then Heirs Heirs of all those invisible eternal things Rom. 8. 17. Now if we be the Children of God we are led by the Spirit of God Rom. 8. 15. As many as are led by the Spirit of God just so many and no more are the Children of God If we have the Image of our Heavenly Father on us and do love him with all our Hearts and can trust him and depend on him in all things and for all things and are most careful to obey him in all things if it be so with us in Sincerity then have we a good and firm Right and Title to all those great and glorious things in the other World And when we can prove our Right to them and can call them our own then surely we shall think on them our Hearts and Minds will be set upon them all our Affections will be carried out after them Psal 73. 24 25 26. Whom have I in Heaven but thee and there is none upon Earth that I desire besides thee My flesh and my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever When a Soul can in truth and upon good grounds say My God my Lord my Jesus then he will in earnest mind them Psal 63. 1 2 3 4 5 6. O God thou art my God early will I seek thee my soul thirsteth for thee my flesh longeth for thee To see thy power and thy glory because thy loving kindness is better than life my lips shall praise thee Thus will I bless thee while I live My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips When I remember thee upon my bed and meditate on thee in the night-watches And v. 7 8. Because thou hast been my help therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoyce My soul followeth hard after thee thy right hand upholdeth me And the ground of all this was his Interest in God O God thou art my God 2. If we would have our Hearts and Minds set and fixed on invisible eternal things let us seriously consider the nearness of those things of those invisible eternal things unto us and of us to them things that are great but at a distance from us seem but small things to us and but little affect us The time of our departure hence is at hand and then farewel for ever to all visible temporal things our Houses our Honours Estates and Friends shall know us no more we shall have no more converse with or enjoyment of any visible temporal thing for ever And it will not be long e're this parting come God is near to every one of us Christ is nigh the Holy Spirit is nigh stirring and striving with us the Word is nigh us even in our Mouths and in our Hearts Rom. 10. 1. Heaven and Glory are nigh to us if we be Saints we are not far from our Father's House not far from the Kingdom Hell and Destruction nigh to us if we be wicked but a Breach between us and everlasting Damnation and if we be Saints and Believers the day of our full Redemption draws nigh the Coming of Christ is at hand our Salvation at the very Door As it is dangerous for the Wicked to put far off the evil day Amos 6. 3. so it is disadvantagious to the Godly to put far off the good day We shall shortly very shortly enter the Conâ—â—nes of Eternity and converse with nothing but invisible eternal things those things that now are out of our sight and too much out of our minds but it were our great Wisdoms to look on them as night at hand and to spend our Thoughts and Affections upon them We are displeased with our Friends that when we are out of their sight we should be out of their Minds And may not God and Christ our best Friends be justly displeased with us that they are so much out of our Minds But though God and Christ be invisible to our bodily Eyes they are nigh unto us therefore we should still mind them Psal 16. 8. I have set the Lord always before me because he is at my right hand c. Psal 109. 2 3 4 5. 3. Let us be often discoursing and speaking of those invisible eternal things let those things be often in our Mouths Should not the Children of God be often talking of their Heavenly Father and of their Father's House and of that Kingdom and Inheritance which he hath prepared for them Should not the Heirs of Salvation be often speaking of that Crown of Glory of Life of Righteousness that is purchased for them and promised to them and of that incorruptible Inheritance that they are born unto 1 Pet. 1. 2 3 4 5. Oh! can we have any Title to all the Promised Glory and not speak often of it How much is it to be lamented that those that profess themselves Children of God and Heirs of Heaven when they come together that they speak so little of God and Heaven This is our great Sin and should be our great Shame and Sorrow Whither are we bound Where are we travelling Where is our Home our long Home our last our everlasting Home Where is our Treasure Where lies our Inheritance Is it above or below Where is our Country Where is our Father our Redeemer Where are all our pious Relations that slept in Jesus Are not all these above And do we so seldom think or speak of these Shame shame on us Are we born of God born from above and do we belong to that City that hath Foundations to that heavenly Canaan to that New Jerusalem What! and our Minds so glued our Hearts so fastened to Earthly things and our Tongues so constantly employed about earthly things Oh our idle words Matth. 12. 36. Can our Treashres be in Heaven and our Hearts not there And can our Hearts be there and nothing appear in our words Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh Surely the earthliness vanity empriness unfavoriness frothiness of our common ordinary Talk doth but too much discover the vanity and earthliness of our Hearts Oh that we did all of us lay this to our Hearts The more we talk of these invisible eternal things the more we shall mind them 4. Consider it is the express Duty of every true Christian to set his affections upon things above and not upon things below Col. 3. 1 2. Charge the Command of God upon your Consciences accustom and inure your selves to it O my Soul this is as much thy Duty as to pray or hear or read how long wilt thou neglect it O dare not neglect it any longer begin it presently call upon God to renew and raise thy Heart 5. Let us learn that blessed Art of Spiritualizing earthly things every earthly Mercy to a Child of God is a taste of Eternal Mercy every visible temporal thing discovers somewhat of invisible eternal things This is a sweet
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
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
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
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
for the flesh and blood the Scripture gives us many Epithetes of it as Houses of Clay Earthly Tabernacles Dust and Ashes earthen vessels c. And these Bodies are 1. Vile bodies Phil. 3. 21. because made of vile and base materials subject to vile diseases to vile abuses to vile abominations and to a vile dissolution at last sowen indishonour shall end in Corruption great hinderances to the Soul many waies 2. The outward Man is the mortal Man that of Necessity must dye and return to dust from whence it came this cannot possibly live alway There is an irreversible Sentence of Death past upon it Hebr. 9. 27. and for these reasons the Body is the worst part of Man the worst by far and should be least esteemed and such as is the Body even such are all bodily Comforts and Accommodations Health Strength Beauty Liberty Friends Honours Estate c. all mortal mutable decaying fading dying things daily experience confirmeth this I need say no more 2. But for the inner Man the Soul that is 1. Precious so precious that it is more worth than all the World Math. 16. 26. Psal 49. 8. having the blessed Image of the glorious God stamped on it at first being capable of knowing and injoying the true and living God and when sin had spoil'd and captivated it it could not be redeemed but by the precious Blood of the Son of God So are all the Concernments of the Soul precious also 2. It is immortal also it never dies it lives for ever None can nothing can kill the Soul that is cause it not to be and for these reasons it is the noblest chiefest and best part of Man and hence also the Concernments of the Soul are more excellent more noble and precious than those of the outward Man the Graces and Comforts the Strength and Beauty of the Soul the Priviledges and Peace and Wellfare of the Soul are more excellent and precious as will more appear in the next particular 2. The second thing to be considered is That the outward Man is subject to decline and perish The Body it self all its Beauty Strength Health c. is subject to decay The Bodies even of the best Saints that shall one day be made like unto Christ's glorious Body are subject to vile Infirmities and Diseases What is become of Sampson's Strength and Saul's Beauty Job and David will tell us of their decays in all these their Friends Estates Relations their Health and all their outward Comforts failed them and how can we possibly hope that we shall keep them All outward things are dying Vanities we are all of us travelling to the Land of forgetfulness They that live longest go the farthest way about and they that dye soonest gâ— the shortest way home Our greatest Care should be to be sure that we are in the right way to Eternal Life But now the inner Man is capable of growing increasing and renewing our inner Man is reneweâ— day by day saith the Text Grace and Peace Spiritual Life inward Strength and Comfort are capable of increasing For 1. This God commandeth That Christian should grow and increase 2. Pet. 1. 