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
have the same confirmation of their blessed estate that the Angels have ibid 7 They have priviledge of a free rtade to Heaven Page 104 8 They have for he present communion with the Angels ib. 9 They have the protection of Heaven ib. CHAP. VI How the Saints have their conversation in Heaven 106 1 The aim of their hearts is heaven-wards 107 2 They are acted by Heavenly principles in their waies 108 1 That God is all in all ib. 2 That God is the infinite First being ib. 3 They have communion with the God of Heaven ib. 4 They live according to the Laws of Heaven 110 5 Their soul is where it loves rather than where it lives 111 6 They deilght in the same things that are done in Heaven 114 1 The sight of Gods face 115 2 The praising of God ib. 3 The keeping a perpetual Sabbath ib. 7 They are heavenly in earthly imployments 115 8 They are heavenly when they converse together 116 9 Their great trade upon earth is for heaven 217 CHAP. VII The Saints trading for Heaven opened 1 They have skill in they commodity they trade for Page 217 2 They have a stock to trade withal 218 3 They take the advantage of the Market for commodities ib. 4 There is much inter course ib. 5 Their chief stock is where they trade 220 6 They are willing to part with any thing here to receive advantage where they trade ib. 7 They trust much 221 CHAP. VII Evidences of mens having their conversations in heaven Evidence 1. They canvilifie all the things on earth 222 Evidence 2 They can be content and live comfortably with little in this world ib. Evidence 3 They can suffer hard things with joyful hearts 223 Evidence 4. Their hearts are filled with heavenly riches 225 Evidence 5 They are willing to purchase the priviledges of Heavne at a dear rate ib. Evidence 6 They are sensible of the stoppages between heaven and their souls Page 26 Evidence 7 Their willingness to die 227 CHAP. IX Reasons why the Saints have their Conversation in heaven ib. 1 Because their souls are from Heaven 228 2 By grace the soul hath a Divine Nature put into it 230 3 Their most choise things are in heaven 231 4 God orders it so to wean their hearts from the world 233 CHAP. X. Use 1. To reprove such as have their conversations in hell 234 CHAP. XI Use 2. To reprove hypocrites 235 CHAP. XII Use 3. Let us not find fault with the strictness of Gods waies Page 237 CHAP. XIII Use 4. To reprove such as are godly and yet fail in this thing 238 CHAP. XIV An Heavenly Conversation is a convincing conversation 241 CHAP. XV. A Heavenly Conversation is growing 243 CHAP. XVI A Heavenly Conversation brings much glory to God 244 CHAP. XVII A Heavenly Conversation brings much glory to the Saints 246 CHAP. XVIII A Heavenly Conversation will make sufferings easie 247 CHAP. XIX A Heavenly Conversation brings much joy 249 CHAP. XX. An Heavenly Conversation is very safe 250 CHAP. XXI An Heavenly Conversation gives abundant entrance into glory ibid CHAP. XXII Directions how to get a Heavenly Conversation Direct 1. Be perswaded that it is attainable Page 251 Direct 2. Labor to keep a cleer conscience 252 Direct 3. Watch opportunities for heavenly exercises ibid Direct 4 Rest not in formality 253 Direct 5. Labor to beat down your bodies 254 Direct 6. Labor to be skilful in the Mystery of godliness to draw strength from Christ in every thing you do ibid Direct 7. Exercise the grace of faith much 256 THE CONTENTS Of the ensuing TREATISE OF WALKING with GOD. GENESIS 45. 24. CHAP. I. TEXT opened Page 261 CHAP. II. Doctrine 'T is the Excellency of a Christian to walk with God 265 CHAP. III. How the soul is brought to walk with God 1 Every one by nature goes astray from God 268 2 The Lord manifesteth to the soul the way of life ibid 3 The Lord makes peace between himself and a sinner 269 4 God renders himself lovely to the soul 270 5 God sends his Holy Spirit to guide him 271 6 Christ takes the soul and brings it to God the Father 271 CHAP. IV What walking with God is 1 It causeth the soul to eye God 272 2 It causeth a man to carry himself as in Gods presence 273 3 He makes Gods will the rule of his will Page 274 4 The soul hath the same ends that God hath 275 5 It suits the soul to the administrations of God 276 6 To have a holy dependance upon God 1 For Direction 277 2 For Protection 278 3 For Assistance ibid 4 For a Blessing upon all it doth ibid 7 It makes a man free and ready in the waies of God 279 8 It consists in communion with God 280 9 It causeth the soule to follow God more as he reveals himself more 282 CHAP. V Excellencies of walking with God Excellency 1 It makes the waies of God easie 286 Excellency 2 It is most honorable 287 Excellency 3 The soul hath blessed satisfaction in it 288 Excellency 4 It is a special part of the Covenant of God on our parts 290 Excellency 5 There is a blessed safety in walking with God 292 Excellency 6 Hence the soul enjoys sweet familiarity with God 293 Excellency 7 To them God communicates his secrets 294 Excellency 8 They find favor in Gods eyes for granting their petitions 295 Excellency 9 There is a glory put upon the soul 296 Excellency 10 Gods presence doth mightily draw forth every grace Page 297 Excellency 11 The presence of God shall never be terrible to the soul neither at death nor judgment 298 Excellency 12 It will be blessedness in the end 299 CHAP. VII Vses of Exhortation Vse 1 Blesse God that he will be pleased to walk thus with his poor creatures 300 Vse 2 What strangers the world are to this walking with God 301 Vse 3 What vile hearts are ours that we are so backward to walk with God 302 Vse 4 Let us keep close to God in our walking wtih him 303 Vse 5 If there be so much excellency in walking with God here what will there be in heaven 304 CHAP. VIII Evidence of our walking with God 306 Evidence 1 He depends not much upon sence and reason in the course of his life 307 Evidence 2 He is the same in private that he is in publick 307 Evidence 3 He hath a serious spirit 309 Evidence 4 They walk in newness of life 310 Evidence 5 When he hath to do with the creature he doth quickly passe through the creature unto God 311 Evidence 6 He loves to be much retired from the world 312 Evidence 7 He is careful to make even his accounts with God 315 Evidence 8 The more spiritual any Truth or Ordinance or any company is the more the soul delights in it 314 Evidence 9 He walk in all the Commandements of God 315 Evidence 10 See how the Scripture describes
on the earth and mark therefore how it follows in the 37. verse They were stoned they were sawn asunder were tempted were slain with the sword they wandred about in sheeps-skins and goats-skins being destitute afflicted tormented Who were these They were they of whom the world was no tworthy They wandered in deserts and in Mountains and in dens and caves of the earth and yet such precious Saints of God as the world was not worthy of Now when we set before us how joyfully these servants of the most high went through all their wildernesse condition this should make us ashamed of our earthly-mindedness and would be a mighty help to us The Fourth Direction And then if we consider the great accompt that we are to give for all earthly things you only look upon the comfort of them but consider the account you must give for them this would be a means to take off the heart from earthly-mindednesse And consider what if you were now to die and to go the way of all flesh what good would it be to me to remember what contentments and pleasures I had in the earth The fifth Direction But above all the setting Jesus Christ before you and the meditating of the death of Jesus Christ I say that 's the great thing that wil take off the heart from the things of the earth The looking upon Christ Crucified how he that was the Lord of Heaven and Earth yet what a low condition he put Himself into meerly for the redeeming of us The conversing much with the death of Jesus Christ deads the heart much to the world In the 3. to the Philippians we have a notable text for that in the example of Paul he accounted all things as dung and drosse for Jesus Christ at the 8. verse I account all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the liss of all things and do count them but DVNG that I may win Christ And then in the 19. verse That I may know Him and the power of his Resnrrection and the fellowship of His Sufferings being made conformable unto his Death Paul desired to be so conformable to the very Death of Christ that he accounted all things in the world but as dung and drosse in comparison of that Paul had the death of Christ before his eyes and meditated much on the death of Christ and that meditation had a great impression upon his spirit that made him account all these things as drosse as dogs meat in comparison and that he might have fellowship with the death of Christ Perhaps some of you may think of the glory of Christ in Heaven and that may for the present make you lesse worldly but let me intreat you to meditate on the death of Christ and know that there is an excellencie in Conformity even to the death of Christ such an Excellency that may take off your hearts from the things of the world It 's said of the King of France that he asking one once about an Eclypse saith he I have so much businesse in the earth that I take little notice of the things of Heaven Oh my Brethren for the close of all I beseech you let not this be said concerning any of you that you have such and such worldly imployments that you cannot enquire after Jesus Christ Plead not that you have such great businesse that you have so much to do in this earth that you take little notice of the things of Heaven no surely the Saints of God have their businesse in Heaven as we shall see God willing hereafter Their City Business their Trading their Aims their Bent it is higher than the things of this earth There are things that a man may let out his thoughts and affections too as much as he wil This shews the vanity of the things af this world that a man had need be very wary how much he minds them he cannot enjoy the comforts of this earth without some fear but now when he comes to converse with Heaven there he may let out himself to the uttermost that shews the excellency of these things And you that are but poor and mean in the things of this earth be not discomforted because there is a charg from God that men should not mind these things surely there is no great matter in them as God charges that we should not mind them Oh the excellency it lies in things above which are heavenly and spiritual where the Saints have their conversation But of this more at large in this following Treatise of Heavenly Conversation FINIS AN HEAVENLY Conversation PHILIPPIANS 3. 20. For our Conversation is in Heaven CHAP. I. Of Examples of Godly men and how far they should prevail with us Opened in Six Particulars SOme reade this Particle For But But our Conversation is in Heaven Our Conversation is not as theirs Certainly the Apostle doth intend this to make a distinction from or a difference between the Saints waies and the waies of those that were Enemies to the Crosse of Christ They mind Earthly things But our Conversation is in Heaven But because of the particle For our Conversation therefore I think that it hath reference unto the 17 verse for the 18. and 19. verses are in a parenthesis and therefore if you would know the scope of the Apostle in it and what this hath relation to for it is in the 17. verse Brethren be followers together of me and mark them which walk so as you have us for an ensample for our Conversation is in Heaven to it is to follow he made a little degression when he said Make us your example then he speaks of others but many there are that walk thus and thus and are enemies to the cross of Christ Whose belly is their god whose glory is their shame whose end is destruction who mind earthly things But our or for our Conversation is in Heaven As if he should say Take heed of following of those whose belly is their god who mind earthly things for their end is destruction but rather follow those whose Conversation is in Heaven for their end is salvation that 's the scope of the words Now then from the scope and the coherance of them follow us for an example For our Conversation is in Heaven so they are to be joyn'd together from whence first before we come to speak of this Heavenly Conversation that the Apostle mentions we have this point That the Examples of men whose Conversations are heavenly are to be followed Follow us as an example for our Conversation is in Heaven They are guided by the spirit of God and the end of their Conversation is good and therefore 't is safe to be followed In Prov. 2. 20. there the Wise man speaks of an argument Why we should imbrace wisdom because that would teach you to walk in the way of good men and to keep the paths of the
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
by hear-say they hear Ministers speak of Heaven and reade it in the Word of God but they know it in themselves they know it by what God hath revealed in their own hearts yea though tâ—â—â—â— were no books that ever they should see more though they be not book-learn'd and though they cannot reade a letter in the book though they should hear no more Sermons yet by what is revealed in themselves They know in themselves that they have a more better and enduring substance That 's a truth But the words may be more proper to the original read thus Kowing that you have Heaven in your selves a Better and Enduring substance Eternal life is begun alreadie in the hearts of the Saints there is Heaven alreadie in the Saints and therefore no marvel though their Conversations be in Heaven The Fourth Reason God hath so ordered things in this world on purpose that he might wean the hearts of the Saints from the world The Lord loves to have the hearts of his Saints to be in Heaven where he hath treasured up such glorious things for them and because that the Saints while they are here in the world have so much of the world in them they would feign be living here in the world therefore God doth so order things that they shall meet with little content in this world that they may be weary of it and be wearied from it and indeed here 's the reason why Gods people have met with such crosses in the world why the Lord hath kept his Saints so low and mean in the world It may be you are ready to draw ill conclusions from thence and to think I am afraid God doth not love me that he keeps me so low and mean and I meet with such crosses and others do not Oh! gather not such ill conclusions as these are It is because he would gather your hearts to Heaven and wean you from the world that you might long to be with him in Heaven for you are absent from him here in this world and the Lord would have the full stream of your affections to run after those things that you shal have with him in Heaven This use you are to make of those afflictions you meet withal and those crosses that befall you in this world And thus we have gone through the Doctrinal point of the Saints having their Conversations in Heaven CHAP. X. WEE have treated long upon that point of An Heavenly Conversation and have opened to you what that Heavenly Conversation is wherein it consists in many particulars But now we shal proceed to the Application of al. Though as I have gone along I have endeavoured not only to speak to your heads but your hearts and to quicken what I have said so as might quicken your hearts yet from the consideration of all there are divers Uses that may be profitable unto you The First Vse The first is this If the Saints live such a Heavenly Conversation as hath been opened to you Oh how far are they from being Saints from being godly Who are so far from having their Conversations in Heaven as they have their Conversations in Hell There are a generation of men that profess themselves to be Christians say that they hope to go to Heaven and yet if you behold their Conversation it is no other than the Conversation of hell Certainly 't is not what men say but how they live that will cast them another day he that is of Heaven or for Heaven his Conversation is in Heaven and he that is for hell his Conversation is hellish now that 's a Conversation in hell that is like to what is done in hell what is there in hell but blaspheming and cursing What is there in hell but hatred and malice what is there in hell but raging and filthiness These things are the Conversations of many men who are even devils incarnate In many families there 's the Name of God blasphemed there 's cursing and railing and malice and wrath and pride so that though they be here in this world yet they manifest to what place they do belong So that as the Saints