Longing for Heaven. I AM a stranger here below, my home is above; yet I think too well of these foreign vanities, and too little of my home. Surely that is not so far above my head, as above my thoughts; neither does it so far pass me in distance as in comprehension. Yet I would not stand so much upon conceiving, if I could admire it enough; but my strait heart is filled with a little wonder, and hath no room for the greatest part of glory that remains. Oh God, what happiness hast thou prepared for thy chosen. What a purchase was this, worthy of the blood of such a Saviour. As yet I do but look towards it afar off; but it is easy to see by the outside how goodly it is within, though thy house on earth and that above have more glory within, than can be expressed by the outward appearance. The outer part of thy tabernacle here below is but an earthly and base substance; but within it is furnished with a living, spiritual and heavenly guest. So the outer heavens, though they be as gold to all other material creatures, are but as dross to thee. Yet how are even the outmost walls of thy house beautified with glorious lights, every one of which is a world for size, and as a heaven for goodliness.. Oh teach me by this to long after, and wonder at the inner part, before thou lettest me come in to behold it. The Love of Life. MEN in general would neither die nor be old. When we see an aged man that has outlived all the teeth of his gums, the hair of his head, the sight of his eyes, the taste of his palate; we profess that we would not live to such a cumbersome age, when we prove burdens to our dearest friends and ourselves. Yet if it be put to our choice what year we would die, we are for shifting it off till the next; and want not excuses for this prorogation. Rather than fail, we allege that we would live to amend, though we only add more to the heap of our sins. Nature hath nothing to plead for this folly, but that life is sweet. In this we give occasion for renewing that ancient check, addressed to the timorous and shrinking confessors: 'Ye would neither live to be old, nor die while you are young: what should I do with you?' The christian however must not think it enough to endure the thought of death with patience, when it is obtruded upon him by necessity; he must voluntarily call it into his mind with joy; not only knowing that it will come, but wishing that it might come. I will not leave till I can resolve, if I might die to-day, not to live till to-morrow. Spiritual Merchandize. In all other things we are led by profit; but in the main matter of all, we show ourselves utterly improvident; and while we are wise in making good inarkets in these base commodities, we show ourselves foolish in the great concerns of our souls. God and the world come both to one shop, and make proffers for our souls: the world, like a frank chapman, says, All these will I give thee;' showing us his bags and promotions, and thrusting them into our hands. God offers a crown of glory, which yet he tells us we must give him a day to perform; and have nothing at present but our hope, and some small earnest of the bargain. Though we know there is no comparison betwixt these two in value, finding these earthly things vain and unable to give any contentment, and those others of invaluable worth and benefit; yet we would rather take these in hand, than trust God on his word for the future, while at the same time we can take some rich lordship in reversion, after the long expectation of three lives expired, rather than a present sum much under the real value. On the contrary, when God and the world are sellers, and we come to the mart, the world offers fine painted wares, but will not part with them under the price of our torment; while God proclaims, 'Come, ye that want, and buy for nought.' Now, we thrifty men, that try all shops for the cheapest pennyworth, refuse God, proffering his precious commodities for nothing; and pay a hard price for that which is worse than nothing. Surely, we are wise for any thing but our Oh souls; not so wise for the body as foolish for them. Lord, thy payment is sure; and who knows how soon? Take the soul that thou hast both made and bought; and let me rather give my life for thy favour, than take the offers of the world for nothing. Doctrine and Practice. THOSE who deal all in exhortation, and not in doctrine, are like them that snuff the candle, but pour in no oil. Those who deal all in doctrine, and nothing in exhortation, drown the wick in oil, but light it not. They make it fit for use, if it had fire put to it; but as it is, it is rather capable of good, than profitable at present. Doctrine, without exhortation, makes men all brain, no heart exhortation, without doctrine, makes the heart full, and leaves the brain empty. Both together make a man. One makes a man wise; the other, good; one serves that we may know our duty, the other that we may perform it. I will labour in both: but I know not in which most. Men cannot practise, unless they know; and they know in vain, if they practise not. Human Depravity. MAN that was once the sovereign lord of all creatures, is now sent to the very basest of all creatures to learn wisdom, and sees the most contemptible creatures preferred before him. The ass knoweth his owner.' Go to the ant, thou sluggard.' Like the miserable heir of some great peer, whose house is decayed through the treason of his progenitors, we hear and see what honours. and lordships we should have had; but now find ourselves below many of the vulgar. We have not so much cause of exaltation that we are men, and not beasts; as we have of humiliation, to think how much we were once better than we are, and that now in many duties we are inferior to the beasts. Those whom we contemn, if they had our reason, might more justly contemn us; and as they are, may teach us by their examples, and condemn us by their practice. Soul and Body. THERE can be no nearer conjunction in nature, than between body and soul. Yet these two are of so contrary a disposition, that, as it falls out in an ill-matched man and wife, those servants which the one likes best are most dispraised by the other; so here, one still takes part against the other in their choice. What benefits the one is injurious to the other. The glutting of the body pines the soul, and the soul thrives best when the body is pinched. Who can wonder that there is such faction amongst others, that sees so much in his very self. True wisdom is to take, not with the stronger, as the fashion of the world is, but with the better; following herein, not usurped power, but justice. It is not hard to discern whose the right is; whether the servant should rule, or the mistress. I will labour to make and keep the peace, by giving each part his own indifferently; but if more be demanded with an ambitious contention, I will rather beat Hagar out of doors, than she shall overrule her mis tress. Admonishing a Friend. I SEE iron is first heated red-hot in the fire, and afterwards beaten and hardened with cold water. Thus will I deal with an offending friend; first heat him with deserved praise of his virtue, and then beat upon him with admonition and reproof. Thus good nurses, when their children are fallen, first take them up and speak them fair, then chide them afterwards. Gentle speech is a good preparative for rigour. He shall see that I love him, by my approbation; and that I love not his faults, by my reproof. If he love himself, he will love those that dislike his vices; and if he love not himself, it matters not whether he love me Envy. THE more we are like God, the best and only good, the better and happier we must be. All sins make us unlike him, as being contrary to his perfect holiness; but some discover a more direct contrariety. Such is envy; for while God brings good out of evil, the envious man fetches evil out of good. In this also his sin becomes his punishment; for while to good men even evil things work together for their good, to the envious good things work together for their evil. The evil in any man, though never so prosperous, I will not envy, but pity. The good I will not repine at, but endeavour to emulate; rejoicing that they are so good, but grieving that I am no better. Covetousness. THE Covetous man is like a spider: he does nothing but lay his nets to catch every fly, gaping only for gain. And yet while he makes nets for these flies, he consumes his own bowels; so, that what is his life, is also his death. If there be any creature miserable, it is he; and yet he is least to be pitied, because he makes himself miserable. Such as he is, I will account him; and will therefore sweep down his webs, and hate his poison. Life and Death. IN heaven there is all life, and no dying. In hell there is all death, and no life. On earth there is both living and dying; which, as it is betwixt both, so it prepares for both. He therefore who now dies to sin, shall hereafter live in heaven; and on the contrary, he that lives in sin upon earth, dies in hell afterward. What if I have no portion of joy here below, but still a succession of afflictions? The wicked have no part in heaven, and yet they enjoy the earth with pleasure: I would not change portions with them. I rejoice that, seeing I cannot have both, I have the better part. Oh Lord, let me pass both |