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THE 

EVERLASTING REST, 



REV. RICHARD BAXTER. 



ABRIDGED BY 



BENJAMIN FAWCETT, A. M. 



NEW-YORK: 

PUBLISHED BY 

TBB AMERICAIT TRACT SOCXSTV, 

NO. 150 NASSAU-STREET. 
Flanshaw, Printer., 



ci^^^y 



ZSSTRACTS 



FROM AN 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY, 

By THOMAS ERSKINE, Esq. 



We do not arrogate to ourselves so much, as to suppose that our 
commendation can add any thing- to the authority of such a name as 
that of Richard Baxter. He belonged to a class of men, whose 
characters and genius, now universally venerated, seem to have been 
most peculiarly adapted, by Divine Providence, to the circumstances 
of their age and country. We do not speak only of those who partook 
in Baxter's views of ecclesiastical polity ; but of those who, under any 
name, maintained the cause of truth and liberty, during the eventful 
period of the seventeenth century. They were made of the same firm 
stuff with the Wickliffs, and the Luthers, and the Knoxes, and the 
Cranmers, and the Latimers, of a former age. They foi-med a dis- 
tinguished division of the same glorious army of reformation ; they 
encountered similar obstacles, and they were directed, and supported, 
and animated, by the same spirit. They were the true and enlightened 
crusaders, who, with all the zeal and courage which conducted their 
chivalrous ancestors to the earthly Jerusalem, fought their way to the 
heavenly city ; and rescuing, by their sufferings and by their labors, 
the key of knowledge from the unworthy hands in which it had long- 
lain rusted and misused, generously left it as a rich inheritance to all 
coming generations. They speak with the solemn dignity of martyrs. 
They seem to feel the importance of their theme, and the perpetual 
presence of Him who is the great subject of it. There are only two 
things which they seem to consider as realities — the favor of God and 
the enmity of God ; and only two parties in the universe to choose 
between — the party of God and the party of his adversaries. Hence 
that heroic and noble tone which marks tlicir lives and their writings. 
They had chosen their side, and they knew that it was worthy of all 
they could do or suffer for it. 

The agitated state of surrounding circumstances gave them continual 
proof of the instability of all things temporal, and inculcated on them 
the necessity of seeking a happiness which might be independent of 



4 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

external things. They thus practically learned the vanity and nothing-- 
ness of life, except in its relation to eternity ; and they declared to 
their fellow-creatures the mysteries of the kingdom of God, with the 
tone of men who knew that the lightest word which they spoke out- 
weighed, in the balance of reason as well as of the sanctuary, the value 
of all eaith's plans, and politics, and interests. They were upon higii 
and firm ground. They stood in the midst of that tempestuous ocean, 
secure on the Rock of Ages ; and as they uttered to those around 
them their invitations, or remonstrances, or consolations, they thought 
not of the tastes, but of the necessities of men — they thought only of 
the difiference between being lost and being saved, and they cried 
aloud, and spared not. 

There is no doubt a great variety of thought, and feeling, and 
expression, to be met with in the theological writers of that class ; 
but deep and solemn seriousness is the character of them all. They 
seem to have felt much. Religion was not allowed to remain as an 
unused theory tn their heads ; they were forced to live on it as their 
food, and to have recourse to it as their only strength and comfort. 
Hence their thoughts are never given as abstract views ; they are 
always deeply impregnated with sentiment. Their style reminds us of 
the light which streams through the stained and storied windows of 
an ancient cathedral. It is not light merely, but light modified by the 
rich hues, and the quaint forms, and the various incidents, of tlie 
pictured medium through which it passes. So these venerable worthies 
do not give us merely ideas, but ideas colored by the deep aifections 
of their own hearts ; they do not merely give us truth, but truth in its 
historical application to the various struggles, and difficulties, and 
dejections, of their strangely chequered lives. This gives a great 
interest to their writings. They are real men, and not books, that we 
are conversing with. And the peace, and the strength, and the hope^ 
which they describe, are not the fictions of fancy, but the positive 
and substantial effects of the knowledge of God on their own minds. 
They are thus not merely way marks to direct our journey ings ; they 
seem themselves pilgrims travelling on the same road, and encouraging 
us to keep pace with them. In their books, they seem thus still to 
journey, still to combat; but, O let us think of the bright reality ! — 
their contests are past, their labors are over ; they have fought the 
good fight, and they are now at rest, made perfect in Christ Jesus. 
They are joined to that cloud of witnesses, of whom the world was 
not worthy ; and their names are inscribed in the rolls of heaven ; yet 
not for their own glory, but for the glory of him who washed them 
from their sins in his own blood, and whose strength was made perfect 
in their weakness. 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. & 

These were the great men of England ; and to them, under God, is 
England indebted for much of that which is valuable in her public 
institutions, and in the character of her people. They were, indeed, 
a noble army ; they were born from above to be the combatants for 
truth ; they were placed in the gap, and they held their ground, or 
fell at their posts. 

In this army Richard Baxter was a standard-bearer. He labored 
much, as well in preaching as in writing, and with an abundant bless- 
ing on both. He had all tlie high mental qualities of his class in 
perfection. His mind is inexhaustible, and vigorous, and vivacious, to 
an extraordinary degree. He seizes irresistibly on the attention, and 
carries it along with him ; and we assuredly do not know any author 
■who can be compared with him, for the power with which he brings 
his reader directly face to face with death, and judgment, and eternity; 
and compels him to look upon them, and converse with them. He is 
Iiimself most deeply serious, and the holy solemnity of his own soul 
seems to envelope the reader, as with the air of a temple. 

The Saints' Everlasting Rest was written on a bed of sickness. It 
contains tiiose thoughts and feelings which occupied, and fortified, 
and animated the author, as he stood on the brink of eternity. The 
examples of heavenly meditation which he gives, really breathe of 
heaven ; and the importance of such meditation, as a dutj', and as a 
means of spiritual growth, is admirably set forth, and most powerfully 
enforced. And is it not a most pernicious madness and stupidity to 
ne«lect this duty 1 Is it not strange that such prospects should excite 
so little interest ? Is it not strange that the uncertainty of the duration 
of life, and the certainty of its sorrows, do not compel men to geek 
refuge in that inheritance which is incorruptible, undefiled, and which 
fadeth not away? Is it not strange that tlie offers of friendship, and 
iatim.ate relationship, which God is continually holding out to us, 
slijould be slighted, even in competition with the society of those whom 
we cannot but despise and reprobate ? Is it not strange that we should, 
day after day, allow ourselves to be duped by the same false promises 
of happiness, which have disappointed us just as often as they have 
been trusted ? O let us be persuaded, that there is no rest in created 
things. No ; there is no rest, except in Him who made us. Who is 
the man that can say he has found lest elsewhere ? No man says it. 
May God open our hearts, as well as our understandings, to see the 
rruth ; that we may practically know the insufficiency, and hollowness, 
and insecurity of all earthly hopes ; and that we may be led, in sim- 
plicity and earnestness, to seek, and so to find, our rest in Himself. 

T. K 

Edinburgh, February, 1824 



CONTENTS. 



PACK 

Compiler's Preface, 7 

Chap. I. — The Introduction to the Work, with some account 

of the Nature of the Saints' Rest, 13 

Chap. II. — The great preparatives to the Saints' Rest, - 28 

Chap, III. — The excellencies of the Saints' Rest, - - 37 

Chap. IV. — The character of the Persons for whom this Rest 

is designed, 52 

Chap. V, — The great Misery of those who lose the Saints' Rest, 67 
Chap. VI. — The Misery of those who, besides losing the Saints' 
Rest, lose the Enjoyments of Time, and suffer the torments of 

Hell, 80 

Chap. VII. — The Necessity of diligently seeking the Saints' 

Rest, - - 93 

Chap. VIII. — How to discern our Title to the Saints' Rest, 111 

Chap. IX. — The Duty of the People of God to excite others to 

seek this Rest, 129 

Chap. X. — The Saints' Rest is not to be expected on Earth, 148 

Chap. XI. — The importance of leading a heavenlv life upon 

Earth, ' - - 167 

Chap. XII. — Directions how to lead a heavenly life upon 

Earth, - - 186 

Chap. XIII. — The nature of heavenly contemplation ; with the 

Time, Place, and Temper, fittest for it, - - - - 204 
Chap. XIV. — What use heavenly Contemplation makes of Con- 
sideration, Affections, Soliloquy, and Prayer, - - 216 
Chap. XV. — Heavenly Contemplation assisted by sensible ob- 
jects, and guarded against a treacherous Heart, - - 232 
Chap. XVI. — Heavenly Contemplation exemplified, and the 
whole Work concluded - - ... 248 



THE 

COMPILER'S PREFACE. 



' Mr. Richard Baxter, the author of the Saints' Rest, so well known 
to the world by this, and many other excellent and useful writings, 
was a learned, laborious, and eminently holy divine of the last age. 
He was born near Shrewsbury in 1615, and died at London in 1691. 

His ministry, in an unsettled state, was for many years employed 
with great and extensive success, both in London and in several parts 
of the country ; but he was nowhere fixed so long, or with such entire 
satisfaction to himself, and apparent advantage to others, as at Kidder- 
minster. His abode there was indeed interrupted, partly by his bad 
health, but chiefly by the calamities of a civil war, yet in the whole it 
amounted to sixteen years; nor was it by any means the result of his 
own choice, or that of the inhabitants of Kidderminster, that he never 
settled there again, after his going from thence in 1660. Before his 
coming thither, the place was overrun with ignorance and profaneness ; 
but, by the divine blessing on his wise and faithful cultivation, the 
fruits of righteousness sprung up in rich abundance. He at first found 
but a single instance or two of daily family prayer in a whole street ; 
and, at his going away, but one family or two could be found in some 
streets, that continued to neglect it. And on Lord's days, instead of 
the open profanation to which they had been so long accustomed, a 
person, in passing through the town, in the intervals of public worship, 
might overhear hundreds of families engaged in singing psalms, read- 
ing the Scriptures and other good books,, or such sermons as they had 
wrote down while they heard them from the pulpit. His care of the 
souls committed to his charge, and the success of his labors among 
them, were truly remarkable ; for the number of his stated communi- 
cants rose to six hundred, of whom he himself declared, there were 
not twelve concerning whose sincere piety he had not reason to enter- 
tain good hopes. Blessed be God, the religious spirit, which was thus 
happily introduced, is yet to be traced in the town and neighborhood 
in some degree ; (O that it were in a greater !) and in proportion as 
that spirit remains, the name of Mr. Baxter continues in the most 
honorable and aflfectionate remembrance. 

As a writer, he has the approbation of some of his greatest contem- 
poraries, who best knew liim, and were under no temptations to be 
partial in his favor. Dr. Barrov/ said, " His practical writings were 
never mended, and his controversial ones seldom confuted." With a 
view to his casuistical writings, the honorable Robert Boyle declared, 
" He was the fittest man of the age for a casuist, because he feared 



8 COMPILER'S PREFACE. 

no man's displeasure, nor hoped for any man's preferment." Bishop 
Wilkins observed of him, " that he had cultivated every subject he 
had handled ; that if he had lived in the primitive times, he would 
have been one of the fathers of the church ; and that it was enough 
for one age to produce such a person as Mr. Baxter." Archbishop 
Usher had such high thoughts of him, that by his earnest importunity 
he put him upon writing several of his practical discourses, particu- 
larly that celebrated piece, his Call to the Unconverted. Dr. Manton, 
as he freely expressed it, " thought Mr. Baxter came nearer the apos- 
tolical writings than any man in the age." And it is both as a preacher 
and a writer that Dr. Bates considers him, when, in his funeral sermon 
for him, he says, " In his sermons there was a rare union of arguments 
and motives, to convince the mind and gain the heart. All the foun- 
tains of reason and persuasion were open to his discerning eye. There 
was no resisting the force of his discourses, without denying reason 
and divine revelation. He had a marvellous facility and copiousness 
in speaking. There was a noble negligence in his style, for his great 
mind could not stoop to the affected eloquence of words ; he despised 
flashy oratory, but his expressions were clear and powerful ; so con- 
vincing the understanding, so entering into the soul, so engaging the 
affections, that those were as deaf as adders who were not charmed 
by so wise a charmer. He was animated with the Holy Spirit, and 
breathed celestial fire, to inspire heat and life into dead sinners, and 
to melt the obdurate in their frozen tombs. His books, for their 
number, (which it seems was more than one hundred and twenty,) 
and variety of matter in them, make a library. They contain a trea- 
sure of controversial, casuistical, and practical divinity. His books of 
practical divinity have been effectual for more numerous conversions 
of sinners to God, than any printed in our time ; and, while the church 
remains on earth, will be of continual efficacy to recover lost souls. 
There is a vigorous pulse in them, that keeps the reader awake and 
attentive." To these testimonies may not improperly be added that 
of the editors of his practical works in four folio volumes ; in the pre- 
face to which they say, " Perhaps there are no writings among us that 
have more of a true Christian spirit, a greater mixture of judgment 
and affection, or a greater tendency to revive pure and undefiled 
religion ; that have been more esteemed abroad, or more blessed at 
home, for awakening the secure, instructing the ignorant, confirming 
the wavering, comforting the dejected, recoveri^ig the profane, or 
improving such as are truly serious, than the practical works of this 
author." Such were the apprehensions of eminent persons, who were 
well acquainted with Mr. Baxter and his writings. It is therefore the 
less remarkable that Mr. Addison, from an accidental and very imper- 



compiler's preface. 9 

feet acquaintance, but with his usual pleasantness and candor, should 
mention the following incident : " I once met with a page of Mr. 
Baxter. Upon the perusal of it, I conceived so good an idea of the 
author's piety, that I bought the Avhole book." 

Whatever other causes might concur, it must chiefly be ascribed to 
Mr. Baxter's distinguished reputation as a preacher and a writer, that, 
presently after the restoration, he was appointed one of the chaplains 
in ordinary to King Charles II. and preached once before him in that 
capacity; as also that he had an offer made him by the Lord Chan- 
cellor Clarendon, of the bishopric of Hereford, which, in a respectful 
letter to his lordship, he saw proper to decline. 

The Saints' Rest is deservedly esteemed one of the most valuable 
parts of his practical works. He wrote it when he was far from home, 
without any book to consult but his Bible, and ia such an ill state of 
health, as to be in continual expectation of death for many months ; 
and therefoi-e, merely for his own use, he fixed his thoughts on this 
heavenly subject, " which," says he, " hath more benefited mc than 
all the studies of my life." At this time he could be little more than 
thirty years old. He afterwards preached over the subject in his 
weekly lecture at Kidderminster, and in 1650 he published it; and 
indeed it appears to have been the first that ever he published of all 
his practical writings. Of this book Dr. Bates says, " Jt was written 
by him when languishing in the suspense of life and death, but has 
the signatures of his holy and vigorous mind. To allure our desires, 
he unveils the sanctuary above, and discovers the glories and joys of 
the blessed in the Divine Presence, by a light so strong and lively, 
that all the glittering vanities of this world vanish in that comparison, 
and a sincere believer will despise them, as one of mature age does 
the toys and baubles of children. To excite our fear, he removes the 
screen, and makes the everlasting fire of hell so visible, and rei)resents 
the tormenting passions of the damned in those dreadful colors, that, 
if duly considered, would check and control the unbridled, licentious 
appetites of the most sensual wretches." 

Heavenly rest is a subject in its own nature so universally important 
and interesting, and at the same time so truly engaging and delightful, 
as sufficiently accounts for the great acceptance which this book has 
met with ; and partly, also, for the uncommon blessing which has 
attended Mr. Baxter's manner of treating the subject, both from the 
pulpit and the press. For where are the operations of divine grace 
more reasonably to be expected, or where have they, in fact, been 
more frequently discerned, than in concurrence with the best adapted 
means ? And should it appear, that persons of distinguishing judgment 
and piety have expressly ascribed their first religious impressions to 

1* 



10 compiler's preface. 

the hearing or reading' the important sentiments contained in this 
book; or, after a long series of years, have found it both the counter- 
part and the improvement of their own divine life ; will not this be 
thought a considerable recommendation of the book itself? 

Among the instances of persons that dated their true conversion 
from hearing the sermons on the Saints' Rest, when Mr, Baxter first 
preached them, was the Rev. Thomas Doolittle, M. A. who was a 
native of Kidderminster, and at that time a scholar, about seventeen 
years old; whom Mr. Baxter himself afterward sent to Pembroke 
Hall, in Cambridge, where he took his degree. Before his going to 
the university, he was upon trial as an attorney's clerk, and under 
that character, being ordered by his master to write something on a 
Lord's day, he obeyed with great reluctance, and the next day retunied 
home, with an earnest desire that he might not apply himself to any 
thing, as the employment of life, but serving Christ in the ministry of 
the Gospel. His praise is yet in the churches, for his pious and useful 
labors as a minister, a tutor, and a writer. 

In the life of the Rev. John Janevvay, Fellow of King's College, 
Cambridge, who died in 1657, we are told that his conversion was, in 
a great measure, occasioned by his reading several parts of the Saints' 
Rest. And in a letter which he afterward wrote to a near relative, 
speaking with a more immediate reference to that part of the book 
which treats of heavenly contemplation, he says, " There is a duty, 
which, if it were exercised, would dispel all cause of melancholy : 
I mean, heavenly meditation, and contemplation of the things which 
true Christian religion tends to. If we did but walk closely with 
God one hour in a day in this duty, O what influence would it have 
vipon the whole day besides, and, duly performed, upon the whole 
life ! This duty, with its usefulness, manner, and directions, I knew 
in some measure before, but had it more pressed upon me by Mr. 
Baxter's Saints' Everlasting Rest, a book that can scarce be over- 
valued, for which I have cause for ever to bless God. This excellent 
young minister's life is worth reading, were it only to see how delight- 
fully he was engaged in heavenly contemplation, according to the 
directions in the Saints' Rest. 

It was the example of heavenly contemplation, at the close of this 
book, which the Rev, Joseph AUeine, of Taunton, so frequently quoted 
in conversation, with this solemn introduction, " Most divinely says 
that man of God, holy Mr. Baxter." 

Dr. Bates, in his dedication of his funeral sermon for Mr. Baxter to 
Sir Henry Ashurst, tells that religious gentleman, and most distin- 
guished friend and executor of Mr. Baxter, " He was most worthy of 
ycur highest esteem and love ; for the first impressions of heaven 



compiler's preface. U 

upon your soul were in reading his invaluable book of the Saints' 
Everlasting Rest." 

In the life of the Rev. Matthew Henry, we have the following 
character given us of Robert Wafburton, Esq. of Grange, the son of 
the eminently religious Judge Warburton, and the father of Mr. 
Matthew Henry's second wife. " He was a gentleman that greatly 
affected retirement and privacy, especially in the latter part of his 
life ; the Bible, and Mr. Baxter's Saints' Everlasting Rest, used to lie 
daily before him on the table in his parlor ; he spent the greatest part 
of his time in reading and prayer." 

In tne -ife of that honorable and most religious knight, Sir Nathaniel 
Barnardiston, we are told that " he was constant in secret prayer and 
reading the Scriptures ; afterward he read other choice authors ; but 
not long before his death he took a singular delight to read Mr. 
Baxter's Saints' Everlasting Rest, and preparations thereunto ; which 
was esteemed a gracious event of Divine Providence, sending it as a 
guide to bring him more speedily and directly to that rest." 

Besides persons of eminence, to whom this book has been precious 
and profitable, we have an instance, in the Rev. James Janeway's 
Token for Children, of a little boy, whose piety was so discovered 
and promoted by reading it, as the most delightful book to him, next 
the Bible, that the thoughts of everlasting rest seemed, even while he 
continued in health, to swallow up all other thoughts; and he lived in 
a constant preparation for it, and looked more like one that was ripe 
for glory, than an inhabitant of this lower world. And when he was 
in the sickness of which he died before he was twelve years old, he 
said, " I pray, let me have Mr. Baxter's book, that I may read a little 
more of eternity, before I go into it." 

Nor is it less observable, that Mr. Baxter himself, taking notice, in 
a paper found in his study after his death, what numbers of persons 
v/ere converted by reading his Call to the Unconverted, accounts of 
which he had received by letter every week, expressly adds, " This 
little book, the Call to the Unconverted, God hath blessed with unex- 
pected success, beyond all that I have written, except the Saints' Rest." 
"With an evident reference to this book, and even during the life of the 
author, the pious Mr. Flavel affectionately says, " Mr. Baxter is almost 
in heaven — living in the daily views and cheerful expectation of the 
saints' everlasting rest with God ; and is left for a little while among 
us, as a great example of the life of faith," And Mr. Baxter himself 
says, in his preface to his Treatise of Self-Denial, " I must say, that, 
of all the books which I have written, I peruse none so often for the 
use of my own soul in its daily work, as my Life of Faith, this of Self- 
Denial, and the last part of the Saints' Rest." On the whole, it is not 



12 COMPILER'S PREFACE. 

without good reason that Br. Calamy remarks concerning it, " This 
is a booli:, for which multitudes will have cause to bless God for ever." 

This excellent and useful book now appears in the form of an 
abridgment ; and therefore, it is presumed, will be the more likely, under 
the divine blessing, to diffuse its salutary influence among those that 
would otherwise have wanted opportunity or inclination to read over 
the larger volume. In reducing it to this smaller size, I have been 
very d isirous to do justice to the author, and at the same time promote 
t' e pleasure and profit of the serious reader. And, I hope, these ends 
are, in some measure, answered ; chiefly by dropping things of a 
digressive, controversial, or metaphysical nature ; together with pre- 
faces, dedications, and various allusions to some peculiar circumstances 
of the last age ; and particularly, by throwing several chapters into 
one, that the number of them may better correspond with the size of 
Ihe volume ; and sometimes by altering the form, but not the sense, 
of a period, for the sake of brevity; and when an obsolete phrase 
occurred, changing it for one more common and intelligible. I should 
never have thought of attempting this work, if it had not been sug- 
gested and urged by others ; and by some very respectable names, of 
whose learning, judgment, emd piety I forbear to avail myself. How- 
ever defective this performance may appear, the labor of it (if it may 
be called a labor) has been, I bless God, one of the most delightful 
labors of my life. 

Certainly the thoughts of everlasting rest may be as delightful lo 
souls in the present day, as they have ever been to those of past 
generations. I am sure such thoughts are as absolutely necessary 
now ; nor are temptations to neglect them, either fewer or weaker 
now than formerly. The worth of everlasting rest is not felt, because 
it is not considered ; it is forgotten, because a thousand trifles are 
preferred before it. But were the divine reasonings of this book duly 
attended to, (and O that the Spirit and grace of a Redeemer may 
make them so !) then an age of vanity would become serious ; -minds 
enervated by sensuality would soon resume the strength of reason, 
a^'d display the excellence of Christianity ; the delusive names of 
pleasure would be blotted out by the glorious reality of heavenly joy 
upon earth ; every station and relation in life would be filled up with 
the propriety and dignity of serious religion ; every member of society; 
would then effectually contribute to the beauty and happiness of the 
whole ; and every soul would be ready for life or death, for one world 
or another, in a well-grounded and cheerful persuasion of haying 
secured a title to that lest which remaineth to the people of God. 

B.F. 
Kidderminster, Dec. 2&th, 1758. 



THE 



SAINTS' EVERLASTING REST. 



Hebrews, iv. 9. 

THERE REMAINETH THEREFORE A REST U.N'TO THE PEOPLE OF GOD 



CHAPTER I. 

THE INTRODUCTION TO THE AVORK, U'lTH SOME ACCOUNT OF THE NA- 
TURE Of THE saints' rest. 

7%e important design of the apostle in the text, to which the author 
enrnestbj bespeaks the attention of the reader. The saints' rest de- 
fined, icith a general plan of the work. What this rest presupposes. 
The author'' s humble sense of his inability fully to show what this rest 
contains. It contains, 1. A ceasing from means of grace ; 2. Ajjer- 
feet freedom from all evils ; 3. The highest degree of the saints' per- 
sonal perfection, both in body and soul; 4. The nearest enjoyment of 
God the chief good; 5. A sweet and constant action of all the powers 
of soul and body in this enjoyment of God; as, for instance, bodily 
■ senses, knowledge, memory, love, joy, together with a mutual love 
and joy. 

It was not only our interest in God, and actual enjoy- 
ment of him, which was lost in Adam's fall, but all 
spiritual knowledge of him, and true disposition toward 
such a felicity. When the Son of God comes with reco- 
vering grace, and discoveries of a spiritual and eternal 
happiness and glor}^, he finds not faith in man to believe 
it. As the poor man, that would not believe any one. 
had such a sum as a hundred pounds, it was so far above 
what himself possessed, so men will hardly now believe 
there is such a happiness as once they had, much less as 
Christ hath now procured. When God would give the Is- 
raelites his Sabbaths of rest, in a land of rest, he had more 
ado to make them believe it, than to overcome their ene 
mies, and procure it for them. And when they had it, 
only as a small intimation and earnest of an incomparably 
more glorious rest through Christ, they yet believe no more 



14 NATURE OP [Chap. 1. 

than they possess, but say, with the glutton at the feast, 
Sure there is no other heaven but this ! or, if they expect 
more by the Messiah, it is only the increase of their earth- 
ly felicity. The apostle bestows most of this Epistle 
against this distemper, and clearly and largely proves, that 
the end of all ceremonies and shadows is to direct them to 
Jesus Christ, the substance ; and that the rest of Sabbaths, 
and Canaan, should teach them to look for a further rest, 
which indeed is their happiness. My text is his conclu- 
sion after divers arguments ; a conclusion which contains 
the ground of all the believer's comfort, the end of all his 
duty and sufferings, the life and sum of all gospel promises 
and Christian privileges. What more welcome to men, 
under personal afflictions, tiring duties, successions of suf- 
ferings, than rest ? It is not our comfort only, but our sta- 
bility. Our liveliness in all duties, our enduring tribula- 
tion, our honoring of God, the vigor of our love, thank- 
fulness, and all our graces ; yea, the very being of our re- 
ligion and Christianity depend on the believing serious 
thoughts of our rest. And now, reader, whatever thou art, 
young or old, rich or poor, I entreat thee, and charge thee, 
in the name of thy Lord, who will shortly call thee to a 
reckoning, and judge thee to thy everlasting, unchangea- 
ble state, that thou give not these things the reading only, 
and so dismiss them with a bare approbation ; but that 
thou set upon this work, and take God in Christ for thy 
only rest, and fix thy heart upon him above all. May the 
living God, who is the portion and rest of his saints, make 
these our carnal minds so spiritual, and our earthly hearts 
so heavenly, that loving him, and delighting in him, may 
be the work of our lives; and that neither I that write, 
nor you that read, this book, may ever be turned from this 
path of life ; lest, a promise benig left us of entering into 
his rest, we should come short of it, through our own unbe- 
lief, or negligence. 

The saints' rest is the most happy state of a Christian ; 
or, it is the perfect endless enjoyment of God by the per- 
fected saints, according to the measure of their capacity, to 
which their souls arrive at death, and both soul and body 
most fully, after the resurrection and final judgment. Ac- 
cording to this definition of the saints' rest, a larger account 
of its nature will be given in this c'napter ; of its prepara- 



Chap. 1.] THE saints' rest. 15 

tives, Chap. ii. ; its excellencies, Chap. iii. ; and Chap. 
iv., the persons for whom it is designed. Further to il- 
lustrate the subject, some description will be given. Chap, 
v., of their misery who lose this rest; and, Chap, vi.. Who 
also lose the enjoyments of time, and suffer the torment? 
of hell. Next will be showed, Chap, vii., the necessity 
of diligently seeking this rest ; Chap, viii., how our title 
to it may be discerned ; Chap, ix., that they who discern 
their title to it should help those that cannot ; and. Chap. 
X., that this rest is not to be expected on earth. It will 
then be proper to consider, Chap, xi., the importance of 
a heavenly life upon earth ; Chap, xii., how to live a 
heavenly life upon earth ; Chap, xiii., the nature of hea- 
venly contemplation, with the time, place, and temper tit- 
test for it; Chap, xiv., what use heavenly contemplation 
makes of consideration, affections, soliloquy and prayer ; 
and likewise, Chap, xv., how heavenly contemplation 
may be assisted by sensible objects, and guarded against 
a treacherous heart. Heavenly contemplation will be ex- 
emplified. Chap, xvi., and the whole work concluded. 

There are some things necessarily presupposed in the 
nature of this rest ; as, for instance, that mortal men are 
the persons seeking it. For angels and glorified spirits 
have it already, and the devils and damned are past hope. 
That they choose God only for their end and happiness. 
He that takes any thing else for his happiness, is out of 
the way the first step. — That they are distant from this 
end. This is the woful case of all mankind since the fall. 
When Christ comes with regenerating grace, he finds no 
man sitting still, but all posting to eternal ruin, and making 
haste toward hell ; till, by conviction, he first brings them 
to a stand, and then, by conversion, turns their hearts and 
lives sincerely to himself. This end, and its excellency, 
is supposed to be known, an^seriously intended. An un- 
known good, moves not to desire or endeavor. And not 
only a distance from this rest, but the true knowledge of 
this distance, is also supposed. They that never yet knew 
they were without God, and in the way to hell, did never 
yet know the way to heaven. Can a man find he hath lost 
his God and his soul, and not cry, I am undone ? The rea- 
son why so few obtain this rest, is, they will not be con- 
vinced that they are, in point of title, distant from it; and, 



16 NATURE OF [Chap. 1. 

in point of practice, contrary to it. Who ever sought for 
that which he knew not he had lost ? " They that be 
whole need not a physician, but they that be sick." — The 
influence of a superior moving cause is also supposed ; 
else we shall all stand still, and not move toward our rest. 
If God move us not, we cannot move. It is a most ne- 
cessary part of our Christian wisdom, to keep our subordi* 
nation to God, and dependance on him. '' We are not suf- 
ficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves, but 
our sufficiency is of God." *' Without me," says Christ, 
" ye can do nothing." — It is next supposed, that they who 
seek this rest have an inward principle of spiritual life. 
God does not move men like stones, but he endows them 
with life, not to enable them to move without him, but in 
subordination to himself, the first mover. And further, 
this rest supposes such an actual tendency of soul toward 
it, as is regular and constant, earnest and laborious. He 
that hides his talent shall receive the wages of a slothful 
servant. Christ is the door, the only way to this rest. 
*' But strait is the gate and narrow is the way ;" and we 
must strive, if we will enter ; for '* many will seek to enter 
in, and shall not be able ;" which implies, " that the king- 
dom of heaven suffereth violence." Nor will it bring us to 
the end of the saints, if we begin in the spirit and end in 
the flesh. He only " that endureth to the end shall be 
saved." And never did a soul obtain rest with God, 
whose desire was not set upon him above all things else 
in the world. " Where your treasure is, there will your 
heart be also." The remainder of our old nature will much 
weaken and interrupt these desires, but never overcome 
them. And, considering the opposition to our desires, 
from the contrary principles in our nature, and from the 
weakness of our graces, together with our continued dis- 
tance from the end, our tenciency to that end must be la- 
borious, and with all our might. — All these things are pre- 
supposed, in order to a Christianas obtaining an interest 
in heavenly rest. 

Now we have ascended these steps into the outward 
court, may we look within the veil ? May we show what 
this rest contains, as well as what it presupposes .^ Alas • 
how little know I of that glory ! The glimpse which Paul 
had, contained what could not, or must not, be uttered. 



Chap. 1.] THE saints' rest. 17 

Had he spoken the things of heaven in the language of 
heaven, and none understood that language, what the bet- 
ter ? The Lord reveal to me what I may reveal to you ! 
The Lord open some light, and show both you and me 
our inheritance I Not as to Balaam only, whose eyes were 
opened to see the goodliness of Jacob's tents, and Israel's 
tabernacles, where he had no portion, and from whence 
must come his own destruction ; not as to Moses, who 
had only a discovery instead of possession, and saw the 
land which he never entered ; but as the pearl was re- 
vealed to the merchant in the Gospel, who rested not till 
he had sold all he had, and bought it; and as heaven was 
opened to blessed Stephen, which he was shortly to enter, 
and the glory showed him which should be his own pos- 
session ! — The things contained in heavenly rest are such 
as these : — a ceasing from means of grace ; — a perfect free- 
dom from all evils ; — the highest degree of the saints' per- 
sonal perfection, both of body and soul ; — the nearest en- 
joyment of God, the chief good ; — and a sweet and con- 
stant action of all the powers of body and soul in this en- 
joyment of God. 

1. One thing contained in heavenly rest, is, the ceasing 
from means of grace. When we have obtained the haven, 
we have done sailing. When the workman receives his 
wages, it is implied he has done his work. When we are 
at our journey's end, we have done with the way. Whether 
prophecies, they shall fail ; whether tongues, they shall 
cease ; whether knowledge, it also, so far as it had the na- 
ture of means, shall vanish away. There shall be no more 
prayer, because no more necessity, but the full enjoyment 
of what we prayed for : neither shall we need to fast, and 
weep, and watch any more, being out of the reach of 
sin and temptations. Preaching is done ; the ministry of 
man ceaseth ; ordinances become useless; the laborers 
are called in, because the harvest is gathered, the tares 
burned, and the work finished; the uuregenerate past 
hope, and the saints past fear, for ever. 

2. There is in heavenly Ye?>\.a perfect freedom from all evils; 
all the evils that accompanied us through our course, and 
which necessarily follow our absence from the chief good : 
besides our freedom from those eternal flames and restless 
miseries, which the neglecters of Christ and grace must for 



18 NATURE OF [Chap. 1. 

ever endure ; a woful inheritance, which, both by birth 
and actual merit, was due to us as well as to them ! In 
heaven there is nothing that defileth or is unclean. All 
that remains without. And doubtless there is not such a 
thing as grief and sorrow known there : nor is there such 
a thing as a pale face, a languid body, feeble joints, una- 
ble infaEC}"-, decrepit age, peccant humors, painful or pin- 
ing sickness, griping fears, consuming cares, nor whatso- 
ever deserves the name of evil. We did weep and lament 
when the world did rejoice ; but our sorrow is turned to 
joy, and our joy shall no man take from us. 

3. Another ingredient of this rest is, the highest degree 
of the saints^ personal perfection^ both of body and soul. Were 
the glory ever so great, and themselves not made capable 
of it, by a personal perfection suitable thereto, it would be 
little to them. " Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither 
have entered into the heart of man, the things which God 
hath prepared for them that love him." For, the eye of 
flesh is not capable of seeing them, nor this ear of hearing 
them, nor this heart of understanding them : but, there the . 
eye, and ear, and heart, are made capable; else, how do 
they enjoy them? The more perfect the sight is, the more 
delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the ap- 
petite, the sweeter the food. The more musical the ear, 
the more pleasant the melody. The more perfect the soul, 
the more joyous those joys, and the more glorious, to us, 
is that glory. 

4. The principal part of this rest is our nearest enjoyment 
of God, the chief good. And here, reader, wonder not if I 
be at a loss, and if my apprehensions receive but little 
of that which is in my expressions. If it did not appear 
to the beloved disciple what we shall be, but only, in ge- 
neral, " that when Christ shall appear we shall be like 
him," no wonder if I know little. When I know so little 
of God, I cannot much know what it is to enjoy him. If I 
know so little of spirits, how little of the Father of spirits, 
or the state of my own soul, when advanced to the enjoy- 
ment of him ! I stand and look upon a heap of ants, and 
see them all with one view; they know not me, my being, 
nature, or thoughts, though I am their fellow-creature ; 
how little, then, must we know of the great Creator, though 
he, with one view, clearly beholds us all ! A glimpse, the 



Chap. 1.] THE saints' rest. 19 

saints behold as in a glass, which makes us capable of 
some poor, dark apprehensions of what we shall behold 
in glory. If I should tell a worldling, what the holiness 
and spiritual joys of the saints on earth are, he cannot 
know; for grace cannot be clearly known without grace; 
how much less could he conceive it, should I tell him of 
this glory ! But, to the saints I may be somewhat more 
encouraged to speak; for grace gives them a dark know- 
ledge and slight taste of glory. If men and angels should 
study to speak the blessedness of that state in one word, 
what could they say beyond this, that it is the nearest en- 
joyment of God ? the full joys offered to a believer in 
that one sentence of Christ; " Father, I will that those 
whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am, that 
they may behold ray glory which thou hast given me !" 
Every word is full of life and joy. If the queen of Sheba 
had cause to say of Solomon's glory, " Happy are thy men, 
happy are these thy servants, who stand continually be- 
fore thee, and hear thy wisdom ;" then, surely, they that 
stand continually before God, and see his glory, and the 
glory of the Lamb, are more than happy. To them will 
Christ give to eat of th§ tree of life, and to eat of the hidden 
manna; yea, he will make them pillars in the temple of 
God, and they shall go no more out; and he will write 
upon them the name of his God, and the name of the city 
of his God, which is New-Jerusalem, which cometh down 
out of heaven from his God, and he will write upon them 
his new name ; yea, more, if more may be, he will grant 
them to sit with him in his throne. " These are they 
who came out of great tribulation, and have washed their 
robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb; 
therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve 
him day and night in his temple, and he that sitteth on the 
throne shall dwell among them. The Lamb, which is in 
the midst of the throne, shall feed them, and shall lead 
them unto living fountains of water; and God shall wipe 
away all tears from their eyes." O blind, deceived world ! 
can you show us such a glory ? This is the city of our 
God, where the tabernacle of God is with men, and he 
will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and 
God himself shall be with them, and be their God. The 
glory of God shall lighten it, and the Lamb is the light 



20 NATURE OF [Chap. 1. 

thereof. And there shall be no more curse; but the 
throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his 
servants shall serve him, and they shall see his face^ and 
his name shall be in their foreheads. These sayings are 
faithful and true, and the things which must shortly be 
done. And now we say, as Mephibosheth, let the world 
take all, forasmuch as our Lord will come in peace. 
Rejoice, therefore, in the Lord, ye righteous ! and say, 
with his servant David, " The Lord is the portion of mine 
inheritance : the lines are fallen unto me in pleasant 
places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. I have set the 
Lord always before me : because he is at my right hand, 
I shall not be moved. Therefore, ray heart is glad, and 
my glory rejoiceth ; my flesh also shall rest in hope. For 
thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer 
thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt show me 
the path of life ; in thy presence is fulness of joy ; at thy 
right hand there are pleasures for evermore." What pre- 
sumption would it have been, once, to have thought or 
spoken of such a thing, if God had not spoken it before 
us ! I durst not have thought of the saints', preferment in 
this life, as Scripture sets it forth, had it not been the ex- 
press truth of God. How indecent to talk of being sons 
of God — speaking to him — having fellowship with him— 
dwelling in him, and he in us, if this had not been God's 
own language ! How much less durst we have once 
thought of shining forth as the Sun — of being joint heirs 
with Christ — of judging the world — of sitting on Christ's 
throne — of being one in him and the Father, if we had 
not all this from the mouth, and under the hand of God ! 
But he hath said, and shall he not do it.^ Hath he spoken, 
and shall he not make it good ? Yes, as the Lord God is 
true, thus shall it be done to the man whom Christ de- 
lighteth to honor. Be of good cheer. Christian; the time 
is near w^hen God and thou shalt be near, and as near as 
thou canst well desire. Thou shalt dwell in his family. Is 
that enough ? It is better to be a door-keeper in the house 
of God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. Thou 
shalt ever stand before him, about his throne, in the room 
with him, in his presence-chamber. Wouldst thou yet be 
nearer.? Thou shalt be his child, and he thy Father; thou 
shalt be an heir of his kingdom ; yea, more, the spouse of 



I 



Chap. L] THE saints' rest. 21 

his Son. And what more canst thou desire ? Thou shait 
be a member of the body of his Son ; he shall be thy head ; 
thou shall be one with him, who is one with the Father, 
as he himself hath desired for thee of his Father; *' that 
they all may be one, as thou. Father, art in me, and I in 
thee, that they also may be one in us ; and the glory which 
thou gavest me, I have given them, that they may be one, 
even as we are one; I in them, and thou in me, that they 
may be made perfect in one, and that the world may 
know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them as thou 
hast loved me." 

5. We must add, that this rest contains a sweet and con- 
stant action of all the powers of the soul and body in'^this 
enjoyment of God. It is not the rest of a stone, which 
ceaseth from all motion when it attains the centre. This 
body shall be so changed, that it shall no more be flesh 
and blood, which cannot inherit the kingdom of God ; but 
a spiritual body. We sow not that body that shall be, but 
God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every 
seed his own body. If grace makes a Christian differ so 
much from what he was, as to say, I am not the man I 
was ; how much more will glory make us differ ! As much 
as a body spiritual, above the sun in glory, exceeds these 
frail, noisome, diseased lumps of flesh, so far shall our 
senses exceed those we now possess. Doubtless, as God 
advanceth our senses, and enlargeth our capacity, so will 
he advance the happiness of those senses, and fill up with 
himself all that capacity. Certainly the body should not 
be raised up and continued, if it should not share in the 
glory. As it hath shared in the obedience and sufferings, 
so shall it also in the blessedness. As Christ bought the 
whole man, so shall the whole partake of the everlasting 
benefits of the purchase. blessed employment of a glo- 
rified body ! to stand before the throne of God and the 
Lamb, and to sound forth for ever, " Thou art worthy, 
Lord, to receive glory, and honor, and power. Worthy is 
the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and 
wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing; 
for thou hast redeemed us to God, by thy blood, out of 
every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and 
hast made us unto our God kings and priests. Alleluia ; 
salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, unto the Lord 



22 NATURE OF [Chap. 1. 

our God. Alleluia, for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth." 
O, Christians! this is the blessed rest; a rest, as it were, 
without rest; for " they rest not day and night, saying, 
Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, 
and is to come." And if the body shall be thus employed, 
how shall the soul be taken up ! As its powers and 
capacities are greatest, so its actions are strongest, and its 
enjoyments sweetest. As the bodily senses have their 
proper actions, whereby they receive and enjoy their 
objects, so does the soul in its own actions enjoy its own 
objects, by knowing, remembering, loving, and delightful 
joying. This is the soul's enjoyment. By these eyes it 
sees, and by these arms it embraces. 

Knowledge^ of itself, is very desirable. As far as the 
rational soul exceeds the sensitive, so far the delights of a 
philosopher, in discovering the secrets of nature, and 
knowing the mystery of sciences, exceed the delights of 
the glutton, the drunkard, the unclean, and of all volup- 
tuous sensualists whatsoever. So excellent is all truth. 
What, then, is their delight who know the God of truth ! 
How noble a faculty of the soul is the understanding ! It 
can compass the earth; it can measure the sun, moon, 
stars, and heaven; it can foreknow each eclipse to a 
minute, many years before. But this is the top of all its 
excellency, that it can know God, who is infinite, who 
made all these, a little here, and more, much more, here- 
after. the wisdom and goodness of our blessed Lord ! 
He hath created the understanding with a natural bias and 
inclination to truth, as its object; and to the prime truth, 
as its prime object. Christian, when, after long gazing 
heaven-ward, thou hast got a glimpse of Christ, dost thou 
not sometimes seem to have been with Paul in the third 
heaven, whether in the body or out, and to have seen 
what is unutterable ? Art thou not, with Peter, ready to say, 
" Master, it is good to be here?" " O that I might dwell 
in this mount ! that I might ever see what I now see !" 
Didst thou never look so long upon the Sun of Righteous- 
ness, till thine eyes were dazzled with his astonishing 
glory ? And did not the splendor of it make all things 
below seem black and dark to thee? Especially in the day 
of suffering for Christ, when he usually appears most mani- 
festly to his people, didst thou never see one walking in 



Chap. 1.] THE saints' rest. 23 

the midst of the fiery furnace with thee, like the Son of 
God? Believe me, Christians, yea, believe God; you that 
have known most of God in Christ here, it is as nothing to 
what you shall know : it scarce, in comparison of that, de- 
serves to be called knowledge. For as these bodies, so 
that knowledge must cease, that a more perfect may suc- 
ceed. Knowledge shall vanish away. For we know in 
part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that 
which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, 
I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a 
child; but, when I became a man, I put away childish 
things. For now we see through a glass darkly, but then 
face to face; now I know in part, but then shall I know, 
even as also I am known. Marvel not, therefore. Chris- 
tian, how it can be life eternal to know God and Jesus 
Christ. To enjoy God and Christ is eternal life; and the 
soul's enjoying is in knowing. They that savor only of 
earth, and consult with flesh, think it a poor happiness to 
know God. But we know that we are of God, and the 
whole world lieth in wickedness ; and we know that the 
Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding 
that we may know him that is true ; and we are in him 
that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true 
God, and eternal life. 

The memory will not be idle, or useless, in this blessed 
work. From that height the saint can look behind him, 
and before him. And to compare past with present things 
must needs raise in the blessed soul an inconceivable es- 
teem and sense of its condition. To stand on that mount, 
whence we can see the Wilderness and Canaan both at 
once ; to stand in Heaven and look back on earth, and 
weigh them together in the balance of a comparing sense 
and judgment, how must it needs transport the soul, and 
make it cry out, " Is this the purchase that cost so dear 
as the blood of Christ ? No wonder. blessed price ! and 
thrice blessed love, that invented, and condescended ! Is 
this the end of believing ? Is this the end of the Spirit's 
workings ? Have the gales of grace blown me into such a 
harbor? Is it hither that Christ hath allured my soul ? 
blessed way, and thrice blessed end ! Is this the glory 
which the Scriptures spoke of, and ministers preached of 
BO much? I see the Gospel is indeed good tidings, even 



24 NATURE OF [Chap. 1. 

tidings of peace and good things, tidings of great joy to all 
'nations I Is my mourning, my fasting, my sad humblings, 
my heavy walking, come to this ? Is my praying, watch- 
ing, fearing to offend, come to this? Are all my afflictions, 
Satan's temptations, the world's scorns and jeers, come to 
this ? vile nature that resisted so much, and so long, 
such a blessing ! Unworthy soul, is this the place thou 
earnest so unwillingly to ? Was duty wearisome ? Was the 
world too good to lose ? Didst thou stick at leaving all, 
denying all, and suffering any thing for this ? Wast thou 
loath to die, to come to this ? false heart, thou hadst al- 
most betrayed me to eternal flames, and lost me this glory ! 
Art thou not now ashamed, my soul, that ever thou didst 
question that love which brought thee hither? that thou wast 
jealous of the faithfulness of thy Lord ? that thou suspect- 
edst his love, when thou shouldst only have suspected thy- 
self? that ever thou didst quench a motion of his Spirit? 
and that thou shouldst misinterpret those providences, and 
repine at those ways, which have such an end ? Now thou 
art sufficiently convinced that thy blessed Redeemer was 
saving thee, as w ell when he crossed thy desires, as when 
he granted them ; when he broke thy heart, as when he 
bound it up. No thanks to thee, unworthy self, for this re- 
ceived crown ; but to Jehovah, and the Lamb, be glory 
for ever." 

But, 0! the full, the near, the sweet enjoyment, is that 
of love. God is love, and he that dwelleth in love, dwell- 
eth in God, and God in him. Now the poor soul com- 
plains, "0 that I could love Christ more!" then, thou 
canst not choose but love him. Now, thou knowest little 
of his amiableness, and therefore lovest little : then, thine 
eyes will affect thy heart, and the continual viewing of that 
perfect beauty will keep thee in continual transports of 
love. Christians, doth it not now stir up your love, to re- 
member all the experiences of his love ? Doth not kind- 
ness melt you, and the sunshine of divine goodness warm 
your frozen hearts? What will it do then, when you shall 
live in love, and have all in him, who is all ? Surely love 
is both work and wages. What a high favor, that God 
will give us leave to love him ! that he will be embraced 
by those who have embraced lust and sin before him ! 
But, more than this, he returueth love for love; nay, a 



Chap. 1.] THE saints' rest. 25 

thousand times more. Christian, thou wilt be then brim- 
full of love ; yet, love as much as thou canst, thou shalt 
be ten thousand times more beloved. Were the arms of 
the Son of God open upon the cross, and an open passage 
made to his heart by the spear, and will not his arms and 
heart be open to thee in glory ? Did not he begin to love 
before thou lovedst, and will not he continue now ? Did 
he love thee, an enemy ? thee, a sinner ? thee, who even 
loathedst thyself.^ and own thee, when thou didst disclaim 
thyself.? And will he not now immeasurably love thee, a 
son ? thee, a perfect saint ? thee, who returnedst some love 
for love ? He that in love wept over the old Jerusalem 
when near its ruin, with what love will he rejoice over 
the new Jerusalem in her glory ! Christian, believe this, 
and think on it : thou shalt be eternally embraced in the 
arms of that love, which was from everlasting, and will 
extend to everlasting; of that love which brought the Son 
of God's love from heaven to earth, from earth to the 
cross, from the cross to the grave, from the grave to glory : 
that love which was weary, hungry, tempted, scorned, 
scourged, buffeted, spit upon, crucified, pierced: which did 
fast, pray, teach, heal, weep, sweat, bleed, die ; that love 
will eternally embrace thee. When perfect created love, 
and most perfect uncreated love, meet together, it will not 
be like Joseph and his brethren, who lay upon one ano- 
ther's necks weeping; it will be loving and rejoicing, not 
loving and sorrowing. Yet it will make Satan's court 
ring with the news, that Joseph's brethren are come, that 
the saints are arrived safe at the bosom of Christ, out of 
the reach of hell for ever. Nor is there any such love as 
David's and Jonathan's, breathing out its last into sad la- 
mentations for a forced separation. Know this, believer, 
to thy everlasting comfort, if those arms have once em- 
braced thee, neither sin nor hell can get thee thence for 
ever. Thou hast not to deal with an inconstant crea- 
ture, but with him with whom is no variableness nor 
shadow of turning. His love to thee will not be as thine 
was on earth to him, seldom, and cold, up ami down. He 
that would not cease nor abate his love, for ail thine en- 
mity, unkind neglects, and churlish resistances, can he 
cease to love thee, when he hath made thee truly lovely ? 
He that keepeth thee so constant in thv love to him. that 

2 



26 NATURE OF [Chap. 1. 

thou canst challenge tribulation, distress, persecution, fa- 
mine, nakedness, peril, or sword, to separate thy love 
from Christ, how much more will himself be constant ! In- 
deed thou mayest be persuaded that neither death nor life, 
nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things pre- 
sent, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any 
other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love 

■ -^ J Tvliich is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And now, are 
'■ ' -' -^^<itle's admiration? What shall we 
•^'ist needs be a mys- 
; " -V*. to look 

into this Osj^ here to 

know the breadth, anu i^x.p, it of the 

love of Christ, which passeth knowieagc , .i ts' ever- 

lasting rest must consist in the enjoyment of God oy love. 

Nor hath joy the least share in this fruition. It is that 
which all the former lead to, and conclude in ; even the 
inconceivable complacency which the blessed feel in their 
seeing, knowing, loving, and being beloved of God. This 
is the white stone which no man knoweth, saving he that 
receiveth it. Surely this is the joy which a stranger doth 
not intermeddle with. All Christ's ways of mercy tend to 
an end in the saints' joys. He wept, sorrowed, suffered, 
that they might rejoice ; he sendeth the Spirit to be their 
comforter; he multiplies promises; he discovers their fu- 
ture happiness, that their joy may be full. He opens to 
them the fountain of living waters, that they may thirst no 
more, and that it may spring up in them to everlasting life. 
He chastens them that he may give them rest. He makes 
it their duty to rejoice in him always, and again commands 
them to rejoice. He never brings them into so low a con- 
dition, wherein he does not leave them more cause of joy 
than sorrow. And hath the Lord such a care of our com- 
fort here ? what will that joy be, where the soul, being 
perfectly prepared for joy, and joy prepared by Christ for 
the soul, it shall be our work, our business, eternally to 
rejoice ! It seems the saints' joy shall be greater than the 
damned's torment ; for their torment is the torment of 
creatures, prepared for the devil and his angels ; but our 
joy is the joy of our Lord. The same glory which the 
Father gave the Son, the Son hath given them, to sit with 
him in his throne, even as he is set down with his Father 



Chap. 1.] THE saints' rest. 27 

in his throne. Thou, poor soul, who prayest for joy, wait* 
est for joy, complainest for want of joy, longest for joy ; 
thou then shalt have full joy, as much as thou canst hold, 
and more than ever thou thoughtest on, or thy heart de- 
sired. In the meantime, walk carefully ; watch constant- 
ly, and then let God measure out to thee thy times and de- 
grees of joy. It may be he keeps them until thou hast 
more need. Thou hadst better lose thy comfort than thy 
safety. If thou shouldst die full of fears and sorrows., it 
will be but a moment, and they are all gone, and concluded 
in joy inconceivable. As the joy of the hypocrite, so the 
fears of the upright are but for a moment. " God's anger 
endureth but a moment ; in his favor is life ; weeping 
may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." 
blessed morning ! Poor, humble, drooping soul, how 
would it fill thee with joy now, if a voice from heavea 
should tell thee of the love of God, the pardon of thy sias^ 
and assure thee of thy part in these joys ! What, then^, 
will thy joy be, when thy actual possession shall convince:, 
thee of thy title, and thou shalt be in heaven before thovi 
art well aware ! 

And it is not thy joy only ; it is a mutual joy, as well as 
a mutual love. Is there joy in heaven at thy conversion, 
and will there be none at thy glorification ? Will not the 
angels welcome thee thither, and congratulate thy safe ar- 
rival ? — Yes, it is the joy of Jesus Christ ; for now he hath 
the end of his undertaking, labor, suffering, dying, when, 
we have our joys j when he is glorified in his saints, and 
admired in all them that believe ; when he sees of the tra- 
vail of his soul, and is satisfied. This is Christ's harvest, 
when he shall reap the fruit of his labors; and it will not 
repent him concerning his sufi'erings, but he will rejoice 
over his purchased inheritance, and his people will rejoice 
in him. — Yea, the Father himself puts on joy, too, in our 
joy. As we grieve his Spirit, and weary him with our ini- 
quities, so he is rejoiced in our good. O how quickly does 
he now spy a returning prodigal, even afar off! How does 
be run and meet him ! And with what-jcoaipassion does 
he fall on his neck, and kiss him, and put on him the best 
robe, and a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet, and 
kills the fatted calf, to eat and be merry! This is indeed 
a happy meeting ; but nothing to the embracing and joy 



28 THE PREPARATIVES [Chap. 2. 

of that last and great meeting. Yea, more; as God doth 
mutually love and joy, so he makes this his rest, as it is 
our rest. What an eternal Sabbatisra, when the work of 
redemption, sanctification, preservation, glorification, is all 
finished, and perfected for ever ! '' The Lord thy God in 
the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice 
over thee with joy, he will rest in his love, he will joy over 
thee with singing." Well may we then rejoice in our God 
with joy, and rest in our love, and joy in him with singing. 
Alas ! my fearful heart scarce dares proceed. Methinks 
I hear the Almighty's voice saying to me, " Who is this 
that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge ?" 
Bat pardon thy servant, Lord. I have not pried into 
unrev£aled things. I bewail that my apprehensions are so 
dull, my thoughts so mean, my affections so stupid, and 
my expressions so low, and unbecoming such a glory. I 
have only heard by the hearing of the ear : let thy ser- 
vant see thee, and possess these joys ; and then shall I have 
more suitable conceptions, and shall give thee fuller glory ; 
I shall abhor my present self, and disclaim and renounce 
all these imperfections. " I have uttered that I under- 
stood not, things too wonderful for me, which I knew not." 
Yet " I believed, and therefore have I spoken." What, 
Lord, canst thou expect from dust, but levity ? or from cor- 
ruption, but defilement ? Though the w eakness and irre- 
verence be the fruit of my own corruption, yet the fire is 
from thine altar, and the work of thy commanding. I 
looked not into thy ark, nor put forth my hand unto it, 
without thee. Wash away these stains also in the blood 
of the Lamb. Imperfect, or none must be thy service 
here. take thy Son's excuse, " the spirit is willing, 
but the flesh is weak." 



CHAPTER n. 

THE GREAT PREPARATIVES FOR THE SAINTs' REST. 

J%ere are four things which principalh/ prepare the way to enter into 
it; particularly, I. "The glorious appearing of Christ; 2. The gene- 
ral resurrection ; 3. The last judgment; and, 4, The saints' coronation. 

The passage of paradise is not now so blocked up, as 
when the law and curse reigned. Wherefore finding, be- 



Chap. 2.] FOR THE saints' rest. 29 

loved Christians, a new and living way consecrated for us, 
through the vail, that is to say, the flesh of Christ, by which 
we may with boldness enter into the holiest, I shall draw 
near with fuller assurance ; and, finding the flaming sword 
removed, shall look again into the paradise of our God. 
And because I know that this is no forbidden fruit, and 
withal that it is good for food, and pleasant to the spiritual 
eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one truly wise and 
happy ; I shall, through the assistance of the Spirit, take 
and eat thereof myself, and give to you, according to my 
power, that you may eat. The porch of this temple is ex- 
ceeding glorious, and the gate of it is called Beautiful. 
Here are four things as the four corners of this porch. Here 
is the most glorious coming and appearance of the Son oi 
God ; that great work of Jesus Christ in raising our bodies 
from the dust, and uniting them again to the soul ; — the 
public and solemn process at their judgment, where they 
shall first themselves be acquitted and justified, and then 
with Christ judge the world ; together with their solemn 
coronation, and receiving the kingdom. 

1. The most glorious coming and appearance of the Son 
of God may well be reckoned in his people's glory. For 
their sake he came into the world, suff'ered, died, rose, 
ascended; and for their sake it is that he will return. To 
this end will Christ come again to receive his people unto 
himself, that where he is, there they may be also. The 
bridegroom's departure was not upon divorce. He did 
not leave us with a purpose to return no more'. He hath 
left pledges enough to assure us to the contrary. We have 
his word, his many promises, his ordinances, which show 
forth his death till he come; and his Spirit, to direct, 
sanctify, and comfort, till he return. We have frequent to- 
kens of love from him, to show us he forgets not his pro- 
mise, nor us. We daily behold the forerunners of his com- 
ing, foretold by himself. We see the fig-tree putteth forth 
leaves, and therefore know that summer is nigh. Though 
the riotous would say, My Lord delayeth his coming; yet 
let the saints lift up their heads, for their redemption draw- 
eth nigh. Alas ! fellow-Christians, what should we do if 
our Lord should not return ? What a case are we here left 
in ! What ! leave us in the midst of wolves, and among lions, 
a generation of vipers, and here forget us! Did he buy us 



30 THE PREPARATIVES [Chap. 2. 

SO dear, and then leave us sinning, suffering, groaning, dy- 
ing daily, and will he come no more to us ? It cannot be. 
This is like our unkind dealing with Christ, who, when we 
feel ourselves warm in the world, care not for coming to 
him ; but this is not like Christ's dealing with us. He that 
would come to suffer, will surely come to triumph. He that 
would come to purchase, will surely come to possess. 
Where else were all our hopes ? What were become of our 
faith, our prayers, our tears and our waiting? What were 
all the patience of the saints worth to them ? Were we 
not left of rll men the most miserable ? Christians, hath 
Christ made us foicake all the world, and be forsaken of 
all the world? to hate all, and be hated of all ? and all this 
for him, that we might have him instead of all ? And will 
he, think you, after all this, forget us, and forsake us him- 
self.'* Far be such a thought from our hearts! But why 
staid he not with his people while he was here.'' Why? 
Was Bot the work on earth done ? Must he not take pos- 
session of glory in our behalf? Must he not intercede with 
the Father, plead his sufferings, be filled with the Spirit to 
send forth, receive authority, and subdue his enemies? 
Our abode here is short. If he had staid on earth, what 
would it have been to enjoy him for a few days and then 
die ? He hath more in heaven to dwell among ; even the 
spirits of many generations. He will have us live by faith, 
and not by sight. 

O, fellow- Christians, what a day will that be, when we, 
who have been kept prisoners by sin, by sinners, by the 
grave, shall be brought out by the Lord himself! It will 
joot be" such a coming as his first was, in poverty and con- 
tempt, to be spit upon, and buffeted, and crucified again. 
He will not come, O careless world ! to be slighted and 
neglected by you any more. Yet that coming wanted not 
its glory. If the heavenly host, for the celebration of his 
liativity, must praise God; with what shoutings will angels 
and saints at that day proclaim glory to God, peace and 
good-will toward men! If a star must lead men fr6m re- 
mote parts of the world, to come to worship a child in a 
manger ; how will the glory of his next appearing con- 
strain all the world to acknowledge his sovereignty ! If, 
riding on an a,ss, he enter Jerusalem with hosannas ; with 
what peace and glory wull he come toward the New-Jeru-* 



Chap. 2.] FOR THE saints' rest. 31 

salem ! If, when he was in the form of a servant, they cry 
out, " What manner of man is this, that even the winds 
and the sea obey him?" what will they say, when they 
shall see him coming in his glory, and the heavens and 
the earth obey him ? " Then shall all the tribes of the earth 
mourn." To think and speak of that day with horror, doth 
well beseem the impenitent sinner, but ill the believing 
saint. Shall the wicked behold him, and cry, " Yonder 
is he whose blood we neglected, whose grace we resisted, 
whose counsel we refused, whose government we cast 
off!" and shall not the saints, with inconceivable glad- 
ness, cry, " Yonder is he whose blood redeemed us, whose 
Spirit cleansed us, whose law did govern us; in whom 
we trusted, and he hath not deceived our trust; for whom 
we long waited, and now we see we have not waited iu 
vain ! cursed corruption ! that would have had us turn 
to the world and present things, and say, Why should we 
wait for the Lord any longer ? Now we see, Blessed are 
all they that wait for him." And now, Christians, should 
we not put up that petition heartily, "Thy kingdom come ? 
The Spirit and the bride say, Come: and let him that 
heareth," and readeth, "say. Come." Our Lord himself 
says, " Surely I come quickly. Amen : even so, come ' 
Lord Jesus." 

2. Another thing that leads to paradise is, that great 
work of Jesus Christ, in raising our bodies from the dust, and 
uniting them again unto the soul. A wonderful effect of in- 
finite power and love ! Yea, wonderful indeed, says Un- 
belief, if it be true. What ! shall all these scattered bones 
and dust become a man ? Let me with reverence plead 
for God, for that power whereby I hope to arise. What 
beareth the massy body of the earth ? What limits the vast 
ocean of the waters .'' Whence is that constant ebbing and 
flowing of the tides ? How many times bigger than all the 
earth is the sun, that glorious body of light .'' Is it not as 
easy to raise the dead as to make heaven and earth, and 
all of nothing f Look not on the dead bones, and dust, and 
difficulty, but at the promise. Contentedly commit these 
carcasses to a prison, that shall not long contain them. Let 
us lie down in peace and take our rest; it will not be an 
everlasting night, uor endless sleep. If unclothing be the 
thing thou fearest, it is that thou may est have better cloth- 



32 THE PREPARATIVES [Ghap. 2. 

ing. If to be turned out of doors be the thing thou fearest, 
remember that, when the earthly house of this tabernacle 
is dissolved, thou hast a building of God, a house not made 
with hands, eternal in the heavens. Lay down cheerfully 
this lump of corruption ; thou shalt undoubtedly receive it 
again in incorruption. Lay down freely this terrestrial, 
this natural body; thou shalt receive it again a celestial, 
a spiritual body. Though thou lay it down with great 
dishonor, thou shalt receive it in glory. Though thou art 
separated from it through weakness, it shall be raised again 
in mighty power; in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, 
at the last trump ; for the trumpet shali sound, and the dead 
shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 
^' The dead in Christ shall rise first. Then they who are 
alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in 
the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air." Triumph now, 
Christian, in these promises ; thou shalt shortly triumph in 
their performance. This is the day which the Lord will 
make; we shall rejoice and be glad in it. The grave that 
could not keep our Lord, cannot keep us. He arose for us, 
and by the same power will cause us to arise. For if we 
believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, them also 
who sleep in Jesus, will God bring with him. Let us never 
look at the grave, but let us see the resurrection beyond it. 
Yea, let us be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in 
the work of the Lord, forasmuch as we know our labor is 
not in vain in the Lord. 

3. Part of this prologue to the saints' rest, is the public 
and solemn process at their judgment, where they shall first 
themselves be acquitted and justified, and then with Christ 
judge the world. Young and old, of all estates and Rations, 
that ever were from the creation to that day, must here 
come, and receive their doom. terrible ! joyful day! 
Terrible to those that have forgotten the coming of their 
Lord ! joyful to the saints, whose waiting and hope was to 
see this day ! Then shall the world behold the goodness 
and severity of God ; on them who perish, severity; but 
to his chosen, goodness. Every one must give an account 
of his stewardship. Every talent of time, health, wit, mer- 
cies, afflictions, means, warnings, must be reckoned for. 
The sins of youth, those which they had forgotten, and 
their secret sins, shall all be laid open before angels and 



Chap. 2.] FOR THE saints' rest. 33 

men. They shall see the Lord Jesus, whom they ne- 
glected, whose word they disobeyed, whose ministers they 
abused, whose servants they hated, now sitting to judge 
them. Their own consciences shall cry out against them, 
and call to their remembrance all their misdoings. Which 
way will the wretched sinner look? Who can conceive the 
terrible thoughts of his heart ? Now the world cannot help 
him ; his old companions cannot ; the saints neither can 
nor will. Only the Lord Jesus can; but there is the mi- 
sery, he will not. Time was, sinner, when Christ would, 
and you would not ; now, fain would you, and he will not. 
All in vain, to cry to the mountains and rocks, fall on us, 
and hide us from the face of him that sitteth upon the 
throne; for thou hast the Lord of mountains and rocks jfor 
thine enemy, whose voice they will obey, and not thine. 
I charge thee, therefore, before God, and the Lord Jesus 
Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his ap- 
pearing, and his kingdom, that thou set thyself seriously 
to ponder on these things. 

13ut, why tremblest thou, humble, gracious soul ? He 
that would not lose one Noah in a common deluge, nor 
-overlook one Lot in Sodom ; nay, that could do no- 
thing till he went forth; will he forget thee at that day? 
The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temp- 
tations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment, 
to be punished. He knoweth how to make the same day 
the greatest terror to his foes, and yet the greatest joy to 
his people. There is no condemnation to them that are 
in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the 
Spirit. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's 
elect? Shall the law? The law of the spirit of life in 
Christ Jesus, hath made them free from the law of sin and 
death. Or shall conscience ? The Spirit itself beareth wit- 
ness with their spirit, that they are the children of God. 
" It is God that justifieth, who is he that condfmneth ?" 
If our judge condemn us not, who shall ? He that said to 
the adulterous woman. Hath no man condemned thee? 
Neither do I; will say to us, more faithfully than Peter to 
him. Though all men deny thee, or condemn thee, I will 
not. Having confessed me before men, thee " will I also 
confess before my Father who is in heaven." 

What inexpressible joy, that our dear Lord, who loveth 
2* 



34 THE PREPARATIVES [Chap. 2. 

our souls, and whom our souls love, shall be our Judge ! 
Will a man fear to be judged by his dearest friend ? or a 
wife by her own husband ? Christian, did Christ come 
down and suffer, and weep, and bleed, and die for thee, 
and will he now condemn thee ? Was he judged, con- 
demned, and executed in thy stead, and now will he con- 
demn thee himself? Hath he done most of the work al- 
ready, in redeeming, regenerating, sanctifying and preserv- 
ing thee, and will he now undo all again : Well, then, let 
the terror of that day be never so great, surely our Lord 
can mean no ill to us in all. Let it make the devils trem- 
ble, and the wicked tremble, but it shall make us leap for 
joy. It must needs affect us deeply with the sense of our 
mercy and happiness, to see the most of the world tremble 
with terror, while we triumph with joy; to hear them 
doomed to everlasting flames, when we are proclaimed 
heirs of the kingdom ; to see our neighbors, that lived in 
the same towns, came to the same congregation, dwelt in 
the same houses, and were esteemed more honorable in 
the world than ourselves, now, by the Searcher of hearts^ 
eternally separated. This, with the great magnificence 
and dreadfulness of the day, the apostle pathetically ex- 
presses : " It is a righteous thing with God to recompense 
tribulation to them that trouble you ; and to you who are 
troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be re- 
vealed from heaven, with his mighty angels, in flaming 
fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and 
that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ ; who 
shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the 
presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; 
when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be 
admired in all them that believe in that day." 

Yet more : we shall be so far from the dread of that 
judgment, that ourselves shall become the judges. Christ 
Avill take his people, as it were, into commission with him- 
self, and they shall sit and approve his righteous judg- 
ment. Do you not know that the saints will judge the 
w^orld ? Nay, " know ye not that we shall judge angels ?" 
Were it not for the vvord of Christ that speaks it, this ad- 
vancement would seem incredible, and the language arro- 
gant. Even Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied 
this, saying, " Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands 



Chap. 2.] FOR THE saints' rest. 35 

of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince 
all that are ungodly among them, of all their ungodly deeds 
which they have ungodlily committed, and of all their hard 
speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him." 
Thus shall the saints be honored, and the upright shall 
have dominion in the morning. that the careless world 
^'were wise, that they understood this, that they would 
consider their latter end !" that they would be now of the 
same mind as they will be when they shall see the hea- 
vens pass away with a great noise, and the elements melt 
with fervent heat, and the earth also, and the works that 
are therein, burnt up ! when all shall be in fire about their 
ears, and all earthly glory consumed. For the heavens 
and the earth which are now, are reserved unto fire against 
the day of judgment, and perdition of ungodly men. " See- 
ing, then, that all these things shall be dissolved, what 
manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation 
and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of 
the day of God, wherein the heavens, being on fire, shall 
be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent 
heat ?" 

4. The last preparative for the saints' rest is their solemn 
coronation and receiving the kingdom. For, as Christ, their 
Head, is anointed both King and Priest, so under him 
are his people made unto God both kings and priests, to 
reign, and to offer praises for ever. The crown of righte- 
ousness, which was laid up for them, shall by the Lord, 
the righteous Judge, be given them at that day. They have 
been faithful unto death, and therefore he will give them 
a crown of life. And according to the improvement of their 
talents here, so shall their rule and dignity be enlarged. 
They are not dignified with empty titles, but real dominion. 
Christ will grant them to sit with him on his throne, and 
will give them power over the nations, even as he received 
of his Father ; and he " will give them the morning star." 
The Lord himself will give them possession, with these 
applauding expressions : " Well done, good and faithful 
servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will 
make thee ruler over many things ; enter thou into the 
joy of thy Lord." 

And with this solemn and blessed proclamation shall he 
enthrone them : " Come, ye blessed of my father, inherit 



88 THE PREPARATIVES [Chap. 2. 

the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the 
world." Every word is full of life and joy. " Come" — 
this is the holding forth of the golden sceptre, to warrant 
our approach unto this glory. Come now as near as you 
will ; fear not the Bethshemite's judgment ; for the en- 
mity is utterly abolished. This is not such a '* Come" as we 
were wont to hear, " Come, take up your cross, and follow 
me." Though that was sweet, yet this is much more. " Ye 
blessed" — blessed indeed, when that mouth shall so pro- 
nounce us ! For though the world hath accounted us ac- 
cursed, and we have been ready to account ourselves so ; 
yet certainly those that he blesseth are blessed; and those 
whom he curseth, only, are cursed, and his blessing cannot 
be reversed. " Of my Father" — blessed in the Father's 
love, as well as the Son's ; for they are one. The Father 
hath testified his love in their election, donation to Christ, 
sending of Christ, and accepting his ransom, as the Son 
hath also testified his. " Inherit" — no longer bondsmen, 
iio-r servants only, nor children under age, who differ not 
in possession, but only in title, from servants ; but now we 
are heirs of the kingdom, and joint heirs with Christ. 
"The kingdom" — no less than the kingdom! Indeed, 
to be King of kings, and Lord of lords, is our Lord's own 
proper title; but to be kings, and reign with him, is ours. 
The enjoyment of this kingdom is as the light of the sun ; 
each has the whole, and the rest never the less. " Pre- 
pared for you" — God is the Alpha, as well as the Omega, 
of our blessedness. Eternal love hath laid the foundation. 
He prepared the kingdom for us, and then prepared us for 
the kingdom. This is the preparation of his counsel and 
decree ; for the execution whereof Christ was yet to make 
a further preparation. '■' For you" — Not for believers only 
in general, who, without individual persons, are nobody ; 
but for you personally. " From the foundation of the 
world" — not only from the promise after Adam's fall, but 
from eternity. 

