conscience of his wrongs done was ready to restore where hee had wrongfully receiued the Lord Iesus said vnto him This day Saluation is come into thy house to shew that true conuersion is a certaine signe of Life and Saluation By this I know saith Dauid that thou louest mee O Lord because my enimies doe not triumph ouer mee to shew that euen enimies are for signes tokens of gods fauour By this shall all men know that yee are my Disciples saith our sauiour Christ â—f yee loue one another to shew that christian loue is for a signe of gods loue but not a cause thereof as Papists teach And by the heart a man may know whether his part be in the booke of life and whether his soule shall bee bound vp in the bundell of the righteous or no For where the treasure is there will thâ— heart bee also that is there will be the ioy and delight of the heart the loue and deâ—ire of the heart the care and longing of the heart for the heart in this place is put for the affections of the heart or soule If then thou wouldest know whether thy Treasure bee in heauen or hell see where thy heart doth most â—aunt and whereabout it is most employed If Christ be the man the matter whom thy soule loueth if his Gospell bee the ioy of thy soule his commandements thy harts delight if for loue of his name and zeale to his glory thou fearest more to offend him then all the world besides and art for his sake content to endure with patience all the Tribulations crosses that the hands of wicked men can loade vpon thy backe if thou canst finde thy heart resolued to drink of his cup and to bee baptised with his Baptisme if thou bee bent to stand more zealously for his glory then for thy own life and if thy heart bee refreshed when thou thinkest on his death and art hartely desirous of his comming to Iudgement then happy and blessed art thou the king of kings hath put forth his golden Scepter vnto thee thou art in his fauour the fruitfull Tree of Grace hath budded in thy hart the Summer time of thy refreshing is approching and the Lord delighteth in the fruit of thy faith thy treasure is in heauen thy prouision is gone before thou shalt follow after yea more if thy heart doth mourne and grieue for thy owne vntowardnesse and the sinnes of other men thou art marked by Gods owne Secretary his sauing Angell hath set thee apart that the destoyers â— may not meddle with thee if they meete thee in their way And as Christ said to Nathaniel Dost thou beleue because I said I saw thee vnder the figge Tree thou shalt see greater things then these Soe do you beleeue because I say by the hart you shal know whether your treasure be in heauen you shall see greater things then yet you doe for now wee see but in part and we know but in part but hereafter wee shall know as wee are knowne in the meane time take these things as the first fruites of the spirit which are but thâ— least part of the haruest or as an earnest penny in assurance of millions not to bee numbred for certainly where the hart is there is the treasure but how great a treasure no eye hath seene nor eare hath heard nor tongue can expresse nor hart can conceiuâ— On the other side if thy hart hath no ioy in the gospell of Christ nor delight in the commandements of God if thou haue no zeale for the glory of God no desire to pray nor longing for the coming of Christ then feare for where thy treasure is there will thy heart be also If thou hast more felicitie in worldly vanities then in heauenly vertues if vaine company bee more welcome vnto thee then such as feare the Lord if thy study be onely how to liue heere thy cares and communications be altogether â—arthly and prophane then suspect thy estate not to bee good and know that thy hollow sound bewrayeth an emptie vessell thy figge tree hath nothing but leaues all thy Termes are but vacations and as for treasure in heauen thou hast none for they that are occupiers there haue their harts wholly employed there and as they looke for great aboundance when they come thether so they finde an earnest thereof in their harts heere alâ— is holy and heauenly comfortable and happie for righteousnesse and truth hath looked downe from heauen vpon them and mercy and peace haue embraced each other in their soules and heauen holding their treasure doth also hale and draw their harts thither likewise Now then let vs see how our harts stand affected for there is a sure witnesse and pledge eyther of Hell or of Heauen But how shall wee know whether our hearts be in heauen and Gods holy spirit be in our hearts Surely a needfull question for euery one wil say as the yong man in the Gospel all these things I haue obserued from my youth and that he loueth God aboue all yea hee would be sorry else but the Prophet Ieremie saith that the heart is deceiptfull wicked aboue all things who can know it and therefore to be suspected examined as Dauid aduised Examine your hearts vpon your beds euen secretly before God and free from all lets and encombrances Wouldest thou then know thy heart examine all her attendants and vnder officers wherabout they are chiefly employed as thy Tongue thy Eares thy Eyes thy hands and feet for out of the abundance of the hart