a glass the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the spirit of the Lord. These believing loving sights of heavenly things will change us into the image of them 9. By this we shall be made more and more willing and desirous to leave this World and to go to a better Compare this Text with the beginning of the next Chapter 2 Cor. 5. 1 2 3. the Apostle having said We look not on visible temporal things but on those things which are not seen which are eternal presently adds for we know that when the earthly house of this tabernacle is dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens for in this House we groan earnestly to be clothed upon with our House which is from Heaven And this made Paul desire to be dissolved that he might be with Christ which was far better or best of all Phil. 3. Certainly such as really apprehend and truly believe those invisible eternal things and their title to them and portion in them will be really willing to dye that they may enjoy them knowing that they lye on the other side of Death and cannot be enjoyed but by dying and after Death Death being the In-let to all that purchased promised Glory Now the more we do seriously think and meditate on those glorious things the more willing we shall be to leave all those fading vain and vexing Comforts to enjoy those eternal Delights And it is a great Mercy and sweet Priviledge to be willing to dye and I know nothing will more effect this willingness in us Now let all those Motives effectually perswade us to draw off our hearts from those visible temporal things and to set our Affections upon things above How long shall vain Thoughts lodge within us how long shall this present evil World gnaw and feed upon our Spirits consuming and wasting them and eating out our time and strength how long shall the God of this World blind our Minds and the Dust of it fill our Eyes how long shall we misplace our Affections and mistake our Rest Our Rest is not here our Heaven and Happiness is not here Earth is going from us and we from it and shall we hug what we cannot hold Shall we kiss and embrace that which is withering in our hands and dying in our arms Are there not infinitely-better things to be minded Duke de Alva wickedly said when one told him of an Eclipse that was then present I have so much to do on Earth I have no leisure to mind Heaven O that it may not be so said of any of us Let us call to mind what those invisible eternal things are aforementioned as God Christ the Holy Ghost the Promises the Purchased Inheritance the Glory of Heaven c. withal let us mind Christ's second Coming to Judgment the manner and end of it 2 Thess 1. 6 7 8 9 10. which the Apostle often spoke and wrote of and minded Tit. 2. 13 14. the glorious Appearing of the great God and our Saviour the Resurrection of the Body and the manner of it 1 Cor. 15. the full Redemption and glorious Manifestation of the Sons of God the happy uniting of the Souls and Bodies of the Saints after so long a Separation and the uniting and solemn Marriage of both to Christ the King of Glory the passing of the Saints into Heaven with Christ in Triumph their living for ever with God seeing his Face and knowing him as we are known Oh that we could mind these things and set our Faith and Love our Hopes Dâ—stres and Delights on work upon these things what sweet Contentment what Soul-refreshing Joy and Comfort would such thoughts yield to our Souls even in the midst of all our Troubles No wonder we are such Strangers to the Joy of the Lord because we are such Strangers to God himself and to the great things of his Kingdom I shall conclude this Use with that of the Apostle 2 Pet. 3. 14. Wherefore beloved seeing that ye look for such things be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless Be diligent to prepare for the enjoyment of all those great and glorious things and to secure our title to them which Preparation consists in two things mainly as exprest in that Scripture 1. In a state of Reconciliation with God 2. In a spotless blameless Conversation 1. In a state of Reconciliation with God Be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace There will be a most strict and accurate search made at the last day all those that look for those invisible eternal good things at last must be exceeding careful about this to make this the Mark Design and Aim all their Life and at Death that they may be found in a reconciled state in a state of Peace with God This is the critical point the main hinge whereupon hangs all the safety and happiness of a Man or Woman for Eternity Not whether rich or poor high or low honourable or contemptible in this World the Differences and Distinctions will signifie nothing then nor whether Presbyterian or Independent c. but whether reconciled to God or no. This strict search will be made by the Lord who cannot be blinded nor deceived And the consideration of the issue of this search should quicken us to diligence in our Preparation which shall be 1st on them that shall then be found not reconciled the danger will be to their whole man Soul and Body Depart ye cursed c. most dreadful and most intolerable 2dly On them that are found reconciled their Comfort will be unspeakable the Lord Jesus will own them all as the Purchase of his Blood and will embrace them all Come ye blessed of my Father c. and will commend them Well done c. and will crown them with a Diadem of Eternal Glory Oh then let us presently engage all the Powers of our Souls in striving to be found of God in Peace And if we will be found of God in Peace at that day we must 1. Fall out with all Sin and make an open breach with all Ungodliness and all Worldly lusts Tit. 2. 11 12. No Peace with God so long as we have Peace with any Sin We must search for our Sins of Heart and Life heartily repent of them declare open War against them all not regarding any Iniquity in our Hearts but hating and mortifying all Go to God to give you sound Repentance Acts 5. 31. 3. 19. 2. Fall in and close unfeignedly with Jesus Christ the only Peace-maker accepting him on his Terms taking him for Only Lord and Saviour resigning up our whole selves unto him in all things giving him the Preheminence in us and over us and heartily submitting to his government by his Word and Spirit Thus by true Repentance and Faith we are to make our Peace with God And this
may be poor in this World yet rich in Faith and an Heir of the Kingdom as James 2. 5. and a man may be rich in this World yet poor in Soul and an Heir of Hell as we see in Dives 6. Faith is a powerful a victorious conquering Grace This is the victory that overcometh the world even our Faith Stephen was full of Faith and Power Acts 6. 8. The work of faith with power 2 Thess 1. 11. Faith brings all visible temporal things under the Believer's Feet it gives the Believer power to use the World and not to abuse it not seeking Rest and Contentment in it to use it moderately without damage and detriment to the Soul to use it for God's honour it s own spiritual advantage and the good of others and power to keep it out of the Heart Christ dwelling there by Faith to use the World and not losing our Hearts our Peace nor our Consciences in it Faith gives the Soul power to withstand the Threats and Temptations of the World and power to be willing to leave it and to go to a better World Oh the mighty power of Faith and by the Power of this Faith gracious Souls are taken off from those visible temporal things And so much for the Doctrinal Part. The Application follows First for Information If it be the Character and Duty of gracious Souls because visible things are temporal therefore they must not they do not much mind or regard them I. It follows then that Earthly-mindedness worldliness is a great Evil and very unbecoming true Christians for their minds and conversations are it Heaven Phil. 3. 19 20. There is the discriminating Character both of the gracious and ungracious a vast difference between them the one mind Earthly things the otherâ— have their conversation it Heaven Most People look on those things which are seen all seek their own things those that they count their own and those are mostly â—hiefly and principally minded as appears manifestly thus 1. By the stream of their Thoughts which runs steddily upon visible temporal things having vain Minds 2. By the common current of their Discourses their Talk is all of the World 3. By the tide of their Affections Love Joy Fear Sorrow Delight all run strongly Worldâ—â—rd 4. By the course of their Actions their Time Pain Care all is spent about the World rising early going to Bed late eating the Bread of Carefulness and all about the World This is a great Evil because expresly forbidden Matth. 6. 19. Lay not up for your selves treasures on earth Joh. 6. 27. Labour not for that meat which perisheth Col. 3. 2. Set your affections upon things above and not upon things below And this Worldly-mindedness is contrary to the Practice of true Christians as in the Text We look not on those things which are seen So Phil. 3. 20. And it is the Character of such as are in a state of Nature and that cannot please God Rom. 8. 5 8. They that are after the flesh do mind in things of the flesh Such are not crucified to the World but conquered and captivated by it yea crucified by it conquered by the Profits Honours and Pleasures of it and meer Slaves to these and crucified by the Crosses and Losses of the World their Hearts and Spirits lye under the Feet of these and are at the beck of these their Hopes and Comforts lye all at the Courtesie of the World and this is a woful Bondage Remember this we can never conclude that we are truly gracious until we have Grace enough to keep God and our Hearts together and to keep the World and our Hearts asunder 1 John 2. 14 15. Love not the world nor the things of the world for he that loveth the world the love of the Father is not in him Woe to them that have their Portion in this World Psal 17. 14. who have their good things here who have laid up their Treasures upon Earth and there have their Heart That Text Phil. 3. 19. is enough to terrifie aâ— such Their end is destruction who mind earthâ—â— things Inf. II. It follows from the Premises that Contentment with our Condition and with any portion of visible temporal things is a great Virtue and well becoming Christians Discontent proceeds from our over-minding and over-valuing and over-loving earthly things and it is a very great Evil for it practically denies God's All-sufficiency his Wisdom Soveraignty Faithfulness and Mercy it disgraceth the Gospel and Godliness and is in it self a great Plague Q. But how shall I do to be content content to be deprived of my dear Relations Estate Health Liberty c A. Read Mr. Burroughs's Book of Christian Contentment Take also these Directions 1. Labour to make God your own and then you will have a full and sufficient Ballance to all your Losses He is God All-sufficient Weigh well those two Scriptures 1 Sam. 30. 6. 2 Sam. 23. 5. 2. Labour to make Christ your own he offers himself to you in the Gospel with all he is and with all he hath And in him dwelleth all fulness he is all in all Psal 23. 1. The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want said David 3. Search the Scriptures and be acquainted with the many exceeding great and precious Promises that are there suitable to every Condition you can be in Act your Faith on them and apply them lye upon and suck those full Breasts of Consolation 4. Pray for Contentment and pray earnestly for the manifestation of God's Love to your Souls and that will so satisfie and content you that any measure of earthly things will content you 5. Be much in Heavenly Meditations look upon invisible and eternal things spend serious frequent fixed Thoughts on them 6. Consider your Deserts No person in the World how little soever he hath of the good things of the World but hath much more than he deserveth and more than he doth well improve and how much soever he hath of the evil things of the World he hath infinitely less than he deserved for every thing out of Hell is a Mercy It 's of the Lord's Mercy we are not consumed 7. Consider if you be true Christians you have the Spirit of Christ in you Rom. 8. 9. Jesus Christ had a most contented Spirit Contentment is the inseparable Companion of true Godliness 1 Tim. 6. 8. Having food and raiment let us be content Let us that are Christians who have the Great GOD for our Portion and Blessed Jesus for our Treasure and Heaven for our Inheritance having Food and Raiment any Food any Raiment though never so coarse let us be content content with such things as we have Heb. 13. 5. Inf. III. Thirdly hence it follows also that great is the Folly of all by Nature and great is their Blindness which appears in this that they value prize mind and follow after visible temporal things much more eagerly and earnestly than after invisible eternal things
This is but too manifest Isa 55. 2. labouring for that which is not bread not Bread for their Souls and for that which cannot satisfie their Souls God Christ Heaven is not in all scarce in any of their Thoughts Psal 10. 4. 49. 11. the god of this World blinds Mens Eyes 2 Cor. 4. 4. and the World bewitcheth Mens Minds and the Deceitfulness of Sin so strangely deludes 〈◊〉 that they become meer Slaves and Captives to the World Ask any Man or Woman what things are best Earth or Heaven God or the Creature their Souls or their Bodies Saving Grace of Worldly Goods and all will confess that God is best of all and Heaven better than Earth If it be so why then is this World minded more than God and why is Earth minded more than Heaven The Apostle tells us the true reason Rom. 8. 5. which is because Men are in the Flesh in a state of Nature under spiritual blindness and darkness This their way is their folly Psal 49. 12. It is a great Folly to chuse the worst things and refuse the best to mind Earth and forget Heaven to pursue the Creature and neglect God and Christ Folly indeed to mind day and night and follow hard after visible temporal things and neglect eternal The pleasures of sin are but for a season but a God's right hand are pleasures for evermore Psal 16. last O the bewitching nature of this World that it should so gain and hold the Affections of Men and Women that altho the World and the fashion of it passeth away and is but a shadow yet that Men should so drown themselves in it as to make them forget the World to come How unreasonable a thing is it to spend all our Thoughts Cares and Pains about visible temporal things seeing they are so transitory and perishing so much beneath our never-dying Souls so utterly unable to satisfie or content our Souls or to comfort us in our Troubles or to stand us in any stead in Death and Judgment Were not our Minds most strangely blinded it were impossible that having Reason and Understanding we should so waste our Time and Strength in pursuit of earthly things seeing the Great God and the Blessed Jesus offer themselves to become ours and seeing Heaven and Happiness and Glory is before us and offered to us and we may have them if we will and so be happy for ever O wonderful Folly and Blindness the Lord enlighten and convince us Inf. IV. Fourthly it follows that a true Christian lives by Faith and not by Sence for he that is a Captive to the World hath but little Faith if any 1 John 5. 4. For faith overcometh the world where Sence riseth Faith falleth Now saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 5. 7. We walk by faith not by sence This is our Practice and this is the very meaning of the Text We look not at those things that are seen that is we live not by Sense but by Faith Q. But what is it to live or walk by Sense Ans The great good or end or happines that a carnal Heart proposeth to it self in which it expecteth Content is some good that is the object of Sense something that may be sensibly enjoyed and this they pursue and labour after The Rule by which they judge things is Sense if things please Sense and seem good to Sense to the Eye to the Ear to the Taste to the Appetite they judge them to be good things if not pleasing to the sense they are counted evil things That which affects their Hearts is Sense Sensible Comforts or Sensible Crosses Sensible Gain or Sensible Loss wanting the light of God's Spirit to open their Understandings they live only by Sense and are but Sensual Jude 19. Eccl. 11. 9. and so they walk after the Flesh and mind the things of the Flesh chiefly and principally This Life of Sense is variously expressed Prov. 3. 5. A leaning to their own understanding Psal 81. 12. A walking after their own hearts lusts and in their own counsels Jer. 9. 14. Walking after the imaginations of their own hearts Isa 65. 2. After their own thoughts in a way that is not good Isa 5. 21. This is not the way of true Christians but they walk by Faith and not by Sense Q. What is it then to walk by Faith Ans The great Good or End or Happiness that a gracious Soul aims at and seeks content in is that which is presented to him by Faith out of the Word of God and that is twofold to wit the glorifying of God and the enjoyment of him these are things not seen these are not the Objects of Sense but of Faith To glorifie God in Christ and to enjoy God in Christ this is the end of the Saints walk and way and all this is by Faith This Life of Faith is demonstrated several ways 1. He that lives by Faith is guided by the Word of Faith and that is the whole Gospel and every Truth in it such a Soul gives up it self to the conduct of the whole Word of God it walks by no other Rule 2. It yields it self up to the government of the Spirit of Faith the Holy Ghost it is obedient to the motions stirrings counsels of the Holy Spirit harkning to that word behind him Isa 30 31. not willingly grieving nor quenching it 3. It walks in the way of Holiness for this Faith purifies the Heart Acts 15. 9. 26. 18. 4. It always leans upon Christ and draws strength from him to hold on and hold out in the way of Duty by it the Soul abides in Christ John 15. 3. and by drawing of strength from Christ it can do all things Phil. 4. 13. notwithstanding all opposition 5. By Faith the Soul commits himself to God in Christ in all his ways and trusts himself and all his concernments with God Psal 37. 3 5. Prov. 16. 3. 2 Pet. 5. 7. Psal 112. 7 8. Isa 26. 2 3. Such a Soul can satisfie himself with what he receives by Faith as really and truly as others can satisfie themselves with Sense the faithful Promises of God are as sweet to him as the sensible Possessions and Enjoyments are of others Heb. 11. 13. they saw the Promises afar off and embraced them Now when a Soul can depend upon God alone for All in the want of all outward means and make progress in the ways of God through all difficulties and not draw back and doth in his whole course of Life so walk work and act as becomes one that doth believe such glorious things in the other World as he doth believe when there is a suitableness in his Life to what he believes then oh then he may truly be said to live by Faith And this is the Life that in some degree every true Christian lives and desires to live and this living by Faith and not by Sense is that which is meant in the Text. 2 Vse The second Use is
