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Canft thou lay up thy Jewel in a safer Cabinets? Let him keep shine heart by his mighty power through faith unto salvation.

6. Give it. God is pleased to call that a Gift, which is indeed, a Debt: all thy Ege, and thy Poffe, and thy Polidere is due to hin, yet that thy heart may come in a way of freeness, and that he may thew thee, how it is accepted by him, he calls it a Gift, such a Gift doch earich the Giver,not the Receiver. It is an ho. nour to thee, ''ris no benefic to him; His glory doth not shine with borrowed beåms: 'Tis neither in the power of a Creature to eclipse the brightness of his Crown, nor to add one spark to it. Ifchou doeft ill, what hurt hath he by it? or if thou doeft well, what good flowes unto him? any otherwise then as he hath joyn. ed his own glory, and the welfare of the people together. Thy goodness may profit ihy self, and it may extend to men like thy felf, but it can make no additions to that which is already pero feet. Thy heart is due to him and 'tis thy bonour that thou mayeft give it him,

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ILI. Lo bom the beart must be given.

1. Not to any created being. No Creature can be a Centre for the heart to fix in. The heart was not made for any creature, nor: proportioned to it. Wilt thou set thine beart upon that which is not? Wilci thou give thine heart to vanity and vexation ? Wilt thou set thines heart upon that which hach wingsand can fly away when it lifterh? Riches have wings: honours and pleasures have, wings, all Creature-comforts have wings, and can fly away when they pleafe. And therefore,

2. Give not thine heart to the world: Give it not to the (miles, and blan vihments of the world: Let ic not be broken with the frowns and injuries of the World ;. Lét not your hearts be troubledo (faith Chrift) For I have overcome the world. And be not over, careful for the things of the world in few preparāts, a Pythagorean wouldrender it, Cor ne edite. )

3: Give it not to Satan. The Divil that old Serpent would faio be winding and insinuating into hearts : he seeks chem, and defires, and would fain by any means obtain them ; and we see how many give their hearts unto hiny. But what wil thou give thy Darling to the Lion? Wilt thou give thy Turtle as a prey co the Devourer 2 Wile show give thy heart to the Deftroyer?

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4. Give it not to Sin, to Luft. Give it not to a Dalilah. To give it to fin, is to give it to a Privation, to a Non-entity. Give nor thy heart to that which will weaken it ; to that, that will defile it ; to that, that will wound it ; ,10 that, that will Aling and disquiet it. O! keep it calm and serene ; keep it pure and unLotted, keep it in its proper freedom and enlargement.

IV wire come to consider the Gift it self, what it is that is to be given to God: Lhe Heart.

1. Not thine outward man only, not thy Body only.. God dwells not so much in these Temples made with hands as in bró. ken and contrite spirits. For he himself is a Spirit, and the Fac ther of Spirits, and be will be served in Spirit and Truth., He doch not ask for a shell, but for a kernel: He doch not ask for a Casket;but for a Jewel. Give him the kernel, give him the Jew. el, give him thine heart. No question, but the body also is to be presented to him, but it is no otherwise accepted of him, then as it is animated and enlievened by an obedient heart. For how else can ic be anyone anzeiua, as the Apofle there calls it. Give me thine heart, (1) Nor chine ear only. Though it be very commendable to inclipe an ear unto wisdom, and to receive the gracious words that flow from its mouth, yet the car is only to be a gate, and entrance to let it into the heart, ana to bear in Scripture-Language is to obey. The Word of God muft nc hang like a Jewel only in the ear, but it muft be cabinetted and locki up in the heart as its faseft repofitory. (2) Not thy tongue only. Religion is 'not only to warm thy mouth, but 'tis to melt the heart: it dorh indeed season the discourse, so as savory words come out of such a mouth.It doth set a watch before the lips and bridle that same unruly evil: but can you think that it reachech no farther then thus ? Can you think that 'religion dwells here? Is it only a lip-labour, only a matter of Discourse ? Nay, are there por many tha draw near unto Ged with their lips and yet

not their hearts are far from him

? (3) Nor thine head only, Reli

( gion 'cis not a meer notion, it doth not conlft only in speculatives, You see many times that men of the vastel Intelle&uals are moft defe&ive in Pra&icalls. Who of the Heads of the worlá believed Chrift? Who of the Scribes and Pharisees believed in Him? There may be precious pearly truths in a venemous bead. and judeed the head can never be given unto God,ill the heart be given him also.

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The heart; not appearances only: Not a furface, not a colour, not a shadow only, but a Realicy. God is a pure A&, pure Entity and reality, and therefore appearances, that do

a meerly pretend to entity, muft needs be very remote from him. And this is the weakness of superftition, it gives him only a complement, a ceremony. They tell him they are his secvants. What more ordinary complements ip the mouths of men they give him outward adoration; they bow the knee to Chrift, and lo did they that crucified him : What do you more then they ? And this is the vanity of Popery,it doth not give God che heart. Thar spiritual Jezabel gives him only a painted face, she doch noo give him the heart. She is clothed in Scarlet,but the embraces a dunghil. She puts on an outward meritricious bravery; but

, within there is nothing but rottenness. But the spouse of Cbrift is all glorious within. When the shadows were multiplied, God called for the heart then in the times of the Law, much more now in the cimes of the Gospel.

