THE CHRIstians Sacrifice. Scene, and allowed.  
LONDON. Printed by Thomas Orwin, for Thomas Man, 1589.   

TO MY LATE AVDItors, the congregation of Clement Danes, all the good will which I can show.  
Beloved in jesus Christ, my first fruits, I have nothing but this mite to leave with you, which is the sum of all my sermons, ye have heard it already, & as th'apostle calls the Corinthians his epistle, so ye should be my sermon; 
2, Cor. ●●  that is, my sermon should be printed in your hearts, as this is printed in paper. If ye have not given your h●r●s yet to him which sent for them, now think that god hath sent for them again, and hear me writing, whom ye cannot hear speaking. Take not custom for religion shun occasion aswell as sin seek the use of every thing, desire not to have your Kingdom here. And so I leave you all with Christ, whom I have preached, to bring forth the fruit of that seed which is sown, beseeching you for all the love that you have of heaven, that ye would not count any thing in this world worthy to keep your hearts from God, but think of the day when you shall give account of every lesson which ye have heard, and he which hath called you in this prison, will glorify you in his palace, where ye shall see him to whom ye have given your hearts, and enjoy that blessing of blessings, which makes all the world to worship him. The father of our lord jesus Christ, which hath begun to draw you to his Kingdom, never leave you until you come unto it, Amen.  
Your late unworthy servant for the Lord, Henry Smith.   

THE CHRISTIANS SACRIFICE.  My son, give me thy heart. 
Pro 23. 22.  
TO bind all the Lessons together, which ye have learned since I came, this Setence did come to my mind, My son, give me thy heart, which is the sum of all that ye have heard, 
job, 22, 22. Luk. 2, 19 Psal. 17. 3● Dan, 7, 38  and shows in what chest you should lay up these treasures in your heart, & then give that heart unto God, and he will keep all safe.  
A supplication is come as it were from God to man, that man would send God his heart, 
Pro. 9, 1.  penned by Solomon, under the name of Wisdom, & directed to her sons, wisdom entreateth her sons that they would give her their hearts, this wisdom is god, 
Rom, 8.15 Gal, 4, 24. john 4.14.  we by adoption are his sons, & our heart is that which christ calls spirit & truth, without hypocrisy: give me that heart, saith God. He which gives any thing to another, considers before what he loves, & gives that which he thinks will be accepted, that he may be loved for his gift: therefore David, as though he were at a stand, & sorrowed that he could not do enough for God, breaks forth to himself, What shall I give unto the Lord for all that he hath given me? The Lord hearing as it were, these sighs of his servants, which care & study what they may do to please him, comes in their suspense, & like a friend which desires nothing but good will answers from heaven, My son, give me thy heart. Under which suit he taxeth them beside which are suitors always to him, and look still to receive like the Publicans, but never cast in their minds what they should give, therefore their tribute is set down by equal measure under the king's seal, every man must homage his heart. He which always gave, now craves: and he which craved always, now gives: Christ stands at the door like a poor man, & asks not bread, nor clothes, nor lodging, which we should give to his members, but our heart: that is, even the continent of all, and governor of man's house, which sits on the bench like the judge, to give the charge, and teach the tongue to speak, the hand to work, the foot to walk, the ear to attend, the eye to observe, the mind to choose, and the flesh to obey. 
