heaven that did not think that he did deserve to be in the lowest place in hell they that think to have this Kingdom by their own good Nature and not through the Fathers good will they shall never come at it We come into the World quite contrary unto God we are by Nature haters of God hated by God strangers and enemies and afar off And look what Heaven is the diameter is our nature and look what our natures is the opposite point is Heaven we are dead but our Life and Immortality is with God in Heaven we are darkness but there is a marvellous light There is freedom but we serve divers lusts and pleasures There is the love of God but we have carnal minds which is enmity unto God Oh! you can never come at heaven till you understand your distance from it by nature and then Fourthly Lastly be acquainted with those ways means steps degrees which God makes use of to bring his Children to heaven and so you may observe how you pass from Egypt to Canaan and how you proceed from one point unto another it is a long March and it is through the Wilderness which is a tedious dark and difficult and solitary way onely there is your beloved to lean on there is a pillar of a cloud and a pillar of fire It may be you want water for many dayes or you have the bitter waters of sorrow and then God throws in a Tree to wit the Cross of Christ which makes them sweet sometimes you want bread and God gives you bread from Heaven and when you complain again for want of water He makes it come out of a Rock to confute your unbelief search the Gospel and you will find by what ways and means steps and degrees God brings his Children to Heaven The Gospel tells us that it is by Repentance faith in Christ that is one description of the way he tells us it is by dying unto sin and living unto righteousness It is by Mortification and sanctification by putting off the old man and putting on the new man by crucifying the flesh with the affections and lusts and putting on the Lord Jesus Christ It is by casting off the works of darkness and putting on the armour of light It is by denying a mans self and taking up his Cross and following Christ denying sinful self and righteous self and being ready to deny his natural self It is Regeneration and being born again It is a being transformed It is a renewing It is a change It is a having Christ within us It is a having the spirit of Christ within us It is a bringing forth the fruits of the spirit and and not the fruits of the flesh Divines have made four or five steps First Illumination or knowledge Secondly Conviction of the filthiness of our Natures and of the weakness of them to do any thing Thirdly Humiliation or Evangelical sorrow for sin A sorrow for sin because it hath wrong'd and envy'd Jesus Christ because it hath Crucifyed him then a discovery of the necessity suteableness and fulness of Jesus Christ and then a breathing after Jesus Christ and a longing after him and resolutions to give up our selves to him to keep nothing from him and to bring nothing to him to keep nothing from him that is no lust no sin to bring nothing to him no duty no righteousness of our own These things I might be large in but I do not intend a large discussion of them so much for that Use to know how a man may get to heaven A Christian by going these steps may know how he comes nearer to heaven how his love increases to the Father and what Victory he gets over the world and over himself In the eight place Is it so that Christians have such an Inheritance this may perswade the Children of God that are rich in this world to imploy some of their riches this way as may not only be a sigh that God hath made it sure but likewise a means if other things be answerable to secure that of the true riches but how is that done the Apostle tells us in the first of Timothy 6.17 18 Charge them that are rich in this world that they be not high-minded nor trust in uncertain riches but in the living God who giveth us richly all things to enjoy That they do good that they be rich in good works ready to distribute willing to communicate c. Here are four expressions why is the Apostle so pressing in these four but because the duty is of great necessity and because of mens backwardness to perform it It is a truth of much plainness and therefore must not be neglected But before I proceed I shall premise two things by way of Caution First That I do not speak this as if I thought or believed you to whom I am speaking to be slack this way for according to that Qui monet ut saclus quod am facis ille monendo Laudat hortat 〈◊〉 comprobat aâ—â—asâ—io He that doth admonish a thing which a man performs already he commends him by that admonition and doth approve of that which he doth by that exhortation so that such an exhortation is a commendation And it is a truth of much plainness therefore it must be spoken to there is much of a Christian and much of the Gospel in it Now for one part of a Christians doing good Christian communicating must be to the poor Ministers of the Gospel This must be spoken to because it is a truth of much plainness and it is a Maxime as true almost as the Gospel He never had any share in the Gospel who grudgeth that the Gospel should have a share in him The Gospel was never accounted a chargeable Guest but where it was no profiting Guest let the Gospel do what it should to us and we will not grudge if necessary and in our power to give Gold to eat and Balm to drink It is a sign of great fruitfulness but wisdom and discretion must be used in this for such bounty and liberality must be bestowed where there are the greatest necessities I mean in a time of distress and necessity because occasions are many and urgent else the Gospel will prove burthensome it should be the desire of all that the Gospel and the Ministers thereof might be without burthen though it is a thing rather to be wisht then hoped for All Ministers should endeavour to make it without a burthen Second Caution I am not saying these things that it should be done so to me as the Apostle saith Go we about to take you by craft I hope I may say that we have renounc'd such hidden things of dishonesty not using the glorious Gospel of Christ to so inglorious and base an end he is unworthy of the name of a Minister that makes the Gospel a Lacky for his gain Ministers have their reward in heaven and if God so order