Thus we have seen the Christian safely landed in para- 
dise, and conveyed honorably to his rest. Now let us a 
little further, in the next chapter, viev/ those mansions, 
consider their privileges, and see whether there be any 
glory like unto this glory. 



Chtp. 3.] THE saints' rest. 8*7 

CHAPTER III. 

THE EXCELLENCIES OF THE SAINTS* REST. 

1. It is the purchased possession; 2. A free gift; 3. Peculiar to saints; 
4. An association with saints and angels ; 5. Jt derives its joys im- 
mediately from God himself 6. It wUl be seasonable; 7. Suitable; 
8. Perfect, without sin and suffering; 9. And everlaMing. 

Let us draw a little nearer, and see what further excel- 
lencies this rest affordeth. The Lord hide us in the clefts 
of the rock, and cover us with the hands of indulgent 
grace, while we approach to take this view ! This rest is 
excellent for being a purchased possession; a free gift; 
peculiar to saints ; an association with saints and angels ; 
yet deriving its joys immediately from God ; and because 
it will be a seasonable, suitable, perfect, and eternal rest. 

1. It is a most singular honor of the saints' rest, to be 
called the purchased possession; that is, the fruit of the 
blood of the Son of God; yea, the chief fruit, the end and 
perfection of all the fruits and efficacy of that blood. 
Greater love than this there is not, to lay down the life 
of the lover. And to have this our Redeemer ever before 
our eyes, and the liveliest sense and freshest remembrance 
of that dying, bleeding love, still upon our souls ! How 
will it fill our souls with perpetual joy, to think, that in the 
streams of this blood we have swum through the violence 
of the world, the snares of Satan, the seducements of flesh, 
the curse of the law, the wrath of an offended God, the 
accusations of a guilty conscience, and the vexing doubts 
and fears of an unbelieving heart, and are arrived safe at 
the presence of God ! Now he cries to us, " Is it nothing 
to you, all ye that pass by ? behold, and see if there be any 
sorrow like unto my sorrow !" and we scarce regard the 
mournful voice, and scarce turn aside to view the wounds. 
But then our perfected souls will feel, and flame in love 
for love. With what astonishing apprehensions will re- 
deemed saints everlastingly behold their blessed Redeem- 
er ! the purchaser, and the price, together with the pos- 
session ! Neither will the view of his wounds of love 
renew our wounds of sorrow. He, whose first words after 
his resurrection were to a great sinner, " Woman, why 



36 THE EXCELLENCIES OF [Chap. 3 

weepest thou ?" knows how to raise love and joy, without 
any cloud of sorrow, or storm of tears. If any thing we 
enjoy was purchased with the life of our dearest friend, 
how highly should we value it ! If a dying friend deliver 
us but a token of his love, how carefully do we preserve 
it, and still remember him when we behold it, as if his 
own name were written on it ! And will not, then, the 
death and blood of our Lord everlastingly sweeten our 
possessed glory ? As we write down the price our goods 
cost us ; so on our righteousness and glory write down the 
price. The precious blood of Christ. His sufferings were 
to satisfy the justice that required blood, and to bear what 
was due to sinners, and so to restore them to the life they 
lost, and the happiness they fell from. The work of Christ's 
redemption so well pleased the Father, that he gave him 
power to advance his chosen, and give them the glory 
which was given to himself, and all this " according to his 
good pleasure, and the counsel of his own will." 

2. Another pearl in the saints' diadem is, that it is a 
free gift. These two, purchased and free, are the chains 
of gold which make up the wreaths for the tops of the 
pillars in the temple of God. It was dear to Christ, but' 
free to us. When Christ was to buy, silver and gold were 
nothing worth; prayers and tears could not suffice, nor 
any thing below his blood; but our buying is receiving; 
we have it freely, without money and without price. A 
thankful acceptance of a free acquittance is no paying of 
the debt. Here is all free ; if the Father freely give the 
Son, and the Son freely pay the debt ; and if God freely 
accept that way of payment, when he might have required 
it of the principal ; and if both Father and Son freely offer 
us the purchased life on our cordial acceptance, and if 
they freely send the Spirit to enable us to accept; what is 
here, then, that is not free ? the everlasting admiration 
that must needs surprise the saints to think of this free- 
ness ! " What did the Lord see in me, that he should judge 
me meet for such a state ? That I, who was but a poor, 
diseased, despised wretch, should be clad in the bright- 
ness of this glory ! That I, a creeping worm, should be 
advanced to this higli dignity! That I, who was but lately 
groaning, w^eeping, dying, should now be as full of joy as 
my heart can hold ! yea, should be taken from the grave, 



Chap. 3.] THE saints' rest. 39 

where I was decaying, and from the dust and darkness 
where I seemed forgotten, and be here set before his 
throne ! That I should be taken, with Mordecai, from cap- 
tivity, and be set next unto the king ; and, with Daniel from 
the den, to be made ruler of princes and provinces ! Who 
can fathom unmeasurable love ?" If worthiness were our 
condition for admittance, we might sit down and weep, 
with St. John, because no man was found worthy. But 
the Lion of the tribe of Judah is worthy, and hath pre- 
vailecl ; and by that title we must hold the inheritance. 
We shall offer there the offering that David refused, even 
praise for that which cost us nothing. Here our commis- 
sion runs. Freely ye have received, freely give ; but Christ 
has dearly bought, yet freely gives. 

If it were only for nothing, and without our merit, the 
wonder were great ; but it is moreover against our merit, 
and against our long endeavoring our own ruin. What an 
astonishing thought it w411 be, to think of the unmea- 
surable difference between our deservings and receivings ! 
between the state we should have been in, and the state 
we are in ! to look down upon hell, and see the vast dif- 
ference that grace hath made between us and them ! to see 
the inheritance there, which we were born to, so different 
from that which we are adopted to ! What pangs of love 
will it cause within us to think, " Yonder was the place 
that sin would have brought me to, but this is it that 
Christ hath brought me to ! Yonder death was the wages 
of my sin, but this eternal life is the gift of God, through 
Jesus Christ my Lord ! Who made me to differ ? Had I 
not now been in those flames, if I had had my own way, 
and been let alone to my own will ? Should I not have 
lingered in Sodom till the flames had seized on me, if God 
had not in mercy brought me out?" Doubtless, this will 
be our everlasting admiration, that so rich a crown should 
fit the head of so vile a sinner ! that such high advance- 
ment, and such long unfruitfulness and unkindness, can be 
the state of the same person ! and that such vile rebellions 
can conclude in such most precious joys ! But no thanks 
to us, nor to any of our duties and labors, much less to our 
neglects and laziness : we know to whom the praise is due, 
and must be given for ever. Indeed, to this very end it 
was, that infinite wisdom cast the whole design of man's 



40 THE EXCELLENCIES OP [Chap. 3. 

salvation into this mould of purchase and freeness, that 
the love and joy of man might be perfected, and the honor 
of grace most highly advanced; that the thought of merit 
might neither cloud the one nor obstruct the other ; and 
that on these two hinges the gate of heaven might turn. 
So then, let deserved be written on the door of hell, 
but on the door of heaven and life, the free gift. 

3. This rest is pecuHar to saints, belongs to no other of 
all the sons of men. If all Egypt had been light, tjie Is- 
raelites would not have had the less ; but to enjoy that 
light alone, while their neighbors lived in thick darkness, 
must make them more sensible of their privilege. Distin- 
guishing mercy affects more than any mercy. If Pharaoh 
had passed as safely as Israel, the Red Sea would have 
been less remembered. If the rest of the world had not 
been drowned, and the rest of Sodom and Gomorrah not 
burned, the saving of JSoah had been no wonder, nor Lot's 
deliverance so much talked of. When one is enlightened, 
and another left in darkness ; one reformed, and another 
by his lust enslaved ; it makes the saints cry out, " Lord, 
how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not 
unto the world .?" When the prophet is sent to one widow 
onl> of all that were in Israel, and to cleanse one Naaman 
of ail the lepers, the mercy is more observable. That will 
surely be a day of passionate sense on both sides, when 
there shall be two in one bed, and two in the field, the 
one taken and the other left. The saints shall look down 
upon the burning lake, and in the sense of their own hap- 
piness, and in the approbation of God's just proceedings, 
they shall rejoice and sing, " Thou art righteous, Lord ! 
who wast, art, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus." 

4. But though this rest be peculiar to the saints, yet it 
is cmiimon to all the saints; for it is an association of blessed 
spirits, both saints and angels ; a corporation of perfected 
saints, whereof Christ is the head ; the communion of 
saints completed. As we have been together in the labor, 
duty, danger, and distress ; so shall w^e be in the great re- 
compense and deliverance. As we have been scorned and 
despised ; so shall w^e be owned and honored together. 
We who have gone through the day of sadness, shall en- 
Joy together that day of gladness. Those who have been 
with us in persecution and in prison, shall be with us also 



Chap. 3.] THE saints' rest. 41 

in that palace of consolation. How oft have our groans 
made, as it were, one sound ! our tears one stream ! and 
our desires one prayer ! But now all our praises shall make 
up one melody ; all our churches, one church ; and all our- 
selves, one body; for we shall be all one in Christ, even 
as he and the Father are one. It is true, we must be care- 
ful, not to look for that in the saints which is alone in 
Christ. But if the forethought of sitting down with Abra- 
ham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven, may 
be our lawful joy ; how much more the real sight and ac- 
tual possession ! It cannot but be comfortable to think ot 
that^ day when we shall join with Moses in his song, with 
David in his psalms of praise, and with all the redeemed 
in the song of the Lamb for ever; when we shall see 
Enoch walking with God ; Noah enjoying the end of his 
singularity; Joseph of his integrity; Job of his patience; 
Hezekiah of his uprightness ; and all the saints the end of 
their faith. Not only our old acquaintance, but all the 
saints of all ages, w^hose faces in the flesh we never saw, 
we shall there both knov/ and comfortably enjoy. Yea, 
angels, as well as saints, will be our blessed acquaintance. 
Those, who now are willingly our ministering spirits, will 
willingly then be our companions in joy. They, who had 
such joy in heaven for our conversion, will gladly rejoice 
with us in cur glorification. Then we shall truly say, as 
David, I am a companion of all them that fear thee ; when 
" we are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the 
living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumera- 
ble company of angels ; to the general assembly and church 
of the first-born, who are written in heaven, and to God 
the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made per- 
fect, and to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant." It is 
a singular excellence of heavenly rest, that " we are fellow- 
citizens with the saints, and of the household of God." 

6. As another property of our rest, we shall derive its 
joys immediately from God. Now we have nothing at all 
immediately, but at the second or third hand; or how 
many, who knows ? From the earth, from man, from sun 
and moon, from the ministration of angels, and from the 
Spirit, and Christ. Though, in the hand of angels, the 
stream savors not of the imperfection of sinners, yet it 
does of the imperfection of creatures; and as it comes 



42 ■ THE EXCELLENCIES OP [Chap. 3: 

from man, it savors of both. How quick and piercing is 
the word in itself! Yet many times it never enters, being 
managed by a feeble arm. What weight and worth is 
there in every passage of the blessed Gospel ! Enough, 
one would think, to enter and pierce the dullest soul, and 
wholly possess its thoughts and affections ; and yet how 
oft does it fall as water upon a stone ! The things of God 
which we handle, are divine ; but our manner of handling 
is human. There is little we touch, but we leave the print 
of our fingers behind. If God speaks the w^ord himself, 
it will be a piercing, melting word indeed. The Christian 
now knows by experieuce, that lys most immediate joys 
are his sweetest joys ; which have least of man, and are 
most directly from the Spirit. Christians who are much 
in secret prayer and contemplation, are men of greatest 
life and joy; because they have all more immediately from 
God himself. Not that we should cast off hearing, read- 
ing, and conference, or neglect any ordinance of God ; 
but to live above them while we use them, is the way of a 
Christian. There is joy in these remote receivings; but 
the fulness of joy is in God's immediate presence. We 
shall then have light without a candle, and perpetual day 
without the sun ; for " the city has no need of the sun, 
neither of the moon to shine in it ; for the glory of God 
lightens it, and the Lamb is the light thereof; there shall 
be no night there, and they need no candle, neither light 
of the sun; and they shall reign for ever and ever." We 
shall then have enlightened understandings without Scrip- 
ture, and be governed without a written law ; for the Lord 
will perfect his law in our hearts, and we shall be all per- 
fectly taught of God. W^ shall have joy, which we drew 
not from the promises, nor fetched home by faith or hope. 
We shall have communion without ordinances, without 
this fruit of the vine, when Christ shall drink it new with 
us in his Father's kingdom, and refresh us with the com- 
forting wine of immediate enjoyment. To have necessi- 
ties, but no supply, is the case of them in hell. To have 
necessity supplied by means of the creatures, is the case 
of us on earth. To have necessity supplied immediately 
from God, is the case of the saints in heaven. To have 
no necessity at all, is the prerogative of God himself. 
6. A further excellence, of this rest is, that it will be 



Chap. 3.] THE saints' rest. 43 

seasonable. He that expects the fruit of his vineyard at 
the season, and makes his people " like a tree planted by 
the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his 
season," will also give them the crown in his season. He 
that will have a word of joy spoken in season to him that 
is weary, will surely cause the time of joy to appear in the 
fittest season. They who are not weary in well-doing shall, 
if they faint not, reap in due season. If God giveth rain 
even to his enemies, both the former and the latter in his 
season, and reserveth the appointed weeks of harvest, and 
covenants that there shall be day and night in their season; 
then surely the glorious harvest of the saints shall not 
miss its season. Doubtless, he that would not stay a day 
longer than his promise, but brought Israel out of Egypt on 
the self-same day when the four hundred and thirty years 
were expired, neither will he fail of one day or hour of the 
fittest season for his people's glory. When we have had 
in this world a long night of darkness, will not the day- 
breaking, and the rising of the Sun of Righteousness, 
be then seasonable? When we have passed a long and 
tedious journey, through no small dangers, is not home 
then seasonable ? When we have had a long and perilous 
war, and received many a wound, would not a peace, w ith 
victory, be seasonable ? Men live in a continual weariness; 
especially the saints, who are most weary of that which 
the world cannot feel. Some weary of a blind mind ; some 
of a hard heart ; some of their daily doubts and fears ; some 
of the want of spiritual joys ; and some of the sense of 
God's wrath. And when a poor Christian hath desired 
and prayed, and waited for deliverance many years, is it 
not then seasonable ? We grudge that we do not find a 
Canaan in the wilderness; or the songs of Sion in a 
strange land; that we have not a harbor in the main 
ocean, nor our rest in the heat of the day, nor heaven be- 
fore we leave the earth ; and would not all this be very 
unseasonable ? 

7. As this rest will be seasonable, so it will be suitable. 
The new nature of the saints doth suit their spirits to this 
rest. Indeed, their holiness is nothing else but a spark 
taken from this element, and by the Spirit of Christ kindled 
in their hearts ; the flame whereof, mindful of its own di- 
vine original, ever tends to the place from whence it comes. 



44 THE EXCELLENCIES OP [Cha^). 3. 

Temporal crowns and kingdoms could not make a rest for 
saints. As they were not redeemed with so low a price, 
neither are they endued with so low a nature. As God 
will have frcwn them a spiritual worship, suited to his own 
spiritual being, he will provide them a spiritual rest, suit- 
able to their spiritual nature. The knowledge of God and 
his Christ, a delightful complacency in that mutual Jove, 
an everlasting rejoicing in the enjoyment of our God, with 
a perpetual singing of his high praises; this is a heaven for 
a saint. Then we shall live in our own element. We are 
now as the fish in a vessel of water, only so much as will 
keep them alive ; but what is that to the ocean ? We have 
a little air let in to us, to afford us breathing ; but what is 
that to the sweet and fresh gales upon Mount Sion ? We 
have a beam of the sun to lighten our darkness, and a 
warm ray to keep us from freezing ; but then we shall live 
in its light, and be revived by its heat for ever. As the 
natures of the saints are, such are their desires; and it is 
the desires of our renewed nature which this rest is suited 
to. Whilst our desires remain corrupted and misguided, it 
is a far greater mercy to deny them, yea, to destroy them, 
than to satisfy them ; but those which are spiritual are of 
his own planting, and he will surely water them, and give 
the increase. He quickened our hunger and thirst for 
righteousness, that he might make us happy in a full satis- 
faction. Christian, this is a rest after thy own heart; it 
contains all that thy heart can wish ; that which thou 
longest, prayest, labourest for, there thou shalt find it all. 
Thou hadst rather have God in Christ, than all the world; 
there thou shalt have him. What wouldst thou not give 
for assurance of his love ? There thou shalt have assurance 
without suspicion. Desire what thou canst, and ask what 
thou wilt, as a Christian, and it shall be given thee, not 
only to half of the kingdom, but to the enjoyment both of 
kingdom and King. This is a life of desire and prayer, 
but that is a life oi satisfaction and enjoyment. This rest 
is very suitable to the saints' necessities also, as well asto 
their natures and desires. It contains whatsoever they 
truly wanted; not supplying them with gross-created com- 
forts, which, like Saul's armor on David, are more burden 
than benefit. It was Christ and perfect holiness which 
they most needed, and with these shall they be supplied. 



Chap. 3.] The saints' rest. 45^ 

8. Still more, this rest will be absolutely perfect. We 
shall then have joy without sorrow, and rest without wea- 
riness. There is no mixture of corruption with our graces, 
nor of suffering with our comfort.* There are none of those 
waves in that harbor, whicii now so toss us up and down. 
To-day we are well, to-morrow sick ; to-day in esteem, 
to-morrow in disgrace ; to-day we have friends, to-morrow 
none ; nay, we have wine and vinegar in the same cup If 
revelations raise us to the third heaven, the messenger of 
Satan must presently buffet us, and the thorn in the flesh 
fetch us down. But there is none of this inconstancy in 
heaven. If perfect love casteth out fear, then perfect joy 
must needs cast out sorrow, and perfect happiness exclude 
all the relics of misery. We shall there rest from all the 
evil of sin and of suffering. i 

Heaven excludes nothing more directly than sin, whether 
of nature or of conversation. " There shall in nowise enter 
any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abo- 
mination, or maketh a lie." What need Christ at all to 
have died, if heaven could have contained imperfect 
souls ? " For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, 
that he might destroy the works of the devil." His blood 
and Spirit have not done all this, to leave us, after all, de- 
filed. '' What communion hath light with darkness ? and 
what concord hath Christ with Belial ?" Christian, if thou 
be once in heaven, thou shalt sin no more. Is not this glad 
news to thee, who hast prayed and watched against it so 
long? I know, if it were offered to thy choice, thou wouldst 
rather choose to be freed from sin, than have all the world. 
Thou shalt have thy desire. That hard heart, those vile 
thoughts, which accompanied thee to every duty, shall 
then be left behind for ever. Thy understanding shall 
never more be troubled w^ith darkness. All dark Scrip- 
tures shall be made plain ; all seeming contradictions re- 
conciled. The poorest Christian is presently there a more 
perfect divine than any here, that happy day, when 
error shall vanish, for ever ! when our understanding shall 
be filled with God himself, whose light will leave no 
darkness in us ! His face shall be the Scripture, where we 
shall read the truth. INIany a godly man hath here, in his 
mistaken zeal, been a means to deceive and pervert his 
brethreuj and, when he sees his own error, cannot again 



46 THE EXCELLENCIES OP [Chap. 3. 

tell how to undeceive them. But there we shall conspire 
in one truth, as being one in him who is the truth. We 
shall also rest from all the sin of our will, affection, and 
conversation. We shall no- more retain this rebelling prin- 
ciple, which is still drawing us from God; no more be op- 
pressed with the power of our corruptions, nor vexed with 
their presence : no pride, passion, slothfulness, insensibi- 
lity, shall enter with us ; no strangeness to God, and the 
things of God ; no coldness of affections, nor imperfection 
in our love ; no uneven walking, nor grieving of the 
Spirit; no scandalous action, nor unholy conversation: 
we shall rest from all these for ever. Then shall our will 
correspond to the divine will, as face answers face in a 
glass, and from which, as our law and rule, we shall never 
swerve. " For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath 
ceased from his own works, as God did from his." 

Our sufferings were but the consequences of our sin- 
ning, and in heaven they both shall cease together. We 
shall rest from all our doubts of God's love. It shall no 
more be said, that " Doubts are like the thistle, a bad 
weed, but growing in good ground." They shall now be 
weeded out, and trouble the gracious soul no more. We 
shall hear that kind of language no more, " What shall I 
do to know my state ? How shall I know that God is my 
Father ? that my heart is upright ? that my conversion is 
true ? that faith is sincere ? I am afraid my sins are unpar- 
doned; that all I do is hypocrisy; that God will reject 
me ; that he does not hear my prayers." All this is there 
turned into praise. We shall rest from all sense of God's 
displeasure. Hell shall not be mixed with heaven. At times 
the gracious soul remembered God, and was troubled; 
complained, and was overwhelmed, and refused to be 
comforted; divine wrath lay hard upon him, and God 
afflicted him with all his waves. But that blessed day 
shall convince us, that, though God hid his face from us 
for a moment, yet with everlasting kindness will he have 
raercy on us. We shall rest from all the temptations of 
Satan. What a grief is it to a Christian, though he yield 
not to the temptation, yet to be solicited to deny his 
Lord ! What a torment to have such horrid motions made 
to his soul ! ^ch blasphemous ideas presented to his ima* 
gination ! sometimes cruel thoughts of God, undervaluing 



Chap. 3. J THE saints' rest. 4T 

thoughts of Christ, unbelieving thoughts of Scripture, or 
injurious thoughts of Providence ! to be tempted some- 
times to turn to present things, to play with the baits of 
sin, and venture on the delights of flesh, and sometimes to 
atheism itself! especially when we know the treachery 
of our own hearts, ready as tinder to take fire as soon as 
one of those sparks shall fall upon thera ! Satan hath 
power here to tempt us in the wilderness, but he entereth 
not the holy city; he may set us on a pinnacle of the 
temple in the earthly Jerusalem, but the New Jerusalem 
he may not approach ; he may take us up into an exceed- 
ing high mountain, but the Mount Sion he cannot ascend; 
and if he could, all the kingdoms of the world, and the 
glory of them, would be a despised bait to a soul possessed 
of the kingdom of our Lord. No, it is in vain for Satan to 
offer a temptation more. All our temptations from the 
world and the flesh shall also cease. the hourly dangers 
that we here walk in ! Every sense and member is a 
snare; every creature, every mercy, and every duty, is a 
snare to us. We can scarce open our eyes, but we are in 
danger of envying those above us, or despising those below 
us ; of coveting the honors and riches of some, or behold- 
ing the rags and beggary of others with pride and unraer- 
cifulness. If we see beauty, it is a bait to lust; if defor- 
mity, to loathing and disdain. How soon do slanderous 
reports, vain jests, wanton speeches, creep into the heart! 
How constant and strong a watch does our appetite re- 
quire ! Have we comeliness and beauty .'' What fuel for 
pride! Are we deformed? What an occasion of repining! 
Have we strength of reason and gifts of learning.^ how 
prone to be pufled up, hunt after applause, and despise our 
brethren! Are we unlearned? How apt then to despise 
what we have not ! Are we in places of authority ? How 
strong is the temptation to abuse our trust, make our will 
our law, and cut out all the enjoyments of others by the 
rules and model of our own interest and policy I Are we 
inferiors? How proue to grudge at others' pre-eminence, 
and bring their actions to the bar of our judgment! Are 
we rich, and not too much exalted ? Are we poor, and not 
discontented? Are we not la/y in oar duties, or make a 
Christ of them ? Not that God hath made these things our 
snares; but through our own corruption they become so 



48 THE EXCELLENCIES OF [Chap. 3. 

to us. Ourselves are the greatest snare to ourselves. This 
is our comfort, our rest will free us from all these. As 
Satan hath no entrance there, so neither any thing to 
serve his malice ; but all things there shall join with us in 
the high praises of our great Deliverer. As we rest from 
the temptations, we shall likewise from the abuses and 
persecutions of the World. The prayers of the souls under 
the altar will then be answered, and God will avenge their 
blood on them that dwell on the earth. This is the time 
for crowning with thorns ; that, for crowning with glory. 
Now, " all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer 
persecution;" then, they that suffered with him shall be 
glorified with him. Now, we must be hated of all men 
for Christ's name's sake ; then, Christ will be admired in 
his saints that were thus hated. We are here made a spec- 
tacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men : as the 
filth of the world, and the offscouring of all things, men 
separate us from their company, and reproach us, and cast 
out our names as evil ; but we shall then be as much gazed 
at for our glory, and they will be shut out of the church 
of the saints, and separated from us, whether they will 
or not. We can scarce now pray in our families, or sing 
praises to God, but our voice is a vexation to them : how 
must it torment them, then, to see us praising and rejoic- 
ing, while they are howling and lamenting ! You, brethren, 
who can now attempt no work of God without losing the 
love of the world, consider, you shall have none in heaven 
but will further your work, and join heart and voice with 
you in your everlasting joy and praise. Till then, possess 
ye your souls in patience. Bind all reproaches as a crown 
to your heads. Esteem them greater riches than the world's 
treasures. " It is a righteous thing with God to recompense 
tribulation to them that trouble you ; and to you, who are 
troubled, rest with Christ." We shall then rest from all 
our sad divisions, and unchristian quarrels with one ano- 
ther. How lovingly do thousands live together in heaven, 
who lived at variance upon earth ! There is no contention, 
because none of this pride, ignorance, or other corruption. 
There is no plotting to strengthen our party, nor deep de- 
signing against our brethren. If there be sorrow or shame 
in heaven, we shall then be both sorry and ashamed to re- 
member all this conduct on earth ; as Joseph's brethren 



Chap. 3.] THE saints' rest. 49 

were, to behold him, when they remembered their former 
unkind usage. Is it not enough that all the world is against 
us, but we must also be against one another ? happy days 
of persecution, which drove us together in love, whom the 
sunshine of liberty and prosperity crumbles into dust by 
our contentions ! happy day of the saints' rest in glory, 
when, as there is one God, one Christ, one Spirit, so we 
shall have one heart, one church, one employment for ever ! . 

We shall then rest from our participation of our bre- 
thren's sufferings. The church on earth is a mere hospital ! 
Some groaning under a dark understanding, some under 
an insensible heart, some languishing under unfruitful 
weakness, and some bleeding for miscarriages and wilful- 
ness ; some crying out of their poverty, some groaning under 
pains and infirmities, and some bewailing a whole cata- 
logue of calamities. But a far greater grief it is, to see our 
dearest and most intimate friends turned aside from the 
truth of Christ, continuing their neglect of Christ and their 
souls, and nothing will awaken them out of their security : 
to look on an ungodly father or mother, brother or sister, 
wife or husband, child or friend, and think how certainly 
they shall be in hell for ever, if they die in their present 
unregenerate state ; to think of the Gospel departing, the 
glory taken from our Israel, poor souls left w^illingly dark 
and destitute-, and blowing out the light that should guide 
them to salvation ! Our day of rest will free us from all 
this, and the days of moufuing shall be ended; then thy 
people, OLord, shall be all righteous; they shall inherit the 
land for ever, the branch of thy planting, the work of thy 
hands, that thou mayest be glorified. Then we shall rest 
from all our own personal sufferings. This may seem a small 
thing to those that live in ease and prosperity ; but to the 
daily afflicted soul, it makes the thoughts of heaven delight- 
ful. the dying life we now live ! as full of sufferings as of 
dap and hours ! Our Redeemer leaves this measure of mi- 
sery upon us, to make us know for what we are beholden, 
to mind us of what we should else forget, to be serviceable 
to his wise and gracious designs, and advantageous to our 
full and final recovery. Grief enters at wery sense, seizes 
every part and power of flesh and spirit. What noble part 
is there, that suffercth its pain or ruin alone ? But sin and 
flesh, dust and pain, Mill ail be left behind together. tUe 



50 THE EXCELLENCIES OF [Chap. 3. 

blessed tranquillity of that region, where there is nothing 
but sweet, continued peace ! healthful place, where none 
are sick ! fortunate land, where all are kings ! O holy 
assembly, where all are priests ! How free a state, where 
none are servants, but to their supreme Monarch ! The 
poor man shall no more be tired with his labors : no more 
hunger or thirst, cold or nakedness : no pinching frosts or 
scorching heats. Our faces shall no more be pale or sad: 
no more breaches in friendship, nor parting of friends 
asunder : no more trouble accompanying our relations, nor 
voice of lamentation heard in our dwellings : God shall 
wipe away all tears from our eyes. my soul, bear with 
the infirmities of thine earthly tabernacle ; it will be thus 
but a little while; the sound of thy Redeemer's feet is even 
at the door. We shall also rest from all the toils of duties. 
The conscientious magistrate, parent, and minister, cries 
out, " the burden that lieth upon me !" Every relation, 
state, age, hath variety of duties ; so that every conscien- 
tious Christian cries out, " the burden ! my weakness, 
that makes it burdensome !'' But our remaining rest will 
ease us of the burdens. Once more we shall rest from all 
these troublesome afilictions which necessarily accompany 
our absence from God. The trouble that is mixed in our 
desires and hopes, our longings and waitings, shall then 
cease. We shall no more look into our cabinet, and miss 
our treasure; into our hearts, and miss our Christ; no 
more seek him from ordinance to ordinance; but all be con- 
cluded in a most blessed and full enjoyment. 

9. The last jewel of our crown is, that it will be an 
everlasting rest. Without this all were comparatively no- 
thing. The very thought of leaving it would embitter all 
our joys. It would be a hell in heaven, to think of once 
losing heaven ; as it would be a kind of heaven to the 
damned, had they but hopes of once escaping. Mortality 
is the disgrace of all sublunary delights. How it spoils our 
pleasure to see it dying in our hands ! But, O blessed eter- 
nity ! where our lives are perplexed with no such thoughts, 
nor our joys interrupted with any such fears ! where " we 
shall be pillars in the temple of God, and go no more out." 
While we were servants, we held by lease, and that but 
for the term of a transitory life ; " but the son abideth in 
the house for ever." " my soul, let go thy dreams of 



Chap. 3.] THE saints' rest. 51 

present pleasures, and loose thy hold of earth and flesh. 
Study frequently, study thoroughly, this one word — Eter- 
nity. What! Live, and never die! Rejoice, and ever re- 
joice !" happy souls in hell, should you but escape after 
millions of ages ! miserable saints in heaven, should you 
be dispossessed after the age of a million of worlds ! This 
word, Everlasting, contains the perfection of their torment, 
and our glory. O that the sinner would study this word ; 
methinks it would startle him out of his dead sleep ! 
that the gracious soul would study it ; methinks it would 
revive him in his deepest agony ! "And must I, Lord, thus 
live for ever? Then will I also love for ever. Must my joys 
be immortal ; and shall not my thanks be also immortal ? 
Surely, if I shall never lose my glory, I will never cease 
thy praises. If thou wilt both perfect and perpetuate me 
and my glory, as I shall be thine, and not my own, so shall 
my glory be thy glory. And as thy glory was thy ultimate 
end in my glory, so shall it also be my end, when thou 
hast crowned me with that glory which hath no end. 
' Unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise 
God, be honor and glory, for ever and ever.' " 

Thus I have endeavored to show you a glimpse of ap- 
proaching glory. But how short are my expressions of its 
excellency ! Reader, if thou be an humble, sincere be- 
liever, and waitest with longing and laboring for this rest, 
thou wilt shortly see and feel the truth of all this. Thou 
wilt then have so high an apprehension of this blessed 
state, as will make thee pity the ignorance and distance 
of mortals, and will tell thee, all that is here said falls 
short of the whole truth a thousand-fold. Li the mean 
time, let this much kindle thy desires, and quicken thy en- 
deavors. Up, and be doing; run, and strive, and fight, and 
hold on : for thou hast a certain, glorious prize before thee. 
God will not mock thee ; do not mock thyself, nor betray 
thy soul by delaying, and all is thine own. What kind of 
men, dost thou think, would Christians be in their lives 
and duties, if they had still this glory fresh in their 
thoughts ? What frame would their spirits be in, if their 
thoughts of heaven were lively and believing? Would 
their hearts be so heavy ? their countenances be so sad ? 
or would they have need to take up their comforts from 
below? Would they be so loath to suffer; so afraid to die? 



52 CHARACTER OF THOSE FOR [Chap. 4. 

or would they not think every day a year till they enjoy 
it ? May the Lord heal our carnal hearts, lest we enter not 
into this rest, because of unbelief. 



CHAPTER IV. 

THE CHARACTER OF THE PERSONS FOR WHOM THIS REST IS 
DESIGNED. ^ 

The people of God who shall enjoy this rest, are, 1 . Chosen from eler- 
nity; 2. Given to Christ; 3. Born again; 4. Deeply convinced of the 
evil of sin, their misery by sin, the vanity of the creature, and the all- 
sufficiency of Christ. 5. Their will is irroportionahly changed. &. They 
engage in covenant with Christ. 7. They persevere in their engage- 
ments. The reader invited to examine himself hy these characteristics 
of God's people. Further testimony from Scripture, that this rest shall 
be enjoyed by the people of God: also that none but they shall enjoy 
it; and that it remains for them, and is not to be enjoyed till they 
come to another world. The chapter concludes with showing, that 
their souls shall enjoy this rest while separated from their bodies. 

While I was in the mount, describing the excellencies 
of the saints' rest, I felt it was good being there, and there- 
fore tarried the longer ; and was there not an extreme dis- 
proportion between my conceptions and the subject, much 
longer had I been. Can a prospect of that happy land be 
tedious ? Having read of such a high and unspeakable 
glory, a stranger would wonder for what rare creatures this 
mighty preparation should be made, and expect some illus- 
trious sun should break forth : but, behold ! only a shell- 
ful of dust, animated with an invisible rational soul, and 
that rectified with as unseen a restoring power of grace ; 
and this is the creature that must possess such glory ! You 
would think it must needs be some deserving piece, or one 
that brings a valuable price : but, behold ! one that hath 
nothing; and can deserve nothing; yea, that deserves the 
contrary, and would, if he might, proceed in that deserv- 
ing : but, being apprehended by love, he is brought to him 
that is All; and most affectionately receiving him, and rest- 
ing on him, he doth, in and through him, receive all this ? 
More particularly, the persons for whom this rest is de- 
signed, are chosen of God from eternity; given to Christ 
as their Redeemer ; born again ; deeply convinced of the 
evil and misery of a sinful state, the vanity of the creature, 



Chap. 4.] WHOBi THIS REST IS DESIGNED. 53 

and the all-sufficiency of Christ ; their will is renewed ; 
they engage themselves to Christ in covenant ; and they 
persevere in their engagements to the end. 

1. The persons for whom this rest is designed, whom 
the text calls " the people of God," are " chosen of God be- 
fore the foundation of the world^ that they should be holy 
and without blame before him in love." That they are but 
a part of mankind, is apparent in Scripture and experi- 
ence. They are the little flock, to whom " it is their 
Father's good pleasure to give the kingdom." Fewer they 
are than the world imagines; yet not so few as some droop- 
ing spirits think, who are suspicious that God is unwilling 
to be their God, when they know themselves willing to 
be his people. 

2. These persons are given of God to his Son^ to be by 
him redeemed from their lost state, and advanced to this 
glory. God hath given all things to his Son, but not as he 
hath given his chosen to him. " God hath given him 
power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as 
many as the Father hath given him." The difference is 
clearly expressed by the apostle ; " he hath put all things 
under his feet, and gave him to be the head over aii things 
to the church." And though Christ is, in some sense, a ran- 
som for all, yet not in that special manner as for his people. 

3. One great qualification of these persons is, that they 
are born again. To be the people of God without regene- 
ration, is as impossible as to be the children of men with- 
out generation. Seeing we are born God's enemies, we 
must be new-born his sons, or else remain enemies still. 
The greatest reformation of life that can be attained to, 
without this new life wrought in the soul, may procure our 
further delusion, but never our salvation. 

4. This new life in the people of God discovers itself by 
conviction^ or a deep sense of divine things. 

They are convinced of the evil of sin. The sinner is 
made to know and feel, that the sin, which was his de- 
light, is a more loathsome thing than a toad or serpent, 
and a greater evil than plague or famine ; being a breach 
of the righteous law of the most high God, dishonorable 
to him, and destructive to the sinner. Now the sinner no 
more hears the reproofs of sin as words of course ; but the 
mention of his sin speaks to his very heart, and yet he is 



54 CHARACTER OF THOSE FOR [Chap. 4. 

contented you should show him the worst. He was wont 
to marvel what made men keep up such a stir against sin ; 
what harm it was for a man to take a little forbidden plea- 
sure ; he saw no such heinousness in it, that Christ must 
needs die for it, and a Christiess world be eternally torment- 
ed in hell. Now the case is altered : God hath opened his 
eyes to see the inexpressible vileness of sin. 

They are convinced of their own misery by reason of sin. 
They w^ho before read the threats of God's law as men do 
the story of foreign wars, now find it their own story, and 
perceive they read their own doom, as if they found their 
own names written in the curse, or heard the law say, as 
Nathan, " Thou art the man." The wrath of God seemed 
to him before but as a storm to a man in a dry house, 
or as the pains of the sick to the healthful stander-by ; 
but now he finds the disease is his own, and feels himself a 
condemned man, that he is dead and damned in point of 
law, and that nothing was wanting but mere execution to 
make him absolutely and irrecoverably miserable. This is 
a work of the Spirit, wrought in some measure in all the 
regenerate. How should he come to Christ for pardon, 
that did not first find himself guilty and condemned? or for 
life, that never found himself spiritually dead.? "The 
whole need not a physician, but they that are sick." The 
discovery of the remedy as soon as the misery, must needs 
prevent a great part of the trouble. And perhaps the joyful 
apprehensions of mercy may make the sense of misery 
sooner forgotten. 

They are also convinced of the creature^ s vanity and in- 
sufficiency. Every man is naturally an idolater. Our hearts 
turned from God in our first fall; and, ever since, the 
creature hath been our god. This is the grand sin of na- 
ture. Every unregenerate man ascribes to the creature 
divine prerogatives, and allows it the highest room in his 
soul ; or, if he is convinced of misery, he flies to it as his 
savior. Indeed, God and his Christ shall be called Lord 
and Savior ; but the real expectation is from the creature, 
and the work of God is laid upon it. Pleasure, profit, and 
honor, are the natural man's trinity; and his carnal self is 
these in unity. It was our first sin to aspire to be as 
gods ; and it is the greatest sin that is propagated in our 
nature from generation to generation. When God should 



Chap. 4.] WHOM THIS REST IS DESIGNED. 65 

guide us, we guide ourselves; when he should be our So- 
vereign, we rule ourselves : the laws which he gives us 
we find fault with, and would correct; and, if we had the 
making of them, we would have made them otherwise : 
when he should take care of us, (and must, or we perish,) 
we will take care for ourselves : when we should depend 
on him in daily receivings, we had rather have our por- 
tion in our own hands : when we should submit to his 
providence, we usually quarrel at it, and think we could 
make a better disposal than God hath made. When we 
should study and love, trust and honor God, we study and 
love, trust and honor our carnal selves. Instead of God, 
we would have all men's eyes and dependence on us, 
and all men's thanks returned to us, and vv^ould gladly be 
the only men on earth extolled and admired by all. Thus 
we are naturally our own idols. But down falls this Dagon 
when God does once renew the soul. It is the. chief de- 
sign of that great work, to bring the heart back to God 
himself. He convinceth the sinner, that the creature can 
neither be his God, to make him happy, nor his Christ, 
to recover him from his misery, and restore him to God, 
who is his happiness. God does this not only by his word, 
but by his providence also. This is the reason why afflic- 
tion so frequently concurs in the work of conversion. Ar- 
guments which speak to the quick, will force a hearing, 
when the most powerful words are slighted. If a sinner 
made his credit his god, and God shall cast him into the 
lowest disgrace, or bring him, who idolized his riches, into 
a condition wherein they cannot help him, or cause them 
to take wing and fly away, what a help is here to this 
work of conviction ! If a man made pleasure his god, 
whatsoever a roving eye, a curious ear, a greedy appetite, 
or a lustful heart could desire, and God should take these 
from him, or turn them into gall or wormwood, what a 
help is here to conviction ! When God shall cast a man 
into languishing sickness, and inflict wounds on his heart, 
and stir up against him his own conscience, and then, as it 
were, say to him, "Try if your credit, riches, or pleasures, 
can help you. Can they heal your wounded conscience ? 
Can they now support your tottering tabernacle ? Can they 
keep your departing soul in your body ? or save you from 
my everlasting wrath ? or redeem your soul from eternal 



56, CHARACTER OF THOSE FOR [Chap. 4. 

flames ? Cry aloud to them, and see now whether these 
will be to you instead of God and Christ." how this 
works now with the sinner ! Sense acknowledges the truth, 
and even the flesh is convinced of the creature's vanity, 
and our very deceiver is undeceived. 

The people of God are likewise convinced of the abso- 
lute necessity, the full sufficiency, and perfect excellency of 
Jesus Christ: as a man in famine is convinced of the ne- 
cessity of food ; or a man that had heard or read his sen- 
tence of condemnation, of the absolute necessity of par- 
don ; or a man that lies in prison for debt is convinced of 
his need of a surety to discharge it. Now the sinner feels 
an unsupportable burden upon him, and sees there is none 
but Christ can take it off": he perceives the law proclaims 
him a rebel, and none but Christ can make his peace : he is 
as a man pursued by a lion, that must perish if he finds not 
a present sanctuary : he is now brought to this dilemma; 
either he must have Christ to justify him, or be eternally 
condemned ; have Christ to save him, or burn in hell for 
ever ; have Christ to bring him to God, or be shut out of 
his presence everlastingly ! And no wonder if he cry as the 
martyr, " None but Christ! none but Christ!" Not gold, 
hut bread, wili satisfy the hungry; nor anything but par- 
don will comfort the condemned. 

All things are counted but dung now, that he may win 
Christ; and what was gain, he counts loss for Christ. As 
the sinner sees his misery, and the inability of himself and 
all things to relieve him, so he perceives there is no saving 
mercy out of Christ. He sees, though the creature cannot, 
and himself cannot, yet Christ can. Though the fig-leaves 
of our own unrighteous righteousness are too short to cover 
our nakedness, yet the righteousness of Christ is large 
enough : ours is disproportionate to the justice of the law, 
but Christ's extends to every tittle. If he intercede, there 
is no denial ; such is the dignity of his person and the value 
of his merits, that the Father grants all he desires. Before, 
the sinner knew Christ's excellency as a blind man knows 
the light of the sun ; but now, as one that beholds its glory. 

5. After this deep conviction, the will discovers also its 
change. As, for instance, the sin which the understand- 
ing pronounces evil, the will turns from with abhorrence. 
Not that the sensitive appetite is changed, or any way 



Chap. 4.] WHOM THIS REST IS DESIGNED. 67 

made to abhor its object ; but when it would prevail against 
reason, and carry us to sin against God, instead of Scrip- 
ture being the rule, and reason the master, and sense the 
servant, this disorder and evil the will abhors. The misery 
also, which sin hath procured, is not only discerned, but 
bewailed. It is impossible that the soul should now look, 
either on its trespass against God, or yet on its ov/n self- 
procured calamity, without some contrition. He that truly 
discerns that he hath killed Christ, and killed himself, will 
surely in some nleasure be pricked to the heart. If he 
cannot weep, he can heartily groan ; and his heart feels 
what his understanding sees. The creature is renounced 
as vanity, and turned out of the heart with disdain. Not 
that it is undervalued, or the use of it declaimed ; but its 
idolatrous abuse, and its unjust usurpation. Can Christ be 
the way, where the creature is the end? Can we seek 
Christ to reconcile us to God, while in our hearts we prefer 
the creature before him ? In the soul of every unregenerate 
man, the creature is both God and Christ.* As turning from 
the creature to God, and not by Christ, is no true turning; 
so believing in Christ, while the creature hath our hearts, 
is no true believing. Our aversion from sin, renouncing 
our idols, and our right receiving Christ, is all but one 
work, which God ever perfects where he begins. At the 
same time, the will cleaves to God the Father, and to 
Christ. Having been convinced that nothing else can bo 
his hajjpiness, the sinner now finds it is in God. Convinced 
also, that Christ alone is able and willing to make peace 
for him, he most affectionately accepts of Christ for Sa- 
vior and Lord. Paul's preaching was "repentance toward 
God, and faith tovyard our Lord Jesus Christ." And life 
eternal consists, first in " knowing the only true God ; and" 
then "Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent." To take the Lord 
for our God is the natural part of the covenant; the super- 
natural part is, to take Christ for our Redeemer. The 
former is first necessary, and implied in the latter. To 
accept Christ without affection and love, is not justifying 
faith : nor does love follow as a fruit, but immediately con- 
curs; for faith is the receiving of Christ with the whole 
soul. " He tluit loveth father or mother more than Christ, 
is not worthy of him," nor is justified by him. Faith ac- 
cepts him for Savior and Lord : for in both relations will 
3* 



68 CHARACTER OP THOSE FOR* [Chap. 4* 

he be received, or not at ail. Faith not only acknowledges 
his sufferings, and accepts of pardon and glory, but acknow- 
ledges his sovereignty, and submits to his government and 
way of salvation. 

6. As an essential part of the character of God's people, 
they now enter into a cordial covenant with Christ. The 
sinner was never strictly, nor comfortably, in covenant 
with Christ till now. He is sure, by the free offers, that 
Christ consents; and now he cordially consents himself; 
and so the agreement is fully made. With this covenant 
Christ delivers up himself in all comfortable relations to 
the sinner; and the sinner delivers up himself to be saved 
and ruled by Christ. Now the soul resolutely concludes, 
" I have been blindly led by flesh and lust, by the world 
and the devil, too long, almost to my utter destruction ; 
I will now be wholly at the disposal of my Lord, who hath 
bought me with his blood, and will bring me to his glory." 

7. I add, that the people of God persevere in this covenant 
to the end. Though the believer may be tempted, yet he 
never disclaims his Lord, renounces his allegiance, nor re- 
pents of his covenant ; nor can he properly be said to break 
that covenant, while that faith continues which is the con- 
dition of it. Indeed, those that have verbally covenanted, 
and not cordially, may " tread under foot the blood of the 
covenant, as an unholy thing, wherewith they were sancti- 
fied," by separation from those without the church ; but 
the elect cannot be so deceived. Though this persever- 
ance be certain to true believers, yet it is made a condition 
of their salvation; yea, of their continued life and fruitful- 
ness, and of the continuance of their justification, though 
not of their first justification itself. But eternally blessed 
be that hand of love, which hath drawn the free promise, 
and subscribed and sealed to that which ascertains us both 
of the gTace which is the condition, and the kingdom which 
on that condition is offered ! 

Such are the essentials of this people of God. Not a 
full portraiture of them in all their excellencies, nor all the 
notes whereby they may be discerned. I beseech thee, 
reader, as thou hast the hope of a Christian, or the reason 
of a man, judge thyself, as one that must shortly be judged 
by a righteous God, and faithfully answer these questions. 
I will not inquire whether you remember the time or the 



Chap. 4.] WHOM THIS REST IS DESIGNED. 59 

order of these workings of the Spirit; there may be much 
uncertainty and mistake in that. If you are sure they are 
wrought in you, the matter is not so great, though you 
know not when or how you came by them. But carefully 
examine and inquire, Hast thou been thoroughly convinced 
of a prevailing .depravation through thy whole soul? and a 
prevailing wickedness through thy whole life? and how 
vile sin is ? and that by the covenant thou hast transgressed, 
the least sin deserves eternal death ? Dost thou consent to 
the law, that it is true and righteous, and perceive thyself 
sentenced to this death by it ? Hast thou seen the utter in- 
sufficiency of every creature, either to be itself thy happi- 
ness, or the means of removing this thy misery ? Hast thou 
been convinced that thy happiness is only in God, as the 
end ; and in Christ, as the way to him ; and that thou must 
be brought to God through Christ, or perish eternally ? 
Hast thou seen an absolute necessity of thy enjoying Christ, 
and the full sufficiency in him, to do for thee whatsoever 
thy case requires? Hast thou discovered the excellency of 
this pearl to be worth thy " selling all to buy it?" Have 
thy convictions been like those of a man that thirsts ; and 
not merely a change in opinion, produced by reading or 
education ? Have both thy sin and misery been the abhor- 
rence and burden of thy soul ? If thou couldst not weep, 
yet couldst thou heartily groan under the insupportable 
weight of both ? Hast thou renounced all thy own righ- 
teousness ? Hast thou turned thy idols out of thy heart, so 
that the creature hath no more the sovereignty, but is now 
a servant to God and Christ ? Dost thou accept of Christ 
as thy only Savior, and expect thy justification, recovery, 
and glory, from him alone? Are his laws the most power- 
ful commanders of thy life and soul ? Do they ordinarily 
prevail against the commands of the flesh, and against the 
greatest interest of thy credit, profit, pleasure, or life ? Has 
Christ the highest room in thy heart and affections, so 
that, though thou canst not love him as thou wouldst, yet 
nothing else is loved so much ? Hast thou to this end made a 
hearty covenant with him, and delivered up thyself to him ? 
Is it thy utmost care and watchful endeavor, that thou 
mayest be found faithful in this covenant; and though thou 
fall into sin, yet wouldst not renounce thy bargain, nor 
change thy Lord, nor give up thyself to any other govern' 



60 CHARACTER OF THOSE FOR [Chap. 4, 

ment, for all the world ? If this be truly thy case, thou art 
one of the people of God in my text; and as sure as the 
promise of God is true, this blessed rest re;nains for thee. 
Only see thou " abide in Christ," and " endure to the end ;" 
for " if any man draw back, his soul shall have no pleasure 
in him." But if no such work be found within thee, what- 
ever thy deceived heart may think, or how strong soever 
thy false hopes may be, thou wilt find to thy cost, except 
thorough conversion prevent it, that the rest of the saints 
belongs not to thee. " that thou wert wise, that thou 
wouidst understand this, that thou wouldst consider thy 
latter end !" that yet, while thy soul is in thy body, and 
" a price in thy hand," and opportunity and hope before 
thee, thine ears may be open, and thy heart yield to the 
persuasions of God, that so thou mightest rest among his 
people, and enjoy " the inheritance of the saints in light !" 
That this rest shall be enjoyed by the people of God^ is 
a truth which the Scripture, if its testimony be further 
needed, clearly asserts in a variety of ways ; as, for in- 
stance, that they are " foreordained to it, and it for them. 
God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he hath 
prepared for them a city." They are styled " vessels of 
mercy, afore prepared unto glory." " In Christ they have 
obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to 
the purpose of him who worketh all things after the coun- 
sel of his own will." And " whom he did predestinate, 
them he also glorified." Who can bereave his people of 
that rest which is designed for them by God's eternal pur- 
pose ? Scripture tells us, they are " redeemed to this rest. 
By the blood of Jesus, we have boldness to enter into the 
holiest;" whether that entrance means by faith and prayer 
here, or by full possession hereafter. Therefore the saints 
in heaven sing a new song unto him who has " redeemed 
them to God by his blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, 
and people, and nation, and made them kings and priests 
unto God." Either Christ, then, must lose his blood and 
sufferings, and never " see of the travail of his soul," or 
else " there remaineth a rest to the people of God." Iii 
Scripture this rest is promised to them. As the firma- 
ment with stars, so are the sacred pages bespangled with 
these divine engagements. Christ says, " Fear not, little 
flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the 



Chap. 4.] WHOM THIS REST IS DESIGNED. 61 

kingdom." " I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father 
hath appointed unto me ; that ye may eat and drink at my 
table in my kingdom." All the means of grace, the opera- 
tions of the Spirit upon the soul, and gracious actings of 
the saints, every command to repent and believe, to fast 
and pray, to knock and seek, to strive and labor, to run 
and fight, prove that there remains a rest for the people of 
God. The Spirit would never kindle in us such strong 
desires after heaven, such love to Jesus Christ, if we should 
not receive what we desire and love. He that "guides our 
feet into the way of peace," will undoubtedly bring us to 
the end of peace. How nearly are the means and end con- 
joined ! " The kingdom of heaven sufFereth violence, and 
the violent take it by force." They that "follow Christ ia 
the regeneration shall sit upon thrones of glory." Scrip- 
ture assures us, that the saints have the " beginnings, fore- 
tastes, earnests, and seals" of this rest here. " The king- 
dom of God is within them." " Though they have not seen 
Christ, yet loving him, and believing in him, they rejoice 
with joy unspeakable and full of glory j receiving the end 
of their faith, even the salvation of their souls." They 
"rejoice in hope of the glory of God." And does God 
" seal them with that Holy Spirit of proniise, v/hich is the 
earnest of their inheritance," and will he deny the full pos- 
session ? The Scripture also mentions, by name, those who 
have entered into this rest; as Enoch, Abraham, Lazarus, 
and the thief that was crucified with Christ. And if there 
be a rest for these, surely there is a rest for all 'believers. 
But it is in vain to heap up Scripture-proofs, seeing it is 
the very end of Scripture, to be a guide to lead us to this 
blessed state, and to be the charter and grant by which 
we hold all our title to it. 

Scripture not only proves that this rest remains for the 
people of God, but also that it remains for none but them; so 
that the rest of the world shall have no part in it. " With- 
out holiness no man shall see the Lord. Except a man be 
born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. He that 
believeth not the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of 
God abidelh on him. No whoremonger, nor unclean per- 
son, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inhe- 
ritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. The wicked 
shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget 



<>2 CHARACTER OF THOSE FOR [Chap. 4. 

God, They all shall be damned, who believe not the 
truth, but have pleasure in unrighteousness. The Lord 
Jesus shall come in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them 
that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our 
Lord Jesus Christ ; who shall be punished with everlast- 
ing destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from 
the glory of his power." Had the ungodly returned before 
their life was expired, and been heartily willing to accept 
of Christ for their Savior and their King, and to be sav- 
ed by him in his way, and upon his most reasonable terms, 
they might have been saved. God freely offered them life, 
and they would not accept it. The pleasures of the flesh 
seemed more desirable to them than the glory of the saints. 
Satan offered them the one, and God offered them the 
other; and they had free liberty to choose which they 
would, and they chose " the pleasures of sin for a season," 
before the everlasting rest with Christ. And is it not a 
righteous thing that they should be denied that which 
they would not accept ? When God pressed them so ear- 
nestly, and persuaded them so importunately, to come in, 
and yet they would not, where should they be but among 
the dogs without ? Though man be so wicked, that he 
will not yield till the mighty power of grace prevail with 
him, yet still we may truly say, that he may be saved, if 
he will, on God's terms. His inability being moral, and 
lying in wilful wickedness, is no more excuse to him, than 
it is to an adulterer that he cannot love his own wife, or to 
a malicious person that he cannot but hate his own brother : 
is he not so much the worse, and deserving of so much the 
sorer punishment? Sinners shall lay all the blame on their 
own wills in hell for ever. Hell is a rational torment by con- 
science, according to the nature of the rational subject. If 
sinners could but then say. It was God's fault, and not 
ours, it would quiet their consciences and ease their tor- 
ments, and make hell, to them, to be no hell. But to re- 
member their wilfulness, will feed the fire, and cause the 
worm of conscience "never to die." 

It is the will of God that this rest should yet remain for 
his people, and not be enjoyed till they come to another 
world. Who should dispose of the creatures, but he that 
made them ? You may as well ask, why have we not spring 
and harvest, without winter ? or, why is the earth below, 



Chap. 4.] WHOM THIS REST IS DESIGNED. 5^ 

and the heavens above ? as, why we have not rest on 
earth ? All things must come to their perfection by de- 
grees. The strongest man must first be a child. The 
greatest scholar must first begin with the alphabet. The 
tallest oak was once an acorn. This life is our infancy ; 
and would we be perfect in the womb, or born at full sta- 
ture ? — If our rest was here, most of God's providences 
must be useless. Should God lose the glory of his church's 
miraculous deliverances, and the fall of his enemies, that 
men may have their happiness here ? If we were all hap- 
py, innocent, and perfect, what use was there for the glo- 
rious works of our sanctification, justification, and future 
salvation ? — If we wanted nothing, we should not depend 
on God so closely, nor call upon him so earnestly. How 
little would he hear from us, if we had what we would 
have ! God would never have had such songs of praise 
from Moses at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness, from 
Deborah and Hannah, from David and Hezekiah, if they 
had been the choosers of their own condition. Have not thy 
own highest praises to God, reader, been occasioned by 
thy dangers or miseries r The greatest glory and praise 
God has through the world, is for redemption, reconcilia- 
tion, and salvation by Christ; and was not nian's misery 
the occasion of that? — And where God loses the opportu- 
nity of exercising his mercies, man must needs lose the 
happiness of enjoying them. Where God loses his praise, 
man will certainly lose his comforts. the sweet comforts 
the saints have had in return for their prayers ! How 
should we know what a tender-hearted Father we have, 
if we had not, as the prodigal, been denied the husks of 
earthly pleasure and profit ? We should never have felt 
Christ's tender heart, if we had not felt ourselves " weary 
and heavy laden, hungry and thirsty, poor and contrite." 
It is a delight to a soldier, or traveller, to look back on his 
escapes when they are over ; and for a saint in heaven, to 
look back on his sins and sorrows upon earth ; his fears and 
tears, his enemies and dangers, his wants and calamities, 
must make his joy more joyful. Therefore the blessed, in 
praising the Lamb, mention his " redeeming them out of 
ever}- nation, and kindred, and tongue ;" and so out of 
their misery, and wants, and sins, " and making them 
kings and priests to God." But if they had had nothing 



6^^ CHARACTER ©F THOSE FOR [Chap. 4. 

but content and re&t on earth, what room would there have 
been for these rejoicings hereafter ? 

Besides, we are not capable of rest upon earth. — Can a 
soul that is so weak in grace, so prone to sin, so nearly- 
joined to such a neighbor as this Hesh, have full content 
and rest in such a case ? What is soul-rest, but our free- 
dom from sin, and imperfections, and enemies ? And can 
the soul have rest that is molested with all these, and that 
continually ? Why do Christians so often cry out, in the 
language of Paul, " wretched man that I am I who shall 
deliver me?" What makes them "press toward the mark, 
and run that they may obtain, and strive to enter in," if 
they are capable of rest in their present condition? — And 
our bodies are incapable as well as our souls. They are 
not now those sun-like bodies which they shall be, when 
this " corruptible hath put on incorruption, and this mor- 
tal hath put on immortality." They are our prisons and 
our burdens ; so full of infirmities and defects, that we are 
fain to spend most of our time in repairing them and 
supplying their continual wants. Is it possible that an 
immortal soul should have rest in such a distempered 
habitation ? Surely these sickly, weary,' loathsome bo- 
dies, must be refined, before they can be capable of en- 
joying rest. The objects which we here enjoy are insuffi- 
cient to afford us rest. Alas ! what is there in all the 
world to give us rest? They that have most of it have the 
greatest burden. They that set most by it, and rejoice 
most in it, do all cry out at last of its vanity and vexation. 
Men promise themselves a heaven upon earth ; but when 
they come to enjoy it, it flies from them. He that has any 
regard to the works of the Lord, may easily see that the 
very end of them is to take down our idols, to make us 
weary of the world, and seek our rest in liim. Where 
does he cross us most, but where we promise ourselves 
most content? If you have a child you doat upon, it be- 
comes your sorrow. If you have a friend you trust in, and 
judge unchangeable, he becomes your scourge. Is this a 
place or state of rest ? And as the objects we here enjoy 
are insufficient for our rest, so God, who is sufficient, is 
here little enjoyed. It is not here that he hath prepared 
the presence-chamber of his glory. He hath drawn the 
curtain between us and him. We are far from him as 



Chap. 4.] WHOM THIS REST IS DESIGNED. 65 

creatures, and farther as frail mortals, and farthest as sin- 
ners. We hear now and then a word of comfort from him, 
and receive his love-tokens to keep up our hearts and 
hopes ; but this is not our full enjoyment. And can any 
soul, that hath made God his partion, as every one hath 
that shall be saved by him, find rest in so vast a distance 
from him, and so seldom and small enjoyment of him ? 

Nor are we now capable of rest, as there is a worthiness 
must go before it. Are we fit for the crown before we 
have overcome ? or for the prize before we have run the race ? 
or to receive our penny before we have wrought in the vine- 
yard ? or to be rulers of ten cities before we have improved 
our ten talents ? or to enter into the joy of our Lord before 
we have well done as good and faithful servants? God will 
not alter the course of justice, to give you rest before you 
have labored for the crown of glory, till you have overcome. 
There is reason enough why our rest should remain till 
the life to come. Take heed, then, Christian reader, how 
thou darest to contrive and care for a rest on earth ; or to 
murmur at God for thy trouble, and toil, and wants in the 
flesh. Doth thy poverty weary thee ? thy sickness, thy 
bitter enemies and unkind friends ? It should be so here. 
Do the abominations of the times, the sins of professors, 
the hardening of the wicked, all weary thee ? It must be 
so while thou art absent from thy rest. Do thy sins and 
thy naughty, distempered heart weary thee ? Be thus wea- 
ried more and more. But, under all this weariness, art 
thou willing to go to God, thy rest ; and to have thy war- 
fare accomplished, and thy race and labor ended ? If not, 
complain more of thy own heart, and get it more weary, till 
rest seem more desirable. 

I have but one thing more to add, for the close of this 
chapter — that the souls of believers do enjoy inconceiva- 
ble blessedness and glory, even while they remain separated 
from their bodies. What can be more plain than those 
words of Paul — " We are always confident, knowing that 
whilst we are at home," or rather sojourning, " in the 
body, we are absent from the Lord ; for we walk by faith, 
not by sight. We are confident, I say, and willing rather 
to be absent from the body, and to be present with the 
Lord." Or those, "I am in a strait betwixt two, having 
a desire to depart, and to be with Christ, which is far bet- 



66 CHARACTER OF THOSE FOR [Chap. 4. 

ter." If Paul had not expected to enjoy Christ till the 
resurrection, why should he be in a strait, or desire to de- 
part ? Nay, should he not have been loath to depart upon 
the very same grounds ? For while he was in the flesh he 
enjoyed something of Qhrist. Plain enough is that of 
Christ to the thief — " To-day shalt thou be with me in pa- 
radise." In the parable of Dives and Lazarus, it seems 
unlikely Christ would so evidently intimate and suppose 
the soul's happiness or misery presently after death, if there 
were no such matter. Our Lord's argument for the resur- 
rection supposes, that, " God being not the God of fhe 
dead, but of the living," therefore Abraham, Isaac, and 
Jacob, were then living in the soul. If the " blessedness 
of the dead that die in the Lord" were only in resting in 
the grave, then a beast or a stone were as blessed ; nay, 
it were evidently a curse, and not a blessing. For was not 
life a great mercy ? Was it not a greater mercy to serve 
God and to do good; to enjoy all the comforts of life, the 
fellowship of saints, the comfort of ordinances, and much 
of Christ in all, than to lie rotting in the grave ? There- 
fore some further blessedness is there promised. How 
else is it said, " We are come to the spirits of just men 
made perfect ?" Surely, at the resurrection, the body will 
be made perfect as well as the spirit. The Scriptures tell 
us, that Enoch and Elias are taken up already. And shall 
we think they possess that glory alone ? Did not Peter, 
James, and John, see Moses also with Christ on the mount? 
yet the Scripture saith, Moses died. And is it likely that 
Christ deluded their senses, in showing them Moses, if he 
should not partake of that glory till the resurrection ? And 
is not that of Stephen as plain as we can desire ? " Lord 
Jesus, receive my spirit." Surely, if the Lord receive it, it 
is neither asleep, nor dead, nor annihilated ; but it is where 
he is, and beholds his glory. That of the wise man is of 
the same import : ^' The spirit shall return unto God who 
gave it." Why are we said to "have eternal life;" and 
that to "know God is life eternal ;" and that a believer 
" on the Son hath everlasting life ?" Or how is " the king- 
dom of God within us?" If there be as great an interrup- 
tion of our life as till the resurrection, this is no eternal 
life, nor everlasting kingdom. " The cities of Sodom and 
Gomorrah" are spoken of as suffering the vengeance of 



Chap. 5.] WHOM THIS REST IS DESIGNED. 67 

eternal fire !" And if the wicked already suffer eternal fire, 
then, no doubt but the godly enjoy eternal blessedness. 
When John saw his glorious revelations, he is said to be 
"in the Spirit," and to be "carried away in the Spirit." 
And when Paul was " caught up to the third heaven," he 
knew not " whether in the body or out of the body." This 
implies that spirits are capable of these glorious things, 
without the help of their bodies. The same is implied, 
when John says, " I saw under the altar the souls of them 
that were slain for the word of God." When Christ says, 
" Fear not them who kill the body, but are not able to kill 
the soul," does it not plainly imply, that when wicked 
men have killed our bodies, that is, have separated the 
souls from them, yet the souls are still alive ? The soul of 
Christ was alive when his body was dead, and therefore 
so shall be ours too. This appears by his words to the 
thief, "To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise;" and 
also by his voice on the cross, " Father, into thy hands I 
commend my Spirit." If the spirits of those that "were dis- 
obedient in the days of Noah were in prison," that is, in 
a living and suffering state ; then, certainly, the separate 
spirits of the just are in an opposite condition of happiuess. 
Therefore, faithful souls will no sooner leave their prisons 
of flesh but angels shall be their convoy ; Christ, with all 
the perfected spirits of the just, will be their companions ; 
heaven will be their residence, and God their happiness. 
When such die, they may boldly and believingly say, as 
Stephen, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit;" and commend 
it, as Christ did, into a Father's hands. 



CHAPTER V. 

THE GREAT MISERY OF THOSE WHO LOSE THE SAINTs' REST. 

/. The loss of heaven includes, 1. The personal perfection of the saints; 
2. God himself; 3. All delightful affections toward God; 4. The 
blessed society of angels and glorified spirits. II. The aggravations 
of the loss of heaven; 1. The understanding of the v.ngodly will then 
be cleared; 2. Also enlarged. 3. Their consciences will make a true 
a7id close application. 4. Their affections ivill be more lively. 5. Their 
memories will be large and strong. 

If thou, reader, art a stranger to Christ, and to the holy 
nature and life of his people, who are before described, 



68 MISERY OF THOSE WHO [Chap. 5. 

and shalt live and die in this condition, let me tell thee, 
thou shalt never partake of the joys of heavenj nor have 
the least taste of the saints' eternal rest. I may say, as 
Ehud to Eglon, " I have a message to thee from God ;" 
that, as the word of God is true, thou shalt never see the 
face of God with comfort. This sentence I am commanded 
to pass upon thee ; tike it as thou wil*, a?" escape it if thou 
canst. I know thy humble and hearty buojection to Christ 
would procure thy escape ; he would then acknowledge 
thoe for one of his people, and give thee a portion in the 
inheritance of his chosen. If this might be the happy suc- 
cess of my message, I should be so far from repining, like 
Jonah, that the threatenings of God are not executed upon 
thee, that I should bless the day that ever God made me 
so happy a messenger. But if thou end thy days in thy 
imregenerate state, as sure as the heavens are over thy 
head, and the earth under thy feet, thou shalt be shut out 
of the rest of the saints, and receive thy portion in ever- 
lasting fire. I expect thou wilt turn upon me, and say. 
When did God show you the Book of Life, or teli you 
who they are that shall be saved, and who shut out ? I 
answer, I do not name thee, nor any other; I only con^ 
elude it of the unregenerate in general, and of thee, if thou 
be such a one. Nor do I go about to determine who shall 
repent, and who shall not; much less, that thou shalt never 
repent. I had rather show thee what hopes thou hast be- 
fore thee, if thou wilt not sit still and lose them. I would 
far rather persuade thee to hearken in time, before the 
door be shut against thee, than tell thee there is no hope 
of thy repenting and returning. But, if the foregoing de • 
sc; 'ntion of the people of God does not agree with tL^ 
state of thy soul, is it then a hard question, whether thou 
shalt ever be saved? Need I ascend up into -heaven to 
know, that " without holiness no man, shall see the Lord;" 
or, that only " the pure in heart shall see God;" or, that 
" except a man be born again, he canr'^^ enter into the 
kingdom of God ?" Need I go up to h^^Ven, to inquire 
that of Christ, which he came down to earth to tell us ; 
and sent his Spirit in his apostles to tell us; and which he 
and they have left upon record to all the world? And 
though I know not the secrets of thy heart, and therefore 
cannot tell thee by name, whether it be thy state or not; 



Chap. 5.] LOSE THE saints' rest. 69 

yet, if thou art but williug and diligent, thou mayst know 
thyself, whether thou art an heir of heaven or not. It is 
the main thing I desire, that, if thou art yet miserable, thou 
mayst discern and escape it. But how canst thou escape, 
if thou neglect Christ and salvation ? It is as impossible as 
for the devils themselves to be saved; nay, God has more 
plainly and freqv ^ntly spoken it in Scripture of such sinners 
as thou art, than he has of the devils. Methinks a sight of 
thy case would strike thee with amazement and horror. 
When Belshazzar " saw the fingers of a man's hand that 
WTote upon the wall, his countenance was changed, and 
his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints, of his loins 
were loosed, tind his knees smote one against anothen^' 
What trembling, then, should seize on thee, who hast the 
hand of God himself against thee, not in a sentence or two, 
but in the very scope of the Scriptures, threatening the loss 
of an everlasting kingdom ! Because I would fain have thee 
lay it to heart, I will show thee, Jirstj the nature of thy loss 
of heaven ; secondly, its aggravations. 

First. In their loss of heaven, the ungodly lose — the 
saints' personal perfection — God himself — all delightful 
affections tow ard God — and the blessed society of angels 
and saints. 

1 . The glorious personal perfectioriy which the saints enjoy 
in heaven, is the great loss of the ungodly. They lose that 
shining lustre of the body surpassing the brightness of the 
sun at noonday. Though the bodies of the wicked will be 
raised more spiritual than they were upon earth, yet that 
will only make them capable of the more exquisite tor- 
ments. They would be glad then, if every member were 
i dead member, that it might not feel the punishment ';n- 
tlicted on it ; and if the whole body were a rotten carcass, 
or might lie down again in the dust. Much more do they 
want that moral perfection which the blessed partake of; 
those holy dispositions of mind; that cheerful readiness to 
do the will of God; that perfect rectitude of all their ac- 
tions: instead c ^lese, they have that perverseness of will, 
that loathing of good, that love to evil, that violence of pas- 
sion, which they had on earth. It is true, their understand- 
ings will be much cleared by the ceasing of former tempta- 
tions, and experiencing the falsehood of former delusions; 
but they have the same dispositions still, and fain would 



W MISERY OF THOSE WHO fChap. §i 

they commit the same sins, if they could : they want hut 
opportunity. There will be a greater diflference between 
these wretches and the glorified Christian, than there is 
betwixt a toad and the sun in the firmament. " The rich 
man's purple and fine linen, and sumptuous fare," did not 
so exalt him above " Lazarus while at his gate, full of sores." 

2. They shall have no comfortable relation to Gody nor 
comtnunion with him. " As they did not like to retain God 
in their knowledge," but said unto him, " Depart from us, 
for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways ;" so God 
will abhor to retain them in his household. He will never 
admit them to the inheritance of his saints, nor endure 
them to stand in his presence, but " will profess unto them, 
I never knew you ; depart from me, ye that work iniquity." 
They are ready now to lay as confident claim to Christ 
and heaven, as if they were sincere believing saints. The 
swearer, the drunkard, the whoremonger, the worldling, can 
say, is not God our Father as well as yours .-^ But when 
Christ separates his followers from his foes, and his faith- 
ful friends from his deceived flatterers, where, then, will 
be their presumptuous claim ? Then they shall find, that 
God is not their Father, because they would not be his 
people. As they would not consent that God by his Spirit 
should dwell in them, so the tabernacle of wickedness 
shall have no fellowship with him, nor the wicked inhabit 
the city of God. Only they that walked with God here shall 
live and be happy with him in heaven. Little does the 
world know what a loss that soul hath who loses God I 
What a dungeon would the earth be, if it had lost the sun ! 
what a loathsome carrion the body, if it had lost the soul ! 
Yet all these are nothing to the loss of God. As the en- 
joyment of God is the heaven of the saints, so the loss of 
God is the hell of the ungodly; and as the enjoying of God 
is the enjoying of all, so the loss of God is the loss of all. 

