Heart Treasure, Title page – Dedication
Heart-Treaſure: OR, AN ESSAY
TENDING To fil and furniſh the Head and Heart of every Chriſtian, with a ſoul-inriching treaſure of truths, graces, experiences, and comforts, to help him in Meditation, Conference, Religious Performances, ſpiritual actions, enduring affl…ctions, and to fit him for all Conditions, that he may live holily, dye happily, and go to Heaven triumphantly.
BEING The ſubſtance of ſome Sermons preached at Coley in York ſhire, on Mat. 12.35.
By O. H. An unworthy Miniſter of the bleſſed Goſpel.
Prov. 10.2. Treaſures of wickedneſs profit nothing, but Righteouſneſs delivereth from death.
Rom. 14.17. For the Kingdome of God is not meat and drink; but righteouſneſs, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghoſt.
Aug De Civit. Dei Lib. I.c. 16.
Sit igitur in primis poſitum, at que firmatum, Virtutem, qud rectè vivitur ab animi ſed. membris corporis imperare, anctum que corpus uſu fitri ſancta voluntatis.
Cyprian Tract …. De Hab. Virg.
Sciant primò illam Divitem eſſe, quae in Deo dives eſt, illam eſſe locupletem, quae locuples in Chriſto eſt: Bona illa eſſe quae ſunt spiritualia, Divina, caeleſtia, quae nos ad Deum ducant, quae nobiſcum, apud deum verpetuâ Poſſeſſione permaneant.
LONDON, Printed by A. Ibbitſon for …mas Parkburſt, at the Golden Bible, on London-bridge, 1667.
TO THE READER.
READER,
SO ſoon as thine Eye views the title of this ſreatiſe, do not ſlightly caſt the Treatiſe it ſelf away, but ſpend ſome time in the ſerious peruſal of it. If any value is to be put on my poor Judgment; I do aſſure thee I eſteem it a choice Treaſure. In it, thou wilt finde a moſt uſeful Subject treated on, viz. The furniſhing the heart with a ſpiritual Treaſure, an Argument neceſſary for theſe times, wherein we cannot inſure outward Treaſures. The pious learned Author in handling this Subject, hath approved himſelf a moſt experienced Chriſtian, and a workman who needeth not be aſhamed.
Amongſt the variety of good Books, which through divine indulgence are yet to be bought; it will be thy wiſdome to buy thoſe that are of general uſe, and ſuch is this Book, I commend to thee; Buy it, read it oft, meditate on it ſeriouſly, and lift up thy heart to God for his bleſſing, and thou wilt finde much cauſe to admire his good Providence in handing this Book to thee, and wilt bee incited to do that work, many Profeſſors are too remiſs in, viz. The getting an Heart treaſure, which will greatly ſupport thee under preſent and future tryal.
In the Appendix thou wilt meet with excellent helps for the diſcharge of the neceſſary and much neglected duty of Meditation, whereby thou maieſt get much Treaſure for holy thoughts, and ſo prevent that, which is the burthen of many gracious ſouls, viz. vain thoughts, and be fitted for Duty, and enjoy much of Heaven on Earth.
The good Lord bleſs theſe Papers, and the labours of all his Faithful Ambaſſadors to the good of his Church, ſo prayeth,
July the 12th. 1667. The meaneſt of Chriſts ſervants, and thy ſoulFriend; John Cheſter.
To my very loving and dearly beloved Friends and Neighbours, the Inhabitants of Coley and the places adjacent.
