Heart Treasure, Chapter 6
CHAP. VI. The laſt reaſon, ſhewing the advantages of this treaſure.
THe tenth Argument to evince the neceſſity of this Heart-Treaſure, is drawn from the profit and advantage in having it, and that principally in facilitating the hardeſt duties of Religion, 2 Tim. 3.17.and furniſhing the Soul for every good work: And here I ſhal keep cloſe to the Treaſure of holy Thoughts, fed with thoſe four ſtreams, of Truths, Graces, Comforts, Experiences: not only a ſaving principle, but ſuch a meaſure thereof, as wil make up a Treaſure.
Now the frame of a treaſured ſoul for duty, is,
1. Ready.
2. Real.
3. Uniforme.
4. Perpetual.
1. A treaſured heart is ready for Duty, like a wel-ſtored Houſe-keeper, you cannot take him unprovided; a wel-accompliſh'd Schollar that's never non-pluſt; and a watchful Souldier, that's alwaies fit for ſervice: The Chriſtian hath prepared materials to build the houſe, and wants nothing but its ſetting up in actual performance; Yea, the houſe is built and furniſh'd in ſome degree for the entertaining of this Royal Gueſt; Let my Beloved come into his Garden, and eat his pleaſant fruits, Cant. 4.16. The bow is ſtringed, the heart fixed, the fire glowing in the Cinders upon the Hearth, and one blaſt of the Spirits breathing heightens it to a flame: Yet ſuppoſe the heart be not in actual readineſs, yet habits are ſooner educed into act, than new habits infuſed, and this the fooliſh Virgins knew by ſad experience.
But obſerve it, the more of this treaſure, and the more readineſs; the reaſon why we are not ſo free to Prayer, Conference, Meditation, is becauſe wee are not ſo filled with Grace; otherwiſe, gracious acts would flow from us, as naturally, as ſtreams from the Spring; had we a treaſure, we ſhould never want ſuitable matter, and lively affections, we ſhould not need to force our ſelves to offer Sacrifice, as Saul in another reſpect, nor with main-ſtrength to binde the Sacrifice to the horns of the Altar, but we ſhould come off freely, chearfully, delighting in Gods waies as in our proper element, and running with inlarged hearts; The glorious Angels, and glorified Spirits of the Juſt made perfect, have a perfect treaſure of divine perfections, and are therefore ready preſt to do Gods Will. Now we pray that Gods wil may be done on earth, as its done in Heaven, and that wil never be, without this living treaſure. But Oh how quickly ſhal we hear, a command, and how ſwiftly ſhal we obey; if we have a treaſure? A good ſoul is like the Centurion's Servant, half a word wil make him run. When God ſaid to David, Seek my face; Pſal. 27.8,his heart quickly ecchoed, Thy face Lord, will I ſeek; his warrant carried the force of an Argument: He needs no perſwading when he knows his Maſters pleaſure. This is one choice advantage of having a treaſure.
2. A Treaſured ſoul is real and ſerious, not complemental and forced; Iſrael of old made Covenants and ſeemed very religious, and God himſelf atteſted that they had wel ſaid, but wiſheth: Deut. 5.28, 29.O that there were ſuch an heart in them—! We have a ſtrange paſſage in Jer. 5.2. Though they ſay, the Lord liveth, ſurely they ſwear falſly; Why? Is not that a truth? Yes, a great truth, God alone is the Living God, but that they ſay ſo, yet their heart gives the lye to their Lips; they ſay it with a deceitful heart, and that they may deceive, though it be a truth in it ſelf, yet they ſpeak it not as a truth, wanting an heart to aſſert the ſame: 'Tis but a fond and frolick oſtentation, to invite a friend to dinner, when nothing is prepared: It's a mocking of God to bring Cain's Sacrifice, a body without an heart, a carkaſſe without Spirit, it's as if a Jew had brought the skin of a beaſt for Sacrifice and no more: But where the treaſure is in the Heart, there the eſſentials of the Service are made up, the work is filled up, or compleat before God, foreignRev. 3.2. i. e. it is not lame or defective in any conſiderable conſtitutive part thereof; 'Tis ſuch as may bee truely called a real good work. This is the chief thing that God expects; and if a good Heart be wanting, the Work is as undone ſtill: But a ſincere Chriſtian findes his prayer in his Heart, which hee utters with his Lips, 2 Sam. 7.27. Thy Servant hath found in his heart to pray this Prayer;—He found it not onelyonly in his Book, but in his Heart; he fetcheth his Prayer from a Treaſure: Such a man wil pray a prayer, (as David here) and not onelyonly ſay a prayer, that findes it in his Heart; What cares God for a little Lip-labour: Hee may ſay, Who required theſe things at your hands? Did I not require them of your hearts? A mock-Feaſt or Faſt will not content me; I ſhall not be put off with an empty ſhew; I will have your hearts, or nothing; and I muſt have a Treaſure in your hearts, or all you bring is worth nothing. The truth is, God takes principal notice of the heart, and obſerves how that ſtands affected: If Idols be ſet up in the heart. Ez…k. 14… 3, 4.God takes no notice of a peoples prayers: Therefore we had need look to the frame of the heart.
