Sun of the water now let this mind be in you which also was in Jesus Christ a heavenly mind Eighthly The Lord Christs mind was a zealous mind a servent mind in 2 Joh. 17. Christ was zealous there in driving them out of the Temple that made his fathers house a den of Thieves He was zealous against the Traditions Doctrines and Practises of the Scribes and Pharisees the zeal of thy house hath eaten me up saith he a zealous mind he had Mat. 15. he was zealous against the tradition of the Elders and in Mat. 23. he was zealous against the Scribes and Pharisees woe to you Scribes Pharisees Hypocrites often he pronounces woe to them he had a zealous mind against all was corrupt and wicked So how zealous was Christ against the Churches for failings Rev. 2.2 3 4 5. I know thy works and thy labour and thy patience and how thou canst not bear them which are evil and thou hast tryed them which say they are Apâ—stles and are not and hast found them lyars and hast born and hast patience and for my name sake hast laboured and hast not fainted He commends them for what was good first Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee because thou hast left thy first love I have somewhat against thee Ephesus thou hast left thy first love Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen and repent and do thy first works or else I will come unto thee quickly and will remove thy Candlestick out of his place except thou repent Here 's the zeal of Christ I 'le come and I 'le come quickly and I 'le come and put out the Candle and break the Candlestick I will come and lay you waste though you be a Church if you dont return to your first works and first love The Lord had a zealous mind and spirit against declensions against declensions in love and grace and the like so in Heb. 5.7 who in the dayes of his flesh when he had offered up Prayers and Supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save O how zealously did Christ Pray when he prayed till the blood trickled down Christ had a zealous mind Now let this mind be in you also to have a zealous mind against traditions superstitions against declinings in Grace against Apostacy and things of that nature Ninthly the Lord Christ had a peaceable and a quiet mind in Mat. 11. saith Christ learn of me for I am meek he had a quiet and a meek mind and Mat. 12.19 he shall not strive nor cry neither shall any man here his voice in the streets he shall be meek and quiet and peaceable it 's said of Seraiah in Jeremiah that he was a quiet Prince much more of Jesus Christ there was no striving no bitterness no contention and the like but peaceable and quiet he was Now let this mind be in you which also was in Christ Jesus a meek a quiet a peaceable mind the Ornament of a meek and a quiet spirit is of great price saith the Apostle Peter speaking of Godly women such a spirit had Christ a quiet and a meek spirit and let this be in Christians and in Churches Tenthly the mind of the Lord Jesus Christ it was a submissive mind a submissive mind to his Fathers will whatever hard thing he should meet withall though he met with the hardest thing that was immaginable yet Christ was submissive unto it in Luke 22.42 Father if thou be willing remove the Cup from me nevertheless not my will but thine be done There was a cup prepared for Christ that never was the like cup for any to drink a a cup that had so much gall so much of the wrath of God a cup wherein all the guilt of our sins were and all the merit and desert of them this cup Christ must drink well saith he Father seeing I must drink it not my will but thy will be done So that the Lord Christ had a submissive mind to any hard and severe providence We are apt to stumble and quarrel and keep a do if things go cross to our wills and cannot bear them and say Lord not my will but thy will be done But let this mind be in you which was in Christ Jesus a submissive mind to the providences of God to drink the bitterest cup that he shall order out for you Eleventhly the Lord Christ had a Compassionate mind he was full of bowels of compassion and very tender hearted Mat. 15.32 Then Jesus called his Disciples unto him and said I have Compassion on the multitude because they continue now with me three dayes and have nothing to eat and I will not send them away fasting least they saint in the way O I pitty them I have compassion on them I would not have them faint in the way and so afterwards in Mat. when some came and cryed to him that he would shew them mercy saith the Text Christ had compassion on them Mat. 20.3 4. he was wonderful compassionate Heb. 4.15 We have not an High-Priest which cannot â—e tâ—uched with the feeling of our Infirmities the Lord Christ doth feel the infirmities of every member of his body and in Heb. 2.17 It behoved him to be made like unto his Brethren that he might be a merciful High Priest He is sensible of our ignorances and infirmities weakness ful of bowels compassions Why then let this mind be in you which also was in Christ Jesus a compassionate a merciful mind he was the good Samaritan which had compassion when neither the Priest nor the Levite would Twelfthly Lastly the Lord Christ had a loving mind a mind full of love a forgiving mind he â—ad such love as he could cover sins and forgive sins Eph. 5.2 walk in love as Christ also hath loved us O Christ hath loved us loved us and washed us in his own blood loved us and lay'd down his life for us loved us dearly and strongly loved us even above himself well saith he let this mind be in you which also was in Christ Jesus walk in love as Christ hath loved us And he loved us so as to forgive those that wronged him though they wronged him exceedingly took away his garments took away his credit took away his liberty took away his life Father forgive them they know not what they do Luke 23.34 and therefore he appoints or commands Mat. 5.44 I say unto you love your Enemies bless them that curse you do good to them that hate you and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you Christ did so let this mind be in you which also was in Christ Jesus Thus you see what mind was in Christ Yet to reduce things to these four particulars First to have the mind of Christ is to have the same thoughts in you that Christ had Christ had no ill thoughts in him but rebuk'd ill thoughts why think you evil in your hearts as it is in Psal 139.17
is Lord in your heart he is Lord in your spirits he is Lord in your tongues he is Lord in your heads he is Lord in all your wayes therefore look upon him as Lord and Moderator of all your thoughts words and actions and this will help you to do things in his name Secondly if you would do things in his name then mind the very example and practice of the Lord Jesus Christ himself he did not do things in his own name but he did all in his fathers name and therefore we should do all in his name when he requires it of us as the Father required it of him he did all in his Fathers name in Job 5.43 I am come in my Fathers name and ye receive me not I am come but I come in my Fathers name I dont come in my own name I run not on my own head I come not with my own will or my own words to do what I would but I am come in my Fathers name and the Fathers works he did in Joh. 10.25 Jesus answered them I told you and ye believe not the works that I do in my Fathers name they bear witness of me all the works that I do I do in my Fathers name not in my own name Now here 's a good example for us to mind the Lord Christ he did all in his Fathers name and so should we do all in Christs name and if we do them in his name we do them in the Fathers name also Paul did all in Christs name and we should do all in Christs name He did all in his Fathers name and his example is an unerring example Thirdly If we would do all in the name of Christ then let us get lowâ—â—â—o the Lord Jesus Christ 'T is want of love that makes us do so little in the name of Christ if we had love enough to Christ it would make us act in his name the name of Christ is an Oyntment poured out therefore do the Virgins love thee if we did look at the name of Christ as an Oyntment poured out sweet and precious and saving and comforting indeed O it would make us love the Lord Jesus as the Virgins do A Wife that loves her Husband it will make her do all in her Husbands name Oh if we had love to Jesus Christ we would do all in his name why the Lord Christ he loved his Father and saith he I keep his Commandements and abide in his love 'T is love will make you do things in the name of Christ the more love is in any soul the more it will act in the name of Christ and honour him Fourthly Lastly if we would do all in Christs name then let us consider the great reward that we shall have the reward will be great if we do all in his name I there will be a reward here and a reward hereafter we glorifie him and honour him much if we do all in his name I all the glory will be his now if we glorifie him we shall have a reward in our very acting how sweet is that action which is done aright in a right manner to a right end from a right principle how sweet is it as the Psalmist saith in keeping of thy Commandements there is great reward in the very keeping of the commands of God and Christ is great reward 〈◊〉 is great peace great comfort great content sweetness communion with God and at the end there is great reward Crowns of Glory a Kingdom Rivers of pleasure great reward so in doing things in the name of Christ there is a great reward in the very doing of it great sweetness great content to the soul great peace great communion with God great favour of Christ and afterwards there will be a great and glorious reward for the soul that doth so in the 12. John 26. If any man serve me saith Christ let him follow me and where I am there shall also my Servant be if any man serve me why who serves Christ better than he that doth all in Christs name if we be the Servants of Christ we shall do all in the name of Christ and what then Let him follow me and where I am there shall also my Servant be and if any man serve me him will my Father honour He shall be honoured by me and honoured by my Father honoured in Earth and honoured in Heaven honoured with a Kingdom and Glory and honoured with fruition of nâ—e and of my Father and all that is desirable Therefore consider of the great reward you shall have if you do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ The preciousness of the Word Psal 19.10 More to be desired