mind his Trade but lies in Ale-houses and Taverns must you necessarily make him your pattern Because such a man disregards the favor of his Friends that are both able and willing to assist him is that an argument that you must learn his wayes Because such a one lets his Garden run to Weeds must you therefore fill yours with Bryars and Thorns Because such a one imbezles his Estate must you therefore spend yours in riotous living And will you storm the gates of Hell because others are so desperate as to do it Will you howl with Devils because others delight in that Musick Will you scorn the offers of salvation because others will not be drawn by cords of Love Will you run the hazard of losing the light of Gods countenance for ever because others know not how to prize it O my Soul be not thou tempted by these weak Arguments follow not a multitude to do evil Let not the way that leads to destruction invite thee because many there be that find it Company whatever refreshment it may be in Chains or Prisons here can afford but little consolation in eternal flames Company there will rather increase Mens Sorrows and Society heighten their Woes and Torments in that one will not be able to help the other and the shreeks of him that was seduced into sin will but aggravate the groans and anguish of the Seducer when he must remember that he was that Devil that drag'd the other into endless tortures Strive strive O my Soul to walk in the strait way Let not the small number of Travellers fright thee it 's the likelier way to Heaven because the great the mighty the wise men of this world will not stoop to this narrow Gate for Gods wayes are not our wayes nor are his thoughts as our thoughts what the world admires he despises and what sensual Men make light of he crowns with glory and splendor and immortality so thou canst but be saved no matter how small the number is of those that arrive to happiness As small as it is to these belongs the promise Fear not thou little Flock for it is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the Kingdom of Heaven Luke 12.32 XI Impediment XI Neglect of consulting with the Ministers of the Gospel about this necessary work It was Gods command of old The Priests lips should keep knowledge and they should seek the Law at his mouth for he is the Messenger of the Lord of Hosts Mat. 2.7 How mean soever the Age we live in thinks of this Function of Men as if they were needless Members of a Commonwealth yet there was never any Nation so barbarous bur after they were Civiliz'd into Societies and Government judged these Men most useful and most necessary for the preservation of their Commonwealth for Kingdom And indeed the great eternal God ever since he hath vouchsafed to plant a Church in the world hath been pleas'd to make it one great character and mark of his favor and bounty to Her to give Her Teachers and Prophets and Evangelists And the Commission he hath granted these Men the Titles and the Honours he hath confer'd on them and Love and Reverence he hath commanded all Men to express towards them evidently declare That they are Ambassadors of the great King of Heaven which in Christs stead beseech men to be reconciled unto God and that he that receives the Word they deliver from the mouth of God receives him that sent them In these Gospel-dayes it 's true there is shed abroad a larger measure of Gods Spirit than was formerly known under the Jewish Oeconomy and men under the New Covenant are promis'd to be taught of the Lord. They shall not teach every man his Neighbor and every man his Brother saying Know the Lord for all shall know me from the least to the greatest Hebr. 8.11 yet that doth not make this function of men needless but enforces rather the absolute and indispensable necessity of their office and authority For besides that this promise doth eminently relate to the Primitive Christians who were made partakers of the miraculous effusion of the Holy Ghost and had their knowledge and learning from above thereby to fit them the better for the propagation of a new Religion if we suppose that the Prophecy must extend to all that profess themselves Christians the meaning of it can be no more but this that God will use a more gentle way in converting men under the Gospel and in that Conversion or inclining their hearts to his commands give such lively representations of the reasonableness of them and so convince them of their agreeableness to the Law of nature or the Law written in their hearts that they shall not need to be put in mind by their Neighbors of their justice and equity and spirituality But then this gracious promise doth not exclude but presupposes still the means of Conversion of which the Ministry of the Word is not the least and if the Ministry of the Word be intended as a standing Ordinance in order to those kindly operations of Gods Spirit in the heart of those that shall be converted and God be peremptorily resolv'd by the preaching of the Word to work on the Souls of men none hath reason to find fault with the contrivance of the Almighty but rather to admire his wisdom and goodness that shines through this dispensation not to mention that as God under the Gospel obliges men to greater knowledge than formerly so it 's fit there should be men eminent for knowledge and piety to instruct others and who like Candles set on a Candlestick may light the rest and by the Vrim and Thummim of their doctrine and purity lead them and encourage them to prepare for Heaven And if notwithstanding the prodigious gifts of the Holy Ghost poured out in the primitive Times upon all flesh God thought it necessary to give Apostles and Teachers and Pastors when the illapses of the Spirit could teach men what their Pastors were to teach them how much more necessary may we think must the Ministry be now when those extraordinary gifts have ceas'd and the generality of men are sunk into monstrous ignorance inconsiderateness and stupidity Indeed these are the men whom God hath plac'd in the Church to direct others in the way to salvation these are the men with whom the ignorant are to consult what they must do to be happy for ever And as upon a wrong information given by the Teacher God is resolv'd to require the seduced parties blood at his hand so no man that hath a tongue in his head to enquire can with any justice excuse himself from enquiring of these men what it is that the Lord his God requires of him And were this method follow'd in the case before us and did men seriously demand of them which way to compass an effectual Consideration of their Soul-concerns here they might be inform'd and instructed and undeceiv'd in the
consider the evil of thy courses the beauty of Gods ways and the sad consequences of sensuality thou deniest thy own Being deniest Gods Favour to thy Soul deniest the Glory of thy Creation deniest the most visible and the most apparent thing in the world if thou deniest thy ability in this point and if thou art able to consider so much what injustice can it be in God to demand an account of this consideration wherein doth he do thee an injury if he doth ask what thou hast done with this power wert thou in Gods stead wouldst not thou require the same account of thy servant on whom thou hadst bestow'd such a Talent if thou art able and wilt not take thy faithfulness into serious consideration can there be any thing more just in the world than thy damnation how easy were it for thee to lay home the danger thou art in and seeing it is so easy how just is it with God to let thee perish in that danger thou art resolv'd in despight of all Gods endeavours to the contrary to fall and sink into O Christian how dreadful will it be for thee when Christ shall depart from thee with this doleful exclamation How often would I have gathered thee as a Hen doth gather her Chickens under her wings and thou wouldst not wouldst not This is it that makes thy everlasting torments just O Sinner that God should invite thee to Heaven and thou put him off with this answer I will not that God should carress thee to become his Darling and thou voluntarily and freely list thy self in the Catalogue of the Devils favourites and votaries that God should leave no means untried to melt thy stuborn heart and thou desperately fight against his Heaven and when he would thrust thee into it violently to break loose from him and lay force upon damnation How inexcusable will this make thee What Man what Angel can or dares plead for thee after such horrid wilfulness by it thou shutst up all mens compassion against thee were thy error an infirmity or had invincible ignorance caused thy folly some or other possibly might be moved to speak in favour of thy concerns but that thou knowing the will of God and having power to think what the end of thy courses will be and power to avoid the danger and power to pray for help a gracious God to encourage thee a glorious reward to entice thee Eternity to fright thee the everlasting gulph to startle thee shouldst in despight of all these motives wilfully and maliciously shun thine own cure this is a malady which no creature can justly shed a Tear or frame an apology for Be astonish'd O ye Heavens and tremble O thou Earth ye Angels that rejoyce at a sinners conversion here on Earth O all ye that pass by behold and see whether there be a sorrow as such a sinners sorrow is We have read of men that have eaten their enemies of Monsters that have devour'd their own Children but here is one devours himself inhumane to a prodigy one that contrives how to shut himself out of Heaven plots how to undermine his everlasting Salvation and studies how to sink into the dungeon of desperation Sirs what is it that we are exhorting you unto is it to dig down Mountains is it to exhaust the Sea is it to pull down the Sun from his Orb is it to reverse the course of Nature is it to work miracles is it to