One Heart

“I witt give them one heart,” Ezek. xi. 19. We read, ‘‘ Ephraim is like a silly dove, without heart,” Hos. vii. 11. hath no heart at all; none for his God, that is, as good as none: and, Psa, xii, 2, we read that Israel had a double heart, a heart, and a heart; more hearts than one; but says the Lord, “I will give them a heart, and it shall be but one, and no more.”

For the opening of this, (to let pass the signification it hath, as it respects christians collectively,)

as it respects each particular christian. This one heart may be taken as opposed - To a wavering — a divided — and a deuble heart. ‘1. As opposed to a wavering, unstable heart J am. i. 6. 8. Wavering-minded men have almost as

many hearts as they live days, or meet with cases; a heart that changes with the weather, and tacks. about with every wind, that resolves and repents, that chooses and changes, that, like a wave of the

sea, is tossed about with every wind. This you may call either many hearts, or no heart, as you will. Thus this one heart is a fixed, established, resolved heart; “It is good that the heart be established with grace,” Heb. xiii. 9. Grace fixes and establishes

the heart, brings it to a consistency in itself, a

before was any “thing, or nothing. 2. As opposed to a divided heart, Hos, x. 2. a

heart cut in two, as it were. Some talk that the devil hath a cloven foot, but whatever the devil’

foot be, to be sure his sons have a cloven heart, one half for God, the other half for sin; one half for Christ, the other half for this present world; God

hath a corner in it, and the rest is for sin and the devil. ‘Thus this one heart 1s an entire heart; all

the powers of it are united within itself, and go the same way; God hath the whole heart. “« Bless tha Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name,” Psa. ciii. 1. All its springs are in

him, and thither do all its streams bend their course. - 8. As opposed to a double heart, or a hypocritical heart, properly so called, Psa. xii. 2, 3. that is -it which is called a heart, and a heart; a heart in the

breast, and another in the tongue. Our outside is presumed to be an expression of our inside; what

we speak, we pretend to be our very hearts, It is

& the very heart in the tongue that speaks, the heart in the eye that weeps, the heart in the hand that works, the heart in the foot that walks; no, it is not so with the hypocrite, he shows another heart in his tongue, in his ways, than that which is within him. He hath a heart, and a heart; one in his tongue or life, and quite another in his breast. His course speaks him another man than he is. And thus one heart signifies a single or a plain heart. To sum up all together; this one heart is such as. I. Pitches on one end. II. Has but one thing to do. III. Does what it does. cat I. Pitches on one end. God is its end. There it wholly bestows itself: ‘‘ I] am thine,” Psa. cxix. 94. And there only it takes up its rest. “And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee,” Psa. xxxix, 7. God is both its work and its wages. To. please God, this is its whole business; and to enjoy — God, this is its happiness. This is the mark it hath in its eye, this is the scope of all its motions, to honour and enjoy God. This it wills, this it loves, this it desires, designs, hopes, labours for, that the Lord may possess, and be the possession of it. Particularly, it gives God, 1. The place; 2. The power of the end. 1. The place of the end. God is its first and last. He is first in the eye, and it looks no further. It makes him not only the chief, but in a sense its only aim. It will have no other God, and therefore no other end, but the Lord. It makes all things. else, not only to stoop and stand by, but to serve him. ~Get you hence, stand off, is its language to all that stands up in his room, or stands in his way. Evil men, whatever honour they pretend to have of ae: ‘ ’ the Lord, they do but make him a servant to their other gods. Religion they will take up, but it is only to serve their own turns, to bring about their carnal ends; “They serve not the Lord, but their

own bellies,” saith the apostle, Rom. xvi. 18, Phil.

ti. 19. Nay, they make the Lord their fellow-servant; they serve, and their religion must serve their sensual appetites. He that will have so much religion only as he may live upon, (which is the measure of the most) makes the Lord no longer his God, but his servant. A sincere christian will set: God upon the throne, and make all things else his servants or his footstool. Whatever will not be serviceable, must be trodden in the dirt. Nothing will be loved and embraced, but what will set God higher, or bring God nearer to his heart.

2. The power of the end. The end hath a fourfold power: 1. It draws; 2. It directs; 3. It

governs; 4. It rewards.

(1.) It draws the heart to it; God, who is a christian’s end, is also his beginning. Our first step heaven-ward we owe to the influence of heaven upon

-us; ‘“Draw me, we will run after thee,” Cant. i. 4. “No man can come unto me, unless the Father, which hath sent me, draw him.” Nothing but God will do it, as nothing will draw the soul another way; the pleasures of sin, the wages of unrighteousness, are poor and low baits to entice a soul away

from God; that is, so far as it is renewed; so it is nothing but God that draws the soul on its way, and he will do it. God draws the soul not by an act of

- power only, but by moral suasion, that is the proper casualty of the end. Not by efficiency only, but by sympathy; as by the water, the thirsty soul is drawn to the water-brooks.

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It is God who draws hearts after him; there are instruments, as his word and ministers; and there are arguments by which God draws; but whatever the instruments or arguments are, it is God who does it. What.is the work of either word, or ministers, but to set God before them? and this draws. Instruments can do nothing, unless God be the preacher by them; arguments can do nothing unless he be the medium of them; as it was said concerning the people’s followmg Saul, so much more concerning those who follow the Lord.;

Those only follow him whose hearts God hath touched. It is not man’s touching, but God’s touching the heart, that draws it heaven-ward. The tongue of man may touch the ear, it is God only that touches the heart, And when‘he touches, then the heart will follow. As you know the needle, when it is touched with a loadstone, then it turns after it. The loadstone is not more naturally attractive of the needle than’ God is of that heart which he hath touched. ‘“My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were moved in me,” Cant. v. 4. He did but touch the door, and her heart felt him, and moved towards him.

O christians, when you have been waiting upon God in prayer, hearing, or any other spiritual duty, or ordinance; consider, Hath mine heart been touched this day? My tongue hath been touched, mine ear hath been touched, my heart hath been. treated with, but hath the Lord touched it? hath there virtue come forth from him, which hath enticed and drawn my soul after him? Sometimes by a message, or visit from heaven, the Lord hath drawn a good word from the lip, a tear from the eye; but O, for touches upon souls, for turning of bowels, for the flowings out of hearts after the Lord; he is the only loadstone-that prevails on gracious souls. Others who have many hearts, have many attractives; every heart hath its peculiar god, twenty gods, it may be, in one man, because so many hearts. Their pleasures are their gods, their profits their gods, their belly their god; their wives, or their children, their gods; and so many gods so many ends. And every end is a loadstone to draw them after them. Every heart will go after its god. A christian that hath but one heart hath but one God, and this is he that draws it on its way. Thou sayest, the Lord is thy God, thou acknowledgest, thou ownest, thou hast chosen him for thine; but what doth thy God, whom thou hast chosen, do upon thine heart? what will the sight of God, or thy love to God, or thy hope in God, do upon thee? how far will it carry thee? which way rufis thy heart? which way dost thou bend thy course? dost thou feel thy God drawing thee? and is thy heart running after him? Running denotes motion, and a swift or violent motion.

I shall lay before you these six or seven expressions the scripture uses, to note the running of those hearts after God whom he hath drawn.

[1.] The desiring of the soul after God. “The desire of our soul is to thy name. With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early,” Isa. xxvi. 8, 9. Desire -is the soul in motion Godwards. Towards him are their desires, and they come deep; from the bottom of the heart.“With my soul have I desired thee, with my spirit within me will I seek thee.” Lord, all my desire is before thee,”

Psa, xxxvili. 9. It is not, All my desires, but “my desire;” thou seest all, and it is all but one desire. He desires pardon, he desires peace, he desires help, and the healing of his wounds; but all this is but one desire. God is all. “One thing have I desired,” Psa. xxvii. 4. ee

[2.] The thirsting of the soul. ‘“My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God,” Psa. xlii. 2. Thirsting is the extremity of desire; hunger and thirst are the appetite of desire heightened; violent and painful appetites; my soul thirsteth and is in pain till it be satisfied.,

[3.] The longing of the soul. “O God, thou art my God, early will I seek thee: my flesh longeth for thee in the dry and thirsty land, where no water is,” Psa. lxiii. 1. Longing causeth languishing, and pain, if it be not satisfied. “My soul breaketh for the longing desire it hath to thy judgments,” Psa. cxix. 20.‘ My heart panteth, my flesh faileth, the light of mine eyes is gone from me,” Psa. xxxvill. 10.

[4.] Calling after God. ‘“Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness,” Psa. iv. 1. Calling upon God, is the voice of desires. The desiring soul will not keep silence; the tongue, the eyes, the ears, the hands, the knees, must all be orators, when the flame is once kindled within.

[5.] Crying after the Lord. This is an expression answering the thirsting of the soul. Crying is a passionate and importunate praying. “I cried unto the Lord with my whole heart,” Psa. cxix. 145.

