A Guide to Heaven from the Word, Part 2
Directions how to cloſe ſavingly with Chriſt.
1. COme to Chriſt, a poor, loſt, and undone wretch, hopeleſs and helpleſs; as to an onelyonly able, and merciful Saviour. Cry out, as one ſinking under the Waves and boiſterous tempeſts of ſin, Maſter ſave, or elſe I periſh. If thou wilt, thou canſt, Heb. 7.25. Say with Thomas, My Lord, and my God, my Chriſt, and my Saviour; put the hand of thy Faith into Chriſts pierced and duplicate page duplicate page bleeding ſides, Joh. 20.27, 28. Say as they, Joh. 6.68. Whither ſhould I go, but unto ſuch a Saviour! thou haſt eternal life. Thou canſt help me out of the deep and miery ditch of my ſins, and over the fiery and fearful gulph of Gods wrath, and canſt bring me into the bleſſed preſence, yea, into the gracious arms, boſome, and embraces of the God of glory. I ſtretch out the weak arms of my Faith to thee, O ſtretch out the ſtrong arm of thy power and mercy, and come and ſave me!
2. Come as an humble, broken, and relenting ſinner, to an offended Majeſty. Come trembling, with tears in your eyes, and deep ſorrow in your heart. Come as one vile in the ſight of God, your ſelf, men, and Angels. As the poor Publican, not worthy to look up to heaven, ſmite on thy wicked heart. As the Centurion, ſay, I am not worthy thou ſhouldeſt come under the roof of my heart. As the Prodigal, I have ſinned againſt Heaven, and am not worthy to be an hired ſervant. Yet there is mercy enough in my Fathers heart and thy merits, Iſa. 61.1. I have let flie many poyſonous bullets, and bitter arrows of ſin againſt thee; I have by ſin, fetcht (as it were) blood from thy precious heart afreſh, though it ran ſo freely and abundantly for my ſake; but now a ſight of thy pierced ſide breaks my heart with ſobs and ſighs. My ſins are now as ſo many pricks in my ſide, thorns at my heart, and ropes about my neck.
3. Come as a filthy polluted, loathſome creature, to a cleanſing Fountain of Grace, Lazarus in all his ſores, or Job on the dunghil with his ſcabs and botches, were not ſo filthy and abominable in the eye of man, as I am through the running ſores and plagues of my heart and life, in the ſight of an holy and pure God. I am more vile then the Toad, then the ſtinking carrion in the ditch. How doth this filth ſtream through every duty and mercy? I drop the filthineſs of ſin, whereever I go. Oh waſh, cleanſe and purifie in thy blood, Iob 15. 16, 42. Unclean, unclean! Thy, body was broken to let out thy blood for my ſake, and ſhall not my heart be broken to let out the filth and gore of my ſin?
4. Come as a bond-ſlave, drudge, and vaſſal, to Chriſt as to a Redeemer. Complain of the Devils cruel uſage, and Sins tyrannizing. Say, Lord, thou haſt paid a price ſufficient. Thou haſt redeemed me by thy precious blood, that is more worth then ten thouſand worlds. Knock off theſe iron fetters, reſcue me out of this helliſh Dungeon of ſin. I have now no command of my head or heart, of my tongue or paſſions. How do luſts domineere! Luke 4.18. Heb. 2.14, 15. Rom. 12, 13, 14. Here I lie ſtaked down to the earth by a carnal heart.
5. Come as a ſin-ſick-ſoul to Chriſt, as to the only able Phyſitian. As ſick perſons, crying out of an aking head, or griping bowels. So complain, Oh the plague of an hard heart! The galls and gripes of a wounded conſcience! the wounds and ſtabs I have given my ſoul by ſin! Here I am ſick to the very heart, fainting and periſhing. Oh a drop of thy blood: that is a cordial indeed, the ſoveraign Balm of Gilead. Theſe many years, yea all my life have I been diſeaſed with the bloody iſſue of ſin; and all others are Phyſitians of no value; but if I may but touch the hem of thy righteous Garment, I ſhall be whole, Matth. 9.20, 21, 22. I come to thee with mine Ulcers and Impoſthumes, to be lanced; that the rotten members of my body of ſin may be cut off.
6. Come weary and heavy laden with your ſins, to Chriſt for reſt and eaſe, Mat. 11, 28, 29. Good Paul groaning under the weight of ſin, makes many heavy heart-burning complaints, Rom. 7.18, 19, and 24 but yet in the 25. v. he triumphs in Chriſt. Holy David, reſtleſs and diſquiet, roars under ſin, Pſal. 38.1. to 9. Thoſe ſins that were as jewels in your eye, yea, as your right hand or eye, are they now as milſtones and loads to your ſoul?
7. Come as a poor, needy, and naked creature to Chriſt, as the poor to the rich mans door for alms. Come quite ſtript naked of your own righteouſneſs, Rev. 3.17, 18. Cry out of your ſpiritual poverty: Lord, not one penny of grace to help my ſelf. Never a poorer wretch came to thee for mercy. Grace I want; if I periſh it ſhall be at thy feet, begging and praying. I will not be thruſt away from thy door. Behold want of Faith, Patience, Love, &c. Not able to think or ſpeak, to do, or ſuffer. Oh let the ſweet gales of thy ſpirit bring thy rich promiſes fraught with incomparable grace and comfort, to unlade their heavenly treaſure into my boſome. Give me the key of Faith, that I may unlock thy rich Store-houſe, and fetch what I want.
