Two treatises of Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs. The first of earthly-mindedness

The Sixth Rule.

Labour to be skilful in the mystery of godliness, to draw strength from Jesus Christ in every thing you do. For my Brethren, Christ he is Jacob's Ladder. When Jacob lay asleep he saw a ladder on which the Angels did descend and ascend up to Heaven. Now this Jacob's Ladder is no other but Jesus Christ to Christians, and that must be set up to Heaven; if you would go to Heaven, and converse with Heaven, it must be by Jesus Christ, you must be instructed in the mystery of the Gospel in conversing with God through a Mediator; there is such an infinite distance between God and us, that except we have Christ the Mediator we can never come to God, nor God come to us; it is ⟨p. 255⟩only Christ the Mediator that is the Ladder: We need not say Who shall go up to Heaven to fetch Christ down? No, we may have Christ in our hearts, and set up him, and so we may go up to Heaven by his Mediation. When as a Christian comes to live in this manner; what I do expect from God, I expect to draw it through a Mediator, and all the services that I tender up to God I tender them up through the hand and heart of Christ: Now those that are acquainted with this have much converse with Heaven: By Jesus Christ the Mediator I may come up there and present my self there, though no unclean thing may come there, for God looks upon the Saints through him as righteous, being clothed with his righteousness, they may come to their Father with boldness, having their Elder brothers garments upon them, they may come and kneel before the Throne of grace, come into Heaven as into the Presence Chamber and kneel every morning for their Fathers blessing; it's by him what we have access unto the Father: Oh! acquaint thy self with the Mystery of godliness in drawing all from Christ; and tendering all to God through Christ: By this Heaven comes down to thee, and by this thou climest up to Heaven, this is the Jacob's Ladder. But those men that only look upon God in a natural way, that's thus, Indeed all good things must come from God; and so they go to prayer, Lord we beseech thee bless us this day, for all good things come from thee. And they serve God, their consciences tell them they must worship, and serve God while they live here: but it is but in a dull natural way: