cannot say so they have a father to provide for them and all the earth is the Lords as well as heaven and the fulnesse of them both now the earth being the Lords as well as heaven the earth being thy fathers why should thy care be so much upon the things of the earth Let thy care be to do thy duty to thy father to walk as a child but let it not be for the things of the earth thou dost as much as disavow the care of thy father for thee and canst thou beleeve that God shall give his Son to thee and not give thee all things else hath not godliness the promises of this life as well as of that to come Oh! thou unworthy child that professest an interest in such a father or unworthy Christian that professest an interest in such promises and hop'st that God hath done such things for thee as he hath done and yet hast thy heart in the things of this earth as if the Lord had settled thee only here and put thee to shift for thy self here from door to door no certainly the care of God is over his people in the things of the earth as truly as it is over them in regard of spiritual and eternal things Some men can think at least they trust that they do trust God for their souls but cannot for their bodies so well but surely faith wil teach thee to trust God for thy body as wel as thy soul for God hath care of both and both were redeem'd by the blood of Jesus Christ and hath told thee that he that fears the Lord shall never want any thing that 's good for him Now these considerations may mightily prevail to take off the hearts of men from the things of this earth The Eleventh Consideration The last that I shall name is this That all that are Professors of Religion they are dead to the world or should be so nay if you be truly Religious you are so by profession you do professe your selves to be dead unto the world The Scripture makes this argument to take off mens hearts from the things of this world in the 3. Colos 2 3. Set your affections on things above not on things on the earth why for you are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God Ye are dead the Apostle writes to the Colossians and yet he tels them that they were dead the Sripture speaks much of the death of the Saints As it 's said of women that liv'd in pleasures in Timothy that they were dead while they liv'd so it may be said of Christians that they are dead while they live dead to the world I am crucified to the world saith the Apostle and we are dead with Christ I find that some interpret that Scripture in the 1. Cor. 15. 29. Else what shall they do that are baptized for the dead they interpret it thus That all those that came in which were Heathens and converted to Christianity and were baptized they were baptized for dead men that is by their baptizm now there was a profession that they did professe themselves from that time for ever as dead men to the world baptized for the dead you have it in some of your books over the dead but the word is for and so it is translated in this last translation For dead men your baptizm is administred unto you as a sign of your profession to be as dead men unto the world so I find some carry it This is the profession of Christians to be as dead men to the world Oh do not dishonor your profession of Religion for indeed there is a greater evil as we said for professors of Religion to be earthly minded than for any others and yet how many are guilty of this It 's an observation of Luther when God rivealed himself to Abraham and told him that he would multiply his seed he made use of two similitudes one was this That he would make his seed as the stars of Heaven and at another time God saith that he would make his seed as the sand upon the sea shore Now saith Luther by these two expressions there is signified two sorts of Abrahams seed there are some that are as the stars of Heaven that are heavenly minded There are others that are as the sand of the Sea that is There are some professe themselves to be of Abrahams seed but are of earthly spirits Oh now my brethren we should labor to have such minds and hearts so as we should appear to be the seed of Abraham as the stars of heaven to be of the number of those that are as the stars of heaven that is through heavenly-mindednesse But that we shall come to when we come to speak of the conversation of Christians how it ought to be in heaven But now if any one should say May we not mind earthly things and heavenly things too Know there is a great mistake here you cannot serve two masters God and Mamon and it 's very observable that text of Scripture in the 3. of Colos 2. verse mark the opposition Set your affections on things above not on things on the earth they are there opposed one to another Set your affections or minds for so I think it is the same word with that in my text who mind earthly things A man cannot look up to heaven and down to the earth both at the same time there is an opposition between these two between the earthly-mindedness that hath been opened to you and minding of heavenly things I but you will say For these things while we are upon the earth we have need of them how can we do otherwaies but mind them When we come to heaven there we shall have dispositions sutable to heaven but sure not till then To that I answer Though Christians do live upon the earth yet they are not of the earth there 's a great deal of difference between one that is of the earth and another that lives upon the earth Christ saith concerning himself that he was not of the earth it 's true though he did live a while upon the earth yet he was not of it In the 3. of John 31. He that cometh from above is above all he that is of the earth is earthly and speaketh of the earth now Christ while he spake these words he was upon the earth but He was not of the Earth And so it is with Christians they are upon the Earth but they are not of the Earth they are a people redeem'd from the earth therefore that 's not enough it 's true these things are things that we need therefore we must not mind them for so in the 6. of Mat. where Christ speaks against taking thought what we shall eat or what we shall drink or what we shall put on Saith he Your Heavenly Father knows you have need of these things you have some need I but you have need of other things and greater
to see her son Converted and God did grant her desire and then she found her self willing to die There 's nothing wil make the spiritual heart of a father or mother more willing to depart from this world than to find grace wrought in their children Oh! that I may see before I die my child left under the promise in Covenant with God I this were somwhat-like indeed But those whose cares thoughts are most for these earthlie things in providing for themselves and children that 's a Convincement that their hearts are earthly 3. Conv. A Third Convincement which is very notable and I beseech you all to lay this to heart and consider seriously of it for this evill of earthly-mindedness is a very secret and close sin therefore I am the larger in this point the convincement is this That man that can be content with a slight assurance in the matters of Heaven but for the matters of earth he never thinks himself sure enough but is very careful to make all things so infallable as there can be no way that he can be decived in but he may surely build upon what he hath in the things of this earth This is an argument of an earthly mind Come to men that are earthly and discourse with them concerning matters that concern their souls What assurance have you that you are gone beyond any formal professor that you are better than the stony or thorny grounds that we reade of in Scripture What evidence have you that the saving work of grace is wrought in you that you have shot the gulf that you are translated out of the kingdom of darknesse into the Kingdom of Jesus Christ and that your sins are pardoned and your souls justified that you are at peace with God what evidences have you of peace made between God and your souls This answer would be given I hope I am converted I trust in Gods mercy sure I have grace I shall be sav'd God is merciful But what evidences can you shew They know not scarce what belongs to that nay you shall have many of them because they know not what assurance means therefore they will think no body can be assured we may hope well but we cannot come to be assured of it No a heart that is truly gracious and godly would be loth that should be true for a thousand worlds they would not lose their parts in the blessing of that if God would make them Kings or Queens of the earth But thou hast an earthlie drossie heart and doest not much look after assurance for matters of thy soul and eternal estate thou wilt venture those matters and put them upon a peradventure but when it comes to the matters of the earth there thou wilt make all sure and go from this Lawyer to another Lawyer to ask council to see whether the things are good and will inrole them and if there can be any thing done to make more sure if it be any great sum upon which your estates lies you will do it I appeal to you If you could but hear of any of your neighbors what they had done to make such a thing more certain than you have done you would scarce be at rest till you had done so as they have done is it so in matters of your eternal estate do not you hear of many Saints of God that walk comfortably in the midst of all afflictions upon the assurance of Gods love you shall have some will be able to say I and it 's this Scripture I build upon and through Gods mercie such and such hath the work of God been upon my soul in revealing himself to me and such a promise I have suck't abundance of honie from But now generally come to people upon their sick beds all that they say is this They hope in Gods mercie But for the ground of their hope for shewing how God hath been pleased to bring their hearts and the word together and what real effects there hath been upon their spirits by the word that they can shew nothing of thou hast not therefore got that assurance for thy soul and eternal estate as others have got and yet thou canst go on quietly Oh! it concerns thee that art so busie in making all sure for thy outward estate to spend more thoughts and care in the matters of thy soul and eternal estate than ever thou hast done here 's an earthly-minded man that can be contented with slight assurance for the matters of his soul and satisfied with no kind of assurance in the matters of the world but would fain make those things more and more sure continually 4. Conv. Further An earthly-minded man may be convinc'd of his earthlinesse in this He is content with a little degree of Sanctification but for the matters of the world still he would fain have more and more He looks at those that are the most eminent that are in his rank and he would fain get up as high as they in the things of this life but in matters of Religion he looks at the lowest Christians and is content to be as low as they take an earthly-minded man that is of such a trade if there be any of his profession or calling that had as little to begin as he and thrive better he would fain get up as high as he and is troubled that he is not so rich as he is thus it is in the world But now take them in matters of God there 's such men that began since you began and had as little means for the good of their souls as you have had they are thriven and got beyond you abundantly in the matters of God and doth this trouble you and are your thoughts solicitous about this Oh! that I could attain to that degree of grace as such a one hath got such an one hath a spiritual mind and full of the joy of the holy Ghost and full of faith he is able to depend upon God in the want of all outward comforts and certainly injoyes much communion with God but I am far beneath such and such do these thoughts trouble you it is ordinary for earthly spirits if they look but at any one that makes profession of Religion that is low in his profession I did as such a one doth and I have as much as they have and that satisfies them they look upon the meanest Christans and are satisfied that they are like them but for the matters of the world they look upon the highest and are not satified except they come and attain to what they attain to and that 's a fourth evidence 5. Conv. Then a Fift is this Earthly-minded men are very wise in matters of the world but in matters that are spiritual there they are very weak and Simple You shall have many men which I have wondered at sometimes to see that in matters concerning Religion there they are very ignorant if they do but speak in
be to the heart that walks with God! in the 38. Psal 8. 9. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house and thou shalt make them drink of the rivers of thy pleasures for with thee is the fonntain of life In thy light shall we see light Certainly where God walks there is a glorious light round about that such a soul never walks in darkness the light of God shines about it as we reade of those that walked with Christ to Emaus the text saith Their hearts burn'd within them Certainly the hearts of the Saints walking with God must needs be fild with those influences from God that must make their hearts glow within them while they are walking with him in Psal 89. 15 16. you have a notable Scripture there about the satisfaction of the soul in walking with God Blessed are the people that know the joyfull sound they shall walk O Lord in the light of thy countenance In thy Name shall they rejoyce all the day and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted Those that walk with God they walk in the light of Gods Countenance and in Gods Name shal they rejoyce all the day and in his righteousness shall they be exalted Oh! a blessed thing it is to walk with God The speech of that noble Marques Galiatius that was of great birth in Italy and forsaking all his honors and friends and coming to Geneve he had this expression saith he upon a time feeling his sweet converse with God Cursed saith he be that man that accounts all the gold and silver in the world worth one daies enjoyment of Communion with Jesus Christ He had left a great deal of gold and silver the Pope himself was a neer kinsman to him and great possessions and kindred he had and left it all to come to Geneve to professe the truth there and he found all recompenced in Cōmunion with Christ and his heart was so ful with it that he even cursed those that should account all the gold and silver in the world worth the enjoyment of one hours communion with Christ Oh an hours walking with Christ is more than all the world I appeal to those souls that have been acquainted with this whether would you have lost such an hour that you have been conversing with God for all the world what would you take for the enjoyment of such an hour as that is Oh not thousand thousands of worlds a gracious heart would not take for some hours that it hath in enjoyment of communion with God in walking with him Oh there 's infinite sweetness in walking with God There 's a great deal of good to be had in walking with the Saints as sometimes I have told you of Dr. Taylor that was the Martyr when he came to prison he rejoyced that ever he was put in prison there to meet with that Angel of God John Bradford Now if it be comfortable to have communion with the Saints though in prison Oh how sweet is it to have communion with God in walking with him I remember I have read of a King that once beholding Plato walking up and down with other Phylosophers he cries out thus Oh life this is life and true happiness yonder is true happiness he did not look upon his Kingdom as affording a life to him and as affording that happiness as he did beleeve Plato and the Phylosophers had conversing one with another about Phylosphie as if he should say 't is not the Kings of the earth that live the happy lives but these Phylosophers that walk and converse thus one with another Oh then what life and happiness it is for the soul to walk up and down with God and to converse with God himself what though thou walkest in the velly of Bacha yea what though thou walkest in the shadow of death in respect of outward afflictions yet walking with God is that that will shine upon thee and will sweeten thy heart even when thou art walking in the vally of Bacha and in the shadow of death In the 7. of the Revel see whither Jesus Christ leads the soul in walking with Him The Lamb which is in the midst of the Throne shall feed them and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes Thus when thou walkest with Jesus Christ he leads thee to the living fountains of waters that comfort thee the comforts that thou hadst in the world were but as dirty puddles but those comforts that thou hast in Christ when thou walkest with him they are the fountain of living waters That 's the third thing wherein the excellency of walking with God consists The abundance of soul-satisfaction that the heart hath in God The fourth Excellency The fourth Excellency that there is in walking with God is this It 's a special part of the covenant on our part that God doth make with us upon which the very blessing of the covenant doth in grreat part depend as that Scripture in the 17. of Gen. doth cleerly shew where God is coming to make a covenant with Abraham and to be a God to him and to his seed what 's that God requires of Abraham now Walk before me and be upright Then I am God alsufficient and I enter into covenant with you to be a God to you and a God to your seed Walk before me and be upright As if that were all the thing that God look'd at that you should walk with him and be upright then you shall have the blessing of the Covenant Oh this is a great excellency that it is a special part of the Covenant that God makes with his people on their part and then on his part he will be a God unto them What was it that God requir'd in the 6. of Micah 6 7. verses there you may see how God prizes walking with him that it 's the great thing that God doth look at whereas there were some that said Wherewith shall I come before the Lord and bow my self before the high God shall I come before him with burns offerings with Calves of a yeer old will the Lord be pleased with thousands of Rams or with ten thousands of rivers of Oyl shall I give my first born for my transgression the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul What shall I do to please God Mark in the 8. verse He hath shewed thee O man what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee but to do Justly and to love Mercy and to WALK humbly with thy God As if he should say This is the great thing to walk with thy God not only to exercise some particular grace of thy Justice and Mercy but in general to walk with thy God Never tell me of any thing that you would do for me but in the constant course of thy life walk humbly with thy God This therefore was the comfort of Hezekiah when he had the
