I will onely name them to open our understandings a little First It is enough that God will have it so a modest Christian will be satisfied with that that God will have a difference betweene heaven and earth Gods dispensation may satisfie them 2. God wil have a difference betweene the warring Church and the triumphing Church This life is a life of Faith and not of sight We walke and live by faith Why partly to try the truth of our faith and partly for the glory of God that he hath such servants inn the world here that will depend upon him upon termes of faith upon his bare word that can say there are such things reserved in heaven for me I have enough what a glory is it to God that he hath those that will trust him upon his bare word It were no commendation for a Christian to live here in a beautifull glorious manner if hee should see all and live by sight If he should see hell open the terrours there for him then to abstraine from sinne what glory were it the sight would force abstinence If he should see heaven open and the joyes of it present it were no thanks to be a good man for sight would force it The second Reason is this that God will have a known difference between hypocrites and the true Children of God If heaven were upon earth and nothing reserved in faith and in promise every one would be a Christian but now the greatest things being laid up in promises wee must excercise our faith to waite for them now there are none that will honour God in his word but the true Christian that there are such excellent things reserved in another world in comparison of which all these are base there is none but a true Christian that will honour God upon his word that will venter the losse of these things here for them in heaven that wil not lose those things that they have in reversion and promise for the present delights of sinne for a season Wheras the common sort they heare say of a heaven and happinesse and a day of judgement c. But in the meane time they will not deny their base pleasures and their Rebellious dispositions they wil crosse themselves in nothing doe wee thinke that God hath prepared heaven for such wretches as these oh let us never thinke of it God therefore hath reserved the best excellencies for the time to come in promises and in his word if we have grace to depend upon his word and in the meane time goe on and crosse our corruptions it is an excellent condition to be so it shewes the difference that God will have between us and other men Againe thirdly our vessells could not containe it Wee are uncapable our braine is not strong enough for these things as weake braines cannot digest hote liquors so we cannot digest a large revelation of these things As wee see St. Peter was not himselfe in the transfiguration hee forgot himselfe and was spiritually drunke with joy with that hee saw in the mount hee wote not what hee said as the Scripture saith when hee said Master let us make three Tabernacles c. Nay Saint Paul himself the great Apostle when hee saw things in heaven above expression that could not nor might not be uttered could not digest them They were so great that if he had not had somewhat to weigh him downe to ballance him hee had been overturned with pride therefore there was a pricke in the flesh sent to Paul himselfe to humble him Are wee greater than Paul and Peter the great Apostles of the Jewes and Gentiles when these grand Apostles could not containe themselves when they see these heavenly things and but a glimpse of them the one did not know what he said and the other was humbled by way of prevention with a pricke in the flesh and shal we think to conceive of these things No we cannot for that is to be in heaven before our time These and the like reasons wee may have to satisfie us in this why wee cannot conceive of the things to come as they are in their proper nature God sayth to Moses when Moses would have a fairer manifestation of God No man can see me and live If we would see God as he is we must die If we would see heaven and the joyes of it as it is wee must die first No man can see the things that the Apostle here speakes of in their proper light and excellencie but he must die first They are not proportionable to our condition here for God hath resolved that this life shall bee a life of imperfection and that that shall be a perfect estate of perfect glory Alas our capacities now are not capable our affections wil not containe those excellent things therefore God traines us up by little and little to the full fruition and enjoying of it Thus we see how wee come to have some knowledge of them and why we have not a full knowledge of them here Well to leave this and goe on If this be so then let us oft thinke of these things The life of a Christian is wondrously ruled in this world by the consideratiō and meditation of the life of another world nothing more steeres the life of a Christian here then the consideration of the life hereafter not only by way of comfort that the consideration of immortal life glory is the comfort of this mortall base life but likewise by way of disposition and framing a man to all courses that are good There is no grace of the spirit in a manner but it is set on worke by the consideration of the estate that is to come no not one What is the worke of faith It is the evidence of things not seene It sets the things of another world present before the eye of the soule and in that respect it is victorious it conquers the world because it sets a better world in the eye Where were the exercise of faith if it were not for hope of such an estate which feeds faith the excellencie of faith is that it is about things not seene it makes things that are not seene to be seene it hath a kind of omnipotent power it gives a being to things that have none but in the promise of the speaker And for hope the very nature of hope is to expect those things that faith believes Were it not for the joyes of heaven where were hope It is the helmet of the soule to keepe it from blowes and temptations It is the Anchor of the soule that being cast within the vaile into heaven stayes the soule in all the waves and troubles in this world the consideration of the things to come exerciseth this grace of hope we looke within the vaile and cast anchor there upward and not downeward and there wee stay our selves in all combustions and confusions by the exercise of