have their Conversations in Heaven when they die they go to their own place that is to heaven where their Conversations were so on the contrary the wicked having their Conversations in hell when they die they go to their own place as it was said of Judas He went to his own place So a wicked man dying having his Conversation in hell while he liv'd I say when he dies he goes to his own place that 's his own proper place he took content and delight in those things that were done there and so when he dies there he shall go As the tree falls so it lies As thy Conversation is and the bent of thy heart is there so it must lie to all eternity CHAP. XI The Second Vse THis Point likewise rebukes Hypocrites as wicked prophane ones that have their Conversations in hell so there 's another kind of men that are unsound professors Hypocrites and they have their Conversations between Heaven and Earth It 's not in Heaven nor in Hell nor altogether upon the Earth but between Earth and Heaven and Hell Sometimes they seem to be a loft above sometimes very forward and zealous in the profession of Religion sometimes much inlarged in Duties at other times again they are as base earthly spirits as any yea somtimes there 's much of Hell in their hearts and in their waies they professe themselves the seed of Abraham but they are not as the stars of heaven but as Meteors that are between Heaven and Earth we call them blazing stars but they are not so bright as the stars nor are they of such a heavenly nature as the stars they are but made of a few unclean vapours that come out of the earth which being got up neer the heavens do make a shew as if they were some star in heaven but you find a great deal of difference between the stars and them in this for within a little while they fall and vanish and come to nothing and so it is with many hypocrites they by the Word are raised up a little for the present and seem to be above the stars and they have a glittering shew as if they had somthing heavenly in them even like the stars of heaven they seem to be got above others your blazing star a child would think it a great deal bigger than one of the stars that is an hundred times bigger than that is so 't is with many hypocrites they have a greater shew of Religion than many that have truth of Godliness and that are truly gracious they look upon them as wondering at the excellent parts that they have excellent abilities it may be they will discourse sometimes in an excellent manner about heavenly things you shall find some that have no soundness at all yet will have very excellent discourse they
speak the very language of Canaan but it is in such company where they may gain respect by it but still are but as meteors that hang between heaven and earth whereas the truth is while they seem to be so high above others and so heavenly yet their hearts are groveling upon the earth many times while they have most excellent expressions in prayer yet God sees their hearts basely cleaving to some earthly thing there is some base earthly contentment that their hearts are upon while they seem to be so heavenly much like to the Kite that flies on high as if it were an Eagle but the eye of it while it is above in the air is fixed upon some carrion upon some prey that it hath upon the earth and as soon as ever it sees a fit opportunity to seise upon the prey it comes down to seise upon it and that 's the place the Kite would be at that 's the place he doth most delight in to be upon his prey And so an hypocrite though he rises high in some actions yet the truth is his eye is upon some earthly prey and when he sees his opportunity thither he goes and finks down to those things and that 's his most proper place there he takes most delight and content in his Conversation though his actions may seem to be Heavenly and therefore he will fall down and never attain to the highest Heavens that the Saints shall go to but to hell at the last CHAP. XII The Third Vse THE Third Use is this The Saints Conversation is in Heaven Hence then for shame let us not find fault with strictness in the waies of God let not man speak against the waies of God as being too strict and what need we be so Circumspect and so precise and so pure what need we labor to do so much what canst thou attain to a more strict and holy Conversation than a Heavenly Conversation It is a very carnal expression that some have Why we cannot be Saints we are not Saints yes the holy Ghost cals all beleevers all that have the very least degree of true grace he call them Saints When we come to Heaven then we shall live better but while we are in this world we cannot Yeâ— while you are in this world your Conversation is to be in Heaven surely men either are not acquainted with the Word or they shut their eyes and will not see and consider what the Word saith about a strict Conversation Sometimes you find in Scripture that we are commanded to be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect It 's a strange speech and yet it 's the speech of Christ himself And we must walk as Christ walked and he that hath this hope purifieth himself as he is pure and then our Conversation is in Heaven Put these together Perfect as our Heavenly father is perfect Walk as Christ walked Purge our selves as he is pure Our Conversation is in Heaven what do all these things tend to Surely it tends to a great deal of strictness and holiness of life And these things shew that the work of a Christian here in this world is a busie work that a Christian-life it is not an idle dull heavy or sluggish life you that are Christians you had need quicken up your selves you had need awaken those drousie spirits of yours if this be required of you that you should be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect Walk as Christ walked Purifie your selves as he is pure Holy as he is holy and to have your Conversations in Heaven surely there need be a great deal of quickness and life in the hearts of Christians and you are not to content your selves in a meer possession and doing some little matter in the way of Religion or being somewhat better than others you are to aim at heaven look up there and make that to be your pattern CHAP. XIII The Fourth Vse AND that rebukes even such as are truly godly many that yet do fail exceeding much in this thing Oh! their Conversations are too low are too earthly If they would examine their hearts strictly they cannot say that their Conversations are in heaven I am a stranger upon earth saith David But many may say that they are strangers in heaven Whereas earth should be the place of our pilgrimage and heaven our home but it 's quite otherwaies heaven is rather the place where most professors are strangers and earth is the place of their habitation they cast up a thought now and then to heaven as now and then men will cast up their eyes and look upon heaven but where 's your heart where 's the great workings of your spirits It 's a speech of the Lord saith he Heaven is my Throne and Earth is my Foot-stool Spiritual things they are to be look'd upon as the good things as the Throne of God those earthly things only as the things of Gods foot-stool but now How many are there that have Earth their throne and Heaven their foot-stool that is Heavenly things are made subordinate to earthly things Oh! this should not be in any of those that professe themselves to be Christians none of the Saints should satisfie themselves in any life but this to be able to say I blesse God my Conversation is in Heaven though God let me live upon the earth yet my conversation is in Heaven What an unworthy thing it is for one that doth professe to have his portion and his inheritance in Heaven yet to have the heart so mingled here with the earth In Gen 45. 20. saith Joseph in sending for his father Regard not your stuffe for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours Regard not the stuff do not let it grieve you to forsake your stuff leave all your lumber behind you for all the good things of Egypt are yours Oh what a shameful thing is it that Christians should regard their stuff so much as they do that hope to have the good things not of Egypt but of Heaven its self to be theirs Surely if we have seen the things of Heaven one would think that all the things of the earth should be darkened in our eyes 2 Cor. 3. 10. That which was glorious saies the text had no glory in comparison of the greater glory That Scripture I confesse is spoken in comparing of the Law and the Gospel there was a glory in the delivering of the Law but that had no glory in comparison of the greater glory that is in comparison of the Gospel for in the Gospel we behold as in a glasse with open face the glory of God and are changed into the same image as from glory to glory But we may apply it thus As the things of the earth that were glorious before in your eyes yet in comparison of the greater glory should not at all be glorious though before conversion these things were glorious grant it that there is some kind
of God in them that the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ might be glorified in them Oh! this is that that all the Saints should desire and endeavor after That the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ should be glorified in them and ye in him saith he Labor you that Christ may be glorified in your lives and you shall be glorified in him We should desire that Christ may have glory in our glory then we shall have glory in Christs glory this is a sweet and blessed life when as the Saints have such hearts as they can say Lord let me have no glory but that thou mayest have glory in Then saith God Is it so Doest thou desire no further glory in this world but that I may have glory in then I will have no glory in this world but what thou shalt have glory in Christ will make us partakers of his glory as well as we shall make him partaker of our glory Oh! An Heavenly Conversation that glorifies God will glorifie the Saints too CHAP. XVIII An Heavenly Conversation will make Suffering easie HEavenly Conversation it will make all sufferings to be very easie it will be nothing to suffer any thing you meet withall in this world if your Conversations be in Heaven All revilings and reproaches and wrongs they will be nothing if you get but a Heavenly Conversation you will contemn all these things that the men of the world think to be such great matters Men that have conversed in Heaven never will be much offended for any sufferings 2 Cor. 4. 17. For our light afflictions which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory While we look not at the things which are seen but at things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternal All but light afflictions Why for our eye is above all these things And it 's a notable passage that in the Gospel if you examine the place of Christs transfiguration upon the mount there Christ shewed his glory unto some Disciples that he carried with him and this is that that I would note from it do but observe in the story who were the Disciples that Christ carried with him to see his glory they were Peter James and John now afterwards if you compare that story with the story of Christ being in his Agony which was presently after where his soul was heavie unto death when he was to be betraied and to be crucified the next day and fell groveling upon the earth sweat clodders of blood through the anguish that was upon his spirit cried out Oh Lord If it be possible let this cup pass from me Here 's a great deal of difference between Christ in his Agony and upon the mount in his Transfiguration and observe that Christ would have none of his Disciples see him in his Agony but Peter James and John only those three that saw him in his transfiguration upon the mount in his glory The note from hence is That those that can converse much with Christ in glory can converse with Christ in Heaven can see Heaven they may be permitted to see Christ in his Agony and it will do them no hurt But now for the other Disciples that did not see Christ in his Glory if they had seen Christ in his Agony it might have offended them Is this our Lord and Master that is in such a fearful Agony at this time Oh! it would have offended them but now the other that saw him glorified it offended them not Well though he be in an agony now yet we know him to be a glorious Savior and we will beleeve and trust in him still So if we can converse with God in glory upon the mount what ever agony we see Christ in afterwards we shall be able to bear it when Stephen had the stones ratling about his ears yet when he saw the Heavens opened it was nothing to him then he fell asleep he rejoyced in the expectation of Heaven And if you reade in the Book of Martyrs ever when they came to their sufferings you may see how they did rejoyce when they did think of Heaven and remember eternal life Saith one woman to her child that was going to be burnt when as the people thought she would have rung her hands and made great lamentations to have seen her child stepping into the flames she said nothing but this Remember eternal life my son Oh! conversing with Heaven makes all sufferings in the world nothing CHAP. XIX Heavenly Conversation brings much joy THen Oh the sweetness and comfort that there will be while the soul is conversing in Heaven Oh the joy and the peace that will come to the Soul in the certain evdience that the soul is partaker in the Death Resurrection and Intercession of Jesus Christ I say those whose Conversations are in Heaven by this they come to have certain evidence to their souls that they have their portion in the Death in the Resurrection in the Ascention in the Intercession of Jesus Christ and this will afford comfort enough That Scripture in the 3. Colos 1. If ye then be risen with Christ seek those things that are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God set your affection on things above not on things on the earth for ye are dead and your life is bid with Christ in God When Christ who is our life shall appear then shall ye also appear with him in glory Here 's an evidence that you are risen with Christ that you are dead to the world and have interest in his Ascention and are partakers of his Resurrection and have part in his Intercession Those that have their Conversations in Heaven now they may know certainly that they are risen from death to life that when Christ ascended he went to Heaven to take possession for them yea that they are in Heaven where Christ is He hath set us in Heavenly places together with Christ Jesus For he is there as a common head That they are ascended with Christ already and that Christ is there as an Advocate making Intercession for them to the Father these will be the consolations of those that have their Conversation in Heaven CHAP. XX. An Heavenly Conversation is very safe ANd then A Conversation in Heaven is a very safe Conversation you will be free from snares and temptations As an Eearthly Conversation subjects unto temptations so a Heavenly Conversation will free us from temptations When is the bird in danger of the Lime-twig or Net but when she comes to pick below upon the ground but if she could but keep her self above alwaies she were free then from the Snare and Net It 's Chrysostoms similitude Keep above and then ye be free from the snare of the fowler It 's a safe Conversation CHAP. XXI An Heavenly Conversation gives abundant enterance into Glory AND then