Words and Actions have reference to invisible eternal things If they be good and holy they have reference to eternal glory if bad and wicked they have reference to eternal Misery for such as is our Heart and Life here such shall be our eternal state hereafter 3 Direct Thirdly Be much in the Meditation of Heavenly Things if we firmly believe and are fully perswaded that there are indeed such great and glorious such excellent things in the other World as the God of Truth assures us of in the Word of Truth and if we believe or have good ground to hope that we have a title to them and shall shortly enjoy them why are they not more in our Thoughts why do we not more meditate on them Our frequent fixed Meditations on Heavenly things will so sweeten and delight our Souls and yield such satisfaction to us as to take off our Minds from Earthly things And to Meditation add Prayer That God would raise and lift up your Hearts to mind things above 4 Direct Fourthly Discourse frequently and feelingly of the vanity and emptiness of visible temporal things and of the reality and excellency of invisible eternal things If Heaven and Glory be in your Hearts they will be in your Mouths Consider also the shortness of the time you have to converse with visible temporal things 1 Cor. 7. 31. and study a crucified Christ more by that you will come to be crucified to the World and the World to you Gal. 6. 14. 5 Direct Fifthly Consider you that are Christians are not at home you are in a strange Country you are but on your Journey in your passage to your Father's house to your long home and therefore you should not much mind the things of this World 6 Direct Sixthly Consider what you lose all the while you are inordinately minding earthly things you lose not only your precious time but much inward joy and peace and much sweet communion with God which you might have in minding of and meditating upon Heavenly things Psal 63. 4 5. My soul shall be satisfied as with marâ—â—â— and fatness When I remember thee open my bed and meditate on thee in the night-watches 7 Direct Seventhly Let us work a few more serious Considerations into our Hearts and Minds to take them from Earthly things 1. That whatever any Man or Woman hath of visible temporal things Death will put a full end to them all and after Death they all shall partake of invisible and eternal things Matth. 25. 46. The wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment and the righteous into life eternal 2. That every Man and Woman in the World is either made for ever or undone for ever as they are related and entituled unto the invisible eternal good things or evil things of the other World they are made for ever if related and entituled to the invisible God and Glory and undone for ever if not So that our Eternal Happiness or Misery depends not on our relation or title to visible but to invisible things 3. Such as is our Title and Estate now to the one or other such it will be to all Eternity As the tree falls so it lies as death leaves us so will judgment find us 4. This looking off from earthly things is the way to grow and encrease in Grace for Worldly Cares do choak deaden and weaken Grace cloying the Affections entangling and encumbring the Thoughts much hindring the exercise of Faith and Love which are the principal Graces whereby holy Souls enjoy Communion with God 5. By this you will have more Communion with God for the less we look downward the more we shall look upward and the more we look upward to God and Christ in the actings of our Faith and Love the more will God and Christ manifest themselves and their love to our Souls 6. This will support us in Affliction and comfort us in a dying hour when our Affections are crucified to the World we shall not be unwilling to part with it Col. 3. 3. We are dead saith the Apostle that is to the World And this supported those in this Chapter they were crucified to all visible temporal things therefore they could easily part with them 3 Vse Thirdly by way of Examination By this gracious frame of Spirit we may know our spiritual state whether we be born of God or no whether in Christ or no to wit by this Whether our Hearts and Minds are more set on God Christ and Heaven or on the World Rom. 8. 1. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus they are safe come Plague Sword Fire Faggot But who are in Christ Jesus He tells us They that walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit So Ver. 5 6. They that are spiritually minded they that have their conversation in Heaven Phil. 3. 20. Col. 3. 1 2. They are risen with Christ So Psal 73. 25 26. If we be born from Heaven we are bound for Heaven Heavenly-mindedness is as good an Evidence for Heaven as any is and Earthly-mindedness is as ill a Character as can be Let us now try our selves by this Where are our Hearts and Minds and Affections mostly set on Heaven or Earth on Christ or the Creature Let our Consciences speak Surely this one Rule of Tryal will help us to know in what state we are Lastly For Consolation to Believers in respect of outward Losses and Troubles that they are all visible and temporal things that we can lose and but temporal things that we can suffer which are but light and short as we have seen but our invisible eternal Mercies they are all sure and can never be lost If we had enjoyed our earthly Comforts a little longer it could have been but a little longer they and we must have parted All visible things are but temporal our fairest Flowers are fading our sweetest earthly Mercies are perishing And here is our Comfort that if we be in Christ we shall be delivered from Eternal Death from Everlasting Destruction from the Wrath to come If we have our part in the first Resurrection the Second Death shall have no power on us Let this comfort us that the Comforts we lose here are but temporal Comforts and the Troubles we suffer here are but temporal Troubles And this brings us to the second Point observed from the Text which was 2 Doct. That a right and true Judgment of earthly things will help to support the Lord's Services under their Afflictions Of which I shall speak but briefly because much of what hath been said in the former point 〈◊〉 confirm this Heb. 10. 34. They took joyfully the 〈…〉 their Goods And why but because 〈…〉 in themselves they had in Heaven 〈…〉 a more enduring substance They 〈…〉 Judgment both of Earth and Heaven 〈…〉 Earthly and of Heavenly Things and 〈…〉 infinite worth and value of 〈…〉 they knew that Heavenly things were 〈…〉 real the most substantial the most
work to converse with God and Heaven in the Creatures As for instance When we sit down at Table remember there is a time coming when we shall sit down with Christ and eat and drink at his Table in his Kingdom that is we shall enjoy free and intimate Communion with him in Heaven And let us labour to raise our Hearts from temporal to spiritual things and be much in praising adoring and admiring God in the Creatures 6. Be convinced also that all our happiness and comfort both here and hereafter for ever lyeth not in any or all of the sensible temporal things but all lyeth in those invisible eternal things It lyeth not in having Honours Riches Pleasures c. for a man may be happy without them as Job and Lazarus were and miserable with them as Haman Ahab Dives and others were Psal 144. 15. Yea happy are the people whose God is the Lord. Happy indeed if God Christ and Heaven be ours happy for ever or else miserable for ever 7. And Lastly Let us labour to be renewed in the Spirit of our Minds or else we shall never seriously and heartily mind invisible eternal things as was shewed before We must get those invisible eternal Principles of Renewing Grace planted in our Hearts the Divine Nature the Life of God the Spirit of our heavenly Father to renew our Spirits or else we shall never mind those things in good earnest for which purpose let us go to God call cry to him for Renewing Grace Psal 51. 10. Let us look up to and lay hold on God's Covenant Ezek. 11. 19. go to the Promise Luke 11. 13. If you being evil know how to give good things to your children how much more will your heavenly Father give his spirit to those that ask him A precious Promise indeed let us rest upon this Promise and most earnestly beg God to perform it to us Old Bottles will not hold new Wine nor old Hearts retain Heavenly things New Hearts we must have heavenly holy Hearts or we shall never mind heavenly things as we ought III. Motives to this Duty 1. Consider that thus to look unto and mind invisible eternal things is the express Character of every true Christian No man can approve himself to be a true Christian and be a total Stranger to this Work for to be a true Christian is to be like Christ Now Jesus Christ minded those invisible eternal things as is most evident in the whole course of his Life his Heart was in Heaven while his Body was on Earth John 3. 13. Shall we profess our selves Christians and not be like Christ nor have the Character of Christians 2. Consider this will be a sure sign and clear evidence to us of our interest in and title to all those invisible eternal good things in the other World Matth. 6. 20 21. Where the Heart is there the Treasure is If our Hearts and Minds Thoughts and Affections are on God on Christ and Heaven it is a sure sign that these are ours An heavenly Mind is as good a sign that we belong to Heaven as any is as was also shewed before 3. This will begin our Heaven upon Earth these heavenly things minded affected delighted in will yield such joy and comfort as to begin our very Heaven here when Faith and Hope Joy and Praise Love Desire and Delight are exercised on God and on Christ and Glory we shall be filled with Joy and Peace as Rom. 15. 13. 1 Pet. 1. 8. Psal 31. 7. Oh then let us labour to begin our Heaven here by our Heavenly-mindedness 4. This will yield Contentment and Comfort Satisfaction and Peace to our Souls in every condition It will sweeten every bitter Cup To think on God as our Father and on Christ as our Redeemer Head and Husband and on all the sweet Promises of which we are Heirs what comfort will this bring to our Souls Lam. 3. 33. He doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men Isa 63. 9. In all their afflictions he was afflicted and the Angel of his presence saved them in his love and in his pitty he redeemed them and he bare them and carried them all the days of old Rom. 8. 28. All things shall work together for good to them that love God With many other exceeding great and precious Promises which our good God hath made that our Faith might feed upon them and find satisfaction or else our Souls would faint 5. This will fit us for every Duty to God and man The more we think on God and heavenly things the more conscientious shall we be in our Duties to Man because it is for the Lord's sake from whom we look for the Reward as the Apostle speaks to Servants Eph. 6. 5 6 7. And for Duties to God it will make us serve God cheerfully delightfully and constantly having the Glory of God the enjoyment of him and the Recompence of Reward in our Eye Oh how will it quicken raise animate and encourage us For why are all those great and glorious invisible eternal things proposed and promised to us but that we should mind them aim at them and live in the lively hopes and comfortable expectations of enjoying them Heb. 11. 6 24. 1. 1 2 3. 1 Cor. 15. last Therefore be stedfast unmovable always abounding in the work of the Lord forasmuch as ye know your labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. 6. This will serve to encrease and strengthen Grace for the more we mind those invisible eternal things the stronger will be our Love our Faith our Hope and our Patience yea the more heavenly and spiritual we shall grow and the more useful savory and profitable in all our Discourses By our heavenly-mindedness we shall smell of Heaven in all our Converses and Communications to the advantage of others 7. This is one principal way of enjoying Communion with God here in this World for by this we open our hearts to God raise up our Desires after him spend our Thoughts and Affections upon him and in these heavenly Meditations God communicates his Light and Love his Grace and Peace to our Souls By these Meditations on invisible eternal things our Souls converse with God talk with God walk with God have our conversations with God and this is most sweet and contentful to gracious Souls this is to live in God and to live the Life of God and it is the sum of all our happiness here and hereafter The enjoyment of God's good presence here in acts of Communion with him will produce greatness of Joy and the enjoyment of God's glorious presence hereafter in the uninterrupted Acts of Communion with him in Heaven will produce fulness of joy and pleasures for evermore Psal 16. last 8. By this looking to and affectionately minding invisible eternal things we shall be more and more changed into the image and likeness of them 2 Cor. 3. 18. We all with open face beholding as in
Fruits of the Spirit in us as the Work of true and sound illumination true Conviction of our Sin and Misery and of the Creatures Vanity of our own impotency and utter insufficiency to help 〈…〉 our selves and of Christ's Excellency All-sufficiency and willingness to save all such as come unto him and are heartily willing to take him for their onely Lord and Saviour all this is the work of the Spirit As also sound Conversion from all Sin unto God as the chief good the Spirit enabling the Soul to repent and turn to God and also working in the Soul the Grace of Faith enabling it to come to Christ to receive him accept of him rest upon him and to resign it self up sincerely to him and to his Government by his Word and Spirit The Spirit works Sanctification in the Soul destroying the old corrupt Principles of Nature and implanting new Principles of spiritual Life making it partaker of the Divine Nature mortifying in it the lusts of the flesh and quickning it to newness of life repairing the Image of God upon it and working all those other Graces which are the Conditions of Pardon and Justification as true love to God and Christ to his Word and People true Fear of God sorrow for and hatred of Sin producing those Fruits mentioned Galat. 5. 22 23. as Patience Meekness Humility and the like Also the Spirit helps the Soul to act those Graces and to perform those Duties required of us in order to our Salvation It guides and leads and teacheth us helps our Infirmities teacheth us to pray and carrieth on the whole work of Sanctification in us And this I take to be the Seal of the Spirit when those saving Impressions and Habits of Grace and Holiness are wrought in and upon the Soul whereby the Soul is made in some measure like unto Christ Jesus being by the Spirit united to him planted and grafted in him and by vertue of its union with him made partakers of his Life and Grace whereby it lives and grows until it come to the State of Perfection in the other World This Spirit thus savingly working is God's Seal upon our Hearts the Seal of his everlasting love to our Souls and of his everlasting Covenant which he hath entred into with us which he will never deface or blot out and it is also the Earnest of our Inheritance that thereby we may confidently conclude to our great comfort that as sure as he hath given us his Spirit thus savingly to work in us those gracious Works this gracious Change this true Repentance and Faith and Love and Holiness and other Graces even so sure he will give us the Inheritance in Heaven at last as surely as he hath sanctified us so surely he hath justified us and will glorifie us For this is the Seal this is the Earnest And upon this account saith the Apostle Having this Seal this Earnest this comfortable Assurance of a better state and of a better life after this we groan earnestly to be clothed upon with our house which is from Heaven That we may possess that glorious purchased Inheritance of which we now have the earnest we long to enjoy the full Harvest of which we have received the First-fruits and consequently we that have received these First-fruits this blessed Earnest have no cause to be troubled or disquieted when these our earthly Tabernacles begin to decay and perish because we are wrought by God's Spirit for a better state and as was said not only the Spirit of God worketh this willingness to die by working those Graces in the Soul as you see but also accompanying Afflictions and blessing them to crucifie our Affections to earthly things and helps to Holiness in order to our eternal Happiness and therefore also ought the more patiently to be endured Seventhly Then it is the chiefest wisdom in the World for every one of us to labour to become real Saints to get into a state of saving Grace and often to search and try our selves and never to give over searching and trying until we come to some well-grounded Assurance That we are indeed truly Regenerated and that we have a real Interest in Jesus Christ for this Assurance may be attained and we are commanded to give all diligence to attain it 2 Pet. 1. 