Heaven it was with a great purchase it was with the purchase of the blood of Jesus Christ that was more worth than all the world And if the Son makes you free then you shall be free indeed and therefore prize this as a great mercie while you live here in this world account it as a great mercie that you are a Citizen of Heaven account your happiness to consist there it is more than to have House and Lands here for a man to have a freedom of some Citie it is more than to have House and Land in the Wilderness What though the Lord doth order things so as while thou livest in the wilderness of this world thou hast no habitation of thine own yet certainly the Lord hath made thee free of Heaven it was purchased for thee by the blood of Jesus Christ Now by that price that it cost thou mayest conclude that there is some great matter in it that thou art a free Denizen of Heaven CHAP. VI. How the Saints have their Conversation in Heaven Opened in Nine Particulars BUt now our Conversation should be answerable and now we come more fully up to the scope of the Apostle But our Conversation is in Heaven The Conversations of the Saints that are free Citizens of Heaven ought to be answerable though their Co-habitations be in this world yet their Conversation it should be in Heaven in the 7. of Dan. 10. 18. there you reade of the excellent estate of the Saints But the Saints of the most High shall take the kingdom and possess the kingdom for ever That that is translated here The Saints of the most High it is not only meant of the Most High God but the Saints of the high Places so 't is translated by some for the Saints are the Saints of high places in regard of their interest in Heaven and in regard of their Conversations sutable to the place in the 2. Ephe. 6. And hath raised us up together and made us sit together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus The Saints are set in Heavenly places Heavenly dignitie Heavenly privileges Heavenly prerogatives yea and they themselves may be said to be in Heavenly places though their bodies be upon the earth their souls are in Heavenly places their Conversation is in Heaven They are the Saints of the High God and they are set in high places You will say What is this Conversation that is in Heaven that is here spoken of I shall open it in these particulars The first is The aim and scope of their hearts it is Heaven-ward that the Saints look at as their aim and scope is Heaven they look upon themselves in this world as pilgrims and strangers Heaven 's their home and their eye is there their end their scope whatsoever they do it is for Heaven some way or other to fit them for Heaven and to lay in for Heaven against they shall come and live there their Conversation therefore is in Heaven All that they do eating drinking going about their business yet I say their aim it is Heaven I remember it 's reported of Anaragorus a Philosopher that being asked wherefore he liv'd he said he was born to contemplate the Heavens he made it the end of his life for which he was born to contemplate Heaven Being a Phylosopher and having understanding in the motions of the Heavens he took such delight in it that he accounted it the end for which he was born So the Saints look at Heaven as their Center that they aim at that 's their scope we saith the Apostle do not look at things that are seen but at things that are not seen nothing in the Earth is our scope but Heaven is our scope and so their Conversations may be said to be in Heaven in that respect Secondly Their Conversations are in Heaven for they are acted by Heavenly principles in all their waies Heavenly principles you will say What are they This is a Heavenly Principle That God is all in all that 's a Principle that the Saints are guided by in Heaven they look upon God to be all in all unto them so do the Saints here in what they do in what they are in what they enjoy they act upon this Principle that it's God that is all in all whatsoever I see in the creature yet it 's God that is all in all to me I act by vertue of this Principle That God the infinite First-being is infinitely worthy of all love for himself that 's a Heavenly Principle the Saints that are in Heaven they look upon the infinite excellencie and glorie of God they look upon him as the First-Being of all things having all excellencie and glorie enough to satisfie all creatures for ever and look upon him as infinitly worthy of all love and service for himself know this is a heavenly Principle So the Saints their conversation is in Heaven they are acted by heavenly principles I look upon such and such things in the world whereby I may go in credit encrease or comfort this is an earthly principle But when my heart is so upon God that it looks upon him as infinitly excellent and worthy of all love service fear honor and worship for himself alone whatsoever becomes of the creature God is worthy of all for that infinite excellencie in himself this is a heavenly principle and for one to be acted in his life by such a principle as this is this is to be acted by heavenly principles not by such low and base principles as the men of the world are but by heavenly principles Thirdly Their Conversations are in Heaven For here though they live in the world they have communion with the God of Heaven that is above in the whol course of their lives In the 1. Epistle by John 1. chap. you have divers excellent expressions about our communion with God In the 3. verse That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you That ye also may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ And then in another Scripture we reade of the Communion of the holy Ghost Thereis Communion with the Father Son and holy Ghost Now what makes Heaven but God we say where the King is there 's the Court where God is there 's Heaven let God be where he will There is some controversie among some where the Saints shall be after the Resurrection some think it shall be still here and yet with all the glory that the Scripture speaks of Now it 's no great matter where it be so it be where God is those that have Communion with God they are in Heaven their Conversation is in Heaven now it 's that that is the life of the Saints their Communion with God thy life it is to have communion with the Creature that is for thee to close with the contents of the Creature and the faculty that is in man to tast any
they should find Callis in her heart And so it may be said of Saints whose Conversations are in Heaven I speak not of all Professors of Religion for it 's said of bodies when Paul speaks of the resurrection there are bodies Celestial and bodies Terrestial so I may say There are Professors Celestial and Professors Terrestial but as for such whose Conversations are in Heaven who walk with God and live here the lives of Heaven upon Earth If they were rip'd up you should find Heaven in their hearts un-rip many mens hearts and there 's nothing but the earth uncleanness and baseness suppose God should come this moment and rip up all your hearts and disclose them to all the men of the world what a deal of filthy stuff would be found in many of your hearts but for such whose Conversations are in Heaven they would be ready to have God unrip their hearts when he pleaseth Lord try Lord search me Lord examine and see what is in my heart I 'le but put this now to you as in the Name of God and let conscience answer What do you think would be found in your hearts if they should be unrip'd now and if your consciences tell you Oh Lord if my heart should be rip'd up now there would be a filthy deal of ugly and abominable stuff there surely I have not had my Conversation in Heaven my heart hath been sinking even down to low and base things but now for those whom this text concerns it will be an exceeding comfort to them and I hope that there are divers of you that may be able to say if the Lord should at this present rip our hearts and shew them to all the world I hope the world should see that Heaven is stamped upon our hearts We account it sad weather when we cannot see the Heavens for many daies when we cannot see Heaven many times for a week together and we account it an ill dwelling where men dwell in narrow lanes in the City so that they can scarce see the Heavens except they go abroad in the fields My brethren surely it 's a sad time with a gracious heart when any one day passes without converse with Heaven without the sight of Heaven and meditations of Heaven and having their hearts there Thus it should be with Christians whose Conversations are in Heaven they should never love such dwellings wherein they cannot see the beams of the Sun It 's a most comfortable thing for to see the light a man that dwels in some dark house it 's very comfortable for him to walk out into the open air and to behold the Heavens Oh my brethren our souls dwell in dark houses every one of us for our bodies are to our souls like a dark and low celler but the Lord gives us liberty to go abroad to be conversing with the things of Heaven that he hath revealed in his Word and in his Ordinances And as many Citizens that live in dark rooms keep a long time close to their work yet at such times as they cal days of Recreation they walk abroad in the Fields and take the fresh air and oh how delightsom is it to them The same should be to a gracious heart that hath a great many businesses indeed in the world I but on the Lords day Oh that he may now enjoy God in his Ordinances more than before his thoughts are upon those waies wherein he may come to have more of Heaven Oh! that I may come to converse more with God than at other times And upon that the Sabbaths are the joy of his soul his delight he longs after the Sabbath he thirsts after Ordinances for indeed his heart is in them for he finds there is more of Heaven in them than in other things and in that regard the Saints having their thoughts and hearts in Heaven thus he proves to have his Conversation to be in Heaven Moses never came to Canaan and yet God gave Moses a sight of it carried him up to mount Nebo Heavenly meditations are as it were mount Nebo whereby when the heart is raised a little upon the mount it 's able to see Heaven behold the glorious things there The Scripture speaks of Lucifer that he had his nest among the stars A Saint hath as it were his nest his dwelling among the stars yea above the stars in the highest Heavens As 't is with wicked men that when they seem to draw nigh to God yet their hearts are far from him then they are in their shops they are among their ships when they seem to be worshipping of God So when the Saints seem in regard of their bodies to be far from God yet their hearts are in Heaven in the mean time Sixtly For the opening of a Heavenly Conversation it consists in this When in the course of mens lives they do converse and delight in the same things that are done in Heaven they make their happiness the same happiness that is in Heaven and make their exercise to be the same exercise that is in Heaven As for instance What is there in Heaven There is the fight of the face of God Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God And the Angels Alwaies behold the face of God So the Saints may be said to have their Conversations in Heaven because their exercise here while they live it is in the beholding the face of God in standing before God seeing his face the greatest delight and contentment of their souls it is that they can see somewhat of God What 's to be done further The Work of Heaven it is in the Praisings and Blessings of God What do the Saints and Angels of Heaven but continually blesse and magnifie and praise the Name of that God whom they see to be so infinitly worthy of all praise and honor from his creatures Then is a mans Conversation in Heaven when as he doth the same things when he joyns with Angels Saints in doing of the same work of magnifying and blessing and praising God What 's done in Heaven but the keeping of a perpetual Sabbath Then are our conversations in Heaven when we delight in Gods Sabbath yea and indeed to keep a constant Sabbath unto God though busied about earthly things yet still we keep a Sabbath to God in resting from sin and being spiritually imployed And that 's a Sixth thing Seventhly Then our Conversation is in Heaven When in Earthly imployments yet we are Heavenly when we use earthly things after a heavenly manner it is not the place that God looks at so much where his Saints are But what they do Though while we live in the earth we use earthly things yet when we can use them in an heavenly manner then our Conversation may be in heaven though we upon earth As thus first When in the use of earthly things we do quickly passe through earthly things to God we make use of them but
we do not stick in them we make them the means to passe through to God and get quickly through a carnal heart sticks in the things of the earth mingles with the earth but a spiritual and heavenly heart makes earthly things but as Conduitâ— for conveyance of him to heaven we here carry about with us the flesh and because we have so much earth we have need of these earthly things I but they are means of conveyance to Spiritual and Heavenly things And then When we use Earthly things as Heavenly that is we take a rise of earthly things to meditate of Heaven upon the enjoyment of any thing in this earth we raise up our thoughts to the things of Heaven when we see the light to remember then the glorious light of Heaven and of the inheritance of the Saints which are in light when we cast any sweetnesse in the creature If these things be so sweet Oh what is heaven and God then that is the Fountain of all good things Thus to make all earthly things to be but as heavenly rises to us That 's a heavenly Conversation that in the use of earthly things doth quickly passe through to God and that makes spiritual and heavenly rises of earthly things Eightly Then is our Conversation Heavenly when the Saints in their Converse together are Heavenly when the Saints in their converse do look upon themselves as the Citizens of Heaven and converse as it beseems those of such a Country When as Country men are abroad in forreign parts and they meet together and there be conferring about the state of their country in their own language and aboue their friends and what things there are there among them they will say one to another as English men me thinks we are in England now our converse is as if we were in England So when the Saints in their meetings they do not meet to jangle and wrangle but they meet to converse of Heaven and to confer about their Country and every one telling news of Heaven there 's none of the Saints that walk close with God but when they meet together may tell one another some tidings of Salvation from above When Country men meet together in any place commonly the first question is What news is there from our Countrey from England So the Saints when they meet together if they be of Heavenly Conversations They will be talking somwhat of Heaven before they go what news of our Countrie what news from Heaven though they may have leave to refresh themselves being poor earthlie creatures here with somthing of the earth yet they will have some talk of Heaven before they part one with another This is a Heavenlie Conversation when the Communion of the Saints of Heaven is in Heavenlie things The ninth and last thing wherein the Conversation of the Saints in Heaven is is this That their great trade while they are upon the earth it is for Heaven Though they be not in their bodies there yet their trading is there and that 's the special thing that seems to be noted in the verie word in the text now their chief trade it is in Heaven the Saints that have Heavenlie Conversations they do not trade for trifles as other men do but they trade for great things for high things in the 3. of Collos saith the Apostle there If ye be risen with Christ seek those things that are above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God set your affections on things above and not on things on the earth They seek the things of God even those things where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God set your affections on things above and not on things on the earth they seek after these things they merchandize for those goodlie Pearls CHAP. VII The Saints Trading for Heaven opened in Seven Particulars NOW in the Saints Trading for Heaven there are these several things considerable First As in trading you know it is requisite in those that are trades-men to any Countrie that they should have skill in the Commoditie that they trade for so the Saints they have skill in Heavenly things there 's many poor Christians who have little skill in the matters of the world speak to them about them they understand but little but speak to them about Heaven and you may quickly perceive that they have skill in heavenly Commodities they have a skill from God they are Wise Merchants Secondly A Trades-man he must have a stock to trade withal Now the Saints they have a stock to trade withal for heaven they have grace in their hearts grace in the heart is a stock for a trade If you leave your Children no lands yet if you leave them a good trade and a stock you think you leave them a plentiful portion Now the Saints though they have but little in the world yet they have skill in the Commodities of heaven they have a good trade and a good stock too they have a stock of grace that shall never be lost how ever they perhaps may not have those In comes that they do desire somtimes yet they shall never lose their stock their portion and it should be their care to improve their stock for heaven and indeed then they have their Conversation in heaven when they improve and lay out all their stock that way about heavenly Commodities And then a third thing in trading is To take advantage of the Market for Commodities Great bargains may be had sometimes that cannot be had at another so the trade of a Christian for Heaven it is in the observing his advantages that he hath for heavenly things and those that have their Conversations in heaven they are very wise and understanding this way they are able to know their times and seasons other men that have not skill in the matters of heaven they do not know their times and seasons and therefore they neglecting their markets it may be upon their sick and death bed then they begin to think of heaven and then Oh that they might but know that their souls might go to Heaven when they go from their bodies I but thou art unskilful in heavenly Commodities thou didest not know thy time thou shouldest have had thy Conversation in Heaven in the time of thy life and so have observed what advantages God gave thee for trading for heaven Oh that we were but all wise this way to make it appear that our Conversations are in Heaven in this respect namely That we are wise to observe our advantages Oh! the advantages that God hath given us all at one time or at another for Heaven there 's not any one of you but God hath given you much advantage for Heaven had you but taken it If you will reflect upon your own hearts the course of your lives in former times your consciences may tell you Oh sometimes what fair advantages had I for Heaven How did the Spirit of God begin to
's true of many men in this case that I am speaking of their very souls do cleave to the dust their spirits are mixed with the earth and therefore they are drossie Though it may be they have some good common gifts some good natural parts and some workings of the holy Ghost upon them yet their spirits are drossie because they are mixt with the earth discourse never so much to these men of the vanity of the things of the earth they will give you the hearing but when you have done all their souls do cleave to the earth and discourse never so much to them of the excellency of heavenly things they will hear you but when you have done all their souls stil cleaves to the earth As a man whose soul cleaves in love to a woman As it is said of Sampson his soul did cleave to Dalilab talk what you will against that women or of the excellency of any other woman yet his soul cleaves to that woman so 't is in an earthly minded man let what will be said against the things of the earth or what can be said for the setting forth of the excellency of the things of Heaven yet his soul cleaves to the earth as the Serpents belly did to the dust of the ground That 's an earthly minded man Fourthly An earthly minded man it on whose heart is filled with distracting cares about the earth what he shall eat and drink and what he shall put on how he shall provide for himself and his family and what shall become of him at such a time Though he be well now yet what may become of him afterwards when the heart is filled with distracting cares about the things of the earth so far as the heart hath these prevailing over it so far such a man may be judged to be earthly There are two things that do cause distrating cares about anie businesse The first is An apprehension of some verie great evil In case I should be disappointed I look upon my disappointment in such a thing as a most intolerable evil to me If I should be disappointed I know not what in the world to do That 's the first The second is An uncertaintie in the means for the preventment of this disappointment when as I look upon disappointment as a very great evil so those means that should prevent and help me against disappointment I cannot trust to I look upon them as too weak to help me notwithstanding al such means I may yet be desappointed this causes distracting thoughts so t is in the things of the earth an earthly minded man or woman hath his thoughts fil'd with distracting cares about the world That is thus First They looking upon the things of the world as such great things they conceive if they should be disappointed they should be undone they look upon it as such a fearful unsufferable evil to be depriv'd of their estate and outward comforts in this world Secondly They don't look upon the means of provision for themselves and families as having anie certaintie in it which is a main thing to be considered of As for outward things in the world they find by experience there is uncertainty in them And then for any promse that there is in Scripture that God will provide for them and their families alas that they dare not trust to that 's a thing that of all means they think to be the weakest Lord have mercy upon them say they if they have nothing else to trust to but only a word in Scripture they think themselves most miserable and wretched But now it would be otherwise with the soul if it were not earthly minded it would not be at any great pause how things do fall out here in the matters of the world it 's true perhaps I may miscarry in such a businesse and my estate may be taken from me by the Caldeans or Sabeans as Jobs was but I shall not be undone my happiness is not gone I shall have that that will comfort me when all that is gone suppose the worst yet this will not undo me Indeed a man that sends abroad in a venture all his whole estate he is very solicitous because if there be ill news about it he is undone but another man that hath a great deal of riches house and Lands and a stock at home to maintain him and his family If there comes such ill news I have a stock to live on he thinks therefore he is not so much solicitous So a worldly man all his stock is in the earth there 's his only portion and if he miscarries there he is undone But a godly man though he hath the things of the earth yet he hath something else treasures in Heaven to rest upon besides the earth and therefore he is not so solicitous And then for the second The uncertainty of means and help if a godly man looks upon outward causes he sees all is uncertain but he hath a promise to rest upon I will never leave you nor forsake you cast your care upon me for I care for you and this he looks upon as a certain means and help whatsoever fals out here 's a promise that he can build upon and therefore this takes off his solicitous cares But an earthly minded man or woman whose heart is fild with distracting cares because he look upon himself as undone if he miscarries here and hath nothing to rest upon for his provision in this world more than the creature Fifthly An earthly minded man or woman is one whose great business of his heart and endeavours of his life are about the things of the earth he makes it his great business and the strong endeavours of his spirit are exercised in the things of the earth He eagerly and greedily works with the strongest intention about these things his whole Soul the whole man is laid out about the world it is the adequate object of his soul You will say Other men they are busie in their callings as well as these that you account earthly minded men I but mark they are busie about their callings in obedience to God and for outward things set aside their obedience to God then I say all the things that they busie themselves about in the world were it not under that consideration that they were obeying God in it they would not be adequate objects for their souls I mean by an adequate object that that Is sufficient to take up the whole strength of the soul to lay it out fully I 'le give you this similitude to express my mind further to shew you what I mean by an adequate object You have a little child he is playing at sports now this sport it hath as much in it as there is in his spirit there is a kind of equality between his spirit and such a sport there is benefit enough a child conceives in such a sport as it's worth the laying out of all his
