Two Treatises, Treatise 1 · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII. Five Directions how to get our hearts freed from Earthlymindedneſs.
FIrſt, To that end be watchful over your thoughts, do not take liberty to let your hearts run too far in the things of the earth, what time you have for meditation let it be as much as can be reſerved for ſpiritual things; moſt men and women think they may take liberty in their thoughts; why the thing in its ſelf is not unlawful, I but your thoughts will ſteal upon you and affect your hearts very much: therefore watch narrowly over your thoughts, keep them within Scripture bounds.
The Second Direction
Be much humbled for ſin, That will take off the heart much from earthly-mindedneſs. Your earthly-minded men, who have earthly and droſſie hearts, they have not known what the weight and burden of ſin hath meant, let God but lay the weight and burden of ſin upon the ſoul, it will take off the ſoul from earthly things quickly; Oh! thoſe men that have gone on in the world in a ſecure condition, and never knew what trouble of conſcience meant for ſin, they grow ſeer'd in thoſe earthly Contentments; but now thoſe men that have had but the weight of ſin lie upon them, know what it is to have to deal with an infinite God, in the bearing of the burden of the wrath of an incenſed Deity, ſuch know, that they have other things to look after than the things of the earth: If God did but humble your hearts, the humiliation of your ſpirits would quicken you, and take off the dulneſs and deadneſs of your ſpirits, and ſtir you up to look after other things than the things of this life.
The Third Direction.
Further, Set the example of the Saints before you, that have been the moſt precious ſervants of God, in former times; how they accounted themſelves as Pilgrims and ſtrangers here in the earth: read at your leiſure that Scripture in the 11 of the Heb. at the 13. verſe, Theſe all died in faith, not having received the promiſes, but having ſeen them afar off, and were perſwaded of them, and imbraced them, and confeſſed that they were ſtrangers and pilgrims on the earth: and mark therefore how it follows in the 37. verſe, They were ſtoned, they were ſawn aſunder were tempted, were ſlain with the ſword, they wandred about in ſheeps-skins and goats-skins, being deſtitute, afflicted, tormented. Who were theſe? They were they of whom the world was no tworthy, They wandered in deſerts, and in Mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth: and yet ſuch precious Saints of God as the world was not worthy of. Now when we ſet before us how joyfully theſe ſervants of the moſt high went through all their wilderneſſe condition, this ſhould make us aſhamed of our earthly-mindedneſs, and would be a mighty help to us.
The Fourth Direction.
And then if we conſider the great accompt that we are to give for all earthly things; you only look upon the comfort of them, but conſider the account you muſt give for them: this would be a means to take off the heart from earthly-mindedneſſe: And conſider, what if you were now to die, and to go the way of all fleſh, what good would it be to me to remember what contentments and pleaſures I had in the earth?
The fifth Direction.
But above all, the ſetting Jeſus Chriſt before you, and the meditating of the death of Jeſus Chriſt: (I ſay) that's the great thing that wil take off the heart from the things of the earth: The looking upon Chriſt Crucified; how he that was the Lord of Heaven and Earth, yet what a low condition he put Himſelf into, meerly for the redeeming of us! The converſing much with the death of Jeſus Chriſt deads the heart much to the world. In the 3. to the Philippians we have a notable text for that, in the example of Paul, he accounted all things as dung and droſſe for Jeſus Chriſt: at the 8. verſe, I account all things but loſs for the excellency of the knowledge of Chriſt Jeſus my Lord, for whom I have ſuffered the liſs of all things, and do count them but DƲNG that I may win Chriſt. And then in the 19. verſe, That I may know Him, and the power of his Reſnrrection, and the fellowſhip of His Sufferings being made conformable unto his Death. Paul deſired to be ſo conformable to the very Death of Chriſt, that he accounted all things in the world but as dung and droſſe in compariſon of that; Paul had the death of Chriſt before his eyes, and meditated much on the death of Chriſt, and that meditation had a great impreſſion upon his ſpirit, that made him account all theſe things as droſſe, as dogs meat in compariſon, and that he might have fellowſhip with the death of Chriſt, Perhaps ſome of you may think of the glory of Chriſt in Heaven, and that may for the preſent make you leſſe worldly; but let me intreat you to meditate on the death of Chriſt, and know that there is an excellencie in Conformity even to the death of Chriſt, ſuch an Excellency that may take off your hearts from the things of the world. It's ſaid of the King of France, that he asking one once about an Eclypſe, ſaith he, I have ſo much buſineſſe in the earth, that I take little notice of the things of Heaven.
Oh my Brethren! for the cloſe of all, I beſeech you let not this be ſaid concerning any of you, that you have ſuch and ſuch worldly imployments, that you cannot enquire after Jeſus Chriſt. Plead not that you have ſuch great buſineſſe, that you have ſo much to do in this earth that you take little notice of the things of Heaven; no, ſurely, the Saints of God have their buſineſſe in Heaven, (as we ſhall ſee God willing hereafter:) Their City Buſineſs, their Trading, their Aims, their Bent, it is higher than the things of this earth. There are things that a man may let out his thoughts and affections too as much as he wil: This ſhews the vanity of the things af this world, that a man had need be very wary how much he minds them, he cannot enjoy the comforts of this earth without ſome fear: but now, when he comes to converſe with Heaven, there he may let out himſelf to the uttermoſt; that ſhews the excellency of theſe things. And you that are but poor and mean in the things of this earth, be not diſcomforted, becauſe there is a charg from God that men ſhould not mind theſe things; ſurely there is no great matter in them, as God charges that we ſhould not mind them: Oh the excellency it lies in things above which are heavenly and ſpiritual, where the Saints have their converſation. But of this more at large in this following Treatiſe of Heavenly Converſation.
FINIS.
AN HEAVENLY Converſation.
PHILIPPIANS, 3. 20.
For our Converſation is in Heaven.