnal self any thing that 's spoken or done against thy self anger must be called up to revenge this quarrel Be more zealous for the interest of God and these quarrels of self would cease 3. Know that a pettish angry disposition whilst it remains unconquered will make thee a briar and a thorn to whatever company thou art in Yea and 't will make every one else seem to be a briar and thorn to thee What wouldst thou have people say there dwells a wasp or an hornet there goes a briar or thorn take heed how you come near him least you be scratch'd or stung If you would not make every one else to seem a briar and thorn or wasp to you then kill this wasp in your own bosom If people would but study more their own ease and the calme of their own hearts and to be freed from those troublesome boylings and burnings of their own Spirits they
do by David who he feared would be King in his roome He did all he could to rid the Country of him He persecuted him from City to City from hold to hold and raised Forces against him to slay David Look with the same evil Eye at Lust as Saul did on him prosecute it from hold to hold seek the Life of this Flesh which is every day undermining your Souls and taking the Government out of your hands O Friends that you were deeply sensible what a mischievous and mortal Enemy this carnal mind this carnal heart these Fleshly Lusts are to you say of these not only as Rebekah of the Daughters of Heth I am weary of my life but I am in danger of my life because of the Daughters of Heth. O it were a comfort might one hear Christians more heartily groaning under their Tyranny Wo is me because of this proud heart wo is me because of this froward pettish angry impatient Spirit O this envy O this Earthliness O this sluggishness wretched man that I am who shall deliver me It would be comfortable to hear you groaning I do not say complaining complaints often come not deep but sighing and groaning and mourning in secret before him who seeth in secret this hearty mourning and affliction under your Lusts is a degree of striving against them and hearty striving is a degree of victory over them When you are once come heartily to say I can never have ease and I will never have peace with this pride or Covetousness or any of my Lusts and if they abide in me they shall never abide in peace in me if I cannot utterly conquer them through the help of God I will never give over fighting against them if they remain in me I hope they shall never again reign in me I will resist them I will pray against them I will watch against them I hope I shall never again resign up to this Pride or this Covetousness but will withstand them in the Name of the Lord will I withstand them to him I resign up the Government of my Soul in hope that he will make my Foes my Foot-stoole Friends such a resolved and effectual striving against Lust is a fair degree of conquest and when your Enemies are thus put under your Feet you may then with the more ease have the Government of your selves upon your Shoulders But O beware of a Flesh favouring Heart beware of a Lust excusing heart The good party Grace must be excited and upheld Christians must hold an hard hand and a straight hand upon Lust upon every Lust there 's no good to be done whilst these are suffered and they must quicken and cherish and encourage every little spark of the Grace of God These are the good Subjects in the Kingdom which must be countenanced and upheld 2 Tim. 1.14 That good thing which is committed to thee keep by the Holy Ghost Whatever that good thing was that's there meant it is certain that the Grace of God is the great good thing that must be kept keep it safe that it be not lost keep it alive that it grow not to decay keep it in good likeing nourish and cherish the Grace of God Kings must be nursing Fathers Queens nursing Mothers to their good Subjects So must Christians be to the good in their hearts keep Grace in good plight and keep it in good order keep it in action Let your Faith be working Faith let your Love and your Holy desires be working Love and working desires There 's no way to keep Grace in Life without you keep it in action Holy action is both the end of keeping Grace in Life and the means to maintain its life O Christians keep your Graces in constant exercise be busily working for God and Glory do not let these precious Talents rust for want of use whilst Grace lies idle or asleep then Lust Lords it in the Soul If you keep it not in constant action to the crucifying of Lust Lust will be busie a crucifying of Grace VVhat Government will there be when Governours side with and take the part of evil ones and curb and discountenance or take part against them that are good If you would govern your hearts aright take part with the Grace that is in you and take up Arms against Lust Thou hast Pride in thy heart thou hast frowardness thou hast Covetousness but wilt thou take part with these VVilt thou be on the side of thy lusts Tread upon them be glad be thankful for every word for every Friend that will speak against the Pride and Covetousness of thy Heart Be not angry when thou art checked or reproved be thankful for any thing that speaks against them But take part with the good that is in you when the Spirit lusteth against the flesh when Grace rises and resists Corruption when the interest of Christ within thee crosseth and contradicteth the interest of the Flesh take part with Christ and his Grace We are too apt to take part with our Flesh when we do not think we do When the Flesh enticeth us to what we would have this liberty or that gain or pleasure we sometimes to do our Flesh a kindness will study arguments to prove it good and right which Flesh would have Though it be naught or pernicious yet because its pleasing to our Flesh we do what we can to prove it lawful and good This is a taking part with the flesh a siding with and strengthning this Rebel On the other side when Grace calls us to Duties that are contrary to the Flesh to hard and self-denying Duties to more strictness to more Severity then our flesh can bear then we often study Objections against it Christ is not so austere but while we thus take part with the flesh the evil that is in us and thereby take part against the good that is in us what Government is there like to be all the while in those hearts where the Rebels are sided with and the good Subjects discountenanced and opposed 5. In strengthning the sinews of Government Rewards and Punishments What are laws what Government can there be if there were no Rewards and Punishments Who would obey if there were no reward to obedience who would fear to rebel if men should suffer nothing for their rebellion Rewards and Punishments are the Sanction and strength of Laws Now for the strengthning of these sinews of Government consider 1. That there is an eternal World After we have made an end in this World there is another where we must have a being Man dyeth not as a beast dyeth as a Dog or a Swine as a Wiseman dieth not as a Fool dieth so neither do Wise men or Fools die as a Beast dieth there is not an end of us when we die as there is of the Beasts that perish we pass away out of this into another World Eccl. 12.7 Then shall the dust return to the earth and the spirit to God
since that I knew and was acquainted with and did eat and drink with and buy and sell with that now are no more seen Where are they all they are all passed over and gone into the other World They are gone and I am following after I must shortly be with them The Saints that are dead and gone they are entred into their Reward they are gone to Christ they are entred into the joy of their Lord and if I be one of them partaker of the same Faith walking in the same holy steps I also shall have the same reward The sinners that are dead and gone they are entred into their Reward shut out from the Presence and Joy of the Lord and shut up under Chains of darkness and burning in the Furnace of Fire and if I follow them in their sins and be impenitent therein a little while hence I shall I shall overtake them I shall have my chain with them my furnace with them Well let this be one thought of your hearts how nearly you are all concern'd in the other World and how certainly you shall be there As sure as you have a being for a time in this World so sure shall you every one of you have an Eternal being in the other World either in the everlasting pleasures above or the everlasting pangs and plagues below 2. Think much this thought Which of these two states in Eternity must be my state is determining every day It is thy present life thine every days course here that must determine the Case whither thou must when thou goest hence Rom. 2.7 8. Thy reward must be according to thy work thy reaping must be according to thy sowing Gal. 6.7 8. Think with your selves I am every day working for Eternity sowing for Everlasting what would you reap what would you should be your reward in the other world I know what you would answer here I would reap in Mercy I would be rewarded in Joy and Glory But what must you reap where must your reward be why that you are every day determining Look what your ways and your works are such your reward must be Sow in Righteousness and you shall reap in mercy Hos 10.12 Sow in tears and you shall reap in j y. Psal 126.6 But if you sow in Tares sow to your flesh sow Sin and Vanity I leave it to your selves to judge what your reaping must be Were such thoughts abiding upon our hearts what manner of Persons should we then be Is this the business of my life Is this the great debate of every day where mine everlasting dwelling must be whether in the Paradiâ—e of God or in the dungeon with Devils whether in everlasting Blessedness or Burnings Is this the great question to be resolved and determined what I shall be hereafter by what I am every day O no more sinning against God O no more neglecting of Christ O no more hardness and impenitency of heart O no more of this worldliness or wantonness or drunkenness mine heart shakes to think whither these are carrying me and where they will lay me Arise O my Soul shake off these Lusts shake thy self out of sleep 't is high time to awaken stop stop this evil course cast off the works of darkness least thou be suddenly swallowed up of Everlasting darkness 3. Think this thought The state and the way of mine heart is the great thing that must determine what mine eternal state must be My works must determine what my reward must be and the state of mine heart will determine what my works will be Well now exercise your selves to such thoughts dwell in such Meditations and think not that you have done any thing to purpose till your thoughts have begotten strong impressions upon your hearts and you are wrought to a sense of those great things and let your sense of them be an abiding sense O what even and steady lives should we then live the evenness of our lives will be both the beauty of our Conversations when there is a due proportion of our dayes one to another this will make our lives beautiful and 't will be the evidence of our integrity Fits of Devotion fits of holy Affections will prove little to us of our uprightness our deadness and dumps when those fits are overs will weaken all our hopes and confidences