up to their own carnal loose hearts to commit sin with greedinesse Rom. 1.28 As they did not like to retaine God in their knowledge God gave them over to are probate mind c. When the heart is once grown hard and fat that Convictions and Reproofs come not at it or when it is past feeling as they were who are mentioned Eph. 4.19 the next thing is a giving up of themselves to all wickedness When God gives men over to their lusts men wil quickly give themselves over to them You have a very ful place which shews that God does thus give up some men Secondly Why he does it and Thirdly What the effect of this is Psalm 81.11 12. It is said that God gave them up to their own lusts Secondly The reason of this is Because they would not hearken to and embrace the Lord and his counsel And thirdly The effect of this was they walked in their own Counsels The raines were no sooner laid on their necks but they ran away from God Fifthly God goes so far with some that he wil not punish them for sinne here he wil not lose one stroak more upon them he wil not afford them those outward means of humbling which he affords to many others As he says of Israel Hos 4.13 14. Your daughters shal commit whoredom and your spouses shal commit adultery I wil not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom nor your spouses when they commit adultery Oh it is a sad judgement and a dreadful when God says of such a soul I wil not visit him here for sin let him be unclean stil let him be a vile wretch stil a drunkard a lyar a blasphemer a Sabbath-breaker stil I wil seem to take no notice of it I wil not reckon with him til I have him in Hel and then I wil reckon with him for all together Acts 14.16 Acts 17.30 Let him go on and prosper and florish in his body and estate he shal not be crost as other men are that he may bless himself and fal It is one of the saddest and sharpest of the judgements of God that can befal a poor creature not to feele the smart of sin here To lye under this judgement that he shal finde the sweet of sin onely Oh let me tel you it is a great and manifest token of Gods displeasure and that he is implacable when he suffers thee to go on quietly in a way of sinne and neither smites thee by his word nor yet by his providences but lets all things go to thy mind and thee go after thy lusts Sixthly God gives them up to strong delusions so that they who would not believe the Word and Conscience when they spake truth to them shal asterwards believe every delusion of Satan every forgery of their own corrupt hearts and every deceit of sin See that of Isai 66.4 I will choose their delusions saith the Lord because when I called they did not answer but chose the thing in which I delighted not This is a dreadful place for such as wil not hearken to and obey the truth when they are convinced of it see another to confirm this 2 Thes 2.10 11. Because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved for this cause God shall send them strong delusions that they should beleeve a lie that they might be damned c. Oh such a word should make men upon whose consciences God is stirring afraid to dally with it May not the Lord say to such If you wil not listen to the truth to day you shall listen to a lie to morrow I will give Satan leave to tempt and I will give thee up to beleeve whatever he shall propose Because thou wouldest not beleeve me for thy good thou shalt beleeve him for thy hurt and ruine Seventhly They may and do often fall back from most or all of those Convictions which they had upon their spirits of the things of God which I mentioned before whilst the Spirit strove with them as for example First For the knowledge which they had of the truth of God they may beleeve manifest lyes in opposition to them 2 Thes 2.11 Secondly Their Judgements may be so corrupted that they may passe against those things which they did approve of they were in their Judgments for holines now they may be for sin Mal. 3.15 They call the proud happy and whereas before they did approve of things which are excellent yet now they thinke it a vaine thing to serve the Lord and they say with those Apostates Mal. 3.14 What profit is there in serving the Lord Thirdly Whereas he had some convictions under the Word and he made many promises to reforme yet now he may be past feeling as they were Eph. 4.19 His Conscience is past all tenderness and remorse and he is seared with a hot iron 1 Tim 4.2 Fourthly He may lay afide that which he had taken up of the form of Godliness whereas while God followed him with Convictions he used to do something that savoured of Religion and to associate himself with those who made a profession but now let them goe by themselves he is not to be found amongst them Mal. 3.15 16. As soone as the Prophet had taken notice of the apostacy of some he adds presently Then they that feared the Lord spake often together As if he should have said You might afterwards have found the Saints by themselves these men were not to be found in their meetings Fifthly Whereas he had a sweetness in the performance of duty he forgets that and returns to lick up his old vomit again and that is sweeter to him then ever Religion was and the reason of this is because he had pleasure in unrighteousness 2 Thes 2.12 And although they might forget this pleasure while Conscience was heated and find some pleasure in the waies of God by the allaying this heat of Conscience yet Conscience being quiet and cool again they lose the pleasure which they apprehended in the ways of God and imbrace the pleasures of sin afresh Sixthly Whereas they had some Convictions of the powers of the World to come and some sad thoughts of Eternity were darted into their spirits that they could not be quiet the love of the present world the profits pleasures and honours of it eat up all these and they forget that there is such a thing as Eternity to be provided for and they live only as if they were to live to this present World Seventhly Such men do not only fall back from their Couvictions and seeming work of Conversion but they go forward in wickednesse perhaps not known or practis'd by them before This we find mentioned 2 Pet. 2.20 Ifaster they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ they are intangled therein and overcome the latter end with them is worse then the beginning for c. Men that have gone
the day not to exclude other times and seasons but especially do it then when the work of the day is done then call thy heart to account as Masters use to do their Servants when the work is over and this time is the most fit and seasonable time for this duty because in the evening time thou maist finde that which in the morning thou couldest not foresee the morning is for the engaging and preparing but the evening for examining the heart for those holes at which thy heart escapes from thee in the day thou couldst not discern but in the evening by perusing thy heart thou mayest easily discover A man goes about his house and views it in all parts but cannot tell where the Theif should break in or go out and is very secure thinks himself strong but when the house is broken open and his goods taken away he traces the Thief by his foot and he finds which way hee is escaped and he labours to fortifie that place which he did not suspect before so perhaps it may be with some of us we take a view of our Souls in the morning and wee think all is well we go forth in the strength of resolution to keep close with God but the house is broken open and the heart is gone by some back door which we neither did nor could fore-see The way to finde out this escape is to view the house after it is broken open and by this means thou maist finde that it is easier to finde a gap then to fore-see it and when thou hast found it get it shut by this means thou maist in time finde out every door and hole at which thy wandring heart goes out from God in the day Fifthly Take heed of walking contrary to thy own light for the sinning against that will bring forth cursed effects which do directly destroy this frame of spirit which I am pressing to The first is this It blindes the Soul and by this means in time it will be so that thou wilt want an eye to watch thy wandring Soul and when thou hast put out thine own eyes thou art like to be a sad Watchman If we consult with that of the Apostle Rom 1.22 because that when they knew God they glorified him not as God neither were thankfull but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkned we shall find that there is no speedier way to lose our light then to sin against it the very Heathens sinned away that light they had and if thou sinnest against more light thou maist lose more a sinal injury done to the eye makes a man see the worse for a time at least if it do not endanger the losing it walking contrary to thy light in smal things may dis-enable thee to see great things for a time labour so to walk as fearing to sin away that light in which thou desirest to behold God and thine own soul Secondly walking contrary to light although in smal things doth estrange the heart from God every sin seeks a shelter but especially sin against light loves not to behold the light we do not love to look much on them whom we cannot behold without a blush Guilt newly contracted and fresh in our eyes doth estrange the soul from God the creature is unwilling to behold him as we see in Adam he hid himself especially if it arises from sin against light no sin doth so much separate from God as this the sense of the sin of our nature or the perswasion that we have committed sins of ignorance are not such interrupters of communion with God as the sin against light for although they do humble us before God yet they do not stir up such a fear and shame in us as this does which obstructs our addresses to God and the reason is plain for when a man hath done an injury to his neighbour ignorantly he can easily go and excuse it but when he hath no excuse to carry with him he is then hardly perswaded to draw near I appeal to experiences of Saints concerning this Truth whether it be not a hard thing to look upon God when guilt sticks fresh on the soul I am sure David found it thus Ps 40.12 Mine iniquities have taken hold upon me so that I am not able to look up Sixthly Remember that in the midst of all thy designs and endeavours in this thing that thou live not upon them but upon Christ neglect no duty which may facilitate this great duty but remember to beleeve as if thou didst use no means Live upon the strengthening promise for it is the work of Christ to bring over the heart first to God and it is his work to keep it close with God This is the great Gospel-promise and we are to wait for the fulfilling of it in the use of means Jer. 31.33 After those days saith the Lord I will put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and I will be their God and they shall be my people And Jer. 32.40 God hath promised to heal the back-slidings of the soul after promises and endeavors and engagements and back-sliding thoughts and revolts of the heâ—rt thou canst not keep up with God see what God saith Jer. 3.22 Return to me ye back sliding children and I will heal your back-slidings And in Hos 14.4 I will heal your back-slidings I will love you freely See what precious promises are these for souls to take hold of We find how difficult it is to keep close to God lay these to heart take these promises and melt them into petitions who knows but that the Lord may do great things for thee if thou wilt wait for him in the promise when he puts out his greatstrength and communicates a kind of omnipotency to poor souls what is there too hard for him who knows how to use a promise as a promise I hint this Because I find many souls to abuse the promises of God strangely and therefore reap but little comfort from them they take the promises and turn them into tryals and onely examine themselves by them and neglect the very end of the promise As for example they take a promise and say God has promised such and such things in Christ to his people as to put his Law in their hearts and to keep them from departing from him and to heal their back-slidings but I fear it is not so with me I do not find these things in my heart therefore I can take no comfort in the promise This is a wronging of the Promise as much as if thou shouldest say I wil believe God when I see his word fulfilled and not before The Promise was given thee to comfort thee and to support thee when nothing else could when the Sun is clouded and thou seest the want of these things which the promise holds forth then thou art to beleeve and rely on the promise this is to use it as a
