'T is now an accepted time a day of Salvation 2 Cor. 6. 2. A time to accept or a time to be accepted a golden and glorious time indeed Behold now there is a broad and clear way to the Mercy seat the flaming sword is gone the partition wall is down all Bars and Gates are removed an Act of indempnity is proclaim'd and there is a free admission for all to come and be saved pardons are ready Isa 55. 6 7. Isa 45. Sinners your dear Lord Jesus the great Peace-maker is now an impotant Suitor unto your perishing souls namely an inviting knocking waiting promising Christ Prov. 22. 9. 4. Isa 65. 2. Math. 11. 28. Rev. 3. 20. Cant. 5. 2. John 6. 36. The treasures of grace are opened and offered to sale upon easie terms without money and without price Isa 55. 1. Rev. 3. 17. O make speed and come make the purchase buy the pearl of price that 's better then Rubies and you shall have a treasure in heaven The favour of Gods precious blood white raiment tryed gold and the eternal life of your never dying souls is worth the having Consider also that now the Holy Ghost calls and offers his assistance to close the bargain to tye the marriage knot between Christ and Souls Heb. 3. If you lose this opportunity you may never have the like The Spirit and the Bride say come Rev. last 17. 5. The time of the Sabbath or Lords day must be redeemed we must have a specially care of sanctifying that day it being the Sabbath of the Lord our God This golden day from morning to night must be spent in the service and worship of our Lord either in publick private or secret duties and no part of it must be lost Take no liberty upon that day for frothy vain and unprofitable discourse or recreations or to ride buy sell or work This dreadful God provoking sin of Sabbath-breaking is a sin in fashion hundreds in this Nation serve the Devil more upon the Lords day then on other dayes Then men are at leisure to serve the Devil and satisfie their lusts to go to the Ale-house or to exercise themselves in sports and pastimes O that Magistrates Ministers Masters of Families and Parents would look to it Neh. 13. 17. The Lord of the Sabbath commandeth thee that thou and thy Son thy Daughter thy man servant and all within thy gate keep that day holy The Sabbath is called a holy convocation Lev. 23. 2. and the Lord of the day is an infinitely holy just and jealous God The Sabbath heretofore was called Regina dierum the Queen of days in the New Testament it is called the Lords day Rev. 1. 10. a day in which we commemorate the greatest mercy viz. the glorious Resurrection of our crucified Lord and that which the purest Christians in the purest times did carefully observe In the Primitive times a serious and strict observation of the Lords day was a trial or badge of Christianity When the question was propounded Servasti Dominicum hast thou kept the Lords day the answer was turn'd Christianus sum intermittare non possum I am a Christian and cannot intermit it It was a saying of an eminent Divine that he would judge of a mans Religion according to the reverence and care he had of keeping the Sabbath Christians you are to keep your Lords rest and perform the holy duties of his worship chearfully reverently spiritually Joh. 4. 24. If ever you think to celebrate an eternal Sabbath with God in glory be careful of this duty To enforce it consider 1. How strictly the holy God imposeth it and to what end it is Remember the Sabbath day to keep it Holy Exod. 20. 8. This blessed day for communion with God is to be premeditated upon before it cometh therefore in the evening before the Sabbath let all your necessary occasions be done up that you may have nothing but what becometh the work of that day Be like David's good man Ps 112. 5. ordering your affairs with discretion especially your Spiritual affairs If you expected the company of some worthy friend would you be found in a sluttish posture or sweeping and cleansing your houses on that day and all out of order On the Lords day you should vehemently expect the approach and presence of the King of glory therefore make all ready to entertain him 2. Remember the excellent Epithetes and Titles of this blessed day it is called a High day a Holy day the holy of the Lord honourable Isa 58. 13. Therefore let it be redeemed lose no more Sabbaths 3. Consider the blessings and soul benefits of that day if it be rightly observed It is your Lords Market day in the which you have the precious Oyl the Golden Mines and treasures of grace opened that day There are spiritual dainties for your hungry souls to which you are by Christ invited that day Isa 54. 1. The Holy Ghost doth breath and blow that day by the secret and sweet gales whereof Saints mount up toward Heaven The great God comes down and gracious souls ascend that day Rev. 1. 10. And the Eunuchs that keep Gods Sabbaths have the promise of a name in his house for ever Isa 56. 4 5. I might add the severe threatnings and Gods signal judgements upon the prophaners of the Sabbath or Lords day The man that was found gathering sticks upon the Sabbath by an immediate command from God was stoned to death Numb 15. 32 34 35 36. How time must be redeemed 1. By taking and improving all opportunities for the glorifying of God 2. By laying hold on the present time and now a day of grace for settling and securing your everlasting state 3. By improving the present means of grace for your speedy growth in grace 4. By doing all the good you can to others while you may 5. By labouring to keep up constant communion with God in holy duties 6. By improving every providence and outward cross for inward and spiritual advantages 7. By casting up your accounts every day that you may make even with God 8. By labouring to order every days work in reference to your last day that having finished you work you may be fit to leave this World 1. By taking and improving all occasions for the glorifying of God Dear Christians this is your Fathers business and the great Errand for which you had your being You were born and new born to serve the interest of the holy and blessed God in the World this is that glorious end for which you should spend your strength and time and lay out your selves to the very utmost That which is the chief end of your life viz. to display and propagate Gods glory in the World must not be neglected other things are infinitely inferiour and must be subordinated unto this For the thoughts and designs of serving the Interest of your Lord is that which you must be always driving on in this evil
in your ears as thorns darts and swords in your flesh as poyson in your bowels as fire in your bones to compel and force you speedily tocurb and check the reins of your hellish lusts that you so might five from wrath to come Did you but view that dark and cold grave and hot hell that is so neer you would rather starve or dye then run to that excess of riot you could not sleep and snort dance and sport upon the pits brink under such a consideration But forget all this banish the thoughts of God death and hell and you will run and rush into sin as the horse into battel Luk. 12. 45 crying peace peace till danger death and destruction cometh 1 Thes 5. 3. This was that mighty sin that ripened Jerusalem for ruine and brought her down wonderfully her filthiness is in her skirts she remembreth not her last end The Lord complaineth by the Prophet Isaiab of the same thing Israil doth not know my people doth not consider but what follows ah sinful Nation a people laden with iniquity a seed of evil doers they have forsaken the Lord they have provoked the holy one of Israel compare Lam. 1. 9. Isa 1. 3. 4 But he that doth that which is lawful and right shall save his soul alive who is that he that considereth and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed he shall save his soul whosoever doth perish that man shall never perish Ezek. 18. 14. 28. Reas 4. The consideration of your latter and will be a powerful incentive to make you exert and put forth the greatest industry in a way of duty yea it will certainly have an influence upon all our duties and upon all our graces for considering and doing are frequently joyn'd together Psal 41. 1. Prov. 31. 16. she considereth a field and buyeth it I thought on my wayes or considered my wayes and turned my feet unto thy testimonies Psal 119. 59. Lam. 3. 40. Heb. 10 This if any thing will make you serious diligent and constant in any duty and to work while it is day before the night cometh wherein no man can work The Apostle exhorts to consider one another to provoke to love and good works and so much the more as ye see the day approaching Heb. 10. 24 25. The remembrance of the day of our death and of our passing into eternity with a deep impression of it upon the heart will be as a voice of thunder speaking to the secure sensless sinner awake awake thou that sleepest open thine eys stand upon thy feet and behold and see what a sea of blood and wrath is here See and beleive beleive and consider consider and fear fear and fly and make hast in thy work Thy work is great and weighty diversions are many adversaries are strong thy strength is small thy time is short thy account is great death and judgement are at the door therefore up and be doing now or never You slow and slothful souls Let your apparent and inevitable danger suddenly provoke and spur you unto your duty to seek the Lord in a time accepted before the door of life beshut God with-drawn and mercy quite gone The prophanest Sea-man will sigh mourn pray promise vow if death and danger looks him in the face when the ship was like to be broken and death threatned immediately to surprize them the Marriners were sore afraid and cryed every one to his God And this the very light of nature dictated to the ship-master though a Heathen that then it was no season to sleep what meanest thou O sleeper arise and call upon thy God if so be that God will think upon us that we perish not Joneh 1. 6. and the most notorious thieves and murderers will pray in prison or when they come to the Gallows the place of execution When the most righteous Judge sent his destroying Angels to the City of London and other places in the year 65. for the dreadful fear of which many thousands did flye and many thousands did fall viz. the carkases of men like dung upon the ground and as handfuls after the Harvest man When death did knock at a thousand doors in one night Owhat confessing of sin fastings crying and importunate knocking was there at the throne of grace and it may be by many persons families that prayed but little before or since that God would pity pardon and remove that amazing sweeping judgement which is now almost forgotten Upon an unwakening apprehension of Ninevehs fatal ruine the King and his Nobles decreed and proclaimed a Fast and injoyned every one to cry mightily to God Jonah 3. 7. Sinners were you but truly sensible of your peril you would pray to purpose viz. more ardently more in wardly more deeply more affectionately then ever you have done It was a supposed danger and that of death that caused Jacob to weep and make supplication for Esau hated Jacob and said in his heart the dayes of mourning for my Father are at hand then will I stay my brother Jacob Gen. 27. 42. and Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed Gen. 31. 7. Which made him so importunate with God for deliverance and he prevailed Gen. 31. 11. Hos 12. 4. Poor sinners your case is dangerous I will not say desperate but you are ignorant of it you do not know that you are poor miserable blind and naked were you but sensible that you are liable to the wrath of God the stroke and sting of death every moment it would constrain you to cry mightily to God for pardon Holy Job when he considered of Death and Judgement set prayer to work and said Why dost thou not pardon my transgression and take away mine iniquity for now shall I sleep in the dust O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave that thou wouldest keep me secret until thy wrath be past that thou wouldest appoint me a set time and remember me Job 7 21. 14. 13. This also made those two gracious Kings Hezekiah and David to weep and pray in the bitterness of their souls In those dayes was Hezekiah sick unto death and Isaiah the Prophet came unto him and said thus saith the Lord set thine house in order for thou shalt dye and not live then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and wept sore and prayed to the Lord Isa 28. 1 2 3. David when the sorrows of death compassed him and paines of hell got hold of him then said he I called upon the Lord O Lord I beseech thee deliver my soul Psal 116. 3 4. Jonah that could sleep in the ship prayed in the Whales belly Out of the belly of hell I cryed and thou heardest my voice Jonah 2. 2. The Apostle Peter and Christ himself presseth prayer from the consideration of the end of the world The end of all things is at hand be ye therefore sober and watch unto prayer 1 Pet. 4. 7. and pray saith Christ that you may escape
God gasping and panting after the Lord Jesus Christ Psal 42. 1 2. O labour for such a frame of heart and bewail a narrow and contracted spirit Do not perform duties for duties sake so as to make duties the end of duties but as the medium by which thy soul may draw nigh to God and meet with him The countenance and presence of God in a duty is the very Suburbs of glory yea the very gate of Heaven Gen. 2â— 17. Let this be in thy thoughts and the very purpose of thy heart and expect it vehemently in every access to God Let thy soul follow hard after God and say One thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life Psal 27. 4. Psal 84. 2. Duties are only the outward Court but the form shell and carkass of Religion as Pipes without Water Breasts without Milk as Sails without Wind or as a Body without a Soul that hath no life The encrease of your grace and holiness depends upon your acquaintance and communion with the God of grace It was Mose his being in the Mount that made his face to shine and the Kings being at his Table that caused the Churches Spikenard to send forth the swell thereof Cant. 1. 12. The presence of the glorious God on a Sabbath the presence of God in prayer or at a Sacrament will be unto thy soul as marrow and fatness and that which will make thy hands to drop with Myrrh and thy fingers with sweet-smelling Myrrh Thus it was with the Spouse when her Beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door Cant. 5. 4 5. 6 By improving every Providence every Comfort every Cross for Gods glory and our own spiritual advantage God doth nothing in vain for he hath a peculiar respect unto the good of his people in all his dispensations he doth time measure and order every dark and afflicting providence for his Churches advantage Jer. 24. 5. Rom. 8. 24. Heb. 12. 10 11. God's chastning and teaching commonly go together therefore it is we must hear the Rod and who hath appointed it Mic. 6. 9. The Rod hath a Voice Beasts may feel the rod but the believer hearts the rod. God's rod should make us like Aaron's rod bud blossom and to bring forth the peaceable fruits of righteousness Heb. 12. 11. Now if you would be bettered by affliction endeavour to do three things 1. To understand the meaning or mind of God in them for what sins committed or duties neglected they are sent Afflictions are Gods Messengers and we should never be quiet till we know their Errands Job 10. 2. 2. See the hand of God in all those afflictions So did David Psal 39. 10. and holy Job 1. 11. Hos 6. 1. 3. Labour to answer the end of God in your straits and troubles that you might be made more humble more holy more heavenly before that we may say and find that it hath beed good for us to be afflicted We have as much reason to seek unto God for a blessing upon our daily Rod as upon our daily Bread 7. Time must be redeemed by casting up your accounts every day and so to make even with God and not get further into his debt This will be the way to get an acquittance to procure a pardon before you are called and forced to an account Secret duties if well done are the sweetest duties and yet sadly neglected by Saints themselves You should retire every night and spend a little time in self-examination and when you sit alone commune with your hearts and call over the passages and actions of the day past We read Gen. 24. 63. That Isaac went out in the evening tide to meditate a precious duty but rarely practised Christians should spend void spaces of time in ejaculatory Prayer and holy Meditation And O how hard it is to ascend this Mount of heavenly Meditation 'T is very easie and delightsom to think of the World the pleasures of Sin Friends Riches Worldly business but to Meditate on God Heaven Eternity the insufficiency and vanity of the creature the bitterness of sin the certainty of death and judgement the very inwards of Religion is very difficult Before you lye down upon your beds at night call your selves to an account by such questions as these 1. I have lived many years in the world What have I been doing all my days have I answered the end of my being 2. Have I had a holy awe of God in the midst of my Worldly business this day What thoughts of death and Judgement have I had Where hath my heart been 3. How have I performed duties this day What hath been the sins of this day the mercies of this day that I may beg the pardon of the one and bless God for the other 4. What assistance and communion with God have I had this day in the duties of his worship have not God and my soul been strangers this day and many days together 5. What have I done or spoken for God and his Glory this day in my Family or else-where have I demean'd my self like a child of God this day this is to make Religion our business or to walk in the fear of the Lord all the day 8. Improve your time by endeavouring to order every days work with reference to your last day The end of every duty and the great reason of redeeming time lies here namely that we may be fit to dye and stand before God Therefore must we glorifie the infinitely holy God and make him our friend Hence it is that we must secure our souls and speedily get into Jesus Christ and grow in grace do good to others call our selves to an account and clear our title unto heaven that all our work may be done up while it is day and none left to do let death call when it will The reasons why our precious time must be redeemed are 1. Because the days are evil 2. Because 't is a considerable part of our Christian wisdom Reas 1. Because the days are evil This is the Apostles own argument to enforce the duty Precious time and evil days run parallel therefore no part of a little time must be lost I shall instance in a few particulars to make it appear 1. The Tares of false Doctrine or Diabolical Blasphemous Damnable Opinions do abound How do the Devils Agents endeavour to raise and undermine the very foundations and principles of the Christian faith Those old and damnable heresies that have been condemned and expunged out of the Church of God are greedily embraced and swallowed down by more then a few 2 Tim. 3. 1. and 4. 3. 2 Pet. 1. 12. Ye therefore Beloved seeing ye knew these things before beware lest ye also being led away with the error of the wicked fall from your own stedfastness 2 Pet. 3. 17. 2 Tim. 1. 13. 2. Mens flagitious