earthly-mindednesse hath as much opposition to the nature of grace and the power of godlinesse in the heart as almost any sin that you can name It is so quite contrary to the very beginning of the work of grace not contrary to the degrees only but to the very begining The main work of God at the very first in working grace in the soul is to disingage the soul from the creature it is to take it off from the Earth and from all creatures here below for naturally 't is true That as we are of the earth so we are earthly and have our spirits ingaged to the things of this earth but then comes the work of grace upon the soul and takes it off and discharges the heart from the earth and therefore you find that Christ laies in this as the first lesson That he that will be my Disciple must deny himself and take up his Cross and follow me as if he should say never think of being a Christian except you will deny your selves Self what 's that all natural contentment natural-self and sinful-self to be emptied wholly of your selves and creature-comforts and contentments and take up my Cross to be willing to suffer any thing in regard of earthly comforts to be willing to lay down all at my feet and to give up your interest in all and to take up my Cross this is the very first beginning of Christs bringing Disciples to himself Then saith the soul let me have my sin pardoned and farewel earth it 's Heaven Holiness renewing of the Image of God communion and union with God and living to the eternal praise of his Name in Christ that my heart is upon I say this in the beginning of Gods working the heart to himself The work of Grace when it is first wrought it hath the name of Vocation Calling what is it for a man to be called give diligence to make your calling election sure To be called is this and whereas before thou wert altogether digging and dolving in the earth and seeking for thy happiness in the world now it pleases God to make thee to hear a voice behind thee calling thee and telling thee O poor soul thy happiness is not here there are other things in which thy chief good consists thou art made for higher and better things than these God hath nobler thoughts about man-kind than meerly to let him have a few contentments here in the earth Oh soul come away and look after higher things here 's the first work of grace and the soul answers unto this call of God and saith Lord I come and so gives up it's self to God to dispose of it and this is in the beginning of the work of Grace Now how contrary is earthly-mindednesse to the work of God in bringing grace into the heart Conceive it in these three things 1. The very work of conversion it is set out in Scripture by Gods calling the soul out of the world Whom he hath predestinated him he hath called When God effectually begins to work upon the heart of a sinner he does cause a voice to be heard in the soul Oh soul thou hast been busying thy self about many things but there is one thing necesseary Oh come out of that way of thine that thou art in thou canst never be happy else thou wilt be undone in it the Lord calls the soul out of the world and that I say is the very work of conversion the souls answearing to Gods call Now for one stil to be earthly and to have a heart cleaving to these things surely such a one is not as yet effectually called out of the world 2. And then from thence follows upon the souls answer to this call the Lord difingages the heart from all creature-comforts and teacheth the first lesson to deny himself and to take up Christs Crosse now what 's more opposite to self-denial and the taking up of the Crosse of Christ than earthly-mindednesse the text saith here They are enemies to the Cross of Christ And then a third thing in conversion it is The resigning up of the soul to God as the chief good the soul upon the call of God it learns the lesson of Self-denial and taking up the Crosse and so being disingaged from the creature now it resigns up it self to God as an infinite soul satisfying good for ever now you cannot but in the naming of this see how opposite earthly-mindednesse is to it And then for the work of grace upon the heart after the heart is converted and turned to God First Grace brings a new light into the soul A Spiritual and Divine light is set up in the soul upon the conversion of a sinner to God but now the earth you know it 's the dark part of the world and earthly mindednesse it causeth darknesse to be upon the spirit as the interposition of the earth between us the Sun it doth hinder the sight of the Sun from us And so the interposition that there is of earthlinesse in the soul of man between God and it doth hinder the sight of God from the soul there is a Divine light set up in the soul and when as God works grace that doth discover things of a higher and more excellent and glorious nature than those things were that before the heart did so much cleave unto In the second place the Scirpture sets forth the work of grace by the New creature In the soul all things are made new old things are Past he that is in Crhist is a new creature Now earthly-mindednesse is opposite to the new creation in the soul it 's the old man that is of the earth the first man is of the earth earthly and so it is apparant that thou art still only in the stock of the first man of the earth earthly who art an earthly-minded man But the second man is the Lord from Heaven But now thou that art an earthly-minded man or woman art yet but a child of Adam of the first man and so art of the earth earthly this is opposite to grace grace works a new creation in the soul 3. And grace is of an Elevating nature raises the heart above its self and above the creature yea above the world in some respect above Angels themselves above Principalities and Powers above all created things grace is of a raising nature but an earthly-minded man sinks down to low and base things And grace fourthly is of an Enlarging nature it enlarges the heart so that it cannot be satisfied with any earthly thing though God should give the whole world to a heart that hath grace this would not satisfie that heart why because it is so Enlarged by the work of grace the work of grace it is the Divine nature the Image of God in the soul and therefore works the soul like to God and it 's said of God in the 40. of Isa that all the nations of the earth are to him
the last of all Whose end is destruction who art drown'd in perdition lest hereafter this be the thing that thou shalt lie crying out of and cursing thy self for Oh! I had a base and earthly heart and sought the things of the earth and made my portion there and in the mean time the blessed God hath been forsaken and I have lost my Portion in the Holy Land for I had my portion in Egypt among the Egyptians accoding as I did choose to my self 9. Conv. That the more spiritual any truth is that is reveal'd the less doth it take with his heart Some truths of Religion perhaps he is moved with but these are as by-words to him he minds them not at at all The more spiritual an Ordinance is that is delivered the lesse is his spirit moved with it if indeed he comes to the Word and there be mingled some earthly natural excellencie for so I may call it as natural parts wisdom wit and eloquence and learning that he is mov'd withal it may be some fine story is more pleasing to him than the goodly pearls of truth that are revealed in the word as now such truths as these The enjoyment of communion with God the longing after Jesus Christs coming the living by faith upon a bare promise the excellencie that there is in suffering for Jesus Christ These truths now are spiritual The mortifying of the inward lusts Self-denial These things are little savored by an earthly-minded man tell him of the priviledges of the Saints the mysteries of the Gospel any thing that is spiritual it is but as a notion to him As 't is with men that are upon the earth they look up to Heaven and see the things of Heaven but little why is it that the Stars seem so smal to us here but because we are upon the earth the earth seems a vast bodie to us but the Stars seem but little to us though they are far bigger than the earth were we in Heaven then the heavenly bodies would seem vast to us and the earthly bodies would scarce be discerned by us were mens hearts heavenly all the things of the earth would seem little to them but because they are earthly therefore the things of heaven and spiritual mysteries are very small in their eyes CHAP. IV. Seven Reasons of mens Earthly-mindedness I Shall now proceed unto the Reasons of the Point Why is it that mens hearts are so much set upon the earth to mind earthly things I give you briefly these Reasons for it First The things of the earth appear real to them but spiritual and heavenly things be but a notion Now that that hath reality in it takes with the heart most though men are deceived in this for the Scripture speaks of spiritual things as the only real things and earthly things as that that hath no being at all in Prov. 23. 15. Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not speaking of the riches of the world it hath no reality at all in it But in the 8. Prov. 20. 21. I lead in the way of righteousness in the midst of the paths of Judgment That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance to inherit that which is that which hath a being othert hings they are not the honors of the earth are but a fantasie and vain shew you have read of Bernice and Agrippa They came with much Pomp with great Fansie so the original is but to an earthly man these earthly things are real things and therefore he minds them and wisdom is a lye unto a fool Secondly These things they look upon as the present necessary things though the Scripture tels us but of one thing that is necessiary but yet they think that these are present now they may have need of heavenly things hereafter They may have need of reconciliation with God pardon of sin peace of conscience and such things they may have need of them that is when they depart out of this life Oh! the infinite folly of most hearts to think that there is no present necessity of spiritual and heavenly things whereas indeed our life consists in them for the present This is eternal life we may come here in this world to enjoy eternal life but the generality of people they look upon all spiritual things only as our good for the future when we go from hence and are seen no more Thirdly These things are most sutable to mens hearts It 's no wonder that they mind earthly things They are of the earth and from the earth they have nothing but the first Adam in them now the first man was from the earth earthly The truth is the happiness of mans estate even in innocency in the morning of the day of his creation in comparison of the things that are now reveal'd by the Gospel was but earthly take man when he was in Paradice that Paradice was but earthly but then take man in his fallen and corrupt estate then he must needs be earthly and every thing closes with that that is sutable to it comfort it doth not come so much from the goodness of a thing but from the sutablness of the object with the facultie Now the things of the earth they are sutable to men that are of the earth and therefore they mind them the heart will abundantly run out upon that which is sutable to it Fourthly These things of the earth have a very fair shew in the flesh they have a kind of goodly appearance in the eye of sence yea and in the eye of that reason that is now corrupted by sin we have a most elegant expression of these earthly things and earthly minded men having their hearts set upon these things it is in the 6. to the Gal. 12. verse As many as desire to make a fair shew in the flesh saith the Scripture the words are to signifie when a man looks smug and neat as you shall have some men dresse themselves curiously and having handsom bodys they look so trim fine handsom and very brave to the eye of all that do behold them So saith he these men that are the false teachers they desire to make a fair shew in the flesh that is they look upon the things of the flesh as those things that are very brave to the eye and they love to have all things so compleat about them that they may look smug and carry themselves with such beauty before the world Oh! this is their happiness this they take content in they seem to have fine estates and to have brave cloathing and all curious things about them this looks so brave in the eyes of the world and therefore it is that their hearts are upon them they are here enemies to the Crosse of Christ they think suffering for Christ poverty disgrace looks but untowardly But now those that desire to make a fair shew in the flesh that would have their countenances well wash'd
mans nature upon him and died for man Surely there must be some other manner of things that are the fruit of the purchase of the blood of Christ than the things of the earth Oh my brethren had you but this setled upon you that certainly God hath great glorious high and wonderful thoughts about man-kind this would be a mighty means to take off your hearts from the things of this earth when thou hast thy heart grovelling here Oh but are these the things that God made man for had not God higher thoughts in making of the children of men do not I find in the word that when man was made there was a kind of Divine consultation with the Trinity Come let Vs make man according to our own Image God had other thoughts of man than of other things And if man were made for nothing else but meerly to dig in the earth Certainly the thoughts of God about man have been but very low and mean as I may so speak with holy reverence for these are but low and mean things here that men enjoy in the earth The Fourth Consideration As God hath higher thoughts concerning man so the dignity of mans Nature the rational soul of man is of too high a birth for to have the strength of it spent about the things of the earth God breathed into man his soul It 's I may say a kind of a Divine spark the soul of man it is of the same nature with Angels a spirit as Angels are the thoughts of the minds the Faculties and Powers of the soul are more precious things than to be powred out as water upon the ground If a man have a Golden Mill he would not use it only to grind dirt straws and rotten sticks in The mind of man the thinking faculty is too high to be exercised in the things of this earth the mind of man it is of a most excellent capacious Nature it is fit to converse not only with Angels but with the eternal God Himself with Father Son and Holy Ghost and to bestow the strength of such a faculty that God hath put into the soul of man upon such dirtie drossie low base mean things as earthly-minded men and women do bestow it upon this must needs be a great evil Know the dignity of your Nature the excellencie of your Mind the Soul of man it is of a transcendent being Put all the world into the Ballance with it it 's nothing Therefore you know what Christ saith What shall it profit a man to gain the whol world and lose his soul The soul of the meanest gally-slave is more precious than Heaven and Earth Sun Moon Stars and all the host of them Let me add then all the Silver and Golden mines under ground and al the unsearchable Riches of the great and wide Sea yea put all these together and the Soul of the most contemptible beggar that cries for a crust of bread at thy door is unexpressibly more worth than all these Now if mans soul be of such an high-born Nature if God hath put such a Spirit which is a spark of Heaven into the bosom for man of him to imploy it in no other use and service but meerly to be an earth-worm to creep in and upon the ground this must needs be a very great evil The fifth Consideration The fifth Consideration is The Vncertainty of all these things Vncertain Riches How may any Causuality come and take away from thee al the things of the earth that thy mind is upon God sends but a little too much heat into the body and puts thee into a feavour and where 's thy delight then thy body being either too much heated or too much coold what 's become of all thy comfort here in this earth Thou goest abroad and art dangerously wounded by an enemy what refreshing then doest thou receive from all these things Let me tell thee thou art in the midst of a thousand thosand Casualities here every moment ready to take away all the Comforts of the earth and usually at that time observe it when the minds of men and women are most fixed upon the earth that 's the time that God hath to strike them in those things they be then neerest to be depriv'd of the Comforts of the earth when their thoughts and minds be most set upon them As you know it was with the Rich man in the Gospel when he was blessing himself and crying to his soul Soul Soul take thine ease thou hast goods laid up for many years even that night the text saith this message came so him Thou fool this night shall thy soul be taken away from thee and then whose shall al these things be And at that time that Nebuchadnezzer was blessing himself in the pallace that he had built for His Honor then there comes a message to him from Heaven so that he was presently outed of all his Court-vanities to graze among the beasts of the field So you may find it in your own experience that God hath many times then most crost you in the things of the earth when your minds and hearts have been most glued to them and it may be in mercy yea it 's a greater mercy to be crost of these things at such a time than to prosper in the midst of them for it may be a good argument that God intends good to a soul to crosse him at that time when he is most earthly Oh! many that have been godly indeed but yet have bin earthly minded and have found God coming at such a time and crossing them in some earthly Contentment have seen cause to blesse God for thus dealing with them Whither was I going I was going altogether to the earth and minding such things my heart was set upon them and God came in in a seasonable time to shew me the vanity of my heart and of those things that my mind was busied about Oh it was a happy crosse that I had at such a season there was much of Christ that did hang upon it And that 's the fift Consideration The sixth Consideration Do but consider what 's become of those that have been earthly heretofore that injoyed the greatest accomodations of the earth what 's become of those men in former ages of the world that lived here and vapour'd so much in their generation who but they at Court and in Citie and had all the earth according to their desires what 's become of Agrippa and Bernice with al their pagentry greatness now they have acted their parts and are gone off the common stage of the world all their vanity is buried with them in one grave What difference is there between the poor and rich when they die they go all the same way only they were for a little time and flourished in the things of the earth and now are gone but have left a great deal of guiltiness behind them look but to their example and what
