Table from being Moral but in common speaking those of the Second are chiefly understood And they are Naturâ notiora more easily discerned by the light of Natural Conscience and he may see his duty in what is easily known who sees it not in what is harder to discover How shall he love God whom he hath not seen who loveth not his brother whom he hath seen But he is without excuse who pretends to know and do the hardest And will neither know nor do the easiest A sober and honest Conversation in the fight of men is a fair body of a Christian but there must be a Soul and Spirit to enliven it as he said to him who wondered that a Statue with such perfect lineaments could neither go nor stand Deest aliquid tnius There wants a living Principle within With the putting off the Old man according to the Conversation and putting on the new there must be a renuing in the Spirit of the mind Eph. iv 23. Many Heathens excelled in the exercise of Vertues Aristides Cato Regulus And yet if you will believe St. Augustine they were but splendida peccata shining sins they wanted both right Principle and end and the sprinkling with Christs Blood We must add Faith to our Vertue as well as Vertue to our Faith See that you do the great things of the Law but besure you leave not undone the greater things of the Gospel A lively work of Faith to purifie your hearts unite you to Christ and make you partakers of his Spirit for sound Regeneration and through Conversion without this you are undone for ever Fifthly Not being of the true Church or of this or that Party or Persuasion 'T is a wonder so many should be cheated with so groundless an error not only Papists who have an Hypothesis which tempts them to it That the Faith of the Church and Treasury of the Church may be Communicated to them by being Members of it But many others crying I am of Paul I of Appollo I of Cephas A true Son of the Church one of the Godly Party one of the Friends But I beseech you take notice 'T is not being of the truest and best Religion in the world will save you but being true to that Religion and living up to it Salvation was of the Jews Theirs was the Religion God dispenc'd Salvation in yet all Jews were not saved All are not Israel who are of Israel nor all the children of Abrahams Faith who were the children of his flesh Surely Judas was of the true Church when he was of our Lords own Family and yet went thence to his own place a place to which you would be loath to follow him Be thy head never so Orthodox as to the Articles of Faith if thy life be Hetrodox as to the Rule of Practice the goodness of thy Faith will be so far from excusing the badness of thy Life that it will greatly aggravate thy Condemnation and the more clearly thou knowest thy Masters will and the more firmly thou believest it with more stripes shalt thou be beaten for disobeying it Tho bad Company occasions many mens damnation and good Company may be an help to yet never was it never shall it be a cause of any mans Salvation I mean that he should be saved meerly for professing the same Religion with them who are saved tho not for the Professing but Practising of their Religion Lastly Not believing in Christ or presuming rather they do so without any Fruits of Faith to prove it true and lively God forbid I should make any sinister reflections on the Doctrine of our Church and a Doctrine so clear in Scripture as that of the Justification and Salvation of sinners by Faith in Christ yea by Faith alone God who regarded the lowliness of his hand maid when his Son was Conceived hath had regard to this humble lowly Grace as to the Conceiving Christ in our Hearts That Christ may dwell in your hearts by Faith 'T is appointed to receive Christ Jesus and to make us the Sons of God by so doing And whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life John iii. 16. I know no other way of Salvation for my self I teach no other way to you yet after all I say to you look well to your selves that your Faith be Faith indeed not a dead faith not a bold presumption not a self delusion The stronger and purer the Liquor is with which the Poyson is mixed the more dangerous will its Operation be I fear the Poyson the Devil infuses in this Holy this pure Doctrine of the Gospel kills multitudes for want of caution I beseech you therefore be very cautious lest you be deceived in your Faith The question is not whether Faith will save thee and makes thee ready for Christ But whether thou indeed have Faith that is true Faith 'T is certain Faith alone justifies a sinner but as certain that that Faith which is alone justifies no sinner The Eye alone sees The Hand alone works but if the Eye or Hand be alone that is separated from the Body they neither see nor work Tho Faith justifies us as a passive Grace receiving Christ and the gift of Righteousness by and with him and Sanctifies as an active Grace yet 't is the same Faith that doth both and if it do not both it will do neither With the same Hand we receive what is given us and with the same Hand we work what is injoyned us The same Faith that receives Christ as a Saviour engages you to serve him as your Lord and King And the same Faith which justifies your Persons must Sanctifie your Natures Act. xxvi 18. And purifie your hearts Act. xv 9. And work by love and make you new Creatures in Christ 2 Cor. v. 17. if it ingraft you into him and will constrain you to live to him if you do in good earnest believe he dyed for you and if your Faith have not these Fruits to prove it true and living it makes you not ready for Christ thou rather dreamest thou believest in Christ than dost so really and whilst thou art in this stumber thy Lamp will go out like the foolish Virgins Matth. xxv 8. and thou wilt have nothing to meet Christ with when ever he comes Thus have I shewed you negatively what will not make you ready for Christ tho too many flatter and befool themselves that it will and will not suffer themselves to be convinc'd of their error till it be too late to redeem and mend it I earnestly exhort you and most heartily beg of God you may never be found in that number And now I proceed to the positive part to shew wherein Readiness for Christ consists And First To be ready for Christ is to be a Good man a Righteous man an Holy upright Godly Man One who desires to do the whole will of God sincerely both by ceasing to do evil and learning to do good
