or how little is remaining therefore be sure to make the best use of that little which may be left and wisely to manage the last stake 4. Seeing the delay of repentance doth mainly rely upon the hopes and encouragement of a future repentance let us consider a little how unreasonable these hopes are and how absurd the encouragement is which men take from them To sin in hopes that hereafter we shall repent is to do a thing in hopes that we shall be one day mightily ashamed of it that we shall one time or other be heartily grieved and troubled that we have done it It is to do a thing in hopes that we shall afterwards condemn our selves for it and wish a thousand times we had never done it in hopes that we shall be full of horrour at the thoughts of what we have done and shall treasure up so much guilt in our consciences as will make us a terror to our selves and be ready to drive us even to despair and distraction And is this a reasonable hope Is this a fitting encouragement for a wise man to give to himself to any action And yet this is plainly the true meaning of mens going on in their sins in hopes that hereafter they shall repent of them 5. If you be still resolved to delay this business and put it off at present consider well with your selves how long you intend to delay it I hope not to the last not till sickness come and death make his approaches to you This is next to madness to venture all upon such an after-game 'T is just as if a man should be content to be shipwrackt in hope that he shall afterwards escape by a plank and get safe to shore But I hope none are so unreasonable yet I fear that many have a mind to put it off to old age though they do not care to say so Seneca expostulates excellently with this sort of men Who shall ensure thy life till that time Who shall pass his word for thee that the providence of God will suffer all things to happen and fall out just as thou hast designed and forecast them Art thou not ashamed to reserve the reliques of thy life for thy self and to set apart only that time to be wise and virtuous in which is good for nothing How late is it then to begin to live well when thy life is almost at an end What a stupid forgetfulness is it of our mortality to put off good resolutions to the fiftieth or sixtieth year of our age and to resolve to begin to do better at that time of life to which but very few persons have reached But perhaps thou art not altogether so unreasonable but desirest only to respite this work till the first heat of youth and lust be over till the cooler and more considerate part of thy life come on that perhaps thou thinkest may be the fittest and most convenient season But still we reckon upon uncertainties for perhaps that season may never be however to be sure it is much more in our power by the assistance of Gods grace which is never wanting to the sincere endeavours of men to conquer our lusts now and to resist the most heady and violent temptations to vice than either to secure the future time or to recover that which is once past and gone Some seem yet more reasonable and are content to come lower and desire only to put it off for a very little while But why for a little while why till to morrow To morrow will be as this day only with this difference that thou wilt in all probability be more unwilling and indisposed then So that there is no future time which any man can reasonably pitch upon All delay in this case is dangerous and as senseless as the expectation of the Ideot described by the Poet who being come to the river side and intending to pass over stays till all the water in the river be gone by and hath left the channel a dry passage for him at ille Labitur labetur in omne volubilis aevum But the river runs and runs and if he should stay a thousand years will never be the nearer being dry So that if the man must go over and there be a necessity for it as there is for Repentance the onely wise resolution to be taken in this case is to wade or swim over as well as he can because the matter will never be mended by tarrying 6. Lastly consider what an unspeakable happiness it is to have our minds settled in that condition that we may without fear and amazement nay with comfort and confidence expect death and judgment Death is never far from any of us and the general Judgment of the world may be nearer than we are aware of for of that day and hour knoweth no man And these are two terrible things and nothing can free us from the terror of them but a good conscience and a good conscience is only to be had either by innocence or by repentance and amendment of life Happy man who by this means is at peace with God and with himself and can think of death and judgment without dread and astonishment For the sting of death is sin and the terror of the great day only concerns those who have lived wickedly and impenitently and would not be perswaded neither by the mercies of God nor by the fear of his judgments to repent and turn to him But if we have truely forsaken our sins and do sincerely endeavour to live in obedience to the Laws and Commands of God the more we think of death and judgment the greater matter of joy and comfort will these things be to us For blessed is that servant whom his Lord when he comes shall find so doing Let us therefore as soon as possibly we can put our selves into this posture and preparation according to that advice of our blessed Saviour Luke 12. 35 36. Let your loins be girded about and your lamps burning and ye your selves like unto men that wait for their Lord. And now I hope that enough hath been said to convince men of the great unreasonableness and folly of these delays nay I believe most men are convinced of it by their own thoughts and that their consciences call them fools a thousand times for it But O that I knew what to say that might prevail with men and effectually perswade them to do that which they are so abundantly convinced is so necessary And here I might address my self to the several ages of persons You that are young and have hitherto been in a good measure innocent may prevent the Devil and by an early piety give God the first possession of your souls and by this means never be put to the trouble of so great and solemn a repentance having never been deeply engaged in a wicked life You may do a glorious I had almost said a meritorious thing in cleaving stedfastly to
