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
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
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
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
art chusing and when reason and judgement are quickest and least engaged least the engaging of these blinde thee that thou wilt not see the scale when it turns We have a Scripture which will give much light to this Heb. 11.24 25. Moses when he came to years refused to be called the son of Pharaohs Daughter and chose rather to suffer with the people of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season when he came to weigh and consider things and to make his choice then he refused to be called the son of Pharaohs Daughter then he threw away the Court Honours and Pleasures but it was in judgement he chose rather to suffer with the people of God he saw something of greater importance to him Before this time he was pleased wel enough with AEgyptian toys and trifles of the Court but now comes his chusing time he must be seted in his spirit and he weighs all and upon a serious survey of both sides he throws away the Rattles which hee had played withall before and he makes another choice he chose rather to suffer Thus wee have the sum of the words in the dayes of thy choice Here is a second word to make it more full In thy choice dayes in the days that thou art fittest for Meditation or Action then set the Lord before thee do not put off the thoughts of God till a time when thou shalt be altogether unfit for him and his Service till a time wherein thou wilt be fit for nothing these are the choice days and thy youth is the chusing time We have the same word which in my text is rendered youth read chosen men 2 Sam. 6.1 David gathered together the chosen men of Israel the choisest and fittest men for action now thou art fittest for the Service of the Lord and this sense seemes to correspond much with the text for it agrees much with that which is but a Paraphrase upon these words before the evil dayes come when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them Do not say in thy heart I will try what the world will afford me now and when I have sucked the breasts of her consolation dry and there no more to be had there then I will try what is to be had in Religion what the ways of God will yeeld this Religion is a thing only fit for old Men and Women that have nothing else to do whose palats are grown old and cannot rellish or taste the delights which youth affords or whose memories are grown weak and have forgotten the pleasures of their past days these may begin to think of Heaven now their blood is grown cold and their senses fail them that they can hardly distinguish between sweet and bitter when we have worn out our selves in the world and crippled our Bodies and worn out our Senses in turning every stone and sucking every flower which will afford us any comfort then will we creep to our Closets and cloyster up our selves there too and spend the remainder of our dayes in praying and sighing but for our youth you must excuse us we will take this time to our selves to eat drink and be merry and put death and Judgement and every troublesome thought from us O say not thus in your heart but in your choyse days begin thus work for no day nor time is too precious for the Lord. I have now briefly opened the words I shall propound such Observations as will naturally flow from them 1. That every man has a choice or chusing time 2 God expects that at that time we should chuse him 3 It is a great advantage to begin with the Loâ—d before we are too far engaged in other choyces 4. Remembring and considering or setting God before our eyes is a great Duty and a great help towards the feare of the Lord. 5. No time so fit for this great work as the youth I shal not handle all these distinctly but shall dravv them into one grand Conclusion and in handling that I shall touch and clear up all these as branches of that great Truth vvhich lyeth in the vvords vvhich is this DOCTRINE That nothing conduces more to the fear of the Lord as a means on our part then a seas nable and timely setting him before our eyes A serious and a solemn calling forth of the Attributes of the glorious God and comparing and weighing them with the vanity of the creatures does wonderfully conduce to the ballancing our spirits and to the setting and fixing them upon God as our and chiefest good and at least to over-awe our spirits with a fear of him if not to draw forth the heart unto a love of him For it is very clear that all the wickedness amongst men does arise from a forgetfulness of God David renders a reason of the wickedness of his enemies Psal 54.3 they did not set God before them For strangers are risen up against me and oppressors seek after my soul they have not set God before them And in that fore-mentioned place Deut. 8.11 12. the Lord clearly expounds disobeence and forgetfulness of himself one by the other I shal not spend time in proving this Truth generally but shal divide my discourse into these four parts 1. To enquire how and what of God is to be set before our eyes to help forward this work 2. How the setting of the Lord before us doth further this feare in our hearts 3. How to keep the Lord in our eye when we have him there 4. Why the young man especially must set upon this duty For the first How and what of God is to be set before