Leu, 1, 9 & 13  That we must present to GOD like a burnt sacrifice, wherein all is offered together, a wise tongue, a diligent hand, a wary foot, a watchful eye, an attentive ear, an humble mind, an obedient flesh, put all together, and it is but the heart. My son (saith God) give me this heart. Here thou art the giver, God the petitioner, thy heart the gift, which he claimeth by the name of a son. Should GOD be a suppliant unto thee and me, but that our unthankfulness condemns us, that for all the things which he hath given us, we never considered as yet what we should give unto him before he asketh: he is feign to put in his petition like a suitor, and say, give me thy heart: Mark what God hath chosen for himself, not that which any other shall lose by, like the demands of them which care for none but themselves, but that, which being given to God, moves us to give unto every man his due, 
Luk. 19, 8.  as Zacheus when he gave his heart to Christ, parted his goods to the poor, & restored to all, that which he had got by wrong. Once God required offerings and sacrifices, 
Mal, 1.13, and, 3, 18.  which men were unwilling to give, because it was a dear service of God, but now he saith, that the heart is more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices, 
Mar. 12,. Gen. 23.  jacob loved joseph more than all his brethren, so God loveth the heart more than all her follows, this mite God will have for all his benefits which we may best afford him, thy alms to the poor, thy counsel to the simple, thine inheritance to thy children; thy tribute to Caesar, 
john, 4, 24.  but thy heart to God: he which is a spirit; requires the spirit, and delights, to dwell in the hearts of men. Here God plants himself as in a castle, which is always besieged with the world, the flesh, and the devil If the enemy get a thought, or a word, or a work, yet he hath but razed the walls, but if he take the heart, than the fortress is lost. From that time, all our thoughts, & words and works, are captive unto him, he bids them go, & they go, do, and they do it. That man is like Esau, 
gen, 25, 33  which had an inheritance, which had a heart; but now he hath not possession of his own, therefore give God thy heart, that he may keep it, not a piece of thy heart, not a room in thy heart, but thy heart. The heart divided, dieth: God is not like the mother which would have the child divided, but like the natural Mother, 
1, Kings 3, 26  which said rather than it should be divided, Let her take all. Let the devil have all, if he which gave it, be not worthy of it, God hath no copesmate, therefore he will have no parting offtakes, but all, or none: and therefore he which asks here thy heart, in the 6. of Deut. & the 5. asks all thy heart, all thy soul, all thy strength: thrice he requireth all, lest we should keep a thought behind: yet it is thy heart, that is, a vain heart, a barren heart, 
isaiah 47, 1● Eccle. ●, 9  a sinful heart, until thou give it unto GOD, and then it is the spouse of Christ, 
1. Cor, ●, ●6 11 Cor, 6, 19  the Temple of the Holy Ghost, and the image of God, so changed, and form, and refined, that God calls it a new heart, Ezek. 36.26. Some have a double heart, 
Eze, 36, 26  as it is in the 12. Psalm: but God acknowledgeth but one heart, saying, 
Psal, 12, 2  give me thy heart, not give me thy hearts: declaring that a single heart is pleasing unto him, and that they which have a double heart, a heart & a heart, have never a good heart. God doth not require the heart, as though he required no more than the heart, like the Pope, which saith, give me thy heart, & it sufficeth. To maintain his Papists pendant and crouchant, which live amongst Christians, he requireth nothing of such but their heart, they may worship god with their lips, and dissemble their religion, and forswear their opinions, and come to sermons, and subscribe to other laws, and seem protestants, as the devil licenseth witches to seem christians, so they give him their heart, he dispenseth with them to dissemble, & give the rest as they list, but God requireth the heart because we should not dissemble, for in the 12. to the Rom. he commands the body too, 
Rom, 12, i,  Offer up your bodies a lively sacrifice. Which we cannot do, unless we give heart, & hand, & tongue, & eyes, & ears, and all, for the body is all: but the heart is chief in request, because if there be any goodness, it lies in the heart, & because he which gives the heart gives all, 
Luc, 6.45,  for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh, the hand worketh, the eye looketh, the ear listeneth, the foot walketh to good or evil: therefore, there is such strife for the heart, as there was for Moses body: 
