doubtless he will not be wanting in what 's absolutely necessary Psal 23. 1 2 3. The Lord is my Shâ—pheard I shall not want and so on throughout the Psalm Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the dayes of my life and I shall dwell in the House of the Lord for ever Here we have the Psalmists conclusion and it's foundation or his confidence and it's ground his foundation or ground is the Lord is my Shepheard his conclusion and confidence is I shall not want that is neither for Body nor Soul as appears by the following part of the Psalm If Davids Logick and his Faith too does not fail him the conclusion is firm let the Lord be his Shepheard and he shall not know Famine or want Gods relation to his people is their security for a sufficient provision in all times If the Lord be their Shepheard he must see them fed he must either find them those that shall or do it himself He must either find them Pastors or be their Pastor He must either provide them or be their Pasture If ordinary means fail he must find extraordinary if both fail he must be instead of means to them Here two things 1. That God stands engaged as the Shepheard of his people where ordinary means fail either to provide them extraordinary or to feed them more immediately from himself 2. That extraordinary means or no means when God brings his People to it will be better than their ordinary means 1. That God stands engaged as the Shepheard of his People where ordinary means fail either to provide them extraordinary or to feed them more immediately from himself Feed them he must or he cannot be faithful and if means fail he must supply that want one way or other Now God is faithful and will not see his Sheep to starve Isa 41. 17 18. When the poor and needy seek water and there is none and their Tongue faileth for thirst I the Lord will hear them I the God of Israel will not forsake them I will open Rivers in high places and Fountains in the midst of the Vallies I will make the Wilderness a Poor of Water and the dry Land Springs of Water Oh what a good World is here for the poor Saints to live upon in hard times It is interpreted to have an immediate reference to the outward and yet a special respect also to the spiritual wants and distresses And it will appear if we compare it with the like expressions Chap. 44. 3. I will poure water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground I will poure my Spirit on thy Seed and my Blessing upon thine off-spring From the former Scriptures note 1. That the poor People of God may sometimes be as to the visible Soul-provisions but in a poor case Needy and hungry and thirsty their hearts fainting their tongues failing for thirst and their waters dryed up If they seek water and there be none 2. All the wants and straits of the Saints are before the Lord. I the Lord will hear Christians though those that should will not yet he that can will hear the cryes of your Souls all your faintings and pantings and longings for the water of life are before your eâ—es and come up into the eares of the Loâ—d of Sabbath 3. God hath more wayes than one to relieve the wants and refresh the bowels of his hungry ones He hath extraordinary means for extraordinaâ—y caâ—es If they can find no common Rivers he will open or make new Rivers 〈◊〉 high places the dry places the very Rock wilâ— yield a River when God commands it 4. Gods extraordinary Provisions shall not be scantâ— and penurious but rich and plentifull 'T is not some drops or now and then a draught a little to stay the longing or barely enough to keep them alive he prepares them Rivers Fountains Pools Springs of water I will open Rivers in the high places Fountains in the Vallies c. Whereever they be cast in the high places in the Vallies in the Wilderness in the dry Lands whereever they be cast I will cause Provision enough to meet them though they have neither Bag nor Bottle nor any thing to carry with them they shall not want the River shall meet them Springs shall arise and break forth to them 5. They are not the wanting but the thirsting the seeking Souls whom God will supply When the poor and needy seek water and there is none Oh Christians how many poor are there that sit down by their poverty who if they starve yet will not beg their emptiness hath taken away their Appetites These are sad Souls 't is a sad sight to behold a company of hunger-bitten Souls sit weeping and sighing seeking after the Bread and Water of life and finding none but to see empty and yet not hungry fainting and yet not panting Souls to see Souls even dying away for want and yet not desiring or craving a supply this is a much soreâ— spectacle A starveling thirstless Soul is next to a Ghost Well if ever such Souls find who never seek water 't is more than God hath promised them 'T is they that seek