be pardon'd and saved That therefore which the Gospel calls and admits us to is a state of Repentance whereinto we enter by Baptism Adult persons already come to the use of Reason must repent that is bid adieu to their old wicked way of life and resolve upon a new and holy one before they be baptized And Christian Infants by Baptism covenant to lead a life of repentance when they come to understanding And none are to delay this wilfully but always as they are able to understand the state whereunto they are called and wherein they are engaged to make good their part of the new Covenant which is to live in sincere obedience to Christ and always to repent of their failings as they are able to discover them Thus he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved Mar. XVI 16. How Shall he be saved though he live as long as he will in his Sins after he is baptized No but if he die after Baptism before any actual sin and in a purpose not to commit any such he shall be saved and if he do commit sin afterward and speedily repent of it not wilfully continuing therein he shall be saved But if he wilfully continue in his Sins which in Baptism he renounced 't is no-where told him that he shall be saved Baptism saveth us saith the Apostle 1 Pet. I. 3 21. But then he saith too 'T is not the putting away of the filth of the flesh but the answer of a good Conscience towards God If our Consciences being examined can answer us truly that we covenanted sincerely and keep covenant faithfully Baptism saveth us But what was it we promised To repent and begin to live an holy life at such or such an Age or when we grow old and are going to dye or after we have had our fill of sinning some time or other when we shall think it most convenient Was it not this we promised To keep God's holy will and commandments all the days of our life Was it not this Charge that Christ gave his Apostles when he gave them Authority and Command to baptize Teach them to observe all things that I have commanded you Matth. XXVIII 20. What for some few days of their life or for the whole remaining part of it St. Paul shall answer this Question Rom. VI. 2. Shall we saith he that are dead to sin live any longer therein What means he by saying We are dead to sin Is it not that we are by our Baptism engaged to live in Sin no longer Know ye not saith he again that so many of us as were baptized into Iesus Christ were baptized into his death v. 3. And what will follow thence This is that which he tells us v. 4. Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we also should walk in newness of life And then he adds v. 6. Our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroy'd that henceforth we should not serve sin Henceforth we are not to let sin reign in our mortal bodies that we should obey it in the lusts thereof Neither to yield our members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin but to yield our selves unto God as those that are alive from the dead and our members as instruments of righteousness unto God v. 12 13. Henceforth then that is from the time that we are called to repentance by the Gospel and are baptized into Christ we are to lead a life as St. Paul saith Eph. IV. 1. worthy of the vocation wherewith we are call'd and that 's a life of sincere Obedience and unfeigned Repentance To sin at all is a transgression of the Law and that 's mortal in it self but that the Gospel comes in to our succour and gives us the privilege of Repentance If then we delay our Repentance so graciously indulged unto us we sin against the mercy of the Gospel as well as against the righteousness of the Law we reject our Pardon most lovingly tender'd unto us by our unwillingness to comply with the Terms on which it is offer'd us and if we be sick unto death and will not in time apply the only remedy provided for us in our otherwise desperate case what can we expect but to dye and what pity can we deserve if we die And yet too many are apt enough to encourage themselves to hold out still longer against all Calls and Invitations to a speedy Repentance upon the most deceitful grounds imaginable Because they read in the Prophet Ezek. XVIII 27. When the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed and doth that which is lawful and right he shall save his soul alive And because many have lived a long time very wickedly and yet have been converted at length and accepted of God upon their conversion and repentance they are apt to think it no such ill thing as they are told it is to delay their Repentance a-while longer and therefore venture on it in hopes they may be accepted hereafter as well as others have been Now for men to flatter themselves thus upon so very slender grounds is so very foolish a thing that one who considers not how much the love men have to Sin is become too hard for their reason to answer how weakly soever it plead for it self would exceedingly wonder how any reasonable creature should be guilty of it It is indeed very true and God's Holy Name be for ever Blessed for it that God will accept of the true Repentance of great Sinners who have lain long in their Sins without Repentance and this is a good reason why one that hath continued long in Sin should not despair but if he yet Repent he may hope to be Saved But is it therefore as good a reason why he should delay his Repentance in hopes to Repent hereafter I have not yet said that no man who hath been long an Impenitent Sinner can never Repent or shall not be pardon'd if he Repent though I am in doubt whether or no a Sinner that Repents not till he come to die can have a pardon upon so late a Repentance But that which I have said is this That all delay of Repentance is exceedingly sinful and therefore nothing ought to be pleaded for it no man should dare to encourage himself in it It is a Sin against the Gospel of Christ which is the only foundation Sinners have to raise their hope of Salvation upon 'T is I think beyond all dispute that though the Gospel of Christ assure Salvation to the Penitent yet it hath not assured Repentance to him who delayeth it It calleth Sinners to Repentance without exception whether they have been so a longer or a shorter time and promiseth acceptance but doth it allow them to take what time they please for it after they are called Doth it tell them that they may safely
our selves in Do we know any of us that there is so much as one day or one hour betwixt this moment and Eternity And why then are we not now in as great haste to repent as we were in then How many that delay from time to time are when they least fear it knock'd down with a sudden blow How many are cut off in the very act of sin when secure in themselves and thinking on no such thing as dying they were in Hell before they thought that death was near them Is not our delaying our Repentance the likeliest way in the World to provoke Almighty God to send out one of these swift Arrows to destroy us O let us be ready for it may come in an hour that we think not Whilst we so confidently promise our selves to morrow and flatter our selves with purposes of repenting then a sudden destruction a Phrenzy a stupidity or we know not what may arrest us and not give us leave so much as to think that we are Sinners or to say Lord have mercy on us Doth not God seem for this very reason to conceal both the time and the manner of our death from us that we may be the more watchful and take the more care to be always ready for dying at whatever hour or in whatever way it shall please him to take us hence Did we certainly know before-hand just when and how we must die we would venture the more boldly to spend our time in sin and vanity till we knew the time was near and then it may be some few days before become a little more serious just as it is the custome of too many at this time to do before a Sacrament Therefore God will not have us to know the time of our death that we not knowing but it may be to morrow may be every day ready and so he may have the honour and we the comfort of a pious life Moreover as was before said To continue in sin in hopes that we may repent hereafter as it is to sin that grace may abound which is a thing if we believe the Apostle greatly to be abhorred Rom. VI. 1. So is it the most effectual course we can take to shorten our days and to prevent the benefit we hope for The fear of the Lord prolongeth days but the years of the wicked shall be shortened The hope of the righteous shall be gladness but the expectation of the wicked shall perish Prov. X. 27 28. Again We can hardly give any rational account why God should so strictly and under so severe Penalties enjoin us the practice of many excellent Vertues and forbid us many foul Sins if we may hope to please him and be saved by a very late or death-bed Repentance Can such Vertues as Sobriety Temperance and Chastity and many more be thought commanded us as the proper Exercises of a sick and dying man Can the Sins of Gluttony and Drunkenness Chambering and Wantonness Murther Theft Ambition Covetousness and more such like be forbidden upon pain of damnation left a man should be guilty of them on his Death-bed or in his last Sickness when 't is somewhat hard to conceive how a man should have any thoughts of them Or can we conceive that the meaning of such Commands is no more but this You must either do these Duties and avoid these Sins while you live or repent that you have not done so when you are about to die What were this but to say That all the Commands of holy living signify no more but this That a man may safely break them all whilst he liveth if he can but keep them when he can break them no more or be sorry that he hath broken them when he is afraid he is just going to be damn'd for it or resolve to keep them when he thinks he can live no longer What probability is there that any Resolution of repenting hereafter is sincere We cannot absolutely resolve to repent hereafter because we cannot certainly know that we shall live hereafter and if we resolve but conditionally to repent hereafter that is on supposition that we shall live to repent we must seem content to be damn'd if we dye before that time come because we know That without Repentance we must be damn'd I think one cannot in good earnest resolve to repent unless he immediately do repent when he resolves upon it How can any one imagine it too soon to do what he knows necessary to be done and yet may never be done if not just now No man can with any colour of reason be thought in earnest when he saith he resolveth to do that another day which he knows is to be done every day and must of necessity be done sometime and yet he