Christs Alarm to Drowsy Saints, Sermon 15
REVEL. 3. 1.
And art Dead.
I Come now to the fourth thing, and that is this; what it is to be aliving Chriſtian. Firſt, I will deſcribe it by the efficient cauſe. Secondly, by the Inſtrumentall cauſe. Thirdly, by the parts of it.
For the firſt, the efficient cauſe that makes one a liveing1. Chriſtian, is God; as the Pſalmiſt ſayes, he is the fountaine of life, Pſal. 36. 9. He is the fountaine of al life; it is he that makes one a living man. He giveth life and breath to all, Act. 17. 25. if he ſhould take away our naturall life, we dye and turne againe unto our earth; as long as he breatheth on us we live; as Elihu ſpeakes, the breath of the Almighty gives me life, Job. 33. 4. yea all the world would be a dead Chaos, if he did not quicken it; there's a kinde of life in every thing that hath being. But it would be a dead Maſſe, if he did not concurre with it; what is money, and meat, and clothes, and friends, and life, and health it ſelfe? men thinke they are well to live when they have them all. True, if he bleſſe them and quicken them unto us; but if he be wanting to them, they are dead things, and can doe us no good; nay, the word of life it ſelf, it is but a dead letter without him, all the ordinances of God, we ſee they Miniſter life to ſome, becauſe God puts life into them, but if he doe not put life into them, they are ſappeleſſe and cadaverous things; ſo that God is the author, even of our naturall life; as John ſayes, in him is life, and his life is the life of men, Joh. 1. 4. in him we live, and move and have our being; and therefore it is a great ſinne not to be thankfull to him for our naturall life; David bleſſes God for his naturall life very often; life is a very great bleſſing, a poor thing that hath life, a living dog, is better then a dead Lyon. A man will give skinne for skinne, and all that he hath for his life: I am ſure many of us may be very glad of life, for if it were gone now, we ſhould be in hell; and therefore we had need to make much of our naturall life, yea, every houre of it, leaſt we dye before we be converted, and brought home to God.
But this is not the life that we doe ſpeake of; we ſpeak of ſpirituall life, and God is the author of that more eſpecially; when a man is alive towards God, he is the onelyonly cauſe of it. He ſpiritually moveth our hearts by the holy Ghoſt, and begets us againe after a ſtrange, and an ineſſable manner; by joyning his ſpirit to our ſpirits, his minde to our mindes, and his will to our willes, he revives all the powers of the ſoule with his preſence; and therefore this life is called the life of God; which the world are ſtrangers to and aliens from; being alienated from the life of God; Eph. 4. 18. ſo likewiſe it is called the life of Ieſus. 2 Cor. 4. 11. He onelyonly is the author of it. Thus ye ſee the efficient cauſe of it.
Secondly, the Inſtrumentall cauſe of this life, is true2. faith; this is the ligament that couples this life and a man together; that now he is ſaid to be a living man; ye know God is the onelyonly living God; they that are not united unto him, remaine in the congregation of the dead; now faith unites a man unto him; faith is the having of him; He that hath the Sonne hath life, and he that hath not the Sonne hath not life, 1 Joh 5. 12. when a man cleaves unto God, by a true and lively faith, this man hath life; as Moſes ſayes, That thou mayſt love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayſt obey his voyce, and that thou mayſt cleave unto him, for he is thy life, Deut. 30. 20. Though a man hath not that ſtrong faith that ſome have, whereby he hath a cleare evidence of Gods love and favour in Jeſus Chriſt, though a man have not this faith, yet if he have a faith of adherence, and cleaving unto God, this man is a living Chriſtian; this man is joyned unto the true life; This is the true God, and even life, and therefore whoſoever cleaves to him, hath life; if he will not away from him, he will ſtill ſeeke him, ſtill pray unto him, ſtill make him his refuge, though he have no feelings, that is not it; if a man will never give over ſeeking of God; He beleeves God is the fountaine of all life and peace, and grace and comfort, and Gods way, is the onelyonly way; he beleeves himſelfe is a curſed wretch in himſelfe, and that all hope is in Chriſt, now if this man have ſuch a faith whereby he adheres, though with never ſo much weakneſſe, this man is a live. This is the faith whereby a Chriſtian lives; as Paul ſayes, the life that I live, I live by the faith of the Sonne of God, Gal. 2. 20. Thus ye ſee the Inſtrumentall cauſe of it.