3. An heart-treaſure makes the Chriſtian uniform and univerſal in the duties of Religion, he takes a Chriſtian-courſe as it lyes, carries on Religion before him without halting or halving, he practiſeth all righteouſneſs at all times. There's a ſweet harmony and exact Symmetrie in a Saints performance of duty. Some can frame to ſome eaſier duties, not to more difficult, but the treaſured ſoul can frame to any thing which God in the word hath made his duty, foreign.and hence it is that he is compleat in all the will of God, Col. 4.12. the Law of God in his heart carries an aſpect to every part of his … in the written Word; Graces and Duties are concordant one to another, like a company of horſes in Pharaohs Chariot: their cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, their necks with chaines of gold, Song. 1.9, 10. i. e. the ſou…e handſomly adorned with a comely train of graces and duties: yea, ſuch a ſoul wil at all times act like it ſelf, ſo that one part of his life wil not croſſe another, as a Liars tales, and hypocrites carriage do; hee doth not ſerve God by fits and ſtarts, in good moods and motions, ſo as to be off and on in Religion, Pſa. 51.10.but he hath a conſtant. ſetled ſpirit, foreign Spiritus consta is, firmus, diſpoſitus:(which David prayes for, and the Tranſlators call a right Spirit, and truly ſo it is) diſpoſed for God, fitted for duty, bringing forth good fruit in due ſeaſon: like a conſtant good Houſekeeper, that is never ſo ſ…d len… ſurpriz…d, but can make a pr…dent ſhi… to treat his friend according to his degree: the truth is, man in his fallen eſtate is uncertain, intricate and multiform in all his waies, you cannot tell where to finde him, Jer. 2.36.gadding about to change his way; but being renewed, he is in part reduced to that original rectitude, ſimplicity, and ſtability of ſpirit and practice, that was in Adam, in ſome proportion; ſo that according to the degree of grace received, he hath a conſtant uniform frame and tenor of ſpirit, and holds one ſtraight, direct, and even courſe towards heaven: in all this ſuitable to the motion of the wheels in the Prophet Ezekiels Viſion, Chap. 1.17. when they went, they went upon their four ſides [there's their ſquareneſs and ſuitableneſſe to all Gods wil] and they returned not when they went, [there's their conſtant, permanent, and un-repentant motion]: that wil lead us to the next Head; onelyonly conſider, what an excellency and beauty there is in uniformity in religious duties: when works of Nature or Art are uniforme, what luſtre have they? We are much taken with a Building that's compact and proportionable. A Garden drawn exactly, an Army marſhalled in compleat ranks and poſtures are comely ſights; juſt ſuch are the fruits of holineſs, proceeding from a wel-treaſured Heart; and indeed, without this Treaſure there can be no ſuch harmony in holy: performances, but the actings wil be like the legs of the lame, very unequal: That's the third.
