Selected quad for the lemma: heaven_n
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A81376
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Certaine observations concerning the duty of love, and of the contrary evill, vncharitablenesse. VVritten by Thomas Devenish.
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Devenish, Thomas.
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1642
(1642)
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Wing D1213; Thomason E142_21; ESTC R8292
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21,289
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34
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the Church complaining that whilest shee slept that is followed the things of this world she had lost her beloved Christ see what a charge she laies upon the daughters of Ierusalem in the 8. verse I charge you O daughters of Ierusalem that if yee find my welbeloved that yee tell him that I am sicke of love Those that had not tasted the sweet of Christs love admired this strange manner of enquirie and demand in the 9. verse What is thy beloved more then others that thou dost so charge us Why shee tels them in the following verses and sets forth by all possible wayes of expression the beauty of our sweet Saviour in so much that the faithfull hearing of the excellency of Christ desire to know how to finde him also as is sweetly set forth in the last verse O thou fairest among women whither is thy welbeloved gone whither is thy welbeloved turned aside that we may seek him with thee O let this be the desire of all the Saints Give mee Christ and take all the world besides Let us then consider where this comfortable enjoyment of Christ is to be had it 's in that Garden the Church which is spoken of Cant 5.1 There are all those sweet fruits of Christs gracious presence O then let us strive to set up Christs Ordinances and order according to his owne institution and amongst all the other blessings that God hath bestowed upon us praise his holy name for those great hopes of reformation wherewith hee hath at this time filled our hearts nothing doubting but hee that hath begun will perfect it amongst his servants God hath left us a sufficient rule for the matters of his worship and service in his holy Word if wee would but lay aside all carnall policy and apply our selves to that the businesse were ended but we having a long time accustomed our selves to be guided by the Ordinances of man in the service of God can hardly find a way out of it but rather fit our selves with some bad arguments to maintaine our old practice not much unlike the Papists that because their fathers did so they will believe it to be right though it may be it 's more then their fathers did to believe it though their practice were so but we see by experience the conceit of a former received opinion is a great barre to keepe men from embracing the truth it behooves us therefore as in all things so especially in that which more immediatly belongs to the service of God to looke unto the rule Thus it was stil urged upon the Israelites so in the Gospel Christ alwayes directs us to the rule and indeed when we forsake that wee are apt to fall upon any thing though never so dishonourable to God as we see Exod. 32.1 the people would have Aaron make them Gods so many amongst us would have some one or other make us such gods we know what they were to make us a Religion or a way of worship which worke belongeth to God onely Let us take heed of this and let our love to Christ carry us through all difficulties that we meet with for if wee consult with flesh and blood in Gods service wee are not worthy to be his neither can wee have any assurance that wee love him as we ought but we shall still finde our selves apt to leave the wayes of God as hard and troublesome and so take our leave of Religion as Orpha did of her mother in law and die in Moab let not therefore an old received opinion honour credit riches friends or any thing separate our affections from the love of Christ but take up that resolution to follow him in all his Oâ—dinances as Ruth did to follow Naomi Ruth 1.17 Where thou diest will I die and there will I be buried the Lord doe so to me and more also if ought but death do part thee and me See what this good woman did for the love of one which shee confesseth death might deprive her of how should this very consideration knit and unite our love to our deare Saviour death cannot separate us neither shall our love if it be true ever have end All then that hath beene formerly said being considered one would thinke it strange that all should not love Christ but indeed it 's as strange that any should love him if wee consider our naturall inclination to sinne and to follow our sensuality Oh how faine would a man have Heaven and earth Christ and the world part with nothing but would faine goe to heaven at other mens cost but our Saviour teacheth us another lesson Matth. 18.45.46 The Kingdome of Heaven is like to a Merchant man that seeketh good pearles who having found a pearle of great price went and sold that he had and bought it certainly wee must part with all for Christ and this I am perswaded is many times the desire and resolution of Gods children but the flesh so prevailes by the helpe of our common adversary that wee are strangely carried away as I am able to witnesse from mine owne sad experience for upon such meditations as these formerly mentioned I have resolved sure I will follow Christ nothing shall draw my heart from my Saviour but such hath beene the frailty of nature that I have suffered such thoughts speedily to cold and die as if they had never been sometimes the Divell takes advantage of necessity when he sees us in some straights as 1 Sam. 21.2 and thereby weakens our faith and dependance in the all-sufficiency of our good God and so yeeld to that which is unlawfull and unwarrantable as if when in all ordinary wayes we see no supply presently conclude there is none it was that the Divell tempted Christ withall But how should our Saviours answer be a strength to our weake faith in such cases Matth. 4.4 Man shall not live by bread onely but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God God can make any thing besides bread serve for his purpose he can supply our wa t s any way and deliver us out of all straights and will surely doe it in such a measure as is fit for us if we can forbeare our owne unwarrantable wayes againe I found the example of other men a strong temptation to draw away from the love of God I have thereupon thought it a faire smooth way to walke as others doe to stand right in their opinion however the case stands betwixt God and my soule againe another thing hath beene the desire I have had to please and ingratiate my selfe with great persons yea and many times have thought this a very good way to helpe and further the way of Gods providence and so have made shipwracke of a good conscience to keepe their friendship againe our company is a great meanes to draw us either way for the Divell who wants no malice nor diligence to effect our ruine watcheth such opportunity when wee are in company with
