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 by the name of a son:1 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,2 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, thy Lord, & thy King, & thy master desires it,3 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 ⟨p. 282⟩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?4 O, if thou knewest (as Christ said to the woman of Samaria, when she huckt to give him water) if thou knewest who it is which saith unto thee, Give me thy heart, thou wouldest say unto him as Peter did, when Christ would wash his feet,5 Lord, not my feet only, but my hands, and my head; not my heart only, but all my body, and my thoughts, & my words, and my works, and my goods, and my life, take all that thou hast given. For why should we not give him our hearts aswell as our lips, unless we mean to deceive him with words for deeds?
Of all the suters which come vnto you, it seemes there is none which hath anie title to claime the heart but God, which challengeth it by the name of a sonne:1 as if he should say, thou shalt giue it to thy Father, which gaue it to thee: art thou my sonne? My sonnes giue 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,2 therefore if thou bee his sonne, thou wilt giue him thy heart, because thy Father desires it, thy Maker desires it, thy Redeemer desires it, thy Sauiour desires it, thy Lord, & thy King, & thy master desires it,3 which hath giuen his Sonne for a ransome, his Spirite for a pledge, his Word for a guide, the World for a walke, and reserues a kingdom for thine inheritance. Canst ⟨p. 282⟩thou denie him anie thing, which hath giuen the heire for the seruant, his beloued for his enemie, the best for the worst? Canst thou denie him anie thing, whose goodnesse created vs, whose fauour elected vs, whose mercie redeemed vs, whose wisedome conuerteth vs, whose grace preserueth vs, whose glorie shall glorifie vs?4 O, if thou knewest (as Christ said to the womā of Samaria, when she huckt to giue him water) if thou knewest who it is which saith vnto thee, Giue me thy heart, thou wouldest say vnto him as Peter did, when Christ would wash his feete,5 Lord, not my feet onely, but my hands, and my head; not my heart onely, but all my bodie, and my thoughts, & my words, and my works, and my goods, and my life, take all that thou hast giuen. For why should we not giue him our hearts aswell as our lippes, vnlesse we meane to deceiue him with words for deeds?
- 1Mal. 1. 6.
- 21. Cor. 4. 16.
- 3Rom. 8. 32.
- 4John 4. 10.Iohn 4. 10.
- 5John 13. 9.Iohn 13. 9.
