the Apostle advises concerning the word of Exhortation Heb. 13.22 Suffer the Word of Exhortation will be much more needed here suffer the Word of Conviction It is a Word that will not be suffered by them that need it most The proud and stubborn heart either rises and swells and flings it back in the Preacher's Face or at least it builds a Fort against it sometimes a Fort of Unbelief I cannot believe my case is so bad and sometimes a Fort of Faith such a Faith as 't is I believe in Christ and therefore as wicked as I am through him I hope to be saved Friends give the Word a free passage let it have entrance into your Hearts and how hot work soever it makes there let it abide till it hath finished its Work Give it time hold upon thine Heart the sense of the misery and danger the Word hath brought thee to till the end be obtained The sharpest Plaister will not raise a Blister as soon as it 's clap'd on it must have time to work and though it smart it must be kept on till the work be done Some Foolish Patients if it put them to pain will tear it off and throw it away Sinner hath the Word smitten thee and cut thee to the heart hath it made thee raw and clap'd on a Plaister of Fire the sense of Wrath and Judgment Hath it made thee who once wert a strong confident and wouldst not suspect but thou wert in a safe and happy state hath it made thee now to feel the Wrath of God abiding upon thee Dost thou feel thy Peace broken thy Hopes and thy Carnal Confidence broken down Make them sure never let them be built again beware how thou ever recover to thy old Presumption again but hold that Fear upon thy heart till there be a. new and a sure Foundation laid upon which thou mayest be built up in hope of Eternal Life Some foolish Sinners when God hath discovered their unsoundness and afrighted them with those dreadful Consequents that they see running in upon them like a Flood their desires and endeavours are after present ease and quiet if they can make a shift to be at rest and at ease for the present however it may be with them here-after that 's all they look after they are more for hiding themselves from their Fears than from their Danger and glad they would be if they could but get them back into their former state wherein they felt no trouble nor fear'd any evil Some smitten Sinners that are pursu'd by the Terrors of the Lord will often do as the stricken Deer that 's hunted by the Dogs he 'l thrust himself if it be possible among the Herd that there the Dogs may lose him When the Word hath terrified a Sinner and Conscience dogs him at the heels so that he can be no-where at rest away he will into the Herd amongst his Companions with whom he was used to be merry in hope to forget his trouble his Carnal Friends will advise him and he 's ready enough to take their advice to try what he can do to drink away sorrow and laugh away all his trouble and this it may be may yeeld him a present relief yea and reduce him to a more secure and sensless state than ever before wherein he may abide and never know fear or trouble more till he be brought to the King of Terrors and all the evils he formerly feared be come upon him to the uttermost and he can no longer escape Beware of this folly Sinner Hath God convinced thee of thy Sin and thy Danger and pierced thy very Entrals with a sense of that Wrath that hangs over thy head Do not seek ease in any other way but by the removal of the cause of thy Fears Be not such a Child as to think of hiding thy self from danger by shutting thine eyes from seeing it 'T is a poor Cure of a Disease thy being laid to sleep that thou mayest feel no pain Beware of running into the Herd again for ease When God hath smitten thee wilt thou to the Devil for a Cure Keep thy Sore open and do not skin it over whilst the Core still remains within Sinner thou wert once far from fear or trouble thou couldst once follow the World and follow thy Sins and live in a constant neglect of God and thy Soul and nothing of all this troubled thee Is this the state thou wouldst return to Is it not safer to be a wounded than a secure Sinner an awakned than a sleeping Sinner Chuse rather to live in God's Fire than the Devils Mud in God's Purgatory than in the Devil's Paradise Wilt thou rather die of thy Lethargy than endure those cuttings and scarifyings which might save thy Life If thou art for ease whether it be to Life or Death or if thou wouldst purchase thy Peace on such terms as thine everlasting Ruine then return to thy secure Presumptuous State Objection But I have confidence in God and yet I hope I am not Presumptuous I have good grounds for my Confidence I have been convinced of my Sin I have believed in Christ and have joy and peace in believing and by the Grace of God do now go on my way rejoycing in hope of everlasting Salvation Answer 1. But hast thou examined the grounds of thy Confidence whether they be sound or not Hast thou put thy Faith to the Tryal whether it be indeed the Faith of God's Elect What enquiry hast thou made into that change that is made upon thee Thou mayest examine and yet be unsound Examination is a means to discover sincerity but no mark to prove it But dost thou not examine and yet conclude thy self sound Darest thou trust thine heart without trying it What is Presumption if this be not to conclude thy self to be what thou never provedst whether thou art or not though self-examination be no mark of sincerity yet non-examination is a shrewd sign of Hypocrisie 2. Dost thou never suspect thy self to be unsound Does thine Heart never shake Art thou not sometimes afraid lest thy Confidence should deceive thee lest all thy Hopes and thy Joys should prove a Delusion Thy very being without Fear is ground enough to make thee afraid When we observe how far many have gone in the Profession of Religion to how high Attainments they have arrived what a face of Holiness hath appeared in their Lives and how great Peace and what raptures of Joy they have had in their Hearts and yet at last by their total Apostacy from Christ they have proved that they were all this while under a Delusion when we consider such sad Instances whereof we have seen so many what does this speak unto us but in the words of the Apostle Be not high-minded but fear Dost thou not yet Fear Sure I am afraid of thee I will not say how it may be with here and there one of the most grown and experienced Christians those of
not but in doing mischief 2. The Devil loves to dwell where he may be at rest That is not from Work his Work is his rest but from Resistance or Opposition In carnal and unclean Hearts the unclean Spirit may be at rest there 's nothing to disturb or give him disquiet He may dwell at ease and rule and domineer at pleasure Nay if he please he may be at rest not only from Opposition but from Work too he may take up such Habitations for his Houses to sleep in his Work goes on whether he wakes or sleeps Wicked Hearts do the Devil's Work to his hand he may save himself much of his labour they will run on to Death and Hell without the Devils driving them Foolish Sinners are apt to think themselves secure from the Devil they live in I constant calm and find no such buffetings and blusterings of the Devil upon them as some of the Saints do but are in quiet and at peace and thereupon are confident there 's no Devil near them But stay Friends not so confident cast an eye upon Luk. 11.21 there you may read When a strong Man armed keepeth the House his Goods are in peace It is not because the Devil is not near you that you hear no more of him but because he hath you sure enough and needs not keep a stir to make you surer Do but offer to depart and make an escape give but a shake at his Yoke to get it off and get you away towards Christ and then you shall find whether the Devil be at hand or no. He is at rest in thee Sinner and that 's the reason thou hearest no news nor noise of him he hath thee safe enough or else thou shouldst be sure to find he were not far off from thee Seeking rest and findeth none He goes through these dry places from Saint to Saint from Heart to Heart in hope to find entertainment but is still disappointed Here 's little rest for me to be had these dry places I see are no place for me Here 's such watching and wrestling and warring against me such jealouses and suspicions of me so much praying and complaining against me that thre's no stay for me here This whether it be the Truth of the Text or no I will not peremptorily determine but a certain Truth it is The Devil seeks entertainment in the Saints but cannot find to his mind Then he saith I will return to mine House from whence I came out Well I see there 's no hope of rest for me here but I know whither I may go and be welcome I 'le back to my old Habitation And when he is come he findeth it empty swept and garnished A little cleaner and handformer than when he left it the Devil can allow Sinners a little Reformation But though it be a little cleaned and garnished yet it lies empty still there 's no other Tenant hath taken it up though the Devil went out yet Christ was not let in but there it lies void for the next that comes Then goeth he and taketh seven other Spirits more wicked than himself and they enter in and dwell there and the last state of that Man is worse than his first Beware of a returning Devil the Devil at his return often makes seven-sold worse work than before he did Friends it may be there be some among you in whom the unclean Spirit hath been ruling and spurring and riding you post on upon all manner of wickedness Drunkenness Whoredom Swearing Cursing and all manner of Abominations But at present it may be he is for a season departed and hath a little with-drawn from you and now you are grown more sober and temperate and chast much reformed of what you once were you are swept and garnished you have laid by your former profaneness and taken up the Profession of Religion and put on a Form of Godliness there is a better face upon you and upon your wayes and now you think all 's well you are become new Men and your state is happy But do you not stand empty still Hath Christ taken up these Hearts for his own Habitation If the Unclean Spirit be gone out is the Holy Spirit come in How much soever you are Reformed of what you have been are you transformed by the renewing of your Mind Are you not only garnished with common Grace but are you furnished with special Grace Is Christ within you If not O take heed the Devil may come about again and make his re-entry upon you and then you have not been so wicked heretofore but you may become seven times more vile and your latter end may be worse than your beginning Beloved I hope and am perswaded that there are divers among you from whom through the abundant Grace of God towards you the unclean Spirit is not only withdrawn but cast out that you are not only a little overly swept and garnished but established in the Grace of God I hope and believe that there are many here in whom the Holy Spirit hath gotten such footing that the Devil shall never come in again to set up his Throne or take up his Rest in you But yet I warn you especially the younger Professors among you to maintain a Godly Jealousie of your selves and to fear how it may be with you Now Friends consider what hath been said Are there Preparations for Grace which yet are no Grace Are there Images of Grace which yet are no Grace And may they be so well like that they are often taken to be the same May you have many Properties of Sincere Christians and yet be no Christians May all you have of them go back and come to worse than nothing Believe this and see if it work not fear in you Objection But is this the Work of a Minister of the Gospel to fill poor Christians Heads and Hearts with Doubts and Fears The Word of the Gospel is a Word of Peace a comforting Word and that 's the charge laid upon the Ministers of the Gospel Isa 40.1 2. Comfort ye comfort ye my People speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem cry unto her that her Iniquity is pradoned And the poor People of God have need enough to be comforted they have fears enough from the World and their own evil Hearts and do you make Christ to be the Minister of fear to them also Our Doubts are our Sins our Fears are our Infirmities and do you go about to nourish our Diseases The Word of Christ is the Food of Souls and 't is but poor feeding for Christ's Sheep to feed them with Fear Solution 1. All are not Christ's Sheep that are found in Sheeps Clothing the Devil hath some Goats in Christ's Fold All are not Israel that are of Israel Rom. 9.6 And whilst it is really a question whether thou be not one of the Devil's Goats he does thee no harm that puts thee in fear whether thou be or no. This fear is not to
fright thee out of the Fold but to fright thee into a Sheep I shall do thee no harm if I can fright thee to Heaven 2. What 's one Man's Meat may be another Man's Poison and what 's one Man's Poison may be another Man 's necessary Meat All Christians are not of a like Spirit and what 's poison for some may be proper for others Same poor broken melancholick Souls are all fears and must have Comforts preached unto them others are secure confident and yet careless Ones and these have asmuch need of terror Comforts preached to the doubting and distressed Ones may be poison to the secure and careless and yet for the sake of the distressed they must be preached and terror preached to the secure may be poison to the distressed and yet they must be preached for the securers sakes The Ministers of the Gospel must be good Stewards giving to every one their Portion Luk. 12.42 Comfort to whom comfort belongeth and fear to whom fear On some have compassion making a difference others save with fear Jude 22 23. And as Ministers must give so People must take every one their own Portions as Ministers must divide so People must apply the Word of God aright Let every Man take his own Portion and not be catching at that which is another's There is too great an aptness in the distressed to lay hold on those words that are spoken to the secure if there be ever an afrighting word in a whole Sermon that 's my Portion saith the Distressed this Word belongs to me and so the secure are too ready to lay hold on those healing and comforting words which belong to the broken and distressed both these Evils must be heedfully avoided but whether People will apply the Word of God aright or no there 's no help for it but Ministers must divide it aright and give to every one their Portion 3. There is an awaking fear that quickens to our Duty and prepares for comfort and this will lightly hurt no Body and there is a disquieting and discouraging fear that disheartens to Duty and deprives of Comfort and this will do no Body any good 4. This Fear I am preaching to you will lead you to the better and surer hope These Doubtings will be of great use to put us in the way of getting above our Doubts As there is a Confidence which will end in terror so there are Fears and Doubtings the Fruit whereof will be Quietness and Assurance for ever This will more fully appear in the next Particular wherein I am to shew 2. How this Fear will work towards a farther search Hitherto I have been endeavouring to work this Fear upon Professors Hearts concerning their States and now I shall shew how this Fear will work The Fear lest our Souls should be yet unsafe will 1. Put hard to come to a certainty And to this end will 2. Put us close upon a more narrow search 3. Put in Objections in order to the making all clear and plain 1. It will put hard to come to a certainty nothing short will satisfie it Fear hath pain in it the fearing Christian is in pain till his Doubts be resolved and this pain will press him to make sure He will be thankful for Probabilities and will make the most of them as a drowning Man will catch at every Twig that may keep his Head above Water till he can get better hold A Christian that Fears will not make nothing of Probabilities nor yet will take up with them instead of Certainties The Confident Sinner will venture all upon conjecture if his Heart do but speak him fair and tell him he is safe that shall satisfie him 'T is an amazing thing to consider what broken Reeds Fools do stay themselves upon Fear will make all as sure as it can And there is some hope in that that we ae bent upon making sure He that will not rest in uncertainties is in the fairer way to come to a certainty 2. Fear will put us on close upon the narrowest search It will not take up with Reports or Opinions but will search the Records whence it may be like to get satisfactions And there are two Books of Records that will be enquired after and look'd into the Book of the Scriptures and the Book of Conscience In one the Book of the Scriptures it will examine what are the plainest and most certain Marks of Sincerity when it hath found a Mark it will enquire May not this be also in an Hypocrite and will not pitch on any thing but that which cannot be found in any Hypocrite in the World Then it enquires into Conscience and compares the two Books together The word tells me He that is in Christ is a new-Creature 2 Cor. 5.17 He that is born of God is a Believer 1 John 5.1 Is a lover of God 1 John 4.7 He that loveth doth keep the Commandments of God and his Commandments are not grievous 1 John 5.3 The Children of God are Children that will not lye are meek merciful holy harmless The Disciples of Christ are such as deny themselves take up their Cross and follow him These and such-like are found in the Scriptures to be the signs of the Children of God And what sayest thou O my Conscience are these things found in me Where is my Faith What Love have I for God What witness to my Love in my Obedience What Truth Mercy Meekness Humility Patience is to be discerned in me Come forth O my Graces where are you Shew your selves in the light of the Sun And what can you testify O my ways for me Speak Conscience what is the life which I have lived Is it a life of Faith a life of Love and Holy Obedience If Conscience speaks in the affirmative and gives in its answer through the Grace of God I find it thus with me Then 3. Fear will make Objections and put in farther Questions It 's true he that is a New-Creature is in Christ he that believeth and loveth and obeyeth the Lord is born of God and I find that there is something in me that looks like the New-Creature that looks like Faith and Love c. But may not all these be but the Images of Grace Is my Faith the very Faith of God's Elect Do I love the Lord Jesus in sincerity do I obey from the heart that form of Doctrine that is delivered to me May there not be as great a change upon an Hypocrite may not Hypocrites believe and love and obey as far as ever I have done And until the matter be brought to this issue that there is something found such a Faith such a Love such Holy Obedience as cannot be found in Hypocrites till then this Fear which will ever suspect the worst will nor give over but still will come on with question upon question How shall I know my Faith is right and how shall I prove my Love and Obedience to be sincere I am