far in a profession of Religion and seemed to have some power upon them to reform them yet the Corruption of their wils overcomming the light and Convictions which were in their Consciences and finding themselves at liberty they are more vile then ever They are worst at last as is not onely asserted here but in that Parable Mat. 12.43.44.45 If the unclean Spirit be cast out by the power of Conviction alone he will returne to his old habitation he will come and see who keeps house and if it be empty in respect of grace and garnished only with a profession and with natural abilities he will enter againe and he will bring company enough to guard for the future and they shall be none of the best seven Spirits more wicked then himselfe Perhaps hee was a drunkard or swearer or Sabbath-breaker But as he troubled himself about Religion so hee troubled not the professors of it But if he fal back to these sins againe it s ten to one but he proves a scoffer or a persecutor of the wayes and people of God See an instance Mal. 3.14 There where some who pretended to holiness but when they fel off Obs First They did not onely lay aside such duties but struck at them Secondly They scoffed at such as walked humbly with God Thirdly They joyned and so took part with the worst of men They call the proud happie Apostates seldom stand as Neuters Thus I have I hope cleered the two first propositions you have seene it both day and night with the wicked I come now to speak of The Third Proposition viz. That when this day is past and over the things of peace are hid from the soul This is so easily deducible from the two former that I need not speak much to prove it If a day be set to treat with persons and upon terms to conclude a peace if they stand out this day and do nothing the Commission is out of date Thus says the Lord I gave Commission to my Messengers to Conscience and to the Word to plead and strive with you about an agrement and ye would not Now the time is over Conscience and the Word have no Commission to treate with thee againe for I am resolved against peace now Thus God dealt with Jezabel Rev. 2.21 I gave Jezabel space to repent says he But she repented not I am now resolved to take another course with her I will call her c. If the day end any way Peace must needs end with it When God workes as I have shewne you and they come to that passe as hath beene declared we may easily Conclude Peace is hid First if God withdraw from the soule and give over stiring Corruption must needs carry it When God takes away those Convictions which did restaine and bridle the man he will doubtlesse then follow his own lusts and take fil of sinne commit it with greediness But you see it evidently God hath said my Spirit shall not alwayes strive with man Such a man hath desired to enjoy his Lusts quietly and I am resolved he shal have enough of it and where wil such a man stop whom God wil not hinder or when wil he returne whom God will not draw Corruption will doubtlesse Lord it in such a soule Secondly If the Lord leave stiring wtth the soule Satan wil have his wil upon it If the Lord withdraw his inward workings Satan wil draw neere and he will fill up the House If Christ rule not he will Paul sets out the Condition of poore souls who are without Christ thus 2 Tim. 2.26 Satan leads them Captive at his will and Eph. 2.2 He says they walk according to the Prince of the power of the Ayre i. e. according to his mind This is the Condition of every Naturall man Satan hath goten such a power over them that they doe what he Commands But besides this power which Satan hath in men naturally here is a Judiciary delivering up of Souls to the power and will of Satan when their day is over Many who are under the first power of Satan may be recovered but such as come thus under his power are irrecoverably lost and undone 2 Cor. 4.3.4 If our Gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Not to such as are lost in Adam as all men are who are naturally in a lost Condition of which yet some at least shall be repayred But such as are appointed to be destroyed who are lost past Hope In a word when a mans day is over he is lost and peace is hid from him upon a twofold account First In respect of God He withdraws the light and resolves never more to have to doe with such a poore Creature in a way of mercy never to whisper one word of conviction or of Counsell more to him concerning his soule and then he that is filthy must needs be filthy still who will be faithfull to that mans soul or shew him the misery of his Condition or the folly of his waves whom God will Counsell no more The Sunne is set and the day must needs be done Secondly The day being done peace is hid in respect of himself because he had no eyes to see the things of peace They were but shut before either out of prejudice or neglect or wantonness but now they are put out or sealed up so that they shal be opened no more and then although the Sun shine never so Bright yet the eyes being put out he lyes under an impossibility of seeing the things of peace This is as clear as the Sunne when it shines from that of John 12.39 40. Therefore they could not beleeve because he had blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts c. Thus the day of grace and peace you see may be over unto men although the Gospel in respect of the publique administrations doe continue as clear as ever Thus we finde it was with some of the Jewes in Isaiahs time as I have shewn you from Isa 6.9 10. Yet was he the most Evangelical of all the Prophets And thus it was in Christ's time many who lived under the Richest dispensations of the Gospel who heard and saw Christ who spake as never man spake and did what never any did yet were past seeing and Christ saies expressely at last That he did not intend that they should see Mat. 13.10 11 12. Before I come to apply these truths which have been proved I shall clear them from some mistakes or misapprehensions which might arise First Some will say Does not that which hath been spoken strongly infer that Christ died for all Answ The Gospel hath plainly and fully declared that Christ died for sinners and all sinners without exception are invited to come to him and take freely of the waters of life and the promise of Acceptance is cleare None shall be refused who will come to him So that upon this account we have as
mercy for these yet God saies he hath wrath and his wrath is revealed from Heaven against all such who hold the knowledg and truth which thou hast of thy duty under such unrighteousnesse 3 When men have had strong convictions of sin and these have made some Reformation in their lives and conversations and have given great hope of their conversion and afterwards they have fallen to grosse pollutions again 2 Pet. 2.20 the case is stated there very clear First there were persons who had been gross sinners they had walked in the pollutions of the world suppose those of drunkennesse and uncleannesse but these had gotten so much of the knowledg of Christ that they had escaped these pollutions they fled from them as it were But these intangled again not with other sins of another nature as the people of God may be and are who are troubled with secret inward corruptions such as the world takes no notice of and as they were never sensible of before as Spiritual pride in duties vain thoughts c. they are not intangled with these but with the same sins which they had escaped And that is not all for a child of God may be intangled in the same sins again that is for one act of sin or the like as David and Peter were But he says they are overcome Satan prevails so far over them that he carries them back to their former accustomed drunkenness and swearing uncleanness and the like If once it be thus with them there is little hopes of them you may judge what the latter end of them wil be it is worse than the former Those men are so visibly and suddenly changed by the strength of bare convictions and have not grace in the heart as wel as knowledge are in a miserable condition because they seldom hold it out long and when they do fal back it is a thousand to one but they fal foulely and when souls fal thus into their old sins which they had escaped it is a thousand to one but they are held under them and grow worse and worse to the end We have a notable passage Matthew 12.45 They enter in and dwel there they take up their rest there The uncleane Spirit went up and down seeking rest and could not find it But now he enters and hath what he was seeking for as intimating in that he pitches here to take up his abode Relapses in the distempers of the body are more dangerous then the first violence of the disease and so are such relapses dangerous to the soul for if thou art a relapsed drunkard Swearer Sabbath-breaker c. thou art in no more danger then those who have alwaies been such and there is more hopes of recovering one who never had any conviction nor pretended to any reformation then of such who have by the light and knowledge of Christ escaped these and are now returned again to their vomit and wallowing in the mire 4 When men after a high profession of Religion and of giving up themselves to Christ fal back to worldly interests and mind and care for that with neglect of the waies and people of God whom they have closed withal before Every one who hath made a profession of Religion and deserts it dos not fal into open prophanenesse and loosnesse it is possible they may retain so much of the light of Nature and the word as may restrain them from grosse evils and yet they may lose all the heat and warmth which seemed to be in their affections to the things of God so that although they wil not follow God and his people yet they wil not tread in the footsteps of the prophane but they strike in with the civiler part of men who do not openly oppose the ways of God although neglect them and they are for the world and their care is how to be great and rich Religion must lie by to attend upon this they are not such who bring forth no fruit but they bring forth nothing to perfection Luke 8.14 They pray sometimes and hear but the cares and love of the world wil not let them do any thing wel and perfectly it eats up the heart of every duty and in the end choaks their profession As we see it is with the Corn it grows up with the thorns next the thorns overgrow that and lastly the thorns destroy it So is it with such mens profession First it grows up with the World and the love and cares of it he prayes and he hears and he does many things which he did not do before but all this does not crucifie him to the world he loves that as formerly and his heart goes out strongly after it yet his convictions being fresh and strong his profession holds with the world Afterwards as his convictions begin to grow weaker and fainter the World prevails and he is less and less in the duties of Gods worship and he begins to plead excuse for his remisness and slightness in the service of God he cannot spare so much time for prayer and hearing from his Calling his imployments are many and therefore that cannot be expected from him which is from others Now the world hath gotten above his profession and in a little time it choaks it it dies away and comes to nothing Thus it was with Judas he had a covetous heart all the while he followed Christ but at last it got ground of him and he was bought out of all for thirty pieces of silver and thus Demas forsook the service of the Lord in the Gospel when he met with an opportunity of imbracing the present word 2 Tim. 4.10 How many be there in these days which have lost and given up all their profession of Christ this way and have turned back only to mind the things of this present life But such souls who fal off with Judas and Daemas to the World seldom return to Christ the day of grace seems near at an end to such as these Take heed that there be not found among you such as these are who after the pretended giving up your selves to the Lord do fal back to mind earthly things Ph. 3.19 It is a sad sign that God intends to give such their portion in this life 5 When men have sinned away their Convictions and conscience grows quiet this must needs be a symptom of a declining day because the more stupid and grosse conscience grows the nearer men come to hardness of heart and this is called in the Scripture a reprobate mind Rom. 1.28 it is the very mark and brand of a Reprobate of one who is set apart for ruine There is a light in the heart of every natural man which doth direct and counsel him until such time as it be extinguished but if it be not followed it wil go out by degrees Rom. 1.21 But to this light the Lord gives in the light of the Word and some help of the Spirit and if God do in
or your estate or your precious time May we not say to all these as the Apostle said Rom. 8.12 We are not debtors to the flesh nor to the world nor sin we owe them nothing no but we are debtors to God we owe him our time and strength and parts and estates and lives and whatsoever we have or are for of him and from him are all things to him therefore be glory Not to fear love and serve God is to blot out the notion of a Creatour out of our hearts and to forget we are creatures Secondly Consider him in his Power This is frequently in Scripture made an argument to fear the Lord if we look to his power over the creatures so David often Psalm 86.8 9 10 11. Among the gods there is none like to thee O God neither are there any works like unto thy works vers 9. All Nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee O Lord and shall glorifie thy name vers 10. For thou art great and dost wondrous things thou art God alone We see David makes choise of God to fear and serve him because of his greatness in the works of his hands he concludeth That surely God was able to do great things for him also Secondly if we consider his great power especially over us Christ makes use of this Matthew 10.28 Feare not them which are able to kill the body but are not able to kil the soul but rather fear him which is able to destroy both body and soul in hell Doth the world call for thy service or doth this or that great mans lust call for it If thou dost refuse them can they revenge thy neglect of them at that rate which the Lord can Can they deal with their despisers as the Lord doth with his Psal 5.17 The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the Nations that forget God Or can they reward their servants as God doth his Have they the Keys of the grave and Heaven and Hell at their girdles Have they a power suitable unto his Thirdly Consider how infinitely the Lord is above all thy services not taking this into consideration breeds so many put offs men think any thing good enough for God the very dreggs of their time and strength the weak and the lame wil serve him and a little of that too but didst thou consider the vast disproportion that is betwixt God and thee thou wouldest not think all thy time too much nor the choicest of it too good for him who is infinitely above all that thou canst offer up unto him Psalm 16.2 My goodness extendeth not to thee whatever thou givest him thou canst not inrich him thou canst not adde unto him nay when thou hast given him all thou hast given him nothing worthy of him thou hast very little reason to boast but rather to wonder that the Lord will give thee leave such a poor wretch to take his Name into thy mouth If this consideration were kept in all duties and addresses unto God it would make us more frequent in duties and more serious it would check those vain thoughts of men who think the last hour soon enough and the shortest hour long enough and the slightest service good enough for the great and infinite God who shall one day despise their image Psal 73.20 As dream when one awaketh so O Lord whâ—â— thou awakest thou shalt despise their Image Fourthly Consider how the Lord stands upon points of Honour his Name is very precious and he wil exalt it either in your