jud, 9,  give it me saith the Lord, give it me saith the tempter, give it me saith the Pope, give it me saith riches, give it me saith pleasure, as though thou must needs give it: now here is thy choice, whether thou wilt give it to God or the devil, God's heart or the devils heart whose wilt thou be? Man hangs in a balance like a young virgin which hath many suitors: some she favours for parentage, some for parsonage, some for friends, some for wealth, some for wit, some for virtue: and after all, chooseth the worst of all: so the heart hath so many suitors besides God, that sometime she marrieth with one, sometimes with another, the world keeps her, the flesh keeps her, the devil keeps her, 
Mat, 14, ●  which have no more interest in her, than Herod to his sister, but seek her spoil, like them which marry, for riches, are glad when one dies, that another may come. These suitors are like Absolom, 
●, Sam, 5.  which did not seek the hearts of the people like David, but steal them with flattery and lies, but god would have thee give thy heart. As a man considers what he doth when he gives, so god licenseth us to consider of that which we do for him, whether he deserveth it, whether we owe it, whether he can require it, lest it should come against our will: therefore give me saith God, as though he would not strain upon us, or take from us, but if thou wilt give him thy heart, than he accepts it, it must come freely like a gift, as his blessings come to us, & then his demand is granted. Here is no respect of time, how long thou mayest stay it, or how long he will keep it, but give it, is the present time, as though he would have it out of hand, while he asks before ye go out of the church: for what can we ask of him, while we deny him but one thing which he asks of us: therefore consider who is a suitor to you, Now I am a collector for God, to gather hearts, either you must grant him, or deny him, think who shall lose by it, if thou wilt not pay thy landlord his rent. How many subjects would rejoice, if they had any thing to give to the Prince, and pray her to accept it, that they might but say; I have given a present to the Queen? 
Mar, 14, 3  So Mary rejoiced that she had a little oil to sprinkle upon Christ, that she would take no money for it: 
1, King, 17, 13  yea the widow of Zarephath was so joyful that she had a little food for the Prophet, that she spared it from her children, and herself, to serve him first, so they which love the Lord like his Disciples, which left all to follow him, 
●uc, 5 11,  had rather that he should have their riches, their honours, their hearts, & their lives, than they themselves. Why is David called a man after gods own heart, 
Sam, 13, 14  but because when god said, give me thy heart, his spirit answered like to an Echo, I give thee my heart? is God so desirous of my heart? what good can my heart do to God? It is not worthy to come under his roof: I would I had a better gift to send unto my Lord: go my heart to thy maker, the Bridegroom hath sent for thee, put on thy Wedding garment, for the King himself will marry thee. Who is not sorry now, that he did not give his heart before? Is he not worthy to die, that will take his heart from him that made it, from him which redeemed it, from him which preserves it, from him which will glorify it: to give it unto him which will infect it, torment it, condemn it? Will a servant reach the cup to a stranger, when his master calls for it? Or will a man sell his coat if he have no more? What hast thou reserved for God when thou hast given Satan thy heart? Christ hath promised to come and dwell with thee, where shall he stay, 
reave, 3, 2●  where shall he dine, if the chamber be taken up, and thy heart let forth to another? Thou art but a tenant, and yet thou takest his house over his head, and placest in it whom thou wilt, as if thou were Landlord. Canst thou possess another man's goods, but he will molest thee, and trouble thee until he have his own? And dost thou think to keep that which is Gods, and hold it in peace? No, he will never suffer thee to rest, 
1, Sam, 38 Exod. 8, 13 and 9: 28 Acts 16, 14 Exo, 8 & 9 & 10  but cry upon thee day and night as Moses vexed Pharaoh until he let the people go, so thou shalt be distracted with fears and thoughts, as one plague followed an other until thou let thy heart go, that it may serve God, as if a man should pull out thy heart, and take it from thee, so grievous it is unto God to keep thy heart from him. Therefore, let all suitors have their answer that thy heart is married already, as Isaac answered Esau, jacob have I blessed, 