Not only to do the same thing to make the will of God to be the rule of it But to have the same ends that God hath What 's the end that God hath in all his waies Surely it is that his blessed Name may be magnified that his glory may be set forth I 'le drive on the same design that shall be the great design of my life it 's that that my soul shall aim at as the highest end of all things and all things shall be subordinate to this end even The glory and honor of God it 's that that God aims at and therefore that which I 'le aim at thus the soul goes along with God as now A man may be said to go along with another man when they do both drive on the same designs Oh! this is a blessed thing indeed We shall speak to that hereafter but the very opening what it is shews much of the excellency of it and I beseech you as you go along examine your own hearts see whether by the very mentioning of these things you be not strangers to God examine by the workings of God in bringing your souls to walk with him or otherwise by the way of the soul in eying God in behaving its self as in the presence of God in making the Will of God to be its rule and in driving on the design that God doth Walking with God is the observing the administrations of God and suting the soul to them Fifthly It is the observing of the several administrations of God and the suting of the soule to the several administrations of God in the world I open that thus God sometimes seems to work in one way sometimes in another way now the soul that walks with God observes which are the several waies and administrations of God in the world and let me saith the soul labor to sute my heart with them that 's thus sometimes the Lord is in a way of judgments in the world heavie and dreadful afflictions yea sometimes against his own Saints and People then let me sute my heart according to this Oh Lord we will wait upon thee in the waies of thy judgments saith the Church in Isa Are we under Gods way of judgments in a way of afflictions Lord we will sute our selves to honor thee there according to that way we will labor to exercise those graces that are sutable to these administrations of thine And Lord art thou in a way of mercy we will sute our selves accordingly and labor to draw forth and exercise our graces that are sutable to those waies of thine And art thou in a way of affliction in my family or in a way of mercy Lord I will labor to exercise those graces that are sutable to those waies of thine This is to walk with God As when we walk with a man if he turn this way then I set my self to go with him and if he turns another way then I sute my self to go with him that way so though the waies of God be never so variōus yet the soul that walks with God is sutable to those waies of God Oh this is a great Art a great Mystery to sute a mans self to these several administrations of God in the world You shall have some that if God go in a way of mercy Oh there they can bless praise God and they think that this is to walk with God but if God turns his back upon thee and takes away thy choisestearthly comfort it may be thy deerest yoke-fellow so comes in a way of affictions how canst thou sute with Gods waies then When God was in a way of mercy then my exercise was in joy and thanksgiving and speaking good of his Name but now the Lord is in a way of afflictions now I exercise faith on God now I exercise patience now I exercise Christian wisdom to know what good I can get out of this hand of God that what courses soever God takes yet still a Christian hath several graces to exercise in several conditions and that not only while God is in a smooth path the soul can exercise Joy and Thanksgiving speaking good of his Name But let God go into a rugged path of very great afflictions yet the soul doth sute it's self unto God according to his several administrations this is to walk with God Walking with God is To have a Holy Dependance upon God Opened in Four Particulars Sixthly Walking with God it is To have a holy dependance upon God in all his waies For one to live in a holy dependance upon God for these Four things First In a holy dependance upon God for Direction Oh lead me in the way of thy truth When a Christian looks up to God and depends upon him in the constant course of his life depends upon him for direction Oh Lord teach me thy way Lord lead me in the way of everlasting life Lord send forth thy light and thy truth to guide me Thou shalt be my guide even unto death when the soul dare not go one step further then it sees God going before it and therefore it saith Lord lead me guide me I beseech you examine as you go along can you say that in the course of your lives this you find That you walk in a holy dependance upon God for guidance and direction in every step whatsoever you meddle with yet your walk is thus in a holy dependance upon God for direction in your bufiness and according as the business is of lesse or greater conscequence the heart works more after God for guidance and direction for that business But now the men of the world they are afraid that God should lead them into hard paths into ttoublesom waies and therefore they are shy of Gods Guidance this is the way of wicked hearts I say they are shy of the guidance and direction of God but a gracious heart saith let God lead me and let the way be what it will The wicked are guided by their own thoughts by their own counsels by the examples of other men what 's most sutable to their own ends but the way of the Saints is this Lord guide me Secondly Their holy dependance upon God it is for protection to protect them in what they do Lord I am in the way that thou hast guided me into I may meet with much trouble and affliction but Lord do thou protect me do thou defend me in this way of thine As the child walking with the father if he hears any noise that doth scare him he looks up to the father and depends upon his father to be protected So when a child of God shall in all his waies walk in a holy dependance upon God for protection this is to walk with God Thirdly The soul depends upon God for assistance in any thing that it undertakes Lord this is the work that thou callest me to Oh let me have strength from thy self in
of our own hearts be alwaies walking and conversing with God we shall have nothing else to do but to walk continually with the Lord I will walk in thy truth unite my heart to fear thy Name Psal 86. 11. It 's an excellent Scripture I will walk in thy Truth saith the Prophet Oh unite my heart to the fear of thy Name As if he should say I find much sweetnesse and good in walking in thy Truth here Oh Lord unite my heart to the fear of thy Name Lord keep me alwaies here it 's good being here as Peter said when Christ was transfigured in his glory So when the soul is walking with God it saith it is good being here Well when thou comest to Heaven thou shalt alwaies be with the Lord as the Scripture speaks and therefore from the excellency that thou findest here learn to long after Heaven where thou shalt be continually with the Lord and take only this one note for the setting out of the excellency of Heaven and I confesse only such as have had much sweetness in walking with God here will understand what I mean by this As suppose that all those sweet manifestations of God to thy soul here and all the dartings in of the Spirit of God all those soul ravishing joys that thou hast had suppose they were put all together that thou hadst them all over again at this instant what a comfortable time would it be At such a time may some soul that knows what the meaning of this point is say Oh the sweet communion I had with God! I would give a world to have it again Well thou hadst it once but it was quickly gone and thou hast had it a second and a third time yea many times when I have been with God I have had wonderful gracious lettings out of God to my soul Oh that I had them again Well suppose thou hadst now in this one quarter of an hour all the comfort and joy that ever thou hadst in all thy life put all the times together what a comfortable quarter of an hour would this be Now in Heaven to all eternity thou shalt have that in a kind infinitely more than that for milions of yeers even for ever Oh! what will Heaven be If I should set out Heaven to a carnal man I must tell him of Crowns of glory And there he shall see glorious sights he shall be freed from all kind of sorrows and there he shall have a Kingdom But if I would set out Heaven to a Saint I must tell him this He shall have communion with God and all those soul-ravishing comforts that he hath had in the presence of God in this world he shall have them all together and infinitly more than them Oh this is that that will make their souls long after Heaven and set prize upon it CHAP. VIII Ten Several Evidences of a mans Walking with God BUt having set out unto you the excellency of walking with God you will say Who is it that doth walk with Him I shall further set out to you the Evidences of those men and women that do walk with God The first Evidence One that walks with God Is one that depends not much upon sence or reason in the course of his life I say one that is above the waies of Sence and Reason in his course he hath received a principle to go higher Most men in the world they walk according to sence and therefore the Scripture saith They walk according to the pleasure of their eyes But now one that walks with God his walk lies beyond Sence and above Reason though things of Sence seem to go this way or that way quite crosse to him yea though Reason seem to go quite crosse to him yet still his heart is not in a hurry but he hath that that can quiet his heart though Sence and Reason seem to be contrary 2 Cor. 5. 7. there you shal see the walk of a godly man For we walk by faith and not by sight saith the Apostle beyond our sight either beyond our sight of sence or the sight of Reason we walk by faith But now this is a great point a Christian walking by faith and therefore I intend to speak to that by its self from this very text God willing in another Treatise The second Evidence One that walks with God you shall find him in private the same that he is in publick what ever holiness doth appear in such a one before others in his walking in the world if you trace him and follow him in his private course you shall find him the same man as you do in publik why because he hath not to deal with man so much he hath to deal with God in all his waies when he hath any thing to do before others he walks with God and when he is alone he is the same man still In the 101. Psal see what David saith there concerning his walk in private in his family I will behave my self wisely in a perfect way saith he Oh when wilt thou come unto me I will walk within my house with a perfect heart As if he should say I will not walk when I am abroad only with a perfect heart but I wil walk within my house with a perfect heart There are many people that when they are abroad in the world they seem to be very strict in their way but follow such men to their houses and there you shall see a great deal of difference You will find many times as much difference between the course of men when they are abroad and in their houses as you find in their cloaths you shall have many men and women when they go abroad they wil be very neat and though they have but little means yet they wil lay it upon their backs so that they may be fine abroad but come to them in their families and they care not what cloaths they wear there It is just so in regard of their lives their lives have as much difference as their cloaths When they are abroad then they put a good face on things and seem to be very fair in their conversations and speak good things but at home there they are froward and perverse and perhaps in their passions will swear there they are prophane and ungodly and vent their corruptions in a most ungodly manner doest thou walk with God If thou hadst to deal with God thou wouldst be the same in thy family that thou art abroad that thy wife children and servants in thy family might give as good a testimony of thee as when thou art abroad with others Yea and if ye could retire with them into their very closets you should find them the same there in any duties of Religion You shall have many when they come abroad and joyn with others Oh how enlarged are they yet dead and dull when they are at home either in family or closet yea their own consciences
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
peace with God by some thing that he himself must perform but for the point of Free justification by the grace of God in Christ it 's too Divine Spiritual and Heavenly for an earthly-minded man to apprehend in the Spiritualnesse of it an earthly-minded man his apprehensions of God are but in a carnal earthly way as the Prophet speaks in the 1 of Isa The Ox knows his owner and the Ass his masters crib Even after that manner doth an earthly-minded man know God as an Ox his owner and the Ass his masters crib as thus the ox knows his owner because he brings him fodder daily so an earthly-minded man hath no other apprehensions of God but this he thinks God gives him good things in this world God makes his corn to grow or Prospers his voyage An earthly-minded man may rise so high to have apprehensions of God as bringing good things unto him here on earth But one that is spiritual and heavenly doth apprehend God as God doth not look upon God meerly as good in respect of the benefit he receives from God here but he looks upon God as he is in himself he sees the face of God as there 's a great deal of difference between a man that knows another man and a beast that knows a man The ox knows his owner the ox knows the man that brings hay or provender to him but a man knows a man in another way knows what the nature of a man is knows what it is to be a rational creature so one that is spiritual knows what God is in himself he sees the face of God and understands what God is in another way than others do the difference between the knowledge of God that a spiritual soul hath one that is pure in heart and the knowledge of God that an earthly heart hath is just so much difference as comes to this As the ox knows the man that drives him to fat pastures so doth an earthly man know God that gives him good things but a spiritual heart knows God as one man knows another not in his full excellency I mean not so but there is such a kind of difference in some degree between the apprehensions of God in a spiritual heart and the apprehensions of God in an earthly heart And so we might mention in many other Spiritual and Divine Truths that an earthly mind doth apprehend but in an earthly way consider of Heaven its self how doth an earthly mind apprehend that he apprehends that he shall be delivered from pain and shall have some kind of glory but knows not what it is conceives it according to the way of the earth some pompous glotious thing that he shall live in pleasures and not in pain and so apprehends all the glory of Heaven but in sensuality whereas a spiritual heart looks at Heaven in another kind of notion he looks upon the enjoyment of Communion with God and Jesus Christ in Heaven and living of the life of God in Heaven that 's a thing that an earthly heart hath no skill at all in neither doth such an heart so much as savour it Thus I have in these several particulars discovered what an earthly-minded man is Oh that you would lay your hands upon your hearts and every one consider how far these things do reach you But I have besides these divers other convincements to convince the consciences of men and women that yet there is much earthlinesse in them but of them we shall treat of in their order afterwards The Second head to consider is this The great evill that there is in earthly-mindedness They mind earthly things Is that any such great matter you will say indeed we cannot imagine the transcendency of the evil that there is in this We think there 's a great deal of evil in swearing whoring drinking and such kind of scandalous sins and indeed there is But to have an earthly mind we do not think this to be so exceeding evil yet you will find that the Scripture doth speak most dreadful things against this and if God please to set them home upon your hearts I hope there is much glory may come to God by it and much good unto you in particular CHAP. III. Fourteen Evils of Earthly-mindedness The First EVIL Fâ—â—â—â— The Scripture cals it Adultery it is spiritual Adultery in Jude 4. vers Ye Adulterers and Adulteresses know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God They were Adulterers and Adulteresses in respect of their love to the world you that would abhor the thought of a temptation to Adultery yet you may commit spiritual Adultery a man or a woman may be an Adulterer or an Adulteresse before the Lord though they never commit the act of uncleannesse with another yet if their hearts be towards another they be guilty of uncleannesse for Christ saith whosoever doth but look after a woman to lust after her in his heart he hath committed adultery already that is hath sinned against that command that forbids adultery Is it so that if a man do but let his heart go after another woman more than his wife and a wife after another man more than her husband this is adultery before the Lord. So if our hearts be after any things more than the Lord Jesus Christ that we profess our selves married to and he to be our husband this is adultery in Scripture phrase The Second EVIL Yea further A worldly or an earthly-mind in Scripture phrase is called Idolatry in Ephes 5. 5. speaking of divers sins that should not be so much as named among them as it became Saints he hath Covetousness among the rest and he ads this And Covetousness which is Idolatry Now what is Earthly-mindednesse but Covetousnesse which is Idolaitry A man or woman is an Idolater that is of an Earthly mind Now Idolatry which is a worshiping of stocks and stones you all account to be a great sin but do you and al others take heed of another Idolatry that may be as bad that is To have your hearts to make the god of this world to be your God the cursed Mammon of unrighteousnesse to make the things of the earth to be your Christ to fall down and worship the golden-Calfe of the world It 's certain that that thing a mans heart is most taken with and set upon that 's his God and therefore here in this verse out of which my Text is it 's said They made earthly things their bellies their God The Voluptuous and Drunkard makes their Belly their God and the Unclean person makes his Strumpet to be his goddesse and worshppeth that whatsoever thy heart is most upon that 's thy God therefore that you must know to be the meaning of the Commandement Thou shalt have no other Gods before me That is thou shalt give me the strength of thy soul and nothing else So I am a God to my Creature when I have its strength exercised