are they then Gold yea then much fine Gold THe Psalmist had lay'd down in the former part of the Psalm many commendations of the Law the Statutes the Commandements the Testimonies and Judgments of the Lord. And here he draws up a conclusion concerning them all They are more to be desired then Gold then much fine Gold The words themselves are a Doctrine or an Observation and you may take it thus Doct. Divine truths are more to be desired then the choicest Treasures of the earth then all earthly treasures Two things are here to be done First to shew you that Gold is desirable and truths upon the same account Secondly that divine truths are more desirable then Gold or Silver or any earthly treasures whatsoever For the first two things there First what desire is Secondly that Gold is desirable and the truths of God upon the same account First what desire is desire is the reaching out of the soul after some good affected not in possession but absent saith David O that I had of the water of the Well of Bethlehem here 's the reaching out of his soul after some good affected 2 Sam. 23.15 saith Rachel give me Children or else I dye here 's the reaching out of her Soul after Children It is after good affected Either seeming good or real good affected Love is the root that bears desire and desire is the branch or fruit the hand and opperation of Love what we have no Love to we dont desire but what we have some Love too that we do desire It is the affecting of Good either seeming or real Solomon he desires wisdom that was a real good and he had real desires of it The desire of the Righteous is onely to good saith Solomon and there are seeming goods Eve desires the fruit 't was but a seeming good to her for it brought woe and sorrow to her and all hers Amnon desires Tamar it was a seeming good but a real evil Achan desires the Wedge of Gold it was his ruine Gehezi desires the Garments and the Wedge of Gold Now there must be good real or in appearance where desire is carried out unto it the soul sees some amiableness in the thing it doth desire and so it puts forth its desires after it
unsound hearted men and women oh how sad then is the condition of unsound hearted men 4. Look to your hearts look to your spirits that you be sound hearted and so may not be ashamed What shall we do I have told you before how to get soundness of heart and how to keep it and press'd it with arguments I shall add a little First if you would neither be unsound hearted nor ashamed at any time labour to get God to be your Father and to be in Gods house and in Gods way Isa 54. And all thy Children shall be taught of the Lord and great shall be the peace of thy Children if God be your Father and you be his Children he will teach you and he will teach you that which shall make your hearts sound All thy Children whose Children the Children of Sion the Church is Gods house all that get into Sion are in Gods house are in Gods way they shall be taught of God and great shall be their peace such a Mother and such a Father will Instill good Doctrine into you make you sound hearted and train you up in the nurture of the Lord and in Isa 48.17 Thus saith the Lord the holy one of Israel I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit and leadeth thee in the way that thou shouldest go but now if it be not so you must wander you shall go in by wayes you will have an unsound heart and perish for ever Secondly if you would have hearts neither unsound nor such as shall make you ashamed at the last day keep your hearts humble and low in the sight of God be whose heart is lifted up in him is not right as Habbak 2.4 his soul is not sound keep your hearts humble and low through the sense of your own emptyness nothingness guilt wretched deserving the account you must give to God danger of miscarriage and in the 25 Psal saith David The meek will he guide in Judgment and the meek will he teach his way God loves humble and low and meek spirits and v. 12. What man is he that feareth the Lord him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose No man fears God that is proud and lifted up no man that is humble and meek but fears God and God will teach that man and keep him that he shall never be ashamed Thirdly If you would not have unsound hearts nor be ashamed then let me intreat you to receive the whole word of God into your hearts receive the whole truth and with love and as the truth of God First receive the whole truth for if you be partial and will receive some truth and not all you shew your hearts to be unsound and you will be ashamed Psal 119.6 Then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect unto all thy Commandements what if David should have respect to all but one he would be ashamed and confounded if he should not have respect unto all he that breaks one Command saith James is guilty of all Secondly receive all with love and unless you do so all is nothing receive the truths of God because they are holy truths because they have the stamp of God upon them because they will bring you to God and Glory Thirdly receive them as the truths of God 1 Thess 2.13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing because when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us ye received it not as the word of Men Mark many say the word of the Apostles and Ministers is the word of men and they will not receive it nor hear it but mark you received it as it is in truth the word of God which effectually worketh in you that believe The word is the word of God let them say what they will and it works and works effectually in them that receive it so Therefore receive the whole word receive it with love receive it as the word of God and not as the word of men Fourthly Lastly if you would be neither unsound hearted nor ashamed in time of affliction in an hour of Death in the day of Judgment make the Lord Jesus Christ your friend whosoever hath Christ for a friend shall never be ashamed but if Christ be not your friend let whose will plead for you you will be ashamed you must be confounded 1 Joh. 2.1 If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous it is as if the Apostle had said we do know Christ and we have union with Christ and interest in Christ and Christ is our Friend and our Advocate and he will plead our cause though Devils accuse and Conscience accuse yet Christ will keep us from shame see then that you get the Lord Christ to be your friend how is that how give up your selves wholly to him Let your understandings conceive of his worth and excellency that he hath all fullness in him that he is the Mediator that he is the Prince of life that he is the great reconciler of man to God the father and that Christ invites men to come to himself in Isa 55. Hoe every one that thirsteth it's Christs invitation Come ye to the waters and he that hath no money come ye buy and eat yea come buy wine and milk without money and without price put forth an act of Faith in me close with me choose me for your Husband for your Portion for your Righteousness for your satisfaction choose me for your Advocate and surety choose me to be your friend saith Christ and such a friend is worth the having Joh. 15.15 Henceforth I call you not Servants for the Servant knoweth not what his Lord doth but I have called you friends If you choose Christ to be your friend he will own you and call you friends therefore receive all that Christ hath given out I have told you all that I have heard of my Father Therefore whatsoever Christ hath made known from the father to you receive it embrace it obey it practice it testifie love and friendship to Christ and then he will testifie love and friendship to you but if you will not do this in Luk. 9.26 Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my word of him shall the Son of man be ashamed when he shall come in his own Glory and in his Fathers and of the holy Angels And then confusion shall be upon you to all Eternity The Lord teach you all to mind these things and to remember the Text and make use of that and pray it over once a day at least to the Lord Lord let my heart be found in thy Statutes that I be not ashamed If the heart be not sound you will be ashamed to all eternity Believing lyeth under Command 1 Joh. 3.23 And this is his Commandment that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ c. IN the Verse before the Apostle tells us the great
love Thus then you see now to know whether your faith be right in Jesus Christ being commanded to believe in him One thing more and that is if faith lye under a Command let us all then be obedient to this Command and labour to believe in his Son Jesus Christ more and more if we have no faith let us do it if we have faith let us do it more and more I shall give you two or three motives and answer a question and so conclude First for Motives know you can never truly love God till your sins are forgiven you you will think God is not your God till your sins are forgiven but if you find that your sins are forgiven you you will love God then to purpose you will love God then in truth and in strength Mary loved much why many sins were forgiven her now unless you believe in Jesus Christ you cannot have the forgiveness of your sins and so you will be questioning whether God love you or whether he be not a hard God and a hard Master and dont pardon your sins and so you cannot love God truly and love God with strength If therefore you would love God with truth and strength believe in his Son Jesus Christ that you may know your sins are forgiven Secondly This believing in the Lord Jesus Christ makes our persons very acceptable unto God Eph. 1.6 he hath made us accepted in his Beloved How are we made accepted by faith in him if we have not faith in him we are not accepted therefore the Apostles put us to do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Col. 3.17 There 's the acceptation of your persons And so of your Prayers our Prayers will never speed in Heaven and have gracious Returns unless we believe in the Son of God 't is for Christs sake that our Prayers are heard as you may see in the verse before the Text and the Text together whatsoever we ask we receive of him because we keep his Commandments And what 's one Command That we belieive on the Name of his Son Jesus Christ why now our Prayers come to be heard when we keep his Commandments Lastly It is that which doth exalt the grace of God and honours him very much to believe in his Son Jesus Christ It 's said in 1 Joh. 5. He that believes not hath made God a Lyar. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself There 's encouragement to believe in the Son of God He that believeth not God hath made him a Lyar because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son And this is one record that God hath given us eternal life in him And this is another that he Commands us to believe in him that we may have this eternal life Now what a dishonour is this to the God of truth to make him a lyar but now to believe in his Son doth exalt the free grace of God God hath made all the promises to Jesus Christ and in Christ they are all yea and Amen And mark it All the promises of God in him are Yea and and in him Amen unto the Glory of God by us 2 Cor. 1.20 When we believe in his Son Jesus Christ in whom they are all concentred in whom they are all yea and Amen but if you do not believe in the Son of God They are not all to the honour of God God hath not his glory in that way that he looks for by Jesus Christ So that we should believe in the Son of God because it doth exalt his honour and his free grace and promotes his Glory abundantly and the contrary brings reproach and dishonour upon God One question more But happily some will say I cannot believe what should I do To that Soul and to all of us I would say thus much First attend diligently unto the means by which God works faith Rom. 10.17 Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God Attend now unto the means the Gospel especially which is the means that God hath appointed to work faith by and doth work faith by Eph. 1.13 In whom ye also trusted after that ye heard the word of truth the Gospel of your Salvation When they heard the word of truth the Gospel of Salvation then they came to trust in him So when people do attend unto the means of Grace and attend seriously unto it God doth work faith and increase faith where it is by the same means You know Pipes dont give water but water comes through Pipes so the Gospel is the Pipe through which God lets out this water of grace and conveys it unto us and will you see it performed in Acts 13.48 And when the Gentiles heard this they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed When they heard the Gospel Preached as many as were ordained to eternal life believed they attended upon the word and the means of grace and it was not in vain they believed Attend therefore upon the Gospel and the word Preached as an Ordinance of God appointted and designed of God purposely to work faith in your Souls many persons they come to hear the Word they come only to hear a man what he can say and what notions and new things there may be but they come not to it as an ordinance of God appointed to work grace and faith in the soul and so miss of their expectation upon that account Secondly Consider how freely Jesus Christ is offered in the Gospel and offered unto you and at what a cheap rate Christ is to be had In Isa 55 come without money and without price come and drink of the waters of life freely Why the Lord Jesus Christ is a free gift Rom. 5.15 saith the Apostle not as the offence so also is the free gift A free gift Jesus Christ and grace is and Joh. 4.10 If thou haddest known the gift of God O Christ is the gift of God and what is required now but receiving of this gift will you not receive a gift and such a gift as this is when it is tendred to you by God himself and tendred to you in such a glorious manner and God doth put off this rich gift at a very low rate if you will receive it Rev. 3.20 I stand at the dore and knock if any man hear my voice and open the dore I will come into him and Ch. 22.17 whosoever will let him come and take of the water of life freely here 's Christ with the water of life and bread of life with his Righteousness with all that is useful for you for the present and to eternity here he is receive him O how great will our condemnation be if we dont receive him when as he is offered so freely to us 3. Lastly you cannot believe you say and I believe you too you cannot believe I but pray unto God to inable you
callings and leave events to God if God will cast it in take it thankfully and use it well to his glory Fifthly If you would not love the world get your wills subordinate to Gods will God is infinitely wise and infinitely good he is the great Soveraign and his will is not to be disputed Gods will must take place now what is the will of God labour not to be rich cease from thine own wisdom here 's the will of God now if our wills were subordinate to his will there would be no loving of the world little or much of the world it 's all one to me it 's the will of God that I look after and if God will give me any thing or nothing I am content therewith Sixthly If you would have your hearts taken off from the love of the world and the things of it behold and look upon the Lord Jesus Christ crucified and glorified Set Christ crucified often before your eyes and look upon him by an eye of faith Gal. 6.14 God forbid saith Paul that I should glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world I look upon Christ crucified and I by an eye of faith can see Christ hanging there and all the glory of the world stain'd there Is all the world comparable to Christ here 's the King the High-Priest the Mediator the great Prophet here 's the Heir of the world crucified here 's his blood running down and he hath lay'd down his life for sinners and to take off my heart from the world if you look but upon a dead man it strikes a damp into you what will the looking upon Christ do then it will strike a damp in your hearts towards the world if you look upon Jesus Christ crucified I am crucified to the world saith Paul So look upon Christ glorified and our hearts will be raised above the world Col. 3. If ye then be risen with Christ seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God Set your affection on things above not on things on the earth Christ hath dyed and is risen again and gone to glory if now you be risen out of the state of sin translated out of the power of darkness into the Kingdom of his dear Son you will have your hearts where Christ is consider Christ there 's my Head my King my Husband there 's my Redeemer there 's he that is a thousand times better than the world therefore I will not set my heart upon the things of the earth but upon the things above what a glorious thing it is to see the King in his glory look much and consider much of Christ crucified and Christ glorified Seventhly Lastly if we would have our hearts taken off from the world see you love God himself more that blessed God more and more and that will estrange your hearts from the creature and from the world for you will find all in the creature united in God and infinitely more than in the world than in the creature if a man be in love with a Blackamore it may be she hath a good feature but she is black bring a beautiful and lovely object now and it will take him off from the black the world is but a Blackamore an evil thing and it 's full of corruption having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lusts the world is corrupted through lusts and is full of loathsomness but look upon the beauties of God and the excellencies of God are such as would ravish a mans soul and draw it up unto him And to close all mark in the Text Love not the world neither things that are in the world If any man love the world The love of the Father is not in him If you love the world the love of the father is not in you the father doth not love you take it that way if you love the world or you may take it the other way you dont love the father if you love the world If you would therefore have an evidence that the father loves you and you love the father love not the world but let your love be more and more to the father and so you will have more and more evidence of his love and that you dont love the world Thus you see many Arguments to beat us off and the remedies and helps how to get us off from the love of the world which the Lord make effectual FINIS
THE Sound-hearted Christian OR A TREATISE OF Soundness of Heart With several other SERMONS As Of Believing Of being of Christs mind Of doing all in his Name Of the preciousness of the Word Of the sweetness of the Word and Against the Love of the World By William Greenhill Non progredi est regredi London Printed for Nath. Crouch at the Cross Keys in Bishopsgate-street near Leaden-hall 1670. To that little Flock the Author of the ensuing Treatise relates unto DEarly beloved knowing that shortly I must put off my earthen Tabernacle I thought it meet whilst I am in it to mind you of something Preached amongst you and to present the same in Print unto you that ye might be able after my decease to have the same alwayes in remembrance The chief part of the Treatise is about Soundness of Heart and what is my desire but that you may be found sound hearted The times we live in are discovering times and the unsoundness of many is lay'd open before the Sun they began in the spirit and now are ending in the flesh many are declined and too many declining The Jews rejoyced in John's light for a season Those of Asia followed Paul while the Sun shined but when it was cloudy weather they turn'd aside Those that came out of Egypt meeting with hardships unlook'd for would have gone back to Egyptian flesh-pots and of six hundred thousand men only Caleb and Joshuah who had sound hearts entred into Canaan The holy Scripture mentions but one Demas who imbrac'd the world now there are many so drench't in it that they are in danger of erring from the faith Have not some of all perswasions amongst us manifested their unsoundness by deserting their principles and practices Have not some forsaken their first love and are become lukewarm Laod ceans Are not many halting between God and Baal Are not multitudes return'd to the Romish Synagogne whose Head they pretend is Peter's Successor but unlike him altogether except in denyal of his Lord and Master Have not some gone out from you that were not of you and left Christ the only true light for their own light is it not an hour of Temptation Are there not blustring winds of Doctrine abroad that would blow away the grace and gospel of Christ and have only morality for grace and gospel Is not the Dragon wroth with the Woman and making war with the remnant of her seed which keep the Commandments of God now manifest your selves