Gen, 27  and he shall be blessed: So thou mayst say, God hath my heart, and he shall have it, and them that crave it hereafter, send them to Christ for it, for it is not thine to give, if thou have given it to God already. But take heed thy heart do not lie to thyself, and say it is Gods, when it is the worlds, 
1, King, 24, 6  like jeroboams wife, which would not seem jeroboams wife. By this thou shalt know whether thou haste given it to him or no, If thy heart be gone, all will follow, as the Sun riseth first, and then the Beasts arise from their dens, the fowls from their nests, and men from their Beds: so when the heart sets forward to God, all the members will march after it, the tongue will praise him, the foot will follow him, the ear will attend him, the eye will watch him, the hand will serve him, nothing will stay after the heart, 
Psal, 123, 2 Mat, 23.26  but every one goes like handmaids after their mistress: this Christ verifieth, saying, Make clean within, and all will be clean: that is, the eye, and the ear, and the tongue, and the hand, and all: as the Father gave us all, 
Rom, 8, 32  when he gave his Son, so we give him all, when we give our hearts. This is the melody which Paul speaketh of, Ephe. 5.19. Make melody to the Lord in your hearts, showing that there is a consort of all the members, when the heart is in tune, that it sounds like a melody in the ears of God, and makes us rejoice while we serve him, we have example hereof in Christ, which said that it was meat and drink unto him to do his Fathers will: and David which danced to see the Ark, 
john 4, 34 2, Sam, 6, 14 1, Chro, 29 9  and the Israelites of whom it is said that they rejoiced, when they offered from their heart unto the Lord. Therefore Solomon pricking out the heart for God, speaks as though he would set us the pleasantest, and fairest, and easiest way to serve him without any grudging, or toil, or weariness: touch but the first link and all the rest will follow; so set the heart a going, and it is like the poise of a clock, which turns all the wheels one way; such an oil is about the heart, which makes all nimble and currant about it: therefore it is almost as easy to speak well and do well, 
Psalm 45, 1  as to think well. If the heart indite a good matter, no marvel though the tongue be the pen of a ready writer, but if the heart be dull, all is like a left hand, so unapt and untoward that it cannot turn itself to any good. Therefore God's suits have so hard passage in our counsels, judgements, and parliaments, because men do not give him their hearts, which should be the first offering of all: if they did give him their hearts before they sit down to hear his cause, they could not deny him any thing that is for his honour, though it were against their profit, but as Christ saith, not my will, but thy will, 
Mar, 26, 39  so they would say, it is not our kingdom but thy kingdom, it is not our Church but thy church, therefore not our will but thy will, not our la but thy la, not our discipline but thy discipline reign in it: & all that give their hearts subscribe to this, the rest say, not thy will but our will, not thy la but our law, not thy discipline but our discipline, because as the Apostle saith, they seek their own glory, and not Christ's, Phil. 2.21. 
●at, 2, 3  This hath been the rub ever since reformation began, Herod cannot see how he should be King, 
Acts 19, 23  if Christ should reign: therefore as the imagemakers cried & stormed when images should go down, alleging that they lived by this craft: so, if ye mark what kind of men they be which preach, and write, and labour so hotly against the discipline, it is they that are like to lose some of their dignities, or their commodities by it, 
●●h, 11, 48 ●ar, 23, 7 ●ar, 10, 21.  if the government should change: the Scribes & pharisees resisted Christ more than the people, because he denounced woe to them, and misliked that they should be called Rabbi: how hard it is to follow Christ, when he saith, leave all; nay if he bid us to leave any thing for him, though we should leave our very selves. Mat. 16.24. The tongue will not praise, because the heart doth not love; the ear will not hear, because the heart doth not mind, the hand will not give, because the heart doth not pity, the foot will not go, because the heart doth not stir: all stay upon the heart, like the Captain that should give the onset.  
Secondly, God requiring the heart, showeth that all the things of this world are not worthy of it, nor a piece of it, nor a thought, 
Eccle, 1.13 & 14  unless it be to contemn them, as Solomon thought of vanity.  