3. They also lose all delightful affections toward God; 
that transporting knowledge; those delightful views of his 
glorious face ; the inconceivable pleasure of loving him ; 
the apprehensions of his infinite love to us; the constant 
joys of his saints, and the rivers of consolation with which 
he satisfies them. Is it nothing to lose all this? The em- 
ployment of a king in ruling a kingdom, does not so far ex- 
ceed that of the vilest slave, as tliis heavenly employment 



Chap. 6.] Lose the saiNts^ RESt* fi 

exceeds that of an earthly king. God suits men^s employ- 
ment to their natures. Your hearts, sinners, were never 
set upon God in your lives, never warmed with his love, 
never longed after the enjoyment of him ; you had no de- 
light in speaking or hearing of him ; you had rather have 
continued on earth, if you had known how, than to be in- 
terested in the glorious praises of God. Is it meet, then, 
that you should be members of the celestial choir ? 

4. They shall be deprived of the blessed society of angels 
and glorified saints. Instead of being companions of those 
happy spirits, and numbered with those triumphant kings, 
they must be members of the corporation of hell, where 
they shall have companions of a far different nature and 
quality. Scorning and abusing the saints, hating them, 
and rejoicing at their calamities, was not the way to obtain 
their blessedness. Now you are shut out of that company, 
from which you first shut out yourselves ; and are sepa- 
rated from them, with whom you would not be joined. 
You could not endure them in your houses, nor towns, nor 
scarce in the kingdom. You took them, as Ahab did Elijah, 
for the " troublers of the land ;" and, as the apostles were 
taken, for " men that turned the world upside down." If 
any thing fell out amiss, you thought all was owing to 
them. When they were dead or banished, you were glad 
they were gone, and thought the country well rid of them. 
They molested you by faithfully reproving your sins. Their 
holy conversation troubled your consciences, to see them 
so far excel you. It was a vexation to you to hear them 
pray or sing praises in their families. And is it any wonder 
if you be separated from them hereafter ? The day is near 
when they will trouble you no more. Betwixt them and 
you will be a great gulf fixed. Even in this life, while the 
saints were " mocked, destitute, afflicted, tormented," and 
while they had their personal imperfections, yet, in the 
judgment of the Holy Ghost, they were such " of whom 
the world was not worthy." Much more unworthy will the 
world be of their fellowship in glory. 

Secondly. I know many will be ready to think they could 
spare these things in this world well enough, and why may 
they not be without them in the world to come ? There- 
fore, to show them that this loss of heaven will then be 
most tormenting, let them now consider — their understand- 



VS MISERY OF THOSE WHO [Chap. 5. 

ings will be cleared to know their loss, and have more 
enlarged apprehensions concerning it; their consciences 
will make a closer application of it to themselves; their 
affections will no longer be stupified, nor their memories 
be treacherous. 

1. The understanding of the ungodly will then he cleared^ to 
know the worth of that which they have lost. Now they lament 
not their loss of God, because they never knew his excel- 
lence ; nor the loss of that holy employment and society, 
for they were never sensible what they were worth. A man 
that has lost a jewel, and took it but for a common stone, 
is never troubled at his loss ; but when he comes to know 
what he lost, then he laments it. Though the understand- 
ings of the damned will not be sanctified, yet they will be 
cleared from a multitude of errors. They now think that 
their honors, estates, pleasures, health, and life, are better 
worth their labor than the things of another world ; but 
when these things have left them in misery, when they 
experience the things which before they did but read and 
hear of, they will be of another mind. They would not 
believe that water would drown, till they were in the sea; 
nor the fire burn, till they were cast into it; hut when they 
feel, they will easily believe. All that error of mind which 
made them set light by God, and abhor his worship, and 
vilify his people, will then be confuted and removed by 
experience. Their knowledge shall be increased, that their 
sorrows may be increased. Poor souls ! they would be com- 
paratively happy, if their understandings were wholly taken 
from them, if they had no more knowledge than idiots, or 
brute beasts ; or if they knew no more in hell than they 
did upon earth, their loss would less trouble them. How 
happy would they then think themselves, if they did not 
know there is such a place as heaven ! Now, when their 
knowledge would help to prevent their misery, they will 
not know, or will not read or study that they may know ; 
therefore, when their knowledge will but feed their con- 
suming fire, they shall know, whether they will or not. 
They are now in a dead sleep, and dream that they are the 
happiest men in the world; but when death awakes them, 
how will their judgments be changed in a moment ! and 
they that would not see shall then see, and be ashamed. 

2. As their understanding will be cleared, so it will be 



Chap. 6.] LOSE THE saints' rest. 73 

more enlarged^ and made more capacious to conceive the 
worth of that glory which they have lost. The strength of 
their apprehensions, as well as the truth of them, will then 
be increased. What deep apprehensions of the wrath of 
God, the madness of sinning, the misery of sinners, have 
those souls that now endure this misery, in comparison 
with those on earth, that do but hear of it! What sensibility 
of the worth of life has the condemned man that is going 
to be executed', compared with what he was wont to have 
in the time of his prosperity ! Much more will the actual 
loss of eternal blessedness make the damned exceedingly 
apprehensive of the greatness of their loss; and as a large 
vessel will hold more water than a shell, so will their more 
enlarged understandings contain more matter to feed their 
torment, than their shallow capacity can now do. 

3. Their consciences also will make a truer and closer 
application of this doctrine to themselves, which will ex- 
ceedingly tend to increase their torment. It will then be 
no hard matter to them to say, " This is my loss ! and this 
is my everlasting remediless misery!" The want of this 
self-application is the main cause why they are so little 
troubled now. They are hardly brought to believe that 
there is such a state of misery ; but more hardly to believe 
that it is like to be their own. This makes so many ser- 
mons lost to them, and all threatenings and warnings in 
vain. Let a minister of Christ shov/ them their misery ever 
so plainly and faithfully, they will not be persuaded they 
are so miserable. Let him tell them of the glory they must 
lose, and the sufferings they must feel, and they think he 
means not them, but some notorious sinners. It is one of 
the hardest things in the world, to bring a wicked man to 
know that he is wicked, or to make him see himself in a 
state of wrath and condemnation. Though they may easily 
find, by their strangeness to the new-birth, and their en- 
mity to holiness, that they never were partakers of them ; 
yet they as verily expect to see God, and be saved, as if 
they were the most sanctified persons in the world. How 
seldom do men cry out, after the plainest discovery of their 
state, I am the man ! or acknowledge, that, if they die iu 
their present condition, they are undone for ever! But 
when they suddenly find themselves in the land of dark- 
ness, feel themselves in scorching flames, and see they are 
4 



74 MISERY OF THOSE WHO [Chap. 5. 

shut out of the presence of God for ever; then the appli- 
cation of God's anger to themselves will be the easiest 
matter in the world ; they will then roar out these forced 
confessions, " my misery ! my folly ! my inconceiva- 
ble, irrecoverable loss I" 

4. Then will their affections likewise be more lively, and 
no longer stupified. A hard heart now makes heaven and 
hell seem but trifles. We have showed them everlasting 
glory and misery, and they are as men asleep ; our words 
are as stones cast against a wall, which fly back in our 
faces. We talk of terrible things, but it is to dead men ; 
we search the wounds, but they never feel us ; we speak 
to rocks rather than to men; the earth will as soon tremble 
as they. But when these dead souls are revived, what pas- 
sionate sensibility, what working aff'ections, what pangs of 
horror, what depth of sorrow will there then be ! How 
violently will they fly in their own faces! How will they 
rage against their former madness ! The lamentations of 
the most affectionate wife for the loss of her husband, or 
of the tenderest mother for the loss of her children, will 
be nothing to theirs for the loss of heaven. O the self- 
accusing and self-tormenting fury of those forlorn crea- 
tures ! How will they even tear their own hearts, and be 
God's executioners upon themselves ! As themselves were 
the only meritorious cause of their sufferings, so themselves 
will be the chief executioners. Even Satan, as he was not 
so great a cause of their sinning as themselves, will not be 
so great an instrument of their torment. How happy would 
they think themselves then, if they were turned into rocks, 
or any thing that had neither passion nor sense ! Hov/ 
happy, if they could then feel as lightly as they were wont 
to hear ! if they could sleep out the time of execution, as 
they did the time of the sermons that warned them of it ! 
But their stupidity is gone : it will not be. 

5. Their memories will moreover be as large and strong 
as their understanding and affections. Could they but lose 
the use of their memory, their loss of heaven, being forgot, 
would little trouble them. Though they would account 
annihilation a singular mercy, they cannot lay aside any 
part of their being. Understanding, conscience, affections, 
memory, must all live to torment them, which should have 
helped to their happiness. As by these they should have 



Chap. 5.] LOSE THE saints' rest. ^ 75 

fed upon the love of God, and drawn forth perpetually the 
joys of his presence, so by these must they feed upon his 
wrath, and draw forth continually the pains of his absence. 
Now they have no leisure to consider, nor any room in 
their memories for the things of another life ; but then they 
shall have nothing else to do ; their memories shall have 
no other employment. God would have had the doctrine 
of their eternal state "written on the posts of their doors, 
on their hands and hearts :" he would have had them mind 
it, " and mention it when they lay down and rose up, when 
they sat in their houses, and when they walked by the 
way;" and. seeing they rejected this counsel of the Lord, 
therefore it shall be written always before them in the 
place of their thraldom, that, which way soever they look, 
they may still behold it. It will torment them to think of 
the greatness of the glory they have lost. If it had been 
what they could have spared, or a loss to be repaired with 
any thing else, it had been a smaller matter. If it had 
been health, or wealth, or friends, or life, it had been no- 
thing. But, ! to lose that exceeding eternal weight of 
glory ! It will also torment them to think of the possibil- 
ity they once had of obtaining it. Then they will remem- 
ber, " Time was, when I was as fair for the kingdom as 
others. I was set upon the stage of the world ; if I had 
believed in Christ, I might now have had possession of the 
inheritance. I who am now tormented with these damned 
fiends, might have been among yonder blessed saints. The 
Lord did set before me life and death ; and having cho- 
sen death, I deserve to suffer it. The prize was held out 
before me ; if I had run well, I might have obtained it ; if 
I had striven, I might have had the victory ; if I had fought 
valiantly, I had been crowned." It will yet more torment 
them to remember, that their obtaining the crown was not 
only possible, but very probable. It will wound them to 
think, "I had once the gales of the Spirit ready to have 
assisted me. I was proposing to be another man, to have 
cleaved to Christ, and forsake the world. I was almost 
resolved to have been wholly for God. I was once even 
turning from my base, seducing lusts. I had cast off ray 
old companions, and was associating with the godly. Yet 
I turned back, lost my hold, and broke my promises. I 
was almost persuaded to be a real Christian, yet I con- 



76 MISERY OF THOSE WHO [Chap. 5. 

quered those persuasions. What workings were in my 
heart, when a faithful minister pressed home the truth ! 

how fair was I once for heaven ! I ahnost had it, and 
yet I have lost it. Had I followed on to seek the Lord, 

1 had now been blessed among the saints." 

It will exceedingly torment them to remember their lost 
opporhiuities. " How many weeks, and months, and years, 
did I lose, which if I had improved, I might now have 
been happy ! Wretch tliat I was ! could I find no time to 
study the work, for which I had all my time ? no time, 
among all my labors, to labor for eternity? Had I time to 
eat, and drink, and sleep, and none to save my soul? Had 
I time for mirth and vain discourse, and none for prayer? 
Could 1 take time to secure the world, and none to try my 
title to heaven ? precious time ! I had once enough, and 
now I must bave no more. I had once so much, I knew 
not what to do with it; and now it is gone, and cannot be 
recalled. that I had but one of those years to live over 
again ! how speedily would 1 repent ! how earnestly would 
I pray ! how diligently would I hear ! how closely would 
I examine my state ! how strictly would I live ! but it is 
now too late, alas! too late." 

It will add to their calamity to remember /ioio often they 
were "persuaded to return. "Fain would the minister have 
had me escape these torments. With what love and com- 
passion did he beseech me ! and yet I did but make a jest 
of it. How oft did he convince me ! and yet I stifled all 
these convictions. How did he open to me my very heart ! 
and yet I was loath to know the worst of myself. how 
glad would he have been, if he could have seen m.i cor- 
dially turn to Christ I My godly friends admonished me ; 
they told me what would become of my wilfulness and 
negligence at last; but I neither believed nor regarded 
them. How long did God himself condescend to entreat 
me ! Hov/ did the Spirit strive with my heart, as if he was 
loath to take a denial ! How did Christ stand knocking, 
one Sabbath after another, and crying to me, ' Open, sin- 
ner, open thy heart to thy Savior, and I will come in and 
sup with thee, and tbou with me ! Why dost thou delay? 
How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee ? Wilt 
thou not be pardoned, and sanctified, and made happy ? 
When shall it once be ?" how th^ recollection of such 



Chap. 6.J LOSE THE saints' rest. 77 

divine pleadings will passionately transport (be damned 
with self-indiguation ! "Must I tire out the patience of 
Christ? Must I make the God of heaven follow me in 
vain, till I had wearied him with crying to me, Repent ! 
return ! how justly is that patience now turned into fury, 
which falls upon me with irresistible violence ! AVlien the 
Lord cried to me, ' Wilt thou not be made clean ? When 
shall it once be ?' my heart, or at least my practice, an- 
swered, Never. And now, when I cry, How long shall it 
be till I am freed from this torment ? how justly do I re- 
ceive the same answer, Never, never !" 

It will also be most cutting to remember on what easy 
terms they might have escaped their misery. Their work was 
not to remove mountains, nor conquer kingdoms, ncr fulfil 
the law to the smallest tittle, nor satisfy justice for all their 
transgressions. " The yoke w^as easy and the burden 
light," which Christ would have laid upon them. It was 
but to repent and cordially accept him for their Savior ; 
to renounce all other happiness, and take the Lord for 
tlieir supreme good ; to renounce the w^orld and the flesh, 
and submit to his meek and gracious government; and to 
forsake the ways of their own devising, and w^alk in his 
iioly, delightful way. " Ah," thinks the poor tormented 
wretch, " how justly do I suffer all this, who would not be 
at so small pains to avoid it ! Where was my understand- 
ing, when I neglected that gracious offer; v.hen I called 
* the Lord a hard master,' and thought his pleasant service 
a bondage, and the service of the devil and the tlcsh the 
only freedom ? Was I not a thousand times worse than mad, 
when I censured the holy way of God as needless pre- 
ciseness ; when I thought the laws of Christ too strict, and 
all too much that I did for the life to come ? What would 
all sufferings for Christ and well-doing have been, com- 
pared with these sufferings that I must undergo for ever ! 
Would not the heaven, which I have lost, have recom- 
pensed all my losses ? And would not all my sufferings have 
been there forgotten? What if Christ had bid me to do 
some great matter; whether to live in continual fears and 
sorrows, or to suffer death a hundred times over : should 
I not have done it? How much more, when he only said, 
' Believe, and be saved. Seek my face, and thy soul shall 
live. Take up thy cross, and follow me, and I will give thee 



78 MISERY OF THOSE WHO [Chap. 5. 

everlasting life.' gracious offer ! O easy terms ! O cursed 
wretch, that would not be persuaded to accept them !" 

This also will be a most tormenting consideration, to 
remember for what they sold their eternal welfare. When 
they compare the value of the pleasures of sin with the 
value of " the recompense of reward," how will the vast 
disproportion astonish them ! To think of the low delights 
of the flesh, or the applauding breath of mortals, or the 
possessing heaps of gold, and then to think of everlasting 
glory. " This is all I had for my soul, my God, my hopes 
of blessedness!" It cannot possibly be expressed how 
these thoughts will tear his very heart. Then will he ex- 
claim against his folly : " miserable wretch ! Did I set 
my soul to sale for so base a price ? Did I part with my God 
for a little dirt and dross ; and sell my Savior, as Judas, 
for a little silver ? I had but a dream of delight, for my 
hopes of heaven ; and, now I am awakened, it is all va- 
nished. My morsels are now turned to gall, and my cups 
to wormwood. When they were past my taste, the plea- 
sure perished. And is this all that I have had for the in- 
estimable treasure .'' What a mad exchange did I make ! 
What if I had gained all the world, and lost my soul ! But, 
alas ! how small a part of the world was it, for which I 
gave up heaven !" that sinners would think of this, when 
they are swimming in the delights of the flesh, and study- 
ing how to be rich and honorable in the world! when they 
are desperately venturing upon known transgression, and 
sinning against the checks of conscience ! 

It will add yet more to their torment, when they consi- 
der that they most wilfully procured their own destruction. 
Had they been forced to sin, it would much abate the rage 
of their consciences ; or if they were punished for another 
man's transgressions ; or any other had been the chief au- 
thor of their ruin. But to think it was the choice of their 
own will, and that none in the world could have forced 
them to sin against their wills; this will be a cutting 
thought. " Had I not enemies enough in the world," thinks 
this miserable creature, " but I must be an enemy to my- 
self.^ God would never give the devil, nor the world, so 
much power over me, as to force me to commit the least 
transgression. They could but entice : it was myself that 
yielded, and did the evil. And must I lay hands upon my 



Chap. 5.] LOSE THE saints' rest. 79 

own soul, and imbrue my hands in my own blood? Never 
had I so great an enemy as myself. Never did God offer 
any good to my soul, but I resisted him. He hath heaped 
mercy upon me, and renewed one deliverance after ano- 
ther, to drawmy heart to him; yea, he hath gently chas- 
tised me, and made me groan under the fruit of my diso- 
bedience ; and though I promised largely in my affliction, 
yet never was I heartily willing to serve him." Thus will 
it gnaw the hearts of these sinners, to remember that they 
were the cause of their own ruin ; and that they wilfully 
and obstinately persisted in their rebellion, and were mere 
volunteers in the service of the devil. 

The wound in their consciences will be yet deeper, 
when they shall not only remember it w^as their own doing, 
but that they were at so much cost and pains for their own 
damnation. What great undertakings did they engage in to 
effect their ruin ; to resist the Spirit of God ; to overcome 
the power of mercies, judgments, and even the w'ord of 
God; to subdue the power of reason, and silence con- 
science ! All this they undertook and performed. Though 
they walked in continual danger of the wrath of God, and 
knew he could lay them in the dust, and cast them into 
hell in a moment; yet would they run upon all this. the 
labor it costs sinners to be damned ! Sobriety, with health 
and ease, they might have had at a cheaper rate ; yet they 
will rather have gluttony and drunkenness, with poverty, 
shame, and sickness. Contentment they might have, with 
ease and delight ; yet they will rather have covetousness 
and ambition, though it costs them cares and fears, labor 
of body and distraction of mind. Though their anger be 
self-torment, and revenge and envy consume their spirits; 
though uncleanness destroy their bodies, estates, and good 
names ; yet will they do and suffer all this, rather than 
suffer their souls to be saved. With what rage will they 
lament their folly, and say, "Was damnation worth all my 
cost and pains ? Might I not have been damned on free 
cost, but 1 must purchase it so dearly ! I thought I could 
have been saved without so much ado, and could I iM)t 
have been destroyed without so much ado ? Must I so la- 
boriously work out my own damnation, when God com- 
manded me to ' work out my own salvation ?' If I had done 
as much for heaven as I did for hell, I had surely had it. 



80 MISERY OF THOSE WHO [Chap. 6. 

I cried out of the tedious way of godliness, and the painfui 
course of self-deuial ; and yet I could be at a great deal 
more pains for Satan and for death. Had I loved Christ 
as strongly as I did my pleasures, and profits, and honors, 
and thought on him as often, and sought him as painfully, 
how happy had I now been ! How justly do I suffer the 
flames of hell, for buying them so dear, rather than have 
heaven, when it was purchased to my hands !" 

that God would persuade thee, reader, to take up these 
thoughts now, for preventing the inconceivable calamity of 
taking them up in hell as thy own tormentor ! Say not that 
they are only imaginary. Read what Dives thought, being 
in torments. As the joys of heaven are chiefly enjoyed by 
the rational soul in its rational actings, so must the pains of 
hell be suffered. As they will be men still, so will they 
feel and act as men. 



CHAPTER VI. 

THE MISERY OF THOSE, WHO, BESIDES LOSING THE SAINTs' REST, LOSE 
THE ENJOYMENTS OF TIME, AND SUFFER THE TORMENTS OF HELL. 

I. The enjoyments of time which the damned lose: I. Their presump- 
tuous belief of their interest in God and Christ; 2. All their hopes ; 
3. All their peace of conscience; 4. All their carnal mirth; 5. All 
their sensual delights. II. The torments of the damned are exceeding 
great. 1. The principal Author of the7n is God himself. 2. The place 
or state of torment. 3. These torments are the effects of divine ven- 
geance. 4. God will take pleasure in executing them. b. Satan and 
sinners themselves ivill be God^s executioners. 6. These torments will 
be universal ; 7. Without any mitigation ; 8. And eternal. The ob- 
stinate sinner convinced of his folly in venturing on these torments ; 
and entreated to fly for safely to Chribt. 

As " godliness hath a promise of the life that now is, 
and of that which is to come;" and if we " seek first the 
kingdom of God and his righteousness," then all meaner 
" things shall be added unto us;" so also are the ungodly 
threatened with the loss both of spiritual and temporal 
blessings ; and because they sought not first God's king- 
dom and righteousness, therefore shall they lose both it 
and that which they did seek, and there " shall be taken 
from them that little which they have." If they could but 
have kept their present enjoyments, they would not have 
much cared for the loss of heaven. If they had " lost and 



Chap. 6.] SUFFER THE TORMENTS OF HELL. 81 

forsaken all for Christ," they would have found all again 
in him ; for he would have been all in all to them. But, 
now they have forsook Christ for ofher things, they shall 
lose Christ, and that also for which they forsook him, 
even the enjoyments of time, besides suffering the torments 
of hell. 

First. They shall lose the enjoyments of time ; particu- 
larly, their presumptuous belief of their interest in the fa- 
vor of God, and the merits of Christ — all their hopes — 
all their false peace of conscience — all their carnal mirth, 
and all their sensual delights. 

1. They shall lose their pre sianptuoiis belief of their inte- 
rest in the favor of God, and the merits of Christ. This false 
belief now supports their spirits, and defends them from 
the terrors that would otherwise seize upon them. But 
what will ease their trouble, when they can believe no 
longer, nor rejoice any longer ? If a man be near to the 
greatest mischief, and yet strongly conceit that he is in 
safety, he may be as cheerful as if all were well. If there 
were no more to make a man happy, but to believe that 
he is so, or shall be so, happiness would be far more com- 
mon than it is like to be. As true faith is the leading 
grace in the regenerate, so is false faith tlie leading vice in 
the unregeuerate. Why do such multitudes sit still, when 
they might have pardon, but that they verily think they 
are pardoned already ? If you could ask thousands in hell, 
what madness brought them thither.? they would most of 
them answer, " We made sure of being saved, till we found 
ourselves damned. We would have been more earnest 
seekers of regeneration and the power of godliness, but 
we verily thought we were Christians before. We have 
flattered ourselves into these torments, and now there is no 
remedy." Reader, I must in faithfulness tell thee, that the 
confident belief of their good state, which the careless, 
unholy, unhumbled multitude so commonly boast of, will 
prove in the end but a soul-damning delusion. There is 
none of this believing in hell. It was Satan's stratagem, 
that being blindfold, they might follow him the more bold- 
ly ; but then he will uncover their eyes, and they shall see 
where they are. 

2. They shall lose also all their hopes. In this life, 
though thev were threatened with the wrath of God, yet 

4# 



82 MISERY OF THOSE WHO [Chap. 6. 

their hope of escaping it bore up their hearts. We can 
now scarce speak with the vilest drunkard, or swearer, or 
scoffer, but he hopes to be saved, for all this. happy 
world, if salvation were as common as this hope ! Nay, so 
strong are men's hopes, that they will dispute the cause 
with Christ himself at judgment, and plead their "having 
ate and drank in his presence, and prophesied in his name, 
and in his name cast out devils;" they will stiffly deny 
that ever they neglected Christ in hunger, nakedness, or in 
prison, till he confutes them with the sentence of their 
condemnation. the sad state of those men, when they 
must bid farewell to all their hopes ! " When a wicked man 
dieth, his expectation shall perish ; and the hope of un- 
just men perisheth. The eyes of the wicked shall fail, and 
they shall not escape, and their hope shall be as the giv- 
ing up of the ghost." The giving up the ghost is a fit, but 
terrible resemblance of a wicked man giving up his hopes. 
As the soul departeth not from the body without the great- 
est pain, so doth the hope of the wicked depart. The soul 
departs from the body suddenly, in a moment, which hath 
there delightfully continued so many years; just so doth 
the hope of the wicked depart. The soul will never more 
return to live with the body in this world ; and the hope 
of the wicked takes an everlasting farewell of his soul. A 
miracle of resurrection shall again unite soul and body, 
but there shall be no such miraculous resurrection of the 
damned's hope. Methinks it is the most pitiable sight 
this world aifords, to see such an ungodly person dying, 
and to think of his soul and his hopes departing together. 
With what a sad change he appears in another world ! 
Then if a man could but ask that hopeless soul, " Are you 
as confident of salvation as you were wont to be ?" what a 
sad answer would be returned ! O that careless sinners 
Avould be awakened to think of this in time ! Reader, rest 
not till thou canst give a reason of all thy hopes grounded 
upon Scripture promises : that they purify thy heart; that 
they quicken thy endeavors in godliness ; that the more 
thou hopest the less thou sinnest, and the more exact is 
thy obedience. If thy hopes be such as these, go on in 
the strength of the Lord, hold fast thy hope, and " never 
shall it make thee ashamed." But if thou hast not one 
sounr* .vldence of a work of grace on thy soul, cast away 



Chap. 6.] SUFFER THE TORMENTS OF HELL. 83 

thy hopes. Despair of ever being saved, '• except thou be 
born again ;" or of " seeing God, without holiness ;" or of 
having part in Christ, except thou " love him above father, 
mother, or thy own life." This kind of despair is one of 
the first steps to heaven. If a man be quite out of his way, 
what must be the first means to bring him in again ? He 
must despair of ever coming to his journey's end in the 
way that he is in. If his home be eastward, and he is go- 
ing westward, as long as he hopes he is right, he will go 
on ; and as long as he goes on hoping, he goes further 
amiss. When he despairs of coming home, except he turn 
back, then he will return, and then he may hope. Just so 
it is, sinner, with thy soul : thou art born out of the way 
to heaven, and hast proceeded many a year; thou goest 
on and hopest to be saved, because thou art not so bad as 
many others. Except thou throw away those hopes, and 
see that thou hast all this while been quite out of the way 
to heaven, thou wilt never return and be saved. There is 
nothing in the world more likely to keep thy soul out of 
heaven, than thy false hopes of being saved, while thou 
art out of the way to salvation. See then how it will ag- 
gravate the misery of the damned, that, with the loss of 
heaven, they shall lose all that hope of it which now^ sup- 
ports them. 

3. They will lose all that false peace of conscience^ which 
makes their present life so easy. Who would think, that 
sees how quietly the multitude of the ungodly live, that 
they must very shortly lie down in everlasting flames ? 
They are as free from the fears of hell as an obedient be- 
liever ; and for the most part have less disquiet of mind 
than those who shall be saved. Happy men, if this peace 
would prove lasting ! " When they shall say. Peace and 
safety ; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as 
travail upon a woman with child ; and they shall not es- 
cape." cruel peace, which ends in such a war! The 
soul of every man by nature is Satan's garrison; all is at 
peace in such a man till Christ comes, and gives it terri- 
ble alarms of judgment and hell, batters it with the ord- 
nance of his threats and terrors, forces it to yield to his 
mere mercy, and take him for the Governor; then doth he 
cast out Satan, " overcome him, take from him all his ar- 
mor wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils," and then 



84 MISERY OF THOSE WHO [Chap. 6. 

doth he establish a firm and lasting peace. If, therefore, 
thou art yet in that first peace, never think it will endure. 
Can thy soul have lasting peace, in enmity with Christ? 
Can he have peace, against whc^i God proclaims war? I 
wish thee no greater good, than that God break in upon 
Ihy careless heart, and shake thee out of thy false peace, 
j.nd make thee lie down at the feet of Christ, and say, 
*' Lord, what wouldst thou have me to do?" and so re- 
ceive from him a better and surer peace, which will never 
be quite broken, but be the beginning of thy everlasting 
peace, and not perish in thy perishing, as the groundless 
peace of the world will do. 

4. They shall lose all their carnal mirth. They will 
themselves say of their " laughter, it is mad ; and of their 
mirth, what doeth it ?" It was but " as the crackling df 
thorns under a pot." It made a blaze for a while, but it 
was presently gone, and returned no more. The talk of 
death and judgment was irksome to them, because it damp- 
ed their mirth. They could not endure to think of their 
sin and danger, because these thoughts sunk their spirits. 
They knew not what it was to weep for sin, or to humble 
themselves under the mighty hand of God. They could 
laugh away sorrow, and sing away cares, and drive away 
those melancholy thoughts. To meditate and pray, they 
fancied, would be enough to make them miserable, or run 
mad. Poor souls, what a misery will that life be, where 
you shall have nothing but sorrow — intense, heart-piercing, 
multiplied sorrow; when you shall neither have the joys 
of saints, nor your own former joys ! Do you think there is 
one merry heart in hell? or one joyful countenance or 
jesting tongue ? You now cry, "A little mirth is worth a 
great deal of sorrow." But, surely, a little godly sorrow, 
which would have ended in eternal joy, had been worth 
much more than all your foolish mirth; for the end of such 
mirth is sorrow'. 

5. They shall also lose all their sensual delights. That 
which they esteemed their chief good, their heaven, their 
god, must they lose, as well as God himself. What a fall 
will the proud, ambitious man have from the top of his 
honors! As his dust and bones will not be known from the 
dust and bones of the poorest beggar, so neither will his 
soul be honored or favored more than theirs. What a num- 



Chap. 6.J SUFFER THE TORMENTS OF HELL. 85 

ber of the great, noble, and learned, will be shut out from 
the presence of Christ ! They shall not find their magnifi- 
cent buildings, soft beds, and easy couches. They shall 
not view their curious gardens, their pleasant meadows, 
and plenteous harvests. Their tables will not be so fur- 
nished, nor attended. The rich man is there no more 
" clothed in purple and fine linen, nor fareth sumptuously 
every day." There is no expecting the admiration of be- 
holders. They shall spend their time in sadness, and not 
in sports and pastimes. What an alteration will they then 
find ! The heat of their lust will be then abated. How 
will it even cut them to the heart, to look each other in 
the face ! What an interview will there then be, cursing 
the day that ever they saw one another ! that sinners 
would now remember and say, " Will these delights ac- 
company us into the other world ? Will not the remem- 
brance of them be then our torment ? Shall we then take 
this partnership in vice for true friendship? Why should we 
sell such lasting, incomprehensible joys for a taste of seem- 
ing pleasure ? Come, as we have sinned together, let us 
pray together, that God would pardon us ; and let us help 
one another toward heaven, instead of helping to deceive 
and destroy each other. O that men knew but what they 
desire, when they would so fain have all things suited to 
the desires of the flesh ! It is but to desire their tempta- 
tions to be increased and their snares strengthened. 

Secondly. As the loss of the saints' rest will be aggra- 
vated by losing the enjoyments of time, it will be much 
more so by suffering the torments of hell. The exceed- 
ing greatness of such torments may appear, by considering 
the principal Author of them, who is God himself — the 
place or state of torment — that these torments are the fruit 
of divine vengeance — that the Almighty takes pleasure in 
them — that Satan and sinners themselves shall be God's ex- 
ecutioners — that these torments shall be universal, with- 
out mitigation, and without end. 

1. The jmncipal Author of hell-torments is God himself. 
As it was no less than God whom the sinners had offended, 
so it is no less than God who will punish them for their 
offences. He hath prepared those torments for his ene- 
mies. His continued anger will still be devouring them. 
His breath of indignation will kindle the flames. His wrath 



86 MISERY OF THOSE WHO [Chap. 6, 

will be. an intolerable burden to their souls. If it were but 
a creature they had to do with, they might better bear it. 
Wo to him that falls under the strokes of the Almighty ! 
" It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living 
God." It were nothing in comparison to this, if all the 
world were against them, or if the strength of all creatures 
were united in one to intiict their penalty. They had now 
rather venture to displease God than displease a landlord, 
a customer, a master, a friend, a neighbor, or their own 
flesh ; but then they will wish a thousand times in vain, 
that they had been hated of all the w^orld, rather than have 
lost the favor of God. What a consuming fire is his wTath ! 
If it be kindled here but a little, how do we " wither like 
the grass !" How^ soon doth our strength decay, and turn 
to weakness, and our beauty to deformity ! The flames do 
not so easily run through the dry stubble, as the wrath of 
God will consume these wretches. They that could not 
bear a prison, or a gibbet, or a fire for Christ, nor scarce a 
few scoffs, how will they now bear the devouring flames of 
divine wrath ? 

2, The jp/ace or state of torment is purposely ordained to 
glorify the justice of God. When God would glorify his 
power, he made the worlds. The comely order of all his 
creatures declareth his w^isdom. His providence is shown 
in sustaining all things. When a spark of his wrath kindles 
upon the earth, the whole world, except only eight persons, 
are drowned; Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, andZeboim, are 
burnt with fire from heaven ; the sea shuts her mouth upon 
some, the earth opens and swallows up others ; the pesti- 
lence destroys by thousands. What a standing witness of 
the wrath of God is the present deplorable state of the 
Jews ! Yet the glorifying the mercy and justice of God is 
intended most eminently for the life to come. As God will 
then glorify his mercy in a way that is now beyond the 
comprehension of the saints that must enjoy it; so also 
will he manifest his justice to be indeed the justice of God. 
The everlasting flames of hell will not be thought too hot 
for the rebellious ; and, when they have there burned 
through millions of ages, he will not repent him of the 
evil which has befallen them. Wo to the soul that is thus 
set up as a butt for the wrath of the Almighty to shoot at! 



Chap. 6.] SUFFER THE TORMENTS OF HELL. 87 

and as a bush that must burn in the flames of his jealousy, 
and never be consumed! 

3. The torments of the damned must be extreme, be- 
cause they are the effect of divine vengeance. Wrath is ter- 
rible, but revenge is implacable. When the great God shall 
say, " My rebellious creatures shall now pay for all the 
abuse of my patience; remember how I waited your leisure 
in vain, how I stooped to persuade and entreat you ; did 
you think I would always be so slighted?" then will he be 
revenged for every abused mercy, and for all their neglects 
of Christ and grace. that men would foresee this, and 
please God better in preventing their wo ! 

4. Consider also, that, though God had rather men would 
accept of Christ and mercy, yet, when they persist in re- 
bellion, he will take pleasure in their execution. He tells us, 
" Fury is not in me ;" yet he adds, " Who would set the 
briers and thorns against me in battle ; I would go through 
them, I would burn them together." Wretched creatures! 
when "he that made them will not have mercy upon them, 
and he that formed them will show them no favor. As the 
Lord rejoiced over them to do them good ; so the Lord 
will rejoice over them to destroy them, and bring them to 
nought." Wo to the souls whom God rejoiceth to punish! 
" He will laugh at their calamity, he will mock when 
their fear cometh ; when their fear cometh as desolation, 
and their destruction cometh as a w^hirlwind; when dis- 
tress and anguish cometh upon them." Terrible thing, 
when none in heaven or earth can help them but God, 
and he shall rejoice in their calamity ! Though Scripture 
speaks of God's laughing and mocking, not literally, but 
after the manner of men ; yet it is an act of God in tor- 
menting the sinner, which cannot otherwise be more fitly 
expressed. 

5. Consider that Satan and themselves shall be Godh exe- 
cutioners. He that was here so successful in drawing them 
from Christ, will then be the instrument of their punish- 
ment, for yielding to his temptations. That is the reward 
he will give them for all their service ; for their rejecting 
the commands of God, forsaking Christ, and neglecting 
their souls at his persuasion. If they had served Christ as 
faithfully as they did Satan, he would have given them a 
better reward. It is also most just, that they should be their 



88 MISERY OF THOSE WHO [Chap. 6. 

own tormentors; that they may see their whole destruc- 
tion is of themselves ; and then, whom can they complain 
of but themselves ? 

6. Consider also that their torment will be universal. 
As all parts have joined in sin, so must they all partake in 
the torment. The soul, as it was the chief in sinning, shall 
be the chief in suffering ; and as it is of a more excellent 
nature than the body, so will its torments far exceed bo- 
dily torments ; and as its joys far surpass all sensual plea- 
sures, so the pains of the soul exceed corporeal pains. It 
is not or.ly a soul, but a sinful soul, that must suffer. Fire 
will not burn, except the fuel be combustible ; but if the 
wood be dry, how hercely will it burn ! The guilt of their 
sins will be to damned souls like tinder to gunpowder, to 
make the tlames of hell take hold upon them with fury. 
The body must also bear its part. That body which was 
so carefully looked to, so tenderly cherished, so curiously 
dressed, what must it now endure ! How are its haughty 
looks now taken down ! How little will those flames re- 
gard its comeliness and beauty ! Those eyes, which were 
wont to be delighted with curious sights, must then see 
nothing but what shall terrify them! an angry God above 
them, with those saints whom they scorned, enjoying the 
glory which they have lost; and about them will be only 
devils and damned souls. " How will they look back and 
say, " Are all our feasts, and games, and revels, come to 
this ?" Those ears, which were accustomed to music and 
songs, shall hear the shrieks and cries of their damned 
companions ; children crying out against their parents, that 
gave them encouragement and example in evil ; husbands 
and wives, masters and servants, ministers and people, ma- 
gistrates and subjects, charging their misery upon one ano- 
ther, for discouraging in duty, conniving at sin, and being 
silent, when they should have plainly foretold the danger. 
Thus will soul and body be companions in wo. 

7. Far greater will these torments be, because without 
mitigation. In this life, when told of hell, or if conscience 
troubled their peace, they had comforters at hand ; their 
carnal friends, their business, their company, their mirth. 
They could drink, play, or sleep away their sorrows. But 
now all these remedies are vanished. Their hard, presump- 
tuous, unbelieving heart was a wall to defend them against 



Chap. 6.] SUFFER THE TORMENTS OP HELL. 89 

trouble of mind. Satan was himself their comforter, as he 
was to our first mother: " Hath God said, ye shall not eat.'' 
ye shall not surely die. Doth God tell you that you shall 
He in hell? it is no such matter; God is more merciful. 
Or, if there be a hell, what need you fear it? Are not you 
Christians ? Was not the blood of Christ shed for you ?" 
Thus, as the Spirit of Christ is the comforter of the saints, 
so Satan is the comforter of the wicked. Never was a thief 
more careful lest he should awake the people, when he is 
robbing the house, than Satan is not to awaken a sinner. 
But when the sinner is dead, then Satan hath done flatter- 
ing and comforting. Which way, then, will the forlorn 
sinner look for comfort? They that drew him into the 
snare, and promised him safety, now forsake him, and are 
forsaken themselves. His comforts are gone, and the righ- 
teous God, whose forewarnings he made light of, will now 
make good his word against him to the least tittle. 

8. But the greatest aggravation of these torments will be 
their eternity. When a thousand millions of ages are past, 
they are as fresh to begin as the first day. If there were 
any hope of an end, it would ease the damned to foresee it ; 
but For ever is an intolerable thought ! They were never 
weary of sinning, nor will God be weary of punishing. 
They never heartily repented of sin, nor will God repent 
of their suffering. They broke the laws of the eternal God, 
and therefore shall suffer eternal punishment. They knew 
it was an everlasting kingdom which they refused, and 
what wonder if they are everlastingly shut out of it? Their 
immortal souls were guilty of the trespass, and therefore 
must immortally suffer the pains. What happy men would 
they think themselves, if they might have lain still in their 
graves, or might but there lie down again ! How will they 
call and cry, " death, whither art thou now gone ? Now 
come and cut off this dolefal life. that these pains would 
break my heart, and end my being! that I might once 
at last die I O that I had never liad a being !" These groans 
will the thoughts of eternity wring from their hearts. They 
were wont to think sermons and prayers long; how long 
then will they think these endless torments ! What differ- 
ence is there betwixt the length of their pleasures and 
their pains I The one continued but a moment, the other 
endureth through all eternity. Sinner, remember how time 



90 MISERY OF THOSE WHO [Chap. 6. 

is almost gone. Thou art standing at the door of eternity; 
and death is waiting to open the door, and put thee in. 
Goj sleep out a few more nights, and stir about a few more 
days on earth, and then thy nights and days shall end : thy 
thoughts, and cares, and pleasures shall all be devoured by 
eternity; thou must enter upon the state which shall never 
be changed. As the joys of heaven are beyond our con- 
ception, so are the pains of hell. Everlasting torment is 
inconceivable torment. 

But methinks I see the obstinate sinner desperately re- 
solving, " If I must be damned, there is no remedy. Rather 
than I will live as the Scripture requires, I will put it to the 
venture ; I shall escape as well as the rest of my neighbors, 
and we will even bear it as well as we can." Alas ! poor 
creature, let me beg this of thee, before thou dost so flatly 
resolve, that thou wouldst lend me thy attention to a few 
questions, and weigh them with the reason of a man. Who 
art thou, that thou shouldst bear the wrath of God? What 
is thy strength ? Is it not as the strength of wax or stubble 
to resist the fife ; or as chaff to the wind ; or as dust before 
the fierce whirlwind ? If thy strength were as iron, and thy 
bones as brass ; if thy foundation were as the earth, and 
thy power as the heavens, yet shouldst thou perish at the 
breath of his indignation. How mucb more, when thou art 
but a piece of breathing clay, kept a few days from being 
eaten with worms, by the mere support and favor of him 
whom thou art thus resisting! Why dost thou tremble at 
the signs of almighty power and wrath ? at claps of thunder, 
or flashes of lightning; or that unseen power which rends 
in pieces the mighty oaks, and tears down the strongest 
buildings ; or at the plague, when it rageth around thee ? 
If thou hadst seen the plagues of Egypt, or the earth 
swallow up Dathan and Abiram, or Elijah bring fire from 
heaven to destroy the captains and their companies, would 
not any of these sights have daunted thy spirit ? How then 
canst thou bear the plagues of hell ? Why art thou dismayed 
with such small sufferings as befall thee here? atoothach, 
a fit of the gout, or stone, the loss of a limb, or falling into 
beggary and disgrace ? And yet all these laid together will 
be one day accounted a happy state, in comparison of that 
which is suffered in hell. Why does the approach of death 
BO much affright thee? how cold it strikes to thy heart I 



Chap. 6.] SUFFER THE TORMENTS OF HELL. 91 

And would not the grave be accounted a paradise, com- 
pared with that place of torment which thou slightest? Is 
it an intolerable thing to burn part of thy body by holding 
it in the fire? What, then, will it be to suffer ten thousand 
times more for ever in hell ! The thought or mention of 
hell occasions disquiet in thy spirit ; and canst thou endure 
the torments themselves ? Why doth the rich man com- 
plain to Abraham of his torments in hell ? or thy dying 
companions lose their courage, and change their haughty 
language ? Why cannot these make as light of hell as thy- 
self? Didst thou never see or speak with a man under de- 
spair? How uncomfortable was his talk! hov/ burdensome 
his life ! Nothing he possessed did him good : he had no 
sweetness in meat or drink ; the sight of friends troubled 
him ; he was weary of life, and fearful of death. If the 
misery of the damned can be endured, why cannot a man 
more easily endure these foretastes of hell? What if thou 
shouldst see the devil appear to thee in some terrible shape ! 
Would not thy heart fail thee, and thy hair stand on an 
end ? And how wilt thou endure to live for ever, where thou 
shalt have no other company but devils and the damned, 
and shalt not only see thetn, but be tormented with them 
and by them ? Let me once more ask, if the wrath of God 
be so light, why did the Son of God himself make so great 
a matter of it ? It made him " sweat, as it were, great drops 
of blood falling down to the ground." The Lord of life 
cried, " My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death." 
And on the cross, " My God, my God, why hast thou for- 
saken me?" Surely if anyone could have borne these suf- 
ferings easily, it would have been Jesus Christ. He had 
another measure of strength to bear it than thou hast. Wo 
to thee, sinner, for thy mad security ! Dost thou think to 
find that tolerable to thee, which was so heavy to Christ? 
Nay, the Son of God is cast into a bitter agony and bloody 
sweat, only under the curse of the law; and yet thou, 
feeble, foolish creature, makest nothing to bear also the 
curse of the Gospel, which requires a much sorer punish- 
ment. The good Lord bring thee to thy right mind by re- 
pentance, lest thou buy thy wit at too dear a rate ! 

And now, reader, I demand thy resolution. — What use 
wilt thou make of all this ? Shall it be lost to thee ? or wilt 
thou consider it in good earnest ? Thou hast cast away 



92 MISERY OF THOSE WHO [Ghap. 6. 

many a warning of God ; wilt thoa do so by this also ? 
Take heed ; God will not always stand warning and threat- 
ening. The hand of revenge is lifted up, the blow is com- 
ing, and wo to him on whom it lighteth ! Dost thou throw 
away the book, and say it speaks of nothing but hell and 
damnation ? Thus thou usedst also to complain of the 
preacher. But wou!dst thou not have us to tell thee of 
these tilings ? Should we be guilty of the blood of thy soul, 
by keeping silent that which God hath charged us to make 
known ? Wouldst thou perish in ease and silence, and 
have us to perish with thee, rather than displease thee by 
speaking the truth ? If thou wilt be guilty of such inhu- 
man cruelty, God forbid we should be guilty of such sot- 
tish folly ! This kind of preaching or writing is the ready 
way to be hated ; and the desire of applause is so natural, 
that few deiight in such a displeasing way. But consider, 
are these things true, or are they not ? If they were not 
true, I would heartily join with thee against any that fright 
people without a cause. But if these threatenings be the 
word of God, what a wretch art thou, that wilt not hear it 
and consider it ! If thou art one of the people of God, this 
doctrine will be a comfort to thee, and not a terror. If 
thou art yet unregenerate, methinks thou shouldst be as 
fearful to hear of heaven as of hell, except the bare name 
of heaven or salvation be sufficient. Preaching heaven 
and mercy to thee is entreating thee to seek them, and not 
reject them ; and preaching hell is but to persuade thee 
to avoid it. If thou wert quite past hope of escaping it, 
then it were in vain to tell thee of hell; but as long as 
thou art alive, there is hope of thy recovery, and therefore 
all means must be used to awake thee from thy lethargy. 
Alas ! what heait can now possibly conceive, or what 
tongue express, the pains of those souls that are under the 
wrath of God ! Then, sinners, you will be crying to Jesus 
Christ, " mercy ! pity, pity on a poor soul !" Why, 1 
do now, in the name of the Lord Jesus, cry to thee, " 
have mercy, have pity, man, upon thy own soul !" Shall 
'God pity thee, who wilt not be entreated to pity thyself .? 
If thy horse see but a pit before him, thou canst scarcely 
force him in ; and wilt thou so obstinately cast thyself in- 
to hell, when the danger is foretold thee } " Who can 
stand before the indignation of the Lord ? and who can 



Chap. 7.] SUFFER THE TORMENTS OF HELL. 93 

abide the fierceness of his anger ?" Melhinks thou shouldst 
need no more words, but presently cast away thy soiil- 
damnij)g- sins, and wholly deliver np thyself to Christ. 
Resolve on it immediately, and let it be done, that I may 
see thy face in rest among the saints. May the Lord per- 
suade thy heart to strike this covenant without any longer 
delay ! But ii' thou be hardened unto death, and there be 
no remedy, yet say not another day but that thou wast 
faithfully warned, and hadst a friend that would fain have 
prevented thy damnation. 



CHj^PTER VII. 

THE NECESSITY OF DILIGENTLY SEEKING THE SAINTs' REST. 

1. The saints^ rest surprisingly nenrhcied. The author mourns the ne- 
glect, and excites the reader to diligence, hy considering, 1. The ends 
we aim at, the work we have to do, the shortness and uncertainty of 
our time, and the diligence of our enemies; '2. Our talents, mercies, 
relations to God, and our ajjlictions; 3. What assistances we have, 
what princijiles ive pnfess, and our certainly never to do enough ; 
4. That every grace tends to diligence, and to trifle is lost labor ; that 
much time is mispent, and that our recompense and labor will be 
proportionable ; 5. That striving is the divine appointment; all men 
do or will approve it; the best Christians, at death, lament their want 
of it; heaven is often lost for ivant of it, but never obtained ivithout 
it; 6. God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit] are in earnest; God is so in 
hearing and answering prayer; ministers in their instructions and 
exhortations ; all the creatures in serving us ; sinners in serving the 
devil, as we were once, and now are, in worldly things, andin heaven 
and hell all are in earnest. 

1. If there be so certain and glorious a rest for the 
saints, why is there no more industrious seeking after it ? 
One would think, if a man did but once hear of such un- 
speakable glory to be obtained, and believed what he 
heard to be true, he would be transported with the vehe- 
mency of his desire after it, and would almost forget to eat 
and drink, and would care for notiiing else, and speak of 
and inquire after nothing else, but how to get this treasure. 
And yet people who hear of it daily, and profess to believe 
it as a fundantiental article of their faith, do as little mind it, 
or labor for it, as if they had never heard of any such 
thing, or did not believe one word they hear. This re- 



94 THE NECESSITY OF SEEKING [Chap. 7. 

proof is more particularly applicable to the worldly-mind- 
ed, the profane multitude, the formal professors, and even 
to the godly themselves. 

The worldly-mmded are so taken up in seeking the things 
below, that they have neither heart nor time to seek this 
rest. foolish sinners, who hath bewitched you ? The 
world bewitches men into brute beasts, and draws them 
some degrees beyond madness. See what riding and run- 
ning, what scrambling and catching for a thing of nought, 
while eternal rest lies neglected ! What contriving and 
caring to get a step higher in the world than their bre- 
thren, while they neglect the kingly dignity of the saints ! 
What insatiable pursuit of fleshly pleasures, while they 
look on the praises of God, the joy of angels, as a tiresome 
burden ! What unwearied diligence in raising their pos- 
terity, enlarging their possessions, (perhaps for a poor liv- 
ing from hand to mouth,) while judgment is drawing near ! 
but how it shall go with them then, never puts them to 
one hour's consideration ! What rising early, and sit- 
ting up late, and laboring from year to year, to main- 
tain themselves and children in credit till they die ! but 
what shall follow after, they never think on ! Yet these 
men cry, " May we not be saved without so much ado ?" 
How early do they rouse up their servants to their labor ! 
but how seldom do they call them to prayer, or reading 
the Scriptures ! What hath this world done for its lovers 
and friends, that it is so eagerly followed, and painfully 
sought after, while Christ and heaven stand by and few 
regard them ? or what will the world do for them for the 
time to come ? The common entrance into it is through 
anguish and sorrow. The passage through it is with con- 
tinual care and labor. The passage out of it is the sharp- 
I est of all. unreasonable, bewitched men ! Will mirth 
and pleasure stick close to you ! Will gold and worldly 
glory prove fast friends to you in the time of your greatest 
need ? Will they hear your cries in the day of your ca- 
lamity ? At the hour of your death, will they either an- 
swer or relieve you ? Will they go along with you to the 
other world, and bribe the Judge, and bring you off clear, 
or purchase you a place among the blessed ? Why, then, 
did the rich man want " a drop of water to cool his 
tongue ?" Or are the sweet morsels of present delight and 



Chap. 7.] jHE saints' rest. 95 

honor of more worth than eternal rest ? And will they 
recompense the loss of that enduring treasure ? Can 
there be the least hope of any of these ? Ah, vile, de- 
ceitful world ! how oft have we heard thy most faithful 
servants at last complaining, " 0, the world hath de- 
ceived me, and undone me ! It flattered me in my pros- 
perity, but now it turns me off in my necessity. If I had 
as faithfully served Christ as I have served it, he would 
not have left me thus comfortless and hopeless." Thus 
they complain ; and yet succeeding sinners will take no 
warning. 

As for the profane multitude, they will not be persuaded 
to be at so much pains for salvation, as to perform the com- 
mon outward duties of religion. If they have the Gos- 
pel preached in the town where they dwell, it may be they 
will give the hearing to it one part of the day, and stay at 
home the other ; or if the master come to the congrega- 
tion, yet part of his family must stay at home. If they 
have not the plain and powerful preaching of the Gospel, 
how few are there in a whole town, who will travel a mile 
or two to hear abroad ; though they v/ill go many miles to 
the market for provisions for their bodies ! They know the 
Scripture is the law of God, by which they must be ac- 
quitted or condemned in judgment ; and that " the m.an is 
blessed who delights in the law of the Lord, and in his 
law doth meditate day and night;" yet will they not be at 
the pains to read a chapter once a day. If they carry a 
Bible to church, and neglect it all the week, this is the 
most use they make of it. Though they are commanded 
to pray without ceasing, and to pray always, yet they will 
neither pray constantly in their families, nor in secret. 
Though Daniel would rather be cast to the lions, than for- 
bear praying three times a day in his house, where his 
enemies might hear him, yet these men will rather ven- 
ture to be an eternal prey to Satan, the roaring lion, than 
thus seek their own safety. Or their cold and heartless 
prayers invite God to a denial ; for among men it is taken 
for granted, that he who asks but slightly and seldom, 
cares not much for what he asks. They judge themselves 
unworthy of heaven, who think it not worth their more 
constant and earnest requests. If every door was marked, 
where families do not, morning and evening, earnestly 



96 THE NECESSITY OF SEEKING [Chap. 7. 

seek the Lord in prayer, and his wrath were poured out 
upon such prayerless families, our towns would be as 
places overthrown by the plague, the people being dead 
within, and the mark of judgment without. I fear, where 
one liouse would escape, ten would be marked out for 
death ; and then they might teach their doors to pray, 
" Lord have mercy upon us," because the people would 
not pray themselves. But especially if we could see what 
men do in their secret chambers, how few would you find 
in a whole town that spend one quarter of an hour, morn- 
ing and night, in earnest supplication to God for their 
souls ! how little do these men set by eternal rest ! 
Thus do they slothfully neglect all endeavors for their own 
welfare, except some public duty in the congregation, 
v/hich custom or credit engages them to. Persuade them 
to read good books, learn the grounds of religion in their 
catechism, and sanctify the Lord's day in prayer, and me- 
ditation, and hearing the word, and forbearing all worldly 
thoughts and speeches ; and what a tedious life do they 
take this to be ! as if they thought heaven were not worth 
doing so much for. 

Another sort are formal professors, who will be brought 
to any outward duty, but to the inward work of religion 
they will never be persuaded. They will preach, or hear, 
or read, or talk of heaven, or pray in their families, and 
take part with the persons or causes that are good, and 
desire to be esteemed among the godly ; but you can ne- 
ver bring them to the more spiritual duties ; as to be con- 
stant and fervent in secret pray(h and meditation ; consci- 
entious in self-examination ; heavenly-minded ; to watch 
over their hearts, words, and ways ; to mortify the flesh, 
and not make provision to fulfil its lusts ; to love and hear- 
tily forgive an enemy, and prefer their brethren before 
themselves; to lay all they have, or do, at the feet of 
Christ, and prize his service and favor before all ; to pre- 
pare to die and willingly leave all to go to Christ. Hypo- 
crites will never be persuaded to any of these. If any 
hypocrite entertains the Gospel with joy, it is only in the 
surface of his soul ; he never gives the seed any depth of 
earth : it changes his opinion, but never melts and new 
moulds his heart, nor sets up Christ there in full power 
and authority. As his religion lies most in opinion, so 



Chap. 7.] THE saints' rest. 97 

does his chief business and conversation. He is usually 
an ignorant, bold, conceited dealer in controversies, rather 
than an humble embracer of known truth, with love and 
obedience. By his slighting the judgments and persons 
of others, and seldom talking with seriousness and humility 
of the great things of Christ, he shows his religion dwells 
in the brain, and not in his heart. The wind of tempta- 
tion carries him away as a feather, because his heart is not 
established with Christ and grace. He never, in private 
conversation, humbly bewails his soul's imperfections, or 
tenderly acknowledges his unkindness to Christ ; but ga- 
thers his greatest comforts from his being of such a judg- 
ment or party. The like may be said of the worldly hypo- 
crite, who chokes the Gospel with the thorns of worldly 
cares and desires. He is convinced that he must be reli- 
gious, or he cannot be saved ; and therefore he reads, and 
hears, and prays, and forsakes his former company and 
courses ; but he resolves to keep his hold of present things. 
His judgment may say, God is the chief good ; but his 
heart and affections never said so. The world hath more 
of his affections than God, and therefore it is his god. 
Though he does not run after opinions and novelties, like 
the former, yet he will be of that opinion which will best 
serve his worldly advantage. And as one whose spirits 
are enfeebled by some pestilential disease, so this man's 
spirits being possessed by the plague of a worldly dispo- 
sition, how feeble is he in secret prayer ! how superficial 
in examination and meditation ! how poor in heart-watch- 
ings ! how nothing at all in loving and walking with God, 
rejoicing in him, or desiring him ! So that both these and 
many other sorts of hypocrites, though they will go with 
you in the easy outside of religion, yet will never be at 
the pains of inward and spiritual duties. 

And even the godly themselves are too lazy seekers ot 
their everlasting rest. Alas ! what a disproportion is there 
between our light and heat, ourprofession and prosecution! 
Who makes that haste as if it were for heaven ? How still 
we stand ! how idly we work! how we talk, and jest, and 
trifle away our time ! how deceitfully we perform the work 
of God ! how we hear, as if we heard not ! and pray, as 
if we prayed not ! and examine, and meditate, and reprove 
sin, as if we did it not ! and enjoy Christ, as if we enjoyed 
5 



98 THE NECESSITY OF SEEKING [Chap. 7o 

him not ! as if we had learned to use the things of heaven, 
as the apostle teacheth us to "use the things of the world !" 
What a frozen stupidity has benumbed us ! We are dying, 
and we know it, and yet we stir not ; we are at the door 
of eternal happiness or misery, and yet we perceive it 
not ; death knocks, and we hear it not ; God and Christ 
call and cry to us, " To-day, if ye will hear my voice, har- 
den not your hearts ; work while it is day, for the night 
cometh, when none can work." Now ply your business, la- 
bor for your lives, lay out all your strength and time; now or 
never ! and yet we stir no more than if we were half asleep» 
">Vhat haste do death and judgment make ! how fast do 
they come on ! they are almost at us, and yet what little 
haste we make ! Lord, what a senseless, earthly, hellish 
thing is a hard heart ! Where is the man that is in earnest 
a Christian ? Methinks men every where make but a trifle 
of their eternal state. They look after it but a little by the 
by ; they do not make it the business of their lives. If I 
were not sick myself of the same disease, with what tears 
should I mix this ink ! with what groans should I express 
these complaints ! and with what heart-grief should I 
mourn over this universal deadness ! 

Do magistrates among us seriously perform their work ? 
Are they zealous for God ? Do they build up his house ? 
Are they tender of his honor ? Do they second the word • 
and fly in the face of sin and sinners, as the disturbers of 
our peace, and the only cause of all our miseries ? Do they 
improve all their power, wealth, and honor, and all their 
influence, for the greatest advantage to the kingdom of 
Christ, as men that must shortly give an account of their 
stewardship ? 

How few are those ministers that are serious in their 
■ work ! Nay, how mightily do the very best fail in this ! 
Do we cry out of men's disobedience to the Gospel " in the 
demonstration of the Spirit," and deal with sin as the de- 
stroying fire in our towns, and by force pull men out of it .'^ 
Do we persuade our people as those should that " know the 
terrors of the Lord ?" Do we press Christ, and regenera- 
tion, and faith, and holiness, believing that, without these, 
men can never have life ? Do our bowels yearn over the 
ignorant, careless, and obstinate multitude ? When we 
look them in the face, do our hearts melt over them, lest 



Chap. 7.] THE saints' rest. 99 

we should never see their faces in rest ? Do we, as Paul, 
"tell them, weeping," of their fleshly and earthly disposi- 
tion ; "and teach them publicly, and from house to house, 
at all seasons, and with many tears r" And do we entreat 
them, as for their soul's salvation ? Or, rather, do we not 
study to gain the approbation of critical hearers ; as if a 
minister's business were of no more weight but to tell a 
smooth tale for an hour, and look no more after the peo- 
ple till the next sermon ? Does not carnal prudence con- 
trol our fervor, and make our discourses lifeless, on sub- 
jects the most piercing ? How gently do we handle those 
sins, which will so cruelly handle our people's souls ! In 
a word, our want of seriousness about the things of heaven, 
charms the souls of men into formality, and brings them 
to this customary careless hearing, which undoes them. 
May the Lord pardon the great sin of the ministry in this 
thing ; and, in particular, my own ! 

And are the people more serious than magistrates or min- 
isters ? How can it be expected ? Reader, look but to thy- 
self, and resolve the question. Ask conscience, and suffer 
it to tell thee truly. Hast thou set thy eternal rest before 
thine eyes, as the great business thou hast to do in this 
world ? Hast thou watched and labored with all thy might, 
"that no man take thy crown .^" Hast thou made haste, 
lest thou shouldst come too late, and die before thy work 
be done ? Hast thou pressed on through crowds of oppo- 
sition, " toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling 
of God in Christ Jesus," still " reaching forth unto those 
things which are before ?" Can conscience witness your se- 
cret cries, and groans, and tears ? Can your family witness 
that you taught them the fear of the Lord, and warned 
them not to " go to that place of torment ?" Can your min- 
ister witness, that he has heard you cry out, " What shall 
I do to be saved ?" and that you have followed him with 
complaints against your corruptions, and with earnest in- 
quiries after the Lord ? Can your neighbors about you wit- 
ness, that you reprove the ungodly, and take pains to save 
the souls of your brethren ? Let all these witnesses judge this 
day between God and you, whether you are in earnest about 
eternal rest. You can tell, by his work, whether your ser- 
vant has loitered, though you did not see him ; so you may, 
by looking at your own work. Is your love to Christ, 



100 THE NECESSITY OF SEEKING [Cha]). 7. 

your faith, your zeal, and other graces, strong or weak ? 
What are your joys ? What is your assurance ? Is all in 
order with you ? Are you ready to die, if this should be 
the day ? Do the souls, among whom you have conversed, 
bless you ? Judge by this, and it will quickly appear whe- 
ther you have been laborers or loiterers. 

blessed rest, how unworthily art thou neglected ! O 
glorious kingdom, how art thou undervalued ! Little know 
the careless sons of men what a state they set so light by. 
If they once knew it, they would surely be of another 
mind. I hope thou, reader, art sensible, what a desperate 
thing it is to trifle about eternal rest, and how deeply thou 
hast been guilty of this thyself. And I hope, also, thou wilt 
not now suffer this conviction to die. Should the physiciaii 
tell thee, " If you will observe but one thing, I doubt not 
to cure your disease," wouldst thou not observe it ? So I 
tell thee, if thou wilt observe but this one thing for thy 
soul, I make no doubt of thy salvation ; shake off thy sloth, 
and put to all thy strength, and be a Christian indeed ; I 
know not then what can hinder thy happiness. As far as 
thou art gone from God, seek him with all thy heart, and 
no doubt thou shalt find him. As unkind as thou hast been 
to Jesus Christ, seek him heartily, obey him unreservedly, 
and thy salvation its as sure as if thou hadst it already. But, 
full as Christ's satisfaction is, free as the promise is, large 
as the mercy of God is, if thou only talk of these when 
thou shouldst eagerly entertain them, thou wilt be never 
the better for them; and if thou loiter, when thou shouldst 
labor, thou wilt lose the crown. Fall to work, then, spee- 
dily and seriously, and bless God that thou hast yet time 
to do it. 

To show that I urge thee not without cause, I will here 
add a variety of animating considerations. Rouse up thy 
spirit, and, as Moses said to Israel, " set thy heart unto all 
the words which I testify unto thee this day ; for it is not a 
vain thing, because it is your life." May the Lord open thy 
heart, and fasten his counsel effectually upon thee ! 

1. Consider how reasonable it is, that our diligence shovld 
be answerable to the ends we aim at, to the work wa have to 
doy to the shortness and uncertainty of our time, and to the con- 
trary diligence of our enemies. The ends of a Christian's de- 
sires and endeavors are so great, that no human understand- 



Chap. 7.] THE saints' rest. 101 

ing on earth can comprehend them. What is so excellent, 
so important, or so necessary, as the glorifying of God, the 
salvation of our own and other men's souls, by escaping the 
torments of hell, and possessing the glory of heaven ? And 
can a man be too much affected with things of such mo- 
ment? Can he desire them too earnestly, or love them too 
strongly, or labor for them too diligently ? Do not we know, 
that if our prayers prevail not, and our labor succeeds not, 
we are undone for ever ? The work of a Christian here is 
very great and various. The soul must be renewed; 
corruptions must be mortified ; customs, temptations, and 
worldly interests, must be conquered ; flesh must be sub- 
dued; life, friends, and credit, must be slighted; conscience, 
on good grounds, be quieted ; and assurance of pardon and 
salvation attained. Though God must give us these with- 
out our merit, yet he will not give them without our earnest 
seeking and labor. Besides, there is much knowledge to 
be got, many ordinances to be used, and duties to be per- 
formed ; every age, year, and day, every place we come 
to, every person we deal with, every change of our con- 
dition, still require the renewing of our labor ; wives, chil- 
dren, servants, neighbors, friends, enemies, all of them call 
for duty from us. Judge, then, whether men that have so 
much business lying upon their hands, should not exert 
themselves; and whether it be their wisdom either to de- 
lay or loiter. Time passeth on. Yet ^ifew days, and we 
shall be here no more. Many diseases are ready to assault 
us. We, that are now preaching, and hearing, and talking, 
and walking, must very shortly be carried and laid in the 
dust, and there left to the worms, in darkness and corrup- 
tion ; we are almost there already; we know not whether 
we shall have another sermon, or Sabbath, or hour. How 
active should they be, who know they have so short a 
space for so great a work ! And we have enemies that are 
always plotting and laboring for our destruction. How dili- 
gent is Satan in all kinds of temptations ! Theiefore " be 
sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a 
roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may de- 
vour; whom resist steadfast in the faith." How diligent 
are all the " ministers of Satan ! false teachers, scoffers, 
persecutors," and our inbred corruptions, the most busy 
and diligent of all ! Will a feeble resistance serve our turn ' 



102 THE NECESSITY OF SEEKING [Chap. 7. 

Should not we be more active for our own preservation, 
than our enemies are for our ruin ? 

2. It should excite us to diligence^ when we consider our ta- 
lents^ and our mercies^ our relation to God, and the afflictions 
he lays upon us. The talents which we have received are 
many and great. What people breathing on earth have had 
plainer instructions, or more forcible persuasions, or more 
constant admonitions, in season and out of season ? ser- 
mons, till we have been weary of them, and Sabbaths, till 
we profaned them ; excellent books in such plenty that we 
knew not which to read ? What people have had God so 
near them ? or have seen so much of Christ crucified be- 
fore their eyes ? or have had heaven and hell so open unto 
them ? What speed should such a people make for heaven ! 
how should they fly that are thus winged ! and how swiftly 
should they sail that have w-ind and tide to help them ! A 
small measure of grace becomes not such a people, nor 
will an ordinary diligence in the work of God excuse them. 
All our lives have been filled with mercies. God hath mer- 
cifully poured out upon us the riches of sea and land, of 
heaven and earth. We are fed and clothed with mercy. 
We have mercies within and without. To number them, 
is to count the stars or the sands of the sea-chore. If there 
be any difference betwixt hell and earth, yea, or heaven 
and earth, then certainly we have received mercy. If the 
blood of the Son of God be mercy, then we are engaged 
to God by mercy. Shall God think nothing too much, nor 
too good for us ; and shall we think all too much that we 
do for him ? When I compare my slow and unprofitable 
life w4th the frequent and wonderful mercies received, it 
shames me, it silences me, and leaves me inexcusable. Be- 
sides our talents and mercies, our relations to God are most 
endearing. Are we his children, and do we not owe him 
our most tender affections and dutiful obedience? Are we 
" the spouse of Christ," and should we not obey and love 
him? " If he be a Father, where is his honor? and if he 
be a Master, where is his fear ? We call him Master, and 
Lord, and we say well." But if our industry be not an- 
swerable to our relations, we condemn ourselves in saying 
we are his children or his servants. How will the hard 
labor and daily toil which servants undergo to please their 
masters, judge and condemn those who ^vill not labor so 



Chap. 7.] THE saints' rest. 103 

hard for their great Master ? Surely there is no master like 
him ; nor can any servants expect such fruit of their labors 
as his servants. And if we wander out of God's way, or 
loiter in it, how is every creature ready to be his rod to 
bring us back, or urge us on ! Our sweetest mercies will 
become our sorrows. Rather than want a rod, the Lord 
will make us a scourge to ourselves; our diseased bodies 
shall make us groan ; our perplexed minds shall make us 
restless ; our conscience shall be as a scorpion in our bo- 
som. And is it not easier to endure the labor than the spur ? 
Had we rather be still afflicted, than be up and doing ? And 
though they that do most, meet also with afflictions ; yet, 
surely, according to their peace of conscience and faithful- 
ness to Christ, the bitterness of their cup is abated. 

3. To quicken our diligence in our work^ we should also con- 
sider^ what assistances we have, what principles we profess^ 
and our certainty that we can never do too much. For our as- 
sistance in the service of God, all the world are our ser- 
vants. The sun, moon, and stars, attend us with their light 
and influence. The earth, with all its furniture of plants 
and flowers, fruits, birds, and beasts ; the sea, with its in- 
habitants ; the air, the wind, the frost and snow, the heat 
and fire, the clouds and rain, all wait upon us while we 
do our work. Yea, ^' the angels are all our ministering 
spirits." Nay, more, the patience of God doth wait upon 
us; the Lord Jesus Christ waiteth in the ofl"ers of his 
blood ; the Holy Spirit waiteth, by striving with our back- 
ward hearts; besides the ministers of the Gospel, who study 
and wait, preach and wait, pray and wait upon careless 
sinners. And is it not an intolerable crime for us to trifle, 
while angels and men, yea, the Lord himself, stand by and 
look on, and, as it were, hold us the candle while we dc 
nothing? I beseech you, Christians, whenever you are 
praying, or reproving transgressors, or upon any duty, re- 
member what assistances you have for your work, and then 
judge how you ought to perform it. The principles we pro- 
fess are, that God is the chief good ; that all our happiness 
consists in his love, and therefore it should be valued and 
sought above all things; that he is our only Lord, and 
therefore chiefly to be served; that we must love him with 
all our heart, and soul, and strength ; that our great busi- 
ness in the world is to glorify God, and obtain salvation. 



104 NECESSITY OP SEEKING [Cluip. 7. 

Are these doctrines seen in our practice ? or rather, do not 
our works deny what our words confess ? But, however 
our assistances and principles excite us to our work, we 
are sure we can never do too much. Could we " do all, we 
are unprofitable servants ;" much more when we are sure 
to fail in all. No man can obey or serve God too much. 
Though all superstition, or service of our own devising, 
may be called a " being righteous over much ;" yet, as long 
as we keep to the rule of the word, we can never be righ- 
teous too much. The world is mad with malice, when 
they think that faithful diligence in the service of Christ is 
foolish singularity. The time is near, when they will easily 
confess that God could not be loved or served too much, 
and that no man can be too busy to save his soul. We may 
easily do too much for the world, but we cannot for God. 