and voluntary slaves they were in time and thy prisoners in chains of darkness they shall be eternity to be tormented day and night for ever Rev. 20. 10. 6. What think you of eternal banishment and separation from God Christ Angels Saints Heaven This is the punishment of loss and the worst of hell Matth. 25. 41. Then shall he say unto them on the left hand depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels O terrible terrible to be doom'd or sentenc'd to lye under the wrath and hatred of the infinitely great and dreadful God for ever and ever as long as God shall live whose being is to eternity as long as there is a Devil to torment or to be tormented shall their plagues last The fearful and unbeleiving and the abominable Murderers Whoremongers Lyars Dogs Sorcerers carry all their sins down to hell with them the fuel that feeds the wrath of God so that the Oyl of sin causes the Lamp of wrath to burn flame everlastingly The debt of sin can never be paid justice never satisfied for the damn'd soul remains impenitent and God implacable so that there can be no hope of pardon The sentence is strict unchangeable irreversable eternal O eternity eternity this stings plagues and augments and aggravates the most intollerable punishment of the damn'd After an innumerable thousands of years they shall think it but the beginning of their sorrows and shall be so far from an end as if they had been in hell but an hour It will be everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power 2 Thes 1. 9. In comparison of which all the rendings rackings tearings torturings of mens bodies here by the most exquisite torments upon racks gibbets wheels grid-irons boyling lead boyling oyl and other bloudily invented engines and instruments of amazing cruelty are but a flea-biting Sinners 't is hell hell that will make the sadly tormented soul seek death wish and long for that which shall never be Rev. 9. 6. And will you desire and wish for the woeful day God forbid now your condition may be changed then it will be stated Wo wo unto you that desire the day of the Lord to what end is it for you The day of the Lord is darkness and not Light Amos 5. 18. A day of glosminess a day of clouds and of thick darkness at which the people shall be much pained and all faces shall gather blackness the inhabitants of the Land shall tremble for the day of the Lord is very terrible Joel 2. Now therefore do not wickedly wish it but wisely consider and prepare for it And blessed is that servant whom when his Lord cometh findeth so doing 3. It reproves the selfc-onfident and presumptuous who conclude upon a fitness and preparedness for death and judgment upon very slight and unwarrantable grounds namely because they separate from the notoriously wicked are not prophane make a profession shew some legal sorrow for sin run the round of duty though carnal and heartless enough in those duties from hence they easily perswade themselves that all is well viz. That they are the Children of God in a state of grace and going to Heaven and as fit to dye as the very best How many thousands are there in the Christian world that securely sleep and dream of an interest in Christ that hope and promise themselves a future and glorious felicity who are but meet moral men and worse or rotten painted Hypocrites at the best having only a form of Godliness restraining counterfeit or common grace Such were the Scribes and Pharisees the foolish Virgins yet confident to the very last they came to the door with a Lord Lord open unto us They had blazing Lamps but no oil in their Lamps or Vessels no real union with Jesus Christ no precious faith no sincere love or evangelical repentance the root of the matter was not in them You that have a name to live take heed you be not deceived if you are not truly united unto Jesus Christ he will certainly disown you The Lord Jesus tells us of such sadly deluded souls that shall stand up at the last day and challenge a reward in Heaven to whom he will protest I know you not Matth. 7. 23. they never savingly knew him had never any union or communion with Christ in the world Many are called but few chosen the Children of the kingdome saith Christ shall be cast out And I must tell you who-ever comes to heaven will miss many there which they thought to find and find others there they little expected The Sinners in Sion are more then a few the Goates more then the Sheep the Tares more then the Wheat more reprobate silver then pure tryed gold The pure in heart and truly godly man that mourns and bleeds for sin that loves God and prizes Christ above the world is many times full of feares and doubts about his soul and the eternal condition of it O what would he not give to be assured that all is well between God and him to know that God and Christ is his that he is fit to live or die because a mistake here is very dreadful and of an infinite consequence But on the contrary the foolish disobedient and that are deceived serving divers lusts and pleasures living in sin and alienated from the life of God having no hope and without God in the world are highly confident and strongly perswaded that it shall go well with them in the world to come I knew a poor ignorant prophane wretch being told on his death bed and but a little before he entred into eternity that death was come replied where is it I 'le go forth and meet it putting his legs over the beds side in a little time gave up the Ghost Therefore in this great soul-affair let none be so fool-hardy as to trust without tryal But let every man prove his own work and then shall he have rejoycing in himself and not in another for every man shall bear his own burthen Gal. 6. 4 5. Quest If the consideration of our latter end is a matter of such moment why do men and women that have immortal souls think no more of it Answ 1. The great cause is from that horrid cursed atheism and unbeleif which is deeply rooted and riveted in mens minds and hearts They do not credit that wonderful and astonishing Doctrin of the other world according to the beleif of which they must live or die to all eternity If we should take a serious prospect of endless eternity of those great things men seem to beleive namely that they must dye that in every mans body there is a never dying soul that there will be a different and unchangeable estate of men after death and that without holiness real holiness of heart life no man shall see the Lord and compare the lives and practises of those that
should sever the Wheat from the Chaff the Sheep from the Goats the precious from the vile and in so doing we shall be as God's mouth and free from the blood of all men O then let this dreadful and amazing Doctrine of death and judgement be more frequently and effectually preached that souls in peril near run may see their sin and danger and flye to Christ as the only refuge knowing the terrour of God we perswade men 2 Cor. 5. 11. Mat. 3 7. 2. Converse with the best Christians viz. them that are grave sober solid savoury and sound in faith Such as make Religion their great business who love to speak of God and of the world to come and by whose counsel and example you may be stir'd up and perswaded to repentance and holiness to consider of death and judgement These were Davids excellent ones in whom he did delight and made his companions Psal 16. 3 119. 63. 3. Read the best Books and those that treat of death and judgement but especially the word of God There are the pure Chrystal streams and richest Mines in this field you will find the Pearl Let the word of God dwell in you richly be not ignorant of any part of it but be sure to accquaint thy self with those Scriptures that speak of the shortness of life the certainty of death and judgement heaven and hell Read the Book of Job and the twelfth Chapter of Ecclesiastes Psal 39. Psal 90. And let me desire you to be often urging upon your hearts some of those Scriptures that set forth the dreadfulness of that place of torment that will be the portion of all that forget God and make no provision for their precious souls Some few I have here set down which I desire you would all consider and apply Vpon the wicked he shall rain fire and brimstone and a horrible tempest this shall be the portion of their Cup Psal 11. 6. We be unto the wicked it shall go ill with them Isa 3. 10. He shall cast them into a furnace of fire there shall be weeping wailing and gnashing of teeth Matth. 13 42. Isa 33. 14. 66. 15. Matth. 25. 41. Luk. 16. 25 26. 2 Thes 1. 8 9. Rev. 6. 8 16 17. Direct 3. Make conscience of setting apart a little time every day on purpose to think of your latter end Do it so frequently until death and you become familar ever and anon put thy self into a posture of dying converse with thy winding sheet Coffin Grave let thy great change be so upon thy heart that thou may'st every morning or evening walk a turn or two with death Remember however it be with thee now thou mustere long be gasping and groaning for breath upon thy dying bed and grapple with the King of terrours and in a moment go down to the Grave and shall come up no more Job 10. 21. If thou shouldst affect thy heart with thoughts of thy latter end go down to Golgotha and think upon those dry bones putrified bodies and there revive the memory of your departed Relations Husbands Wives Children Friends Neighbours and look beyond the Chambers of the Grave converse with those miserable departed souls give the prisoners of the pit a visit Meditate on the raging furious flames that dismal darkness smoak and stink of the botomless pit the screeking of the damn'd and roaring of the devils the heart piercing complaints for water to cool their scorching tongues And when thou dost think upon those millions of souls that are hanging up in hell reflect upon thy sels and expect thy turn speedily Suppose every day thy last every meal thy last every journey thy last every duty Sacrament Sermon thy last And when the Lords day cometh think with thy self this will be the last spiritual market that I shall have to buy the spiritual Oyl of grace and to provide for the Bridegrooms coming after this day is ended I may never more hear the Lord Jesus speak to me by the mouths of his faithful Ministers never be invited to come to Christ or to beleive repent part with sin and accept of a pardon more and so demean thy self every day and in every duty as if thou should'st be called to Gods Bar and give up thine account at night In all thy thoughts words and actions say to thy self would I do thus and thus viz. would I eat drink sleep converse buy sell preach hear pray or worse if I certainly knew this day would be my last O let that Motto Memento mori which some carry in their Rings be engraven on your hearts it being the great concernment of our lives This is that which God people and some of the heathen too have been careful to remember King Asia made his Sepulcher in his life time 2 Cron. 16. 14. and some in their Gardens and places of solace and delight as Joseph of Arimathea John 19. 41. And some of the Heathen were wont to walk among the Graves to put them in mind of death some have had their Graves alwayes before their Gates other a dead mans skul presented every day at their Tables and shall we that beleive the doctrine of the other world put off the serious thoughts of death Solomon adviseth us to go to the house of mourning telling us it is better because the living will lay it to heart When you hear the tidings of the death of your Friends relations or Neighbours go thither though not personally yet contemplatively in your minds thoughts go and put your selves in their stead And think thus a living man or woman is become a dead Corps or cold clay the soul is gone to its everlasting habitation but to what place whether to be comforted or tormented who can tell If he were a godly man he is certainly gone to heaven if thou art such a one thy soul will shortly be with him but if an ungodly man he is certainly gone to hell and now among the Devils and if thou art such a one thou shalt erelong be there too 'T is true the dead can have no thoughts of the living but the living saith Solomon know that they must die And you that are young when you hear of the death of a lively lusty young man or alovely beautiful young woman stop reflect and consider may not this be thy case O man woman or child in a very little space I shall say no more by way of direction only desire you to review the particulars before mentioned and you that are Parents and Masters of Families who make conscience of looking to the souls of those committed to your charge may cause your Children and Servants to learn by heart the particulars I here set down 1. That it is most certain an end will be 2. At our latter end all things in this world will be gone for ever 3. All the pleasures of sin will be gone and leave nothing but a sting 4. That only which is eternal wil stand us
