things to passe easily Oh that this were observed In Gods opportunitie it is an easie thing to beleeve to repent to subdue a sin and to overcome a temptation as it is an easie matter for the Ship to go when she hath the winde to fill her sayls Every thing is done easily in Gods opportunitie whether it be to save a soul or to destroy a soule because God in his opportunity makes all things concur and brings circumstances together to strike up the action suddenly you shall see it 1 First In the ruine of a man in the destruction of a man when 't is Gods opportunitie to destroy a man what easie way will he make for 't As Saul when Gods time came that he must perish he slew himselfe there was no difficulty in the 1 Sam. 31. 4. worke he fell himselfe upon his sword as the stone doth to its center How easily was Jericho taken when the Priests blew the Trumpets and the people shouted the wals fel down flat of themselves How easily was Pharaoh and his Army destroyed in the red Sea The Sea was divided and a way made for him that he might not stand upon 't but run voluntary into the womb of death Oh the efficacy of Gods opportunities How easily did Goliah fall what stirres and blusterings did he act a little before upon the stage of pride and boasting making a challenge to all Israel but when Gods opportunitie comes how easily is he slaine And therefore the Scripture speaks this with an Emphasis So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone and smote the Philistine and slew him but there was no sword in the hand of David 2 So Gods opportunities worke good for men easily they bring great matters of good to passe with no difficulty when 't is Gods opportunitie that David shall take possession of his Kingdome it fals into his mouth as it were not onely Saul but all his sons that might stand as so many screens between David and the Crowne are taken out of the way The house of Judah they of themselves come and annoint David King over them Then Abner Sauls Generall of his whole Army displeased with Ishbosheth revolts to David and all the Tribes come to Hebron to annoint David King over Israel Do you see this great worke is done to his hand So in Gods opportunities it is an easie thing to beleeve and repent Act. 16. 14. Luk. 19. 6. 1 Kin. 19. 20. Ah my beloved the ease of beleiving and repenting attends a peculiar opportunity of Gods owne vouchsafing in which he doth more readily worke then at other times How shall I know when 't is easie for me to beleeve and repent 1 When the light of the spirit doth flash into the eye of thy soule then thy worke is easie as when the light of the day doth dart its rayes in at the windows of thy Chamber 't is easie for thee to read a small print Thus when a light from Heaven did shine upon Paul and shine into Paul how easie did his worke come off Lord what wilt thou have me to doe 2 When thy heart is made combustible and ready to take fire as when the tinder is dry 't is easie to light a candle the least sparke that fals on it takes fire and when the fire is combustible it is an easie matter to kindle a fire it burnes presently So when thy heart is softned it easily takes the impression of the seale upon it and when thy thoughts are stir'd up and made combustible 't is an easie matter to kindle them into a fire of repentance as in the Acts when they were pricked in Act. 2. the heart they said Men and brethren what shall wee doe repent saith Peter and they took presently 3 When thine affections and desires are upon the wheel then any worke is easie as when a load is upon the wheel 't is drawne easily whereas if you should goe about to lug it along upon the ground it comes on heavily and therefore the Lord pursuing Pharaoh took off his Chariot wheels and they drave on heavily So when God puts thine affections upon the wheel and sets them a going then 't is easie for thee to doe great matters and therefore observe thine opportunity 2 Gods opportunities are sudden and unexpected they come upon us without preparation God doth not send us word before hand when he will visit us and come to us as sometimes we send to a friend that we will dine with him or speake with him at such an howre but Gods opportunities come suddenly upon us in the twinkling of an eye before we be aware when we know nothing of it and the spirit rusheth in upon a man and gives him no notice before hand Thus Christ came and called Matthew follow me on a sudden whilst he was sitting at the receipt of Custome And he arose and followed him Some poor soules have sent up many a prayer to heaven for assurance and it hath not come and they poor creatures have thought that God hath not regarded them all the while and then on a sudden assurance hath come when they look't not for it Ah dear father how many mercies from thee have