of folly which men are so impatient of He that was so very busie in taking care for many years â—ears presently Thou fool this night And â—o the Foolish Virgins who had Lamps and Vessels to hold Oyl yet filled them not And indeed what folly greater than for men to go to Hell with their Eyes open To know their danger and yet to play and dally with it till it surprize and snap them and to stand where the Bullets fly thickest and yet neither get an Armor nor hasten their escape to be out of reach of Gun-shot What will if this will not prove men to be indeed foolwardly Third Use Examination Expect not from me here a large enumeration of the signs of Grace I design not that But a brief tryal of thy readiness for Christ Try thy self therefore as to that whether you be ready as the Text requires There is no knowledg more necessary or more worthy of a wise mans pains than the knowledg of himself and his Estate towards God It hath obtained the Authority of a Celestial Aixome even amongst Heathens Know thy self è coelo descendit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And questionless it may be obtained if we believe either St. Peter or St. Paul for the first bids us give diligence to make our calling and election sure 2 Pet. i. 10. Therefore surely he thought it feasible The second injoyns us thus Examine your selves whether you be in the Faith prove your own selves know you not your own selves how that Christ is in you except you be Reprobates 2 Cor. xiii 5. Doubtless therefore he judged we might without special Revelation even by serious self-examination know this of our selves First Therefore try it by the verdict of thy own Conscience ask it soberly and let it answer freely and it will speak and not lye Great is the force of Conscience on either side both to acquit and to condemn Rom. ii 15. Their Conscience bearing witness and their thoughts accusing or excusing one another And if the blind Consciences of the darkned Gentiles had this power how much more the Consciences of Christians enlightned by the Gospel and assisted at least by the common influences of the Holy Spirit Bring in thy Bill therefore to this Grand Inquest before these mille testes thousand Witnesses 'T will not write Ignoramus on it 'T is Magni Judicii prejudicium a Petty Sessions to the great Assize a previous Judgment to the last and most awful one Neither bribe it nor stop its mouth and it will speak as he would have it whose Deputy it is The spirit of a man is the Candle of the Lord searching all the inward parts of the belly Prov. xx 27. That which is most hid and secret this light will discover find out and manifest The things of a man the spirit of a man which is in him knows tho none else can 1 Cor. ii 11. And therefore the Testimony of our Conscience yields great rejoycing when it witnesses our Simplicity and Godly Sincerity 2 Cor. i. 12. And St. John tells us If our heart condemn us not then have we confidence towards God 1 Eph. iii. 21. Weigh not thy self therefore in the false ballance of other mens Opinions Nec te quaesiveris extra as Persius could advise But get into thy Closet retire be still Commune with thine own heart Psal iv 4. and let it speak freely 't will answer like an Oracle of God Interrogate thy heart in this or such like manner Have I with desire desired Have I with a thirsty Appetite panted after this readiness for Christ Have I with constant and restless diligence endeavoured to attain it Have I arrived at least at some setled hope that if Christ should now come I should be found of him in peace Secondly By the scope and tendency of thy life by the Fruits thou bearest Examine whether thou art a Tree which if now cut down must be Fuel for the fire which shall burn for ever or building Timber for the House not made with hands Eternal in the Heavens If others may know us and we may know them by the Fruits which either bear why may we not much rather know our selves by them the frame of our hearts and the scope of our lives are great indications whither we are going If our hearts be in Heaven and our Conversation be in Heaven our soul shall be received there If thou fix thy choice thy delight and love on right-hand blessings thou shalt stand at Christs Right hand at the last day If thou walk in the straight and narrow way it will lead thee to and into the straight gate which gives entrance into Life But the broad way of Hell will never lead any man to Heaven Thirdly By thy willingness to dye thy looking for and hastning to the day of God and loving the appearance of Jesus Christ Not but that Nature may recoil and shrink and the flesh may draw back and be loath to part for even where the Spirit is willing the Flesh is weak but upon sedate recollection the willingness of the Spirit will fortifie the weakness of the Flesh and cry out Go forth my Soul for he is a gracious Lord thou art going now to meet Fourth Use Exhortation I hasten to that in which I designed the chief improvement of this truth that is to exhort and quicken you to the speediest diligence and care to get ready for Christs coming And tho I desire to work both upon your Consciences and your Affections to set before you your Obedience and your Interest to urge you in point of duty and in point of wisdom and to press you to avoid both the sin and danger procrastination will involve you in yet I shall not curiously distinguish the motives to rank each Series by themselves But as God hath twisted his glory and our happiness so close together in great wisdom and mercy that we cannot promote the one but we advance the other nor neglect the one but we destroy and lose the other So is it in our sin and danger they are prevented or incur'd together and therefore I may well wreath into one chain the motives which concern either of them to draw you out of your delay and twist them into one cord wherewith to quicken and accelerate your motion And not to heap up here the many Scriptures which speak so home and plainly to this matter but to leave them to fall in to inforce each motive to which they more properly belong I shall begin with that which stands so near the Text that it is urged in the same verse as a reason to inforce the duty Be ye therefore ready for or because The Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not The first Motive is taken from the uncertainty of the time of our death and our Lords coming And the Inference is so obvious that the Light of Nature and common Reason hath clearly discovered it and excellently