10. It is not bare wishes or desires will serve the turn but we must labour and strive after it and be much in self-examination 2 Cor. 13. 5. How is it possible we can have any true comfort living or dying if we have no Assurance of a better Life and so long as we know not whether we shall go to Heaven or Hell when we die We all have been too negligent in labouring after this Assurance let us lament it and let us all now begin to bestir our selves and in God's strength lay out our utmost care and pains in the use of all means to get the clear evidences of our peace with God and that we are in a pardoned and reconciled state for upon this Assurance we shall have this Advantage above all others that we shall not be troubled nor much disquieted when our outward man doth decay and perish our earthly comforts fail us our bodily Members wither because all these decays and wastings do but make way and prepare us for the happiness of our Souls Whereas on the contrary it must needs be an uncomfortable thing to look upon a decaying Body and be altogether uncertain what will become of the Soul when it leaves this Body It must needs make Death terrible But when we know that our Souls at death shall enter into our Master's joy we shall bid Death welcom The Eighth Inference From what hath been said we may draw one Rule of Tryal to us all whereby we may know whether we be true real Christians or no or only nominal and but formal Professors viz. by the real good to our Souls that our Afflictions have done us we all have had Afflictions of one kind or other let us examine what spiritual good we have got by them look over the former Particulars and apply them It is a true sign of a Child of God to be the better for Prosperity and Adversity and commonly more the better for Adversity than or Prosperity But lest we should be mistaken I grant that Affliction may work some good in the hypocritical Professors as on Ahab and Nineveh But note these Differences First On the Godly Afflictions work good mostly on their inward man on their Souls although they work good also on their Conversations the sweet fruits of Afflictions appear also in their Lives But on others if Afflictions do work any good at all it is mostly on their outward man they may by them be outwardly reclaimed and reformed but not inwardly renewed and sanctified Now there is a vast difference between outward Reformation and inward Renovation 2dly The fruit of Affliction on the Godly is continually increasing and growing
real Union of the Saints with the Blessed God and the Blessed Jesus such a Union as is between the Head and the Members and between Husband and Wife yea such as is between God and Christ and a participation of the same Glory that Christ himself doth possess and an enjoyment of the same Love that Christ himself doth enjoy yea the Saints shall then be made like unto Christ both in Soul and Body Lord help me to believe all this and to be fully perswaded of it that my Heart may be kindly affected and filled with enflamed affections towards my Blessed Jesus who hath purchased all this Glory for us with his most precious Blood Oh let me attain the full assurance of my true Title thereto that I may praise thee and may long for the full possession of it O my base unbelieving Heart Lord subdue my unbelief Oh what pains should we take to be assured of this Glory and how patiently and cheerfully should we bear our Afflictions that are designed to prepare us for it But I cannot break off here This weight of Glory is by the Holy Ghost in the Scripture represented to us by all the most excellent and delightful things among Men speaking to our Capacities and after the manner of Men. Hence it is called a Kingdom It is your Father's good pleasure saith our Lord to give you a Kingdom I appoint unto you a kingdom as my Father hath appointed unto me a kingdom The Kingdom of Heaven a Kingdom that cannot be moved a Kingdom of Glory a Crown of Glory that fadeth not away a Crown of Righteousness a Crown of Life Christ hath made us Kings and Priests to God Here in this World the Saints have the Cross Fire Faggot Halters Gibbets c. let them wait but a while and they shall hear the Judge of the whole World say unto them Come ye blessed of my Father enter into the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world Now you are abused reproached imprisoned impoverished despised shortly you shall all be crowned This Glory is called the Inheritance of the Saints in light an Inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that fadeth not away reserved in Heaven for you You that now may have no House nor Home of your own no certain Dwelling-place and you that now dwell in Houses of Clay tottering every moment being the Children of God you shall shortly enter into everlasting Habitations and possess those glorious Mansions in the Father's House you shall shortly inhabit that House not made with hands eternal in the Heavens God hath prepared for you a City that hath Foundations of his own building and making Hold out Faith and Patience you shall shortly be translated into the Paradise of GOD above the reach of Men and Devils Moreover for methinks it is good to be here when Christ who is our Life shall appear we shall also appear with him in Glory with Palms in our Hands and Crowns on our Heads and with everlasting Joy and Songs of Praises in our Hearts and Mouths This Glory is called Life Everlasting Life Eternal Salvation Everlasting Peace and Everlasting Rest the purchased Possession that which cost the most precious Blood of the only Son of God to procure surely it must be a far more exceeding weight of Glory that cost such a price this Glory is the Fruit of Christ's Blood and of all his cruel Sufferings Oh that some Beams of it might be darted in upon my dark Heart by the Spirit while I am writing this to quicken and enlarge it It is Everlasting Rest Rest from all Sin the greatest burden to a gracious Soul and from all Sufferings from all doubts of God's love from all sense of God's Displeasure from all Temptations of Satan of the World and Flesh Rest from all Persecutions Now they that have suffered with Christ shall be glorified with him no Prisons Banishments Burnings Hangings Quarterings then Rest from all our sad and sinful Divisions and from all our personal Sufferings Pains Diseases Losses of dear Relations ill Tydings Rest from all Vain Thoughts from all the pain of Duty from all our Labours Let us a little further consider I. The Preparatives to this Glory and II. The Properties of it that so our Hearts may be the more affected with it and the more carried out with all Love and Desires after him that purchased it for us and with all labour and diligence to secure our title to it and may also the better bear all our Afflictions which prepare us for it and lead us to it I. Of the Preparations to this Glory and these are 1. The glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ Tit. 2. 13. Our blessed Lord will most certainly come again from Heaven with Power and great Glory attended by his mighty Angels to receive his People to himself that where he is there they may be also Joh. 14. 3. to be glorified in his Saints and to be admired in all those that believe 2 Thess 1. 10. Alas what Comfort should we have in this life if it were not for the Hope of Christ's second coming He will not leave us here still sinning suffering groaning dying no no the day of our full Redemption will come our Lord will come again and set all his poor Captives free but a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry He will come for our Salvation Heb. 9. 28. And for our great Comfort let us know and believe that however we now live as Lambs amongst Wolves when our glorious Lord Jesus the Lord of Glory and the Prince of the Kings of the Earth the chief Shepherd shall appear we shall receive a crown of glory that fedeth not away 1 Pet. 5. 4. It should be then the Character of a Christian as it is his Duty to love to long and look and wait for the Son of God from â—eaven even Jesus whom he raised from the dead which by bearing the most dreadful Wrath of his Father hath delivered us from the Wrath to come 1 Thess 1. 10. Act. 1. 12. And while we are on Earth we should have our conversations in Heaven and from thence look for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ who shall change our vile bodies and make them like his glorious body Phil. 3. 20 21. being assured that then we shall receive that Crown of Righteousness which the righteous Judge shall give at that day to all those that love his appearing 2 Tin 4. 8. Oh then seeing we look for such things what manner of persons ought we to be in all manner of holy Conversation and Godliness giving all diligence that we may be found of him in Peace without spot and blameless O what unspeakable Comfort will the Coming of Christ bring to all his poor suffering Saints the fore-thoughts of which should support us under all our present Troubles Although it may be now we are destitute of all Creature-comforts our
Flesh and Fleshly Relations fail us our Outward-man perisheth daily our Bodily strength decays our Friends fail us our own Hearts fail us this should comfort us that our Lord is gone to Heaven to prepare a place for us and he is now preparing us for that place by his Spirit by his Word and Rod and when he hath prepared us he will come again and take us to himself that where he is we may be also And where is that but at his Father's right hand in Glory Col. 3. 3 4. 2. The second Preparative to this far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory is that great and glorious Work of Christ in raising our Bodies from the Dust and uniting them again to our Souls the wonderful Effect of Almighty Power and Love Read 1 Cor. 15. 1 Thess 4. 15. Death shall not dissolve the Union between Christ and us not turn away his Affections from us but in the morning of Eternity he will send his Angels yea come himself and roll away the Stone and unseal our Graves and awake us out of our long sleep and call us forth to receive our own Souls again and oh what a joyful Meeting will that be and what unspeakable comfort will that produce The Devil had the power of Death till he was overcome by Death Heb. 2. 14 15. but he that liveth and was dead and is alive for evermore hath now the Keys of Death and Hell Rev. 1. 18. The Saints Resurrection to Glory is only the fruit of Christ's Death and this fruit they shall certainly partake of The Promise is sure Joh. 5. 28. All that are in the graves shall hear his voice and come forth Joh. 6. 39. And this is the Father's will which hath sent Christ that of all which he hath given him he should lose nothing but should raise it up at the last day So Ver. 40. Joh. 14. 19. As sure as Christ is risen we shall rise also because he lives we shall live also Besides this mortal life we now live we have a life that 's hid with Christ in God And when Christ who is our life shall appear then shall we also appear with him in glory Col. 3. 3 4. Oh then beloved Fellow-christians Let us be stedfast unmovable alwaies abounding in the work of the Lord forasmuch as we know our labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. Let us never look at the Grave but let us look to the Resurrection beyond it Let us contentedly commit these Carcasses to the Dust that dark Prison shall not long contain them Let us lye down in Peace and take our Rest it will not be an everlasting Night nor endless Sleep no no there will come a most joyful and glorious Morning What if we go out of the Stirs and Troubles of this World and enter into those Chambers of Dust and the Doors be shut upon us and we hide our selves as it were for a little moment until the indignation be overpast as sure as we awake in the morning after we have slept out the night so sure shall we then awake And what if in the Grave we become loathsome Dust cast out of the sight of Men as not fit to be endured among the Living What if our Bones be digged up and scattered about the Pits brink and Worms consume our Flesh yet we know our Redeemer liveth and we shall see him with these Eyes And why should we be loth to lay down these Bodies of Flesh how comely or fair soever they are they have been but the Prisons of our Souls Clogs and Hinderances to our Souls in the Work of God and Way to Heaven What care labour grief and sorrow have they cost us How many a weary painful tedious Day and Night Grudge not O my Soul that God should disburthen thee of all this and free thee from thy Fetters and break open thy Prison door remember that when this Earthly House of thy Tabernacle is dissolved thou hast a Building of God an House not made with hands eternal in the Heavens O my Soul labour now to have thy part in the first Resurrection now labour to get into Christ and to live in him by Faith and Love now labour to know O my Soul the Power of his Death and Resurrection in thy dying to Sin and living to Righteousness now act thy Faith on Jesus and thy Love to him and let Jesus live in thee and manifest his Life in thy mortal Flesh and let thy Thoughts and Affections be set on things above let thy Conversation be in Heaven and let thy Heart be where thy Treasure is now live to him that dyed for thee and rose again and then fear not Death but be confident that as sure as Jesus dyed and rose again so sure shall all they that sleep in Jesus rise also and that altho' thy Body be sown in Dishonour it shall be raised in Glory 1 Cor. 15. 43. This is the Second Preparative 3. The Third Preparative to this far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory is that great Assize and general Judgment when the Lord Jesus shall sit upon the Throne of his Glory with all the innumerable Host of glorious Angels about him and all the Sons and Daughters of Men that ever lived upon Earth shall stand before him Rom. 2. 16. 14. 10. to be judged by him and to receive their final Doom Rev. 20. 12 13. Matth. 25. 31. at which time there will be made an exact separation between the Sheep and the Goats between the precious and the vile and then the Saints shall be first acquitted and justified and then with Christ shall judge the World Those that have truly repented and sincerely believed in the Lord Jesus they that have chosen the Lord for their God and Chief Good and Portion placing all their Happiness in him and have unfeignedly accepted of the Lord Jesus for their only Lord and Saviour and have unfeignedly given themselves wholy up to his Government by his Word and Spirit and entred cordiasly into Covenant with him and became entirely his these shall sit on his Right hand these have often judged themselves iâ— Heart-breaking Confessions and therefore shall not be then judged to Condemnation by the Lord for there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh hut after the spirit Rom. 8. 1. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's Elect Shall the Law These are not under the Law but under Grace their Surely hath fulfilled and satisfied the Law for them the Law of the Spirit of Life which is in Christ Jesus hath made us free from the Law of Sin and Death it is God that justifieth who shall condemn The Judge himself hath said That he that believeth is him shall not perish but shall have everlasting life he shall not come into condemnation Joh. 3. 16 17 36. but will say to all such You have confessed me before men and