about me to lift up me as the highest good but if there be any thing else that thy soul is set upon as thy highest good that 's thy God and it 's worse than bowing the knee thou bowest thy soul to that thing now the meaner any thing is that we make a God of to our selves the more vile is the Idolatry as when the Egyptians worshiped divers sorts of gods they were accounted the most vile Idolaters whereas other Heathens worshipped more excellent things the Sun Moon and Stars the Egyptians worshiped Dogs Cats Onions and vile things and therefore their Idolatry was vile So the viler any thing is that a man or woman sets their hearts upon the more vile is their Idolatry as for a man that should set his heart upon unclean lusts now to make that to be a god the satisfying of those lusts that 's abominable and to make any earthly thing to be a god to us that 's most vile for of all the things of the works of creation that God hath made the Earth is the meanest 't is the basest and lowest thing and hath the least beauty in it in it's self and it is the most dul and meanest element of all and to make earthly things to be a God to you this is most vile Object You will say for this Idolatry What is there in it Answ There is Two particulars to open the Evil of Idolatry or Earthly-mindednesse First The Evil of your Idolatry it is in this You do depart from God in letting out of your hearts to these things you do as it were go off from God and renounce the protection of God the goodnesse and mercy of God you leave it all by this In the 4. chap. of Hofea 12. verse They are said To go a whoring from under their God It 's a notable phrase that is by going to Idols they did go off from the protection of God whereas while they were worshiping the true God they then were under the protection of God but when they went to Idols they went from under their God from under his protection So when thou settest thy heart upon God and liftest up the infinite First being of all things as the chief good to thy soul thou art under the influence of this Grace and Mercy but when thou doest depart from him and makest other things to be thy Cheef good thou goest from under his protection and from his good and mercy Secondly God is slighted and contemn'd in this When thou choosest rather to make the earth to be thy God than the infinit blessed first-being of all things As a man that doth dispise his wife and it were abominable sin if he should choose to go to a Queen though the most beautifullest woman in the world and forsake his wife but to leave a Queen or Empress that were the beautifullest woman upon the earth and to have the heart cleave to a base dunghil-raker were not this a great contempt to the Queen that were so beautiful Yet so it is when thou doest forsake the blessed eternal God as thy chief good and choosest the things of the earth for the truth is the earth is the fink of all the creatures of Gods making and for thee to leave the most blessed and Eternal One and to make that thy god it must needs be a very vile and abominable thing and therefore the Prophet Jeremiah in speaking of this Idolatry he cals the Heavens and the Earth to be amazed at it Jeremiah 2. 12. Be astonished O ye Heavens at this and be horrible afraid be ye very desolate saith the Lord Why what 's the matter For my people have committed two evils They have forsaken me the fountain of living waters and hewed them out Cisterns broken Cisterns that can hold no water So 't is here thou forsakest the fountain of living waters the blessed God and thy heart cleaves to the dust and seekest thy contentment and happinesse in cisterns that can hold no water let the Heavens be astonished at this horrible wickedness The Third EVIL Thirdly Earthly-mindedness it's enmity against God Thou wouldst be loth to be found an enemy against God certainly it 's a truth and it will be found another day That an earthly-minded man or woman is an enemy to God yea the Scripture makes it to be enmity in the very Abstract James 4. 4. Know ye not that the love of the world is enmity to God Observe this for there 's very much in it if God would be pleased to make us to lay it to heart you will find it by experience that earthly-mindednesse doth make men to be enemies to that that is spiritually good therefore well might the holy-Ghost say 't is enmity to God for whatsoever is enmity to any thing that is spiritually good it is enmity to God so much as my heart or any of your hearts are against any thing that is spiritual so much mine or any of your hearts are enemies to God Now here in the very Text these earthly-minded men are made enemies to the Crosse of Christ that is enemies to the spiritual preaching of Christ and holding forth Christ Indeed If they would have mixt Christ and Circumcision together then they would have been content with it but now this spiritual way of preaching Christ and being justified by faith alone and Christian Religion in the purity of it was that that was not sutable to their carnal hearts and therefore they were enemies to it Oh! earthly-mindednesse doth make us enemies to spiritual things where have you greater enemies unto the things of God unto spiritual things unto the Ministry of the word as we had occasion to hint and to the work of Gods grace upon the hearts of men and women no greater enemies unto these things than earthly minded men men that savour the things of the earth that can go up and down and care not if they can but load themselves with thick clay grow rich in the world and fare deliciously every day with Dives make provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof there is an antipathy in their spirits against Jesus Christ and al goodnesse The Fourth EVILL Then Fourthly There is scarce any disposition more opposite more contrary to the work of grace to the work of godlinesse in a mans own heart than earthly-mindednesse 't is so exceeding crosse to the nature of grace that it may as well put men or women to be at a stand and put them upon examination whether there be any grace or no in their hearts if earthly-mindednesse prevail as almost any other thing if God should suffer your corruptions to prevail over you so as you should break forth into some outward notorious sins then it may be you would begin to think can this stand with grace and how can that stand with such workings as I have had before have not I cause to fear that I am but an Hypocrite a rotten professor But now this
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
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
have done what they could nad labour'd and toyl'd and yet for all that they miscarry Oh what a foolish thing is this then for thee to toyl and labour about that which is so uncertain for were it not a foolish thing for a man to bestow all his estate about buying of pibble stones and that that will afford him no kind of benefit at all This folly is in the heart of man I 'le but put this care to you If two of you should go to the Indies where precious stones are and one should purchase a lading of precious stones and other rich commodities and the other that carried as much money with him he laies out all his money about baubles and trifles and they both come home laden Both went out with the same stock both come home laden and one comes home with precious stones that makes him rich and his posterity to be great men the other brings home nothing but a company of pibble stones which makes him scorn'd and jeer'd at by all his Neighbours Oh! how would he be ready to tear his flesh for his folly in this kind This will be the difference between men and women at the day of Judgment for the truth is what is this world but a sea-fare we are here sailing in this world and here we have the market of pearls or else of that hath no worth at all in it when you live in the times of the Gospel I say there is a market for pearls for those things that may enrich you to all eternity now there 's one man he bestows the strength of his thoughts and heart about those things that he shall be blessing of God in the highest heavens to all eternity for and the other man bestows his thoughts and heart but upon the things of the earth and lades himself with thick clay as the Scripture phrase is and now at the day of Judgment when it shall appear here 's a man or woman that shall be to all eternity blessed that shall joyn with Angels and Saints in the highest heavens to magnifie the free grace of God in Christ and here 's another had that he bestowed but his thoughts and heart about the same things he might have been so blessed for ever but he minding the things of the earth is a cursed fool and is the scorn and contempt of men and Angels to all eternity earthly-mindednesse brings men into foolish lusts the Scipture speaks Oh! though men of earthly minds think themselves the only blessed men I applaud my self at home let men talk what they will but the holy Ghost saith that those Iusts that are caused by earthly-mindednesse are foolish lusts Fifthly That 's folly for a man to do that that he must undo again Now especially those earthly-minded men that have this earthlinesse so to prevail with them as to get any thing of the earth by false waies they must certainly undo all they have done you have got so much of the earth in some cunning cheating way and you blesse your selves that you have found out such a mystery of iniquity this is a foolish lust Foolish Why it must be done again either you must be eternally damn'd or else you must restore as Zacheus did if you be able though it be to the impoverishing of your selves yet it must out again all the sorrow and repentance that can be will not be sufficient thou canst not be pardoned upon all thy sorrow and repentance if thou dost not restore if thou beest able what thou hast ill gotten I do not know that there was ever any Minister of the Gospel upon the face of the earth but held this that it was of absolute necessity to salvation to restore and this one reason cannot but satisfie any mans conscience That a man cannot truly repent of a sin and yet wilfully to continue in it Now except you do restore you do wilfully continue in it for why you do not only wrong the man the first hour but so long as you keep any thing that is his you do wrong him and if you be able to restore and do not because you are loth to part with so much mony or so many goods you do wilfully continue in the sin now no man or woman can truly repent of a sin and yet wilfully persist in that sin what a foolish lust is this for a man or woman to go and get the things of this world in such a way as he must undo all again though it be to his shame Oh! consider what a folly it is You deceitful servants that spend away that upon your lusts that you cheat and cosen your master of afterwards when you come to set up for your selves you must restore what you have purloind and it may be a great part of your estate must be repaid in way of restitution it must be done there 's no gain-saying of it and therefore what a foolish lust it is to be set upon the things of the earth so as to get them in an earthly way 6. And then foolish observe this one note By Earthly-mindednesse they do lose the comfort of earthly things before they have them I make it out thus A man or woman that hath carking thoughts about the things of the earth and it may be by their inordinate thoughts and cares and affections after some earthly things they contract much guiltinesse upon their own spirits yet after this perhaps God doth give them that earthly thing now when they have got it if they have any light in their consciences their convinced consciences will then reflect thus upon them I have got this indeed Oh! but have I it with the blessing of God I have it in my costody but I got it dearly it cost me such thoughts and cares and affections before I had it and now I have it I cannot say it comes out of Gods love I rather fear that God hath given it me in his wrath because I got it in such a way now all the comfort is gone and lost whereas had it come in the way of God and hadst thou given up thy self to God and then providence had brought such a comfort to thee thou mightest have enjoyed much of God in it bless'd God for it the Lord hath bless'd me in my trading Oh! I have it from the Love of God But now when thy heart was earthly before it came when it doth come thou hast no comfort in it the comfort of all is lost before it comes thou hast spent so much upon it as if a man hath got a thing after he hath gotten it he thinks thus What hath this cost me it hath cost me a great deal more than it's worth now the comfort of it is vanished The Eighth Evil. Earthly-mindednesse It is the root of Apostasie I 'le give you but one Scripture compare it with another 2 Tim. 4 10. there 's a notable Text that shews how earthly-mindednesse breeds
Apostasie 't is the example of Demas For Demas saies the Apostle hath forsaken me what 's the matter having loved this present world It was that that made Demas to be an Apostate why what was Demas before compare this Scripture with that you have in the Epistle to the Colossians and you shal see what he was before this time he was a forward Disciple of Paul and the Apostle had some good esteem of him in the last to the Colossians 14. vers mark there in that Epistle where Paul was directed by the holy Ghost Luke the beloved Physitian and Demas greet you Paul doth rank Demas here among the famous Professors of Religion the Apostle writing to the Colossians saith Demas greets you among the rest When we send to our friends and say Such a one commends him to you we use not to name them except they be entire friends So it appears and I find that Interpreters severally do think it was the same Demas and the word gives us some ground for this for in Timothy you find that he names Luke there too It seems that Demas and Luke were two great Assossiates and Paul mentions them together when Demas had forsaken him yet Luke rode with him and when Paul sends them greeting of Luke that was the beloved Physitian he sends the greeting of Demas too But now one was truly godly and whatsoever sufferings Paul met withal one cleaved to him and would not forsake him But when Paul begins to suffer and Demas thought that there 's no thriving for me if I should follow this persecuted Apostle Demas now would have no more of Paul he thanks him for his company and fairly departs from him He hath forsaken me and what 's the root of it He had imbraced this present world And that 's another note that though he was a forward Proffessor yet the heart of Paul was not so much for him for saith he Luke the Beloved Phisitian and Demas great you He doth not say the Beloved Demas it 's true Demas was a forward Proffessor and did seem to wear a cloak of Religion yet Paul was directed by the holy-Ghost only to speak of him as a Proffessor but in that the holy-Ghost directs him to speek of two together that were two companions and gives one an Epethite Beloved and the other only his name By this we may gather that those that have discerning spirits may shew some kind of sign in those that are earthly at least to darken their esteem of them and to make them somwhat jealous of them as now ther 's two men and both very forward and two companions together yet those that are godly old Disciples can savour one more than the other Indeed they are both Proffessors and both have excellant parts and gifts and yet there 's more spiritualness and greater experiences in one than in the other so it appears there was in Luke rather than in Demas and indeed your earthly-minded men afterwards prove to be Apostates usually before their grand Apostasy do manifest some deadnesse and waywardness of spirit to that that 's good yea their spirits before discover themselves to be earthly spirits