is in the heart Men usually unless it be the Hypocrite speak according to what is in their hearts the proud heart speaketh proud things the vain heart speaketh vain things and the holy heart speaketh holy things 2. 'T is the abundance of the heart that 's most apt to come forth at the lips In some hearts there is a little good but much evil in others there is much good and less evil 't is that which abounds in the heart that which is most in the heart that hath the command of the tongue See that there be Grace in your hearts and that the grace of God abound in you a little grace will not do to set your tongues agoing 't is the abundance of the heard that which most abounds within that will have the easiest and most ordinary vent Job 32.18 I am full of matter my spirit within me constraineth me my belly is as wine which hath no vent it is ready to burst like new bottles I will speak that I may be refreshed I will open my lips and answer I am full of matter and therefore will I speak an heart full of grace must and will have a vent by the speech The holy spirit within us will constrain us where there is little good coming forth 't is a sign there is not so much as there should be within We may pretend inability and unaptness to speak as the reason of our barrenness of holy discourse that sometimes may be something that hinders but mostly the reason is there wants matter within We have reason to suspect that 't is from want of grace rather than from want of utterance that no more savoury and spiritual and useful words come from us A full heart will be the best help for a stammering tongue Christians let us get an increase of inward grace let us get more of the holy spirit of a spirit of life and love and power within us and our Friends and Acquaintance are like to hear of it oftner and to better purpose than they do Poor creatures that we are we are empty we are empty our insides have no good filling Be ye filled with the spirit faith the Apostle Ephes 5.18 speaking to your selves in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs and the more we speak thus to our selves the more freely shall we speak to others those that have but little grace are but Babes in Christ and Babes are but Infants that can't speak when the Infant is grown then he will find his Tongue In vain shall I exhort you to use your Tongues more for God till you be nursed up from Children to more strength in grace Would you ever come to be more fruitful and useful in your Generations this must be your way to it get you more inward grace 2. Let your thoughts be working more about holy things Thinking makes way for speaking what our thoughts run most upon that ordinarily our Tongues will run upon We cannot know each others thoughts but we may give a near guess at them by the words that are spoken Men whose thoughts are most in the Earth that are still thinking of their Money or thinking of their Trades or their Pleasures they can hardly forbear to be talking of these things And if our thoughts were more of God and of our Souls of Religion of Righteousness and Holiness we should certainly have more of God and of Heaven in our Mouths The Psalmist who said Ps 119.46 I will speak of thy Testimonies and will not be ashamed said also Ps 119.97 My meditation is of thee all the day long Christians get your thoughts to be well exercised be much in thinking think of the goodness and kindness and holiness and compassions of the Lord think of Christ of his love of his life of his death of his bowels and everlasting kindness think often what great things the Lord hath done for your souls think what ye would that he should do for you much thinking on God and his holy things will leave an holy tincture on your hearts will by degrees do much to the begetting holy habits and dispositions in you The Lord uses to convey down much of his holy Image and likeness upon the heart by the thoughts Friends such of you who find but little of the impress and image of God upon your hearts pray consider it if you be not too great strangers to the thoughts of God How often in a day are your thoughts in Heaven how very seldom is it that you are seriously looking either upwards or inwards No wonder if your tongues be so silent of God whilst your thoughts are such strangers from God Christians I doubt there are many of us that are much faulty here that our thoughts are no more taken up or working upon things spiritual and heavenly we should make the thoughts of God more precious and delightsom and more familiar and ordinary with us we should be able to say of our thoughts of God as the Psalmist does Ps 139.17 18. How precious are thy thoughts to me O God how great is the summe of them If I should count them they are more in number then the sand When I awake I am still with thee Thus it was with that holy man and thus it should be with us we should be much with the Lord in our thoughts but is it so with us Friends do but trace the goings of your souls for one day together and ask your hearts in the evening how much have I been with God this day how often have I been looking Heavenwards the Psalmists holy thoughts were so many that he could not count them and it may be some of ours have been so few that we cannot count them we can hardly remember any such thoughts we have had I know 't is hard work to keep your thoughts well imployed they will be wandering and roving more or less do what you can and you that observe your selves cannot but know it your selves how hard a work it is and I am afraid that some of us because 't is so hard a work will let it alone if their thoughts will gad and rove let them gad whither they will if they will not easily be gotten up to Heaven let them even stay below and so we let them take their own course and run whither they will I pray Friends this once put your selves every one of you to it and spend this one thought upon your selves think which hath most of your thoughts God or this World must you not if you speak truth speak the quite contrary to what the Psalmist speaks whilest he said How precious are thy thoughts to me O God how great is the summe of them Must not you say how irksom are thy thoughts to me O Lord how small is the summe of them this argues an evil temper 't is sure a carnal frame your hearts are in where spiritual thoughts are so rare and difficult and I shall not wonder that 't is
Neighbours of our Families been We are as Members of the same Body concerned in all these and therefore must keep a publick reckoning But our special reckoning which we must most insist upon must be our own personal reckoning Concerning our Mercies we must say as the Psalmist Ps 66.16 Come and I 'll tell and reckon up what the Lord hath done for my Soul For our Sins we must say to our selves what Israel was rebuked for not saying Jer. 8.6 What have I done there 's no man that repented nor said What have I done May be we may some of us be telling too much what others have done the Sins of Princes and great Ones the Faults of our Neighbours and Acquaintance may be too much in our Mouths though they be not so much as they should be upon our Hearts yet our Tongues will run and catch up every evil report and be spreading it abroad making it our ordinary talk and discourse raking up all the evil news we can hear in the Town or Country as if we were the very Sinks to gather in all the Filth of the Places we live in and then casting back the stink of it in our discourses This is a wicked practice which I have more than once warned you of and O that it were avoided and amended But whilest we vainly talk what hath this man or that woman done how foolishly how proudly how frowardly have they behaved themselves O how very seldom is it that we mind our own reckoning Lord what have I done O my Soul what hast thou done Here our chief business lies to mind and make our own personal reckoning Let every man prove his own work saith the Apostle Gal. 6.4 Let every man search his own heart let every man observe and take an account of his own ways and goings 2. Do not under reckon Do not carelesly or deceitfully skip over any of your faults make a plain and perfect account deal faithfully betwixt God and your Souls be not like the unjust Steward Luke 16. when there 's fifty or an hundred owing for do not take your bill and write down but twenty or but ten do not say to your selves as the Lord to the Church in Pergamos Rev. 2.14 I have a few things against thee a few small faults I have God may have many things and great things against you and if you will reckon truly you may find many and great things against your selves 3. Level your accounts 1. For your mercies that you have received the way to level them is to see to it that ye walk worthy of all the mercies of God and that you receive none of the grace of God in vain Let it not suffice you that you live better lives then sinners that have received no such mercies as you have I thank God I am not as this Publican no nor as this Pharisee I am no lewd Liver nor no proud Hypocrite shall that suffice you You may be as neither of these and yet God may have much against you that you are no better then you are You ought to live up to all the light you have received to the love you have tasted of to the experiences you have had of the manifold kindnesses and compassions of the Lord to your souls There are some of you that God hath done more for and bestowed more upon more knowledge more helps more grace then upon multitudes of weaker Christians your life must be as much above the ordinary rank your care and your zeal and your diligence and your faithfulness must be as much above the lower sort of Christians as you have been set above them in what you have received Some of you will not say but the Lord hath been abundantly gracious to you he hath not done by every Christian as he hath done by me his grace hath abounded his kindnesses have abounded O how deeply hath my soul tasted how gracious the Lord is And what should you hereupon say further O this you should say What shall I render how should I live Study O my soul to walk worthy of all this grace O let me have my conversation in Heaven let my conversation be in all things as it becometh the Gospel let me be holy harmless lively fruitful that I may shew forth the vertues of him that hath called me out of darkness into his marvellous light God hath been marvellously gracious to me he hath shewed me marvellous loving kindness he that is mighty hath done for me great things help Lord help me O my God that as thou hast made me such an instance of thy great mercy so I may become an instrument of thy greater praise 2. For your sins the way to level the reckoning for them is by getting the scores to be crossed and having them all blotted and struck out of your account Get them crossed 1. By repentance Acts 3.19 Repent ye that your sins may be blotted out Whatever sins you find upon your account there they must stand against you till by repentance they are blotted out Repentance is the washing us from our sins and till they be washed out of your lives they will never be blotted out of your book Fall upon repentance every one of you have you lived an earthly and worldly life O repent that you have Have you been proud or self-conceited or self-willed of a froward a contentious spirit O let your souls and all that is within you say It repents me I am grieved at the heart that ever I have been such a wretch Have you under all your professions of Christ lived a carnal careless heedless idle unsavoury unprofitable life what should you say O it repents me that I have been no more spiritual and diligent and savoury and useful in my generation Repent and reform repent and amend let it grieve you at the heart that you have lost so much time that you have lived to so little purpose that you have been such barren vines such fruitless figtrees in the vineyard of the Lord and now let your root spring forth let your branches shoot up let your buds and blossoms appear and grow up to more fruitfulness this is repentance and nothing short of this Amend your ways come you to a better life a more holy and heavenly life that 's the way to have all your former sinfulness and unfuitfulness blotted out 2. By faith in the bloud of Christ 'T is not your own tears that will wash away your sins 't is onely the bloud of Christ 1 John 1.7 your iniquities must not onely be purged but be pardoned too whatever repentance may do towards it 't is the bloud of Christ and faith in his bloud that must both get them purged and pardoned Do not onely say If I have done iniquity I hope I shall do so no more I hope through the grace of God I shall never live as I have lived but besides this you must get your pardon for what you have