Afflictions change even such as were Beasts into Men yea into Saints Jer. 31. 18. I was saith Ephraim as a Bullock a Beast before I was chastized but being chastized I spake like a man yea like a child of God Afflictions working effectually work this Change Psal 119. 67. so on Manasses many a Child of God can witness this Truth Thirdly Afflictions both drive and draw God's People nearer to him they wandered before they went a whoring from God after other Lovers but Afflictions bring them home Psal 142. 4 5. As the natural Spirits in the Body retire inward and get close to the Heart in cold weather and in any danger outward so the Souls of God's People draw nearest to God in times of Storms and Tempests in the World Psal 31. from ver 9 to 16. his Troubles made him take Sanctuary in God and to trust in him I trusted in the Lord I said Thou art my God Fourthly Afflictions destroy that great Impediment that unfits for Glory and that is Earthly-mindedness inordinate Love of the Creature Phil. 3. 19. Earthly-mindedness fits for Destruction and not for Salvation Afflictions are intended to wean our Hearts from the World to crucifie our Affections to Earthly things And this effect they had on our Apostle here and upon the Primitive Christians as Verse the last We look not say they on those things which are seen for they are temporal All Creature-enjoyments which Worldlings set their Hearts upon and labour so eagerly after we value them not we care not much for them our Hearts are weaned from them we are crucified to the World and the World is crucified to us but we look to those things which are not seen we mind and think on and hope and believe and joy in those things which are not seen our Hearts are in Heaven set upon the unseen God the unseen Glory there the unseen Jesus And whence came they to be wrought into this blessed heavenly frame but much by the Blessing of God on their Afflictions God's Spirit working in and with their Afflictions this deadness of Affection to the World and raising up their Hearts towards Heaven So their Afflictions were useful to them to prepare them for Glory Fifthly By working in us and exercising in us those Graces to which Glory is promised Rom. 5. 3 5. Tribulation worketh Patience and Patience Experience and Experience Hope Yea God's Spirit makes Afflictions useful to work Holiness Heb. 12. 10. to make God's Children partakers of his Holiness without which no man shall see God So Jam. 1. 12. Happy is the man that endureth temptation for when he is tryed he shall receive a crown of glory which God hath promised to them that love him And in hope of this glory God's People rejoyce in their Tribulations Sixthly Afflictions quicken God's People to all diligence and seriousness in the use of all God's means to obtain Glory they quicken to Self-examination I considered my ways saith David They make them search their Hearts and try their ways Afflictions make them put away their Idols helping on the work of Reformation quicken them to Prayer then they cry unto the Lord and pour out their Hearts before him and God loves to hear their Cries then they wrestle with God in Prayer and then they are serious in their Reproofs Admonitions and Instructions of others then also they labour to act their Faith and their Love to God and Christ and to set their Affection upon things above and to look to their Sincerity and Uprightness Unto all those things we are too backward in time of Prosperity but in trouble we are awakened and quickened Lastly Afflictions prepare God's People for glory by working in them strong Desires fervent Pantings and Breathings after that far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory When holy David was in a barren Wilderness where no Waters of Earthly Comforts were to be had oh then his Soul and Flesh and all did thirst after God Psal 63. 1 2 3 8. then his Soul followed hard after God So Psal 42. 1 2 3 4. in Prosperity our Souls follow too hard after the Creature after the lying dying vanities of this World Oh how are we enamoured with these fading Beauties and Braveries How eagerly do we pursue the Profits and Pleasures of the World we may with Shame and Sorrow confess it but when our Heavenly Father strips us of all our pleasant things plucks our fairest Flowers out of our Hands and snatches our dearest Comforts out of our Bosoms oh then what Breathings and Pantings after God the light of his Countenance and the manifestations of his Love When Earth is gone then Heaven is welcome when the Creature is gone then Christ is sweet Before I come to the Application three Questions shall be resolved Q. 1. How must Afflictions be so born as that they may thus work 2. How must they be improved to attain this end 3. Who are the People interested in this Priviledge Q. 1. How must Afflictions be born that they may work thus to prepare us for that far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory Of all these Questions I have treated on other Texts which may be seen in my Notes Yet briefly Answ That our Afflictions may thus work we must be sure to bear them as Christians our Carriage and Deportment in them and under them must be as becometh Christians that is in such a Christian manner as Christ did bear his Sufferings We must set Christ before us for our Example to imitate him and we must set the Saints of God before us for our Example also and bear our Afflictions as they bore theirs And also we must bear them according to the Rules of Christianity set down in the Gospel and that is we must bear our Afflictions quietly silently patiently submissively contentedly willingly cheerfully and constantly So did our Lord Jesus and so did the Saints and so must we if we will have this great benefit by them that they may prepare us for Glory Q. 2. How must we improve them Ans By the conscientious practice of these Duties First Serious Consideration In the day of Adversity consider Eccles 7. 14. Do we suffer Let us consider for whom for what from whom we suffer Consider what our Lord hath suffered for us what our Sins have deserved and what our special Duties are in time of Afflictions Let us fill up our Thoughts with these serious considerations and dwell some time in the Meditations of them and let them sink into our Minds and it will much help us in the spiritual improvement of our Afflictions for our great advantage The want of this due consideration God chargeth on the Jews as a very great Sin Jer. 5. 3. I have smitten them but they have not grieved c. God expects that when he smites us we should lay it to Heart ponder upon it and consider it or else know this that there is a more dreadful stroke of hardness
27. 9. 8. Consider Christ's dreadful Sufferings for us 9. Consider the many exceeding great and precious Promises that God hath made to patient Sufferers that he will be with them will sustain them and in due time will deliver them Now if we will think and meditate on those things and let our Thoughts dwell on them and suffer them to sink down into our Hearts and roul and revolve them in our Minds they will much support us and help us against weariness 4. A Fourth thing we must do to prevent or cure this Weariness under Affliction is serious examination of our selves whether we belong to God or no whether reconciled regenerated and born of God or no whether united to Christ justified and pardoned or no If you are why then should we be weary of Affliction For if God have done so many great things for us surely he loves us and will afflict us no more nor no longer than need Such a Soul will say If the Lord please to become my God in Covenant to give me to Christ and Christ to me to pardon my Sins and take me into his favour and save me at last let him do with my Health and Estate and Liberty and Relations and all as he pleaseth But if on the contrary upon examination we find our selves not regenerated and pardoned it is high time for us to set about these great works in earnest lest we should be cut off before they be wrought in us and to set in with God in his Afflictions on us for his Rods are one way he takes to bring about these gracious works upon us therefore we should not be weary of them O labour for the sense of God's Pardoning Regenerating Redeeming Love and labour to clear up to your selves your Interest in God by Christ and this will bear you up 5. Fifthly Labour to get and keep your Consciences pure and clean that when there be Troubles without you may have Peace within But if God strike you without and lay on blows on your outward Comforts your Consciences may not lash you within and charge you with heavier Burthens If a man have a sound and whole Back he can bear an heavy Burthen but if his back be sore a small Burthen will pinch him Let us therefore make even reckoning with God and our own Consciences by renewing our Repentance our Faith in the Blood of Jesus and by New Obedience and let us take heed we wrong not nor wound our Consciences 6. Sixthly Spend many Thoughts on Zion be grieved for the Afflictions of Joseph think upon the Miseries and Distresses of many of the Lord 's dear Servants and lay them to Heart Divert and turn aside from musing on your own Troubles only and let Sion's Sorrows have some impression on your Minds 7. Seventhly Labour to act Faith strongly upon the Invisible God and upon that far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory prepared in Heaven for you Moses endured and was not weary as seeing him that is invisible Heb. 11. 25 26. having an eye to the recompence of reward Act Faith on God's Almighty Power he can bring light out of darkness and can make dry Bones live And upon his infinite wisdom He who is only-wise and most merciful orders all the circumstances of your Afflictions for time place quality and quantity Act Faith on his Faithfulness Righteousness Love Pity and Compassion and labour by Faith to realize the promised purchased Glory which Afflictions prepare you for Dilate spread and enlarge your Thoughts and Meditations on those Crowns and Kingdoms that Inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that fadeth not away reserved in Heaven for you those many Mansions in your Father's House those everlasting Habitations above and sweeten your Spirits with those Thoughts 8. Lastly To prevent or cure Weariness let us be much in Prayer Seek the Lord seek his Face continually seek his Strength He give â—â— power to the faint and to them that have no might he encreaseth strength Isa 40. 29 30 31. Jam. 5. 13. Psal 50 15. Is any afflicted let him pray call upon God in the day of Trouble Q. But is this all we must do in Affliction Must we do nothing but pray A. Yes 1. We must seek the Lord and search our hearts and try our ways Lam. 3. 40. seeking God and searching our Hearts to find out our Sins must go together 2. Seek the Lord and hear the Voice of his Rod Mic. 6. 9. God speaks many things by Afflictions all his Rods have Voices there is an awakening a discovering an humbling Voice a purging trying Voice an instructing teaching comforting Voice Let us own God's Hand in all our Afflictions whoever be the Instruments It is the Lord hath taken away my Health my Estate my Friends So said holy Job not a word of Instrument 3. Seek the Lord and turn to him with all your Hearts Turn to him that smiteth It is in vain to seek God if we do not turn from our Sins by true Repentance and thorow Reformation 4. Seek the Lord and act Faith on Jesus Christ Hos 6. 1 2. After two days he will revive us Luther says This is the Scripture Paul speaks of 1 Cor. 15. 4. Christ â—ose the third day according to the Scripture What Scripture This saith he And then the sence is this As if the Church should say Our Afflictions and Mâ—â—cies may be great and we may lye in them for a time So did Christ he was dead and buried and lay in the Grave two days but he was raised up the third day And thus should a Child of God exercise his Faith I am thus and thus afflicted and brought very low so was Christ and much more he was a Man of Sorrows though he were the beloved Son of God He was delivered up into the Hands of Enemies he was scorned scourged crucified killed but my Condition was never so bad no Sorrows were like Christ's Never was the Church of God the Cause of God in so low a condition as Christ was who is the Head of his Church never was Man or Woman in so low a condition as Christ was he lay not only under the wrath and malice of Men and Devils but under his Father's wrath also He was not only brought to Death's Door but to Death it self yea he was sealed up in his Grave and yet God raised him up Here is Foâ—d for Faith In what depths and dangers soever the Church of God and People of God may be let us act Faith on the Resurrection of Christ he was raised up and so shall we if we be his and therefore let us trust in the living God which raiseth the dead 2 Cor. 1. 9. Thus we see what means to use that we may not grow weary of God's Chastisements nor faint under them Q. O but if I knew God did afflict me in Love I should not grow weary but patiently and cheerfully bear my Trouble A. 1. If thy Heart be drawn
in all our Afflictions that his Ends in afflicting us are all good and gracious that the best way to have our wills is entirely to submit them to God's Will 12. Think much on the shortness and uncertainty of Life Life is not vita but via ad vitam Hold out Faith and Patience thy Troubles and thy Life will shortly end together Let us most seriously and often speak thus to our selves I have great Works to do great Matters to dispatch a God to be reconciled to a Christ to close with a Soul to save a Race to run a Crown to win a Pardon to get an Hell to escape a Body of Sin to destroy a World to conquer a Heaven to secure and I have but a little short uncertain time for all this I have one Foot in the Grave I am just going ashore on Eternity what time have I to stand poring on my Troubles Oh! let my whole Soul be taken up with my most necessary Work oh let me engage all the powers of my Soul and Members of my Body in studying and labouring to secure my eternal Happiness how to improve all my Afflictions to the good of my Soul how to glorifie God in those Fires how to enjoy Communion with God in every condition how to live so this little short time that I may dye in Peace and enter into my Master's Joy to be with my dearest Lord in glory for ever and ever Oh! these things should take up our Thoughts and possess our Minds And thus if we endeavour in the Strength of Christ so to manage our Afflictions so to carry our selves under them and so to improve them as we have been directed we shall find by the Blessing of our good God and gracious Father in Christ that all our light Afflictions which are but for a moment shall work for us that far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory to which purpose that Christians may be able to hear up under all their Troubles the Apostle subjoins a notable and singular help which himself and the Primitive Christians had found very useful by their own experience which is expressed in the following Verse And so much for this 17th Verse PART III. Heaven and Earth EPITOMIZ'D OR INVISIBILITIES THE Greatest Realities 2 COR. iv 18. While we look not at those things which are seen but at those things which are not seen for those things which are seen are temporal but those things which are not seen are eternal WE have seen in the former Discourse how bravely the Apostle and Primitive Christians bore up under all their cruel Sufferings and got advantage by them as Ver. 16 17. and what means they used to attain this holy Courage besides all which here is another singular Help they made use of to get this gracious frame of Spirit and that is in these words Verse 18. We faint not they say but gather strength and get ground inwardly while we look not at those things which are seen but at those things which are not seen So long as we shut out visible things of our Minds and shut our Eyes at them and so long as we apprehend and mind things invisible and fix our Eyes on unseen things while we do so we faint not under all our Sufferings but profit by them Here is looking off and looking on a double Act of Faith a looking off seen things things visible to the Eye of Sence we look off these and a looking on things not seen but invisible to the Bodily Eye Here is a double work one negative the other affirmative For the negative part observe 1. the Act if I may properly so call it a looking off or a looking away from a withdrawing of their sight 2. An Object things that are seen visible things things obvious to bodily right 3. The Reason annexed for they are are temporal All things that are seen are temporal things that will last but for a time a short time they are fading fleeting things transitory momentany things Be they good things or evil things be they prosperous or adverse be they sweet or bitter things if they be seen things visible things they are but temporal 2. A positive practice but we look unto those things which are not seen 1st Here is the Act we look Actus Animae it is the Act of the Understanding Will and Affections all are set and fixed on and employed about 2dly The Object things that are not seen things invisible and the Reason is added for they are eternal And because these unseen things are eternal therefore are they most worthy of our most serious thoughts and best affections And both these Acts of looking off from visible temporal things and looking on upon invisible eternal things have a very great influence in supporting Christians under all their Sufferings in this World as will manifestly appear in the following Discourse 1. First What is here negatively expressed We look not at these things which are seen the meaning is not that they did shut their Eyes upon all earthly things and take no notice at all of them for that was not their Duty The Apostle-himself laboured with his Hands and exhorteth all Christians to be diligent in their Callings which they could not be if they did not look upon the things of this World but he means this that their hearts minds and affections were weaned and taken of from earthly things they were not earthly minded They minded not the things of the flesh Rom. 8. 5 6. that is 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 yea not at all in comparison of invisible and eternal things So our Lord is to be understood Joh. 6. 27. Labour not for that meat which perisheth That is not so much not so earnestly as for that which endureth to Eternal Life Col. 3. 2. Set your affections â—â— things above not on things below that is comparatively but let the strongest steddiest stream of your Affections run Heaven-ward Let your Affections be set that is placed setled fixed upon things above Not that we should not at all mind things below but we must not set our Hearts upon them nor fix and place our Loves and Delights in them So here we look not on things that are seen that is we place not our Affections on them visible things are not the chief and principal things that we mind nor do we exercise and spend our most serious and chief thoughts about these visible things they are not the main study and care of our Souls I am saith this Apostle crucified to the world and the world is crucified to me Gal. 6. 14. There are two kinds of visible things visible good things and visible evil things neither of which was the object of their principal thoughts and cares and they give a good Reason for it because they are temporal they are short-liv'd and but for the present and therefore we do not much mind them nor look after them 1. Visible good things simply and in themselves
