God's soveraignty displayed from Job 9. 12. : Behold he taketh away, who can hinder him? &c., or, A discourse shewing, that God doth, and may take away from his creatures what hee pleaseth, as to the matter what, the place where, the time when, the means and manner how, and the reasons thereof : with an application of the whole, to the distressed citizens of London, whose houses and goods were lately consumed by the fire : an excitation of them to look to the procuring causes of this fiery tryal, the ends that God aims at in it, with directions how to behave themselves under their losses / by William Gearing ...

CHAP. X. Use 2.

THe second use that I shall make of [Use 2] this point, is that of the Apostle in my Text; seeing Heaven is a conti∣nuing City, let us therefore seek this City that is to come. You see by ex∣perience, that we are not to abide for ever in this world; neither are men, nor any creature of long continuance; your health, your strength, your life, your estate, your houses, your Lands, your City, your Country, are of no duration; your pains, your aches, your weaknesses, your sicknesses, your Fune∣rals frequently before your eyes, do preach that we are not to continue here. Oh then make it your work, your care, your business, your one thing ne∣cessary to seek after the heavenly City:

Will ye have everlasting life? then seek after this City: will ye have happiness that shall continue for ever? then seek heaven: will ye have pleasures, riches, honours, mansions, that shall continue for ever, then seek this continuing City that is to come.

SECT. I.

Now seek after this heavenly City.

1. It supposeth a sense and appre∣hension that we have lost heaven: we were driven out of heaven, when we were driven out of Paradise; losing Communion with God we lost heaven: Sin hath made a wide Gulf between every son of Adam and heaven: now till men are under conviction of this loss, they will never seek after heaven. When the woman in the Parable was convinced of the loss of her groat, she made earnest and diligent search after it. The Psalmist tells us plainly, that men seek not God, because they under∣stand not, they do not understand they have lost him, Psal. 14.2. Many a poor creature never cometh to the know∣ledge of their loss of heaven, till they have lost both heaven and their souls

for ever; and their first entrance into hell, is the first tidings of their loss of heaven.

2. It implieth a trouble of mind for the loss of heaven: it is the fear of hell that puts men upon the diligent seeking after heaven; if men were not trou∣bled for the loss of any thing, they would never seek after it: Let it go, say they, we care not for it: If a man be not troubled for the loss of a friends favour, he will never seek to regain it: This is one reason why so few seek hea∣ven, because few are troubled at the loss of it. Oh where is the man that signeth and crieth out, woe is me, I am un∣done, for I have lost heaven, and am in danger of hell▪ I can lay no claim to heaven, but hell layes claim to me▪ Where is the man that is troubled in spirit, that he is without God, without Christ, without hope? therefore it is that this heavenly City is so little sought after: it is only the troubled spirit that is an heaven-seeking soul.

3. It supposeth a knowledge of the worth and necessity of the thing we seek for: No man will seek for a thing of no value; let it go, will men say, such a thing is not worth a seeking af∣ter,

we can do well enough without it; but when men are once convinced of the worth and necessity of a thing, which they cannot be without, they will earnestly seek after it: Now if there be any thing worth seeking for, it is this heavenly City: Who can be without heaven? Is there any thing more precious than God? Is there any possibility for our souls to be happy without enjoying God? Is not eternal life of unspeakable worth? What more precious in this world than life? Is not life eternal in heaven most pre∣cious? O who can suffer the pains of eternal death? That man will never be perswaded to seek heaven, who never thinks it worth the having and enjoying.

4. It implies vehement desires of heaven: what a man desireth not, that he seeks not: earnest longings will put us upon seeking for every thing: in o∣ther things desires are not seekings; but in spiritual things, earnest desires of God and heaven, are seekings of God and heaven: For, what are heavenly desires, but the reachings of the soul after heaven, pursuings after God? O God, thou art my God, early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee;

my flesh longeth for thee; my soul fol∣loweth hard after thee, Psa. 63.1.8.

SECT. II.

In the second place I will shew you, wherein this seeking doth consist.

1. It consisteth in an earnest enquiry after the way to heaven. Isai. 55.6.* 1.1 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found; the word in the original signi∣fies, quaerere interrogatione & verbis, to seek by words and interrogation; as a wandring traveller will be enquiring of all he meeteth the way to such a City: So they who seek after this Ci∣ty that is to come, they will be very en∣quisitive about the way to heaven, very desirous to be directed in the right way. How did divers persons come to Christ, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? What shall I do to be saved? O that my feet were di∣rected into the wayes of thy testimonies, saith David: The greatest fear of ho∣ly men, is, lest they should be out of the way; therefore none more scrupulous and less confident than they; none ful∣ler of holy doubts than they, and more frequently putting forth holy que∣stions. Usually men are very confident

that they are in the right way to hea∣ven, therefore they never seek out after it: It vexeth them very much, when they are put to the question; are ye sure that ye are in the right way to hea∣ven? I know not any thing in all the world, wherein the generality of men are more contentedly cheated, than a∣bout their state of Grace, and their ti∣tle to Heaven, few there be who have a care to buy gold tryed in the fire.

