Heaven it was with a great purchase it was with the purchase of the blood of Jesus Christ that was more worth than all the world And if the Son makes you free then you shall be free indeed and therefore prize this as a great mercie while you live here in this world account it as a great mercie that you are a Citizen of Heaven account your happiness to consist there it is more than to have House and Lands here for a man to have a freedom of some Citie it is more than to have House and Land in the Wilderness What though the Lord doth order things so as while thou livest in the wilderness of this world thou hast no habitation of thine own yet certainly the Lord hath made thee free of Heaven it was purchased for thee by the blood of Jesus Christ Now by that price that it cost thou mayest conclude that there is some great matter in it that thou art a free Denizen of Heaven CHAP. VI. How the Saints have their Conversation in Heaven Opened in Nine Particulars BUt now our Conversation should be answerable and now we come more fully up to the scope of the Apostle But our Conversation is in Heaven The Conversations of the Saints that are free Citizens of Heaven ought to be answerable though their Co-habitations be in this world yet their Conversation it should be in Heaven in the 7. of Dan. 10. 18. there you reade of the excellent estate of the Saints But the Saints of the most High shall take the kingdom and possess the kingdom for ever That that is translated here The Saints of the most High it is not only meant of the Most High God but the Saints of the high Places so 't is translated by some for the Saints are the Saints of high places in regard of their interest in Heaven and in regard of their Conversations sutable to the place in the 2. Ephe. 6. And hath raised us up together and made us sit together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus The Saints are set in Heavenly places Heavenly dignitie Heavenly privileges Heavenly prerogatives yea and they themselves may be said to be in Heavenly places though their bodies be upon the earth their souls are in Heavenly places their Conversation is in Heaven They are the Saints of the High God and they are set in high places You will say What is this Conversation that is in Heaven that is here spoken of I shall open it in these particulars The first is The aim and scope of their hearts it is Heaven-ward that the Saints look at as their aim and scope is Heaven they look upon themselves in this world as pilgrims and strangers Heaven 's their home and their eye is there their end their scope whatsoever they do it is for Heaven some way or other to fit them for Heaven and to lay in for Heaven against they shall come and live there their Conversation therefore is in Heaven All that they do eating drinking going about their business yet I say their aim it is Heaven I remember it 's reported of Anaragorus a Philosopher that being asked wherefore he liv'd he said he was born to contemplate the Heavens he made it the end of his life for which he was born to contemplate Heaven Being a Phylosopher and having understanding in the motions of the Heavens he took such delight in it that he accounted it the end for which he was born So the Saints look at Heaven as their Center that they aim at that 's their scope we saith the Apostle do not look at things that are seen but at things that are not seen nothing in the Earth is our scope but Heaven is our scope and so their Conversations may be said to be in Heaven in that respect Secondly Their Conversations are in Heaven for they are acted by Heavenly principles in all their waies Heavenly principles you will say What are they This is a Heavenly Principle That God is all in all that 's a Principle that the Saints are guided by in Heaven they look upon God to be all in all unto them so do the Saints here in what they do in what they are in what they enjoy they act upon this Principle that it's God that is all in all whatsoever I see in the creature yet it 's God that is all in all to me I act by vertue of this Principle That God the infinite First-being is infinitely worthy of all love for himself that 's a Heavenly Principle the Saints that are in Heaven they look upon the infinite excellencie and glorie of God they look upon him as the First-Being of all things having all excellencie and glorie enough to satisfie all creatures for ever and look upon him as infinitly worthy of all love and service for himself know this is a heavenly Principle So the Saints their conversation is in Heaven they are acted by heavenly principles I look upon such and such things in the world whereby I may go in credit encrease or comfort this is an earthly principle But when my heart is so upon God that it looks upon him as infinitly excellent and worthy of all love service fear honor and worship for himself alone whatsoever becomes of the creature God is worthy of all for that infinite excellencie in himself this is a heavenly principle and for one to be acted in his life by such a principle as this is this is to be acted by heavenly principles not by such low and base principles as the men of the world are but by heavenly principles Thirdly Their Conversations are in Heaven For here though they live in the world they have communion with the God of Heaven that is above in the whol course of their lives In the 1. Epistle by John 1. chap. you have divers excellent expressions about our communion with God In the 3. verse That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you That ye also may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ And then in another Scripture we reade of the Communion of the holy Ghost Thereis Communion with the Father Son and holy Ghost Now what makes Heaven but God we say where the King is there 's the Court where God is there 's Heaven let God be where he will There is some controversie among some where the Saints shall be after the Resurrection some think it shall be still here and yet with all the glory that the Scripture speaks of Now it 's no great matter where it be so it be where God is those that have Communion with God they are in Heaven their Conversation is in Heaven now it 's that that is the life of the Saints their Communion with God thy life it is to have communion with the Creature that is for thee to close with the contents of the Creature and the faculty that is in man to tast any
's true of many men in this case that I am speaking of their very souls do cleave to the dust their spirits are mixed with the earth and therefore they are drossie Though it may be they have some good common gifts some good natural parts and some workings of the holy Ghost upon them yet their spirits are drossie because they are mixt with the earth discourse never so much to these men of the vanity of the things of the earth they will give you the hearing but when you have done all their souls do cleave to the earth and discourse never so much to them of the excellency of heavenly things they will hear you but when you have done all their souls stil cleaves to the earth As a man whose soul cleaves in love to a woman As it is said of Sampson his soul did cleave to Dalilab talk what you will against that women or of the excellency of any other woman yet his soul cleaves to that woman so 't is in an earthly minded man let what will be said against the things of the earth or what can be said for the setting forth of the excellency of the things of Heaven yet his soul cleaves to the earth as the Serpents belly did to the dust of the ground That 's an earthly minded man Fourthly An earthly minded man it on whose heart is filled with distracting cares about the earth what he shall eat and drink and what he shall put on how he shall provide for himself and his family and what shall become of him at such a time Though he be well now yet what may become of him afterwards when the heart is filled with distracting cares about the things of the earth so far as the heart hath these prevailing over it so far such a man may be judged to be earthly There are two things that do cause distrating cares about anie businesse The first is An apprehension of some verie great evil In case I should be disappointed I look upon my disappointment in such a thing as a most intolerable evil to me If I should be disappointed I know not what in the world to do That 's the first The second is An uncertaintie in the means for the preventment of this disappointment when as I look upon disappointment as a very great evil so those means that should prevent and help me against disappointment I cannot trust to I look upon them as too weak to help me notwithstanding al such means I may yet be desappointed this causes distracting thoughts so t is in the things of the earth an earthly minded man or woman hath his thoughts fil'd with distracting cares about the world That is thus First They looking upon the things of the world as such great things they conceive if they should be disappointed they should be undone they look upon it as such a fearful unsufferable evil to be depriv'd of their estate and outward comforts in this world Secondly They don't look upon the means of provision for themselves and families as having anie certaintie in it which is a main thing to be considered of As for outward things in the world they find by experience there is uncertainty in them And then for any promse that there is in Scripture that God will provide for them and their families alas that they dare not trust to that 's a thing that of all means they think to be the weakest Lord have mercy upon them say they if they have nothing else to trust to but only a word in Scripture they think themselves most miserable and wretched But now it would be otherwise with the soul if it were not earthly minded it would not be at any great pause how things do fall out here in the matters of the world it 's true perhaps I may miscarry in such a businesse and my estate may be taken from me by the Caldeans or Sabeans as Jobs was but I shall not be undone my happiness is not gone I shall have that that will comfort me when all that is gone suppose the worst yet this will not undo me Indeed a man that sends abroad in a venture all his whole estate he is very solicitous because if there be ill news about it he is undone but another man that hath a great deal of riches house and Lands and a stock at home to maintain him and his family If there comes such ill news I have a stock to live on he thinks therefore he is not so much solicitous So a worldly man all his stock is in the earth there 's his only portion and if he miscarries there he is undone But a godly man though he hath the things of the earth yet he hath something else treasures in Heaven to rest upon besides the earth and therefore he is not so solicitous And then for the second The uncertainty of means and help if a godly man looks upon outward causes he sees all is uncertain but he hath a promise to rest upon I will never leave you nor forsake you cast your care upon me for I care for you and this he looks upon as a certain means and help whatsoever fals out here 's a promise that he can build upon and therefore this takes off his solicitous cares But an earthly minded man or woman whose heart is fild with distracting cares because he look upon himself as undone if he miscarries here and hath nothing to rest upon for his provision in this world more than the creature Fifthly An earthly minded man or woman is one whose great business of his heart and endeavours of his life are about the things of the earth he makes it his great business and the strong endeavours of his spirit are exercised in the things of the earth He eagerly and greedily works with the strongest intention about these things his whole Soul the whole man is laid out about the world it is the adequate object of his soul You will say Other men they are busie in their callings as well as these that you account earthly minded men I but mark they are busie about their callings in obedience to God and for outward things set aside their obedience to God then I say all the things that they busie themselves about in the world were it not under that consideration that they were obeying God in it they would not be adequate objects for their souls I mean by an adequate object that that Is sufficient to take up the whole strength of the soul to lay it out fully I 'le give you this similitude to express my mind further to shew you what I mean by an adequate object You have a little child he is playing at sports now this sport it hath as much in it as there is in his spirit there is a kind of equality between his spirit and such a sport there is benefit enough a child conceives in such a sport as it's worth the laying out of all his
God at the Throne of his Grace and have been sweetly refreshed as a Gyant with wine the while thou hast gone with a dead heart and continued so there and came away with as dead an heart without anie quicknesse and life and this is that that comes by thy earthly-mindednesse which is such a remora and pulback to duties The Tenth Evil. 10. Earthly-mindednesse is so great an evil wheresoever it prevails as it were just with God that thy name who art so earthly-minded should be written in the earth I say those that are earthly-minded and have this sin prevailing upon their hearts and are not sensible of it they have cause to fear least God should write their names in the dust yea lest God hath already written their names in the earth in the 17. of Jerem. 13. we reade of such an expression Oh Lord the hope of Israel all that forsake thee shall be ashamed and they they that depart from thee shall be written in the earth because they have forsaken the Lord the fountain of living waters And it 's apparant that he speaks of earthly spirits here for in the 11. verse he saith As the Partridg sitteth on eggs and hatcheth them not so he that getteth riches and not by right shall leave them in the midst of his daies and at his end shall be a fool and then he goes on and describes the excellencie of God and his Sanctuarie A glorious high Throne from the beginning is the place of our Sanctuary c. As if he should say There are a company of foolish vain men that seek after nothing but getting riches and the things of the earth But a glorious high Throne from the beginning is the place of our Sanctuary Oh Lord we see an excellencie in thee and in thine Ordinances and thy Sanctuary Oh Lord the hope of Israel in whom there is such excellencie is there any that do forsake thee who hast so much excellencie in thee who art the hope of Israel Oh Lord just it were that their names should be written in the earth that they should never come to partake of those good things that there are in thee the excellent things that there are in thine Ordinances and in thy Gospel but Lord let their names be written in the earth an earthly spirit I say may fear least the name of it be written in the earth lest God write concerning such a man or such a woman earth shall be their portion and their mouths shall be fil'd with earth one day and that 's all the good that they shall have from the Almighty Oh those who have known God and the things of eternal life they cannot but apprehend this to be a sad and a grievous evil for their names to be written in the earth The Eleventh Evil. An Earthly-minded man hath the curse of the Serpent upon him What was that Vpon thy belly shalt thou go and dust shalt thou eat Thou hast the curse of the Serpent thou grove-lest upon the earth as it were upon thy belly thy soul cleaves to the ground in a sinful way and dust thou feedest upon While the Saints are feeding upon Jesus Christ upon the very flesh and blood of Christ when they are refreshing themselves with the hidden Mannah Angels bread corn from Heaven thou art satiating thy self with the earth that 's thy food and that 's the very curse of the Serpent it 's a sign of a serpentine brood of the old Serpent to be groveling upon the earth and to feed upon it The Twelfth Evil. Earthly-mindedness is a dishonor to God and a scandal to Religion What! shalt thou profess an interest in Christ and are