keeping keep your hearts Little Children keep your sâ—lves from idols Though these were Children 1 Jo. 5.21 yet they are called lâ—ttle Children and little Children may have Idols at least they are in danger of setting up Idols within Câ— 3 1. Set your affeâ—â—â—â—ns on things above not on things on the earth The Affection is a Faculty of the Soul and this may be set upon things below Love not the world 1 Jo. 21 nor the things that are in the world If any one love the world the love of the Father is not in him The World may bâ— sâ—â— bâ—t it must not be loved The World is a great Idol the Diana that have so many Worshippers and the heart is the Seat for this Idol for that 's the Seat of Love Covetousness is a great siâ— a grievous sin For the iniquity of his Covetousness was I wroth and smote him The love of money is called the Root of all evil Covetousness is called Idolatry Col. 3.5 And Covetousness which is Idolatry But how is a covetous man an idolatrous man yea an Idolater He that gives that to any creature which is due to God makes himself an Idolater Keep the World therefore out of thy heart for that 's often set up there as an Idol Now if ye would keep the world out of your hearts ye must of necessity then â—â—ep your hearts 4. Would ye fâ—llow the Footsteps of the Flock then above all keeping keep the heart The Câ—ristian may be followed so far and so fast as he follows Christ Thou mayst set thy Watch by his if he set his by the Sun Câ—r 11. â—e ye followers of me even as I a so am of Christ Be ye followers of me even as I also am of Christ Be ye followers that is be ye Imitators of me even as I am an Imitator of Christ Go thy way forth by the fâ—otsteps of the Flock By the footsteps or in the footstâ—ps of the Flock â—ant 1.8 that is go in those ways and do those works which the sheep or flock of Christ have gone in and done before thee 5. Would ye follow the foot steps of the Shepherd Then above all keeping keep the heart As Christ was the highest Principle so the highest Pattern and President an incomparable Copy to write after Path to walk after Exemplar to work after Now there was no Guile in his Mouth and there would be less in ours if we would be more carâ—ful conscious cordial and constant in kâ—eping our hearts above all keeping She hath left us an example that we should follow his steps 1 Pet. 2.21 6. Would ye have a conversation in heaven and for heaven then above all keeping keep the heart we are to drive a Trade with heaven and for heaven Oh soul what a â—â—ssâ—â— and lower heaven is it to have a clean and a chaste heart a holy and a heavenly heart For our conversation is in heaven from whence also we look for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ. Phil. 3.2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word here for conversation though but one word in the Greek yet it cannot be expressed by one word in English but may be read thus Our conversation is in heaven that is we carry and behave our selves in this life as free Denizons in the City of heaven It is the Ambition of a Saint to live godly in Christ Jesus We should live upon earth according to the Laws of Heaven our Ambition should be to have all in Print Every Saint should be an earthly Angel and live upon earth after the rate of heaven An Evangelical life should be an Aagelical life 1. Would ye above all keeping keep the heart 2. Directions â—ngage Christ then in this work The heart is the strongest Castle the highest Turreâ— no Arrow will do execution but what the Lord takes out of his own Quiver and sheets out of his own Bow Let God be passive and the heart is impregnable notwithstanding all the Batteries that are made against it Rev. 6.2 'T is Christ that went forth conquering and to conquer And thorough Christ Christians are more then Conquerours Ro. 8.37 2. Would ye above all keeping keep the heart Make use then of the Spirit The flesh and the spirit are contraries and contraries have contrary consequences As one contrary discovers another so one contrary seeks the destruction of the other The flesh lusteth against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other Gal. 5.17 Now contrariety is the ground of all contestation and conflict If ye would mortifie the deeds of the flesh Rom. 8.13 ye must take the Spirit If ye by the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the flesh ye shall live 3. Would ye above all keeping keep the heart Let your hearts then be taken up with heaven When thou findest thy thoughts wandring and ready to breâ—â— their bounds endeavor to turn them into another Channel concern thy soul then with heaven and hâ—â—venly things All below heaven should be below the heart Mat. 6.21 Where the treasure 〈◊〉 will the heart