Counsel 1

Counsil. I.

Believe, and expect the trials of the eternal God.

Believe that God now does understand what you are. It was an article in that famous prophet's creed, in Jeremiah 12:3: You, O Lord, know me, you have seen me, and tried my heart towards you. O that every one of us were enough sensible of that awful solemn truth! Tis a common thing to say, God knows my heart; but who does enough lay that thing to heart? Who reckons any more upon it than the false Gehazi did? It was an orthodox persuasion in Psalms 139:3, 2: O Lord you have searched me and known me; you understand my thought afar off. Tis very certain, that every one of our thoughts are known to the infinite God, even afar off, long enough before they come into our minds. But, O Lord, who has believed our report? Men and brethren, do you believe it, and apprehend it, and realize it. Believe it, that God is all eye, and that he needs not a glass window in your breasts for the exploration of you. Believe it, that the eyes of the Lord run to and fro, through the whole earth; and that he will not by a mistake drop a blessing wrong as blind Isaac did of old. Yes, let it be a frequent meditation with you, All that I am, and all that I think, is well known to the Lord.

And expect that God will one day discover what you are. There is a day of discovery that shall shine upon us all; and, behold the day comes that shall burn as an oven, and all that do wickedly shall be stubble in it.

Expect that the great God will have a snare in this world, for your detection. Ever now and then there happen some discriminating things, that they which are approved might be made manifest. God will have his times and his ways, possibly to uncase our hearts before all our neighbors. It was said of that blessed man in 2 Chronicles 32:31: God left him (in one thing) to try him, that he might know all that was in his heart. You may look for some temptation before you die, which will make the inclinations of your souls notorious to the world; especially, if your hearts be not right with God. It is a simile used by one of the ancients, for it; You shall have an ape dressed in the attire of a man, for a while imitating the look, and shape, and gesture of a man: but if a nut, or an apple be thrown before him, he soon shows what he is. You hypocrite, the Lord will have something to throw before you, which object will decoy you into a natural suitable expression of yourself; and as our Lord speaks, in Revelation 2:23: All the churches shall know, that I am he that searches the heart.

Expect also, that the great God will have a bar for your detection in another world. Tis confessed by all Christians, as in 2 Corinthians 5:10: We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. O that we could every one of us now seriously place ourselves before the judgment seat of God! Remember, O immortal souls, that you must all very shortly appear before a judge who has eyes like a flame of fire; and you must then be exposed in the full view of heaven and earth. Remember that you shall then have no vizard, no disguise to cover you, but all men and angels must hear truly what you are. It was the warning in Ecclesiastes 11:9 — know you, that God will bring you to judgment. Even so know you, that you cannot avoid the day when God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing. Know you, that when the dead, small and great, stand before God, then you shall stand among them! Know you, that though you should then shriek, O rocks, hide me, or O mountains, defend me, the rocks and the mountains would be deaf to that lamentable cry. Holy Jerome could say, Wherever I am, or whatever I do, methinks I hear the alarms of the last trumpet, Arise you dead and come to judgment. O that you would often reflect upon the day, when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ.