own hearts more than ever they saw before then they find and feel their Spiritual Wants Diseases Dangers the treachery falseness deceitfulness of their own Hearts their often grieving quenching resisting of God's Spirit in time of Prosperity their inordinate Self-love Flesh-pleasing and Gratifyings then they see their former spiritual sloth and negligence their backwardness to and weariness in God's Service their formality deadness customariness in holy Duties their impatience of reproof their hastiness of Spirit their want of tenderness towards and of sympathy with those that were afflicted not weeping with those that wept their censuring and judging others their want of Charity then they see how badly they improved their healthful and youthful time their Talents and their Enjoyments with many other Evils are discovered As also in times of Affliction there is a discovery of the vanity and emptiness of the Creature when all Comforts of Life fail as Health Wealth Friends Liberty Estate c. then the Soul is convinced of the vanity and uncertainty of all these The Rod discovers both Heart and Life and what the Creature is And also then the Souls of God's People come to see the surpassing Excellency of God and Christ and of the Promises and of the great Importance of the things of the World to come O now the Soul can prize an Interest in God and in his Christ and his Covenant and is hereupon stirred up to mind God more and Heaven more and to bestir it self in the use of all Means and to get Assurance of an Interest in God Now all this tends very much to the Welfare of the inner man and if we well and wisely consider this Benefit which our merciful Father grants us by blasting and withering our outward Comforts thus to enlighten and convince us of all those things we shall have cause to Adore and Admire his Goodness towards us in taking such course with us and to cry out with Job 7. 17 18. What is man that thou shouldest magnifie him and that thou shouldest set thy heart upon him and that thou shouldest visit him every morning and try him every moment Thirdly The Adversity of the outward man promotes the Prosperity of the inner man by taking away the Idols of the Soul which divided the Soul from God The best of us are apt to make Idols of every Creature-enjoyment very apt to let out our Hearts in inordinate Affection to Husbands Wives Children c. and suffer them to have more of our Hearts Loves and Delights than God and Christ and Heaven over-prizing and over-loving them taking too much content in them and expecting too much from them and so make Idols of them and then God withdraws his gracious Influences from us those quickning strengthning and comfortable Influences of his Spirit from us and hides his face and then our poor Souls languish and we grow weak and feeble so it was with David Psalm 30. 6 7. but this withdrawing of God from us we do not many time perceive and feel while our earthly Comfort continue with us though our Graces be weak Faith and Love weak our Passions and Corruptions strong and are too often too hard for us and we are carried captive by them and although wâ— decay in spiritual strength and grow dead in holy Duties careless and watchless in our Conversations and want that vigour spirit and life which sometime we had which are the effects of the absence of God's Spirit that we grow cold in on Affections to heavenly things I say these saâ— effects of God's withdrawment from us are noâ— perceived and felt by us so long as our bodiâ—â— Comforts continue with us but then it pleased our gracious God to send some awakening Providences upon us he sends Adversity and remove these our Idols and then through God's assisting Grace we come to see our sin and the fruits of it then we see our folly in letting out of our Hearts upon the vain Creature and that then God did withdraw and that our Souls did wither and languish upon which by the special Grace of God we lament our folly beg forgiveness through the blood of Christ and the Lord being gracious and merciful returns to the Soul again and then the Soul begins to recover it self and to grow better Fourthly Adversity is a means of bringing afresh to our Remembrance those particular special Sins which in Prosperity were forgot and which while they lye on us without Repentance they waste and weaken hurt and corrupt our Souls Adversity as was said before puts God's People upon the search of their Hearts and Lives now they say unto themselves what have we done now their Spirits do or should make diligent search now they do or should commune with their own Hearts and examine their ways and seek for the plague of their Hearts their Dalilah's their Jonah's their darling their beloved Sins which they did not or would not see in their Prosperity nor were willing to be reproved for but did over-look them or forgot them or look'd on them as little ones and common Infirmities humane Frailties and could study shifts to cover and excuse them Such as Pride and Passion inordinate Affection Unthankfulness Hypocrisie Covetousness Selfishness vain Thoughts idle Words Omissions Unfaithfulness breaking Vows and Promises Earthly mindedness Security hardness of Heart unprofitableness under the means of Grace and many other Heart-evils that scarce appear in time of Prosperity that in time of trouble upon a through search we may find out as our Unbelief want of love to God and Christ want of love to God's Word insensibleness of Sin and want of hatred to it want of fervent Charity to others with many others which upon a consciencious search and by the help of God's Spirit we shall find out in our selves which lay hid in us corroding and putrifying our poor Souls which were never so heartily confess'd and lamented as they should But when the Spirit and the Word comes with Affliction there is a discovery made of those lurking Lusts the filthy corners of our false Hearts opened and every gracious Soul is willing to be convinced of every sin and begs God heartily to search him and to rip him up and to shew him all the Evils of his Heart and Life with all their aggravating Circumstances being committed against much Love and Light against Conscience Conviction Resolution after many Confessions of them before the Lord and many times those Sins are brought to remembrance which were quite forgotten as sins of Youth fleshly Lusts excess in Meat Drink Apparel Disobedience to Parents mispending Time foolish jesting rash Anger sinful Silence Cowardize in God's Cause neglect of Reproof neglect of relational Duties Sabbath-sins with multitudes of others which will appear upon a diligent search many omissions of Spiritual Duties as Heavenly Meditations Self-examination self-denial Watchfulness all which the gracious Soul being convinced of repents of mourns for before the Lord and by Faith in the
cases God and his Service must be preferred before all visible temporal things But when earthly things so fill up our Heads Hearts Minds Thoughts Hands Time and all that we have none left to spend or bestow on heavenly things then we mind visible things immoderately 2. When our minding visible temporal things unfits and indisposeth us for minding invisible and eternal things when earthly things have so entred our Hearts and so engaged our Minds that they deaden and dull clog and cloy our Spirits so entangle and perplex our Thoughts as that thereby we are put out of frame and temper and made unfit to mind or meddle with Divine and Heavenly things Luke 21. 34. Take heed lest at any time your hearts be over-charged with surfeiting und drunkenness and cares of this life saith our Lord. 3. When we are less tired and wearied in the thoughts of visible temporal things than in the thoughts of invisible eternal things When we can plot study cark care think muse ponder upon freely talk of earthly things without weariness but with much delight as being very suitable to our Minds and therefore very pleasing and grateful to us we can think and speak of earthly things from morning till night without weariness but are soon weary of the study and meditation of heavenly things nay are meer Strangers to heavenly Meditation and heavenly Discourse Mal. 1. 13. When we are in company where there is heavenly talk we are soon weary of such company and of such talk and are willing to break off such Discourse and to entertain the talk of worldly things 4. When we are more attentive unto more intent upon more seriously affected with and more strongly impressed by those visible temporal things than we are with and by invisible and eternal things When good News from Sea or Land a good bargain good success in our Worldly business doth more heartily affect us and rejoyce us thâ—â— good News from Heaven or any spiritual Mercy then we do immoderately mind earthly things It was far otherwise with holy David Psal 4. 6 7. Many say Who will show us any good any visible temporal good but Lord lift thou vp the light of thy countenance upon us Thou hast put more gladness into my heart than when their corn and wine encreased And so it is with all gracious Souls 5. When the gain of visible temporal things brings more joy and the loss of them breeds more sorrow than the gain or loss of invisible eternal things when the gain of an Estate of Honour of the Favour of a great person doth more rejoice the Heart than the gain of the Pearl of Price and the loss of an Estate or Friend doth more cast down than the loss of God or a good Conscience 6. When we are more afraid of Suffering than of Sin and would rather venture the loss of invisible eternal things than the loss of visible temporal things Surely it was not thus with the Apostles and Primitive Christians they looked not on those visible temporal things they did not mind them unseasonably inordinaiely immoderately and so comparatively they are said to mind them not at all The Proof of this 〈◊〉 will appear I by express Precept H. bâ— the 〈◊〉 of Gospel-Christians III. by solid Reasons I. By express Precepts besides 〈…〉 before John 6. 27. 1 Cor. 7. 31 〈…〉 that in Col. 3. 1 2 3 5. Set your affections 〈…〉 things above and not on things below and 〈…〉 inordinate affections 1 John 2. 〈…〉 would nor the things of the 〈…〉 the love of the father is 〈…〉 〈◊〉 in lay that to Heart the love 〈◊〉 World is utterly inconsistent with the love of 〈…〉 that in Jam. 4. 4. He that is 〈…〉 is the Enemy of God the 〈…〉 is enmity to God It is a dangerous 〈…〉 to be the Enemy of God nothing is so dangerous See Nahum 1. 2. God is jealous and the Lord revengeth the Lord revengeth and is furious the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries and reserveth wrath for his enemies What a dreadful Text is this And who are the Lord's Enemies Why those that are the friends of the world saith the Spirit of God Although but few think or believe so yet so it is and it is a most dreadful thing to be the Enemies of God for then God is our Enemy and that is most dreadful Now he that is a friend to the world is the enemy of God World in that place I take to be the same that is here in my Text called Visible temporal things the good things of this World Such as are the friends of these things saith the Apostle are the enemies of God and this is no small matter let us all therefore look well to it that we be not such Q. But who are the friends of this World you will ask A. First All such as love this World and the things of it more than God and Christ and Heavenly things this is most clear So Matth. 10. 37. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me saith our Lord. 2 Tim. 3. 4. Lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God What do most People mind most and think most upon and speak most of Is it not the World things that are seen What is most in their Thoughts Mornings soon and Evenings late Where are their Hearts and Affections most Let our Consciences speak Whom do we serve most follow and pursue most God or the World Christ or the Creature Who hath the precedency and supremacy in our Hearts What Interest is uppermost in our Souls This is a plain Rule of Tryal and if we will suffer our own Consciences to speak plainly and tell us the truth we may know whether we be Friends of the World or no. Let us deal faithfully with our selves in this great Case and not flatter and deceive our selves as most do and so mistake our selves by taking our selves to be the Lord's Servants when indeed we are his real Enemies because we are Friends of the World and by this mistake may we ruine our selves for ever Secondly All such as covet desire seek after the World the Profits and Pleasures and Favours of it more than after God and Christ after Grace and Glory Such as pant after the Dust of the Earth that make haste to be rich that load themselves with yellow Clay such are Friends of the World Whereas gracious Souls are like those in Isa 26. 8. Yea in the way of thy judgments O Lord have we waited for thee the desire of our soul is to thy name and to the remembrance of thee With my soul have I desired thee in the night yea with my spirit within me will I seek thee early So Psal 73. 25 26. Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever So Psal 42. 1 2. As the hart panteth
the Spirit 's help and do no longer delay this Work lest thou be cut off before thy Work be done and what will become of thee then That this with all other Helps to thy Soul in the way to Heaven may do thee good is the unfeigned Prayer of thy unfeigned Friend James Bardwood The Reverend Author having preached many profitable Sermons on the 2 Cor. 13. 5. Examine your selves whether you be in the Faith c. in which he industriously and clearly shewed the necessity of Self-examination the nature of the Duty consisting in a secret Debate of our eternal estate and conditions within our own Bosoms wherein the Mind of a man ponders and weighs all that makes for him or against him in an even Ballance The Object-matter of this Debate is things eternal the eternal concernments of his Soul as likewise the manner of the performance of this Duty with greatest seriousness and solemnity setting the perfect Law of God before us and humbly imploring the special Assistance of the Holy Spirit Men are to debate these two things 1st Whether they are in Christ or in the state of Nature a great Question indeed upon which hang all our Hopes of Heaven Christ in you the hope of glory Col. 1. 27. 2dly If we be in Christ what condition we are in whether thriving in Grace or decaying In the first of these Questions the painful Author spent many Exercises in the resolving of in laying down opening and answering eight several distinct Rules of Tryal of a Saving Interest in Christ with the several Objections that poor doubting Souls might make against themselves things highly worth the publication as I perceive by some imperfect Notes taken from him which because I cannot attain to a more exact Copy of them I must omit them the more is the pity But for the ninth and last Mark I find more full and perfect and therefore only offer this one to your consideration concerning which hear his own words As to this ninth Mark of a Saving Interest in Christ I have this to say That if the Lord shall clear but this one Tryal I do not value whatever Objections you have against any of the former This will undoubtedly speak your Souls Interest in the Lord Jesus without any more ado and as far as the Lord shall clear it to you you may venture your Souls into Eternity upon it And therefore try your selves by this if any of you be sincerely and fully resolved upon full conviction of your sinful and miserable state by Nature and the answerableness of Christ to all your Wants to let go all that hinders the enjoyment of him and embrace all that furthers the enjoyment of him You need not make any Doubt or Question after this Whether Christ be yours or you be his Consent is essential to Marriage there can be no Spiritual Marriage to Christ but by consent of the Will Knowledge is essential to Consent he that doth not think and know cannot consent If you be therefore consenting and willing to be Christ's upon his own terms there remains no Doubt whether Christ be yours after that Consent Hos 3. 3. Thou shalt be for me so also will I be for thee Christ is for vou if you be for him And when the great Work of Conversion is exprest in Scripture you find it exprest under the Act of the Wills Consent in the 110th Psalm 3. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning thou hast the dew of thy youth That is of thy Spiritual Off-spring and this is brought about by consenting to take Christ upon his own terms But Beloved don't mistake your selves I am not about to shuffle over so great a concernment as this is rashly I am well aware my own and your Salvation too is carried in the matter I am to discourse and therefore I resolve in the Strength of Jesus Christ to be impartially faithful between God and us in this great matter I would not for ten thousand Worlds a word should drop from my Lips to the ruine of any Soul nor yet to disturb the Peace of any gracious Soul and therefore let me explain what I have to say clearly There are three things of absolute necessity for the gaining of a solid Scriptural Interest in Christ the two first I hope will pass current with most of us yet some may stumble there 1. The first is this There must of necessity be a full and serious conviction of Sin and Misery without Christ there 's not a Soul that comes to him without such a conviction The Spirit when he cometh he shall convince the World of Sin and of Righteousness John 16. 9. that's the Spirit 's first Work and 't is fundamental to all his After-works And therefore you shall find in all the Converts in Scripture the Lord has been dealing with their Understandings first to convince them of their sinful and miserable state by nature And the Lord Jesus professedly tells us He came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance Convinced Sinners not those that think they have Righteousness of their own and that the whole have no need of a Physician but they that are sick And it must needs be so that Christ must take his course because his Commission leads to it Isa 61. 1 2. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because he hath sent me to preach glad tydings to the meek to bind up the broken in heart and proclaim liberty to the captives These are the persons upon whom Christ is to act the great work of Salvation they are said to be such as are bound with the sence of Sin such as are broken hearted through the sence of their Sin and Misery And when he invites Men and Women to come to him see how he doth it in the 11. Matth. 28. Come unto me all that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest These are the persons Christ bestows himself upon So that there must be such a conviction of Sin and Misery by Nature as leaves us without Hope without Christ I don't speak of the degrees of spiritual Trouble but I take this to be an unquestionable Truth that so much Conviction as unbottoms the Soul from Self-righteousness and False hopes is absolutely necessary and before this is there can be no Match between Christ and the Soul If any man be married to his own Righteousness Duties and Performances that Soul hath nothing to do at all with Christ nor can that Soul be married to Christ for 't is married to the Law another Husband as you may see in the Sixth of the Romans the Apostle in that Chapter proves to us that we can have nothing to do with Christ until we are divorced from our own Self-righteousness That 's the first thing and this I hope the Lord hath wrought upon many that are here before him The