freedom Their names were there Inrold from all eternity and so Christ at his ascention went and took possession but when they beleeve actually they do as it were take up their freedom in that Citie There 's many men that are born free yet there 's a time when they take it up and so others that have serv'd for their freedom yet it may be a long time before they be made free and so the Saints when they do actually beleeve they come to take up their freedom in the Citie of Heaven and are made Free Burgesses of Heaven And hence in the fourth place They come no more to be as slaves they are not bondslaves as before they are delivered from bondage being made free of Heaven As if so be that forreigners or such as are slaves should come to be Infranchized then they have the same freedom as others have and are admitted to the like City-priviledges and they are no more to be accounted as slaves so those that are by nature bondslaves to sin and Satan yea and such as are under the bondage of the Law yet when they come to beleeve they are infranchized in Heaven and are delivered from the bondage of the Law Sin and Satan they are said to be free-men of the Citie of Heaven Fiftly All the Saints have right to all the common stock Treasury and riches of Heaven whatsoever priviledges belong to the Charter of Heaven the Saints have right and title to them all As in great Cities there is a Common stock and Treasury that is for publick occasions and every Citizen hath some interest in it so the Saints I say have interest in all the Common-stock and Treasury and all the riches that there are in Heaven Sixtly The Saints are the Citizens of Heaven they have for the present the same confirmation of their happy estate that the Angels and those blessed souls have that are rasident in Heaven I say they have this priviledg now by being Citizens of Heaven that though their bodies be not in the highest Heavens yet they have their happiness confirmed as sure as the Angels in Heaven have and as any blessed souls in Abraham bosom look how they are confirmed in a happie estate so as they cannot be made miserable so is every Beleever though he lives in this world he hath this priviledg in being a Citizen of Heaven that he is confirmed in a happie estate that all the powers in hell and in the world can never make this soul to be miserable and this is a mighty priviledg of being a Citizen of Heaven he is more priviledged than Adam in Paradice for Adam he was not confirmed and stablished when he was made in the state of innocencie but every Beleever is confirmed and stablished as the Angels in Heaven are Seventhly They have this priviledg By being Citizens they have priviledg of free-trade to Heaven You know that Free-men in the Citie have priviledg of Trade more than Forreigners have Forreigners are fain to pay Custome and double taxes more than the Free-Citizens So the Saints they have the priviledg of Free-trade in Heaven for any thing that doth concern them they have a Freeintercourse with Heaven which others have not Eightly They have now for the present Communion with the Angels of Heaven there is Cōmunion Commerce between the Saints here and the Angels upon this ground because they are fellow Citizens and in that place of the Hebrews before quoted We are come to the Heavenly Jerusalem and to the innumerable company of Angels There is a great deal of intercourse between the Saints and Angels here upon earth the Angels look upon them as their fellow Citizens and are ministring spirits for the good of the Elect and they do very great services for the Church-men here in this world upon this ground because they look upon them as their fellow Citizens Ninthly They have the protection of Heaven being the Citizens of Heaven I say they have Heavens protection As one that is a Citizen he hath the protection of the Law of the Citie of the power of the Citie to defend him hence we reade of Paul that because he was a Roman it was dangerous to meddle with him as in the 22. of Acts 25. verse as they bound him with thongs Paul said unto the Centurion that stood by Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman and uncondemned As if he should say Take heed what you do I am free of the Citie of Rome And mark saith the Scripture when the Centurion heard that he went and told the chief Captain saying Take heed what thou doest for this man is a Roman he hath the protection of the City Thus the Saints are Citizens of Heaven They are not Romans but of the Heavenly Jerusalem and when any are about to wrong one of them they had need take heed what they do for he is a Citizen of Heaven the King of Heaven is his King to protect him and he sits and laughs at the enemies of the Church And the very Angels themselves they are their guard to guard all these Citizens and to protect them and this is the comfortable estate of all the people of God that they are the Citizens of Heaven Our City Converse All this I note out of the signification of the word in the original and without the understanding of the propriety of the language and the word we should not have the understanding of this truth Wheresore my brethren it being thus it should teach all the people of God to walk as becomes Citizens not to be rude in their behavior 't is a dishonor to Citizens to be rude in their behavior it 's enough for Country people that never had any education to be rude but certainly the Saints of God they have the education of Heaven this may be added for a tenth Particular They have the holy Ghost to be their Instructer to bring them up in holy and good manners that is sutable to Heaven this the Saints have and manifest it in your Conversations be not rude in your way prize your priviledg of being a Citizen of Heaven it 's that that cost Jesus Christ dear to purchase this infranchizement and liberty for you we reade in the 22. of the Acts of the Captain when he heard that Paul was a Roman in the 27. verse their chief Captain came and said to him Tell me art thou a Roman He said Yea. And the chief Captain answered with a great sum obtained I this Freedom And Paul answered I was free-born They were wont to give great sums to purchase freedoms of the City Oh! this City that here we are speaking of hath such priviledges as is beyond any in the world And no man or woman can come to be free of this City but it is by a great purchase No man can say as Paul did here that he was born free no but if he came to be free of
stir in me What truths were there darted into mee at such a season What motions flowing in had I at such a time Oh how happy had I been if I had taken such an advantage for Heaven I had even been in Heaven already Now those who do converse with Heaven they watch at those advantages they come not to hear the Word but they watch for the time to have God stirring in their hearts and they follow that advantage they watch for the time of the softening of their spirits and the enlivening of their souls and they follow hard those advantages and so trade for Heaven and grow rich in Heavenly Commodities Fourthly Where there is a trade from one Country to another there 's much intercourse A man that trades to such a Town or Country ther 's much intercourse between that man and those that live there so a Christians trading for Heaven is in this there is very much intercourse between Heaven and his soul every day he sends up to Heaven and every day he hath something from Heaven sent down to his soul Oh do but examine what intercourse there hath been between Heaven and you how is it with many of you even as if there were no Heaven at all Men that are no trades-men to the Indies 't is as if there were no such place at all to them So it is with many that lives even in the bosom of the Church there is very little intercourse between Heaven and them but a trader for Heaven hath much intercourse with heaven Fifthly A man that trades to any place if he trade for great matters he hath the chief of his stock where he trades though he be not present in his body yet the chief of his estate is there If a man be a Spanish or a Turkish Merchant and trade thither the chief of his estate lies there in Spain or Turkey more than here So it is with one that trades for Heaven the chief part of his estate lies there he accounts his riches to lie in Heaven indeed he hath somwhat to live upon here in this world for a while but there 's his riches he looks at Heaven as the place where his greatest treasure lies Sixthly A man that trades is willing to part with something where he is that he may receive advantage in the place where he trades So it is with the Saints that trade for Heaven they are willing to part with much that they might receive afterwards in Heaven they are willing I say to part with any thing here in this world to the end that they may receive it when they come home A man that is abroad and is going to his own Country and there he is trading for Commodities he is very willing to part with all his money where he is for receiving Commodities in his trade or those that give their moneyes here that so they may receive commodities in another place where they are trading A carnal heart that doth not know the certainty nor excellency of the Commodities of Heaven they are willing to part with nothing but will keep all they think with themselves what we have here we are sure of but that that they talk of Heaven we do not know what it is it may prove to be but an imagination therefore we wil keep what we have and be sure of that Oh! thou art no trader for heaven if thou wert thou wouldst be willing to part with any thing here that so thou mightst receive commodities there thou wouldest be content to live poorly and meanly in this world so be it that thou mightest have thy riches when thou comest into thy mansion of glory Seventhly Trades-men that trade for great matters they must trust much they cannot expect to have present pay in great sums It 's true men that trade for little matters that trade by retale they usually take in their pence and two pence as their commodities goes forth but it 's not so with Merchants that trade for great things in whol-sale So 't is in traders for Heaven they trust much and indeed the grace of Faith it is the great grace that helps in the trading for Heaven they have a little earnest for the present You that are traders and go to the Exchange and sell bargains for many thousands you have not perhaps above twelve pence or a crown for the present it may be only a promise but you expect the great sums afterwards So those that are traders for Heaven they have some earnest they be contented with a little for the present the first-fruits of the Spirit or a bare promise from Christ this is that that binds the whole bargain and they expect to have the full pay hereafter when they come to Heaven It is a happy thing when God gives men and women hearts to be willing to trust God for eternity and if they have but a little comfort and grace now yet to look at that as an earnest peny of all the glory that Jesus Christ hath purchased by his blood and that God hath promised in his Word thou art not fit to be a trades-man for Heaven that canst not trust that canst not be content that great bargains should be bound with a little earnest But that 's the soul that trades in Heaven that can be content to wait for the fulfilling of promises to take what they have from God for the present though it be but a very little as an earnest to bind all those glorious things that God hath promised in his Word Here you see a trader for Heaven in these Seven things Now put all these things that you have heard together with these and you may see what it is to have our Conversations in Heaven CHAP. VIII Seven Evidences of mens having their Conversation in Heaven NOW then there are some Evidences of Christians having their Conversation in Heaven As we shewed you som Evidences of an Earthly Conversation so likewise of a Heavenly Conversation that is some demonstrations plainly to shew That the Conversations of Christians are in Heaven In the first place It 's plain certainly there are Christians that have their Conversations in Heaven First because there are Christians that can vilifie all the things of this earth surely except they had their Conversations higher than the earth they could not so vilifie the things of the earth It 's an evidence of the height of Heaven that a man is lifted up very high that shall look vpon the very Globe of the earth as a very punctum as a little thing so an evidence that the hearts of the Saints are on high when they can look on the things of the earth as smal it 's true we that are upon the earth look upon the stars as small and the earth as great but if we were in Heaven we would look upon the stars as great and the earth as small as Paul did accounted all things but as dung and drosse dogs
Country where his birth was so high Oh that he might be but there he should be happy then and it doth him good to hear any man speak of that Country Truly so it is with the souls of men they are the birth as I may so speak of the high God of the great King of Heaven and Earth being breathed so into the nostrils of man Now through mans fall the soul comes to be a slave to the Devil and is set about drudggery to provide for the flesh but now when God is pleased to convert the soul the Lord comes then to declare to a man or woman Oh man woman thou art born from on high thy soul is as it were a sparkle of the Divinity as I may so say thy Father by creation nay not only by creation as he is the Creator of all Creatures is God but by a more special work of his by a more special work I say than in the first creation of other things thy soul is from God and of a Divine Nature and is therefore capable of Communion with Father Son and holy Ghost Certainly thou never hadst such a Divine and Excellent being given the meerly that thou shouldest delight in the flesh and be servicable to thy body in eating and drinking here a while Oh! consider of thy Country whence thou camest at first here 's one work of grace to know the Excellency of our souls and from whence they came surely if grace do this it must needs turn the heart of one that is converted to God to have his Conversation to be in Heaven That 's the first Reason The Second Reason But not only so because the soul had a Heavenly original and therefore will not be content with a portion here in this world But secondly When grace comes there the soul hath a Divine Nature put into it beyond the excellency that it had in its first Creation I say there is a Divine Nature higher than is meer natural excellency in the 2 Peter 1. 3. According saith he as his Divine Power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness and whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by these you might be partakers of the Divine Nature Certainly the Apostle did not here mean meerly what Adam had in innocency I never read that that 's cal'd the Divine Nature though it 's true there is a renewing of the Image of God in man when he is converted I but there is somewhat more in the soul of man than repairing of this the holy Ghost coming and dwelling in the soul in a higher way than it dwelt in the soul of Adam at the first indeed before it was a creature but such a creature as only had reference to God as God was the Creator and man was the creature but now it hath reference to God as being made one with the Second Person in Trinity and so one with the Father and therefore of a higher Nature than man was in the state of innocency And you know what is said of Adam in Paradice He was of the earth earthly he was of the earth in comparison of the second Adam take Adam in innocency in comparison of the second Adam he was but of the earth earthly and so his posterity though Adam had stood should have been but of the earth earthly their portion its like should have bin but in a happines in this world we never read in Scripture of a Heavenly condition Adam had been in though he had stood but the second Adam is from Heaven Heavenly And the posterity of the second Adam that is those that are by Regeneration made the children of the everlasting Father that are made the posterity of Jesus Christ by faith are from Heaven Heavenly therefore their souls are indued with a Divine Nature with such high principles of grace as it must needs carry up their souls to Heaven If a lump of earth should be so changed as to have a spirit and a life put into it and to be made of such an Airial nature as any of the birds are this lump of earth would fly in the air presently It is so in the work of conversion All men and women are earthly and therefore they fink down to the earth and the earth is their proper center but when once they come to be converted there is a spirit put into them whereby they come to mount up aloft It is not more natural for the Earth to fall down low than it is for the fire and air to ascend up high because every creature doth move towards the Center of it heavie things fall down because below is the proper place of them light things rise up because their proper place is to be above and so the Conversations of the Saints must needs be in Heaven because there 's their Center there 's that that 's sutable to the Divine Nature that is put into them The Third Reason Their Conversations must needs be in Heaven Because those things that are the most choice things unto them are in Heaven I should have named a great many particulars here to shew what are the choice things that concern the Saints and how they are all in Heaven Their Father God is in Heaven Our Father which art in Heaven Jesus Christ he is in Heaven Seek the things above where Jesus Christ is sitting at the right hand of the Father Jesus Christ that is their Head in Heaven Their Husband is in Heaven Their Elder Brother is in heaven Their King is in heaven Their Treasure is in heaven Their Inheritance in heaven Their Hope is in heaven Their Mantion-house in heaven Their chief Friends are in heaven Their Substance is in heaven Their Reward is in heaven Their wages are in heaven All these things being in heaven no marvail though their Conversations are in heaven And they are going to Heaven now being that they are going that way travelling towards heaven they must needs be there in their hearts heaven is the place that they shal come to ere long they shal be there and they know that here in this world they are to be but a while but for ever to be there We shall be caught up into the clouds â—nd be for ever with him Yea their Conversations must needs be in Heaven for they have much of heaven alreadie there 's much of heaven in the Saints the Kingdom of Heaven it is within them the Scripture saith They having so much of Heaven for the present it must needs be that their Conversationâ— are there and so that Scripture in the 10. Heb. 34. Knowing in your selves that ye have in Heaven a better and enduring substance You may reade it thus Knowing you have Heaven a better enduring substance in your selves so that the words knowing in your selves hath not only reference to what they know by hear-say though this be a true note that they may know heaven
draw my heart off from Spiritual and Heavenly things no but I beat down my body saith he There 's no Christian that is Heavenly but he must be very careful and watchful over his sences while he lives here to beat down his body and so he may come to have his Conversation in Heaven The Sixth Rule Labor to be skilful in the mystery of godliness to draw strength from Jesus Christ in every thing you do For my Brethren Christ he is Jacob's Ladder When Jacob lay asleep he saw a ladder on which the Angels did descend and ascend up to Heaven Now this Jacob's Ladder is no other but Jesus Christ to Christians and that must be set up to Heaven if you would go to Heaven and converse with Heaven it must be by Jesus Christ you must be instructed in the mysterie of the Gospel in conversing with God through a Mediator there is such an infinite distance between God and us that except we have Christ the Mediator we can never come to God nor God come to us it is only Christ the Mediator that is the Ladder We need not say Who shall go up to Heaven to fetch Christ down No we may have Christ in our hearts and set up him and so we may go up to Heaven by his Mediation When as a Christian comes to live in this manner what I do expect from God I expect to draw it through a Mediator and all the services that I tender up to God I tender them up through the hand and heart of Christ Now those that are acquainted with this have much converse with Heaven By Jesus Christ the Mediator I may come up there and present my self there though no unclean thing may come there for God looks upon the Saints through him as righteous being cloathed with his righteousness they may come to their Father with boldnesse having their Elder brothers garments upon them they may come and kneel before the Throne of grace come into Heaven as into the Presence Chamber and kneel every morning for their Fathers blessing it 's by him what we have accesse unto the Father Oh! acquaint thy self with the Mystery of godlinesse in drawing all from Christ and tendering all to God through Christ By this Heaven comes down to thee and by this thou climest up to Heaven this is the Jacob's Ladder But those men that only look upon God in a natural way that 's thus Indeed all good things must come from God and so they go to prayer Lord we beseech thee bless us this day for all good things come from thee And they serve God their consciences tell them they must worship and serve God while they live here but it is but in a dull natural way let me leave it in your hearts All good comes from God through a Mediator through Jesus Christ the second Person in Trinity God-Man and all my services are tendered up to God through him there is this Mediator God-Man that unites God and me together and so by him I have acceptance both for my person and all my actions and by him I come to have other manner of blessings than comes from God meerly as Creator God in bounty bestows upon the creature many good things but when we come to deal with God in Christ we come to have Heavenly blessings blessings beyond the power of nature yea beyond all those blessings that nature can be any conveyance of beyond the blessings that the conduits of the creature are able to hold forth they have the blessing from God imediately imediately I mean in respect of the creature it 's by the mediation of Christ they enjoy God in Christ and so come to enjoy God in a Heavenly Supernatural way Oh this is the way to have our Conversations in Heaven and those Christians that are much acquainted with the Gospel of Christ they come to live far more Heavenly Conversations than others that go on in a dull heavie and natural kind of way in serving of God But being not acquainted with this mysterie their hearts lie low upon the earth and know not what it is to have their Conversations in Heaven The Seventh Rule And so the next Rule with which I must close all is this Exercise much the grace of faith There is no way to get above the Creature and above Nature but by exercising the grace of Faith Many Christians think they must exercise love to God and exercise sorrow for sin the grace of Repentance mourning for sin that 's good thou shouldest do that and thou shouldest exercise patience but the great grace that is to be imployed if thou wouldest attain a Heavenly life it is The exercise of Faith and make conscience to put forth that grace much for it 's by that that we do converse with God through Christ Though Christ be the ladder yet it 's faith that carries us up this ladder and brings us down again it 's faith that makes the things of Heaven real to the soul Heb. 11. 1. It 's faith that is an evidence of things not seen and the substance of things hoped for by faith these things come to be made real and substantial things and as present things faith it is that gives a great excellency to all the things of Heaven its self and therefore live much by faith and walk by faith and not by sence and then shalt thou be above the world and live in Heaven and as the fruit of thy faith wait for the appearing of Jesus Christ Our Conversation is in Heawen saith the Apostle from whence also we look for the Savior the Lord Jesus Christ c. Where a mans Conversation is there his expectations may be and where the expectations are there a mans Conversation is now our Converstaion is in Heaven from whence also we look for Jesus Christ as if he should say It 's not a motion do not you think that when we speak of Conversing in Heaven that we please our own fancies Oh no saith he we by faith look upon Heaven as the most real thing in the world for we expect the Lord Jesus Christ ere long to appear in glory bodily and we shall see him with these eyes and shall change our vile bodies and make them like his glorious body we by faith looking upon such glorious things to be so real and so at hand and we waiting for these things it 's this that makes our Conversation to be in Heaven our hearts and all are there because that we expect that these things will be made good to us quickly Oh Christians do but exercise your faith in this in Jesus Christ and put forth this fruit of faith in waiting for the appearing of Jesus Christ when he shall come and appear in his glory this will help to make your Conversations to be in Heaven Oh what a blessed time will that be when Jesus Christ shall come from the Heavens and appear to those that have been waiting for
