The Christians Heavenly Treasure, Part 5
How to iudge by the heart whether … mans Treasure be in heauen or no.
THere be certaine signes in the hart, whereby a man may iudge of his estate to come, as there be in the skie, to know what weather shall happen:Mat. 16. 3 when the skie is red in the Euening, men say, faire weather: when it is red & lowring in the morning, it is a signe of foule weather:Luk 12. 5… when a cloud riseth out of the West, they say, a shower is comming: when the South-winde bloweth, a signe of heat. By obseruing how Ionathan shot his arrows, Dauid knew how Saul stood affected towards him: by the holding out of the golden Scepter, Hester knew shee was in the Kings fauour: by the budding of the Trees wee know that Summer is come: by the sound of the Vessell the emptinesse or fulnes thereof is perceiued: by the beating of the pulses, the distemperature of the body is discerned. And by the affections of the heart, which are the pulses of the soule, the hearts Treasure is discouered, and where it lyeth, for God that hath giuen men signes to know the state of the body, the alteration of weather, and the mindes of other men, hath also giuen certaine notes and signes to discerne the state of the Soule by. Yea, Christ doth condemne them for Hypocrites, which will not iudge of themselues, as well as of other things. Hipocrites (saith hee) Yee can discerne the face of the Earth, Luke. 12. 56. 57.and of the Skie, but why discerne yee not this time? yea, and why iudge yee not of your selues what is right?
But how may that be (will some say) or how may a man know by the affections of the heart, where the hearts treasure is? Then mark the way of wisdome, and learne to bee wise, when the Lord Iesus heard one answeare discreetely, he said vntounto him,Mar 12. 34 Thou art not farre from the kingdome of God, to shew that discreet answeres in matters of religion are signes of grace. When Zacheus did with heart obey Christ, and with reuerence receiue Christ, and in charitie releiue Christ, & in conscience of his wrongs done, was ready to restore where hee had wrongfully receiued, the Lord Iesus said vntounto him,Luk. 19. This day Saluation is come into thy house: to shew that true conuersion is a certaine signe of Life and Saluation.Psa. 41. 11 By this I know (saith Dauid) that thou louest mee O Lord, because my enimies doe not triumph ouer mee: to shew that euen enimies are for signes & tokens of gods fauour.Ioh. 13. 34 By this shall all men know that yee are my Disciples (saith our sauiour Christ) …f yee louelove one another: to shew that christian louelove is for a signe of gods louelove, but not a cause thereof as Papists teach. And by the heart a man may know whether his part be in the booke of life, and whether his soule shall bee bound vp in the bundell of the righteous or no: For where the treasure is, there will th… heart bee also: that is, there will be the ioy and delight of the heart, the louelove and de…ire of the heart, the care and longing of the heart, for the heart in this place is put for the affections of the heart or soule.
If then thou wouldest know whether thy Treasure bee in heauen or hell: see where thy heart doth most …aunt, and whereabout it is most employed. If Christ be the man & the matter whom thy soule loueth,…omfortable …. if his Gospell bee the ioy of thy soule, & his commandements thy harts delight; if for louelove of his name, and zeale to his glory, thou fearest more to offend him then all the world besides, and art for his sake, content to endure with patience all the Tribulations & crosses that the hands of wicked men can loade vponupon thy backe; if thou canst finde thy heart resolued to drink of his cup, and to bee baptised with his Baptisme; & if thou bee bent to stand more zealously for his glory, then for thy own life; and if thy heart bee refreshed, when thou thinkest on his death, and art hartely desirous of his comming to Iudgement: then happy and blessed art thou, the king of kings hath put forth his golden Scepter vntounto thee, thou art in his fauour, the fruitfull Tree of Grace hath budded in thy hart, the Summer time of thy refreshing is approching, and the Lord delighteth in the fruit of thy faith: thy treasure is in heauen, thy prouision is gone before, & thou shalt follow after, yea more, if thy heart doth mourne and grieue for thy owne vntowardnesse, and the sinnes of other men, thou art marked by Gods owne Secretary, his sauing Angell hath set thee apart,Ez…ch. 9▪ 4 that the destoyers … may not meddle with thee, if they meete thee in their way. And as Christ said to Nathaniel: Ioh. 1. 50.Dost thou beleue because I said I saw thee vnderunder the figge Tree? thou shalt see greater things then these: Soe do you beleeue because I say, by the hart you shal know whether your treasure be in heauen? you shall see greater things then yet you doe, for now wee see but in part, and we know but in part; but hereafter wee shall know as wee are knowne: in the meane time take these things as the first fruites of the spirit, which are but th… least part of the haruest, or as an earnest penny in assurance of millions not to bee numbred, for certainly, where the hart is, there is the treasure, but how great a treasure,1. Cor. 2. 9 no eye hath seene, nor eare hath heard, nor tongue can expresse, nor hart can conceiu….
