Heaven Upon Earth, Sermon · Direction 11
XI. DIRECTION.
If you would be acquainted with God, take heed of thoſe things, which keep God and man at a diſtance, and make the Lord take no pleaſure in us. In general, take heed of all ſin, Waſh you, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from mine eyes, ceaſe to do evil, learn to do good, ſeek judgement, relieve the oppreſſed, judge the Fatherleſs, and plead the cauſe of the Widow. Come now, and let us reaſon together, ſaith the Lord. Iſa. 1.17, 18. You muſt waſh your hands in Innocency, if you intend to compaſs his Altar, to ſit down it his Table. In Pſal. 101. David is exceeding deſirous of Gods company, and he cries out, O when wilt thou come unto me! he thinks long to have a viſit from his old friend; he would gladly walk with him. Now what courſe doth he take to get Gods company? Why, he goes the beſt way to work in the world: He will ſet no wicked thing before his eyes. He knows it is to no purpoſe for him to expect much of Gods company, while he doth entertain his greateſt enemies; therefore he turns them out of doors; I hate, ſaith he, the works of them that turn aſide, it ſhall not cleave to me: And that God may dwell with him, and make his houſe, as well as his heart, a Temple for himſelf, he will not ſuffer a wicked perſon to live in it, he will have none in his Family, but ſuch as ſhall be ready to ſerve God, and bid this his great Friend welcome.
But more particular, if you would have much of Gods company, and be intimately acquainted with him; take heed more eſpecially of thoſe particular ſins which make God moſt to eſtrange himſelf from. As,
Firſt, Take heed of Pride: That was the ſin which made the firſt breach between the Creature and the Creator, the ſin that ſunk the Angels, that made God and them, who were very good Friends once, to be bitter enemies; this hath made the breach infinite, the feud everlaſting, the wound incurable. And this made the firſt Quarrel between God and man. When man thinks himſelf too good to be but a man, he muſt be a God; he quickly is too had to be a man, he is but one remove from the Devil. To be a favourite of his Prince is not enough, except he may ſtep into the Throne; it's therefore high time for his Prince to remove ſuch from his preſence to a Priſon, from the Court to a Dungeon. It was Pride that caſt Adam out of Paradiſe; and do you think that that ſin is leſs hateful to God, and leſs dangerous to man than it was five thouſand years ago? Did it then ſpend all it's poyſon? And can it now do no harm? Do you believe that God will take that into his boſome now that formerly he abhorred to look upon? Now ſin hath increaſed it's ſtrength and deformity, and heightened it's enmity againſt the infinite Majeſty of the holy Jehovah, ſhall his hatred againſt it decreaſe? will he be more willing to accompany proud aſpiring Rebells now than then? no ſuch matter: God is ſtill as holy as ever, and hates all ſin, eſpecially pride as much as ever. Do you think that it is for nothing that the word of God ſpeaks ſo much againſt this ſin? Can it be that the Holy-ghoſt would ſay, Prov. 11. That every one that is proud, is an abomination to the Lord, except God did indeed hate them? Why ſhould God threaten ſuch ſo much, if he took any pleaſure in their Society? though hand joyn in hand, yet the proud ſhall not go unpuniſhed. Now we call the proud happy, but ſhall we call him ſo, when the day of the Lord ſhall burn as fire, and all the proud ſhall be as ſtubble: And the day that cometh ſhall burn them up, ſaith the Lord, and it ſhall leave them neither root nor branch. When the Lord ſhall tread down the wicked, and they ſhall be like Aſhes under his feet, Mal. 3.15. & 4.1, 3. There is not one proud man in Heaven, I am ſure: Nor a proud man upon the Earth, that ſhall have much of Gods acquaintance. And let me ſay, he that ſets himſelf above God (for that's the Pride I mean) whileſt he ſtands in that ſtate, muſt never expect that God ſhould look upon him with any kindneſs. Heaven and Hell will as ſoon be agreed, as God and ſuch a one ſhall be united. The proud now overlook others that are their betters, and ſcorn their Maker; but ſhortly they ſhall be paid in their own coyn, they ſhall be ſcorned too. If all the proud Nimrods, Pharaohs and Belſhazzars in the world ſhould enter into a League, and combine againſt the Almighty, and ſay, they will caſt away his Cords from them, and that they will never debaſe their noble Spirits ſo low as to ſtoop to his commands; yet none of them all ſhall go unpuniſhed: They ſhall be like ſtubble before the devouring flames, and like Chaſſe before a mighty whirlwind: God is not afraid of their big looks, Prov. 21.4. Prov. 6.17. Prov. 15.25. Iſa. 2.12. Luke 1.51. Jam. 4.6. God will cloath himſelf with vengeance, and the mighty Jehovah will gird his weapon upon his thigh, and march