come to us uninvited thy preventing grace and mercy doth alwayes visit us uninvited we send not for it it comes freely to us 3 Gods opportunities come besides our intention they come sometimes when we aime not at them We stumble upon heaven when we are seeking something else as a man that digged in his garden only to set roots and plants and found a pot of gold there and as Saul went to Samuel to enquire for his Fathers Asses and found a Kingdome This was besides his intention he sought one thing and found another his poor Asses were in his intention but a Crowne was the object he met with in execution Oh the misteries of opportunity 'T is so many times in the matters of heaven I am found saith God of them that sought me not Many a soul findes Heaven besides his intention How strangely doe some meet with a Commission they meet with heaven and grace by accident as it were they goe to a place onely to seek health or food something for the body and there they light upon besides their intention salvation for their soules as the lame man seeing Peter and John asked an almes there was all his intention and met with a cure both of body and soule and the woman of Samaria came to the Well for water and there found a Christ It was an accident to her to meet Christ there Gods opportunity comes upon her besides her intention Ah gracious God! that she should come for water that very houre when Christ was there not before nor after but that very houre when Christ is there shee came for water which was but puddle and found a Spring of life So the Marriners that took Jonah into their Ship they received him onely
THE GALE OF OPPORTUNITY OR A SERMON Preached at Lidbury-North at the Funerall of the Worshipfull HVMPHREY WALCOT of Walcot Esq JUNE 8th 1650. And now Published by Thomas Froysell Minister of the GOSPEL at Clunne in Shrop-shire As we have therefore opportunity let us doe good unto all men especially to them that are of the Houshold of Faith Gal. 6. 10. Exhort one another daily while it is called to day lest any of you bee hardned through the deceitfulnesse of sin Heb. 3. 13. Filij hominum usquequo gravi corde ut quid diligitis vanitatem et quaeritis Mendacium Tempus hocanimabus non corporibus enim assignatum dies salutis utique non voluptatis Omnia tempus habent Animabus nunc operam dare necesse est nam in carne qui seminat solum exinde metet corruptionem St. Bernard in declamat LONDON Printed by M. S. and are to be sold by H. B. at the Signe of the Castle in Corne-hill 1652. To the truly vertuous and his much Honored Mistris Anne Walcot of Walcot IT was your Husbands desire when alive that I should preach His Funerall and 't is yours that I should Print it Else for ought I know it had never seen the light For I count not any of my Grapes worth the Presse Therefore since it is your pleasure to see this Sermon in a Printed dresse I pray accept of it When your deare Husband was alive Yee were Two precious Diamonds set in the Ring of Marriage God hath taken him away to shine in another World and hath left you to shine a while in this world It is but a while and therefore spread forth all your beams before you set in the West of Death and be seen here no more If we would shine with God in Heaven we must shine for God on Earth Let this Sermon of opportunities make you improve your opportunities Shall the men of this world hugg their opportunities for the world and shall not we Husband our opportunities for Heaven Society with Jesus Christ even on this side Heaven is a kinde of Heaven and those Christall streams of Joys which we might suck from God here outid all the pleasures and braveries of this world which made Bonaventure when the Devil tempting him told him he was a Reprobate and Si Non datur frui Deo et virtute post hanc vitam fruamur eo in praesenti therefore perswaded him to drinke in the present pleasures of this life for saith he Thou art excluded from the future joyes with God in Heaven Answer No not so Satan If I must not injoy God after this life yet let me injoy him as much as I can in this life Oh that drooping Soules would thus quench Satans suggestions This were enough to rebound all his temptations back againe upon him Fruition of God a far off in this life though we should never injoy him in the next is much better then all the pleasures of the world below him Ah! What then will our fruition of him in Heaven be Joy in him here and you shall enjoy him hereafter Live to him here and you shall live with him hereafter And to this â—nd God gives you all your opportunities to this high and happy end that you may attaine him That himselfe and all that he is worth may be yours And let me tel you 1 That a Sermon of opportunities is almost as necessary to be preached as to preach Christ himselfe because the opportunity to receive Christ is in its kinde as necessary as Christ to be received as Christ is called Salvation so our opportunity is called the Day of Salvation Behold now is the accepted time behold now is the day of Salvation We loose Salvation it selfe if we loose the day of Salvation we loose Christ himselfe if we let passe the day of Christ If thou hadst knowne in this thy day the things which belong unto 2 Cor. 2. 