of our Duty it commands the Practice of the most necessary Precepts such as are those which are enjoyn'd in this and the preceding Chapters and leaves our Reason to work out what ought to be done upon particular and casual Emergencies to direct in some Cases what is lawful and in most what is prudent and expedient And for our greater Security has laid down some general Rules which if seriously consider'd and carefully attended to will be sufficient to direct our Reason in all its Judgments and Determinations Thus in Relation to the Duties of the first Table which principally concerns the Worship of God the Holy Gospel commands us Joh. 4.24 24. To Worship him in Spirit and in Truth to direct our Addresses to God alone through one Mediator our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and several other particular Precepts it gives us as to the necessary and Essential parts of Divine Worship But our Directions how to behave our selves as to the Circumstances of Worship are all referr'd to this general Rule 1 Cor. 14.40 Let all things be done decently and in order And thus in Relation to the Duties of the second Table which concern our Neighbour our Saviour has laid down many excellent Precepts in this admirable tho' short Epitome of Morality his Sermon on the Mount and then Closes all with this Rule of universal Influence Whatsoever ye would that Men should do unto you do ye so unto them for this is the Law and the Prophets The End and Design then of this Rule is to teach us how to behave our selves towards our Neighbour which is the most difficult and most neglected part of our Duty For we are generally so much byass'd by Self-Love that when any Controversie is started in which our own Interest is concern'd we are very nice and exact in Claiming what belongs to us and is our due but when the Scales are turn'd and 't is our Duty to weigh and consider what our Neighbour may justly expect from us then we make use of false Weights and Measures and too often determine directly contrary to the plain Rules of Justice and Honesty We are not so apt Scholars in learning this Lesson of Charity as we are severe Masters in exacting it from others And therefore II. I shall mark out the Bounds and Limitations of this Rule and consider the just extent and Latitude of these words Whatsoever ye would c. 1. 'T is evident that this Rule is determin'd to the Duties of the second Table for so 't is limitted in the very words of the Text. 'T is whatsoever ye would that Men should do unto you c. Some there are indeed who would have this Rule extend also to the Duties of the first Table and to be the measure of our Duty towards God but this without the support of any good Reason for though Religion may properly be said to be Justice towards God because all the Service which we owe and are able to pay unto God is highly just and reasonable and what is but our bounden Duty and Service yet the distance is so great between an infinitely perfect Being and us Poor vile Worms His Works are so wonderful and his ways past finding out that 't is utterly impossible and 't would be the highest Presumption for us to weigh our Actions in the same Balance with his These words are therefore limitted to the Duties of the second Table as may be plainly made out from that parallel Place where our Blessed Saviour being ask'd this Question Matt. 22.3 Master which is the great Commandment of the Law Returns this Answer Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart and with all thy Soul and with all thy Mind and this is the first and great Commandment and the second is like unto it Namely Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self And then adds on these two hang all the Law and the Prophets Where we may see that this Rule is made to be the Sum and Substance only of the second Table 2. This Rule is determin'd to those things which tend to the benefit and advantage of our Neighbour And therefore St. Austin reads the Words Quaecunque bona c. Whatsoever good things ye would that Men should do unto you do ye so to them For there are some Men of such envious and malicious Tempers that they would willingly undergo any severity themselves on Condition that their Enemy might endure the same and suffer their own Houses to be burnt that his might perish in the Flames nay lose one of their own Eyes that he might be depriv'd of the like Advantage Like the pretended Mother of the living Child would say 1 Kin. 3.26 Let neither of us have it but let it be divided Others there are of so proud and churlish a Disposition that they scorn to be oblig'd and had rather be without a Benefit than to be beholding for it to one they hate Such a Man as this would sooner die than owe his Life to an Enemy and in regard to these Men this Rule must be understood thus 3. Whatsoever ye would that any Man not this or that particular Person should do unto you do ye so unto them 4. If we would put the Case right we must suppose the Circumstances to be the same between our Neighbour and our selves For one different Circumstance will very much alter the Nature of an Action thus upon Supposition that I am stronger and more healthy than my Neighbour I may be willing that he may do some things to me which if I should do the same to him would tend very much to his Prejudice and Disadvantage A rich and wealthy Man may be willing that others should with-hold their hands from doing him good that he might have the same Excuse to deny his charitable Relief to the Poor Nay meer difference in Opinion may make it unreasonable that I should desire some things of such a Man which he might very reasonably demand of me and I should readily comply with 5. We must take Care in applying this Rule that our Desires be restrain'd to those things which we have just and reasonable cause to expect from our Neighbour and then this Rule will run thus Whatsoever ye have just and reasonable cause to desire that any Man in the same Circumstances should do unto you do ye so unto them For every Malefactor who is Sentenc'd to Punishment for his Evil Deeds would willingly have his Punishment remitted and the Judge himself would desire it if he was in the same Circumstances and a Criminal at the Bar But yet it is not just and reasonable that all Criminals should be pardon'd for this would make the Law it self uâ—eless by relaxing the co-ercive Power of it and render Magistrates cheap and contemptible when they are no longer ble to be a Terror to evil Doers Rom. 13.3 but only Encouragers of those who do well These are the most
