within me says Amen Brethren will you yet again say your Lord nay shall Christ have his wish shall your Servant for Jesus sake shall I have my wish will you now at last conâ—ent to be â—anctified and to be saved let me have this wish and I dare promise from the Lord you shall have yours even whatever your Soul can desire Brethren this once hear this once be prevailed upon be content that your lusts be rooted out and your Lord planted into your Souls Be content to be pardoned content to be converted content to be saved This once hear lest if ye now refuse ye no more be perswaded with oh that they would but be for ever confounded with oh that they had Lest all our wishes and wooings of you be turned into weepings and mournings over you this once hear Oh that you would I heartily thank you for your good wishes and good will towards me for your willing and chearful entertainment of my person and attendance on my Ministry and particularly for your passionate desire of my longer stay among you Which desire if God had not my Soul could not have denied you Though the Almighty to whose pleasure it 's meet that we all submit hath said nay to that wish of yours yet let your Souls say Amen to this last of mine that the Lord God would dwell among you and in you both now and for ever And having thus finished my Labours among you I shall now close up with this double account 1. Of my discharge of my Ministry in this place 2. Of my deprival And shall so commit you to God and to the word of his Grace which is able to huild you up and to give you an Inheritance amongst all them that are sanctified 1. Of my discharge of my Ministry What my Doctrine and manner of life hath been is known to you and what my aim and intent hath been is known to God The searcher of hearts knows that 't is the salvation of Souls that hath been the mark at which I have levelled My way hath been to use all plainness that I might be made manifest in your Consciences Weaknesses and infirmities both natural and sinful the Lord pardon it I have had many I am sensible that much more might have been done both in publick and in private had it not been for a weakly body and a sloathful heart I repent that I have had no more zeal for God no more compassion to Souls I repent that I have been no more constant and importunate with you about the matters of Eternity Oh Eternity Eternity that thou wert no more in the heart and Lips of the Preacher in the hearts and ears of the hearers But while I thus judge my self for my failings Blessed be God for any sincerity to his name and good will to your Souls that he hath seen in me Blessed be God I have a witness in my Conscience and I hope in yours also that I have not shunned to declare to you the whole Counsel of God Brethren I call Heaven and Earth to witness this day that I have set before you life and death good and evil and have not ceased from day to day to warn you to choose life and that good way that leads to it and to escape for your lives from the way of sin and death Oh remember the many instructions I have given you the many Arguments whereby I have striven with you the many Prayers that have been offered up for the guiding and gaining your Souls into the path of life and the turning your feet out of the way of destruction Oh might I be able to give this Testimony concerning you all at my departure they have trodden in the right path they have chosen the good part that shall not be taken from them Beloved Brethren with whom I have travelled in birth that Christ might be formed in you I must shortly give up my account in a more solemn Assembly will you help me to give it up with joy by shewing your Souls before the Lord as the Seal of my Ministry Every sincere Convert among you will be a Crown of rejoycing to me in that day So let me rejoyce and let my joy be the joy of you all What shall I say more If there be any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love any bowels and mercies if the Glory of the Eternal God the Honour of the everlasting Gospel the safety of your immortal Souls the incorruptible Crown the exceeding eternal weight of glory weigh any thing with you then once more let me beseech you by all this to hearken to that word of the Gospel which God hath spoken to you by me 2. Of my deprival The most glorious morning hath its evening the hour is come wherein the Sun is setting upon not a few of the Prophets the shadows of the evening are stretched forth upon us our day draws our work seems to be at an end Our Pulpits and our places must know us no more This is the Lords doing let all the earth keep silence before him It is not a light thing for me Brethren to be laid aside from the work and cast out of the Vineyard of the Lord and it must be something of weight that must support under such a severe doom I know there are not a few that will add to the affliction of the afflicted by telling the world t is their own fault they might prevent it if they would whether this be so or no God knoweth and let the Lord be Judge Blessed be God whatever be this is not laid to our charge as the reason of our seclusion either insufficiency or scandal You are not ignorant what things there are imposed on us as the condition of our continuing our Ministration which how lawful and expedient soever they seem in the Judgment of many yet have the most specious Arguments that plead for them left me utterly dissatisfied in my Conscience about them I must profess before God Angels and Men that my non-submission is not from any disloyaltie to Authoritie nor from pride humour or any factious disposition or design but because I dare not contradict my light nor do any thing concerning which my heart tels me the Lord says do it not After all my most impartial Enquiries after all my seeking counsel from the Lord after all my considering and consulting with men of all perswasions about these Matters I find my self so far short of satisfaction