5. and 3. 1â— and that they should abound and go forward and be strengthned 2. This is God's Promise to his People that they shall grow and flourish Psal 92. 14. Isa 14. 40. 29 30 31. They that wait on the Lorâ— shall renew their strength 3. This is the Character of a gracious Soul Prov. 4. 18. and 24. 5. Coll. 1. 10. and 2. 1â— Eph. 4. 16. And this the Apostle prays for 1 Thess 3. 12. and 4. 16. 3 Epist Johnâ— This the Soul is capable of being deformed iâ— sin and God's Image defaced on it it is capable of being renewed and of having God's blesse Image repaired on it which is begun in Regeneration and is still carried on and promoted â—â— God 's Ordinances and his Providences his Spiâ— working in them and with them upon his People All afflictions being intended for and sanctifie unto this end to make Souls more and more 〈◊〉 unto Jesus Christ Those weaknings and pershings of the outward Man being by the love at wisdome of God designed to strengthen repair and better the inner Man that the Soul may bâ— made and must be made more holy more humble more heavenly more like God it must group in all things like unto Christ Ephes 4. 12 13. The Soul the inner Man may and must get more strength against Corruption and Temptation it must get more Victory over the World and over it self it must grow in self-denyal in faith in patience in hope in Communion with God it must increase in knowledge and experience it must get nearer God and more weaned from the World and better prepared to put off this earthly Tabernacle of the Body Wherefore is the Christian train'd up in Christ's Schools his School of Ordinances and of Providences but that the Soul the inner Man may be made better That Grace may grow for it is the Growth of Grace that evidenceth the Truth of it And why doth our heavenly Father chastise us in our outward Comforts but to better us in our inward Man But before I proceed let me pause a little and commune with my own heart O my Soul Thou hast been under the blastings and witherings of thy outward Man these many years thou hast been in the School of Correction Thy God hath made many breaches upon thy earthly Comforts stript thee of thy dearest Relations of thy Liberty of thy Estate of opportunities of serving thy God in thy place deprived thee of thy Health and Strength c. yet hath he dealt with thee infinitely better than thy Sins have deserved It is his mercy thou art not consumed not in Hell not in thy Grave but O my Soul what art thou the better for all those stroaks upon thy outward Man What hast thou gained by all thy losses It is true Afflictions are dry Rods and my heart a dead heart there can be no blossoms nor fruit without God's Blessing and the Word and Spirit 's working in and by Affliction but what blessing upon all thy troubles canst thou discern What good to the inner Man have these afflictions done thee Art thou more sensible of the evil of Sin more weary of it and more grieved with it Is thy Heart more tender thy Spirit more humble thy will more subdued to Gods will Art thou more Crucified to the Creature thy inordinate Affections mortified thy unruly Passions subdued Art thou more meek and patient Are thy Affections raised and more inlarged after God and Christ and Heaven Is Jesus Christ more precious to thee And dost thou pant and thirst more after the manifestations of his Love to thy Soul Art thou more watchful over thy thoughts words and actions More careful to please God more fearful to displease him More tender of his Honour More sensible of the Afflictions of Joseph More diligent in holy
man perished 3ly It hinders communion with God which is the very life of gracious Souls their Heaven upon Earth Communion with God in holy Ordinances and holy Duties as Prayer Praises Meditation c. is that which fattens and prospereth the Souls of God's people but outward prosperity hinders communion with God in these for then even while outward comforts are present God and his company and presence are not so much sound wanting nor so much valued desired and panted after as in a barren Wilderness where no waters of worldly comforts are Psalm 64. 1 2 3. Psalm 42. 1 2 3. When David was in great straits stript of his earthly Comforts bedewed all with Tears then his Soul panted after God when he was in the Valley of Baca then he looks unto the Mountains of Myrrh the Garden of Spices Psalm 84. 1 2 3 4. Is it not so with God's People when their Liberty Friends Health Estate c. are gone then God is sought for and communion with him earnestly longed and thirsted for more than ever and then usually most enjoyed By Acts of Communion with God Souls converse commerce and trade with God trade in Heaven and that turns greatly to their advantage We can never take a Voyage to Heaven by Prayer or Meditation but it will turn to account first or last some gain to our Souls will accrue by every act of communion We cannot touch Christ by our Faith or Love but some Vertue will flow from him to our Souls Psalm 145. 18. God will fulfil the desires of them that fear him He will satisfie the hungry with good things Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness Every groan of a gracious Soul after Grace every pant and breathing after God in truth is observed and recorded in Heaven Mal. 3. 16. A book of remembrance for them that thought upon his Name O the transcendent goodness of our most gracious God to take notice of such poor things He will not despise the day of small things and what an encouragement is this to us to spend our most serious thoughts on God But Prosperity in the World doth stop and interrupt the Soul's converse and trade with God by estranging the heart from God and heavenly things and so it becomes very prejudicial to the prosperity of the inward man It is very hard for a man to have much of the World in his hands and much of Heaven in his heart also to have much converse with and much enjoyment of Creature-comforts and to have his Conversation in Heaven too And when do our Souls thrive and flourish best but when we are trading above conversing with God Now these great Mischiefs I have named to the inner man are promoted by the prosperity of the outward man thus 1. By making us forgetful of those things that we should necessarily remember in order to the good of our Souls Prosperity spoils the Memory exceedingly as to heavenly and spiritual things and that in these particulars Prosperity breeds 1. Forgetfulness of God the chief good and surely that Soul can never thrive that forgets God who is the Fountain of all its Life Grace and Comfort The remembrance of God brought sweetness and satisfaction to David's Soul Psalm 63. 5 6. but Prosperity makes us forgetful of God Deut. 6. 11 12. and Deut. 8. 14 19 20. Yea fulness of outward things makes men to deny God of which good Agur was afraid Proverb 30. 9. 2. Forgetful of their best part their Souls the Soul is then mostly forgotten when the Body is mostly minded 3. Forgetful of their Duties to God and Man so it was with Pharoah's Butler 4. Of the Affliction of Joseph Amos 6. 6. When we our selves are at liberty how apt are we to forget them that are in Bonds 5. Of Sin that usually is most remembred in time of Affliction as in Joseph's Brethren 6. Of God's Word that is too much forgotten in Prosperity the Precepts of God not obeyed nor the Promises so relished and believed not Threatnings feared 7. Prosperity makes us forgetful of Death Judgment the World to come Eternity The Evil Day is put far off All these Seven Things should be always remembred by us and have our frequent Thoughts and Meditations for the remembrance of them is very advantageous to the welfare of the inner man and will tend to the good of our Souls but the flourishing of the outward man breeds too much forgetfulness of all these things and the forgetfulness of these things drives us from God and God from us keeps us at a distance from him casts him out of our Minds and Thoughts makes us unserviceable to him and hinders our communion with him 2ly The flourishing of the outward man begets Pride Wantonness Security Envy Ambition Contention negligence in God's Service contempt of others and many hurtful Lusts Deut. 32. 