4. Let us further consider, that it is the nature of every 
grace to promote diligence^ that trifling iwthe way to heaven 
is lost labor, that much precious time is already misspent, and 
that in proportion to our labor will be our recompense. See 
the nature and tendency of every grace. If you loved God, 
you would think nothing too much that you could possibly 
do to serve him, and please him still more. Love is quick 
and impatient, active and observant. If you love Christ, 
you would keep his commandments, nor accuse them of 
too much strictness. If you had faith, it would quicken 
and encourage you. If you had the hope of glory, it would, 
as the spring in the watch, set all the wheels of your souls 
a-going. If you had the fear of God, it w^ould rouse you 
out of your slothfulness. If you had zeal, it would inflame, 
and eat you up. In what degree soever thou art sanctified, 
in the same degree thou wilt be serious and laborious in 
the work of God. They that trifle lose their labor. Many, 
who, like Agrippa, are but almost Christians, will find, 
in the end, they shall be but almost saved. If two be run- 
ning in a race, he that runs slowest loses both prize and 
labor. A man that is lifting at a weight, if he put not suf- 
ficient strength to it, had as good put none at all. How 
many duties have Christians lost, for want of doing them 
thoroughly ! " Many will seek to enter in, and shall not 
be able," who, if they had striven, might have been able. 
Therefore, put to a little more diligence and strength, that 
all you have done already be not in vain. Besides, is not 



Chap* 7.J THE saints' rest. 105 

much precious time already lost ? With some of us, childhood 
and youth are gone; with some, their middle age also; 
and the time before us is very uiicertain. What time have 
we slept, talked, and played away, or spent in worldly 
thoughts and cares ! How little of our work is done I The 
time we have lost cannot be recalled ; should we not, then, 
redeem and improve the little which remains ? If a traveller 
sleep, or trifle most of the day, he must travel so much 
faster in the evening, or fall short of his journey's end. 
Doubt not but the recompense will be according to your labor. 
The seed which is buried and dead will bring forth a plen- 
tiful harvest. Whatever you do, or suffer, everlasting 
rest will pay for all. There is no repenting of labors or 
sufferings in heaven. There is not one says, " Would I 
had spared my pains, and prayed less, or been less strict, 
and done as the rest of my neighbors !" On the contrary, 
it will be their joy to look back upon their labors and tri- 
bulations, and to consider how the mighty power of 
God brought them through all. We may all say, as Paul, 
'' I reckon that the sufferings" and labors " of this present 
time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which 
shall be revealed in us." We labor but for a moment, but 
we shall rest for ever. Who would not put forth all his 
strength for one hour, when, for that hour's work, he may 
be a prince while he lives ? '' God is not unrighteous, to 
forget our work and labor of love." Will not " all our 
tears be wiped away," and all the sorrow of our duties 
be then forgotten ? 

5. Nor does it less deserve to be considered, that striv- 
ing is the divinely appointed way of salvation ; that all men 
either doj or will approve it ; that the best Christians, at 
death, lament their negligence; and that heaven itself is often 
lost for leant of striving, but is never had on easier terms. The 
sovereign wisdom of God has made striving necessary to 
salvation. Who knows the way to heaven better than 
the God of heaven ? When men tell us we are too strict, 
whom do they accuse, God or us ? If it were a fault, it 
would lie in him that commands, and not in us who obey. 
These are the men that ask us, whether we are wiser than 
all the world beside ; and yet they will pretend to be wiser 
than God. How can they reconcile their language with 
the laws of God ? " The kingdom of heaven suifereth vio- 
• 5* 



106 THE ]NECESSITY OF SEEKING [Chap. 7 

lence, and the violent take it by force. Strive to enter in 
at the strait gate ; for many will seek to enter in, and shall 
not be able. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it 
with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor 
knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave, whither thou goest 
Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 
Give diligence to make your calling and election sure. If 
the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly 
and the sinner appear ?" Let them bring all the seeming 
reasons they can against the holy violence of the saints ; 
this sufficeth me to confute them all, that God is of ano- 
ther mind, and he hath commanded me to do much more 
than I do ; and though I could see no other reason for it, 
his will is reason enough. Who should make laws for us, 
but he that made us ? and who should point out the way 
to heaven, but he that must bring us thither ? and who 
should fix the terms of salvation, but he that bestows the 
gift of salvation ? So that, let the world, the flesh, or the 
devil, speak against a holy, laborious life, this is my an- 
swer, God hath commanded it. Nay, there never was, 
nor ever will be, a man, but will approve such a life, and 
will one day justify the diligence of the saints. And who 
would not go that way, v/hich every man shall finally ap- 
plaud ? True, it is now " a way every where spoken 
against." But let me tell you, most that speak against it, 
in their judgments approve of it ; and those that are now 
against it, will shortly be of another mind. If they come to 
heaven, their mind must be changed before they come 
there. If they go to hell, their judgment will then be al- 
tered, whether they will or not. Remember this, you that 
love the opinion and way of the multitude. Why, then, 
will you not be of the opinion that all will be of? Why 
will you be of a judgment which you are sure, all of you, 
shortly to change ? O that you were but as wise in this as 
those in hell ! Even the best of Christians^ when they come 
to die^ exceedingly lament their negligence. They then wish, 
'^ O that I had been a thousand times more holy, more hea- 
venly, more laborious for my soul ! The world accuses me 
for doing too much, but my own conscience accuses me for 
doing too little. It is far easier bearing the scoffs of the 
ivorld than the lashes of conscience. I had rather be re- 
proached by the devil for seeking salvation, than reproved 



Chap. 7.] THE saints' rest. 107 

of God for neglecting it." How do their failings thus wound 
and disquiet them, who have been the wonders of the 
w orld for their heavenly conversation ! It is for want of 
diligence that heaven itself is lost. When they that have 
" heard the word, and anon with joy received it, and have 
done many things, and heard" the ministers of Christ glad- 
ly, shall yet perish, should not this rouse us out of our se- 
curity ? How far hath many a man followed Christ, and 
yet forsook him, when all worldly interests and hopes were 
to be renounced ! God hath resolved, that heaven shall 
not be had on easier terms. Rest must always follow la- 
bor. " Without holiness, no man shall see the Lord." 
Seriousness is the very thing wherein consists our since- 
rity. If thou art not serious, thou art not a Christian. It 
is not only a high degree in Christianity, but the very life 
and essence of it. As fencers upon a stage differ from sol- 
diers fighting for their lives, so hypocrites differ from serious 
Christians. If men could be saved without this serious 
diligence, they would never regard it ; all the excellencies 
of God's ways would never entice them. But when God 
hath resolved, that, without serious diligence here, we shall 
not rest hereafter, is it not wisdom to exert ourselves to 
the utmost ? 

6. But to persuade thee, if possible, reader, to be se- 
rious in thy endeavors for heaven, let me add more conside- 
rations. As, for instance, consider — God is in earnest with 
you ; and why should you not he so with him ? In his commands, 
his threatenings, his promises, he means as he speaks. 
In his judgments he is serious. Was he not so, when he 
drowned the world, when he consumed Sodom and Go- 
morrah, and when he scattered the Jews } Is it time, then, 
to tritie with God ? Jesus Christ was serious in purchasing 
our redemption. In teaching, he neglected his meat and 
drink : in prayer, he continued all night : in doing good, 
his friends thought him beside himself: in suffering, he 
fasted forty days, was teuipted, betrayed, spit upon, buffet- 
ed, crowned with thorns, sweat drops of blood, was cruci- 
fied, pierced, died. There was no jesting in all this. 
And should we not be serious in seeking our own salva- 
tion } The Holy Spirit is serious in soliciting its to be happy. 
His motions are frequent, pressing, and importunate. "He 
striveth with us." He is grieved when w^e resist him ; and 



108 THE NECESSITY OF SEEKING [Chap. 7. 

should we not be serious, then, in obeying, and yielding 
to his motions ? God is serious in hearing our prayers, and 
bestowing his mercies. He is afflicted with us. He " re- 
gardeth every groan and sigh, and puts every tear into his 
bottle." The next time thou art in trouble, thou wilt beg 
for a serious regard of thy prayers. And shall we expect 
real mercies, when we are slight and superficial in the 
work of God r The ministers of Christ are serious in exhort- 
ma and instructing you. They beg of God, and of you ; 
and long more for the salvation of your souls, than for any 
worldly good. If they kill themselves for their labor, or 
suffer martyrdom for preaching the Gospel, they think their 
lives are well bestowed, so that they prevail for the saving 
of your souls. And shall other men be so painful and care- 
ful for your salvation, and you be so careless and negligent 
of your own ? How diligent and serious are all the creatures 
in serving you! What haste makes the sun to compass the 
world ! The fountains are always flowing for thy use ; the 
rivers still running ; spring and harvest keep their times. 
How hard does thy ox labor for thee from day to day ! 
How speedily does thy horse travel with thee ! And shalt 
thou only be negligent ? Shall all these be so serious in 
serving thee, and thou so careless in thy service to God? 
The servants of the world and the devil are serious and dili- 
gent. They work as if they could never do enough : they 
make haste, as if afraid of coming to hell too late : they bear 
down ministers, sermons, and all before them. And shall 
they be more diligent for damnation, than thou for salva- 
tion ? Hast thou not a better Master, sweeter employment, 
greater encouragements, and a better reward ? Time was 
when thou wast serious thyself in serving Satan and the 
flesh, if it be not so yet. How eagerly didst thou follow 
thy sports, thy evil company, and sinful delights ! And 
wilt thou not now be as earnest and violent for God ? You 
are to this day in earnest about the things of this life. If 
you are sick, or in pain, what serious complaints do you 
utter ! If you are poor, how hard do you labor for a liveli- 
hood ! And is not the business of your salvation of far 
greater moment ? There is no jesting in heaven or hell. 
The saints have a real happiness, and the damned a real 
misery. There are no reaiiss or sleepy praises in heaven, 
nor such lamentations in hell. All there are in earnest. 



Chap. 7.] THE saints' rest. 109 

When thou, reader, shalt come to death and judgment, 
what deep, heart-piercing thoughts wilt thou have of eter- 
nity ! Methinks I foresee thee already astonished to think 
how thou couldst possibly make so light of these things. 
Methinks I even hear thee crying out of thy stupidity and 
madness. 

And now, reader, having laid down these undeniable 
arguments, I do, in the name of God, demand thy resolu- 
tion : wilt thou yield obedience, or not ? I am confi- 
dent thy conscience is convinced of thy duty. Barest 
thou now go on in thy common, careless course, against 
the plain evidence of reason, and commands of God, and 
against the light of thy own conscience ? Barest thou 
live as loosely, sin as boldly, and pray as seldom, as 
before ? Barest thou profane the Sabbath, slight the ser- 
vice of God, and think of thine everlasting state as care- 
lessly as before ? Or dost thou not rather resolve to " gird 
up the loins of thy mind," and set thyself wholly to the 
work of thy salvation, and break through the oppositions, 
and slight the scoffs and persecutions of the world, and 
" lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily 
beset thee, and run with patience the race that is set be- 
fore thee ?" I hope these are thy full resolutions. Yet, be- 
cause I know the obstinacy of the heart of man, and be- 
cause I am solicitous thy soul might live, I once more en- 
treat thy attention to the following questions ; and I com- 
mand thee from God, that thou stifle not thy conscience, 
nor resist conviction ; but answer them faithfully, and obey 
accordingly. If, by being diligent in godliness, you could 
grow rich, get honor or preferment in the world, be re- 
covered from sickness, or live for ever in prosperity on 
earth, what lives would you lead, and what pains would 
you take in the service of God ? And is not the saints' 
rest a more excellent happiness than all this ? If it were 
felony to break the Sabbath, neglect secret or family wor- 
ship, or be loose in your lives, what manner of persons 
would you then be ? And is not eternal death more terri- 
ble than temporal ? If God usually punished with some 
present judgment every act of sin, as he did the lie of 
Ananias and Sapphira, what kind of lives would you lead ? 
And is not eternal wrath far more terrible ? If one of your 
acquaintance should come from the dead, and tell you that 



110 THE NECESSITY OF SEEKING [Chap. 7. 

he suffered the torments of hell for those sins you are guilty 
of, what manner of persons would you be afterwards ? 
How much more should the warnings of God affright you ? 
If you knew that this were the last day you had to live in 
the world, how would you spend it ? And you know not 
but it may be your last, and are sure your last is near. If 
you had seen the general dissolution of the world, and all 
the pomp and glory of it consumed to ashes, what would 
such a sight persuade thee to do ? Such a sight you shall 
certainly see. If you had seen the judgment-seat, and the 
books opened, and the wicked stand trembling on the left 
hand of the Judge, and the godly rejoicing on the right 
hand, and their different sentences pronounced, what per- 
sons would you have been after such a sight ! This sight 
you shall one day surely see. If you had seen hell open, 
and all the damned there in their endless torments ; also 
heaven opened, as Stephen did, and all the saints there 
triumphing in glory ; what a life would you lead after such 
sights ! These you will see before it be long. If you had 
lain in hell but one year, or one day, or hour, and there 
felt the torments you now hear of, how seriously would 
you then speak of hell, and pray against it ! And will you 
not take God's word for the truth of this, except you feel 
it ? Or, if you had possessed the glory of heaven but one 
year, what pains would you take rather than be deprived 
of such incomparable glory ! Thus I have said enou£b, if 
not to stir up the sinner to a serious working out his sal- 
vation, yet at least to silence him, and leave him inexcu- 
-sable at the judgment of God. Only as we do by our friends, 
when they are dead, and our words and actions can do them 
no good, yet to testify our affection for them, we weep and 
mourn, so will I also do for these unhappy souls. It makes 
my heart tremble, to think how they w^ill stand before the 
Lord, confounded and speechless ! When he shall say, 
*' Was the world, or Satan, a better friend to you than I ? 
Or had they done for you more than I had done ? Try now 
whether they will save you, or recompense you for the loss 
of heaven, or be as good to you as I would have been" — 
what wdll the wretched sinner answer to any of this ? But, 
though man will not hear, we may hope in speaking to 
God. " thou that didst weep and groan in spirit over a 
dead Lazarus, pity these dead and senseless souls, till they 



Chap. S.j THE saints' rest. Ill 

are able to weep and groan in pity to themselves ! As thou 
hast bid thy servants speak, so speak now thyself. They 
will hear thy voice speaking to their hearts, who will not 
hear mine, speaking to their ears. Lord, thou hast long 
knocked at these hearts in vain ; now break the doors, 
and enter in," 

To show the godly, why they, above all men, should be 
laborious for heaven, I desire to ask them. What manner 
ofpersons should those be, whom God hath chosen to be 
vessels of mercy ? who have felt the smart of their negli- 
gence in their new birth, in their troubles of conscience, 
in their doubts and fears, and in other sharp afflictions ? 
who have often confessed their sins of negligence to God 
in prayer? who have bound themselves to God by so 
many covenants ? What manner ofpersons should they be, 
who are near to God as the children of his family ; who 
have tasted such sweetness in diligent obedience ; who are 
many of them so uncertain what shall everlastingly become 
of their souls ? What manner ofpersons should they be in ho- 
liness, whose sanctification is so imperfect ; whose lives and 
duties are so important to the saving or destroying a mul- 
titude of souls ? and on whom the glory of the great God 
so much depends ? Since these things are so, I charge 
thee. Christian, in thy Master's name, to consider, and re- 
solve the question, " What manner of persons ought we 
to be in all holy conversation and godliness ?" And let 
thy life answer the question as well as thy tongue. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

HOW TO DISCERN OUR TITLE TO THE SAINTS' REST. 

Self-examination urged, 1. From the possibility of arriving at a certain- 
ty ; 2. From the hinderances whichwiil he thrownin our way by Sa- 
tan, sinners, our own hearts, and many other causes ; 3. From consi- 
dering how easy, common, and dangerous it is to be mistaken; that 
trying will not'be so painful as the neglect ; that God will soon try vs, 
and that to try ourselves will be profitable. 4. Directions how to try. 
5. Marks for trial, particularly, Do we make God our chief good? 
Do we heartily accept of Christ for our Lord and Savior ? 

Is there such a glorious rest so near at hand ? and shall 
none enjoy it but the people of God ? What mean most 



112 OUR TITLE TO [Chap. 8. 

of the world, then, to live so contentedly, without assu- 
rance of their interests in this rest, and neglect the trying 
of their title to it ? When the Lord has so fully opened the 
blessedness of that kingdom, which none but obedient be- 
lievers shall possess; and so fully expressed those tor- 
ments, which the rest of the world must eternally suffer ; 
methinks they that believe this to be certainly true, should 
never be at any quiet in themselves, till they are fully as- 
sured of their being heirs of the kingdom. Lord, what a 
strange madness is this, that men, who know they must 
presently enter upon unchangeable joy or pain, should yet 
live as uncertain what shall be their doom, as if they had 
never heard of any such state ; yea, and live as quietly and 
merrily in this uncertainty, as if all were made sure, and 
there were no danger ! Are these men alive or dead ? Are 
they awake or asleep ? What do they think on ? Where 
are their hearts ? If they have but a weighty suit at law, 
how careful are they to know whether it will go for or 
against them ! If they were to be tried for their lives at an 
earthly bar, how careful would they be to know whether 
they should be saved or condemned, especially if their care 
might surely save them ! If they be dangerously sick, they 
will inquire of the physician. What think you, sir ; shall I 
escape, or not ? But in the business of their salvation, they 
are content to be uncertain. If you ask most men " a rea- 
son of the hope that is in them," they will say, " Because 
(Jod is merciful, and Christ died for sinners," and the like 
general reasons, which any man in the world may give as 
well as they ; but put them to prove their interest in Christ, 
and in the saving mercy of God, and they can say nothing 
to the purpose. If God or man should say to them. What 
case is thy soul in, man ? Is it regenerate, sanctified, and 
pardoned, or not ? he would say, as Cain of Abel, " I know 
not; am I my souFs keeper? I hopenvell ; I trust God 
with my soul; I shall speed as well as other men do; I 
thank God, I never made any doubt of my salvation." Thou 
hast cause to doubt, because thou never didst doubt ; and 
yet more, because thou hast been so careless in thy confi- 
dence. What do thy expressions discover, but a wilful ne- 
glect of thy own salvation ? as a ship-master that should 
let his vessel alone, and say, " I will venture it among the 
rocks, and waves, and winds ; I will trust God with it; it 



Chap. 8.] THE saints' rest. 113 

will speed as well as other vessels." What horrible abuse 
of God is this, to pretend to trust God, to cloak their own 
wilful negligence ! If thou didst really trust God, thou 
wouldst also be ruled by him, and trust him in his own ap- 
pointed way. He requires thee to give " diligence to make 
thy calling and election sure," and so trust him. He hath 
marked thee out a way in Scripture, by which thou art 
charged to search and try thyself, and mayst arrive at cer- 
tainty. Were he not a foolish traveller, that would hold on 
his way, when he does not know whether he be right or 
wrong ; and say, " I hope I am right ; I will go on, and trust 
in God ?" Art thou not guilty of this folly in thy travels to 
eternity? not considering that a little serious inquiry, 
whether thy way be right, might save thee a great deal of 
labor, which thou bestowest in vain, and must undo again, 
or else thou wilt miss of salvation, and undo thyself. 

How canst thou think or speak of the great God without 
terror, as long as thou art uncertain whether he be thy 
father or thy enemy, and knowest not but all his perfec- 
tions may be employed against thee ? or of Jesus Christ, 
when thou knowest not whether his blood hath purged thy 
soul ; whether he will condemn or acquit thee in judg- 
ment ; or whether he be the foundation of thy happiness, 
or a stone of stumbling, to break thee, and grind thee to 
powder ? How canst thou open the Bible and read a chap- 
ter, but it should terrify thee ? Methinks, every leaf should 
be to thee as Belshazzar's writing on the wall, except only 
that which draws thee to try and reform. If thou readest 
the promises, thou knowest not whether they shall be ful- 
filled to thee. If thou readest the threatenings, for any 
thing thou knowest, thou readest thy own sentence. No 
wonder thou art an enemy to plain preaching, and say of 
the minister, as Ahab of the prophet, " I hate him, for he 
doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil." How 
canst thou without terror join in prayer ? When thou re- 
ceivest the Lord's supper, thou knowest not whether it 
be thy bane or bliss. What comfort canst thou find in 
thy friends, and honors, and houses, and lands, till thou 
knowest thou hast the love of God with them, and shalt 
have rest with him when thou leavest them ? Offer a pri- 
soner, before he knows his sentence, either music, or clothes, 
or preferment ; what are they to him, till he knows he shall 



114 OUR TITLE TO [Chap. 8. 

escape with his life ? for, if he knows he must die the next 
day, it will be small comfort to die rich or honorable. Me- 
thinks it should be so with thee, till thou knowest thy eter- 
nal state. When thou liest down to take thy rest, methinks 
the uncertainty of thy salvation should keep thee waking, 
or amaze thee in thy dreams and trouble thy sleep. Doth 
it not grieve thee to see the people of God so comfortable 
in their way to glory, when thou hast no good hope of ever 
enjoying it thyself? How canst thou think of thy dying 
hour ? Thou knowest it is near, and there is no avoiding 
it, nor any medicine found out that can prevent it. If thou 
shouldst die this day, (and who " knows what a day may 
bring forth ?") thou art not certain whether thou shalt go 
to heaven or hell. And canst thou be merry, till thou art 
gone out of this dangerous state ? What shift dost thou 
make to preserve thy heart from horror, when thou remem- 
bferest the great judgment-day, and everlasting flames ? 
When thou hearest of it, dost thou not tremble as Felix ? 
If the " keepers shook, and became as dead men, when 
they saw the angel come and roll back the stone from 
Christ's sepulchre," how canst thou think of living in hell 
with devils, till thou hast some well-grounded assurance 
that thou shalt escape it ? Thy bed is very soft, or thy heart 
is very hard, if thou canst sleep soundly in this uncertain case. 
If this general uncertainty of the world about their sal- 
vation were remediless, then must it be borne as other una- 
voidable miseries. But, alas ! the common cause is wilful 
negligence. Men will not be persuaded to use the remedy. 
The great means to conquer this uncertainty is self-exami- 
nation, or the serious and diligent trying of a man's heart 
and state by the rule of Scripture. Either men understand 
not the nature and use of this duty, or else they will not 
be at the pains to try. Go through a congregation of a thou- 
sand men, and how few of them shall you meet with, that 
ever bestowed one hour in all their lives in a close exami- 
nation of their title to heaven ! Ask your own conscience, 
reader, when was the time, and where was the place, that 
ever you solemnly took your heart to task, as in the sight 
of God, and examined it by Scripture, whether it be re- 
newed or not ; whether it be holy or not ; whether it be 
set most on God or the creatures, on heaven or earth ? And 
when did you follow on this examination till you had dis- 



Chap. 8.] THE saints' rest. 116 

covered your condition, and pass sentence on yourself ac- 
cordingly ? But because this is a work of so high impor- 
tance, and so commonly neglected, I will therefore show, 
that it is possible, by trying, to come to a certainty ; what 
hinders men from trying and knowing their state ? then 
offer motives to examine, and directions ; together with 
some marks out of Scripture, by which you may try, and 
certainly know^, whether you are the people of God or not. 

1. Scripture shows, that the certainty of salvation may be 
attained, and ought to be labored for, when it tells us so fre- 
quently, that the saints before us have known their justi- 
fication and future salvation : when it declares, that " who- 
soever believeth in Christ shall not perish, but have ever- 
lasting life ;" which it would be in vain to declare, if we 
cannot know ourselves to be believers or not : when it 
makes such a wide difference between the children of God 
and the children of the devil ; when it bids us " give dili- 
gence to make our calling and election sure ;" and earnestly 
urges us to " examine, prove, know our own selves, whether 
we be in the faith, and whether Jesus Christ be in us, ex- 
cept we be reprobates ;" also, when its precepts require us 
to rejoice always, to call God our Father, to live in his 
praises, to love Christ's appearing, to wish that he may 
come quickly, and to comfort ourselves with the mention 
of it. But who can do afiy of these heartily, that is not, 
in some measure, sure that he is the child of God ? 

2. Among the many hinderances which keep men from 
self-examination, we cannot doubt but Satan will do his 
part. If all the power he hath, or all the means and in- 
struments he can employ, can do it, he will be sure, above 
all duties, to keep you from this. He is loath the godly 
should have the joy, assurance, and advantage against cor- 
ruption, which the faithful performance of self-examination 
would procure them. As for the ungodly, he knows, if they 
should once earnestly examine, they would find out his de- 
ceits and their ow n danger, and so be very likely to escape 
him. How could he get so many millions to hell willingly, 
if they knew they were going thither ? And how could 
they avoid knowing it, if they did but thoroughly try ; hav- 
ing such a clear light and sure rule in the Scripture to dis- 
cover it? If the snare be not hid, 'the bird will escape it. 
Satan knows how to angle for souls better than to show 



116 OUR TITLE TO [Chap. 8. 

them the hook and line, or fright them away with a noise, 
or with his own appearance. Therefore he labors to keep 
them from a searching ministry ; or to keep the minister 
from helping them to search, or to take off the edge of the 
word, that it may not pierce and divide ; or to turn away 
their thoughts ; or to possess them with prejudice. Satan 
knows when the minister has provided a searching sermon, 
fitted to the state and necessity of a hearer; and therefore 
he will keep him away that day, if it be possible ; or cast 
him into a sleep ; or steal away the word by the cares and 
talk of the world ; or some way prevent its operation. 

Another great hinderance to self-examination arises from 
wicked men. Their examples ; their merry company and 
discourse; their continually insisting on worldly concerns ; 
their raillery and scoffs at godly persons; also their per- 
suasions, allurements, and threats, are each of them ex- 
ceedingly great temptations to security. God doth scarcely 
ever open the eyes of a poor sinner, to see that his way is 
wrong, but presently there is a multitude of Satan's apos- 
tles ready to deceive and settle him again in the quiet pos- 
session of his former master. *' What !" say they, " do you 
make a doubt of your salvation, who have lived so well, 
and done nobody any harm ? God is merciful ; and if such 
as you shall not be saved, God help a great many! What 
do you think of all your forefathers ? And what will be- 
come of all your friends and neighbors that live as you do ? 
Will they all be damned ? Come, come, if you hearken to 
these preachers, they will drive you out of your wits. Are 
not all men sinners ? and did not Christ die to save sinners ? 
Never trouble your head with these thoughts, and you shall 
do well." 0, how many thousands have such charms kept 
asleep in deceit and security, till d«:ath and hell have awa- 
kened them ! The Lord calls to the sinner, and tells him, 
" The gate is strait, the way is narrow, and few find it; 
try and examine ; give diligence to make sure." The world 
cries, " Never doubt, never trouble yourselves with these 
thoughts." In this strait, sinner, consider, it is Christ, and 
not your forefathers, or neighbors, or friends, that must 
judge you at last; and, if Christ condemn you, these can- 
not save you ; therefore common reason may tell you, that 
it is not from the words of ignorant men, but from the word 
of God, you must fetch your hopes of salvation. When 



Chap. 8.] THE saints' rest. in 

Ahab would inquire among the multitude of flattering pro- 
phets, it was his death. They can flatter men into the snare, 
but they cannot tell how to bring them out. " Let no man 
deceive you with vain words; for, because of these thing? 
Cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedi- 
ence : be not ye therefore partakers with them." 

But the greatest hinderances are in men's own hearts. 
Some are so ignorant, that they know not what self-exami- 
nation is, nor what a minister means when he persuades 
them to try themselves ; or they know not that there is any 
necessity for it, but think every man is bound to believe 
that his sins are pardoned, whether it be true or false, and 
that it is a great fault to make any question of it ; or they do 
not think that assurance can be attained ; or that there is 
any great diff*erence between one man and another, but 
that we are all Christians, and therefore need not trouble 
ourselves any further ; or at least they know not wherein 
the diff*erence lies. They have as gross an idea of regene- 
ration as Nicodemus had. Some will not believe that God 
will ever make such a diff'erence betwixt men in the life 
to come, and therefore will not search themselves, whether 
they differ here. Some are so st':p:fied, say what we can 
to them, that they lay it not to heart, b'jt gwe us the hear- 
ing, and there is the end. Some are so possessed with self- 
love and pride, that they will not so much as suspect they 
are in danger; like a proud tradesman, who scorns the pru- 
dent advice of casting up his books ; as fond parents will 
not believe or hear any evil of their children. Some are 
so guilty that they dare not try, and yet they dare venture 
on a more dreadful trial. Some are so in love with sin, 
and so dislike the way of God, that they dare not try their 
ways, lest they be forced from the course they love to that 
which they loathe. Some are so resolved never to change 
their present state, that they neglect examination as a use- 
less thing. Before they will seek a new way, when they 
have lived so long, and gone so far, they will put their 
eternal state to the venture, come of it what will. Many 
men are so busy in the world, that they cannot set them- 
selves to the trying of their title to heaven. Others are so 
clogged with slothfulness of spirit, that they will not be at 
the pains of an hour's, examination of their own hearts. 
But the most common and dangerous impediment is that 



118 OUR TITLE TO [Chap, a 

false faith and hope, commonly called presumption, which 
bears up the hearts of the greatest part of the world, and 
so keeps them from suspecting their danger. 

And if a man should break through all these hinderances, 
and set upon the duty of self-examination, yet assurance is 
not presently attained. Too many deceive themselves in 
their inquiries after it, through one or other of the follow- 
ing causes ; there is such confusion and darkness in the 
soul of man, especially of an unregenerate man, that he 
can scarcely tell what he doth, or what is in him. As in a 
house, where nothing is in its proper place, it will be diffi- 
cult, to find what is wanted, so it is in the heart where all 
things are in disorder. Most men accustom themselves to 
be strangers at home, and too little observe the temper and 
motions of their own hearts. Many are resolved what to 
judge before they try ; like a bribed judge^ who examines 
as if he would judge uprightly, when he is previously re- 
solved which way the cause shall go. Men are partial in 
their own cause; ready to think their great sins small, and 
their small sins none ; their gifts of nature to be the work 
of grace, and to say, " x\ll these have I kept from my 
youth ;" I am rich, and increased in goods, and have need 
of nothing. Most men search but by the halves. If it will 
not easily and quickly be done, they are discouraged, and 
leave off. They try themselves by false marks and rules ; 
not knowing wherein the truth of Christianity doth con- 
sist ; some looking beyond, and some short of the Scrip- 
ture standard. And frequently they miscarry in this work, 
by attempting it in their own strength. As some expect 
the Spirit should do it without them, so others attempt it 
themselves, without seeking or expecting the help of the 
Spirit. Both these will certainly miscarry in their assurance. 

Some other hinderances keep even true Christians from 
comfortable certainty. As, for instance ; the weakness of 
grace. Small things are hardly discerned. Most Christians 
content themselves with a small measure of grace, and do 
not follow on to spiritual strength and manhood. The 
chief remedy for such would be to follow on their duty, till 
their graces be increased. Wait upon God in the use of 
his prescribed means, and he will undoubtedly bless you 
with increase. that Christians would bestow most of 
that time in getting more grace, which they bestow in 



Chap. 8.] THE saints' rest. 119 

anxious doubtings whether they have any or none ; and 
lay out those serious affections in praying for more grace, 
which they bestow in fruitless complaints ! I beseech thee, 
Christian, take this advice as from God; and then, when 
thou believest strongly, and lovest fervently, thou canst no 
more doubt of thy faith and love, than a man that is very 
hot can doubt of his warmth, or a man that is strong and 
lusty can doubt of his being alive. Christians hinder their 
own comfort by looking more at signs, which tell them 
what they are, than at precepts, which tell them what they 
should do ; as if their present case must needs be their 
everlasting case ; and if they be now unpardoned, there 
were no remedy. Were he not mad, that w^ould lie weep- 
ing because he is not pardoned, when his prince stands by 
all the while, offering him a pardon, and persuading him 
to accept of it ? Justifying faith. Christian, is not thy per- 
suasion of God's special love to thee, but thy accepting 
Christ to make thee lovely. It is far better to accept Christ 
as offered, than spend so much time in doubting whether 
we have Christ or not. Another cause of distress to Chris- 
tians is, their mistaking assurance for the joy that some- 
times accompanies it; as if a child should take himself for a 
son no longer than while he sees the smiles of his father's 
face, or hears the comfortable expressions of his mouth ; 
and as if the father ceased to be a father whenever he 
ceased those smiles and speeches. The trouble of souls is 
also increased by their not knowing the ordinary way of 
God's conveying comfort. They think they have nothing 
to do but to wait when God will bestow it. But they must 
know, that the matter of their comfort is in the promises, 
and thence they must fetch it as often as they expect it, by 
daily and diligently meditating upon the promises ; and in 
this way they may expect the Spirit will communicate 
comfort to their souls. The joy of the promises, and the 
joy of the Holy Ghost are one : add to this, their expect- 
ing a greater measure of assurance than God usually be- 
stows. As long as they have any doubting, they think they 
have no assurance. They consider not that there are many 
degrees of certainty. While they are here, they shall " know 
but in part." Add also, their deriving their comfort at first 
from insufficient grounds. This may be the case of a gra- 
cious soul, who hath better grounds, but doth not see them. 



120 OUR TITLE TO [Chap. 8. 

As an infant hath life before he knoweth it, and many mis- 
apprehensions of himself and other things, yet it will not 
follow that he hath no life. So when Christians find a flaw 
in their first comforts, they are not to judge it a flaw in 
their safety. Many continue under doubting, through the 
exceeding weakness of their natural parts. Many honest 
hearts have weak heads, and know not how to perform the 
work of self-trial. They will acknowledge the premises, 
and yet deny the apparent conclusion. If God do not some 
other way supply the defect of their reason, I see not how 
they should have clear and settled peace. One great and 
too common cause of distress is, the secret maintaining of 
some known sin. This abates the degree of our graces, 
and so makes them more undiscernible. It obscureth that 
which it destroyeth not; for it beareth such sway that grace 
is not in action, nor seems to stir, nor is scarce heard speak 
for the noise of this corruption. It puts out or dimmeth 
the eye of the soul, and stupifies it, that it can neither see 
nor feel its own condition. But especially it provokes God 
to withdraw himself, his comforts, and the assistance of his 
Spirit, without which we may search long enough before 
we have assurance. God hath made a separation between 
sin and peace. As long as thou dost cherish thy pride, thy 
love of the world, the desires of the flesh, or any unchris- 
tian practice, thou expectest comfort in vain. If a man 
" setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stum- 
bling-block of his iniquity before his face, and cometh" to a 
minister, or to God, " to inquire" for comfort, instead of 
comforting him, God " will answer him that cometh ac- 
cording to the multitude of his idols." Another very great 
and common cause of the want of comfort is, when grace 
is not kept in constant and lively exercise. The way of 
painful duty is the way of fullest comfort. Peace and com- 
fort are Christ's great encouragements to faithfulness and 
obedience ; and therefore, though our obedience does not 
merit them, yet they usually rise and fall with our diligence 
in duty. As prayer must have faith and fervency to pro- 
cure it success, besides the blood and intercession of Christ, 
so must all other parts of our obedience. If thou grow 
seldom and customary, and cold in duty, especially in thy 
secret prayers to God, and yet findest no abatement in thy 
joys, I cannot but fear thy joys are either carnal or diabo- 



Chap. 8.J THE SAINTS REST. 121 

lical. Besides, grace is never apparent and sensible to the 
soul, bnt while it is in action ; therefore want of action 
must cause want of assurance. And the action of the 'soul 
upon such excellent objects, naturally bringeth consolation 
with it. The very act of loving God in Christ, is inexpressi- 
bly sweet. The soul that is best furnished with grace, 
when it is not in action, is like a lute well stringed and 
tuned, which, while it lieth still, maketh no more music 
than a common piece of wood ; but when it is handled by 
a skilful musician the melody is delightful. Some degree 
of comfort follows every good action, as heat accompanies 
fire, and as beams and influence issue from the sun. A man 
that is cold should labor till heat be excited ; so he that 
wants assurance must not stand still, but exercise his 
graces till his doubts vanish. The want of consolation in the 
soul, is also very commonly owing to bodily melancholy. 
It is no more wonder for a conscientious man, under me- 
lancholy, to doubt, and fear, and despair, than for a sick man 
to groan, or a child to cry when it is chastised. Without 
the physician in this case, the labors of the divine are usu- 
ally in vain. You may silence, but you cannot comfort 
them. You may make them confess they have some grace, 
and yet cannot bring them to the comfortable conclusion. 
All the good thoughts of their state, which you can possi- 
bly help them to, are seldom above a day or two old. They 
cry out of sin and the wrath of God, when the chief cause 
is in their bodily distemper. 

3. As motives to the duty of self-examination, I entreat 
you to consider the following: — To be deceived about 
your title to heaven is very easy. Many are now in hell, 
that never suspected any falsehood in their hearts, that ex- 
celled in worldly wisdom, that lived in the clear light of 
the Gospel, and even preached against the negligence of 
others. To be mistaken in this great point is also very 
common. It is the case of most in the world. In the old 
world, and in Sodom, we find none that were in any fear 
of judgment. Almost all men among us, verily look to be 
saved ; yet Christ tells us, " there be few that find the 
strait gate and narrow way which leadeth unto life." And 
if such multitudes are deceived, should we not search the 
more diligently, lest we should be deceived as well as they ? 
Nothing is more dangerous than to be thus mistaken. If 

6 



122 OUR TITLE TO [Chap. 8. 

the godly judge their state worse than it is, the conse- 
quences of this mistake will be sorrowful ; but the mischief 
flowing from the mistake of the ungodly is unspeakable. 
It will exceedingly confirm them in the service of Satan. 
It will render ineffectual the means that should do them 
good. It will keep a man from compassionating his own 
soul. It is a case of the greatest moment, where everlast- 
ing salvation or damnation is to be determined. And if you 
mistake till death, you are undone for ever. Seeing, then, 
the danger is so great, what wise man would not follow the 
search of his heart both day and night, till he were assured 
of his safety ? Consider how small the labor of this duty is 
in comparison of that sorrow which followeth its neglect. 
You can endure to toil and sweat from year to year, to pre- 
vent poverty ; and why not spend a little time in self-exami- 
nation, to prevent eternal misery ? By neglecting this duty 
you can scarce do Satan a greater pleasure, nor yourselves a 
greater injury. It is the grand design of the devil, in all his 
temptations, to deceive you, and keep you ignorant of your 
danger till you feel the everlasting flames; and will you 
join with him to deceive yourself? If you do this for him, 
you do the greatest part of his work. And hath he de- 
served so well of you, that you should assist him in such a 
design as your damnation ? The time is nigh, when God 
will search you. If it be but in this life by affliction, it will 
make you wish that you had tried and judged yourselves, 
that you might have escaped the judgment of God. It was 
a terrible voice to Adam, " Where art thou? Hast thou 
eaten of the tree?" And to Cain, ^' Where is thy brother?" 
Men " consider not in their hearts, that I," saith the Lord, 
" remember all their wickedness; now their own doings 
have beset them about; they are before my face." Consi- 
der also what would be the sweet effects of this self-exa- 
mination. If thou be upright and godly, it will lead thee 
straight toward assurance of* God's love ; if thou be not, 
though it will trouble thee at the present, yet it will tend to 
thy happiness, and at length lead thee to the assurance ol 
that happiness. Is it not a desirable thing to know what 
shall befall us hereafter; especially what shall befall our 
souls; and what place and state we must be in forever? And 
as the very knowledge itself is desirable, how much greater 
will the comfort be of that certainty of salvation ! What 



Chap. 8.] THE saints' rest. 123 

sweet thoughts wilt thou have of God ! All that greatness 
and justice which is the terror of others, will be thy joy. 
How sweet may be thy thoughts of Christ, and the blood 
he hath shed, and the benefits he hath procured ! How 
welcome will the word of God be to thee, and " how beau- 
tiful the very feet of those that bring it!" How sweet will 
be the promises when thou art sure they are thine own ! 
The very threatenings will occasion thy comfort, to remem- 
ber that thou hast escaped them. What boldness and com- 
fort mayst thou then have in prayer, when thou canst say, 
" Our Father," in full assurance ! It will naake the Lord's 
supper a refreshing feast to thy soul. It will multiply 
the sweetness of every common mercy. How comforta- 
bly mayst thou then undergo all afflictions ! How will it 
sweeten thy forethoughts of death and judgment, of heaven 
and hell ! How lively will it make thee in the work of the 
Lord, and how profitable to all around thee ! What vigor 
will it infuse into all thy graces and affections, kindle thy 
repentance, inflame thy love, quicken thy desires, and con- 
firm thy faith ; be a fountain of continual rejoicing, over- 
flow thy heart with thankfulness, raise thee high in the de- 
lightful work of praise, help thee to be heavenly-minded, 
and render thee persevering in all ! All these sweet efl*ects 
of assurance would make thy life a heaven upon earth. 

Though I am certain these motives have weight of rea- 
son in them, yet I am jealous, reader, lest you lay aside the 
book as if you had done, and never set yourself to the prac- 
tice of the duty. The case in hand is of the greatest mo- 
ment, whether thou shalt everlastingly live in heaven or 
bell. I here request thee, in behalf of thy soul; nay, I 
charge tliee in the name of the Lord, that thou defer no 
longer, but take thy heart to task in good earnest, and think 
with thyself, " Is it so easy, so common, and so dangerous 
to be mistaken ? Are there so many wrong ways ? Is the 
heart so deceitful ? Why then do I not search into every 
corner, till I know my state ? Must I shortly undergo the 
trial at the bar of Christ; and do I not presently try my- 
self.'' What a case were I in, if I should then miscarry ? 
May I know by a little diligent inquiry now ; and do I 
stick at the labor .?" But perhaps thou wilt say, " I know 
not how to do it." In that I am now to give thee direc- 
tions; but, alas ! it will be iu yaio if thou art not resolved 



124 OUR TITLE TO [Chap. 8, 

to practise them. Wilt thou, therefore, before thou goest 
any further, here promise, before- the Lord, to set thyself 
upou the speedy performance of the duty, according to 
the directions 1 shall lay down from the word of God ? I 
demand nothing unreasonable or impossible : it is but to 
bestow a few hours, to know what shall become of thee 
for ever. If a neighbor, or a friend, desire but an hour's 
time of thee in conversation, or business, or any thing in 
which thou mayst be of service, surely thou wouldst not 
deny it; how much less shouldst thou deny this to thy- 
self in so great an affair ! I pray thee to take from me this 
request, as if, in the name of Christ, I presented it to thee 
on my knees; and I will betake me on my knees to Christ 
again, to beg that he will persuade thy heart to the duty. 
4. The direclions how to examine thyself are such as 
these : Empty thy mind of all other cares and thoughts, 
that they may not distract or divide thy mind. This work 
will be enough at once, without joining others with it. 
Then fall down before God in hearty prayer, desiring the 
assistance of his Spirit, to discover to thee the plain truth 
of thy condition, and to enlighten thee in the whole pro- 
gress of this work. Make choice of the most convenient 
time and place. Let the place be the most private, and the 
time when you have nothing to interrupt you ; and, if pos- 
sible, let it be the present time. Have in readiness, either 
in memory or writing, some Scriptures, containing the de- 
scriptions of the saints and the Gospel-terms of salvation j 
and convince thyself thoroughly of their infallible truth. 
Proceed then to put the question to thyself. Let it not be^ 
whether there be any good in thee at all ; nor, whether 
thou hast such or such a degree and measure of grace; but 
whether such or such a saving grace be in thee in sincerity 
or not. If thy heart draw back from the work, force it on. 
Lay thy command upon it. Let reason interpose, and use 
its authority. Yea, lay the command of God upon it, and 
charge it to obey upon the pain of his displeasure. Let con- 
science also do its office, till thy heart be excited to the 
work. Nor let thy heart trifle away the time, when it 
should be diligently at the work. Do as the psalmist ; " My 
spirit made diligent search." He that can prevail with his 
own heart, shall also prevail with God. If, after all thy 
pains, thou art not resolved, then seek out for help. Go 



Chap. 8.] THE saints' rest. 125 

to one that is godly, experienced, able, and faithful, and 
tell him thy case, and desire his best advice. Use the judg- 
ment of such a one, as that of a physician for thy body ; 
though this can afford thee no full certainty, yet it may be 
a great help to stay and direct thee. But do not make it a 
pretence to put off thy own self-examination. Only use it 
as one of the last remedies,. when thy own endeavors will 
not serve. When thou hast discovered thy true state, pass 
sentence on thyself accordingly ; either that thou art a true 
Christian, or that thou art not. Pass not this sentence rashly, 
nor with self-flattery, nor with melancholy terrors ; but de- 
liberately, truly, and according to thy conscience, convinced 
by Scripture and reason. Labor to get thy heart affected 
with its condition, according to the sentence passed on it. 
If graceless, think of thy misery ; if renewed and sancti- 
fied, think what a blessed state the Lord hath brought thee 
into. Pursue these thoughts till they have left their im-, 
pression on thy heart. Write this sentence at least in thy 
memory : " At such a time, upon thorough examination, I 
found my state to be thus, or thus." Such a record will be 
very useful to thee hereafter. Trust not to this one dis- 
covery, so as to try no more ; nor let it hinder thee in the 
daily search of thy ways; neither be discouraged, if the 
trial must be often repeated. Especially take heed, if un- 
regenerate, not to conclude of thy future state by the pre- 
sent. Do not say, " Because I am ungodly, I shall die so ; 
because I am a hypocrite, I shall continue so." Do not 
despair. Nothing but thy unwillingness can keep thee 
from Christ, though thou hast hitherto abused him and 
dissembled with him. 

5. Now let me add some marks by which you may try 
your title to the saints' rest. I will only mention these 
two: taking God for thy chief good, and heartily accepting 
Christ for thy only Savior and Lord. 

Every soul that hath a title to this rest doth place his 
chief happiness in God. This rest consisteth in the full 
and glorious enjoyment of God. He that maketh not God 
his chief good and ultimate end, is in heart a pagan and a 
vile idolater. Let me ask, then, dost thou truly account it 
thy chief happiness to enjoy the Lord in glory, or dost thou 
not.? Canst thou say, " The Lord is my portion } Whom 
have I in heaven but thee .'* and there is none upon earth 



126 OUR TITLE TO [Chap. 8. 

that I desire besides thee !" If thou be an heir of rest, it 
is thus with thee. Though the flesh will be pleading for 
its own delights, and the world will be creeping into thine 
affections, yet in thy ordinary, settled, prevailing judgment 
and affections, thou preferrest God before all things in the 
world. Thou makest him the very end of thy desires and 
endeavors. The very reason why thou hearest, and prayest, 
and desirest to live on earth, is chiefly this, that thou mayst 
seek the Lord, and make sure of thy rest. Though thou 
dost not seek it so zealously as thou shouldst, yet it hath 
the chief of thy desires and endeavors, so that nothing else 
is desired or preferred before it. Thou wilt think no labor 
or suffering too great to obtain it. And though the flesh 
may sometimes shrink, yet thou art resolved and contented 
to go through all. Thy esteem for it will also be so high, 
and thy affection to it so great, that thou wouldst not ex- 
change thy title to it, and hopes of it, for any worldly 
good whatsoever. If God should set before thee an eter- 
nity of earthly pleasures on one hand, and the saints' rest 
on the other, and bid thee take thy choice, thou wouldst 
refuse the world and choose this rest. But if thou art yet 
unsanctified, then thou dost in thy heart prefer thy worldly 
happiness before God; and though thy tongue may say 
that God is thy chief good, yet thy heart doth not so es- 
teem him. For the world is the chief end of thy desires 
and endeavors. Thy very heart is set upon it. Thy greatest 
care and labor is to maintain thy credit, or fleshly delights. 
But the life to come hath little of thy care or labor. Thou 
didst never perceive so much excellency in that unseen 
glory of another world, as to draw thy heart after it, and 
'set thee a laboring heartily for it. The little pains thou be- 
stowest that way is but in the second place. God hath 
but the world's leavings ; only that time and labor which 
thou canst spare from the world, or those few, cold, and 
careless thoughts which follow thy constant, earnest, and 
delightful thoughts of earthly things. Neither wouldst thou 
do any thing at all for heaven, if thou knewest how to keep 
the world. But lest thou shouldst be turned into hell when 
ithou canst keep the world no longer, therefore thou wilt 
(io something. For the same reason thou thinkest the way 
of God too strict, and wilt not be persuaded to the constant 
labor of walking according to the Gospel rule; and when 



Chap. 8.] THE saints' rest. 127 

it comes to the trial, that thou must forsake Christ or thy 
worldly happiness, then thou wilt venture heaven rather 
than earth, and so wilfully deny thy obedience to God. 
And certainly, if God would but give thee leave to live in 
liealth and wealth for ever on earth, thou wouldst think it 
a better state than rest. Let them seek for heaven that 
would, thou wouldst think this thy chief happiness. This 
is ihy case, if thou art yet an unregenerate person, and hast 
no title to the saints* rest. 

And as thou takest God for thy chief good, so thou dost 
heartily accept of Christ for thy only Savior and Lord, to 
bring thee to this rest. The former mark was the sum of 
the first and great command of the law, " Thou shalt love 
the Lord thy God with all thy heart." The second mark is 
the sum of the command of the Gospel, " Believe in the 
Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." And the per- 
formance of these two is the whole of godliness and Chris- 
tianity. This mark is but the definition of faith. Dost thou 
heartily consent that Christ "alone shall be thy Savior; and 
no further trust to thy duties and works, than as means ap- 
pointed in subordination to him ; not looking at them as 
in the least measure able to satisfy the curse of the law, or 
as a legal righteousness, or any part of it; but consent to 
trust thy salvation on the redemption made by Christ? Art 
thou also content to take him for thy only Lord and King, 
to govern and guide thee by his laws and Spirit, and to 
obey him, even when he commandeth the hardest duties, 
and those which most cross the desires of the flesh ? Is it 
thy sorrow when thou breakest thy resolution herein ; and 
thy joy when thou keepest closest in obedience to him ? 
Wouldst thou not change thy Lord and Master for all the 
world ? Thus is it with every true Christian. But if thou 
be a hypocrite, it is far otherwise. Thou mayst call Christ 
thy Lord and thy Savior, but thou never foundest thyself 
so lost without him as to drive thee to seek him, and trust 
him, and lay thy salvation on him alone; at least, thou 
didst never heartily consent that he should govern thee as 
thy Lord, nor resign up thy soul and life to be ruled by 
him, nor take his word for the law of thy thoughts and ac- 
tions. It is likely thou art content to be saved from hell 
by Christ when thou diest; but, in the mean time, he shall 
command thee no further than will stand with thy credit, 



128 OUR TITLE TO [Chap. 8 

or pleasure, or other worldly ends. And if he would give 
thee leave, thou hadst far rather live after the world and 
iiesh, than after the Word and Spirit. And though thou 
mayst now and then have a motion or purpose to the con- 
trary, yet this that I have mentioned is the ordinary de- 
sire and choice of thy heart. Thou art therefore no true 
believer in Christ; for though thou confess him in words, 
yet in works thou dost deny him, '* being abominable, and 
disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate." This is 
the case of those that shall be shut out of the saints' rest. 

Observe, it is the consent of your hearts, or wills, which 
I especially lay down to be inquired after. I do not ask, 
whether thou be assured of salvation, nor whether thou 
canst believe that thy sins are pardoned, and that thou art 
beloved of God in Christ. These are no parts of justifying 
faith, but excellent fruits of it, and they that receive them 
are comforted by them ; but, perhaps, thou mayst never 
receive them while thou livest, and yet be a true heir of 
rest. Do not say then, " I canpot believe that my sins are 
pardoned, or that I am in God's favor; and therefore I am 
no true believer." This is a most mistaken conclusion. The 
question is, whether thou dost heartily accept of Christ, 
that thou mayst be pardoned, reconciled to God, and so 
saved. Dost thou consent that he shall be thy Lord, who 
hath bought thee, and that he shall bring thee to heaven 
in his own way ? This is justifying, saving faith, and the 
mark by which thou must try thyself. Yet still observe, 
that all this consent must be hearty and real, not feigned 
or with reservations. It is not saying as that dissembling 
son, " I go, sir; and went not." If any have more of the 
government of thee than Christ, thou art not his disciple. 
I am sure these two marks are such as every Christian 
hath, and none but sincere Christians. O that the Lord 
would now persuade thee to the close performance of this 
self-trial ! that thou mayst not tremble with horror of soul, 
when the Judge of the world shall try thee ; but be so able to 
prove thy title to rest, that the prospect and approach of death 
and judgment may raise thy spirits, and fill thee with joy. 

On the whole, if Christians would have comforts that 
will not deceive them, let them make it the great labor of 
their lives to grow in grace, to strengthen and advance the 
interest of Christ in their souls^and to weaken and subdue 



Chap. 9.] THE saints' rest. 129 

the interest of the flesh. Deceive not yourselves with a 
persuasion that Christ hath done all, and left you nothino- 
to do. To overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil, 
and, in order to that, to stand always armed upon our 
watch, and valiantly and patiently to fight it out, is of great 
importance to our assurance and salvation. Indeed, it is 
so iiiiporlant, that he who perforraeth it not is no more 
than a nominal Christian. Not to every one that pre- 
sumptuously believeth, but " to him that overcometh, will 
Christ give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him 
a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which 
no man knoweth, saving he that receiveth it ; he shall eat 
of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of 
God, and shall not be hurt of the second death. Christ 
will confess h!i name before his Father, and before his 
angels, and make him a pillar in the temple of God, and 
he shall go no more out; and will write upon him the 
name of his God, and the name of the city of his God, 
which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of hea- 
ven from his God, and will write upon him his new name." 
Yea, " He will grant to him to sit with him on his throne, 
even as he also overcame, and is set down with his Father 
on his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what 
the Spirit saith unto the churches." 



CHAPTER IX. 

THE DUTY OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD TO EXCITE OTHERS TO SEEK 
THIS PcEST. 

The author laments that Chrislians do so Utile to help others to obtain 
the saints' rest : J. Shows the nature of this duty; particularly, 1. 
In having our hearts nj'ectedwilk the misery of our Ijreihren's souls; 

2. In taking all opportunities to instruct tlicm in the way of salva- 
tion ; 3. In promoting their profit by public ordinances : II. Assigns 
various reasons u hi, tliis duly is so much neglected, and answers some 
objections against it: Then, III., urges to the discharge of it, by 
several considerations ; 1. Addressed to such as have knowledge, 
learning, mid utterance ; 2. Those that are acquainted with sinners; 

3. Physicians that attend dying men; 4. Persons of wealth and power ; 
5. JLnisters; 6. And those that a^e intrusted ivitli the care of children 
or servants. The chaptir concludes with an earnest request to Chris- 
tian parents to be faithful to their trust. 

Hath God set before us such a glorious prize as the 
saints' rest, and made us capable of such inconceivable 
6* 



130 EXCITEMENT TO SEEK [Chap. 9. 

happiness ? Why, then, do not all the children of this 
kingdom exert themselves more to help others to the en- 
joyment of it ? Alas ! how little are poor souls about us 
beholden to most of us ! We see the glory of the king- 
dom, and they do not ; we see the misery of those that 
are out of it, and they do not ; we see some wandering 
quite out of the way, and know^, if they hold on, they can 
never come there; and they themselves discern it not. 
And yet we will not seriously show them their danger and 
error, and help to bring them into the way, that they may 
live. Alas ! how few Christians are there to be found 
that set themselves with all their might to save souls ! No 
thanks to us, if heaven be not empty, and if the souls of 
our brethren perish not for ever. Considering how im- 
portant this duty is, to the glory of God and the happiness 
of men, I will show — how it is to be performed ; — why it 
is so much neglected ; — and then offer some considerations 
to persuade to it. 

First. The duty of exciting and helping others to discern 
their title to the saints^ rest. This does not mean that every 
man should turn a public preacher, or that any should go 
beyond the bounds of their particular callings ; much less 
does it consist in promoting a party spirit ; and, least of 
all, in speaking against men's faults behind their backs, 
and being silent before their faces. This duty is of ano- 
ther nature, and consists of the following things : in having 
our hearts affected with the misery of our brethren's souls, 
in taking all opportunities to instruct them in the way of 
salvation, and in promoting their profit by public ordi- 
nances, 

1. Our hearts must he affected with the misery of our 
brethren's souls. We must be compassionate toward 
them, and yearn after their recovery and salvation. If we 
earnestly longed after their conversion, and our hearts 
were solicitous to do them good, it would set us on work, 
and God would usually bless it. 

2. We must take every opportunity that we possibly can, 
to instruct them how to attain salvation. If the person be 
ignorant, labor to make him understand the chief happi- 
ness of man ; how far he was once possessed of it ; the 
covenant God then made with him; how he broke it; 
what penalty he incurred; and what misery he brought 



Chap. 9.] THE saints' rest. 131 

himself into. Teach him his need of a Redeemer ; how 
Christ did mercifully interpose, and bear the penalty ; 
what the new covenant is; how men are drawn to Christ; 
and what are the riches and privileges which believers 
have in him. If he is not moved by these things, then 
show him the excellency of the glcry he neglects ; the 
extremity and eternity of the torments of the damned ; 
the justice of enduring them for wilfully refusing grace ; 
the certainty, nearness, and terrors of death and judgment ; 
the vanity of all things below ; the sinfulness of sin ; the 
preciousness of Christ ; the necessity of regeneration, faith, 
and holiness, and the true nature of them. If, after all, 
you find him entertaining false hopes, then urge him to 
examine his state ; show him the necessity of doing so ; 
help him in it ; nor leave him till you have convinced him 
of his misery and remedy. Show him how vain and de- 
structive it is to join Christ and his duties, to compose his 
justifying righteousness. Yet be sure to draw him to the 
use of all means ; such as hearing and reading the word, 
calling upon God, and associating with the godly : persuade 
him to forsake sin, avoid all temptations to sin, especially 
evil companions, and to wait patiently on God in the use 
of means, as the way in which God will be found. 

But, because the manner of performing this work is of 
great moment, observe therefore these rules : Enter upon 
it with right intentibns. Aim at the glory of God in the 
person's salvation. Do it not to get a name or esteem to 
thyself, or to bring men to depend upon thee, or to get 
thee followers ; but in obedience to Christ, in imitation of 
him, and tender love to men's souls. Do not as those who 
labor to reform their children or servants from such things 
as are against their own profit or humor, but never seek to 
save their souls in the way which God hath appointed. 
Do it speedily. As you would not have them delay their 
return, do not you delay to seek their return. While you 
are purposing to teach and help him, the man goes deeper 
in debt; wrath is heaping up; sin taking root; custom 
fastens him ; temptations to sin multiply ; conscience grows 
seared ; the heart hardened ; the devil rules ; Christ is 
shut out ; the Spirit is resisted ; God is daily dishonored ; 
his law violated ; he is without a servant, and that service 
from him which He should have ; time runs on ; death 



132 EXCITEMENT TO SEEK [Chap. 9. 

and judgment are at the door; and what if the man die, 
and drop into hell, wliile you are purposing to prevent it ? 
If, in the case of his bodily distress, you " must not say to 
him, Go, and come again, and to-morrow I will give, when 
thou hast it by thee ;" how much less may you delay the 
succor of his soul ! That physician is no better than a mur- 
derer, who negligently, delays till his patient be dead or 
past cure. Lay by excuses, then, and all lesser business, 
and " exhort one another daily, while it is called to-day, 
lest any be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." 
Let your exhortation proceed from compassion and love. 
To jeer and scoff, to rail and vilify, is not a likely way to 
reform men, or convert them to God. Go to poor sinners 
with tears in your eyes, that they may see you believe 
them to be miserable, and that you unfeignedly pity their 
case. Deal with them with earnest, humble entreaties. 
Let them perceive it is the desire of your heart to do them 
good ; that you have no other end but their everlasting 
happiness ; and that it is your sense of their danger, and 
your love to their souls, that forceth you to speak; even 
because you " know the terrors of the Lord," and for fear 
you should see them in eternal torments. Say to them, 
"Friend, you know I seek no advantage of my own : the 
method to please you, and keep your friendship, were to 
sooth you in your way, or let you alone; but love will not 
suffer me to see you perish, and be silent. I seek nothing 
at your hands but that which is necessary to your own 
happiness. It is yourself that will have the gain and com- 
fort, if you come to Christ." 

If we were thus to go to every ignorant and wicked 
neighbor, what blessed fruit should we quickly see ! — Do 
it with all possible plainness and faithfulness. Do not 
make their sins less than they are, nor encourage them in 
a false hope. If you see the case dangerous, speak plainly : 
"Neighbor, I am afraid God hath not yet renewed your 
soul ; I doubt you are not yet recovered ' from the power 
of Satan to God ;' I doubt you have not chosen Christ 
above all, nor unfeignedly taken him for your sovereign 
Lord. If you had, surely you durst not so easily disobey 
him, nor neglect his worship in your family, and in public; 
you could not so eagerly follow the world, and talk of no- 
thing but the things of th'^ world. If you were ' in Christ,' 



€hap, 9.] THE saints"* rest, 19^ 

you would be * a new creature ; old things' would be 
* passed away, and all things' would ' become new.' 
You would have new thoughts, new talk, new company, 
new endeavors^ and a new conversation. Certainly, with- 
out these you can never be saved ; you may think other- 
wise, and hope otherwise as long as you will, but your 
hopes will all deceive you, and perish with you." Thus 
must you deal faithfully with men, if ever you intend to do 
them good. It is not in curing men's souls, as in curing 
their bodies, where they must not know their danger, lest 
it hinder the cure. They are here agents in their own 
cure; and if they know not their misery, they will never 
bewail it, nor know their need of a Savior. Do it also 
seriously, zealously, and effectually. Labor to make men 
know that heaven and hell are not matters to be played 
with, or passed over with a few careless thoughts. " It 
is most certain that, one of these days, thou shalt be in 
everlasting joy or torment; and doth it not awaken thee ,^ 
Are there so few that find the way of life? so many that 
go the way of death ? Is it so hard to escape ? so easy 
to miscarry ? and yet do you sit still and trifle ? What do 
you mean? The world is passing away: its pleasures, 
honors, and profits, are fading and leaving you : eternity is 
a little before you : God is just and jealous: his threaten- 
ings are true: the great day will be terrible: time runs 
on : your life is uncertain : you are far behindhand : your 
case is dangerous : if you die to-morrow, how unready are 
you ! With what terror will your souls go out of your 
bodies! And do you yet loiter.? Consider, God is all 
this while waiting your leisure : his patience beareth : his 
long-suffering forbeareth : his mercy entreateth you : Christ 
offereth you his blood and merits : the Spirit is persuading : 
conscience is accusing: Satan waits to have you. This is 
your time — now or never. Had you rather burn in hell, 
than repent on earth ? have devils your tormentors, than 
Christ your governor .'' Will you renounce your part in 
God and glory, rather than renounce your sins ? O friends, 
what do you think of these things.'* God hath made you 
men ; do not renounce your reason where you should 
chiefly use it." Alas ! it is not a few dull words between 
jest and earnest, between sleep and awake, that will rouse 
a dead-hearted sinner. If a house be on fire, you will not 



134 EXCITEMENT TO SEEK [Chap. 9. 

make a cold oration on the nature and danger of fire, but 
will run and cry, Fire ! fire ! To tell a man of his sins as 
softly as Eli did his sons ; or to reprove him as gently as 
Jehoshaphat did Ahab, " Let not the king say so ;" usually 
doth as much harm as good. Loatbness to displease men 
makes us undo them. 

Yet, lest you run into extremes, I advise you to do it 
with prudence and discretion. Choose the fittest season. 
Deal not with men when they are in a passion, or where 
they will take it for a disgrace. When the earth is soft, 
the plough will enter. Take a man when he is under 
affliction, or newly impressed under a sermon. Christian 
faithfulness requires us, not only to do good when it falls 
in our way, but to watch for opportunities. Suit yourself 
also to the quality and temper of the person^ You must 
deal with the ingenious more by argument than persuasion. 
There is need of both to the ignorant. The affections of 
the convinced should be chiefly excited. The obstinate 
must be sharply reproved. The timorous must be dealt 
with tenderly. Love, and plainness, and seriousness, take 
with all ; but words of terror some can scarce bear. Use 
also the aptest expressions. Unseeming language makes 
the hearers loathe the food they should live by ; especially 
if they be men of curious ears, and carnal hearts. Let all 
your reproofs and exhortations be backed with the au- 
thority of God. Let sinners be convinced that you speak 
not of your own head. Turn them to the very chapter 
and verse where their sin is condemned, and their duty 
commanded. The voice of man is contemptible, but the 
voice of God is awful and terrible. They may reject your 
words, who dare not reject the words of the Almighty. 
Be frequent with men in this duty of exhortation. If we 
are " always to pray, and not to faint," because God will 
have us importunate with himself; the same course, no 
doubt, will be most prevailing with men. Therefore we 
are commanded " to exhort one another daily," and 
" with all long-suff'eriDg." The fire is not always brought 
out of the flint at one stroke ; nor men's aff'ections kindled 
at the first exhortation : and if they were, yet if they be 
not followed, they will soon grow cold again. Follow 
sinners with your loving and earnest entreaties, and give 
them no rest in their sin. This is true charity, the way 



Chap. 9.] THE saints' rest. 135 

to save men's souls, and will afford you comfort upon re- 
view. Strive to bring all your exhortations to an issue. 
If we speak the most convincing words, and all our care 
is over with our speech, we shall seldom prosper in our 
labors : but God usually blesses their labors, whose very 
heart is set upon the conversion of their hearers, and who 
are therefore inquiring after the success of their work. If 
you reprove a sin, cease not till the sinner promises you to 
leave it, and avoid the occasions of it. If you are exhort- 
ing to a duty, urge for a promise to set upon it presently. 
If you would draw men to Christ, leave not till you have 
made them confess the misery of their present unregene- 
rate state, and the necessity of Christ, and of a change, 
and have promised you to fall close to the use of means. 
O that all Christians would take this course with all their 
neighbors that are enslaved to sin, and strangers to Christ ! 
Once more, be sure your example exhort as well as your 
words. Let them see you constant in all the duties you 
persuade them to. Let them see in your lives that supe- 
riority to the world which your lips recommend. Let 
them see, by your constant labors for heaven, that you 
indeed believe what you would have them believe. A 
holy and heavenly life is a continual pain to the con- 
sciences of sinners around you, and continually solicits 
them to change their course. 

3. Besides the duty of private admonition, you must 
endeavor to help men to profit by the public ordinances. 
In order to that, endeavor to procure for them faithful 
ministers, where they are wanting. "How shall they 
hear without a preacher .?" Improve your interest and 
diligence to this end, till you prevail. Extend your purses 
to the utmost. How many souls may be saved by the 
ministry you have procured ! It is a higher and nobler 
charity than relieving their bodies. What abundance of 
good might great men do, if they would support, in aca- 
demical education, such youth as they have first carefully 
chosen for their talents and piety, till they should be fit 
for the ministry ! — and when a faithful ministry is obtained, 
help poor souls to receive the fruit of it — draw them 
constantly to attend it — remind them often what they 
have heard; and, if it be possible, let them hear it repeated 
in their families, or elsewhere — promote their frequent 



136 EXCITEMENT TO SEEK [Chap. 9. 

meeting together, besides publicly in the congregation; 
not as a separate church, but as a part of the church, more 
diligent than the rest in redeeming time, and helping the 
souls of each other heaven-ward. Labor also to keep the 
ordinances and ministry in eSteem : no man will be much 
wrought on by that which he despiseth. An apostle says, 
" We beseech you, brethren, to know them who labor 
among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish 
you; and to esteem them very highly in love for their 
work's sake. 

Sf-condly. Let us inquire^ what may be the causes of the 
gross neglect of this duty ; thai the hinderancesj being disco- 
vered^ may the more easily be overcome. 

One hinderance is, men's own sin and guilt. They have 
not themselves been ravished with heavenly delights ; how 
then should they draw others so earnestly to seek them ? 
They have not felt their own lost condition, nor their need 
of Christ, nor the renewing work of the Spirit; how then 
can they discover these to others? They are guilty of the 
sins they should reprove, and this makes them ashamed to 
reprove. Another is, a secret infidelityprevailing in men's 
hearts. Did we verily believe, that all the unregenerate 
?.nfl unholy shall be eternally tormented, how could we 
ii^ld our tongues, or avoid bursting into tears, when we 
look them in the face, especially when they are our near and 
dear friends ? Thus doth secret unbelief consume the vigor 
of each grace and duty. Christians, if you did verily be- 
lieve that your ungodly neighbors, wife, husband, or child, 
should certainly lie for ever in hell, except they be tho- 
roughly changed before death shall snatch them away, 
would not this make you address them day and night till 
they were persuaded ? Were it not for this cursed unbelief, 
our own and our neighbors' souls would gain more by us 
than they do. These attempts are also much hindered by 
our want of charity and compassion for men's souls. We 
look on miserable souls, and pass by, as the priest and 
Levite by the wounded man. What though the sinner, 
wounded by sin, and captivated by Satan, do not desire thy 
help himself; yet his misery cries aloud. If God had not 
heard the cry oT our miseries, before he heard the cry of 
our prayers, and been moved by his own pity before he 
was moved by our importunity, we might long have con- 



Chap. 9.] THE saints'* rest. 137 

tinued the slaves of Satan. You will pray to God for them, 
to open their eyes and turn their hearts ; and why not en- 
deavor their conversion, if you desire it? And if you do 
not desire it, why do you ask it? Why do you not pray 
them to -consider and return, as well as pray to God to con- 
vert and turn them ? If you should see your neighbor fallen 
into a pit, and should pray to God to help him out, but 
neither put forth your hand to help him, nor once direct 
him to help himself, would not any man censure you for 
your cruelty and hypocrisy ? It is as true of the soul as 
of the body. If any man " seeth his brother have need, 
and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how 
dwelleth the love of God in him ?" or what love hath he 
to his brother's soul ? We are also hindered by a base, 
man-pleasing disposition. We are so desirous to keep in 
credit and favor with men, that it makes us most unrea- 
sonably neglect our own duty. He is a foolish and un- 
faithful physician that will let a sick man die for fear of 
troubling him. If our friends are distracted, we please 
them in nothing that tends to their hurt. And yet when 
they are beside themselves in point of salvation, and in 
their madness posting on to damnation, we will not stop 
them for fear of displeasing them. How can we be Chris- 
tians that " love the praise of men more than the praise of 
God?" For, if we " seek to please men, we shall not be 
the servants of Christ." It is common to be hindered by 
sinful bashfulness. When we should shame men out of 
their sins, we are ourselves ashamed of our duties. May 
not these sinners condemn us, when they blush not to 
swear, be drunk, or neglect the worship of God ; and we 
blush to tell them of it, and persuade them from it? Bash- 
fulness is unseemly in cases of necessity. It is not a work 
to be ashamed of, to obey God in perstiading men from 
their sins to Christ. Reader, hath not thy conscience told 
thee of thy duty many a time, and put thee on to speak to 
poor sinners; and yet thou hast been ashamed to open thy 
mouth, and so let them alone to sink or swim ? O read and 
tremble, " Whosoever shall be ashamed of me, and of my 
words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also 
shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the 
glory of his Father, with the holy angels." An idle and 
impatient spirit hindereth us. It is an ungrateful work, and 



138 EXCITEMENT TO SEEK [Chap. 9. 

sometimes makes men our enemies. Besides, it seldom 
succeeds at the first, except it be followed on. You must 
be long teaching the ignorant, and persuading the obsti- 
nate. We consider not what patience God used toward us 
when we were in our sins. Wo to us, if God had been as 
impatient with us as we are with others. Another hinder- 
ance is, self-seeking. " All seek their own, not the things 
which are Jesus Christ's," and their brethren's. With 
many, pride is a great impediment. If it were to speak to 
a great man, and it would not displease him, they would 
do it; but to go among the poor, and take pains with them 
in their cottages, where is the person that will do it ? Many 
will rejoice in being instrumental to convert a gentleman, 
and they have good reason; but overlook the multitude, as 
if the souls of all were not alike to God. Alas ! these men 
little consider how low Christ stooped to us ! Few rich, 
and noble, and wise, are called. It is the poor that receive 
the glad tidings of the Gospel. And with some, their ig- 
noraiice of the duty hindereth them from performing it: 
either they know it not to be a duty, or at least not to be 
their duty. If this be thy case, reader, I am in hope thou 
art now acquainted with thy duty, and wilt set upon it. 

