Two Treatises, Treatise 1 · Chapter 6
CHAP. VII. EXHORTATION.
OH! conſidering what hath been delivered, I beſeech you lay it ſeriouſly to heart, eſpecially you that are yong beginners in the way of Religion, leſt it proves with you as it doth with many that are digging of Veins of gold and ſilver under ground; that while they are digging in thoſe mines for riches, the earth many times fals upon them and buries them, ſo that they never come up out of the mine again: and ſo it is with many that are beginning in the way of Religion, that are digging in the mines of Salvation, for unſearchable riches, for that that is abundantly better than gold and ſilver; now while you are thus ſeeking for grace and godlineſs, Oh take heed that you be not covered with the earth while you are digging in the world, but keep wide open ſome place to Heaven, or otherwiſe if you dig too deep there will come up damps, if the earth falls not upon you, yet I ſay, there will be damps riſe from the earth that may choak you, if there be not a wide ſpace open that you may let the air that comes from heaven in to you. Thoſe that are digging into Mines they are very careful to leave the place open for freſh air to come in; and ſo, though thou maieſt follow thy calling, and do the work that God ſets thee here for as others do, be as diligent in thy calling as any, yet ſtill keep a paſſage open to Heaven, that there may be freſh gales of grace come into thy ſoul, if at any time thou beeſt got into the world, if thou ſpendeſt one day and haſt not ſome ſpiritual air from Heaven, take heed, there's a damp coming up that will choak thee. Oh! that Chriſtians would conſider of this while they are here below! I remember I have read of Auſtin in his Comment upon the 72. Pſal the 19. verſ. ſaith the text, They that dwell in the wilderneſs ſhall bow before him, and his enemies ſhall lick the duſt: He in a wittie way applied it to earthlie-minded men, ſaith he, If you do ſo lick the duſt, by this you will come to be accounted one of the enemies of God. It's true, the ſcope of the place is different, but take heed that in this metaphorical ſence that you do not lick the duſt and ſo come to be accounted an enemie to God. You that would be accounted as friends and ſeek reconciliation with God, Oh do not lick the duſt, to be alwaies here as Moles upon the earth, they ſay Moles, though they be blind, yet if they be without the earth then their eyes are opened, and then they ſhake and tremble: and ſo though the earth may cloſe the eyes of men here for a while, yet certainly there will be a day when their eyes ſhall be opened, to ſee how they have gul'd and deceiv'd themſelves. And now it's worſe too in the time of the Goſpel to be earthly-minded than at other times, it was not ſuch an evil thing to be an earthly minded man in the time of the Law, when all the promiſes of God were carried in a kind of earthly way. Though I do not ſay that all promiſes that were made to them under the Law were meer earthly, but they were carried in an earthly way; therefore you ſhall find when God promiſes his people in the time of the Law what great mercies they ſhall have, it is by earthly expreſſions, as of gold and ſilver and ſuch kind of things, and their promiſes for Heaven it went under the expreſſion of living in the Land of Canaan as being a type of Heaven, now though they were taken with earthly things when God reveal'd himſelf to them in an earthly manner; yet now in the time of the Goſpel, lift up your hearts for your calling is from above, now there are Heavenly things revealed, he that is from above is come amongſt us, and the Heavens are broken open, and the glory of it doth ſhine upon the Churches in a far more brighter manner than it did before. And therfore Goſpellight doth aggravate the ſin of earthly-mindedneſſe, and therefore now above all times ſhould the hearts of men and women be diſingaged from the things of the earth.