our eyes to help forward this work Answ I le begin with that in the Text Consider him as thy Creator this doth surely reach thee this reaches Angels and Men and Devils in In ipsa voce creatoris occultum habetur Argumentum look to thy very being or to the beings of thy Creature-enjoyments and Nature wil tel thee by these That God is to be feared that thou dost ow him homage and service think what God may challenge from thee as thou art his Creature the Apostle condemns the Heathen that they did not walk up to this light Rom. 1.21 Because that when they knew God they glorified him not as God God complains from hence of unjust measure from his people Ezek. 16.18 19. Thou hast set mine Oyl and mine Incense before them my meat also which I gave thee fine flower and oyl and honey where-with I fed thee thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savour Hosea 2.8 For she did not know that I gave her wine and oyl and multiplied her silver and gold which they prepared for Baalim And may not the same complaint be made against us That we offer up our time and strength and parts to the World and Sin and Lust and Satan Did they give you these things Are these your Creators Did â—hey give you your being
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
weeps then for whom he weeps it was for Jerusalem who had slighted and forsaken her own mercies out-lived the day of her Peace and was now under a double sentence of Death viz Spirituall and Temporall and although Jerusalem rejoyced in her prosperity yet he that saw what was written over her head drops these few words interrupted and broken through abundance of tears to shew that the ruine and miserie of Her and of poor sinners goes near his heart Many things have been proposed and handled from these words which I shall not now touch I purpose to mention now no more of that which hath been spoken from them then will serve as an Appendix to the fore-going Discourse I shal draw up all that I intend in these three Propositions 1 That the Lord does afford men under the Gospel day or time to make and secure their peace with him 2 That this is very uncertain as to us and unknown but it often determines and ends whilst the meanes of Grace do continue amongst us 3 When this day is past and over peace and the things of peace are hid from the soul These three Propositions are built upon these three things which lye clear in the text 1. Israel had a day 2. This day was now past and gone yet the means continued the Gospel was not yet carried away 3. Notwithstanding they had the meanes yet peace was hid from their eyes For the First of these I shall prove First that God does give men a day wherein they have more advantage then at other times to secure their everlasting peace and interests Secondly I shall come to enquire wherein this day does consist That men have a particular day is easie to discern from hence that the Lord is so oft urging sinners in Scripture not to let slip the golden time wch he cals the acceptable day or day of Salvation see what use the Apostle makes of this Heb. 3.7 13 15. Does not the Author speak there as if Salvation did depend upon the improvement of a day Does he not strongly intimate unto them that there was no way to prevent their future ruine but to be careful of their present day And the Holy Ghost declares the same truth to the same intent by the Prophet Isai 55.6 Seek the Lord while he may be found call upon him while he is near That exhortation is prest by these two motives First That although the Lord was now to be found yet there might be a time when he would not be found Secondly That he might be farther off from them then now he was they would find him at another time as it were out of hearing See what use the Saints have made and what notice they have taken of this Psalm 69.13 My prayer saies David is to thee in an acceptable time He that was resolved to take all advantages in his addresse to God knew wel enough that this nick of time was none of the least God loves those who take the first opportunity whether it be the morning of the day as Psalm 63.1 or the morning of life which is youth Eccles 12.1 or the morning of the means who imbrace the first tenders of Christ which are made unto them as those who were called at the first hour Further see what notice the Lord takes of this when he answers Christ in this manner Isai 49.8 In an acceptable time have I heard thee in a day of salvation have I helped thee As if he should have said Thou speedest wel because thou comest in a good hour in the season of Grace when I was in the vein to shew mercy God hath his day of salvation and his time of hearing and if you wil have it you must come in the nick of time You know Petitioners must wait their opportunities they must come in seasonable hours or else they are lke to miscarry This may in general serve to prove that there is such a priviledged day I shal now open the particulars of it I shal shew you many helps and advantages that many men now have who shal perish and many have had who are now in Hell First They have the Gospel preacht amongst them which is the word of Reconciliation 2 Corinth 5.20 Jesus Christ who is the Mediator betwixt God and Man is declared and the way to Life and Salvation by him is preached plainly that there is no other name given under Heaven c. Acts 4.12 It is and hath been often told them that if they wil believe they shal receive