that I am plainly put to this choice to part with my Ministry or my Conscience I dare not lie before God and the World nor come and tell you I approve I allow I heartily consent to what I neither do nor can but must choose rather that my Ministry be sealed up by my Sufferings than lengthned out by a Lie Through the Grace of God though men do yet my heart shall not reproach me while I live If our hearts condemn us God is greater than our hearts and knoweth all things But however though I must now no longer act as a Minister I shall through the Grace of God endeavour peaceably and patiently to suffer as a Christian I should to testifie my Obedience to Authority have become all Things to all Men to the uttermost that I could with any clearness of heart But since Matters stand so that I must lose my place or my peace I chearfully suffer my self to be thrust off the Stage And now welcome the Cross of Christ welcome Reproach welcome Poverty Scorn and contempt or whatever else may befall me on this account This Morning I had a Flock and you had a Pastor but now behold a Pastor without a Flock a Flock without a Shepherd This Morning I had an House but now I have none This Morning I had a living but now I have none The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken away Blessed be the Name of the Lord. Beloved I am sensible of my Weaknesses and Disadvantages I am under which may render a suffering state the harder to be born help me by your Prayers and not me only but all my Brethren also with whom my Lot must fall Pray for us for we trust that we have a good Conscience in all things willing to live honestly Pray 1. That God would make our Silence speak and preach the same holy Doctrine that we have preached with our Lips 2. That he would give Supports answerable to our Sufferings that he who comforteth those that are cast down will also comfort his Servants that are cast out 3. That according to our earnest expectation and our hope as always so now also Christ may be magnified in us whether it be by Life or Death And thus Brethren I bid you farewel in the words of the Apostle 2 Cor. 13. 11. Finally Brethren farewel be perfect be of good comfort be of one mind live in peace and the God of Peace and Love shall be with you And that God of Peace that brought again from the Dead our Lord Jesus that great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the Everlasting Covenant make you perfect in every good work to do his will working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory for ever and ever AMEN FINIS The Terms of our Communion are either from which or to which The Terms from which we must turn are sin Satan the World and our own Righteousness which must be thus renounced The Terms to which we must turn are either ultimate or mediate The ultimate is God the Father Son and Holy Ghost who must be thus accepted The mediate terms are ei-Principal or less principal The principal is Christ the Mediator who must thus be embraced The less principles are the Laws of Christ which must be thus observed
is all one as to say that God hath put more sweetness into creatures then is in himself that the basest and vilest use of the creatures doth yield more true content then the souls exercising it self on God as if the thorn should yield more sweetness the bramble more fatness then the Fig-tree or Olive where are the understandings of these men I tell you Sinners when you have gone from flower to flower from creature to creature from pleasure to pleasure and sucked out all the fatness and sweetness that these will yield a poor Christian will get more real pleasure out of one Chapter of his Bible out of an honest Sermon out of one hours converse with God in Prayer then yoâ—r whole life will bring you in The Gospel with its brests of consolation at which he sucks yields him sweeter milk those clusters of Canaan on which he lives yield him richer Wine then the whole world will afford any The gleanings of a Christians joy are better then the Vintaâ—e of Sinner and you cannot so much slight the glory of their Sâ—n as they despise the glory of your sparks 3 By these spiritual exercises and delights they become more and more spiritual themselves By their beholding the face of God they are changed from glory to glory into his image and likeness by living so much in Heaven the temper and frame of their hearts becomes heavenly mens ordinary company and exercises have such an influence upon them that 't is not unusual that they change their disposition Frothy company and vain exercises will leave a frothiness and vanity upon mens spirits and serious and savoury company and exercises do leave a good savour behind them He whose work is in the Coal-mines his hiew is thereafter the flies that feed on the dung look like the dung they feed on Carnal men by being continually conversant about their earthly affairs have nothing but earthiness left upon their spirits their Thoughts Affections their Souls are become earth earthly their duties are earthly their prayers their praises their hearings all are earthly When they go to Church when they go to their Clossets they must carry their earth along with them or leave their hearts behind them On the other side Christians by having their dwellings with God their Delights their Recreations their daily business with God the Spirit of Glory and of God resteth upon them by their Divine Exercises they are made more partakers of the Divine Nature and as Worldlings businesses and delights do leave an earthliness upon their very Religion so a Christians Religion doth Spiritualize his Civil Affairs Carnal mens prayers do savour of their Fields Oxen and sports Carnal mens Sabbaths do smell of their Working-days and a Christians works do savour of his prayers a Christians Week-days have a tincture of his Sabbaths he eats and drinks he buys and sells he ploughs and threshes not as a man but as a Saint he doth