a 1. himself. li doih not become the mouth of any Creature to ask the heart to it self. But Solomon speaks it in the name of wisdom and so in the name of God himself, the eternal fountain of Wif. dom. It is he that calls unto the loons of men, and bids them to give him their heares. And though I know that the Hebrew Idiom sometimes by giving che heart, imply no more, then the serious consideration and pondring of a thing, the laying of ic to heart, as we use to speak; yet I shall take the words here in a fuller sense, as the heart in a special manner is due unro God. Now as in proverbial speeches there usech to be, so it is hère. There is abundance of rich variety, a great deal of Treasure lockt up in a few words; we will open some of them to you, And, 1. For the Welation que son. Five things are very confiderable. He speaks here to a Son,and not to a stranger. No wonder that ftrangers give not their heart to God; no wonder that a pagan gives not ihe heart unto God. Such as are Aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel, and Strangers to the Covenant of Grace. Such as are at a great distance from him: nay, that live without God in the world, such as lie like the dry heath, and the barren wilderness, the word of the kingdom never dropt upon them, but thou art a fon in near relation to himn; He reveals his mind to thee: he manifests and displayes himself to thee: he makes his goodness pass before thee. Thou haft the continual droppings of the word upon thee: his Prophets are sent to thee early and lace : thou halt the happy Sun-Thine of his presence with thee, enough to warm and sofien a ftony heart, and out of such fones to raise up children unto Abraham. Though an Indian, though an American do not give the heart unto God, yet a Chriftian lhould. Though a Stranger doe not give him the heart, yet a Son should. A Son, and not an Enemy. God doch not expe& the hearts of enemies ; such as are in open hostility and opposition against him soch as are said to be baters of bim, and hated by him, such as bid him, depart from them for they do not defire the knowledge of bis wayes; he doth not look for the hearts of these. He dock indeed many times turn the heart of an Enemy, meet the heart A 9 of a Soul,while he is breathing out flaughters againft the Church: but whilA he is in a fate of enmity he doth not look for the heart from him. Nay, if any Enemy could give the heart unto God, it would not be accepted by him. He will not accept of a Traitors heart. But thou art reconciled to him, so far from being an Enemy, as thou art a Son. Thou haft all expreffions of love from bim; and thine heart it is expe&ed by him, and it will be accepted of him. Though an enemy doe not give the heart unto God; yet a Son should. 3. A Son, and not a Slave. A Slave doth a great deal of work and drudgery, more work then a Sonne ; but he doth not give the heart all the while. He works out of fear, he looks upon it as a task as a burden; he watches an opportunity for thaking off the yoke. But now Religion doth not come thus to enllave men, but to enlarge them, to ennoble them: it comes to beat off the chains and fetters to beat upon the Prison. doors : it brings a perpetual Jubilee; a perpetual Triumph along with it. Religion Poweth out of filial principles: My Son, hear my words, and My Sonne, give me chine heart. If the Son make you free, why then you are free indeed; and if you be free like Sons, why then you are free indeed. The Coffel brings with it a filial Liberty, a filial Plerophory: an Evangelical yoak, is a soft and pleasant yoake: a Saviours burden is onus ularum,it do's no more load the soul,then wings do a bird, which advance and promote its flight towards heaven. In fin there is nothing but slavery: in Religion there is perfe& liberty. Though a Slave do not give the heart unco God: yet a Son should. 4. A Son, Non fic olim. Thou wert not alwayes so. There was a time when ye were Sons of wrath, as well as others : Children of disobedience, as well as others. Adopted Sons were not alwayes Sons: Now the Sons of God are Sons by Adoption, And let it suffice you (saith the Apostle)that in those former times of your ignorance, of your folly and vanity, that then you gave your hearts onto other Obje&s:but now that you are come into a ftate of Son-ship, now that ye have this great and honourable Gospel-priviledge to be called a Son of God: now withdraw your hearts from former obje&s. Let them not be beftowed upon former vanities , do not embase them so much: fix them only upon your God. Though oace thou didit not give thy heart heart unto God; yet nowebou art: Sonne, thou should'At. 108 fi:. S! A Sonke and so in way of mutual affe&ion, thou art to give the heart onto him. As hath given thee his love, and his heart and his bowels are towards thee; and will not thou return some affe&ion to him again? Relations'ihey confint in a mutuial geiros, in a graceful and reciprocal refpe& which they have one to another. Is there the love of a Farher in him and shall not there be the abedience of Son in thee? Is there a faine in him,& is there no spark in thee? Is there no refle&ing of a Sun-beam ? Is there no repairing of the streams into the Ocean? As Bath. Soeba speaks very affe&tionately to her Son Solomon, Wbat my Sou? and what the son of my Womb ? and what the Son ofi my! Vine's?? Wilt tbou give thy strength unto Women? So here, :Whaçmay son? and what the Son of my loves & and what the Son of iny hopes ? Wilt thou give thy heart ung another? Wilt thou give thy 3 , pour: , and provoke thy God? Coric is man. Wilt thou thùs disho of Sons, where fhiall he have any hearis tp praise hinta Who will admire him, and adore, hiin, if his Sous will not? And then he hath given thee his only Son,' he hath given chee a Saviour, that