circumspectly and that by the assistance of God's Grace they will yield a more exact obedience to his Commands This ought to be the Business of every Lord's Day and every Day hallowed and set apart for the Worship of God but more particularly of those times when we intend to prepare our selves for the receiving the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper Then it behoves us to make a more diligent search into our Lives and Conversations that we retain no Leaven of Malice and Hypocrisie no evil thing unrepented of which may deprive us of the Benefits of this blessed Ordinance Next to the time let us consider 2. The Subject of our Examination And here let us make an exact Scrutiny into all the thoughts and intents of our Hearts the words of our Lips and the Actions of our Lives Concerning our thoughts let us ask our selves such Questions as these What is it that I most think upon Are my Thoughts serious seasonable and pure Are my Inclinations compliant with God's Law What doth most easily stir me and how is my heart moved Are my Affections calm and orderly and well plac'd What Plots do I contrive What Projects am I driving on Are my Designs good Are my Intentions upright and sincere Concerning our Words let us demand thus Psal 39.1 Have I learn'd to keep my tongue as it were with a bridle to refrain from all manner of evil Speeches and to imploy it to that use for which it was design'd viz. to glorifie God and to communicate the Thoughts of our hearts one to another As to our Actions let us first enquire whether they are good and agreeable to the Rule of God's Word and then let us reason thus with our selves This Action was indeed well done but might I not have done better might I not have brought more Glory to God and procur'd more good for my Neighbour Was not this good Action imperfect as to some Particulars Was I not too blame as to some Circumstances And if so let us resolve That if ever God puts another opportunity into our hands of performing the same Action again we will mend these Defects and be wiser and better for the future But on the other hand if upon comparing our Actions with the Rule of God's word we find they have been evil and disagreeable to it then let us say thus to our selves I have done this wicked Act and hereby offended my good God but what benefit or advantage have I got for my self Doth not that trouble and remorse of Conscience which I feel for the Commission of this sin much exceed the Pleasure I took in it Is it not a very foolish thing to purchase so little so momentary a Pleasure at the expence of the Quiet and Repose of my Mind a good Conscience here and eternal Happiness hereafter And that we may have a true and lasting Sense of the evil Nature of our Sins let us consider the several aggravating Circumstances which attend them Perhaps the Crime which we committed was done with Deliberation perhaps in despight to the Checks of our Conscience and the blessed Motions of God's holy Spirit perhaps it has been frequently repeated and we still continue to go on in it notwithstanding the many Calls to Repentance and the many Vows and Resolutions we have made of leaving and forsaking it These and many more are the aggravating Circumstances whereby our Sins are render'd more heinous and more exceeding sinful Thus the Treason of Judas was a Sin of the deeper die because he was one of Christ's familiar Friends and Disciples who convers'd with him and did eat of his Bread And Solomon's Idolatry did offend God the more because his heart was turned from the Lord 1 Kin. 11.9 who appeared unto him twice and had commanded him concerning this very thing that he should not go astray after other Gods These are the steps by which we ought to proceed in the Examination of our selves Which when we have perform'd that we may make a right Judgment of the State of our Souls let us take a review of what we have done and compare our present Condition with our former Course of Life and then let us consider with our selves whether we grow in Grace whether our vertuous Habits and Resolutions are more rooted and confirm'd 2 Pet 1.8 or else whether we lose ground and become barren and unfruitful in every good work And here that we may not be mistaken I shall interpose one Caution that the Standard of our improvement in holy Living and growth in Grace is not to be taken from the Affections These for the most part are most vigorous and lively when we first enter upon a religious Course of Life we are then soonest warm'd and rais'd up into Extasies and Raptures of Devotion especially in our tender years when our Passions bear the greatest sway in us and captivate our Reason but as we grow in years these heats languish and decay and as our Reason and Judgment improve we are less Subject to these Transports of our Assections and proceed in a steady and regular Course of Piety and Vertue And therefore the best way to make a right Judgment of our spiritual Improvements is to consider whether we live up more exactly to the Rules of our Duty Whether we yield a more ready Obedience to the Laws of the Gospel than we have formerly done whether we have left off any of our evil Practices and bid adieu to our beloved Sins whether we have brought our selves to suffer Affliction patiently to resign up our Wills to the Divine Will more contentedly These are the most certain Signs by which we may best judge of our Improvements in Grace And if we find that we do indeed grow better and better then in the next place let us endeavour to call to mind by what means we have made these Improvements What Motives and Inducements most wrought upon us What Rules and Directions were most useful What Company and examples were most alluring Phil. 3.16 And then let us walk by the same Rule let us mind the same things But if on the other hand we find that we decline in Vertue and Piety that our Sins those Sons of Anak have been too hard for us and that we have been guilty of many hainous and presumptuous Crimes then let us carefully weigh and consider what it was which betray'd us into these Sins how we came to be prevail'd with to do such foolish and unreasonable Actions Actions which are both displeasing to God and unbecoming the Dignity of our Natures and that rank of Being which we hold in the world by what means and methods did the Devil that old Serpent wind himself into our Souls with what bait did he allure us under what specious shews did he represent his Temptations which was our weak side that first yielded to the Assault what were the occasions and inducements of our falling into Sin And when we have found out
Apostles Advice That we should not only think on those things which are just and honest Phil. 4.8 but whatsoever things are lovely whatsoever things are of good report if there be any Vertue if there be any Praise think on these things But here I shall interpose one Caution that in all these Cases 't is suppos'd that the Action still remains indifferent For those Actions which are in their own Nature indifferent may become necessary by some Circumstance limiting and bounding them and if my indifferent Action is annex'd to a necessary Duty or determin'd by a lawful Authority I am no longer at Liberty which way to Act nor will an appearance of Evil be a sufficient Excuse for my abstaining from it These are some of those Rules which the best Casuists have laid down but yet they will not reach to all particular Cases and where they fall short our Christian Prudence will be the best Guide and Director hereby following the Example of the Apostles of our Saviour Christ who did not live themselves up to any particular Rule but in indifferent Matters suited their Actions to the Exigences of things and comported themselves so as that they might best promote the Glory of God the good of the Church If therefore we have to deal with such as having had leisure and parts and Opportunity to examine things may reasonably be thought to dissent from us our of Interest and Design and are so unjust as to deny us that Freedom which they themselves enjoy my Advice is to stand fast in that Liberty with which Christ has made us free Gal. 5.1 least by any mean and undue Compliances we should confirm the Erroneous shake the Faithful encourage the Adversary and disturb the Peace of the Governmentâ— both in Church and State which is setled amongst us But of others let us have Compassion Jud. 22. making a difference those who are indeed weak in the Faith and for want of a due Information are scrupulous in the lesser matters of Religion let us instruct them in the Extent of their Christian Liberty and the Lawfulness of those indifferent things they are offended at let us be careful that we do not give them just occasion of offence or disgust them either by our Words or Actions but endeavour to win them over by all the lawful Arts and Endearments of Kindness and Condescention And if we must still differ in smaller Matters let us love as Brethren If we cannot be of one Mind and of one Opinion Yet let us be all of one Heart and of one Soul Amen and Amen SERMON VII ECCLES V. 1. Keep thy foot when thou goest into the House of God and be more ready to hear than to give the Sacrifice of Fools for they consider not that they do Evil. THE Design of the Royal Preacher in these Words is to perswade his Hearers to approach with humble Reverence both of Body and Soul into God's immediate Presence and to behave themselves during the time of Publick Worship with a becoming Decency and Devotion to come into his House with â—ouls affected with awful and reverential Apprehensions of his Divine Majesty with open Ears and obedient Hearts disposed to do whatsoever he commands them Keep thy foot says the Wise Man when thou goest into the House of God i. e. Prepare and fit thy self to partake of these holy Ordinances compose thy Mind and thy Body to a Behaviour suitable to the Dignity of those Duties thou art about and the weight and importance of them The Expression is a plain Allusion to the Custom of the Eastern Countries of plucking off their Shooes when they made any Profession of solemn Respect or trod on Consecrated Ground and of washing their Feet before they entred the Palaces of their Kings or the Places dedicated to God's Publick Worship Of these Customs we have several Instances in the holy Scriptures Exod. 3.5 when God appeared unto Moses in the Bush he commanded him to put his shooes from off his feet because the place whereon he stood was holy ground And the Captain of the Host said unto Joshua Josh 5.15 loose the shooe from off thy feet for the place whereon thou standest is holy Loosing or plucking off the Shooe was a Ceremony of the same import with uncovering the Head amongst us a Token of Respect and Reverence And therefore they wash'd and made clean their Feet when they went into Publick Assemblies So that Keeping the feet is a very proper Expression to denote that Respect and Veneration that Humility of Mind which is a requisite Qualification for every devout Worshipper who enters into the House of God and that Reverent demeanor of himself whilst he is there Keep thy feet when thou goest into the House of God or as the Original may be rendred when thou comest into the House of God which denotes to us both how we ought to Prepare our selves before we come to the place of God's Publick Worship and how we must comport and demean our selves when we are there And therefore 't is presently added And be more ready to hear than to give the sacrifice of fools i.e. be sure to bring an attentive Ear and an obedient Heart along with thee with which God will be better pleas'd than with those Sacrifices whereby wicked Men think tho' very foolishly to appease the Anger of God and to render him favourable and propitious to them tho' they lead their Lives and Conversations never so contrary to his Laws for they consider not that they do Evil they do not consider that God has openly declar'd That he hates and abhors the Sacrifices of such Men who offer them up with unclean hands and an impure heart such as those who think that their Attendance upon the publick Offices of Religion will atone and make amends for the wickedness and immorality of their Lives This being the plain meaning of the words I propose to make some Enlargement upon them under these following Heads I. I shall consider how we ought to Prepare our selves before we joyn in the Publick Worship of God II. How we ought to demean our selves whilst we are Worshipping him III. What is to be done after the performance of the publick Duties of Religion 1. How we ought to Prepare our selves before we joyn with the Congregation in the Publick Worship of God For our Edifying and receiving benefit by the Publick Duties of Religion in a great measure depends on a due Preparation for them 't is to no Purpose to sow the good seed of the Word unless our Hearts are manur'd and cultivated Prepar'd and dispos'd to receive it Our Prayers will be turn'd into Sin Isay 29.13 if whilst we speak to God with our lips our hearts are far from him nor will our receiving the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper be of any use to us if whilst we are partaking of the Holy Elements we cherish and harbour sinful and impure Thoughts