will devour all serious godliness if he cannot make men hot and heady in the propagating their own fancies will then on the other hand quench and cool that genuine fervency of spirit wherein we ought to serve the Lord If he cannot make men heady he will do what he can to make them heartless and cold and lukewarm in all the matters of God Friends take heed of both these extreams of being heady or fierce on the one hand or of being cold or lukewarm on the other Of heady ones God would have us take heed and turn away from them and for lukewarm ones he will spue them out of his Mouth Rev. 3.16 The stirring Religion I mean is as I said before a lively activity of Soul for God and for the advancing in real Godliness A stirring Spirit is opposite to a drowsie sleepy slothful careless Spirit which is nothing moved by all that the Scripture speaks when it presseth us to be fervent in spirit serving the Lord Rom. 12.11 To be zealous and amend Rev. 3.19 To contend for the Faith which was once delivered to the Saints Jude 3. To strive to enter in at the strait Gate Luke 13.24 To be violent and force our selves on in the way of the Kingdom Mat. 11.12 To fight to wrestle to run to make haste to be fruitful in good works and the like after all these pressing and quickning words there are a sort of slow Bellies sleepy lazy Professors who will but creep on when God would have them run who will lye down laze and loyter out their time when they should be fervent in Spirit who will be idle when they should work be silent when they should speak who let their lazy hearts alone to their own slow easie pace and so are over-grown with rust and suffer their Religion to be even strangled and chok'd up by their flesh to which they so much indulge This stirring Religion is the opposite to such a sleepy heartless way of Religion a blowing up the coals which God hath kindled in us as Timothy is exhorted 2 Tim. 1.6 Stir up the Gift of God The word is Blow up the Coals so Christians are to stir up the Grace of God within them I need say the less here because I have told you so much of it already It is our being awakened and putting on vigorously upon that savory solid fruitful Religion which I have already instructed you in Whatever Holy Principles we have received and sucked in from the Word of God whatever Holy Habits or Dispositions have been begotten and wrought into our Hearts by the Spirit of God have we any thing of the saving knowledge of God have we Faith have we the Fear of God or any Love to the Lord Jesus these must be all set on work and held to their work that so the Knowledge of God may bring forth the Life of God that the Habit of Faith may bring forth a Life of Faith that the Love of Christ and the fear of the Lord may constrain us and provoke us to walk on in the Law of our God that the light that is set up within us may break forth and make our Paths to shine and not only so but that the Holy Fire that 's kindled and blown up in our Hearts may bring forth a Zeal of God in our Lives that we may be Christians and Christians in earnest busie for God busie for our Souls striving against Sin and striving for the Mastery fighting against Sin and fighting to the Victory ready to every good work and fruitful in good works doing what we can to rouse up this sleepy World to raise up the Tabernacle of David that is fallen and helping on and building up one another in our most Holy Faith laying out our strength in following the Lord and laying hold every one on the Skirts of his Brother and leading them on with us living in love and all the fruits of Christian love and hereby adorning our Holy Profession and walking worthy the Lord unto all pleasing this is that which I mean by stirring Religion 2. Stirring Religion will continue the Presence of God with us for 1. It will work out and drive away whatever offends or would provoke God to depart God will never depart without cause it must be a great matter that must part such dear Friends as God and the Souls of his Saints God will never depart from his People till there be some sin entertain'd and lov'd and allow'd that bids him depart Every sin says to the Lord as those wicked ones Job 21.14 who said to the Almighty depart from us but though every sin says thus yet God will not hearken to its voice unless it be an allowed sin that 's suffered to have the command in the heart and life Sin says to the Lord Depart God shall not rule here and if thou be of the mind that that Sin shall stay with thee notwithstanding if thou art willing to entertain such a Traitor however if thou hadst rather venture the displeasing and disobliging of God than have thy Sin cast out this the Lord will not bear away he will God says concerning every sin If ye love me let these go their way let this Pride go let this Covetousness go let this Frowardness go if thou sayest O with all mine heart Lord I would be glad with all my Soul to be rid of them but wo is me they are too hard for me my lusts will dwell in me and work in me and hinder me in my work for God do what I can O my Soul would rejoyce to be well rid of them O that I might never be proud or froward or carnal or earthly-minded any more I know it is an offence to the Lord and sure it is a grief of mind to me that any thing that offends should abide with me and though I cannot conquer them yet through the help of God I will not foster them whilst I live If these Sons of the Bondwoman must dwell with me yet through the help of the Lord they shall never dwell in peace with me while I live if thou sayest thus and sayest truly and wilt stand to thy word God will not depart from thee God will not depart for unallowed resisted sins If whilst thy sin says to the Lord Depart from me thy Soul says to thy Sin Depart thou rather God will hearken to the voice of thy Soul rather than to the voice of thy Sin Thy Sin says to the Lord Depart but if thy Soul say Lord let me be loosed from my Sins but stay thou with me God will not depart from thee But every allowed Sin every loved Lust and Corruption that thou wilt not hear of parting with if thou art of a proud heart and art resolved to maintain thy Pride if thou art of a Covetous Earthly Heart and Life and wilt not hear of giving off from thy Covetousness if thou art carnal and foolish and froward
no knowledge no grace poor blind neighbours poor hardned ones poor lost and undone souls O what shall we do for these poor children and neighbours have I never a word to speak that might do them good shall I be silent to them whilest I see them perishing for want of instruction Christians have you the light with you are there the words of wisdom and instruction with you is there ever a word of grace hid and laid up in your hearts O keep it not in withhold it not from poor perishing souls speak to poor sinners affright them from their sins provoke them to repentance perswade them to pray to hear to read to consider and to turn from the evil of their ways and who knows what such words might do to their conversion and salvation Thus for the directions for the performance and managing of this holy practice 2. The argument that I shall use to perswade you to it shall be from the advantage of this practice for the reviving and improving our own souls in the grace of God The advantage will be great 1. From our necessary preparations to this duty I have told you that 't is necessary to the better performance of this duty to get your own hearts well furnisht with grace to live more in the affecting thoughts of God to get a zeal for Christ to do him all the honour you can to get more compassion to souls without these things whatever our attempts are to converse more profitably and spiritually one with another we shall make nothing of it and these our preparations are our improvements 2. From the practice of this duty Holy discourse will keep our graces in action 'T is for want of action that our talents grow rusty by rubbing up the spirits of our brethren we shall whet our own Though the edge of your knife will be blunted by long cutting 't is not so here the edge of your spirits will grow keener by use your very work will be instead of a Whetstone Who is like to grow rich in this world he that lets his stock lie dead by him or he that puts it to use or imploys it in trade those that occupied with their talents Luke 19.13 c. made this return Thy pound Lord hath gained ten pounds says one thy pound hath gained five pounds saith another but what could he say that bound up his talent in a napkin what greater encouragement to diligence in trading then the hope of increase the hope of the in gathering of the Husbandman is his encouragement in his more plentiful scattering in sowing He that soweth plentifully shall reap plentifully 2 Cor. 9.6 and therefore Blessed are they that sow beside all waters Is 32.20 the communicative Christian is sowing where ever he comes and where ever he sows thence shall he also reap and gather his sheaves into his own bosom Christians you say you have but little grace and 't is like enough you say true but would you have more go forth to sow with that little you have The more you scatter the more you are like to gather Would you have more love and life and power to serve and glorifie the Lord be more diligent in shedding abroad what you have Resolve no longer to keep your Religion to your selves put not your light under a bushel put it on a candlestick that it may give light to others and God will increase both your light and your life 'T is to little purpose onely to think of hearing more or of praying more for a better heart this alone will never do converse more like Christians then ye shall be every day more Christians then ye are Learn of sinners Drunkards converse like Drunkards Rioters converse like Rioters profane hearts have ever a profane converse what do their tongues run of what is their talk when they come together but of their cups and their harlots and their sports and what is their ordinary fruit why hereby they not onely propagate their own wickedness in others one Drunkard makes another and he another and these more but also they every one improve their own cursed stock fomenting and heating and stirring up their own hearts lusts and so make themselves twofold more the children of hell then before Christians learn of these brutes do Drunkards converse like Drunkards do Worldlings converse like Worldlings do profane hearts use themselves to profane converses and do you not see how mightily they grow and improve hereby in their wickedness what should this teach you but that Christians converse like Christians Let your Religion be the business of your communion and then look for as much advance to your souls in godliness by this holy converse according as you see sinners to thrive in wickedness by their wicked conversing one with another You see Friends I have been somewhat large in this direction but is there not need of more words than these is not this holy practice sadly let fall amongst us doth not the world something or other of it either quite shoulder it out or thrust it into a narrow room Our heads are so full and our hearts are so full and hence our mouths are so full of carnal things that there 's little room left for a few words of God and the things of eternity to be interposed And O what is the fruit sure that dreadful fall which is so visible in the spirit and the whole practice of piety is both the mother and the off-spring of this grievous neglect we are fallen sick and therefore are so speechless and then we spend and waste more and more by silence Whilst sick bodies waste by speaking sick souls waste more by silence What shall I say farther in this matter The Lord heal a poor barren languishing people the Lord touch our hearts with a coal from his Altar and then touch our lips with a coal from our hearts Brethren I hope you come hither to learn your duty and I hope you have a conscience that will put you upon the practice of what you learn have you yet learn'd what an advantage 't is to have lips of knowledge and what a duty 't is that your speech be with grace Remember what your Master said John 13.17 If ye know these things happy are ye if ye do them I would not that a man of you should be so unhappy as to know and not to do Do you know and believe that holy communication would be an advance to your religion then what shall be your practice in this matter have you a tongue for the world a tongue for your flesh and no tongue for God and your Souls O might I hear that word from your mouths thy word O Lord is within me as fire I am weary of forbearing I will speak that I may be refreshed Lord open thou my lips and my mouth shall shew forth thy praises 6. Put upon stirring duties I shall mention only two 1. Prayer 2. Fasting and Prayer 1. Prayer
