Chapter 58: How the Recompense of Reward may be attained

BUt what is to be done that we may attain to this glorious recompence of reward?

I answer, Are your hearts serious in asking this question? Do your souls ask this question indeed in the earnestness of them? as they did, Men and brethren, what shall we do to be saved? so as to be willing to yield to whatever God shall reveal: If you have such a resolution, know this comes from Heaven, and if it be followed to purpose, it will bring you to Heaven: But for direction, if you would make yourselves partakers of this reward,

First, consider the infinite distance that is between you and Heaven naturally. That blessed Martyr Mr. Hooper, though he was a gracious man, yet he cryed out, Lord, you art Heaven, and I am hell; If he cryed out so, how much more may many of you, whose consciences may accuse you, Lord, you art heaven, but I am one not only that deserve hell, but that am hell it self? What ever wickedness is in hell, is in every mans heart naturally; when as any are cast into hell, certainly hell puts no new sin into them, there is but the venting of that sin which was there before, and all the wickedness of mens hearts that was restrained, is now let open: Now look what infinite distance is between hell, and all this glory, and the glorious thoughts of God for the salvation of a poor creature, the same difference is between this glory and that condition a man is in naturally: O labor to see this, and be convinced of this, and work this upon your hearts, what is that reward that you do deserve, make your hearts truly sensible of that.

Secondly, it concerns us much, if we would not miscarry here, to acquaint ourselves with the mystery of the Covenant of Grace, for it is upon that your eternal estate depends more then any thing else; only in the Covenant of Grace is revealed the counsels of God concerning bringing mankinde to eternal happiness, and how he will bring about this glory, and without some knowledge of the Covenant of Life and Grace in Christ, all that can be done in the world, can never bring any soul to Heaven; and that soul is in a very good forwardness to eternal life, that is acquainted with the Covenant of Grace.

Thirdly, consider what is the special sin that your heart is naturally most inclined unto, and you finde the corruption of your hearts vent it self most in, and look to that, take heed that be not your bane in the conclusion, let there be a renouncing of that, or else all is to no purpose, all your serving of God is nothing. St. Paul when he spoke concerning his running the race, and attaining an incorruptible crown, says, I therefore so run, not as uncertainly, and so fight I, as not one that beateth the air; as if he should say, I hope my labors and endeavors after Heaven and this incorruptible Crown shall not be in vain, as one that beateth the air: How so? because I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection, lest that by any means when I have preached to others, myself should be cast away. He was afraid of that body of his, in which corruption did stir, and his giving way to some bodily fleshly content that he found stirring in him should disappoint him, and therefore says he, I keep down my body, in the Original it is, I beat my body black and blew, I club it down: his conscience was convinced of Gods ways, but he felt the flesh and body of his working in some sinful way, and his conscience began so far to reflect upon himself, as to think if I do not look to this body of mine, I shall lose this incorruptible crown, and I shall but beat the ayr, therefore says he, I keep under my body. What shall St. Paul, such a glorious Apostle, so filled with the grace of God as he was, have such thoughts, for fear he should labor after Heaven and the incorruptible crown, as one that beateth the ayr; what shall become of a company of wretched creatures, that do nothing but satisfy the flesh, & mind nothing but to give full satisfaction to the desires of the flesh every way, their thoughts are after nothing else but to make provision for the flesh. If you will not labor after heaven as one that beats the ayr, beat down your bodies; if you do not beat down your bodies, there is little hope of the salvation of your souls: it was St. Pauls care, let it be yours.

Again further, if you would have this recompenceof reward, labor to unsnarl yourselves from the creature, labor to get your hearts loose and untangled from whatever is in the world, from all earthly engagements. It is a speech that I have read of one Demades, when the Emperor sent to his Countreymen of Athens, to give him Divine honor, and they were loth to yield unto it, but consulted about it, says he, Take heed you be not so busie about heavenly matters, as to lose your earthly possessions; that indeed is the voyce of a carnal heart, Let not me look after the high conceits of heavenly matters as to lose my earthly possessions: but rather turn it the other way, Take heed you be not so busie about earthly matters, as to lose your heavenly possessions.

I have read of Antipater King of Macedonia, that when one presented him a Book treating of happiness, his answer was, [〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉], I have no leisure; you have been presented with Sermons, and now with a Book treating of heavens happiness, take heed that no earthly entanglements so take your heart, that you should put off all with such a thought, I must mind and follow my occasions; let no other things take up your heads or hearts, that you should have no liberty to your spirits to seek after these glorious things, or at least not so to seek after them as becomes things of such a high and glorious nature as these are.

