art chusing and when reason and judgement are quickest and least engaged least the engaging of these blinde thee that thou wilt not see the scale when it turns We have a Scripture which will give much light to this Heb. 11.24 25. Moses when he came to years refused to be called the son of Pharaohs Daughter and chose rather to suffer with the people of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season when he came to weigh and consider things and to make his choice then he refused to be called the son of Pharaohs Daughter then he threw away the Court Honours and Pleasures but it was in judgement he chose rather to suffer with the people of God he saw something of greater importance to him Before this time he was pleased wel enough with AEgyptian toys and trifles of the Court but now comes his chusing time he must be seted in his spirit and he weighs all and upon a serious survey of both sides he throws away the Rattles which hee had played withall before and he makes another choice he chose rather to suffer Thus wee have the sum of the words in the dayes of thy choice Here is a second word to make it more full In thy choice dayes in the days that thou art fittest for Meditation or Action then set the Lord before thee do not put off the thoughts of God till a time when thou shalt be altogether unfit for him and his Service till a time wherein thou wilt be fit for nothing these are the choice days and thy youth is the chusing time We have the same word which in my text is rendered youth read chosen men 2 Sam. 6.1 David gathered together the chosen men of Israel the choisest and fittest men for action now thou art fittest for the Service of the Lord and this sense seemes to correspond much with the text for it agrees much with that which is but a Paraphrase upon these words before the evil dayes come when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them Do not say in thy heart I will try what the world will afford me now and when I have sucked the breasts of her consolation dry and there no more to be had there then I will try what is to be had in Religion what the ways of God will yeeld this Religion is a thing only fit for old Men and Women that have nothing else to do whose palats are grown old and cannot rellish or taste the delights which youth affords or whose memories are grown weak and have forgotten the pleasures of their past days these may begin to think of Heaven now their blood is grown cold and their senses fail them that they can hardly distinguish between sweet and bitter when we have worn out our selves in the world and crippled our Bodies and worn out our Senses in turning every stone and sucking every flower which will afford us any comfort then will we creep to our Closets and cloyster up our selves there too and spend the remainder of our dayes in praying and sighing but for our youth you must excuse us we will take this time to our selves to eat drink and be merry and put death and Judgement and every troublesome thought from us O say not thus in your heart but in your choyse days begin thus work for no day nor time is too precious for the Lord. I have now briefly opened the words I shall propound such Observations as will naturally flow from them 1. That every man has a choice or chusing time 2 God expects that at that time we should chuse him 3 It is a great advantage to begin with the Loâ—d before we are too far engaged in other choyces 4. Remembring and considering or setting God before our eyes is a great Duty and a great help towards the feare of the Lord. 5. No time so fit for this great work as the youth I shal not handle all these distinctly but shall dravv them into one grand Conclusion and in handling that I shall touch and clear up all these as branches of that great Truth vvhich lyeth in the vvords vvhich is this DOCTRINE That nothing conduces more to the fear of the Lord as a means on our part then a seas nable and timely setting him before our eyes A serious and a solemn calling forth of the Attributes of the glorious God and comparing and weighing them with the vanity of the creatures does wonderfully conduce to the ballancing our spirits and to the setting and fixing them upon God as our and chiefest good and at least to over-awe our spirits with a fear of him if not to draw forth the heart unto a love of him For it is very clear that all the wickedness amongst men does arise from a forgetfulness of God David renders a reason of the wickedness of his enemies Psal 54.3 they did not set God before them For strangers are risen up against me and oppressors seek after my soul they have not set God before them And in that fore-mentioned place Deut. 8.11 12. the Lord clearly expounds disobeence and forgetfulness of himself one by the other I shal not spend time in proving this Truth generally but shal divide my discourse into these four parts 1. To enquire how and what of God is to be set before our eyes to help forward this work 2. How the setting of the Lord before us doth further this feare in our hearts 3. How to keep the Lord in our eye when we have him there 4. Why the young man especially must set upon this duty For the first How and what of God is to be set before our eyes to help forward this work Answ I le begin with that in the Text Consider him as thy Creator this doth surely reach thee this reaches Angels and Men and Devils in In ipsa voce creatoris occultum habetur Argumentum look to thy very being or to the beings of thy Creature-enjoyments and Nature wil tel thee by these That God is to be feared that thou dost ow him homage and service think what God may challenge from thee as thou art his Creature the Apostle condemns the Heathen that they did not walk up to this light Rom. 1.21 Because that when they knew God they glorified him not as God God complains from hence of unjust measure from his people Ezek. 16.18 19. Thou hast set mine Oyl and mine Incense before them my meat also which I gave thee fine flower and oyl and honey where-with I fed thee thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savour Hosea 2.8 For she did not know that I gave her wine and oyl and multiplied her silver and gold which they prepared for Baalim And may not the same complaint be made against us That we offer up our time and strength and parts to the World and Sin and Lust and Satan Did they give you these things Are these your Creators Did â—hey give you your being
or your estate or your precious time May we not say to all these as the Apostle said Rom. 8.12 We are not debtors to the flesh nor to the world nor sin we owe them nothing no but we are debtors to God we owe him our time and strength and parts and estates and lives and whatsoever we have or are for of him and from him are all things to him therefore be glory Not to fear love and serve God is to blot out the notion of a Creatour out of our hearts and to forget we are creatures Secondly Consider him in his Power This is frequently in Scripture made an argument to fear the Lord if we look to his power over the creatures so David often Psalm 86.8 9 10 11. Among the gods there is none like to thee O God neither are there any works like unto thy works vers 9. All Nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee O Lord and shall glorifie thy name vers 10. For thou art great and dost wondrous things thou art God alone We see David makes choise of God to fear and serve him because of his greatness in the works of his hands he concludeth That surely God was able to do great things for him also Secondly if we consider his great power especially over us Christ makes use of this Matthew 10.28 Feare not them which are able to kill the body but are not able to kil the soul but rather fear him which is able to destroy both body and soul in hell Doth the world call for thy service or doth this or that great mans lust call for it If thou dost refuse them can they revenge thy neglect of them at that rate which the Lord can Can they deal with their despisers as the Lord doth with his Psal 5.17 The wicked shall be turned into hell and all the Nations that forget God Or can they reward their servants as God doth his Have they the Keys of the grave and Heaven and Hell at their girdles Have they a power suitable unto his Thirdly Consider how infinitely the Lord is above all thy services not taking this into consideration breeds so many put offs men think any thing good enough for God the very dreggs of their time and strength the weak and the lame wil serve him and a little of that too but didst thou consider the vast disproportion that is betwixt God and thee thou wouldest not think all thy time too much nor the choicest of it too good for him who is infinitely above all that thou canst offer up unto him Psalm 16.2 My goodness extendeth not to thee whatever thou givest him thou canst not inrich him thou canst not adde unto him nay when thou hast given him all thou hast given him nothing worthy of him thou hast very little reason to boast but rather to wonder that the Lord will give thee leave such a poor wretch to take his Name into thy mouth If this consideration were kept in all duties and addresses unto God it would make us more frequent in duties and more serious it would check those vain thoughts of men who think the last hour soon enough and the shortest hour long enough and the slightest service good enough for the great and infinite God who shall one day despise their image Psal 73.20 As dream when one awaketh so O Lord whâ—â— thou awakest thou shalt despise their Image Fourthly Consider how the Lord stands upon points of Honour his Name is very precious and he wil exalt it either in your souls or upon them although you may think it a slight thing and what injury or wrong is it to him if I go on a little longer and enjoy this lust or that the Lord hath made such proffers to thy foul in Christ that the world cannot parallel and he stands upon point of Honour in this case Most he wait and be put off and every base Lust and every lying vanity entertained and his Service laid aside May not I say as Isaiah to Ahaz Isa 7.13 Is it a small thing to weary men but you must weary my God also A man will not indure this that has any spirit of a man in him that has respect to Honour he will not put it up to be laid aside and so his inferiors accepted upon unworthy terms when he is put off who offered terms more honourable and advantagious the Lord calls this a double evil Jer. 2.11 12 13. Hath a Nation changed their gods which yet are no gods but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit Be astonished O ye heavens at this and be horribly affraid be ye very desolate saith the Lord ver 13. For my people have committed two evils they have forsaken me the Fountain of living waters and hewed them out Cisterns broken Cisterns that will hold no water It was one evil and very dishonourable to God that his people did forsake him it was a blemish which the Heathen did not cast upon their gods but it was a double dishonour to God that they went off upon bad and base terms Remember all you that are invited daily to come to Christ and yet come not notwithstanding those glorious proffers which he makes to souls and you that pretend to come but come not in good earnest your hearts are going another way O see that you go off upon good terms God wil one day make you know to what losse you go off when you leave him and how much he takes notice of the dishonour you cast upon him by going off to things so infinitely beneath him Fifthly Consider the Mercy of God in Christ this is the great Argument to draw the Soul unto God these are the cords of a man the winning argument to prevail with an ingenuous spirit I am sure they are strong arguments to Saints if not to men Paul knew the weight and strength of this kinde of arguing when he ventered so much duty upon it as the giving up all to Christ Rom. 12.4 I beseech you brethren by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living Sacrifice holy and acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service Now that I might help this consideration to its full weight and value I shall divide it into two parts 1 Consider External and Temporal Mercies these are Motives What is there that thou dost enjoy but it is Mercy to thee and the least of all these hath a voice if thou couldest understand it and it importunes thee to look up to him from whence is every good gift Acts 14.17 Neverthelesse hee left not himself without witnesse in that hee did good and gave us rain from Heaven and fruitfull seasons filling our hearts with food and gladnesse They bear witnesse that God is merciful although I do not think with some that they bear witnesse of Christ and of special pardoning mercy by him 2. Consider God hath more mercy that he might have
not come but he delayeth his coming Matth. 24 48 49. this was the cause of his ungodliness But what saith Christ The Master of that Servant shal come in an hour when he looketh not for him these supposed delays on Gods part breed delays and neglects on our part Matth. 25.5 while the Bride-groom slept the good slept as wel as the bad it is a consideration for Saints as well as for sinners to quicken up their spirits and to stir them up to a serious minding of God The Apostle layeth down a very good preservative against this James 5.9 Grudge not one against another brethren behold the judge standeth before the door at the door of your houses at your Shop doors at every Tavern door and Ale-house as thou passest in at thy Chamber door at the door of every day and night and providence and he is ready to come and call thee to account without any warning Not some Officers or Fore-runners but he himself is comming without notice 2 Pet. 3.11 12. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godlinesse looking for and hastning unto the comming of the day of God the setting this day near us is a quickning consideration to rouse up the Saints Seventhly Consider the patience and forbearance of the Lord and if thou dost rightly weigh them they will be sufficient Motives to this great work of the fear of the Lord. The wise man doth conclude it as an evidence of a wicked heart to take advantage to himself from the forbearance of the Lord Eccles 8.11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily therefore the hearts of the Sons of men is fully set in them to evil and the Apostle argueth it at least an argument of an ignorant if not a stubborn spirit Rom. 2.4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long suffering not knowing the goodnesse of God leadeth thee to repentance He draws out this Dilemma with which he galls every one that refuseth to return under mercy and patience either thou despisest the goodnesse thou hast a God-despising heart where ever thou art or at last if we put a fairer gloss on it and the best which it will bear thou hast an ignorant heart which doth not understand the natural tendency of every dispensation of God and especially this under which thou art this of patience and forbearance Here is a consideration which reaches every soule this day before me And therefore lay it home you are all under the patience of God at least now If this consideration do not quicken up to duty pray read impartially the frames of your spirits in those words last read unto you And to help this Consideration forward pray think in your selves what a base unworthy thing it is to make the great Jehovah to wait upon such a vile wretch as thou art that he must follow thee at thy heels like a Drudge while thou followest thy pleasures and walkest in waies which he abominates Christ used it as a mighty Argument to the Spouse that he had waited upon her all night Cant. 5.2 My undefiled for my head is filled with dew and my locks with the drops of the night It was too long for him to wait a night but how many nights and dayes hath the Lord waited on some of you How hast thou suffered him to follow thee from Alehouse to Ale-house and from Tavern to Tavern and there he hath checkt thee and from thence to thy Bed and from thence to the Tavern again and from thence into thy Imployment and from thence to the Ordinance and hath there convicted thee and yet thou thinkest it nothing to make the Lord wait as a Drudge at thy heels to this very day is not this very unworthy dealing with the great God Nay consider what will be the end of all this this patience and forbearance of God will cost thee deer which thou dost abuse it will be said when God upon account wil charge thee with so many dayes Attandance so long I waited upon thee in Providences and so long in ordinances and you made a Drudge of me made me to follow you from one Alehouse to another and from one Tavern to another and here I checkt you and in your Chamber and upon your sick-beds but all this attendance was slighted How wilt thou come off Dost thou think not to account for this wil it not be a heavy account when all the patience and forbearance of God will come in against thee then you shall understand that saying common amongst us but little considered and less applyed Laesa patientia in furorem vertitur Eightly consider Although patient yet he is just and although he seem slow yet he is sure and without peradvanture he will call thee to an account one day for all thy wayes and works whether good or evil The necessity and use of such a consideration as this we finde 2 Corin. 5.10.11 For me 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 Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord we perswade men He propounds this as an engaging Motive to the Saints to seek for and to keep a clear sight of their interest in God or to such a walking before him as may be acceptable to him through Christ And in the second place he lays it down as a pressing consideration to those who are acquainted with the Lord and with his dispensations to mind other men with these things and to use all means by perswasive ways to draw them out of the snares of the Divel and from this argument he presseth to a speedy repentance Acts 17.30 31. And the times of this ignorance God winked at but now commandeth all men every where to repent Vers 31. Because he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the World in righteousnesse by that man whom he hath ordained I wish that this consideration might come as near to you as it did to Felix Acts 24 25. And as he reasoned of Righteousnesse Temperance and Judgement to come Felix trembled only thus that it may have better successe that it may not be so soon shaken off from you as from him I am sure it is such a consideration that if it were wel and seriously weighed it would be a great help to ballance thy spirit when most vain This we may see by the use that the wise man makes of it Eccles 11.9 Rejoice O young man in thy youth and let thy heart chear thee in the daies of thy youth and walk in the waies of thine heart and in the sight of thine eyes but know thou that for all these things God will bring thee to judgement He propounds it to him that was resolved to have no other Counsellours but his own
the day not to exclude other times and seasons but especially do it then when the work of the day is done then call thy heart to account as Masters use to do their Servants when the work is over and this time is the most fit and seasonable time for this duty because in the evening time thou maist finde that which in the morning thou couldest not foresee the morning is for the engaging and preparing but the evening for examining the heart for those holes at which thy heart escapes from thee in the day thou couldst not discern but in the evening by perusing thy heart thou mayest easily discover A man goes about his house and views it in all parts but cannot tell where the Theif should break in or go out and is very secure thinks himself strong but when the house is broken open and his goods taken away he traces the Thief by his foot and he finds which way hee is escaped and he labours to fortifie that place which he did not suspect before so perhaps it may be with some of us we take a view of our Souls in the morning and wee think all is well we go forth in the strength of resolution to keep close with God but the house is broken open and the heart is gone by some back door which we neither did nor could fore-see The way to finde out this escape is to view the house after it is broken open and by this means thou maist finde that it is easier to finde a gap then to fore-see it and when thou hast found it get it shut by this means thou maist in time finde out every door and hole at which thy wandring heart goes out from God in the day Fifthly Take heed of walking contrary to thy own light for the sinning against that will bring forth cursed effects which do directly destroy this frame of spirit which I am pressing to The first is this It blindes the Soul and by this means in time it will be so that thou wilt want an eye to watch thy wandring Soul and when thou hast put out thine own eyes thou art like to be a sad Watchman If we consult with that of the Apostle Rom 1.22 because that when they knew God they glorified him not as God neither were thankfull but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkned we shall find that there is no speedier way to lose our light then to sin against it the very Heathens sinned away that light they had and if thou sinnest against more light thou maist lose more a sinal injury done to the eye makes a man see the worse for a time at least if it do not endanger the losing it walking contrary to thy light in smal things may dis-enable thee to see great things for a time labour so to walk as fearing to sin away that light in which thou desirest to behold God and thine own soul Secondly walking contrary to light although in smal things doth estrange the heart from God every sin seeks a shelter but especially sin against light loves not to behold the light we do not love to look much on them whom we cannot behold without a blush Guilt newly contracted and fresh in our eyes doth estrange the soul from God the creature is unwilling to behold him as we see in Adam he hid himself especially if it arises from sin against light no sin doth so much separate from God as this the sense of the sin of our nature or the perswasion that we have committed sins of ignorance are not such interrupters of communion with God as the sin against light for although they do humble us before God yet they do not stir up such a fear and shame in us as this does which obstructs our addresses to God and the reason is plain for when a man hath done an injury to his neighbour ignorantly he can easily go and excuse it but when he hath no excuse to carry with him he is then hardly perswaded to draw near I appeal to experiences of Saints concerning this Truth whether it be not a hard thing to look upon God when guilt sticks fresh on the soul I am sure David found it thus Ps 40.12 Mine iniquities have taken hold upon me so that I am not able to look up Sixthly Remember that in the midst of all thy designs and endeavours in this thing that thou live not upon them but upon Christ neglect no duty which may facilitate this great duty but remember to beleeve as if thou didst use no means Live upon the strengthening promise for it is the work of Christ to bring over the heart first to God and it is his work to keep it close with God This is the great Gospel-promise and we are to wait for the fulfilling of it in the use of means Jer. 31.33 After those days saith the Lord I will put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and I will be their God and they shall be my people And Jer. 32.40 God hath promised to heal the back-slidings of the soul after promises and endeavors and engagements and back-sliding thoughts and revolts of the heâ—rt thou canst not keep up with God see what God saith Jer. 3.22 Return to me ye back sliding children and I will heal your back-slidings And in Hos 14.4 I will heal your back-slidings I will love you freely See what precious promises are these for souls to take hold of We find how difficult it is to keep close to God lay these to heart take these promises and melt them into petitions who knows but that the Lord may do great things for thee if thou wilt wait for him in the promise when he puts out his greatstrength and communicates a kind of omnipotency to poor souls what is there too hard for him who knows how to use a promise as a promise I hint this Because I find many souls to abuse the promises of God strangely and therefore reap but little comfort from them they take the promises and turn them into tryals and onely examine themselves by them and neglect the very end of the promise As for example they take a promise and say God has promised such and such things in Christ to his people as to put his Law in their hearts and to keep them from departing from him and to heal their back-slidings but I fear it is not so with me I do not find these things in my heart therefore I can take no comfort in the promise This is a wronging of the Promise as much as if thou shouldest say I wil believe God when I see his word fulfilled and not before The Promise was given thee to comfort thee and to support thee when nothing else could when the Sun is clouded and thou seest the want of these things which the promise holds forth then thou art to beleeve and rely on the promise this is to use it as a
for God with another day wherin thou hast bin cold and dead and formal and carelesse of thy heart and forgetful of God and weigh the fruits of these two daies walking together and see whether there be not a vast difference betwixt these What joy and rejoicing was in the midst of thy thoughts those days and hours were sweeter then these which have been spent in vanity wilt thou not conclude I had more peace with my spirit and spiritual joy and rejoicing after every day so spent yea the very remembrance of those hours doth yeeld som sweetness to me now when I think of them but these hours which have been spent without God Oh they are burthensom to my soul when I remember them I will therefore return and study to keep close with God in whom is all my strength and comfort for it was better with me then then now Having now finished these three Queries I come to the fourth and last Fourthly To inquire why the wiseman directs this to the young man rather then any other Methinks I hear the young ones saying This is not counsel fit for us it is a yoke not suitable to our necks we are tender and not fit for the yoke as yet hee might well have spared us and given us the liberty of our youth before he had put us upon such hard and difficult service as this I shall indeavour now to answer such secret Objections and to shew the equity and reason of the Preachers exhortation and I shall be the larger in this thing from these three moving Considerations which have put me on this discourse First Because of that common plea which is found in the hearts of young ones they say as those did by the Prophet It is not yet time Secondly Because the Lord hath cast me into a place where there are abundance of young ones and I fear but a smal company of so many that are seriously ingaged in their hearts to the Lord and to his waies Thirdly Because I find very little incouragement from old ones I see every where that God brings in few of them they are so setled on their Lees that there is no shaking of them It is the observation of all men almost in these daies that where the Gospel is preached the success and incouragement is chiefly if not only on the hearts of young ones we see that God puts but little of the new wine of the Gospel into old bottles they are so tainted with their superstition their carnal compliance formality and luke warmness that God doth generally cast them aside as unusefull the time is now coming when the Lord is making good that word Rev. 22.11 Let him that is filthy be filthy still Let them that have cleaved to their superstitions and will-worship do so still let those who have prophaned Sabbaths and Ordinances do so still and let those who have sate Sermon proof and Judgement-proof and Mercy proof sit so still Me thinks the Lord is saying so to abundance in this place who have not been moved nor wrought upon nor changed by all the gracious pleadings of God in the Gospel and he is now calling in to himself a generation of young ones to hear his name in this place and therefore my speech shall be principally to you the youth of this place to perswade you to set seriously about this work of God and your poor souls It is to you that the Lord calls at this time Quest Why should the youth be set a part especially for God Answ For these Reasons 1. Because God hath made choice of this time typically in the Law in the first born Exod. 13.2 Sanctifie unto me the first born whosoever openeth the Womb among the Children of Israel both of Man and of Beast it is mine God hath commanded this for himself because it is the best of our time as the first born was the prime of the strength Gen. 19.3 Ruben thou art my first-born my might and the beginning of my strength the excellency of dignity and the excellency of power Now in regard of this it was accounted a great losse to lose the first-born God puts this as an ingredient into that plague in Egypt Exod. 4.23 And I say unto thee let my Son go that he may serve me and if thou refuse to let him go behold I will slay thy Son even thy first-born Oh how do men bring this plague upon themselves who destroy their first-born their youth the beginning of their strength It is as bad as the sacrifice of the Israelites who offered their Sons and Daughters to Devils Secondly The Lord typifieth this in their first fruits Exod. 34.26 The first of the first fruits of thy Land thou shalt bring into the house of the Lord thy God Exod. 22.29 Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of the ripe fruits and of thy liquors the first-born of thy Sons shalt thou give unto me Nay the Lord was so exact and punctual in this that he would have no exchange made Ezek. 48.14 And they shall not sell of it neither exchange nor alienate the first fruits of the Land for it is holy unto the Lord. Here may be a Query raised Why the Lord would not sell those and yet would suffer nay commanded that their sons shall be redeemed Exod. 34.20 All the first-born of thy Sons shal be redeemed and none shal appear before me empty Ans 1. To shew how much Equity and Reason there was for that Law that it is made here with a proviso against any charg 2 There was mercy in redeeming the one and the not redeeming the other 3 The Lord by suffering the Sons to be redeemed did injoy the ends of that Law for they were only redeemed from death they were still his Now I say as God would not have an exchange in this case so it is vanity in any of us to think of compounding the business with him he will have the beginning of thy strength do not thou say I wil give him the dregs of it say not the latter daies are good enough for he hath chosen the first and if thou wouldest be accepted with him observe his choice Observe the first Offering that we read of Gen. 4.3 4. Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering to the Lord and Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock and the Lord respected him and his offering One brought fruits the other the first fruits and he respected the one and not the other and yet this was before the special Law of first born and first-fruits which shews that it was not ceremonial but moral and so continues for ever as a standing rule for a creature to offer up the first and choicest of everything to God Reason 2. This is the choicest of thy time therefore fittest for such designation most agreeable to the great work of the Lord which will appear if you consider these following particulars First Thy affections are ripe