be also A heart must be where its treasure is and its treasure where Christ is 'T is pity that a good head and a good heart should not ever be companions Your head is in heaven let your heart be there also the head and the heart may be together But to end as I did begin and there to end where I did begin As heart-keeping is the hardest keeping so the heart must be kept above all keeping Above all keeping keep thy heart for out of is the actions of life proceed Dilecti si cor nostrum nos non condemnet loquendi libertatem apud Deum habenius 1 Joh. 3.21 The Sufficiency of Grace 2 COR. Xâ—I 9. former part And he said unto me My Grace is sufficient for thee In the Text and Context ye have the Apostles Narrative concerning his Revelation his Temptation upon that Revelation his Supplication upon that Temptation and his Supportation upon that Supplication 1. His Revelation It is not expedient for me to glory 2 Cor. 2.1 I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord. Some distinguish visions from Revelations thus A vision they say is when something is Supernatural represented to the sight the party not knowing the Signification thereof Such was the vision of Pharaoh concerning the Cattel and the Corn which were one and the same thing Gen 41 seven years Fulness and seven years Famine Such also was the vision of Nebuchadnezzar concerning the Tree Dan. 4. which was Interpreted of Himself A Revelation they say when something is Supernaturally represented to the sight and the Signification thereof is made known to the party such were the visions of the Prophets Others distinguish visions from Revelations thus A vision may be without an Extasie Thus the two Maries seeing the Angel at the Sepulcher
the Egyptians Go unto Joseph and whatsoever he say unto you do And may not I say unto you as Mary at the Marriage said unto the servants concerning Christ Whatsoever he say unto you do it In respect of Christ 2. In respect of Christ The Heart is Christ Seat this therefore must be kept above all keeping The Heart is Christs Throne here below now this is his House As the Christian is Christs lesser and lower house so the Christians heart if I may speak it with a holy reverence is Christs lodging room in that house That Christ may dwell but where in your hearts but how by faith Eph. 3.17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith Shall not a Princes Presence-Chamber his lodging-room be kept above any chamber above any room kept above all keeping As the Womb of Christ wherein he was conceived was and the Tomb of Christ wherein he was laid was so must his Temple be Now Christ was conceived in a Womb wherein no other was conceived interred in a Tomb wherein no other was interred so will he Temple himself in that heart where no other shall be his Corrival and where no affected lust shall be his Equall If Christ dwell in the heart by faith then sin must out of the house by force Christ and Corruption especially if affected cannot dwell under the same Roof in Peace cannot lodge in the same house with love and liking 1 Cor. 16 15. Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them the members of an harlot God forbid Many too many have their Paramours their Concubines Oh soul lodge not an Harlot in thy heart for that 's Christs house Was it not pity that David should take Bathsheba into his house for she was another Mans wife Oh how did the displeasure of God begin to flame against the King of Gerar for taking Sarah Abraham's wife was it not pity that Sampson took Dalilah into his lap The Man first lost his locks and then lost his life In respect of the heart 3. In respect of the heart As the heart must be kept above all keeping in respect of God because he hath commanded it in respect of Christ because 't is his Seat so in respect of itself and that upon a manifold Account For 1. 'T is a corrupt heart The heart of a Saint is very corrupt but the heart of a sinner hath nothing but corruption Corrupt Jerusalem wash thy heart from wickedness a Saints heart hath too much sin but a sinners heart is fuller of sin then the Sun of light or the Ocean of water The heart of a Saint is sinful but the heart of the sinner is sinfully sinful wickedly wicked The heart is the Nursery of sin the Magazine where all the weapons of unrighteousness lie Deu. 15.9 'T is a lesser Hell Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart in thy Belial heart so the Margen It s a kind of an Hell Jer. 4.14 for a man that hath bâ—t a spark of grace to be tempted and turmoiled with the innate corruptions and rebellions of his own heart And if a man would devise a Torment for a soul truly gracious he cannot devise a greater then this Shall not this heart then be kept above all keeping 2. 