and call all into question It is our standing holy Affections that will be our standing Comfort O friends how uneven and unsteady are we what unstable Souls what wandring stars are we how sadly different are we from our selves sometimes in our secret duties or at publick Ordinances our hearts seem full of God full of heavenly Affections What movings what meltings what enlargements of heart do we feel all spirit and love and joy and then shortly after behold all is lost our Sun dips into a Cloud the stars fall to the Earth our Spirits sink and flag and the flesh gets up again O if we could but hold in the serene temper we sometimes are in what a life should we have of it but it doth not hold we are given to Changes the temper of our hearts often change with our business and employments when we are busying our selves about the things of God then we are spiritual and heavenly 't were well if it were so always when we are called forth about our earthly employments we become as earthly as other men Do you none of you find it so do you not complain 't is so Lord help me it is even too true I even find it so with me sometimes our tempers change with our company when we are conversant with those that fear God there is some Spirit and some savour in our Converses O it were well if it were alwayes so sometimes and too often we are barren and carnal and dead in the best Society our conversing with Christians is too often an useless and carnal and unsavoury Converse But if it be better with us when in good company how doth it use to be when we fall into carnal company or vain company we seem to have even quite lost our God and our Religion our eternal concernments are laid by and our care about them is intermitted our God and our Souls are thrust behind the door or trodden under foot Whence is all this O our sense of eternal things is for the time worn off Brethren God is the same God Mal. 3.6 I am the Lord I change not There 's the same eye of God upon you wherever you be he that looks how you carry it in your Duties looks upon you in your businesses looks upon you in every company Where-ever you are and as God is the same God so your everlasting concernments are still the same Heaven is as much to be desired Hell as much to be feared your Salvation is to be as carefully wrought out you have as important business lying upon you every where as you have any where and this work will never
prosper if it hath not your constant care 'T is true we are not to speak the same words in all Companies and our behaviour is not to be alike in its particular Circumstances in all Companies but in the general a serious and holy behaviour the carrying our selves so as men that are in a journey heavenwards the owning and propagating serious Religion the behaving our selves so that others may evidently see the spirit of Glory and of God resting upon us and may be both convinced that God is in us of a truth and if it be possible be gained to God or at least made ashamed of their own sinful and carnal ways Such a temper should we be in and such a carriage should we be of in what Company soever we be we are alwayes in the sight of God and we should be no where but upon business for God and we should carry our selves as such What the Apostle speaks of his Ministry should be exemplified in the practise of Christians 2 Cor. 2.17 As of sincerity as of God in the sight of God so speak we in Christ Wherever you are behave your selves in sincerity in simplicity whatever you speak speak it as in the sight of God be faithful approve your selves to God in all that you do O friends this even this steady this sincere course of life this universal approving your selves to God in all you do will be the fruit of such an abiding sense of God upon your hearts This will be the poise that will make you move swiftly this will be the Ballast that will make you sail steadily And this swift and steady motion heavenward will both make you appear to be Christians indeed and mightily improve and advance your souls in that grace of God that bringeth Salvation O beloved that this now might be the fruit of these many words that I have spoken to you that you would every one of you set your hearts to it to get and to hold such a deep sense of the eternal things upon your spirits as might have influence to the carrying you on in this even and steady course Do not every one of you need some establishment more settledness more fixedness in an heavenly frame do not you feel your selves so up and down so off and on that you can hardly fix Would it not be more comfortable for you if you could get to be more like the unchangeable God that as he is the same God so you might be the same Christians of the same Spirit of the same way so fixed and composed in your Spirits that you might not be moved from the hope nor from the holiness of the Gospel would it not be comfortable to you were it thus with you would it not be much to the honour of the Gospel and to the joy of your own Souls then once again I exhort you by the Lord Jesus get this sight of God in your eye keep this sense of God upon your hearts which will have its fruit unto this settled and even course of holiness the end whereof will be everlasting life This is that which I strive for and am reaching towards in mine own Soul and I must say with the Apostle Phil. 3.12 I press these things upon you not as though I had already obtained but I follow after if I may obtain through Christ Jesus And what I seek and wait and hope for in mine own Soul my hearts desire is that you also may follow after and be partakers of the same Grace that my Soul is in pursuit of that you and I may rejoyce together in the day of the Lord. Thus much for the keeping the heart under Government 2. Keep the Heart under Guard Keep it and all the good that 's in it in safety that it be not lost Christians must keep their Hearts as Worldlings keep their Money and their Jewels and their writings by which they hold their Estates If they have any stronger or safer place than other there they lay them up and whatever else they have to look to their special eye and their strictest Watch is upon their treasure And here I shall shew you 1. Why Christians must especially guard their hearts 2. How Christians must guard their hearts 1. Why Christians must especially guard their hearts They must set a guard upon their tongues they must watch their words and all their carriages but above all keeping they must keep their hearts So the word in the Text is rendred and interpreted by some keep the heart with diligence above all keepings Keep the heart but why so because the heart is 1. The fountain of Life 2. The spring of all vital actions 3. The record of all our sacred Transactions 4. The cabinet of our Jewels 5. Our box of evidences 6. The ark of our strength 7. A sacrifice for God 8. The temple of the Lord. 1. Because the heart is the fountain of Life It is the reason urged in the Text for out of it are the issues of Life The issues that is the streams or rivuâ—ets of life The heart is the fountain from whence all our living streams do flow Christ is our life and the seat or habitation of Christ is in the heart therefore that expression Col. 1.27 Christ in you the hope of Glory The hope of the Saints is a living and lively hope the life of our hope is from Christ and from Christ within us Eph. 3.17 Christ dwells in the heart by Faith The heart Natural is the fountain of Natural Life it is the primum vivens and the heart Spiritual is the fountain of Spiritual Life we begin to live from within as death begins in the heart so life Death Natural ends in the heart the heart is the last that dieth but death spiritual begins in the heart the heart is the first that dies Sinners dead works do all arise from their dead hearts the root dies first and then the branches and fruit wither and fall off the Devils great design is firstly upon the heart when he hath slain the good that is within he can with ease destroy whatever good is without the fruit will fall off of it self when the root is dead The heart is the first that dies in a spiritual sense and 't is the first that lives It is there the seed of God his immortal Seed is first received and takes its root so that there is the same reason to set a guard upon our hearts as to preserve our life if you would keep your selves alive if you would not fall down among the dead then look well to your hearts which are the fountain of life 2. It is the spring of all our vital actions and operations This is included in the former the heart is the fountain of life and life is the fountain of action A dead man cannot see nor hear nor speak nor move he must live before he can speak or move And what can the spiritually dead do The dead praise
not the Lord Psal 115.17 The living the living he shall praise thee Is 38.19 That is spoken of the naturally dead and living and must we not say the same of the spiritually dead and the living Souls dead Souls can't praise the Lord they can't pray nor believe nor hope nor serve the Lord the living the living Soul it shall praise thee it shall pray unto thee and serve thee Hypocrites are all dead at heart and therefore all their services are but dead services they make a shew and keep a stir in the outward parts of Religion they can talk as Christians and walk and move but it is with these dead Souls as with those dead bodies which we call walking Ghosts they look like men and speak like men and go up and down like men but still they have no Soul in them It is the Devil that acts in them and speaks in them and carrieth them up and down none of all their actions or motions are vital actions the devil can make them speak and walk and look like living men but he cannot make them live such is the Hypocrites Religion he can pray and hear and sing and speak as Christians do but he is dead at heart and thereupon all his duties are but dead duties Friends you are as much concerned to keep your hearts as you are to be able to do any thing that will please God or save your Souls What is the intent of your Religion why do ye come together to pray and hear and partake of the Table of the Lord You will say I come to perform these duties to please the Lord I come in order to the saving of my Soul Do you so then look to your hearts better see that there be the root of Religion within you see that your praying be the praying with the heart that your hearing be not the opening your ear but the opening of your heart to the Word see that whatever you do that hath any shew of Religion in it you do it heartily watch your hearts when you come into the house of the Lord watch your hearts when you set upon any work for God lest they give you the slip and so make all your Services to be but bodily exercises which as 1 Tim. 4.8 profit little Bodily exercises that is the outward part of our Religion Ear Religion Tongue Religion Knee Religion these bodily Exercises where there is not an heart at the bottom of them profit nothing at all they will do nothing to the pleasing of God or the saving our Souls Friends beware of Hypocrisie take heed lest any of you be found hypocrites that your faith you seem to have be not the faith of hypocrites that your hope be not the Hypocrites hope that your praying