Hell which will be most intollerable you will share in the greatest of them The loose and prophane Wretches that lived like Devils Incarnate in the World that spent very little or no time in Prayer or Hearing or any other Duties and that took you always for Saints because of your seeming strictness in the ways of God when they shall see you in the same dreadful Condition with themselves 't will make them if 't were possible laugh in Hell to see that this is the end of your Profession of your strictness in the ways of God of your praying and hearing and the like this will greatly aggravate your Torment O therefore for Christs sake and the sake of your own precious Souls beware of Hypocrisy I would had I time have given you some particular Marks of Hypocrisy at present then make but this out clearly That Hypocrisy is not predominant in you but that in simplicity and sincerity of heart and not with fleshly Wisdom you have your Conversations in the World you may then be sure you are not in the number of those Hypocrites that shall be banished for ever from the Presence of the Lord and turned into Hell I now return to my third and last Doctrinal head namely to speak of the Reward implied in my Text which shall be certainly given to those that run lawfully that run thus speedily and swiftly constantly and sincerely in this Heavenly Race and this Reward is no other nor can be no better than Heaven it self Luke 12.32 'T is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the kingdom Now to speak fully of this glorious place and the Felicities that God hath prepared there for his People is impossible we are not able fully to conceive of them therefore whatever I may now speak concerning the Glories the Felicities of Heaven if you ever come there you will say behold the thousand part was not told me but according to what discoveries the Holy Ghost hath made of it in Scripture we may speak of it and we may see the Glories of it set forth to us by the diversity and greatness of the Names thereof and the Society we shall there enjoy I shall speak to two or three of the Names thereof briefly 1. 'T is called the Kingdom of God and Christ Revel 12.10 Luke 23.42 because Christ having overcome Death Hell and Damnation together with all the Enemies that did oppose and hinder us in our way to Heaven doth rule there and govern his Church Triumphant with Heavenly Peace and Everlasting Tranquility Beverly's Great Soul of Man p. 278. If we could imagine as indeed we cannot because experience so mightily contradicts it that any Prince should live in all those delights and pleasures the most spendid Court affords without any tediousness or satiety ten thousand years what a dark Representation were this of this Kingdom tho he could do and enjoy all he would 2. 'T is call'd by the Name of Paradice Luke 23.43 in respect of the abundant plenty of the greatest of Pleasures which the Saints can either wish for or desire 3. 'T is call'd Eternal Life Joh. 3.15 Matth. 25.46 because there shall be no more Death nor Lamentation nor Sorrow We shall quit a vale of Tears for Rivers of Eternal Pleasures Mr. Silvester's Sermon in the Supplement to the Morning Exercise an Element of Joys succeeds our bitter Cup our Rights can never be invaded there nothing can stain the Comforts of that World no Blots nor Wounds are there contracted or endured no Troubles in that Israel there are no pauses of Astonishment through surprisals of Afflictions Death smites no Corners there Providence makes no Storms there lies that Ark wherein no vile or wicked Cham shall dwell the Glory of that place it knows no Eclipse nor Cloud no dim Discoveries or flat Notes shall be the Exercise or Entertainment of that State I might give you more Illustrations upon the great and glorious Names of this Kingdom but this may serve as a tast of the Glories the Joys of that blessed place by which you may discern the excellency théreof But now as to the Society that there we shall enjoy There we shall have the Company of God and Christ Saints and Angels and all our Godly Friends and Relations and joyn with them in singing Hallelujahs to the Lord God Almighty and to the Lamb his Son that sits upon the Throne for evermore Vid. Mr. Rogers's Practical Discourse of Sickness and Recovery page 97. O how vastly different is that Assembly from such a one as this Here we are with our unbelief with our Fears with our strong Corruptions and with our many Sins whereas they are all perfect and compleat in Holiness We shall then be no more disturbed with the Abuses of the Wicked we shall be no more griev'd with their Oaths and Curses nor troubled with their Company but be in the happy Society of those that will delight us and such as to Eternity we shall enjoy and not only shall our Souls enjoy these Felicities Phil. 3.21 but at the Resurrection our Bodies shall be joyn'd to them and both shall be happy Our Bodies shall not be what now they are foul unactive Lumps of Clay Mr. Silvester's Sermon in the Supplement to the Morning Exercise they are now pierced with Cold and worn with Labours appaled with Griefs and Dangers and grip'd with