will have a Christ take him now before the evil days come Old Age is called evil days when you will not be so fit to seek him Now you are more fit to read the Scriptures than when your eyes are dim and you cannot see Now you are more fit to pray than when your knees are stiff and will not bend Prov. 6. 6 7 8 9. God sends thee to the Ant to get Wisdom The Ant Provides her meat in the Summer against Winter thy youth is thy Summer if thou wilt have a Christ get him now in thy youth Eccles 11. 9. Rejoyce O Young Man in thy Youth and let thine heart chear thee in the days of thy youth and walk in the sight of thine eyes and in the way of thine heart but know thou that for these things God will bring thee into Judgment God by this Ironical expression would turn young ones hearts from their sins to himself As if God had said Young Men if you think it your best way to go on in your sins and to walk in the ways of your own hearts go on but be it at your own peril for know ye that I will bring you to Judgment for all your ways and doings Consider how you shall be able to stand before me in judgment for these ways you now walk in and how you shall come off in that day There will be no standing for you without a Christ in that day Art thou a young one that readest these lines then remember that now is thy time to get a Christ but it may be Satan and thy Companions tell thee thou art young and needest not trouble thy self about these things yet but mayest follow thy pleasures and have time enough to get a Christ seven years hence mark what God says to this Prov. 27. 1. Boast not thy self of to morrow for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth If you will have a Christ take him to day make sure of him to day go and cry to God for him to night thou knowest not but thou mayest be in Hell before to morrow Remember the Man in the Gospel Luke 12. 19 20. who talked of many years but God said to him Thou Fool this Night shall thy Soul be required of thee Oh it is folly and madness to put off the getting of Christ 'till to morrow There is great danger in delaying 1. It is a certain danger You that are the youngest are every moment liable to the stroke of Death You may talk of living many years but what is your life but a Vapour that appeareth but for a little time and then vanisheth away James 4. 13 14. 2. Here may be sudden danger Job 21. 13. They spend their days in Wealth in Mirth and in a moment go down to the Grave Young ones consider this seriously what a dangerous thing it is to be Christless you may live in mirth and pleasure and have nothing trouble you but this doth not secure you from the grave Death comes of a sudden and knocks you down and you fall down in a moment not only into the Grave but if you be Christless into Hell-fire 1 Thes 5. 3. when they shall say Peace and safety sudden destruction cometh upon them as travel upon a Woman with Child and they shall not escape Mark this young one thou mayst flatter thy self saying thou shalt have peace and mercy but thou art never the better for flattering thy self for this will not help thee to escape nay thou art the worse for thou art in the greater danger For when is the time that destruction cometh The Text answers it and tells you the destruction cometh when they flatter themselves with false peace The Man in the Gospel promised himself many years but God brands him for a Fool for it This Night shall thy Soul be required of thee Who shall require his Soul the Devils they come and claim him because he is theirs not having an interest in Jesus Christ Take him Devils Devils take this Christless Soul away to Hell with it 3. It will be irrecoverable danger If thou art taken by Death out of Christ thy danger is irrecoverable thou enterest upon a state that is unchangeable that is if thou hast not got a Christ then there will be no getting him for ever there will be no change of your state for ever if then Christless you shall be for ever Christless therefore it is a dangerous thing to be found out of Christ Young one consider and lay it to heart Job 14. 14. if a Man dye shall he live again that is If things are amiss with him when he dyes shall he come into this World again to mend them If a Man dyes out of Christ shall he come again to get him No no therefore saith Job all my days I will wait prepare provide for my change by Death As the Tree falls so it lies as a Man's state is when Death comes so it finds and leaves him and as Death leaves him so Judgment finds him and so Sentence passeth upon him for ever Then the Sinner if it be not seared and past feeling will cry Lord give me a Christ mercy Lord I will have a Christ now let my sins go now Lord now I will be godly No now it is too late now the Lord proceeds to the Sentence if the Soul be in Christ happy is it then the Sentence is Come ye blessed enter into the Kingdom if the Soul be out of Christ then miserable for ever then the Sentence is Depart Cursed into Everlasting Fire with the Devil and his Angels Mat. 25. 