and fasting and almes be not all the Sacrifices of hypocrites and such sacrifices they are if they be Sacrifices without an heart Come not before the Lord with hollow Vessels which will make a sound but have nothing in them We that look upon you can't tell what there is within you we see your faces and hear your voices but what is under God knows look you to it that it be not all hollow and empty within he that seeth the heart seeth what there is within and will accept or reject according to what he finds of the heart in all you do Friends What do ye here this day have you brought with you ever a Sacrifice for God ever a living Sacrifice the living God will regard none of you if you bring not a living Sacrifice He doth not require of you as he did of old a Bullock or a Ram for a Sacrifice No nor a Dove nor a Lamb for a Sacrifice it is a Soul for a Sacrifice a living Soul that is quickned and sanctified by the Bloud and Spirit of Christ And upon this account farther are you concerned to look to and to keep your hearts as ever you would do any thing in Religion that is acceptable with God or of any avail to your own Salvation The heart is the spring of all vital Actions and they are only our vital Actions our living and lively duties that will be accepted of the living God Would you not be rejected for hypocrites would you not compass the Lord about with lies as Ephraim did Hos 11.12 would you not come before the Lord with lies and comfort your selves with lies then see that you bring your hearts with you before him Is there any life begotten in your hearts is Christ formed upon you is the Spirit of Christ poured forth into you is there the life of God in your hearts and is this the spring of all your acceptable services then as you love your lives as you fear to serve the living God with dead service set a careful guard upon your hearts that neither these be stolen away from God nor that life which is within you be stolen out of your hearts Brethren I would not that any of you be found hypocrites therefore do I labour with you therefore do I preach to you and warn every one of you that you may be presented perfect and upright in the day of the Lord. I would not that you be found hypocrites in that day nor would I that your Religious actions be found hypocritical actions in your present day 'T is said of the limbs of Antichrist 1 Tim. 4.2 That they speak lies in hypocrisies I would have Christians not only none such as speak lies in hypocrisie no nor to speak truth in hypocrisie to do good in hypocrisie and therefore 't is that I have spent so much time among you upon this Subject of looking to your hearts that these may be right with God in all that you do I fear there are hypocrites among you I fear that much of the Religion of some of you may be but hypocritical Religion but look to your selves and as you would be loth to have no better acceptance than hypocrites as you would dread to have your portion with hypocrites so dread it to satisfie your selves with hypocritical duties serve the God of your hearts with an hearty service serve the true God with an heart and with a true heart serve the living God with living hearts see that there be the life of God in your hearts and let the life within you be the Spring of all your Performances that all that ever you do in Religion be the issues of life 3. It is the record of all the transactions which have been betwixt Christ and your Soules If ye be Christs there have been great dealings betwixt Christ and your Souls Christ hath been dealing with you dealing with you by his word dealing with you by his Spirit instructing and enlightning your Souls convincing and awakening your Hearts perswading and alluring your hearts after him Christ hath been dealing with you about your repenting and turning to the Lord about your Reconciliation and making peace with God God hath been in
have gotten in and devoured our strength whilst we have loytered and slept Friends do not lye down and idly complain I am weak I am a poor feeble soulâ— I cannot do the things that I would I cannot pray I cannot hear I cannot live but at a sad and halting and broken rate God help me 't is a barren and unsavoury and unprofitable life that I live 't is a weariness to me that I can live to no better purpose fain I would be more heavenly and more lively and more fruitful in my Life but woe is me I cannot I cannot obtain thus you complain of your weakness of your unprofitableness but why do ye stand complaining look to your hearts better where your strength lies Hast thou Christ in thine heart hast thou Grace in thine heart and yet complainest thou hast no strength look better to thine heart keep Christ closer to thee get thy Faith increased stir up and kindle that spark of love call up all the Grace thou hast and keep it in action Let not the rust eat up thy strength a little more care and labour about your hearts to get and keep those in better plight will recover and renew your strength and silence those unprofitable complainings 6. In your hearts are preserved all your evidences for heaven This follows from the former What are our Evidences for Heaven but the being of Christ and the Graces of Christ in us your sincerity in the Covenant your having your Conversations in all good Conscience prove that Christ is in you and you thereby prove that you shall hereafter be with him Prove that you have Grace and you thereby prove that you shall have Glory Prove that you are in Covenant with God and walk before him in all good Conscience and that will prove that your names are written in heaven And whether must you look for all this but into your hearts there as I told you is a record kept of your Covenant and your Conscientious Life and these are the Rooms where you must look to find Christ and his Grace The Devil will tell sinners that they shall all to heaven and to make them believe it will provide them evidences such as they are but they are false and deceitful evidences Thou art a Christian thou hast been baptized into the name of Christ thou attendest on the Ordinances of Christ thou goest to hear and to pray c. therefore thou needest not fear but thou shalt to heaven But let sinners look but into their hearts where all good evidences are kept and there they can find nothing there 's no Christ within them no love to Christ none of the holiness of Christ their heart is a meer Hell full of Darkness Ignorance Unbelief Enmity against Christ and his holy ways As Christians Evidences for Heaven so Sinners Evidences for Hell are mostly in their hearts Whatever your hopes are if you would look into if you could see what hearâ— you have these would quickly tell you whether you must There you should find your Covenant with Sin and with â—ea h not disanull'd no Christ no Grace no Conscience but an evil one a guileful one a guilty one and nothing else but that which is vile and abominable Sinners Evidences for Hell are in their hearts and such evidences they might find as would kill all their hopes of Heaven But Christians Evidences for Heaven are in their hearts the Devil â—ill be telling them that they are none of Christs he will say to the Saints as God says to Sinners Psal 50.16 What has thou to do to take my Covenant into thy mouth What hast thou to do with Christ thou art mine thou art none of his Let thine heart be carefully kept and thou mayst answer the Devil None of his whose is this name that is written in my heart whose image are these Graces of my heart I find the Faith of Christ in me the love of Christ in me the very life of Christ in me Christ hath sent me many a token of his love which I still keep by me I remember what hath passed between Christ and me I have given my self to Christ I have laid hold on his Covenant and have bound my self in Covenant to him and I stand to that Covenant to this day And there 's my Conscience also within me bearing me witness that my care and endeavour hath been to walk before him according to the Covenant of my God and therefore go on to lie thus unto me while thou wilt Sathan I will not believe thee I believe God who hath said there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ and walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit and I will not belâ—e mine own sense and experience of my self this is the Testimony of my Conscience that I have walked not after the Flesh but after the Spirit And therefore Christ is mine and I trust I shall one day be with him where he is Friends if you look well to your hearts and keep the records clear this will be your benefit whatever fears the Devil raises 't is but looking inwards and there you will see that which will turn all your Fears into lively Hopes But if you look not to your hearts and keep them clean you will be at a perpetual loss you will never long know what to make of your selves nor what is like to become of you Assurance necessarily depends on watchfulness never look for a grounded peace without it and never trust to that confidence or assurance you seem to have whilst you are of a careless heart Whatever progress you have hitherto made in Religion whatever experiences you have formerly had of the workings of the Spirit of Grace in you a carelss heedless Spirit will so darken all your Experiences and blot your Evidences and leave you under such uncertainties that for ought you know you may be damned at last As ever therefore you would maintain an abiding Assurance that it s well with you at present and shall be well with you hereafter be watchful over your hearts that Record of all your Evidences The reason why we are at such uncertainties and so full of our doubts and fears it lies all here in our carelesness of our hearts And yet who will take warning O friends stedfastly resolve through the Grace of God I will look better to it Since my heart can never comfort me unless I watch it more narrowly mine eye shall be upon mine heart Night and Day I will commit my self to the keeper of Israel and I will set my self to keep whatever good thing he hath committed unto me 7. It is a sacrifice for God Psal 51.17 The Sacrifices of God are a broken heart 1. It is the heart that is a Sacrifice for God therefore Prov. 23.26 Give me thine heart It is the Sacrifices all the Sacrifices of God is the Sacrifice of the heart There are other Sacrifices but whatever they be 't is