water to whom God will open a River 6. What ever difficulty there be to furnish the hungry Sainâ—s with a sufficiency of Provision yet one way or other it shall be done I the Lord will hear I the God of Israel will not forsaken them Upon me be all their wants I am God and can I am their God the God of Israel and will provide for them They must and shall be provided for whatever course I be put to take I must not see them starve The Lord will not be wanting to them if his Word be not heard his Works shall speak if Preachers cannot Providence shall preach to them if their fâ—iends cannot their enemies their stripes their wounds their rods shall instruct them Thy Rod and thy Staffe comfort me If they have no other the Sun Moon and Stars the Fouls of the Air the Beasts of the Field shall be their Prophets and Apostles If all should fail yet the Spirit of the Lord shall not fail to be their Teacher and Comforter 2. Extraordinary means have more in them than ordinary and no means more than means 1. Extraordinary meâ—ns when ordinary cannot be had are sweeter and better feeding for the Saints then ordinary would be The lâ—ss of the Creature the more of God the less of common Providence the more of special Grace Water out of the Rock was more pretious than out of the River the Manna of the Wilderness was to them that understood it better than the Milk of Canaan Elijah never made better meals than what he got out of the Ravens mouth I have heard of Woman in great distress of Soul who received comfort when the Word was brought her by the mouth of a child which she had failed of receiving from the mouths of many excellent Ministers 2. No
been in the heart and hath proceeded out of the mouth of thy God that loves thee There is not a Messenger of Sathan that comes to buffet thee but is also a Messenger from-God that comes to thee for good They very thorns in thy flesh shall serve thee for Playsters thine eye-sores shall be thine eye-salve and thy very maladies thy Medicines 2. That this relative goodness of all the works of Providence is the reason of their being Therefore God doth what he doth that hereby he may do what he hath said and intended I do not say that the reason of Gods taking this or that meâ—ns is alwayes from any thing in it self or for its natural tendency to such an end above any thing else God hath his choice of means he can chuse here or there at pleasure can make use of what he will to serve his design but the reason why things are is this God in his Wisdom saw their ordinability to this good end and thereupon in his Providence he orders and brings them to passe So that now what ever befalls a Christian he hath this to allay and take off the grievousness and sharpness of it This had never been but for the good will and good word of the Lord to me The Lord God hath said he will bless me and do me good he will heal me and sanctifie and save me and now he is about it by this he is working that Salvation for me Christians you have no reason to say If the Lord be with me why am I thus why so poor why so pained why so persecuted so scorned and trampled upon sure if the Lord had meant my good it would have been better then 't is with me No no 't is because the Lord is with thee and means thee well that he deals in this manner with thee The Design of his Providence towards thee is the accomplishment of his Promise 3. The Providence of God shall never fail of accomplishing its end There is nothing wanting that might give us the fullest assurance hereof For 1. The Providence of God hath power with it He is the Almighty that hath promised he that ruleth in the Earth dwelleth in the Heaven and doth whatsoever he will Our God is in Heaven and doth whatsoever he will I will work and who shall let it Is 43. Who can stay his hand or say unto him What doest thou were it not for our unbelief our case would be still the same in greatest difficulties as when the Coasts are most clear We might say of difficulties as the Psalmist of darkness there is no darkness with thee to the the day and night are both alike Difficulties are no difficulties with thee nor is there difference betwixt hard and easie He can save with many or with few and with none is as well as with some We once read he had too many but never that he had too few to bring about his work Oh how do we disparage the power of God when our difficulties make us doubt Is he God and nor man Is he spirit and not flesh Wherefore then dost thou doubt Whatever God hath said he can do Believe he is a God and thou wilt never say How can these things be 2. The Providence of God hath Wisdom with it he is the onely wise he is the all wise God He knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations 2 Pet. 2. 