knows not whether he shall have another day or no. It 's plain such a man doth not resolve at all to repent for he loves it not and that 's the reason he doth it not now and will still be as good a reason not to do it then but in truth all he resolves upon is not to repent now or to drive it off yet longer and that 's no resolution at all to repent What folly is it to drive off our Repentance till we be scourged and lash'd unto it If we make not haste of our selves and God have yet any kindness left in store for us he will whip us to it If we will not otherwise awake out of sleep God if he have not already determin'd we shall sleep on unto death will awake us with his Rod. And whether had the Prodigal better have staid in his Father's House and continued in his Love and under his constant Care and Providence by obeying him at first or have wandred abroad as he did till extreme want and ill usage drove him home If we will be saved we must repent and is it not a very foolish thing to stay till the whip drive us to it Especially when 't is doubtful whether or no the Repentance which begins in Fear will end in Love which yet if it do not it will never bring us to Salvation And now after all this I hope none will be so foolish as to flatter themselves with a vain conceit of their being Penitents when they are not or to encourage themselves with as vain hopes of repenting hereafter whereof they can have no certainty We find indeed one Example of a dying Penitent in the Scripture who was accepted of God and we find no more but one that of the Thief upon the Cross. But alas he hath afforded but very small Encouragement to any delaying Sinner by his own happiness in being crucified by the side of his Saviour Here is as I said but one single Example and yet had there been ten thousand such as this one was I do not see how they could any more encourage a considering man to delay his Repentance one hour because no one knows whether after that hour he shall have so much time as that Malefactor had to Repent in tho it was very short or whether in that short time he shall repent as he did Had never any Offender but one been pardon'd by any King could this be any reasonable encouragement to all the Rebels and Malefactors in the Countrey to hold on rebelling robbing stealing murthering and committing all sorts of capital Crimes in hopes of a Pardon only because once it fell out that some such Offender was pardon'd Indeed it will follow hence that such a Pardon may possibly be obtain'd because it was obtain'd but it follows not that it may ordinarily or probably be obtain'd because it never was any more than once obtain'd that we know of Besides This is indeed an Example of a late Repentance and many Examples of a late Repentance there are besides this though hardly another of one so late but we are not sure it is an Example of a delayed Repentance for we cannot find that this late Penitent ever one minute delayed his Repentance after he was called to it and convinced that it was his duty And indeed seeing this man's case was very extraordinary he that would encourage himself by it ought first to see that his own Case in all considerable circumstances be like unto it If any one ask What course is to be taken by those who have long delay'd their Repentance but are not yet in appearance near unto death I know not what better Advice to give him than this That he delay it no longer but make all the haste that possibly he can to repent now And by how much the more time he hath already lost let him use so much the more care and diligence to improve that little which is yet behind to his best advantage Such an one had need to give himself in a manner wholly henceforward to this great Work and should not suffer any business that he can well shun to disturb him in it He should not now grudge to pinch himself of time in relation to all bodily and worldly Concerns as much as he did God and his own Soul before or to bestow as much upon these if he can possibly as he used to do upon those No self-examination no humiliation no prayers no tears no striving to do good can be too much He had need to do almost nothing else but bewail his sinful life denying himself all the Pleasures and all the Comforts of this World save only the necessary supports of life This seems to me the least he can do to satisfy himself of the sincerity of so late a Repentance or to lay a foundation for a comfortable hope of God's acceptance I shall now conclude the whole Discourse with those words Isa. LV. 6 7. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found call ye upon him while he is near Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy and to our God for he will abundantly pardon FINIS
plain from those Excuses men are wont to make for themselves when they have Sinned What is it which they commonly plead for themselves but this That they did not think it to be a Sin That they hoped there had been no great evil in what they did If they had thought there was so much evil in it they would not have done it Now if they speak truly 't is plain that they had not been tempted but through Inconsideration And indeed it is hardly imaginable how the number of wicked People should be half so great as it is were it not for this that they consider too little what they do We cannot think that in a Christian Church people should live many years and yet never hear of the things which are daily taught therein and yet these are enough one would think to make them fearful to live Wickedly and to arm them sufficiently against all Temptations were they duly considered When we hear how strictly a most Iust Good Almighty and Omniscient God hath forbidden all Wickedness upon pain of Eternal Damnation and how the same Great God hath Commanded Holiness and encouraged us to it with the Gracious Promises of Pardon for all past Sins and Acceptance of Weak if Sincere endeavours and performances of Duty through JESUS CHRIST and for his sake of the reward of Eternal Life How were it possible for us for the sake of a little short and often filthy Pleasure for the shadow of Honor or for a little dirty and uncertain Wealth and all but for a very few Days to venture upon Sin did we ever consider things Seriously No we see it that when men are at any time awakened into serious consideration by some sharp Affliction by an apprehension of some great and imminent Danger or Sickness they can despise all these Temptations and resist them and if when the Danger Fear or Pain is over they are again enticed by the like Baits 't is only because through their ease their consideration is fallen asleep again So plain is it that the greatest advantage that any Temptation can have over us is that which we give it by not considering things as we ought to do 5. Nothing more certainly ruines us eternally than Inconsideration and that both because it keeps us in Ignorance and hinders us from that Exercise of Grace which by Faith in CHRIST JESUS should bring us to Heaven Inconsideration holds us ignorant both of God and our selves and so never well understanding because never throughly considering what we hear and read what we see and feel the Goodness and other Attributes of God our obligations to him and dependance on him on the one side nor our own needs our weakness and miserable condition when our selves alone on the other side we rush on blindly and boldly and the more blindly always the more boldly too fearing nothing because we see nothing and seeing nothing because we will not open our eyes to see and consider what lies plain and visible before us A prudent man foreseeth the evil and hideth himself but the simple pass on and are punished Prov. XXII 3. A wise man feareth and departeth from evil but the fool rageth and is confident Prov. XIV 16. They consider not that they do evil Eccl. V. 1. The harp and the viol and wine are in their feasts but they regard not the work of the Lord neither consider the operation of his hands Isa. V. 12. They consider not in their hearts that I remember all their Wickedness Hos. VII 2. The ox knoweth his owner and the ass his master's crib but Israel doth not know my people doth not consider Isa. I. 3. Again Inconsideration hinders all those Exercises of Grace whereby through Faith in CHRIST we might escape Death and be prepared for Life Eternal Who can Repent of the Sins which he hath not duly Considered with all their aggravations He that examineth not himself often he that never reviews his Conversation nor inquires into the temper of his own Heart is like to prove a sorry penitent He that considers not the Law of God knoweth not wherein he hath Transgressed and he that considereth not his own Life cannot lay his Sin to Heart He that thinketh not much both of the vileness and danger of his Sin will hardly bring his heart to be sorry for it or to hate it Whilst we are secure and careless how we spend our days what can be expected but that we lie still in our Filth and hold on confidently Dishonouring God to our own Destruction I hearkned and heard saith God but they spake not aright no man repented him of his wickedness saying What have I done Every one turned to his course as the horse rusheth into the battel Isa. VIII 6. Who can have any Comfort in his life past that considers not how he hath spent it whether Sinfully and Vainly or Virtuously and Piously Who can chear up his Soul in God and rejoyce in the Lord Who can arm himself against the Terrors of Death and in hope expect the great Judgment to come who never yet cast up his account nor considered what he hath been doing all his days nor how far he is run in arrear with God How shall an unconsidering man ever be able to say with St. Paul Acts XXIII 1. I have lived in all good conscience before God unto this day Or as he again 2 Cor. I. 12. Our rejoicing is this the testimony of our Conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have had our conversation in the world Who can be thankful to God for all the Mercies he hath received and all the wonders of his Goodness vouchsafed to him in all the parts of his life that hath not consider'd them well Who can improve the Blessings of God to God's Honour and the good of himself and others that seldome thinks of them What obligations to God can we be sensible of in all the great things which he hath wrought for us whilst we mind them not How can we live and act any otherwise but loosely and irregularly running headlong into all wickedness and upon any danger so long as we consider not what a God we have over us and what Rules he hath given us and how much we are concerned to observe them For want of considering it is that we do all things at random without any regard to the Ends or Consequents of our Actions Our Love our Fear our Desire our Hope our Trust our Obedience are all misplaced we keep to no Rules nor tye our selves up to any Laws we omit our Duties to God our Neighbours and our own Souls we commit things abominable and hurtful dishonourable to God and destructive to our selves most unbeseeming both our Nature and our Profession against our own comfort and happiness we consume our Time in Idleness Folly and Vanity because we Consider not for what we live nor whose we are nor what we are to account for And by
Redemption so long as we go on in any of the ways of sin tho we had no sense of our Obligations and Duty to God and tho we had no Love to him which should constrain us to do any thing for his sake and lest we should be wanting in our Duty to him yet one would think the apprehension of the danger we are in of perishing should make us afraid to go on and fear should constrain us for our own sakes to change our course of life lest we should be wanting to our selves and our own safety Our Blessed JESUS who came to save us from Death and Destruction came to call us to Repentance that we may be saved that being the only door that God for his sake hath opened unto us to Salvation He himself it was that said Except ye repent ye shall all perish Luke XIII 3. And when St. Iohn the Baptist saw the Pharisees and Sadduces coming to his Baptism which was the Baptism of Repentance he thus saluted them O generation of vipers who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance Matth. III. 7 8. Shewing them That there is no other way of escaping the Wrath of God which always burneth against sin and wickedness but such a Repentance as brings forth the Fruits of Righteousness Till we unfeignedly Repent of our sins we are in a state of sin and so long are we the children of wrath Eph. II. 3. The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness Rom. I. 18. Whilst we know what is our Duty to God and yet do it not there are many stripes ready for us and God hath declared both by many Threatnings and by many Examples of his just Indignation that his Wrath is kindled against us God spared not the old world but saved Noah the eighth person a preacher of righteousness bringing the flood upon the world of the ungodly And turning the Cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly 2 Pet. II. 5 6. They suffering the vengeance of eternal fire Jude 7. What safety can the impenitent Sinner promise himself or whither will he fly and take Sanctuary from the Fiery Indignation of provoked Justice and Omnipotence Whilst we presumptuously continue in our sins we heap up wrath against the day of wrath Rom. II. Our Sins cry aloud to the Almighty for his Vengeance upon us His Judgments hang over our heads like the naked Sword over the head of the Tyrant by a single hair of Mercy and if our sins once break that we are suddenly cut off from the land of the living God will wound the hairy scalp of such a one as goeth on still in his trespasses Psal. LXVIII 21. For God is angry with the wicked every day If he turn not he will whet his sword he hath bent his bow and made it ready He hath prepared for him the instrument of death Psal. VII 11 12 13. God hath made all things ready for the execution of his Wrath whensoever it pleaseth him and no sinner knoweth how soon God will smite him down to Hell If he stay yet a while longer it is to give us time to repent and if we repent not ere long he is the mean while but whetting his Sword and bending his Bow to its full bent that whenever he pleaseth to take his own time for it his Sword may pierce deep and his Arrow flye home and wound mortally Indeed he hath declared himself to be very gracious and slow to wrath and our own daily experience assures us that he is so and this wicked use we are too apt to make of it That by his long-suffering and forbearance we embolden our selves to sin the longer and to delay our Repentance in hope of longer forbearance still Yea 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 Eccles. VIII 11. A strange and most unreasonable presumption this as tho a man could be the safer the longer he abused God's Patience and turn'd his Grace into wantonness and even dared him to do his worst Oh that we would consider how unadvisedly we act for our selves how ill we consult for our own safety and what Fools we are to think we can be safe whilst we are provoking God by our Sins and by this Sin especially of presuming he will yet forbear us longer because he hath forborn much longer already than we deserv'd Not considering the goodness of God in his forbearance and long-suffering which should lead us to repentance after our hardness and impenitent hearts we treasure up unto our selves wrath against the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgment of God Rom. II. 5. How foolishly secure soever we may be in our sinful courses yet certain it is we are never safe Ionas may sleep and fear nothing but the Winds and Seas are not quiet for all that while and he is in no less danger because he thinks not of it Whilst we sin God's Anger is pursuing us and we know not how soon it will overtake us Seeing therefore we are never safe till we repent we cannot repent too soon unless it can be too soon to be safe 3. We cannot too soon do that without which our life can never be comfortable to us Comfort is the very life of life and a life without Comfort is worse than death And truly a life of sin is a life without any true Comfort at all and false Comfort is not worth the having unless it can be worth ones while to go laughing into the Fire of Hell which never shall be quenched We cannot therefore too soon repent except we can think it too soon to lead a comfortable life And that the impenitent sinner can have no true Comfort is plain enough from what was last consider'd That he can have no safety for certainly an unsafe condition is also a very uncomfortable condition and I know not what can comfort him that sees himself every moment in greatest danger of perishing everlastingly What Can there be any place for Comfort in that man's breast that knows himself to be at Enmity with God and God to be incens'd against him Can he find Comfort who walks whereever he goes under a full-charg'd Cloud of Vengeance ready whenever God gives the word to break upon his head Can there be any Comfort in a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries And yet this is all he hath any reason to look for who sins wilfully after he hath received the knowledge of the truth and holds on without Repentance Heb X. 26 27. Indeed we see it too often That the most abominable Sinners can so harden themselves in Sin
even of the least valuable parts of our Estates in this World which yet it is not in our power to do tho we do all that ever we can to that purpose But alas we are so far from using any such diligence in endeavouring to make sure to our selves our Eternal Happiness tho we may be always as sure that we shall have power to do this as we are that we sincerely endeavour it that we hardly once consider that we are in any danger of losing it Surely it will be granted by all That a blessed Life for ever in Heaven after this very short and very troublesome Life on Earth shall be at an end is a very desirable thing and such as one cannot but desire when he hath well consider'd That there it may be had but here it cannot And tho' there may be some who do not yet believe that such a life of eternal Blessedness is to be had in Heaven after Death yet I dare say that even these seeing they know they must shortly die could heartily wish it might be so I cannot easily be persuaded to think that any one can hate Life for any thing else but the troubles and the miseries which he finds it cannot be without And therefore I believe that no Man would willingly die and be no more for ever supposing it possible that he may live again for ever without any such troubles or miseries Now every one knows that he must die and that it cannot be long ere he must live no more here and therefore no Man can chuse but wish that if it be possible he may live again Especially if he may be sure both to live a happy life and to die no more And blessed for ever be our Lord JESUS CHRIST who hath given us assurance that there is such a Life prepared for all that are his faithful followers He hath abolished death and hath brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel 2 Tim. I. 10. And being Himself the way the truth and the life Joh. XIV 6. hath pointed out unto us the narrow way which leadeth unto life Mat. VII 14. And this is no other but the way of God's Commandments Rev. XXII 14. Blessed are they that do his commandments that they may have right to the tree of life Whosoever therefore desires an eternal blessed Life after Death and has a mind to make it sure unto himself must make haste to get into this way and be very careful to keep it so long as he lives He must get into this way because there is no other way to Life and he must make haste to get into it because Death follows him every day at his Heels and he knows not how soon it will be upon him and if he get not into the way of Life before it overtakes him he must die and be miserable for ever And he must be sure to keep it all the days of his present Life because whenever he goes out of it he is in the way to eternal Death The time of this present Life how short soever it may be is to be look'd upon as the only time of making an eternal Life sure unto us If we let this time pass over us before we are prepared for that Eternity it is like to prove unto us an Eternity of Sorrows Now are we travelling toward God our Happiness and those heavenly Mansions which the Eternal Son of God and our only Saviour is gone before to prepare for us and where we hope to be for ever with the Lord. Whilst we live we are but in the way and not at home in our Country Here have we no continuing city but we seek one to come Heb. XIII 14. And the same blessed JESUS who hath open'd the Gate of Life unto us by his own Death and Resurrection and is our only sure Guide unto it hath acquainted us with two ways and no more that we can walk in whilst here we live the broad way to Destruction wherein go the Multitude and the narrow way to Life wherein but few walk If then we step out of the one way we must needs be in the other for there is no middle Path to be found wherein we may walk and neither go to Life nor Destraction The broad way is that of Men's Lusts wherein there is Latitude enough and the narrow way is the way of God's Commandments and a Man