15. Experience proves this 3ly It consumes precious Time and Strength wastes the Spirits Thoughts and Affections being placed on earthly things which should all be spent on God principally and but so much on other things as may fit us for his Service and in subordination to him But while men are contriving how to get how to manage how to spend c. This fills up their Time Hearts Thoughts Minds Spirits and all so that there is no place nor room left for God or the concerns of their Souls Therefore the wife God in great Love and Mercy to the Souls of his People breaks their outward Prosperity which otherwise would ruine their Souls removing those things that hinder the welfare of the Soul for when outward Prosperity is gone then the Soul flies to God it draws nigh to God Prosperity kept it at a distance before it forgot God before now it remembers him seeks God early serves him diligently Now it seeks communion with God pants after his Favour and the sense of his Love Now the Soul is awakened and enlightned and now it remembers God and it self and Sion and its former miscarriages it now minds Death and Eternity more seriously than ever and is more diligent in preparation for them and now the Soul that lay languishing and pining before while the outward man flourished begins to be in a thriving way for these things promote the welfare of the Soul And this is the first way how the perishings of the outward man help towards the renewing and strengthning of the inner Secondly The Adversity of the outward man promotes the Prosperity of the inner by being a means of bringing in Light and Conviction into the Soul Prosperity shuts Men's Eyes and deafens their Ears but vexatio dat visum Affliction opens Men's Eyes so that they see what they did not before and they see things otherwise than before dark Dispensations bring Light with them Afflictions put God's People upon the search Lamen 3. 40. Then they retire and look within themselves then they find out the filthiness vanity frowardness pride earthliness of their
own hearts more than ever they saw before then they find and feel their Spiritual Wants Diseases Dangers the treachery falseness deceitfulness of their own Hearts their often grieving quenching resisting of God's Spirit in time of Prosperity their inordinate Self-love Flesh-pleasing and Gratifyings then they see their former spiritual sloth and negligence their backwardness to and weariness in God's Service their formality deadness customariness in holy Duties their impatience of reproof their hastiness of Spirit their want of tenderness towards and of sympathy with those that were afflicted not weeping with those that wept their censuring and judging others their want of Charity then they see how badly they improved their healthful and youthful time their Talents and their Enjoyments with many other Evils are discovered As also in times of Affliction there is a discovery of the vanity and emptiness of the Creature when all Comforts of Life fail as Health Wealth Friends Liberty Estate c. then the Soul is convinced of the vanity and uncertainty of all these The Rod discovers both Heart and Life and what the Creature is And also then the Souls of God's People come to see the surpassing Excellency of God and Christ and of the Promises and of the great Importance of the things of the World to come O now the Soul can prize an Interest in God and in his Christ and his Covenant and is hereupon stirred up to mind God more and Heaven more and to bestir it self in the use of all Means and to get Assurance of an Interest in God Now all this tends very much to the Welfare of the inner man and if we well and wisely consider this Benefit which our merciful Father grants us by blasting and withering our outward Comforts thus to enlighten and convince us of all those things we shall have cause to Adore and Admire his Goodness towards us in taking such course with us and to cry out with Job 7. 17 18. What is man that thou shouldest magnifie him and that thou shouldest set thy heart upon him and that thou shouldest visit him every morning and try him every moment Thirdly The Adversity of the outward man promotes the Prosperity of the inner man by taking away the Idols of the Soul which divided the Soul from God The best of us are apt to make Idols of every Creature-enjoyment very apt to let out our Hearts in inordinate Affection to Husbands Wives Children c. and suffer them to have more of our Hearts Loves and Delights than God and Christ and Heaven over-prizing and over-loving them taking too much content in them and expecting too much from them and so make Idols of them and then God withdraws his gracious Influences from us those quickning strengthning and comfortable Influences of his Spirit from us and hides his face and then our poor Souls languish and we grow weak and feeble so it was with David Psalm 30. 6 7. but this withdrawing of God from us we do not many time perceive and feel while our earthly Comfort continue with us though our Graces be weak Faith and Love weak our Passions and Corruptions strong and are too often too hard for us and we are carried captive by them and although wâ— decay in spiritual strength and grow dead in holy Duties careless and watchless in our Conversations and want that vigour spirit and life which sometime we had which are the effects of the absence of God's Spirit that we grow cold in on Affections to heavenly things I say these saâ— effects of God's withdrawment from us are noâ— perceived and felt by us so long as our bodiâ—â— Comforts continue with us but then it pleased our gracious God to send some awakening Providences upon us he sends Adversity and remove these our Idols and then through God's assisting Grace we come to see our sin and the fruits of it then we see our folly in letting out of our Hearts upon the vain Creature and that then God did withdraw and that our Souls did wither and languish upon which by the special Grace of God we lament our folly beg forgiveness through the blood of Christ and the Lord being gracious and merciful returns to the Soul again and then the Soul begins to recover it self and to grow better Fourthly Adversity is a means of bringing afresh to our Remembrance those particular special Sins which in Prosperity were forgot and which while they lye on us without Repentance they waste and weaken hurt and corrupt our Souls Adversity as was said before puts God's People upon the search of their Hearts and Lives now they say unto themselves what have we done now their Spirits do or should make diligent search now they do or should commune with their own Hearts and examine their ways and seek for the plague of their Hearts their Dalilah's their Jonah's their darling their beloved Sins which they did not or would not see in their Prosperity nor were willing to be reproved for but did over-look them or forgot them or look'd on them as little ones and common Infirmities humane Frailties and could study shifts to cover and excuse them Such as Pride and Passion inordinate Affection Unthankfulness Hypocrisie Covetousness Selfishness vain Thoughts idle Words Omissions Unfaithfulness breaking Vows and Promises Earthly mindedness Security hardness of Heart unprofitableness under the means of Grace and many other Heart-evils that scarce appear in time of Prosperity that in time of trouble upon a through search we may find out as our Unbelief want of love to God and Christ want of love to God's Word insensibleness of Sin and want of hatred to it want of fervent Charity to others with many others which upon a consciencious search and by the help of God's Spirit we shall find out in our selves which lay hid in us corroding and putrifying our poor Souls which were never so heartily confess'd and lamented as they should But when the Spirit and the Word comes with Affliction there is a discovery made of those lurking Lusts the filthy corners of our false Hearts opened and every gracious Soul is willing to be convinced of every sin and begs God heartily to search him and to rip him up and to shew him all the Evils of his Heart and Life with all their aggravating Circumstances being committed against much Love and Light against Conscience Conviction Resolution after many Confessions of them before the Lord and many times those Sins are brought to remembrance which were quite forgotten as sins of Youth fleshly Lusts excess in Meat Drink Apparel Disobedience to Parents mispending Time foolish jesting rash Anger sinful Silence Cowardize in God's Cause neglect of Reproof neglect of relational Duties Sabbath-sins with multitudes of others which will appear upon a diligent search many omissions of Spiritual Duties as Heavenly Meditations Self-examination self-denial Watchfulness all which the gracious Soul being convinced of repents of mourns for before the Lord and by Faith in the
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