than others said Christ to his Disciples Math. 5.47 I have not done by others as I have done by you they have not been taught as you have been taught they have not been fed as you have been fed they have not seen nor heard nor tasted what you have done think not that it can be born that you do no more nor no better than they Coloss 2.6.7 As ye have received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk in him rooted and built up in him and established in the faith as ye have been taught abounding therein with thanksgiving Is Christ in thee let the life of Christ be made manifest in thy life as he was so be thou in the world he went about doing good go thou and do likewise Hast thou faith hast thou the love of Christ in thee where is thy work of faith where are thy labours of love hast thou been filled with the fruits of righteousness with meekness humility mercy patience let them all have their perfect work that thou may'st be entire lacking nothing Our first fruits must be brought forth upon our selves our first care and business must be to work out our own Salvation to keep every one of us our own vineyard Thou hast an heart of thine own to keep and a tongue to keep and eyes and hands to look to and govern well thou hast thy thoughts and thy passions and thine appetite and thy Conscience and thy conversation to take care of and the grace thou hast received is firstly to be exercised upon thy self But though thy work begin there yet it must not end there thou hast thy family to govern thou hast thy father's family the houshold of faith to look after yea and thou hast a larger charge than this as thou hast opportunity do good to all Gal. 6.10 thou art set to be a guide to the blind a light to them that are in darkness an instructer of the foolish a teacher of babes an example of the believers yea and of the unbelievers also in word in conversation in charity in spirit in faith in purity Now Christians know your work and set to your work serve the Lord with the best you have and serve the Lord with all you have and all this in fear lest you should receive the grace of God in vain I beseech you saith the Apostle take heed of that 2 Cor. 6.1 I beseech you that you receive not the grace of God in vain Then the grace of God is received in vain not only when nothing is done by it but in a degree it may be said to be received in vain when its fruits are not proportionable there is not so much done as might have been done When he that hath received ten talents brings forth no more fruit than might have been brought forth with five when he that hath received five talents hath done no more good than might have been done with two all our receivings that are over and above the proportion of our fruits all the over-plus of them is received in vain He that is a knowing Christian if he lives not to better purpose than a Christian of little knowledge he that is an ancient experienced Christian if he be no more useful in his life than he that is but a babe that which he hath received above what this babe hath received is received in vain and the Lord may say to him wherefore is this waste What art thou a man of knowledge and hast had such long acquaintance with God and such experiences of his special love and kindness to thee and do'st thou keep all so much to thy self that thou art of little more use in thy generation than a child Hath the Lord taken thee into his heart shewed thee his loves comforted thee in Prayer counselled thee in his Word feasted thee at his Table caused his grace so to abound towards thee and made thee glad with the light of his countenance and all for no more but this hath he furnished thee and fitted thee for every good work and yet art thou thus barren and unfruitful An unuseful and unactive spirit in a Christian is an unhappiness and an unworthiness which yet possibly some that are none of the lowest form for attainments may have reason enough to charge themselves withall and to conclude that though they have not altogether yet they have very much received the grace of God in vain Brethren beloved let us study and let us learn that wisdom which is from above which is full of good fruits dare not to be found among the barren of the flock nor of those trees which do little better than cumber the ground Once more let me put the spur to the side What if the Lord should come among his fig-trees and find so little fruit upon thee art thou not afraid thou might'st hear that word Cut it down why cumbreth it the ground Consider friend what fruits are there found upon thee the fruits of the flesh may be are still hanging on what clustres are there of them hatred variance emulation strife wrath envying pride covetousness what a vintage is there of these wild grapes but where are the fruits of the spirit what a small gleaning is there of them to be found and what shrivelings are those that are would'st thou that thy Lord should find it thus with thee we read Cant. 4.16 when the Church was in a thriving fruitful state she prayed Let my beloved come into his Garden and eat his pleasant fruits Do'st Thou make that Prayer O no I am afraid he should come and find me thus thy Prayer is more like to be Let my Lord delay his coming But how long must he stay thine heart would shake within thee to think that he should find thee thus but when O when shall it be better with thee Take this pruning hook fear will serve thee for such an use and lop off these evil fruits that the fruits of righteousness may spring up in their room When shall the Roses and the Pomegranates bud when shall the fragrant spices flow forth those blessed fruits of the Spirit love joy peace long-suffering gentleness goodness faith meekness temperance when shall these sprout once Christians do you not wish 't were better with you can you bear your own barrenness Is not this vain empty fruitless life an offence to you do you not confess 't is low water with you do you not complain of your uselessness and unprofitableness But shall this be all shall we never have better fruit to bring before the Lord but our confessions and complaints of our want of fruit but our self-bemoanings and self-judgings for our barrenness Better this than nothing but when shall it be better when shall we hear the voice of joy and praise and thanksgivings to the Lord for blessing our fields with increase when shall we be able to say See O Lord thy blood hath not been shed in vain thy spirit hath not been poured
the Battel without fear or wit O the witless mad-headed multitude of Sinners in the World how do they rush on upon their wickedness they will neither ask Counsel nor take Counsel but on they will at a venture come of it what will Stand Sinner and fear fear and consider what is it thou art doing whither is it thou art running thou wilt on thy Way thou wilt after thy Lusts and after thy Companions thou wilt after these Riches and these Pleasures there 's no stopping thee nor putting thee to pause upon it thou art all in haste and impatient to be advised But yet for all thy haste take heed of what comes after thy Bargain is not like to be so good as to require such haste hasty Bargains seldom want woe What-ever is done rashly seldom comes to any other issue but either Repentance or Ruine Qui ante non cavet c. If thou wilt not Fear thou wilt shortly find what 't is to be thus head-strong and precipitant 2. Audacity or fool-hardiness or mad venturousness upon known dangers This is of kin to rashness but is not the same It is the other extream to Cowardise the mean betwixt both is Fortitude The Fear we are now treating of is not opposite to Fortitude as Cowardise is 't is not from pusillanimity but from magnanimity that we thus fear The most Heroick Spirits most fear to be base Exod. 1.17 Those worthy Midwives feared God and feared to sin against God and therefore feared not the Wrath of the King And as this Holy Fear doth not argue faint-heartedness so neither doth that audacity argue fortitude Is it valour or madness for a naked Man to run upon an Army of Enemies Such Desperadoes as kick against the pricks and run upon the Pikes of Divine Vengeance who knowing the Judgment of God against them that do such things will yet run their course of In quity not fearing of Judgments laughing at Reproofs Threatnings and Warnings and deriding those trembling Hearts that dare not run on with them to the same excess of riot What gallantry of Spirit do they count themselves to have arrived unto Gallantry of Spirit what to dare the Almighty to his Face to challenge Death and Hell to meet you in the Field for the Briars and Thorns to gather themselves to Battel against the devouring Fire Sure if ever you come to your wits you will understand how mad you have been Sinner darest thou continue in thine unbelief and impenitency when thou knowest that he that believeth not shall be damned he that repenteth not shall perish for ever Darest thou to walk after thy Lusts fulfilling the desires of the Flesh and of the Mind when thou knowest that they that live after the flesh shall die Thou knowest what the place and the portion of the Proud of the Covetous of the Liars of the Hypocrites is and yet darest thou continue in the number and the way of these Men Dost thou dare to go down quick into the Pit to take up thy dwelling in everlasting Darkness and thy lodging in the Eternal Fire Awaken from this Folly put away this madness from thee Awake and tremble to think what a desperate adventure thou hast hitherto run If you should see your Children in sport jumping over a boyling Furnace dancing on the Battlements of a Tower or in a frolick standing on tip-toe on the Weather-cock of a Steeple how would your Bowels turn your Bones tremble and all within you shake and shiver And will you yet be more venturous and fool-hardy your selves If ever you come to your selves you will be your own Wonder and Fear 3. Security Carnal Security Security is often taken for Safety To have our Estates or our Peace or our Souls secured is the same as to have them all in safety Job 11.14 15. If iniquity be in thine hand put it far away then shalt thou be secure because there is hope and thou shalt take thy rest in safety This Carnal Security is a retchlesness or carelesness of Heart to be without sense of our danger and without sollicitude for our safety The cares of this Life and the Pleasures of the Flesh do stupifie the Sinners of the Earth do lay their Souls a-sleep and bind up their senses so that they neither fear nor mind what 's like to come upon them This was the case of the old World in the dayes of Noah Luke 17.27 They did eat they drank they married and were given in marriage till the day came that Noah entred into the Ark. Their sensuality laid them all a-sleep and they never dream't of that Flood that came and destroyed them all It is said of the Men of Laish Judges 18.7 They dwelt careless after the manner of the Zidonians they were quiet and secure They neither feared Enemies nor made any provision against them but left themselves open to the mercy of any Invader Secure Sinners lay themselves open to all manner of mischiefs the Tempter may come the Avenger may come upon them before they are aware and he that may come will come The Lord of that Servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him and in an hour when he is not aware and will cut him in sunder and appoint him his portion with Vnbelievers Luke 12.46 O how sick is this World of this Lethargick Distemper We cannot say as once 't was said Isa 33.14 The Sinners in Zion are afraid fearfulness hath surprized the Hypocrites Behold the Sinners all asleep and who is there among the Hypocrites that fears But how is it with you Sinners are you in no danger Is there no Devil in the World or is there no fear that he intends to hurt you Is that Lion that us'd to walk up and down seeking whom to devour is he now confin'd to his Den so that he cannot hurt the Earth any more Are your Lusts those Lion's Whelps grown tame Do they no longer war in your Members Doth the World cease to be a temptation and a snare and are you out of danger of that Perdition and Destruction in which it draws its Lovers Is there no danger of your becoming Proud or Covetous or Sensualists lovers of Riches lovers of Pleasures more than lovers of God or is it no harm if you be so Nay what woful Work hath been made upon you already What inrodes and invasions have been made and are not your Souls already taken Captives Behold that ignorance and folly that impotence and weakness that enmity and perversness that malice and envy wherewith your hearts are already filled and that stupidity and senslesness under all these evils that appear upon you What doth all this portend Doth it speak good concerning you Doth it say thus concerning you these Men are in an happy state there 's no fear to Men in such a case no fear of the Covetous no fear of the Drunkards and the Lyars and the Scoffers they are all happy Men. Consider Man whither
to Wrath and Vengeance Wouldst thou be content the Day of the Lord should find thee thus Art thou sure but that Day may find thee thus Would not such a Voice from Heaven Thy Day is come strike thee into horror and amazement and strike through thy easie lazie Soul as a Dart through thy Liver O why wilt thou not try what some thoughts of that Day might do whether it would not perswade thee to a wiser course and put thee into a better case against it comes indeed It is a strange thing that it should be possible for Sinners that believe the Scriptures not to think of a day of recompence Hast thou not heard dost thou not read that the Wages of Sin is Death dost thou not know that every working day must have its pay-day Canst thou be Sowing daily and never think of Reaping And hast thou not learned That as thy Sowing is such must thy Reaping be that an evil Seed-time will bring forth an evil Harvest Canst thou be Sowing Tares and either not think of Reaping at all or think of Reaping Wheat Is this all the wit thou hast Be not deceived as Men Sow so shall they also Reap he that Soweth to the Flesh shall Reap Corruption he that Soweth to the Spirit shall Reap Life Everlasting Gal. 6.7 8. Know it in time and throughout thy Sowing think of thy Reaping-Day 2. Men put the Evil Day far from their Loyns That is though they do think of the Judgments of God and as such as both may overtake them and if they fall will fall heavy upon them and grind them to Pouder yet they count 't will be a great while first there may be time enough to prevent them or at least the distance they apprehend of them from them makes them the less to be feared or regarded Eccles 1.8 Because Sentence against an evil work is not executed specdily therefore the Heart of the Sons of Men is fully set in them to do evil Because Judgment is so long a-coming therefore they grow bold in their Sin as if 't would never come Not till after a long time is almost the same with them as never at all As if because the Bench and the Gibbet stand not both together because the Sin and its Sentence the Sentence and its Execution are not on the same day therefore there will be no Sentence no Execution as if because it's Sun-shine to day there were no fear of a Storm for many dayes after The Thoughts of Sinners are like those words of Rebellious Israel Ezek. 12.27 The Vision that he seeth is for many dayes to come and he Prophesieth of the Times that are far off Those Scoffers who walk after their own Lusts 2 Pet. 3.4 demand in derision Where is the Promise of his coming Where is the Promise that is where is the Threatning of his coming The same word that is a Promise to the Saints is often a Threatning to Sinners Where is the Threatning of his coming There hath been much Preaching and Talking of the Day of the Lord of a Black Day that 's coming to pay all our Scores this hath been foretold a long time agone even in the dayes of our Fore-fathers who are yet gone to their Graves in peace and behold to this day after the revolution of so many Ages we see no sign of it but all things are still as they were and Men may sin at as cheap rates now as they did then Those Rebel Jews Isa 5.19 That drew Iniquity with Cords of Vanity and Sin as it were with Cart-ropes are so bold as to say Let the Day of the Lord come let it hasten that we may see it let the Counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh that we may know it Such Infidels were these Rebels become that they made the Threatnings of the Lord a meer Mock or a Dream or a lying Vision that would never come to pass But even among those that do believe that there is such a day a-coming wherein the Lord will confirm the Word of his Servants and perform the Counsel of his Messengers even amongst them there are who say Yet the Lord may delay his coming I may have time enough to repent before it comes not considering that though to day it be said Time enough yet to morrow the word may be Too late too late though now the word be My Lord delayeth his coming the next word may be He is come the Day of the Lord is come and I must no longer escape O my foolish Soul thou thoughtest such a day might come but didst thou think it so near Wo wo unto me the Day of Vengeance is come in a day that I thought not of in an hour that I was not aware He is come he is come to cut me in sunder and to give me my Portion with Hypocrites It is fallen unto me as to some Women with Child my Time is come before my Reckoning was out Friends Is there nothing of this kind of Security also to be found even among those that take themselves to be wiser than this Bedlam-World How is it with many Professors of Religion Do we live in hourly expectation of the Day of Retribution Are we so vigilant and so circumspect in our daily course as Men that do believe that the Day of the Lord is at hand How didst thou live yesterday didst thou carry it so as if that should have been thy last day How dost thou behave thy self to day Dost thou now carry it so as if thou expectedst to hear This night shall thy Soul be taken away Dost thou hear daily as if thou wert hearing thy last Sermon Dost thou pray daily as if thou wert making thy last Prayer Dost thou not sleep daily and sin daily as a Man that presumeth on many dayes to come Dost thou never venture on a little sin or on remisness in thy Duty with this thought it will but be repenting of it after Wouldst thou dare to do what sometimes thou dost wouldst thou dare to neglect what sometimes thou dost neglect wert thou sure there would be no time for repentance Wouldst thou be so proud as thou art or so covetous as thou art or so vain or so slothful as thou art if thou didst not count upon more day before thee Darest thou never lie down one night in an unrepented Sin for fear of what may be before the morning O what Holy-Dayes what Sabbath-Dayes would every day be did we but daily think this may be my Judgment Day But dost thou use to think so Thou hast thy fleshly designs already laid for to morrow and next day and next year to morrow thou sayest thou wilt go to such a City to buy and to sell and to get gain next day to such a Fair next day to such a Feast to make merry with thy Friends and there thou goest and eatest and drinkest and tradest and so thou meanest to go on from Year to Year and
yet enquire What ground and reason can you give of the hope that is in you and it may be all the answer that will be given amounts to no more than this I hope because I hope I am perswaded because I am perswaded my Mind gives me so mine Heart tells me so I can have no other thought but that it is well and shall be well with me There 's many a Man that 's like unto that Man pointed out Deut. 29.19 who though he heareth the words of God's Curse blesseth himself in his heart saying I shall have peace though I walk in the imaginations of mine own heart Though God speaks never a good word though the Scriptures speak never a good word of such though God curses such a Man yet his own heart blesses him Though God sayes to him Thou Fool thou Belial thou Infidel thou Child of the Devil yet not a word is heard from his own heart but an honest Man a good Christian and a Child of God There is sometimes to be found a poor trembling Christian whom the Devil sets a cursing himself when God doth bless him that calls himself Hypocrite Unbeliever a Cast-away and Reprobate from God though God calls him Beloved and highly favoured and so there is that blesses himself whom God hath cursed It 's vain to tell him Thus saith the Lord or to bid him search the Scriptures hearken to what the Lord God will speak or to say to him as Jehoshaphat to the King of Israel 1 Kings 22.7 enquire of the Prophet of the Lord. Doth God his Scriptures his Ministers speak any good concerning thee It 's vain to speak thus to him Thus saith mine heart is more with him than Thus saith the Lord. Thus my mind gives me is enough to make him dis-believe the God of Truth he will rather make God a lyar than not believe his lying heart Consider this Sinners whether this be not your case God sayes The Ignorant the Unbelievers Liars Swearers the evil Workers and Impenitent are the Children of the Devil and shall never inherit the Kingdom of God And yet thou though thou canst not say but that thou art ignorant impenitent an evil worker given up to thy hearts lusts and hardned in thy way wilt not be perswaded but thou art a Child of God God sayes thou art none of his and thou wilt still say thou art to his Face Just thus was it with those Jews afore-mentioned John 8.44 Christ tells them to their Faces Ye are of your Father the Devil and proves it to them for saith he The Lusts of your Father ye do and you are just like your Father he was a Murtherer from the beginning and a Liar and the Father of it and what else are you And yet behold the confidence of the Men No we are Abraham's Seed and the Children of God Sinner who-ever thou art that art doing the Lusts and working the Works of the Devil Christ speaks this very word to thee which he here spake to those Jews Thou art of thy Father the Devil If yet thou sayest I hope not God is my Father and I am his Child there is that Presumption that may keep thee from fearing till thou too late feel the Wrath of God seizing upon thee This Presumption that 't is so well with thee already that if it be possible I may make thee afraid of that which keeps thee from fear know for a certain it will endanger so to hold thee in thy wretched state that 't is never like to be better with thee than ' t is This is it which hardens thee against Counsels and Reproofs slights the tenders of Mercy and out-faces the terrors of the Lord this shuts up thine Ears and thine Heart against the word of Reconciliation and does non-plus all the importunities of the Ministers of the Gospel Let them bid thee believe thou art a Believer already Let them command thee to repent Thou hast done it let them warn thee to flie from the Wrath to come and this is all the Fruit thou tellest them thou art already passed from Death to Life The confidence that thou art well enough already is like to make the Preaching of Christ to be of none effect to thee And because this is such a brazen Wall as keeps Christ and Grace out of the Heart and resists and repels all those Arguments which the Word makes use of to perswade to Christ and Life I shall make some batteries upon it as I pass along The first step to Conversion is Conviction Conviction is Presumption broken down and the breaking in of that Fear which makes way for Faith There are in Conviction these three things 1. Illumination 2. Redargution 3. Consternation 1. Illumination the enlightning of the Mind the opening of Sinners eyes and making their Sin and the danger that it exposes to known unto them the convincing Spirit brings the Commandment before them by which is the knowledg of Sin Rom. 7.7 and vers 9. When the Commandment came Sin revived and appeared to be Sin and exceeding sinful vers 13. It could be no longer hid nor any longer be look'd on as a light thing but a very dreadful thing to be a Sinner the truth is we none of us know Sin as it is some Light hath broken in upon our Hearts but 't is but little in comparison and thereupon we can be venturous so far upon it and too easily go out with it and lick our selves whole when we have sinned but if we knew the Heart and the Tail of this Scorpion what malignity there is in it and what comes after 't would make us tremble and take heed When the Spirit of the Lord brings the Commandment to us and layes Sin by that 't will look with another face than now it does 2. Redargution The Spirit of God not only shews what Sin is and what a fearful thing it is to be under Sin but withal proves and demonstrates to Sinners what-ever their confidence hath been of the contrary that they are under Sin when the Commandment hath done its work to discover Sin and the evil of it then Conscience is brought forth to do its work to witness the Sinner guilty Hast thou not sinned let Conscience speak does not thine own Heart tell thee of thy Lying and of thy Swearing and of thy Coveting and of thy company-keeping and a World more of such evils that thou hast lived in And hast thou ever been purged from thy Sins hast thou repented and turned from thy evil Wayes thou knowest thou hast not thou art in love with Sin in a league with Sin and livest to this hour in the practice and under the power of it Is this the Man that hath been so confident of the goodness of his state whose heart hath blessed him and promised him that no evil shall befal him What a Sinner and yet at peace What an impenitent Sinner and yet so confident thou shalt have peace Thou must
the first and highest Form in the School of Christ but for such as are but newly come in or what-ever their standing be are but of low stature by how much the more out of doubt they are by so much the more it is to be doubted that they deceive themselves 3. To answer more particularly There are more mistakes than one that Professors of Religion may be subject to 1. They may be mistaken in Faith and count that to be Saving-Faith which is not so 2. Though they have the true Notion of Saving-Faith yet they may be mistaken in themselves I shall speak more at large to this afterwards yet this word or two I shall put in here 1. They may be mistaken in Faith and count that to be Saving-Faith which is not so That definition of Faith given by some Antinomians That it is a believing that we are justified and shall be saved hath doubtless deceived many For 1. If this be Saving-Faith then one of these absurdities will unavoidably follow either that all Men are not bound to believe with a Saving-Faith or that some Men are bound to believe a lye Is there any Man to whom the Gospel is Preached that is not bound to believe in Christ Is it not their Sin who refuse Christ when he is tendred to them Let these two Scriptures be considered 1 John 3.23 This is the Commandment that we should believe in the Name of his Son Jesus Christ and Job 16.9 He shall reprove the World of Sin because they believe not in me Now if all Men be bound to believe and this be that belief they be bound to to be perswaded they shall be saved how can it be avoided but that some are bound to believe a lye Are all Men in a state of Salvation Are all the Children of God Hath the Devil never a Child in the World Not one if this Doctrine be true that all are bound to believe they shall be saved and yet none are bound to believe a lye 2. If this be Saving-Faith then happy are multitudes of the ungodly World Who more confident that they shall be saved than many ignorant and impenitent Sinners amongst whom the first and most difficult Work of the Ministry lies in this to break down their vain Confidence Much of our hardest work might be saved if we found the Sinners of the Earth under a desperation of Salvation in their present cses 'T is this that is the great block in our way and keeps back our Word from reaching their Hearts that they will not be perswaded otherwise but they shall to Heaven when they die But shall they be saved indeed who believe they shall what every one of them the believing Hypocrite the believing Drunkard the believing Impenitent even the very final Impenitent Can Charity it self be so blind as to think that not one of those Confidents ever died impenitent And can this be counted the Gospel-Faith that will justifie final Impenitents Come ye Hypocrites come ye Earth-worms come ye blind and bruitish among the People lift up your Ears and Heads here is a Gospel if it were but true according to your own hearts Fear not to be as wicked as you will only believe you shall be saved and you shall be saved But is this Gospel I know the consequences of this Doctrine will be abhorred by its Assertors But how can they be evaded Divers other Errors there are concerning Faith which may lead Men into damnable mistakes too long to mention 2. Although they have the true Notion of Faith yet they may be mistaken in themselves They may think they have it when they have it not There are not a few amongst those that profess Religion who understand aright what Faith is what a real Work of Grace means and wherein the Truth of Christianity stands who yet understand not their own hearts There are who do not think that to be something which is nothing who yet may be of those of whom the Apostle speaks Gal. 6.3 who think themselves to be something when they are nothing and so deceive their own selves The Heart of Man is deep and dark who can know it Jer. 17.9 we have need of other Light than our own the searcher of Hearts alone can help us to understand what there is within us The Heart of Man hath many Devices Prov. 19.21 it hath so much folly as to study to make the best of its case being loth to see the worst and it hath so much subtilty as to put the best side outwards and to hide the worst out of sight Many Mens great labour in Religion is to perswade themselves that all is well instead of a plain-hearted and impartial enquiry whether they be upright or no their business is only to study Arguments to prove they are so They will search out all the Arguments they can imagine for it but they dare not look too far into the Objections against it We would fain comfort our hearts and thereupon greedily catch at every shadow that looks well but dare not critically examine that which seems to speak good concerning us whether it speak truth or no. The great question is whether there be Grace in our Hearts or no and we are so willing to believe there is that we dare not look too deep lest we should find there is none The labour and trouble that a conviction of our unsoundness would put us to is so unpleasing to us that we do all we can to save our selves that trouble If we be sound we think the work is done now we may sing Return to thy Rest O my Soul but if I should find my self to be short of sincerity how much labour would it require to get to be sincere Now hereupon the heart being so partial and overly in studying its case what wonder is it that it should be deceived and mistaken what wonder is it that he should think himself something who is nothing who is too willing and hath so many devices to make his nothing look like something And that it is so that there are many that are thus deceived there is too great evidence in the World There are many that can deceive none but themselves and yet themselves they can deceive Every one that sees them sees the very marks of an Hypocrite upon them no body can think well of them but themselves They have taken to themselves the Name and have something of the Complexion of the Children of God yet their spot is not the spot of his Children Their Complexion is rather a Paint than their natural Visage and their spot looks out through their Paint Whilst there is the Profession of a Christian of the Faith of a Christian of the Hope of a Christian what is there to be seen of the Holiness of a Christian if there be a Paint of the Holiness too yet he that observes it may see Sin looking through it The Humility that appears the Meekness the Spirituality
many devices in Man's Heart It hath much of the Devil in it not only of the falshood of the Devil as before It is a lying Spirit nor only of the uncleanness of the Devil this also is the wicked one nor of the malice of the Devil It is the Enemy but of the cunning of the Devil of the subtilty of the Serpent This Serpent also is more subtile than all the Beasts of the Field It 's true it 's also a silly Heart easie to be beguiled it is so subtil as to beguile and yet so silly as easily to be beguiled like those false Teachers 2 Tim. 3.13 Deceiving and being deceived The great and most mischievous deceits of the Heart are its self-deceivings Jam. 1.22 deceiceiving your own selves and vers 26. deceiveth his own heart God cannot be deceived and if Men be deceived in us there is not so very much in that but the most mischievous deceits and which are most to be feared are its deceiving of it self 1. God cannot be deceived He is the searcher of the Heart Jer. 17.10 he knows what is in Man better than the Spirit that is in him God is greater than our Hearts and knoweth all things Our Hearts can tell us more of ourselves than all the World can tell us but God can tell us more of us than we of our selves He hath a Key to every Chamber a Window into every Corner a Candle to search into our inmost parts All things are naked and open before him with whom we have to do Heb. 4.13 He sees all that is lodging in us all the Lusts of the Heart yea and all the Thoughts of the Heart are open to his Eye Jer. 4.14 How long shall vain thoughts lodg within you He sees what there is a doing within us What good the Heart is at any time a-doing any good desires that are a-working any gracious designs that are going in the Heart he sees what evil there is a-doing an evil Motion cannot wag a Lust cannot stir but his eye is presently upon it Isa 1.16 Put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes that is put it quite away cease to do evil if it do but continue though never so much in the dark yet it cannot be hid from mine eyes What are these hearts of ours often a-doing in secret which no others and it may be not our selves take notice of When our eyes are closed our hands are quiet our tongues are silent God knows what there may be doing within There may be devilish devices contriving within there may be dark counsels beneath Heart may be Swearing or Lying or Stealing or Coveting or committing Adultery whilst there 's no noise of any such thing without Yea whilst the Tongue is praying the Ears are hearing the Eye is lift up to Heaven the Heart may be in Hell or on Earth in the Field in the Shop in the Market or who knows where but God's Eye is upon it Friends Who knows where our hearts are or what they are a-doing at this hour It may be now God is a-preaching to you the Doctrine of Holy Fear of Holy Watchfulness and Circumspection some of your hearts may be un-preaching all that God speaks may be preaching Liberty Licentiousness Slothfulness Security to you and telling you there 's no such danger and no such need of Fear as hath been preached unto you Or if they do not contradict the Word that the Lord hath spoken yet it may be they divert you from minding it by telling you some impertinent Stories about other things filling your heads with your business or pleasure cutting you out your Work for to morrow Look inward Friends see if you can find your Hearts within or whether they be not gone abroad you know not whither But where-ever they are or whatever they are doing the Eye of the Lord is upon them Men may dissemble and deal deceitfully with God but they cannot deceive him 2. If they deceive Men it is not so greatly considerable Though that may be our wickedness too If we hide our selves from others if we be better or if we be worst than they apprehend us to be there is not so much in that The Heart is cunning at this also in deceiving of Men by palliating evil intentions with fair and specious pretences by seeking them out corners to sin in waiting for the twilight or the darkness to be a covering for them by smooth words and fair speeches beguiling the Hearts of the simple by a kiss of the Mouth when there is war in the Heart by putting the best side outward putting on the clothing of a Sheep upon a Wolf or a Bear the face of a Saint to cover the Soul of a Devil What is the Hypocrites Praying or Fasting or Alms or savoury Language and Discourse What is all this for 'T is but the Cloathing his Heart hath provided him to advance and set him up in the opinion of others 't is to serve his pride or his covetousness and to hide the poverty and rottenness which is within out of sight Beloved are there none of us guilty upon this account Whose Religion and the Exercise thereof are a meer carnal Design whose Duties are a meer Device to beguile Men into a good Opinion of us to raise up or keep up our Reputation amongst them Is it not thus with some of us Soul what hast thou been doing to day O I have been Praying and Hearing and Fasting or keeping a Sabbath to the Lord. No thou lyest thou hast been juggling and cheating and deceiving of Men. If these have been the Work of thy Tongue or thine Ears or thine Eyes to pray to hear to praise the Lord thine Heart hath found other work to do it hath been making a Garment of these Prayers and Praises to dress up it self in thereby to commend and set it off before the Spectators or it may be to hide or carry on some treacherous or wicked Design which needed such a covering The Heart is thus busie to deceive Men but still its greatest and most mischievous deceitfulness lies here in deceiving it self It is an horrid wickedness to deal deceitfully with the Lord to dissemble and lye unto God It is folly to be false to him who we know will discover the cheat and its highest impiety What is Iniquity if Hypocrisie be not And what Hypocrisie like mocking or lying unto God It is Mens great sin to deal deceitfully with Men But that which I would now lay before you as a special reason why we should Fear our hearts is their self-deceivings And how much Fear should be upon us upon this account will appear when we have considered these three things 1. About what Mens Hearts deceive them 2. By what Mens Hearts deceive them 3. Of what Mens Hearts deceive them 1. About what do Mens Hearts deceive them And that is about that they are most deeply concern'd to mind or regard Particularly 1. About Matters
