And love is such a thing as every one may try himself by if he had named either giving or doing of this or that men might have sayd I cannot doe it or I cannot part with it but when he names love there is none but they may love The poynt considered was that There must be a qualification of those that heaven is provided for They must bee such as love God such as are altered and changed and sanctified to love him Because no uncleane thing shall enter in thither Because wee cannot so much as desire heaven without a change we cannot have communion there with Christ and those blessed soules without likenesse to them which must be by a spirit of love our natures must bee altered Therefore it is a vaine presumption for any man to thinke of heaven unlesse he finde his disposition altered For wee may read our eternall condition in heaven by our disposition upon earth The Apostle Peter sayth 1 Pet. 1. Blessed bee God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ that hath begotten us to a lively hope of an inheritance immortall and undefiled reserved in heaven So that the inheritance in heaven wee are begotten to it wee must be new borne we must have a new birth before wee can inherit it hee hath begotten us to an inheritance immortall c. Hee that is not a childe may not thinke of an inheritance Put case there bee never so many glorious things in heaven that eye hath never seene nor eare ever heard c. if our names be not in Christs will that we are not his and prove our selves to be his by the alteration of our dispositions what are all those good things to us when our names are not contained there It is called a hope of life a lively hope because hee that hath this hope purgeth himselfe it makes him vigorous and active in good if his hope of life make him not lively he hath no hope of life at all Therefore those that will looke for heaven that Sathan abuse them not by false confidence let them looke whether God have altered their hearts that the worke of grace be wrought in some measure For God hath not ordained these great things for his enemies for blasphemers that take Gods name in vaine that run on in courses contrary to his will and word that live in sinnes against the light of nature do you thinke he hath provided these great matters for them he hath another place for them Therefore let us not be abused by our owne false hearts to thinke of such a happy condition unlesse we finde our selves changed unlesse we be new borne we shall never enter into heaven Lord Lord say they Christ brings them in pleading so Lord Lord not that they shall say so then that is not the meaning but now they cherish such a confidence Oh we can speake well and we can pray wel Lord Lord. Oh thou vaine confident person thy confession and profession Lord Lord shall doe thee no good I will not so much as owne thee Away hence thou worker of iniquitie thy heart tels thee thou livest in sinnes against conscience away avaunt I will none of thee God in mercie to us will have the triall of the truth of our evidence in us The ground of all our salvation is his grace his free favour and mercie in his owne heart but we cannot goe thither he would have us to search within our selves and there we shall finde Love God hath prepared for those that love him In particular therefore Those that God hath provided so excellent things for they are such as love him They are such first of all that are beloved of him and shew that they are beloved of him by their love to him Therefore when the Papists meet with such phrases they think of merit he hath provided heaven for them that love him and shew their love in good workes But we must know that this is not brought in as a cause why but as a qualification of the persons who who shall inherit heaven and who shall have these great things It is idle for them to thinke that these things are prepared for those whom God foresees would doe such and such good workes it is as if we should thinke hee hath provided these happy things for those that are his enemies For how could he look for love from us in a state of corruption when the best thing in us was enmitie to him Is it not a vaine thing to looke for light from darknesse to look for love from enmity and hatred therefore how could God foresee any thing in us when he could see nothing but enmity and darknesse in our dispositions by nature And then as we shall see afterward this love in us it must bee with all our heart and soule and might it is required and commanded and when wee doe all this wee doe but what wee are bound to doe But they abuse such places upon so shallow ground that indeed it deserves not so much as to be mentioned To come then to the poynt it selfe the disposition of those that shal come to heaven then is they must be such as love God Now hee names this because these two goe alwayes together there goes somewhat of ours together with somewhat of Gods to witnesse to us what God doth There goes our choyce of God with his chusing of us our knowing of God with his knowledge of us our love to him with his love to us therefore because these are so connexed and knit