My dearly beloved in the Lord,
GOod Books are not the leaſt part of the Churches treaſure and furniture, but there is not any Book to be compared to that Book of Books, the holy Bible, or Books of Canonical Scripture, which were indited by the immediate dictates of the bleſſed ſpirit, penned by holy Men of God, and do contain the whole of Man, and open Gods heart to the Sons of Men: this precious Book is the common Magazin of the Saints, the Shop of all Soul-phyſick, Mr. Torſhe… of harmonizing Script. pag. 26.the greateſt treaſure of heavenly wiſdome and ſcience (ſaith a good Divine) that the whole Earth hath in keeping: he that eates and digeſts this Book cannot but be wel-liking: he that digs in theſe golden Mines, cannot but be rich; and he that makes this Book his main ſtudy, muſt needs be learned, holy and happy: the beſt Men have delighted moſt in the Word of God, and they that have delighted moſt therein, Dr. Gouge ſee his life. See the life of Mr. Jordan in Mr. Clarks Collect.have become the beſt Men: of ſome famous Men 'tis recorded, that they read every day fifteen Chapters in the Bible, many years together, of others 'tis ſaid they read it above twenty times over in their lives, with ſpecial obſervations of others, that by long and aſſiduous Meditation of the Scriptures, their breaſts became libraries of Jeſus Chriſt: and indeed 'tis the duty and property of a gracious ſoul to meditate in Gods Law day and night: and to ſet an higher eſtimate upon it, than up…n the richest treaſures of Gold and Silver, Pear…es or precious Stones: it were better that all other Books were burnt (as Luther ſaid) than that they ſhould abate Scripture-ſtudy: yet ſecondarily the choice Treatiſes of eminent Divines in all ages are no mean part of the Churches treaſure; as helps to underſtand and improve the treaſures of knowledge contained and couched in thoſe ſacred pages: theſe are as ſo many Philips to the ſtudious Eunuch to take the laborious Paſſenger by the hand, through the deeper foards of Scripture ſtudies: theſe are as tender Nurſes, to lay the breaſts of the two Teſtaments to Gods babes, and feed them with milk or ſtronger meat, as they are able: theſe are thoſe Mineraliſts that dig out of this precious quarry ſuch Gold and Silver-oar, that if it have the ſtamp of God upon it, will much inrich the ſouls of ſpiritual Merchants; only let the ſpiritual Man, who judgeth all things, try the ſpirits, and diſtinguiſh betwixt the droſs of errour, and the ſolid Gold of ſaving truth, let no p…yſon, dropping from the Pen, infect the eyes, and ſo bewitch the heart: 'tis a bleſſed thing to have a ſolid judgment, and an honeſt heart, to prove all things… and to hold fast that which is go…d: Bleſſed be God for good Books, which are a better treaſure for the Church than the Romiſh ſtock of merits and indulgences, theſe are as ſo m…ny ſweet reflections from the Sun of Scripture upon the dark and d…ubting ſ…ul, they are as pipes to …nvey the ſtreames of ſalvation from thoſe bleſſed Fountains to private Houſes, and troubled hearts; and there is an advantage in writing, Zecharias, cum loqui non petuit, ſcripſit.when Preachers are dead or cannot ſpeak, books may remain and inſtruct their ſurviving people, and what is wanting to the ear may be compenſated to the eye, (which ſome have called the learned Senſes) and through the eye the heart may be affected, and why may not life be conveyed through the eyes to the heart? as death came in that way, ſo God can by his Spirit make Pen and Ink characters, to leave lively Characters, not on Paper and Parchment, 2 Cor. 3.3.but on the fleſhly tables of the heart.
This in part is my Apology for putting my Sicle into this Harveſt, and taking this pains in compoſing this Treatiſe, whether it ſhall ever have the advantage of publication by an impreſſion, I know not, but if the Lord will make any further uſe of it, for the good of his Church, I ſhall accept of that opportunity, and leave my ſelf and theſe poor labours to the ſervice of that God, to whom I have devoted my ſelf and all that I have or can do: I look upon my ſelf as the weakest and unworthieſt of all thoſe that wait at Gods Altar, yet as the Lord hath put me in truſt with the Goſpel, ſo I have deſired in my meaſure to be faithful to the Lord and to your ſouls, and having obtained help of God I continue a mirrour of Providence to this day: I am not worthy to preach, much leſs to print any thing of theſe g…erious myſteries. I rather wonder that God hath had the patience with me thus long in his work; my God hath humbled me amongſt you, Acts 10.19.you know how I have ſerved the Lord with many tears and temptations, which have befallen me many wayes, yet God is faithful who hath not ſuffered me to be tempted, beyond that ſtrength he hath ſupplyed me with, 1 Cor. 10.13.and hath at laſt made a way to eſcape: Let God glorifie himſelf whatever become of this vile wretched worm; the good of your ſouls lyes near my heart, God is my witneſſe how greatly I long after your ſpiritual welfare; it much grieves me to think of leaving any f… your ſouls without a ſaving Treaſure after all my Soul-travel over you, and ſerving two full Apprentiſhips amongſt you: Let not my ſins or ſufferings blemiſh my doctrine or practiſe, or be a ſtumbling-block before any of you: what you have ſeen good in me, imitate it, what hath been amiſs, cover it with the skirt of Love, and beg a pardon from Heaven for me: Some may think better of me than I deſerve, and others worſe, but as I paſs not for mans judgment, ſo both have tended to humble me, becauſe I do not anſwer the apprehenſions of the one, and my corruptions exceed any grounded cenſures of of the other; it were but a ſorry buſineſſe to undertake a vindication of my ſelf (except wherein the Goſpel is concerned); Oh that you and yours might be and do that which is good, though I ſhould be as Reprobate and un-approved: 2 Cor. 13.7.Let Chriſt live though we dye, let ſouls be enriched, though we be impoveriſhed; would to God poor ſouls did reign as ſpiritual Kings, for though they ſhould ſeek to exclude us as means thereof, 1 Cor. 4.8.yet we alſo would reign with them as ſharers therein, and in thankfulneſs to God for their mercy: let people be truly rich in grace, and we muſt be full of comfort, yea, our peoples-faith ſhall comfort us in all our affliction; Oh, how much would our peoples spiritual gains countervail our temporal loſſes? 'Tis better, infinitely better that you be rich with our wares, than we with yours, our greatest treaſure as Miniſters, lyes in your ſouls Riches, we ſeek not yours, but you, and it will be tranſcendenly more comfort if you give up your ſouls to Chriſt, than if you ſhould give all your eſtates to us: we ſhall get riches enough if wee make you rich, (as Conſtantius ſaid once) this is one of Paul's Paradoxes, oh that it might be ver…fi…d in our ſucceſs alſo, as poor, yet making many rich, 2 Cor. 6.10.