9. He knoweth what is good for his Saints and when 't will be in season he understandeth what is proper and pertinent to every case What 's proper to every purpose to every people to every person and for every season he knowes when 't is a season to abate and when to exalt when to afflict and when to deliver when to put on the yoak and when to take off the yoak When to pull down and when to build up every thing is beautiful in its season If mercies come out of season mercies would be no mercies and if troubles come in their season troubles should be no troubles He knowes the best method and means to his end the finest means he sees sometimes the unfittest to be the fittest the most unlikely unpromising means do often best serve Gods end Christians if you would receive every dispensation as coming from the hands of the wise God you would never quarrel with your lot nor say of any thing that befalls I might be happy but this stands in my way If you would give God leave to be wiser than you you would say where ever you are its good for me to be here this is my way to my rest 3. The Providence of God hath faithfulness with it Psâ—l 25. 10. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth to them that keep his Covenant and his Testimonies Psal 111. 8. His Works are done in truth Gods Works may be said to be done in truth in a double sence In Reality In Fidelity 1. In Reality not in specie or in shew onely but indeed Gods Comforts are Comforts indeed Gods Salvation is Salvation indeed The Devil will come with his gifts with his comforts and deliverâ—nces but they are for the most part but spectra like himself shews and apparitions quite another thing than what they seem to be sinners comforts deliverances enjoyments wherewith the Devil feeds them do leave them in as poor a case and worse than they found them you will never thank the Devil for his kindness when you have prov'd them what they are If you do not find your selves as fast bound in the midst of all your liberties if you be not warp'd up in as many sorrows after all the joys he hath procured to you if the glittering glories the gloring pleasures he entices you by and entertains you with prove not trash and dirt and meer lies in the end then say the Devil hath forgotten his trade of lying the Devils works will be even like himself false and deceitful But God is true and all his works are done in truth 2. In Fidelity his Work are according to his Word 1 King 8. 24. Thou hast spoken with thy mouth and hast fulfilled with thinâ— hand in thy faithfulness thou hast afflicted me Psal 119. Not onely in thy faithfulness thou hast saved me in thy faithfulness thou hast comforted me in thy faithfulness thou hast succoured me but in thy faithfulness thou hast afflicted me in thy faithfulness thou hast humbled and broken me and cast me down The promise of God is that we shall want nothing we shall neither want his Staffe nor his Rod neither comforts nor crosses neither joys nor sorrows we cannot well want either and we shall want neither because God is faithful You may not onely write down with the Apostle God is faithfull and will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able to bear but you may write also God is faithful and will not suffer you to want a temptation When 't is seasonable
Hearers and if you will needs have it so then let it be forborn Secondly Hath the Devil yet given over Preaching and are the Preachers yet silent Hath the Devil yet given over his Preaching his deceiving Souls his perverting the good ways of the Lord and discouâ—aging persons from walking in them Sure there 's need that Christ be preached while there is a Devil that impeaches him Hath the Devil them that preach him every day and must not Christ have them that preach him at least every Sabbath-day may once a moneth or once a quarter be enough for these when every day and all the day-long doeâ— scarce suffice for those When or where are evill men silent Are they not preaching daily in the House in the Streets in the Taverns on the Stage iâ— the Stews Preaching by their Oaths their Curses by their Lâ—es by their Scoffâ— by their Habits bâ— theiâ— Cups by their Wâ—ores and almost by all their words and workâ— And is there no need that Christ be any longer preached any where when the Devil is preached every where If in such a case the Preachers of Christ should altogether hold their peace might we not expect that the very stones would cry out This is but a seasonable Demand Let Faith and Holiness first have none found that preach against them before those that preach them be concluded such as may well be spared But what need we reason any longer in a case so plain wherein I can have no Adversaries but such as the Apostle had when he fought with Beasts at Ephesus Whosoever is an Adversary to Preaâ—hing is either an Infidel or a Brute I shall onely leave one word for such to â—hew upon and so leave them and their cause to the Judgment of God Act. 13. 