they smell of the earth As a man before he dies his breath will smell very earthly you will say Oh! such a one cannot live his breath is so earthly so it is with those that are very great proffessors of Religion that those that have intimate acquaintance with them before they do Apostatise they smell their breath to be earthly in their duties in their conferences Oh take heed of earthly-mindedness least it be the root of Apostasie This may be written upon many an Apostates grave This was an earthly minded man or woman in the midest of their profession And hence it is that they fell off from the truth in times of danger when they were brought to the tryal they were base back sliders from God and his truth The Ninth Evil. Earthly-mindednesse doth wonderfully dead the heart in prayer It sinks the spirits of men and straightens them in spiritual duties yea and indeed doth defile every duty of Religion in the 119. Psal 37. ver David you shall find paryes there to God That he will turn away his eyes from beholding vanity and that he would quicken him in his law Certainly by the vanity that he speaks of there he means the things of the world and by his eyes he understands the eyes of his mind chiefly the working of the thoughts of his heart after earthly things for if you will cast your eyes but to the 36. verse faith he there Incline my heart to thy testimonies and not to covetousness Oh Lord let not my heart be inclined to covetousness afterwards Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity to the end that my heart may not be inclin'd to covetousness Lord let not my thoughts be busied about such vain things but quicken me in thy Law as if he should say Lord while my mind is turned to vanity or my heart to covetousnesse after the things of this earth I alwaies find my spirit dull and heavy in any holy duties I have no quickness at all in my inward man when I come in thy presence and by experience I find this to be the cause that my heart is so drossie because my thoughts and mind are set upon earthly things that are but vanity therefore Lord let not mine heart be inclin'd to covetousness nor mine eyes looking after vanity but turn away mine eyes from these things and quicken me in thy Law If you would have your hearts quicken'd in Gods Law in the Duties that God sets you about take heed of your eyes that they look not after vanity your hearts that they follow not after covetousnesse for an earthly spirit will be a dead spirit as the element of earth it 's the sluggishest and deadest element of all so earthlinesse in the heart makes the heart sluggish and dead and listlesse to any holy and spiritual duty I appeal to your consciences in this when you have let out your hearts after the things of this earth and been exercised in the world in abundance of businesses when you have come to enjoy communion with God Oh! how dead have you found your hearts a drossie heart must needs be a dead and a straight heart in heavenly exercises you complain many times of your vain thoughts in performance of holy duties you cry out of dead spirits then but there lies the cause you have given your hearts up so much to the things of the earth at other times and hence when you should come to have converse with God your hearts are so dead and dull straight as they are look at this to be the ground of it this is the great root of all it lies here in your earthly-mindednesse Oh! how many prayers have been quite spoil'd with an earthly heart whereas such as have had spiritual hearts have enjoyed blessed communion with
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
at last it will drown thy soul in perdition there 's those two texts for it the first is here in this very Scripture wherein my Text is saith the Apostle here speaking of men who mind earthly things Whose end is destruction They are both joyn'd together earthly-mindednesse will bring destruction at last And the forenamed place that for other purposes we have had in 1 Tim. 6. 9. where the Apostle speaks of bringing them into snares and foolish lusts saith he which drown men in destruction and perdition Some that are washing themselves in the Thams go a little way at first then venture a little surther further at length they are over head and ears and there they are drown d and cannot recover themselves So it will be with your hearts if you look not to them you think you may venture so far to the things of this world why Are they not good and in themselves lawful I get not my estate by wrong cheating and cousning and so by degrees your hearts are stoln away from God and taken with these earthly things and ye get deeper deeper into the world til at length you are plunged over head and ears before you are aware and you cannot recover your selves that man or woman that will give their hearts to the things of this world and think that they will go no further but thus and thus far a hundred to one but when once these things have taken up their hearts they get more and more advantage till they be even drowned in destruction and perdition A man or woman may be undone by earthlinesse and be damn'd and perish eternally as well as by adulterie or drunkenesse murder or by any notorious sin many that are great Professors of Religion it 's very like that this will be the sin by which they will perish to oll eternity The earthlinesse of their minds Do not please your selves in this that because you keep from those grosse notorious sins that others live in therefore you hope to be sav'd your earthlinesse may damn you as well as any thing else As upon dunghils you cast not only filthy carrion and such nastie stuff but your dust that is swept out of your houses I may compare Hell which is the place where God casts those damned out of his presence it is as it were the common dunghil upon which filthy creatures are cast now upon that dunghil there are not only carions and filthy blasphemers and whoremasters and theeves those are as it were the dead dogs carion but likewise there will be dust cast upon that dunghil and scrapings that are from your houses will be cast upon the dunghil of Hell from the presence of God and therefore satisfie not your selves in this that you do not live in such filthy abominable lusts as others do but if you have foul earthie hearts you may be cast upon the dunghill as well as those that have liv'd most notoriously wicked and therefore take heed of earthly-mindednesse You will say By all these particulars that you have discovered to us there is a great deal of evil and danger in earthly mindednesse Well the Lord keep us from earthly-mindednesse But you will say We hope that we are not those earthly-minded men that are here spoken to though we do follow our businesses and callings we must mind what God sets us about But we hope we are not of these earthly-minded men that are spoken of here in this Scripture Now besides what we spake too in the opening what it was that might shew as in a glasse the hearts of men and women I shall inlarge my Meditations on this subject by opening some few Convincements further to convince men and women that there is a great deal of earthly-mindednesse in them And for preparation I will lay down this First That a man or woman may be earthly minded and yet little think of it themselves not know that they are so Yea and it may be even perisheternally through their earthly-mindednesse and not know of it themselves Six things may be wrought in a man and yet Earthly minded 1. A man may have his judgment convinc'd that there is a vanity in all things in this world and yet be an earthly-minded man for all this many think they are not earthly-minded why Because they are convinc'd that all these things are vanity come and speak to them about the things of this world and they will acknowledg there 's a vanity in all these things that they are vanity of vanities al is vanity 2. A man may have some kind of contentment in his estate and yet have an earthly mind at the 33. of Gen. 9. verse Esau that was one of the earth yet he said he had enough yet certainly one of an earthly spirit and his portion was in the earth how many of you come so far as Esau did to say for your estates you have enough Oh 't is a shame for those that are professors of Religion and would seem to be of the seed of Jacob and yet they can never say they have enough when as an Esau can say he hath enough I have enough my brother 3 Men and women may speak very great words about the vanity of all the things of this world When you come to discourse you may I say discourse much about them and yet have a very earthly spirit 4. A man may be free from getting any thing of this world by false waies by deceit by injustice c. and yet be earthly for all that 5. Through some predominate lust some other way A man may seem to despise some earthly thing As manie men that have a lust of Ambition will seem to despise money that hath a lust to shew themselves to be generous and those that have a lust of sensualitie will seem to despise the things of the world manie a man through one lust will seem as if he would hate the other though the truth is he doth not hate it as a sin but for the practice of it his heart is against it not I say from the dislike of it as a sin against God but because it is opposite to some other lust that he hath as your Prodigals your Young Spendthrifts they will speak against covetousness as if they hated that sin whereas the truth is no wicked man hates any sin any further than one sin crosses another so much he may hate it but not as a sin in the 13. of Isa 17. Behold saith the text I will stir up the Medes against them which shall not regard silver and as for gold they shall not delight in it the Medes they were Heathen wicked people that had no grace in them at all and yet the text saith they shall not regard silver and for gold they shall not delight in it some men they think it iâ— through the work of grace and because they find that they are above that base covetousness that
they see in other men they do not regard silver and gold and to be getting all for themselves and they dispise those men that are of such a base covetous way and upon that they think their condition good because they think they are got above that lust but ye see it is no other than that a Mede may get a Heathen may disregard silver and gold but how it is because his spirit is upon another lust that 's the ground of it canst thou say this consider what I am now upon you that seem to scorn Covetousnesse and hate such base sordidnesse as you see in some men can you say it comes from hence The Lord hath made me to see the excellent things of the Gospel the treasures of grace that are fountain'd up in Jesus Christ the Lord hath made me to know what communion with himself in Jesus Christ doth mean and since that time I blesse God my heart hath been above all these earthly things and that 's the ground that makes me look upon all these earthly things as vanity because the Lord hath discovered unto me those excellent and glorious things that are infinitly above these earthly things I that 's somewhat indeed if you can be above earthlinesse upon this ground that 's a good argument therefore examine upon what ground it is that your spirit is against such things whether it be upon the sight and experience of better things then it 's right but certainly men and women may go far in seeming to be above earthly things in respect of the sin of covetousnesse and yet still have earthlie minde wherefore to give you convicements besides things that have been hinted As how a man doth value himself and value others is it not because that others or your selves have much of the things of the earth can you value a poor man that is godly above the richest man that is wicked and so can you value your selves for the least work of grace upon your hearts to make you more excellent thā the greatest cōmings-in of your estates but these things we have hinted And then where lies the chief Joy and chief Sorrow of mens hearts what 's that that doth most trouble your hearts is it the losse of the light of the face of God or the losse of an estate the losse of a voyage or the commission of a sin So what 's your chief Joy your profitting by the word or gaining by your bargains you have come to the word and there somtimes God hath reveal'd some truth to you and you have profited can you go away rejoycing because God hath made you to know his Law the Lord hath darted some truth into my soul this morning Oh! I go away rejoycing and having my heart fil'd with more joy than ever I have had upon any bargain wherein I have got never so much of the world These be two convincements we hinted not before Nine CONVINCEMENTS of Earthly-mindedness 1. Conv. For the further Convincement of an Earthly-minded man seriously consider this When a man shall rest upon earthly props upon worldly helps for the good that he doth expect If he can have those things then his heart seems to be upon the wing very pleasant but there 's nothing else can revive his heart it 's not a promise that can keep his spirit Now that that a man or woman most trusts unto that certainly they make to be their God for that properly belongs to God to put our trust in Him then we make God to be our God when we roul our selves upon Him Now to trust in earthly things though it be but for the comforts of your life you will say I cannot trust in earthly things to bring me to God nay but to trust in them for the comforts of your life while you are herein this world that 's an Argument of an earthly spirit for the truth is the comfort of a mans life consists not in any earthly thing he doth enjoy Object You will say Do not these comfort our lives Answ Yes so far as God is pleased to let out Himself through them but if thy heart doth rest upon these for comfort and doth not look higher than these for comfort even for thy outward support certainlie thou hast an earthlie heart And so when thou art about any businesse thou hast some earthlie means to further thee Obj. You wil say God would have us take all outward means to help us Ans I but not to trust in any thing If riches encrease set not your hearts upon them so if friends encrease set not your hearts upon them but trust in the living God let it be the living God that you rest on even for all outward things in this world 2. Conv. A Second Convincement is this When men make most provision for the things of this world both for themselves and for their children Are not these your thoughts I do not know what I may want hereafter and I see many that have lived finely when they have been young yet afterwards they have lived very miserably and therefore I must make provision for after-times Thus for the earth But now Do you reason thus for the things of Heaven do not I see many that have made a great blaze of Religion and yet afterwards they have come to nothing they have gone out in a snuffe as men that God hath forsaken and they have died in horror of Conscience and therfore let me lay up provision now against an evil time that I may not miscarrie in the matters of my soul so as others have done this were a sign your minds were not earthly And for your children God hath sent you children and Oh! how you toile and labour and your thoughts run in the night and as soon as you awake in the morning about what you shall get for their portions and for an estate for them Now I appeal to your conscience before God the searcher of all hearts Have your cares been to provide in a sutable way for their souls for their spiritual and eternal estates No question but it 's lawful for parents to provide in a Providential way for their children and they that do not are worse than Infidels but what is your chief provision for are your thoughts more solicitous to provide portions for them than that they should have instruction in the fear of God an interest in Christ than that they should have grace wrought in their hearts You are loth to die before you can bring your estate so clear as you may leave it to your children Oh are you not loth die before such time as you see some work of grace wrought in the hearts of your children Oh! these would your thoughts be if you were spiritual Oh! could I discern but some seeds of grace sown before I was disolved I could rejoyce abundantlie As ti 's repeated of Austen's Mother that the great thing that she desired to live for was