Thirdly, that all should consent so with the heart, that we should speak as if the heart did speak, pray as if our heart did pray, hear as if our heart did hear, give as if our heart did give, 
Psal, 44, job, 22, 22  remit as if our heart did remit, & counsel as if our heart did counsel, as the Apostle saith, Do all things hearty: Coloss. 3.23. which if we would keep, nothing that we do should trouble us, because nothing is troublesome, but that which goeth against the heart.  
fourthly, that we should serve god for himself and not for ourselves, as he which gives his heart, doth all for love: This christ requires when he casts off that disciple, 
Mat, 28, 19  which offered to follow him for advantage, The birds have nests, & the foxes have holes, (saith christ) but the son of man hath not a place to hide his head: showing this disciple, if he will follow him, he must not look for a place to hide his head: we must leave all to follow christ, 
Mat, 4, 20 ●ohn 9, 26  as Peter did, and not seek all by following him, as they that went after him for bread.  
Fiftly, that we should not serve god by fits, as we use to pray when the night comes, to hear when the Saboth comes, to fast when Lent comes; to repent when death comes, but the service of the heart is continual service, 
1, Thess, 5, 16  like in that 1. Thes. 5 Rejoice evermore, pray continually in all things give thanks. Who is this which rejoiceth, and prayeth. & thanketh continually? The tongue prayeth but sometime, the ear attendeth but sometime, the hand giveth but sometime, but the heart prayeth, and praiseth, and worshippeth always: a man may serve God always with his heart, and never be weary, because the heart cannot serve him unless it rejoice in his service: and therefore they praised God with music, which did not delight god, but showed that they delighted in his service, as they did in music, 
1. Chron. 15, 16  1. Chr. 15.16. but if the tongue, or the hand, or the ear, think to serve God without the heart, it is the yrksomst occupation in the world, the hour of tediousness, like a long sickness, he is tired before he begin, and thinketh himself in the stocks, till the sermon be ended, till his prayer be done, that he may be at liberty, and turn to his bias again.  
Lastly, this shows how God mislikes our coldness in hearing or praying, if we cannot say with the Virgin, 
Luke 1.46  My heart doth magnify the Lord. Al that comes short of this, is hypocrisy, and pleaseth GOD like the offering of Cain Genesis 4.5. As joseph charged his brethren, Genesis 42.15. that they should not come to him for corn, unless they brought Beniamim unto him whom they left at home: 
Mat, 15.8  so GOD will not have us speak to him, nor come unto him for any thing, unless we bring our heart unto him, which we leave behind. The tongue without the heart is a flattering tongue, the eye without the heart is a wicked eye, the ear without the heart is a vain ear, the hand without the heart is a false hand. Dost thou think that God will accept a flattering tongue, a wicked eye, a vain ear, a false hand, which rejecteth a sacrifice if it be but lean, or bruised? No, saith Paul, 
Levit, 22, 21, 22, 42  If I give all that I have, & have not love; that is, give not my heart, it avails me nothing, he saith not, that they which give not their hearts give nothing, but that they shall have nothing for such offerings: 
mar, 12, 42  he which brings but a mite, & brings his heart, brings more than he which offers a talon, 
mat, 19, 20 Gal. 6, 7  & he shall go away more justified, than he which said, All these have I kept from my youth upward, for God is not mocked, 
Act, 5.3  but knows how much is behind, though Ananias seem to bring al. He marks how I speak, and how you hear, & how we pray in this place, & if it come not from the heart, he repels it as fast as it grows up, like the smoke which chmes towards heaven, but never comes there, man thinks when he hath the gift that he hath the heart to, but god when he hath the gift calls for the heart still the Pharisees prayer, the harlot's vow, the traitors kiss, the sacrifice of Cain, the fast of jezabelle, the tears of Esau, the oblation of Ananias are nothing to him, but still he cries, 
Psalm 73, 1  bring thy heart or bring no thing: like a jealous husband when he hath a wife, yet he is jealous whether he hath her hurt, so wharsoever thou do, yet god is jealous still, & respects not what thou dost, but whether thou do it from thy heart, 
Mat, 27, 24  of mere love toward him. If Pilate had washed his heart when he washed his hands, 
