comes to cross their profit and gain who yet are troubled to lose him and go away like the young man Mat. 19.22 with tears in their eyes they will do much rather then live without hopes of Heaven til it come to the cutting off the right hand or foot or plucking out of the right eye this is like the way in which Barnabas and Paul parted Christ and they go together in many things but when they come here they must needs part VI. Some are so far perswaded to be Christians that they are ashamed to be reckoned amongst the opposers of Religion They abhor the seat of the scorner and wil not willingly hear godliness derided they are convinc'd of the happinesse of those that fear God and are convinc'd who they are they would willingly be accounted favourers of such and wish they were in their conditions yet notwithstanding all these things something holds them from coming up fully to their steps either they are possest with a sluggish spirit and wil not set themselves forth in the duties of a Christian or else they are secretly glued to the world and wil not run the hazards of Christians One plays the sluggard under his convictions and cries out thus I would fain have knowledg but I cannot allow the time to search the scriptures nor to read good Books nor to frequent the company and conferences of the people of God another says I approve of Prayer it is a duty but I have not parts nor praying gifts these are but idle excuses of hearts that will not come up to God fully for were your hearts set to know God you would find time enough out of your idle and unnecessary businesses to seek after knowledg nay you would cut it out of your time that you spend in eating drinking and sleeping have you not borrowed sometime from these to satisfie your lusts and for you who pretend an excuse for the omitting and neglecting of duties in your Families and in private which you are convinc'd ought to be done and you think to salve it with this that you have no parts alas this is a fiction in some and a vain excuse in all that plead it For 1. Have you not abilities to express your present apprehensions and conceptions to all men you meet with all and converse with are you not able to speak appositely and readily in buying and selling you that can express what you conceive of all matters that come before you may conclude that neglect of prayer does not arise from a defect of expression 2. If God should take you and shake you over hell and you had but eminent and deep impressions of your danger herein you would surely then pray and cry you would finde words if you did feel your wants or apprehend your danger it is nothing that you want but impression 3. Do you not see men abundantly beneath you in parts add natural abilities that yet are able to come to God with boldness speak out their own and others wants freely to God 4. Know it is not parts but grace that fits a man for duty I never knew any that were wrought upon truly how ever weak in parts but was able to Pray without a Book and I do believe that the spirit of Prayer â—s an essential partâ— of the work of grace Zach. 12.10 Rom. 8.15 And that a man may as well live without breath as he can be a Christian without the spirit of prayer V. Be thy parts never so low weak yet use them for God he will augment them Mat. 25.29 To him that hath shall be given Grace wil bring with it such gifts as are of absolute necessity to maintain a communion with God and such is the spirit of Prayer never any man did conscientiously use weak and tender parts for God but like the bread which Christ brake for the multitude they did increase upon his hands in breaking Besides these which are hindered by a slothful sluggish spirit others come not up fully to the life of Christians from a secret tie which is betwixt them and the world they are loth to hazard their peace or credit amongst men Many men notwithstanding they are convinc'd of the ways of God and how they ought to walk yet are so studious of a peaceable quiet being in the world and so covetous of every ones good word that they had rather venture the loss of Heaven then the displeasing of any man they wil be for godliness in their opinion and they wil own the people of God until it comes to this that they must appear they must shew themselves and this wil displease such a friend and such a neighbour and they shal suffer by being counted a man of this or that partie this makes them draw in as the Pharises did who believed but yet would not professe Christ they would shew any under-hand kindnesse to him but they would not be openly seen to be his followers especially where their peace or credit would be impaired John 12.42 Neverthelesse among the chief Rulers also many beleeved on him but because of the Pharisees they did not confesse hâ—m lest they should be put out of the synagogue Thus you see many men go far not onely in respect of conviction but also of complyance with the truth and ways of God and they seem to most men to be altogether Christians and to the best of men to be almost such and yet they are as far from being that which they would be accounted and what others desire they would be as Agrippa here was from being a Christian who was never such Thus I have finished the first head and have shewen you what kind of perswasions these are which are found in such as are termed almost Christians The next thing which was proposed to be opened is the spring and rise of these perswasions in which I am to consider First the extent of these Secondly the defects of them and here I am to shew you whence it is that carnal men are so far perswaded that they seem to be almost Christians and then bow it comes to pass that being brought so far they do not prove altogether Christians CHAP. V. Whence these perswasions do arise WHen we consider the thick darkness that is in the understanding naturally and that gross opposition and enmity that is in the wil against God and his ways we may justly wonder how it comes to pass that any truth gets into the former and that it should find any kinde of complyance or favourable entertainment in the latter yet consulting with experience we may see that the truth doth get into the understanding by way of conviction and into the wil by way of perswasion and works to a very great height both ways in those who yet do not graciously submit unto it and obey it from the heart and if we lay our reason to our experience we may pâ—rceive that this ariseth 1. From the relicks of the light