there no higher things to be had in God than such base things as thy heart is upon What! doest thou hold forth the everlasting Gospel in thy hand to others and doest openly professe a nearnesse to God more than others and is there no difference between the workings of thy heart and the workings of others after the things of this world Oh! how does this darken the excellency of Grace if there be any grace at all it very much clouds it as the mixing of earth and drossie stuff with pure mettle it takes away the excellencie of the pure mettle so the mixing of earth with the profession of Religion blemisheth the beauty and splendor of the profession of Religion Thou wilt never be the man or woman that is like to convince any by thy Conversation thou art never likely to be a means to draw any to the love of the waies of godlinesse because there is so much darknesse and earthlinesse in thy Conversation Oh will they say Indeed he or she makes a great blaze in the world and talks much of Religion and of Ordinances and such things but as worldly as any and groveling in the earth as much as any people that are standers by wil think that profession is but a meer verbal thing or a mock-shew when as they see as much earthlinesse in your conversation as in the conversation of those that are without you do bring an ill report on the things of God as the Spies did on the Land of Canaan Whereas every professor of Religion should endeavour to put a lustre upon Religion and to make the waies of God to be beautiful amiable and glorious in the eyes of all that do behold them But now to give a lye to your Gospel-profession by your Earthlyconversation is a very great scandal to the Name of Christ that is upon you and to his Gospel that you seem to stand up for Oh! there 's a great evil in this and a very ill report comes upon the waies of Religion by this means many that have had little religion in them yet have some kind of generousness of spirit so that they scorn such base sordednesse as some sorts of Professors are given unto Oh! for shame let not those that have only common gifts of nature and education outstrip you that seem to be the followers of Christ away with that base muddy earthly saving pinching disposition it becomes none but Judas that carried the bag and betraied his Lord and Master for Eighteen shillings and four pence Let me argue with you you that have to deal with any friends or neighbors that you yet are afraid have not the power of godlinesse in them as you desire but yet you see they have much ingenuity and generousnesse and publickness of spirit in them for publick good take heed of scandalizing such men for certainly such men if they could be brought to the love of Religion to the power strictness thereof had they the work of the holy Ghost upon their hearts to humble them for sin and to shew them the excellencie of Jesus Christ they would be glorious Instruments in the Church of God and Common-wealth and therefore it 's a very great evil to scandalize such men as these no you should labor to walk so as they might
the last of all Whose end is destruction who art drown'd in perdition lest hereafter this be the thing that thou shalt lie crying out of and cursing thy self for Oh! I had a base and earthly heart and sought the things of the earth and made my portion there and in the mean time the blessed God hath been forsaken and I have lost my Portion in the Holy Land for I had my portion in Egypt among the Egyptians accoding as I did choose to my self 9. Conv. That the more spiritual any truth is that is reveal'd the less doth it take with his heart Some truths of Religion perhaps he is moved with but these are as by-words to him he minds them not at at all The more spiritual an Ordinance is that is delivered the lesse is his spirit moved with it if indeed he comes to the Word and there be mingled some earthly natural excellencie for so I may call it as natural parts wisdom wit and eloquence and learning that he is mov'd withal it may be some fine story is more pleasing to him than the goodly pearls of truth that are revealed in the word as now such truths as these The enjoyment of communion with God the longing after Jesus Christs coming the living by faith upon a bare promise the excellencie that there is in suffering for Jesus Christ These truths now are spiritual The mortifying of the inward lusts Self-denial These things are little savored by an earthly-minded man tell him of the priviledges of the Saints the mysteries of the Gospel any thing that is spiritual it is but as a notion to him As 't is with men that are upon the earth they look up to Heaven and see the things of Heaven but little why is it that the Stars seem so smal to us here but because we are upon the earth the earth seems a vast bodie to us but the Stars seem but little to us though they are far bigger than the earth were we in Heaven then the heavenly bodies would seem vast to us and the earthly bodies would scarce be discerned by us were mens hearts heavenly all the things of the earth would seem little to them but because they are earthly therefore the things of heaven and spiritual mysteries are very small in their eyes CHAP. IV. Seven Reasons of mens Earthly-mindedness I Shall now proceed unto the Reasons of the Point Why is it that mens hearts are so much set upon the earth to mind earthly things I give you briefly these Reasons for it First The things of the earth appear real to them but spiritual and heavenly things be but a notion Now that that hath reality in it takes with the heart most though men are deceived in this for the Scripture speaks of spiritual things as the only real things and earthly things as that that hath no being at all in Prov. 23. 15. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not speaking of the riches of the world it hath no reality at all in it But in the 8. Prov. 20. 21. I lead in the way of righteousness in the midst of the paths of Judgment That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance to inherit that which is that which hath a being othert hings they are not the honors of the earth are but a fantasie and vain shew you have read of Bernice and Agrippa They came with much Pomp with great Fansie so the original is but to an earthly man these earthly things are real things and therefore he minds them and wisdom is a lye unto a fool Secondly These things they look upon as the present necessary things though the Scripture tels us but of one thing that is necessiary but yet they think that these are present now they may have need of heavenly things hereafter They may have need of reconciliation with God pardon of sin peace of conscience and such things they may have need of them that is when they depart out of this life Oh! the infinite folly of most hearts to think that there is no present necessity of spiritual and heavenly things whereas indeed our life consists in them for the present This is eternal life we may come here in this world to enjoy eternal life but the generality of people they look upon all spiritual things only as our good for the future when we go from hence and are seen no more Thirdly These things are most sutable to mens hearts It 's no wonder that they mind earthly things They are of the earth and from the earth they have nothing but the first Adam in them now the first man was from the earth earthly The truth is the happiness of mans estate even in innocency in the morning of the day of his creation in comparison of the things that are now reveal'd by the Gospel was but earthly take man when he was in Paradice that Paradice was but earthly but then take man in his fallen and corrupt estate then he must needs be earthly and every thing closes with that that is sutable to it comfort it doth not come so much from the goodness of a thing but from the sutablness of the object with the facultie Now the things of the earth they are sutable to men that are of the earth and therefore they mind them the heart will abundantly run out upon that which is sutable to it Fourthly These things of the earth have a very fair shew in the flesh they have a kind of goodly appearance in the eye of sence yea and in the eye of that reason that is now corrupted by sin we have a most elegant expression of these earthly things and earthly minded men having their hearts set upon these things it is in the 6. to the Gal. 12. verse As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh saith the Scripture the words are to signifie when a man looks smug and neat as you shall have some men dresse themselves curiously and having handsom bodys they look so trim fine handsom and very brave to the eye of all that do behold them So saith he these men that are the false teachers they desire to make a fair shew in the flesh that is they look upon the things of the flesh as those things that are very brave to the eye and they love to have all things so compleat about them that they may look smug and carry themselves with such beauty before the world Oh! this is their happiness this they take content in they seem to have fine estates and to have brave cloathing and all curious things about them this looks so brave in the eyes of the world and therefore it is that their hearts are upon them they are here enemies to the Crosse of Christ they think suffering for Christ poverty disgrace looks but untowardly But now those that desire to make a fair shew in the flesh that would have their countenances well wash'd
mans nature upon him and died for man Surely there must be some other manner of things that are the fruit of the purchase of the blood of Christ than the things of the earth Oh my brethren had you but this setled upon you that certainly God hath great glorious high and wonderful thoughts about man-kind this would be a mighty means to take off your hearts from the things of this earth when thou hast thy heart grovelling here Oh but are these the things that God made man for had not God higher thoughts in making of the children of men do not I find in the word that when man was made there was a kind of Divine consultation with the Trinity Come let Vs make man according to our own Image God had other thoughts of man than of other things And if man were made for nothing else but meerly to dig in the earth Certainly the thoughts of God about man have been but very low and mean as I may so speak with holy reverence for these are but low and mean things here that men enjoy in the earth The Fourth Consideration As God hath higher thoughts concerning man so the dignity of mans Nature the rational soul of man is of too high a birth for to have the strength of it spent about the things of the earth God breathed into man his soul It 's I may say a kind of a Divine spark the soul of man it is of the same nature with Angels a spirit as Angels are the thoughts of the minds the Faculties and Powers of the soul are more precious things than to be powred out as water upon the ground If a man have a Golden Mill he would not use it only to grind dirt straws and rotten sticks in The mind of man the thinking faculty is too high to be exercised in the things of this earth the mind of man it is of a most excellent capacious Nature it is fit to converse not only with Angels but with the eternal God Himself with Father Son and Holy Ghost and to bestow the strength of such a faculty that God hath put into the soul of man upon such dirtie drossie low base mean things as earthly-minded men and women do bestow it upon this must needs be a great evil Know the dignity of your Nature the excellencie of your Mind the Soul of man it is of a transcendent being Put all the world into the Ballance with it it 's nothing Therefore you know what Christ saith What shall it profit a man to gain the whol world and lose his soul The soul of the meanest gally-slave is more precious than Heaven and Earth Sun Moon Stars and all the host of them Let me add then all the Silver and Golden mines under ground and al the unsearchable Riches of the great and wide Sea yea put all these together and the Soul of the most contemptible beggar that cries for a crust of bread at thy door is unexpressibly more worth than all these Now if mans soul be of such an high-born Nature if God hath put such a Spirit which is a spark of Heaven into the bosom for man of him to imploy it in no other use and service but meerly to be an earth-worm to creep in and upon the ground this must needs be a very great evil The fifth Consideration The fifth Consideration is The Vncertainty of all these things Vncertain Riches How may any Causuality come and take away from thee al the things of the earth that thy mind is upon God sends but a little too much heat into the body and puts thee into a feavour and where 's thy delight then thy body being either too much heated or too much coold what 's become of all thy comfort here in this earth Thou goest abroad and art dangerously wounded by an enemy what refreshing then doest thou receive from all these things Let me tell thee thou art in the midst of a thousand thosand Casualities here every moment ready to take away all the Comforts of the earth and usually at that time observe it when the minds of men and women are most fixed upon the earth that 's the time that God hath to strike them in those things they be then neerest to be depriv'd of the Comforts of the earth when their thoughts and minds be most set upon them As you know it was with the Rich man in the Gospel when he was blessing himself and crying to his soul Soul Soul take thine ease thou hast goods laid up for many years even that night the text saith this message came so him Thou fool this night shall thy soul be taken away from thee and then whose shall al these things be And at that time that Nebuchadnezzer was blessing himself in the pallace that he had built for His Honor then there comes a message to him from Heaven so that he was presently outed of all his Court-vanities to graze among the beasts of the field So you may find it in your own experience that God hath many times then most crost you in the things of the earth when your minds and hearts have been most glued to them and it may be in mercy yea it 's a greater mercy to be crost of these things at such a time than to prosper in the midst of them for it may be a good argument that God intends good to a soul to crosse him at that time when he is most earthly Oh! many that have been godly indeed but yet have bin earthly minded and have found God coming at such a time and crossing them in some earthly Contentment have seen cause to blesse God for thus dealing with them Whither was I going I was going altogether to the earth and minding such things my heart was set upon them and God came in in a seasonable time to shew me the vanity of my heart and of those things that my mind was busied about Oh it was a happy crosse that I had at such a season there was much of Christ that did hang upon it And that 's the fift Consideration The sixth Consideration Do but consider what 's become of those that have been earthly heretofore that injoyed the greatest accomodations of the earth what 's become of those men in former ages of the world that lived here and vapour'd so much in their generation who but they at Court and in Citie and had all the earth according to their desires what 's become of Agrippa and Bernice with al their pagentry greatness now they have acted their parts and are gone off the common stage of the world all their vanity is buried with them in one grave What difference is there between the poor and rich when they die they go all the same way only they were for a little time and flourished in the things of the earth and now are gone but have left a great deal of guiltiness behind them look but to their example and what