not onely pray as a Saint and hear as a Saint but he ploughs as a Saint he trades as a Saint his heart is in Heaven while his hand is at the Plough he is serving his God while he is serving his own necessities he seeks he serves he eyes he enjoys his God in all he hath or doth he proves by his sense that God is every where with him he dwells feeds labours lodges with him he lives he dies And thus you see what it is to walk in the Spirit Look how far forth such a Christian lives in the Spirit so far forth doth he live such a life as this 3 This is no fansie and if I fail not here if I prove this I hope Sinners you will then see reason enough to take the Phanatick upon your selves and from henceforth stile these despised Saints in your Stilo novo Israelites indeed Christians you that hear me this day will you help me in this proof this once help me and the cause will go cleary on the Lords side you may if you will come in and be willing instances of this Truth Will you live according to your Principles that Life of God which is within you Will you live according to your Rules that Word of Life which is before you Will you follow your Leader that Holy Spirit which is given to conduct you Will you fall closer to the practice of that Godliness which you profess will you live in the obedience of that Spirit which you have received will you shew your selves a pattern of Faith of Patience of Righteousness and Holiness Will you be dealing less about these earthly vanities and be less earthly in your earthly dealings shall your dealings be wholly about Heaven and Heavenly things and will you make these your dealings your delights Will you labour by being more conversant about spirituall things and in spiritual exercises to become more spiritual more spiritually minded more spiritually tempred Will you get more clear off the love and lusts and fashions and ways and joys of this world Will you suffer the Eternal Spirit to fill you with his love and fashion you into his likeness Will you forbear any more resisting grieving slighting quenching his holy motions will you hearken to his counsels answer his impulses Will you grow on to be more Christians daily more Saints daily Saints in heart Saints in tongue Saints in the general frame oâ— your course Will you make your graces more viâ—â—â—le your comforts more visible your spiritual joys and delights more visible will you let your light so shine before men that they must either put out their own Eyes or else be forced to acknowledge that God is in you of a truth Brethren We may much thank our selves for all our Adversaries slanders we have helped them to reproaches we have furnished them with accusations by our walking so much in the Flesh and so little in the Spirit we have taught them to question whether there be any such thing aâ— walking in the Spirit The Lord pardon us the Lord make us sensible of it we have brought up an evil report upon our God upon his Spirit Gospel and wayes and for ought we know have undone many poor wretches by our hardning them in their misconceits of Godliness and Religion There have been so much Dross in our Gold so much Ashes upon our Fire so much Earth upon our Spirits such sad mixture of Water with our Wine so much Liberty taken for our Carnal joyes and Carnal pleasures our Light hath been so dim our Grace hath been so low our good works have been so spare and so thin that we have made them bold to say We are not what we are but a meer lie and deceit And we have now no such way to vindicate our selves our Religion our Holy profession to justifie our God and his Gospel as by blowing up the Coals shaking off our Ashes stirring up the Graces of God within us and letting them have their perfect work in us Will you Christians
of the Lord shining forth in his Face and should declare to you the wonderful things that his Eyes had seen and his Heart had been satisfied and ravished with in the presence of God If you should see another coming up out of the Deep with his Chaines of Darkness upon him with the smell of that Infernal Fire and Brimstone about him with the print of the Dragons clawes appearing in his Flesh and the blackness of that smoaking Furnace stricking on his Face and hidgeously roaring out the anguish he felt burning in his Bowels should tell you This is the state of them that know not God If you should see to such sights appearing this hour here in the midest of you would you not think you had reason to believe there were an Heaven and an Hell This word which is before you is a far greater and a more certain Evidence then if Tidings were thus brought to you by persons rising from the Dead And if you will not give credit to this Testimony of God neither would you give credit to any such Testimony Sinners believe God and believe him who was once on Earth and now daily speaks to you from Heaven believe that Word which is before you in which appear such Beames of Divine Light such an impress of Divine purity which hath been so attested by a Divine power in mighty Signes and Wonders that you may as well question Whether the Sun hath light as whether his Word hath truth believe this Word to be certain and then question if you can whether the things not seen are certain or no. Let these two things sink into your hearts Sinners be once setled and established in your hearts about the importance and about the truth and certaiâ—â—ty of these Eternal things and then you are goâ—ten fairly onwards in your way towards Christ and a Godly life If men were as sure that there is an Heaven and an Hell such unspeakable Glory and such intollerable misery and an Eternity of both if men were as sure of this and did as verily believe it as they are sure of what their Eyes have seen and their Ears have heard and their hands have handled What a flying would there be out of the way of Death and Hell and what a flocking would there be into the way of Life Half the work of Preachers