souls or upon them although you may think it a slight thing and what injury or wrong is it to him if I go on a little longer and enjoy this lust or that the Lord hath made such proffers to thy foul in Christ that the world cannot parallel and he stands upon point of Honour in this case Most he wait and be put off and every base Lust and every lying vanity entertained and his Service laid aside May not I say as Isaiah to Ahaz Isa 7.13 Is it a small thing to weary men but you must weary my God also A man will not indure this that has any spirit of a man in him that has respect to Honour he will not put it up to be laid aside and so his inferiors accepted upon unworthy terms when he is put off who offered terms more honourable and advantagious the Lord calls this a double evil Jer. 2.11 12 13. Hath a Nation changed their gods which yet are no gods but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit Be astonished O ye heavens at this and be horribly affraid be ye very desolate saith the Lord ver 13. For my people have committed two evils they have forsaken me the Fountain of living waters and hewed them out Cisterns broken Cisterns that will hold no water It was one evil and very dishonourable to God that his people did forsake him it was a blemish which the Heathen did not cast upon their gods but it was a double dishonour to God that they went off upon bad and base terms Remember all you that are invited daily to come to Christ and yet come not notwithstanding those glorious proffers which he makes to souls and you that pretend to come but come not in good earnest your hearts are going another way O see that you go off upon good terms God wil one day make you know to what losse you go off when you leave him and how much he takes notice of the dishonour you cast upon him by going off to things so infinitely beneath him Fifthly Consider the Mercy of God in Christ this is the great Argument to draw the Soul unto God these are the cords of a man the winning argument to prevail with an ingenuous spirit I am sure they are strong arguments to Saints if not to men Paul knew the weight and strength of this kinde of arguing when he ventered so much duty upon it as the giving up all to Christ Rom. 12.4 I beseech you brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living Sacrifice holy and acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service Now that I might help this consideration to its full weight and value I shall divide it into two parts 1 Consider External and Temporal Mercies these are Motives What is there that thou dost enjoy but it is Mercy to thee and the least of all these hath a voice if thou couldest understand it and it importunes thee to look up to him from whence is every good gift Acts 14.17 Neverthelesse hee left not himself without witnesse in that hee did good and gave us rain from Heaven and fruitfull seasons filling our hearts with food and gladnesse They bear witnesse that God is merciful although I do not think with some that they bear witnesse of Christ and of special pardoning mercy by him 2. Consider God hath more mercy that he might have
word that cometh out of our lips Prover 15.2 3. The tongue of the wise man useth knowledge aright but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishnesse The eys of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good hee is advising to a discreet and wise ordering of words not only to speak according to knowledge but also according to discretion to do and speak every thing and word seasonably and suitably and to edification and this he urges from this Thou art under the eye of the Lord and what sad effects the want of this consideration hath brought forth let the Scripture beside our sad experience declare Hear what account David gives of this Psalm 10.11 He hath said in his heart God hath forgotten hee hideth his face hee will never see it Hee rips open the heart of the wicked and shews the reason of his practical wickedness We have the very sinews of sin that strengthen the hands of wicked men They slay the widow and the stranger and murther the fatherlesse yet say the Lord shall not see neither shall the God of Jacob regard it If thou wouldest therefore be found walking in an even path and avoid the steps of the wicked keep thine eys upon God and that thou mayest do this First Consider that God will eye thee whether thou eyest him or no it s the commendation of a picture when it is drawn so that the eye of it is upon thee wheresoever thou standest to behold it the Image of God is rightly drawn upon thy soul when thou seest his eye is alwaies towards thee Secondly Consider that thou livest no longer then whilst thou art present with God and God with thee whilst thou walkest without God in thine eye thou liest under a cloud and a damp is upon thy spirit coldness and deadness must needs seize uâ—on thy heart when it is withdrawn from the eye of the sun Psal 16 11. Thou wilt show me the path of life in thy presence is fulness of joy at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore As the Epicure said A man doth live onely whilst he doth enjoy his pleasure So may I say Thou dost live no longer then thou art with God See what the Apostle sayes of such as are strangers to the life of God they have a name to live but are dead or if thou art not altogether dead yet thou livest only in the root as the tree doth in winter when the leaves and fruit fail who can tell whether it be alive or dead there is little difference between a dead one and that So indeed it is with the people of God whilst they neglect this great duty there is little difference betwixt carnal people and them Thirdly Consider how thou art engaged to this duty as thou professest thy self a Christian it is thy duty as a Professor to walk as Christ walked He that saith he abideth in him ought himselfe also to walk even as he walked 1 Joh. 2.6 If thou wouldest know how he walked consult with Psal 16.8 I have set the Lord alway before me because he is at my right hand I shall not be moved And if you doubt whether this be meant of Christ or not see Act. 2.25 For David speaketh concerning him I foresaw the Lord alway before my face for he is on my right hand that I should not be moved You see the fruit which is from hence stability in the ways of God therefore he had assurance that he should not be moved Fourthly Consider this was Davids frame and therefore not onely imitable but attainable also Psalm 25 15. Mine eyes are ever towards the Lord Psalm 139.17 18. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me O God! how great is the summ of them If I should count them they are more then the sands when I awake I am still with thee Why should not this engage us and encourage us to endeavour this thing seeing that the Saints of old have attained unto it why should we not go and do likewise Fifthly Consider such a frame of spirit is very dear unto the Lord and a People that so live are very precious unto him he sets much by such a people who carry him much in their eye Mal. 3.16 Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another and the Lord hearkened and heard it and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon his Name God will be sure to think upon those for good who think much upon him the Lord enters their names upon the List for preservation takes special notice of them Not that we should think that the Lord hath any need of a Register to keep things in remembrance but that the Lord might hereby speaking after the manner of men give his people good assurance that they should not be forgotten by him that whoever were neglected in an evil day these should be provided for these are his Jewels as he calls them Now we know if a house be on fire a man will run and catch the Jewels that he hath in his house or the Children that he hath and save them from the flames Thus will God save his precious ones Oh here you may see how good it is to have God in our thoughts for one thought of him shall not be lost God will not only cause their prayers to return into their bosoms but their thoughts shall come home at such a time Sixthly Consider such a frame will bee very sweet unto thee thou wilt find it at present a very choice frame of spirit to have God much before thee David found sweet refreshments here when he could not find any comfort from any visible thing he then had it in his thoughts within him Psa 94.19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soule Psalm 139.17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me O God! how great is the sum of them David seems to be ravished with the sweetnesse of the thoughts of his heart he does as it were travel with a desire to expresse that sweetnesse which he found in the very thoughts of God and because they were inexpressible he propounds this in a question to the Lord who only was able to give an answer How precious are thy thoughts O God! The worldlings thoughts or the wantons thoughts or the voluptuous mans thoughts are not cannot bee half so sweet unto him as the thoughts of God are to a soul that sincerely converseth with him Seventhly Consider that the more thou conversest with God the sweeter will his name and waies be unto thee when thou hast once made entrance into this duty and hast tasted the sweetnesse of it thou wilt not know where or when to end David speaking in commendation of the ways of God hath this expression I know no end therof And in that Psa 119.96 I have seen an end of all perfection but thy Commandment is exceeding
to out-live them but their wives and children as if there were no God nor no soul to survive their very lives speak the very language of the great Turk when he was dying and his Doctors told him he must prepare to go to another world Is there another world when I am dead he thought all had died with him language fit for those filthy Dreamers of our days those superannuated hypocrites who have worn out all their profession of Religion who say men dye as Cats and Dogs and therefore they live like Beasts But as an Antidote against the evil of their ways carry this along with thee Labour to do those things now which thou wouldst wish thou hadst done when thou comest to dye and leave those things undone which thou supposest will not yeeld comfort in that hour Having laid these things down as considerations to quicken to the duty I shall give some practical directions to guide you in it and to further Souls who would willingly have their hearts set in such a constant frame for God First Direction Have an eye upon thine own heart and that will constantly administer occasions to thee of looking after God thy wants or enjoyments temptations or deliverances hopes or fears will advise thee to draw nigh to him not considering the present frames tempers of our hearts makes them so little God-ward if we were acquainted with our selves we should be lessestrangers to him That man is happy who carries so much an eye over himself as to know in what frame of spirit he is That man shall never defer his going to God for want of an errant for his own self observation will furnish him for matter of duty either for meditation or action and the variety of change with which his heart is clothed wil checker his whole life with prayer and praise God is not like to be far from that mans eye and heart who is not farre from himself who is conversant at home If you will be found in a good and constant frame for God labour to know thy present frame whatever it be the knowing of the frame of thine own spirit doth much conduce to the bettering of it But if thou lookest not after thine own heart but lettest it run at random thou art not like to find it much with God a heart not watcht is lost Secondly When thou hast gotten acquaintance with thy heart and findest it wandring from God labour to ingage it as much as thou canst to this duty lay the weight of the duty before thee with the excellency necessity and benefit of it with the danger of neglect and see what thou canst bring thy heart unto and try whether this wil not engage it to be more with God We have a notable passage for our direction in this case Jer. 30.21 He shall approach for who is he that engages his heart for God God promises to blesse the desires and endeavours of such as take some pains with their hearts in this thing I see saith the Lord such an one what pains such a poor creature takes to draw his heart to me and how he tuggs and labours at it Well saith the Lord does he so and cannot he for all this bring his heart to it Doth he complaine of the difficulty of the duty I will cause him to draw near Jor I have seen how he hath laboured to engage his heart David hath an expression very full to shew how much he had to do with his heart to draw it to God or keep it close with God I have forced my self to keep thy statutes The word that is here translated to engage it signifies to engage by covenanting or to become a Surety for any one so it is used Gen. 44.32 Thy servant became Surety for the Lad so that he intimates that often covenanting with our hearts and often covenanting for them with God is a means to keep them intent upon him and though when we have done all we are too weak to deal with our hearts yet God takes notice of those who deal most with their hearts and blesses it unto the design which they drive which is to draw near unto him Thirdly Observe those clouds which do most of all take God from thy eyes and watch against them and where thou meetest with that which hath once proved a snare to thy Soule and a vail betwixt God and thee walk with a holy fear and wait for a double portion of Grace at such a time What is it that doth lead thy spirit Is it thy employment thy recreation thy passion thy cares of this world thy carnall relations or companions it is something thou meetest withal often or is it something thou dost but seldome meet if it be a constant snare then thou hast need to be alwayes watchfull because of that if it be such a one as seldome molests thee be sure thou be very careful and consider how much grace thou hast need of to wade through that which hath once spoyled thee A man that is robbed by the way side will still remember the place where he lost his Purse and will be sure to look well about him when he passes that way again and go provided to defend himself if we did but weigh every condition and what temptations are in it or may be in it and then consider what grace is needfull to bear up a Soul in the same it would wonderfully help our spirits to a senious watchfulnesse and constancy I am now to go forth in my employment and I find my spirit is ready to be too eager and intent upon the things of this present world that I can hardly keep God in my eye how great care should I have now of my heart it is almost every day lost in that Wildernesse in which I am now travelling I am now to go to my meat yet I finde that in eating and drinking it is hard to set God before me how shal I do for proportionable grace for this So I am going into such company where I have lost my heart and the remembrance of the Lord oh now for suitable grace to this condition Thus if we would weigh the inconveniences of every condition and watch against them for hereafter it would wonderfully help us against a drowsie dead frame of heart Fourthly Call thy heart often to account where it hath been how little with God and why so and by this means thou shalt find out every back-door that thy heart hath to steal out at from God in a day David propounds this amongst his directions to further and to engage men in the fear of the Lord Psalm 4.4 Commune with thine own heart in thy bed do it on the bed then thou mayest be still and quiet thou canst not plead an excuse from distractions then thou mayest argue it out and have leasure enough to do it this employment nor that will not call thee off Do it on the Bed in the end of