to be of that seed admit of nothing against the command of Christ without you or the light and motions of the spirit within you The Rabbins say that in the Kingdom of Messiah there is nothing of mans invention In regno Messiae nil mundanum If the Whores golden Cup be offer'd you look not at the glittering outside but the poyson within and drink not thereof least you dye keep your garments clean meddle not with any thing that defileth or is defiled Think not Ordinances needless things for if so the taking away the Kingdom of Heaven from the Jews was no great judgement nor the bestowing of it upon another people any great mercy Have an high esteem of the Word and Oudinances for where there is no vision people perish Hold fast what you have heard and stand fast in the Lord and so shall ye live and you shall be our hope our joy and crown of Rejoycing That you may do so and be so in this day of Tryal and Tribulation this little Treatise is commended unto you wherein you will find what soundness of heart is how greatly desirable and excellent whether your hearts be so how to get such hearts and how to keep them being gotten with something of faith something of being of Christs mind of doing all in his name something of the preciousness and sweetness of the Word and somewhat against the love of the world which if you will read mind and practice you will never fall from the principles and stedfastness but be stronger and stronger and hold on the way until you appear before the Lord in glory The God of all grace be with you dwell in you and inable you all in all things to do his will Yours in the work of the Lord to serve you W. G. ERRATA PAge 10. line 24. read are p. 11. l. 16. r. his p. 15. l. 18. r. 1st Use p. 29. l. 3. r. Obs 2. p. 31. l. 7. r. hereupon p. 35. l. 11. r. do p. 37. l. 29. r. Hezekiah p. 44. l. 6. r. do p. 46. l. 30. r. Jannes p. 47. l. 17. r. Thirdly p. 53. l. 30. r. for p. 58. l. 23. r. fold p. 59. l. 17. r. that fall p. 64. l. 23. r. therefore p. 81. l. 12. r. souls p. 94. l. 9. r. for are will be p. 100. l. 6. r. beautiful l. 20. r. not p. 112. l. 4. r. it 's p. 116. l. 30. r. if p. 128. l. 2. r. if p. 174. l. 9. r. Doctr. without first p. 175. l. 1. r. what things p. 199. l. 32. dele of p. 213. l. 26. r. lamps p. 219. l. 11. r. 140. p. 243. l. 18. r. cares p. 267. l. 2. after no add and leave things certain is unreasonable p. 269. l. 12. r. knee p. 287. l. 28. r. with p. 293. l. 26. d a. p. 295. l. 22. r. doth p. 299. l. 12. r. wares p. 304. l. first r. yea These with some other Errata's especially in the last sheets which the Author had not opportunity to review the Reader is desired to correct and Pardon Of Soundness of Heart The Substance of several Sermons upon Psal 119.80 Let my heart be sound in thy Statutes that I be not ashamed THis Psalm doth consist of as many parts as there be Letters in the Hebrew Alphabet and every eight verses begins with a distinct Letter of the A phabet and it 's a Psalm that some of the Antients do call the very marrow and heart of the Scripture it being in the middest of the Book of God And divers Eulogies they have of it precious truths are contained in it And twice in this Psalm doth David make request unto God about his heart the one is in the 36. v. Incline my heart unto thy testimonies and not to covetousness O Lord saith David I desire my heart may go the right way but I am not able to manage nor carry my heart as I would I would fain have it cleave to thy testimonies but it runs out here and there and therefore Lord saith he incline thou my heart unto thy testimonies thy testimonies are very precious they testifie of thy Nature they testifie of thine attributes they testifie of thy promises they testifie of thy will and good pleasure they testifie what will be the advantage of man for his present and eternal good incline my heart unto thy testimonies and 〈◊〉 to covetousness Alas what are the honours the pleasures the riches of the world to thy testimonies they
name and strength of the Lord and make mention of his righteousness and of his onely and in Isa 44.25 Verily shall one say in the Lord have I righteousness and strength what made Peter fall but this that he went out in his own strength I will dye e're I will deny thee O poor Peter he did then presently deny him once twice he denyed him with execrations 15. Men prove unsound and are ashamed that do either joyn any thing of their own to Christ or fetch their comforts any where else then from Christ most men and women joyn something of their own with Christ I will do what I can and I hope Christ will do the rest Alas poor creature dost thou joyn thy self with Christ and make thy works and thy sufferings equal to Christs and give them the honour that Christ must have thou art undone Christ must save alone or he will not save at all Christ doth all alone without thee he looks for nothing from thee Rom. 9.32 wherefore because they sought it not by faith but as it were by the works of the Law we read saith the Jews and we Pray and we offer Sacrifice and we burn Incense we keep Sabbaths Solemn Feasts and new Moons and what must we not bring in our own Righteousness with Christs must all this be lay'd by they would have it as it were by the works of the Law and Ch. 10.3 they being ignorant of Gods righteousness they did not know that Christ's righteousness alone must do it and Christs obedience and Christ's sufferings must do it but going about to establish their own righteousness they have not submitted themselves to the righteousness of God and so they were unsound hearted and undid themselves for when men or women bring any thing to Christ they undo themselves you must come without money to Christ without righteousness without your duties without your own actions and the good of them for what 's all your goodness but as a morning cloud therefore whosoever will bring ought to Christ is unsound and will be ashamed and so are you if you fetch your comfort from any but Christ there are many poor Christians which are shaken very much are empty of all is good in their own eyes yet they will fetch their Comfort from elsewhere than from Christ they will fetch their comfort from the promises from God immediately or from the Ordinances or the Minister or some good Christian or Godly friend but know that if you fetch your comfort any where but from Christ it will never hold is not Christ the consolation of Israel God hath given Christ to send the Comforter and you must have your comfort in Christ for all the promises of God in Christ are yea and in him Amen the promises are made first to Christ and you must take up the promise in Christ and draw the comfort out of the promise through Christ and you must go to God through Christ what comfort to you from God out of Christ it's nothing but discomfort if we will take up comfort any way but by Christ we go the wrong way to work and undo our selves and shall be ashamed at last 16. They are like to prove unsound who do go on in a tract of duty in a form of Godliness and get nothing thereby when men do not get and gain and grow by the Ordinances of God it 's a sign their hearts are corrupt they are unsound do not many sit under Ordinances year after year and yet no lusts mortifyed ever learning and never come to the knowledge of the truth no lust is mortified no lust subdued no change made in their heads and hearts no zeal be got in them no encrease of faith no more love to God c. these men now are unsound and will be ashamed at last the Jews were long under the means of grace and yet they gain'd nothing the Scribes and Pharises had a form of Godliness and I am not like this Publican but no whit the better now when it is so it 's a dangerous symptom having a form of Godliness but without power yet many Families and Christians have a form of Godliness but no power at all 17. Again 't is a dangerous symptom of an unfound heart when as we are under troubles shakings convictions and terrors of Conscience and we look more at ease and comfort than we do at foundness many when they are shaken and convinced of sin and see that they are lost and undone creatures they must have ease comfort and relief presently they must have Oyl they must have Wine it 's a thousand to one if this soul ever proves right for if thy conviction be right and God intend thee rich mercy to eternity Thou wilt look after soundness and healing of thy soul rather than ease and comfort Heal my soul saith David for I have sinned against thee Create in me a clean heart and renew in me a right Spirit O God let me be made clean let me be made sound and no matter for comfort that will come in time if the cure be right if therefore we look at ease comfort and refreshing and look not at healing we are not right and there 's no healing virtue but in Christ the Lord Jesus he is the Son of righteousness that comes with healing in his wings come Lord and heal my soul come Lord and purge my conscience come and take away these lusts and corruptions come and take away my enmity to God and to his wayes the soul goes thus to God that soul is sound indeed 18. That soul which loves any thing more than the Lord Christ himself and God himself cannot have a testimony of its foundness but may be assured it is corrupt and rotten unless we do love God and Christ superlatively above all things in the world yea our selves we are not sound Math. 12.30 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind and with all thy strength mark here be four all 's and God must have all in every one thou must love the Lord thy God with thy heart and with all thy heart it must not be a divided heart it must be with all thy soul the soul is larger than the heart and with all thy mind the mind runs here and there and imagins strange things God must have all thy mind all thy affections and all thy understanding and with all thy strength is there strength in thy mind in thy soul in thy heart in thy body in thy hand in thine eye God must have thy strength Love the Lord thy God will all thy strength but if we love any thing more than God where are we then 2 Tim. 3. Lovers of pleasure more than Lovers of God men will spend night and day in Feasting in Drinking in Gaming in Rioting one way or other what are these now but corrupt men unsound men rotten hearted men men