the stream which was at first but Ankle high or to the Knees and fordable at least will become impassible and in the deep waters they shall not come nigh him The longer thou art going from God the farther off thou 'lt be and the more difficult will thy return be found Rooted Habits are hardly eradicated and Custom in sin becomes a second Nature And as easily may the Leopard change his spots or the Ethiopian put off his skin as he learn to do good who is accustomed to do evil Jer. xiii 23. Custom in sin will take away the sence of sin and harden the heart like the neather Mill-stone Therefore Exhort one another dayly while it is called to day yea rouse up your selves lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin Heb. iii. 13. Nemo repente fit turpissimus no man arrives at height of wickedness all on the sudden but by degrees Even depraved Nature hath some modesty left to restrain it and that must be bafled to make it impudent in sin and braze its fore-head to be past blushing A fresh water-Souldier dops his head and shrinks at the discharge of single Muskets but he that 's flusht with often coming safely off despiseth Vollies and marches erect where the Bullets fall like a storm of Hail and at last will run upon the mouth of Canons Experience breeds hope in evil as well as in good and because men have long continued unready for Christ and yet found no danger in it they flatter themselves they never shall And Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil Eccl. viii 11. And so what was always hard to do at length becomes next to impossible to be done Especially confidering Fifthteenthly Thy strength declines as well as thy work grows more difficult and according to the old Verse Qui non est hodie cras minus aptus erit He that 's unfit to day will be more unfit to morrow for besides the decays of Nature which are not to be despised where the work is wholly to begin the offers of Grace will be more rare and faint the motions of the Spirit will be less frequent less importunate He hath neither delight nor list to knock at that door which hath been barr'd so long against him nor to expose himself to new repulses where he hath been so often grieved and his help rejected and ere long he will be gone for ever and woe be to thee when he departs from thee Si ter pulsanti nemo respondet abito The Courts on Earth Record the third contempt for contumacy and proceed to Sentence And doth the Court of Heaven keep no Records He seals up thine iniquities in a bag and are not these things written in his Book What folly is it to lay the heaviest burden on the weakest beast to leave that care and work to thy decrepid Age When the Grashopper shall be a burden which the vigour of thy youth can scarcely struggle with Sixteenthly Thou wilt not be served thus thy self do as thou wouldst be done to How irksome to thee is a loytring servant As vinegar to the teeth and smoak to the Eyes so is a sluggard to them that send him Prov. x. 26. Thou expectest thy servant shall attend on thee before he serve himself Which of you having a servant Plowing or feeding Cattle will say unto him by and by when he is come from the field go sit down to meat And will not rather say unto him first make ready wherewith I may sup and gird thy self and serve me till I have eaten and drunken and afteâ—ward thou shalt eat and drink thou'lt rid thy House of him who will serve himself before his Master and make him stay his leisure and what shall God do to such an one His are a willing people and all delay implies unwillingness We would never do what we are loath to do if we durst omit it not love but fear begets such motion and 't is love to our work which makes our working acceptable God had as lieve you should do nothing as do what you do without or against your heart Seventeenthly Nay You do not only hate delays in men but you cannot bear them at the hand of God if you be in distress in pain or danger you cry out O God make speed to save us O Lord make hast to help us answer me speedily Lord tarry not and if he do you grow importunate Make hast O God to deliver me make hast to help me O Lord Psal lxx 1. Make hast unto me O God O Lord make no tarrying verse 5. if not half impatient Hear me speedily O Lord my spirit faileth Psal clxiii 7. My soul is vexed but thou O Lord how long Psalm vi 3. How long wilt thou forget me O Lord for ever How long wilt thou hide thy face from me How long shall I take Counsel in my soul dayly How long shall my enemy be exalted over me Consider and hear me O Lord my God Psalm xiii 1 2 3. If not quite so and desperate with that wicked King Why should I stay or wait for the Lord any longer 2 Kings vi 33. And if God should when thou roarest for horror of Conscience or art as on a Rack with exquisite pains of Gout or Stone or but the Tooth-Ache answer thee with such delays as thou dost him and say why such hast all in good time I am not at leisure forty years hence or twenty years hence I 'le help and ease thee be content I can't come yet but when I have nothing else to do I 'le help thee How would this hope deferred make thy heart sick And 't is well if thou refrain Blaspheming him as one that mockt thee and yet God must suffer all this at thine hand be provoked and grieved forty years long yea fifty threescore years and wait and call and cry and reason with thee and intreat thee to return to get ready for him but all in vain thou turnest a deaf Ear to him and art as the deaf Adder which refuseth to hear the voice of the charmer charming never so wisely And wilt neither dance to his piping nor weep at his mourning to you Consider this you that forget God how how unkindly you take it to be forgotten of him and you that delay so many years to be ready for him how ill you can bear his delaying but a week or day if he be not ready to relieve and help you in your fears and sorrows Eighteenthly You 'l not deal thus with others as you deal with God as if 't were only safe and faultless to despise him not with your betters good manners will not suffer that you say 'T is fitter you should stay for them than they for you Not with a Friend or Neighbour but will rise at midnight to lend him what he needs or but to light
