Sermons in One Volume, Sermon 3 – Religious treatise 5
THE CHRISTIANS SACRIFICE.
Prouerbs 23. 26.
My Sonne giuegive me thy heart.
TO binde all the leſſons together which yee hauehave learned ſince I came, this ſentence came to my mind,Iob. 22. 22. My Sonne, giuegive me thy hart: Luke 2. 19.which is the ſumme of all that yee hauehave heard,Pſal. 37. 32 and ſhewes in what cheſt you ſhould lay vp theſe treaſures,Dan. 7. 28. in your heart, and then giuegive that heart to God, & he wil keep all ſafe.
A ſupplication is come, as it were frō God to man, that man would ſend God his heart, penned by Salomon vnderunder the name of Wiſdome,Pro. 9. 1. and directed to her ſonnes, Wiſedome intreateth her ſonnes, that they would giuegive her their hearts;Rom. 8. 15. this Wiſedome is God, we by adoption are his ſonnes,Gal. 4. 24. and our heart is that which Chriſt calls ſpirit and truth,Iohn 4. 14. without hypocriſie, GiueGive me that heart, ſaith God. He which giues anie thing to another, conſiders before what he loues, & giues that which he thinkes will be accepted, that he may bee loued for the gift: therefore Dauid as though he were at a ſtand, & ſorrowed that he could not do enough for God, breakes forth to him ſelfe,Pſa. 116. 12 What ſhall I giuegive vntounto the Lord, for all that he hath giuen me? The Lord hearing as it were theſe ſighs of his ſeruants, which care & ſtudie what they may do to pleaſe him, comes in their ſuſpence, and like a friend which deſires nothing but good will, anſwers from heauen, My ſonne giuegive me thy heart. VnderUnder which ſute he taxeth them beſide which are ſuters alwayes to him, and looke ſtill to receiue like the Publicans, but neuer caſt in their minds what they ſhould giuegive: therefore their tribute is ſet downe by equall meaſure vnderunder the kings ſeale, euerie man muſt homage his heart.
Hee which alwayes gaue, nowe craues, and hee which craued alwayes, nowe giues: Chriſt ſtands at the doore like a poore man, and askes not bread, nor clothes, nor lodging, which we ſhould giuegive to his members, but our heart, that is, euen the continent of all, and Gouernour of mannes houſe, which ſits on the Bench like a Iudge, to giuegive the charge, and teach the tongue to ſpeake, the hand to worke, the foote to walke, the eare to attend, the eye to obſerue, the minde to chooſe,Leu. 1. 9. & 13. and the fleſh to obey. That wee muſt preſent to God like a burnt Sacrifice, wherein all is offered together, a wiſe tongue, a diligent hand, a warie foot, a watchfull eye, an attentiue eare, an humble minde, an obedient fleſh, put all together, and it is but the heart; My ſonne (ſaith God) giuee me thie heart. Here thou art the giuer, God the petitioner, thy heart the gift, which he claimeth by the name of a Son: ſhould God be a ſuppliant vntounto thee & me? but that our vnthankfulneſſe condemnes vsus, that for all the things which he hath giuen vsus, we neuer conſidered yet what we ſhould giuegive vntounto him before he asketh. He is faine to put in his petition like a Suter, and ſay, GiueGive me thy heart.
Marke what God hath choſen for himſelf, not that which any other ſhall looſe by, like the demaunds of them which care for none but themſelues; but that, which being giuen to God, mooues vsus to giuegive vntounto euerie man his due, as Zacheus when hee gaue his heart to Chriſt,Luke 19. 8. parted his goods to the poore, and reſtored to all, that which he had gotten by wrong.
Once God required offerings and ſacrifices, which men were vnwilling to giuegive,Mal. 1. 13. and 3. 18. becauſe it was a deare ſeruice of God: but now he ſaith, that the heart is more than all burnt offerings and ſacrifices. Iacob loued Ioſeph more than all his brethren:Mar. 12. 23 ſo God loueth the heart more than all her fellowes;Gen. 27. this myte God will hauehave for all his benefites, which we may beſt affoord him; thy almes to the poore, thy counſell to the ſimple, thy inheritance to thy children, thy tribute to Caeſar, but thy heart to God:Iohn 4. 24. he which is a ſpirite, requires the ſpirite, and delights to dwell in the hearts of men. Here God plants himſelf as in a caſtle, which is alwayes beſieged with the world, the fleſh, and the diuell. If the enemie get a thought, or a word, or a worke, yet he hath but razed the walles, but if he take the heart, then the fortreſſe is loſt. For that time all our thoughts, words and works, are captiue vntounto him: he bids them go, and they go, do, and they do it.