1. 4 5. They are begotten to an inheritance incorruptible undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in Heaven for them who are kept for it by the mighty power of God unto salvation And they are also bound for God and for Heaven they have not their Portion here nor their Treasure here they are bound for another Country they seek a City that hath Foundations and their Hearts are where their Treasure is and there ore they do not much mind and regard those visible temporal things 7 Reas Because they have been so often disappointed and deceived by those things they never found that in them which they expected from them the World hath ever proved false to them they have tryed it and by Experience have ever found it Vanity and Vexation and nothing else 8 Reas And Lastly Because gracious Souls have Principles of Faith in them they have the same Spirit of Faith in them that those Primitive Christians had and that is a victorious Principle a World-conquering Faith Heb. 11. 1. By Faith the Soul mounts aloft and takes a prospect of the invisible eternal things being the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen fixing its Eye upon and conversing with those things and so it overlooks and looks beyond and above all visible temporal things 1 John 5. 4. This is the victory that overcometh the world even our faith And this I take to be the main thing intended in the Text As if the Apostle had said We look not unto things that are seen that is we live not by sence but by Faith as 2 Cor. 5. 7. we set not sence on work on visible temporal things but we set Faith on work on invisible eternal things and by our Faith on invisibles we get victory over visible temporal things Q. But how doth Faith help a Soul to take it off from minding and over-much regarding visible temporal things Ans Faith doth it many ways 1. First by carrying the Soul to pitch its Eye upon and take a view of the invisible God in Christ and his God in Christ Heb. 11. 26. Moses saw him that was invisible and thereby he endured the evil things of this World and despised the Riches and Honours of Pharaoh's Court Alas how vile and base are all earthly things in comparison of the Eternal God the All-sufficient Good And by Faith the Soul pitcheth it self upon this God and applieth and appropriateth this God to himself This God is my God 1 Sam. 30. 6. Psal 31. 14. I said Thou art my God and 48. 14. This God is our God and 73. 26. My Portion Also by Faith the Soul is carried to pitch upon Jesus Christ in whom dwells all fulness and by Faith sees his Interest in this Blessed Jesus and thence he is mounted aloft above all visible temporal things having his Affections raised and fixed upon Jesus his Saviour who sits at the right hand of God Col. 3. 1 2. This sight of God and Jesus by Faith takes off the Minds and Thoughts of Believers from those things below having higher better and more excellent things above to feed and fill their Thoughts with for no man can look up to Heaven and look down to the Earth at the same time as while Paul pressed forward towards the mark he forgot those things which were behind and as Jesus is said to be in Heaven John 3. 13. that is his Heart and Mind was there when he was on Earth even so it is in some measure with all true Believers their conversation is in Heaven Phil. 3. 20. 2. Faith receives the Testimony which God hath given in his Word concerning those visible temporal things that they are all vanity and vexation of spirit and therefore judgeth them not worthy of too much place in their Hearts and Minds 3. Faith raiseth the Soul to a believing sight of a better World than this present evil World is and of better things than those visible temporal things are of a better Life an eternal Life of a better Rest than can be had here even an everlasting Rest of a 〈…〉 inheritance 1 Pet. 1. 4. an incorruptible and undefiled our that fadeth not away of a better Country than Earth at best even an Heavenly Jerusalem and of a better House than the best House here even an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens whose Builder and Maker is God and of a better City even a City that hath Foundations 〈…〉 that better and more enduring Substance in Heaven Heb. 10. 34. and that infinitely-better Company the Blessed God and the Blessed Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant the glorious Angels and the Spirits of just men made perfect and better Joys Delights and Pleasures than can possibly be enjoyed here and also far better Employment and indeed all better things and all these better things the Believer by Faith doth realize to his Soul and all those so exceeding great and glorious things the Believer knows he must have cost what Cost and therefore the strongest streams of his Thoughts Cares Studies and Pains run this way and after these things even after these better things above Faith looks within the Veil unto those unseen Excellencies to those invisible Glories to be with God and with Jesus and to enjoy that full and perfect Communion with them above and when a Soul is pitcht and fixt by Faith here setled and centred on things above then farewel deceitful World 4. By Faith the Soul apprehends as the most transcendent Excellency of those things above so by Faith the Soul sees its absolute necessity of those things Interest in God Peace with him Union with Christ Title to Eternal Life c. are things not only infinitely better than all visible temporal things but saith the believing Soul these things I must needs have I shall be eternally undone without them It 's true I must have Food and Raiment also these are necessary too but not so necessary If I have God and Christ I shall not want Food and Raiment the faithful God hath past his Promise that I shall want no good thing I may be happy for ever without Riches and Honours without earthly Friends and Relations without Health or Liberty but not without God and Christ oh there lies my Happiness One thing is needful only needful absolutely needful and that is my Interest in God and Christ and the making sure of that deserves and calls for our most serious and utmost Thoughts and Cares If a man were condemned to dye whereupon would he spend his most serious Thoughts but upon getting his Pardon if there were any hopes of it and not in providing himself fine Clothes or a full Table The application is easie 5. By Faith a Soul is perswaded that neither the evil things of this World can hinder nor the good things of this World can further his Happiness nor his way to it of themselves but rather the contrary for a man
vanity of all earthly things as David prayed Psal 39. 4. That we may judge of them as God judgeth of them and not otherwise and then it will not so much trouble us to part with them So much for a right Judgment of the good things of this World We must also labour to get a right Judgment of the evil things of this World as Poverty Sickness Imprisonment Disgrace loss of Friends and Relations we usually judge amiss of these also and therefore become impatient Now that we may have a right Judgment of these things also we must observe the former Rules 1. To judge of these Evil things as God in his Word judgeth of them Now God tells us in his Word that Afflictions are short and light that is comparatively as was shewed before that his ends and designs in all the Afflictions of his People are good and gracious of which largely before that they are Tokens of his Fatherly Love to us and Evidences of our Sonship that they are for our spiritual and eternal profit to take away our Sins and to make us partakers of his Holiness and to prepare us for that far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory that they are needful and necessary for us Afflictions being as necessary to God's People in their passage to Heaven as Water is to a Ship to carry her to her Port. Now if we judge of Afflictions thus as the Only-wise God judgeth of them we shall bear them with much patience 2. To judge of them as the wise good and holy men of God do judge of them Moses chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season Holy David professeth That it was good for him that he was afflicted Psal 119. 71. Vpon which Text I have written at large by it self So the Primitive Christians 2 Cor. 4. 17 18. and Heb. 10. 34. And thousands now in Heaven and upon Earth can seal to this Truth That Afflictions have done them good 3. Let us judge also by our own Experiences that as the good things of this World have been by Satan's Temptations and our own Corruptions very hurtful to our Souls so the evil things of this World have been through the Grace of God sanctifying them to us very profitable to our Souls and we have cause to bless God for them And as Earthly things good in themselves become evil to us so evil things so in themselves but by the Blessing of God on them become good into us Now this right Judgment of the evil things of this World will much support us under them 1. If we strongly act our Faith in believing that God in his Word hath said of these Evil things that they are all but light and short that He hath such gracious ends in them and if we act faith and Hope upon the many exceeding great and precious Promises in the Word made to his People in their Afflictions and relye upon his faithfulness in them we shall be sweetly supported under them 2. If we duly meditate and consider of the good â—ruits that our Afflictions shall bring forth in us â—â— due time and do duly ponder upon the gracious ends of God in them it will doubtless mightily uphold us under them 3. And if we add fervent Prayers to God to give out all those spiritual Blessings of Afflictions to us and wait on him for the blessing hoping â—esiring and panting after these Blessings we shall be enabled to bear up under them all Application Let us bewail our wrong and false Judgment of Earthly things both of the good and evil things of this World and pray earnestly for a true spiritual and right Judgment of them let us fully submit our Judgments to the Judgment of God and setledly acquiesce in God's Judgment let us pray earnestly for a spiritual Understanding and a renewed Judgment let us look on all visible temporal things as God looketh on them and settle it in our minds That the Judgment of God is right and best and let us not lean to our own Understandings and by this means we shall be much helped to bear all our Afflictions with Comfort and Patience So much of this Doctrine Now to proceed to the last words in this Verse 2 COR. iv 18. But to the things which are not seen for they are eternal THIS is another Act of Faith Faith enables the Soul not only to look off from things which are seen for they are temporal but also to look unto those things which are not seen for they are eternal We look the original word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 prospicio to look seriously diligently earnestly to look upon a thing as his mark and scope to look with ardent desire to attain that which he looks for Now saith the Apostle We look not on those things which are seen temporal things as our mark and scope with such eagerness and diligence to attain them we see not such worth and excellency in them as to spend our best Thoughts about them and our ardent Affections upon them no no but we look on things not seen we look on unseen things as infinitely more worthy and more highly meriâ—ing our best Thoughts and Affections for those â—â—seen things are eternal things and therefore more worthy of our Affections Two Points of Doctrine arise hence Doct. I. That truly-gracious Souls do most seriously mind and most diligently intend and aim at unseen eternal things upon these their thoughts are mainly and mostly fixt and about these their greatest Care and Study is employed Doct. II. That the due minding of and meditating upon unseen eternal things will much help to support the People of God under all their Sufferings in this World Doct. I. First That truly-gracious Souls do most â—eriously mind and most diligently intend and aim at â—â—seen and eternal things Here we must enquire 1. What those invisible eternal things are 2. The Reasons of the Point 1. What they are They are things not seen and they are eternal unseen to the bodily Eye opposed to the visible things of the World Riâ—â—es Honours Pleasures Friends Health Liberty c. those good and evil things of this World these we look not unto but to invisible and they are 1. First The Invisible God whom no man hath seen nor can see with bodily Eyes Coll. 1. 15. 1 Tim. 1. 17. Moses saw him that is invisible Heb. 11. 27. We saith the Apostle look unto him Mic. 7. 7. I will look unto the Lord Psal 34. 5. Gracious Souls make God their aim and their end how to serve and please and glorifie him and how to have Communion with him and to enjoy him This is the chief Study Care and Labour of gracious Souls to be accepted with God and to bring Glory to him 2 Cor. 5. 9. We are always looking to God to his Precepts to obey them to his Promises to believe and rest upon them to
excellency and highest concernment And saith the Apostle we that are Gospel-christians we look to these things upon these we spend our most serious thoughts and our best affections these possess our hearts and minds and we live in the continual prospect of these unseen and eternal things Before I come to the Reasons of the Point a little more to open this Act of gracious Souls and the Object of it I. For the Act Looking which may note these things 1. It notes Reality it is no Fancy Dream or empty Imagination but we look we see we behold them the Eyes of our Understandings being enlightned and our Minds illuminated by the Spirit of God and having the Spirit of Faith in us we discern and behold those invisible and eternal things Heb. 11. 1. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen We do as fully believe them as if they were visible to our Bodily Eyes 2. It notes Certainty what we see with our Eyes we are certain of we are fully perswaded of them Heb. 11. 13. hence this Sight is called Knowledge 2 Cor. 5. 1. 3. Fixedness it is not glancing or casting an Eye on them but we look on them that is fixedly and stedfastly we aim at them we lock on them as our Mark and End Thus for the Act. II. For the Object they are things that are not seen What they are hath been showed the Properties are these 1. They are spiritual things so in their Nature and revealed by the Spirit 1 Cor. 2. 8. and they are spiritually discerned and not otherwise 2. They are all high great and glorious things yea the highest the greatest and the most glorious things All other things are but Dross and Dung in comparison of them 3. They are the choicest and the best things most worthy of our Hearts and Minds and of our choicest Affections What is the Chaff to the Wheat What is the Dross to the Gold What is Earth to Heaven or the Creature to God 4. They are Heart-transforming Heart-gladding Heart-elevating Heart-strengthning things 2 Cor. 3. 17 18. 1 Pet. 1. 8. These things looked unto by the Eye of Faith will change the Heart and cause joy unspeakable and glorious 5. They are real solid substantial things not Shadows as visible temporal things are Hebr. 10. 34. They joyfully took the spoiling of their goods for they were but Shadows Trifles because they had in Heaven substantial things The things of this World are all vain lying Vanities things that are not Prov. 23. 5. 6. They are Soul-satisfying and Heart-contenting things such as have them shall never thirst more John 4. 14. that is inordinately and immoderately after Earthly things 7. And Lastly They are eternal things permanent abiding lasting everlasting things eternal Life eternal Glory everlasting Consolation everlasting Rest We shall ever be with the Lord. O my Soul Can I be a true Christian and be a Stranger to this Practice of conversing with those invisible eternal things Can I be regenerate born of God born from above and be a Stranger to this Practice Can I be quiet in Conscience so long as I live in the neglect of this Can I groundedly hope to live and converse with God and Christ for ever hereafter and be such a Stranger to this converse with him here Can I have any Support in Trouble without this Can I have any true Comfort in Life or Death or bid Sickness or Death welcome and be a Stranger to this Certainly no Therefore O my Soul labour for more familiar Acquaintance with those invisible eternal things and exercise thy self more in the Meditations of them The Grounds and Reasons of the Point Why gracious Souls do most seriously mind intend and aim at invisible eternal things Reas I. Because they are commanded so to do Col. 3. 1 2. Set your affections upon things above not on things below Mat. 6. 19 20. Lay up for your selves treasures in Heaven not in Earth 1 Tim. 6. 19. II. Because truly-gracious Souls are endued with invisible divine and eternal Principles which do encline dispose and suit them to those invisible and eternal things Jam. 1. 17 18. They are begotten of God born of God their extraction is heavenly 1 Pet. 1. 23. 2 Pet. 1. 4. They must needs mind God for they are begotten of him He is their Father they have his Image on them and they must needs mind Christ for he is formed in them and the Spirit for they are born of the Spirit Heaven is their Father's House their own Home their Inheritance the Principles of the Divine Nature enclines and disposeth them to mind things above As they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh so they that are after the spirit do mind the things of the spirit for this is the characteristical difference between the carnal and the spiritual man Rom. 8. 5 6. 1 John 5. 4. Every thing acts according to its Principles If Men and Women have no other Principles in them but such as they brought into the World with them which are only earthly and have no other Spirit than the Spirit of the World iâ— them they cannot mind heavenly things for such as is the earthly such are they that are earthly Heavenly things are contrary to their Natures and to their Principles and therefore they cannot mind them But holy Souls have Principles of the Divine Life and they live the Life of God III. Because their Hopes are set grounded fixed on those invisible eternal things their hopes are not in this Life but in God in Christ Glory Heaven and Eternal Life are the Objects of the hopes of all truly-gracious Souls 1 Cor. 15. 19. Rom. 5. 2. Heb. 6. 18 19. Tit. 2. 14. Tit. 1. 2. 1 Pet. 1. 13. 1 John 3. 3. We must needs mind them and set our Affections upon them because we hope to enjoy them for ever Phil. 3. 20 21. IV. Because the People of God have had experience in some measure of the sweet and powerful Influences and Operations of those invisible eternal things on their own Hearts and Spirits they have tasted that the Lord is gracious they have had fellowship with the Father and the Son in some degree they have been made partakers of the Holy Ghost in many saving fruits and effects on them they have felt the power efficacy and comfort of the Word and Promises and they have in some measure received the first-fruits and earnest of their Inheritance Rom. 8. 23. Eph. 1. 13 14. V. Because by all these things gracious Souls live and in all these things is the Life of their Souls Their Life is hid with Christ in God and should they not mind God and Christ Christ liveth in them and they in him Gal. 2. 20. They live in the Spirit and walk in the Spirit Gal. 5. They live by and live upon the Promises Job 23. 12. They live by Faith in the purchased
