can wee wonder if wee want the things above If our hearts bee as the Wildernesse or Heath emptie of all good If our soules bee over runne with lusts like a neglected Field with brambles and bryers for want of husbanding Our hearts are as the Cords of a Watch Simile if they bee not wound up morning and evening all spirituall motion will quickly be at a stand Another meanes is one of Luthers Schoolemasters 3. Meditation by which hee confessed he thrived more then by the rest to which hee attributed a great part of his being in grace The practice of Religious Isaack Gen. Gen. 24. 24. who went into the field at eventide to meditate And it is fitly joyned by the ancients to prayer as the two wings of the Christians soule by which it soares to contemplation and attaines those things above It is the policie of our common ene-enemy as Chrisologus stiles him Chrisologus the sworne enemy of mankinde who knowing how powerfull a meanes meditation is to retire our selves from worldly things and betake our selves to divine contemplation to get the things above hee labours to keepe us from it by all his strength and by divers meanes Sometimes by causing us to stoupe to his lure by committing any sinne Simile and who knowes not that every sinne as a plummet of Lead clogges the soule and hinders the actions of it But especially hee keepes us from meditation by keeping us in the throng by perpetuall puz elling us in businesse hee steales us from ourselves and gives us not time to retire Alas aske most men what houres they set apart for prayer and meditation They will answer I have so much businesse I cannot turne my selfe to it Oh the policie and stratagems of Sathan I say hee keepes us by this from the exercise of devotion by which wee should attaine the things above hee keepes us in the throng of businesse did I say businesse Nay how many are kept away from this divine exercise by spending their time foolishly in Courtship and I would not worse Whence it comes to passe that I looke I professe with pitty upon many great ones whose lives are a story of sinne whose sinnes it comes to pass are never cured because they are alway in motion You that are Gentlemen sequester some time if not every day yet at least every weeke bid all other businesse stand by and attend on your closet to thinke of the things above how to attaine what you want and how to increase what you have attained You that are tradesmen take off your selves from other affaires retire home and examine your spirituall estate with God And wee that are Schollers should vindicate some time from the study of Bookes to reade our selves All of us should set aside some time for the thinking of the things above to examine what spirituall graces wee neede that wee may use the meanes to attaine them and what sinnes wee have committed that wee may repent of them for feare the sad time of death come and cut our thread and then wee goe downe to the Chambers of death Let us examine to what sinnes wee lye open that wee may fortifie our selves against them that the evill one have no power over us All these things are conteyned in the things above and all these wee must seeke here if wee desire to attaine the blessing of them hereafter Let this suffice to bee spoken of the first inquirie concerning the meanes whereby to seeke these things above There remaines onely two more The characters by which wee may know if we seeke these things And the motives The sigâ—â—â— of seeking You see how wee ought to seeke the things bove But alas the over eager pursuite of the things below wee see how coldly and faintly if at all wee seeke the things above which if wee did seeke as wee ought it could not choose but abate the edge of our desires to these earthly things Neglect of earthly things and cause us as strangers and pilgrims to use the world as not enjoying it as Saint Austin sayd long before to make it our servant to bee content like that noble Bird that desiring to flye aloft when shee is compelled by hunger to descend shee unwillingly obeyes and presently dispatcheth that shee may up againe which contempt and neglect of the things below it is a signe wee seeke the things of heaven and though our bodies be on earth that wee hold our conversation in heaven where wee looke and fix our eyes through all earthly contentments Wee should be on earth as a wheele is that though it moove upon the earth yet the least part toucheth it That is the first if wee will seeke the things above Simile wee must not too eagerly seeke the things below 2. Sorrow in want of heavenly things Secondly if wee seeke the things above can wee choose but bee affected with sorrow and compunction when wee want them It is not possible hee that seekes these things above as hee ought when hee findes in himselfe the want and decay of them it is impossible but hee should betake himselfe to blacke to a mourning state You see the truth of this exemplified by David when hee upon the commition of those two sinnes murder and adultery hee found hee was bereft of the comfortable presence of Gods favour he furrowes his cheekes with weeping and spends himselfe his marrow was as the drought in Summer hee never gives himselfe rest till God revived and cheared his drouping soule and caused the beames of his countenance to smile upon him So it is with a man that seekes the things that are above in the want of them hee is as the Marriners needle as that is in the want of the point Simile so are all those that seeke the things above in the want of them they never rest but shake and tremble till at last they recover them and stand as they did formerly That is the second argument whereby wee may know if wee seeke these things if wee grieve and mourne when wee want them 3. Ioy in injoying them Thirdly if wee seeke these things above how can wee chuse but rejoyce when wee find them for Love where it is it cannot choose but bee glad when it findes that it delights in Take an instance of both in David Psal 73. Lord saith hee Psal 73. whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none in earth in comparison of thee Marke there David desired these things above and when his soule found them his soule loved them Who can reade it and not bee ravished to see to what an excessive extacie of joy hee was transported hee preferred the light of Gods countenance Psal 4. Psalme 4. before all the Corne and Wine and Oyle the poore things that worldlings place their chiefe content in 4 By our thoughts and speeches But in the last place what neede other things to resolve whether