interest that the Saints have in God and the ground of it Their great interest in God is this that whatsoever they ask they receive of him they have such interest that God grants their Prayers whatever they ask And the ground of it is because they keep his Commandements and do those things that are pleasing in his fight Now least they might scruple what Commandements they were that he mean't he tells them in the Verse read of two especially and that is That they believe and that they love one another There be three great Commandements in the Gospel Believing Loving and Repenting Two you have here in the Verse the third in Acts 17.30 The Lord commands every man every where to repent and these two of Loving and Repenting cannot be rightly performed without the first Believing Believing in the Son of God for that love which is without faith is but natural love and that Repentance which is without faith in the Son of God is but legal repentance but that love and that repentance which springs from faith in the Son of God is spiritual love and spiritual repentance The Apostle tells you in 1 Tim. 1.5 The end of the Commandement is charity out of a Pure heart and of a good Conscience and of faith unfeigned If love dont come from faith unfeigned it is not spiritual love In the words read you have First the Commander in the word his Secondly The thing commanded Believing Thirdly The object or person in whom they are to believe or we are to believe set out First by his Relation the Son of God Secondly by his Titles Jesus and Christ The Commander here is God there is none greater than he and therefore his Commands are of greatest authority if in the word of a King there be power how much more in the word of the great and high God and 't is not a verbal Command onely but 't is a written Command that all may take notice of it and may yield obedience unto it The point that I shall commend unto you is this Doct. That believing in the Lord Jesus Christ is a duty under Command In Mark 1.15 saith he Repent ye and believe the Gospel Repentance is commanded and believing the Gospel is commanded and a man cannot believe the Gospel unless he believe in the Son of God I shall not multiply Scriptures to prove it the Text is enough This is his command that we believe in his Son Jesus Christ Now I shall in the prosecution of this point shew you what is imployed in Believing 2. What 's meant by the Name of the Son of God 3. What believing in the name of the Son of God doth also imply And then answer some questions and improve the point For the first what is implyed in believing First Knowledge is implyed in it 't is a blind faith where there is no knowledge the Papists believe as the Church believes and such a faith is a fancy rather than true faith Paul saith I know in whom I have believed and in Joh. 17.3 knowledge there is put for faith so essential is it to faith that it is put for faith it self this is life eternal that they might know thee the onely true God So that in believing there must be knowledge and understanding else it will be a blind believing a blind faith Secondly In believing there is implyed assent of the understanding to the truth that is propounded truth is the object of the understanding As Christ came into the World to save sinners I must assent unto this truth God is in Christ reconciling the world unto himself Such truths and Propositions as these there must be the assent of the understanding unto and Papists will go thus far in the point of faith and make the very formal nature of faith to lye in assent 't is a truth there must be assent but assent is not enough They place it altogether in the understanding and fix it there but the Devils believe and tremble and give assent unto truths they said Christ was the Son of God they gave assent yea the Devils believe and tremble therefore this is not enough though this is required and necessary assent there must be but there must be more than assent But Thirdly There must be Consent which brings in the heart and will and looks at the goodness of the truth or person some good that is in any truth propounded or any person to be believed in Rom. 10.9 10. If thou confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart Not in thine head for with the heart man believeth unto Righteousness with the heart man believes there must be the heart in believing and not the head and understanding onely so that there must be consent of the will and heart unto the thing believed Now this consent must be free and full to have Christ and whole Christ to have Christ at the best and have Christ at the worst whatever may fall out in true believing there is such a free and full consent that it will have Christ whatever it cost Fourthly Lastly in believing there must be affiance a confidence or trust and that you will find express'd in Eph. 1.12 that we should be to the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ there must be trusting After we know and give assent and consent then we must trust and depend and rely upon Christ So in 2 Tim. 1.12 I know whom I have believed in your margin it is whom I have trusted so that there is a trust a confidence a relyance a recumbency a dependance upon the Lord Jesus Christ where there is a right believing Thus you see what is implyed in believing Secondly What 's meant by the name of Jesus Christ Not the Letters or Syllables as many bow at the name of Jesus that is not the meaning but Name is put for the Thing or put for the person Psal 34.3 Let us exalt his Name together that is God himself let us exalt God himself so thou shalt reverence that dreadful name Jehovah that 's God himself and when you read of Sanctifying the name of God in Scripture that is God himself And so here Rom. 10.13 you will find by Name is meant God himself whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved that is shall call upon God himself And Acts 4.12 There is none other Name under Heaven given among men whereby we must be saved that is there is no person but Jesus whereby you can be saved And Joh. 3.18 he that believeth on him is not Condemned but he that believeth not is Condemned already because he hath not believed in the Name of the onely begotten Son of God Now what is it to believe in his name or in him First it implyes the receiving into our heads and hearts all things God hath revealed from Heaven concerning him As that he is the Son of God that God gave him for
worthy to live else but if we love the world we dont serve God and love God we cannot serve God and Mamon Mamon is Riches 't is an impossible thing and therefore the Lord Christ when he was tempted by the Devil Matth. 4.10 saith he Get thee hence Satan for it is written Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serve I cannot hearken to thy Temptations to imbrace the world no 't is impossible him Onely shalt thou serve God Onely is to be served and we cannot serve two Masters whosoever loves the world hath two Masters to serve God and the world and 't is impossible to serve them both Seventhly We should not love the world because hereby we make God our enemy 'T was a sad thing when God said to Jer. Behold I am against thee I am thy enemy to have the great God the Lord of Hosts the Lord of Sabbaths the Lord of Heaven and Earth to be our Enemy O dreadful whosoever loves the world is the enemy of God in 4. James 4. Ye Adulterers and Adulteresses know ye not that the friendship of the world is enemity with God That 's more than an Enemy Enmity to God Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the Enemy of God Would you be enemies to God Love the World If you would not be enemies to God dont love the world Better have all the world our enemy than God our enemy all the world to be against us than God to be against us And in Psal 10. It 's said The covetous whom God abhors A man of a covetous heart and covetous affections is greedy of the world and loves the world God abhors him To have God our enemy is sad what will become of that man or woman that hath God for their enemy The love of the world doth make God our enemy Eighthly We should not love the world because it makes us expensive of time which is better than the world Would any man lay out Gold and Silver for Straws and Stubble and Chips and Butterflyes and such things as these Those that love the world are at greater expences than the world is worth and they give that for the world which is better than the world The best things of the world are the riches and honours and pleasures and preferments and learning and gifts but now our souls are better than all these better than the whole world What shall a man give in exchange for his soul all the world is not worth one soul one soul is worth a Million of worlds Now to lay out our time strength understandings and souls about the world and the things of the world what expences are we at we give too much for the world the world is not worthy of our affections understandings strengths hearts therefore see what the Prophet saith in Isa 55.2 he comes there with a vehement expostulation wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread 'T is not bread when you get it It 's not any thing will satisfie or advantage your souls And you labour for that which satisfieth not So that we are at too great cost and too great expences when we love the world and labour to get the world and buy it at so dear a rate Ninthly We should not love the world because it imbaseth the understanding that most noble faculty of the soul The world doth imbase our understandings and imbase our spirits our understanding was made and given us for God and for heavenly things that we might have Communion with God by virtue of our understanding and reason and apprehension and fall in with God Now if the Body be for God as in 1 Cor. 6.13 much more the soul and the understanding is for God and for heavenly things and not for the Earth and earthly things Now the world doth imbase our understandings for what is the world it's a meer dirty thing Rom. 8.20.22 You shall see that the world is subject to corruption subject to vanity the world is in bondage to corruption and the world lyes in wickedness 1 Joh. 5.19 It lyes like a piece of Carrion in a Ditch it lyes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the wicked one in the Devil And what can the world contribute to your understanding now to do you good No it imbases the understanding and makes the soul earthly drossy muddy and miery Now will you imbase a noble Soul to a dirty World in Dan. 2. There is mention made of a great Image and what was the best of that Image the Feet are Clay and the Legs are Iron and the Thighs are Brass and the Belly is Silver and the Head is Gold the best is but Gold and Silver and they are rusty things perishing things and these do imbase a noble Heroical Soul to be bowed down to these things for the Soul becomes that which it loves if it loves the earth it is an earthly soul Tenthly The world it is of a damning nature and therefore we should not love it The world doth not onely indanger us but it drowns the soul in perdition 1 Tim. 6.9 They that will be rich fall into Temptation and a Snare and into many foolish and hurtful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition The soul is drown'd in perdition whosoever is a lover of the world is a child of the world and so is a Son of perdition It 's said of the man of sin he is a Son of perdition the world doth make men leave Christ in the 19. Matth. 