That man is like Eſau, which had an inheritance, which had a heart,Gen. 25. 23. but now he hath not poſſeſſion of his owne, therfore giuegive God thy heart, that he may keepe it, not a peece of thy heart, not a roome in thy heart, but thy heart. The heart diuided, dieth: God is not like the mother, which would hauehave the child diuided, but like the naturall mother, which ſaid, rather then it ſhould be diuided, let her take all. Let the diuell hauehave all, if he which gaue it bee not worthie of it: God hath no copeſmate, therefore he will hauehave no parting of ſtakes, but all or none, and therefore hee which askes heere thy heart, in the ſixt of Deuteronomie, and the fift verſe, askes all thy heart, all thy ſoule, all thy ſtrength; thriſe he requireth all, leaſt we ſhould keepe a thought behind: yet it is thy heart, that is, a vayne heart, a barren heart, a ſinfull heart, vntil thou giuegive it vntounto God, and then it is the ſpouſe of Chriſt,Eſa. 47. 17. the temple of the holy Ghoſt, and the image of God,Eccleſ. 11. 9. ſo changed and formed,1. Cor. 3. 16. and refined,1. Cor. 6. 19. that God calls it a new heart.
Some hauehave a double heart, as it is in the twelfth Pſalme: but God acknowledgeth but one heart,Pſal. 12. 2. ſaying, GiueGive me thy heart, not giuegive thy hearts; declaring that a ſingle heart is pleaſing vntounto him, and that they which hauehave a double heart, a heart and a heart, hauehave neuer a good heart.
God doth not require the heart, as though he required no more but the heart, like the Pope, which ſaith, GiueGive my thy heart, and it ſufficeth. To maintaine his Papiſts pendant and crouehant, which liue among Chriſtians; he requireth nothing of ſuch but their heart, that they may worſhip God with their lips, and diſſemble their religion, and forſweare their opinion, and come to ſermons, and ſubſcribe to other lawes, and ſeeme Proteſtants, as the diuell licenſeth witches to ſeeme Chriſtians, ſo they giuegive him their heart, he diſpenceth with them to diſſemble, and giuegive the reſt as they liſt: but God requireth the heart, becauſe we ſhould not diſſemble; for in the twelfth to the Romanes, he commandeth the bodie too,Rom. 12. 1. Offer vp your bodies: which we can not do, vnleſſe we giuegive heart, and hand, and tongue, and eyes, and eares, and all; for the bodie is all: but the heart is chiefe in requeſt, becauſe if there be anie goodneſſe, it lyes in the heart, & becauſe he which giues the heart, giues all:Luke 6. 45. for out of the abundance of the hart the mouth ſpeaketh, the hand worketh, the eye looketh, the eare liſteneth, the foote walketh to good or euill.
Therefore there is ſuch ſtrife for the heart, as there was for Moſes bodie,Iud. 9. GiueGive it mee ſaith the Lord, giuegive it me ſaith the Tempter, giuegive it me ſaith the Pope, giuegive it me ſaith riches, giuegive it me ſaith pleaſure, as though thou muſt needes giuegive it: now here is the choyce, whether thou wilt giuegive it to God or the diuell, Gods heart or the diuels heart, whoſe wilt thou be?
Thus doth man hang in a ballance, like a yong virgin which hath manie ſutors: ſome ſhe fancieth for parentage, ſome for perſonage, ſome for friends, ſome for wealth, ſome for wit, ſome for vertue, and after all, chooſeth the worſt of all; ſo the heart hath ſo many ſuters beſides God, that ſometime ſhe marrieth with one, ſometimes with another, the world keeps her, the fleſh keeps her, the deuil keeps her, which hauehave no more intereſt in her, than Herod to his ſiſter,Mat. 14. 4. but ſeeke her ſpoile, like them which marrie for riches, are glad when one dies, that another may come. Theſe ſuters are like Abſolon, which did not ſeeke the hearts of the people like Dauid, but ſtole them with flatterie and lies:2. Sam. 5. 6. but God would hauehave thee giuegive thy heart.
As a man conſiders what he doth when he giues: ſo God licenſeth vsus to conſider of that which we do for him, whether he deſerues it, whether we owe it, whether he can requite it, leſt it ſhould come againſt our will, therefore giuegive me, ſaith God: as though he would not ſtraine vponupon vsus, or take from vsus, but if thou wilt giuegive him thy heart, then he accepts it; it muſt come freely like a gift, as his bleſſings come to vsus, and then his demaund is graunted.