cannot say so they have a father to provide for them and all the earth is the Lords as well as heaven and the fulnesse of them both now the earth being the Lords as well as heaven the earth being thy fathers why should thy care be so much upon the things of the earth Let thy care be to do thy duty to thy father to walk as a child but let it not be for the things of the earth thou dost as much as disavow the care of thy father for thee and canst thou beleeve that God shall give his Son to thee and not give thee all things else hath not godliness the promises of this life as well as of that to come Oh! thou unworthy child that professest an interest in such a father or unworthy Christian that professest an interest in such promises and hop'st that God hath done such things for thee as he hath done and yet hast thy heart in the things of this earth as if the Lord had settled thee only here and put thee to shift for thy self here from door to door no certainly the care of God is over his people in the things of the earth as truly as it is over them in regard of spiritual and eternal things Some men can think at least they trust that they do trust God for their souls but cannot for their bodies so well but surely faith wil teach thee to trust God for thy body as wel as thy soul for God hath care of both and both were redeem'd by the blood of Jesus Christ and hath told thee that he that fears the Lord shall never want any thing that 's good for him Now these considerations may mightily prevail to take off the hearts of men from the things of this earth The Eleventh Consideration The last that I shall name is this That all that are Professors of Religion they are dead to the world or should be so nay if you be truly Religious you are so by profession you do professe your selves to be dead unto the world The Scripture makes this argument to take off mens hearts from the things of this world in the 3. Colos 2 3. Set your affections on things above not on things on the earth why for you are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God Ye are dead the Apostle writes to the Colossians and yet he tels them that they were dead the Sripture speaks much of the death of the Saints As it 's said of women that liv'd in pleasures in Timothy that they were dead while they liv'd so it may be said of Christians that they are dead while they live dead to the world I am crucified to the world saith the Apostle and we are dead with Christ I find that some interpret that Scripture in the 1. Cor. 15. 29. Else what shall they do that are baptized for the dead they interpret it thus That all those that came in which were Heathens and converted to Christianity and were baptized they were baptized for dead men that is by their baptizm now there was a profession that they did professe themselves from that time for ever as dead men to the world baptized for the dead you have it in some of your books over the dead but the word is for and so it is translated in this last translation For dead men your baptizm is administred unto you as a sign of your profession to be as dead men unto the world so I find some carry it This is the profession of Christians to be as dead men to the world Oh do not dishonor your profession of Religion for indeed there is a greater evil as we said for professors of Religion to be earthly minded than for any others and yet how many are guilty of this It 's an observation of Luther when God rivealed himself to Abraham and told him that he would multiply his seed he made use of two similitudes one was this That he would make his seed as the stars of Heaven and at another time God saith that he would make his seed as the sand upon the sea shore Now saith Luther by these two expressions there is signified two sorts of Abrahams seed there are some that are as the stars of Heaven that are heavenly minded There are others that are as the sand of the Sea that is There are some professe themselves to be of Abrahams seed but are of earthly spirits Oh now my brethren we should labor to have such minds and hearts so as we should appear to be the seed of Abraham as the stars of heaven to be of the number of those that are as the stars of heaven that is through heavenly-mindednesse But that we shall come to when we come to speak of the conversation of Christians how it ought to be in heaven But now if any one should say May we not mind earthly things and heavenly things too Know there is a great mistake here you cannot serve two masters God and Mamon and it 's very observable that text of Scripture in the 3. of Colos 2. verse mark the opposition Set your affections on things above not on things on the earth they are there opposed one to another Set your affections or minds for so I think it is the same word with that in my text who mind earthly things A man cannot look up to heaven and down to the earth both at the same time there is an opposition between these two between the earthly-mindedness that hath been opened to you and minding of heavenly things I but you will say For these things while we are upon the earth we have need of them how can we do otherwaies but mind them When we come to heaven there we shall have dispositions sutable to heaven but sure not till then To that I answer Though Christians do live upon the earth yet they are not of the earth there 's a great deal of difference between one that is of the earth and another that lives upon the earth Christ saith concerning himself that he was not of the earth it 's true though he did live a while upon the earth yet he was not of it In the 3. of John 31. He that cometh from above is above all he that is of the earth is earthly and speaketh of the earth now Christ while he spake these words he was upon the earth but He was not of the Earth And so it is with Christians they are upon the Earth but they are not of the Earth they are a people redeem'd from the earth therefore that 's not enough it 's true these things are things that we need therefore we must not mind them for so in the 6. of Mat. where Christ speaks against taking thought what we shall eat or what we shall drink or what we shall put on Saith he Your Heavenly Father knows you have need of these things you have some need I but you have need of other things and greater
they should find Callis in her heart And so it may be said of Saints whose Conversations are in Heaven I speak not of all Professors of Religion for it 's said of bodies when Paul speaks of the resurrection there are bodies Celestial and bodies Terrestial so I may say There are Professors Celestial and Professors Terrestial but as for such whose Conversations are in Heaven who walk with God and live here the lives of Heaven upon Earth If they were rip'd up you should find Heaven in their hearts un-rip many mens hearts and there 's nothing but the earth uncleanness and baseness suppose God should come this moment and rip up all your hearts and disclose them to all the men of the world what a deal of filthy stuff would be found in many of your hearts but for such whose Conversations are in Heaven they would be ready to have God unrip their hearts when he pleaseth Lord try Lord search me Lord examine and see what is in my heart I 'le but put this now to you as in the Name of God and let conscience answer What do you think would be found in your hearts if they should be unrip'd now and if your consciences tell you Oh Lord if my heart should be rip'd up now there would be a filthy deal of ugly and abominable stuff there surely I have not had my Conversation in Heaven my heart hath been sinking even down to low and base things but now for those whom this text concerns it will be an exceeding comfort to them and I hope that there are divers of you that may be able to say if the Lord should at this present rip our hearts and shew them to all the world I hope the world should see that Heaven is stamped upon our hearts We account it sad weather when we cannot see the Heavens for many daies when we cannot see Heaven many times for a week together and we account it an ill dwelling where men dwell in narrow lanes in the City so that they can scarce see the Heavens except they go abroad in the fields My brethren surely it 's a sad time with a gracious heart when any one day passes without converse with Heaven without the sight of Heaven and meditations of Heaven and having their hearts there Thus it should be with Christians whose Conversations are in Heaven they should never love such dwellings wherein they cannot see the beams of the Sun It 's a most comfortable thing for to see the light a man that dwels in some dark house it 's very comfortable for him to walk out into the open air and to behold the Heavens Oh my brethren our souls dwell in dark houses every one of us for our bodies are to our souls like a dark and low celler but the Lord gives us liberty to go abroad to be conversing with the things of Heaven that he hath revealed in his Word and in his Ordinances And as many Citizens that live in dark rooms keep a long time close to their work yet at such times as they cal days of Recreation they walk abroad in the Fields and take the fresh air and oh how delightsom is it to them The same should be to a gracious heart that hath a great many businesses indeed in the world I but on the Lords day Oh that he may now enjoy God in his Ordinances more than before his thoughts are upon those waies wherein he may come to have more of Heaven Oh! that I may come to converse more with God than at other times And upon that the Sabbaths are the joy of his soul his delight he longs after the Sabbath he thirsts after Ordinances for indeed his heart is in them for he finds there is more of Heaven in them than in other things and in that regard the Saints having their thoughts and hearts in Heaven thus he proves to have his Conversation to be in Heaven Moses never came to Canaan and yet God gave Moses a sight of it carried him up to mount Nebo Heavenly meditations are as it were mount Nebo whereby when the heart is raised a little upon the mount it 's able to see Heaven behold the glorious things there The Scripture speaks of Lucifer that he had his nest among the stars A Saint hath as it were his nest his dwelling among the stars yea above the stars in the highest Heavens As 't is with wicked men that when they seem to draw nigh to God yet their hearts are far from him then they are in their shops they are among their ships when they seem to be worshipping of God So when the Saints seem in regard of their bodies to be far from God yet their hearts are in Heaven in the mean time Sixtly For the opening of a Heavenly Conversation it consists in this When in the course of mens lives they do converse and delight in the same things that are done in Heaven they make their happiness the same happiness that is in Heaven and make their exercise to be the same exercise that is in Heaven As for instance What is there in Heaven There is the fight of the face of God Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God And the Angels Alwaies behold the face of God So the Saints may be said to have their Conversations in Heaven because their exercise here while they live it is in the beholding the face of God in standing before God seeing his face the greatest delight and contentment of their souls it is that they can see somewhat of God What 's to be done further The Work of Heaven it is in the Praisings and Blessings of God What do the Saints and Angels of Heaven but continually blesse and magnifie and praise the Name of that God whom they see to be so infinitly worthy of all praise and honor from his creatures Then is a mans Conversation in Heaven when as he doth the same things when he joyns with Angels Saints in doing of the same work of magnifying and blessing and praising God What 's done in Heaven but the keeping of a perpetual Sabbath Then are our conversations in Heaven when we delight in Gods Sabbath yea and indeed to keep a constant Sabbath unto God though busied about earthly things yet still we keep a Sabbath to God in resting from sin and being spiritually imployed And that 's a Sixth thing Seventhly Then our Conversation is in Heaven When in Earthly imployments yet we are Heavenly when we use earthly things after a heavenly manner it is not the place that God looks at so much where his Saints are But what they do Though while we live in the earth we use earthly things yet when we can use them in an heavenly manner then our Conversation may be in heaven though we upon earth As thus first When in the use of earthly things we do quickly passe through earthly things to God we make use of them but
TWO TREATISES OF Mr. JEREMIAH BURROUGHS The first Of Earthly-mindedness Wherein is shewed 1. What Earthly-mindedness is 2. The Evils of Earthly-mindedness 3. Several Convincements of Earthly-mindedness 4. Several Reasons of Earthly-mindedness 5. Considerations to take off the heart from Earthly-mindedness 6. Directions how to get our hearts free from Earthly-mindedness The second Treatise Of Conversing in Heaven and Walking with God Wherein is shewed 1. How the Saints have their Conversation in Heaven 2. How the Saints Trade for Heaven 3. Evidences of Heavenly Conversation 4. That Heavenly Conversation is 1. Convincing 2. Growing 3. Brings much glory to God 4. Brings much glory to the Saints 5. It will make suffering easie 6. Brings much joy 7. It 's very safe 5. Directions for Heavenly Conversation 6. What Walking with God is 7. The Excellency of walking with God 8. Evidences of our walking with God 9. Rules for our walking with God The Fourth Volumn published by Thomas Goodwyn William Bridge William Greenhil John Yates Sydrach Simpson Philip Nye William Adderley London Printed for Peter Cole at the Printing-Press in Cornhill near the Royal Exchange 1652. TO the READER IT was the saying of a Servant of Christ Every day a Christian spends on Earth is a day lost in heaven sure he meant it of the Place not the Company For what makes Heaven but Vnion and Communion with God in Jesus Christ Now this being attainable in this life what hinders but a Christian may live in heaven whilst he lives upon earth Truly our Fellowship is with the Father with his Son Jesus Christ 1 Job 13. And our Conversation is in Heaven saith another Apostle Phil. 3. 20. And I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God Gal. 2. 20. These were men on earth subject to such infirmities as these are yet lived in Heaven and there are yet in this declining wanton Christ-denying age a Generation upon earth thus living whose lives and graces though hidden under a mean out side under many reproaches and infirmities yet shine inwardly with the glory of Christ upon them who though they be in the world yet follow the Lord with a Spirit differing from the spirit of the world and amongst these hidden ones of the Lord this blessed man the preacher of these Sermons of whom the world was not worthy was such a one who whilst he was upon earth lived in Heaven and as thou maiest easily perceive the end and scope of these Sermons is to winde up thy heart to the like frame and posture viz. To take it off from perishing vanities and to set it upon that which is the real and durable substance We see upon what weak shoulders the fair neck of all worldly pomp and glory now stands and how the Lord is winding up and putting an end to the glories of the Kingdoms of men who have not contributed their strength and power to the advancing but contrariwise to the pulling down and ecclypsing of the glory of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ Besides what the World tells us never had any age by the works of providence more examples laid before them of the worlds vanity than in our daies and therefore our hearts should sâ—t loose to all things that cannot stretch themselves to eternity The Apostles reason is full of weight It remains saith he that both they that have wives be as though they had none and they that weep as though they wept not and they that rejoyce as though they rejoyced not and they that buy as though they possessed not and they that use the world as not abusing it and this Exhortation he puts on by this Argument The time is short or as the word is The remainder of our season is now folding up as a sail or curtain into a narrow room Time is short and life shorter and the end of all things is at hand and we have greater things to minde and to set our hearts upon The Divinityy of this holy mans spirit did much appear in this that having much of the comfort that Earth could afford him he still looked upon all Creatures Contentments with the eyes of a stranger and on order to the raising up of his soul to a more holy humble serviceable self denying walking with God For him that injoyes little or nothing in the world to speak much of the worlds vanity and emptynesse and of taking the heart off that the sweetness whereof he never possessed is not so much as when a man is surrounded with the confluence of Creature-comforts then by a Divine spirit to tread upon the neck of these things and to be caught up into the third Heaven bathing solacing and satisfying it self with sweet and higher injoyments with the more savory and cordial apprehensions it hath of Jesus Christ this is somewhat like him that is made partaker of the Divine Nature and that lives above the world in the injoyment of the world so that now Reader thou hast these Sermons twice printed once in the practice of this holy man and now again in these papers which we present to thee in this preaching stile though we confess things might have been more contracted because we find this way more desired more acceptable to his hearers and if we mistake not more working upon the affections and more profitable to the greatest part of Christians The Lord Jesus be with thy Spirit and go along with these and all other his precious labors to the furtherance of the joy of thy Faith building thee up in the inner man and directing thee in the way to thine eternal rest Thomas Goodwyn William Greenhil Sydrach Simpson Philip Nye William Bridge John Yates William Adderley THou hast here the names of al the Books of Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs that are published by us Thomas Goodwyn William Greenhil Sydrach Simpson Philip Nye William Bridge John Yates William Adderley The first Volumn The rare Jewel of Christian Contentment The second Volumn Gospel Worship The third Volumn Gospel Conversation The fourth Volumn Two Treatises the one of Earthly-mindedness the other of conversing in Heaven and walking with God THE CONTENTS OF THE FOURTH VOLUUMN Philip. 