I will confess you before my Father and the holy Angels This will be the joyful day indeed the day of our full Redemption the time of refreshing indeed the fore-thoughts of this day should support us under all our present Troubles 4. The Fourth Preparative is the Saints solemn Coronation and receiving into the Kingdom of their Father Now the Crown of Righteousness of Life of Glory which was promised them from the beginning of the World and purchased for them by the most precious Blood of Jesus and laid up in Heaven for them shall by the Lord the righteous Judge he given them at that day they have been faithful unto Death and therefore shall receive the Crown of Life The Lord Jesus will then say to all his Saints Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world Every word is full of joy and comfort COME will Christ say Approach this exceeding Glory come is near as you will for the way to it is open for you I have made your passage plain by my blood Christ will not say then Come take up your Cross and follow â—â— but Come now and receive your Crown COME YE BLESSED In the world ye were accursed but now ye are blessed and shall be blessed for ever OF MY FATHER You are the objects of my Father's love he loveth you as he loveth me INHERIT You are the heirs of the promises the heirs of the kingdom the heirs of salvation No less than the Kingdom of Heaven You shall reign with me for ever and ever PREPARED Eternal Love hath laid the Foundation He prepares the Kingdom for us and then prepares us for the Kingdom FOR YOU for you all poor penitent Believers called Regenerate Souls for all you that received me by Faith and persevered therein to your death Thus much for the Preparatives to this far more excceeding and eternal weight of Glory II. Secondly I shall speak a little also of the Properties of this Glory but oh how short and shallow are my Apprehensions of this also Lord enlighten my Understanding and affect enlarge and quicken my Heart 1. This glorious state of Happiness is called The Purchased Possession Eph. 1. 14. It is the Friâ—â— of the Love and Blood of our dear Redeemer whom we shall in Heaven behold and enjoy We shall have our Redeemer alwaies before our Eyes and the liveliest sense and freshest Remembrance of that bleeding-dying-love still upon our Souls Oh how will it fill our Souls with perpetual Ravishments to think that in the Streams of this Blood we have swam through the violence of the World the snares of the Devil the seducements of the Flesh the curse of the Law the wrath of aâ— offended God the Accusations of a guilty Conscience and the vexing doubts and fears of an unbelieving Heart and are passed through all and are safely arrived at the Bosom of God O think and think again what weight of Woâ—â— and Wrath of Sin and Sorrow lay upon the Soul and Body of our most dear Lord to purchase foâ— us this exceeding weight of glory His Soul was oppressed exceedingly oppressed his Body broken his Blood shed to purchase this Glory We value things by the Price they cost If any thing we enjoy were purchased by the Life of our deareâ—â— Friend how would we esteem it Certainly thâ— bitter Death and Blood of our Lord will everlastingly sweeten our Heavenly Glory Oh that the Joy we shall then leave those Hearts of Stone and Rock behind us the Sin that here so close hâ— sets us and the sottish Unkindness that followeâ— us so long shall not be able to follow us into that Glory but we shall behold as it were the wounds of Love with Eyes and Hearts of Love for ever Now his Heart is open to us and ours shut to him but when his Heart is open and our hearts open too oh what a weight of Joy will there then be What a passionate meeting was there between our new-risen Lord and the first-sinful silly Woman that he appears unto How did Love struggle for expression Mary saith Christ Master saith Mary and presently she clasps about his Feet having her Heart as near his Heart as her Hands were to his Feet What a meeting of Love then will there be between the new-glorified Saint and the glorious Redeemer But I am here at a loss my Apprehensions fail me and fall short only this I believe that it will be the singular Praise of our Glory that it was bought with the price of that Blood and the singular Joy of the Saints to behold the Purchaser and the Price together with the Possession 2. Secondly This Glory also is most free it was dear to Christ but free to us Silver and Gold could not purchase this Glory nothing but the precious Blood of the Son of God but we have it freely for nothing without Mony and without Price It 's true this Glory is promised on Conditions but the Condition is but hearty Acceptance and to take him for our Lord who hath redeemed us especially when the Condition is also given as it is by God to all his Chosen Faith which is the main Condition is the gift of God O the everlasting admiration which must needs surprize the Saints to think of the freeness of their Glory O what did the Lord see in me to count me meet for such a state That I a poor diseased despised Wretch should be cloathed in the brightness of this Glory That I a silly worthless Worm should be advanced to this high Dignity That I who was but lately groaning weeping dying should now be so full of Joy as my Heart can hold Yea should be taken from the Grave where I was rotting and stinking and from the Dust and Darkness where I seemed forgotten and here sit before the Throne of God in Glory when the poor self-denying self-accusing humble Soul that thought himself unworthy the ground he trod on unworthy the air he breathed in unworthy to eat drink or live that this Soul shall find himself wrapt up into Heaven closed in the Arms of Christ crowned with Glory in a moment Dâ— but think with your selves what a transporting astonishing thing this will be surely our Unworthiness shall not hinder our Glory God hath chosen the Poor of this World rich in Faith to be Heirs of that Kingdom Grace is most free so is Glory As we pay nothing for our Pardon so nothing for our Glory What an astonishing thought will it be to think of the unmeasurable difference between our Deservings and our Receivings between the state we should have been in and the state we are in to look down upon Hell and see the vast difference between us and them to see the Inheritance which we were born to so different from that we are adopted to O what pangs of Love will it cause within us to think yonder in that dreadful place in those
Lakes of Fire and Brimstone was my native place my deserved Portion those unquenchable Flames should have lain on me that never-dying Worm should have fed on me But that unsearchable rich Grace and infinite Love in God through the most precious Blood of my Redeemer I am delivered from that place of Torment Eternal Life is the Gift of God through Jesus Christ my Lord Did not I neglect Grace and make light of the Offers of Life and slight my Redeemer's Blood a long time as well as those poor damned Souls Did not I waste my time forget my God and my Soul and walk after the Flesh as well as they Was not I born in Sin â—nd Wrath as well as they Or who made me to â—iffer Should I ever have loved God if he had not first loved me Or ever been willing if he had not made me willing Had not I been in those â—ames if I had my own way and if he had let me â—lone to my own will Oh how free was all this â—nfinite Love and how free is this Crown of Glory that so glorious a Crown should be set on the Head of so vile a Creature 3. The third Property of this Glory is that it shall be fully satisfying and contenting for it is a weight of Glory an exceeding weight of Glory It shall be a perfect freedom from all Evil and a perfect fruitiâ—ns of all Good This Glory shall be perfectly suiâ—â—ed to our Natures for as here in this Life every gracious Soul is made partaker of the Divine Nature of the Life of God in some measure and made like Christ in some degree so in the Life to come he shall have a Nature more fully like God his holy Image more fully printed on him and made more fully like Christ When he shall appear we shall see him as he is and we shall be like him â— Job 3. 2. When we awake at the glorious morning of the Resurrection we shall be satisfied with his likeness Psal 17. 15. This Glory shall be perfectly suited also to the Desires of the Saints then the So shall have all that Heart can wish all that ever thou O poor believing Soul didst ever pray or labor for there thou shalt find thou wouldst rather have God in Christ than all the World why there thou shalt have him O what wouldst thou give for the Assurance of his Love Why there thou shalt have Assurance beyond all suspicion yea thou shalt have infinitely more than thou canst desire This Glory is suited also to all the Necessities of the Saints it will make a full supply to all our wants for it is an exceeding weight of Glory My God shall supply all your need with the riches of his glory in Jesus Christ Phil. 4. 19. Here in this World we are always complaining of Wants for Soulor Body or both we want Grace want Peace and Comfort we want Health and Friends nothing but Wants But when once we come to possess this exceeding weight of Glory we shall have no more cause to complain of Wants we shall never want any thing for ever for we shall be filled with all the Fulness of God we shall ever be with the Lord and dwell in his presence for ever in whose presence is fulness of Joy and at whose right hand are Pleasures for evermore Solomon said That Mary answereth all things I am sure that Glory will answer all things 4. Fourthly This Glory is incorruptible 1 Cor. 9. 