46. It was necessary that the Word of God should have been first spoken to you but because you put it from you and judge your selves unworthy of everlasting Life Lo we turn unto the Gentiles Let all back-friends to Preaching pause sâ—dly upon that Word you have prevented the Judgment of God by putting the Word from you you have given your selves your own Sentence you have judged your selves unworthy of Everlasting Life Well by what hath been said notwithstanding all that can be said against it it appears that the removal of the Gospel and the preaching of it is a grievous Judgment 2. This grievous Judgment shall yet work to the good of Saints That which comes in Wrath on some may be in Mercy to others 'T is the ignorant the unconverted the unbelieving part of men on whom the Vengeance of this Judgment falls 'T is those that are weary of the Word that can worse it Sinners you that say to the Seers see not to the Prophets prophecie no more to us let us alone we have enough of this preaching if God once say as you say Let it be according to their word 't is your Souls are like to go for it And 't is not the least aggravation of the Sorrows of the Saints the misery they see hereby coming on you As for themselves that I may answer more distinctly 1. The Gospel shall never be totally removed from them they shall never see days of Famine If they never again hear the joyful Sound from without they shall have it within The Word which they have receiv'd shall be in them a Well of Water springing up unto Eternal Life If the Showers and the Rain fail yet the Spring which is within them shall supply that want If they have no Bible in the House no preaching in the Pulpit yet they have 〈◊〉 Bible in their Hearts a Preacher in their Breasts thâ—â— shall instruct and comfort them Pharaoh's Dream and the Interpretation of it shall be to the Egyptians and not to Israel The lean Kine shall not devour the fat ones there is a Store-house from whence they shall be supply'd Whatever scarcity there be this is certain not one of them shall want a Viaticum to bring them to theâ— Journeys end God will not suffer one of his Eleâ—â— to starve or perish in the way There shall not faâ— means of one kind or another till the whole Bodâ—â—e perfected and built up Till we all come unto pâ—rfect Man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ 2. That Scarcity that does at any time befal theâ— shall happen to them for the better and not for thâ— worse 1. For who knows when ever the Ministry is removed but it may be in ordeâ— to a greater Glory it 's Return Perhaps God's sending away Pastoâ— from a People may be as Paul's absence from the Romans that they may return in the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel Or as Onesimus his departing from Philemon Perhaps they therefore depart for a season that they may be received for ever Or if this should not be the case of any particular Church if they should return no more yet 2. Their want of means shall supply their want of means their want of means shall be their means When they have no Preacher their empty Pulpits shall preach to them this most smarting of Rods will have its voice If they have no longer the Light with them their Darkness shall instruct them if they want their burning Lights the very Cold shall preserve and increase their inward vigour the wickedness of others shall make them more holy the violence of evil men upon sin shall enkindle their zeal for God the darkness that 's here below shall make them to live more above and all this shall make to their fuller Reward 'T is a greater Verâ—ue to keep up the Heart to keep on our way where there is a want than where there are abundance of means and helps and an higher Vertue shall have a greater Reward 3. The failing of the Word will bring back to their Memories and upon their own Hearts that which they have receiv'd and as the emptiness of the Stomach will cause a second and better Concoction and turn it into better nourishment when there are no more Loaves they 'l gather up the Fragments that nothing be lost the less there is more to be hâ—d the more reckoning and the better use they will make of what they hâ—ve their present want will be a rebuke of their former wantonness their want of Remembrancers will help their Mercies and whet their Appetites Every old truth that hath been too much laid by will then be pretious 4. Whenever ordinary means fail God will either find extraordinary means fail God will either find extraordinary or else will feed them more immâ—diately from himself Psal 34. 9. God hath promised that those that fear the Lord shall want no good thing If that be meant of temporal good things yet sure it will yield us an Argument that will reach the present case If God will provide for their Carkases much more for their Souls If God will supply them with less necessaries then