3. 19. CHAP. I. TExt opened Page 2 Doctrine There is a great difference between a wicked man and a godly man The one minds the Earth the other his Conversation is in Heaven 3 CHAP. II. Earthly-mindedness discovered in nine particulars 1 When men look upon Earthly things as the greatest things 5 2 When the choicest of their thoughts are busied about earthly things 6 3 When their hearts cleave to the earth Page 8 4 When their hearts are filled with distracted cares about the earth 9 5 When the greatest endeavors of their lives are about things of the earth 11 6 When they seek any earthly thing for its self and not in subordination to some higher good 13 7 When they are
earthly in spiritual things 15 8 When they pass by great difficulties about earthly matters and they seem little to them ibid 9 When they conceive of the most heavenly truth in an earthly way Page 17 CHAP. III. Fourteen Evils of Earthly-mindedness 1 It is Adultery 20 2 It is Idolatry ibid Object What Idolatry is there in it Answ 1 They depart from God 22 2 They chuse rather to make the earth to be their god than the infinit First-Being of all things ibid 3 It is enmity against God 23 4 It is opposite and contrary to the work of grace 24 1 Before Conversion 1 To the call of conversion 26 2 To the souls answer to this call ibid 3 To the resigning up of the soul to God as the chiefest good 26 2 After conversion to their work of grace 1 Grace brings a new light to the soul ibid 2 Make him a new creature 27 3 Is of an elevating nature ibid 4 Is of an enlarging nature ibid 5 Grace sanctifies the soul 28 5 It puts men upon great temptations Page 28 6 It is one of the greatest bindrances to the profit of the Ministry 30 7 It causeth many foolish lusts in the heart 34 1 It causeth them to follow after things that are vile ibid 2. It makes them a servant to their servants ibid 3 A man might have more of it and not mind it so much as he doth 35 4 You pay a great deal more for it than 't is worth 36 5 What he doth he must needs undo again 38 6 They lose the comfort of earthly things before they have them 39 8 It is the root of Apostacy 40 9 It doth wonderfully dead the heart in the prayer 42 10 It is just with God their names should be written in the earth 43 11 They have the curse of the serpent upon them 44 12 It is a dishonor to God and a scandal to Religion 45 13 It doth exceedingly hinder preparation for death 47 14 It will drown thy soul in perdition 50 Preparation to Convincements Men may be earthly-minded and yet not know they are so Page 51 Five things may be wrought in an earthly-minded man 1 His judgment may be convinced that there is a vanity in them 52 2 He may have some kind of contentment in them ib. 3 They may speak great words about the vanity of this world ibid 4 They may be free from getting any thing by deceit ibid 5 They may dispise some earthly things ibid Convincement 1 When a man rests upon earthly props for the good he doth expect 54 Convincement 2 When men make most provision for the things of this world for themselves and their children 55 Convincement 3 When a man can be content with a slight assurance of heavenly things but never thinks him sure enough for the matters of the earth 56 Convincement 4 When he is contented with a little sanctification but in things of this world would sâ—ill have more and more Page 58 Convincement 5 When they are very wise in matters of the world but very weak in spiritual 59 Convincement 6 When their discourses are of the world 60 Convincement 7 When spiritual things must give way to earthliness 61 Convincement 8 When they care not how it is with the Church so it be well with them in things of the world ibid Convincement 7 When the more spiritual a truth is the lesse it takes with their hearts 63 CHAP. IV. Reasons of mens Earthly-mindedness 1 The things of the earth appear reall to them but Heavenly things are but a notion 64 2 They look upon them as the present necessary things ibid 3 These things are most sutable to mens hearts 65 4 They have a very fair shew to the flesh ib. 5 Men naturally know no better things 66 6 There are earthly principles continually dropping into men by conversing with other men of the earth ibid 7 The sensible experience they have of their sweetness Page 67 CHAP. V. Considerations to take off the hearts of men from earthly-mindedness Consideration 1 If thou couldst possess all the things of the earth there is not so much good in them as to countervail the evil of one sin 68 Consideration 2 The chiefest things of the earth have been and are the portion of reprobates ibid Consideration 3. God hath made man for higher things than the things of the earth 69 Consideration 4. The soul of a man is of too high a birth to have the strength of it spent about the things of the earth 70 Consideration 5. All the things of the earth are uncertain 71 Consideration 6. Consider what hath become of such men in former ages 72 Consideration 7. How short thy time is in this world Page 73 Consid 8. A little will serve the turn to carry us through this world 76 Consid 9. There is no good to be had in them further than God is pleased to let himself through them 77 Consid 10 If you be godly God promiseth to take care of you for the things of the earth ibid Consid 11. All that are professors of Religion should be dead to the world 79 CHAP. VI Exhortation to beware of earthly-mindedness 81 CHAP. VII Directions to get our hearts free from Earthly-mindednesse 1 Be watchful over your thoughts 86 2 Be humbled for sin ibid 3 Set the exampls of the Saints before you 86 4 Consider the great accompt we are to give for all earthly things ibid 5 Set the Lord Jesus Christ before you 88 THE CONTENTS OF THE ENSUING TREATISE OF AN HEAVENLY-CONVESATION PHILIPPIANS 3. 20. CHAP. I HOw far the examples of godly men should prevail with us Page 91 1 More than other examples 93 1 More than the examples of rich men ibid 2 More than the example of the multitude ibid 3 More than the examples of those nearly related to us ibid 2 They should be enough to take off prejudices that come from accusations of men ib. 3 They should make us enquire after those waies Page 94 4 We should not oppose those waies 95 5 They should prepare us to let in any truth they profess ibid 9 They should confirm us in the truth 96 CHAP. II. What is to be done when examples of godly men are contrary 1 It puts us to a strict examination 97 2 which way hath most earthly inducements 98 CHAP. III Rebuke to those that follow the example of the wicked and reject the example of the godly Page 98 CHAP. IV Two Doctrines 1 The Saints are Citizens of Heaven 100 2 Their Conversation while they are in this world is in Heaven ibid CHAP. V How the Saints are Citizens of Heaven 102 1 Their names are inroll'd there 102 2 Christ their Head bath taken possession of Heaven in their names ibid 3 When they actually beleeve they take up their freedom 103 4 They cannot again be as slaves ibid 5 They have right to all the common stock and treasury of heaven ibid 6 They
others have Oh how happy should I be how happy are such and such men that do enjoy such earthly things at their will in their dwellings their furniture their comings in Oh these are the brave things these are the delightful things these are THE things wherein felicity and happiness doth consist When men shall promise to themselves felicity in any earthly things then they mind earthly things I remember golden mouth'd Chrysostom hath a speech of a covetous man That he looks upon his Money and he sees more beauty in his Money than in the very Sun it self that shines in the Firmament When men look upon the things of the earth as the most beautiful things in their eyes Certainly that man is in a distemper when he puts such a high esteem upon any earthly things this esteem is not according to what God and his Saints do put upon earthly things God never puts any great eminencie on any earthly thing he never made any earthly things to be any great Conduit or means of Conveyance of any great good from himsel unto his Creature If you would know what your heart are you may know it by this one sign as much as any What do you account your excellencie according to what any man or woman accounts their excellency to consist in so are their hearts their hearts are sutable in the 27. chap. of Genesis 28. 39. verses You shall find there Isaac blessing of Jacob and Esau he blesses them both but now what I would observe is this the difference in the placing of them you shall observe the blessing of Jacob in the 28. verse therefore God giveth of the dew of Heaven and the fatness of the earth and plenty of Corn and Wine that 's Jacob's blessing Now look to Esau's blessing for the blessing was sutable to their disposition and Jacob's father answered and said unto him behold thy dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth and of the dew of Heaven from above mark Isaac blesses them both with the dew of Heaven and fatness of the earth but now in Jacob's blessing the dew of Heaven is first and the fatness of the earth is in the second place but in Esau's blessing the fatness of the earth is first and then the dew of Heaven noting this That a godly man indeed doth stand in need of the things of the earth as Christ saith your father knows you stand in need of this things I but the great thing in the first place that a godly heart doth mind it t s The dew of Heaven and then in the second place The blessing of the erath But now a carnal heart doth think it hath some need of the things of Heaven it will acknowledge that I but in the first place it's the fatness of the earth they desire and secondly the dew of Heaven So that that 's the first thing Earthly minded men look upon these things as the high and chief things and hence it is that the choise of the thoughts of an earthly-minded man is carried out on worldly objects Secondly When the Cream and choise of the thoughts of men and women are busied about earthly things then they mind earthly things in a sinful manner You may know what your hearts are by your thoughts as much as any thing the thoughts are the immediate ebulitions or risings up of the heart as I may so call them that is the bubbles that come from the heart immediately a man cannot know what is in his heart so much by words and actions as by the thoughts because the thoughts immediately spring from the heart as thus I can tell what the water is in such a fountain better from that that bubbles up immediatly from the fountain-head than I can tell by the water that runs in the stream a mile or two off for there may many things intervene in the stream a mile or two off that never came from the fountain-head but that that immediately bubbles from the fountain-head that discovers of what nature the fountain is So the thoughts are as it were the first born of the heart and therefore the heart may be known what it is by the thoughts Prov. 23. 7. saith the holy Ghost there As he thinketh in his heart so is he That which is here spoken in a particular case may be applied in the general As a man thinks in his heart so is he as his thoughts are so is he So is the heart as the thoughts of the mind are Men may keep in words and actions out of by-respects I but if you could know what the heart is and look into the haunts of it in secret that would discover to your selves what you are as now Many of your servants when they are in your presence before you or before others they may out of divers respects carry themselves fairly but if you would find them out labour to know what they do when they are alone in their private haunts So would you know your own hearts do not so much look at them and take a scantling of them by how you behave your selves in words and actions before others but what they are in your private chambers what they are in the inward thoughts of the mind there the heart comes to be discovered most And by these thoughts I do not mean every kind of injection or suggestion for sometimes the Devil may cast in evil thoughts into the most holy but I mean such thoughts as are sweet to the soul whereby the soul comes to suck out sweetness and contentment for that 's the minding earthly things when you find the strength of your thoughts to be upon the things of the earth and they are more sutable to your hearts than any other It is not when through weakness the mind may be wandring this way or that way or through suggestions or temptations but now when men or women are most themselves when alone and free then for to examine what are the most sutable thoughts to their hearts Can you say when you are alone Oh the very thoughts of God are sweet to me immediate in his Law day and night and suck out sweetness there as from an hony comb But an unclean wretch will suck out sweetness of his unclean thoughts when he is alone and so the earthly minded man will suck out the sweetness of his earthly thoughts and so the Ambitious man the sweetness of his pride when he is alone and these are the most contentful thoughts to him he can run along if it be two or three hours together and take delight and pleasure in them here 's Earthly-mindedness The third thing is this An Earthly-minded man is one whose heart cleaves to the earth for so I told you the word was not only to mind but to savour the things of the earth his heart doth cleave to the earth The Psalmist in a far differing case said that his soul did cleave to the dust but it