work for poor Souls to do is it not pitty that thou shouldest defer thy coming when the Master hath need of thee O that we did but love our work as wel as that precious Servant of Christ did who wept when he was to dye because he should go where he should do no more work but should only receive his wages if he mourned that he was to leave working so soon we should much more lament that we began so late Reason 3. Because this is thy chusing time the day of thy choises this is thy Market-day and thou art now about to provide for hereafter As the Husband-man when he goes to a good Fair or Market he goes up and down to see where he may buy a good penniworth that he might stock his ground for the year following and when he hath once bought for his turn he looks not how the Market goes nor what others do now thou beginnest to leave the childish age which is trifled away with toys and thou beginnest to look towards hereafter what thou maiest fasten upon What will be most beneficial for the time to come now thou bethinkest thy self how to spend thy ensuing daies be very wary take heed thou dost not make too rash a choice walk up and down the Market and see who sells the best penniworth Satan will have his shop open betimes and he will offer thee great things if thou wilt beleeve him the pleasures profits and honours of the World but take heed of a hasty Market have an eye to Jesus Christ and see what terms he offers to thee whether he do not offer better things upon better terms And to press this duty close up First Consider how dangerous it is to forget God now in thy chusing time lest afterwards pre-engagements to the world blind thee that thou see not or prejudice thy spirit that thou see with disadvantage or bias thee that thou wilt not folow what thou seest of the things of God when once the creature is engaged in his Affections to a former choyce it is a very hard thing to draw such a soul off upon any terms almost if thou losest this time of thy youth thou losest thy choycest opportunity because now thou mayest be free in respect of many engagements which hereafter may draw thee from following of Jesus Christ Secondly Consider that if thou shouldest be brought over unto the Lord afterwards when this chusing time is past it will be hard to convince men that thou followest him out of choyce they will rather judge it to be out of necessity if thou lookest not toward God till thy old age they will say it is because thou hast nothing else to do at this time or they will say it is the custom of old folks to be a little religious but if thou givest up thy youth to follow the Lord al men will say thou dost it out of choyce This man hath chosen the way of the Lord who had many other ways to go and all pleasant but he forsakes them all and hath chosen the ways of God it was a clear evidence that Moses chose the Lord and his ways when he imbraced them at such a time as he might have injoyed the honors and priviledges of Pharoahs Court By faith Moses when he was come to years refused to be called the Son of Pharoahs daughter chusing rather to suffer with the people of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season If he had staid til he had been old and til the Court had been weary of him and had cast him out there would have been no notice taken of his closing with Israel but now it appeared plain an act of choice Thirdly We find that men have seldom above one chusing time and if this time be lost and they not setled upon God it is a thousand to one but they are lost although the Lord may and does call some at every hour yet he calls most at the first few at the third fewer at the ninth and fewest at the last Matth. 20.1 2 3. He went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his Vineyard And when he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a day he sent them into his vineyard and he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the Market-place We find he went out intentionally to hire the first time but the rest seem brought in casually And therefore Christ called one at the last hour that none should dispair and he called but one that none upon that might presume take hold of youth while it is in being old age mny never be to thee or if it be yet thy heart may be settled in youth and hardened to thy former engagements which have caused thee to pass by the Lord and it is a wonder if he do not pass by thee alterwards we finde very few brought in to God in the last hour of the day Reason 4. Because delays are full of dangers we find few of those many who allot the Lord a time for this great work hereafter that do ever see those days they speak of the Lord ordinarily surprizes such souls as are full of To morrows How did the Lord seiz upon that evil servant at unawares who said but in his heart The Master delays his coming nay the Lord doth not onely declare that such men may be â—urprised which were danger enough in running but the hazard but he hath allotted them this punishment for their dilatory thoughts that they shall surely be surprised all those delaiers who are resolved to put off God and Conscience to such a time and such a year may read the Judgement pronounced against them in that of Matth. 24 48 50 51. and if that evil Servant shall say in his heart my Lord delayeth his comming the Lord of that Servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him and in an hour that he is not aware of and shall cut him asunder and appoint him his portion with the Hypocrites there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Reason 5. Because delays are full of folly it is folly to be careless and full of delays because our times are full of uncertainty it is folly which thou wilt not be guilty of for thy Body and yet thou wilt professe it for thy Soul if thou wert sure a Thief would come such a night though thou didst not know the hour thou wouldest watch every hour but thou art not so wise for thy Soul thy uncertainty makes thee carelesse because thou dost not know the month nor year when God will call to Judgement therefore thou sayest in thy heart not this week nor this month nor this year and from hence thou growest carelesse and art surprised in the conclusion Secondly It is folly to set a time to our selves which God hath not set before us he says To day if thou wilt hear my voyce and thou sayest I will not hear till
but would not much of the vanity of our spirits and the formality of our hearts be beaten down if we could but set the glory of the Lord this day before us if we did consider with whom we have to do in Worship would it not advise us to seriousness in our addresses to him surely it would be a curbe and check to the vanity of mens spirits which doth now wonderfully encrease through the neglect of a due and serious remembring of the Lord. Secondly It would much help forward the fear of the Lord by humbling and abasing of us before him Humiliation is the very ground work of holiness here and as this work thrives in the Soul so doth the work of Sanctification prosper in and upon us therefore whatsoever doth conduce to the perfecting or advancing the work of humiliation in the Soul must needs help forward the true fear of the Lord and the work of Sanctification but there is nothing that doth more naturally humble the Soul then a true sight of God This we may see Isa 6.5 Then said I Woe is me because I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips for mine eyes have seen the King the Lord of Hosts And in Job 42.5 6. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear but now mine eye seeth thee wherefore I abhor my self in dust and ashes We see how one glance of God did work upon them how much more would a continual frame of beholding God in his glory and as he hath been presented bring creatures down to lie in the dust O therefore if you would have much of the power of Sanctification study the Soul humbling and abasing Truths and Attributes of God it is a seasonable advice to our times Thirdly it crucifieth the World and keeps that alwaies under a cloud before us and how necessary this is to the furthering of the fear of the Lord let those speak who have much to do in the world and any thing to do with their own hearts they shal find that the faster the world dies to them the more they shall live to God The soul never thrives better in Spiritual things then when the world and the glory of it is vailed to it for then the affections have liberty to Spiritual things and the World hath lesse influence upon them now this serious consideration of God helps on these two waies 1 By drawing our hearts to look through the Creature unto God Or 2 By directing us to look down from God upon the Creature If we take it the first way then it crucifieth the World by leading the Soul through the visible to the invisible glory of God Rom. 1 20. For the invisible things of him from the Creation of the World are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made even his eternal Power and Godhead it suffers not the Soul to stick and loyter in the surface of any created glory but it strives to comprehend him who fils this and that Creature with his glory The Soul useth the Creature as a man useth a pair of Spectacles to look through them and he is not busie eying them though he looks steadily upon them but he is taken up in eying the letters and words and things which he discerns through them this is the true use of the Creature to look through it and not to be bounded and terminated in it and the Soul that sets the Lord much before him learns thus to pass through every thing unto the Lord who is the center of his thoughts and by doing so the affections are fixed with the glory of God and it takes little notice of the Creature which it passes by having a more excellent object in his eye If we consider it in the second way propounded then it crucifieth the world thus it looks down from the Lord to the Creature and so it beholds it at a disadvantage and this view of the Creature either lessens it or darkens it as we see if a man behold any thing from the top of some high Tower it seems very smal to him what it doth to him that stands level with it so it is with men that converse with God and walk with God they behold the Creature afar off and much beneath them and they seem not so bigg to them as they do to those who stand upon the earth for by this means the Creature is darkned as we find by example That if a man looks steadily on the Sun he shal find a mist upon every thing that he beholds immediatly after so let a Soul that hath been contemplating and considering the goodness and glory of God take a view presently of the Creature and how cloudy and misty wil it appear Fourthly It stirs up choise breathings and longings after God and the enjoyment of him the Soul by lying on God in Christ begins to see him as the only desirable one the choise good the suitable and the satisfying good and from hence proceeds choise breathings after him see one of these Psalm 27.4 One thing have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord and to enquire in his temple Here was one that was enamoured after God and his wayes he had seen so much of the beauty and excellency of God that he was wonderfully taken with it and would wish to spend all his days in the beholding of it this frame we finde the Disciples in when they had but a glance of the glory of Christ Matthew 17.4 Master it is good for us to be here and these experiences beget choise breathings David would spend al his time not only in beholding but enquiring also beauty discovered begets breathings suitable to discoveries The more God is seen the more desired he did not dream of a contemplative life as some doe wherein we should be onely busied in beholding and be freed from enquiring he desired no such perfection We do not finde so many choyce breathings of any of the Saints recorded as of David and indeed there is enough spoken of him to testifie him to be a man of the choycest affections and one reason of this was as I shall afterward shew you from hence he was a constant eyer of God he was still in his thoughts from hence did so many sweet breathings flow see a few of them Psal 42.1 2. As the Hart panteth after the water-brooks so panteth my soul after thee O God my soul thirsteth for God for the living God when shall I come and appear before God! There is panting and thirsting after God yet hee goes higher in his affections Psalm 84.2 he longeth yea even fainteth and yet he exceeds Psalm 119.20 My soul breaketh for the longings that it hath unto thy Judgements What manner of breathings were these after the Lord and after his ways
to out-live them but their wives and children as if there were no God nor no soul to survive their very lives speak the very language of the great Turk when he was dying and his Doctors told him he must prepare to go to another world Is there another world when I am dead he thought all had died with him language fit for those filthy Dreamers of our days those superannuated hypocrites who have worn out all their profession of Religion who say men dye as Cats and Dogs and therefore they live like Beasts But as an Antidote against the evil of their ways carry this along with thee Labour to do those things now which thou wouldst wish thou hadst done when thou comest to dye and leave those things undone which thou supposest will not yeeld comfort in that hour Having laid these things down as considerations to quicken to the duty I shall give some practical directions to guide you in it and to further Souls who would willingly have their hearts set in such a constant frame for God First Direction Have an eye upon thine own heart and that will constantly administer occasions to thee of looking after God thy wants or enjoyments temptations or deliverances hopes or fears will advise thee to draw nigh to him not considering the present frames tempers of our hearts makes them so little God-ward if we were acquainted with our selves we should be lessestrangers to him That man is happy who carries so much an eye over himself as to know in what frame of spirit he is That man shall never defer his going to God for want of an errant for his own self observation will furnish him for matter of duty either for meditation or action and the variety of change with which his heart is clothed wil checker his whole life with prayer and praise God is not like to be far from that mans eye and heart who is not farre from himself who is conversant at home If you will be found in a good and constant frame for God labour to know thy present frame whatever it be the knowing of the frame of thine own spirit doth much conduce to the bettering of it But if thou lookest not after thine own heart but lettest it run at random thou art not like to find it much with God a heart not watcht is lost Secondly When thou hast gotten acquaintance with thy heart and findest it wandring from God labour to ingage it as much as thou canst to this duty lay the weight of the duty before thee with the excellency necessity and benefit of it with the danger of neglect and see what thou canst bring thy heart unto and try whether this wil not engage it to be more with God We have a notable passage for our direction in this case Jer. 30.21 He shall approach for who is he that engages his heart for God God promises to blesse the desires and endeavours of such as take some pains with their hearts in this thing I see saith the Lord such an one what pains such a poor creature takes to draw his heart to me and how he tuggs and labours at it Well saith the Lord does he so and cannot he for all this bring his heart to it Doth he complaine of the difficulty of the duty I will cause him to draw near Jor I have seen how he hath laboured to engage his heart David hath an expression very full to shew how much he had to do with his heart to draw it to God or keep it close with God I have forced my self to keep thy statutes The word that is here translated to engage it signifies to engage by covenanting or to become a Surety for any one so it is used Gen. 44.32 Thy servant became Surety for the Lad so that he intimates that often covenanting with our hearts and often covenanting for them with God is a means to keep them intent upon him and though when we have done all we are too weak to deal with our hearts yet God takes notice of those who deal most with their hearts and blesses it unto the design which they drive which is to draw near unto him Thirdly Observe those clouds which do most of all take God from thy eyes and watch against them and where thou meetest with that which hath once proved a snare to thy Soule and a vail betwixt God and thee walk with a holy fear and wait for a double portion of Grace at such a time What is it that doth lead thy spirit Is it thy employment thy recreation thy passion thy cares of this world thy carnall relations or companions it is something thou meetest withal often or is it something thou dost but seldome meet if it be a constant snare then thou hast need to be alwayes watchfull because of that if it be such a one as seldome molests thee be sure thou be very careful and consider how much grace thou hast need of to wade through that which hath once spoyled thee A man that is robbed by the way side will still remember the place where he lost his Purse and will be sure to look well about him when he passes that way again and go provided to defend himself if we did but weigh every condition and what temptations are in it or may be in it and then consider what grace is needfull to bear up a Soul in the same it would wonderfully help our spirits to a senious watchfulnesse and constancy I am now to go forth in my employment and I find my spirit is ready to be too eager and intent upon the things of this present world that I can hardly keep God in my eye how great care should I have now of my heart it is almost every day lost in that Wildernesse in which I am now travelling I am now to go to my meat yet I finde that in eating and drinking it is hard to set God before me how shal I do for proportionable grace for this So I am going into such company where I have lost my heart and the remembrance of the Lord oh now for suitable grace to this condition Thus if we would weigh the inconveniences of every condition and watch against them for hereafter it would wonderfully help us against a drowsie dead frame of heart Fourthly Call thy heart often to account where it hath been how little with God and why so and by this means thou shalt find out every back-door that thy heart hath to steal out at from God in a day David propounds this amongst his directions to further and to engage men in the fear of the Lord Psalm 4.4 Commune with thine own heart in thy bed do it on the bed then thou mayest be still and quiet thou canst not plead an excuse from distractions then thou mayest argue it out and have leasure enough to do it this employment nor that will not call thee off Do it on the Bed in the end of
promise If thou dost this thou shalt find them mighty through Christ and him near at hand to help thee in all thy streights And be sure remember this that the use of the promise must not take thee off from other means prescribed neither must other means take thee off from the promise but in the use of all means herein lies the great strength in the strengthening promise Seventhly Labour for an experimental taste and knowledg of God in Christ this wil be the sweetest and surest means to keep the soul intent upon God Where your treasure is saith Christ there your hearts will be now no soul can make God and Christ his treasure but the experimental soul he that hath not tasted how good the Lord is cannot set his heart upon him so as to make him his portion and inheritance But the soul who hath had a taste from God and seen what engagements are from thence to keep close to God Phil. 3.7 to 14. Paul quickly cast away all when he had tasted of Christ but what things were gain to me those I accounted loss for Christ his senses were spiritualized and he does not content himself with a taste but he would comprehend but I follow after that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus he endeavours to that So reaching forth to these things which are before vers 13. and he presses to the mark vers 14. All these shew how an experimental rellish of the goodness of God doth engage the heart to him David hints thus much that there was nothing more conducible to the fear of the Lord then this taste of him Ps 34.8 9. O taste and see that the Lord is good blessed be the man that trusteth in him O fear the Lord ye his Saints for there is no want to them that fear him He cals upon to taste and try how good God is and then to fear him Plainly implying that if he could perswade men to make trial of God and his ways he should engage some of them to fear him from the experience of the sweetnesse of them and the Apostle makes use of this as an argument to press after growth in grace 1 Pet. 2.2 3. As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby if ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious Intimating that it could not be but they who had any experience of the grace of God and of his goodness in Christ must needs be hungring and thirsting after more communion with God if you would therefore keep up your hearts close to God seek for a taste look out for experimental knowledge it is this that wil endear God to your souls If we did labour to set up more precious and high esteem and honorable thoughts of God in our hearts we should endeavour to break through every condition to him What is it that draws the carnal heart after the world but a kinde of sweetness which his earthly distemperate pallate tastes in it What is it that made Israel long so much to go back again into Egypt was it not the garlick and the flesh-pots and because they had tasted of these and seen the Land and the fruitfulness of it they were going into a Land of which they had heard but had not seen therefore they often wished themselves back again and therefore the Lord commanded Moses to send out some to search the Land that they might bring of the fruit of it Numb 13.21 And they brought a cluster of Grapes of the choicest to commend the Land Thus it is with us whilst we make a profession without experience it is no wonder that our hearts keep not close to God we pretend to follow God whom wee know not but the world we know that is always with us we have experience of the sweetness of it and what it yeelds therefore we cleave more to that then to the Lord until he sends us a cluster of the first ripe grapes some first fruits of the Kingdom of Heaven If we have not a little of Heaven in our way to Heaven we shall never seek it with intention of spirit Eighthly Labour for a clear sight of interest Pulchrum meum Beauty and propriety do very much ingage the heart things that are beautifull are very much attractive but if we have an interest in them they seem the more beautiful 'T is a great help to consider of the excellency and goodness of God and of his wayes above and beyond the World and the pleasures of it but when we can consider God in relation to our selves then he is much more comely and glorious when we can say not only God is good but My God is good Propriety does wonderfully knit and glue the heart we see to its object in all things and so it will in spiritual things an interest in Christ revealed and cleared to the Soul doth marvellously engage it to him and quickens it in its acting heaven-ward see for this Colossians 3.1 2 3 4. If ye be then risen with Christ seeke those things that are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God set your affections on things above not on things of the earth for you are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God when Christ who is our life shall appear then shall ye also appear with him in glory The Apostle argues strongly with them unto a Spiritual life and constant frame of breathing after Christ and Spiritual things from their interest in Jesus Christ which was very clear and without scruple to many of their souls and we have the same improvement made of this which the Apostle exhorts to here Phil. 3.20 Our conversation is in heaven from whence we look for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ An interest in Christ draws the Soul much towards Heaven to be constantly looking for it and into it and this causes the Soul to bend unto it That Soul cannot be long a stranger to Heaven who knows a Saviour there O labour therefore to keep your interest clear and plain if you would keep your hearts constantly active and yearning towards Heaven Ninthly Follow thy Prayers and consider what becomes of them if thou dost so they will carry thee much to God consider in the day what thou diddest pray for in the morning and in the night what thou didst aske in the evening and live as one that waiteth for returns this will be an excellent means to keep thy heart busie with the Lord either in a waiting believing frame for something thou hast sought of God and is not yet given in or els in a thankful frame for some answer of prayer As you are before prayer to sum up your wants so after the duty consider of your Petitions and What you have sought of God for the day and wait for sutable returnes Hast thou prayed for a holy humble heart for an active frame of spirit for strength
and flourishing and if thou dost now give up thy self to the work of the Lord thou mayest in all probability bee serviceable to him but in thine old age all thy affections wil be weakned especially those which should most of all render thee serviceable to God 2 Thy Affection of Love and Joy and Zeal Desire and Hope which do most of all quicken souls and honour the work of God in their hands these will be all fallen and there will be nothing left but weakness and faintness and fear and passion and peevishness and how will these things honor the Lord O it is very necessary that wee should have an eye to our Affections in the great work of God for if these bee lost the glory of the work falls to the ground for the affections are the very hands that lay hold on Christ and the feet that run after him and the instruments with which we work for him lose not this time if ever thou wouldest take a time wherein God may be glorified by thee Secondly Now all thy senses are freshest and quick and thy soul most active and thou art best able to taste of that sweetness which is in the ways of the Lord and although the sweetness of the ways of God do not consist in satisfying the senses external neither is godliness as the Familist makes it a sensual life yet when the body is decayed and the soul weakned as to all its exercises the soul is not deprived onely of the relish which it had of carnal things but even of spiritual ones also the reason why we shall enjoy so much more of God in Heaven then we do or can do here is because our bodies shal be fitted to our souls we shal have none of the incumbrances of flesh and weakness and indisposition through sickness and old age which now do hinder us and therefore it must needs follow that the better the soul is Organized and fitted for action through the strength and vigour of all the faculties the more capable it is of communion with God and of tasting the sweetness that is in his wayes Bring a man that is sick and weak never such precious and pleasing meat and drink he affects them not because his palate is weak and he cannot taste the sweetness that is in them Old Age is the sickness of Nature then she begins to be feeble and it cannot be expected that the soul can act at the same rate either in Naturals or Spirituals which it did when it was in the middest of its strength A man cannot do so much work when his assistants and servants are all gone from him as he could when he had them all at command the soul wants many of her attendants they are dead or drousie and very uselesse every member of the body and every faculty of the soul is very weak and lame and there is little expected from them If ever thou wouldest highly put a difference between the ways of God and the ways of sin and thou wouldest relish the sweetness that is in following the Lord Jesus make tryal in thy youth whilst thou art in the prime of thy strength for the breasts of his consolation are ful and require much strength to draw them they are of so pure and spiritual a nature If thy senses were so quick and comprehensive as Adams were in innocency yet there is more then