25. This is an Inheritance incorruptible and undefiled 1 Pet. 1. 4. We shall then have Joy without any mixture of Sorrow Rest without Weariness As there is no mixture of Corruption with our Graces then so no mixture of Sufferings with our Solace Our best Comforts here are mixed with Crosses we have no Flower without Prickles Our best Wine is mixed with Water and some times with Vinegar and Gall. We are now sometimes even at the gates of Heaven and presently almost as low as Hell Today we are well to morrow sick to day in credit to morrow in disgrace to day have Friends to morrow none The only thing that corrupts and imbitters our sweetest Comforts here is our Sins and God's hiding his Face from us for our Sins It is Sin that puts Gall and Wormwood into all our pleasant Cups but when we shall receive that exceeding weight of Glory we shall sin no more for ever Hark O my Soul the best News that ever thou heardst since that greatest good news of a Saviour the time is coming when thou shalt sin no more Rev. 21. 27. then Saints are Saints indeed Eph. 5. 27. O poor Believer if it were put to thy choice wouldst thou not rather chuse to be freed from Sin than to be made Heir of all the World Wait till then and thou shalt have thy desire That hard earthly carnal Heart that thou hast so often complain'd of to the Lord those vain and vile Thoughts which did lye down and rise with thee shall trouble thee no more Oh blessed state blessed time 5. And Lastly It is an eternal weight of glory a Crown of Glory that fadeth not away that Life is everlasting there is no more Death it is everlasting Peace everlasting Joy Pleasures for evermore Eternal Glory O blessed Eternity The Saints shall be Pillars in the Temple of God and go no more out for ever What! to be eternally blessed to be ever with the Lord What can my shallow Thoughts conceive of this O happy Souls in Hell if they could escape after millions of years But how infinitely happy are those in Heaven that shall live there eternally O this amazing this astonishing word Eternity O my Soul study this word Everlasting methinks it should revive thee in thy deepest Agony Thy Heaviness shall endure but for a night God will hide his Face but for a moment thy Afflictions are but light and short thy Temptation shall be but an hour thy Tribulation but ten days but thou shalt receive a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory Believe this O my Soul and let thy Heart break and melt that thou art no more affected with that eternal Love that purchased this eternal Glory for thee For ever adore and admire eternal Love and Grace and double thy Diligence to secure thy title to this eternal weight of glory and live in the Love and in the high Praises of thy dear Redeemer and patiently bear all thy Afflictions because they are preparing thee for this Glory Thus we have seen a little of the Preparatives to and Properties of this far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory and alas how little do I know of it Now before I proceed let us also enquire who shall be the Possessors of this Glory or what those happy persons are that shall be made partakers of this Blessedness that we may know whether we our selves have any title to it and have any good hope through Grace that we shall one
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
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
cases God and his Service must be preferred before all visible temporal things But when earthly things so fill up our Heads Hearts Minds Thoughts Hands Time and all that we have none left to spend or bestow on heavenly things then we mind visible things immoderately 2. When our minding visible temporal things unfits and indisposeth us for minding invisible and eternal things when earthly things have so entred our Hearts and so engaged our Minds that they deaden and dull clog and cloy our Spirits so entangle and perplex our Thoughts as that thereby we are put out of frame and temper and made unfit to mind or meddle with Divine and Heavenly things Luke 21. 34. Take heed lest at any time your hearts be over-charged with surfeiting und drunkenness and cares of this life saith our Lord. 3. When we are less tired and wearied in the thoughts of visible temporal things than in the thoughts of invisible eternal things When we can plot study cark care think muse ponder upon freely talk of earthly things without weariness but with much delight as being very suitable to our Minds and therefore very pleasing and grateful to us we can think and speak of earthly things from morning till night without weariness but are soon weary of the study and meditation of heavenly things nay are meer Strangers to heavenly Meditation and heavenly Discourse Mal. 1. 13. When we are in company where there is heavenly talk we are soon weary of such company and of such talk and are willing to break off such Discourse and to entertain the talk of worldly things 4. When we are more attentive unto more intent upon more seriously affected with and more strongly impressed by those visible temporal things than we are with and by invisible and eternal things When good News from Sea or Land a good bargain good success in our Worldly business doth more heartily affect us and rejoyce us thâ—â— good News from Heaven or any spiritual Mercy then we do immoderately mind earthly things It was far otherwise with holy David Psal 4. 6 7. Many say Who will show us any good any visible temporal good but Lord lift thou vp the light of thy countenance upon us Thou hast put more gladness into my heart than when their corn and wine encreased And so it is with all gracious Souls 5. When the gain of visible temporal things brings more joy and the loss of them breeds more sorrow than the gain or loss of invisible eternal things when the gain of an Estate of Honour of the Favour of a great person doth more rejoice the Heart than the gain of the Pearl of Price and the loss of an Estate or Friend doth more cast down than the loss of God or a good Conscience 6. When we are more afraid of Suffering than of Sin and would rather venture the loss of invisible eternal things than the loss of visible temporal things Surely it was not thus with the Apostles and Primitive Christians they looked not on those visible temporal things they did not mind them unseasonably inordinaiely immoderately and so comparatively they are said to mind them not at all The Proof of this 〈◊〉 will appear I by express Precept H. bâ— the 〈◊〉 of Gospel-Christians III. by solid Reasons I. By express Precepts besides 〈…〉 before John 6. 27. 1 Cor. 7. 31 〈…〉 that in Col. 3. 1 2 3 5. Set your affections 〈…〉 things above and not on things below and 〈…〉 inordinate affections 1 John 2. 〈…〉 would nor the things of the 〈…〉 the love of the father is 〈…〉 〈◊〉 in lay that to Heart the love 〈◊〉 World is utterly inconsistent with the love of 〈…〉 that in Jam. 4. 4. He that is 〈…〉 is the Enemy of God the 〈…〉 is enmity to God It is a dangerous 〈…〉 to be the Enemy of God nothing is so dangerous See Nahum 1. 2. God is jealous and the Lord revengeth the Lord revengeth and is furious the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries and reserveth wrath for his enemies What a dreadful Text is this And who are the Lord's Enemies Why those that are the friends of the world saith the Spirit of God Although but few think or believe so yet so it is and it is a most dreadful thing to be the Enemies of God for then God is our Enemy and that is most dreadful Now he that is a friend to the world is the enemy of God World in that place I take to be the same that is here in my Text called Visible temporal things the good things of this World Such as are the friends of these things saith the Apostle are the enemies of God and this is no small matter let us all therefore look well to it that we be not such Q. But who are the friends of this World you will ask A. First All such as love this World and the things of it more than God and Christ and Heavenly things this is most clear So Matth. 10. 37. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me saith our Lord. 2 Tim. 3. 4. Lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God What do most People mind most and think most upon and speak most of Is it not the World things that are seen What is most in their Thoughts Mornings soon and Evenings late Where are their Hearts and Affections most Let our Consciences speak Whom do we serve most follow and pursue most God or the World Christ or the Creature Who hath the precedency and supremacy in our Hearts What Interest is uppermost in our Souls This is a plain Rule of Tryal and if we will suffer our own Consciences to speak plainly and tell us the truth we may know whether we be Friends of the World or no. Let us deal faithfully with our selves in this great Case and not flatter and deceive our selves as most do and so mistake our selves by taking our selves to be the Lord's Servants when indeed we are his real Enemies because we are Friends of the World and by this mistake may we ruine our selves for ever Secondly All such as covet desire seek after the World the Profits and Pleasures and Favours of it more than after God and Christ after Grace and Glory Such as pant after the Dust of the Earth that make haste to be rich that load themselves with yellow Clay such are Friends of the World Whereas gracious Souls are like those in Isa 26. 8. Yea in the way of thy judgments O Lord have we waited for thee the desire of our soul is to thy name and to the remembrance of thee With my soul have I desired thee in the night yea with my spirit within me will I seek thee early So Psal 73. 25 26. Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever So Psal 42. 1 2. As the hart panteth