out in fury and Indignation, and draw his glittering Sword, and reſiſt the proud, and teach them what it is to bid defiance to the Lord of Hoſt. We ſhall ſoon ſee, who ſhall be uppermoſt, God or they. And when the proud ſinner lies conquered at his feet, how doth he with infinite ſcorn look upon him, and ſay, behold, the man is become like one of us! This 'tis for man to attempt the dethroning of the Almighty! But it may be, moſt may think themſelves little concerned in that which I now ſpeak; wherefore I muſt add this one word. Be it known unto thee, O man, whoſoever thou art, that think'ſt thou haſt no pride; I am ſure thou art one of thoſe that are in that black Roll which have proclaimed War againſt Heaven; thou art the man that ſhall never be acquainted with God whilſt thou art in that mind. It may be thou maiſt ſpeak Peace to thy ſelf for all this, and flatter thy ſelf as if God and you were Friends; but let me tell thee, I come with heavy tydings in my mouth to thee: If thou turn not, he will whet his Sword, he hath bent his Bow, and made it ready, he hath prepared for thee the Inſtruments of death, the day of thy Calamity is near: The dreadful Jehovah is upon his march; and if you ask me whether there be not Peace for thee, I anſwer as Jehu did to Jchoram, what peace, O haughty ſinner, ſo long as the pride of thy heart is ſo great, and thy Rebellions againſt thy Maker ſo many? There is no peace ſaith my God to the wicked. Wherefore as you value your Soul, as you tender your everlaſting Salvation, and deſire to be owned by the Lord in the day of your diſtreſs, take heed of pride. Go quickly, and humble your ſelf, and make ſure your Friend; labour to pull down every high Thought, and every proud Imagination; and let your Arrogant Spirit how before the mighty God, there is no way will do but this; as ye have already heard: You muſt ſet the Crown upon the Lords head, you muſt lay your ſelves at his feet, and lick the very duſt. Your betters have done ſo before you, and have thought it their honor to lye at the feet of Chriſt; this they look'd upon (as with good reaſon too) as the firſt ſtep to preferment. If therefore you would be acquainted with God, take heed of pride.
Secondly, Take heed of a worldly mind. What concord is there between Earth and Heaven? What agreement between God and the World? What delight can his Holineſs take in him, who had rather be wallowing in the Mud, and treading of Clay, then bathing himſelf in Divine contemplation; that thinks it higher preferment to ſit by his bags of Gold, then to ſtand in the preſence of his God: a greater happineſs to be rich, than to be holy; that had much rather be in a Fair, Marker, or Exchange, getting money, than with his God, getting Pardon, Grace and Heaven. How pregnant is the Scripture of proofs for the evidencing of this truth? to name one or two of a hundred, Rom. 8.7. To be carnally minded is enmity againſt God: For it is not ſubject to the Law of God, neither indeed can it be. What do you ſay to this Scripture? Thoſe which walk with God, live in the world, and yet they live above the world; they all look for a City that hath foundations, whoſe builder and maker is God. It was not for nothing that the Apoſtle John layes ſo ſtrict a charge upon thoſe which he wrote to, That they ſhould not love the world, nor the things of the world: For if any love the world, the love fo the Father is not in them, 1 John 2.15. Whence is it that ſo few great ones go to Heaven, and that it is next to impoſſible for ſuch to be ſaved? Is it not becauſe they have choſen Mammon for their Friend, rather than God? He hath their heart, their Love, their Time, their Service, and they have little to ſpare for God, & therefore God hath but a little happineſs, a little heaven, a ſhort glory for them; they ſhall have but a little of his ſweet company, little Acquaintance with him. Why doth James ſpeak ſo terribly to the rich men, & bid them go, and weep and howl? was it not becauſe their riches were like to undoe them? Did the wealthy man in the Parable live ever the longer for his riches, or fare ever the better for his greatneſs, when he came into another world? There is no queſtion but he might have more flatterers; there is no doubt but he hath more worldly Friends; but bring me a man upon the Earth, that lets his heart without controle fly upon the world, cleaves to it, and takes it to be his beſt friend, that knows God, that's acquainted with his Maker, that prizeth his Redeemer. It was a wiſe man, who ſaid, that it's abſolutely impoſſible to mind externals and internals, this world and another, with earneſtneſs at the ſame time: but it was wiſdom it ſelf who ſaid, That no Servant can ſerve two Maſters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or elſe he will hold to the one, and deſpiſe the other; he cannot ſerve God and Mammon, Mat. 5.24. &c.