points of saving knowledge they speak like children so that one would wonder where their understandings were now turn such men to the matters of the world Oh! how wise are they in their generation Oh! how subtile and crafty are they they can see an objecton there and know how to answer it they can discern any thing that will let them in their profit many miles off and can prevent whereas others cannot but now in those things that hinder their souls they cannot foresee things there they are wise in their generation and they have memories for the matters of the world they can understand things and remember things and they can meditate there but put them to meditate on a point of Religion they are presently at a stand Let me appeal to you do not your consciences tell you that in the matter of the world when you are walking from hence to London you can run in your thoughts upon one business all the way that you walk you can plot this and contrive the other way and foresee this and the other objection and answer it thus in your own thoughts but I do but put this to you when you walk over the fields settle but upon one meditation concerning Christ and see whether you are able to draw out that meditation the while you walk over one field whereas you can spin out an earthly meditation if it were divers miles when you awake in the night season presently your thoughts are upon the things of the world and you can draw them out and work there understandingly but now in the things of God Oh! how barren and simple and weak are you there there 's scarce any one can over-reach you in the things of the world but in the matters of Religion you are over-reach't presently every slight temptation overcomes you there 6. Conv. And besides you may know it by the discourse and words of men 1. John 4. 5. They are of the world therefore speak they of the world and the world heareth them Their breath is earthly Oh! it 's an ill sign that you use to say of your friends sometimes when you come to their bed side Oh! I am afraid they will die their breath smels so earthly it 's a simptom of the death of the bodie So your hearts do smel so earthly and it were somewhat tolerable if it were on other daies when your callings requires it to discourse of businesse but even that time that God hath set apart for himself you are sometimes discoursing in your own thoughts concerning the businesses of the world when you are praying and hearing whereas the communication and discourses of men should relish of what they have heard out of the world not presently to go and talk about some earthly exchange occurrances and so loose all Oh! it 's this that hath lost many precious truths it may be when you have been hearing God hath darted in some beam of Gospel-light into your souls and you have lost is before you have got home and so have come to loose the impression of the truth that you have heard Oh! what a seemly thing were it in those that come to hear the word when they depart that there should be no discourse but tending that way Oh! how often are you in company and never leave any thing to refresh one anothers spirits or to further one another in the way to eternal life though God gives you allowance to speak about your business yet still if you be spiritual and heavenly he would have you to have something about heaven or eternal life before you do depart 7. Conv A. further Convincement is this When Spiritual things must give way to Earthlyness upon every little business Prayer must pay for it if I have any businesse I will take it out of the time of Paayer or converse in the Word the less or hear the lesse when as I say that earthly things are so high as spiritual things must give way Heaven must stand by as ir were til Earth be served this is an evil sign of an earthly spirit whereas were the spirit Heavenly the very first thing that thou would do when thou awakest in the morning or arisest should be to season thy heart with somthing that were spiritual in Psal 139. 17. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me O God! how great is the sum of them If I count them they are more in number than the sand when I awake I am still with thee Oh! that were an argument of a spiritual mind that upon the awaking presently to be with God When I awake I am still with thee But now I appeal to you Who are you withal when you awake Can you say Lord when I awake I am still with thee I find an inclination in my spirit to be upon the matters of Heaven and when I am up I had rather my worldly business should give way than spiritual duties 8. Conv. When a man or woman cares not much how it is with the Church with the Kingdom of Jesus Christ so it be well with them in the matters of the world when as there are things stirring abroad in the world for we live in stirring times wherein God is shaking the Heavens and the Earth now he doth not much enquire how things are in respect of the Priviledges of the Saints the Ark of the Church so his Cabbin be safe Truly there need no oeher thing but the examning of your hearts how they have been these last years of Jacobs trubles We find Eli in the time of war he sat trembling because of the Ark of God he did not sit trembling because that if the Philistims did prevaile he should be put out of his place and his estate taken away no but because of the Ark of God that was an argument of the spiritualnesse of Eli's mind And so it may be an argument of very great comfort to you in these dangerous times If our consciences tell us this that God that knowes all things knowes that the great thing my heart was solicitous about in these evill dayes it was What shall become of thy great Name Lord what shall become of Religion what shall become of thy Gospel Lord these were the things that took up my heart not so much what should become of my estate and outward accommodations and relations in this world Oh! examine your hearts in this Whether the care of your spirts be more for the furtherance of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ or for the furtherance of your Estates but for that man or woman that is most solicitous about businesse that concerns their outward estates and do not much care how Religion goes how the way of the Kingdom of Christ is maintai'd God at this time doth speak to that soul Thou art an Earthly-minded man or woman and therefore take heed lest what hath been spoken concerning the great evil that there is in earthly-mindednesse lest it befals thee and especially
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
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
thing or to have any delight in any thing in this world when there is a sutable object to the facultie that 's his Communion with the Creature As now a Drunkard there is a kind of Communion that he hath meerly with lude company and with the creature to please his sence for a while there 's all the communion that he hath But what a different Conversation is this for one meerly to please his sence in meat and drink a little while and another to have communion with Father Son and holy Ghost The Saints here in this world have not an Imaginary but a Real Communion with the Father Son and holy Ghost Communion you will say what 's that By Communion with God we mean this The acting of the soul upon God and the receiving in the influence of the goodness and love and mercy of God into the soul When there is a mutual acting of the soul upon God and God upon the soul again as when friends have Communion one with another that is that one acts for the Comfort of the other there is a mutual imbracing and opening of hearts one upon another for the satisfying of the Spirits one of another So communion with God is the mutual actings of the soul upon God and God upon the soul again The Saints they see the face of God and God delights in the face of the Saints And they let out their hearts to God and God lets out his heart to them We cannot expresse this to strangers a stranger shall not meddle with this joy this is a mystery a riddle to the carnal world Do but you consider this that what Communion you have with your lude company to sit and eat and drink and play and tell stories all day long this you think is a brave life but now that the communion of the Saints is raised higher and the comfort of the Saints is not in such poor low base things as thine is the Saints have comfort in God the Father Son and holy Ghost in an infinite higher way and in that respect their Conversations are said to be in Heaven And especially when they are with God in his Ordinances they cannot be content except they have Communion with God there it 's notenough for them to call upon the Name of God to kneel down and to use some humble broken hearted expressions Oh but what communion have I with God and Jesus Christ and the holy Ghost in my duties at this time I come to the Word and other Ordinances Oh! but what communion have I with God in them I cannot be satisfied except I tast and see how good the Lord is I cannot go abroad about my businesse but with a heavy heart except I hear some thing from Heaven this morning all the comfort of their lives do depend upon this in having communion with Father Son and holy Ghost Fourthly Their Conversation may be said to be in Heaven Because they do live according to the Laws of Heaven They do not here in this world live according to the Laws of men the lusts of men but they look for their direction from Heaven What rule is there from Heaven to guide me There must be some word from the God of Heaven to order and guide them in their waies or else they cannot tell how to sute with them Indeed while they live in the Cities of the world they must obey the Laws of men but still it is in order to the Laws of Heaven the main thing that they submit to is the Statute Laws of Jesus Christ the great Law giver because there is a Law of Heaven that doth require them for to obey the Laws of men that are according to those Laws of Heaven therefore they do obey them but the Laws of Heaven are those that the Saints look after for their direction in all their waies such and such a thing I have a mind to but will the Law of Heaven justifie me in this have I any word from Jesus Christ to guide me in such a way I dare not do otherwise than according to the Will and Scepter of Christ they must be my rule in all my waies whereas before thy lust was thy rule and thy own ends thy rule and the common course of the world thy rule but now the Laws of Heaven are thy rule and therfore their Conversations are in Heaven because they are guided by the Laws of Heaven Heaven is their aim They are acted by heavenly Principles They converse with the God of heaven And then fourthly They live according to the Laws of heaven Fiftly Their thoughts and hearts are set upon heaven as he saith The soul is where it loves rather than where it lives where the heart is there 's the soul there the man may be said to be Now the Saints have their hearts in heaven their thoughts in heaven their meditations in heaven working there When I awake I am alwaies with thee saith David And Oh how sweet are the thoughts of heaven unto the Saints While thou art mudling in the world and plodding for thy self in the things of this world If God should come to thee and say Where art thou as he said to Adam yea sometimes while thou art at prayer and hearing the Word Where are thy thoughts and about what even as we say in the proverb are running about a Wool-gathering But now come to one whose Conversation is in Heaven he keeps his thoughts and meditations there continually meditating on the glorious things that are reserved in Heaven As I remember I have read of that holy man Mr. Ward that being in the midst of a dinner and people wondering what he was a musing about he presently breaks out For ever for ever for ever for almost half a quarter of an hour he could not be still'd but he cries for ever for ever for ever So far as any man or woman hath their Conversation in Heaven their thoughts are there thinking Oh eternity eternitie to be for ever in Heaven to live for ever with Christ and God and Oh the Crown of glory that is there when will that blessed day come when I shall come to enjoy those good things that are there his thoughts will be there and he is longing to be there his love and desires and affections will be working there It 's said of the people of Israel Acts 7. 39. That their hearts turned back again to Egypt they never returned in their bodies to Egypt but their hearts were there they would fain have the Onions and Flesh-pots that were in Egypt their hearts were there So it may be said of many that though they come and hear the Word yet their hearts are in their shops their hearts are after their covetousness but it 's contrary with the Saints Though they live here in this world yet their hearts are in Heaven As I remember it 's written of Queen Mary that she said If they rip'd her open
priviledg of the redeemed ones Now this way of walking up unto the Land of Canaan from their captivity it 's typical to typifie the walk of the soul with the Lord. Sixthly For the souls walking with God there is this further done by God Christ the Son of God he takes the soul and brings it unto God the Father as the Spirit leads so Jesus Christ The Lord Jesus Christ he brings the soul unto the Father to render God and the soul familier together In Ephes 2. 18. Through him we have an acccess by one Spirit unto the Father We have an access through him we have a manuduction He brings us unto the Father we have access through Jesus Christ As if a Prince should take a Traytor that is reconciled to his Father having his pardon and his Father being passified towards him the Prince comes takes him by the hand and saith Come I 'le bring you unto my Father and I will walk along with you unto my Father So it is None that ever hath been a sinner can walk with God but Christ must walk together with him Christ walks along with him and so God is ever more rendred sweet aimable and lovely why Because Christ hath him by the hand as I may so say God the Father hath him in one hand and Christ hath him by the other hand and so the soul walks in this blessed walk between the hands of God the Father and the Son and the holy Ghost leads and guides him too CHAP. IV. Walking with God what it is Opened in Nine Particulars BUt now The way of the soul in this walk with God When the soul is thus brought to God and by this means enabled to walk with him Then what 's the way of the soul in walking thus with God Walking with God causes the soul to eye God In the first place Now the soul being come thus to God in all the waies of God it ey 's God and sets God before it Enoch walked with God that is Enoch in the waies of his life set God before him and did eye God in his waies First beholding the infinite beauty there is in God Secondly God being the fountain of al good to the soul Thirdly the soul apprehending God infinitly worthy of all honor These three things causes the eye to be upon God continually The Lord hath infinit excellency and beauty in him The Lord is the fountain of all good to me The Lord is infinitly worthy of all honor and service and a soul walking with God eyes God thus continually In the 26. Psal 3. For thy loving kindness is before mine eyes and I have walked in thy truth Oh Lord I see thee aimable lovely and gracious and the fountain of all good and Lord I have walked in thy truth setting God before me so in Psal 16. 8. I have set the Lord alwaies before me that I might not fall A soul that walks with God scarce ey 's any thing but God when it enjoyes the creature yet the eye is upon God as the little child walking with the father looks up to the father every soul that walks with God hath his eye upon him for there 's no such lovely drawing object to the soul as God himself is whereas wicked men they do not find God to be such a lovely object sees no such excellency in him and therfore they rather turn their eyes away from him they look another way Psal 86. 14. They do not set God before them men that walk according to the lusts of their own hearts in their wicked sinful waies the Lord is not in all their thoughts as in the 10. Psalm That 's the first thing in the way of the souls walking with God he eyes God and sees God before him Walking with God causeth a man to carry himself as in Gods Presence Secondly The soul behaves its self as in Gods Presence I see my self in Gods presence and my eye is upon God Oh let me then look to my self that the carriage of my soul be as beseems one who is in the presence of so holy so great so glorious and blessed a God as the Lord is in the 2 Cor. 2. 17. As of God in the sight of God speak we in Christ saith the Apostle when we come to do any thing we do it as of God in the sight of God knowing that we are allwayes before God Augustine speaking concerning Noah's walking with God he hath this expression Noah walked with God that is he had God alwaies present before his eyes walking so holily and so reverenced God This is to walk in the fear of God when the soul upon the apprehention of Gods presence shall labor to compose its self as beseeming the presence before whom it is and this indeed is the walk that you shall find the Saints of God in all day long would you know where to find a Saint you may know his walk you shall all the day long find him walking in the fear of the Lord Preverbs 23. 17. saith the text there Let not thy heart envy sinners but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long He doth not say do thou fear the Lord all the day long but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long Oh the walk of a Christian should be so from morning to night to walk in the fear of the Lord and nothing in this world should put him out of this walk no temptations should call him out of it but in the fear of the Lord all the day long This is the walk of a Christian when he labors to behave himself as beseems the presence of God Walking with God is when we make Gods Will the Rule of our will Thirdly The soul may be said to walk with God When the way of it is the same way that God himself goes the soul doth that that God doth What 's the way of God but the way of holiness and righteousness when the soul makes the Will of God to be the rule of it I will not be acted by my own will I will not be acted by any thing but by the Will of God what is it that God wills I will the same thing then the soul walks that way God walks when it doth sute its self with God sets the Lord as an example before it as the Scripture saith Be ye holy as your Heavenly Father is holy I see the holy and the righteous waies of God and I labor as a deer child to follow him and to go in the very same steps that God doth how doth God carry businesses I will labor to carry things so as God doth that my life shall hold forth a resemblance of God himself this is to walk with God to do as God doth to imitate God that 's a third thing in a souls walking with God Walking with God is when a Soul hath the same Ends that God hath The Fourth is this
