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THirdly, If there be such difference between the hearts of Gods People at some times, and at other
times; This is an Use of Direction to all the people of God that are acquainted with this difference of Gods breathing upon their hearts, in these Four Particu∣lars:
First, If so be you find your hearts more up at one time than at another (as Gods People do find much dif∣ference, and can say somtime, let my Beloved come into his Garden) give God the glory and praise of it, for it is a great mercy. For,
1. It doth prevent, and deliver you from abundance of danger you were in: when your hearts were down, if a temptation had come, what abundance of danger had you been in? now God hath prevented that danger.
2. If your hearts were right when they were down, then you powred out your complaints to God of the deadness of your hearts; now if God be come in, it is a fruit of your seeking God, and of your humiliation be∣fore the Lord: now that which comes in as a fruit of humiliation, and much seeking of God, surely that should be the matter of our praises.
3. This is a gracious visitation of God, God comes in with this, and here is the presence of God, and ther∣fore there is much cause of praise.
4. It is an argument that God hath some especial ser∣vice for you to do: now those that are godly, count this a great mercy, for God to have any employment for them: now that they have received an evidence to their souls that God intend to imploy them, this is a great mercy.
Secondly, Learn to check your Unbelief; when your hearts were down, you were ready to say, it would never
be otherwise: now check your hearts, and bring your hearts to this conclusion; I will never think it in vain to seek God, though I do not find him come in presently; and I will learn, though I may judg my self worthy that God should leave me, yet I will never determine that God will not come in, because I see Gods waies are not as my waies, and Gods thoughts are not as my thoughts. Oh take heed of judging the waies and thoughts of God, according to your waies and thoughts.
Thirdly, Is God come in? and do you find that you have a spirit of courage and boldness more than before, now you find God sweetly breathing upon you to put life into that dead, and to raise that heavy heart of yours? do you find God sweetly and comfortably enli∣vening your souls, and putting the spirit of confidence in that unbeleeving heart of yours? Labor to keep your hearts thus. There is a great deal of difficulty when a thing is fallen down to get it up; but when a thing is up, if one be careful, it is not difficult to keep it up. It is a notable expression that David had, when he found the hearts of the people got up in their willing Offering, 1 Chron. 29.18. O Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, our Fathers, keep this for ever in the imagi∣nation of the thoughts of the hearts of thy people, and prepare their hearts unto thee. So let it be thy prayer, and it is my prayer for thee: Is thy heart up more than before? Pray, O God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, keep this in the thoughts of the heart of this man or wo∣man for ever: be careful now to keep your hearts up: so when you are well, or otherwise if you should lose this through this negligence.
1 It wil make you cal into question the truth of these gracious breathings, yea, you wil think it was but a meer flash, such as Hypocrites may have, yea, not cal this into question only; but to cal the truth of al into question: this is that which makes men take the foundation of al, because their hearts somtimes are rai∣sed,
and they through their negligence let them fall, and lose that spiritual life and courage once they had, and so bring abundance of sadness upon their hearts: now as you would have an evidence of the truth of Gods work upon you, and the truth of grace, labor to keep up your hearts.
2 Labor to keep up your hearts otherwise if they fal off again, the waies of God wil come to be very tedious to you: As a man that walks unevenly in regard of the unevenness of his leggs, or the unevenness of the way, he is quickly tired: and so if a Christians way be up and down, and there be not an evenness in his way, he is quickly discouraged; and a main means to help one to go on with freedom and courage in Gods waies, is to go on in an even course.
3 If so be you lose this, you lose the beauty of your profession; the beauty of the waies of Godliness, con∣sists much in the constancy, and if your way be up and down, there is no beauty in your conversation, it takes away the convincing power of your way and conversa∣tion; if others saw your hearts up, and saw a constant evenness in your way, this would mightily convince them, that it is a work of Gods Spirit upon your hearts; but somtimes your hearts are up, and down a∣gain, somtime you are patient and meek, at other times you are passionate and fretting; this doth not convince them that it is the work of Gods Spirit, but only the stirring of a natural spirit.