A SERMON Preached before the KING April 18 th 1675. By John Tillotson D. D. Dean of Canterbury and Chaplain in Ordinary to His MAJESTY Published By His Majesties Special Command LONDON Printed by A. Maxwell for Samuel Gellibrand at the Ball in St. Pauls Church-yard 1675. A SERMON Preached before the KING Apr. 18 th 1675. PSAL. 119. 60. I made haste and delayed not to keep thy commandements In the words immediately going before you have the course which David took for the reforming of his life and the success of that course I thought on my ways and turned my feet unto thy testimonies A serious reflection upon the past errors and miscarriages of his life produced the reformation of it And you have a considerable circumstance added in the words that I have now read to you viz. that this reformation was speedy and without delay I made haste and delayed not to keep thy commandments Upon due consideration of his former life and a full conviction of the necessity of a change he came to a resolution of a better life and immediately put this resolution in execution and to declare how presently and quickly he did it he expresses it both affirmatively and negatively after the manner of the Hebrews who when they would say a thing with great certainty and emphasis are wont to express it both ways I made haste and delayed not that is I did with all imaginable speed betake my self to a better course And this is the natural effect of Consideration and the true cause why men delay so necessary a work is because they stifle their reason and suffer themselves to be hurried into the embraces of present objects and do not consider their latter end and what will be the sad issue and event of a wicked life For if men would take an impartial view of their lives and but now and then reflect upon themselves and lay to heart the miserable and fatal consequences of a sinful course and think whither it will bring them at last and that the end of these things will be death and misery If the carnal and sensual person would but look about him and consider how many have been ruin'd in the way that he is in how many lye slain and wounded in it that it is the way to hell and leads down to the chambers of death this would certainly give a check to him and stop him in his course For it is not to be imagined but that that man who hath duly considered what sin is the shortness of its pleasures and the eternity of its punishment should resolve immediately to break off his sins and to live another kind of life Would any man be intemperate and walk after the flesh would any man be unjust and defraud or oppress his neighbour be prophane and live in the contempt of God and Religion or allow himself in any wicked course whatsoever that considers and believes a Judgment to come and that because of these things the terrible vengeance of God will one day fall upon the children of disobedience It is not credible that men who apply themselves seriously to the meditation of these matters should venture to continue in so imprudent and dangerous a course or could by any temptation whatsoever be trained on one step farther in a Way that does so certainly and visibly lead to ruine and destruction So that my work at this time shall be to endeavour to convince men of the monstrous folly and unreasonableness of delaying the reformation and amendment of their lives and to perswade us to resolve upon it and having resolved to set about it immediately and without delay in imitation of the good man here in the Text I made haste and delayed not to keep thy commandments And to this end I shall First Consider the reasons and excuses which men pretend for delaying this necessary work and shew the unreasonableness of them Secondly I shall add some farther Considerations to engage us effectually to set about this work speedily and without delay I. We will consider a little the reasons and excuses which men pretend for delaying this necessary work and not only shew the unreasonableness of them but that they are each of them a strong reason and powerful argument to the contrary 1. Many pretend that they are abundantly convinced of the great necessity of leaving their sins and betaking themselves to a better course and they fully intend to do so only they cannot at present bring themselves to it but they hope hereafter to be in a better temper and disposition and then they resolve by Gods grace to set about this work in good earnest and to go through with it I know not whether it be fit to call this a Reason I am sure it is the greatest cheat and delusion that any man can put upon himself For this plainly shews that thou dost not intend to do this which thou art convinced is so necessary but to put it off from day to day For there is no greater evidence that a man doth not really intend to do a thing than when notwithstanding he ought upon all accounts and may in all respects better do it at present than hereafter yet he still puts it off Whatever thou pretendest this is a meer shift to get rid of a present trouble It is like giving good words and making fair promises to a clamorous and importunate creditour and appointing him to come another day when the man knows in his conscience that he intends not to pay him and that he shall be less able to discharge the debt then than he is at present Whatever reasons thou hast against reforming thy life now will still remain and be in as full force hereafter nay probably stronger than they are at present Thou art unwilling now and so thou wilt be hereafter