and the hardest half their perswading work would then be at an end There would be as much knocking at their doors for counsel as now there is at sinners doors for their acceptance Oh Brethren if you were once brought to this pass if your unbelief were removed your darkness taken away your Souls awakened your Eyes opened to see these marvellous things as unquestionable Truths would you then scoffe at pureness would you then mock at godliness would you then slight reproofs or need any further conviction of your folly You would have an Admonisher within you a Remembance within you a Reprover within you your own Consciences would plead with you for your entertaining of Christ and embracing his Word and would continually cry in your Ears What meanest thou O fool Doest thou not see a Kingdome before thee which may be thine and art thou willing to lose it Dost thou see that Gulf of Misery and Perdition with open mouth gaping for thee to devour thee Arise sluggard look to thy self least thou be undone before thou art aware 3. That according to your choise in this World your lot must be for ever in the world to come Your chusing or refusing Christ and his holy ways is that which doth determine your Eternal state chuse Christ and you make Heaven sure to you refuse Christ here and you will be rejected of him for ever God doth offer you this choice either the strait and the narrow way with that life of blessedness which is at the further end of this way Or the broad way with that Death and Destruction to which it leads Christ with his Yoak his Cross and his Eternal Crown or the Devil with his golden mines his Paradise and eternal Prison and all the parts of each of these offers are linked together Chuse the Devils golden Mines and fleshly Paradise and you must have his Prison too Take Christs Yoak and his Cross and you shall have his Crown you cannot take the Devils Paradise and Christs Crown if you will have his Pleasures you must have his Prison You cannot obtain life but you must chuse the narrow way that leads to it Here is the choise sinners that God puts you to this is the business of this World to choose for Eternity And that which is the business of this life is the business of this hour This very little piece of your time and the choice you make now may be it that will give a final determination what your Eternal state shall be If you make an evil choice now you may never have a minutes time to choose again for ever Oh if your hearts were sensible of this that there is so much depending upon every houre of your lives as Life or Death Heaven or Hell Eternity sure you could not but reason thus with your selves Is it a time for me to stand all the day idle To be laughing or sporting or to be drudging and scraping for the muck of this Earth Is this a time for me to stand trifling with Christ and the Gospel to make so many delayes to make so many excuses The tearms are too high the way is too strait the yoak is too heavy this I cannot part with that I cannot bring my heart to subscribe to Is this the business that is now under debate what my everlasting state must be In which of the two Regions of Eternity my Lot shall fall whether I shall be a Saint or a Devil a vessel of honour or a vessel of wrath whether my dwelling shall be in everlasting blessedness or in everlasting burnings which way the scales do turn now either for Christ or the world Do they turn for everlasting Sure if matters stand thus I had need be serious and consider what I do This is the first direction get these three principles fixed in your hearts that things Eternal are much more confiderable then things Temporal that things not seen are as infallibly certain as the things that are seen that upon your present choice depends your Eternal lot Chuse Christ and his wayes and you are blessed for ever refuse and you are undone for ever And then II. Make your choice Put your hearts to it to turn either to the right hand or to the left lay both parts before you with every link of each Christ with his Yoak his Cross and his Crown or the Devil with his wealth his pleasure and his curse And then put your selves to it thus Soul Thou seest what is before thee what wilt thou do Which wilt thou have either the Crown or the Curse If thou chuse the Crown remember that the day
Some that are born poor live all their dayes and take up with their poor state and never look after riches For ought thou knowest thy heart might have been in much better case if thou hadst intended riches 'T is the covetous Christian that is the rich Christian As 't is with worldly men the Covetous of the earth these are the rich men of the earth these are the monied men the landed men that have laid house to house field to field and it may be if thou hadst been spiritually covetous thou mightest have laid grace to grace comfort to comfort and have been a man of great possessions before this day but thou hast been a narrow-hearted poor-spirited creature that never hadst any ambition not tookest up any design to grow great and rich towards God and hereupon 't is that thou art as thou art Christian though there be none of the former causes mentioned but may have an hand in bringing poverty upon thee or holding thee under it yet it may be this last a contentedness with a little grace is that to which thow owest most of thy pining disease This is too common a case with Christians We have not large hearts towards God we are not covetous after holiness we are too well contented to be Babes in Christ to be children in the grace and knowledge of God where shall we find a Christian almost that is resolved to be rich to seek great things for himself the great things of Eternity I mean to bring forth much fruit It is no wonder there are so many barren sheep in Christs Fold so many barren fig-trees in Christs Vineyard so many starveling souls among the Professors of Religion when there are so few that do seriously design fruitfulness We might have been as those sheep which Solomon mentions to resemble the Church by Cant. 6. 