remission of sins Act. 10.43 but if not they shall dye in their sins John 3.18 Secondly As Christ is and hath been preacht amongst such persons so he is and hath been preacht without any difference or respect of persons there is no difference put betwixt noble and ignoble rich and poor strong and weak wise and foolish yea no difference betwixt sinners as to the degrees of sin great or smal from the least to the chiefest of sinners The Gospel hath been or is offered so to men that nothing can exclude them from the benefit of it unlesse they exclude themselves by rejecting of it And that I may make this plain consider 1 They have the same conditions laid down which others have and had who are now in Heaven God did not prescribe harder termes to the one then to the other Believe and repent were the termes which one refused and the other embraced Secondly They have the same promises to encourage them which drew them to Christ who are now in his bosome I do not say that they took the same encouragement from such promises how many souls hath that promise drawn to Christ John â— 37 He that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out and is not this promise in thy book also How many souls have ventured upon Christ from the support which they had by that word Isai 42 3. He shall not break the bruised reede nor quench the smoaking flax And is not this a word for thee if thou hadst any will at all to come to Christ How many hath that word drawn to Christ which we find Isai 55.1 2. yea such as could apprehend no good at all in themselves who upon this word have gone without money in their hand as boldly as if they had not gone to begg but to buy And have not all these things been spread before many who are now in hel to perswade them to look toward Christ It must needs be said that the reason why such came not to Christ was not because they had no encouragement but because they had no mind to come Thirdly They have or had the same ground to believe that those had who believed to the saving of their souls they had the truth and faithfulness of God which is the ground and reason of every ones believing The faith of the Gospel is not a believing that God hath particularly elected thee to eternal life or that Christ
as well as outward to many that perish I shal lay down these few particulars First He inlightens their understandings which before were wholly darkned and gives them the knowledg of many Gospel truths yea sometimes in such a manner and measure that they are able to teach and instruct others and to tel others what is to be done when yet they themselves wil not doe what they direct others unto Rom. 2.19.20 Thus Judas and Demas had such gifts and knowledg as made them for a time serviceable to others yet they served not the interest of their own souls Secondly He shews them the equity of his wayes so that he cannot but confesse that what the Lord requires is just and reasonable and so also what he threatens and yet they have no wil to do the same Rom. 1.32 The Heathens were convinced that God would judge their wayes and he would punish them with death and they could not deny the justice of this sentence How much more are many convinc'd strongly of this who live under a searching Ministry To this we may adde that of Rom. 2.18 Thou approvest of the things which are excellent God inlightens them so far that their judgements are for him though their affections are for the Devil and sin Thirdly He moves so far sometimes until he stirre up some kinde of resolutions in them and Conscience grows so hot that nothing wil quiet it but making of promises to do something in answer to such Convictions Acts 24.25 Thus Felix quieted his Conscience when it was in a flame by telling it he would hear Paul and it another time Fourthly He moves so strongly upon the heart of a sinner that he cannot be quiet unlesse he do something for the present in obedience to that word which is set close to him by the Spirit of God Thus Herod heard John Baptist and did many things Mark 6.20 Fifthly He squeezes a sweetnesse out of his wayes upon their spirits sometimes so that they are convinc'd that it is good following of God Thus the stony ground received the Word with joy Matth. 13.20 And They tasted of the heavenly gift Heb. 6.4 They had some peace in their spirits and comfort in the hope that sin was pardoned and this seemed a sweet thing to them Sixthly He gives them some taste of the powers of the World to come as Balaam had Numb 23.10 He had strange Convictions of the povvers of the World to come He â—avv that a mans happinesse did not lie in the things of this life But there vvas another life vvhich vvas principally to be cared for and look't after He knevv that the people of God had a happinesse reserved for them in that life which was more then all the pleasures of this He knevv that they vvould be the happy men vvho had feared and loved the Lord yet he loves not them although he desired their Condition He would have cursed them for wages yet he desired to be blessed with them Thus you see God goes farre to stirre those who are not saved I have now shewne you wherein a wicked mans day consisteth and how farre it does extend to outward and to inward helps and meanes whilst these things continue which I have shewed you it may be sayd It is day with them But as this day of theirs seemes to be some what cleere in respect of meanes yet it is a very