of wonder even in heaven it selfe much more should it bee here below Therefore the holy Apostles when they speake in the Scriptures of these things it is with termes of admiration and wonderment joy unspeakeable glorious peace that passeth understanding when they speake of our deliverance out of the state of darknesse into the state of grace they call it a being brought out of darknesse into his mervailous light And so God loved the world he cannot expresse how I Ioh. 3. Behold what love hath the Father shewed us that we should bee called the sonnes of God To be called and to be is all one with God both beyond expression Againe if this be so that God hath provided such things as neither eye hath seen nor eare hath heard c. Begge of God first the Spirit of grace to conceive of them as the Scripture reveals them and then begge of God a further degree of revelation that hee would more and more reveale to us by his Spirit those excellent things For the soule is never in a better frame than when it is lift up above earthly things When shall a man use the world as though hee used it not when he goes about his businesse in a commanding manner as seeing all things under him when he is raysed up to conceive the things that are reserved for him above the world that keepes a man from being drowned in the world what makes men drowned in the world to be earth-wormes they think of no other heaven but this they have no other thing in their eye Now by the Spirit discovering these things to theâ— that have weaned soules it makes them goe about the things of the world in another manner they will doe them and doe them exactly with conscience and care considering that they must give an account of all but they wil doe them with reserved affections to better thing Therefore let us oft thinke of this and labour to have a spirit of faith to believe them that they are so that there are such great things and then upon believing the meditation of such excellent things will keepe the soule in such a frame as it will bee fit for any thing without defiling of it selfe A man that hath first faith that these things are so and then that hath faith exercised to thinke and meditate what these things are he may bee turned loose to any temptation whatsoever For first of all if there be any solicitation to any base sin what will he thinke shall I for the pleasures of sin for a season if not lose the joyes of heaven and happinesse that eye hath not seene c. yet surely I shall lose the comfort and assurance of them A man cannot enjoy the comfort of heaven upon earth without self-deniall and mortification shall I lose peace of conscience and joy in the holy Ghost for these things When Sathan comes with any bait let us thinke hee comes to rob us of better than he can give his bait is some present pleasure or preferment or contentment here but what doth he take from us that which eye hath not seene nor eare heard c. Hee gives Adam an Apple and takes away Paradise therefore in all temptations consider not what he offers but what we shall lose at least the comfort of what we shall lose we shall lose the comfort of heaven and bring our selves to terrours of conscience Religion is not so empty a thing as that wee need to be beholding to the Divell for any preferment or riches or contentment or pleasure Hath God set up a profession of Religion and doe wee thinke that we must bee beholding to his and our enemy for any base contentments No it is a disparagment to our religion to our profession and calling and to our Lord and Master we serve to thinke that hee will not provide richly for his you see here he hath prepared things that eye hath not seene c. And by this likwise wee may judge of the difference of excellencies the difference of degrees of excellencies may bee fetched from hence The things that the eye can see they may be excellent good things but if the eye can see them there is no great matters in them The thing that the eare heares by reports are more than the eye sees wee may heare much that we never saw yet if we can heare them and conceive of them upon the hearing they are no great matters for the soule is larger than they We conceive more than wee can heare the conceit is beyond sight and hearing if we can conceive the compasse and latitude of any thing it is no great matter for it is within the reach and module and apprehension of mans braine it is no wondrous matter I but then the things that are most excellent of all they are above sight and beholding and hearing and conceite that the soule cannot wholly compasse and reach them those are the excellent things of aâ—l The rule of excellencie is to know what wee can conceive and what is beyond our comprehension The wit of man can conceive all things under the heavens All the knowledge we have comes within the braine of man the government of states and the like Oh! but the things that God hath provided for his never came wholly within the braine of man and therefore they are the most excellent And so by way of contraries for ills what are the greatest ills those that the eye can see that wee can feele and heare of and conceive Oh! no the greatest ills are those torments that never eye saw that eare never heard of it is to be in hell to know these things they are beyond our conceit the worme that dies not fire unquenchable the things above our apprehension are the most terrible things It is not the gout or the stone men feel these things and yet suffer them with some patience these are not the greatest ills but those of another world that are reserved for Gods enemies as the best things are those that are reserved for his friends Therefore let us make use of our understandings in laying things together and make use of Gods discovery of the state of Christianitie the excellencies of religion Why doth God reveale these things in the word that wee should oft meditate of them and study them that we may bee heavenly minded for there are none that come to heaven but they must have a taste of these before hand there are none ever enjoy them in perfection when the day of revelation shall come the Gospell now is the time of revelation but the day of revelation is the time of judgement then we shall wee be revealed what we are But in the meane time there is a revelation by the spirit in some beginnings of these things or else we shall never come to have the perfection of them in heaven If wee know not what peace and joy and comfort
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