JOEL. 2. 12.
THe object, or term to which of our Conversion hath been dispatched, we come to the manner how we must turn to God, and that is, With all thy heart. God doth not say onely, as in another place, give me thy heart, but all thy heart, Prov, 23. 26. The Scripture doth for the most part make the heart the seat of the rational soul, as if all understanding, reason, and affections were placed there, and herein it doth contradict the opinion of most eminent Philosophers, who make the brain or the head, the seat of the rational soul; now some learned men think that therefore the Scripture makes the actions of the soul to flow from the heart, because God doth not make any account of meer speculative, or brain knowledge; but as it is accompanied with the strong affections, and motions of the heart, which put a man upon practice. Aristotle observeth that loose dissolute practices, do not corrupt the habits of meer speculative sciences, as the Mathematiques, &c. but they do quickly destroy practical habits, as prudence and the abilitie to guide and govern our actions. Now the end of the Scripture being wholly to make us good, and to reform our lives, which cannot be done without the vigorous and strong affections of the heart, doth therefore attribute all to this, in so much that a good heart, or a bad heart, are made the good or bad treasury of a man. So then howsoever in some places of Scripture, Mat. 22. heart is opposed to minde, and to soul, and strength, yet when it is put alone, as here, then it stands for all these, and in this sense we are to understand it, Turn to God with all thy minde, thy soul, thy might, with all thy heart.
Obs. Obs. That we are to turn from our sins, even to God, with all our heart. This [Whole heart] is but two words, but hath very great matter and consequence in it: for a man to mourn for sin, to seek to God externally onely, or with his whole heart, differ as much as a picture and a live man, as real burning fire, and painted: To leave sin unwillingly, as Phaltiel did his wife; to turn to God with a deceitfull heart, is very abnominable. If a false balance be so abominable unto him, How much more must false and deceitful, or heartlesse conversions? But this sacrifice doth not so much need an exact division, or cutting of it, as to be bur[…], or offered up in the flames of our affection.1
Let us therefore consider, First what it is to turn to God with the whole heart, and then the consequents of such a total conversion.
And First, To turn to God with the whole heart, is when we do not reserve any part thereof for any sin, when we offer up our selves an whole burnt offering, and not like those Sacrifices where God had but part, and others they had part: such a conversion Herods was, that did many things gladly, but not all things: such a Convert was Judas, Did it not seem a glorious thing in Judas to forsake all, and follow Christ? but yet still he kept part of his heart for a lodging to receive some Lusts. And such half hearted Conversions are frequent in the world: Experience teacheth us of many who turn from divers sins they once lived in; but there is one or two endeared sins, and those they would joyn with God. Thus they attempt a contradiction, to make light and darknesse have communion, to cause an agreement betwixt Christ, and Belial. As the Idolatrie of some is recorded, who feared God, and yet worshipped the Idol gods of the Heathens: They would have the Ark, and Dagon also; so these would turn to God, and to some beloved sin also, as if a man at the same time could turn one eye towards heaven, and the other downwards. Oh fear least it be said to thee, as it was to Ananias and Saphira, Why hast thou detained part of the price? Thou hast not lyed to man, but to God, Acts 5. 3. and so thou dealest deceitfully with God, who will not be mocked, as if thou hadst parted with all thy sins, destroyed all thy enemies, and yet hidest some, as Rahab did the spies, that they might not be discovered. Know then that he who turneth to God, with all his heart, doth not wittingly or willingly spare any one Agag, he doth not keep any one Isaak alive whom God would have sacrificed. Oh what a sad conviction is this of the insufficient, and imperfect conversion of thousands: If it be with thy whole heart, How comes sin and the world to have so great a share of it? Remember the first Commandment, Thou shalt have no other Gods before me. God is a jealous God, not onely when his worship is given to other nuncupative Gods, but when thy heart and affections are given up to any Object besides him.
Secondly, To turn to God with thy whole heart is with our utmost might and endeavor, and highest perfection we are able to closewith him. It is muchdisputed in what sense2 the whole heart is required in that commandment, Thou shalt love the Lord with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy might. The Papists give too low an Exposition, making it to be no more then sincerely or truely. Thus they bring down the Commandment to our power, and not make that to rise up to the Commandment, but by the concomitant phrase, With all thy might, it is plainly meant the utmost perfection of a man, and therefore can never be perfectly fulfilled in this life; yet a perfection the godly have, though it daily need more perfection, & in this sense we turn to God with the whole heart, when we cleave closer and closer to him; and draw nearer and nearer: So that this opposeth all faint, wearisome, and imperfect turnings to God. God complained of the Israelites, That they were weary of him; and such is the listlesnesse of man to what is good, that he quickly turneth out of the way, or fits down before he comes to an end. Thus they did not turn to God; that began in the spirit and ended in the flesh, Gal. 3. 2. and that with Lots wife look back, wishing for their old lusts again. It was no wonder that the Prodigal should with all his heart go from his swine, and his husks, to the dainty food in his fathers house; but if after that he should have gone from the fatted Calf, and been weary of his Fathers musick to his old husks again, this had been intollerable Apostacie. Do thou say then when turned to God, as the Church did, I held him and would not let him go, Cant. 3. 4. Do not go forwards and backwards as the children of Israel did in the wildernesse: Oh if thy whole heart were in this work, thou wouldst be more earnest, violent, and pursuing the enjoyment of God.