promise If thou dost this thou shalt find them mighty through Christ and him near at hand to help thee in all thy streights And be sure remember this that the use of the promise must not take thee off from other means prescribed neither must other means take thee off from the promise but in the use of all means herein lies the great strength in the strengthening promise Seventhly Labour for an experimental taste and knowledg of God in Christ this wil be the sweetest and surest means to keep the soul intent upon God Where your treasure is saith Christ there your hearts will be now no soul can make God and Christ his treasure but the experimental soul he that hath not tasted how good the Lord is cannot set his heart upon him so as to make him his portion and inheritance But the soul who hath had a taste from God and seen what engagements are from thence to keep close to God Phil. 3.7 to 14. Paul quickly cast away all when he had tasted of Christ but what things were gain to me those I accounted loss for Christ his senses were spiritualized and he does not content himself with a taste but he would comprehend but I follow after that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus he endeavours to that So reaching forth to these things which are before vers 13. and he presses to the mark vers 14. All these shew how an experimental rellish of the goodness of God doth engage the heart to him David hints thus much that there was nothing more conducible to the fear of the Lord then this taste of him Ps 34.8 9. O taste and see that the Lord is good blessed be the man that trusteth in him O fear the Lord ye his Saints for there is no want to them that fear him He cals upon to taste and try how good God is and then to fear him Plainly implying that if he could perswade men to make trial of God and his ways he should engage some of them to fear him from the experience of the sweetnesse of them and the Apostle makes use of this as an argument to press after growth in grace 1 Pet. 2.2 3. As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby if ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious Intimating that it could not be but they who had any experience of the grace of God and of his goodness in Christ must needs be hungring and thirsting after more communion with God if you would therefore keep up your hearts close to God seek for a taste look out for experimental knowledge it is this that wil endear God to your souls If we did labour to set up more precious and high esteem and honorable thoughts of God in our hearts we should endeavour to break through every condition to him What is it that draws the carnal heart after the world but a kinde of sweetness which his earthly distemperate pallate tastes in it What is it that made Israel long so much to go back again into Egypt was it not the garlick and the flesh-pots and because they had tasted of these and seen the Land and the fruitfulness of it they were going into a Land of which they had heard but had not seen therefore they often wished themselves back again and therefore the Lord commanded Moses to send out some to search the Land that they might bring of the fruit of it Numb 13.21 And they brought a cluster of Grapes of the choicest to commend the Land Thus it is with us whilst we make a profession without experience it is no wonder that our hearts keep not close to God we pretend to follow God whom wee know not but the world we know that is always with us we have experience of the sweetness of it and what it yeelds therefore we cleave more to that then to the Lord until he sends us a cluster of the first ripe grapes some first fruits of the Kingdom of Heaven If we have not a little of Heaven in our way to Heaven we shall never seek it with intention of spirit Eighthly Labour for a clear sight of interest Pulchrum meum Beauty and propriety do very much ingage the heart things that are beautifull are very much attractive but if we have an interest in them they seem the more beautiful 'T is a great help to consider of the excellency and goodness of God and of his wayes above and beyond the World and the pleasures of it but when we can consider God in relation to our selves then he is much more comely and glorious when we can say not only God is good but My God is good Propriety does wonderfully knit and glue the heart we see to its object in all things and so it will in spiritual things an interest in Christ revealed and cleared to the Soul doth marvellously engage it to him and quickens it in its acting heaven-ward see for this Colossians 3.1 2 3 4. If ye be then risen with Christ seeke those things that are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God set your affections on things above not on things of the earth for you are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God when Christ who is our life shall appear then shall ye also appear with him in glory The Apostle argues strongly with them unto a Spiritual life and constant frame of breathing after Christ and Spiritual things from their interest in Jesus Christ which was very clear and without scruple to many of their souls and we have the same improvement made of this which the Apostle exhorts to here Phil. 3.20 Our conversation is in heaven from whence we look for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ An interest in Christ draws the Soul much towards Heaven to be constantly looking for it and into it and this causes the Soul to bend unto it That Soul cannot be long a stranger to Heaven who knows a Saviour there O labour therefore to keep your interest clear and plain if you would keep your hearts constantly active and yearning towards Heaven Ninthly Follow thy Prayers and consider what becomes of them if thou dost so they will carry thee much to God consider in the day what thou diddest pray for in the morning and in the night what thou didst aske in the evening and live as one that waiteth for returns this will be an excellent means to keep thy heart busie with the Lord either in a waiting believing frame for something thou hast sought of God and is not yet given in or els in a thankful frame for some answer of prayer As you are before prayer to sum up your wants so after the duty consider of your Petitions and What you have sought of God for the day and wait for sutable returnes Hast thou prayed for a holy humble heart for an active frame of spirit for strength
against such particular corruptions or temperations how doth the Lord answer thee in these things What returns hath this day brought forth of prayer if any then there is way made for another duty of praise if it hath brought forth none as yet then there is work for faith to live upon God and to wait for him untill he return and speak peace This was Davids excellency when be had prayed and spred his want before the Lord he had not done with them but he waited to see what would become of his prayer Psalm 5.3 My voice shall thou hear in the morning O Lord in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee and will look up Here is a double care in praying to hit the mark to study his wants and after prayer I will not lose what I have prayed for for lack of looking after it I will wait to see what answer the Lord will give to me according to that Psal 85.8 I will hearken what the Lord God will speake and like a beggar that comes to the door and in begging opens his condition presentâ—y he listens to hear whether any answer him from within or what manner of return is made or as a man that hath made an adventure to Sea waits still to hear what is become of the Ship whether she came safe to the Harbour whether she was bound and he is stil waiting for some good news of a safe returne of adventures why should not men look as much after their prayers they are their adventures to Heaven I am sure there are many of them lost for want of looking after Men think it is enough if they have been a little warmed or enlarged in the duty but look not after their hearts nor prayers after whether God answers them or not and this is a great reason of the unconstancy in the frame of the people of God If we could but follow our prayers as worldly men do their designs we should seldome let the Lord go out of our eye if we could but consider our Petitions and our present tempers and compare them would it not minde us when our hearts are out of frame this is not the frame of spirit which I begged of God this day I sought other things of God when I was before him suerly this is not an answer of my prayers they are lost this day for ought I can see I do not find that humility self-denial heavenly-mindedness that watchfullness zeal c. which I prayed for this day O did I pray for such a cold drousie dead frame of spirit as now I am under If these kinde of reasonings were taken up they would serve to bring our spirits into praying frames again when they are fallen Tenthly Keep an eye and an ear open unto Providences they will hint much of God to thee he is wonderfull in his goings and in every condition if thou art an observer of God thou shalt find a rod or a staff and either of these will administer occasion of drawing nigh to God if thou hast a desire to keep the Fire constantly burning upon the Altar thou needest not to want fuel to keep it alive every Providence and Dispensation of God will if well and wisely improved afford thee somthing to keep thy heart flaming toward God Eleventhly Lose not the Book of the Creatures that is alwayes open before thee and in it much of God to be seen although he be not fully revealed in them yet something of him you may finde there the very Heathens saw something of God in Nature Rom. 1.20 and surely thou maist read enough in the Book of the Creatures to prevent those Atheisticall thoughts which abound in mens spirits and are the very flood-gates as I have shewed you unto practicall wickedness thon maist suck out something out of one Artribute and something of another and although all these are too weak to declare the Father yet he being revealed in Christ these may be Memento's to thee because they are always before thee I may say as Christ said once Me you have not alwayes with you but the poor you have You have not Christ alwayes nor Saints nor Ordinances always but the creatures you have alwayes with you these are constant Preachers and therefore fit remembrances Psalm 19.1.2 The Heavens declare the glory of God and the Firmament sheweth his handy-work day unto day utereth speech night unto night sheweth knowledg David learns much out of this Book of Nature the Creatures taught him knowledge by conversing with them and observing God â—n them and it is observable that he mentions such Creatures as are most frequently known such as every man converses withall he pitches not upon the great and mighty works of God in the depths he does not send men to the Leviathan to inquire for this knowledge every man cannot find him out neither does he send men into the Wilderness to find the Lion or the Elephant or the Ostridge or any of those creatures little known to men neither does he send men to the Seas because many are strangers to them nor to the Earth because the Sea-man who hath lost the sight of the Land should not say he had lost his teacher but he sends to the Sky and to the Firmament this is seen or known by Sea or by Land But you will say When the day is gone then the night wraps up the Firmament in a Mantle and takes it away from our eyes what shall we converse withall then he answers this Then thou hast the Night that is a creature and who-ever thou art and where-ever thou art thou hast Day or Night Light or Darknesse and these teach knowledge thou canst not want an Instructor or one to minde thee of God so long as the Book of the Creature is before thee and this he proves is never shut night nor day but alwaies legible and in every page there is something to minde thee of the glorious God and surely David got abundance of knowledge and choise affections by observing the Creation and had many sweet frames of spirit and choise breathings from hence and when God was about to instruct Job and to furnish him with an holy and humbling knowledge he opens to him this book of Nature and shewed him abundance of his glory there and although he speaks of many Creatures to whom we are strangers yet of many again which are not so intimating that there was enough to be seen of God among the Creatures most usual and best known to us to mind us and to affect us with the Majesty of the Lord. Twelfthly Compare those daies and hours which thou spendest with God in thine eye and thoughts with those which thou spendest without him and try which of them do bring thee most comfort examine thy heart in thy bed at the end of this day compare a day wherein thou hast walked in a sweet holy humble frame wherein thou hast walked with an active spirit