of the diligent maketh rich Prov. 10. 4. I heard of one who being a prisoner in a dark dungeon when the light was brought to him for a little time to eat his diet would pull out his Bible and read a Chapter saying he could find his mouth in the dark but no read in the dark An Argument that he made conscience of redeeming his time Sirs to be watchful diligent laborious in the faithful improvement of all your time talents gifts graces is the thing here intended The precept is for labour Luke 13. 24. 2. Pet. 1. 10. And the diligent in duty hath the promise of the Glory Heb. 11. 9. To them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality eternal life Rom. 2. 7. 2. What time must be redeemed Answ All time Time is so precious that not any of it must be lost The whole time of our life must be imployed either about our souls in the service of God or in the works of our callings or in order thereunto Particularly 1. The time of youth 2. The time of health and strength 3. The time of affliction 4. The time of Gospel 5. The time of the Sabbath or the Lords day in special must be redeemed 1. First The time of youth must be redeemed The great God stands much upon priority to have the first and best The first ripe fruits the first that openeth the womb O then offer the Isaac of thy youth the spring and flower of thy age to God and stay not until the evil day Begin first with him from whom thou hast thy being go about the grand affair and work of thy dear and never dying soul before thou dost ingulf thy self in the cares of this world Resolve to present the first ripe fruits to that good and gracious God who desireth the first ripe fruits In the bright morning of thy life match thy soul to the King of glory and become his Bride before thou art defloured and defiled by sin and the World If the Celestial seeds of grace be sown in the morning the pleasant and sweet flowers springing out of these seeds will invite the Lord Jesus to come and walk in his Garden Cant. 5. 1. If thou would be the Temple of the Holy Ghost let him that made the house be the first and chief Inhabitant and suffer not thy heart to be a habitation for Dragons and Devils which will be thine undoing to all eternity You young-men and young-women know that the infinitely gracious God holds out the Golden Scepter and inviteth you to come unto him The ruddy David the Child Samuel the young Timothy God calls 1 Samuel 1. 11 12. 1 Sam. 3. 10. 1 Tim. 4. 12. and the sooner you come the better it will be Say then this instant behold we come thine we are thine we will be come now and take thine own God will accept you and take it kindly his arms and bosom are open to you Jer. 2. 2 3. I remember the kindness of thy youth the love of thine Espousals when the first fruits was Holiness to the Lord. If you would have the respect and kindness of a God offer unto him the finstlings of the flock Gen. 4. 4. viz. thy youthful days If a company of aged feeble persons or cripples were tendered to the King for service he would not accept them 1 Sam. 14. 52. Mal. 1. 8 13 14. David from his youth and Josiah while he was young began to seek the Lord Psal 71. 17. 2 Chron. 34. 3. Young men if you receive the seed of Grace in the morning of your age it will take the deeper root and impression upon your hearts and cause you to bring forth fruit in old age Cloth will keep color best that 's dyed in the Wool and the Vessel will scent longest of that liquor with which it is first seasoned O then Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth Eccl. 12. 2. 2. The time of health and strength is to be improved You that are now strong and lively must not expect to be so always You as well as others must count upon diseases sickness weakness which will confine you to your Houses Chambers and Bed Now then while your strength and health of body and natural vigour is continued be mindful of your work and time The great duties and difficulties in Heavens way are set forth by striving Wrestling fighting running which requires the best of our time and most of our strength Can a sick and weak man run so as to obtain or so strive and conflict as to overcome judge ye King Saul chose the strong and valiant for his service 'T is the strong must run the race Psal 19. 4. and the young must overcome the evil one 1 John 2. 14. If a man had a business of great concernment or a matter of life and death that requireth time strength and diligence for the doing of it and should omit it until he were stricken in years or until sickness and weakness invade him every one would be ready to charge him with folly If a Carrier amongst many stout strong Horses hand one poor lame sick Horse and should lay the burden of the greatest weight and worth upon that poor weak jade we should conclude that either he was cruel or that he wanted the understanding of a man This is our case the great affair of Immortal souls requireth time strength diligence and all little enough And shall we charge the whole stress of our everlasting state upon a few days sickness and weakness before our death God forbid Eccles 12. 3 4. 3. The time of affliction must be redeemed Christians in the day of adversity we must consider Eccles 7. 14. it was the time of Jacob's trouble when the Apostle exhorted believers to redeem the time God speaks by his rod as well as by his Word to both which we must have an ear God sometimes teacheth his as Gideon the men of Succoth Judg. 8. 16. with Thorns and Bryars of the wilderness Let the affliction be of what kind or degree soever either upon our Persons Names Estates Families Church or Kingdom yea and of long continuance we are to look upon it as from God and for our good For every affliction speaks to us in the Language of Ehud to Eglon I have a message unto thee from God And God will reckon with us for the rods he lays upon us I shall speak more to this in another place 4. The time of the Gospel must be redeemed Gospel time is our spiritual harvest and it is notorious folly to sleep or loiter in Harvest The time of the Gospel is a time indeed viz. a time of light a time of love a time of life a time of liberty Now the trumpet of Jubilee soundeth and all debts and morgages may be taken up and released Here 's liberty for the poor Captives and the opening of the Prison to them that are bound
World God expects it Thou shalt have no other God before me Exod. 20. 3. God will be exalted in the heart and in our life too I will be glorified saith the Lord before all the people Lev. 10. 3. One way or other the great Creatour will have glory by all his creatures God made all things for himself the world to be a visible and wonderful declaration of excellent glory so that it is due debt Psal 29. 1 2. Psal 96. 8. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his Name To walk with God in our whole course to design his glory is the prime mark of our Saint-ship and sincerity This is the white in the mark we should aim at the thing we should pursue resolutely vigorously with all our might Whether we Pray or Preach or read or hear or celebrate Sabbaths or converse exhort or reprove or indeed buy sell plow sow eat drink let it not be done for the World or the interest of the flesh We should have such a high esteem of God and such strong desires and strong affections to him that the pleasing praising and magnifying of of God in all our ways might be our main endeavour Christians you are chosen out of the World to be Gods witnesses if you do not appear for God his honour and interest none will All saith the holy Apostle seek their own Phil. 2. 21. but you are to deny and keep under self which is directly opposite to the honour of your God Wicked men are bold and resolute in a way of sin to bear up the interest of the Prince of darkness and will not you be as active for the interest of your Lord The Martyrs would rather dye then dishonour God who burning with zeal to Gods glory would glorifie him in the very fire God hath made you honourable Isa 43. 4. being Kings and Priests and inrolled you amongst the first born that are written in Heaven You have a place in his heart and a name in his house you are vessels of honour and shall be honoured that we might be to the glory of his grace Your everlasting Father hath mark'd you and set his stamp and seal upon you and put a principle of life within you that we might love him and live unto him The man that refus'd to bear up his deceased brothers name Deut. 25. 9. was to have his face spit on in the face of the Congregation But shame and everlasting contempt will be upon their faces that will not stand up for the honour of the holy God Dan. 12. 2. Christians 't is the sin that reflects dishonour on Gods name therefore allow it not in your selves and prevent it what you can in others Redeem your time and redeem Gods glory your days are evil and you have but a few days for this work do it and God will own you and advance you to a Kingdom Beloved in the Lord though you differ in other things agree in this to glorifie God on Earth that you may with one mind and one mouth glorifie God Rom. 15. 5. Every one that 's godly crying out with holy David Psal 34. 3. O magnifie the Lord with me and let us exalt his Name together 1 Cor. 10. 32. John 14. Ephes 1. 6. As many as are perfect will be thus minded Psal 3. 2. By laying hold upon the present time or now-day of grace for the setling and securing your everlasting state or blessed Eternity Your souls concerns are the greatest yea of infinite moment and the things of Eternity claim a superiority If you purpose to do your souls good you must first seek the Kingdom of God Matth. 6. 33. and take the Kingdom of heaven with violence Matth. 11. 12. Let me dye the death of the righteous or a Lord have mercy on me when you come to dye will not do Numb 23. 10. Mat 25. 11. And know sinner it must be done in this thy day now or never Luke 16. 49. While the door of grace is open before the Bridge be drawn and Mercy gone Isa 55. 6. This must be done 1. By complying with the present call of the Gospel in closing immediately with Jesus Christ and in giving and resigning your selves wholly unto him This is that one thing necessary that must be done speedily to secure your souls to provide for their everlasting welfare Therefore do not procrastinate or delay it for a World 'T is thy grand affair that must make thee or marr thee to Eternity He that believes shall be saved he that believes not is condemned already John 3. 36. John 8. 24. John 1. 12. If you do not now embrace the Lord Jesus upon the great and glorious terms of the Gospel you will as certainly be damn'd as if you were in Hell amongst Devils already 2 Thes 1. 8 9. Heb. 2. 3. and 3. 18. You that want Christ will you welcome Christ saying with thy soul Come in thou blessed of the Lord enter thou King of Glory Psal 24. 7. Thine is the Kingdom take the Throne sit upon the chiefest Chariot take up thy lodging in my heart for ever and suffer not the dead Child to lye in the place of the living Child a dead World and damnable lusts where my Lord should lodge O blessed day and happy hour in which the Heir of Heaven and perishing Sinners meet and are married Here 's a match for you Will you renounce all others Sin the devil and carnal Companions and joyn your self to the Prince of Life Speak the word and the work is done open the door and he will certainly come in and take up his abode for ever All that the Father hath given him shall come to him and him that cometh he will in no wise cast out John 6. 37. Rev. 3. 23. Isa 26. 13. Isa 44. 5. 2 Cor. 8. 5. Acts 16. 30. 2. By repenting without delay This is the second great work in which you must make speed for untill this be done you are in danger every moment of dropping down to Hell Remember the sad story of the woman who when her house was on fire had her Child burned while she was saving some of her goods Sinners your danger is great your opportunities are flying fly you as fast Let me say to thee as the Angel to Lot Gen. 19. 16 17. when in danger of being burned Escape for thy life stay not lest thou be consumed The life and salvation of thy soul cannot be secured without this Acts 11. 18. 2 Cor. 7. 10. Luke 13. 3. Therefore labour to know the plague of thy heart 1 Kings 8. 38. and plow up the fallow ground sow in tears and set about it this instant before this day be ended this Sermon ended lest it should be said of thee as of that woman Jezabel Rev. 2. 21. I gave her space to repent and she repented not and so Gods fury fury come forth like fire and burn and none can quench it Jer. 4. 3 4. 3. By making
it your great business to secure an interest in Christ getting your evidences for heaven bright and clear Christians till you have gotten the pledges and tokens of Gods love to your souls till you are assured of the truth of your faith and the sincerity of your repentance and hereby of the pardon of sin and of your interst in the Lord Jesus you can have little comfort in your souls or boldness towards God Therefore with might and main work out your salvation Phil. 2. 12. Make your calling and election sure that upon certain grounds you may say as the Church Lam. 3. 24. The Lord is my portion faith my soul Doubtless thou art our Father Isa 63. 16. Or as holy Job in his deep affliction Job 19. 25. I know my Redeemor liveth I am thine save me Psal 19. 91. Truely I am thy Servant I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is mine Cant. 2. 16. Christians this assuring-Faith is attainable pray for it and vigorously press after it that you may be sealed up unto the day of redemption that so an entrance may be ministred unto you into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ 2 Pet. 1. 10 11. And O how well have they redeem'd their precious time that have secured their never-dying Souls Know this that assurance requires both diligence and perseverance therefore you must be constant in the use of means and lay hold on every opportunity of enjoying the Gospel This your Lord commendeth in Mary calling her attendance on the Word preached a chusing the good part Luke 10. 42. There you will taste the Chrystal streams and view the golden Mines of sound Doctrine and Wells of Salvation This is the place of spiritual wonders where the Dead are raised the Lepers cleansed the eyes of the Blind opened and the Devils ejected Gospel Ordinances are the Golden galleries where the King of glory Walketh The Bed where immortal souls are begotton unto God and in which the broken hearts do travel till Christ be formed in them Through these Golden Pipes the Water of Life is poured out upon thirsty panting souls for the chearing of their spirits Here is the Doctrine preach'd and words whereby thou must be saved Acts 10. Here Christs Mother found him it being the place where the Bridegoom and the Bride meet and solace themselves together Do not forsake the solemn Assemblies remember what Thomas lost by being absent when Christ came O come to the Posts of Wisdom's doors and with empty Pitchers set your selves under the Spouts of the Sanctuary 'T is upon these waters the Angel moves and souls are healed This is the School where all Gods children are taught of God and instructed unto the Kingdom of heaven 3. By improving the present means of Grace for your speedy growth in Grace that so the grain of Mustard-seed might become a great Tree Math. 13. 52. The Christian course is compared to a Race a walk to the morning light 1 Cor. 9. 24. Rom. 8. 1. and therefore you must go on and be progressive whilst you live Believers should be as greedy of grace as the men of the World are of gain because one grain of Grace is more worth then a house full of Gold yea better then Rubies You are compared to Stars to fruitful Trees planted by the Rivers of Water and you should glister and shine in this dark night of hellish profaneness and live down and convince this accusing debauched generation The Trees of the Lord should be full of sap Psal 104. 16. being grafted in the true Olive and under the sweet dews of Heaven you should flourish in the Courts of the Lord and bring forth fruit in old age Psal 92. 12 13 14. Christians keep your Lamps burning and hold on your way that the David of grace may wax stronger and stronger Make no stop but strain to get and keep before that you may win the prize Growth of Grace is required of the highest Gyants as well as the lowest Dwarf in Grace They say of the Crocodile he groweth as long as he liveth and when he ceaseth to grow he ceaseth to live How many poor creeping Christians are there who can hardly keep life and soul together being like the door upon the hinges Prov. 26. 14. and why but because they are come to a pitch and past growth as soon as sprung up above ground If there be the truth of grace there will be an endeavour after the strength of grace where is life there is growth 2 Pet. 2. 2. The path of the just is as the shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day Prov. 4. 18. Sirs up and be doing press toward the mark add to your faith vertue to vertue knowledge to knowledge temperance to tempirance patience to patience Godliness that ye be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Be ye therefore stedfast unmoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord. And if you do these things you shall never fall 1 Cor. 15. vers last 2 Pet. 1. 5 6 7 1. 4. By doing all the good we can to others while we have opportunity As we have therefore opportunity let us do good unto all men Hereby we imitate that character of divine goodness Ps 116. 88. Thou art good and dost good Let every one please his neighbour for his good to edification Rom. 15. 2. These four ways ye must do good to others 1. First This must be done especially in your Familiesâ— to them that are more immediately under your charge and for whom you must shortly give an account to the dreadful Judge of quick and dead If Christ be come to thy heart Let Religion be set up in thy house without delay If thou art really gracious be relatively good seeking the profit of many that they may be saved 1 Cor. 13. 33 Sirs if you would not be guilty of soul-blood soul-murther resolve to set up the worship of God in your Families and let Family-work stoop to Family-worship Endeavour to teach thy children and servants to know obey and serve the Lord who is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him If you are the Children of saithful Abraham do as he did and walk in his path John 8. 39. The holy heart-searching God witnesseth of Abraham Gen. 18. 19. I know him that he will command his Children and his houshold after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord. 'T is a great trust to have the care and charge of souls therefore let not your Children and Servants live as they list but command them out of the way of sin which will certainly bring them to Hell O that Parents and Masters of Families would take up holy Joshua's resolution Josh 24. 14. As for me and my House we will serve the Lord. But on the contrary many seem as it were to have banish'd God and the practice of Piety out of their houses as