4 By this means you wil cause God to walk diffe∣rently with you; if you keep not up your hearts when God hath raised them, though God be in a way of mer∣cy, you wil cause him to walk in a way of displeasure against you.
5 Again, When your hearts are up, that is the thing that the Devil doth most watch to give you a trip in. As when Daniel walked so strictly in al the matters of the Kingdom, as they could find no fault in him, they
accused him in the matter of his God, of his Religion: so saies the Devil, if I should tempt him to such and such sins, I cannot prevail, but there is such a way I may prevail; and the Devil doth labor there most to trip you. As he did with Christ in another case; when you are on the top of the pinacle, then he labors to throw you down: It is true, it is the work of God that hath brought you up to the pinacle, but there the Devil doth labor to throw you down.
Quest. You wil say, How shall we come to keep up our hearts, whenas our hearts are in a better frame, than at some other times?
Answ. First, When your hearts are up, labor to make use of that grace that raised your hearts; improve it so as to make your hearts more holy, and more up∣right. A Tree if it sprout upward only, and do not run down in the root proportionably, it wil wither, and die: and so if grace do work only upward in abili∣ties, and performances of duties, and joy, and such things, and do not proportionably work downward in the root, it is like it will come to little, and you will soon lose all.
Secondly, Work that grace you find in your inward, as wel as outward man: Do not think it enough that you have stirrings of Grace to enable you to do duties, but improve this grace for the working out of corrupti∣on: consider the corruptions of your heart, and now take the advantage to work them out.
Thirdly, be sure you take nothing that is Gods due at this time; that is, if God have raised your hearts, though the peace and joy of it be yours, the Glory of it is Gods, do not be fingering of that, take heed of lifting up of your hearts in a way of pride, it is enough your heart is lifted up in a way of grace, and you must be content with that, but many when God gives them a lift in a way of Grace, they cannot be content with their
part, the peace, and the joy, but they lift up themselves in a way of pride, and would have some of Gods part of the Glory, and that spoils all.
Fourthly, When you are in the best condition, pre∣pare for the greatest suffering, to lie down at Gods feet, and this will keep the heart in a sweet frame, many when they have got their hearts up for service, they ne∣ver think of suffering, now they are in a safe condition, and free from trouble, and they bless themselves, and when trouble falls upon them unexpectedly their hearts sinke, and they think God is come against them in dis∣pleasure, and if that raysing of spirit had been true, God would have kept me from suffering such and such hard things: thou art deceived in that, a gracious heart that is wise, when he is most enabled to do service, he wil prepare for suffering.
Fifthly, Take heed of depending upon the old stock, do not rest on grace received, but keep thy heart sensi∣ble of a need of a supply of grace, many when they have been seeking of God, and have in some measure got that they prayed for, they think they have stock enough, and they can trade prety well in the world, but though we had a hundred times as much grace as we have, and had not supply from Christ, we should fail.
Sixthly, Watch against the least declineing, and account it a very great evil to decline, and therefore be often calling of your selves to an account, at such and such a time it was so with me, how is it now? is it now as it was then? when people decline, it is hard, it is tedi∣ous to them to think of returning, and therefore they de∣cline, and decline, and loose all; wherefore observe the beginning of your declinings and cal your selves to an ac∣count dayly, that when you abate in the least degree, you may reforme it.
Seventhly, Do not content your selves with what you have, but yet get higher and higher, the heart must be in motion upward, or downward, therefore the way
to get establishment is to be in a continual motion up∣wards as in 2 Pet. 3.17.18. Saies the Apostle, be∣ware least you also being led away by the eror of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness: God hath brought you into a good temper, take heed you do not fal from your steadfastness, how shall we do? grow in grace, and in the knowledg of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, Labor to get higher.