Fruits of the Spirit in us as the Work of true and sound illumination true Conviction of our Sin and Misery and of the Creatures Vanity of our own impotency and utter insufficiency to help 〈…〉 our selves and of Christ's Excellency All-sufficiency and willingness to save all such as come unto him and are heartily willing to take him for their onely Lord and Saviour all this is the work of the Spirit As also sound Conversion from all Sin unto God as the chief good the Spirit enabling the Soul to repent and turn to God and also working in the Soul the Grace of Faith enabling it to come to Christ to receive him accept of him rest upon him and to resign it self up sincerely to him and to his Government by his Word and Spirit The Spirit works Sanctification in the Soul destroying the old corrupt Principles of Nature and implanting new Principles of spiritual Life making it partaker of the Divine Nature mortifying in it the lusts of the flesh and quickning it to newness of life repairing the Image of God upon it and working all those other Graces which are the Conditions of Pardon and Justification as true love to God and Christ to his Word and People true Fear of God sorrow for and hatred of Sin producing those Fruits mentioned Galat. 5. 22 23. as Patience Meekness Humility and the like Also the Spirit helps the Soul to act those Graces and to perform those Duties required of us in order to our Salvation It guides and leads and teacheth us helps our Infirmities teacheth us to pray and carrieth on the whole work of Sanctification in us And this I take to be the Seal of the Spirit when those saving Impressions and Habits of Grace and Holiness are wrought in and upon the Soul whereby the Soul is made in some measure like unto Christ Jesus being by the Spirit united to him planted and grafted in him and by vertue of its union with him made partakers of his Life and Grace whereby it lives and grows until it come to the State of Perfection in the other World This Spirit thus savingly working is God's Seal upon our Hearts the Seal of his everlasting love to our Souls and of his everlasting Covenant which he hath entred into with us which he will never deface or blot out and it is also the Earnest of our Inheritance that thereby we may confidently conclude to our great comfort that as sure as he hath given us his Spirit thus savingly to work in us those gracious Works this gracious Change this true Repentance and Faith and Love and Holiness and other Graces even so sure he will give us the Inheritance in Heaven at last as surely as he hath sanctified us so surely he hath justified us and will glorifie us For this is the Seal this is the Earnest And upon this account saith the Apostle Having this Seal this Earnest this comfortable Assurance of a better state and of a better life after this we groan earnestly to be clothed upon with our house which is from Heaven That we may possess that glorious purchased Inheritance of which we now have the earnest we long to enjoy the full Harvest of which we have received the First-fruits and consequently we that have received these First-fruits this blessed Earnest have no cause to be troubled or disquieted when these our earthly Tabernacles begin to decay and perish because we are wrought by God's Spirit for a better state and as was said not only the Spirit of God worketh this willingness to die by working those Graces in the Soul as you see but also accompanying Afflictions and blessing them to crucifie our Affections to earthly things and helps to Holiness in order to our eternal Happiness and therefore also ought the more patiently to be endured Seventhly Then it is the chiefest wisdom in the World for every one of us to labour to become real Saints to get into a state of saving Grace and often to search and try our selves and never to give over searching and trying until we come to some well-grounded Assurance That we are indeed truly Regenerated and that we have a real Interest in Jesus Christ for this Assurance may be attained and we are commanded to give all diligence to attain it 2 Pet. 1. 10. It is not bare wishes or desires will serve the turn but we must labour and strive after it and be much in self-examination 2 Cor. 13. 5. How is it possible we can have any true comfort living or dying if we have no Assurance of a better Life and so long as we know not whether we shall go to Heaven or Hell when we die We all have been too negligent in labouring after this Assurance let us lament it and let us all now begin to bestir our selves and in God's strength lay out our utmost care and pains in the use of all means to get the clear evidences of our peace with God and that we are in a pardoned and reconciled state for upon this Assurance we shall have this Advantage above all others that we shall not be troubled nor much disquieted when our outward man doth decay and perish our earthly comforts fail us our bodily Members wither because all these decays and wastings do but make way and prepare us for the happiness of our Souls Whereas on the contrary it must needs be an uncomfortable thing to look upon a decaying Body and be altogether uncertain what will become of the Soul when it leaves this Body It must needs make Death terrible But when we know that our Souls at death shall enter into our Master's joy we shall bid Death welcom The Eighth Inference From what hath been said we may draw one Rule of Tryal to us all whereby we may know whether we be true real Christians or no or only nominal and but formal Professors viz. by the real good to our Souls that our Afflictions have done us we all have had Afflictions of one kind or other let us examine what spiritual good we have got by them look over the former Particulars and apply them It is a true sign of a Child of God to be the better for Prosperity and Adversity and commonly more the better for Adversity than or Prosperity But lest we should be mistaken I grant that Affliction may work some good in the hypocritical Professors as on Ahab and Nineveh But note these Differences First On the Godly Afflictions work good mostly on their inward man on their Souls although they work good also on their Conversations the sweet fruits of Afflictions appear also in their Lives But on others if Afflictions do work any good at all it is mostly on their outward man they may by them be outwardly reclaimed and reformed but not inwardly renewed and sanctified Now there is a vast difference between outward Reformation and inward Renovation 2dly The fruit of Affliction on the Godly is continually increasing and growing
promises is both the breeder and feeder of Patience let Faith live and Patience will not dye let Faith be present and Patience will not be absent and through Faith and Patience we shall inherit the promises Oh then let us labour to live by Faith and strive to keep up our â—aith in Act and Exercise and in special upon the real Spiritual Good that our good God will bring to our inner Man by the decays and perishings of our outward he having promised so to do and he being faithful who hath promised and let us also labour to live in hopes and expectations of that good praying also constantly for increase of our Faith and Hope so shall we be able with Patience to endure to the end and be saved Certainly it is every ones concernment to know and consider that Man consists of two Parts the inner and outer Man and which of the two is best and ought to be most minded and principally looked after for most live as if they had Bodies only and no Souls or if they have Souls that they need not much minding but say they leave the care of them to God whereas indeed it is the welfare the safety and salvation of our Souls that we all should be most solicious about What shall it profit a Man saith our Saviour if he gain the whole World and â—ose his own Soul Sin is the Disease of the Soul and Holiness the health of the Soul and afflictions are God's Physick to effect this Cure by surely then we had better take the Physick the Remedy tho' it make us sick than keep our Disease which will make us Die and that eternally the Remedy is better than the Disease So that when our merciful Father the only wise God sees that the blastings and breakings of our outward Comforts are proper means to keep us from and to purge from 〈…〉 Spiritual Diseases our sins which not purged would destroy our inner Man our Souls and therefore useth this means what cause have we to endeavour in God's strength patiently quietly and comfortably to bear all our breaches and perishings of our outward Man yea and to praise and bless the Lord that he will take this course with us thus to chasten us here in this World that we may not be condemned with the World hereafter 1 Cor. 11. 32. Fourthly It follows also from the Premises that wicked Men are fools very fools yea mad fools and cruel to their own Souls because all their caâ—â— is for their Bodies and none at all for their Souls they provide for the Servant but neglect the Master provide for the Horse but forget the Rider Eccl. 10. 7. We have seen how little care God takes of the outward Man but beats and break that many times that he may secure and preserve the inner Man of his People And also wicked Men are cruel to their own Souls Prov. 8. 36. He that sinneth against God wrongeth his own Soul Is it not a madness carefully to preserve the Box but lose the Jewel to spend precious time strength thoughts cares pains all Mans days in feeding cloathing preserving the outward Man but let the poor Soul starve perist and be eternally lost if there be any cruelty outâ— Hell this is a great piece of it Fifthly It follows also that the continuance oâ— outward Comforts is not to be expected Theâ— will be witherings decays perishings of our ouâ—ward Man it cannot be avoided our health at ease and peace will not abide always with us our dearest Relations must bid us farewel this on earthly Tabernacle must shortly be put off wâ— cannot live always all things here are mutable and changeable we see this by experience everâ— moment our pleasant and lovely Companions in the flesh our dearest friends in Christ our Yoak-fellows the desires of our Eyes the comforts of our lives they and we must part Psal 39. 6. This fully believed and seriously considered would unglue our affections from these things and prepare us to part with them that our parting with them be not so grievous to us as usually it is Could we use these things as we do our Gloves on our Hands which we can with ease pluck off and not as the skin on our Hands which cannot be pulled off but with much pain and smart It were good wisdom for us often to look on all our earthly comforts as things that we cannot long enjoy as things that we must needs shortly part with this my health my estate my ease my relations I must part with and I know not how soon a parting time must come This Soul and Body must part and to keep such thoughts in our minds and often to consider of it would help to moderate our affections to them while we enjoy them and to imploy them for God and also it would prevent our immoderate sorrow for the loss of them because we expected such losses and made account of them before they came but we are too often surprised and therefore too often overcome with sorrow Sixthly It follows from the premises that the Servants of God have no true cause or reason to be discouraged disquieted or dejected when their outward Man perisheth their outward Comforts wither their old House begins to totter and decay because by all these witherings and perishings of their outward Man their inner Man is renewed day by day and therefore no cause of fainting Such as know that is are assured by Faith that when this their earthly Tabernacle shall be dissolved that they have a building with God an House not made with hands eternal in the Heavens such will not be troubled when their Houses of Clay begin to totter no but rather they groan earnestly to be cloathed upon with their House which is from Heaven 2 Cor. 5. 1 2 3. And that God's Servants may thus be willing to put off their earthly Tabernacles and exchange them for Heavenly Houses God is working upon them and in them this willingness as Verse 5 by his Spirit his Word and by his Chastisements breaking and blafting their earthly Comforts weakning their bodies to make them willing to leave them and to long for those everlasting habitations which their dear Lord hath prepared for them John 14. 1 2 3. And for the more effectual working of God's People to this willingness he gives unto them the earnest of the Spirit which is the earnest of their Inheritance untill the Redemption of the purchased Possession Eph. 1. 13 14. and Rom. 8. 23. We which have received the First-fruits of the Spirit groan within our selves waiting for the Adoption to wit the Redemption of our Bodies Now this Earnest or First-fruits of the Spirit which in some measure God gives to all his people here in this life to prepare them for Glory is called also the Seal of the Spirit Ephes 1. 13. After ye believed ye were sealed Now this Seal of the Spirit I take to be the saving Works Graces and