hath given his heart to chee,ihat hath given his life for thee, that had his heart pierct through forthylakėzand is wherd no atcractive power in all ihis? That is the fifth thing, thoi act:à son, and so in way of gratitude, and mutual affe&ion, thou art to give thine heart to him..? 11. The manner of yielding up the heart unio God,which is here expreit by way of giving, which includes feveral things 1. Give it Cheerfully. : God: loves a cheerfull Giver. Religion D'fhould be full of alacrity, it doth not come to extort the heart, cito hale men to obedience, but to lead them by a sweếi and easie panudu&ion: it doth not rapire Cor, but allicere. k doth not form the Castle, bui hath is fairly yielded up upon rerms of r agreement. That efficacious work of Grace in converhon doth a indeed overpower the hearts of men : but it is by making them la wiling, not by drawing them whilAl they are unwilling, but it takes away thao Nolence and Relu&ancy that is in the hearts of G in ic. men mon, and thas compells them to come in. What freer then a Gift? now the heart is to be given unto God. The Will hath never more freedome, then when it moves towards God. And those heavenly duties, and spiritual performances are to flow : freely from the soul, like those voluntary drops that come fweara ing from the Honey-comb of its own accord, without any preffing, withouo ang crushing at all. It is only the dregs of Obedience that comes forth with squeezing and wringing. The better any ching is, the more freely doh it diffuse it self. There fhould be no need now of binding the sacrifice with cords untothe Altar, unless it be with the cords of love : chose soft and Gilken knots of affe&ion Cheerfulness puts a gloss and luftre opon religion, and makes it amiable, even in the eyes of the world. And truly I cannot tell-how any one can give the heart to God unless he serve him with alacrity. 2. Give it prefently. You know, Bis dat, qui cito dat. Give it him now, he calls for it it must be donum bodiernum. Now that It is called to day, bardes not your hearts Give him a tender bieart. Udum, & molle slutum-es. Now give thine heart to be framed and fashioned by him., to be ftampdaod fealed by him. Da primitiI, as cordis, Give him the firf froits of thy time, the firft fruits of thy Arength : He is the Alpbag the first of Beings, and therefore whatsoever hath any priority and fuperiority, belongs to him. And truly grace it is very sweet and pleasant in the bud, 'Qxties: XáceTiS Zarrapariga o how pleasant ic is to fee a Virgin-light, a Morning light of education shining out upon the soul', and in some measure preparing and predisposing the heart of the wayes of God. this is an happy prejudice , an early preposseflion of the soul. And this is that which the wise Man here intends when he speaks to a Son, to one of tender age. And do but confider it: can you give your heart unto God too soon? Why shouldet chou defer thine own welfare? or is it comely then to offer thine heart unto God, when thou eanft give it to none else? Da florem, nox facem. Give-it presently, 3. Give it, do not lend it only. In giving there is an alteration ft of the propriety, which is not in lending. When thou haft given: sebine beart unto God hou art no longer thine own then. There ti - are some that will kend iheir hearts unto God, upon Come special 10 occafions for an hour ata Sermony for a little while in prayer :: lend . lend ië him upon Lords day , upon a day of humiliation, and then call for the heart againg and beftow it upon their lufts. But fo great a Majesty will not borrow of Creatures ; he will not rè. ceive hearts, unless they be wholly given him. 4. Give it, do not sell it. 'Tis very fordid and odious to be i hirelings in Religion. They sell their heartsunto God that Cervo him for by ends, and self respcēts. This is Donum Hamatum , a gift with a hook in it; they give some what, that they may catch more. They sell their hearts onto God for some temporal ends. Hence it is that the Church hath so many friends in prosperous dayes. There are many that sell their hearis unto God, You know in the Gospel there were some that followed Christ for the Loaves, and not for the Miracles. There are fome chat love the Additionals in Religion, more then the Principals, i Success and Vi&ories are the only arguments to convince some of the rightness of a cause. Efeem of men, worldly advan.' tages, and accommodations; these make many men cake a little tin&urc of Religion, who otherwise would not have so much as a lhew of it. Whereas Religion (bould be loved for her beauty, and not for her dowry. God should be loved for those Excel lencies and transcendencies tbat are in himself ; for those trea.' fures of goodness and wisdom that are stored up in his own glori. ous Efence. Thou should’A love him, though he did not love thee agaio. Why should't not thou love a thing truly amiable, though thou haft no benefic: by it for thy happiness is but an inferiour and secondary thing, and is not to have so much of thine heart as he is to have. Thou art only to love thy self, as thou are somewhat of him; thou art to love heaven, as the enjoyment of him ; thou art to love the Gospel, as the great expression of his love, and all the pronsises of the right hand, and the left, as the various manifeftations of 'his goodness. Thou art first to give thine heart unto thy God, and then to other things in such measure and proportion as they are subordinate 5. Give thine heart, do nor' keep thy felf. Would A thou be trufted with thine own heart? Would'ft thou be left to mine own deceitful spirit? The beft upon earth may bery well put up that prayer; Domine,libera me à malo homine meipso. Lay up'chine heart in the hand of a saviour.Leave it there as a sacred depositum, Can'ft 4 to him. |