And here it may be seasonable to take notice of a dangerous Mistake which many of the Professors of Christianity are guilty of They pretend to have a deep and serious Sense what a weighty and solemn Duty the receiving the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper is and 't is for this Reason that they forbear it because they think they are not sufficiently prepared for it and yet at the same time these very Men presume to come to the Church to address themselves unto God's Throne and hear his Holy Word without any Preparation at all as if the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper was the only Duty of Religion which required Care in the performance of it Thus they are too nice and scrupulous on the one hand whilst they are too negligent and prophane on the other they wholly omit one Ordinance of God because they do not think themselves sufficiently prepared for it and lose the benefit of all the rest because they will not Prepare themselves at all For what other Reason can be given why Men who live so long under the most powerful Preaching of the Word of God Edifie so little by it why their Understandings are so little improv'd in Spiritual Matters and their Lives and Conversations so little better'd thereby but because they do not bring prepared Minds and good Dispositions along with them their Thoughts are taken up with worldly Affairs their Hearts are fill'd with corrupt Affections and many wicked and impure Spirits have taken Possession of their Souls and then no wonder that the Holy Spirit of God doth not take up his abode with them when they are not in a Capacity to give him any suitable Entertainment Some Preparation therefore is absolutely necessary to be made before we attend on the Publick Worship of God Which may be perform'd after this or such like manner Upon the Lord's Day or any other day Dedicated to the Publick Service of God and set apart from our private Employments to the more solemn Worship of our Creator as soon as ever we awake let our Souls be season'd with some holy and devout Meditation Let us consider that at the same time the Sun salutes our Eyes and refresheth our Bodies with his comfortable Beams Mal. 4.2 The sun of Righteousness doth arise with healing in his wings and makes us the Overtures of some peculiar Favours That this Day is set apart by the great God of Heaven and Earth to receive the Homage of his Vassals and to give them the Liberty of entring his Courts appearing before his Throne admiring his Excellencies adoring his Perfections celebrating his Praises and laying open their Wants before him and begging Supplies and that therefore 't is both our Duty and Interest to improve these Seasons of Grace to Prepare our selves to meet our God and not only to put our Bodies into a Decent and becoming Dress but to adorn our Souls with such Qualifications and Dispositions as are requisite for Poor sinful Men when they appear before the great Creator and Governour of the World And because the Preparations of the heart are from the Lord Prov. 16.1 it will be necessary to prostrate our selves before the Throne of his Grace and to beseech God Jam. 1.17 Who is the Author and Giver of every good and perfect Gift that he will inspire our Hearts with holy Dispositions and afford us the Assistance of his Holy Spirit to enable us to cast out of our Minds all vain and worldly Thoughts to subdue all Carnal and corrupt Affections and to offer up to him our Bodies and Souls a pure undefiled and acceptable Sacrifice That we may spend this day especially that part of it which iâ—â—edicated to God's immediate Service â—â—ter so Holy and Devout a manner as may promote our Spiritual Welfare and hereby Glorifie our Father which is in Heaven Matth. 5.16 Let us beseech Almighty God that his good Spirit may go along with us through all the Duties of the day and incite strengthen and confirm us in every good Work That he would teach us to Pray with Fervency and an holy Assurance that all our Requests which are conformable to the Will of God shall be granted us to hear his Word with Attention and firm Resolutions of performing whatsoever we are convinc'd is our Duty and to Praise him with gladness and cheerfulness of Soul with Hearts fill'd with the grateful Resentments of his Benefits and Loving kindness towards us In the next place let us read some Portion of the Holy Scripture and make this the Subject of our Meditation till the hour approaches when we are call'd upon to joyn with the Congregation in our Devotions and we hear the Summons to attend God's Publick Worship It will then be time to enter upon a more particular Consideration how we have pass'd the last Week how well we have perform'd those Resolutions which we have formerly taken up what Sins we have since been guilty of what good Duties we have omitted and that we should be sorry for these our Neglects and bewail our Mis-carriages and resolve that we will amend our Lives and never be guilty of the same Sins for the time to come but that we will walk more uprightly and more exactly in Obedience to all the Commands of God This is that Preparation of Soul which every one ought to make before he enters into the House of God For God will not be serv'd with unclean hands and an unsanctify'd heart he abhors even the most solemn Fasts of those Men who smite with the Fists of wickedness Isa 58.4 he expects that the sprinkling water should be sprinkled upon us 2 Cor. 7.1 and that we should cleanse our selves from all filthiness both of Flesh and Spirit when we draw near unto him And wash our hands in innocency Psal 26.6 before we compass God's Altar Let us therefore never omit this Examination of our selves before we enter into God's House when we have time and opportunity so to do For tho' upon some sudden Emergencies all this Precaution is not to be us'd this Exactness of Preparation may be omitted and a general and habitual Preparation of Mind will suffice yet this will in no wise excuse the constant Neglect of this Duty nor take off the blame from those Men who live in the constant Omission of it for 't is highly reasonable to believe that Self-Examination is a Duty in some Degree as absolutely necessary to be perform'd before we attend God's Publick Worship as 't is before the receiving the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper Which Sacrament was anciently an Essential part of the Publick Worship of God tho' of late years it has been scandalously neglected And therefore as when Men come to the Table of the Lord without due Preparation 1 Cor. 11.29 they trample under feet Christ's holy Body and Blood and eat and drink Condemnation to themselves So when they frequent the House of God and attend upon