Thirdly, now for the parts of it. The parts of it are3. three.
The firſt part is the life of Juſtification; ye know every1. man by nature is a dead man; as a malefactour that hath committed an offence that is death by mans Law, we ſay he is a dead man; ſo we have all offended God from the womb which is death by Gods Law; and therefore we are dead men; now when God hath juſtified a man freely by his grace, when God hath given him a pardon in Chriſt Jeſus; now he is a live man; and therefore Juſtification as ye heard, is called Iuſtification of life, Rom. 5. 18. now beloved this life is not in the man that does live, but in Chriſt that he lives by; this life ſuppoſeth no life in this party; no, it lookes upon him as a dead man in himſelf. But God counts him alive in Jeſus Chriſt; as the Apoſtles ſayes, Chriſt is our life; Col. 3. 4. q d this life is not in us, but in Chriſt; ſo that this life denominats aman alive; as Chriſt denominated the demoſel alive, that was yet dead. The Damoſell is not dead, ſayes he Matth. 9. 24. ye know the Damoſell was dead at that time, when Chriſt ſaid ſo; and yet he ſaid ſhe was not dead, becauſe he had life for her; ſhe had life in him; now when he raiſed her up, then ſhe had life in her too.
And ſo I come to the ſecond part of this life; and that2. is the life of Sanctification, and this life is in him that doth live; for though he were dead before to all goodneſſe and holineſſe, and alive unto ſinne, yet now he is made dead unto ſinne, and alive unto God; as the Apoſtle ſpeakes, likewiſe alſo reckon ye your ſelves to be dead indeed unto ſinne, but alive unto God, through Jeſus Chriſt our Lord, Rom. 6. 11. this life is called the life of grace, and new obedience, when a man is quickened up to all the wayes of God; you hath he quickened, who were dead in treſpaſſes and ſins, Eph. 2. 1. and this is the quickening that I would faine open to you.
The third part of this life, is the life of joy and comfort;3. ye know when a mans eyes are opened to ſee his ſinnes, and his damned eſtate, by reaſon of them, the Law comes and that kils him, his very heart dyeth in him; now when God propounds to him a Saviour, and cauſes him to beleeve in him, this revives his heart againe; this yeelds him ſome joy and comfort ſo that true joy is a life too; we may ſee this in the Children of God, let their joyes and comforts be all gone, this makes them all amort, this makes them very heavy and ſad, as if they had no life at all in them; as the Church ſayes; Wilt thou not revive us againe? that thy people may rejoyce in thee, Pſal. 85. 6.