earthly-mindednesse hath as much opposition to the nature of grace and the power of godlinesse in the heart as almost any sin that you can name It is so quite contrary to the very beginning of the work of grace not contrary to the degrees only but to the very begining The main work of God at the very first in working grace in the soul is to disingage the soul from the creature it is to take it off from the Earth and from all creatures here below for naturally 't is true That as we are of the earth so we are earthly and have our spirits ingaged to the things of this earth but then comes the work of grace upon the soul and takes it off and discharges the heart from the earth and therefore you find that Christ laies in this as the first lesson That he that will be my Disciple must deny himself and take up his Cross and follow me as if he should say never think of being a Christian except you will deny your selves Self what 's that all natural contentment natural-self and sinful-self to be emptied wholly of your selves and creature-comforts and contentments and take up my Cross to be willing to suffer any thing in regard of earthly comforts to be willing to lay down all at my feet and to give up your interest in all and to take up my Cross this is the very first beginning of Christs bringing Disciples to himself Then saith the soul let me have my sin pardoned and farewel earth it 's Heaven Holiness renewing of the Image of God communion and union with God and living to the eternal praise of his Name in Christ that my heart is upon I say this in the beginning of Gods working the heart to himself The work of Grace when it is first wrought it hath the name of Vocation Calling what is it for a man to be called give diligence to make your calling election sure To be called is this and whereas before thou wert altogether digging and dolving in the earth and seeking for thy happiness in the world now it pleases God to make thee to hear a voice behind thee calling thee and telling thee O poor soul thy happiness is not here there are other things in which thy chief good consists thou art made for higher and better things than these God hath nobler thoughts about man-kind than meerly to let him have a few contentments here in the earth Oh soul come away and look after higher things here 's the first work of grace and the soul answers unto this call of God and saith Lord I come and so gives up it's self to God to dispose of it and this is in the beginning of the work of Grace Now how contrary is earthly-mindednesse to the work of God in bringing grace into the heart Conceive it in these three things 1. The very work of conversion it is set out in Scripture by Gods calling the soul out of the world Whom he hath predestinated him he hath called When God effectually begins to work upon the heart of a sinner he does cause a voice to be heard in the soul Oh soul thou hast been busying thy self about many things but there is one thing necesseary Oh come out of that way of thine that thou art in thou canst never be happy else thou wilt be undone in it the Lord calls the soul out of the world and that I say is the very work of conversion the souls answearing to Gods call Now for one stil to be earthly and to have a heart cleaving to these things surely such a one is not as yet effectually called out of the world 2. And then from thence follows upon the souls answer to this call the Lord difingages the heart from all creature-comforts and teacheth the first lesson to deny himself and to take up Christs Crosse now what 's more opposite to self-denial and the taking up of the Crosse of Christ than earthly-mindednesse the text saith here They are enemies to the Cross of Christ And then a third thing in conversion it is The resigning up of the soul to God as the chief good the soul upon the call of God it learns the lesson of Self-denial and taking up the Crosse and so being disingaged from the creature now it resigns up it self to God as an infinite soul satisfying good for ever now you cannot but in the naming of this see how opposite earthly-mindednesse is to it And then for the work of grace upon the heart after the heart is converted and turned to God First Grace brings a new light into the soul A Spiritual and Divine light is set up in the soul upon the conversion of a sinner to God but now the earth you know it 's the dark part of the world and earthly mindednesse it causeth darknesse to be upon the spirit as the interposition of the earth between us the Sun it doth hinder the sight of the Sun from us And so the interposition that there is of earthlinesse in the soul of man between God and it doth hinder the sight of God from the soul there is a Divine light set up in the soul and when as God works grace that doth discover things of a higher and more excellent and glorious nature than those things were that before the heart did so much cleave unto In the second place the Scirpture sets forth the work of grace by the New creature In the soul all things are made new old things are Past he that is in Crhist is a new creature Now earthly-mindednesse is opposite to the new creation in the soul it 's the old man that is of the earth the first man is of the earth earthly and so it is apparant that thou art still only in the stock of the first man of the earth earthly who art an earthly-minded man But the second man is the Lord from Heaven But now thou that art an earthly-minded man or woman art yet but a child of Adam of the first man and so art of the earth earthly this is opposite to grace grace works a new creation in the soul 3. And grace is of an Elevating nature raises the heart above its self and above the creature yea above the world in some respect above Angels themselves above Principalities and Powers above all created things grace is of a raising nature but an earthly-minded man sinks down to low and base things And grace fourthly is of an Enlarging nature it enlarges the heart so that it cannot be satisfied with any earthly thing though God should give the whole world to a heart that hath grace this would not satisfie that heart why because it is so Enlarged by the work of grace the work of grace it is the Divine nature the Image of God in the soul and therefore works the soul like to God and it 's said of God in the 40. of Isa that all the nations of the earth are to him
but as the drop of the bucket and as the smal dust in the ballance Now grace makes the soul to be like God to accout all the things of the earth to be as the drop of a bucket and the dust of the ballance to be nothing less than nothing 5. And then Grace sanctifies the soul Now what is it to sanctifie but to take off from all common uses and to dedicate to God as the highest act of all things And therefore the Greek word that is for Holy it is taken from a participle Premitive and a word that signifies the Earth as much as to say Not Earthly and a holy one in the Greek language is not an earthly one according to the usual etimology given of it Now Grace it makes the soul holy it sanctifies the soul it sets apart the soul for God and dedicates and consecrates the soul to God and therfore you see that it is opposite to the work of God in bringing Grace into the soul and to the work of grace and the power of godliness in the soul of man This is the great Evil of Earthly mindedness The Fifth Evil. But Fifthly For the discovery of the great Evil that there is in Earthly-mindedness It puts men upon very great Temptations and for that we need no other Scripture than that in the 1 of Tim. 6. 9. saith the Apostle there But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare Mark that is Those that have set their hearts so much upon the things of the earth as they are resolved they must have them whatsoever comes of it Observe the phrase They that wil be rich they apprehend a necessity of the things of the earth they do not only wish and desire Oh! that we had riches and had these things of the earth but they resolve they must have them upon any terms Wel If the heart go on in obedience to God in the duties of its calling and if God send in riches and an estate it doth thankfully accept it from God these do not meet with such temptations and a snare as the Apostle here speaks of but when the heart is set upon it that it needs must have an estate whatsoever comes on it now they that will be so they saith the Apostle fall into temptations and a snare There 's dangerous temptations in following after the things of the earth and there is a snare in them that you do not think of for you think only of the bravery of the things of the earth how sumptuously you should live and how fine you should be in your house and cloaths and what table you may keep you only think of these things that may give the flesh contentment but you do not think of the temptation and the snare that is in them and those whose hearts are set upon these things they fall into the snare nay temptation those that are earthly-minded have great temptations to shift up and down to strain their consciences for the things of the earth for so it is that while we live in this world God hath made the things of the earth to be as thorns and so they are compared in Scripture and it 's hard for one to meddle with thorns without pricking his fingers they are as briars its hard for the sheep ro get among them but she wil lose some of her wool and so it 's hard for the heart to be busie about the things of the earth but it will be prickt and lose some of its fleece in will fall into temptation and a snare and be catch'd Oh! how many men and women that have enlightened consciences they think sometimes that they would not for all the world do any thing against their consciences though they might gain all the glory and riches under Heaven Well but yet their hearts being earthly when it comes to some particular how ready are they at least to strain conscience and not to attend to the voice of conscience and are willing that conscience should have its mouth stop'd for the time Indeed If their consciences did plainly tell them that this thing is absolutely sin against God perhaps they would not do it but that were not the snare for t is no snare when I see the danger before me here 's a deep pit and if I step a step further I fall into it this is no snare But now there are some that are not catch'd so by a pit that 's open but the Devil doth lay upon the pit it may some green grass so that they shall not perceive or very hardly perceive the danger thus such as have earthly hearts they fall into a snare and temptation they are put upon straining of conscience and wringing it as much as may be and many shifts that they are put too Oh! a man when once he is got into an earthly business he knows not how in the world to bear it if he be crost in it It may be I have gone thus far and I have very great hopes that I shall succeed in it only there is one stop now for him to think that for this one stop I am like to lose all Oh it goes to his heart Oh but now if you would but strain conscience a little you may get over it presently an earthly-man will strain hard but he will get over it whereas now were the heart taken off from the earth though such a man had gone on never so far in a business if there comes a stop in a matter of conscience yea if it were but a doubt that such a thing were sin it 's enough to stop him a meer doubt lest he should sin would be enough for to make him say let the business fall if it will there may be a snare in this and I see some cause to doubt now if the heart were spiritual it would be taken off but an earthly mind will go through very many dreadful things and doth not much trouble himself and so doth insnare himself exceedingly that he may get an estate or preserve it when once he hath got it That 's the fifth thing The Sixth Evil. The Sixth thing wherein the danger of earthly-mindednes consists is this That 't is one of the greatest hinderances in the world to profiting by the Ministry of the Word Oh! many of you cannot but be convinc'd in your consciences that you have not profited by the Word and sometimes you will complain of the want of profiting under the means Oh that you had but hearts to look into the cause of it from whence it is that you profit so little It will appear to come from your earthly-mindedness you bring a heart full of the world full of drosse with you no marvel though you do not see those spiritual and heavenly things that are in the Word when as there is so much drosse in your eyes you know travellors in the summer time travelling in the midst of dust
and in company they have not that freedome of their eyes to see things as at another time Oh! many men com to the word with their thik clay a great deal of filth that doth clam up their very eyes and dead their hearts in the hearing of the Word you know what Christ said to Martha when Mary was sitting at Christs feet and hearing his word but Martha was cumbred with many things so 't is many times with those that come to hear the Word though they are in the presence of Christ and have the sound of the Word in their ears yet their hearts are cumbred about many things there 's a great noise in their hearts they are busied in the world even while they are hearing of the Word as you find it in the 33. of Ezek. 31. ver there is an notable discription I fear it may be of many of you And they come unto thee saith the Lord to the Prophet as the people cometh and they sit before thee as my people and they hear thy words but they will not do them for with their mouth they shew much love but their heart goeth after thir Covetousness They sit befor thee as my people and they hear thy words mark and they shew much love with their mouth they will commend the Sermon it may be they will say He is an excellent Preacher it 's a very good Sermon that we heard this day they wil shew love with their mouth but yet their hearts go after their covetousnesse for all that they heard a man speak fine things and brought excellent expressions for to set forth his matter that he had in hand but yet their hearts are after the things of the earth and after their Covetousness they had carnal earthly drossie hearts and hence it was that there was no good came unto them by the Ministry of the Word And that famous place which we have for this which shews it cleerly in the 13. of Matt. 22. ver you know the several sorts of ground that had the seed of the Word sown into them but there was but one of them that was good and faithfull and among others there was the thorny ground He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word and the care of this world and the deceitfulnesse of riches choaks the Word and it becometh unfruitful I beseech you observe it these that our Saviour speaks of here in this parable that get no benefit by the Word are not men that live lewdly your drunkards swearers and whoremasters but those that have earthly hearts it 's said the deceitfulness of riches the things of the earth do not hinder in an open way for thousands of men that have earthly hearts they do not know that they have earthly hearts no it is the deceitfulnesse of riches and it choaks the Word it may be just when they are in hearing of the Word it doth affect them Oh they think it 's sweet and they will remember it but the deceitfulnesse of riches and the cares of this world choaks the word when they come they have businesses about the world and their houses and gardens and comings in and full tables and all the delights that they have in the world comes and possesses the heart that the word is choakt it cannot get down into the soul to sink in there and so to prevail in the soul to bring forth fruit Oh the word is choakt Oh many of you come here three times on the Lords day and have precious seed sown all those times and yet Oh! how it is choakt through the cares of this world and through the deceitfulnesse of the things of this world You bring with you and keep with you and carry along with you earthly minds and hence it is that the Word prevails not with your hearts Oh! what do you loose through this earthlinesse you lose the fruit of the Word that should save your souls a spiritual heart having received some one truth into it afterwards blesses God for it and would not for ten thousand worlds but he had had that truth preached unto his heart at such a time Oh he hath cause to blesse God for such a morning for such a day that he hath had such a goodly pearl of great price presented to him and taking root in his heart I say it 's more than if God had given them thousands of worlds to possess But now many of you having your thoughts and hearts about some petty thing of this world all those blessed Truths that you hear from time to time that the very Angels desire to pry into they are all choak'd and come to be unfruitful What was the reason when the young man came to Christ to know what he should do to the Eternal life that he got no good the Text saith That he had great possessions A man no question may be a rich man and yet a godly man a holy man but when the heart is in the estate mixed with the earth Oh! this it was that hindred the young man from imbracing of Jesus Christ even when he came to him Young men for the most part are rather guilty of fleshlinesse than seeking after the riches of the world yet sometimes it hath been the bain of some young men at their first setting up they were very forward when they were servants Oh! how precious was the Word unto them but when they were got into the world and found the sweetness of it coming in Oh then the Word hath been choak'd to them and they have lost the savour they had in the Word they have lost the relish of the Word it is not now sweet to them as formerly it hath been Oh many examples there hath been this way That 's the great evil of Earthly-mindednesse that it doth hinder the great benefit of the Word and there is much evill in this If you had hearts to receive what is delivered your hearts would tremble at the thought of this Oh Lord what shall I be hindred from profiting by this word 't is the great blessing of God to the world it 's that that must save my soul there 's more worth in it than ten thousand worlds whatsoever should hinder my profiting by thy Word I had need take heed of it take heed of earthly-mindednesse many of your consciences cannot but tell you this sometimes any businesse will keep an earthly-minded man from coming to the Word and when he doth come there is earth in his heart and ears that keeps him from attending upon the Word and when thy thoughts are about earthly things in the hearing of a Sermon it may be there is some truth passes by thy soul that might have sav'd thee eternally and thou hast lost that opportunity which perhaps thou shalt never have again The Seventh Evil opened in Six Particulars Further In the seventh place Earthly-mindedness it causes many foolish lusts in the heart that 's a