8. Come as an hunger-ſtarv'd ſoul for bread of life, thirſting and panting for ſoul-refreſhing grace, Iſa. 55. Beg, cry out; Bread, Bread. In ſome Countries through great want, they cry, Give, and cut me, (holding out their arm) give and kill me. Cry, Give, Lord, and ſtrike me, Give me heavenly food, and do what thou wilt with me. Say, Lord, if but as a Dog, I may receive crumbs that fall from thy full Table of Grace. Thirſt and behold in every bleeding deep wound of Chriſt a fountain of rich flowing mercy. Each heavenly promiſe ſteept in that ſweet blood of Chriſt by faith, can afford a full ſatisfying meal of joy and comfort to thy pining hunger-bitten Soul. Apply the lips of thy faith to thoſe full breſts, to thoſe over, ever-flowing Wells of ſalvation. Say, Lord, open thoſe precious boxes of ointment, and ſprinkle them on my dead, barren, parched thirſty heart. May I have but bread, but a drop, 'twill be as a refreſhing cordial; how ſweet then will a feaſt of fat things be, Wine on the Lees!
9. Come as a fooliſh ignorant and backward Scholar to Chriſt as to a great Prophet or Schoolmaſter. Say, Lord, its thou muſt teach me, or I ſhall never learn: I am dull to underſtand, but thou canſt and doſt teach thy people to profit: Lord, that I may receive my ſpiritual eyeſight! Thou haſt many an heavenly leſſon to teach, as Faith, Patience, Self-denial, &c. I am come to be thy Diſciple, I have a long time been under the teachings of man, let me have the teachings of thy Spirit. Thou art meek, and not harſh, Mat. 11. 29.
10. Come as an unskilful, trembling Souldier, as a weak David, ſtrugling with Bears, Lyons, and Goliahs, with Principalities and Powers. Come to Chriſt as to the Captain of your Salvation; ſay, Lord, it's thou muſt teach my hands to war, and my fingers to fight. It's thou muſt fight my battels for me, or I ſhall fall by the hands of theſe ſtrong and to wring luſts. What batteries, aſſaults, and ſtorms doth Satan raiſe againſt my ſoul! Heb. 2.10. Eph. 6.12.
11. Come as a condemned Malefactor and loſt priſoner to Chriſt, as to your Advocate and Interceſſor. Lay open your bad cauſe and ſad eſtate.
1. Your crimes are great and fearful, horrid treaſon, and that againſt the higheſt Majeſty.
2 Your accuſers and adverſaries many, ſubtil, diligent and cruel. The Devil, your own heart, and acquaintance can bring in black bills againſt you.
3. The Law of God condemns you, and your doom is dreadful.
4 The great God your Judge, is highly incenſed, affronted and diſhonoured.
Now apply your ſelf to Jeſus Chriſt, who has undertook as bad cauſes; ſay, Lord, ſtand between the flaming fire and revenging ſword of Gods wrath and my poor ſoul, 1 Tim. 2.5.1. Ioh. 2, 1.
12. Come as a willing ſervant to a good Maſter, as a loyal Subject to your only Lord and Soveraign, to obey, honour and love him above all others, and that to the death. Say, Here I am, what wilt thou have me to do? Here is my head to know thee, my heart to love thee, my tongue to praiſe thee, mine ears to hear thy voyce, and mine hands and feet to do thy will. Other Lords beſides thee have ruled over me. But thou art mine only Saviour and Prince, Acts 5, 30, 31. Heb. 5.9. I diſlike none of thy commands, they are righteous, good and reaſonable; but I find fault with mine own wretched heart, that I can no more heartily love, and readily obey them. Say, Thy work is as Adam's was in Paradiſe, a pleaſure and not a toyl; as the Bee labouring, ſucks honey and ſweetneſs, 1 Joh. 5.3. What ſweet, ſoul-raviſhing work will my heart make of praying, hearing, and meditating, &c. when thou ſtreameſt forth thy graces, thoſe bleſſed ſilver drops of heaven into every vein of my ſoul.
13. Come as a poor worthleſs Spouſe to Chriſt, as to an honourable and glorious husband. Come both for thy wedding Garment and matchleſs portion. Come as Abigal to David, 1 Sam. 25.40, 4142. ſay, Lord, here I am meanly, yea vilely deſcended, by ſin a child of Satan, and thou art the Lord from Heaven. Enoble me with thy grace, which is divine and heavenly blood, far above the heroical blood of Anceſtors. Here I am ragged, decrepit and deformed through ſin. Cover my filth and nakedneſs. with thy white, ſpotleſs garment, that my ſhame appear not. What is platting the hair, decking a filthy, ſlimy carkaſe, to the adorning the ſoul with invaluable grace! Every grace of thine is a rich Diamond, a Pearl, yea far above. The ſoul fill'd with God, is a little Heaven on Earth; and theſe graces are the beſpangling ſtars and glittering lamps thereof. Read that notable Deſcription, Ezek. 16.3. to 14.
Theſe rich ornaments, this crown, not of gold but of grace and glory, none but Chriſts Bride wears. Every morning ſet your ſelf ſolemnly, as in the preſence of God Omniſcient, and charge your heart to give in a true anſwer to theſe enquiries, as it will account for theſe and many others things at the day of Judgment before all the World.