real Union of the Saints with the Blessed God and the Blessed Jesus such a Union as is between the Head and the Members and between Husband and Wife yea such as is between God and Christ and a participation of the same Glory that Christ himself doth possess and an enjoyment of the same Love that Christ himself doth enjoy yea the Saints shall then be made like unto Christ both in Soul and Body Lord help me to believe all this and to be fully perswaded of it that my Heart may be kindly affected and filled with enflamed affections towards my Blessed Jesus who hath purchased all this Glory for us with his most precious Blood Oh let me attain the full assurance of my true Title thereto that I may praise thee and may long for the full possession of it O my base unbelieving Heart Lord subdue my unbelief Oh what pains should we take to be assured of this Glory and how patiently and cheerfully should we bear our Afflictions that are designed to prepare us for it But I cannot break off here This weight of Glory is by the Holy Ghost in the Scripture represented to us by all the most excellent and delightful things among Men speaking to our Capacities and after the manner of Men. Hence it is called a Kingdom It is your Father's good pleasure saith our Lord to give you a Kingdom I appoint unto you a kingdom as my Father hath appointed unto me a kingdom The Kingdom of Heaven a Kingdom that cannot be moved a Kingdom of Glory a Crown of Glory that fadeth not away a Crown of Righteousness a Crown of Life Christ hath made us Kings and Priests to God Here in this World the Saints have the Cross Fire Faggot Halters Gibbets c. let them wait but a while and they shall hear the Judge of the whole World say unto them Come ye blessed of my Father enter into the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world Now you are abused reproached imprisoned impoverished despised shortly you shall all be crowned This Glory is called the Inheritance of the Saints in light an Inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that fadeth not away reserved in Heaven for you You that now may have no House nor Home of your own no certain Dwelling-place and you that now dwell in Houses of Clay tottering every moment being the Children of God you shall shortly enter into everlasting Habitations and possess those glorious Mansions in the Father's House you shall shortly inhabit that House not made with hands eternal in the Heavens God hath prepared for you a City that hath Foundations of his own building and making Hold out Faith and Patience you shall shortly be translated into the Paradise of GOD above the reach of Men and Devils Moreover for methinks it is good to be here when Christ who is our Life shall appear we shall also appear with him in Glory with Palms in our Hands and Crowns on our Heads and with everlasting Joy and Songs of Praises in our Hearts and Mouths This Glory is called Life Everlasting Life Eternal Salvation Everlasting Peace and Everlasting Rest the purchased Possession that which cost the most precious Blood of the only Son of God to procure surely it must be a far more exceeding weight of Glory that cost such a price this Glory is the Fruit of Christ's Blood and of all his cruel Sufferings Oh that some Beams of it might be darted in upon my dark Heart by the Spirit while I am writing this to quicken and enlarge it It is Everlasting Rest Rest from all Sin the greatest burden to a gracious Soul and from all Sufferings from all doubts of God's love from all sense of God's Displeasure from all Temptations of Satan of the World and Flesh Rest from all Persecutions Now they that have suffered with Christ shall be glorified with him no Prisons Banishments Burnings Hangings Quarterings then Rest from all our sad and sinful Divisions and from all our personal Sufferings Pains Diseases Losses of dear Relations ill Tydings Rest from all Vain Thoughts from all the pain of Duty from all our Labours Let us a little further consider I. The Preparatives to this Glory and II. The Properties of it that so our Hearts may be the more affected with it and the more carried out with all Love and Desires after him that purchased it for us and with all labour and diligence to secure our title to it and may also the better bear all our Afflictions which prepare us for it and lead us to it I. Of the Preparations to this Glory and these are 1. The glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ Tit. 2. 13. Our blessed Lord will most certainly come again from Heaven with Power and great Glory attended by his mighty Angels to receive his People to himself that where he is there they may be also Joh. 14. 3. to be glorified in his Saints and to be admired in all those that believe 2 Thess 1. 10. Alas what Comfort should we have in this life if it were not for the Hope of Christ's second coming He will not leave us here still sinning suffering groaning dying no no the day of our full Redemption will come our Lord will come again and set all his poor Captives free but a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry He will come for our Salvation Heb. 9. 28. And for our great Comfort let us know and believe that however we now live as Lambs amongst Wolves when our glorious Lord Jesus the Lord of Glory and the Prince of the Kings of the Earth the chief Shepherd shall appear we shall receive a crown of glory that fedeth not away 1 Pet. 5. 4. It should be then the Character of a Christian as it is his Duty to love to long and look and wait for the Son of God from â—eaven even Jesus whom he raised from the dead which by bearing the most dreadful Wrath of his Father hath delivered us from the Wrath to come 1 Thess 1. 10. Act. 1. 12. And while we are on Earth we should have our conversations in Heaven and from thence look for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ who shall change our vile bodies and make them like his glorious body Phil. 3. 20 21. being assured that then we shall receive that Crown of Righteousness which the righteous Judge shall give at that day to all those that love his appearing 2 Tin 4. 8. Oh then seeing we look for such things what manner of persons ought we to be in all manner of holy Conversation and Godliness giving all diligence that we may be found of him in Peace without spot and blameless O what unspeakable Comfort will the Coming of Christ bring to all his poor suffering Saints the fore-thoughts of which should support us under all our present Troubles Although it may be now we are destitute of all Creature-comforts our
after the water-brooks so panteth my soul after thee O Lord. The strongest steddiest Streams of his Desires and Loves did run after God and his Favour Thirdly He that is commanded by the World is a Friend of the World one Friend can command another so all Friends profess to one another and if they mean not so they basely dissemble Can the Profits and Pleasures of the World command your Hearts Thoughts Affections Time and Strength yea and your Consciences too Can the World keep you from serving God Can you dispense with the Service of God to attend the World then sure you are the Friends of it Fourthly Are you more intimate friendly and familiar more pleasant and joyful in the company of the People of the World And in your dealings with the things of the World are you more delighted and pleased and are as it were more in your Element and where you would be than when you are in the company of the Saints and than when you are dealing with God and Christ and heavenly things David who delighted greatly in God and in his Word and in his Saints professed himself to be a Stranger in the Earth as Psal 119. 19. When the Lord's Servants are in his work and among his People then they are in their Element then they are where they would be One day in thy House is better than a thousand Psal 84. Fifthly He that seeks the Worlds Favours and fears the Worlds Frowns more than God's is a Friend of the World A gracious Soul seeks nothing so much as God's Favour O how doth David pant after God's Favour and the light of his Countenance In thy favour saith he is life Psal 30. 6. and thy loving-kindness better than life Psal 63. 3. And how earnestly and frequently doth he pray that God would not hide his Face from him Sixthly He that is troubled more for the loss of those visible temporal things than for the loss of God or his Gospel and complains more for the want and absence of these things than for the want and absence of God such in such a degree are Friends of the World and being Friends of the World are Enemies of God Seventhly He that gives the World most Respect and best Entertainment we give our Friends most respect and best entertainment How oft hath Christ knock'd at our Doors in the Ministry of the Word and Motions of his Spirit begging our acceptance How oft hath Christ called to us in Ordinances and Providences for entertainment and we have shut our Hearts against him How oft hath the Holy Spirit been striving with us but we have grieved and quenched him by our Resistance But how easily have we entertained the Enticements of the World How readily have we embraced the Motions of the World This proves us to be Friends of the World and such are the Enemies of God By these things let us try our selves and we may know whether we be the Friends of the World or the Friends of God II. This Point is proved by Example Take our Apostle as a pregnant Instance as in the Text saying We look not at those things which are seen So in Gal. 2. 20. 6. 14. I am crucified to the world and the world is crucified to me As if he had said I am in the Eye of the World as contemprible despicable and abominable a thing as one hanged on the Cross as a Malefactor on the Gallows an Object that Passengers care not to look upon but turn away their sight from Such a one am I saith this blessed Apostle for the World said of him Away with such a fâ—llow he is not worthy to live And the world is crucified to me saith he I have a â—ow and base thoughts of the World as the World hath of me the World is as despicable and contemptible to me as I am to it I look no more upon the World than it doth upon me I do as little value the World as it doth value me And this is a full explication of his sence in the Text We look not on those things which are seen for they are temporal This is the Character of truly-gracious Souls So Gal. 5. 24. They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof Q. But how shall we know when we are crucified to the World Ans 1 When our care for visible temporal things doth not consume and eat out our care for invisible and eternal things when our care for our Bodies doth not destroy our care for our Souls Deut. 4. 9. Only take heed and keep thy soul diligently Our Souls must have our greatest care and all other cares we must cast on God Matth. 6. 33. First seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all other things shall be added 2. When the work of the World is neglected that the work of God may be attended See this in Martha's Case Luke 10. 40 41. one thing is needful 3. When altho' our Hands may be full of visible temporal things yet our Hearts are not entangled nor over-charged with them 2 Tim. 2. 4. Luke 21. 34. When our Engagements about visible temporal things do not hinder us from minding our concernments about invisible eternal things 1 Tim. 6. 19. When matters and businesses of the World are made to stand by and give place to the Service of God When praying times hearing reading meditating times are duly attended and observed And indeed we have need work while our day lasteth for there is no work wisdom or device in the Grave whither we are going All that is to be done for Eternity must be done in this world John 9. 4. 4. A man is then crucified to the world and to these visible things when he is content to be without these good things of the world when the will of the Lord is so Content to be without Friends Health Liberty Wealth Honours Pleasures Phil. 4. 11 12. Contentment is the Hearts Ease well-pleasedness with our condition without vexation or distraction to acquiesce in the holy will of God Godliness and Contentment grow both together if Contentment be little Godliness is not much if thou be truly godly then God the All-sufficient and Chief Good is thy Portion and so thou hast enough to content thee enough to make thee happy for ever It is a Paradox to the World That a gracious Soul cannot be content with the whole world only and yet can be content without it Let us seek Content where we will out of God and we shall never find it 5. And lastly when a man can patiently bear the loss of all visible temporal things then he is crucified to the world when Losses and Crosses do not sink him and make him faint as those Saints in this Chapter ver 16. and those in Heb. 10. 34. who took joyfully the spoiling of their goods And thus we have the description of a person that is crucified to the World and the