3. Take heed of Hypocriſie. Who are the perſons that God doth denounce his dreadful threatnings againſt? Are they not ſuch as honour him with their Lips, when their Hearts is far from him? With what Abhorrency doth he look upon ſuch, and all that they do? Iſa. 1. They never bring their heart to viſit God with, and therefore they have little reaſon to expect that he ſhould bring his Dainties to entertain them with.
4. If you would be acquainted with God, take heed of being acquainted with wicked company. We read that many wicked men have fared the better for the company of the godly; but we ſcarce ever heard that any godly man ever fared the better for being in the company of the wicked, except they went on Gods Errand amongſt them. This is clear in the caſe of Lot, who firſt loſt his goods, and was made a Captive by being in Sodom; and though they were reſtored to him again for a while, (one would have thought that ſhould have been a fair warning how he came again into ſuch company) yet becauſe that would not do, a while after you may read how dear Lot paid for dwelling in Sodom. Poor man! he loſt all that he had, and was fain to fly away without either. Flocks or Herds, and little more than his cloathes on his back; and that which was more ſad, to leave ſome of his own dear Relations behind him, roaſting in thoſe diſmal flames. Whereas had he never come to Sodom, or upon the ſight of their wickedneſs ſpeedily left them, it had been much better with him in many reſpects. Jehoſaphat fared never the better for joyning in affinity with his wicked Neighbours, it had like to have coſt him his life. But were it, only loſs of Temporals that a man hazarded by ſuch ſociety, the danger were not ſo conſiderable; but the peril is greater than ſo, for by it they make God ſtand at a diſtance; they muſt never look to have ſuch company, and Gods company both together; I mean, when they do unneceſſarily or delightfully converſe with God. If therefore you intend to be acquainted with God, you muſt not have them always in your company whom he hates, and which hate him, and will labour all they can to cool your affections towards him. Wherefore, be ye not unequally yoaked with unbelievers: For, what Fellowſhip hath Righteouſneſs with unrighteouſneſs? And what communion hath light with darkneſs? And what concord hath Chriſt with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an Infidel? And what agreement hath the Temple of God with Idols? For ye are the Temple of the living God, as God hath ſaid, I will dwell in them, and walk in them, and I will be their God, and they ſhall be my people; wherefore come out from among them, and be ye ſeparate, ſaith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you, and I will be a Father unto you, and ye ſhall be my Sons and Daughters, ſaith the Lord Almighty, 2 Cor. 6.14. to the end. But I would not here be miſtaken, as if I would commend an ungodly proud ſeparation from all that are not juſt of our mind; or as if a man ought to have nothing at all to do with wicked men; no, no: Every one ought to do what he can in his place for the good of Souls. O that Chriſtians would thus converſe more with their poor, ignorant, carnal, Chriſtleſs neighbours! O that they would thus be more acquainted with the wicked, and then they ſhould have never the leſs of Gods company, but the more; but it is an unneceſſary delightful aſſociating of our ſelves with them that I mean, eſpecially ſuch of them which will ſtifle every ſpiritual diſcourſe, and divert you from any thing that tends to the promoting of the intereſt of Religion; and ſuch as have frequently expreſſed their deteſtation of the way of Holineſs, and make but a mock at your ſerious Counſels, ſtop their ears ſo who ſome Advice, or make ſome undecent reflections upon the ſtrict proſeſſion of godlineſs; ſuch as labour to make you believe that all Religion, but that which will conſiſt with their wickedneſs, is but a Fanſie. As for ſuch as thoſe, abhor their company, fly from them as thoſe that have the plague, the marks of death are upon them, and you may write Lord have mercy upon us upon their doors, but go not in, leſt you be Infected.
5. If you would be acquainted with God, take heed of unbelief. Unbelief will make your ſoul depart from God, and God quite to depart from your ſoul. This, This is one of thoſe dreadful and God-eſtranging ſins, which leads on whole Legions againſt the Almighty. This is that bold daring ſin which gives Truth it ſelf the lye, and ſaith, That the Word of God is falſe, his Promiſes airy, his Threatnings but a Wind: But know this, O ſinner, ſuch a wind they be, that will riſe to a dreadful ſtorm, and turn your ſtrong confidence up by the roots, and blow them into Hell, if you make no more of them than you do.
6. If you would be acquainted with God, beware of ſenſuality. To be ſenſual and devilliſh are near akin. To be lovers of pleaſures and haters of God, are uſually concomitants; in a word, to fare deliciouſly every day, and to be deſpiſed of God, are no ſtrange things. But I wave the further proſecution of theſe things, becauſe they are ſo largely and excellently handled already by ſo many of our brave Worthies. See Mr. Baxters Saints Reſt, and R. A. his Vindicia Pietatis.