uncertaine day whose length is onely known to the Lord. For he causes the Sun to rise and set at his pleasure And although wee cannot by the exactest Calculations finde out precisely how long or short this day is to particular soules yet we may lay down General Rules and make such Scripture proposals as may help men very much in judging concerning this Gospel day at least I doubt not but to shew you so much as will cleere this truth or Second Proposition That a sinners day may end whilst he injoyes the outward means of grace Sometimes the Lord brings the nigth upon a people by taking a way the means of grace wholly from them When the Sun sets it must needs be dark and if the Gospel were taken quite a way he world would be as dark as Hell But I intend not to insist upon the proofe of this I shall grant that a sinner may have all the choyce outward helps that can be injoy'd continued to him and yet this day may be over And that will appeare First Because God may withdraw the Convictions of his Spirit from him notwithstanding he injoyes the word the Lord may say as Gen 6.3 My Spirit shall strive no more with this man And alas when God hath withdrawne his Spirit from the world to what purpose is it Secondly No onely so but the Lord does hold them from seeing and understanding those things which concern their peace as he held the Disciples from knowing him whilst he talked with them so does he these men from knowing any thing savingly Rom. 11.8 10. God hath given them a Spirit of slumber c. When God hath plainly convinc'd of the truth of his Gospel and sollicited their returne by many morall perswasions and stirrings of Conscience and they will not receive the truth in the love of it He then does not onely withdraw the light which shined convincingly upon their Consciences but he dos hold their eyes from seeing or puts the truths of his Gospel into such a dress that they should mistake them Therefore sayes Christ Matth. 13.11 13. I spake to them in parables Thus says the Lord to his Word and Messengers Go and speak to such a people concerning their peace but I wil cast such a vayl upon plaine truths that they shall not understand what is plainly spoken to them for their good Compare Isai 6.9 with Isa 29.10 and tel me whether God does not take up such resolutions as this That the people who would not see at one time shal not see at another And how farre are such a people from night judge you Thirdly He sometimes hardens their hearts and makes them heavy by that word which in it self is a word of healing and softning He hath said the word shall not go forth in vaine and return empty It shal do something either as a savour of life or of death but because they have refused the word as it offers life God in just judgement makes it a killing word to them as we may see Isaiah 6.10 it is a sad thing when the Lord shoots the Gospel as poysoned arrows against the soul which wil surely kil yet this the Lord often does against such as have rejected the saving offers of it as we may see Isaiah 28.12 13. The Lord gave them line upon line and precept upon precept that they might goe and fall backward and be broken c. But the Lord never deales thus with a people but for sins against his word that he might by his word punish their disobedience to it Fourthly He delivers them
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
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
poor souls do lie Some there are upon whose hearts the word of God hath made some impressions and they have been under some Convictions of Conscience and they have had some trouble for sin and some fears about their Eternal state But these convictions are now abated and their trouble for sin grows lesse and lesse and they come into a calm they know not how and they blesse themselves in this as if things were much better then they were But alas they see not that this is the closing up their day or of their eyes they are now quiet indeed and can sin with lesse trouble then formerly the Word comes not near them and Conscience holds her peace but this is a miserable sign of a declining soul look to it you who measure the goodnesse of your condition by the quietness and calmness of it not by your experience of the soundness of it Consider that all things were in peace and quiet whilst the strong man kept the house and that strong man is the Divel when Christ came and knock'd at the door of thy Conscience it made some disturbance and the Divel began to bustle and make a noise but so soon as Christ withdraws he lies down in his place again seeing all things safe as you know if you come to a house in the night and knock at the doors the Doggs wil bark but when the noise is over and they perceive you are gone they wil lie down in their kennels again so is it in this case when Christ comes neer unto thee and knocks by convictions and thou art awakened and seemest to offer at the ways of Christ and makest a shew of reformation then he roars upon thee and troubles thee but if he see that thou art willing to lie stil and Christ withdraw then Satan wil be quiet also and so thy convictions cease consider you that bless your selves in the cessation of convictions and checks of conscience that the night is the stillest and most silent time but it is the darkest So may this time of quiet be the night of thy soul when the former time of thy conviction was thy day And dost thou rejoyce that