On the other side, if thy hart hath no ioy in the gospell of Christ, nor delight in the commandements of God, if thou hauehave no zeale for the glory of God, no desire to pray, nor longing for the coming of Christ, then feare, for where thy treasure is, there will thy heart be also. If thou hast more felicitie in worldly vanities, then in heauenly vertues, if vaine company bee more welcome vntounto thee, then such as feare the Lord, if thy study be onelyonly how to liue heere, & thy cares and communications be altogether …arthly and prophane, then suspect thy estate not to bee good, and know that thy hollow sound bewrayeth an emptie vessell, thy figge tree hath nothing but leaues, all thy Termes are but vacations, and as for treasure in heauen thou hast none, for they that are occupiers there, hauehave their harts wholly employed there, and as they looke for great aboundance when they come thether, so they finde an earnest thereof in their harts heere, al… is holy, and heauenly, comfortable and happie, for righteousnesse and truth hath looked downe from heauen vponupon them, and mercy and peace hauehave embraced each other in their soules, and heauen holding their treasure doth also hale and draw their harts thither likewise.
Now then let vsus see how our harts stand affected, for there is a sure witnesse and pledge eyther of Hell or of Heauen.
But how shall wee know whether our hearts be in heauen, and Gods holy spirit be in our hearts? Surely a needfull question; for eueryevery one wil say as the yong man in the Gospel,Mat 1… all these things I hauehave obserued from my youth, and that he loueth God aboue all, yea hee would be sorry else, but the Prophet Ieremie saith,Ier. 17. 9. that the heart is deceiptfull & wicked aboue all things, who can know it? and therefore to be suspected & examined as Dauid aduised:Psal. 4. Examine your hearts vponupon your beds, euen secretly before God, and free from all lets and encombrances: Wouldest thou then know thy heart, examine all her attendants, and vnderunder officers wherabout they are chiefly employed, as thy Tongue, thy Eares, thy Eyes, thy hands and feet;Mat. 12. 35 for out of the abundance of the hart the mouth speaketh, that is, the tongue will shew how the hart is affected,Psal. 45. 1 my hart is enditing of a good matter (saith the Psalmist) and presently followeth, my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Againe in another place,…sal. 39. 2. My hart was hot within me and I spake with my tongue. A good man (saith our Sauiour Christ) out of the good treasure of his hart bringeth forth good things. lat▪ 12. 35If there be abundance of louelove to God, the tongue will still bee speaking in commendation of his praises, and setting forth his greatnes, his goodnes, his iustice, his holines, his wisdome and mercy, &c.Can. 1. 1. as the Church in the Canticles, Oh let him kisse me with the kisses of his mouth, for thy louelove is better then wine, that is, better then all pleasant and profitable things. If there bee abundance of ioy and delight in the commandements of God,Ps. 119. 13 thy lips will declare the Iudgements of his mouth; If there be abundance of feare to offend against God, or the Godly, thou wilt set a watch before thy mouth, and thy feet shall carry thee speedely from euill company; If there be abundance of zeale in thy hart; then will thy tongue be enflamed with a holy fire for the truth; If thy hart doth abound with desire and longing for the presence of the Lord, then thou wilt still be wishing,Psal. 42. 1. and striuing to visit his house here, and to meete him in the clouds. In a word, the whole course of a mans life, his speach, his countenance, his company, his exercises, his watchfulnesse, his habite, his dyet, his building, his purchasing, his children, his seruants, his buying & …elling, his trading & sporting all wil bewray of what country hee is, and whither his hart is trauailing, as Iehu was knowne by his marching. Wel may he vse the world for necessities sake, but it shall be as though he vsed it not, like an In to bait in▪ but not to abide in: he may see therin, and salute those that passe by, but the hart still holdeth on his course to his heauenly country, and saith as Christ said in the gospel, when he knew that his enimies were not far off, Arise, let vsus goe hence, here is no abiding for vsus, On the contrary, if couetousnes; ambition, vncleane lusts, pride, en…ie, mallice, profanenes, or the like, doe abound in thy hart, thy tongue, thy countenance, thy company, & all will bewray it. Out of the mouth will flie vnsauery Iests, thy mind will run like a wilde horse vp and downe in the world. When Christ is deuiding of heauenly doctrine, then commeth the worldling and interrupteth him,Luk. 12. 13 with Maister deuide the inheritance between me & my brother. And as Christ himselfe by scribling on the ground,oh. 8. 6. shewed that hee did not regard what the malicious Iewes said, when they came to accuse the adultresse woman: so at the table, when grace is in saying, or at the temple in the holy exercises of religion; the worldlings minde being not on those things, wil bewray the same euen by the very motions of their fingers, or by their looking about vponupon some other thing