enough in the Lord Jesus and in his ways to exercise them and to satisfie them David speaks largely of his experience in this thing Ps 19. They were sweeter then the honey and the honey-comb And in Psalm one hundred and nineteen he commends them beyond all other good things and speaks elsewhere of this he sets out the fulness and variety of sweetness which the ways of God afford by this expression Rivers of pleasure Psalm 36.8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatnesse of thy house and thou shalt make them drink of the rivers of thy pleasures We may have another much like to this Psalm 16.11 In thy presence is fulnesse of joy at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore O what a great mistake is there amongst many who refuse to give their youth to the Lord because they cannot spare that from their pleasures they think that the devoting that unto the Lord would be the spoil of it let not Saten delude any of your poor souls thus any more there are pleasures at Gods right hand and rivers of pleasure for Souls to drink of who follow Jesus Christ when the summer brooks which Satan leads you to will all be dried up Le thim not draw you off from God with a pretence that there is no pleasure to be had in him but whenever he draws you after pleasures tell him how that you have heard That the wâ—y of God are sweet and that you will make tryal of them whether they are so or not whilst you are in the midst of your strength and best able to distinguish betwixt sweet and bitter good and evil and when thou hast gotten but a taste of the sweetnesse of the ways of God thou wilt have an answer at hand for him when he comes and tells thee Thy youth is fittest for pleasure tell him then it is fittest for God at whose right hand are pleasures everlasting which thon wilt never more exchange for his deceivable lusts Thirdly Now thou hast an opportunity to deny thy self for Jesus Christ and to commend the ways of God unto the world and to set a high price upon them for the enjoyment of Christ in them when thou dost deny the vain pleasures of sin when thou mayest enjoy them what a low value dost thou set upon Jesus Christ and the ways of the Lord when thou wilt follow him at no other time but in that which in thy own judgement is fit for nothing else although in truth it is most unfit for that This cannot bean act of selfdenial when we wil never come to God til we have nothing to deny or part withal for him thou canst not then say that thou forsakest any thing of the world to come unto Christ when it hath already forsaken thee what pleasure wilt thou deny to follow God in thy old age in that day when thou shalt say I have no pleasure in it here wil be no room left for self denial in many things but now it lies in the way evidently to make out thy self-denial for now whilst thou art in the strength of thy dayes and many temptations to enjoy the world and many ways to enjoy it also now to renounce all and come into Christ will be an eminent act of self-deniall all men will say loe here is one who hath left all to follow the Lord and wil not this beget an high esteem in men of the ways of God when they shall fee thee prizing it above all profits and pleasures and preferments and Friends and Companions when they see thee
casting these under foot when they are to be enjoyed will they not say Surely there is much sweetness in the ways of God that this man denies himself in all these things to follow them If ever thou wouldest honour the ways of God and set them up high in the hearts of men and be eminent in this act of self-denial lose not thy youthful days but begin to follow the Lord Jesus whilst the world and the pleasure of it are following thee so shalt thou be a true Disciple of the Lord Jesus Fourthly The work is great which thou art called to and therefore fittest for thy youth we know that we use to single out the morning for the choicest employment which requires greatness of strength and parts and truly the work of the Lord is in this sense a morning work for it will call for the vigor and strength of thy affections Strive to enter in at the strait gate Luk. 13.24 Philip. 3.14 I press toward the mark for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus Men do wonderfully mistake the ways of the Lord when they think that the sleeping doating age is good enough for him truly this is according to those conceits and fancies which they have of the worship of God and their thoughts are so low because they are so much strangers to it but if such souls were set truly about the work they would find it so much above the strength they have when strongest that they would easily be convinced of the vanity of making delays and putting it off til a time when they must expect less Oh what folly is there in mens hearts and how little reason wil those delayers have to stand by them at the last day when they delay the workbecause it seems hard and difficult and yet they put it off to a time wherein it must needs be much harder then now it is Friends take heed of this folly it is too common amongst us It is against reason and against our practice in all other things and if the devil had not a great power over men this deceit of the heart would be discerned we see men will not do so in other things they will study the season proper to every work but this of their souls the Husbandman will not put off his Summer work till Winter nor his Winter work til Summer he wil chuse to do the work that is most painfull and laborious before the heat of the day if a man walk by the Sea wal find a smal breach that is made in upon the Land he will not passe it by and say let it alone until the next week or year for says he it will grow much bigger by that time he will not make delays when he is sure that delays will make more work let us but study the seasons for our souls as they do let us do every thing to the best advantage the work is great begin when thou wilt but the longer it be before thou begin it the more difficult thou wilt finde it and the lesse strength thou wilt have to go through with it therefore begin in thy youth Fifthly It is a long work and therefore calls for the morning of thy Age he that would run this race should set out early We know if a man have a long Journey to go or a Race to run upon some forfeiture he will covet for as much of the day as it is possible for him to enjoy he will set out very early by the first appearance of day if we did but know what it is to be a Christian we should not think our day too long to spare any of it from our work especially of our choycest hours Three things makes this work long 1 Want of knowledge we have many things to seek after 2 Want of experience in those things which we have in notion 3 Much imployment First in regard of knowledge we should begin betimes how many things are we ignorant of the Gospel is ful of Mysteries the Worship of God is a Mystery and we know but in part when we know most and yet may always know more then we do If we consider our Naturall estate we are ignorant of every truth of God as it is in Jesus we know nothing aright 1 Cor 2.14 The naturall man cannot perceive the things of God therefore seeing there is no true knowledge of God and of Spiritual things till we set our faces and hearts Heaven-wards we had need begin betimes If we look to our after-knowledge which is a fruit of conversion it is so weak and imperfect and there is so much ignorance in so many of the things of God that then we should say O that we had begun sooner with God! then might we have been teachers of others whereas now we have need to be taught the very principles of Christ if we begin at the first hour of the day yet we shall find the work so long in this regard that when the night comes we shall acknowledge that the day hath not been large enough or we have not been active enough to be acquainted with every Mystery of the Lord and we must leave some things to learn when we come to Heaven Secondly In respect of Experience how many things are there which we get in notion which we are content withal and seek not for the experience of it this requires much time to seek after the experience and power and conformity to those truths of which we are convicted in our judgements thou maist learn many things in a Notional way in a short time but experience of all these things is not so soon obtained The Physitian reads many things and they seem rational to him but this seems not enough to him until he gets some experience of these things til he hath made trial of them it wil require much time for thee to put every truth so to the touchstone as to be able to speak to it from thine own experimental Knowledg and this will advise thee to begin betimes with the Lord. Thirdly In regard of imployment O when thou comest into Christ thou wilt find abundance of work to do too much for the little time that is allotted thee if thou lookest upon those without to labour to bring them in to Christ thy bowels wil sound toward them and thou wil say in thy heart O that I had come in sooner that I might have pittied those poor souls sooner in regard of those who are within there are some weak and they call for thee When thou art converted then strengthen thy brethren some are doubting and call for thee to comfort them some are fallen and cal for thee to restore them yea the strong as well as the weak have need of thee O there is work enough for thee to do amongst the Saints if there were none in the world if thou hadst Methusalem's Age to spend And seeing Jesus Christ hath so much
to morrow he bids thee remember him in thy youth and thou sayest old age shall serve the turn what folly is this to set a time that thou hast no assurance of God hath made thee no promise that thou shalt enjoy to morrow neither hath he made thee any promise of acceptance to morrow but what says the Scripture 2 Cor. 6.2 To day is the accepted time Reason 6. Delays are ful of deceit a delaying heart is very deceitfull it is a very gull a cheat it speaks one thing and intends another all the while its excuses and delays are alwayes deceitfull it will appear thus 1 It deceives thee in telling thee that the work is easie and thou mayest do it as well in old age and therefore why needest thou trouble thy self so early and lay out the prime of thy days in it when the dregs of it will serve as well Here it lies for if thou settest about this work thou wilt finde it a hard work which as I have shewed will call for all thy strength 2 It deceives thee whilst it tells thee that thou art willing to the thing but not to the time as if the difference were not so great betwixt God and thy Soul as indeed it is Thy heart tells thee that thou art willing to come to Christ and thou approvest of and lovest the ways of God only thou canst not yet close with them when indeed it is the very thing as wel as the time which thou dost dis-rellish and the enmity against God and his ways is discovered by thy delays as well as in others by a gross denial were not they who stayed behind upon pretended occasions as wel judged enemies Luke 14.16 as they who said plainly that they would not have Christ to reign over them And if ever thy heart were reconciled to the ways of God thou wouldest make no delays the thing being once resolved in good earnest thou wouldest not at all stick at the time 3 It deceives thee by concealing thine inability from thee which is daily increased by thy delaies the longer thou deferrest thy coming in to Christ the weaker thou growest in soul and in body Qui non est hodie c. 4 There will be no end of delays the same reason thou hast to put off seriousness from thy Soul to day thou wilt have to morrow thou sayest to morrow will be time enough and thou wilt say so again to morrow if thou hadst an eternity to spend here thou wouldest spend it in delays Modo modo non habent modum Reason 7. Thou wilt have one Temptation the less to answer if thou comest in now to Christ and this is ordinarily one it is now too late he that said always before It was too soon will as soon as thou art in good earnest tell thee That it is too late therefore labour to prevent him in this let him not have any room for such an Objection against thy Soul some souls have smarted bitterly under it Make no more delays nor put-offs for the fewer of these thou makest the lesse hath he to build upon When ever he comes to perswade thee to defer the work of the Lord a little longer Consider his design if thou yeeld to this Temptation he wil build a Battery upon it against thy Soul if ever it look really toward Christ and he will terrifie thee most with those delays which he hath tempted thee to It hath been a hard block to some poor souls to get over Oh it is now too late oh if I had come in to Christ at such a time when I was under such and such Convictions at such a Sermon or such a Providence if then I had hearkned to Christ I had been accepted but now I fear it is too late O take heed that thou dost not administer occasions to Satan to lay such a block in thy way begin betimes and the sooner thou dost begin the lesse advantage will he have in this point against thy soul Reason 8. Because we find that those who have began with God in their youâ—h have attained to a great eminency in the things of the Lord. As to begin with Moses he began with God in his youth in the prime of his age Heb. 11.24 By faith Moses when he came to years refused to be called the Son of Pharaohs daughter and to what height did he grow in knowledge and experience of the Lord How did God honour him in giving him such a wonderfull discovery of himselfe in those days Exod. 33.11 19. And the Lord spake to Moses face to face as a man speaketh to his friends ver 19. And he said I will make all my goodnesse passe before thee and I will proclaime the name of the Lord before thee God seems to grant him as much as he was capable of on this side Glory as much as he could bear if God should have let out more of his glory upon him it would have consumed him Secondly See how Samuel proved in the waies of the Lord with what repute and honour he lived and dyed amongst the people of God and he was one of these early beginners with God wee finde that the Lord called him betimes and establisht him for a Prophet in his very Childe-hood as you may see at large in the first Book of Samuel chap. 3. Now how eminent this man proved with God in regard of his long acquaintance with God he proved great in prayer he was a prevailer with God and therefore David names him as the great Artist this way Psal 99.6 Samuel amongst those that call upon him And the Lord honoured his memory for this when he was in the Grave Jerm 15.1 Though Moses and Samuel stood before me the Lord brings in these two early beginners together and says If any were like to prevail with me it were these my two old friends who took up aquaintance with me from their youths We know friendship is dearest and most engaged when it is begun in Childehood and continued to an old friend Time would fail to tell you of David how eminent he was for God who grew wiser then his Teachers and how soon he began with the Lord. And of Jeremiah and John who were sanctified in the Womb and what measures of knowledge and grace they had and of Timothy who was instructed from a child in the Scriptures and how serviceable he proved to the Churches surely it is not in vain that the Scripture takes so much notice of the commings in of so many Saints and that we find the most eminent of them are mentioned and to have given up their youth to God And if we would go by circumstances we should find that many others of the Patriarchs Prophets and Apostles if not all were called in to give up their Names to God very early I am sure it is enough to engage us to begin with him in the morning if wee would attain to that height they did