[6.], Crying out after God. This is the manner of the longing soul. Crying out denotes more than bare crying; loud cries, strong cries, forced out by a paroxysm of love, or an agony the soul is in.

* “My soul longeth, yea even fainteth for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living Lord,” Psa. lxxxiv. 2. [7.] Following hard after the Lord. “My soul followeth -hard after thee,” Psa. lxiii. 8. This expression is more comprehensive; it denotes, both all the workings, and breakings, and breathings of the -soul within, and its diligent pursuing in the use of all outward means, and pressing on after the Lord. All those labourings, and watchings, and runnings, all that holy violence, wherewith a saint presses into the kingdom of God. Put all this together, and you will see the power and influence the Lord hath on holy souls, to the drawing of them after him; they are in motion heaven-ward, desiring, thirsting, longing, calling, erying, crying out, following hard after him. What ’ aileth these souls? what is: the matter with them? - what would they have? ‘‘ What aileth thee,” said the Danites once to Micah, “that thou comest thus after - us? What aileth thee? Why, you have taken away my gods, and what have I more,” Judg. xviii. 23. What aileth these crying, longing, running souls? - Why, it is after their God they cry, it is after their God they run. Go back, Elisha, said once the prophet to him, when he had cast his mantle on him; *€Go back, for what have I done unto thee?” 1 Kings xix, 20. What hast thou done? enough to hold me from going back: there went virtue with the mantle; the mantle fell on his heart as well as his back, and drew it after the prophet, Should you say thus to these, Go back, soul, go back from following thy God, for what hath he done unto. thee? Oh he hath gotten my heart; No, no; I cannot go back, he is my God, and what have I more? Kk 3

(.) The end guides and directs to means. “« Whither shall I go from thee? thou hast the words of eternal life.” Sug (3.) The end governs. I shall put these both together. What is it that governs sinners but their ends? this points them out their work, and their way; this holds them to their work, and keeps them in their way: whatever fetters and chains their lusts+ are to them, it is their carnal ends to which they are in bondage. These are they that lord it over them, and hereupon it is impossible to persuade a sinner to make a thorough change of his way, till he hath changed his ends. Herein stands the conversion of a sinner, in the changing of his ends; when he ceases to be any longer to himself, to his flesh, to the world, and for a worldly happiness, and is brought about to pitch on God as his portion and happiness, to whom he devotes and dedicates him- — self; there is conversion. Sin is our turning away, and conversion is turning back to our God. Beloved, consider not barely how, but to what you live; not only what you do, but what you would have; and never count yourselves truly godly, whatever of God be in your way, till God be in your heart and eye. He that hath first chosen God, and therefore a godly life, whose godliness of life springs forth as the fruit of his choice of the Lord — that is a godly man. sweat Seni RTS God governs as our king, and as our end; as our king by his sovereignty, as our. end by his excellency, by his worthiness and goodness; as our king by laws, as our end by love. Love will find out our way, will tell all our wanderings, will check us for our sins, sweeten our labours, quicken us on our course, cut out our way through dangers and diffi- —

ONE HEART: Vis:

culties, and keep us in our way, till we come to the fruition of our end. ‘Therefore it is said by the apostle, “The law is not for a righteous man,” 1 Tim.i 9. Love will save the law a labour; “The ‘Jaw is not for a righteous man,” not so much, at

least, as for sinners; not as to the coercion of it,

though still as to its obligation; the constraint of love will much supersede the coercion of laws.

(4.) The end rewards. “They have their reward,” Matt. vi. that is, they have their end; the reputation for devout and charitable men was the end of their devotion and charity. They prayed, and fasted, and gave alms for no other end; and the obtaining that reputation was their reward. “Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.” Do bigs

God is the reward -of his saints; “‘ I am thy exceeding great reward,” Gen. xv. 1, “My judgment is with the Lord, and my reward with my God,” Isa. xlix. 4. God is the reward they shall receive, and the reward they look to receive. Moses “had respect to the recompense of reward,” Heb. xi. 26.

“And therefore the argument is weighty, which ‘Christ used to dissuade his disciples from being in their devotions, in their alms-deeds, as the pharisees and hypocrites are, who disfigured their countenances in their fasts, who sounded a trumpet to proclaim their alms; “Be ye not like them, for they have their reward.” The argument was strong to the disciples, who being men of another spirit, could not ‘be satisfied with such a reward. = = ’” Tn these two things saints greatly differ from the ‘men of this world. ©. 1. They are not willing to defer their duties till hereafter. And, 2. They dread it to hhave their reward here; they would dispatch their -work, and are willing to’ go upon trust: for their wages. Sinners would have their wages in hand, and be trusted for their work till hereafter; they would be happy here, and can be content to stay for holiness till hereafter; it is soon enough to be saints in heaven. But oh! it would be a dreadful word to saints, There are thy good things, take them, these are thy reward. These are not their end, and therefore they cannot take them for their reward. Poor foolish worldlings, how are you disjointed!

