Giw God thy heart. thy heart. If thou give all thy goods to feed the poor, and give thy body to be burnt, and have not Love, it will protit thee nothing: If thou fpeak with the tongue of Men and Angels, and haft not Love, thou art but as foutlding brafs ?r a tinklin~ Cymbal : li thou canfl prophecie, and preach to admiration, and undertland all myfienes and knowledge, and hadfi faith to do miracles, and have not Love, thou art Nothing: 1 Cor. I3· r, 1, 3• Thou ha£\ but a (hadow, and wantef\ that which is the fL~bfiance and tire of all. Come thln and make an agreement wirh God, and refolve now to Ojffr him 1by Heart: He q)keth thee for nothing which thou hafi not:It is not for riches and lands that he feekcth to thee; for th~n the poor might fay as Peter, jilvcr andgold have I none: Give him but /Hch M tho., hajl, and it !ulliceth. He knoweth that it is a polluted finful heart : but give it him, and he will make it dean : He knoweth that it is an unkind heart, that hath Hood out too long: but give it him yet, and he will pardon and accept it. Be knoweth that it is an unrvurth,y heart : but...,give it him and he will be its worth. Only fee that you give it bim entirely and umefcrvtdlJ'; for he will not bar: gain with the D~.vil or the world, for the dividiJtg of thy heart between them. A half heart and a hollow heart, that is but lent him till jlejhly iHttreji or neccffityfhall call for it again, he will not accept. Onlyrefign it to him, and do but Cou{ent that thy Heart be hH, and NJtirely and ab{u!utely his, and he will take it and ufe it as his own. lt is his own by title; Let it be aHo fo by thy Confent. If God have it not, who fhallluve·it ? Shall the world, or pride, or fk!h.ly lul\? Did they make it ? or did thty purchafe it ? Will th<y be b<ttcr 10 rhce ia the rime of rhy <:x•remiry' Do tbcy bid more for rhy heart than God will give thee? He will give thee his Son ; and his Spirit, and Image, and the for– givenefs of all thy ti1~s: If the greatcfi gain, or honour, or plcafure will win it and purchafe ir, he will have it: If Heaven will buy it he will not break with thee for the price. H1th the world and fi;r a greater price than this to give thee? And what dofi thou think that he will du with thy H::an? and how will he ufe it, that thou art loth to give it him? Will he blind it, and decc:ivc it, and corrup• it and abufe it, and ar lafi torment it, as Satm will do? No ; he will more illuminate it, and clcanfc ic: and quicken it, Pfalm SI· IO· Ephef. 2. I• Jcr. 24· 7· He will make it new, alld ht.:al and f.1ve it; Ezel(, 36. 26. 2 Cor. 5· 17· Tit. 3· 3· 5· and 2· 14. He will advance and honour ir, with rhe highefl telations, imployments and ddights: for Chril\ hath faid, John J2• 26. [lf ally man [erVe mr, Jet him follow me; and where I am, there jhaU alfo my [ervant be: If any man ferve me, him will my Fa~ tber boJto~tr J He will Love ir, and govem it, and comfurt ir, and the Heart that is delivcHd eo him tl1all be kept near untO ·his own: John. 26 27· F01· the Father him[tlf lovcth yott (faith Chrill) bcc•ufe you have loved me.--Whereas if thou deliver not thy hean to him, ir will f.:td on the poyfou of Jufcious vani(y, which will gripe and teat it when ic is down : ic will be like a houfe that nuthing dwelkth in, but Dogs, and i''lies, and Worms, and Snakes: it will be like (~ne that is loll in the wildernefs, or in the nighr, that tireth himfdf iri feeking the way home, and the longer the worfe: Defpair and Rdllcfnefs will be its companions for ever. Let me now once more in tht: name of God befpeakthy Heart? I will not ufe his commands ~r threaruings to the~ now, (_though rhE"feas feconds · mutt be ufed) becaufe that Love mull have attralilve argumenu, and IS noc Itllfcd by mecr authgrity or fear: If there be not Love and Goodncji enough jn God,to defervc the higheft affections of evny rtafo· uable creature then let him go,and give thy H~>art to one that's'better. Hear how God pleadeth his own caufe with an 'unkind unchankful people, Mic. 6. 2, 3· Hear 0 ye mou:ttJins tbe LordJ cgntroverfie0 my people what have I done unto thee? tJnd ~·he~ein have I n:taried thee l teftifie agdinft me. l.Yi:Jat is there in bim to turn away thy heart? Let malice Jt fdf fay the worfi without notorious impudence againfi him: what hathhe ever done that deferveth rhydifalfechon and ncgldt'. What wouldfi rho~ have w win a heart that IS not m lum? For wh1ch of hts mercies or excellcnctes IS it, that thou thus conternne11 and abufdl him? What doli thou want that he cannot, yea or will not give thee? Doth not thy tongue fpeak honourably of his Goodne(s, while thy heart contradiChth it, and denieth all? Wh>t haft thou found rhat will prove better to rhee? Is it fin or God rhar mu!\ be rhy ~lory, rdl and joy, jf thou wilt not be a tirebrantl of ref\lcfnefs and rnifery for ever? What faifi r.hou y~.:t !inner? Shall God, or rhe world and flenrly pleafures have rhy H,art' Art thou not ycr·convinced which bel! deferveth it, and whicf'l will bt: belt to it? Canl1 thou be a lofer by him? Will he m1ke it worfc,and fin make ir better? Or wilt thou ever have cau(e to repent of giving it up to God, as thou h.aH of giving it to t·he world and Jin? I tell thee, if God have not thy Heart, it were well for thee if thou hadlt n6 Heart __ I had a thoufand [lffies rather have the Heart of a dog or the bafell crearure, than th<i5 mans heart that followeth his tlclhly luHs, and is not unfeignedly delivered up ro God thrmigh Guilt If I have not prevailed wirh your hearts for God, by all that I have faid, your Confcimc<S £b.~ll yet bear me witnefs, that I fhcwed y~uGods title, and .lo.ve, and ~oodnefs, aild faiq rh~t Which.ough~ to have prevailed: and you (ball find ere long, who Jt IS that w1ll have the worft of 1t: But 1f you refolve and Give them ptefently tO God, he: will entertain them, and fanditie and fave them : And this happy day and work will be the Angels joy, LH/r,! 15. 7, 10. and it will be nry joy, a'nd efpeciall} your own cverlafiing joy.
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