Chapter 57: The great things of eternity to be much sought after

THe last Use is an Use of Exhortation to all, now to set your hearts to seek after these great and blessed things of eternal life that have been opened: O that now the hearts of people that have been wandring after other things might be brought in, and set upon eternal life and Heaven: Let every soul reason with it self: Are there indeed such things to be had? has God such intentions to communicate himself thus to mankinde? And am I the man or woman that shall lose all this? that shall never be partaker of this? O wo unto me that ever I was born! In Luke 16:16 The Law and the Prophets, says Christ, were till John, but since that time the kingdom of God suffers violence: The Law and the Prophets did but darkly reveal the things of the Kingdom of God, but St. John he did more clearly reveal the things of that Kingdom, and since that time the kingdom of heaven suffers violence: O that it might be said concerning any man or woman that have heard this argument opened; since that time that the recompence of reward was opened, the kingdom of heaven has sufferedviolence: Surely there is strength enough in that which has been said to draw forth the heart with violence after it. I remember Plutarch reports in the life of Camillus of the Gauls, that after they had once a taste of the sweet wine of the grapes that grew in Italy, they inquired in what Countrey such sweet wine was, and after they understood where the grape of that wine grew, they would never be at rest till they got to that Countrey where such sweet and pleasant things grew. I have endeavored in the opening of this point, to bring unto you some of the Clusters of Canaan, and some of that wine which is to be drunk in the Kingdom of Heaven; now if you account it to be sweet and good, let not your hearts be at rest till you come at that Countrey, till you come to enjoy the sweet and good of that Countrey.

It is reported of one Adrianus, who seeing the Martyrs suffer such grievous things in the cause of Christ, he asked what was that which caused them to suffer such things; and one of them named that Text, Eye has not seen, nor ear has not heard, neither has it entred into the heart of man to conceive what is laid up for those that love God; and the naming of that Text converted him, and had such an effect as made him to profess Religion, and so to profess it, as to be a Martyr for it: You have not only one Text named, but many have been used about this argument, let not all be in vain. We read in Mark 10:17 of a yong man that came running, and kneeled before Christ, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? O that God would move the hearts now of some yong ones, that hearing what eternal life means, they may now come running to get part in it, that that activity and vigor of their youth may be exercised and spent about this, What may I do that I likewise may be partaker of eternal life, and of these glorious and blessed truths that are here revealed? You that are in a poor condition in the world, that have little here, here are great things for your hearts to make after, here are glorious things that are as obvious for you ac for the greatest in the world; you cannot expect to have great matters in the earth, but here you may expect to have great matters. You that are old likewise, though you have not been acquainted with the excellency of the Kingdom of God, now bless God that you may yet further know more concerning it. If a man come to know more of an inheritance that did befal him, or of any outward gain then before, he is glad that he lived to that time; so bless God that you may know yet more concerning eternal life before this life be at an end. What is it that your hearts are set upon? There are none but their hearts are set upon some good that they apprehend to be good; Now what is that good? Certainly there is an eminency of all good contained in this.

It was a charge of God unto Baruch, that we read of in Jer. 45. ult. Seekest you great things for yourself? Seek them not, for I will bring evil upon all flesh, and that which I have planted I will pluck up: The argument runs thus, Seekest you great things for yourself in any outward matter? do not seek them, for I am about to bring evil upon my people, the time of publique calamity is coming, and doest you seek great things for yourself? But when we are about this argument, the glory of the Kingdom of God, Doest you seek great things for yourself? We cannot say, Seek them not: God would have his people seek glorious things for themselves, seek them to the utmost that possibly you can: So follow these things as not to be satisfied with any thing under these.

God would have his servants to be of such spirits, as though content with the least mercies they do enjoy, to acknowledge themselves unworthy of them, yet not to be satisfied with the greatest things in the world for their portion. What, will a reprobates portion serve you? Certainly, the glory of the world, if you had it all, it were but the portion of a reprobate. What, will a Dogs portion satisfy you? All the things of the world are but Dogs meat, so the Apostle calls them in Phil. 3. I account all things in the world as dross and dung, or dogs meat; and will this satisfy you? Is there nothing else for you to seek after? First seek the Kingdom of God (says Christ) and the righteousness of it, let that be your first endeavor: Strive to enter into the strait gate, though it be never so strait, yet if it be the way unto life, and unto these things, strive to enter: We have not spoken more then that is real. It is a saying of one, Neither Christ, nor Heaven can be hyperbolized; that is, there cannot be more said of the excellency of Christ, and of Heaven, then it is in its self, and therefore do not think any thing that has been spoken is an hyperbole, but a real expression of some little glimpse of the glory of the recompence of reward.

It may be some of your hearts when you hear much of the wrath of God against sin, and the dreadfulness of Gods displeasure, your hearts are ready to rise, and belk, and these are hard things, and hard sayings, and who can bear them? but now you have not heard so much concerning that, but you have heard of the goodness of God, and of the glory of God, and of the riches of the grace of God, and of the wonderful thoughts that God has for the everlasting good of mankinde, how do your hearts work now? Shall your hearts stir when you hear Gods wrath, and when you hear of Gods grace shall not your hearts stir then? If God does intend good to any soul, he will cause that soul to see into the reality and excellency of these things, and that all things should be neglected (in comparison) in seeking after these.