thy day is gone and that night is come upon thee oh if thou didst but know what thou hast lost in loosing a faithful convincing conscience thou wouldest rather sit down and mourn over thy loss then rejoice in thy peace sin prevails over thee and thou art quiet the word smites and thou feelest it not duties are neglected and thou art not troubled oh is this a peace to bless thy self in art thou joyful because quiet surely thou hast little cause But you wil say Is it not our duty to rejoice in the peace of conscience and do not the people of God do so Answ It is one thing to have peace of conscience and another thing to have quiet of conscience An enemy comes and appears before a city and gives it an alarum and perhaps he withdraws without storming of it Upon the withdrawing of the enemy there is quiet they are freed from the fears of a present storm but there is no peace concluded betwixt them and the enemy perhaps is but withdrawn to thy losse If they had come to a treaty and Articles of agreement had been drawn up and the enemy had departed upon these then they might have rejoyced in their peace but a wise man wil not say such an enemy is at peace with us onely they are quiet for the time but there is no cause to be secure concerning such a one so long as an enemy perhaps he is but stepped back to take a better advantage as we find he did with Christ he left tempting of him that he might tempt him the more dangeroussy Oh therefore enquire whether your quiet calm estate arise from the slumbring conscience or from the treaty with it and agreement Has it been harkened to and answered and pacified An enemy may sleep sometimes in his Tent and he makes no noise not because he is reconciled but because he is asleep yet a sleeping enemy is an enemy and thou mayst know it when he awakes that it had been better that he had been kept waking if thy quiet be from the sleepiness of thy conscience not from the satisfaction of it thou shalt find it had been better it had never slumbered that it wil awake like a Gyant and set upon thee with so much the more fierceness It is one thing to have troubles of conscience removed by satisfying the conscience and another thing to have them removed by searing the Conscience A man is in a Lethargie and he lies stil and feels no paine he complains not but his friends stand weeping about him because they know not whether he wil awake again or not but they weep not over one that is in a sleep because they know that rest is sweet but the other dangerous and often deadly Thus the case is with thee Thou art now quiet and Conscience smites thee not thou complainest not oh but thy godly friends and relations mourn over thee they stand by thee as a dying man Oh says one I had hopes of my Husband or my Wife or my child or my friend he or she was under some Convictions for sin and it seemed to me his eyes began to open and he strugled for life I saw an outward change for a time and I hoped it would be a real effectual work but oh my hopes are almost dead I see that conscience begins to be quiet and he begins to be careless and see how he is by little and little sliding back into his former wayes oh I am afraid he wil fal into a spirit of slumber and go to hel in it I had abundantly more hopes of his condition when he had lesse But these very souls which mourn over thee rejoyce to see another soul quiet they are glad to hear of the comforts with which God hath comforted some poor doubting souls because they see that such souls came by their peace in another way Their peace is like natural sleep to the body it refreshes their souls and they are the stronger and the more lively for God but thine is a disease and spends and weakens it God hath given them peace by sprinkling their consciences with the blood of Christ But thy peace is from the hardness and insensibleness of it thou art almost past feeling Secondly It is one thing to measure our condition by our peace and another thing to measure it by the soundness of this peace A carnal and wicked man measures his condition by the presence or absence of peace and trouble If his conscience be troubled and there be any impressions made for sin he judges that condition sad and he labours all wayes possible to take off such trouble As Felix as soon as ever the word made him tremble he sends away Paul that he might be quiet Because he does not see the good which
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
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
for there is nothing left for the Word to take hold of Therefore Christ intimates the same thing in that Matth. 