together hee takes the one for the other and to make it familiar to us hee takes that which is most familiar to us our love to him Now hee names this above all other affections because love is the commanding affection of the soule it is that affection that rules all other affections hatred and anger and joy and delight and desire they all spring from love because all duties spring from love both to God and man therefore both Tables are included in love And when the Apostle would set downe the qualification of those that shall enjoy these things he sayth they are for those that love him Because it stirres up to all dutie and addes a sweet qualification to every duty and makes it acceptable and to rellish with God it stirres up to doe and qualifies the actions that come from love to bee accepted All duties to man spring from love to man and love to man from love to God it is the affection that stirres up the dutie and stirres up the affection fit for the dutie it stirres up to doe the thing and to do all in love Whatsoever wee doe to God or man it must bee in love all that God doth to us it is in love hee chuseth us in love and doth every thing in love and all that wee doe to God it must be in love Therfore he names no other affection but this because it is
discovery of heavenly things First in the doctrine of them and so they are hid to them that are out of the Church And then secondly in the spirituall meaning of them and so they are hid to carnall men in the Church And then thirdly in regard of the full comprehension of them as they are indeed and so they are reserved for heaven wee have but a little glimpse of them a little light into them in this world Now in this place is meant the things that are discovered in the Gospell especially as they are apprehended by the Spirit together with the consummation of them in heaven For they differ onely in degree the discovery of the heavenly things in the Gospell here the priviledges and graces and comforts of Gods children and the consummation of them in heaven And wee may reason from the lesser to the greater if so be that a naturall man though hee have naturall eyes and eares and wits about him cannot conceive the hidden mysteries of the Gospell spiritually with application much more unable is he and much lesse can hee conceive those things of a better life Now the things of the Gospell the priviledges the graces and comforts which Christ the spring and head of them all in whom all are and whence we have all cannot be comprehended by a naturall man he can discourse of them as far as his natural wit conceives them but not understand heavenly things in their owne light as heavenly things as the things of the Gospell They can talke of repentance that wee commonly speake of which is a mystery but notwithstanding who knowes repentance by the light proper to it but he that by the spirit of God hath sinne discovered to him in its owne colours Hâ— knowes what it is to grieve for sin The sicke man knowes what it is to bee sicke the Phisitian knows it by definition by books and so he can inlarge it but if he be not sicke the sicke patient will speake to better purpose So there is a mysteryin the common things of the Gospell repentance and griefe for sinne A holy man feels it another matter because he feeles sinne discovered by the Spirit of God and so in faith in the love of God and every grace of the Gospell is a mystery If one come to the schoolemen they will tell you of faith and dispute learnedly of it and deduce this from that but when he comes to be in extremitie when the terrours of the Lord are upon him when he comes to use it he is a meere stranger to it to cast himselfe being a sinfull creature into the armes of Gods mercy hee cannot doe it without a further light of the Spirit discovering the hidden love of GOD to him in particular and so for other graces Therefore they do but speake of these things men that are unsanctified as a blind man doth of colours they inwardly scorne the truth they speake of and those to whom they speake if by the power of Gods Spirit they come to profit by the things they teach if themselves be carnall they hate them A carnall man believes not a whit of what hee sayth hee hath onely a common light for the good of others a common illumination to understand and discover things and a doctrinall gift to unfold things for other and not for themselves for themselves they scorne them in their hearts and in their lives conversations and they will speake as much when it comes to selfe-deniall in preferment in pleasures in anything that is gainfull tush tell him what hee hath taught or what hee knowes out of the booke of God he cares not hee knowes them onely by a common light but for a particular heavenly light with application and taste to himself springing from an alteration by the Spirit hee never knowes them so Therefore content not thy selfe with a common light for together with our understanding God alters the taste of the whole soule he gives a new eye a new eare to see and heare to purpose and a new heart to conceive things in another manner than he did before But you will aske How can a godly man know them at all seeing eye hath not seen nor eare heard c. I answer First the things of another life as wee see here are knowne by negation as God is by way of removing imperfections The naturall eye sees them not nor the naturall eare heares them not c. no nor the spirituall eye nor eare in a full measure so things transcendent that are above the reach of man are described in the Scriptures by the way of denial which is one good way of knowledge That yee may know the love of God that is above knowledge sayth the Apostle Ephes. 