after the water-brooks so panteth my soul after thee O Lord. The strongest steddiest Streams of his Desires and Loves did run after God and his Favour Thirdly He that is commanded by the World is a Friend of the World one Friend can command another so all Friends profess to one another and if they mean not so they basely dissemble Can the Profits and Pleasures of the World command your Hearts Thoughts Affections Time and Strength yea and your Consciences too Can the World keep you from serving God Can you dispense with the Service of God to attend the World then sure you are the Friends of it Fourthly Are you more intimate friendly and familiar more pleasant and joyful in the company of the People of the World And in your dealings with the things of the World are you more delighted and pleased and are as it were more in your Element and where you would be than when you are in the company of the Saints and than when you are dealing with God and Christ and heavenly things David who delighted greatly in God and in his Word and in his Saints professed himself to be a Stranger in the Earth as Psal 119. 19. When the Lord's Servants are in his work and among his People then they are in their Element then they are where they would be One day in thy House is better than a thousand Psal 84. Fifthly He that seeks the Worlds Favours and fears the Worlds Frowns more than God's is a Friend of the World A gracious Soul seeks nothing so much as God's Favour O how doth David pant after God's Favour and the light of his Countenance In thy favour saith he is life Psal 30. 6. and thy loving-kindness better than life Psal 63. 3. And how earnestly and frequently doth he pray that God would not hide his Face from him Sixthly He that is troubled more for the loss of those visible temporal things than for the loss of God or his Gospel and complains more for the want and absence of these things than for the want and absence of God such in such a degree are Friends of the World and being Friends of the World are Enemies of God Seventhly He that gives the World most Respect and best Entertainment we give our Friends most respect and best entertainment How oft hath Christ knock'd at our Doors in the Ministry of the Word and Motions of his Spirit begging our acceptance How oft hath Christ called to us in Ordinances and Providences for entertainment and we have shut our Hearts against him How oft hath the Holy Spirit been striving with us but we have grieved and quenched him by our Resistance But how easily have we entertained the Enticements of the World How readily have we embraced the Motions of the World This proves us to be Friends of the World and such are the Enemies of God By these things let us try our selves and we may know whether we be the Friends of the World or the Friends of God II. This Point is proved by Example Take our Apostle as a pregnant Instance as in the Text saying We look not at those things which are seen So in Gal. 2. 20. 6. 14. I am crucified to the world and the world is crucified to me As if he had said I am in the Eye of the World as contemprible despicable and abominable a thing as one hanged on the Cross as a Malefactor on the Gallows an Object that Passengers care not to look upon but turn away their sight from Such a one am I saith this blessed Apostle for the World said of him Away with such a fâ—llow he is not worthy to live And the world is crucified to me saith he I have a â—ow and base thoughts of the World as the World hath of me the World is as despicable and contemptible to me as I am to it I look no more upon the World than it doth upon me I do as little value the World as it doth value me And this is a full explication of his sence in the Text We look not on those things which are seen for they are temporal This is the Character of truly-gracious Souls So Gal. 5. 24. They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof Q. But how shall we know when we are crucified to the World Ans 1 When our care for visible temporal things doth not consume and eat out our care for invisible and eternal things when our care for our Bodies doth not destroy our care for our Souls Deut. 4. 9. Only take heed and keep thy soul diligently Our Souls must have our greatest care and all other cares we must cast on God Matth. 6. 33. First seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all other things shall be added 2. When the work of the World is neglected that the work of God may be attended See this in Martha's Case Luke 10. 40 41. one thing is needful 3. When altho' our Hands may be full of visible temporal things yet our Hearts are not entangled nor over-charged with them 2 Tim. 2. 4. Luke 21. 34. When our Engagements about visible temporal things do not hinder us from minding our concernments about invisible eternal things 1 Tim. 6. 19. When matters and businesses of the World are made to stand by and give place to the Service of God When praying times hearing reading meditating times are duly attended and observed And indeed we have need work while our day lasteth for there is no work wisdom or device in the Grave whither we are going All that is to be done for Eternity must be done in this world John 9. 4. 4. A man is then crucified to the world and to these visible things when he is content to be without these good things of the world when the will of the Lord is so Content to be without Friends Health Liberty Wealth Honours Pleasures Phil. 4. 11 12. Contentment is the Hearts Ease well-pleasedness with our condition without vexation or distraction to acquiesce in the holy will of God Godliness and Contentment grow both together if Contentment be little Godliness is not much if thou be truly godly then God the All-sufficient and Chief Good is thy Portion and so thou hast enough to content thee enough to make thee happy for ever It is a Paradox to the World That a gracious Soul cannot be content with the whole world only and yet can be content without it Let us seek Content where we will out of God and we shall never find it 5. And lastly when a man can patiently bear the loss of all visible temporal things then he is crucified to the world when Losses and Crosses do not sink him and make him faint as those Saints in this Chapter ver 16. and those in Heb. 10. 34. who took joyfully the spoiling of their goods And thus we have the description of a person that is crucified to the World and the
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
of Exhortation to us all to look off from visible temporal things Let us labour to get our Hearts crucified and our Affections mortified to all earthly things to draw away our Minds as much as possible from the things of this Life A great part of the Gospel and of the Doctrine of Christ and his Apostles tend to this to take off our Hearts and Minds from setling and fixing upon earthly things I. Some Motives to this II. Some Directions I. Motives 1. Consider it is the express Command of God Col. 3. 1 2. Set not your affections on things below 1 John 2. 14 15. Matth. 6. 19. Lay not up for your selves treasures on earth This we should urge on our Hearts 2. Consider the vanity emptiness insufficiency unsatisfactoriness to the Soul of all earthly things Eccl. 5. 10. 3. The great inconstancy and uncertainty of them 1 Tim. 6. 17. Prov. 23. 5. 1 Cor. 7. 31. Riches and Honours go from one man to another as Birds hop from Tree to Tree 4. How prejudicial they have been to those that have had the most of them but beneficial to very few 5. That these earthly things are all defiling things like Pitch and corruptible and corrupting things being full of Snares and Temptations are but like Thorns to most 6. No real Happiness in them for Reprobates may have them and they may consist with Gods Wrath therefore we should not set our Hearts upon them II. Directions shewing how we may get off our Hearts and draw off our Minds from them for our Hearts are so glued to them we cannot but look on them and mind them It is not easie work to do but let us use the means that God hath appointed and try what we can do 1. First Let us labour to be transformed in the Image of our Minds renewed in the Spirit of our Minds Rom. 12. 