Part 250

And oh that this might be the happy fruit of these directions with thee that art now reading or hearing them! that thou wouldst but offer up thy flaming heart to Jesus Christ our great High Priest, to be presented an acceptable sacrifice to God! Or, if it flame not in love as thou desirest, yet give it up to the Holy Spirit to increase the flames. Thou little knowest how much God setteth by a heart. He calleth to thee himself, "My son, give me thy heart," Prov. xxiii. 26. Without it, he cares not for any thing that thou canst give him: he cares not for thy fairest words without it: he cares not for thy loudest prayers without it: he cares not for thy costliest alms or sacrifices, if he have not thy heart. "If thou give all thy goods to feed the poor, and give thy body to be burned, and have not love, it will profit thee nothing. If thou speak with the tongue of men and angels, and hast not love, thou art but as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. If thou canst prophesy and preach to admiration, and understand all mysteries and knowledge, and hast faith to do miracles, and have not love, thou art nothing," 1 Cor. xiii. 1-3. Thou hast but a shadow, and wantest that which is the substance and life of all. Come then, and make an agreement with God, and resolve now to offer to him thy heart. He asketh thee for nothing which thou hast not: it is not for riches or lands that he seeketh to thee; for then the poor might say as Peter, "Silver and gold have I none:" give him but such as thou hast, and it sufficeth. He knoweth that it is a polluted, sinful heart; but give it him, and he will make it clean. He knoweth that it is an unkind heart, that hath stood out too long; but give it him yet, and he will pardon and accept it. He knoweth that it is an unworthy heart; but give it him, and he will be its worth: only see that you give it him entirely and unreservedly; for he will not bargain with the devil, or the world, for the dividing of thy heart between them. A half-heart and a hollow heart, that is but lent him till fleshly interest or necessity shall call for it again, he will not accept. Only resign it to him, and do but consent that thy heart be his, and entirely and absolutely his, and he will take it and use it as his own. It is his own by title: let it be also so by thy consent. If God have it not, who shall have it? Shall the world, or pride, or fleshly lust? Did they make it, or did they purchase it? Will they be better to thee in the time of thy extremity? Do they bid more for thy heart than God will give thee? He will give thee his Son, and his Spirit, and image, and the forgiveness of all thy sins: if the greatest gain, or honour, or pleasure will win it and purchase it, he will have it: if heaven will buy it, he will not break with thee for the price. Have the world and sin a greater price than this to give thee? And what dost thou think that he will do with thy heart? and how will he use it, that thou art loth to give it him? Will he blind it, and deceive it, and corrupt it, and abuse it, and at last torment it, as Satan will do? No; he will more illuminate it, and cleanse it, and quicken it, Psal. li. 10; Eph. ii. 1; Jer. xxiv. 7. He will make it new, and heal and save it, Ezek. xxxvi. 26; 2 Cor. v. 17; Tit. iii. 3, 5, and ii. 14. He will advance and honour it, with the highest relations, employments, and delight; for Christ hath said, John xii. 26, "If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour." He will love it, and govern it, and comfort it, and the heart that is delivered to him shall be kept near unto his own: John xvi. 27, "For the Father himself loveth you," saith Christ, "because ye have loved me." Whereas if thou deliver not thy heart to him, it will feed on the poison of luscious vanity, which will gripe and tear it when it is down; it will be like a house that nothing dwelleth in but dogs, and flies, and worms, and snakes; it will be like one that is lost in the wilderness, or in the night, that tireth himself in seeking the way home, and the longer the worse; despair and restlessness will be its companions for ever. Let me now once more in the name of God bespeak thy heart. I will not use his commands or threatenings to thee now, (though these as seconds must be used,) because that love must have attractive arguments, and is not raised by mere authority or fear: if there be not love and goodness enough in God, to deserve the highest affections of every reasonable creature, then let him go, and give thy heart to one that is better. Hear how God pleadeth his own cause with an unkind, unthankful people, Mic. vi. 2, 3, "Hear, O ye mountains, the Lord's controversy. O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me." What is there in him to turn away thy heart? Let malice itself say the worst, without notorious impudence, against him: what hath he ever done that deserveth thy disaffection and neglect? What wouldst thou have to win a heart that is not in him? For which of his mercies or excellencies is it, that thou thus contemnest and abusest him? What dost thou want that he cannot, yea, or will not give thee? Doth not thy tongue speak honourably of his goodness, while thy heart contradicteth it, and denieth all? What hast thou found that will prove better to thee? Is it sin or God that must be thy glory, rest, and joy, if thou wilt not be a fire-brand of restlessness and misery for ever? What sayest thou yet, sinner? Shall God, or the world and fleshly pleasures, have thy heart? Art thou not yet convinced which best deserveth it, and which will be best to it? Canst thou be a loser by him? Will he make it worse, and sin make it better? Or wilt thou ever have cause to repent of giving it up to God, as thou hast of giving it to the world and sin? I tell thee, if God have not thy heart, it were well for thee if thou hadst no heart.--I had a thousand times rather have the heart of a dog, or the basest creature, than that man's heart that followeth his fleshly lusts, and is not unfeignedly delivered up to God, through Christ.