Four more Directions for maintaining an Heart-Treasure.

7.ANother Help for continuing and encreasing this good treasure of the Heart, is, Be frequent and exact in the search of your hearts: be much in reviewing the frame of your Spirits, commune with your heart, ask it what it getteth or loseth every day; wise Trades-men often cast up account, and provident House-keepers look into their provision to see how it holds out, and wherein there is most danger of want: O Christians be serious in this self-sifting work, and keep a distinct account how things are with you, whether you get or lose ground: take the advice of a Royal learned Writer to his Princely Son, thus: [Note 1] Censure your self as sharply as if you were your own enemy,—a little further, therefore I would not have you to pray to be delivered from sudden death, but that God would give you grace so to live, as that you may every hour of your life be ready for death: thus he. Sirs, study your hearts, try your waies, deal faithfully with your poor souls, for you must undergo a critical search at the great day, yea now in this world, [Note 2] God is about to search you as with Candles, and rouze up secure sinners from off their lees: a trying time may come, search your selves first, you may by searching come to discern your state, and what degrees of grace you have, your spirits may know the things of man, that concern your selves, [Note 3] and descend into the inward parts of the belly, therefore make use of this reflective facultie of conscience, try your hearts, measure your selves at this time with what you were formerlie, and thereby you will understand how things are, and this will be a singular help against losing ground, prevent Apostacy, prepare you for, and engage you in a work of thankfulness or repenting suitable to what you finde in your hearts: only be clear and distinct about your state, that you may deplore or congratulate your condition as you finde cause: thereby God will have great glorie, your souls much comfort, and if you finde things amiss, that self-tryal will be a step to Reparation: O Friends, take some time to pose and search your own hearts, [Note 4] in the multitude of businesses abroad be not strangers at home, you will finde work enough there, I shall conclude all with the words of a contemplative Divine. The varieties of an ever-changing condition whiles in this vale of miserie cannot want the perpetual employment of a busie soul, therefore, saith he, O God let me be dumb to all the world, so as I may ever have a tongue for thee and mine own heart: Take yet a Verse from divine Herbert; Sum up at night what thou hast done by day And in the morning, what thou hast to do, Dress and undress thy soul, mark the decay And growth of it; if with thy watch, that too Be down, then winde up both, since we shall be Most surely judg'd, make thy Accounts agree:#

Thus for the seventh Direction:

8.Timely make up spiritual decayes: This seconds the former, if you finde your selves declining, do not rest satisfied, let not an ill matter go on, decayes and delayes therein are dangerous, the further you proceed the worse will things be: a little rent in a Garment, if neglected grows vast and incurable: a breach of water upon banks is quickly repaired at first, but afterwards in protract of time is widened to unavoidable inundations: Suits in Law are easily taken up in the beginning, and fallings out amongst Friends may be soon composed at first, but when contentions beget animosities, and then a grudge, the agreement is more unfeasable, and the offended party more un-reconcileable: If you miss your way upon the Road, how suddenly may you at the first step back, and rectifie your errour? but the further you go in a wrong way the more is your danger, and labour in returning: Many diseases might have been cured had they been lookt to in time, [Note 5] that have proved mortal in the issue: and therefore the Rule is [obsta principiis] hinder the first beginnings of a disease: Wee know its easier to keep off an Enemie, then turn him out when once he is entred: the juice of a Lemmon is soon wiped off a Knife when first sprinkled on it, without impression left, but its abiding thereon corrodes into the mettal, and leaves an indelible character: Even so, guilt is sooner removed immediately after it is contracted, then when its long delaied, deferring doubles the guilt and makes the wound deeper: Davids long absence from God procures to his back a heavier burden and broken bones, but Peter got the breach made up quickly by a speedy Repentance: therefore David learned by sad experience to make more hast to God, and not to delay his Repentance and course of obedience, Ps 119:59,#