6. Whereof every one beareth Twins we might have gotten double to what we have done if we had had a mind in earnest to it Brethren Consider how it is with you and if you find this to be your case that your souls are in an unthtiving state search narrowly if some of the fore-mentioned particulars be not those that have kept you back and when you have found out the cause of your disease rest not till it be removed for be ye well assured That that which hath hindered will hinder till it be taken out of the way THe fourth and last Special Duty I shall direct you in is the Renewing of your Covenant Wherein before I give you the Directions I shall premise 1. That every sincere Christian is as hath been before shewed entred into Covenant with God 2. That Christians are guilty of much treachery and false-dealing with God They break Covenant daily The Lord may take up that complaint against many of us which he took up against Israel Psal 78. 36 37. Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth and lyed unto him in their tongue their heart was not right with him neither were they stedfast in the Covenant There is a double falshood in the Covenant which we may be guilty of 1. There is a falshood in our entring into Covenant when we do it not heartily but feignedly when our promises to God are nothing but words when we mean not nor intend any such thing as our mouth speaks this is lying unto God They lyed to him in their Tongues Oh! how many such lyars are there to be found amongst those that are called Christians We have all covenanted to renounce the world and the love of it to renounce the flesh and the lusts of it to renounce the Devil and his works We have all Covenanted to take the Lord to be our God to cleave to him obey and serve him only and all our dayes All this we have done in our Baptism and in our profession that we have since made to stand to our Baptismal Covenant But have we not many of us lyed unto the Lordâ— Hath there ever been any such thing in our hearts Those that are false in this Foundation of their Christianity are but false Christians those that have lyed unto God in their Covenants are but lying Converts 2. There is a falshood in our keeping Covenant when whatever reality there hath been in our intention yet we fail in execution when we do not stand to our word nor are stedfast in our Covenant and every part thereof And thus every Christian is more or less guilty Every sin we commit is in a degree a breaking Covenant a departing and going back from the Lord and a dealing treacherously with the most high Oh! how much falshood of this kind is there to be found in every one of us when some of our hearts are so set upon the world and take so much liberty in pursuing and so much pleasure in the enjoying of these earthly things that the Lord is the less regarded and looked after Is this according to our Covenant When there is such fleshliness and sensuality to be found amongst others when we live such idle easie careless lives when our appetires our passions our tongues are left so much at their liberty when there is so much provision made for the flesh and so little for the soul Is this according to our Covenant Is this all we meant in promising to be Christians Is this our living to God our living to Christ Oh! what falshood have we been guilty of 3. That all our breaches of Covenant do exceedingly weaken the bond and obligation of the Covenant The obligation of the Covenant may be said to be weakened in a double sense 1. Really when the tye of it is relaxed and loosened and we cease to be so strongly bound as before and thus no sin can weaken our Covenant-obligation it doth not become ever the less our duty to cleave unto God for that we have so often departed from him or ever the less our sin to follow the world for that we have followed it so long Our sins in this sense do rather add to the obligation by how much the less we have paid off our debt by so much the more there is behind Our former neglects do oblige us to the more care for the future 2. Sensibly When the bond of the Covenant being so often broken is not now accounted so solemn or so sacred as before by how much the more it hath been broken by so much the less sensible hold hath it upon us It seemeth but a very light thing to persons that have so often and ordinarily broken their Faith with God to break it over and over again It doth not much affect or trouble such hearts which have been accustomed to transgress ro revolt more and more When sin can plead prescription it grows bold If I were to begin again saith the sinner I would take more eare and look better to my wayes but over shoes over boots now I have gone on so long it will not be much
countenance Israel might plainly see that Moses had met with God they might see the beams of divine Glory in his face Oh! how sad is it that Christians should return from duty with no more of God in their faces or upon their spirit than for the most part they do We come many times with no other spirits from our Bibles or our Closets than we come out of our Shops or out of our Barns no body would ever think we had been praying or conversing with God there is so little savour of God upon our hearts that we bring back with us Brethren whenever you let down your Pitchers into the Wells of Salvation be not content to bring them up empty be so conversant with God in your Duties that you come off laden as the Bee from the Flower with the honey and sweetness of your duties And this I advise you to endeavour after not only in your secret duties not only in your solemn publick duties on Sabbaths Humiliation-dayes or Thanksgivings but in your daily family-duties your Reading Singing Praying yea even in those shorter Prayers and Praises which you use before and after Meals Whenever you draw nigh to God look to see