22. There 's a young man comes to Christ Master what shall I do to inherit eternal life keep the Commandments saith Christ He saith unto him which Jesus said Thou shalt do no Murther Thou shalt not commit Adultery c. The young man saith unto him all these things have I kept from my youth up what lack I yet Jesus saith unto him if thou wilt be perfect go and sell that thou hast and give to the poor and thou shalt have treasure in Heaven and come and follow me but he leaves Christ he went away sorrowful saith the Text why he had great Possessions So the Scribes and Pharises they leave Christ for their Credit Joh. 12.42 43. So in the 8. Matth. 34. The Gadarens desire Christ to be gone out of their Countrey they would have none of Christ but they loved their Swine which were drown'd in the Sea and the world drown'd them in perdition Eleventhly The world is a great enemy to growth in grace and Communion with God for the world and the things of it divert the heart from spiritual things Martha is cumbred about many things and diverted from Christ and hearing of him So in Matth. 13.22 He also saith Christ that received seed among the Thornes is he that heareth the word and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word and he becometh unfruitful So that the love of the world
creation waits for it Sixthly Lastly The creature teaches us to know times and seasons the Stork the Crane and the Swallow they know their times and seasons and shall not we know times and part seasons We are therefore to make it a part of our study to study the world and the creatures Secondly We may pray for the things of this world Prov. 30.8 Agur prayes there Remove far from me vanity and lyes give me neither poverty nor riches feed me with food convenient for me you see here he prayes for food convenient So in Luke 11. Christ teaches us to pray Give us day by day our daily bread that is things needful for this life needful for my state and condition and relation that I am in Thirdly We must follow a calling in this world and use lawful means to obtain the things of the world 2 Thes 3.10.12 The Apostle orders there If any man work not neither should he eat Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ that with quietness they work and eat their own bread The Lord commands and orders it so men are to have a calling and to follow a calling and to be diligent in their calling 1 Cor. 7.33 He that is Married careth for the things of this world how he may please his Wife He ought to take care and to please his wife and provide for his wife and Children 1 Tim. 5.8 He that provides not for his own and especially for those of his own house he hath denyed the Faith and is worse than an Infidel and they ought so to labour as they may have wherewith to relieve others Eph. 4.28 Let him that stole steal no more but rather let him labour working with his hands the thing which is good that he may have to give to him that needeth Men ought to have a calling and follow a calling and so to follow it that they may not live upon others and be idle but have to relieve others and help others that are impotent or aged and sick and weak or made poor by the providence of God Acts 20.35 It is more blessed to give then to receive Men should labour therefore to have that so they may give rather than receive Fourthly We may use the world it 's not said here use not the world but love not the world nor the things of it 1 Cor. 7.31 And they that use this world as not abusing it Men indeed do abuse the world to gratifie their lusts and to satisfie the flesh as in the next verse All that is in the world the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world we may use the world but not abuse it Qu. Now the next question is when doth a man so use the world as not to abuse it An. I answer first a man doth not abuse the the world but use it well and right when he uses all things for that end that God hath made them Now in Prov. 16.4 you shall see for what end God hath made the world He hath made all things for himself God hath made all things and all things in this world for himself for his own praise and honour and glory and therefore in the 1 Cor. 10.31 Whether ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do do all to the Glory of God Let God be glorified in your eating and drinking in your recreations in all your actions in all your sufferings do all to the glory of God for God hath made all things for himself and in 1 Cor. 6. Ye are not your own ye are bought with a price glorifie God in your body and in your spirit which are Gods When you use your understandings your affections your speech your eyes your hands your feet when you use all to the glory of God Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity when your feet run the way of Gods Commandments when you use all for the glory of God then you dont abuse the world but use it a right way Secondly When we walk with God in the use of the world and the things of it and answer Gods call It 's said of Enoch he walked with God three hundred years he walked with God in his calling we are but Stewards and God calls upon us ever and anon to do this and to do that he calls upon us to give to the poor we answer Gods call So when God calls upon us to mourn we mourn when he calls us to Sympathize with those that suffer we Sympathize when he calls us to rejoyce we rejoyce when we abridge our selves of our liberty at Gods call now we use the world aright Thirdly We use the world aright when we use the world and the things of the world to promote spiritual good in our selves or others Rom. 8.28 All things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to his purpose Now when I use the creature to promote my spiritual good the good of my soul to get more grace to further my peace and comfort and content and communion with God I use the word aright I use it well Matth. 5.16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorifie your Father which is in Heaven When I use the world so that I make my light to shine by it and so to shine that men may see my good works when I do good with my estate that men may glorifie God now I use my estate aright When I make friends of unrighteous Mammon that 's using the world aright to promote spiritual good Many use their estates to crush others and to be revenged and to have their lusts satisfied and so they promote the interest of Satan this now is an ill use of the world and the things of the world Fourthly Then I use the world aright when I do use the world on the by and I mind the things of God and of my Soul as my main business The world is to be minded but on the by and the things of God and of the Soul are to be my main business here in the world Wherefore hath God set me in this world is it to get riches and honours and to have my pleasures and to gratifie my lusts No but to glorifie his name and to work out my own salvation now when I make this my main business I use the world aright Therefore saith Christ Labour not for the meat that perisheth but for that meat which endureth to everlasting life which the Son of man shall give unto you for him hath God the Father Sealed Let that be your main business to get the bread that endureth to everlasting life to get grace to work out your salvation to get assurance and clear evidences for an eternal good condition this must be your main scope and business here in the world but many look at heaven
and the things of God as things by the by and they look after the world as the main business Fifthly Then I use the world aright and dont abuse it when my moderation is known that way and my affections run out little to the world when our moderation and affection towards them is such as if they were not And this you shall see plain in the 1 Cor. 7.29 30 31. saith he It remaineth that both they that have wives be as though they had none When my moderation and affection towards a wife be as though I had none and they that weep as though they wept not you are under great and heavy afflictions but you weep as if you wept not And they that rejoyce as though they rejoyced not Have you prosperous times and all things go well Be as if you rejoyced not as if there were no such thing And those that buy as though they possessed not Be as if you had no possessions no houses no lands when you have bought and purchas'd them And they that use this world as not abusing it When our moderation is such towards things as if they were not Phil. 4. Let your moderation be known to all men Sixthly Lastly we use the world as not abusing it when we so use it that we can give a good and chearful account to God concerning what we have had in the world God gives some men great portions and some men less portions there 's none but have something Now when we use our Gifts our Estates our Relations so that we can give a good account to God Come give account of thy Stewardship it will be said e'r long to every man and woman thou hast had Wife and Children and Parents and Brethren and Sisters and health and strength and the like come give account of your Stewardship now when we so use all that we can give a good and chearful account to God we have not abused the world but us'd it the right way There 's a question or two more before I come to the use and application of the point which is this Qu. Are not the creatures of God good and may we not love them being good for good is the object of love An. To this I answer first that the good in the creature is very little very little compared to spiritual good or the goodness of God The good of the creature is very little and so little that it cannot make us