question whether Ionathan were a better sonne or friend in that he did Next wee should give our friends the best counsell we can Luke 12.4 And I say unto you my friends be not afraid of them that kill the body c. The next duty wee should beare a part with them in any affliction Psal 35.14 I behaved my selfe as to my friend or as to my brother I humbled my selfe mourning as one that bewaileth his mother Change of estate should not change friendship Prov. 17.17 A friend loveth at all times and a brother is borne for adversity So also in the first of Ruth 16.17 And Ruth answered intreat mee not to leave thee nor to depart from thee c. There are divers things wherein this love is abused as when the ground of it is our owne advantage and wee look upon them whilest the sunne of prosperity shines Next when our agreement in evill is the cause of our friendship also when we honour our friends in stead of giving them good counsell as Ionadab to his brother to abuse his sister 2 Sam. 13.5 and thus one drunkard gives counsell to another we shall see a notable example of such counsell in Zeresh Hamans wife and his friends Hest 5.14 where they gave advice that a gallowes of fifty cubits high should be set up to hang Mordecai it was notable counsell and so it proved at last Such also offend against this law that leave their friends in the time of their greatest necessity thus wee may see how Iobs friends left him Iob. 6.20 Yea many times they betray their friends as Iudas did his Master of this we have plenty of examples Let us then consisider how this duty of love is neglected yea almost out of use amongst us now in 2 Sam. 15.31 it was told David for strange tidings that Achitophel was one of the conspirators I thinke we cannot now account it strange to see one that hath beene a familiar friend as this Counseller was to David found amongst the conspirators but it were more to be admired to finde him any where but there especially when the sunne of our prosperity is setting as Davids was then thought to be we shall be sure to finde greene leaves after the strongest Winter frost and stormes as to finde a friend stand fast in the time of adversity but they will doe as Davids friends mentioned Psal 38.11 My lovers and my friends stand aside from my plague and my kinsmen stand afarre off This is not onely found amongst those fained friends as the world is full of but even amongst such from whom wee should expect better as we see in Iobs friends they were such as would be thought good men as may appeare by all their discourse and yet see how cruelly they deale with their poore friend in his affliction farre worse then Davids friends spoken of formerly they were strange and stood a farre off but these came neere to helpe to grieve and vexe Iob in his greatest extremity as if that were all they had now to doe for their poore friend to strive who should grieve him most It is a sad thing to finde this love wanting in our friends from whence we expect better and this made the Prophet David to utter that bitter complaint against his hollow hearted Counseller It was my familiar friend c. Psal 41.9 But what may the Lord say Looke backe David how was Vriah that poore friend of thine dealt with his life taken from him in the highst proofe of his friendship Thus wee complaine of the want of love in others but doe not thinke of our want of love to them but are of the same minde with Simon the Pharisie whose formality made him believe his condition to be better then it was as Christ shewes him and all us by setting before our eyes that penitentiall patterne Luke 7.44 Then he turned to the woman and said unto Simon seest thou this woman I entered into thy house and thou gavest me no water to my feet but shee hath washed my feet with teares and wiped them with the hayre of her head thou gavest me no kisse but shee since the time I came in hath not ceased to kisse my feet c. and then concludes Vers 47. That where little is forgiven they will love little who can reade this Scripture with dry eyes to see how short we come of this woman which the Pharisee thought so vile that it made him to call in question whether Christ were a Prophet because he admitted her to come so neere him shee came behind not presuming to behold that holy Saviour and at his feet accounting it happinesse enough to enjoy the meanest place about Christ and then see how she exprest her love she washt his feet with teares wiping them with the hayres of her head kissing and anoynting them her love forc'd all this from her but the sense of her sinne stopt her mouth we heare no word she spake our practice is contrary we speake much and with boldnesse but we have no other expressions but our words where is our love to the Saints where is our washing weeping and anoynting sure the want of these shew that wee are ignorant of that great love of our sweet Saviour to us and by the little love we have witneâ— to God and the world that we thinke little is forgiven us and as little do we consider what is given us How hath God blest this Kingdome of England made it fruitfull suffered none to prevaile against us but delivered us in a most unheard-of way and left us to praise his name and made other nations examples for us of his displeasure when hee might in Justice have made us examples for them but this is nothing to what he hath done hee hath given us his glorious Gospell our Saviour testifieth of John that there was not a greater borne of woman Math. 11.11 and yet he that is least in the Kingdome of Heaven is greater then he this is our condition in this Kingdome of grace Moses desired to see God and could not God hath manifested himselfe unto us in his Sonne Christ who is the image of the invisible God Col 1.15 so Heb. 1.3 What more can be said in him he hath given us all things How should these meditations raise our thoughts from the things here below and settle all our love upon Christ and all his Saints for hee takes that as done to himselfe take h ed how wee deny him any thing that hath given us all things that are fit for us hee hath redeemed our soules from hell set him have soule body wife children strength credit riches honour and all for Christ tells us hee that will not part with all for him is not worthy of him reade that heart-melting fifth of Cantic it 's a most sweet place of Scripture wherein is most lively set forth the most glorious perfect beauty of Christ how worthy hee is of our love above all things