Now my brethren, all this is onelyonly by way of preface; to come then to the queſtion, what is it to be a quickened Chriſtian? a Chriſtian that hath not onelyonly a name to live, but is dead? dead towards God? dead to all good duties? no: But is quickened up to them. I anſwer, that as death is taken in a metaphoricall ſenſe, when we ſay ſuch a one is dead to God, dead to the holy ordinances of God, we doe not meane properly dead, as if he were naturally dead, and had no ſoule in his body; but we take it in metaphoricall ſenſe; ſo is life here to be taken too; namely for the activeneſſe of a thing; when a thing is not active, we uſe to ſay it is dead; as Sarahs wombe is ſaid to be dead; he conſidered not the deadneſſe of Sarahs womb, Rom. 4. 19. that is, her womb had no activity to conceive; now when a wombe is active this way, then we ſay it is quick; ſo a coale that hath ſire in it, is ſaid to be a live coale: There flew one of the Seraphins, having a live coale in his hand, Iſa. 6. 6. we call it alive coale, becauſe it is active; it is able to burne; whereas if that fire were out, then it were not able to burne, and therefore then we call it a dead coale; ſo when a man is active towards God, Take him in prayer, there he can act now; take him in ſelfe deniall, in reconciling of himſelfe, in humbling of the heart, in mourning for ſinne, in hungering after righteouſneſſe, even as a man does after his appointed food, take him in any of the things of God, though he were like a dead coale afore, yet here he can act now; now he can move this way; when one is like a block in good duties, that man is dead; we call moving things living things; Every moving thing that liveth, Gen. 9. 3. when a thing cannot ſtirre, that we call dead; when a man is not ſtirring in heavenly things, he is ſtirring enough in earthly, but he cannot ſtir in heavenly things; that man is a dead Chriſtian, though he profeſſe never ſo much, yet if he be not ſtirring towards God from day to day, he is dead; I thinke it meet to ſtirre you up, ſayes Saint Peter, 2 Pet. 1. 13. that is, I think it meet to quicken you up. Now beloved, this being ſo, if ye would know what it is to be alive towards God, let us but finde out a little, what is the life of a man.
Firſt, what is the life of a mans underſtanding; people1. thinke that bare knowledge is, and approving of Gods wayes, and thinking of them now and then; they thinke this is the life of their underſtandings. But you ſhall ſee theſe are not it; therefore we will ſearch out what is the life of the underſtanding.
Secondly, what is the life of the will or of the heart;2. people are apt to thinke that wiſhings and wouldings, and velleities, if they have ſome volitions towards God and all holy courſes, they thinke their wills are alive; no; theſe are not it; therefore we will ſearch too, wherein the life of the will does conſiſt.
Thirdly, what is the life of the conſcience; people3. generally doe conceive that if their conſciences doe check them for their ſinnes, and ſmite them for evill, and excuſe them in other things that are good, then their conſcience is alive; now we deſire to enquire, what is the life of the conſcience indeed.
Fourthly, what is the life of the affections; I gave4. you a touch of theſe when I ſhewed you what it is to be dead; now let me ſpeake of them more fully, to ſhew you what it is to be alive.
For the firſt, what is the life of the underſtanding; ye know there be many things in the underſtanding; knowing, approving, ſtudying; determining; now the world thinks that when the underſtanding is ſo far wrought upon, as to know Chriſtian religion, to approve it to ſtudy it to determine aright upon things; evill things to be evill, good things to be good; duties to be duties, ſins to be ſins: now they ſuppoſe their underſtandings are alive. But the truth is, none of all theſe are the life of your underſtandings. The underſtanding hath another life beſides theſe. The underſtanding may have all theſe, and be dead.