The God of all grace who hath called us to his eternal Glory by Jesus Christ establish strengthen settle you We should every one of us prove unstable souls and shall never stand if the God of Grace do not stablish us we are every one of us weak souls and shall certainly fall and come to nothing if the God of grace do not strengthen and settle us And therefore we had need to pray and that earnestly every one of us the God of all grace stregthen me the God of all grace stablish and settle this my weak and unstable soul Hence also Christians are exhorted Rom. 3.11 Hold fast what thou hast keep that good thing which is committed unto thee And so we had need every one of us to call upon our selves hold fast O my soul hold fast to Christ hold fast to Holiness hast thou gotten any Grace any sound Religion into thine heart Hold it fast that thou lose it not Our Candle will burn dim there is a Thief in the Candle which will wast it away if it be not carefully snuffed and look'd to Grace in the heart is as a spark of fire in the Hearth it will be cover'd over with Ashes if it be not kept continually blowing the rust will eat out our Gold the Moth will fret out our Garments the Thief will steal away our Treasure if it be not watchfully maintained O what Losses do many Christians actually suffer through their carelesness and negligence loss in their Love loss in their Life and Zeal and all their holy Affections that little good that is in them may grow to such a decay that it may be ready to dye and come to nothing and as their Grace which is their Life decays so their vital operations fail with it All their sensible and sweet communion with God will be hindred the warm and lively workings of their hearts upon God their thoughts and meditations on God their desires after Him their delights in the Lord the secret entercourses of love betwixt the Lord and them will much cease when grace flags Whilst grace is kept alive the thoughts of God will be many and precious Psal 139.17 How precious are thy thoughts to me O Lord how great is the sum of them Their Meditations of him will be sweet a reviving and refreshing to their hearts Have you none of you sometimes found it so Have you not poured out your souls into his Bosom and felt the Lord pouring in his Wine and his Oyle into yours Have you not walk'd with him upon the Mount and sate down under his shadow with great delight and found his Fruits sweet to your tast Have you not sometimes rejoyc'd in his Presence and felt the joy of the Lord to be your strength And then O what Love hath streamed forth O what Praises have been sent up to His Blessed Name This if ever you have experienced such Blessed seasons hath been maintained from the life of Grace in you and according as Grace sinks or gathers rust and grows dim so doe not all your vital operations fail with it I need not spend time to prove that such sinking and decaying of our Spirits our Graces and the comfortable operations of them may be the experiences of Christians do too fully and too frequently yield us undeniable proofes 2. There may be outward decays decays in point of practise There may be a neglect of the duties of Prayer Hearing Meditation Examining and taking an account of our selves Isa 43.22 Thou hast not called upon me O Jacob thou hast been weary of me O Israel I can seldom hear of thee thou hast been a Praying People a Sacrificing People but thou art grown weary of my worship How seldom art thou found in thy Closet or in the Congregation Thou art become a very Stranger to those duties which once were thy delight Or if duties be performed yet the heart and the life of them may be lost their Sacrifices may be without an heart if they bring their Incense yet there may be no fire to kindle it dead Praying cold Praying must suffice them O how do our Spirits often freeze in those Devotions which should kindle a fire in us Some Mens duties serve for nothing but to keep them asleep and to keep Conscience quiet which if there should be a total neglect would flye in there faces and awaken them There may be a decay in their Conversations they may decline from a Spiritual to a Carnal conversation from an Heavenly to an Earthly Life Those that had once escaped the pollutions of the world may be again entangled in the world 2 Pet. 2.20 There may be a declining from a savoury useful to an unsavoury and unprofitable life the Salt of the Earth may have lost its savour those very Tongues whose speech was used to be with Grace seasoned with Salt Ministring Grace to the Hearers may either be dumb and speak nothing or else be employed to speak Vanity How long may we be in some Professors company e're we hear a savoury word from their lips or if any good does come how heartless and lifeless is it In what they do they move like Puppets in what they speak they speak like Parrots that which they have learn'd by rote but without any true sense of what themselves do speak Such decays as these both inward decays and outward decays may be grown upon Christians Such declining souls are a miserable Spectacle the reproach of the Gospel the disgrace of Religion that are more like Carkases or Ghosts than living souls Idol Christians that have Eyes and see not Ears and hear not Tongues and speak not Feet and walk not Such who if they have any thing of Religion in them no body in the world is like to have the benefit of it nor themselves the comfort of it They may be stark dead and dryed up at the roots they may be meer Chaff and Stubble for ought any body else or themselves either can say to the contrary These dry Trees how-ever they stand in the Vineyard they may stand there for Fuel for the fire and not for Fruit. Such miserable Spectacles are withering Professors and yet what multitudes of them are there to be seen Friends let us consider our selves with respect to the perticulars mentioned if we have not denyed the Faith and become down-right Infidels and Atheists if we believe God and the Gospel and the great and wonderful things of the world to come yet are there not many of us that have lost the sense of the weight and importance of those great things Have not the lean and ill-favoured Kine eaten up the fat ones Have not the thin and the blighted Ears smitten and destroyed the full ones Hath not this Earth and the businesses thereof choaked up some of our hearts and left little sense of God or Immortality upon us Particularly consider 1. Do we live as People that do verily believe we must shortly be in another world
time to look about me 't is high time to bestir me What shall I always loyter and trifle as I have done hitherto Shall I never take more care and more pains and be more busie for God and my Soul than I have hitherto been 'T is high time 't is high time to awaken and put on I may no longer live the rest of my time in the Flesh The time past of my life may suffice me to have wrought the will of the Gentiles As the Apostle 1 Pet. 4.2 3. The time past may suffice me It is enough it is long enough that I have liv'd this carnal life O 't is more then enough 't is too long 't is a shame that I have lived under the profession of Christianity so long as I have and yet my soul be brought to no better pass O 't is time that I awaken and bestir my self to amend my pace Cry out thus upon your selves awaken O my soul in time 't is time 't is high time 't is more than time to look about thee come my lazy heart up and be doing And if it be time to get more Grace than ever I had sure 't is high time to set to recovering what once I had and have now lost Is my soul at a loss and shall I always sit down by the loss Much I have lost already and shall I go on losing and losing till I have lost all Friends we cry unto you remember whence you have fallen and Repent recover your first love do your first works and when you will take the cry from our mouths and cry thus upon your selves then there 's hopes ye will recover 3. In crying unto the Lord for his help If Ministers cannot stir you if Conscience cannot stir you if ye cannot awaken your selves nor recover your selves yet the Lord God can do it the helper of Isâ—ael can help you Seek the Lord while he may be found call upon him while he is nigh Isa 55.6 Before you be too far gone before your case grow desperate whilst the Lord is at hand calling upon you now seek out to him Go to the Physitian of souls He can cure every Disease and thy Disease the Consumption of the heart Behold thou art in a Consumption not of the Liver or Lungs or Reins the Consumption of the Heart is upon thee and this Consumption no other Physitian can cure but the Physitian of Souls What-ever other Physitian thou goest to with the neglect of him thou wilt find them all Physitians of no value what-ever other course thou takest with the neglect of seeking God he will say to thee as Jer. 46.11 In vain shalt thou use many Medicines for thou shalt not be cured Go to God for thy languishing soul cry unto Him lift up thine heart with thy might pour forth thy very soul in thy Prayers Lord I am fallen Lord I pine my soul languisheth my Faith faileth my Beauty is withered my Spirit is wasted my Flesh and my Heart faileth but thou art the strength of mine heart and my hope is in thee help Lord or I dye I dye for ever 4. In putting a force upon your selves to do your duty It is not lying down in the Ditch and only crying God help me you must do your best to help your selves or God will not help you All the means under Heaven will never do unless we can bring you to set your hearts on work for your selves have you any of you taken a fall Are you down and would you recover Count upon it that it must cost you pains your hearts hang back and are loth to come to it that 's your Disease your loathness to spiritual action and what must you do to get your selves on Why what would you do to your Oxe or your Horse if they lag or grow lazy O they must feel the Goad and the Spur and that will quicken them O Friends put Spurs to your own sides prick your selves on to more activity suffer not your selves to jogg on in Religion so as you can with ease easie Religion will never help you You that are not for pains-taking there you must lye and pine and perish and there 's no help for you Why lyest thou thus upon thy face Get thee up says God to Joshua Josh 7.10 Why stand you bewailing and bemoaning your selves Up and be doing thou hast sinned thy self into this case thou hast idled thy self into this loss and nothing will help thee out without thine own diligence and labour Go tell your own hearts there 's no hope of recovery without industry and if they will not hear on 't chide them out of this listless temper What canst thou take pains for Bread or for Money and no pains for thy soul Canst thou take pains to please thy flesh and yet will be at no pains to please God O what a wicked wretched foolish heart have I Any labour will down but this necessary labour Well thou shalt not ' scape me so thou art no heart for me if thou art not an heart for work never stand excusing or delaying thou must come to it fall to thy duty and follow it close or thou wilt dye the Death In this manner force your selves on let not your hearts be quiet within you till you have engaged in a more active and laborious Life Thus I have shewed you by what acts you are to stir up your selves 2. To what pitch in Religion we should stir up our selves To this I shall Answer 1. In General 'T is not to amend a little to get into something a better case than you are but to come on to purpose to come on fully after the Lord. May be some of you may think if this word should have some effect upon you and make you a little better that it had done its work upon you no no you are far short of what you should be and think not that this word hath done its work though it should make you a little better than you are unless it also bring you effectually onward towards what you should be There 's no mark short of perfection that should bound or terminate your aims But I shall give you three marks on this side the Goal the better to direct your eye towards it 1. To such a pitch as is proportionable to your time You are some of you Professors of long standing and yet are come to but little O labour that your growth may be according to the time you have 2. Those that are fallen should strive to get up to that pitch to which once they had attained This is the first thing we should have in our eye to recover what we have lost to recover our first love to do our first works which the Church of Ephesus was exhorted to Rev. 2.5 That which hath been attained may be attained and must be striven after You that are fallen remember how it hath been with you in your best time remember
the kindness of your youth and the love of your Espousals when your hearts were tender when your love was keen when your affections were quick and lively when the VVord and Ordinances of God were sweet and powerful when you came from far and would go through thick and thin to hear the word of the Lord when your Meditations when your Communications by the way as you went and returned were so savoury and so pleasant to you Such a time there has been with some of you such a time of love and of life there has been are you fallen from this O recover recover and let it be with you as in the days of old 3. Both those that are fallen and every one should strive to get up to the highest pitch of Religion that is attainable You should level at perfection of Holiness and no mark short of Perfection should limit or bound your aims 2 Cor. 7.1 Having these promises let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit perfecting Holiness in the fear of God Though perfect Holiness cannot be attained yet it must be aimed at though we cannot reach unto it yet we must be reaching towards it though we cannot obtain yet we must be still following after Because we cannot obtain all that is desirable but there will be still while we live something that is before which we are yet short of therefore our motion in Religion must be constantly a progressive motion we must still be going forward and reaching out to that which is before that our works may be more and our hearts may be better at last then at first Prov. 4.18 The Path of the Just must shine more and more unto perfect day Grace must be growing up till it be swallowed up of Glory 2. Particularly 1. To an hunger and thirst of soul after more of Religion to a stirring Appetite Sick men when their Stomacks come to them 't is a good sign of recovery Hunger and Thirst are eager Appetites that put us to pain and are impatient till satisfied the keenness or eagerness of the Appetite after the Grace of God is express'd by Coveteousness earnest Coveteousness 1 Cor. 12.31 Covet earnestly the best gifts The Coveteous are greedy souls but there are degrees of greediness the hearts of some Covetous ones are more sharp set upon the world than others that are greedy enough Covet earnestly let your hearts be as hungry and thirsty after Grace and the gifts of Grace as the most greedy Men on earth gapes after the world Hunger and Thirst are imperious Appetites that will command men upon any thing any labour any difficulties for the obtaining satisfaction Hunger will break through Stone walls A graciously thirsty soul will not sit still and only say I Thirst give me to drink but he will rise and about to seek where he may be satisfied he will out to the Springs and the Brooks and the Wells of Salvation where he may draw and drink of the VVater of Life He will refuse no pains nor no hazard in order to the satisfying his desire Then you are hungry after Religion then your souls are Athirst for God when you are so sharply set that