How are your weary hearts scattered through the

ends of the earth! how many masters do you serve! how many matters have you to mind! you weary yourselves in the greatness of your way, and what is your reward? What the fields can give, you have; what your sheep or your oxen can give, you have; what your beds, or your tables, or your houses, or your clothes can give, you have; here a little and there a little; you get up, your beds give you ease, your houses shelter, your sports and companions pleasure, your parasites honour, and that little you can pick up here and there, this is your reward. Verily I say unto you, you have your reward; unhappy souls! you are troubled and careful about many things for nothing; one thing is needful; and if yet ye will be wise, choose that good part, which shall not be taken from you.

This one heart hath but one thing to do. ‘‘ This

one thing I do,” Phil. iii, 13. There are all things in that one thing; all things needful. How many things soever his hand findeth to do, all is but one. He intends in all, God. A renewed heart designs God, and is making Godwards in all he does, Whatever journey he goes, it is God is his home; what-J y he g 3

ever race he runs, it is God is his mark and prize; whatever battle he fights against flesh and blood, j ONE HEART. eli) against principalities and powers, it is that he may cut his way through all to his God; whatever he

does, he does it for God; whatever he suffers, he suffers for God. When he hears, or fasts, or prays,

it is all for God. When ye fasted, did ye at all

- fast to me? Yes, to thee, a christian is able to say; he hath many things to pray for, and fast for; he

‘hath bread, and clothes, and friends, and health, and

safety, and liberty, to pray for; but in all, he prays for God: he entitles God to all he has and marks it up for him, and he sees and enjoys God in all he has. He will not own that for a mercy, that hath not God in it, and is not a foot or wing, to carry him on towards him. And therefore whatever he begs to himself, it is that he may have it for God. What he gives, he gives to God; whom he forgives, it is for the Lord’s sake; whether he eats, or drinks, or works, or buys, or sells, or whatever else he does,

he does it all to the glory of God, 1 Cor. x. 31.

For him he prays, for him he waits, for him he

labours, for him he suffers, for him he lives, to him

he dies. ‘To me to live is Christ,” Phil. i. 21.

“According to my earnest expectation and my hope,

that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ may be magnified in my body, whether it be by life or by death.”

This is the one thing he intends, this is the one

thing he seeks in all, take his whole course together; he can say with the apostle, ‘ This one thing

Ido, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 1

press toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

He does what he does: and that, 1. Not feignedly but really; 2. Not faintly, but heartily.

1. Really. He pursues this end, in a plain and honest way. He that hath this one heart, hath but one way. Heart and life go hand in hand; ‘he makes straight steps to his heart, and his heart makes straight steps to his feet. Ashe looks straight on, so he walks straight on to his mark. He doth not look one way and row another. He is a Jacob, a plain man, a plain-dealing man; a Nathanael, in

whom is no guile: he turns his inside outward; his

life is not a cloak but a commentary on his heart. The expositors of his inward man. His end is in his heart, and his heart is in his face, in his tongue, in his duties, and all his ways. He is no politician, not in fleshly wisdom, 2 Cor. i. 12. his religion is not a blind or a device to delude the simple; he is downright and in earnest in all he does. He ‘does the same thing he seems to do; his praying is praying indeed; his fasting and alms are such indeed; his very profession is practice; he would not believe, nor make others believe, but that he is what he is. He seeks not commendation from men, but approbation with God. His design is not inordinately to commend nimself to the good opinion, though he would be made manifest in the consciences of others. fe would not be a lie or a cheat. He abhors all lying, but most of all a religious lie. He would not he for God, much less against him; such a lie is as blasphemy to him. He loves not images; he would have a soul in all his practices. A prayer without a soul, a sacrifice without a heart, a religious carcass is an abomination to him. He would not make such a noble medium as religion, serve so base an. end, as the serving of the flesh.