As firſt, for knowledge, I need not ſtand to prove that; the dead Heathens, the Apoſtle ſayes they knew God; when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, Rom 1. 21. knowledge is not enough; as cur Saviour Chriſt ſpeakes; iſ ye knew theſe things, bleſſed are ye if ye doe them, Joh. 13. 17. nay, literall knowledge does not ſo much as give them underſtanding, true light, much leſſe life; a great learned divine that is wicked, his underſtanding is ſtill in darkneſſe; nay, it may leave him more dead, then thoſe that are groſlely Ignorant; as the Prophet ſayes of them that had knowledge; I will get me to the great men, for they have knowne the way of the Lord, but theſe have altogether broken the Yoke, Jer. 5. 5. they were more dead, their hearts were more averſe from all goodneſſe. Bare knowledge is a poore thing, and yet people are apt to glory in it, the Apoſtle makes a piſh at it; we know we have all knowledge, 1 Cor. 8. 1. q. d. is that ſuch a peece of matter? never tell me of your knowledge; I know ye all have knowledge; but that's a poore thing; nay, the greater is thy woe, if thou haſt not a quickened mind; as Solomon ſayes, he that increaſeth knowledge, increaſeth ſorrow, Eccl. 1. 18. thou increaſeſt thine owne ſelfe condemning, the more thou haſt, the greater knowledge in thy Boſome, thou knoweſt, the more thou feeſt to condemne thee; thy knowledge is like a ſword in thy bowels, that daily galls thee, and wounds thee; and therefore little reaſon to thinke that knowledge is the life of the minde, it is not ſo much as the light of the minde; take heed ſayes our Saviour, that the light that is in thee be not darkneſſe, Luk. 11. 35. that is, thou mayſt have a great deale of light, and yet be in darkeneſſe; nay, in worſe darkneſſe, then Ignorant blinde people that have no light at all; if the light that is in thee be darkneſſe, how great is that darkneſſe, Matth. 6. 23. ſuch people are more ſenſeleſſe at the word, harder to be wrought on, they have the more diſtinctions to deceive their owne ſoules, they thinke to well of themſelves; they are too wiſe to be fooles, that they may be wiſe, they are farther of from confeſſion; if they had leſſe knowledge, it may be there might be more hope to doe them good. But having ſo much knowledge in a carnall minde, it is made a ſtrong hold againſt grace; it is with ſuch people as it was with Babylon; thy wiſedome, and thy knowledge hath perverted thee, Iſa. 47. 10. true knowledge is a good thing; but when a man is fleſhed with it, that he takes himſelfe to be ſome body, this marres all; but I will ſpeake no more of this.
Secondly, for approving of the truth; that cannot2 be the life of the minde neither; when a man approves goodneſſe, and good people, this indeed is an excellent mercy of God to make a man approve goodneſſe, and good men, O how are ſuch bound to be thankfull! few goe ſo farre. But alas if thou goeſt no farther, thy minde is not yet quickened up to God; as the Apoſtle ſhewes, that a man dead in his ſinnes ſtill, may yet approve the beſt things. Thou knoweſt his will, and approveſt the things that are moſt excellent, Rom. 2. 18. Herod approved Iohn the Baptiſt, and his preaching. Achiſh King of Gath approved David and all his wayes; nay, the devill approved Chriſt. I know thee who thou art, the Holy one of God; Mark. 1. 24. Suppoſe thou approveſt all the wayes of Chriſt, O what good wayes they be, thou likeſt his promiſes, thou counteſt his Ordinances admirable good and lovely, O conſider what the Apoſtle ſayes, happy is the man that condemneth not himſelfe in that he alloweth, Rom. 14. 22. ſo may I ſay to thee, doſt thou allow of all ſtrictneſſe and pureneſſe and preciſe people? O ſayeſt thou the preciſer the better! this is well; now thou art a happy man, if thou doeſt not condemne thy ſelfe in that which thou alloweſt; thou alloweſt of the ſtricteſt Servants of God, but if thou condemneſt thy ſelfe now; and thy conſcience can tell thee, I but I doe not ſet my ſelfe to be as they are. I can loſe my ſelfe; poore creature, thy allowings and approvings will riſe up in Judgement againſt thee; ſo that this is a poore thing too; approving of goodneſſe may be in a perſecutor; Saint Paul tels us that the Jewes did allow of his Religion; and yet they would not leave perſecuting of him, Act. 24. 15. nay, Chriſts perſecutors they allowed of all goodneſſe, they profeſſed ſo much at leaſt; for a good worke we ſtone thee not; therefore approbation cannot be the life of the minde neither.