him it was a blessed thing to have Christ here personally and to live with him when he was upon the earth though it were in the state of his humiliation Oh when he shall come in his glory how blessed will that be and when he shall change our vile bodies that they may be like unto his glorious body Oh this will keep the heart in expectation of Christ for then that vile body of thine that is now a body of sin and death matter of diseases a body of weakness and a lump of clay now it shall be made like the glorious body of Jesus Christ to shine more glorious than the Sun in the firmament this will be when Jesus Christ shall come with all his Angels in his glory and this is observable when all the glory of the creature shall be darkened with the glory of God and Jesus Christ yet then the bodies of the Saints shall shine gloriously before the face of God and Jesus Christ surely they shall be more glorious than the glory of the Sun for that you know will be darkened at the coming of Jesus Christ The great glory of the Father and Jeus Christ and the Angels shall darken the glory of the Sun Moon and Stars but the glory of the bodies of the Saints shall be so great as all the glory of God and Jesus Christ and the Angels shall not darken their glory but it shall appear with a very great lustre now if the glory of God and the Angels should darken it then to what purpose is it that their bodies shall be like to the glorious body of Jesus Christ but certainly it shall not darken their glory If a candle could be raised to have so much lustre and beauty as if you should put it into the midest of the Sun yet it would shine in the midst of it it would be a strange kind of light you would say It shall be so with the bodies of the Saints that though they are put into the midst of the glory of God and his Son yet their very bodies shall shine in beauty and lustre there Now did we beleeve this and wait for it every day how would it change us I have a diseased and a lumpish body and my body hinders me in every duty of worship and service wandering and vain thoughts lodge in me now I but I 'le wait for that time when Christ shall come in all his glory and make my body to be like unto his glorious body to make it to be able to look upon the face of God and to be able to be exercised in holy duties to all eternity without any weariness and without any intermission so shall the bodies of the Saints be raised to that power that their bodies shall be so strong that their souls shall be exercised about the highest things possible for a creature to be exercised with without weariness wait for this I have many things here that trouble my mind and spirit and hinders me in my converse with Heaven but within a while the time shall come that I shall be delivered from all troubles here when Christ shall appear with his mighty Angels to be admired of his Saints and when he shall come and take the Saints to judg the world and shall set all the Saints upon Thrones to judg the world the expectation of this time will raise the heart very much to be in Heaven But then especially when I consider the glory that shall be upon my soul let me think thus if this body of mine that is a lump of flesh shall be by the almighty power of God whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself raised to that height of glory to be more glorious than the Sun in the Firmament then what height of glory shal my soul be raised too but then take not only my soul but my grace the Divine Nature that is in my soul what shall that be raised too The plants are capable to be raised to a higher excellency than stones and the Rational creature to a higher excellency than a Sensitive creature and the Sensitive higher than the Vegetative and the Supernatural creature to a higher excellency than the Natural Then raise your thoughts thus My body shall be raised so high what shall my soul be then and what shall my graces that are in my soul be Oh! wait for this it is but for a little while before I shall be with God for him to be all in all to my soul enjoying full communion with him I say exercise faith and wait for it look for it every day consider it 's neerer and neerer your salvation is neerer than when at first you beleeved God hath a little work for you here but as soon as this is done this shall be my condition I shal see my Savior my soul shal presently be with him and enjoy ful communion with him in glory and my body within a while shal be raised and shall live for ever with him shall be where he is and shall enjoy all that he hath purchased by his blood as much glory as the blood of Christ is worth am I capable of the text saith It shall be a weight of glory I am not here fitted to bear a weight of glory if the glory of Heaven should shine in upon me so much as it might it would swallow me up presently We reade in the 7. of Dan. upon the glory of God appearing to him saith he I Daniel fainted and was sick certain daies If God should open the Heavens and dart in some light from Heaven into us so as he might alas we should faint presently and be sick and die No man can see God and live no man here can enjoy that that God hath prepared for his Saints in Heaven and live therefore let us be content for a while to be as we are and exercise thy faith and hope in what shall be Thou shalt be able to bear that weight of glory and be able to stand before the face of God continually to enjoy those things that eye hath not seen nor ear heard nor can enter into the heart of man to conceive nay though a man hath a spiritual eye and a spiritual ear and a spiritual heart enlarged to supernatural things yet they are things not only beyond the eye of sence but the eye of reason nay the eye of faith hath not seen them fully nor ear hath ever heard of neither can enter into a gracious heart to convince what it is but those Clusters that we have of this land of Canaan do shew that mere is a glorious rest for his people Now by the exercise of your faith and hope work these things upon your souls every day it would be a mighty help to make your Conversation to be in Heaven where should my heart and thoughts where should my life and conversation be but where I expect such things as these are to be revealed very
have the same confirmation of their blessed estate that the Angels have ibid 7 They have priviledge of a free rtade to Heaven Page 104 8 They have for he present communion with the Angels ib. 9 They have the protection of Heaven ib. CHAP. VI How the Saints have their conversation in Heaven 106 1 The aim of their hearts is heaven-wards 107 2 They are acted by Heavenly principles in their waies 108 1 That God is all in all ib. 2 That God is the infinite First being ib. 3 They have communion with the God of Heaven ib. 4 They live according to the Laws of Heaven 110 5 Their soul is where it loves rather than where it lives 111 6 They deilght in the same things that are done in Heaven 114 1 The sight of Gods face 115 2 The praising of God ib. 3 The keeping a perpetual Sabbath ib. 7 They are heavenly in earthly imployments 115 8 They are heavenly when they converse together 116 9 Their great trade upon earth is for heaven 217 CHAP. VII The Saints trading for Heaven opened 1 They have skill in they commodity they trade for Page 217 2 They have a stock to trade withal 218 3 They take the advantage of the Market for commodities ib. 4 There is much inter course ib. 5 Their chief stock is where they trade 220 6 They are willing to part with any thing here to receive advantage where they trade ib. 7 They trust much 221 CHAP. VII Evidences of mens having their conversations in heaven Evidence 1. They canvilifie all the things on earth 222 Evidence 2 They can be content and live comfortably with little in this world ib. Evidence 3 They can suffer hard things with joyful hearts 223 Evidence 4. Their hearts are filled with heavenly riches 225 Evidence 5 They are willing to purchase the priviledges of Heavne at a dear rate ib. Evidence 6 They are sensible of the stoppages between heaven and their souls Page 26 Evidence 7 Their willingness to die 227 CHAP. IX Reasons why the Saints have their Conversation in heaven ib. 1 Because their souls are from Heaven 228 2 By grace the soul hath a Divine Nature put into it 230 3 Their most choise things are in heaven 231 4 God orders it so to wean their hearts from the world 233 CHAP. X. Use 1. To reprove such as have their conversations in hell 234 CHAP. XI Use 2. To reprove hypocrites 235 CHAP. XII Use 3. Let us not find fault with the strictness of Gods waies Page 237 CHAP. XIII Use 4. To reprove such as are godly and yet fail in this thing 238 CHAP. XIV An Heavenly Conversation is a convincing conversation 241 CHAP. XV. A Heavenly Conversation is growing 243 CHAP. XVI A Heavenly Conversation brings much glory to God 244 CHAP. XVII A Heavenly Conversation brings much glory to the Saints 246 CHAP. XVIII A Heavenly Conversation will make sufferings easie 247 CHAP. XIX A Heavenly Conversation brings much joy 249 CHAP. XX. An Heavenly Conversation is very safe 250 CHAP. XXI An Heavenly Conversation gives abundant entrance into glory ibid CHAP. XXII Directions how to get a Heavenly Conversation Direct 1. Be perswaded that it is attainable Page 251 Direct 2. Labor to keep a cleer conscience 252 Direct 3. Watch opportunities for heavenly exercises ibid Direct 4 Rest not in formality 253 Direct 5. Labor to beat down your bodies 254 Direct 6. Labor to be skilful in the Mystery of godliness to draw strength from Christ in every thing you do ibid Direct 7. Exercise the grace of faith much 256 THE CONTENTS Of the ensuing TREATISE OF WALKING with GOD. GENESIS 45. 24. CHAP. I. TEXT opened Page 261 CHAP. II. Doctrine 'T is the Excellency of a Christian to walk with God 265 CHAP. III. How the soul is brought to walk with God 1 Every one by nature goes astray from God 268 2 The Lord manifesteth to the soul the way of life ibid 3 The Lord makes peace between himself and a sinner 269 4 God renders himself lovely to the soul 270 5 God sends his Holy Spirit to guide him 271 6 Christ takes the soul and brings it to God the Father 271 CHAP. IV What walking with God is 1 It causeth the soul to eye God 272 2 It causeth a man to carry himself as in Gods presence 273 3 He makes Gods will the rule of his will Page 274 4 The soul hath the same ends that God hath 275 5 It suits the soul to the administrations of God 276 6 To have a holy dependance upon God 1 For Direction 277 2 For Protection 278 3 For Assistance ibid 4 For a Blessing upon all it doth ibid 7 It makes a man free and ready in the waies of God 279 8 It consists in communion with God 280 9 It causeth the soule to follow God more as he reveals himself more 282 CHAP. V Excellencies of walking with God Excellency 1 It makes the waies of God easie 286 Excellency 2 It is most honorable 287 Excellency 3 The soul hath blessed satisfaction in it 288 Excellency 4 It is a special part of the Covenant of God on our parts 290 Excellency 5 There is a blessed safety in walking with God 292 Excellency 6 Hence the soul enjoys sweet familiarity with God 293 Excellency 7 To them God communicates his secrets 294 Excellency 8 They find favor in Gods eyes for granting their petitions 295 Excellency 9 There is a glory put upon the soul 296 Excellency 10 Gods presence doth mightily draw forth every grace Page 297 Excellency 11 The presence of God shall never be terrible to the soul neither at death nor judgment 298 Excellency 12 It will be blessedness in the end 299 CHAP. VII Vses of Exhortation Vse 1 Blesse God that he will be pleased to walk thus with his poor creatures 300 Vse 2 What strangers the world are to this walking with God 301 Vse 3 What vile hearts are ours that we are so backward to walk with God 302 Vse 4 Let us keep close to God in our walking wtih him 303 Vse 5 If there be so much excellency in walking with God here what will there be in heaven 304 CHAP. VIII Evidence of our walking with God 306 Evidence 1 He depends not much upon sence and reason in the course of his life 307 Evidence 2 He is the same in private that he is in publick 307 Evidence 3 He hath a serious spirit 309 Evidence 4 They walk in newness of life 310 Evidence 5 When he hath to do with the creature he doth quickly passe through the creature unto God 311 Evidence 6 He loves to be much retired from the world 312 Evidence 7 He is careful to make even his accounts with God 315 Evidence 8 The more spiritual any Truth or Ordinance or any company is the more the soul delights in it 314 Evidence 9 He walk in all the Commandements of God 315 Evidence 10 See how the Scripture describes
great evil and for that you have the same Scripture that was before for the temptations and snare 1 Tim. 6. 9. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and hurtfull lusts lusts that are very foolish and simple 1. As for instance It causes men to follow after things that are very vile and mean it causes men to bestow the strength of their immortal souls about things that have no worth at all in them that 's a foolish lust to bestow the strength of an immortal soul about vanities If you should see men that are of excellent parts for to spend their time about trifles and toyes as about catching of flies and following of feathers you would say surely they begin to be besotted so for the soul of man that is capable of such excellency as it is of communion with God with the Father Son and holy Ghost for such a soul to have the strength of it spent about such poor trifling things that cannot profit in the evil day Oh this is a foolish lust Secondly Foolish lusts for earthly-mindedness causes thee to be a servant to thy servants you would account that man a fool that should be a servant to his servants So God hath made the things of the earth to be a servant to thee and yet thou wilt come and put thy neck under thy servants yoke and art a servant to thy servant yea were it not a great deal of folly for a man to expect all his honour and respect to come from his servant rather than from any excellency in himself as thus Suppose a man were travelling indeed there is respect given to him but it 's for his servants sake rather than his own If he should come to know this this he would account a great dishonor to himself But an earthly heart I say puts himself into such a condition as indeed he makes it to be his greatest honour to have honour from his estate and riches So that men do not respect rich men for any worth that there is in themselves or for any excellency of their own but only for their riches as much as to say a man is not respected for himself but for his servant Take some men that have had estates but now they are deprived of them and are become as poor as any Almes-men or Beggars amongst us who doth regard them then But now let a man have grace and holinesse if he were turned out of all and made as poor as Job yet he were one that the Angels of Heaven would look upon with honour and would glory in attending upon him this is the difference between the carnal earthly heart and the spiritual heart It 's a foolish lust to make himself to be a servant to his servant 3. It brings into foolish lusts For a man might have as much it may be more of the earth if he did not mind it so much as he doth Now for a man to mind the earth and to indanger himself in the minding of it when as he might have it as well without so much minding surely this is a foolish thing For a man to bestow a great deal of labour about a thing when as he might have it with lesse labour he is a fool surely Certainly if you be such as belongs to God especially you may rather expect God to bless you if you kept your hearts more spiritual you might expect that God would grant to you more of the good things of this world if you were lesse earthly-minded than you are and it 's your earthly-mindednesse that makes God cut you short of these things I am verily perswaded there are many men that have ill successe in their earthly affairs and it 's a fruit of Gods displeasure upon them because their hearts are so much upon worldly businesses did you go on in your imployment in obedience to God and commit it to God for successe you might be crowned with more successe than you have been now what a foolish thing is this 4. Yea further It 's a great deal of folly for any of you to go and buy a thing and to pay a greater price for it than it 's worth If you send a servant to buy you commodities and when he comes home you ask him what it cost and he tells you it cost such a price which is ten times more than it's worth you will say Thus it is to send a fool to Market so an earthly minded man manifests himself to God and his Angels and all the Saints to be a fool for why thou bestowest that upon this world that is a thousand times more worth than the things of the world for thou bestowest that upon the world that might bring thee to heaven I may say to an earthly-minded man those thoughts and cares and affections and endeavours that thou doest spend upon the things of the world If they had been spent about the things of God might have sav'd thy soul to all eternity thou mightest have got Christ and Heaven and Eternity the Lord would have gone along with thee and thou maiest come hereafter to see it at the great day when all things shall be opened before men and Angels had I but spent those thoughts and cares and endeavours about understanding the waies and things of God and eternal life my soul might have bin sav'd for ever Not that our works wil do it but that God would have gone along together with you in such waies as those are now for you to spend thoughts and cares about that that perhaps you shall not have for many men and women spend their souls about the things of the world and never have them this is a sad thing Oh! wil not this be folly will not you curse your selves hereafter for your folly Oh that I should spend my self and be spent about that that I have not got neither and I must be damn'd for that whereas had I spent time about things that concern'd my soul and eternal life it would have been more like that I should have gotten those things for God doth not fail men so in spiritual things as he doth in earthly things a man may be as diligent as it 's possible for any man to be in business of the earth and yet he may miscarry but give me any man or woman that ever was diligent in seeking the things of God and eternal life that ever did miscarry I verily beleeve at the day of Judgment there will not be one man found that shall be able to say Lord I did improve what talents thou didest give me to the uttermost to save my soul but Lord because I was not able to do any more without thy grace thou didest deny thy grace to me and therefore now I must be damn'd I beleeve there will not be any soul that will be able to say so but in the matters of the world men do say so that they
cannot say so they have a father to provide for them and all the earth is the Lords as well as heaven and the fulnesse of them both now the earth being the Lords as well as heaven the earth being thy fathers why should thy care be so much upon the things of the earth Let thy care be to do thy duty to thy father to walk as a child but let it not be for the things of the earth thou dost as much as disavow the care of thy father for thee and canst thou beleeve that God shall give his Son to thee and not give thee all things else hath not godliness the promises of this life as well as of that to come Oh! thou unworthy child that professest an interest in such a father or unworthy Christian that professest an interest in such promises and hop'st that God hath done such things for thee as he hath done and yet hast thy heart in the things of this earth as if the Lord had settled thee only here and put thee to shift for thy self here from door to door no certainly the care of God is over his people in the things of the earth as truly as it is over them in regard of spiritual and eternal things Some men can think at least they trust that they do trust God for their souls but cannot for their bodies so well but surely faith wil teach thee to trust God for thy body as wel as thy soul for God hath care of both and both were redeem'd by the blood of Jesus Christ and hath told thee that he that fears the Lord shall never want any thing that 's good for him Now these considerations may mightily prevail to take off the hearts of men from the things of this earth The Eleventh Consideration The last that I shall name is this That all that are Professors of Religion they are dead to the world or should be so nay if you be truly Religious you are so by profession you do professe your selves to be dead unto the world The Scripture makes this argument to take off mens hearts from the things of this world in the 3. Colos 2 3. Set your affections on things above not on things on the earth why for you are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God Ye are dead the Apostle writes to the Colossians and yet he tels them that they were dead the Sripture speaks much of the death of the Saints As it 's said of women that liv'd in pleasures in Timothy that they were dead while they liv'd so it may be said of Christians that they are dead while they live dead to the world I am crucified to the world saith the Apostle and we are dead with Christ I find that some interpret that Scripture in the 1. Cor. 15. 29. Else what shall they do that are baptized for the dead they interpret it thus That all those that came in which were Heathens and converted to Christianity and were baptized they were baptized for dead men that is by their baptizm now there was a profession that they did professe themselves from that time for ever as dead men to the world baptized for the dead you have it in some of your books over the dead but the word is for and so it is translated in this last translation For dead men your baptizm is administred unto you as a sign of your profession to be as dead men unto the world so I find some carry it This is the profession of Christians to be as dead men to the world Oh do not dishonor your profession of Religion for indeed there is a greater evil as we said for professors of Religion to be earthly minded than for any others and yet how many are guilty of this It 's an observation of Luther when God rivealed himself to Abraham and told him that he would multiply his seed he made use of two similitudes one was this That he would make his seed as the stars of Heaven and at another time God saith that he would make his seed as the sand upon the sea shore Now saith Luther by these two expressions there is signified two sorts of Abrahams seed there are some that are as the stars of Heaven that are heavenly minded There are others that are as the sand of the Sea that is There are some professe themselves to be of Abrahams seed but are of earthly spirits Oh now my brethren we should labor to have such minds and hearts so as we should appear to be the seed of Abraham as the stars of heaven to be of the number of those that are as the stars of heaven that is through heavenly-mindednesse But that we shall come to when we come to speak of the conversation of Christians how it ought to be in heaven But now if any one should say May we not mind earthly things and heavenly things too Know there is a great mistake here you cannot serve two masters God and Mamon and it 's very observable that text of Scripture in the 3. of Colos 2. verse mark the opposition Set your affections on things above not on things on the earth they are there opposed one to another Set your affections or minds for so I think it is the same word with that in my text who mind earthly things A man cannot look up to heaven and down to the earth both at the same time there is an opposition between these two between the earthly-mindedness that hath been opened to you and minding of heavenly things I but you will say For these things while we are upon the earth we have need of them how can we do otherwaies but mind them When we come to heaven there we shall have dispositions sutable to heaven but sure not till then To that I answer Though Christians do live upon the earth yet they are not of the earth there 's a great deal of difference between one that is of the earth and another that lives upon the earth Christ saith concerning himself that he was not of the earth it 's true though he did live a while upon the earth yet he was not of it In the 3. of John 31. He that cometh from above is above all he that is of the earth is earthly and speaketh of the earth now Christ while he spake these words he was upon the earth but He was not of the Earth And so it is with Christians they are upon the Earth but they are not of the Earth they are a people redeem'd from the earth therefore that 's not enough it 's true these things are things that we need therefore we must not mind them for so in the 6. of Mat. where Christ speaks against taking thought what we shall eat or what we shall drink or what we shall put on Saith he Your Heavenly Father knows you have need of these things you have some need I but you have need of other things and greater