Reason 9. There is a promise to those that seek the Lord early but there is none to those that seek him late mistake me not I would not weaken the hands of any if God move any old sinner to look after Christ I do not say but that there is a promise for them that return at whatsoever time it be a promise to him as a seeker but not a particular promise to him as a late seeker But there is a promise particularly to the early seeker Prov. 8.7 They that seek me early shall finde me And from hence the Apostle presses men to take hold of the opportunity Heb. 3.7.13 And to day if you will hear his voice but exhort one another dayly while it is called to day least any of you be hardned through the deceitfullnesse of sin and the Prophet presses the very same Isa 55.6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found call upon him while he is near the Lord is near thee in the Promise and especially to you young ones because he is near you in the particular Promise whereas he is near others but in the general promise O therefore be perswaded to seek him whilst he is thus near to you Use of Caution to young ones not to lose this time for we may say of youth as David says of the Soul What shall a man give in exchange for it there is no price or ransome sufficient to redeem it from God the following days if thou were sure to enjoy them and give them up to the Lord are not a valuable consideration for thy youth nor will any time be so acceptable to God as this See how the Lord prizes youthfull affections Jer 2 2.3 Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem saying Thus saith the Lord I remember thee the kindnesse of thy youth the love of thine espousals when thou wentest after mee in a Wildernesse in a Land that was not sowen vers 3. Israel was holinesse to the Lord and the first fruits of his increase all that devour him shall offend evill shall come upon them saith the Lord. Times which may follow are either uncertain or not acceptable with God or not so advantagious to this work Joh. 9.4 I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day the night cometh when no man can work Night will come and then there will be no working evening will come and it will be bad working but it is good working whilst it is day whilst it is noon-day when thou hast light upon light a double light the Hebrews expresse noon by such a word that signifieth two lights All these considerations laid together may help us to draw this Conclusion Lament 2.27 It is good for a man to bear his yoke in his youth 2 To old ones who have neglected and lost this precious time of their youth O go home and mourn over this great losse the losse of your precious and choysest time of your youth go to your Closets and weep over your deceitfull delaying hearts which have cheated you so often and put so many stumbling-blocks in your ways that you have not found a time to be serious for God to this veryday You had need go and shut your doors upon you and begge earnestly of the Lord that he would accept of you at last and be very serious and never give the Lord over untill he hath given you some evidence of owning those dregs and relicks of the time and strength which Sin and Satan hath left you you have need of abundance of grace to bring you over and to accept of you when God must go in an extraordinary way of grace toward your soul Secondly Redeem the time that is lest let none of that be thrown away after the rest 1 Pet. 4.3 For the time past of our lives may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles when we walked in lasciviousnesse lust excesse of wine revellings banquettings and abhominable Idolatries The end of the First Part. Novv if Ever Or an APPENDIX TO The Young-mans Memento Delivered By Jo. CHISHULL At Tiverton in Devon Heb. 3.13 Exhort one another daily while it is called to day lefâ— any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin Isa 55.6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found call ye upon him while he is nea Printed at London by A. N. for F. Eglessield and are to be sold at his Shop at the Mary-gold in Pauls Church-yard 1657. To the Right Worshipfull Sir Coplestone Bampfield Baronet SIR I Have presented these few Sermons to you not for their shelter for a Patrons name cannot defend the Author from the censure of the Reader but for your advice Although you cannot want my counsel having injoyed many advantages above others in education of godly counsel and good Examples yet your age does seeing you are now in the day of your choices and if you need none yet I owe to your self and Family whatever may be conducible to your or to their good the engagements which former daies have layed upon me to serve the Family of Poltimore are as fresh upon me as ever and I should gladly embrace any opportunity of manifesting this The Stock of Prayers which your dear Father whose memory is precious among the Lords people hath put up for you the many Counsels which you have received from your Governours and Tutor in former and latter years with the continued Prayers Exhortations and Examples of some very near you give great hopes that you may stand up in your honoured Fathers place and with his Title and Estate inherit that interest which he had in the hearts of them that fear the Lord. If what I have tendered to you further or quicken you unto this I have my end and my joy Above all things beware of delays the danger of those you shall easily find by perusing of what follows vouchsafe to read it seriously and accept kindly as it is offered out of faithfulnesse and affection by him who is Sir Tiverton Aug. 24. 1654. Your obliged Servant Jo. Chishull Now if Ever LUKE 19.42 Saying If thou hadst known even thou at least in this thy day the things which belong unto thy peace but now they are hid from thine eyes THese words are some of those which the Lord Christ sighed out when he beheld and considered the sad and lamentable condition of careless Jerusalem His speech is broken as if he had spoken out one and wept out another part of his mind but such imperfect Language serves to expresse sorrow to the life It is easie to see the heart of Christ through these Lines and you cannot but see him here to be a Man of sorrow Neither are the streams more visibe then the Fountain from whence they did arise you need not go farre to search for the Head and rise of this River look but upon the eye of Christ see where it is fixed and you shall not more easily see that he
weeps then for whom he weeps it was for Jerusalem who had slighted and forsaken her own mercies out-lived the day of her Peace and was now under a double sentence of Death viz Spirituall and Temporall and although Jerusalem rejoyced in her prosperity yet he that saw what was written over her head drops these few words interrupted and broken through abundance of tears to shew that the ruine and miserie of Her and of poor sinners goes near his heart Many things have been proposed and handled from these words which I shall not now touch I purpose to mention now no more of that which hath been spoken from them then will serve as an Appendix to the fore-going Discourse I shal draw up all that I intend in these three Propositions 1 That the Lord does afford men under the Gospel day or time to make and secure their peace with him 2 That this is very uncertain as to us and unknown but it often determines and ends whilst the meanes of Grace do continue amongst us 3 When this day is past and over peace and the things of peace are hid from the soul These three Propositions are built upon these three things which lye clear in the text 1. Israel had a day 2. This day was now past and gone yet the means continued the Gospel was not yet carried away 3. Notwithstanding they had the meanes yet peace was hid from their eyes For the First of these I shall prove First that God does give men a day wherein they have more advantage then at other times to secure their everlasting peace and interests Secondly I shall come to enquire wherein this day does consist That men have a particular day is easie to discern from hence that the Lord is so oft urging sinners in Scripture not to let slip the golden time wch he cals the acceptable day or day of Salvation see what use the Apostle makes of this Heb. 3.7 13 15. Does not the Author speak there as if Salvation did depend upon the improvement of a day Does he not strongly intimate unto them that there was no way to prevent their future ruine but to be careful of their present day And the Holy Ghost declares the same truth to the same intent by the Prophet Isai 55.6 Seek the Lord while he may be found call upon him while he is near That exhortation is prest by these two motives First That although the Lord was now to be found yet there might be a time when he would not be found Secondly That he might be farther off from them then now he was they would find him at another time as it were out of hearing See what use the Saints have made and what notice they have taken of this Psalm 69.13 My prayer saies David is to thee in an acceptable time He that was resolved to take all advantages in his addresse to God knew wel enough that this nick of time was none of the least God loves those who take the first opportunity whether it be the morning of the day as Psalm 63.1 or the morning of life which is youth Eccles 12.1 or the morning of the means who imbrace the first tenders of Christ which are made unto them as those who were called at the first hour Further see what notice the Lord takes of this when he answers Christ in this manner Isai 49.8 In an acceptable time have I heard thee in a day of salvation have I helped thee As if he should have said Thou speedest wel because thou comest in a good hour in the season of Grace when I was in the vein to shew mercy God hath his day of salvation and his time of hearing and if you wil have it you must come in the nick of time You know Petitioners must wait their opportunities they must come in seasonable hours or else they are lke to miscarry This may in general serve to prove that there is such a priviledged day I shal now open the particulars of it I shal shew you many helps and advantages that many men now have who shal perish and many have had who are now in Hell First They have the Gospel preacht amongst them which is the word of Reconciliation 2 Corinth 5.20 Jesus Christ who is the Mediator betwixt God and Man is declared and the way to Life and Salvation by him is preached plainly that there is no other name given under Heaven c. Acts 4.12 It is and hath been often told them that if they wil believe they shal receive remission of sins Act. 10.43 but if not they shall dye in their sins John 3.18 Secondly As Christ is and hath been preacht amongst such persons so he is and hath been preacht without any difference or respect of persons there is no difference put betwixt noble and ignoble rich and poor strong and weak wise and foolish yea no difference betwixt sinners as to the degrees of sin great or smal from the least to the chiefest of sinners The Gospel hath been or is offered so to men that nothing can exclude them from the benefit of it unlesse they exclude themselves by rejecting of it And that I may make this plain consider 1 They have the same conditions laid down which others have and had who are now in Heaven God did not prescribe harder termes to the one then to the other Believe and repent were the termes which one refused and the other embraced Secondly They have the same promises to encourage them which drew them to Christ who are now in his bosome I do not say that they took the same encouragement from such promises how many souls hath that promise drawn to Christ John â— 37 He that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out and is not this promise in thy book also How many souls have ventured upon Christ from the support which they had by that word Isai 42 3. He shall not break the bruised reede nor quench the smoaking flax And is not this a word for thee if thou hadst any will at all to come to Christ How many hath that word drawn to Christ which we find Isai 55.1 2. yea such as could apprehend no good at all in themselves who upon this word have gone without money in their hand as boldly as if they had not gone to begg but to buy And have not all these things been spread before many who are now in hel to perswade them to look toward Christ It must needs be said that the reason why such came not to Christ was not because they had no encouragement but because they had no mind to come Thirdly They have or had the same ground to believe that those had who believed to the saving of their souls they had the truth and faithfulness of God which is the ground and reason of every ones believing The faith of the Gospel is not a believing that God hath particularly elected thee to eternal life or that Christ