you must have it and will stick at no labour and difficulties for the obtaining The hunger and thirst of Souls after God is an attainment which is the way to an higher attainment Mat. 5.6 Blessed are they that hunger after Righteousness for they shall be filled Are you hungry after Grace Are you thirsty after God and Godliness Blessed are you for ye shall be filled ye shall have enough Grace enough for you Religion and Righteousness enough your souls shall be satisfied with the goodness of the Lord He will fulfil the Desires of them that fear him Psal 145.19 O Christians were we a more hungry Congregation were we a more thirsty People Spiritually hungry Spiritually thirsty what an Holy People what a company of gracious souls should we quickly become The Lord will fill his hungry souls with his good things we should be full and abound and have all things even all Grace abundantly towards us and in us 'T is one misery of consuming decayed souls that they have lost their Appetites Some Consumptive bodys will be hungry and eat till they dye but Consumptive souls do neither hunger nor thirst 'T is an ill sign that thou art dangerously gone in a Consumption who hast lost thine Appetite after God in whom thy desire fails 't is one of the Death-Tokens mentioned by Solomon Eccles 12.5 That desire shall fail Thou hast lost much of thy strength and thy spirits the life of Grace is fallen much to decay in thee but doth thy desire after Grace fail to Hast thou lost thine hunger and thy thurst after Righteousness doth thy soul cease to pant after the Water-brooks Canst thou not say I am athirst for God for the living God That soul of thine is nigh unto death if it be not suddenly recovered O Friends how many such dying souls are there among us Grace hath failed and desire hath failed in too many among us Do not deceive your selves with saying I desire I desire to be a more Holy and Heavenly hearty Christian do not say you desire nor think you desire what you do not Appetitus determinator ad hoc If you truly desire Grace an improvement herein then this is the one thing you desire Grace and nothing but Grace Holiness and nothing but Holiness will satisfie And if you can say this one thing I desire then you will also say this one thing I will seek 'T is not a dull and idle and ineffectual wish that can be accounted a sincere desire but such a keen and eager Appetite and Thirst after God as will not let you be quiet or suffer you to rest in such a case Those that are heartily hungry they can't sleep for hunger their hunger will keep them waking What are you such drowsie sleepy souls Can you take any rest in that poor and empty state you are in Sure what-ever you think you have little thirst for God 't would keep you waking if you had your souls would have no ease you could not be in quiet till you obtain O what a case is this that thou art in What to have so little of God in thee and yet no greater desire after more What art thou like to come to whose Bread fails and when hunger fails to whose Grace is sunk and whose desire after Grace fails What neither to have nor to wish thou had'st or to have so very little next to nothing and not to wish for more What to have lost so much and not to weep over thy loss and wish for thy recovery Friends how stands the case with you Sure you do not know your state if some of you do know that it 's but very low with you But what pantings or thirstings or workings of your hearts are there after an increase Do
and hath no light let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay himself upon his God That is even then when he is in darkness and hath no light at such a time there may be such a stay God would not command him to impossibilities What is it to be in darkness and to have no light Why no les then to give up all for lost to be in the darkness of an uncomfortable and hopeless state and not to have so much light as to discern his holy habits or actings that should comfort him Why yet even then there may be a stay or else God would never have bid him even in such a case to stay himself upon his God There may be a stay and there is so for do but ask such a poor dark disconsolate Christian when as to his sense he is most hopeless and says I have no hope do but ask him then why what will you take to give up and forgoe all your hope in Christ Will you be hired for ever to quit your hope in Christ O no not for all the world look ye there now though he says he hath no hope yet all the world shall not hire him to let go that hope he hath 2. A resolved cleaving to Christ He doth still when 't is lowest with him with purpose of heart cleave unto Him He thinks here also that he hath no mind nor list to follow Christ or Holiness any longer judging it will be all in vain I but ask such a poor Christian Will you return then to take up your lot with Sinners and give off from serving or following Christ any longer Will you return to your old Lusts to your old carnal and fleshly Life Will you return from Christ to embrace this present World Since you have no hope to the other World will you return to make your best of this World Will you to Ryoting and Drunkenness will you to your old Covetousness and Greediness will you hence-forth go back and live in a total neglect of Christ and his holy ways will you give off hearing and give off praying and give off the trouble and care of an holy watchful Life and let loose the reins to your corrupt Nature and let it take its own course Will you do so Can you do so O the Lord forbid sure I will never go back how-ever if I never come to Heaven yet I will not return to wickedness God will speak Peace to his People but though he never speak Peace to me yet I will not return to folly Though I cannot say with Job cap. 13.15 Though he Slay me yet will I trust in him Yet this will I say though he Slay me yea though he Damn me yet will I serve him If I must to Hell yet I am resolved that Holiness shall be my way I will not allow my self to slight Christ or to sin against Christ though I should never have any benefit by Christ Whatever he will do with me as to my future state yet I am resolved to be his Servant while I live If I may not be a Saint in Heaven yet I will be as much as I can a Saint on Earth Holiness is good if I have never so small a spark of it 't is a Beam of God 't is the Image of Christ If I may not see God nor dwell with Christ yet I will get a little of him here a little is better than none though it should last me but a little time If I may not behold his Face in Righteousness yet I will do what I can to sit at his Feet in Righteousness whatever he do with me Ask any poor Christian that is in his darkest state whether this be not the standing resolution and purpose of his heart And is it not evident now that whatever he thinks of himself he still cleaves unto Christ The truth is such abiding workings of the heart towards Holiness are the souls cleaving to Christ and it appears though he cannot see it himself yet to Standers-by that the root of the matter is still in him yea and such holy resolutions in a dark state are stranger evidences of sincerity than the same resolutions where they are encouraged by the highest sensible enjoyments Certainly there is more of evidence in it to be able to say though he damn me yet I will serve him then there is in this I will serve him because he hath saved me For mine own part I should have an higher confidence of a poor disponding and even despairing Christian that 's bent upon Holiness than of many whose Religion is animated and encouraged by raptures of Joy For the close of this e're I proceed farther give me leave to put in a word of Exhortation let me exhort you in the words of Barnabas Act. 11.23 That with purpose of heart you will cleave unto the Lord. Cleaving Notes Firmness Closeness 1. Be firm stick close to Christ Let it be with you as with the Apostle Rom. 8.38 39. Let nothing separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Be sure of this that he will be with you whilst you are with him Jam. 4.8 Draw nigh unto God and he will draw nigh to you So may I say stick fast unto Christ and he will stick fast unto you Christ is a sure Friend and he will stick by all his Friends that are faithful to him Consider the three fore-mentioned cases as Arguments to press this Exhortation 1. You are in a Wilderness and must expect troubles to come upon you Your Faithfulness to Christ may cost you dear you may be forsaken of your Friends you may fall into the hands of your Enemies yet if ye will be Faithful to him though all men forsake you though evil men run upon you yet Christ will stick to you So he did to Paul 2 Tim. 1.16 17. No man stood with me but all men forsook me notwithstanding the Lord stood by me and strengthened and I was delivered out of the mouth of the Lyon where we have 1. The hard case he was nd Christians must look to be in 1. He was in the hands of Enemies of great Men who were examining him and before whom he was to answer for his Life Christians may be brought b fore Rulers and there Tryed for their Lives and judged for Malefactors 2. He was forsaken by his Friends he had many Friends before but when it came to the pinch they all gave him the slip and shrunk back and stood aloof and left him alone Count upon this hard lot and count it not strange if it come to be your lot 'T is not so much to suffer in Company as when any particular person is singled out as a Deer from the Herd and chased alone the Hunters are upon him and the Herd will not shelter him but shift away from him That 's it you may look for to be persecuted by Enemies and not to be owned by your
not thus with some of you that are Professors of Religion Consult your own experiences how freely and how chearfully can you follow your Trades and worldly business you can Work and Travail and Buy and Sell and follow it night and day can rise early and go to Bed late and eat the Bread of Carefulness enduring heat and cold and never complain but when you come to Praying and communing with your own hearts or taking a walk by Holy Meditation into the other VVorld when you come to have to do in any of the matters of God and serious Religion O how like Drones and Sleepers do you go on A little of this is enough and more than you can well bear your VVheels drug your Spirits tire and thereupon you hastily over with this work and are glad when you have done How seldom is it that you go into your Closets as willingly as you come out How well were it if you did as freely fall upon your knees as you use to rise from them when you have done How comes this to pass O you are yet carnal carnally disposed carnally inclined your fleshly habits do dispose you to your fleshly ways and fetter you and hang on your heels when you should be doing for God and your Souls O to work Christians to work work off these carnal dispositions and work up your hearts to Spirituality and Heavenliness Get you to be better temper'd and better disposed and the way to habituate your selves to Religion is to hold you closer to the exercise of Religion if you would but use a little more force upon your selves for a time and hold you to diligence in your Holy ways this would by degrees by the co-operation of the spirit of Grace with you which you might boldly look for to come into your help this your forceing your selves upon a diligent holy life for a while would bring you to go on after you had been inured to it with more freedom and alacrity Heb. 15.14 Those that were strong Christians steady and established Christians how came they to be so O 't is said That by reason of use by having their senses exercised by this means they grew up to it Friends be perswaded to make tryal exercise your selves more to Godliness use your selves to a strict conscientious Life If you find it hard at first yet force your selves upon it hold your selves hard to it and by that you have accustomed your selves to this course a while look for it you will find it sweet and easie and when you have thus gotten the habit of Religion when by reason of use and having your senses exercised to Godliness you become Holily disposed and inclined then what Christians think you are you like to be what thriving Christians what flourishing Christians what fruitful Christians are you then like to become then your hearts will be streaming hearts and flaming hearts and will mount up and ascend in those flames of holy Love and Zeal above this Earth and Flesh and a Unity to live in the Light and Love and Joy of the Lord. O Friends would you set your hearts to be reaching out towards this holy frame would the Lord be pleased by the more abundant influences of his Spirit upon us to work us up to and settle us in this habit of Holiness this Spiritual and willing and ready mind then we should become a beautiful Congregation then we should become a blessed People and should grow up as Trees of Righteousness which the Lord hath Planted and which the Lord hath Blessed What Friends doth not all this stir you Is there such a Blessed state and frame to be had and is it not worthy your striving after Come my Beloved let 's bestir our selves let us follow after let us be reaching on with our might to this holy Prize Be not discouraged at difficulty be doing and the Lord will help you VVe are workers together with God for you be you workers together with us for your selves set your hearts to it and the Lord will work in you both to will and to obtain of his good pleasure And thus I have shew'd you what that solidity in Religion which I am stirring you up to be reaching after is to be well-grounded and settled in the substantials of Christianity He that worshippeth God in the Spirit rejoyceth in Christ Jesus and heedfully shunning all Ungodliness and worldly Lusts hath given himself to a Righteous Sober and Godly life he that being deeply resolved for Christ and firmly trusting in Christ doth with full purpose of heart cleave unto him sticking fast to the Lord and keeping him close by him till he hath by reason of use gotten Holiness to be habitual to him This is a Pattern that I would you would have much before your eyes 4. To fruitfulness in Religion There is a readiness to good works mentioned Tit. 3.1 standing in the preparation or propension or bent of the soul upon holy action whereof before and there is a fruitfulness in good works or the souls putting it forth in holy action All Religion stands in action either the inward action of the Soul or the outward action of the Life 'T is the doing Christian that is the excellent Christian the fruitful field which hath a Blessing in it There is amongst our Corn some that looks fresh and strong and grows up ranker and taller than the rest but at best proves to have but little in the Ear 't is grown up all in Stalk and hath little fruit we can't say of it as Hos 7.8 It hath no Stalk 't is all Salk and hath no Ear 't is the full Ears of the Field that are its fruitfulness That is fruitfulness where there is good fruit brought forth and much fruit That ground which either bringeth forth no good fruit or but very little we count barren ground Will you call that a fruitful field which brings forth but here and there an Ear a few handful of Ears to whole Sheaves of Tares and VVeeds VVill you call that a fruitful Tree which hath but two or three Berries in the top of the uppermost bough four or five in the outmost fruitful branches It is precious fruit and plenty of it that will give us the account of fruitful Christians Fruitfulness in Religion is the Honour of Religion Herein is my Father Glorified that ye bring forth much fruit Joh. 15 8. And what Glorifies God God will make glorious before the VVorld Barrenness is a Reproach 't is matter of sorrow and shame Such Christians which stand as dry Trees should not stand with dry Eyes VVe read that Barren Wombs have been the matter of great Affliction How did Sarah and Rachel take on that they had no Children And Hannah when she Prayed for a Child having yet none said 1 Sam. 15. I am a Woman of a sorrowful spirit out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken But however it be upon the account of
he reveals his good will and good liking of them and lets them know that they are accepted with him when he is their Friend and lets them have the countenance of their Friend towards them when he is their Father and causes them to feel the Bowels of their Father the Compassions and Kindnesses of their Father and hereby makes them to joy in his Love and to rejoyce in hope of the Glory of God This is Blessedness indeed these are Blessed Ones whose God is thus their Lord. Blessed are the people who are in such a case blessed are the people whose God is the 〈◊〉 Ps 144.15 Christians you need not complain whatever you want if you have no bread in your houses no money in your purses no health in your Bodies no rest in your bones yet have you the Lord God in your hearts it is enough you are blessed Souls Sinners ye need not boast your selves and lift up your heads so high you have money in your purses you have friends in your houses you have health in your bodies you have marrow in your bones you can hardly tell what you lack that would please you and yet miserable souls are you all God is not in you and that to him that knows what it is is misery enough to blast all your comforts and your joys The Devil is where God is not Sin bears rule where God doth not and this is the upshot of your boasting and blessing and comforting of your selves this is all you can say matters of this World go well with me I can live a plentiful and pleasant and merry life the Sun shines on my Tabernacle I have the Wind on my side I am on the warm side of the Hedge I prosper I flourish in the Earth all things go well with me I have but this one thing to trouble me my Soul is in the hands of the Devil there 's nothing of God in me and where God is not there the Devil bears rule This if ye knew it is misery enough for you that whatever you have God is none of yours and this is happiness enough for the Saints that God is in them of a truth 2. Our happiness is that the Lord is among us that we have the visible tokens of his presence that the Ark of his presence is among us that we have his Statutes and his Ordinances and his Worship among us that the Doors of his House are open and the Glory of the Lord filleth his House that the Ordinances are among us and are not as a miscarrying Womb or dry Breasts but are fruitful to the propagating an Holy Seed bringing forth abundance of Children to the Lord and nursing up those that are to be fat and flourishing This was that Glory of the Lord which the Psalmist so thirsts and longs to see Ps 63.2 That I might see thy Power and thy Glory so as I have seen thee in the Sanctuary This was that happiness of the Church which was prophesied Is 60.2 c. The Lord shall arise upon thee and his Glory shall be seen in thee v. 4. Thy Sons shall come from far and thy Daughters shall be nursed up at thy side then shalt thou see and flow together and thine heart shall fear and be enlarged v. 8. Who are those that flee as a Cloud and as the Doves of the Windows v. 14 15. They shall call thee the City of the Lord the Zion of the Holy One of Israel and I will make thee an everlasting Excellency a Joy of many Generations v. 21. Thy People shall be all righteous the Branch of my Planting the Work of my Hands that I may be glorified This you will acknowledge must needs be an happy time and all this is the fruit of the presence of the Lord among his People When the Glory of the Lord fills his House and the off-springs of the Lord are numerous and prosperous when the Golden Candlesticks are set up and the Son of man walks in the midst of his Candlesticks when there are not only here and there a flourishing Believer but when there are flourishing Churches flourishing companies of Believers when there are not only a throng of People crowding the Doors of the Lords House but a throng of Saints worshipping at his Feet and walking in the Name of the Lord Happy would such days be blessed are the People that are in such a case by the presence of the Lord among them Yea and every degree towards such a State is so far forth a degree of peoples happiness when the Lord gives his Prophets and Teachers and Ordinances and any freedom to attend upon them and any little success to the propagating of holiness and the sincere Professors of it This is a Token and a Fruit of the presence of God with them 'T is a mercy for people to enjoy their civil advantages fruitful times and seasons for the good things of the Earth plenty of Bread free and flourishing Trades freedom from Oppression c. These are Mercies but these may be where the Lord is not as to his gracious Presence 't is freedom and encouragement for Religion the plentiful raining down of Manna the bread that comes from Heaven and our thriving by our Bread 't is this that evidences that the Lord is among us 3. Our taking hold of God is our continuing this Presence of the Lord with us and preventing his departure where I shall shew 3 things 1. God may depart from a people with whom he hath been present 2. 'T is wo with that people from whom God departeth 3. This is to take hold of God to prevent his departure 1. God may depart from his People with whom he hath been present And that 1. From particular persons from whom he may then be said to depart 1. When he hides his Face from them 2. When he suspends the influences of his Grace 3. When he loosens the reins of Government 4. When he denies them the benefit of his protection 5. When he turns away his Heart from them and rejects them 1. When he hides his Face from them and withdraws the light of his Countenance Thus he withdrew from that precious Servant of his David Ps 30.7 Thou didst hide thy Face and I was troubled whom we find praying Ps 4.6 Lord lift up the light of thy Countenance upon me and Ps 51.12 Restore unto me the Joy of thy Salvation and uphold me with thy free Spirit Gods Holy Ones may forget God may grow secure and careless and wanton Children and the Lord will not countenance the best of them in their sins If they forget God he finds a way to remember them of him by conveying himself out of their sight the clouds upon his Face the darkness upon their own Spirits make them remember the light which once they had and to look the better to it when the light returns 2. When he suspends the Influence of his Grace witholds his Spirit from them This
gone from me Friends you must give me leave to speak as plainly to you and as closely in this matter as I am able I know how sad 't will be with you if the word doth not prevail and I know this consuming Disease is hard to be cured Backsliders are ordinarily of hard hearts and deaf ears and so hard to be recovered God knows how it may be with you whether God may gain any thing Religion may gain any thing upon you by this warning I know it will be hard work to bring you up out of this case and yet I am loth to lose my labour I would fain do something for Christ and something for the help of your poor Souls and therefore you must bear with me that I thus set my self to speak over and over thus closely to you that if it be possible my words may stick with you Do not say that I think too hardly of you and make you worse than you are I thank God that there are among you those who are faithful and stand their ground I thank God that there is so much Religion as there is even in some of you I thank God I have hope there is as much of serious Religion continuing in this Congregation as in the most Congregations about us But I must tell you that he is a stranger to us that doth not perceive at what a low ebb serious Religion is amongst many of us and he whose heart bleeds not and breaks not at what his eyes may see and his ears may hear hath but little of the Spirit of Christianity in him Sure there are too many among us that have declined in great degree O that this word might find them out and bring them to their knees first and then set them upon their Legs that so there may be a prevention of their utter Rejection 2. God may depart from his Churches and the Congregations of his People and then he departs from these 1. When he shuts up his House and writes upon the Doors thereof The Glory is departed When he causes their visions to fail his Ordinances to cease from among them when preaching and praying and all his spiritual worship fails when though the Candlesticks continue yet there are few Candles left and those that are not quite put out are put under a Bushel when Pastors and Teachers which were burning and shining Lights are removed into a Corner 2. When he pulls down his House When not only the Candles are carried away but the Candlesticks are broken in pieces When he unchurches his People and scatters his Congregations When the Societies of the Saints are broken in pieces and those that went to the House of God in companies have neither house to go into nor company to go together It 's promised Is 33.20 Ye shall look upon Zion the City of our solemnities thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet Habitation a Tabernacle that shall not be taken down not one of the Stakes thereof shall be removed neither shall any of the Cords thereof be broken but there the Glorious Lord will be to us a place of broad Rivers and Streams Now when this word is changed and our eyes see Jerusalem a troubled habitation our Tabernacle taken down its Stakes that pitched it and its Cords that held it all removed and broken in pieces when the Habitation of the Lord is become a desolation and his Vineyard become a meer Wilderness when the Cormorant and the Bittern when Owls and Satyrs when the Beasts and the false Prophets are where once were the Prophets and People of the Lord then is the Lord departed 3. When though his House and his Tabernacle stands and his Ordinances are continued though there be Preaching and Praying still yet the Spirit of the Lord is departed When he doth not continue to bless his House and bless his Ordinances to his People when that word is fulfilled upon them Is 28.13 The Word of the Lord is to them precept upon precept line upon line that they might go and fall backward When the Children of Zion are as it was said those that hate Zion should be Ps 129.6 as the Grass upon the House top that withereth before it be grown up whereof the Mower filleth not his hand nor he that bindeth sheaves his bosom Even this is a departure and a grievous departure of the Lord from his People when he continues not among them to bless them continues his Word among them precept upon precept line upon line lets them have Sabbath after Sabbath Meeting upon Meeting Sermon upon Sermon but nothing prospers but they fall and go backward and wither as the grass upon the House top O how many Congregations amongst us are there from whom the Lord is already thus far departed though he gives us his Word yet he doth not bless his Word though the Sowers come forth to sow yet how is the Seed rotten under the Clods how little is there that comes up Though the Planters plant and the Builders build how few young Plants do we see coming up how slowly does the Building rise does not the Building rather go backward do not the Plants that are hang their heads and wither and no more rise in their room When do we hear of a new convert brought in and how few do we see of the former planting to flourish O we fade we fade we wither as the Grass upon the House top our life and our strength and our beauty how is it fallen and withered the beauty of love the beauty of humility the beauty of holiness how is it even all marred Sure this is a token of the Lords departure from us Thus you have seen how the Lord departs from his People 2. It 's wo with a people when the Lord departs from them Wo unto them saith the Lord when I depart from them Hos 9.12 1. 'T is woful to them that have something of Religion in them when their Pastors and Pastures and Waters fail what 's like to become of them even they also are like to pine for want There are none to whom Famine is so tedeous as to hungry Souls the living Child will cry for Bread when those that are dead can want it well enough and never feel their want And it will not be woful only to their sense they will mourn and lament and be pierced to the very heart to see such a day but to some amongst them it will be a worse wo than that Whilst some mourn for want of the Word others will pine away for want Ezek. 24.21 23. I will profane my Sanctuary the excellency of your strength the desire of your eyes and ye shall pine away for your iniquities Professors there be some among you that have languished and grown to decay in the fulness of all things by all the Ordinances of the Gospel you have had by all the Manna that hath fallen among you by all our Preaching to you and Praying