call upon you and encourage you in the Name and the Words of the Lord Come now and let us reason together saith the Lord. Let your hearts be thus kept and then come come with your prayers come with your praises and I will hear and accept you 8. It is the Temple of the Lord. 2 Cor. 6.16 Ye are the temple of the living God 't is the heart especially that is this Temple There are four things in the Temple of God which are so many reasons why our hearts should be carefully kept and guarded 1. The law of God is in his Temple The law was read in the Temple and kept in the Temple and as in that Temple made with hands so in that living Temple made without hands the Law of God is placed and preserved Christians have the Law of God within them their Bibles in their hearts in the heart of a Christian is the Copy of the Bible God hath not only preach'd it to their hearts but they have laid it up in their hearts Psal 119.11 I have hid thy word within mine heart that I might not sin against thee Mary kept the sayings of Christ and laid them up in her heart Luk. 2.51 God promised Jer. 31.33 I will write my Law in their hearts and he hath done what he promised he that once wrote his Law in Tables of Stone hath also written it in fleshly Tables of Hearts Therefore Psal 40.8 Thy Law is within mine heart The Law written in the heart Notes 1. All those holy Notions of God of Christ of Glory Honour Immortality of the Power Wisdom and Goodness of God and of the Mistery of Christ which are written in the Scriptures are revealed in the heart 2. All those holy Principles or divine Axioms concerning Truth Righteousness Holiness Mercy Temperance Sobriety c. the nature and necessity of them to true Godliness and Blessedness 3. That Law of the Spirit of life which is in Christ Jesus the new Law or Covenant of Grace by which we are freed from the Law of sin and death Rom. 8.2 the Tenour and the Terms of the Covenant the Promises and the Conditions of the Covenant the great Charter of the Saints which gives them Title to and will give them an entrance into the Everlasting Kingdom The writing that Law is the writing the new Covenant in the heart 4. That inward living Law the holy bent inclinations dispositions begotten in the heart by the Word and Spirit of the Lord that renewed Conscience inwardly obliging and holding the heart to the Obedience of the Word A Christian hath not only something without him but something within him binding him to obedience whereby it may be said much more of him then of those Gentiles Rom. 2.14 He is a law to himself His own heart holds him in to Christ his own heart holds him on in Obedience to the Gospel If all our Bibles should be lost or burnt if all our Preachers that urge and press our Obedience were laid aside and trodden under foot a Christian hath that within him that would hold him on in his Christianity That knowledge of God and those Principles of Christianity that love of Christ and that renewed Conscience within him will keep him a Christian still Now all this treasure those holy Notions holy Principles this Law of Grace and this living law of the new Covenant being all kept in the heart the heart being the Temple of God wherein all this is preserved had need be carefully kept Would you not have all the Notions of God and the knowledge of Christ dimm'd and darkned and razed out would you not loose all your holy Principles of Righteousness and Honesty of Temperance and Sobriety would you not have the book of the Covenant stolen away on which all your Hopes and Expectations all your title to Everlasting blessedness depends would you not loose that holy bent and those holy inclinations and that renewed Consciences by all which you are disposed and inwardly bound bound in Spirit to the life of Christianity would you not that all these should be lost would you not return to be dim sighted and dark Souls would you not exchange your holy Principles for carnal Principles your renewed purged Consciences for corrupt Consciences would you not that the Temple of the Lord be robb'd would you not that your heart be robb'd of all these Treasures then set a Guard upon your hearts 2. The name of God is in his Temple Jer. 7.10 12. 't is said often he places his name there And of these living Temples the hearts of Saints 't is said Rev. 3.12 I will write the name of my God and the name of the City of my God upon them And Chap. 2.17 in this heart there is a precious stone put and upon this stone a new name written which no man knows but he that hath it A Christian hath not only the names of Christ call'd upon him he is call'd a Christian after the name of his Lord but he hath this name written upon him written upon his heart Sure that Table should be kept clean in which is written such a precious name What shall the name of God be written on a dunghil wilt thou suffer Sin and the Devil to make a very dunghil of thy heart and in that dunghil write the name of thy God If the heart be not well guarded the Devil will be not only carrying out but carrying in all the precious Treasures that are in your hearts let Satan alone a while and hee 'l carry them all away Whatever thou hast now thou shalt have nothing of God left in thee nothing of Christ lest in thee none of all thy Graces none of all thy comforts Hast thou love for Christ hast thou hope in Christ hast thou peace or joy in God hast thou either the image or the comforts of God in thee Satan stands ready if thou look not to him to carry all away thou wilt quickly be left a very miserable Soul poor and blind and naked if thou take not heed And as the Devil will be carrying out so he will be also carrying in to that heart of thine Thy Gold and thy Jewels he will carry away and he will bring in dirt and filth and trash As he unloads thee he will load thee unload thee of the treasures of light and load thee with the treasures of darkness He will fill those hearts with every unclean thing he will make those Temples to be very Stables or Sties he will make that heart a very Dunghil and Christ must either have no name within thee or that precious name written on a dunghil and will you suffer such an affront and abuse to be put upon your Lord If you do not keep your hearts so it will be 3. The Worship of God is in his Temple Mine house shall be called an house of Prayer Mat. 21.13 In this inward Temple the heart is the inward and spiritual Worship of
have need of many washing dayes who have so many sinning dayes Every day should be a washing day to us Take that counsel of the Prophet Isa 1.16 Wash ye make ye clean put away the evil of your doings Make you clean and keep you clean Wash ye and watch ye put away the evil of your doings if you would that your hearts should long be kept clean Wash your hands and wash your face and wash your feet or these will defile your hearts Put away the Garment spotted with the flesh keep your outward man clean keep you unspotted from the World that so you may be blameless and unreprovable in the sight of God O Christians let us study every one of us to get to such a blameless and unrebukable Conversation that not only the world may have nothing to spot us with but that our Consciences may have nothing to spot us with that our hearts may not have wherewith to reprove us as little as may be of the common and unavoidable infirmities of our flesh but however we may be overtaken as to these yet be unreproveable as to any tolerated or allowed iniquities these are the great blots wherewith the heart is defiled Brethren beloved whoever among you that fear the Lord I would fain do what I can to prepare you an holy habitation for the holy one that whereas he hath said 2 Cor. 6.16 I will dwell with them and walk in them you may be such in whom his Soul may delight to dwell that he may say of you all as Psal 132.14 This is my rest for ever here will I dwell for I have desired it It is a strange expression the holy God speaks this to all his holy ones to thee in particular to thine heart if it be but a clean heart the Almighty God says to thee there is my rest in that heart of thine will I dwell for I have desired it the Lord God hath a desire to be thy Guest hath a desire to that poor Soul of thine to take it up for his own dwelling I would that you may be presented at last unspotted and unreproveable in his sight and to this end that you may be presented holy at last I would that you may be preserved holy and without blame at present O look to those hearts keep you pure let there be written upon you holiness to the Lord they should be a little heaven into which nothing that defileth should enter O purge your selves of whatever may offend and then guard your selves against it This is my warning to you and this is my prayer for you that the very God of Peace will sanctifie you wholly and I pray God that your whole Spirit Soul and Body may be preserved blameless against the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ And to him I commend you who is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of his Glory with exceeding joy to him be Gloro for ever Amen 3. Against Distempers A good temper of heart will be an advantage to us in any thing we have to do An heart out of temper is like a bone out of joint or like a Tempestuous Sea there 's no good sailing in it We cannot keep our way but shall be driven about this way and that way with every wind and wave An heart out of temper is like a door off the hinges or a Chariot off the Wheels it draggs and goes untowardly and heavily on O how often are our Souls unhinged our Chariots off the wheels or our wheels without oyl and then what pitiful work do we make at any thing we have to do when we have been in a crowd of worldly business or been foolishly merry and vain what a discomposure do we find upon our Souls and how unfit are we then for duty when we come to pray or to hear what labour doth it cost us to reconcile our hearts to our Duties or to get us into a praying or hearing frame We come to pray as a Musitian comes to play when his Instrument is out of Tune he must spend a good deal of his time in tuneing before one stroke can be strook How much work have we to tune our hearts at such times and it may be at last 't is more then we can do and so we must either let the duty alone or make such sad melody in the Ears of the Lord as a Musitian would do in ours who should play on his Instrument when every string is out of tune Get your hearts in temper and keep them so Be able to say with the Psalmist Psal 57.7 O God mine heart is fixed mine heart is fixed The good temper of the heart notes freedom and towardliness and disposedness for any thing God calls to and firmness and stability in that towardliness Let your hearts be established in Good Let there be an abiding holy temper upon your Spirits some of the distempers that we should guard our hearts against are 1. Slightness and vanity of Spirit A well tempered heart is a serious heart Seriousness of heart is as ballast to a Ship we shall go steadily whilst our hearts are serious 1 Pet. 1.13 Gird up the loyns of your minds and be sober Soberness here is the same with seriousness Christians are always engaged about serious and weighty things their Eternity is concern'd in every day they live and in every thing they do Every action of our Lives is a stroke at that work which must have an influence upon our Eternal State We have weighty work lying upon our hands every day and hour and how unsuitable is a slight and trifling Spirit to important affairs a slight heart is an empty and shallow heart and a shallow heart is unfit to meddle in the deep things of God Watch against slightness of Spirit Frothiness and Vanity becomes not a Christian at any time we may say of the frolicks and light and jovial lives of the carnal world as Solomon says of laughter Eccl. 2.2 I said of laughter it it is mad A Christian is besides himself when he indulgeth to a vain and frothy Spirit Friends 't is not for us to live in jest Eternal Life and Death are no jesting matters learn to live in good earnest those that are light and vain that are little else but froth and vapour in their ordinary Course do use to be but little better in their most serious Duties O what slight praying is there amonst us what shallow and empty Duties do our slight and trifling hearts satisfie themselves withal it may be some of us when we have spent a whole Sabbath with the Lord if we do reflect upon the temper we have been in may sometimes find that we have hardly had a serious hour in a whole day If they should be asked as Christ asked his Disciples Mat. 26.40 What could ye not watch with me one hour what could ye not be serious with me one hour what could we answer
what returns do you think slight and triflling duties are like to have Look to it God will give you but a slight answer if you be but slight in seeking O be sober be serious and if you would be serious in your most solemn duties get this holy seriousness to be your temper Beware of a vain and frothy habit habituate your selves to Godly seriousness not but that there must be at times some little Relaxation the bow would grow weak if it should stand always bent But then 1. Relaxation or remitting the intention of our Spirits must be but short and no more than necessary 2. Never such as to be an hindrance to seriousness afterward though I must sometimes unbend yet I would never unhinge my Soul or disjoint or discompose it for its return to its work We must not be of those whose lives be in jest and only now and then a fit of seriousness 't is thy life thine ordinary course thine ordinary frame and only some little intervals for Recreation To seecure your selves against the distemper of a slight and vain Spirit get a deep and standing sense upon your hearts of the weight and importance of those great concerns that are dayly upon you look more into Eternity Remember you have an immortal God whose eye is always upon you You have an immortal Soul that must live or die for ever Your business in this World is not to please your humours and gratifie your flesh and your fancies but to serve the living God to secure this God to your selves to be your God to seek your peace and reconciliation with God and to that end to make Christ the reconciler sure to you to serve the Lord Christ and hereby to secure the Salvation of your Soul Remember that you have this great work lying upon you and this is not the work of some short inches of your time of an hour in a day or one day in a week but that this must be your every days work and your all days work Think often what if I should miscarry in this great work if I should loyter out or laugh out or trifle out so much of my time that when I shall come to die and away for the other world I should find that work I liv'd for here were not done or but half done or but slightly done if I should then find that I had been light and vain in my Conversation and but slight and shallow in my Religion and whilst I was allowing my flesh what it would have I cut my Soul short of what it should have had Death will make every one of you serious the Grave when you are stepping into it will make you all in good earnest And how would your living in jest or in pleasant idleness then look upon you remember these things daily let deep thoughts of them come daily upon you and this would put you out of your slight and merry tune the sense of these serious things would hold you in a serious temper 2. Looseness There 's a double looseness 1. Such as is opposite to fixedness that 's the same with lightness and vanity of heart a whiffling in and out unstable Soul a slippery heart that we never know where to have it 2. Such as is opposite to strictness that is the same with licentiousness and that is it which I am now to speak to A Licentious heart is a distempered heart The contrary to this Distemper is the compliance or closing of the heart with the Rule and keeping to it The new heart is made after the pattern of Christ its new Lord there 's the same Spirit in a Christian which was in Christ as he was so are we in this world 1 Joh. 4.17 His very Spirit and Image is formed upon our hearts And it is conformed to the new Law or Rule which Christ hath prescribed to it and it stands determined for strictness or exactness of walking according to this rule whereof the Apostle speaketh Gal. 6.16 As many as walk according to this Rule peace be unto them That is a strict heart which is determined and disposed to live by Rule Licentiousness of heart is the hearts allowing and indulging its Liberty and Latitude in its Course Christianity in general is that which it takes up but it will not be held within the limits of it The strait Gate and the narrow way is too strait and too narrow for it That way it pretends to have chosen but it will be breaking over the hedge as the Inclinations and Interest of the Flesh lead it In some things a Christian in other things a Libertine O how much of this Licentiousness of heart is to be found amonst Christians amonst all the Christians amongst us how few exact and strict Christians are there whose hearts determine for exactness and strictness of life who impose and charge upon themselves the whole Rule and the diligent observing of every point and tittle of it such exactness in point of Practise we cannot in this imperfect state reach unto in many things we offend all Jam. 3.2 Our feet slip and our steps are turning aside every day but it is the indulging our selves a liberty for this turning aside or the hearts not charging strictness upon it that is this Licentiousness of heart There is a gradual Licentiousness of heart and there is a total Licentiousness A total Licentiousness is of such who utterly reject the Yoke of Christ and will not come under his Government but will resign up themselves to Lust and carnal Inclinations to command in Chief over them As those Ephes 2.3 Who walked in the lusts of their flesh fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind Such Licentious ones are no Christians if they have the name yet the heart of a Christian is not found in them Gradual Licentiousness is when the heart though it hath put it self under the Yoke of Christ and resigned up its self to be governed by him in opposition to the lusts of the flesh and the World yet often falls a lusting after that liberty from the exactness and severities of Christianity which in the general it hath professed to consent and yeild its self unto And though the decree of the Soul for following Christ in every thing be not made void and utterly broken yet it is so remiss and weak that it will not hold it closely in but there is a frequent breaking loose from the rule and the heart too often indulgeth its self that liberty How far forth a Christian may break loose from the Rule and how far forth he may indulge and allow himself at times and yet be a Christian still is not easie to determine but this is certain that every degree of this heart loosness is a pernicious distemper that must be watched against especially if it rise so high as that there be a dislike of strictness and such a groaning under the severities of Religion as maketh it seem
a bondage to it to be tied up so short The more of this the higher the Disease is and the more to be doubted whether such mens Christianity be sound The strictest Christian is the most healthful and the most evidently a Christian indeed and the greater latitude the heart indulges its self to the more sickly the Soul is if it be not quite dead and no Christian at all Friends You that are Christians indeed if you know what you have done you have vowed the greatness strictness possible That is to press on towards it and to reach out after it You did not Covenant to follow Christ to such a degree and no higher to advance in Religion to such a pitch and no more you did not Covenant for thus much Obedience thus much duty thus much diligence thus much Zeal and no more if ye be Christians indeed you have covenanted to follow the Lord fully to watch to every Duty to watch against every sin to press on to the highest pitch of holiness to do to the utmost to please the Lord. If there were any reserve in your vow to Christ of any little liberty to the Flesh of any limit of your zeal and care if there were any such reserve you are false in your Covenant and but false Christians O friends have you vowed the greatest strictness then watch against the least degrees of looseness Get a settled Judgment of the excellency and necessity of strictness get an hearty love and good liking of it let your Souls be bent upon it let it be your desire and your aim and your hope and your labour to hold you close by Christ and if you would not have licentious practises abound in your life let no licentious Principles no licentious affections nest themselves in your hearts see that there be no lust after any other liberty then Christ hath allowed you Get to be heartily well pleased with all the Laws of Christ with his narrowest ways let that latitude of Religion which is the measure of carnal disciples be your fear and not your desire And if you feel any itch after it look upon it as a disease and distemper of your heart Count thy self but a weakly and sickly Christian whilst is is thus with thee Know that it is your greatest Excellency if Holiness be an Excellency then the more strictly holy the more Excellent Yea and you will find it your greatest Liberty the more holiness the more enlargement of your hearts to all the holy ways of God Psal 119.44 45. I will keep thy law continually c. And I will walk at liberty his meaning was not I will walk licentiously at liberty from thy Laws at liberty from Rule but I will walk freely in thy ways when thou shalt knock off my fetters that hinder me The more we can hold in and inure our selves to be punctual in our Religion the more freedom shall we find and with the more ease and delight shall we run the way of Gods Commands And know this that by how much the more loose you are from the ways of God by so much the more loose from God and what will you have to comfort you what will you have to sweeten Religion to you whilst God is at a distance from you Keep you fast to him and you shall live the more under his reviving and refreshing influences Religion hath its troubles and its harshness and you will have little else then the harshness of it longer then you keep you close to the Lord. The Waters of the Sanctuary will tast but brackish to you longer then the Sun shines upon them a little Sun-shine from above a smile from the Face of God this is the sweetness this is the Blessedness Keep close to God and you shall keep the passage clear between Heaven and your Hearts Religion will be like Ephraims Idolatry Hos 8.7 It will be but a dry stalk the Bud will yield no Meat There will be the Labours of it and the Troubles of it but no Meat for your Souls to feed upon longer then you meet with God in your Duties Draw nigh to God and he will draw nigh to you Jam. 4.8 Keep close by God and he will keep close to you May be some of you have never yet tasted how Gracious the Lord is nor will you ever be like to do if you set not in closer in his ways Loose Religion will keep you still in the dark and in a weary and uncomfortable State There 's no such way to make Christ's ways pleasant as by keeping constantly in them no such way to make Christs Yoke easie as by holding it close to your Necks it never so galls and wrings as when it