He hath other work to do than to serve times or tables; than to please himself or men; than to

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serve wills, or humours, or lusts; he hath a soul,

’ a conscience, a God to look after; he hath but one

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business to do, but one master to serve. If he be a magistrate, he rules for God; if he be a minister, he preaches for God; if he be a parent, he educates for

God; if he be a master, he governs for God; to him he dedicates himself and his house; he writes on ‘his doors, This is Bethel, this is none other but the

house of God. If he be a child or a servant, he obeys in the Lord, and for the Lord. He knows

he hath to do with God in all he does; when he is - dealing with men, with his friends, with his family, An his calling, in his recreations, in all he hath to - do with God; and he can take comfort in nothing - but what God will take pleasure in. Thou hast no pleasure in iniquity. Thou lovest truth in the inward parts. And there is no truth in the ward

parts, but when there is truth also in the outward ’ parts, when the heart, and tongue, and ways agree.

It is in vain to say, My heart is good, when the ways are naught. A false tongue, deceitful ways, will give the lie’to the heart. He cannot subsist

longer than he hath smiles from Heaven. Communion with God is his life, his all is in God. His heart dies, when that fountain is stopped. If he cannot have clearness and boldness in the presence of God, he can no longer look himself in the face, but blushes and hangs down his head with shame.

He values not either the applause or the scorns of

men, 80 he may have a witness of his acceptance with God. O Lord, dost thou regard? wilt thou accept of me? It is enough. Let all the world call me, Thou fool, thou pharisee, thou hypocrite, so the Lord will say, My child, it is well. It is falsely spoken, it is foolishly, it is weakly done; it is pride, it is singularity, it is scrupulosity: thus the world cry. Let them: alone, O my. soul; I. will hearken what the Lord God will say, if he says, Thou hast been faithful; I will hearken what conscience will say, if it says, Well done, let all else say what they please; this is my rejoicing, my only rejoicing, the testimony of my conscience, that in all simplicity and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, I had my conversation in the world. ~~:: Se 2. Heartily. Whatever he does for God, he does it with a good will.. He hath cast up all his business into one, and he is intent upon it. He works righteousness, as simmers work wickedness, ‘“with both hands earnestly,” Micah vii. 3. He is religious in good earnest, he prays in good earnest, he hears in good earnest, he runs in good earnest: the power of his soul being all united in one channel, run more strongly, his many springs falling all into one stream, make a river, that bears down all bays before it. The psalmist prays, “Unite my heart to fear thy name,” Psa. lxxxvi. 11.. Unite my heart to thee, and unite my heart in itself, that it may all run towards thee. Unite my heart to fear, and so unite my heart to love thy name; unite my heart to serve, and follow, and live to thee. As if he should have said, O my God, my heart is divided, and discomposed, scattered up and down, I know not where; my pleasures have a part, my estate hath a part, my friends have a part, my family hath a part, there is little or none left for God. I have too many things to fear, too many things to love and care for, too many things to serve and follow, to follow the Lord with any strength or intention of mind. Call in all, Lord, all my parts, all aS my powers, command their joint and united attendance upon thee. “Gird up the loins of your mind and be sober, and hope to the end (in the original it is hope perfectly) for the grace that is to

be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves” according to the former lusts in your ignorance, but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation,” 1 Pet. i. 13 — 15, Gird up the loins of your minds.: Gird and be sober, gird and hope perfectly, gird and be obedient, gird and be holy. Here it is true, ungirt and un-

blest, ungirt and unholy; the girding is the gathering in the strength of the heart to its work. “Stand with your loins: girt,” Eph. vi. 14. Stand, do not gird and ungirt, stand always girt; call in your hearts and hold them in; be always in a readiness

to every duty, in a readiness against every temptation. Oh how loose are we! What loose praying,

and loose hearing, and loose meditation, and loose walkings, do we satisfy ourselves with! Dur hearts

are to seek, our thoughts and affections are gadding abroad, we know not where to find them, and our work is done thereafter. We excuse our non-pro- ficiency in religion, by our many hinderances, by the difficulties of our work; but the great hinderance lies here, our loins are ungirded, our hearts are not united in our work, nor intent upon it. When God and the things of eternity get so deep into