may be poor in this World yet rich in Faith and an Heir of the Kingdom as James 2. 5. and a man may be rich in this World yet poor in Soul and an Heir of Hell as we see in Dives 6. Faith is a powerful a victorious conquering Grace This is the victory that overcometh the world even our Faith Stephen was full of Faith and Power Acts 6. 8. The work of faith with power 2 Thess 1. 11. Faith brings all visible temporal things under the Believer's Feet it gives the Believer power to use the World and not to abuse it not seeking Rest and Contentment in it to use it moderately without damage and detriment to the Soul to use it for God's honour it s own spiritual advantage and the good of others and power to keep it out of the Heart Christ dwelling there by Faith to use the World and not losing our Hearts our Peace nor our Consciences in it Faith gives the Soul power to withstand the Threats and Temptations of the World and power to be willing to leave it and to go to a better World Oh the mighty power of Faith and by the Power of this Faith gracious Souls are taken off from those visible temporal things And so much for the Doctrinal Part. The Application follows First for Information If it be the Character and Duty of gracious Souls because visible things are temporal therefore they must not they do not much mind or regard them I. It follows then that Earthly-mindedness worldliness is a great Evil and very unbecoming true Christians for their minds and conversations are it Heaven Phil. 3. 19 20. There is the discriminating Character both of the gracious and ungracious a vast difference between them the one mind Earthly things the otherâ— have their conversation it Heaven Most People look on those things which are seen all seek their own things those that they count their own and those are mostly â—hiefly and principally minded as appears manifestly thus 1. By the stream of their Thoughts which runs steddily upon visible temporal things having vain Minds 2. By the common current of their Discourses their Talk is all of the World 3. By the tide of their Affections Love Joy Fear Sorrow Delight all run strongly Worldâ—â—rd 4. By the course of their Actions their Time Pain Care all is spent about the World rising early going to Bed late eating the Bread of Carefulness and all about the World This is a great Evil because expresly forbidden Matth. 6. 19. Lay not up for your selves treasures on earth Joh. 6. 27. Labour not for that meat which perisheth Col. 3. 2. Set your affections upon things above and not upon things below And this Worldly-mindedness is contrary to the Practice of true Christians as in the Text We look not on those things which are seen So Phil. 3. 20. And it is the Character of such as are in a state of Nature and that cannot please God Rom. 8. 5 8. They that are after the flesh do mind in things of the flesh Such are not crucified to the World but conquered and captivated by it yea crucified by it conquered by the Profits Honours and Pleasures of it and meer Slaves to these and crucified by the Crosses and Losses of the World their Hearts and Spirits lye under the Feet of these and are at the beck of these their Hopes and Comforts lye all at the Courtesie of the World and this is a woful Bondage Remember this we can never conclude that we are truly gracious until we have Grace enough to keep God and our Hearts together and to keep the World and our Hearts asunder 1 John 2. 14 15. Love not the world nor the things of the world for he that loveth the world the love of the Father is not in him Woe to them that have their Portion in this World Psal 17. 14. who have their good things here who have laid up their Treasures upon Earth and there have their Heart That Text Phil. 3. 19. is enough to terrifie aâ— such Their end is destruction who mind earthâ—â— things Inf. II. It follows from the Premises that Contentment with our Condition and with any portion of visible temporal things is a great Virtue and well becoming Christians Discontent proceeds from our over-minding and over-valuing and over-loving earthly things and it is a very great Evil for it practically denies God's All-sufficiency his Wisdom Soveraignty Faithfulness and Mercy it disgraceth the Gospel and Godliness and is in it self a great Plague Q. But how shall I do to be content content to be deprived of my dear Relations Estate Health Liberty c A. Read Mr. Burroughs's Book of Christian Contentment Take also these Directions 1. Labour to make God your own and then you will have a full and sufficient Ballance to all your Losses He is God All-sufficient Weigh well those two Scriptures 1 Sam. 30. 6. 2 Sam. 23. 5. 2. Labour to make Christ your own he offers himself to you in the Gospel with all he is and with all he hath And in him dwelleth all fulness he is all in all Psal 23. 1. The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want said David 3. Search the Scriptures and be acquainted with the many exceeding great and precious Promises that are there suitable to every Condition you can be in Act your Faith on them and apply them lye upon and suck those full Breasts of Consolation 4. Pray for Contentment and pray earnestly for the manifestation of God's Love to your Souls and that will so satisfie and content you that any measure of earthly things will content you 5. Be much in Heavenly Meditations look upon invisible and eternal things spend serious frequent fixed Thoughts on them 6. Consider your Deserts No person in the World how little soever he hath of the good things of the World but hath much more than he deserveth and more than he doth well improve and how much soever he hath of the evil things of the World he hath infinitely less than he deserved for every thing out of Hell is a Mercy It 's of the Lord's Mercy we are not consumed 7. Consider if you be true Christians you have the Spirit of Christ in you Rom. 8. 9. Jesus Christ had a most contented Spirit Contentment is the inseparable Companion of true Godliness 1 Tim. 6. 8. Having food and raiment let us be content Let us that are Christians who have the Great GOD for our Portion and Blessed Jesus for our Treasure and Heaven for our Inheritance having Food and Raiment any Food any Raiment though never so coarse let us be content content with such things as we have Heb. 13. 5. Inf. III. Thirdly hence it follows also that great is the Folly of all by Nature and great is their Blindness which appears in this that they value prize mind and follow after visible temporal things much more eagerly and earnestly than after invisible eternal things
is the sum of the Gospel Acts 20. 21. Repentance towards God and Faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ Repentance in order to the obtaining of our Pardon Acts 3. 19. Repent and be converted that your sins may be blotted out when the time of refreshing shall come Acts 5. 31. Christ is exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance and remission of sins Job 22. 21. And by Faith in Christ we take hold of God's Strength Isa 27. 5. Which is the mercy of God in Christ this is the strength of God to save sinners Lay hold then on this Strength of God viz. the Mercy of God in Christ and so shall we make Peace with God Rom. 5. 1. Being justified by faith we have peace with God Make sure and sound work then in Repentance and Faith let us often try our Repentance and Faith dally not nor delay in this business we are all upon the Borders of Eternity we are all near those invisible eternal things This is the common Counsel we give every body on their Sick-beds You must make your peace with God we say but how this may be done few know or mind O let us mind those great matters Have we unfeignedly repented from dead Works unto Life Is all Sin hated and sought out Are we truly converted Acts 26. 18. 3. 19. Sound Conversion a thorow Change of Heart and Life is the surest sign of true Repentance Have we Faith in Jesus Christ the Faith of God's Elect Faith unfeigned that purifieth the Heart worketh by Love overcometh the World unites to Christ and draws Life from him to live as he lived and walk as he walked Let us try our Repentance by these Texts Jer. 31. 19. Joel 2. 14. Isa 55. 7. Matt. 3. 8. Heb. 6. 1. Thorow Examination of Heart and Life Clear Confession Hearty Humiliation Self-Abhorrency Thorow Reformation will prove our Repentance true and sound Q. How shall I know that I have truly believed A. Haft thou found it an hard Work to believe a Work altogether above thy own Power Haft thou seen and felt thy loft Estate by Nature Haft thou seen the Excellency of Christ and thy absolute necessity of him Is he most precious to thy Soul Hath thy Soul been drawn to Christ made heartily willing to close with Christ upon his own Terms to take him for your only Lord and Saviour hath all this been wrought in thee by the Word Dost thou value Faith as a Jewel Dost thou rely on Christ and trust him with all things and for all things Doth this bring Peace to thy Soul Dost thou draw Life and Strength from Christ Doth thy Faith in him support thee in Trouble What Service doth it do thee in time of Trouble It is the greatest Support the poor Saints have in all their Afflictions as Heb. 11. throughout Our great Business lies upon making sure and clear the Truth of our Repentance and Faith and we must go to God for both for they are his special gifts Also we must go to Christ he is the Author and Giver of them Acts 5. 31. Heb. 12. 1 2. And we should be often trying our Repentance and Faith for without these no Soul can ever attain unto Salvation and with them no Soul shall ever miss it The penitent Believers are the only heirs of the Promises all the great and glorious things of the other World which the faithful God who cannot lye hath promised and which our Blessed Jesus hath purchased with his most precious Blood they do ill belong to penitent Believers and to none else The exceeding great and precious Promises are those sweet Breasts of Consolation which they should lye upon and suck continually and by two immutable things to wit the Word and Oath of God wherein it is impossible that God should lye these Promises are confirmed that the heirs of the Promises might have not weak but strong Consolation Heb. 6. 17. Fourth Vse for Lamentation These things are to be lamented I. The great ignorance of those invisible eternal things Our Lord lamented and wept over Jerusalem for this Luke 19. 21 22. If thou hadst known at least in this thy day the things that belong to thy peace It is a lamentable thing that People living under the clearest Discoveries and brightest Displays of those invisible eternal things should yet be so grosly ignorant of them and so unacquainted with them as God complains of Israel Hos 4. 1 6. 8. 12. No knowledge of God in the Land though it was the only Land in all the World then that had the means of Knowledge Hos 8. 12. I have written to them the great things of my law but they have counted them strange things Look over those particulars afore-mentioned and we shall find that there is very little true distinct knowledge of them in the Land Obj. But we do know these things Ans If we do know God why do we not obey him Tit. 1. 16. To profess to know God and in works to deny him is the Character of a Reprobate Why do we not trust him Psal 9. 10. They that know his name will put their trust in him 1 John 2. 3 4. 4. 17. What likeness have most Men and Women to God and Christ What Fruits of the Spirit do appear Gil. 5. 22. but the Fruits of the Flesh are manifest What Power Sweetness and Comfort do Men find in the Word and Promises how little are most affected when they read or hear of all the great things purchased by Christ and prepared in Heaven for Believers What fixed delightful Thoughts and serious Meditations are spent upon these things Alas alas whose Conscience doth not accuse him Whose Heart that hath any tenderness doth not smite him for his neglect of this While I am writing this my Conscience flies in my Face and chargeth me with guilt O pardon me Lord through the Blood of Christ and give me true Repentance Let me be ashamed and even confounded for my woful neglect of minding invisible eternal things I am convinced of my guilt and blessed be God for that O give me an heavenly heart let in more of Heaven to my heart O shew thy self to me Or take me up to thee II. It is a Lamentable thing that those high glorious invisible eternal things should be so little believed by us They are little known but less believed They cannot but be known to us in some measure they have been so often preach'd to us and we have so often read of them Their sound hath gone out to the ends of the earth Rom. 10. 19. Did not Israel know Doth not England know Then we must be stark deaf and blind Some Knowledge in our heads we must needs have but certainly here is the Root-Sin the Spring of all Ungodliness even Unbelief whatever People profess these things are not believed People are not fully perswaded in their Hearts and Souls of the Truth of the Excellency and of
off and mind thy Everlasting Rest in good-earnest and lay out thy self to the utmost to secure thy Title to it Lord be merciful to me according to thy loving kindness and according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out all my Transgressions Thus have I said a little concerning this far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory of the Preparatives to it of the Properties of it and of the People that shall certainly possess it to their everlasting consolation And what shall I say now but that Shame should cover my Face and Sorrow fill my Heart for that I am so little oh so little affected with these great things Oh what a hard earthly Heart have I Oh that all those that shall read or hear what I have written may have their Hearts more affected with these things and that they may be perswaded and enabled in the strength of God to put forth all their Power in the use of all means while they have time to be assured on good grounds that they are the persons designed for this Glory And oh that you and I would now examine our Hearts and States about this Let us in the presence of God ask our selves these few serious Questions Are we the Children of God they only are Heirs to this Glory Have we out of a true sense of our Sin and Misery heartily accepted of the Lord Jesus Christ for our only Lord and Saviour really yielded up our whole selves to his government Are we truly regenerated our Natures changed God's Image repaired on us and his Spirit living and ruling in us Do we hold out the Life of Christ in our Life and are we like God Have we actually entred into Covenant with God in Christ and chosen him for our only Happiness and Portion giving up our selves unfeignedly to be the Lord's Let us deal uprightly with our selves and if our Consciences can witness for us that it is thus with us then may we be confident that all our Afflictions shall work and prepare us for that Glory I proceed now to shew how those light and short Afflictions of the People of God in this World are singularly useful and influential to work them for and to work for them this far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory And that these waies First By discovering imbittering curing and removing those things which undiscovered uncured and uncleansed would utterly deprive us of that far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory What those things are you may easily judge they are our Sins our Corruptions our Iniquities the Evils of our Hearts and Lives the filthiness of Flesh and Spirit these not purged away will most certainly exclude from Glory as 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. Col. 3. 5 6. Rev. 21. 27. No unclean thing shall ever enter into the New Jerusalem Now Afflictions are useful to discover Sin to aggravate and imbitter Sin to cleanse and cure the Soul and so to prepare it for Glory 1. To discover Sin Afflictions enlighten mens Eyes One calls Afflictions the Christian's Eye-bright Man is full of Self-love and this Love is blind and blinding and Man's Heart is deceitful and ignorant his Mind is dark Man is born blind spiritually blind Men see not their Sin and Misery Rev. 3. 17. until God discover their Sins to them which He doth as by his Word and Spirit so by Afflictions Deut. 8. 2. Gen. 42. 22. 1 Kin. 17. 18. God doth by his Rod shew Men their Iniquities A very Pharoah sees and acknowledgeth his Sin in his Affliction So did the Jews Isa 59. 11. And it 's usual for men to cry out on their Sins in their Trouble Oh then my Pride my Covetousness my Prophaneness my Frowardness c. of which they would not hear before 2ly Afflictions are very useful to aggravate and imbitter Sin Those Sins that were sweet in time of Prosperity and seemed small or nothing but Mole-hills as it were light and little prove bitter and grievous even as heavy as Mountains Were not David's Sins so to him See Psal 38. 3 4 5. Our Lord Jesus in Matth. 11. 28 29. maketh this sense of the bitterness of Sin a fit qualification of Souls to come to him that in him they may find Rest which Rest is the beginning at least of that far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory When and where Sin is aggravated and becomes bitter and burdensome to a Soul then and there Christ Grace and Glory becomes sweet and amiable Usually in Prosperity Sin is sweet or at least accounted small Is it not a little one Oh the Excuses Shifts Evasions and Pleas that in Prosperity men study to extenuate and lessen Sin They feel but little weight in great Sins the Sins of Youth Vain-talking Jesting officious Lying neglect of Duty worldly Talk on the Lord's day c. who feels the ponderous weight of such Sins in time of Prosperity Now Afflictions serve to imbitter sweet Sins and to aggravate small sins Job 13. 26 27. then he remembers the Sins of his Youth and looks on them otherwise than he did before In Youth great Sins seem small as Disobedience to Parents wasting time prophaning the Lord's day Lying c. but in Afflictions they lyo heavy as we see in Joseph's Brethren Gen. 42. 22. 3ly To cure and cleanse Sin Psal 119. 67. Jerem. 31. 18. Eminent is the Example of Manasses on whom Afflictions wrought a wonderful change 2 Chron. 33. And this comes to pass in that Afflictions when God blesseth them they work Repentance This is one of God's ends in sending Afflictions upon his People his Children whom he loves dearly Dan. 11. 33 34 35. It is to make them white and clean to purge away their Iniquity Isa 27. 9. And thus Afflictions are influential on God's People to work them for and to work for theâ—â— a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory for none are fit for this glory until sin be imbittered to them and they purged and cleansed from their Sins in the Fornace of Affliction but all through the vertue of the Blood of Christ 1 Joh. 1. 7 9. Secondly Afflictions are useful to prepare for Glory by being means of God's Appointment and Blessing to work gracious and happy Changes on men without which they can never come to glory All men must have mighty great and wonderful Changes made upon them before they can be glorified Now to effect these gracious Changes God useth various means as principally his Spirit his Word his Rod and many times he makes his Rod to do that and to work that great Change on Men which his Spirit and Word without the Rod could not do because of Mens resistance of the Spirit and Word but when the Rod comes they cannot resist that By the Rod he makes the Proud to stoop and become humble as in Nebuchadnezzar's Case c. The Rod and the Word work Wonders when God by his Spirit works in them and with them