of them they will presse our soules downe from earth to hell First Reas 1. They presse the soule from heaven to earth the presse the soule from heaven to earth from heavenly affections to earthly Looke as a man is oppressed with a great burden from which hee is not able to rise nor to stirre hand nor foot to helpe himselfe for the doing of any thing so it is with a man when his soule is overcharged with surfeiting and drunkennesse and the cares of this life hee is oppressed with a grievous burden hee is not able to stirre hand nor foot hee is not able to exercise the powers and faculties of his soule to doe any good or to performe any spirituall dutâ—e indeed As for two of them the two first surfeiting and drunkennesse they disable a man from worldly performances therefore much more from heavenly and spirituall performances For the other the cares of this life Covetousnesse they burden the soule no lesse then the former though I grant it is more slilie and insensibly nay they burden the soule in these two respects more First surfeiting and drunkennesse they burden the soule but now and then sometimes no man is continually surfeiting or drunke but when Covetousnesse oppresseth the soule it doth it constantly it is a continuall burden therefore in that respect they burden the soule more then the former Secondly surfeiting and drunkennesse they burden the soule not immediatly but by the body they burden the body the instrument of the soule and so by consequence the soule but Covetousnesse burdens the soule immediatly it hangs a weight as a plummet of lead upon every facultie or the soule so that the soule cannot lift it selfe to any spirituall dutie it hangs a plummet of Lead upon every power of the foule whereby it becomes bowed and bended to the earth Will you see the truth of this in some particulars The highest and noblest facultie of the soule is the understanding that whereby we apprehend and judge of things now covetousnesse clogges and burdens the understanding Take a covetous man there is no man so dull to apprehend spirituall things as he Indeed in matters of the world talke with him in his owne spheare of the world and worldly things there I grant he is quicke and nimble enough if not above yet equall with others for the most part above others It fares with a covetous man as it is with the Moone when the Moone is inlightned in that part that is toward the earth commonly his most darke in that part that is towards heaven Simile so it is in this there is ignorance of spirituall things oft times where there is the greatest light towards the things of the world I say talke with such a one in his own spheare of matters of the world and the things of it hee is quicke and nimble enough but come to spirituall things that concerne the life to come and there hee is a very Nichodemus he understands nothing Covetousnesse is to the understanding like the nayle of Iael saith the Text Iael drove the nayle through Siseras temples when hee was asleepe and fastened his head to the ground so covetoushesse fasteneth the head the understanding to the ground that it cannot lift up it selfe to apprehend and understand the things of the Spirit wee see then Covetousnesse it burdens the chiefe facultie of the soule the understanding And so for the other faculties the will and the affections it burdens them it makes the will and the affections of a man when once it possesseth them like the woman in the Gospell that had a disease and infirmitie 18. yeares saith the Text shee was bowed together that shee could no way lift up her selfe Luke 13.1 So it is with a covetous man it bowes the will to the ground Luke 13.1 that hee is not able to lift up himselfe to a through prosecution of that that is good or to a constant declining and flight from that which is spiritually ill And so for the affections it bowes them to the ground that they are not able to lift up themselves to desire and delight in any thing that is heavenly not to love and joy in any thing but such as are earthly and sensuall I say it bends them so to the ground that they cannot constantly delight in these things I grant that a cove ous man for a fit for a while his will and affections may lift up themselves a little but they are not able to hold out the greatnesse of the weight beares him downe againe and oppresseth him Hee that hath his heart overcharged with covetousnesse and so with surfeiting and drunkennesse he may for a while lift up himselfe as a man that is opprest with a burden that gets the upper hand of him and beares him downe Covetousnâ—sse bowes the understanding the will and affections to the ground And not only these but likewise the fancie and memorie and speech â—oo it burdens those Take a man that is covetous his imagination workes and exerciseth it selfe about the things of the world For his memorie it treasures up