A Goodly Heritage

 I am also to recommend to you this other great thing, friendship with God. And in reference to that, I would also say somewhat both by way of excitation and direction. I can speak but briefly to many things. For excitation consider, 1. Is it not your great privilege to live here in this world in a state of friendship with God? for what more exalted privi lege is there to poor creatures living in mortal flesh ? Here I live in flesh, dwell in flesh ; but it is in friendship with God. In low circumstances, amidst a great many troubles and difficulties, but in friendship with God. Who would not choose this way of living, when it is represented to our option, when it is propounded to ns as matter of choice ? 2. Consider there is no middle state (for you to whom this overture is made) between these two, a state of friendship with God, and a state of enmity to him ; you must: be either his friends or his enemies. There can be no neutrality in this case ; and will it not make a man's hea...

 But if you have learned " the truth as it is in Jesus," I tell you (saith the Apostle) what that must be : it must come to this, the " putting off of the old man, which is corrupt by deceivable lusts/' and " being renewed in the spirit of your mind." Ephes. iv. 22, 23. You are never come into the unity of that faith which belongs to all that shall be saved, till there be thereupon a divestiture and total investiture. A dives titure and " putting off the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceivable lusts;" you must cease to be the man that you were before, and (as that which is inter vening and central in the case) there must be a renovation even in the spirit of your minds, a new heart and a right spirit being created and renewed in yon, being renewed in the spirit of your minds, the inward seat of vital go verning principles. If the spirit of the mind be renewed, that spreads influence through the man, then there is a new man put on. N...

 But if you sincerely yield yourselves, the main controversy is at end between the great God and you. All your former sins are pardoned and done away at once. Those glad tidings you have often heard that import nothing but "glory in the highest, peace on earth, and good will towards men," plainly shew that the Great God whom you had offended, hath Jio design to destroy you, but only to make you yield, and give him back his own. Though you have formerly lived a wandering life, and been- as a vagabond on the earth from your true Owner, it will be all forgotten. HHw readily was the re turning prodigal received ! and so will you. How quiet rest will you have this night, when upon such terms there is a re conciliation between God and you ! You have given him his own, and he is pleased, and most of all for this, that he hath you now to save you. You were his to destroy before, now you are his to save. He could easily destroy you against your will, but it is only with your will, h...

This temper of mind  hath in it a down-right repugnancy unto whole Christianity. For consider, and compare things. Here is a heart cleaving to this earth; but did Christ establish his religion to plant men in the earth ? Was it not to prepare them for heaven, and then translate them thither ? He died, the just for the unjust, to bring us to God, 1 Pet. 3. 18. And he hath redeemed us to God by his blood, Rev. 5. 9. And to deliver us from this present world, Gal. 1. 4. His kingdom, in the whole constitution and frame of it, is avowedly not of this world ; but terminates upon eternity, and an everlasting state. And, therefore, they that mind earthly things, are said to be enemies to the cross of Christ, Phil. 3. 18, 19. Their whole business is nothing else but fighting against, tilting at the cross ! that is, counter-acting the design for which Christ was cru cified. And can it enter into the imagination of any man, that hath not forfeited the repute of an intelligent creature, or qu...

Therefore, to shut up all : let us now apply, and bend our selves to this one thing; to get into such a temper of soul, as that we may find, and feel we need patience to wait for the? blessedness of heaven* If we do not sensibly need patience 4 , we are dead, there is no life in us. If we live that life that tends towards God, and will end in eternal life, that life will have sense belonging to it, and that sense will make us feel our need of patience ; we shall wait, not like stupid stocks, but like obedient children, And when we see this to be the genuine temper of a Christian spirit, how uneasy should it be to us, not to be able to say, blessed be God, it is our temper ! Which, if we do find, our own sense not letting us doubt, that upon the mentioned account, we need patience ; our next care must be, that we have it; which will not exclude our feeling the need of it. For when we find, that through the mercy of God, in some competent measure, we have it, our sense of the need of it...

 When, such mighty texts as we find upon record concerning Christ, these many glorious things that are spoken of him come in view, O how is such an one enlightened by the lustre of any such text that speaks concerning Christ ! Yes ; that represents him to me, concerning whom my faith hath its present exercise, that it is for Jesus to be the Christ, to wit, that child born for us, that Son given to us, whose name is Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of peace. Jesus is the Christ ; that is, he is the wonderful counsellor. When again we are told in Scrip ture that this is he who was in the beginning with God, and that he was God, and by whom the worlds were made, and that without whom nothing was made that was made : that came and descended, the eternal word and wisdom of the Father, and was made flesh and dwelt amongst us, and his glory shone as the glory of the only begotten Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. Yes, this is my Christ !...

Prayer and the Decrees of God Taken from The Principles of the Oracles of God, part II, lecture VI. Many times God designs to bring about such and such events by the ministry of human prudence, and then the counsel of the divine will is so far from excluding it, that it doth necessarily include it, and take it in; cannot but do so. But most plain it is, that human prudence can signify nothing in opposition to the divine will. And would you have it? Would any one wish it should? That human prudence should take place against the divine will, is that a thing to be wished? Or are we to be fond of human prudence in opposition to the divine counsel, as if we thought the world would be better governed by men than by God? That, sure, is never to be regretted, that there is no wisdom, no counsel, no understanding, against the Lord. Sure, that should trouble none of us, but please all. And to think, hereupon, that human prudence must needs be a useless thing, because God doth not pu...