the heart, when there is such a deep sense of the

weight and importance of the things that are eternal

abiding upon us, as overpowers carnal objects, and

loosens the heart from them; when we feel the

evidence and the consequence of these things commanding our whole souls after them, then there is religion in earnest; then we goon and prosper. And thus it is with this one heart, there are not some light touches only upon it; God is gotten deep into it, eternity is gotten deep into it, this is all; this is all I have to mind or do. My hope, my comforts, my life, my soul, all hang upon this one thing; if I speed well here, I am made for ever. What have I to do in the way of Egypt, or to drink of the waters of Siher? what have I to do in the way of Assyria? what have I to do in the way of pleasure? what have I to do in the way of the world? To build tabernacles for myself here. below, or to drink the waters of my one cistern? How little am I concerned in the interest of this flesh? What matters it what becomes of it, or which way it goes? My God, my God, my soul, my soul, there lies my concernment; of these let my care only be. Get thee behind me, Satan, hold thy peace sinful flesh, keep silence worldly cares; hinder me not, speak no more to me of hearkening to you, away from me ye evil doers, I will keep the commandments of my God. Let others do what they will, run whither they please, choose whom they will serve, what they will follow after; come my soul follow thou the Lord, gird up thy loins and come away; for the other world, for the other world; make haste, linger not; let others loiter as they will, escape for thy life, look not behind thee, get thee up to the mountain and live.

Objection. One heart! why, it is evermore two: two men, a new man and an old; two nations, two selfs; there are twins in the womb of every saint; the ungodly seem more one than they, all for sin, and for heli; all dark, all hard, all but one stone.

Answer. Yet it is true, the saints, and they only, have but this one heart; for,

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1. The old heart is not a heart, the old self is not the self; this old man is not the man, this is not he, that is the heart which hath gotten the dominion, and the rule in the man. The new heart hath the dominion; though sin, as Esau, be the first-born yet the elder must now serve the younger; the old

man is but a dead man, Col. iii. 3. Ye are dead, that is, your old man is dead, your sin is slain, and

crucified with Christ, and when it is dead you may say it is not.:

2. The meaning plainly is, I will give them one heart; that is, a single, sincere, upright heart; they shall be no. longer a hypocritical people. If there be something .of hypocrisy in them, yet hypocrites they shall. no longer be; their hearts shall be upright before me; sincerity stands in pitching upon, choosing, and giving up our hearts to God, as our

* chief good, and last end. When God is our all, there is perfection; and when God is our chief, there is sincerity. I say, when God is our all, when the world hath nothing left in us to entice or draw out our souls after it, but God carries them wholly without any the least liking, or lusting after sinful objects, there is perfection.. This is not attainable here; the heart cannot be thus perfectly one till corruption hath put on incorruption, But though it be not perfectly yet, it may be sincerely one, and then it is so, when however the flesh hath too great an interest in it, and influence upon it, and often pulls it aside, and puts it back; yet it still bends its course heaven-wards, and that way the stream and - strength of the soul is running the flesh will be putting in for a part; it would have all, it would not take its turns with God. God will not take his turns with the flesh, he will have all or none. And the: 2 flesh would not take its turns with him; it is not contented with now and then, it would not be served in the fields, or in the shop, or at the table, or in the bed only, but in the church, in the chamber, in the closet; it would carry away all from God, but if it cannot have all, it will divide with God; whereever God is served, the flesh will be putting in for its share. The best of christians feel too great a truth in this; their frequent humblings, and mournings, and breakings, and self-shamings before the Lord, are mostly upon this account. This is the voice of their deepest groanings and bitterest tears; the burdens of their mournful groans, I cannot do the things that I would; when I would do good, evil is present with me: with my mind I serve the law of God, but with my flesh the law of sin! Woe is me, my soul, how am I straitened! how am I divided! Whither am I hurried? wherewithal do I come before the Lord? Oh! what halting, and heartless, and distracted duties, do I serve my God withal! This flesh eats up the fat, and the best; and only the lame, and the lean, and the sick, are left for a sacrifice to the Lord. Woe is me, my leanness, my leanness; my God, my God, how art thou served! how art thou robbed of thy due! these strangers are gotten into thy sanctuary, and eat up all thy pleasant things, and what have they left thee? ‘