the soul is exercised in the Ordinances it hath converse with Christ it hearkens what Christ saith and Christ hearkens what such a soul saith I will hearken what he will say and the soul knows the voice of Christ 5. Cant. 2. It is the voice of my beloved saith the Spouse Oh it knows what the voice of Christ is when they walk together in Ordinances Christ speaks to the soul and the soul knows his voice and the soul speaks again to Jesus Christ there is a blessed converse between them Christ lets himself into the heart and the heart opens its self to Christ Oh! the Communion that a gracious heart hath with Jesus Christ in Ordinances it is unspeakable Only those that are acquainted with it understand what the meaning of conversing with God there means It is with many even as it was with Adam that when God came to walk in the garden we read that he was hid in the bush The Ordinances and Duties of Worship are as Paradice as Eden and God comes many times to walk with us and would feign have communion and converse with us yet Oh! how many times are many of his servants hid in the bush they have walked loosly and contracted some guiltiness upon their spirits and so the presence of God is terrible to them and the more the voice of God and the presence of God is in an Ordinance the more they are afraid because of some guiltinesse they are intangled in the bush when as they should be conversing with God Oh the difference that there is between some Christians and others in the exercising themselves in the Duties of Worship There are some that when they are worshiping of God Oh what sweet and blessed terms have they with God and Communion between God and their souls and others though it may be they have some good in them yet they are intangled in the bryars of the world and though God be in the midst of his Ordinances yet they have no converse no communion with him at all Walking with God causeth the soul to follow God more as be reveals himself more The Ninth Particular is this The soul that walks with God as God reveals himself unto it still more and more so it follows God more and more and still seeks to glorifie God more and more that 's walking There is a progresse in the waies of godliness where there is a walking The soul when first it is led by the hand of Jesus Christ to God and comes and walks with him Oh 't is sweet and comfortable but still as God reveals himself more and more to the soul so the soul still grows up in godlinesse more and more and still is more holy and more gracious and honours God more in the Conversation of it than formerly it hath done it gets neerer and neerer to Heaven every day this is to walk with God There 's a notable Scripture in the 63. Psal 8. David saith there My soul follows hard after thee O Lord thy right hand upholdeth me As a poor child that is walking with the father it may be he is weak and cannot go so fast as it doth desire but the father puts forth his hand and takes hold of him and so upholds and strengthens the child and it follows hard after the father so 't is here Oh Lord thy right hand upholds me If it did not uphold me I could not walk but thy right hand upholds me and then my soul follows hard after thee and so increases in godliness more and more I will praise thee more and more saith David in another place speaking of the honor that he disir'd to give to God in his way he profess'd he would still ad to the praise of God and praise him more and more These are the principal things wherein walking with God consists Now to all these take in that consideration that we have mentioned all along and that makes it up That all these are in a constant course of a mans life This walking with God Some other men that know not what it is to walk with God perhaps they may come and walk a step or two in Gods waies but they quickly turn out again and they find them tedious and irksom to them But the heart that walks with God doth all this that I have named That is Eyes God in all his waies Behaves its self as in the presence of God Walks in the same way God doth Observes Gods designs And so likewise the rest and all this in the constant course of his life It 's true Through the violence of some temptation there may chance to be a step astray or there may be perhaps some fall in the way but still the heart is God-ward and still is towards God it gets up again and walks again in the way it doth not meerly go a step into the way of God as some carnal men do it may be somtimes when Gods hand is upon them or upon the hearing of some Sermon then their hearts are a little touch'd and they seem to be a little froward but take the constant course of their lives and it 's in the way of sin But the constant course of the waies of the Saints are in the waies of God As now a Swine may go through a fair meadow I but that 's not the place that it doth so much regard but it would be in the mire and dirt and there it wallows So it is with many wicked men they will come and hear and pray and do some good duties this is a Swine in a meadow but when they come to those waies that may satisfie the lusts of the flesh there they wallow that 's their proper place and therefore far from walking with God A begger will perhaps follow a man a little way so long as he hath hopes of getting any thing by him but if the man goes still away from him he turns aside to another way he will go no further along with him so 't is with many men even many professors they would seem to follow God perhaps for comfort and for something that they would have from him but if they cannot find presently what they would have from God then they turn aside whereas I beseech you observe this the difference between a friends walking with another out of delight of Communion with him and a begger that only goes along with another man begging for an alms The man that goes along begging for the alms he doth not regard the company of this man any further than he may have hopes of an alms from him if he cannot have what he would have or if he have once what he would have he turns aside from the man But a friend that is walking with his friend that that satisfies him is the company of his friend and the converse that he hath with him while he is walking and so he goes on in a constant way and walks to the end of
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
message of death come to him in the 38. of Isa Remember O Lord saith he how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart he turned his face to the wall and the text saith he wept it was for joy as if he should say Lord it 's true there hath been many infirmities in me but Lord I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart as if he should say I may boldly challenge and I do come now Lord to challenge the good of the Covenant that thou wouldst remember me according to the riches of thy mercy for Lord I have walked with thee as if he should say Lord was not that the thing that thou didst require of my father Abraham why Lord I have walked before thee and I have been upright in some measure therefore Lord be a God alsufficient to me Lord remember thy Covenant be a God to me be All in All to me because of this Oh my brethren Is not this worth ten thousand thousand worlds That the soul may be able to appeal to God that it hath done that which is a special thing that is requir'd in the Covenant on our parts and so upon it may have the assurance of Gods performing the Covenant on his part The Fifth Excellency And then the fifth thing is There is a blessed safety in walking with God As in the 23. Psal 4. there see the Prophet David that was a man much exercised in walking with God saith he Yea though I walk through the vally of the shadow of death I will fear no evil for thou art with me thy rod and thy staff doth comfort me I am walking with thee and though I be walking in the shadow of death I 'le therefore fear no evil Now is it not a blessed thing to be in safety alwaies with God And in the 138. Psal 7. saith David Though I walk in the midst of trouble thou wilt revive me thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies and thy right hand shall save me No matter what the trouble be so God be with the soul he that walks uprightly walks surely in the 10. of the Proverbs 9. Whereas it 's said of the wicked that they walk upon a snare continually in the 18. of Job 8. The wicked walk upon a snare The waies of wickednesse that you walk in they may seem to be pleasant and comfortable to you but certainly you are upon a snare and you may be catch'd and undone for ever though perhaps thou hast escap'd all this while yet thou art in continual dangers Every step I say thou goest on in the waies of sin thou art upon a snare and in danger to be catch'd to thy eternal destruction But he that walks uprightly he walks surely and this is a great excellency for a man to walk surely I know I am in my way for I am with God A child doth not fear what way soever it goes in if he can but see his father Now the soul may know surely I am in the right way I am with God and I am safe what ever danger comes for I am walking with God The Sixth Excellency The sixth Excellency that there is in walking with God is this From hence the soul comes to enjoy a holy boldness and a holy familiarity with God It may be when the soul comes first to God the presence of the great God strikes some fear there is some dread of the Majesty of God But when the soul hath used to converse with him there is a holy familiarity that the soul hath with God and a holy boldness it can have free liberty to say any thing to him now and this is the reason that some now that never knew what the spirit of prayer meant and what the liberty of the soul in opening its self to God meant before yet when they have come to be acquainted with the waies of God Oh what liberty have they then in their spirits to open their hearts to God yea they can open their hearts to God as one friend to another I remember it 's said of Luther that when ever he was praying he could speak to God as to his friend In Job 22. 21. Acqusint now thy self with Him and be at peace The soul comes to have an acquaintance with God Oh what a phrase is here What acquaint our selves with God that God should be our acquaintance I God is willing to be the acqaintance of the poorest Christian in the world Poor men and women and Servants and others that perhaps some rich men that is by them wil scorn their acquaintance but they account them rather as it 's spoken of some vile people fit to be set with the dogs of the flock yea perhaps though they be poor godly people yet they think it too much debasing themselves to have any kind of acquaintance with them Well but the infinite God though he is so high that he humbles himself to behold the very things that are done in Heaven yet this God thinks not much to be one of thy acquaintance to be of the acquaintance of any one that hath any godliness in them when we see a great man a man of parts and honor come to some poor man and shake him by the hand we will say Look what an humble man is this that will be so familiar with the meanest of all Oh! now acquaint thy self with God This is the blessedness of walking with God the soul comes to have a familiar converse with God and a holy boldness The seventh Excellency The seventh benefit or Excellency that there is in walking with God is this The Communication of Gods secrets He that walks with God shall come to know the mind of God It 's impossible for a man to take delight in walking with another but he must discover secrets from him there 's never any true friendship where there is a closeness of spirit But where there is true friendship they will take one another and walk together and open their hearts each to other this is comfortable walking indeed Thus it is in walking with God this is the blessing of it such souls they have the secrets of God discovered to them they come to know much of the mind of God though they are weak in their natural parts yet I say they come to know much of Gods mind because they are with God We reade in the 13. of Proverbs 20. vers saith the holy Ghost there He that walketh with wise men shall be wise Then what shall he be that walks with God Surely if there be wisdom to be learned from our walking with wise men then there is wisdom to be learn'd in walking with God 'T is from hence that men that are weak in parts they come to have such excellent knowledg in the great mysteries of the Gospel and you wonder at it you see such a mean servant that a while ago could understand