Afflictions change even such as were Beasts into Men yea into Saints Jer. 31. 18. I was saith Ephraim as a Bullock a Beast before I was chastized but being chastized I spake like a man yea like a child of God Afflictions working effectually work this Change Psal 119. 67. so on Manasses many a Child of God can witness this Truth Thirdly Afflictions both drive and draw God's People nearer to him they wandered before they went a whoring from God after other Lovers but Afflictions bring them home Psal 142. 4 5. As the natural Spirits in the Body retire inward and get close to the Heart in cold weather and in any danger outward so the Souls of God's People draw nearest to God in times of Storms and Tempests in the World Psal 31. from ver 9 to 16. his Troubles made him take Sanctuary in God and to trust in him I trusted in the Lord I said Thou art my God Fourthly Afflictions destroy that great Impediment that unfits for Glory and that is Earthly-mindedness inordinate Love of the Creature Phil. 3. 19. Earthly-mindedness fits for Destruction and not for Salvation Afflictions are intended to wean our Hearts from the World to crucifie our Affections to Earthly things And this effect they had on our Apostle here and upon the Primitive Christians as Verse the last We look not say they on those things which are seen for they are temporal All Creature-enjoyments which Worldlings set their Hearts upon and labour so eagerly after we value them not we care not much for them our Hearts are weaned from them we are crucified to the World and the World is crucified to us but we look to those things which are not seen we mind and think on and hope and believe and joy in those things which are not seen our Hearts are in Heaven set upon the unseen God the unseen Glory there the unseen Jesus And whence came they to be wrought into this blessed heavenly frame but much by the Blessing of God on their Afflictions God's Spirit working in and with their Afflictions this deadness of Affection to the World and raising up their Hearts towards Heaven So their Afflictions were useful to them to prepare them for Glory Fifthly By working in us and exercising in us those Graces to which Glory is promised Rom. 5. 3 5. Tribulation worketh Patience and Patience Experience and Experience Hope Yea God's Spirit makes Afflictions useful to work Holiness Heb. 12. 10. to make God's Children partakers of his Holiness without which no man shall see God So Jam. 1. 12. Happy is the man that endureth temptation for when he is tryed he shall receive a crown of glory which God hath promised to them that love him And in hope of this glory God's People rejoyce in their Tribulations Sixthly Afflictions quicken God's People to all diligence and seriousness in the use of all God's means to obtain Glory they quicken to Self-examination I considered my ways saith David They make them search their Hearts and try their ways Afflictions make them put away their Idols helping on the work of Reformation quicken them to Prayer then they cry unto the Lord and pour out their Hearts before him and God loves to hear their Cries then they wrestle with God in Prayer and then they are serious in their Reproofs Admonitions and Instructions of others then also they labour to act their Faith and their Love to God and Christ and to set their Affection upon things above and to look to their Sincerity and Uprightness Unto all those things we are too backward in time of Prosperity but in trouble we are awakened and quickened Lastly Afflictions prepare God's People for glory by working in them strong Desires fervent Pantings and Breathings after that far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory When holy David was in a barren Wilderness where no Waters of Earthly Comforts were to be had oh then his Soul and Flesh and all did thirst after God Psal 63. 1 2 3 8. then his Soul followed hard after God So Psal 42. 1 2 3 4. in Prosperity our Souls follow too hard after the Creature after the lying dying vanities of this World Oh how are we enamoured with these fading Beauties and Braveries How eagerly do we pursue the Profits and Pleasures of the World we may with Shame and Sorrow confess it but when our Heavenly Father strips us of all our pleasant things plucks our fairest Flowers out of our Hands and snatches our dearest Comforts out of our Bosoms oh then what Breathings and Pantings after God the light of his Countenance and the manifestations of his Love When Earth is gone then Heaven is welcome when the Creature is gone then Christ is sweet Before I come to the Application three Questions shall be resolved Q. 1. How must Afflictions be so born as that they may thus work 2. How must they be improved to attain this end 3. Who are the People interested in this Priviledge Q. 1. How must Afflictions be born that they may work thus to prepare us for that far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory Of all these Questions I have treated on other Texts which may be seen in my Notes Yet briefly Answ That our Afflictions may thus work we must be sure to bear them as Christians our Carriage and Deportment in them and under them must be as becometh Christians that is in such a Christian manner as Christ did bear his Sufferings We must set Christ before us for our Example to imitate him and we must set the Saints of God before us for our Example also and bear our Afflictions as they bore theirs And also we must bear them according to the Rules of Christianity set down in the Gospel and that is we must bear our Afflictions quietly silently patiently submissively contentedly willingly cheerfully and constantly So did our Lord Jesus and so did the Saints and so must we if we will have this great benefit by them that they may prepare us for Glory Q. 2. How must we improve them Ans By the conscientious practice of these Duties First Serious Consideration In the day of Adversity consider Eccles 7. 14. Do we suffer Let us consider for whom for what from whom we suffer Consider what our Lord hath suffered for us what our Sins have deserved and what our special Duties are in time of Afflictions Let us fill up our Thoughts with these serious considerations and dwell some time in the Meditations of them and let them sink into our Minds and it will much help us in the spiritual improvement of our Afflictions for our great advantage The want of this due consideration God chargeth on the Jews as a very great Sin Jer. 5. 3. I have smitten them but they have not grieved c. God expects that when he smites us we should lay it to Heart ponder upon it and consider it or else know this that there is a more dreadful stroke of hardness
upon thy Heart than there is upon thy out-comforts for then without this due Consideration no Duty is performed nor Benefit received by all our Afflictions 1. In time of Affliction consider the vanity of the Creature When God deprives us of our outward Comforts takes away our dearest Relations now consider what vain things they are that we promise our selves so much Comfort and Contentment in how soon they wither one stroke from God separates us and them they are gone We can talk of the Vanity of the Creature but it is never so well learned as when God teacheth by our own Experience other mens Experience is not so much to us Isa 40. 6 7. All flesh is grass all Creature-enjoyments are withering grass 2. Consider the Evil of Sin Are we in any Affliction are we in Pain under any Trouble Let us now consider what Sin is which is the cause of all those Miseries These are the bitter Fruits of Sin 3. Consider also the End and Design of God in our Afflictions Shew me wherefore thou contendest with me What Provocation have we given God What have we done 4. What Errand and Message is this Affliction come upon Surely God hath sent it upon some Errand what is his meaning 5. Consider also the merciful and gracious Disposition of God towards his People in Affliction Deut. 8. 5. Heb. 12. 6. Rev. 3. 19. He is grieved for them Isa 63. 9. In all their Afflictions he is afflicted he doth not afflict willingly he loves them when he corrects them 6. Consider God's fatherly Affection to his Children in Affliction Lam. 3. 33. Judg. 10. 16. Jer. 31. 20. My bowels are turned for him Heb. 4. 15. Zech. 2. 8. they that touch them touch the apple of his Eye Psal 103. 13. God pittieth them as a Father doth his Children Therefore let us pray as the Church Isa 26. 8. In the way of thy judgments have we waited for thee So Isa 63. 15. 7. Consider God's gracious moderation of his Peoples Afflictions Isa 27. 7 8. He afflicts in measure He stayeth his rough wind in the day of the east wind He doth not punish as we deserve Job 34. 23. Psal 103. 10. Job 11. 6. 2. He will keep us from sinking Lam. 3. 22. 2Cor 4. 8 9 10. Though troubled on every side yet not distressed perplexed yet not in despair persecuted but not forsaken cast down but not destroyed 2Cor 6. 9. see his gracious Promise 1 Cor. 10. 13. God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it Job 23. 6. Will he plead against me with his great power No but he would put strength in me Psal 37. 24. The Lord upholdeth with his hand 3. He will not be always wrath Isa 57. 16. It shall be for a moment and no more Lam. 3. 31. He will not cast off for ever 2 Cor. 1. 10. He hath delivered he doth deliver and will deliver Psal 126. 5. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy 4. He orders all the Circumstances of our Troubles the Time how long the Place where the Quality what kind the Measure how much All the Powers of Men and Devils are not able to add a dram to the weight nor a drop to the measure of what our gracious Father hath appointed for us All these seven Considerations will exceedingly help us to make a profitable improvement of our Afflictions for the preparing of us for that far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory And also these Considerations will very much help us to carry and behave our selves aright and as Christians under afflictive Providences which is the right way to attain the benefit of them It is an hard thing for a man to carry himself well under a smiling Providence but an harder thing for a man to carry himself well under a smiting Providence which was hinted before Secondly But a little more to shew how we ought to carry our selves under Afflictions that so we may receive the Blessings and Benefits of them which we may lose by our Miscarriages 1. When any Affliction befals you Be silent before the Lord for he hath put you to silence Do not murmur quarrel fret or be discontented I believe a better sign of an honest and upright Heart can scarcely be found than for a man to love God the more for his afflicting of him and to cleave the faster to God when God cuts off his earthly Comforts from him Oh be silent before the Lord Zech. 2. 13. Lam. 3. 28. 2. Be humble under God's hand for that is his end in afflicting lye down at his Feet Jam. 4. God is humbling of you now then humble your own Souls labour to break your own Hearts in the sense of your Sins and to lye low before the Lord. 3. Acknowledge God's Righteousness and justifie him even when he striketh the heaviest stroke let the blow be never so great upon your most desirable Mercies yet acquit God do not charge him foolishly and say he dealeth hardly Psal 51. 4. God must be acquitted and justified tho' he should condemn us unto everlasting wrath lev 26. 41. This is to accept of the punishment of our Iniquities 4. Search your hearts and try your ways Laâ— 3. 40. find out the Achans the Jonabs the Dalilah Jer. 8. 6. when the Lord sends any Affliction upon his People he hearkens to hear what they speak The Lord hearkened and heard and there was none that smote upon his thigh saying What have I done Our Work now in Affliction is to enquire What Sins have I committed what Duties have I omitted Now make a diligent search 5. Pour out your Hearts to God in Prayer this is our great relief and ease in time of Affliction Jam. 5. 13. Is any afflicted let him pray Now pray earnestly fervently cry to God Let us never think to heal the wound that the stroke of God hath made any other way go not to merâ—y Company and the Affairs and Delights of the World for a Cure Pray for a Blessing on the Rod Pray that God will shew you his End in afflicting you and that he will make up what he hath removed from you by the enjoyment of himself Pray for Suffering Graces for Faith and Patience It is a sad thing when Afflictions are on Men if they know not how to ease themselves by Prayer 6. If by Affliction the Lord discover any particular Evil to thy Soul then break off that Wickedness by speedy Repentance and Reformation or else you frustrate the very End of God in afflicting you and you provoke the Lord to go on with stroke upon stroke until you are consumed Iâ— the Lord smite any of you for any particular Sâ—â— you live in and he convince your Conscience of it do not continue in the practice of that Sin for a World for when once