But hipocrits will make as great a shew as any,Obiect. and spin a very fine thred, saying also as that yong bragger in the Gospell, willing to iustifie himselfe, all this hauehave we done. Answere.And so they wil, and may in pollicy, but not in true pietie; from the braine perhaps, but not from the heart; of the abundance of braine, that is, wittie and cunning inuention: the tongue of the hipocrit speaketh good things, and keepeth good company, and frequenteth the word & Sacraments, not of louelove, nor zeale, nor desire to glorifie God, for that is the store of a good heart, which hee wanteth, but onelyonly like a crafty Fox, and cunning pollitician, …asteth in his braine which way to bring his purpose to passe, & so serueth the time that the time may serue his turne. And therfore as occasion serueth, hee is a right temporizer, commending with his tongue that which hee condemneth in his heart, like the diuell who confessed Iesus Christ to be the son of God, whom he loued not: but his heart in the meane time frameth mischiefe and deceipt, a de… it is for infernall furies, and a cage of vncleane birds; it delighteth in vain exercises, & vaine company, and is fraught like a ship with vile thoughts, he is a man of Beliall that hath lewde things in his heart, and when time, company, and occasion serue, wil of this abundance, both speak &do lewdly. Two notable examples of such ware, doth the scripture afford vsus, the one is in the harlo… pleading before king Salomon: the other is in Herod. 1. King. 3▪The holy story saith, two har…ots pleaded hard, aswell to cleare themselues of the death of that childe, that was ouerlaid, as to iustifie the claim that was made by each of them to the suruiuing child: wel to decide the controuersie about the liuing child, the king calleth for a sword, & commandeth it to be cut in peece…, & diuided betweene them, knowing right well by the wisedome which God had giuen him, how nature would worke in the true mother. The dissembling monster thinking that the King had ment as he said, said as hee said, & yet no otherwise then as she would hauehave had it: the other from the aboundance of naturall affection was content ra…her to loose her interest in her owne childe, then that the poore infant should innocently be depriued of his life: So hipocrites, and true professours make both one shew and plead both for the truth, as they would make the world beleeue, but vponupon occasions offered in time and place, the difference will easily appeare.
The other example is of Herods dealing towards the Wise men▪ which came from the East they came in simplicity of heart, shewing plainly the end of their comming and confessing boldly that they had seene Christs star in the East▪ but Herod like a Foxe very polliti…ely beareth a part in their song, but harbouring at the same instant a bloudy Tragedy in his hart, which hee meant to hauehave acted so soone as hee should learn wher Christ was borne. The like dissembling is to be found in another Herod, & Herodias, in Mat. 14. 2.Mat. 14 Iohn the Baptist was great with the multitude, therfore Herod wil seeme to heare him gladly, yea to reu…rence & commend his doctrin, this was in Herods head, but let Iohn tell him of his perticular sinne, (as he did) and then it will appeare what is in his hart, not Iohn but Herodias, not holines but whoredome, & that shall this busie controller (as the world speaks of Preachers) well know to, for to prison he must goe, & were it not for feare of the multitude hee should dye too. Herodias is as cunning as Herod, for so long as the King doth reuerence Iohn Baptist, she will not seeme to mislike him greatly, especially before the King, yet she hath a quarrell against him, & in her hart she wisheth his head off, onelyonly she watcheth a fit time, which fell out iust vponupon his birthday, solemnized with all riot and excesse, she sends in a wanton Damosell, instructed & prepared before with a harlots impudent face, to daunce before the King and his company; the profane hipocrite is so far pleased with her sport, that he (forgetting himself, his honor, & the vnstinted appetite of a shameles woman (whose hart is subtill, & her waies so moueable and intricate that they cannot bee knowen) bids hir aske but what she wil, & it shalbe giuen her, as the manner of all hipocrites is, for though Herod heard Iohn gladly, & shewed some