Here is no reſpect of time, how long thou maiſt ſtay it, or how long he wil keepe it, but giuegive it, is the preſent time, as though he wold hauehave it out of hand, while hee askes, before ye goe out of the Church: for what can we aske of him, while we denye him but one thing when he askes of vsus? therefore conſider who is a ſutor to you. Now I am a Collector for God, to gather hearts, either you muſt grant him, or denie him; thinke who ſhall looſe by it, if thou wilt not pay thy Land-lord his rent. How many ſubiectes would reioyce if they had any thing to giuegive to their prince, & pray her to accept it, and be glad if ſhe would take it, that they might but ſay; I hauehave giuen a preſent to the Queene.Mar. 14. 3. So Mary reioyced that ſhee had a little Oyle to ſprincke vponupon Chriſt, that ſhee would take no mony for it; yea the widdow of Zareptah was ſo ioyfull that ſhe had a little food for the Prophet,1. Reg. 17. 13 that ſhe ſpared it from her children and her ſelfe, to ſerue him firſt: ſo they which louelove the Lord like his diſciple, which left all to follow him,Luke 5. 11. had rather that he ſhould hauehave their riches, their honors, their hearts and their liues, then they themſelues.
Why is Dauid called a man after Gods owne heart; 1. Sa. 13. 14but becauſe when God ſaid, GiueGive me thy heart, his ſpirite anſwered like an Eccho, I giuegive thee my heart? Is God ſo deſirous of my heart? what good can my heart doo to God? It is not woorthie to come vnderunder his roofe, I would I had a better gift to ſend vntounto my Lorde, goe my heart to thy Maker, the Bridegroome hath ſent for thee, put on thy wedding garment, for the King himſelfe will marrie thee. Who is not ſorrie now, that hee did not giuegive his heart before? Is hee not worthie to die which will take his heart from him that made it, from him which redeemed it, from him which preſerues it, from him which will glorifie it; to giuegive it vntounto him which will infect it, torment it, condemne it? Will a ſeruant reach the cup to a ſtranger, when his Maſter cals for it? Or will a man ſell his coate if he hauehave no moe? What dooſt thou reſerue for God, when thou haſt giuen Sathan thy heart?Reu. 3. 20. Chriſt hath promiſed to come and dwell with thee, where ſhall he ſtaie, where ſhall he dine, if the chamber be taken vp, and the heart let foorth to another? Thou art but a Tenant, and yet thou takeſt his houſe ouer his head, and placeſt in it whom thou wilt, as if thou wert Landlord,
Canſt thou poſſeſſe another mans goods but he will moleſt thee, and trouble thee vntill he hauehave his owne? and dooſt thou thinke to keepe that which is Gods, and holde it in peace? No hee will neuer ſuffer thee to reſt, but crie vponupon thee daie and night, as Moſes vexed Pharaoh vntil he let the people goe;2. Sam. 3. 8. ſo thou ſhalt bee diſtracted with feares▪ and thoughts,Exod. 8. 13. & 9. 28. as one plague followed another,Act. 16. 14. vntill thou let thy heart goe,Exo. 8 & 9. & 10. that it may ſerue God: for, as if a man ſhould pull out thy heart, and take it from thee, ſo greeuous is it to God to keep thy heart from him.
Therefore let all Sutors hauehave their anſwere, that thy heart is married alreadie. As Iſaac anſwered Eſau,Gen. 27. Iacob hauehave I bleſſed, and he ſhalbe bleſſed: ſo thou maiſt ſay, God hath my heart, and he ſhall hauehave it; and them that craue it hereafter, ſend them to Chriſt for it, for it is not thine to giuegive, if thou hauehave giuen it to God alreadie. But take heede thy heart do not lye to thy ſelfe, and ſay it is Gods when it is the worldes,1. Reg. 24. 6. like Ieroboams Wife, which woulde not ſeeme to bee Ieroboams Wife. By this thou ſhalt knowe whether thou haſt giuen it to him or no; if the Heart be gone, all will followe. As the Sunne riſeth firſt, and then the beaſtes ariſe from their dennes, the Fowles from their neaſtes, and men from their beddes: ſo when the Heart ſets forwarde to God, all the members will follow after it, the tongue will praiſe him, the foote will follow him, the eare will attend him, the eye will watch him, the hand will ſerue him, nothing will ſtaie after the heart, but euerie one goes like handmaydes after their miſtreſſe:Pſal. 123. 2 this Chriſt verifieth, ſaying: make cleane within,Mat. 13. 26 and all will bee cleane: therefore the Publican did beat vponupon his hart, as though hee were angrie with it, becauſe it did not waken all the reſt: ſhewing that as the Father gaue vsus all, when hee gaue his ſon, ſo we giuegive him all when wee giuegive our heartes.Rom. 8. 32. This is the melodie which Paul ſpeaketh of, Epheſ. 5. 19. Make melodie in the Lord in your hearts: ſhewing that there is a conſort of all the members, when the heart is in tune, and that it ſoundes like a melodie in the eares of God, and makes vsus reioyce while wee ſerue him. Wee hauehave example heereof in Chriſt, which ſaid it was meate and drinke vntounto him to doo his fathers will:Iohn 4. 34. and in Dauid, which daunced to ſee the Arke;2. Sa. 6. 14. and in the Iſraelites, of whom it is ſaide,1. Chro. 29. 9 that they reioyced, when they offered from their heart vntounto the Lord.
