The Excellency of Heavenly 'frcafarcs. 'fhi~gs of Heaven; never was l}o t-aken and .,....vijlmd, as wir.1 ,Ome umporat /11crcies. 11nd EnjopnentJ; J could never [ul [uch tranfportatJOliS of Spirit in communion :r~ith God as y:~u fpea_k of, no Juch ravijhmmrs of Love, nor fuch mdtitlgs and vehrmtr:cy of Deftres to the Thmgs of Heaven, .:u I have oftm Jou.nd to the Concemmmts and m the Enjoyments of rbe World; never do I remember that~ re;oy6·edfo vehemmtly in God, as in fome new uncxpeffed Mercy, or that ever I mourned jo bmerly for ftnning againft God, or for the hiding of the light of God's CsuuteJJdnte from me, as I have done for {onu crofs ourw::rd P,-o1.1idwce: .And IJolV then can I fay, my Treafure is laid up in Heaven, fince earth, and the things of earth, have the frvay and pu-eminency in my Ajfeffiom? This may poflibly trouble fame. · Anfn'· To this therefore I anfwer~ That there a_re two Things by which the PredOminancy and Sway of a Man's Aft:tetions may he judr_ed. Firft, By their violmt pa[Jicmatene}J: And fccondly, By thejr judiciou.s valt<'tttion and efteem: Thou complain'ft that earth and earthly Things have the predominancy and fway in thy AffeB:io!1s, but loOk what fort of AffeCtions arc tbey; are they only thy Fondlings, thy violent and paffionate AffeB:ions? This may. be fo and yet heavenly Thin~s be. thy Treafure: Many time. fo it. is, that ~hat is fuPerior m thefe, may be wfenor, nay, almoft contempuble m thy rauonal and judicious Affe6l:ions; Men may be fond of thofe Perfons for whom: they have not fuch folid and judicious AffcC.Hons as they have for others. So is it here, a Chriftian's fondnefs may be more to the Thlngs of this World, when yet his judicious Affections may be far more to the things of Heaven. But how fha\1 we try this? Firft, Obfervc, 1s you muft not ju~ge of your v~lue and efteem o( earthly things by your paffionate Ajfe[hons to thtm ; fo rmther muft you Judge of your valumg heavenly things by your fptculative 'Judgment of them. It is not enough, when you compare Heavenly things with Earthly, barely to pronounce Heavenly things to be infinitcl~ bet.. ter, and more defirable than Earthly: Truly every Man's Confcience te\ls him thus much. There is no Man, whoever he be, thar thinks of Heaven, hut is withal verily perfwaded that it is infinitely more Glorious than Earth is; and that the enjoyment of God, a Crown of Life and Immortality, is infinitely more to be pre· ferred than all the Trafh and Trifles ht:re below : And there is uo Worldlihg, who when his Confcience beckons him afide, and whifpers thefe things i11 his Ears, but is convinced, and alfents unto thefe tbings as Truths; and yet this Man's Treafure is not therefore laid up in Heaven, becaufe he judges, in his fpcculative Judgment, that Heavenly things are better than Earthly. This is to fay they are better, and to judge them fo, but not to efteem and value them fo. And therefore, Secondly, The true valuat:on of Heavenly thingJ as the Soul's Treafure, lyes in the P""'Uical part of rhe Soul. Valuation, it is a praB:ical thing: 1 cannot be faid to value an Objdl, unlefs that efteem bath fome influence upon my aB:ions, as relating to that ObjeU; either it will put me upon Endeavours to obtain it, or ftir up Care in me to keep it. Mark that place in St. Peter, 1 Per . 2. 7· To you that bdieve he is preciom, but to them who art difobedient he W a rock of of{mce. In the 6th Verfe he tells us, Chriit was precious in himfelf, 1 lye in Sion a corner ftone eletl aud predom. In the 4th Verfe he teJls us, he was precious to God, cho{en of God, ar1d preciom, And in the 7th Verfe he comes to fucw what efteem Men had of him ; To bel~evers, faith he, he U alfo preciom ; but to them who are difobeditnt he M a rock of offina. What is the reafon, when he oppo.. feth Wicked Men to Believers, he calls them d1[obedient perfons, and not rather Vnbelievers l The reafon is, becaufe we muit not look to Mens outward ac· knowledgment , whereby they judge what is precious to them ; for all wiit fo pronounce God, and Chrift, and the things of Heaven, in their ~pecula~ tive Judgment; they will pafs this fentencee, but you muft look to their Pu· et ice, and fee what influence this valuation hath there: And thus Chri!t is not precious. to Unbelievers, becaufe that efteem they have of h1m doth not euf?rce them to obedience to him. Examine therefore which hath moft influence Jllto your Life and Praaice: Whether your pajfionate A/feUiom fo! the things of this Life, or your judicious and deliberate .Ajfoflions for the things of Heaven ; tOr thereby you may in part guefs what is your Treafure. A fmall Torrent runs ~ery violently, and makes a loud noife, yet bath not that ftreHgth in it that a Rtver bath, though it move filcntly : So it is with the Affc::ttions of a Child of God ; thoug;h they may run out violently towards the things of the World, yet ha·J c they
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