MOTIVES TO PURSUE THIS HEAVENLY COURSE.
Yet before I do quite take my leave of thee, let me give thee a few
motives to take along with thee. It may be they will be as good as a
pair of spurs to prick on thy lumpish heart in this rich journey.
THE FIRST MOTIVE.--Consider there is no way but this: _thou must
either win or lose._ If thou winnest, then heaven, God, Christ, glory,
ease, peace, life, yea, life eternal, is thine; thou shalt be made
equal to the angels in heaven; thou shalt sorrow no more, sigh no
more, feel no more pain; thou shalt be out of the reach of sin, hell,
death, the devil, the grave, and whatever else may endeavor thy hurt.
But contrariwise, and if thou lose, then thy loss is heaven, glory,
God, Christ, ease, peace, and whatever else tendeth to make eternity
comfortable to the saints; besides, thou procurest eternal death,
sorrow, pain, blackness and darkness, fellowship with devils, together
with the everlasting damnation of thy own soul.
THE SECOND MOTIVE.--Consider that this devil, this hell, death and
damnation, follow after thee as hard as they can drive, and have their
commission so to do by the law, against which thou hast sinned; and
therefore, for the Lord's sake, make haste!
THE THIRD MOTIVE.--If they seize upon thee before thou get to the city
of Refuge, they will put an everlasting stop to thy journey. This also
cries, Run for it!
THE FOURTH MOTIVE.--Know also, that now heaven's gates, the heart of
Christ, with his arms, are wide open to receive thee. O methinks that
this consideration, that the devil followeth after to destroy, and
that Christ standeth open-armed to receive, should make thee reach out
and fly with all haste and speed! And therefore,
THE FIFTH MOTIVE.--Keep thine eye upon the prize. Be sure that thy
eyes be continually upon the profit thou art like to get.
The reason why men are so apt to faint in their race for heaven, lieth
chiefly in either of these two things: They do not seriously consider
the worth of the prize; or else if they do, they are afraid it is too
good for them. But most lose heaven for want of considering the prize
and the worth of it. And therefore, that thou mayst not do the like,
1. Keep thine eye much upon the excellency, the sweetness, the beauty,
the comfort, the peace, that is to be had there by those that win the
prize. This was that which made the apostle run through any
thing!--good report, evil report, persecution, affliction, hunger,
nakedness, peril by sea, and peril by land, bonds and imprisonments.
Also it made others endure to be stoned, sawn asunder, to have their
eyes bored out with augers, their bodies broiled on gridirons, their
tongues cut out of their mouths, to be boiled in cauldrons, thrown to
the wild beasts, burned at the stake, whipped at posts, and a thousand
other fearful torments; "while they looked not at the things which are
seen," (as the things of this world,) "but at the things which are not
seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which
are not seen are eternal." O this word, ETERNAL! it was that made them
so firm, that when they might have had deliverance, they would not
accept it, for they knew that in the world to come they should have a
better resurrection.
2. And do not let the thoughts of the rareness of the place make thee
say in thy heart, 'This is too good for me;' for I tell thee, heaven
is prepared for whosoever will accept of it, and they shall be
entertained with hearty good welcome. Consider therefore, that as bad
as thou have got thither. Thither, went scrubbed beggarly Lazarus, &c.
Nay, it is prepared for the poor. "Hearken, my beloved brethren,"
saith James; that is, take notice of it, "Hath not God chosen the poor
of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom?" Therefore,
take heart, and run, man.
THE SIXTH MOTIVE.--Think much of them that are gone before. First, How
really they go into the kingdom. Secondly, How safe they are in the
arms of Jesus. Would they be here again for a thousand worlds? Or if
they were, would they be afraid that God would not make them welcome?
Thirdly, What would they judge of thee, if they knew thy heart began
to fail thee in thy journey, or thy sins began to allure thee, and to
persuade thee to stop thy race? Would they not call thee a thousand
fools, and say, 'O that he did but see what we see, feel what we feel,
and taste of the dainties that we taste of! Oh! if he were one quarter
of an hour to behold, to see, to feel, to taste, and enjoy but the
thousandth part of what we enjoy, what would he do? what would he
suffer? what would he leave undone? Would he favor sin? Would he love
this world below? Would he be afraid of friends, or shrink at the most
fearful threatenings that the greatest tyrants could invent to give
him?' Nay, those who have had but a sight of these things by faith,
when they have been as far off from them as heaven from earth, yet
they have been able to say with a comfortable and merry heart, as the
bird that sings in the spring, that this and more shall not stop them
from running to heaven.
Sometimes, when my base heart hath been inclining to this world, and
to loiter in my journey towards heaven, the very consideration of the
glorious saints and angels in heaven; what they enjoy, and what low
thoughts they have of the things of this world together; how they
would befool me if they did but know that my heart was drawing back,
hath caused me to rush forward, to disdain these poor, low, empty,
beggarly things, and to say to my soul, 'Come, soul, let us not be
weary; let us see what this heaven is; let us even venture all for it,
and try if that will quit the cost. Surely Abraham, David, Paul, and
the rest of the saints of God, were as wise as any are now, and yet
they lost all for this glorious kingdom. O therefore, throw away
sinful lusts, follow after righteousness, love the Lord Jesus, devote
thyself to his fear;--I'll warrant thee he will give thee a goodly
recompense.' Reader, what sayest thou to this? Art thou resolved to
follow me? Nay, resolve, if thou canst, to get before me. So run, that
ye may obtain.
THE SEVENTH MOTIVE.--To encourage thee a little farther, Set to the
work, and when thou hast run thyself down weary, then the Lord Jesus
will take thee up, and carry thee. Is not this enough to make any poor
soul begin his race? Thou perhaps criest, 'Oh! but I am feeble,' 'I am
lame, &c.' Well, but Christ hath a bosom: consider, therefore, that
when thou hast run thyself down weary, he will put thee in his bosom.
"He shall gather the lambs with his arms, and carry them in his bosom;
and shall gently lead those that are with young." This is the way that
fathers take to encourage their children; saying, Run, sweet babe,
until thou art weary, and then I will take thee up and carry thee. "He
will gather his lambs with his arms, and carry them in his bosom."
When they are weary, they shall ride!
THE EIGHTH MOTIVE.--Or else he will convey new strength from heaven
into thy soul, which will be as well. "The youths shall faint and be
weary, and the young men shall utterly fall. But they that wait upon
the Lord shall renew their strength: they shall mount up with wings
like eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk,
and not faint." What shall I say besides, that hath not already been
said? Thou shalt have good and easy lodging, good and wholesome diet,
the bosom of Christ to lie in, the joys of heaven to feed on. Shall I
speak of the satisfaction and of the duration of all these? Verily to
describe them to the height is a work too hard for me to do.