Flesh and Fleshly Relations fail us our Outward-man perisheth daily our Bodily strength decays our Friends fail us our own Hearts fail us this should comfort us that our Lord is gone to Heaven to prepare a place for us and he is now preparing us for that place by his Spirit by his Word and Rod and when he hath prepared us he will come again and take us to himself that where he is we may be also And where is that but at his Father's right hand in Glory Col. 3. 3 4. 2. The second Preparative to this far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory is that great and glorious Work of Christ in raising our Bodies from the Dust and uniting them again to our Souls the wonderful Effect of Almighty Power and Love Read 1 Cor. 15. 1 Thess 4. 15. Death shall not dissolve the Union between Christ and us not turn away his Affections from us but in the morning of Eternity he will send his Angels yea come himself and roll away the Stone and unseal our Graves and awake us out of our long sleep and call us forth to receive our own Souls again and oh what a joyful Meeting will that be and what unspeakable comfort will that produce The Devil had the power of Death till he was overcome by Death Heb. 2. 14 15. but he that liveth and was dead and is alive for evermore hath now the Keys of Death and Hell Rev. 1. 18. The Saints Resurrection to Glory is only the fruit of Christ's Death and this fruit they shall certainly partake of The Promise is sure Joh. 5. 28. All that are in the graves shall hear his voice and come forth Joh. 6. 39. And this is the Father's will which hath sent Christ that of all which he hath given him he should lose nothing but should raise it up at the last day So Ver. 40. Joh. 14. 19. As sure as Christ is risen we shall rise also because he lives we shall live also Besides this mortal life we now live we have a life that 's hid with Christ in God And when Christ who is our life shall appear then shall we also appear with him in glory Col. 3. 3 4. Oh then beloved Fellow-christians Let us be stedfast unmovable alwaies abounding in the work of the Lord forasmuch as we know our labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. Let us never look at the Grave but let us look to the Resurrection beyond it Let us contentedly commit these Carcasses to the Dust that dark Prison shall not long contain them Let us lye down in Peace and take our Rest it will not be an everlasting Night nor endless Sleep no no there will come a most joyful and glorious Morning What if we go out of the Stirs and Troubles of this World and enter into those Chambers of Dust and the Doors be shut upon us and we hide our selves as it were for a little moment until the indignation be overpast as sure as we awake in the morning after we have slept out the night so sure shall we then awake And what if in the Grave we become loathsome Dust cast out of the sight of Men as not fit to be endured among the Living What if our Bones be digged up and scattered about the Pits brink and Worms consume our Flesh yet we know our Redeemer liveth and we shall see him with these Eyes And why should we be loth to lay down these Bodies of Flesh how comely or fair soever they are they have been but the Prisons of our Souls Clogs and Hinderances to our Souls in the Work of God and Way to Heaven What care labour grief and sorrow have they cost us How many a weary painful tedious Day and Night Grudge not O my Soul that God should disburthen thee of all this and free thee from thy Fetters and break open thy Prison door remember that when this Earthly House of thy Tabernacle is dissolved thou hast a Building of God an House not made with hands eternal in the Heavens O my Soul labour now to have thy part in the first Resurrection now labour to get into Christ and to live in him by Faith and Love now labour to know O my Soul the Power of his Death and Resurrection in thy dying to Sin and living to Righteousness now act thy Faith on Jesus and thy Love to him and let Jesus live in thee and manifest his Life in thy mortal Flesh and let thy Thoughts and Affections be set on things above let thy Conversation be in Heaven and let thy Heart be where thy Treasure is now live to him that dyed for thee and rose again and then fear not Death but be confident that as sure as Jesus dyed and rose again so sure shall all they that sleep in Jesus rise also and that altho' thy Body be sown in Dishonour it shall be raised in Glory 1 Cor. 15. 43. This is the Second Preparative 3. The Third Preparative to this far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory is that great Assize and general Judgment when the Lord Jesus shall sit upon the Throne of his Glory with all the innumerable Host of glorious Angels about him and all the Sons and Daughters of Men that ever lived upon Earth shall stand before him Rom. 2. 16. 14. 10. to be judged by him and to receive their final Doom Rev. 20. 12 13. Matth. 25. 31. at which time there will be made an exact separation between the Sheep and the Goats between the precious and the vile and then the Saints shall be first acquitted and justified and then with Christ shall judge the World Those that have truly repented and sincerely believed in the Lord Jesus they that have chosen the Lord for their God and Chief Good and Portion placing all their Happiness in him and have unfeignedly accepted of the Lord Jesus for their only Lord and Saviour and have unfeignedly given themselves wholy up to his Government by his Word and Spirit and entred cordiasly into Covenant with him and became entirely his these shall sit on his Right hand these have often judged themselves iâ— Heart-breaking Confessions and therefore shall not be then judged to Condemnation by the Lord for there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh hut after the spirit Rom. 8. 1. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's Elect Shall the Law These are not under the Law but under Grace their Surely hath fulfilled and satisfied the Law for them the Law of the Spirit of Life which is in Christ Jesus hath made us free from the Law of Sin and Death it is God that justifieth who shall condemn The Judge himself hath said That he that believeth is him shall not perish but shall have everlasting life he shall not come into condemnation Joh. 3. 16 17 36. but will say to all such You have confessed me before men and
off and mind thy Everlasting Rest in good-earnest and lay out thy self to the utmost to secure thy Title to it Lord be merciful to me according to thy loving kindness and according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out all my Transgressions Thus have I said a little concerning this far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory of the Preparatives to it of the Properties of it and of the People that shall certainly possess it to their everlasting consolation And what shall I say now but that Shame should cover my Face and Sorrow fill my Heart for that I am so little oh so little affected with these great things Oh what a hard earthly Heart have I Oh that all those that shall read or hear what I have written may have their Hearts more affected with these things and that they may be perswaded and enabled in the strength of God to put forth all their Power in the use of all means while they have time to be assured on good grounds that they are the persons designed for this Glory And oh that you and I would now examine our Hearts and States about this Let us in the presence of God ask our selves these few serious Questions Are we the Children of God they only are Heirs to this Glory Have we out of a true sense of our Sin and Misery heartily accepted of the Lord Jesus Christ for our only Lord and Saviour really yielded up our whole selves to his government Are we truly regenerated our Natures changed God's Image repaired on us and his Spirit living and ruling in us Do we hold out the Life of Christ in our Life and are we like God Have we actually entred into Covenant with God in Christ and chosen him for our only Happiness and Portion giving up our selves unfeignedly to be the Lord's Let us deal uprightly with our selves and if our Consciences can witness for us that it is thus with us then may we be confident that all our Afflictions shall work and prepare us for that Glory I proceed now to shew how those light and short Afflictions of the People of God in this World are singularly useful and influential to work them for and to work for them this far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory And that these waies First By discovering imbittering curing and removing those things which undiscovered uncured and uncleansed would utterly deprive us of that far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory What those things are you may easily judge they are our Sins our Corruptions our Iniquities the Evils of our Hearts and Lives the filthiness of Flesh and Spirit these not purged away will most certainly exclude from Glory as 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. Col. 3. 5 6. Rev. 21. 27. No unclean thing shall ever enter into the New Jerusalem Now Afflictions are useful to discover Sin to aggravate and imbitter Sin to cleanse and cure the Soul and so to prepare it for Glory 1. To discover Sin Afflictions enlighten mens Eyes One calls Afflictions the Christian's Eye-bright Man is full of Self-love and this Love is blind and blinding and Man's Heart is deceitful and ignorant his Mind is dark Man is born blind spiritually blind Men see not their Sin and Misery Rev. 3. 17. until God discover their Sins to them which He doth as by his Word and Spirit so by Afflictions Deut. 8. 2. Gen. 42. 22. 1 Kin. 17. 18. God doth by his Rod shew Men their Iniquities A very Pharoah sees and acknowledgeth his Sin in his Affliction So did the Jews Isa 59. 11. And it 's usual for men to cry out on their Sins in their Trouble Oh then my Pride my Covetousness my Prophaneness my Frowardness c. of which they would not hear before 2ly Afflictions are very useful to aggravate and imbitter Sin Those Sins that were sweet in time of Prosperity and seemed small or nothing but Mole-hills as it were light and little prove bitter and grievous even as heavy as Mountains Were not David's Sins so to him See Psal 38. 3 4 5. Our Lord Jesus in Matth. 11. 28 29. maketh this sense of the bitterness of Sin a fit qualification of Souls to come to him that in him they may find Rest which Rest is the beginning at least of that far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory When and where Sin is aggravated and becomes bitter and burdensome to a Soul then and there Christ Grace and Glory becomes sweet and amiable Usually in Prosperity Sin is sweet or at least accounted small Is it not a little one Oh the Excuses Shifts Evasions and Pleas that in Prosperity men study to extenuate and lessen Sin They feel but little weight in great Sins the Sins of Youth Vain-talking Jesting officious Lying neglect of Duty worldly Talk on the Lord's day c. who feels the ponderous weight of such Sins in time of Prosperity Now Afflictions serve to imbitter sweet Sins and to aggravate small sins Job 13. 26 27. then he remembers the Sins of his Youth and looks on them otherwise than he did before In Youth great Sins seem small as Disobedience to Parents wasting time prophaning the Lord's day Lying c. but in Afflictions they lyo heavy as we see in Joseph's Brethren Gen. 42. 22. 3ly To cure and cleanse Sin Psal 119. 67. Jerem. 31. 18. Eminent is the Example of Manasses on whom Afflictions wrought a wonderful change 2 Chron. 33. And this comes to pass in that Afflictions when God blesseth them they work Repentance This is one of God's ends in sending Afflictions upon his People his Children whom he loves dearly Dan. 11. 33 34 35. It is to make them white and clean to purge away their Iniquity Isa 27. 9. And thus Afflictions are influential on God's People to work them for and to work for theâ—â— a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory for none are fit for this glory until sin be imbittered to them and they purged and cleansed from their Sins in the Fornace of Affliction but all through the vertue of the Blood of Christ 1 Joh. 1. 7 9. Secondly Afflictions are useful to prepare for Glory by being means of God's Appointment and Blessing to work gracious and happy Changes on men without which they can never come to glory All men must have mighty great and wonderful Changes made upon them before they can be glorified Now to effect these gracious Changes God useth various means as principally his Spirit his Word his Rod and many times he makes his Rod to do that and to work that great Change on Men which his Spirit and Word without the Rod could not do because of Mens resistance of the Spirit and Word but when the Rod comes they cannot resist that By the Rod he makes the Proud to stoop and become humble as in Nebuchadnezzar's Case c. The Rod and the Word work Wonders when God by his Spirit works in them and with them
World to him one that looks not on the things which are seen that sets not his Heart and Affections upon them III. The Reasons of the Point why gracious Souls do not so much regard and mind visible things are those that follow Reason 1. One Reason is in the Text which is because they are temporal fading perishing transitory momentany things All flesh is grass and the glory thereof as the flower of the field All are dying things and therefore no suitable Objects for never-dying Souls to spend themselves upon All our Relations how dear and near soever our Health Estate Liberty yea our Life is but a Vapour that appears but a little time and then vanisheth away therefore not fit for immortal Souls to fix upon Reas 2. Because these visible temporal things the outward good things of this World are most times great Enemies to our Souls and have proved very hurtful and prejudicial to them that have had the greatest confluence of them but beneficial to very few Deut. 32. 15. Oh how few have been the better for Prosperity Now this damage and hurt to mens Souls cometh not from those good things themselves for they are good in themselves and are God's Blessings but this hurt comes partly from the Devil and partly from mens own Corruptions 1st From the Devil the god of this World 2 Cor. 4. 4. who causeth Mischief to the Souls of Men by the good things of this world these ways 1. He misrepresents the things of this world to Men the Riches Honours and Pleasures of it Liberty Health Ease Money Estates the Devil shews them in false glasses and not as the God of Truth in his Word declares them to be and indeed so they are and not otherwise but Satan represents them not as vain deceitful vexatious and uncertain things but as brave glorious satisfying things and thence men promise themselves so much Content in them 2. He lays Snares Baits and Temptations in all visible temporal things 1 Tim. 6. 9. There is not any visible Comfort but there is some Snare some Temptation attending it 3. He over-values all temporal things to us making them to be worth all our Affections Strength Time and Pains but undervalues Heaven Grace and Glory there he saith why so much ado time enough hereafter 4. He greatens present Evils as Shame Poverty Sickness Losses c. Oh! these must be avoided by any means but lesseneth eternal Evils God's Wrath and Vengeance and eternal Damnation Thus the Devil makes these visible temporal things hurtful to men 2dly This hurt comes to men through their own Lust and Corruptions within them without which the Devil could not hurt them if Men had 〈◊〉 the Spirit of this World within them 1 Cor. 2. 〈…〉 a worldly Spirit a vain Mind a foolish Mind an earthly Mind darkned and corrupted 〈…〉 earthly things which complieth with 〈…〉 unto Satan's Temptations without 〈…〉 their Hearts are carried our 〈…〉 these earthly things else Satan 〈…〉 Now the great Mischiefs 〈…〉 do to Mens-Souls through the 〈…〉 and Mens own Corruptions 〈…〉 First These Earthly thing◠〈…〉 coming to Christ as they 〈…〉 Matth. 19. 22. by darkning their 〈…〉 their Minds that they cannot see that transcendent Beauty and unspeakable Amiableness and Comeliness that is in Jesus Christ nor their own absolute necessity of him and their undone estate without him by filling their Hearts Heads Hands and Time and all so that there is no room for Christ nor time to mind Christ Profits and Pleasures take up all their time and carry away their Hearts Secondly They hinder men from following Christ Phil. 2. 21. All seek their own not the things of Christ at least they hinder men from following Christ fully and wheresoever he goes as Joshua and Caleb did and those in the Revelations 14. 4. Thirdly They hinder men from owning Christ and his Truths and Saints and from suffering for Christ when called thereunto as it hath millions of Professors in time of Persecution Now from the consideration of the danger we are in from visible temporal things we have good reason to draw off our Hearts and Affections from them and not much to mind or regard them And indeed our Souls are in danger on both hands both from the good and from the evil things of this World Prosperity and Adversity 1. From Prosperity we are in danger to have our Hearts divided and estranged from God and so to commit spiritual Idolatry setting up our Enjoyments for Idols in our Hearts taking more pleasure and delight in them than in God and his Service We are in danger of forgetting God and of falling into sinful security in danger of being lifted up with Pride and Vain-glory and thereby provoke God and in danger of growing careless and negligent in the Service of God And these are great Evils 2. From Adversity there is danger also as in case of loss of Friends Estate Liberty Health c. We are in danger of Impatience Discontent Despondency c. And therefore gracious Souls labour to get off their Hearts as much as they can from all visible temporal things and to be as indifferent and as unconcern'd to them as possibly and to be as dead to them as they can 3 Reas Because of the Vanity utter Insufficiency and Impotency of all earthly things without God either to preserve from the least Evil or to procure the least good All the Riches in the world cannot cure an aking Tooth Haman's Honour could not save him from the Gallows nor Herod from the Worms See Prov. 11. 4. Eccl. 1. 2. 5. 10. Isa 55. 2. There is no satisfaction to be had in them or from them 4 Reas Because there is not the least true happiness in having the greatest abundance of earthly things for if there were then Reprobates and Cast-aways should have the greatest share in Happiness for they have most of those things 5 Reas Because every gracious Soul is in Covenant with God united to Christ partaker of his Spirit and so made like unto God and like unto Christ The Great God is his and all the great things of the Covenant are his Christ and all his Benefits are his and alas what mean low base things are all the visible temporal things of this World in comparison of God of Christ and Glory Besides all gracious Souls are in measure made like God And we read what a low esteem God hath of these things Luke 16. 15. Those things that are highly esteemed amongst men are an abomination to the Lord. And our Lord Jesus had a very low esteem of them being contented to be without house or home or a penny in his Purse And every true Christian hath the Spirit of Christ in some measure and the same mind that He had Rom. 8. 9. Gal. 4. 6. 6 Reas Because gracious Souls are born of God and that unto far higher and better things than these visible temporal things are at their best 1 Pet.