3. that yee may know it more and more but it is above all knowledge in regard of the perfection of it As a man may see the sea but hee cannot comprehend the sea hee may be much delighted in seeing the sea but hee sees neither the bottome nor the bankes he cannot comprehend such a vaste body he may see the heavens but hee cannot comprehend them So a man may know the things when they are revealed but hee cannot comprehend them apprehension is one thing and comprehension is another there may be apprehension in a poore degree sutable to the capacitie of the soule here but alas it is farre from the comprehension that we shall have in heaven That is one way of knowing them by way of negation and deniall of imperfections to them And then secondly they are knowne as wee call it by way of eminence that is by comparing them with other things and preferring them before all other excellencies whatsoever as wee may see the sunne in water by resemblance for God borrowes from nature termes to set out grace and glory because God will speake in our language for they are called a Kingdome and a feast and a crowne by way of comparison Shallow men thinke there is a great deale in a kingdome and indeed so there is if there were no other There is great matters in a crowne in the feasts of kings and the like but alas these be shaddowes and there is no Rhetoricke or Amplification in this to say they be shaddowes a shaddow is as much in proportion to the body as these are to eternall good things the true reality of things are in the things of another world for eternity If wee talke of a Kingdome let us talke of that in heaven If of a crowne of that wherewith the Saints are crowned in heaven If we talke of riches they are those that make a man eternally rich that hee shall carrie with him when he goes out of the world what riches are those that a man shall out live and die a begger and not have a drop to comfort him as we see Dives in hell had not here are riches indeed So if
is alwaies supposed wheresoever there is love to God and good things there is Gods love first For our love to God is but a reflexion of that love hee beares to us First hee shines on us and then the beames of our love reflect upon him therefore hee need not say whom God loves though that be the cause of all but who love God and know thereby that hee loves them But why for them that love him more than for any other thing Because all can love therefore hee sets downe this affection there is no man living not the poorest Lazar in the world that hath a heart and affections but he can love He doth not say that are prepared for this great Christian and that learned Rabbi no but for all that love him bee they poore or rich great or small all those that love him Therefore hee sets down that to cut off all excuses yea and all that love him bee they never so many are sure to have these great things prepared for them God hath prepared these things for those that love him To come therefore to some observations The first generall thing is this that God dâ—th qualifie all those in this world that he hath prepared heaven and happinesse for in another world The cause of it is his free love but if you aske mee what qualification the persons must have They are such as love him This is not the proper cause why but tâ—e qualification of the persons â—on â—hom these things are There must bee an inward disposition and qualification before wee come to heaven all those that hope for heaven without presumption must have this qualification they must bee such as love him Why The Scripture is plaine 1. No uncleane thing shall enter into heaven No whoremonger or drunkard or filthy person bee not deceived sayth the Apostle you thiâ—ke God is merciful and Christ died c. but neither such nor such as you are and your consciences tell you so shall ever enter into heaven We must not think to come è coeno in coelum out of the mire and dirt of sin into heaven there is no such sudden getting into heaven but there must be an alteration of our dispositions wrought by the Spirit of God fitting us for heaven 2. Another is that that I touched before that heaven and earth differ but in degrees therefore what is there in perfection must be begun here Then againe thirdly It is impossible for a man if he be not truly altered to desire or wish heaven as it is holy He may wish for it under the notion of a Kingdome of pleasure and the like but as heaven containes a state of perfect holinesse and freedome from sinne hee cares not for it A man that is out of relish