hangs loosely on resolve upon strictness and you shall taste the sweetness Hold you in from running out after the Pleasures of the Flesh and the Face of God will be a pleasure to you which the Distemper of a loose and carnal Heart will certainly deprive you of and hinder you from the relish or finding delight therein 3. Listlesness A dull untoward sluggish unactive lifeless temper where the Edge of our Spirits is blunted insomuch that whatever opportunities we have or whatever calls we have to be doing for God or our Souls we have no list to them but through the way-wardness and and untowardness of our hearts we let them slip and either do nothing or nothing to purpose Opportunities are a price put into our hands but by reason of this sluggish listless untoward temper we have no heart to them but became like the Fool Prov. 17.16 In vain is there a price put into the hands of a Fool which hath no heart to it This is a wretched and pernicious Distemper 2. It proceeds from an evil cause From the carnality of our hearts and our unsuitableness to the work of God It is ungrateful and unpleasing work to us our hearts are so contrary to it we had rather be any where then with God we had rather be about any work then the work of our Souls We can be brisk and sprightful about our carnal and earthly employments but for any thing of Religion there we dragg and go heavily on we are all Soul and Life in what we have to do for our Flesh but our hearts hang backward and come but heavily and untowardly on to do any thing for God This is from the little interest that God hath in our Souls and the little affection we bear to him We are yet carnal and that 's the reason we have so little Edge or so little list to spiritual things 2. It is an ill sign What ill sign is it 'T is a sign of want of Grace either that we have no Grace at all or at least are but very low in the Grace of God that our day is yet but a day of small things Where is our Faith in Christ when we are so backward in the work of Faith As Christ sayd Mat. 14.31
Wherefore dost thou doubt so wherefore dost thou drag so O thou of little Faith Where 's our Love to Christ when our work for Christ goes so slowly on 2 Cor. 5.14 The Love of Christ constrains us The Love of Christ will quicken us the Love of Christ will put Life into us we should find our Tongues and find our Hands and find time to be more abundant in service could we feel more of the Love of Christ in us Thou makest nothing of it that thou art such a dull untoward unactive Souls but is it nothing to want Faith Is it nothing to want love to Christ Is it nothing to be without Grace in thy heart Or if thou hast any to have so very little as thou canst not tell whither 't is any or no It is an ill sign that thy Soul is in a very doubtful case at least 't is to be doubted Whether thou hast any Grace in thee Where in ordinary thou art so untoward and listless to the matters of God and the businesses of Religion 3. 'T is of ill consequence 'T is a sign our case is bad and it is an hindrance from our growing better It is the vivacious active stirring soul that 's like to be the thriving Soul Sluggards and Sleepers are never like to come to any thing We may preach to you while our hearts ake we may instruct you and tell you what is your duty while we will and you may hear us while you will but in vain shall we preach and in vain will you hear till we can fire you out of this deadness and whet and set an edge upon those blunted Souls what will it be to be told of your Duty whilst you remain to have so little heart to it what becomes of all the Sermons you hear of all the teaching you what you should do and how you should live what becomes of all the convincing awakening quickning words that are in your ears from day to day what doth all our Preaching and all your hearing bring forth upon you truly friends the little success that is to be perceived of our Preaching among you either to the converting of sinners or improving of professors the small success that does appear what there is within God knows does even make us out of heart But as little success as we have we are never like to have it much better unless we may stir your hearts and awaken you to more diligence and activity When we have done all we can we are I doubt like at last to leave the most of you either quite dead in sin or but very Dwarfes in Religion Sinners is it nothing to you that the enlivening word should leave you still among the dead Christians is it nothing to you that the nourishing and quickning Word should leave you but babes and infants Is it not a trouble to you and a discomfort to you that you get no more that you grow no faster much more that any of you should consume and languish under the hands of your Physicians I must tell you it is a discomfort to us but is it not more a discomfort to you can you continue at this pass and not be troubled at it O what a comfort is it to be a thriving lively Christian Methinks when you see any such before your eyes you should at least sigh out such a wish O that it were so with me and breath out such a groan wo is me that 't is not so methinks it should be an heaviness of heart to you to feel your own soul in Cloggs when you see others upon the wing O that I could make you sensible of your diseases that I could preach you heart sick that I could but make your hearts ake under your distempers that you might no longer be able to go up and down without trouble in this unthriving case Sure friends you whose case this is had need to be troubled and 't would be well for you if your Souls were in pain and refused to be comforted till you be cured To make you yet more sensible of the perniciousness of this untoward dull and listless temper look a little more upon the excellency of the contrary a chearful lively temper 'T is call'd 2 Cor. 8.17 A forward mind 1 Pet. 5.2 A ready mind that need not be spurred and whip'd but goes chearfully and freely on its way What is a sprightful horse to a dull and heavy jade what is a blunted rusty knife to that which is bright and keen what is a consumptive languishing body to one that 's lively and healthful what is a dark and lowring to a Sunshine day what is Winter to Summer yea what are the living to the dead what a pitiful thing is that dead and spiritless heart of thine when thou lookest on them in whom is the life of God Hear O ye sleepy and listless Souls awaken stir up your selves shake off this sloth and sleep work out this untoward spirit What do you mean to hang thus betwixt alive and dead will you hold you at this pass till you come to your Graves Is this all the care and the pains you ever mean to bestow on God and your Souls must the Lord ever find you so unready and untoward to what he calls you to shall the world find a forward mind in you shall your flesh find such a ready mind to whatever it hath for you to do and will you only be unready and unactive for God Wherefore have you Reason and Understandings wherefore have you the Scriptures before you what are Sabbaths and Ordinances and Ministers for must we come hither only to sing you asleep or to rock von in your Cradles Where is that Grace that is in you where is your Faith where is your love to Christ where is your hope if you have any Grace where is it what must all these precious talents be eaten up with rust or laid up in a napkin Remember the slothful Servants doom Mat. 25.30 What are your immortal Souls what is the holy God what is Jesus Christ what are the glorious treasures of Eternity are all these worth no more of your care and industry will none of these things move you will not these great things quicken you Hear them all calling upon you God calls upon you oh my children if you have any respect for me come along come faster after me Christ calls oh my Disciples if you have any love to me if all that I have done for you if all that I will do for you will move you arise and mend your pace Heaven calls upon you if ever you mean to come here gird up your loyns and come on Yea Hell calls look ye down hither what a place is here prepared for Sleepers and Loyterers Your poor Souls call have ye any pity for me must I perish and die for the pleasing this lazy flesh Your poor Families call your poor Children call your poor Neighbours call
which all need the utmost you can do for them Where are your Bowels to usward for our sakes awaken for our sakes arise and be doing we die if you will not give us a better example we die if you sleep on who should awaken and save us The whole Interest of God in the World calls upon you for his names sake for the Gospels sake for the Churches sake for Religions sake which sinks which decays for the sake of all these recover your Souls and your Life O friends what shall all these loud cryes do upon you shall all leave you such lumps and loyterers Christians be yet awakened call up all the Grace you have whet those dull and blunted Spirits get you a better edge upon them Why may not this word give a whet to you If you come hither sleepy Souls what a Mercy would it be if you might return home awakened if you came hither dead and dull and listless Souls what a comfort would it be if you might return home quickned and enlivened what if you should feel that this word had kindled a fire in you had made your hearts burn within you burn with holy Love and Life what a mercy would this be to you what if you might be sent hence with ready minds forward minds bent upon a more active and useful and heavenly life And what if after all this you should go away just as you came hither though the Bellows have been blowing yet your ashes are not purged away though the fire hath been kindled yet it will not burn would you like it if all this should be lost and do nothing upon you if this untoward and dull temper of Soul should be too hard for the Word and you should return from the Physician of Souls with your diseases uncured Do what you can friends every one of you to help to your own recovery to get up to this lively active frame and if you can obtain it then look to your hearts as long as you live that if it be possible this wretched distemper of a leaden unuseful lifeless listless unactive heart may never return upon you 2. How the heart must be guarded This I shall answer in these 5 particulars 1. Set a constant watch upon it 2. Keep all your Powers up in Armes 3. Keep close by your Captain and Physician 4. Carry up your Hearts where your Enemies can't come 5. Commit the keeping of them to the keeper of Israel 1. Set a constant Watch upon it That 's a word that is given to every Christian Mark 13.37 What I say unto you I say unto all Watch. And of all things we have to watch the heart is it that must chiefly be watched Our eyes must be chiefly there whether ever else we have to look we must especially look upwards and look inwards We must look upwards our eye must be upon Gods eye that all seeing eye that seeth in secret Whether our eye be or no Gods eye is ever upon our hearts I the Lord search the heart and try the reins Jer. 10 18. The eye of rhe Lord is a searching eye there is no secret of the heart but he espieth and searcheth it out and 't is a jealous eye that will not wink at nor allow nor indulge to the least heart evils The sense of that