means often prove better than means when I say no means I do not understand simply none means they shall have of one kind or other their understandings their memories their secret duties Prayer Meditation c. but by no means I understand nothing from without no Ordinances Friends Societies Books c. Gods feeding of a Soul more immediately is much sweeter then when he sends Provision by the hand of another the Samaritans hearing Christâ— Words from his own mouth was much more to them than the same words reported by the Woman Dulcius ex ipso fonte Water is the purer the nearer the Fountain the Bread that comes down from Heaven is better Bread than that which grows up out of the Earth though that be originally from Heaven also By how much the more immediately our comforts come from Heâ—ven by so much the more they have of Heaven in them If upon the failing of publick Communion it be made up so much the more in secret sure the Saints have no reason to complain And whether this be not so let the Prisons into which the Saints have been sometimes cast the Wilderness into which they have been sometimes banished let Elihu's Songs in the night Peters Pauls Silaghs Songs in the Prison in the Stocks stand forth and testifie If Prison joyes and exile comforts have not been often both fuller and sweeter to them than when they have rolled in Manna and lived in the fulness and freedom of all helps and means then not a few Christians have either mistaken or mis-reported their experiences To pretend to live above Ordinances whilest God affords them is a wickedness that some men have to repent of but where God denies them he doth he will provide a better subsistence without them Now lay all this together and then you will see that even this also this most grievous of Judgments the famine of the Word when ever it befalls shall work for good to those that love God Christians chear up your hearts whatever drought or dearth may fall upon the World you are provided for you shall have enough If the shoures fail without you have within you that which shall spring up to eternall life If your streams should be dryed up if your Pastures should be trodden down you have a God that will be both your Pastor and Pasture If the Riveâ— fail you the Rock shall supply you what you want in ordinary you may look to be made up in extraordinary means The drying up of the waters shall but drive you up to the Spring-head If ever the Stars fail you God shall but exchange Star-light for Sun-light while there 's light in the Sun you shall not walk in darkness See but to this make sure that this God is yours and he must find out a comfortable feeding for you if you can but say Davids first words after him the Lord is my Shepherd you may then with confidence say the whole Psalm after him I shall not want he will make me to lie down in green Pastures he will lead me by the still Waters though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evill thy Rod and thy Staff shall comfort me Thou shalt prepare me a Table in the presence of mine Enemies Surely Goodness and Mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the House of the Lord for ever 2. There is another Objection that seems to have â—ore difficulty in it Suppose a Saint to fall into Distraction and thereby to be deprived utterly of the use of his Reason and so to live and die How can it be imagined that this can work for his good either in this World or the World to come Can any good arise out of an incapacity of any longer doing or receiving good or patiently suffering Evil Can either his Grace here or his Glory hereafter be increased or advanced by a man's being converted into a mere Bruit 1. There 's no doubt at all but this may make for the Churches good Is there nothing that others may learn out of such a sad Providence If others may reap good by my evil is it nothing to me May it not be said to be good for any particular Saint to bear the sorest Affliction by which the Church may have benefit He hath not much of a Saint to whom if it were afore-hand proposed whether for the benefit of the Church he would be content if God see it good to fall into such a calamity He hath little of a Saint that would deliberately refuse it Doubtless a sincere Christian who would count his usefulness to the good of the whole Body to be his good would say even concerning such a Message were it brought to him Good is the Word of the Lord And that which afore-hand he would judge to be good for him to submit to may it not be good for him to be under 2. It may also be more directly for his particular personal good For 1. It may do him the same good which Death will do for him Concerning which the Apostle says