Heaven Upon Earth, Sermon · Conclusion
The Concluſion.
AND now my Work is done, I muſt leave you; and whether I ſhall ever ſpeak to you, or ſee you, or write to you again while the world ſtands, I know not: My body is frail, and I am a poor dying man, and before it be long, my mouth will be more ſtopped than it is, and yours too: And therefore it's high time for us to look about us. As for my part, I have with all the ſeriouſneſs that I could for my ſoul, ſpoke to you, about the great and weighty affairs of your Souls and Eternity. I again call Heaven and Earth to witneſs, that I have ſet Life and Death before you; I have in the Name of my great Maſter been woing of you to accept of his Son for your Lord and Husband; himſelf for your God, Father and Friend. I have told you what the Lord doth require of them that would be in Covenant with him. I have given you a rude Deſcription of him whom I would have you acquainted with. I have told you of ſome of the glorious effects of acquaintance with God. I have told you of the danger of being a ſtranger to God. I have told you how thankfully ſome have cloſed with theſe offers, and how well they like their choice. I have further ſhow'd you what a peaceable ſtate you ſhall be in, immediately upon your Spiritual Alliance with this Great and Noble friend. I have told you alſo of ſome further benefit and good that will come unto you upon your acquaintance with God. I have given you to underſtand how deſirous the Lord is notwithſtanding all that is paſt, to forget and forgive, and to receive you into favour, if you will in good earneſt return to him with ſpeed. I have again and again propounded this match to you, and told you as much as I could well do in ſo ſhort a time, I have ſtayed a great while for an anſwer, I have put the buſineſs forward all that poſſibly I could; becauſe I ſee how fooliſhly and madly you make light of thoſe advantageous offers, that are made to you, I have again and again pleaded with you, as if I were ready to ſtarve, and begging an alms of you; nay, if it had been for my very life, I could not have ſpoke with more earneſtneſs. I have expoſtulated the Caſe with you, and asked you ſeveral weighty Queſtions, and you have not, you cannot anſwer any one of them, but you muſt condemn your ſelf, and by your own confeſſion, you have nothing in the world to ſay againſt the excellency of this friend. And therefore you muſt either ſpeedily come in, upon the invitation, and cloſe with thoſe gracious overtures that are made to you, or you muſt without any reaſon in the world (your ſelf being Judg) caſt your ſelf away. And in hopes that all that have heard me, will not be ſo mad as to make light of theſe things, but be asking with ſome ſeriouſneſs, that great queſtion? How ſhall I do to get acquainted with God? How ſhall I do to get a Friend for my Soul? What ſhall I do to be ſaved? I have laid down ſome Directions for thoſe that are unfeignedly deſirous to be reconciled to God, I have told them that they muſt labour to be thorowly acquainted with that ſtrangeneſs, and enmity that is in their hearts againſt God; and of the unſpeakable danger of their being ſtrangers to God. I have further directed them that would be acquainted with God to labour to get humble hearts. I have adviſed that they viſit him often, if they would be intimately acquainted with him; & that not in a tranſitory way, but to make a Solemn ſet viſit of it, and to be ſure that they do not forget to get Chriſt along with them. I counſelled them alſo to be much in thoſe places where he is wont to walk; and to get intimately acquainted with ſome of them that know him very well, and will do their beſt to get them to be acquainted with him. I have told you, that if you would be acquainted with God, you muſt kindly entertain, and make much of any Meſſengers that come from him to you; and if men would make ſure work, I deſired them as they loved their Souls that they would follow this great Buſineſs with the greateſt earneſtneſs and ſeriouſneſs in the world; and that, what they do, they would do ſpeedily. I informed you what arguments the Scripture puts into our mouths, which we may urge, at the Throne of Grace. I intreated you, for your Souls ſake to take heed of thoſe things which kept God and man unacquainted; as namely, all ſin in general, but more particularly, Pride, Worldly-mindedneſs, Hypocriſie, delight in wicked company, Unbelief, and Senſuality. Laſtly, I direct all ſuch as would be at peace with God, to give up themſelves to him reſolvedly and freely, in a Solemn Covenant.