and in all likelihood much more unwilling So that this reason will every day improve upon thy hands and have so much the more strength by how much the longer thou continuest in thy sins Thou hast no reason in the world against the present time but only that 't is present why when hereafter comes to be present the reason will be just the same So that thy present unwillingness is so far from being a just reason against it that 't is a good reason the other way because thou art unwilling now and like to be so nay more so hereafter if thou intendest to do it at all thou shouldst set about it immediately and without delay 2. Another reason which men pretend for the delaying of this work is the great difficulty and unpleasantness of it And it cannot be denied but that there will be some bitterness and uneasiness in it proportionably to the growth of evil habits and the strength of our lusts and our greater or less progress and continuance in a sinful course So that we must make account of a sharp conflict of some pain and trouble in the making of this
God and resolving to serve him when you are so importunately courted and so hotly assaulted by the Devil and the World However you may not live to be old therefore upon that consideration begin the work presently and make use of the opportunity that is now in your hands You that are grown up to ripeness of years and are in the full vigor of your age you are to be put in mind that the heat and inconsiderateness of youth is now past and gone that reason and consideration are now in their perfection and strength that this is the very age of prudence and discretion of wisdom and wariness So that now is the proper time for you to be serious and wisely to secure your future happiness As for those that are old they methinks should need no body to admonish them that it is now high time for them to begin a new life and that the time past of their lives is too much to have spent in sin and folly There is no trifling where men have a great work to do and but little time to do it in Your Sun is certainly going down and near its setting therefore you should quicken your pace considering that your journey is never the shorter because you have but little time to perform it in Alas man thou art just ready to dye and hast thou not yet begun to live Are thy passions and lusts yet unsubdued and have they had no other mortification than what age hath given them 'T is strange to see how in the very extremities of old age many men are as if they had still a thousand years to live and make no preparation for death though it dogs them at the heels and is just come up to them and ready to give them the fatal stroke Therefore let us not put off this necessary work of reforming our selves in what part and age of our lives soever we be To day whilst it is called to day least any of you be hardened thorough the deceitfulness of sin Nay to day is with the latest to begin this work had we been wise we would have begun it sooner 'T is Gods infinite mercy to us that it is not quite too late that the day of Gods patience is not quite expired and the door shut against us Therefore do not defer your repentance to the next solemn time to the next occasion of receiving the blessed Sacrament Do not say I will then reform and become a new man after that I will take leave of my lusts and sin no more For let us make what haste we can we cannot possibly make too much properat vivere nemo satis No man makes haste enough to be good to cease to do evil and to learn to do well Be as quick as we will life will be too nimble for us and go on faster than our work does and death will go nigh to prevent us and surprize us unawares Do do sinner abuse and neglect thy self yet a little while longer till the time of regarding thy soul and working out thy own salvation be at an end and all the opportunities of minding that great concernment be slipp'd out of thy hands never to be recovered never to be called back again no not by thy most earnest wishes and desires by thy most fervent prayers and tears and thou be brought into the condition of prophane Esau who for once despising the Blessing lost it for ever and found no place of repentance though he sought it carefully with tears To conclude Art thou convinced that thy eternal happiness depends upon following the advice which hath now been given thee Why then do but behave thy self in this case as thou and all prudent men are wont to do in matters which thou canst not but acknowledg to be of far less concernment If a man be travelling to such a place so soon as he finds himself out of the way he presently stops and makes towards the right way and hath no inclination to go wrong any farther If a man be sick he will be well presently if he can and not put it off to the future Most men will take the first opportunity that presents it self of being rich or great every man almost catches at the very first offers of a great place or a good purchase and secures them presently if he can least the opportunity be gone and another snatch these things from him Do thou thus so much more in matters so much greater Return from the error of thy way be well save thy self as soon as possibly thou canst When happiness presents it self to thee do not turn it off and bid it come again to morrow Perhaps thou mayest never be so fairly offered again perhaps the day of salvation may not come again to morrow nay perhaps to thee to morrow may never come But if we were sure that happiness would come again yet why should we put it off Does any man know how to be safe and happy to day and can he find in his heart to tarry till to morrow Now the God of all mercy and patience give every one of us the wisdom and grace to know and to do in this our day the things that belong to our peace before they be hid from our eyes for the sake of our blessed Saviour and Redeemer To whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glory now and for ever Amen