disposeth of every Man according to the State in which it finds him as is figuratively express'd by that of Solomon Eccles 11.3 If the Tree fall toward the South or toward the North in the Place where the Tree falleth there it shall be As the Man is fit to go to Heaven or to Hell when he Dyeth so he must continue unalterably for ever Or 2. This Night may signify the Setting of the Sun of Righteousness the Removal of the Gospel the Taking away God's Kingdom or Candlestick out of its place and leaving us in a dismal Night of Ignorance Error Idolatry destitute of that true Light which alone can guide our Feet into the Way of Salvation Or 3. That woeful Night of God's Departure and giving us up to our own Heart's Lusts to fill up the Measure of our Iniquities for grieving resisting quenching of his Spirit And though God neither take us out of the World nor take away the Means of Grace from the Places we live in Yet if he take his Spirit his Blessing his Grace away from the Means it will be a Woeful Night indeed For He saith Woe be unto them when I depart from them Hos 9.12 We can neither have Heart to work nor Success in working in so dark a Night But this Consideration That Night hastens to over-take us should quicken us to work because Night is 1. A Reckoning Time 2. A Resting Time First A Reckoning Time If no Account were to be given of the Loss or Improvement of our Time our Loytering might be more excusable at least because it would be less Dangerous although it were not less Sinful But every Man must give an Account of himself and of his Work to God Rom. 14.12 And Night is the time when we shall be call'd to that Account Your Servants have the Day to do your Work and at Night you take an Account of them how they have done your Work in the Day St. Matth. 20.8 When Even was come the Lord of the Vineyard saith unto his Steward Call the Labourers and give them their Hire Our Lord will certainly come and take an Account of His Servants for His Talents committed to them Matth. 25.19 After a long time the Lord of those Servants cometh and Reckoneth with them And then Woe be to the Sloathful Servant Vers 25 30. Cast ye the Vnprofitable Servant into utter Darkness He shall have Night enough even the Horror of Eternal Night who had turn'd his Day of Working into a Night of lazy Sleeping Judgment follows Death 'T is appointed to all Men once to Dye and after that the Judgment Heb. 9.29 I beheld a Pale Horse and his Name that sate on him was Death and Hell followed with him Rev. 6.8 Secondly Night is Resting Time The Day is for Labour the Night for Rest Man goeth forth unto his Work unto his Labour until the Evening Psal 104.24 But till the Evening Night is Resting Time In Mercy to Labourers In Justice to Loyterers The First may cease their Labour and have no further Toyl in VVorking The Latter must cease and have no further Opportunity to Finish their VVork First Night is Resting Time in Mercy to them who have Laboured faithfully in the Day They shall not be alwayes toyling and wearying and wearying out themselves with hard Labour But when Night comes They shall rest from their Labours and their Works shall follow them Rev. 14.13 There remaineth a Rest for the People of God Heb. 4.9 After an hot and scorching Day there shall come a cool refreshing Evening They that have born the Heat and Burden of the Day Shall have a Time of Refreshing come from the Presence of the Lord when He shall send Jesus Christ Act. 3.19 20. And They shall rest in their Beds and enter into Peace who have walked in their Uprightness Isa 57.2 As God will not suffer them to be Tempted above their Strength so not to be wrought beyond it Hold out therefore Christians faint not Yet a little while and He that shall come will come and will not tarry Let him that is Righteous be Righteous still and let him that is Holy be Holy still And mark the Incouragement Christ backs this Exhortation with Behold I come quickly and my Reward is with me to give to every Man as his Works shall be Rev. 22.12 And to put it out of doubt he adds Surely I come quickly As if He should say 'T is but a little while a little longer and your Trouble is over your Work is done for ever Christ takes notice of all your Labours in his Service and all your Persecutions and Reproaches and Slanders with which proud formal or prophane Men will load and oppress you if you be sincere and faithful to Him And He will ere long set you out of their reach and the Devil 's too 'T is worth observing that all the Epistles to the Seven Churches begin thus I know thy Works Rev. 2.2 9 13 19. 3. 1 8 15. And such Additions follow Thy Labour thy Patience thy Tribulation thy Dwelling where Satan's Seat is thy Service thy Faith thy Charity And bids them Hold fast and be Faithful to the Death and He will give them a Crown of Life and tells them He will come quickly Is Israel oppressed and shall not God take Notice of it See Exod. 3.7 I have surely seen the Affliction of my People and have heard their Cry by reason of their Task-Masters for I know their Sorrows God's Israel shall not be alwayes in the Egyptian Furnace nor in the Howling Wilderness but He hath a Canaan for them a Promised Land on the other side of Jordan of Death When the Disciples are toyling by reason of contrary Winds and the Ship is tossed Corruptions and Temptations are full in their Faces as they sail Heaven-ward Christ will come to them and they shall have a Calm and the Ship will be presently at the Land whither it was going For the Oppression of the Poor for the Sighing of the Needy I will now now presently arise saith the Lord I will set him in Safety from him that puffeth at him Psal 12.5 You heard before that Work implyes Difficulty It cannot he denyed but there is some Hardness in the Work of Religion 'T is call'd Labour of Love There is Labour though Love sweeten it and ease it The Flesh is weak even where the Spirit is willing Our Life of Christianity is a Warfare and such as admits neither Peace nor Truce but constant either Watching or Fighting against most dangerous Enemies being so subtle so malicious so powerful so restless And God will not hold us alwayes to such hard Service But the Time is hastning when He will say Thy Warfare is accomplished and as He saith He will not contend for ever for the Spirit would fail and the Souls which he hath made Isa 57.16 so He will put a Period to all their labours sorrows and wrestlings at farthest Death will bring thee