Gods God never departs till there be another God taken in with him and set up by him and God will never continue unless these Idols be cast away Ezek. 14.5 They are estranged from me by their Idols they are grown strangers to me and I must be a stranger to them they have taken in other Gods besides me And v. 5. Repent says God and turn your selves from your Idols If you would have me stay let them go their way There is a setting up of Idols in the Congregation a setting up of Stocks and Stones to worship and there is a setting up of Idols in the Heart Ezek. 14.3 These men have set up their Idols in their Hearts Those that have no such Idols as Israel had those that abhor Image Worship or worshipping of the Sun and the Host of Heaven those that would be trembled to see an Idol set up in the House of God may yet have an heart full of Idols One of the chief of our Idols is the World and our great Heart-Idolatry is Covetousness or the Love of the World Col. 3.5 And Covetousness which is Idolatry If God be provoked to depart from us 't is to be suspected that this is the Idol that drives him away Our hearts are gone after the World and thereupon 't is that the Lord God is so far from our Hearts Would you lay hold on God put away your Idols cast this world out of your Hearts 'T is vain to confess we have sinned against God 't is vain to pray Lord leave us not God will never regard your confessions nor your prayers till your Idols be cast out Friends whatever we suffer or are like to suffer 't is this World 't is our Worldliness that hath undone the most of us the gains of this World the pleasures of this World have been taken into our Hearts and thereupon 't is that God leaves us to sink and go to ruin as we do Cease from your Idolatry away with your Earthly-mindedness and Fleshliness your hands are full of dirt and ashes empty them of these or you can never lay hold on God We cry out against the Wickedness of our Age the Atheism the Adulteries the Oaths and prodigious Profaneness that is among us and these and suck-like Evils we look on as the reason why God is such a stranger and so angry with us But besides these Wickednesses of the openly Profane there are other iniquities to be found even amongst those that profess against this Profaness and this for one the Iniquity of our Covetousness that hath thus provoked the Lord against us Is 57.17 For the Iniquity of his Covetousness I was wrath and smote him I hid me and was wrath and yet he went on frowardly in the way of his Heart Here 3 things 1. That Covetousness is Iniquity or Wickedness Covetous Ones are Wicked Ones however they may look like Holy Ones whatever of God or Religion appears yet their Covetousness where it is predominant marks them out for Wicked ones Art thou a Professor of Religion dost thou Hear dost thou Pray dost thou joyn thy self to those that fear God and yet art thou a Worldling thou art but a Wicked Man whatever thy Profession be 2. The Iniquity of our Covetousness will make God to withdraw and hide his Face from us I hid me and was wrath 3. Covetous men how dear soever their Covetousness costs them yet they will go on their way He went on frowardly that is perversly or obstinately in his way He would not be turned back he would not give off from following his worldly heart how angry soever God was with him for it O this Disease of a worldly Heart when it is rooted once it hardly admits of a Cure Beloved God hath prescribed you many Remedies and God hath given you many Warnings and your Souls have suffered great loss by it O the impoverishment that hath fallen upon your inward man by your so over eager pursuit of the advantages of our outward man and yet for all this who will take warning How little abatement is there to be seen of the Zeal of our Hearts after Earthly things O 't is an evil Disease and a tough Disease that will hardly be purged away There are some Humours of the Body that are so tough that where they abound they can hardly be purged away without the destroying of Nature and there is no Humour in the Body so tough and hard to be removed as this disease of the Soul Well but yet unless you mean to part with God yea and to part with him for ever you must let this Idol go And the like may be said of any other of our Idols any other Sins you have set up in your Hearts There can be no taking hold of God but you must let all your Idols go you are at this point either these must be parted with or God and your Souls must part You that are proud Professors that Pride must be laid in the Dust you that are for your pleasure or your ease you that are for your credit and reputation you that are given to appetite whose God is your Belly or your Throats you must come off from all that your hearts are thus set upon or else count upon it that as you have begun to fall as there is a breach between God and your Souls begun so it will grow worse and worse with you and the breach grow wider and wider till it become too great to be ever made up What Friends will ye love this World to the Death will you love your Pleasures and your Ease and your Lusts to the Death will you sell all that you have all your Religion all your Hopes and your Comforts that you have had in it will you sell your God and your Souls for these vile things The Young Man in the Gospel foolishly refused to sell what he had in the world for Christ and will you not refuse to sell Christ and all your Hopes as to the other world for the trash you have here do not you see do none of you see how dear they have cost you and how low they have brought you as to the State of your inward man already and will you hold on still and never give over till you have lost all and all hopes of ever recovering what you have lost O be yet advised and go no farther on cast ye away cast ye away your Idols and yet return to the Lord and he will return to you 2. Our laying hold on the Covenant of God We have no other hold on God but his Covenant with us we had need keep the Covenant of God inviolable for there 's all the hold we have either for this life or the life to come And this is the hold that we find this people of Israel insisted upon v. 9. of this Chapter Behold see we beseech thee we are all thy People that is thy Covenant People See we beseech thee or
and return to be faithful but hold you at the same pass look for nothing else but this that the Soul of the Lord will be utterly loosened from you and he will say concerning you Give them a Bill of Divorce and send them away let them alone let them pine away in their iniquities till they be past recovery or redemption And let me add this farther if the rest of the Professors of England which are in the same case will not see it will not confess will not speedily return and recover what can be expected but that the Lord who hath been for these many years so visibly departing from us and after many returns seems at this time again to be removing from us what can be expected if we speedily repent not but that he will never return but utterly reject us and leave us as a dark Land make us a desolation and astonishment and write his Ichabod upon the Doors of our Congregations and Habitations The Glory is departed from England But if you will yet see and and will confess and return I will say to you as Shecaniah said to Ezra concerning that revolting people when they were upon reforming Ezra 10.2 There is yet hope in Israel concerning this thing There is yet hope in England concerning these poor Souls that the Lord will return and continue to dwell in them and among them as in the former days his Covenant is your hope lay hold upon it 3. Our recovering our Communion with God Our Communion with God stands much in these things 1. In our mutual Acquaintance God with us and we with him God is acquainted with his People and he requires them to come into his Acquaintance Job 22.21 Acquaint thy self with God Acquaintance stands in our Knowledge of God We cannot be said to be acquainted with them we know not in such experimental knowledge as is gotten by converse together We cannot say we are acquainted with every one we know converse or walking together is necessary to our being acquainted The nearer and more intimate our Acquaintance with God is and of the longer continuance by so much the more hold we have of God God will not easily lose his Acquaintance and those that are acquainted with God have tasted so much of the sweetness of walking with him that they will take the more heed how they lose that Acquaintance Those that are intimately acquainted by their friendly converse together this Acquaintance knits their Hearts together as David's to Jonathan so that they will not easily be seperated Hast thou used thy self to intimate converse with God and thereby gotten into experimental Acquaintance with him O thine heart will be hereby knit to the Lord and the Lords Heart knit together with thine Acquaintance cannot bear strangness it 's grievous to us when our Acquaintants become Strangers to us and we are unwilling to be strangers from them Friends do you suffer your hearts to be estranged from the Lord can you forget God and keep at a distance from him can you lose your Intimacy in Heaven are your delightful thoughts of God restrained and is not this grievous to you 'T is a shrewd sign that God and you were never well acquainted You that are the Friends of God keep your acquaintance take heed of wandrings take heed of distances and enstrangments get the experimental delights that arise from your intimacy with him and that will hold you near him And you that have lost your Acquaintance O recover and revive your old Intimacy in Heaven 2. In mutual Acceptance This is a special part of our Communion with God our Complacency in God and his Complacency in us Acquaintants take mutual pleasure in one another their company is grateful and acceptable God is accepted of his Saints they have an hearty goodliking to him and are glad of his Presence not only all the intimations of his Love and Kindnesses to them not only such a word spoken to their Hearts I love thee mine Heart is towards thee thou art mine the dearly beloved of my Soul I am at peace with thee my delight is in thee O how acceptable O how pleasant are such gracious words but not only these but the manifestations of the Will and Counsels of God to them they accept his Commands they love that the Lord should tell them of their Duty His Statutes are my delight Ps 119.77 and they accept his Rebukes and Corrections and his Punishments of them for their Sins Levit. 26.41 knowing that he corrects them in love and that they cannot want his Chastizements that the very Rebukes of his Countenance are sometimes as necessary for them and as beneficial to them as the Light of his Countenance 2. They are accepted with God he accepts their Persons Ephes 1.6 He hath made us accepted in the Beloved he accepts their approaches to him Ezek. 20.40 41. In mine Holy Mountain of the height of Israel there will I accept them I will accept you with your sweet Savour Offer your Offerings lift up your Voices pour forth your Prayers they shall be a sweet Savour a Savour of Rest to me Now whilst God finds rest in a People he will not depart Ps 132.14 This is my rest here will I dwell for ever Acceptance with God and rejection from God are so contrary that whilst we have the one we need not fear the other and whilst God is accepted with us to be sure we are accepted with him whilst Gods ways please us our ways will please the Lord Prov. 16.7 When a mans ways please the Lord he will make his Enemies be at peace with him and so long we may be secure that our Friend will not become our Enemy but will live in love and continue his abode with us 3. In mutual Correspondence In frequent and friendly entercourses God will be sending down to his Saints Tokens of his Love his Saints will be sending up Presents to the Lord Tokens of their Love to him There is a Jacobs Ladder betwixt Heaven and Earth this Ladder is Christ by which there is constant coming and going There are Spiritual Blessings the Blessings of Grace the Blessings of Peace that are sent down from God to his Saints and there are Spiritual Duties Holy Affections Holy Desires Holy Prayers and Praises which by the hand of Christ are sent up before the Lord. 'T is the very Life of Christians to be either receiving down or sending up to Heaven they must hear often from God or they cannot live I will hearken what the Lord God will speak Ps 85.8 And whilst they live God shall hear often from them there are Messengers and Messages that pass daily betwixt God and them They are often sending up and the best Present they have is their Hearts I lift up my Soul to thee Ps 25.1 They will be sending up their Desires to the Lord and their Sighs after him if they have nothing better they will be sending up their Tears