60.[Note 6] O Christians, fall presently about this work, Vow this day unto the mighty God of Jacob, and you'l not finde a room for your selves in your Houses or Beds, till you have found a place for the Lord in your hearts, make not up the day till you have made your peace with God: give not sleep to your eies til you can through grace say, your souls rest in the Lord and, God rests in his love to you; and if you die in that sleep, you shall sleep in Christ: Go to God poor sinning, pining soul, tell him, Lord, I feel, my heart growing out of order, thou dost not grant to me thy wonted presence, sin is encroaching upon me, temptations prevailing; grace-weakening, my spirit cooling, all things go to wrack within me, but I am not satisfied in this declining state, I cannot live at a distance from thee, I dare not neglect the means of my Recoverie, O revive thy work, restore thy quickening Spirit, repair and redintegrate in my precious soul thy glorious Image, which consists in knowledge, righteousnesse, and true holinesse; renew in my heart former affections, and return unto my soul thy wonted favour: And thus, Sirs, do you betake your selves first to your hearts, and then to God, and use your utmost endeavours to recruit with speed your treasure of truths, graces, comforts and experiences, and as a Candle newly extinguisht will quicklie catch fire, so the smoaking flaxe of your languishing graces shall quickly be restored, and revived, and your fainting spirits if taken timely shal suddenly be recovered: Say then with sweet Herbert in his Poems,— Sin is still hammering my heart, unto a hardness void of love, Let suppling grace to cross his art drop from above.#

9.Be much in layings out: mental and spiritual treasures have this strange propertie, that the more you lay out the more you encrease therein: here that Text takes place, Luke 6:38. Give, and it shall be given unto you, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men [or God] give it into your bosome— We see in other things use makes prompt and perfect: 'tis Use chiefly that makes the right hand stronger than the left: a Key much used is bright, dis-use makes it rustie: a Pump much used brings forth water easily and abundantlie: Instruments of Iron and Steel are brighter with use; Thus it is in humane learning, gifts and graces, expence enricheth the Possessour, and Salomon saith, the liberal soul shall be made fat, and he that watereth, shall be watered also himself, Prov 11:25. a liberal soul is a soul of blessing, as the Hebr. hath it, because it is a blessing to others, and the more blessed by God, for to him that useth well shall be given more, as that is usually interpreted, Matthew 25.29. (though that must be referred to Talents of the same kinde, for improving common grace doth not necessarilie procure special grace); God doth not infuse these Habits to lie dead in you, but you must stir up the gift of God, employ your stock, lay out your mony to Exchangers: be not either non-Residents or non-Agents, Christianity requires activitie; the truth is, all excellencies in the World are worthless if they be useless, there's much good ground in the World that's neither cultured nor owned, a world of precious Mettals in the bowels of the Earth which shal never be coined, 'tis the constant use of money whereby it answers all things: [Note 7] Improvement, saith a Reverend man, gives a true value to all blessings, A penny in the Purse is worth many Talents in an unknown Mine, that is our good that doth us good, and that whereby we do good, and the more we do good, the more we are good: therefore Sirs, be active for God, read, pray, meditate, confer, and do all with your might, as men that are bound straight for Heaven, and will do all the good you can upon earth, and draw with you as many as you can to glorie; O how this wil enrich you, and encrease your store? but this I have inlarged upon before: only observe, that 'tis the propertie of true grace to be communicative, and a blessing annexed to its exercise to be aggragative: a Christian gets most by laying out, God helps those that are ready to help the souls of others.#

10.Be thankfull for treasures received, give God praise and God will give you more grace: as our duty ascends, mercy descends; mans blessing God, brings down more blessings from God: Adore Free-grace, and you shal have more fruits of Free-grace: you are bound to bless God for worldly comforts and earthly treasures, much more for heavenly Riches: Should we bless him for filling our Houses with goods, and Bellies with food? and shall we not blesse him for filling our heads with truths, and our hearts with grace? must we bless him for a Crust, and shall wee not much more for a Christ? Will wee thank God for earth, and shall we not for Heaven? I fear Christians are much defective in this Angelical and Evangelical duty of praise: they are much in complaining of their defects and imperfections, and that's good in it its due place, and season, and measure, so as to humble them and promote endeavours: But withall you ought to be thankful for what you are or have; Self-denial and gratitude are very consistent, and contribute mutually to each other: You may and ought to bewail your barrenness, though you must also thank God for the degrees of fruitfulness: for what you have attained is the fruit of special grace; from God alone is your fruit found: he alone hath tilled, and sown, and given the encrease, let him have all the crop and harvest: to him is this debt of thanks owing, pay for the old, and fetch new: admire his Free-grace that you have any divine incomes, though you have not what you desire, yet you have more than you deserve, and so much as deserves your thankfulness: that's a churlish creature that drowns past kindnesses in a Sea of desires after more: I do appeal to thine own conscience, hast thou not something in thy soul worth thanks? hast thou not seen thy sin and misery? laid them more to heart than outward troubles? dost thou not prize Christ above the world? long after communion with him? You cannot deny but you have received sweet impressions of divine truths, and various experiences, and as for graces and comforts, deal but faithfully with your own hearts, and see what they will say to you: begin to enumerate your mercies, and you'l see further occasion of gratitude; especially recount your spiritual blessings in heavenly things in Jesus Christ: Thus doth holy David, Ps 103:1 2,#

