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217 a Glory, and promised to take us up to dwell with himfelf, and is not this worth thinking on? Should not the strongest Defires of our Hearts be after it? Do we believe this, and yet forget and neglect it? If God will not give us Leave to approach this Light, what means all his earnest Invitations? Why doth He fo condemn our Earthly-mindednefs, and command us to fet our Affections on Things above? Ah vile Hearts! If God were against it, we were likelier to be for it; but when He commands our Hearts to Heaven, then they will not stir one Inch: Like our Predeceffors, the finful Ifraelites; when God would have them march for Canaan, then they mutiny, and will not ftir; but when God bids them not go, then they will be presently marching. If God fay, love not the World, nor the Things of the World; we dote upon it. How freely, how frequently can we think of our Pleasures, our Friends, our Labours, our Flesh and its Lufts, yea,, our Wrongs and Miferies, our Fears and Sufferings? But where is the Chriftian, whose Heart is on his Reft? What is the Matter? Are we fo full of Joy, that we need no more? Or is there nothing in Heaven for our joyous Thoughts? Or rather, are not our Hearts carnal and ftupid? Let us humble these fenfual Hearts that have in them no more of Chrift and Glory. If this World was the only Subject of our Difcourfe, all would count us ungodly; why then may we not call our Hearts ungodly, that have fo little Delight in Chrift and

Heaven?

§ 2. BUT I am speaking only to those, whose Portion is in Heaven, whofe Hopes are there, and who have forfaken all to enjoy this Glory; and hall I be difcouraged from perfuading fuch to be Heavenlyminded? Fellow Chriftians, if you will not hear and obey, who will? Well may we he difcouraged to L

exhort

exhort the blind, ungodly World, and may fay, as Mojes did, Behold the Children of Ifrael have not hearkened unto me, how then fhall Pharach bear me? I require thee, Reader, as ever thou hopeft for a Part in this Glory, that thou prefently take thy Heart to talk, chide it for its wilful Strangenefs to God, turn thy Thoughts from the Purfuit of Vanity, bend thy Soul to ftudy Eternity, bufy it about the Life to come, habituate thyself to fuch Contemplations, and let not thofe Thoughts be feldom and curfory, but bathe thy Soul in Heaven's Delights; and if thy backward Soul begin to flag, and thy Thoughts to [catter, call them back, hold them to their Work, bear not with their Laziness, nor connive at one Neglect. And when thou haft, in Obedience to God, tried this Work, got acquainted with it, and kept a Guard on thy Thoughts till they are accuftomed to obey, thou wilt then find thy felf in the Suburbs of Heaven, and that there is indeed a Sweetness in the Work and Way of God, and that the Life of Chriftianity is a Life of Joy. Thou wilt meet with thofe abundant Confolations which thou haft prayed, panted, and groaned after, and which fo few Chriftians do ever here obtain, because they know not this Way to them, or elfe make not Confcience of walking in it. Say not "We are unable to fet our own Hearts on Heaven; "this must be the Work of God only." Tho' God be the chief Difpofer of your Hearts, yet next under him you have the greatest Command of them yourfelves. Though without Chrift you can do nothing, yet under him you may do much, and must, or elle it will be undone, and yourselves undone thro' your Neglect. Chriftians, if your Souls were healthful and vigorous, they would perceive incomparably more Delight and Sweetnefs in the believing joyful Thoughts of your future Bleffednefs, than the foundest Stomach finds

finds in its Food, or the ftrongeft Senfes in the Enjoyment of their Objects; fo little painful would this Work be to you. But because I know while we have Flesh about us, and any Remains of that carnal Mind, which is Enmity to God and to this noble Work, that all Motives are little enough, I will here lay down Some Confiderations, which, if you will deliberately weigh with an impartial Judgment, I doubt not but they will prove effectual with your Hearts, and make you refolve on this excellent Duty. More particu larly confider;it will evidence your fincere Prety;

it is the highest Excellence of the Chriftian Temper; -it is the Way to live most comfortably;—it will be the best Prefervative from Temptations to Sin;it will enliven your Graces and Duties; it will be your beft Gordial in all Afflictions; it will render you most profitable to others; it will honour God;

-without it, you will difobey the Commands, and lofe the most gracious and delightful Discoveries of the Word of God; it is alfo the more reasonable to have your Hearts with God, as His is fo much on you;--and in Heaven, where you have fo much Intereft and Relation; -befides, there is nothing, but Heaven, worth fetting your Hearts upon.