nothing or but little else besides these And so for his speech the speech of a covetous man Simile it is as the breath of a dying man Wee say that when a man approacheth to death his breath is earthly so it is with the Discourse of a covetous man it is of the earth It burdens the fancie and memorie and speech of a man so that hee dreames of nothing he remembers nothing hee speakes of nothing willingly with delight ordinarily but that which is earthly You see then that Christ might well say take heed lest your hearts bee overcharged with surfeiting and drunkennesse and the cares of this life for it is the propertie of these sinnes to overcharge the heart as it is of a burden to presse downe first from heaven to earth but that is not all They presse downe further except wee depose 2. They presse the soule from earth to hell and disburden our selves of them they presse the soule as from heaven to earth so from earth to hell so saith the Apostle expressely for two of them 1 Cor. 6.10 Bee not deceived neither fornicators nor Idolaters nor effeminate abusers of themselves with mankind or theeves or covetous or drunkards shall ever inherite the kingdome of God Neither covetous nor drunkards there are two of them and so for the first of them surfeiting you see in Phil. 3.19 Phil. 3.19 the Apostle speakes of some whose belly is their God whose end is damnation and destruction So likewise Gal. 5.21 Gal. 5.21 the Apostle reckons surfeiting or revelling among the workes of the flesh and tells them before hand that those that doe such things shall not inherit the kingdome of God envie murder drunkennesse and revelling and such like revelling may signifie and doth properly gluttony of which I have told you before in time past that they that doe
such things shall not inherit the kingdome of God So then wee see the grievousnesse of these sinnes in two things First they presse the soule from heaven to earth in the affections and exercise and then except wee be disburdened of them they presse the soule from earth to hell Vse To take heed of this sin as a burden If it be the propertie of these things to burden the soule it may bee a motive to force this caution of Christ to take heede that wee be not overcharged with surfeiting and drunkennesse and the cares of this life Why should wee take heede the reason is because they burden the soule and the heart We are naturally of our selves lumpish and heavy enough to performe spirituall duties wee neede not make our selves more heavy We bring into the world burden enough to presse our soules that makes us unfit for spirituall performances wee neede not clog our soules with more unnecessary burdens You will say Obiect those that are given to these sinnes they feele not a burden if it were the property of these sinnes to be a burden then they that are subject to them would feele the burden but we see they doe not I answer Answ Why men feele not the burden of their sinnes it is true they feele not the burden of them the reason of it is this because it is the propertie of these sinnes to take away the sense of them the burden is not the lesse because they feele it not because it is the propertie of these sinnes to besot the soule and make it insensible that they cannot perceive the burden The wise man saith as much of drunkennesse Prov. 23. ult Prov. 23. saith he thou shalt be that is if thou give thy selfe to drunkennesse as one that lyeth in the middest of the Sea or the top of a Mast The wise man resembles a drunken man to a man that lies on the toppe of a Mast in a great stonne when there is danger when the shippe and the Mast reels he lies there and thinkes not of it in his drunkennesse he feeles it not And then in the last verse saith he they have stricken me and I was not sicke they have beaten me and I felt it not It is the propertie of drunkennesse to make a man insensible of the wounds and plagues that hee receives by it I grant that they that are adicted to the these sinnes they feele not the burden because it is the propertie of these sinnes to take away the sense of them but what then because they feele not the burden of them is it the lesse Nay it is greater because it is not felt As the Phisitians say of diseases of all diseases those are most dangerous that are not felt And that is the reason that a Consumption it is hard to be cured because it is hard to be discerned till it have eaten and wasted the body so much that it is almost impossible to be cured When it is easie to be cured it is almost impossible to bee discerned and when it is easie to be discerned it is almost impossible to be cured As of all diseases of the body those that are most dangerous that are not felt So of all the burthens of the soule those are most dangerous that are not felt The reason is because the feeling of the danger makes men seeke for remedy and labour to be disburthened of them when they feele the burthen but when men feele not the burthen that lies on them they seeke not for remedy that is the first answer But secondly if they feele not the burthen now the time shall come that they shall feele it eyther when God opens their eyes to see the grievousnesse of their sinnes and to give them the grace of repentance or hereafter when they shall presse the soule to the bottome of hell First if God open their eyes then they will bee sensible of the burden It is with sinne as the Philosophers say it is with heavie elements it is a rule in Philosophie that an element in its proper place is not heavy that is it exerciseth not actually its heavinesse If a man lye under water though all the water be above him hee feeles not the weight of it the reason is because the water is in its proper place So in