Num. 13.27 30. Let us go up at once and Possess it They had affirmed that it was a Land flowing with Milk and Honey c. But it may be inquired How may we get Heaven I shall spend some time in Answering to this If you would be partakers of this Inheritance then First Endeavour to clear up your belief of it It is not for nothing the Apostle faith that all men have not faith It is not for nothing our Saviour saith When the Son of Man comes shall he find faith on the earth Nay there is much of unbeleif amongst those that are believers Labour therefore to get a greater knowledge of the truth and certainty of the Gospel For all must hang upon this It is not for nothing that one chief Reason why St. Luke writes his Gospel it was this Luke 1.4 That thou mightest have the certainty of those things wherein thou hast been instructed Well Therefore labour to be acquainted with the Last Article of your Creed Life Everlasting with the truth of it When we read in Heb. 3.12 to the end of the 4. c. that they could not enter in because of unbelief how should this make us tremble and take heed lest a promise being made of entring into rest any of us should come short of it by an evil heart of unbelief c. Surely if we had a greater and more firm belief of Heaven we should be much altered creatures we should not love the World so much nor fear the World so much we should not be so backward in Duty nor so straitned in Duty all proceeds from unbelief How active are the men of the World their grounds of certainty are not so great as the Truths of the Gospel According to our faith so will our Love be and according to our Love so will our working be when we speak of the Glory of Heaven and of the Inheritance of the Saints it is to be feared that many are ready to think concerning us as they said concerning Ezekiel O Lord they say of me Doth he not speak Parables They complained and said that he spoke Parables so when we are speaking of the Glory of Heaven and of Life Everlasting do not many think that we are speaking Parables and Paradoxes pretty Allusions and Conceits to pass away the time or that we speak figuratively or Hyperbolically Therefore there is great need that our thoughts should run much upon the truth of the Gospel doubtless the same spirit that was in Dives possesse many now adayes that conceit of his that if one came from the dead they would believe so if a Messenger came from heaven told us of the joys of that place and what he saw then we would believe but see what a great deceit of the heart this is First Our Saviour tells us They have Moses and the Prophets and if they believe not them neither would they believe though one came from the dead Oh! Consider this But then Secondly this is a great deceit of the heart Consider from this that this is to be wiser then God as if he had not provided the best Means of Faith that could be devised either God is not so wise as he should be or hath not that good will or else he would provide the best Means But then Thirdly Those that say If one came from the Dead they would believe They speak dayly with them that have been there Jesus Christ knew better because he was purchaser of this Inheritance what this Inheritance is we are speaking dayly with him and he tells us frequently what a place it is in the Gospel and therefore we do speak with one that came from the dead Fourthly There is greater Reason that we should believe Moses and the Prophets Christ and the Apostles then one raised from the dead because there are more Reasonable exceptions against one coming from the dead then there can be against Christ and the Gospel for there might much be said against one that pretends to come from the dead He must bring his Letters Pattents with him he must bring his Commission with him he must bring Evidence with him that he comes from God else we ought to Reject him as one of Satans Angels and Messengers Fifthly Consider this that the word of God is preferred before the voice of an Angel from Heaven contradicting of it and that is more then a Ghost from the dead Gal. 1.8 Sixthly The word of God is preferr'd before the voice of God from Heaven we have a more sure word of Prophesie the Gospel of Jesus Christ is more then the voice of God which said This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased The Gospel is a more sure word then the voice of God from Heaven Seventhly Consider with me the two great confirmations of Divine Testimony for the grounding of you and for the strengthning of your belief as to the truth of the Gospel It will be very seasonable to speak to the two great evidences and Confirmations of the truth of Divine Testimonies to wit The Spirit of Prophesy and the Power of Miracles Though I might mention many grounds of the truth of the Gospel yet I take these two to be the chief to wit The Spirit of Prophesie and the Power of Miracles And Jesus Christ had both God furnished Jesus Christ with both these thereby to Confirm and make Evident the truth of that Doctrine which he was to preach in the World The two clearest Evidences of the Truth are the Spirit of Prophesie and the power of Miracles First of all The Spirit of Prophesie I shall show First What it is and then Secondly That Christ had this spirit of Prophesie and Thirdly how it comes to pass that it is a Confirmation of the Gospel First What it is There are three branches of a spirit of Prophesie First The Foretelling or Prediction of Future Events that are out of the reach of Created understanding and so the foretelling First of all of things that depend upon the Series of Natural Causes or Secondly the foretelling of things which are within the reach of Devils to foretell or Thirdly The Foretelling of such things as fall out Casually true but have no certain ground of Prediction These do not fall within the compass of the Spirit of Prophesie But then Secondly Those things fall within the compass of the Spirit of Prophesie or Divine Revelation for that is the proper Notion of a Prophet scil Divine Revelation such things as are certainly known by one man and cannot be known by another such as are the knowledge of things that are done at a distance and the knowledge of the thoughts of another Mans heart and then Thirdly Matters of Faith that do exceed the reach of Humane Apprehension or Comprehension do belong to the Spirit of Prophesie Thus you see what belongs to a Spirit of Prophesie now Jesus Christ had all these First As to his foretelling of things to come