3.He stirs up all within him to praise God, and reckoneth up spiritual mercies first, and canst not thou say, he hath satisfied thy heart, & replenished thy soul with good things? Lay thy hand upon thy heart, and ask it whether thou hast not abundant cause of thankfulnesse? and give God praise according to thy convictions: This is one great end God hath in bestowing mercie, and returning an answer of Prayer, that the soul may praise him, which is the tribute of glorie that's due from the creature to our Creator: See Ps 50:14, 15,#

23.Mr. Greenham observes, [Note 8] That in our Liturgies, among an hundred prayers scarce one thanks-giving is found, and yet in civil matters, either by a natural Logick or cunning Rhetorick, we have learned to begin a new suit, with a thankful commemoration of receiving the old: Thus he. But I beseech you shew not your selves ingratefull, praise God for what you have received, yea bless him for your certain grounds of hope perform your dutie, and trust God for the performance of his promise . Blesse God that he hath laid up so large a treasure in Christ for indigent souls. Bless him that hee hath laid out so much thereof upon the manie thousands that are now filled brimful of grace and glory, and bless him for the sweet over-flowings of distinguishing grace to your languishing souls. Sirs, you are much questioning the truth of Grace, but exercising your selves in this duty of thankfulness will evidence sincerity, and preserve your stock, and be a means of further proficiency: Unthankfulness and Unholiness are linked together in Scripture, [Note 9] and the more thankful you are, the more holy you are and shal be: God loves chearful worshippers: the great variety of Musical Instruments in Gods worship of old, should be ecchoed with cordial praises in Gospel-times: praise is comely in Gods account, and thankful souls have largest incomes: what Saint was ever loaded with such riches of Grace as the chosen Vessel, blessed Paul? and who was fuller of thankfulness, or sounded out the praises of God so much as he? he had it much in his lips, that had so much in his heart; and the more he speaks of it, the more he is filled with it: every breath, let out in praises, draws in new supplies of grace: do you glorifie God, and he wil satisfie you: pay this rent, and God wil not turn you out of doors: give him this tribute, and you shal have your free-hold: praise God for your little here, and you shal have fulness of grace, and riches of glorie to praise him in and with to all Eternitie.#

I shal close all these Directions to maintain a treasure, especiallie this last of thankfulness with a sweet Poem of Divine Herbert's, called gratefulness.

Thou that hast given so much to me, [Note 10]
Give one thing more, a grateful heart,
See how thy beggar works on thee,
By Art.

He makes thy gifts occasion more,
And sayes, if he in this be crost,
All thou hast given him heretofore
Is lost.

But thou didst reckon, when at first
Thy word our hearts and hands did crave,
What it would come to at the worst
To save.

Perpetual knockings at thy door,
Tears sullying thy transparent rooms,
Gift upon gift, much would have more,
And comes.

This notwithstanding, thou went'st on,
And didst allow us all our noise,
Nay thou hast made a sigh and groane,
Thy joyes.

Not that thou hast not stil above,
Much better tunes than groanes can make;
But that these Country aires thy love,
Did take.

Wherefore I cry, and cry again;
And in no quiet canst thou be,
Til I a thankful heart obtain,
Of thee.

Not thankful, when it pleaseth me;
As if thy blessings had spare dayes,
But such a heart whose pulse may be
Thy praise.