if Parents and Children Masters and Servants were resolved to serve the Devil and go to Hell John 8. 44. The neglect of Family-duties is a dreadful and provoking sin and that as a Godly Minister said which will untile the house and causeth God to rain curses upon the Table Read and tremble at the Prophets imprecation Jerem. 10. 25. Pour out thy fury upon the Heathen that know the not and upon the Families that call not on thy Name How many Prayerless husbands do give occasion to their Wives to say to them as Zipporah to her husband Exod. 4. 25. A bloody Husband art thou to me Your Wives Children and Servants will sadly bewail it and cry out living or dying O that ever we were married to such husbands born of such Parents bound to such Masters that had no regard to serve God or care of souls If you are Christians indeed let a constant course of reading in the Word Catechising and Prayer be kept up in your houses for when death hath separated you and your relations it will grieve you to the heart that you did no more to further the good of their precious Souls Acts 13. 2 30. 2. By taking all occasions where-ever you are or come to further the conversion of perishing sinners If you have tasted that the Lord is gracious and are taken out of the Iron Furnace as fire brands out of the burning where is your pity and bowels to souls in perils Can you be contented to be happy Jud. 22. and to go to Heaven alone to endeavour by your prayers counsels and examples to perswade and draw others into Heavens way Wicked men are active for the Devil who like Snails leave their slime behind them where ever they come and are emptying the poyson of sin one into the other and so furthering their damnation What multitudes do you see weltring in their blood and making post-hast to Hell whose desperate and deplorable case should excite your compassion and cause you to speak a word in season for their salvation Your Dear Lord whom you should imitate Went about doing good Act. 10. 38. He improved his opportunity John 4. to convert a notorious sinner though weary and thirsty was not careful of hastning the meat because he preferred the opportunity to bring her soul out of Satans snare and so save her When at your Tables or buying or selling or travelling opportunity may be taken to speak of God and the things of God and to leave some conviction upon the company Thus Philip falling in with the Eunuch whilst he was riding on his way homewards from Jerusalem closed with him and was an instrument to save the soul of him he never saw before Act. 8. And by the heavenly discourse that dropped from the mouth of Mr. Carter Pastour of Brainford in Suffolk a Gentlewoman was converted while she was waiting on him in his Chamber warming his Bed A Word spoken in season through Gods blessing may save a soul and it is our duty to endeavour it Mr. Ignatius Jordan of Exeter was exceeding instrumental this way who would go from house to house to put his neighbours in mind of their Soul-concerns Holy David was not afraid or ashamed to speak of God hefore Kings and to tell what God had done for his soul and said he I will teach transgressors thy ways and sinners shall be converted unto thee Psal 5. 13. for he that converteth a sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death Jam. 5. 20. When at any time your neighbous are sick and under the hand of God take that opportunity to visit them to put them in mind of Death and judgment and to make them sensible of the necessity of Faith and repentance without which there can be no hope of Heaven Our Proverb is To strike while the Iron is hot Upon a bed of languishing when death looks men in the face they seem serious and fit to receive the impression of faithful counsel for their souls To which joyn serious prayer for The prayer of faith saith the Apostle shall save the sick and it may save the soul 3. By provoking and encouraging our fellow-Brethren in the way to heaven West must exhort one another daily while it is called to day Heb. 3. 13. And provoke one another unto love and to good works and so much the more as we see the day approaching Heb. 10. 24 25. Wicked men and the Children of the Devil have their go with us and do stir up one another in the way to Hell and shall not Saints edifie and build up one another in the most holy Faith Rom. 14. 19. 15. 2. 1 John 5. 11. Eph. 4. 26. 1 Cor. 14. 26. Jude 20. They that feared the Lord speak often one to another Mal. 3. 16. Christians ought and should spend that time in serious and profitable discourse which others spend and wast in idle and vain discourse Say with the man after Gods own heart Come all that fear God and I will tell you what he hath done for my Soul That which you have seen and heard you must declare to one another 1 John 3. 3. Hereby be helping forwards towards Heaven and comforting one another by the comforts wherewith our selves are comforted of God 2 Cor. 1. 4. When thou art converted strengthen thy Brethren Luke 22. 32. 4. We must do good to others by distributing to their outward wants and necessities and hereby lay up a treasure in Heaven before our treasure in Earth fail and we lose both Mat. 19. 21. This is to honour the Lord with your substance Prov. 3. 9. This is to make friends with the unrighteous Mammon and to provide your selves bags which wax not old a treasure in the Heaven that faileth not Luke 12. 33. This duty must not be forgotten Heb. 13. 16. because 't is a sowing of seed 2 Cor. 9. 6. and it will spring and bring forth a crop or harvest in this or the other world Eccl. 11. 1 6. God will not forget it Heb. 6. 10. The Lord Jesus will certainly reward it Mat. 25. 40. A well done from Christ hereafter will compensate all the service of well doers here Mat. 25. 31. 5. By labouring to keep up constant communiou with God in all holy duties Christians you may lose time in the very service of God if you are not careful therein to converse with him Take heed of a slight spirit in serious performances God looks upon the heart and most there Some serious preparation is necessary before you approach the presence of the high and holy God Joseph shav'd himself before he would come into Pharaohs presence Let your heaven-born souls in every duty with the love-sick Spouse go out to meet your Lord and taken up with nothing else 'T is not the picture of the husband but the presence of the husband that can satiate the truely loving longing spouse It is a blessed sight to see souls working towards
you will be eternally undone Whilst it is called to day if you will hear his voice harden not your hearts Do not spend so freely of this swift and precious stream of Time every drop of which hath an influence upon Eternity Knowing the time that now it is high time to awake out of sleep The night is far spent the day is at hand cast off therefore the work of darkness and put on the Armour of light Let us walk honestly as in the Day not in Rioting and Drunkenness not in Chambering and Wantonness not in Strife and Envying but put you on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the Flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof Rom. 13. 12 13 14. 6. If Time and every part and moment of it must be improved this serves to confute those that reproach serious diligence in Duty as a needless thing If the business of our immortal soul did not require great care and diligence why doth Paul here enjoyn us to walk circumspectly not as fools but as wise Christians 't is your wisdom to know your work and the time to do it There 's no trifling about eternity now is the day for the things of your peace let it not be hid from your eyes It will be very sad when you are passing into the other World to see that you have all your life time been sowing the wind Use 2. Examination Try whether you are redeemers of time or not Reflect upon what I have said and thy Conscience will tell thee thou hast spent more of thy time in sin and vanity How fruitful are thy duties Are thy hours for God Do Time and Duty go hand in hand Maist thou not cry out many a time Diem perdidi daily I lose a day Examine your selves don't silence stop the mouth of Conscience if so it will cry aloud another day Let me ask you these few questions 1. Have you seriously bewail'd the loss of time and begg'd the pardon of it 2. Have your souls sincerely closed with Jesus Christ and freely and fully given up and resigned your selves to him to be his for ever 3. Do the great concerns of Gods glory and your salvation bear down all before them Canst thou say though I follow my Calling and take care for my Family yet I am most solicious about my everlasting condition whether they be pleasures or profits I can say Pleasures of sin be gone world stand by There is a God to serve and honour I have a soul must be sanctified and saved I have a short time to redeem I have a debt to pay an account to give a Sentence to receive an Eternity to live This is not to be slighted I must and will save my soul Hell iI most intollerable and eternal 4. Will you now promise and stand to it that for the future you will trade more for eternity and get better evidences for Heaven Go about the work of Faith and repentance speedily lest death should call and you not ready Use 3. Of Lamentation That Professors should bo so far from redeeming of time or of doubling their diligence that they neglect their duty I may cry out with the Prophet call for the mourning women for who is not guilty in this kind Amos 5. 16. Sirs for this should our souls mourn in secret places the serious consideration of which is enough to fetch blood from our hearts and flood of tears from our eyes How little care is taken in spending that well which when it is gone we have no hope it can be restored to us again Do not you complain of the want of time seeing you waste time There are many poor frivolous excuses the Servant will say that he hath a hard cruel Master the wife complains of her wicked Husband the Child of his Ungodly Father another of the poverty of his Family he can spare no time Whoever pretends the want of time let me tell thee Thou hast a carnal dead sinful slothful heart the cause of all Hast thou not time for every other thing namely a time for eating drinking sleeping potting piping playing and none for Heaven Can you rise early go to bed late and eat the bread of carefulness to get the meat that perisheth and find no time for God and your Souls will this excuse thee another day thou careless ignorant deluded soul Your Corn Cattel your Sheep your Swine your Hawks your Horses and Dogs are cared for but for the better part there 's no care at all Wilt thou tell the great and terrible Judge at the last day I would have been saved but I had no time There are many that eat their bread by the sweat of their brows that take time for their souls who will be brought in as witnesses against you at the last day Will you squander away your time and the days evil and opportunities for your souls hardly come at O consider it 's high time to awake out of sleep Exhortation to redeem Time Use 4. You have heard what it is to redeem time and how time must be redeemed Now let all resolve without delay to put this so necessary a Duty into practise Let young ones resolve upon it and the middle-aged with the hoary-heads Tender unto thy God the cream and flower of thy age and time and think it not too soon In things of far less moment you are for hast and speed If you were starving for want of bread you would think every hour long till you had a supply If your bodies were tortured and tormented with pain and sickness would you think that ease and health might come too soon If a man were in the Sea near sinking can a Boat come to soon Or can a condemned Malefactor receive his pardon too soon hast thou lived without God and Satan's Slave and in danger of dropping into Hell fifteen or twenty years and canst thou get into Christ to secure thy immortal soul too soon Hast thou not been the Devils too long already Suppose thou hadst dyed in thy Christless state where had thy soul been Is is not better to be the Lord's servant then Satan's Slave Ask the Godly man that hath made tryal and he will tell thee The sooner thou art in a state of Grace the fitter thou wilt be for glory Make speed in thy work do thy spiritual business thy wages is sure and thou shalt be blessed Consider there was never any one repented living or dying that they were the Lords and converted betimes And for you that have past the time of youth in the satisfying youthful lusts and liv'd it may be thirty forty or fifty years in a course of sin and vanity is it not more then time for you to bethink your selves In so many years you have made sad work who can tell how often you have offended that have been profane Swearers Drunkards Lyars Sabbath-breakers so long if you were certain of living so many years to come yet the Devil the
dying men and passing to receive the recompence of endless Joy or Wo. Christians if you would work while it is day If you would glorifie God on Earth If you would secure and eternally save your immortal souls If you would not be a prey to the Prince of Darkness If you would stand with comfort before the Lord Jesus at his dreadful Bar If you would not spend your days without hope Arise therefore and be doing and the Lord be with you Deut. 32. 29. O that they were Wise that they understood this that they would consider their latter end IT is always seasonable to insist on such subjects as direct us to speak of another world especially in time of great Sickness and Mortality in which thousands of souls night and day have been crowding into Eternity witness the late dreadful Plague in sixty five I therefore made choice of this serious and heart-wakening subject that drowsie secure souls might be awakened to a deep consideration of the world to come The whole Chapter is stiled the Song of Moses his Swan-like Song or Song before his death the dying words of that eminent faithful servant of God and if the words of a dying man are to be regarded how much the words of a dying Moses This Moses being ready to go into the other world composeth this song of which the Text is apart and dying words are weighty and make the deepest impression This song is partly Narratory Minatory Promissory In the Narrative you have 1. A Narration of the infinite greatness and most glorious attributes of the God of Israel introduced with a pathetical and awakening acclamation Give ear O ye Heavens and I will speak and hear O Earth the words of my mouth 2. We have a Narration of their corruption ingratitude and rebellion verse 5. 6. They have corrupted themselves they are a perverse and crooked generation do ye thus requite the Lord O foolish people and unwise Notwithstanding the remarkable favours and rare indulgence of God toward them yet they forsook him provoked him to jealousie with strange Gods and sacrificed to Devils and not unto God Vers 16. 17. Because of which he threatens 1. To hide his face from them then which nothing more bitter to the soul Ver. 20. 2. To inflict variety of sore temporal judgements upon them then which nothing more burthensome to the body I will heap mischief upon them I will spend mine Arrows upon them they shall be burnt with hunger and devoured with burning heat and with bitter destruction the sword without and terrour within shall destroy both the young man and the Virgin with a man of gray hairs for a fire is kindled in mine anger and shall burn to he lowest Hell And Vers 27. God gives the reason why he would not utterly destroy them and make a full end of them Were it not that I feared the wrath of the envying c. And now the words of the Text seem to be the Application of the whole O that they would consider their latter end You may look upon these words as it were a Mount cast up by which the people of Israel might take a view of things to come and have a prospect of what should befal them in their latter end O that they were wise to be wise is opposit to that brutishness ver 28. They were a Nation â—oid of counsel for they wanted the right exercise of reason and that wisdom which is from above to observe and improve the gracious providences and dispensations of God That they would consider Consideration is a fixed act of the understanding or mind in order to practice for doing and considering are frequently joyned together Judg. 18. 14. Now therefore consider what ye have to do Heb. 10. 27. Let us consider one an other to provoke unto love and good works The same thing is variously expressed in Scripture viz. to look narrowly upon a thing to call to mind to know and consider in ones heart to call things to remembrance to commune with a mans heart Psal 77. 5 6. Their latter end By which we are not only to understand those tremendous and desolating judgements that should surprize them in this world but to remember the great things of the other as also old age death the grave erernity death with its antecedents concomitants and consequences The words contain a pathetical Option or wish O that they were wise In which observe 1. The person wishing viz. the most great and gracious God 2. The thing desired and that is Divine Wisdom a Jawel indeed a price far above Rubies 3. The person for whom God thus desireth viz. for Israel a people nigh unto the Lord and yet a bruitish inconsiderate and unwise people O that they were wise c. 4. What this wisdom is or wherein it doth consist viz. in the consideration of their latter end The Doctrines observable from the words are these Doct. 1. That God doth earnestly desire and long for the good of a people Doct. 2. That an inconsiderate people are a foolish and unwise people Doct. 3. That want of serious consideration is incident not only to the prophane but to men professing God and Godliness The Israelites were the onely Church of God then in the World and yet they were not wise to understand and consider their latter end I shall not handle these apart but speak to the chief scope and intent of the words in this one proposition Doct. That it is a duty and matter of high concernment to consider our latter end O that they were wise that they would consider viz. practically consider and live always in the belief of the other world so as to do up all their work while it is day This seems to be the great import of the spirit of God in this Text. Eternal souls whatever escapeth your thoughts this must not this should be your vade mecum It should rise up with you lye down with you walk with you where-ever you go are This Moses himself that precious and renowned servant of God desir'd seeing such a dreadful mortality in the Wilderness and so many sad spectacles of Divnie wrath Psal 90. 10. So teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom And as Moses desir'd it so also holy David Psal 39. 4. Lord make me to know my end and the measure of my days what it is that I may know how frail I am And Solomon sets a better upon it Eccles 7. 2. It is better to go to the House of mourning then to the House of Feasting for that is the end of all men and the living will lay it to his heart And it is an Argument that men are dead when at a House of mourning they are not moved with compassion to a due and deep consideration of their doleful and dying condition I shall come now to show you what we are to consider concerning our latter end and O that it may