past in their self-reflections and reckonings 2. About matters present in their Judgments or Opinions of their present case 3. About matters to come or their Determinations and Resolutions for the future 1. Mens Hearts deceive them about matters past in their self-reflections and reckonings It may be sometimes an eye may be cast back upon what is past and such a word may be heard within Soul what hast thou done how hast thou lived all thy time hitherto what Evil hast thou done or what Good hast thou done The Heart presently makes its return and though it hath not the Conscience will make bold with the words of the Apostle 1 Cor. 4.4 I know nothing by myself I know no hurt that I have done or it may be like those unfaithful Officers who bring in their presentment Omnia bene it will answer I have done all things well I have liv'd an harmless and an honest life The little good that hath been done looking on it by a false Glass it sees it double to what it is every Mite is a Shekle ever Shekle is a Talent here it will be sure to over-reckon And all the Evils that have been done for an hundred or a thousand it takes the Bill and writes down ten or it may be but one and that a little one and perhaps it buries them all in the land of forgetfulness As Sin had an Act for Toleration before so it must now have an Act of Oblivion And by this hiding of Sin it comes to pass that Repentance also is hid from Mens eyes No Man repented nor said what have I done Jer. 8.6 The not-saying what have I done much more the saying I have done nothing amiss will be a Bar against Repentance And that 's the usual issue of this falshood of the Heart about matters past it holds under Impenitence 2. Mens Hearts deceive them about Matters present or in their judgment of their present states What art thou a Child of God or a Child of the Devil a Believer or an Unbeliever a sound Believer or an Hypocrite Mens hearts will be civil with them and give them good language A Child of the Devil a Reprobate These are hard words that will not be born and shall not be uttered whether it speaks true or no it will be sure to speak good to them O a Child of God no doubt an honest and therefore an happy Man Though perhaps it neither knows what God is or what a Child of God means nor what the difference is betwixt the Children of God and the Children of the Devil A faithful Heart will be as I said before a self-suspecting Heart and such it should be The Word tells us there 's Chaff in the Floor as well as Wheat there are Tares in the Field as well as good Corn. Now when the question is put which is the Chaff who are the Tares Mens Hearts should answer as the Disciples did when Christ told them there was a Traytor among them Mat. 26.21 they all answered Lord is it I Lord is it I Men and Brethren there are Infidels among you there are Hypocrites among you If I should speak thus from the Lord to this Congregation this Question should run even through the whole Company Lord is it I am not I an Hypocrite am not I one of these Unbelievers But what do your Hearts say to you O I thank God it is not I I am none of them Hypocrites there are but my Soul is upright If a whole Congregation should be thus spoken to one by one may be some of the best among them that had least reason to suspect themselves would cry out Lord is it I I doubt I may be an Hypocrite I fear how it may be with me but for the most and possibly the very worst among them they would never stick to answer I am none of them I thank God I have an honest Heart and am upright before God Whence comes this now to pass Why that Heart of thine hath plaid the Devil with thee and deceived thee 3. About Matters to come If the case be so plain that the naughtiness of the Life past and the unsoundness of the present state cannot be hid then the Heart promises better things de futuro I 'le look better to it hereafter though I cannot at present yet after a while I mean to become a new Man stay but a while and I will be sober stay but a while and I mean to have done with this vain or worldly Life and to live in all things as becometh a Christian Thus it promises and its Promises must be taken If I turn at last 't will be well enough and turn I will shortly I mean no other and this must satisfie and be instead of present Repentance How much credit there is to be given to such a Promise the experience of many sufficiently tells But though it hath been a known Deceiver yet still it 's trusted You that profess Religion that own Christ and hold Communion with his Saints and are visibly walking in the way of Righteousness If you should be ask'd How long wilt thou hold this course wilt thou hold out to the end To day thou art with Christ but where wilt thou be tomorrow Now with the Disciples but wilt thou never go over to the Scribes and Pharisees Thou mayest feel the smart of Christianity thou mayest become a Reproach and made a Prey The Shepherds may be smitten and the Flocks may be scattered wilt thou not then forsake Christ and run over to the Tents of the Uncircumcised God forbid sayes the heart presently Turn from the Holy Commandment deny Christ No though I die with him I will never deny him I but there was one spake as much before you 't was the word of Peter's Heart Mat. 26.35 And yet you know what follow'd Consider him and fear how it may be with you 2. By what will our Hearts deceive us By any thing in the World there 's nothing comes a-miss to them but some evil use or other they can make of it either to intice to Sin or to harden against Repentance or to lay a-sleep in Security or to build us up in Presumption The Heart is such an Adversary that can fight at any Weapon such a Mountebank that can make its Composition of any Ingredients that can make a Poison of any Medicine some way or other it can make use of any thing to serve it in its deceiving work By what did Eve's Heart deceive her By an Apple By what did Achan's Heart deceive him By a Wedg of Gold By what did Sampson's Heart deceive him By a Whore By what was Esau deceived By a Mess of Pottage By what do poor Mens Hearts deceive them By their Want and Penury By what do rich Mens Hearts deceive them By their Abundance and Variety By what do evil Mens Hearts deceive them By their Lusts they are drawn aside and inticed By what do good Mens
Hearts deceive them Sometimes even by the Good that is in them The Heart of Man can make a Snare of every Creature Condition Relation or Comfort can make a Net for Souls of the coursest or of the finest Thred can undo them by their Friends and by their Enemies by their Prosperities and by their Adversities by their Sins and their Rigthousness Where-withal may this Man be enticed to Sin to neglect Christ and his Soul Some Mens Hearts find that a Harlot will do it others that a drunken Companion will do it others that nothing but Gold and Silver will do it others that applause will do it some that Idleness others that Business some that Friends others that Enemies some that Prosperity others that Affliction will be the likeliest Temptations and accordingly it manages its deceiving work Our Hearts can deceive us by the best we have by our Vertues by our Duties by our Priviledges and this is often the most dangerous deceit The more generous the Wine in which thou receivest thy Poison the more deadly the Potion Some Hypocrites Hearts tell them they are sincere But how can they make them believe it Why if the Heart may not be believed for its own word the Word of God must be brought to witness this lye Doth not the Scriptures say Rom. 10.9 If thou confess with thy Mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thy Heart that God raised him from the Dead thou shalt be saved And do not I believe the Resurrection of Christ from the Dead Do not I confess and acknowledg it I be ieve it with all mine Heart I confess it before all the World and therefore without doubt I am in a state of Salvation If this will not do but the Heart perceives there must be more in that belief than a notional Assent there must be more in that Confession than a verbal Acknowledgment than its Virtues and Duties and Priviledges its Prayers and Hearings and Alms its Sobriety and Temperance its keeping of Sabbaths and attending upon Ordinances must all be call'd forth to testifie Am not I of God Am not I in Christ Let my Prayers speak let mine Alms speak let my Temperance let my Patience let my Sabbaths speak whose I am I keep the Sabbath whilst others pollute it I hear whilst others forbear I pray and fast whilst others neglect both and therefore sure it must be well with me when yet it may be the Man is ignorant of the Spirit and a secret Enemy against the Power and Purity of Religion all the while I might multiply Instances of the several sorts of the Heart's deceivings and shew that there is nothing but in some way or other may be made use of to beguile us 3. Of what may our Hearts deceive us Even of all we have Of what did our first Parents Hearts deceive them Of their Portion in God and their place in Paradise Of what did Esau's Heart deceive him Of his Birth-right and the Blessing Of what did Sampson's Heart deceive him Of his Locks and of his Life Of what did that Fool 's Heart deceive him Luke 12.20 Of his Soul Isa 44.20 A deceived Heart hath turned him aside so that he cannot deliver his Soul You that believe your selves Saints are apt to think that what-ever you be deceived of yet your Souls are safe and therefore that you have no such need to Fear as other Men. But it may be you may be deceived in this and this very confidence That thy Soul is safe may prove its eternal loss But if you should come off at last with the Salvation of your Souls yet how many desperate hazards do you run of losing them by hearkning to these evil Hearts How much of your time do they steal away which was given you for the working out your Salvation How many Duties have they lost you how many Ordinances have they lost you which the Interest of your Souls could ill have spar'd What a dead and dark and carnal and loose Spirit hast thou sometimes been bewitched into wherein God hath been laid by Soul hath been forgotten Conscience hath been laid a-sleep and all care about the things of God hath been swallowed up of the cares of this Life Is it nothing to thee to be in such a case Doth it not grieve thee to think whither thou art fallen and art thou not afraid what the issue may be whether ever thy Soul may be lifted up out of this Pit whereinto it is sunk so deep in mud and mire But if thou should'st be ask'd now Friend how camest thou in hither who hath led thee into this Dirt who hath cast thee into this Pit May be thou wilt be ready to answer as Eve did The Serpent beguiled me in or as Adam did The Woman deceived me in thou wilt find some else to father thy Faults upon the Devil deceived me into this case the World deceived me in evil Company deceived me in Like enough they did But what could they all have done if thine Heart had not joyned with them The hand of Joab is in all this thine Heart is the Joab that hath dealt this subtilly and deceitfully with thee 1 Kings 22.20 Who will perswade Ahab saith the Lord that be may go up and fall at Ramoth Gilead I will go saith the Devil I will perswade him But where-with wilt thou perswade him I will be a lying Spirit in the Mouth of his Prophets Go up and prosper go up and prosper that shall be the word that shall do it There 's no fear of falling at Ramoth thou shalt prevail against thine Enemies and return a Conqueror If it shall be said in like manner who shall perswade this foolish Man to go on his evil wayes that he may fall and perish I will go sayes his Heart presently I 'le be the Devil to perswade him But wherewith wilt thou perswade him O I 'le be a lying Spirit within him I 'le make him believe he shall prosper and have peace in his way he shall not fall nor shall hurt come unto him Go sayes God to the Devil and take heed he sayes not so to that false Heart of thine Go thou shalt perswade and thou shalt prevail Thou shalt intice this idle Person thou shalt harden this vain or this careless Person and he shall hearken to thee he shall follow thee till he fall and perish Christians we have every one of us such an Heart as this that is too ready to go upon such a wretched Errand Have we not suffered much by it's treachery Hath it not often trip'd up our heels or turned us out of our way Hath it not betray'd us out of our Refuge and led us aside after lying vanities Though Grace hath been some security to us against it yet hath it not often been too hard for all the Grace we have Who is there of us that dares stand forth and say My Heart I hope is no such heart It is better than
to deal thus with me I dare trust it it is a plain and honest heart there 's no deceit or guile found in it Is there ever a one of you that dare say thus What complaints are there every-where heard against it even amongst the best of Christians But O what do Sinners hearts deceive them of What a price is there in Sinners hands if they had an heart to it There 's the Blessed Gospel before them exhibiting Christ and Pardon and Life to them they have the Scriptures before them they have Sabbaths and Ordinances amongst them but behold they can make nothing of them The Gospel is opened and yet it is hid from them Christ is preached but 't is not accepted by them they can live ander the preaching of the Word be conversant at Prayers Fasts Sacraments a whole Age together and get nothing by them they can dwell by the Wells of Salvation and get not one drop of Water live by the richest Mines and get not a dust of Silver walk in the Sun-beams and see never a gleam of Light come into the Store-houses and yet starve for want of Bread can get neither Grace nor Knowledg but remain blind and dead under all that Light that hath shined unto them But how is it Sinner that it 's thus with thee Whom hast thou to blame but thine own Heart This hath been telling thee either that thou hast no need of Christ or his Grace or that thou hast time enough before thee or else hath diverted thee from giving heed to the Word of Life by finding thee so much other work to do and hereby thou seest how it hath left thee It hath hitherto lost thee a Christ lost thee a Gospel lost thee Sabbaths and Ordinances and is just losing thee thy Soul This Heart is it that would not suffer thee when thou hast been commanded to accept of Christ or deliver thy self up to him Any else that comes to demand it thy Soul is presently delivered up Let Lust come and require Deliver up thy Soul to me Let thy Companions come and demand Deliver up thy self to us Let the World or let the Devil demand Deliver up thy Soul to me let me have the rule and the government of it and up thou resignest it presently any but Christ may have thee for asking Will the Men of Keilah deliver me up said David once 1 Sam. 23.11 Will they Lord or may I trust my self with them Trust them not sayes God they will deliver thee up Dost thou ask will mine Heart deliver me up deliver me up to Lust or to the World or the snares of the Devil or may I trust it Trust it not it will deliver thee up But to Christ it will not deliver thee up It will be telling thee that Christ is an austere Man and thou shalt find him an hard Master 't will shew thee the Yoke and the Cross How severe is his Government how short his Allowance how hard will be the usage thou must expect of him or for his sake And thereupon it will suggest how much it doth befriend thee in refusing to deliver thee up to him It will never tell thee of thy need of Christ of the gain that will come in by him thou must not be suffered so much as to think of that if thou turn aside at any time to commune with him or to look within the Vail where his Treasures lie it calls thee off presently or throws in the World its Cares or its pleasures upon thee to thrust out and turn thee aside from all such thoughts lest he should gain thy consent and good liking Thus thine Heart hath serv'd thee all thy dayes so that hitherto thou wilt none of Christ and thus 't is like to serve thee to the end of thy dayes till there be no Christ nor Mercy nor Salvation to be had for ever And thus have I given you a short hint of the deceitfulness of the Heart and is not such an Heart to be feared Is such an Heart to be trusted an Heart that will deceive you about every thing that you are concern'd to mind about matters past present and to come that will neither let you consider what you have done nor know what you are nor think what 's like to become of you herafter that will deceive you by every thing you have to do withal that can make every Relation every Companion every Condition every Comfort every Cross every Creature a Gin and a Trap to take your Souls that will deceive you of all that ever you have that like those Locusts and Caterpillars the Plagues of Egypt will not leave any green thing in you that will deceive you of your selves of your lives of that Christ of that Gospel which is all you have for Eternity that will lie at you every day every hour as Delilah at Sampson to betray you into the hands of the Philistines and cast you into the eternal Prison Have you such an Heart have every one of you such an Heart have you prov'd by so long experience what mischief it hath done you already and yet not afraid O Christians let us get more acquaintance with these Hearts of ours if we do not fear them 't is because we know them no better Let us observe them daily at their work what colours and fair pretences they have to palliate and lead unto Sin what shifts and excuses they make for the neglect of Duty what delayes and puttings off from the minding our necessary and most weighty concerns and what wiles and devices they have to lull us and hold us fast asleep whilst our opportunities of obtaining Mercy steal by us and are lost Know this Heart of thine more thorowly and then tell me if thou dost not fear it If there be an Absalom in the Court a Sheba in the City a Judas in the Company a Thief in the House is there not cause of fear Thou hast a Judas in thy Breast a Thief in thy Bosom thou hast not an Heart within thee if thou hast not a mortal Enemy that seeks thy life As I said before so I say again Study and observe your Hearts more believe the Truth of what hath been said or if you will not believe your Ears believe your own Eyes believe your Experiences and Observations if you have been so wise as to make any Observations upon your selves Indeed that 's the reason why we are so hard to believe our Hearts are so bad because we have no more observed them Have you observed have you considered how they have dealt with you Who is it that hath kept you back from Christ and short of the Grace of God or at least Who is it that hath kept you so low and so barren and such aa ill Steward of that Grace which you have received has not thine own Heart had the great hand in it Be not deceived it is the same Heart still and is like to take the
same course That which hath hindred doth hinder thee that which hath deceived doth deceive and will deceive thou canst never be secure from it whilst thou continuest in this World Wherefore O my Soul since I cannot be out of danger let me never be out of fear Let Fools be secure and at rest but as for me Let me pass the time of my Sojouring here in Fear 3. Another reason why we should Fear is because of the weight and importance of that work which we have to do in the World What is our Work here wherefore are we born and live upon this Earth 'T is to serve the Lord in the saving of our Souls The Lord that made us may and does require our whole Service as there is none besides him to whom we owe our Being so is there none other to whom we owe our Service Him only shalt thou serve Mat. 4.10 And God hath so ordered the matter that we cannot better serve our selves than by serving of him this is the Work of God which he requires of us to work out our own Salvation Phil. 2.12 The best Men are the greatest self-seekers 'T is a piece of self-denyal which God never requires of any Man To neglect his own Soul God would have all Men to be saved 1 Tim. 2.4 There are two Lords that are served in the World God and the Devil The great Service that the Devil hath to be done is to destroy Souls his Name is the Destroyer Rev. 9.11 and his work is to destroy and this is it which he imposes upon all his Servants to destroy every Man his own Soul God is the Saviour so call'd Isa 45.15 and his whole work that he has to be done by his is Salvation-work Friends the first and great Service that God hath for every one of you to do is to look well to those Souls of yours to recover your selves out of the Snares of the Devil that you may obtain everlasting Salvation if you can but acquit your selves so in this World that you get safe to Heaven when you die God will say to you Well done good and faithful Servant 'T is true we have every one of us more Souls than our own to look too I not only Ministers whose special work it is but every one should do what he can to save the Souls of others but our first Service is to look to our own Souls Our Charity and so our whole care must begin at home Deut. 4.9 Take heed to thy self and keep thy Soul thine own Soul diligently As Christ sayes Luk. 16.12 He that will not be faithful in that which is anothers who shall trust him with that which is his own May we not much more say here he that is not faithful in that which is his own will be much less faithtul in that which is anothers He that serves the Devil in destroying his own Soul is not like to serve God in the saving of others Souls Well this is your work you have to do in the World To serve the Lord And this is the Service that God expects That you save your own Souls What-ever you are faithfully doing this way you are therein serving God You may be saving your Estates and therein serve the Devil you may save your Names and save your Lives and therein serve the Devil but when you are saving your Souls you are still serving the Lord. The working out of our Salvation is not only the business of our Religious Duties but of all the Actions of our