must be very strict and upright in his walking therein and must not swerve either to the Right-hand or to the Left if he have a mind to be safe It seems I must needs say one of the strangest things in the World to me that we all should be so exceedingly concern'd as at every turn we shew our selves to be about our living safely and comfortably in this present World so that we cannot hear the least ill news but it puts us quite out of humour and we are all in fears what will become of us And yet so very few amongst us seem to have any concernment at all upon them what shall become of them when they die I confess if Men could be any way assured that there is nothing at all to be expected after Death I should the less wonder that their whole concern should be for this Life because I know nothing else that they should be concern'd for But seeing it is an impossible thing that any one should be assured of that and seeing we have all the assurance that Men can have of the contrary to wit That an endless state of either Happiness or Misery shall follow our short life here what an unaccountable madness seems this to be which has so generally possess'd us to be so concern'd how we shall fare for a few Days here and altogether as regardless for so the most of us seem to be how it shall go with us for evermore Whence can this proceed but from inconsideration or want of thinking on things as Men should do If we did really think in earnest what we are whence we came what we have here to do how soon we may and must go hence whither we are to go and what shall finally become of us we must needs become a little more serious and provident both than now we are and how little assurance soever we had of what is to come we would be concern'd a little so to behave our selves in this World as we might go out of it with this Comfort at least That if we can be sure of no good after Death yet we should not need to fear any evil Any one that is wise if he have no hopes to he Happy would yet take a course to be Safe And yet God knows the generality of People are far short of this Wisdom All we seem to mind is some little thing that we take pleasure in for the present and all our care is not to lose that whatever it be so long as we live But we so little think of
what either shall be or may be after Death yea and what 's stranger considering we know it so well we so little think that we are every moment stepping towards the Grave and that the next step we take for ought we know may be into it that Death surpriseth most of us when ever it comes and how slowly soever through God's wonderful forbearance it come yet it steals upon us unaware and takes us unprepared and so proves what we are well-taught to pray against a sudden Death to most of us and if there be any thing worse than another after Death as certainly there is both a better and a worse than any thing can be in this World we are sure of it To make us a little more sensible of this great folly and to shew us what course we are to take if we have any mind to do our selves good or have no mind to make our selves miserable for ever is the design of this Discourse And I shall divide it into Two Parts In the former of which I shall shew the Necessity of a Serious Consideration and give some few Directions for it In the later shall be shewn the Danger of Delaying our Repentance and an Exhortation given to make haste to live well that we may be always ready to die well and so make sure of Life Eternal PART I. OF CONSIDERATION HE that would make sure of eternal Life and escape everlasting Torments must take care to do it in this World before he be call'd out of it by Death For the time of this present Life is the only time which God hath given us to prepare our selves for Eternity and as we behave our selves now so must we expect to fare for ever And the best course that we can be directed to take that we may be sure of Eternal Blessedness is the same which David tells us he took Psalm CXIX 59 60. in these words I thought on my ways and turned my feet unto thy testimonies I made haste and delayed not to keep thy commandments Where we are to observe both what he did and what he did not 1. That which he did was this First He thought on his ways He enter'd into a Serious Consideration of his own course of Life that he might understand thereby what his present State and Condition was and whether such a Life was agreeable to the Law of God or no and consequently whether it would bring him to Happiness or Misery And Secondly Having considered this well He turned his feet unto God's Testimonies and he made haste to keep his Commandments Whatsoever he found amiss in himself he immediately corrected it by a speedy Repentance regulating his whole Conversation henceforward by the right Rule thereof the Commandments of God 2. That which he did not was this He delayed not to keep God's Commandments Or as some render it he was not troubled or disturb'd in mind about it or he had no dispute within himself Whether he should or he should not or whether he should do it just now or stay till some other time but without any delay or driving it off from day to day or so much as one moment longer he presently set himself to the keeping of God's Commandments He did not as Felix did Acts XXIV 25. who when he had heard St. Paul reasoning of Righteousness Temperance and Iudgment to come was so far concern'd as that he fell a trembling but yet put off the farther consideration of what he had then heard to a more convenient time Go thy way saith he for this time when I have a more convenient season I will call for thee A season which as far as we know he never found David was wiser for himself than so He had not only consider'd his ways but also the uncertainty of his life He knew that he had not time at his command he could not make it stay his leisure therefore he took it whilst it was there considering withal that the time present is always the most convenient season for doing that which if it be not done before he die he must perish everlastingly We have these two things then in this good Example to imitate 1. His Consideration 2. His Reformation The later of these is the sure way to God and Blessedness but we are never like to come into it but by the former And therefore I shall commend this in the first place to all that have a desire to be safe Concerning Consideration I shall shew 1. What it is 2. What are the Evils of Inconsideration 3. What chiefly causeth the neglect of it 4. What are the things we should consider SECT I. What Consideration is DEsigning this Discourse principally for the less-understanding sort of People I find it necessary in the first place to tell them what is meant by Consideration And I suppose such Persons will best understand me when I say That to consider a thing is very seriously to think of it I say it is to think of it very seriously as much as the thing deserves to be thought of To understand this more perfectly let us enquire into two things 1. What kind of things they are which deserves our serious thinking on 2. What kind of thinking it is that deserves the name of Consideration 1. What kind of things they are which deserve our serious thinking on It is not every thing that deserves to have a Man's serious Thoughts or which can be thought worthy of his Care and fit for him to busie his Head much about But the things which a Man should seriously think upon are such things as we are wont to call considerable things matters of some weight and of some concernment to him one way or other and especially such as are of greatest concernment They should be such as it may do one some good to think on and the serious thinking of which may make him the Wiser the Better or the Happier There are some things of so little worth or concernment to us that they are not worth much thinking on and there are some things so unintelligible to us that it is to no purpose to think much of them and there are some things that are so wholly above our power of ordering that it can no way avail us to be much concern'd in our Thoughts about them But there are besides these things whereof if we do not think much we must needs be Fools or Wicked or Miserable and these ought to be much and seriously thought on Yet such is the vanity of our Minds that we are aptest to trouble our Heads most about those things the much thinking whereof brings us nothing but trouble and vexation How happy were it for us if we could never think of many of those things which our Thoughts do usually run most upon And in thinking whereof we waste the far greater part of our Life either to little or to a bad purpose It would be our great ease and advantage too to
that they would consider their latter end Deut. XXXII 29. An End will come and it seems strange that we should all know it and few of us consider it to any purpose We see every day in one or other what is the end of all our Pleasures and Honours and Riches and every thing that we here delight in All these are at an end when death comes and it is coming and at hand none of us knows how near We are sure it cannot be very far off and every day we are sure it is nearer than it was the day before and the longer we live the nearer it is still And though all the things we are now so fond of end in death yet death will not make an end of us for after death is the Judgment when we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ that every one may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done whether it be good or bad 2 Cor. 5.10 Neither is there an end of us then but according to the Sentence which shall then pass upon us Some shall go away into everlasting punishment but the righteous into life eternal Matth. 25.46 Now did we seriously consider this that our End is like to have no end but is an endless state of Blessedness or Misery surely we would come a little sooner to our selves and learn the wit to ask our selves some Questions such as these What is it that I am a doing in this World What am I spending my time and labour in Am I sure what my End will be Have I made my self ready for a blessed Eternity I have been labouring for the things of this World as if I could never have enough of them and yet I must shortly dye and all I have laboured so hard for will be gone and I shall carry nothing away with me I am continually caring for this Body and making a very Idol of it my business from morning to night is to feed it and to adorn it And am I not a very fool for this Must not this idolized Body of mine by and by rot in the Earth And am I taking all this pains to entertain the Worms Who can dwell with Everlasting Burnings And what care have I taken that I may not How stand my Accounts against the day of Judgment Do I nothing now but what I shall be able to answer for then Or have I blotted out by repentance all that will not pass then for good O let what will become of this World which is but for a moment and of this Body which will quickly be all rottenness and putrefaction my great care if I be not quite mad must be by a holy and vertuous life on Earth to be fitted for an eternal glorious Life in Heaven My days consume apace and when my Lamp of Life will be extinguished I know not This day is here but to morrow 's uncertain 'T is therefore high time for me to live well that I may live for ever 6. Consider as Holy David did Ps. CXIX 50. and as we are often call'd upon to do our own ways Thus saith the Lord of Hosts Consider your ways Hag. I. 5 7. A man's ways are his thoughts desires designs delights hopes confidences loves fears or hatreds all his words and actions callings professions customs and in short his whole conversation privately with himself or abroad in the World This it concerns us much to think upon not as too many do with delight and pleasure in the very thoughts of their Sins endeavouring thus when the act is over to taste over the pleasure again in their thoughts of it and to continue the gust and relish of it as long as they can neither must we consider and contrive in our thoughts new ways of sinning how we may get into them how we may walk on most securely and most pleasantly in them or how we may compass our worldly carnal and devillish ends by them this kind of thinking on our own ways is God knows too common and many are so perfect in this art of considering their own ways that they can hardly do any thing else But this we are to consider That we walk by the Rule that God hath given us that we carefully mind what we do and how and to what end we do it and taking a review of our ways past examine whether they be such as God approves of We should be as vigilant over our selves and have as close an eye to all our doings as a most wary Master or Mistress are wont to have over their Servants whose either skill or faithfulness they most suspect Every night it would well become us to call our selves to an account for all our doings and let nothing escape us if it be possible without trial Thus might we discern what our present spiritual state and condition is and whither the ways we now walk in will bring us in the end Would we indeed well consider all our own ways and observe well whether they be the ways of God or the ways of the Devil and our own Lusts and whither they tend to life or death it were to be hoped we should see the World in time reformed and the ways of Piety and Holiness come in request again But alas whilst men consider so little what they do and live so carelesly and negligently as tho their doings in this life had no relation at all to their future state or as if they had no God to give an account to of what they do 't is no wonder that so many run headlong to destruction in the ways which they have chosen and persist in without any consideration what they are or whither they lead SECT V. The CONCLUSION HAving pointed out some few things very considerable for the help of those who have not been accustomed to this most necessary duty of Consideration I shall now conclude this Part with an earnest Exhortation to it Let us all as we love God and our own Souls awaken our selves to this Work Nothing can be of greater concernment to us than the things we ought to consider and therefore we must be every way inexcusable if we do not very seriously consider them Can it seem all one to us whether we have a God over us or none Is it all one whether we be under his Government or our own Masters under his power or at our own command Are we no way concern'd in God's Infinite Wisdom Power Goodness Justice Faithfulness Holiness his Providence or his Laws Are his Works and Word his Blessings and his Curse his Favour and Displeasure his Mercies and his Judgments all one to us Can we be wholly unconcern'd whether he see us or see us not whether he regard or neglect us Can we think it all a case whether we behave our selves towards him as Subjects or as Rebels whether he reward or punish us Is it no matter whether we live like Men or Beasts
whether we use our Reason or not whether we do what we were made for or act contrary to our Nature and the ends of our Creation Is it the same thing whether we be holy or unholy lovely or abominable in the pure Eyes of God Can we be indifferent whether God take any care for our Salvation or none whether we have a Saviour or no Saviour be reconciled to God or at enmity with him Is it all one to us what our End shall be whether we shall be acquitted or condemned in the day of Judgment Whether it shall be then said to us Come ye blessed or depart ye cursed whether we shall for ever rejoice in Heaven or burn in Hell Makes it no matter whether the time of this life be wisely improved or vainly wasted whether we be fitted in time for mercy or stay till it be too late If none of all these things be of any concernment to us then are they not worth our thinking on neither are we our selves worthy of our own Thoughts and it 's no matter what becomes of us whether we shall be saved or damned Nay 't is plain we think not our Souls worth the saving But if there be any weight in these matters and if it be not all one to us whether we be in Glory or in Torment then are these things well worth our serious considering and it cannot be all one to us whether we think much of them or no. Our meat will not keep us from famishing or alive if we do not eat and digest it No means of Salvation will keep us from perishing if they be not consider'd God's Word and Sacraments his Judgments and Mercies his Promises and Threatnings all the Merits of Christ and all the gracious Invitations of the Gospel and all the helps of the Ministry are quite lost unto us without Serious Consideration and we go to Hell when Heaven is set open to us for want of considering whither we are going How can we possibly excuse our selves for this gross neglect It is no hard matter for one to think of himself and his own Concerns It is natural and unavoidable to us to think of something and is it not reasonable then to think on something to some purpose When we cannot hinder our thoughts from being busie is it not fit we should set them on work for our good Can we excuse our selves for not thinking most on the best things which will do us most good Can our own Consciences acquit us for not thinking how we may escape Eternal Misery Can any one pity us or shall not we curse our selves if we perish only for want of considering how we may be saved Are the things which belong unto our Peace hid from us so that we can have no thoughts of them Hath not God laid them plain and open before us so as he that runs may read them Have we not yet well learn'd them And can we excuse our selves for such a Sin and Folly Have we no Teachers to instruct us Have we no capacity of learning Have we no Eyes to see with no light to see by Are we forgetful And have we not daily remembrancers of what we are so apt of our selves to forget Alas all comes to this at last We are idle and negligent we are sturdy and obstinate we are wicked and perverse we take no delight in God we care not for spiritual things O how shall we then escape for neglecting so great Salvation Have we no Reason to consider Are we not in the greatest danger by not considering May we not be surprized by Death before we have learn'd to live by Judgment before our Accounts be ready by Hell-fire before we so much as fear'd it May we not be tempted out of the way to life ere we are aware of it by a thousand temptations for want of considering May we not fall asleep and sleep on securely till all be in flames about us and there shall be no escaping nothing but terror and amazement Good God! that nothing should make us sensible of this danger who are otherwise so apt to be afraid even where no fear is What will we not be safe at so easie a rate as a little timely thinking of our danger What can sweeten and smooth unto us all the sour rough and melancholly passages of this life and make them in any measure tolerable to us but Consideration What is it that can strengthen us either to prevent or remove or bear the cross and all afflicting Accidents the Losses and Disappointments the Sicknesses and Pains the Griefs and Vexations of this Life but Serious Consideration Such may any Man's Condition be in this World that nothing in the World but the consideration of his own Integrity of God's Love and the Joys of Heaven can give him the least comfort or ease of mind His whole refreshment is this That he is in the right though it be a rugged way that he shall shortly be at his Journeys end and out of this uneasie way at home in his Father's House where he shall rest in blessedness for ever Nothing but this Consideration can keep up his spirits or prevent his fainting in the way And shall we not to make our life easie to us and our burthen light be at the pains of a few timely serious Thoughts Whether we will consider or no God doth always consider us and all our ways and doings and that in order to an Eternal Reward or Punishment If God would not regard what we do we needed the less to consider what we do Were it all one to God how we live and he made no difference between the Sheep and Goats we should need the less to consider unto which Flock we belong But we know 't is otherwise He numbers our steps and watches over our sins our transgression is seal'd up in a bag he sows up our iniquity Job XIV 16 17. Though we consider it not in our hearts he remembreth all our wickedness our doings beset us about they are before his face Hos. VII 2. The Devil and his Angels consider us and watch all opportunities which our inconsideration makes them in abundance to take us at unawares and as it were fast asleep When the Husbandman sleepeth then is the proper season for the Enemy to sow his Tares When we are at rest in our minds secure and consider little then is it Satan's opportunity to sow the Seed of Wickedness in our Hearts We must be on our watch against this devouring Lion if we would not be devoured by him and our only Security is Serious Consideration O how much Misery would a seasonable considering of things prevent Misery which will make us at length sadly consider when it will be too late Now Consideration will do us much good ' then 't will do us hurt When 't will do us good we will not consider when 't will do us hurt we cannot chuse but consider O Folly of