Pains and macerated with keen and envious Passions and after all mouldred to Dust by Death and Rottenness but there neither Deformity Pains nor Death shall be their fear nor exercise Thus have I briefly shew'd you what this Reward is that that those shall obtain that run as I have shown you in this Heavenly Race and the Happinesses the Felicities the Glories that there they shall injoy And after all I must conclude somewhat like the Apostle That eye hath not seen nor ear heard 1 Cor. 2. ◠neither hath it entred into the heart of man fully to conceive of the things that God hath prepared in heaven for them that love him Having now done what I promised as to the Doctrinal part I proceed to the Application Is it so then that the greatest Speediness and Celerity in the Ways of God must be constantly practised by those that would obtain everlasting Life Then First From hence we may draw a Use of Reproof for those Persons that are creeping as it were to Heaven instead of running swiftly that go as if they did not care whether they came there or no or as if they had an Eternity of Time allow'd them for their Journey What do you mean Sirs Your Sun is setting the Night draws on the Shadows of the Evening have overtaken you stir up your selves O slothful Souls you are upon the very Borders of Eternity your Lives are but as a Vapour James 4.14 and what will become of your Souls if your day is gone before your work be done Are
right step towards Heaven much less to run with speed whilst you remain in a state of sin For while you are in such a state you are in a dead state Mr. Rogers Pra. Disco of Sickn and Reco p. 114. you taste not the goodness of God nor hear his loudest Calls you tremble not at his most dreadful threats neither are you drawn with his love nor start at his approaching wrath Your ignorance has deprived your souls of all knowledg of your own miseries you are in a state of death and insensibility and your case is the more sad because you are like to fall under the power of eternal death and though your temporal life is prolonged for a season yet we may say of you as of Malefactors under the sentence of the Law for their crimes They are dead men though there be a Reprieve or a delay of execution for a little space You may as well expect a dead Corpse to go or run as expect such as are in a state of sin to do so in this Heavenly race Or a person loaded with a burden that he is scarce able to stand under to be as speedy in going as one that hath no burden at all And although persons in a state of unregeneracy and sin are not sensible what a burden sin is that it will sink 'em to Hell if it be not remov'd yet when once Conscience is awakned they will then say of their sins as David did of his as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me Psal 38.4 too heavy for me to bear long so heavy that if Infinite mercy doth not ease nor release me I must fall under it If the yoke of Christ be easie Mat. 11.30 and his burden light than of necessity on the contrary must the yoke of the Devil which is sin be uneasie heavy and intollerable to be born and yet how many are there that by the course of their lives seem to be of the opinion that 't is possible for them notwithstanding the burden of their sins to be speedy enough in the ways of God to obtain Heaven that their external profession without any such thing as repentance and a holy life will save them but O how greatly will they be mistaken no doubt but there are many in Hell that have heard and pray'd as much or more than ever you have done Thus you see how great a burden sin is and how vast a hinderance 't is to you in your way nay such a weight and burden is sin that it will hinder you from ever obtaining Heaven if it be not remov'd before death O therefore endeavour to get rid of this burden loath detest and abhor sin because God doth loath detest and abhor you for sin because it seeks the utter ruin of your precious souls beg of God to make you sensible that sin is a burden and then when you feel the weight of it you will not be unwilling to part with it beseech him to quicken you who are dead in trespasses and sins Eph. 2.1 plead with him earnestly to make you sincerely willing to part with your whole burden with all your sins for every sin must be left Mr. Gouges Word to Sinners c. paâ— 167. or you had as good keep them all Can you let all your sins go but this one even this must go too or your life must go for it O set your selves against every sin great and small open and secret carnal and spiritual set your selves against them heartily be willing to prosper and overcome and set upon them speedily let not iniquity live a day longer nor sleep a night more in quiet with you O let not that which is so much your hinderance be retain'd by you let God see your weariness of sin by your earnestness to be rid of it and the great sense you have of the impossibility of getting to Heaven with it that so by patient continuing in your Duty you may at last have a gracious release I should now speak of the Reward imply'd in my Text but before I do this give me leave to speak of one thing that is worthy of