whole course We are not only to Believe and Repent and Hear and Fast and Pray for our Lives but to be carrying on our Salvation-Work in every thing we do As we may say whether you Believe or Repent or Pray or Hear so also whether you Eat or Drink or whatsoever else you do do all to the Glory of God and your own Salvation Our future state whether we are for Life or for Death is not to be determined by some few of our better Deeds but by the tenour of our whole course look what thy Life is in this World so shall thy Judgment be We are here in this World upon our good behaviour for the other World and the short time we have here is all we have for Eternity our Everlasting Life or Death will be determined by this little inch of time Do in your day the Work you were sent into the World for and you live and are blessed for ever spend your time in idleness or impertinencies live in the neglect of God or your Souls let your great Work be left undone or but half-done and done deceitfully and you die without remedy die eternally And do you not yet see what cause you have to Fear If you were doing any thing of this World's Business and knew your Life lay upon it 't would make your hand shake Psal 2.11 Serve the Lord with Fear Phil. 2.12 Work out your Salvation with fear and trembling Why should we Fear why should we Trembie Why because there is so great a Work lying upon our hands What if this Work be done and well done Then you are made for ever What if you neglect or miscarry in this Work Then you are lost irrecoverably 'T is a matter of Life and Death that you are every day and hour upon how can you think such a thought without a trembling Heart What a mighty influence would this consideration have upon your Duties When you go to Pray whether in the Closet or in the Family or in the Congregation were you perswaded that your eternal state were so much concern'd in it would you not fear how you trifled in so great a Duty and would not this Fear command in all your Powers to joyn in so important a Service how would it stand at the door and keep out all those stragling thoughts that at such times use to be thrusting in Would such hasty and cursory Praying such a flat and formal Devotion which you ordinarily take up with then suffice you you would sooner sweat than sleep at Prayer your Hearts would burn within you and not freeze as they too often do Tongue-Prayers and Knee-Prayers and Eye-Prayers would be of as little account with you as they are with God all the Males in your Flock would be brought in you would not dare to offer to the Lord a corrupt thing You would take your best time and time enough you would put forth the utmost of your strength you would not make your Souls to wait the leisure of your Flesh or to take its leavings It must not then be what you can spare from the World what you can spare from your business or your pleasures that will do the turn your eating time your sleeping time your working time must be taken up this way rather than want time for God and your Souls Dost thou complain of sleepiness in Prayer of wandrings in Prayer of want of time for Prayer Think Man
you say The time that I spend thus I can spare from my Soul that care 's taken already Christ is sure Heaven is sure to me Now for the flesh and mine ease and my pleasure now for this present World I have done enough for that to come Or else will you say These dayes of my Vanity and Earthliness will I hope be left out of my Reckoning my Prayers and my Alms the good that I have done is so much that my evil Deeds and Dayes will be over look'd and past by But must not every Day must not every Work be brought to Judgment Doth not the Righteous and All-seeing God book down all Is not the Sin of Judah written as well as their Tears and Duties Is not every thing noted in his Book And must not all things that are written therein be read in that day Canst thou look on this and not fear continually every day 1 Pet. 1.17 If ye call on the Father who without respect of Persons judgeth according to every Man's Work pass the time of your sojourning here in Fear If you had to do with a God that would never call you to a Reckoning whether you serv'd him or not or how much or how little you serv'd him or whom else you serv'd besides him if you had to do only with such a God the matter were not then so much how you liv'd and spent your time But if ye call on the Father if you serve such a God who will reckon with every one of you and for every thing you have done you had need look better to it Pass the time the whole time of your Sojourning here in Fear Beloved if your own Souls were not so highly concern'd yet this Consideration That the Work of your Lives is to serve the Lord would work you to Fear If you were upon some Service for a Prince or a great Man of the Earth suppose it were but to make him a Garment would you not fear how you sullied it or bungled upon it Or if it were but to keep his Garden would you not fear how you let it run to ruine What is this God whom you serve Is he not a great God the King of all the Earth Is he not an Holy God and a Jealous God that looks to be sanctified and to be the Fear and the Dread of all those that serve him Isa 8.23 The Service of God is often exprest in Scripture by fearing of God Cornelius Acts 10.2 was said to be a Man fearing God that is the same as a Man that served the Lord And the Apostle exhorts Heb. 12.28 That we have Grace in our Hearts whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and Godly Fear Thou servest the Lord but wouldst thou that thy Service be accepted with God Then serve him with Fear Therefore to the end to hold this Fear upon you I shall add this Counsel Through your whole course and all the parts of it carry this express Notion upon your Hearts That you are serving the Lord in all that you do Do all you do as the Servants of the Lord and look on every Duty as the serving of him What the Apostle requires of the Servants of Men is the Duty of every one of the Servants of God Col. 3.23 24. What-ever you do do it heartily as unto the Lord for ye serve the Lord Christ When you go to pray think with your selves this is a Duty which I ow to God I am going into my Closet upon a Service I have to do for God there When you give an Alms or when you teach or instruct your Families think with your selves these are Services which I have to perform not only to my poor Brethren to my ignorant Family but I ow them to the Lord and to him I will perform them I have a Service to do for God amongst the Poor I have a Service to do for God in my Family God hath bid me Feed the one and Teach the other and to whomsoever I do it I 'le do it as unto the Lord. And in like manner in all the matters of your Life in the ordering of your whole Conversation let this be still in your Eye and upon your Heart God hath sent me forth as his Servant into the World I have no business here but for the most High I am born for him I am fed I am clothed I live for him all that ever I have are the Talents of my Lotd committed to me to use and improve for him I am Debtor to no other I am Servant to none else what-ever goes out any other way this is no less than unfaithfulness to him whose I am and now I go bound for him for his pleasure I was made and to him I am devoted this Life of mine and every day of it and every breath of it I consecrate to the Lord his Servant I am and 't is no Work for me that I cannot call serving the Lord. What would such a Sentiment upon the Heart bring forth What care yea what watchfulness yea what fear would it produce What shall I serve the Lord with that which cost me nothing Shall cheap-Service and easie-Service and lazy-Service and eye-Service be all that the Lord God shall have of me I dare not serve my Governour so and how will my God take it But what shall I divide my Service betwixt the Lord and any other Master shall my Flesh be serv'd shall my Pride be serv'd shall my Covetousness shall Men be serv'd shall this Heart or this Time or this Estate be divided betwixt the Lord and them How if the Lord find me in another Field in another House or upon other Work than whither he sent and appointed me How if he find any of his Talents wasted his Goods conveyed away to another Master how will he bear it Yea how shall I bear it Art thou not afraid O my Soul how this will be born and what a Reckoning thou mayest be brought to for it O let me fear to be such an evil Servant that I may not fear the evil Servant's doom let me continually fear every day that I may prevent the fear of the Reckoning-Day Such a standing Impression would this Notion of our being engaged in Service for God kept constantly upon the Heart produce This Notion mingled with all our Thoughts Duties and Wayes and the Holy Fear it will bring forth will not only hold us to constant Service but will put us upon the highest and best Service What is the Lord whom I serve Is he not one who looks for all I have and is he not worthy of all I have What an honour is it to be the Servant of God and what a terror to be none of that number He is the best Master he is worthy he is worthy of the very best I have Fear and be ashamed O my Soul to put him off with any thing that is not worthy of him What will an
ingenious Spirit fear more than to be base and unworthy Should you ask such a Person Why are you so exact and so tender and so circumspect in your way Why are you so busie and so studious and so laborious in your course Why can you not as well as others take up with a lower and more remiss way of Religion O I dare not be so unworthy I am the Servant of God and through his Grace I will serve him the best I can He that is most Holy and most Circumspect that keeps the closest to his Work and his Rule he is the best Servant to God and as I am obliged so I am resolved through the help of God to do him the most Honour and the best Service I can I should be a Wretch a vile and unworthy Person if I were otherwise minded The great God hath but few Servants in the World hath he taken me into the number of those few O what shall I render how can I be sufficiently thankful for that Grace God hath but few Servants in the World and the fewer the more serviceable have they need to be The Devil hath many Servants he hath those that serve him in every House in every Town there are whole Countries that are wholly peopled with the Servants of the Devil and their Work is to do all the dis-service and dishonour they can to God to cherish the Flesh and foment the Lusts thereof to fill the World with wickedness and to trample upon all that 's left of God in it What multitudes hath the Devil that serve him every-where and how busie are they at their Work God hath but a few Servants and since he hath made me one of them I 'le do him the best Service I can Such a blessed and quickning influence would such abiding thoughts have upon all the People of God As 't would be on the contrary If Sinners would carry this thought upon their Hearts I am every day serving the Devil it would be a Bridle to hold them in so if People kept up such a thought I am serving the Lord 't would be a Spur to quicken them on Such a thought upon Sinners Hearts I am serving the Devil would strike such a fear as would drive them quite backwards The very same fear which would animate Saints would strike Sinners dead in the Nest If a Sinner that 's going to the Ale-house would seriously consider and ask himself Whither am I going and upon whose Errand And his Heart should answer I am going to the Ale-house to serve the Devil the Devil hath some Servants at work there for him at their drinking-Drinking-work swearing-Swearing-work scoffing-Scoffing-work and I am going among them to help on the Devil's Work And if others that are serving their Covetousness or their Pride or their Envy if their Hearts should tell them This also is serving the Devil the Devil hath a great Work for thee to do to damn that Soul of thine and as many others as thou canst The Devil would have thee to Hell with him and hang up that Soul of thine in Chains of Fire This he cannot do unless thou wilt put thine own hand to the Work and now he hath brought thee to it in the course thou art now taking thou art doing the Devil's Work to destroy thine own Soul Such thoughts would put Sinners to a stand or at least slacken their pace If the Devil should possess a whole Countrey of People as he hath sometimes possessed some particular Persons and should set them a pulling down their own Houses a burning their Corn and their Cattel a tearing their own flesh a pulling out their own Eyes a butchering their Children a pulling out one anothers Throats who would no the afraid to go dwell in that Countrey to be hired to that cruel Work Why Sinners 't is worse work than this that the Devil hath set you upon and you are now a-doing He hath set you on work to stab every Man his own Soul to strike in Darts through our Livers to kindle those Fires that will burn to the bottom of Hell and to cast your selves headlong into those Eternal Flames Hadst thou such a thought as this upon thy Heart didst thou but consider that this is it thou art doing 't would cool the heat of thy Lust and hold thee back at least from much of that wickedness thou art rushing upon And so it would be here if Christians did consider what 't is that they are a doing in their following Holiness and Righteousness that they are herein serving the Lord and that in his recovering and saving Design O how would it provoke them on How is it that thou art such a slow-belly that thou art such a drone and such a slug in thy Work Is he whom thou servest worthy of no more than this Pluck up thy Spirits Man thou art upon Service for the God of the whole Earth and upon the noblest Service that thou art capable of thou art sent forth upon the same Service for which the Son of God was sent into the World to save Souls and to destroy the Works of the Devil Jam. 5.20 If God should have employed thee but in those lower Works that Christ did for the Bodies of Men to open the Eyes of the Blind to unloose the Tongue of the Dumb to cast out Devils to heal the Sick and raise the Dead wouldst thou have been so unwilling and so backward at such Works Thou art upon greater Works than these to save thine own Soul and those that see and hear thee God hath made thee one of that Chosen Generation that Royal Priesthood that Holy Nation who are to serve him by shewing forth the Vertues of him that hath called them 1 Pet. 2.9 To bear his Name and to set forth his Praises in the World thou art set up as the Image of God as the Epistle of Christ thou art sent forth as a Factor and Agitator for God to negotiate for him in the Earth to bear up his Name to propagate his Gospel to enlarge his Kingdom Art thou not afraid to trifle in such noble Works Think O my Soul what 't is thou art for and for whom thou livest Shall I be as the Ox that eateth Grass or as the Swine that lyeth in the Mud and tell the World behold your King This is the Image of your God Shall the Epistle of Christ be nothing else but a Blank or Blots Shall the Factor for Heaven have so much of his Occupation for Earth Shall I teach Men to despise and pollute and blaspheme that worthy Name which I am intrusted to advance and exalt Shall any little that I do suffice me in so great a Trust Come on O my Soul remember thou servest the Living God and therefore let me do him the best Service I can Canst thou be too Holy Canst thou be too Circumspect and too Active I may be too sluggish and too silent and too shie and too shamefac'd
the Lord that thou hast a standing infallible and uninterrupted evidence of thy Sincerity and an undoubted Security for thy perseverance to the end Is there not room for such a question What if I should fall short Art thou gotten beyond all possibility of miscarrying for ever Friends know that a possibility of falling into the Wrath to come were that Wrath throughly understood would work more fear than a certain expectation of all the Torments and Miseries of this Life O Fear Hast thou Faith Believe and Fear Hast thou Hope Hope and Fear Hast thou Joy Rejoyce with trembling Rejoyce in hope of the Glory of God and tremble and fear his Wrath and Vengeance There will be this double use and advantage besides others of this fear of the Curse 1. 'T will quicken our necessary fear of Sin 2. 'T will quench our sinful fear of the Cross 1. This fear of the Curse will quicken our necessary fear of Sin Yea and of all the temptations to it Sin is the sting of Death and this Death is the sting of Sin How bitter would Sin taste how gastly would it look were this Gall that lies in its Belly this sting it carries in its Tail discovered and heeded Thou wouldst quickly be filled with thine own wayes didst thou but see what stands at their further end That Bed of Scorpions whither Sin is dragging thee would make every Sin as a Snake or Adder And of all Sins 't would strike the Heart with the greatest fear of its beloved Sins These are they especially under which Hell lies in ambush for us these are Hell's strongest Ropes by which it pulls in Souls Hath any Sin cast a Cord of Love about thee That 's it that 's like to be the Rope to draw thee to the Slaughter Thou canst get loose from many Sins at pleasure but take heed that foolish Heart of thine will die for it s Beloved If thou ask What wouldst thou have O my my beloved Sin What comest thou to me so often for Why takest thou up thy dwelling so near mine Heart It will answer O 't is to please thee that I am so often with thee I know thou lovest me I am the delight of thine Heart and the pleasure of thine Eyes thou canst not be content without me I am that Ease or that Wealth or that Credit that thou lovest Is there not a league betwixt me and thee Am not I the nearest Friend thou hast Thy Health and thy Welfare and thy Soul are not so dear as I am to thee thou lovest me and therefore 't is I come that thou mayest have what thou lovest But what hast thou now to say to it No no Traitor 't is my Life thou seekest 't is my Soul thou comest to steal away and devour O I dread thy fawning Face thy smiles are Darts in mine Heart I tremble at thy wooings and embraces Get thee gone Harlot thy kindnesses are deadly kindnesses What means that Dagger in thine Hand whilst thou thus kissest me with the kisses of thy Mouth 'T is my Death thou art designing I must die if I will any longer love thee and what Death must I die Is it a short and easie Death that thou art betraying me to No no 't is a bitter Death and 't is a lingring Death an eternal Death that thou art preparing for me This Heart hath been under-ground in the dark Cavern of Pitch and Brimstone I have been in the Deep and viewed those Chambers of Death where thou lodgest thy Lovers I have sent down my Spies my thoughts have been below in the Belly of Hell I have beheld how they lie in that Pit roaring and yelling and blaspheming raving mad with the anguish of their burning Souls I have seen the very Smoke and Fire that devours them the burning Teeth of that everlasting Worm that gnaws their Hearts and the fury and rage of that Serpent that deceived them in O my Soul quakes my Bones tremble terror and astonishment have taken hold of me at the Description my thoughts have brought me up of that place of torment And thou O my beloved Sin even thou art it that art most like to carry me down and bury me there If I die that Death 't will be by thy hand if I run my self into that Fire 't will be for thy sake Away from me thou proud Heart get thee gone Covetousness or Sensuality or Slothfulness or whatever the Name of my Beloved be I dare not have any more to do with thee I fear thee more than ever I loved thee I fear where thou mayest lay me before tomorrow if I should suffer thee to lodg but one night more with me Such dread of thy beloved Sin would a fear of the Curse work in thee Friends consider Are there yet any Sins that have such power over your Hearts are your Spirits so chained by them that you cannot get loose O look to those Chains of Fire into which by this Chain of Love your Sins are dragging you Are you afraid of the Curse of God Are you afraid to burn Are you afraid to be rack'd and torn and gnawn and groun'd under the Milstones of eternal Vengeance then be afraid of Sin Let Hell be your Fear and Sin will be your Fear let Sin be your Fear and it will be no longer your Love If you will not fear this Fear if you will laugh at Hell you will sport at Sin If you fear not to be Cursed you will less fear to be Wicked if you fear not Hell you will hardly fear to be Devils on Earth O Sinners steep all your pleasant Morsels in that Vinegar and Gall spice all your stollen Waters with that Pitch and Brimstone strow all your pleasant wayes with those Serpents and Adders which will bite and sting your Souls for ever Mingle all your Carnal Delights with some such deep thoughts of what they are betraying you to and then go on after them without fear if you can And as this fear of Wrath will work a fear of Sin so will it also work the same fear of temptations to Sin Sin and Temptation lead the same way though Temptation be one remove farther back Temptation leads to Sin and Sin to Death He that fears the Fowler will fear the snare of the Fowler he that fears the Hunter will fear his Dogs and his Toyls Get a fear of the Land of Darkness and you will fear to be Companions of such as are travelling thitherward fear the Plague and thou wilt be no company for them whose dwelling is in the Pesthouse Afraid of Hell and yet never well but when thou art amongst those Decoys that are enticing thee thither What are the Allurements of Sinners to the Ear of him that hath Death and Wrath in his Eye Let them entice thee Come Let 's be merry let 's to the Alehouse or the Tavern or to a Play Let 's feed to the full let 's cloth our selves with the best let