Thirdly, thinking of God and of the word, that is not3. the life of the minde; and yet many men hang upon this too; that they thinke of God, and of his wayes, and of their latter end. True ſome are ſo graceleſſe, that they come not thus farre; God is hardly in all their thoughts, Pſal. 10. 4. But though a man doe thinke of God, and of heaven, and of Gods Lawes, indeed it's a great mercy of God; thus far it might doe a man a world of good, and it did David; this made him return into the way whereſoever he went. I thought upon my wayes, and turned my feet unto thy Teſtimonies, Pſal. 119. 59. yet if this be all, this is no argument of life. The wicked Jewes, Chriſt confeſſes they thought upon God and upon the Scriptures, nay, more they thought to have eternall life in them; Search the Scriptures, for in them ye thinke ye have eternall life, Joh. 5. 39. This is ſo farre from being an Act of life, as that if a man live in ſin for all that, it aggravates a mans ſinnes. The drunkard when he goes to the Ale-houſe, it may be he thinks of the word of God, that ſayes a drunkard ſhall not inherit Gods Kingdome, and yet he will goe though; a lyer when he lyes, it may be he thinks at the ſame time, of the word of God, that ſayes the devill is a lyer, and lyers ſhall lie in the lake that burnes with fire and brimſtone.
Fourthly, ſtudying is no… the life of the minde; this is4 that which bewitches many Miniſters; they ſtudy all the day of God and his Kingdome and of eternall life; they are all the day ſtudying of Jeſus Chriſt, and of faith and repentance, perhaps they thinke this is heavenly mindedneſſe. O they love a life to ſtudy Divinity; as the Jewes ſaid, we delight to know thy wayes, Iſa. 58. 2. I grant ſtudying is an intenſe act of the minde, but that it is a lively act of the minde, that I deny; that is not alwayes ſo; nay, ſtudying may be in the higheſt degree in a minde that is dead to what it ſtudies, though never ſo eager to it, as it is ſcibile of divine things: for what is ſtudying? ſtudying is nothing elſe but the boulting out of the logique in the Scripture; now if a man reſt there, he is never the neerer, if it doe not recoyle on his owne minde, when he ſtudies of grace, if he doe not ſeek how to get it; when he ſtudies the fall of Adam, and originall ſinne, if he doe not get it mortified in himſelfe, all this is nothing; we ſee the poore ſimple Ignorant people ran after Jeſus Chriſt; who were the great ſtudents of Divinity, were ſo farre from doing ſo, that they ſat and derided them for their labour, yea, and called them ſilly ſimplicians, as though it had been a giddy humour in them; therefore ſtudying cannot be it neither.
Well then it remaines to ſhew you what is the life of the minde that if the minde doe give that unto God, it is alive towards God, I anſwer. All theſe are the dull acts of the minde, they may be in the minde concerning God and all his wayes, yea, in a very high degree, and yet the minde dead towards the ſame. The Apoſtle tels the Jewes in his ſecond Epiſtle and the firſt Chapter, that they knew all theſe things before; I ſayes he in the third Chapter and the firſt verſe, I would ſtirre up your mindes, that is, I would quicken up your mindes; as we uſe to ſay, when a man lookes about him; when a man gives his minde to a thing, this is the ſtirrings of the minde, now the minde is quickened up.
Now there be ſix ſtirring acts in the mindes of men; now looke which way they ſtand, it's moſt plaine the minde is alive, whether to God, or to the things of the world.
The firſt, is the application of the minde.1.
The ſecond, is the meditating of the minde.2.
The third, is the conſidering of the minde3.
The fourth, is the remembring of the minde.4
The fifth, is the deviſing of the minde.5.
The ſixth, is the Judging of the minde. Theſe are all6. the ſtirring and lively acts of the minde, and the minde does not let out theſe acts any way, but that way, that a man is alive to, whether it be to the world or the creature.