may be poor in this World yet rich in Faith and an Heir of the Kingdom as James 2. 5. and a man may be rich in this World yet poor in Soul and an Heir of Hell as we see in Dives 6. Faith is a powerful a victorious conquering Grace This is the victory that overcometh the world even our Faith Stephen was full of Faith and Power Acts 6. 8. The work of faith with power 2 Thess 1. 11. Faith brings all visible temporal things under the Believer's Feet it gives the Believer power to use the World and not to abuse it not seeking Rest and Contentment in it to use it moderately without damage and detriment to the Soul to use it for God's honour it s own spiritual advantage and the good of others and power to keep it out of the Heart Christ dwelling there by Faith to use the World and not losing our Hearts our Peace nor our Consciences in it Faith gives the Soul power to withstand the Threats and Temptations of the World and power to be willing to leave it and to go to a better World Oh the mighty power of Faith and by the Power of this Faith gracious Souls are taken off from those visible temporal things And so much for the Doctrinal Part. The Application follows First for Information If it be the Character and Duty of gracious Souls because visible things are temporal therefore they must not they do not much mind or regard them I. It follows then that Earthly-mindedness worldliness is a great Evil and very unbecoming true Christians for their minds and conversations are it Heaven Phil. 3. 19 20. There is the discriminating Character both of the gracious and ungracious a vast difference between them the one mind Earthly things the otherâ— have their conversation it Heaven Most People look on those things which are seen all seek their own things those that they count their own and those are mostly â—hiefly and principally minded as appears manifestly thus 1. By the stream of their Thoughts which runs steddily upon visible temporal things having vain Minds 2. By the common current of their Discourses their Talk is all of the World 3. By the tide of their Affections Love Joy Fear Sorrow Delight all run strongly Worldâ—â—rd 4. By the course of their Actions their Time Pain Care all is spent about the World rising early going to Bed late eating the Bread of Carefulness and all about the World This is a great Evil because expresly forbidden Matth. 6. 19. Lay not up for your selves treasures on earth Joh. 6. 27. Labour not for that meat which perisheth Col. 3. 2. Set your affections upon things above and not upon things below And this Worldly-mindedness is contrary to the Practice of true Christians as in the Text We look not on those things which are seen So Phil. 3. 20. And it is the Character of such as are in a state of Nature and that cannot please God Rom. 8. 5 8. They that are after the flesh do mind in things of the flesh Such are not crucified to the World but conquered and captivated by it yea crucified by it conquered by the Profits Honours and Pleasures of it and meer Slaves to these and crucified by the Crosses and Losses of the World their Hearts and Spirits lye under the Feet of these and are at the beck of these their Hopes and Comforts lye all at the Courtesie of the World and this is a woful Bondage Remember this we can never conclude that we are truly gracious until we have Grace enough to keep God and our Hearts together and to keep the World and our Hearts asunder 1 John 2. 14 15. Love not the world nor the things of the world for he that loveth the world the love of the Father is not in him Woe to them that have their Portion in this World Psal 17. 14. who have their good things here who have laid up their Treasures upon Earth and there have their Heart That Text Phil. 3. 19. is enough to terrifie aâ— such Their end is destruction who mind earthâ—â— things Inf. II. It follows from the Premises that Contentment with our Condition and with any portion of visible temporal things is a great Virtue and well becoming Christians Discontent proceeds from our over-minding and over-valuing and over-loving earthly things and it is a very great Evil for it practically denies God's All-sufficiency his Wisdom Soveraignty Faithfulness and Mercy it disgraceth the Gospel and Godliness and is in it self a great Plague Q. But how shall I do to be content content to be deprived of my dear Relations Estate Health Liberty c A. Read Mr. Burroughs's Book of Christian Contentment Take also these Directions 1. Labour to make God your own and then you will have a full and sufficient Ballance to all your Losses He is God All-sufficient Weigh well those two Scriptures 1 Sam. 30. 6. 2 Sam. 23. 5. 2. Labour to make Christ your own he offers himself to you in the Gospel with all he is and with all he hath And in him dwelleth all fulness he is all in all Psal 23. 1. The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want said David 3. Search the Scriptures and be acquainted with the many exceeding great and precious Promises that are there suitable to every Condition you can be in Act your Faith on them and apply them lye upon and suck those full Breasts of Consolation 4. Pray for Contentment and pray earnestly for the manifestation of God's Love to your Souls and that will so satisfie and content you that any measure of earthly things will content you 5. Be much in Heavenly Meditations look upon invisible and eternal things spend serious frequent fixed Thoughts on them 6. Consider your Deserts No person in the World how little soever he hath of the good things of the World but hath much more than he deserveth and more than he doth well improve and how much soever he hath of the evil things of the World he hath infinitely less than he deserved for every thing out of Hell is a Mercy It 's of the Lord's Mercy we are not consumed 7. Consider if you be true Christians you have the Spirit of Christ in you Rom. 8. 9. Jesus Christ had a most contented Spirit Contentment is the inseparable Companion of true Godliness 1 Tim. 6. 8. Having food and raiment let us be content Let us that are Christians who have the Great GOD for our Portion and Blessed Jesus for our Treasure and Heaven for our Inheritance having Food and Raiment any Food any Raiment though never so coarse let us be content content with such things as we have Heb. 13. 5. Inf. III. Thirdly hence it follows also that great is the Folly of all by Nature and great is their Blindness which appears in this that they value prize mind and follow after visible temporal things much more eagerly and earnestly than after invisible eternal things
This is but too manifest Isa 55. 2. labouring for that which is not bread not Bread for their Souls and for that which cannot satisfie their Souls God Christ Heaven is not in all scarce in any of their Thoughts Psal 10. 4. 49. 11. the god of this World blinds Mens Eyes 2 Cor. 4. 4. and the World bewitcheth Mens Minds and the Deceitfulness of Sin so strangely deludes 〈◊〉 that they become meer Slaves and Captives to the World Ask any Man or Woman what things are best Earth or Heaven God or the Creature their Souls or their Bodies Saving Grace of Worldly Goods and all will confess that God is best of all and Heaven better than Earth If it be so why then is this World minded more than God and why is Earth minded more than Heaven The Apostle tells us the true reason Rom. 8. 5. which is because Men are in the Flesh in a state of Nature under spiritual blindness and darkness This their way is their folly Psal 49. 12. It is a great Folly to chuse the worst things and refuse the best to mind Earth and forget Heaven to pursue the Creature and neglect God and Christ Folly indeed to mind day and night and follow hard after visible temporal things and neglect eternal The pleasures of sin are but for a season but a God's right hand are pleasures for evermore Psal 16. last O the bewitching nature of this World that it should so gain and hold the Affections of Men and Women that altho the World and the fashion of it passeth away and is but a shadow yet that Men should so drown themselves in it as to make them forget the World to come How unreasonable a thing is it to spend all our Thoughts Cares and Pains about visible temporal things seeing they are so transitory and perishing so much beneath our never-dying Souls so utterly unable to satisfie or content our Souls or to comfort us in our Troubles or to stand us in any stead in Death and Judgment Were not our Minds most strangely blinded it were impossible that having Reason and Understanding we should so waste our Time and Strength in pursuit of earthly things seeing the Great God and the Blessed Jesus offer themselves to become ours and seeing Heaven and Happiness and Glory is before us and offered to us and we may have them if we will and so be happy for ever O wonderful Folly and Blindness the Lord enlighten and convince us Inf. IV. Fourthly it follows that a true Christian lives by Faith and not by Sence for he that is a Captive to the World hath but little Faith if any 1 John 5. 4. For faith overcometh the world where Sence riseth Faith falleth Now saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 5. 7. We walk by faith not by sence This is our Practice and this is the very meaning of the Text We look not at those things that are seen that is we live not by Sense but by Faith Q. But what is it to live or walk by Sense Ans The great good or end or happines that a carnal Heart proposeth to it self in which it expecteth Content is some good that is the object of Sense something that may be sensibly enjoyed and this they pursue and labour after The Rule by which they judge things is Sense if things please Sense and seem good to Sense to the Eye to the Ear to the Taste to the Appetite they judge them to be good things if not pleasing to the sense they are counted evil things That which affects their Hearts is Sense Sensible Comforts or Sensible Crosses Sensible Gain or Sensible Loss wanting the light of God's Spirit to open their Understandings they live only by Sense and are but Sensual Jude 19. Eccl. 11. 9. and so they walk after the Flesh and mind the things of the Flesh chiefly and principally This Life of Sense is variously expressed Prov. 3. 5. A leaning to their own understanding Psal 81. 12. A walking after their own hearts lusts and in their own counsels Jer. 9. 14. Walking after the imaginations of their own hearts Isa 65. 2. After their own thoughts in a way that is not good Isa 5. 21. This is not the way of true Christians but they walk by Faith and not by Sense Q. What is it then to walk by Faith Ans The great Good or End or Happiness that a gracious Soul aims at and seeks content in is that which is presented to him by Faith out of the Word of God and that is twofold to wit the glorifying of God and the enjoyment of him these are things not seen these are not the Objects of Sense but of Faith To glorifie God in Christ and to enjoy God in Christ this is the end of the Saints walk and way and all this is by Faith This Life of Faith is demonstrated several ways 1. He that lives by Faith is guided by the Word of Faith and that is the whole Gospel and every Truth in it such a Soul gives up it self to the conduct of the whole Word of God it walks by no other Rule 2. It yields it self up to the government of the Spirit of Faith the Holy Ghost it is obedient to the motions stirrings counsels of the Holy Spirit harkning to that word behind him Isa 30 31. not willingly grieving nor quenching it 3. It walks in the way of Holiness for this Faith purifies the Heart Acts 15. 9. 26. 18. 4. It always leans upon Christ and draws strength from him to hold on and hold out in the way of Duty by it the Soul abides in Christ John 15. 3. and by drawing of strength from Christ it can do all things Phil. 4. 13. notwithstanding all opposition 5. By Faith the Soul commits himself to God in Christ in all his ways and trusts himself and all his concernments with God Psal 37. 3 5. Prov. 16. 3. 2 Pet. 5. 7. Psal 112. 7 8. Isa 26. 2 3. Such a Soul can satisfie himself with what he receives by Faith as really and truly as others can satisfie themselves with Sense the faithful Promises of God are as sweet to him as the sensible Possessions and Enjoyments are of others Heb. 11. 13. they saw the Promises afar off and embraced them Now when a Soul can depend upon God alone for All in the want of all outward means and make progress in the ways of God through all difficulties and not draw back and doth in his whole course of Life so walk work and act as becomes one that doth believe such glorious things in the other World as he doth believe when there is a suitableness in his Life to what he believes then oh then he may truly be said to live by Faith And this is the Life that in some degree every true Christian lives and desires to live and this living by Faith and not by Sense is that which is meant in the Text. 2 Vse The second Use is
of Exhortation to us all to look off from visible temporal things Let us labour to get our Hearts crucified and our Affections mortified to all earthly things to draw away our Minds as much as possible from the things of this Life A great part of the Gospel and of the Doctrine of Christ and his Apostles tend to this to take off our Hearts and Minds from setling and fixing upon earthly things I. Some Motives to this II. Some Directions I. Motives 1. Consider it is the express Command of God Col. 3. 1 2. Set not your affections on things below 1 John 2. 14 15. Matth. 6. 19. Lay not up for your selves treasures on earth This we should urge on our Hearts 2. Consider the vanity emptiness insufficiency unsatisfactoriness to the Soul of all earthly things Eccl. 5. 10. 3. The great inconstancy and uncertainty of them 1 Tim. 6. 17. Prov. 23. 5. 1 Cor. 7. 31. Riches and Honours go from one man to another as Birds hop from Tree to Tree 4. How prejudicial they have been to those that have had the most of them but beneficial to very few 5. That these earthly things are all defiling things like Pitch and corruptible and corrupting things being full of Snares and Temptations are but like Thorns to most 6. No real Happiness in them for Reprobates may have them and they may consist with Gods Wrath therefore we should not set our Hearts upon them II. Directions shewing how we may get off our Hearts and draw off our Minds from them for our Hearts are so glued to them we cannot but look on them and mind them It is not easie work to do but let us use the means that God hath appointed and try what we can do 1. First Let us labour to be transformed in the Image of our Minds renewed in the Spirit of our Minds Rom. 12. 1. Eph. 4. 23. New Natures we must get this must be done our Old Minds are vain and altogether suitable to earthly things Q. But how shall we get New Minds A. 1st Pray earnestly to God to give you new Hearts to repair his Image on you to create a clean Heart in you as David did Psal 51. 10. to give you his Spirit 1 Cor. 2. 12. to sanctifie you throughout 1 Thess 5. 23. to regenerate you by his Word and Spirit Jam. 1. 17 18. Tit. 3. 3 4 5. Oh pray pray that God would cast you into a new Mould to root out the old corrupt Principles of Nature in you and to plant new heavenly Principles of the Divine Life and Nature in you to work a real change in you Go to Jesus beg his Spirit He was crucified to all visible temporal things beg of him to give you those Waters of Life Joh. 4. 14. which he hath promised to them that hunger and thirst after them Beg of him to make you of his mind labour to put him on by imitation 2ly Look up to God's Covenant and lay hold on God's Covenant Ezek. 11. 19. and most earnestly beg the Lord to take you into his Covenant and to remember his Covenant and to perform it to you and wait upon God continually Study the Covenant of Grace and lay hold on it for in the Covenant God promiseth to become our God and Portion and if once God be ours all the good of Heaven and Earth is ours and then we shall but little mind visible temporal things 3ly If we would be regenerated we must search the Scriptures diligently attend on the Word preached and read for the Word of God is the Seed of Regeneration the Word of Grace ordained to work Grace in Souls Acts 26. 18. Look often into the glass of the Gospel 2 Cor. 3. 17 18. and look thorow it unto the glory of the Lord that shines forth in it the glory of his Love and Grace and Mercy and Wisdom and Power and Holiness and Righteousness and Faithfulness all which are wonderfully displayed in the Face of Jesus Christ in this glass of the Gospel and by frequent serious believing fixed looking into this glass and upon the glory of God in Christ therein represented we shall be changed into the same Image from glory to glory as by the Spirit of the Lord. 4ly Study Jesus Christ much set him still before you for a Pattern labour to imitate him and to be like him and to walk as he walked And this is the way to get new Minds 2 Direct Secondly If we would get off our Hearts from earthly things let us labour for a clear knowledge and a firm belief of and familiar acquaintance with invisible eternal things take a few instances The Resurrection of the Body as fet out in 1 Cor. 15. The second Coming of the Lord Jesus the manner and ends of it 2 Thess 1. 6 7 8 9. The glorious manifestation of the Sons of God and their full Redemption That when Christ who is their Life shall appear they shall appear with him in glory Col. 3. 3. The Day of Judgment the separation of the Sheep from the Goats the final irrevocable Sentence that shall then pass on all Mankind the Saints passing into Heaven with Christ their Souls and Bodies united and their triumphant entrance with the Captain of their Salvation into the Paradise of God to see the Blessed God face to face to live in his presence in whose presence is fulness of joy and at whose right hand are pleasures for evermore to live with God in perfect Light Love Purity Rest and Peace for ever and ever fully and for ever freed from all Sin and Misery Oh these are the things most worthy of all our most serious most fixed and most constant Meditations We should first labour to get those things into our Heads fully and clearly to understand them and should not be contented with a dark confused knowledge of them but should labour for a distinct knowledge of them and therefore should earnestly beg the light and assistance of the Holy Spirit to instruct and teach us as Eph. 1. 18. and look up to God's Promise which is that all his People shall be taught of him that we may have a spiritual knowledge of them And then we should labour to draw these invisible eternal things down into our Hearts and labour to draw up our Hearts to them for with the Heart Man believeth We should beg of God to open our Hearts wide to embrace them to relish and savour and be affected with them and exercise our loves hopes desires delights hunger and thirst after them considering also the transcendant Excellencies of those invisible eternal things above all visible temporal things and our own real concernment in them and likewise their nearness to us they are not far off we shall shortly possess that Kingdom promised and inherit that Glory purchased for us if we be true Believers But a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry Considering also that all our Thoughts
promised prepared Inheritance they live in hope of Eternal Life Tit. 1. 2. and rejoyce in hope of glory Rom. 5. 2 They live in hope of a better Resurrection they groan after their House in Heaven they seek a Country an heavenly and therefore they cannot but mind and intend look unto and aim at those invisible eternal things Our natural Life much less our spiritual Life doth not consist in the things which we possess that is in visible temporal things for in God we live move and have our being VI. Because these invisible eternal things are the only things that are suitable and satisfying to the Souls of gracious persons Earthly things are not suitable to Heaven-born Souls Riches Honours Pleasures not suitable nor satisfying to immortal Souls which are begotten of God Earthly things are no Bread for Souls Isa 55. 2 3 4. John 6. 27. They are all but Ashes but Wind Husks Chaff not Food for Souls these are suitable to the Body Meats for the Belly and the Belly for Meats but God and Christ and the Word c. for the Soul for the renewed gracious Soul other things will not content it VII Because these invisible eternal things are the best the choicest the chiefest the most excellent things the principal things as all will confess and therefore most worthy to be minded and looked after Phil. 4. 8. GOD and Glory Heaven and Happiness are the best things for certain Heb. 10. 34. 11. 16. The Saints Happiness lies in those invisible eternal things They may be happy without visible temporal things but they can never be happy without the other And indeed all visible temporal things are not worth minding at all in comparison of the other Oh that we could believe this and act accordingly VIII Because those things are most sure and certain incorruptible and undefiled and that fade not away Matth. 6. 19. nor moth nor rust nor thieves can spoil us of these 1 Cor. 9. 25. Heb. 11. 9 10. 13. 14. 1 Pet. 1. 4. Psal 48. 14. This God will be our God for ever None can say so of Relations or Possessions of Health Wealth or Liberty Jesus Christ is the Believer's for ever their Joy is everlasting none can take it from them their Peace is everlasting their Kingdom everlasting IX Because by minding of and by setting their Affections upon those invisible eternal things they are much freed and discharged from the Snares Fears Cares Sorrows Entanglements Incumbrances and Temptations that accompany the minding of those visible temporal things Nil sentit in Nervo cum Anima sit in Coelo Oh the intolerable Burthens the unavoidable Snares Cares and Fears that attend these earthly things how are the Minds of Men rack'd tortured distracted distempered macerated with these while they mind them eagerly and inordinately What cross Passages fall out what Disappointments do they meet with how strangely are mens Minds bewitched with these things what unruly Passions are oftentimes stirred up and thence they break out into many uncomely words and actions piercing themselves thorow with many Sorrows 1 Tim. 6. 10. Against this our Lord caution'd his Disciples Luk. 21. 34. Take heed lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness and cares of this life And by these worldly entanglements many times God is forgotten Conscience wounded Peace broken Guilt contracted Duty neglected and Sorrows multiplied But now when we can get off our Hearts from Earthly things and can get them up above these things and can fix our Minds upon those high and heavenly things how are our Spirits discharged and disburthened and our Minds eased and quieted Psal 63. 5 6. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness When I remember thee upon my bed and meditate on thee in the night-watches O the sweet Peace and Tranquility of Mind that those enjoy that look above and live above and have their conversation in Heaven who walk with God and talk with God and constantly converse with things above To be spiritually minded is life and peace Rom. 8. 6. X. Because by this minding Heavenly things the Saints get good Proof and Evidence of their Title unto and of their Interest in God and Christ and to those invisible eternal things 1 Joh. 5. 4. Col. 3. 1 2 3. Joh. 3. 6. 1 Cor. 15. 48. This is a good Proof that we belong to God and Heaven because we mind them and set our Hearts upon them XI Because by the minding of those things above the People of God are wonderfully supported under all their Troubles in this Life and by their Heavenly-mindedness their Troubles are alleviated and sweetned to them as in the Text and Context We faint not while we look not at those things which are seen for they are temporal but at those things which are not seen for they are eternal By our looking off from temporal things and by our looking on upon eternal things we are supported under all our Sufferings XII And Lastly Because this is the way to salvation For if the end of those who mind earthly things be Destruction as Phil. 3. 19. then the end of those who mind Heavenly things must be Salvation Thus much for the grounds of the Point Q. But wherein consists this Duty of looking unto invisible eternal things What is this minding of them And how must this Work be managed Ans 1. It consists in the distinct knowing and right understanding of those invisible eternal things to know God and Christ the Mystery of God and Godliness Col. 2. 3. Ephes 1. 17 18. Let us pray as the Apostle doth there That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of glory would give unto us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him That the eyes of our understandings may be enlightned c. 2. In a full perswasion of Heart of the Reality and transcendent Excellency of those invisible eternal things that they are indeed the most real the most substantial and the most excellent things infinitely surpassing all temporal things Phil. 3. 8 9. Psal 73. 25. If we believe not this and be not fully perswaded of this that Heavenly things are incomparably better than Earthly things we shall never set our Hearts upon them 3. In the frequent and lively Actings of Faith Love Desire Hope Hungrings Thirstings Pantings Breathings Longings and Expectations upon and after those Heavenly things Psal 42. 1 2. 63. 1 2 3 8. Isa 26. 9. Oh that I had a clearer fuller sight of God more acquaintance with my Blessed Jesus more spiritual relish of Divine things more experience of the saving workings of the Holy Spirit more sense of the fatherly love of God in Christ Oh that I had clearer Evidences of my title to Everlasting Rest Oh that the Love of God may be shed abroad on my Heart abundantly Oh that I could taste more sweetness and feel more Power in the Word and Promises Oh that
Perswasions will prevail they turn the deaf Ear to all But for the World how soon are People perswaded to embrace it to follow hard after it to count no Time nor Pains too much to attain it What is there in those visible temporal things in those glittering vanities that should so allure entice and seduce rational Souls and such as profess that they believe all those better things But indeed they do not believe them whatever they profess Infidelity is the Root of all Men do not believe what they profess to believe It were impossible that the World should be so heartily so eagerly follow'd and pursued if the vanity and vexation of it the emptiness and insufficiency of it the uncertainty and transitoriness of it were indeed believed It were impossible that the great and glorious God the Alsufficient Good that blessed Jesus that Heaven and Eternal Happiness should be so slighted and neglected if they were truly really and heartily believed It is most strange and yet most true that People should yield up their Hearts unto and spend their best Affections upon the things of this present evil World and can think and speak delightfully of them but have no mind to think or speak of eternal things Oh this beguiling bewitching and deceiving World and oh these corrupt carnal deceitful Hearts of ours that suffer the World thus to deceive us It cost the Heart-blood of Christ to deliver his People from this present evil World Gal. 1. 4. Could we apprehend the Mischief this World hath done us and doth still do us we should have but little kindness for it and if once we could attain the Assurance of our title to that World above we should not care how soon we were gone out of this 3 Inf. Thirdly Hence appears the Unreasonableness of immoderate Worldly Joy Sorrow Fear Cares about visible temporal things Being they are but temporal passing transient momentany things why then so much care to get and keep them Why so much fear of losing them Why so much Joy in possessing and why so much Trouble in parting with them Why so much Care and Fear about Life it self which is but a Vapour Jam. 4. 14. Alas we rejoice in things of nought and are grieved for the loss of Shadows for such and no better at best are all visible temporal things in comparison of invisible eternal things Let us all bewail this Folly O when shall we be wise How long shall we simple ones love this our sinful Simplicity Prov. 1. 22. Oh how long e're we be able to discern between Good and Evil till we know the one thing needful and approve and pursue the things which are most excellent and give up our Hearts entirely to God and Christ 4 Inf. Fourthly Hence appears the absolute Necessity of Regeneration Seeing we are by Nature so ignorant dark blind stupid and dead that we cannot see nor understand the things of God nor the things that belong to our own Eternal Peace Therefore we should earnestly seek and pray for Renewing Grace and that Christ would give us the Light of Life and that God would beget us anew and give us his sanctifying quick'ning Spirit and infuse new spiritual Principles of the Divine Nature into our Hearts and thereby take us off from inordinate minding visible temporal things and turn our minds another way even towards Himself and towards Christ and Heaven that there we may center and place all the Affections of our Hearts all the Desires and Delights of our Souls This must be done by the mighty power of God and we must seek him diligently to effect this work upon us and we must also attend on his Word preached and read and diligently and conscientiously read the Word searching the Scriptures for this very end and purpose and servently beg God's Blessing on the Word that it may prove to us a Word of Grace a renewing converting sanctifying Word the Seed of Regeneration Jam. 1. 17 18. Of his own will begat he us by the word of truth John 17. 17. Thus must we Labour to be regenerated or else we shall never get off our Minds from earthly things Second Vse by way of Examination We All hope to go to Heaven when we dye and to enjoy all those invisible eternal good things do we not Let us be so kind to our own Souls as to try our Title and the grounds of our Hopes Sure here is one Mark by which we may know whether our Hopes be well grounded or no to wit by our Heavenly-mindedness What do we aim at mainly mind chiefly look on and look after principally Is it Heaven or Earth Visibles or Invisibles Let us examine our selves Which way runs the Stream of our Thoughts the Current of our Affections the Tide of our Discourses Which way runs it strongest steddiest Put this Question close to our Consciences and require a direct Answer Let us not dally and shuffle but be serious Our Apostle makes this a discriminating Character of a Child of God of one in Christ and above the power of Condemnation of one that is born again Rom. 8. 5. They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh the Profits Honours Pleasures Ease Health Liberty of the Flesh that is they mind these things mainly mostly principally chiefly most heartily most seriously most affectionately most delightfully These visible temporal things lye most upon their Thoughts and lye nearest their Hearts This is their Character and it appears in all their Words and Actions But they that are after the Spirit that is are born of the Spirit born of God are in Christ they mind the things of the Spirit the grace the work the witness the comfort and joy or the Spirit they mind the things which the Spirit hath revealed in the Word God and Peace with him Christ and Union with him God's Covenant and Interest therein Eternal Life and Title thereto these invisible eternal things they mind these mainly chiefly mostly principally most heartily affectionately and most delightfully and constantly This is their Character and this is manifest also in their Words and Actions Now let us try our selves What Character have we Which of these two If we will not do so much for our own Souls as to take a little pains in trying we have not much love to them A man may know very much of his State by this And is it not worth a little Labour to know whether we be in Christ or no and whether we shall be Saved or Damned eternally Let us put it home to our Consciences Say O my Soul what dost thou mind most What are thy Thoughts most exercised about Whereupon are thy Affections most fixedly set This is a searching mark oh that we did all try our selves by it we should be much more heavenly than we are The best of us all will have cause of shame and sorrow cause of self-suspicion and jealousie when we strictly compare our selves with
work to converse with God and Heaven in the Creatures As for instance When we sit down at Table remember there is a time coming when we shall sit down with Christ and eat and drink at his Table in his Kingdom that is we shall enjoy free and intimate Communion with him in Heaven And let us labour to raise our Hearts from temporal to spiritual things and be much in praising adoring and admiring God in the Creatures 6. Be convinced also that all our happiness and comfort both here and hereafter for ever lyeth not in any or all of the sensible temporal things but all lyeth in those invisible eternal things It lyeth not in having Honours Riches Pleasures c. for a man may be happy without them as Job and Lazarus were and miserable with them as Haman Ahab Dives and others were Psal 144. 15. Yea happy are the people whose God is the Lord. Happy indeed if God Christ and Heaven be ours happy for ever or else miserable for ever 7. And Lastly Let us labour to be renewed in the Spirit of our Minds or else we shall never seriously and heartily mind invisible eternal things as was shewed before We must get those invisible eternal Principles of Renewing Grace planted in our Hearts the Divine Nature the Life of God the Spirit of our heavenly Father to renew our Spirits or else we shall never mind those things in good earnest for which purpose let us go to God call cry to him for Renewing Grace Psal 51. 10. Let us look up to and lay hold on God's Covenant Ezek. 11. 19. go to the Promise Luke 11. 13. If you being evil know how to give good things to your children how much more will your heavenly Father give his spirit to those that ask him A precious Promise indeed let us rest upon this Promise and most earnestly beg God to perform it to us Old Bottles will not hold new Wine nor old Hearts retain Heavenly things New Hearts we must have heavenly holy Hearts or we shall never mind heavenly things as we ought III. Motives to this Duty 1. Consider that thus to look unto and mind invisible eternal things is the express Character of every true Christian No man can approve himself to be a true Christian and be a total Stranger to this Work for to be a true Christian is to be like Christ Now Jesus Christ minded those invisible eternal things as is most evident in the whole course of his Life his Heart was in Heaven while his Body was on Earth John 3. 13. Shall we profess our selves Christians and not be like Christ nor have the Character of Christians 2. Consider this will be a sure sign and clear evidence to us of our interest in and title to all those invisible eternal good things in the other World Matth. 6. 20 21. Where the Heart is there the Treasure is If our Hearts and Minds Thoughts and Affections are on God on Christ and Heaven it is a sure sign that these are ours An heavenly Mind is as good a sign that we belong to Heaven as any is as was also shewed before 3. This will begin our Heaven upon Earth these heavenly things minded affected delighted in will yield such joy and comfort as to begin our very Heaven here when Faith and Hope Joy and Praise Love Desire and Delight are exercised on God and on Christ and Glory we shall be filled with Joy and Peace as Rom. 15. 13. 1 Pet. 1. 8. Psal 31. 7. Oh then let us labour to begin our Heaven here by our Heavenly-mindedness 4. This will yield Contentment and Comfort Satisfaction and Peace to our Souls in every condition It will sweeten every bitter Cup To think on God as our Father and on Christ as our Redeemer Head and Husband and on all the sweet Promises of which we are Heirs what comfort will this bring to our Souls Lam. 3. 33. He doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men Isa 63. 9. In all their afflictions he was afflicted and the Angel of his presence saved them in his love and in his pitty he redeemed them and he bare them and carried them all the days of old Rom. 8. 28. All things shall work together for good to them that love God With many other exceeding great and precious Promises which our good God hath made that our Faith might feed upon them and find satisfaction or else our Souls would faint 5. This will fit us for every Duty to God and man The more we think on God and heavenly things the more conscientious shall we be in our Duties to Man because it is for the Lord's sake from whom we look for the Reward as the Apostle speaks to Servants Eph. 6. 5 6 7. And for Duties to God it will make us serve God cheerfully delightfully and constantly having the Glory of God the enjoyment of him and the Recompence of Reward in our Eye Oh how will it quicken raise animate and encourage us For why are all those great and glorious invisible eternal things proposed and promised to us but that we should mind them aim at them and live in the lively hopes and comfortable expectations of enjoying them Heb. 11. 6 24. 1. 1 2 3. 1 Cor. 15. last Therefore be stedfast unmovable always abounding in the work of the Lord forasmuch as ye know your labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. 6. This will serve to encrease and strengthen Grace for the more we mind those invisible eternal things the stronger will be our Love our Faith our Hope and our Patience yea the more heavenly and spiritual we shall grow and the more useful savory and profitable in all our Discourses By our heavenly-mindedness we shall smell of Heaven in all our Converses and Communications to the advantage of others 7. This is one principal way of enjoying Communion with God here in this World for by this we open our hearts to God raise up our Desires after him spend our Thoughts and Affections upon him and in these heavenly Meditations God communicates his Light and Love his Grace and Peace to our Souls By these Meditations on invisible eternal things our Souls converse with God talk with God walk with God have our conversations with God and this is most sweet and contentful to gracious Souls this is to live in God and to live the Life of God and it is the sum of all our happiness here and hereafter The enjoyment of God's good presence here in acts of Communion with him will produce greatness of Joy and the enjoyment of God's glorious presence hereafter in the uninterrupted Acts of Communion with him in Heaven will produce fulness of joy and pleasures for evermore Psal 16. last 8. By this looking to and affectionately minding invisible eternal things we shall be more and more changed into the image and likeness of them 2 Cor. 3. 18. We all with open face beholding as in
a glass the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the spirit of the Lord. These believing loving sights of heavenly things will change us into the image of them 9. By this we shall be made more and more willing and desirous to leave this World and to go to a better Compare this Text with the beginning of the next Chapter 2 Cor. 5. 1 2 3. the Apostle having said We look not on visible temporal things but on those things which are not seen which are eternal presently adds for we know that when the earthly house of this tabernacle is dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens for in this House we groan earnestly to be clothed upon with our House which is from Heaven And this made Paul desire to be dissolved that he might be with Christ which was far better or best of all Phil. 3. Certainly such as really apprehend and truly believe those invisible eternal things and their title to them and portion in them will be really willing to dye that they may enjoy them knowing that they lye on the other side of Death and cannot be enjoyed but by dying and after Death Death being the In-let to all that purchased promised Glory Now the more we do seriously think and meditate on those glorious things the more willing we shall be to leave all those fading vain and vexing Comforts to enjoy those eternal Delights And it is a great Mercy and sweet Priviledge to be willing to dye and I know nothing will more effect this willingness in us Now let all those Motives effectually perswade us to draw off our hearts from those visible temporal things and to set our Affections upon things above How long shall vain Thoughts lodge within us how long shall this present evil World gnaw and feed upon our Spirits consuming and wasting them and eating out our time and strength how long shall the God of this World blind our Minds and the Dust of it fill our Eyes how long shall we misplace our Affections and mistake our Rest Our Rest is not here our Heaven and Happiness is not here Earth is going from us and we from it and shall we hug what we cannot hold Shall we kiss and embrace that which is withering in our hands and dying in our arms Are there not infinitely-better things to be minded Duke de Alva wickedly said when one told him of an Eclipse that was then present I have so much to do on Earth I have no leisure to mind Heaven O that it may not be so said of any of us Let us call to mind what those invisible eternal things are aforementioned as God Christ the Holy Ghost the Promises the Purchased Inheritance the Glory of Heaven c. withal let us mind Christ's second Coming to Judgment the manner and end of it 2 Thess 1. 6 7 8 9 10. which the Apostle often spoke and wrote of and minded Tit. 2. 13 14. the glorious Appearing of the great God and our Saviour the Resurrection of the Body and the manner of it 1 Cor. 15. the full Redemption and glorious Manifestation of the Sons of God the happy uniting of the Souls and Bodies of the Saints after so long a Separation and the uniting and solemn Marriage of both to Christ the King of Glory the passing of the Saints into Heaven with Christ in Triumph their living for ever with God seeing his Face and knowing him as we are known Oh that we could mind these things and set our Faith and Love our Hopes Dâ—stres and Delights on work upon these things what sweet Contentment what Soul-refreshing Joy and Comfort would such thoughts yield to our Souls even in the midst of all our Troubles No wonder we are such Strangers to the Joy of the Lord because we are such Strangers to God himself and to the great things of his Kingdom I shall conclude this Use with that of the Apostle 2 Pet. 3. 14. Wherefore beloved seeing that ye look for such things be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless Be diligent to prepare for the enjoyment of all those great and glorious things and to secure our title to them which Preparation consists in two things mainly as exprest in that Scripture 1. In a state of Reconciliation with God 2. In a spotless blameless Conversation 1. In a state of Reconciliation with God Be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace There will be a most strict and accurate search made at the last day all those that look for those invisible eternal good things at last must be exceeding careful about this to make this the Mark Design and Aim all their Life and at Death that they may be found in a reconciled state in a state of Peace with God This is the critical point the main hinge whereupon hangs all the safety and happiness of a Man or Woman for Eternity Not whether rich or poor high or low honourable or contemptible in this World the Differences and Distinctions will signifie nothing then nor whether Presbyterian or Independent c. but whether reconciled to God or no. This strict search will be made by the Lord who cannot be blinded nor deceived And the consideration of the issue of this search should quicken us to diligence in our Preparation which shall be 1st on them that shall then be found not reconciled the danger will be to their whole man Soul and Body Depart ye cursed c. most dreadful and most intolerable 2dly On them that are found reconciled their Comfort will be unspeakable the Lord Jesus will own them all as the Purchase of his Blood and will embrace them all Come ye blessed of my Father c. and will commend them Well done c. and will crown them with a Diadem of Eternal Glory Oh then let us presently engage all the Powers of our Souls in striving to be found of God in Peace And if we will be found of God in Peace at that day we must 1. Fall out with all Sin and make an open breach with all Ungodliness and all Worldly lusts Tit. 2. 11 12. No Peace with God so long as we have Peace with any Sin We must search for our Sins of Heart and Life heartily repent of them declare open War against them all not regarding any Iniquity in our Hearts but hating and mortifying all Go to God to give you sound Repentance Acts 5. 31. 3. 19. 2. Fall in and close unfeignedly with Jesus Christ the only Peace-maker accepting him on his Terms taking him for Only Lord and Saviour resigning up our whole selves unto him in all things giving him the Preheminence in us and over us and heartily submitting to his government by his Word and Spirit Thus by true Repentance and Faith we are to make our Peace with God And this
true Consolation to be found Jerem. 2. 13. To seek Content here in any thing out of God and beneath him is to seek the Living among the Dead The Work of Faith is to look upwards to look within the Veil to look to Jesus Mic. 7. 7. The right and ready way to present Peace is looking stedfastly not to present things but to that future Rest and Happiness to the full enjoyment of God in Heaven Thus our Lord takes off his Disciples from their Heart-trouble John 14. 1 2. of which Text I have written a Discourse at large Let us consider how this looking unto those eternal things is expressed 2 Tim. 4. 8. it is loving the appearance of Christ Tit. 2. 13. Phil. 3. 20 21. 1 Cor. 1. 7. 2 Cor. 5. 2 3. Rom. 8. 23. waiting hoping hastening unto groaning after that Glory Whoever meets with a distressed disconsolate complaining Christian you shall find that one or both of these things is manifest in him either he hath low Expectations from God hereafter or he hath high Expectations from the Creature here either he looks too much on things visible and temporal or too little on things invisible and eternal and indeed he that doth the one doth the other for the too much minding visible temporal things hinders the true minding of invisible eternal things If we examine matters aright in our own Souls we shall find that this is the main thing that begets in us and keeps us under so many Troubles and Disquiets either that we do not or will not seriously and believingly engage our Hearts and Minds in the meditation consideration and application of all those great and glorious things which God hath promised and which Christ hath purchased or else we will needs mind and expect what God hath not promised nor Christ purchased a total freedom from Troubles Sicknesses Losses c. God hath no where promised nor hath Christ purchased it and then we complain when we miss of our groundless Expectations Either we are still poring and thinking on our Creature-comforts and Enjoyments and looking for much from them and in them much comfort help sweetness satisfaction respect kindness from them or else we are grieving and mourning for the loss and want of them all which thoughts do but sowre imbitter wound and weaken our Spirits or else we do but too seldom think of the infinite Goodness Love Mercy Tenderness All-sufficiency of God and Christ and of the Glory of Heaven which Thoughts would sweeten alleviate and mitigate our Sorrows and help much to support our Spirits under all our Afflictions We are grieved and troubled for Losses and Crosses for loss of Relations for Sickness and Pains Disappointments Unkindnesses of Friends Disesteem in the World c. Let us consider whether God hath promised or Christ purchased any Freedom from those Have any of the Saints been freed from those And why should we expect to be free But if we make Promises to our selves and then our own Promises deceive us whom can we blame for that Nay do we not as it were necessitate God hereby to imbitter all our Earthly Comforts to us and to make every Creature a Scorpion to us because we will make them our Gods We have less Comfort in them than we might have because we would have more in them than we should We might have more kindness from Friends more sweetness in our Relations c. if we looked for less Scarce any Comfort we have but one time or other becomes a Scourge to us because we foolishly made it an Idol to us Isa 2. 22. Cease ye from man whose breath is in his nostrils for whereof is he to be accounted Jer. 17. 5 6 7. We can never expect so little from the Creature but we shall be sure to find less than we looked for But such is the Goodness of God to his People that we can never expect so much from him but we shall be sure to find more The Application First For Information 1. If the serious minding of and believing looking unto invisible eternal things will much support Christians under the Troubles of this Life it follows then that there is a great necessity that Christians should have a distinct saving knowledg of invisible eternal things for without such a knowledge of them they cannot mind them nor set their Hearts upon them John 17. 3. This is life eternal to know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent Col. 2. 2 3. We know those things but confusedly and therefore we mind them but confusedly This Saving Knowledge is a New Covenant-Mercy God promiseth that his People shall be all taught of him and that they shall all know the Lord Jer. 31. 33 34. John 6. 45. Eph. 4. 21. Our Duty is then to lay hold on God's Covenant and humbly to beseech him to teach us by his Spirit and to enlighten our Understandings as Paul prays Eph. 1. 17 18. 2. Hence appears the Necessity of Faith and full perswasion of the verity reality and excellency of those invisible eternal things It is a full perswasion of a Better Good than the Creature and of a Better Countrey of a Better Substance of a Better Place than this World is and of Better Company Better Friends than can be enjoyed here that will make us set our Thoughts on work upon them and that will support under the loss of those worse things While we have those better things in our Eye we shall not be much troubled about the worse the better will swallow up the worse if we firmly and heartily believe them and have good ground to hope through Grace that we have Title to them as Heb. 11. 25 26. The belief of a better Resurrection and of a better Life than this will support us under the Troubles of this Heb. 11. 35. 3. Then there is also a necessity lies on us of having an Interest in those invisible eternal good things in God in Christ in the Promises and in the Purchased Inheritance An absolute necessity lies on us all of getting an interest in Jesus Christ Real Union with him for only hereby we come to have an Interest in all those eternal Blessings If Christ be ours All is ours not else 1 Cor. 3. 22 23. Oh this this is the one thing necessary That we make sure our Interest in God and in his Covenant by Jesus Christ This and this alone will ballance all our Losses Take special notice of those two Texts 1 Sam. 30. 6. 2 Sam. 23. 5. Let us try our Interest in Christ by those few Scriptures Rom. 8. 1 9. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit If any man have not the spirit of Christ the same is none of his 2 Cor. 5. 17. If any man be in Christ he is a new Creature all old things are past away behold all things are become new Gal. 5.