unhinge the Earth or to stop the flux and reflux of the Ocean one would think by the earnestness and vehemency of expressions we are forced to use that it must be something beyond the power of man but no all that we keep this stir for is only that you would consent to be happy contrive how to inherit an incorruptible Crown and think seriously how to escape your own torment and needs there any intreaty for this one would think you should run to us break down the doors of our Habitations pull us out of our studies interrupt us though we were never so busy and importune us as that Widdow did the Judge and follow us day and night to be satisfied the thing is of that importance And O did you but believe an Eternity you would do so Believe why what should hinder you from believing it what arguments can you desire that you have not can there be any thing surer than the word of God can there be a greater witness than the Son of God God cannot deceive you he cannot impose upon you he cannot delude you dare to believe him though you have not look'd into Hell yet certainly there 's one though you have not seen the joys above yet such joys there are and to consider to study to ponder how to arrive to them is the great thing we press upon you as being sensible of your danger sensible that death will arrest you before you are aware of it sensible that many thousands are for ever miserable for neglecting such exhortations O Sirs we do not envy your worldly happiness we dare assure you that it is not any grugde we have against your prosperity that makes us put you in mind of these unwelcome Lessons we have a God calling upon us to stop you in your earnestness for the world woe to us if we give you no warning woe to you if you take no warning If making provision for the Flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof would make you happy if rioting and drunkenness chambering and wantonness and rouling in all the pleasures that your flesh does promise and your fancy pay could contribute any thing to your felicity if solacing your selves in the wanton streams of sensual delights would lead you into Paradise we promise you we would not molest or disturb you in your ways nay if you had not Souls to be saved did your Spirits dye with your Bodies we would not stint you in your jollities But oh can we read how the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of Men and see you fall a prey to that indignation Can we read how tribulation and anguish shall certainly fall upon every Soul that doth evil and not speak to you to prevent it Can we read how the Lord Jesus will e'r long come from Heaven in flames of Fire to take vengeance of those who have continued to disobey his Gospel and to punish them with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the Glory of his power and not call to you Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand Can we read how the unprofitable Servant that made no use of his Talent but buried it under ground and would not watch or make himself ready to meet his Master shall be thrown into outward darkness where there is howling and gnashing of Teeth and not beg of you to trim your Lamps and arise from the dead that Christ may give you Light Can we remember how many
made it but as Christ made sometimes a Mountain sometimes a Ship sometimes a Cross his Pulpit so a man may make a Meadow a Field a Wood a Garret any corner in his House a place fit to retire in to consider seriously how the case stands between God and his own Soul I know what Men do commonly object the very same thing they object against Consideration it self and whereof we have sufficiently spoke in the second impediments viz. That they have a great deal of business and they can spare no time for this retirement Business no doubt must be done but there is a time for every thing and a season for every purpose under Heaven and then sure there must be a time for this Spiritual retirement too if there be not we are obliged to find time for it he that cannot or rather will not had as good say he hath no time to be saved and he that cannot sometimes neglect the concerns of his Body or Estate for the concerns of his better part derides Salvation and does not believe that there is such a thing or if there be that it is of so much value as the dirt and dung he grovels in It 's true Manasses retirement was forced much against his will yet still it was privacy that contributed much to his amendment for while he was encompass'd with his Courtiers and Flatterers and his fawning crew he thought Religion a thing below him and a New Creature but a canting term but being alone none but God and his calamity about him having nothing 〈◊〉 take off his thoughts from reflecting o◠his Apostacy behold how Consideration melts him his Conscience sets upon him makes him ashamed of his unfaithfulness to his God makes the Tears stand in his Eyes and so great is his change that he who had exceeded all the Nations round about him in Idolatry and lewdness immediately takes away all the strange Gods and the Idols out of the House of the Lord and all the Altars that he had built on the mount of the House of the Lord and in Jerusalem and cast them out of the City and commanded Judah to serve the Lord. 2 Chron. 33.15.16 So pleasing is this retirement to God that he doth expresly call himself Our Father which sees in secret Matth. 6.4 When Christ had a mind his Disciples should see his Glory he doth not carry them to Jerusalem leads them not into the Market-place doth not mingle them with the multitude bids them not attend him at Herod's Court for he knew these places would rather distract than help their Devotion but he summons them to goe up with him into a high Mountain apart bids them retire from secular businesses leave their sensual affections at home separate themselves from such worldly employments as were apt to take up their minds that their thoughts might be more at liberty to contemplate his Glory and the transfiguration might affect them more and make the deeper impressions upon them For indeed we find that as a mans reason is more free in such retirements so God is the readier to meet him as the Angels did Jacob in this privacy and to display to him the vanity of that world he hath doted on the Scarlet dye of those sins he hath delighted in and that miraculous love he hath undervalu'd and trampled on with the vengeance he hath procured and been greedy of for now it appears that the man is in good earnest to be sav'd and to such God never denies his favour for most men play with Religion goe about it as if it deserved no pains and therefore here God doth no mighty work as being loath to cast his pearls before Swine He that retires to consider what he must do to be saved makes Religion his business and those that seek me thus shall find me saith the Eternal Wisdom Prov 8.17 Such mens minds he is willing to over-shadow with the power of the Highest such men prepare to meet their God and God certainly will not fail them And Christians say you what you will either the Gospel is no Gospel or you 'll find by woeful experience that without you are at some trouble about your everlasting concerns and deny your selves in your time profit ease pleasure and punctilio's of greatness to mind your Spiritual interest and without Heaven doth cost you something more than ordinary God hath no Heaven for you He that retires and sets aside his worldly business and makes bold with the company he is in and leaves them to take a view of his duty to God and Man that Man lays force upon the Kingdom of Heaven I am sure offers violence to his carnal interest violence to Flesh and Bloud The Heathen could say that the gods fell all their Gifts and Riches for diligence and industry and we find it to be true of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and that person who retires and takes pains with Zachans to see Christ may expect the same gracious return which was made to that Publican This day Saivation is come into thy House The truth is should God discourse sinner that is in company with other men or going about his secular affairs he would find him yawn and gape and stretch himself and gain as much attention as he that tells a story to a man whose mind is employ'd about other objects he seems to give him the hearing but when a great part of the tale is told he starts up and asks What do you say but in private where there is none but God and his own conscience God can best answer the sinner's objections against a serious consciencious life and the sinner is most likely to attend to God's proposals for here if his Flesh and Bloud doth plead that the sin he is to leave is sweet and pleasing and profitable God can presently argue with him Dost thou call that sweet which is most bitter and grievous to thy God and must expire into the bitterest groans is that so pleasing to thee which offends and grieves thy blessed Redeemer who descended into Hell to snatch thee out of it and can any profit here counterpoise the Eternal loss of thy Soul so if he plead that the sin he harbors is but a little one his Conscience can immediately dash the Plea and reply How can that be little which offends an infinite Majesty Can that be little which nailed Christ to his Cross since thou knowest that this little sin is injurious to God's Holiness what delight canst thou take in affronting him in whose power it is either to save thee or to damn thee the less it is the greater shame it is that thou shouldst plead for keeping it the less it is the sooner it may be parted withal O flatter not thy self thy great love to this sin makes the sin it self great and canst thou be said to love God that canst hug that which thou knowest runs counter to his Honour and Glory In
Body A Soul that can build it's Nest among the Stars of Heaven walk through yonder Mansions and taste of the Rivers which make glad the City of God A Soul which can wing it self into the Clouds and survey the Crowns and Scepters laid up for those that dare despise the World and have their Conversation in Heaven A Soul which can enjoy a Paradise while the Body is in trouble and rejoice in him who is All in All while the fierce Winds are whistling about her ears The vast reach of these Souls we have their fitness to receive Divine illumination their strong desires after Immortality their secret actings without the help of a Body their hopes of Heaven their fears of Hell all proclaim the certainty of an eternal state or condition they are intended for This eternal state imprinted on our Natures discover'd to the Gentiles proclaim'd by the Son of God preach'd by Angels confirm'd by Apostles reveal'd to Christians believ'd in the World as it relates either to Bliss or Misery to Joy or Torment to Honor or Dishonor so how to enjoy the one and avoid the other must in all probability be the great object which God design'd Mens Souls should be chiefly employ'd about For as there cannot be a thing of greater moment than Eternity so he must be a Sot a Beast that can imagine that God who ever intends the noblest Creatures for the noblest Ends will give Men leave to busie themselves altogether about picking of straws and pleasing a few sensual Lufts when he hath given them Souls capable not only of labouring and seeking after but obtaining a Kingdom which fades not away And when we sweat and toyle and labour to make provision for twenty thirty forty years what do we do but proclaim our obligation to be infinitely more concern'd how to provide for that state which must never have an end And as it was the goodness and wisdom of God to make us capable of an everlasting duration so we should be injurious to both if we did not suppose that God hath order'd and appointed means whereby it 's possible to save our selves from the wrath to come He that takes a view of Gods proceedings and dealings with Men ever since the Creation of the World cannot but stand amaz'd at the cost and labour and pains and means and motives and arguments God hath us'd to make Men sensible of their everlasting interest and to engage them to a serious preparation for that World they must live for ever in This serious preparation must necessarily be a holy blameless spotless life for the means must ever be sutable and agreeable to the nature of the end And Heaven being a holy place perlect holiness reigning there it 's not to be imagin'd how perfection of holiness can be enter'd upon without a considerable progress in holiness here no man reaching the highest step of a Ladder without the lowermost and one might as well flatter himself that his Trade by such a time will bring him in Ten thousand pounds when he is so far from minding his Trade that he contrives only how to run with others into excess of Riot And indeed to plant this holiness in Men the means have been so various so numerous so potent before the Law under the Law and under the Gospel that one may justly admire the whole World doth not stand candidate for Heaven and all the Inhabitants of the Earth do not take the Kingdom of God by violence Before the Law the continual pleadings of the long-liv'd Patriarchs with sinful Men to improve the light of Nature that Primar of Divinity the many Visions Revelations Dreams Signs Wonders Voices from Heaven the Ministry of Angels Gods Patience Forbearance Long-suffering and sometimes Exemplary Justice the Examples of holy Men Gods love to those that honour'd him the signal blessings he bestow'd on those that made him their highest and chiefest good what were all these but so many calls and entreaties that Men would by holiness prepare for a future happiness Under the Law God was so far from being weary of using means and taking pains with Men in order to this end that he seem'd to have reserv'd those Ages for larger and fuller Demonstrations of his Power and Munificence and if the people of Lystra had any ground for their exclamation the Jews had far greater reason to cry out That God was come down to them in the likeness of men For while other Countries were left in darkness and like Moles suffer'd to wander in the shadow and vally of death they as if they had been made of purer Clay seem'd to be the Darlings of Providence and the Favourites of Heaven Heaven bow'd to them and under its protection they went as under a Canopy of State and might with greater reason than the Sultan have challeng'd that lofty Title The shadow of God And with that Persian Emperor stiled themselves Kinsmen of the Stars Their eyes saw Miracles almost every day and with their daily Bread they receiv'd daily Prodigies and in the midst of their Rebellion God like the Sun when smiling through a Cloud shew'd them a merciful Face not that he approv'd of their Impiety but because by these Beams he would warm their hearts into obedience Their Blessings came down upon them not in drops but in showers and their Prosperity like the Cinnamon Tree was so fragrant that strangers might smell it a great way off before they saw it The Waters of Life were continually flowing into their Bosomes and though God now and then frown'd upon them what Father would not sometimes chide his Son yet his Indignation which like Flints sent out Fire upon their penitential Tears strait way return'd to its former coldness The Rocks poured them out Rivers of Oyl they wash'd their Feet in Butter and one might say of their Land as he of the Isle of Rhodes They were bless'd with a continual Sunshine Their Prophets what mighty what powerful Men were they Men that like Lamps consum'd their own Oyl to light their Auditors to Heaven or like Silkworms spun out their own Bowels to deck their Hearers with Garments of Righteousness Where words could not prevail Tears were the means to supple and affect them and it seems there is not stronger Rhetorick in the World than these Here one Prophet spoke like an Orator there another like a Logician Here one endeavour'd by Eloquence to charm them there another by clear Reason to convince them Here one threatned there another promis'd Here one wooed there another thundred Here one came with a Scepter of Love there another with a Trumpet of War Here one offer'd his hand to save them there another made bare his arm of revenge Here one offer'd an Ark to those that desired mercy there another rain'd down floods of Curses to drown the obstinate Here one represented God with his Sword drawn a smoke going up out of his nostrils and devouring fire out of
love with eternal ruine V. Impediment V. Danger of losing their unlawful gain It 's a thing not unusual for men to thrive by sin and to prosper by iniquity to grow rich by oppression and to advance in wealth by unlawful callings to get money by pleasing other men in their lusts and to procure a livelihood by injustice and complying with the Vices of the Age we live in The Devil must have some rewards to bestow else his Kingdom would soon expire and though his rewards as well as temptations are deceitful yet rewards they are and being present and visible and consequently apt to make the deeper impressions they invite more strongly and caress men into desire and appetite Men many times would not venture on sin but that they believe it is the way to gain and the known road to advantage and emolument And as sin is judged to be the way to profit so they look upon 't as the onely means to preserve what they have got and acquired If Absolom had not had a Kingdom in his eye he would hardly have dared to rebel and Viper-like to prey upon the bowels that did feed and nourish him Demas sees how plentifully the Heathen Priests did live what credit what honour what wealth and glory they enjoy'd and that makes him forsake Christianity and embrace their wayes It was gain made Demetrius so zealous for the worship of Diana and the Masters of that Damsel that had a familiar spirit so earnest for telling of fortunes and unlawful divinations And we know who they were that told the Prophet Jeremy As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the Name of the Lord we will not hearken unto thee But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goes forth out of our own mouth to burn incense unto the Queen of Heaven and to pour out drink-offerings unto her for then we had plenty of victuals and were well and saw no evil But since we left off to burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and to pour out drink-offerings unto her we have wanted all things and have been consum'd by the Sword and by the Famine Jer. 44.16 17 18. And indeed this principle that a sinful life is the only profitable life doth so spread and infect the hearts of men that most are afraid to sit down and consider their ways for fear Consideration should make them weary of a sinful life and consequently make them quit and cashier the gain and profit they do reap by it Profit is the great Goddess the world adores and to preserve that men employ their strength and friends and make use of all opportunities to secure it it 's that which they are truly jealous of and which is as dear to them as their lives and which makes them climb rocks and clamber mountains and fight their way through all impediments that would oppose and cross it Touch that and you touch the apple of their eye and whatever cause they are zealous for though other reasons may be pretended yet profit and interest commonly is the true cause that inflames their passions and makes their spirits fervent and they seldom matter whether it be by lawful or unlawful ways that they have made their fortunes so they be but made and advanc'd to such a pitch they 'll be sure to protect what they have purchas'd and it is not an easie matter shall snatch it out of their clutches Consideration that unruly faculty would create ill thoughts of such gain in