kinde countenance to him for the time, yet the wicked & lasciuious works of the flesh, do please him better then all the holy doctrines and Se…mons that Iohn taught, as appeareth by his large offer. For though he heard Iohn baptist, yet was he neuer …o f…ee ha…ted towards him, as hee was now to a tripping Minion, but after the manner of courting gallants, and Protestants at large, who will perhaps sometime inuite the Preacher to a dinner, and tell him that he is a good man, & doth wel to tell men of their faults, and if we do not follow your sayings, and the good counsel… (say they) it is worse for vsus▪ & so with a cap and a gentle congie they bid him farewel. But Herodias his sweet hart, shall hauehave his hart▪ and the golden Misers, and pleasant companions shall please them so, that nothing shal be thought too deere for them. Well now is the time, to know both their harts, for these pleasing placeboes, with their tripping trulles, care not a straw for any preaching, but in their harts wish all (except their mealy mouthd Prophets which neuer goe without a slickstone in their pocket) hangd out of the way. And till sit time serueth, they can daunce after times pipe, but if time change his note, they will also change their coppy, and will make better Christians then euer. Herod was to daunce after their pipe (if Gods grace be not the more abounding) euen to the bitter perfecuting and disgracing of Gods poore Ministers and seruants, yea they hauehave the skill to watch the time at a feast, at a dauncing reuell, or a gossips meeting, to winne their harts de…ire, and make better then Herod, to doe that they will be sorry for afterward. Therefore let men take heed, that they be not deceiued by such hipocrites, and that they deceiue not themselues, whiles they professe religion from the head, and not from the hart.
But some will say,Obiect. a man may be religious in hart, and yet fall away from grace, and so come to no assurance of treasure in heauen, because it is said in the Gospell, that some receiued the word with ioy,Mat. 13. 20 and yet fel away: now ioy is an affection of the hart; and ioy in the word is a fruite of the spirit.Gal. 5. 22. Gal. 5. therfore it seemeth y• though a man hath a religious heart, yet hee may fall away, & consequently one cannot tell by his heart whether he hath any treasure in heauen or no.
But that ioy that S. Matthew speakes of,Answere. is rather a liking or wondring at the heauenly doctrine, as at some strange and excellent thing, then any sound or setled reioycing in God who speaketh in his word And ioy is to be distinguished, for it is eyther carnall and temporary, or spirituall and permanent. A carnall man reioyceth many times at a Sermon, for the preachers rare inuention, or his varietie of phrases, or the sharpnes of his wit, or the artificiall conuaiance of the matter, or his excellent gift of vtterance and boldnes, or because hee heard some touched that hee was not friends withall, but not for the simplicitie and euidence of the truth; nor for any reformation that he felt wrought in himselfe; nor for any hatred of sinne; or louelove of righteusnes, that the word wrought in him; for commonly such kinde of reioycers or admirers of men, goe presently from the Sermon with the dog to eat vp their vomit, and Swine-like to tumble in their mire again. Such were many of Iohns auditours, such were many of Christs auditors, such were most of Ezechiels auditours: and such are too many of our auditours, which flock at the first to a man for nouelties sake, to see whether they shall be clawed with a curry-combe▪ or smoothed with a slik-stone. Such are they that hauehave the word of God in respect of persons: and such are those fantasticks, that will buy a booke onelyonly for the merry conceits, that are in it, and not for the matter▪ like children which ioy in a booke with a faire couer, and reioyce more at the gaies or gawdy letters, then any thing else in the booke▪ be it neuer so good. The spirituall man reioyceth, for that God hath found out his sinne, and feeleth the hand of God reforming his heart; he reioyceth for that he perceiueth Sathan dispossessed and his life amended, his soule hee findeth humbled, and his affections bridled, himselfe won to God and his familie with him, and for this hee reioyceth like the conuerted Iaylor,Act. 16. 34 who reioyced for that he and all his houshold beleeued in God.
But now the afflicted soule is to be satisfied who complaineth with the Spouse of Christ in the Canticles, Obiect. Cōscience afflicted.that shee hath sought him whom her soule loueth, Cant. 5. 1.euen by night in her bed she hath sought him, but she cannot finde him, that is, the conscience afflicted with the wounds of sin, cannot find in her hart any assurance of Gods fauour, in the remission of her sinnes.