it is yours 1 Cor. 3. that is it is for your advantage It may take him from the evil to come from those Sorrows and that Trouble of Heart which God might fore-see falling upon him by any calamities coming either on the Church in general or himself or Family in particular which being deprived of his Reason and power to reflect on he cannot feel or in the least be afflicted by If you Reply But the Remedy is worse than the Disease To be useless and unserviceable is less eligible than to be sorrowful and afflicted Will any man chuse to fall into a Lethargie or Apoplexie because 't will secure him from the Torment of a Feaver If there be any weight in this Reply I shall adde a farther Answer which if I misjudge not will cut off all Râ—plyes 2. Who knows what Sins and Temptations he might have fallen into and fallen by had not the Lord by this means prevented it he might possibly have been a Back-slider have fallen into gross sin by which he might have been a Terrour to himself and a Scandal to the Gospel and is it not good for him that this is prevented Is not that Affliction 〈◊〉 Mercy which secures from such Iniquity Who can say it is not thus that the Lord foresaw he would have fallen into sin and for prevention brought him into this Affliction Who can say it is not thus If none can then this is no Objection If you Reply you say it may be this is the case and I may as well say it may be not there might be no such thing that God fore-saw as the Reason of this Providence 'T is but a Conjecture and an Uncertainty when you have made the most of it Be it so yet it will fully answer my end I am not now proving that all things work for good to the Saints that 's
or a quickning Word let them have or lift up a prayer and drop down a blessing upon them Something or oâ—her of the Dew of Heaven let them feel flowing from our Lips Let your Lips drop as the Honey Comb and your Hands drop sweet smelling Myrrhe Let your Holy Practices your Holy Examples second and set on your wholesom Counsels and Instructions Let your words be savoury and your works be gracious Let Lip and Life speak the same things and lead on the same way Christians By your nursing up the Souls and Fruits of others you will ripen and increase your own If you should look on all the Fruit as little which your selves have brought forth to God you will have this to comfort you That you have born more upon your Brethren's knees The Fruits of those Fields which you have planted or water'd will abound to your account Bring forth much Fruit unto God and be much in immediate converse with God Phil. 3. 20. Our Conversation is in Heaven Be more elevated and raised in your Spirits daily above Things Sensual and Carnal Above Carnal Delights Above Carnal Discouragements 1. Above Carnal Delights Live more purely in the Spirit let your Hearts be wrought up to such a Spiritual Frame That all the Joys Pleasures and Comforts of your Lives may be Spiritual Let the Lord be all your delight Psal 37. 5. Let it be with you as much as may be as it is with the Saints already in Glory to whom God is all who being changed into his Image and dwelling in his presence are satisfied in him Let God alone be as much to you as God and all the World Let the Fashions and Pleasures and Delights of this World be so much beneath your Spirits that it may neither be an abatement of your Joy to want nor an Addition to your Content to possess them Let the Light of all these lower Sparks be swallow'd up in God when the Sun shines all the Stars disappear and are not needed Lift up thine Eyes Christian and see what pleasures there are within the Veil Come drink thy fill of this new Wine let thy Faith draw the Curtains of Eternity and take a view of those heights depths â—nd lengths and breadths of that Glory and Joy which there it may discover Look on him that sits on the Throne and those everlasting Treasures of Light Holiness Goodness and Mercy which are â—treaming from his Face on those overflowing Bowels of Kindness and Compassion on those Rivers of pure and Eteâ—nal Pleasures Rest and Peace that rise from that Glorious Throne and run through the City of God Behold the Tree of Life and feed thy Soul on its pretious Fruit whose very Leaves are for the healing of Nations Hearken to and fill thine Ears and Heart with those Triumphs and Exultations those Reptures and Extasies of unspeakable and glorious Joys those Blessings and Praisings those Hallelujahs that are tuned upon the Hearts and Tongues of the Heavenly Chore the glorious Angels and the Spirits of just men made perfect by the vision and fruition of thy God the God of Glory Look on and possess this Joy and Glory Say to thy Soul as God 〈◊〉 Abraham Gen. 13. 