noise of that you grow quiet again Ah my friends wil you never be serious and in good earnest will you always be betwixt jest and earnest will you alwayes dally with convictions and trifle with eternity shall all that I have spoken to you from this Text be to no purpose shall I conclude that the Lord raised me up in judgement to be a witnesse against you Pray give me leave to reason with you a little and oh that the things which have been delivered to you were written upon your hearts that I could but make you sensible of the danger of that condition in which many of you are Oh that I could so affect my own heart and yours in this thing that those words which Francis Spira breathed out in his agony might be ever sounding in our ears It is a fearful thing to be almost a Christian I beseech you brethren enquire concerning your conditions and compare your selves with the word which hath been preach'd Gather up those convictions which you have met withall in this discourse and see what answer you can make to the Inditements which your consciences have drawn up against you from it If conscience have not acted its part hitherto let it do it now Begin and judge your selves that you be not judged of the Lord. Better it is to judge your selves and lie in the dust then to be judged of God and cast into hel-fire I would intreat all you that have at any time attempted any reformation and pretended to a change to consider seriously of this thing Are there not some here who have been under great convictions of the evil of your conditions and when these vvere strong upon you you made great promises of reforming and of being new men Nay you could not conceal this but others have taken notice of it good people took notice of it and they had great hopes and wicked men took notice of it and perhaps for present were startled at it but have they not since said loe see what is become of such a mans reformation the man is become like one of us again I am confident here are those amongst us who will be stung to purpose when they come upon their death-beds when they do but look back and consider what convictions they had what promises they have made what profession they have taken up for a time and how neer they came to be Christians and how they have fallen away from their profession and are fallen to their wicked practises again in private yea and sometimes to plead for these evils of vvhich they have been convinc'd Others of you that have not fallen back so visibly yet how have you stood stil and shamed the hopes of Gods people who have expected greater things from you then they see or find It may be said of some of you as it was of the Galathians ye did run wel who did hinder you you seemed to begin in the spirit but wil you end in the flesh you did run at first setting forth and you were very sensible and seemed very serious but now you slack your pace Is there lesse evil in sin now then vvhen your eyes vvere first opened you could then roar and cry oh the evil of sin oh my Drunkennesse my company-keeping my Carding and Dicing these were bitter things but are these things less evil now then they were I am sure some of you have other thoughts of these then you had is there less need of Christ now then in former days or are you less sensible of it is there less need of zeal for Gods glory now then before and of circumspection in your walking is the society of the people of God lesse profitable or lesse desirable then it was that some of you vvho seemed to desire opportunities of getting acquaintance with them are at a stand Look into these things and tel me whether these things do not speak sadly of many of you that you were once almost Christians and are now gone back and others are but almost Christians and therefore stand at a stay if you do not decline Oh that I could perswade you to pluck off those Figg-leaves with which you cover your selves and see the nakednesse of your souls acknowledge it and come to Christ for white rayment that your nakednesse do not appeare that profession which you cover your selves vvithall now will be your shame at the last day But here wil arise a great question How shall I know whether I am a Christian in good earnest or not whether I am altogether a Christian Now you will say this must needs be hard to resolve because we sin all and every one hath some defects or other and will have til we are perfected How shall we be able to distingish betwixt the defects of a true Christian and one that is but almost a christian Ans A sounde christian commonly fayls in the manner of performing duties but he that is but a christian in part fails in the matter the first fayls in the circumstantials the second in the Substantials of duty A sound christian performes every duty made knowen to him the other picks and chooses his duties such as are easiest or most profitable or most in fashion or such as are best accommodated to his own parts or abilities He takes up some and leaves out others but a sound christian takes up every duty embraces all the commands of God with equall respect not having any respect to those things which guide the other is his profession and practice The one wil performe publique duties because he can make his advantage of them there is an honour or a profit attending them but he neglects private duties because he can make no advantage of that which no man sees Or if hee doe performe private duties of prayer and reading yet he omits the examination of his heart and the watching over his thoughts and the mortifying of his secrett corruptions because these things are hard and the other are more easie Besides amongst his publick duties he performes some because they do make most for the discovering of his abilities as a man that hath a gift in prayer or in opening the word may do much in them not for the love of the duties but out of a desire to exercise his owne parts But he that is indeed a christian will do all that is commanded though it be a duty which is not fitted to his advantages nor to which he is not sitted by naturall accomplishments yet he wil do it willingly and cheerfully though he can do it but weakly this was Davids frame Psal 119.6 Then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect unto all thy commandments Now I beseech you consider this Are there not here those who do pick and choose their duties and that live in the constant nay total neglect of such duties as they are convinct of With what face can you lay claim to an interest in Christ cal your selves