Eightly, Improve that you have well, and that wil be the way to contrive that you have, God justly takes it from you if you do not improve it. It were a blessed thing if our hearts might be kept up constantly, our lives would be comfortable to our selves, and wonder∣fully comfortable to others: we should cause the peo∣ple of God to rejoyce in us, otherwise it takes away the comfort that Gods people might have in us, though we be up at sometimes there is a great deal of crosness at other times. There is a notable expression for this of Saint Paul to the Philippians, 1 Phil. 3.4. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. Sometime a Minister of God may thank God upon the remembrance of such and such workings upon the hearts of his people, but never to think of them but to thank God, this is a great matter. Alwaies in every prayer of mine for you all, making request with joy: Sometime a Minister can make his request with joy for his people, but at other times it is with sorrow; but people should labor so to walk, as that a Minister may make request with joy for them. And so we pass to the last thing.
Fourthly, If God have raised your hearts, improve it, we have but a little time, and we have not many op∣portunities, and therefore we had not need lose any time then, it is not often we have abilities to do for God, and therefore when we have them we should improve them. As a Scholler that hath a weak Body, and is not alwaies fitted for study, if he find himself fitted at any
time, he is loth to lose one hour of his study then: So with a Merchant or Marriner that lay long for a wind, when it does come, he is greedy of that opportunity: so we are fain to lie long for a wind, we see our duty, and are convinced of it, but we want the breathings, and assistance of Gods Spirit, and wait for a wind, if God do come in seasonably, we had need improve it; if we had improved al those times that were sit, what abun∣dance might we have got by this time? When we are fit for outward imployment, we may do more in one hour, than we could have done in ten hours before; at other times they do but bungle, and trouble themselves, and little good comes of it; but when they are fit for work, and the work goes off well, what encouragement is it? And so if we had taken all advantages that we found in our hearts, since we came to the knowledg of Gods waies, what abundance might we have done? In∣deed in comparison of that which God is worthy of, though we had spent al our lives in his service, it would have been but little; but in comparison of that we have done, it might have been abundance.
Quest. But you wil say, How shall we improve this time?
Answ. First, When God is come into you, look back to former neglects in your running with God in the time of unfitness: Many times you have said, I am unfit for duty, and therefore you have left it undone, which you ought not to have done. Now if God have put your hearts into a fitness, labor to make up your former neglects in your running with God: If a man decay in his Estate, and break through negligence, and he be set up again, it is expected he should make up former neglects: and so doth God expect of us.
Secondly, Set upon those duties that you never could do before.
Thirdly, Gather up al the experiences of God towards you at this time; if you have had more manifestations of Gods presence with you than before, treasure them up.
Fourthly, When God doth grant unto you peace, and joy, make use of all the peace and comfort you have for the furtherance of the work of your grace, and that is a mighty improvement of that which God doth give you: do not only improve your grace, but that which comes in. Many that have comfort and peace, rest in that as the fruit of al the good they do as their reward, but they do not look at that as a means of fur∣ther service.
Fiftly, Improve this work of God upon your hearts, by watching al opportunities; let time now be precious unto you, let there none be lost.
Sixtly, Labor for that Christian skil to make up the graces of God every way, according as God calls for the use of them. There are divers uses of Gods graces; somtime for life and comfort, at other times for defence; somtimes to draw in, at other times to let out, as Isa. 2.4. They shall beat their swords into plow-shares, and their spears into pruning books: they should have peace and their instruments should be of another fashion. But in Joel 3.10. it is otherwise, They shal beat their plow∣shares into swords, and their pruning hooks into spears: So apply it to grace; somtime grace is to bring life, and nourishment to the soul; at other times it is to bring in grace. As Faith, somtime it is to close with Christ, and bring nourishment from him; at other times Faith is to be a Shield: Many Christians look upon the work of grace to bring life and strength to themselves, but have not skil to make use of grace as a shield. So Hope, som∣times it is to prop the soul, at other times it is to be a Helmet. So we should labor to understand the use of graces, according to the several imployments that God calls for; somtime one way, somtime another. And this is the Third Use.