Heaven Heaven will be your place and home but if you live and dye towards Hell Hell will be your place and home For according to your doing in this World will be your doom in the World that is to come 2 Cor. 5. 10. And is it not sad and dreadful to believe that you have precious never dying souls and do not know whether they shall be sav'd or damn'd stand or fall live or die to all Eternity And yet this is the case of thousands and millions of men and women now in the World that are making post hast to Hell and think and hope they are in the way toward Heaven Prov. 16. 25. 6. Consider How near you are to your everlasting habitation You are all going down amain the stream of time into the great Ocean and you will shortly come thither There 's not a step you step nor a breath you draw not a word you speak not a moment of time you live but hath an influence upon Eternity These golden sands running between two Eternities will quickly be gone a short race will be soon run O what a nothing is our life viz. a span a dream a wind a shadow a vapour a post swifter then a post Job 7. 6. You are all going to your long and last home to the house of Eternity every man goeth to his long home Ecel 12. 5. How doth he go he goeth swiftly always in motion night and day sleeping and walking labouring or loytering this post hastens time and tide stays not Again he goeth insensibly man doth not discern or perceive how his precious time doth fly from him the shadow on the Dial passeth from one hour or figure to another from the Sun rising to its setting though its speedy transient motion is not observed So man passeth from infancy to Child-hood from child-hood to youth from youth to middle age and so to old age and the Grave and we take little or no notice of it Again he goeth irresistably neither men nor Angels Physick or Physitian can keep him here it is as easie to obstruct the whole course of Nature or to hinder Gods Covenant of day and night a man may as well restrain the Sun from rising the Sea from flowing or the wind from blowing as keep man from dying and going to the place appointed for all living We are but of yesterday Job 8. 9. It was but as it were yesterday and we were in the womb of nothing had no being and it will be but as it were to morrow and we shall disappear and be as to this world as if we had never been We are crushed before the moth Job 4. 19. And in a moment we go down to the Grave and shall come up no more Yea our Pictures and Statues remain fresh and firm when we are gone down to the Bars of the pit and rest together in the dust and our very Dogs Horses live when we are dead and become meat for worms This heart-affecting meditation had a very great influence on a great Persian King who taking a view of his huge vast Army wept to think that within a hundred years not one man of them would be left alive Sinners you are to look beyond the grave because after death the judgment Heb. 9. 27. O then tremble to consider that you are all this day standing before the door of Eternity either on the brink of life or the brink of death upon the borders of heaven or the mouth of hell and shall ere long be made to see what is on the other side of the wall as soon as death hath shut your eyes you shall see and know what you shall be for ever If you are now unconverted and without God in the World you are almost come within the sight of the burning Lake of Fire and Brimstone but if Saints you are almost within the view of the New Jerusalem if Ungodly Sinners you are almost within the dreadful noise of the Mile-stones of wrath and the ratlings of the fiery chains of the Prisoners of Hell the dolorous out-cries and hideous roarings of the spirits in prison crying out one and all O what an evil and an infinite evil and bitter bitter thing is sin which we would not consider or believe till we came to this dismal place of torment There you may hear the cursed tormented unbeliever crying out upon his God-provoking Christ-rejecting and soul-murdering sin of infidelity saying in the anguish of his soul If I had accepted of the remedy I had not been in this doleful misery the Lord of Glory was at the door I heard him knock a long time but would not let him in therefore is Hells mouth shut upon me for ever There the Swearers Liars Blasphemers that did tear and rend the sacred name of their Creator and swear by the blood and wounds of their offered Redeemer are heard with their hot and scorched tongues to bewail that ever they should take the name of the infinite Holy God in vain There the hypocritical and false-hearted professors the sinners in Sion cry out and wish that either they had made no shew of love to Christ and Holiness at all or that they had lov'd him in sincerity and above all that so they might have escaped everlasting burnings There the impudent ranting swinish Drunkard that pleas'd his eye and pallate with his pleasant cups sparkling Wine and cursed Companions is heard to wish in the Agony of his soul O that I had been sober temperate abstemious that so I might not have tasted of the Wine of the wrath of God which is red and full of mixture the dregs whereof I must be made to drink forever Psal 75. 8. Isa 5. 22. There the filthy unclean Adulterers and Adulteresses that burn'd in their Hellish lusts which they were resolved to satisfie are heard to wish O that we had been sober modest chaste and that our wanton lustful eyes had been stark blind and never known or seen the face of man or woman that we might not have suffered the vengeance of eternal fire Jude 7. There the notoriously vile abominable Atheists that mockt and scoft at the belief of a Deity and judgement to come and that said in the pride and stoutness of their hearts let him make speed and hasten his work that we may see it for we have made a Covenant with death and with Hell are we at agreement may be heard to roar and cry O that we had heard believed and feared what was fore-told by Ministers concerning this dark and dreadful place before it was too late There the worlding and wretched Earth-worm that made Earth his Heaven gold his God and chiefest good is heard to say in the grief of his heart O that I had never seen either Gold of Silver all my days so that I might have had a better portion or that I had with Lazarus beg'd my bread so that I might not have come into this place of torment There the
Eternity O let not London nor England forget that and other tremendous judgments which our sins have called for lest a worse then any yet should come upon us The forgetting of our latter end is a deadly and provoking sin and that which will hasten judgement Her filthiness it in her skirts she remembred not her last and therefore she came down wonderfully she had no comforter Lam. 1. 9. 8. Consider That where death cometh to strike the stroake your souls are stated your Eternity is cast without change for ever Then your immortal souls are for salvation or damnation for an eternal life or eternal death for an eternal heaven or an eternal hell You sadly besotted souls know and remember while you have a day before the golden threed of life be cut that if you be found without Christ Faith Repentance Holiness but a moment after death you are undone to Eternity After death all means and hopes fail there is no work or device in the grave Eccles 9. God will be then irreconcilable sin unpardonable heaven not attainable and your souls lost irrecoverably And then the Devil your bloody adversary will have his designe upon you he knoweth that if you be his in life and death that you are his forever and that he and you shall never part Sinners this is certain as the tree falleth so it lyeth as is the seed so will be the harvest if you do the Devils work you must have the devils wages if you march under the command and conduct of the Prince of Darkness and suffer him to lead and hurry you hither and thither at his will whil'st you live you will be his prisoners and slaves in that dreadful dungeon of dismal darkness after you are dead Consider the Land of darkness is no place for service there 's no repenting in the grave no Lord have mercy on us written upon Hell Gates no Sabbaths no Sermons no Ministers there 'T is in the time of life that you are to labour and make preparation for life eternal because according to your work and choice in this world will be your everlasting lot in the world that is to come It is appointed for you once to dye and after death the judgement Heb. 9. 7. The pale horse death goeth before and hell followeth after Rev. 6. 8. there will be no change of your condition the eternal ruine or eternal welfare of your precious souls depends on those few minutes this swift stream of mans life after it once turneth or declineth ever runneth with a perpetual ebb never floweth again so that all that you leave undone now will be undone for ever If you die unbeleivers you will be unbeleivers for ever if you dye under the guilt and power of sin and wrath of God you will remain under the guilt of sin and wrath of God for ever but if you dye holy humble mortified sincere souls you will remain holy heavenly and in the favour of God for ever Rev. 21. He that is filthy will be filthy still and he that is holy will be holy still but the inpenitent unpardoned sinner though he live a hundred or a thousand years in satisfying his lust will be accurst at last Poor sinners that read this little Treatise let me beg you to up and be doing while it is day the night will come wherein you not no man can work John 9. 4. Then to your work with might and main while your candle is burning your Sun shining will you yet loiter and see your glass running your Sun setting your selves dying and your souls perishing O seek the Lord while he may be found Isa 55. 5. in an acceptable time 2 Cor. 6. 2. before the day pass as the chaff before the decree bring forth before the evil day cometh before they that look out of the windows be dark and the keepers of the house begin to tremble before the doors be shut in the streets and the silver cord be loosed or the Pitcher broken at the fountain before you are gone to your long home and the spirit return'd to God that gave it Consider with your selves are your fit to grapple with this mighty Monarch death are you fraughted for this long Voyage and ready and willing to pass through this dark Entry take heed and feare lest you be found unfit Think on the sadly deluded Virgins that had their Oyl to buy when their Lamps should burn and so came to the door but found it shut think upon poor Esan that was hunting for Vienson while he lost the blessing Poor perishing souls what do you intend to do if you will work it must be now or never Are you resolved to seek and secure the Kingdome of God first Mat. 6. 23. whilst it is called to day or will you bestow nothing but dregs and snuffs of rotten old age upon God and your immortal souls O that you might know in this your day the things which belong to your Peace before they be hid from your eyes 9. Lastly consider That it is the most dreadful and amazing sight on this side hell to see a Christless unbeleiver breathing out his last There are other sad sights viz. to see a man starving for want of bread or dying for want of a physitian or drowning for want of a boat or to see a man dead a dead corps a body without a soul but ah how sad and astonishing a spectacle is it to see a man near the coasts of Eternity viz. to behold a wretched sinner in his cold sweats and dying groanes with his precious immortal soul standing on his pale cold quivering lips and death the great Conqueror and the King of terrors marching furiously with his Writ of remove in one hand not to be reverst and his deadly dart and sting in the other hand conscience on the rack barking biting and tearing him like a Lyon the Devil Gods Executioner looking on and standing by the heart under dejecting and sinking despair the eyes dim and fixed his heart-strings ready to break with anguish his Wife Children Friends at the bed-side weeping sighing crying wringing their hands beating their breasts the Wife crying out alas my Husband the Child crying out alas my Father The poor perishing soul all this while looking backward upon his mispent time and by-past sins inward upon his own heart a dreadful sight where he seeth no Christ no grace no purity nothing but sin guilt death darkness Then looking upward to that God that hath been provoked to that Christ that hath been rejected to that Heaven and Eternity that he hath lost and looking down-ward to that dark and dreadful pit that must be his place and portion with a fearful looking for of judgement seeing the Devils come and ready to seiz upon him O what a dreadful out-cry and shriek will the soul make when it departs perceiving it self sinking down down to the burning lake and bottomless pit where he must take up his lodging with devouring