for God with another day wherin thou hast bin cold and dead and formal and carelesse of thy heart and forgetful of God and weigh the fruits of these two daies walking together and see whether there be not a vast difference betwixt these What joy and rejoicing was in the midst of thy thoughts those days and hours were sweeter then these which have been spent in vanity wilt thou not conclude I had more peace with my spirit and spiritual joy and rejoicing after every day so spent yea the very remembrance of those hours doth yeeld som sweetness to me now when I think of them but these hours which have been spent without God Oh they are burthensom to my soul when I remember them I will therefore return and study to keep close with God in whom is all my strength and comfort for it was better with me then then now Having now finished these three Queries I come to the fourth and last Fourthly To inquire why the wiseman directs this to the young man rather then any other Methinks I hear the young ones saying This is not counsel fit for us it is a yoke not suitable to our necks we are tender and not fit for the yoke as yet hee might well have spared us and given us the liberty of our youth before he had put us upon such hard and difficult service as this I shall indeavour now to answer such secret Objections and to shew the equity and reason of the Preachers exhortation and I shall be the larger in this thing from these three moving Considerations which have put me on this discourse First Because of that common plea which is found in the hearts of young ones they say as those did by the Prophet It is not yet time Secondly Because the Lord hath cast me into a place where there are abundance of young ones and I fear but a smal company of so many that are seriously ingaged in their hearts to the Lord and to his waies Thirdly Because I find very little incouragement from old ones I see every where that God brings in few of them they are so setled on their Lees that there is no shaking of them It is the observation of all men almost in these daies that where the Gospel is preached the success and incouragement is chiefly if not only on the hearts of young ones we see that God puts but little of the new wine of the Gospel into old bottles they are so tainted with their superstition their carnal compliance formality and luke warmness that God doth generally cast them aside as unusefull the time is now coming when the Lord is making good that word Rev. 22.11 Let him that is filthy be filthy still Let them that have cleaved to their superstitions and will-worship do so still let those who have prophaned Sabbaths and Ordinances do so still and let those who have sate Sermon proof and Judgement-proof and Mercy proof sit so still Me thinks the Lord is saying so to abundance in this place who have not been moved nor wrought upon nor changed by all the gracious pleadings of God in the Gospel and he is now calling in to himself a generation of young ones to hear his name in this place and therefore my speech shall be principally to you the youth of this place to perswade you to set seriously about this work of God and your poor souls It is to you that the Lord calls at this time Quest Why should the youth be set a part especially for God Answ For these Reasons 1. Because God hath made choice of this time typically in the Law in the first born Exod. 13.2 Sanctifie unto me the first born whosoever openeth the Womb among the Children of Israel both of Man and of Beast it is mine God hath commanded this for himself because it is the best of our time as the first born was the prime of the strength Gen. 19.3 Ruben thou art my first-born my might and the beginning of my strength the excellency of dignity and the excellency of power Now in regard of this it was accounted a great losse to lose the first-born God puts this as an ingredient into that plague in Egypt Exod. 4.23 And I say unto thee let my Son go that he may serve me and if thou refuse to let him go behold I will slay thy Son even thy first-born Oh how do men bring this plague upon themselves who destroy their first-born their youth the beginning of their strength It is as bad as the sacrifice of the Israelites who offered their Sons and Daughters to Devils Secondly The Lord typifieth this in their first fruits Exod. 34.26 The first of the first fruits of thy Land thou shalt bring into the house of the Lord thy God Exod. 22.29 Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of the ripe fruits and of thy liquors the first-born of thy Sons shalt thou give unto me Nay the Lord was so exact and punctual in this that he would have no exchange made Ezek. 48.14 And they shall not sell of it neither exchange nor alienate the first fruits of the Land for it is holy unto the Lord. Here may be a Query raised Why the Lord would not sell those and yet would suffer nay commanded that their sons shall be redeemed Exod. 34.20 All the first-born of thy Sons shal be redeemed and none shal appear before me empty Ans 1. To shew how much Equity and Reason there was for that Law that it is made here with a proviso against any charg 2 There was mercy in redeeming the one and the not redeeming the other 3 The Lord by suffering the Sons to be redeemed did injoy the ends of that Law for they were only redeemed from death they were still his Now I say as God would not have an exchange in this case so it is vanity in any of us to think of compounding the business with him he will have the beginning of thy strength do not thou say I wil give him the dregs of it say not the latter daies are good enough for he hath chosen the first and if thou wouldest be accepted with him observe his choice Observe the first Offering that we read of Gen. 4.3 4. Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering to the Lord and Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock and the Lord respected him and his offering One brought fruits the other the first fruits and he respected the one and not the other and yet this was before the special Law of first born and first-fruits which shews that it was not ceremonial but moral and so continues for ever as a standing rule for a creature to offer up the first and choicest of everything to God Reason 2. This is the choicest of thy time therefore fittest for such designation most agreeable to the great work of the Lord which will appear if you consider these following particulars First Thy affections are ripe
casting these under foot when they are to be enjoyed will they not say Surely there is much sweetness in the ways of God that this man denies himself in all these things to follow them If ever thou wouldest honour the ways of God and set them up high in the hearts of men and be eminent in this act of self-denial lose not thy youthful days but begin to follow the Lord Jesus whilst the world and the pleasure of it are following thee so shalt thou be a true Disciple of the Lord Jesus Fourthly The work is great which thou art called to and therefore fittest for thy youth we know that we use to single out the morning for the choicest employment which requires greatness of strength and parts and truly the work of the Lord is in this sense a morning work for it will call for the vigor and strength of thy affections Strive to enter in at the strait gate Luk. 13.24 Philip. 3.14 I press toward the mark for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus Men do wonderfully mistake the ways of the Lord when they think that the sleeping doating age is good enough for him truly this is according to those conceits and fancies which they have of the worship of God and their thoughts are so low because they are so much strangers to it but if such souls were set truly about the work they would find it so much above the strength they have when strongest that they would easily be convinced of the vanity of making delays and putting it off til a time when they must expect less Oh what folly is there in mens hearts and how little reason wil those delayers have to stand by them at the last day when they delay the workbecause it seems hard and difficult and yet they put it off to a time wherein it must needs be much harder then now it is Friends take heed of this folly it is too common amongst us It is against reason and against our practice in all other things and if the devil had not a great power over men this deceit of the heart would be discerned we see men will not do so in other things they will study the season proper to every work but this of their souls the Husbandman will not put off his Summer work till Winter nor his Winter work til Summer he wil chuse to do the work that is most painfull and laborious before the heat of the day if a man walk by the Sea wal find a smal breach that is made in upon the Land he will not passe it by and say let it alone until the next week or year for says he it will grow much bigger by that time he will not make delays when he is sure that delays will make more work let us but study the seasons for our souls as they do let us do every thing to the best advantage the work is great begin when thou wilt but the longer it be before thou begin it the more difficult thou wilt finde it and the lesse strength thou wilt have to go through with it therefore begin in thy youth Fifthly It is a long work and therefore calls for the morning of thy Age he that would run this race should set out early We know if a man have a long Journey to go or a Race to run upon some forfeiture he will covet for as much of the day as it is possible for him to enjoy he will set out very early by the first appearance of day if we did but know what it is to be a Christian we should not think our day too long to spare any of it from our work especially of our choycest hours Three things makes this work long 1 Want of knowledge we have many things to seek after 2 Want of experience in those things which we have in notion 3 Much imployment First in regard of knowledge we should begin betimes how many things are we ignorant of the Gospel is ful of Mysteries the Worship of God is a Mystery and we know but in part when we know most and yet may always know more then we do If we consider our Naturall estate we are ignorant of every truth of God as it is in Jesus we know nothing aright 1 Cor 2.14 The naturall man cannot perceive the things of God therefore seeing there is no true knowledge of God and of Spiritual things till we set our faces and hearts Heaven-wards we had need begin betimes If we look to our after-knowledge which is a fruit of conversion it is so weak and imperfect and there is so much ignorance in so many of the things of God that then we should say O that we had begun sooner with God! then might we have been teachers of others whereas now we have need to be taught the very principles of Christ if we begin at the first hour of the day yet we shall find the work so long in this regard that when the night comes we shall acknowledge that the day hath not been large enough or we have not been active enough to be acquainted with every Mystery of the Lord and we must leave some things to learn when we come to Heaven Secondly In respect of Experience how many things are there which we get in notion which we are content withal and seek not for the experience of it this requires much time to seek after the experience and power and conformity to those truths of which we are convicted in our judgements thou maist learn many things in a Notional way in a short time but experience of all these things is not so soon obtained The Physitian reads many things and they seem rational to him but this seems not enough to him until he gets some experience of these things til he hath made trial of them it wil require much time for thee to put every truth so to the touchstone as to be able to speak to it from thine own experimental Knowledg and this will advise thee to begin betimes with the Lord. Thirdly In regard of imployment O when thou comest into Christ thou wilt find abundance of work to do too much for the little time that is allotted thee if thou lookest upon those without to labour to bring them in to Christ thy bowels wil sound toward them and thou wil say in thy heart O that I had come in sooner that I might have pittied those poor souls sooner in regard of those who are within there are some weak and they call for thee When thou art converted then strengthen thy brethren some are doubting and call for thee to comfort them some are fallen and cal for thee to restore them yea the strong as well as the weak have need of thee O there is work enough for thee to do amongst the Saints if there were none in the world if thou hadst Methusalem's Age to spend And seeing Jesus Christ hath so much