we must not despise them II. The second is That we must not faint under them nor grow weary of them This is the other Extream that we must carefully avoid Seeing Afflictions which are but light and short work for us and work us for that far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory therefore we must not grow weary under them By this weariness in general I mean a sinking of Spirit a despondency of Heart under the Rod when a man is as we say Crest-faln and without Spirit so that he cannot bear up his Spirit fails in the day of Adversity when a man is willing to throw off the burthen before God takes it off is Job 4. 5. Psal 88. 14 15. I am afflicted and ready to dye from my youth up while I suffer thy terrors I am distracted Thy fierce wrath goeth over me by terrors have cut me off Thus spake Heman a choice Saint Here I shall briefly shew 1. the Cause 2. the Cure of this Weariness that we may the better avoid it 1. First the Cause and that is manifold as first from Man himself we our selves are the Causes of this Weariness in a threefold respect as 1. Our not expecting Troubles In Health we look not for Sickness and when Troubles come unexpectedly they make us weary 2ly Our over-valuing of our earthly Comforts 3ly Because in truth we are more sensible of our Losses than of our Enjoyments 2. In regard of the Affliction it self 1st When it swells to any great height 2ly When Afflictions are multiplied one upon the back of another 3ly When they be of long continuance 4ly When inflicted on the nobler parts and upon the Spirit 5ly When but little support but few Comforters or miserable Comforters few to help to bear the burthen 6ly When they are heavy and ordinarily they are heavy because Sin is light and Glory is light for when Sin lies heavy on the Soul and Heaven much in the Heart Afflictions are much lighter on the Body Nil sentit in nervo cum aniâ—â— sit in Coelo 3. In regard of God He puts Lead into sonâ— mens Burthens sometimes he sets home Sin and Wrath upon the Conscience and then men grow weary 4. In regard of the Devil he doth his utmost to imbitter every Trouble and adds his Tempations to make it more intolerable So much â—â— the Cause of Weariness 2. Secondly for the Cure We must labour to avoid this Weariness under Affliction and thaâ— we may take these Directions 1 Direct 1st Let us urge our Heavenly Father Command upon our own hearts and the Command of our Lord Jesus upon our selves See the express Command of God Prov. 3. 11. Heb. 12. 5. Be not weary of his chastisements faint not when thâ—â— art corrected Thus speaks our Heavenly Father to his Children And the Command of our Lord Christ is express also John 14. 1. Let not your hearts be troubled Whatever affliction befals you let not your Hearts be troubled Let us urge these Commands upon our selves Consider we 1. Is there any cause of Heart-trouble when our Heavenly Father the great Lord of Heaven and Earth hath his will which we daily pray for All our Troubles are by the Will of God 2. When the great Proprietor and Owner of all things doth most wisely and most righteously dispose of his own 3. When we are called to render back but what we had borrowed Our Health Estates Liberty Relations Life it self all were but lent us 4. When lesser Mercies are removed that greater and better may be bestowed 5. When we have our Iniquities purged which is the sure Evidence that they are pardoned and that we are made more conformable to Christ and so sitted for nearer and fuller Communion with God 6. When our Graces are tryed and acted and so made more apparent and illustrious 7. When by all our Afflictions we are prepared for that far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory Let us weigh all these things well and they will help us against Weariness And for our further help against Heart-trouble see my Discourse on John 14. 1 2 3. 2. That we may not grow weary of God's Chastisements let us urge Reason also upon our selves as thus If I grow weary I break the express Command of my Heavenly Father and disobey the Counsel of my Dear Lord 2. If I grow weary it argues my Unbelief for who would grow weary of long and grievous Afflictions that did fully believe the gracious ends and designs of God in them and his sweet Promises to his afflicted People and that Afflictions are in the Covenant that they are the Fruits of God's Fatherly Love and shall surely work for our good that the Cross is the way to the Crown Who believes these things and yet is weary Again By Weariness we make our Burthens heavier than God intends them to be Cheerfulness and Patience makes them lighter The like Affliction to a patient humble contented Christian is much lighter than to another fretful weary and discontented person Now it is possible we may make our Burthens heavier than God intends them thus 1st When we think no Trouble like ours Consider Job's Case Trouble was upon all his Relations all his Estate upon his Body Soul and All. 2ly When we let loose our Passions to run whither they will without any restraint 3ly When we refuse the Comforts that God sends us So did good Jacob Gen. 37. 35. 4ly When we continually fix our Thoughts on our Afflictions and are always poring on them so that all the Mercies that we enjoy are quite swallowed up And have we any reason to greaten our own Burthens And again by our Weariness we dishonour God and discomfort our selves and discourage others 3. Thirdly Serious Consideration laying to heart and pondering upon several things that may prevent this weariness as 1. Consider what this Weariness signifieth and implies it hath very ill significations for to be weary signifieth a want or at least a great weakness of Faith for he that believeth maketh not haste want of Hope for we must hope to the end want of Patience for Patience must have her perfect work which is to last as long as Trouble lasts want of Love for Love endeareth all things or at least a great weakness of those Graces 2. Consider God is long-suffering He hath waited long on us 3. It hath been the Practice of all the Saints in all Ages to wait on God 4. That by our weariness we limit the Holy One of Israel and do indeed call in question all the glorious Attributes of God his Power Wisdom Faithfulness Let us consider these things 5. Consider that they that suffer without weariness they are blessed and happy Job 5. 17. Psal 94. 12. Jam. 1. 12. Blessed are they that endure that is that suffer without weariness 6. Consider that Afflictions are signs of our Sonship Heb. 12. and signs of God's Fatherly love 7. Consider God's good and gracious Ends Isa
promised prepared Inheritance they live in hope of Eternal Life Tit. 1. 2. and rejoyce in hope of glory Rom. 5. 2 They live in hope of a better Resurrection they groan after their House in Heaven they seek a Country an heavenly and therefore they cannot but mind and intend look unto and aim at those invisible eternal things Our natural Life much less our spiritual Life doth not consist in the things which we possess that is in visible temporal things for in God we live move and have our being VI. Because these invisible eternal things are the only things that are suitable and satisfying to the Souls of gracious persons Earthly things are not suitable to Heaven-born Souls Riches Honours Pleasures not suitable nor satisfying to immortal Souls which are begotten of God Earthly things are no Bread for Souls Isa 55. 2 3 4. John 6. 27. They are all but Ashes but Wind Husks Chaff not Food for Souls these are suitable to the Body Meats for the Belly and the Belly for Meats but God and Christ and the Word c. for the Soul for the renewed gracious Soul other things will not content it VII Because these invisible eternal things are the best the choicest the chiefest the most excellent things the principal things as all will confess and therefore most worthy to be minded and looked after Phil. 4. 8. GOD and Glory Heaven and Happiness are the best things for certain Heb. 10. 34. 11. 16. The Saints Happiness lies in those invisible eternal things They may be happy without visible temporal things but they can never be happy without the other And indeed all visible temporal things are not worth minding at all in comparison of the other Oh that we could believe this and act accordingly VIII Because those things are most sure and certain incorruptible and undefiled and that fade not away Matth. 6. 19. nor moth nor rust nor thieves can spoil us of these 1 Cor. 9. 25. Heb. 11. 9 10. 13. 14. 1 Pet. 1. 4. Psal 48. 14. This God will be our God for ever None can say so of Relations or Possessions of Health Wealth or Liberty Jesus Christ is the Believer's for ever their Joy is everlasting none can take it from them their Peace is everlasting their Kingdom everlasting IX Because by minding of and by setting their Affections upon those invisible eternal things they are much freed and discharged from the Snares Fears Cares Sorrows Entanglements Incumbrances and Temptations that accompany the minding of those visible temporal things Nil sentit in Nervo cum Anima sit in Coelo Oh the intolerable Burthens the unavoidable Snares Cares and Fears that attend these earthly things how are the Minds of Men rack'd tortured distracted distempered macerated with these while they mind them eagerly and inordinately What cross Passages fall out what Disappointments do they meet with how strangely are mens Minds bewitched with these things what unruly Passions are oftentimes stirred up and thence they break out into many uncomely words and actions piercing themselves thorow with many Sorrows 1 Tim. 6. 10. Against this our Lord caution'd his Disciples Luk. 21. 34. Take heed lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness and cares of this life And by these worldly entanglements many times God is forgotten Conscience wounded Peace broken Guilt contracted Duty neglected and Sorrows multiplied But now when we can get off our Hearts from Earthly things and can get them up above these things and can fix our Minds upon those high and heavenly things how are our Spirits discharged and disburthened and our Minds eased and quieted Psal 63. 5 6. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness When I remember thee upon my bed and meditate on thee in the night-watches O the sweet Peace and Tranquility of Mind that those enjoy that look above and live above and have their conversation in Heaven who walk with God and talk with God and constantly converse with things above To be spiritually minded is life and peace Rom. 8. 6. X. Because by this minding Heavenly things the Saints get good Proof and Evidence of their Title unto and of their Interest in God and Christ and to those invisible eternal things 1 Joh. 5. 4. Col. 3. 1 2 3. Joh. 3. 6. 1 Cor. 15. 48. This is a good Proof that we belong to God and Heaven because we mind them and set our Hearts upon them XI Because by the minding of those things above the People of God are wonderfully supported under all their Troubles in this Life and by their Heavenly-mindedness their Troubles are alleviated and sweetned to them as in the Text and Context We faint not while we look not at those things which are seen for they are temporal but at those things which are not seen for they are eternal By our looking off from temporal things and by our looking on upon eternal things we are supported under all our Sufferings XII And Lastly Because this is the way to salvation For if the end of those who mind earthly things be Destruction as Phil. 3. 