Therefore Salomon pricking out the heart for God, ſpake as though he would ſet out the pleaſanteſt, and faireſt, & eaſieſt way to ſerue him, without any grudging, or toyle, or wearineſſe: touch but the firſt linke, and all the reſt will follow; ſo ſet the heart a going, and it is like the poize of a clocke, which turnes all the wheeles one way; ſuch an Oyle is vponupon the heart, which makes al nimble and currant about it: therfore it is almoſt as eaſie to ſpeak well and doe well, as to thinke well. If the heart indite a good matter, no maruel though the tongue be the Pen of a readie writer:Pſal. 45. 1. but if the hart be dull, all is like a left hand, ſo vnapt and vntoward, that it cannot turne it ſelfe to any good.
Therfore Gods ſutes hauehave ſo hard paſſage in mens counſailes, iudgements, and Parliaments, becauſe they doe not giuegive him their harts, which ſhould be the firſt offering of all; if they woulde giuegive him their hearts before they ſit downe to heare his cauſe, they could not denie him anie thing that is for his honour, though it were againſt their profit: but as Chriſt ſaieth,Mat. 26. 39 Not my will, but thy will: ſo they would ſay, It is not our Kingdome, but thy Kingdome; it is not our Church, but thy Church; therefore not our will, but thy will; not our law, but thy law; not our diſcipline, but thy diſcipline raigne in it; and all that giuegive their hearts ſubſcribe to this: the reſt ſay, not thy wil, but our wil; not thy law, but our law; not thy diſcipline, but our diſcipline, becauſe as the Apoſtle ſayth, They ſeeke their owne glorie, and not Chriſts, Phil. 2. 21. This hath bene the rub euer ſince Antichriſt was firſt reſiſted.Mat. 2. 3. Herode could not ſee how hee ſhould be King, if Chriſt ſhould raigne, therfore as the Image-makers cried and ſtormed when Images ſhould goe downe,Act. 19. 25. alleadging that they liued by that craft: ſo, if you marke what kind of men they were which did preach and write, and labour ſo hotly againſt religion, it is they that were like to looſe ſome of their dignities, or their commodities by it.
The Scribes and Phariſies reſiſted Chriſt more than the people,Ioh. 11. 48. becauſe hee denounced woe to them,Mat. 23. 7. and miſliked that they ſhould bee called Rabbi:Mar. 10. 21 how hard it is to follow Chriſt, when he ſaith, Leaue all; nay, if he bid vsus leaue any thing for him, though we ſhould leaue our ſelues, Matt. 16. 24. The tongue wil not praiſe, becauſe the heart doth not louelove; the eare doth not heare, becauſe the heart doth not minde; the hand doth not giuegive, becauſe the heart doth not pitie; the foote will not goe, becauſe the heart doth not ſtirre; all ſtaie vponupon the heart, like the Captaine that ſhould giuegive the onſet. Thus to ſhew that hee deſerueth all, the Lord requireth that which bringeth all.
Secondly, God requireth the Heart, ſhewing that all the things of this worlde are not woorthie of it, nor a peece of it, nor a thought, vnles it be to contemne them, as Salomon thought of vanitie:Eccl. 1. 13. & 14. for if the heart be the Temple of God, hee which giueth it to anie thing elſe, committeth Sacriledge, and breaketh that Commaundement, GiueGive vntounto GOD that which is Gods, Matthewe 22. 21.
Thirdly, that all ſhould conſent ſo with the heart,Pſal. 4. 4. that wee ſhould ſpeake as if our heart did ſpeake,Iob 22. 22. pray as if our heart did pray, heare as if our heart did heare, giuegive as if our heart did giuegive▪ remit as if our heart did remit, and counſell as if our heart did counſell, as the Apoſtle ſayth, Doe all things heartely. Col. 3. 23. which if we could keepe, nothing that wee doe ſhould trouble vsus, becauſe nothing is troubleſome, but that which goeth againſt the heart.
Fourthly, that wee ſhould ſerue God for himſelfe, and not for our ſelues, as he which giues his heart, doth all for louelove: this Chriſt requires, when he caſts off that Diſciple, that offred to follow him for aduantage,Mat. 8. 19. The birds hauehave neaſtes, and …he foxes hauehave hoales (ſaieth Chriſt) but the Sonne of man hath not a place to hide his head: ſhewing his Disciple, if hee will follow him, … muſt not looke for a place to hide his head: we muſt leaue all to follow Chriſt,Mat. 4. 20. as Peter did, & not ſeeke all by following him,Ioh. 9. 26. as they that wēt after him for bread.