Consider that God has given unto you natures capable of these glorious things; God might have made you worms or bruit beasts, and there would have been an end of you presently, you had not been any way capable of these things; but God has made you of such a nature, such creatures, as ye are capable of the highest excellency that ever any creature that God made was capable of, and therefore being of such a nature, of such a large extent, it concerns you to seek after those things which might fill it; they are not little things that can fill large capacities, now mans nature an immortal soul, is of a large capacity; and when the time shall come that God shall discover to any soul what it was capable of, how infinitely will it be confounded in it self, when it shall know what poor things it sought after and minded? Men live here in the world as though they were capable of no other happiness but meat, and drink, and clothes, and such kinde of things, as if there were no higher things that concerned the souls of men. Heathens were mighty inquisitive what should be the true happiness of man, they did think surely man was made for higher things then those that are here, and there were mighty disputes about it what it should be, there were fourscore Opinions that were amongst them about the happiness of man; they did but beat the bush, God has given us Christians the bird, and we have the Gospel that reveals glory, and immortality, and happiness unto us.

The Heathens would have counted it a great good to have known in which the true happiness of man did consist: And those who had most wisdom did come near that in which we seek happiness, and yet wavered in their thoughts, but we are assured of it, we have God himself revealing from Heaven, in which our true and utmost high good consists, and therefore if we should not seek after that happiness which God tells us is happiness, but should follow our own ways still, how just will our condemnation be.

Again, this is not the time that God will communicate much of himself in, and therefore we must look beyond this life. It is a witty elegant speech Bernard has, God reserves his new and best wine until afterward. Amongst the Latins they call prosperous things second things, because they are to be had hereafter, they are not the first things. So true prosperity is not to be expected here in the first way of Gods communication of himself to the creature, but in the second way, in the life that is to come: If a man have good wine, he reserves it till the last; so God reserves the riches of his grace, and the treasures of his goodness, his best wine, till they shall come and drink with him in his own presence before him continually.

And know further, that Christ has wrought hard to provide happiness for mankinde; and shall we neglect it? In his working for the glory of mankinde, and this happiness of the children of men, he sweat at it, and so sweat, as clods of blood trickled down his flesh in the garden, though it were in the winter time, and a cold night, and he lay upon the ground, and shall it now be neglected by us? You that have neglected this all this while, who might justly have had your reward amongst those creatures that are cast out from the presence of God: yet know there is a possibility for that tongue of your that has been guilty of so many blasphemies, to be singing Allelujahs to the Lord, and to the Lamb that sits upon the throne for ever. Who knows but that body of your that has been so intemperate, and but a sink of filthy lusts, may be made glorious like the body of Christ? and what is it that God requires of you for all this? Nothing but only to work his own work in you, and it is not a dishonorable work, but a glorious work, that in which there is more excellency then in any thing in the world: were it that there were no reward of godliness, the very excellency of godliness it self, has more in it then the whole world: but take godliness with that excellency which it has in its own nature, and take it with its glorious end, and who would not come into this way? Many men care not what base thing they do, so they may be a little regarded, but now to have the highest reward that ever God will communicate to any creature, and that for doing those things which are the highest honor for the present, this would encourage any living to come into this way.

Alexander inviting many to a supper, he provided a Crown of a hundred and eighty pound to be given to those that did drink most, and in that he did like a Heathen; but though it was such a base work, and so dangerous to themselves, yet there was one and forty that killed themselves with drinking to get that Crown: Thus we may see the baseness of mens hearts, that to get a little honor in the world, will not only do somewhat that is base, but the basest things of all, and that although they be dangerous too. What shame and confusion will this be, that any should do more for the things of the world, yea more for a lust, then we shall do for Heaven? How shall we ever think to get Heaven, when this may be said, You do not so much for Heaven and Glory, as many will do for their lusts, for their filthy sins. I have read of the Panther, that it does love the dung of man so much, as if it be hanged a height from it, it will skip and leap up, and never leave till it have burst it self in pieces for to get it, and that is the way they get that creature: we may apply it to the filthy base lusts of mens hearts which are like dung, & yet so are many men set upon them, that they wil venture all for them, and labor after them, though they burst themselves, and damn themselves eternally for them: what an infinite shame is this, that men should be content to labor, and suffer so much for their lusts, and that we should do no more for glory? If men do so much for the things of the world, why should we be backward in doing for Heaven? How will men endure the cutting off the members, and much pain for health and life, and yet for this reward, and this inheritance, how little is done in the world?

Sorun, says the Apostle, that you may obtain, not a corruptible, but an incorruptible crown: Those that run a race for a corruptible crown will be temperate, and deny themselves in their diet, But we, says the Apostle, strive for an incorruptible crown; therefore let all our ways be such as it may appear to all the world that we are striving for an incorruptible crown, and that God has shown us glory and salvation to draw our hearts more then any thing in the world; and strive, for now by striving you may come to the reward, but if you stay but a while, you must be eternally receiving the reward of sin, then though you would do a thousand times more, God will not care for it; if then you should say, Now Lord I will seek your face, and do any thing you will have me to do, God will not then regard it. As one Lamachus a Commander said to one of his Soldiers that was brought before him for a misbehavior, who pleaded, He would do so no more; says he, No man must offend twice in war: So God will not suffer men twice to neglect the day of grace; if it be neglected once, it is neglected for ever, if you lose this reward here, you lose it eternally; and therefore now look about you to attain this here, that you may not cry out in the anguish of your spirits hereafter, That God, and Christ, and Heaven are eternally gone.