before God walking in all the Commandements and Ordinances of the Lord blameless here 's a walking with God not only to walk in some one thing but in all Commandements and Ordinances of God and not only so but blameless before men too though it 's true the chief work that he hath it is in converse with God yet he is careful so as to be blameless before men because it concerns much the honor of God that he should be blameless before men Zacharias and Elizabeth they were walkers with God and their lives are described so that they were conscionable in all the Commands of God and walked blameless before men Now as we go along apply it Can you say Lord Thou that knowest al things knowest that there 's no command of thine nor no Ordinance of thine but my soul closes with and I desire to spend my life in them and to walk blamelesly before men There 's a great many that speak much of walking before God and of the Ordinances of God and yet come to them before men and they are careless and negligent do but hearken to what the Lord speaks this day to thee Certainly thou never knewest what it was to walk with God except thou doest walk blamelesly before men too The Tenth Evidence Opened in five Particulars See but how the Scripture describes the walk of the Saints with God there are some four or five particulars that I shal infist upon wherein I shal open some Scriptures describing the Saints walk with God As first Their walk it is a walk of Humility a way very humble The heart that walks with God must needs be very humble in the presence of God you know the place in the 6. of Micah He hath shewn thee O man what he would have thee to do To walk humbly with thy God that 's more than the offering of thousands of Lambs or ten thousand Rivers of Oyl To walk humbly with thy God A proud man or woman never knows what it is to walk with God But the walking with God causes much humility there 's no such thing in the world to humble the heart of a man as to have converse with God do you see a man proud and haughty and high in his carriage surely you may conclude this man hath little converse with God saith Job I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear but now have mine eyes seen thee what then I abhor my self in dust and ashes Secondly Another thing that the Scripture speaks of the walk of a Christian with God it is Vprightness Walk before me and he upright I might give you twenty Scriptures for that how uprightness is the walk of a Christian with God I 'le give you only one about this and that is in the 3 Epist of John 3. verse there it is exprest in the new Testament by walking in the truth and so sometimes in the Old the walking in Vprightness and walking in the Truth is somewhat the same I rejoyced greatly saith the Apostle when the Brethren came and testified of the truth that is in thee even as thou walkest in the truth So that this surely hath reference unto walking according to the truth of the Gospel in the truth and sincerity of our hearts They testified of the truth that is in thee That is The Word of the Gospel that did prevail in thy heart and prevailing in thy heart thou didst walk-in the strength and power of that Truth and according to the truth here 's a walking with God And no marvel though the soul of this man was in so good a condition as indeed it was for you find in the 2. verse of this Epistle a very strange expression of John concerning this Gaius what doth he say of him I wish saith he above al things that then mayest prosper and be in health even as thy soul prospereth It seems this Gaius had but a poor weak sickly body but a very good soul he was and saith John I wish that thou mayest prosper even as thy soul prospereth Oh! that thou hadst but as good a body as a soul It 's a very strange speech It were a curse to many of you I am afraid But John could say concerning Gaius Oh that this man Gaius had as good a body as he hath a soul And how came he to have his soul to prosper He walked in the truth and according to the truth and al that he did was in the truth and sincerity of his heart hence his soul came to prosper and those that have but very weak parts yet if they walk in the truth their souls will prosper The Third thing is Walking in the fear of God And indeed these two are very neer a kin one to another so you have it in the 5. of Nehe. 9. verse Also I said it is not good that ye do Ought ye not to WALK in the fear of our God and he gives an argument there Because of the reproach of the Heathen So may I say to all Christians that would professe themselves Christians and godly ought not ye to walk in the fear of our God whatsoever other men do they do thus and thus and seek to follow their own ends and waies but ought not YE to walk in the fear of our God that 's the walk of a Christian the fear of God it is continually upon him And observe we reade in the 9. of the Acts of the walk of the Christians in the Primitive times upon which they came so to grow up in the waies of godliness as they did at the 31. verse the text saith Then had the Churches rest throughout all Judea and Gallilee and Samaira and were edified and what then They walked in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the holy Ghost and so came to be multiplied It 's an excellent Scripture would you be built up in godliness let the fear of God be upon you and if you walk in the fear of God you will walk in the joy of the holy Ghost Obj. You will say Fear that may hinder our Joy Ans No But the way to have true joy in the holy Ghost it is To walk in the fear of God and though you have a company of vain and wanton spirits that are nothing but for Jolity and Mirth they cannot admit of any kind of seriousness that we spake to before But certainly their Jolity it 's but frothy and carnal but those have the best Joy in their hearts that walk most in the fear of God When I see a Christian have the fear of God upon him and that in the whol course of his life then he will have much of the comfort of the holy Ghost Fourthly The comfort of the holy Ghost it 's joyned with the fear of God and if you see any that talk never so much of the joy that they have it 's but a frothy carnal joy except the fear of God be upon them Oh
earthly in spiritual things 15 8 When they pass by great difficulties about earthly matters and they seem little to them ibid 9 When they conceive of the most heavenly truth in an earthly way Page 17 CHAP. III. Fourteen Evils of Earthly-mindedness 1 It is Adultery 20 2 It is Idolatry ibid Object What Idolatry is there in it Answ 1 They depart from God 22 2 They chuse rather to make the earth to be their god than the infinit First-Being of all things ibid 3 It is enmity against God 23 4 It is opposite and contrary to the work of grace 24 1 Before Conversion 1 To the call of conversion 26 2 To the souls answer to this call ibid 3 To the resigning up of the soul to God as the chiefest good 26 2 After conversion to their work of grace 1 Grace brings a new light to the soul ibid 2 Make him a new creature 27 3 Is of an elevating nature ibid 4 Is of an enlarging nature ibid 5 Grace sanctifies the soul 28 5 It puts men upon great temptations Page 28 6 It is one of the greatest bindrances to the profit of the Ministry 30 7 It causeth many foolish lusts in the heart 34 1 It causeth them to follow after things that are vile ibid 2. It makes them a servant to their servants ibid 3 A man might have more of it and not mind it so much as he doth 35 4 You pay a great deal more for it than 't is worth 36 5 What he doth he must needs undo again 38 6 They lose the comfort of earthly things before they have them 39 8 It is the root of Apostacy 40 9 It doth wonderfully dead the heart in the prayer 42 10 It is just with God their names should be written in the earth 43 11 They have the curse of the serpent upon them 44 12 It is a dishonor to God and a scandal to Religion 45 13 It doth exceedingly hinder preparation for death 47 14 It will drown thy soul in perdition 50 Preparation to Convincements Men may be earthly-minded and yet not know they are so Page 51 Five things may be wrought in an earthly-minded man 1 His judgment may be convinced that there is a vanity in them 52 2 He may have some kind of contentment in them ib. 3 They may speak great words about the vanity of this world ibid 4 They may be free from getting any thing by deceit ibid 5 They may dispise some earthly things ibid Convincement 1 When a man rests upon earthly props for the good he doth expect 54 Convincement 2 When men make most provision for the things of this world for themselves and their children 55 Convincement 3 When a man can be content with a slight assurance of heavenly things but never thinks him sure enough for the matters of the earth 56 Convincement 4 When he is contented with a little sanctification but in things of this world would sâ—ill have more and more Page 58 Convincement 5 When they are very wise in matters of the world but very weak in spiritual 59 Convincement 6 When their discourses are of the world 60 Convincement 7 When spiritual things must give way to earthliness 61 Convincement 8 When they care not how it is with the Church so it be well with them in things of the world ibid Convincement 7 When the more spiritual a truth is the lesse it takes with their hearts 63 CHAP. IV. Reasons of mens Earthly-mindedness 1 The things of the earth appear reall to them but Heavenly things are but a notion 64 2 They look upon them as the present necessary things ibid 3 These things are most sutable to mens hearts 65 4 They have a very fair shew to the flesh ib. 5 Men naturally know no better things 66 6 There are earthly principles continually dropping into men by conversing with other men of the earth ibid 7 The sensible experience they have of their sweetness Page 67 CHAP. V. Considerations to take off the hearts of men from earthly-mindedness Consideration 1 If thou couldst possess all the things of the earth there is not so much good in them as to countervail the evil of one sin 68 Consideration 2 The chiefest things of the earth have been and are the portion of reprobates ibid Consideration 3. God hath made man for higher things than the things of the earth 69 Consideration 4. The soul of a man is of too high a birth to have the strength of it spent about the things of the earth 70 Consideration 5. All the things of the earth are uncertain 71 Consideration 6. Consider what hath become of such men in former ages 72 Consideration 7. How short thy time is in this world Page 73 Consid 8. A little will serve the turn to carry us through this world 76 Consid 9. There is no good to be had in them further than God is pleased to let himself through them 77 Consid 10 If you be godly God promiseth to take care of you for the things of the earth ibid Consid 11. All that are professors of Religion should be dead to the world 79 CHAP. VI Exhortation to beware of earthly-mindedness 81 CHAP. VII Directions to get our hearts free from Earthly-mindednesse 1 Be watchful over your thoughts 86 2 Be humbled for sin ibid 3 Set the exampls of the Saints before you 86 4 Consider the great accompt we are to give for all earthly things ibid 5 Set the Lord Jesus Christ before you 88 THE CONTENTS OF THE ENSUING TREATISE OF AN HEAVENLY-CONVESATION PHILIPPIANS 3. 20. CHAP. I HOw far the examples of godly men should prevail with us Page 91 1 More than other examples 93 1 More than the examples of rich men ibid 2 More than the example of the multitude ibid 3 More than the examples of those nearly related to us ibid 2 They should be enough to take off prejudices that come from accusations of men ib. 3 They should make us enquire after those waies Page 94 4 We should not oppose those waies 95 5 They should prepare us to let in any truth they profess ibid 9 They should confirm us in the truth 96 CHAP. II. What is to be done when examples of godly men are contrary 1 It puts us to a strict examination 97 2 which way hath most earthly inducements 98 CHAP. III Rebuke to those that follow the example of the wicked and reject the example of the godly Page 98 CHAP. IV Two Doctrines 1 The Saints are Citizens of Heaven 100 2 Their Conversation while they are in this world is in Heaven ibid CHAP. V How the Saints are Citizens of Heaven 102 1 Their names are inroll'd there 102 2 Christ their Head bath taken possession of Heaven in their names ibid 3 When they actually beleeve they take up their freedom 103 4 They cannot again be as slaves ibid 5 They have right to all the common stock and treasury of heaven ibid 6 They
's true of many men in this case that I am speaking of their very souls do cleave to the dust their spirits are mixed with the earth and therefore they are drossie Though it may be they have some good common gifts some good natural parts and some workings of the holy Ghost upon them yet their spirits are drossie because they are mixt with the earth discourse never so much to these men of the vanity of the things of the earth they will give you the hearing but when you have done all their souls do cleave to the earth and discourse never so much to them of the excellency of heavenly things they will hear you but when you have done all their souls stil cleaves to the earth As a man whose soul cleaves in love to a woman As it is said of Sampson his soul did cleave to Dalilab talk what you will against that women or of the excellency of any other woman yet his soul cleaves to that woman so 't is in an earthly minded man let what will be said against the things of the earth or what can be said for the setting forth of the excellency of the things of Heaven yet his soul cleaves to the earth as the Serpents belly did to the dust of the ground That 's an earthly minded man Fourthly An earthly minded man it on whose heart is filled with distracting cares about the earth what he shall eat and drink and what he shall put on how he shall provide for himself and his family and what shall become of him at such a time Though he be well now yet what may become of him afterwards when the heart is filled with distracting cares about the things of the earth so far as the heart hath these prevailing over it so far such a man may be judged to be earthly There are two things that do cause distrating cares about anie businesse The first is An apprehension of some verie great evil In case I should be disappointed I look upon my disappointment in such a thing as a most intolerable evil to me If I should be disappointed I know not what in the world to do That 's the first The second is An uncertaintie in the means for the preventment of this disappointment when as I look upon disappointment as a very great evil so those means that should prevent and help me against disappointment I cannot trust to I look upon them as too weak to help me notwithstanding al such means I may yet be desappointed this causes distracting thoughts so t is in the things of the earth an earthly minded man or woman hath his thoughts fil'd with distracting cares about the world That is thus First They looking upon the things of the world as such great things they conceive if they should be disappointed they should be undone they look upon it as such a fearful unsufferable evil to be depriv'd of their estate and outward comforts in this world Secondly They don't look upon the means of provision for themselves and families as having anie certaintie in it which is a main thing to be considered of As for outward things in the world they find by experience there is uncertainty in them And then for any promse that there is in Scripture that God will provide for them and their families alas that they dare not trust to that 's a thing that of all means they think to be the weakest Lord have mercy upon them say they if they have nothing else to trust to but only a word in Scripture they think themselves most miserable and wretched But now it would be otherwise with the soul if it were not earthly minded it would not be at any great pause how things do fall out here in the matters of the world it 's true perhaps I may miscarry in such a businesse and my estate may be taken from me by the Caldeans or Sabeans as Jobs was but I shall not be undone my happiness is not gone I shall have that that will comfort me when all that is gone suppose the worst yet this will not undo me Indeed a man that sends abroad in a venture all his whole estate he is very solicitous because if there be ill news about it he is undone but another man that hath a great deal of riches house and Lands and a stock at home to maintain him and his family If there comes such ill news I have a stock to live on he thinks therefore he is not so much solicitous So a worldly man all his stock is in the earth there 's his only portion and if he miscarries there he is undone But a godly man though he hath the things of the earth yet he hath something else treasures in Heaven to rest upon besides the earth and therefore he is not so solicitous And then for the second The uncertainty of means and help if a godly man looks upon outward causes he sees all is uncertain but he hath a promise to rest upon I will never leave you nor forsake you cast your care upon me for I care for you and this he looks upon as a certain means and help whatsoever fals out here 's a promise that he can build upon and therefore this takes off his solicitous cares But an earthly minded man or woman whose heart is fild with distracting cares because he look upon himself as undone if he miscarries here and hath nothing to rest upon for his provision in this world more than the creature Fifthly An earthly minded man or woman is one whose great business of his heart and endeavours of his life are about the things of the earth he makes it his great business and the strong endeavours of his spirit are exercised in the things of the earth He eagerly and greedily works with the strongest intention about these things his whole Soul the whole man is laid out about the world it is the adequate object of his soul You will say Other men they are busie in their callings as well as these that you account earthly minded men I but mark they are busie about their callings in obedience to God and for outward things set aside their obedience to God then I say all the things that they busie themselves about in the world were it not under that consideration that they were obeying God in it they would not be adequate objects for their souls I mean by an adequate object that that Is sufficient to take up the whole strength of the soul to lay it out fully I 'le give you this similitude to express my mind further to shew you what I mean by an adequate object You have a little child he is playing at sports now this sport it hath as much in it as there is in his spirit there is a kind of equality between his spirit and such a sport there is benefit enough a child conceives in such a sport as it's worth the laying out of all his