19. then the end of those who mind Heavenly things must be Salvation Thus much for the grounds of the Point Q. But wherein consists this Duty of looking unto invisible eternal things What is this minding of them And how must this Work be managed Ans 1. It consists in the distinct knowing and right understanding of those invisible eternal things to know God and Christ the Mystery of God and Godliness Col. 2. 3. Ephes 1. 17 18. Let us pray as the Apostle doth there That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of glory would give unto us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him That the eyes of our understandings may be enlightned c. 2. In a full perswasion of Heart of the Reality and transcendent Excellency of those invisible eternal things that they are indeed the most real the most substantial and the most excellent things infinitely surpassing all temporal things Phil. 3. 8 9. Psal 73. 25. If we believe not this and be not fully perswaded of this that Heavenly things are incomparably better than Earthly things we shall never set our Hearts upon them 3. In the frequent and lively Actings of Faith Love Desire Hope Hungrings Thirstings Pantings Breathings Longings and Expectations upon and after those Heavenly things Psal 42. 1 2. 63. 1 2 3 8. Isa 26. 9. Oh that I had a clearer fuller sight of God more acquaintance with my Blessed Jesus more spiritual relish of Divine things more experience of the saving workings of the Holy Spirit more sense of the fatherly love of God in Christ Oh that I had clearer Evidences of my title to Everlasting Rest Oh that the Love of God may be shed abroad on my Heart abundantly Oh that I could taste more sweetness and feel more Power in the Word and Promises Oh that
glory that Everlasting Rest in the full and perfect enjoyment of the Blessed God for ever thought on minded and laboured after more but because these things are not fully believed O cursed Unbelief Men believe that Life Liberty Health Honour Estate c. are good things and therefore they mind them and labour after them and count no Pains too much to obtain them labouring as it were in the Fire to get those things Those that believed those better things in the other World counted those visible temporal things of this World but Toyls and Trifles Heb. 10. 34. 2 Cor. 5. 1 2 3 4. So Heb. 11. throughout It is our Unbelief is the cause why God and Christ and Heaven have so little of our hearts and minds so little of our thoughts and affections Oh let us all bitterly bewail our Unbelief Lord subdue and pardon it These are the Hinderances II. The Means to help us to this Work that we may most seriously and most heartily mind invisible eternal things 1. First We must labour clearly to know and understand the Truth and Reality the exceeding Greatness and Excellency of those invisible eternal things as was hinted before Our ignorance of them is much the cause why we mind them no more Ignoti nulla Cupido No man minds or loves what he knows not Let us set our Hearts in earnest to consider what it is to enjoy God who is All-fulness what it is to have Fellowship with the Father and the Son what it is to have Communion with the Holy Ghost to have the gracious Presence of the Holy Spirit to feel the Work the Witness the Sealing the Joy the Consolation of the Holy Spirit all which all true Christians know and feel in some measure and rejoice in them Consider also what it is to live in Christ and to have Christ to live in us to dwell in our Hearts to manifest his Love to us to come in to us to sup with us and we with him to take up his Abode with us what it is to know the Power of his Death and the Vertue of his Resurrection to be made one with him joyned married to him made one Spirit with him and what it is to be made like him here and what it is to be made like him hereafter both in Soul and Body â—ad to appear with him in Glory at last and to be for ever glorified with him what it is to see this Face and to dwell in his presence for ever Oh chese are the only things that are worthy of all our Hearts and Minds most worthy of all our Affections and Desires of all our Labourings Longings Pantings Breathings Hungrings and Thirstings of Soul Oh shame on us all that we spend our Affections on Toys and Trifles on Dreams Fancies and Shadows Oh that such Folly and Madness such Brutishness should possess us Let us lament and lament it And let us labour to know and understand those high and excellent things and let us be fully perswaded of them and of their infinite worth and value These things are worth glorying and rejoycing in Jer. â—â— 23 24. Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom But let him that glorieth glory in this that he understandeth and knoweth me that I am the Lord which exercise loving-kindness judgment and righteousness in the earth for in these things I delight saith the Lord. Let us consider also the exceeding-great and precious Promises and what our Blessed Jesus hath purchased and what God hath prepared for his People in the other World and let us ponder upon and by Meditation work these things into our Hearts and Minds Labour for a distinct knowledge of all those things Labour to prove your particular Right and Title to all those invisible eternal good things and then you will mind them indeed A bare Knowledge of them without an Interest in them will do you no good No wise man will much mind those things in which he hath no Interest let us then search and try whether we have any true Title to these things whether we have any good and solid ground to hope that we shall one day be possest of them and shall certainly enjoy them Then we shall think of them and speak of them with Joy and Comfort when we can say with Paul There is laid up for me a crown of righteousness And we know that when the earthly house of this tabernacle is dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens We all hope to enjoy that promised purchased Inheritance all hope to see God in Glory and to be happy but let us try our Title by the Word of God by that Word which must judge us all at the last day We may easily deceive our selves as those in Matth. 7. 21 22. and as the foolish Virgins no Deceit so easie nor so common nor so dangerous for it is irrecoverable and a little serious tryal might prevent this Self-deceiving Self-searching may prevent Self-deceiving and Self-undoing Briefly then let us ask our selves Is Jesus Christ ours Then All is ours All depends on this If Christ be ours God is ours Pardon Life Salvation Heaven and Earth is ours 1 Cor. 3. 22 23. Are we Christ's really and sincerely his Then He is ours My beloved is mine and I am his Are we his all we are his Hearts Heads Tongues Time Talents are we all his Are we new Creatures 2 Cor. 5. 17. If any man be in Christ he is a new creature Mark it a new Creature all old things are pass'd away and behold all things are become new new Insides new Out-sides new Principles new Ends new Affections new Desires new Delights new Company new Language all new if new Creatures Have we the Spirit of Christ in us If any man have not the spirit of Christ the same is none of his Rom. 8. 9. Doth Christ live in us Is Christ most precious to us Do we believe in him Let us try the truth of our Faith doth it purifie our Hearts Doth it work by Love by Love to Christ to all that hath the Image of Christ on it Doth it overcome the World Doth it support under Trouble Let us see that it be Faith unfeigned the Faith of God's Elect. Have we with all our Hearts chosen the Lord for our Portion and placed our Happiness in him fixed our best Loves Desires and Delights in him and have we resigned up our whole selves cordially and unreservedly to him Have we broken our League with all Sin and with all the Idols of our Hearts Do we hate and detest all Sin and do we keep a continual watch and war against all Sin Have we an equal respect to all God's Commandments Can we deny our selves and part with all things for Christ Are we the Heirs of the Promises If we be really Christ's then are we Heirs of the Promises Gal. 3. 29. Are we the Children of God If Children
work to converse with God and Heaven in the Creatures As for instance When we sit down at Table remember there is a time coming when we shall sit down with Christ and eat and drink at his Table in his Kingdom that is we shall enjoy free and intimate Communion with him in Heaven And let us labour to raise our Hearts from temporal to spiritual things and be much in praising adoring and admiring God in the Creatures 6. Be convinced also that all our happiness and comfort both here and hereafter for ever lyeth not in any or all of the sensible temporal things but all lyeth in those invisible eternal things It lyeth not in having Honours Riches Pleasures c. for a man may be happy without them as Job and Lazarus were and miserable with them as Haman Ahab Dives and others were Psal 144. 15. Yea happy are the people whose God is the Lord. Happy indeed if God Christ and Heaven be ours happy for ever or else miserable for ever 7. And Lastly Let us labour to be renewed in the Spirit of our Minds or else we shall never seriously and heartily mind invisible eternal things as was shewed before We must get those invisible eternal Principles of Renewing Grace planted in our Hearts the Divine Nature the Life of God the Spirit of our heavenly Father to renew our Spirits or else we shall never mind those things in good earnest for which purpose let us go to God call cry to him for Renewing Grace Psal 51. 10. Let us look up to and lay hold on God's Covenant Ezek. 11. 19. go to the Promise Luke 11. 13. If you being evil know how to give good things to your children how much more will your heavenly Father give his spirit to those that ask him A precious Promise indeed let us rest upon this Promise and most earnestly beg God to perform it to us Old Bottles will not hold new Wine nor old Hearts retain Heavenly things New Hearts we must have heavenly holy Hearts or we shall never mind heavenly things as we ought III. Motives to this Duty 1. Consider that thus to look unto and mind invisible eternal things is the express Character of every true Christian No man can approve himself to be a true Christian and be a total Stranger to this Work for to be a true Christian is to be like Christ Now Jesus Christ minded those invisible eternal things as is most evident in the whole course of his Life his Heart was in Heaven while his Body was on Earth John 3. 13. Shall we profess our selves Christians and not be like Christ nor have the Character of Christians 2. Consider this will be a sure sign and clear evidence to us of our interest in and title to all those invisible eternal good things in the other World Matth. 6. 20 21. Where the Heart is there the Treasure is If our Hearts and Minds Thoughts and Affections are on God on Christ and Heaven it is a sure sign that these are ours An heavenly Mind is as good a sign that we belong to Heaven as any is as was also shewed before 3. This will begin our Heaven upon Earth these heavenly things minded affected delighted in will yield such joy and comfort as to begin our very Heaven here when Faith and Hope Joy and Praise Love Desire and Delight are exercised on God and on Christ and Glory we shall be filled with Joy and Peace as Rom. 15. 