need of other things than of these things what need is there for thee to live upon the earth but in order to providing for eternity and of living to the honor of Christ and the praise of his Gospel I say thou hast no need of any thing on the earth but in subordination to higher things there is no need thou shouldest live but for some other end and therefore let not that be any such argument to plead for earthliness as indeed an earthly spirit is very witty in pleading for its self I shall close this Point with some Exhortation to you and Directions about this Point of Earthly-mindedness CHAP. VII EXHORTATION OH considering what hath been delivered I beseech you lay it seriously to heart especially you that are yong beginners in the way of Religion lest it proves with you as it doth with many that are digging of Veins of gold and silver under ground that while they are digging in those mines for riches the earth many times fals upon them and buries them so that they never come up out of the mine again and so it is with many that are beginning in the way of Religion that are digging in the mines of Salvation for unsearchable riches for that that is abundantly better than gold and silver now while you are thus seeking for grace and godliness Oh take heed that you be not covered with the earth while you are digging in the world but keep wide open some place to Heaven or otherwise if you dig too deep there will come up damps if the earth falls not upon you yet I say there will be damps rise from the earth that may choak you if there be not a wide space open that you may let the air that comes from heaven in to you Those that are digging into Mines they are very careful to leave the place open for fresh air to come in and so though thou maiest follow thy calling and do the work that God sets thee here for as others do be as diligent in thy calling as any yet still keep a passage open to Heaven that there may be fresh gales of grace come into thy soul if at any time thou beest got into the world if thou spendest one day and hast not some spiritual air from Heaven take heed there 's a damp coming up that will choak thee Oh! that Christians would consider of this while they are here below I remember I have read of Austin in his Comment upon the 72. Psal the 19. vers saith the text They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him and his enemies shall lick the dust He in a wittie way applied it to earthlie-minded men saith he If you do so lick the dust by this you will come to be accounted one of the enemies of God It 's true the scope of the place is different but take heed that in this metaphorical sence that you do not lick the dust and so come to be accounted an enemie to God You that would be accounted as friends and seek reconciliation with God Oh do not lick the dust to be alwaies here as Moles upon the earth they say Moles though they be blind yet if they be without the earth then their eyes are opened and then they shake and tremble and so though the earth may close the eyes of men here for a while yet certainly there will be a day when their eyes shall be opened to see how they have gul'd and deceiv'd themselves And now it 's worse too in the time of the Gospel to be earthly-minded than at other times it was not such an evil thing to be an earthly minded man in the time of the Law when all the promises of God were carried in a kind of earthly way Though I do not say that all promises that were made to them under the Law were meer earthly but they were carried in an earthly way therefore you shall find when God promises his people in the time of the Law what great mercies they shall have it is by earthly expressions as of gold and silver and such kind of things and their promises for Heaven it went under the expression of living in the Land of Canaan as being a type of Heaven now though they were taken with earthly things when God reveal'd himself to them in an earthly manner yet now in the time of the Gospel lift up your hearts for your calling is from above now there are Heavenly things revealed he that is from above is come amongst us and the Heavens are broken open and the glory of it doth shine upon the Churches in a far more brighter manner than it did before And therfore Gospel-light doth aggravate the sin of earthly-mindednesse and therefore now above all times should the hearts of men and women be disingaged from the things of the earth CHAP. VII Five Directions how to get our hearts freed from Earthly-mindedness FIrst To that end be watchful over your thoughts do not take liberty to let your hearts run too far in the things of the earth what time you have for meditation let it be as much as can be reserved for spiritual things most men and women think they may take liberty in their thoughts why the thing in its self is not unlawful I but your thoughts will steal upon you and affect your hearts very much therefore watch narrowly over your thoughts keep them within Scripture bounds The Second Direction Be much humbled for sin That will take off the heart much from earthly-mindedness Your earthly-minded men who have earthly and drossie hearts they have not known what the weight and burden of sin hath meant let God but lay the weight and burden of sin upon the soul it will take off the soul from earthly things quickly Oh! those men that have gone on in the world in a secure condition and never knew what trouble of conscience meant for sin they grow seer'd in those earthly Contentments but now those men that have had but the weight of sin lie upon them know what it is to have to deal with an infinite God in the bearing of the burden of the wrath of an incensed Deity such know that they have other things to look after than the things of the earth If God did but humble your hearts the humiliation of your spirits would quicken you and take off the dulness and deadness of your spirits and stir you up to look after other things than the things of this life The Third Direction Further Set the example of the Saints before you that have been the most precious servants of God in former times how they accounted themselves as Pilgrims and strangers here in the earth read at your leisure that Scripture in the 11 of the Heb. at the 13. verse These all died in faith not having received the promises but having seen them afar off and were perswaded of them and imbraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims
the Lord will condemn you from their example and say Did not such and such live in the familie and place where you liv'd and did not you behold their holie and gracious Conversation and shall the example of such and such vile wretches be followed rather than the example of my Saints I say this will stop your mouthes and aggravate your condemnation in the great Audit-day Some there are that are so far from following the example of those whose Conversations are in Heaven as they rage and fret against them and do what they can to darken the glorie of their holie lives and if they can but have any misreport of them they will follow it what possibly they can to the end that they might eclipse the holiness of their lives that so they may stop their own consciences whereas were there not something to darken the luster and beautie of the lives of the Saints certainlie mens hearts would condemn them for walking in contrarie waies unto them and therefore for relief of their consciences that they may not condemn them for walking in waies contrary to them they do what they can to spew upon their glory and are glad if they can hear any ill report of them and will follow them to their uttermost and all because their corrupt hearts are against the holiness of their lives and Conversations And then lastly Let those that profess Religion labor to walk so as their examples may be convincing others Is there such a power in holy examples to prevail with men you that profess Religion make this an argument to work upon your hearts that your Conversation may be more in Heaven that so your example may do the more good in the place where you live you that profess Religion and yet have earthly spirits and live scandalouslie and vilie Oh know you live to do as much mischief almost as a man can do in this world no greater mischief than for one to profess Religion and yet for his Conversation to be wicked and ungodly and so to give the Lye to his profession But for that we spake to heretofore when we treated upon that Scripture Only let your Conversation be as becomes the Gospel CHAP. IV. Two Doctrines observed from the Text. THus we proceed to the principal Doctrinal Truths For our Conversation is in Heaven Our Citie Conversation our Citizen-like behavior or Citie Burges estate for so the word signifies our carriage like free denizens it is in Heaven now from thence you have First That the Saints are the Citizens of Heaven Secondly That their behavior and Conversation even while they are in this world it is in Heaven For the first but briefly to make way to the second The Saints of God they are the Citizens of Heaven they are all free Denizens Burgesses of Heaven In the 2. Ephes 19. there you may see how God hath gathered all the Saints together to be fellow-Citizens of Heaven Now therefore ye are no more strangers and forreigners but fellow Citizens with the Saints and of the houshold of God They have an Heavenly Citie here in the Church the Church it is a Heaven to the Saints and as a type of that Heaven that they shal come into to live for ever both with the Saints and Angels hereafter And in the 11. Heb. 10. it 's spoken of Abraham He sojourned in the Land of Promise as in a strange Country dwelling in Tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob the heirs with him of the same Promise for he looked for a City which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God It seems then that all the Cities in the world in comparison of this Citie have no foundations Abraham looked for a Citie that hath foundations and whose builder and maker is God The builders and makers of these Cities are men the founders of the most famous Cities in this world have been men and manie times wicked and ungodlie men are the builders of them The first Citie that we reade of was built by Cain The builders and makers I say of these Cities are men laboring men But Abraham look'd for a Citie that had foundations whose builder and maker is God And in the 12. Heb. 22. But ye are come unto mount Sion and unto the City of the living God the Heavenly Jerusalem mark and to an innumerable company of Angels so that you are to have them your fellow Citizens The Heavenly Jerusalem that is here in the Church which is in comparison of Jerusalem that was in Canaan called the Heavenly Jerusalem so that they are Citizens of Heaven even as they are Members of the Church the Saints of God here in the Church are said to dwell in Heaven but in that their Citie there are an innumerable company of Angels also that plainly notes that it hath reference unto the glorious Heaven of the Saints that they are the Citizens of the Saints are the Citizens of Heaven there they dwell in the 13. of the Revelation 6 and 8. verses this would serve for proof of this thing and so for the other point that remains That their Conversation it is in Heaven And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God to blaspheme his Name and his Tabernacle and them that dwell in Heaven And it was given unto him to make war with the Saints and to overcome them Now these were not in Heaven that is in their bodies they were not in Heaven for the present But they are said to dwell in Heaven because they are of the Church here and they are free Denizens of Heaven too of the Heaven of the Saints that they shall live in hereafter in a more glorious way They are Now Citizens of it and they may be said to dwell in Heaven as we shall see afterward in the opening of their Conversations being in Heaven CHAP. V. How the Saints are Citizens of Heaven opened in Nine Particulars NOW the Saints are Citizens of Heaven For First Their names are all inrold in Heaven They are written in Heaven in the 10. Luke 20. Rejoyce in this That your names are written in Heaven In Heaven is the Books of life where all the Names of the Saints are written Philip. 4. 3. Whose names saith he are written in the Books of life Secondly The Saints are the Citizens of Heaven for they have Christ their Head gone before to take possession of Heaven in their names therefore they have a right to Heaven As a man may be a Citizen although he should travel in another Country yet his name being inrol'd there and he having possession there he may be said to be a Citizen though he be in a strange land for the present in his body So the Saints have their names inrold in Heaven they have Jesus Christ their head that is gone before in their names to take possession for them and to provide Mantions for them as in the 14. John Thirdly When ever they do actually beleeve they do take up their
thing or to have any delight in any thing in this world when there is a sutable object to the facultie that 's his Communion with the Creature As now a Drunkard there is a kind of Communion that he hath meerly with lude company and with the creature to please his sence for a while there 's all the communion that he hath But what a different Conversation is this for one meerly to please his sence in meat and drink a little while and another to have communion with Father Son and holy Ghost The Saints here in this world have not an Imaginary but a Real Communion with the Father Son and holy Ghost Communion you will say what 's that By Communion with God we mean this The acting of the soul upon God and the receiving in the influence of the goodness and love and mercy of God into the soul When there is a mutual acting of the soul upon God and God upon the soul again as when friends have Communion one with another that is that one acts for the Comfort of the other there is a mutual imbracing and opening of hearts one upon another for the satisfying of the Spirits one of another So communion with God is the mutual actings of the soul upon God and God upon the soul again The Saints they see the face of God and God delights in the face of the Saints And they let out their hearts to God and God lets out his heart to them We cannot expresse this to strangers a stranger shall not meddle with this joy this is a mystery a riddle to the carnal world Do but you consider this that what Communion you have with your lude company to sit and eat and drink and play and tell stories all day long this you think is a brave life but now that the communion of the Saints is raised higher and the comfort of the Saints is not in such poor low base things as thine is the Saints have comfort in God the Father Son and holy Ghost in an infinite higher way and in that respect their Conversations are said to be in Heaven And especially when they are with God in his Ordinances they cannot be content except they have Communion with God there it 's notenough for them to call upon the Name of God to kneel down and to use some humble broken hearted expressions Oh but what communion have I with God and Jesus Christ and the holy Ghost in my duties at this time I come to the Word and other Ordinances Oh! but what communion have I with God in them I cannot be satisfied except I tast and see how good the Lord is I cannot go abroad about my businesse but with a heavy heart except I hear some thing from Heaven this morning all the comfort of their lives do depend upon this in having communion with Father Son and holy Ghost Fourthly Their Conversation may be said to be in Heaven Because they do live according to the Laws of Heaven They do not here in this world live according to the Laws of men the lusts of men but they look for their direction from Heaven What rule is there from Heaven to guide me There must be some word from the God of Heaven to order and guide them in their waies or else they cannot tell how to sute with them Indeed while they live in the Cities of the world they must obey the Laws of men but still it is in order to the Laws of Heaven the main thing that they submit to is the Statute Laws of Jesus Christ the great Law giver because there is a Law of Heaven that doth require them for to obey the Laws of men that are according to those Laws of Heaven therefore they do obey them but the Laws of Heaven are those that the Saints look after for their direction in all their waies such and such a thing I have a mind to but will the Law of Heaven justifie me in this have I any word from Jesus Christ to guide me in such a way I dare not do otherwise than according to the Will and Scepter of Christ they must be my rule in all my waies whereas before thy lust was thy rule and thy own ends thy rule and the common course of the world thy rule but now the Laws of Heaven are thy rule and therfore their Conversations are in Heaven because they are guided by the Laws of Heaven Heaven is their aim They are acted by heavenly Principles They converse with the God of heaven And then fourthly They live according to the Laws of heaven Fiftly Their thoughts and hearts are set upon heaven as he saith The soul is where it loves rather than where it lives where the heart is there 's the soul there the man may be said to be Now the Saints have their hearts in heaven their thoughts in heaven their meditations in heaven working there When I awake I am alwaies with thee saith David And Oh how sweet are the thoughts of heaven unto the Saints While thou art mudling in the world and plodding for thy self in the things of this world If God should come to thee and say Where art thou as he said to Adam yea sometimes while thou art at prayer and hearing the Word Where are thy thoughts and about what even as we say in the proverb are running about a Wool-gathering But now come to one whose Conversation is in Heaven he keeps his thoughts and meditations there continually meditating on the glorious things that are reserved in Heaven As I remember I have read of that holy man Mr. Ward that being in the midst of a dinner and people wondering what he was a musing about he presently breaks out For ever for ever for ever for almost half a quarter of an hour he could not be still'd but he cries for ever for ever for ever So far as any man or woman hath their Conversation in Heaven their thoughts are there thinking Oh eternity eternitie to be for ever in Heaven to live for ever with Christ and God and Oh the Crown of glory that is there when will that blessed day come when I shall come to enjoy those good things that are there his thoughts will be there and he is longing to be there his love and desires and affections will be working there It 's said of the people of Israel Acts 7. 39. That their hearts turned back again to Egypt they never returned in their bodies to Egypt but their hearts were there they would fain have the Onions and Flesh-pots that were in Egypt their hearts were there So it may be said of many that though they come and hear the Word yet their hearts are in their shops their hearts are after their covetousness but it 's contrary with the Saints Though they live here in this world yet their hearts are in Heaven As I remember it 's written of Queen Mary that she said If they rip'd her open
a rate namely The Ordinances that are part of the Priviledges of the Kingdom of Heaven Now the Ordinances that are the means whereby they come to enjoy so much of Heaven they are willing to purchase them at a dear rate Oh how ever I live yet let me live where I may enjoy the Ordinances of God the wels of Salvation my life cannot be comfortable in the enjoyment of all things in this world if I should be deprived of the breasts of consolation surelie they that are willing to purchase Heavenly Commodities at so dear a rate as the Saints will do this doth evidentlie declare their Conversations to be in Heaven Sixtlie When they are so sensible of the stoppages between heaven and their own souls If there should be a general stoppage of ships that are in France Turkie or Spain your Countriemen are not sensible at all of it but your Merchants I 'le warrant you would be sensible enough of it and when they come together upon the Exchange al their converse would be of it So it is with those that have their conversations in Heaven and here 's a great difference between those and those that are earthlie minded tell those that are earthlie of anie stoppage in the Intercourse between them and Heaven and they know not what you mean they think you are fools and mad but the Saints they are sensible of it oh it is a sore and sad evil to them I mean when at anie time God hides his face from them when at anie time they go into the presence of God can hear nothing from him can receive no Letters from Heaven as I may so say If the Post doth not come from such a Countrie the Merchants are troubled at it So when the Saints send up their prayers to Heaven by which they trade thither and can hear nothing from God again and when they cannot feel those influences from Heaven let into their souls as heretofore sometimes they have done Oh! they bewail this as a great evil that is upon them above any evil in the world that influences of Heaven are stop'd and that God seems to be a stranger unto them Oh these things they complain of one to another and they make their moans when they feel the stoppages of Heaven this plainlie declares that they are Traders for Heaven and that their Conversations are there The last Evidence of a Saints having his Conversation in Heaven is His willingness to die to depart this world The going out of this world with so much comfort joy peace and triumph as many of the Saints have done as we might give you the expressions of many of the Saints when they were readie to die rejoycing at the hope of Eternal life at their going out of the world surely had they not conversed in Heaven while they lived here their souls would not have been so willing to have departed out of their bodies A man that hath nothing to do in another Country it may be shall be there as a dead man he goes but with little joy thither But now a man that hath had trading to another Country and he hath great riches and so thriven there that whatsoever he seems to be here yet there he is a great man Oh! how comfortably doth that man go to the Country how glad is he when he takes ship and sees a fair gale and prosperous wind to carry him to that Country And so it is with the Saints who have their Conversations in Heaven because they have so much riches there when they come to die they die with joy and blesse God for that day as the most blessed day that they have seen for they are going now to the Country that they have been trading to all their daies and where their riches lies These are the Evidences and Demonstrations that the Saints have their Conversations in Heaven CHAP. IX Four Reasons why the Saints have their Conversations in Heaven But now If you demand the reason why it is that the Saints have their Conversations in Heaven To that I answer briefly thus The first Reason Because their souls that are their better part they are from Heaven You know that when God made Man He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life The Soul of man it is as it were the breath of God God did not say of Mans Soul as of other creatures Let it be made let there be a soul in mans body No but when he had formed the body he breathed the soul into him It was to note that the soul of man had a more Heavenly and Divine original than any of the other creatures that are here in this world and because the original it is so Divine and Heavenly therefore it is that when the soul is as it were its self is set at liberty it would be at its original Indeed though mans soul be of a Divine and Heavenly Nature yea through the fall of man so it is that the soul of man is even almost turned to be flesh and so mingled with unclean drossie things as if it had no such Divine and Heavenly original and therefore a natural man is called flesh That that is born of the flesh is flesh as if he had no soul at all for I say the soul of man through his fall the Nature of it seemed to be changed it is at least depressed down to such vile things as if it never had such a Divine and Heavenly original But now when God works grace in the soul the soul of man begins to return to its self and to know its self and begins to return to its own nature that it had in its first creation and as soon as ever the soul begins to know its self it looks then presently at all these things that are here below as vile things in comparison as contemptable for indeed all these things in this world are infinitly beneath the soul of a man Infinitly that is in comparison we may even call it an infinite distance between mans soul and all these things that are here below in the world the soul of man is neer unto God himself and therefore when as the soul returne unto its self it would be some where else than where it is and would converse with those things that are sutable to its original As it is with a man that hath a noble birth suppose a Prince is got into another Country and there being a child is used like a slave set to rake channels and such mean imployment now all the while that he is there and not know his original he minds nothing but to get his victuals and do his work that he is set about but if once he come to know from whence he was namely born the Heir unto such a great Prince or Emperour that lives in so much glory in such a Country then he that liv'd like a slave his thoughts and mind and longings are to be in the
of glory upon the things of this world that they are gilded and varnish't over but in comparison of the greater glory they are not glorious at all though they that never saw any thing else as glorious but the things of the world yet thou that hast seen the greater glory shouldst not account these things glorious Oh therefore Christians lift up your hearts to Henven and let your Conversations be in Heaven Though God hath so ordered it that you must live here a while and must be content for indeed to some Christians that have their Conversations in Heaven it 's a great part of their self-denial and of their subjection to God to be willing to live upon the earth and to stay from Heaven till Gods time come This is a riddle and a mystery to many that it should be a part of our Salvation Obedience yea of Self-denial though they had Crowns of Glory though they were Kings and Princes here in this world to be willing to stay here We might come to attain this if our Conversations were in Heaven and our hearts there As we reade of Daniel though God so ordered it that he could not live at Jerusalem where the Temple was yet he would open his window towards Jerusalem he would ever be looking that way And so though God hath so ordered it that we cannot come yet to live in this Heavenly Jerusalem bodily and in that full way as hereafter we expect to do yet we should open our window our eyes and the doors of our hearts should be open towards Heaven I remember I have read of Edward the First King of England that had a mighty mind to go to Jerusalem but because he could not go for death prevented him he gave charge to his Son to carry his heart thither And so it should be with us we should endeavour to have our hearts there and to have as much of Heaven as we can though we cannot be there our selves in nature Every creature hath put into it by the God of nature an instinct to move to its proper place as now because the proper place of fire is above there is an instinct of nature in fire to ascend to its proper place And the proper place of earth is below and therefore it will fall down to the Center a heavie thing that hath much earth in it though it breaks its self to pieces yet it will fall down towards its Center and so it will be with a Christian though he break himself to pieces whatsoever he suffers yet he hath an instinct to carry him to his proper place fire because its proper place is above if it be kept down by violence what a mighty power there is in fire to make way for its self that it may get up that 's the very reason of the mighty force that there is in Guns because there is fire in the pouder that is kept in when the pouder is once fir'd because the fire would get up above therefore it breaks with violence and if it cannot have vent to get out it breaks any thing in the world for it must out that it may get up to it 's own place and so it should be with a Christian there should be a strong impetiousness to get up to his own place that would be an evidence indeed that Heaven is thy proper place Oh Christians lift up your hearts and let your Conversations be in Heaven CHAP. XIV An Heavenly Conversation is a convincing Conversation I Shall not need to come again and tel you what Heavenly Conversation is it hath been opened at large to you but for the setting an edg upon this Exhortation First Know That a Heavenly Conversation will be a very convincing Conversation then you will convince men that you have somwhat more than they have when they see you live Heavenly for the men of the world they know the things of the world are the things that their hearts are upon and that which they mind but now when they see those that professe Religion mingle themselves with the earth as they do then they will think that they are acted by the same principles that themselves are but now Heavenly Conversations will convince them when they behold them walking above in the whol course of their lives when they see an evenness and proportion in their course take them at all times and in all businesses they carry themselves as men of another world As a man that is a stranger to a place may for a while act it so as he may seem to be one that is a native in the place but one that is born in the place will go nigh to find him out in one thing or other and so 't is very hard for men to carry themselves so if they have not true grace though they appear sometimes to be very Heavenly yet one that is a true Citizen of Heaven will discern them at one time or other if they have not grace yea the truth is carnal men wil discover themselves that they are born of the earth and are of their Countrie his speech betrais him he is a Giliadite But when Christians shal in their constant way have their Conversations in Heaven then their Cōversations are very convincing There are the Raies of Heaven about them they have the lustre of Heaven shining wheresoever they go and in all company surely such a man seems to be in Heaven continually So it will force it from the very Consciences of men to say Certainly these are the Citizens of Heaven if there be any Denizens of the new Jerusalem while they live upon the earth these they are I remember it 's said of that Martyr Dr. Taylor That he did rejoyce that he ever came into the prison to be in company with that Angel of God Mr. Bradford Mr. Bradford's Conversation it was Angel-like like an Angel of Heaven and did convince almost every where where he went Oh! 't is of great use that Christians should live convincing Conversations You know what Dives said to Abraham That he would have one sent to warn his brethren that they might not come to that place saith Abraham They have Moses and the Prophets Oh but saith Dives If one rise from the dead they would hear him I may say thus If God should send one from Heaven to live among men and to preach to them surely they would regard him Would it not be a great benefit to the world if God should send some one Saint from Heaven or Angel to converse in a bodily way among us Truly Christians should live so as if they came from Heaven every day as if they had been in Heaven and conversing with God When they go to perform duty in a morning and get alone between God their souls they should never leave striving till they get their hearts so in Heaven and get themselves upon the Mount so as when they come down to their family their very
faces may shine so that you may see by their Conversations that certainly they have been with God upon the Mount this day Now I appeal to you in this Do you live so as that your family and your neighbors may see that you have bin this morning in Heaven Every morning we should have some converse with Heaven which if we had our Conversations would be convincing all the day long and very profitable it would be to the world Christians that live Heavenly Conversations they are I say of very great use in the places where they live As I remember it 's said concerning Christ When he ascended up to Heaven he gave gifts to men And if we could oftener ascend up to Heaven we should be more able to be beneficial to the world CHAP. XV. An Heavenly Conversation is growing AN Heavenly Conversation is a growing Conversation Oh! they grow mightily they do thrive in grace exceeding much in a very little time they grow to attain to a very great measure of Communion with God the Father and with Jesus Christ and every day they grow more and more spiritual having so much of heaven within them It 's true when they come into Heaven they shall be perfect But now the fetching from Heaven is that that makes them grow it must be the influence from Heaven that must cause the grouth of Saints As now suppose that the ground upon which flowers and herbs grow be never so fertile in its self and the herbs or plants be never so well rooted in the earth yet if there be not an influence of heaven upon them they will not grow much nay not at all but quickly wither So it is with Christians let them have never so much means of growing below never so many Ordinances yet if they have not rich dews from above they wil not grow or if there be any growth yet either they wil bear no fruit or else it will be very shrifled and sowre fruit You know that fruit that hath the most of the beams of the Sun that comes from heaven upon it that fruit grows riper and sweeter than other fruit fruit that grows in the shade that hath the influence of Heaven kept off from it it is sowre fruit And the reason that the Saints have so little fruit and that it is so sowre it is because that they have not more influences from heaven they do not stand in the open Sun their souls are not presented dayly before God and have the warm beams of the Sun of Righteousnesse shining from Heaven upon them but there is something between Heaven and their souls but a Conversation in Heaven as it would be a Convincing Conversation so it would be a Growing Conversation CHAP. XVI An Heavenly Conversation brings much glory to God ANd then It would be a Conversation glorifying God much Oh! the Glory that God would have from a Conversation in Heaven Let your light so shine before men that others beholding your good works may glorifie your Father which is in Heaven Then indeed the Image of the God of Heaven is held forth when mens Conversations are heavenly the Lord takes much delight to have his glory to be dispensed abroad by his Saints to have some reflection upon the world As in a glasse though beams of the Sun do not shine upon a wall yet by a glasse you may take the beams of the Sun and cast the reflection of them upon a wal so those beams of the glory of God that shine in Heaven the Saints by their Heavenly Conversation may as it were by a glasse take them and reflect them upon the world and upon the faces of men the hearts of the Saints should be as a glasse taking the beams of the glory of God and casting them up and down where they are and so your Heavenly Father should come to be glorified by you Let every Christian think thus My Conversation is thus and thus but what glory do I bring to God by my Conversation do others glorifie God by beholding the lustre of the holiness of God in me do they see cause to blesse God that they see so much of the glory of God in me Certainly there is more of the glory of God shines in the gracious holy spiritual Conversation of a Christian than shines in the Sun Moon and Stars than in Heaven and Earth I mean for the works of Creation and Providence that are in Heaven and Earth the creatures that God hath made as the Sun Moon and Stars and here in this world the Seas the Earth the Plants and the like though they have much of the glory of God yet a Heavenly Conversation declares more of the glory of God than all these You know what the Psalmest saith The Heavens declare the glory of God and the Firmament shew his handy work It may be spoken more fully of Heavenly Conversations the Heavenly Conversations of the Saints declare the glory of God and those that shine in the Firmament of the Church are stars for the Church is the firmament and the Saints be there as stars they declare the Handy work of God Now though its true As in Heaven there 's one star differs from another star in glory and so in Christians every one cannot attain to so much glory as another yet every one is a star the meanest Christian that lives the weakest Beleever that is yet should be as a star in the firmament though he cannot shine so gloriously as the Sun or as other stars yet there should be never a Beleever never a godly man or woman in the Church but should shine as a star in the firmament but should be as the Gospel is even a mirror wherein we might behold the glory of God in whom we may behold the glory of God even as it were with open face An Heavenly Conversation is a Conversation glorifying God CHAP. XVII An Heavenly Conversation bringeth much glory to the Sanits AN Heavenly Conversation it 's a Conversation that will bring much glory to your selves Though it's true that the Saints should aim at the glory of God most yet there will come glory to themselves whether they will or no if their Conversations be in Heaven it 's impossible but that in the conscience of men they should be honored walking in a Heavenly Conversation There 's an excellent Scripture that shews that in our glorifying of God we glorifie our selves also 2 Thess 1. 11 12. the Aplostle he praies for them Wherefore also saith he we pray alwaies for you that our God would count you worthy of this Calling and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness and the work of faith with power To what end That the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you and ye in him according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ He praies for the Thessalonians That they might walk so that they might have so much of the grace
of God in them that the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ might be glorified in them Oh! this is that that all the Saints should desire and endeavor after That the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ should be glorified in them and ye in him saith he Labor you that Christ may be glorified in your lives and you shall be glorified in him We should desire that Christ may have glory in our glory then we shall have glory in Christs glory this is a sweet and blessed life when as the Saints have such hearts as they can say Lord let me have no glory but that thou mayest have glory in Then saith God Is it so Doest thou desire no further glory in this world but that I may have glory in then I will have no glory in this world but what thou shalt have glory in Christ will make us partakers of his glory as well as we shall make him partaker of our glory Oh! An Heavenly Conversation that glorifies God will glorifie the Saints too CHAP. XVIII An Heavenly Conversation will make Suffering easie HEavenly Conversation it will make all sufferings to be very easie it will be nothing to suffer any thing you meet withall in this world if your Conversations be in Heaven All revilings and reproaches and wrongs they will be nothing if you get but a Heavenly Conversation you will contemn all these things that the men of the world think to be such great matters Men that have conversed in Heaven never will be much offended for any sufferings 2 Cor. 4. 17. For our light afflictions which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory While we look not at the things which are seen but at things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternal All but light afflictions Why for our eye is above all these things And it 's a notable passage that in the Gospel if you examine the place of Christs transfiguration upon the mount there Christ shewed his glory unto some Disciples that he carried with him and this is that that I would note from it do but observe in the story who were the Disciples that Christ carried with him to see his glory they were Peter James and John now afterwards if you compare that story with the story of Christ being in his Agony which was presently after where his soul was heavie unto death when he was to be betraied and to be crucified the next day and fell groveling upon the earth sweat clodders of blood through the anguish that was upon his spirit cried out Oh Lord If it be possible let this cup pass from me Here 's a great deal of difference between Christ in his Agony and upon the mount in his Transfiguration and observe that Christ would have none of his Disciples see him in his Agony but Peter James and John only those three that saw him in his transfiguration upon the mount in his glory The note from hence is That those that can converse much with Christ in glory can converse with Christ in Heaven can see Heaven they may be permitted to see Christ in his Agony and it will do them no hurt But now for the other Disciples that did not see Christ in his Glory if they had seen Christ in his Agony it might have offended them Is this our Lord and Master that is in such a fearful Agony at this time Oh! it would have offended them but now the other that saw him glorified it offended them not Well though he be in an agony now yet we know him to be a glorious Savior and we will beleeve and trust in him still So if we can converse with God in glory upon the mount what ever agony we see Christ in afterwards we shall be able to bear it when Stephen had the stones ratling about his ears yet when he saw the Heavens opened it was nothing to him then he fell asleep he rejoyced in the expectation of Heaven And if you reade in the Book of Martyrs ever when they came to their sufferings you may see how they did rejoyce when they did think of Heaven and remember eternal life Saith one woman to her child that was going to be burnt when as the people thought she would have rung her hands and made great lamentations to have seen her child stepping into the flames she said nothing but this Remember eternal life my son Oh! conversing with Heaven makes all sufferings in the world nothing CHAP. XIX Heavenly Conversation brings much joy THen Oh the sweetness and comfort that there will be while the soul is conversing in Heaven Oh the joy and the peace that will come to the Soul in the certain evdience that the soul is partaker in the Death Resurrection and Intercession of Jesus Christ I say those whose Conversations are in Heaven by this they come to have certain evidence to their souls that they have their portion in the Death in the Resurrection in the Ascention in the Intercession of Jesus Christ and this will afford comfort enough That Scripture in the 3. Colos 1. If ye then be risen with Christ seek those things that are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God set your affection on things above not on things on the earth for ye are dead and your life is bid with Christ in God When Christ who is our life shall appear then shall ye also appear with him in glory Here 's an evidence that you are risen with Christ that you are dead to the world and have interest in his Ascention and are partakers of his Resurrection and have part in his Intercession Those that have their Conversations in Heaven now they may know certainly that they are risen from death to life that when Christ ascended he went to Heaven to take possession for them yea that they are in Heaven where Christ is He hath set us in Heavenly places together with Christ Jesus For he is there as a common head That they are ascended with Christ already and that Christ is there as an Advocate making Intercession for them to the Father these will be the consolations of those that have their Conversation in Heaven CHAP. XX. An Heavenly Conversation is very safe ANd then A Conversation in Heaven is a very safe Conversation you will be free from snares and temptations As an Eearthly Conversation subjects unto temptations so a Heavenly Conversation will free us from temptations When is the bird in danger of the Lime-twig or Net but when she comes to pick below upon the ground but if she could but keep her self above alwaies she were free then from the Snare and Net It 's Chrysostoms similitude Keep above and then ye be free from the snare of the fowler It 's a safe Conversation CHAP. XXI An Heavenly Conversation gives abundant enterance into Glory AND then