dyed for thee in particular But it is a believing that God is â—ue and that the Record which he hath given of his Son is true From hence we have this expression John 3.33 He that believeth hath put to his seal that God is true And unbelief is described notably 1 John 5.10 He that beleeveth not maketh God a lyar Not that a Beleever cannot know and believe his interest particularly in the death of Christ or be certain of Election but the Gospel cals upon us to prove these things and infer them by reason and experience Yet here ye must not think that Faith lies only in assent of the understanding only but also in the consent of the Will I speak here of it only as it respects the former How do many content themselves with giving a general assent to the truth of the word of God and yet they deny the great and main truths of it and make God a lyar in the great things which he hath spoken concerning eternal life Many men pretend that the reason why they stir no more for salvation is because they know not whether they are elected or not or whether Christ dyed for them or not But alas there is something else really at the botttom They beleeve not the Record which God hath given of his Son If they did believe what God hath spoken concerning mens natural and spiritual estates concerning Christ and sinne Heaven and Hell they would look about them But although these men beleeve not yet it will appeare that this foundation was laid for them also even the truth and faithfullness of God into which the faith of all the Lords people shall bee resolved God proposed such termes of eternall life annext a promise to them The Elect closed with these terms and relyed on the truth of God to make the promise good and was not the truth of God engaged as much to the one as to the other in case they had rested on it Fourthly They have and enjoy the same means God preaches to them by the same messengers he does not send one wiser and more learned or more holy to preach to those who are or shall be saved and one weake and insufficient or less convincing to preach to those who perish But they often heare the same word together from the same person Christ bids his Disciples enter into the house where the Son of Man was not as well as in to the house where he was Luk. 16.5 6. and Christ wrought the same works before the Pharisees that he did before the Disciples Fifthly the Gospel in offering Christ unto thee says nothing of Election makes no difference betwixt elected not elected It speaks not to the Elect as Elect but as fallen as sinners as poor lost undone creatures and so it speaks to thee and to all The Gospel says nothing to thee of election until thou hast past over the first work of Beleeving and if thou art not elected yet this cannot properly be a reason of thy rejecting Christ for the Gospel made no difference betwixt thee and Elect ones in offering Christ unto thee Secondly neither didst thou consider thy Non-Election in thy rejecting Christ Who told thee that thou wert not Elected Nay thirdly Thou didst think that thou wert Elected and yet didst not look after Christ Sixthly They have such termes proposed that if they did come up to them they should be saved Although the Lord hath purposed not to â—ave some men yet we must not conceive that God wills that they should not be saved upon any termes he wills their salvation so far as they will the terms of salvation If they would comply with the way and meanes which he hath proposed and prescribed i.e. Beleeve repent they should be saved upon such terms as these God wills every mans salvation Revel 22.17 And let him that will come if he will come up to the termes of Christ he shal have of the waters of life whoever he be There is a great difference betwixt Gods willing mans salvation upon Gospel termes and his Electing men unto salvation For whom he Elects he absolutely determines to save out of the good pleasure of his will He appoints the meanes as well as the end he resolves to give faith and Repentance to such to incline their hearts and to convert them to himself Thus he wills the salvation of the Elect. But he wills the salvation of all men otherwise viz. upon such and such termes If they wil make use of such meanes as he gives them and come up to his termes they shall be saved otherwise not Nay he gives them so much as to leave them inexcusable at the last day and to make it evident that he wil'd their salvation more then they did It wil be then clear that had many men will'd their salvations upon those terms which the Lord did they had been saved Quest But how does that appear Answ Thus God was willing to give thee salvation if thou wouldest turn to him But thou didst never will it upon such termes Mat. 13.14 15. Thou wert willing to be saved but it was if thou mightest keep thy old Lusts still thou wouldst not buy salvation at so dear a rate as Conversion So that we may say that the reason why many a man is not saved is not because God would not but because they would not There were termes proposed by the Lord and there was nothing that parted the Lord and them but their wills As in the case of the young man in the Gospel whose estate parted Christ and him Was it not his wil that undid him Dare any say that if he had come up to the termes of Christ he had not been saved Christ made him a firm promise upon a condition which only parted Christ and him Mat. 19.21 And what was it that undid Israel Psalm 81.13 Oh that Israel had walked in my wayes c. Did Israel suffer because God was not willing to bless and prosper them Surely no But because Israel did not seek it in the way which God was willing to bestow it Had they will'd their peace in the way that the Lord will'd it they had had it And so in the Text did wicked men wil their own salvation as the Lord does they should be saved Seventhly They have some inward meanes and helps to make their day of peace the cleerer The Spirit of God does strive with them in his word and works and sollicites their return but they will not obey it Gen. 6.3 Thus the Lord strove with the old world until he was weary This was it which Stephen charged upon the Jews Acts 7.51 Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost To this we may add that of 1 Pet. 3.18 19. God did not onely preach by Noah whilst he was preparing the Arke but by his Spirit also convincing them of sinne and warning them to repent Now that you may see how farre the Lords affords inward meanes
as well as outward to many that perish I shal lay down these few particulars First He inlightens their understandings which before were wholly darkned and gives them the knowledg of many Gospel truths yea sometimes in such a manner and measure that they are able to teach and instruct others and to tel others what is to be done when yet they themselves wil not doe what they direct others unto Rom. 2.19.20 Thus Judas and Demas had such gifts and knowledg as made them for a time serviceable to others yet they served not the interest of their own souls Secondly He shews them the equity of his wayes so that he cannot but confesse that what the Lord requires is just and reasonable and so also what he threatens and yet they have no wil to do the same Rom. 1.32 The Heathens were convinced that God would judge their wayes and he would punish them with death and they could not deny the justice of this sentence How much more are many convinc'd strongly of this who live under a searching Ministry To this we may adde that of Rom. 2.18 Thou approvest of the things which are excellent God inlightens them so far that their judgements are for him though their affections are for the Devil and sin Thirdly He moves so far sometimes until he stirre up some kinde of resolutions in them and Conscience grows so hot that nothing wil quiet it but making of promises to do something in answer to such Convictions Acts 24.25 Thus Felix quieted his Conscience when it was in a flame by telling it he would hear Paul and it another time Fourthly He moves so strongly upon the heart of a sinner that he cannot be quiet unlesse he do something for the present in obedience to that word which is set close to him by the Spirit of God Thus Herod heard John Baptist and did many things Mark 6.20 Fifthly He squeezes a sweetnesse out of his wayes upon their spirits sometimes so that they are convinc'd that it is good following of God Thus the stony ground received the Word with joy Matth. 13.20 And They tasted of the heavenly gift Heb. 6.4 They had some peace in their spirits and comfort in the hope that sin was pardoned and this seemed a sweet thing to them Sixthly He gives them some taste of the powers of the World to come as Balaam had Numb 23.10 He had strange Convictions of the povvers of the World to come He â—avv that a mans happinesse did not lie in the things of this life But there vvas another life vvhich vvas principally to be cared for and look't after He knevv that the people of God had a happinesse reserved for them in that life which was more then all the pleasures of this He knevv that they vvould be the happy men vvho had feared and loved the Lord yet he loves not them although he desired their Condition He would have cursed them for wages yet he desired to be blessed with them Thus you see God goes farre to stirre those who are not saved I have now shewne you wherein a wicked mans day consisteth and how farre it does extend to outward and to inward helps and meanes whilst these things continue which I have shewed you it may be sayd It is day with them But as this day of theirs seemes to be some what cleere in respect of meanes yet it is a very uncertaine day whose length is onely known to the Lord. For he causes the Sun to rise and set at his pleasure And although wee cannot by the exactest Calculations finde out precisely how long or short this day is to particular soules yet we may lay down General Rules and make such Scripture proposals as may help men very much in judging concerning this Gospel day at least I doubt not but to shew you so much as will cleere this truth or Second Proposition That a sinners day may end whilst he injoyes the outward means of grace Sometimes the Lord brings the nigth upon a people by taking a way the means of grace wholly from them When the Sun sets it must needs be dark and if the Gospel were taken quite a way he world would be as dark as Hell But I intend not to insist upon the proofe of this I shall grant that a sinner may have all the choyce outward helps that can be injoy'd continued to him and yet this day may be over And that will appeare First Because God may withdraw the Convictions of his Spirit from him notwithstanding he injoyes the word the Lord may say as Gen 6.3 My Spirit shall strive no more with this man And alas when God hath withdrawne his Spirit from the world to what purpose is it Secondly No onely so but the Lord does hold them from seeing and understanding those things which concern their peace as he held the Disciples from knowing him whilst he talked with them so does he these men from knowing any thing savingly Rom. 11.8 10. God hath given them a Spirit of slumber c. When God hath plainly convinc'd of the truth of his Gospel and sollicited their returne by many morall perswasions and stirrings of Conscience and they will not receive the truth in the love of it He then does not onely withdraw the light which shined convincingly upon their Consciences but he dos hold their eyes from seeing or puts the truths of his Gospel into such a dress that they should mistake them Therefore sayes Christ Matth. 13.11 13. I spake to them in parables Thus says the Lord to his Word and Messengers Go and speak to such a people concerning their peace but I wil cast such a vayl upon plaine truths that they shall not understand what is plainly spoken to them for their good Compare Isai 6.9 with Isa 29.10 and tel me whether God does not take up such resolutions as this That the people who would not see at one time shal not see at another And how farre are such a people from night judge you Thirdly He sometimes hardens their hearts and makes them heavy by that word which in it self is a word of healing and softning He hath said the word shall not go forth in vaine and return empty It shal do something either as a savour of life or of death but because they have refused the word as it offers life God in just judgement makes it a killing word to them as we may see Isaiah 6.10 it is a sad thing when the Lord shoots the Gospel as poysoned arrows against the soul which wil surely kil yet this the Lord often does against such as have rejected the saving offers of it as we may see Isaiah 28.12 13. The Lord gave them line upon line and precept upon precept that they might goe and fall backward and be broken c. But the Lord never deales thus with a people but for sins against his word that he might by his word punish their disobedience to it Fourthly He delivers them
far in a profession of Religion and seemed to have some power upon them to reform them yet the Corruption of their wils overcomming the light and Convictions which were in their Consciences and finding themselves at liberty they are more vile then ever They are worst at last as is not onely asserted here but in that Parable Mat. 12.43.44.45 If the unclean Spirit be cast out by the power of Conviction alone he will returne to his old habitation he will come and see who keeps house and if it be empty in respect of grace and garnished only with a profession and with natural abilities he will enter againe and he will bring company enough to guard for the future and they shall be none of the best seven Spirits more wicked then himselfe Perhaps hee was a drunkard or swearer or Sabbath-breaker But as he troubled himself about Religion so hee troubled not the professors of it But if he fal back to these sins againe it s ten to one but he proves a scoffer or a persecutor of the wayes and people of God See an instance Mal. 3.14 There where some who pretended to holiness but when they fel off Obs First They did not onely lay aside such duties but struck at them Secondly They scoffed at such as walked humbly with God Thirdly They joyned and so took part with the worst of men They call the proud happie Apostates seldom stand as Neuters Thus I have I hope cleered the two first propositions you have seene it both day and night with the wicked I come now to speak of The Third Proposition viz. That when this day is past and over the things of peace are hid from the soul This is so easily deducible from the two former that I need not speak much to prove it If a day be set to treat with persons and upon terms to conclude a peace if they stand out this day and do nothing the Commission is out of date Thus says the Lord I gave Commission to my Messengers to Conscience and to the Word to plead and strive with you about an agrement and ye would not Now the time is over Conscience and the Word have no Commission to treate with thee againe for I am resolved against peace now Thus God dealt with Jezabel Rev. 2.21 I gave Jezabel space to repent says he But she repented not I am now resolved to take another course with her I will call her c. If the day end any way Peace must needs end with it When God workes as I have shewne you and they come to that passe as hath beene declared we may easily Conclude Peace is hid First if God withdraw from the soule and give over stiring Corruption must needs carry it When God takes away those Convictions which did restaine and bridle the man he will doubtlesse then follow his own lusts and take fil of sinne commit it with greediness But you see it evidently God hath said my Spirit shall not alwayes strive with man Such a man hath desired to enjoy his Lusts quietly and I am resolved he shal have enough of it and where wil such a man stop whom God wil not hinder or when wil he returne whom God will not draw Corruption will doubtlesse Lord it in such a soule Secondly If the Lord leave stiring wtth the soule Satan wil have his wil upon it If the Lord withdraw his inward workings Satan wil draw neere and he will fill up the House If Christ rule not he will Paul sets out the Condition of poore souls who are without Christ thus 2 Tim. 2.26 Satan leads them Captive at his will and Eph. 2.2 He says they walk according to the Prince of the power of the Ayre i. e. according to his mind This is the Condition of every Naturall man Satan hath goten such a power over them that they doe what he Commands But besides this power which Satan hath in men naturally here is a Judiciary delivering up of Souls to the power and will of Satan when their