41. Depart from me O this is dreadful though the Sinner doth not value God's presence now it will be for his presence then O Lord thy presence is the only happiness I had better never have been born than shut out of thy presence Lord if I must depart from thee bless me before I go No depart Cursed cursed Lord if I must depart let me go into some good place No depart Cursed into Everlasting Fire Lord then let me have some good Company No depart with the Devil and his Angels Devils and Damned Wretches shall be your Companions You were not for the Company of the Godly in the World but were for the Company of the Wicked therefore Devils and Damned ones shall be your Company in Hell then you will cry But Lord if I must go to such a miserable place and Company let it be but for a little time No depart Cursed into Everlasting Fire You were never weary of sinning therefore there shall never be end of your misery Oh this word will break the heart never never never You shall burn and be tormented burn and roar burn and howl ever ever ever There the Worm dyeth not there the Fire is not quenched Mark 9. 43 44. O therefore young ones look about you and labour to get a Christ while you may is not this good news that there is yet a
of Hannibal that when he could have taken Rome he would not but when he would he could not O therefore take him while you may God saith Gen. 6. 3. My Spirit shall not alway strive with Man it is wonderful Mercy it strives with you now O take heed of losing this striving time Christ tells us this shall be the Case of them and they shall seek him when it is too late John 8. 21. Ye shall seek me and shall die in your Sins Now you may seek and live Then you will seek and dye too Christ foretels by the Parable of the Foolish Virgins that some will come when the Door is shut Mat. 25. 8 10 11 12. Give us Oyl give us Christ but it was too late Reader art thou Old or Young if thou dost not get a Christ now this will be thy cry when it is too late Lord give me Christ Lord give me Mercy Lord now I will let my Sins go now I will be Godly No then it will be too late the Door is shut Mercy is gone Christ is gone his Bowels of Mercy are shut up for ever Take him Devils let him burn and roar cry and howl in Hell for ever O how this will torment the Soul to think that it had an opportunity and it is gone and gone for ever it shall never have offer of a Christ nor Mercy more for ever Vse 1. Terrour to Sinners that come not to Christ Soul is it thy great Concernment to come in to Christ whilst thou mayst and wilt thou not come Is Time going and Life going and Opportunity going and wilt thou not have Christ while thou mayst How inexcusable wilt thou be in the Day of God What is it that hinders thy coming I must tell thee that whatsoever it is that thou makest an hinderance it will not excuse thee 1. Is it Ignorance This is one thing that keeps Souls from Christ Isa 53. 2. They see no Beauty in him that they should desire him 1 Cor. 2. 8. But this will be no excuse God declares that he will not save them that know him not Nay he will damn them this will aggravate their Misery that there is a Christ but they neglect to know him Flaming Fire will be their Portion 2 Thess 1. 8 9. Children labour to know Jesus Christ 2. Doth spiritual sloth keep thee off from Jesus Christ This keeps off many If Christ were to be had with a wet Finger with a good wish with a Lord have Mercy upon him or a cold Prayer now and then many would have him But Christ tells us that the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force Mat. 11. 12. There must be crying and crying mightily striving running wrestling Luke 13. 24. And Christ gives this Reason why few have him Because strait is the Gate and narrow the way Mat. 7. 14. But this will not excuse but aggravate their Condition because they take great pains for other things for things of no worth for the Soul If men took half the Pains for a Christ as they do for the World they might have him But how will this torment in Hell that they took more Pains to damn than to save themselves 3. Love of Sin and the World keeps many Souls from Christ Christ offers himself but Men go to their Farms Merchandise and make Light of him Mat. 22. 5. They are so busie about Plowing and Sowing and buying and selling that they have no leisure to attend to the seeking of a Christ If God and the World might dwell together if Sin and Christ might part Stakes then Christ would have many followers But Christ tells us That he that Loves House or Land Father or Mother Wife or Children or his own Life more than him cannot be his Disciple Luke 14. 26 27 33. Ah Souls take heed that none of these things keep you off from Jesus Christ for how will this torment in Hell to think that you lost Christ and Heaven for the World that cannot at last countervail Mat. 16. 26. Nor procure a drop of Water to cool your Tongue Luke 16. 22 23 24 25. 