the mouth speaketh that is the tongue will shew how the hart is affected my hart is enditing of a good matter saith the Psalmist and presently followeth my tongue is the pen of a ready writer Againe in another place My hart was hot within me and I spake with my tongue A good man saith our Sauiour Christ out of the good treasure of his hart bringeth forth good things If there be abundance of loue to God the tongue will still bee speaking in commendation of his praises and setting forth his greatnes his goodnes his iustice his holines his wisdome and mercy c. as the Church in the Canticles Oh let him kisse me with the kisses of his mouth for thy loue is better then wine that is better then all pleasant and profitable things If there bee abundance of ioy and delight in the commandements of God thy lips will declare the Iudgements of his mouth If there be abundance of feare to offend against God or the Godly thou wilt set a watch before thy mouth and thy feet shall carry thee speedely from euill company If there be abundance of zeale in thy hart then will thy tongue be enflamed with a holy fire for the truth If thy hart doth abound with desire and longing for the presence of the Lord then thou wilt still be wishing
reason is because hee hath now goods inough for many yeers but as he was thus dreaming of many yeeres goods and rest a voice comes and awakes him and tels him plainly that he doth vtterly mistake the matter Thou foole saith hee this night shall they fetch away thy Soule and then whose goods shall those be that thou hast gathered So is it saith Christ with him that gathereth riches to himselfe and is not rich in God This vanitie is well set out by the holy Ghost when Salomon saith there is an euill sicknesse namely â—iches reserued to the hurt of their owners and these riches perish by euill trauaile And this is also an euill sicknesse saith the man of experience that in all points as hee came so shall hee goe and what profit hath hee that he hath trauailed for the winde I haue also seene a man saith he to whom God hath giuen riches and treasures and honour and he wanteth nothing for his soule of all that he desireth but God giueth not power to eate thereof this is vanitie and vexation of spiâ—it As this vanitie is a vexation to the spirit of man so is it no lesse grieuous to the spirit of God for that contrary to the minde of our heauenly father we bestow our loue so fondly vpon that which cannot help vs. The commandement saith wee must honour our parents now amongst other things tending to the honour of our earthly parents this is not the least for a child to require the consent of his parents in bestowing of himselfe in marriage and to marrie against their mindes especially when there is reason to the contrary cannot bee but a great dishonour offred to our parents But what earthly parents haue so great interest in their children as God hath in vs what childe oweth such dutie to his earthly parents as wee owe to God If I be your father saith the Lord where is my honour as if hee had said if you depend vpon me for your prouision and looke for my blessing how is it that you set your harts vpon my creatures not vpon mee knowing that my minde is so much against such foolish bestowing of your selues as though I could not or would not fill your harts with as much ioy and gladnesse as my creatures can doe and more too Therefore saith Paul to Timothy Charge them that are rich in this world that they bee not high minded and that they trust not in vncertaine riches but in the liuing God How dangerous worldliness is to the Soule THere is no truer Nobilitie then to be a citizen of the heauenly Ierusalem sonne and heire to the most high all which is defaced and abolished if the hart lie buried in earthly things There is no sounder ioy then the ioy of the holy ghost which is a fruit of Faith is grounded on the loue of God but this cannot bee relished or tasted by him whose hart doth cleaue to this miserable bondage of worldly cares There are no such goods as the sanctifying graces of the holy ghost which onely make a man truely happy as to cleaue vnto God by faith to loue the Lord from the hart to worship him in spirit and truth and to bee wholly vnited vnto him But far is hee from these things whose hart is set vpon earthly goods At the Sermon his minde runneth after his couetousnesse and with his mouth hee maketh iests both of the doctrine and Doctor because hee liketh neither the one nor the other like the Pharises which mocked Christ when hee spake against couetousnesse because themselues were couetous When the Sermon is done they forget al because their harts wer choked with the thorny cares of the world if they fall to reporting of the Sermon it is with additions and detractions mistakings and falsify cations most strange to heare as if the Preacher had ben mad or drunke or in some dreame when he spake Thus the word of life and grace which is a sweet sauour of life vnto life eternall to the regenerate and spirituall minde yeeldeth a most fearefull sauour of death vnto death euerlasting to the carnall worldly minded man Seeing therefore to bestow the hart affection vpon earthly things is proued to be a match so base and vnbeseeming the dignitie of a Christian so wretched and miserable so vaine and deceiptfull so dishonourable to God and preiudiciall to our owne saluation let vs labour by earnest prayer and holy meditation to haue our mindes purged from this euill sicknesse of worldly loue and neuer giue the Lord any rest vntill by zealous prayer wee haue obtained of his diuine Maiestie the wings of a liuely Faith whereby our heauie harts and dull spirits may bee mounted vp aloft to seeke for our Treasure in heauen and then indeed shall wee bee heauenly minded for where the Treasure is there will the hart bee also How to iudge by the heart whether â— mans Treasure be in heauen or no. THere be certaine signes in the hart whereby a man may iudge of his estate to come as there be in the skie to know what weather shall happen when the skie is red in the Euening men say faire weather when it is red lowring in the morning it is a signe of foule weather when a cloud riseth out of the West they say a shower is comming when the South-winde bloweth a signe of heat By obseruing how Ionathan shot his arrows Dauid knew how Saul stood affected towards him by the holding out of the golden Scepter Hester knew shee was in the Kings fauour by the budding of the Trees wee know that Summer is come by the sound of the Vessell the emptinesse or fulnes thereof is perceiued by the beating of the pulses the distemperature of the body is discerned And by the affections of the heart which are the pulses of the soule the hearts Treasure is discouered and where it lyeth for God that hath giuen men signes to know the state of the body the alteration of weather and the mindes of other men hath also giuen certaine notes and signes to discerne the state of the Soule by Yea Christ doth condemne them for Hypocrites which will not iudge of themselues as well as of other things Hipocrites saith hee Yee can discerne the face of the Earth and of the Skie but why discerne yee not this time yea and why iudge yee not of your selues what is right But how may that be will some say or how may a man know by the affections of the heart where the hearts treasure is Then mark the way of wisdome and learne to bee wise when the Lord Iesus heard one answeare discreetely he said vnto him Thou art not farre from the kingdome of God to shew that discreet answeres in matters of religion are signes of grace When Zacheus did with heart obey Christ and with reuerence receiue Christ and in charitie releiue Christ in
hart shall haue his hart and the golden Misers and pleasant companions shall please them so that nothing shal be thought too deere for them Well now is the time to know both their harts for these pleasing placeboes with their tripping trulles care not a straw for any preaching but in their harts wish all except their mealy mouthd Prophets which neuer goe without a slickstone in their pocket hangd out of the way And till sit time serueth they can daunce after times pipe but if time change his note they will also change their coppy and will make better Christians then euer Herod was to daunce after their pipe if Gods grace be not the more abounding euen to the bitter perfecuting and disgracing of Gods poore Ministers and seruants yea they haue the skill to watch the time at a feast at a dauncing reuell or a gossips meeting to winne their harts deâ—ire and make better then Herod to doe that they will be sorry for afterward Therefore let men take heed that they be not deceiued by such hipocrites and that they deceiue not themselues whiles they professe religion from the head and not from the hart But some will say a man may be religious in hart and yet fall away from grace and so come to no assurance of treasure in heauen because it is said in the Gospell that some receiued the word with ioy and yet fel away now ioy is an affection of the hart and ioy in the word is a fruite of the spirit Gal. 5. therfore it seemeth y â— though a man hath a religious heart yet hee may fall away consequently one cannot tell by his heart whether he hath any treasure in heauen or no. But that ioy that S. Matthew speakes of is rather a liking or wondring at the heauenly doctrine as at some strange and excellent thing then any sound or setled reioycing in God who speaketh in his word And ioy is to be distinguished for it is eyther carnall and temporary or spirituall and permanent A carnall man reioyceth many times at a Sermon for the preachers rare inuention or his varietie of phrases or the sharpnes of his wit or the artificiall conuaiance of the matter or his excellent gift of vtterance and boldnes or because hee heard some touched that hee was not friends withall but not for the simplicitie and euidence of the truth nor for any reformation that he felt wrought in himselfe nor for any hatred of sinne or loue of righteusnes that the word wrought in him for commonly such kinde of reioycers or admirers of men goe presently from the Sermon with the dog to eat vp their vomit and Swine-like to tumble in their mire again Such were many of Iohns auditours such were many of Christs auditors such were most of Ezechiels auditours and