Reason 9. There is a promise to those that seek the Lord early but there is none to those that seek him late mistake me not I would not weaken the hands of any if God move any old sinner to look after Christ I do not say but that there is a promise for them that return at whatsoever time it be a promise to him as a seeker but not a particular promise to him as a late seeker But there is a promise particularly to the early seeker Prov. 8.7 They that seek me early shall finde me And from hence the Apostle presses men to take hold of the opportunity Heb. 3.7.13 And to day if you will hear his voice but exhort one another dayly while it is called to day least any of you be hardned through the deceitfullnesse of sin and the Prophet presses the very same Isa 55.6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found call upon him while he is near the Lord is near thee in the Promise and especially to you young ones because he is near you in the particular Promise whereas he is near others but in the general promise O therefore be perswaded to seek him whilst he is thus near to you Use of Caution to young ones not to lose this time for we may say of youth as David says of the Soul What shall a man give in exchange for it there is no price or ransome sufficient to redeem it from God the following days if thou were sure to enjoy them and give them up to the Lord are not a valuable consideration for thy youth nor will any time be so acceptable to God as this See how the Lord prizes youthfull affections Jer 2 2.3 Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem saying Thus saith the Lord I remember thee the kindnesse of thy youth the love of thine espousals when thou wentest after mee in a Wildernesse in a Land that was not sowen vers 3. Israel was holinesse to the Lord and the first fruits of his increase all that devour him shall offend evill shall come upon them saith the Lord. Times which may follow are either uncertain or not acceptable with God or not so advantagious to this work Joh. 9.4 I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day the night cometh when no man can work Night will come and then there will be no working evening will come and it will be bad working but it is good working whilst it is day whilst it is noon-day when thou hast light upon light a double light the Hebrews expresse noon by such a word that signifieth two lights All these considerations laid together may help us to draw this Conclusion Lament 2.27 It is good for a man to bear his yoke in his youth 2 To old ones who have neglected and lost this precious time of their youth O go home and mourn over this great losse the losse of your precious and choysest time of your youth go to your Closets and weep over your deceitfull delaying hearts which have cheated you so often and put so many stumbling-blocks in your ways that you have not found a time to be serious for God to this veryday You had need go and shut your doors upon you and begge earnestly of the Lord that he would accept of you at last and be very serious and never give the Lord over untill he hath given you some evidence of owning those dregs and relicks of the time and strength which Sin and Satan hath left you you have need of abundance of grace to bring you over and to accept of you when God must go in an extraordinary way of grace toward your soul Secondly Redeem the time that is lest let none of that be thrown away after the rest 1 Pet. 4.3 For the time past of our lives may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles when we walked in lasciviousnesse lust excesse of wine revellings banquettings and abhominable Idolatries The end of the First Part. Novv if Ever Or an APPENDIX TO The Young-mans Memento Delivered By Jo. CHISHULL At Tiverton in Devon Heb. 3.13 Exhort one another daily while it is called to day lefâ— any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin Isa 55.6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found call ye upon him while he is nea Printed at London by A. N. for F. Eglessield and are to be sold at his Shop at the Mary-gold in Pauls Church-yard 1657. To the Right Worshipfull Sir Coplestone Bampfield Baronet SIR I Have presented these few Sermons to you not for their shelter for a Patrons name cannot defend the Author from the censure of the Reader but for your advice Although you cannot want my counsel having injoyed many advantages above others in education of godly counsel and good Examples yet your age does seeing you are now in the day of your choices and if you need none yet I owe to your self and Family whatever may be conducible to your or to their good the engagements which former daies have layed upon me to serve the Family of Poltimore are as fresh upon me as ever and I should gladly embrace any opportunity of manifesting this The Stock of Prayers which your dear Father whose memory is precious among the Lords people hath put up for you the many Counsels which you have received from your Governours and Tutor in former and latter years with the continued Prayers Exhortations and Examples of some very near you give great hopes that you may stand up in your honoured Fathers place and with his Title and Estate inherit that interest which he had in the hearts of them that fear the Lord. If what I have tendered to you further or quicken you unto this I have my end and my joy Above all things beware of delays the danger of those you shall easily find by perusing of what follows vouchsafe to read it seriously and accept kindly as it is offered out of faithfulnesse and affection by him who is Sir Tiverton Aug. 24. 1654. Your obliged Servant Jo. Chishull Now if Ever LUKE 19.42 Saying If thou hadst known even thou at least in this thy day the things which belong unto thy peace but now they are hid from thine eyes THese words are some of those which the Lord Christ sighed out when he beheld and considered the sad and lamentable condition of careless Jerusalem His speech is broken as if he had spoken out one and wept out another part of his mind but such imperfect Language serves to expresse sorrow to the life It is easie to see the heart of Christ through these Lines and you cannot but see him here to be a Man of sorrow Neither are the streams more visibe then the Fountain from whence they did arise you need not go farre to search for the Head and rise of this River look but upon the eye of Christ see where it is fixed and you shall not more easily see that he
much liberty in preaching the Gospel and can give as much encouragement to sinners as if we did preach universal Redemption for then men could have no surer footing for faith then the word and promise of God who cannot lie and this word they have now He that beleeveth shall be saved Secondly Who can say that Christ died not for him in particular thou hast no Negative But the Lord hath left thee a foundation for hope yea and for strong Confidence if thou doest not turn thy back upon Christ That he died for sinners is clear that thou art one is as plain and if thou approvest of the terms of the Gospel if thou desirest to partake of the benefit of his death upon the terms of Beleeving and Repenting thou maist undoubtedly have it If thou wilt come God keeps open house and thou maiest assure thy selfe of thy welcom So that as to thy encouragement to come in to Christ it matters not whether he died for many or for all or whether for thee in particular or not for without all dispute He came that all they that Beleeve might be saved And they who say that Christ died for all acknowledge that his death saves none but upon these terms If thou hast a will to Beleeve and Repent thy encouragement is as good as any can be given thee But if thou hast no will to these things it is no matter whether he dyed for thee or not for thou shalt be damned without all Controversie He that believeth not shall be damned so say we and so say they who believe that Christ dyed for thee in particular Secondly But does not this which hath been said suppose that man hath a free wil and power to believe and repent and convert himself Because you say he may be saved if he wil come up to the terms proposed Answ No. This Doctrine which hath been delivered hath no such foundation But I shal lay down as safely and as cautiously yet as plainly as I can what we are to conceive of the abilities and wil of man in this point First It supposeth that men who perish do not do what they can they do not exercise and improve that power which they have I suppose the difference betwixt Natural and spiritual abilities is discovered in the Parable of the Talents He that had the single Talent hid it when they who had double Talents improved them Mat. 25.20 24. Although we may by following Scripture expressions safely say that the Natural mans Abilities fall short in spiritual performances yet we cannot say He hath no power at all in these things He may do more good then he does and he may do that which he doth better although he can do nothing well It is very hard to say how farre he can goe although we can shew how far he cannot go The abilities of nature must be left like a Terra incognita which hath not bin travailed over Because never any natural man did go so far as he was able to go for God Secondly It supposes that no man did ever perish who did his utmost to lay hold upon salvation by Jesus Christ He who hath given such encouragement as to say that he would not break the bruised reed nor quench the smoaking flax wil not refuse any who have laboured with all their might and strength to come to God by him He that says he will in no wise cast out them that come doubtless will not cast off those who take such paines to come He that hath said to sinners James 4.5 Draw neere to me and I wil draw neer to you wil also make it good and meet those more then half way as he did the prodigall Sonne who desire to return to him We have a notable scripture for this Jer. 30.21 He shall approach unto me for who is this that engageth his heart to approach unto me As if the Lord had said Do you not see how such a one tuggs and labours with his heart to draw it God-ward and yet complains that when he had done what he can all wil not do his heart is ful of backsliding I wil not suffer such a poor soul to stand off I will cause him to approach God hath made an absolute promise to those who labour for Heaven and take paines as it were for life Hosea 6.3 Then shal ye know if ye follow on to know the Lord c. And the Lord says elsewhere Then shal ye find me if you seek me with all your hearts Object But you wil say is it not said Luke 13.24 Many shall seek to enter and shal not be able Answ It is said many shal seeke not strive i. e. they would enter if it could be with ease The soldier who dare not or wil not venture his life in a storme would seek for a way to enter without labour or hazard Secondly Many may strive as wel as seek but not to the uttermost and they have no reason to charge God with the loss of their souls when they have not put out their abilities to the utmost Thirdly Many strive much but not in Gods way as the Scribes and Pharises did and as the Papists and many Legal persons do who do not strive in Christ and for Christ But there was never any that did his utmost for life in the Gospel way that did miss of it The Lord did never give any poor soul occasion to say Lord thou hast propounded such a way for poor sinners to come to life and salvation and thou hast commanded us thus to seek it and behold I would but thou wouldest not I have done my utmost on my part but thou hast failed on thy part Thirdly It supposes that no man did perish for want of power which had a wil to Believe and repent When ever the wil of a poor Creature did come over to God there did alwayes come with it a sufficiency of grace to lead him through all the works of grace Although there were not abilities suitable to the wil yet they were some way suited to the work of Conversion Not that I do think with some That the wil of man moves first in the improvement of his abilities and that the Lord then steps in with more grace strength as a Reward of this But I believe that God does by his special grace move the will and sets that with what he hath given already to work and where he doth by his free grace excite what he hath already given he doth assist that with more God is first in the work of Conversion and his grace moves the will Psa 110.3 In the day of thy power thy people shall be willing And when God doth begin in the wil to move that toward Christ he wil not suffer the work to fail for want of power to carry it on God never starves his own work Phil. 2.13 He worketh in you to will and to do There is a necessary Connexion betwixt
the wil and the deed If the Lord in his free grace give the Will he wil enable to do if not what we should or would yet what he wil accept of Fourthly It supposeth thus much that it matters not whether thou hast such a power to Believe and Repent which some plead for For if thou hast a Wil to Believe and Repent thou shalt not miscarry for want of power Follow thy wil and thou mayest expect power confidently from the Lord. But if thou hast no wil toward these things and art resolved not to make use of what thou hast it is no matter whether thou hast more or lesse If thou hast no power of thy self yet if thou hast a Wil the Lord wil not let thee stand out for want of power And if thou hadst all this power in thy hand and hast no wil to employ and improve it for thy soul it is all one as to thy salvation Thou shalt perish Fifthly It supposes that the Lord doth not condemn men for what they cannot do although they cannot doe what he commands but because they wil not God commands thee to Believe to repent to be humbled for thy sins and to make thee a new heart to forsake thy very evil thoughts Thou canst no more do these things then the Blackamore can change his skin or the Leopard his spots Jer. 13.23 But this is not that which will damn thee that thou canst not do them but this will be thy condemnation that thou wouldest not do them It is true if thou wert sensible of thine inability thou mightest plead a cannot now and make good use of it thus Lord thou hast commanded that I should keep thy righteous judgements But I cannot Oh that my ways were so directed c. Thou hast commanded me to make me a new heart Ezek. 18.31 But I cannot Therefore Psal 51.10 Create in me a new heart and renew aright spirit within me Thou hast commanded me to Believe but Lord I cannot I find abundance of base unbelief within me Mar. 9.14 therefore Lord help my unbelief Thou hast commanded me to wash and make me clean but I cannot I can as soon wash off the spots from the Leopard Ez. 36.25 Therfore sprinkle clean water upon me and I shal be clean wash me and I shall be whiter then snow Psalm 51.7 Thou hast commanded me to love thee with all my heart and with all my strength But I cannot I find much of the love of the world creeps into my heart and intercepts my affections and I am ful of Backslidings Jerem. 