fire to all Eternity The pangs of death the worlds loss anguish of Conscience frights of hell meeting together will make a man perfectly miserable and force him to cry out with cursed Cain Gen. 4. 13. My punishment is greater then I can bear or to say with the sadly afflicted Church behold no sorrow like unto my sorrow And if the dreadful reflection of a guilty accusing conscience be so tormenting here what will the whole flame and Sea of wrath be when poured out to the very utmost Sensless sinners Consider this may be your doleful case when you come to die viz. to have much sorrow and wrath with your sickness Eccl. 5. 17. For there is no is peace to the wicked saith my God not one word in all the Bible but speaks terrour in life and death though the sinner live a hundred years he shall be accurst he dieth under the curses written in God's Book yea under that most dreadful Gospel curse 1 Cor. 16. 22. The apprehension of which will cause such distraction of spirit and sad reflection of guilt which will make them curse their God and their King looking down to the pit roaring out Who among us shall dwell with devouring fire who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings Therefore be wise to consider this all ye that forget God lest he tear you in peeces and there be none that can deliver Psal 50. 22. And as it is dreadful and amazing to see the unbeleiver dying so on the contrary 't is comfortable and reviving to see the godly man dying because his ultimum is his optimum his last is his best the day of his death is better then the day of his birth Eccl. 7. 1. His end is peace Psal 37. 37. God at peace Conscience at peace and all at peace O blessed sight to see the heaven born panting soul going out of the world upon the wings of joy calmness and serenity of spirit with full sail for heaven longing and crying out make no tarrying O my God haste my beloved haste so come Lord Jesus I desire to depart and to be with Christ which is best of all Phil. 1. 23. You have heard what are the great things to be considered namely that an end will certainly be this world is no place of continuance they that now see you ere long will see you no more for ever You have heard that your present things will perish that sin so full of deadly poyson will leave a sting a dart that will strike through your Liver and that the case of the wicked will be doleful dreadful yea desperate when they come to dye for when death comes your souls then will be stated so as there can be no alteration to all Eternity The next thing is to speak to the reasons why it is a duty and matter of such moment to consider are these following Reas 1. Is taken from God Because the only wise gracious most indulgent and soulcompassionating God wisheth it and that most vehemently O that they were wise that they understood this that they would consider their latter end Sirs in this pathetical Option or desire there is the very tender bowels of God this is the very language of his heart and it is as if he had after the manner of men spoken thus to his faithful servant Moses I have but one wish or request and all is comprehended in this one viz. that thou shouldst go and tell them from me that they must be wise to consider this to remember the dayes of old and the years of many Generations what I have done for them in chusing them above all the Nations of the world to be my treasure portion and peculiar people and because I love them I have delivered them wrought wonders for them in Egypt the Red Sea and in the wilderness and have kept them as tenderly as the apple of mine eye carrying them upon Eagles wings but yet let them know that they have forgotten me provoked me and that their end is like to be miserable for afire is kindled in mine anget and unless they do speedily consider it will burn to the lowest hell Now you souls in peril which is best to thwart cross and greive your well-wishing dearest best and only friend or to please and geatifie your prosessed deadly implacable enemy your adversary the Devil can't endure that you should think of death or dying for if Satan that old Serpent would permit and suffer you to look into hell he could neither drag nor draw you thither at his pleasure And will you go on in the wayes of sin and death or bethink your selves whose you are what you have done whither you are going and what is like to become of you when your breath is gone what provision you have made for your other world that so the great business between God and your souls may be made up Sinners if the infinitely holy just and righteous God did desire or designe your ruine and destruction he would not have excited you to this solemn and serious consideration of the end of sin death and Eternity until it were too late and you left without remedy so that what is here intended hath a tendency to make you happy if it be regarded O that they were wise c. Reas 2. Because a deep serious and heart-affecting consideration of death and the grave will both realize it and represent it as near even at the door and make it to stand in open view Whereas things looked upon at a distance whether they be good or whether they be evil have but a little if any influence Now a fixed and hearty consideration will give as it were a being to future things and bring them near so that you may really converse with those things A truly godly man that hath a veiw of unseen things by divine contemplation here upon the wings of faith and hope he may ascend up into heaven and walk a turn in the golden streets of the New Jereusalem as the Prophet Ezekiel was in the Visions of God at Jerusalem in his mind when his body was by the River Chebar among the Captives in the Land of the Chaldeans so likewise those sadly wounded spirits who through fear of death are all their life-time subject to bondage being exercis'd with soul-conflicts and under powerful cutting and killing convictions of sin and misery or have such dark and dismal thoughts and apprehensions of hell and the wrath of God which make them ever and anon to enter into the Chambers of death and visit the prisoners of the pit and look upon that black guilt and fiery furnace to be so near that they are on the brink of it falling down continually This hath been the case of many of Gods precious ones who are now in heaven above all these fears and frights that were once more bitter then death And O how many travailing with these pangs and agonies of soul are ready to
cry out with holy Job Chap. 6. 4. The arrowes of the Almighty are within me the poyson whereof drinketh up my spirit the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me Such is the nature of meditation or consideration that it will cause future and remote things to have a real powerful and deep impression on our minds As for instance A Merchant in India by his meditation or contemplation may converse with his Affairs his Wife Children and Friends in England or a Merchant that 's walking on the Exchange in London may have his mind and thoughts in Spain or Italy or else where a Malefactor cast into Prison for some notorious Crime may long before the Assizes converse with all the sad circumstances of his tryal he may in his thoughts see him self brought to the bar standing before a terrible Judge to heare his indictment read the Charge prov'd his doom and sentence pronounced and see as it were himself at the place of his execution with the rope about his neck which must immediately hang him and if you would in good earnest set your selves to consider your latter end you may really and heart-affectingly converse with old Age Weakness Sickness your death-Bed short-Breathing cold sweats dying Pangs and Groans Winding-sheets Coffins and see your selves as it were streched out nail'd up and on the shoulders of men carrying to the grave where Worms and filthy Vermine must feed upon you The Servants of God and Saints of old have done this with great success soul advantage and so should you They have reckoned or counted their Lives by dayes because they were every day liable to Death and expected it daily Teach us to number our dayes said Moses Psal 90. 12. Few and evil have the dayes of my life been said old Jacob. For man that is born of a woman is of few dayes Job 1. 1 5. All the time of which said Job will I wait till my change come Job 14. 14. For I know that thou wilt bring me to death and to the house a dark house appointed for all living And Chapter the 17. 1. he said my breath is corrupt my dayes are extinct the Graves are ready for me where-ever he went or came he was looking for a Grave Again by consideration we may not only look to the Grave but beyond it to the great Transactions and astonishing things that shall be after death We may converse with the worlds burning Christ's coming the Trumpets sounding the Graves opening the Deads rising the Wickeds roaring who as jolly as they are shall then cry to dead and deaf Mountains and Rocks to fall on them to hide them from the dreadful face of the now slighted Son of God for in that great day of his fierce and terrible wrath they will not be able to stand Rev. 6. 16. 17. By realizing this consideration we may see the Judge standing behind the door and the Son of God as it were ready to break forth out of the Clouds with power and great Glory as Hierom did who said whether I eat or drink I hear this voice in mine ears Arise ye dead and come to judgement Now if a right consideration of the great things to come be so penetrating and heart-awakening let death which alwayes doggeth you at your heels be often upon your thoughts your heads and hearts too should be much upon it every night you lye down and every morning you arise let there be some serious and awful thoughts of death and Eternity That which many have engraven on their Rings viz Remember to dye let it be by the Pen of a Diamond written on your hearts It 's storied of Philip of Macedon that he laid a charge upon one of his servants to come every morning into his chamber and proclame this that he was mortal and if a Heathen were so careful of keeping the memory of his mortality much more should a Christian we should alwayes remember the dayes of darkness and keep life and death heaven and hell before us there being but a step between us and death The neglect and want of this was Israels sin and Jerusalems too She did not remember her last and therefore she came down wonderfully Lam. 1. 9. And this God who would have us remember and consider doth sadly complain ofby the Prophet Isa 1. 3. calling heaven and earth to witness for him Hear O heavens and give ear O earth the Oxe knoweth his owner and the Ass his Masters crib but Israel doth not know my people do not consider Reas 3. A serious consideration of your latter end through grace will prove an absolute and soveraign Antidote to expel the greatest evil yea a means to escape an infinite loss viz. sin and the dreadful effects and consequences of it What is the cause of that inundation and sea of wickedness and most prodigious sins that are now in the world and in this Nation in every City Town and Place and in the most Families among all ranks and degrees of men viz. Magistrates Ministers People Parents Children Masters Servants but this their not duly and deeply considering their latter end this we find laid down in the word of God to be one main ground of all sin and of the neglect of all duties You careless souls did you beleive and remember that you must die and come to judgement that your naked souls and naked sins must shortly stand before the most tremendous direful Judge of quick and dead the reflection hereof would be as a knife at your throats as a sword at your breast or as a hand-writing on the wall to retard and hinder your constant and desperate course of wickedness O what horrid hellish outrages are now committed and that deliberality impudently obstinately even against the light of nature Conscience Scripture What Cursing Lying Swearing Blaspheming Sabbath-breaking Cheating Couzening Stealing what wantonness filthiness uncleanness swinish drunkenness covetousness earthly-mindedness what mocking scoffing wrath envy malice pride passion and spiritual wickedness too as unbeleif a theism impenitency hypocrisie apostacy hatred of God his people ministers wayes and ordinances every where aboundeth Men declare their sins like Sodom and are not ashamed of the unfruitful works of darkness and why but because they doe not set their minds and hearts upon their latter end Poor dying sinners Let me out of tender compassion to your bleeding and almost sinking souls intreat you as for the Lords sake to goe down to the grave to go down to hell in your thoughts and stop here and think of the King of terrours the worm of Conscience the approach of Devils the burning lake the bottomless pit the loss of God of Christ of Heaven and your precious souls remember those fiery scorching endless flames the presence and company of Devils Reprobates and damned spirits and your sweet morsels will be gall and wormwood to you these amazing things being truly reflected on will be as lightning in your eyes as thunder
all these things and stand before the Son of man Luk. 21. 36. Neither doth our dear Lord Jesus press that on us which he did not practice for being sensible of the bitter and most dreadful cup of his Fathers wrath prayed Father if it be possible let this cup pass Matth 26. 39. Sinners let me tell you as secure and sensless as you are an awakning impression of approaching death and judgement upon your souls would be as the cry at midnight to excite and stir you up to get in your Oyle and to trim your lamp The Virgins both wise and foolish were all asleep and secure enough until that sudden and amazing cry was heard behold the Bridegroom cometh go you forth to meet him Math. 26. 6. Then they all arose and trimmed their Lamps 'T is the storm and rain that hastens the Bee into the Hive that brings the Traveller into his Inn the Ship into the Hare bour so likewise the sense of death the dead and drousie Professor unto his prayer in their afflictions they will seek me early Hos 5. 15. Anh eart-affecting meditation of unchangeable eternity will be as a voice from the clouds crying hast sinner hast post hast hast as for thy life in the work of faith and repentance in parting with sin and closing with Jesus Christ without which there will be no hope Noah was moved with fear and prepared and got into the Ark to the saving of his house when the secure deluded world died by the deluge Heb. 11. 7. Knowing the terrour of the Lord we perswade men 2 Cor. 5. 11. You wretched sinners that will not beleive or consider until you are just dropping into the pit if you had but a little cranny to look into the other world how violent and resolute would you be in the speedy prosecution of your known duty you would examine prove and try your selves you would read hear meditate watch pray repent fear love obey more then ever Did you see the night will come is coming and that the dayes of darkness shall be many whatsoever you do you would do it with your might Eccl. 9. 10. Now before the decree bring forth before the day pass as the chaff before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you seek ye the Lord for how shall you escape if you neglect so great salvation Zeph. 2. 23. Heb. 2. 3. Reas 5. You are to consider your latter and because there lyeth your highest wisdom O that they were wise c. If you would be so wise as to exceed all the Wise men great Statists and Polititians in the world it must be in considering of and preparing for your end Sirs in this you are most concerned because hereby you will promote your own interest for it will make a man profitable to himself wise for himself Job 22. 2. Prov. 9. 12. 'T is true wisdome to understand this viz. to be wise to that which is good Rom. 16. 19. to be wise in Christ to secure the cheifest good is the best wisdom There are many worldly wise men who while they live provide for every thing but death and they are often ready to dye before they begin to live in a spiritual sense and is it not a very unfit and sad season to prepare for death when it s a burden to live And indeed such are the many evils attending old age that men can have no pleasure in them Eccl. 12. 1 And shall these be accounted the only wise men that are but wise in their Generation to get the world to pursue lying vanities and forsake their own mercies to hew out cisterns broken cisterns rhat can hold no water and forsake the fountain of living water this is to prefer Pebbles before Pearls to gain Larth and to lose Heaven Jer. 2. 13. Jonah 2. 8. Math. 16. 26. To be happy for a time and miserable to eternity True wisdom and serious consideration is exercised about things good evil yea it is conversant about the best good how it may attain it and about the worst evil how it may impede avoid and escape it chusing the most adequate and effectual means to bring it to pass This excellent divine wisdom is proper and profitable to direct Prov. 10. 10. and so it doth every considering godly man while he lives firstly and firmly to secure that which he hath of greatest value viz. a precious soul more worth then any thing he stands possessed of If all the Rocks were Pearls all the earth and Heaven Gold or if all the water in the vast Ocean were converted into Crystal or the most precious stones in the world and put all into one scale and the soul into the other scale the soul would weigh it all down Our dear Lord tells us that the gaining of the whole world is an invaluable consideration to the loss of our soul Math. 16. So that he must be wise indeed that hath gotten a Cabinet for this rare incomparable Jewel where it will be for ever safe He that winneth souls is wise saith the wisest of a meer man Prov. 11. 30 and sure then he is so that saves his own Again he that considereth his end is in the very way to procure and make the best friend that will certainly stand him in stead to purpose and in the greatest peril viz. God Christ Angels Saints Conscience Scripture his real friends When once the breach is made up between God and the poor soul who can harm or hurt it If God be for us who can be against us Rom. 8. I will lay me down and sleep in peace Psa 14. 8. Moreover he provideth against the greatest wants by the laying up for a spending time There was not a man to be found in all Egypt so wise as Joseph who fore-seeing their want filled the store-houses against the years of Famine He that gathereth his meat in the Summer saith Solomon is wise Prov. 10. 5. Consider the time of youth is your Summer old-age a sick-bed is not a gathering but a spending time and you are not wise wise towards God wise for your precious soules that do not make it your business to Trade and lay up a stock and store against that time Many a silly soul like the wanton Grashopper leaps and ckips chirps and sings all the Summer and when the Winter cometh perisheth for want But the truly serious and considering soul like the laborious Bee or Ant toils and labours in the Summer And that man might put off sloth and learn his duty and so provide for time to come Solomen sends him to the Ant Go to the Ant thou sluggard consider her wayes and be wise which provideth her meat in the Summer and gathereth her food in Harvest Prov. 6. 6 8. And so the wise in heart that trade for eternity lay up the best supplies against the evil day which are the favour of God an interest in Christ pardon of sin peace of conscience a stock of