their minds and therefore as men that are loth to meet their Creditors and when they see them afar off turn out of the way that they may have no occasion to speak to them so the generality of men do carefully shun Consideration as an unhappy Remembrancer that will put them in mind of things they do not desire to hear and touch the sore they would not have handled or medled withall and search into those wounds they would not have healed up or come under the hand of a Physitian I do but think what a world of Religious men we should have how men would flock to Christ from all corners what a number of pious Souls would appear in all places if we could assure them that a serious life will for certain furnish them with an estate answerable to their luxurious appetite and I am apt to believe were men confident and could they trust to it that they should get an estate of 9 or 10000 l. per annum by frequent reading praying meditating and obedience to Christs commands the greatest part would make a hard shift to consider how to leave their sins and vices and apply themselves to reformation we should hear no more of the excuses they now make that they have no time or that their condition is such that they cannot serve God as they should The impossibilities they now pretend would all vanish and they that now rack and torment and tire themselves for a little profit upon prospect of so considerable an advantage would turn their pains and labour another way and become very devout worshippers of the Holy Jesus and find no such trouble in a circumspect life as now they do Should Christ appear in a visible shape from Heaven to the Swearer or Drunkard or Fornicator or Adulterer or Covetous or any other of the sinful Herd with vast glittering Treasures in his hand nay could we the Ministers of the Gospel secure such a Loâ—dship such a Principality such a Kingdom such an Empire to any of these sinners upon condition they would part with their Vices sure it would be a mighty Temptation to them to shake hands with their darling impieties for I see they sell their Souls to the Devil for 2 3 or 400 l. many times and I am so charitable as to think they would save them for a far more considerable sum It 's like some would be so brutish so swinish so sottish and yet but very few neither that would rather starve than leave their sins dwell rather in a Hogs-stie than renounce wallowing in the mire of their follies and live upon bread and water rather than deny their lustful desires and stoop to the meanest lowest and most sordid condition in the world rather than bow to the noble commands of Christ Jesus but one might engage safely for the generality of sinners profit and riches being the great loadstone that makes men willing to do any thing I see how if a Prince or other great person men depend or hope for something from dislike such a sin they are guilty of they can forbear it and comply with their Princes will and devotion I see how a person of quality can frown all his family into seriousness and the most vicious servant he hath for fear of losing his Masters favour and the good place he hath under him will find a way for profits sake to subdue his inclinations and take leave of a sinful pleasure since it is so that
a heart that hath any sense of Religion or Honesty nor do I see that people believe me any whit the more for swearing but I render my self ridiculous and make people think me dishonest unfaithful and treacherous who make so little conscience of what I say How can any man trust me that hears me abuse the best and deerest friend I have or what credit can any man give to me that sees me so treacherous to God to whom I owe all I have Can there be greater ingratitude in the World than I am guilty of by this sin the Air I breathe in the Earth I tread upon the Ground which nourishes me the Fire that warms me are all the Gift of God and is this the return I make to take his Name in vain that supports and maintains me Do I make nothing of God's threatenings How often doth he manifest his displeasure against this sin in his Word and can I think I am not concern'd in the commination what hope can I have that Christ's Bloud will save me when I swear it away and thrust it from me with both Arms how justly may God damn me that do so often wish for it and is there any thing in nature so barbarous to it self as I am in praying to God as it were to deliver me up into the clutches of the Devil No Devil would wish himself so ill as I do my own Soul and is there nothing in the inhumanity and horror of the sin to discourage and terrify me from it Did the Swearer but ruminate on these disswasive arguments how would it cool his courage but neglecting that he neglects his restorative and speaks as if he would be revenged on his Maker for giving him a Tongue How soon would the bladder of Pride break did the proud man but consider that he is Dust and what a wretched sinful creature he is and how much worse than other men and how much he forgets the Humiliation of the Son of God who being in the Form of God thought it no robbery to be equal with God but made himself of no reputation becoming obedient to the death of the Cross how odious this lofty Spirit is in the sight of God how amiable Humility how God detests the one and embraces the other how pride keeps out the operations and influences of God's Spirit and how the Holy Ghost refuses to come and lodge in that Soul that swells with vain conceits of its own worth how pride keeps him a stranger to himself how it makes his neighbor hate him raises him enemies and makes him an object of contempt and scorn how all the gifts and blessings and priviledges he enjoyes are but the effects of God's charity how the stately Fabrick which his Soul doth animate must shortly return to the earth from which it was taken what condescension God uses towards him how God who commands Heaven and Earth becomes an humble suitor to his Creatures and instead of consuming courts them to yield to his requests and injunctions how noble and generous it is to imitate him who is eternally happy in himself how in the Grave all distinctions dye how unfit that person is to be a Christian that is a stranger to meekness and humility how those that have domineer'd in this World and trampled upon Men and have thought it their interest and glory to despise their equals and inferiors are now roaring in the burning Lake and how they would now be contented to be the poorest meanest and most contemptible creatures in the World provided that they might be but freed from that never-dying Worm that gnaws their Souls and how shortly this pride and haughtiness if not seriously and timely repented of will end in weeping and gnashing of Teeth Were but these things rightly and seriously ponder'd it would cause a very strange alteration in the lofty censorious Man's designes and resolutions but while these observables are passed by as things out of his element no marvel if he idolizes himself and like a Hedgehog wraps himself up in his own soft Down and turns the Prickles to all the world besides Let the Soul that 's careless of God's service and lukewarm neither hot nor cold but try it and reflect Lord And is this a service fit for him that is of purer Eyes than to behold iniquity Is this slovenly Devotion a sit Present for him who searches the Hearts and the Reins should my Servants serve me as I do God how ill should I resent it and dare I offer the blind and the lame to God which I would scorn to accept of from my Slaves and Vassals I would have my Prayers heard and answer'd but how can I hope they 'l pass for acceptable sacrifices in Heaven when they want the fire of the Sanctuary to give them Flame will God mind a Supplication in which I do not mind his Greatness Majesty and Holiness or can I think God is so fond of answering my requests that he matters not with what frame of Heart I approach his Throne when the Primitive Christians that certainly knew best what was to be done in order to Salvation as having converse with the Disciples and Apostles of our Lord when they consecrated that time when their spirits were most lively to pious exercises and look'd upon that Religion as dead that had not fervency for its ingredient shall I hope to come off at a cheaper Rate Is the King immortal invisible blessed for evermore to be put off with the chips and shavings of Devotion should not I give him the cream and marrow of my endeavours that hath greater power over me than my Master my Father or my Prince so great a God and so mean a Sacrifice so infinite a Majesty and so pittiful a Present How deliberate how circumspect am I in my addresses to my King and is not God a greater Prince than he what is my careless devotion but mocking of God and my drowzy Prayer what is it but playing with him at whose Presence the Mountains tremble Am not I afraid of vengeance or can I think God will suffer a wretch that lives upon his mercy and makes no better return go unpunished How justly may he deny me his Grace and assistance who do not seek it more earnestly How justly may he say Depart from me I know thee not who am so indifferent whether I enjoy the light of his countenance or no How justly may he refuse to be found by me who seek him as if his favour deserved no pains or trouble Strive as it were for your lives to enter in at the strait Gate saith the Great Redeemer of Man and is this taking the Kingdom of Heaven by force when I look upon it as a thing that may be had at any time upon a Lord have mercy upon me Is this wrestling and striving when I suffer any outward worldly concern though never so slight and trivial to take me off from minding the great concern of my
thou delightst in a curious Picture why not in him that 's altogether lovely Thou delightest in a delicate shape why not in him that 's fairer than the Children of Men Thou delightest in a pleasant Garden in well-ordered Walks in flowry Meadows why not in him whose Gracious Presence can make a Dungeon a Paradise Hoise up thy Sails O my Soul let thy desires crave all that 's rich good and magnificent why in God thou hast it all in a most eminent manner while others delight in their plenty thou canst delight in him who is plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon him while others delight in knowledge thou canst delight in him in whom are all the treasures of wisdom while others delight in the protection of their friends thou canst delight in him who is a present help in the time of trouble while others delight in a stately Seat thou canst delight in the Secret place and in the shadow of the Almighty O my God thou satisfiest the hungry Soul and fillest the thirsty Soul with goodness They that cannot delight in thee have strange brutish Souls they see not how thou goest how thou my God goest in the Sanctuary they never felt thy Holy influences they know not what peace thou speakest unto thy People they are not sensible how thou dost encourage those that serve thee they are not sensible how great the rewards are thou hast laid up for Men that forget what is behind them and seek first thy Kingdom and its righteousness O my God I see how all the pleasant things of the World perish but thou art the same and thy years doe not fail and thou endurest from one generation to another here therefore I 'll fix my delight on this Rock I 'll build my joy while others delight in numbring their bags I 'll delight in numbring the loving kindnesses of my God while others delight in their preferment I 'll delight in being adopted into the glorious liberty of Gods Children while others delight in the greatness of their Relations I 'll delight in having the great Saviour of the World for my Elder Brother while others delight in their Farms and Oxen I 'll delight in my Title to the Tree of Life while others delight in Kingdoms and Principalities I 'll delight in him who hath made me a King and Priest unto God and to his Father I will delight my self in the Lord and he shall give me the desires of my heart Psal. 37.4 Did the man who is almost perswaded into Charity but seriously consider what a stress the Gospel lays upon this Pious liberality how Christ in the last day is resolv'd to insist more upon this Duty than upon any other how he is but a Steward of those blessings he enjoyes and how God gave him that Estate he hath with this very intent that he should be beneficial to those whom providence hath made objects of his Bounty how great an impediment his extream fondness of this worlds Goods is to his future happiness how it darkens his Graces clouds his Comforts hardens his Heart fears his Conscience enslaves him to the Devil how difficult nay how impossible it is for a man that dotes on these outward Comforts to become a true Disciple of Christ with what earnestness all the Prophets and Apostles of old have recommended this honouring of God with our Substance and with the First Fruits of our Increase how kindly God hath declared himself to this Duty how great Gods condescension is in being willing to accept of that as done to himself which is done to his servants or Christs distressed Members how signally he blesses this Virtue how all Faith is dead without it how vainly that man hopes for Heaven that hath no bowels of compassion I say would the man that is unresolv'd whither he shall deny himself and give away considerably to Pious uses but ponder all these arguments by the assistance of God it would make him resolve to lay by such a portion of all his gain and in-comes for Gods service and keep to it and stop his ears against all the suggestions of the Devil to the contrary and resign himself entirely to God's Providence and leave it to God how and when and where to make him amends for it and believe that it will most certainly be recompenc'd to him in the resurrection of the just Meekness in so great a Duty of the Gospel that Christ makes it the distinguishing character of his Disciples and indeed none is more likely to arrive to it than he that makes it his business to consider how famous some of the Heathens were for this Virtue how unworthy of a Christian it is to do less with all the helps of Grace than the other by the assistance of Nature only how this is to have the same mind which was also in Christ Jesus what mischiefs sudden anger hurries men into how severely the Great Redeemer of the World checks his Disciples that call for fire from Heaven to consume the Men who had denied their Master Lodging how great the conquest is to subdue those passions which would engage us to wrath and fury how discreetly that man can act that curbs those unruly affections how this excellent quality adorns the Gospel of our Saviour how it disposes Men for a satisfactory discharge of their Duty towards God how great evils and inconveniences it prevents how many times it melts the offender if there be any ingenuity in him and wins more upon him than all the fierce proceedings we call use how great a preparative it is for a good name and how Men who understand what self-conquest means cannot but commend and celebrate it how Heaven cannot but applaud it to see men strive to be perfect as their Father in Heaven is perfect how great wisdom it argues to be zealous in Gods cause when his Glory is affronted and meek in our own concerns and injuries what peace what satisfaction it causes in the Soul what blessings are entail'd upon it how comfortably those who have endeavour'd to be masters of this temper may leave this World and dye as the Jews say of Moses the meekest of men at the kiss of God into Eternal Glory Sanctification of the Lords day or which is all one consecrating that day to Gods service or spending it in publick and private Religious exercises in meditating hearing the Word praising of God good Works and Spiritual Conferences is a thing which devout Christians have in all ages thought themselves obliged to observe and certainly he will find great reason to follow them that shall engage his Soul seriously to consider some such circumstances as these How Holy is this day How should my Soul rejoyce at the dawning of it this is the day which the Lord hath made and which is to put me in mind of the greatest mercy that was ever vouchsafed to Mankind Can there be any thing more costly than the redemption of
have no longings at all after external comforts and conveniencies but in Heaven all perishing sublunary objects are forgotten there those Friends and Relations those Children those Honours those Riches which too often made too great an encroachment on thy Love will be no attractives there thou wilt be contented without Bread satisfied without Drink the want of Cloaths will not trouble thee thou wilt have nobler friends than Father and Mother and Brethren and Sisters to converse withal nobler Food than the Delicacies of this world nobler attire than Silk or the softest Down can make there will be no need of contriving how to get a livelyhood Palaces will not tempt thee Gardens will not entice thee Gold will not dazle thee the greatness of the world will affect thee no more than Pebles the glittering Diamond will make no impressions on thee and all thy wants and necessities will be fully supplyed by an immortality of Joy and Glory Here the warm Sun of Prosperity makes thee sometimes forget and neglect the great work of thy Salvation makes thee apt to grow weary of Fasting and Prayer and mortification and self-denial and apt to yield unto Satans temptations but there the tempter must tempt thee no more he dares not fully those Christalline Walks with his steps he dares not come near that Holy place it 's past his skill how to incommode or molest a glorified Spirit Here often like Jonas thou fittest rejoycing under the Gourd or Vine and while thou art solacing thy self the Gourd withers and the Sun scorches thy Body and thou growest faint there this annoyance will have an end there thou wilt live above the Sun and that which is now thy Ceiling shall be then thy Footstool On Earth when Christ is pleased to communicate himself unto thee it s here a little and there a little and he gives thee but sprinklings of his Grace for while thou art in this Tabernacle of Flesh thou art not capacious enough to receive or entertain that stupendious Light in its full vertue and Power and Majesty but when thy Vessel of Clay thy Body shall be shatter'd into Dust and Atomes and thou shalt be freed from thy Prison and live like thy self all Understanding all Intellect all Spirits the Sun that shines in the highest Heavens and irradiates the Throne of God even the Lord Jesus Christ will then reveal himself to thee in his full splendor and Glory thine Eyes will then be strong enough to look upon that glorious and immense Globe of Light and thou shalt be like unto the Angels of God thy extravagant passions will then cease forever thy grief thy sorrows will have no admittance into those Seats of Bliss thou 'lt be refined then from all those turbulent motions which do now so often discompose thy rest Here the death of a near Relation troubles thee there thou wilt be above all trouble and vexation here thine anger like that of Moses doth often wax hot because thou seest thy God dishonoured and his Commands trampled upon there thou wilt see no such dismal sights here a sin thou fallst into against thy will makes thee wish for rivers of Tears there thy grief will be buried in eternal exultations there thy passions will all be calm'd and like water after a storm look smooth and quiet there will be no disorder in thy affections but like a Quire of tuneable Voices they 'l meet in everlasting harmony there no affliction must come after thee Here with Moses thy Body may be thrown into the Water with Joseph cast into prison with Shadrach Meschek and Abednego flung into a fiery Furnace with Daniel hurried into a Lions Den stoned with the Prophets crucified with St. Peter thrown down from a Precipice with St. James cast into a Kettle of boyling Oil with St. John thrust through with a Lance as St. Thomas bound to a tree with St. Andrew flead with S. Bartholomew burnt with Polycarp torn by wild Beasts with Ignatius in all which afflictions thou canst not but sympathize with thy individual companion for it 's by thee that thy Body feels the torments it endures but in that Heaven that glorious Heaven no Enemy can reach thee no Devil fright thee no storm surprize thee no Monarch frown on thee no sickness break thee no distemper crush thee no age waste thee no danger shake thee no Tyrant threaten thee no Lions meet thee no Tyger tear thee no Sword pierce thee no publick commotions startle thee the Sun shall not light on thee nor any heat for thou art secure under the shadow of the Almighties wings for ever The Lamb which is in the midst of the Throne shall feed thee by his everlasting saciety here it is A little while and you shall not see me and again a little while and you shall see me but there with open face and without a glass thou wilt look upon his Majesty for ever here Christ comes and departs there he will never remove out of thy sight there his everlasting love will support thee there his kindness will be subject to Clouds and Eclipses no more there thou wilt not be able to turn thy Eyes away from him This is that Lamb that will give thee to drink of his everlasting Springs Springs which can never be drawn dry Springs which can no more decay than the Son of God decays he is the everlasting Fountain of Delight and in this Fountain thou shalt bathe and recreate thy self forever his Attributes his Kingdom his Beauty shall charm and ravish thee for ever there thou shalt be in an everlasting extasie of joy there thou wilt not need to cry out with St. Bernard Hold Lord for my heart is not able to contain those joys which thou dost so liberally pour out upon me that everlasting Fountain of joy and content and satisfaction shall both fill and enable thee to bear that fulness of joy and light which shall then appear unto thee the remembrance of Christs merits and benefits and what Christ hath done for thee will then transport thee into everlasting Praises and Celebrations of his Goodness Songs as endless as thy duration will be The Rivers that water that Garden of God shall be a perpetuum mobile running and flowing to all Eternity In this Paradise are living no standing waters when millions of ages are past thy Glory shall be still green and lively and after many thousands of years thy happiness like Aaron's Rod shall bud and blossom and bear Fruit. O my Soul when that inexhaustible Fountain fades then and not till then need'st thou be afraid that thy delights will fade there God will put an end to all thy Tears what Rhetorick can reach the favour the Tears thou didst shed for sin the Tears which a deep sense of thy Spiritual poverty did force from thee the Tears which Tribulation and Anguish did command from thine Eyes these will all then be wash'd away How amiable are thy Tabernacles Lord God of
thou putst upon thine own Soul and is thy Soul so inconsiderable a thing that thou makest nothing of deluding and circumventing it What thinkest thou Sinner suppose thou didst see a Senate or Parliament made up of very grave wise sober judicious men who should unanimously give their verdict in a Cause and determine it and while these men after serious deliberation give their judgement in the case propos'd to them in comes the malefactor against whom they have given sentence accuses the Decree of the Senate of injustice charges their Vote with a lye and takes a great deal of pains to make the world believe a tale of his own making whom wouldst thou believe that grave wise judicious Senate or the Malefactor the Senate sure and then when God Angels and Men the wisest the gravest the learnedst of them do all unanimously determine that without a serious consideration of thy Spiritual concerns thou canst not arrive to any sincere reformation of life canst never know the danger thou art in or what thou must do to escape unquenchable fire and that without it thou art a truly miserable man and dost take the way that leads to destruction hast thou the impudence to oppose thy sickly opinion which arises from a distemper'd ed head and a more distemper'd conscience to the grave sound and orthodox judgement of Men infinitely wiser than thy self when all with one consent affirm that thou art sick to death and nothing but consideration can recover thee wilt thou cancel their verdict by prescribing to thy self medicines of thine own making all cry out against thy inconsiderate course of life God doth not justify it Angels do condemn it the Preachers of the Gospel confute it Philosophers arreign it thy Reason hath arguments against it thy Conscience chides thee for it thy sober neighbors reprove it and wilt not thou subscribe to their sentence what insolence is it to think thy self more knowing than he that knows all things Behold sinner here lies the way to Heaven God is intreating thee to walk in it the Devil is busy to discourage thee from it God saith Here I will be found the Devil suggests that the Sons of Anack dwell there God wishes thou wouldst yield and live the Devil that thou wouldst stand out and dye God seeks to crown thee the Devil to rob thee of thy Diadem God assures thee that this is the Garden where thy Graces must grow the Devil argues that nothing but Weeds and Thistles grow there All the dispute is who shall have thy Soul God or the Devil think sinner for God's sake think who is the Rewarder and who is the Tormenter who is the King that can save thee and who is the Executioner that studies only to ruine thee shall not God prevail wilt not thou give him thy heart and shall Satan goe away with thy Soul shall he possess that Treasure which Angels are ambitious of for shame let not God goe away empty think what a condescension it is in God to be willing to accept of so inconsiderable a Present as thy Heart what is thy Soul to him what benefit doth he receive by offering thee his bosom if thou hast such a mind to be the Devils slave what need God take pains to rescue thee from that bondage dost thou think he cannot live without thee dost thou think thy being in his Heaven doth add any thing to his felicity cannot he as well be glorified in thy Torments as he can in thy Salvation cannot he make his Justice triumph over such a stubborn wretch as thou art wherein doth his advantage lye may not he be God and Great and Glorious and admired by Angels while thou friest in Hell thou hast very highly obliged him indeed that he need be at all this trouble to make thee in love with his ways shouldst not thou stand amazed at his Favour shouldst not thou wonder that this immense and infinite Majesty will vouchsafe a gracious look to so vile a worm as thou art and canst thou see a God court thee and grow coy doth God offer to kiss thee with the kisses of his Lips and dost thou scorn his embraces canst thou see him carress thee and turn away thy face wilt thou prefer the motions of a lying Devil before the Oracles of the Great God of Heaven hadst thou rather goe along with him that will murther thee than accompany him that will encircle thy Head with a Crown of Glory shall God magnify his Mercy upon thee and wilt thou fall in love with his enemy doth God intend by making love to thy Soul to give a character to the world of his infinite goodness and compassion and darest thou be so bold as to lessen that character by thy contempt and ingratitude Behold sinner God is willing to lay aside his Flaming Sword thou shalt hear of him no more in the Earthquake or in the Storm or in the mighty Wind that breaks the Rocks in pieces but in the still small voice the voice of Boanerges shall sound no more in thy ears he 'll blow his Trumpet of War no more all his frowns shall be done away he 'll fright thee no more with Hell-fire if his Grace his Mercy his Compassion can but allure thee to bethink thy self and close with him and so to consider the concerns of thy Soul as to resign thy self altogether to his guidance and direction his Aspect shall be kind his Countenance shall be nothing but smiles his Face shall be a perpetual Sunshine if by consideration of thy ways thou wilt become sensible of thy former folly and throw it away and take up with him alone if his kindly Beams can thaw thy frozen Heart if his calm can win thee and make thee prostrate thy self before the Lion of the Tribe of Judah Heaven and Earth shall be no longer in conspiration against thee and thou shalt not need to look any more for Thunders and Lightnings from that Heaven stand still sinner and see the Salvation of God behold Grace and Mercy lies weeping at thy Feet the free the soveraign the extensive the attractive Grace of God comes wooing to thy Soul and doth bespeak thee in this manner Hold Hold thou poor besotted creature whither dost thou run Hear hear I bring thee the joyfullest tidings that ever were brought to the ears of Men God will be thy Father the Lord Jesus thy Saviour the Holy Ghost thy Comforter the Angels thy Companions thy Life shall be a perpetual Holyday thou shalt be a friend of God an Heir of Heaven and Coheir with Christ thy sins shall all be done away thy iniquities shall be remembred no more all the promises of the Gospel shall be thine God will vouchsafe to live with thee the Holy Ghost will make thy Soul his Temple thou shalt have strength to overcome Hell and Devils Flames and Swords and be more than a Conqueror through him that loved thee the Lord Jesus Christ ask a Heaven and
thou shalt have it a Crown and it shall be thrown into thy bosom a Kingdom and it shall be thine ask all the Treasures of Glory and they shall not be denied thee from this time forward thy name shall be inrolled among the Favourites of Heaven and in thy Soul as in Jacob's Ladder the Angels shall be continually ascending and descending and thy Head like Gideon's Fleece shall be water'd with the dew of Heaven while the unbelieving World shall be dry and all this shall be thine if my Love my Mercy my Kindness can prevail with thee and engage thee to think seriously what thou must do to please God and to be happy for ever O sinner had those who now lye sweltring under the burning wrath of Almighty God such an offer as this how would they leap and triumph and agree to so reasonable a condition and thank God upon their bended knees day and night and praise him without intermission that he will vouchsafe to receive them on no harder terms than these O sinner is thy heart of stone that it doth not dissolve at this Gracious Message Can the Rock hold out against these bowels of compassion poor stubborn wretch were not thy Heart all steel were not thy Conscience seared how couldst thou forbear being prick'd at the heart hadst thou but the least spark of good nature left in thee what might not these Golden Chains these Silken strings these Cords of Love doe with thy immortal Soul The only reasons that the Servants of Benhadad had to humble themselves to the King of Israel was this We have heard that the Kings of Israel are merciful Kings Sinner hast not thou both heard and seen and seest it to this day that the true King of Israel is a merciful King and will not this prevail with thee to throw thy self down at his feet and kiss his Scepter and consider thy imprudence in deviating so long from the end of thy Creation and Redemption and make thee contented to part with all the strong holds of iniquity within thee and with all imaginations that exalt themselves against the obedience of Christ Jesus O doe not tell me that thou wilt most certainly bethink thy self sometime hereafter when sickness and approaching death shall take thee off from thy worldly businesses Vain foolish man How dost thou know thou shalt live till tomorrow for What is thy life even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away How many thousands are cut off as they are going up the hill in the noon of their days before half their race be run and what Patent hast thou from Heaven that it shall not be thus with thee God laughs at that repentance which men begin when they can keep sin and the world no longer he sees it is forc'd and squeez'd and weak and feeble and will God accept of thy Devotion when thou hast exhausted the cream and marrow of thy Bones in the Devils service How sinner consider thy ways upon thy death-bed Mad man dost thou know what Consideration means the Soul must be in its full strength that considers the sinfulness and sad consequences of her life Doest not thou see how in sickness the Soul sympathizes with the Body how the Mind languishes with the Flesh how weak how feeble the thoughts are upon a Death-bed how the mind is employed with thinking of the pain and anguish and uneasiness of the Body how Mens weakness scarce gives them leave to repeat the Lords Prayer intire without interruption how setling their Estates and disposing of their worldly affairs and sorrow and vexation that they have not managed their secular concerns with greater prudence takes up their cogitations and how transitory and superficial mens thoughts of sin and of another world are except they have gotten a habit of Heavenly-mindedness by a long and constant practice of Holiness in the time of their health and liberty before And doth Salvation deserve no more but a few slight and skin deep reflexions when thou liest a dying Canst thou have such low thoughts of everlasting Glory as to let Consideration of it come behind all the satisfactions of thy flesh Canst thou entertain such pittiful sneaking conceits concerning that mighty Heaven God out of his singular and unparallell'd mercy hath condescended to promise to his Saints as to delay thy contemplations and thy taking a view of it till thy Heart-strings break and thy throat begins to rattle and the House is falling Goe ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels Alas when men are a dying the time of working is past that 's the night wherein no man can work that 's the time indeed to reap comfort of our former conscientious practises but not the time to work out our Salvation in that 's the time of rejoycing because our redemption draws nigh not the time of setting out from the Gates of Hell that 's the time to finish our course with joy not the time to begin a Holy life Alas the strength and vigor which must be used in a Heavenly conversation is then gone and men are just upon the point of reckoning with God their accounts must then be ready not to make up so that if thou art not ready now to take thy Spiritual concerns into serious consideration thy heart will be hardened every day more and more and the longer thou livest the less mind thou wilt have to set about it and if thou dost not think it worth thy trouble to spare now and then an hour from thy worldly businesses to mind this one thing necessary thou doest as good as tell God that thou wilt have none of his Heaven and judgest thy self unworthy of Eternal life O Sinner the present time is the day of Salvation this is the acceptable time now strike and thy sins will fall now strive and the Crown will be thine now fall to work and promise thy self Eternal Rest thou canst call no time thine own but the present time that 's only in thine hands make use of that and save thy self from this untoward Generation Extricate thy self from the delusions of the flesh take courage and be gone stay not in Sodom now accept of Mercy now lay up thy Treasure and secure thy right to the Tree of Life now remember thy Creator and God will remember thee when he makes up his Jewels and spare thee as a man would spare his own Son that serves him Hear then this Men Fathers and Brethren the God of your Fathers the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob hath sent us to you to tell you that his Supper is ready and the doors are open and the Guests are come and yet there is room and that you may fill the room which is left is the message we come to acquaint you withal from him who delights not in the death of a sinner but would have him turn and live Hear this ye
passions are up represent to his mind the sweetness of revenge the dismal aspect of the indignity the unsufferableness of the disgrace the wayes and means how to compass the vindictive design the shame that 's thrown upon his honour the baseness of the injury the sordidness of the action the ingratitude that 's shewn in it the uncivility the offender hath discover'd the verdicts of his acquaintance in case he doth not reward the offender according to his work the blot that will be upon his Family for ever the various advantages he formerly had against the wretch which yet he scorn'd to take c. And while his mind is fill'd with these imaginations it 's possible reflections on the folly of his anger on the charity he owes to all Mankind the example of Christ and his Apostles praying for their Persecutors the generosity of pardoning an offence and forbearing of revenge when it lies in our power to be even with the offender such thoughts as these I say may strike his mind but if he suffer the motives to revenge to lodge more quietly in his mind than the motives to patience and forgiveness it 's soon guessed which of these will be Conquerors Let but his mind ruminate and enlarge more upon the great duty of forbearing revenge than upon the pleasure of taking revenge and the thoughts which inflamed his spirits and made the blood boil in his veins will cool by degrees and the motions of the flesh will give ground to those of the spirit The same may be said of all other sins which he that names the Name of Christ is obliged to depart from he that would be rid of them must not let the transitory satisfaction those sins afford hover in his mind more than the great worth of an immortal Soul where the latter is made the most frequent-object of our thoughts the other will dwindle away and at last expire To make this appear we need no other proof but common experience and though after a man hath ruminated on the odiousness of a darling bosome sin he may fall into it again yet the arguments which make against it and prompt him to part with it being called in again and again and laid on afresh and as they wear out or decay renewed and strengthen'd with greater enforcives it will be found That he who sin'd with courage and confidence before begins now to sin with trembling and reluctancy of mind and at last is mov'd to bid an eternal farewell to it The frequent thinking on these reasons the renewed and reiterated contemplations of the horrid ingratitude against God and of the shame and sorrow the sin must end in first weaken and loosen the Tree then break it and at last do quite root it up and destroy it X. Impediment X. Converse with evil Company There is not certainly a greater encouragement to real holiness than religious society and good examples That innocence we see makes deeper impressions on our hearts than that we hear of and our eyes afford greater motives to imitation than our ears A Religious Friend charms me into that Piety he embraces and his kindness instills his devotion into my Soul I am apt to imbibe his principles of virtue with his kind expressions and frequent converse makes his goodness as familiar to me as his person The severest mortifications if I see them perform'd by those I love lose much of their rigor and dismal aspect and become amiable and as unpleasing a thing as Self-denial is it looks more easie and facil when he I am intimately acquainted withall shews me that it is practicable There is no sense works upon the affections like that of sight it makes the object live in the understanding and from thence the will and affections are sollicited into embraces of it This was the reason why the Christians of old when they would in sober sadness apply themselves to a truly Christian life retired into Desarts where some devout Hermits had their Cells that by looking on their exemplary devotion they might be tempted into a chearful imitation of their goodness And as it is with Religious Society it both makes the task of the greater and weightier matters of the Law less difficult and kindles desires in our breasts to follow so excellent a pattern so evil company on the other side doth as much discourage men from performances as are somewhat troublesom to flesh and blood and hereof Consideration of their wayes is not the least This implies some self-denial and the sound of the words imports making War with the soft and sickly desires of their flesh and having wrought their own hearts into a detestation of this duty they fright others from it as from some Medusa's head which will certainly turn them into stones or insensible creatures they care not for sincere devotion themselves and would not have others live stricter and preciser than their Neighbors they have a low esteem of the wayes of God and would not have others prize them at a higher rate They delight in sensual satisfactions and look upon other mens discourses concerning spiritual delight as Nonsence They are averse from subjecting themselves to the Will of God and would have others as disobedient as themselves They think it was a far better World when there was not so much Praying and Preaching as there is now and would have others slight Christs invitation to the Supper of the Lamb as much as themselves He that makes such his familiars and looks upon them as discreet and rational men must necessarily continue a stranger to Consideration of his spiritual and everlasting Concerns for as they are no admirers of discourses which may advance the welfare of a Soul and seldom take the Name of God in their mouths except it be in their Oaths and Curses so to be sure they 'll tell very dismal and doleful stories of Religion upon all occasions and represent the severer performances of Piety in such an antick dress that he who prizes their company or acquaintance shall applaud their invention admire them for their witty conceits and despise all serious thoughts concerning things of everlasting consequence The Age we live in hath taught the world to vend Profaness under the name of Wit and to contemn Religion under the Mantle of Repartee and quickness of fancy and he that loves to be with these beaux Esprits will in all probability learn to be as careless and as secure as they Evil company where a man delights in it will infect him do what he can it he have any good in him they 'll waste and consume it if he be destitute of virtuous Principles they 'll keep out all Considerations as shall either discompose him in his folly or shed resolutions into his Soul to come away and seek a better Kingdom insomuch that it may be truly said of such a man as of him in the Gospel who Travelled from Jerusalem to Jericho That he is fallen among
robbers who strip him of all and leave him miserable Luc. 10.30 Evil Companions are the Devils Agents whom he sends abroad into the world to debauch Virtue and to advance his Kingdom these are his Factors and by these he draws men into eternal darkness By these he pecks up all the good seed that 's sown in us and infuses bad qualities into our better part These laugh men into destruction and damn them in kindness These fawn men into misery and tickle them into an eternity of torments These turn Religion into Jests and make the Precepts of the Gospel matter for Raillery These are true Devils that delight in the murther of Souls and sinking into the bottomless Pit pull down their Adherents with them And what likelihood is there That a man should consider the interest of his Soul that consorts with persons who do as much as lies in them depretiate the value of it and strive to put all serious contemplations out of his head What probability that a man should sit down and set before him the terror of the Lord and be transformed by the renewing of his mind who when the Holy Ghost exhorts him to prove what is the holy acceptable and perfect Will of God to be fervent in spirit serving the Lord to rejoyce in hope to be patient in tribulation to continue instant in prayer to bless them which persecute him Rom. 12.2 11. gets presently after into company where all those Lessons are derided where the contrary Vices are commended where Consideration how to be Master of these Graces is exploded as a thing fit only for Almsmen and Hospital Boyes where these serious Exhortations are drown'd in laughter and such things suggested as render a man wise onely for the world and for the flesh and make him sagacious how to gratifie his head-strong passions and inordinate affections He that considers his wayes and yet frequents such Society imitates a foolish Gardener that after he hath sown his Seed and sees it come up le ts in Hogs to devour and tear it away Consideration as I shall prove in the Sequele requires separation and when God calls Come out of Babylon O my people it is not only that they may not participate of their punishment but that they may not share in their sin and consequently that they may be at leisure to consider how to prevent and avoid both I do not deny but men may deal and traffick with men of a loose Conversation and not lose their seriousness nor be discouraged from a holy preparation for a better life but there is a great difference between Travelling through Aethiopia and dwelling there the former may not change the complexion but the latter will infallibly do it I wrote unto you in an Epistle not to company with Fornicators yet not altogether with the Fornicators of this world or with the Covetous or Extortioners or with Idolaters for then you must needs go out of the world but now I have written to you not to keep company if any man that is call'd a Brother be a Fornicator or Covetous or an Idolater or a Railer or a Drunkard or an Extortioner with such an one not to eat saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 5.9 10 11. It 's one thing to converse with a man as with a Stranger another to converse with him as with a Brother one thing to pay the duty of Civility to him another to admit him into the number of my Friends one thing to be necessitated to discourse with him another to delight in it one thing to go into such company with cautiousness and circumspection another to rush into it without fear or wit the former doth not import a necessity of pollution the other makes the infection inevitable Society in sin strangely takes off from the heinousness of it it makes the sin appear with a fainter red it doth not look so dreadful when men have companions in their offences they think there is some comfort in having Associates in misery and dare to sin more freely when the are not alone in the transgression They are afraid their single Valor will never be able to dwell Gods wrath and indignation but having others join'd with them they may make a shift to weather out the tempest of his anger They hope God will not damn a multitude of poor creatures together and fancy the great number of sinners may fright the Almighty into compassion if they suffer they think they shall not fare worse than their Neighbors and if they smart for their Rebellion they shall be able to bear it as well as their Confederates in the iniquity Ill example draws out the inward corruption into action and the inbred evil concupiscence may be would lie quiet or dye if such patterns did not put it into fermentation Many Children would be modest did not their Parents behavior seduce them into love of their Vices Some servants have ingenuity in them and durst not venture so far into sin as they do did not their Masters example encourage them Adam sins for companies sake and it 's like would have continued stedfast in his innocence if he had not seen the Woman eat of the forbidden Tree and been sollicited to imitate her desperate enterprize The Israelites being mingled among the Heathen learn their works and having convers'd long with the Egyptians who were great worshippers of Oxen erect a Calf in the wilderness of Sina Joseph comes to be familiarly acquainted with Pharaoh's Courtier and an Oath By the Life of Pharaoh goes down with him without bogling or reluctancy Lot had lived among men who made nothing of the vilest uncleannesses imaginable and soon after consents to an incestuous Copulation Solomon by his intimacy with his Concubines learns to worship Devils and his son Rehoboam by making the young Gallants at Court his Familiars grows rash even to his own destruction Had not Peter gone into the High Priests Hall it 's like he would never have been persuaded into Cursings and Imprecations Converse with Drunkards by degrees causes approbation of the sin and at last delight in it And thus it must needs be in the case before us Inconsiderate men make others as supine and negligent as themselves and he that lets his acquaintance with them grow into familiarity will be apt to think that sure he may neglect Consideration of his wayes as well as they if they venture why may not he And if they think not the omission prejudicial to their spiritual interest why should he terrifie himself with counterfeit thunder If they hope to do well after all this why may not he And if they fear no revenging Arm why should he make his Life miserable by thinking of punishment Imprudent men indeed you may have seen others hang or drown or burn themselves but is this a Temptation to you to follow them Because such a man ruines himself and his Family have you a mind to do so too Because such a one doth not