God to taste of God and to get down something of God upon your hearts And then 2. Whatever you have gotten from God in Duty what life what warmth what refreshing what enlargement of heart be careful to maintain and keep it alive afterwards See that your Spirits do not presently sink and cool again after they have been thus raised and warmed Do not satisfie your selves with this that you have some comfortable entertainment with God and feel some warm and lively works of your heart towards God and some refreshings from him in Duty but look to it that you keep that holy fire that is there kindled from being presently quenched again You do not eat and drink for an hour only that you may have the comfort of your food while your meal lasts but you eat for afterwards that the spirits and strength which you get by one meal may hold you out to the next meal Duties are the set-meals of the soul wherein it so feeds it self upon God that in the strength of what it receives it may afterwards walk with God more comfortably and chearfully The Lord promiseth to his people Lev. 26. 5. The Threshing shall reach to the Vintage and the Vintage to the Seed-time And Amos 9. 13. The Plough-man shall overtake the Reaper and the treader of Grapes him that soweth Seed The meaning is Your old store shall be so much and last you so long as till new com again you shall not only reap enough for the time of Harvest you shall not only gather enough to serve you during the time of the Vintage but your corn shall last from Harvest to Harvest your Wine shall serve you from Vintage to Vintage your Old store shall not be spent till New come to supply you Duties are the Harvests and Vintages of our souls Oh! what blessed lives should we live did we so improve and husband what we get in one Duty that it might last us out to another that the Vintage might reach to the Vintage the Harvest to the Harvest that the life and warmth and refreshing we get in one Duty might hold by us till the next and so we might be carried on in an holy lively heavenly Frame from Duty to Duty as Israel walked on from strength â—o strength till they came and appeared before God in Sion That which holds us so low and barren in Religion is that whatever we have obtained from the Lord in Duties and Ordinances we presently lose it when we have been weeping sometimes before the Lord and wrestling with him and pleading hard for some quickning or comforting influences of his Spirit upon our hearts and the Lord hath heard us and given us our desires yet then as soon as duty is over we go away and forget all and bury all that we have thus obtained in a confused heap of worldly thoughts and businesses we unbend and let down our spirits and lay aside all thoughts of God till we come to duty again we conrent our selves to live in such an estrangement from God all the rest of our time that sin and the world have a whole dayes time to pull down what an hours duty hath been building a whole weeks time to destroy and steal away what a Sabbath hath gotten in and so at the returns of duty we find our hearts at the same loss in the same deadness and hardness that they were before In the Old Testament though the Sacrifices were offered but morning and evening yet the fire that kindled them was not to go out night nor day there must be fire kept alive from the Morning-Sacrifice to kindle the Evening-Sacrifice and fire left from the Evening to kindle the Morning-Sacrifice Oh! Behold how often is it that though at our Morning-Sacrifice a fire is kindled yet we let this fire lie all day under the ashes and take so little care to keep blowing at it that it goes quite out before the Evening and when we come to offer our Evening-Sacrifice we have no fire to kindle it Brethren hath the Lord visited you and quickned and comforted you in duty Oh! think with your selves what a sweet life should I live might it be thus with me alwayes What pity is it that such light should ever go out that such grace should be so short liv'd Why if I do not look to my self the better this Sun-shine will last but a little while and how will the Lord take it if I suffer such sparks that he hath kindled so suddenly to be quenched How is my Soul ever like to prosper if such precious food pass away from it as soon as it is received Is this a fast that I have chosen for a man to afflict his Soul for a day Is this a prayer that God regards for a man to afflict his heart for an hour to be in the Mount with God to be raised up to Heaven for the time and within a few minutes after to be sunk into the dirt of the earth What a sad change is this How can you bear such a loss as this When will your souls come to any thing if you have only some few such lucida intervalla and all the rest of your time are covered over with clouds and darkness Beloved as ever you expect to prosper in grace or be settled in peace be chary of maintaining your duty in-comes do not think to make use of your prayer-comforts to save you the labour of an after care but to help you to be more careful and fruitful But how may we do to keep this Holy and lively frame 1. Be watchful Nehem. 4. 9. Nevertheless we prayed and set a watch against them night and day Beloved it is with you as it was with those Jews whatever you have gained you have Adversaries