his Ordinances carelesly and negligently they grieve God's Holy Spirit provoke him to leave and forsake them to give them up to hardness of Heart and a reprobate Mind Isa 29.13 14. Forasmuch as this People Says the Prophet draw near me with their mouth and with their lips do honour me but have remov'd their heart far from me therefore behold I will proceed to do a marvellous work and a wonder for the Wisdom of their wise Men shall perish and the understanding of their prudent Men shall be hid God doth not now always punish Prophaneness and Coldness in our Devotions with temporal Evils and sickness in the Body as formerly in the Primitive Church But he has exchang'd them for such as are far more dreadful such as endanger the Soul and take away the spiritual Life of a Christian Every unsanctify'd approach which we make unto him renders us more cold and indifferent in our Devotions till at last iâ— leads us by degrees into open Prophaneness and Atheism Let therefore every one who desires to receive the blessed Influences of God's holy Spirit and that his Soul may be a Temple fitted and prepared for him to dwell in Let him I say first cleanse his Heart by a due and strict Examination of himself and a serious and hearty Repentance for the Errors of his ways Let him thus keep his feet before he goes into the House of God i. e. observe what Paths he has walked in how the Affections of his Soul are fitted and dispos'd to partake of these holy Ordinances Lastly Whilst we are going towards the House of God let us entertain our selves with such Meditations as these Let us consider the Glorious Majesty of that God before whom we are going to appear that he is the great Creator Preserver and Governour of the World who humbles himself to look down upon the Sons of Men being exalted above all Praise and exceedingly Happy and Glorious above all that we can conceive and think 'T is this God who grants us Audience and vouchsafes us the Favour of making our Addresses unto him Let us consider also our own Vileness and Sinfulness how unworthy we are of so great Favours and hereby raise up in our Souls that humble Awe and devout Reverence of the Supream Being Levit. 26.2 which is requir'd of every one who Worships God Thus the devout Cornelius tells Peter That he and all the rest were present before God Acts 10.23 to hear all things which were commanded them by God i. e. they had considered with themselves who it was that was to speak to them and that the words they were to hear were not the words of Peter a frail sinful Man like themselves but the words of God Thus before we present our Petitions unto God we are commanded to consider that God is in Heaven and we on Earth i. e. that there is an infinite Distance between the Creator and his poor Creature that he is the most Perfect the most Glorious and the most Holy Being but we only dust and ashes vile Earth and miserable Sinners vile we are in our own Nature but we have made our selves much more so by our manifold Sins and repeated Transgressions When therefore we approach the Holy Temple of the Lord Let us say thus within our selves Gen. 28.17 How dreadful is this place this is certainly the place where the Lord dwells I am now going to the House of God to appear before the Lord Almighty who has my Soul in his hand and the breath of my Nostrils at his disposal in whom I live and move and have my Being I am drawing near to the King of Heaven and Earth to present my self before his Face to pay him my Homage and to make him the Tenders of my bounden Duty and Service Let me therefore put my Mind into such a devout Frame as he will accept of and take Care that I behave my self with Reverence Decency and Devotion And now having brought you to the Temple I proceed to shew 2. How we ought to demean our selves when we enter into the House of God and whilst we are performing the Duties of Religion And here I am to consider 1. The Frame and Disposition of our Souls Joh. 41.24 2. The Gesture of our Bodies God is a Spirit and will be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth i. e. requires principally and in the first place the Worship of our Souls and then that of our Bodies Now to a due worshipping God with our Souls there are requir'd these three things I. Attention of our Minds to the Duty we are about II. The Intention and Ardency of the Affectons III. The Consent of our Wills and their Conformity to the Divine Will and Pleasure 1. If we would offer up unto God an acceptable Service our Minds must be attentive to the Duty we are about whilst we are praying to God for those Blessings we stand in need of or praising him for those we have received we must either be meditating on the God we Worship or the thing we desire or praise him for For since Worship is the Acknowledgment of those Excellencies and Perfections which are in the Divine Nature 't is impossible we should have any serious Sense or make any due Acknowledgment of these Perfections unless we keep our Minds intent upon them We may as well commend the beauty of an Object we never saw and be taken with that Musick we never heard as admire and acknowledge those Excellencies we never thought on or consider'd For to serve God with our Mouths when our Thoughts are wandring some where else and employ'd about some other Business is but Lip-Worship at the best a Sacrifice without an heart which God will utterly detest and abhor 'T is therefore one of the principal Devices of the Devil 2 Cor. 2.11 of which we ought not to be ignorant to excite and stir up vain Thoughts in our Minds during the time of Divine Worship to divert them upon worldly and sinful Objects and hereby to deprive us of that Benefit we might otherwise obtain by a due and conscientious performance of these Duties And therefore it ought to be the Care of all good Christians to stand continually upon their Guard to bear a strict Eye over their Hearts and as soon as ever they find any vain and sinful Thoughts spring up in their Minds to cast them out To restrain and bring back their wandering Thoughts and never to make them their own by consenting to them or dwelling upon them Some Men are more addicted to roving and volatile Thoughts than others are from their natural Temper and Constitution and therefore are not so blameable for that which they cannot help But 't is then only they are faulty when their Will closes with them when they do not make Use of the most proper means to prevent them i. e. A due and conscientious Preparation of their Hearts for Religious Duties then do
of Jesus Christ and pray incessantly for the continuance of God's Favour and Assistance without being puff'd up with an over-weening Opinion of your own Abilities or casting an envious Eye or a disdainful Look on the Attainments of other Men. These are the Chief and Principal Fruits of the Holy Spirit and are the necessary Effects of saving Grace Gal. 5.22 And if after a diligent Search and serious Enquiry it plainly appears that you are possest of these Qualifications you may then and not otherwise be secure that you have truly God's Grace even the Grace of Life 2. If you find you have true Grace endeavour to cherish and encrease it For though God has promised That his Grace shall be sufficient for us yet this is a Promise made good only to such Persons who perform the Condition annexed to it that is who joyn their own Endeavours with it This is the Duty on our part to be perform'd which if neglected will intercept the Emanations of God's Grace grieve the Holy Spirit and provoke him to depart from us and forsake us if therefore we would keep that Grace which God has given us we must cherish and improve it we must hearken to its Motions obey its Commands comply with its Councels and pray that God would continue and encrease it to us Let us Pray for all such Mercies both Temporal and Spiritual as we stand in need of but let us make our most fervent and frequent Addresses at the Throne of Grace for the Blessed Influences and Assistances of God's Holy Spirit and beg of God instantly that he would be pleas'd to give us his Grace to enlighten assist and comfort us in all our Exigences and to teach and enable us to make a due Use and right Improvement of all other Mercies Thus much in the General but more particularly 3. Let us learn to be thankful for that measure of Grace which God has bestow'd upon every one of us since 't is such as God sees sufficient for us and as much as will enable us to work out our Salvation If David can slay the Philistine with a Sling and a stone what need has he of Saul's Armour If God enables us to perform what he requires of us what occasion have we for any irresistible Impulse or any force upon our Wills When we may be sav'd like Rational Creatures by God's Grace in Conjunction with our own Endeavours why should we expect to be driven on by a blind Instinct or Fatality If our Gifts are sufficient to subdue our Spiritual Enemies and obtain Heaven we ought to be content and thankfully acquesce in the Bounty of our good God and liberal Benefactor We are taught indeed to covet earnestly the best Gifts 1 Cor. 12.31 and to strive continually to grow in Grace but having done our Endeavours we ought to rest satisfy'd with that Measure and Proportion of Grace which God is pleas'd to impart to us If our Neighbour has greater Gifts than we have it 's a Sign that he has made more use of them that his Nâ—cessities are greater his Duties Temptations and Tryals more weighty frequent and troublesome whether therefore we have ordinary Grace let us neither repine at God nor be dejected in our selves nor envy others Or whether we have extraordinary Grace let us not forget God or be puft up 1 Cor. 12.11 or despise others for this diversity of Gifts proceeds from the same Spirit distributing to every Man as he will 4. Let us hence learn to endure Temptations and Afflictions patiently For though our Afflictions at the first sight appear never so grievous and insupportable yet God has promis'd that he will lay no more upon his Servants than they are able to bear he will proportion his Assistance to their Wants and give them Strength to undergo that Burthen he is pleas'd to lay upon them His Grace will be sufficient for them What good Man can undergo greater Troubles and Calamities than St. Paul did And yet through the Grace of God he was not only supported under them but he arriv'd to so high a Degree of Trust and Confidence in God as to make them matter of Joy and Satisfaction and to Glory in them Where that long Catalogue of Afflictions is introduc'd with this Preface Seeing that many Glory after the Flesh 2 Cor. 11.18 I will also Glory And let us but summon up our Christian Courage and Resolution let us but put forth that Strength which God has given us and pray to God fervently and uncessantly to give us his Grace and Blessing and there can no Affliction befall us which we shall not be enabled to go through with and at last see a Happy and Comfortable end of it we shall receive the benefit of it in this World and obtain the Reward of our Patience in the next And therefore 5. and Lastly We may from hence learn to refer the Success of our Prayers unto God If we do not presently receive an Answer to our Petitions let us not despond or conclude that God either doth not hear or will not grant a favourable Answer to our Requests for there may be many Reasons why God may defer the giving us those Mercies we pray for and sometimes to deny us those things which we think good and convenient for us Perhaps there may be a Defect in our Prayers we may not have pray'd with sufficient Fervency Piety and Perseverance Perhaps the thing we pray for is not expedient for us or God sees it will be more for our good to be without it and in all these Cases though he denies our Requests Gal. 6.9 yet he consults our benefit and advantage Let us not therefore be weary of well doing considering That at last we shall reap if we faint not our Prayers will return into our Bosoms loaden with Blessings And in the mean while it may be sufficient to support and comfort us to consider that God deals with us after the same manner he did with many holy Men and eminent Saints whose Examples are recorded in the Holy Scripture for our Instruction David tho' a Man after God's own Heart yet by much Weeping Fasting and Praying 2 Sam. 12. could not obtain the Life of his Child And Samuel though a Prophet of the Lord could not prevail with God to continue the Kingdom upon Saul and his Posterity St. Paul in the Text 1 Sam. 16.1 though one of the Apostles of our Saviour Christ and though he not only pray'd thrice but offer'd up vehement Supplications and Prayers could not obtain an Exemption from the buffetings of Satan When therefore we offer up our Prayers and Supplications to God let us always make our Requests with Resignation and Submission to the Divine Pleasure and after the Example of our Blessed Saviour annex this Condition to all our Petitions Nevertheless not as I will Mat. 26.39 but as thou wilt And then if God doth not see fit to give
The Heart of Man is deceitful and desperately wicked Jer. 17.9 who can know it Which Text though primarily intended to denote the Difficulty of knowing what other Men think or what Opinion we shall have of things hereafter as appears by the coherence of the Words with those which went before yet they may well serve to intimate to us the Difficulty of giving an impartial Judgment of the present Sentiments of our Minds and what the true bent and Tendency of our Desires and Affections are for we are so fond of our Bosom sins and those darling Delights which either Custom or Inclination has endear'd to us that we think we can never sufficiently caress them and though our Affections are drawn out after the most extravagant manner after them yet we cloath them with such plausible and specious Pretences as make the most criminal Enjoyment of them appear at least to us harmless and lawful Who is there that will not readily acknowledge that we ought to Love God with the most intense and zealous Affection With all our Soul and with all our Strength and the good things of this World in a lower and subordinate Degree and yet how difficult a Task would it be to persuade the most sordid and miserable Worlding That his Affections are not plac'd on things above but on things below and though he is notoriously guilty of this Vice of Covetousness and sees the Folly of it in other Men yet is he not able to turn his Eyes inward and to discover it in himself so great Diligence and Industry doth it require to range over all the turnings and windings of our Hearts and to be acquainted with all those crooked Paths which Sin and Error have made in our Souls And if there is so much Diligence requir'd to know the thoughts of our Hearts it must needs call for our utmost Care to manage them aright and keep them in due Order And therefore there will be the more need to consider III. The Motive made use of in the Text to engage us to the Performance of this Duty For out of them are the Issues of Life i. e. our Happiness both in this Life and the next doth depend upon a diligent and conscientious Discharge of this Duty 1. Our Happiness in this World depends upon it For 1. By keeping our Hearts we shall learn to manage our Affairs with Prudence and Discretion For the greatest part of those extravagant Actions which Men commit proceed either from the want of a due Deliberation before they enter upon Action Or a discreet executing what their Reason tells them is fit and ought to be done Either they are hurried on by the Violence of their sensual Appetites and head-strong Passions or byass'd by some inordinate Lust and corrupt Affection and these betray them into indiscreet absurd and sinful Words and Actions Now he that is accustom'd to keep his Heart considers well and deliberately every Circumstance of an Action before he puts his Thoughts into Excution he weighs first his own Power and Ability and then enquires both into the Lawfulness and Expediency of the thing he undertakes by which means he avoids those Rocks upon which so many split i. e. Rashness in setting upon those things he has neither Power nor Skill to perform on the one hand and a too great Diffidency and distrust of his own Abilities on the other The first of these produces Shame and Disappointment when a Man finds himself not able to compass the End he aim'd at and falls short of his too bold and daring Designs the second deprives him of many valuable Benefits and Advantages which lie in his way and require only the Pains of seeking after them and possessing himself of them And in truth since all our Words and Actions are the Streams which flow from the Fountain of our Hearts therefore it must needs follow that he who governs his Heart wisely and prudently cannot go far astray in his Words and Actions all our vital Operations will savour of that Root and Principle from whence they proceed and a Holy Life must needs be the necessary Effect of a sanctified Heart 2. A due Government of our Hearts will produce Peace and quiet of Mind by freeing us from those raging Passions and sensual Affections from proud malicious and envious Thoughts which disturb our Peace and Quiet and render our Lives uneasie and burthensome to us For it has been an old and a very true Observation that Content and Satisfaction and by consequence Happiness in this Life doth not proceed from the abundance of the Goods of this World or the indulging our selves in sensual Pleasure but from the Temper and Constitution of our Minds in a contentedness and satisfaction with that Condition the wise Providence of God has allott'd us and a discreet Enjoyment of those good things he has made our Portion in this World A sound Mind in a sound Body was the wise Wish of a Heathen Poet for that Man whose Heart is full of Envy or Malice or sollicitous Care or Pride would be uneasie on a Throne and miserable amidst the most plentiful affluence of worldly Enjoyments but he who has obtain'd the Art of Governing his Thoughts by the Laws of Reason and Religion will enjoy the Pleasure of a quiet and compos'd Mind amidst all the noise and hurry of this World and remain contented and satisfy'd with his Condition without casting either an envious Eye on the Possessions of those who are above him or a disdainful Look on those who are in a meaner Condition than himself From hence will flow 3. Peace of Conscience 1 Joh. 3.21 for if our Hearts condemn us not then have we confidence towards God that Man who has been so careful as to set a strict and diligent Watch over his Thoughts will be from thence assur'd that his Heart is upright towards God and has good grounds to believe that he is in his Favour and under his Protection and this will produce the greatest Joy and Satisfaction imaginable and therefore 't was good Advice which the Oracle gave Craesus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the way to be Happy is to know thy Self for a through Knowledge of our own Hearts and the Government of our Thoughts according to the Rule of God's Word is a chief Ingredient as well as the principal Cause of a happy Life in this World These are the blessed Effects of Keeping our Hearts as to the Concerns of this Life but if we consider 2. It s influence on our eternal Happiness we must needs judge it highly reasonable to use our utmost Care and Diligence in the Performance of this Duty For 1. God has made the Keeping our Hearts one part of our Duty The words of the Text are not only a prudential Councel containing Matter of Advice but a Positive Command God expects we should comply with it and yield our Obedience to it 'T is true the Jews of old did imagine that