case that have stood it out to the last and died in their Sins to here and there one that have been Converted and Saved Sure thou art in a fearful case that Curse that hangs over thee there 's but little hope but it will light upon thee and abide upon thee for ever O fear this Curse fear it in time that if it be possible thou mayest take warning and fly from the Wrath to come V. Lastly How should we improve this Holy Fear And now I am fallen upon that which I chiefly intended in the choice of this Subject This Fear will be of general use and of great advantage for the engaging us in and the more succesful managing of the whole business of Religion and Christianity in all the parts and duties of it I have a large Field before me but I shall insist only upon these three general Directions 1. Fear and Search 2. Fear and Beware 3. Fear and Follow after Direction 1. Fear and Search It will much help us to the understanding of our Work if we could once get to an understanding of our state to the understanding of our state a search is necessary and no such narrow search is like to be made as when we search with Fear therefore let the first Direction be Fear and Search Let Fear set you on searching and let it assist you in your search let it follow you into every Corner both of your Heart and Life Fear is suspicious and Suspicion will be inquisitive it will not take up with Reports or Appearances but wil inquire diligently whether Matters be so or no. Christians know that they must pass under the search of God and their fear how they shall abide his tryal will put them upon the more narrow tryal of themselves Besides the great tryal that will be in the last and general Judgment which we use to have a special eye unto in all our tryals of our selves there is a search which God makes into us even in this life And he searcheth us 1. By his Eye 2. By his Hand 1. By his Eye Psal 11.4 His Eye behold his Eye-lids try the Children of Men. Jer. 17.10 I the Lord search the Heart I try the Reins God searcheth not as Man searcheth by enquiring into that which before was hid from him his searching is no more but his beholding he seeth the Heart he beholdeth the Reins God's very sight is searching Heb. 4.13 All things are naked and open to his Eyes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dissected or anatomized He hath at once as exact a view of the most hidden Things the very Entrails of the Soul as if they had been with never so great curiosity anatomized before him 2. By his Hand that is by his Judgments and Chastisements which he sends forth to try them that dwell upon the Earth Rev. 3.10 Zeph. 1.12 I will search Jerusalem with Candles Every Arrow which God shoots is a Candle to search out Mens Iniquities When God sends a Sword or Famine or Pestilence upon the Earth these are the Lord's Searchers which he hath sent forth to try the Children of Men. A fearing Christian will search himself that he may approve himself to the search of God's Eye and that he may prevent the search of his Hand God's Eye is upon me every day proving mine Heart and my Reins I doubt he may see what he will not like in me Search O my Soul what there is that may offend and whether there be not something in thee also which the Lord loveth God's Searchers are coming abroad and who may abide the day of their coming Is not Poverty to be feared Is not Sickness to be feared Is not Sword or Famine or Fire to be feared O what sharp work may these Searchers make upon me Since 't is so hard to endure let me do what may be done to prevent this kind of tryal of the Lord by trying my self But especially this Fear will put us upon a search of our selves with respect to the severest Tryal in the final Judgment of God But what must we search for Why what is it that thou dost Fear tell me that and that will tell thee for what thou must search There are two things especially which thou hast to fear 1. Lest there should not be found in thee that good thing which may evidence thee to be approved of God 2. What-ever Evils there be in thee at which the Lord will be offended Fear this Fear and it will set you a searching accordingly 1. Fear lest there should not be and search whether there be Truth and Vprightness in thine Heart towards God whether the Seed of God his special Grace hath taken root in thee The Ploughers have been ploughing the Sowers have gone forth to sow but what Seed hath there fallen upon mine Heart and what Root hath it taken there Such a search should not be made without fear The Apostle 2 Cor. 13.5 exhorting to this Work Examine your selves whether ye be in the Faith prove your own selves doth in the next words fright them to it Know you not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except you be Reprobates Why should we examine What if we be not in the Faith Why you know what sayes he then you are Reprobates You are Reprobates if ye be not Believers Do ye know what 't is to be under a Divine Anathema to be in a state of Reprobation from God is there not a doubt that this may be found to be your case O how can you but search whether it be or no And how can you but fear while you are making such a search Are you not afraid to let your selves go unsearch'd Do you not tremble till you know how 't is with you And how can you set upon so great a Work without a trembling Heart Beloved It is a strange thing and it is a lamentable thing to observe what stupendious Security there is upon the Hearts of Men concerning the state of their Souls There 's no need of searching with the most they are already satisfied 'T is well with my Soul sayes one I shall have peace sayes another I do not doubt of Mercy through the Grace of God sayes a third and so go on through a whole crowd of Sinners and you may have the same account every one at peace every one already satisfied But how came you to be satisfied in so great a Case Have you ever search'd whether Matters be so well with you or else how can you but fear that you may be mistaken And what if you should be mistaken How strongly soever you are conceited of your uprightness how impregnable soever your confidence is at present notwithstanding all your boastings of your integrity yet God will not take you upon your words trust your selves if you will yet he will not trust you you must be tryed what you are Rom. 14.12 Every one of us to must give an account of
the irradiations of his Holy Spirit and the light of his countenance whilest they are walking in the Law of the Lord the prospering of their Souls in the grace of God and the comforts of the Holy Ghost this is the sunshine of their lives Their countenance is fallen their heart is sick they reckon themselves among the dead when God and their Souls are parted He hath no part in God that can live comfortably without him It 's true the pleasure that the Saints take in God is more or less according to the different degrees of their love to God and accordingly will the sense of his absence be more or less There is a desiring love which is the highest attainment of some weaker Christians and there is a delighting love which is the attainment of the more grown Christians The purer and stronger the love the greater pleasures comes in from the object of it and the more impatience follows from its distance and estrangement from it The love of weaker Christians puts forth in thirstings after the Lord but they taste but little of the sweetness but the more grown can sit down under his shadow with great delight yet neither the one nor the other can be at ease or contented without him Again there is a difference in the Natural temper and constitutions of Christians some are naturally of lively and warm affections and of a chearful and serene Spirit others are of more flat and dull and heavy spirits and this will make a difference upon their sence of things Spiritual Yea and the same persons at several times may be differing from themselves by reason of bodily distempers or occasional discomposures which may have such an influence upon their Spirits that they may at such seasons not only have lost the sweetness of Divine communion but the sence also of its want and those very duties wherein they were wont to have delightful converse with God may seem the most uneasie and wearisome work of their time But yet whoever he be that in ordinary can be satisfied at ease and be merry whilst he is a stranger from God and neither finds pleasure in him nor takes comfort in pleasing of him this man can never conclude that God is his portion He that is least in the Kingdom of God will doubtless be able to say Lord whom have I in Heaven yea or in Earth besides thee Sinner thou sayest that thou also hast chosen the Lord but how is it that he is no more look'd after or regarded by thee How is it that thou canst live so much without God in the world and find no miss of his presence Art thou content to be miserable whil'st thou livest here or hast thou chosen two portions this world to be thy portion here and God only for hereafter I that 's the truth of the case thou foreseest that this world will not last alwayes but thou must after a while be gone and leave all behind thee whil'st these things will last thou wilt take up with them but when they fail thee thou countest upon God at last and so he must only stand by as thy last refuge when all else is gone then God must be thy happiness Is this thy choice of God when thou canst only say Rather God than nothing So I may be sure of thee hereafter I care not for thee now He that hath not chosen God for his happiness in both worlds hath sincerely chosen him for neither Canst thou say thou hast chosen him for thy happiness in this world also when thou canst count thy self happy without him canst thou want communion with him and yet be at hearts ease canst thou take the prosperities of this world to supply the want of a God the smiles of fortune instead of smiles from Heaven will thy twilight or candle-light serve thee instead of Sun-light Canst thou quiet and comfort thy self thus God is none of my acquaintance but I have good acquaintance enough in the world God is angry with me but I have many good friends about me that bear me good will My work for Heaven goes but sadly on but yet I prosper and thrive in the Earth I have none of the best hearts I confess but yet I have a good House and a good Estate 't would be sad indeed if I had nothing either above or below either within or without me if both Heaven and Earth had cast me out but whil'st one of them holds 't is well mine own Cisterne is full and so long I can spare the Fountain Canst thou comfort thy self thus Deceive not thy self God is not the portion thine heart hath chosen thou wilt never find rest in any thing else who hast pitch'd on him as thine only happiness and till thou hast made him alone thou hast not made him at all the portion of thy Soul 5. If you are willing and resolved to forsake all things for his sake God and this world are proposed to our choice and this is included in the very nature of choosing that one be taken and the other left 't is not choosing to take both one of the two must be parted with or neither can be said to be chosen and so the word tells us Luk. 14.33 Whoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath he cannot be my Disciple This seems to be an hard word but is it so indeed Is it hard to part with all our Brass and to receive it in Gold to exchange our rags for better clothing our husks for better seeding What is Earth to Heaven Is all thou hast in the world too great a price to redeem thy Soul from Death and to instate it in everlasting blessedness If these things could redeem thee would'st thou say 't is too much to give this Earth is more than Heaven is worth But farther consider It is not so hard as it seems to be for what is it to forsake all that we have God would not have us to throw away our Estates and make our selves voluntary Beggars to give away our Houses and take up our Habitation in Dens or Caves to give away all our bread and our clothes and leave our selves to hunger and nakedness God would not have us to break the peace with the world to disoblige and fall out with all our friends and to become strangers to our own flesh God would not have us studiously to offend Father and Mother to despise Brethren and Sisters to be undutiful or unnatural to be surly and rude and uncivil to any and thereby create our selves enemies and trouble 't is for the honour of Christianity that we behave our selves sweetly and courteously and dutifully towards all and 't is the Interest of Christianity that those that fear God be good Husbands and provident and have Estates to serve him withall in their generations This is not the meaning of our forsaking of all to cast our selves into voluntary poverty or studiously to make our selves
have respect unto all thy Commandements Then shall I not be ashamed that is then shall I be upright in the way and have boldness both before God and Men when I shall have respect that is when it is in mine heart to do thy whole will without giving my self leave to turn aside either to the right hand or the left He that Lives in the neglect of the acts of worship that prayes not and hears not he that neglects the general duties that sets not himself to seek the Kingdom of God to work out his own Salvation to walk as becometh the Gospel but takes up with a careless carnal worldly sloathful life whether he finds he allows himself in these great neglects or thinks he does not though his heart smites him and will not suffer him to be quiet or go out with such a life in peace the very neglect or not engaging in these great and most necessary duties does prove him an ungodly man and 't will not help this man to say I allow not my self in these neglects for where-ever there is grace there will be praying and hearing and something done towards the working out our Salvation 'T will never be found any man's godliness that he allows not himself to live thus ungodlily when yet he does it Though he gives not himself a deliberate toleration if yet his heart take leave to live thus without God in the world his wayes will betray him whose and what he is Yea and those that do something in those great and general duties yet if they allow themselves in the neglect of any particular duties that they know to be such in the neglect of Righteousness in the neglect of Mercy in the neglect of their Families and the duties they owe to them in the neglect of Neighbour or Strangers and the duties they owe to them and can wink at and dispense with themselves herein such men can never prove but their Religion is vain Art thou a Godly man who art an unrighteous and unmerciful man Art thou a good Christian who art no good Husband Art thou a good Woman who art an evil Wife Art thou a good Man who art a bad Neighbour and givest thy self leave to be so Art thou a Godly man whom halting after the Lord must serve thee instead of walking with God Art thou a follower of Christ who wilt have him abate thee some of his demands abate thee truth abate thee mercy abate thee self-denyal or if he will not abate it to thee any thing that thou likest not thou wilt abate it to him Is this to be undefiled or entire in the way of the Lord will God call that uprightness which cannot be called integrity and that sure cannot be counted integrity which advisedly leaves out any one of the Commandements of God But now he that gives himself to Prayer Hearing and praising the Lord who makes it the scope and business of his life to please God and make sure for eternity studying and endeavouring to approve himself in every thing to him who searcheth the heart and tryeth the reins and to keep himself unspotted of the world this is a Godly man this is Religion indeed Though through infirmity in many things he fall short he prayes but is sick of his praying he hears but is asham'd to think how he hears his Spirit is so often clouded and clog'd with corruptions and infirmities that he can feel no life nor take any comfort in any thing he does though by the power of corruption and temptation he be at times put besides praying and other duties and be sometimes found in the field when he should have been in his Closet in the Market when he should have been at Church though he find his heart too often running off from his work and slinking away after his earthly businesses and gaines and the vigorous prosecution of his design for heaven be sometimes intermitted though he sometimes fail in the ruling of his spirit in the governing of his thoughts and passions and hereupon be surprised by fits of pride or of anger or impatience the more it is thus the more doubtful will he unavoidably be touching his state and therefore dread to let thy lusts get head or take incouragement from their word yet if the bent of his heart and his course be towards the Lord and his intention and indeavour be to fulfil after him not indulging but judging himself for all his failings and striving within himself to stand compleat in all the will of God this man is a godly man and because he will not pardon himself God will certainly pardon and overlook all his infirmities and failings and graciously accept him in Christ Jesus to whom be glory for ever amen Now brethren to gather up all that hath been said for I would not have you to try by one but by all three marks laid down and so to bring this trial to an issue That soul that hath deliberately and absolutely chosen the Lord for his portion resolving to stand to his choice and not to change for ever that makes it the business of his life to pursue his choice and counts it the onely happiness of his life to serve and enjoy that God whom he hath chosen and for his sake is willing to suffer the losse of all things that so heartily approves of Christ and his Gospel that he accepts and adventures his soul and his hopes upon him alone that hath so dedicated himself and given up both the right and the possession of himself to him that he accounts himself no longer his own but is a servant and follower of Christ in righteousness and holiness of life heartily resolving and endeavouring never to allow himself in any known sin nor in the neglect of any known duty though his weaknesses be great his falls and failings be many this man is beyond all question a sincere godly man Doest thou yet fear whether thou be the man let that fear set thee a searching once and once again let it follow thee into thine heart and through all thy wayes let it lay thee in the ballance and compare thee with this pourtraicture of a godly man which is now set before thee if this will not serve to quiet and satisfie thee I know no more to say to thee but that thou diligently set thy self by increasing in the grace of God and outgrowing thy sinful weaknesses and failings to outgrow thy fears and thy doubts And when at length thou art come to a clear judgment that this is thy case then Son be of good comfort thy sins are forgiven thee if God have ever a child if there be ever an heir of the Kingdom of heaven in the world thou art one If thou be not mistaken in thy self but this be a true character of thee I am mistaken in the Gospel if thou be not a Godly and a blessed man Thou hast sincerely chosen the Lord and that 's a sure sign that