Firſt, I ſay the application of the minde; the minde1. hath this nature in it, though it know a thing never ſo much, or approve it, or thinke of it, or ſtudy it, yet except it doe incorporate with the thing, it doth not come to apply it; if it incorporate with the minde, then it will apply it; as we ſee in a worldling, whatſoever good husbandry he knows, if he know any way of getting of gaine, he applies it, and takes it to himſelfe; why his minde is alive to the Profits of the world, he can relliſh ſavour in them; ſo when the minde begins to be applying of divine things, now it is alive unto God; as Eliphaz ſaid to Iob. Heare it and know it for thy good; Job. 5. 27. that is, doe not onelyonly know it, but be quickened up to apply it to thy ſelfe for thine owne good; as the Prophet ſayes; hearken diligently, and eat ye that which is good, Iſa. 55. 2. that is, I would have your mindes not onelyonly to attend, but let them be quickened up to apply, and feed upon what ye know; let it be your food; a quickened minde is like the Diſciples of Jeſus Chriſt; when Chriſt ſaid, one of you ſhall betray me; they were all very ſorry, and they began every one of them to ſay, Lord is it I? Matth. 26. 21. they all did apply it, you ſee how his ſpeech ſtirred their mindes, they fell preſently to apply; ſo when a man cannot heare any ſinne ripped up; but preſently he cryes out, Lord it is I: Is it I that am guilty of this ſinne? O if it be I, let me ſee it that I may leave it; if he heare of any threatning; he ſayes Lord is it I? O teach me, that I may be humbled; when he heares of any grace; Lord is it I, that have this grace? O if it be not I, O let it be I; a quickened minde, is an applying minde; now if the minde be yet dead, it cares not for applying, though it know never ſo much, yet it lets the word ſtill be a ſtranger unto it, it does not take it home to it ſelfe; like the hearers there in Hoſea; as God ſayes, I writ to them the great things of my Law, but they were counted as a ſtrange thing, Hoſ. 8. 12. they would not take them home, now a quickened minde takes them home; this reproofe is to me, this Commandement is to me; this reproof is to me; nay, when a reproof to ones thinking of all other ſhould ſeeme leaſt to concerne him; as when our Saviour Chriſt ſpake againſt rich men; O how hardly ſhall a rich man enter into the Kingdome of God! yet the Apoſtles took it to themſelves; they were amazed ſayes the Text, Matth. 19. 25. one would have thought the doctrine ſhould little concerne them; alas, they were not ſo rich, but they applyed it though, fearing leaſt that little that they had ſhould draw their hearts away from God; this then is the firſt.
Secondly, the meditating of the minde; this is another2 ſtirring act of the minde; a naturall man may think of his eternall good now and then, but this is nothing, his minde is dead for all that. But when a mans minde runnes on ſuch things, now it is alive; look what your mindes doe run on, that your mindes are alive to; Becauſe it is moſt certane, that that is it which you reſpect moſt; as David ſayes; I will meditate on thy precepts, and have reſpect unto thy wayes, Pſal. 119. 15. A dead mind may light on good thoughts, but when a man meditates of them, when his minde runneth upon ſuch themes; this mans minde is alive to them, he gives his minde to them; as Paul ſayes to Timothy; meditate on theſe things, give thy ſelfe wholly to them, that thy profitting may appeare, 1 Tim. 4. 15. you may ſee this in ungodly men, they doe not onelyonly thinke of the world, for ſo a godly man may doe and muſt doe, but their mindes runne on the world; they give their mindes to it; it is the Apoſtles ſaying; they minde earthly things, Phil. 4. 19. it may be they know gracious things, I but they minde earthly; they cannot finde in their heart to give their mindes to Gods word and will, ſo that would you prove your ſelves and your mindes to be alive towards God? labour that your mindes may bend their meditations that way; let your mindes runne on him, and how ye may have his favour, and how ye may keep it, how ye take heed of offending of him; a man is yet dead, that does not give his minde to theſe things; whoſe minde does not runne on them daily. And therefore beloved as ever ye do deſire to have a proofe of your life towards God, let your mindes runne on theſe things, give diligent, heed that they may not ſlip out of your mindes; as the Apoſtle ſayes, ye ought to give ſo much the more diligent heed to the things which ye have heard, leaſt at any time ye let them ſlip. Heb. 2. 1. if they doe ſlip away ye know not how, as the fleſh will let them goe, if ye doe not take heed, call for them againe as God. ſayes Bring it againe to minde, O ye tranſgreſſors, Iſa. 46. 8.