tells you It comes apace it comes quickly Time is painted with long Wings and no Wings are pruned for so swift a flight It flows like a Torrent and sweeps us away with it There 's no stemming this Tyde And 't is as Uncertain as 't is Swift Thy Pulse beats incessantly and thy Breath is puffing out and drawing in each Moment and thou knowest not that the One shall repeat its Stroaks or the Other be Restored thee once more This Night comes like a Thief in the Night When we lye still and sleep that wakes and is in perpetual Motion And this may suffice for the Proof of this Observation That the Consideration of the Work we have to do and the Time allowed and limited for the Doing of it should engage us to the Vtmost Diligence and Speed in doing of it I now proceed to the Vseful Improvement of this Weighty Truth with equal Plainness And if the Work we have to do and the Season allowed and limited for the doing of it in engage us to such Diligence and Speed in the doing of it This serves 1. To Justify those who act according to these Engagements 2. To Condemn those who neglect them or act contrary to them 3. To Exhort and Excite us all to act suitably to them by shewing all Diligence and Speed about our Great Work First This Justifyes the Wisdom and Zeal of those who Live up to and act according to these Engagements And I wish to God the Number were Greater that deserves such Encouragement But because they are so few therefore do they need it the more For Good Company confirms Good Resolutions and when many walk together they embolden each other and mutually strengthen one anothers Hands and Hearts But the Narrow-Way which leads to the Streight-Gate being found and trodden by so few and they meeting with so much Opposition to stop them in it or divert them out of it do greatly need all the Encouragements that can be given them For Prophane Ungodly Men hate them and Proud and Formal Pharisees despise them and reproach them And all that are so busy in doing the Work of another Master are mad against them for their Diligence about their Master's and their Father's Business He that departeth from Evil maketh himself a Prey Isa 59.15 God's Heritage is a Speckled Bird the Birds about her are against her Jer. 12.9 The Law of Enmity betwixt the Two Seeds is more unalterable than the Laws of Medes and Persians It discovered it self betimes in Cain and Abel in Ishmael and Isaac the Two signal Types of the Two Visible kinds of Persecution which have prevailed in the World ever since by the Mouth of the Sword or the Sword of the Mouth Cain who was of that Wicked One slew his Brother and wherefore slew he him Because his own Works were Evil and his Brothers Righteous 1 Joh. 3.12 And Ishmael Mocked Gen. 21.9 which in St. Paul's Language is He that was Born after the Flesh persecuted him that was Born after the Spirit Gal. 4.29 And as the Apostle added for the time in which he wrote as it was then so is it now So may we for the times in which we Live and so will they have cause to do who shall Live after us For the Rule 2 Tim. 3.12 All that will live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer Persecution is as Universal for Ages and Places as Persons no Temporary one to expire like an Antiquated Law but will last while this Evil World lasts and they shall find it in one kind or the other And where the Laws pinion the Hands of Cain the Tongue of Ishmael will be Lawless and where they dare not kill their Bodies their Throats those open Sepulchres will swallow them alive like the Grave and with Black Mouths full of Lyon's Teeth will rend their Names and tear their Reputations till they wound their very Souls If a Volly of Lyes or a Shower of those invenom'd Arrows bitter railing and opprobrious Words will stop you in or fright you from your Work The Father of Lyes hath more Tongues than Argus had Eyes or Briarius had Hands and will find Monstrous Heads enough both whose Ears grow upon one side But let none of these Things move you neither count your Lives nor your Names dear to you so that you may Finish your Course with Joy Act. 20.24 St. James urges to Patience thrice in a Breath with one of the Arguments in our Text. Jam. 5.7 8 9. Be patient Brethren unto the Coming of the Lord. Be patient stablish your Hearts the Coming of the Lord draweth nigh Grudge not behold the Judge standeth at the Door Gratify not the Devil or his Instruments so much as to grow Remiss at your Work for fear of their Reproaches But keep on your Way though the Dogs bark thou 'lt soon be past them and out of the Noise It would be a dear Purchase to buy their Silence at the Price of abating thy Zeal for God St. Peter teaches you a safer and better Way to do it even by Well-doing and by a good Conversation in Christ to make them ashamed to speak Evil of you This is the most Innocent Revenge you can take on them to resolve the more they deride you or reproach you for your Work the more earnestly to mind it and to follow it the more diligently And 't is the best Security for your selves to prevent being disturbed He that minds his Business intently hath no Ears to hear nor Leisure to take notice of what is design'd to interrupt him Convince them you are led by a better Spirit by being able to bear with Meekness their loudest Slanders most spightful Reproaches While they cannot bear the Silent and undesigned Reprehension your Diligence and Zeal reflects upon their Sloath Trifling in the Work of God and their own Souls 'T is an Immutable and Eternal Truth that the glorifying God and saving our own Souls is our Supream Concern and deserves our First and Highest Care and who ever acts according to it shall in spight of Men and Devils be justifyed as a Wise and good Man in so doing And their Master 's Euge Well done good and faithful Servant enter thou into thy Master's Joy will put it out of doubt and controversy for ever And Wisdom shall be Justifyed of her Children though Fools condemn and the Sons of Belial Blaspheme both the Mother and her Off-spring He that hath Truth on his side and Reason on his side and a well-guided Conscience on his side hath God Himself on his side and need not trouble himself who or what-ever is against him And thus 't is certainly with every one who makes Religion his Business in good Earnest And even the Men whose Mouths Reproach you in their Hearts must Reverence you And their Consciences will approve what the Interest of their Lusts provokes them to condemn in others that they might escape being condemned of themselves Be not