13. 1 Pet. 1. 8. Psal 31. 7. Oh then let us labour to begin our Heaven here by our Heavenly-mindedness 4. This will yield Contentment and Comfort Satisfaction and Peace to our Souls in every condition It will sweeten every bitter Cup To think on God as our Father and on Christ as our Redeemer Head and Husband and on all the sweet Promises of which we are Heirs what comfort will this bring to our Souls Lam. 3. 33. He doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men Isa 63. 9. In all their afflictions he was afflicted and the Angel of his presence saved them in his love and in his pitty he redeemed them and he bare them and carried them all the days of old Rom. 8. 28. All things shall work together for good to them that love God With many other exceeding great and precious Promises which our good God hath made that our Faith might feed upon them and find satisfaction or else our Souls would faint 5. This will fit us for every Duty to God and man The more we think on God and heavenly things the more conscientious shall we be in our Duties to Man because it is for the Lord's sake from whom we look for the Reward as the Apostle speaks to Servants Eph. 6. 5 6 7. And for Duties to God it will make us serve God cheerfully delightfully and constantly having the Glory of God the enjoyment of him and the Recompence of Reward in our Eye Oh how will it quicken raise animate and encourage us For why are all those great and glorious invisible eternal things proposed and promised to us but that we should mind them aim at them and live in the lively hopes and comfortable expectations of enjoying them Heb. 11. 6 24. 1. 1 2 3. 1 Cor. 15. last Therefore be stedfast unmovable always abounding in the work of the Lord forasmuch as ye know your labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. 6. This will serve to encrease and strengthen Grace for the more we mind those invisible eternal things the stronger will be our Love our Faith our Hope and our Patience yea the more heavenly and spiritual we shall grow and the more useful savory and profitable in all our Discourses By our heavenly-mindedness we shall smell of Heaven in all our Converses and Communications to the advantage of others 7. This is one principal way of enjoying Communion with God here in this World for by this we open our hearts to God raise up our Desires after him spend our Thoughts and Affections upon him and in these heavenly Meditations God communicates his Light and Love his Grace and Peace to our Souls By these Meditations on invisible eternal things our Souls converse with God talk with God walk with God have our conversations with God and this is most sweet and contentful to gracious Souls this is to live in God and to live the Life of God and it is the sum of all our happiness here and hereafter The enjoyment of God's good presence here in acts of Communion with him will produce greatness of Joy and the enjoyment of God's glorious presence hereafter in the uninterrupted Acts of Communion with him in Heaven will produce fulness of joy and pleasures for evermore Psal 16. last 8. By this looking to and affectionately minding invisible eternal things we shall be more and more changed into the image and likeness of them 2 Cor. 3. 18. We all with open face beholding as in
heed that our hearts be not at any time over-charged with the Cares of this Life but let us labour to keep the World and our Hearts asunder for those things that are visible and temporal will darken our sight of God if we let them into our hearts and they will drive God out of our hearts if we entertain the inordinate love of them Covetousness is Idolatry because it sets up the Creature for a God in the Heart 1 John 2. 14 15. He that loveth the world the love of the Father is not in him Keep a strong Watch then against this present evil World and suffer it not to get into your Hearts if you will maintain your Communion with God in Christ 5ly Be much in the acting of Faith Love Hope Joy in the Lord Be much in praising God By the exercises of these graces we enjoy God and God communicates himself to us Oh labour to live in the lively exercise of Faith Christ dwells in the Heart by Faith Eph. 3. 17. Gal. 2. 20. Labour to believe the Love of God in Christ to your Souls in giving his Son to be a Sin-offering for us John 3. 16. 2 Cor. 5. 21. And this believing it will warm and enflame your Hearts with Love to God again and so you may enjoy much sweet Communion with God and Christ John 14. 21 23. In the Actings of our Love to God we shall meet with more Manifestations of God's Love to us Where and when we open our Hearts to God and Christ and give them our Loves there and then will God and Christ open their Hearts to us and give us their Loves Cant. 1. 2 3. Cant. 7. 10 11. There is a mutual Manifestation of Love to each other no Love is lost between Christ and his Spouse If any man open to me saith Christ I will come in unto him and sup with him and he with me Rev. 3. 18. Now by the exercise of Faith and Love we open to Christ he is always ready to come in Open your everlasting doors that the king of glory may come in Ps 24. 6ly Be very watchful Watch and keep your hearts with all diligence Prov. 4. 23. Take heed let not the World nor Vain Thoughts lodge there Take heed of wandring from God watch your words watch your steps take heed grieve not quench not resist not the Holy Spirit for by him God communicates himself to your Souls carefully observe all his Motions and still beg his assistance in all your Duties and rest upon his Aid without which you can do nothing 7ly And lastly If we would maintain our Communion with God which is our Heaven upon Earth we must look well to our whole Conversation that that be ordered aright for to such God will shew his salvation Psal 50. 23. God looks for a well-order'd Conversation a Life order'd by the Rule of his Word setting narrow Steps to our Feet looking straight on not turning aside to the right or left hand Prov. 4. 25 26 27. nor wickedly departing from his way Psal 18. 21 22 23. but to be righteons just honest saithful upright charitable in all our dealings with Men and carefully performing all our Duties to GOD and Man in singleness and integrity of Heart This is a well-order'd Conversation Also in our Conversation we must mind two things 1. That we have no fellowship with the unfruitful Works of Darkness Ephes 5. 11. that is no more than need no intimate Familiarity and Communion with them lest thereby we lose our Communion with God no more Communion with the Wicked than Piety Charity and Necessity will allow Too many have lost Communion with GOD by their too intimate Communion with the Wicked Away from me saith holy David all ye workers of iniquity 2. That we break not Fellowship with nor withdraw Communion from the People of God from those that bear his Image although differing from us in some circumstances In the Communion of Saints we may have Communion with God Psal 16. 2. God is among his People he walks in them and dwells in them Our Love must be not only to those of our own Opinion but to all Saints and professing Christians and must hold Communion with all those with whom we may charitably judge that Christ holds Communion were this well minded it would do much to heal our sad and sinful Breaches Heb. 10. 24 25. And thus we have seen how that our looking unto invisible eternal things especially unto God in Christ and maintaining our Communion with them we may be sweetly born up and comfortably supported under all our Troubles O Most holy most merciful most gracious Lord God Father Almighty and my most loving and tender-hearted Father in my most dear and sweet Redeemer Jesus Christ I render Thee my most humble and hearty Thanks and Praise for lengthning my days and for supporting me with thy Special Goodness in this poor Work for giving me sometimes hours sometimes half-hours and sometimes days of some Strength and Ease between those many sad and painful Distempers upon me since I began it And I most humbly beseech thee to write these Truths on my Heart and keep them there that by the assistance of thy good Spirit they may be effectual to spiritualize raise and fix my poor cold dead carnal Heart upon thy blessed Self in Christ and be pleased to vouchsafe me sweet sensible and constant Communion with thy self in Christ for thy Mercies sake that thereby I may glorifie thee in this my day of thy Visitation and may be throughly sanctified by and comfortably supported under all my Troubles Amen TO ALL MY Christian Friends IN DARTMOVTH Or elsewhere That desire to know the true state of their never-dying Souls In order to their making clear and sure their Interest in the Lord Jesus Grace and Peace BEfore I had finish'd the foregoing Treatise there came to my hands by God's good Providence some Papers of very great concernment to all our Souls for Eternity being the Conclusion of a Discourse by that Eminent Learned and Pious Servant of the Lord Jesus Mr. John Flavel whose Works praise him and of whose Presence and Labours we that knew him by Face or Works have continual cause to lament our Loss which Discourse was from 2 Cor. 13. 5. concerning Self-examination about a Man's Interest in Christ Which Papers when I viewed and reviewed I bless God I felt so much power in the Contents of them and so much sweetness that I thought not fit to eat my Morsels alone but was strongly imprest to make them publick which here by the consent of his dear Relations I presume to do hoping it will awaken those that did hear those close-trying Truths to be more exact in their trying Work and may also excite others to due diligence in that so profitable and too much neglected Duty of Self-examination Those Characters in this will help us against Self-deceiving Do not read only but pray earnestly for