Fiftly, that wee ſhould not ſerue God by fits, as we vſe to pray when the night comes, to heare when the Sabboath comes, to faſt when Lent comes, to repent when death comes: but the ſeruice of the heart is a continuall ſeruice,1. Theſſ. 5. 16. like that in 1. Theſſ. 5. 16. Reioyce euermore, praye continually, in all things giuegive thankes. Who is this which reioyceth, and prayeth, and thanketh continually? The tong prayeth but ſometime, the eare attendeth but ſometime, the hand giueth but ſometime; but the heart prayeth, and praiſeth, and worſhippeth alwaies; a man may ſerue God alwaies with his heart and neuer bee wearie, becauſe the heart cannot ſerue him, vnles it reioyce in his ſeruice: and therefore the Iſraelites praiſed God with muſicke,1. Chro. 15. 16. which did not delight God, but ſhewed that they delighted in his ſeruice, as they did in muſicke. But if the tongue, or the hande, or the eare, thinke to ſerue God without the heart, it is the irkſomeſt occupation in the world, the houre of tediouſneſſe, like a long ſickneſſe, he is tyred before he begin, and thinketh himſelfe in the ſtockes, vntill the Sermon bee ended, and vntill his Prayer bee done, that hee may bee at libertie, and returne to his olde byas againe.
Laſtly, this ſhewes how God miſlikes our coldneſſe in hearing, or praying, if we cannot ſay with the Virgin in Luke, the firſt Chapter and ſixe and fortieth verſe,Luk. 1. 46. My hart doth magnifie the Lord. All that comes ſhort of this is hypocriſie,Gen. 4. 5. & pleaſeth God like the offering of Cain.Gen. 42. 15. As Ioſeph charged his brethren that they ſhould not come to him for corne vnleſſe they brought Beniamin vntounto him,Mat. 15. 8. whom they left at home: ſo God will not hauehave vsus to ſpeake to him, nor come to him for any thing, vnleſſe we bring our heart vntounto him which we leaue behinde. The tongue without the heart is a flattering tongue, the eye without the heart is a wicked eye, the eare without the heart is a vaine eare, the hand without the heart is a falſe hand. Doeſt thou thinke that God wil accept a flattering tong, a wicked eye,Leu. 22. 22, 23, 24. a vaine eare, a falſe hand; which reiecteth a ſacrifice if it be but leane, or bruſed? No ſaith Paule, in his firſt Epiſtle to the Corinthians, the thirteenth Chapter and firſt verſe,1. Cor. 13. 1. If I giuegive all that I hauehave, and hauehave not louelove, that is, giuegive not my heart, it auailes me nothing: he ſaith not, that they which giuegive not their heart, giuegive nothing, but that they ſhall hauehave nothing for ſuch offerings: he which brings but a myte and brings his heart,Mar. 12. 42 brings more than he which offers a talent, and hee ſhall goe away more iuſtified than he which ſayd, All theſe hauehave I kept from my youth vpward: Mat. 19. 20for God is not mocked,Gal. 6. 7. but knowes howe much is behinde, though Ananias ſeeme to bring all.Act. 5. 3. He markes how I ſpeake, and how you heare, and howe wee pray in this place, and if it come not from the heart, hee repelles it as faſt as it goes vp, like the ſmoke which clymes towardes Heauen, but neuer comes there. Man thinkes when he hath the gift he hath the heart too, but God when he hath the gift calls for the heart ſtill;Pſal. 73. 1. the Phariſies prayer, the harlots vowe, the traytors kiſſe the Sacrifice of Cain, the faſt of Iezabel, the oblation of Ananias, the teares of Eſau, are nothing to him, but ſtill he cries, Bring thy heart, or bring nothing, like a iealous husband whē he hath a wife, yet he is iealous whether he hath her heart; ſo whatſoeuer thou do, yet God is iealous ſtill, and reſpectes not what thou doeſt, but whether thou do it from thy heart, that is, of meere louelove toward him. If Pilate had waſhed his heart when he waſhed his hands,Mat. 27. 42 he had bene cleaner than Naaman when hee came out of Iordan;2. Reg. 5. 13 if the Sichemites had circumciſed their hearts,Gen. 34. 22. when they circumciſed their fleſh, they had ſaued their ſoules when they loſt their liues; if Cain had offered his heart when hee offered of the fruites,Gen. 4. 3. his offering had bene as acceptable as Abels.Leu. 10. 7. But as Swines fleſh was like Sheepes fleſh, yet was not accepted, because it came from an vncleane beaſt: ſo Cains offering, Pilates waſhing, the Sichemites circumciſion, the Phariſies prayer, and faſtes, and almes, were as faire as the Apoſtles; yet they had no reward,Matth. 23. but Wo to you hypocrites; becauſe they wanted the heart; which is like the fire that kindleth the Sacrifice.1. Re. 18. 25 But will he require our prayers, and faſtes, and almes, as he did theirs?Mat. 5. 20. Yea ſaith Chriſt, Except your righteouſneſſe exceede the Phariſies, that is, Except we giuegive our hearts beſide our lippes, and our eares, & our almes, which they gaue wee ſhall not enter into the Kingdome of Heauen; becauſe our righteouſneſſe doth not exceede the righteouſneſſe of the Phariſies, but their righteouſneſſe verie farre exceedeth ours.