your strictest Observation the Apostle does not say in my Text seem so to run as to obtain or make an outward shew of running but so run that ye may obtain now in thus expressing of himself he excludes all Hypocrisy and counterfeit Godliness and there is great reason for his doing thus For in the visible Church 't is certain that there are many that outwardly profess Christ but inwardly and with their heart deny him that are Christians by Name but not such indeed Many Hypocrites there are like painted Sepulchers fair without but within nothing but rottenness Here then let me put you upon Examination whether or no you are not of this number Hypocrisy is spun of a very fine Thread Vid. Bishop Sanderson 's Sermon 1. ad populum p. 175. and is not easily discernable without very diligent Examination and things are not to be measured by the outward shew or by the Lump and Bulk but by an exacter Rule whether they be true or no dost thou bewail thy Sins with Tears Dost thou avoid gross Sins with care Dost thou oppose against common Corruptions with zeal Why all this thou mayest do and yet be a Hypocrite Page 172. Nay you may as the same Author says be touched with a deep feeling of your Sins and with heavy Hearts and many Tears confess and bewail them and not only promise but also purpose amendment you may be superficially affected with and find some overly comfort and refreshing from the Contemplation of those gracious promises of Mercy and Reconciliation and Salvation which are contained in the glorious Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and have some degrees of perswasion that these promises are true and some flashes of Confidence withal of your own personal Interest therein all this and much more may you do and yet be rotten as he says at Heart wholly carnal and unrenewed quite empty of sound Faith and Repentance and Obedience and every good Grace full of damnable Pride and Hypocrisy as you may see Examples in Saul's care for the destroying of Witches in Jehu's zeal in killing 1 Sam. 28.3 2 Kings 10.16 28. Mark 6.20 1 Kings 21.27 Baal's Worshippers in Herod's hearing of John Baptist gladly and doing many things too in Ahab's Repentance and Humiliation O therefore look to your hearts be willing to know what they are and don 't play the Hypocrite with your Souls Consider there 's no Sin more odious in the sight of God than this Simulata sanctitas est duplex iniquitas You shall never enter Heaven notwithstanding all your Prayers and Tears if you are Hypocrites When you shall plead for Mercy at the Day of Judgment Christ will tell you Matth. 7.23 he knows you not May I a little also gloss upon your Misery when you come to
Doom You may now for ought you know be hearing of your last Sermon and offer up now your last Prayer and have no other opportunity than this that you now enjoy to prepare and make ready for Eternity but be immediately summoned to appear at the Tribunal of God to render an Account to him of all your publick and secret Actions for all that you have ever thought ever spoke or done for all the Talents the Time the Mercies the Health the Strength the Opportunities and the Seasons and Days of Grace that you ever had for all the Evil that you might have avoided for all the Good that you might have done and did not and all this before that Judge who has beheld your ways from your Birth to the Grave Vid. Mr. Roger's Practical Discourse of Sickness and Recovery page 49. before that Judge who cannot be deceiv'd and who will not be imposed upon And is there not then a necessity of being speedy in your Course Do you apprehend so much as one minute to loyter in seeing you know not whether you may live so small a space of time longer And when this Life is ended our work is done for after this Life there will be no place for Pardon nor space for Repentance There is no work Eccl. 9.10 nor device nor knowledg nor wisdom in the grave whither we are all going Therefore must we be speedy in the ways of God because the time of our lives which is all the time we have is so short so uncertain and hasting away so fast from us The second Reason may be drawn from the great Work that we have to do in this little time How many Corruptions have we to subdue and Lusts to mortify and Temptations to resist What loads of Sin yet lye upon many of us unpardoned because unrepented of What subtil politick powerful Enemies have we to engage with such as the World the Flesh and the Devil The World is daily enticeing of us with its Pleasures Profits or Honours perswading us to place our Affections upon these fading Vanities and to accept of its favours which alas are but as the Salutes of an Enemy and yet how hard is it for the best of God's People to keep themselves from the Pollutions of it That it is so our own daily Experience teacheth us and yet this so enticing an Enemy we must keep our selves from the loving of for if any Man love the World i. e. with a predominant Love or the things that are in the world 1 John 2.15 the love of the Father is not in him A second Enemy is the Flesh which always murmurs at Subjection and is at continual variance with the