2. It consisteth in a diligent and in∣dustrious application of our selves to the use of all appointed means leading and directing us to this heavenly City: He that diligently prayeth, diligently seeketh heaven: he that diligently hear∣eth the Word, diligently seeketh hea∣ven▪ Hence in the New Testament the Gospel is often called the Kingdome of Heaven, and seeking God is frequent∣ly put for the worshipping of God: Gods Ordinances are a Jacobs Ladder, the top whereof reacheth to heaven, though the foot thereof be on earth; for by it we scale heaven: The Ministery of the word are a light and a Lanthorn to our steps, to guide our feet in the way to heaven: God hath set up the Ministery as way-marks to direct Tra∣vellers

in the right way; those that neglect Gods faithful Ministers, do neglect the seeking heaven. Take this rule or caution; when you come to Gods Ordinances, make heaven and salvation, and seeking God the end of your coming to them, Psa. 42.1, 2. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God, when shall I come before God. i. e. To enjoy God in his Ordinances; seek not so much the enjoyment of Or∣dinances, as of God in them.

3. It implies an application of our selves to an holy and heavenly conver∣sation: An holy life is the strait way which leadeth to heaven; heaven is the reward of an holy and heavenly Con∣versation; it is not every foul dog with his soul feet that shall tread upon the pure pavement of the New Jerusalem: He that doth not seek holiness, doth not seek heaven; heaven is to be sought for in an heavenly manner; heaven is a City hard to be won, the righteous wil scarce∣ly be saved; hell is prepared for unholy persons, forus canes, without ate dogs.

4. It consisteth in a constant use of all means, all holy duties, without faint∣ing or desisting, until you have found a title, and obtained a claim to heaven.

The woman in the Parable did not de∣sist from seeking, till she had found her groat; and the Spouse in the Canticles never gave over seeking Christ, till she had found him whom her soul loved: He that is slothful in seeking, may never find heaven.

5. It consisteth in an early and time∣ly seeking; begin to day while it is called to day: The greatest part of the world do but play with Religion, they think it an easie thing to be a Chri∣stian, and that to seek God and heaven is at the next door, and that they will be found at any time: No, no; the foolish Virgins lost heaven by seeking it too late: Many do eternally lose hea∣ven by delay of seeking. I make no doubt, but all do desire heaven, nor do I make any question but all or most of us do purpose to set some time apart to seek heaven: Why then not presently? who knoweth what a day may bring forth? who knows how soon death may arrest him? heaven is not easily found, it is not gotten with a few words or faint wishes.

SECT. III.

Consider, I beseech you,* 1.2 your conti∣nuance here is but short: By what e∣legant comparisons doth the Scripture set forth the shortness of mans life: it is but a vapour, saith S. James; it is but a dream, it is but the shadow of a dream, said an Heathen: It is as grass, or as a flower; it is as a tale, as a thought, as a bubble, it is but a Race, but as a Weavers Shuttle▪ but for a lit∣tle moment, all which things are of a very short continuance. Have we not need then to day, while it is called to day, without delay to seek heaven, and life which continueth for evermore? But the misery of man is great upon him, because we flatter our selves with a kind of immortality: none so sick and weakly, but hopeth for a recovery, none so aged, but thinketh he shall live a while longer.

2. How long you shall continue here is uncertain; who knoweth when and how soon he shall depart hence? It may be to morrow, it may be this night, or this hour, who can tell? We do not 〈◊〉〈◊〉 ••ither the day nor the hour when

death will come, therefore seek hea∣ven. We have need to make haste; the time present is yours only, the time to come is uncertain, the time past is irrecoverably gone: who can tell what to morrow will bring forth? Perad∣venture death and damnation.— The present time is thine only, this hour, this Sermon, this opportunity, this call from heaven, this very exhortation to seek heaven presently.

3. Or suppose our continuance up∣on earth to be long, even as long as Methusaleh continued; suppose thou hadst the Reign of Time in thy hands, and couldst slack the pace of Time at thy pleasure, yet there were no conti∣nuance for thee alwayes here, but die you must, and die you shall: But cer∣tainly you have not Time at your com∣mand; you cannot command the Sun of Time to stand still one moment, nor to go back fifteen degrees; time is ir∣recoverable if it be lost: Lost money may be recovered, but occasions neg∣lected are irrecoverable, and will never return again.