Chriſt doth not bid them wo, becauſe they were Phariſies as we are not, but becauſe they were hypocrites as we are. God delights him ſelfe in giuing,Mica. 7. 18 and therefore he loueth a cheerefull giuer; but he cannot giuegive cheerfully,1. Cor. 9. 7. which giues not his heart. Therefore, as Iudas thought the Oyle ſpent which was powred vponupon Chriſt,Mat. 26. 9. and wiſhed the price of it in his purſe: ſo they grutch & grieue when they ſhould doe good, and thinke, Shall I giuegive it? Can I ſpare it? What will it bring? So the good worke dieth in the birth, like a bird which droupeth in the hand, while the head conſiders whether he ſhall let her goe, or hold her ſtill: as eaſie to wring Hercules club out of his fiſtes, as to wring a penitent teare from their eyes, a faithfull prayer from their lips, or a good thought from their heart, which cannot affoord the heart it ſelfe: all is too much, which they do, and they thinke God more beholding to them for blurting out a Pater noſter, or ſtaying a Sermon, or faſting a Friday, than they to him for all his benefites: and when they hauehave done, what is their reward?Matth. 23. Woe bee vntounto you like the Scribes and Phariſies, becauſe you giuegive not your hearts but your mouthes,Mat. 15. 8. therefore we do but vexe our ſelues, and looſe our labour, thinking to make God beleeue that we pray, when indeed our lips do but pray: whereby it comes to paſſe, as we ſerue him, ſo he ſerueth vsus, our peace is not in deed but in word, our ioy is not in heart but in countenance, a falſe comfort, like our falſe worſhip: for he which giueth God his lips in ſtead of his hart, teacheth God to giuegive him ſtones in ſtead of bread: that is, a ſhadow of comfort for comfort it ſelfe.
Now whē we hauehave giuen God faire words, and long prayers, and ſolemne faſtes, and mourning countenances, hee puts in but a word more to fill vp the Sacrifice, GiueGive me thy heart, and it ſufficeth. It is like the laſt ſute of Abraham when he ſaid to God, I will ſpeake but this once: ſo if thou wilt heare him in this, he will aske no more, therefore nowe conclude, whether God ſhall hauehave thy heart or nothing: if thou conſider what right he hath to aske it, and what cauſe thou haſt to giuegive it, thou canſt not keepe it till I ende my Sermon.
Of all the ſuters which come vntounto you, it ſeemes there is none which hath anie title to claime the heart but God, which challengeth it by the name of a ſonne:Mal. 1. 6. as if he ſhould ſay, thou ſhalt giuegive it to thy Father, which gaue it to thee: art thou my ſonne? My ſonnes giuegive me their hearts, and by this they know that I am their father, if I dwell in their hearts, for the heart is the temple of God,1. Cor. 4. 16. therefore if thou bee his ſonne, thou wilt giuegive him thy heart, becauſe thy Father deſires it, thy Maker deſires it, thy Redeemer deſires it, thy Sauiour deſires it, thy Lord, & thy King, & thy maſter deſires it,Rom. 8. 32. which hath giuen his Sonne for a ranſome, his Spirite for a pledge, his Word for a guide, the World for a walke, and reſerues a kingdom for thine inheritance. Canſt thou denie him anie thing, which hath giuen the heire for the ſeruant, his beloued for his enemie, the beſt for the worſt? Canſt thou denie him anie thing, whoſe goodneſſe created vsus, whoſe fauour elected vsus, whoſe merciemercy redeemed vsus, whoſe wiſedome conuerteth vsus, whoſe grace preſerueth vsus, whoſe glorie ſhall glorifie vsus?Iohn 4. 10. O, if thou kneweſt (as Chriſt ſaid to the womā of Samaria, when ſhe huckt to giuegive him water) if thou kneweſt who it is which ſaith vntounto thee, GiueGive me thy heart, thou wouldeſt ſay vntounto him as Peter did, when Chriſt would waſh his feete,Iohn 13. 9. Lord, not my feet onelyonly, but my hands, and my head; not my heart onelyonly, but all my bodie, and my thoughts, & my words, and my works, and my goods, and my life, take all that thou haſt giuen. For why ſhould we not giuegive him our hearts aſwell as our lippes, vnleſſe we meane to deceiue him with words for deeds?