see a beauty and excellencie in the waies of Religion by your Conversation Oh! better a thousand times better that you be cut short of these things in the world than that you should scandalize the waies of God and the profession of the Name and Gospel of Jesus Christ The Thirteenth Evil. Earthly-mindednesse it doth exceedingly hinder preparation for death and it is like to make death to be very grievous and terrible to them when it comes that are like the rich fool in the Gospel In the 21. of Luke the 34. verse this I have from the Scripture Take heed to your selves Christ here speaks to his Disciples lest at any time your hedrts be over-charged with surfitting and drunkenness and cares of this life he puts them together It 's very strange you will say that Christ should speak this to his Disciples to forewarn them of this we do not think that they were drunkards so as to follow after Taverns and Ale houses or to reel in the streets but by this drunkennesse he means any excesse in the use of the creatures in meat or drink and professors of Religion may be subject to that to give up themselves too much to sensual delights and excesse in the use of the creature but besides that though many there are that would abhor glutteny and drunkennesse yet the cares of this life takes up their hearts therefore saith Christ Take heed to your selves lest at any time your hearts he over charged with the cares of this life why what evil would the over-charging of the heart which the cares of this life bring mark saith the text And so that day come upon you unawares for as a snare shall it come upon all them that dwell upon the face of the whole earth watch ye therefore and pray alwaies c. I may apply this to death though the Scripture be speaking of Christs coming now in the time of death Christ comes particularly there is a particular day of Judgment at the day of death it may likewise be applied to the time of any affliction and then it may be inlarged thus and so then the evil of earthly-mindednesse appears in this that it doth hinder the preparation of the soul for afflictions Oh! earthly-mindednesse will make thine affliction to be grievous and heavie to thee an affliction is a very grievous thing to an earthly spirit if God comes to take away any comforts of this world now because thy heart cleaves so close to them there must be a rending of them from thee and that will put thee to pain a man that hath his garments loose he can easily put them off when he goes to bed at night but if a man hath a sore upon his body and his inward garments shall cleave to the sore If he puls them off then it puts him to a great deal of pain Oh then he cries out of his pain Truly this earthly-mindednesse comes from distemper of spirit and the things of the earth they cleave to the hearts of men and women that are earthly as the inward garment should cleave to a sore on a mans body and now when afflictions or death comes to take the things of the earth from them or them from the things of the earth Oh it 's painful to them it 's grievous to them and for one that hath an earthly spirit a hundred to one if he hath any light of conscience left in him but his conscience will trouble him in time of sicknesse and then tell him how he hath spent his time and strength of his spirit about the things of of the earth whereas they should have bin spent about more excellent things and when he comes to die then his spirit will be troubled I am now to leave all these things that I have spent my care and thoughts upon and let out my heart about and what good is it to me now that I shall leave so much more than my neighbor doth what great content is this to me when I am upon my sick and death bed what comfort can I have in all the good things I have enjoyed yes it may be through the earthlinesse of my spirit I have enjoyed but little of them but I have had carking thoughts about them But now death is like to be to me as a Strainer that strains out the good and leaves the drosse and the dirt behind it And so all the good of the things of this world is gone But the guiltinesse that I have contracted upon my spirit with my immoderate care and affections that I have let out upon the world that now is upon my spirit Oh! death hath been very grievous to worldly spirits I remember there 's one that liv'd in a place not far from the place that I have formerly liv'd in a covetous earthly spirit when he was to die cals for his Money and fals a swearing Must I leave you now speaking to his Bags and hugging of them What! must I leave you now An earthly man that had spent his spirits and strength upon these things and indeed let out his heart to them as his portion and then he sees that he must be stript from all must bid an eternal fare-wel to all no more houses nor lands nor comming-in nor money Oh! death is grievous to such a one Now what should be the life of a Christian but a continual preparation for death Many of the Heathens said of Philosophy that it was but a preparation for death A special excellency of Christianity consists in this that it is a Preparative for death and therefore you should let out your hearts to the things of this world so as to be continually thinking of death that when God cals you to depart from these things that you may do it with ease with as much ease as a man when he is going to bed casts off his cloaths that are loose about him for so the grave is as a bed to the Saints where they fall asleep when they die and so they may lay down all things and go to their sleep with ease and peace A man or woman that can have their consciences tell them I have been diligent in my calling but God knows through faithfulnesse to him rather than lâ—â—e to the world and I have kept my heart close to God and faithful to him I can bid the world now farewel as the world hath done with me so I have done with it so long as my time was to work for God God continued those things that this frail nature of mine had need of and now my work is done farewell the the comforts of this world I expect other kind of comforts that I am now going to So such a one that is spiritual may die with comfort but those that have their hearts overcharged with the cares of this life they will have the day of Christ come upon them unawares The Fourteenth Evil Earthly-mindednesse is that that will bring destruction
to see her son Converted and God did grant her desire and then she found her self willing to die There 's nothing wil make the spiritual heart of a father or mother more willing to depart from this world than to find grace wrought in their children Oh! that I may see before I die my child left under the promise in Covenant with God I this were somwhat-like indeed But those whose cares thoughts are most for these earthlie things in providing for themselves and children that 's a Convincement that their hearts are earthly 3. Conv. A Third Convincement which is very notable and I beseech you all to lay this to heart and consider seriously of it for this evill of earthly-mindedness is a very secret and close sin therefore I am the larger in this point the convincement is this That man that can be content with a slight assurance in the matters of Heaven but for the matters of earth he never thinks himself sure enough but is very careful to make all things so infallable as there can be no way that he can be decived in but he may surely build upon what he hath in the things of this earth This is an argument of an earthly mind Come to men that are earthly and discourse with them concerning matters that concern their souls What assurance have you that you are gone beyond any formal professor that you are better than the stony or thorny grounds that we reade of in Scripture What evidence have you that the saving work of grace is wrought in you that you have shot the gulf that you are translated out of the kingdom of darknesse into the Kingdom of Jesus Christ and that your sins are pardoned and your souls justified that you are at peace with God what evidences have you of peace made between God and your souls This answer would be given I hope I am converted I trust in Gods mercy sure I have grace I shall be sav'd God is merciful But what evidences can you shew They know not scarce what belongs to that nay you shall have many of them because they know not what assurance means therefore they will think no body can be assured we may hope well but we cannot come to be assured of it No a heart that is truly gracious and godly would be loth that should be true for a thousand worlds they would not lose their parts in the blessing of that if God would make them Kings or Queens of the earth But thou hast an earthlie drossie heart and doest not much look after assurance for matters of thy soul and eternal estate thou wilt venture those matters and put them upon a peradventure but when it comes to the matters of the earth there thou wilt make all sure and go from this Lawyer to another Lawyer to ask council to see whether the things are good and will inrole them and if there can be any thing done to make more sure if it be any great sum upon which your estates lies you will do it I appeal to you If you could but hear of any of your neighbors what they had done to make such a thing more certain than you have done you would scarce be at rest till you had done so as they have done is it so in matters of your eternal estate do not you hear of many Saints of God that walk comfortably in the midst of all afflictions upon the assurance of Gods love you shall have some will be able to say I and it 's this Scripture I build upon and through Gods mercie such and such hath the work of God been upon my soul in revealing himself to me and such a promise I have suck't abundance of honie from But now generally come to people upon their sick beds all that they say is this They hope in Gods mercie But for the ground of their hope for shewing how God hath been pleased to bring their hearts and the word together and what real effects there hath been upon their spirits by the word that they can shew nothing of thou hast not therefore got that assurance for thy soul and eternal estate as others have got and yet thou canst go on quietly Oh! it concerns thee that art so busie in making all sure for thy outward estate to spend more thoughts and care in the matters of thy soul and eternal estate than ever thou hast done here 's an earthly-minded man that can be contented with slight assurance for the matters of his soul and satisfied with no kind of assurance in the matters of the world but would fain make those things more and more sure continually 4. Conv. Further An earthly-minded man may be convinc'd of his earthlinesse in this He is content with a little degree of Sanctification but for the matters of the world still he would fain have more and more He looks at those that are the most eminent that are in his rank and he would fain get up as high as they in the things of this life but in matters of Religion he looks at the lowest Christians and is content to be as low as they take an earthly-minded man that is of such a trade if there be any of his profession or calling that had as little to begin as he and thrive better he would fain get up as high as he and is troubled that he is not so rich as he is thus it is in the world But now take them in matters of God there 's such men that began since you began and had as little means for the good of their souls as you have had they are thriven and got beyond you abundantly in the matters of God and doth this trouble you and are your thoughts solicitous about this Oh! that I could attain to that degree of grace as such a one hath got such an one hath a spiritual mind and full of the joy of the holy Ghost and full of faith he is able to depend upon God in the want of all outward comforts and certainly injoyes much communion with God but I am far beneath such and such do these thoughts trouble you it is ordinary for earthly spirits if they look but at any one that makes profession of Religion that is low in his profession I did as such a one doth and I have as much as they have and that satisfies them they look upon the meanest Christans and are satisfied that they are like them but for the matters of the world they look upon the highest and are not satified except they come and attain to what they attain to and that 's a fourth evidence 5. Conv. Then a Fift is this Earthly-minded men are very wise in matters of the world but in matters that are spiritual there they are very weak and Simple You shall have many men which I have wondered at sometimes to see that in matters concerning Religion there they are very ignorant if they do but speak in