a Well or Pumpe when a man drawes a bucket of water he feeles it not while it is under water but when it is above water he feeles the burthen then of it So as long as men lie under these sinnes when God gives them not a hand to lift them up they feele not the burthen of them but if God reach a hand of grace to lift them up and open their eyes to see the grievousnesse of their sinnes they feele the burthen of them and goe and importune the throne of grace and desire to bee disburthened that is the first thing But if they feele it not so that God open their conscience and their eyes here they shall seele the burden of it hereafter I told you what the Apostle saith and what hee saith to the Corinthians I say to you that drunkards and covetous I may say it of surfeiting also they that are guilty of these things shall not inherit the kingdome of God They presse the soule to hell and though for the present they take away the sense of them yet afterwards when it is past redresse men shall be sensible enough of the burden Vse 2 To use remedies against these sinnes Secondly as it may serve for caution to stirre us up to a more diligent heede of these sins so for remedy too that if we have been or be intangled with these sinnes not to rest till wee bee disburthened of them So wee doe in other things when a burthen rests upon our body or estate or name wee are carefull and diligent to be disburthened of them Shall we be carefull of our bodies of our estates and of our name and shall wee not of our soules doe wee desire that those may be free from burthens and doe we not desire that our soules may be free It is the exhortation of the Apostle Heb. 12.1 Heb. 12.1 saith he since we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses let us lay aside every weight that presseth downe and runne with patience the race that it set before us It is the advice of the Apostle to lay downe every weight that we may runne with patience the race that is set before us Now surfeiting and drunkennesse and the cares of this life or covetousnesse are weights and clogs that burthen the soule and hinder a man not onely from running the race that is set before him but they hinder him from so much as going when a man is sunke under this burthen hee is not able to steppe or set one foote before another in this way therefore we had neede to be diligent to disburthen our selves if wee finde
shall be saved I aske whence comes this death with Christ Whence comes it that sinne is mortified in a man Is it not because hee is in Christ and is united to Christ and thence it is because hee is united to Christ that hee partakes of the vertue and Spirit of Christ whereby sinne is mortified Let this bee sufficient to bee spoken for the proofe of the point Vse 1 In the first place it serves for confutation for if they that are dead with Christ may be assured by this that they shall also live with Christ Then surely a man may attaine a greater assurance of salvation then Bellarmine and the rest of that faction perswade men he may They say a man cannot attaine it by the contemplating and viewing of the grace of God is him hee can but attaine a kind of hope of salvation a kind of doubting conjecturall morall assurance but for this assurance that we speake of our Countrey-men at Rhemes sticke not to say that it is a damnable false thing Rhem. on Rom. 9. upon Rom. 9. such an assurance as is impossible to bee attained in this life except it be by revelation and by extraordinary meanes And then they say moreover if it bee attained it is perillous and dangerous to attaine because it opens to men a gappe to all licentiousnesse for say they if a man may be assured of his salvation let him doe what he will hee shall be saved I cannot now enter into the lists with these Rhemists at this time but give me leave to their objection to returne two things First say they it is impossible for a man by mortification to come to be assured of his salvation I desire them to unriddle me this They say a man by mortifying by macerating himselfe by fasting and sackcloth and by whipping himselfe hee may merit salvation and heaven May hee merit heaven and not bee assured hee shall come to heaven What is it because God is ignorant and knowes not their good deeds or because hee is unjust and will not reward them If they say either it is blasphemie if they give way to either of them then they give way to this doctrine that wee speake of If a man by macerating himselfe in sackcloth and ashes by whipping and beating himselfe may merit heaven as the Papists joyntly affirme or most of them And Getzer in his second booke of Discipline Chap. 8. then certainly a man by mortification may come to have assurance of heaven for if a man bee not assured but doubts that doubt must come that either God knowes not that wee deserve heaven by our mortification and then God is not omniscient Or if hee doe know it hee will not reward us according to our merits and then hee is unjust either of which to affirme is blasphemy So their owne tenent overthrowes themselves See the difference betweene truth and errour one truth and vertue contraries not another but one vice and errour contradict each other as Covetousnesse opposeth Prodigalitie c. Secondly say they as it is impossible to attaine so it is dangerous to attaine this opens a gappe to licentiousnesse I wonder what feare there is of this since wee affirme that this assurance is to bee had by holinesse by mortifying of our sinfull lusts It is true indeed if we had assurance if we did maintaine that it might bee gotten notwithstanding that we went on in the practice of our sinfull lusts then it were another matter but wee affirme that this assurance is