being risen from the dead of which they had no other assurance but the miracles which the Apostles wrought and their testimony and then Thirdly a third thing will clear all That there is a certain way of conveying the Copy of the Gospel down to us and that it is impossible that it should be corrupted in any of those things which are of concernment to the Christian world for there being Hereticks in all ages that wrest the Scripture on purpose if there had been any corruption in the Copy they would have detected it as being glad of such an advantage against the truth of it Well then let it not seem a diversion that I have spoken this to those two arguments of the truth of the Gospel for since if we come to suffer all must hang upon this point If the Gospel be not true we are undone for ever He that findeth his life shall lose it and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it c. and in other Scriptures thus saith the Gospel and if this be not true we are undone for ever and thus though the most satisfactory conviction to us be the testimony of the spirit of God yet since we are rational creatures and God dealeth with us as such we ought to be furnished and enabled and ready to give a reason of the hope that is in us For Religion is reasonable and though the matter of the Gospel be above reason and not capable of being demonstrated from the things themselves as how can it be proved by reason that there can be a resurrection that there can be Three Persons in One and many other Doctrines of the Gospel yet I say it may be demonstrated that it is a reasonable thing to believe such things though they be above reason and though we cannot have reason for the things themselves yet there is reason vvhy vve should beheve them And I say since that it is not unusual with Satan to assault the best Christians here about the belief of the Gospel and seeing the operation of the spirit and the feeling testimony of the spirit to the truth of the Scriptures may not be always ready therefore it is good to keep the out-works to keep the Guard in the out-works not to lie all the stress within but to be fortified with arguments and reasons for the operations or vvorking of the Will and the affections are more uncertain and more changeable then the acts of the understanding let us therefore always be furnished with arguments of reason to help our feeling to rub up our feeling and to quicken us The spirit is a spirit of understanding a spirit of Wisdom and doth deal with rational men by rational means ordinarily Well therefore you see that we ought to be furnished with Arguments and these are two that we may be furnished with If Satan should assault us that vvay vve may be ready to beat him and Lastly Consider the Miracles which Christ wrought are not only a Confirmation of this Doctrine as they are a Conviction that he comes from God and what he sayes comes from God but likewise in his Miracles there is something Christians may make use of as a Motive and as an Argument to doe these Dutyes which those Miracles were brought to confirme There is something in the Miracle besides the Divine power which may be as a Motive and an argument to Christians in their dutyes as thus Jesus Christ when they came to apprehend him he with a word speaking caused the officers to fall to the ground saying I am he This may encourage us that Jesus Christ will stand with us though not with a Miracle yet by his powerful presence when we come to be apprehended so He that will lose his Life shall save it c. Now we may be comforted that we shall save ours by losing of it for he did so He saved his life by losing it for our sakes so when we come to any Doctrine or Precept get a Miracle to back it and it will be of great use to you when you would be exhorted to the duty of Charity let that Miracle so back it how Christ fed 500. with five Loaves and 2. small fishes so get your charity strengthened by a Miracle c. But I cannot stand upon this these are the two specal things for confirmation of the Doctrine of the Gospel the spirit of Prophesy and the power of Miracles The Eight and last for those that seeme to be at an uncertainty about Heaven Consider whether it be not worth the while to put it out of doubt whether there be such a thing or no For it is not a matter of such small moment whether it be or no. But you that are not sure are you sure there is no such thing if there be a Heaven and a Hell what a case are we in if we do not look after the one and avoid the other Surely it should cause us to work out our Salvation with fear and trembling If there be any such thing no diligence is too much and if there be no such thing any diligence is too much Let us not halt between two Opinions c. Let there be no demurrs in our Spirits but let us be satisfied about it I presse hard saith the Apostle I was once a persecutor and earnest against the Gospel and I use the same violence in preaching the Gospel that I used before in persecuting it I persecute the word signifies I presse and pursue So run that ye may obtain It is a dishonour to the Joys of Heaven to have half and saint attempts about it To conclude Examine your selves and you will find that all that sluggishness in Duty all that fearfulness that you are guilty of proceeds meerly from unbelief you are not satisfied and perswaded of the truth of the Gospel of Christ this is evident compare it with your practice What pains does the Husbandman take for Corn upon the hopes of a Crop The Merchant he will venture and run hazards We ought to run hazards for Heaven of which there is more certainty then can be of any thing This is the First thing that you must do for the getting of Heaven Be satisfied of the truth of it that there is such a thing Secondly When you are satisfied of the truth endeavour to understand the nature of it from Scripture Men take up false Notions concerning Heaven and they look on it as a place free from trouble and so desire it Oh! look upon Heaven as an holy place free from sin and that is the happiness of it There are thousands of men that desire heaven who if they were there it would be a burden to them Heaven must be begun here Thirdly study to know more your Distance by Nature from heaven You are not born heirs unless it be heirs of wrath No man ever got this Inheritance that thought he deserv'd it no man ever got to be in any place in