It will cause an abundant enterance into the Kingdom of Heaven When they come to die Oh how joyfully wil they die what abundant enterance will be made into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ For when they die they shall but change their place they shall not change their company they shall but go to their Fathers house to be partakers of those mansions Christ before hath prepared Oh my brethren labor to have your Conversations in Heaven and know that this is not a matter only that concerns eminent Christians but all Christians and see how the Apostle charges this upon the Thessalonians 1. Epistle 2. 11. As you know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you as a Father doth his children that you would walk worthy of God who hath called you unto his Kingdom and Glory That is That you would walk in a Conversation answerable to the glorious Kingdom of God that you are called to according to your high calling we should walk worthy of it We are charged so to do and as it 's said concerning Christ in the Gospel by Saint John he spake concerning himself But the Son of man which is in Heaven So it should be said of every child of God such a one that is in Heaven not only such a one that shall go to Heaven but that is in Heaven for the present CHAP. XXII Seven Rules or Directions how to get Heavenly Conversation BUt you will say How should we do to get this our Conversasation to be in Heaven it's an excellent Conversation indeed Oh that we might attain unto it The First Rule First Take this Rule Be perswaded that it is attainable Let Christians conclude thus with themselves it is possible for me to live a life of Heaven while I am upon the earth There is a Heaven to be got it will mightily stir up the spirit of a Christian if he do beleeve this I may live in Heaven here with God and Christ and his Angels and Saints there are some that have attain'd to this and how have they attain'd to it not by their own strength they were men subject to the same infirmities that you are even Paul himself that had his Conversation in Heaven was subject to many infirmition But through the strength of Christ he can do all things he was nothing in himself reade but the 7. of the Romans Paul saith there of himself that he was even sold under sin and when he would do good evil was present with him and he was led captive and he found a Law in his members rebelling against the law of his mind and he had many corruptions and was feign to have a prick in the flesh a messenger of Satan to humble him and he spake of this Heavenly Conversation not only that he had it himself but writing to the Philippians they attain'd to it they were a Church that were very spiritual but were but poor and mean in respect of some others and they had not those eminent gifts that the Corinthians had and yet the Philippians had their Conversations in Heaven therefore it is a thing that is attainable The Second Rule Secondly If you would get your Conversations in Heaven Labor to keep a cleer conscience keep a Heaven in your conseience Those men that do fully and defile their consciences they lose their intercourse with Heaven and indeed the presence of the God of Heaven is tedious to them they be loth to go into his presence when once they have defiled consciences If there be a Hell in a mans conscience there will not be a Heaven in his Conversation but let men and women labor to keep conscience clean and a Heaven there and then there will be a Heaven in their Conversations The Third Rule Watch opportunicies for Heavenly exercises though you have much business in the world watch time You that are servants you should not indeed neglect your Masters business for you may serve God in the work of your Master but yet you must watch opportunities get alone and if you cannot have any long time let it be so much the frequenter watch all opportunities for Heavenly exercises for meditation for prayer for reading for conversing with God Oh! we might get many opportunities to get our souls in Heaven if we would but watch and those that are diligent to watch opportonities for Heavenly exercises and prize opportunities for them they are the men and women that will come to attain to a Heavenly Conversation that do not ' make it as a light matter whether they have converse with God or no in holy duties Christians that would have their Conversations in Heaven they must look upon their opportunities for Heavenly exercises they eye them as that wherein much of the joy and comfort of their lives consists The Fourth Rule Forget not this in the next place I speak now to Christians that would feign have their Conversations in Heaven I say to you Take heed and be careful that you rest not in formallity watch to get opportunities but be not formal in duties in them Oh! this will mightily darken your Conversations it will make them very earthly there will be no beauty at all in them if you come to rest in formallity in holy performances There 's many Christians that we hope may have some good at the bottom yet growing to a form in Religion they never honor their profession they have little comfort to their own souls they go on in a dead hearted condition they know not what it is to have communion with God Oh beware of that that we are all by nature subject too those that have enlightenings of conscience they dare not but take opportunities for Heavenly duties but then comes in the temptation of the Devil and the corruption of our own hearts when I have done my task then it 's over I have prayed I but you have been in Heaven that while what converse with God have you had there Oh take heed of formallity it will exceedingly hinder your Conversation But now a Christian though of never such weak parts can but chatter to God and speak a few broken words and half sentences yet if he doth not rest in formallity he may have much converse with God whereas others that have excellent parts yet resting in the work done never knows what the meaning is of having a Conversation in Heaven The Fifth Rule Labor to beat down your Bodies That is take heed of making provision for the flesh beware of sensual lusts how came Paul to have his Conversation in Heaven saith he I beat down my body The word is Black and blue club'd it down as if he should say This body of mine would draw my heart aside from spiritual things and make me earthly and sensual I wil keep down my body I will not give that satisfaction to the flesh and body so as to strengthen any temptation that should
the soul is exercised in the Ordinances it hath converse with Christ it hearkens what Christ saith and Christ hearkens what such a soul saith I will hearken what he will say and the soul knows the voice of Christ 5. Cant. 2. It is the voice of my beloved saith the Spouse Oh it knows what the voice of Christ is when they walk together in Ordinances Christ speaks to the soul and the soul knows his voice and the soul speaks again to Jesus Christ there is a blessed converse between them Christ lets himself into the heart and the heart opens its self to Christ Oh! the Communion that a gracious heart hath with Jesus Christ in Ordinances it is unspeakable Only those that are acquainted with it understand what the meaning of conversing with God there means It is with many even as it was with Adam that when God came to walk in the garden we read that he was hid in the bush The Ordinances and Duties of Worship are as Paradice as Eden and God comes many times to walk with us and would feign have communion and converse with us yet Oh! how many times are many of his servants hid in the bush they have walked loosly and contracted some guiltiness upon their spirits and so the presence of God is terrible to them and the more the voice of God and the presence of God is in an Ordinance the more they are afraid because of some guiltinesse they are intangled in the bush when as they should be conversing with God Oh the difference that there is between some Christians and others in the exercising themselves in the Duties of Worship There are some that when they are worshiping of God Oh what sweet and blessed terms have they with God and Communion between God and their souls and others though it may be they have some good in them yet they are intangled in the bryars of the world and though God be in the midst of his Ordinances yet they have no converse no communion with him at all Walking with God causeth the soul to follow God more as be reveals himself more The Ninth Particular is this The soul that walks with God as God reveals himself unto it still more and more so it follows God more and more and still seeks to glorifie God more and more that 's walking There is a progresse in the waies of godliness where there is a walking The soul when first it is led by the hand of Jesus Christ to God and comes and walks with him Oh 't is sweet and comfortable but still as God reveals himself more and more to the soul so the soul still grows up in godlinesse more and more and still is more holy and more gracious and honours God more in the Conversation of it than formerly it hath done it gets neerer and neerer to Heaven every day this is to walk with God There 's a notable Scripture in the 63. Psal 8. David saith there My soul follows hard after thee O Lord thy right hand upholdeth me As a poor child that is walking with the father it may be he is weak and cannot go so fast as it doth desire but the father puts forth his hand and takes hold of him and so upholds and strengthens the child and it follows hard after the father so 't is here Oh Lord thy right hand upholds me If it did not uphold me I could not walk but thy right hand upholds me and then my soul follows hard after thee and so increases in godliness more and more I will praise thee more and more saith David in another place speaking of the honor that he disir'd to give to God in his way he profess'd he would still ad to the praise of God and praise him more and more These are the principal things wherein walking with God consists Now to all these take in that consideration that we have mentioned all along and that makes it up That all these are in a constant course of a mans life This walking with God Some other men that know not what it is to walk with God perhaps they may come and walk a step or two in Gods waies but they quickly turn out again and they find them tedious and irksom to them But the heart that walks with God doth all this that I have named That is Eyes God in all his waies Behaves its self as in the presence of God Walks in the same way God doth Observes Gods designs And so likewise the rest and all this in the constant course of his life It 's true Through the violence of some temptation there may chance to be a step astray or there may be perhaps some fall in the way but still the heart is God-ward and still is towards God it gets up again and walks again in the way it doth not meerly go a step into the way of God as some carnal men do it may be somtimes when Gods hand is upon them or upon the hearing of some Sermon then their hearts are a little touch'd and they seem to be a little froward but take the constant course of their lives and it 's in the way of sin But the constant course of the waies of the Saints are in the waies of God As now a Swine may go through a fair meadow I but that 's not the place that it doth so much regard but it would be in the mire and dirt and there it wallows So it is with many wicked men they will come and hear and pray and do some good duties this is a Swine in a meadow but when they come to those waies that may satisfie the lusts of the flesh there they wallow that 's their proper place and therefore far from walking with God A begger will perhaps follow a man a little way so long as he hath hopes of getting any thing by him but if the man goes still away from him he turns aside to another way he will go no further along with him so 't is with many men even many professors they would seem to follow God perhaps for comfort and for something that they would have from him but if they cannot find presently what they would have from God then they turn aside whereas I beseech you observe this the difference between a friends walking with another out of delight of Communion with him and a begger that only goes along with another man begging for an alms The man that goes along begging for the alms he doth not regard the company of this man any further than he may have hopes of an alms from him if he cannot have what he would have or if he have once what he would have he turns aside from the man But a friend that is walking with his friend that that satisfies him is the company of his friend and the converse that he hath with him while he is walking and so he goes on in a constant way and walks to the end of
walk after their own imaginations and in the vanity of their minds they walk in lies and their hearts walk after the sight of their own eyes and they walk after their covetousness We might mention neer twenty such kind of expressions in Scripture and these are the walks of sinners But the waies of the Saints they are to walk with God but those that walk in the way of sinners that is in the vanity of their minds according to the fight of their own eyes after their covetousness and after the flesh and their lusts and lasiviousness and vanity and such kind of expression as we have in Scripture Certainly they shall have the end of their walk to be no other but destruction and eternal misery The Third Vse Thirdly What vile hearts are ours that are so backward to walk with God seeing God is pleased to admit of his Saints to walk with him even those that are godly are to be rebuk'd from hence that they should be so backward to come in to walk with God It is our glory That is that that would make our lives comfortable it would make this wilderness of ours to be a paradice it would make our Gardens to be Edens it would make our Houses to be Churches and make the Church to be a Heaven unto us and yet we are backward unto this Oh that we would but consider of this when we are in our walk there have vain thoughts As ordinarily men that are walking in their pleasant Gardens or it may be pleasant Rooms Oh the vanity and folly of their thoughts I may speak to you who do you walk withal all this while when you are a walking in your Galleries or Parlours or Gardens or alone in the fields who are you parlying withal who are you conversing withal are not you walking many times with the Devil and making provision for the flesh you should be walking with God what are you the Saints of God doth God offer himself to walk and converse with you and will you walk with the flesh and converse with the Devil and be rouling of sin and wickedness up and down in your thoughts Oh what a vile and sinful thing is this The Lord humble you for your sinful walks humble you that are Saints you sometimes have had some walks with God why is it that you walk no more close with God you complain sometimes of your great business in the world and occasions to converse with the world that you have no time for your Communion with God and yet when you are off from the world and when you have time alone wherein you might converse with God and when you have walks to the Citie and from the Citie again what Communion might you have with God! But Oh! how backward are our hearts even unto this that is our happinesse and our glory That 's a third Use by way of reproof even to the Saints which is raised from the consideration of the excellency that there is in our walking with God The Fourth Vse Fourthly By way of exhortation Oh let us keep close to God in our walking with him We reade of Peter that he saw Christ walking upon the water and he would leap to him to walk with him there though it were in afflictions to walk with Christ it should be comfortable to us We reade of Idolators that they would have their children pâ—sse through the fire to get to their Idols Oh let us be willing to pass through any difficulties to get to God the Lord is willing we should coÌ„municate our selves to him and he is willing to communicate himself to us the Lord would communicate word for word promise for promise imbrace for imbrace if we would speak to him he would speak to us if we would let out our hearts to him he would let out his heart to us if we would promise to him he would promise to us The Lord doth often call us to walk with him As sometimes familiar friends will call one another Come let us walk out together and those that are very familiar and loving though they may have some business yet they will lay it aside seeing their deer friends calls them to walk they take so much delight in it many times God our deer friend cals us Come let us walk out together When God at any time doth dart in a Heavenly thought into your minds he doth as it were call you to walk with him there and would have you follow that thought The following that Heavenly thought that 's darted into your minds that 's the answering of Gods call to walk with him Consider of this one note Oh do not refuse this you do not know how your lives may be comforted this way and your hearts may be strengthened The Fifth Vse And then the last thing that I shall name by way of Use is this If there be so much Excellency in our walking with God here what will there be in Heaven then If our converse with him in this world be so sweet Oh how sweet shall our converse with him in Heaven be when we shall walk with him in white when we shall have our garments glorious indeed and our souls fit to converse with God Now the truth is we are very unfit to converse with the Lord because of our blindness and darknesse we do not know God As now let an ignorant man come to converse with a learned man he gets but very little good for he is not able to put a question to him nor able to understand what the man saith especially if he speaks any depth of learning to him So many that are very weak when they are in discourse with those that are strong and godly they are not able to make that use for their discourse as others can and it 's a great excellency for one to be able to improve his converse with some men that have abilities and strength to be able I say to improve their Converse it 's a great excellency Alas we are not able to improve our converse with God here but in Heaven we shall be able to improve our converse with God We shall know as we are known we shall understand God if God doth but communicate himself we shall be fit to receive all the beams of his glory that he shal be pleased to let out Oh! that wil be an excellent thing indeed when we shall be alwaies walking with God and conversing with him continually Saith Bernard in the gracious visitations of the Spirit of God to his soul How sweet if it were not so little but then it shall be constant we shall then follow the Lamb whithersoever he goes and walk with him in white according as he speaks Now the Church cries out and saith Oh draw us and we will run ofter thee The Spirit of God had need to draw us here but then we shall have no such need of drawing but we shall of our selves from the inclination
of our own hearts be alwaies walking and conversing with God we shall have nothing else to do but to walk continually with the Lord I will walk in thy truth unite my heart to fear thy Name Psal 86. 11. It 's an excellent Scripture I will walk in thy Truth saith the Prophet Oh unite my heart to the fear of thy Name As if he should say I find much sweetnesse and good in walking in thy Truth here Oh Lord unite my heart to the fear of thy Name Lord keep me alwaies here it 's good being here as Peter said when Christ was transfigured in his glory So when the soul is walking with God it saith it is good being here Well when thou comest to Heaven thou shalt alwaies be with the Lord as the Scripture speaks and therefore from the excellency that thou findest here learn to long after Heaven where thou shalt be continually with the Lord and take only this one note for the setting out of the excellency of Heaven and I confesse only such as have had much sweetness in walking with God here will understand what I mean by this As suppose that all those sweet manifestations of God to thy soul here and all the dartings in of the Spirit of God all those soul ravishing joys that thou hast had suppose they were put all together that thou hadst them all over again at this instant what a comfortable time would it be At such a time may some soul that knows what the meaning of this point is say Oh the sweet communion I had with God! I would give a world to have it again Well thou hadst it once but it was quickly gone and thou hast had it a second and a third time yea many times when I have been with God I have had wonderful gracious lettings out of God to my soul Oh that I had them again Well suppose thou hadst now in this one quarter of an hour all the comfort and joy that ever thou hadst in all thy life put all the times together what a comfortable quarter of an hour would this be Now in Heaven to all eternity thou shalt have that in a kind infinitely more than that for milions of yeers even for ever Oh! what will Heaven be If I should set out Heaven to a carnal man I must tell him of Crowns of glory And there he shall see glorious sights he shall be freed from all kind of sorrows and there he shall have a Kingdom But if I would set out Heaven to a Saint I must tell him this He shall have communion with God and all those soul-ravishing comforts that he hath had in the presence of God in this world he shall have them all together and infinitly more than them Oh this is that that will make their souls long after Heaven and set prize upon it CHAP. VIII Ten Several Evidences of a mans Walking with God BUt having set out unto you the excellency of walking with God you will say Who is it that doth walk with Him I shall further set out to you the Evidences of those men and women that do walk with God The first Evidence One that walks with God Is one that depends not much upon sence or reason in the course of his life I say one that is above the waies of Sence and Reason in his course he hath received a principle to go higher Most men in the world they walk according to sence and therefore the Scripture saith They walk according to the pleasure of their eyes But now one that walks with God his walk lies beyond Sence and above Reason though things of Sence seem to go this way or that way quite crosse to him yea though Reason seem to go quite crosse to him yet still his heart is not in a hurry but he hath that that can quiet his heart though Sence and Reason seem to be contrary 2 Cor. 5. 7. there you shal see the walk of a godly man For we walk by faith and not by sight saith the Apostle beyond our sight either beyond our sight of sence or the sight of Reason we walk by faith But now this is a great point a Christian walking by faith and therefore I intend to speak to that by its self from this very text God willing in another Treatise The second Evidence One that walks with God you shall find him in private the same that he is in publick what ever holiness doth appear in such a one before others in his walking in the world if you trace him and follow him in his private course you shall find him the same man as you do in publik why because he hath not to deal with man so much he hath to deal with God in all his waies when he hath any thing to do before others he walks with God and when he is alone he is the same man still In the 101. Psal see what David saith there concerning his walk in private in his family I will behave my self wisely in a perfect way saith he Oh when wilt thou come unto me I will walk within my house with a perfect heart As if he should say I will not walk when I am abroad only with a perfect heart but I wil walk within my house with a perfect heart There are many people that when they are abroad in the world they seem to be very strict in their way but follow such men to their houses and there you shall see a great deal of difference You will find many times as much difference between the course of men when they are abroad and in their houses as you find in their cloaths you shall have many men and women when they go abroad they wil be very neat and though they have but little means yet they wil lay it upon their backs so that they may be fine abroad but come to them in their families and they care not what cloaths they wear there It is just so in regard of their lives their lives have as much difference as their cloaths When they are abroad then they put a good face on things and seem to be very fair in their conversations and speak good things but at home there they are froward and perverse and perhaps in their passions will swear there they are prophane and ungodly and vent their corruptions in a most ungodly manner doest thou walk with God If thou hadst to deal with God thou wouldst be the same in thy family that thou art abroad that thy wife children and servants in thy family might give as good a testimony of thee as when thou art abroad with others Yea and if ye could retire with them into their very closets you should find them the same there in any duties of Religion You shall have many when they come abroad and joyn with others Oh how enlarged are they yet dead and dull when they are at home either in family or closet yea their own consciences