Do not object to this duty, that you are unable to ma- 
nage an exhortation ; but either set those on the work who 
are more able, or faithfully and humbly use the small abi- 
lity you have, and tell them, as a weak man may do, what 
God says in his word. Decline not the duty, because it is 
your superior who needs advice and exhortation. Order 
must be dispensed with in cases of necessity. Though it 
be a husband, a parent, a minister, you must teach him in 
such a case. If parents are in want, children must relieve 
them. If a husband be sick, the wife must fill up his place 
in family affairs. If the rich are reduced to beggary, they 
must receive charity. If the physician be sick, somebody 
must look to him. So the meanest servant must admonish 
his master, and the child his parent, and the wife her hus- 
band, and the people their minister; so that it be done 
when there is real need, and with all possible humility, 
modesty, and meekness. Do not say, this will make us all 
preachers; for every good Christian is a teacher, and has a 
charge of his neighbor's soul. Every man is a physician, 
when a regular physician cannot be had, and when the hurt 



Chap. 9.] THE SAINTS REST. 139 

is so small that any man may relieve it; and in the same 
cases every man must be a teacher. Do not despair of suc- 
cess. Cannot God give it? And must it not be by means? 
Do not plead, it will only be casting pearls before swine. 
When you are in danger to be torn in pieces, Christ would 
have you forbear; but what is that to you that are in no 
such danger ? As long as they will hear, you will have en- 
couragement to speak, and may not cast them off as con- 
temptible swine. Say not, " It is a friend on whom I much 
depend, and by telling him his sin and misery, I may lose 
his love, and be undone." Is his love more to be valued 
than his safety? or thy own benefit by him, than the salva- 
tion of his soul ? or wilt thou connive at his damnation 
because he is thy friend? Is that thy best requital of his 
friendship ? Hadst thou rather he should burn in hell for 
ever, than thou shouldst lose his favor, or the maintenance 
thou hast from him ? 

Thirdly. But that all who fear God may be excited to 
do their utmost to help others to this blessed rest, let me 
entreat you to consider the following motives: As, for instance, 
not only nature, but especially grace, disposes the soul to 
be communicative of good ; therefore to neglect this work 
is a sin both against nature and grace. Would you not think 
him unnatural that would suffer his children or neighbors to 
starve in the streets, while he has provision at hand ? And 
is not he more unnatural, that will let them eternally perish, 
and not open his mouth to save them ? An unmerciful, cruel 
man, is a monster to be abhorred of all. If God had bid 
you give them all your estates, or lay down your lives to 
save them, you would surely have refused, when you will 
not bestow a little breath to save them. Is not the soul 
of a husband, or wife, or child, or neighbor, worth a few 
words ? Cruelty to men's bodies is a most damnable sin ; but 
to their souls much more, as the soul is of greater worth than 
the body, and eternity than time. Little know you what 
many a soul may now be feeling in hell, who died in their 
sins, for want of your faithful admonition. Consider what 
Christ did toward the saving of souls. He thought them 
worth his blood; and shall we not think them worth our 
breath ? Will you not do a little where Christ hath done 
so much ? Consider what fit objects of pity ungodly people 
are. They are dead in trespasses and sins, have not hearts 



140 EXCITEMENT TO SEEK [Chap. 9. 

to feel their miseries, nor to pity themselves. If others do 
not pity them, they will have no pity ; for it is the nature 
of their disease to make them pitiless to themselves, yea, 
their own most cruel destroyers. Consider it was once thy 
own case. It was God's argument to the Israelites, to be 
kind to strangers, because themselves had been " strangers 
in the land of Egypt." So should you pity them that are 
strangers to Christ, and to the hopes and comforts of the 
saints, because you were once strangers to them yourselves. 
Consider your relation to them. It is thy neighbor, thy 
brother, whom thou art bound to love as thyself. He that 
loveth not his brother, whom he seeth daily, doth not love 
God, whom he never saw. And doth he love his brother, 
that will see him go to hell, and never hinder him ? 

Consider what a load of guilt this neglect lays upon thy 
own soul. Thou art guilty of the murder and damnation of 
all those souls whom thou dost thus neglect; and of every 
sin they now commit, and of all the dishonor done to God 
thereby ; and of all those judgments which their sins brhig 
upon the town or country where they live. Consider what 
it will be, to look upon your poor friends in eternal flames, 
and to think that your neglect was a great cause of it. If 
you should there perish with them, it would be no small 
aggravation of your torment. If you be in heaven, it would 
surely be a sad thought, were it possible that any sorrow 
could dwell there, to hear a multitude of poor souls cry out 
for ever, " O, if you would but have told me plainly of my 
sin and danger, and set it home, I might have escaped all 
this torment, and been now in rest!" What a sad voice 
will this be ! Consider what a joy it will be in heaven, to 
meet those there whom you have been the means to bring 
thither; to see their faces, and join with them for ever in 
the praises of God, whom you were the happy instru- 
ments of bringing to the knowledge and obedience of Jesus 
Christ! Consider how many souls you may have drawn 
into the way of damnation, or hardened in it. We have 
had, in the days of our ignorance, our companions in sin, 
whom we enticed or encouraged. And doth it not become 
us to do as much to save men, as we have done to destroy 
them ? Consider how diligent are all the enemies of these 
poor souls to draw them to hell. The devil is tempting 
them day and night; their inward lusts are still working 



€hap, 9.] THE saints' rest. 141 

for their ruin ; the flesh is still pleading for its delights ; 
their old companions are increasing their dislike of holi- 
ness. And it nobody be diligent in helping them to heaven, 
what is like to become of them ? 

Consider how deep the neglect of this duty will wound 
when conscience is awakened. When a man comes to die, 
conscience will ask him, *' What good hast thou done in 
thy lifetime ? The saving of souls is the greatest good work; 
what hast thou done toward it ? How many hast thou dealt 
faithfully with ?" I have often observed that the consciences 
of dying m€n very much wounded them for this omission. 
For my own part, when I have been near death, my con- 
science hath accused me more for this than for any sin ; it 
would bring every ignorant, profane neighbor to my re- 
membrance, to whom I never made known their danger; 
it would tell me, " Thou shouldst have gone to them in 
private, and told them plainly of their desperate danger, 
though it had been when thou shouldst have eaten or slept, 
if thou hadst no other time." Conscience would remind me 
how, at such or such a time, I was in company with the 
ignorant, or was riding by the way with a wilful sinner, 
and had a fit opportunity to have dealt with him, but did 
not ; or at least did it to little purpose. The Lord grant I 
may better obey conscience while I have time, that it may 
have less to accuse me of at death ! Consider what a sea- 
sonable time you now have for this work. There are times 
in which it is not safe to speak; it may cost you your liber- 
ties or your lives. Besides, your neighbors will shortly die, 
and so will you. Speak to them, therefore, while you may. 
Consider, though this is a work of the greatest charity, yet 
every one of you may perform it ; the poorest as well as 
the rich : every one hath a tongue to speak to a sinner. 
Once more, consider the happy consequences of this work 
where it is faithfully done. You may be instrumental in 
saving souls, for which Christ came down and died, and 
"in which the angels of God rejoice. Such souls will bless 
you here and hereafter; God w^ill have much glory by it; 
the church will be multiplied and edified by it; your own 
souls will enjoy more improvement and vigor in a divine 
life, more peace of conscience, more rejoicing in spirit. Of 
all the personal mercies that I ever received, next to the 
love of God in Christ to my own soul, I must most joyfully 



1^ EXCITEMENT TO SEEK [Chapr 9s 

bless him for the plentiful success of my endeavors upon 
others. O what fruits, then, might I have seen, if I had 
been more faithful ! I know we need be very jealous of 
our deceitful hearts in this point, lest our rejoicing should 
come from our pride. Naturally we would have the praise 
of every good work ascribed to ourselves ; yet to imitate 
our Father in goodness and mercy, and to rejoice in the 
degree of them we attain to, is the duty of every child of 
God. I therefore tell you my own experience, to persuade 
you, that, if you did but know what a joyful thing it is. you 
would follow it night and day through the greatest discou- 
ragements. 

Up, then, every man that hath a tongue, and is a servant 
of Christ, and do something of your Master's work. Why 
hath he given you a tongue, but to speak in his service ? 
And how can you serve him more eminently than in labor- 
ing for the salvation of souls ? He that will pronounce you 
blessed at the last day, and invite you to " the kingdom 
prepared for you," because you " fed him, and clothecj 
him, and visited him," in his poor members, will surely 
pronounce you blessed for so great a work as bringing souls- 
to his kingdom. He that saith, " the poor you have always 
with you," hath left the ungodly always with you, that you 
might still have matter to exercise yoiir charity upon. If 
you have the hearts of Christians or of men, let them yearn 
toward your ignorant, ungodly neighbors. Say, as the le- 
pers of Samaria, " We do not well ; this day is a day of good 
tidings, and we hold our peace." Hath God had so much 
mercy on you, and will you have no mercy on your poor 
neighbors ? But as this duty belongs to all Christians, so 
especially to some, according as God hath called them to it, 
or qualified them for it. To them, therefore, I will more 
particularly address the exhortation. 

1. God especially expects this duty at your hands, to 
whom he hath given more learniug and knowledge, and 
endued with better utterance, than your neighbors. The 
strong are made to help the weak, and those that see must 
direct the blind. God looketh for this faithful improvement 
of your parts and gifts, which if you neglect, it were better 
you had never received them ; for they will but aggravate 
your condemnation, and be as useless to your own salva- 
tion as they were to others. 



Chap. 9.] THE SAINTS REST. 143 

2. All those that are particularly acquainted with some 
ungodly men, and that have peculiar interest in them, God 
looks for this duty at your hands. Christ himself did eat 
and drink with publicans and sinners; but it was only to 
be their physician, and not their companion. Who knows 
but God gave you interest in them to this end, that you 
might be the means of their recovery? They that will not 
regard the words of a stranger, may regard a brother, or 
sister, or husband, or wife, or near friend ; besides that the 
bond of friendship engageth you to more kindness and com- 
passion than ordinary. 

3. Physicians that are much about dying men, should, 
in a special manner, make conscience of this duty. It is 
their peculiar advantage, that they are at hand; that they 
are with men in sickness and dangers, when the ear is 
more open, and the heart less stubborn, than in time of 
health ; and that men look upon their physician as a per- 
son in whose hands is their life; or, at least, who may do 
much to save them ; and therefore they will the niore re- 
gard his advice. You that are of this honorable profession, 
do not think this a work beside your calling, as if it be- 
longed to none but ministers; except you think it beside 
your calling to be compassionate, or to be Christians. O help, 
therefore, to fit your patients for heaven ! and, whether you 
see they are for life or death, teach them both how to live 
and die, and give them some physic for their souls, as you 
do for their bodies. Blessed be God, that very many of the 
chief physicians of this age have, by their eminent piety, 
vindicated their profession from the common imputation of 
atheism and profaneness. 

4. Men of wealth and authority, and that have many de- 
pendants, have excellent advantages for this duty. O what 
a world of good might gentlemen do, if they had but hearts 
to improve their influence over others ! Have you not all 
your honor and riches from God? Doth not Christ say, 
*' Unto whomsoever much is given, of him much shall be 
required?" If you speak to your dependants for God and 
their souls, you may be regarded, when even a minister 
shall be despised. As you value the honor of God, your 
own comfort, and the salvation of souls, improve your in- 
fluence over your tenants and neighbors; visit their houses; 
see whether they worship God in their families ; and take 



144 EXCITEMENT TO SEEK [Chap^ 9, 

all opportunities to press them to their duty. Despise them 
not. Remember, God is no respecter of persons. Let men 
see that you excel others in piety, compassion, and dili- 
gence in God's work, as you do in the riches and honors 
of the world. I confess you will, by this means, be singular, 
but then you will be singular in glory; for few of the 
" mighty and noble are called." 

5. As for the ministers of the Gospel, it is the very work 
of their calling to help others to heaven* Be sure to make 
it the main end of your studies and preaching. He is the 
able, skilful minister, that is best skilled in the art of in- 
structing, convincing, persuading, and, consequently, oC 
winning souls ; and that is the best sermon that is b*est in 
these. When you seek not God, but yourselves, God will 
make you the most contemptible of men. It is true of your 
reputation, what Christ says of your life, " He that loveth 
it shall lose it." Let the vigor of your persuasions show 
that you are sensible on how weighty a business you are 
sent. Preach witlf seriousness and fervor, as men that be- 
lieve their own doctrine, and that know their hearers must 
be prevailed with, or be damned. Think not that all your 
work is in your studies and pulpit. You are shepherds, 
and must know every sheep, and what is their disease, and 
mark their strayings, and help to cure them, and fetch them 
home. Learn of Paul, not only to " teach your people pub- 
licly, but from house to house." Inquire how they grow in 
knowledge and holiness, and on what grounds they buikl 
their hopes of salvation, and whether they walk uprightly^ 
and perform their duties of their several relations. See 
whether they worship God in their families, and teach 
them how to do it. Be familiar with them, that you may 
maintain your interest in them, and improve it all for God. 
Know of them how they profit by public teaching. If any 
too little " savor the things of the Spirit," let them be 
pitied, but not neglected. If any walk disorderly, recover 
them with diligence and patience. If they be ignorant, it 
may be your fault as much as theirs. Be not asleep while 
the wolf is waking. Deal not slightly with any. Some will 
not tell their people plainly of their sins, because they are 
great men; and some, because they are godly; as if none 
but the poor and the wicked should be dealt plainly with. 
Yet labor to be skilful and discreet, that the manner may 



Cliap. 9.] THE saints' rest. 145 

answer to the excellency of the matter. Every reasonable 
soul hath both judgment and affection ; and every rational, 
spiritual sermon must have both. Study and pray, and pray 
and study, till you are become " workmen that need not 
be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth ;" that your 
people may not be ashamed, nor weary in hearing you. 
Let your conversation be teaching, as well as your doc- 
trine. Be as forward in a holy and heavenly life as you are 
in pressing others to it. Let your discourse be edifying 
and spiritual. Suffer any thing, rather than the Gospel and 
men's souls should suffer. Let men see that you use not 
the ministry only for a trade to live by ; but that your hearts 
are set upon the welfare of souls. Whatsoever meekness, 
humility, condescension, or self-denial, you teach them 
from the Gospel, teach it them also by your undissembled 
example. Study and strive after unity and peace. If ever 
you would promote the kingdom of Christ and your peo- 
ple's salvation, do it in a way of peace and love. It is as 
hard a thing to maintain in your people a sound under- 
standing, a tender conscience, a lively, gracious, heavenly 
frame of spirit, and an upright life, amidst contention, as to 
keep your candle lighted in the greatest storms. " Blessed 
is that servant whom his Lord, when he cometh, shall find 
so doing." 

6. All you whom^God bath intrusted with the care of 
children and servants, I would also persuade to this great 
work of helping others to the heavenly rest. Consider what 
plain and pressing commands of God require this at your 
hands. " These words thou shalt teach diligently unto thy 
children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine 
house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou 
liest down, and when thou risest up. Train up a child in 
the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not de- 
part from it. Bring up your children in the nurture and ad- 
monition of the Lord." Joshua resolved, that " he and his 
house would serve the Lord." And God himself says of 
Abraham, " I know him, that he will command his chil- 
dren, and his household after him, and they shall keep the 
way of the Lord." Consider, it is a duty you owe your 
children in point of justice. From you they received the 
defilement and misery of their natures ; and therefore you 
owe them all possible help for their recovery. Consider 



146 EXcrTEMENT TO SEEK [Chap, 9. 

how near your children arc to you : they are parts of your- 
selves. If they prosper when you are dead, you take it as 
if you lived and prospered in them; and should you not be 
of the same mind for their everlasting rest ? Otherwise you 
will be witnesses against your own souls. Your care, and 
pains, and cost for their bodies, will condemn you for your 
neglect of their precious souls. Yea, all the brute creaturef 
may condemn you. Which of them is not tender of theii 
young? Consider, God hath made your children yom 
charge, and your servants too. Every one will confess they 
are the minister's charge. And have not you a greater 
charge of your own families than any minister can have of 
them ? Doubtless at your hands Gcd will require the blood 
of their souls. It is the greatest charge you were ever in- 
trusted with, and wo to you, if you sutler them to be igno- 
rant or wicked for want of your instruction or correction. 
Consider what work there is for you in their dispositions 
and lives. Theirs is not one sin, but thousands. They have 
hereditary diseases, bred in their natures. The things you 
must teach them are contrary to the interests and desires 
of their flesh. May the Lord make you sensible what a 
work and charge lieth upon you ! Consider what sorrows 
you prepare for yourselves by the neglect of your children. 
If they prove thorns in your eyes, they are of your own 
planting. If you should repent and be saved, is it nothing 
to think of their damnation ; and yourselves the occasion 
of it ? But if you die in your sins, how will they cry out 
against you in hell ! " All this was wrong of you ; you 
should have taught us better, and did not; you should 
have restrained us from sin and corrected us, but did not." 
What an addition will such outcries be to your misery ! 
On the other side, think what a comfort you may have, if 
you be faithful in this duty ! If you should not succeed, you 
have freed your own souls, and have peace in your own 
consciences. If you do, the comfort is inexpressible, in 
their love and obedience, their supplying your wants, and 
delighting you in all your remaining path to glory. Yea, 
all your family may fare the better for one pious child or 
serrant. But the greatest joy will be, when you shall say, 
" Lord, here am I, and the children thou hast given me;'' 
and shall joyfully live with them for ever. Consider hovr 
much the welfare of church and state depends on this duty. 



Chap. 9. J THE saints' rest. 147 

Good laws will not reform us, if reformation begin not at 
home. This is the cause of all our miseries in church and 
state, even the want of a holy education of children. I also 
entreat parents to consider, what excellent advantages they 
have for promoting the salvation of their children. They 
are with you while they are tender and flexible: you have 
a twig to bend, not an oak. None in the world have such 
interest in their aff'ections as you have : you have also the 
greatest authority over them. Their whole dependence is 
upon you for a maintenance. You best know their temper 
and inclinations. And you are ever with them, and can 
never want opportunities : especially you, mothers, remem- 
ber this, who are more with your children, while young, 
than their fathers. What pains are you at for their bodies ! 
What do you suff*er to bring them into the world ! And 
will you not be at as much pains for the saving of their 
souls ? Your affections are tender, and will it not move you 
to think of their perishing for ever ? I beseech you, for the 
sake of the children of your bowels, teach them, admonish 
them, watch over them, and give them no rest till you have 
brought them to Christ. 

I shall conclude with this earnest request to all Christian 
parents that read these lines, that they would have com- 
passion on the souls of their poor children, and be faithful 
of the great trust that God hath put on them. If you can- 
not do what you would for them, yet do what you can. 
Both church and state, city and country, groan under the 
neglect of this weighty duty. Your children know not God 
nor his laws, but " take his name in vain" and slight his 
worship, and you neither instruct them nor correct them; 
and therefore God corrects both them and you. You are so 
tender of them, that God is the less tender of both them 
and you. Wonder not if God makes you smart for your 
children's sins ; for you are guilty of all they commit, by 
your neglect of your duty to reform them. Will you resolve, 
therefore, to set upon this duty, and neglect it no longer? 
Remember Eli. Your children are like Moses in the bul- 
rushes, ready to perish if they have not help. If you would 
not be charged before God as murderers of their souls, nor 
have them cry out against you in everlasting fire, see that 
you teach them how to escape it, and bring them up in ho- 
liness and the fear of God. I charge every one of you, upon 



148 THE saints' rest [Chap. fO». 

your allegiance to God, as you will very shortly answer the 
contrary at your peril, that you will neither refuse nor ne-- 
gleet this most necessary duty. If you are not willing to do 
it, now you know it to be so great a duty, you are rebels^ 
and no true subjects of Jesus Christ. If you are willingy 
but know not how, I will add a few words of direction to 
help you. Lead them, by your own example, to prayer^ 
reading, and other religious duties; inform their under-^ 
standings ; store their memories ; rectify their wills ; quick- 
en their affections ; keeptender their consciences; restrain 
their tongues, and teach them gracious speech ; reform and 
watch over their outward conversation. To these endS; 
get them Bibles and pious books, and see that they read 
them. Examine them often what they learn ; especially 
spend the Lord^s day in this work, and suffer them not to 
spend it in sports or idleness. Show them the meaning of 
what they read or learn. Instruct them out of the Holy 
Scriptures. Keep them out of evil company, and acquaint 
them with the godly. Especially show them the necessity, 
excellency, and pleasure of serving God, and labor to fi.s. 
all upon their hearts. 



CHAPTER X. 

THE saints' rest IS NOT TO BE EXPECTED ON EARTH. 

In order to show the sin and folly of expecting rest here, I. The reasona" 
bleness of present afflictions is considered ; 1. That they are the way 
to rest; 2. Keep us from mistaking our rest ; 3. From, losing our loan 
to it ; 4. Quicken outpace toward it ; 5. Chiefly incommode our flesh; 
6. Under them the sweetest foretastes of rest are often enjoyed. 11. 
How unreasonable to rest in present enjoyments ; 1. That it is idola- 
try ; 2. That it contradicts God's end in giving them; 3. Js the way to 
have them refused, withdrawn, or imbitlered ; 4. That to be suffered 
to take up our rest here is the greatest curse ; 5. That it is seeking rest 
where it is not; 6. That the creatures, ivithout God, would aggravate 
our misery; 7. And all this is confirmed by experience. JII. Hoiu 
unreasonable our unwillingness to die, and possess the saints' rest, is 
largely considered. 

We are not yet come to our resting-place. Doth it re- 
main ? How great, then, is our sin and folly to seek and 
expect it here ! Where shall we find the Christian that de- 
serves not this reproof? We would all have continual pros- 
perity, because it is easy and pleasing to the fiesh; but we 



Chap. 10.] IS NOT ON EARTH, 119 

consider not the unreasonableness of such desires. And 
when we enjoy convenient houses, goods, lands, and re- 
venues, or the necessary means God hath appointed for our 
spiritual good, we seek rest in these enjoyments. Whether 
we are in an afflicted or prosperous state, it is apparent, we 
exceedingly make the creature our rest. Do we not desire 
creature enjoyments more violently, when we want them, 
than we desire God himself? Do we not delight more in 
the possession of them, than in the enjoyment of God ? 
And if we lose them, doth it not trouble us more than our 
loss of God? Is it not enough that they are refreshing 
helps in our way to heaven, but they must also be made 
our heaven itself? Christian reader, I would as willingly 
make thee sensible of this sin, as of any sin in the w^orld, 
if I could tell how to do it ; for the Lord's greatest quarrel 
with us is in this point. In order to this, I most earnestly 
beseech thee to consider the reasonableness of present 
afflictions, and the unreasonableness of resting in present 
enjoyments ; as also of our unwillingness to die, that we 
may possess eternal rest. 

First. To show the reasonableness of present afflictions, 
<:onsider — they are the way to rest ; they keep us from mis- 
taking our rest, and from losing our way to it; they quicken 
our pace toward it ; they chiefly incommode our flesh ; and 
under them God's people have often the sweetest foretastes 
of their rest. 

1. Consider that labor and trouble are 'the common way 
to rest, both in the course of nature and grace. Can there 
possibly be rest without weariness ? Do you not travail and 
toil first, and rest after ? The day for labor is first, and then 
follows the night for rest. Why should we desire the course 
of grace to be perverted, any more than the course of na- 
ture ? It is an established decree, " that we must, through 
much tribulation, enter into the kingdom of God;" and 
that, " if we sufl'er, we shall also reign with Christ." And 
what are we, that God's statutes should be reversed for 
our pleasure ? 

2. Afflictions are exceedingly useful to us, to keep us 
from mistaking our rest. A Christian's motion toward hea- 
ven is voluntary, and not constrained. Those means, there- 
fore, are most profitable, which help his understanding and 
will The most dangerous mistake of our souls is, to take 



160 THE saints' rest [Chap. 10. 

the creature for God, and earth for heaven. What warm, 
affectionate, eager thoughts have we of the world, till af- 
flictions cool and moderate them ! Afflictions speak con- 
vincingly, and will be heard when preachers cannot. Many 
a poor Christian is sometimes bending his thoughts to 
wealth, or flesh-pleasing, or applause, and so loses his re- 
lish of Christ, and the joy above ; till God break in upon 
his riches, or children, or conscience, or health, and break 
down his mountain which he thought so strong. And then, 
when he lieth in Manasseh's fetters, or is fastened to his 
bed with pining sickness, the world is nothing, and heaven 
is something. If our dear Lord did not put these thorns 
under our head, we should sleep out our lives, and lose 
our glory. 

3. Afflictions are also God's most effectual means to keep 
us from losing our way to our rest. Without this hedge of 
thorns on the right hand and left, we should hardly keep 
the way to heaven. If there be but one gap open, how 
ready are we to find it, and turn out at it ! When we grow 
wanton, or worldly, or proud, how doth sickness, or other 
affliction, reduce us ! Every Christian, as well as Luther, 
may call affliction one of the best schoolmasters ; and, with 
David, may say, " Before I was afflicted, I went astray ; 
but now have I kept thy word.'' Many thousand recovered 
sinners may cry, " healthful sickness ! comfortable sor- 
rows ! gainful losses ! enriching poverty ! blessed 
day that ever I was afflicted !" Not only the " green pas- 
tures and still waters, but the rod and staff", they comfort 
us." Though the word and Spirit do the main work, yet 
suffering so unbolts the door of the heart, that the word 
hath easier entrance. 

4. Afflictions likewise serve to quicken our pace in the 
way to our rest. It were well, if mere love would prevail 
with us, and that we were rather drawn to heaven than 
driven. But, seeing our hearts are so bad that mercy will 
not do it, it is better to be put on with the sharpest scourge, 
than loiter, like the foolish virgins, till the door is shut. 
what a difference is there betwixt our prayers in health 
and in sickness ! betwixt our repentings in prosperity and 
adversity ! Alas ! if we did not sometimes feel the spur, 
what a slow pace would most of us hold toward heaven ! 
Since our vile natures require it, why should we be unwill- 



Chap. 10.] IS NOT ON EARTH. 151 

ing that God should do us good by sharp means ? Judge, 
Christian, whether thou dost not go more watchfully and 
speedily in the way to heaven, in thy sufferings, than in 
thy more pleasing and prosperous state. 

5. Consider, further, it is but the flesh that is chiefly 
troubled and grieved by afflictions. In most of our suffer- 
ings the soul is free, unless we ourselves wilfully afflict it. 
*' Why, then, ray soul, dost thou side with this flesh, and 
complain as it complaineth ? It should be thy work to keep 
it under, and bring it into subjection ; and if God do it for 
thee, shouldst thou be discontented ? Hath not the pleas- 
ing of it been the cause of almost all thy spiritual sorrows ? 
Why, then, may not the displeasing of it further thy joy? 
Must not Paul and Silas sing, because their feet are in the 
stocks ? Their spirits were not imprisoned. Ah, unworthy 
soul ! is this thy thanks to God for preferring thee so far 
before thy body? When it is rotting in the grave, thou 
shalt be a companion of the perfected spirits of the just. 
In the meantime, hast thou not consolation which the flesh 
knows not of? Murmur not, then, at God's dealings with 
thy body : if it were for want of love to thee, he would 
not have dealt so by all his saints. Never expect thy flesh 
should truly expound the meaning of the rod. It will call 
love hatred, and say, God is destroying, when he is saving. 
It is the suffering party, and therefore not fit to be the 
judge." Could we once believe God, and judge of his deal- 
ings by his word, and by their usefulness to our souls and 
reference to our rest, and could we stop our ears against 
all the clamors of the flesh, then we should have a truer 
judgment of our afflictions. 

6. Once more, consider, God seldom gives his people so 
sweet a foretaste of their future rest, as in their deep afflic- 
tions. He keeps his most precious cordials for the time of 
our greatest faintings and dangers. He gives them when 
he knows they are needed and will be valued, and when 
he is sure to be thanked for them, and that his people will 
be rejoiced by them. Especially when our sufferings are 
more directly for his cause, then he seldom fails to sweeten 
the bitter cup. The martyrs have possessed the highest 
joys. When did Christ preach such comforts to his disci- 
ples, as when " their hearts were sorrowful" at his depar- 
ture? When did he appear among them, and say, " Peace 



152 THiJ saints' rest [Chap. 10. 

be unto you," but when they were shut up for fear of the 
Jews ? When did Stephen see heaven opened, but when 
he was giving up his life for the testimony of Jesus ? Is 
not that our best state, wherein we have most of God? 
Why else do we desire to come to heaven ? If we look for 
a heaven of fleshly delights, we shall find ourselves mis- 
taken. Conclude, then, that affliction is not so bad a state 
for a saint in his way to rest. Are we wiser than God ? 
Doth he not know what is good for us, as well as we ? or 
is he not as careful of our good, as we are of our own ? Wo 
to us. if he were not much more so ; and if he did not love 
us better than we love either him or ourselves ! 

Say not, " I could bear any other affliction but this." If 
God had afflicted thee where thou canst bear it, thy idol 
would neither have been discovered nor removed. Neither 
say, " If God would deliver me out of it, I could be con- 
tent to bear it." Is it nothing that he hath promised it "shall 
work for thy good ?" Is it not enough that thou art sure to 
be delivered at death ? Nor let it be said, " If my affliction 
did not disable me from my duty, I could bear it." It doth 
not disable thee for that duty which tendeth to thy own 
personal benefit, but is the greatest quickening help thou 
canst expect. As for thy duty to others, it is not thy duty 
when God disables thee. Perhaps thou wilt say, " The 
godly are my afflicters ; if it were ungodly men, I could 
easily bear it." Whoever is the instrument, the affliction is 
from God, and the deserving cause thyself; and is it not 
better to look more to God than thyself.^ Didst thou not 
know that the best men are still sinful in part ? Do not 
plead, " If I had but that consolation which you say God 
reserveth for suffering times, I should suffer more content- 
edly; but I do not perceive any such thing." The more 
you suffer for righteousness' sake, the more of this blessing 
you may expect; and the more you suffer for your own 
evil doing, the longer it will be before that sweetness 
comes. Are not the comforts you desire neglected or re- 
sisted.? Have your afflictions wrought kindly with you, 
and fitted you for comfort ? It is not suffering that prepares 
you for comfort, but the success and fruit of suffering upon 
your hearts. 

Secondly. To show the wireosonahleness of resting in pre- 
sent evjoymcntSj consider — it is idolizing them ; it contra- 



Chap. 10.] IS NOT ON EARTH^ 153 

■diets God's end in giving them ; it is the way to have them 
refused, withdrawn, or imbittered ; to be suffered to take 
up our rest here, is the greatest curse ; it is seeking rest 
^vhere it is not to be found ; the creatures, without God, 
would aggravate our misery ; and to confirm all this, we 
may consult our own and others' experience. 

1. It is gross idolatry to make any creature, or means, 
our rest. To be the rest of the soul, is God's own preroga- 
tive. As it is apparent idolatry to place our rest in riches 
or honors, so it is but a more refined idolatry to take up 
our rest in excellent means of grace. How ill must our 
dear Lord take it, when we give him cause to complain, 
as he did of our fellow-idolaters : " My people have been 
lost sheep ; they have forgotten their resting-place. My 
people can find rest in any thing rather than in me. They 
can delight in one another, but not in me. They can re- 
joice in my creatures and ordinances, but not in me. Yea, 
in their very labors and duties they seek for rest, but not 
in me. They had rather be any where than be with me* 
Are these their gods ? Have these redeemed them ? Will 
these be better to them than I have been, or than I would 
be r" If yourselves had a wife, a husband, a son, who had 
rather be anywhere than in your company, and was never 
so merry as when farthest from you, would you not take it 
ill ? So must our God needs do. 

2. You contradict the end of God in giving these enjoy- 
ments. He gave them to help thee to him, and dost thou 
take up with them in his stead ? He gave them to be re- 
freshments in thy journey, and wouldst thou duell in thy 
inn and go no farther ? It may be said of all our comforts 
and ordinances, as is said of the Israelites, " The ark of 
the covenant of the Lord went before them, to search out a 
resting-place for them." So do all God's mercies here. 
They are not that rest; as John professed he was not the 
Christ; but they are " voices crying in this wilderness," 
to bid us prepare, *' for the kingdom of God," our true rest, 
*' is at hand." Therefore, to rest here, were to turn all mer- , 
cies contrary to their own ends and to our own advantages, 
and to destroy ourselves with that which should help us. 

3. It is the way to cause God either to deny the mercies 
we ask, or to take from us those we enjoy, or at least im- 
bitter them to us. God is nowhere so jealous as here. If 



164 THE saints' rest [Chap. 10. 

you had a servant whom your wife loved belter than your- 
Belf, would you not take it ill of such a wife, and rid your 
house of such a servant ? So, if the Lord see you begin to 
settle in the world, and say, " Here I will rest," no won- 
der if he soon, in his jealousy, unsettle you. If he love you, 
no wonder if lie take that from you with which he sees 
you are destroyinj^ yourselves. It hath long been my ob- 
servation of many, that when they have attempted great 
works, and have just finished them; or have aimed at great 
things in the world, and have just obtained them ; or have 
lived in much trouble, and have just overcome it; and 
begin to look on their condition with content, and rest 
in it; they are then usually near to death or ruin. When a 
man is once at this language, " Soul, take thy ease," the 
next news usually is, " Thou fool, this night," or this 
month, or this year, '' thy soul shall be required, and then 
whose shall these things be ?" What house is there, where 
this fool dwelleth not? Let you and I consider whether it 
be not our own case. Many a servant of God hath been 
destroyed from the earth, by being overvalued and over- 
loved. 1 am persuaded, our discontents and murmurings 
are not so provoking to God, nor so destructive to the sin- 
ner, as our too sweet enjoying, and resting in, a pleasing 
state. If God hath crossed you in wife, children, goods, 
friends, either by taking them away, or the comfort of 
them, try whether this be not the cause ; for wheresoever 
your desires slop, and you say, " Now I am well," that 
condition you make your god, and engage the jealousy of 
God against it. Whether you be friends to God, or ene- 
mies, you can never expect that God should sudor you 
quietly to enjoy your idols. 

4. Should God suffer you to take up your rest here, it 
is one of the greatest curses that could befall you. It were 
better never to have a day of ease in the world ; for then 
weariness might make you seek after true rest. But if you 
are suffered to sit down and rest here, a restless wretch 
you will be through all eternity. To " have their portion 
in this life," is the lot of the most miserable, perishing sin- 
ners. Doth it become Christians, then, to expect so much 
here ? Our rest is our heaven ; and where we take our rest, 
there we make our heaven. And wouldst thou have but 
such a heaven as this ? 



Cliap. 10.] IS NOT ON EARTH. 155 

5. It is seeking rest wliere it is not to be found. Your 
labor will be lost; :uul if you proceed, your soul's eternal 
rest too. Our rest is oidy in tlie full obtainiiifr of our ulti- 
mate end. 15ut tbat is nut to be expected in tbis life; 
lieitlier is rest, tberefore, to be expected bere. Is Cod to 
be enjoyed in tbe best eburcb Iiere, as be is in beaven ? 
ilow little of God tbe saints enjoy under the best means, 
let their own complainings testify. Poor comforters are tbt; 
best ordinances without (Jod. Sliould a traveller take up 
Iiis rest in the way? No ; because bis borne is bis journey's 
end. Wben you hav(; all that creatures and means can af- 
ford, have you tbat you believed, prayed, suflcred for? I 
think you dare not say so. We are like little children 
strayed from borne, and God is now fetching us home, and 
we are ready to turn into any bouse, stay and play with 
every thing in our way, and sit down on every green bank, 
uiul.much ado there is to get us borne. We are also in tbe 
midst of our la])ors and dangers; and is tbere any resting 
here ^ What painful work doth lie upon our bands! Look 
to our brethren, to our souls, and to God ; and what a deal 
of work, in respect to each of these, dolb lie before us ! 
And can we rest in tbe midst of all our labors ? Indeed, we 
may rest on earth, as the ark is said to have " rested in the 
midst of Jordan" — a sbort and small rest; or as Abraham 
desired the " angels to turn in, and rest themselves" in 
his tent, where they would have been loath to have taken 
up their dwelling. Should Israel have fixed their rest in 
the wilderness, among serpents, and enemies, and weari- 
ness, and famine? Should Noah have made the ark bis 
home, and have been loath to come forth when the waters 
were assuaged ? Should the mariner choose bis dwelling 
on the sea, and settle liis rest in tbe midst of rocks, and 
sands, and raging tem])ests? Should a soldier rest in the 
thickest of his enemies? And are not (Jhristians such tra- 
vellers, such mariners, such soldiers? Have you not fears 
within and troubles without? Are we not in continual 
dangers ? AVe cannot eat, drink, sleep, labor, pray, hear, 
converse, but in the niidst of snares ; and shall we sit down 
and rest here ? O Christian, follow thy work, look to thy 
dangers, hold on to the end, win the field, and come off 
the ground, before thou think of a settled rest. Whenever 
ihoxi talkest of a rest on earth, it is like Peter on the mount. 



I56i THE saints' rest r^^^P* 1^' 

" thou knowest not what thou sayest." If, instead of tell- 
ing the converted thief, " This day shalt thou be with me 
in paradise," Christ had said he should rest there upon the 
cross, would he not have taken it for a derision ? Methinks 
it would be ill resting in the midst of sickness and pains, 
persecutions and distresses. But if nothing else will con- 
vince us, yet sure the remainders of sin, which do so easily 
beset us, should quickly satisfy a believer, that here is not 
his rest. I say, therefore, to every one that thinketh of rest 
on earth, " Arise ye, and depart, for this is not your rest, 
because it is polluted." These things cannot, in their na- 
ture, be a true Christian's rest. They are too poor to make 
us rich ; too low to raise us to happiness; too empty to fill 
our souls ; and of too short a continuance to be our eternal 
content. If prosperity, and whatsoever we here desire, be 
too base to make gods of, they are too base to be our rest. 
The soul's rest must be sufficient to afford it perpetual sa- 
tisfaction. But the content which creatures afford, waxes 
old, and abates after a short enjoyment. If God should rain 
down angels' food, we should soon loathe the manna. If 
novelty support not, our delights on earth grow dull. All 
creatures are to us as the flowers to the bee ; there is but 
little honey on any one, and therefore there must be a su- 
perficial taste, and so to the next. The more the creature 
is known, the less it satisfieth. Those only are taken with 
it, who see no farther than its outward beauty, without dis- 
cerning its inward vanity. When we thoroughly know the 
condition of other men, and have discovered the evil as 
well as the good, and the defects as well as the perfec- 
tions, we then cease our admiration. 

6. To have creatures and means without God, is an ag- 
gravation of our misery. If God should say, " Take my 
creatures, my word, my servants, my ordinances, but not 
myself," would you take this for happiness ? If you had the 
word of God, and not " the Word," which is God ; or the 
bread of the Lord, and not the Lord, which " is the true 
bread ;" or could cry with the Jews, *^ The temple of the 
Lord," and had not the Lord of the temple ; this were a 
poor happiness. Was Capernaum the more happy, or the 
more miserable, for seeing the mighty works which they 
had seen, and hearing the words of Christ which they did 



Chap. 10.] IS NOT ON EARTH. 157 

hear ? Surely tbat which aggravates cur sin and misery 
cannot be our rest. 

7. To confirm all this, let us consult our own and others' 
experience. Millions have made trial, but did any ever find 
a sufficient rest for his soul on earth ? Delights I deny not 
but they have found, but rest and satisfaction they never 
found. And shall we think to find that which never man 
could find before us ? Ahab's kingdom is nothing to him 
without Naboth's vineyard ; and did that satisfy him when 
he obtained it? Were you,like Noah's dove, to look through 
the earth for a resting-place, you would return confessing 
that you could find none. Go ask honor, Is there rest here ? 
You may as well rest on the top of tempestuous mountains, 
or in Etna's flames. Ask riches. Is there rest here ? Even 
such as is in a bed of thorns. If you inquire for rest of 
worldly pleasure, it is such as the fish hath in swallowing 
the bait; when the pleasure is sweetest, death is nearest. 
Go to learning, and even to divine ordinances, and inquire 
whether there your souls may rest. You might indeed re- 
ceive from these an olive-branch of hope, as they are means 
to your rest, and have relation to eternity ; but, in regard 
of any satisfaction in themselves, you would remain as rest- 
less as ever. How well might all these answer us, as Jacob 
did Rachel, " Am I in God's stead," that you come to me 
for soul-rest.^ Not all the states of men in the world; 
neither court nor country, towns nor cities, shops nor fields, 
treasures, libraries, solitude, society, studies, nor pulpits, can 
aflford any such thing as this rest. If you could inquire of 
the dead of all generations, or of the living through all do- 
minions, they would all tell you, " Here is no rest." Or, 
if other men's experience move you not, take a view of your 
own. Can you remember the state that did fully satisfy 
you.'* or, if you could, will it prove lasting.? I believe we 
may all say of our earthly rest, as Paul of our hope, " If it 
were in this life only, we are of all men the most miserable." 

If, then, either Scripture or reason, or the experience of 
ourselves and all the world, will convince us, we may see 
there is no resting here. And yet how guilty are the gene- 
rality of us of this sin ! How many halts and stops do we 
make, before we will make the Lord our rest ! How must 
God even drive us, and fire us out of every condition, lest 
we should sit down and rest there ! If he gives us prospe- 



168 THE saints' rest [Chap. 10. 

rity, riches, or honor, we do in our hearts dance before 
them, as the Israelites before their calf, and say, " These 
are thy gods;" and conclude, " it is good to be here." If 
he imbitter all these to us, how restless are we till our con- 
dition be sweetened, that we may sit down again and rest 
where we were ! If he proceed in the cure, and take the 
creature quite away, then we labor, and cry, and pray that 
God would restore it, that we may make it our rest again ! 
And while we are deprived of our former idol, yet, rather 
than come to God, we delight ourselves in the hope of re- 
covering it, and make that very hope our rest, or search 
about from creature to creature, to find out something to 
supply the room ; yea, if we can find no supply, yet we will 
rather settle in this misery, and make a rest of a wretched 
being, than leave all and come to God. the cursed averse- 
ness of our souls from God ! If any place in hell were to- 
lerable, the soul would rather take up its rest there than 
come to God. Yea, when he is bringing us over to him, 
and hath con\inced us of the worth of his ways and ser- 
vice, the last deceit of all is here ; we will rather settle 
upon those ways that lead to him, and those ordinances 
that speak of him, and those gifts which flow from him, 
than come entirely over to himself. Christians, marvel not 
that I speak so much of resting in these; beware, lest it 
prove thy ow^n case. I suppose thou art so far convinced of 
the vanity of riches, honor, and pleasure, that thou canst 
more easily disclaim these ; and it is well if it be so ; but 
the means of grace thou lookest on with less suspicion, and 
thinkest thou canst not delight in them too much, espe- 
cially seeing most of the world despise them, or delight in 
them too little. I know they must be loved and valued ; 
and he that delighteth in any worldly thing more than in 
them, is not a Christian. But when we are content with 
ordinances without God, and had rather be at a sermon 
than in heaven, and a member of the church here than of 
the perfect church above, this is a sad mistake. So far let 
thy soul take comfort in ordinances, as God doth accom- 
pany them ; remembering, this is not heaven, but the first- 
fruits. " While we are present in the body, we are absent 
from the Lord ;" and while we are absent from him, we are 
absent from our rest. If God were as willing to be absent 
from us as we from him, and as loath to be our rest as we 



Chap. 10.] IS NOT ON EARTH. 159- 

to rest in him, we should be left to an eternal restless se- 
paration. In a word, as you are sensible of the sinfulness 
of your earthly discontents, so be you also of your irregu- 
lar satisfaction, and pray God to pardon them much more. 
And, above all the plagues on this side hell, see that you 
watch and pray against settling any where short of heaven, 
or reposing your souls on any thing below God. 

Thirdly. The next thing to be considered, is our unrea- 
sonable unwillingness to die, that we may possess the saints^ 
rest. We linger, like Lot in Sodom, till " the Lord, being 
merciful unto us," doth pluck us away against our will. 
I confess that death of itself is not desirable; but the soul's 
rest with God is, to which death is the common passage. 
Because we are apt to make light of this sin, let me set be- 
fore you its nature and remedy, in a variety of considera- 
tions ; as, for instance, it has in it much infidelity. If we 
did but verily believe that the promise of this glory is the 
word of God, and that God doth truly mean as he speaks, 
and is fully resolved to make it good ; if we did verily be- 
lieve that there is indeed such blessedness prepared for 
believers, Gurely we should be as impatient of living as we 
are now fearful of dying, and should think every day a year 
till our last day should come. Is it possible that we can 
truly believe that death will remove us from misery to such 
glory, and yet be loath to die ? If the doubts of our own 
interest in that glory make us fear, yet a true belief of the 
certainty and excellency of this rest would make us rest- 
less till our title to it be cleared. Though there is much 
faith and Christianity in our mouths, yet there is much in- 
fidelity and paganism in our hearts, which is the chief 
cause that we are so loath to die. It is also much owing to 
the coldness of our love. If we love our friend, we love 
his company ; his presence is comfortable, his absence is 
painful ; when he comes to us, we entertain him with glad- 
ness; when he dies, we mourn, and usually overmourn. 
To be separated from a faithful friend, is like the rending 
a member from our body. And would not our desires after 
God be such, if we really loved him ? Nay, should it not 
be much more than such, as he is, above all friends, most 
lovely ? May the Lord teach us to look closely to our hearts, 
and take heed of self-deceit in this point ! Whatever we 
pretend, if we love either father, mother, husband, wife. 



160 THE SAINTS* REST [Chap. 10. 

child, friend, wealth, or life itself, more than Christ, we are 
yet " none of his" sincere " disciples." When it comes to 
the trial, the question will not be. Who hath preached most, 
or heard most, or talked most ? but. Who hath loved most? 
Christ will not take sermons, prayers, fastings ; no, nor the 
" giving our goods," nor the " burning our bodies," instead 
of love. And do we love him, and yet care not how long 
we are from him ? Was it such a joy to Jacob to see the 
face of Joseph in Egypt? and shall we be contented with- 
out the sight of Christ in glory, and yet say we love him ? 
I dare not conclude that we have no love at all, when we 
are so loath to die ; but I dare say, were our love more, we 
should die more willingly. If this holy flame were tho- 
roughly kindled in our breasts, we should cry out with 
David, " As the hart panteth after the water-brooks, so 
panteth my soul after thee, O God ! My soul thirsteth for 
God, for the living God ; when shall I come and appear 
before God ?" By our unwillingness to die, it appears we 
are little weary of sin. Did we take sin for the greatest 
evil, we should not be willing to have its company so long. 
" foolish, sinful heart ! hast thou been so long a cage of 
all unclean lusts, a fountain incessantly streaming forth 
the bitter waters of transgression, and art thou not yet 
weary ? Wretched soul ! hast thou been so long w^ounded 
in all thy faculties, so grievously languishing in all thy per- 
formances, so fruitful a soil of all iniquities, and art thou 
not yet more weary ? Wouldst thou still lie under thy im- 
perfections ? Hath thy sin proved so profitable a commo- 
dity, so necessary a companion, such a delightful employ- 
ment, that thou dost so much dread the parting day? May 
not God justly grant thee thy wishes, and seal thee a lease 
of thy desired distance from him, and nail thy ears to these 
doors of misery, and exclude thee eternally from his glory?" 
It shows that we are insensible of the vanity of the crea- 
ture, when we are so loath to hear or think of a removal. 
" Ah, foolish, wretched soul ! doth every prisoner groan for 
freedom ? and every slave desire his jubilee ? and every 
sick man long for health ? and every hungry man for food? 
and dost thou alone abhor deliverance ? Doth the sailor 
wish to see land? Doth the husbandman desire the harvest, 
and the laborer to receive his pay ? Doth the traveller long 
to be at home, and the racer to win the prize, and the 



Chap. 10.] IS NOT ON EARTH. 161 

soldier to win the field ? and art thou loath to see thy la- 
bors finished, and to receive the end of thy faith and suf- 
ferings? Have thy griefs been only dreams? If they were, 
yet methiuks thou shouldst not be afraid of waking. Or 
is it not rather the world's delights that are all mere dreams 
and shadows 1 Or is the world become of late more kind 1 
We may at our peril reconcile ourselves to the world, but 
it will never reconcile itself to us. unworthy soul ! who 
hadst rather dwell in this land of darkness, and wander in 
this barren wilderness, than be at rest with Jesus Christ ! 
who hadst rather stay among the wolves, and daily suffer 
the scorpion's stings, than praise the Lord with the host of 
heaven !" 

This unwillingness to die doth actually impeach us of 
high treason against the Lord. Is it not choosing of earth 
before him, and taking of present things for our happiness, 
and consequently making them our very god ? If we did 
indeed make God our end, our rest, our portion, our trea- 
sure, how is it possible but we should desire to enjoy him ? 
It moreover discovers some dissimulation. Would you 
have any man believe you, when you call the Lord your 
only hope, and speak of Christ as all in all, and of the 
joy that is in his presence, and yet would endure the hard- 
est life, rather than die, and enter into his presence ? What 
self-contradiction is this, to talk so hardly of the world 
and the flesh, to groan and complain of sin and suffering, 
and yet fear no day more than that which we expect should 
bring our final freedom ! What hypocrisy is this, to pro- 
fess to strive and fight for heaven, which we are loath to 
come to ! and spend one hour after another in prayer for 
that which we would not have. Hereby we wrong the 
Lord and his promises, and disgrace his ways in the eyes 
of the world : as if we would persuade them to question 
whether God be true to his word or not; whether there be 
any such glory as the Scripture mentions. When they see 
those so loath to leave their hold of present things, who 
have professed to live by faith, and have boasted of their 
hopes in another world, and spoken disgracefully of all 
things below in comparison of things above, how doth this 
confirm the world in their unbelief and sensuality ! 
" Sure," say they, " if these professors did expect so much 
glory, and make so light of the world as they seem, they 



[Chap. 10. 

would not themselves be so loath to change." O how 
are we ever able to repair the wrong which we do to God 
and souls by this scandal ? And what an honor to God, 
what a strengthening to believers, what a conviction to un- 
believers would it be, if Christians in this did answer their 
profession, and cheerfully welcome the news of rest ! — It 
also evidently shows, that we have spent much time to 
little purpose. Have we not had all our lifetime to pre- 
pare to die ; so many years to make ready for one hour; 
and are we so unready and unwilling yet ? What have we 
done ? Why have we lived ? Had we any greater matters 
to mind ? Would we have wished for more frequent warn- 
ings ? How oft hath death entered the habitations of our 
neighbors ! How oft hath it knocked at our own doors ! 
How many distempers have vexed our bodies, that we 
have been forced to receive the sentence of death ! And 
are we unready and unwilling after all this ? careless, 
dead-hearted sinners ! unworthy neglectors of God's warn- 
ings ! faithless betrayers of our own souls ! 

Consider, not to die is never to be happy. To escape 
death is to miss of blessedness, except God should trans- 
late us, as Enoch and Elijah, which he never did before 
or since. " If in this life only we have hope in Christ, 
we are of all men most miserable." If you would not 
die, and go to heaven, what would you have more than an 
epicure or a beast ? Why do we pray, and fast, and mourn ; 
why do we suffer the contempt of the world ; why are 
we Christians, and not pagans and infidels, if we do not 
desire a life to come ? Wouldst thou lose thy faith and 
labor. Christian ; all thy duties and sufferings, all the end 
of thy life, and all the blood of Christ, and be contented 
with the portion of a worldling or a brute 1 Rather say, 
as one did on his death-bed, when he was asked whether 
he was willing to die or not, "Let him be loath to die, 
who is loath to be with Christ." Is God willing by death 
to glorify us, and are we unwilling to die, that we may be 
glorified? Methinks, if a prince were willing to make you 
his heir, you would scarce be unwilling to accept it ; the 
refusing such a kindness would discover ingratitude and 
unworthiness. As God hath resolved against them, who 
make excuses when they should come to Christ, " None 
of those men, who were bidden, shall taste of my supper j" 



Chap. 10.] IS NOT ON EARTH. 163 

so it is just with him to resolve against us, who frame ex- 
cuses when we should come to glory. The Lord Jesus 
Christ was willing to come from heaven to earth for us, and 
shall v.'e be unwilling to remove from earth to heaven for 
ourselves and him 1 He might have said, " What is it to 
me, if these sinners suffer ] If they value their flesh above 
their spirits, and their lusts above my Father's love ; if 
they will sell their souls for nought, who is it fit should be 
the loser ? Should I, whom they have wronged ? Must 
they wilfully transgress my law, and I undergo their de- 
served pain ? Must I come down from heaven to earth, and 
clothe myself with human flesh, be spit upon and scorned 
by man, and fast, and weep, and sweat, and suffer, and 
bleed, and die a cursed death ; and all this for wretched 
worms, who would rather hazard their souls than forbear 
one forbidden morsel '? Do they cast away themselves so 
slightly, and must I redeem them so dearly?" Thus we 
see Christ had reason enough to have made him unwilling ; 
and yet did he voluntarily condescend. But we have no 
reason against our coming to him ; except we will reason 
against our hopes, and plead for a perpetuity of our own 
calamities. Christ came down to fetch us up ; and would 
we have him lose his blood and labor, and go again with- 
out us 1 Hath he bought our rest at so dear a rate ? Is our 
inheritance "purchased with his blood 1" And are we, 
after all this, loath to enter ? Ah, sirs ! it was Christ, and 
not we, that had cause to be loath. May the Lord forgive, 
and heal this foolish ingratitude ! 

Do we not combine with our most cruel foes in their 
most malicious designs, while we are loath to die, and go 
to heaven t What is the devil's daily business ? Is it not 
to keep our souls from God ? And shall we be content 
with this 1 Is it not the one half of hell which we wish 
to ourselves, while we desire to be absent from heaven ? 
What sport is this to Satan, that his desires and thine. 
Christian, should so concur ! that, when he sees he cannot 
get thee to hell, he can so long keep thee out of heaven, 
and make thee the earnest petitioner for it thyself! O 
gratify not the devil so much to thy own injury ! Do not 
our daily fears of death make our lives a continual tor- 
ment ? Those lives which might be full of joy, in the daily 
contemplations of the life to come, and the sweet, delight- 



164 THE saints' rest [Chap. 10. 

ful thoughts of bliss ; how do we fill them up with cause- 
less terrors ! Thus we consume our own comforts, and 
prey upon our truest pleasures. When we might lie down, 
and rise up, and walk abroad, with our hearts full of the 
joys of God, we continually fill them with perplexing fears. 
For he that fears dying, must be always fearing ; because 
he hath always reason to expect it. And how can that 
man's life be comfortable, who lives in continual fear of 
losing his comforts ? — Are not these fears of death self- 
created sufferings 1 as if God had not inflicted enough upon 
us, but we must inflict more upon ourselves. Is not death 
bitter enough to the flesh of itself, but we must double and 
treble its bitterness'? The sufferings laid upon us by God, 
do all lead to happy issues ; the progress is from tribula- 
tion to patience, from thence to experience, and so to hope, 
and at last to glory. But the sufferings we make for our- 
selves are circular and endless, from sin to suffering, from 
suffering to sin, and so to suffering again ; and not only 
so, but they multiply in their course ; every sin is greater 
than the former, and so every suffering also : so that, ex- 
cept we think God hath made us to be our own tormentors, 
we have small reason to nourish our fears of death. — And 
are they not useless, unprofitable fears 1 As all our care 
" cannot make one hair white or black, nor add one cubit 
to our stature," so neither can our fear prevent our suffer- 
ings, nor delay our death one hour : willing or unwilling, 
we must away. Many a man's fears have hastened his 
end, but no man's did ever avert it. It is true, a cautious 
fear concerning the danger after death hath profited many, 
and is very useful to the preventing of that danger ; but 
for a member of Christ, and an heir of heaven, to be afraid 
of entering his own inheritance, is a sinful, useless fear. 
And do not our fears of dying insnare our souls, and add 
strength to many temptations 1 What made Peter deny his 
Lord 1 What makes apostates in suffering times forsake 
the truth ] Why does the green blade of unrooted faith 
wither before the heat of persecution ? Fear of imprison- 
ment and poverty may do much, but fear of death will do 
much more. So much fear as we have of death, so much 
cowardice we usually have in the cause of God ; beside 
fche multitude of unbelieving contrivances, and discontents 



Chap. 10.] IS NOT ON EARTH. 165 

at the wise disposal of God, and hard thoughts of most of 
his providences, of which this sin makes us guilty. 

Let us further consider, what a competent time most of 
us have had. Why should not a man, that would die at all, 
be as willing at thirty or forty, if God see fit, as at seventy 
or eighty ? Length of time does not conquer corruption ; 
it never withers nor decays through age. Except we re- 
ceive an addition of grace, as well as time, we naturally 
grow worse. " my soul, depart in peace ! As thou 
wouldst not desire an unlimited state in wealth and honor, 
so desire it not in point of time. If thou wast sensible 
how little thou deservest an hour of that patience which 
thou hast enjoyed, thou wouldst think thou hadst had a 
large part. Is it not divine wisdom that sets the bounds ? 
God will honor himself by various persons and several 
ages, and not by one person or age. Seeing thou hast 
acted thy own part, and finished thy appointed course, 
come down contentedly, that others may succeed, who 
must have their turns as well as thyself. Much time hath 
much duty: beg therefore for grace to improve it better ; 
but be content w^th thy share of time. Thou hast also 
had a competency of the comforts of life. God migh: 
have made thy life a burden, till thou hadst been as weary 
of possessing it, as thou art now afraid of losing it. He 
might have suffered thee to have consumed thy days in ig- 
norance, without the true knowledge of Christ : but he 
hath opened thy eyes in the morning of thy days, and ac- 
quainted thee betimes with the business of thy life. Hath 
thy heavenly Father caused thy lot to fall in Europe, not 
in Asia or Africa ; in England, not in Spain or Italy ? 
Hath he filled up all thy life with mercies, and dost thou 
now think thy share too small ? What a multitude of hours 
of consolation, of delightful Sabbaths, of pleasant studies, 
of precious companions, of wonderful deliverances, of ex- 
cellent opportunities, of fruitful labors, of joyful tidings, 
of sweet experiences, of astonishing providences, hath 
thy life partaken of! Hath thy life been so sweet that 
thou art loath to leave it ? Is this thy thanks to him, who 
is thus drawing thee to his own sweetness ? foolish soul ! 
would thou wast as covetous after eternity, as thou art for 
a fading, perishing life ! and after the presence of God in 
glory, as thou art for continuance on earth ! Then thou 



166 THE saints' rest, &c [Chap. 10, 

wo'dldst cry, " Why is his chariot so long in coming ? Why 
tarry the wheels of his chariot ?" How long, Lord ? how 
long? What if God should let thee live many years, but 
deny thee the mercies which thou hast hitherto enjoyed ? 
Might he not give thee life, as he gave the murmuring Is- 
raelites quails ? He might give thee life till thou art weary 
of living, and as glad to be rid of it as Judas or Ahitho- 
phel ; and make thee like many miserable creatures in the 
world, who can hardly forbear laying violent hands on 
themselves. Be not therefore so importunate for life, which 
may prove a judgment instead of a blessing. How many ol 
the precious servants of God, of all ages and places, have 
gone before thee! Thou art not to enter an untrodden path, 
nor appointed first to break the ice. Except Enoch and 
Elijah, which of the saints have escaped death ? And art 
thou better than they ? There are many millions of saints 
dead, more than now remain on earth. What a number of 
thine own bosom-friends, and companions in duty, are now 
gone, and why shouldst thou be so loath to follow ? Nay, 
hath not Jesus Christ himself gone this way ? Hath he not 
sanctified the grave to us, and perfumed the dust with his 
own body, and art thou loath to follow him too? Rather say 
as Thomas, "Let us also go, that we may die with him.'* 
If what has been said will not persuade. Scripture and 
reason have little force. And I have said the more on this 
subject, finding it so needful to myself and others ; finding 
among so many Christians, who could do and suffer much 
for Christ, so few that can willingly die ; and of many, who 
have somewhat subdued other corruptions, so few that have 
gotten the conquest of this. I persuade not the ungodly 
from fearing death : it is a wonder that they fear it no more, 
and spend not their days in continual horror. 



Chap. 11.] A HLAVENLY LIFE UPON EAETH. 16*7 

CHAPTER XI. 

TUE IMPORTANCE OF LEADING A HEAVENLY LIFE UPON EARTH. 

Tlie reasonableness of delighting in the thoughts of the saints'' rest. 
Christians exhorted to if, by considering, 1. It icill evidence their sin^ 
cere piety ; 2. It is the highest excellence of the Christian temper ; 3. It 
leads to the most comfortable life ; 4. It will be the best preservative 
from temptations to sin; 5. It will invigorate their graces and duties ; 
6. It will be their best cordial in all afflictions ; 7. It will render them 
most profitable to others; 8. It tvill honor God. 9. Wilhovt it, we diso- 
bey the commands, and lose the most gracious and delightful disco- 
veries of the word of God. 10. It is the more reasonable to have our 
hearts with God, as his is so much on us; and, 11. in heaven, where 
we have so much interest and relation; 12. Besides, there is nothing 
but heaven worth setting our hearts upon. 

1. Is there such a rest remaining for us ? Why, then, are 
our thoughts no more upon it ? Why are not our hearts con- 
tinually there.? Why dwell we not there in constant con- 
templation ? What is the cause of this neglect .'' Are we 
reasonable in this, or are we not ? Hath the eternal God 
provided us such a glory, and promised to take us up to 
dwell with himself.? and is not this worth thinking on? 
Should not the strongest desires of our hearts be after it ? 
Do we believe this, and yet forget and neglect it.? If God 
will not give us leave to approach this light, what meaa 
all his earnest invitations .? Why doth he so condemn our 
earthly-mindeduess, and command us to stt our affections 
on things above .? Ah, vile hearts ! If God were against it, 
we were likelier to be for it; but when he commands our 
hearts to heaven, then they will not stir one inch : like our 
predecessors, the sinful Israelites, when God would have 
them march for Canaan, then they mutiny, and will not 
stir ; but when God bids them not go, then they will be 
presently marching. If God say, " Love not the w^orld, nor 
the things of the world," we dote upon it. How freely, 
how frequently can we think of our pleasures, our friends, 
our labors, our flesh, and its lusts ! yea, our wrongs and 
miseries, our fears and sufferings! But where is the Chris- 
tian, whose heart is on his rest.? What is the matter.? Are 
we so full of joy that we need no more .? Or is there no- 
thing in heaven for our joyous thoughts .? Or, rather, are 
not our hearts carnal and stupid.? Let us humble these sen- 
sual hearts, that have in them no more of Christ and glory. 
If this world was the only subject of our discourse, all 



168 IMPORTANCE OF A HEAVENLY [Chap. 11, 

would count us ungodly ; why, then, may we not call our 
hearts ungodly, that have so little delight in Christ and 
heaven ? 

But I am speaking only to those, whose portion is in 
heaven, whose hopes are there, and who have forsaken all 
to enjoy this glory ; and shall I be discouraged from per- 
suading such to be heavenly-minded ? Fellow-Christians, 
if you will not hear and obey, who will ? Well may we be 
discouraged to exhort the blind, ungodly world, and may 
say, as Moses did, " Behold, the children of Israel have not 
hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me?" 
I require thee, reader, as ever thou hopest for a part in this 
glory, that thou presently take thy heart to task, chide it 
for its wilful strangeness to God, turn thy thoughts from 
the pursuit of vanity, bend thy soul to study eternity, busy 
it about the life to come, habituate thyself to such contem- 
plations, and let not those thoughts be seldom and cursory, 
but bathe thy soul in heaven's delights ; and if thy back- 
ward soul begin to flag, and thy thoughts to scatter, call 
them back, hold them to their work, bear not with their 
laziness, nor connive at one neglect. And when thou hast, 
in obedience to God, tried this work, got acquainted with 
it, and kept a guard on thy thoughts, till they are accus- 
tomed to obey, thou wilt then find thyself in the suburbs 
of heaven, and that there is, indeed, a sweetness in the 
work and way of God, and that the life of Christianity is a 
life of joy. Thou wilt meet with those abundant consola- 
tions which thou hast prayed, panted, and groaned after, 
and which so few Christians do ever here obtain, because 
they know not this way to them, or else make not con- 
science of walking in it. Say not, " We are unable to set 
our own hearts on heaven ; this must be the work of God 
only." Though God be the chief disposer of your hearts, 
yet, next under him, you have the greatest command of 
them yourselves. Though without Christ you can do no- 
thing, yet under him you may do much, and must, or else 
it will be undone, and yourselves undone through your ne- 
glect. Christians, if your souls were healthful and vigorous, 
they would perceive incomparably more delight and sweet- 
ness in the believing joyful thoughts of your future bless- 
edness, than the soundest stomach finds in its food, or the 
strongest senses in the enjoyment of their objects; so little 



Chap. 11.] LIFE U#ON EARTH. ' 169 

painful would this work be to you. But because I know, 
while we have flesh about us, and any remains of that " car- 
nal mind which is enmity to God" and to this noble work, 
that all motives are little enough, I will here lay down 
some considerations, which, if you will deliberately weigh 
with an impartial judgment, I doubt not but they will prove 
effectual v.ith your hearts, and make you resolve on this 
excellent duty. More particularly consider, it will evidence 
your sincere piety; it is the highest excellence of the Chris- 
tian temper; it is the way to live most comfortably; it will 
be the best preservative from temptations to sin ; it will 
enliven your graces and duties; it will be your best cor- 
dial in all afflictions ; it will render you most profitable to 
others ; it will honor God : without it you will disobey the 
commands, and lose the most gracious and delightful dis- 
coveries of the word of God : it is also the more reasonable 
to have your hearts with God, as his is so much on you ; 
and in heaven, where you have so much interest and rela- 
tion ; besides, there is nothing but heaven worth setting 
your hearts upon. 

1. Consider, a heart set upon heaven will be one of the 
most unquestionable evidences of your sincerity ^ and a clear 
discovery of a true work of saving grace upon your souls. 
You are often asking, " How shall we know that we are 
truly sanctified ?" Here you have a sign infallible from the 
mouth of Jesus Christ himself: " where your treasure is, 
there will your hearts be also." God is the saints' treasure 
and happiness ; heaven is the place where they must fully 
enjoy him. A heart, therefore, set upon heaven, is a heart 
set upon God ; and surely, a heart set upon God through 
Christ, is the truest evidence of saving grace. When learn- 
ing will be no proof of grace ; when knowledge, duties, 
gifts, will fail; when arguments from thy tongue or hand 
may be confuted ; yet then will this, from the bent of thy 
heart, prove thee sincere. Take a poor Christian, of a weak 
understanding, a feeble memory, a stammering tongue; yet 
his heart is set on God, he hath chosen him for his portion, 
his thoughts are on eternity, his desires are there ; he cries 
out, " that I were there !" He takes that day for a time 
of imprisonment, in which he hath not had one refreshing 
view of eternity. I had rather die in this man's condition, 
than in tlie case of him who hath the most eminent gifts, 

8 



170 IMPORTANCE OF A HEAVENLY [Chap. 11. 

and is most admired for his performances, while his heart 
is not thus taken up with God. The man that Christ will 
find out at the last day, and condemn for want of a " wed- 
ding garment," will be one that wants this frame of heart. 
The question will not then be. How much have you 
known, or professed, or talked ? but, How much have you 
loved, and where was your heart? Christians, as you would 
have a proof of your title to glory, labor to get your hearts 
above. If sin and Satan keep not your affections from 
thence, they will never be able to keep away your persons. 

2. A heart in heaven is the highest excellence of Christian 
temper. As there is a common excellence, by w^hich 
Christians differ from the world, so there is this peculiar 
dignity of spirit, by which the more excellent differ from 
the rest. As the noblest of creatures, so the noblest of 
Christians, are they whose faces are set most direct for 
heaven. Such a heavenly saint, who hath been wrapped 
up to God in his contemplations, and is newly come down 
from the views of Christ, what discoveries will he make 
of those superior regions ! how high and sacred is his dis- 
course ! enough to convince an understanding hearer that 
he hath seen the Lord, and that no man could speak such 
words, except he had been with God. This, this is the 
noble Christian. The most famous mountains and trees 
are those that reach nearest to heaven ; and he is the 
choicest Christian whose heart is most frequently and 
most delightfully there. If a man have lived near the 
king, or hath seen the sultan of Persia, or the great Turk, 
he will be thought a step higher than his neighbors. What, 
then, shall v»'e judge of him that daily travels as far as 
heaven, and there hath seen the King of kings, hath fre- 
quent admittance into the divine presence, and feasteth 
his soul upon the tree of life ? For my part, I value this 
man before the noblest, the richest, the most learned, in 
the world. 

3. A heavenly mind is the nearest and truest way to a life 
of comfort. The countries far north are cold and frozen, 
because they are distant from the sun. What makes such 
frozen, uncomfortable Christians, but their living so far 
from heaven ? And what makes others so warm in com- 
forts, but their living higher, and having nearer access to 
God ? When the sun in the spring draws nearer to our 



Chap. 11.] LIFE UPON EARTH. 171 

part of the earth, how do all things congratulate its ap- 
proach ! The earth looks green, the trees shoot forth, the 
plants revive, the birds sing, and all things smile upon us. 
If we would but try this life with God, and keep these 
hearts above, what a spring of joy would be within us ! 
How should we forget our winter sorrows ! How early 
should we rise to sing the praise of our great Creator ! O 
Christian, get above. Those that have been there have 
found it warmer; and I doubt not but thou hast sometime 
tried it thyself. When hast thou largest comforts ? Is it 
not when thou hast conversed with God, and talked with 
the inhabitants of the higher world, and viewed their 
mansions, and filled thy soul with the forethoughts of glory ? 
If thou knowest by experience what this practice is, I dare 
say thou knowest what spiritual joy is. If, as David pro- 
fesses, " the light of God's countenance more gladdens the 
heart than corn and wine," then, surely, they that draw 
nearest, and most behold it, must be fullest of these joys. 
Whom should we blame, then, that we are so void of con- 
solation, but our own negligent hearts ? God hath pro- 
vided us a crown of glory, and promised to set it shortly on 
our heads, and we will not so much as think of it. He 
bids us behold and rejoice, and we will not so much as 
look at it ; and yet we complain for want of comfort. It 
is by believing that we are " filled with joy and peace," 
and no longer than we continue believing. It is in hope 
the saints rejoice, and no longer than they continue hoping. 
God's Spirit worketh our comforts, by setting our own 
spirits at work upon the promises, and raising our thoughts 
to the place of our comforts. As you would delight a co- 
vetous man by showing him gold, so God delights his peo- 
ple by leading them, as it were, into heaven, and showing 
them himself, and their rest with him. He does not cast 
in our joys, while we are idle, or taken up with other things. 
He gives the fruits of the earth, while we plough, and sow, 
and weed, and water, and dress, and with patience expect 
his blessing; so doth he give the joys of the soul. I en- 
treat thee, reader, in the name of the Lord, and as thou 
valuest the life of constant joy, and that good conscience 
which is a continual feast, to set upon this work seriously, 
and learn the art of heavenly-mindedness, and thou shalt 
find the increase a hundred fold, and the benefit abun- 



17'2 IMPOFtlANCE OF A HEAVENLY [Ciiap. 11. 

dantly exceed thy labor. But this is the misery of man's 
nature ; though every man naturally hates sorrow, and 
loves the most merry and joyful life, yet few love the way 
to joy, or will endure the pains by which it is obtained ; 
they will take the next that comes to hand, and content 
themselves with earthly pleasures, rather than ascend to 
heaven to seek it; and yet, when all is done, they must 
liave it there, or be without it. 

4. A heart in heaven will be a most excellent preserva- 
tive against temptations to sin. It will keep the heart well 
employed. When we are idle, we tempt the devil to 
tempt us ; as careless persons make thieves. A heart in 
heaven can reply to the tempter, as Nehemiah did : " I 
am doing a great work, so that I cannot come." It hath 
no leisure to be lustful or wanton, ambitious or worldly. 
If you were but busy in your lawful callings, you would 
not be so ready to hearken to temptations ; much less if 
you were also busy above with God. Would a judge be 
persuaded to rise from the bench, when he is sitting upon 
life and death, to go and play with children in the streets ? 
No more will a Christian, when he is taking a survey of 
his eternal rest, give ear to the alluring charms of Satan. 
The children of that kingdom should never have time for 
trifles, especially when they are employed in the affairs of 
the kingdom ; and this employment is one of the saints' 
chief preservatrves from temptations. 