And have I been beating the Air all this while? What will you do after all this? What ſhall become of all theſe Sermons? Dare any of you all ſtill be contented to be Unacquainted with God? Can you be very well ſatisfied, after you have heard of ſuch a Friend, to be a ſtranger to him? Can any of you look upon your ſtate as ſafe, while God is your enemy? O how ſhall I leave you, with Hearts full of Enmity againſt your Maker! Alas, alas, poor Hearts! You look very merrily as bad a condition as you are in, but did you but know how neer you are to everlaſting Burnings, I believe it would put a damp upon your Spirits, and ſpoil your Mirth. O how ſhall I leave that poor ſinner, that ſtands as a perſon altogether unconcerned! Whereas death ſtands ready for his Commiſſion, to fetch him away before God; and where are you then? O where are you then, if you come before God as a Stranger? O what ſhall I do for thee? What ſhall I ſay to thee, to prevail with thee! O what arguments will perſwade thee! O, how ſhall we part! Brethren, my hearts deſire is that you may all be ſaved. O that you may all know in this your day, the things of your peace! O that I could mingle all my words with tears! O pitty, pitty, for the Lords ſake, pitty your precious Souls! O come not here to ask Counſel of God, and then go away, and take the Counſel of the Devil! And what will you yet make light of all the Tenders of the Goſpel? Is Peace, Pardon, Reconciliation, and Acquaintance with God, ſtill nothing with you? Will you for all this take up with a lifeleſs Religion, and never mind a more Spiritual intimate converſe with God? As the Lord liveth, thou ſpeakeſt that word againſt the life of thy Soul. But if thou wilt go on, and deſpiſe God, who can help it? I have told you, and told you again, what the end of theſe things will be. Well once more, I ask thee in the Name of God, wilt thou have God for thy Friend or no? That is, wilt thou love him above all the World? Wilt thou accept him for thy Lord and Husband? Wilt thou be ruled abſolutely by him? Wilt thou lay down thy weapons, and turn on Gods ſide, and fight under his Banner? Wilt thou have Holineſs here, and Happineſs hereafter? One would think, this is a queſtion, that one need not be long a reſolving. Come, come away for the Lords ſake; for your precious Souls ſake, as you would be owned at the day of judgment; as you would rejoyce when moſt of the world ſhall be filled with unſpeakable horror, and perplexity; as you would not hear that heart-rending word from the mouth of the Judge, Depart, I know you not, come away, I beſeech you! Come away! O ye my dear Friends, the Cloud hangs over the world, and ere long it will fall with a vengeance. O come out of Sodom, linger not for the Lords ſake, leſt the dint of that ſtorm fall upon you. Fire! fire! fire! Awake! awake! awake! The fire is kindled. What meaneſt thou, O ſinner! if thou ſleepeſt a little longer in that Bed of ſecurity, thou art a dead man, thou wilt be awakened with horror, when thou ſhalt know thy danger, but not know how to avoid it: And do you ſtill ſay? Make haſt! O make haſt, your Glaſs is almoſt out, your time almoſt ſpent, and death is haſtning apace upon you; I ſpeak it again, make haſte, come away, I can't, I can't hold my peace. How can I endure to ſee the ruine of thy Soul, and ſay nothing! O follow thoſe Directions which I have given thee out of the Scripture! Seek the Lord while he may be found, and with all poſſible ſpeed, ſeriouſneſs, and gratitude, accept of his kindneſs, while you may. Methinks ſome of your hearts ſeem to be affected; methinks your countenances ſpeaks you to have ſome thoughts of returning; ſome of you look like perſons almoſt reſolved to ſet upon this great work. O that it may not be almoſt, but altogether! Speak in ſuch Language as this to your own Souls. What meaneſt thou, O my Soul, thus to ſtand Diſputing? Is this a time for thee to ſtand ſtill, as if thou hadſt nothing