and their Sorrows and their Complaints to the Lord Ps 38.9 All my desire is before thee and my groaning is not hid from thee Ps 56.8 Put my Tears into thy Bottle If it be well with them then their Praises are sent up if they want any thing then up go their Desires to the Lord for Supply if they ail any thing if they be surprized by Sin swallowed up of Sorrow whatever it be that ails them they pour it out into the Bosom of their Friend Some-Messengers or other are daily sent up and whatever the Messengers be if it be a Prayer or a Sigh or a Tear this is still the Message tell him That I am either sick of love or sick for love for an Heart to love the Lord. Such Entercourses there are betwixt God and his Saints and these are a special part of their Communion with God and a special security against distances and enstrangments betwixt the Lord and them And it is to be observed That whenever there is a parting betwixt God and Souls there is a cessation or failing of these Friendly Entercourses Declining Souls how seldom do they look upwards they are so busie here below that they have no leisure and they grow so carnally-minded that they have no list to have much to do with God they restrain Prayer and restrain Holy Meditations the Lord seldom hears from them and when he does 't is so coldly and so dully that he can take no pleasure in it O Friends 't is a sign that there is a breach betwixt the Lord and you when you are fallen so into a neglect of Spiritual Duties Do your affections Heavenward flag do the fervour of your desires fail are your Prayers shortned and straitned are you so seldom and so remiss and so flat in your retirements to God can you not say at least My sighs and complaints are daily before him and my groanings are not hid from him What danger is there that God and your Souls may utterly part if you have thus lost your Correspondence with him 4. Often reckoning by this our Communion with God and our Friendship with him is maintained Often reckoning keeps long Friends whilst we keep our Account clear and fair so long there 's the less danger of a breach The best of Saints run upon score daily we go upon score for Mercies received from God and we go upon score for Sins committed against God and where there is such scoring there must be often reckoning 1. Our score of Mercies should be answered in our Praises and more abundant Duties and a reckoning must be kept both of what we have received and what we have returned of what the Lord hath done for our Souls and what our Souls have done ever the more for his Name Thus we should reckon for these O my soul the Lord hath done great things for thee hath brought thee from darkness to light hath saved thy life from death when thou wert going on in thy sins running with the multitude either after thy Covetousness or after thy Companions in the lusts and in the lewdness of thine heart when thou wert making all the haste thou couldst down to Hell there Grace met thee and whilst it let others run on it singled thee out and brought thee back out of that deaths Rode and hath brought thee into the way of Life and of a dead Sinner hath made thee this living Soul O what a wonder of Mercy was there and since how many a kindness hath it shewed thee how often hath the same Grace met thee in the House of God and taught thee and instructed thee and quickned thee and comforted thee how often hath Grace met thee in thine own House met thee in secret met thee upon thy knees and hath enlarged thine heart and helped thee to pour out thy Soul before the Lord and hath poured in upon thee such a sense of the kindness of God to thee as hath delighted and even ravished thine heart And what great multitudes of other instances have there been of the renewed Kindnesses of the Lord to thee O to what a reckoning do thy Mercies rise hast thou kept the Account by thee if thou hast what hath been returned in answer of the loving kindness of the Lord As 't was said concerning Mordecai who had saved the Kings Life Esther 6.3 What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this Canst not thou say The Lord hath saved my life from death and done for me these great things what honour have I done to the Lord for all this And if upon thy reckoning made it be found as 't was there found in that instance there hath been nothing done or but little done then thou wilt see that there must be more done or God will be angry 2. Our score of sins should be reckoned up in order to the getting them crossed by faith in the Bloud of Christ and repentance from dead works Thus therefore thou shouldst go on O my Soul thou seest what God hath done for thee but what is it that thou hast done against the God of thy Mercy how many slights hast thou put upon the Grace of God how often hast thou abused Mercy hast thou not grown secure hast thou not grown wanton hast thou not been haughty and lifted up in the pride of thine Heart Remember thy frowardness and quarrellings thy backbitings and talebearings hast thou no lies no false and fraudulent dealing to put down upon thy account dost thou not use to play the Hypocrite and come before the Lord with such an hollow heart and such hollow duties as if thou meanst to mock him to the face art thou not either a backslider or a loyterer if thou hast not lost ground and fallen backward yet hast thou not lost time and not gone on forward hast thou no slothfulness and negligence and non-proficiency to write down against thy self hast thou not somewhat against thy self for thy covetousness and over-eagerness upon the World hast thou no wrongs of thy conscience to be remembred dost not find much of these and many more evils that thou art run in score with thy God for and what hath there hitherto been done for the crossing out of the score Sure if thou goest on thus thou art like to hear of him in another way than thou wouldst or it may be not hear from him at all Beloved the keeping good reckoning betwixt the Lord and us being of so great importance and so necessary to the continuing his presence and favour with us I shall give you some short directions concerning it 1. Let every one especially look to his own personal reckoning We must reckon for our people also how great things God hath done for our Nation and his Churches amongst us and how great have been the sins of our People What have our Princes and our Priests what have our Magistrates and our Ministers done What have the Sins of Congregations of our
be fear what unbelievers and in no danger what hypocrites and in no danger what backsliders what Apostates and yet in no danger what can you say there 's no danger to men in my case can you say I thank God whoever be in danger my Soul is out of danger There 's not one of you dares say so you have lost the understandings of men if you confess not The Lord be merciful to me my Soul is in great danger What are you in danger and yet not in fear what in such great danger and yet not afraid not afraid of the Devil not afraid of Death not afraid of Hell when in such great danger of it When Christ says Luke 12.4 Fear not them that kill the body wilt thou say no nor will I fear him that can destroy body and Soul O poor stupid Souls awaken your fears open your eyes and see your danger the Lord open your eyes before it be too late and make you to see the fearful case you are in and so make you afraid If I could rouze up your fears it would be as the stirring up a nest of Hornets about your ears which sure would make you run for it Prov. 28.14 Happy is the man that feareth if there were more fear in you there were more hope of you Friends I should have done God and your Souls good service this day if I could but preach you into fear if I could but make you afraid of your selves if this word might run through all the 3 sorts of you I am dealing with the Impenitent the Loyterers and the Backsliders wo is me wretched creature I am afraid I am afraid what will become of me I am afraid I shall to Hell I am afraid the Devil will have me at last if such a word might come through all your hearts the next word I should hope to hear would be this Well I see there is no safe abiding thus I am undone if I continue as I am arise O my soul flee away out of this sinful state and get thee into Christ shake thee out of this sloth recover out of this languishing state recover thy first love return to thy first works or I shall lose my Crown and my Soul O Friends stir up such a fear in your selves do not hide your danger from your own eyes till it be too late dare not to say such a word I trust my Soul is in no danger but deal plainly with your selves and come to understand the truth and the worst of your case give not over to study your danger till you have stirred up your fear and when your fear is once up this there is hope will stir up all within you to make out after an escape 3. Stir up desire Desire is the thirst of the Soul and thirst is a stirring appetite as I have already shew'd and therefore shall need to speak the less here Desire will stir up to labour therefore 't is that Solomon says Prov. 21.25 The desire of the slothful killeth him 'T is death to the slothful to labour and yet his desire will prick him on upon it One thing have I desired that I will seek after Ps 27.4 One thing have I desired that notes a stirring desire when the motions of the soul run in one chanel all after one thing then they run more strongly and impetuously and this strong desire puts him upon an earnest seeking the satisfaction of it Prov. 13. 12. When the desire cometh it is a tree of life And what is so sweet when it comes will be the more earnestly pursued before it comes Would you be zealous followers of God and followers of Holiness get stronger desires after the Lord and his Holiness Strong desires will pour forth strong cries your Souls will go on crying after the Lord crying after his Grace and the power of his Spirit if ye do in earnest desire it Cold desires or none at all leave the soul as a Ship becalmed that stirs not on when the Wind is quick and the Sails are filled its motion is more swift but when the Wind lies it moves not at all Our slight and slow endeavours in following of God if you inquire into the reason of them 't is because desire fails Stir up your desires get you quick and strong desires and these will not suffer you to be so sluggish But how must we stir up our desires after God 1. Suppress and keep under your carnal desires Desire Earth less than you do and you will desire Heaven more than you do A River that is divided into several Chanels runs more weakly in either when our streams are united and run all in one Chanel they are much the stronger Vnite mine heart to fear thy name says the Psalmist Ps 86.11 Let me fear God and let me fear none but God So let your Souls say Unite mine heart to love thy name and to desire after thee let me love nothing but God let me desire nothing but God let me be able to say as the Psalmist Psal 73.25 Whom have I in Heaven but thee and there 's none on earth that I desire besides thee Thou hast all my love and all my desire is towards thy name When you love nothing but God when you desire nothing but God O this will be strong love these will be strong desires What you inordinately love or desire besides the Lord this will abate your love and your desires after him Friends your desires after this World your appetite after Meat and Drink and Money and carnal Pleasures are too eager to have any strong desires after the Lord. Quench your carnal thirst if you would have your Souls to pant after God and spiritual things Be more indifferent what you have or how 't is with you in respect of these carnal things whether you have more or less whether it be better or worse with you in respect of these leave it to God to do with you what he will to let forth these nether streams or to dam them up to make you rich or poor prosperous or afflicted and the more patient you are of wanting the nether streams the more impatient will be your thirst after the upper streams Whereas 't is hard to find any persons in the World that have a greedy appetite to things below who have any great or strong desire upwards If any man love this world 1 Jo. 2.15 that is with an ardent and intense love the love of the Father is not in him And so if any man desire this world with his most eager and greedy desire the desire after God is not in him Methinks this word should shake the hearts of some professors there are I doubt many that go under the name of Christians that are as excessively hungry after this world whose Souls are hunting after and heaping up whatever they can catch of this earthly muck with as great zeal and ardency of mind as any of those do