A heavenly mind is the freest from sin, because it hath 
truer and livelier apprehensions of spiritual things. He 
hath so deep an insight into the evil of sin, the vanity of 
the creature, the brutishness of fleshly, sensual delights, 
that temptations have little power over hirp. " In vain 
the net is spread," says Solomon, " in the sight of any 
bird." And usually in vain doth Satan lay his snares to 
entrap the soul that plainly sees them. Earth is the place 
for his temptations, and the ordinary bait; and how shall 
these insnare the Christian who hath left the earth, and 
walks with God ? Is converse with wise and learned men 
the way to make one wise ? Much more is converse with 
God. If travellers return home with wisdom and expe- 
rience, how much more he that travels to heaven ! If our 
bodies are suited to the air and climate we most live in, 
his understanding must be fuller of light, who lives with 



Chap. 11.] LIFE UPON EARTH. 173 

the Father of lights. The men of the world that dwell 
below, and know no other conversation but earthly, no 
wonder if their "understanding be darkened," and Satan 
"take them captive at his will." How can worms and moles 
see, whose dwelling is always in the earth ? While this 
dust is in their eyes, no wonder they mistake gain for god- 
liness, sin for grace, the world for God, their own wills for 
the law of Christ, and, in the issue, hell for heaven. But 
when a Christian withdraws himself from his worldly 
thoughts, and begins to converse with God in heaven, 
methinks he is, as Nebuchadnezzar, taken from the beasts 
of the field to the throne, and " his reason returneth unto 
him." When he hath had a glimpse of eternity, and looks 
down on the world again, how doth ho charge with folly 
his neglects of Christ, his fleshly pleasures, his earthly 
cares ! How doth he say of his laughter. It is mad ; and of 
his vain mirth, What doth it? How doth he verily think 
there is no man in Bedlam so truly mad as wilful sinners, 
and unworthy slighters of Christ and glory! Tliis makes a 
dying man usually wiser than others, because he looks on 
eternity as near, and hath more heart-piercing thoughts of 
it than he ever had in health and prosperity. Then many 
of the most bitter enemies of the saints have their eyes 
opened, and, like Balaam, cry out, " that I might die 
the death of the righteous, and that my last end might be 
like his !" Yet let the same men recover, and lose their ap- 
prehensions of the life to come, and how quickly do they 
lose their understanding with it! Tell a dying sinner of the 
riches, honors, or pleasures of the world, and would he 
not answer, " What is all this to me, who must presently 
appear before God, and give an account of all my life ?" 
Christian, if the apprehended nearness of eternity will 
work such strange effects upon the ungodly, and make them 
so much wiser than before, what rare effects would it 
produce in thee, if thou couldst always dwell in the views 
of God, and in lively thoughts of thy everlasting state ! 
Surely a believer, if he improve his faith, may ordinarily 
have more quickening apprehensions of the life to come, 
in the time of his health, than an unbeliever hath at the 
hour of his death. 

A heavenly mind is also fortified against temptations, be- 
cause the affections are thoroughly prepossessed with the 



174 IMPORTANCE OF A HEAVENLY [Chap. 11. 

high delights of another world. He that loves most, and 
not he that only knows most, will most easily resist the 
motions of sin. The will doth as sweetly relish goodness, 
as the understanding doth truth ; and here lies much of a 
Christian's strength. When thou hast had a fresh, delight- 
ful taste of heaven, thou wilt not be so easily persuaded 
from it. You cannot persuade a child to part with his sweet- 
meats while the taste is in his mouth. that you would 
be much in feeding on the hidden manna, and frequently 
tasting the delights of heaven ! How would this confirm 
thy resolutions, and make thee despise the fooleries of the 
world, and scorn to be cheated with such childish toys. If 
the devil had set upon Peter in the mount of transfigura- 
tion, when he saw Moses and Elias talking with Christ, 
would he so easily have been drawn to deny his Lord ? 
What ! with all that glory in his eye? No. So if he should 
set upon a believing soul, when he is taken up in the mount 
with Christ, what would such a soul say ? " Get thee be- 
hind me, Satan ; wouldst thou persuade me hence, with 
trifling pleasures, and steal my heart from this my rest ? 
Wouldst thou have me sell these joys for nothing ? Is any 
honor or delight like this ? or can that be profit, for which 
I must lose this .?" But Satan stays till we are come down, 
and the taste of heaven is out of our mouths, and the glory 
we saw is even forgotten, and then he easily deceives our 
hearts. Though the Israelites below, eat, and drink, and 
rise up to play before their idol, Moses in the mount will 
not do so. 0, if we could keep the taste of our souls 
continually delighted with the sweetness above, with what 
disdain should we spit out the baits of sin ! 

Besides, whilst the heart is set on heaven, a man is 
under God's protection. If Satan then assault us, God is 
more engaged for our defence, and will doubtless stand by 
us, and say, " My grace is sufficient for thee." When a man 
is in the way of God's blessing, he is in the less danger of 
sin's enticing. Amidst thy temptations, Christian reader, 
use much this powerful remedy; keep close with God by a 
heavenly mind ; follow your business above with Christ, 
and you will find this a surer help than any other. " The 
way of life is above to the wise, that he may depart from 
hell beneath." Remember that*' Noah was a just man, 
and perfect in his generation ;" for he "walked with God;" 



Chap. 11.] LIFE UPOx\ EARTH. 175 

and that God said to Abraham, " Walk before me, and be 
thou perfect." 

5. The diligent keeping your hearts in heaven will main- 
tain the vigor of all your graces, and put life into all your 
duties. The heavenly Christian is the lively Christian. It 
is our strangeness to heaven that makes us so dull. How 
will the soldier hazard his life, and the mariner pass through 
storms and waves, and no difficulty keep them back, when 
they think of an uncertain, perishing treasure ! What life, 
then, would it put into a Christian's endeavors, if he would 
frequently think of his everlasting treasure ! We run so 
slowly, and strive so lazily, because we so little mind the 
prize. Observe but the man who is much in heaven, and 
you shall see he is not like other Christians ; something of 
what he hath seen above appeareth in all his duty and con- 
versation. If a preacher, how heavenly are his sermons ! 
If a private Christian, what heavenly converse, prayers, 
and deportment ! Set upon this employment, and others will 
see the face of your conversation shine, and say. Surely he 
bath been " with God on the mount.'' But if you lie, com- 
plaining of deadness and dullness; that you cannot love 
Christ, nor rejoice in his love; that you have no life in 
prayer, nor any other duty, and yet neglect this quicken- 
ing employment; you are the cause of your own com- 
plaints. Is not thy life hid with Christ in God ? Where 
must thou go but to Christ for it.? And where is that, but 
to heaven, " where Christ is ? Thou wilt not come to Christ, 
that thou mayst have life." If thou wouldst have light and 
heat, why art thou no more in the sunshine ? For want of 
this recourse to heaven, thy soul is as a lamp not lighted, 
and thy duties as a sacrifice without fire. Fetch one coal 
daily from this altar, and see if thy offering will not burn. 
Light thy lamp at this flame, and feed it daily with oil from 
hence, and see if it will not gloriously shine. Keep close 
to this reviving fire, and see if thy affections will not be 
warm. In thy want of love to God, lift up thy eye of faith 
to heaven, behold his beauty, contemplate his excellencies, 
and see whether his amiableness and perfect goodness will 
not ravish thy heart. As exercise gives appetite, strength, 
and vigor to the body, so these heavenly exercises will 
quickly cause the increase of grace and spiritual life. Be- 
sides, it is not false or strange fire which you fetch from 



176 IMPORTANCE OP A HEAVENLY [Chap. 11- 

heaven for your sacrifices : the zeal which is kindled by 
your meditations on heaven, is most likely to be a heavenly 
zeal. Some men's fervency is only drawn from their books, 
some from the sharpness of affliction, some from the mouth 
of a moving minister, and some from the attention of an 
auditory; but he that knows this way to heaven, and de- 
rives it daily from the true fountain, shall have his soul 
revived with the water of life, and enjoy that quickening 
which is peculiar to the saints. " By this faith thou mayst 
offer Abel's sacrifice, more excellent than" that of common 
men, and " by it obtain witness that thou art righteous, God 
testifying of thy gifts" that they are sincere. When others 
are ready, like BaaPs priests, to " cut themselves," because 
their sacrifice will not burn, thou mayst breathe the spirit 
of Elijah, and in the chariot of contemplation soar aloft, till 
thy soul and sacrifice gloriously flame, though the flesh and 
the world should cast upon them all the water of their op- 
posing enmity. Say not. How can mortals ascend to hea- 
ven ? Faith hath wings, and meditation is its chariot. Faith 
is as a burning-glass to thy sacrifice, and meditation sets it 
to the face of the sun; only take it not away too soon, but 
hold it there awhile, and thy soul will feel the happy effect. 
Reader, art thou not thinking, when thou seest a lively 
Christian, and hearest his lively, fervent prayers, and edi- 
fying discourse, " how happy a man is this ! that my 
soul were in this blessed condition !" Why, I here advise 
thee, from God, set thy soul conscientiously to this work, 
wash thee frequently in this Jordan, and thy leprous, dead 
soul will revive, " and thou shalt know that there is a God 
in Israel," and that thou mayst live ^ vigorous and joyful 
life, if thou dost not wilfully neglect thy own mercies. 

6. The frequent believing piews of glory are the most pre- 
cious cordials in all affiiclions. These cordials, by cheering 
our spirits, render our sufferings far more easy, enable us 
to bear them with patience and joy, and so strengthen our 
resolutions, that we forsake not Christ for fear of trouble. 
If the way be ever so rough, can it be tedious, if it lead to 
heaven ? sweet sickness, reproaches, imprisonments, or 
death, accompanied with these tastes of our future rest ! 
This keeps the suffering from the soul, so that it can only 
touch the flesh. Had it not been for that little (alas ! too 
little) taste which I had of rest, my sufterings would have 



Chap. 11.] LIFE UPON EARTH. 177 

been grievous, and death more terrible. I may say, " I had 
fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the 
Lord in the land of the living." Unless this promised rest 
" had been my delight, I should then have perished in 
mine affliction. One thing have I desired of the Lord ; that 
will I seek after ; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord 
all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, 
and to inquire in his temple. For in the time of trouble he 
shall hide me in his pavilion ; in the secret of his taber- 
nacle shall he hide me ; he shall set me upon a rock. And 
now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round 
about me. Therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices 
of joy ; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord." 
All sufferings are nothing to us, so far as we have these 
supportii:.g joys. When persecution and fear hath shut the 
doors, Christ can come in, and stand in the midst, and say 
to his disciples, " Peace be unto you." Paul and Silas can 
be in heaven, even when they are thrust into the inner 
prison, their bodies scourged with " many stripes, and their 
feet fast in the stocks." The martyrs find more rest in their 
flames, than their persecutors in their pomp and tyranny; 
because they foresee the flames they escape, and the rest 
which their fiery chirict is'conveyirj?; them to. If the Son 
of God will walk wi'h us, we are sai^ in the midst of those 
flames, which shall devour them that cast us in. Abraham 
went out of his country, not knowing whither he went; 
because he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose 
builder and maker is God. Moses esteemed the reproach 
of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; be- 
cause he had respect unto the recompense of reward. He 
forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; because 
he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. Ouiers were 
tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain 
a better resurrection. Even Jesus, the author and finisher 
of our faith, for the joy that was set before him, endured 
the cross, despising the shame, and is set dow n at the right 
hand of the throne of God. This is the noble advantage of 
faith ; it can look on the means and end together. This is 
the great reason of our impatience, and censuring of God, 
because w^e gaze on the evil itself, but fix not our thoughts 
on what is beyond it. They that saw Christ only on the 
cross, or in the grave, do shake their heads, and think him 

8* 



178 IMPORTANCE OF A HEAVENLY [Chap. 11. 

lost : but God saw him dying, buried, rising, glorifietl, and 
all this at one view. Faith will, in this, imitate God, so 
far as it hath the glass of a promise to help it. We see 
God burying us under ground, but we foresee not the 
spring, when we shall all revive. Could we but clearly 
see heaven, as the end of all God's dealings with us, surely 
none of his dealings could be grievous. If God would 
once raise us to this life, we should find, that though hea- 
ven and sin are at a great distance, yet, heaven and a pri- 
son, or banishment, heaven and the belly of a whale, or a 
den of lions, heaven and consuming sickness, or invading 
death, are at no such distance. But as " Abraham sav/ 
Christ's day and rejoiced," so we, in our most forlorn statt% 
might see that day when Christ shall give us rest, and 
therein rejoice. I beseech thee. Christian, for the honor 
of the Gospel, and for thy soul's comfort, leave not this 
heavenly art to be learned when, in thy greatest extremity, 
thou hast most need to use it. He that, with Stephen, 
*' sees the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right 
hand of God," will comfortably bear the shower of stones. 
"The joy of the Lord is our strength," and that joy must 
be fetched from the place of our joy; and if we walk 
without our strength, how long are we like to endure .'* 

7. He whose conversation is in heaven, is the profitable 
Christian to all about him. When a man is in a strange 
country, how glad is he of the company of one of his own 
nation ! how delightful is it to talk of their own country, 
their acquaintance, and affairs at home ! With what plea- 
sure did Joseph talk with his brethren, and inquire after 
his father, and his brother Benjamin ! Is it not so to a 
Christian, to talk with his brethren that have been above, 
and inquire after his Father, and Christ his Lord ? When 
a worldly man will talk of nothing but the world, and a 
politician of state affairs, and a mere scholar of human 
learning, and a common professor of his duties ; the hea- 
venly man will be speaking of heaven, and the strange 
glory his faith hath seen, and our speedy and blessed 
meeting there. how refreshing and useful are his ex- 
pressions ! How his words pierce and melt the heart, and 
transform the hearers into other men ! How doth his " doc- 
trine drop as the rain, and his speech "distil as the dew, as 
the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the. showers 



Chap. 11.] LIFE UPON EARTH. 179 

upon the grass, while his lips publish the name of the 
Lord, and ascribe greatness unto his God!" His sweet 
discourse of heaven is like the " box of precious oint- 
ment," which, being " poured upon the head of Christ, 
filled the house with the odor." All that are near may be 
refreshed by it. Happy the people that have a heavenly 
minister ! Happy the children and servants that have a 
heavenly father or master! Happy the man that hath a 
heavenly companion, who will watch over thy ways, 
strengthen thee when thou art weak, cheer thee when thou 
art drooping, and " comfort thee with the comfort where- 
with he himself" hath been so often comforted of God ! 
This is he that will always be blowing at the spark of thy 
spiritual life, and drawing thy soul to God, and will say to 
thee, as the Samaritan woman, "Come and see one that 
hath told me all that ever I did ;" one that hath loved our 
souls to the death. " Is not this the Christ r" Is not " the 
knowledge of God and him eternal life r" Is itnot the glory 
of the saints to see his glory ? Come to this man's house 
and sit at his table, and he will feast thy soul vvith the 
dainties of heaven ; travel with him by the way, end he 
will direct and quicken thee in thy journey to heaven j 
trade with him in the world, and he will counsel thee to 
buy " the pearl of great price." if thou wrong him, he 
can pardon thee, remembering that Christ hath pardoned 
his greater offences. If thou be angry, he is meek, con- 
sidering the meekness of his heavenly Pattern ; or, if he 
fall out with you, he is soon reconciled, when he recollects 
that in heaven you must be everlasting friends. This is 
the Christian of the right stamp, and all about him are 
better for him. How unprofitable is the society of all 
other sorts of Christians, in comparison with this ! If a man 
should come from heaven, how would men long to hear 
what reports he would make of the other world, and what 
he had seen, and what the blessed there enjoy ! Would 
they not think this man the best companion, and his dis- 
courses the most profitable ? Why, then, do you value the 
company of saints no more, and inquire no more of them, 
and relish their discourse no better ? For every saint shall 
go to heaven in person, and is frequently there in spirit, 
and hath often viewed it in the glass of the Gospel. For 
my part, I had rather have the company of a heavenly- 



180 IMPORTANCE OF A HEAVENLY [Chap. 11. 

minded Christian, than that of the most learned disputants 
or princely commanders. 

8. No man so highly honoreth God, as he whose conver- 
sation is in heaven. Is not a parent disgraced, when his 
children feed on husks, are clothed in rags, and keep com- 
pany with none but rogues and beggars ? Is it not so to 
our heavenly Father, when we, who call ourselves his 
children, feed on earth, and the 'garb of our souls is like 
that of the world ; and our hearts familiarly converse with, 
and "cleave to the dust," rather than stand continually in 
ourFather'spresence ? Surely we live below the children 
of the King, not according to the height of our hopes, nor 
the provision of our Father's house, and the great prepa- 
rations made for his saints. It is well we have a Father 
of tender bowels, who will own his children in rags. If 
he did not first challenge his interest in us, neither our- 
selves nor others could know us to be his people. But 
when a Christian can live above, and rejoice his soul with 
the things that are unseen, how is God honored by such a 
one ! The Lord will testify for him. This man believes me, 
and takes nie at my word ; he rejoices in my promise, be- 
fore he has possession ; he can be thankful for what his 
bodily eyes never saw ; his rejoicing is not in the flesh ; 
his heart is with me; he loves my presence, and he shall 
surely enjoy it in my kingdom for ever. " Blessed are 
they that have not seen, and yet have believed. Them 
that honor me, I will honor." How did God esteem him- 
self honored by Caleb and Joshua, when they went into 
the promised land, and brought back to their brethren a 
taste of the fruits, and spake well of the good land, and 
encouraged the people !»What a promise and recompense 
did they receive ! 

9. A soul that does not set its affections on things above, 
disobeys the commands, arid loses the most gracious and de- 
lightful discoveries of the word of God. The same God 
that hath commanded thee to believe, and to be a Chris- 
tian, hath commanded thee to " seek those things which 
are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God, 
and to set your affections on things above, not on things 
on the earth." The same God that has forbidden thee to 
murder, steal, or commit adultery, has forbidden thee the 
neglect of this great duty ; and darest thou wilfully dis- 



Chap. 11.] LIFE UPON EARTH. ISl 

obey him ? Why not make conscience of one, as well as 
the other ? He hath made it thy duty, as well as the means 
of thy comfort, that a double bond may engage thee not 
to forsake thy own mercies. Besides, what are all the 
most glorious descriptions of heaven, all those discoveries 
of our future blessedness, and precious promises of our 
rest, but lost to thee ? Are not these the stars in the firma- 
ment of Scripture, and the golden lines in that book of 
God ? Methinks thou shouldst not part with one of these 
promises, no, not for a world. As heaven is the perfection 
of all our mercies, so the promises of it in the Gospel are 
the very soul of the Gospel. Is a comfortable word from 
the mouth of God of such worth, that all the comforts in 
the world are nothing to it ? And dost thou neglect and 
overlook so many of them ? Why should God reveal so 
much of his counsel, and tell us beforehand of the joys 
we shall possess, but to make us know it for our joy ? If 
it had not been to fill us with the delights of our foreknown 
blessedness, he might have kept his purpose to himself, 
and never have let us known it till we came to enjoy it. 
Yea, when we had got possession of our rest, he might 
still have concealed its eternity from us, and then the fears 
of losing it would have diminished the sweetness of our 
joys. But it hath pleased our Father to open his counsel, 
and let us know the very intent of his heart, that our joy 
might be full, and that we might live as the heirs of such 
a kingdom. And shall we now overlook all ? Shall we 
live in earthly cares and sorrows, and rejoice no more in 
these discoveries, than if the Lord had never wrote them ? 
If thy prince had but sealed thee a patent of some lord- 
ship, how oft wouldst thou cast thy eyes upon it, and make 
it thy delightful study, till thou shouldst come to possess 
the dignity itself! And hath God sealed thee a patent of 
heaven, and dost thou let it lie by thee, as if thou hadst 
forgot it ? that our hearts were as high as our hopes, and 
our hopes as high as these infallible promises ! 

10. It is but equal that our hearts should be on God, 
when the heart of God is so much on us. If the Lord of 
glory can stoop so low as to set his heart on sinful dust, 
methinks we should easily be persuaded to set our hearts 
on Christ and glory, and ascend to him, in our daily affec- 
tions, who so much condescends to us. Christian, dost 



182 IMPORTANCE OF A HEAVENLY [Chap. 11. 

thou not perceive that the heart of God is set upon thee, 
and that he is still minding thee with tender love, even 
when thou forgettest both thyself and him ? Is he not fol- 
lowing thee with daily mercies, moving upon thy soul, pro- 
viding for thy body, preserving both ? Doth he not bear 
thee continually in the arms of love, and promise that " all 
shall work together for thy good," and suit all his dealings 
to thy greatest advantage, and "give his angels charge 
over thee?" And canst thou be taken up with the joys 
below, and forget thy Lord, who forgets not thee ? Un- 
kind ingratitude ! When he speaks of his own kindness 
for us, hear what he says : " Zion said. The Lord hath for- 
saken me, and myLordhath forgotten me. Can a woman 
forget her sucking child, that she should not have compas- 
sion on the son of her w^omb? Yea, she may forget, yet 
will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the 
palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me." 
But when he speaks of our regards to him, the case is 
otherwise. " Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride 
her attire ? Yet my people have forgotten me, days without 
number." As if he should say, " You will not rise one 
morning, but you will remember to cover your nakedness, 
nor forget your vanity of dress ; and are these of more 
worth than your God ? of more importance than your eter- 
nal life ? And yet you can forget these, day after day." 
Give not God cause thus to expostulate with us. Rather 
let our souls get up to God, and visit him every morning, 
and our hearts be towards him every moment. 

11. Our interest in heaven, and our relation to it, should 
continually keep our hearts upon it. There our Father 
keeps his court. We call him " Our Father, who art in 
heaven." Unworthy children ! that can be so taken up 
in their play, as to be mindless of such a Father. There 
also is Christ, our head, our husband, our life ; and shall 
we not look towards him, and send to him as oft as we 
can, till we come to see him face to face? Since '^ the 
heavens must receive him until the times of the restitu- 
tion of all things," let them also receive our hearts with 
him. There also is "New Jerusalem, which is the mo- 
ther of us all." And there are multitudes of our elder 
brethren. There are our friends and old acquaintance, 
whose society in the flesh we so much delighted in, and 



Chap. 11.] LIFE UPON EARTH. 183 

whose departure hence we so much lamented ; and is this 
not attractive to thy thoughts ? If they were within thy 
reach on earth, thou wouldst go and visit them ; and why 
not oftener visit them in spirit, and rejoice beforehand to 
think of meeting them there? " Socrates rejoiced that he 
should die, because he believed he should see Homer, 
Hesiod, and other eminent persons. How much more do 
I rejoice, said a pious old minister, who am sure to see 
Christ ray Savior, the eternal Son of God, in his assumed 
iiesh ; besides so many wise, holy, and renowned patri- 
archs, prophets, apostles," <fec. A believer should look 
to heaven, and contemplate the blessed state of the saints, 
and think with himself, " Though I am not yet so happy 
as to be with you, yet this is my daily comfort, — you are 
my brethren and fellow-members in Christ, and therefore 
your joys are my joys, and your glory, by this near rela- 
tion, is my glory ; especially while I believe in the same 
Christ, and hold fast the same faith and obedience, by 
which you were thus dignified, and rejoice in spirit with 
you, and congratulate your happiness in my daily medita- 
tions." 

Moreover, our house and home is above. "For we 
know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were 
dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made 
with hands, eternal in the heavens." Why do we then 
look no oftener towards it, and " groan earnestly, desiring 
to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven 1" 
If our home w^ere far meaner, sure we should remember it, 
because it is our home. If you were but banished into a 
strange land, how frequently would your thoughts be at 
home ! And why is it not thus with us in respect of hea- 
ven ? Is not that more truly and properly our home, where 
we must take up our everlasting abode, than this, which 
we are every hour expecting to be separated from, and to 
see no more "? We are strangers, and that is our country. 
We are heirs, and that is our inheritance ; even " an in- 
heritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away, 
reserved in heaven for us." We are here m continual dis- 
tress and want, and there lies our substance ; even " a 
better and an enduring substance." Yea, the very hope 
of our souls is there ; all our hope of relief from our dis- 
tresses ; all our hope of happiness, when here we are mise- 



184 IMPORTANCE OF A HEAVENLY [Chap. 11. 

rable ; all this " hope is laid up for us in heaven." Why, 
beloved Christians, have we so much interest, and so few 
thoughts there ? so near relation, and so little affection ? 
Doth it become us to be delighted in the company of stran- 
gers, so as to forget our Father, and our Lord ? or to be 
so well pleased with those that hate and grieve us, as to 
forget our best and dearest friends ; or to be so fond of 
borrowed trifles, as to forget our own possession and trea- 
sure 1 or to be so much impressed with fears and wants, 
as to forget our eternal joy and rest 1 God usually pleads 
his property in us ; and thence concludes he will do us 
good, even because we are his own people, whom he hath 
chosen out of all the world. Why then do we not plead 
our interest in him, and so raise our hearts above ; even 
because he is our own God, and because the place is our 
own possession? Men commonly overlove and overvalue 
their own things, and mind them too much. O that we 
could mind our own inheritance, and value it half as much 
as it deserv^es. 

12. Once more consider, there is nothing but heaven 
worth setting our hearts upon. If God have them not, who 
shall ? If thou mind not thy rest, what wilt thou mind ? 
Hast thou found out some other god ; or something tLat 
will serve thee instead of rest ? Hast thou found on earth 
an eternal happiness ? Where is it ? What is it mad- of? 
Who was the man that found it out ? Who was he that last 
enjoyed It? Where dweit he ? What was his name ? Or 
art thou the first that ever discovered iieave:a on earth } 
Ah, wretch ! trust not to thy discoveries ; boast not of thy 
gain, till experience bid thee boast. Disquiet not thyself 
in looking for that which is not on earth , lest thou learn 
thy experience with the loss of thy soul, which thou might- 
est have learned on easier terms ; even by the warnings 
of God in his word, and the loss of thousands of souls be- 
fore thee. If Satan should " take thee up to the mountain 
of temptation, and show thee all the kingdoms of the 
world, and the glory of them," he could show thee nothing 
that is worthy thy thoughts, much less to be preferred be- 
fore thy rest. Indeed, so far as duty and necessity require 
it, we must be content to mind the things below; but who 
is he that contains himself within the compass of those 
limits } And yet, if we ever so diligently contract our cares 



Chap. 11.] LIFE UPON EARTH. 185 

and thoughts, we shall find the least to be bitter and bur- 
densome. Christian, see the emptiness of all these things, 
and the preciousness of the things above. If thy thoughts 
should, like the laborious bee, go over the world from 
flower to flower, from creature to creature, they would 
bring no honey or sweetness home, save what they ga- 
thered from their relations to eternity. Though every 
truth of God is precious, and ought to be defended ; yet 
even all our study of truth should be still in reference to 
our rest ; for the observation is too true, " that the lovers 
of controversies in religion have never been warmed with 
one spark of the love of God." And as for minding the 
*' affairs of church and state ;" so far as they illustrate the 
providence of God, and tend to the settling of the'Gospel 
and the government of Christ, and consequently to the 
saving of our own souls and those of our posterity, they 
are w^l worth our diligent observation; but these are only 
their relations to eternity. Even all our dealings in the 
world, our buying and selling, our eating and drinking, 
our building and marrying, our peace and war, so far as 
they relate not to the life to come, but tend only to the 
pleasing of the flesh, are not worthy the frequent thoughts 
of a Christian. And now, doth not thy conscience say 
that there is nothing but heaven, and the way to it, that is 
worth thy minding? 

Now, reader, are these considerations weighty, or not ? 
Have I proved it thy duty to keep thy heart on things 
above, or have I not ? If thou say, Not, I am confident 
thou contradictest thy own consciepce. If thou acknow- 
ledge thyself convinced of the duty, that very tongue of 
thine shall condemn thee, and that confession be pleaded 
against thee, if thou wilfully neglect such a confessed duty. 
Be thoroughly willing, and the work is more than half 
done. I have now a few plain directions to give you for 
your help in this great work ; but, alas ! it is in vain to 
mention them, except you be willing to put them into 
practice. However, I will propose them to thee, and may 
the Lord persuade thy heart to the work ! 



186 ^ HOW TO LEAD A HEAVENLY [Chap. 12. 

CHAPTER XII. 

DIRECTIONS HOW TO LEAD A HEAVENLY LIFE UPON EARTH. 

/. The hinderances to a heavenly lift: I. Living in avy known sin ; 
2. A'li earthly mind ; 3. Ungodly companions; 4. A notional religion; 
5. A haughty spirit; 6. A slothful spirit ; 7. Resting in preparatives 
for a heavenly life, without the thing itself. II. The duties which 
will promote n heavenly life : I. Be convinced that heaven is the only 
treasure and happiness ; 2. Labor to know your interest in it ; 3, And 
hoio near it is ; 4. Frequently and seriously talk of it ; 5. Endeavor, 
in every duty, to raise your affections nearer to it ; 6. To the same 
purpose improve every ol)ject and event ; 7. Be much in the angelical 
work of praise ; 8. Possess your souls with believing thoughts of the in- 
finite love of God ; 9. Carefully observe and cherish the motions of the 
Spirit of God ; 10. Nor eve7i neglect the due care of your bodily health. 

1. As thou vahiest the comforts of a heavenly conversa- 
tion, I must here charge thee, from God, to avoid carefully 
some dangerous hinderances ; and then faithfully and dili- 
gently to practise such duties as will especially assist thee 
in attaining to a heavenly life. 

First. Let us consider those hinderances which are to 
be avoided with all possible care. 

1. Living in any known sin is a grand impediment to a 
heavenly conversation. What havoc will this make in thy 
soul ! the joys that this hath destroyed ! the ruin it hath 
made amongst men's graces ! the soul-strengthening duties 
it hath hindered ! Christian reader, art thou one that hast 
used violence with thy conscience ? Art thou a wilful 
neglecter of known duties, either public, private, or secret.^ 
Art thou a slave to thine appetite, or to any other com- 
manding sense ? Art thou a proud seeker of thine own 
esteem ? Art thou a peevish and passionate person, ready 
to take fire at every word, or look, or supposed slight.'^ 
Art thou a deceiver of others in thy dealings, or one that 
will be rich, right or wrong ? If this be thy case, I dare 
say heaven and thy soul are very great strangers. These 
beams in thine eyes will not suffer thee to look to heaven ; 
they v/ill be " a cloud between thee and thy God." When 
thou dost but attempt to study eternity, and gather comforts 
from the life to come, thy sin will presently look thee in 
the face, and say, " These things belong not to thee. How 
shouldst thou take comfort from heaven, who takest so 
much pleasure in the lusts of the flesh .^" How will this 



Chap. 12.] LIFE UPON EARTH. 187 

damp thy joys, and make the thoughts of that day and 
state become thy trouble, and not thy delight ! Every 
wilful sin will be to thy comforts as water to the fire ; 
when thou thinkest to quicken them, this will quench 
them. It will utterly indispose and disable thee, that thou 
canst no more ascend in divine meditation, than a bird can 
fly when its win^s are clipped. Sin cuts the very sinews 
of this heavenly life. O man ! what a life dost thou lose ! 
What daily delights dost thou sell for a vile lust ! If heaven 
and hell can meet together, and God become a lover of 
sin, then mayst thou live in thy sin, and in the tastes of 
glory ; and have a conversation in heaven, though thou 
cherish thy corruption. And take heed, lest it banish thee 
from heaven, as it does thy heart. And though thou be 
not guilty, and knowest no reigning sin in thy soul, think 
what a sad thing it would be, if ever this should prove thy 
case. Watch, therefore ; especially resolve to keep from 
the occasions of sin, and out of the way of temptations. 
What need have we daily to pray, " Lead us not into 
temptation, but deliver us from evil !" 

2. An earthly mind is another hinderance carefully to be 
avoided. God and mammon, earth and heaven, cannot 
both have the delight of thy heart. When the heavenly 
believer is blessing himself in his God, and rejoicing in 
hope of the glory to come ; perhaps thou art blessing thy- 
self in thy worldly prosperity, and rejoicing in hope of thy 
thriving here. When he is comforting his soul in the 
views of Christ, of angels, and saints, whom he shall live 
with for ever; then thou art comforting thyself with thy 
wealth, in looking over thy bills and bondi, thy goods, thy 
cattle, or thy buildings, and in thinking of the favor of the 
great, of the pleasure of a plentiful estate, of larger pro- 
visions for thy children after thee, of the advancement of 
thy family, or the increase of thy dependents. If Christ 
pronounced him a fool, that said, "Soul, take thy ease; 
thou hast enough laid up for many years;" how much 
more so art thou, who, knowingly, speakest in thy heart 
the same words ! Tell me, what difference between this 
fooPs expressions and thy affections? Remember, thou 
hast to do with the Searcher of hearts. Certainly, so 
much as thou delightest, and takest up thy rest on eartii, 
so much of thy delight in God is abated. Thine eartlily 



188 HOW TO LEAD A HEAVENLY [Chap. 12. 

mind may consist with thy outward profession and com- 
mon duties, but it cannot consist with this heavenly duty. 
Thou thyself knowest how seldom and cold, how cursory 
and reserved, thy thoughts have been of the joys above, 
ever since thou didst trade so eagerly for the world. O 
the cursed madness of many that seem to be religious I 
They thrust themselves into a multitude of employments, 
till they are so loaded with labors, and clogged with cares, 
that their souls are as unfit to converse with God, as a man 
to walk with a mountain on his back ; and as unapt to soar 
in meditation, as their bodies to leap above the sun ! And 
when they have lost that heaven upon earth which they 
might have had, they take up with a few rotten arguments 
to prove it lawful ; though, indeed, they cannot. I ad- 
vise thee. Christian, who hast tasted the pleasures of a 
heavenly life, if ever thou wouldst taste of them any 
more, avoid this devouring gulf of an earthly mind. If 
once thou come to this, that thou " wilt be rich," thou 
" fallest into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish 
and hurtful lusts."' Keep these things loose about thee, 
like thy upper garments, that thou mayest lay them by 
whenever there is need ; but let God and glory be next 
thy heart. Ever remember, " that the friendship of the 
world is enmity with God. Whosoever, therefore, will be 
a friend of the world, is the enemy of God. " Love not 
the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any 
man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 
This is plain dealing, and happy he that faithfully re- 
ceives it ! 

3. Beicare oj* the company of the ungodly. Not that I 
w^ould dissuade thee from necessary converse, or from 
doing them any office of love ; especially not from endea- 
voring the good of their souls, as long as thou hast any 
opportunity or hope ; nor would I have thee to conclude 
them to be dogs and swine, in order to evade the duty of 
reproof; nor even to judge them such at all, as long as 
there is any hope for the better; much less can I approve 
of their practice, who conclude men dogs or swine, before 
ever they faithfully and lovingly admonish them, or perhaps 
before they have known them, or spoken with them. But it 
is the unnecessary society of ungodly men, and too much 
familiarity with unprofitable companions, that I dissuade 



Chap. 12.] LIFE UPON EARTH. 189 

you from. Not only the open profane, the swearer, the 
drunkard, and the enemies of godliness, will prove hurtful 
companions to us — though these indeed are chiefly to be 
avoided ; but too frequent society with persons merely civil 
and moral, whose conversation is empty and unedifying, 
may much divert our thoughts from heaven. Our back- 
wardness is such, that we need the most constant and pow- 
erful helps. A stone or a clod is as fit to rise and fly in the 
air, as our hearts are naturally to move toward heaven. 
You need not hinder the rocks from flying up to the sky ; 
it is sufiicient that you do not help them ; and surely, if 
our spirits have not great assistance, they may easily be 
kept from soaring upward, though they should never meet 
with the least impediment. think of this in the choice 
of your company! When your spirits are so disposed for 
heaven that you need no help to lift them up, but, as 
flames, you are always mounting, and carrying with you 
all that is in your way, then, indeed, you maybe less care- 
ful of your company ; but, till then, as you love the de- 
lights of a heavenly life, be careful herein. What will it 
advantage thee in a divine life to hear how the market goes, 
or what the weather is, or is like to be, or what news is 
stirring? Thife is the discourse of earthly men. What will 
it conduce to the raising ;hy heart God-ward, to hear that 
this is an able minister, or that an eminent Christian, or this 
an excellent sermon, or that an excellent book, or to hear 
some difficult, but unimportant controversy ? Yet this, for 
the most part, is the sweetest discourse thou art like to 
have from a formal, speculative, dead-hearted professor. 
Nay, if thou hadst newly been warming thy heart in the 
contemplation of the blessed joys above, would not this 
discourse benumb thy aff'ections, and quickly freeze thy 
heart again ? I appeal to the judgment of any man that hath 
tried it, and maketh observations on the frame of his spirit. 
Men cannot well talk of one thing and mind another, es- 
pecially things of such diflerent natures. You, young men, 
who are most liable to this temptation, think seriously of 
what I say; can you have your hearts in heaven, among 
your roaring companions, in an alehouse or tavern? or 
when you work in your shops with those whose common 
language is oaths, " filthiness, or foolish talking or jest- 
ing?" Nay, let me tell you, if you choose such company 



190 HOW TO LEAD A HEAVENLY [Chap. 12. 

when you might have better, and find most delight in such, 
you are so far from a heavenly conversation, that, as yet, 
you have no title to heaven at all, and in that state shall 
never come there. If your treasure was there, your heart 
could not be on things so distant. In a word, our company 
will be a part of our happiness in heaven, and it is a sin- 
gular part of our furtherance to it, or hinderance from it. 

4. Avoid frequent disputes about lesser truths, and a religion 
that lies only in opinions. They are usually least acquainted 
with a heavenly life, who are violent disputers about the 
circumstantials of religion. He whose religion is all in his 
opinions, will be most frequently and zealously speaking 
his opinions ; and he whose religion lies in the knowledge 
and love of God and Christ, will be most delightfully speak- 
ing of that happy time when he shall enjoy them. He is a 
rare and precious Christian, who is skilful to improve well- 
known truths. Therefore let me advise you who aspire 
after a heavenly life, not to spend too much of your thoughts, 
your time, your zeal, or your speech, upon disputes that 
less concern your souls ; but when hypocrites are feeding 
on husks or shells, do you feed on the joys above. I wish 
you were able to defend every truth of God, and to this 
end would read and study ; but still I would have the chief 
truths to be chiefly studied, and none to cast out your 
thoughts of eternity. The least controverted points are 
usually most weighty, and of most necessary, frequent use 
to our souls. Therefore study well such Scripture precepts 
as these : " Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but 
not to doubtful disputations. Foolish and unlearned ques- 
tions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. And the 
servant of the Lord must not strive." " Avoid foolish ques- 
tions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about 
the law ; for they are unprofitable and vain." " If any man 
teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, 
even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doc- 
trine which is according to godliness, he is proud, knowing 
nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, 
whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, per- 
verse disputings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of 
the truth, supposing that gain is godliness; from such 
withdraw thyself." 

6. Take heed of a proud and lofty spirit. There is such 



Chap. 12.] LIFE UPON EARTH. 191 

an antipathy between this sin and God, that tliou wilt 
never get thy heart near him, nor get him near thy heart, 
as long as this prevaileth in it. If it cast the angels out of 
heaven, it must needs keep thy heart from heaven. If it 
cast our first parents cut of paradise, and separated between 
the Lord and us, and brought his curse on all the creatures 
here below, it will certainly keep our hearts from paradise, 
and increase the cursed separation from our God. Inter- 
course with God Avill keep men low, and that lowliness 
will promote their intercourse. When a man is used to be 
much with God, and taken up in the study of his glorious 
attributes, he abhors himself in dust and ashes ; and that 
self-abhorrence is his best preparative to obtain admittance 
to God again. Therefore, after a soul-humbling day, or in 
times of trouble, w hen the soul is lowest, it useth to have 
freest access to God, and savor most of the life above. 
The delight of God is in " him that is poor, and of a con- 
trite spirit, and trembleth at his word ;" and the delight of 
such a soul is in God; and where there is mutual delight, 
there will be freest admittance, heartiest welcome, and 
most frequent converse. Bat God is so far from dwelling 
in the soul that is proud, that he will not admit it to any 
near access. " The proud he knoweth afar off;" " God re- 
sisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble." A proud 
mind is high in conceit, self-esteem, and carnal aspiring; 
a humble mind is high indeed, in God's esteem, and in 
holy aspiring. These two sorts of high-mindedness are 
most of all opposite to each other, as we see most wars are 
between princes and princes, and not between a prince and 
a ploughman. Well, then, art thou a man of worth in thy 
own eyes .' Art thou delighted when thou hearest of thy 
esteem with men, and much dejected when thou hearest 
that they slight thee } Dost thou love those best that honor 
thee, and think meanly of them that do not, though they 
be otherwise men of godliness and honesty.? Must thou 
have thy humors fulfilled, and thy judgment be a rule, and 
thy word a law to all about thee.? Are thy passions kindled, 
if thy word or will be crossed ? Art thou ready to judge hu- 
mility to be sordid baseness, and knowest not how to sub- 
mit to humble confession, when thou hast sinned against 
God, or injured thy brother ? Art thou one that lookest 
strange at the godly poor, and art almost ashamed to bo 



192 HOW TO LEAD A HEAVENLY [Chap. 12. 

their companion ? Canst thou not serve God in alow place 
as well as a high ? Are thy boastings restrained more by 
prudence or artifice than humility ? Dost thou desire to 
have all men's eyes upon thee, and to hear them say, 
" This is he ?" Art thou unacquainted with the deceitful- 
ness and wickedness of thy heart? Art thou more ready to 
defend thy innocence, than accuse thyself, or confess thy 
fault? Canst thou hardly bear a close reproof, or digest 
plain dealing? If these symptoms be undeniably in thy 
heart, thou art a proud person. There is too much of hell 
abiding in thee, to have any acquaintance with heaven ; 
thy soul is too like the devil, to have any familiarity with 
God. A proud man makes himself his god, and sets up 
himself as his idol ; how, then, can his affections be set on 
God? how can he possibly have his heart in heaven? In- 
vention and memory may possibly furnish his tongue with 
humble and heavenly expressions, but in his spirit there is 
no more heaven than there is humility. I speak the more 
of it, because it is the most common and dangerous sin in 
morality, and most promotes the great sin of infidelity. 
Christian ! if thou wouldst live continually in the presence 
of thy Lord, lie in the dust, and he will thence take thee 
up, " Learn of him to be meek and lowly, and thou shalt 
find rest unto thy soul." Otherwise thy soul will be " like 
the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up 
mire and dirt ;" and instead of these sweet delights in God, 
thy pride will fill thee with perpetual disquiet. As he that 
humbleth himself as a little child shall hereafter be greatest 
in the kingdom of heaven, so shall he now be greatest in 
the foretastes of that kingdom. God " dwells with a con- 
trite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, 
and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." Therefore, 
*' humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall 
lift you up." And when " others are cast down, then thou 
shalt say, there is lifting up; and he shall save the humble 
person." 

6. A slothful spirit is another impediment to this heavenly 
life. And I verily think, there is nothing hinders it more 
than this in men of a good understanding. If it were only 
the exercise of the body, the moving of the lips, the bend- 
ing of the knee, men would as commonly step to heaven, 
as they go to visit a friend. But to separate our thoughts 



Chap. 12.] LIFE UPON EARTH. 193 

and affections from the world, to draw forth all our graces, 
and increase each in its proper object, and hold them to it 
till the work prospers in our hands ; this, this is the diffi- 
culty. Reader, heaven is above thee, and dost thou think 
to travel this steep ascent without labor and resolution ? 
Canst thou get that earthly heart to heaven, and bring that 
backward mind to God, while thou liest still, and takest 
thine ease ? If lying down at the foot of the hill, and look- 
ing toward the top, and wishing we were there, would 
serve the turn, then we should have daily travellers for 
heaven. But " the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, 
and the violent take it by force." There must be violence 
used to get these first-fruits, as well as to get the full pos- 
session. Dost thou not feel it so, though I should not tell 
thee ? Will thy heart get upward, except thou drive it ? 
Thou knowest that heaven is all thy hope ; that nothing 
below can yield thee rest ; that a heart, seldom thinking of 
heaven, can fetch but little comfort thence ; and yet dost 
thou not lose thy opportunities, and lie below, when thou 
shouldst walk above, and live with God ? Dost thou not 
commend the sweetness of a heavenly life, and judge those 
the best Christians that use it, and yet never try it thyself? 
As the sluggard that stretches himself on his bed, and 
cries, that this were working ! so dost thou talk, and 
trifle, and live at thy ease, and say, that I could get my 
heart to heaven ! How many read books and hear sermons, 
expecting to hear of some easier way, or to meet with a 
shorter course to comfort, than they are ever like to find 
in Scripture ! Or they ask for directions for a heavenly 
life, and if the hearing them will serve, they will be hea- 
venly Chrisitians ; but if we show them their work, and 
tell them they cannot have these delights on easier terms, 
then they leave us, as the young man left Christ, sorrow- 
ful. If thou art convinced, reader, that this work is ne- 
cessary to thy comfort, set upon it resolutely : if thy heart 
draw back, force it on with the command of reason ; if thy 
reason begin to dispute, produce the command of God, and 
urge thy own necessity, with the other considerations sug- 
gested in the former chapter. Let not such an incompa- 
rable treasure lie before thee, with thy hand in thy bosom ; 
nor thy life be a continual vexation, when it might be a 
continual feast, only because thou wilt not exert thyself, 

9 



194 now TO LEAD A HEAVENLY [Chap. V2. 

Sit not still with a disconsolate spirit, while comforts grow 
before thine eyes, like a man in the midst of a garden of 
flowers, that will not rise to get them, and partake of their 
sweetness. This I know, Christ is the fountain ; but the 
well is deep, and thou must get forth this water before thou 
canst be refreshed with it. I know, so far as you are 
spiritual, you need not all this striving and violence ; but 
in part you are carnal, and as long as it is so, there is need 
of labor. It was a custom of the Parthians, not to give 
their children any meat in the morning, before they saw 
the sweat on their faces with some labor. And you shall 
find this to be God's usual course, not to give Iiis children 
the tastes of his delights till they begin to sweat in seeking 
after them. Judge, therefore, whether a heavenly life or 
thy carnal ease be better; and, as a wise man, make tliy 
choice accordingly. Yet, let me add for thy encourage- 
ment, thou n^edest not employ thy thoughts more than 
thou now dosf, it is only to fix them upon better and 
more pleasant objects. Employ but as many serious 
thoughts every day upon the excellent glory of the life to 
come, as thou now dost upon worldly affairs, yea, on vani- 
ties and impertinences, and thy heart will soon be at hea- 
ven. On the whole, it is " the field of the slothful that 
is all grown over with thorns and nettles ; and the desire 
of the slothful killeth his joy, for his hands refuse to labor ; 
and it is the slothful man that saith. There is a lion in the 
way, a lion is in the streets. As the door turneth upon its 
hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed. The slothful 
hideth his hand in his bosom ; it grieveth him to bring it 
again to his mouth," though it be to feed himself with the 
food of life. What is this but throwing away our consola- 
tions, and consequently the precious blood that bought 
tliem? For " he that is slothful in his work, is brother to 
him that is a great waster." Apply this to thy spiritual 
work, and study well the meaning of it. 

7. Contentment icith the mere preparatives to this heavenly 
lijc^ loh'ile wc are utter strangers to the life itself, is also a 
dangerous and secret hinderance : when we take up with 
the mere study of heavenly things, and the notions of 
them, or the talking with one another about them ; as if 
this were enough to make ns heavenly. None are in more 
danger of this snare, than those that are employed in lead- 



Chap. 12.] LIFE UPON EARTH. 195 

ing the devotions of others, especially preachers of the 
Gospel. how easily may such be deceived ! while they 
do nothing so much as read and study of heaven ; preach, 
and pray, and talk of heaven ; is not this the heavenly 
life ? Alas ! all this is but mere preparation ; this is but 
collecting the materials, not erecting the building itself; 
it is but gathering the manna for others, and not eating and 
digesting it ourselves. As he that sits at home may draw 
exact maps of countries, and yet never see them, nor travel 
toward them; so may you describe to others the joys of 
heaven, and yet never come near it in your own hearts. A 
blind man, by learning, may dispute of light and colors ; 
so may you set forth to others that heavenly light which 
never enlightened your own souls, and bring that fire from 
the hearts of your people which never warmed your own 
hearts. What heavenly passages had Balaam in his pro- 
phecies, yet how little of it in his spirit ! Nay, we are un- 
der a more subtle temptation than any other men to draw 
us from this heavenly life. Studying and preaching of 
heaven more resembles a heavenly life than thinking and 
talking of the world does; and the resemblance is apt to 
deceive us. This is to die the most miserable death, even 
to famish ourselves, because we have bread on our tables ; 
and to die for thirst, while we draw water for others ; think- 
ing it enough that we have daily to do with it, though we 
never drink for the refreshment of our own souls. 

Secondly^ Having thus showed what hinderances will 
resist the work, I expect that thou resolve against them, 
consider them seriously, and avoid them faithfully, or else 
thy labor will be vain. I must also tell thee, that I here 
expect thy promise, as thou vainest the delights of these 
foretastes of heaven, to make conscience of performing the 
following duties ; particularly, 

1. Be convinced that heaven is the only treasure and hap- 
pinesSj and labor to know what a treasure and happiness 
it is. If thou do not believe it to be the chief good, thou 
wilt never set thy heart upon it ; and this conviction must 
sink into thy affections ; for if it be only a notion, it will 
have little efficacy. If Eve once supposes she sees more 
worth in the forbidden fruit than in the love and enjoy- 
ment of God, no wonder if it have more of her heart than 
God. If your judgment once prefer the delights of the 



196 HOW TO LEAD A HEAVENLY [Chap. 12, 

flesh before the delights of the presence of God, it is im- 
possible your heart should be in heaven. As it is igno- 
rance of the emptiness of things below, that makes men 
so overvalue them ; so it is ignorance of the high delights 
above, which is the cause that men so little mind them. 
If you see a purse of gold, and believe it to be but coun- 
ters, it will not entice your affections to it. It is not the 
real excellence of a thing itself, but its known excellence, 
that excites desire. If an ignorant man see a book, con- 
taining the secrets of arts or sciences, he values it no 
more than a common piece, because he knows not what 
is in it ; but he that knows it, highly values it, and can 
even forbear his meat, drink, and sleep, to read it. As the 
Jews killed the Messiah, while they waited for him, be- 
cause they did not know him ; so the world cries out for 
rest, and busily seeks for delight and happiness, because 
they know it not ; for did they thoroughly know what it 
is, they could not so slight the everlasting treasure. 

2. Labor also to know that heaven is thy own happiness. 
We may confess heaven to be the best condition, though 
we despair of enjoying it; and we may desire and seek 
it, if we see the attainment but probable ; but we can 
never delightfully rejoice in it, till we are in some mea- 
sure persuaded of our title to it. What comfort is it to a 
man that is naked, to see the rich attire of others? What 
delight is it for a man that hath not a house to put his head 
in, to see the sumptuous buildings of others ? Would not 
all this rather increase his anguish, and make him more 
sensible of his own misery ? So, for a man to know the 
excellencies of heaven, and not know whether ever he 
shall enjoy them, may raise desire, and urge pursuit, but 
he will have little joy. Who will set his heart on another 
man's possessions 1 If your houses, your goods, your cat- 
tle, your children, were not your own, you would less 
mind them, and less delight in them. Christian ! rest 
not, therefore, till you can call this rest your own : bring 
thy heart to the bar of trial : set the qualifications of the 
saints on one side, and of thy soul on the other, and then 
judge how near they resemble. Thou hast the same word 
to judge thyself by now, as thou must be judged by at the 
great day. Mistake not the Scripture's description of a saint, 
that thou neither acquit nor condemn thyself upon mis- 



Chap. 12.] LIFE UPON EARTH. It^ 

takes. For as groundless hopes tend to confusion, and are 
the greatest cause of most men's damnation ; so ground- 
less doubts tend to, and are the great cause of, the saints' 
perplexity and distress. Therefore, lay thy foundation for 
trial safely, and proceed in the work deliberately and reso- 
lutely, nor give over till thou canst say, either thou hast or 
hast not yet a title to this rest. if men did truly know 
that God is their own Father, and Christ their only Re- 
deemer and Head, and that those are their own everlast- 
ing habitations, and that there they must abide and be hap- 
py for ever ; how could they choose but be transported 
with the forethoughts thereof! If a Christian could but 
look upon sun, moon, and stars, and reckon all his own in 
Christ, and say, " These are the blessings that my Lord 
hath procured me, and things incomparably greater than 
these ;" what holy raptures would his spirit feel ! 

The more do they sin against their own comforts, as 
well as against the grace of the Gospel, who plead for their 
unbelief, and cherish distrustful thoughts of God, and in- 
jurious thoughts of their Redeemer ; who represent the co- 
venant as if it were of works, and not of grace ; and Christ 
as an enemy, rather than a Savior ; as if he were willing 
they should die in their unbelief, when he hath invited 
them so often and so affectionately, and suffered the ago- 
nies that they should suffer. Wretches that we are ! to be 
keeping up jealousies of our Lord, when we should be re- 
joicing in his love. As if any man could choose Christ, 
before Christ hath chosen him ; or any man were more 
willing to be happy, than Christ is to make him happy. 
Away with these injurious, if not blasphemous thoughts ! 
If ever thou hast harbored such thoughts in thy breast, 
cast them from thee, and take heed how thou ever enter- 
tainest them more. God hath written the names of his 
people in heaven, as you use to write your names or marks 
on your goods ; and shall we be attempting to raze them 
out, and to write our names on the doors of hell ? But 
blessed be " God, whose foundation standeth sure ;" and 
who " keepeth us by his power through faith unto salva- 
tion." 

3. Labor to apprehend how near thy rest is. What we 
think near at hand, we are more sensible of than that which 
we behold at a distance. When judgments or mercies are 



198 HOW TO LEAD A HEAVENLY [Chap. 1% 

afar off, we talk of them with little concern ; but when they 
draw close to us, we tremble at, or rejoice in them. This 
makes men think on heaven so insensibly, because they 
conceit it at too great a distance ; they look on it as twenty, 
thirty, or forty years off. How much better were it to 
receive "the sentence of death in ourselves," and to look 
on eternity as near at hand! While 1 am thinking and 
writing of it, it hasteth near, and 1 am even entering into it 
before I am aware. While thou art reading this, whoever 
thou art, time posteth on, and thy life will be gone, *' as a 
tale that is told." If you verily believed you should die 
to-morrow, how seriously would you think of heaven to- 
night ! When Samuel had told Saul, " To-morrow shalt 
thou be with me," this struck him to the heart. And if 
Christ should say to a believing soul, " To-morrow shalt 
thou be with me," this would bring him in spirit to heaven 
beforehand. Do but suppose that you are still entering into 
heaven, and it will greatly help you more seriously to 
mind it. 

4. Let thy eternal rest be the subject of thy frequent se- 
rious discourse, especially with those that can speak from 
their hearts, and are seasoned themselves with a heavenly 
nature. It is pity Christians should ever meet together, 
without some talk of their meeting in heaven, or of the way 
to it, before they part. It is pity so much time is spent in 
vain conversation and useless disputes, and not a serious 
word of heaven among them. Methinks we should meet 
together on purpose to warm our spirits with discoursing of 
our rest. To hear a Christian set forth that blessed, glo- 
rious state, with hfe and power, from the promises of the 
Gospel, methinks, should make us say, "Did not our hearts 
burn within us, while he opened to us the Scriptures'?" If 
a Felix will tremble, when he hears his judgment powerfully 
represented, why should not the believer be revived when 
he hears his eternal rest described 1 Wicked men can be 
delighted in talking together of their wickedness ; and 
should not Christians then be delighted in talking of Christ, 
and the heirs of heaven in talking of their inheritance? 
This may make our hearts revive, as it did Jacob's to hear 
the message that called him to Goshen, and to see the cha- 
riots that should bring him to Joseph. O that we were 
furnished with skill and resolution to turn the stream of 



Chap. 12.] LIFE UPON EARTH. 199 

men's common discourse to these more sublime and precious 
things ! and, when men begin to talk of things unprofitable, 
that we could tell how to put in a word for heaven, and say, 
as Peter of his bodily food, " Not so, for I have never eaten 
any thing that is common or unclean!" O the good that 
we might both do and receive by this course ! Had it not 
been to deter us from unprofitable conversation, Christ 
would not have talked of our " giving an account of every 
idle word in the day of judgment." Say, then, as the 
Psalmist, when you are in company, " Let my tongue cleave 
to the roof of my mouth, if I prefer not Jerusalem above 
ray chief joy." Then you shall find it true, that a " whole- 
some tongue is a tree of life." 

5. Endeavor, in every duty, to raise thy affecticms nearer 
to heaven. God's end, in the institution of his ordinances, 
was, that they should be as so many steps to advance us to 
our rest, and by which, in subordination to Christ, we might 
daily ascend in our affections. Let this be thy end in using 
them, and doubtless they will not be unsuccessful. How 
have you been rejoiced by a few lines from a friend, when 
you could not see him face to face ! And may we not have 
intercourse with God in his ordinances, though our persons 
be yet so far remote 1 May not our spirits rejoice in read- 
ing those lines which contain our legacy and charter for 
heaven? With what gladness and triumph may we read 
the expressions of divine love, and hear of our celestial 
country, though we have not yet the happiness to behold it ! 
Men that are separated by sea and land, can by letters carry 
on great and gainful trades; and may not a Christian, in 
the wise improvement of duties, drive on this happy trade 
for rest? Come, then, renounce formality, custom and ap- 
plause, and kneel down in secret or public prayer, with 
hope to get thy heart nearer to God before thou risest up. 
When thou openest thy Bible, or other book, hope to meet 
with some passage of divine truth, and such blessing of the 
Spirit with it, as will give thee a fuller taste of heaven. 
When thou art going to the house of God, say, " I hope to 
meet with somewhat from God to raise my affections be- 
fore 1 return; I hope the Spirit will give me the meeting, 
and sweeten my heart with those celestial delights ; I hope 
Christ will ' appear to me in that way, and shine about me 
with light from heaven;' let me hear his instructing and 



200 HOW TO LEAD A HEAVENLY [Chap. 13. 

reviving voice, and cause the scales to fall from my eyes, 
that I may see more of that glory than I ever yet saw. I 
hope, before I return, my Lord will bring my heart within 
the view of rest, and set it before his Father's presence, that 
I may return as ' the shepherds' from the heavenly vision, 
* glorifying and praising God for all the things I have heard 
and seen.' " When the Indians first saw that the English 
could converse together by letters, they thought there was 
some spirit enclosed in them. So would by-standers ad- 
mire, when Christians have communion with God in duties, 
what there is in those Scriptures, in that sermon, in this 
prayer, that fills their hearts so full of joy, and so transports 
them above themselves. Certainly God would not fail us 
in our duties, if we did not fail ourselves. Remember, 
therefore, always to pray for your minister, that God would 
put some divine message into his mouth, which may leave a 
heavenly relish upon your spirit. 

6. Improve every object and every evenly to mind thy soul 
of its approaching rest. As all providences and creatures 
are means to our rest, so they point us to that as their end. 
God's sweetest dealings with us at the present would not be 
half so sweet as they are, if they did not intimate some fur- 
ther sweetness. Thou takest but the bare earnest, and 
overlookest the main sum, when thou receivest thy mercies, 
and forgettest thy crown. O that Christians were skilful in 
this art ! You can open your Bibles ; learn to open the 
volumes of creation and providence, to read there also of 
God and glory. Thus we might have a fuller taste of Christ 
and heaven in every common meal, than most men have in 
a sacrament. If thou prosper in the world, let it make thee 
more sensible of thy perpetual prosperity. If thou art 
weary with labor, let it make the thoughts of thy eternal 
rest more sweet. If things go cross, let thy desires be more 
earnest to have sorrows and sufferings for ever cease. Is thy 
body refreshed with food or sleep] remember the incon- 
ceivable refreshment with Christ. Dost thou hear any good 
news] remember what glad tidings it will be to hear the 
trump of God, and the applauding sentence of Christ. Art 
thou delighted with the society of the saints? remember 
what the perfect society in heaven will be. Is God com- 
municating himself to thy spirit 1 remember the time of thy 
highest advancement, when both thy communion and joy 



Chap. 12.] LIFE UPON EARTH. 201 

shall be full. Dost thou hear the raging noise of the wicked, 
and the confusions of the world? think of the blessed har- 
mony in heaven. Dost thou hear the tempest of war? 
remember the day when thou shalt be in perfect peace, 
under the wings of the Prince of peace for ever. Thus, 
every condition and creature affords us advantages for a 
heavenly life, if we had but hearts to improve them. 

7. Be much in the angelical work of praise. The more 
heavenly the employment, the more it will make the spirit 
heavenly. Praising God is the work of angels and saints 
in heaven, and will be our own everlasting work ; and if we 
were more in it now, we should be more like what we shall 
be then. As desire, faith, and hope, are of shorter conti- 
nuance than love and joy, so also preaching, prayer, and 
sacraments, and all means for expressing and confirming our 
faith and hope, shall cease, when our triumphant expressions 
of love and joy shall abide for ever. The liveliest emblem 
of heaven that I know upon earth, is when the people of 
God, in the deep sense of his excellency and bounty, from 
hearts abounding with love and joy, join together, both in 
heart and voice, in the cheerful and melodious singing of 
his praises. These delights, like the testimony of the Spirit, 
witness themselves to be of God, and bring the evidences of 
their heavenly parentage along with them. 

Little do we know how we wrong ourselves by shutting 
out of our prayers the praises of God, or allowing them so 
narrow a room as we usually do, while we are copious 
enough in our confessions and petitions. Reader, I entreat 
thee, remember this : let praises have a larger room in thy 
duties ; keep matter ready at hand to feed thy praise, as well 
as matter for confession and petition. To this end, study 
the excellencies and goodness of the Lord as frequently as 
thy own wants and unworthiness ; the mercies thou hast 
received, and those which are promised, as often as the sins 
thou hast committed. " Praise is comely for the upright. 
Whoso offereth praise, glorifieth God. Praise ye the Lord, 
for the Lord is good ; sing praises unto his name, for it 
is pleasant. Let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God con- 
tinually, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his 
name." Had not David a most heavenly spirit, who was so 
much in this heavenly work ? Doth it not sometimes raise 
our hearts, when we only read the song of Moses, and the 

9* 



202 HOW TO LEAD A HEAVENLY [Chap. 12. 

psalms of David 1 How much more would it raise and re- 
fresh us, to be skilful and frequent in the work ourselves ! 
O the madness of youth, that lay out their vigor of body 
and mind, upon vain delights and fleshly lusts, which is so 
fit for the noblest work of man ! And O the sinful fplly of 
many of the saints, who drench their spirits in continual 
sadness, and waste their days in complaints and groans, and 
so make themselves, both in body and mind, unfit for this 
sweet and heavenly work! Instead of joining with the peo- 
ple of God in his praises, they are questioning their worthi- 
ness, and studying their miseries ; and so rob God of his 
glory, and themselves of their consolation. But the greatest 
destroyer of our comfort in this duty, is our taking up with 
the tune and melody, and suffering the heart to be idle, 
which ought to perform the principal part of the work, and 
use the melody to revive and exhilarate itself. 

8. Ever keep thy soul possessed with believing thoughts of 
the infinite love of God. Love is the attractive of love. Few 
so vile, but will love those that love them. No doubt it is 
the death of our heavenly life to have hard thoughts of God, 
to conceive of him as one that would rather damn than save 
us. This is to put the blessed God into the similitude of 
Satan. When our ignorance and unbelief have drawn the 
most deformed picture of God in our imaginations, then we 
complain that we cannot love him, nor delight in him. This 
is the case of many thousand Christians. Alas, that we 
should thus blaspheme God, and blast our own joys! Scrip- 
ture assures us, that " God is love ; that fury is not in him ; 
that he hath no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that 
the wicked turn from his way and live." Much more hath 
he testified his love to his chosen, and his full resolution to 
save them. O that we could always think of God as we do 
of a friend ; as of one that unfeignedly loves us, even more 
than we do ourselves ; whose very heart is set upon us to do 
us good, and hath therefore provided for us an everlasting 
dwelling with himself ! it would not then be so hard to have 
our hearts ever with him. Where we love most heartily, 
we shall think most sweetly and most freely. I fear most 
Christians think higher of the love of a hearty friend than of 
the love of God ; and what wonder, then, if they love their 
friends better than God, and trust them more confidently 
than God, and had rather live with them than with God? 



Chap. 12.] LIFE UPON EARTH. 208 

9. Carefully observe and cherish the motions of the Spirit 
of God. If ever thy soul get above this earth, and get ac- 
quainted with this heavenly life, the Spirit of God must be 
to thee as the chariot to Elijah ; yea, the ver}^ living prin- 
ciple by which thou must move and ascend. O, then, grieve 
not thy guide, quench not thy life, knock not off thy chariot 
wheels ! You little think how much the life of all your 
graces, and the happiness of your souls, depend upon your 
ready and cordial obedience to the Spirit. When the Spirit 
urges thee to secret prayer ; or forbids thee thy transgres- 
sions ; or points to thee the way in which thou shouldst go ; 
and thou wilt not regard ; no wonder if heaven and thy soul 
be strange. If thou wilt not follow the Spirit, while it would 
draw thee to Christ and thy duty ; how should it lead thee 
to heaven, and bring thy heart into the presence of God ? 
What supernatural help, what bold access, shall the soul 
find in its approaches to the Almighty, that constantly obeys 
the Spirit? And how backward, how dull, how ashamed, 
will he be in these addresses, who hath often broke away 
from the Spirit that would have guided him ! Christian 
reader, dost thou not feel sometimes a s»irong impression to 
retire from the world, and draw near to God 1 Do not dis- 
obey, but take the ofier, and hoist up thy sails while this 
blessed gale may be had. The more of the Spirit we resist, 
the deeper will it wound ; and the more we obey, the 
speedier will be our pace. 

10. I advise thee, as a further help to this heavenly life, 
neglect not the due care of thy bodily health. Thy body is 
a useful servant, if thou give it its due, and no more than its 
due ; but it is a most devouring tyrant, if thou suffer it to have 
what it unreasonably desires ; and it is as a blunted knife, if 
thou unjustly deny it what is necessary to its support. When 
we consider how frequently men offend on both extremes, 
and how few use their bodies aright, we cannot wonder if 
they be much hindered in their converse with heaven. Most 
men are slaves to their appetite, and can scarce deny any 
thing to the flesh, and are therefore willingly carried by it 
to th-sir sports, or profits, or vain companions, when they 
should raise their minds to God and heaven. As you love 
your souls, " make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the 
lusts thereof ;" but remember, "to be carnally minded is 
death ; because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for 



904 THE NATURE OP [Chap. 18. 

it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 
So, then, they that are in the flesh cannot please God. 
Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live 
after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die ; 
but if ye, through the Spirit, do mortify the deeds of the 
body, ye shall live." There are a few who much hinder 
their heavenly joy by denying the body its necessaries, and 
so making it unable to serve them : if such wronged their 
flesh only, it would be no great matter ; but they wrong 
their souls also ; as he that spoils the house injures the in- 
habitants. When the body is sick, and the spirits languish, 
how heavily do we move in the thoughts and joys of 
heaven ! 



CHAPTER XIII. 

THE KATURE OF HEAVENLY CONTEMPLATION ; WITH THE TIME, PLACE, 
AND TEMPER, FITTEST FOR IT. 

The duly of heavenly contemplation is recommended and defined. 

The definition is illustrated. I. The time fittest for it is represented, 
as, 1. Stated; 2. Frequent; 3. Seasonable every day, particularly 
every Lord's day, but more especially when our hearts are warmed 
with a sense of divine things ; or when we are afflicted or tempted; 
or when we are near death. II. The fittest place for it. III. The 
fittest temper for it is, 1. When our minds are most clear of the world, 
2. And most solemn and serious. 

Once more I entreat thee, reader, as thou makest 
conscience of a revealed duty, and darest not wilfully resist 
the Spirit ; as thou valuest the high delights of a saint, and 
the soul-ravishing exercise of heavenly contemplation ; that 
thou diligently study, and speedily and faithfully practise the 
following directions. If, by this means, thou dost not find 
an increase of all thy graces, and dost not grow beyond the 
stature of common Christians, and art not made more ser- 
viceable in thy place, and more precious in the eyes of all 
discerning persons ; if thy soul enjoy not more communion 
with God, and thy life be not fuller of comfort, and hast it 
not readier by thee at a dying hour ; then cast away these 
directions, and exclaim against me for ever as a deceiver. 

The duty which I press upon theo so earnestly, and in 
the practice of which I am now to direct thee, is, " The 



Chap. 13.] HEAVENLY CONTEMPLATION. 205 

set and solemn acting of all the powers of thy soul in medi- 
tation upon thy everlasting rest." More fully to explain the 
nature of this duty, I will here illustrate a little the descrip- 
tion itself; then point out the fittest time, place, and temper 
of mind for it. 

It is not improper to illustrate a little the manner in which 
we have described this duty of meditation, or the consider- 
ing and contemplating of spiritual things. It is confessed to 
be a duty by all, but practically denied by most. Many, that 
make conscience of other duties, easily neglect this. They 
are troubled if they omit a sermon, a fast, or a prayer, in 
public or private ; yet were never troubled that they have 
omitted meditation, perhaps all their lifetime to this very 
day ; though it be that duty, by which all other duties are 
improved, and by which the soul digesteth truths for its 
nourishment and comfort. It was God's command to Joshua, 
" This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth, 
but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou 
mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein." 
As digestion turns food into chyle and blood, for vigorous 
health, so meditation turns the truths received and remem- 
bered into warm affection, firm resolution, and holy conver- 
sation. 

This meditation is the acting of all the powers of the soul. 
It is the work of the living, and not of the dead. It is a work, 
of all others, the most spiritual and sublime, and therefore 
not to be well performed by a heart that is merely carnal 
and earthly. They must necessarily have some relation to 
heaven, before they can familiarly converse there. I suppose 
them to be such as have a title to rest, when I persuade them 
to rejoice in the meditations of rest. And supposing thee to 
be a Christian, I am now exhorting thee to be an active 
Christian. And it is the work of the soul I am setting thee 
to, for bodily exercise doth here profit but little. And it must 
have all the powers of the soul to distinguish it from the 
common meditation of students ; for the understanding is 
not the whole soul, and therefore cannot do the whole work. 
As in the body, the stomach must turn the food into chyle, 
and prepare for the liver, the liver and spleen turn it into 
blood, and prepare for the heart and brain ; so in the soul, 
the understanding must take in truths, and prepare them for 
the will, and that for the afiections. Christ and heaven have 



206 THE NATURE OP [Chap. 13. 

various excellencies, and therefore God hath formed the soi 1 
with different powers for apprehending those excellencies. 
What the better had we been for odoriferous flowers, if we 
had no smelH or what good would language or music have 
done us, if we could not hear? or what pleasure should we 
have found in meats and drinks, without the sense of taste 1 
So what good could all the glory of heaven have done us, or 
what pleasure should we have had in the perfection of God 
himself, if we had been without the affections of love and 
joy? And what strength or sweetness canst thou possibly 
receive by thy meditations on eternity, while thou dost not 
exercise those affections of the soul, by which thou must be 
sensible of this sweetness and strength ? It is the mistake of 
Christians, to think that meditation is only the work of the 
understanding and memory ; when every school-boy can do 
this, or persons that hate the things which they think on. 
So that you see there is more to be done, than barely to re- 
member and think of heaven. As some labors not only stir 
a hand or a foot, but exercise the whole body ; so doth me- 
ditation the whole soul. As the affections of sinners are set 
on the world, are turned to idols, and fallen from God, as 
well as their understanding ; so must their affections be re- 
duced to God, as well as the understanding ; and as their 
whole soul was filled with sin before, so the whole must be 
filled with God now. See David's description of the blessed 
man : " His delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law 
doth he meditate day and night." 

This meditation is set and solemn. As there is solemn 
prayer, when we set ourselves wholly to that duty ; and 
ejaculatory prayer, when, in the midst of other business, we 
send up some short req.uest to God ; so also there is solemn 
meditation, when we apply ourselves wholly to that work ; 
and transient meditation, when, in the midst of other busi- 
ness, we have some good thoughts of God in our minds. 
And as solemn prayer is either set in a constant course of 
duty, or occasional, at an extraordinary season ; so also is 
meditation. Now, though I would persuade you to that me- 
ditation which is mixed with your common labors, and also 
that which special occasions direct you to; yet I would have 
you likewise make it a constant standing duty, as you do 
by hearing, praying, and reading the Scriptures ; and no 



Chap. 13.] HEAVENLY CONTEMPLATION. 207 

more intermix other matters with it, than you would with 
prayer, or other stated solemnities. 