all Follies What a madness is this not to do to our comfort now what if we do not now we must do hereafter to our sorrow What would the Damned in Hell now give that either they had consider'd when they would not or could not now consider when they must Now Consideration would prevent Hell-torments then it will in a great part make them Had the Rich Glutton consider'd what he must endure in Hell he would not have delighted in the way to Hell thither he came because he consider'd not that thither he was going and that being there no Consideration could bring him back again Yea how many severe Judgments might we escape in this life did we well consider These things hast thou done saith God and I kept silence thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thy self but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thine eyes Now consider this ye that forget God lest I tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver Psal. L. 20 21. What a folly is it to sleep on 'till God be forced by his Rod to awake us But what a madness not to awake when his Ro is upon us but to sleep on still till we awake in Everlasting Burnings PART II. THE SIN and DANGER Of Delaying REPENTANCE I Hope there hath been enough said in the former Part of this Discourse to convince us of the necessity of Serious Consideration and if Consideration be so very necessary it is to this end that we may live well here and happily hereafter It appears by what hath been said that none but serious thinking and considering Persons can live well and 't is certain that none but they who live well have any reason to hope that they can die well or that they can be happy after death Therefore was it needful in the first place we should be put in mind of this important Duty which is so generally neglected and the neglect whereof draws so great an Evil after it as that of living only to dishonour God and to destroy our selves eternally But now 't is also as evident from all that hath been said that the deepest and most Serious Consideration even of the best and most considerable things is but a great deal of trouble to no purpose and indeed a very idle thing if it bring us not to a stedfast resolution and a strenuous endeavour to behave our selves throughout the whole course of this life so as may best please God and most conduce to our own Eternal Happiness Resolving is the end of Considering and Doing is the perfecting of Resolution Without constant practice 't is neither considering nor purposing that will bring us to blessedness To think much merely for thinking's sake is just to as much purpose as to think of nothing at all a man may possibly become more knowing by it but he is not one jot the better If then we will improve our Consideration to our advantage we must take the same course which as we have seen before David took who no sooner had consider'd but forthwith he turn'd his feet unto God's Testimonies yea he made haste and delayed not to keep God's Commandments This must be the fruit of our Consideration if we consider to any purpose As the Prodigal Son in the Parable Luk. XV. no sooner came to himself and consider'd things well but straightway he resolved to return to his Father and having resolved away he went without delay so are we to do if we would be safe and happy considering well repent immediately of all our Sins and without stop enter upon a new course of life And this is the business of this Second Part to shew the necessity of a speedy Repentance and the absurdity of Delaying it It is a work that requires all the haste that we can make and admits of no delay at all First We cannot repent too soon Secondly We may defer Repentance till it be too late These are the two things I shall now make very plain SECT I. No man can Repent too soon REpentance is a turning from our own Sinful ways into the ways of God's Commandments out of the way of Death into the way of Life it is a leaving off to be bad and a growing good 't is a change of the whole man for the better both of the inward temper of his heart and of the outward course of his Life and Conversation And can it now be needful to prove that this cannot be done too soon Can one too early get out of danger and be safe Can one too soon begin to grow Happy Need I use arguments to convince us that one cannot make too much haste to be a good man And yet so strangely bewitch'd and blinded are Sinners such an almost inncredible power hath Satan got over men to blind their eyes and darken their minds that they dote on nothing so much as on their own foulness and deformity and nothing is harder to convince them of than that it is better for them to be clean than filthy well than sick good than bad wise than fools happy than miserable Who would think that a Reasonable Creature should be so Senseless And yet almost all the work and I am sure the hardest part of that which the Ministers of Christ have to do is to make men sensible of this That a man cannot too soon be good the thing which I am now to shew and shew it I can but to make men see and believe it is the work of God alone and we must Humbly and Earnestly in Fervent Prayer beseech Him to do it I mean to make us effectually Sensible of these three things 1. That we cannot too soon do what is at all aimes our Duty to do 2. That we cannot too soon do what alone can set us in safety 3. That we cannot too soon do that without which our life is very uncomfortable 1. We cannot too soon do that which is at all times our Duty to do and there is no part of our life how early soever it be that it is not our duty to Repent in it and keep the Commandments of God What we cannot do sooner than it is our Duty to do it cannot be done too soon and what it is our Duty always to be doing cannot be begun too soon We are always Sinners therefore we cannot Repent too soon because it cannot be sooner than we have Sins to be Repented of Were Repentance no more than what too many I fear take it to be a being sorry that we have sinned it could not be too soon for so soon as we have Sinned we have cause to be sorry that we have Sinned and we have all Sinned even from our Infancy And so soon as we have Offended God it is our Duty to be sorry that we have Offended Him Were it no more but a hatred of Sin a confessing of it or resolving against it yea or any sort of actual forsaking
it and begging God's Pardon for it nothing of all this could be done too soon because it is our Duty to do all this so soon as we have Sinned and we have always had Sins to be hated confess'd resolv'd against pardon'd and forsaken And yet were this all that is meant by Repentance though we could not but confess it very reasonable that all this should be done so soon as we are sensible that we are Sinners yet I fear we should not think it altogether necessary but would rather flatter our selves that it would be enough to do it in our last Sickness or some few days or hours before we die because all this if we have but so much time and so much sense and understanding left us as to think of it may then be done and I doubt not but it is done by a great many who yet do not Repent unto life as will be shewn anon But seeing Repentance is all this and a great deal more than all this even a through change of life not for death but for a more Holy life and that not in Heaven but on Earth seeing it is a leaving of Sin not to do nothing but to do our Duty a turning from our own wicked ways unto God's Testimonies and the keeping of his Commandments it is a Duty that we are always to be doing so long as we live and can only be done whilst we live and is in great danger not to be done at all if it be not soon begun and cannot be done too soon because the doing of it soon even so soon as we can is a part of the Duty To make this plainer let us First briefly consider what the Duty of Repentance is as in the Holy Scripture it is described unto us and Secondly what time the same Scripture directs us to for the doing of it and by both we shall easily perceive that we cannot repent too soon because no sooner than it is our Duty First Observe how the Duty of Repentance is described unto us in the Holy Scripture Ezek. XVIII 21. It is a turning from all our sins which we have committed and a keeping of all God's Statutes and doing that which is lawful and right And v. 31. A casting away from us all our transgressions whereby we have transgressed and making us a new heart and a new spirit It is an amending of our ways and our doings Jer. VII 3. A returning every man from his evil way and making our ways and our doings good Jer. XVIII 11. It implieth a godly sorrow for Sin yet that godly sorrow is not Repentance but worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of 2 Cor. VII 10. It implieth a hatred of every false way Psal. CXIX 104. A being ashamed and confounded for our own ways a loathing our selves in our own sight for our iniquities and for our abominations Ezek. XXXVI 31 32. A confessing and forsaking our sins Prov. XXVIII 13. And yet all this is not the whole Duty of Repentance But as we must cease to do evil so must we learn to do well also Isa. I. 16 17. We must both eschew evil and do good 1 Pet. III 11. Neither is this to be thought a work on which it may be enough to bestow some small part of our life when it grows near to an end for Repentance is thus express'd Tit. II. 12. A denying ungodliness and worldly lusts and living soberly righteously and godly in this present world Can we think the Apostle meant no more by these words but that we should do this for some few years or days of our old age before we die Certainly no man can be so foolish as to think so but rather that even so long as we live in this present World and whilst we are a looking for that blessed hope mention'd V. 13. that is so long as we live we should do this as Zacharias clearly expresseth it Luk. I. 75. That we should serve God in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life And by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality Rom. II. 7. I am confident that no body can now imagine that such a Repentance as in these places of Holy Scripture is commended to us can be the work of a dying man or that it is not work enough for one's whole life how long so ever However 't is plain that it is our Duty in all the several ages of life and at all times whilst we live and therefore no point of our time can be too soon to begin it in but every moment that we wilfully neglect it we add to our Sins by leading so long an unholy life contrary to the Command of God But this will more fully be proved afterwards Secondly Observe what time the same Scripture directs us to for the setting upon this Duty And we shall hardly find that it commends to us any other time but the present there is no to morrow that I know of allow'd us to depend upon not the least countenance or encouragement to procrastination or driving off to another time Therefore now saith the Lord turn ye even unto me Joel II. 12. Now it is high time to awake out of sleep Rom. XIII 11. Behold now is the accepted time behold now is the day of salvation 2 Cor. VI. 2. To day if ye will hear his voice harden not your hearts Heb. III. 7. Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth Eccl. XII 1. No part no day of our Age too soon We are always call'd upon to repent presently to day just now and not told we may stay till to morrow or bid to do it sometime hereafter Whenever therefore we are called to repent and that is as soon soever as we are made to understand that we are sinners and that Repentance is our duty then is it our duty to set about it and to put it off longer is a violation of our duty and a new sin and therefore 't is certain we can never begin to repent too soon 2. We cannot too soon do that without the doing whereof we can never be in a safe condition no man thinks he can make too much haste to be safe And nothing can be plainer than this That we are never in a safe condition till we be sincere Penitents therefore we cannot repent too soon unless we can be safe too soon Can any one think he hath too soon got out of the Lion's mouth out of the snares of the Devil and from the Borders of Hell Can any one think it too soon to be within view of Heaven and Eternal Joys Then indeed he may think it too soon to repent of his sins and walk in the ways of God's Commandments Did we but really believe and well consider That we are always in danger of Eternal Destruction and every moment ready to fall into the bottomless Pit of Fire and Brimstone out of which there is no
repent and what will become of us then How long any one may delay his Repentance before it be too late in this sense no man living can tell him And therefore whoso is wise will not delay his Repentance at all Of this I shall say more afterwards at present I shall endeavour to make us all a little more sensible of the sinfulness of delaying and driving off our Repentance and the keeping of God's Commandments from day to day how contrary it is to all Scripture and Reason And truly this delay is so contrary to both these that it seems very wonderful how any one should not be ashamed as well as afraid to use it There can be nothing in the World more absurd than for a man at once to profess he believes the Gospel and owns the duty of Repentance as necessary and to delay this duty for this delay seems no less than a bold attempt to cancel and blot out the whole Gospel at one dash and to change the order and method which God hath prescribed for the bringing of Sinners to Salvation for a new one of our own contriving It seems I say the making of a new Gospel for our selves and a new way to Blessedness which God never approved of nor allow'd And is not this as absurd as to set our selves in our Saviour's stead and a taking upon us to make for our selves a new and easier way to Heaven That I may not seem to say this without good reason let it seriously be consider'd That Repentance is not only a duty but the special priviledge of the Gospel The good news which the Angels brought from Heaven was That God had sent us the Saviour whom he had in the beginning promised to Sinners and the good News that our Saviour brought us was That God would for his sake accept of the Sinner's Repentance and Faith in him And this was blessed Tidings indeed to a sinful World told 't is true before in the Old Testament and shadow'd forth in the Law but now most fully declared and gloriously confirm'd by JESUS CHRIST in the New Testament The Law of Innocence and Covenant of Works made with Adam allow'd of no such thing as Repentance All it said was this Do this and live do it not and dye In the day thou eatest thereos thou shalt surely dye Gen. II. 17. The first breaking of the Law was death There could be no safe delaying to keep it because every delay of keeping it was a breaking of it for it was a not doing of the Commandment and that was death And it must be kept from first to last for every ceasing to do what was commanded was a not doing of what was commanded and to this death was threaten'd No repentance therefore could have place under this Covenant It was the New Covenant of Grace that made way for Repentance and this is the Gospel-grace that Sinners who have broken God's Law and for that are by the Sentence of the Law doom'd to die shall yet if they repent find mercy with God through JESUS CHRIST This is the Gospel which the Apostle saith was preached before to Abraham Gal. III. 8. and therefore was before the Law of Moses so long that it was first preach'd by God in that gracious Promise of the seed of the woman Gen. III. 15. If Repentance had not been allow'd of from the first man 's sinning even all along to the coming of our Saviour into the World as well as after his coming then had all men during that long tract of time for about four thousand years perished in their sins But to prevent this it pleased God that so soon as the Law was broken the Gospel should be preach'd that men might believe and repent and be saved In a most astonishing condescension to the weakness of Sinners he mitigated the rigor of the Law and was pleas'd to accept henceforward of a sincere obedience to it instead of a perfect fulfilling of it Heartily a man must endeavour to do the whole will of God and whatever failings he finds in himself he must as heartily repent of them and believe that God for CHRIST his sake will not only forgive him his repented failings but also reward his sincere Obedience with Eternal Life This is the Grace of the Gospel but this admits of no delay of our sincere obedience or of our repentance but makes it our duty every day sincerely to obey and unfeignedly to repent and he that doth not so daily sinneth against the Gospel of Grace and he that hopeth for Salvation whilst he thus daily sinneth against the Gospel of Grace must needs frame to himself in his imagination some other Gospel than that which Christ hath preach'd as the foundation of his Hope The Gospel of Christ gives no man leave to continue one moment in sin and impenitence It shews an easier way to Heaven than the Law did and assures us of pardon and salvation upon our repentance which the Law did not but it hath not left Sin to be any part of our way to Heaven nor assured any one that delayeth to repent that he shall ever come thither Our Blessed Saviour came not to call Sinners immediately to Heaven or to assure them of Blessedness whether they lead a life of repentance or no but he came to call sinners to repentance Matt. IX 13. and so to put them into the new way to life which was opened unto them through him His Forerunner Iohn the Baptist he sent before to prepare his way by his Preaching and Baptism The substance of whose Preaching was this The kingdom of God is at hand repent ye and believe the Gospel Mar. I. 15. He preached the Baptism of Repentance for the remission of sins v. 4. And the first preaching of our Holy JESUS was to the same purpose He began to preach and to say Repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand Matth. IV. 17. And sending out the Twelve to preach we find the Business they were sent about was the very same Mar. VI. 12. They went out and preached that men should repent For this was God's will That Repentance and remission of sins should be preach'd in Christ's name among all Nations Luke XXIV 47. When St. Peter's Auditors were moved with his Discourse on the day of Pentecost and began to be inquisitive what course to take for themselves he thus directs them Acts II. 38. Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Iesus Christ for the remission of sins Now what doth all this signify but that as many Sinners as hearing this comfortable Gospel believe it and are thereupon willing to leave their former sinful course of life and to bind themselves in a new Covenant by Baptism to live a holy life in all sincerity and uprightness of heart always as they find themselves failing repenting of their faults and endeavouring to do better shall through the Merits of Christ in whom they have believed
Holiness from Earth to Heaven from our carnal Selves to God but only a change of our Security into Fear and of our Pleasure into Sorrow and it may be of our Minds into a very serious Resolution to live better if we shall live any longer and that merely because we are afraid that we shall live no longer how any one should think such a forced Change as this an acceptable Repentance I must confess I know not unless he have forgotten not only his Bible but his Reason too There are some things as useful as they are easie to be observed in dying People who have spent their days in wickedness And I think they are enough to afright any one from thinking any longer of having the benefit of a Death-bed Repentance First It is too easie to observe That often such a Sinner's Conscience is quite dead within him I speak of some not of all a long time before he dieth and never reviveth again so long as he liveth He is given up to a reprobate mind and his heart turn'd to stone and nothing that should move him to Repentance can make any impression upon it Yea 't is somewhat a rare thing to see an old habitual customary Sinner ever come to any true sense of Religion his Duty his Sin or his Danger or ever to concern himself at all about Eternity Even upon his Death bed whatever care he takes about his Body Estate and Family his Soul seems as much forgotten by him as if he had none at all to take care of It is no uncommon thing to see an old Sinner die thus unconcerned what shall become of him Secondly It is as easie to observe in some of these dying Persons who seem to make some little ado about their future State when they are about to die that though they are desirous of good Advice and send for the Minister to talk to them and pray for them and confess to him some few of their most notorious Faults yet are they the confidentest Persons in the World of their pardon 't is not easie to persuade them that their case is very dangerous but after they have confess'd they are great Sinners and have been pray'd for as though all were done they pass off the Stage of this World as unconcernedly as if they had never acted any ill part thereon Thirdly It hath been very often observ'd that those of them who in some very dangerous sickness have made more ado than