with heavenly things and can taste onely his base sinnes whereon his affections are set and exercised cannot rellish heaven it selfe A common base sinner his desires are not there There must bee some proportion between the thing desired and the desire but here is none hee is not fit for that place being an unholy wretch Therefore his own heart tells him I had rather have this pleasure and honour that my heart stands to than to have heaven while hee is in that frame of desire therefore there is no man that can desire heaven that is not disposed aright to heaven before Beetles love dunghils better than oyntments and swine love mud better than a garden they are in their element in these things so take a swinish base creature he loves to wallow in this world tell him of heaven hee hath no eyes to see it no eares to heare it except hee may have that in heaven that his heart stands too which hee shall never have he hath no desire of heaven Therfore in these and the like respects of necessitie there must be a disposition wrought before wee come there These things are prepared for those that love God If this be so let us not feed our selves with vaine hopes there are none of us but we desire at least wee pretend that we desire heaven but most men conceive it onely as a place free from trouble and annoyance and there are goodly things they heare of kingdomes crownes and the like but except thou have a holy gracious heart and desirâ—st heaven that thou mayest be free from siâ—ne and to have communion with Christ and his Saints to have the image of God the divine nature perfect in thee thou art an hypocrite thou carriest a presumptuous conceit of these things thy hope will delude thee it is a false hope Every one that hath this hope purgeth himsâ—lfe Every one hee excludes none Doest thou defile thy selfe and live in sinful courses and hast thou this hope Thou hast a hope but it is not this hope for every one that hath this hope purgeth himselfe No no how ever in time of peace and pleasure and contentment that God followes thee with in this world thou hast a vaine hope yet in a little trouble or sicknesse c. thy owne conscience will tell thee another place is provided for thee a place of torment that neither eye hath seene nor eare heard nor hath entred into the heart of man to conceive the misery of it There is not the greatest man living when hee is troubled if he be a sinfull man whose greatnesse can content him all his honour and friends cannot pacifie that poore conscience of his but Death the King of Feares wil affright him he thinks I have some trouble in this world but there is worse that remâ—ines things that he is not able to conceive of Let us not therfore delude our selves there is nothing will stand out but the new creature that we finde a change wrought by the Spirit of God then wee may without presumption hope for the good things which neither eye hath seene c. Againe we see in the second place Gods mercie to us the qualification is within us that we need not goe farre to know what our evidence is Sathan abuseth many poore Christians oh I am not elected I am not the Childe of God Whither goest thou man doest thou breake into heaven when thou carriest a soule in thy breast and in that soule the affection of love how is that set whither is thy love carried and thy delight and joy those affections that spring from love Thy evidence is in thine own heart our title is by faith in Christ his righteousnesse gives us title to heaven but how knowest thou that thou pretendest a just title Thou hast the evidence in thy heart What is the bent of thy soule whither is the poynt of it set which way goes that doest thou love God and divine things and delight in them then thou mayst assure thy selfe that those things belong to thee as verily as the Scriptures are the word of God and God a God of truth
is the reason that sometime meaner Christians have more loving soules then great Schollers men of great parts one would thinke that knowledge should increase love and affection So it doth if it be a cleare knowledge but great wits and pates and great Schollers busie themselves about questions and intricacies and so they are not so much about the affections A poore Christian oft times takes those things for granted that they study and dispute and canvasse and question there is a heavenly light in his soule that God is my Father in Christ and Christ God and man is my Mediator hee takes it for granted and so his affections are not troubled whereas the other having corruption answerable to his parts great wit and great corruption he is tangled with doubts and arguments he studies to informe his brayne the other to be heated in his affections A poore Christian cares not for cold nicities that heate not the heart and affections he takes these for granted if they be propounded in the Scripture instead of disputing hâ—e beleives and loves and obeys and that is the reason that many a poâ—re soule goes to Heaven with a great deale of joy when others are tangled and wrapped in their owne doubts so much for satisfying of these things To goe on therefore