peace with God by some thing that he himself must perform but for the point of Free justification by the grace of God in Christ it 's too Divine Spiritual and Heavenly for an earthly-minded man to apprehend in the Spiritualnesse of it an earthly-minded man his apprehensions of God are but in a carnal earthly way as the Prophet speaks in the 1 of Isa The Ox knows his owner and the Ass his masters crib Even after that manner doth an earthly-minded man know God as an Ox his owner and the Ass his masters crib as thus the ox knows his owner because he brings him fodder daily so an earthly-minded man hath no other apprehensions of God but this he thinks God gives him good things in this world God makes his corn to grow or Prospers his voyage An earthly-minded man may rise so high to have apprehensions of God as bringing good things unto him here on earth But one that is spiritual and heavenly doth apprehend God as God doth not look upon God meerly as good in respect of the benefit he receives from God here but he looks upon God as he is in himself he sees the face of God as there 's a great deal of difference between a man that knows another man and a beast that knows a man The ox knows his owner the ox knows the man that brings hay or provender to him but a man knows a man in another way knows what the nature of a man is knows what it is to be a rational creature so one that is spiritual knows what God is in himself he sees the face of God and understands what God is in another way than others do the difference between the knowledge of God that a spiritual soul hath one that is pure in heart and the knowledge of God that an earthly heart hath is just so much difference as comes to this As the ox knows the man that drives him to fat pastures so doth an earthly man know God that gives him good things but a spiritual heart knows God as one man knows another not in his full excellency I mean not so but there is such a kind of difference in some degree between the apprehensions of God in a spiritual heart and the apprehensions of God in an earthly heart And so we might mention in many other Spiritual and Divine Truths that an earthly mind doth apprehend but in an earthly way consider of Heaven its self how doth an earthly mind apprehend that he apprehends that he shall be delivered from pain and shall have some kind of glory but knows not what it is conceives it according to the way of the earth some pompous glotious thing that he shall live in pleasures and not in pain and so apprehends all the glory of Heaven but in sensuality whereas a spiritual heart looks at Heaven in another kind of notion he looks upon the enjoyment of Communion with God and Jesus Christ in Heaven and living of the life of God in Heaven that 's a thing that an earthly heart hath no skill at all in neither doth such an heart so much as savour it Thus I have in these several particulars discovered what an earthly-minded man is Oh that you would lay your hands upon your hearts and every one consider how far these things do reach you But I have besides these divers other convincements to convince the consciences of men and women that yet there is much earthlinesse in them but of them we shall treat of in their order afterwards The Second head to consider is this The great evill that there is in earthly-mindedness They mind earthly things Is that any such great matter you will say indeed we cannot imagine the transcendency of the evil that there is in this We think there 's a great deal of evil in swearing whoring drinking and such kind of scandalous sins and indeed there is But to have an earthly mind we do not think this to be so exceeding evil yet you will find that the Scripture doth speak most dreadful things against this and if God please to set them home upon your hearts I hope there is much glory may come to God by it and much good unto you in particular CHAP. III. Fourteen Evils of Earthly-mindedness The First EVIL Fâ—â—â—â— The Scripture cals it Adultery it is spiritual Adultery in Jude 4. vers Ye Adulterers and Adulteresses know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God They were Adulterers and Adulteresses in respect of their love to the world you that would abhor the thought of a temptation to Adultery yet you may commit spiritual Adultery a man or a woman may be an Adulterer or an Adulteresse before the Lord though they never commit the act of uncleannesse with another yet if their hearts be towards another they be guilty of uncleannesse for Christ saith whosoever doth but look after a woman to lust after her in his heart he hath committed adultery already that is hath sinned against that command that forbids adultery Is it so that if a man do but let his heart go after another woman more than his wife and a wife after another man more than her husband this is adultery before the Lord. So if our hearts be after any things more than the Lord Jesus Christ that we profess our selves married to and he to be our husband this is adultery in Scripture phrase The Second EVIL Yea further A worldly or an earthly-mind in Scripture phrase is called Idolatry in Ephes 5. 5. speaking of divers sins that should not be so much as named among them as it became Saints he hath Covetousness among the rest and he ads this And Covetousness which is Idolatry Now what is Earthly-mindednesse but Covetousnesse which is Idolaitry A man or woman is an Idolater that is of an Earthly mind Now Idolatry which is a worshiping of stocks and stones you all account to be a great sin but do you and al others take heed of another Idolatry that may be as bad that is To have your hearts to make the god of this world to be your God the cursed Mammon of unrighteousnesse to make the things of the earth to be your Christ to fall down and worship the golden-Calfe of the world It 's certain that that thing a mans heart is most taken with and set upon that 's his God and therefore here in this verse out of which my Text is it 's said They made earthly things their bellies their God The Voluptuous and Drunkard makes their Belly their God and the Unclean person makes his Strumpet to be his goddesse and worshppeth that whatsoever thy heart is most upon that 's thy God therefore that you must know to be the meaning of the Commandement Thou shalt have no other Gods before me That is thou shalt give me the strength of thy soul and nothing else So I am a God to my Creature when I have its strength exercised
about me to lift up me as the highest good but if there be any thing else that thy soul is set upon as thy highest good that 's thy God and it 's worse than bowing the knee thou bowest thy soul to that thing now the meaner any thing is that we make a God of to our selves the more vile is the Idolatry as when the Egyptians worshiped divers sorts of gods they were accounted the most vile Idolaters whereas other Heathens worshipped more excellent things the Sun Moon and Stars the Egyptians worshiped Dogs Cats Onions and vile things and therefore their Idolatry was vile So the viler any thing is that a man or woman sets their hearts upon the more vile is their Idolatry as for a man that should set his heart upon unclean lusts now to make that to be a god the satisfying of those lusts that 's abominable and to make any earthly thing to be a god to us that 's most vile for of all the things of the works of creation that God hath made the Earth is the meanest 't is the basest and lowest thing and hath the least beauty in it in it's self and it is the most dul and meanest element of all and to make earthly things to be a God to you this is most vile Object You will say for this Idolatry What is there in it Answ There is Two particulars to open the Evil of Idolatry or Earthly-mindednesse First The Evil of your Idolatry it is in this You do depart from God in letting out of your hearts to these things you do as it were go off from God and renounce the protection of God the goodnesse and mercy of God you leave it all by this In the 4. chap. of Hofea 12. verse They are said To go a whoring from under their God It 's a notable phrase that is by going to Idols they did go off from the protection of God whereas while they were worshiping the true God they then were under the protection of God but when they went to Idols they went from under their God from under his protection So when thou settest thy heart upon God and liftest up the infinite First being of all things as the chief good to thy soul thou art under the influence of this Grace and Mercy but when thou doest depart from him and makest other things to be thy Cheef good thou goest from under his protection and from his good and mercy Secondly God is slighted and contemn'd in this When thou choosest rather to make the earth to be thy God than the infinit blessed first-being of all things As a man that doth dispise his wife and it were abominable sin if he should choose to go to a Queen though the most beautifullest woman in the world and forsake his wife but to leave a Queen or Empress that were the beautifullest woman upon the earth and to have the heart cleave to a base dunghil-raker were not this a great contempt to the Queen that were so beautiful Yet so it is when thou doest forsake the blessed eternal God as thy chief good and choosest the things of the earth for the truth is the earth is the fink of all the creatures of Gods making and for thee to leave the most blessed and Eternal One and to make that thy god it must needs be a very vile and abominable thing and therefore the Prophet Jeremiah in speaking of this Idolatry he cals the Heavens and the Earth to be amazed at it Jeremiah 2. 12. Be astonished O ye Heavens at this and be horrible afraid be ye very desolate saith the Lord Why what 's the matter For my people have committed two evils They have forsaken me the fountain of living waters and hewed them out Cisterns broken Cisterns that can hold no water So 't is here thou forsakest the fountain of living waters the blessed God and thy heart cleaves to the dust and seekest thy contentment and happinesse in cisterns that can hold no water let the Heavens be astonished at this horrible wickedness The Third EVIL Thirdly Earthly-mindedness it's enmity against God Thou wouldst be loth to be found an enemy against God certainly it 's a truth and it will be found another day That an earthly-minded man or woman is an enemy to God yea the Scripture makes it to be enmity in the very Abstract James 4. 4. Know ye not that the love of the world is enmity to God Observe this for there 's very much in it if God would be pleased to make us to lay it to heart you will find it by experience that earthly-mindednesse doth make men to be enemies to that that is spiritually good therefore well might the holy-Ghost say 't is enmity to God for whatsoever is enmity to any thing that is spiritually good it is enmity to God so much as my heart or any of your hearts are against any thing that is spiritual so much mine or any of your hearts are enemies to God Now here in the very Text these earthly-minded men are made enemies to the Crosse of Christ that is enemies to the spiritual preaching of Christ and holding forth Christ Indeed If they would have mixt Christ and Circumcision together then they would have been content with it but now this spiritual way of preaching Christ and being justified by faith alone and Christian Religion in the purity of it was that that was not sutable to their carnal hearts and therefore they were enemies to it Oh! earthly-mindednesse doth make us enemies to spiritual things where have you greater enemies unto the things of God unto spiritual things unto the Ministry of the word as we had occasion to hint and to the work of Gods grace upon the hearts of men and women no greater enemies unto these things than earthly minded men men that savour the things of the earth that can go up and down and care not if they can but load themselves with thick clay grow rich in the world and fare deliciously every day with Dives make provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof there is an antipathy in their spirits against Jesus Christ and al goodnesse The Fourth EVILL Then Fourthly There is scarce any disposition more opposite more contrary to the work of grace to the work of godlinesse in a mans own heart than earthly-mindednesse 't is so exceeding crosse to the nature of grace that it may as well put men or women to be at a stand and put them upon examination whether there be any grace or no in their hearts if earthly-mindednesse prevail as almost any other thing if God should suffer your corruptions to prevail over you so as you should break forth into some outward notorious sins then it may be you would begin to think can this stand with grace and how can that stand with such workings as I have had before have not I cause to fear that I am but an Hypocrite a rotten professor But now this
earthly-mindednesse hath as much opposition to the nature of grace and the power of godlinesse in the heart as almost any sin that you can name It is so quite contrary to the very beginning of the work of grace not contrary to the degrees only but to the very begining The main work of God at the very first in working grace in the soul is to disingage the soul from the creature it is to take it off from the Earth and from all creatures here below for naturally 't is true That as we are of the earth so we are earthly and have our spirits ingaged to the things of this earth but then comes the work of grace upon the soul and takes it off and discharges the heart from the earth and therefore you find that Christ laies in this as the first lesson That he that will be my Disciple must deny himself and take up his Cross and follow me as if he should say never think of being a Christian except you will deny your selves Self what 's that all natural contentment natural-self and sinful-self to be emptied wholly of your selves and creature-comforts and contentments and take up my Cross to be willing to suffer any thing in regard of earthly comforts to be willing to lay down all at my feet and to give up your interest in all and to take up my Cross this is the very first beginning of Christs bringing Disciples to himself Then saith the soul let me have my sin pardoned and farewel earth it 's Heaven Holiness renewing of the Image of God communion and union with God and living to the eternal praise of his Name in Christ that my heart is upon I say this in the beginning of Gods working the heart to himself The work of Grace when it is first wrought it hath the name of Vocation Calling what is it for a man to be called give diligence to make your calling election sure To be called is this and whereas before thou wert altogether digging and dolving in the earth and seeking for thy happiness in the world now it pleases God to make thee to hear a voice behind thee calling thee and telling thee O poor soul thy happiness is not here there are other things in which thy chief good consists thou art made for higher and better things than these God hath nobler thoughts about man-kind than meerly to let him have a few contentments here in the earth Oh soul come away and look after higher things here 's the first work of grace and the soul answers unto this call of God and saith Lord I come and so gives up it's self to God to dispose of it and this is in the beginning of the work of Grace Now how contrary is earthly-mindednesse to the work of God in bringing grace into the heart Conceive it in these three things 1. The very work of conversion it is set out in Scripture by Gods calling the soul out of the world Whom he hath predestinated him he hath called When God effectually begins to work upon the heart of a sinner he does cause a voice to be heard in the soul Oh soul thou hast been busying thy self about many things but there is one thing necesseary Oh come out of that way of thine that thou art in thou canst never be happy else thou wilt be undone in it the Lord calls the soul out of the world and that I say is the very work of conversion the souls answearing to Gods call Now for one stil to be earthly and to have a heart cleaving to these things surely such a one is not as yet effectually called out of the world 2. And then from thence follows upon the souls answer to this call the Lord difingages the heart from all creature-comforts and teacheth the first lesson to deny himself and to take up Christs Crosse now what 's more opposite to self-denial and the taking up of the Crosse of Christ than earthly-mindednesse the text saith here They are enemies to the Cross of Christ And then a third thing in conversion it is The resigning up of the soul to God as the chief good the soul upon the call of God it learns the lesson of Self-denial and taking up the Crosse and so being disingaged from the creature now it resigns up it self to God as an infinite soul satisfying good for ever now you cannot but in the naming of this see how opposite earthly-mindednesse is to it And then for the work of grace upon the heart after the heart is converted and turned to God First Grace brings a new light into the soul A Spiritual and Divine light is set up in the soul upon the conversion of a sinner to God but now the earth you know it 's the dark part of the world and earthly mindednesse it causeth darknesse to be upon the spirit as the interposition of the earth between us the Sun it doth hinder the sight of the Sun from us And so the interposition that there is of earthlinesse in the soul of man between God and it doth hinder the sight of God from the soul there is a Divine light set up in the soul and when as God works grace that doth discover things of a higher and more excellent and glorious nature than those things were that before the heart did so much cleave unto In the second place the Scirpture sets forth the work of grace by the New creature In the soul all things are made new old things are Past he that is in Crhist is a new creature Now earthly-mindednesse is opposite to the new creation in the soul it 's the old man that is of the earth the first man is of the earth earthly and so it is apparant that thou art still only in the stock of the first man of the earth earthly who art an earthly-minded man But the second man is the Lord from Heaven But now thou that art an earthly-minded man or woman art yet but a child of Adam of the first man and so art of the earth earthly this is opposite to grace grace works a new creation in the soul 3. And grace is of an Elevating nature raises the heart above its self and above the creature yea above the world in some respect above Angels themselves above Principalities and Powers above all created things grace is of a raising nature but an earthly-minded man sinks down to low and base things And grace fourthly is of an Enlarging nature it enlarges the heart so that it cannot be satisfied with any earthly thing though God should give the whole world to a heart that hath grace this would not satisfie that heart why because it is so Enlarged by the work of grace the work of grace it is the Divine nature the Image of God in the soul and therefore works the soul like to God and it 's said of God in the 40. of Isa that all the nations of the earth are to him
freedom Their names were there Inrold from all eternity and so Christ at his ascention went and took possession but when they beleeve actually they do as it were take up their freedom in that Citie There 's many men that are born free yet there 's a time when they take it up and so others that have serv'd for their freedom yet it may be a long time before they be made free and so the Saints when they do actually beleeve they come to take up their freedom in the Citie of Heaven and are made Free Burgesses of Heaven And hence in the fourth place They come no more to be as slaves they are not bondslaves as before they are delivered from bondage being made free of Heaven As if so be that forreigners or such as are slaves should come to be Infranchized then they have the same freedom as others have and are admitted to the like City-priviledges and they are no more to be accounted as slaves so those that are by nature bondslaves to sin and Satan yea and such as are under the bondage of the Law yet when they come to beleeve they are infranchized in Heaven and are delivered from the bondage of the Law Sin and Satan they are said to be free-men of the Citie of Heaven Fiftly All the Saints have right to all the common stock Treasury and riches of Heaven whatsoever priviledges belong to the Charter of Heaven the Saints have right and title to them all As in great Cities there is a Common stock and Treasury that is for publick occasions and every Citizen hath some interest in it so the Saints I say have interest in all the Common-stock and Treasury and all the riches that there are in Heaven Sixtly The Saints are the Citizens of Heaven they have for the present the same confirmation of their happy estate that the Angels and those blessed souls have that are rasident in Heaven I say they have this priviledg now by being Citizens of Heaven that though their bodies be not in the highest Heavens yet they have their happiness confirmed as sure as the Angels in Heaven have and as any blessed souls in Abraham bosom look how they are confirmed in a happie estate so as they cannot be made miserable so is every Beleever though he lives in this world he hath this priviledg in being a Citizen of Heaven that he is confirmed in a happie estate that all the powers in hell and in the world can never make this soul to be miserable and this is a mighty priviledg of being a Citizen of Heaven he is more priviledged than Adam in Paradice for Adam he was not confirmed and stablished when he was made in the state of innocencie but every Beleever is confirmed and stablished as the Angels in Heaven are Seventhly They have this priviledg By being Citizens they have priviledg of free-trade to Heaven You know that Free-men in the Citie have priviledg of Trade more than Forreigners have Forreigners are fain to pay Custome and double taxes more than the Free-Citizens So the Saints they have the priviledg of Free-trade in Heaven for any thing that doth concern them they have a Freeintercourse with Heaven which others have not Eightly They have now for the present Communion with the Angels of Heaven there is Cōmunion Commerce between the Saints here and the Angels upon this ground because they are fellow Citizens and in that place of the Hebrews before quoted We are come to the Heavenly Jerusalem and to the innumerable company of Angels There is a great deal of intercourse between the Saints and Angels here upon earth the Angels look upon them as their fellow Citizens and are ministring spirits for the good of the Elect and they do very great services for the Church-men here in this world upon this ground because they look upon them as their fellow Citizens Ninthly They have the protection of Heaven being the Citizens of Heaven I say they have Heavens protection As one that is a Citizen he hath the protection of the Law of the Citie of the power of the Citie to defend him hence we reade of Paul that because he was a Roman it was dangerous to meddle with him as in the 22. of Acts 25. verse as they bound him with thongs Paul said unto the Centurion that stood by Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman and uncondemned As if he should say Take heed what you do I am free of the Citie of Rome And mark saith the Scripture when the Centurion heard that he went and told the chief Captain saying Take heed what thou doest for this man is a Roman he hath the protection of the City Thus the Saints are Citizens of Heaven They are not Romans but of the Heavenly Jerusalem and when any are about to wrong one of them they had need take heed what they do for he is a Citizen of Heaven the King of Heaven is his King to protect him and he sits and laughs at the enemies of the Church And the very Angels themselves they are their guard to guard all these Citizens and to protect them and this is the comfortable estate of all the people of God that they are the Citizens of Heaven Our City Converse All this I note out of the signification of the word in the original and without the understanding of the propriety of the language and the word we should not have the understanding of this truth Wheresore my brethren it being thus it should teach all the people of God to walk as becomes Citizens not to be rude in their behavior 't is a dishonor to Citizens to be rude in their behavior it 's enough for Country people that never had any education to be rude but certainly the Saints of God they have the education of Heaven this may be added for a tenth Particular They have the holy Ghost to be their Instructer to bring them up in holy and good manners that is sutable to Heaven this the Saints have and manifest it in your Conversations be not rude in your way prize your priviledg of being a Citizen of Heaven it 's that that cost Jesus Christ dear to purchase this infranchizement and liberty for you we reade in the 22. of the Acts of the Captain when he heard that Paul was a Roman in the 27. verse their chief Captain came and said to him Tell me art thou a Roman He said Yea. And the chief Captain answered with a great sum obtained I this Freedom And Paul answered I was free-born They were wont to give great sums to purchase freedoms of the City Oh! this City that here we are speaking of hath such priviledges as is beyond any in the world And no man or woman can come to be free of this City but it is by a great purchase No man can say as Paul did here that he was born free no but if he came to be free of
Heaven it was with a great purchase it was with the purchase of the blood of Jesus Christ that was more worth than all the world And if the Son makes you free then you shall be free indeed and therefore prize this as a great mercie while you live here in this world account it as a great mercie that you are a Citizen of Heaven account your happiness to consist there it is more than to have House and Lands here for a man to have a freedom of some Citie it is more than to have House and Land in the Wilderness What though the Lord doth order things so as while thou livest in the wilderness of this world thou hast no habitation of thine own yet certainly the Lord hath made thee free of Heaven it was purchased for thee by the blood of Jesus Christ Now by that price that it cost thou mayest conclude that there is some great matter in it that thou art a free Denizen of Heaven CHAP. VI. How the Saints have their Conversation in Heaven Opened in Nine Particulars BUt now our Conversation should be answerable and now we come more fully up to the scope of the Apostle But our Conversation is in Heaven The Conversations of the Saints that are free Citizens of Heaven ought to be answerable though their Co-habitations be in this world yet their Conversation it should be in Heaven in the 7. of Dan. 10. 18. there you reade of the excellent estate of the Saints But the Saints of the most High shall take the kingdom and possess the kingdom for ever That that is translated here The Saints of the most High it is not only meant of the Most High God but the Saints of the high Places so 't is translated by some for the Saints are the Saints of high places in regard of their interest in Heaven and in regard of their Conversations sutable to the place in the 2. Ephe. 6. And hath raised us up together and made us sit together in Heavenly places in Christ Jesus The Saints are set in Heavenly places Heavenly dignitie Heavenly privileges Heavenly prerogatives yea and they themselves may be said to be in Heavenly places though their bodies be upon the earth their souls are in Heavenly places their Conversation is in Heaven They are the Saints of the High God and they are set in high places You will say What is this Conversation that is in Heaven that is here spoken of I shall open it in these particulars The first is The aim and scope of their hearts it is Heaven-ward that the Saints look at as their aim and scope is Heaven they look upon themselves in this world as pilgrims and strangers Heaven 's their home and their eye is there their end their scope whatsoever they do it is for Heaven some way or other to fit them for Heaven and to lay in for Heaven against they shall come and live there their Conversation therefore is in Heaven All that they do eating drinking going about their business yet I say their aim it is Heaven I remember it 's reported of Anaragorus a Philosopher that being asked wherefore he liv'd he said he was born to contemplate the Heavens he made it the end of his life for which he was born to contemplate Heaven Being a Phylosopher and having understanding in the motions of the Heavens he took such delight in it that he accounted it the end for which he was born So the Saints look at Heaven as their Center that they aim at that 's their scope we saith the Apostle do not look at things that are seen but at things that are not seen nothing in the Earth is our scope but Heaven is our scope and so their Conversations may be said to be in Heaven in that respect Secondly Their Conversations are in Heaven for they are acted by Heavenly principles in all their waies Heavenly principles you will say What are they This is a Heavenly Principle That God is all in all that 's a Principle that the Saints are guided by in Heaven they look upon God to be all in all unto them so do the Saints here in what they do in what they are in what they enjoy they act upon this Principle that it's God that is all in all whatsoever I see in the creature yet it 's God that is all in all to me I act by vertue of this Principle That God the infinite First-being is infinitely worthy of all love for himself that 's a Heavenly Principle the Saints that are in Heaven they look upon the infinite excellencie and glorie of God they look upon him as the First-Being of all things having all excellencie and glorie enough to satisfie all creatures for ever and look upon him as infinitly worthy of all love and service for himself know this is a heavenly Principle So the Saints their conversation is in Heaven they are acted by heavenly principles I look upon such and such things in the world whereby I may go in credit encrease or comfort this is an earthly principle But when my heart is so upon God that it looks upon him as infinitly excellent and worthy of all love service fear honor and worship for himself alone whatsoever becomes of the creature God is worthy of all for that infinite excellencie in himself this is a heavenly principle and for one to be acted in his life by such a principle as this is this is to be acted by heavenly principles not by such low and base principles as the men of the world are but by heavenly principles Thirdly Their Conversations are in Heaven For here though they live in the world they have communion with the God of Heaven that is above in the whol course of their lives In the 1. Epistle by John 1. chap. you have divers excellent expressions about our communion with God In the 3. verse That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you That ye also may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ And then in another Scripture we reade of the Communion of the holy Ghost Thereis Communion with the Father Son and holy Ghost Now what makes Heaven but God we say where the King is there 's the Court where God is there 's Heaven let God be where he will There is some controversie among some where the Saints shall be after the Resurrection some think it shall be still here and yet with all the glory that the Scripture speaks of Now it 's no great matter where it be so it be where God is those that have Communion with God they are in Heaven their Conversation is in Heaven now it 's that that is the life of the Saints their Communion with God thy life it is to have communion with the Creature that is for thee to close with the contents of the Creature and the faculty that is in man to tast any
they should find Callis in her heart And so it may be said of Saints whose Conversations are in Heaven I speak not of all Professors of Religion for it 's said of bodies when Paul speaks of the resurrection there are bodies Celestial and bodies Terrestial so I may say There are Professors Celestial and Professors Terrestial but as for such whose Conversations are in Heaven who walk with God and live here the lives of Heaven upon Earth If they were rip'd up you should find Heaven in their hearts un-rip many mens hearts and there 's nothing but the earth uncleanness and baseness suppose God should come this moment and rip up all your hearts and disclose them to all the men of the world what a deal of filthy stuff would be found in many of your hearts but for such whose Conversations are in Heaven they would be ready to have God unrip their hearts when he pleaseth Lord try Lord search me Lord examine and see what is in my heart I 'le but put this now to you as in the Name of God and let conscience answer What do you think would be found in your hearts if they should be unrip'd now and if your consciences tell you Oh Lord if my heart should be rip'd up now there would be a filthy deal of ugly and abominable stuff there surely I have not had my Conversation in Heaven my heart hath been sinking even down to low and base things but now for those whom this text concerns it will be an exceeding comfort to them and I hope that there are divers of you that may be able to say if the Lord should at this present rip our hearts and shew them to all the world I hope the world should see that Heaven is stamped upon our hearts We account it sad weather when we cannot see the Heavens for many daies when we cannot see Heaven many times for a week together and we account it an ill dwelling where men dwell in narrow lanes in the City so that they can scarce see the Heavens except they go abroad in the fields My brethren surely it 's a sad time with a gracious heart when any one day passes without converse with Heaven without the sight of Heaven and meditations of Heaven and having their hearts there Thus it should be with Christians whose Conversations are in Heaven they should never love such dwellings wherein they cannot see the beams of the Sun It 's a most comfortable thing for to see the light a man that dwels in some dark house it 's very comfortable for him to walk out into the open air and to behold the Heavens Oh my brethren our souls dwell in dark houses every one of us for our bodies are to our souls like a dark and low celler but the Lord gives us liberty to go abroad to be conversing with the things of Heaven that he hath revealed in his Word and in his Ordinances And as many Citizens that live in dark rooms keep a long time close to their work yet at such times as they cal days of Recreation they walk abroad in the Fields and take the fresh air and oh how delightsom is it to them The same should be to a gracious heart that hath a great many businesses indeed in the world I but on the Lords day Oh that he may now enjoy God in his Ordinances more than before his thoughts are upon those waies wherein he may come to have more of Heaven Oh! that I may come to converse more with God than at other times And upon that the Sabbaths are the joy of his soul his delight he longs after the Sabbath he thirsts after Ordinances for indeed his heart is in them for he finds there is more of Heaven in them than in other things and in that regard the Saints having their thoughts and hearts in Heaven thus he proves to have his Conversation to be in Heaven Moses never came to Canaan and yet God gave Moses a sight of it carried him up to mount Nebo Heavenly meditations are as it were mount Nebo whereby when the heart is raised a little upon the mount it 's able to see Heaven behold the glorious things there The Scripture speaks of Lucifer that he had his nest among the stars A Saint hath as it were his nest his dwelling among the stars yea above the stars in the highest Heavens As 't is with wicked men that when they seem to draw nigh to God yet their hearts are far from him then they are in their shops they are among their ships when they seem to be worshipping of God So when the Saints seem in regard of their bodies to be far from God yet their hearts are in Heaven in the mean time Sixtly For the opening of a Heavenly Conversation it consists in this When in the course of mens lives they do converse and delight in the same things that are done in Heaven they make their happiness the same happiness that is in Heaven and make their exercise to be the same exercise that is in Heaven As for instance What is there in Heaven There is the fight of the face of God Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God And the Angels Alwaies behold the face of God So the Saints may be said to have their Conversations in Heaven because their exercise here while they live it is in the beholding the face of God in standing before God seeing his face the greatest delight and contentment of their souls it is that they can see somewhat of God What 's to be done further The Work of Heaven it is in the Praisings and Blessings of God What do the Saints and Angels of Heaven but continually blesse and magnifie and praise the Name of that God whom they see to be so infinitly worthy of all praise and honor from his creatures Then is a mans Conversation in Heaven when as he doth the same things when he joyns with Angels Saints in doing of the same work of magnifying and blessing and praising God What 's done in Heaven but the keeping of a perpetual Sabbath Then are our conversations in Heaven when we delight in Gods Sabbath yea and indeed to keep a constant Sabbath unto God though busied about earthly things yet still we keep a Sabbath to God in resting from sin and being spiritually imployed And that 's a Sixth thing Seventhly Then our Conversation is in Heaven When in Earthly imployments yet we are Heavenly when we use earthly things after a heavenly manner it is not the place that God looks at so much where his Saints are But what they do Though while we live in the earth we use earthly things yet when we can use them in an heavenly manner then our Conversation may be in heaven though we upon earth As thus first When in the use of earthly things we do quickly passe through earthly things to God we make use of them but