fair and beautiful wheresoever they come and be as sombody in the world these do thus and thus these forsake the truths of God and seek to provide for themselves in the things of the flesh Fiftly Men naturally never knew better things than the things of the earth and therefore no marvel though they mind earthly things so much Children that are born in a dungeon and never knew any better place they can play up and down in the dungeon So it is with men that never knew what the things of heaven and eternal life meant they can mind earthly things better than those but when once the Lord opens the eyes of their understandings to see into the reality excellency and glory of spiritual things they then wonder at their former blindness in minding such poor low mean foolish rattles as the things of the earth are Sixtly There are earthly principles continually dropt into men by converse with other men that are men of the earth 49. Psal 11. and 13. Their inward thoughts is that their houses shall continue for ever and their dwelling place to all generations they call their lands after their own names Their hearts are set upon these things then in the 13. verse This their way is their folly yet their posterity approve their sayings They are applauded by men they see that every body do applaud them in these waies and when they converse one with another they do converse about the things of the earth and the common example of men they see every body following the things of the earth and are greedy after these toyes and that likewise doth incline their minds to the things of the earth Lastly The sensible experience they have had of the sweetnesse that there is in the things of the earth This is that that takes off their minds from spiritual things and makes them to mind the things of the earth But though these be the reasons why men do thus mind the things of the earth and an earthly-minded man blesses himself in his way and thinks he hath good reason for what he doth and thinks all men fools that do not grovel in the ground like a mole with himself and looks upon the matter of Religion but as meer words and talk let them do what they will I find contentment here yet certainly at length it will prove folly this their way as the holy Ghost saith in the 49 Psal This their way it is but their folly and in the end the wise men of the earth those that have sought the things of the earth and blesse themselves in their way they will prove to be the greatest fools the holy Ghost accounts them so In the 17. of Jere. 11. verse As the Partridge sitteth on eggs and hatcheth them not so he that getteth riches and not by right shall leave them in the midst of his daies and at his end shall be a fool He applauds himself for the present in what he hath got but at the end he shall be a fool CHAP. V. NOW the main thing that is still behind in the Point It is therefore to endeavour to take off the minds of men and women from the things of this earth that so by it I may make preparation to the next Point which is of infinite concernment The Conversations in Heaven But because their conversations cannot be in Heaven till their minds be taken off from the earth till the disease of Earthly-mindednesse be cur'd therefore we must now propound those things that may help to take off the minds of men from the earth Eleven Considerations to take off mens hearts from Earthly-mindedness First Consider this That all the things of the earth that thy mind and heart is upon if thou couldst possess them all as thine own yet there is not so much good in them as to countervail the evil of the least sin not of the least sin of thought thy heart is mudling upon the things of the earth and thinkest that thou shouldest be blest if thou badst thus and thus as others have Let me tell thee if thou hast but one sinful thought there is more evil in that than there 's good in all that ever thou shalt get all the daies of thy life in the world and if this be so that there is more evil in the least fin than there is good in all the things of the earth it concerns thee rather to have thy mind how to avoid sin or how to get the evil of sin to be remov'd and how to get thy sin to be mortified that concerns thee more than the minding and plodding about the things of the earth that 's one consideration A Second Consideration A second is this that may take off the hearts of men from the things of the earth That the chief things that are in the earth yea name what terrene excellency possibly a man may be crowned with under Heaven hath been the portion of Reprobates heretofore and is to this day and shall be the portion of multitudes whom God hates and hath set apart to glorifie his infinite Justice upon eternally Shall thy mind and heart be set upon such things as are the portion of Reprobates will a Reprobates portion content thee will it serve thee art thou satisfied with dogs meat If it will not content thee why is it that thy mind is so much upon the things of the earth It may be thou that art poor and mean in the world thy mind is upon some little matter thou canst never expect to have any great things in the world and yet thou mindest them as if that there were thy portion and thy happiness some small pittance to furnish thy house to provide for thy self and thy poor family Oh friend if it were possible for thee to get the Empire of the whol world under thy foot yet thou shouldest get no more than hath been the portion of such as God hath hated and if so be that Kingdoms and Empires have been the portion of Reprobates why doest thou mind things that are lower abundantly and let the strength of thine heart flow out upon such things as these are A Third Consideration A third consideration is this Surely God hath made man for higher things than the things of this earth Oh! if thou hadst but thy thoughts often working this way Wherefore do I think in my conscience hath God made the children of men for what end why hath he sent them hither into the world Of all the creatures that God hath here upon the earth he hath none capable to know him the infinite First being of all things but only the children of men God hath given them such a nature as is capable of some converse with him surely then there be other things that God made man for than to have meat and drink and cloathes and here to live a while only to enjoy creatures Do not we reade often That Jesus Christ was God and Man took
Country where his birth was so high Oh that he might be but there he should be happy then and it doth him good to hear any man speak of that Country Truly so it is with the souls of men they are the birth as I may so speak of the high God of the great King of Heaven and Earth being breathed so into the nostrils of man Now through mans fall the soul comes to be a slave to the Devil and is set about drudggery to provide for the flesh but now when God is pleased to convert the soul the Lord comes then to declare to a man or woman Oh man woman thou art born from on high thy soul is as it were a sparkle of the Divinity as I may so say thy Father by creation nay not only by creation as he is the Creator of all Creatures is God but by a more special work of his by a more special work I say than in the first creation of other things thy soul is from God and of a Divine Nature and is therefore capable of Communion with Father Son and holy Ghost Certainly thou never hadst such a Divine and Excellent being given the meerly that thou shouldest delight in the flesh and be servicable to thy body in eating and drinking here a while Oh! consider of thy Country whence thou camest at first here 's one work of grace to know the Excellency of our souls and from whence they came surely if grace do this it must needs turn the heart of one that is converted to God to have his Conversation to be in Heaven That 's the first Reason The Second Reason But not only so because the soul had a Heavenly original and therefore will not be content with a portion here in this world But secondly When grace comes there the soul hath a Divine Nature put into it beyond the excellency that it had in its first Creation I say there is a Divine Nature higher than is meer natural excellency in the 2 Peter 1. 3. According saith he as his Divine Power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness and whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by these you might be partakers of the Divine Nature Certainly the Apostle did not here mean meerly what Adam had in innocency I never read that that 's cal'd the Divine Nature though it 's true there is a renewing of the Image of God in man when he is converted I but there is somewhat more in the soul of man than repairing of this the holy Ghost coming and dwelling in the soul in a higher way than it dwelt in the soul of Adam at the first indeed before it was a creature but such a creature as only had reference to God as God was the Creator and man was the creature but now it hath reference to God as being made one with the Second Person in Trinity and so one with the Father and therefore of a higher Nature than man was in the state of innocency And you know what is said of Adam in Paradice He was of the earth earthly he was of the earth in comparison of the second Adam take Adam in innocency in comparison of the second Adam he was but of the earth earthly and so his posterity though Adam had stood should have been but of the earth earthly their portion its like should have bin but in a happines in this world we never read in Scripture of a Heavenly condition Adam had been in though he had stood but the second Adam is from Heaven Heavenly And the posterity of the second Adam that is those that are by Regeneration made the children of the everlasting Father that are made the posterity of Jesus Christ by faith are from Heaven Heavenly therefore their souls are indued with a Divine Nature with such high principles of grace as it must needs carry up their souls to Heaven If a lump of earth should be so changed as to have a spirit and a life put into it and to be made of such an Airial nature as any of the birds are this lump of earth would fly in the air presently It is so in the work of conversion All men and women are earthly and therefore they fink down to the earth and the earth is their proper center but when once they come to be converted there is a spirit put into them whereby they come to mount up aloft It is not more natural for the Earth to fall down low than it is for the fire and air to ascend up high because every creature doth move towards the Center of it heavie things fall down because below is the proper place of them light things rise up because their proper place is to be above and so the Conversations of the Saints must needs be in Heaven because there 's their Center there 's that that 's sutable to the Divine Nature that is put into them The Third Reason Their Conversations must needs be in Heaven Because those things that are the most choice things unto them are in Heaven I should have named a great many particulars here to shew what are the choice things that concern the Saints and how they are all in Heaven Their Father God is in Heaven Our Father which art in Heaven Jesus Christ he is in Heaven Seek the things above where Jesus Christ is sitting at the right hand of the Father Jesus Christ that is their Head in Heaven Their Husband is in Heaven Their Elder Brother is in heaven Their King is in heaven Their Treasure is in heaven Their Inheritance in heaven Their Hope is in heaven Their Mantion-house in heaven Their chief Friends are in heaven Their Substance is in heaven Their Reward is in heaven Their wages are in heaven All these things being in heaven no marvail though their Conversations are in heaven And they are going to Heaven now being that they are going that way travelling towards heaven they must needs be there in their hearts heaven is the place that they shal come to ere long they shal be there and they know that here in this world they are to be but a while but for ever to be there We shall be caught up into the clouds â—nd be for ever with him Yea their Conversations must needs be in Heaven for they have much of heaven alreadie there 's much of heaven in the Saints the Kingdom of Heaven it is within them the Scripture saith They having so much of Heaven for the present it must needs be that their Conversationâ— are there and so that Scripture in the 10. Heb. 34. Knowing in your selves that ye have in Heaven a better and enduring substance You may reade it thus Knowing you have Heaven a better enduring substance in your selves so that the words knowing in your selves hath not only reference to what they know by hear-say though this be a true note that they may know heaven
be to the heart that walks with God! in the 38. Psal 8. 9. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house and thou shalt make them drink of the rivers of thy pleasures for with thee is the fonntain of life In thy light shall we see light Certainly where God walks there is a glorious light round about that such a soul never walks in darkness the light of God shines about it as we reade of those that walked with Christ to Emaus the text saith Their hearts burn'd within them Certainly the hearts of the Saints walking with God must needs be fild with those influences from God that must make their hearts glow within them while they are walking with him in Psal 89. 15 16. you have a notable Scripture there about the satisfaction of the soul in walking with God Blessed are the people that know the joyfull sound they shall walk O Lord in the light of thy countenance In thy Name shall they rejoyce all the day and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted Those that walk with God they walk in the light of Gods Countenance and in Gods Name shal they rejoyce all the day and in his righteousness shall they be exalted Oh! a blessed thing it is to walk with God The speech of that noble Marques Galiatius that was of great birth in Italy and forsaking all his honors and friends and coming to Geneve he had this expression saith he upon a time feeling his sweet converse with God Cursed saith he be that man that accounts all the gold and silver in the world worth one daies enjoyment of Communion with Jesus Christ He had left a great deal of gold and silver the Pope himself was a neer kinsman to him and great possessions and kindred he had and left it all to come to Geneve to professe the truth there and he found all recompenced in Cōmunion with Christ and his heart was so ful with it that he even cursed those that should account all the gold and silver in the world worth the enjoyment of one hours communion with Christ Oh an hours walking with Christ is more than all the world I appeal to those souls that have been acquainted with this whether would you have lost such an hour that you have been conversing with God for all the world what would you take for the enjoyment of such an hour as that is Oh not thousand thousands of worlds a gracious heart would not take for some hours that it hath in enjoyment of communion with God in walking with him Oh there 's infinite sweetness in walking with God There 's a great deal of good to be had in walking with the Saints as sometimes I have told you of Dr. Taylor that was the Martyr when he came to prison he rejoyced that ever he was put in prison there to meet with that Angel of God John Bradford Now if it be comfortable to have communion with the Saints though in prison Oh how sweet is it to have communion with God in walking with him I remember I have read of a King that once beholding Plato walking up and down with other Phylosophers he cries out thus Oh life this is life and true happiness yonder is true happiness he did not look upon his Kingdom as affording a life to him and as affording that happiness as he did beleeve Plato and the Phylosophers had conversing one with another about Phylosphie as if he should say 't is not the Kings of the earth that live the happy lives but these Phylosophers that walk and converse thus one with another Oh then what life and happiness it is for the soul to walk up and down with God and to converse with God himself what though thou walkest in the velly of Bacha yea what though thou walkest in the shadow of death in respect of outward afflictions yet walking with God is that that will shine upon thee and will sweeten thy heart even when thou art walking in the vally of Bacha and in the shadow of death In the 7. of the Revel see whither Jesus Christ leads the soul in walking with Him The Lamb which is in the midst of the Throne shall feed them and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes Thus when thou walkest with Jesus Christ he leads thee to the living fountains of waters that comfort thee the comforts that thou hadst in the world were but as dirty puddles but those comforts that thou hast in Christ when thou walkest with him they are the fountain of living waters That 's the third thing wherein the excellency of walking with God consists The abundance of soul-satisfaction that the heart hath in God The fourth Excellency The fourth Excellency that there is in walking with God is this It 's a special part of the covenant on our part that God doth make with us upon which the very blessing of the covenant doth in grreat part depend as that Scripture in the 17. of Gen. doth cleerly shew where God is coming to make a covenant with Abraham and to be a God to him and to his seed what 's that God requires of Abraham now Walk before me and be upright Then I am God alsufficient and I enter into covenant with you to be a God to you and a God to your seed Walk before me and be upright As if that were all the thing that God look'd at that you should walk with him and be upright then you shall have the blessing of the Covenant Oh this is a great excellency that it is a special part of the Covenant that God makes with his people on their part and then on his part he will be a God unto them What was it that God requir'd in the 6. of Micah 6 7. verses there you may see how God prizes walking with him that it 's the great thing that God doth look at whereas there were some that said Wherewith shall I come before the Lord and bow my self before the high God shall I come before him with burns offerings with Calves of a yeer old will the Lord be pleased with thousands of Rams or with ten thousands of rivers of Oyl shall I give my first born for my transgression the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul What shall I do to please God Mark in the 8. verse He hath shewed thee O man what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee but to do Justly and to love Mercy and to WALK humbly with thy God As if he should say This is the great thing to walk with thy God not only to exercise some particular grace of thy Justice and Mercy but in general to walk with thy God Never tell me of any thing that you would do for me but in the constant course of thy life walk humbly with thy God This therefore was the comfort of Hezekiah when he had the