too precise too tender too watchful too fearful of sin too zealous against sin be all they have to charge you with Keep thee from thine own iniquities say not so much as this I am my Beloveds and my Beloved must be mine Kick out thy Dalilahs Thou must part with thy darling or thy God Let there be no secret league let there be no peace betwixt thy Soul and any iniquity to which thou mayst either steal out to delight thee or turn in to hide thee let no iniquity be thy leisure or protection if when thou aâ— pursued by a persecuter any sin as Jael to Sisera should call to thee turn in hither thou mayst escape remember the nail and the hammer let no iniquity find a corner in thee to lodge in quiet that thou may'st not think to find a corner with it where thou mayst lodg in safety say to all thy sinful delights and sinful hopes get you gone I will neither love you nor trust you however thy sin may please thee whatever it may promise thee be sure thou wilt find it a sting in thy Soul and a stain upon thy Glory Keep your selves from the sins of others beware of the Leaven of the proud Pharisee of the formal and vain-glorious Scribe of the extorting Publican of the debauched Prodigal the ambitious Diotrephes the virulent Tertullus the backsliding Demas beware of all Epidemical Leaven the sickness of the times you may live in Take heed lest you be drawn away with the errours of the wicked and so swimming down the stream you fall from your own stedfastness Let sinners come up to you go not you down to them Let them never say of any of you The man is become as one of us our spot is become the spot of his children Let your lives be a rebuke to the ungodly World whilst you live as the Children of God without rebuke in the midst of the World 2. In its Power Let the power of Grace be seen in its preserving it self in its being and vigorous Exercise against all the Powers of Hell The strength of a man is seen in this that he can bear wind and weather can live any where without imparing his health The strength and mettal of a Sword is 〈◊〉 in this that Iron will not turn its edg True Grace is such a Plant that all the weeds of the Field and Thorns of the Forrest are not able to choke That will endure not only the Summers Heat but the Winters Frosts Christians prove your Grace to be a right plant the right Seed the Seed of God let it bear up against all the world Let not the winds of persecution put out your Light nor the waters cast out of the Serpents mouth quench your love nor so much as cool your zeal especially take heed that the Dragons Tail do not draw you down among the Falling Stars You know what a World you live in You know the old Quarrel betwixt the Seed of the Woman and the Serpent both what it is and that it hath been kept on foot through all ages to this day You know the White at which Sathan and all his Archers have been so long Levelling and so hotly discharging the White stone in your Breasts the White Robe on your backs A good conscience and a holy Life are the mark upon which all the Fury of Earth and Hell is spent Oh now prove your Grace to be Grace by its preserving it self against all this violence Let the Devil see you will be Holy whether he will or no Let the evil world see you will be godly do what they can though they may make you poor and destitute and naked yet leâ— them despair of ever making you ungodly let grace hereby appear to be Grace and the mighty power of God in you which that it may do 2. Let Grace ripen towards Glory let not the scorching Sun wither your Blossoms but ripen your Fruit. If you would hold out get you on If you would not have your something to come to just nothing increase your Store Let your spark grow up into a Flame your Grain of Mustard-seed into a Tree I tell you a Mystery The tallest Cedars on God's mountain will best escape the wind whilst the lower Shrubs are in greater danger of being overturned if you will stand sure get you up on the higher ground Christians befool the Devil let him see himself a Loser by all his stirs he makes against you It is not the first time that his cross Winds have prov'd the most auspicious Gales to put the Saints the sooner into Harbour What he hath intended for a withering Storm hath often prov'd a fruitful Dew those very Clouds he expected should rain down Snares have often dropt down fatness If you will go on Hell shall help you forward the Devil's Rods on your back shall but help to mend your pace his thorns shall be Spurs in your sides By stripping you of your fleshly Delights he shall but starve your Lusts his Friends his Burthens shall be your Ballast to make your course more steady Christians are seldom in such a thâ—iving and prosperous state as when they are just come out of the hands of a persecuting Devil Christians grow in Grace there 's no season but may be a growing Season Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Let that living spring which is broken forth in you be like the waters of the Sanctuary Ezek. 4. 7. Which at their first rising were but up to the Ankles but a little further were up to the Knees a little further they were up to the Loins and at length they grew up to a great river waters to swim in the bottom whereof could not be felt It may be the waters of Grace do yet run low with thee a little Bay will stop or turn the stream thou art yet gotten but to ankle deep or knee deep get thee on stay nor till thy Spring become a River let every day every Duty every experience yea every affliction add to thy streams that as the accession of every little brook to the main Channel raises the water as it passes along so it may be with thy Soul that the farther thou goest on the fuller thy Banks may be till thou comest to be like Jordan in the Harvest whose waters fill all its banks To quicken thee on in this growth in Grace consider 1. That a little Grace will make but poor work with thy mighty sins where Grace is low Lust is high and how is an Infant like to stand before a Man of War 2. That a little Grace will not suffice to bear thee up in great Afflictions that which thou maiest make a shift with in a Calm will not serve thee in a Storm 3. That a little Grace will be sadly put to it if ever thou come to have but little means of Grace 4. That he that hath but little Grace is like