6. Luke 19. 42. thy peace but now they are hid from thine eyes A man that is to have a summe of money tendred him upon such a day must be sure to watch and wait the day if he would receive the money He that hath a suite at Law must observe the Terme-time if he loose the Terme he will loose his suite as Luther said that Much of Religion consists in Adverbs so say I That much weight of our Salvation lyeth in circumstances in the circumstance of time and opportunity As the whole weight of our Salvation is laid upon Christ so the whole weight of our getting Salvation is layd upon our time our opportunity 2 Let Faith give you a presentiality of things to come of Death to come of your Account to come Faith gives them a present Existence set the Period of your Time neer unto you behold it is at hand when you shall live no longer pray no longer have the helpe of Ordinances no longer We know not how few sands are left in our Glasse of opportunity and when they are once spent God will not turne the Glasse againe for us 'T is this that affects the heart 'T was this that awaked Niniveh to repentance Yet forty dayes and Niniveh shall be destroyed How did this Alarum stirre their Hearts what say they but forty dayes Are our dayes shut up into so narrow a roome What are Forty dayes How soon will they see an end This frighted them into a fit of Repentance It is time for us say they to fast and pray and rise out of sin if our Sun be so neer setting I am perswaded if God had sent Jonah with this message Yet forty years and Niniveh shall be destroyed it had made no worke at all upon them it might have amazed them but not started them up to such a present repentance It is the neer approach of our end that drives the worke home in us Tell a Scorner in his ruffe and jollity that he must dye one day He receives it carelesly and makes nothing of it but tell him yet forty dayes and you must be called to judgement Nay Sir but two or three dayes hence and dye you must This goes to the quick at this news the proud Ruffler is sodainiy dismounted and his courage degraded he looses his blood in his cheeks and shivers at the heart like the leaves of the forrest that are shaken with the winde Ah then see death upon us Look upon our end as standing by us as neer as are the shadow and the substance so neer are Life and Death our life is but the shadow death brings substance with it substantiall woes or substantiall joyes in the bosome of it Cato Had oftentimes spoken in the Senate that the City Carthage must be destroyed being too neer a neighbour to the City of Rome For a long time together he formed no Oration in the Senate but he usherd in that still as the conclusion yet he could not carry it because Scipio Nasica being made up of a contrary
opinion alwayes pleaded on the other side that it was for the good of the Romane Common-wealth that Carthage should stand At last Cato on a day brought a green Fig into the Senate among them and told them that this Fig was growing in Carthage but three dayes agoe and thereby warned them that a Navy might within three dayes arrive from Carthage and lay fiege to their City When they heard this The neernesse of the danger made such impression on their thoughts that whereas before they could never be won upon to assent now they voted not to give over till they leveld Carthage to the ground And shall not eternity affect us the neernesse of it write deep Characters of feare and care upon our hearts Within three dayes and death may lay siege to our City to our Soul beware of evill at hand of death at hand of Judgement at hand Thou Fool saith Christ This night thy Soule shall be required of thee ah then let us Act betimes let not the night take us in a night let not the night of Death take us in a night of sin and security then we shall have a double night at once upon us 3 Opportunities are very precious Every one according to the objects they lay out for value their opportunities ther 's no Prince or great person in the world hath more Clients and attendants then opportunity hath All sorts Court her and wait with humblest service on her The Husbandman waits opportunity to plow and sow and reap The Tradesman attends opportunity to make his bargains at lowest rate and sell off his wares at highest price The Ambitious man stands at the door of opportunity to raise himselfe All but fools according to their occasions runne out to meet and bow the knee to opportunity and shall not the dearest opportunities be precious to us shall we not take the best opportunity by the hand Opportunity to gaine the most precious things is the most precious opportunity opportunity to get the best treasures is the best opportunity Godlinesse is great gaine Heaven is the highest advancement The Soule is the Crowne and Master-piece of man surely then the opportunity to get and save these should be counted precious opportunity All things here that are of the world are but nothings but Idols and shadows of the best things and an Idol is nothing Time is 1 Cor. 8. 