32.40 Therefore Lord put thy Law in my heart that I may not depart from the in a word Thou hast commanded me to cease from evil and to do good But I cannot for I finde Rom. 7.23 a Law in my members rebelling c. Therefore Lord deliver me from the sin of this body or from this body of sinne This is the use thou shouldest make of thy cannot and thus improved and pleaded out with God in time it might be of singular advantage to thee But it wil be vaine to think to lay up this plea by thee until the last day and to think to stop Judgement by it then For the Lord wil proceed with thee upon other termes and so wil frustrate such a plea as this is For he wil not condemn thee because thou couldst not but because thou wouldst not believe And when thou art found guilty of stubborn and wilful disobedience it wil be in vain to plead inability Thy weakness was the reason why thou couldest not believe but it was not the reason why thou wouldest not believe If ever thou wouldst have pleaded insufficiency thou shouldst have done it whilst there was time for it when it might have been removed The business then to be proved wil be that thou wouldst not believe and for this thou shalt be condemned John 3.19 This is Condemnation that light is come into the world and men love darkness more then light Sixthly It supposes that a mans cannot is from his VVil not Therefore he cannot because he wil not There is a Twofold Cannot in unbelievers A first and a second The first is while the day of grace does continue of which I am now to speak and this is from his corrupt will While God is offering to him termes of peace and reconciliation he is wilful and shuts his eys and ears and wil not see nor hear what is for his good There is a second Cannot which follows this a Judiciary Cannot When man hath shut his eyes and therefore could not see the things of his peace the Lord seals them up and says From henceforth thou shalt not see any thing for thy good this is a dreadful Cannot and when men come to this they are almost in Hell But I am to speak of the former of these which is so much the more fearful because it leads to this the Cannot which arises from a mans own wil the wil and affections blinde the Understanding and therefore he cannot see The corruption of mandoth most of all appear in his wil for this is the very seat of it from whence it issueth forth into every part of him and defileth the whole man the will is the Ring-leader in good or evil And that is not misled by the understanding until the understanding hath been seduced by that A man is first prejudiced against spiritual things he wils them not and therefore he sees not the excellency that is in them Thus the will blindes the understanding and that leads the will aside and so the blinde lead the blinde till both fal into the dâ—tch Thus we see daily by sad experience how mens passions or interests do blinde them that they do not see things as they are Men love or hate things and then they judge them to be good or evil according to their affections The Natural man hates the wayes of Godliness and then fancies them to be hard and unpleasant he judges them foolishness because they crosse his lusts which have gotten his affections and therefore he cannot receive them Again he loves his lusts and therefore he fancies that they are comely and pleasant he is not willing to see the deformity of sinne Like some fond Mother who do ates so much upon her childe that she wil heare no evil of it she is so blinded by affection that she cannot see faults Thus it was with Balam who although he had assurance that Israel should be blest and not curst would faine perswade himself through the extream love of the wages of iniquity that he might curse Israel from such or such a place So also is it with men although the word of God flie in their faces for sin and tels them that if they let it not go their souls shall go for it yet the love of sin and their extream unwillingness to part with it puts them upon studying some excuse or other for it and they would
God who made thee willing in the day of his power Who hath made thee to differ Is it not the Lord oh take heed of diminishing the grace of God When thou deniest the distinguishing acts of it you do eclipse the Glory of it So much as you take from the Corruption of the Wil so much you take from the eminency of grace Let those who pretend to Regeneration bless the Lord not as having received grace in Common with others but as having received grace in special above others Even as they did Rev. 5.9 They bless the Lord for redeeming them out of the tongues and out of the Nations c. That God vouchsafed more to them then to those amongst whom they lived Oh you may say It was mercy that God offerd us Heaven upon any terms and if he had gone no further it had been enough to convince us that he was gracious Oh but he hath given us what he never gave them viz. hearts to believe and close with his gracious tenders or else we had withstood them also He gave them the Law but he put it in our hearts all our desires after grace are from his superabounding grace and what we are more then others that we are from what God did vouchsafe unto us more then unto them It is not from the improvement of the same Talents and means which he had with others nor from a Compliance with that general Gospel grace which was given to them and us But it was from additional mercy this was distinguishing mercy 'T is by this grace that we are what we are So we can say as the Apostle Gal. 4.9 Although we know God yet it is more proper to say we are known of God Therefore let him have the honour of his own work upon your hearts in converting and turning them to himself let the work be acknowledged his from the beginning to the end of it look on him as the author and finisher of your faith If God hath moved thy heart towards himself and hath met thy endeavours with successe and thou art able in thy experience to say it is good to draw nigh to God take heed of setting up an high opinion of thine own free Will as if that had moved God rather then God had moved it as if what thou hast were rather the recompence of improved Abilities then the fruits of Gods distinguishing Grace If ever you would honour free grace keep up in thy heart a deep sense of its distinguishing acts Vse 6. If it be thus Then above all things look to your Wills and try them whether they be set for heaven and holiness or not And in pursuing this minde these three things First Get a thorow sense of the Corruption of thy Will naturally and of its indisposition to Good For want of the knowledge of the malignity of the will causes deepe security amongst many they think their hearts are as good as any when indeed the reason why they account them good is because they did never yet study the evil of them and many poore souls goe blinded to Hell with the Good opinion of their own Wills Secondly Goe to the Lord and intreat him to take the worke into his hand if the business of thy Salvation be left upon the motion of thy Will thou are lost Tell him that thou hast found which way the Wil of man does naturally bend and if he should leave thy Will to it selfe thou art likely to make the same choyce that others have done who have been so left Tell him thou hast so much Experience of the Corruption of thy Will that thou darest not trust it nor venture thy Eternal interest upon it And whereas others dispute to get the work into their hands do thou pray as hard to get it into the hands of God Thirdly Above all things beg a Will of him Pray earnestly that he would not only put forth his power in Illumination and bare Convictions but that he would reveale this power in bringing over thy Will to himselfe Plead out this above all that he would Convert thee that thou mayst be Converted that he would Incline thy Will unto his Testimonies and that he would draw thee that thou mayst run after him And tell him often that thou standed in need of nothing more then a Will for him and if this be not given in thou art lost Follow the Lord with continuall complaints against the Corruption of thy Will and never leave him till he set up his Image in that till he hath bowed that to his Commands and when thou canst say his Will is thine and thy Will is his then thou art a happy Man or Woman Application of the second Doctrine This day is not measured by the length of our lives but the meanes outward or inward Learne hence that there is more hopes of a people although ignorant and prophane to whom the Gospel is coming then of those who are more knowing from whom the Gospel is departing Gods withdrawing of publick meanes helps of this nature speake his displeasure against a people eminently and tel us plainly that there is but little hopes of such When the Gospel is coming into a dark ignorant prophane place and declares that God hath a people there the day is dawning to them But when it is going away from a people It either argues that God hath no people there or none more to gather or that his work is almost done It argues that the Gospel hath been abused or slighted and that the day of grace is drawing apeace to an end to such a people Secondly it in forms us that they who live unprofitably under meanes are in a farre worse condition then those who live without meanes There was more hopes of the Fâ—gtree although it were unfruitfull before it was drest then there was afterwards Before it was dressed the keeper of the Vineyard was in hope that if it were digged it would bear fruit but when the means was used and no good comes of it it leaves him hopelesse Thus when we see men wicked and prophane who live without the Gospel we say oh if God would vouchsafe these poor souls the Gospel there were hopes of them But we know not what to say nor how to hope comfortably concerning those who continue the same persons they were notwithstanding the Gospel which is vouchsafed them There is more hopes of a drunkard and swearer in the dark Corners where they have not the light of the Gospel then there is of such who continue in these things in the very light of the Gospel For there is hope of the drunkard and swearer who hath lived in darkness that his day is not yet begun and that God may give a day yet But we fear that many of you who continue drunkards and swearers c. have past your day that is worn out and yet your souls are not healed Thirdly See here a sad mistake under which many
may follow such a trouble But a gratious heart counts his condition the better for such troubles at first and counts it a mercy that God would any way awaken him and although he lie under many fears yet he expects much good from such troubles and would not be rid of them but upon good grounds and although he doth pray constantly to be delivered from those troubles yet he would not have been without them for the world neither would he go back to his former condition though he were sure thereby to be rid of his troubles Again when a gratious soul doth get peace he doth not content himself barely with peace but he examines what manner of peace he hath gotten whether it be a holy place yea or no whether it be better then his trouble for says he although I wanted peace and I sought for that yet the Lord-knows that was not all I sought for I sought for holiness and for communion with God and f I know my heart I had rather be kept without peace in my spirit and yet close to God then come neerer to peace and to go farther off from God Therefore unless he can see his peace is a holy gratious peace accompanied with the fruits of the spirit and with communion with God it wil not please him but if the heart be carnal under trouble it is careless under a calm and so it hath freedome from the storm it is enough It is a mistake therefore when you say that the people of God do measure their conditions by the peaceableness of it No no they measure it by the goodness and soundness of the peace that they have and they suspend their joy til they have proved and tryed their peace Thirdly You mistake the peace of the soul for it does not consist in a freedom from conviction of sin nor in a cessation of the tenderness of conscience and a losse of the sense of the evil of it But it lies in the evidence of the pardon oâ— sin which is spoken in to the conscience by which it answers all objections that are brought against it For the people of God who have most of this peace have all these things yet remaining Their peace stands with all these but thine is built upon the absence and want of these As first a gracious heart hath peace yet it hath convictions of sin 1 John 1.8 If we say we have nâ— sin Nay he hath more convictions of sin then before he sees more sinne in himself then ever he saw in all his life Job 42.5 6. I have seene the Lord I abhorre my self and Ezek. 16.63 You shall be ashamed and confounded when I am pacified towards you Yes this does not break his peace because he sees sinne and pardon together and the peace does not lessen the sight of sin but makes it plainer to him But your peace is onely in the cessation of Convictions you see not sin as you did and therefore you are not troubled if thine eyes were open and thou didst see thy sinne as the people of God do it would revive thy troubles again Thy peace is false because it consisteth not with conviction if thou hadst a true peace it would heighten thy Convictions thou wouldest see more sin then ever yet thou didst and those more clearly which thou hast seen already Rom. 7.9 When the Law came sin revived and I dyed This is spoken of Paul after he had obtained the pardon of sin and he that before saw nothing blameworthy in him self saw afterwards nothing but a body of sin and death Secondly The soul may be charged for sin and yet have peace He may be charged by God as Israel is Ezek. 16. But this is to humble it It may be charged by its own conscience as Paul Rom. 7.18 19. In my flesh dwels no good thing He may be charged by Satan as we finde that he is ready to charge the people of God and tempt them to doubt of their interest But yet the soul may have an answer to all these in the blood of Christ A soul may have notwithstanding all that is alledged peace with Paul Rom. 8.33 34. and stand out and say though I am daily charged and I cannot but charge my self yet who shall condemne it is Christ that hath dyed So that you see a Believers peace consisteth with these things But thy peace is in this Time was that thou wert troubled for sinne and thou couldest not eate or drink or sleep quietly for it but now you thank God it is otherwise God began to charge thee for sin and conscience was stirred and thou wert afraid and perhaps Satan began to charge thee too For when God begins to charge for sinne to mind it of Christ Rev. 3.17 then the Devil he charges to drive the soul to despaire Jerem. 18.12 And you shal see whether the hand of God or Satan be most in the trouble by these two things whilst the trouble continues you shal know by observing whether the desires after Christ or the fears of wrath and hel are the greatest when the Trouble ends you shall know by the continuation of such desires after Christ For if Gods hand be most In such troubles for good he will keep up the soul after himself when the trouble is over But if Satans hand be principal in them then they lose all those seeming desires which they had after Christ Oh you who have lost your seeming zeal for God with your troubles of conscience Consider it is to be feared that Satan onely troubled to keep thee off from Christ he saw that God began to stir in the Word and he thought it was time for him to stirr also But when he saw that God began to cease striving with thee and thou beganst to grow cold again he ceased to trouble thee also and hence is thy quiet if Satan should but stirre again he would shake thy peace and this he would do if he saw any danger of losing thee but he knows this peace is a likelier way to hold thee then such a trouble But Gods people have a peace in despite of all his molestations A believers peace does not destroy the tenderness of his conscience nor his sensibleness of the evil of sin for he is more sensible of sin then he was before he sees the evil of it more though the danger be not so much He is sensible of the smallest sinne and there is no sin which he now does account so when he was under terrours of Conscience he looked upon his grosse sins and his feares did arise principally from them but now he looks upon his secret sins and his grief is for them So that he saies when a temptation comes how can I do this thing and sinne against God But the carnal mans peace is much built upon his insensibleness he sees the evil of sinne lesse then he did he feels Conscience lesse and conscience feels sin lesse a