that hath not heard it thus Now in every one of these there are many things required as in preparing to it we are First to get our hearts affected with the pretiousness of the word that we are to hear Secondly to consider and be humble under our natural deadness and inability to profit by the word Thirdly to mourn over our former unprofitableness Fourthly to get a sence of the wants of our souls Fifthly to heighten our resolutions of cleaving unto the Lord and to bring a full purpose of heart with us to the Ordinance to submit to all that God shal say In the hearing of the word we are required FIRST to see if our hearts be present SECONDLY to keep God in our eye and to make him our dread and our fear and to get our hearts affected with the consideration of his majesty THIRDLY to take part with every word of conviction and to receive truth and to side with it though it strike at a right eye or a right hand After the hearing of the word the duty is not ended for then it must be thy care First to keep those impressions alive which the Word hath made upon thy soul Secondly to have a special care of the bent of the heart tolabour to prevent backsliding Thirdly to enquire whether thou hast profited by the Ordinance and how Fourthly to cover the Word by prayer and meditation as the Husbandman doth the seed least the fowls of the aire steal it away Fifthly to put that speedily in practice which the word hath convinc'd ought to be done or to lay that down which the word says must be left Thus it is in praying and every other duty there are many things to be minded and done in every duty which the half christian doth not mind and while he only looks to the visible part of it and neglects all these concomitant duties he does manifestly omit more then he does perform thus it is manifest in the first sense that such a man does perform lesse then he does omit because he omits many things and performs but few he does little in comparison of what he omits if we consider that the things which he omits are greater then those which he doth perform he is careful and strict in some things but they are little things but he neglects the great and weighty things of God as it was said of the Scribes and Pharisees they paid tith of Mint and Commin but neglected the great and weighty matters of the Law He omits those duties which are of greatest account in which the life and power of godsiness lies he is in the form of Religion but minds not the spirit and strength of it which consisteth not in praying reading hearing receiving of Sacraments giving of Alms or abstaining from the outward acts of it but it lies in the frame and disposition of the heart to God-ward in all these It lies in the fearing and loving of God beleeving and delighting in him this is that which God eyes and values in every duty But he that is not altogether a christian is not acquainted with these things he is not acquainted with heart-examination or watching over his thoughts he cares not about the ordering of his heart aright in duties and the exercising of grace in them Now alas when these things are abstracted from duties what are they they are nothing in Gods account and so for all his reformation it is very little vvhen vve consider it is but in the outward man when he abstains from the outward acts of sin but not from the inward his reformation is not mortification and alas all outward reformation hath little in it in comparison of the mortification of the least sin so that if you set his duties against his neglects either in number or vveight it is manifest he doth but little to what he leaves undone DEMONSTRATION 4. He that is but almost a Christian is but little a Christian because there is very little in that little he does it is of little account and esteem with God nor with good men and that upon several accounts First because his heart is not in what he does and that being not in it which God cals especially for he values it not when the children of Israel did continue the worship of God and observation of many things commanded he charges them as if it had been wil-worship because it was not worship according to his will Who hath required these things at your hands says he Isai 1.12 Secondly such mens obedience wil not be owned at the last day when Christ shal come and survey every mans work at the great day he wil say to such as come with such half convictions and performances I know you not Thirdly there wil come a time when such persons themselves wil be made to see and to acknowledge that there is but little in all that they have done when they shal be forc'd to cry out as the foolish Virgins did Our lamps are gone out Mat. 25.8 Fourthly Satan wil make but a very slender account of all that these men do or have done alas how easily wil he shake such mens hopes and confidence as a reed is shaken with the wind In time of temptation how does he batter their resolutions and in time of sickness or death how wil he take the house which they have built and pluck it down about their ears he wil make nothing of the storming of such a soul but wil lay their strength in the dust in a moment This Job intimates Job 27.7 8. that at such a time the hypocrites own heart wil reproach him Fifthly all that such a man does is so little that it is not worthy to be compared with the least performance of a gracious heart he that does least and does it sincerely does more then he that does most in a way of formality for there is more done in the least act in which grace is exercised then in all those things in which gifts and parts are exercised without grace for this is that only which makes things down-weight with God Upon this account it was that the Lord Jesus set a higher value upon the gift of the poor Widdow who cast in two mites then upon all the great gifts of the Scribes and Pharisees Sixthly there is so little in all that is done without grace that God accounts it worse then nothing he reckons it as prophaness it is with God no more then the cutting off a doggs neck Isai 66.3 Last of all how ever the profession and performances of such a man may seem great yet they wil appeare very smal by that time deductions are made for what is to be deducted do but deduct out of his performances Consid 1. what is done upon low carnal principles and what is done upon base ends and interests of his own there wil be very little left of all that he seems to do as for example Jehu went very far in