a rate namely The Ordinances that are part of the Priviledges of the Kingdom of Heaven Now the Ordinances that are the means whereby they come to enjoy so much of Heaven they are willing to purchase them at a dear rate Oh how ever I live yet let me live where I may enjoy the Ordinances of God the wels of Salvation my life cannot be comfortable in the enjoyment of all things in this world if I should be deprived of the breasts of consolation surelie they that are willing to purchase Heavenly Commodities at so dear a rate as the Saints will do this doth evidentlie declare their Conversations to be in Heaven Sixtlie When they are so sensible of the stoppages between heaven and their own souls If there should be a general stoppage of ships that are in France Turkie or Spain your Countriemen are not sensible at all of it but your Merchants I 'le warrant you would be sensible enough of it and when they come together upon the Exchange al their converse would be of it So it is with those that have their conversations in Heaven and here 's a great difference between those and those that are earthlie minded tell those that are earthlie of anie stoppage in the Intercourse between them and Heaven and they know not what you mean they think you are fools and mad but the Saints they are sensible of it oh it is a sore and sad evil to them I mean when at anie time God hides his face from them when at anie time they go into the presence of God can hear nothing from him can receive no Letters from Heaven as I may so say If the Post doth not come from such a Countrie the Merchants are troubled at it So when the Saints send up their prayers to Heaven by which they trade thither and can hear nothing from God again and when they cannot feel those influences from Heaven let into their souls as heretofore sometimes they have done Oh! they bewail this as a great evil that is upon them above any evil in the world that influences of Heaven are stop'd and that God seems to be a stranger unto them Oh these things they complain of one to another and they make their moans when they feel the stoppages of Heaven this plainlie declares that they are Traders for Heaven and that their Conversations are there The last Evidence of a Saints having his Conversation in Heaven is His willingness to die to depart this world The going out of this world with so much comfort joy peace and triumph as many of the Saints have done as we might give you the expressions of many of the Saints when they were readie to die rejoycing at the hope of Eternal life at their going out of the world surely had they not conversed in Heaven while they lived here their souls would not have been so willing to have departed out of their bodies A man that hath nothing to do in another Country it may be shall be there as a dead man he goes but with little joy thither But now a man that hath had trading to another Country and he hath great riches and so thriven there that whatsoever he seems to be here yet there he is a great man Oh! how comfortably doth that man go to the Country how glad is he when he takes ship and sees a fair gale and prosperous wind to carry him to that Country And so it is with the Saints who have their Conversations in Heaven because they have so much riches there when they come to die they die with joy and blesse God for that day as the most blessed day that they have seen for they are going now to the Country that they have been trading to all their daies and where their riches lies These are the Evidences and Demonstrations that the Saints have their Conversations in Heaven CHAP. IX Four Reasons why the Saints have their Conversations in Heaven But now If you demand the reason why it is that the Saints have their Conversations in Heaven To that I answer briefly thus The first Reason Because their souls that are their better part they are from Heaven You know that when God made Man He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life The Soul of man it is as it were the breath of God God did not say of Mans Soul as of other creatures Let it be made let there be a soul in mans body No but when he had formed the body he breathed the soul into him It was to note that the soul of man had a more Heavenly and Divine original than any of the other creatures that are here in this world and because the original it is so Divine and Heavenly therefore it is that when the soul is as it were its self is set at liberty it would be at its original Indeed though mans soul be of a Divine and Heavenly Nature yea through the fall of man so it is that the soul of man is even almost turned to be flesh and so mingled with unclean drossie things as if it had no such Divine and Heavenly original and therefore a natural man is called flesh That that is born of the flesh is flesh as if he had no soul at all for I say the soul of man through his fall the Nature of it seemed to be changed it is at least depressed down to such vile things as if it never had such a Divine and Heavenly original But now when God works grace in the soul the soul of man begins to return to its self and to know its self and begins to return to its own nature that it had in its first creation and as soon as ever the soul begins to know its self it looks then presently at all these things that are here below as vile things in comparison as contemptable for indeed all these things in this world are infinitly beneath the soul of a man Infinitly that is in comparison we may even call it an infinite distance between mans soul and all these things that are here below in the world the soul of man is neer unto God himself and therefore when as the soul returne unto its self it would be some where else than where it is and would converse with those things that are sutable to its original As it is with a man that hath a noble birth suppose a Prince is got into another Country and there being a child is used like a slave set to rake channels and such mean imployment now all the while that he is there and not know his original he minds nothing but to get his victuals and do his work that he is set about but if once he come to know from whence he was namely born the Heir unto such a great Prince or Emperour that lives in so much glory in such a Country then he that liv'd like a slave his thoughts and mind and longings are to be in the
Country where his birth was so high Oh that he might be but there he should be happy then and it doth him good to hear any man speak of that Country Truly so it is with the souls of men they are the birth as I may so speak of the high God of the great King of Heaven and Earth being breathed so into the nostrils of man Now through mans fall the soul comes to be a slave to the Devil and is set about drudggery to provide for the flesh but now when God is pleased to convert the soul the Lord comes then to declare to a man or woman Oh man woman thou art born from on high thy soul is as it were a sparkle of the Divinity as I may so say thy Father by creation nay not only by creation as he is the Creator of all Creatures is God but by a more special work of his by a more special work I say than in the first creation of other things thy soul is from God and of a Divine Nature and is therefore capable of Communion with Father Son and holy Ghost Certainly thou never hadst such a Divine and Excellent being given the meerly that thou shouldest delight in the flesh and be servicable to thy body in eating and drinking here a while Oh! consider of thy Country whence thou camest at first here 's one work of grace to know the Excellency of our souls and from whence they came surely if grace do this it must needs turn the heart of one that is converted to God to have his Conversation to be in Heaven That 's the first Reason The Second Reason But not only so because the soul had a Heavenly original and therefore will not be content with a portion here in this world But secondly When grace comes there the soul hath a Divine Nature put into it beyond the excellency that it had in its first Creation I say there is a Divine Nature higher than is meer natural excellency in the 2 Peter 1. 3. According saith he as his Divine Power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness and whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by these you might be partakers of the Divine Nature Certainly the Apostle did not here mean meerly what Adam had in innocency I never read that that 's cal'd the Divine Nature though it 's true there is a renewing of the Image of God in man when he is converted I but there is somewhat more in the soul of man than repairing of this the holy Ghost coming and dwelling in the soul in a higher way than it dwelt in the soul of Adam at the first indeed before it was a creature but such a creature as only had reference to God as God was the Creator and man was the creature but now it hath reference to God as being made one with the Second Person in Trinity and so one with the Father and therefore of a higher Nature than man was in the state of innocency And you know what is said of Adam in Paradice He was of the earth earthly he was of the earth in comparison of the second Adam take Adam in innocency in comparison of the second Adam he was but of the earth earthly and so his posterity though Adam had stood should have been but of the earth earthly their portion its like should have bin but in a happines in this world we never read in Scripture of a Heavenly condition Adam had been in though he had stood but the second Adam is from Heaven Heavenly And the posterity of the second Adam that is those that are by Regeneration made the children of the everlasting Father that are made the posterity of Jesus Christ by faith are from Heaven Heavenly therefore their souls are indued with a Divine Nature with such high principles of grace as it must needs carry up their souls to Heaven If a lump of earth should be so changed as to have a spirit and a life put into it and to be made of such an Airial nature as any of the birds are this lump of earth would fly in the air presently It is so in the work of conversion All men and women are earthly and therefore they fink down to the earth and the earth is their proper center but when once they come to be converted there is a spirit put into them whereby they come to mount up aloft It is not more natural for the Earth to fall down low than it is for the fire and air to ascend up high because every creature doth move towards the Center of it heavie things fall down because below is the proper place of them light things rise up because their proper place is to be above and so the Conversations of the Saints must needs be in Heaven because there 's their Center there 's that that 's sutable to the Divine Nature that is put into them The Third Reason Their Conversations must needs be in Heaven Because those things that are the most choice things unto them are in Heaven I should have named a great many particulars here to shew what are the choice things that concern the Saints and how they are all in Heaven Their Father God is in Heaven Our Father which art in Heaven Jesus Christ he is in Heaven Seek the things above where Jesus Christ is sitting at the right hand of the Father Jesus Christ that is their Head in Heaven Their Husband is in Heaven Their Elder Brother is in heaven Their King is in heaven Their Treasure is in heaven Their Inheritance in heaven Their Hope is in heaven Their Mantion-house in heaven Their chief Friends are in heaven Their Substance is in heaven Their Reward is in heaven Their wages are in heaven All these things being in heaven no marvail though their Conversations are in heaven And they are going to Heaven now being that they are going that way travelling towards heaven they must needs be there in their hearts heaven is the place that they shal come to ere long they shal be there and they know that here in this world they are to be but a while but for ever to be there We shall be caught up into the clouds â—nd be for ever with him Yea their Conversations must needs be in Heaven for they have much of heaven alreadie there 's much of heaven in the Saints the Kingdom of Heaven it is within them the Scripture saith They having so much of Heaven for the present it must needs be that their Conversationâ— are there and so that Scripture in the 10. Heb. 34. Knowing in your selves that ye have in Heaven a better and enduring substance You may reade it thus Knowing you have Heaven a better enduring substance in your selves so that the words knowing in your selves hath not only reference to what they know by hear-say though this be a true note that they may know heaven
him it was a blessed thing to have Christ here personally and to live with him when he was upon the earth though it were in the state of his humiliation Oh when he shall come in his glory how blessed will that be and when he shall change our vile bodies that they may be like unto his glorious body Oh this will keep the heart in expectation of Christ for then that vile body of thine that is now a body of sin and death matter of diseases a body of weakness and a lump of clay now it shall be made like the glorious body of Jesus Christ to shine more glorious than the Sun in the firmament this will be when Jesus Christ shall come with all his Angels in his glory and this is observable when all the glory of the creature shall be darkened with the glory of God and Jesus Christ yet then the bodies of the Saints shall shine gloriously before the face of God and Jesus Christ surely they shall be more glorious than the glory of the Sun for that you know will be darkened at the coming of Jesus Christ The great glory of the Father and Jeus Christ and the Angels shall darken the glory of the Sun Moon and Stars but the glory of the bodies of the Saints shall be so great as all the glory of God and Jesus Christ and the Angels shall not darken their glory but it shall appear with a very great lustre now if the glory of God and the Angels should darken it then to what purpose is it that their bodies shall be like to the glorious body of Jesus Christ but certainly it shall not darken their glory If a candle could be raised to have so much lustre and beauty as if you should put it into the midest of the Sun yet it would shine in the midst of it it would be a strange kind of light you would say It shall be so with the bodies of the Saints that though they are put into the midst of the glory of God and his Son yet their very bodies shall shine in beauty and lustre there Now did we beleeve this and wait for it every day how would it change us I have a diseased and a lumpish body and my body hinders me in every duty of worship and service wandering and vain thoughts lodge in me now I but I 'le wait for that time when Christ shall come in all his glory and make my body to be like unto his glorious body to make it to be able to look upon the face of God and to be able to be exercised in holy duties to all eternity without any weariness and without any intermission so shall the bodies of the Saints be raised to that power that their bodies shall be so strong that their souls shall be exercised about the highest things possible for a creature to be exercised with without weariness wait for this I have many things here that trouble my mind and spirit and hinders me in my converse with Heaven but within a while the time shall come that I shall be delivered from all troubles here when Christ shall appear with his mighty Angels to be admired of his Saints and when he shall come and take the Saints to judg the world and shall set all the Saints upon Thrones to judg the world the expectation of this time will raise the heart very much to be in Heaven But then especially when I consider the glory that shall be upon my soul let me think thus if this body of mine that is a lump of flesh shall be by the almighty power of God whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself raised to that height of glory to be more glorious than the Sun in the Firmament then what height of glory shal my soul be raised too but then take not only my soul but my grace the Divine Nature that is in my soul what shall that be raised too The plants are capable to be raised to a higher excellency than stones and the Rational creature to a higher excellency than a Sensitive creature and the Sensitive higher than the Vegetative and the Supernatural creature to a higher excellency than the Natural Then raise your thoughts thus My body shall be raised so high what shall my soul be then and what shall my graces that are in my soul be Oh! wait for this it is but for a little while before I shall be with God for him to be all in all to my soul enjoying full communion with him I say exercise faith and wait for it look for it every day consider it 's neerer and neerer your salvation is neerer than when at first you beleeved God hath a little work for you here but as soon as this is done this shall be my condition I shal see my Savior my soul shal presently be with him and enjoy ful communion with him in glory and my body within a while shal be raised and shall live for ever with him shall be where he is and shall enjoy all that he hath purchased by his blood as much glory as the blood of Christ is worth am I capable of the text saith It shall be a weight of glory I am not here fitted to bear a weight of glory if the glory of Heaven should shine in upon me so much as it might it would swallow me up presently We reade in the 7. of Dan. upon the glory of God appearing to him saith he I Daniel fainted and was sick certain daies If God should open the Heavens and dart in some light from Heaven into us so as he might alas we should faint presently and be sick and die No man can see God and live no man here can enjoy that that God hath prepared for his Saints in Heaven and live therefore let us be content for a while to be as we are and exercise thy faith and hope in what shall be Thou shalt be able to bear that weight of glory and be able to stand before the face of God continually to enjoy those things that eye hath not seen nor ear heard nor can enter into the heart of man to conceive nay though a man hath a spiritual eye and a spiritual ear and a spiritual heart enlarged to supernatural things yet they are things not only beyond the eye of sence but the eye of reason nay the eye of faith hath not seen them fully nor ear hath ever heard of neither can enter into a gracious heart to convince what it is but those Clusters that we have of this land of Canaan do shew that mere is a glorious rest for his people Now by the exercise of your faith and hope work these things upon your souls every day it would be a mighty help to make your Conversation to be in Heaven where should my heart and thoughts where should my life and conversation be but where I expect such things as these are to be revealed very
priviledg of the redeemed ones Now this way of walking up unto the Land of Canaan from their captivity it 's typical to typifie the walk of the soul with the Lord. Sixthly For the souls walking with God there is this further done by God Christ the Son of God he takes the soul and brings it unto God the Father as the Spirit leads so Jesus Christ The Lord Jesus Christ he brings the soul unto the Father to render God and the soul familier together In Ephes 2. 18. Through him we have an acccess by one Spirit unto the Father We have an access through him we have a manuduction He brings us unto the Father we have access through Jesus Christ As if a Prince should take a Traytor that is reconciled to his Father having his pardon and his Father being passified towards him the Prince comes takes him by the hand and saith Come I 'le bring you unto my Father and I will walk along with you unto my Father So it is None that ever hath been a sinner can walk with God but Christ must walk together with him Christ walks along with him and so God is ever more rendred sweet aimable and lovely why Because Christ hath him by the hand as I may so say God the Father hath him in one hand and Christ hath him by the other hand and so the soul walks in this blessed walk between the hands of God the Father and the Son and the holy Ghost leads and guides him too CHAP. IV. Walking with God what it is Opened in Nine Particulars BUt now The way of the soul in this walk with God When the soul is thus brought to God and by this means enabled to walk with him Then what 's the way of the soul in walking thus with God Walking with God causes the soul to eye God In the first place Now the soul being come thus to God in all the waies of God it ey 's God and sets God before it Enoch walked with God that is Enoch in the waies of his life set God before him and did eye God in his waies First beholding the infinite beauty there is in God Secondly God being the fountain of al good to the soul Thirdly the soul apprehending God infinitly worthy of all honor These three things causes the eye to be upon God continually The Lord hath infinit excellency and beauty in him The Lord is the fountain of all good to me The Lord is infinitly worthy of all honor and service and a soul walking with God eyes God thus continually In the 26. Psal 3. For thy loving kindness is before mine eyes and I have walked in thy truth Oh Lord I see thee aimable lovely and gracious and the fountain of all good and Lord I have walked in thy truth setting God before me so in Psal 16. 8. I have set the Lord alwaies before me that I might not fall A soul that walks with God scarce ey 's any thing but God when it enjoyes the creature yet the eye is upon God as the little child walking with the father looks up to the father every soul that walks with God hath his eye upon him for there 's no such lovely drawing object to the soul as God himself is whereas wicked men they do not find God to be such a lovely object sees no such excellency in him and therfore they rather turn their eyes away from him they look another way Psal 86. 14. They do not set God before them men that walk according to the lusts of their own hearts in their wicked sinful waies the Lord is not in all their thoughts as in the 10. Psalm That 's the first thing in the way of the souls walking with God he eyes God and sees God before him Walking with God causeth a man to carry himself as in Gods Presence Secondly The soul behaves its self as in Gods Presence I see my self in Gods presence and my eye is upon God Oh let me then look to my self that the carriage of my soul be as beseems one who is in the presence of so holy so great so glorious and blessed a God as the Lord is in the 2 Cor. 2. 17. As of God in the sight of God speak we in Christ saith the Apostle when we come to do any thing we do it as of God in the sight of God knowing that we are allwayes before God Augustine speaking concerning Noah's walking with God he hath this expression Noah walked with God that is he had God alwaies present before his eyes walking so holily and so reverenced God This is to walk in the fear of God when the soul upon the apprehention of Gods presence shall labor to compose its self as beseeming the presence before whom it is and this indeed is the walk that you shall find the Saints of God in all day long would you know where to find a Saint you may know his walk you shall all the day long find him walking in the fear of the Lord Preverbs 23. 17. saith the text there Let not thy heart envy sinners but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long He doth not say do thou fear the Lord all the day long but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long Oh the walk of a Christian should be so from morning to night to walk in the fear of the Lord and nothing in this world should put him out of this walk no temptations should call him out of it but in the fear of the Lord all the day long This is the walk of a Christian when he labors to behave himself as beseems the presence of God Walking with God is when we make Gods Will the Rule of our will Thirdly The soul may be said to walk with God When the way of it is the same way that God himself goes the soul doth that that God doth What 's the way of God but the way of holiness and righteousness when the soul makes the Will of God to be the rule of it I will not be acted by my own will I will not be acted by any thing but by the Will of God what is it that God wills I will the same thing then the soul walks that way God walks when it doth sute its self with God sets the Lord as an example before it as the Scripture saith Be ye holy as your Heavenly Father is holy I see the holy and the righteous waies of God and I labor as a deer child to follow him and to go in the very same steps that God doth how doth God carry businesses I will labor to carry things so as God doth that my life shall hold forth a resemblance of God himself this is to walk with God to do as God doth to imitate God that 's a third thing in a souls walking with God Walking with God is when a Soul hath the same Ends that God hath The Fourth is this
Not only to do the same thing to make the will of God to be the rule of it But to have the same ends that God hath What 's the end that God hath in all his waies Surely it is that his blessed Name may be magnified that his glory may be set forth I 'le drive on the same design that shall be the great design of my life it 's that that my soul shall aim at as the highest end of all things and all things shall be subordinate to this end even The glory and honor of God it 's that that God aims at and therefore that which I 'le aim at thus the soul goes along with God as now A man may be said to go along with another man when they do both drive on the same designs Oh! this is a blessed thing indeed We shall speak to that hereafter but the very opening what it is shews much of the excellency of it and I beseech you as you go along examine your own hearts see whether by the very mentioning of these things you be not strangers to God examine by the workings of God in bringing your souls to walk with him or otherwise by the way of the soul in eying God in behaving its self as in the presence of God in making the Will of God to be its rule and in driving on the design that God doth Walking with God is the observing the administrations of God and suting the soul to them Fifthly It is the observing of the several administrations of God and the suting of the soule to the several administrations of God in the world I open that thus God sometimes seems to work in one way sometimes in another way now the soul that walks with God observes which are the several waies and administrations of God in the world and let me saith the soul labor to sute my heart with them that 's thus sometimes the Lord is in a way of judgments in the world heavie and dreadful afflictions yea sometimes against his own Saints and People then let me sute my heart according to this Oh Lord we will wait upon thee in the waies of thy judgments saith the Church in Isa Are we under Gods way of judgments in a way of afflictions Lord we will sute our selves to honor thee there according to that way we will labor to exercise those graces that are sutable to these administrations of thine And Lord art thou in a way of mercy we will sute our selves accordingly and labor to draw forth and exercise our graces that are sutable to those waies of thine And art thou in a way of affliction in my family or in a way of mercy Lord I will labor to exercise those graces that are sutable to those waies of thine This is to walk with God As when we walk with a man if he turn this way then I set my self to go with him and if he turns another way then I sute my self to go with him that way so though the waies of God be never so variōus yet the soul that walks with God is sutable to those waies of God Oh this is a great Art a great Mystery to sute a mans self to these several administrations of God in the world You shall have some that if God go in a way of mercy Oh there they can bless praise God and they think that this is to walk with God but if God turns his back upon thee and takes away thy choisestearthly comfort it may be thy deerest yoke-fellow so comes in a way of affictions how canst thou sute with Gods waies then When God was in a way of mercy then my exercise was in joy and thanksgiving and speaking good of his Name but now the Lord is in a way of afflictions now I exercise faith on God now I exercise patience now I exercise Christian wisdom to know what good I can get out of this hand of God that what courses soever God takes yet still a Christian hath several graces to exercise in several conditions and that not only while God is in a smooth path the soul can exercise Joy and Thanksgiving speaking good of his Name But let God go into a rugged path of very great afflictions yet the soul doth sute it's self unto God according to his several administrations this is to walk with God Walking with God is To have a Holy Dependance upon God Opened in Four Particulars Sixthly Walking with God it is To have a holy dependance upon God in all his waies For one to live in a holy dependance upon God for these Four things First In a holy dependance upon God for Direction Oh lead me in the way of thy truth When a Christian looks up to God and depends upon him in the constant course of his life depends upon him for direction Oh Lord teach me thy way Lord lead me in the way of everlasting life Lord send forth thy light and thy truth to guide me Thou shalt be my guide even unto death when the soul dare not go one step further then it sees God going before it and therefore it saith Lord lead me guide me I beseech you examine as you go along can you say that in the course of your lives this you find That you walk in a holy dependance upon God for guidance and direction in every step whatsoever you meddle with yet your walk is thus in a holy dependance upon God for direction in your bufiness and according as the business is of lesse or greater conscequence the heart works more after God for guidance and direction for that business But now the men of the world they are afraid that God should lead them into hard paths into ttoublesom waies and therefore they are shy of Gods Guidance this is the way of wicked hearts I say they are shy of the guidance and direction of God but a gracious heart saith let God lead me and let the way be what it will The wicked are guided by their own thoughts by their own counsels by the examples of other men what 's most sutable to their own ends but the way of the Saints is this Lord guide me Secondly Their holy dependance upon God it is for protection to protect them in what they do Lord I am in the way that thou hast guided me into I may meet with much trouble and affliction but Lord do thou protect me do thou defend me in this way of thine As the child walking with the father if he hears any noise that doth scare him he looks up to the father and depends upon his father to be protected So when a child of God shall in all his waies walk in a holy dependance upon God for protection this is to walk with God Thirdly The soul depends upon God for assistance in any thing that it undertakes Lord this is the work that thou callest me to Oh let me have strength from thy self in
this work I can do nothing without thee Lord and let me have assistance from thee Whereas the wicked they make flesh their arm and therefore there 's a curse pronounc'd against them in Jer. 17. 5. verse they are strangers to any such work as this of dependance upon God for assistance Now and then at a spurt they will say that God must help them and they can do nothing without God I but to have a holy gracious frame of spirit to walk in a holy dependance upon God for assistance in every businesse this is far from the wicked and ungodly Fourthly The soul walks in a holy dependance upon God for a blessing upon all it doth Walk before me and be upright I am thine exceeding great reward As if God should say to Abraham Walk in dependance upon me I am thy reward though thou hast little encouragment in the world yet look up to me for thy reward so when the soul turneth from men and the world and minds not so much what encouragement it hath from the world but looks up to God Lord I depend upon thee for a blessing and how ever things seem to go yet Lord I look up to thee for the bringing all to a good issue here 's now a soul walking with God Walking with God makes a man free and ready in the waies of God Seventhly One that walks with God in all his waies of Holiness and Obedience his heart is free in him he comes off readily to every good work he is not hall'd and pull'd to God but he walks with him There 's a great deal of differenet between one that is dragged after another as if you should drag a prisoner that hath no mind to go that way and another that walks up and down with delight and pleasure with you 'T is not enough to walk with God for to be in the way that God would have you to be or to do the things that God would have you to do except your hearts do come off freely in the waies of obidience except there be a cheerfulness in the waies of obedience except you choose the waies of holiness as the waies that are most sutable to you this is the walking with God In the 119. Psal 45. I will walk at liberty saith David for I seek thy precepts It 's a notable Scripture The men of the world they think that there is no walking at liberty but for them to satisfie their defires to the uttermost to walk after their lusts which is the Scripture phrase No but saith David my liberty is this I seek thy precepts A carnal heart thinks it is the greatest bondage in the world for to seek the precepts of God and to conform to Gods precepts that I must walk according to rule that 's a bondage No I 'le walk at liberty for I seek thy precepts It 's an excellent argument of grace in the heart to account the precepts of God to be the greatest liberty to the soul When I am in the waies of sin I am in the waies of bondage I am a slave to Satan but when I seek thy precepts I am at liberty As a man when he is walking up and down in the fields he is at liberty So when the soul is walking with God it is at liberty but when the soul is walking without God it is in a dungeon a prison but I say when it walks with God it is at liberty it comes off freely in all the waies of obedience Walking with God consists in Communion with God Eighthly Walking with God consists in the Converse and Communion that the soul hath with him in holy duties There are the special walks of the soul with God and of God with the soul in the duties of holy Worship In the 18. of Levit. 4. saith the Lord there Ye shall do my Judgments and keep mine Ordinances to WALK therein I am the Lord your God You must Walk in Gods Ordinances the Ordinances of God they are the Walks of a gracious soul and there the soul meets with God in the 26. of Levit. 11 12. It 's a notable Scripture to shew that in Gods Ordinances there the soul meets with God And I will set my tabernacle amongst you and my soul shall not abhor you that is shall delight in you And I will WALK among you and will be your God and ye shall be my people I will set my Tabernacle amongst you What 's that That is mine Ordinances you shall enjoy mine Ordinances you shall have the duties of my Worship and I will Walk among you then God walks among us when we enjoy his Ordinances So that you see in the 18. of Levit. there God saith You shall walk in mine Ordinances the Ordinances are the godly mans walk then in the 26. of Levit. the Ordinances are Gods walk so that we see they walk the same way and there God and a gracious heart meet together The Churches enjoying Ordinances are the Candlesticks that we reade of in the 1 of Revel 13. In the midst of the seven golden Candlesticks was one like unto the son of man cloathed with a garment down to the feet and gird about the paps with a golden girdle The Lord Jesus Christ is in the midst of the Candlesticks that is in the midst of the Churches where there are the Ordinances of God there he is and if you would walk with him you must find him there in the 68. Psal 24. there likewise you may see what the way of a gracious heart is in walking with God They have seen thy goings O God even the going of my God my King where in the Sanctuary If you would walk with another you must know where his goings are observe where he uses to walk and be going there They have seen thy going O God even the goings of my God my King in the Sanctuary there 's the goings of God if you would meet with God and walk with him it must be in the Sanctuary it must be in his Ordinances In the 7. of Cant. 5. verse it is said That the King speaking of Christ is held in the galleries now what 's that but in the Ordinances that 's as it were the galleries of the great King of Heaven and Earth And you know Princes and great men they have their sumptuous galleries wherein they use to walk and only chief favourites are permitted and suffered to be there to walk up and down The King is HELD in his galleries that is when Jesus Christ is in Communion with his Saints in his Ordinances in the duties of Worship Oh 't is the most pleasant galleries to walk in that he hath it 's as pleasant a gallery as he hath in Heaven it's self Oh! he loves to be there The King is Held there Oh! many a sweet and comfortable turn hath a gracious heart in these galleries that is in the Ordinances and Duties of Worship in walking with Jesus Christ When
the soul is exercised in the Ordinances it hath converse with Christ it hearkens what Christ saith and Christ hearkens what such a soul saith I will hearken what he will say and the soul knows the voice of Christ 5. Cant. 2. It is the voice of my beloved saith the Spouse Oh it knows what the voice of Christ is when they walk together in Ordinances Christ speaks to the soul and the soul knows his voice and the soul speaks again to Jesus Christ there is a blessed converse between them Christ lets himself into the heart and the heart opens its self to Christ Oh! the Communion that a gracious heart hath with Jesus Christ in Ordinances it is unspeakable Only those that are acquainted with it understand what the meaning of conversing with God there means It is with many even as it was with Adam that when God came to walk in the garden we read that he was hid in the bush The Ordinances and Duties of Worship are as Paradice as Eden and God comes many times to walk with us and would feign have communion and converse with us yet Oh! how many times are many of his servants hid in the bush they have walked loosly and contracted some guiltiness upon their spirits and so the presence of God is terrible to them and the more the voice of God and the presence of God is in an Ordinance the more they are afraid because of some guiltinesse they are intangled in the bush when as they should be conversing with God Oh the difference that there is between some Christians and others in the exercising themselves in the Duties of Worship There are some that when they are worshiping of God Oh what sweet and blessed terms have they with God and Communion between God and their souls and others though it may be they have some good in them yet they are intangled in the bryars of the world and though God be in the midst of his Ordinances yet they have no converse no communion with him at all Walking with God causeth the soul to follow God more as be reveals himself more The Ninth Particular is this The soul that walks with God as God reveals himself unto it still more and more so it follows God more and more and still seeks to glorifie God more and more that 's walking There is a progresse in the waies of godliness where there is a walking The soul when first it is led by the hand of Jesus Christ to God and comes and walks with him Oh 't is sweet and comfortable but still as God reveals himself more and more to the soul so the soul still grows up in godlinesse more and more and still is more holy and more gracious and honours God more in the Conversation of it than formerly it hath done it gets neerer and neerer to Heaven every day this is to walk with God There 's a notable Scripture in the 63. Psal 8. David saith there My soul follows hard after thee O Lord thy right hand upholdeth me As a poor child that is walking with the father it may be he is weak and cannot go so fast as it doth desire but the father puts forth his hand and takes hold of him and so upholds and strengthens the child and it follows hard after the father so 't is here Oh Lord thy right hand upholds me If it did not uphold me I could not walk but thy right hand upholds me and then my soul follows hard after thee and so increases in godliness more and more I will praise thee more and more saith David in another place speaking of the honor that he disir'd to give to God in his way he profess'd he would still ad to the praise of God and praise him more and more These are the principal things wherein walking with God consists Now to all these take in that consideration that we have mentioned all along and that makes it up That all these are in a constant course of a mans life This walking with God Some other men that know not what it is to walk with God perhaps they may come and walk a step or two in Gods waies but they quickly turn out again and they find them tedious and irksom to them But the heart that walks with God doth all this that I have named That is Eyes God in all his waies Behaves its self as in the presence of God Walks in the same way God doth Observes Gods designs And so likewise the rest and all this in the constant course of his life It 's true Through the violence of some temptation there may chance to be a step astray or there may be perhaps some fall in the way but still the heart is God-ward and still is towards God it gets up again and walks again in the way it doth not meerly go a step into the way of God as some carnal men do it may be somtimes when Gods hand is upon them or upon the hearing of some Sermon then their hearts are a little touch'd and they seem to be a little froward but take the constant course of their lives and it 's in the way of sin But the constant course of the waies of the Saints are in the waies of God As now a Swine may go through a fair meadow I but that 's not the place that it doth so much regard but it would be in the mire and dirt and there it wallows So it is with many wicked men they will come and hear and pray and do some good duties this is a Swine in a meadow but when they come to those waies that may satisfie the lusts of the flesh there they wallow that 's their proper place and therefore far from walking with God A begger will perhaps follow a man a little way so long as he hath hopes of getting any thing by him but if the man goes still away from him he turns aside to another way he will go no further along with him so 't is with many men even many professors they would seem to follow God perhaps for comfort and for something that they would have from him but if they cannot find presently what they would have from God then they turn aside whereas I beseech you observe this the difference between a friends walking with another out of delight of Communion with him and a begger that only goes along with another man begging for an alms The man that goes along begging for the alms he doth not regard the company of this man any further than he may have hopes of an alms from him if he cannot have what he would have or if he have once what he would have he turns aside from the man But a friend that is walking with his friend that that satisfies him is the company of his friend and the converse that he hath with him while he is walking and so he goes on in a constant way and walks to the end of