Excellency see Walking Eye The souls of the godly eye God 272 F Faith The heavenly conversation of others is not the rule of our faith 93 Faith must be exercised 259 Familarity Whence our familarity with God ariseth 293 Folly The folly of earthly-mindedness 38 Formality Formality must not be rested on 253 Formality must be taken heed of 326 G Genius Wicked men fancy heavenly things according to their own genius 17 God God takes care of men concerning earthly things 78 Heavenly conversation brings glory to God 244 See Walking What a man trusts to he makes his God Page 54 Godly Difference between wicked and godly men 3 Godly mens Conversations should not be earthly 238 Godly men carry themselves as in Gods presence 274 Godly see Calling Godliness Earthly-mindedness is contrary to the work of godliness and how 26 See waies my stery Glory Heavenly Conversation brings glory to the Saints 246 What the glory of the soul is 239 Grace What the work of grace is 27 Grace see Benefit presence Growing Heavenly Conversation is growing 240 H Halting The Saints must take heed of halting 325 Heaven see Saints Profession Conversation Aim Heavenly The Saints are Heavenly in Earthly imploymonts Page 115 The Saints have great skill in Heavenly matters 218 See Genius Conversations Hell The Conversations of wicked men are in Hell 99 Heart The heart is best known by the thoughts 7 The heart of a wicked man is upon the things of the earth 16 The vileness yf mens hearts discovered 302 Heart see drossie Higher God made man for higher things than the things of the earth 96 Hypocrites Hypocrites rebuked 135 Honor see walking Humility Humility takes the heart off from earthly mindedness 86 I Jacob Difference between Jacob's blessing and Esau's 6 Idolater Idolaters depart from God 22 Idolatry Covetousness is Idolatry Page 20 See Earthly-mindedness Vileness Ill see Success Ignorant see Religion Imployment see Heavenly Inducement Earthty Inducements oppose godliness 98 Intercourse The Saints have much intercourse to heaven 218 Joy What the joy of a Saint is See World 54 L Law The Saints are guided by the Laws of God 110 Little The Saints are contented with little in this world 222 Loss The Saints have comfort in all their losses 224 Lust Earthly-mindedness brings in foolish lusts and how 34 M Man Wherefore God made man 69 See Nature Mind Who they are that know the mind of God Page 94 Ministry How earthly-mindedness hinders the Ministry 30 Mystery The mystery of godlinesse ought to be studied 254 N Nature What man is by nature 268 P Petitions What men they are that shall have their petitions granted 295 Pilgrim We are pilgrims here upon earth 76 Prayer see Earthly-mindedness Preparation see Death Presence Gods presence draws forth grace 298 See God Principles see Saints Priviledge What the priviledges of a Citizen of heaven are 106 How the priviledges of a Citizen of Heaven are procured 107 Promise Wicked men do not trust to a promise Page 15 Protection The Saints have the protection of heaven 104 R Reconciliation How a wicked man conceives of the Doctrine of Reconciliation 17 Religion How Religion is scandalized 45 Why men are ignorant in Religion 59 Reprobates Reprobates have their portion in this life 68 Riches The Saints have right to the Richcs and common stock of heaven 103 Riches see Uncertainty S Saints The Saints names are inrolled in heaven 102 The Saints are no longer slaves 103 The Saints ' are guided by heavenly principles 108 The Saints have communion with God 109 The Saints trust God with much Page 220 The Saints are sensible of the stoppage between them and heaven 226 Sabbath To whom the Sabbath is a delight and to whom it is a wearinesse 16 The Saints keep a a perpetual Sabbath 115 Saints see Citizens Riches Angels Perfection Laws Delight Heavenly Sabbath Trading Intercourse Little Comfort Losses Safty Wherein the safty of a Saint lies 292 Scandal see Religion Self What self is 25 Secrets what manner of men they are that know Gods secrets 294 Seriousness What seriousness of spirit is 309 Serpent see Curse Sinful see Earthly Shortness What the shortness of our time here should lead us to 73 Snare Earthly-mindedness brings men into snares 29 Soul Of what value the soul of man is Page 70 The soul of man is from heaven 229 The soul of man ought to be beautified 324 Soul see Glory Walk Spiritual A wciked man is earthly in spiritual things a godly man is spiritual in earthly 11 Strictness We ought not to find fault with strictness in Gods waies 231 Stranger The world are strangers to walking with God 300 Success The reason of ill success 35 Suffering Heavenly Conversation makes suffering easie 249 T Temptation Earthly-mindedness puts men upon great temptations 28 Thoughts What the thoughts of the Saints are 111 Which way the thoughts of the Sainis tend 112 See Devil Heart Trade What the Saints trade for heaven is Page 213 The Saints have free trade to heaven 104 Trust see God Trusted Worldly things are not tobe trusted too 55 U Vanity All earthly things are vanity 53 Vilifie The Saints vilifie the things of the earth 222 Uncertainty The uncertainty of riches 71 Vileness The vileness of Idolatry 21 Vocation What vocation is 25 W Waies The waies of godlinesse should not be opposed 95 See Strictness Walk How the soul is brought to walk with God 268 He that walks with God depends not much upon reason 307 He that walks with God is the same in private that he is in publick 308 He that walks with God walks in his Commandements Page 310 What it is to walk with God 267 Walking What walking with God is 272 Wherein walking with God consists 280 Several excellencies of walking with God 286 The honor of walking with God 288 Particular evidences of walking with God Page 316 See Strangers Excellency Wearinesse see Sabbath Wicked Why wicked men are busie in their callings 16 See Godly Genius Example Hell Work see Godlinesse Grace Worldly Wherein worldly joy consists 54 See Trust Strangers A TABLE of those SCRIPTURES which are occasionally Cleared and briefly Illustrated In the Fourth VOLUMN The first number directs to the Chapter the second to the Verse the third to the Page of the Book Chap. Verse Page Genesis 6 9 263 27 28 6 27 29 6 33 9 52 45 20 239 Exodus 23 14 288 25 21 323 Leviticus 4 18 280 26 11 280 26 12 280 2 Kings 17 8 301 2 Chronicles 28 2 301 Nehemiah 5 9 317 Job 18 8 292 22 21 293 Psalms 16 3 277 16 6 277 23 4 292 37 4 295 45 13 325 45 14 325 49 11 66 49 13 66 62 10 77 62 11 77 63 8 283 583 3 277 72 9 268 86 11 305 89 15 289 89 16 289 119 37 42 119 45 279 138 7 292 139 17 61 Proverbs 2 20 92 13 20 294 23 7 7 23 17 274 Canticles 5 2 281 7 5 281 Isaiah 13 17 53 30 21 269 35 8 271 53 9 271 Jeremiah 2 12 23 17 13 44 Ezekiel 33 31 31 Daniel 7 10 107 7 18 107 Hosea 2 7 329 4 11 22 11 10 298 Micah 6 6 291 6 7 291 6 8 291 Luke 1 6 315 21 34 47 John 3 31 81 Acts 6 31 318 7 29 113 22 25 101 22 27 106 23 25 64 Romans 8 5 3 1 Corinthians 9 27 25 15 29 79 2 Corinthians 3 10 239 4 17 247 4 18 13 5 7 307 Galatians 6 12 65 6 26 310 Ephesians 2 6 107 2 11 251 2 18 272 2 19 130 4 17 309 5 5 20 Philippians 3 8 8 3 19 8 Colossians 3 1 249 3 2 79 3 3 79 2 Thessalonians 1 11 246 1 12 246 1 Timothy 6 9 28 6 9 34 6 9 50 2 Timothy 4 10 40 Hebrews 10 32 224 10 34 232 11 1 256 11 5 322 11 10 101 11 13 87 11 37 87 12 13 327 12 22 101 James 4 4 23 2 Peter 1 3 230 2 18 327 1 John 1 4 109 2 6 319 4 5 60 3 John 0 4 316 Jude 0 14 20 0 4 262 Revelation 3 4 287 13 6 102 13 8 102 14 4 287 FINIS 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 muniiceps coelorum nos gerimus Steph. Beza Piscat ad verbú nostra Civilis vita in coelis est Doct. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ab 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pri 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 terra extra terram sine terra Beda Acts 23. 25. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 terrae fillii 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Cor. 9. 27. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Castigo corpus meum vulg Comundo corpus meum Levidum reddo corpus Agust Est metophorasumpta à pugilibus suctantibus qui pugnis verberibus se mutuo obtundunt Chem. Jans Aret. Pareus Piscat First For Direction Secondly For Protection Thirdly For Assistance Fourthly For a blessing upon all it doth Gospel worship
's become of theme and consider thy case must be as their's within a while the wheel is turning round which will bring thee as low as them so that thou ere long must be numbred amongst the dead Oh! it 's a mightie means to take off our hearts from the things of this earth The Seventh Consideration Consider further How short thy time is that thou hast here in this world That 's the argument of the Apostle because the time is short therefore let us use the world as if we used it not therefore let our hearts be taken off from these things we have but a little time and a great deal of work we have in this short winter day of life to provide for eternitie now considering the great weight of the work that doth depend upon us here in this world it may be a mightie reason for us to bid adue to all the things of this world indeed if we had time enough for our work and were sure of our time then we might spend it about trifles If a man comes into the Citie to do business of great weight and consequence and hath but a little time to spend about it he never minds any thing he sees in the Citie never minds any body that comes by him or any shews in shops what braverie there is there but goes up and down the streets minding only his own business Oh! so it should be with us my brethren consider the great work we have to do and the little time that we have to effect that work in there depends upon our little short uncertain inch of time matters of more consequence than ten thousand thousand worlds are worth and if we miscarry in this little time of our lives we are lost and undone for ever better we had never been born or had been made toads or serpents or the vilest beasts whatsoever than reasonable creatures Oh! have you so much time for the spending the very spirits of your souls upon the things of this earth can you spare so many hours Certainly if God did but make known to you what eternitie means if the Lord did but cause the fear of eternitie to fall upon you you would not mispend so much time as you do many times though you complain for want of time for spiritual things Oh how much time do you spend in letting out your thoughts and affections upon the things of the earth more than you need The Eighth Consideration Consider therefore in the next place That a little will serve the turn to carry us through this world We are here but in our Pilgrimage or in our voyage now a little will serve the turn here for the carrying of us through this world men will not take more in a journy than may help them If a man that is to go a journy should get a whol bundle of staves and lay them upon his shoulder and you should ask him the reason why he carries that bundle why saith he I am going a great journy and I know not what need I may have of staves to help me it 's true to carry a staff in a mans hand will help him thus Jacob was helped by his staff over Jordan but to carrie a bundle upon his shoulder will hinder him Now a little will serve your turn if you have but meat and drink food and raiment saith the Apostle be content and the servants of God in former time past through this world with a very little and manie of them the less they had the more peace and comfort they had in God and they were the more fit to die I remember Ecolampagius when he was to die being verie poor profess'd that he would not have been richer than he was for he saw what a hindrance it was and so he could pass out of the world with more ease and quiet a great deal Certainly a little will serve the turn here we say Nature is content with a little and if there were Grace it would be content with less and therefore let not our minds be upon the things of the earth we have not so much need of the things of the earth as we think for The Ninth Consideration And then further consider though upon our minding the things of the earth we should enjoy never so much Yet there is no comfort no good to be had in them any further than God will be pleased to let himself through them they are but as channels to convey the blessing and goodness of God to us Man lives not by bread nor meat only you are deceived to think that if you had such and such things you should certainly have a comfortable life I say you may be deceived in this for it is God in these that doth comfort the heart there is a notable Scripture for this in the 62. Psal where the holy Ghost saith at the 10. verse Trust not in oppression and become not vain in robbery if riches increase set not your hearts upon them do not mind them why in the 11. verse God hath spoken once twice have I heard this That power belongeth unto God if riches increase set not thy heart upon them let not your hearts and minds be upon riches or any thing in this earth why God hath spoken once twice have I heard that is again and again God hath spoken effectually to me that all power to do any good belongeth unto him it 's not in riches there 's no power there for making of thee happy but all belongs to him This I confess is a spiritual meditation that earthly minded men will have but little skill in yet where earthly-mindedness prevails in any one of the Saints this may do him good whereas the truth is it is not in the creature or creature-comforts can do me good if I had a thousand times more than I have I might be miserable in the earth and have as little comfort as those that have least and therefore let me set my affections upon things above and not on things on the earth The Tenth Consideration Moreover lay this to heart If you be godly God promises to take care for you for the things of this earth and to that end that he might ease you of the burden of your care cast your care upon God for he careth for you and take no thought for these things for your heavenly Father knows you have need of them your heavenly Father takes care See how he cloaths the lillies and are not you much better than they Now children they do not much mind the things of the earth to provide for themselves because they know they have their father to provide for them a child that hath his father and friends to make provision for him it very much easeth him but indeed those that are left fatherlesse and friendlesse they seem to have some excuse I had need take care of my self for I have no body to provide for me I but the Saints
this work I can do nothing without thee Lord and let me have assistance from thee Whereas the wicked they make flesh their arm and therefore there 's a curse pronounc'd against them in Jer. 17. 5. verse they are strangers to any such work as this of dependance upon God for assistance Now and then at a spurt they will say that God must help them and they can do nothing without God I but to have a holy gracious frame of spirit to walk in a holy dependance upon God for assistance in every businesse this is far from the wicked and ungodly Fourthly The soul walks in a holy dependance upon God for a blessing upon all it doth Walk before me and be upright I am thine exceeding great reward As if God should say to Abraham Walk in dependance upon me I am thy reward though thou hast little encouragment in the world yet look up to me for thy reward so when the soul turneth from men and the world and minds not so much what encouragement it hath from the world but looks up to God Lord I depend upon thee for a blessing and how ever things seem to go yet Lord I look up to thee for the bringing all to a good issue here 's now a soul walking with God Walking with God makes a man free and ready in the waies of God Seventhly One that walks with God in all his waies of Holiness and Obedience his heart is free in him he comes off readily to every good work he is not hall'd and pull'd to God but he walks with him There 's a great deal of differenet between one that is dragged after another as if you should drag a prisoner that hath no mind to go that way and another that walks up and down with delight and pleasure with you 'T is not enough to walk with God for to be in the way that God would have you to be or to do the things that God would have you to do except your hearts do come off freely in the waies of obidience except there be a cheerfulness in the waies of obedience except you choose the waies of holiness as the waies that are most sutable to you this is the walking with God In the 119. Psal 45. I will walk at liberty saith David for I seek thy precepts It 's a notable Scripture The men of the world they think that there is no walking at liberty but for them to satisfie their defires to the uttermost to walk after their lusts which is the Scripture phrase No but saith David my liberty is this I seek thy precepts A carnal heart thinks it is the greatest bondage in the world for to seek the precepts of God and to conform to Gods precepts that I must walk according to rule that 's a bondage No I 'le walk at liberty for I seek thy precepts It 's an excellent argument of grace in the heart to account the precepts of God to be the greatest liberty to the soul When I am in the waies of sin I am in the waies of bondage I am a slave to Satan but when I seek thy precepts I am at liberty As a man when he is walking up and down in the fields he is at liberty So when the soul is walking with God it is at liberty but when the soul is walking without God it is in a dungeon a prison but I say when it walks with God it is at liberty it comes off freely in all the waies of obedience Walking with God consists in Communion with God Eighthly Walking with God consists in the Converse and Communion that the soul hath with him in holy duties There are the special walks of the soul with God and of God with the soul in the duties of holy Worship In the 18. of Levit. 4. saith the Lord there Ye shall do my Judgments and keep mine Ordinances to WALK therein I am the Lord your God You must Walk in Gods Ordinances the Ordinances of God they are the Walks of a gracious soul and there the soul meets with God in the 26. of Levit. 11 12. It 's a notable Scripture to shew that in Gods Ordinances there the soul meets with God And I will set my tabernacle amongst you and my soul shall not abhor you that is shall delight in you And I will WALK among you and will be your God and ye shall be my people I will set my Tabernacle amongst you What 's that That is mine Ordinances you shall enjoy mine Ordinances you shall have the duties of my Worship and I will Walk among you then God walks among us when we enjoy his Ordinances So that you see in the 18. of Levit. there God saith You shall walk in mine Ordinances the Ordinances are the godly mans walk then in the 26. of Levit. the Ordinances are Gods walk so that we see they walk the same way and there God and a gracious heart meet together The Churches enjoying Ordinances are the Candlesticks that we reade of in the 1 of Revel 13. In the midst of the seven golden Candlesticks was one like unto the son of man cloathed with a garment down to the feet and gird about the paps with a golden girdle The Lord Jesus Christ is in the midst of the Candlesticks that is in the midst of the Churches where there are the Ordinances of God there he is and if you would walk with him you must find him there in the 68. Psal 24. there likewise you may see what the way of a gracious heart is in walking with God They have seen thy goings O God even the going of my God my King where in the Sanctuary If you would walk with another you must know where his goings are observe where he uses to walk and be going there They have seen thy going O God even the goings of my God my King in the Sanctuary there 's the goings of God if you would meet with God and walk with him it must be in the Sanctuary it must be in his Ordinances In the 7. of Cant. 5. verse it is said That the King speaking of Christ is held in the galleries now what 's that but in the Ordinances that 's as it were the galleries of the great King of Heaven and Earth And you know Princes and great men they have their sumptuous galleries wherein they use to walk and only chief favourites are permitted and suffered to be there to walk up and down The King is HELD in his galleries that is when Jesus Christ is in Communion with his Saints in his Ordinances in the duties of Worship Oh 't is the most pleasant galleries to walk in that he hath it 's as pleasant a gallery as he hath in Heaven it's self Oh! he loves to be there The King is Held there Oh! many a sweet and comfortable turn hath a gracious heart in these galleries that is in the Ordinances and Duties of Worship in walking with Jesus Christ When