Concerning the birth and bulk of this Treatiſe I muſt tell you, that the occaſion of it was this: I heard a godly Miniſter preach a Sermon upon this Text, and I was much affected with it. and reſolved when I came home to ſearch into it, I ſtudied and preached three Sermons (as I remember) upon it, with which ſome were ſo offected, that ſeveral intreated me to give them Copies thereof, which I ſet my ſelf to; but as I writ it, it ſwelled in my hands to this magnitude at loſt; and when ſome had peruſed it, they entreated me to let it be printed, and ſome would be at the charges; it was a ſudden, and (to me) a ſtrange motion, for I never yet judged any labours of mine to be of ſo much worth as to be expoſed to publick view, yet I did not know what hand and end, the Lord might have in this motion: I ſought God about it, and deſired to ſearch my heart, and purge it from the Leaven of vanity and oſtentation, which (God knows) I found too much working in me; then I told my Friend I would communicate it to ſome Reverend Miniſters, and ſhould be ruled by their judgment, and and advice: I did ſo, and four or five eminent men in theſe two Counties of Yorkſhire and Lancaſhire have moved me to publiſh it; and if Providence clears its way, I am freely content, the Lord do with me and it, as ſeems good in his eyes:
The Subject I am ſure, is of great importance, nor have lever ſeen any Treatiſe of this nature; if it were profitably handled it might be of ſingular uſe: what is of man. I hope God will pity and pardon the unworthy Instrument; and what proceedeth from his bleſſed Spirit, may through the help of the Spirit reach and teach the ſpirit, as this hath been (in a ſort) painful, ſo hath it been very pleaſant and delightful to me: and this I can ſay, I never found variety of matter ſo flowing into my mind at any time, as in writing this Book I have experienced: if the Lord do good by it, I have my end.
Devout Bernard begins an Epiſtle to a great man with this Text, Bern. Epist. 123. ad Hildeb. Arch. Turon: Sanè quod ad me attinet, lego me in litteris tuis, non quod ſum, ſed quod eſſe vellem, & quod non eſſe pudet:A good man out of the good treaſure of the heart bringeth forth good th…ngs: and towards the cloſe of that Epiſtle he hath theſe words, Truly for my ſelf, I re…d my ſelf in thy letters, not what I am, but what I would be, and that I am aſhamed that I …m no…: Juſt ſo may I ſay in this caſe, I have writ of the Hearts treaſure, but alaſs, how little have I attained of that whereof I have aritten? the Lord grant that mine own Book may not riſe up as a witneſs againſt me, but 'tis the deſire of my heart to have ſuch a Treaſure, as is here deſcribed, if it ſet our ſouls on longing and praying for it, ſome good is done by it.
I ſhall not any longer detain you in the Porch, I entreat you read it deliberately, and practice what you read and finde backed with the Scripture of truth, and God forbid that my preaching, or this writing ſhould riſe up in judgment againſt you: God forbid that any of you ſhould be found without this Hearttreaſure of ſaving Grace at Death or Judgment: My dear Friends, pray for me, who have you much upon my heart, when I am upon my knees, pray for me that Utterance may be given unto mee—that I Eph. 5.19.may make known the myſterie of the Goſpel: pray, Rom. 15.32.that I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreſhed, for the perfecting of that which is lacking in your faith, that ſo you may have a Treaſure of grace in your Hearts laid up in you, and a Treaſure of glory in the Heavens laid up for you, which is the conſtant Prayer of
From my Study at Coley-Hall June. 14. 1666. A ſinfull Worm, that deſires to continue with you for your furtherance and joy of faith, Oliver Heywood.