If Abraham gaue Lot leaue to chuſe what part he did like,Gen. 13. 8. 9 ſhall we not giuegive God leaue to chuſe that which he loueth? If he did not louelove thee, he would not require thy heart; for they which louelove, require the heart. The Maiſter requires labour, the Landlord requires ſeruice, the Captaine requires fight; but he that requires the heart, requires it for louelove, for the heart is louelove.
We will giuegive him litle, if we will not giuegive him that which he askes for louelove toward our ſelues:Pſal. 31. 5. though he ſay,1. Pet. 1. 18 19. GiueGive it, yet indeed he hath bought it, and that deerely, with the deereſt blood that euer was ſhed. He gaue thee his heart before he deſired thy heart, but a heart for a heart, a liuing heart for a heart which died: thou doeſt not loſe thy life, as he did for thee, but thou beſtoweſt thy life to glorifie him: thou doſt not part from thy hart when thou giueſt it, but he doth keepe it for thee, leſt the Serpent ſhould ſteale it from thee,Gen. 3. 1. as he ſtole Paradiſe from Adam when it was in his owne cuſtodie. He can keepe it better than we,Pſal. 31. 5. and he will keepe it if wee commit it to him,Iohn 10. 26 and lay it in a bed of peace, and lap it with ioy, and none ſhall take it out of his hands. Therefore, if ye aske me, why you ſhould giuegive your hearts to God? I doe not anſwer like the diſciples which went for the Aſſe and the Colt,Mat. 21. 3. The Lord hath neede: but we hauehave neede: for vnleſſe we giuegive our ſoules, how can he hauehave them? and vnleſſe he hauehave them, how can he ſaue them? Therefore we hauehave neede. If euer the ſaying were true,Act. 20. 35. (It is more bleſſed to giuegive than take:) more bleſſed are they which doe giuegive their hearts to God,1. Sa. 25▪ 42 than they which take poſſeſſion of the world. Abigail did not gaine ſo much by her gift to Dauid, as we for our gift to God: for ſhe was married vntounto Dauid, but wee are married vntounto Chriſt, of whom the Church dooth ſing in the fift of Canticles, that no welbeloued is like her beloued: what heart would not bee loued of him, though it do not louelove him? VVho can aſſoyle this riddle? VVe would hauehave Chriſt our bridegroome, and yet we will not be his ſpouſe; I would hauehave him take my heart, and yet I will not giuegive it. How ſhould he keepe it, or ſaue it, or glorifie it, if I hide it away, like the ſeruant that buried his talent in the earth?Mat. 26. 24 So much as I keepe from God, ſo much I keepe from heauen, and wil not ſuffer him to glorifie it, as if I did wiſh one part to be ſaued, and another damned. He which would hauehave his heart ſanctified, and comforted, and enlightned, and wil not giuegive it to God which ſhould do it, is like a woman which would hauehave her dough leauened, and layeth her dough in one place, and the leauen in another, where one cannot touch the other: then commeth the tempter, and takes them aſunder, and ſeazeth vponupon the heart, becauſe he findes her alone. This is his ſeed time, now he enters into it, & fils it with his poyſon, till the temple of God be the ſinke of ſin, & the heart which ſhould be the ſeat of holineſſe, grace, and wiſedome, a heart of pride, a heart of enuy, a heart of luſt, more like a belly than a heart: how many things lodge in the heart, when God is not there? It is a world to thinke how the diuine ſoule, which deſcended from heauen to bring forth fruit, is become a fit ſoil for eueryevery weed, whereby wee may ſee what hearts wee hauehave, before we giuegive them to God.
Therefore now aske your hearts, whoſe they are, and how they are moued with theſe wordes; how many here will giuegive to this collection? whoſe hart is gone vp vntounto him ſince I began to ſpeake? Here one and there one runnes vp the ladder,Gen 28. 13. like the Angels that Iacob ſaw in his dreames, and ſing with Dauid, My heart is prepared, Pſal. 47. 47my heart is prepared: and why not thou as well as he? Doth not he ſend for all alike? Wilt thou be the thorne or the ſtone,Mat. 13. or the high way, where the ſeede dooth looſe his fruite? Why, hadſt thou rather bee compelled than inuited,Mat. 22. ſince thou art called to a banket? How many hearts mo might we drawe to God, if all that be here would go to him this day? but thus it ſtandes, God hath ſent vntounto vsus for our hearts, and wee anſwere him as the husbands of the vineyard when he ſent for fruites;Mat. 21. 23. or as Nabal anſwered Dauid, when he ſent for food,1. Sa. 25. 10 Who is Dauid? or who is the Lord? that I ſhould take my heart from pleaſure and ſin, and giuegive it vntounto him? Thus we demurre vponupon the cauſe when we ſhould giuegive, whether we ſhould giuegive or no; and aske the fleſh, and our luſts, and our pleaſures: and if the diuell will not giuegive his aſſent, then wee returne an excuſe, it is not mine to giuegive, or if thou canſt get the diuels good will, I will not ſtand; or let ſinne and pleaſure hauehave it for a while, and when they hauehave done with it, then God ſhall hauehave it.