4. A treaſure makes holy duties conſtant and perpetual, though there may be ſome temporary intermiſſions, yet never a total ceſſation in acts of Religion; Will an hypocrite pray alwaies? Job 27.10. no verily: the water riſeth no higher than the Spring, and waters fail that have no Spring, like Jobs Snowwaters, which when it waxethwarm, vaniſheth away: Job 6.16, 17.but a little brook ſupplyed with a conſtant ſpring, holds out in Winter and Summer: juſt ſuch is the differences betwixt the performances of a treaſured and treaſureleſs heart: Two men perform duties, the one from gifts, the other from Grace; the former in time withers, the latter daily encreaſeth. The King of France ſhewed Spaines Ambaſſador his rich Treaſures, the Ambaſſador looks under the Treaſure-Cheſts, ſaying, Have theſe a Spring? my maſters treaſures have, meaning both the Indies: juſt ſo 'tis here, let natural mens attainments be never ſo excellent, you may come to ſee an end of all their perfections, their eye of knowledge may be darkened, and their arm of natural and acquired abilities clean dryed up: for, how can a Well be alwaies giving out water that receives none? How can a Roſe keep freſh without a Root? But they that are planted in the houſe of the Lord, ſhall flouriſh in the Courts of our God; yea, they ſhall bring forth fruit in old age, Pſalm 92.13, 14. For a lively principle, is the ſeed of God that will never dye, and this ſpring of grace is fed with ſupplies from the fulneſſe of Jeſus Chriſt, who is the fountain of Gardens, and Well of living Waters; In ſumma, hic tam perpetuitas donorum ſpiritus, quam affluentia nobis promittitur, Marl. in loc.hence he ſaith, John 7.38. He that believeth in me—out of his belly ſhall flow Rivers of living Water, i.e. he ſhal have a perpetual ſupply of grace, and ſhall ſend forth conſtant emanations of gracious a…ts: A wel-furniſht Chriſtian ſhal never be drawn dry, his Saviour and treaſure ever live, and becauſe Chriſt lives, the Saints and their graces ſhal live for ever; O friends, what would you give in theſe backſliding times to hold out to the end? that you may not make ſhip-wrack of Faith and a good conſcience. Behold, I ſhew unto you an excellent way, heap one grace upon another til you poſſeſs a Treaſure; tye a chain of theſe Pearls together, and lay them up in the Cloſet of your hearts, and you'l never be ſpiritually impoveriſhed; be holily covetous after all graces that are attainable: Add to your faith vertue, to vertue knowledge, temperance, patience, godlineſſe, brotherly-kindneſſe, charity, for if you have theſe, you'l not be barren or unfruitful in good duties; and if you do good duties according to that treaſure, you ſhal never fall; See 2 Pet. 1.5. to verſ. 11. Theſe are a chain that link the ſoul to God, and reach as high as Heaven: But do not think you can endure to the end without a Treaſure, for he that hath not root in himſelf, dureth but a while; Mat. 13.21.no wonder if many drop off like leaves in Autumn, they have not any thing to bea… them out, they ſpend upon themſelves, as the Spider which ſpins her webs out of her own bowels, but they are ſwept away as the Spiders web: But the gracious ſoul hath no leſs than an infinite God to ſupply the treaſures of grace; ſo that let a Chriſtian fall off to many acts of ſin, careleſneſſe in Dutie, and a courſe of looſeneſſe, yet this Treaſure wil work him off: as a Spring clears it ſelf from mud in time, ſo he ſhal be reduced to God; there is ſomething in the heart of a back-ſliding Saint that makes him reſtleſſe in that eſtate, and moving towards the Center; David ſaith, I have gone aſtray like a loſt ſheep, [there's his acknowledgement] Seek thy ſervant [there's his requeſt,] for I do not forget thy Commandements [there's the argument to inforce it] q. d. there is yet ſomething in my heart that owns thee, though I be fallen far, yet not ſo far but that I am ſtill reaching after thee, and I am not fallen below thy reach: the truth is, a Childe of God hath more hold-faſt of God in his loweſt ebbs than another ſinner hath; as the Spinſter leaveth a lock of wool to draw on the next threed, ſo there is ſomething left in the heart, the ſeed of God that aſcends Heaven-words: though a Saint be in a very dead frame, yet he is not twice dead, as wicked men are: there is yet the root of the matter in the heart, that by the ſent of water (the heavenly dew of divine Grace) wil ſprout again, and bring forth fruit: I diſpute not how far men may fal, and whether a true Saint may not be brought back to the bare habits of grace as they were at firſt infuſed, and loſe degrees of grace obtained: But ſure I am Chriſt prayed for Peter, (and ſo for all Believers) that his faith ſhould not fail, Vid. Suff. Brit. de quin. Artic. theſ. 6. p. 189. In Sanctorum cordibus ſecundum quaſdam virtutes ſemper manet Spiritus: Secundum quaſdam receſſurus venit, & …turus recedit, in his virtutibus, ſine quibus ad vitam non pervenitur in elcolorum ſuorum cordibus permane… Gr.g. Moral.Luke 22.32. and God alwaies heareth him: therefore our Divines have determined, That the ſeed of Regeneration, with thoſe fundamental gifts, without which ſpiritual life cannot conſiſt, are kept ſafe and intire: for the ſame Holy Ghoſt that infuſed that ſeed of Grace, hath imprinted in it an incorruptible vertue, and perpetually cheriſheth and maintaineth it: Maries better part ſhall not be taken away. This fear in the heart, keeps them from departing from God, Jer. 32.40. They have [conſtantiam in propoſito, & perſeverantiam in opere] conſtancie in their hearts, and perſeverance in their hands. Holy reſolutions produce ſucceſsful performances: and thus doth the treaſured Chriſtian hold on in a Chriſtian courſe, til theſe ſmaller meaſures of grace end in the vaſt Ocean of Glory: Thus much for the Reaſons of the Point.