14. Lift up thine Eyes and look from the place where thou art Northward and Southward and Eastward and Westward though all the Coasts and all the Dimensions of the Blested Land of Promise and Holy City and then say Come Soul take up thy rest here all this is thine Look and love love and long long and hope hope and rejoyce in hope of this glory of God Look on thy God and never leave looking till thou art changed into his Image and satisfied with his Image And here let thy delight and thy dwelling be 2. Above all carnal discouragements from any adversaries or dangers wherewith you are baited and affrighted as you walk in the Lord let the joy of the Lord be your strength let your Sun be your shield let your hope be your confidence and fear not your duâ—y nor danger Look to your hope and you will laugh at fear Dwell in your Reward and you will not be afraid to dwell in your Duty But of this a word more by and by Thus much for general Directions 2. I shall next give you some special Directions for your daily walk Generalls necessarily depend on and subsist in Particulars As there can be no Religion in a Kingdome unless it be first in particular Families nor none in Families unless it be in particular persons so a general course of Christianity there cannot be unless it be supported in our particular daily walk The Advice I am giving you I have in part borrowed for your use which some of you may possibly have received elsewhere Before I give you the particular Directions I shall first premise these things 1. Count upon this That the Directions I am now giving you if you ever mean to bring it to any thing will cost you pains and labour and how can you count your selves Christians if you refuse to be at the necessary cost of Christianity If you think to be Christians without labour or if you wilâ— stand out from Christianity to save your labour you are alike wise in both Either come to a Resolution to fall upon an industrious painful life or 't will be in vain to give you counsel 2. Practice the Directions I shall give you in pursuance of your Covenant with God wherein you have engaged to take the strictest severest Laws of Christ for the Rule of your Life What I am pressing on you for the matter of it is no more than you have bound your selves to as Christians Remember your Bonds and let this holy practice be followed on by you as the paying your Vows Remember daily the Vows of God are upon you and there is not any material thing here prescribed to you which falls not under your vows Your Covenant if your eye be much upon it will be a cord to hold you to your work 3. Press hard for sensible Communion with God in all your Duties 4. Keep up a spiritual and holy Frame from Duty to Duty Remember what I have elsewhere spoken to you more at large on these two Particulars See that there be Religion in your Duties and confine not your Religion to your Duties 5. Be Watchful The Life of all Religion lies much here whatever you resolve upon will come to nothing without it Watchfulness is the Executioner of your Will Let your eye be upon your Rule and your Work Especially watch against your prevailing sins There 's no Christian that observes himself but may find some one sin or more that in regard of their power over him are taller by the head and shoulders than all the rest In some Pride in others Worldliness in others Passion in others Slothfulness It may be if thou searchest some one of these four or possibly some other may be it that by a Specialty
were rooted in your Hearts and your Souls thereby rooted in the Grace of God if it be to be wished That your Lusts were rooted out your sins dead and dried up your foot gotten out of the Snare your Souls brought into the Fold your Fruits of Righteousness and Holiness abounding and growing up unto Eternal Life If all this to be to be wished then give in your Votes with mine wish and pray pray and press on press on and wait for the accomplishment of this Grace in you all I tell you again I wish you well and not onely I but the Lord God that hath sent me to you The Lord Jesus wishes you well he wishes and wooes wooes and weeps weeps and dies that your Souls might live and be belssed for ever He hath once more sent me to you even to the worst amongst you to tell you from him that he 's unwilling you should perish that he hath a kindness for you in his heart if you will accept it He hath Bloud and Bowels for you Bloud to expiate your guilt to wash away your filth and Bowels to offer you the benefit of his Bloud with this Wish Oh that it were theirs Oh that they would hearken and accept Onely I must add That the Lord hath two sorts of Wishes concerning sinners The first is Oh that they would hearken Oh that they would come in be healed and be saved Deut. 5. 29. This Wish is an Olive Branch that brings good Tidings and gives great hopes of Peace and Mercy His last Wish is Oh that they had hearkned that they had accepted Psal 81. 