hearts desire for you all is that you may be saved and if there be any persons that bear evil will to me my particular wish for them is The Good-will of him that dwelt in the Bush be those Men's Portions for ever These are some of my Wishes for you will you joyn your Wishes with mine will you turn your Wishes into Prayers and let this be your prayer The Lord grant thee thine hearts desire and fulfill all thy Mind Brethren do I wish you any harm in all this If not if it be to be wished that the word of Christ were rooted in your hearts and your Souls thereby rooted in the Grace of God if it be to be wished that your Lusts were rooted out your sins dead and dried up your foot gotten out of the Snare your Souls brought into the Fold your fruits of righteousness and holiness abounding and growing up unto eternal life If all this be to be wished then give in your votes with mine wish and pray pray and press on press on and wait for the accomplishment of this grace in you all I tell you again I wish you well and not only I but the Lord God that hath sent me to you The Lord Jesus wishes you well he wishes and wooes woes and weeps weeps and dyes that your Souls might live and be blessed for ever He hath once more sent me to you even to the worst amongst you to tell you from him that he 's unwilling you should perish that he hath a kindness for you in his heart if you will accept it He hath Blood and Bowels for your Blood to expiate you guilt to wash away your filth and Bowels to offer you the benefit of his Bloud with this wish Oh that it were theirs Oh that they would hearken and accept Only I must add That the Lord hath two sorts of Wishes concerning sinners The first is Oh that they would hearken Oh that they would come in be healed and be saved Deut. 5. 29. This wish is an Olive Branch that brings good â—idings and gives great hopes of Peace and Mercy His last Wish is Oh that they had hearkened that they had accepted Ps 81. 13. O that my People had hearkened to me Luk. 19. 42. Oh that thou hadst known in this thy day the things that concern thy peace This Wish hath nothing but Dread and death in it it is the Black Flag hung out that proclaims External Wars The sence is Israel had once a fair time of it a time of Love a time of Grace a time of Peace Oh that they had hearkned then that they had known the things that concern their peace But wo wo to them 't is too late the door is shut the Season is over the Day is past But now they are hid from thine Eyes There are three deadly darts in this Wish oh that thou hadst it includes in it these three cutting words Thou hast not Thou mightest Thou shalt not for ever 1. There is this in it Thou hast not What have I not why thou hast not known the things that belong to thy peace Thou hast had the door of Glory the Gate of Heaven open to thee and hast been call'd for and invited in but thou hast lost the opportunity Thou knewest not when thou werâ— well offered nor would'st take notice what a day was before thee what a price was in thine hand thy peace the Gospel of peace the Prince of peace a Kingdome of peace was set open offered and brought home to thy doors but thou hadst so many other matters to look after that thou tookest no notice of it but hast let it slip There 's one Dart. Thou hast not known There 's a Gospel gone there 's a Christ gone there 's a Soul a Kingdom lost 2. There is this in it Thou mightest Oh that thou hadst why Might I Ye thou mightest if thou wouldst thou mightst Thy God did not mock thee when he preach'd peace to thee he was willing and wish'd it thine if thou wouldst thou mightst have made it thine own but whilst he would thou wouldest not There 's another Dart. I might have known I have none to thank but my self for the loss mine undoing was mine own doing There are no such torments as when the Soul flies upon it self and takes revenge on it self oh the gashes that such self reflections make Soul how camest thou in hither into all this misery oh 't is of my self my self that my destruction is The door was open and I was told of it and was bid come in but I would not That I am lost and undone was not my Fate which I could not avoid but my Fault and my folly It seems to give some ease of our torment when we can shift off the fault It was not I but the Woman said Adam It was not I but the Serpent said the Woman if it had been true it would have given ease as well as serve for an excuse This thought 'T was mine own doing tears the very caul of the heart Oh I have none to blame but my self mine own foolish and froward heart This is my ignorance this is my unbelief this is my willfulness my lusts and my pleasures and my Idols that I was running after that have brought me under this dreadful loss 'T was my own doing 3. There is this in it Thou shalt not for ever Oh that thou hadst why may I not yet Is there no hope of recovering the opportunity not one word more not one hour more may not the Sun go one degree backward No no 't is too late too late thou hast had thy day from henceforth no more for ever There 's the last Dart Time 's past there 's the death the Hell the anguish the Worm that shall gnaw to eternity This one word Time 's past sets all Hell a roaring and when it s once spoken to a sinner on Earth there 's Hell begun Go thy way wretch fill up thy measure and fall into thy place The Gospel hath no more to say to thee but this one word Because I have called and thou refusedst I have stretched out my hand and thou regardedst not but hast set at nought all my Counsels and wouldst none of my reproofs I also will laugh at thy calamities and mock when thy fear cometh when thy fear cometh as desolation and thy destruction cometh as a whirle-wind when distress and anguish cometh upon thee then shalt thou call but I will not answer thou shalt seek me early but shalt not find me Beloved my hopes are and I am not able to say but that you are yet under the first wish Oh that they would Christ is yet preaching you to faith and sends his Wish along with his Word Oh that they would believe Christ is yet preaching Repentance and Conversion to you and wishes O that they would repent that they would be converted and to this wish of my Lord my Soul and all that is