good but rather doth further our corruptions and feed our lusts for all that is in the world as he saith here is the lust of the flesh the lust of the eye and the pride of life The things of the world do feed our lusts and are stronger to set our corruptions a work than to further that good is in us and because the things of the world do divert us from God or discourage us towards good or corrupt the good is in us therefore the Lord hath forbid us to love the world though there be some good in the world But Secondly I answer that we may love the world and the things thereof as a man loves his tools to carry on some business of concernment so we may love the world as it may further us in our chief business if riches will promote the gospel promote and further our spiritual interest in Christ our peace and comfort and graces so far we may love the world And Thirdly We may love the world in subordination to God so we may love the world with a subordinate love to God so it hinders not love to God so we may love the good that is in the world and in the creature otherwise we must not love the world Qu. Another question is whether may a man follow his calling to be rich and take the calling which will bring in most gain men are in the world and have their callings in the world may not a man follow his calling to be rich and choose the calling which will be most gainful unto him This is a common practice of men they do follow their callings to be rich and choose those callings that may be most profitable An. But the answer to it is negative they may not do so and I shall give you reasons for it for First It is a heathenish thing to plead the goodness of a calling from the gain of a calling 't is a heathenish practice in the 19. Acts. 24 25. A certain man named Demetrius a Silver-Smith which made Silver Shrines for Diana brought no small gain unto the Crafts-men whom he brought together with the work-men of like occupation and said Sirs ye know that by this craft we have our wealth or gain The Heathens did plead the goodnes of their calling from the gain that it brought in unto them now we should not account a calling good because it 's gainful the very Heathens did so In the 2 Pet. 2.3 speaking of false Prophets Through covetousness shall they which feigned words make Merchandize of you Through covetousness true Prophets are to have their maintenance and countenance and to live comfortably but the end of their calling is not gain now the Scripture condemns it and it was their sin they would sell their souls for gain they car'd not what became of their souls so they might have gain and profit thereby And when two callings do lye before a man he is not to choose that calling will bring most gain but that calling he is most fit for that God hath fitted him for and given him gifts and talents whereby he may use the calling well So that that 's the first answer unto it Secondly in callings men must aim at the publick good the good of the Church the good of State and not at gain in the 2. Neh. 10. When Sanballat the Heronite and Tobiah the Servant the Ammonite heard of it it grieved them exceedingly that there was come a man to seek the welfare of the Children of Israel Nehemiah did not seek himself but he sought the welfare of the children of Israel the publick good he had his calling he was governour and he did seek the welfare of the children of Israel and in Esth 10.3 It 's said of Mordecai That he sought the wealth of his people and speaking peace to all his seed So every man should make that his main aim to seek the publick good of Church or State and as a Heathen said our Countrey our Parents our Friends do challenge part of our estates or of our callings or of what we get we are not to be for our selves but for the publick good so in the 2 Cor. 12.15 saith the Apostle there I will very gladly spend and be spent for you though the more abundantly I love you the less I be loved Paul did mind them and not what they had he would spend and be spent for them he would sacrifice himself if there were occasion upon their faith to confirm and strengthen
things that we know we must part with and the loss of other things concerning our souls and which we should mind above all things in the world the Word of God and his Sabbath and Ordinances and Worship and the like these little trouble us Well by these things you may know whether you love the world yea or no and if it be so you are worthy of great blame for loving of the world In the next place it shall be a use of exhortation to exhort you not to love the world nor the things of the world the pomp of the world tho pleasures of the world the profits preferments and honours of the world and the things that are in it Love them not I shall do two things here First Give you several grounds or arguments to enforce the exhortation Secondly Some directions how to take off our hearts from loving the world First We should not love the world because it is a sin to love the world whatever is forbidden us is a sin and will you live in sin is sin a small matter sin is the transgression of a Law you will say well here 's the Law Love not the world If you love the world you transgress this Law therefore dont live in the transgression of this Law It 's an ill thing to live in sin Ezek. 18.4 The soul that sins shall dye be it what soul it will the souls of the highest or lowest learned or ignorant rich or poor if they live in sin they shall dye it 's a dangerous thing to live in sin a pleasing sin a profitable sin an honourable sin if you love the world you live in sin and we should as in the 12. Rom. 9. abhor that which is evil and love that which is good sin is evil the least sin is evil sinful thoughts sinful lusts are evil if unconsented to it's evil much more if consented to and lived in and practised it will bring forth death death eternal for the wages of sin is death that 's the first reason Secondly We should not love the world because it is the command of the great God the great and blessed and glorious God he commands us to not to love the world Love not the world saith he nor the things that are in it shall not the command of the great God obtain upon us and prevail with us In the word of a King there is power here 's the word of the greatest King of all Kings the great God of Heaven and Earth Love not the world saith God saith Peter Lord we have been toyling all the night and caught nothing nevertheless at thy command I will throw out the Net So the command of God we should hearken to it at thy command Lord I will not love the world nor the things of the world In the 35. Jer. 6. There are the Rechabites their Father commanded them to drink no Wine to plant no Vineyards to build no Houses and one comes to them and sets Wine before them and fills Cups and saith unto them drink Wine say they v. 6. we will drink no Wine for Jonadab the Son of Rechab our Father commanded us saying ye shall drink no Wine neither ye nor your sons for ever neither shall ye build House nor sow Seed nor plant Vineyard now see in the 14. v. what the Lord saith The words of Jonadab the Son of Rechab that he commanded his Sons not to drink Wine are performed Here 's dutiful Sons observe the command of their Father they will drink no Wine build no House sow no Seed They are performed for unto this day they drink none but obey their Fathers Commandment Notwithstanding I have spoken unto you rising early and speaking but ye hearkned not unto me saith God what a reproach is this to me faith God that the command of a man is observed and obeyed and the command of me the great God that have your lives and all in my hand is not observed not regarded well the great God he faith unto us Love not the world Therefore let his commands be of force and authority with us to knock our hearts off from the love of the world Thirdly Love not the world nor the things of it because it is the portion of the wicked of ungodly men Psal 17.14 From men which are thy hand O Lord from men of the world which have their portion in this life There are men of the world Inhabitants of the world they are of the world of worldly principles of worldly affections and of worldly practices and conversations they have their portion in this life saith he the things of this world are their portion would you have your portion here have your portion in these things it 's a poor portion a perishing portion an unsatisfying portion the worst portion of all In the 21. Job 7 8 9. Wherefore do the wicked live saith Job Lord wherefore doth the wicked live wicked men are not worthy to live in the world wherefore do the wicked live become old you are mighty in power To live and live long and be mighty in power and place and honour and estates they are mighty in power Their seed is established in their sight with them and their off-spring before their eyes They have their seed and posterity and are established Their houses are safe from fear neither is the rod of God upon them Their Bull gendreth and faileth not their Cow calveth and casteth not her Calf they send forth their little ones like a Flock and their Children dance They take the Timbrel and Harp and Rejoyce at the sound of the Organ They spend their dayes in wealth and in a moment go down to the Grave Here are wicked men now you see it 's their portion to have the world to have the musick and mirth and all things according to their hearts desires it 's their portion and who would have such a portion It was the trouble of Jer. 12.1 Wherefore doth the wicked prosper wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously wicked men prosper in the world though they deal treacherously yet they prosper and saith he Thou hast planted them yea they have taken root They grow yea they bring forth fruit Thou art near in their mouth and far from their Reins The world is the portion of wicked men therefore we should not love it Alexander a Heathen he had all the world he had it for his portion So Julius Caesar he had the Roman Empire for his portion Ahashuerus had 127 Provinces for his portion The world is meat for Dogs as the Apostle calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 'T is a portion fit for Dogs and 't is not Childrens meat therefore we should not love the world it is the portion of the wicked Fourthly We should not love the world because if we do we shall meet with great disappointments much trouble and little good in it Great afflictions we shall have in the world Joh. 16.