Work effectually in others Convince them thou believest thy self the Truth and the Necessity of what thou pressest on them Secondly Ye that are Parents labour to season early the tender Hearts of your Children with a Sense of Religion and their Great Work Youth is the Age of Discipline and the Seed-time for their whole Life Train up a Child in the Way wherein he should go and when he is Old he will not Depart from it The First Impressions are most Lasting 'T is a great Honour to be entrusted with the Education of one Child and to have Opportunity to form it for God's Service As you were the means of their being Born and the Occasions of their being Born in Sin you owe them both in Love and Justice your Best Endeavours that they may be Born again and made Saints The Third and Last Branch of the Exhortation is to All in general though more especially to Young Persons 1. To a Speedy Setting about their great Work 2. To a Diligent Progress in it when it is Begun First To a Speedy Setting about this Work Young Man I say unto thee Arise And Oh! that Christ would vouchsafe to accompany this Word with such a Power of His Spirit as might render it as effectual to some Dead Soul as they were upon the Dead-Son of the Widdow of Naim Luk. 7. Awake thou that sleepest stand forth from the Dead and Christ shall give thee Light Suppose thou heardest God say to thee as in the Parable Son go work to day in my Vineyard this present Day and though thou hast neglected His Call heretofore yet now Repent and go But because it often is with Young Persons if I may make such an Allusion as it was with Lazarus when Christ call'd him forth of his Grave Joh. 11.44 He that was Dead came forth bound Hand and Foot with Grave-Cloaths and his Face bound about with a Napkin Therefore Jesus said unto them Loose him and let him go When they begin to be quickned and have some Sense of the Necessity of speedy Walking in the Wayes of God yet their Heads are bound about they are muffled and blind-folded with Prejudices and cannot see their Way and bound Hand and Foot with Grave-Cloaths hamper'd and shackled with former Customs and Objections that they can neither walk in God's Way nor work for Him I will endeavour to loose them and knock off their Fetters and remove the Lets and Hinderances of their Motion and their Speed and I shall do it briefly For though there may be many Foolish Cavils there can be neither wise nor strong Objections against the present Setting about God's Work that they should either need much Time or Pains to Remove them First then 't is Objected That Religion is too serious a Work for Young People as the Philosopher said Young Men were not fit Hearers of the Precepts of Morality but Postquam deferbuit aetas after the Heats of Youth are boyl'd over after their Lusts and Passions have spent themselves and they have Sow'd their Wild Oats as your Common Phrase is The Heat of Youth is a kind of Sickness and no wise Physitian administers in the Heighth of the Paroxisme but stayes till the Fit be over 'T is a Degree of Drunkenness and we Reprove not the Drunkard 'till he be Sober and come to himself Answer These Comparisons prove nothing and are as easily sleighted as produced For the main Objection 'T is true Religion is a very serious Thing and therefore the fitter to restrain the Extravagancy of Youthful Lusts which by how much the more Impetuous they are by so much the stronger Curbs they need to restrain and keep them in Order And 't is the Excellency of the Word of God and its high Commendation that 't is an Antidote strong enough to purge out such a Poyson Where-with-all shall a Young Man cleanse his Ways By taking heed thereto according to thy Word Psal 119.9 For a Man to indulge his Lusts and profess Religion I confess were a way to desecrate and pollute so Holy a thing But Religion minded in Sincerity will subdue and mortify them And give Subtilty to the Simple to the Young Man Knowledge and Discretion Prov. 1.4 Though Youth hath its Inconveniences which Religion will Correct it also hath its Advantages which Religion will Improve 'T is more Vigorous and Active more Susceptive and Retentive more Free and Dis-engaged more Unprejudiced and Dis-incumbred than the following Stages of Life And therefore most acceptable to God and fittest to be Consecrated to His Work Religion will Relieve against the Incommodities of Youth and give the Prerogatives of Age and make them Men in Knowledge and Gravity who are but Youths in Years For Honourable Age is not that which standeth in Length of Time nor that is measured by Number of Years But Wisdom is gray Hair unto Men and an unspotted Life is Old Age. Wisd 4.8 9. yea gives Prerogatives above it For Young David was Wiser than his Teachers and had more Vnderstanding than the Antients because he kept God's Precepts Yea the Wise King carries the Disproportion very high when he tells us Eccles 4.13 That a Poor and Wise Child is better than an Old and Foolish King Religion therefore is not too serious even for a Child seeing it can make a Child Serious nor in danger to to be prejudiced by the Levity of Youth seeing it can Cloath even Youth with Gravity Secondly A Second Objection against Early Piety is suggested by Superstitious Fear that they shall Dye presently if they grow Devout as some Fools think they must if they once make their Wills Answ How absurdly do Sinners suffer themselves to be abused by the Devil and their own vain Hearts They now begin to be fit to Live therefore they must presently Dye How inconsequent is this Conclusion How Unreasonable such Reasoning As if God would suffer none but Fools and Knaves to Live and those Wicked Men with whom He is Angry every Day and for whom He hath Prepar'd the Instruments of Death and Hath whet His Sword and bent His Bow and made all ready for speedy Execution if they turn not Psal 7.11 12 13. God calls the Righteous Lights and he hath more use for them to Shine in the World than to whelm them Vnder the Bushel of Death as soon as he hath set them up to Shine in a Crooked and Perverse Generation 'T is Bloody and Deceitful Men against whom the Sentence is pronounc't That they shall not Live out half their Dayes But of Wisdom it is said that Length of Dayes is in her Right Hand and in her Left Hand Riches and Honour Prov. 3.16 And St. Peter 1.3 10. He that will love Life and see good Dayes let him refrain his Tongue from Evil and his Lips from speaking Guile Let him eschew Evil and do Good Finally We find this Encouragement given to the Good Man Job 5.26 That he shall come to his Grave in a