ordinary have cried out very bitterly of their past wickedness and folly have shed many tears and poured out many earnest Prayers and have made many Vows to God and Promises to Men of leading a new and holy life if God would restore them to health have yet very shortly after their recovery forgotten all this as if it had never been returning with the Dog to his vomit and with the Sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire Shewing plainly that though they might be in earnest yet was it but for fear and how little credit is to be given to such forced Repentances Fourthly 'T is to be observed That whatever else these old and hardened Sinners are wont to do upon their Death-beds which may look like repentance they are not easily persuaded to confess any very foul Sin which is not so notorious that they cannot deny it and then too it shall be excused as well as they can instead of being aggravated as it ought to be With much more difficulty can they be persuaded to make restitution of all they have ill gotten or so much as to confess their Frauds and wicked Arts of injuring others Rarely do they send for those whom they have offended humbling themselves confessing their Faults begging their pardon and making them all the satisfaction they can before they die And what kind of Penitents are these Lastly If any of these old Sinners at last be touch'd to the quick and pricked at the heart with a sharp sense of their sinful Vileness it is not hard for the malicious and cunning Tempter to bring them into despair so as it shall be impossible for any one to comfort them and in vain to counsel them Their own long-abused Consciences do now begin to revenge themselves upon them for neglecting them so long and they know 't is so just a thing for God now to serve them as they have served him that they conclude it in vain to seek for pardon and mercy He that stands by the Bed-side of these old Sinners when they are on their last Bed may easily observe all this that I have said of them and that but a few of them in comparison die so as that one has any great encouragement to say their repentance was any thing else but the grief and remorse of a heart oppress'd with fear of imminent danger whereinto they find themselves brought by their own folly and perverseness It is easie on the other side to observe the death of the truly pious Christians to differ very much from the death of this sort of men I mean as often as in their sickness they have time and freedom of mind to shew what kind of spirit they are of In many respects as the one dieth so dieth the other these may be cut off by a sudden stroke they may die of a distracting or stupifying Disease as well as the other and the frame of their hearts is to be seen only in their life and not in their death However only those few dying Persons who have in their health conscientiously endeavour'd to live a truly Christian life and have their Repentance not to begin but only to finish with their life upon their Death-bed shew if they have time and strength and liberty to shew it that they die indeed like sincere Christians For either they end their days of trouble in much spiritual joy and comfort reflecting sweetly on the mighty powers of Divine Grace whereby they have been carried victoriously through all the Temptations of the Devil the World and the Flesh and in the ravishing expectation of entring speedily into the joy of their Lord Or being Persons of tender Consciences and deeply wounded in spirit with the sense of all their own imperfections and failings they shew all the signs of an humble broken and contrite heart and close up their time with the Prayers and Tears Sighs and Groans of a devout Soul longing to be made perfectly holy in Heaven with God and endeavouring to that end thus to compleat and perfect all their Repentances on Earth Some will possibly ask If there be so little trust to be put in a very late and Death-bed Repentance Why the Ministers of Christ when they are call'd to assist the Sick do so earnestly exhort even the most notorious Sinners who have spent their whole time past in wickedness to repent of their sins and comfort them with the promises of Salvation if they do repent This Question I confess deserves to be
consider'd both that the Minister may take heed that he go not beyond his Commission in comforting the Sick and that we may all learn in due time how far we may build and rely on such Comforts as men in such a case can administer unto us And therefore I here in answer to it say these things First We very earnestly exhort the worst of Sinners even to the last gasp to repent of their sins because though we cannot assure them that God will now at the last hour accept of their late Repentance seeing he hath no-where as was said before declared that he will and though by reason of what is said in his Word concerning his ordinary method of dealing with Sinners we are rather afraid that he will not Yet we do not know the depth of God's Mercy nor the riches of his Infinite Goodness nor what he may be pleas'd to do in an extraordinary way if Sinners at last use extraordinary endeavours And if by such Motives and Arguments and Prayers as we can use God seem to work mightily on the spirit of the dying Sinner though we dare not assure him of the life which God hath not promised to a Death-bed Repentance and therefore we cannot be sure that he will give it yet dare we not leave him to despair because we know not but God may give it Secondly We therefore exhort the worst of dying sinners to Repentance and declare unto them the gracious and comfortable Promises which God in Christ hath made to all true Penitents because God hath commanded us to Preach Repentance unto sinners without exception and herein as we obey so we imitate our Lord and Master JESUS CHRIST who ceased not to invite all sinners to Repentance or to promise good things to the Penitent even when he who knew the hearts of all men knew that many of them to whom he Preach'd would never repent nor become capable of the good things promised God hath bidden us exhort to Repentance but he hath not told us That we are to cease from exhorting any one that will hear us so long as he liveth We cannot therefore excuse our selves if we do not all we can to render them who will not repent inexcusable it will not be safe for us to leave them this Plea That they wanted any Means or Helps at any time that we could afford them Thirdly We hold on to exhort even to the last because how near unto Death soever the sinner may seem to be we know that the Lord of Life and Death can raise him up again and we know not but he may do so and let him live yet longer to compleat the Repentance which may now be begun God is pleased sometimes by severe Chastisements and heavy Afflictions to awake sinners to Repentance who had lived in sin securely many years and now when the sinner seeth himself at the Pit's brink and Hell opening its mouth to swallow him up he may possibly think it fit to hearken to counsels of safety tho no more can be said but possibly he may yet be saved We know not but now he may enter upon a Repentance which tho it would do him no good should he now dye may prove unto Salvation if he recover and live to bring forth the fruits of it which God is yet able to make him do and hath not told us that he will not do Lastly We to the very Last exhort to Repentance and mind dying sinners of the Promises of God to Penitents because that whether it will then avail to Salvation or no yet we are sure enough it can do them no hurt It is certainly their duty to repent and ours to exhort them to it and as it would hurt us to neglect our duty so can it not hurt them to be minded of theirs For sinners to be made sensible of their sins and of this aggravation of them That they have despised the Comforts and Promises of Mercy to the Penitent is a good thing whatever the end may be of such sinners God is glorified by mens being brought to a sense and acknowledgment of his Authority and Goodness and of their own Wickedness and Baseness by their confessing That in all that is brought upon them he is righteous and they are wicked By mens acknowledging at last That God hath been always good especially in his great Patience and long forbearance hitherto and that he is now very just in his Punishments for our obstinacy glory is given to God And this ought to be done and if this will not qualifie sinners for Pardon and Salvation 't is however a part of their duty and may for ought we know mitigate the Severity of their Sentence and lessen their Torments But now after this is said it is a very sad thing that men should by wilful delays bring themselves into this uncomfortable condition And it is a very afflicting thing to every good Minister of Christ to stand by the bed-side of those dying persons to whom he is able to speak no more Comfort than all this amounts to For first He can speak no Comfort at all to the sick person but upon supposition that he is what he finds too much cause to fear he is not a sincere Penitent and this is very sad And secondly He can speak no Comfort but on supposition of such a Repentanee as the sick person himself cannot know without some extraordinary means that he now hath and therefore cannot tell how to apply the Comfort to himself And this is very sad again The Sincerity of ones Repentance cannot ordinarily be known to himself but by the fruits of it in a holy Life and by these he that 's now dying can never know it It is only such a Repentance as would produce Holiness of Life if the sick person should recover that is Repentance to Salvation and when the sinner on his Death-bed calls to mind how often his heart hath in this point deceived him when he remembers how his love to sin hath hitherto conquer'd all such Purposes and Resolutions of holy living how often he hath heretofore upon the same or some other occasion very seriously as he thought resolved as now he doth and yet never kept his Resolution how shall he be able to assure himself That he would keep it any better now should he yet live I hope what hath been already said is abundantly enough to convince us all both that a sinner can never repent too soon and that he may drive it off till it be too late And therefore seeing Repentance is altogether necessary to Salvation it is a work that requires great Haste and admits of no Delay The CONCLUSION FRom what we have now proved it may be too easie I fear for many of us to reflect very sadly upon our selves It is certainly if these things be so as hath been said high time for us all to think what we have been doing all the while we have already lived in