Perswasions will prevail they turn the deaf Ear to all But for the World how soon are People perswaded to embrace it to follow hard after it to count no Time nor Pains too much to attain it What is there in those visible temporal things in those glittering vanities that should so allure entice and seduce rational Souls and such as profess that they believe all those better things But indeed they do not believe them whatever they profess Infidelity is the Root of all Men do not believe what they profess to believe It were impossible that the World should be so heartily so eagerly follow'd and pursued if the vanity and vexation of it the emptiness and insufficiency of it the uncertainty and transitoriness of it were indeed believed It were impossible that the great and glorious God the Alsufficient Good that blessed Jesus that Heaven and Eternal Happiness should be so slighted and neglected if they were truly really and heartily believed It is most strange and yet most true that People should yield up their Hearts unto and spend their best Affections upon the things of this present evil World and can think and speak delightfully of them but have no mind to think or speak of eternal things Oh this beguiling bewitching and deceiving World and oh these corrupt carnal deceitful Hearts of ours that suffer the World thus to deceive us It cost the Heart-blood of Christ to deliver his People from this present evil World Gal. 1. 4. Could we apprehend the Mischief this World hath done us and doth still do us we should have but little kindness for it and if once we could attain the Assurance of our title to that World above we should not care how soon we were gone out of this 3 Inf. Thirdly Hence appears the Unreasonableness of immoderate Worldly Joy Sorrow Fear Cares about visible temporal things Being they are but temporal passing transient momentany things why then so much care to get and keep them Why so much fear of losing them Why so much Joy in possessing and why so much Trouble in parting with them Why so much Care and Fear about Life it self which is but a Vapour Jam. 4. 14. Alas we rejoice in things of nought and are grieved for the loss of Shadows for such and no better at best are all visible temporal things in comparison of invisible eternal things Let us all bewail this Folly O when shall we be wise How long shall we simple ones love this our sinful Simplicity Prov. 1. 22. Oh how long e're we be able to discern between Good and Evil till we know the one thing needful and approve and pursue the things which are most excellent and give up our Hearts entirely to God and Christ 4 Inf. Fourthly Hence appears the absolute Necessity of Regeneration Seeing we are by Nature so ignorant dark blind stupid and dead that we cannot see nor understand the things of God nor the things that belong to our own Eternal Peace Therefore we should earnestly seek and pray for Renewing Grace and that Christ would give us the Light of Life and that God would beget us anew and give us his sanctifying quick'ning Spirit and infuse new spiritual Principles of the Divine Nature into our Hearts and thereby take us off from inordinate minding visible temporal things and turn our minds another way even towards Himself and towards Christ and Heaven that there we may center and place all the Affections of our Hearts all the Desires and Delights of our Souls This must be done by the mighty power of God and we must seek him diligently to effect this work upon us and we must also attend on his Word preached and read and diligently and conscientiously read the Word searching the Scriptures for this very end and purpose and servently beg God's Blessing on the Word that it may prove to us a Word of Grace a renewing converting sanctifying Word the Seed of Regeneration Jam. 1. 17 18. Of his own will begat he us by the word of truth John 17. 17. Thus must we Labour to be regenerated or else we shall never get off our Minds from earthly things Second Vse by way of Examination We All hope to go to Heaven when we dye and to enjoy all those invisible eternal good things do we not Let us be so kind to our own Souls as to try our Title and the grounds of our Hopes Sure here is one Mark by which we may know whether our Hopes be well grounded or no to wit by our Heavenly-mindedness What do we aim at mainly mind chiefly look on and look after principally Is it Heaven or Earth Visibles or Invisibles Let us examine our selves Which way runs the Stream of our Thoughts the Current of our Affections the Tide of our Discourses Which way runs it strongest steddiest Put this Question close to our Consciences and require a direct Answer Let us not dally and shuffle but be serious Our Apostle makes this a discriminating Character of a Child of God of one in Christ and above the power of Condemnation of one that is born again Rom. 8. 5. They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh the Profits Honours Pleasures Ease Health Liberty of the Flesh that is they mind these things mainly mostly principally chiefly most heartily most seriously most affectionately most delightfully These visible temporal things lye most upon their Thoughts and lye nearest their Hearts This is their Character and it appears in all their Words and Actions But they that are after the Spirit that is are born of the Spirit born of God are in Christ they mind the things of the Spirit the grace the work the witness the comfort and joy or the Spirit they mind the things which the Spirit hath revealed in the Word God and Peace with him Christ and Union with him God's Covenant and Interest therein Eternal Life and Title thereto these invisible eternal things they mind these mainly chiefly mostly principally most heartily affectionately and most delightfully and constantly This is their Character and this is manifest also in their Words and Actions Now let us try our selves What Character have we Which of these two If we will not do so much for our own Souls as to take a little pains in trying we have not much love to them A man may know very much of his State by this And is it not worth a little Labour to know whether we be in Christ or no and whether we shall be Saved or Damned eternally Let us put it home to our Consciences Say O my Soul what dost thou mind most What are thy Thoughts most exercised about Whereupon are thy Affections most fixedly set This is a searching mark oh that we did all try our selves by it we should be much more heavenly than we are The best of us all will have cause of shame and sorrow cause of self-suspicion and jealousie when we strictly compare our selves with
this Rule we shall find our Hearts so earthly so carnal our Minds so fleshly so set upon visible temporal things but our Thoughts on invisible eternal things so short so weak so inconstant so seldom so soon tired and our Affections so unsetled so unfixed that we shall have great cause to bewail our selves and cry out with St. Paul O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death Rom. 7. 24. And this will make us cry to God also to renew the Spirits of our Minds and to transform the Image of our Minds and this should make us look up to God's Covenant for new Hearts for Hearts joyned and united to the Lord Psal 86. 11. Psal 57. 7. 108. 1. Oh what cause have we to bewail the frequent departings and wandrings of our Hearts from God their slidings from God and to cry with holy David Quicken me uphold me Our Hearts are not fixed nor stayed on God we do not abide with God Third Vse of Exhortation To this great Duty of most serious minding of and looking unto invisible eternal things O let us mind and look unto and aim at God Christ the Spirit the Word the Promises the great and glorious things purchased by Christ and prepared for us in the other World Oh mind the full enjoyment of God and Christ in Heaven for ever and ever to dwell with him in whose presence is fulness of joy and at whose right hand are pleasures for evermore Let us mind eternal things in good earnest with all our Hearts and Souls Look off look off visible temporal things shut your Eyes to the World turn away your Eyes from beholding Vanity But open your Eyes towards Heaven hold your Eyes to invisible eternal things Here I shall shew I. The Hinderances to this Duty II. Means to help us to perform it III. Motives to perswade to it I. The Hinderances which are many and which must be avoided 1st Hinderance is living in any known or beloved Sin this will keep us down from heavenly Meditation Heb. 12. 1. No looking unto Jesus except we lay aside the Sin that doth so easily beset us in some Passion in some Weariness of well-doing in others Pride or Covetousness is the Sin that doth easily beset them This must be hid aside whatever it be it must be repented of and reformed 1 Thess 5. 22. Abstain from all appearance of Evil Sin interposeth between God and our Souls and hides his Face from us If we would mind the Heavenly Word of God so as to profit by it in hearing or reading of it we must lay aside all known Sin 1 Pet. 2. 1 2. Sin divides us from God and heavenly things If we regard any Iniquity in our Hearts God will not hear our Prayers The sacrifices of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord. 2ly Worldly Cares Fears Joys Sorrows If we suffer these to take up our Hearts and to fill our Minds and Thoughts there will be no room for heavenly things We must therefore be watchful to cast out and keep out those bad guests Luke 21. 34. Phil. 4. 6. Be careful in nothing If our Affections be set on visible temporal things they cannot be set on invisible eternal things No man can serve two Masters God and Mammon saith our Lord. If the World be Master of our Hearts and Minds of our Thoughts and Affections then surely they cannot be set on GOD and things above 3ly Worldly Company where is nothing but Earthly Discourse They that are of the Earth are earthly Worldly Company will cool the Affections and dull and deaden the Heart and draw it from God Therefore is that Exhortation and Prohibition Eph. 5. 11. Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather reprove them True Christians are Christ's Doves his Turtle-Doves they have no Society with the Birds of Prey They are Christ's Sheep what have they to do among Swine They are his Children what have they to do among his Enemies We are not aware of the very great mischief that carnal company doth bring to our Souls If at any time we have had any communion with God in any Ordinance and Duty and then presently go into vain carnal Company we shall quickly lose all savour and relish of God and Heavenly things as if you eat Hony and presently eat Gall after you lose all the taste of Hony And that 's not all but by being in worldly Company you will soon be infected and will bring away on your Spirits the ill savour of the Earth and filthy World as a man that comes out of a Garden of sweet Flowers goes and wallows on a stinking Dunghil The best of us should not go into worldly Company but as Physicians into a Pest-house when lawfully called and with our Preservatives with us We having so much Flesh and Earth in us Worldly Company will make us more fleshly and earthly 4ly Pride and High-mindedness God resisteth the proud 1 Pet. 5. 5. Psal 10. 4. There are many precious Promises made to the humble Job 22. 29. God will dwell with the humble teach them save them None have so sweet Communion with God as humble Souls Heavenly things and humble Souls are things very suitable and agreeable one to the other 5ly Sloth and Idleness 'T is easie we say to go down the Hill but not so easie to go up 'T is easie because natural and usual and ordinary to mind visible temporal things but there must be Pains-taking Industry and Labour used to raise up our Hearts to invisible eternal things a stirring up our selves 2 Tim. 1. 6. And we must often call upon our own Souls and provoke one another and ill too little We must have Resolution and Zeal 6ly The greatest Hinderance of all is Vnbelief Men do not fully believe nor are fully perswaded of the Reality and transcendent Excellency of invisible eternal things This is the grand Impediment Why is not the great God the good God the Fountain of all Goodness the Alsnfficient Good minded thought on loved feared trusted served no more but because He is not believed He is not believed to be that which he is indeed and which he hath revealed himself to be Heb. 11. 6. He that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him Oh the cursed rooted Atheism and Unbelief that is in all our Hearts more or less Why is not Jesus Christ Precious Jesus Blessed Jesus Lovely altogether Lovely Jesus the Brightness of his Father's Glory the Chiefest of Ten thousands the fairest of all the Sons of Men is whom dwells all fulness oh why is he no more minded thought on spoken of why no more admired loved and sought after but because He is not believed To them to all them that believe he is precious most precious 1 Pet. 2. 7. And why is not Heaven and Happiness that far more exceeding and eternal weight of
glory that Everlasting Rest in the full and perfect enjoyment of the Blessed God for ever thought on minded and laboured after more but because these things are not fully believed O cursed Unbelief Men believe that Life Liberty Health Honour Estate c. are good things and therefore they mind them and labour after them and count no Pains too much to obtain them labouring as it were in the Fire to get those things Those that believed those better things in the other World counted those visible temporal things of this World but Toyls and Trifles Heb. 10. 34. 2 Cor. 5. 1 2 3 4. So Heb. 11. throughout It is our Unbelief is the cause why God and Christ and Heaven have so little of our hearts and minds so little of our thoughts and affections Oh let us all bitterly bewail our Unbelief Lord subdue and pardon it These are the Hinderances II. The Means to help us to this Work that we may most seriously and most heartily mind invisible eternal things 1. First We must labour clearly to know and understand the Truth and Reality the exceeding Greatness and Excellency of those invisible eternal things as was hinted before Our ignorance of them is much the cause why we mind them no more Ignoti nulla Cupido No man minds or loves what he knows not Let us set our Hearts in earnest to consider what it is to enjoy God who is All-fulness what it is to have Fellowship with the Father and the Son what it is to have Communion with the Holy Ghost to have the gracious Presence of the Holy Spirit to feel the Work the Witness the Sealing the Joy the Consolation of the Holy Spirit all which all true Christians know and feel in some measure and rejoice in them Consider also what it is to live in Christ and to have Christ to live in us to dwell in our Hearts to manifest his Love to us to come in to us to sup with us and we with him to take up his Abode with us what it is to know the Power of his Death and the Vertue of his Resurrection to be made one with him joyned married to him made one Spirit with him and what it is to be made like him here and what it is to be made like him hereafter both in Soul and Body â—ad to appear with him in Glory at last and to be for ever glorified with him what it is to see this Face and to dwell in his presence for ever Oh chese are the only things that are worthy of all our Hearts and Minds most worthy of all our Affections and Desires of all our Labourings Longings Pantings Breathings Hungrings and Thirstings of Soul Oh shame on us all that we spend our Affections on Toys and Trifles on Dreams Fancies and Shadows Oh that such Folly and Madness such Brutishness should possess us Let us lament and lament it And let us labour to know and understand those high and excellent things and let us be fully perswaded of them and of their infinite worth and value These things are worth glorying and rejoycing in Jer. â—â— 23 24. Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom But let him that glorieth glory in this that he understandeth and knoweth me that I am the Lord which exercise loving-kindness judgment and righteousness in the earth for in these things I delight saith the Lord. Let us consider also the exceeding-great and precious Promises and what our Blessed Jesus hath purchased and what God hath prepared for his People in the other World and let us ponder upon and by Meditation work these things into our Hearts and Minds Labour for a distinct knowledge of all those things Labour to prove your particular Right and Title to all those invisible eternal good things and then you will mind them indeed A bare Knowledge of them without an Interest in them will do you no good No wise man will much mind those things in which he hath no Interest let us then search and try whether we have any true Title to these things whether we have any good and solid ground to hope that we shall one day be possest of them and shall certainly enjoy them Then we shall think of them and speak of them with Joy and Comfort when we can say with Paul There is laid up for me a crown of righteousness And we know that when the earthly house of this tabernacle is dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens We all hope to enjoy that promised purchased Inheritance all hope to see God in Glory and to be happy but let us try our Title by the Word of God by that Word which must judge us all at the last day We may easily deceive our selves as those in Matth. 7. 21 22. and as the foolish Virgins no Deceit so easie nor so common nor so dangerous for it is irrecoverable and a little serious tryal might prevent this Self-deceiving Self-searching may prevent Self-deceiving and Self-undoing Briefly then let us ask our selves Is Jesus Christ ours Then All is ours All depends on this If Christ be ours God is ours Pardon Life Salvation Heaven and Earth is ours 1 Cor. 3. 22 23. Are we Christ's really and sincerely his Then He is ours My beloved is mine and I am his Are we his all we are his Hearts Heads Tongues Time Talents are we all his Are we new Creatures 2 Cor. 5. 17. If any man be in Christ he is a new creature Mark it a new Creature all old things are pass'd away and behold all things are become new new Insides new Out-sides new Principles new Ends new Affections new Desires new Delights new Company new Language all new if new Creatures Have we the Spirit of Christ in us If any man have not the spirit of Christ the same is none of his Rom. 8. 9. Doth Christ live in us Is Christ most precious to us Do we believe in him Let us try the truth of our Faith doth it purifie our Hearts Doth it work by Love by Love to Christ to all that hath the Image of Christ on it Doth it overcome the World Doth it support under Trouble Let us see that it be Faith unfeigned the Faith of God's Elect. Have we with all our Hearts chosen the Lord for our Portion and placed our Happiness in him fixed our best Loves Desires and Delights in him and have we resigned up our whole selves cordially and unreservedly to him Have we broken our League with all Sin and with all the Idols of our Hearts Do we hate and detest all Sin and do we keep a continual watch and war against all Sin Have we an equal respect to all God's Commandments Can we deny our selves and part with all things for Christ Are we the Heirs of the Promises If we be really Christ's then are we Heirs of the Promises Gal. 3. 29. Are we the Children of God If Children
the Reality of those things Who hath believed our Report Isa 53. 1. and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed to make Souls believe and to work effectual Faith in them Surely to very few A very bare historical Faith is wanting but much more a cordial practical Perswasion of those things for by true Faith we come to have an Interest in all these eternal good things and if we had an Interest in them we should mind them more Those invisible eternal things spoken of in the holy Scripture signifie no more to most of us than those Mountains of Spices and Mines of Gold do that are in the Indies which we never hope to see or possess and for which none of us will part with our poor Cottages Alas alas it were impossible if we did really believe those things above and that they may be had by us but that we should take more pains to get a Title to them and having once got a Title surely we should mind them more than we do Now the grand Reasons why we that profess that we know and believe those great things of the other World yet take so little pains to be assured of our Right to them are these viz. our false Faith our false Hope and our inordinate Love of the World Cou'd we get these three Thieves out of our hearts it wou'd be otherwise with us 1. Our False Faith building our Faith on the Mercy of God and Merits of Christ in general not considering whether those Conditions are wrought in us to which the Mercy of God is promised and to which the Merits of Christ do belong Isa 1. 16. 55. 7. Rom. 8. 9. 2 Cor. 5. 17. 1 Cor. 6. 17. Heb. 5. 9. Matth. 11. 28 29. 16. 24. 10. 34. By all which places we shall find that the Mercy of God belongs to the penitent returning Sinner and that those only can truly claim an Interest in Christ that submit to his Yoke that have his Spirit that are new Creatures that deny themselves and give up themselves to the Government of Christ 2. Our False Hope that deceived those eminent Professors in Matth. 7. 21. and the foolish Virgins Matth. 25. and which deceives all Hypocrites and formal Christians that build their Hopes upon outward Profession Priviledges the performance of religious Duties outward Reformation c. not minding that express word in 1 John 3. 3. Every one that hath this hope that is to see Christ in Glory and to be made like unto him purifieth himself even as he is pure Col. 1. 27. Christ in you the hope of glory Not Christ without you professed by you but Christ in you formed in you dwelling in your Hearts by Faith living and reigning in you by his Word and Spirit that is the Hope of Glory the true and only ground of true Hope of Glory 3. Inordinate Love of the World 1 John 2. 14 15. If we be friends of this world we are enemies to God Too much love of Life Liberty Ease Relations c. our Hearts are let out strongly after these therefore our good God doth oftentimes strip his dearest Children of these in love to their Souls to take off their Affections from them that they may place them on better things where they are better bestowed III. It is Lamentable also that those invisible eternal great and glorious things should be no more minded thought upon considered and spoken of by Professors that hope shortly to enjoy them God Christ Glory Heaven are seldom in mens Minds and Thoughts What are most Peoples Morning and Evening Thoughts Psal 49. 11. What vain Thoughts lodge in our Hearts Jer. 4. 14. Oh how little talk is there of these things amongst us Is God our Father Is Christ our Head and Husband Is the Holy Ghost our Counsellour and Comforter Is the Word of God our Rule and Guide our spiritual Food and Nourishment our Comfort and Consolation Are the Promises our great Charter Heaven and Glory our Inheritance And do we indeed hope to enjoy all these things for ever and ever and yet think no more and speak no more of them Can this be so Can our hopes be good and well grounded Let us not deceive our selves IV. It is Lamentable that those great things should be no more laboured after Joh. 6. 27. Labour not for that meat which perisheth but for that which endureth to eternal life Prov. 2 2 3 4. Isa 55. 2 3. We labour for that which is not Bread not Bread for our Souls and spend that which is better than Mony our Spirits and Time for that which doth not cannot satisfie Why should visible temporal things have so much of our hearts heads tongues hands time strength and all and those invisible eternal things have so little Is there any colour of Reason for it Are not those invisible eternal things infinitely better than the other Certainly it is because they are not known nor believed nor minded that they are no more laboured after How do we dishonour God and Christ and the Promises how do we undervalue Christ's Purchase and Eternal Life when we lay out our selves so much for the World and so little for these How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation Heb. 2. 3. V. It 's lamentable also that the loss of the means of the discovery of those invisible eternal things should no more affect and trouble us Lam. 1. 7. Jerusalem remembred in the days of her affliction all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old A Famine of the Word is the worst Amos 8. VI. And it is lamentable that those who know believe desire and labour after those things themselves should be no forwarder and readier to commend those things to others and should take no more pains to perswade and draw others to look after them Oh how few cry out to others with holy David Come and I will tell you what God hath done for my soul VII And no less lamentable is it that those who claim an Interest in all those great and glorious good things and hope to enjoy them hereafter that those persons should no more express the power of them in their Lives that they should no more rejoyce in them and be no more raised in their Spirits and gladded in their Hearts with the fore-thoughts of them and that they should live no more comfortably upon them It 's sad that those thus interested in God and Christ and Glory and that are the Expectants of that far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory should not live better lives more exemplary shining profitable joyful lives We that look for such things what manner of persons ought we to be in all manner of holy conversation It 's sad also that such should bear up with no more strength holy courage and confidence in the midst of the Troubles of this short Life seeing they hope for such glorious things in the other World
We see how bravely the Primitive Christians carried themselves in all their Sufferings by looking unto minding and thinking upon those invisible eternal things Oh could we keep them in our view and keep our Eye on them we should not faint nor sink under any of our Troubles We look too much on and mind too much those visible temporal things and look too little to the Invisible God to our Blessed Jesus and Eternal Glory Oh that God would encrease and strengthen our Faith and help us to live in the lively actings and exercise of it By it we stand Oh that we could live more by Faith and less by Sense 2 Cor. 5. 7. Fifth Vse for Instruction If we would set our Hearts and Minds on those invisible eternal things we must 1. Be much in Prayer Pray oh pray for new Hearts old Hearts will not hold heavenly things Pray for Saving Light and Knowledge Ephes 1. 17 18. Pray that ye may clearly apprehend and understand those things Pray for Faith that you may really believe them and may be fully perswaded of the Truth and Excellency of them Heb. 11. 1. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen Pray for Love that your Hearts may be throughly and truly affected with them that you may relish and savour them and may feel taste and see the goodness of them Pray for strength of Faith and Love that you may act those and other Graces as Hope Joy Desire and Delight upon those heavenly things Pray without ceasing pray fervently for these things and never leave praying till you obtain Tell God that an earthly empty carnal Heart you have and how impossible it is for you your selves to make â—t heavenly Complain to the God of all Grace who can make all Grace to abound 2. Search the Scriptures diligently Read the Word of God conscientiously for there all those great and glorious things are discovered And labour to believe what you hear and read and to get the power and efficacy of God's Truths on â—â—our Spirits 2 Cor. 4. 4 6. 3. Be watchful against all Sin and against the World and the Lusts of the Flesh Be much in mortification of your inordinate Affections Col. 3. â—1 2 5. compared Watch against vain thoughts and strive in God's strength to draw up your â—earts to Heaven and hold them there 4. Seriously and often consider the great and â—â—al difference between visible and invisible things between temporal and eternal things uncertain and certain things transitory and permanent things between those things that respect the mortal Body and those that concern the immortal Soul between those things that are the Portion of Reprobates and those that are the Portion of God's Elect. Oh consider the great difference between those things which are the Effects of Common Providence and those that are the Fruits of God's everlasting Love and Christ's most precious Blood Surely a due and deep consideration of the vast difference which is between these things would help us to mind eternal things 5. Consider what taste these visible temporal things will have in a dying hour surely either none at all or a bitter one Oh then what will Honours Riches Pleasures signifie Oh then how much better and sweeter will those invisible eternal things be to a poor Soul Oh then an Interest in God and in Christ a Pardon a Title to Eternal Life Assurance of Salvation will be things of value And why should they not be so now 6. Converse much with heavenly-minded Christians but alas where shall we find them Let us all bewail our horrible Earthliness our Earthly Discourse all Earth in our Thoughts Earth in our Mouths and yet hope to go to Heaven at last and live in Heaven for ever O how unlikely Surely if I am not very much mistaken I think a great many of our Professors will be mistaken at last and that will be dreadful because irrecoverable O Lord give thy poor Servant an heavenly Heart Sixthly The Last Vse is for Comfort to those that do mind and look unto those invisible eternal things in good earnest For your Comfort consider 1. This is to you an Evidence of your Interest in all those great and glorious things That you do thus mind and converse with heavenly things with God and Christ and Glory it is a good sign that these are all your own that you have a good Title to them An heavenly Mind is a very good sign of one that belongs to Heaven 2. You shall shortly enjoy and possess them all Where Christ is there shortly shall his Servants be He will not always dwell in Heaven without you nor will he always be absent from you no but he will come again and receive you to himself that where he is there you may be also John 14. 1 2 3. And where is he but at the right hand of the Throne of his Father and there you shall be also when Christ who is our life shall appear we shall appear with him also in glory Col. 3. 3 4. Now you can see and think on those invisible eternal things but darkly and confusedly but then you shall see clearly yea possess and enjoy them for ever 3. This your minding of heavenly things will very much sweeten your present Sufferings And this brings me to the consideration of the last thing in the scope of the Text namely the help or benefit those Primitive Christians had by their looking unto those invisible eternal things which was that thereby they were supported under their present Sufferings Ver. 16. We faint not while we look not on things that are seen but on things that are not seen Hence may we observe this Doctrinal Conclusion Doct. That a believing sight and serious minding of unseen eternal things is a singular means of sweet support to poor Christians under all their Troubles This flows from the scope of the Text We faint not say they but rather we gather strength and courage and our inner man is renewed day by day while we look not at those things which are seen but at those c. Looking off from visible temporal things doth much help to support God's People under their Troubles but looking on upon invisible eternal things doth help more Crucifixion of our Affections to visible temporal things is very useful but the fixation of our Affections on invisible eternal things is more useful to our Support and Comfort Psal 27. 13. I had 〈…〉 believed to see the goodness of God in the land of 〈…〉 Ver. 14. So Heb. 11. 26 27. By Faith Moses endured as seeing him that is invisible Moses could never have endured all those hard things if he had looked only on those things which are seen but he looked on the invisible God and the unseen Jesus and on the Promises the Recompence of Reward he had a fixed Eye to those great things his mind was setled on these and that carried him through all