therefore could not do it in Faith For what-ever is not of Faith is Sin Rom. 14. ult The Heart cannot be Good without Knowledge nor thy Work Good without a Good Heart Wisdom is the Principal Thing to direct thee in thy Work therefore Get Wisdom and with all thy getting get Vnderstanding Prov. 4.7 No Man can aim Right that Shoots blindfold Ignorance will blind thy Eyes that thou can'st not see thy Mark God's Glory and thy own Salvation The Text is express That in the Night no Man can Work And one Reason given to Confirm it was Because 't is too dark to see to work in The most thou can'st do in the Night of Ignorance is to grope like a Blind Man and how thou art like to Finish so curious a Work in such a case I leave it to thy self to Judge Therefore provide against so Real and so Great a Hinderance The Second Real Hinderance is The Indulging of the Flesh and a Desire to gratify it by the Inordinate Love of Ease and Pleasure If this Humour prevail and thou be Delicate Soft and Tender thou wilt shrink and give back at the first Difficulty which steps forth to meet thee He is not fit to make a Souldier that can endure no Hardship Thou therefore endure Hardness as a Good Souldier of Jesus Christ 2 Tim. 2.3 He that loveth Pleasure shall be a Poor Man Prov. 21.17 And who so loves his Ease Poverty shall come upon him as an Armed Man They can never serve God acceptably who serve their Lusts and Pleasures willingly And they Who are Lovers of Pleasures more than Lovers of God may possibly attain a Form of Godlyness but will certainly Deny the Power of it 2 Tim. 3.4 5. For the Pleasures of this World choak the Seed of the Word and they bring forth no Fruit unto Perfection Luk. 8.14 The Third Real Hinderance is Incumbrance with Multitude of Cares and Worldly Affairs This over-charges the Heart and distracts the Mind that it cannot wait on God No Man can serve God and Mammon Our Breasts are too narrow to lodge so many and so contrary Inmates We cannot look Upwards and Downwards both at once If Carmina secessum scribentis otia poscunt a Poet's Thoughts must be free and disintangled Religion requires it much more Enter thou into thy Closet and shut to thy Door to shut out Distractions I deny not but while we Live in this World wee need the things of this World and we may lawfully seek them and use them But then we must seek and use them lawfully which is done when we keep them at due Distance allow them at most but the Second Place Vse them as if we us'd them not remembring the Time is short and that the Fashion of this World passeth away If Hagar domineer and begin to despise her Mistriss Sarah she must be made to know she 's but a Bond-Maid and she must be cast out Next to them who cannot find an Heart to serve God they are to be pittyed who cannot find Time to serve Him And the truth is they therefore can find no Time for this Work because they can find no Heart to it and they therefore can find no Heart because the World hath stolen it away 'T is said by the Prophet Wine and Women take away the Heart Hos 4.11 And 't is as true Riches and Business and Multiplicity of Affairs and a Croud and Hurry of Employments take it away no less If some Men can scarce find time to Eat and Sleep as well as they love their Bodies What Time do you think they will find to Read and Pray and Meditate and search their Consciences and purify their Souls Of all Remote Advantages which Religion may have I esteem none Greater than Retirement Vacancy a Time to be still and Commune with our Hearts call our Wayes to Remembrance to think and consider and to have Leisure to Converse with God I acknowledge the Truth of Solomon's Vae soli Woe to him that is alone yet 't is as as true Vae nunquam soli Woe to him that will not Woe to him that cannot but most of all Woe to him that dares not be alone The Second Branch of this Vse is to Direct you to the Helps which will Promote your Diligence which amongst others are these Willingness Love Wisdom Speed Industry Courage Constancy or Perseverance First Willingness or a Good Will to your Work The willing Man will be a Diligent Man Willingness is the Rise or leading Step to Diligence 'T is not only Oyl to your VVheels but the very VVheels themselves And Men drive heavily like Pharaoh's Chariot's when the VVheels were taken off when they want a Willing Mind to what they are engaged in VVhen on the contrary Willingness makes them like the Chariots of Aminadab Cant. 6.12 sets them on the Chariots of my Willing People as the Margin there The First VVork upon the Soul is described Psal 110.3 Thy People shall be Willing in the Day of Thy Power In God's Offerings for the Tabernacle the Directions were to Receive them from them who brought them with a Willing Heart Exod. 35.5 21 29. And when they were Willing they bring more than enough Exod. 36.5 Willingness will need a Bridle rather than a Spur. That Picture of Diligence drawn by Solomon's Pen of the Virtuous Woman hath This inserted as the Soul of all the Rest She worketh Willingly with her Hands Prov. 31.13 Willingness to your VVork will help your Diligence in it many wayes For it will make you Docible and Careful to learn your VVork You use to let Children chuse their Professions knowing they will learn that soonest they have most mind to 'T will make you Cheerful and Ready in the Undertaking it We use to say There is nothing to a Willing Mind What the Naturalist saith of the Hand the Moralist saith of the Will It is the Instrument of Instruments A Man treads that Path in which his Will leads him as if he did not feel the Ground he goes on 'T is the best Sauce all things Taste as it doth Season them And Things are Dear or Cheap according to the Ptice it sets upon them It will make Men Serious and in good Earnest they will netiher speak faintly nor act coldly about what they have engag'd their Wills in They will not trifle as those do who are in Bivio know not their own Minds nor what themselves would have Be Willing therefore to your Work that will make you Diligent at it Secondly Love to your Work will double your Diligence about it Love is the Flower the Cream of Willingness nay the Quintessence and Spirits of it If Willingness gives Feet Love will give Wings Jacob served Seven Years for Rachel and they seem'd but as so many Dayes because he Lov'd her The Servant that Lov'd his Master would refuse the Freedom the Law provided for him and would have his Ear bored at his Door-Post and be his