4. Carnal Mirth and Pleasure keep many off from Christ They think if they come in to Christ they must bid farewel to their merry Company and jovial Ways and this they do not like of But this is but a foolish Plea for Christ doth not hinder a Man of any pleasures that are good for him and if he deprives thee of sinful Pleasures he will give thee spiritual Pleasures Soul Pleasures which will be infinitely better here you shall find his ways to be ways of pleasantness and paths of Peace Prov. 3. 17. Rom. 15. 13. Joy and Peace in believing Yea Joy unspeakable and full of Glory 1 Pet. 1. 8. And besides all this Everlasting Pleasures hereafter Psalm 16. 11. Who then would not have a Christ You young Ones who are for Pleasures come in to Christ come O come other Pleasures are not worth having See what Solomon the wisest saith of them Eccles 7. 2 6. Why wilt thou set thine eyes on that which is not It is not that which it seems to be it is but madness I said of laughter thou art mad and of mirth what doth it What doth it I will tell you what it doth It doth infatuate it doth bewitch it doth delude Souls it decoys them into the net of woe and misery It is as the crackling of thorns under a Pot it makes a great sound for a moment and then ends in Eternal sorrow Isa 50. 11. Amos. 8. 10. Luke 6. 25. Woe to you that laugh now for ye shall mourn and weep 5. Security and false peace keeps many from Christ Reader doth not this keep thee Thou dost not come to Christ because thou art secure in thy sins thou dost not see thy need of him or else thou wouldest cry after him and have no rest night nor day thou art like Laodicea thou thinkest thy self rich and standest in need of nothing when thou art poor blind miserable wretched Rev. 3. 17. thou seest no need of Christ though thou hast infinite need of him and the more peace thou hast the greater danger thou art in 1 Thes 5. 3. When they cry peace and safety then sudden destruction comes upon them and they shall not escape Mark Reader then is thy danger when thou cryest Peace peace then is the time that destruction cometh As it is with a Man that hath the Falling Sickness he talks and walks and is very merry and jovial as if nothing ail'd him of a sudden he falls down upon the ground foams and raves and beats himself and is a miserable Spectacle to all beholders Just thus it is with secure Sinners Reader take heed it be not thy case they eat and drink and sleep quietly talk merrily and walk about jocundly plow and sow buy and sell are very busie about the World of a sudden Death comes and strikes them
Christ to be had What would the Damned give to hear such news as this what would they give They would give ten thousand Worlds if they had them for one offer of Christ O what a prize hast thou put into thy Hands Christ offers himself to thee in the ministry of his Word He calls thee by his Gospel He beseeches thee to come to him 2 Cor. 5. 20. He promises graciously to receive thee Stands with open Arms ready to embrace thee if thou wilt come John 6. 37. He waits for thy coming Isa 30 18. Christ expects your coming now complains of your not coming Rom. 10. 21. Mat. 23. 37. Nay Christ mourns and grieves when you come not Luke 19. 41 42. Young one Christ looks for thy coming at this call Wilt thou disappoint him Wilt thou put him to grief You will not grieve a dear Friend And will you grieve such a Friend as Christ is who would save you from Hell It is more then all the dearest and best Friends you have in the World can do for you and will you grieve him Remember this will grieve you at last and torment you too When God himself shall come and plead against you as Psalm 81. 10 11. I would have saved you but ye would not Think Soul how this will torment thee O! Christ would have saved me but I would not be saved Christ would have pitied me but I would not pity my self I would have my Will tho' I have woe I would not be saved I would be damned O that I had never been born O that I had been a Dog a Toad any thing in the World rather then a Man or Woman Ah Soul away to Christ never bring such torment upon thy self by refusing Jesus Christ If thou go Christless after all this take notice of these five Aggravations more that will attend thy Misery 1. The offers of Christ will exceedingly aggravate thy Misery This will torment thee to consider Christ offered himself to me and I would not have him Christ called after me and I mad wretch would not I would none of his Counsels I would not chuse the fear of the Lord Prov. 1. 20 to 30. Christ knock'd at my Door and I would not open to him Rev. 3. 20. Oh horrour horrour horrour 2. The Promises and threatnings of the Gospel will lie against you Christ in the Gospel promises Salvation to you if you will come to him threatens Damnation upon your not coming John 3. 16 18 19. Mark 16. 