5. The heart may be kept humble, by considering of what a clog- ging nature earthly things are to a soul heartily engaged in the way to heaven ; they shut out much of heaven from us at present, though they may not shut us out of heaven at last. If thou consider thy- self under the notion of a strang-er in this world, travellinir for hea- ven, and seeking a better country, thou hast then as much reason to be taken, and delighted with these things, as a weary horse hath with a heavy clog-bag : There was a serious truth in that atheisti- cal scoff of Julian when he took away the Christians'* estates, and told them it was to make them fitter for the kingdom of heaven.
6. Is thy spirit, for all this, flatulent and lofty ? Then urge upon it the consideration of that awful day of reckoning, wherein, accord- ing to our receipts of mercies, shall be our accomptsjbr them: And methinks this should awe and humble the vainest heart that ever was in the breast of a saint. Know for certain, that the Lord records all the mercies that ever he gave thee, from the beginning to the end of thy life. Mic. vi. 5. " Remember, O my people, from Shittini " unto Giigal,'' &c. yea, they are exactly numbered, and recorded in order to an account ; and thy account will be suitable. Luke xii. 48. " To whomsoever much is given, of him much shall be required." You are but stewards, and your Lord will come to take an account of you ; and what a great account have you to make, wlio have much of this world in your hand ? What swift witnesses will your mercies be against you, if this be the best fruits of them ?
7. It is a very humbling consideration, that the mercies of God should work otherwise upon my spiiit, than they use to do upon the spirits of others to whom they come as sanctified mercies Jrom the love
440 HOW TO KEEP THE HEART HUMBLE IN PROSPERITY^
of God. Ah Lord what a sad consideration is this ! enough to lay me in the dust; when I consider,
(1.) That their mercies have greatly humbled them ; the higher God has raised them, the lower they have laid themselves before God. Thus did Jacob, when God had given him much substance. Gen. xxii. 10. " And Jacob said, I am not worthy of the least of all " thy mercies, and of all the truth which thou hast shewed unto " thy servant ; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now " I am become two bands."" And thus it was with holy David, 2 Sam. vii. 18. When God had confirmed the promise to him, to build him a house, and not reject him as he did Saul, he goes in before the Lord, and saith, " Who am I ? and v/hat is my father's " house, that thou hast brought me hitherto ?" And so indeed God required, Deut. xxvi. 5. when Israel was to bring to God the first- fruits of Canaan, they were to say, " A Syrian ready to perish was *' my father," &c. Do others raise God the higher for the raising them ? And the more God raises me, the more shall I abuse him, and exalt myself.^ O what a sad thing is this !
(2.) Others have freely ascribed the glory of all their enjoyments to God, and magnified not themselves, but him, for their mercies: So David, 2 Sam. vii. S6. " Let thy name be magnified, and the " house of thy servant be established." He doth not fly upon the mercy, and suck out the sweetness of it, looking no farther than his own comfort ; no, he cares for no mercy except God be magnified in it. So Psalm xviii. % when God had delivered him from all his enemies, " The Lord (saith he) is my strength, and my rock, he is " become my salvation." They did not put the crown upon their own heads, as I do.
(8.) The mercies of God have been melting mercies unto others, melting their souls in love to the God of their mercies. So Hannah, 1 Sam. ii. 1. when she received the mercy of a son, " My soul (saith " she) rejoiceth in the Lord ;" not in the mercy, but in the God of the mercy. And so Mary, Luke i. 46. " My soul doth magnify the " Lord, my spirit rejoiceth in God my Saviour." The word signi- fies to make more room for God ; their hearts were not contracted, but the more enlarged to God.
(4.) The mercies of God have been mighty restraints to keep others from sin. So Ezra ix. 18. " Seeing thou, our God, hast " given us such a deliverance as this, should we again break thy " commandments ?" Inoenuous souls have felt the force of the obligations of love and mercy upon them.
(5.) To conclude, The mercies of God to others have been as oil to the wheels of their obedience, and made them fitter for services, S Chron. xvii. 5. Now if mercies w ork contrarily upon my heart, what cause have I to be afraid that they come not to me in love ? I tell you, this is enough to damp the spirit of any saint, to see what sweet effects they have had on others, and what sad effects on him.
HOW TO KEEP THE HEAKT FROM DESPONDING, <^<^. 441
^2. Season, ' The second special season in the Hfe of a christian re-
* quiring more than a common diligence to keep his heart, is the '' time of advers'itf/ ; When providence frowns upon you, and blasts
* your outward comforts, then look to your hearts, keep them with
* all diligence from repining against God, or fainting under his ' hand ; for troubles though sanctified, are troubles still ; even
* sweet-brier, and holy thistles, have their prickles. Jonah was a
* good man, and yet how pettish was his heart under affliction ? Job ' was the mirror of patience, yet how was his heart discomposed by
* trouble ? You will find it as hard to get a composed spirit under ' great afflictions, as it is to fix quick-silver. O the hurries and tu- ' mults which they occasion even in the best hearts ! Well, then,
* the second case will be this :'
Case 2. How a Christian under great afflictions may keep his heart from repining, or desponding under the hand of God ? Now there are nine special helps. I shall here offer, to keep thy heart in this condition ; and the first shall be this, to work upon your hearts this great truth,
1. That by these cross providences, God is faithfully pursuing the great design of electing love upon the souls of his people, and orders all these afflictions as means sanctified to that end.