1. Eph. 4. 23. New Natures we must get this must be done our Old Minds are vain and altogether suitable to earthly things Q. But how shall we get New Minds A. 1st Pray earnestly to God to give you new Hearts to repair his Image on you to create a clean Heart in you as David did Psal 51. 10. to give you his Spirit 1 Cor. 2. 12. to sanctifie you throughout 1 Thess 5. 23. to regenerate you by his Word and Spirit Jam. 1. 17 18. Tit. 3. 3 4 5. Oh pray pray that God would cast you into a new Mould to root out the old corrupt Principles of Nature in you and to plant new heavenly Principles of the Divine Life and Nature in you to work a real change in you Go to Jesus beg his Spirit He was crucified to all visible temporal things beg of him to give you those Waters of Life Joh. 4. 14. which he hath promised to them that hunger and thirst after them Beg of him to make you of his mind labour to put him on by imitation 2ly Look up to God's Covenant and lay hold on God's Covenant Ezek. 11. 19. and most earnestly beg the Lord to take you into his Covenant and to remember his Covenant and to perform it to you and wait upon God continually Study the Covenant of Grace and lay hold on it for in the Covenant God promiseth to become our God and Portion and if once God be ours all the good of Heaven and Earth is ours and then we shall but little mind visible temporal things 3ly If we would be regenerated we must search the Scriptures diligently attend on the Word preached and read for the Word of God is the Seed of Regeneration the Word of Grace ordained to work Grace in Souls Acts 26. 18. Look often into the glass of the Gospel 2 Cor. 3. 17 18. and look thorow it unto the glory of the Lord that shines forth in it the glory of his Love and Grace and Mercy and Wisdom and Power and Holiness and Righteousness and Faithfulness all which are wonderfully displayed in the Face of Jesus Christ in this glass of the Gospel and by frequent serious believing fixed looking into this glass and upon the glory of God in Christ therein represented we shall be changed into the same Image from glory to glory as by the Spirit of the Lord. 4ly Study Jesus Christ much set him still before you for a Pattern labour to imitate him and to be like him and to walk as he walked And this is the way to get new Minds 2 Direct Secondly If we would get off our Hearts from earthly things let us labour for a clear knowledge and a firm belief of and familiar acquaintance with invisible eternal things take a few instances The Resurrection of the Body as fet out in 1 Cor. 15. The second Coming of the Lord Jesus the manner and ends of it 2 Thess 1. 6 7 8 9. The glorious manifestation of the Sons of God and their full Redemption That when Christ who is their Life shall appear they shall appear with him in glory Col. 3. 3. The Day of Judgment the separation of the Sheep from the Goats the final irrevocable Sentence that shall then pass on all Mankind the Saints passing into Heaven with Christ their Souls and Bodies united and their triumphant entrance with the Captain of their Salvation into the Paradise of God to see the Blessed God face to face to live in his presence in whose presence is fulness of joy and at whose right hand are pleasures for evermore to live with God in perfect Light Love Purity Rest and Peace for ever and ever fully and for ever freed from all Sin and Misery Oh these are the things most worthy of all our most serious most fixed and most constant Meditations We should first labour to get those things into our Heads fully and clearly to understand them and should not be contented with a dark confused knowledge of them but should labour for a distinct knowledge of them and therefore should earnestly beg the light and assistance of the Holy Spirit to instruct and teach us as Eph. 1. 18. and look up to God's Promise which is that all his People shall be taught of him that we may have a spiritual knowledge of them And then we should labour to draw these invisible eternal things down into our Hearts and labour to draw up our Hearts to them for with the Heart Man believeth We should beg of God to open our Hearts wide to embrace them to relish and savour and be affected with them and exercise our loves hopes desires delights hunger and thirst after them considering also the transcendant Excellencies of those invisible eternal things above all visible temporal things and our own real concernment in them and likewise their nearness to us they are not far off we shall shortly possess that Kingdom promised and inherit that Glory purchased for us if we be true Believers But a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry Considering also that all our Thoughts
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
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
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
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
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
delight upon him Always minding that it is God in Christ that we must thus look unto and mind in all these particulars God in Christ not God singly considered but God in Christ for God cannot be comfortably thought upon out of Christ our Mediator in whom alone he is well pleased No Communion with God but in Christ no Communication of any good from God to us but in Christ and by his Spirit It is the invisible eternal God by the invisible eternal Son of God and through the invisible eternal Spirit that we must make all our Addresses unto and expect all Communications of good from It is Christ alone that must bring God and the Soul together In Christ we are reconciled to him even by the Blood of his Cross 2 Cor. 5. 19. Col. 1. 21. And being reconciled to God by him we have Peace with God and then have Communion with him In Christ God's Nature becomes lovely to us and ours to God otherwise there is an utter Enmity betwixt his pure and our impure Nature Christ hath made up the vast gulf between God and us He drank of the brook in the way Psal 110. last Aim at and thirst after Communion with God in Christ in all your receipts of Mercies from him and in all your returns of Duty to him Pray and pant that all that you receive from him may come to you from his Love in Christ Oh that this Mercy that this Affliction may proceed from God's Fatherly Love in Christ Jesus so in all your Approaches to God in Ordinances and Duties pray and pant after Communion with God in Christ Oh that I may meet with God in this Ordinance and in this Duty without which we should not be satisfied in any Ordinances and Duties and all outward Blessings are but visible temporal things we must look beyond them and above them unto God in Christ for the invisible eternal love and grace and blessing of God in them So holy David Psal 63. 1 2 3. That I may see thy power and thy glory saith he And Vers 8. My soul followeth hard after God to see God's power and love and grace in Ordinances So Psal 42. 1 2. My soul thirsteth for God for the living God This is the marrow and fatness of God's Ordinances and this is that will satisfie the Soul therefore this is the thing that our Souls should long and breath after that we may have sights sweet sights of the invisible eternal God in Christ in Ordinances and Duties and tasts of his love and goodness in them And if we have Communion with God in our Mercies we shall be able thankfully to receive them and fruitfully to improve them for God And also we shall be enabled patiently and comfortably to bear all our Afflictions and profitably to improve them Now if we would have Communion with God in Christ we must look well to these things viz. 1st We must labour to be pure in Heart for such as are pure in Heart and they only shall see God God in his Son God in his Ordinances in his Providences and in Glory at last If we regard Iniquity in our Hearts God will not hear our Prayers nor afford us any Communion with him Mat. 5. 8. A pure Heart is a new Heart an Heart purged by the Blood of Christ from the guilt of Sin and purified by his Spirit Acts 15. 9. An Heart renewed and sanctified a single sincere and upright Heart that hath pure Principles planted in it the Spirit of God the Fear of God the Love of God Faith in God and Christ Christ formed there the Image of God stamped there the Kingdom of God set up there These are the true Principles of Purity of Heart and Life and also an Heart set and bent by the Rules of God's pure Word that pure Rule and that acteth for pure ends to please God to bring Glory to him to do good to others and to enjoy God in our Salvation Such may expect sweet Communion with God 2 Cor. 6. 