The Apostle in 1 Tim. 6:19 says, They that will be rich, fall into a temptation, and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition: they that set their hearts upon the creature, they must have so much of the creature, they drown themselves in the creature. As a man when he is drowning, he catcheth hold of any thing that is next him, and by fastening upon that which is next him, he loses fastening upon that which might save his life: So those that have their hearts engaged to the creature, and resolve they must have so much of the creature, they are drowning in perdition, and they catch hold upon that which is next them, some present content and pleasure; and though something be cast to deliver them, they let that go: We in the Gospel cast forth a line to you to help you from drowning, (for every man naturally is sinking in perdition) but because your hearts are set upon the creature, and engaged there, you falling down to the ground, catch hold upon that which is next you, some contentment in the creature, and that drowns you in perdition, and all our preaching is not available to such a soul that has fastened it self upon any creature contentment here, you take not hold on our line that we throw out to you, and so you drown in eternal perdition, take heed therefore of all creature earthly engagements.

Again, if you will obtain this recompence of reward, follow that Scripture, and make much use of it, in Psalm. 73:24 Guide me with your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory: Would you be brought to glory? Be willing to be guided by the counsels of God: What do you think in your consciences are the counsels of God concerning you? Take heed it be not said of you, as it was of the Pharisees., They rejected the counsels of God: Never talk of hoping and trusting in Gods mercy, if you neglect the counsels of God revealed in his word: those counsels of his which were in his heart from all eternity, that should be the way of bringing men to happiness. It is all one with that of the Psalmist, in Psalm. 17:15 As for me, I will behold your face in righteousness, I shall be satisfied when I awake with your likeness; as if he should say, I look to receive satisfaction from the likeness of God, by beholding his face in righteousness. Now I appeal to you, can you behold the face of God in righteousness? Are they such righteous ways as you walkest in, as you can look upon his face, and behold him with comfort? this is the way to come to this recompence of reward, for so the Scripture says, God has called us to glory and vertue; if you would come to glory, go on in the way of vertue.

Lastly, be willing to endure any difficulty, any hardship in the world; The stone will fall down to come to its own place, though it breaks it self in pieces: so we, that we may get to our center which is upward, though it be to break our souls in pieces, that should suffice us. It is said of Cyrus, one day he set his Soldiers to hew wood, and to do hard work; the next day he feasted them, with a great deal of delight and pleasure, then he asked them, which day they had rather have? they said, the latter: he says to them, If you would always have such days, you must be willing for a while to strive with your enemies, and then you shall have the spoil, and always have such merry days: and this he did to put heart into them. Shall eating, and drinking, and a little pleasure here, put heart into men to suffer hardships, to endure difficulties? How much more should the obtaining of this glorious recompence of reward, put heart into us to endure any difficulty? We read of the Devil, he came to Christ, and showed him all the glory of the world, and said, Fall down and worship me, and all this will I give you: but here is another manner of invitation to worship God; God says to every man and woman, Fall down and worship me, and all the glory of heaven will I give you: It was but the glory of the world that the Devil showed, and he could not give it him; it was but the Devil that offered it, and it was by worshiping of the Devil to get it; but it is the God of glory that has all glory at his dispose, that calls to you this day to worship him, that is so infinitely worthy of all worship; fall down and worship me, and not only the glory of this world, but the glory of heaven, and of an incorruptible crown, will I give unto you, I will make it sure to you. God does outbid all the world: when sin and temptation comes to offerany thing to you, know that God out-bids them, they cannot give that which will reach this. If a chapman come and bids for a commodity, and another man comes and out-bids him, he carries it away: Has any temptation come to draw away your hearts from God? God comes and out-bids all temptations in the world, to that end you may come and fall down and worship the Lord. O do not stick in the dross and mire of your filthiness still. I have met with a Text in 1 Chron. 4:23 which one interprets to be meant of the baseness of people, that regard base things, rather then joining in Church-communion with Gods people, God speaks of them in away of disgrace, These were the potters, & those that dwelt, &c. When the people of God should return to Ierusalem, they would still dwell with the King of Babylon, and live amongst their pots, so they might have maintenance, rather then return to Ierusalem, where the true worship of God was, their own country, and a type of heaven, these are those base spirits. It may be applyed to many, if they live in places where they may follow their callings, make pots so as to get a livelihood for themselves, and their families, rather then they would venture any thing to join with the people of God, they would stay there. But how much more base is it, for people still to stick in the mire and dross, rather then to seek after these glorious things?

Therefore for conclusion of the Exhortation; as St. John preached, and so Christ himself, Repent, repent, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand: So say I; Repent, repent, break off sin, reform, for the kingdom of heaven, not only the kingdom of the Gospel, and of grace, but the kingdom of glory is at hand. And therefore what remains, but as we read in Rom. 1:18 the Apostle speaking of the glory of heaven, says, There is glory to be revealed in us. We have had in the opening of this Point, the glory of heaven revealed to us; the Lord grant that the glory of heaven may be revealed in us. And thus we have finished the Application of the glorious recompence of the reward of Gods people; the great argument that encouraged, that strengthned, that confirmed Moses in this his blessed choice.