we minded and loved them â—o much and lived so much upon them and that â—e lived so little upon God in them and enjoyed â— little of God and his Love in them and this â—ill be the Sting and Burthen of our Souls then â—ut now to live on God and his Love in our â—njoyments will prevent this Trouble of Troubles â—nd support us under all our Troubles because our God and his Love which we lived upon before remain still God is everlasting and his Love unchangable The Foundation remains the â—pring of all our Mercies remains But woe and â—as what Strangers are we to this living upon God and his Love in Christ David lived enâ—rely upon God Psal 73. 24 25 26. Whom have â—in Heaven but thee and there is none upon earth that desire besides thee My flesh and my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever 2dly By this we may begin our Heaven upon Earth out of Heaven even in the Hell of the Troubles and Miseries of this World for this is the â—ery Happiness of Heaven to be continually with God and to live upon God that God may be all in all 1 Cor. 15. 28. This is Heavens Happiness to live upon that infinite Fountain of goodness and to live with God And so far as we can thus live upon God by Faith Love Meditation Holy Confidence and Dependance Holy Resignation of our selves and all our concerns to him so far we are entred into Heaven and Heaven is entred into us already The kingdom of Heaven is within you said our Lord. And what support will this be to us in all our Afflictions 3dly This is the way to lose nothing of all our Earthly Comforts for what we lose in the Creature we shall find in the Creator If we enjoyed God in the Creature in Relations Friends Estate Liberty Health c. we may enjoy him as well when these Creature-comforts are gone and it may be better than before for the Fountain it self is purer than the Streams All the little good the small comfort the slender and short satisfaction the little mixed sweetness that we have in or from any Creature comes not from the Creature it self distinct from God for then all that enjoy the Creature would have that Comfort and Content the bad as well as the good which we know is not so for many have had large Portions of the best of the Creatures that have had no comfort or contentment in them Solomon himself is a Witness But that very little Comfort or Content that any one hath in the Creature it is distilled and derived to him through the Creature from God and from him alone It God put sweetness into any Creature-comfort and bless it to us it shall be sweet to us If He convey any goodness or content to us through any Creature-chanel we shall have it not else But if he put bitterness into any Creature-comfort and with-hold his Blessing it will yield us no content at all This is a most experienc'd Truth That it is God's Love his Blessing in a Mercy that is The Mercy and it is that only which brings any Comfort or Content to us that have it What Content had Ahab in his Kingdom or Haman in his Honour Surely none at all Prov. 10. 22. The blessing of the Lord it maketh rich and he adds no sorrow with it The Blessing of the Lord maketh the Poor in this World rich and with this Blessing comes no Sorrow as there doth with all other Blessings This is the Blessing that goes with The Blessing the inward Blessing that goes with the outward Blessing whether little or much the love of God is in it to his People and that maketh rich that contents the Soul and yields sweetness to it and this Contentment is the Blessing without which Godliness it self is not Gain Now when the outward Blessing is gone the Creature-blessing gone the inward Blessing may be continued the Love of God and inward Contentment may be continued when the Cabinet is worn out the Jewel may be as good as ever And if this continue with us namely the Blessing which is the Love of God if that remain towards us when the outward Blessing is taken away we have no cause of Disquietment But this remains always to the true Christian for it is God's Covenant which cannot be broken Psal 89. 34 35. My loving-kindness I will not utterly take from him nor suffer my faithfulness to fail My covenant will I not break c. Oh that we could look more at the invisible eternal Blessing the sure Mercies of David in all our outward Blessings which remains when all the visible temporal things are gone Yea further this invisible everlasting Blessing doth not only remain with us when all other Blessings are gone but which is wonderful then even then our everlasting Father doth usually communicate and manifest more of his Love which is the Blessing indeed to the Souls of his People than when they had the enjoyment of their outward Blessings When had Ezekiel and John such glorious Visions of God but in Captivity and Exile When God brings his People into the Wilderness then he speaks comfortably unto them then he speaks to their Hearts Hos 2. 14. as in the Wilderness in the absence of Creature-comforts the Spouse leans on her Beloved Cant. 8. 5. fixeth her Loves and Desires most intimately and heartily upon him so even then her Beloved manifests most of his tender love to her and when the World frowns he smiles upon her So that this looking up to God in all our Enjoyments living upon Him and enjoying all in him and for him will wonderfully support us under all our Trouble because by this means we shall lose nothing but what we lose in the Stream we shall find in the Fountain what we want in the Creature we shall find in God yea and in all our losses for Christ and his Truths we are assured to have an hundred fold Matth. 19. 29. So much for the first Counsel Look to God in all our Enjoyments II. The second Counsel Resign up your wills entirely to the will of God in all your Afflictions It is an Argument of an excellent Spirit when all Self-respects are drowned in the Will of God and there is nothing lost therein for our best safety is in the Will of God our Happiness is more in God than in our selves and His Will is infinitely better than ours We may be sure of this that a man shall never have setled Peace and Comfort until he have cordially committed and resigned up all his Will and Way all his Concerns and Interests and Ends to the holy Will of God Psal 37. 5 7. Commit thy way unto the Lord trust also in him and he shall bring it to pass Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him Prov. 16. 3. Commit thy works unto the Lord and thy thoughts shall be established
It is the difference of Wills Ends and Interests that begets all the Stirs and Troubles in the Hearts of Men. GOD will have his Will and Man will have his It is the communion of Wills Hearts Interests and Ends that is that fellowship that a Creature hath with its Creator It is the Interest and Honour the Dignity and Duty the Comfort and Quiet the Heaven and Happiness of a Rational Creature to be what God will have him be to do what God will have him do to want what God will have him want and to suffer what God will have him suffer to be wholly at the dispose of God as our Lord was Not my will but thine be done This is true Christianity indeed true Self-denial Matt. 16. 24. To be no more our own nor at our own dispose but to be entirely at the Will of God is the way to true Comfort Psal 142. 5. Thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living Now if we would thus look unto the invisible God and resign up our wills to his will in all things in order to our support and comfort in all our Afflictions we must carefully observe these things 1st We must really look unto and heartily own God's absolute Dominion over and his Propriety in all things He is the Lord and Owner of all his Works Job 9. 12. He taketh away who can hinder him who durst say to him What doest thou Isa 45. 9. He is the Potter we are the Clay He is the Creator of all things and therefore the true only and rightful Owner of all things Ezek. 18. 4. All souls are mine saith God and all Creatures are his Hos 2. 9. And we are none of our own 1 Cor. 6. 20. Whether as Creatures or Christians our Souls Bodies Goods all are God's upon all accounts If we did not look on those earthly Comforts too much as our own we should not grieve too much for the loss of them Now we own God's Dominion and Propriety in all things when we thankfully receive any Creature-comfort from him and silently submit to his dispose of them Psal 39. 9. I was dumb saith David and quietly surrender them up to God when he calls for them as Eli 1 Sam. 3. 18. 2ly We must really and heartily look unto and own God's Righteousness in all his Dispensations towards us though never so hard bitter and pinching to the Flesh yet God is righteous in all By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us O God of our salvation Dan. 9. 14. Righteous art thou O Lord. Psal 145. 17. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and holy in all his works Now we own God's Righteousness in all our Afflictions when we diligently enquire to find out the why and the wherefore of all God's dealings with us We should reason thus The righteous God afflicts me then certainly I must enquire after the Cause and the End Lam. 3. 40. Let us search our hearts and try our ways God is righteous we have deserved this Affliction Hereupon we must search for our Sins confess them hate them turn from them and then this Consideration setleth and satisfieth our Minds under God's correcting Hand It is the righteous God that smites 3ly We must look unto and own the Faithfulness of God in his Chastisements of us When He blasts our Earthly Hopes kills our Creature-comforts takes away our dear Relations deprives us of Health Ease Liberty Name Estate yet He is faithful Psal 119. 75. In faithfulness thou hast afflicted me God hath put chastisement for Sin into his Covenant Psal 89. 31 33. and hath promised to with-hold no good thing from his People Psal 84. 11. Now God sees and knows that Chastisements are good for his People and shall work for their good therefore in very faithfulness he doth correct them to perform his Promise and fulfil his Covenant Oh that we could seriously look to this Faithfulness of God and believe that while He is afflicting and chastising us He is but making good his faithful Promises to us it would mightily support and uphold us But this is our Unhappiness that in Affliction we are apt to judge the quite contrary and to think rather that God is executing his Threatning upon us and that breeds Trouble to us Little do we think that when God strips us of this or that outward Mercy and lays his correcting Hand upon us that now He is in all these Afflictions but performing his Promises to us that He is doing us good by these and accomplishing all his sweet good and gracious ends upon us and that by these Afflictions He is preparing us for that far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory Oh could we but believe this and act our Faith upon God's Faithfulness it would help us cheerfully to bear all our Afflictions Lord encrease our Faith 4ly We must look unto and own the infinite Mercy and tender Compassions of the invisible eternal God in all our Afflictions God is the Father of Mercies a God of tender Mercies of tender Bowels his Mercy endureth for ever His tender Mercies are over all his Works and much more over his special Workmanship his own Children whom He hath begotten and formed for himself He is gracious and merciful Exod. 34. 6 7. Plenteous in Mercy His Mercies are a great depth Fury is not in Him towards his poor Children Isa 27. 4. but Pity and Compassion Psal 103. 13. His Compassions fail not Lam. 3. 22 23 24. There is no revengeful Passion in the most holy God it is He that puts Bowels of Mercy and Compassion into his Creatures and then surely He is full of Mercy himself He is rich in mercy and of great love Ephes 2. 4. and full of Mercy The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him in them that hope in his mercy Psal 147. 11. Behold the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him upon them that hope in his Mercy Psal 33. 18. Let us act Faith on the Mercy of God 5ly We must look unto and own the Omnipotency and All-sufficiency of the invisible eternal God Gen. 17. 1. I am the almighty God Rev. 1. 8. The only Creator of all things out of nothing He can create Salvation and Deliverance Isa 4. 5. 57. 19. God being All-sufficient can never be at a loss nor to seek of ways to help his People in distress He hath infinite ways of his own for helping us either immediately from himself or by raising up other means and those it may be very unlikely yea contrary to deliver us God is most honoured by us when we see nothing but rather all contrary to that we look for Refuge failing Friends Flesh Heart failing then to shut our Eyes to all Creature-helps and look altogether on God's All-sufficiency and only relye on that God can convey himself more comfortably to us when He pleaseth without means than by means This our eying and owning