man love Sodom that lay in wickedness the world is a Sodom that lyes in wickedness Solomon tells you 'T is vanity and vexation of Spirit and will you love vanity and vexation of Spirit and in the next verse to the Text saith he All that is in the world is the lust of the flesh the lust of the eyes and the pride of life and these are not of the Father but of the world All these strengthen our lusts and the more our lusts are strengthened the more grace is hindered and the worle we grow but let not the painted bravery of the world deceive and cheat you what is there in an estite in power c. men have strange apprehensions of these things but see what John saith The fashion of this world passeth away it 's all a shew a Scheme there 's no substance in it That men have low thoughts of that they never dote upon If a woman have low thoughts of a man she will never love him the lower thoughts you have the looser will your love be what 's this world e're long it will be turned to ashes and will you love ashes Ephraim feeds upon ashes and upon the wind vain things vain worship and traditions and inventions of men and things of this nature men and women feed upon ashes poor low things well judge lowly of the world and account not highly of the world nor any thing in the world for it 's a world that lyes in wickedness a world that is evil The more you do ponder upon these things the more will your hearts be taken off Secondly If you would not love the world take pains with your own hearts mortifie your lusts mortifie the lusts that are in your hearts 't is our lusts make us love the world 't is from the wisdom of the flesh that men do love the world and the things of the world in Prov. 23.4 Labour not to be Rich why cease from thine own wisdom saith he 't is thine own wisdom 't is but the wisdom of thy flesh and of thy corrupt nature that thou wouldest be rich Labour not to 〈◊〉 rich cease from thine own wisdom and the wisdom of the flesh is enmity to God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Now in the 13 v. If ye live after the flesh ye shall dye but if ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live Mortifie these Iusts our lusts are deceitful things unruly things they are craving things and they have their pretences Do but hearken to me in this one thing and if you would but hearken to me now I will trouble you no more but if you do they will come again and again and never have done therefore the best way for us is to mortifie our lusts and if we would do so we should not love the world From whence come wars and fightings among you come they not hence even of your lusts that war in your members ye lust and have not ye kill and desire to have and cannot obtain ye fight and war yet ye have not because ye ask not ye ask and receive not because ye ask amiss that you may consume it upon your lusts Your lusts will set a praying to have the world to have honour and power and riches and you have them not but now if our lusts were mortified all these things would be at an end presently but we seek to gratifie our lasts and they undo us Thirdly If we would not love the world nor the things of the world then let us look much at the other world there is another world Heb. 2.5 For unto the Angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come There is a world to come and that world 's a better world than this world for in the 11 ch 16 v. But now they desire a better countrey that is an heavenly Abraham and Isaac and the Prophets they look'd at a better countrey there 's a better world above better things above then are here in this world And if so be we would look at that world the glory of it the riches of it the pleasures of it the company of it the latitude of it we should soon bid farewel to this world and look upon it as a dream a shadow a picture as nothing 2 Cor. 4. last While we look not at things which are seen but at things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternal There are things not seen eternal things eternal riches the eternal God the Lord Jesus glorious Angels the Saints at one Rivers of pleasure at the right hand of God look at these things and then your hearts will be taken off of this world Fourthly If we would get our hearts off from the world which is a thing very necessary then keep your hearts with all diligence look as narrowly to thy heart as to thy eyes to the meat thou eatest to thy life keep it with all diligence look to your affections and let them not rove and wander up and down in the world and range here and there look to your fear many are afraid of poverty and afraid they shall not have to live and pay every man his own and so are filled with fears that they shall want but Matth. 6.26 saith Christ Take no thought for your life what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink nor yet for your body what ye shall put on is not the life more than meat and the body than rayment Behold the fowls of the air for they sow not neither do they reap nor gather into barns yet your heavenly father feedeth them are ye not much better than they poor creatures dont fear saith he dont fear want and poverty and that ye shall not have meat and drink and cloaths the fowls of the air are never afraid they have no body to look after them you feed your tame fowls indeed but who provides for the wild-fowls God provides for them look well to your fear now that makes men love the world and scrape and rave that they might have meat and drink and clothes So look well to your love that you take complacency in no creature whatsoever but love the Lord take complacency in God and Christ you know what Christ saith Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy soul with all thy strength c. Now if God have all what shall the creature have But the creatures have all and God hath little or nothing here 's a great failing yet here 's all put four times with all thy soul with all thy strength c. God should have all and the creatures have little or none So look well to your desires men are desiring O that I had this or that but thou shalt not covet saith God be content with what thou hast we should not covet any thing of the world but follow our
goods be lost to morrow may be a fire in thine house therefore wilt thou set thine Eyes upon that which is not But if we get grace that will continue with us if we get peace and joy none can take them from us if we get interest in Christ none can pluck us out of his hand Thirdly Suppose we do get them and we can keep them yet they will not satisfie our souls and therefore to be put upon that which will not satisfie and let go that which will satisfie the soul is unreasonable Eccles 5.10 He that loveth Silver shall not be satisfied therewith If we love the world the honours the pleasures or any thing in the world we shall not be satisfied with it for every creature hath a cranny in it yea there is a curse goes along with it In the 6. Mich. 14 15. Thou shalt eat but not be satisfied and thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee Thou shalt be cast down though thou gettest never so much And that which thou deliverest will I give up to the Sword Thou shalt sow but thou shalt not reap thou shalt tread the Olives but thou shalt not anoint thee with oyl and sweet wine but shalt not drink wine There 's a vacuum in all creatures every creature hath but dry breasts it will not yield that which we expect and look for at it There is not that in Riches and Honours or Trades or Health or Wives or Children or Estates which men expect Haman had great honour and greatness in the world as much as a man could desire yet he wants Mordecai's cruse and that doth sowâ— all unto him There is vanity and vexation in all estates and conditions Solomon hath written that Inscription upon all things here in the world Vanity of vanities all is vanity and vexation of spirit Therefore to love the world and the things of it puts us upon unreasonable things But now the things of God are better than the things of the world Fourthly it puts us upon the worst things all the things in the world are perishing things but the things of God are durable things These things are but Dogs meat as Paul calls them but the things of God and of Heaven and of the Kingdom they are excellent things There 's an excellency in grace there 's an excellency in the knowledge of Christ now we let these things go and choose the other that 's unreasonable Thirdly We should not love the world because it 's scandalous to the wayes and things of God when professors are as the men of the world it is a scandal unto the wayes of God To love it and the things of it so that nothing appears but a profession of Religion 2 Tim. 3.5 Having a form of Godliness but denying the power Who are those that have a form of Godliness but deny the power Covetous men lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God Now this brings a great scandal upon the wayes of God that men of the world say these Professors are as covetous as any love the world as much as any and early up and down late and as greedy after the things of the world as any others whatsoever what 's in their Religion so that hereby Religion suffers The Spies brought up an ill report upon the Land of Canaan So these bring up an ill report upon God and his Ordinances upon the Milk and Honey that is in that Land indeed They are ready to say such and such are great professors and make a noise in the world but Silver comes from them as a joynt from the body as blood from their veins they are so hard that there 's nothing to be gotten from them In Matth. 18.7 Woe be to the world because of offences And one of the great offences that comes is from Professors because they love the world so much Fourthly As it is scandalous so it is idolatrous when men love the world they make an Idol of the world The world hath their hearts their heart is glewed to the world Eph. 5.5 Nor covetous man who is an Idolater and in the 3d. Collos he tells you that covetousness is Idolatry We cry out of the Papists that they set up Images and Pictures and bow to them and we are greater Idolaters our selves if we love the world and the things of the world We set up Idols and Pictures in our hearts and certainly Idolatry is a great sin and an Idolater is a grievous sinner We would be loath to have that imputation fastened upon us to be Idolaters and yet if we love the world we are Idolaters and live in Idolatry Fifthly It 's a dangerous thing to love the world A man that loves the world whose bent is that way is in danger of two or three things 1. A man that loves the world by little and little grows a stranger to God a stranger to Christ we cannot at once have our eyes upon Heaven and upon Earth too When we are between two men or two mountains the nearer we draw to one the further we go off from the other So the further we go off from God the more we love the world When men do love the Cistern they leave the Fountain all the creatures they are but Cisterns and when our hearts run out to these then we leave God who is the Fountain 2. Another evil is that we grow acquainted with the worlds wayes and the wayes of worldlings we grow acquainted with their shifts and their over-reachings and their plots and designs and customs and many times with their oaths and wicked courses and we are defiled and hardened thereby 3. We expose our selves to divers Temptations and Snares which are hurtful Those that will be rich fall into a snare and into a temptation and many hurtful lusts 't is a thousand to one if we dont lose a good Conscience thereby Nay we are in danger of losing our very souls by loving the world and the things of the world In the 19. Matth. 23. Then said Jesus unto his Disciples verily I say unto you that a rich man shall hardly enter into the Kingdom of Heaven What a danger is that man in that loves the world and the things of the world in danger of losing Heaven of losing his soul what will it profit a man to win the world and lose his soul And he that loves the world he is labouring to get the world and be great in the world and so to hazzard his soul 'T is dangerous to love the world Sixthly We should not love the world because it puts us upon impossibilities Matth. 6.24 No man can serve two Masters for either he will hate the one and love the other or else he will hold to the one and despise the other Ye cannot serve God and Mamon The Lord Jesus Christ tells you 't is an impossibility to serve God and Mamon every man saith I will serve God and love God I were not