Thus eueryevery thing which ſhould be thrown out, hath a place in our heart; and he which ſhould bee receiued in, can hauehave no roome there, though hee would open the doores of heauen, if we would open the doores of our hearts,Pſal. 24. 4. that the King of glorie might come in. What ſhall become of thoſe hearts, when he which craues them now, ſhall iudge them hereafter? Then ſhall they ſtand like Eſau, and ſee them bleſſed like Iacob which gaue their hearts;Gen. 27. 36. and crie themſelues as hee did to his father Iſaac, Haſt thou not reſerued a bleſſing for vsus? What a heauie heart will it bee then, when it may not ioy any longer here, and the ioyes of Heauen are ſhut agaynſt it? and hee which deſired it, will not hauehave it, becauſe it comes like the fooliſh Virgins,Mat. 25. 11 when the doores of merciemercy are ſhut. Thus ye hauehave heard what God requires for all that hee hath giuen you, and how all your ſeruices are loſt vntill you bring it. What ſhall I wiſh you now before my departure? I wiſh you would giuegive all your hearts to God while I ſpeake, that yee might hauehave a Kingdome for them. Send for your hearts where they are wandering, one from the Banke, another from the Tauerne, another from the Shop, another frō the Theaters; call them home, and giuegive them all vntounto God, and ſee how hee will welcome them,Luk. 15. 22. as the Father imbraceth his Sonne. If your hearts were with God, durſt the Diuell fetch them, durſt thoſe ſinnes come at them? Euen as Dina was defloured when ſhe ſtrayed from home:Gen. 34. 1. ſo is the heart when it ſtraieth from God. Therefore call the members together, and let them faſt like a queſt of twelue men, vntill they conſent vppon lawe, before anie moe Tearmes paſſe, to giuegive God his right, and let him take the heart which hee wooeth, which hee would marrie, which hee would endowe with all his goods, and make it the heyre of the crowne. When you pray, let your heart pray; when you heare, let your heart heare; when you giuegive, let your heart giuegive; whatſoeuer you doe, ſet the heart to doe it: and if it be not ſo perfect as it ſhould bee,Pro. 3. 1. yet it ſhalbe accepted for the friend that giues it.Dan. 10. 12.
Now if you cannot command your hearts to turne vntounto God, becauſe the diuell pleades cuſtome, and the fleſh will not agree to leaue her poſſeſſions, then remember what Chriſt ſaith,Mat. 6. 2. When ye giuegive almes, let not your left hand know what the right hand doth: ſo the fleſh muſt not knowe what the ſpirite doth. Thou muſt not make thy luſts of counſel; but as Abraham when hee was bid to offer his ſonne, roſe vp betime and left his wife at home, and neuer made Sarah priuie leſt ſhe ſhould ſtop him,Gen. 22. 6. being more tender ouer her childe (like women) than the father is: ſo thou muſt giuegive thy heart to God, before the fleſh heare of it: for if Abigaile had conſulted with Nabal,1. Sa. 25. 18 whether ſhe ſhuld hauehave ſupplied Dauid with victuals or no, when he ſent; the miſer would neuer hauehave giuen his conſent, which ſcolded ſo ſoone as he heard of it, therefore ſhe went alone, and gaue that which hee asked, and neuer tolde her husband what ſhee would doe, leſt hee ſhould hinder her, which ſought her welfare and his too: ſo wee ſhould ſteale our harts from the world, as the world ſtole them from vsus, and tranſport them to God when the fleſh is a ſleepe.
I hauehave but one daye more to teach you all that you muſt learne of me, therefore I would holde you heere vntill you aſſent to giuegive all your hearts to God. If ye giuegive them not now, where hauehave I caſt the ſeede, and how hauehave ye heard all this yeare? If ye will giuegive them now ye ſhall bee adopted this daye the ſonnes of God, and I ſhall leaue you in the boſome of Chriſt,1. Cor. 2. 16. which will giuegive you heauen for your hearts. The Lord Ieſu graunt that my wordes bee not the ſauour of death vntounto my ſoule here, but that you may goe in ſtrength thereof,Mat. 25. 34 through proſperitie and aduerſitie, till you heare that comfort from heauen, Come ye bleſſed and receiue the inheritance prepared for you.
FINIS.
THE TRVE TRIAL OF THE SPIRITES.
To the Reader.
TWo things we are apt to forget, Gods benefites and our ſinnes: for the firſt, the Lord ſaith,Mal. 12. 6. I hauehave loued you, and they ſay, Wherein haſt thou loued vsus? For the ſecond hee ſaith, Ye hauehave deſpiſed me: and they ſay, Wherein hauehave we deſpiſed thee?