16. Now this will torment thee that none of these would prevail with thee 3. The incoms of other young Ones will lie against thee Other young Ones of your Brothers Sisters or play fellows have heard and obeyed the voice of Christ and come in to him and you stood it out in the hardness of your Hearts They have left their Pleasures and Vanities and have given up themselves to Christ's Holy Ways they endured the Mocks and Scoffs and Reproaches of the World but you would not and therefore must be the laughing-stock of Devils for ever O how will this torment you to think such such ones came in to Christ such young Ones are got into Heaven and I am shut out I am tormented in these flames Mat. 25. 8. Luk. 16. 22 23 24 25. 4. The Blood of Christ will lie against you O tremble to think of it It will be a dreadful thing for the Blood of Christ to cry against thee This hath a loud Cry God told Cain Gen. 4. 10. The Voice of thy Brother's Blood cryeth to me If the Blood of Abel cried so loud against Cain that he cried out hideously My punishment is greater than I can bear how terrible will be the cry of the Blood of Christ against thee If thou comest not into Christ thou art a Murderer of him When Peter told his Hearers of it They were pricked at the Heart Acts 2. 36 37. Oh Soul old or young may this prick thy Heart now and drive thee to Christ This will be thy Eternal Mercy But if it doth not it will be thy Eternal Misery If thou refusest Jesus Christ thou art not only a Murderer of him a Crucifier of Christ again as if it were not enough that he was crucified once but that he must be crucified again by you Heb. 6. 6. But thou art a trampler upon the Blood of Christ Heb. 10. 28 29. If Christ should come in Person visibly to you and should tell you you are a Sinner and must perish for ever if you have not a Remedy and there is none in Heaven or Earth can help you besides my self But alas poor Soul I pity thee my Bowels yern towards thee O come unto me here is my Blood my Love my Benefits Heaven and Glory all thine And now thou shouldest instead of admiring his Grace Love and closing with him take him and Spit in his Face Buffet him Trample upon him Now Soul Young or Old this is the very Case Christ in his infinite Pity offers Himself his Blood his Love to thee a poor sinking perishing Sinner and if thou refusest him this is the very Sence the very Judgment that God himself makes of thy refusal and he hath set it down in this Text upon Record thou tramplest under foot the Blood of the Son of God Mark farther what will be thy Punishment for this Sin He that sinned against Moses's Law died without Mercy how much sorer Punishment shall he have that hath troden under foot the Blood of Christ You shall have a sorer Punishment then he that hath sinned against Moses's Law He died without Mercy yet you shall have a sorer Judgment What will that be Enough one should think to fright the Sinner out of his Sins to Christ It is certain it will be woful but Mark farther still what follows Heb. 10. 30. Vengeance belongeth to me I will recompence saith the Lord. O tremble at this Sin of refusing Christ It cries Vengeance Vengeance Vengeance against the Christless Soul The Unbeliever tramples upon the Blood of Christ and Vengeance shall fall upon him that tramples on it Ah Soul away to Christ never let the Blood of Christ cry against thee 5. The Ministers of Christ will come against you if you be found out of Christ God hath made his Ministers Ambassadours for to beseech Sinners to come in to Christ and they must return an Answer of their Embassage to their Lord and Master and if you come nor in they must come and bear witness against you that they delivered their Message 2 Cor. 5. 19 20. Therefore what will you say for your self in that Day You cannot say Christ was not offered to you No you will be speechless when the Lord asks the Question How camest thou without a Wedding Garment How come you to be without the Righteousness of my Son was it not offered you Then I must come and witness against you Yea Lord I offered him to this Sinner this young
Sinner this old Sinner God hath made us Watchmen to give you warning of the danger of your Souls without a Christ and if we give you not warning God will require your Blood at our Hands but if we give you warning and you come not your Blood will lye upon your own Heads and we have delivered our Souls Ezek. 33. 4 to 9. As Abraham's Servant said to him when he sent him to get a Wife for his Son Isaac but if the Woman will not come Then saith he thou shalt be free from thine Oath So here God swears us Ministers to preach his Gospel to offer his Son Jesus to be Married to poor Sinners and we endeavour to woe for Christ to get a Wife for our Master's Son and would fain have you come and match with our Lord Jesus but if you will not we are free from our Oath and your Blood will lye upon your own Heads Now Soul let me plead with thee and not only plead but prevail with thee Here is a rich Match a glorious Match all the World Heaven and Earth cannot afford such another Match and wilt thou refuse him As Abraham's Servant offered all his Master's Riches my Master hath great Riches Flocks and Herds Camels and Asses Silver and Gold and all for his Son Isaac So I say to thee my Lord and Master hath great Riches unsearchable Riches both Worlds