So Heb. 10. 34. They took joyfully the spoiling of their goods knowing in themselves they had in Heaven a better and a more enduring substance So Heb. 11. 9 10 13. they endured the condition of Strangers and Pilgrims usually a sad and troublesome condition because they looked for a City an invisible eternal City They embraced the Promises and minded them And to this our Lord leads us in pronouncing those Blessings Mat. 5. 10 12. That great should be their reward in Heaven Reas 1. Because the blessed tendency the powerful efficacy and sweet fruits of all a Christians Troubles as to our part much depends on this Work and Duty performed by us Let us mind this What is the tendency and fruit of a Christian's Troubles See the foregoing Verse They work for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory A blessed tendency indeed sweet fruit Q. But how are Afflictions useful and effectual to produce those sweet fruits Ans Some things are done on God's part and some on our part On God's part He makes Afflictions useful to fit us for that weight of Glory as was shewed before by following those Afflictions with the Blessing of his Word and Power of his Spirit and so makes them useful to those happy ends Psal 94. 12. as 1st By discovering imbittering and cleansing them from Sin Deut. 8. 2. Gen. 41. 21. 1 Kin. 17. 18. Isa 59. 11 12. 2ly By drawing Souls nearer to God Psal 142. 4 5. Psal 31. 11 12 13 14. 3ly By crucifying their Affections to the things of this Life 4ly By making them more diligent and serious in their preparation for that state of Blessedness Thus God blesseth Afflictions But all doth not lye on God's part this Blessing is attained by us while we look not at those things which are seen which are temporal but at those things which are not seen which are eternal Those Blessings of Afflictions are not received nor those Benefits and Advantages obtained by us while we stand looking and musing poring and pondering open those things which are seen So long as our Hearts and Minds are still fixed upon our visible Losses and Crosses and upon the earthly Comforts that we are deprived of and so long as our Thoughts and Affections are still set on and glued to those visible temporal things so long we go without those Blessings and Benefits But we must look off those things and look up and mind and meditate on those invisible eternal things we must set Faith and Love and Hope on work in viewing and reviewing in considering and contemplating in apprehending and applying that far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory Now while we do so we are in the right and realy way to obtain the rich Blessings of all our Afflictions and so we receive Comfort and Support under them all It is the plentiful Harvest hoped for and believed that sweetens the stormy Seed-time It ' is a dangerous mistake to expect too much from the Creature and too much comfort here in this World for here is not our Rest All men would have Peace Comfort and Happiness but they would have it from the Creature rather than from God Psal 4. 6. Believers themselves that would have their Comforts from God yet would have them here also and would not stay for them till hereafter saying with the Disciples upon the Mount It is good to be here whereas here in this World we are to have but sips crumbs drops glances glimpses at most but some First-fruits of Canaan that far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory is reserved for the other World The Inheritance is reserved in Heaven for us 1 Pet. 1. 4 5. and we must wait for our Harvest is not here we are not come home It doth not yet appear what we shall be the quiet and peaceable Fruits of Righteousness come not till afterwards the great Reward the full Reward is in Heaven not here 2d Reason is Because as I think the Work of Saving Faith by which mainly we are supported doth not consist only in looking backward on the Cross of Christ and his payment of our Ransom by his precious Blood but also in looking forward on the Crown of Christ and the Glory he hath purchased for us Heb. 11. 1. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen Saving Faith is not only to believe what our dear Lord hath already done on Earth for us in the great work of Redemption but also unfeignedly and firmly to believe those things which we never saw nor did ever Man see and to hope and look for them so really as to let go all worldly Hopes and Happiness rather than hazard the loss of those invisible things This is an eminent part of Faith whereby the Just do live 1 Pet. 1. 8. It is upon our clear Apprehensions and firm Expectations of that unseen and eternal Felicity in the full enjoyment of the Blessed God that both our Peace and Safety doth depend We can have no solid Peace while we look for much Comfort and Content from the Creature in this our present Pilgrimage and Prison for in doing so we looking for more in the Creature than is in it we lose our Comforts and then complain for want of them for our looking for so much from them and looking so much on them provokes God to take them from us and when they are gone we are troubled If eternal Joys and everlasting Consolations were more in our Minds if the Joy of our Lord Matt. 25. 21. were more in our Thoughts and Affections surely spiritual Joy would more at present abound in our Hearts Rom. 15. 13. The God of consolation would fill us with joy and peace in believing Believing Apprehensions of those invisible eternal Joys would breed in us some refreshing Joys for the present So 1 Pet. 1. 8. No wonder we are so comfortless and walk so sadly while those things which should raise us and comfort us are so little in our Minds and Thoughts and we such Strangers above We must needs faint when we lay by our Cordials and make no use of them and when we lay by our Supports and mind them not Temporal things most needs affect us and afflict us when eternal things are out of sight and out of mind Mark this When Christians do not only let fall their expectations and hopes of the unseen promised Glory and let the thoughts of them decay and dye away in them but also heighten their hopes and expectations from the Creature and earnestly and eagerly pursue the same then do they most certainly prepare for their own Disquiets Fears and Troubles and with both Hands draw Calamity on themselves because they forsake the fountain of living waters and hew out to themselves cisterns broken cisterns that will hold no water All Creature-comforts are at best but Cisterns and when too much loved but broken Cisterns in which are no Waters of
true Consolation to be found Jerem. 2. 13. To seek Content here in any thing out of God and beneath him is to seek the Living among the Dead The Work of Faith is to look upwards to look within the Veil to look to Jesus Mic. 7. 7. The right and ready way to present Peace is looking stedfastly not to present things but to that future Rest and Happiness to the full enjoyment of God in Heaven Thus our Lord takes off his Disciples from their Heart-trouble John 14. 1 2. of which Text I have written a Discourse at large Let us consider how this looking unto those eternal things is expressed 2 Tim. 4. 8. it is loving the appearance of Christ Tit. 2. 13. Phil. 3. 20 21. 1 Cor. 1. 7. 2 Cor. 5. 2 3. Rom. 8. 23. waiting hoping hastening unto groaning after that Glory Whoever meets with a distressed disconsolate complaining Christian you shall find that one or both of these things is manifest in him either he hath low Expectations from God hereafter or he hath high Expectations from the Creature here either he looks too much on things visible and temporal or too little on things invisible and eternal and indeed he that doth the one doth the other for the too much minding visible temporal things hinders the true minding of invisible eternal things If we examine matters aright in our own Souls we shall find that this is the main thing that begets in us and keeps us under so many Troubles and Disquiets either that we do not or will not seriously and believingly engage our Hearts and Minds in the meditation consideration and application of all those great and glorious things which God hath promised and which Christ hath purchased or else we will needs mind and expect what God hath not promised nor Christ purchased a total freedom from Troubles Sicknesses Losses c. God hath no where promised nor hath Christ purchased it and then we complain when we miss of our groundless Expectations Either we are still poring and thinking on our Creature-comforts and Enjoyments and looking for much from them and in them much comfort help sweetness satisfaction respect kindness from them or else we are grieving and mourning for the loss and want of them all which thoughts do but sowre imbitter wound and weaken our Spirits or else we do but too seldom think of the infinite Goodness Love Mercy Tenderness All-sufficiency of God and Christ and of the Glory of Heaven which Thoughts would sweeten alleviate and mitigate our Sorrows and help much to support our Spirits under all our Afflictions We are grieved and troubled for Losses and Crosses for loss of Relations for Sickness and Pains Disappointments Unkindnesses of Friends Disesteem in the World c. Let us consider whether God hath promised or Christ purchased any Freedom from those Have any of the Saints been freed from those And why should we expect to be free But if we make Promises to our selves and then our own Promises deceive us whom can we blame for that Nay do we not as it were necessitate God hereby to imbitter all our Earthly Comforts to us and to make every Creature a Scorpion to us because we will make them our Gods We have less Comfort in them than we might have because we would have more in them than we should We might have more kindness from Friends more sweetness in our Relations c. if we looked for less Scarce any Comfort we have but one time or other becomes a Scourge to us because we foolishly made it an Idol to us Isa 2. 22. Cease ye from man whose breath is in his nostrils for whereof is he to be accounted Jer. 17. 5 6 7. We can never expect so little from the Creature but we shall be sure to find less than we looked for But such is the Goodness of God to his People that we can never expect so much from him but we shall be sure to find more The Application First For Information 1. If the serious minding of and believing looking unto invisible eternal things will much support Christians under the Troubles of this Life it follows then that there is a great necessity that Christians should have a distinct saving knowledg of invisible eternal things for without such a knowledge of them they cannot mind them nor set their Hearts upon them John 17. 3. This is life eternal to know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent Col. 2. 2 3. We know those things but confusedly and therefore we mind them but confusedly This Saving Knowledge is a New Covenant-Mercy God promiseth that his People shall be all taught of him and that they shall all know the Lord Jer. 31. 33 34. John 6. 45. Eph. 4. 21. Our Duty is then to lay hold on God's Covenant and humbly to beseech him to teach us by his Spirit and to enlighten our Understandings as Paul prays Eph. 1. 17 18. 2. Hence appears the Necessity of Faith and full perswasion of the verity reality and excellency of those invisible eternal things It is a full perswasion of a Better Good than the Creature and of a Better Countrey of a Better Substance of a Better Place than this World is and of Better Company Better Friends than can be enjoyed here that will make us set our Thoughts on work upon them and that will support under the loss of those worse things While we have those better things in our Eye we shall not be much troubled about the worse the better will swallow up the worse if we firmly and heartily believe them and have good ground to hope through Grace that we have Title to them as Heb. 11. 25 26. The belief of a better Resurrection and of a better Life than this will support us under the Troubles of this Heb. 11. 35. 3. Then there is also a necessity lies on us of having an Interest in those invisible eternal good things in God in Christ in the Promises and in the Purchased Inheritance An absolute necessity lies on us all of getting an interest in Jesus Christ Real Union with him for only hereby we come to have an Interest in all those eternal Blessings If Christ be ours All is ours not else 1 Cor. 3. 22 23. Oh this this is the one thing necessary That we make sure our Interest in God and in his Covenant by Jesus Christ This and this alone will ballance all our Losses Take special notice of those two Texts 1 Sam. 30. 6. 2 Sam. 23. 5. Let us try our Interest in Christ by those few Scriptures Rom. 8. 1 9. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit If any man have not the spirit of Christ the same is none of his 2 Cor. 5. 17. If any man be in Christ he is a new Creature all old things are past away behold all things are become new Gal. 5.
we minded and loved them â—o much and lived so much upon them and that â—e lived so little upon God in them and enjoyed â— little of God and his Love in them and this â—ill be the Sting and Burthen of our Souls then â—ut now to live on God and his Love in our â—njoyments will prevent this Trouble of Troubles â—nd support us under all our Troubles because our God and his Love which we lived upon before remain still God is everlasting and his Love unchangable The Foundation remains the â—pring of all our Mercies remains But woe and â—as what Strangers are we to this living upon God and his Love in Christ David lived enâ—rely upon God Psal 73. 24 25 26. Whom have â—in Heaven but thee and there is none upon earth that desire besides thee My flesh and my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever 2dly By this we may begin our Heaven upon Earth out of Heaven even in the Hell of the Troubles and Miseries of this World for this is the â—ery Happiness of Heaven to be continually with God and to live upon God that God may be all in all 1 Cor. 15. 28. This is Heavens Happiness to live upon that infinite Fountain of goodness and to live with God And so far as we can thus live upon God by Faith Love Meditation Holy Confidence and Dependance Holy Resignation of our selves and all our concerns to him so far we are entred into Heaven and Heaven is entred into us already The kingdom of Heaven is within you said our Lord. And what support will this be to us in all our Afflictions 3dly This is the way to lose nothing of all our Earthly Comforts for what we lose in the Creature we shall find in the Creator If we enjoyed God in the Creature in Relations Friends Estate Liberty Health c. we may enjoy him as well when these Creature-comforts are gone and it may be better than before for the Fountain it self is purer than the Streams All the little good the small comfort the slender and short satisfaction the little mixed sweetness that we have in or from any Creature comes not from the Creature it self distinct from God for then all that enjoy the Creature would have that Comfort and Content the bad as well as the good which we know is not so for many have had large Portions of the best of the Creatures that have had no comfort or contentment in them Solomon himself is a Witness But that very little Comfort or Content that any one hath in the Creature it is distilled and derived to him through the Creature from God and from him alone It God put sweetness into any Creature-comfort and bless it to us it shall be sweet to us If He convey any goodness or content to us through any Creature-chanel we shall have it not else But if he put bitterness into any Creature-comfort and with-hold his Blessing it will yield us no content at all This is a most experienc'd Truth That it is God's Love his Blessing in a Mercy that is The Mercy and it is that only which brings any Comfort or Content to us that have it What Content had Ahab in his Kingdom or Haman in his Honour Surely none at all Prov. 10. 22. The blessing of the Lord it maketh rich and he adds no sorrow with it The Blessing of the Lord maketh the Poor in this World rich and with this Blessing comes no Sorrow as there doth with all other Blessings This is the Blessing that goes with The Blessing the inward Blessing that goes with the outward Blessing whether little or much the love of God is in it to his People and that maketh rich that contents the Soul and yields sweetness to it and this Contentment is the Blessing without which Godliness it self is not Gain Now when the outward Blessing is gone the Creature-blessing gone the inward Blessing may be continued the Love of God and inward Contentment may be continued when the Cabinet is worn out the Jewel may be as good as ever And if this continue with us namely the Blessing which is the Love of God if that remain towards us when the outward Blessing is taken away we have no cause of Disquietment But this remains always to the true Christian for it is God's Covenant which cannot be broken Psal 89. 34 35. My loving-kindness I will not utterly take from him nor suffer my faithfulness to fail My covenant will I not break c. Oh that we could look more at the invisible eternal Blessing the sure Mercies of David in all our outward Blessings which remains when all the visible temporal things are gone Yea further this invisible everlasting Blessing doth not only remain with us when all other Blessings are gone but which is wonderful then even then our everlasting Father doth usually communicate and manifest more of his Love which is the Blessing indeed to the Souls of his People than when they had the enjoyment of their outward Blessings When had Ezekiel and John such glorious Visions of God but in Captivity and Exile When God brings his People into the Wilderness then he speaks comfortably unto them then he speaks to their Hearts Hos 2. 14. as in the Wilderness in the absence of Creature-comforts the Spouse leans on her Beloved Cant. 8. 5. fixeth her Loves and Desires most intimately and heartily upon him so even then her Beloved manifests most of his tender love to her and when the World frowns he smiles upon her So that this looking up to God in all our Enjoyments living upon Him and enjoying all in him and for him will wonderfully support us under all our Trouble because by this means we shall lose nothing but what we lose in the Stream we shall find in the Fountain what we want in the Creature we shall find in God yea and in all our losses for Christ and his Truths we are assured to have an hundred fold Matth. 19. 29. So much for the first Counsel Look to God in all our Enjoyments II. The second Counsel Resign up your wills entirely to the will of God in all your Afflictions It is an Argument of an excellent Spirit when all Self-respects are drowned in the Will of God and there is nothing lost therein for our best safety is in the Will of God our Happiness is more in God than in our selves and His Will is infinitely better than ours We may be sure of this that a man shall never have setled Peace and Comfort until he have cordially committed and resigned up all his Will and Way all his Concerns and Interests and Ends to the holy Will of God Psal 37. 5 7. Commit thy way unto the Lord trust also in him and he shall bring it to pass Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him Prov. 16. 3. Commit thy works unto the Lord and thy thoughts shall be established