had only by the practice of mortification by mortifying and subduing our sinfull lusts And as it is gained by this so it is to be preserved by this I wonder then what feare here can be of opening a gappe to licentiousnesse and wickednesse by maintaining assurance of salvation when we maintaine here with that assurance is had by mortification and is to be kept and preserved only by it The rule of Philosophy here is true the same cause that produceth the same cause preserveth a thing but to let them passe and to returne to our selves Vse 2 If those that are dead with Christ may come to be assured that they shall also live with him how should this stirre up all of us to labour for mortification To indeavour to subdue and mortifie our sinfull lusts that we may come to bee assured that after wee shall live with God! It is that that the Apostle commands 2 Pet. 1.10 saith he 1 Pet. 1.10 Give diligence to make your calling and election sure Give diligence it is not a thing so easily attained as some dreame it is a thing that requires cost and paines a man hath it not but after long practise and indeavour of mortification Now I say it is that that the Apostle perswades us unto to give diligence to make our Calling and election sure It is sure enough in Gods counsell we should labour to make it sure in our owne conscience Wee may complaine men give diligence to make their houses sure to make their lands and preferments and offices and friends sure but how few give diligence to make their Calling and election sure Yet I know not when there was ever more need that wee of this place should labour to make our calling and election sure then now wee perceive already that wrath is gone out from God and the Angell of the Lord hath strucken some among us and they have fallen on the right hand and on the left hand before us and behind us aâ—d wee our selves know not when our turne may come Now the lesse assurance we have of being here on earth the more wee should labour for assurance of our well being hereafter in heaven And if wee have once this assurance this will bestead us and minister comfort in all calamities What though we bee poore if wee have this assurance wee know wee shall come there where there is durable unperishing riches What if we be in disgrace this will make us possesse our soules with patience and tell us that we shall come shortly to a place where wee are assured all teares shall be wiped from our eyes and all that blemisheth our name What though we bee sicke wee are assured that wee shall come to a place where we shall have no sicknesse but constant health What though death come It will make us chearfully to welcome it and it will make us call it as Saint Ciprian doth S. Cyprian the Midwife of immortalitie that shall translate and remove us from a fading perishing life to the everlasting life Then let us that God hath bin so gracious unto that he hath spared us and visited others labour to improve the time to practise mortification that in case worse come wee may yet be provided If wee adresse our selves to this who knowes if God will not graciously spare us and not afflict us or if it come wee shall have infinite comfort then when our dores shall bee shut up and we have
overcharged For surfeiting they thinke it sometimes lawfull to give liberty and reynes to bee overcharged with it As at Christmas the time of the comming of Christ as if they could not celebrate the comming of Christ in the flesh except themselues become fleshly And at the beginning of Lent as if they intended to revenge themselves on God before hand and since he will needs have them fast they will get in his booke as farre as they can by surfeiting And so on the holidayes as if by celebrating of holy dayes they must needs become unholy And so in some times people thinke it not onely unlawfull but that they are bound to be drunke as at Nuptialls or at the Coronation of a King they thinke it a point of duty to bee drunke that day and they that are not drunke then as they sayd to Pilate hee is not Cesars friend And so at the meeting of friends as if they could not meet friendly and courteously except they bee enemies to themselves or as if they could not expresse humanitie unlesse by drunkennesse they overwhelme and loose it And so at the meeting of strangers men thinke it lawfull to be drunke it is the manner of some to doe so as if the way to entertaine stangers were to become strangers to themselves And so for the third the cares of this life some men are so farre from thinking of and using this caution alway that they thinke they may sometimes suffer their hearts to be overcharged with the cares of this life As when they are married and have a charge of Children As if the same God that cared for them single would not care for them when they are married and as if the same providence that extends to Sparrowes did not extend to Children those that are made after the similitude and Image of God Such men should remember what Christ saith here they should take heede least at any time their hearts be overcharged As there is no place so there is no time that can dispence with these sins to make it lawfull to have our hearts overcharged with surfeiting and drunkennesse and the cares of this life Well saith David Psal 93. holinesse becommeth thy house forever Psal 9â— ult Holinesse never weares out of fashion If holinesse become Gods house for ever then unholinesse surfeiting and drunkennesse and the cares of this life they never become Gods house And if they become not Gods house then they become not Gods Temple his Chappell as wee are 1 Corinth 6. saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 4 Know yee not that you are the Temples of