4. Consider that properly we have no continuance here, because our lives do not stand at a stay, but like 〈◊〉〈◊〉

we are continually going to our graves, as fast as the wings of Time can carry us: No motion more swift than that of the Sun; our lives do run away as swift as the Sun it self. The Sun (that is the measurer of time) once stood still in Joshua's daies, and returned ten degrees in Hezekiah's sickness, yet time it self ever past forward, and did never stand with the Suns standing, nor return with his returning.

5. Consider what is the reward of our neglect of seeking heaven; even an eternal abode in hell? For as hea∣ven is a continuing City, so hell is a continuing Fiery Dungeon; these flames are of eternal continuance; these Chains of darkness are everlasting Chains; there is the Worm that ne∣ver dies, the Fire that never goes out; there is everlasting destruction. Isai. 30.33. Tophet is ordained of old.] Hell is as old as sin; God made hell, as soon as the creature became sinful: He hath made it deep and large] here is the vastness of this prison: it is large enough to hold all wicked men and An∣gels: it is deep, there is the impossibi∣lity of escaping, of getting out of it; it is so deep, that it hath no bottom,

therefore it is called the Bottomless Pit: the Pile thereof is fire and much wood; there is the super-abundance of punish∣ment, and the extremity of torment; and the breath of the Lord, like a river of brimstone doth kindle it. Here is the Eternity of torment, while God breathes, the fire of hell shall burn. Now if you will escape hell, seek hea∣ven while you may find it: we are all hastening to a continuing City, or to a continuing prison, to an everlasting heaven, or an everlasting hell: this glo∣rious City, and that burning Prison, will shortly divide the whole world of men and women between them: be∣ware of too earnest seeking riches, they have wings, and will flee away from you; seek not houses and Lands, for they will not abide for ever; let not your inward thought be,* 1.3 that your hou∣ses shall continue for ever, and your dwelling places to all Generations: Go to Christ, walk in heavens way, get an entrance into that everlasting Kingdome, for that and that only is the continuing City.

Now my Brethren, up and be do∣ing; seek ye first the Kingdome of God, seek heaven first of all; it is

worth finding, worth enjoying, it will make amends for all your toil and la∣bour; heavenly seeking is a comforta∣ble kind of life, there is no comfort like that which is to be found in seeking heaven: What comfort will it yeeld to a Christian in the hour of death, who can say, I have sought, and I have found heaven? and what horrour will it be to a dying sinner that hath neg∣lected to seek after heaven, when he shall cry out, O I have lost heaven, be∣cause I neglected to seek after it, I might have found it, had I sought it: Oh what a fool was I, so willingly to deprive my self of this endless glory for a few stinking lusts, and perishing vanities! Oh what a mad man was I to bereave my self of a room in this City of Pearl, for a few carnal and mo∣mentany delights! Oh what Bedlams are they, and Beasts in humane shape, who for a little transitory trash, do shut themselves out of these everlasting ha∣bitations! What intollerable Sots and sensless wretches are all such who wil∣fully bar themselves out of this Palace of everlasting pleasure, for the short fruition of worldly trifles? Therefore as the Rabbin said to his Scholars, so

say I to you; Tempus breve, opus mul∣tum, operarii pigri, pater familias ur∣get. We have a great work in hand, viz. our salvation, we have a short time to do that great work in, viz. this present life; we are slow workers in the work, and God earnestly calls up∣on us to give all diligence to work out our salvation: All that is here is con∣demned to die, and to pass away like a Snow-ball before a Summer-Sun; la∣bour to wean your hearts from the breasts of this fading world, and do not make it your Patrimony, carry your selves like the Heirs of heaven, let the moveables go, and fasten your hold upon that immortal, incorruptible he∣ritage that fadeth not away: Consider well that our great Master, Eternity, and Judgement, and the last reckon∣ing will be upon us after a few mo∣ments, and there will shortly be a Pro∣clamation by one standing in the Clouds, that time shall be no more; this worlds span-length of time is now drawn to less than half an inch, and even to the point of the evening of the day of this old and grey-haired world, then a sight of him that is invisible will obscure and darken all the glory of this

world: Oh mend your pace, and go on more swiftly towards your heavenly City; you have need to make haste, because the inch of your life that re∣maineth will quickly slip away.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Qui qua∣rit, vult scire, aut obtinere. Lamb. in Plaut.
• * 1.2

  Mot. 1.
• * 1.3

  Psa. 49.11▪