strong to run our course Then should we be seen to be a Royal Priesthood an holy Nation a peculiar people shewing forth the vertues of him that hath called us out of darkness into his glorious and marveilous light Then when the pricking briar and the grieving thorn that pride that earthliness and carnality shall be thus cut in their very root when all our fleshly fooleries and dotages and all the vexations pets and passions of persons and parties shall shrink in and wither then shall all those daughters of the morning Faith and Love and Mercy and Meekness and Humility Peace and Gentleness lift up their heads in our Gates and we that have been the reproach and dishonour shall appear the Children and Glory of our Father Go therefore presently to the Lord Jesus carry these Malefactors to the Cross get the Spear to be thrust through the heart and nail every member of this body of sin there let them perish and dye and then shall you see the beauty of holiness looking forth as the morning fair as the Moon clear as the Sun and terrible as an Army with Banners Only to this I must add Nurse up the grace that is in you and let it have its perfect work in fear of receiving the grace of God in vain When the Lord gives grace he layes the same charge upon us as Paul on Timothy 2 Tim. 1.14 That good thing which was committed to thee keep by the Holy Ghost Our grace is to be kept by us As Nurses As Stewards 1. As Nurses By our cherishing and improving of it the weeding of the Garden will be the thriving of the Flowers but they must be nourished as well as cleared of weeds rotten weeds will be soil for the Herbs but they must be warmed and watered also by the influences of the Sun and Clouds In order to our nourishing of grace are all our Receiving duties such as are Prayer Hearing Sacraments c. our being conversant aright in these duties are our sucking in and feeding upon that milk and that bread of life by which grace grows As pleasant as our food is and as great a delight as there is in feeding upon it we are froward Children and have need of the rod to fright us to the breast God that hath provided such food for us and hath made us under such a constant necessity of it will be angry with us if we slight it If the sense of your own need do not let the fear of the divine displeasure bring you carefully and diligently to attend on his means and so to attend that you may grow thereby Come to the Word come to Prayer and other Duties not only in obedience because you have a command for it but come in hope and expectation of growing by them because you have a promise Look not on them only as parts of that homage which you owe to God but as means to obtain from God and whereby you may grow up unto him Attend thus and attend with diligence be afraid to trifle worship God with reverence and Godly fear Fear as it is a bridle to sin so will it be a spur to every duty Christians Is there no fear you may be faulty here Consider how it hath been consider not only what you have done but how you have done it and what you have gotten I have been a Disciple of Christ an hearing Disciple a praying Disciple but cui bono what advantage hath it been to me Do I thrive doth my Soul prosper what discernable difference is there betwixt me that pray and hear and come to the Table of the Lord and them that hear not and pray not what have so many years duties brought me in no more than I had when I first began Am I as much a babe now as when I suck'd my first milk Have I lain at dry breasts at wells in which there is no water or what 's the matter that after all this time I find no more improvement Sure there hath been nourishment ministred they are full breasts they are the wells of Salvation that I have been at but foolish Soul that I am I have but play'd with the breasts instead of sucking and with the bucket instead of drawing and hence 't is that 't is no better with me Methinks the fruit thou find'st of such trifling methinks that lean and starveling Soul of thine should call upon thee to look to it and make a better use of such precious means as are before thee Shew me not the meat but shew me the man tell me not thou hast been waiting at the gates of Wisdome thou hast been feeding by the Shepheards tents tell me not how far or how often thou goest to hear tell me not that thy house is an house of Prayer that thy Closet that thy Family that thy Bible can witness for thee the blindness of thy mind the coldness and carnality and vanity of thy life do sufficiently evidence what a poor feeder thou hast been whatever good meals thou hast been at Tremble to think that such means as thou hast had should leave thee in such a case as thou art this day and since thy wonted course will not do to fetch thee up into a better case what remains but that thou bethink thy self and henceforth resolve to put on to another manner of care and diligence and never again satisfie thy self with any kind of performances whatsoever that do no more answer their end Awaken from thy drowsie Religion and henceforth pray not as at other times hear not as in the former dayes but stir up all thy powers engage all the grace thou hast call up all the faith the hope the love the desires thou hast make all the strength thou canst and bow thy self with thy might before the Lord open thy mouth wide and thus wait on him until he come and rain down righteousness upon thee and thy Soul become as as a well-watered Garden and as a Spring of waters whose waters fail not 2. As Stewards Keep what thou hast for use our receiving duties are for our returning duties Get in in order to laying out and be faithful in laying out well whatever you have received The Rivers must pay themselves as a tribute to the Ocean from which they arise and are filled To whom much hath been given of them much is required Luk. 12.48 and to whom any thing is given be it much or little so much must be returned those that are rich in grace are thereby enriched unto good works and those that are enriched unto good works must be rich in good works 1 Tim. 6.18 What hast thou that thou hast not received and what hast thou received that thou owest not for and what account wilt thou make if thou set not thine heart to pay what thou owest if our first enquiry be what have I received our next must be what have I done or what have I to do What do you more
thine heart that canst so easily keep it within O what wonders are sluggish Christians Life without motion Fires that burn not Suns standing still Souls condens'd into the gravity of Carkasses the winged Spirits become as the creeping things of the earth when shall these immortal sparks recover and come to themselves Christians be impatient with these your slothful hearts let there be no sleep in your eyes till your sleepy Souls be awakened Be asham'd that you who talk what God hath done for you should have no more to say of what you have done or are ready to do for him Set every wheel in motion and thereby fit them for more easie motion let them stand no longer still fear lest your rust should eat out all your strength Be henceforth for an active life bethink the time that hath been run out in sleep and now awaken and begin to live in good earnest 3. Severity or strict and painful holding our selves to our rule Christians must be men of action but they must not act wildly or loosely and at all adventures but their actions must be regular they must be punctual and strict to their rule Christ's commands some of them are hard sayings and will put the flesh hard to it but whatever they be they must be submitted to Matth. 28.20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you As Christ is severe in his impositions upon us so Christians must be severe in their impositions upon themselves and must not abate to themselves a title of their hardest duty Christians must be rigid to be rigid in the way of any party of them that are or that call themselves Christians is an evil A rigid Presbyterian a rigid Independent or Anabaptist are such in the wrong of their brethren but it is a duty and an excellency to be a strict and rigid Christian provided that our rigor be more to our selves and to our own flesh than to all the world besides Now to bring you to this Severity let me exhort you to these three things 1. Fear to be offended at the severities of Religion 2. Fear to baulk any thing of the severities of Religion 3. That you may not fear the severities of Religion fear the severity of Christ against Irreligion 1. Fear to be offended at the severities of Religion Blessed is he that shall not be offended in me Matth. 11.6 The fear of Christian strictness is that which keeps back many a Soul from Christ A Christian who that understands what 't is to be a Christian will ever be able to bear it 'T is too hard service for me to yield my self to to put my self under such a Law as ties me up so short from all that mine heart desires and holds me so close to things so contrary to me how can I endure it The attempting an universal change of the scope the customs the pleasures and the whole way of my life how grievous are the thoughts hereof the matter of my design the nature of my work the temper of my society to whom I must joyn my self being all spiritual and heavenly how contrary are they to me The forsaking my Friends and Companions the abandoning my pleasures the bounding my liberty the bridling mine Appetite and Passions the laying a law upon my senses the watching every word of my mouth and every thought of mine heart the holding my self on by line and by rule in a way of constant painfull duty without any allowance of the least turning aside to the right hand or the left no though it were to the saving of my life who can with patience think of it All these things are against me How many Souls have there been in the World whom such forethoughts of Christianity have kept back from Christ and held under the power of the Devil But though it doth not prevail thus far upon thee thou wilt adventure after Christ however though thou dost not say in thine heart this yoke is not to be born and so throw it away yet possibly thou mayst say 't is hard to be born and think much of it that less might not suffice Thou wilt yield to it in the general but too often when it comes to be a Case that thou thy self art put harder than ordinary to it thy flesh flings and throwes and murmurs and thou art for the time ready to bethink and repent of thy Christianity Hath it never been thus with thee Fear lest it should and still remember Blessed is he that shall not be offended in me That is not so only as not to renounce me but not so much as to complain or groan or drive heavily under me Good is the Word of the Lord that 's a word becoming the heart and tongue of a Disciple 2. Fear to baulk any of the severities of Religion 'T is one thing to say even in the heart Good is the Word of the Lord and another thing to submit chearfully to it when it comes to the pinch By severity I mean not unreasonable roughness or rigour to our selves the unnecessary afflicting or macerating our bodies by self-whippings and scourgings or Penances going barefoot or in sordid and vile raiment as 't is used in the Church of Rome but by severity I mean strictness and exactness to our Rule whatever pain or prejudice it may cost us or expose us to Our holding our selves closely to every duty in special to those harder duties of self-denyal and mortification the taming of our flesh the beating down our bodies and bringing them in subjection by temperance and necessary abstinence those ungratefull duties admonishing reproving withdrawing from offenders and whatsoever else our Lord hath imposed upon us Particularly there is 1. Severity in imposing upon our selves when we are not partial in the Law taking only Christs easier words and leaving out the harder but do charge our whole duty upon our selves and when we do not deal too gently or remissely with our selves onely telling our hearts this is thy duty and it would be good for thee to observe it but do deal more closely and charge it home See to it O my Soul that thou keep the charge of the Lord It must be done dare not for thy life to favour thy self or spare thy flesh by neglecting thy duty 2. Severity in observing and performing our whole Duty When we are not onely not like the Scribes and Pharisees Matth. 23.4 Who bind heavy burthens and lay them on other mens shoulders no nor such as bind heavy burthens for our own shoulders and yet not touch them with one of our fingers but whatever Conscience bids us do that we observe and do 'T is one thing to lay good Lawes and prescribe good Rules to our selves and another thing to observe them We must yoke our selves to our work and go on diligently under the yoke We must not only not quarrel with our rules as too strait for us but keep touch with them and not indulge
3. That you may not fear the severities of Religion fear the severity of Christ against Irreligion Thou canst not bear the work of Righteousness but how wilt thou bear the wages of Unrighteousness if thou canst not be tied up so strait by the cords of his Discipline how wilt thou endure the chains of his indignation If the severities of his service be to thee a stumbling-stone the wrath of the Lamb will be a mill-stone if this stone fall upon thee it will grind thee to powder Matth. 21.44 Sinners let their tongues run at a wild rate I must have my ease I must have my liberty I was never in bondage and cannot now endure it to come under such a severe restraint But thou that professest thy self to be one of his Disciples wilt thou say as these say I cannot bear it I cannot endure it Canst thou burn what thinkest thou of the everlasting severity Consider what thou dost either submit to Christs Pastoral Rod or fall for ever under his Iron Rod wherewith he will crush thee to pieces like a Potters Vessel Why is this the case must I bow or burn must I come under his Government or be ground under his Milstones O I have done no more reasoning with flesh and blood no more picking quarrels with Religion whatever there be in it I dare not but submit to it all for fear a worse thing come unto me Well but wilt thou submit then wilt thou set thine heart to all his words wilt thou set thy Neck to all his works This is the third thing now I exhort you to follow after Severity and strictness in the wayes of the Lord which because it hath something more of asperity and roughness in it than those that follow there will be so much the more need of Fear to bring us to it 4. Simplicity Severity may be in Hypocrisie the Scribes and Pharisees were severe severe in their Fasts disfiguring their faces looking with sad and dejected countenances severe in the observation of the Rites Customs and Traditions of their Fathers yea and of the Letter of the Law of God there were very strict sects of them Act. 26.5 and yet they were Hypocrites Simplicity notes The Heart in our work Singleness of heart 1. Simplicity notes Heartiness in our Work nothing is plain and honest but that which is hearty doing the Will of God from the heart Ephes 6.6 Ye have obeyed from the heart Rom. 6.17 My Son give me thy heart Prov. 23.26 What is it to give God the heart This is one thing comprehended in it to give him the heart for a servant or to serve him with the heart He that gives God the heart gives him the best he hath and gives him all he hath the heart will command the tongue and the hands and the time and the Estate to be all at his service which way the heart goes all goes Serving the Lord with the heart is serving him in good earnest we do but play with duty we do but mock God where the heart is not 't is only serving him in spirit that is serving him in truth Friends be real and in good earnest in what you doe let all your Religion come deep let your Prayers and your Prayses and all the exercising your selves to Godliness of life be the streamings and issuings forth of your hearts to the Lord. Whatever you doe do it heartily as unto the Lord. Serve the Lord as you have been used to serve your flesh in good earnest What you have done for your Estates what you have done for your Names or for your safety you have done it heartily and shall that only which we do for God and for our Souls be done without an heart what is God what are our Souls and the concernments of them that they should be thus put off Is this heartless service all that God is worthy of will he accept it at our hands or is it no matter whether he accept it or no Is this spiritless service answerable to the worth of our Souls and the weight of Eternity will you venture all upon shadowes and lyes Are we but in Jest when we talk of a God or a Christ or a World to come Are our hopes and fears about hereafter but delusions and dreams Do you believe from the heart and dare you not obey from the heart How can you say you believe there is a God indeed that of a very truth there is such an Heaven and such an Hell in one of which your immortal Souls must dwell for ever how can you believe such things and not feel your very inwards even all the Powers of your Souls engaged about them Am I speaking to those that believe not is it not to you that believe that I now direct my words Consider friends The God in whom you believe is a Spirit and will be served in Spirit and in Truth God is a great God and infinitely worthy of the best and of all you have your Souls are precious eternal Life and eternal Death are serious things and which of these two will be your lott is a serious question and sure these most serious things do call for your most serious and hearty attendance upon them Away with all guile and hypocrisie provoke not the jealous God fool not away your Souls by trusting to lyes Worship God in the Spirit lift up your Souls in your Prayers chasten your Souls in your Fastings And as your Souls must be in your Lips in your Eyes in your Ears while you are solemnly worshipping of God so let your Hearts be in you Hands too in all that you have to doe Let your heart have an hand in all the actions of your lives Eccles 9.10 Whatever thine hand findeth to doe do it with thy might that is do it with all your heart the heart is the might of the man God is the strength of the heart and the heart is the strength of the man Sinners when they go forth upon service for the Devil they carry their heart in their hands Micah 7.3 They do evil with both hands earnestly Earnestly there 's the heart in their hands They do their worst that God will suffer them Thou hast done iniquity as thou couldest Jer. 3.5 as much as ever thou wert able As Sinners do their worst so let Christians do the best they can Whatever thou hast to do for thine own Soul by gathering in and treasuring up against the time to come do the most and the best thou canst be as hearty in laying up treasure in Heaven as ever thou hast been in laying up treasure on Earth Whatever service thou hast to do for God in thy generation by doing good to others do it with all thine heart In your instructing admonishing counselling reproving in your working righteousness in your shewing mercy in your promoting and encouraging any good work or preventing evil in your propagating serious Religion in your pulling poor sinners as