2. Kin, 5, 14 Ge, 34, 22  he had been cleaner than Naaman when he came out of jordan if the Sichemites had circumcised their hearts, when they circumcised their flesh, they had saved their souls, when they lost their lives, if 
〈◊〉 4, 2  Cain had offered his heart when he offered of the fruits, his offering had been as acceptable as Abel's: but as swíns' flesh was like shépes flesh, 
Leviticus 10, 7  yet was not accepted because it came from an unclean beast: so Cain's offering, Pilat's washing, the Sichemits circumcision, the pharisces prayer, and fasts, & alms, were as fair as the apostles, yet they had no reward, but woe to you hypocrites, 
Mat, 23  because they wanted the heart, 
1, Kin, 18, 24  which is like the fire that kindleth the sacrifice. but will he requited our prayers, & fasts, & alms, as he did theirs? yea (saith Christ) except your righteousness exceed the pharisees, that is, 
Mat, 5.20  except we give our hearts besides our lips, & our ears, & our alms, which they gave more than we, we shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven, because our righteousness doth not exceed the righteousness of the pharisees, but their righteousness exceedeth our. Christ doth not bid them woe, because they were Pharisees as we are not, but because they were hypocrites as we are. God delights himself in giving, & therefore loveth a cheerful giver: 
Mica, 7, 18 1. Cor, 9, 7  but he cannot give cheerfully which gives not his heart. Therefore judas thought the oil spent which was powered upon Christ & wished the price of it in his purse: so they grudge and grieve when they should do good, and think, shall I give it? Can I spare it? what will it bring? So the good work dieth in birth, like a Bride which drowpeth in the hand, whiles the head considers whether he shall let her go, or hold her still: as easy to wring Hercules' club out of his fists as to wring a penitent tear from their eyes, or a faithful prayer from their lips, or a good thought from their heart, which cannot afford the heart itself: every thing is too much which they do, and they think God more beholding to them for blurting out a Pater nosler, or staying a sermon, or fasting a friday, than they to him for all his benefits: 
Mat, 23  and when they have done what is their reward? woe be unto you Scribes and pharisees, hypocrites, because you gave not your hearts: therefore we do but vex ourselves, 
Mat, 15, 8  and lose our labour, thinking to make God believe that we pray, when indeed our lips do but pray: whereby it comes to pass, as we serve him, so he serveth us; our peace is not in deed, but in word, our joy is not in heart, but in countenance, a false comfort, like our false worship; for he which giveth God his lips in stead of his heart, teacheth god to give him stones in stead of bread: that is, a shadow of comfort, for comfort itself.  
Now when we have given god fair words and long prayers, and solemn fasts, and mourning countenances, he puts in but a word more to fill up the sacrifice, give me thy heart, and it sufficeth. It is like the last suit of Abraham, when he said to God, I will speak but this once; so if thou wilt hear him in this, he will ask no more; therefore now conclude, whether God shall have thy heart, or nothing: If thou consider what right he hath to ask it, and what cause thou hast to give it, thou canst not keep it till I end my sermon. Of all the suitors which come unto you, it seems there is none, which hath any title to claim the heart, but God; which challengeth it, 
Mal. 1, 6  by the name of a son: as if he should say, thou shalt give it to thy father, which gave it to thee: art thou my son? my sons give me their hearts, and by this they know that I am their father, if I dwell in their hearts: for the heart is the Temple of God; 
1, Cor, 1, 16  therefore if thou be his son, thou wilt give him thy heart, because thy father desires it, thy maker desires it, thy redeemer desires it, thy Saviour desires it, 
Rom. 8. 3●  thy Lord and thy King and thy Master desires it; which hath given his Son for a ransom, his spirit for a pledge, his word for a guide, the world for a walk, and reserves a kingdom for thine inheritance. Canst thou deny him any thing, which hath given the heir for the servant, his beloved for his enemy, the best for the worst? Canst thou deny him any thing, whose goodness created us, whose favour elected us, whose mercy redeemed us, whose wisdom converteth us, whose grace preserveth us, whose glory shall glorify us? Canst thou deny him any thing? O if thou knew, (as Christ said to the Woman of Samaria, 
