Things Worth Thinking on, Century 5 – Title page 2
THE Fifth Century.
1 MArtha's many things, and Mary's one thing, ſeldom conſiſt together, Luke 10.41, 42.
2 God hath moſt uſually brought judgement on the World, when they have been indulging their genius, and gratifying their ſenſual and carnal appetites in eating, drinking, &c. As in Noah's and Let's time on the Old World; Sodom and Gomorrah; on Job's Children, Belſhazzar, &c. See Iſa. 5.11, 12, 13. Jerem. 51.39, —57. Amos 6.3,—7. Zach. 1.15. and ſo he will come again, juſt ſo, Matth. 24.38, 49, 50. Take heed therefore to your ſelves, leaſt at any time your hearts be over-charged with ſurfeting and drunkenneſs, and cares of this life, and ſo that day come upon you unawares, Luke 21.34. 1 Theſſ. 5.3.
3 In all matters of pleaſure and joy, the more the union is, the more is the delight. The preſence of afriend yields more content than the abſence, and the embraces more than the preſence: ſo in outward delights, thoſe of Incorporation are more than thoſe of Adhaeſion; as 'tis more natural to delight in our meat, than in our garments, the one being inward union to increaſe our ſtrength, the other outward, and only to protect it. This is evident in ſpiritual joys and pleaſures, which ariſe from union with Chriſt and the Truths of the Goſpel, which are more united to our Souls by Faith, than by Senſe, and have an anſwerable joy, 1 Pet. 1.8. Our Ʋnion with Him and his Truth here, is that our joy may be full, 1 John 1.4. but our union being not ſo cloſe, our joy is not ſo full as 'twill be hereafter, Pſal. 16.11. Matth. 25.21. here our Maſters Joy enters into us, who can contain but little of it (quicquid recipitur, recipitur ad modum recipientis) but then we ſhall enter into it, where our ſouls will have ſcope enough, and an inſinite Ocean of joy to ſwim in to all Eternity: Then Sight will be a nearer Union than Faith is now, and more above it than Faith is above Senſe, and when we ſee him as he is we ſhall be like him, 1 John 3.2.
4 God delighted more (in his Vidit than in his Fiat) that his Works were good, than that they were, and therefore the Day of his Reſt or Sabbath, was more holy than the Days of Working, Gen. 2.2, 3. and we our ſelves find that a Review and Contemplation of a goed Act affords more joy than the meer Action. Let us therefore when we have done a good Work, ask our hearts if, and ſee that it be well done.
5 Our mutability and affecting of Variety doth argue our imperfection. That God (who is all) ſhould not content us, is not more ſtrange than true. We are compounded, and all things (but God) are ſo, which ſpeaks both their and our defect: We are in love and purſuit of many things, and eſteem not God more than Heaven and Earth; we may ſay we do, but the lowing of Oxen and bleating of Sheep (to allude to that of Samuel to Saul) our hankerings and honeings after other things, doth but too plainly declare, that in practice, fruition and ſatisfaction, it is not ſo. 'Twill never be well with us, nor can we be at eaſe, till our hearts and ſouls can and do ſay in truth, as Pſal. 73.25.
6 Philoſophy tells us that the whole courſe of our life ſhould be a Meditation of Death, but Divinity tells us more, that it ſhould be a continual Living to God (the beſt preparation for death) that when we die, we may live with God, which is beſt of all, Phil. 1.23.
7 Though Believers are not (all of them) delivered from the Earth of the Grave, yet they are from the Hell of the Grave, 1 Cor. 15.54, 55.
8 A man that is tender of his conſcience will never be prodigal of his credit: for as a good conſcience is a continual feaſt, to give a man a cheerful heart, ſo a good Name is a precious ointment, to give him a cheerful countenance, 2 Cor. 1.12. Prov. 15.30. Eccl. 7.1.
9 Words receive weight from manners, and a mans ſpeech is often better believed for his life, than for his learning: A man may preach his heart out, before he can preach any thing into the hearts of the people, if they do not like and love him. As in Phyſick, to have a good opinion of the Doctor, doth incline us to look after the preſcriptions, and alſo advantages the operation of the Medicine; ſo in Preaching (and Writing of good Books (which are a kind of Phyſick for the Mind) a good opinion of the Man doth much facilitate and help on the reception and inſluence of the Truths delivered. He therefore that would win the affection of any, muſt approve himſelf to (not their humour, but) their judgement; and he that would prevail with their judgement, muſt approve himſelf to their affection: for if judgement be prejudiced, we are not like to win and gain affection, nor if affection be diſtaſted, are we like to convince their judgement. The Goſpel, preacht with a Goſpel ſpirit and life, is moſt like to prevail with both, being moſt true and lovely, which are the objects of Underſtanding and Will, and Affections.
10 God ſeems to regard and reward our ſufferings, more than our doings, for he promiſeth a reward but according to our works, Jerem. 17.10. but as to ſufferings a great reward, Matth. 5.12. a far more exceeding eternal weight of glory, 2 Cor. 4.17. and the exaltation of Chriſt himſelf is attributed rather to his Selfdenial and Suffering, than to his doing, Phil. 2.8, 9.
11 The firſt thing that Chriſt complain'd of (after he went to Heaven) as being concern'd for it, was want of love to, yea enmity againſt his people, Acts 9.4. and the next thing, was the decay and coldneſs of his peoples love, Revel. 2.4. indeed he was a Prophet, and his words were true, Matth. 24.9.—12.
12 For a Concluſion, what I ſhall further ſay, is much-what the ſame as one before me at the end of ſome meditations of his, hath ſaid, viz. How eaſie is pen and paper piety, for one to write religiouſly! I will not ſay, it coſts nothing, but 'tis far more eaſie and cheap to work ones head than heart into goodneſs; to write an hundred Meditations and Sentences, than to ſubdue the leaſt ſin in ones ſoul. Be pleas'd alſo to know, that 'tis as eaſie and cheap (if not more) to read as to write of Piety. And therefore we ſhould both look to it, that I write not, that thou read not in vain; leaſt my writing and thy reading, riſe in judgement againſt me and thee. And as I think we ſhould not on this account forbear to write or read, ſo becauſe of this we ſhould be the more conſcientious in both, that we may profit by it, and give up our accounts with joy and not with grief. The excellency of Divine Things is not in preaching or hearing, writing or reading, praying for or profeſſing of them, but in having of and profiting by them; which is, when we are delivered to the Truth, taught us, in, by and from the Goſpel, Rom. 6.17. Titus 2.11, 12.
Conſider what Iſay, and the Lord give thee Ʋnderſtanding in all things, 2 Tim. 2.7.
Amen.
FINIS.
THE BEAUTY OF HOLINES, Repreſented In a SERMON long ſince preach'd, but now enlarged and publiſhed, To endear Holineſs, that it may be belov'd and practiſed as it deſerves to be by all that profeſs it.
By RALPH VENNING.
Zach. 14.20, 21.
In that day there ſhall be upon the Bells (or Bridles) of the Horſes, HOLINES TO THE LORD, and the Pots in the Lords Houſe ſhall be like the Bowls before the Altar: yea every Pot in Jeruſalem and in Judah ſhall be Holineſs unto the Lord of Hoſts; and all they that ſacrifice, ſhall come and take of them, and ſeeth therein: and in that day there ſhall be no more the Canaanite in the Houſe of the Lord of Hoſts.