jealous eye would awe us into more watchfulness over our selves The reason of our neglect of self inspection is that we forget that the Lord looks upon us We cannot look upwards but we shall behold the very eye of God upon us If an hundred men stand looking upon us and we do not look upon them we cannot tell whether they look upon us or no but if we look stedfastly upon them we may see in their very eye that they are looking upon us Look up to God and you will plainly see that his eye is upon you And the observing of Gods eye upon you will turn your own eyes upon your selves What is it that the Lord looks thus upon me for what is it that he sees in me Is it any thing he likes that he looks upon Is it his approving eye that is upon me Is it a look of love or of kindness or is it that which he is offended at or disliketh Is there Jealousie is there Displeasure or Anger in that holy eye that is upon me is it a smiling look or a frowning and angry look that he casteth upon me Look on me I see he doth His Eye is never off me let me look upwards when I will I see that God looks downwards and his Eye is directly upon me and his Eye is a piercing Eye it pierceth to my very entrailes he beholds the very bottom of my heart I had need look carefully to mine own Soul when there is such an Eye upon it Night and Day Thus look upwards and set the Lord before your sight as the Psalmist did Psa 16.8 And then look inwards and set your hearts before your selves There is an Expression 2 Kings 8.47 If they shall bethink themselves which may be interpreted if they shall return into themselves the Eye of the Body can't see it self but the eye of the Soul may and must be chiefly upon its self You that are looking about this way and that way you had more need look homewards There are men that are of great acquaintance in the world but yet have no acquaintance with their own hearts VVhither their Souls be in safety or among Thieves VVhither their Hearts be clean or all bespotted and defiled whether they be healthful or sickly Souls whether they be alive or dead 't is more then they can tell where they be or in what case they are How is it with your Souls Friends How fares it with you in your inner Man VVho is there within with you Are there none but Friends Is Christ there Is the Spirit of Grace there Is there a good Conscience or are there not Robbers within Is not thine heart an houseful of Thieves Is not the world gotten in are not the pleasures of the Flesh within Is not the Devil within that unclean Spirit hath he not defiled and defaced the Image of God Is he not sowing his Tares in thee Is not thine heart a defiled diseased distemper'd heart Is it not a slight and frothy and vain heart Is it not a loose and licentious heart Is it not an untoward wayward listless heart Look inward Christians and look often inward and see what hearts you have and how 't is with them Psal 4.4 Commune with your own hearts Look into them and talk with them and take an Account how it fares with them If I should ask you how is it with your hearts are they alive or dead Are they clean Hearts holy Hearts tender Hearts heavenly Hearts lively and strong and working upwards Or are they hard Hearts polluted defiled hearts dull and slow and listless Hearts If I should ask you thus what account
and watch 3. Keep close by your Captain and Physician 1. Keep by the side of Christ You know what a stream there once ran down from that precious side a stream of Blood and Water this stream as to the vertue and influence of it is running down daily and it is for the healing of diseased and for the washing of spotted Souls There 's no balm will heal our diseases this Bloud is it Christ must do it There 's no Sope will scowre off our spots this water must cleanse us this Physick will heal every disease this water will cleanse us from every spot and will present us at last without spot or wrinkle Eph. 5.27 but what will diseased polluted Souls do when their Physician is out of the way Many sick persons die of those diseases which had they been near the Physician might have been cured Keep you ever near to Christ his Presence will be either preventing Physick and keep off your Soul Diseases that they sieze not upon you or else 't will be curing Physick that no disease shall be mortal to you We never wander from Christ but we catch that which we cannot easily claw off if the Devil can but catch a Christian wandring what sad work doth he make with him we may all say of our wandrings from Christ as Naomi Ruth 1.21 I went out full but I return empty I went out whole but I return wounded I went out fat and full but I return lean and naked What a sad plight do we see loose and wandring Souls to be in keep you home When Dinah Jacobs Daughter would be gadding abroad what a blot got she Gen. 34.1 She went out a Virgin and came home a Whore Our very departings from Christ are our playing the Harlots against him our other lovers to whom we turn aside do deflour us What harlots do many of our hearts often become We cannot stay by our Lord out we must be running after other lovers and so we are defiled O prevent your Soul Pollutions by keeping home Art thou gotten near to Christ know when thou art well and keep thee there As Naomi said to Ruth Ruth 2.22 Let not the man find thee in another field Gleaning after other Reapers gadding after other Lovers he will take that unkindly if he do and thou maist smart for it Hath Christ done by thee as Boaz by Ruth spread his Skirt over thee and charged thee keep fast by me and by my Servants dare not to be gadding after others you will smart for it if you do and if ever you return it will be by weeping Cross Whatever wounds you receive you will not say as Zach. 13.6 These are the wounds which I received in the house of my friend but these wounds I have gotten in my absence from my Friend If I had kept me in I had saved all this hurt O prevent your miseries that you sustain by departing from Christ by keeping you by him And if you have been wandring and catch'd any hurt O return to your Physician and when thou art made whole then say to thine heart as Christ to the Man Joh. 5.14 Sin no more wander no more lest a worse thing come unte thee Christians In our first coming to Christ and our union with him our deadly disease is cured we that were dead are made alive we that were sick are made sound But the same Jesus that gave us this Life and Health is he that must maintain our Souls in Life and that life and spiritual health which we received from Christ by our Union must be preserved by our Communion with him See that you be in Union with Christ that you be by Faith joyned to the Lord and then live in constant Communion with him take heed of Ruptures and breaches take heed of distances and estrangements from Christ Have you gotten Christ within you O keep him within you Let your beloved lodge between your breasts and keep his dwelling in your Souls and let there not be in you an heart of unbelief let there not be in you an heart of vanity or iniquity an heart of Pride or Guile a Carnal or Worldly heart to depart from the living God Keep your hearts true to Christ keep your hearts chast keep you pure in his sight In your Union or Espousals to Christ you Covenanted against forsaking him Hos 2.19 I will betroth you unto me for ever So you have said the same to him Lord I betroth thee unto me for ever Betrothing or espousing is both the nearest Union and the firmest Union 1. 'T is the nearest Union Our becoming Christians is our Union of hearts with the Lord. Christ hath therein given you his heart and you have therein given him your hearts and your heart and his become as one heart You that are Christians are near unto Christ as his own Soul 1 Cor. 6.17 He that is joyned to Christ is one spirit He loveth you he careth for you he tendereth you as his own Soul 2. It is the firmest union I will betroth thee forever It is written concerning Christ and his Saints as concerning Husband and Wife whom God hath joyned together let no man no nor Devil neither put asunder Now when there is such a nearness of Relation and such a dearness of Affection there must be also Cohabitation You must live together and dwell together with Christ This is not only your duty as Christians but your safety depends upon it He who is your Husband is your refuge where you may dwell safely your only rock in whom you may hide your selves from danger if you forsake your Rock take heed you be not forsaken of your Rock Take heed you neither prove runaways from Christ and forsake him utterly no nor slink away and skulk out or turn aside from him Keep constant to Christ and keep close to him Let there be intimacy and dearness maintained betwixt Christ and your Souls keep you in the memory of Christ let your beloved be ever before your eye bâ— looking dayly towards him keep you ever in the 〈◊〉 of Châ—iâ—◠〈◊〉 much in solacing your selves in the Contemplation of his love and keep your hearts in a flame of love to him Be render how you provoke him to jealousie against you Keep you close to Christ by making all your carnal things keep their distance from your hearts Keep you in the diligent exercise of all the acts of Christianity whereby your Communion with Christ is maintained let there be nearness to Christ in point of Conversation walk with Christ yea walk in Christ as the Expression is Col. 2.6 as ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk in him Whilst others walk in the Flesh let Christians walk in the Spirit Walk in Christ both in Union with Christ living in the strength of Christ and in Conformity to Christ in all wel-pleasing before him Let no place be a place for you let no way be a way for you let no