Kingdom to whom he said Thou shalt be over mine house and according to thy Word shall all my people be ruled onely in the throne will I be greater then thou Conscience is subject to none but God God is greater then Conscience 1 Joh. 3.20 God is greater then our hearts that is then our Consciences But next under God Conscience hath the supreme dominion in the Soul and as the Centurion to his Souldiers so Conscience where it maintains Authority says to all the faculties of the Soul to one go and it goeth to another come and it cometh and to every one do this and it must be done Now as Conscience is faithful and diligent or as it is careless and negligent so do matters go in the Soul a faithful watchful conscience sets the whole soul in good order a negligent sleepy conscience lets all run to ruine when God hath given men up to a spirit of slumber when conscience slumbers the whole soul falls asleep or which is worse runs out into all manner of disorders When God will awaken sleepy souls he begins with conscience awakens conscience first and that will awaken all their powers God awakens conscience mostly by frights as the Gaoler by an earthquake and Saul by an affrighting voice from Heaven Saul Saul why persecutest thou me Soul Soul what art thou doing why slightest thou the Lord why fightest thou against God There 's nothing but such thunder from Heaven that will rouse a sleepy conscience But though there 's none but God that can awaken conscience yet God ordinarily does it by our selves sets the soul on work upon its self to its own awakening a word or it may be but a thought comes into the heart which is made to stick into conscience and to sting it out of sleep and when conscience is stung and begins to stir there 's no more sleep no more quiet in the soul When the Master of the house is up and about once he rouzes all the Servants O Friends get your consciences to be awakened get your consciences to be stirring and then all your faculties will up and be doing That conscience may be a stirring conscience 1. Let Conscience open its ears and hear 2. Let it open its eyes and see 3. Let the mouth of Conscience be open and speak 4. Let it be quick and tender 1. Let Conscience open its ears and hear what the Lord speaks Let the voice of the Lord have an impression upon conscience when the Word comes into the thoughts onely it 's quickly gone and does nothing or when it hath some sudden work upon the affections that wears off but when it enters into the conscience when conscience hears the Word of the Lord when the Word which we preach from God is as the Apostles word 2 Cor. 5.11 made manifest in the conscience then it is in a way to prosper Let conscience open its ears first and 2. Let conscience open its eyes and see see how it is with the Soul how sad and miserable the state and way of the Soul is see how it 's like to be to grow worse and worse see how it should be and what is to be done that it may be better 3. Let Conscience have its mouth open Sleepy consciences are silent consciences those that see nothing will say nothing Let your consciences speak to you whatever the Word preaches to conscience let conscience preach it to the whole heart O Friends if we could so preach to you as to set your consciences a preaching to you the same things if when we preach to you repent and recover your selves out of the snares of the Devil we could get your consciences to preach repentance to you if there were such a voice heard within you I see I must repent I am lost and undone if I repent not if when we give a rebuke to you out of the Word your consciences also would rebuke you if the Word calls you thou unbeliever thou child of the Devil thou hypocrite thou loyterer thou backslider let but conscience say the same 't is true what the Word speaks I am an unbeliever I am an hypocrite a child of the Devil an idler a backsliding soul I cannot deny it 't is too true what the Word speaks concerning me If the Word threatens thou shalt have thy portion with unbelievers and hypocrites thy place among the children of the Devil if thou speedily repent not let conscience say the same this must be my place and my portion if I amend not there 's no help for me there 's no hope for me if I continue and go on as I am If the Word exhorts you Be converted thou unbelieving soul put away thine hypocrisie arise sluggard return O backsliding soul remember whence thou art fallen and recover thy first love and do thy first works let conscience speak the same words go to Christ O my soul turn from thy sins make thy peace with God get thee a new heart be upright with God be sound in the Faith follow the Lord thorowly follow the Lord fully as ever thou lookest for mercy do it as ever thou hopest for pardon do it wouldst thou ever see the salvation of God thou must count upon it to seek after the grace of God and increase and abound therein unto the end and then something would be like to be done 4. Let Conscience be quick and tender 1. Let the ears of Conscience be open and let it be quick of hearing 2. Let its eyes be open and let it be quick sighted 3. Let its mouth be open and let it speak quick home 1. Let its ears be open and let it be quick of hearing Be not of those fat and gross souls which are dull of hearing How many deaf ears do we preach to that hear nothing whose hearts will hear no more then the stone of the wall or the beam of the timber and of those that will hear something how many that are dull of hearing we have much work and hard work to beat any thing into them O get an hearing ear and be quick of hearing Swift to hear as Jam. 1.19 2. Let the eyes of Conscience be open and let it be quick sighted so that it may espy and observe the smallest matter of duty and sin and let it be tender eyed and not able to bear the least of evils some mens eyes can see none but the grossest of evils can see drunkenness to be evil or swearing or gross lying to be evils but for ordinary intemperances and excesses so they do not eat and drink themselves into very beasts and sots though they sit with the Drunkards and waste time with them and their estates with them and be foolish and jolly and carnally merry with them so they be not downright drunk they 'll tell you they see no evil in it Other men though they can see smaller evils yet their consciences can swallow them though conscience be never so quick
or pull'd upon thee that thou art still of the same mind Wilt thou yet say I am content to be as I am Ah foolish Galatians who hath bewitched you Ah Friends are you so foolish that having begun in the Spirit you will now think to mend your condition by returning to the flesh what might I speak to you to set you into your right minds would you be but convinced that you are out of your minds mad and distracted Souls there were the more hope you would come to your wits and so with the prodigal return to your Father from whom you have been wandring Carnal Professors let not these words depart from your Hearts till they have done their work till they have shewed you your folly and learned you the Wisdom which is from above till your own mouths be forced to acknowledge I have play'd the Fool I have wandred from my God and turned to mine one way and this my way is my folly and now through the help of the Lord I will return Wilt thou so wilt thou return and recover I will then add but this one word more When thou art recovered do thy best towards the recovery of thy brethren pitty thy fallen Friends and help them to arise jogg thy sleepy neighbours and call upon them to awaken who knowes what a small beginning may rise to in the end a few returned Persons may fetch in more and these more a few Souls raised from the dead may be the first Fruits of a more glorious resurrection the light and the life which is sprung up in thine Heart if it be well improved may enlighten and enliven many your zeal hath provoked very many 2 Cor. 9.2 O be solicitous first for thine own recovery and then be zealous for the recovery of more so shall there be after all our darkness an hopeful dawning towards a comfortable day so may we hope that our shining lights which now stand so thin as a Beacon on an Hill as a Cottage in a Vine-yard as a Lodge in a Garden of Cucumbers may grow so numerous that we may become a Land of Light and our Jerusalem may be made a praise in the Earth FINIS Books printed for and are to be sold by John Hancock at the Sign of the three Bibles in Popes Head Alley in Cornhil TWelve Books lately published by Mr. Tho. Brooks late Preacher of the Gospel at Margarets New Fish-street 1. Precious Remedies against Satans Devices or Salve for Believers and Vnbelievers Sores being a Companion for those that are in Christ or out of Christ 2. Heaven on Earth Or a serious Discourse touching a Well-grounded assurance of Mans Everlasting Happiness 3. The Vnsearchable Riches of Christ held forth in 22 Sermons 4. Apples of Gold for Young Men and Women Or the Happiness of being good betimes 5. A String of Pearls Or the best Things reserved till last 6. The Mute Christian under the Smarting Rod with Sovereign Antidotes against the most miserable Exigents 7. An Ark for all Gods Noahs in a Stormy Day 8. The Crown and Glory of Christianity in 48 Sermons on Heb. 12.14 9. The privy Key of Heaven Or a Discourse of Closet Prayer 10. An Heavenly Cordial for such as have had or escaped the Plague 11. A Cabinet of choice Jewels or a Box of precious Oyntment Containing special Maxims Rules and Directions in order to the clearing up of a Mans Interest in Corist and his Title to all the Glory of another World 12. Londons Lamentations The Godly Mans Ark in several Sermons To which is added Mrs. Moors Evidences for Heaven By Edmund Calamy B. D. at Aldermanbury Christs Communion with his Church Militant By Nicholas Lockyer Sin the Plague of Plagues By Ralph Venning A true Narrative of those two never to be forgotten Deliverances one from the Spanish Invasion in 88 the other from the Hellish Powder Plot Nov. 5. 1605. By Mr. Sam. Clark The Accurate Accountant or London Merchant Being Instructions for keeping Merchants Accounts By Tho. Brown Accomptant Short Writing the most Easie Exact Lineal and speedy Method that hath ever yet been obtained as thousands in this City and elsewhere can from their own experience testifie By Theophilus Metcalfe Also a Book called a Schoolmaster to it explaining all the Rules thereof A Word of Advice to Saints or a choice Drop of Honey from the Rock Christ A Copy Book of the Newest and most Vseful Hands with Directions for Spelling and Cyphering Bridges Remains Being eight choice Sermons By the late Reverend Mr. William Bridge of Yarmouth A Disswasive from Conformity to the World Also Gods Severity against Impenitent Sinners By Henry Stubbes Minister of the Gospel Vennings Remains being the substance of many Sermons By Mr. Ralph Venning prepared by himself for the Press a little before his Death The Poor Mans Family book By Richard Baxter Luthers 34 special and choice Sermons Comae Berenicis or the Hairy Comet being a Prognostick of Malignant Influences from the many Blazing Stars wandring in our Horizon Gospel Love Heart Purity and the Flourishing of the Righteous Being the last Sermons of that late Eminent Divine Mr. Joseph Caryl The Young Mans Guide to Blessedness or Seasonable Directions for Youth in their unconverted Estate By R. Matthew Minister of the Gospel Causa Dei or an Apology for God wherein the Perpetuity of Infernal Torments is evinced and his both Goodness and Justice defended Also the nature of Punishments in General and of Infernal ones in particular displayed by R. Burthogge The Legacy of a Dying Mother to her Mourning Children Being the Experiences of Mrs. Susanna Bell Published by Tho. Brooks King James his Counterblast to Tobacco To which is added a Learned Discourse touching Tobacco by Dr. Maynwaring wherein men may see whether Tobacco be good for them or no. Strength in Weakness Being a Sermon preached at the Funeral of Mrs. Martha Brooks late Wife to Mr. Thomas Brooks Minister of the Gospel To which is added some Experiences of the Grace and Dealings of God observed and gathered by a near Relation of the said Mrs. Brooks An Excellent Catechism by the late Reverend Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs A Discourse of Christs Coming and the Influence which the Expectation thereof hath on all manner of Holy Conversation and Godlin ss By Theophilus Gale The Shepherds Legacy or forty years experience of the Weather The Young Mans Conflict with and Victory over the Devil by Faith Or a true and perfect Relation of the Experiences of Tho. Powel begun in the fifteeenth and continued till the seventeenth year of his Age. Theological Treatises 1. Production of Mans Soul 2. Divine Predestination 3. The True Church Regiment 4. Predictions of Messias 5. Christs two Genealogies 6. The Revelation Revealed 7. Christs Millenary Reign 8. The Worlds Dissolution By Robert Velvain Christs certain and sudden Appearance to Judgement By Samuel Malbon A brief Descreption of New York and the Places thereto adjoyning with Directions and Advice to such as shall go thither By Dan. Denton A Cry for Labourers in Gods Harvest Being a Sermon preached at the Funeral of Mr. Ralph Venning By R. Bragge Minister of the Gospel Christian Directions shewing how to walk with God all the day long By Tho. Gouge The Young Mâ—ns Guide through the Wilderness of this World to the Heavenly Canaan By Tho. Gouge Conscience the best Friend upon Earth or the Happy Effects of keeping a Good Conscience By Henry Stubbes Patience and its Perfect Work under sudden and sore Trials Orthodox Paradoxes Theoretical and Experimental or a Believer clearing Truth by seeming Contradictions With an Appendix of the Triumph of Assurance over the Law Sin World Wants c. To which is added The New Command Renewed or Love one another With Ten Rules for the right understanding of Scripture By R. Venning A. M. An Awakening Call from the Eternal God to the Vnconverted with seasonable Advice to them that are under Convictions to prevent their miscarrying in Conversion By Samuel Corbyn A. M. The Triumph of Mercy in the Chariot of Praise A Treatise of preventing secret and unexpected Mercies with some mixt Reflections By S. Lee. FINIS