in in them Sixthly He that is the Amen the true and faithful one the God that cannot lie gives you many great and precious promises which are founded upon his word that is more firm than the mountains than the foundations of the Earth than the Ordinances of Heaven than the course of day and night in their Seasons That he will abundantly pardon that he will heal your back-slidings and love you freely that he will blot out your iniquities as a thick cloud that he will cast all your Traâ—sgressions into the depth of the Sea even that Ocean of Mercy which hath neither shore nor bottom that whosoever comes to him he will in no wise cast him out And hundreds more of the like endearing and sweetest signification Seventhly As if it were not enough on his part to give us leave to be happy he hath made it our duty to be so and obliged us by the strictest commands to that which will infallibly render us so He commands all men every where to repent Act. 17.30 This is his commandment that we believe on the Name of his Son Jesus Christ 1 John 3.23 and that believing we might have life by his Name John 20 31. And who dare question his sincerity as if he did not heartily desire what he so earnestly injoyns Eighthly He steps down from the Throne of the Imperative Mood to the humble Foot-stool of the Optative 'T is a sign of weakness to fall to wishing and an argument of impotence to cry O si O si to sigh out our Options And yet the Omnipotent God disdains not to appear to us thus to shew and express the pathos of his blessed mind the vehemency with which he desires our good and wellfare Oh that there were such an heart in them Deut. 5.29 Oh that they were wise Deut 32.29 Oh that my people had hearkened unto we Psal 81.13 Oh that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments Isa 48.18 Whose heart would it not break with shame and sorrow to hear an holy God breathing out the longing desires of his heart in this wise that we may he assured of his hearty readiness in accepting us when we perform what he wishes with such assumed passions that we would perform Ninthly He stoops yet lower and does what is infinitely indecent I will not say for him to do but I must say for us to occasion him to do and more to suffer him to continue to do but most of all to suffer him to do in vain that is to intreat us pray us woe us beseech us to accept his mercy to pity our selves to be reconciled to him and to accept his pardon which he offers ready sealed and to touch that Golden Scepter which he reaches out from Heaven to us Abraham sent but once to take a wife for his Son Isaac from amongst his Kindred and a short woing by a servant serv'd the turn when they saw the Bracelets and the Jewels and the Ear-rings and heard the rest reported how soon do they yield and send away Rebeckah Gen. 24. Yet God sends one Embassador one Paranymph and Spokes-man after another to woe to court us to be Brides to the true Isaac the Heir of all things who is become our Kinsman and hath all the right imaginable to claim us to himself and offers more Dower than we can ask to joyncture us in the whole Land of Promise to settle upon us the inheritance which is incorruptible and undefiled which fades not away reserved in Heaven to give us an eternal Kingdom yea the eternal King himself to be our everlasting Portion and is it possible to doubt his willingness to conclude the Match after all this Tenthly But to make all sure beyond all possibility of any rational ground to remain to stick and scruple at his heartiest reality in designing our happiness he adds to all the rest his Oath which puts an end to Controversies God being willing more abundantly to shew unto the Heirs of Promise the immutability of his Counsel confirm'd it by an Oath that by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie we might have strong consolation Heb. 6.17 18. Two things that is his Promise and his Oath upon his promise or two things the two by which he swears his life his holiness as if he had said as true as I am a living God as true as I am an holy God I will pardon you I will yet spare you if yet at last you bring forth good fruit let me never be esteemed a living God never accounted an holy God more if I do not or two things I use this only allusively I urge it not as the proper meaning of the place God swears by the two Sacraments for a Sacrament is an Oath As truly as this water which I now touch and lay my hand upon will wash what is foul and make it clean soak what is hard and make it soft quench what is kindled and put out its burning refresh what is scorched and make it fruitful and slack his thirst who drinks it and chear and revive his spirits so shall the Blood and Spirit of my Son which I will pour out upon all who thirst for it and are willing to receive it do for them proportionably in their Souls cleanse soften quench satisfie and make them fruitful and as truly as this Bread will nourish them who eat it and become the staff of their lives and as truly as this Wine will chear the hearts of them that drink it so truly so certainly shall the Body and Blood of my Son which I here freely and heartily offer to you nourish and cherish you unto eternal life if you will indeed by faith receive it and feed upon it Eleventhly He will make your Estate as happy as if you had come sooner provided you come now in earnest without more delay They received every one a penny and there are last who shall be first Twelfthly He 'll not twit you or upbraid you with your coming late He giveth liberally and uphraideth not Nay he will himself be thy Apologist and against them who reproach thee for labouring but one hour he will plead thy Cause Friend I do thee no wrong is thy eye evil because I am good Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own I will give to this last as unto thee Matth. 20.14 This is a little of the much that might be said upon this Argument a little of that mellow prolifick earth to be laid to your Roots God Almighty set it home by the hand of his own Spirit and in his name I do assure you if either this digging or this dunging these threatnings or those promises either singly or both joyntly prevail to make you yet fruitful God will assuredly spare you and repeal his sentence given out against you But then you must do it quickly Agree with thy Adversary quickly whilst thou art in the way with him Look