Thoughts were not sinful unless immediately Blasphemous against God and therefore they did not blame the Intention of the Heart to commit Murder or Adultery unless 't was actually put in Execution which we have the less reason to wonder at because there are so many amongst us who maintain this absurd Opinion and Fansie their Thoughts are so free that they shall never be call'd to Account for them if they can but Act so cunningly as to escape the Censures of Men Psal 55.21 if they can but speak words smoother than Oil they are not at all sollicitous how their Hearts stand affected But let these Men consider Rom. 2.15 that at the last day when God shall judge the secrets of Men we shall be call'd to an Account for all the Thoughts and Intents of our Heart as well as for the loudest Words and most publick Actions in God's Book not only the Members of our Body but the Thoughts of our Mind are written and therefore we are commanded not to make Provision for the Lust of the Flesh Rom. 13.14 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not to contrive before-hand how we may fulfil our sinful Appetites and Desires Solomon tells us That the Thought of Foolishness is sin i. e. Prov. 2.4 9. a foolish Thought and that a Man of wicked Devices or Thoughts God will condemn Prov. 12.2 And St. John affirms 1 Joh. 3.15 That whosoever hates his Brother or retains any Rancour or Malice in his Heart is a Murderer Now as on the one hand God will accept of the sincere Intention of those Persons who fail in their Obedience only for want of Power and Ability to perform what he has commanded them So on the other our Thoughts may be sinful in the sight of God though we have neither Will nor Power to put them in Execution Abraham only intended to Sacrifice his Son Isaac Heb. 11.17 and this holy Purpose of his Heart was imputed to him for Righteousness Gen. 18.12 and when Sarah dis-believ'd the Promise of God and derided it in her Heart she is said to laugh within her self and God resents the Provocation And though 't is true that when a wicked Thought is put into Execution and breaks out into a wicked Act Jam. 1.15 when Lust has conceiv'd and brought forth Sin 't is of a far more heinous Nature and deeper Dye than when it was only an Embryo or in the Birth yet in many Respects our Thoughts may be more wicked than either our Words or Actions can be For 1. Our Thoughts are more numerous than our Actions There must be many Preparatory Motions of the Mind many Thoughts twisted together to produce one deliberate sinful Action How many Plottings and Contrivings Desires and Hopes Wishes and Complacencies must go before the Commission of every evil Deed There must be first a Scheme erected in our Minds the Means and Methods must be resolv'd on the Instruments must be chosen and the thing frequently acted over in our Thoughts before any notorious sinful Action can be committed 2. The same Sin may be acted over a thousand times in the Mind which can only be once perform'd in the outward Action We may take a great deal of Pleasure and Delight in recalling the Sins we have formerly committed in representing them in our Fancies and re-acting them over in our Imaginations and hereby draw down a fresh Guilt upon our selves Nay 3. We may be guilty of those Sins by contriving them in our Minds which can never possibly be really acted thus the Covetous Man may rob his Neighbour of his Wealth though he never obtain the Possession of it the Malicious and Revengeful may murder his Enemy when out of his reach and the Cruel and Blood-thirsty may imagine all Mankind to have but one Neck and then cut it off Psal 14.1 and the Atheist may say in his Heart there is no God and fancy him excluded out of the World From these and such other Considerations 't is obvious to conclude That we are not left at liberty to think as we please but that the Government of our Thoughts is a necessary and indispensable Duty Nay so absolutely necessary is it to our eternal Welfare to keep our Hearts that no Word or Action can be good or acceptable unto God which doth not proceed from a sanctify'd Heart A wicked Man may perform many Acts of Justice and Charity but if they do not proceed from a good Disposition of Mind they are only splendida peccata counterfeit Vertues and therefore the Apostle tells us 1 Cor. 13.1 That if we give our Goods to feed the Poor and have not Charity i. e. a sincere Love to God and our Neighbour which is seated in the Heart all those good Deeds will profit us nothing 2. The Keeping of our Hearts is conducive to our eternal Happiness because the maintaining our Communion with God depends on it Now our Communion with God is maintain'd by our offering up Prayers and Praises unto him and his Acceptance of them and bestowing on us the blessed Influences of his Holy Spirit and if so then what Sacrifice of Prayer and Thanksgiving can be acceptable unto God which is offer'd up from a Heart full of impure Desires and Affections reeking with Lust or Anger or Revenge He is a pure and holy Spirit and delights to dwell in a humble and contrite Heart Isa 57.15 and if our Hearts are infected with Envy Malice Pride or Lust we shall grieve him and he will depart from us and then the Devils those impure Spirits will take Possession of our Souls they will become a Cage of these unclean Birds a fit Habitation for these Legions to dwell in 3. A right Frame of Heart is a Qualification absolutely necessary to render us capable of enjoying eternal Happiness in the Life to come For our Happiness in the other World will in a great measure depend on the Preparations we have made for it in this Our Life here is a State of Probation and Trial a small Span of time allotted us to furnish our selves with vertuous Habits and Divine Qualities those wedding Garments which will render us welcome Guests at the Marriage of the Lamb. And therefore if we would have any well-grounded Hopes of Happiness in the other World we must make it our Employment here to restrain our Passions moderate our Affections enflame our Hearts with Zeal and Devotion and accustom our selves to holy Meditation these are Qualifications absolutely necessary to make us relish the Pleasures of another Life For we may with as good Reason hope to satisfie our Hunger with precious Stones and Diamonds or our Thirst with the sight of stately Buildings or goodly Apparel as that a malicious envious lustful or covetous Person whilst he continues so should take delight in the Beatifical Vision and in singing Praises and Hallelujahs unto God So necessary is it that we cleanse and purifie our