Such are their complaints, and their very com- — plaints are their comfort, and the witness of their’ sincerity, whilst they can with openness of heart make their approach and appeal to God: yet thou art my Lord, thou art my God, and I will serve thee. I have chosen thee as my heritage for ever, and I will wait for thy salvation. Hear the sighing of thy prisoner, deliver thy captive: my heart is with thee, let not this flesh entrench upon thy right, let sin no longer reign in my mortal body; let me have no more to do with the throne of iniquity, untie the eords, loose the fetters, bring my soul out of prison. Search me, O Lord, and know my heart; prove me, and know my thoughts. Is there any way of wickedness in me? Do I willingly go after the commandments? Do I regard iniquity in my heart?. Here it lies, it is true; it wars, and raises tumults and insurrections against thee; but do I resign up myself to it? is it a pleasure to me? am I at peace with it? O Lord, thou knowest. I cannot get rid of at, I cannot do the things that I would, I cannot pray as I would, nor hear as I would, nor think, nor speak,-nor live as I would: whither I go, sin goes with me; where I lodge, it lodges; if I sit still, it abides with me; if I run from it, it follows me; I can neither rest nor work, I can do nothing for it. I can do nothing for it; and yet, blessed be thy name, this one thing I do; what I cannot attain, I follow after; I cannot conquer, yet I fight against it; I wrestle with it, though it so often give me the fall. I trust it not, though it flatter me; I love it not, though it feed me; my heart is with thee, Lord, my foot is making after thee; I ‘groan, I travail in pain, waiting for thy redemption; till I die, I will not give over. I will die fighting, I will die hoping, I will die praying, Save me, O - Lord, make no long tarrying, O my God. And thus you have the description of this one heart. It pitches on one end, and God is that end. It gives him the place of the end; he is its first and last. It gives him the power of the end: this one thing, the obtaining of God to be theirs, draws them on, guides, governs them in their whole course, and

is accepted by them as their only and exceeding

great reward. This instructs them, this rules and encourages them, calls them off from sin, calls them on to duty, carries them out in suffering; all their powers are united in this one business, all their arguments are resolved into this one argument, all their rewards are summed up in this one reward, God shall be glorified, and therein my. soul shall be satisfied; God shall be mine, and glory shall be ii a

In all this we see what this one heart means, but, oh, how little of this grace have we received! how many hearts have we! how many gods have we to divide these hearts betwixt them! how small a corner,;

How low a place must the Lord take up with us, if he will have any at all! how often is he made to stand aside, or to stoop to a Just! God made to give place to the devil! Is God our all indeed? have we none else to please, have we none else to serve? have we no portion, no inheritance, no other God but the Lord? Is he our alpha and omega, our first and our last, our spring and our ocean, our stm and our scope, the rise and the rest of all our motions? Whatever our tongues speak, do our hearts also and our lives say, “To me to live is Christ?” None but God, none but Christ, nothing but heaven and glory? When .we are driving so hard for our flesh, for our pride, for our ease, for our gain; when we are so busy ‘this way, and so hearty and so zealous this way; when these must have so great a share in our religion, is ‘this still the voice, To me to live is Christ?” Oh

“how little power hath the Lord with us!’ How far-is

‘it that the single interest of God will carry our souls?

ONE HEART. ts, 127

How little is done purely for God! We have often’ many strings to our bow. There are some services wherein there is something coming to the flesh, as well as to the name of God: some credit or honour, ‘some outward advantage to be gotten by religion; but when all the other strings crack but this one, when there is nothing to move us but God, oh how weak do our motions grow! The flesh often goes partner with God: there is a double trade driving In the same actions; a trade for heaven, and a trade for earth together; there is something to be got by our religion besides what is coming to God; there are fields, and vineyards, and oliveyards, friends, and honours, and preferments; as it sometimes falls out, when godliness is in the rising side: and when it is thus, we go smoothly and vigorously on. Come, see the zeal that I have for the Lord of hosts. ‘But when the interest of God and the flesh divide, and part asunder; when the flesh is like to be a loser by our religion; when God puts us on such duty, as will spend upon the flesh, and eat’ out and devour its interest; when our hearts tell us, as Deborah did Barak, ‘“‘ This will not be for thine honour,” Judg. iv. 9. or this will not be for thine ease, or thy safety; then what becomes of our zeal? Oh how heavily do we then drive on! how seldom is it that this word, ‘‘ Yet God shall be glorified,” will balance all the prejudices, and confute all the cross reasonings of the flesh, and carry us ‘on our way, without and against it! How little hath the Lord of the government of us! If he doth govern as a king, yet how little as ‘our end! How little doth goodness govern! how ‘little will love do with us! we must have rigour and, ‘severity; we must have spurs, and goads, and rods, and stripes, and scorpions too, and all little enough, to drive us back from those other gods which we have chosen, and to bring us on after the Lord. If the law be not made for, the righteous, if they.

need not a law, then what are we, whom a law will

not suffice? If commands, threatenings, terrors, penalties, judgments, can do no more upon us 5 if we are yet so loose, and so carnal, and. so earthly,

and so froward, and so false, and so formal, under

severest discipline; if we will not be. whipped into ‘more humility, spirituality, self-denial, watchfulness,

care, activity, zeal; but are such drones and such sleepers, such earth-worms and such sensualists

still, under all the corrections and compulsions of the law ; — oh what should we be did we want a law? were there nothing but love to restrain us from, sin, and constrain and quicken us to duty?