6.23 If the light in thee be darkness how great is that darkness It is the more dangerous because it is in the place and stead of light it is that which thou followest and is to guide thee therefore says Christ in Luke 11.35 Take heed that the light in thee be not darkness That man is sad who wants light but he is worse who follows a false light He that is ignorant of God and his ways and was never inlightned is miserable but more miserable is he who hath been inlightned and hath now forsaken the light of the Lord to follow the delusions of Satan and corrupt principles instead of light it is a manifest sign that Satan hath the leading of this man to perdition Thus I have shewn you the sad evidences of approaching night remember I do not speak positively and absolutely of these things I do not say when I see men fall thus and thus that their day is past but these are sad symptoms that it is even at an end When the Physitian sees the symptoms of death in the Patient he looks on him as a dead man according to the course of nature but yet hath some hopes while there is life that he may recover although he sees no reason for it from the Patient He hath perhaps seen some recovered in an unusual way and when they have been past hopes So it may be in this case although men have these spots and tokens upon them yet we dare not be positive God does go sometimes in unusual ways and beyond the common experiences of his people but we have little reason to expect such things in his dispensations God may let men go so far and fal so fouly that al his people may bestartled at it and conclude him a vessel of wrath and yet when such a soul is gone to the very borders of hell and there is nothing expected but his dropping in then may the Lord say return Christ may come at the very Midnight and it may be the darkest time of all before the breaking of the day But this is not Gods usual way so that we cannot say to this man or to that Thy day is over yet we may have such grounds and footings for our fears of some men as may seldom deceive us I cannot say that the day of Grace is past to any one of you in particular yet I am confident it is past to many here and I doubt my fears concerning some opposing hardened sinners and some Apostate professors wil appear at last to have too much footing I could wish that the day of Grace were like to be as long to you as you think it to be but I am sure out of what hath been spoken from scripture it is plain That it is a hidden uncertain and oftentimes a short day and therefore what I say to one I say to all Harden not your hearts while it is called to day and more esp cially you who by all signs and tokens seems to be near unto darkness But some poor souls may say upon the hearing of these things I fear my day is past I have had Convictions under the Word and I have made strong resolutions but I have not answered them I fear I have lost my day when I lost these Ans Art thou convinced of thy lost estate now and of thy need of Christ Are former convictions revived do they come to thy remembrance afresh and do they make fresh and ful impressions upon thy heart so that thou doest now walk under the weight and burden of sin O if God does open conscience afresh and set it a bleeding under Old and new Convictions it is a sign he hath not shut up the day it is a sign he hath not drawn away the Spirit from the Word but he hath set an edge upon it and it is like a two-edged sword it cuts on every side it enters deeper into the soul than ever it did this is a great argument that the day is not over when there is more light put into the Word for thy soul then formerly Again it is a sign that he hath not done with thee because he puts in more light and tendernesse into thy Conscience if he had wholly lest thee he would have lest the Word and Conscience and have struck the one dumb and the other blind or deaf and have put thee in a condition past feeling yet let me tell thee that notwithstanding these stirrings of Conscience thou maiest perish for these are not things to be rested upon God follows many men with convictions whom he never converts There must be more than thy Convictions to shew for Heaven for these are poor things alone and do speak thus much which is to my purpose that thou hast now an opportunity in thy hand and there is hope concerning thee because God is yet treating with thy Soul about the great affairs of Salvation 2 Art thou convinced of the evil of not listning to former Convictions Doest thou see and art sensible how great an evil it is to lose them Doest thou see into what danger thou didst run thy soul by slighting the first offers which the Lord made thee and how miserable thou hadst been if he had taken the advantage against thee to have gone away and to have returned no more with convictions of thy lost miserable estate thou mightest have been now in Hell And whereas thou art now awakened by the word thou mightst not have been awakened until thou hadst awaked there Art thou sensible of these things and art thou now able to justifie the Lord if he had denied thee the least beam of light for thy Soul here and canst thou now bless the Lord for affording thee a fresh sight and sense of thy condition this is a sign thy day is not over for such kind of workings as these are found in the hearts of the people of the Lord when they have their Consciences opened afresh after such slumbers wherein they had lost the sight and sense of their own conditions ordinarily such Souls smart for the neglect of former convictions and are humbled for not following them And they are lain down before God in acknowledging his mercy in not taking advantage against them for those things and they are much in blessing him for comming near them again in his Word although it be not in a way of comfort they bless him for convincing and awakening light canst thou do thus then thy day is not yet past 3 Does thy former loss of convictions make thee more willing now to come in to Christ and to close fully with him in al things and to labour after a serious redeeming of the time to better advantage does former carelesness lay engagements upon thy heart to future watchfulness do you say as the Apostle does 1 Pet. 4.3 The time past