walk after their own imaginations and in the vanity of their minds they walk in lies and their hearts walk after the sight of their own eyes and they walk after their covetousness We might mention neer twenty such kind of expressions in Scripture and these are the walks of sinners But the waies of the Saints they are to walk with God but those that walk in the way of sinners that is in the vanity of their minds according to the fight of their own eyes after their covetousness and after the flesh and their lusts and lasiviousness and vanity and such kind of expression as we have in Scripture Certainly they shall have the end of their walk to be no other but destruction and eternal misery The Third Vse Thirdly What vile hearts are ours that are so backward to walk with God seeing God is pleased to admit of his Saints to walk with him even those that are godly are to be rebuk'd from hence that they should be so backward to come in to walk with God It is our glory That is that that would make our lives comfortable it would make this wilderness of ours to be a paradice it would make our Gardens to be Edens it would make our Houses to be Churches and make the Church to be a Heaven unto us and yet we are backward unto this Oh that we would but consider of this when we are in our walk there have vain thoughts As ordinarily men that are walking in their pleasant Gardens or it may be pleasant Rooms Oh the vanity and folly of their thoughts I may speak to you who do you walk withal all this while when you are a walking in your Galleries or Parlours or Gardens or alone in the fields who are you parlying withal who are you conversing withal are not you walking many times with the Devil and making provision for the flesh you should be walking with God what are you the Saints of God doth God offer himself to walk and converse with you and will you walk with the flesh and converse with the Devil and be rouling of sin and wickedness up and down in your thoughts Oh what a vile and sinful thing is this The Lord humble you for your sinful walks humble you that are Saints you sometimes have had some walks with God why is it that you walk no more close with God you complain sometimes of your great business in the world and occasions to converse with the world that you have no time for your Communion with God and yet when you are off from the world and when you have time alone wherein you might converse with God and when you have walks to the Citie and from the Citie again what Communion might you have with God! But Oh! how backward are our hearts even unto this that is our happinesse and our glory That 's a third Use by way of reproof even to the Saints which is raised from the consideration of the excellency that there is in our walking with God The Fourth Vse Fourthly By way of exhortation Oh let us keep close to God in our walking with him We reade of Peter that he saw Christ walking upon the water and he would leap to him to walk with him there though it were in afflictions to walk with Christ it should be comfortable to us We reade of Idolators that they would have their children pâ—sse through the fire to get to their Idols Oh let us be willing to pass through any difficulties to get to God the Lord is willing we should coÌ„municate our selves to him and he is willing to communicate himself to us the Lord would communicate word for word promise for promise imbrace for imbrace if we would speak to him he would speak to us if we would let out our hearts to him he would let out his heart to us if we would promise to him he would promise to us The Lord doth often call us to walk with him As sometimes familiar friends will call one another Come let us walk out together and those that are very familiar and loving though they may have some business yet they will lay it aside seeing their deer friends calls them to walk they take so much delight in it many times God our deer friend cals us Come let us walk out together When God at any time doth dart in a Heavenly thought into your minds he doth as it were call you to walk with him there and would have you follow that thought The following that Heavenly thought that 's darted into your minds that 's the answering of Gods call to walk with him Consider of this one note Oh do not refuse this you do not know how your lives may be comforted this way and your hearts may be strengthened The Fifth Vse And then the last thing that I shall name by way of Use is this If there be so much Excellency in our walking with God here what will there be in Heaven then If our converse with him in this world be so sweet Oh how sweet shall our converse with him in Heaven be when we shall walk with him in white when we shall have our garments glorious indeed and our souls fit to converse with God Now the truth is we are very unfit to converse with the Lord because of our blindness and darknesse we do not know God As now let an ignorant man come to converse with a learned man he gets but very little good for he is not able to put a question to him nor able to understand what the man saith especially if he speaks any depth of learning to him So many that are very weak when they are in discourse with those that are strong and godly they are not able to make that use for their discourse as others can and it 's a great excellency for one to be able to improve his converse with some men that have abilities and strength to be able I say to improve their Converse it 's a great excellency Alas we are not able to improve our converse with God here but in Heaven we shall be able to improve our converse with God We shall know as we are known we shall understand God if God doth but communicate himself we shall be fit to receive all the beams of his glory that he shal be pleased to let out Oh! that wil be an excellent thing indeed when we shall be alwaies walking with God and conversing with him continually Saith Bernard in the gracious visitations of the Spirit of God to his soul How sweet if it were not so little but then it shall be constant we shall then follow the Lamb whithersoever he goes and walk with him in white according as he speaks Now the Church cries out and saith Oh draw us and we will run ofter thee The Spirit of God had need to draw us here but then we shall have no such need of drawing but we shall of our selves from the inclination
It 's then Spiritual when it knows how to satisfie its self in God alone and to make up the want in all creature comforts in God himself and no Christian can walk with God except he attains to that pitch to know how to make up all in God and use all in order unto God The third Rule or Direction Thirdly If thou wouldst walk with God evermore take Christ with thee God and the Soul cannot walk together but with Christ Christ God and Man that Mediator by that I mean this in all thy converse with God have an eye to Christ look unto God the infinite glorious First Being of all things but through Christ the Mediator or otherwise God will not be rendered amiable and sweet and lovely to thee then is God rendered sweet and amiable and lovely to the soul even as a friend that the soul can have familiarity withal when as he is look't upon through Jesus Christ do thou act all by Christ by the strength of Christ and tender up all thy services to God through Christ those that are not acquainted with the mystery of the Gospel in Christ surely they know but little of this walk with God Quest You will say Enoch did not know much of Christ Answ Oh yes Certainly though it was so long before Christ came yet his eye was upon Christ for in the 11. of the Heb 5. verse the Apostle saith That it was by faith that he walked with him it was all by faith Now Christ is the object of faith and so his eye certainly was upon Christ It was through faith and I will give you one Scripture that will shew the use of eying of Christ in walking with God in the 25. of Exod 21. verse Thou shalt put the Meroy-Seat above upon the Arke and in the Ark thou shalt put the Testimony that I shall give thee and there will I meet with thee and I will commune with thee That is There at the Mercy-Seat They were come to the Ark to look up to the Mercy-Seat and there saith God wil I meet with thee and there will I commune with thee Now what 's the Mercy-Seat but Jesus Chaist we must look upon God in Christ and so God is rendered amiable sweet glorious and lovely unto us in his Son there doth God meet with his Saints and there he communes with them Indeed while we look upon God as he is in himself he is a consuming fire and we cannot epxect to commune with God there and therefore those that look upon God meerly in a legal way look upon him as one that doth exact and require such and such services and duties of them and meerly considering God as a Judge if they perform not such and such duties they do not meet and commune with God But such as look up to the Mercy-Seat look up to Christ by faith when they have to deal with God in Christ Oh these meet with God these commune with God Oh there 's much sweet communion between God and their souls they walk with God because God through Christ comes to be rendered gracious lovely sweet amiable and familier to them The fourth Rule or Direction Be careful to beautifie thy soul or more generally thus First Have a great care of thy spirit look to thy spirit rather than to thy outward actions in thy walking with God God is a Spirit and will be worshiped in spirit and truth One that would walk with God had need be very careful of his spirit keep thy heart with all diligence for it is with thy soul that God converses Indeed 't is the proper spheer of a Christian to be busie about his heart to be busie in the inward man there 's the spheer of a Christian It 's not so much about the outward man if the hear be kept in a right frame the outward man will be brought over of its own accord But be careful of thy spirit that is of the thoughts of thy mind Take heed of admitting of any uncleannesse in thy very thoughts for the soul converses with God in thoughts as well as we converse with men in words how do you commune and converse with men but by speech therefore doth God give speech to men that they may converse one with another what speech is unto men that the thoughts are unto God we converse much with God by our thoughts make conscience of thoughts labor to cleanse thy thoughts and likewise the affections of thy heart and the stirrings of thy heart for God and thy soul doth converse together in the workings and stirrings of thy heart look to thy spirit and labor to beautifie thy soul with that that may make thee aimable and lovely in the eyes of God and then the Lord will delight to converse with thee and walk with thee If you were call'd out to walk with a man that were your superior with some Chief in your parish Gentleman or Knight or Noble man If such a one should call you to walk with him you would labour then so far as you were able to adorne your selves with such cloaths as were sutable unto the company of such a one you that professe your selves Christians God doth call you every day to walk with him and if you would expect to have communion with God and that God should take delight in you you must labor to beautifie your souls to dresse you with those things that may make you aimable in the eyes of God and not to come dirtily and filthy into the presence of God Now that that makes the soul aimable in the eyes of God it is Holinesse for that 's the very Image of God and God delights to walk with one where he can see his own Image the more resplendent the Image of God is in the soul the more doth the Lord delight to walk with such a soul labour for the behavior of thy soul to be sutable unto God When I walk with one that is my superiour I must have such a demenour as is sutable to his presence and as it was said before To walk with God was to walk in the fear of God And that 's the fourth thing Take heed to thy spirit beautifie thy soul in that that may make thee aimable and lovely in Gods eyes and carry thy self so as is sutable to the presence of God I shall only give you one Scripture about the beautifying of the soul in the 45. Psalm where it 's spoken of the Church and of the Saints being brought into the presence of God in the 13. verse The Kings daughter that is the Church is all glorious within Many make great shews of Religion without but the Kings daughter is all glorious within her cloathing is of wrought gold there 's her ornaments mark what follows in the 14. verse She shall be brought unto the King in raiment of needle-work She shall be brought to the King to Jesus Christ with garments of needle-work by
wantons of our age the wantons that are in our generation that do allure them through the lusts of the flesh and promise liberty to them for so the text saith While they promise them liberty they themselves are the servants of corruption THEMSELVES Mark those that promise them liberty and bring such Doctrine of liberty to you they Themselves are in the mean time the servants of corruption Oh take heed of declining to the waies of the flesh after thou hast seem'd to begin in the spirit what hast thou to do in the way of Asher and in the waies of Egypt Oh thou that heretofore didst seem to converse with God and to walk with him what iniquity hast thou found with me saith God So what evil hast thou found in the waies of God Do you find them too difficult for you Oh it is through the baseness of thy heart because thy heart is not changed and made sutable to that that is spiritual and holy Oh that the Lord would be pleased to cause his Angel to meet with some that are declining from his good and blessed waies as we read in the book of Genesis That the Angel met Hager when she was flying from Abrahams family from the Church of God and saith he Hager Sarah's Maid from whence camest thou doest thou come from Abraham's family art thou going from thence and where dost thou think to find so much good as in Abraham's family where the presence of God is So Oh that God would meet with such as are declining from the good waies of God Oh thou soul whither art thou going thou that hast had the Word working upon thy heart and thou wert seem'd to be turned into the good waies of God whither art thou going are these the waies that are like the former waies that thou hast seem'd to walk in Oh what will be the end of these waies that now thou art in Indeed they do give contentment unto the flesh more than former waies but doest thou think that the end of them will be peace Oh that there were such a messenger from God to meet thee in those waies that thou art walking in that thou maiest say as the Church doth in the 2. of Hosea 7. verse I will return to my first husband for then it was better with me than it is now I was wont to have more peace comfort and sweetnes in conversing with God in holy duties than now I find I will return to those waies of God howsoever many loose professors seem to make a scorn of them and deride them but Lord I am sure I found more sweetness in them then than now well I will return to them and labor to walk in them The Eighth Rule or Direction Or if thou beest declined Labor to keep a tenderness of spirit so aâ— to be sensible of the beginnings of declining It 's true we have a great deal of corruption while we remain here in this world and our hearts are drawn quickly from the waies of God I but if we could keep a spirit sensible of the beginnings of declining we might yet keep our walk with God That so soon as we are got but one step from God if we did but begin to bethink our selves where are we what are we doing Oh this would cause us to return and not to go so far off from God For a man to go far from God is very dangerous for then he begins to have many thoughts of dispair and so many times he growes even desperate in his course and gives up himself to excesse even to satisfie the lusts of the flesh with greedinesse There are some men that are convinced in their consciences that they are out of the way and though they be convinced of it yet still they go further and further off from God Why you will say is that possible Yes Because having once made profession of Religion and departing from God now the Devil follows him with dispairing thoughts he thinks now God will not receive him and accept of him upon his returning to him and therefore he is resolved that he will satisfie himself to the full and I verily beleeâ—â— this is the great reason why many Apostates turn so notoriously wicked as they do when you see a man that hath been forward in Religion and afterwards not only fall off but you shall find him to be a drunkard a whoremaster a scorner you may almost conclude that this is the very ground of it that though his conscience be convinc'd that he is out of the way yet he is in a desperate manner set to have his pleasure because he thinks God hath forsaken him and he hath forsaken God and his lusts he will have and poor creature that 's all that he hath to satisfie himself withal Oh take heed of getting far from God hearken to this you that are far from righteousnes as the Scripture speaks Oh it 's a terrible thing to be gone far from God labor to keep thy heart watchful of the beginnings of declining and be tender and sensible of them The Ninth Rule or Direction Labor to be spiritual in thy solitary times If you would walk with God prize much your solitary times and labor to be spiritual in them do not lose those times when you are alone when there 's none but God and your selves together And especially you that have much business in the world alas what little use do you for the most part make of your solitary times when you are alone you know not what to do but a man that would walk with God he had need be careful to be very spiritual there now I am separated from the world now I have to deal with God and mine own soul Oh! let me improve this and get advantage by this Oh! let me not be quiet till I get some converse with God Those Christians that are spiritual in their solitary times they will be very spiritual when they come into company As Moses when he was alone with God upon the mount and came down unto the people his face did shine so as they were not able to bear it Certainly those that are alone with God and are spiritual they will shine in holy conversation when they come down from the mount when they come to converse with others The Tenth Rule or Direction Let Gods presence be more to thee than all the world account it more engagement to thy soul that thou art with God that thou hast Gods presence with thee than though thou hadst the eye of all the world upon thee It would mightily compose the spirits of men and women if they had an awful reverence of the presence of God and did account it more than al the world besides and therefore to do nothing in Gods presence but what thou wouldest do in the sight of all the world or what thou maiest do so as thy conscience may not accuse thee for sin in it Oh look upon