Christians, have we but one thing to do in all

we do? sometimes we are busy in doing nothing, —

Though there be a prayer in our mouths, the praises of God in our mouths, Christ, heaven, holiness, glory, a new heart, a new life upon our tongues, there is nothing within: no prayer, no praise, no Christ, nor heaven; what have we been often doing in the closet, in the family, in the congregation, when we seemed to have been praying? Nothing, nothing, but sowing wind and good words. Sometimes we have too many things in. our hearts; what a world of carnal devices. and. fleshly projects have we wrapt up in the garment of our religion! Peter’s sheet had not a more heterogeneous miscellany of creatures, ‘‘ four-footed beasts, wild beasts, creeping things, and fowls of the air,” than our religious duties have of designs and ends. We have. men to please; our pride, our bellies, to offer sacrifice rs

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ONE HEART. 129

to; we bring our farms, and our oxen, and our ‘trades before the Lord. Are not our hearts, which should. be the houses of prayer, the houses of merchandise? are we not taking, or pursuing, or in a journey, or asleep, or driving bargains? O christians, if we were privy to one another’s hearts, as God is privy to them, what abominations should we see brought into the holy places! What monsters would our most sacred services appear! which, whilst the outside is only viewed, are applauded and admired. Is this our singleness ‘of heart? Oh! for shame, and blushing, and confusion of face. Oh! for a vail to hide such hearts from the jealous eyes of the holy God: a varnish, a fair outside, hides all from men; but nothing but a dark vail of shame, and sorrow, and tears, and repentance; a vail dipt in blood, in the blood of Christ, will hide chen from the eyes of the Lord.

Oh, how little plainness and singleness of heat i is

there in our ordinary course, in our dealings and

conversings in the world! How little faith, or perinis there in us! How little trust is there to

us! What doubling; what deceitful dealing, defrauding, over-reaching, undermining are we guilty of! how false are we in our promises! how insignificant are our words! what an uncertain sound do they give! Our yea may often stand for nay, and our nay for yea. “They speak vanity every one with his neighbour, with flattermg lips and a double heart “do they speak,”’ Psa. xii. 2. Trust ye not in a friend, put not confidence in a guide.

Blessed be God, the “Lord hath a escent on whom this cannot be charged. Children that will not lie,-nor deceive: though Satan and this evil

world bind up all in a bundle, they are all naught; they are all false, vain boasters, and deceitful workers; there is none upright, no not one: but, thanks be to God, Satan is a liar; the accuser of the brethren, is a false accuser. God hath his children that will not lie. But wo be to those professors, by reason of whom the offence cometh.:

Christians, hath God promised to give you one heart? Let it be once said, ‘‘ This day is the scripture fulfilled.” may you be the accomplishment of this good word. Hath God promised to give you one heart? Do not you say, But I will not take it; two are better than one: I have found so much the sweet of deceit, that there is no life like it. Hath God said, “I will give one heart?”. let not any one among you say, But I fear he will not. Make not the promise of God of none effect, either by your impiety or unbelief. Doth God promise to give this one heart? he that promised it doth also require it. Be thyself, christian. Let it be said thou art what thou art, be true, be but one, have but one heart, and let thy one heart have but one tongue, but one face, and but one thing to do. Beware of hypocrisy, beware of carnal policy; make not thy God to serve thy flesh; call not the serving. of thy flesh a serving of God, and make not thy serving of God to be a serving of the flesh. Be not divided betwixt God and the world. Oh how easy would our lives be did we find our whole souls running one way! taking up with God as the adequate object of all our powers, the mark of all our motions, and the reward of all our labours! did all our streams empty themselves into this ocean, and all our lines meet in this one centre! Did God only draw and allure our hearts, and the sincerity of our hearts give motion to all our wheels! Guide our a A HEART OF FLESH. 131

eyes, govern our tongues, order our steps, animate our duties, direct and quicken us in all our goings! Oh how sweet, oh how beautiful, were such a life! the sympathy betwixt our hearts and end, there is sweetness; the harmony of our hearts and ways,

- there is beauty. Oh how sweet are the drawings of

love, the free and full closure of our spirits with God, dissolving themselves into his will, acquiescing, resting satisfied in his goodness, is a sweetness which no man knows but he who tastes it; the har-

mony of the power of the soul within itself, of its

motions and actions in the life, there is the beauty which will eclipse the glory of the world. Christian,

be it thus with thee, and thou hast the blessing; that

covenant blessing which the Lord hath promised,

im saying, “I will give them one heart.”