16 17. the Lord God Almighty will walk and dwell with such 2ly We must labour to be poor in Heart poor in Spirit Mat. 5. 3. broken in Heart contrite in Spirit Isa 57. 15. O the wonderful condescension of the high and lofty one who dwelleth in the Heavens that He should stoop so low as to dwell in the broken Heart to revive such Hearts such Spirits O the Revivings of God they are Soul-satisfying things The Consolations of God are not small Happy indeed are those Souls in whom the great and glorious God dwells Blessed Souls that are the Temple of the holy God Habitations of God by the Spirit 1 Cor. 3. 16. Eph. 2. 22. Isa 66. 2. To the man will God look that is poor and of a contrite Spirit and God's looks on such are sweet looks Love-looks such shall have much communion with God and Christ for Christ was sent to bind up the broken hearted Luke 4. 18. What a comfortable support is this to a poor afflicted Christian that is poor in this World destitute of Friends and earthly Comforts restrained and shut up in Prison or otherwise confined to Chamber or Sick-bed and withal is poor in Spirit is content in this condition Yet now in this his desolate condition he may have Communion with the great God he may enjoy the blessed and sweet Company of the Lord Jesus by day and by night even when Lover and Friend is put far from him even then his God is near him his everlasting Father is with him his dear Lord and Redeemer his â—â—eet Saviour and loving Husband is with him Psal 25. 15 16 17. Psal 102. 17. He will regard â—e prayer of the destitute and not despise their prayer He will never leave them nor forsake them Yea He will then speak most comfortably to their poor Souls Hos 2. 14. He will speak to their Hearts He knows their Souls best in Adversity and their Souls know him best then Jesus Christ will then â—hew them his Love and manifest it unto them and support them 3ly If we would have Communion with God â—n every condition we must labour to be upright in Heart Psal 125. The Lord is nigh unto them that call upon him in truth they shall have Communion with him He loveth truth in the inner parts He that walketh uprightly shall dwell in God's tabernacle and abide in his holy hill Psal 15. 1 2. God hates Hypocrisie Oh the guile and falshood of our hearts let us bewail it and cry to God with David Make my heart sound in thy statutes 4ly Be heavenly in heart be heavenly-minded such shall have sweet Communion with God such as have their Conversation in Heaven have converse with God Phil. 3. 20. We must be very watchful that the World do not lye too near our hearts nor lodge too long in our hearts for that will steal away our hearts from God and hinder our Communion with him We must take
Spirit of Illumination hath been upon us shewing us what miserable Wretches we were and struck down the Foundation upon which our Hopes were built before II. The second thing that is to pass upon every Soul in order to his Union with Christ is a full Conviction of the Answerableness and Fulness that is in Jesus Christ to all the wants and spiritual necessities of the Soul This you must see or you will never consent to take Christ for your Lord Acts 4. 12. Neither is there salvation in any other for there is none other name given under Heaven whereby we may be saved Here 's your Refuge Christ and none but Christ can answer the Necessities of my poor Soul I am full of Guilt and there is no Righteousness but in Christ to justifie me I am full of Filth and there is no Holiness but in Christ to sanctifie me To this Refuge therefore in Christ God shuts up every Soul as to his last Hopes Therefore you find in the 3d of Galat. 23. we are said to be shut up unto the Faith So that we see no other way in the World to escape Hell but at this Door the Lord Jesus This also I trust the Lord hath made evident to so many Souls of you as are in Christ You see your absolute need of him and you see in Christ a compleat fulness to answer all the wants of your Souls that you are shut up to him and have not the least hopes hanging upon any other Object besides Christ Well that 's the second thing III. To come to the main for all these are but previous Works and may signifie something or nothing the third thing that gives an Interest in Christ is a deliberate Consent to part with all things that hinders the enjoyment of him and to embrace all things that promote and further the enjoyment of the Lord Jesus Such a Consent as this is will put your Salvation quite out of doubt if there be any in the World in Christ 't is the Soul that deliberately consents Now therefore to open this remember 1. First That here must be a deliberate Consent it is not a Work to be done Hand over Head as we say rashly and so to repent afterwards to retreat and call back our Consent afterwards when we shall meet with something in Religion that we did not look for there must be a deliberation of the Will There be many men that hang between willing and unwilling they do and they do not consent In some things they can and in other things they cannot come up to the terms of the Gospel when the Mind and Judgment of a poor Christian hangs in a doubtful suspence I would and I would not This I could close with and That I cannot Here 's the undoing of Men. And this was the case of Agrippa Almost thou perswadest me to be a Christian I could go a great way to be a Christian but I cannot come off roundly to all the Terms of Jesus Christ What shall we do in such a case as this is Thy Soul sees Sin and Misery upon one side and Salvation in Christ upon the other side willing thou art to suffer a little for him but there be some things in Religion they cannot come up to Now if a Man will be a thorough Christian he must deliberate the Terms and heartily resolve to embrace all the Terms of the Gospel that are made necessary to his Salvation by Christ it must be a thorough Resolution exprest in the 119th Psalm I have sworn and I will perform it that I will keep thy righteous judgments And this is called a counting of the Cost Such a Consent as this is absolutely necessary and the want of this is the cause of so many Half-christians which is called a Cake not turn'd which doth but make Hypocrites in Religion That 's the first thing in Consent Deliberation in the Judgment pondering the Terms of Christ throughly 2. The second thing in this Consent is that a Christian must heartily resolve to let go all those things that hinder the enjoyment of Jesus Christ and blessed be he of the Lord whose will is brought to this that there is nothing so dear in the World but he is resolved it shall go for I must tell you Brethren there be some things of which Christ saith If ye seek me let these go their way So if you seek Christ there be some things that must go and some things that may go Now those things that are to be parted with in order to the enjoyment of Christ are of two sorts first some things are absolutely necessary to be cast off without any more ado and there are some things conditionally necessary to be parted with that is if God's Glory Truth and Honour require our parting with them First To begin with the first there are some things absolutely necessary to be renounced without any Conditions there must be no Scruple as to these things and they are such as these 1. First of all Sinful Self and all beloved Lusts of our Hearts and Natures These must be renounced or we can have nothing to do with Christ The profitable and pleasant Sins that are as right Hands and right Eyes you must part with them Christians if you will have Christ for Christ and Sin cannot reign together Pray look into Rom. 6. 19 20 21. and you shall see the necessity of this As you have yielded your members servants to uncleanness so now yield them up to God as Instruments of Righteousness unto holiness You see the absolute necessity of giving Sin a discharg from all further Obedience or else we cannot be the Servants of the Lord Jesus Christian I do not say when thou receivest Christ thou shalt never commit a Sin more no no but that which I mean is this That thou must from henceforth provide for Sin no more indulge Sin by the consent of the Will no more you must not continue the actings of it deliberately you must hate every â—alse way and the consent of your Wills must be to Christ that 's the first thing to be let 〈◊〉 or you cannot have an interest in the Lord Jesus 2. The second thing that is absolutely necessary to be renounced and parted with in order to an Interest in Christ is all our own Self-righteousness you must let that go too else Christ and you will never agree That Idol must down Self-righteousness must be universally and heartily renounced and abhorred 'T is plain from Phil. 3. 8 9. Yea doubtless and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but dung that I may win Christ and be found in him not having my own righteousness You see Self-righteousness must go to the Dunghil all our own Duties must be renounced all natural and acquired gifts must be renounced never to look at Self