spirit Second Vse by way of Exhortation to all Christians Would you have sweet Support under all your Discouragements and sinking Troubles then stedfastly and fixedly look upon invisible eternal things Labour to live in the believing views and prospects of and in a serious hearty minding and meditating upon invisible eternal things Oh that we could draw off our Thoughts and Affections from visible temporal things and that we could set them upon things above Oh what Peace and Sweetness should we find in our Spirits Q. But how shall we be able to do this A. I. By looking to God in all our Mercies II. By resigning up our Wills to God in all our Miseries III. By aiming at Communion with God and Conformity to him in all our Actions I. Let us look to God in all our Mercies He is the God of our Lives and of all the Comforts of Life The power vertue and comfort of all created good comes from the Created good even GOD alone for in him we live and move and have our being This Health Ease Liberty Relations Rest Sleep that we have and all those comfortable Accommodations that we enjoy are from the Lord. It was truly said of one That many love the Creature in opposition to God Most love it in competition with him and almost All love the Creature in a way of separation from him But more particularly let us labour 1st To look unto and acknowledge with Heart and Tongue that our Heavenly Father in Christ is the Author and Giver of all the Mercies we enjoy When we have Health Ease Liberty Rest or any other Mercy we should look to him from whom they come and to him through whom they come we should eye the hand of a Father the heart and love of a Father and consider also that all these Mercies come to us through the Blood of a Redeemer this will make every morsel every drop and crumb to be sweet and pleasant to us A Dinner of green Herbs Barley-bread and cold Water with the Love of God will be sweet Q. But when shall we know that we have these from the Love of God and with the Love of God Ans Then we may conclude these outward Mercies come from the Love of God to us when we are truly thankful for the least Mercy we receive and are stirred up to love God more and to be more careful to serve please and trust God the more Let us look thorough our visible Comforts to the invisible giver of them and to that eternal Love from whence they come 1 Chron. 29. 12 13 16. It is our great evil that we love the gifts of God for themselves and not for the giver of them if we could see and taste Divine love and goodness in our Relations Health Estate c. Oh how sweet would they be unto us But this is our Folly and Fault we overlook and forget God and look no further than our visible sensible temporal Comforts even when we speak of God with our Mouths our Hearts are but too far from him Our Hearts hang loose from him and lye at too great a distance from him our Hearts are not engaged with Love and Desire and Delight in him nor enlarged after him and so we miss the Comfort and Sweetness which we might find in him To delight in the God of Mercy more than in the Mercies of God is a true Christian frame and an high pitch of Grace and a special way of enjoying sweet Communion with God a thing wholly strange to most and experienced but by few Q. But how shall I know when I do this Ans 1. By real practical hearty acknowledgment and owning God's Propriety in all our Mercies These Relations Friends this Health Ease Liberty Safety c. these are all the Lords as Jacob said Gen. 33. 5. These are the things that the Lord hath graciously given me We should always look on God as the proper owner of us and them and all that we have are but lent to us and we are but Tenants at his will 2. By labouring to draw up our Hearts and Loves to God by those Mercies we receive from God to make them as Cords and Bands of Love to draw our Hearts nearer to God and to bind our Hearts faster and closer to God by them to make those Mercies as steps to raise up our Souls higher towards God in all the ways of obedience and holy confidence we should pant and pray thus Oh that this Creature-comfort may draw my Heart nearer to God and not lye as an Idol between my Heart and God oh that this temporal Blessing may raise my Heart some degrees higher towards God oh that it may help me to advance God more Oh that it may not divide my Heart from God nor make me forgetful of him nor hinder me in my Duty to him but oh that every Mercy I receive from God may endear God to me and engage my Heart more to him Such pantings and breathings of Soul should be in us then we shall enjoy God in our Mercies and then they will be sweet unto us 3. By labouring to use and improve all our Mercies for God our Health Ease Liberty Estate and all for God to lay all out for his Service If we have any Talent let it be improved for God if any Candle of Comfort lighted in our Habitation let it burn for God if any Ease after Pain any Strength after Weakness lay it out for God Let us be thinking and studying what use and service we can put our Mercies to for God Let us spend Time Health Strength and all for God 4. By labouring to be willing to part with all our outward Mercies when God calls for them As we should desire and wish for no Comfort otherwise than as we may have it with the love of God and as it may help us and not hinder us in our way to God so likewise we should not desire the continuance of any outward Comfort any longer than with the Love of God and when he is pleased to call for them willingly to surrender them to him This is not to love any thing above God nor in competition with him nor in separation from him 1 John 2. 14 15. For he that loveth any thing in the world otherwise the love of the Father is not in him And in so doing we evidence that we love the God of Mercies more than the Mercies of God And this way we may enjoy and maintain much sweet communion with God here in this Life namely by our hearty acknowledgment of God our Father in Christ to be the Author of all our Mercies looking to his Love in them owning his Propriety in them all making them as Cords of Love to draw up our Hearts to God using them for God and willing to part with them at his call This is to look to God in all our Mercies Secondly Let us labour to look unto and live upon God
delight upon him Always minding that it is God in Christ that we must thus look unto and mind in all these particulars God in Christ not God singly considered but God in Christ for God cannot be comfortably thought upon out of Christ our Mediator in whom alone he is well pleased No Communion with God but in Christ no Communication of any good from God to us but in Christ and by his Spirit It is the invisible eternal God by the invisible eternal Son of God and through the invisible eternal Spirit that we must make all our Addresses unto and expect all Communications of good from It is Christ alone that must bring God and the Soul together In Christ we are reconciled to him even by the Blood of his Cross 2 Cor. 5. 19. Col. 1. 21. And being reconciled to God by him we have Peace with God and then have Communion with him In Christ God's Nature becomes lovely to us and ours to God otherwise there is an utter Enmity betwixt his pure and our impure Nature Christ hath made up the vast gulf between God and us He drank of the brook in the way Psal 110. last Aim at and thirst after Communion with God in Christ in all your receipts of Mercies from him and in all your returns of Duty to him Pray and pant that all that you receive from him may come to you from his Love in Christ Oh that this Mercy that this Affliction may proceed from God's Fatherly Love in Christ Jesus so in all your Approaches to God in Ordinances and Duties pray and pant after Communion with God in Christ Oh that I may meet with God in this Ordinance and in this Duty without which we should not be satisfied in any Ordinances and Duties and all outward Blessings are but visible temporal things we must look beyond them and above them unto God in Christ for the invisible eternal love and grace and blessing of God in them So holy David Psal 63. 1 2 3. That I may see thy power and thy glory saith he And Vers 8. My soul followeth hard after God to see God's power and love and grace in Ordinances So Psal 42. 1 2. My soul thirsteth for God for the living God This is the marrow and fatness of God's Ordinances and this is that will satisfie the Soul therefore this is the thing that our Souls should long and breath after that we may have sights sweet sights of the invisible eternal God in Christ in Ordinances and Duties and tasts of his love and goodness in them And if we have Communion with God in our Mercies we shall be able thankfully to receive them and fruitfully to improve them for God And also we shall be enabled patiently and comfortably to bear all our Afflictions and profitably to improve them Now if we would have Communion with God in Christ we must look well to these things viz. 1st We must labour to be pure in Heart for such as are pure in Heart and they only shall see God God in his Son God in his Ordinances in his Providences and in Glory at last If we regard Iniquity in our Hearts God will not hear our Prayers nor afford us any Communion with him Mat. 5. 8. A pure Heart is a new Heart an Heart purged by the Blood of Christ from the guilt of Sin and purified by his Spirit Acts 15. 9. An Heart renewed and sanctified a single sincere and upright Heart that hath pure Principles planted in it the Spirit of God the Fear of God the Love of God Faith in God and Christ Christ formed there the Image of God stamped there the Kingdom of God set up there These are the true Principles of Purity of Heart and Life and also an Heart set and bent by the Rules of God's pure Word that pure Rule and that acteth for pure ends to please God to bring Glory to him to do good to others and to enjoy God in our Salvation Such may expect sweet Communion with God 2 Cor. 6. 16 17. the Lord God Almighty will walk and dwell with such 2ly We must labour to be poor in Heart poor in Spirit Mat. 5. 3. broken in Heart contrite in Spirit Isa 57. 15. O the wonderful condescension of the high and lofty one who dwelleth in the Heavens that He should stoop so low as to dwell in the broken Heart to revive such Hearts such Spirits O the Revivings of God they are Soul-satisfying things The Consolations of God are not small Happy indeed are those Souls in whom the great and glorious God dwells Blessed Souls that are the Temple of the holy God Habitations of God by the Spirit 1 Cor. 3. 16. Eph. 2. 22. Isa 66. 2. To the man will God look that is poor and of a contrite Spirit and God's looks on such are sweet looks Love-looks such shall have much communion with God and Christ for Christ was sent to bind up the broken hearted Luke 4. 18. What a comfortable support is this to a poor afflicted Christian that is poor in this World destitute of Friends and earthly Comforts restrained and shut up in Prison or otherwise confined to Chamber or Sick-bed and withal is poor in Spirit is content in this condition Yet now in this his desolate condition he may have Communion with the great God he may enjoy the blessed and sweet Company of the Lord Jesus by day and by night even when Lover and Friend is put far from him even then his God is near him his everlasting Father is with him his dear Lord and Redeemer his â—â—eet Saviour and loving Husband is with him Psal 25. 15 16 17. Psal 102. 17. He will regard â—e prayer of the destitute and not despise their prayer He will never leave them nor forsake them Yea He will then speak most comfortably to their poor Souls Hos 2. 14. He will speak to their Hearts He knows their Souls best in Adversity and their Souls know him best then Jesus Christ will then â—hew them his Love and manifest it unto them and support them 3ly If we would have Communion with God â—n every condition we must labour to be upright in Heart Psal 125. The Lord is nigh unto them that call upon him in truth they shall have Communion with him He loveth truth in the inner parts He that walketh uprightly shall dwell in God's tabernacle and abide in his holy hill Psal 15. 1 2. God hates Hypocrisie Oh the guile and falshood of our hearts let us bewail it and cry to God with David Make my heart sound in thy statutes 4ly Be heavenly in heart be heavenly-minded such shall have sweet Communion with God such as have their Conversation in Heaven have converse with God Phil. 3. 20. We must be very watchful that the World do not lye too near our hearts nor lodge too long in our hearts for that will steal away our hearts from God and hinder our Communion with him We must take
blood of Jesus obtains Pardon of them and by the Spirit of Jesus obtains power against them and so the Soul being pardoned and healed recovers and is renewed day by day whereas before it lay pining and laâ—â—â—ithing this blessed fruit is produced by the blessing of our most gracious God upon the perishings and wastings of our outward man Fifthly By disingaging and weaning the Hearts of God's People from all the things of this World mortifying and crucifying their Affections to things below drawing off the Heart from Creature-comforts weaning the Soul from those dry Breasts In Prosperity the best of us think little on Mortification and on crucifying the Flesh with the Affections and Lusts of it although the very Life and power of true Christianity lies in these as Rom. 8. 13. Galat. 5. 24. but then we are for pleasing and gratifying the flesh Oh how tender are we of our flesh and how loth to be cross'd how deeply are our Affections engaged to the Vanities of the World how do our Hearts cleave and cling to the Creature even as our Skin to our Body how seldom do we think seriously of parting with our Relations our Health c. or of putting off our earthly Tabernacles and of our â—ying down our Heads in the dark Grave How are we afraid of Dangers to our outward man and troubled at evil tydings how thoughtfully careful to preserve our Creature-comforts with us not taking so much care to enâ—oy God in them and to enjoy them for God as to enjoy them our selves and for our selves How â—ear do they lie to our Hearts Now our loving Father seeing all this he takes it very ill at our â—ands that the Creature should be so near and â—ear to us and have so much room in our Hearts and therefore in love to our Souls blasts and wastes these our Comforts to draw off our Hearts from them that we may not set our Affections upon them Sixthly The perishing of the outward man furthers the flourishings of the inward man not only by bringing our Sins to our remembrance as was shewed but now but also as being a means of God's appointment and blessing both to purge away Sin past and to prevent Sin for the future as Isa 27. 9. the Lord speaking of Afflictions there upon the Church saith By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged and this is all the fruit to take away his Sin O blessed design of our good and gracious God O blessed fruit So Job 33. 