the holy Ghost Let us then bee advised to take heed as Christ saith here lest our hearts hee over charged with surfeiting or drunkennesse or the cares of this life Take heed lest at any time we defile and polute the Temple of God with these sinnes Remember as in all vertues so in this the crowne is vig lancie constancie and continuance we must not only watch but we must watch continually Wee must not not only take heed lest at some times but lest at any time our hearts bee â—vercharged with surfeiting and drunkennesse and the cares of this life Let us remember wee deale with such an enemie as will give us no truce nor rest such a oâ—e as with whom w e can never have peace or truce that daily layes waite to subvert us that layes snares in our meate and drinke and the things of this lâ—fe Indeed as Saint Chrysostome saith well S. Chrysost the whole world is but one snare Now if Sathan use this care conâ—inually to subvert us shall wee no bee as continual1 in our care not to bee subverted Shall he bee more diligent to worke our ruine then wee shall bee to worke our safetie and salvation As wee see those that are besieged when a Towne or Citie is besieged with enemies they doe not slacke their guard a moment because they feare that at that time the enemie may come on them and surprize them yet notwithstanding sometime they may slacke their guard and not have harme because the enemy may not know it But it is not so with our spirituall enemies wee are surrounded with spirituall enemies that not only watch all opportunities and take all advantages but they know when wee give them advantage when wee are secure and retchlesse and they take it Therefore it concernes us to looke lest at any time our hearts be overcharged Let us not plead difficultie and say it is a thing hard to stand upon our guard wee cannot enjoy our selves If the thing bee difficult yet looke to the end it is profitable lay the benefit we shall enjoy by this care in the other end and that will make the care light As in a paire of ballance Simile if a a manlay weight in the one scale and none in the other it will sinke but if he lay a weight answerable in the other scale the first will bee light a man may lift it easily So let us lay this continuall care and caution in the one ballance and the benefit that wee have by it in the other ballance and wee shall never grudge at our care Let us thinke with our selves while this care lasts we are free from all other care and who would not care for a while upon condition to be eternally secured after I have done with the third point 2 how long we must take heed in these words Lest at any time Now I proceed to the fourth part that is of what wee are to take heed And that is first generall Lest your hearts be over-charged Observat Drunkenness and covetousnesse c. overcharge the heart It seemes then It is the Propertie of these sinnes surfeiting and drunkennesse and the cares of this life to overcharge the heart That is the point Take heed saith our Saviour lest at any time your hearts bee overcharged It implies that it is the propertie of these sinnes here mentioned to overcharge the heart Looke what a milstone or a talent of lead is to the body the same are these sinnes to the soule which is meant by the heart as S. Peter saith the hidden man of the heart that is the hidden man of the soule they over-presse and burden the soule so much the Word here used implies and imports in the Originall Take heed to your selves lest your hearts bee overcharged The Word comming from Balâ—s that signifies no ordinarie portable burden but a grievous oppressing burden as the Etimologists have it such as cannot belifted but with an extraordinarie strength with a Giants arme such are these sinnes to the soule they are no ordinary portable but grievous oppressing burdens Now the grievousnesse of this burden appeares by these two things First these sinnes are such a burden to the soule as presse the soule as presse the soule from heaven to earth Secondly they are such a burden as except they bee disburdened except we acquit our selves
which wee will or can doe except wee know our want of them and their worth all of which in the fourth place are Conditions requesite in seeking The conditions that are requisite in seeking First 1. Dilligence diligence if we will seeke the things above wee must seeke dilligently The word imports industry and sweate And indeede what in the world deserves our best indeavours if not these things What may justlier challenge the utmost of our strength the sinewes ol our soules if not that upon which depends the eternall welfare of our soules Mee thinkes when I looke abroad in the world and see how busie men are in the pursuite of earthly things with what unwearied industrie and diposition they pursue and with what eager appetite they snatch at things below as if the dust of the earth were not sufficient to give every man a handfull me thinkes I know not whether to entertaine them with pitty or with scorne When I see such men concerning their soules to bee negligent in what termes they stand with God what assurance of the remission of their sinnes c. Alas alas these thoughts are seldome entertained these desires are banished as if these things above were to be lighted on without seeking or it skilled not greatly whether they bee found or no. Thus with Shemei while men looke their servants they loose themselves Secondly wee must seeke them with love that is another thing in seeking 2. Love where love is it setes an edge on our seeking it will make us looke over all indignities and sweeten all the crosses we meete with here and cause us like high flying Eagles to neglect the chirpping of Sparrowes as