13. Oh that my people had hearkned to me Luk. 19. 42. Oh that thou hadst known in this thy day the things that concern thy peace This Wish hath nothing but Dread and Death in it it is the Black Flagg hung out that proclaims Eternall Wars The sence is Israel had once a fair time of it a time of Love a time of Grace a time of Peace Oh that they had hearkned then that they had known the Things that concern their peace But woe woe to them 't is now too late the Door is shut the Season is over the Day is past But now they are hid from thine Eyes There are three deadly darts in this Wish oh that thou hadst it includes in it these three cutting words Thou hast not Thou mightest Thou shalt not for ever 1. There is this in it Thou hast not What have I not why thou hast not known the things that belong to thy peace Thou hast had the door of Glory the Gate of Heaven open to thee and hast been call'd for and invited in but thou hast lost the opportunity Thou knewest not when thou wert well offered nor would'st take notice what a day was before thee what a price was in thine hand thy peace the Gospel of peace the Prince of peace a Kingdom of peace was set open offered and brought home to thy doors but thou hadst so many other matters to look after that thou tookest no notice of it but hast let it slip There 's one Dart. Thou hast not known There 's a Gospel gone there 's a Christ gone there 's a Soul a Kingdom lost 2. There is this in it Thou mightest Oh that thou hadst why Might I yes thou might'st if thou wouldst thou mightst Thy God did not mock thee when he preach'd peace to thee he was willing and wish'd it thine if thou wouldst thou mightst have made it thine own but whilest he would thou wouldest not There 's another Dart I might have known I have none to thank but my self for the loss mine undoing was mine own doing There are no such torments as when the Soul flies upon it self and takes revenge on it self oh the gashes that such self-refluctions make Soul how camest thou in hither into all this misery oh 't is of my self my self that my destruction is The door was open and I was told of it and was bid come in but I would not That I am lost and undone was not my Fate which I could not avoid but my Fault and my folly It seems to give some ease of our torment when we can shift off the fault It was not I but the Woman said Adam It was not I but the Serpent said the Woman if that had been true it would have given ease as well as serv for an excuse This thought 'T was mine own doing tears the very caul of the heart Oh I have none to blame but my self mine own foolish and froward heart This is my ignorance this is my unbelief this is my wilfulness my lusts and my pleasures and my Idols that I was running after that have brought me under this dreadful loss 'T was my own doing 3. There is this in it Thou shalt not for ever Oh that thou hadst why may I not yet Is there no hope of recovering the opportunity not one word more not one hour more may not the Sun go one degree backward No no 't is too late too late thou hast had thy day from henceforth no more for ever There 's the last Dart Times past there 's the death the Hell the anguish the Worm that shall gnaw to eternity This one word Time 's past sets all Hell a roaring and when it s once spoken to a sinner on Earth there 's Hell begun Go thy way wretch fill up thy measure and fall into thy place The Gospel hath no more to say to thee but this one word Because I have called and thou refusedst I have stretched out my hand and thou regardedst not but hast set at nought all my Counsels and wouldest none of my reproofs I also will laugh at thy calamities and mock when thy fear cometh when thy fear cometh as desolation and thy destruction cometh as a Whirle-wind when distress and anguish cometh upon thee then shalt thou call but I will not answer thou shalt seek me early but shalt not find me Beloved my hopes are and I am not able to say but that you are yet under the first wish Oh that they would Christ is yet preaching you to faith and sends his Wish along with his Word Oh that they would believe Christ is yet preaching Repentance and Conversion to you and wishes O that they would repent that they would be converted and to this wish of my Lord my Soul and all that is within me sayes Amen Brethren will you yet again say your Lord nay shall Christ have his wish shall your Servant for Jesus sake shall I have my wish will you now at last consent to be sanctified and to be saved let me have this wish and I dare promise you from the Lord you shall have yours even whatever your Soul can desire Bâ—ethren this once hear this once be prevailed upon be content that your lusts be rooted out and your Lord planted into your Souls Be content to be pardoned content to be converted content to be saved This