Spirit Gal. 5.17 and there is great difficulty in overcoming so near a Foe This was it that made that great Apostle volens nolens become a Captive Rom. 7.19 Caesar being once ask'd What was the most difficult thing to overcome in this Life Answered Seipsum vincere to overcome himself and his untamed Affections The third is the Devil called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vid. Leigh's Crit. Sacra p. 235. from the Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sitnah which is Adversarius an Adversary he is really the implacable Enemy of our Souls and joyns his Assistance to the World and Flesh that so by one means or other he might destroy us this is he that tempts so subtilly so frequently that we must and ought to be always prepared for him and unless we are furnished with the whole Armour of God Ephes 4. from 13. to 18. 't is impossible for us to withstand him so subtil and potent is he that the holiest Souls at some time or other have been overcome by him Now what great reason is there for us to use the greatest speed we can that have not only so little time and so much work to do in it but also such subtil and potent Enemies to contend with and to overcome Well might the Apostle say * Phil. 2.12 Non dicit Apostolus nude 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 id est accuratè magnoque cum studio operamini Chrys Work not play or idle out your salvation with fear and trembling Well may the Church of God be called Ecclesia Militans seeing it has so many and so great Enemies continually to engage with A third and last may be drawn from Example Those that run an earthly Race tho but for a mean Reward what pains do they take how extremely do they strain themselves that they may run swiftly to obtain And shall we that run the Celestial Race and that for so great a Reward as Heaven is run slowly Shall they take greater pains and be more swift and speedy for a perishing Reward than we for an eternal one God forbid The Sun too may be an Example to us in this respect Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber Psalm 19.5 and rejoyceth as a strong man to run his race And not only is the Sun an Example to us but also our Lord himself who whilst he was in the World was never idle He wrought the works of him that sent him John ◠4 while it was day He left the bosome of his Father and came into the World and became Man and was like unto Man in all things Sin only excepted overcame Death and Hell fulfill'd the Law of God and satisfied his Justice for us appeased his Wrath against us and has purchased for his People by his Death Everlasting Life Thus was all his time vigorously employ'd in performing the work he came about well might the Church compare him for his swiftness to a Roe Cant. 2.9 or a young Hart. Thus have I prov'd That Celerity and Speed in the ways of God must of necessity be practised by those that would obtain Everlasting Life And that First because of the shortness of our Lives and their speedy passing away from us so soon are our days done that if we are not speedy they will be gone before our work be done Secondly Because of the great work we have to do in this little time which is so great that we have need of more rather than spare for Sin and Vanity any of that we have Thirdly Because of the Examples of Swiftness and Speediness that we have not only of Persons that run with the greatest speediness an earthly Race for the fading Vanities of the World and of the Sun but also of our Lord himself who was most speedy in working out our Redemption and ought to be imitated of all Christians For every Action of Christ ought to be instruction unto us Omnis Christi actio nostra debet esse instructio Gregor Joh. 14.6 he hath left us an Example let us therefore tread in his steps who is the way the truth and the life Now this Celerity this Speediness in the ways of God must be constantly and
you not ashamed to see so many overtake you Are you not asham'd to make no further progress that have so many helps provided for you and tender'd to you Are you not asham'd that God should see you loytering by the way Are you not asham'd that every trivial matter should stop you O for shame cast away all your hindrances get rid of your Obstructions and run you 'll be be-lated O Souls Don't you see what haste Sinners make to Hell Shall they strive and run for Damnation more than you for Salvation O take this timely Reproof you lazy slothful ones What will become of you if you shall idle till Christ calls you to an account How will that word sound in your ears Matth. 