are his and all entailed upon his Son Jesus come Soul and Match with him and All shall be thine Doth not all this win thy Heart Oh! what a grief will this be to us Ministers that are willing to spend and be spent for you could willingly beg upon our Knees to perswade you yea even lay down our Hearts Blood to gain you rather than to come at last to witness against you Ah! Sweet Soul consider these things seriously let not these Aggravations lye upon thee Come and give up thy self to Christ for ever Objection Some Soul may Object and say Oh but I am too great a Sinner I am afraid I may not come to Christ Answer Thy Sins are not greater then Christ is a Saviour Though thy Sins are great his Merits are greater Though thy Sins are many his Mercies are more Though thy Sins abound his Grace superabounds Isa 1. 18. God saith Come and though your Sins are as Scarlet they shall be as white as Snow If they are never so many and never so great if you are willing to part with them Come saith Christ I will multiply to pardon Isa 55. 7. What if thy Sins are never so great if his Mercies are greater If thy Sins are never so many if his Mercies are more all this cannot hinder thee of Christ if thou wilt come O therefore come and thy Sins shall not hinder thy acceptance Though thy Sins have weakned the Law and made that unable to save thee yet they have not weakened Christ Rom. 8. 3 4. Christ is able to save to the uttermost Heb. 7. 25 26. If thou seest more Sins still and still more and more yet he is able to save to the uttermost Christ is able to the uttermost of your Sins and to the uttermost of your Doubts and Fears Neither Quality nor Quantity of your Sins can pose Christ There is not so much evil in all thy Sins as there is fulness in Jesus Christ Mark 9. 23. If thou canst believe the Pardon of all thy Sins is possible Christ can drown Mountains as well as Mole-hills Object You may Object and say but I am afraid Christ is not willing to save me Answer Christ is as willing as able to save thee Mat. 8. 2 3. A Leper comes to Christ Lord if thou wilt thou canst make me clean Christ Answers at next Word I will be thou clean As if Christ had said Do you Question my willingness I would have you know that I am as willing as able And immediately he was cleansed Object But you will say I am unworthy Christ should look upon me Answer 1. A worthiness of your own is not expected nor required Nor will you be rejected for want of a worthiness of your own God never said to any If you be so and so worthy come to me but Come and believe in Christ for worthiness You are to come to Christ for worthiness And when you are come to Christ all his worthiness is yours Jer. 3. 7 12 13. I said after all these turn unto me As if the Lord had said come unto me art thou never such a Sinner and art never so unworthy Only acknowledge thy unworthiness and be willing to be beholding to me for worthiness and I will marry thee And then if thou wert never so unworthy in thy self thou art worthy in Christ And wert thou never so Poor in thy self thou wilt be Rich in Christ And wert thou never so vile in thy self thou wilt be righteous in Christ For he hath a worthiness on purpose to make thee worthy He hath a Righteousness on purpose to make thee Righteous 2 Cor. 5. 21. O then thou must needs be worthy for then thou wilt have the Righteousness of God Rom. 3. 25 26. Christ hath the Righteousness of God on purpose to give to Poor Sinners that go to him And when thou believest on him thou hast his Righteousness and God cannot be just if he doth not justifie thee 2. If you pretend to a worthiness of your own it is rejected Hosea 14. 4. God saith I will heal your backslidings and Love you freely If God will Love freely what can hinder What can hinder Free-Grace Isa 43. 25. I will blot out your Iniquities for my Name's-sake God gives Christ and his Righteousness for his Name 's sake for his Free-Grace sake Rom. 11. 6. It is of Grace not of Works it is of Grace not of Worthiness of yours 3. An humble Sence of your unworthiness is accepted Jer. 14. 7. Christ accepts for his Name's-sake Luke 15. 18 19 20. The Prodigal had spent all his Stock had no Righteousness comes ragged and torn but it was in his Heart to come home to his Father his Father sees him afar off runs to meet him he was so eager to shew Mercy he could not stay till he came he runs to meet him falls on his Neck and kisses him Christ gives us this Parable to shew his readiness to shew Mercy to Poor Sinners upon their coming to him O what a Father is here Eyes full of Mercy he sees him afar off Legs full of Mercy he runs to meet him Arms full of Mercy he embraces him Lips full of Mercy he Kisses him An Heart full of Mercy he calls for the Robe and Ring and Fatted Calf He doth not think the best Robe nor the best Dainties too good for him Thus will the Lord Jesus do for thee if thou wilt go to him He will not think the best Robe nor Entertainment too good for thee Thou shalt have his righteousness blood love and then thou wilt