the place where his friend is to go and is sorry that the walk is so short and still desires to converse with his friend So I say this is the difference for all the world in Professors there are some that have some touch of conscience and they see there is no way for them if they have not mercy from God but they must perish and perhaps they will be seeking of God and following of God and crying to God for mercy but if they have not comfort according as they expect they turn away from him and seek for comfort other waies But a gracious heart that is indeed turned to God it doth not only seek to God for mercy for its self that it might be delivered from misery but it sees an excellency in God and finds sweetness in Converse and Communion with God and loves the presence of God and this is the ground of the constancy of his heart in the waies of holiness Because it loves so much of the presence of God and Communion with God it is for God himself that the soul is in those waies and such a one will hold out in the waies of God Indeed one that meerly serves God in a servile way and seeks himself only in seeking of God such a one I say will be ready to turn aside but where the soul walks with God out of a sence of Communion Sweetness and Good that there is in Communion with God such a one goes on in a constant way to the end and is not tir'd in the waies of God as others are You know If you be walking from place to place if you have good company with you you are not weary you account the journy nothing why because you have good company and especially if you have good discourse all along too so it is with Christians Oh the waies of God come to be very easie to them upon this ground and so they hold out CHAP. V. Twelve several Excellencies of walking with God Opened THe next thing is The Excellency that there is in walking with God The first Excellency And this may be in the first place The walking with God Oh there is an Excellency in it If it were only this That it makes the waies of God easie All the waies of God how easie are they to the soul that knows what this means Of walking with God That hath God in his company continually Oh the easiness that there is in the waies of God! it 's that that is worth a world and it 's a very grievous and sad condition that men and women are in who have convinced consciences and dare not wilfully go out of Gods waies but are alwaies drooping and find them grievous and tedious to them But it is because they have not communion with God in them they are in them meerly upon necessity because they ought to be in them But the Saints find the waies of God more easie to them for they have alwaies good company with then When I awake I am alwaies with thee saith David The very nights are pleasant unto them when he awakes still he is with God There 's many men and women cannot lie alone those that cannot sleep when they awake if they have no company with them the nights are tedious but if they cannot sleep and yet when they awake they have some with them the nights are not so tedious to them When I awake I am ever with thee saith David concerning God That 's the first thing for the Excellency of this walking with God The second Excellency But Secondly This walking with God it is most honorable Oh 't is an honorable thing to walk with God Attendance upon Kings and Princes we know is honorable The Maids of Honor that do but attend upon a Queen it 's a great honor the attendance upon a King yea upon Noble Men But now not only attendance but free converse with Princes that 's more than meer attendance to walk with an Emperour as a friend up and down in his Galleries in his Gardens in his Orchyard So it is with the Saints Abraham is called Gods friend You are not my servants but my friends saith Christ God admits the soul to come as a friend and to have converse with him Oh! this is honorable They were accounted blessed that were in the presence of Solomon that were but his servants to wait at his Table much more to sit at his Table to see the order of Solomons Table Then to be alwaies with God and walking with him what a blessed and honourable thing is this It is the honor of Angels themselves that they do but see the face of God the Angels that are in Heaven do behold the face of God what honor is it then for Christians to be alwaies walking with God Honor 't is that that is the great honor and happiness of the Church when she shall be in her glory Mark how Christ doth expresse himself in Revel 3. 4. Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments What 's promised to them and they shall walk with me in white for they are worthy There shall be a glory put upon them and they shall walk with me for they are worthy The walking with Christ that 's the greatest honor that Christ could promise unto them And so in the 14. of the Revelation it 's said of those that stood upon Mount Sion with the Lamb having harps in their hands and singing of a new song in the 4 verse These are they which were not defiled with women for they are virgins these are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goes these were redeemed from among men being the first fruit unto God and to the Lamb. They follow the lamb whithersoever he goes This is the honor that is put upon them Oh the walking with God it is most honorable The third Excellency Thirdly The Excellency of walking with God consists in this In the blessed satisfaction that the soul must needs have in walking with him to walk with life its self with glory with happinesse and that in a constant way this must needs satisfie the soul must I say bring inconceivable satisfaction and peace unto the soul thus walking with Him You know what Philip said Let us see the Father and it sufficeth us What would it suffice Philip to see God Oh then not only to see him but to walk and be continually with him People will run many times but to have the fight of a great man but to be admitted into the same room and to walk with him this is more in the 33. of Exod 14. And he said my presence shall go with thee and I will give thee rest God promised to Moses that his presence should be with him and then when the presence of God is with the soul Oh the rest that the soul hath by the presence of God! Oh the lettings out of joy that there must needs
walk after their own imaginations and in the vanity of their minds they walk in lies and their hearts walk after the sight of their own eyes and they walk after their covetousness We might mention neer twenty such kind of expressions in Scripture and these are the walks of sinners But the waies of the Saints they are to walk with God but those that walk in the way of sinners that is in the vanity of their minds according to the fight of their own eyes after their covetousness and after the flesh and their lusts and lasiviousness and vanity and such kind of expression as we have in Scripture Certainly they shall have the end of their walk to be no other but destruction and eternal misery The Third Vse Thirdly What vile hearts are ours that are so backward to walk with God seeing God is pleased to admit of his Saints to walk with him even those that are godly are to be rebuk'd from hence that they should be so backward to come in to walk with God It is our glory That is that that would make our lives comfortable it would make this wilderness of ours to be a paradice it would make our Gardens to be Edens it would make our Houses to be Churches and make the Church to be a Heaven unto us and yet we are backward unto this Oh that we would but consider of this when we are in our walk there have vain thoughts As ordinarily men that are walking in their pleasant Gardens or it may be pleasant Rooms Oh the vanity and folly of their thoughts I may speak to you who do you walk withal all this while when you are a walking in your Galleries or Parlours or Gardens or alone in the fields who are you parlying withal who are you conversing withal are not you walking many times with the Devil and making provision for the flesh you should be walking with God what are you the Saints of God doth God offer himself to walk and converse with you and will you walk with the flesh and converse with the Devil and be rouling of sin and wickedness up and down in your thoughts Oh what a vile and sinful thing is this The Lord humble you for your sinful walks humble you that are Saints you sometimes have had some walks with God why is it that you walk no more close with God you complain sometimes of your great business in the world and occasions to converse with the world that you have no time for your Communion with God and yet when you are off from the world and when you have time alone wherein you might converse with God and when you have walks to the Citie and from the Citie again what Communion might you have with God! But Oh! how backward are our hearts even unto this that is our happinesse and our glory That 's a third Use by way of reproof even to the Saints which is raised from the consideration of the excellency that there is in our walking with God The Fourth Vse Fourthly By way of exhortation Oh let us keep close to God in our walking with him We reade of Peter that he saw Christ walking upon the water and he would leap to him to walk with him there though it were in afflictions to walk with Christ it should be comfortable to us We reade of Idolators that they would have their children pâ—sse through the fire to get to their Idols Oh let us be willing to pass through any difficulties to get to God the Lord is willing we should coÌ„municate our selves to him and he is willing to communicate himself to us the Lord would communicate word for word promise for promise imbrace for imbrace if we would speak to him he would speak to us if we would let out our hearts to him he would let out his heart to us if we would promise to him he would promise to us The Lord doth often call us to walk with him As sometimes familiar friends will call one another Come let us walk out together and those that are very familiar and loving though they may have some business yet they will lay it aside seeing their deer friends calls them to walk they take so much delight in it many times God our deer friend cals us Come let us walk out together When God at any time doth dart in a Heavenly thought into your minds he doth as it were call you to walk with him there and would have you follow that thought The following that Heavenly thought that 's darted into your minds that 's the answering of Gods call to walk with him Consider of this one note Oh do not refuse this you do not know how your lives may be comforted this way and your hearts may be strengthened The Fifth Vse And then the last thing that I shall name by way of Use is this If there be so much Excellency in our walking with God here what will there be in Heaven then If our converse with him in this world be so sweet Oh how sweet shall our converse with him in Heaven be when we shall walk with him in white when we shall have our garments glorious indeed and our souls fit to converse with God Now the truth is we are very unfit to converse with the Lord because of our blindness and darknesse we do not know God As now let an ignorant man come to converse with a learned man he gets but very little good for he is not able to put a question to him nor able to understand what the man saith especially if he speaks any depth of learning to him So many that are very weak when they are in discourse with those that are strong and godly they are not able to make that use for their discourse as others can and it 's a great excellency for one to be able to improve his converse with some men that have abilities and strength to be able I say to improve their Converse it 's a great excellency Alas we are not able to improve our converse with God here but in Heaven we shall be able to improve our converse with God We shall know as we are known we shall understand God if God doth but communicate himself we shall be fit to receive all the beams of his glory that he shal be pleased to let out Oh! that wil be an excellent thing indeed when we shall be alwaies walking with God and conversing with him continually Saith Bernard in the gracious visitations of the Spirit of God to his soul How sweet if it were not so little but then it shall be constant we shall then follow the Lamb whithersoever he goes and walk with him in white according as he speaks Now the Church cries out and saith Oh draw us and we will run ofter thee The Spirit of God had need to draw us here but then we shall have no such need of drawing but we shall of our selves from the inclination
of our own hearts be alwaies walking and conversing with God we shall have nothing else to do but to walk continually with the Lord I will walk in thy truth unite my heart to fear thy Name Psal 86. 11. It 's an excellent Scripture I will walk in thy Truth saith the Prophet Oh unite my heart to the fear of thy Name As if he should say I find much sweetnesse and good in walking in thy Truth here Oh Lord unite my heart to the fear of thy Name Lord keep me alwaies here it 's good being here as Peter said when Christ was transfigured in his glory So when the soul is walking with God it saith it is good being here Well when thou comest to Heaven thou shalt alwaies be with the Lord as the Scripture speaks and therefore from the excellency that thou findest here learn to long after Heaven where thou shalt be continually with the Lord and take only this one note for the setting out of the excellency of Heaven and I confesse only such as have had much sweetness in walking with God here will understand what I mean by this As suppose that all those sweet manifestations of God to thy soul here and all the dartings in of the Spirit of God all those soul ravishing joys that thou hast had suppose they were put all together that thou hadst them all over again at this instant what a comfortable time would it be At such a time may some soul that knows what the meaning of this point is say Oh the sweet communion I had with God! I would give a world to have it again Well thou hadst it once but it was quickly gone and thou hast had it a second and a third time yea many times when I have been with God I have had wonderful gracious lettings out of God to my soul Oh that I had them again Well suppose thou hadst now in this one quarter of an hour all the comfort and joy that ever thou hadst in all thy life put all the times together what a comfortable quarter of an hour would this be Now in Heaven to all eternity thou shalt have that in a kind infinitely more than that for milions of yeers even for ever Oh! what will Heaven be If I should set out Heaven to a carnal man I must tell him of Crowns of glory And there he shall see glorious sights he shall be freed from all kind of sorrows and there he shall have a Kingdom But if I would set out Heaven to a Saint I must tell him this He shall have communion with God and all those soul-ravishing comforts that he hath had in the presence of God in this world he shall have them all together and infinitly more than them Oh this is that that will make their souls long after Heaven and set prize upon it CHAP. VIII Ten Several Evidences of a mans Walking with God BUt having set out unto you the excellency of walking with God you will say Who is it that doth walk with Him I shall further set out to you the Evidences of those men and women that do walk with God The first Evidence One that walks with God Is one that depends not much upon sence or reason in the course of his life I say one that is above the waies of Sence and Reason in his course he hath received a principle to go higher Most men in the world they walk according to sence and therefore the Scripture saith They walk according to the pleasure of their eyes But now one that walks with God his walk lies beyond Sence and above Reason though things of Sence seem to go this way or that way quite crosse to him yea though Reason seem to go quite crosse to him yet still his heart is not in a hurry but he hath that that can quiet his heart though Sence and Reason seem to be contrary 2 Cor. 5. 7. there you shal see the walk of a godly man For we walk by faith and not by sight saith the Apostle beyond our sight either beyond our sight of sence or the sight of Reason we walk by faith But now this is a great point a Christian walking by faith and therefore I intend to speak to that by its self from this very text God willing in another Treatise The second Evidence One that walks with God you shall find him in private the same that he is in publick what ever holiness doth appear in such a one before others in his walking in the world if you trace him and follow him in his private course you shall find him the same man as you do in publik why because he hath not to deal with man so much he hath to deal with God in all his waies when he hath any thing to do before others he walks with God and when he is alone he is the same man still In the 101. Psal see what David saith there concerning his walk in private in his family I will behave my self wisely in a perfect way saith he Oh when wilt thou come unto me I will walk within my house with a perfect heart As if he should say I will not walk when I am abroad only with a perfect heart but I wil walk within my house with a perfect heart There are many people that when they are abroad in the world they seem to be very strict in their way but follow such men to their houses and there you shall see a great deal of difference You will find many times as much difference between the course of men when they are abroad and in their houses as you find in their cloaths you shall have many men and women when they go abroad they wil be very neat and though they have but little means yet they wil lay it upon their backs so that they may be fine abroad but come to them in their families and they care not what cloaths they wear there It is just so in regard of their lives their lives have as much difference as their cloaths When they are abroad then they put a good face on things and seem to be very fair in their conversations and speak good things but at home there they are froward and perverse and perhaps in their passions will swear there they are prophane and ungodly and vent their corruptions in a most ungodly manner doest thou walk with God If thou hadst to deal with God thou wouldst be the same in thy family that thou art abroad that thy wife children and servants in thy family might give as good a testimony of thee as when thou art abroad with others Yea and if ye could retire with them into their very closets you should find them the same there in any duties of Religion You shall have many when they come abroad and joyn with others Oh how enlarged are they yet dead and dull when they are at home either in family or closet yea their own consciences