25.26 Thou wicked and slothful servant The true cause of thy neglect is thy slothfulness and not thy Inability and when that follows Verse 30. Cast ye the unprofitable servant into utter darkness throw him into Hell let him see my Face no more Then will you wish tho too late that you had been speedy in your Course that you had improv'd your Time and Talents but then no more Time nor Talents will be granted then you are undone to Eternity Are you Young Therefore do you loyter Do you not see Young die as well as Old Have you not a proof of this now before your Eyes Are you in Health and Strength Therefore do you loyter Don't you see as strong as the strongest of you and as healthy as the most healthful suddenly snatched away O therefore loyter no longer begin now to be speedy lest an hereafter be never granted Behold 2 Cor. 6.2 now is the accepted time behold now is the day of salvation This Life is the time wherin your Calling and Election must be made sure This Life is the time wherein you must work out your Salvation with fear and trembling This Life is the time wherein you must be admitted into the Kingdom of Grace if ever you expect to be admitted into the Kingdom of Glory This Life is the time wherein you must run with speed and patience the Race that is set before you if ever you expect to receive that great and glorious Reward that is prepared for such as are speedy constant and sincere in their Course O therefore mend your pace lest you should be be-lated to Heaven Let a second Use be a Use of Advice and that to two sorts of Persons First To those that having begun and continued for a time are now drawing back I advise you that have begun to run in this Heavenly Race to hold on and that to the end 't will be your own another day will not these Promises allure you Matth. 10.22 He that endureth to the end shall be saved Can you desire a better Reward for your Pains than Salvation 'T is no wonder if at any time we see a poor Sinner draw back from serving the Devil for he may well grow weary of his work because of his wages Rom. 6.23 he 'll be dreadfully Rewarded But indeed it may be admired at to see any turn their backs upon God and grow weary of his Service who will be so well rewarded greatly above what they do deserve To see Persons turn their backs upon Salvation we may admire at their Folly and Madness what think you of that other Promise Be thou faithful unto death Rev. 2.10 and I will give you a crown of life or an unfaidable Crown of Glory as the Apostle Peter 1 Pet. 5.4 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sirs you that are weary of Gods ways that grow tired of that which will if you continue therein end in your eternal Happiness produce such a Promise as this from the World Sin or Satan if you can no they have no such Reward pray then be perswaded to hold on to persevere Sirs you can't imagine the misery you 'll bring upon your selves by drawing back you 'll incur God's hatred and you had better have the hatred of the whole World Hebr. 10.38 Read and consider resolve therefore whatever comes on 't to hold out to the end that so you may be happy But Secondly Let it be a Use of Advice to the Hypocrites you have heard how far a Hypocrite may go and yet be rotten at heart and you have heard something of the heinousness of Sin and the punishment that will follow I do now advise you if you tender your Souls good to go no further in such a state and condition for you 'll be damn'd for your pains O whatever you do be upright let God have your hearts in all your Actions make us no longer believe that you are what you are not for 't is you that will be the losers at last Read that Scripture often and I leave you at this time Matth. 5.20 Christ tells you plainly That except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharises ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven Now what was their Righteousness Why truly 't was an outside Righteousness they were very Hypocrites as Christ often calls them Matth. 23.13 14 15. and in many more places And surely if any thing moves to Sincerity it will be the thoughts of the Punishment of Hypocrisy But then Thirdly Let us take up an Use of Lamentation and that upon the account of those poor Souls that instead of running in the ways of God that lead to Heaven they are running headlong to Hell Poor Souls don 't you tremble to think of your end methinks my heart bleeds for you O join with me Christians in my sorrow for these poor Souls Lord what a Grief must it needs be to any compassionate heart to think of their sad Condition O that poor creatures should with such delight work out their own ruin O that they will be their own butchers not of their bodies but which is worse of their precious Souls Who can forbear to weep to see sinners go cheerfully to Hell O that Christ and his Grace should be slighted by them that have so much need of both O that overtures of Reconciliation should be refused by such as are just dropping into Hell into the midst of Everlasting Burnings Lord pity them Lord open their eyes O that they might see their danger before they feel it that so they might timely turn back and escape it that we may have cause to rejoice in thy Mercy towards them One Use more and that shall be of Comfort to the godly to those that run speedily constantly and sincerely in the ways of God Lift up your heads with comfort for you are happy souls you are in the way of your duty and you shall be rewarded tho your Race be toilsome to the flesh let the Reward that will follow upon your continuing stedfast to the end be your Cordial and Comfort Consider 'T is but a little while and all your labour will be over Rev. 14.13 and you