exclusion from the kingdome of God they would suffer in some proportion with the rest of the damned what then will be their misery when they shall be thrown amongst the damned and cast into utter darknesse Oh my friends think on these things and take heed that this be not your case I fear it will be thus with some of you that are here that some of you will be found dead like the Levites concubine with your hands upon the threshold of the house and Kingdome of God some of you that have had great convictions made great promises made some attempts upon reformation taken up a profession and gone so far as to give some hope to others perhaps much more to your selves take heed that you do not fall from this hope if you do it will be more tolerable for them of Sodom and Gomorrah then for you Thus I have given you a glance of the sad and wofull estate of such as are almost Christians and though what I have said may convince you that such as these are in a miserable condition yet words are too weak and our conceptions are all too shallow to express or take in the inexpressible and inconceivable wretchednesse of the men of this rank and order in the world That which Francis Spira breathed out in agony of his soul when he felt a Hell kindled in his conscience these men will breath out at last in Hell Oh what a fearfull thing it is said he to be almost a Christian CONCLUSION Some Directions how to avoid this evil temper BUt you wil say How shal I do to avoid this evil frame and temper which you have discovered what shall we do that we may not be half Christians I shall shut up the application of this Doctrine with a few directions to you that desire to be Christians indeed 1. Direct If thou wouldest be altogether a christian then labour to be very exact in thy first works of Christianity if thou wouldest build high be sure to lay the foundation wel make a good beginning if ever thou wouldest see a good end It was the Lords advice to the church of Ephesus Rev. 2.5 and there can be no better given Do thy first works labour to revive the sense of sin which thou hadst at first and call to mind how apprehensive thou wert of thy need of Christ renew thy close with Christ and choose him afresh as if thou hadst never chosen him Be ofen in these first works for though half christians are defective in many things yet the ground and reason of all their defects lies in this that they were never right and sound in the beginning Their first works of closing with Christ and humbling their souls for sin was never truly performed yet and whatever is built where the foundation is weak will fall 2. Direct Study Gospel perfection for know God requires a perfection now under the Gospel as well as he did under the Law though that perfection which the Law requires cannot be attained now by any yet there is another perfection suited to the Gospel and to thy state and condition required viz. First a perfection of Desire Secondly of design it is not a bare desire but of desires combined and strongly contriving to attain the end Thirdly Of indeavours these designs are not the bare secret workings of the thoughts and the idle thoughts of the sluggard who would have his work done if it could be done with thinking while he lies and stretches himself upon his bed but these designs must be brought forth into act and back'd with all the use of the means which may further and facilitate such a work Fourthly There is a perfection of self resignation though thou canst not serve the Lord perfectly with any member of the body or any faculty of the soul yet thou must resign all these to the Lord to labour to serve the Lord both actively and pasvely by and with all these 3. Direct Keep a deep and tender sense of thy own failings to humble thee and to quicken thee to look after this perfection for nothing makes men sit down short of this but pride of spirit and want of a due search and inquiry into their own defections it was this which made Paul press forward Phil. 3.12 13 14. I count not that I have yet apprehended and surely thou wilt so account of thy self if thou doest but take an account of thy daily failings but pride of spirit and an oversight of our own spiritual wants and weaknesses makes us sit down short of the mark as high conceited Laodicea did Rev. 3.17 4. Direct Bee much in eying of Jesus Christ who is thy true pattern by whom thou art to walke and to whom thou oughtest to be conformed 1 Jo. 2.6 Hee that says that he abides in Christ ought to walk even as Christ walked Nothing doth so much stint and streighten the spirits of men as the looking too low and mean examples of holinesse but surely if we did look to the Lord Jesus whose life is layed before us so eminently in the word we should see cause enough to bee humbled when we are at highest and not sit down under any attainments seeing we fall short so far of him who is our pattern 5. Direct Be sure to make conscience of the inward and hidden part of duties make Conscience of that which no eye sees but the Lords Men may see the outward acts and the external ornaments as flourishes of gifts and parts but have thou a chief care to exercise grace in every thing for this is that which makes thee passe for a Christian before God whatever makes thee seem such before men If thou doest thus thy vessel shall not be found empty at last nor thou be condemned for an empty outside professor 6. Direct Never think thy self enough a Christian so long as thou findest any so much a Christian as thy self You know when men run in a race together a man does not content himself to run as fast as others but if any comes up with him or neer him it makes him strive and put forth all his strength in running that hee may keep still in the head of the company and lead the way to all He fears if any one should come up with him that hee would take the prize from him thus it should be with a Christian who should thus run if he would obtain 1 Cor. 9.24 not as it were to get a prize with others but a price from all others Lastly whatever thy condition be or how great soever thy attainments are yet labour to bee much more a christian then thou art if thou shouldest excel all others yet then make it thy businesse to excel thy self so shalt thou be sure not to fall under the weight of this heavy word which hath been spoken to those who are but almost Christians FINIS