17 18. To withdraw man from his purpose and to hide Pride from Man Are not many of God's People sensible of this how that be their Afflictions they have been kept from many Sins that without their Afflictions they haâ—â— been liable to have fallen into and committed Surely they will acknowledge it and give Goâ— thanks Sin is the Sickness and plague of the Souâ— which corrupts the Spirit wounds the Conscience weakneth Grace now in time of Prosperity wheâ— there is no Plague nor Sickness in Town or Couâ—try but all things belonging to the outward mâ—â— flourish even then is the very Air most spiritual infectious and most places then and most peoples breath then most infectious then the conâ—gion of Sin spreads most let a man then go in what place he will into what Company almost I will his Soul is in danger of Infection by Siâ— what Contentions Pride Envy Censuring Bad biting unjust Dealing and at best but vain idiâ— unprofitable Discourse is to be heard among most and how little of promoting the power of Godliness or mutual edification Now in such a time the poor Soul gets falls and wounds gets many a disease and Spiritual distemper which it perceives not now it gathers much Rust much Dross and it may carry the infection of sin a long time and is weakned and wasted by it which it may be others see by him more than himself his Passions and Corruptions get ground upon him and he pines day by day he grows more worldly froward proud c. and yet perceives it not and thus the inner Man is much damnified by the advantages of the outward All this the wise God seeth and observeth and out of his pity and tender compassion to the precious Souls of his poor Servants seeing them thus captivated by their Corruptions and diseased with so many spiritual Distempers and that they stand in great need of Physick lest they should perish thinks fit to break their worldly prosperity to give them the bitter purge of affliction to cast them into the Furnace that they may be purified and purged and so recovered and saved Zachar. 13. 9. Thus God ordereth the fire of affliction as a means to cleanse and purify his people from their filthiness and to make them pure and white Dan. 11. 35. Seventhly By exercising the Graces of God's people which in time of their prosperity were as it were laid asleep and for want of use and exercise did decay and scarce appear for it is not Grace â—n the habit that doth so much comfort the Soul â—s Grace in exercise now Adversity serves to draw â—ut Grace into act and exercise as Faith Repentance Hope Patience and other Graces now if ever the Christian labours to put forth his faith on God in Christ and on the Covenant and Promises Oh! now God and Christ and the Covenant and the promises signify something indeed to the Soul to these the poor Soul now flies as it was with Micah 7. 7. When all outward Comforts failed then he acted his Faith Hope and Patience I will look unto God I will wait for the God of my Salvation my God will hear me So Habb 3. 17. 18. Then also God's People renew their Repentance search their Hearts and Ways and turn to God as Ephraem Jerem. 31. 18 19. And then they act their Hope upon the promises of future Glory and then their Patience appears and standâ— them in great stead and their tender-heartedness their love to God his Word and People their contempt of the World yea every Grace is exercised mostly in time of affliction and this is the rare and special excellency of true Grace that â— thrives most and prospers best in the worst time for the most part Grace is strengthned and faâ—ned when sensible Comforts are withered anâ— starved and thus the inner man is renewed wheâ— the outward doth decay and perish Eightly The perishings of the outward Man he forward the flourishing of the inward by makit room and place and preparation in the Souls oâ— God's People for the gracious Communications Spiritual Mercies to them as is evident from thaâ— Scripture Hos 2. 6. and 14 compared Theâ—â— Creature-enjoyments stood in the way before fillâ— up all the room in the Hearts now these must bâ— removed to make way for better Mercies the too-well-beloved guests must be discarded that thâ— King of Glory may come in Other lovers had thâ— heart before these must be divorced that
after the water-brooks so panteth my soul after thee O Lord. The strongest steddiest Streams of his Desires and Loves did run after God and his Favour Thirdly He that is commanded by the World is a Friend of the World one Friend can command another so all Friends profess to one another and if they mean not so they basely dissemble Can the Profits and Pleasures of the World command your Hearts Thoughts Affections Time and Strength yea and your Consciences too Can the World keep you from serving God Can you dispense with the Service of God to attend the World then sure you are the Friends of it Fourthly Are you more intimate friendly and familiar more pleasant and joyful in the company of the People of the World And in your dealings with the things of the World are you more delighted and pleased and are as it were more in your Element and where you would be than when you are in the company of the Saints and than when you are dealing with God and Christ and heavenly things David who delighted greatly in God and in his Word and in his Saints professed himself to be a Stranger in the Earth as Psal 119. 19. When the Lord's Servants are in his work and among his People then they are in their Element then they are where they would be One day in thy House is better than a thousand Psal 84. Fifthly He that seeks the Worlds Favours and fears the Worlds Frowns more than God's is a Friend of the World A gracious Soul seeks nothing so much as God's Favour O how doth David pant after God's Favour and the light of his Countenance In thy favour saith he is life Psal 30. 6. and thy loving-kindness better than life Psal 63. 3. And how earnestly and frequently doth he pray that God would not hide his Face from him Sixthly He that is troubled more for the loss of those visible temporal things than for the loss of God or his Gospel and complains more for the want and absence of these things than for the want and absence of God such in such a degree are Friends of the World and being Friends of the World are Enemies of God Seventhly He that gives the World most Respect and best Entertainment we give our Friends most respect and best entertainment How oft hath Christ knock'd at our Doors in the Ministry of the Word and Motions of his Spirit begging our acceptance How oft hath Christ called to us in Ordinances and Providences for entertainment and we have shut our Hearts against him How oft hath the Holy Spirit been striving with us but we have grieved and quenched him by our Resistance But how easily have we entertained the Enticements of the World How readily have we embraced the Motions of the World This proves us to be Friends of the World and such are the Enemies of God By these things let us try our selves and we may know whether we be the Friends of the World or the Friends of God II. This Point is proved by Example Take our Apostle as a pregnant Instance as in the Text saying We look not at those things which are seen So in Gal. 2. 20. 6. 14. I am crucified to the world and the world is crucified to me As if he had said I am in the Eye of the World as contemprible despicable and abominable a thing as one hanged on the Cross as a Malefactor on the Gallows an Object that Passengers care not to look upon but turn away their sight from Such a one am I saith this blessed Apostle for the World said of him Away with such a fâ—llow he is not worthy to live And the world is crucified to me saith he I have a â—ow and base thoughts of the World as the World hath of me the World is as despicable and contemptible to me as I am to it I look no more upon the World than it doth upon me I do as little value the World as it doth value me And this is a full explication of his sence in the Text We look not on those things which are seen for they are temporal This is the Character of truly-gracious Souls So Gal. 5. 24. They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof Q. But how shall we know when we are crucified to the World Ans 1 When our care for visible temporal things doth not consume and eat out our care for invisible and eternal things when our care for our Bodies doth not destroy our care for our Souls Deut. 4. 9. Only take heed and keep thy soul diligently Our Souls must have our greatest care and all other cares we must cast on God Matth. 6. 33. First seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all other things shall be added 2. When the work of the World is neglected that the work of God may be attended See this in Martha's Case Luke 10. 40 41. one thing is needful 3. When altho' our Hands may be full of visible temporal things yet our Hearts are not entangled nor over-charged with them 2 Tim. 2. 4. Luke 21. 34. When our Engagements about visible temporal things do not hinder us from minding our concernments about invisible eternal things 1 Tim. 6. 19. When matters and businesses of the World are made to stand by and give place to the Service of God When praying times hearing reading meditating times are duly attended and observed And indeed we have need work while our day lasteth for there is no work wisdom or device in the Grave whither we are going All that is to be done for Eternity must be done in this world John 9. 4. 4. A man is then crucified to the world and to these visible things when he is content to be without these good things of the world when the will of the Lord is so Content to be without Friends Health Liberty Wealth Honours Pleasures Phil. 4. 11 12. Contentment is the Hearts Ease well-pleasedness with our condition without vexation or distraction to acquiesce in the holy will of God Godliness and Contentment grow both together if Contentment be little Godliness is not much if thou be truly godly then God the All-sufficient and Chief Good is thy Portion and so thou hast enough to content thee enough to make thee happy for ever It is a Paradox to the World That a gracious Soul cannot be content with the whole world only and yet can be content without it Let us seek Content where we will out of God and we shall never find it 5. And lastly when a man can patiently bear the loss of all visible temporal things then he is crucified to the world when Losses and Crosses do not sink him and make him faint as those Saints in this Chapter ver 16. and those in Heb. 10. 34. who took joyfully the spoiling of their goods And thus we have the description of a person that is crucified to the World and the
Spirit of Illumination hath been upon us shewing us what miserable Wretches we were and struck down the Foundation upon which our Hopes were built before II. The second thing that is to pass upon every Soul in order to his Union with Christ is a full Conviction of the Answerableness and Fulness that is in Jesus Christ to all the wants and spiritual necessities of the Soul This you must see or you will never consent to take Christ for your Lord Acts 4. 12. Neither is there salvation in any other for there is none other name given under Heaven whereby we may be saved Here 's your Refuge Christ and none but Christ can answer the Necessities of my poor Soul I am full of Guilt and there is no Righteousness but in Christ to justifie me I am full of Filth and there is no Holiness but in Christ to sanctifie me To this Refuge therefore in Christ God shuts up every Soul as to his last Hopes Therefore you find in the 3d of Galat. 23. we are said to be shut up unto the Faith So that we see no other way in the World to escape Hell but at this Door the Lord Jesus This also I trust the Lord hath made evident to so many Souls of you as are in Christ You see your absolute need of him and you see in Christ a compleat fulness to answer all the wants of your Souls that you are shut up to him and have not the least hopes hanging upon any other Object besides Christ Well that 's the second thing III. To come to the main for all these are but previous Works and may signifie something or nothing the third thing that gives an Interest in Christ is a deliberate Consent to part with all things that hinders the enjoyment of him and to embrace all things that promote and further the enjoyment of the Lord Jesus Such a Consent as this is will put your Salvation quite out of doubt if there be any in the World in Christ 't is the Soul that deliberately consents Now therefore to open this remember 1. First That here must be a deliberate Consent it is not a Work to be done Hand over Head as we say rashly and so to repent afterwards to retreat and call back our Consent afterwards when we shall meet with something in Religion that we did not look for there must be a deliberation of the Will There be many men that hang between willing and unwilling they do and they do not consent In some things they can and in other things they cannot come up to the terms of the Gospel when the Mind and Judgment of a poor Christian hangs in a doubtful suspence I would and I would not This I could close with and That I cannot Here 's the undoing of Men. And this was the case of Agrippa Almost thou perswadest me to be a Christian I could go a great way to be a Christian but I cannot come off roundly to all the Terms of Jesus Christ What shall we do in such a case as this is Thy Soul sees Sin and Misery upon one side and Salvation in Christ upon the other side willing thou art to suffer a little for him but there be some things in Religion they cannot come up to Now if a Man will be a thorough Christian he must deliberate the Terms and heartily resolve to embrace all the Terms of the Gospel that are made necessary to his Salvation by Christ it must be a thorough Resolution exprest in the 119th Psalm I have sworn and I will perform it that I will keep thy righteous judgments And this is called a counting of the Cost Such a Consent as this is absolutely necessary and the want of this is the cause of so many Half-christians which is called a Cake not turn'd which doth but make Hypocrites in Religion That 's the first thing in Consent Deliberation in the Judgment pondering the Terms of Christ throughly 2. The second thing in this Consent is that a Christian must heartily resolve to let go all those things that hinder the enjoyment of Jesus Christ and blessed be he of the Lord whose will is brought to this that there is nothing so dear in the World but he is resolved it shall go for I must tell you Brethren there be some things of which Christ saith If ye seek me let these go their way So if you seek Christ there be some things that must go and some things that may go Now those things that are to be parted with in order to the enjoyment of Christ are of two sorts first some things are absolutely necessary to be cast off without any more ado and there are some things conditionally necessary to be parted with that is if God's Glory Truth and Honour require our parting with them First To begin with the first there are some things absolutely necessary to be renounced without any Conditions there must be no Scruple as to these things and they are such as these 1. First of all Sinful Self and all beloved Lusts of our Hearts and Natures These must be renounced or we can have nothing to do with Christ The profitable and pleasant Sins that are as right Hands and right Eyes you must part with them Christians if you will have Christ for Christ and Sin cannot reign together Pray look into Rom. 6. 19 20 21. and you shall see the necessity of this As you have yielded your members servants to uncleanness so now yield them up to God as Instruments of Righteousness unto holiness You see the absolute necessity of giving Sin a discharg from all further Obedience or else we cannot be the Servants of the Lord Jesus Christian I do not say when thou receivest Christ thou shalt never commit a Sin more no no but that which I mean is this That thou must from henceforth provide for Sin no more indulge Sin by the consent of the Will no more you must not continue the actings of it deliberately you must hate every â—alse way and the consent of your Wills must be to Christ that 's the first thing to be let 〈◊〉 or you cannot have an interest in the Lord Jesus 2. The second thing that is absolutely necessary to be renounced and parted with in order to an Interest in Christ is all our own Self-righteousness you must let that go too else Christ and you will never agree That Idol must down Self-righteousness must be universally and heartily renounced and abhorred 'T is plain from Phil. 3. 8 9. Yea doubtless and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but dung that I may win Christ and be found in him not having my own righteousness You see Self-righteousness must go to the Dunghil all our own Duties must be renounced all natural and acquired gifts must be renounced never to look at Self