and your dear never-dying souls bound fettered and chained in that direful painful prison of hell is matter of the greatest wonder in all the world Have you not cause to doubt that many of your neighbours relations and sinful companions accquaintance are gone down thither it may be some of those you least suspect And you know not how many are now in flames for the very same sins that you stand guilty of if not less sinners then your selves O admire and bless God with your whole souls that you are yet on this side the grave and not gone down into that place of torment you enjoy many opportunities for your souls and are still exhorted to part with sin to turn to God to accept of Christ to think of death and hell that so you might never see it or feel it for there is much more in the paines of hell and wrath of God then ever you heard or can imagine According to thy fear said Moses so is thy wrath Psal 90. 11. Poor sinners you are still the living Monuments of infinite kindness and therefore let not the living man complain Suppose you had dyed when death seemed neer when you were sick and weak ready to give up the ghost or when those many thousands dyed by the Plague or Sword in what a miserable condition had your souls been to be shut up with Devils and damned spirits in that Lake that burneth with fire and brimstone And will you still maintain your enmity encrease iniquity and even dare God to damn you Sinners are you not besides your selves yea stark mad to make God that should be your best friend your worst fo for if his anger be kindled but a little it will burn to the lowest hell and none can quench it or stand before it Can thine heart endure or thine hands be strong in the day that I shall deal with thee Ezek. 22. 14. Who can dwell with devouring fire who would saith the Lord set the bryars and thorns against me in battel I would go through them I would burn them up together Isa 27. 4. O when will you come to your selves and throw away your arms and consider your souls or will you not be saved when shall it once be why will you dye Let these cords of love draw you and cause you to say Behold we come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God Consider others dreadful ruine hath been your warning that are now lockt up in that dark dungeon and shall come up no more and whom the Devils are now tormenting the worm biting and the fire burning You are at present free from that boyling Chaldron and in the Land of the Living O praise praise the Lord for his long-suffering you being but as it were under a repreive O prize and improve your life and timely prepare for death for if thy life were ended thy soul seperated and not peace with God made thou wert an undone soul There 's no place for repentance in the Grave no Christ or pardon to be obtained in hell Bless God your glass runeth your Lamp burneth the day of grace is yet continued your dear Lord is upon the Mercy-seat therefore there is hope Vse 2. This justly reprehendeth all that flight or neglect this great duty but especially these three sorts neither of which do seriously consider their latter end Viz. 1. The insolent Atheistical Sensualists 2. The Ignorant and considerate 3. The Self confident presumptuous 1. It condemneth Atheistical sensualists that put the evil day far from them Amos 6. 3. and who drown or banish the awful thoughts of God Death and Eternity out of our minds and hearts They take the Timbrel and Harp and rejoyce at the sound of the Organ and say unto God depart from us for we desire not the knowledg of thy wayes Job 21. 12 24. God is not in all their thoughts Psal 10. 14. They are resolved for a short life and a merry what ever the dreadful issue They chant to the sound of the Viol and drink wine in bowls and eat the Lambs out of the flock and stretch themselves upon their Couches saying in their hearts as that wretch Luk. 12. 19. take thine ease eat drink and be merry they will satisfie their lusts injoy the pleasures of the flesh walk in the wayes of their heart and in the sight of their eyes and hereby they make the breach wider and themselves seven times more the children of the Devil though at last they sit down in everlasting sorrow Let us eat and drink for to morrow we dye You poor desperately deluded souls did you beleive what you have read and heard of the other world or what the Scripture of infalilble verity speaketh of the infinitely holy great and terrible God who will in no wise clear the guilty you would quickly change your Course did you now consider you must dye and be judged that in a very little time you which hear me this day must stand before the dreadful God would you sin so freely love the world so immoderately mock at a Deity jeer at serious piety neglect your Duty trifle away your time forget eternity and hazard those your precious souls as you have done and do Such Rake hels and devils incarnate the Apostle speaketh of 2 Pet. 3. 10. Know this first i. e. before the end of the world There shall come in the last dayes scoffers walking after their own lasts and saying where is the promise of his coming Nevertheless these Vipers vile miscreants and monsters in mens shape think that they are wise when indeed they have no understanding Wise they are but it is to do evil to cavil against the truth dispute against the life of holiness but to do good they have no knowledg Jer. 4. 22. This was Jerusalems great sin immediately before the fierce anger of the Lord came upon them and this is the sad and dreadful case of many yea thousands in the world and in these Nations notwithstanding all those awakening desolating providences and amazing spectacles of mortality their eyes have seen There are but a few that look upon themselves as concerned at all just like a company of simple sheep in a fat pasture The Butcher cometh and fetcheth one to Day another to morrow the rest feed on and take no notice of what is become of their lost companions 'T is as if a company of condemned persons reprievd for a time should be appointed to be executed one after another within the space of so many Dayes This Day the first in order is brought forth and executed the day following a second yet all the rest that are to take their turnes fall a Drinking Carding Singing Swearing and so continue to the very last until they be all Hang'd Dead and Damn'd We may compare this mad deluded world to a company of poor blind men dancing about the brink of a very dangerous deep pit but do not perceive it or see how
pretend to beleive these things we may see them as busie as a company of Ants in a sunny day and that the general course of men hath no tendency towards this end but indeed a sad and woeful incongruity 2. The second cause is want of spiritual and divine wisdom It was for want of that wisdom which is from above that the Israelites did not consider O that they were wise said God They are a Nation void of counsel neither is there any understanding in them Deut. 32. 28. If men were wise for their precious and eternal souls they would consider what is here to be done and what is like to be their condition in the other world The prudent man fore-seeth the evil or considereth the evil and hideth himself When God by the mouth of Moses threatned to plague the Egyptians by the Pestilence Haile and Fire he that beleived and feared the word of the Lord amongst the servants of Pharoah made his servants and cattel flee into the house and were preserved Exod. 9. 20. So the soul that is truly wise to consider of the danger of beingdestroyed by the grievous hail and fire of Gods wrath will flee into the hiding place viz. under the wing of the great and glorious Mediator where alone there is true succour But he that did not fear or consider of the danger left his servants and cattle in thâ— field and were destroyed Exod. 9. 21 25. 3. The third hindrance is sensuality worldly pleasures and cares these carry away the heart from the true consideration The Israelites confluence of creature-comforts caused them to forsake and to forget God Deut. 32. 14. 15 16 17 18. The old world was eating drinking marrying and giving in marriage not considering of their danger till the flood came and took them all away Matth. 24. 38 39. The men of the earth do so mind earthly things that their hearts are surfeited and drunken with the care of it Luke 21. 34. And while mens minds and thoughts are carri'd so vehemently after the world to make provision for their life they can think but little of their death Luk 12. 15 16 17 18. 4. The fourth obstruction is a plague upon the heart and desperate security proceeding from it No bonds next to death are so strong to keep men under as security and senslesness of Spirit So dead a sleep possesseth more of the ungodly world that they are past feeling and become so stark dead that the voice of God in the dreadful threatnings of his word and the alarum of his amazing tremendous judgement and desolating providences prevail not to awaken them The Lord hath poured out upon them the spirit of a deep sleep and hath in judgement closed their eyes that they can sin in the very face of the Judge at the very brink of hell at the very mouth and entrance into that great gulf of Eternity 5. A fifth hindrance to mens consideration of their latter end is a strong delusion of heart or satanical suggestions The old serpent and desperatively deluded hearts make them dream that God is all love that they shall have a long life that preparation for death and Eternity is a short work and that it may be done at any time namely when they have done with the world when they are old or lying on a sick bed They say in their hearts 't is but beleiving or repenting and saying Lord have mercy upon me let me die the death of the righteous Under this deadly delusion they dream of heaven and go laughing to hell 1 Thes 5. 3. And that which doth much encrease this stupidity may be the want of or neglect of a powerful and soul searching ministry whose office as watchmen is to foresee the danger and to warn and awaken secure sinners crying aloud to them in the name of the Lord Awake thou that sleepest arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light Ephes 5. 14. But som cannot endure that Ministers should be so severe plain and peircing in their Doctrin so as to thunder and lighten in the eyes and ears of sleepy souls They are well contented to sit under those that daub with untempered mortar and who sow pillows for their arm holes under whose ministry they may take a nap and sleep it out But they hate him that reproveth in the Gate that galls cuts and wounds their Consciences just like the gall'd-backt horse that bites and kicks at him that would heal him A person of no mean quality speaking his opinion of several ministers said such a man I can hear and such a one I can hear very well but for the third he mentioned that was wont to lay the ax to the root of the Tree and grapple with the heart I cannot endure to hear him for he alwayes grates upon my conscience 6. Men do not consider their latter end because they are afraid to do it 1. First to wanton sinners the remembrance of death is a bitter Pill that will not suffer the pleasures of sin to go down so sweetly Therefore they say to the thoughts of Death as the Governour to Paul Go thy way for this time when I have a convenient season I will send for thee Serious thoughts of death and Judgement to come as the hand-writing on the wall will damp the spirits and mar the mirth of the greatest Prince or gallant in the world 2. They fear to think of death because they have made no preparation for it viz They have not believed repented liv'd a life of holiness so as to make God their friend A bankrupt that oweth many hundred pounds more then he is worth is afraid to cast up his Accompts so poor and impenitent sinners that are indebted to God that owe him ten thousand talents are unwilling to think of death because death will say unto them come give an account of your Stewardship for you must pay the utmost farthing 3. They are afraid to think of death by reason of the dreadful consequences of death as it relates to both worlds The change that death makes as to this present world is very amazing 1. It brings unavoidable dissolution or separation of soul and body these two dear companions that have lived and converst together and sin'd together for many years must then part and a living man will become a dead Carcase fit for nothing but a grave and the soul must have another habitation Job 17. 13 14. Job 19. 26. Well might Death be called the King of terrours 2. It is matter of fear to leave this world that hath been so pleasing and delightsom and for which we have toyl'd and labour'd so many years in one night to loose it all For when the departing hour cometh you may take a view of all your comforts which you have had under the Sun and helps for heaven viz. Husbands Wives Parents Children Kinsfolk Friends jolly Companions Gold Silver Houses Lands sweet and delicate Banquets pleasing Bargains
work were done and finished 'T is the grand business of your life timely and truly to prepare for death and judgment It were better that all your concerns in the world were wholly neglected namely Husband wife Children buying selling seed-time harvest omitted let all run to ruine then to hazard lose and undo your souls for this will certainly ruine body and soul for ever O seriously mind how little you have done in the time of your life past and how uncapable you will be to do any thing at the end of time when you come to take up your lodging in a grave O remember the dayes of darkness they will be many Eccl. 1. 18. They that have been in the Grave a thousand years have done nothing neither can you when you come there Eccl. Now for you that have lived some twenty thirty forty fifty or threescore years and done nothing in order to a preparation for your everlasting state it is high time to begin the work The most of you are so sensless as not to consider or entertain a thought of death till you hear the Bell or see a Grave or Coffin or till death comes within your walls and knocks at your beds head when you see a Friend a Child a brother a Husband or Wife gasping and dying till you see him bedewed with his cold sweats and groaning with dying pangs till your eyes thus affect your hearts your hearts are seldom affected with the sence of your mortality Now sith it must be done and done suddenly resolve in spight of men and devils and all the world to set about the work Motive 2. Consid It may be done you are in a capacity to do it adored for ever be free grace 1. Time and opportunity is yet before you The Torch burns the Sun shines yet it is day though not morning some sands are behind though not a whole glass Some of you are old lame deaf but not dead others weak sick langishing but alive If the Sun were set the Candle out the Glass run farewell all hope of heaven or of altering your condition for ever They that are gone down to the dead and among the damned may and do reflect with torment upon the opportunitiesonce offered to make them happy but can call back none that 's impossible 2. God is willing to help if you go to him Thine is the power and he gives it to them that have no strength Isa 40. Duty is ours assistance and success is Gods That God who hath given you a considering season can also give a considering soul go to him upon thy knees and beg as for thy life his a speedy aid say as the woman to David Help O King or as the Father for the distressed Son Mark 9. 22. If thou cansts do any thing help us Christ did help 't is his promise seek and you shall find But it cannot be said so of separated souls because time and meanes from them is gone for ever Then in the name of the Lord quit your selves like men Wisemen that are endued with precious rational considering souls that difference you from bruits Let that noble faculty of reason be exerted in considering your latter end For consideration is a serious eager lively act or exercise of the understanding about things to be done or not to be done furthering or impeding the execution of them as it sees good It is the exercise of the mind and heart these are at work in this divine consideration Contemplatioâ— as one observes looks upon things as the eye upon the object Judicium discerneth things whether good or bad but meditation or consideration is a further inquisition into the truth Set consideration at work and not like bruits suffer your eyes ears lusts and senses to be your guides but commune with your heares consider your wayes reflect upon your actions look to your end which if you did you would not be so sensual so sinful as you have been and are Isa 1. 3. Motive 3. Consider the omitting or neglect of it will render you the worst of fools If the doing of it be your highest wisdom the not doing must needs be the greatest folly this will make you like Ephraim a silly Dove without an heart Do you know that you must die and die but once and will you not indeavour to do that well which cannot be done the second time As Luther said to his adversaries You can kill me but once ye are not able to raise me to life again and kill me the second time So say I to thee O thou seeuer sinner when thy breath is gone it will return no more O consider with a trembling heart how much depends upon this dying once namely the gaining or losing of thy dear precious soul the gainingor loosing of the favour of God the fruition of God the joyes of heaven or the torments of hell hangs upon it When death comes your eternity is cast the very next moment after you have shot the black a mazing gulf you shall see know what you shall be and where you shall be to all eternity And will you judg the men of the earth or worldly wise men the wisest men who take care for the body and neglect the soul that make provision for time but none for eternity O Sirs if you would but trace them to a sick bed a death-bed from thence into eternity and to Gods dreadful tribunal you might easily determine Ier. 17. 11 Luke 12. 19 20. Luke 16. 22 23. Rev. 6. 25. Mot. 4. In a every little time you present powerful and awakening helps and advantages to excite and put you in mind of the other world will be past and gone And these are cheifly three viz. 1. Awakening Ordinances 2. Awakening Providences 3. Awakening Convictions 1 Awakening Ordinances will have an end The faithful powerful Ministers of the Gospel that watch for your souls and whose office it is to fire the Beacons and give the alarum will we know not how soon finish their work These Boauergeses and Embassadours of the Lord that preach the dreadful and amazing Doctrine of death and judgement and that with loud and earnest cries tears and fervour of spirit to make you sensible of your sin and danger will shortly be called home Moses that great Prophet after he had compos'd this excellent Song of which my Text is a part was gathered to his Fathers Noah that Preacher of Righteousness after he had for many years together warned the old world was called into the Ark and they had never a Sermon more till the wrath of God came upon them and there was no remedy 2 Pet. 2. 5. Be not therefore as your Fathers unto whom the former Prophers have cryed saying Turn ye from your evil wayes for they have not long to cry The Prophets do not live for ever Zech. 1. 4 5. You cannot rationally expect alwayes to hear the pleasant noise of Aarons Bells or the sound of
world be assured it shall go well with them in the other world Art thou in astate of grace at odds with fin and truly in love with Christ and holiness Be of good chear go thy way and eat thy bread with joy and drink thy wine with a merry heart for the bitterness of death is past The king of terrors that had the power of death is conquered by the Lord of life Terrible death that rides on the pale horse is dismounted by thy dear Lord that rides on the white horse under whose bloody Cross thou mayest see him disarmed wounded and dead death that raigned from Adam to Moses is now swallowed up in victory Isa 25. 8. I will ransoms thee from the power of the grave I will redeem thee from death O death I will be thy plagues O grave I will be thy destruction The beleiving soul is dead with Christ while he lives Rom. 6. 8 and is delivered not only from the damnation of sin but the dominion of sin and there is hope in his death When he dyeth he shall die in the Lord Rev. 14. 13. he shall sleep in Jesus 1 Thes 4. 14. his end shall be peace Psal 37. 37. This made the Apostle after his sad conflict Rom. 7. to triumph over the last enemy death 1 Cor. 15. 55. Motive 7. If you should not prepare for death yet you will wish you had as many do when it is to late You that are for making provision for the flesh and so eagerly pursuing the world When you shall be cast upon the bad of languishing you will wish in the very torment of your minds and flames of horrour that I had parted with my sin O that I had been careful to please and honour God and to get an interest in Jesus Christ then should I have now dyed the death of the righteous but this I wholly slighted I prosecuted the world with might and main and got so many thousands for my Posterity I liv'd a merry and jovial life but for my soul for my eternity things of infinite worth I have done nothing I forgat my soul Now here 's the Messenger of death come for me to imprison my body in the Grave the Chambers of darkness and to carry my soul I know not whither I fear to hell O that I had been wise to under stand this to consider my latter end What would I now give to live but a few years more to make provision for this soul that must now enter the gulf of endless eternity Motive 8. Consider the gaines will be exceeding great As will appear by these following particulars Would you haue sin as hell and be more truly holy Consider your latter end This is most certain that all the evil antecedents and dreadful consequences of death spring and grow out of this bitter root what is it that wounds stings paines and kills what is it that brings Diseases threatens death that murders the body and that damns and burnes the soul What is that doth necessitate the to make use of Physick Physicians whilst alive and bringeth thee to a Coffin and Grave when thou art dead is it not sin which thou embracest in thy bosom You poor blind deluded souls as little and as lovely as sin looks in your wanton eyes it is the Mother and Nurse of all your miseries hacht in hell the Devils spawn or excrement He that committeth sin is of the devil 1 Joh. 3. 8. This is that evil thing and bitter that hales death and hell at the heels of it yea that arms death devils and hell against us Were it not for this black ugly fierce ouer and bloudy adversary Law or Justice could not condemn us Death could not kill us Devils could not torment us Hell could not burn us Sin is the Traitor and Murderer of your immortal souls and those nails that will shortly dig your Graves will you hug hide and hold it fast Will a woman put that knife into her bosom that hath kill'd or murder'd her dear Child or Husband no by no means it must be broken and cast away for ever Now Sirs if sin be the enemy use it as an enemy or murderer kill it take the sacrificing knife and cut the throat of it or strike the heart vein and let it bleed until it dies Deal by it as Samuel by Agag cut it in pieces Did you think seriously of death and hell you would hate it to purpose and say away to hell with it from whence it came and it would put you upon a desire and earnest endeavour after holiness Being expos'd to a dissolution what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness 2 Pet. 3. 11. But if you forget death you will make dreadful work namely your accounts greater and hell the hotter you will increase your sin and God will heap up wrath against the day of wrath And if ever God shâ—w mercy it will cost you dear your souls must mourn your hearts must break and bleed for sin for unless you repent you will certainly be damned Luk. 13. 5. 2. Would you speedily call off your hearts from the world lay up treasure in heaven Remember your latter end In the greatest affluence of worldly prosperity alwayes consider that you must die Poor worldlings that make gold your hope whose plottings and ploddings are for earth If death and eternity were more in your thoughts you would let go that in your affections which you cannot hold in your possession and love that but a little that will be lost and which you cannot love long Riches have wings and they will be gone Consider how little the things of the world will stand you in stead in the evil day your gold and silver cannot keep you from diseases while you live nor from hell after you are dead Prov 11. 4. Psal 49. 6 7. It falleth out with many of the great storers of this world as it doth with a Sumpter Horse who all the day carrieth a great treasure on his back but at night it is taken from him and he thrust into a foul Stable So many wealthy worldlings that tire them selves to get and carry worldly treasure when death cometh it s taken from them and they for their ill getting or ill using of it are thrust down to hell the rich man dyed and in hell lift up his eyes And if you would deaden your hearts to this empty earth and look after a treasure above a happiness beyond the grave that shall last as long as your souls shall last think often of death this would divert your worldly cares and projects Remember from this day to your last day cannot be long your Journey or Voyage is short and a little Provision is enough neither Poverty nor Riches but food convenient is the desire and choice of a Citizen of Sion Converse more with death and be often looking into eternity and thou mayest here as it
cannot live without him or be absent from him Having tasted of the Grapes of Eshcol he must go to Canaan to see the good Land that goodly Mountain A foresight or glimps of the sweetness beauty and glory of the Lord Jesus will cause most vehement longing to be with him Now let thy servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seen thy salvation For this we groan earnestly And O how confidently quietly and comfortably may such a soul entertain the thoughts of death that hath sincerely repented of all sin and to whom sin is so greivous a burden that he would dye to be rid of it And whose soul is â—â—l'd and fraughted with grace and assured of glory and his heart sent as a Harbinger to Heaven before him And indeed a serious and hearty consideration of our eternal state would provoke us to press earnestly after all this To close up all let me ask you as in the presence of the great Judg of quick and dead at whose dreadful tribunal you must all shortly stand these following Queries Quer. 1. First Whether a seasonable preparation for death and Judgement viz. how you may escape Hell and come safe to Heaven be not the most urgent and important business that you have in all the world Let your conscience judge and determine Quer. 2. Are not they in a very happy condition that do believe repent and turn to God with their whole heart who by living a life of grace are truly prepared for death and out of the dreadful hazzard of loosing Heaven Rom. 8. 1. Psal 37. 37. Quer. 3. Is it not possible that you being yet on this side the Grave and Hell may prepare for this evil day were you resolv'd upon it would be done you have often intended it promised it when shall it be none but the Devil and your flesh will stop and hinder you Quer. 4. Do you firmly beleive the things here will fail that death will come that sin that accursed thing will sting and that the impenitent sinners case at the hour of death wil be sad and very desperate Let me say to all such there is not a night you lye down upon your beds but you run a very great hazzard If death should call and you not ready you must go though you be ruin'd to eternity Matth. 25. 10 11 12 16 22 23. Quer. 5. Have you so liv'd as to be fit to lye down in a Grave to rise again and stand before God who is a consuming fire Do you know your selves in a state of grace that you are new born that your evidences for heaven are clear and certain is your work done do your Lamps burn and have you a well-grounded assurance that you are in the Number of those to whom death will be a priviledge Phil. 21. Quer. 6. Can you chearfully and without dread entertain the thoughts of a dissolution and of leaving all your earthly and sensual delightes Suppose the dreadful Judge should at this instant send death into this place with the names of five or six of you in his writ or forehead and death should say you and you this man and that woman must go along with me I have received a comand from the great and terrible God who hath the power of death and of hell to bring you young man young woman this day or night before the Judgement seats I have often warned you by sending my Deputies and and that this ten twenty or forty yeares every Coffin every dead Corps or Grave you have seene was so many intimations of my coming Now saith death I am come look here upon my commission see my dart and my sting This dart must kill the body and send thy soul unto eternity I command thee this moment to bid adieu to and take thy leave of Friends Relations Houses Lands pleasures of sin once for all Thou shalt never see or jnjoy them more Luke 12. 19. 20. O how can you think of your dying the worlds burning the trumpers Sounding the deads rising and staunding at the Bar and not fear and tremble You Sons and Daughters of pleasures did you consider what horror and astonishment dogs you as the heels which will inevitable come upon you as travel on a woman with child you would not say unto God depart and treasure up wrath lay up scoorges and scorpions for your distressed souls against the last day Quer. 7. Let me ask you that pass for Saints and hope for Heaven whether your consciences in secret do not tell you that you have made poor preparation for it yea it may have done less for Heaven then many that are now in hell You say you must dye and come to judgement but how stands the case as to the other world If you look downward to this world it s well but how is it within with your precious soul Do you beleive that Atheists Unbeleivers Drunkards Swearers Murderers Thieves Persecutors Lyars Sabbath-breakers Adulterers worldlings are going swiftly to hell Do you beleive that Christs flock is little and not fear your selves Do you think that Esau Judas Ahab Agrippa Herod Simon Magus the foolish Virgins are in hell and yet confident of your going to heaven These have out done many of you Esau wept and cryed for the blessing Heb. 12. 17. Ahab humbled himself 1 Kings 12 29. Herod did many things and heard John joyfully Mark 16. 20. Agrippa was almost a Christian Acts 6. 28. The Scribe was not far from the kingdom of God Mark 12. 34. The foolish Virgins were not prophane they took care to trim their Lamps and knock at the door Now what sins have you lest what grace have you exercis'd what duties have you performed and how Take heed you be not deceived Strive to enter in at the strait gate for many will seek to enter in and shall not be able Luk. 13. 24. Quer. 8. 4. You having so many warnings time and means to prepare for death judgment and will not who will pity you when you perish God will not Prov. 1. 26 27. Christ will not Luke 19. 27. Angels Saints Ministers will not all will say away with them let them be damn'd And O what a killing and amazing sight will Christs coming in the clouds be to all that either denied his coming or who would not prepare for it His incarnation was terrible Matth. 2. 3. His Crucifixion was more terrible Luk. 23. 44. 45 47. 48 But his being on the tribunal will be most terrible Then shall the tribes of the earth mourn Math. 24. 3. And men cry to the rocks and mountaines to fall on them Rev. 6. 15 16. When they shall see so many thousands and millions of men and women dragged down with all the Devils of hell to that burning lake of fire and brimstone How will they then mourn for sorrow of heart and howl for vexation of spirit and with bitterness of soul wish they had never heard of Christ that they had been born among the Heathen or never had a being or enjoy'd a life of pleasure upon the Earth How will the wretched sinner beat his breast pluck off his hair tear his bowels crying out when he sees all hope is gone O that I had now no soul or that this immortal soul were mortal that I might now dye and breath no more or that my sentence might be but to lodge with Devils in this burning lake ten thosand years that so I might not remain in a state of banishment from the face and presence of God to all eternity O then pray that serious thoughts of death may be alwayes upon thine heart and whethere thou goest let them go and where thou lodgest let them lodg that thou mayest speak of it to thy Children and Family when thou sitttest in thine house and when thou walkest by the way and when thou lyest down and when thou risest up O let these great things of death and judgment be bound as a signe upon thine hand and write them upon the posts of thine house and on thy gates that they may be always before thine eyes and for thy good alwayes that thou may'st beware least thou forget the Lord thy God and the everlasting concernments of thine immortal soul and gods anger be kindled against thee and destroy thee suddenly with a mighty destruction Consider now what I have spoken and the Lord give thee understanding in all things 2 Tim. 2. 7. Which is that God wisheth in the Text O that they were wise that they understood this that they would consider thrir latter end FINIS 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tempus spatium temporis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est opportunitas Qui quid atotiis retro est mors tenet Sen. in Epist Prov. 22. 6. Luke 13. 24. 1 Cor. 9 24. 25. Eph. 6. 12. 1 Tim. 6. 12. Schola crucis est Schola lucis Luth. Ps 94. 12. Math. 4. 16. 2 Tim. 1. 10. Ezek. 13. 8. Rom. 5. 8. Isa 61. 1. John 6. 16. Tempus acceptum or tempus acceptabile Bez. in loc Quodoffertur gratia ex gratia Dei est qui sua contuit rebus omnibus momenta ut oblatam occasionum arripiamus The youth that lately was hang'd for murdering his Fellom Servant confess'd that his Sabbath breaking made way for all his other prodigious sins Tempus non potest Deo consecrari nisi quo modo redemptum Calvin in loc * Punctum est quod vivimus puncto minus Nonexignum temporis habemus sed multum perdimus Sen. Enigua pars est vitae quem nos vivimus