Voice of Converts which was the Voice of the Church Isa 26.13 Other Lords have had Dominion over us but now by thee only will we make mentiom of thy Name they are Dead they shall not live they are Deceased they shall not rise the old Lord is dead it is Deceased and shall never rise sin shall no longer have Dominion over us the Devil shall no longer Will shall no longer have the Dominion over us to thee Lord to thee only do we resign up our selves I resign to the Lord I subscribe to the Lord I give the Hand to the Almighty and put my Neck under his Yoke for ever his I am and him alone will I serve This is Conversion this breaking off from under the Dominion of your own wills and resigning up to the will of the Lord. 2. He doth actually submit to and obey the will of God A Convert doth not only say I will submit I will obey but he doth submit he doth obey The old Will will be contending still for the Government but the Heart now answers as the Men of Sodom to Lot Gen. 19.9 Stand back this Fellow came in to sojourn and now he will be Lord. Stand back O my Carnal Will stand back this Stranger shall no longer be Lord over me I have resign'd up my self to the Lord and him will I obey Yea and his will it doth obey this is the will of God that he repent and the Convert doth repent this is the will of God that he be Holy and harmless that he walk in all the Commands of God blameless and this he sets his Heart to do Psal 119.3 They do no iniquity they walk in his ways 3. Yet the will is not so broken but that this Self and Flesh hath a Root remaining in it and this Root will be Springing and growing up again like that Root of Bitterness mentioned by the Apostle Heb. 12.15 That Root of Malice that Root bearing Gall and Wormwood the Apostle warns them to look to it that it spring not up again to trouble and defile them this Root that Self hath even in the will of Converts how often doth it actually spring up and trouble and defile them There 's scarcely any business but self will have a stroak in doing of it there 's scarcely any Duty but Self strikes in and spoils it in the performance O how much of this self-will'dness is there to be found even amongst Christians How often is it that their wills are set upon vanity and how strongly are they often set upon their own wills How heady and wilful are they in their way What stiffness and tenaciousness is there of their own purposes They will not be advised nor perswaded out of their course though as to the main they have resigned themselves up to the will of God yet in many particular Cases either upon mistakes in their Opinions or being overswayed by corruption they are head-strong in their way and will not be turned back When they come to themselves it is their shame and affliction it should be so yet too often so it is that this self-will'dness carries them on even against Counsel and Conscience It 's true where this self-will does carry the main stroak in the Life where the ordinary course and way of the Life is Governed by will there 's no Conversion but there 's no Convert but more or less does groan under the Usurpation and Tyranny of this Self and Flesh You that are Christians would never have liv'd as sometimes you have done would never have carried it as sometimes you have so much against Judgment and Counsel and the most serious advices if Will had not had too much power over you We should be even all of us more considerate and deliberate in our goings we should be more easily intreated and perswaded back from running headlong on in some of those wayes which cost us sorrow afterwards if this self-will'dness had not prevailed in us 4. Therefore there is a necessity that the Heart be kept under Government The Government of the Heart is to the same end and of the same necessity as the Government of a Kingdom The Government of a Kingdom is to be for the encourageing of the good and for the terrour and suppression of the evil Rom. 13.3 And to the same end is the Government of the Heart to foster and cherish and maintain and keep alive the good that is in it and to crush and keep under the evil that is in it If self-will hath an evil Root in the Heart if this evil Root be apt to spring up then is there necessity of governing the Heart to keep it under To the governing the Heart is necessary a double instrument a Spur and a Curb a Spur to the good that is in us to quicken Grace and keep it in action a Curb to that which is evil in us to curb and hold under corruption these two instruments of Government are the reward and punishment the blessed reward will be a Spur to Grace the punishment to come will be a Curb to Lust and Flesh the eying these two great recompences of reward Glory and Wrath the holding the sense of that Life and Death upon the Heart is a great part of our excercising this Government upon us thy self-will is such an obstinate Enemy as nothing but Fire and Sword the Fire of Divine Indignation and the Sword of Divine vengeance will conquer and subdue it There must be Government and there must be severe penalties kept in sight or there 's no good to be done Friends If ever you would Conquer this self-will'dness shew it the Fire the Racks the Gridirons the Gibbets the everlasting Prison that it 's rushing and hurrying you upon Self-will'dness is not only a kicking against the Pricks but a running upon the Pikes of Divine Vengeance thou art heady and wilful in thy way thou art set upon thine own will whatever thou likest and art pleased with thou art so set upon it that there 's no perswading thee back but be advised take heed if thou wilt be wilful at thy Peril be it look before thee to the precipice by which this self-will'dness is tumbling thee headlong down into the Everlasting Pit whenever you feel Will begin to rise and work work against Reason work against Conscience work towards iniquity and vanity when you feel this self-will getting up lay hold on the Bridle put on the Curb give check to it with all your might look towards the land of Darkness whither it 's carrying thee when the fit is up the wilful fit for though there be an abiding habit of wilfulness in the Heart yet it comes forth but by fits when the wilful fit is up think Lord what now Whither is this wilful will driving me What will be its Fruits and Wages What end am I like to come to if this be my way Stop Oh my wretched Heart strike sail Oh my obstinate will take
God The people of God are said to be the People that worship God in spirit Phil. 3.3 There are great thoughts of heart and many Scruples arising about the outward Worship of God about the keeping that pure about the clearing and securing of that against the Superstitious Inventions and corrupt mixtures of humane Impositions And 't were happy if the Houses of God in the Land were swept cleaner and kept cleaner from these than they are But the main of our care lies not here these are not the great things we are concern'd to take care about If outward Ordinances were never so purely administred and kept never so free from adulterating mixtures there 's a greater thing then this that lies upon us that the inner Temple be kept pure that the heart Worship be kept pure and intire The heart also is to be an house of Prayer and shall we make this house of Prayer a den of Theeves or an house of Merchandize O what droves of unclean beasts are let in to these hearts of ours what houses of Merchandize are these houses of prayer become these Sanctuaries of the Lord are become meer shops of buyers and sellers Whilst they should be employed in those spiritual excercises of loving and fearing of praying and praising God offering up living and spiritual Sacrifices to the Lord behold how our money is brought into our hearts our sheep and Oxen buying and selling and trading and getting gain these are the inhabitants and these are the exercises of our hearts It is a very grievous thing to consider how much the hearts of Christians are taken up with these things we cannot love the Lord as we should we cannot mind Glory and Immortality as we should It is miserable praying lamentable praising or meditating on God that is to be found in us we are so disordered distracted and confused in these spiritual exercises there is such a mixture of Carnal thoughts such carnal Affections worldly Projects and Cares are thrusting in that corrupt and spoil and enervate all our spiritual Duties that we can find nothing but blind and broken and maimed Sacrifices to offer up unto the Lord. Friends How do you find it when you set your selves to pray or meditate on God Is not the World presently thrusting in are not your carnal Friends or your businesses or pleasures thrusting in and do not your thoughts and affections fall a gâ—â—â—â—ing and a wandring after these and do you not hereby loose many a Prayer and loose many a Sermon and sadly complain of your selves that whatever duty you perform it s all spoil'd in the doing so that you can take no comfort in them What help is there for it but setting a better guard upon your hearts Sure friends we had every one of us need to be mo e vigilant and watchful to prevent these sad matters of our complaints It is not complaining how bâ—d 't is that will make amends or make up the matter po â—ibly your complaints of your selves may seem to give you â—ome ease but consider the same complaints that you make of your selves God also makes of you The Lord God hath complaints against you for the same things Think 〈◊〉 that more than you do God complains of you do you say I am weary of such a distracted divided worldly heart and I am weary too says the Lord Ah I will ease me of them Isa 1. I am weary of these halting trifling distracted hearts these cold Prayers these hypocritical Praises these maimed broken confused Services I am weary of them saith the Lord. If you go on thus to Worship God come hither as often as you will God will be weary to meet you here he hath been waiting from week to week from Sabbath to Sabbath to see if it may be better if he could meet with such Sacrifices here such hearts here as might be pleasing to him he hath waited thus so long and still finds so little of what he likes so few living Sacrifices he hath waited so long and found so little that 't is to be doubted if we continue thus we may come hither to meet one another but our God will be weary to give us a meeting Friends if you would not that the things that offend in your hearts should drive God away then take more heed how you suffer these offences or things to come in or to lodge any longer in you 4. God himself is in his Temple 2 Cor. 6.16 Ye are the Temple of the living God God hath said I will dwell in them and walk in them The hearts of the Saints are the house of God and the house of God is his Habitation The holy God will have none but an holy habitation Will you let sin in and the Devil in to Gods habitation These will darken and defile your hearts Those hearts are but blind houses and dirty holes where Sin and the Devil dwells and is this the best habitation you can afford to the Almighty what place do you think God will prepare for you if you prepare no better a place for him How long will the Lord stay with you how certainly will he withdraw and forsake you if you let lust in with him Sure Friends if you had a due and a deep sense upon your hearts of the Holiness of the Glory of the Majesty of the Jealousie of the holy God If you did verily believe that of a very truth this Holy and Glorious God had a mind to come and take up those very hearts of yours for his own habitation that he would come and dwell in you and walk in you and make those hearts his Chambers of Presence and the Thrones of his Glory If you had such respect for God and such affection that you would have him pleas'd with his habitation and not meet with that which is an offence and a loathing to him in you were you sensible did you verily believe all this you could not but take more care to keep these hearts cleaner and more free for him If you had a great Friend a Lord or a Knight that would come but to lodge a Night in your house what would you do How would you prepare your house for the entertaining of such a friend what sweeping and washing and rubbing and scouring and adorning would there be every Vessel would be brighted every room would be beautified Would you let it lie all dirty and dusty hang'd with Cobwebs and Spiders would you let it lie nasty and filthy and every thing out of its place and order Sure you would not and when he were come in would you set open your doors to let in a rabble of sordid Beggars or common Rogues or Drunkards to come and drink and roar and spue in the very room where your friend were entertained no you would sweep all within and set a Porter at your doors to keep the unclean rabble out O what is the greatest friend in the World to the great and holy