Iacob that was scorched in the day and pinched in the night yet love made all seeme as nothing to him Thirdly and lastly there must be knowledge of our owne want 3. Knowledg of and of the worth of these things First 1. our want our want of these things without which wee are children of wrath here and shall hereafter assuredly bee sonnes of destruction With which wee are here the sonnes of God and shall hereafter be with God in glory Wee must bring our selves to a sight of our want for nature till it bee convinced of that will not seeke abroad and bee beholding to any Of all lets and barres that hinder men from seeking these things above Pride hinders seeking there is nothing like to pride It is the observation of the royall Prophet David Psal 10. The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seeke after God Psal 10. It is true other men doe not seeke after him but the proud scornes to bee beholding to God therefore before wee can bring our selves to seeke them wee must bee convinced of our want of them Now for that what neede any other argument but this injunction Seeke Seeking is of the nature of hope and hee that hopes saith Aquinas is imperfect yet Aquinas and wants something thing that hee hopes for Tertull. And saith Tertullian in his twenty third booke of the resurrection wee use not to seeke for that wee have so that the very injunction here to seeke is enough to convince any reasonable man that he wants these things above But the exact knowledge of the worth of these things and of our want of them it may bee sought but it is not else where found but in the Scriptures onely which alone is that impartiall beame of the Sanctuary which can helpe us to take the worth of the one and that impartiall glasse that represents to the life and shewes us the face of our owne soules and consequently our want of these things above In the meane while injurious in both these respects is the domeniering Prelate of Rome while by a sacrilegious robbing of the laytie of the Oracles of truth and fearing least their owne blindnesse should bee discovered they labour to put out or at least to hide them As if it were with Men as it is with Doves that being blinded they should flye up directly to the things above to make men in Religion to grope and seeke they know not what while by their doctrine of free-will and merite of congruitie that man by doing that which is in the power of nature may dispose himselfe to justification and so puffe up depraved nature against the grace of God Harke what that Romish pander Becanus speakes saith hee our first parents lost not by the fall two graces Faith and Hope why because these carry no repugnancie or contrarietie to the fall Thus Poperie is the bane of Pietie and the destruction of soules like a draught of deadly poyson which makes men swell Simile and die This for the fourth enquiry concerning the conditions necessarily required in seeking the things above The meanes of seeking I come now to the meanes by which we must seeke It was not the least part of the unhappinesse that attended Adams fall that besides the utter losse of the things above hee lost the skill and meanes whereby to recover them Wee are all of us borne wanderers Psal 119. ult wee goe astray from the wombe as lost sheepe Psalme 119. verse ult Like lost sheepe how is that Wee are not onely out of the way but wee want skill and power to seeke it againe much more to finde it unlesse God that gives abilitie to the one gives successe to the other Yet some meanes there bee that God hath appointed to us for the finding of these things above which wee must make diligent use of and from the ignorance and neglect of these meanes come two generall miscariages that men seeking the things above eyther they know not the right or they take the wrong point of the Compasse Among the meanes for the attayning of these things above 1. The Word preached why may I not in the first place give the Garland and precedencie to the Word Preached A sacred ordinance of a large and Catholike vertue which as the Sunne not onely discovers by his light but by its influence doth effect what ever may make for our spirituall estate in grace here or fit us for glory after Here being not onely the priviledges and prerogatives of Faith but Faith it selfe with all her sister graces Or if it bee freedome from the dominion of sinne the Word preached is the mighty Armour of God 2 Corinth 2 Cor. 10. 10. for the battery and demolition of all Satans strong holds Or whether it bee peace of conscience in assurance of the remission of sinnes the word being as interpreters call it the voyce of the Harpers harping in the Revelation which is onely able to calme the conscience Secondly 2. Prayer prayer that is another meanes whereby to seeke these things above Eyes lift to heaven where these things are conveying thence to the soule what may make for the abundant supply of its necessities In the neglect of which exercise