Excellency see Walking Eye The souls of the godly eye God 272 F Faith The heavenly conversation of others is not the rule of our faith 93 Faith must be exercised 259 Familarity Whence our familarity with God ariseth 293 Folly The folly of earthly-mindedness 38 Formality Formality must not be rested on 253 Formality must be taken heed of 326 G Genius Wicked men fancy heavenly things according to their own genius 17 God God takes care of men concerning earthly things 78 Heavenly conversation brings glory to God 244 See Walking What a man trusts to he makes his God Page 54 Godly Difference between wicked and godly men 3 Godly mens Conversations should not be earthly 238 Godly men carry themselves as in Gods presence 274 Godly see Calling Godliness Earthly-mindedness is contrary to the work of godliness and how 26 See waies my stery Glory Heavenly Conversation brings glory to the Saints 246 What the glory of the soul is 239 Grace What the work of grace is 27 Grace see Benefit presence Growing Heavenly Conversation is growing 240 H Halting The Saints must take heed of halting 325 Heaven see Saints Profession Conversation Aim Heavenly The Saints are Heavenly in Earthly imploymonts Page 115 The Saints have great skill in Heavenly matters 218 See Genius Conversations Hell The Conversations of wicked men are in Hell 99 Heart The heart is best known by the thoughts 7 The heart of a wicked man is upon the things of the earth 16 The vileness yf mens hearts discovered 302 Heart see drossie Higher God made man for higher things than the things of the earth 96 Hypocrites Hypocrites rebuked 135 Honor see walking Humility Humility takes the heart off from earthly mindedness 86 I Jacob Difference between Jacob's blessing and Esau's 6 Idolater Idolaters depart from God 22 Idolatry Covetousness is Idolatry Page 20 See Earthly-mindedness Vileness Ill see Success Ignorant see Religion Imployment see Heavenly Inducement Earthty Inducements oppose godliness 98 Intercourse The Saints have much intercourse to heaven 218 Joy What the joy of a Saint is See World 54 L Law The Saints are guided by the Laws of God 110 Little The Saints are contented with little in this world 222 Loss The Saints have comfort in all their losses 224 Lust Earthly-mindedness brings in foolish lusts and how 34 M Man Wherefore God made man 69 See Nature Mind Who they are that know the mind of God Page 94 Ministry How earthly-mindedness hinders the Ministry 30 Mystery The mystery of godlinesse ought to be studied 254 N Nature What man is by nature 268 P Petitions What men they are that shall have their petitions granted 295 Pilgrim We are pilgrims here upon earth 76 Prayer see Earthly-mindedness Preparation see Death Presence Gods presence draws forth grace 298 See God Principles see Saints Priviledge What the priviledges of a Citizen of heaven are 106 How the priviledges of a Citizen of Heaven are procured 107 Promise Wicked men do not trust to a promise Page 15 Protection The Saints have the protection of heaven 104 R Reconciliation How a wicked man conceives of the Doctrine of Reconciliation 17 Religion How Religion is scandalized 45 Why men are ignorant in Religion 59 Reprobates Reprobates have their portion in this life 68 Riches The Saints have right to the Richcs and common stock of heaven 103 Riches see Uncertainty S Saints The Saints names are inrolled in heaven 102 The Saints are no longer slaves 103 The Saints ' are guided by heavenly principles 108 The Saints have communion with God 109 The Saints trust God with much Page 220 The Saints are sensible of the stoppage between them and heaven 226 Sabbath To whom the Sabbath is a delight and to whom it is a wearinesse 16 The Saints keep a a perpetual Sabbath 115 Saints see Citizens Riches Angels Perfection Laws Delight Heavenly Sabbath Trading Intercourse Little Comfort Losses Safty Wherein the safty of a Saint lies 292 Scandal see Religion Self What self is 25 Secrets what manner of men they are that know Gods secrets 294 Seriousness What seriousness of spirit is 309 Serpent see Curse Sinful see Earthly Shortness What the shortness of our time here should lead us to 73 Snare Earthly-mindedness brings men into snares 29 Soul Of what value the soul of man is Page 70 The soul of man is from heaven 229 The soul of man ought to be beautified 324 Soul see Glory Walk Spiritual A wciked man is earthly in spiritual things a godly man is spiritual in earthly 11 Strictness We ought not to find fault with strictness in Gods waies 231 Stranger The world are strangers to walking with God 300 Success The reason of ill success 35 Suffering Heavenly Conversation makes suffering easie 249 T Temptation Earthly-mindedness puts men upon great temptations 28 Thoughts What the thoughts of the Saints are 111 Which way the thoughts of the Sainis tend 112 See Devil Heart Trade What the Saints trade for heaven is Page 213 The Saints have free trade to heaven 104 Trust see God Trusted Worldly things are not tobe trusted too 55 U Vanity All earthly things are vanity 53 Vilifie The Saints vilifie the things of the earth 222 Uncertainty The uncertainty of riches 71 Vileness The vileness of Idolatry 21 Vocation What vocation is 25 W Waies The waies of godlinesse should not be opposed 95 See Strictness Walk How the soul is brought to walk with God 268 He that walks with God depends not much upon reason 307 He that walks with God is the same in private that he is in publick 308 He that walks with God walks in his Commandements Page 310 What it is to walk with God 267 Walking What walking with God is 272 Wherein walking with God consists 280 Several excellencies of walking with God 286 The honor of walking with God 288 Particular evidences of walking with God Page 316 See Strangers Excellency Wearinesse see Sabbath Wicked Why wicked men are busie in their callings 16 See Godly Genius Example Hell Work see Godlinesse Grace Worldly Wherein worldly joy consists 54 See Trust Strangers A TABLE of those SCRIPTURES which are occasionally Cleared and briefly Illustrated In the Fourth VOLUMN The first number directs to the Chapter the second to the Verse the third to the Page of the Book Chap. Verse Page Genesis 6 9 263 27 28 6 27 29 6 33 9 52 45 20 239 Exodus 23 14 288 25 21 323 Leviticus 4 18 280 26 11 280 26 12 280 2 Kings 17 8 301 2 Chronicles 28 2 301 Nehemiah 5 9 317 Job 18 8 292 22 21 293 Psalms 16 3 277 16 6 277 23 4 292 37 4 295 45 13 325 45 14 325 49 11 66 49 13 66 62 10 77 62 11 77 63 8 283 583 3 277 72 9 268 86 11 305 89 15 289 89 16 289 119 37 42 119 45 279 138 7 292 139 17 61 Proverbs 2 20 92 13 20 294 23 7 7 23 17 274 Canticles 5 2 281 7 5 281 Isaiah 13 17 53 30 21 269 35 8 271 53 9 271 Jeremiah 2 12 23 17 13 44 Ezekiel 33 31 31 Daniel 7 10 107 7 18 107 Hosea 2 7 329 4 11 22 11 10 298 Micah 6 6 291 6 7 291 6 8 291 Luke 1 6 315 21 34 47 John 3 31 81 Acts 6 31 318 7 29 113 22 25 101 22 27 106 23 25 64 Romans 8 5 3 1 Corinthians 9 27 25 15 29 79 2 Corinthians 3 10 239 4 17 247 4 18 13 5 7 307 Galatians 6 12 65 6 26 310 Ephesians 2 6 107 2 11 251 2 18 272 2 19 130 4 17 309 5 5 20 Philippians 3 8 8 3 19 8 Colossians 3 1 249 3 2 79 3 3 79 2 Thessalonians 1 11 246 1 12 246 1 Timothy 6 9 28 6 9 34 6 9 50 2 Timothy 4 10 40 Hebrews 10 32 224 10 34 232 11 1 256 11 5 322 11 10 101 11 13 87 11 37 87 12 13 327 12 22 101 James 4 4 23 2 Peter 1 3 230 2 18 327 1 John 1 4 109 2 6 319 4 5 60 3 John 0 4 316 Jude 0 14 20 0 4 262 Revelation 3 4 287 13 6 102 13 8 102 14 4 287 FINIS 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 muniiceps coelorum nos gerimus Steph. Beza Piscat ad verbú nostra Civilis vita in coelis est Doct. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ab 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pri 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 terra extra terram sine terra Beda Acts 23. 25. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 terrae fillii 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 9. 27. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Castigo corpus meum vulg Comundo corpus meum Levidum reddo corpus Agust Est metophorasumpta à pugilibus suctantibus qui pugnis verberibus se mutuo obtundunt Chem. Jans Aret. Pareus Piscat First For Direction Secondly For Protection Thirdly For Assistance Fourthly For a blessing upon all it doth Gospel worship
's become of theme and consider thy case must be as their's within a while the wheel is turning round which will bring thee as low as them so that thou ere long must be numbred amongst the dead Oh! it 's a mightie means to take off our hearts from the things of this earth The Seventh Consideration Consider further How short thy time is that thou hast here in this world That 's the argument of the Apostle because the time is short therefore let us use the world as if we used it not therefore let our hearts be taken off from these things we have but a little time and a great deal of work we have in this short winter day of life to provide for eternitie now considering the great weight of the work that doth depend upon us here in this world it may be a mightie reason for us to bid adue to all the things of this world indeed if we had time enough for our work and were sure of our time then we might spend it about trifles If a man comes into the Citie to do business of great weight and consequence and hath but a little time to spend about it he never minds any thing he sees in the Citie never minds any body that comes by him or any shews in shops what braverie there is there but goes up and down the streets minding only his own business Oh! so it should be with us my brethren consider the great work we have to do and the little time that we have to effect that work in there depends upon our little short uncertain inch of time matters of more consequence than ten thousand thousand worlds are worth and if we miscarry in this little time of our lives we are lost and undone for ever better we had never been born or had been made toads or serpents or the vilest beasts whatsoever than reasonable creatures Oh! have you so much time for the spending the very spirits of your souls upon the things of this earth can you spare so many hours Certainly if God did but make known to you what eternitie means if the Lord did but cause the fear of eternitie to fall upon you you would not mispend so much time as you do many times though you complain for want of time for spiritual things Oh how much time do you spend in letting out your thoughts and affections upon the things of the earth more than you need The Eighth Consideration Consider therefore in the next place That a little will serve the turn to carry us through this world We are here but in our Pilgrimage or in our voyage now a little will serve the turn here for the carrying of us through this world men will not take more in a journy than may help them If a man that is to go a journy should get a whol bundle of staves and lay them upon his shoulder and you should ask him the reason why he carries that bundle why saith he I am going a great journy and I know not what need I may have of staves to help me it 's true to carry a staff in a mans hand will help him thus Jacob was helped by his staff over Jordan but to carrie a bundle upon his shoulder will hinder him Now a little will serve your turn if you have but meat and drink food and raiment saith the Apostle be content and the servants of God in former time past through this world with a very little and manie of them the less they had the more peace and comfort they had in God and they were the more fit to die I remember Ecolampagius when he was to die being verie poor profess'd that he would not have been richer than he was for he saw what a hindrance it was and so he could pass out of the world with more ease and quiet a great deal Certainly a little will serve the turn here we say Nature is content with a little and if there were Grace it would be content with less and therefore let not our minds be upon the things of the earth we have not so much need of the things of the earth as we think for The Ninth Consideration And then further consider though upon our minding the things of the earth we should enjoy never so much Yet there is no comfort no good to be had in them any further than God will be pleased to let himself through them they are but as channels to convey the blessing and goodness of God to us Man lives not by bread nor meat only you are deceived to think that if you had such and such things you should certainly have a comfortable life I say you may be deceived in this for it is God in these that doth comfort the heart there is a notable Scripture for this in the 62. Psal where the holy Ghost saith at the 10. verse Trust not in oppression and become not vain in robbery if riches increase set not your hearts upon them do not mind them why in the 11. verse God hath spoken once twice have I heard this That power belongeth unto God if riches increase set not thy heart upon them let not your hearts and minds be upon riches or any thing in this earth why God hath spoken once twice have I heard that is again and again God hath spoken effectually to me that all power to do any good belongeth unto him it 's not in riches there 's no power there for making of thee happy but all belongs to him This I confess is a spiritual meditation that earthly minded men will have but little skill in yet where earthly-mindedness prevails in any one of the Saints this may do him good whereas the truth is it is not in the creature or creature-comforts can do me good if I had a thousand times more than I have I might be miserable in the earth and have as little comfort as those that have least and therefore let me set my affections upon things above and not on things on the earth The Tenth Consideration Moreover lay this to heart If you be godly God promises to take care for you for the things of this earth and to that end that he might ease you of the burden of your care cast your care upon God for he careth for you and take no thought for these things for your heavenly Father knows you have need of them your heavenly Father takes care See how he cloaths the lillies and are not you much better than they Now children they do not much mind the things of the earth to provide for themselves because they know they have their father to provide for them a child that hath his father and friends to make provision for him it very much easeth him but indeed those that are left fatherlesse and friendlesse they seem to have some excuse I had need take care of my self for I have no body to provide for me I but the Saints