such are too many of our auditours which flock at the first to a man for nouelties sake to see whether they shall be clawed with a curry-combe or smoothed with a slik-stone Such are they that haue the word of God in respect of persons and such are those fantasticks that will buy a booke onely for the merry conceits that are in it and not for the matter like children which ioy in a booke with a faire couer and reioyce more at the gaies or gawdy letters then any thing else in the booke be it neuer so good The spirituall man reioyceth for that God hath found out his sinne and feeleth the hand of God reforming his heart he reioyceth for that he perceiueth Sathan dispossessed and his life amended his soule hee findeth humbled and his affections bridled himselfe won to God and his familie with him and for this hee reioyceth like the conuerted Iaylor who reioyced for that he and all his houshold beleeued in God But now the afflicted soule is to be satisfied who complaineth with the Spouse of Christ in the Canticles that shee hath sought him whom her soule loueth euen by night in her bed she hath sought him but she cannot finde him that is the conscience afflicted with the wounds of sin cannot find in her hart any assurance of Gods fauour in the remission of her sinnes But for answere we say that there is an earnest penny pawne of Gods loue in that hart though as it were sealed vp in a bag and in time it shall be opened and perceiued for first the very seeking after the loue of God is a speciall fauour of God and an euident token that the spirit of God is there for that proceedeth not of flesh and bloud Seeke yee my face saith the Lord my hart answered saith Dauid thy faâ—e will I seeke hee doth not say thy face will I finde but seeke to shew that seeking of gods fauour is a grace of God as well as finding of Godâ— fauour Seeke and yee shall find saith Christ to shew that finding comes after seeking Seek the Lord saith Esay while he may be fouud and call vpon him while he is nigh at hand to shew that God is sought for by inuocation or calling vpon his name long before hee is found or felt gracious vnto vs but euen then he is nigh at hand or else we could not call vpon him for it is euen his spirit that sends forth our prayers and helps them with sighes and grones and if hee did not help and heaue vp our dull and drowsie spirits we should neuer once flutter towards heauen but euen lye like dead blocks sencelessely groueling vpon the ground Again Christ is in the hart of the troubled spirit for asmuch as the loue of Christ is there for the saith whom my soule loueth which very loue that thou bearest to Christ is a note of the sanctifying spirit of God Againe thou desirest to feele the assurance of Gods loue which desire is also a pledge of the spirit of grace A man may feare God in some sort and ioy in the things of God for a time in some carnall respect desire with the sluggard Balamâ— like to dye the death of the righteous and yet not loue the Lord but the loue of God desire of his fauour makes all sure Fourthly if thou feele it not yet as thou wouldest then vse the meanes of Preaching Reading Prayer Conference Meditation and patiently waite the Lords leasure as Dauid saith to his Soule Waite on God and be not so cast downe for he is thy present help and thy God As a sicke man taketh meat drink and phisick though it goeth against the stomacke and his stomacke so weake that it casteth vp all againe yet hee hath a desire to brooke it and doth striue to keepe it and at last it worketh strength so is it with the sick distempred Soule There is a defect in the stomacke or in the pallat or in some other part of the body which hindreth the working of corporall phisick so in the inward man there
before the euill dayes come vpon thee and the dayes whereof thou shalt say I haue no pleasure And Esai cryeth out vnto thee saying Seeke the Lord while hee may be found and call vpon him while hee is nigh at hand to shew vs that the Lord will not alwayes bee found much lesse when wee thinke good neyther will the dayes of olde age and sicknesse bee like the dayes of youth and health for then shall wee feele our selues vnfit and vntoward to seek after these things in two regards first in regard of naturall infirmities and bodily paines which will hold thy mind occupied about meanes of ease as Phisicke and such like Secondly in regard of that strong hand which sin through long custome will beare ouer thy soule euen to the hardning of thy heart for custome of sinne breedeth hardnesse of heart and hardnesse of heart begetteth impenitencie as the Apostle sheweth in the second to the Romanes But the speciall time of gathering and laying vp this heauenly Treasure is the holy Sabboth and other times of holy assemblies and generally whensoeuer thou art called forth to heare the Word preached vnto thee or hast any occasion to exercise thy Faith in the workes of Charitie and pietie Then comes the Angell to stirre the Poole step in then if thou wilt doe thy selfe good for afterward will bee too late Whosoeuer carelessely neglecteth the Sabbaoth of the Lord and presumptiously giueth God the slip in the holy Assemblies