3. The heart, the whole heart. Not a peice of it, not a corner of it only. The laưe Mother would not have the Child dividedi, God indeed Ic

ves a broken and a contrite heart ; but he won't accept of divided heart. This is that royal Law, the great Comaruement I bou Mall love the Lord thy God with all thy bet:

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But the Divil observes the other rule; Divide imperd. He would seem to be very moderate, to be content with a piece of the heart only; but 'tis because he knowes by this means he shall have all. For God won't have any of it,unless he have it entire. And this is one great happiness that comes by Religion ; the heart is thus united and fixt upon one supreme Obje&t. Luis, they do divide the heart and diftra& it ; ...-duplici in diversum scinderis hamo ( as the Satyrist speaks very elegantly.) The soul doth as it were,bice at two baits at once, and is caught with two several hooks ; this puls chat way, and that puls another way. Pride calls for this thing, but Coverousness forbids it: which mult needs breed a great confufion and tumulcoation in the foul But when che heart is given unto God, and yields to his Scepter.

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then other Lords Thall no longer rule over it. When a Saviour comes into the soul, the winds, and che forms, and the waves

4. Give thine Heart, that is, all the powers and faculties of thy soul. Give him thine understanding ; let upon the windows of hy soul, for the entertaining of such light as thines from Heayen. Give thine uoderftanding to be enformed by him, to be captivated by him : Give it as wax to the seal to receive such Hamps, and impressions, as he is pleased co put upon it, Give him thy will, that which glories so much in its own liberty , lec'it be fubje& to him. Give him chinc affe&ions those ebbings and flowings of the heart , Fluxus, refluxus cordis ; Let thy joy be fubje& to him; let thy trust and confidence be upon him; Let all tbat is within thee, bless bis holy name.

And thus we have run over the words in a way of Ex.

plication, and we shall give you the sum of all in one:

Observation. That ,

The beart is to be consecrated unto God. t. Because "cis due to him. Look upon the heart, fee whose Image and Superscription it bath; if the Image of God be upon it, ( as sure you cannot but see that, though it be mych defaced)

Give then unto God the things that are Gods. If thou wilt not give ¿ men their due, yet fure thou wil nor with-hold from him his due, It is due unto him upon a four fold account.

1. As he is the Maker of Hearts; the Creator of them. Al the Atrength of created beings is due to him, and the nobler any. being is, the more ftrongly it is engaged co him; for it hath res ceived the more from him. Now the heart of man it is a chiefs piece of Gods workmanthip, tis Σιφέ- τίκτων καλών ποικιλμε : tis due to him, as it was made by him, and 'twas made upon this condition, that it should return to him.

2. As he is the Lord, and Ruler of Hearts, Kapdrox estup His Throne 'tis in the hearts of men, and 'tis he only that hath Dominion and Soveraignty over them. It is the great usurpation of Popery, that would tyrannize over the hearts of men. That proud Antichrift would fit in the Temple of God: bot there is none Lord of the Conscience, but God alone: And he can frame them, and fashion chem, and dispose of them as he pleaseth.

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He can rule thosehearts that are moft large, and unlinited, and unrestrained. · The hearts of Prince's he can'wind them, which way he will, even as the Rivers of Waters.

3. As he is the Judge and Searcher of hearts. We only can see the outward surface, and appearances of things, as the Opticks lay, Sole superficies videntur; but God he sees into the depth,and bortom of things. We look only to the fruit and branches, but he searcheth to the root and foundation.

4. As he is sponsus Cordis: "Tis the Prophet Hosea's expreffi. on,

I have espoused thee to my self in mercy, and goodness, and faithfulness.: so that is an Adulterous heart that now goes after Creatures : Te Adulterers, (layes the Apofle ) know ye not that the love of the world is enmity against God?' And the Apostle speaks of presenting Virgin-hearts unto Chrift.

II. Tis very pleasing and acceprable to him. För,

1. Hee askt it of thee. He knocks at the door, he wooes chine heart, and invites it to himself; and what is the whole mind of the Gospel, but to draw hearts unto. God with arguments of Love?

2. "Tis thy Totum pore. Now saith the Apostle, he accepts according to what a man hath. Thou thus cafteft all-chou haft into the Treasury ; and if thou hadit' more, thou wouldit give it him.

3. 'Tis a pregnant gife', a comprehensive gift, and contains many other things in it. As the Apostle saith, He baving given thee his Son; how shall be not with bim give thee all things'allo? This is the spring of motion, that sets the wheels on working. When this royal fort is taken, all the rest will be yielded up presently. When the Heart indites a good matter , then the Tongue will be like the pen of a ready Writer; then thy Glory will awake , thy Tongue will praise his name, and encourage others in his wayes, then thy bowels will be enlarged, and thy hands open to che neceflity of the Saints: then there will be a Covenant made with the eyes, and a watch set before the door of thy lips,then thy feec will run to the place where his honour dwellech,& all the mem. bers of the body will become inftruments of righteousness unto Holiness. Which Inews the vanity of chofe ignorant ones, who thank God, though they cannot express themselves, yet their hearts are as good as the belt chough there be not one

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