'T is a bruitish heart Bruitish Psal 92.6 A bruitish man knoweth not neither doth a fool understand this The heart of man is not only filthy but foolish The bruitish man is the foolish man Wisdom excelleth folly as far as light excelleth darkness The heart of man is naturally foolish and as the heart is foolish so the man is childish for he feeds upon dirt rather then upon bread yea upon dirt but not upon bread Vnderstand ye bruitish among the People Folly is bound up in the heart of a Child but the Rod of Correction shall drive it away from him Folly is not only bound up in the heart of a child of man but in the heart of a child of God Do ye thus require Jehovah Oh ye foolish people and unwise Den. 32.6 Should not the heart now be kept above all keeping 3. 'T is a barren heart There 's not a seed of grace in the heart till the hand of God sow it there Berren The heart naturally and originally is like white Paper without any Inscription Not a Syllable of the Grace of God is written there till the Finger of God write it there This shall be the Covenant that I will make with the House of Israel Jer. 31.33 but what is it I will put my Law in their inward Parts and write it in their hearts and will be their God and they shall be my people But who is this I 'T is Jehovah After those days saith Jehovah I will put my Law in their inward Parts and write it in their hearts May not the best of men speak after the Prophet My leanness my leanness Wo unto me Might not Christ say Isa 24.16 were there not a spark of grace within to the best of men as he did to the fruitless Fig-tree Cut it down why cumbreth it the ground Luk. 13.7 Shall not the heart now be kept above all keeping 4. 'T is a dark heart Dark A natural heart is a dark heart yea a natural heart is not only dark but darkness it self in the very Abstract before the Sun of Righteousness arise there For ye were somtimes darkness but now are ye light in the Lord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eph. 5.8 walk as children of light What would the World be without the Firmamental Sun but a World of darkness Oh what would the Soul be without the eternal Son the Sun of Righteousness but a Dungeon of darkness Oh says the soul how muddy are my thoughts how dark is my understanding I know nothing yet as I ought to know Oh 't is little that I know and I am ignorant of my ignorance The most perfect soul hath but an imperfect sight of God or himself The most seeing man or the Seer himself hath a Film upon his eye at least much darkness in it and must at present look thorough Spectacles 1 Cor. 13.12 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We now see thorough a Glass darkly Darkly or in a Riddle according to the Greek Shall not this heart then be kept above all keeping 5. 'T is a hard heart Hard. The heart of man is so bad I cannot tell how bad it is The heart is compared to an Adamant They made their hearts as an Adamant stone c. Zach. 7.12 Is not a Flint hard but an Adamant is harder As an Adamant harder then a Flint have I made thy Forehead Ezek. 3.9 Oh wonder not then to hear Persons to complain of their hardness of heart They are strangers to their own hearts that complain not of the hardness
the grace of Christ and in Christ is seasonable when the soul is under temptation and under Affliction Is not that a lofty and a lovely expression For peace I had great bitterness Isa 38.17 but thou in love to my soul hast delivered it from the pit of corruption for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back 10. Grace in Christ is surpassing grace Sin is an evil thing Sin is an evil the evil of evils Ther 's evil and nothing but evil in sin Sin is evil but grace is good sin is worse but grace is best Sin is a large Field a large Territory but grace is a larger Sin is the largest Territory in the World but grace Mans Ephah is full of sin but Gods Ephah is fuller of grace Mans cup is full but Gods cup is over full and that for an Eternity For as sin has reigned unto Death Rom 5. 〈◊〉 so hath grace reigned through righteousness unto eternall life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Here is sin reigning unto death but here 's grace reigning unto Eternal life The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is Eternal life Rom. 6. 