john 4. 1●  when she huckte to give him water) if thou knew who it is which saith unto thee, give me thy heart; thou wouldst say unto him as Peter did, when Christ would wash his feet; Lord, not my feet only, 
john. 13.9.  but my hands and my head, not my heart only, but all my body, and my thoughts, and my words, and my works, and my goods, and my life, take all that thou haste given. For why should not we give him our hearts, as well as our lips, 
Gen. 13 89.  unless we mean to deceive him with words for deeds? If Abram gave Lot leave to choose what part he did like, shall not we give God leave to choose that which he loveth? I he did not love thee, he wou'de not require thy heart; for they which love, require the heart. The master requires labour, the land lord requires service, the captain requires fight; but he that requires the heart, requires it for love, for the heart is love. We will give him little, if we will not give him that, which he asks for love towards ourselves: though he say; give it, yet indeed he hath bought it, and that dearly, 
Psal. 31.5 1. Pet. 1. 18.1●  with the dearest blood that ever was shed. He gave thee his heart, before he desired thy heart; but heart for heart, a living heart for a heart which died: thou dost not lose thy life as he did for thee, but thou bestowest thy life to glorify him, thou dost not part from thy heart when thou givest it, but he doth keep it for thee, lest the serpent should steal it from thee, 
Gen. 3.8  as he stole paradise from Adam when it was in his own custody: he can keep it better than we, and he will keep it if we commit it to him, and lay it in a bed of peace, and lap it with joy, 
Psal. 31.5 john. 10. 2●  and none shall take it out of his hands. Therefore, if ye ask me, why you should give your hearts to god? I do not answer like the Disciples which went for the ass and the colt, 
Mat. 28. ●  The Lord hath need but we have need. For unless we give our souls, how can he have them? And unless he have them, how can he save them? Therefore we have need, if ever the saying were true, (It is more blessed to give than take:) more blessed are they which give their hearts to GOD, than they which take possession of the world. 
Acts 20.45 1. Sam. 25.42  Abigail did not gain so much by her gift to David, as we for our gift to God; for she was married unto David, but we are married unto Christ; 
Cant 5  of whom the Church doth sing in the 5. of Canticles, that no well beloved is like her beloved; what heart would not be loved of him, though it do not love him? Who can assoil this riddle? we would have Christ our bridegroom, and yet we will not be his spouse; I would have him take my heart & yet I will not give it. How should he keep it, or save it or glorify, it if I hide it away like the servant that buried his talon in the earth? 
Mat. 26.24  So much as I keep from God, so much I keep from heaven, and will not suffer him to glorify it, as I did wish one part to be saved, and another damned. He which would have his heart sanctified, and comforted, and enlightened, and will not give it to God, is like a woman which would have her dough leavened, and layeth her dough in one place, & the leaven in another, where one cannot touch the other: then cometh the tempter, and takes them asunder, and seizeth upon the heart, because he finds her alone. This is his seed time, now he enters into it, and fills it with his poison, till the temple of God be the sink of sin, and the hearr which should be the seat of holiness, grace, and wisdom, a heart of pride, a heart of envy, a heart of lust more like a belly than a heart; how many things lodge in the heart when God is not there? It is a world to think, how the divine soul, which descended from heaven to bring forth fruit, is become afit soil for every weed, whereby we may see what hearts we have before we give them to GOD Therefore now ask your hearts whose they are, and how they are moved with these words? how many here will give to this collection? whose heart is gone up unto him, since I beeganne to speak? Here one, and there one runs up the ladder, 
Gen. 28.12.  like the angels that jacob saw in his dream, and sing with David, 
Psal. 47 47  My heart is prepared, my heart is prepared; and why not thou as well as he? Doth not he send for all alike? wilt thou be the thorn, or the stone, or the high way, 
Mat. 13  where the seed doth lose his fruit? why, hadst thou rather be compelled then invited, since thou art called to a banquet? 