Thirdly, the conſidering of the minde; when the3. minde lookes curſorily on things, what is this but the remiſſeneſſe and looſeneſſe of the minde? now when the minde comes to conſider ſeriouſly of them, now it quickens up it ſelfe▪ now it lookes wiſhly and intentively on them indeed; alas all our knowledge of the truth, all our approving of good courſes, all is nothing without conſideration; our knowledge and approbation are dead things without this; even as good, as if we had no knowledge at all, for all the good it will doe us, if we doe not conſider; as God ſayes; Iſrael doth not know, my people doe not conſider, Iſa. 1. 3. looke what our mindes doe conſider from day to day, that our minds are lively on; conſideration is the eagerneſſe of the minde, when the minde cares not for an object, it will not trouble it ſelfe to conſider of, a leſſe act will ſerve ſuch a thing well enough; but looke what the minde is inclined unto, there it will not goe ſlightly and lightly to worke, there 'twill take paines, nay, it counts it no paines to perpend and to weigh things as in a Ballance; as it is ſaid of Mary, looke what ſhe heard from Chriſt, ſhe kept it and pondered it in her heart, Luk. 2. 19. ſhe pondered it, and weighed it in a ballance, O it was matter of great weight with her minde; where the minde is alive, there it will conſider and ponder and weigh, nay, there is not a circumſtance, but the minde will take it to conſideration. Take a man that is alive to the things here below, how conſiderative is that man, in all matters of that nature: As for example now, for his gaine; he takes every thing into conſideration that may make for his gaine; He will have his wits about him, when he buyes or ſels, when he ſowes or reaps; he conſiders with himſelfe; that he will not ſow too ſoon, or too late in the year, or a grain that the ground will not beare, he conſiders how long it was ſince it was fallow, how long it will beare, till it be laid fallow againe; he conſiders when he may ſell deareſt, when he may buy cheapeſt; when is the beſt time to put off a commodity. This is the livelyneſſe of his minde in theſe things. Take this man now for his ſoule, his minde is ſtarke heavy, any looſe thoughts ſhall ſerve turne for that, he does not conſider here. But when a man is a live unto God, now his conſiderations runne out this way, now he is conſiderative this way, for his ſoule, for his ſpirituall and eternall good. Beloved conſideration is a lively act of the minde; as you may ſee there in Moſes. Know therefore this day and conſider it in thy heart; that the Lord he is God in heaven above▪ and upon the earth beneath, Deut. 4. 39. that is, doe not onelyonly know it, but quicken up thy minde to conſider it; this will doe thee good indeed; this is a very perfect Act of the minde; as we ſee in David; when I conſider the Heavens the worke of thy hands, the Moone, and the Starres which thou haſt ordained; then I ſay, Lord what is man? Pſal. 83, 4. you ſee how ſtirring his minde was, when he conſidered the heavens and the earth, it wrought mightily on him; it made him the more humble. Others ſee the Heavens every day, and it does not move them one whit to Humiliation before God. But when the minde comes once to conſider▪ then it ſhakes off its dulneſſe and remiſſneſſe, then it growes buſie, ſuch a man will not goe to Prayer, but he conſiders what he goes about, what a great God he is to ſpeake to, what a vile creature himſelfe is that is to pray to him; he will conſider how he may pray with faith and hope and feeling of his wants; how he may riſe up from his knees not without profit. Now he will not goe to the word, but he will conſider what it is he repaires to, now all his mind is how he may get good, now he is buſie in every duty; when he is tempted to doe as others doe, he conſiders what the iſſue will be, and this makes him forbeare. Beloved, this is the life of our mindes, when they conſider things; when we conſider our latter end; when we conſider Gods promiſes; when we conſider his threatenings, when we take his commandements into our deep conſideration, when we conſider the danger of ſinne, we doe not onelyonly know all theſe things but we conſider them. Though we know neere ſo much, yet except we conſider what we know, our mindes are lumpiſh and dead; conſideration is the activity of the minde; and therefore if we would prove our ſelves to be alive towards God, let us put on conſideration a dayes.