Nature those places and people who lye directly under the sun and have most of the heat and fervour of it have not so long daies in summer as they who live more remote from in as we in England have longer daies at Midsummer then they that live under the Line and they in Scotland have longer then we So it is like to be with thee if thy means be choice and thy convictions strong thy nay is like to be shorter have a care therefore that thou dost not slight the one or the other 4 Be careful now because thou dost not know whether ever God wil strive any more with thee if now thou slightest these these may conclude thy day and seal up thy condition thou hast no sooner an intimation by these that thy day is begun but thou hast a hint that it may be ending The same word which begins to open thine eyes tels thee that it is not long ere they may be shut again God stands at thy heart and knocks he promises thee That if thou wilt open he wil come in but he does not promise thee to continue knocking if thou wilt open saies he I wil come in if thou wilt not open I wil be gone I wil leave thee Say not to the Word Come again for perhaps it wil never come so again God wil not have thee deal so with thy neighbour Prov. 3.28 and dost thou think he wil be dealt so withal Is it not a great Mercy that he wil come once to thee Is it not a base and unworthy thing for thee to think that the great God of Heaven and Earth should waith upon such a vile wretcht as thou art Nay is it not just that the Lord should resolve to offer thee life no more and that be should disdainto follow thee any longer who hast refused him once and again therefore be careful because convictions slighted provoke the Lord to withdraw them and once withdrawn it is a question whether ever they wil come again 5 Be careful now because if this day be lost all is lost it is such a loss as include in it all other losses it is the losse of God of happiness and comfort of thy Soul of eternal life of that salvation which thou hast perhaps hoped for It is a loss not to be supplied because when this is past comes a night and in it no man can work or walk This night is a very black night indeed there is no light in it at all God made a lesser light to rule the night as wel as a greater to rule the day he did not leave the night wholly destitute so that although the night be not a time to travel in yet if a man be cast behind in his journey he may find his way by the light of the moon or stars these do borrow a light of the sun and they do help in his absence and give notice that he is not wholly gone But this night hath no light to rule it darkness blackness of darkness rules in it There is no working in this night because no light the word which is left behind gives no light to the foul when God hath withdrawn he carries away all light with him all true saving light so that a man shal never see any thing aright He leaves no light in providences in Ordinances in afflictions they do not all of them bring a man to see God or his own condition aright But all these things do become to the Soul as those false fires in the night which do lead men out of their way The word does but harden the heard and blinde the eyes and mislead men and fil them with false presumptuous hopes which when they awake wil deceive them O now if there be a day and after this day a night and this night may come so suddenly thou dost not know how soon and this night have no provision for it how great folly and indiscretion is it for to spend the light of this precious day and to neglect those stirrings of God upon thy conscience by which thou art â—olicited to return to him Now and Ever Now or never 6. If so then if it be time for some I am sure it is high time for others if it were time for them to awake because salvation was coming nearer to them then I am sure it is time for them to awake from whom salvation is departing Rom. 13.11 There is no dallying with light when it comes because it is uncertain how long it wil continue but there is much lesse reason to dally with that which is certainly going There are some that are but in the morning of this day others are in the noon of it others again in the wane of it Now if he that hath but seen the morning of it may soon be benighted and he that hath the light of the noon may soon be overshaddowed with darkness and no man hath reason to bee secure because of his day how much lesse shalt thou because in all probability thou art near to night O therefore you who have spent much of your time and have lived long under the means and yet you are either without any Convictions or have almost lost those which you have had if there be any spark of light or affection found stirring in you blow it up resolve now to improve that little time that is left you may possibly do more by that inch which is left then by all that thou hast enjoyed already a little time spent for God and for the interest of thy soul may be of more advantage to thee then the many Months and Years which have been layed out for the profits honours or pleasures of the World and that I may quicken you to this Consider that as every one hath an uncertain time to look after this great work and it is very uncertain how long or short the day of Grace wil be so there are many of you who certainly have but a short time by al signs and tokens you are upon the very borders of darkness and death You have the Symptoms of a people who are even come to the last hour of the day if your day be not quite done it is almost and although we cannot expresly say of particular persons that your day is over neither would I preach it if I could yet we may and shew you in what danger you are that we may warn you I shal lay down some things which do speak a people neer to the night I beseeeh you go along with me and make application to your own hearts and see whether these things do concern you or not and how far Signs that the day is near done First When persons remain ignorant under the means a long time and having great means for Conviction yet slight all this was Israels case Numb 14.11 God calls this a provocation when they had enjoyed so many testimonies of the power and of the truth of God
and yet they would not listen to him they would not be obedient the means of Conviction had been so plain and clear that God could not bear their unbeleef any longer he threatens therefore to disinherit them O hath not this been your case Have you not enjoied the Word in that plainness that you might easily have bin convinc'd long since of your Pride covetousness Uncleanness Drunkness Sabbath-breaking nay thou mightest have seen thy unbelief and the irregeneracy of thy heart thou hast had things so planly brought home to thee that if thou wouldest have used thy Reason and have suffered conscience to speak thou hadst been convinced of thy lost condition long ago and yet thou goest on in those things which the Word condemns and tels thee That thy ways are not the ways of Gods people yet thou goest on carelesly and securely and cryest peace peace this is a provocation Thou hast been plainly shewn what Formality is and what Unbelief is and what are the signs of a Regenerate unregenerate condition that if thou wouldest but make application to thy self bring the Word thy condition together thou couldest not but see that thy condition is dangerous yet thou wil not be convinced thou wilt not examine and try thy heart and come to a result concerning thy Soul strong security after much plainness in Preaching and clearness in the meanes of Conviction speaks a people near to hardening and that their day is almost at an end 2 When men have clear Convictions of the Truth and of their condition and of their duty and yet hold the truth in unrighteonsness Rom. 1.18 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such as forcibly hold the Truth and inslave it wil not suffer it go its own way the Truth bids them do one thing and they would do another they have will of Conscience that would go for God that would be for Prayer and for reading the Word and for hearing but there is the wil of their affections and that is for the world and for the Ale house or for this pleasure or for that lust so that these men draw their consciences after them as you lead a Dogg in a slip he must go your way by force They have gotten so much of the knowledg of the truth to convince them that it is their duty to pray in the Family and in the Closet and conscience minds them of this and sollicites them to go this way and to begin the day thus but the affections they go after their covetousness the thoughts of his Calling comes in some design for profit cals him off and he goes away and slights conscience or the thought of his pleasure comes to him and he must attend that so that he imprisons the truth under unrighteousness and although conscience goes grudgingly up and down and grumbles at him while he is in the Alehouse or in his calling in his pleasures or elsewhere and tels him that he should have been doing something else that while yet it is all one he keeps it under like a slave and drags it after him while he satisfies his Lust Such as these are mentioned in two Scriptures the first is he that keeps it in a Negative unrighteousness or an unrighteousness of omission Luke 12.47 who dos not follow the truth in those things which are clearly revealed to him it is said that he shall be beaten with many stripes The second is he who holds truth in a positive unrighteousness or an unrighteousness of Commission who does not only refuse to follow the light and truth into those duties which it would lead him unto but runs against the clear light and truth into the contrary practises which the light and truth do abhor These are spoken of Rom. 1.32 Such men carry a conviction of the justice of that sentence which God wil pass upon those who walk in such wayes and yet they both do them and delight in them and if you observe how these men came to the height of wickedness it was first of all by not walking with after their light that they came so boldly at last against it vers 21. Thus you see that this contradicting and forcing the light and truth received into the understanding borders on this night for you see it is presently added after he had given an instance of such as did thus hold the truth in unrighteousness that they became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened vers 21. God punishes this perversness of the wil with blindness of mind and it is fit that he who would not use no eye should have never an eye O now bring this home to your own souls Be there not many of you who walk in the Omission of known duties such things as you cannot but be acquainted withal How many prayerless Families be there here and yet the master of the Family knows it is his duty topray with and for his Family and to instruct and command them concerning the fear of the Lord How many prayerless souls be here that seldom or never seek the Lord in private O if I should run thorow particular known duties how many should we find guilty and if Conscience would stand it would say This is a known duty and yet I live in a constant or general neglect of it I le name but one and it is a great and plain one 2 Cor. 13.5 Prove your selves whether ye be in the faith or not It is a word spoken to such as had been owned for Saints there were many strong probabilities that they were such yet these are advised to make diligent search into their hearts and to bring themselves to the touchstone But do you do so How many be there here that never spent a serious hour in all their lives in debating this question whether Christ be in them or not they think it is enough to believe that God is merciful and that they are Christions and it is a shorter way to believe then to prove it It is every man and womans duty solemnly to search the scripture and to search their hearts and bring these two together and then come to a serious resolution Is Christ in me or not of a truth But are there not many here that are so far from searching the scripture in order to this work that they wil not make use of those things which do immediately concern their condition when they are brought to their hands out of the word how long would it be ere such souls would search the scriptures themselves to find out the state of their souls who wil not make use of them when so plainly proposed take heed of holding the truth thus in unrighteousness in neglecting those duties which lie so plain in the woâ—d 2 Bring the second also home and take heed of swearing drunkenness lying cheating add defrauding of pride uncleannesse Sabbath-breaking scoffing these things cannot but be with some conviction and although thou sayest God hath