But for answere we say,Answere. that there is an earnest penny & pawne of Gods louelove in that hart, though as it were, sealed vp in a bag, and in time it shall be opened, and perceiued: for first, the very seeking after the louelove of God is a speciall fauour of God, and an euident token that the spirit of God is there, for that proceedeth not of flesh and bloud,Psal. 27. 8. Seeke yee my face (saith the Lord) my hart answered (saith Dauid) thy fa…e will I seeke, hee doth not say, thy face will I finde, but seeke, to shew that seeking of gods fauour is a grace of God, as well as finding of God… fauour, Seeke and yee shall find (saith Christ) to shew thatMatth. 5. finding comes after seeking. Seek the Lord (saith Esay) while he may be fouud, Esa. 55.and call vponupon him while he is nigh at hand: to shew that God is sought for by inuocation or calling vponupon his name, long before hee is found, or felt gracious vntounto vsus, but euen then he is nigh at hand, or else we could not call vponupon him: for it is euen his spirit that sends forth our prayers, and helps them with sighes and grones, and if hee did not help and heaue vp our dull and drowsie spirits, we should neuer once flutter towards heauen, but euen lye like dead blocks, sencelessely groueling vponupon the ground. Again,2 Christ is in the hart of the troubled spirit, for asmuch as the louelove of Christ is there, for the saith, whom my soule loueth, which very louelove that thou bearest to Christ, is a note of the sanctifying spirit of God.3 Againe, thou desirest to feele the assurance of Gods louelove, which desire is also a pledge of the spirit of grace. A man may feare God in some sort, and ioy in the things of God for a time, in some carnall respect, & desire with the sluggard, Balam… like to dye the death of the righteous, and yet not louelove the Lord, but the louelove of God, & desire of his fauour makes all sure. Fourthly,4 if thou feele it not yet as thou wouldest, then vse the meanes of Preaching, Reading, Prayer, Conference, Meditation, and patiently waite the Lords leasure,Psal. 43. as Dauid saith to his Soule, Waite on God and be not so cast downe, for he is thy present help, …imile.and thy God. As a sicke man taketh meat & drink, and phisick, though it goeth against the stomacke, and his stomacke so weake that it casteth vp all againe, yet hee hath a desire to brooke it, and doth striue to keepe it, and at last it worketh strength: so is it with the sick & distempred Soule. There is a defect in the stomacke, or in the pallat, or in some other part of the body, which hindreth the working of corporall phisick; so in the inward man, there may be a defect in the vnderstanding which may bee darkish & cloudy, or in the vtterance which may be slow, or in the memory which may be obliuious, or in the Faith which may be weak, or in the repentance which may be dull, or in the will which may be waiward, or in the LoueLove which may be cold, yet in all these remaine a double com…ort: first, these graces are in truth in thee, for thou vnderstandest aright, and remembrest the best things, and beleeuest the word, and repentest in truth, with hatred of sinne, and louest God and his word euen for themselues: and secondly, so much as thou vnderstandest, knowest, remembrest, beleeuest & louest, thou affectest & embracest in hart vnfainedly, and desirest to grow in them, and to practise them, all which are blessed signes of the grace of God.
And lastly, if thou didst once feele the forgiuenes of thy sinnes, and God fauourable vntounto thee in his sonne Christ, and now wantest that feeling, know that for some iust cause, it is taken from thee, either to humble thee, or to make thee more thankfull when thou feelest so great grace bestowed vponupon thee, or to make it come againe vntounto thee, after thy humiliation, & tryall of thy patience, with greater ioy & sweetnes, for ioy restored is sweeter then ioy continued. That God that hath vouchsafed of his great goodnesse to shew vsus in some measure, the difference betweene the treasures of the earth, and the riches of his kingdome, and by giuing vsus the one doth allure vsus to louelove and accept of the other, giuegive vsus grace so to seeke and vse the one, that in the end of our race wee may obtaine the other, and that for his infinite mercies sake in Iesus Christ our Lord and all sufficient Sauiour, to whom with the Father and the holy Ghost, be giuen all honour and glory, with power and dominion, for euer and euer, Amen.
FINIS.
Errata.
Fol. 1. b. line 13. read thornes. fol. 23. b. l. 8. read ballist. l. 24. r. Prayer. fol. 25. l. 24. r religions dowry. fol. 32. b. l. 5. r. the almightie. l. 20. r. bellowing. fol▪ 65. b. l. 12. r. such a man.
End of the text · William Burton, The Christians Heavenly Treasure (1608)