Fourthly, the remembring of the minde; when the4. minde forgets it ſelfe every day, this is nothing but the deadneſſe of the minde; for if it be alive to a thing, it will be ſure to remember it ſelfe of that, if it oan; Can a maide forget her ornaments, or a Bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me dayes without number, Jer. 2. 32. that is, my people are dead-minded to me; if they regarded me, they would remember themſelves every day, to ſerve me; looke what a man is alive to, the minde will be ſure to remember us of that; we can have no journey to take, but our mindes remember us of it; no buſineſſe to doe, to feed our Cattell, to milke our kine every morning, and evening, to ſheare our ſheepe every Lammas, if we forget any thing in this kinde, preſently it's a 100. to one, but we remember our ſelves; now when a man is alive to the beſt things▪ in ſome meaſure, he will remember himſelfe of them every day; ſo David did, I remembred thy name O Lord, yea, in the night too, and ſo I kept thy Law, Pſal. 119. 55. I remembred my ſelfe, and I would be ſure to doe what God bid me do; it may be his heart began to ariſe, but preſently he remembred himſelfe, and beat it downe againe; it may be ſome other luſt began to be up, but by and by he remembred him, and checked his owne ſoule; when the minde is alive towards God, the knowledge of the word does not lie dead in that man; but ſtill he remembers it at every need; when the Sabbath is coming; then thinkes he I remember what God bade me doe. Remember the Sabbath day to keepe it holy; when the Sacrament comes, then he remembers himſelfe, O thinkes he, let a man examine himſelfe, and ſo let him eat of that Bread and drinke of that Cup; now the minde thinkes, I will labour to remember God continually; what ever I forget, I will not forget him; when I riſe up, when I lie downe, ſtill I will ſet my ſelfe to remember him; when I goe out, when I come home; what ever the Devill ſay, what ever the fleſh whiſper, I will labour ſtill to remember God; if I be tempted to wrath; then I deſire to remember what God ſayes; give not place to the Devill; when I feel ſpirituall lazineſſe, then I will unfeignedly endeavour to remember what God ſpeakes unto me, curſed is he that does the worke of the Lord negligently, &c.
Fifthly, the inventings or the deviſings of the heart;5. where the minde is naturally bent and alive, there it is witty, if riches, if preferment, if pleaſure, if learning be a mans luſt that he lives, in there he is witty; ſo when a man is a live unto God, his wit will have that way it's vent; as Chriſt ſayes, I finde out witty inventions Prov. 8. 12. he ſpeakes not onelyonly of himſelfe, But of his grace in every one, that is this; when the minde is alive & ſet towards Chriſt, it will finde out witty inventions; nay, it's a ſtrange thing though men have no parts, yet if they be worldly, how witty they are for ſuch matters; and ſo for good people, whoſe mindes are turned towards God, though they be of very weake parts, yet how witty they will be in good things; what pretty ways they will have to doe good, to ſhunne offences; to break occaſions of ſinne; as a Miniſter in his preaching; as Paul ſayes, I caught you with guile, 2 Cor. 12. 16. ſo let man have a liberall minde, the Prophet ſayes he will deviſe liberall things, Iſa. 32. 8. mercy and truth ſhall be to them that deviſe good; Prov. 14. 22. whence comes the blockiſhneſſe of our mindes; but from this, that our mindes are ſo dead; if our mindes were more alive towards God, it would make us more graciouſly witty, we ſhould deviſe good things, finde out admirable inventions, it would teach us plots againſt Satan, plots againſt the fleſh, as the wicked, their mindes are full of ſinfull deviſes, fetches, ſtratagems, policies, a man would wonder to ſee how witty the devill is in them, to carry them headlong to hell, &c.
Sixthly, and laſtly, the judging of the minde. But I6. ſpake of this not long agoe; and therefore I will let it alone now; thus I have ſhewed you, what a lively Chriſtian is in regard of his minde.
Now the next is, that we ſhew you what a live Chriſtian is in regard of the heart, &c.
And then in regard of the conſcience, &c. and then in regard of the affections, &c.