to give a few directions how to have this heavenly fire kindled in us to love God considering such great things are provided for those that love God It is a matter of consequence as we desire Heaven we must desire this holy fire to bee kindled in us Let us know for a ground as it were that it is our duty to aime at the highest pitch of love that wee can and not to rest in the lowest The lowest pitch of loving GOD is to love GOD because he is good to us that is good the Scriptures stoupes so low as to allow that God would have us love him and holy things for the benefit wee have by them but that is mercinarie if we rest there but God stoupes to allure us by promises and favours though wee must not rest there But we must love God not for our selves but labour to rise to this pitch to love our selves in God and to see that we have happinesse in God and not in our selves our being is in him we must love our selves in him and be content to be lost in God that is so to love God that if he should cast us away his kindnesse is better then life doe others what they will we will love him and our selves for his excellencies and because we see our selves in him and are his children we must labour to rise to that and that is the highest pitch that we can attaine to we must know that for a ground And know this for another that when we speake of the love of God we speake of love incorporate into our conversations and actions not of an abstracted love and affection but of love in our places and callings and standings love invested into action Therefore the Scripture sayth wee must love God with all our minde with all our heart with all our power and strength that is in our particular places To make it cleare When we speake of love to God we speake of love to him in our particular callings He loves God that is a Magistraâ—e and executes justicâ— for Gods Sake and he that is a Minister and teacheth the people conscionably for Gods Sake and shewes them the way to Heaven He loves God as a man in the common Wealth a states man c. That in that place seekes the glory of GOD and the good of the Church and Religion Shall men talke of love to GOD and their affections are stirred up I know not whereabout No it is an affection that is discovered in actions How can wee love God with all our might except as farre as our might extends our love extends How farre doth thy activitie thy power thy sphere that thou canst doe any thing stretch so farre must thy love and thou must shew thy love in all the powers and abilities that God hath furnished thee with For a man that hath great place and opportunity to doe good and to thinke it enough onely to love God in his Closet c. This is not the love wee speake of A man must love God with all his might as hee stands invested in relation this way or that way The love of God in a private man will not serve for a Magistrate or a publik man hee must shew hi love in his place by standing in the gappe to hinder all the ill and to doe all the good hee can every man must doe so but such a one more especially because God hath truâ—â—ed him with more Well these things premised to come to some directions how to come to love God First of all the way to love God is to have a heavenly light to discover what wee are in our selves and our emptinesse for being as we are we can never love God till wee see in what need wee stand of his favour and grace that wee are damned Creatures else Now when we come to have our eyes opened to see our sinfulnesse and emptinesse we will make out to God and make out to his mercy in CHRIST above all things Indeed the first love is the love of dependance before we come to a love of friendship and complacency with God a love to goe out to him and to depend upon him for mercy and grace and all A love that riseth from the sense of our misery and goes to him for supply There is a sweet concurrence of misery and mercie of emptinesse and fulnesse of beggery and riches Now when wee see our owne misery and beggery and sinfulnesse and then a fulnesse in God to supply of riches to enrich us every way then this breeds a love this is the way to all other loves that follow And where this is not premised and goes before a man will never delight in God In Luke 7. That good woman she loved much why much was forgiven her many sinnes were forgiven her So when the soule shall see what need it hath of forgiving mercy of pardoning mercy and how many great debts GOD hath forgiven us in CHRIST there will bee a great deal of love because there is a great deal forgiven And we must begin indeed with seeing the infinite mercy of GOD before any other attribute of God and then we shall love him after This is the first thing There is no soule that ever loves God so as the poore soule that hath been abased with the sense of sinne and its emptinesse â—â—at it is empty of all goodnesse and then sees a supply in the mercy of GOD in Christ those soules love GOD above all Another way to love God is to consider of his wonderfull goodnesse to meditate and thinke of it he is good and doth good it is a Communicative goodnesse Let us thinke of