brands out of the burning and rescuing them out of the power of the Devil in compelling the stragling and wandring Sheep into the Fold of the Lord or whatever else you have before you do it heartily as unto the Lord. What a world of good might a generation of hearty Christians do in the World how many Souls might be the better for them how many Families might bless God for them The blessing of Souls ready to perish might come upon them they may be the blessings of a whole Countrey they may be Lights to the World and Life to the dead Eyes to the blind Tongues to the dumb Feet to the lame and strength to them that have no might the Kingdom of God the Gospel of Christ would be advanced and adorned by them and the Synagogues of Sathan even depopulated and destroyed And how greatly would this both abound to their own account and tend to their own improvement in the Grace of God But wo to many of us yea and to the poor world also because an excuse must serve us instead of an heart we want time we want parts either opportunity or ability we have not thus we talk when 't is an heart only that 's wanting Hence 't is we stand so many of us like cyphers a company of useless and insignificant Souls which the Gospel and the Interest of Christ might spare and find little miss of in the world Friends do but find an heart and that will find you time and ability for other manner of service than hitherto you have done Well this is one thing implyed in Simplicity Heartiness 2. Singleness of heart Singleness of heart notes both plainness of heart without juggles and cheats or pretensions of what is not intended and oneness of heart as I may so speak that does not divide it self betwixt more Lords than one more Ends than one but runs out one way that has but one to serve and but one thing to do But of this having spoken largely elsewhere I shall say no more here 5. Ingenuity with good will doing Service Ephes 6.7 this good will notes that good nature which by grace we are wrought to inclining and disposing us to a more noble and free to a more chearful and ready serving the Lord. An ingenuous Christian doth not only serve the Lord really and without guile but readily and cheerfully it 's sweet to him to do good he bears good will to God for himself he feels the infinite goodness and worthiness of the Lord to melt and draw forth his Soul towards him the name and honour of God is in his heart and is so dear and precious to him that he feels something within him prompting him to all manner of expressions of love and duty to him He is become good natur'd and so not only in point of gratefulness he returns love for love good will for good will duty for kindness which he hath received but it is a pleasure to him to return good will for goodness love for his worthiness to be beloved The name of God he would have to be above every name it is his delight and therefore his desire that as the Lord is infinitely honourable so he should be abundantly honoured the very thing the magnifying and exalting the Lord is the great thing that sits upon his heart it is a pleasure to him that God is pleased and this he loves that God should be loved and served and hence is his care hence are his labours this is the spring-head of all his duties and God is the Ocean into which his streams do run He speaks for God and works for God and lives for God he studies to be holy and righteous he is busie and industrious he is watchful and painful and fruitful in good works that he may thereby shew forth the vertues of him that hath called him and glorifie his Father which is in Heaven He understands and feels that what he thus does for God is to himself also and will abound to his own account and everlasting blessedness and the good will he bears to his own Soul and the hopes he has of his own reward are as oyl to his wheels but his good will to his God is the main spring that sets them all a going O follow after this blessed frame get you such an ingenuous Spirit and then how sweet and easie will the very severities of Religion be The nearer you come up to this by so much the less need will you have of that fear which is so necessary to bring you hitherto Fear will now resign up to love to do its work more immediately by it self Not but that there may be still some use of it more or less so long as there is sin before us and any danger of our falling into it so long will love cause us to fear but as we are more grown up above the power of sin and are not so greatly in danger of it so fear abates By how much the more perfect love by so much the more hatred of sin and so much the less fear of it Love will now make as effectual a resistance against sin by Hatred as it did before by fear and for our course of duty we shall now run not with patience only but with chearfulness the race that 's set before us a chearful willing horse will the less need the rod or spur 6. Spirituality This and the former are twins and grows up together How fit is the spiritual man and how free will he be for spiritual work The new man is a spiritual man he is such from his birth Joh. 3.6 that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit but whil'st he is a child there is so little of spirit appearing in him that the Apostle sticks not to call him carnal 1 Cor. 3.1 I could not speak to you as to spiritual but as unto carnal even as to babes in Christ but as this Child grows up towards a perfect stature so he becomes more spiritual from day to day and accordingly he prospers in his work O Christians get you to be of a more elevated raised spirit through the more abundant diffusion of the spirit of Grace upon your hearts Live more in the contemplation of God Behold his face in righteousness and you shall be satisfied with his likeness Psal 17.15 2 Cor. 3.18 Beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord we are changed from glory to glory into the same Image Hereafter we shall be perfectly like him because we shall see him as he is 1 Joh. 3.2 and by how much the more we see him here by so much the more like him Acquaint your selves with God divine converses beget intimacy in Heaven and none so Heavenly as God's intimates we are too great Strangers in Heaven to have much of Heaven upon our hearts distance breeds difference by being such strangers we become more alienated from the life of God There is nothing more ordinary
than to receive the tincture of our society upon our hearts we like our acquaintance and are apt to grow like them Be familiar with the spiritual God and you will become more spiritually minded no such advance towards divine conformity as divine communion conformity will prepare for communion and communion will increase conformity Christians Be spiritual your work is spiritual it lyes in the exercise of spiritual Graces in the performance of spiritual duties in the offering up spiritual Sacrifices Your encouragements are spiritual encouragements spiritual priviledges comforts and rewards favour and acceptance with God fellowship and friendship with God peace of Conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost What are all these spiritual works and spiritual encouragements to carnal hearts how unfit is the spirit of a brute for the work of a man and how unsuitable is the Spirit of a man the carnal mind to the work of a Christian They that are in the flesh fleshly men cannot please God Rom. 8.8 1 Pet. 2.5 Ye also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house an holy Priesthood to offer up spiritual Sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ Sowing of fields planting of Orchards buying and selling and trading are as proper works for the beasts of the earth and as much they are like to do at it as blessing and praising and serving the living God to carnal men Sinners you also come together to pray and hear and Sing and serve the Lord but you are like to make as good works of it as to the spirit of these duties as your Cattel would do at building your houses or keeping your markets and by how much the more any amongst Christians are like you by so much the more unskilful are they like to be at the work of God And what are spiritual encouragements to carnal hearts how little would it quicken and provoke carnal men on in the Service of God to tell them as you grow more serviceable so you shall be more acceptable to God as you abound in duty so your grace and your comfort and your hopes and your joy shall abound If you could tell them This is the way to be rich to rise and grow great in this world you shall gain favour and friendship with men the Dignities and Preferments the Gold and the Silver shall be shared amongst the most active and industrious Christians What multitudes would this fetch in to be Disciples and what contending would there be who should be the most forward of all Christ's followers But whil'st this is all we can say you shall find grace in the eyes of the Lord you shall have treasure in Heaven we see by experience enough how little this will move them Get these hearts to be more Spiritualized and then you will find both the work of God and his rewards to be most acceptable work and the highest encouragements Friends what 's the reason that we so lose all our arguments which the Lord puts into our mouths to perswade you to more serviceable and fruitful life we open the good treasure of Heaven to you we set the unsearchable riches of Christ before your eyes and do what we can to enamour you of them thereby to allure on your lazy hearts to kindle desire to quicken to labour but nothing will do you are as slow and as heartless in your pursuit of these invisible treasures as if nothing had been told you of their worth and excellency how comes this to pass why are you 〈◊〉 yet carnal I that 's it that spiritual good things are no more taking with you your fleshly wayes your fleshly pleasures your fleshly converses and correspondencies have so kept alive and fed and fomented the carnality of your hearts that they cannot discern or taste the things of the Spirit When we are become more spiritual we shall savour and relish spiritual things and then shall we feel what attractives they will be our desires will be above our delights will be above our hearts will be lost to these carnal things we shall leave this earth to earthly minds when this mantle of flesh is fallen off and we are gotten up into the Chariots of fire then shall we ride upon the high places of the Heavens and our wings shall carry us on swiftly towards the mountains of Spices As far forth as we are become spiritual our motions upward will become natural and by how much the more natural by so much the more strong and pleasant the rougher things of Religion will be then more smooth and the hard things easie 't is this flesh that creates us difficulties when the flesh is swallowed up of Spirit difficulties shall be swallowed up of delight and then shall we go on our way rejoycing then shall we labour and abound in the work of the Lord when we shall thus taste and see that our labour is not in vain in the Lord. Lastly Follow after pleasure the Pleasure of Religion This will spring up to you out of the former branches as I have already hinted Get you such a Spirit of power and holy activity grow up to that exactness simplicity ingenuity and spirituality that you may drink of their pleasures Here I shall shew 1. That Religion hath its pleasure 2. That the pleasures of Religion are the portion of the grown Christian 3. What the particular pleasures of Religion are that we should be reaching after 1. Religion hath its pleasures You may remember I have been lashing and leading you on hitherto at least within a step or two by fear And though your fears will now in great part be left behind you I would not yet leave you That which follows will be of this use to you to encourage you to bear the rougher conduct of fear all along your younger time by that sweeter course you shall have of it when fear shall give up to love as the pleasures that comes in from the hopes of freedom doth allay and sweeten the the severities of an apprenticeship Religion hath its pleasure It hath its tartness and its trouble as you have seen already so much unpleasantness it hath in its fore view that foolish Sinners shun it and run away from it for fear They will not touch the Roses for fear of the prickles As 't is with Saints so 't is with Holiness 't is a Lilly among thorns these thorns not only hurt the Lillies but keep back the hand of the gatherers how many more than there are would be reaching after this precious flower but for fear of being scratch'd Well but whatever there be in Religion to affright it hath much more to invite us to it Her wayes are wayes of pleasantness and all her paths are peace Prov. 36.17 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thine house and thou shalt make them drink of the River of thy pleasures Psal 36.8 what and how great the pleasures of Religion are will be made appear in the third particular
heavenward to be as swimming against the stream but by how much the more grace hath over-powred nature by so much the more he hath now gotten the stream with him his following God is now become as swimming down the stream of that new nature which hath now gotten so much the better in him One of the hardest works of a Christian is Self-denyal to lay down our own wills to curb our appetites to go cross to our own dispositions interests and humours this goes near at first and will hardly be born but after we have us'd our selves a while to it and by degrees inur'd our wills to submission to the will of Christ and holding the bridle strait upon lust and appetite have made our hearts to feel themselves to be under authority a chearful and contented subjection will in time become habitual to us the more self-denyal we have exercised the less will there be afterwards needed He that hath been given to intemperance to gluttony or drunkenness at his first laying a restraint upon himself what a bondage is sobriety and temperance to him but after he hath used himself to a temperate life he finds it more sweet and easie to him and is better pleas'd with it than ever he was with his former excess and scarcely knows now what 't is to lust after his old licentiousness Now Brethren that which I would perswade you to is Make your Religion pleasant by making it easie to you make your Religion easie not by halfing your work or remitting your care but by increasing your strength and your diligence get your hearts strengthened and get them habituated to Religion this will make it easie and ease will make it pleasant What 's the reason that we see some Sinners go on with so much pleasure in their wicked wayes the service of sin is laborious enough and in some respects much more toilsome and expensive than the Service of Christ They have many Masters to serve and every one of them will be calling them to work they have the Devil to serve and the World to serve and divers lusts to serve they are like a servant of men who is at the command of more Masters than one one calls him this way another that way one hath this to be done another that to be done so that for one and another the poor Servant can never be at rest such is the case of Sinners their pride calls them one way their covetousness another their sensuality another their Souls are made meer Hackneys of though they change their rider yet one or other is still upon their backs And yet we see how roundly and merrily they go on their way without ever complaining of their Masters or their work When do you ever hear any such complaints among them O this Devil is an hard Master O this flesh of mine what a Tyrant is it O this feasting and sporting this drinking and rioting what an irksome Trade is it O this getting of Money this laying house to house and field to field I am quite weary of it When do you hear any such groanings or complainings amongst them No no they are strong Sinners they are accustomed to do wickedly and thereupon as very a drudgery as the service of Sin is they can go through it with ease and pleasure Friends get you to be strong in the Lord and you will run your race of duty with much more pleasure than sinners run their course of iniquity hold you close to your work a while and you will get to Heaven with as much ease as Sinners go to Hell O what fools are loytering trifling Christians who think to make their life easie by idleness what 's the reason that thou haltest thus after the Lord and art so slothful in thy way why dost thou not set thine heart and thy shoulders to the work of the Lord and give thy self in good earnest and wholly to it O I can't endure all labour all difficulty I must have a little ease 't is too tedious and painful to me to hold to such close and constant service But dost thou think to make thy work easie by trifling at it Foolish Soul thou takest the ready way to create thee the more difficulty once the work must be done or thou art undone and there 's no such way to do it easily as by doing it diligently the life of a trifler is the hardest life of all that profess themselves Christians doubtless Christ's yoke will sit easiest upon those necks upon which it sits the closest 4. The pleasure of Love He that hath not felt pleasures in love hath not felt what 't is to love This is one of the great pleasures of Heaven to love and to be beloved to receive the over-flowings of the divine love and to feel our hearts emptying themselves and flowing forth in returns of love to God Look how much you have of love so much of Heaven of the joy that is above 1 Pet. 1.8 Whom having not seen ye love what follows Ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory 1 Joh. 4.16 God is love and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and he that dwelleth in God dwelleth in joy Psal 37.4 Delight thy self in the Lord to love God and to delight in God are much the same love is the bud and delight is the blossome that grows out of it Love hath a pleasure in it and the love of God will put a pleasure into all Religion How amiable are thy Tabernacles O Lord of Hosts Psal 84.1 It is good for me to draw near to God Psal 73.28 I delight to do thy will O my God Psal 40.8 Sing praises to his name for it is pleasant Psal 135.3 It is a pleasant thing for him that loves to please and praise the Lord It is good before the Saints Psal 52.9 Fear often brings us upon Service but 't is love that sweetens it fear brings us on especially in the dayes of our minority and it should do so as I have already shewed if love will not fear must We often pray and read and hear and search our hearts and look to our wayes because we dare do no other we strive and wrestle and watch against sin and its lusts against the world and its temptations because we are afraid what would become of us if we should not 'T is well that any thing will do either love or hope or fear whatever it be that will bring us upon our duty that will keep us from iniquity 't is well that something will do it 'T is better to pray because we are afraid to neglect it than not to pray at all 't is better to keep a good Conscience because we are afraid of an evil Conscience than to be licentious whatever it be that brings us upon a consciencious life better so than to be let alone to carnality and looseness But yet still 't is love that sweetens and thereby strikes the great and