This meditation is upon thy everlasting rest. I would not 
have you cast oflf your other meditations; but surely, as 
heaven hath the pre-eminence in perfection, it should have 
it also in our meditation. That which will make us most 
happy when we possess it, will make us most joyful when 
we meditate upon it. Other meditations are as numerous as 
there are lines in the Scripture, or creatures in the universe, 
or particular providences in the government of the world. 
But this is a walk to Mount Sion ; from the kingdoms of 
this world to the kingdom of saints ; from earth to heaven ; 
from time to eternity: it is walking upon sun, moon and 
stars, in the garden and paradise of God. It may seem far 
off; but spirits are quick ; whether in the body or out of the 
body, their motion is swift. You need not fear, like the men 
of the world, lest these thoughts should make you mad. It 
is heaven, and not hell, that I persuade you to walk in. It is 
joy, and not sorrow, that I persuade you to exercise. I urge 
you to look on no deformed objects, but only upon the ra- 
vishing glory of saints, and the unspeakable excellencies of 
the God of glory, and the beams that stream from the face 
of his Son. Will it distract a man to think of his only hap- 
piness ? Will, it distract the miserable to think of mercy, or 
the prisoner to foresee deliverance, or the poor to think of 
approaching riches and honor 1 Methinks it should rather 
make a man mad to think of living in a world of wo, and 
abiding in poverty and sickness, among the rage of wicked 
men, than to think of living with Christ in bliss. " But wis- 
dom is justified of all her children." Knowledge hath no 
enemy but the ignorant. This heavenly course was never 
spoken against by any but those that never knew it, or never 
used it. I fear more the neglect of men that approve it, than 
the opposition or arguments of any against it. 

First. As to the fittest time for this heavenly contempla- 
tion, let me only advise, that it be, stated — frequent — and 
seasonable. 

1. Give it 3. stated time. If thou suit thy time to the ad- 
vantage of the work, without placing any religion in the 
time itself, thou hast no need to fear superstition. Stated 
time is a hedge to duty, and defends it against mr.ny temp- 
tations to omission. Some have not their time at command, 



906 THE NATURE OP [Chap. l3. 

and therefore cannot set their hours; and many are so poor, 
that the necessities of their families deny them this freedom ; 
such persons should be watchful to redeem time as much as 
ihey can, and take their vacant opportunities as they fall, 
and especially join meditation and prayer, as much as they 
can, with the labors of their callings. Yet those that have 
more time to spare from their worldly necessities, and are 
masters of their time, I still advise to keep this duty to a 
stated time. And indeed, if every work of the day had its 
appointed time, we should be better skilled, both in redeem- 
ing time and in performing duty. 

2. Let it be frequent as well as stated. How oft it should 
be, I cannot determine, because men's circumstances differ ; 
but, in general, Scripture requires it to be frequent, when it 
mentions meditating day and night. For those, therefore, 
who can conveniently omit other business, I advise, that it 
be once a day at least. Frequency in heavenly contempla- 
tion is particularly important, 

To prevent a shyness between God and thy soul. Fre- 
quent society breeds familiarity, and familiarity increases 
love and delight, and makes us bold in our addresses. The 
chief end of this duty is, to have acquaintance and fellow- 
ship with God ; and therefore, if thou come but seldom to 
it, thou wilt keep thyself a stranger still. When a man feels 
his need of God, and must seek his help in a time of neces- 
sity, then it is great encouragement to go to a God we know 
and are acquainted with. " O !" saith the heavenly Christian, 
" I know both whither I go, and to whom. I have gone this 
way many a time before now. It is the same God that I 
daily converse with, and the way has been my daily walk. 
God knows me well enough, and I have some knowledge of 
him." On the other side, what a horror and discouragement 
will it be to the soul, when it is forced to fly to God in 
straits, to think, "Alas ! I know not whither to go. I ne- 
ver went the way before. I have no acquaintance at the 
court of heaven. My soul knows not that God that I must 
speak to, and I fear he will not know my soul." But espe- 
cially when we come to die, and must immediately appear 
before this God, and expect to enter into his eternal rest, 
then the difference will plainly appear ; then what a joy 
will it be to think, " I am going to the place that I daily 
conversed in ; to the place from whence I tasted such fre- 



Chap. 13.] HEAVENLY CONTEMPLATION. 

quent delights ; to that God whom I have met in my medi- 
tation so often ! My heart hath been at heaven before now, 
and hath often tasted its reviving sweetness ; and if my eyes 
were so enlightened, and my spirits so refreshed, when I 
had but a taste, what will it be when I shall feed on it 
freely?" On the contrary, what a terror will it be to think, 
" I must die, and go, I know not whither ; from a place where 
I am acquainted, to a place where I have no familiarity or 
knowledge !" It is an inexpressible horror to a dying man to 
have strange thoughts of God and heaven. I am persuaded 
the neglect of this duty so commonly makes death, even to 
godly men, unwelcome and uncomfortable. Therefore I' 
persuade to frequency in this duty. And as it will prevent 
shyness between thee and God, so also. 

It will prevent unskilfulness in the duty itself. How 
awkwardly do men set their hands to a work they are sel- 
dom employed in ! Whereas, frequency will habituate thy 
heart to the work, and make it more easy and delightful. 
The hill which made thee pant and blow at first going up, 
thou mayest easily run up, when thou art once accustomed to it. 

Thou wilt also prevent the loss of that heat and life thou 
hast obtained. If thou eat but once in two or three days, 
thou wilt lose thy strength as fast as it comes. If in holy 
meditation thou get near to Christ, and warm thy heart with 
the fire of love, and then come but seldom, thy former cold- 
ness will soon return ; especially as the work is so spiritual, 
and against the bent of depraved nature. It is true, the in- 
termixing of other duties, especially secret prayer, may do 
much to the keeping thy heart above ; but meditation is the 
life of most other duties, and the view of heaven is the life 
of meditation. 

3. Choose also the most seasonable time. All things are 
beautiful and excellent in their season. Unseasonableness 
may lose the fruit of thy labor, may raise difficulties in the 
work, and may turn a duty to a sin. The same hour 
may be seasonable to one, and unseasonable to another. 
Servants and laborers must take that season which their 
business can best afford ; either while at work, or in travel- 
ling, or when they lie awake in the night. Such as can choose 
what time of the day they will, should observe when they 
find their spirits most active and fit for contemplation, and 
fix upon that as the stated time. I have always found that 



210 THE NATURE OP Chap. 13. 

the fittest time for myself is the evening, from simsetting to 
the twilight. I the rather mention this, because it was the 
experience of a better and wiser man ; for it is expressly 
said, " Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the even- 
tide." The Lord's day is exceeding seasonable for this ex- 
ercise. When should we more seasonably contemplate our 
rest, than on that day of rest which typifies it to us 1 It be- 
ing a day appropriated to spiritual duties, methinks we should 
never exclude this duty, which is so eminently spiritual. I 
verily think this is the chief work of a Christian Sabbath, and 
most agreeable to the design of its positive institution. What 
fitter time to converse with our Lord, than on the Lord's 
day 1 What fitter day to ascend to heaven, than that 
on which he arose from earth, and fully triumphed over 
death and hell 1 The fittest temper for a true Christian 
is, like John, to " be in the Spirit on the Lord's day." And 
what can bring us to this joy in the Spirit, but the spiritual 
beholding of our approaching glory 1 Take notice of this, you 
that spend the Lord's day only in public worship ; your al- 
lowing no time to private duty, and therefore neglecting this 
spiritual duty of meditation, is very hurtful to your souls. 
You, also, that have time on the Lord's day for idleness and 
vain discourse, were you but acquainted with this duty of 
contemplation, you would need no other pastime ; you 
would think the longest day short enough, and be sorry that 
the night had shortened your pleasure. Christians, let 
heaven have more share in your Sabbaths, where you must 
shortly keep your everlasting Sabbaths. Use your Sabbaths 
as steps to glory, till you have passed them all, and are there 
arrived. Especially you that are poor, and cannot take time 
in the week as you desire, see that you well improve this 
day ; as your bodies rest from their labors, let your spirits 
seek after rest from God. 

Besides the constant seasonableness of every day, and 
particularly every Lord's day, there are also more peculiar 
seasons for heavenly contemplation. As for instance : 

When God hath more abundantly warmed thy spirit with 
fire from above, then thou mayst soar with greater freedom. 
A little labor will set thy heart a-going at such a time as this ; 
whereas at another time thou mayst take pains to little pur- 
pose. Observe the gales of the Spirit, and liow the Spirit of 
Christ doth move thy spirit. " Without Christ we can do 



Chap. 13.] HEAVENLY CONTEMPLATION. 2"11 

nothing ;" and therefore let us be doing while he is doing ; 
and be sure not to be out of the way, nor asleep, when he 
comes. When the Spirit finds thy heart, like Peter, in pri- 
son, and in irons, and smites thee, and says, " Arise up 
quickly, and follow me," be sure thou then arise and follow, 
and thou shalt find thy chains fall off, and all doors will open, 
and thou wilt be at heaven before thou art aware. 

Another peculiar season for this duty is, when thou art in 
a suffering, distressed, or tempted state. When should we 
take our cordials, but in time of fainting 1 When is it more 
seasonable to walk to heaven, than when we know not in 
what corner of earth to live with comfort 1 Or when should 
our thoughts converse more above, than when we have no- 
thing but grief below ] Where should Noah*s dove be but 
in the ark, when the waters cover all the earth, and she 
cannot find rest for the sole of her foot 1 What should we 
think on but our Father's house, when we have not even 
the husks of the world to feed upon 1 Surely God sends thy 
afflictions to this very purpose. Happy art thou, poor man, 
if thou make this use of thy poverty ! and thou that art sick, 
if thou so improve thy sickness ! It is seasonable to go to 
the promised land, when our burdens are increased in Egypt, 
and our straits in the wilderness. Reader, if thou knewest 
what a cordial to thy griefs the serious views of glory are, 
thou wouldst less fear these harmless troubles, and more use 
that preserving, reviving, remedy. " In the multitude of my" 
troubled " thoughts within me," saith David, " thy comforts 
delight my soul." " I reckon," saith Paul, " that the suffer- 
ings of' this present time are not worthy to be compared 
with the glory which shall be revealed in us." " For which 
cause we faint not ; but though our outward man perish, yet 
the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light afflic- 
tion, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more 
exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we look not at 
the things which are seen, but at the things which are not 
seen ; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the 
things which are not seen are eternal." 

And another season peculiarly fit for this heavenly duty 
is, when the messengers of God summon us to die. When 
should we more frequently sweeten our souls with the be- 
lieving thoughts of another life, than when we find that this 
is almost ended 1 No men have greater need of supporting 



THE NATURE OP [Ghap. <3. 

joys than dying men ; and those joys must be fetched from 
our eternal joy. As heavenly delights are sweetest when 
nothing earthly is joined with them, so the delights of dying 
Christians are oftentimes the sweetest they ever had. What 
a prophetic blessing had dying Isaac and Jacob for their 
sons ! With what a heavenly song and divine benediction 
did Moses conclude his life ! What heavenly advice and 
prayer had the disciples from their Lord, when he was 
about to leave them ! When Paul was ready to be offered 
up, what heavenly exhortation and advice did he give the 
Philippians, Timothy, and the elders of Ephesus ! How 
near to heaven was John in Patmos, but a little before his 
translation thither ! It is the general temper of the saints, 
to be then most heavenly when they are nearest heaven. If 
it be thy case, reader, to perceive thy dying time draw on, 
O where should thy heart now be but witJh Christ? Me- 
thinks thou shouldst even behold him standing by thee, and 
shouldst bespeak him as thy father, thy husband, thy physi- 
cian, thy friend. Methinks thou shouldst, as it were, see 
the angels about thee, waiting to perform their last office to 
thy soul ; even those angels which disdained not to carry 
into Abraham's bosom the soul of Lazarus, nor will think 
much to conduct thee thither. Look upon thy pain and 
sickness as Jacob did on Joseph's chariots, and let thy spirit 
revive within thee, and say, *' It is enough, Christ is yet 
alive ; because he liveth, I shall hve also." Dost thou 
need the choicest cordials'? Here are choicer than the 
world can afford; here are all the joys of heaven, even the 
vision of God and Christ, and whatsoever the blessed here 
possess. These dainties are offered thee by the hand of 
Christ ; he hath written the receipt in the promises of the 
Gospel ; he hath prepared the ingredients in heaven ; only 
put forth the hand of faith, and feed upon them, and rejoice, 
and live. The Lord saith to thee, as to Elijah, " Arise and 
eat, because the journey is tow great for thee." Though it 
be not long, yet the way is miry ; therefore obey his voice, 
arise and eat, " and in the strength of that meat thou mayst 
go to the mount of God;" and, like Moses, "die in the 
mount whither thou goest up ;" and say, as Simeon, " Lord, 
now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for my eye" of 
faith "hath seen thy salvation." 

Secondly, Concerning the fittest place for heavenly con- 



Chap. 13.] HEAVENLY CONTEMPLATION'. 213 

templation, it is sufficient to say, that the most convenient 
is some private retirement. Our spirits need every help, 
and to be freed from every hinderance in the work. If, in 
private prayer, Christ directs us to "enter into our closet, 
and shut the door, that our Father may see us in secret," so 
should we do this in meditation. How often did Christ him- 
self retire to seme mountain, or wilderness, or other solitary 
place ! 1 give not this advice for occasional meditation, but 
for that which is set and solenm. Therefore withdraw thy- 
self from all society, even that of godly men, that thou mayst 
awhile enjoy the society of thy Lord If a student cannot 
study in a crowd, who exerciseth only his invention and 
memory, much less shouldst thou be in a crowd, who art to 
exercise all the powers of thy soul, and upon an object so 
far above nature. We are fled so far from superstitious 
solitude, that we have even cast off the solitude of contem- 
plative devotion. We seldom read of God's appearing by 
himself, or by his angels, to any of his prophets or saints, in 
a c.owd; but frequently when they were alone. But ob- 
serve for thyself what place best agrees with thy spirit, 
within doors or without. Isaac's example, in " going out 
to meditate in the field," will, I am persuaded, best suit with 
most. Our Lord so much used a solitary garden, that even 
Judas, when he came to betray him, knew where to find 
him : and though he took his disciples thither with him, yet 
he *' was withdrawn from them" for more secret devotions ; 
and though his meditation be not directly named, but only 
his praying, yet it is very clearly implied ; for his soul is 
first made sorrowful with the bitter meditations on his suf- 
ferings and death, and then he poureth it out in prayer. So 
that Christ had his accustomed place, and consequently ac- 
customed duty ; and so must we : he hath a place that is 
solitary, whither he retireth himself, even from his own dis- 
ciples, and so must we : his meditations go further than his 
thoughts ; they affect and pierce his heart and soul ; and so 
must ours. Only there is a wide difference in the object : 
Christ meditates on the sufferings that our sins had deserved, 
so that the wrath of his Father passed through all his soul ; 
but we are to meditate on the glory he hath purchased, that 
the love of the Father, and the joy of the Spirit, may enter 
at our thoughts, and revive our affections, and overflow our 
souls. 



814 THE NATURE OP [Chap. 13. 

Thirdly. I am next to advise thee concerning the jorcjpara- 
iions of thy heart for this heavenly contemplation. The 
success of the work much depends on the frame of thy heart 
When man's heart had nothing in it to grieve the Spirit, it 
was then the delightful habitation of his Maker. God did 
not quit his residence there, till man expelled him by un- 
worthy provocations. There was no shyness or reserve till 
the heart grew sinful, and too loathsome a dungeon for God 
to delight in. And, was this soul reduced to its former inno- 
cency, God would quickly return to his former habitation ; 
yea, so far as it is renewed and repaired by the Spirit, ?uid 
purged from its lusts, and beautified with his image, the Lord 
will yet acknowledge it as his own : Christ will manifest 
himself unto it, and the Spirit will take it for his temple and 
residence. So far as the heart is qualified for conversing with 
God, so far it usually enjoys him. Therefore, *' with all dili- 
gence keep thy heart, for out of it are the issues of life." 
More particularly, 

1. Get thy heart as clear from the world as thou canst. 
Wholly lay by the thoughts of thy business, troubles, enjoy- 
ments, and every thing that may take up any room in thy 
soul. Get it as empty as thou possibly canst, that it may be 
the more capable of being filled with God. If thou couldst 
perform some outward duty with a piece of thy heart, while 
the other is absent, yet this duty, above all, 1 am sure thou 
canst not. When thou shalt go mto the mount of contem- 
plation, thou wilt be like the covetous man at the heap of 
gold, who, when he might take as much as he could, lamented 
that he was able to carry no more ; so thou wilt find so much of 
God and glory as thy narrow heart is able to contain, and 
almost nothing to hinder thy full possession, but the incapa- 
city of thy own spirit. Then thou wilt think, " O that this 
understanding, and these affections, could contain more ! It 
is more my unfitness than any thing else, that even this place 
is not my heaven. ' God is in this place, and I know it not.' 
This ' mount is full of chariots of fire;' but mine eyes are 
shut, and I cannot see them. O the words of love Christ 
hath to speak, and wonders of love he hath to show, but I 
cannot bear them yet ! Heaven is ready for me, but my heart 
is unready for heaven." Therefore, reader, seeing thy en- 
joyment of God in this contemplation much depends on the 
capacity and disposition of thy heart, seek him here, if ever, 



Chap. 13.] HEAVENLY CONTEMPLATION. 215 

with all thy soul. Trust not Christ into the stable and the 
manger, as if thou hadst better guests for the chief rooms. 
Say to all thy worldly business and thoughts, as Christ to 
his disciples, " Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder ;'* 
or, as Abraham to his servants, when he went to offer Isaac, 
"Abide ye here, and I will go yonder and worship, and 
come again to you." Even as " the priests thrust king 
Uzziah out of the temple," where he presumed to burn in- 
cense, when they saw the leprosy upon him ; so do thou 
thrust those thoughts from the temple of thy heart, which 
have the badge of God's prohibition upon them. 

2. Be sure to set upon this work with the greatest solemnity 
of heart and mind. There is no trifling in holy things. " God 
will be sanctified in them that come nigh him." These spi- 
ritual, excellent, soul-raising duties, are, if well used, most 
profitable ; but, when used unfaithfully, most dangerous. 
Labor, therefore, to have the deepest apprehensions of the 
presence of God, and his incomprehensible greatness. If 
queen Esther must not draw near " till the king hold out 
the sceptre," think, then, with what reverence thou shouldst 
approach him, who made' the worlds with the word of his 
mouth, who upholds the earth as in the palm of his hand, 
who keeps the sun, moon, and stars in their courses, and 
who sets bounds to the raging sea ! Thou art going to con- 
verse with him, before whom the earth will quake and devils 
do tremble, and at whose bar thou and all the world must 
shortly stand, and be finally judged. O think! " I shall then 
have lively apprehensions of his majesty. My drowsy spirits 
will then be awakened, and my irreverence be laid aside; 
and why should I not now be roused with the sense of his 
greatness, and the dread of his name possess my soul V 
Labor also to apprehend the greatness of the work whicn 
thou attemptest, and to be deeply sensible both of its im- 
portance and excellency. If thou wast pleading for thy life 
at the bar of an earthly judge, thou wouldst be serious, and 
yet that would be a trifle to this. If thou wast engaged in 
such a work as David against Goliath, on which the welfare 
of a kingdom depended ; in itself considered, it were no- 
thing to this. Suppose thou wast going to such a wrestling 
as Jacob's, or to see tlic sight which the three disciples saw 
in the mount, how seriously, how reverently, wouldst thou 
both approach and behold ! If but an angel from heaven 



\ 



316 AUXILIARIES OF [Chap. 14. 

should appoint to meet thee, at the same time and place of 
thy contemplations, \rith what dread wouldst thou be filled ? 
Consider, then, with what a spirit thou shouldst meet the 
Lord, and with what seriousness and awe thou shouldst daily 
converse with him. Consider, also, the blessed issue of the 
work, if it succeed ; it will be thy admission into the pre- 
sence of God, and the beginning of thy eternal glory on 
earth ; a means to make thee live above the rate of other 
men, and fix thee in the next room to the angels themselves, 
that thou mayst both live and die joyfully. The prize being 
so great, thy preparations should be answerable. There is 
none on earth live such a life of joy and blessedness, as 
those that are acquainted with this heavenly conversation. 
The joys of all other men are but like a child's plaything, a 
fool's laughter, or a sick man's dream of health. He that 
trades for heaven is the only gainer, and he that neglects it 
is the only loser. How seriously, therefore, should this work 
be done ! 



CHAPTER XIV. 

WHAf USE HEAVENLY CONTEMPLATION MAKES OF CONSIDERATlOZt, 
AFFECTIONS, SOLILOQUY, AND PRAYER, 

I. The use of consideration, and its great influence over the heart. 11. 
Contemplation is promoted by the affections ; particularly, 1. By love, 
2. Desire, 3. Hope, 4. Courage, or boldness, 5. Joy. III. TAc 
usefulness of soliloquy and prayer, in heavenly contemplation. 

Having set thy heart in tune, we now come to the music 
itself. Having got an appetite, now approach to the feast, 
and delight tliy soul as with marrow and fatness. Come, for 
all things are now ready. Heaven and Christ, and the ex- 
ceeding weight of glory, are before you. Do not make light 
of this invitation, nor begin to make excuses ; whatever thou 
art, rich or poor, though in alms-houses or hospitals, though 
in high-ways and hedges, my commission is, if possible, to 
compel you to come in ; and blessed is he that shall eat 
bread in the kingdom of God ! The manna lieth about your 
tents ; walk out, gather it up, take it home, and feed upon 
it. In order to this, I am only to direct you — how to use 
your consideration — and affections — ^your soliloquy and 
prayer. 



Chap. 14. J HEAVENLY CONTEMPLATION. 217 

First. Consideration is the great instrument by which this 
heavenly work is carried on. This must be voluntary, and 
not forced. Some men consider unwillingly ; so God will 
make the wicked consider their sins, when he shall " set 
them in order before their eyes ;" so shall the damned con- 
sider of the excellency of Christ, whom they once despised, 
and of the eternal joys which they have foolishly lost. Great 
is the power which consideration hath for moving the affec- 
tions, and impressing things on the heart ; as will appear by 
the following particulars : 

1. Consideration, as it were, opens the door between the 
head and the heart. The understanding having received 
truths, lays them up in the memory, and consideration con- 
veys them from thence to the affections. What excellency 
would there be in much learning and knowledge, if the ob- 
structions between the head and the heart were but opened, 
and the affections did but correspond to the understanding ! 
He is usually the best scholar, whose apprehension is quick, 
clear, and tenacious ; but he is usually the best Christian, 
whose apprehension is the deepest and most affectionate, 
and who has the readiest passages, not so much from the Ccir 
to the brain, as from that to the heart. And though the Spirit 
be the principal cause ; yet, on our part, this passage must be 
opened by consideration. 

2. Consideration presents to the affections those things 
which are most important. The most delightful object does 
not entertain where it is not seen, nor the most joyful news 
affect him that does not hear it ; but consideration presents 
to our view those things which were as absent, and brings 
them to the eye and ear of the soul. Are not Christ and 
glory affecting objects? Would they not work wonders upon 
the soul, if they were but clearly discovered, and our appre- 
hensions of them were in some measure answerable to their 
worth ? It is consideration that presents them to us : this is 
the Christian's perspective, by which he can see from earth 
to heaven. 

3. Consideration, also, presents the most important things 
in the most affecting way. Consideration reasons the case 
with a man's own heart. When a believer would reason his 
heart to heavenly contemplation, how many arguments offer 
themselves from God and Christ, from each of the divine per- 
fections, from our former and present state, from promises, 

lU 



218 AUXILIARIES OF [Chap. 14. 

from present sufferings and enjoyments, from hell and heaven ! 
Every thing offers itself to promote our joy, and consideration 
is the hand to draw them all out ; it adds one reason to another, 
till the scales turn : this it does when persuading to joy, till it 
has silenced all our distrust, and sorrows, and our cause for re- 
joicing lies plain before us. If another's reasoning is powerful 
with us, though we are not certain whether he intends to in- 
form or deceive us, how much more should our own reasoning 
prevail with us, when we are so well acquainted with our own 
intentions! Nay, how much more should God's reasoning 
work upon us, which we are sure cannot deceive, or be de- 
ceived ! Now, consideration is but the reading over, and re- 
peating God's reasons to our hearts. As the prodigal had many 
and strong reasons to plead with himself, why he should return 
to his father's house, so have we to plead with our affections, 
to persuade them to our Father's everlasting mansions. 

4. Consideration exalts reason to its just authority. It 
helps to deliver it from its captivity to the senses, and sets 
it again on the throne of the soul. When reason is silent, it 
is usually subject; for when it is asleep, the senses domineer. 
But consideration awakens our reason, till, like Samson, it 
rouses up itself, and breaks the bonds of sensuality, and 
hears down the delusions of the flesh. What strength can 
the lion exert while asleep 'i What is a king, when dethroned, 
more than another man? Spiritual reason, excited by medi- 
tation, and not fancy or fleshly sense, must judge of hea- 
venly joys. Consideration exalts the objects of faith, and 
comparatively disgraces the objects of sense. The most in- 
considerate men are most sensual. It is too easy and com- 
mon to sin against knowledge; but against sober, strong, 
persevering consideration, men seldom offend. 

5. Consideration makes reason strong and active. Be- 
fore, it was a standing water, but now as a stream, which 
violently bears down all before it. Before, it was as the 
stones in the brook, but now like that out of David's sling, 
which smites the Goliath of our unbelief in the forehead. As 
wicked men continue wicked, because they bring not reason 
into action and exercise ; so godly men are uncomfortable, 
because they let their reason and faith lie asleep, and do not 
stir them up to action by this work of meditation. What 
fears, sorrows, and joys will our very dreams excite! How 
much more, then, would serious meditation affect us ! 



Chip. 14.J HEAVENLY CONTEMPLATION. 219 

6. Consideration can continue and persevere in this ra- 
tional employment. Meditation iiolds reason and faitli to 
their work, and blows the fire till it thorouglily burns. To 
run a few steps will not get a man heat, but walking an hour 
may ; and though a sudden occasional thought of heaven will 
not raJse our affections to any spiritual heat, yet meditation 
can continue our thoughts till our hearts grow warm. Thus 
you see the powerful tendency of consideration, to produce 
this great elevation of the soul in heavenly contemplation. 

Secondly, Let us next see how this heavenly work is pro- 
moted hy the particular exercise of the affections. It is by 
consideration that we first have recourse to the memory, and 
from thence take those heavenly doctrines which we intend 
to make the subject of our meditation ; such as promises of 
eternal life, descriptions of the saints' glory, the resurrection, 
&c. We then present them to our judgment, that it may de- 
liberately view them over, and take an exact survey, and 
determine uprightly concerning the perfection of our celes- 
tial happiness, against ail the dictates of flesh and sense, and 
so as to magnify the Lord in our hearts, till we are filled 
with a holy admiration. But the principal thing is to exer- 
cise, not merely our judgment, but our faith in the truth of 
our everlasting rest ; by which I mean, both the truth of the 
promises, and of our own personal interest in them, and title 
to them. If we did really and firmly believe that there is 
such a glory, and that within a few days our eyes shall be- 
hold it, O what passions would it raise within us ! What as- 
tonishing apprehensions of that life would it produce ! What 
love, what longing would it excite within us ! O how it would 
actuate every affection ! how it would transport us with joy, 
upon the least assurance of our title ! Never expect to have 
love and joy move, when faith stands still, which must lead 
the way. Therefore daily exercise faith, and set before it 
the freeness of the promise, God's urging all to accept it, 
Christ's gracious disposition, all the evidences of the love of 
Christ, his faithfulness to his engagements, and the evidences 
of his love in ourselves; lay all these togetlier, and think 
whether they do not testify the good-will of the Lord con- 
cerning our salvation, and may not j)ropcrly be pleaded 
against our unbelief. Thus, when the judgment hath deter- 
mined, and faith hath apprehended the truth of our hanpi- 
ness, then may our meditation proceed to raise our affec- 



220 AUXILIARIES OF [Chap. 14 

tions, and particulai^ly love, desire, hope, courage or bold- 
ness, and joy. 

1. Love is the first affection to be excited in heavenly 
contemplation; the object of it is goodness. Here, Christij«n, 
is the soul-reviving part of thy work. Go to thy memory, il\y 
judgment, and thy faith, and from them produce the excel- 
lencies of thy rest; present these to thy affection of love, 
and thou wilt find thyself, as it were, in another world. 
Speak out, and love can hear. Do but reveal these things, 
and love can see. It is the brutish love of the world that is 
blind ; divine love is exceeding quick-sighted. Let thy faith 
take hold of thy heart, and show it the sumptuous buikiings 
of thy eternal habitation, and the glorious ornaments of thy 
Father's house, even the mansions Christ is preparing, and 
the honors of his kingdom ; let thy faith lead thy }:eart into 
the presence of Gc>d, and as near as thou possibly canst, ;ind 
say to it, " Behold llio Ancient of Days, the Lord JohovaJi, 
whose name is, I AM : this is he who made all tiie v/orlds 
with his word, who uphulds the earth, who rules the nations, 
who disposes of all events, v/ho subdues his foes, who con- 
trols the swelling waves of the sea, who governs the winds, 
and causes the sun to run its race, and the stars to know 
their courses. This is he who loved thee from everlasting, 
formed thee in the womb, gave thee this soul, brought thee 
forth, showed thee the light, and ranked thee with the chief 
of his earthly creatures ; who endued thee with thy under- 
standing, and beautified thee with his gifts ; who maintains 
thy life and all its comforts, and distinguishes thee from the 
most miserable and vilest of men. O here is an object worthy 
thy love ! Here shouldst thou even pour out thy soul in love I 
Here it is impossible for thee to love too much ! This is the 
Lord who hath blessed thee with his benefits, ' spread thy 
table in the sight of thine enemies, and made thy cup over- 
flow !' This is he whom angels and saints praise, and the 
heavenly host for ever magnify !" Thus do tliou expeitiate 
on the praises of God, and open his excellencies to thine 
heart, till the holy fire of love begins to kindle in thy breast. 
If thou feelest thy love not yet burn, lead thy heart farther, 
anc' show it the Son of the hvingGod, whose name is" Won- 
derful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, 
the Prince of Peace:" show it the King of saints on the 
throne of his glory, " the First and the Last; who is, and 



Chap. 14.] HEAVENLY CONTEMPLAIION. 5521 

was, and is to come ; who liveth, and was dead, and behold, 
he lives for evermore ; who hath made thy peace by the 
blood of his cross," and hath prepared thee with himself a 
habitation of peace : his office is the great peace-maker ; 
his kingdom is the kingdom of peace ; his Gospel is the 
tidings of peace; his voice to thee now is the voice of 
peace ! Draw near, and behold him. Dost thou not hear his 
voice? He that bade Thomas come near, and see the print 
of the nails, and put his finger into his wounds ; he it is 
that calls to thee, " Come near, and view the Lord thy 
Savior, and be not faithless, but believing ; peace be unto 
thee, fear not, it is I." Look well upon him. Dost thou not 
know him 1 It is he that brought thee up from the pit of 
hell, leversed the sentence of thy damnation, bore the curse 
which thou shouldst have borne, restored thee to the blessing 
thou hadst forfeited, and purchased the advancement which 
thou must inherit for ever. And dost thou not yet know 
him? His hands were pierced, his head, his side, his heart, 
were pierced, that by these marks thou mightst always know 
him. Dost thou not remember when he " found thee lying 
in thy blood, and took pity on thee, and dressed thy wounds, 
and brought thee homo, and said unto thee, Live ?" Hast thou 
forgotten, since he wounded himself to cure thy wounds, and 
let out his own blood to stop thy bleeding? If thou knowest 
him not by the face, the voice, the hands, thou mayst know 
him by that heart ; that soul-pitying heart is his ; it can be 
none but his ; love and compassion are its certain signatures : 
this is he, who chose thy life before his own ; who pleads 
his blood before his Father, and makes continual interces- 
sion for thee. If he had not suffered, what hadst thou suf- 
fered ? There was but a step between thee and hell, when 
he stepped in, and bore the stroke. And is not here fuel 
enough for thy love to feed on ? Doth not thy throbbing 
heart stop here to ease itself, and, like Joseph, " seek for a 
place to weep in ?" or do not the tears of thy love bedew 
these lines ? Go on, then, for the field of love is large ; it 
will be thy eternal work to behold and love ; nor needest 
thou want work for thy present meditation. 

How often hath thy Lord found thee, like Ilagar, sitting, 
and weeping, and giving up thy soul for lost, and he opened 
to thee a well of consolation, and also opened thine eyes to 
see it ! How often, in the posture of Elijah, desiring to die 



222 AUXILIARIES OF [Chap. 14. 

out of thy misery, hath he spread thee a table of unexpected 
relief, and sent thee on his work refreshed and encouraged ! 
How often, in the case of the prophet's servant, crying out, 
"Alas, what shall we do, for a host doth encompass us," 
hath he " opened thine eyes to see more for thee than against 
thee !" How often, like Jonah, peevish, and weary of thy 
life, hath he mildly said, "Dost thou well to be angry" with 
me, or murmur against me? How often hath he set thee on 
"watching and praying," repenting and believing, "and, 
when he hath returned, hath found thee asleep ;" and yet 
he hath covered thy neglect with a mantle of love, and 
gently pleaded for thee, that " the spirit is willing, but the 
flesh is weak !" Can thy heart be cold, when thou thinkest 
of this? Can it contain, when thou rememberest those 
boundless compassions ? Thus, reader, hold forth the good- 
ness of Christ to thy heart ; plead thus with thy frozen soul, 
till, with David, thou canst say, " My heart was hot within 
me ; while I was musing, the fire burned." If this will not 
rouse up thy love, thou hast all Christ's personal excellen- 
cies to add, all his particular mercies to thyself, all his sweet 
and near relations to thee, and the happiness of thy everlast- 
ing abode with him. Only follow them close to thy heart. 
Deal with it as Christ did with Peter, when he thrice asked 
him, " Lovest thou me?" till he was grieved, and answered, 
" Lord, thou knowest that I love thee !" So grieve and 
shame thy heart out of its stupidity, till thou canst truly say, 
" I know, and my Lord knows, that I love him." 

2. The next affection to be excited in heavenly contem- 
plation is desire. The object of it is goodness considered 
as absent, or not yet attained. If love be hot, desire will 
not be cold. Think with thyself, " What have I seen ! O 
the incomprehensible glory ! O the transcendent beauty ! O 
blessed souls tliat now enjoy it ! who see a thousand times 
more clearly what 1 have seen at a distance, and through 
dark, interposing clouds. What a difference between my 
state and theirs ! I am sighing, and they are singing ; I am 
offending, and they are pleasing God. I am a spectacle of 
pity, like a Job or Lazarus; but they are perfect, and without 
blemish. I am here entangled in the love of the world, 
while they are swallowed up in the love of God. They have 
none of my cares and fears; they weep not in secret; they 
languish not in sorrows ; these " tears are wiped away from 



Chap. 14.] HEAVENLY CONTEMPLATION. SK28 

their eyes." O happy, a thousand times happy souls ! Alas, 
that I must dwell in sinful flesh, when my brethren and com- 
panions dwell with God ! How far out of sight and reach 
of their high enjoyment do I here live ! What poor feeble 
thoughts have I of God ! What cold affections toward him ! 
How little have 1 of that life, that lov^ that joy, in which 
they continually live t How soon doth that little depart, 
and leave me in thicker darkness ! Now and then a spark 
falls upon my heart, and, while I gaze upon it, it dies, or ra- 
ther my cold heart quenches it. But they have their " light 
in his light," and drink continually at the spring of joys. 
Here we are vexing each other with quarrels, when they are 
of one heart and voice, and daily sound forth the hallelujahs 
of heaven with perfect harmony. O what a feast hath my 
faith beheld, and what a famine is yet in my spirit ! O blessed 
souls ! I may not, I dare not, envy your happiness ; I rather 
rejoice in my brethren's prosperity, and am glad to think of 
the day when I shall be admitted into your fellowship. I wish 
not to displace you, but to be so happy as to be with you. 
Why must I stay, and weep, and wait 1 My Lord is gone : 
He hath left this earth, and is entered into his glory ; my 
brethren are gone ; my friends are there ; my house, my 
hope, my all, is there. When I am so far distant from my 
God, wonder not what aileth me, if I now complain; an 
ignorant Micah will do so for his idol, and shall not my soul 
do so for the living God? Had 1 no hope of enjoyment, 
I would go and hide myself in the deserts, and lie and howl 
in some obscure wilderness, and spend my days in fruitless 
wishes ; but since it is the land of my promised rest, and the 
state I must myself be advanced to, and my soul draws near, 
and is almost at it, I will love and long, I will look and de- 
sire, I will be breathing, " How long, Lord ! how long wilt 
thou suffer this soul to pant and groan, and not open to him 
who waits, and longs to be with thee !" Thus, Christian 
reader, let thy thoughts aspire, till thy soul longs, as David, 
** O that one would give me to drink of the wells of salva- 
tion!" And till thou canst say as he did, " I have longed for 
thy salvation, O Lord !" And as the mother and brethren of 
Christ, when they could not come at him, because of the 
multitude, sent to him, saying, " Thy mother and brethren 
stand without, desiring to see thee ;" so let thy message to 
him be, and he will own thee; for he hath said, *' They 



^t^ AUXILIARIES OF [€hap. 14. 

that hear ray word, and do it, are my mother and my 
brethren." 

3. Another affection to be exercised in heavenly contem- 
plation, is hope. This helps to support the soul under suf- 
ferings, animates it to the greatest difficulties, gives it firmness 
in the most shaking trials, enlivens it in duties, and is the 
very spring that sets all the wheels a-going. Who would 
believe or strive for heaven, if it Vvere not for the hope that 
he hath to obtain it 1 Who would pray, but for the hope to 
prevail with God ? If your hope dies, your duties die, your 
endeavors die, your joys die, and your soul dies. And if 
your hope be not in exercise, but asleep, it is next to dead. 
Therefore, Christian reader, when thou art winding up thy 
affections to heaven, forget not to give one lift to thy hope. 
Think thus, and reason thus with thy own heart : " Why 
should I not confidently and comfortably hope, when my 
soul is in the hands of so compassionate a Savior, and when 
the kingdom is at the disposal of so bountiful a God 1 Did he 
ever discover the least backwardness to my good, or incli- 
nation to my ruin ? Hath he not sworn, that " he delights 
not in the death of him that dieth, but rather that he should 
repent and live V Have not all his dealings witnessed the 
same ] Did he not mind me of my danger when I never 
feared it, because he would have me escape it ? Did he not 
mind me of my happiness when I had no thoughts of it, 
because he would have m^ enjoy iti How often hath he 
drawn me to himself, and his Christ, when I have drawn 
backward ! How hath his Spirit incessantly solicited my 
heart! And would he have done all this, if he had been 
wiUing that I should perish? Should I not hope, if an honest 
man had promised me something in his power t And shall I 
not hope, when I have the covenant and oath of God? It is 
true, the glory is out of sight ; we have not beheld the 
mansions of the saints ; but is not the promise of God 
more certain than our sight? We must not be saved by 
sight, but " by hope ; and hope that is seen, is not hope ; for 
what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for it ? But if we 
hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for 
it." I have been ashamed of my hope in an arm of flesh, 
but hope in the promise of God " maketh not ashamed." 
In my greatest sufferings I will say, " The Lord is my por- 
tion ; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto 



Cbap. 14.] HEAVENLY CONTEMPLATION. 2SJ6 

them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is 
good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the 
salvation of the Lord ; for the Lord will not cast off for 
ever; but though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion, 
according to the multitude of his mercies." Though I lan- 
guish and die, yet will I hope; for " the righteous hath hope 
in his death." Though I must lie down in dust and darkness, 
yet there " my flesh shall rest in hope." And when my flesh 
hath nothing to rejoice in, yet will I " hold fast the rejoicing 
of the hope firm unto the end ;" for " the hope of the 
righteous shall be gladness." Indeed, if I was myself to 
satisfy divine justice, then there had been no hope ; but 
Christ hath " brought in a better hope, by the which we 
draw nigh unto God." Or, if I had to do with a feeble 
creature, there were small hope ; for how could he raise this 
body from the dust, and lift me above the sun? But what is 
this to the Almighty Power which made the heavens and 
the earth out of nothing t Cannot that power which raised 
Christ from the dead, raise me 1 and that which hath glorified 
the Head, glorify also the members 1 " Doubtless, by the 
blood of his covenant, God will send forth his prisoners out 
of the pit, wherein is no water ;" therefore will I " turn to 
the strong hold, as a prisoner of hope." 

4. Courage, or boldness, is another aflection to be exer- 
cised in heavenly contemplation: it leadeth to resolution, 
and concludeth in action. When you have raised your love, 
desire, and hope, go on, and think thus with yourself; " Will 
God indeed dwell with men ? And is there such a glory within 
the reach of hope? Why, then, do 1 not lay hold upon it t 
Where is the cheerful vigor of my spirit 1 Why do I not 
* gird up the loins of my mind?' Why do I not set upon my 
enemies on every side, and valiantly breakthrough all resist- 
ance ? What should stop me, or intimidate me ? Is God 
with me, or against me, in the work ? Will Christ stand by 
me, or will he not ? ' If God and Christ be for me, who can 
be against me?' In the work of sin, almost all things are 
ready to help us, and only God and his servants are against 
us ; yet how ill doth that work prosper in our hands ! But 
in my course to heaven, almost all things are against me, but 
God is for me ; and therefore how happily doth the work 
succeed ! Do I set upon this work in my own strength, or 
rather in the strensrth of Christ mv Lord ? And ' cannot I 
10* 



226 AUXILIARIES OP [Chap. 14. 

do all things through him that strengthens me?' Was he ever 
foiled by an enemy? He hath indeed been assaulted, but 
was he ever conquered ? Why, then, doth my flesh urge me 
with the difficulties of the work 1 Is any thing too hard for 
Omnipotence ? May not Peter boldly walk on the sea, if 
Christ give the word of command ? If he begin to sink, is 
it from the weakness of Christ, or the smallness of his faith? 
Do I not well deserve to be turned into hell, if mortal 
threats can drive me thither ? Do I not well deserve to be 
shut out of heaven, if I will be frightened from thence with 
the reproach of tongues ? What if it were father, or mother, 
or husband, or wife, or the nearest friend I have in the world, 
if they may be called friends, that would draw me to dam- 
nation, should I not forsake all that would keep me from 
Christ? Will their friendship countervail the enmity of God, 
or be any comfort to my condemned soul ? Shall I be yield- 
ing to the desires of men, and only harden myself against 
the Lord ? Let them beseech me upon their knees, I will 
scorn to stop my course to behold them, I will shut my 
ears to their cries : let them flatter or frown, let them draw 
out tongues and swords against me ; I am resolved in the 
strength of Christ to break through, and look upon them as 
dust. If they would entice me with preferment, even with 
the kingdoms of the world, 1 will no more regard them than 
the dung of the earth. O blessed rest ! O glorious state ! 
Who would sell thee for dreams and shadows ? Who would 
be enticed or affjrighted from thee? Who would not strive, 
and fight, and watch, and run, and that with violence, even 
to the last breath, in order to obtain thee ? Surely none but 
those that know thee not, and believe not thy glory." 

5. The last affection to be exercised in heavenly contem- 
plation, is joy. Love, desire, hope, and courage, all tend to 
raise our joy. This is so desirable to every man by nature, 
and so essentially necessary to constitute our happiness, that 
I hope I need not say much to persuade you to any thing that 
would make your life delightful. Supposing you, therefore, 
already convinced that the pleasures of the flesh are brutish 
and perishing, that your solid and lasting joy must be from 
heaven, instead of persuading, I shall proceed in directing. 
Reader, if thou hast managed well the former work, thou 
art got within sight of thy rest ; thou believest the truth of 
it; thou art convinced of its excellencies ; thou art fallen 



Chap. 14.] HEAVENLY CONTEMPLATION. 227 

in love with it ; thou longest after it ; thou hopest for it ; 
and thou art resolved to venture courageously for obtaining 
it. But is here any work for joy in this 1 We delight in the 
good we possess ; it is present good that is the object of joy ; 
and thou wilt say, "Alas, 1 am yet without it !" But think 
a little further with thyself. Is it notliing to have a deed of 
gift from God 1 Are his infallible promises no ground of 
joy ? Is it nothing to live in daily expectation of entering 
into the kingdom 1 Is not my assurance of being hereaiter 
glorified, a sufficient ground for inexpressible joy? Is it not 
a delight to the heir of a kingdom to think of what he must 
soon possess, though at present he little differ from a servant"? 
Have we not both command and example for " rejoicing in 
hope of the glory of God 1" 

Here, then, reader, take thy heart once more, and carry 
it to the top of the highest mount ; show it the kingdom 
of Christ, and the glory of it ; and say to it, " All this will 
thy Lord give thee, who hast believed in him, and been a 
worshipper of him. ' It is the Father's good pleasure to 
give thee this kingdom.' Seest thou this astonishing glory 
which is above thee ? All this is thy own inheritance. This 
crown is thine, these pleasures are thine ; this company, this 
beautiful place, all are thine ; because thou art Christ's, and 
Christ is thine ; when thou wast united to him, thou hadst 
all these with him." Thus take thy heart into the land of 
promise ; show it the pleasant hills and fruitful valleys ; show 
it the clusters of grapes which thou hast gathered, to con- 
vince it that it is a blessed land, flowing with better than 
milk and honey. Enter the gates of the holy city, walk 
through the streets of the " New Jerusalem, walk about 
Sion,and go round about her ; tell the towers thereof; mark 
well her bulwarks ; consider her palaces ; that thou mayst 
tell it to" thy soul. Hath it not " the glory of God," and 
is not " her light like unto a stone most precious, even like 
a jasper stone, clear as crystal ?" See the " twelve founda- 
tions of her walls, and in them the names of the twelve 
apostles of the Lamb. And the building of the walls of it are 
of jasper ; and the city is pure gold, like unto clear glass ; 
and the foundations are garnished with all manner of pre- 
cious stones. And the twelve gates are twelve pearls, every 
several gate is of one pearl, and the street of the city is pure 
gold, as it were transparent glass ; there is no temple in it ; 



228 AUXILIARIES OF [Chap. 14. 

for the Lord God Almighty, and the Lamb, are the temple 
of it. It hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon in it, 
for the glory of God doth lighten it, and the Lamb is the 
light thereof; and the nations of them which are saved 
shall walk in the light of it. These sayings are faithful and 
true ; and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his 
angels," and his own Son, *' to show unto his servants the 
things which must shortly be done." Say now to all this, 
'* This is thy rest, O my soul ! and this must be the place 
of thy everlasting habitation." Let all the sons of " Sion 
rejoice ; let the daughters of Jerusalem be glad ; for great 
is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our 
God, in the mountain of his holiness. Beautiful for situation, 
the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Sion. God is known 
in her palaces for a refuge." 

Yet proceed on ; the soul that loves, ascends frequently, 
and runs familiarly through the streets of the heavenly Jeru- 
salem, visiting the patriarchs and prophets, saluting the 
apostles, and admiring the armies of martyrs ; so do thou 
lead on thy heart as from street to street ; bring it into the 
palace of the Great King ; lead it, as it were, from chamber 
to chamber. Say to it, " Here must I lodge ; here must I 
live ; here must I praise ; here must 1 love, and be beloved. 
I must shortly be one of this heavenly choir, and be better 
skilled in the music. Among this blessed company must I 
take up my place; my voice must join to make up the me- 
lody. My tears will then be wiped away; my groans be 
turned to another tune ; my cottage of clay be changed to 
this palace ; my prison rags to these splendid robes ; and my 
sordid flesh shall be put off, and such a sunlike, spiritual body 
be put on; * for the former things are here passed away.' 
* Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God !' When 
I look upon this glorious place, what a dunghill and dungeon 
methinks is earth ! O what difference betwixt a man, feeble, 
pained, groaning, dying, rotting in the grave, and one of 
these triumphant, shining saints ! Here shall I ' drink of the 
river of pleasures, the streams whereof make glad the city 
of God.' Must Israel, under the bondage of the law, * serve 
the Lord with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the 
abundance of all things V Surely I shall serve him with joy^ 
fulness and gladness of heart, for the abundance of glory. 
Did persecuted saints ' take joyfully the spoihng of their 



Chap, 14.] HEATENLY CONTEMPLATION. 

goods V And shall not I take joyfully such a full reparatioB 
of all my losses 1 Was it a celebrated * day wherein the Jews 
rested from their enemies,' because it * was turned unto them 
from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good dayT 
What a day, then, will that be to my soul, whose rest and 
change will be inconceivably greater ! * When the wise men 
saw the star' that led to Christ, * they rejoiced with exceed- 
ing great joy;' but I shall shortly see him, who is himself 
* the bright and morning Star.' If the disciples * departed 
from the sepulchre with great joy,' when they had but heard 
that their Lord * was risen from the dead ;' what will be my 
joy, when I shall see him reigning in glory, and myself 
raised to a blessed communion with him ! Then shall I in- 
deed have * beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and 
the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness ; and Sion 
shall be made an eternal excellency, a joy of many genera- 
tions.' Why, then, do I not arise from the dust, and cease 
my complaints? Why do I not trample on vain delights, and 
feed on the foreseen delights of glory 1 Why is not my life 
a continual joy, and the savor of heaven perpetually upon 
my spirit ?" 

Let me here observe, that there is no necessity to exer- 
cise these affections, either exactly in tfeis order, or all at one 
time. Sometimes one of thy affections may need more ex- 
citing, or may be more lively than the rest ; or, if thy time 
be short, one may be exercised one day, and another upon 
the next ; all which must be left to thy prudence to deter- 
mine. Thou hast also an opportunity, if inclined to make 
use of it, to exercise opposite and more mixed affections; 
such as hatred of sin, which would deprive thy soul of these 
immortal joys; godly fear, lest thou shouldst abuse thy mer- 
cy ; godly shame and grief, for having pbused it ; unfeigned 
repentance ; self-indignation ; jealousy over thy heart ; and 
pity for those who are in danger of losing these immortal joys. 

Thirdly. We are also to take notice how heavenly con- 
templation is promoted by soliloquy and prayer. Though 
consideration be the chief instrument in this work, yet, by 
itself, it is not so likely to affect the heart. In this respect, 
contemplation is like preaching, where the mere explaining 
of truths and duties is seldom attended with such success, as 
the lively application of them to the conscience ; and cspo^ 



230 AUXILIARIES OF [Chap. 14. 

cially when a divine blessing is earnestly sought to accom- 
pany such application. 

1. By soliloquy, or a pleading the case with thyself, thou 
must in thy meditation quicken thy own heart. Enter into a 
serious debate with it. Plead with it in the most moving and 
affecting language, and urge it with the most powerful and 
weighty arguments. It is what holy men of God have prac- 
tised in all ages. Thus David: " Why art thou cast down, 
O my soul ? and why art thou disquieted within me ? Hope 
thou in God ; for I shall yet praise him, who is the health 
of my countenance, and my God." And again : " Bless the 
Lord, O my soul ! and all that is within me, bless his holy 
name ! Bless the Lord, O my soul ! and forget not all his 
benefits !" This soliloquy is to be made use of according 
to the several affections of the soul, and according to its 
several necessities. It is a preaching to one's self; for as 
every good master or father of a family is a good preacher 
to his own family, so every good Christian is a good preacher 
to his own soul. Therefore the very same method which a 
minister should use in his preaching to others, every Chris- 
tian should endeavor after in speaking to himself. Observe 
the matter and manner of the most heart-affecting minister; 
let him be as a pattern for your imitation ; and the same way 
that he takes with the hearts of his people, do thou also 
take with thy own heart. Do this in thy heavenly contem- 
plation ; explain to thyself the things on which thou dost 
meditate ; confirm thy faith in them by Scripture ; and then 
apply them to thyself, according to their nature, and thy 
own necessity. There is no need to object against this, from 
a sense of thy own inability. Doth not God command thee 
to " teach the Scriptures diligently unto thy children, and 
talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when 
thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and 
when thou risest up 1" And if thou must have some ability 
to teach thy children, much more to teach thyself; and if 
thou canst talk of divine things to others, why not also to 
thy own heart ? 

2. Heavenly contemplation is also promoted by speaking 
to God in prayer, as well as by speaking to ourselves in 
soliloquy. Ejaculatory prayer may very properly be inter- 
mixed with meditation, as a part of the duty. How often do 
we find David, in the same psalm, sometimes pleading with 



€hap. 14.] HEAVENLY CONTEMPLATION. 231 

Jiis soul, and sometimes with God ! The apostle bids us 
** speak to ourselves in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual 
so^igs ;" and no doubt we may also speak to God in them. 
This keeps the soul sensible of the divine pi*esence, and 
tends greatly to quicken and raise it. As God is the highest 
object of our thoughts, so our viewing him, speaking to him, 
and pleading with him, more elevates the soul and excites 
the affections, than any other part of meditation. Though 
we remain unaffected, while we plead the case with our- 
selves ; yet, when we turn our speech to God, it may strike 
us with awe; and the holiness and majesty of him whom we 
speak to, may cause both the matter and words to pierce the 
deeper. When we read, that *' Isaac went out to meditate 
in the field," the margin says, '* to pray ;" for the Hebrew 
word signifies both. Thus, in our meditations, to intermix 
soliloquy and prayer, sometimes speaking to our own hearts, 
and sometimes to God, is, I apprehend, the highest step we 
can advance to in this heavenly work. Nor should we ima- 
gine it will be as well to take up with prayer alone, and lay 
aside meditation ; for they are distinct duties, and must both 
of them be performed. We need one as well as the other, 
and therefore shall wrong ourselves by neglecting either. 
Besides, the mixture of them, like music, will be more en- 
gaging ; as the one serves to put life into the other. And 
our speaking to ourselves in meditation, should go before 
our speaking to God in prayer. For want of attending to 
this due order, men speak to God with far less reverence 
and affection than they would speak to an angel, if he should 
appear to them ; or to a judge, if they were speaking for 
their lives. Speaking to the God of heaven in prayer, is a 
weightier duty than most are aware of. 



1133 CONTEMPLATION ASSISTED [Chap. 15. 

CHAPTER XV. 

BXATENLT CONTEMPLATION ASSISTED BY SENSIBLE OBJECTS, AND 
GUARDED AGAINST A TREACHEROUS HEART. 

It is difficult to maintain a lively impression of heavenly things : there- 
fore, I. Heavenly contemplation may be assisted by sensible objects; 
1. Ijfwe draw strong suppositions from sense ; and, 2, if we compare 
the objects of sense with the objects of faith. II. Heavenly contemplu' 
tion may also be guarded against a treacherous heart, by considering, 
1. The great backwardness of the heart to this duty ; 2. its trifling in 
it ; 3. its wandering from it ; and, 4. its too abruptly putting an end 
to it. 

The most difficult part of heavenly contemplation is, to 
maintain a lively sense of heavenly things upon our hearts. 
It is easier merely to think of heaven a whole day, than to be 
lively and affectionate in those thoughts a quarter of an hour. 
Faith is imperfect — for we are renewed but in part — and goes 
against a world of resistance ; and, being supernatural, is 
prone to decline and languish, unless it be continuall}^ ex- 
cited. Sense is strong, according to the strength of the flesh ; 
and, being natural, continues while nature continues. The 
objects of faith are far off; but those of sense are nigh. We 
must go as far as heaven for our joys. To rejoice in what 
we never saw, nor ever knew the man that did see, and this 
upon a mere promise in the Bible, is not so easy as to rejoice 
in what we see and possess. It must, therefore, be a point 
of spiritual prudence, to call in sense to the assistance of 
faith. It will be a good work, if we can make friends of these 
usual enemies, and make them instruments for raising us to 
God, which are so often the means of drawing us from him. 
Why hath God given us either our senses, or their common 
objects, if they might not be serviceable to his praise 1 Why 
doth the Holy Spirit describe the glory of the ivjew Jerusa- 
lem in expressions that are even grateful to the fle:h 1 Is it 
that we might think heaven to be made of gold and pearl ? 
or that saints and angels eat and drink 1 No, but to help us 
to conceive of them as we are able, and to use these bor- 
rowed phrases as a glass, in which we must see the things 
themselves imperfectly represented, till we come to s^ im- 
mediate and perfect sight. And, besides showing how hea- 
venly contemplation may be assisted by sensible objects, 
this chapter will also show how it may be preserved from a 
wandering heart. 



Chap. 15.] BY SENSIBLE OBJECTS. 233 

First. In order that heavenly contemplation may be as- 
sisted by sensible objects, let me only advise to draw 
strong suppositions from sense, and to compare the objects 
of sense with the objects of faith, 

1. For the helping of thy affections in heavenly contem- 
plation, draw as strong suppositions as possible from thy 
senses. Think on the jo^^s above, as boldly as Scripture hath 
expressed them. Bring down thy conceptions to the reach 
of sense. Both love and joy are promoted by familiar ac- 
quaintance. When we attempt to think of God and glory, 
without the Scripture's manner of representing them, we are 
lost, and have nothing to fix our thoughts upon ; we set them 
so far from us, that our thoughts are strange, and we are 
ready to say, what is above us is nothing to us. To conceive 
of God and glory, only as above our conception, will beget 
but little love ; or, above our love, will produce little joy. 
Therefore put Christ no farther from you than he hath put 
himself, lest the divine nature be again inaccessible. Think 
of Christ as in our own glorified nature. Think of glorified 
saints as men made perfect. Suppose thyself a companion 
with John, in his survey of the New Jerusalem, and viewing 
the thrones, the majesty, the heavenly hosts, the shining 
splendor, which he saw. Suppose thyself his fellow-traveller 
into the celestial kingdom, and that thou hadst seen all the 
saints in their white robes, with " palms in their hands ;" 
and that thou hadst heard those " songs of Moses and of 
the Lamb." If thou hadst really seen and heard these things, 
in what a rapture wouldst thou have been ! And the more 
seriously thou puttest this supposition to thyself, the more 
will thy meditation elevate thy heart. Do not, like the 
Papists, draw them in pictures ! but get the liveliest picture 
of them in thy mind that thou possibly canst, by contem- 
plating the Scripture account of them, till thou canst say, 
" Methinks I see a glimpse of glory ! Methinks I hear the 
shouts of joy and praise, and even stand by Abraham and 
David, Peter and Paul, and other triumphant souls ! Me- 
thinks I even see the Son of God appearing in the clouds, 
and the world standing at his bar to receive their doom ; and 
hear hnn say, ' Come, ye blessed of my Father ;' and see 
them go rejoicing into the joy of their Lord! My very 
dreams of these things have sometimes greatly affected me ; 
and should not these just suppositions much more affect me i 



234 CONTEMPLATION ASSISTED [Chap. 15. 

What if I had seen, with Pdul, those * unutterable things V 
Or, with Steplien, had seeii * heaven opened, and Christ 
sitting at thef right hand of GodT Surely that one sight was 
worth his storm of stones. What if I had seen, as Micaiah 
did, ' the Lord sitting upon his throne, and all the host of 
heaven standing on his right hand, and on his left V Such 
things did these men of God see ; and I shall shortly see far 
more than ever they saw, till they were loosed from the 
flesh, as I must be." Thus you see how it excites our affec- 
tions in this heavenly work, if we make strong and familiar 
suppositions, from our bodily senses, concerning the state of 
blessedness, as the Spirit hath in condescending language 
expressed it. 

2. The other way in which our senses may promote this 
iieavenly work, is, by comparing the objects of sense with 
the objects of faith. As for instance : You may strongly 
argue with your hearts from the corrupt delights of sensual 
men to the joys above. Think with yourselves, " Is it such 
a delight to a sinner to do wickedly 1 and will it not be de- 
lightful indeed to live witli God? Hath the drunkard such 
delights in his cups, that the fears of damnation will not make 
him forsake them 1 Will the whoremonger rather part with 
his credit, estate, and salvation, than with his brutish 
delights ? If the way to hell can afford sucli pleasure, what 
then are the pleasures of the saints in heaven ! If the covet- 
ous man hath so much pleasure in his wealth, and the am- 
bitious man in places of power and titles of honor, what 
then have the saints in everlasting treasures, and in heavenly 
honors, where we shall be set above principalities and pow- 
ers, and be made the glorious spouse of Christ ! How de- 
lightfully will the voluptuous follow their recreations from 
morning till night, or sit at their cards and dice nights and 
days together ! O the delight we shall have, when we come 
to our rest, in beholding the face of the living God, and in 
singing forth praises unto him and the Lamb !" Compare 
also the delights above with the lawful and moderate delights 
of sense. Think with thyself, " How sweet is food to my 
taste when I am hungry ; especially if it be, as Isaac said, 

* such as I love,' which my temperance and appetite incline 
to ! What delight, then, must my soul have in feeding upon 

* Christ, the living bread,' and in ' eating with him at his 
table in his kingdom !' Was a mess of pottage so sweet to 



Chap. 15.] BY SENSIBLE OBJECTS. 235 

Esau in his hunger, that he would buy it at so dear a rate as 
his birtliright? How highly, then, should 1 value this never- 
perishing food ! How pleasant is drink in the extremity of 
thirst ; scarcely to be expressed ; enough to make the 
' strength of Samson revive !' O how delightful will it be 
to my soul to drink of that ' fountain of living water, which 
whoso drinketh it shall thirst no more !' How delightful are 
grateful odors to the smell ; or music to the ear ; or beau- 
tiful sights to the eye ! What fragrance, then, hath * the pre- 
cious ointment which is poured on the head' of our glorified 
Savior, and which must be poured on the head of all his saints, 
and will fill all heaven with its odor ! How delightful is the 
music ' of the heavenly host !' How pleasing will be those 
real beauties above ! How glorious the ' building not made 
with hands,' the house that God himself dwells in, the 
walks and prospects in ' the city of God,' and the celestial 
paradise !" 

Compare also the delights above with those we find in na- 
tural knowledge. These are far beyond the delights of sense ; 
but how much farther are the delights of heaven ! Think, 
then, " Can an Archimftdes be so taken up with his mathe- 
matical invention, that the threats of death cannot disengage 
him, but he will die in the midst of his contemplations ? 
Should not I be much more taken up with the delights of 
glory, and die with these contemplations fresh upon my 
soul ; especially when my death will perfect my delights, 
while those of Archimedes die with him? What exquisite 
pleasure is it to dive into the secrets of nature, and find out 
the mysteries of arts and sciences ; especially if we make a 
new discovery in any one of them ! What high delights are 
there, then, in the knowledge of God and Christ ! If the 
face of human learning be so beautiful as to make sensual 
pleasures appear base and brutish, how beautiful, then, is 
the face of God ! When we meet with some choice book, 
how could we read it day and night, almost forgetful of 
meat, drink, or sleep ! What delights are there, then, at God's 
right hand, where we shall know in a moment all that is to 
be known !" — Compare, also, the delights above with the 
delights of morality, and of the natural affections. What 
delight had many sober heathens in the rules and practice 
of moral duty, so that they took him alone for an honest 
man. who did well through the love of virtue, and not merely 



S836 CONTEMPLATION ASSISTED [Chap. 15. 

for fear of punishment ; yea, so much valued was this moral 
virtue, that they thought man's chief happiness consisted in 
it ! Think, then, " What excellency will there be in our 
heavenly perfection, and in that uncreated perfection of God 
which we shall behold ! What sweetness is there in the ex- 
ercise of natural love, whether to children, parents, yoke- 
fellows, or intimate friends ! Does David say of Jonathan, 
' Thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women 1' 
Did ' the soul of Jonathan cleave to David V Had Christ 
himself one ' disciple whom he especially loved, and who was 
wont to lean on his breast V If, then, the delights of close 
and cordial friendship be so great, what delight shall we have 
in the friendship of the Most High, and in our mutual inti- 
macy with Jesus Christ, and in the dearest love of the saints ! 
Surely this will be a stricter friendship than these, more 
lovely and desirable friends than ever the sun beheld ; and 
both our afiections to our Father and Savior, and especially 
theirs to us, will be such as we never knew here. If one an- 
gel could destroy a host, the affections of spirits must also 
be proportionably stronger, so that we shall then love a 
thousand times more ardently than we can now. As all the 
attributes and works of God are incomprehensible, so is this 
of love : he will love us infinitely beyond our most perfect 
love to Him. What, then, will there be in this mutual love !" 
Compare also the excellencies of heaven with those glo- 
rious works of creation which our eyes now behold. What 
wisdom, power, and goodness, are manifested therein ! How 
does the majesty of the Creator shine in this fabric of the 
world ! " His works are great, sought out of all them that 
have pleasure therein." What divine skill in forming the 
bodies of men or beasts ! What excellency in every plant ! 
What beauty in flowers ! What variety and usefulness in 
herbs, plants, fruits, and minerals ! What wonders are con- 
tained in the earth and its inhabitants ; the ocean of waters, 
with its motions and dimensions ; and the constant succes- 
sion of spring and autumn, of summer and winter ! Think, 
then, " If these things, which are but servants to sinful man, 
are so full of mysterious worth, what is that place where 
God himself dwells, and which is prepared for just men 
made perfect with Christ! What glory is there in the least 
of yonder stars ! What a vast resplendent body is yonder 
raoon, and every planet ! What an inconceivable glory hath 



Chap. 15.J BY SENSIBLE OBJECTS. 237 

the sun ! But all this is nothing to the glory of heaven. 
Yonder sun must there be laid aside as useless. Yonder sun 
is but darkness to the lustre of my Father's house. I shall 
myself be as glorious as that sun. This whole earth is but 
my Father's footstool. This thunder is nothing to his dread- 
ful voice. These winds are nothing to the breath of his 
mouth. If the ' sending rain, and making the sun to rise on 
the just and on the unjust,' be so wonderful, how much more 
wonderful and glorious will that Sun be, which must shine 
on none but saints and angels !" Compare also the enjoy- 
ments above whh the wonders of Providence in the church 
and the world. Would it not be an astonishing sight to see 
*' the sea stand as a wall on the right hand and on the left, 
and the dry land appear in the midst, and the people of 
Israel pass safely through, and Pharaoh and his host 
drowned V or to have seen the ten plagues of Egypt 1 or 
the rock gushing forth streams? or manna and quails rained 
from heaven 1 or the earth opening and swallowing up the 
wicked 1 But we shall see far greater things than these ; not 
only sights more wonderful, but more delightful ! there shall 
be no blood, nor wrath, intermingled ; nor shall we cry out, 
as " the men of Beth-shemesh, Who is able to stand before 
this holy Lord God ?" How astonishing to see the sun stand 
still in the firmament, or " the dial of Ahaz go back ten 
degrees !" But we shall see when there shall be no sun; or 
rather shall behold for ever a Sun of infinitely greater bright- 
ness. What a life should we have, if we could have drought 
or rain at our prayers ; or have fire from heaven to destroy 
our enemies, as Elijah had ; or raise the dead, as Elisha ; 
or miraculously cure diseases, ynd speak all languages, as the 
apostles! Alas, these are nothing to the wonders wo shall 
see and possess whh God ; and nil of them wonders of good- 
ness and love ! We shall ourselves be the subjects of more 
wonderful mercies than any of these. Jonah was raised but 
from a three days' burial in the belly of a fish ; but we shall 
be raised from many years' rottenness and dust ; and that 
dust exalted to the glory of the sun ; and that glory perpe- 
tuated through eternity. Surely, if we observe but common 
providences, as the motions of the sun; the tides of the sea; 
the standing of the earth ; the watering it with rain, as a 
garden ; the keeping in order a wicked, confused world ; 
with many others, they are all admirable. But what are these 



238 CONTEMPLATION ASSISTED [Chap. 15r 

to the Sion of God, the vision of the divine Majesty, and the 
order of the heavenly host 1 — Add to these, those particular 
providences which thou hast thyself enjoyed and recorded 
through thy life, and compare them with the mercies thou 
shalt have above. Look over the mercies of thy youth and 
riper age, of thy prosperity and adversity, of thy several 
places and relations ; are they not excellent and innumerable, 
rich and engaging ? How sweet was it to thee, when God 
resolved thy doubts ; scattered thy fears ; prevented the in- 
conveniences into which thy own counsel would have cast 
thee ; eased thy pains ; healed thy sickness ; and raised 
thee up, as from death and the grave ! Think, then, " Are 
all these so sweet and precious, that without them my life 
would have been a perpetual misery ? Hath his providence 
on earth lifted me so high, ' and his gentleness made me so 
great V How sweet, then, will his glorious presence be ! 
How high will his eternal love exalt me ! And how great 
shall I be made in communion with his greatness ! If my 
pilgrimage and warfare have such mercies, what shall I find 
in my home, and in my triumph ! If God communicates so 
much to me, while I remain a sinner, what will he bestow 
when I am a perfected saint ! If 1 have had so much at 
such a distance from him, what shall I have in his immediate 
presence, where I shall ever stand before his throne !" 