〈◊〉 through Jesus Christ our Lord. Ther 's sin enough in man to damn man ther 's grace enough in Christ to save man Ther 's sin enough in man to damn man and that for an Eternity ther 's grace enough in Christ to save man and that for an Eternity 3. How this grace is in Christ that is sufficient for a Christian under temptation Grace is in Christ two wayes Formally and causally 1. Formally Grace is in Christ Formally as in the subject of it Christ is the God of grace In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God But what then The word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us and we beheld his glory Jo. 1.1 14 the glory as of the onely begotten of the Father full of grace and truth 2. Causally Grace is in Christ Causally as in the fountain of it As Christ is the God of it so he is the giver of it for he is thee head of the Church Col. 1.13 And he is thee head of the body the Church Now thus Christ is in a manifold respect 1. Because Christ is above the Church and ruleth it as the Head guideth the body Christ is soveraign as well as Saviour and Surety He is therefore called King of Saints Rev. 15.3 2. Because Christ conveyeth Life into the Church as the Head to the Members Christ giveth life to the Church Maintaineth life in the Church yea Christ in the Churches life Col. 3.4 When he who is our life shall appear 3. Because Christ provideth for the Church as the Head doth for the Members Christ gives the Church Manna yea Christ doth not onely feed the Church but is the Churches Food and he is at once Meat and Medicine I am the bread of life Jo. 9.48 4. Because Christ Participates with the Church in the same nature with it as the Head doth with the Members For we have not an high Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities Heb. 4.15 but was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin 4. Why there is in Christ for a Christian a sufficiency of Grace under temptation In a three-fold respect God Christ and the Christian. 1. In respect of God God 2 Tim. 2.16 because his foundation standeth sure The foundation of God standeth sure having this Seal the Lord knoweth them that are his God knoweth those all those that he hath given unto Christ and he hath laid up in Christ a sufficiency of grace for these that they may not miscarry for an Eternity 2. In respect of Christ because he is to lose none that are given unto him Christ While Christ was in the World he kept his and upon his going out of the World he ingaged the Father to keep them As God knows all that are given unto Christ so Christ is to keep all that are given unto him Jo. 17.11 While I was with them in the world I kept them in thy Name those that thou hast given me have I kept and none of them is lost but the Son of perdition that the Scripture may be fulfilled Jo. 17.12 But where did the Scripture speak this of Judas Let his dayes be few and let another take his Office Psa 109.8 3. In respect of the Christian As there is a sufficiency of grace in Christ upon Gods account and upon his own Christian so upon the Christians 1. In order to the strengthening of the Christian Ther 's a fulness of grace in Christ for Christians that Gods power may be made known yea 2 Cor. 12.9 10. made perfect in mans weakness This appears by the words after the Text for speaking of his grace as sufficient in the Text he gives this reason For my power is made perfect in weakness and when I am weak then am I strong When I am weak in flesh I am strong in Spirit when I am weak in my self I am strong in my Saviour Christ can say Paul thou art weak but I am strong yea I am strength The strength of Israel that cannot lye Now there is a Sufficiency of grace in Christ that a Christian may be strengthned under all his troubles and trials under all his Temptations and Tribulations 2. In order to the smiling of the Christian We use to say a Christian life is like a Courtiers life for upon the favour or disfavour of the Prince depends the Comfort or discomfort of the Courtier Thus upon the smiles or frowns of Christ depend the comfort or discomfort of the Christian A Christian is like the Marigold concerning which they say that it opens with the shining and shuts with the setting of the Sun If the Sun of Righteousness set in a Cloud 't is as Death to the Christian but if this Sun of Righteousness break thorough a Cloud 't is as life to the Christian Christ will not alwayes frown lest the Spirit should fail before him and the soul which he have made If ever a drooping desponding despairing soul be comforted Christ must be the Text and the Preacher too I even I am he that comforteth thee Now there is a sufficiency of grace in Christ in order to a Christians comfort Jo. 6.63 The words that he speak they are Spirit and they are Life 3. In order to the feeding of a Christian Ther 's a sufficiency of grace in Christ that the Christian may feed upon the promiss that when he hath nothing in his purse he may find enough in the promiss and when he hath nothing in his private hand he may find enough in his publique head Feeding upon the promise is believing in the promiss for the promiss is a ground for Faith as the precept is a Rule for Obedience