$3. (1) Confider, a Heart fet upen Heaven will be one of the most unquestionable Evidences of your Sincerity, and a clear Difcovery of a true Work of Saving Grace upon your Souls. You are often afking, "How fhall CC we know that we are truly fanctified? Here you have a Sign infallible from the Mouth of Jefus Chrift himself; where your Treasure is, there will your Hearts be aljo (a). God is the Saint's Treasure and Happinefs; Heaven is the Place where they muft fully enjoy him. A Heart therefore fet upon Heaven, is no more but a Heart fet upon God; and furely a Heart

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(a) Matt. vi. 21,

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fet upon God through Chrift, is the trueft Evidence of faving Grace. When Learning will be no Proof of Grace; when Knowledge, Duties, Gifts will fail; when Arguments from thy Tongue, or Hand, may be confuted; yet then will this from the Bent of thy Heart prove thee fincere. Take a poor Chriftian, of a weak Understanding, a feeble Memory, a ftammering Tongue; yet his Heart is fet on God, he hath chofen Him for his Portion, his Thoughts are on Eternity, his Defires there, he cries out, "O that I 66 were there!" he takes that Day for a Time of Imprifonment, in which he hath not had one refreshing View of Eternity; I had rather die in this Man's Condition, than in the Cafe of him who hath the most eminent Gifts, and is moft admired for his Performances, while his Heart is not thus taken up with God. The Man that Chrift will find out at the last Day, and condemn for Want of a Wedding-Garment, will be one that wants this Frame of Heart. The Question will not then be, how much have you known, or profeffed, or talked? hut, how much have you loved, and where was your Heart? Chriftians, as you would have a Proof of your Title to Glory, labour to get your Hearts above. If Sin and Satan keep not your Affections from thence, they will never be able to keep away your Perfons.

$4. (2) A Heart in Heaven is the highest Excellence of your Chriftian Temper. As there is a common Excellence, by which Chriftians differ from the World; fo there is this peculiar Dignity of Spirit, by which the more excellent differ from the rest. As the nobleft of Creatures, fo the nobleft of Chriftians are they whofe Faces are fet moft direct for Heaven. Such an heavenly Saint, who hath been wrapt up to God in his Contemplations, and is newly come down from the Views of Chrift, what Discoveries will he

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make of thofe fuperior Regions! how high and facred is his Difcourfe! Enough to convince an understanding Hearer, that he had feen the Lord, and that no Man could fpeak fuch Words, except he had been with God. This, this is the noble Christian. The Imost famous Mountains and Trees are thofe that reach nearest to Heaven; and he is the choiceft Chriftian, whofe Heart is most frequently and most delightfully there. If a Man have lived near the King, or hath feen the Sultan of Perfia, or the Great Turk, he will be thought a Step higher than his Neighbours. What then fhall we judge of him that daily travels as far as Heaven, and there hath feen the King of Kings, hath frequent Admittance into the divine Prefence, and feafteth his Soul upon the Tree of Life? For my Part, I value this Man before the nobleft, the richeft, the most learned in the World.

$5. (3) A heavenly Mind is the nearest and trueft Way to a Life of Comfort. The Countries far North are cold and frozen, because they are diftant from the Sun. What makes fuch frozen uncomfortable Chrifti. ans, but their living fo far from Heaven? And what makes others fo warm in Comforts, but their living higher, and having nearer Accefs to God? When the Sun in the Spring draws near our Part of the Earth, how do all Things congratulate its Approach? The Earth looks green, the Trees fhoot forth, the Plants revive, the Birds fing, and all Things fmile upon us. If we would but try this Life with God, and keep thefe Hearts above, what a Spring of Joy would be within us? How fhould we forget our Winter-Sorrows? How early fhould we rife to fing the Praise of our Great Creator? O Chriftian, get above. Those that have been there, have found it warmer; and I doubt not but thou hast sometime tried it

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