wee seeke the things above or no but this our owne thoughts are the image of our soules and our words are the image of our thoughts hee that seekes these things above as hee ought he cannot but make them the ordinary subject of the one and the frequent argument of the other And here were our brests transparent and our thoughts written in Characters Lord for one thought that wee spend on things above how many thousand thousand doe wee spend about the profits and pleasures nay about our sinfull lusts Or if wee thinke they lye hid in the secrecie and reservednesse of our thoughts alas our language betrayes us how rare a matter is it for heaven to bee made theame of our discourse If our hearts did runne full to the things above they could not chuse but often over-runne the bankes And these are the Characters whereby wee may take the height of our thoughts and know whether wee seeke the things above or no. Vse Exhortation to seeke these thingâ— I conclude all with one word of exhortation The best things when they come to bee degenerate and to turne edge they become the worst Man the glory and Paragon of the creatures transgressing the the law of his maker though hee lost the whole world in his owne ruine and downefall yet hee drew the greatest weight of misery upon himselfe For whereas all other creatures by the sole discipline of nature seeke perfection and the thing it consists in Man onely bands against himselfe and stands in neede of wooing Alas that wee should neede to bee solicited to seeke the things above that wee cannot finde except wee seeke and are eternally lost our selves except wee finde The truth is these are seeking times as indeede what times are not some seeke pleasure some profit some honour a fourth is for favour and so the rest among all which set but aside our passion and preposessed thoughts and what shall wee see in them to command our affections or deserve them What is pleasure but a silken halter that if wee looke not well to will strangle us in the imbracing What are riches but as Saint Austin saith except they bee in a wise and wary hand agents and Pandors to execute our lusts As the same same Father saith Gold is clay that wee can hardly handle without soyling of us What is honour but a glorious misery a pleasant discontent What is fame but a windie meteor wrapped upon high which in a while vanisheth and comes to nothing Suppose a man wanted the things above and were placed amidst the confluence of all the contentments below Nay suppose hee wanted one of these things above the peace of conscience the assurance of the remission of his sinnes I say place that man amidst the confluence of all contentments below and see how miserable his case would bee Let his cup overflow with Belshazer let the whole world pay tribute to his Table let him get mountaines of Gold and Silver and let all the world be but one Exchequer let him trample on Crownes and Scepters and let all the Kings and Princes doe him homage and at his frowne let the earth tremble and move Here were content enough you would thinke But let this man want one thing the peace of conscience and see how soone all these contentments vanish as the dew before the Sunne Let but God awaken this man out of his deceitfull slumber and bid his conscience muster his sinnes and set them before him in their gastly shape let him give it charge to take him and as an earnest of his future torments shake him over the pit that one day hee must tumble headlong in I say how soon wil his contentments vanish How frayle are they in his greatest neede If hee call for Gold conscience will not be bribed if hee solace himselfe with royall banquets conscience as an unwelcome guest dogges him or as that dismal summons that appeared to Belshazer disrelisheth all the rest Let him settle his temples with a Crowne of Gold and take the royall Scepter into his hand conscience is like a master that will know no partner and acknowledge no commander So all things here in our greatest height they are unsound but in our chiefest neede they are false and trecherous Our wisedome therefore ought to bee in the middest of the infinite varietie of these objects in the pursuite of them to speed our selves to besure to get somewhat that will quit our charge that will stand us in stead here and comfort us hereafter And can there bee a fayrer object for our seeking then grace and glory called here the things above Who would not thinke grace worth the seeking to bee reconciled to God to bee freed from the power and dominion of sinne to have our soules inriched with heavenly graces and ourselues inherit a Crowne of glory All which fruits of grace must here be sought and may be found But what is there below How much better is it to goe up to the things above as the Angell did to heaven in the flame of the Altar O Lord wee cannot seeke the things above till wee have found them and when wee have found them wee must still seeke them thou by thy preventing grace must inable us to seeke and by thy grace also give us successe to finde Lord wee pray thee open our eyes that wee may seeke the things above and then let us finde them Say Lord seeke yet my face and thy face Lord will wee seeke And if wee seeke thy face here then wee shall bee satisfied hereafter with thine Image And so satisfie still our desires and so desire wee that wee may not want what wee can desire till we be swallowed up of that Ocean of happinesse and loose our selves in enjoying of thee But if all this will not stirre us there is somewhat yet that will let us looke further with Moses eye to the recompence of reward I say let us looke further take the perspective of our faith view those glorious Crownes and Scepters and long white robes the garments of Christs victory reserved in heaven for all those that in the meanes of grace here seeke those things that are above and an entrance into glory When wee finde our selves dull in seeking the things above let us betake our selves upon the wing in a flight to heaven and there bathe our soules in those pleasures that runne in a full Channell at Gods right hand for ever If wee taste but one drop of them wee should distaste all the bitter sweets below Let us goe to God with those glorious Queresters and beare a part in those sweete Hymmes and say thus Glory and honour and power and wisedome and might and majestie and dominion bee to our Lord and to the Lambe that sits upon the Throne for ever and ever even so Amen FINIS