as many carâ—all Christians doe who mistrusting God with their estate thinke it no sin to spend the Sabbaoth day in their worldly affaires or vaine exercises well may they with Esau get a sup of pottage to stay their hungry mawes withall if God doe not crosse their enterprises and curse their labours as oftentimes hee doth but surely their heauenly Birth-right is forâ—aite by the bargain and but bankroupts they proue in the heauenly Treasure of a Christian They heape vp but it is nothing but wrath against the day of wrath The Sabboth day is especially appointed for gathering of heauenly treasures Remember therefore that thou keepe it holy as the Lord comminandeth pâ—etend not a necessitie of breaking the 〈◊〉 rest where 〈◊〉 is apparant as the manner of some is when 〈◊〉 a faire Sabboth day they must work for feare of Raine but consider thou whose heart is buryed vnder thy loafe and wilt needs bee rich by deceiuing the Lord of his right consider I say hath not the Lord prouided for thee when it hath rained and darest thou not trust him when it is faire did he euer deceiue any that trusted him with their estate while they walked reuerently in his feare and carefully kept his commandements what indignitie then and dishonor is this that thou offrest vnto the most high in that thou darest not trust him with thy body whiles thou seekest for the good of thy Soule And how doest thou thinke to answere this geare when thy conscience shall bee summoned to answere therevnto before that Iudgement Seat which maketh the very Angels and Celestiall Powers to tremble Oh consider of these things betimes and the Lord 〈◊〉 thy drowsie soule And aboue all beware of sorting thy selfe with profane company which will cause thee to loose thy time and dull the edge of the Spirit decay thy graces and make thee to treasure vp sinne against the day of vengeance for one sinne admitted with loue and liking letteth out many graces and maketh hauock of all thy vertues Now the manner how to lay vp this heauenly Treasure commeth next to be remembred and that is done three waies First by relieuing of the Lord Iesus Christ in his members which stand in neede of help Sell that you haâ—e ouerplus saith Christ or that you can spâ—are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and giue to the poore Make you bags which waxe not old Luke 12. 33. to shew that when a man giueth almes to the poore hee doth but take it out of one purse and put it into another out of bags that waxe old and put it into bags that waxe not old and in so doing saith Christ thou shalt finde treasure in heauen in so doing I say but not for so doing as Papists teach If thou wilt be perfect saith Christ to the rich yong man goe and sell that thou hast and giue to the poore and what you doe to them I take it as done vnto my selfe for saith our Sauiour Christ when they my poore members were in prison I was in prison when they were hungry naked and cold c. I was hungry naked and cold and therfore what you did to them you did to mee To the like effect speaketh the Prophet Esai If saith hee thou deale thy bread to the hungry and bring the poore that wandreth into thy house and couer the naked when thou seest him then shall thy light breake forth as the morning and thine health shall grow speedely thy righteousnesse shall goe before thee and the glory of the Lord shal embrace thee These bee sweet encouragements and necessarie because poore people are vnable to recompence the kindnesse of those that bestow any thing vpon them and as they are vnable so for the most part they are very ingratefull and their vnthankfulnesse doth not a little discourage many who would otherwise bee more beneficiall then they are And in these respects men had rather venture their goods vpon any other thing then vpon the poore For say they quod ingrato feceris perijt It is cast away which is giuen to vnthankfull persons but howsoeuer it bee that many of the poorer sort bee both wretchedly vnthankfull and miserably vnable to repay thee yet if thou giuest them for Christ his sake in whose name commonly they aske it thou shalt finde it againe in heauen But it may bee thou wilt be content to giue part of thy ouerplus to the poore so thou maist reserue the other part to bestow on thy pleasure but beware thou deceiue not thy selfe for all thy ouerplus is for the poore when thy familie is prouided for thy debts paid and all Dueties that thou owest to the Church and Common-wealth thy Prince and Countrie are deâ—â—ayed that which remaineth is for the poore to play for that is to cast lots vpon the Garment of Christ Ne fundis parcendum est sayeth Calâ—sin Euen of a mans ground and Inheritance a Christian man must deuide some to poore Schollers some to scholes of learning some to the Ministry of the Gospel some to maimed souldiers some to poore hospitals in all to Christ he that giueth but a cup of cold water to the poore members of christ hauing no more to giue shall not loose his reward The second way to lay vp Treasure in heauen is by suffring constantly and patiently for Christ when thou art thereunto lawfully called and required and that two wayes First thou must suffer the word