4. Tempus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but the Idol of Eternity and things Temporall but the Idol of things Eternall Our estate and our dayes here are but an Idol Ther 's no divinity nor immortality in them but God is an absolute and eternall Being the spring of all Divine satisfactions They that live in him live at an high rate and live for ever How can he complaine to want light that lives in the midst of the Sun How can he complaine of Thirst out of whose belly flow rivers of living water Surely then opportunity to injoy God is the most precious opportunity John 7. 38. Your Importunity hath setcht out this Sermon of Opportunity from me and I have given you here more then I preach't the time being too narrow to deliver all at once and therefore I was faine to omit many things in the Pulpit which I had in my papers The Spirit of the Lord Preach it all over againe to our hearts I commend you to the Lord Who am Yours most deeply obliged to Honour and Serve you Tho. Froysell Clunne Octob. 8. 1651. To his highly HONORED Mr. John Walcott of WALCOT Esquire SIR In publishing this Sermon Preached at your Fathers Funerall I could not but publish your Name to it or it to your Name you beeing so neer to him for Every Child is the Father multiplied He loved you dearly for his and your owne sake I cannot but love and honour you highly This Sermon was Preached for him but it was Preached to you and therefore God looks that it should worke upon you For at that time you had two Preachers at once Preaching to you the Preacher in the Coffin and the Preacher in the Pulpit He preacht to you that you must dye This Sermon preach't to you how you must live His Death preach't to you that time will be gone This Sermon Preacheth to you how you should improve your time As Death is the way to eternall life so an holy life is the way to an happy death Your Good Father dyed old and you may dye young as God writes some mens life in words at length so sometimes God is pleased to write in short-hand and cut a long life into a small Monosyllable and therefore turne and winde your present stock of time to the best and grow rich in grace upon it Remember 1 You cannot begin too soon to serve Jesus Christ One may begin too late but he can never begin too soon to serve Christ Where should the Flower of your Age grow but in the Garden of his service Bp. Hall It is the Policy of the Devill to discourage Early holinesse He that goes out betimes in the morning is more like to dispatch his Journey than he that lingers till the day be spent 2 You can never doe too much for Jesus Christ Religion know sno a Religio non potest habere excessum secundum quantitatem absolu am potest tamen habere excessum secundum quantitatem proportionis prout scilicet in cultu divino fit aliquid quod fieri non debet Aqui. 22ae q. 92. a 1. ad 3. excesse you cannot savour too much of holinesse as there be some persons that cannot beare the smell of Muske and sweet perfumes it fils their brains and makes them sick so Hypocrites and they are Hypocrites that cannot abide the smell of holy precisenesse and the sent of strictnesse Paul bids us be servent in spirit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is seething hot serving the Lord Quinon zelat non amat He that hath not zeale for Christ hath not love to Christ True zeale is a Seal of our Election Strictnesse and exactnesse is the beauty and lustre of Religion I say you cannot doe too much for Jesus Christ be hath done so much for us And what doth Christ require of you but he did the same for you Is hee not upon equall termes with you Nay before hand with you If he cals you to bear the Crosse for him did he not bear a greater Crosse for you Grace puts no limits to Holinesse Sus non potest ferre rosas amaracum Franz Plin. Rom. 12. 11. Iracundi sunt qui amant Lucian in dial Merc. Maij Finis appetitio non habet limites defini o Aristot Finis praescribit media sed ipsi fini non praescribitur Eccl. 7. 29. Gen. 1. 26. He that makes God his End thinks he can never have enough of God or bee too holy for God And though his actions of Holinesse and his forwardnesse in them over-run his Credit or