Mat. 22  How many hearts more might we draw to God, if all that be here would go to him this day? But thus it stands, 
Mat. ●●, 33  God hath sent unto us for our hearts, and we answer him as the husbands of the vineyard, when he sent for fruits, or as Nabal answered David, 
1, Sam, 25  when he sent for food, who is David? or, who is the Lord? That I should take my heart from pleasure and sin, and give it unto him? Thus we demur upon the cause, when we should give, whether we should give or no, and ask the flesh, and our lusts, and our pleasures, and if the devil will not give his assent: them we return to an excuse, it is not mine to give: or if thou canst get the devils good will, I will not stand, or let sin and pleasure have it for a while, and when they have done with it, then God shall have it. Thus every thing which should be thrown out, hath a place in our heart; and he which should be received in, can have no room there, though he would open the doors of heaven, if we would open the doors of our hearts, that the king of glory might come in. 
Psal. 24.7  What shall become of those hearers, when he which craves them now, shall judge them hereafter? Then they shall stand like Esau, 
Gen. 27.36  and see them blessed like jacob, which gave their hearts; and cry themselves, as he did to his father Isaac, hast thou not reserved a blessing for us? What a heavy heart will it be then, when it may not joy any longer here, and the joys of heaven are shut against it? and he which desired it, will not have it, because it comes like the foolish virgins, 
Mat. 25.11  when the doors of mercy are shut. Thus ye have heard what God requires for all that he hath given you, and how all your services are lost until you bring it. What shall I wish you now before my departure? I wish you would give all your hearts to God, while I speak, that ye might have a kingdom for them; send for your hearts where they are wandering, one from the bank, another from the Tavern, another from the Shop, an other from the theatres: Call them home, 
Luke 15.22  and give them all unto God: and see how he will welcome them, as the father embraceth his Son. If your hearts were with God, durst the devil fetch them? durst these sins come at them? Even as Dina was deflowered when she strayed from home: 
Gen. 34.1  so is the heart when it strayeth from GOD: Therefore call the members together, and let them fast like a quest of 12. men, until they consent upon la, before any more terms pass to give God his right, and let him take the heart, which he wooeth, which he would marry, which he would endow with all his goods, and make it the heir of the crown. When you pray, let your heart pray, when you hear, let your heart hear, when ye give, let your heart give, whatsoever ye do, set the heart to do it: and if it be not so perfect as it should be, 
Pro, 3, 1 Dan, 10, 12  yet it shallbe accepted for the friend that gives it.  
Now if you cannot command your hearts to turn unto God, because the devil pleads custom, & the flesh will not agree to leave her possession, 
Mat, 6, 2  then remember what Christ saith, When ye give your alms the left hand must not know what the right hand doth: so the flesh must not know what the spirit doth. Thou must not make thy lusts of counsel, but as Abraham when he was bid to offer his son, 
Gen, 22, 6  rose up betime and left his wife at home, and never made Sara privy least she should stop him, being more tender over her children, like women, than the father is; so thou must give the heart to God, before the flesh hear of it: 
1, Sam, 25, 18  for if Abigail had consulted with nabal that churl, whether she should have supplied David with victuals, or no, when he sent, that miser would never have given his consent, which scolded so soon as he heard of it, therefore she went alone and gave that which he asked, and never told her husband what she would do, lest he should hinder her, which sought her welfare & his too; so we should steal our hearts from the world, as the world stole them from us.  
I have but one day more to teach you all that you must learn of me, therefore I would hold you here until you assent to give all your hearts to God. If ye give them not now, where have I cast the seed, & how have ye heard all this year? If ye will give them now, ye shall be adopted this day the sons of God, and I shall leave you in the bosom of Christ, which will give you heaven for your hearts. 
1. Cor. 2.16  The Lord jesus grant that my words be not the savour of death unto any soul here; but that you may go in strength thereof, through prosperity and adversity, 
Mat. 25.34  till you hear that comfort from heaven: Come ye blessed, and receive the inheritance. Amen.  
FINIS.