Compare the joys above with the comforts thou hast here 
received in ordinances. Hath not the Bible been to these 
as an open fountain, flowing with comforts day and night? 
What suitable promises have come into thy mind ; so that, 
with David, thou mayst say, " Unless thy law had been my 
delight, I should then have perished in mine affliction!" 
Think, then, " If his word be so full of consolations, what 
overflowing springs shall we find in God himself! If his 
letters are so comfortable, what will the glory of his presence 
be ! If the promise is so sweet, what will the performance 
be ! If the testament of our Lord, and our charter for the 
kingdom, be so comfortable, what will be our possession of 
the kingdom itself!" — Think farther, " What delights have 
I also found in the word preached ! When I have sat under 
a heavenly, heart-searching teacher, how hath my heart 
been warmed ! Methinks I have felt myself almost in heaven. 
How often have I gone to the congregation, troubled in spi- 
rit, and returned joyful ! How often have I gone doubting, 



Chap. 15.] BY SENSIBLE OBJECTS. 239 

and God hath sent me home persuaded of his love iji Christ ! 
What cordials have I met with to animate me ill every con- 
flict ! If but the face of Moses shine so gloriously, what 
glory is there in the face of God ! If ' the feet of them that 
publish peace, that bring good tidings of salvation, be beau- 
tiful,' how beautiful is the face of the Prince of peace ! If 
this treasure be so precious in earthen vessels, what is that 
treasure laid up in heaven ! Blessed are the eyes that see 
what is seen there, and the ears that hear the things that are 
heard there. There shall I hear Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, 
John, Peter, Paul ; not preaching to gainsayers, in impri- 
sonment, persecution and reproach ; but triumphing in the 
praises of him that hath raised them to honor and glory." 
— Think, also, " What joy is it to have access and accep- 
tance in prayer ; that I may always go to God, and open 
my case, and unbosom my soul to him, as to my most faith- 
ful friend ! But it will be a more unspeakable joy, when I 
shall receive all blessings without asking, and all my neces- 
sities and miseries will be removed, and when God himself 
will be the portion and inheritance of my soul." — As for 
the Lord's supper, " What a privilege is it to be admitted 
to sit at his table, to have his covenant sealed to me there ! 
But all the life and comfort there, is, to assure me of the 
comforts' hereafter. Othe difference between the last supper 
of Christ on earth, and the marriage-supper of the Lamb at the 
great day ! Then his room will be the glorious heavens ; his 
attendants, all the hosts of angels and saints : no Judas, no 
unfurnished guest, comes there ; but the humble believers 
must sit down by him, and their feast will be their mutual 
loving and rejoicing." — Concerning the communion of saints, 
think with thyself, "What a pleasure is it to live with in- 
telligent and heavenly Christians ! David says of such, 
' they were all his delight.' O what a delightful society, then, 
shall I have above ! Had I but seen Job on the dungliill, 
what a mirror of patience ! and what will it be to see him 
in glory ! How delightful to have heard Paul and Silas 
singing in the stocks ! how much more to hear them sing 
praises in heaven ! What melody did David make on his 
harp ! but how much more melodious lo hear that sweet 
singer in the heavenly choir ! What would I have given for 
an hour's free converse with Paul, when he was just come 
down from the third heaven ! But I must shortly see those 



240 CONTEMPLATION ASSISTED [Chap. 15^- 

things myself, and possess what I see." — Once more, think 
of praising God in concert with his saints : " What if I had 
been in the place of those shepherds, who saw, and heard, 
the heavenly host singing, ' Glory to God in the highest, 
and oh earth peace, good will towards men !' But I shall 
see and hear more glorious things. How blessed should I 
have thought myself, had I heard Christ in his thanksgivings 
to his Father ! How much more, when I shall hear him 
pronounce me blessed ! If there was such joy at bringing 
back the ark, or at rebuilding the temple ; what will there 
be in the New Jerusalem ! If the earth rent, when the peo- 
ple rejoiced at Solomon's coronation ; what a joyful shout 
will there be at the appearing of the Ring of the church ! 
If, " when the foundations of the earth were laid, the morn- 
mg stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for 
joy;' what a joyful song will there be, when the world of 
glory is both founded and finished, when the top-stone is 
laid, and when ' the holy city is adorned as the bride, the 
Lamb's wife !' " 

Compare the joys thou sha't have in heaven with what 
the saints have found in the way to it, and in the foretastes 
of it. When did God ever reveal the least of himself to any 
of his saints, but the joy of their hearts was answerable to 
the revelation 1 In what an ecstacy was Peter on the mount 
of transfiguration ! "Master," says he, "it is good for us to 
be here : let us make three tabernacles ; one for thee, and 
one for Moses, and one for Ehas." As if he had said, " O 
let us not go down again to yonder persecuting rabble ; let 
us not return to our mean and suffering state. Is it not better 
to stay here, now we are here ? Is not here better company, 
and sweeter pleasure 1" How was Paul lifted up with what 
he saw ! How did the face of Moses shine, when he had 
been talking with God ! These were all extraordinary fore- 
tastes ; but little to the full beatifical vision. How often have 
we read and heard of dying saints who have been full of 
joy ; and when their bodies have felt the extremity of 
sickness and pain, have had so much of heaven in their spi- 
rits, that their joy hath far exceeded their sorrows ! If a 
spark of this fire be so glorious, even amidst the sea of ad- 
versity ; what then is glory itself ! O the joy that the mar- 
tyrs have felt in the flames ! They were flesh and blood, as 
well as we ; it must therefore be some excellent thing that 



Chap. 15.] BY SENSIBLE OBJECTS. 241 

filled their spirits with joy, while their bodies were burning. 
Think, reader, in thy meditations, " Sure it must be some 
wonderful foretaste of glory that made the flames of fire easy, 
and the king of terrors welcome. What then is glory itself! 
What a blessed rest, when the thoughts of it made Paul 
desire to depart, and be with Christ ; and make the saints 
never think themselves well, till they are dead ! Shall 
Saunders embrace the stake, and cry. Welcome, cross ! 
And shall I not more delightfully embrace my blessedness, 
and cry. Welcome, crown 1 Shall Bradford kiss the fagot, 
and shall not I kiss the Savior 1 Shall another poor martyr 
rejoice to have her foot in the same hole of the stocks, in 
which Mr. Philpot's had been before her? And shall not I 
rejoice, that my soul shall live in the same place of glory, 
where Christ and his apostles are gone before me ? Shall 
fire and fagot, prisons and banishment, cruel mockings and 
scourgings, be more welcome to others than Christ and glory 
to me 1 God forbid !" 

Compare the glory of the heavenly kingdom with the glory 
of the church on earth, and of Christ in his state of humilia- 
tion. If Christ's suffering in the room of sinners had such 
excellency, what is Christ at his Father's right hand ! If the 
church under her sins and enemies have so much beauty, 
what will she have at the marriage of the Lamb ! How 
wonderful was the Son of God in the form of a servant ! 
When he is born, a new star must appear, and conduct the 
strangers to worship him in a manger, heavenly hosts with 
their songs must celebrate his nativity ; while a child, he 
must dispute with doctors ; when he enters upon his office, 
he turns water into wine, feeds thousands with a few loaves 
and fishes, cleanses the lepers, heals the sick, restores the 
lame, gives sight to the blind, and raises the dead. How 
wonderful, then, is his celestial glory ! If there be such cut- 
ting down of boughs, and spreading of garments, and crying 
Hosanna, for one that comes into Jerusalem riding on an 
ass ; what will there be when he comes with his angels in his 
glory! If they that heard him *' preach the Gospel of the 
kingdom," confess, " Never man spake like this man ;" 
they, then, that behold his majesty in his kingdom, will say, 
*' There was never glory like this glory." If, when his ene- 
mies came to apprehend him, they fell to the ground ; if, 
when he is dying, the earth quakes, the veil of the temple 
11 



242 CONTEMPLATION ASSISTED [Chnp. 15 

is rent, the sun is eclipsed, the dead bodies of the saints 
arise, and the standers-by acknowledge, " Verily this was 
the Son of God ;" O what a day will it be, when the dead 
must all arise, and stand before him ! when he " will once 
shake, not the earth only, but the heavens also !" when this 
sun shall be taken out of the firmament, and be everlastingly 
darkened with his glory ! and when every tongue shall con- 
fess him to be the Lord and King ! If, when he rose again, 
death and the grave lost their power ; if angels must " roll 
away the stone," terrify the keepers till they are " as dead 
men," and send the tidings to his disciples ; if he ascend to 
heaven in their sight ; what power, dominion, and glory^ is 
he now possessed of, and which we must for ever possess 
with him ! When he is gone, can a few poor fishermen and 
tent-makers cure the lame, blind, and sick, open prisons, 
destroy the disobedient, raise the dead, and astonish their 
adversaries ? what a world will that be, where every ono 
can do greater works than these ! If the preaching of the 
Gospel be accompanied with such power as to discover the 
secrets of the heart, humble the proud sinner, and make the 
most obdurate tremble ; if it can make men burn their books, 
sell their lands, bring in the price, and lay it down at the 
preacher's feet ; if it can convert thousands, and turn the 
world upside down ; if its doctrine, from the prisoner at the 
bar, can make the judge on the bench tremble ; if Christ 
and his saints have this power and honor in the day of their 
abasement, and in the time appointed for their suffering and 
disgrace ; what then will they have in their absolute dominion, 
and full advancement in their kingdom of glory ! 

Compare the glorious change thou shalt have at last, with 
the gi'acious change which the Sjiirit hath here wrought on 
thy heart. There is not the smallest sincere grace in thee, 
but is of greater worth than the riches of the Indies ; not a 
hearty desire after Cbrist, but is more to be valued than the 
kingdoms of the world. A renewed nature is the very image 
of God ; Christ dwelling in us, and the Spirit of God abid- 
ing in us : it is a beam from the face of God ; the seed of 
God remaining in us ; the only inherent beauty of the ra- 
tional soul : it ennobles man above all nobility ; fits him to 
understand his Maker's pleasure, do his will, and receive 
his glory. If this grain of mustard-seed be so precious, what 
is '* the tree of life in tlie midst of the paradise of God !** 



Chap. 15.] BY SENSIBLE OBJECTS. 243 

If a spark of life, which will but strive against corruptions, 
and flame out a few desires and groans, be of so much worth, 
how glorious then is the fountain of this life ! If we are said 
to be like God, when we are pressed down with a body of 
sin ; sure we shall be much more like God, when we have 
no such thing as sin within us. Is the desire after, and love 
of heaven, so excellent; what then is the thing itself? Is 
our joy in foreseeing and believing so sweet ; what will be 
the joy of full possession 1 How glad is a Christian when ho 
feels his heart begin to melt, and be dissolved whh the thoughts 
of sinful unkindness ! Even this sorrow yields him joy. O 
what, then, will it be, when we shall know, and love, and 
rejoice, and praise in the highest perfection ! Think with 
thyself, " What a change was it, to be taken from that state 
wherein I was born, and in which I was rivetted by custom, 
when thousands of sins lay upon my score, and if I had so 
died, I had been damned for ever ! What an ■ astonishing 
change, to be justified from all these enormous crimes, and 
freed from all these fearful plagues, and made an heir of 
heaven ! How often, when I have thought of my regenera- 
tion, have I cried out, O blessed day ! and blessed be the 
Lord that ever I saw it ! How, then, shall I cry out in 
heaven, O blessed eternity ! and blessed be the Lord that 
brought me to it ! Did the angels of God rejoice to see my 
conversion 1 surely they will congratulate my felicity in my 
salvation. — Grace is but a spark raked up in the ashes, co- 
vered with flesh from the sight of the world, and sometimes 
covered with corruption from my own sight ; but my ever- 
lasting glory will not be so clouded, nor my light be ' under 
a bushel, but upon a hill,' even upon mount Sion,the mount 
of God." 

Once more, compare the joys which thou shalt have above, 
with those foretastes of it which the Spirit hath given thee 
here. Hath not God sometimes revealed himself extraor- 
dinarily to thy soul, and let a drop of glory fall upon it? 
Hast thou not been ready to say, " O that it might be thus 
with my soul continually !" Didst thou never cry out with 
the martyr, after thy long nnd mournful expectations, " He 
is come, He is come !" Didst thou never, under a lively 
sermon of heaven, or in thy retired contemplations on that 
blessed state, perceive thy drooping spirits revive, and ,ny 
dejected heart lift up thy head, and the light of heaven da vn 



244 CONTEMPLATION ASSISTED [Cimp. 15. 

on thy souH Think with thyself, " What is this earnest to 
the full inheritance ! Alas, all this light, that so amazeth and 
rejoiceth me, is but a candle lighted from heaven, to lead 
me thither through this world of darkness ! If some godly 
men have been overwhelmed with joy till they have cried 
out, ' Hold, Lord, stay thy hand ; I can bear no more !' 
what then will be my joys in heaven, when my soul shall be 
so capable of seeing and enjoying God, that though the 
light be ten thousand times greater than the sun, yet my 
eyes shall be able for ever to behold it !" Or if thou hast 
not 3^et felt these sweet foretastes, (for every believer 
hath not felt them,) then make use of such delights as thou 
hast felt, in order the better to discern what thou shalt here 
after feel. 

Secondly. I am now to show how heavenly contemplation 
may be ]3reserved from a wandering heart. Our chief work 
here is to discover the danger, and that will direct to the 
fittest remedy. The heart will prove the greatest hinderance 
in this heavenly employment ; either, by backwardness to 
it ; — or, by trifling in it ; — or, by frequent excursions to 
other objects ; — or, by abruptly ending the work before it 
is well begim. As you value the comfort of this work, these 
dangerous evils must be faithfully resisted. 

1. Thou wilt find thy heart as backward to this, I think, 
as to any work in the world. O what excuses will it make ! 
What evasions will it find out ! What delays and demurs, 
when it is ever so much convinced ! Either it will question 
whether it be a duty or not ; or, if it be so to others, whe- 
ther to thyself. It will vjU thee, " This is a work for minis- 
ters that have nothing else to study ; or for persons that 
have more leisure than thou hast." If thou be a minister. 
It will tell thee, " This is the duty of the people ; it is 
enough for thee to meditate for their instruction, and let 
them meditate on what they have heard." As if it was thy 
duty only to cook their meat and serve it up, and they alone 
must eat it, digest it, and live upon it. If all this will not 
do, thy heart will tell thee of other business, or set thee upon 
some other duty ; for it had rather go to any duty than this. 
Perhaps it will tell thee, " Other duties are greater, and 
therefore this must give place to them, because thou hast no 
time for both. Public business is more important ; to study 
and preach for the saving of souls, must be preferred before 



Chap. 15.] BY SENSIBLE OBJECTS. 2^ 

these private contemplations." As if thou hadst not time to 
care for thy own salvation, for looking after that of others ; 
or thy charity to others were so great, that it obliges thee 
to neglect thy own eternal welfare ; or as if there was any 
better way to fit us to be useful to others, than making this 
proof of our doctrine ourselves. Certainly heaven is the 
best fire to light our candle at, and the best book for a 
preacher to study ; and if we would be persuaded to study 
that more, the church would be provided with more hea- 
venly lights ; and when our studies are divine, and our spi- 
rits divine, our preaching will also be divine, and we may 
be called divines indeed. Or if thy heart have nothing to 
say against the work, it will trifle away the time in delays, 
and promise this day and the next, but still keep off from 
the business. Or it will give thee a flat denial, and oppose 
its own unwillingness to thy reason. All this I speak of the 
heart, so far as it is still carnal ; for I know, so far as it is 
spiritual, it will judge this the sweetest work in the world. 

What is now to be done ? Wilt thou do it, if I tell thee ? 
Wouldst thou not say in a like case. What should I do with 
a servant that will not work, or with a horse that will not 
travel 1 Shall I keep them to look at? Then faithfully deal 
thus with thy heart ; persuade it to the work, take no denial, 
chide it for its backwardness, use violence with it. Hast 
thou no command of thy own thoughts 1 Is not the subject 
of thy meditations a matter of choice, especially under this 
conduct of thy judgment 1 Surely God gave thee, with thy 
new nature, some power to govern th}^ thoughts. Art thou 
again become a slave to thy depraved nature ? Resume thy 
authority. Call in the Spirit of Christ to thine assistance, 
who is never backward to so good a work, nor will deny his 
help in so just a cause. Say to him, " Lord, thou gavest my 
reason the command of my thoughts and afiections : the 
authority I have received over them is from thee ; and now, 
behold, they refuse to obey thine authority. Thou com- 
mandest me to set them to the work of heavenly meditation, 
but they rebel and stubbornly refuse the duty. Wilt thou not 
assist me to exercise that authorit}'^ which thou hast given 
me ] O send down thy Spirit, that I may enforce thy com- 
mands, and effectually compel them to obey thy will !" Thus 
thou shah see thy heart will submit, its resistance be 



246 CONTEMPLATION ASSISTED [Chap. 15. 

overcome, and its backwardness be turned into cheerful 
compliance. 

2. Thy heart will also be likely to betray thee by trifling, 
when it should be effectually meditating. Perhaps, when 
thou hast an hour for meditation, the time will be spent be- 
fore thy heart will be serious. This doing of duty, as if we 
did it not, ruins as many as the omission of it. Here let thine 
eye be always upon thy heart. Look not so much to the 
time it spends in the duty, as to the quantity and quality of 
the work that is done. You can tell by his work, whether a 
servant hath been diligent. Ask yourself, " What affections 
have yet been exercised ? How much am I yet got nearer 
to heaven 1" Think not, since thy heart is so trifling, it is 
better to let it alone : for, by this means, thou wilt certainly 
banish all spiritual obedience ; because the best hearts, being 
but sanctified in part, will resist, so far as they are carnal. 
But rather consider well the corruptions of thy nature ; and 
that its sinful indispositions will not supercede the commands 
of God ; nor one sin excuse for another ; and that God has 
appointed means to excite our affections. This self-reason- 
ing, self- considering duty of heavenly meditation, is the 
most singular means, both to excite and increase love. 
Therefore stay not from the duty, till thou feelest thy love 
constrain thee, any more than thou wouldst stay from the 
fire, till thou feelest thyself warm ; but engage in the work 
till love is excited, and then love will constrain thee to 
further duty. 

3. Thy heart will also be making excursions from thy hea- 
venly mediv'ation to other objects. It will be turning aside, 
like a careless servant, to talk with every one that passeth by. 
When there should be nothing in thy mind but heaven, it 
will be thinking of thy calling, or thy afflictions, or of every 
bird, or tree, or place thou seest. The cure is here the same 
as before ; use watchfulness and violence. Say to thy heart, 
" What ! did I come hither to think of my worldly business, 
of persons, places, news, or vanity, or of any thing but 
heaven, be it ever so good 1 ' Canst thou not watch one 
hour V Wouldst thou leave this world, and dwell for ever 
with Christ in heaven, and not leave it one hour, to dwell 
with Christ in meditation 1 ' Is this thy love to thy friend V 
Dost thou love Christ, and the place of thy eternal, blessed 
abode, no more than this 1" If the ravening fowls of wan- 



Chap. 15.] BY SENSIBLE OBJECTS. 247 

dering thoughts devour the meditations intended for heaven, 
they devour the hfe and joy of thy thoughts ; therefore drive 
them away from thy sacrifice, and strictly keep thy heart 
to the work. 

4. Abruptly ending thy meditation before it is well begun, 
is another way in which thy heart will deceive thee. Thou 
mayst easily perceive this in other duties. In secret prayer, 
is not thy heart urging thee to cut it short, and frequently 
making a motion to have done? So in heavenly contem- 
plation, thy heart will be v/eary of the work, and will stop 
thy heavenly walk before thou art well warm. But charge 
it in the name of God to stay, and not do so great a v/ork 
by halves. Say to it, " Foolish heart ! if thou beg av/hile, 
and goest away before thou hast thy alms, is not thy begging 
a lost labor? If thou stoppest before the end of thy journey, 
is not thy travel lost ? Thou earnest hither in hope to have 
a sight of the glory which thou must inherit ; and wilt thou 
stop when thou art almost at the top of the hill, and turn 
back before thou hast taken thv survey ? Thou camest hither 
in hope to speak with God ; and wilt thou go before thou 
hast seen him 1 Thou camest to bathe thyself in the streams 
of consolation, and to that end didst unclothe thyself of thy 
earthly thoughts ; and wilt thou only touch the bank and 
return? Thou earnest to ' spy out the land of promise;' go 
not back without ' one cluster of grapes to show thy bre- 
thren,' for their encouragement. Let them see that thou 
hast tasted of the wine by the gladness of th}^ heart ; and 
that thou hast been anointed with the oil, by the cheerfulness 
of thy countenance; and hast fed of the milk and honey, by 
the mildness of th}' disposition and the sweetness of thy 
conversation. This heavenly fire would melt thy frozen 
heart, and refine and spiritualize it ; but it must have time 
to operate." Thus pursue the work till something be done, 
till thy graces be in exercise, thy affections raised, and thy 
soul refreshed with the delights above ; or, if thou canst not 
attain these ends at once, be the more earnest at another 
time. " Blessed is that servant, whom his Lord, when he 
cometh, shall find so doing." 



248 HEAVENLY CONTEMPLATION [Chap. 16. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

REAVENLY CONTEMPLATION EXEMPLIFIED, AND THE WHOLE WORK 
CONCLUDED. 

T^ie reader^s attention excited to the follovnng example of meditation 
1 . T/ie excellencies of heavenly rest ; 2. its nearness ; 3. dreadful to 
sinners ; 4. and joyful to saints ; 5. its dear purchase ; 6. its differ 
ence from earth. 7. The heart pleaded with; 8. unbelief banished; 
9. a careless ivorld pitied. 10. Heavenly rest the object of love ; 11. 
and joy. 12. The heart's backwardness to hzavenly joy lamented. 13. 
Heavenly rest the object of desire. 

And now, reader, according to the above directions, make 
conscience of daily exercising thy graces in meditation, as 
well as prayer. Retire into some secret place, at a time the 
most convenient to thyself, and, laying aside all worldly 
thoughts, with all possible seriousness and reverence, look up 
toward heaven ; remember there is thine everlasting rest, study 
its excellency and reality ; and rise from sense to faith, by 
comparing heavenly with earthly joys. Then mix ejaculations 
with thy soliloquies ; till, having pleaded the case reverently 
with God, and seriously witli thy own heart, thou hast pleaded 
thyself from a clod to a flame ; from a forgetful sinner, and 
a lover of the world, to an ardent lover of God ; from a 
fearful coward to a resolved Christian ; from an unfruitful 
sadness to a joyful life ; in a word, till thou hast pleaded thy 
heart from earth to heaven ; from conversing below, to 
walking with God ; and till thou canst lay thy heart to rest, 
as in the bosom of Christ, by some such meditation of thy 
everlasting rest as is here added for thy assistance. 

1. " Rest ! How sweet the sound ! It is melody to my 
ears! It lies as a reviving cordial at my heart, and from 
thence sends forth lively spirits, which beat through all the 
pulses of my soul ! Rest ! — not as the stone that rests on 
the earth, nor as this flesh shall rest in the grave, nor such a 
rest as the carnal world desires. O blessed rest ! when we 
* rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God 
Almighty !' when we shall rest from sin, but not from wor- 
ship ; from suffering and sorrow, but not from joy ! O blessed 
day ! when I shall rest with God ! when I shall rest in the 
bosom of my Lord ! when I shall rest in knowing, loving, 
rejoicing, and praising ! when my perfect soul and body 
shall together perfectly enjoy the most perfect God! when 



Chap. 16.] EXEMPLIFIED. 249 

God, who is love itself, shall perfectly love me, and rest in 
his love to me, as I shall rest in my love to him ; and rejoice 
over me with joy, and joy over me with singing, as I shall 
rejoice in him ! 

2. '* How near is that most blessed, joyful day ! It comes 
apace. ' He that shall come will come, and will not tarry.' 
Though my Lord seems to delay his coming, yet a little 
while and he will be here. What is a few hundred years, 
when they are over ? How surely will his sign appear ! How 
suddenly will he seize upon the careless world, even ' as the 
lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth unto the west!' 
He who is gone hence shall so come. Methinks I hear his 
trumpet sound ! Methinks I see him coming in clouds, with 
his attending angels, in majesty and glory ! 

3. " O, secure sinners ! what now will you do ? where 
will you hide yourselves ? what shall cover you ? Mountains 
are gone ; the heavens and the earth, which were, are 
passed away ; the devouring fire hath consumed all, except 
yourselves, who must be the fuel for ever. O that you could 
consume as soon as the earth, and melt away as did the 
heavens ! Ah, these wishes are now but vain ! The Lamb 
himself would have been your friend ; he would have loved 
you, and ruled you, and now have saved you; but you would 
not then, and now it is too late. Never cry. Lord, Lord : too 
late, too late, man. AVhy dost thou look about ? can any 

ve thee 1 Whither dost thou run ? can any hide thee ? 
, wretch, that hast brought thyself to this ! 

4. " Now, blessed saints, that have believed and obeyed ! 
this is the end of faith and patience. This is it for which you 
prayed and waited. Do you now repent your sufferings and 
sorrows, your self-denial and holy walking ? Are your tears 
of repentance now l)itter or sweet? See how the Judge 
smiles upon you ; there is love in his looks ; the titles of 
Redeemer, Husband, Head, are written in his amiable, 
shining face. Hark, he calls you ! he bids you stand here 
on his right hand : fear not, for there he sets his sheep. O 
joyful sentence! ' Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit 
the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the 
world.' He takes you by the hand, the door is open, the 
kingdom is his, and therefore yours ; there is your place 
before his throne ! The Father receives you as the spouse 
of his Son, and bids you welcome to the crown of glorv. 

11* 



250 CONTEMPLATION [Chap. 16. 

Ever so unworthy, you must be crowned. This was the pro- 
ject of free redeeming grace, the purpose of eternal love. O 
blessed grace ! O blessed love ! O how love and joy will 
rise ! But I cannot express it, I cannot conceive it. 

5. '* This is that joy which was procured by sorrow, 
that crown which was procured by the cross. My Lord 
wept, that now my tears might be wiped away ; he bled, 
that 1 might now rejoice ; he was forsaken, that I might 
not now be forsook ; he then died, that I might now hve. 

free mercy, that can exalt so vile a wretch ! Free to me, 
though dear to Christ ! Free grace, that hath chosen me, 
when thousands were forsaken ! When my companions in 
sin must burn in hell, I must here rejoice in rest ! Here must 

1 live with all these saints ! O comfortable meeting of my old 
acquaintance, with whom I prayed, and wept, and suffered, 
and spoke often of this day and place ! 1 see the grave 
could not detain you : the same love hath redeemed and 
saved you also. 

6. " This is not like our cottages of clay, our prisons, our 
earthly dwellings. This voice of joy is not like our old com- 
plaints, our impatient groans and sighs ; nor this melodious 
praise like the scoffs and revilings, or the oaths and curses, 
which we heard on earth. This body is not like that we had, 
nor this soul hke the soul we had, nor this life like the life 
we lived. We have changed our place and state, our clothes 
and thoughts, our looks, language, and company. Before, 
a saint was weak and despised ; so proud and peevish, 
we could often scarce discern his graces ; but now, how 
glorious a thing is a saint ! Where is now their body ol 
sin, which wearied themselves and tHosn about them? 
Where ai-e now our different judgments, reproachful names, 
divided spirits, exasperated passions, strange looks, uncha- 
ritable censures ? Now we are all of one judgment, of one 
name, of one heart, house and glory. O sweet reconciliation ! 
Happy union ! Now the Gospel shall no more be dishonored 
through our folly. No more, my soul, slialt thou lament the 
sufferings of the saints, or the church's ruins ; nor mourn thy 
suffering friends, nor weep over their dying beds, or their 
graves. Thou shalt never suffer thy old temptations from 
Satan, the world, or thy own flesh. Thy pains and sickness 
are all cured ; thy body shall no more burden thee with 
weakness and v/eariness ; thy aching head and heart, thy 



Chap. 16.] EXEMPLEPIED. 251 

hunger and thirst, thy sleep and labor, are all gone. O what 
a mighty change is this ! from the dunghill to the throne ! 
from persecuting sinners to praising saints! from a vile body 
to this which ' shines as the brightness of the firmament 1' 
from a sense of God's displeasure to the perfect enjoyment 
of him in love ! from all my doubts and fears, to this pos- 
session, which puts me out of doubt ! from all my fearful 
thoughts of death, to this joyful life ! Blessed change ! Fare- 
well sin and sorrow for ever ; farewell my rocky, proud, un- 
believing heart ; my worldly, sensual, carnal heart ; and wel- 
come now my most holy, heavenly nature. Farewell repen- 
tance, faith, and hope; and welcome love, and joy, and 
praise. I shall now have my harvest, without ploughing or 
sowing ; my joy, without a preacher or a promise ; even all 
from the face of God himself. Whatever mixture is in the 
streams, there is nothing but pure joy in the fountain. 
Here shall I be encircled with eternity, and ever live, and 
ever, ever praise the Lord ; my face will not wrinkle, nor 
my hair be gray ; * for this corruptible shall have put on in- 
corruption, and this mortal, immortality, and death shall be 
swallowed up in victory. O death, v/here is now thy sting 1 
O grave, where is thy victory V The date of my lease will 
no more expire, nor shall I trouble myself with thoughts of 
death, nor lose my joys through fear of losing them. When 
milhons of ages are passed, my glory is but beginning; and 
when millions more are passed, it is no nearer ending. Every 
day is all noon, every month is harvest, every year is a 
jubilee, every age is full manhood, and all this is one eter- 
nity. O blessed eternity ! the glory of my glory ! the per- 
fection of my perfection ! 

7. " Ah, drowsy, earthly heart ! how coldly dost thou 
think of this reviving day ! Hadst thou rather sit down in 
dirt, than walk in the palace of God 1 Art thou now remem- 
bering thy worldly business, or thinking of thy lusts, earthly 
delights, and merry company 1 Is it better to be here, than 
above with God ? Is the company better ? Are the pleasures 
greater 1 Come away ; make no excuse nor delay ; God 
commands, and I command thee ; gird up thy loins; ascend 
the mount; look about thee with faith and seriousness. Look 
not back upon the way of the wilderness, except it be to 
compare the kingdom with that howling desert, more sen- 
sibly to perceive the wide difiorcnce. Yonder is thy Father's 



252 CONTEMPLATION [Chap. 16. 

glory ; yonder, O my soul, must thou remove, when thou 
departest from this body ; and when the power of th}'^ Lord 
hath raised it again, and joined thee to it, yonder must thou 
live with God fo-r ever. There is the glorious New Jerusa- 
lem, the gates of pearl, the foundation of pearl, the streets 
and pavements of transparent gold. That sun, which light- 
etli all this world, will be useless there ; even thyself shall 
be as bright as yonder shining sun ; God will be the sun, 
and Christ the light, and in his light shalt thou have light. 

8. " O my soul ! dost thou * stagger at the promise of 
God, through unbelief?' I much suspect thee. Didst thou 
believe indeed, thou wouldst be more affected with it. Is it 
not under the hand, and seal, and oath of God 1 Can God 
lie 1 Can he that is truth itself be false? What need hath 
God to flatter or deceive thee ? Why should he promise thee 
more than he will perform ? Dare not to charge the wise, 
MJmighty, faithful God with this. How many of the promises 
have been performed to thee in thy conversion ! Would God 
so powerfully concur with a feigned word ! O wretched heart 
of unbelief ! Hath God made thee a promise of rest, and 
wilt thou come short of it 1 Thine eyes, thine ears, and all 
thy senses, may prove delusions, sooner than a promise of 
God can delude thee. Thou mayst be surer of that which is 
written in the word, than if thou didst see it with thine eyes, 

.or feel it with thine hands. Art thou sure thou art alive, or 
that this is earth thou standest on, or that thine eyes see the 
sun ? As sure is all this glory to the saints ; as sure shall I 
be higher than yonder stars, and live for ever in the holy 
city, and joyfull}^ sound forth the praises of my Redeemer ; 
if I be not shut out by this ' evil heart of unbelief,* causing 
me to ' depart from the living God.' 

9. " And is this rest so sweet and so sure 1 Then what 
mean the careless world ? Know they what they neglect 1 
Did they ever hear of it, or are they yet asleep, or are they 
dead? Do they certainly know that the crown is before 
them, while they thus sit still, or follow trifles? Undoubtedly 
they are beside themselves, to mind so much their provision 
by the way, when they are hasting so fast to another world, 
and their eternal happiness lies at stake. Were there left 
one spark of reason, they would never sell their rest for toil, 
nor their glory for worldly vanities, nor venture heaven for 
sinful pleasure. Poor men ! O that you would once consider 



Chap. 16.] EXEMPLIFIED. 253 

what you hazard, and then you would scorn these tem|3ting 
baits ! Blessed for ever be that love which hath rescued me 
from this bewitching darkness ! 

10. " Draw yet nearer, O my soul ! with thy most fer- 
vent love. Here is matter for it to work upon, something 
worth thy loving. O see what beauty presents itself ! Is not 
all the beauty in the world united here 1 Is not all other 
beauty but deformity ? Dost thou now need to be persuaded 
to love 1 Here is a feast for thine eyes, and all the powers 
of thy soul : dost thou need entreaties to feed upon it 1 Canst 
thou love a little shining earth, a walking piece of clay 1 and 
canst thou not love that God, that Christ, that glory, which 
nre so truly and unmeasurably lovely ? Thou canst love thy 
friend, because he loves thee; and is the love of a friend 
like the love of Christ 1 Their weeping or bleeding for thee 
does not ease thee, nor stay the course of thy tears or blood ; 
but the tears and blood that fell from thy Lord, have a sove- 
reign, healing, virtue. — O my soul ! if love deserves, and 
should beget love, what incomprehensible love is here be- 
fore thee ! Pour out all the store of thy affections here, and 
all is too little. O that it were more ! O that it were many 
thousand times more ! Let him be first served, that served 
thee first. Let him have the first-born and strength of thy 
soul, who parted whh strength, and life, and love for thee. 
— O my soul ! dost thou love for excellency ? Yonder is 
the region of light ; this is a land of darkness. Yonder 
twinkling stars, that shining moon, and radiant sun, are all 
but lanterns, hung out of thy Father's house, to light thee 
while thou walkest in this dark world. But how little dost 
thou know the glory and blessedness that are within ! — Dost 
thou love for suitableness ? What person more suitable than 
Christ? His Godhead and humanity, his fulness and freeness, 
his willingness and constancy, all proclaim him thy most 
suitable friend. What state more suitable to thy misery, 
than mercy? or to thy sin and pollution, than honor and 
perfection ? What place more suitable to thee than heaven? 
Does this world agree with thy desires ? Hast thou not had 
a sufficient trial of it, or dost thou love for interest and near 
relation ? Where hast thou better interest than in heaven, 
or nearer relation than there ? 

"Dost thou love for acquaintance and familiarity? Though 
thine eyes have never seen thy Lord, yet thou hast heard 



254 coxN'TEMPLATioN [Chap. 16. 

bis voice, received his benefits, and lived in his bosom. He 
faught thee to know thyself and him ; he opened thee that 
first window, through which thou sawest into heaven. Hast 
thou forgotten since thy heart was careless, and he awakened 
it ; hard, and he softened it ; stubborn, and he made it 
yield ; at peace, and he troubled it ; whole, and he broke it ; 
and broken-, till he healed it tigain 1 Hast thou forgotten the 
times when he found thee in tears ; when he heard thy se- 
cret sighs and groans, and left all to come and comfort thee ; 
when he took thee, as it were, in his arms, and asked thee, 
Poor soul, what ails thee 1 Dost thou weep, when 1 have 
wept so much'? Be of good cheer ; thy wounds are saving, 
and not deadly ; it is I have made them, who mean thee 
no hurt ; though 1 let out thy blood, I will not let out thy 
life. 1 remember his voice. How gently did he take me up ! 
How carefully did he dress my wounds ! Methinks I hear 
him still saying to me, ' Poor sinner, though thou hast dealt 
unkindly with me, and cast me off, yet I will not do so by 
thee. Though thou hast set light by me, and all my mercies, 
yet they and myself are all thine. What wouldst thou have, 
that I can give thee 1 And what dost thou want, that I can- 
not give thee ? If any thing I have will give thee pleasure, 
tK.T shalt have it. Wouldst thou have pardon? I freely 
forgive thee all the debt. Wouldst thou have grace and 
peace 1 Thou shalt have them both. Wouldst thou have 
myself? Behold, I am thine, thy Friend, thy Lord, thy 
Brother, Husband, and Head. Wouldst thou have the Fa- 
ther 1 I will bring thee to him, and thou shalt have him, in 
and by me.* These were my Lord's reviving words. After 
all, when I was doubtful of his love, methinks I yet remem- 
ber his overcoming arguments : ' Have I done so much, 
sinner, to testify my love, and yet dost thou doubt ? Have 
1 offered thee myself and love so long, and yet dost thou 
question my willingness to be thine 1 At what dearer rate 
should I tell thee that I love thee 1 Wilt thou not believe 
my bitter passion proceeded from love 1 Have I made my- 
self in the Gospel a lion to thine enemies, and a lamb to 
thee, and dost thou overlook my lamb-like nature ? Had I 
been willing to let thee perish, what need I have done and 
suffered so much ? What need I foUow thee with such pa 
tience and importunity 1 Why dost thou tell me of thy wants ; 
have I not enough for me and thee 1 or of thy unworthi- 



Chap. 16.] EXEMPLIFIED. 255 

ness ; for if thou wast thyself worthy, what shouldst thou do 
with my worthiness 1 Did I ever invite, or save, the worthy 
and the righteous ? or is there any such upon earth 1 Hast thou 
nothing 1 art thou lost and miserable, helpless and forlorn ? 
Dost thou believe I am an all-sufficient Savior, and wouldst 
thou have me? Lo, I am thine ; take me ; if thou art will- 
ing, I am ; and neither sin nor Satan shall break the match.' 
These, O these, were the blessed words which his Spirit 
from his Gospel spoke unto me, till he made me cast myself 
at his feet, and cry out, ' My Savior, and my Lord, thou 
hast broken, thou hast revived my heart ; thou hast over- 
come, thou hast won my heart; take it, it is thine; if such 
a heart can please thee, take it ; if it cannot, make it such 
as thou wouldst have it.' Thus, O my soul, mayst thou re- 
member the sweet familiarity thou hast had with Christ; 
therefore, if acquaintance will cause affection, let out thy 
heart unto him. It is he that hath stood by thy bed of sick- 
ness, hath eased thy pains, refreshed thy weariness, and re- 
moved thy fears. He hath been always ready, when thou 
hast earnestly sought him ; hath met thee in public and pri- 
vate ; hath been found of thee in the congregation, in thy 
house, in thy closet, in the field, in thy waking nights, in thy 
deepest dangers. 

" If bounty and compassion be an attractive of love, how 
unmeasurably, then, am I bound to love him ! All the mer- 
cies that have filled up my life, all the places that ever 
I abode in, all the societies and persons I have been con- 
versant with, all my employments and relations, every con- 
dition I have been in, and every change I have passed 
through, all tell me that the fountain is overflowing goodness. 
Lord, what a sum of love am I indebted to thee ! And how 
does my debt continually increase ! How should I love again 
for so much love ? But shall I dare to think of requiting 
thee, or with recompensing all thy love with mine ? Will 
my mite requite thee for thy golden mines ; my seldom 
wishes, for thy constant bounty; mine, which is nothing, or 
not mine, for thine, which is infinite, and thine own ? Shall 
I dare to contend in love with thee, or set my borrowed, 
languid spark, against the sun of love? Can I love as high, 
as deep, as broad, as long, as Love itself? as much as he 
that made me, and that made me love, and gave me all that 
little which I have 1 As I cannot match thee in the worlds 



256 CONTEMPLATION [Chap. 16. 

of power, nor make, nor preserve, nor rule the worlds ; no 
more can I match thee in love. No, Lord, I yield ; I am 
overcome. O blessed conquest ! Go on victoriously, and 
still prevail, and triumph in thy love. The captive of love 
shall proclaim thy victory ; when thou leadest me in triumph 
from earth to heaven, from death to life, from the tribunal 
to the throne ; myself, and all that see it, shall acknowledge 
thou hast prevailed, and all shall say, ' Behold how he loved 
him !' Yet let me love in subjection to thy love ; as thy re- 
deemed captive, though not thy peer. Shall I not love at 
all, because I cannot reach thy measure ? O that I could 
feelingly say, ' I love thee,' even as I love my friend, and 
myself ! Though I cannot say, as the apostle, ' Thou know- 
est that I love thee;' yet lean say. Lord, thouknowest that 
1 would love thee. I am angry with my heart, that it doth 
not love thee ; I chide it, yet it doth not mend ; I reason 
with it, and would fain persuade it, yet I do not perceive it 
stir ; I rub and chafe it in the use of ordinances, and yet I 
feel it not warm within me. Unworthy soul ! is not thine eye 
now upon the only lovely object 1 Art thou not now behold- 
ing the ravishing glory of the saints 1 And dost thou not 
love ? Art thou not a rational soul, and should not reason 
tell thee that earth is a dungeon to the celestial glory 1 Art 
thou not thyself a spirit, and shouldst thou not love God, 
* who is a spirit, and tl.o Father of spirits V Why dost thou 
love so much thy perishing clay, and love no more the hea- 
venly glory 1 Shalt thou love when tLou comest there ; 
when the Lord shall take thy carcass from the grave, and 
make thee shine as the sun in glory for ever and ever ; shalt 
thou then love, or shalt thou not 1 Is not the place a meeting 
of lovers 1 Is not the life a state of love ? Is it not the great 
marriage-day of the Lamb 1 Is not the employment there 
the work of love, where the souls with Christ take their fill ? 
O then, my soul, begin it here ! ' Be sick with love' now, 
that thou mayst be well with love there. ' Keep thyself 
now 'in the love of God ;' and let ' neither life, nor death, 
nor any thing, separate thee from it ;' and thou shalt be 
kept in the fulness of love for ever, and nothing shall im- 
bitter or abate thy pleasure ; for the Lord hath prepared 
a city of love, a place for communicating love to his chosen, 
* and they that love his name shall dwell therein.' 

*' Awake, then, O my drowsy soul ! To sleep under the 



Chap. 16.] EXEMPLIFIED. 2o7 

light of grace is unreasonable, much more in the approacli 
of the light of glory. Come forth, my dull, congealed spirit ; 
thy Lord bids thee 'rejoice, and again rejoice.' Thou hast 
Iain long enough in thy prison of flesh, where Satan hath 
been thy jailer ; cares have been thy irons, fears thy 
scourges, and thy food the bread and water of afiliction ; 
where sorrows have been thy lodgings, and thy sin and foes 
have made thy bed, and an unbelieving heart hath been the 
gates and bars that have kept thee in : the angel of the co- 
venant now calls thee, and bids thee ' arise and follow him.' 
Up, O my- soul! and cheerfully obey, and thy bolts and 
bars shall all fly open : follow the Lamb whithersoever he 
goeth. Shouldst thou fear to follow such a guide ? Can the 
sun lead thee to a state of darkness ? Will he lead thee to 
death, who died to save thee from it ? Follow him, and he 
will show thee the paradise of God ; he will give thee a sight of 
the New Jerusalem, and a taste of the tree of life. Come 
forth, my drooping soul, and lay aside thy winter dress ; let 
it be seen, by thy ' garments of joy and praise,' that the 
spring is come ; and as thou now sesst thy comfurts green, 
thou shalt shortly see them ' white and ripe for harvest,' and 
then thou shalt be called to reap, and gather, and take pos- 
session. Should I suspend and delay my joys till then ? 
Should not the joys of the spring go before the joys of har- 
vest ? Is title nothing before possession 1 Is the heir in no 
better a state than a slave ? My Lord hath taught me to re- 
joice in hope of his glory ; and how to see it through the 
bars of a prison ; for, when persecuted for righteousness' 
sake, he commands me to ' rejoice and be exceeding glad,' 
because ' my reward in heaven is great.' I know he would 
have my joys exceed my sorrows, and as much as he delights 
in * the humble and contrite,' he yet more dehghts in the 
soul that 'delights in him.' Hath my Lord spread me a 
table in this wilderness, and furnished it with the promises 
of everlasting glory, and sot before me angels' food ? Doth 
he frequently and importunately invite me to sit down, and 
feed, and spare not ? Hath he, to that end, furnished me with 
reason, and taith, and a joyful disposition ; and is it possible 
that he should be unwilling to have me rejoice ? Is it not 
his command, to ' delight thyself in the Lord ;' and his 
promise, to 'givpthee the desires of tliine heart?' Art thou 
not charged to ' rejoice evermore ;' yea, to ' sing aloud, and 



258 CONTEMPLATION [Chap. 16. 

shout for joy ."' Why should I, then, bo discouraged ? My 
God is willing, if I were but willing. He is delighted in my 
delights. He would have it my constant frame, and daily 
business, to be near him in my believing meditations, and to 
live in the sweetest thoughts of his goodness. O blessed em- 
ployment, lit for the sons of God ! But thy feast, my Lord, 
is nothing to me without an appetite. Thou hast set tlie 
dainties of heaven before me ; but, alas ! I am blind, and 
cannot see them ! I am sick, and cannot relish them ! I am 
so benumbed, that I cannot put forth a hand to take them ! 
I therefore humbly beg this grace, that, as thou hast opened 
heaven to me in thy word, so thou wouldst open mine eyes 
to see it, and my heart to delight in it ; else heaven will be 
no heaven to me. O thou Spirit of life, breathe upon thy 
graces in me ; take me by the hand, and lift me from the 
earth, that 1 may see what glory ' thou hast prepared for 
tliem that love thee !' 

"Away then, ye soul-tormenting cares and fears, ye heart- 
vexing sorrows ! At least forbear a little while : stand by ; 
stay here below, till I go up and see my rest. The way is 
strange to me, but not to Christ. There was the eternal 
abode of his glorious Deity; and thither hath he also brought 
his glorified flesh. It was his work to purchase it ; it is his 
to prepare it, and to prepare me for it, and bring me to it. 
The eternal God of truth hath given me his promise, his seal 
and oath, ' that, believing in Christ, I shall not perish, but have 
everlasting hfe.' Thither shall my soul be speedily removed, 
and my body very shortly follow. And can my tongue say, 
that I shall shortly and surely live with God, and yet my heart 
not leap within me ? Can I say it with faith, and not with joy ? 
Ah, faith, how sensibly do I now perceive thy weakness ! But 
though unbelief darken my light, and dull my life, and sup- 
press my J03'S, it shall not be able to conquer and destroy 
me ; though it envy all my comforts, yet some, in spite of 
it, I shall even here receive ; and if that did not hinder, 
what abundance might I have ! The light of heaven would 
shine into my heart, and I might be almost as familiar there 
as I am on earth. Come away then, iny soul ; stop thine ears to 
the ignorant language of infidelity ; thou art able to answer 
all its arguments ; or, if thou art not, yet tread them under 
thy feet. Come away ; stand not looking on that grave, nor 
turning those bones, nor reading thy lesson now in the dust ; 



Chap. 16.] EXEMPLIFIED. 259 

those lines will soon be wiped out. But lift up thy head and 
look to heaven, and see thy name written in golden letters 
* in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain.' What if an 
angel should tell thee, that there is a mansion in heaven 
prepared for thee, that it shall certainly be thine for ever; 
would not such a message make thee glad 1 And dost thou 
make light of the infallible Word of Promise, which was de- 
livered by the Spirit, and even by the Son himself 1 Sup- 
pose thou hadst seen a fiery chariot come for thee, and fetch 
thee up to heaven, like Elijah ; would not this rejoice thee? 
But thy Lord assures thee, that the soul of a Lazarus hath 
a convoy of angels to carry it into Abraham's bosom. Shall 
a drunkard be so merry among his cups, or the glutton in his. 
delicious fare, and shall not I rejoice, who must shortly be 
in heaven 1 Can meat and drink delight me when I hunger 
and thirst 1 Can I find pleasure in walks and gardens, and 
convenient dweUings ? Can beautiful objects delight my 
eyes ; or grateful odors my smell ; or melody my ears ? and 
shall not the forethought of celestial bliss delight me ? Me- 
thinks among my books I could employ myself in sweet 
content, and bid the world farewell, and pity the rich and 
great that know not this happiness ; what then will my hap- 
piness in heaven be, where my knowledge will be perfect ! 
If ' the queen of Sheba came from the utmost parts of the 
earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon,' and see his glory ; 
how cheerfully should I pass from earth to heaven, to see 
the glory of the eternal majesty, and attain the height of 
wisdom, compared with which the most learned on earth are 
but fools and idiots ! What if God had made me comman- 
der of the earth ; what if I could ' remove mountains, heal 
diseases with a word or a touch, or cast out devils,' should 
I not rejoice in such privileges and honors as these, and 
shall I not much more rejoice that my name is written in 
heaven"? I cannot here enjoy my parents, or my near and 
beloved friends, without some delight ; especially, when I 
did freely let out my aflection to my friend, how sweet was 
that exercise of my love ! O what will it, then, be to live in 
the perpetual love of God ! ' For brethren to dwell together 
in unity here, how good and how pleasant it is !' To see a 
family live in love; husband and wife, parents, children, and 
servants, doing all in love to one anotiier ; to see a town live 
together in love, without any eavyings, brawlings, or con- 



260 CONTEMPLATION [Chap. 16. 

tentions, law-suits, factions, or divisions, but every man 
loving his neighbor as himself, thinking they can never do 
too much for one another, but striving to go beyond each 
other in love ; how happy, how delightful a sight is this ! O 
then, what a blessed society will the family of heaven be, 
and those peaceful inhabitants of the New Jerusalem, where 
there is no division nor differing judgments, no disaffection 
nor strangeness, no deceitful friendship, no, not one unkind 
expression, not an angry look or thought; but all are one in 
Christ, who is one with the Father, and all live in the love 
of him, who is love itself! The soul is not more where it 
lives, than where it loves. How near, then, will my soul be 
united to God, when I shall so heartily, strongly, and in- 
cessantly love him! Ah, wretched, unbelieving heart, that 
can think of such a day, and work, and life as this, with 
such low and feeble joys ! But my future enjoyments will 
be more lively. 

" How delightful is it to me to behold and study these 
inferior works of creation ! What a beautiful fabric do we 
here dwell in ; the floor so dressed with herbs, and flowers, 
and trees, and watered with springs and rivers ; the roof so 
widely expanded, so admirably adorned! What wonders do 
sun, moon, and stars, seas, and winds, contain ! And hath 
God prepared such a house for corruptible flesh, for a soul 
imprisoned 1 and doth he bestow so many millions of won- 
ders upon his enemies ? O what a dwelling must that be, 
which he prepares for his dearly beloved children J and how 
will the glory of the New Jerusalem exceed all the present 
glory of the creatures ! Arise, then, O my soul, in thy con- 
templation, and let thy thoughts of that glory as far exceed 
in sweetness thy thoughts of the excellencies below ! Fear 
not to go out of this body, and this world, when thou must 
make so happy a change : but say, as one did when he was 
dying, ' I am glad, and even leap for joy, that the time is 
come, in which that mighty Jehovah, whose majesty in my 
search of nature I have admired, whose goodness I have 
adored, whom by faith I have desired and panted after, will 
now show himself to me flice to face.' 

" How wonderful, also, are the works of Providence ! How 
delightful to see the great God interest himself in the safety 
and advancement of a few humble, praying, but despised 
persons ; and to review those special mercies, with which 



Chap. 16.] EXEMPLIFIED. 261 

my own life hath been adorned and sweetened ! How often 
hath my prayers been heard, my tears regarded, my troubled 
soul relieved ! How often hath my Lord bid me be of 
good cheer ! What a support are these experiences, these 
clear testimonies of my Fath'^r's love, to my fearful, unbe- 
lieving heart ! O then, what a blessed day will that be, when 
I shall have all mercy, perfection of mercy, and fully enjoy 
the Lord of mercy ; when I shall stand on the shore, and 
look back on the raging seas I have safely passed ; when I 
shall review my pains and sorrows, my fears and tears, and 
possess the glory which was the end of all ! If one drop of 
lively faith was mixed with these considerations, what a 
heaven-ravishing heart should I carry within me ! Fain 
v/ould ' I believe ; Lord, help my unbelief.' 

" How sweet, O my soul, have ordinances been to thee ! 
What delight hast thou had in prayer and thanksgiving, under 
heavenly sermons, and in the society of saints, and to see 
' the Lord adding to the church such as should be saved !' 
How, then, can my heart conceive the joy which I shall 
have to see the perfected church in heaven, and to be ad- 
mitted into the celestial temple, and with the heavenly host 
praise the Lord for ever ? If the word of God was sweeter 
to Job than his necessary food, and to David than honey and 
the honeycomb, and was the joy and rejoicing of Jeremiah's 
heart ; how blessed a day will that be, when we shall fully 
enjoy the Lord of this word, and shall no more need these 
written precepts and promises, nor read any book but the 
face of the glorious God ! If they that heard Christ speak 
on earth ' were astonished at his wisdom and answers, and 
wondered at the gracious words that proceeded out of his 
mouth ;' how shall I, then, be affected to behold him in his 
majesty ! 

" Can the prospect of his glory make others welcome the 
cross, and even refuse deliverance ; and cannot it make thee 
cheerful under lesser sufferings 1 Can it sweeten the flames 
of martyrdom, and not sweeten thy life, or thy sickness, or 
thy natural death ? Is it not the same heaven which they 
and I must live in ? Is not their God, their Christ, their 
crown, and mine, the same ? And shall I look upon it with 
an eye so dim, a heart so dull, a countenance so dejected 1 
Some small foretastes of it have I myself had ; and how 
much more delightful have they been, than any earthly 



262 CONTEMPLATION [Chap. 16. 

things ever were ! and what, then, will the full enjoyment be ! 

" What a beauty is there here in the imperfect graces of 
the Spirit ! Alas ! how small are these to what we shall en- 
joy in our perfect state ! What a happy life should I here 
live, could I but love God as i.mch as I would ; could I be 
all love, and always loving ! O my soul, what wouldst thou 
give for such a life ? Had 1 such apprehensions of God, 
such knowledge of his word as I desire ; could I fully trust 
him in all my straits ; could I be as lively as I would in 
every duty ; could I make God my constant desire and de- 
light ; I would not envy the world their honors or pleasures. 
What a blessed state, O my soul ! wilt thou shortly be in, 
when thou shalt have far more of these than thou canst 
now desire, and shalt exercise thy perfected graces in the 
immediate vision of God, and not in the dark, and at a dis- 
tance, as now ! 

" Is the sinning, afflicted, persecuted church of Christ, so 
much more excellent than any particular gracious soul ? 
What, then, will the church be, when it is fully gathered 
and glorified ; when it is ascended from the valley of tears 
to Mount Sion ; when it shall sin and suffer no more ! The 
glory of the Old Jerusalem will be darkness and deformity 
to the glory of the New. What cause shall we have, then, to 
shout for joy, when we shall see how glorious the heavenly 
temple is, and remember the meanness of the church on 
earth ! 

12. " But, alas ! what a loss am I at in the midst of my 
contemplations ! I thought my heart had all the while at- 
tended, but I see it hath not. What life is there in empty 
thoughts and words, without affections ? Neither God, nor I, 
find pleasure in them. Where hast thou been, unworthy heart, 
while I was opening to thee the everlasting treasures ? Art 
thou not ashamed to complain so much of an uncomfortable 
life, and to murmur at God for filling thee with sorrows, 
when he in vain offers thee the delights of angels ? Hadst 
thou now but followed me close, it would have made thee 
revive, and leap for joy, and forget thy pains and sorrows. 
Did I think my heart had been so backward to rejoice ? ' 

13. " Lord, thou hast reserved my perfect joys for hea- 
ven ; therefore, help me to desire till I may possess, and let 
me long when I cannot, as I would, rejoice. O my soul, 
thou knowest, to thy sorrow, that thou art not yet at thy 



Chap. 16.] EXEMPLIFIED. 263 

rest. When shfiil I arrive at that safe and quiet harbor, where 
there are none of these storms, waves and dangers ; when 1 
shall never more have a weary, restless night or day 1 Then 
my life will not be such a mixture of hope and fear, of joy 
and sorrovv^ ; nor shall flesh and spirit be combating within 
me ; nor faith and unbelief, humility and pride, maintain a 
continual conflict. O when shall I be past these soul-tor- 
menting fears, and cares, and griefs ? When shall 1 be out 
of this soul-contradicting, ensnaring, deceitful flesh ; this 
corruptible body, this vain, vexatious world ? Alas, that I 
must stand and see the church and cause of Christ tossed 
about in contention, and made subservient to private inte- 
rests or deluded fancies ! There is none of this disorder in 
the heavenly Jerusalem ; there I shall find a harmonious 
concert of perfected spirits, obeying and praising their ever- 
lasting Ring. O how much better to be a door-keeper there, 
than the commander of this tumultuous Avorld ! Why am I 
no more weary of this weaViness ? Why do I so forget my 
resting-place ? Up, then, O m}' soul, in thy most raised and 
fervent desires ! Stay not till this flesh can desire with thee ; 
expect not that sense should apprehend thy blessed object, 
and tell thee when and what to desire. Doth not the dulness 
of thy desires after rest accuse thee of most detestable ingra- 
titude and folly ? Must thy Lord })rocure thee a rest at so 
dear a rate, and dost thou no more value it ? Must he go 
before to prepare so glorious a mansion for such a wretch, 
and art thou loath to go and possess it ? Shall the Lord of 
glory be desirous of thy company, and thou not desirous of 
his ? Must earth become a very hell to thee, before thou art 
willing to be with God ? Behold the most lovely creature, or 
the most desirable state, and tell me, where wouldst thou be 
if not with God 1 Poverty is a burden; riches a snare; 
sickness unpleasing ; health unsafe ; the frowning world 
bruises thy heel ; the smiling world stings thee to the heart ; 
so much as the world is loved and delighted in, it hurts and en- 
dangers the lover ; and if it may not be loved, why should it be 
desired? If thou art applauded, it proves the most contagious 
breath ; if thou art vilified, or unkindly used, methinks this 
should not entice thy love. If thy successful labors, and thy 
godly friends, seem better to thee than a life with God, it is 
time for God to take tlem from thee. If thy studies have 
been sweet, have they not also been bitter ? And, at best, 



264 CONTEMPLATION [Chap. 16. 

what are they to the everlasting views of the God of truth ? 
Thy friends here have been thy dchght, and have they not 
also been thy vexation and grief 1 They are gracious, and 
are they not also sinful ? They are kind, and are they not 
soon displeased ? They are humble, but, alas i how proud 
also ! Their graces are sweet, and their gifts helpful ; but 
are not their corruptions bitter, and their imperfections hurt- 
ful ? And art thou so loath to go from them to thy God ? 

" O my soul, look above this world of sorrows ! Hast 
thou so long felt the smarting rod of affliction, and no better 
understood its meaning ? Is not every stroke to drive thee 
hence ? Is not its voice like that to Elijah, ' What dost thou 
here?' Dost thou forget thy Lord's prediction] 'In the 
world ye shall have tribulation ; in me ye may have peace !' 
Ah, my dear Lord, I feel thy meaning ; it is written in my 
flesh, engraved in my bones. My heart thou aimest at ; thy 
rod drives, thy silken cord of love draws ; and all to bring 
it to thyself. Lord, can such a heart be worth thy having ? 
Make it worthy, and then it is thine ; take it to thyself, and 
then take me. This clod hath life to stir, but not to rise. 
As the feeble child to the tender mother, it looketh up to 
thee, and stretcheth out the hands, and fain would have thee 
take it up. Though I cannot sa}^, ' My soul longeth after 
thee ;' yet I can say, I long for such a longing heart. ' The 
spirit is willing, the flesh is weak.' My spirit cries, ' Let thy 
kingdom come,' or let me come to thy kingdom ; but the 
flesh is afraid thou shouldst hear my prayer, and take me at 
my word. O blessed be thy grace, which makes use of my 
corruptions to kill themselves ; for I fear my fears, and sor- 
row for my sorrows, and long for greater longings ; and thus 
the painful means of attaining my desires increase my 
weariness, and that makes me groan to be at rest. 

" Indeed, Lord, my soul itself is in a strait, and what to 
choose I know not ; but thou knowest what to give : ' to 
depart and be with thee, is far better ;' but ' to abide in the 
flesh seems needful.' Thou knowest I am not weary of thy 
work, but of sorrow and sin ; I am willing to stay while 
thou wilt employ me, and despatch the work thou hast put 
into my hands ; but, I beseech thee, stay no longer when 
this is done ; and while I must be here, let me be still 
amending and ascending; make me still better, and take me 
at the best. I dare not be so impatient, as to importune thee 



Chap. 16.] EXEMPLIFIED. 265 

to cut off my time, and snatch me hence unready ; because 
I know my everlasting state so much depends on the im- 
provement of this life. Nor would 1 stay when my work is 
done ; and remain here Sinning, while my brethren are tri- 
umphing. Thy footsteps bruise this worm, while those stars 
shine in the firmament of glory. Yet I am thy child as well 
as they ; Christ is my Head as well as theirs ; why i*s there, 
then, so great a distance? But I acknowledge the equity of 
thy ways ; though we are all children, yet I am the pro- 
digal, and therefore more fit in this remote country to feed 
on husks, while they are always with thee, and possess thy 
glory. They were once themselves in my condition, and I 
shall shortly be in theirs. They were of the lowest form, be- 
fore they came to the highest ; they suffered, before they 
reigned ; they ' came out of great tribulation, who are now 
before thy throne ;' and shall I not be content to come to 
the crown as they did ; and to ' drink of their cup, before I 
sit with them in the kingdom V Lord, I am content to stay 
thy time, and go thy way, so thou wilt exalt me also in thy 
season, and take me into thy barn, when thou seest me ripe. 
In the meantime, 1 may desire, though I am not to repine; I 
rany believe and wish, though not make any sinful haste; lam 
willing to wait for thee, but not to lose thee ; and when thou 
seest me too contented with thine absence, then quicken my 
languid desires, and blow up the dying spark of love ; and 
leave me not until I am able unfeignedly to cry out, ' As the 
hart panteth after the water brooRs, so panteth my soul 
after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living 
God ; when shall I come and appear before God ? My con- 
versation is in heaven, fron» whence 1 look for a Savior. 
My affections are set on things above, where Christ sitteth, 
and my life is hid. I walk by faith, and not by sight ; will- 
ing rather to be absent from the bodv, and present with the 
Lord.' 

" Whit interest hath this empty world in me ; and what 
is there in it that may seem so lovely as to entice my desires 
from my God, or make me loath to come away ? Methinks, 
when I look upon it with a deliberate eye, it is a howling 
wilderness, and too many of its inhabitants are untamed 
monsters. I can view all its beauty and deformity ; and 
drown all its pleasures in a few penitent tears ; or the wind 
of a sigh will scatter ihem awiy. O let not this flesh so so 
12 



966 CONTEMPLATION [Chap. 16. 

duce my soul, as to make it prefer this weary life before the 
joys that are about thy throne ! And though death itself be 
unwelcome to nature, yet let thy grace make thy glory ap- 
pear to me so desirable, that the king of terrors may be the 
messenger of my joy. Let not my soul be ejected by 
violence, and dispossessed of its habitation against its will ; 
but draw it to thyself by the secret power of thy love, as 
the sunshine in the spring draws forth the creatures from 
their winter cells ; meet it half-way, and entice it to thee, a» 
the loadstone doth the iron, and as the greater flame attracts 
the less ! Dispel, therefore, the clouds that hide thy love 
from me ; or remove the scales that hinder mine eyes from 
beholding thee ; for the beams that stream from thy face, 
and the foretastes of thy great salvation, and nothing else, 
can make a soul unfeignedly say, * Now let thy servant de- 
part in peace !' But it is not thy ordinary discoveries that 
will here suffice ; as the work is greater, so must thy help be, 
O turn these fears into strong desires, and this loathness to 
die into longings after thee ! While I must be absent from 
thee, let my soul as heartily groan, as my body doth under 
its want of health ! If I have any more time to spend on 
earth, let me live as without the world in thee, as I have 
sometimes lived as without thee in the world ! While I have 
a thought to think, let me not forget thee ; or a tongue to 
move, let me mention thee with delight ; or a breath to 
breathe, let it be after thee, and for thee; or a knee to bend, 
let it daily bow at thy footstool ; and when by sickness thou 
confinest me, do thou * make my bed, number my pains, 
and put all my tears into thy bottle !' 

*'As my flesh desired what my spirit abhorred, so now let 
ray spirit desire that day which my flesh abhorreth ; that 
my friends may not with so much sorrow wait for the de- 
parture of my soul, as my soul with joy shall wait for its 
own departure ! Then ' let me die the death of the righteous, 
and let my last end be like his ;' even a removal to that 
glory which shall never end ! Then let thy convoy of angels 
bring my departing soul among the perfected spirits of the 
just, and let me follow my dear friends that have died in 
Christ before me ; and, while my sorrowing friends are 
weeping over my grave, let my spirit be reposed with thee 
in rest ; and, white my corpse shall lie rotting in the dark, 
let my soul be in * the inheritance of the saints in light !' O 



Chap. 16.] EXEMPLIFIED. 5867 

thou that numberest the very hairs of my head, number all 
the days that my body lies in the dust ; and thou that 
* writest all my members in thy book,' keep an account of 
my scattered bones ! O my Savior, hasten the time of thy 
return; send forth thy angels, and let that dreadful, joyful 
trumpet sound ! Delay not, lest the living give up their 
hopes ; delay not, lest earth should grow like hell, and thy 
church, by division, be all crumbled to dust; delay not, lest 
thy enemies get advantage of thy flock, and lest pride, 
hypocrisy, sensuality, and unbelief, prevail against thy little 
remnant, and share among them thy whole inheritance, and 
when thou comest, thou find not faith on the earth ; delay 
not, lest the grave should boast of victory, and, having 
learned rebellion of its guest, should refuse to deliver thee 
up thy due ! O hasten that great resurrection-day, when thy 
command shall go forth, and none disobey : when * the sea 
and the earth shall yield up their hostages, and all that 
sleep in the grave shall awake, and the dead in Christ shall 
rise first ;' when the seed which thou sowest corruptible, 
shall come forth incorruptible ; and graves that received 
rottenness and dust, shall return thee glorious stars and suns ! 
Therefore dare I lay down my body in the dust, intrusting 
it, not to a grave, but to thee ; and therefore my flesh shall 
rest in hope, till thou shalt raise it to the possession of ever- 
lasting rest. ' Return, O Lord, how longt O let thy kingdom 
come !' Thy desolate * bride saith. Come !* for thy Spirit 
within her saith, Come ; and teacheth her thus to ' pray 
with groanings which cannot be uttered ; yea, the whole 
creation saith, Come, waiting to be delivered from the bon- 
dage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children 
of God.' Thou thyself hast said, * Surely 1 come quickly 
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus !' " 



g68 CONTEMPLATION [Chap. 16. 



COH'CIiXTSIOK'. 



Thus, reader, I have given thee my best advice for main- 
taining a heavenly conversation. If thou canst not thus me- 
ditate methodically and fully, yet do it as thou canst ; only 
be sure to do it seriously and frequently. Be acquainted with 
this heavenly work, and thou wilt, in some degree, be ac- 
quainted with God ; thy jo3^s will be spiritual, prevalent, and 
lasting, according to the nature of their blessed object ; thou 
wilt have comfort in life and death. When thou hast neither 
wealth, nor health, nor the pleasures of this world, yet wilt 
thou have comfort. Without the presence, or help, of any 
friend, without a minister, without a book, when all means 
are denied thee, or taken from thee, yet mayst thou have 
vigorous, real comfort. Thy graces will be mighty, active, 
and victorious ; and the daily joy which is thus fetched 
from heaven, will be thy strength. Thou wilt be as one that 
stands on the top of an exceeding high mountain ; he looks 
down on the world as if it were quite below him ; fields and 
woods, cities and towns, seem to him but little spots. Thus 
despicably wilt thou look on all things here below. The 
greatest princes will seem but as grasshoppers ; the busy, 
contentious, covetous world, but as a heap of ants. Men's 
threatenings will be no terror to thee, nor the honors of 
this world any strong enticement ; temptations will be more 
harmless, as having lost their strength ; and afflictions less 
grievous, as h iving lost their sting ; and every mercy will 
be better known and relished. It is now, under God, in thy 
own choice, whether thou wilt live this blessed life or not ; 
and whether all this pains I have taken for thee shall pros- 
per, or be lost. If it be lost through thy laziness, thou thy- 
self v/ilt prove the greatest loser. () man, what hast thou to 
mind but God and heaven ? Art thou not almost out of this 
world already ? Dost thou not look every day, when one 
disease or other will let out thy soul ? Does not the grave 
wait to be thine bouse ; and worms to feed upon thy face 
and heart ? What if thy pulse must beat a few strokes more? 
What if thou hast a little longer to breathe, before thou 



Chap. 16.] EXEMPLIFIED. 269 

breathe out thy last; a few more nights to sleep, before 
thou sleepesi in the dust ? Alas ! what will this be, when it 
is gone 1 And is it not almost gone already ? Very shortly 
thou wilt see thy glass run out, and say to thyself, " My life 
is done ! My time is gone ! it is past recalling ! There is 
nothing now but heaven or hell before me !" Where, then, 
should thy heart be now, but in heaven ? Didst thou know 
what a dreadful thing it is to have a doubt of heaven, when 
a man is dying, it would rouse thee up. And what else but 
doubt can that man then do, that never seriously thought of 
heaven before? 

Some there be that say, " Tt is not worth so much time and 
trouble, to think of the greatness of the joys above; if we 
can make sure they are ours, we know they are great." But 
as these men obey not the command of God, which requires 
them to have their "conversation in heaven, and to set 
their affections on things above ;" so they wilfully make 
their own lives miserable, by refusing the delights which 
God hath set before them. And if this were all, it were a 
small matter ; but see what abundance of other mischiefs 
follow the neglect of these heavenly delights. This neglect 
will damp, if not destroy, thefr love to God — will make it 
unpleasant to them to think or speak of God, or engage in 
his service — it tends to pervert their judgments concerning 
the ways and ordinances of God — it makes them sensual 
and voluptuous — it leaves them under the power of every 
affliction and temptation, and is a preparative to total apos- 
tacy — it will also make them fearful and unwilling to die ; 
for who would go to God or a place he hath no delight in ? 
who would leave his pleasure here, if he had not better to 
go to ? Had I only proposed a course of melancholy, and 
fear, and sorrow, you might reasonably have objected. But 
you must have heavenly delights, or none that are lasting. 
God is willing you should daily walk with him, and fetch 
in consolations from the everlasting fountain: if you are un- 
willing, even bear the loss ; and, when you are dying, seek 
for comfort where you can get it, and see whether fleshly 
delights will remain with you ; then conscience will remem- 
ber, in spite of you, that you were once persuaded to a way 
for more excellent pleasures — ))leasures that would have 
followed you through death, and have lasted to eternity. 

As for you, whose hearts God hath weaned from all things 



270 CONTEMPLATION [Chap. 16, 

here below, I hope you will value this heavenly life, and 
take one walk every day in the New Jerusalem. God is your 
love and your desire ; you would fain be more acquainted 
with your Savior ; and I know it is your grief, that your hearts 
are not nearer to him, and that they do not more feelingly 
love him, and delight in him. O try this life of meditation 
on your heavenly rest ! Here is the mount on which the 
fluctuating ark of your souls may rest. Let the world see, 
by your heavenly lives, that religion is something more than 
opinions and disputes, or a task of outward duties. If ever a 
Christian is like himself, and answerable to his principles 
and profession, it is when he is most serious and lively in 
this duty. As Moses, before he died, went up into Mount 
Nebo, to take a survey of the land of Canaan ; so the 
Christian ascends the mount of contemplation, and by faiths 
surveys his rest. He looks upon the glorious mansions, and 
says, *' Glorious things are" deservedly '* spoken of thee, 
thou city of God !" He hears, as it were, the melody of the 
heavenly choir, and says, " Happy is the people that are in 
such a case ; yea, happy is that people, whose God is the 
iiord !" He looks upon the glorified inhabitants, and says, 
•* Happy art thou, O Israel; who is like unto thee, O people, 
saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and who is the 
sword of thine excellency !" When he looks upon the Lord 
himself, who is their glory, he is ready, with the rest, to 
" fall down and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, 
and say. Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, 
and is, and is to come ! Thou art worthy, O Lord, to re- 
ceive glory, and honor, and power !" When he looks on the 
glorified Savior, he is ready to say Amen to that " New 
song, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto 
him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever 
and ever. For thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God 
by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, 
and nation ; and hast made us, unto our God, kings and 
priests !" When he looks back on the wilderness of this 
world, he blesses the believing, patient, despised saints ; he 
pities the ignorant, obstinate, miserable world; and for him- 
self he says, as Peter, " It is good to be here ;" or, as 
Asaph, " It is good for me to draw near to God ; for, lo ! 
they that are far from thee shall perish." Thus as Daniel, 
in his captivity, daily opened his window towards Jerusalem j 



Chap. 16.] EXEMPLIFIED. 271 

though far out of sight, when he went to God in his devo- 
tions ; so may the believing soul, in this captivity of the 
flesh, look towards " Jerusalem which is above." And as 
Paul was to the Colossians, so may the believer be with 
the glorified spirits, " though absent in the flesh, yet with 
them in the spirit, joying and beholding their heavenly 
order." And as the lark sweetly sings, while she soars on 
high, but is suddenly silenced when she falls to the earth ; 
so is the frame of the soul most delightful and divine, while 
it keeps in the views of God by contemplation. Alas, we 
make there too short a stay, fall down again, and lay by 
our music ! 

But " O thou, the merciful Father of spirits, the attractive 
of love, and ocean of delights, draw up these drossy hearts 
unto thyself, and keep them there till they are spiritualized 
and refined; and second thy servant's weak endeavors, and 
persuade those that read these lines, to the practice of this 
delightful, heavenly work ! O suffer not the soul of thy most 
unworthy servant to be a stranger to those joys which he 
describes to others ; but keep me while I remain on earth, 
in daily breathings after thee, and in a believing, affectionate 
walking with thee ! And when thou comest, let me be found 
so doing ; not serving my flesh, nor asleep, with my lamp 
unfurnished ; but waiting and longing for my Lord's return I 
Let those who shall read these heavenly directions, not 
merely read the fruit of my studies, but the breathing of my 
active hope and love ; that if my heart were open to their 
view, they might there read the same most deeply engraven 
with a beam from the face of the Son of God ; and not find 
vanity, or lust, or pride, within, when the words of life ap- 
pear without ; that so these lines may not witness against 
me ; but proceeding from the heart of the writer, may be 
effectual, through thy grace, upon the heart of the reader, 
and so be the savor of life to both ! Amen." 

** Glory be to God in the highest ; on earth peacCj good- 
mil toward men.'^^ 




This volume is stereotyped and perpetuated through the 
liberality of Asa Tenny, Esq. of Newbury, Vt. ; Mr. Henry 
Homes, of Boston ; Rev. Ebenezer Burgess, of Dedhara, 
Mass. ; Nicholas Brown, Esq. of Providence ; Matthew 
Marvin, Esq. of Wilton, Con. ; Rev. Dr. Milnor, Col. 
Henry Rutgers, and S. C, of New-York ; Hon. Stephen 
Van Rensselaer, of Albany; and Rev. Henry Dwight, of 
Geneva. 