wantons of our age the wantons that are in our generation that do allure them through the lusts of the flesh and promise liberty to them for so the text saith While they promise them liberty they themselves are the servants of corruption THEMSELVES Mark those that promise them liberty and bring such Doctrine of liberty to you they Themselves are in the mean time the servants of corruption Oh take heed of declining to the waies of the flesh after thou hast seem'd to begin in the spirit what hast thou to do in the way of Asher and in the waies of Egypt Oh thou that heretofore didst seem to converse with God and to walk with him what iniquity hast thou found with me saith God So what evil hast thou found in the waies of God Do you find them too difficult for you Oh it is through the baseness of thy heart because thy heart is not changed and made sutable to that that is spiritual and holy Oh that the Lord would be pleased to cause his Angel to meet with some that are declining from his good and blessed waies as we read in the book of Genesis That the Angel met Hager when she was flying from Abrahams family from the Church of God and saith he Hager Sarah's Maid from whence camest thou doest thou come from Abraham's family art thou going from thence and where dost thou think to find so much good as in Abraham's family where the presence of God is So Oh that God would meet with such as are declining from the good waies of God Oh thou soul whither art thou going thou that hast had the Word working upon thy heart and thou wert seem'd to be turned into the good waies of God whither art thou going are these the waies that are like the former waies that thou hast seem'd to walk in Oh what will be the end of these waies that now thou art in Indeed they do give contentment unto the flesh more than former waies but doest thou think that the end of them will be peace Oh that there were such a messenger from God to meet thee in those waies that thou art walking in that thou maiest say as the Church doth in the 2. of Hosea 7. verse I will return to my first husband for then it was better with me than it is now I was wont to have more peace comfort and sweetnes in conversing with God in holy duties than now I find I will return to those waies of God howsoever many loose professors seem to make a scorn of them and deride them but Lord I am sure I found more sweetness in them then than now well I will return to them and labor to walk in them The Eighth Rule or Direction Or if thou beest declined Labor to keep a tenderness of spirit so aâ— to be sensible of the beginnings of declining It 's true we have a great deal of corruption while we remain here in this world and our hearts are drawn quickly from the waies of God I but if we could keep a spirit sensible of the beginnings of declining we might yet keep our walk with God That so soon as we are got but one step from God if we did but begin to bethink our selves where are we what are we doing Oh this would cause us to return and not to go so far off from God For a man to go far from God is very dangerous for then he begins to have many thoughts of dispair and so many times he growes even desperate in his course and gives up himself to excesse even to satisfie the lusts of the flesh with greedinesse There are some men that are convinced in their consciences that they are out of the way and though they be convinced of it yet still they go further and further off from God Why you will say is that possible Yes Because having once made profession of Religion and departing from God now the Devil follows him with dispairing thoughts he thinks now God will not receive him and accept of him upon his returning to him and therefore he is resolved that he will satisfie himself to the full and I verily beleeâ—â— this is the great reason why many Apostates turn so notoriously wicked as they do when you see a man that hath been forward in Religion and afterwards not only fall off but you shall find him to be a drunkard a whoremaster a scorner you may almost conclude that this is the very ground of it that though his conscience be convinc'd that he is out of the way yet he is in a desperate manner set to have his pleasure because he thinks God hath forsaken him and he hath forsaken God and his lusts he will have and poor creature that 's all that he hath to satisfie himself withal Oh take heed of getting far from God hearken to this you that are far from righteousnes as the Scripture speaks Oh it 's a terrible thing to be gone far from God labor to keep thy heart watchful of the beginnings of declining and be tender and sensible of them The Ninth Rule or Direction Labor to be spiritual in thy solitary times If you would walk with God prize much your solitary times and labor to be spiritual in them do not lose those times when you are alone when there 's none but God and your selves together And especially you that have much business in the world alas what little use do you for the most part make of your solitary times when you are alone you know not what to do but a man that would walk with God he had need be careful to be very spiritual there now I am separated from the world now I have to deal with God and mine own soul Oh! let me improve this and get advantage by this Oh! let me not be quiet till I get some converse with God Those Christians that are spiritual in their solitary times they will be very spiritual when they come into company As Moses when he was alone with God upon the mount and came down unto the people his face did shine so as they were not able to bear it Certainly those that are alone with God and are spiritual they will shine in holy conversation when they come down from the mount when they come to converse with others The Tenth Rule or Direction Let Gods presence be more to thee than all the world account it more engagement to thy soul that thou art with God that thou hast Gods presence with thee than though thou hadst the eye of all the world upon thee It would mightily compose the spirits of men and women if they had an awful reverence of the presence of God and did account it more than al the world besides and therefore to do nothing in Gods presence but what thou wouldest do in the sight of all the world or what thou maiest do so as thy conscience may not accuse thee for sin in it Oh look upon
the presence of God as more than all the world unto thee The Eleventh Rule or Direction Go on with a resolution in the performance of holy duties though thou seest nothing come of them for the present Though I have not what comfort I would yet I am doing what duty I am commanded I am yet in Gods way and that should satisfie every gracious heart that though I have not what encouragements I would yet that I am in Gods way and let me keep in that way of God The Twelfth Rule or Direction Make good interpretations of all Gods waies and dealings with thee This is a mighty help to us to keep on in the way of God and to walk with him If God comes in a way of affliction make good interpretation of the affliction do not presently conclude that God appears like an enemy to thee that will discourage thee in the waies of God but look upon God as intending good unto thee in every thing and that will help thee to keep close to him and to walk close with him in every condition If God seems to go out of the way of prosperity and to come in the way of affliction make good interpretations of it do not therefore think that God is therefore leaving of thee and forsaking thee but exercise faith in this and beleeve that God may intend as much good to thee in that way as in any way whatsoever and I ground this rule upon that text in the 12. Heb. In the former part of the chapter the Apostle speaks of Gods chastening of his people My Son despise not thou the chastening of the Lord nor faint when thou art rebuked of him for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth and in the 7. verse If ye endure chastening then God dealeth with you as with sons for what son is he whom the father chasieneth not but if ye be without chastisements whereof all are partakers then are ye bastards and not sons So still he goes on in the point of chastisement in the 9 10 11. verses he speaks of nothing but of chastisements now then in the 12. verse he draws a conclusion from thence having laid this as a ground that we are to look upon God as a father in his chastisements Wherefore then lift up the hands which hang down and the feeble knees and make straight paths for your feet lest that which is lame be turned out of the way As if he should say when as you apprehend God in a way of wrath against you and not in a way of love your knees will be feeble and you will not be able to go on with that cheerfulness and to walk with God in that hard way that he seems to call you too But looking upon your selves as sons and God intending good unto you that by chastisements you may be made partakers of his holiness now saith he lift up your hands that hang down and those feeble knees those feeble knees that were so weak whereby you were difinabled to walk with God Those feeble knees will be strengthened if you make good interpretation of the waies of God and beleeve that the Lord intends good unto you And as in other chastisements so among the rest the chastisements of spiritual discertions when God not only comes with outward afflictions upon you but when the Lord shall come against you even himself with spiritual discertions and afflictions even afflicting your souls you must make good interpretations of them You will say That 's hardest to walk with God Indeed we may walk with God and keep on in communion with him notwithstanding outward afflictions but when the Lord seems to withdraw himself and when there is both outward and inward too that 's hard For outward afflictions I will give you one notable Scripture for a child of God following hard after God though God seeme to withdraw himself from the soul in the 63. Psal where by the title of the Psalm you shall find that David was in the wilderness of Judah and that was when Saul did persecute him for his life Saul persecuted David and followed him and David was fain to sculk up and down in the wilderness of Judah from place to place and yet mark O God thou art my God for all that early will I seek thee my soul thirsteth for thee my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land where no water is And then in the 8. verse My soul followeth hard after thee though Lord thou seem'st to withdraw thy self from me in regard of these outward administrations yet my soul followeth hard after thee saith David notwithstanding If times of affliction when God seems to withdraw himself by his afflictions yet our souls should follow hard after God Doth God seem to go from us as if he would not walk with us Oh run after him As a poor child if the mother seems to go away from it and gets over a stile before it the child cries and runs after So it was with David when the Lord did seem by those administrations of his to be going away from him saith he My soul follows hard after him And this is an excellent frame of spirit that the more the Lord seems to be gone from a Christian the more hard doth the soul follow after God nothing can satisfie such a one but God himself and therefore he saith Lord my soul thirsteth after Thee in a dry land he doth not say after water but after Thee So in any affliction if thou canst say this Lord it is not so much the deliverance from an affliction that my soul thirsteth after but Oh Lord thou knowest my soul thirsts after thee and may the affliction be but made up in thy self it is sufficient I never find my soul following more earnestly after thee than now in the time of my affliction CHAP. X. An Objection concerning Gods hiding of his face Answered in six Particulars IF it be a spiritual discertion if the Lord seems to withdraw himself from the spirits of his servants What Rules should be given there for one yet to walk with God in the time of Spiritual discertion I have divers things to speak to those that God hath seemed to withdraw himself from Object You will say You have told us of the excellency of walking with God and we account it the happiness of our lives to walk with him Oh but God will not walk with me but withdraws himself from my soul so that I cannot see him and hides himself from me Now I have divers things to say to thee In the first place Be of good comfort It 's a good sign that God hath made thee know what it is to walk with him that canst be sensible of his withdrawings there is a generation of people in the world that go on in a slight kind of way in the profession of Religion and they know not what it is to be sensible of
others have Oh how happy should I be how happy are such and such men that do enjoy such earthly things at their will in their dwellings their furniture their comings in Oh these are the brave things these are the delightful things these are THE things wherein felicity and happiness doth consist When men shall promise to themselves felicity in any earthly things then they mind earthly things I remember golden mouth'd Chrysostom hath a speech of a covetous man That he looks upon his Money and he sees more beauty in his Money than in the very Sun it self that shines in the Firmament When men look upon the things of the earth as the most beautiful things in their eyes Certainly that man is in a distemper when he puts such a high esteem upon any earthly things this esteem is not according to what God and his Saints do put upon earthly things God never puts any great eminencie on any earthly thing he never made any earthly things to be any great Conduit or means of Conveyance of any great good from himsel unto his Creature If you would know what your heart are you may know it by this one sign as much as any What do you account your excellencie according to what any man or woman accounts their excellency to consist in so are their hearts their hearts are sutable in the 27. chap. of Genesis 28. 39. verses You shall find there Isaac blessing of Jacob and Esau he blesses them both but now what I would observe is this the difference in the placing of them you shall observe the blessing of Jacob in the 28. verse therefore God giveth of the dew of Heaven and the fatness of the earth and plenty of Corn and Wine that 's Jacob's blessing Now look to Esau's blessing for the blessing was sutable to their disposition and Jacob's father answered and said unto him behold thy dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth and of the dew of Heaven from above mark Isaac blesses them both with the dew of Heaven and fatness of the earth but now in Jacob's blessing the dew of Heaven is first and the fatness of the earth is in the second place but in Esau's blessing the fatness of the earth is first and then the dew of Heaven noting this That a godly man indeed doth stand in need of the things of the earth as Christ saith your father knows you stand in need of this things I but the great thing in the first place that a godly heart doth mind it t s The dew of Heaven and then in the second place The blessing of the erath But now a carnal heart doth think it hath some need of the things of Heaven it will acknowledge that I but in the first place it's the fatness of the earth they desire and secondly the dew of Heaven So that that 's the first thing Earthly minded men look upon these things as the high and chief things and hence it is that the choise of the thoughts of an earthly-minded man is carried out on worldly objects Secondly When the Cream and choise of the thoughts of men and women are busied about earthly things then they mind earthly things in a sinful manner You may know what your hearts are by your thoughts as much as any thing the thoughts are the immediate ebulitions or risings up of the heart as I may so call them that is the bubbles that come from the heart immediately a man cannot know what is in his heart so much by words and actions as by the thoughts because the thoughts immediately spring from the heart as thus I can tell what the water is in such a fountain better from that that bubbles up immediatly from the fountain-head than I can tell by the water that runs in the stream a mile or two off for there may many things intervene in the stream a mile or two off that never came from the fountain-head but that that immediately bubbles from the fountain-head that discovers of what nature the fountain is So the thoughts are as it were the first born of the heart and therefore the heart may be known what it is by the thoughts Prov. 23. 7. saith the holy Ghost there As he thinketh in his heart so is he That which is here spoken in a particular case may be applied in the general As a man thinks in his heart so is he as his thoughts are so is he So is the heart as the thoughts of the mind are Men may keep in words and actions out of by-respects I but if you could know what the heart is and look into the haunts of it in secret that would discover to your selves what you are as now Many of your servants when they are in your presence before you or before others they may out of divers respects carry themselves fairly but if you would find them out labour to know what they do when they are alone in their private haunts So would you know your own hearts do not so much look at them and take a scantling of them by how you behave your selves in words and actions before others but what they are in your private chambers what they are in the inward thoughts of the mind there the heart comes to be discovered most And by these thoughts I do not mean every kind of injection or suggestion for sometimes the Devil may cast in evil thoughts into the most holy but I mean such thoughts as are sweet to the soul whereby the soul comes to suck out sweetness and contentment for that 's the minding earthly things when you find the strength of your thoughts to be upon the things of the earth and they are more sutable to your hearts than any other It is not when through weakness the mind may be wandring this way or that way or through suggestions or temptations but now when men or women are most themselves when alone and free then for to examine what are the most sutable thoughts to their hearts Can you say when you are alone Oh the very thoughts of God are sweet to me immediate in his Law day and night and suck out sweetness there as from an hony comb But an unclean wretch will suck out sweetness of his unclean thoughts when he is alone and so the earthly minded man will suck out the sweetness of his earthly thoughts and so the Ambitious man the sweetness of his pride when he is alone and these are the most contentful thoughts to him he can run along if it be two or three hours together and take delight and pleasure in them here 's Earthly-mindedness The third thing is this An Earthly-minded man is one whose heart cleaves to the earth for so I told you the word was not only to mind but to savour the things of the earth his heart doth cleave to the earth The Psalmist in a far differing case said that his soul did cleave to the dust but it