to do? Hark, how the King of Glory calls! Hear how his Meſſengers invite you! Conſider how long they have ſtood waiting for thee! And ſhall they go away without thee? O fooliſh Heart and unwiſe; wilt thou anſwer all theſe Gracious Offers with a flat denial? Or that which is little better, wilt thou put off all Gods Meſſengers with ſome ſorry excuſes? Awake, O my Soul, and look about thee! How can'ſt thou refuſe when Mercy calls? How canſt thou deny when Kindneſs it ſelf asks, intreats, beſeecheth thee? Awake for ſhame, up and put on thy Wedding Garments! O that this mind might be in you always! O that thou wert up and ready! And then happy were the day wherein thou wert born; then happy were the day that ever you heard of a Chriſt, of Acquaintance with God, and Reconciliation with your Maker. O then how glorious ſhouldeſt thou be for ever! I rejoyce to ſee the day of thy Marriage a coming; when thy Lord and Husband ſhall bring thee home in the greateſt State, and in infinite Glory to his own Houſe, where thou ſhalt ſit like a Queen for ever and ever. Behold his Harbingers are coming! Behold how many Meſſengers the Lord hath ſent to prepare his way! Awake, O Zion, and put on thy beautiful Garments! Riſe up, O Royal Bride, and put on thy Princely Robes! Cloath thee with the Sun, and put the Moon under thy feet. Go out and meet the King thy Husband. Behold O Jacob, the Waggons of Joſeph are coming! Behold, O daughter of Zion, the Chariots, the Chariots of thy King and Husband are a coming! They are a coming! O why doth not thy Heart leap within thee! O why do not thy ſpirits even faint for gladneſs! Why doſt thou not ſay, It is enough, I will go out and meet my Lord before I die? When will the Sun be up! When will the day break! When, O when will the ſhadows fly away! I will get me up to the Mountains of Myrrhe, to the Hills of Frankincenſe. I am travelling for Zion, my face is towards Jeruſalem; who will aſcend the Holy Hill with me? Who will bear me company to my Husband's Houſe? Let us go up to the Lords Houſe; come away, the Sun is riſen, the ſhadows are flying away, thouſands are gone already. Let Barzillai and Chimham, old and young too, go along with the King of Jeruſalem. Come from the Highways and Hedges, come with your Wedding Garments, come quickly and he will make you welcome. The King hath ſent to invite us to a Feaſt, a Feaſt of fat things, of Wines on the Lees well refined. Come, for the Table is ſpread, all things are ready, and his Servants ſtay for us. And will God entertain ſuch Creatures as we are? And will the Lord open his Doors to ſuch loathſome Beggars? Will the Father receive ſuch Prodigals! Return then unto thy reſt, O my Soul, for the Lord will deal bountifully with thee. Who is that which I ſee coming in the Field? Who is this that comes from the Wilderneſs? That comes to meet us? Hark! methinks I hear the Trumpet ſounding: Hark! what's the matter! How do the Mountains eccho! How doth the Air ring again! What noiſe is that which I hear! What glorious Train is that which I ſee! Whence do they come, and whither do they go? It is my Maſter's Son (dear Soul) thy Lord and Husband with his Royal Attendants. Behold he comes! He comes apace! Leaping upon the Hills, Skipping upon the Mountains. He is coming! he is coming! he is even at the door! Ere long thou ſhalt ſee the Mountains covered with Chariots and Horſes of Fire; the Earth will tremble and ſhake; the Heavens and the Earth will be all on a Flaming Fire; the King of Glory will come, riding upon the Wings of the wind, accompanied with Millions of his Saints and Angels; He is coming, he is at the door. Go vail thy face; alight and meet thy Husband. He will bring thee into his Fathers Palace, and thou ſhalt be his Wife, and he will love thee for ever: And thou ſhalt remember thy Widdowhood no more. Even ſo, come Lord Jeſus, come quickly. Amen, Amen.
FINIS.
End of the text · James Janeway, Heaven Upon Earth (1671)