Heaven taken

If you would be violent for the ¹Kingdom, bind your heart to God by sacred vows. A servant will be more diligent after he is bound to his Master. Vow to the Lord, that by his grace you will act more vigorously in the sphere of Religion, Psalm 56. 12. Thy vows are upon me, O God. A vow binds the votary to duty. He looks upon himself now as under a special obligation, and that quickens endeavour. No question but a Christian may make such a vow, because the ground of it is morally good; he vows nothing but what he is bound to do, namely, to walk more closely with God. Only remember, that we vow not in our own strength, but Christs. We must confide in him as well for strength as righteousness, ⟨p. 187⟩Isa. 46. 24. In the Lord I have righteousness and strength.

1. 15.

If you would be violent for Heaven, ¹be sure you make going to Heaven your business. What a man looks on as a [Greek or Hebrew], or thing by the by, he will never be violent for; but that which he makes his business, he will be industrious about. A man looks upon his trade as the only thing to get a livelihood by, and he follows it close: So if we would but look upon Religion as the main business wherein our salvation is concerned, we should be violent in it, Luke 10. 42. But one thing is needful. This is the One Thing, to get Christ and Heaven^*. This is the end we came into the world for. If we could thus look upon the things of eternity as our business, the One Thing, how earnest should we be in the pursuit of them!