good which if we neglect we may never have the like againe And this I will shew you in two things 1 There is an opportunity of receiving good which if we neglect we may never have the like againe 2 There is an opportunity of doing good which if we neglect we may never have the like againe There is an opportunity to get and an opportunity to act an opportunity to lay up and an opportunity to lay out spiritual treasures which if we neglect we may never have the like again 1 I say there is an opportunity of receiving good which if we neglect may be we shall never have the like againe 1. Sometimes there is an opportunity to beget faith in us which if we neglect we may never have the like againe as you Esai 7. 10 11 12. may see in Esai And the Lord spake againe unto Ahaz saying Ask thee a signe of the Lord thy God aske it either in the depth beneath or in the height above But Ahaz said I will not aske neither will I tempt the Lord. Ask a Signe where thou wilt where thou thinkest it may be the greatest miracle and give thee the greatest satisfaction either in the depth or in the height on earth or in heaven Ah what an opportunity had Ahaz here offered to inspire him with faith A miracle where he would and what he would for the Prophet a Ratio signi autem quod certe magnum enim Regi Achas relinquitur libera quan velit esse habere sive in supremis sive in infernis Sam. Bohl in Isai prescribes not what signe Ahaz should ask lest haply the truth of the miracle might be suspected but leaves it to the Kings owne option and free choice whether he will have it towards the depth or height in earth or heaven if earth were too low for a miracle to heigh then his faith he should have one as high as heaven Ah sweet opportunity ah strong opportunity to worke such a faith in Ahaz as to trust God for ever here was an opportunity for him to try God to put the word of God to an experience and ah what scope had he Aske a Signe in earth or Heaven where thou wilt and what thou wilt I will not grudgeâ—t any thing to mount thy faith beyond the Region of feare and doubting to make thee and my people Israel beleeve in me thy faith shall want for nothing to support it God gave him leave to be his owne Carver As when a great friend comes to your house you entertain him in this Language Sir command all that 's here aske what you 'l have 't is yours So did God be speak Ahaz all that 's in heaven or earth is for this minute at thy service the choicest miracle that heaven or earth can yeeld to banquet thy faith command it 't is thine what a rich table of opportunity did God spread for him What variety of dishes a sign from Heaven or earth did the Lord set before him to entertaine and feast his faith Thus doth God condescend to sinners when they will not come up to him he comes downe to them This was kindnes enough to strike the fire of Faith out of the hardest flint Ah what an opportunity was here lost and once lost 't was lost for ever we read not that the like was ever offered Ahaz any more but he grew worse when men despise Gods opportunities they grow worse and worse So againe you have another sad instance in the second of Kings where Elisha prophecied in a time of scarcity Thus saith 2 Kin. 7. 1. 2. the Lord tomorrow about this time shall a measure of fine flowre be sold for a Shekel and two measures of barley for a shekel in the gate of Samaria then a Lord on whose hand the King leaned answered the man of God and said Behold If the Lord would make windows in heaven might this thing be and he said Behold Thou shalt see it with thine eyes but shalt not eat thereof And see this verified And the King gave the Lord on whose hand he leaned the charge of the Vers 17. gate and the people trod upon him in the gate and he dyed as the man of God had sayd He seeth the plenty for conviction of his unbelief but he dyeth and tastes it not as a punishment of his unbeliefe 2. Sometimes an opportunity of repentance and so of receiving pardon is given to a man which if he neglect he may never have the like againe Such an opportunity Judas had Judas had conceived a plot in the wombe of his intention to betray Jesus Christ and form'd it up into a conspiracy with the Pharisees to deliver him to them yet Jesus Christ gives him an opportunity once more to repent and recall himselfe before it be too late Verily I say unto you one of you shall betray me He that dippeth Mat. 26. 21. 23 24. his hand with me in the dish the same shall betray me The Son of man goeth as it is written but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed it had been good for that man if he had not been borne Ah Judas What a thunder-clap is here sent from heaven to awake thee what a warning-piece goeth off to scare thy soule out of sin 'T was a providence thou shouldst sit at table once more with Christ to heare something fall from his lipps that might melt thy heart Ah what an opportunity hadst thou now put into thine hand to repent and retract thy purpose for the Lord Jesus doth discover his sin and doth disswade him from his sin 1 He doth discover the Sin But not the person yet I say He doth discover the sin one of you shall betray me the Lord Jesus discovers the sin that he might recover the sinner He shewed him his sin that he might not sin he shewed him his sin before hand that he might not sin underhand he did strike the sin that he might open a veine of confession in Judas and make him bleed kindly Ah what an opportunity was here for Judas to confesse and be forgiven 2 But he doth not discover the person yet he doth not name him that he might not shame him he opens the sin but not the person that he might thaw him and not harden him that he might winne him but not irritate and provoke him Jesus is yet tender of his credit how much more of his Soul what an heavenly dew of opportunity drops it self upon Judas to moysten his heart In like manner what an opportunity hast thou O Sinner to repent when God shall reprove thy secret Adulteries and unjust dealings and hypocrisie in a Sermon and not discover yet 2 He doth disswade him from his sin by two arguments By Love and Terrour 1 By Love He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish the same shall betray me which words were not spoken to discover Judas by this signe
of obedience wherein he blesseth all the other acts of obedience are but preparatory there is a speciall nick and season of obedience which crownes with blessing perseverance is the only grace that crownes a Christian Methuselah lived nine hundred ninety and nine years if he had fallen away from grace at the nine hundred ninety and nine years end all the good that he had done or got before had been quite forgotten To obtaine a blessing it s not enough to obey God but we must obey him in that point and nick of time wherein he will give the blessing as to meet with a friend in a place it s not eneugh to walke there often you may walke there a week together and not meet him but you must walke there in that nick of time wherein he appoints you the meeting 6 There is sometimes an opportunity given to receive some gift of the spirit which if we neglect we shall never have the like againe as you may see in Elisha when Elisah was to leave the world and to ride in state to heaven in his Coach or bright Chariot saith he to Elisha Ask what I shall doe for thee before I 2 Kings 2. 9 10 11 12. be taken away from thee and Elisha said I pray thee let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me saith Elijah thou hast asked an bard thing neverthelesse if you see mee when I am taken from thee it shall be so unto thee but if not it shall not be so And it came to passe as they still went on and talked that behold there appeared a Chariot of fire and horses of fire and parted them both a sunder and Elijah went up by a whirlewinde into heaven and Elisha saw it c. Here was a ticklish opportunity a slippery opportunity had Elisha missed it he had never had the like againe So mayst thou have some gales and rushings in of the spirit to put thee on to duty some breathings of the spirit to blow up thy cold heart into holy heats and desires some coruscations and beames of the spirit to enlighten thee some joggings and provokings to heavenly mindednesse some strengthnings of the spirit against a lust proffered thee which if you put off it may be thou wilt never have the like againe 7 So when a man doth by providence injoy the society and company of a godly man that is of a choice spirit here he hath an opportunity to taste fruit from him which if he neglect he may never have the like againe A man may by providence be cast upon the company and fruition of such a precious and fruitfull Christian such an experienced Christian that he shall hardly meet with such a one againe in all his dayes Ah! now how shouldst thou improve his graces whilst thou hast him How shouldst thou suck experiences from him How soon he may be removed from thee or thou from him thou knowest not providence that lends thee him and his graces for a while may carry him from thee to another place and then thou loosest thou knowest not what Ah! how will the losse of such an opportunity afterward damp the spirit Thus Faelix whilst Paul was in prison enjoyed a rich opportunity he had a rich Jewel in the Casket of opportunity Ah what an improvement might Faelix have made of Paul all that time he had been happy Faelix then Sometimes he sent for Act. 24. 24. Paul and heard him reason of righteousnesse temperance and judgement to come but he might have had more of Pauls company if he would he knew not what a price he had in his hand whilst he had Paul in his custody but he lost his opportunity for within two yeares he was removed and never enjoyed such an opportunity againe And thus I have done with the first part 2 There are opportunities of doing good which if we neglect me may never have the like again 1 When you are travelling and fall in upon the way with a man you never saw before and a thousand to one never shall see againe here 's an opportunity for thee to doe his soul good to drop heaven into his soul which season thou maist hever have againe to season him with a word of grace Thus Philip falling in with the Eunuch whilst he was riding on his way homeward from Jerusalem closed with him and preached Act. 8. 35. 37. Christ unto him and was an instrument to save the soule of him whom he never saw before nor ever after saw againe 2 When thou art in an office for a time it may be but one yeare thou art cloathed with authority and opportunity to doe good which thou maist never have againe Time will strip thee of thy robes of Authority thou mayst lay down thy life before thou layst downe thy office if not yet annuall offices expire and fall off of themselves and when thine authority is gone thy opportunity is gone as a man that hath a sword or a staffe in his hand if his staffe be wrencht out of his hand he hath lost his opportunity to soile his enemy so it is when the staffe of authority is passed out of thy hand unto another thy time is gone Faelix whilst he was in office was married unto a gallant opportunity to release Paul out of Prison but he did not husband the opportunity and he was divorced from it for ever Act. 24. 27. for saith the Text after two years Portius Festus came into Faelix room and Faelix willing to shew the Jewes a pleasure left Paul bound 3 So when a man is dying upon his death-bed there you have an opportunity to doe his soul good which you shall never have againe Thus Christ dropt in grace and good counsell into the thiefe upon Crosse the Crosse was his death-bead which had it been omitted the thiefs soul had been lost within a few howres for ever and the opportunity gone too 4 So when a friend is in affliction then thou hast an opportunity to strike whilst the iron is hot to humble him while he is humbled to speake a word in season to him while his heart is seasoning and melting as the Jews and those easterne people doe plough and sow their ground when the former raine hath softned it Ah! Sow then for now is the opportunity I say sow the seed of instruction upon a sinners heart while the former or latter raine of affliction fals upon him it is a softning time a melting time while the raine drops the earth is soft He that made a scorne of godlinesse before will then be of another minde and hear counsell then if ever he will hear it 5 So when a godly man is by providence cast into a family he hath an opportunity to distill showres and drop divine influences whilst like a star he is fixed there which if he omits he may never have the like againe thus Paul being in the Jaylors family preacht the Gospell to him
it were betwixt the wombe and the world and now here 's an opportunity now or never to step in and save the Church Save Lord now or never Hester takes the opportunity Who knows saith Mordecay to her whether thou art Hester 4. 14. come to the Kingdome for such a time as this Such a time which carries nothing but death in the wombe of it Such a time wherein the Jews as if all their necks had stood upon one shoulder were destined to the blow at this time Hester strangled the designe and saved the Church by taking the opportunity which had she neglected a thousand to one she her selfe had never escaped to have had the like againe 11 Sometimes there 's an opportunity given to reforme and purge a Land which if we neglect may never be given againe in our dayes as you may see in Judges the first and second Chapter in the first Chapter there you shall finde that Judg. 1. 21. 27. 29. 30. the Children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites that inhabited Jerusalem but the Jebusiies did dwell with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem Neither did Manasseh drive out the inhabitants of Bethshean and her townes and neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer and neither did Zebulun drive out the Inhabitants of Kitron nor the Inhabitants of Nahalol but the Canaanites dwelt among them and became Tributaries and what then see Judges 2. 1 2 3. An Angel of the Lord came up from Gilgall to Bochim and said I made you to goe up out of Egypt and have brought you into the Land which I sware unto your Fathers and I said I will never breake my Covenant with you and you shall make no league with the Inhabitants of this Land you shall throw downe their Alters but you have not obeyed my voice you have not apprehended the season and opportunity what then t is lost in your dayes and in your sons dayes for many generations For now I will not drive them out from before you I have said it it is now past cure but they shall be as thornes in your sides and their gods shall be a snare unto you And when the Angel of the Lord spake these words unto all the children of Israel the people lift up their voice and wept they called the name of that place Bochin that is Weepers they wept so much because they had let slip their opportunity but all their floods of teares could not bring back the opportunity again nor turne the tide I pray God this be not Englands case time was when we had the opportunity to destroy the Canaanites Heresie Error Prophanenesse out of land but now the bird of opportunity is fled out of our hand She hath taken wing is fled away and gone and I feare me we shall not see her againe in our days the Scepter of Jesus Christ is the primum mobile of all good government set him up and his government right and he will set Statâ—s right till this great wheel be set right all the lesser are like enough to goe wrong Ah England I am afraid of Ezek. 24. 13. that Text concerning thee Because I would have purged thee and thou wast not purged thou shall not be purged from thy filthinesse any more till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee Let us now make application And first then Vse 1 Neglect not your opportunities of heaven make the best of your souls opportunities loose not opportunity for a world you have a world of opportunities loose not one opportunity for a world O you that have souls to save save your opportunities oh your soules oh your souls I am afraid of your souls 1 you loose your souls wee Ministers loose all our labour and Christ looseth all his blood that he hath shed for your soules and what account can you give to God for so much cost Most of you doe not value your souls worth the saving Many a man doth prize his Oxe or his Asse more then some men prize their soules 2 The Devils have lost their opportunities will you not take warning by the Devils if you will not take your opportunities you will shortly be as irrecoverable as the Devils 3 Opportunities iost cannot be bought againe for gold As Ahab could not buy Naboths Vineyard of him Naboth would take no money for it so opportunities lost cannot be bought back againe for money if thou wouldst bid never so high for them thou canst not have them upon any price thou canst not pray thine opportunities back againe thou canst not weep thine opportunities back againe as you may see by Esau he lost his opportunity and When afterwards he would have inherited Heb. 12. 17. the blessing he could finde no place of repentance though he sought it with tears Jacob was no sooner gone away with the blessing but Esau comes in with hope of the blessing the blessing was gone but one minute and yet cannot be recovered 4 Every opportunity thou loosest thou growest worse and worse thou art bad to day if thou loosest this opportunity Gen. 4. 6 7. thou shalt be worse to morrow as Cain God conversed with him as it were to day Why art thou wroth why is thy countenance fallen if thou doe well shalt thou not be accepted and if thou doest not well sin lyeth at the door but he was not bettered by this opportunity and presently he grew worse upon it Verse 8. for the next thing he did was he talked with his brother Abel and slew him 5 Salvation which these opportunities carry in their wombe is a transcendent birth a blessing of the first magnitude who would not be saved all things else are but shadows and trifles to this reality called Salvation Those are the sons of wisedome that contend for substance for God for heaven God is not a thing indifferent and Jesus Christ is no circumstance Honors ease worldly profits Istae divitiae nec verae sunt nec vestrae and pleasures all these these I say are in their nature things indifferent and being compared and put in the scale with Christ are lesse then things indifferent even toyes dreames losse dung meer nothings at best but fading things that passe away as a picture drawn upon the Ice which soon vanisheth They are meer accidents nay separable accidents that may be taken from the subject without its hurt a man may spare them and yet be happy but God is the Essence of the Soul the eternall Entity of our happinesse This is life eternall to know thee Ioh. 17. 3. the onely true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent 6 It may be O Sinner that art now in thy sins it may be this very day even this particular Sermon may be thy day that if thou repent not at this very Sermon thou loosest eternall life for ever Thus Jesus Christ ended the day of grace on the Scribes and Pharisees