day is over Many who are under the first power of Satan may be recovered but such as come thus under his power are irrecoverably lost and undone 2 Cor. 4.3.4 If our Gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Not to such as are lost in Adam as all men are who are naturally in a lost Condition of which yet some at least shall be repayred But such as are appointed to be destroyed who are lost past Hope In a word when a mans day is over he is lost and peace is hid from him upon a twofold account First In respect of God He withdraws the light and resolves never more to have to doe with such a poore Creature in a way of mercy never to whisper one word of conviction or of Counsell more to him concerning his soule and then he that is filthy must needs be filthy still who will be faithfull to that mans soul or shew him the misery of his Condition or the folly of his waves whom God will Counsell no more The Sunne is set and the day must needs be done Secondly The day being done peace is hid in respect of himself because he had no eyes to see the things of peace They were but shut before either out of prejudice or neglect or wantonness but now they are put out or sealed up so that they shal be opened no more and then although the Sun shine never so Bright yet the eyes being put out he lyes under an impossibility of seeing the things of peace This is as clear as the Sunne when it shines from that of John 12.39 40. Therefore they could not beleeve because he had blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts c. Thus the day of grace and peace you see may be over unto men although the Gospel in respect of the publique administrations doe continue as clear as ever Thus we finde it was with some of the Jewes in Isaiahs time as I have shewn you from Isa 6.9 10. Yet was he the most Evangelical of all the Prophets And thus it was in Christ's time many who lived under the Richest dispensations of the Gospel who heard and saw Christ who spake as never man spake and did what never any did yet were past seeing and Christ saies expressely at last That he did not intend that they should see Mat. 13.10 11 12. Before I come to apply these truths which have been proved I shall clear them from some mistakes or misapprehensions which might arise First Some will say Does not that which hath been spoken strongly infer that Christ died for all Answ The Gospel hath plainly and fully declared that Christ died for sinners and all sinners without exception are invited to come to him and take freely of the waters of life and the promise of Acceptance is cleare None shall be refused who will come to him So that upon this account we have as
the wil and the deed If the Lord in his free grace give the Will he wil enable to do if not what we should or would yet what he wil accept of Fourthly It supposeth thus much that it matters not whether thou hast such a power to Believe and Repent which some plead for For if thou hast a Wil to Believe and Repent thou shalt not miscarry for want of power Follow thy wil and thou mayest expect power confidently from the Lord. But if thou hast no wil toward these things and art resolved not to make use of what thou hast it is no matter whether thou hast more or lesse If thou hast no power of thy self yet if thou hast a Wil the Lord wil not let thee stand out for want of power And if thou hadst all this power in thy hand and hast no wil to employ and improve it for thy soul it is all one as to thy salvation Thou shalt perish Fifthly It supposes that the Lord doth not condemn men for what they cannot do although they cannot doe what he commands but because they wil not God commands thee to Believe to repent to be humbled for thy sins and to make thee a new heart to forsake thy very evil thoughts Thou canst no more do these things then the Blackamore can change his skin or the Leopard his spots Jer. 13.23 But this is not that which will damn thee that thou canst not do them but this will be thy condemnation that thou wouldest not do them It is true if thou wert sensible of thine inability thou mightest plead a cannot now and make good use of it thus Lord thou hast commanded that I should keep thy righteous judgements But I cannot Oh that my ways were so directed c. Thou hast commanded me to make me a new heart Ezek. 18.31 But I cannot Therefore Psal 51.10 Create in me a new heart and renew aright spirit within me Thou hast commanded me to Believe but Lord I cannot I find abundance of base unbelief within me Mar. 9.14 therefore Lord help my unbelief Thou hast commanded me to wash and make me clean but I cannot I can as soon wash off the spots from the Leopard Ez. 36.25 Therfore sprinkle clean water upon me and I shal be clean wash me and I shall be whiter then snow Psalm 51.7 Thou hast commanded me to love thee with all my heart and with all my strength But I cannot I find much of the love of the world creeps into my heart and intercepts my affections and I am ful of Backslidings Jerem. 32.40 Therefore Lord put thy Law in my heart that I may not depart from the in a word Thou hast commanded me to cease from evil and to do good But I cannot for I finde Rom. 7.23 a Law in my members rebelling c. Therefore Lord deliver me from the sin of this body or from this body of sinne This is the use thou shouldest make of thy cannot and thus improved and pleaded out with God in time it might be of singular advantage to thee But it wil be vaine to think to lay up this plea by thee until the last day and to think to stop Judgement by it then For the Lord wil proceed with thee upon other termes and so wil frustrate such a plea as this is For he wil not condemn thee because thou couldst not but because thou wouldst not believe And when thou art found guilty of stubborn and wilful disobedience it wil be in vain to plead inability Thy weakness was the reason why thou couldest not believe but it was not the reason why thou wouldest not believe If ever thou wouldst have pleaded insufficiency thou shouldst have done it whilst there was time for it when it might have been removed The business then to be proved wil be that thou wouldst not believe and for this thou shalt be condemned John 3.19 This is Condemnation that light is come into the world and men love darkness more then light Sixthly It supposes that a mans cannot is from his VVil not Therefore he cannot because he wil not There is a Twofold Cannot in unbelievers A first and a second The first is while the day of grace does continue of which I am now to speak and this is from his corrupt will While God is offering to him termes of peace and reconciliation he is wilful and shuts his eys and ears and wil not see nor hear what is for his good There is a second Cannot which follows this a Judiciary Cannot When man hath shut his eyes and therefore could not see the things of his peace the Lord seals them up and says From henceforth thou shalt not see any thing for thy good this is a dreadful Cannot and when men come to this they are almost in Hell But I am to speak of the former of these which is so much the more fearful because it leads to this the Cannot which arises from a mans own wil the wil and affections blinde the Understanding and therefore he cannot see The corruption of mandoth most of all appear in his wil for this is the very seat of it from whence it issueth forth into every part of him and defileth the whole man the will is the Ring-leader in good or evil And that is not misled by the understanding until the understanding hath been seduced by that A man is first prejudiced against spiritual things he wils them not and therefore he sees not the excellency that is in them Thus the will blindes the understanding and that leads the will aside and so the blinde lead the blinde till both fal into the dâ—tch Thus we see daily by sad experience how mens passions or interests do blinde them that they do not see things as they are Men love or hate things and then they judge them to be good or evil according to their affections The Natural man hates the wayes of Godliness and then fancies them to be hard and unpleasant he judges them foolishness because they crosse his lusts which have gotten his affections and therefore he cannot receive them Again he loves his lusts and therefore he fancies that they are comely and pleasant he is not willing to see the deformity of sinne Like some fond Mother who do ates so much upon her childe that she wil heare no evil of it she is so blinded by affection that she cannot see faults Thus it was with Balam who although he had assurance that Israel should be blest and not curst would faine perswade himself through the extream love of the wages of iniquity that he might curse Israel from such or such a place So also is it with men although the word of God flie in their faces for sin and tels them that if they let it not go their souls shall go for it yet the love of sin and their extream unwillingness to part with it puts them upon studying some excuse or other for it and they would
a trick to steale the complaints of Gods people and they take them into their mouths very improperly For although the people of God who have wils to do more then they can may complain properly of their cannot yet this belongs not to thee for thou canst do more then thou wilt Complaints of inability do sit the mouths of none but the people of God because it is not the want of VVil but of power vvhich stops them Therefore they can say Lord we would be more spiritual and more holy we would do more then we do but we cannot God hath discovered unto them the corruption of their VVils in their former estate and hath humbled them for it and he hath shewed them how far they did fal short of their abilities formerly and laid them in the dust for it and now the stream of their wils is turned and they run out infinitely after God But for thy part thou wert never humbled for the Corruption of thy VVil thou art not therefore fit to complain of a cannot How canst thou without shame complaine for want of power when thou hast not gone to the end of what thou hast Go and learn what it is to be humbled for want of a vvil for God and vvhen thou hast mourned for want of this then thou mayst next be pitied vvhen thou complainest for vvant of power but until thou hast used all meanes in thy power and reach thou hast no reason to complain of a Cannot but vvhen thou hast done this then thou mayest take up this complaint Lord thou hast commanded me to do thus and thus but I cannot Behold I have sed the meanes it sticks not at my VVil for I have given al diligence but it sticks for vvant of power Lord I vvould if I could This is intimated in that Plea which Paul makes Rom. 7.18 How to perform that which is good I finde not As if he would say I do not plead a Cannot for excuse for it is not an idle one Though I cannot do what good I would yet I am not content with willing it but I am seeking to do it but I finde not to do it though I enquire after it with al diligence Saints do not fail of the good they would do for want of Endeavours but thou ceasest from endeavours and pleadest a Cannot before thou hast used this Thy plea is a mistake and there is a delusion in it it fits not thy mouth go thy way home and study thy wil not and mourn over that but leave this complaint to those to whom of right it doth belong Vse 4. If there be such a day Then labour to improve thy abilities without trusting to them strive as knowing that without striving thou shalt not be saved and yet look unto Christ as having done nothing thy self Cast away all selfe-confidence Runne for he that runneth not shal not obtaine yet look for all from free grace knowing it is not he that willeth nor he that runneth but God that sheweth mercy Rom. 9.16 If thou doest perish it is through thy own default because thou dost not what thou mayst But if thou art saved it is not for any thing wrought by thee but for the free mercy of God in Christ This is a great mystery to man he cannot tel how to act in the way of salvation without relying upon what he does If it be not says he in my power to Beleeve and repent why should I act And if it be in my power why do you advise me to deny my abilities Hence come two great miscarriages amongst men They run into the extream on either hand Some have such high opinions of the abilities of the Creature and take the work of salvation to be so much in the hand of Man that they know not how to deny themselves in their own actings and wisdome in spiritual things They give God the honour of putting them into a possibility of being saved But they take the honour of perfecting their salvation to themselves Others lay the work so upon God that they excuse themselves from doing any thing Alas say they we are weak and what can we do If he will convert us we shal be converted These wil not know the Doctrine of Duty There are few that wil bring the Doctrin of self-denial and duty together That wil work and yet deny their works expect God in a way of striving and yet not rest upon indeavours But to these I say Although you cannot do enough to save you yet you may omit enough to damn you Therefore improve your abilities lest ye perish for neglecting them To you who rely upon your own abilities I say The denying of your own abilities wil do you no harm for esteeming of them as little does not make them lesse but going out of your selves to God may make them more I say in a word to all You have a day If in this day thou doest not lay hold of eternal life thou shalt be damned because thou wouldest not But if in this time thou doest embrace the terms of Christ and lay hold on peace it is not because thou wouldest but because he would He did stir up thy will and abilities and did give in fresh supplies or else thou hadst perished Let therefore what you have heard of the abilities of the Natural man provoke you to go as far as it is possible for such a one to go and let that which you have heard of his inability keep you humble and teach you to cry after Christ in the language of that poor man Lord help my unbelief Join self-denial to all indeavours be active and humble Conscientious to use all that thou hast for God and thy soul and yet look upon all as being nothing and then thou hast learned this truth aright Vse 5. If so Then let all the people of God admire his distinguishing grace who hath not only extended his common but his special mercy to them He hath given others enough to leave them inexcusable and enough to aggravate their Condemnation but he hath given you enough to convert you It was mercy that God gave others the Gospel and the offers of it But what mercy is it that he hath inclined your hearts to embrace the same being offerd He gave them a day to seek but he set this day apart to seek thee He set life and death before them and left it to them to chuse But the Lord himself chose for thee the better part He wrought upon their understandings or consciences but he moved upon thy Wil. He gave thee a Wil to thy power yea and beyond it who hadst abilities before beyond thy Wil. Here lies the great differencing work of grace which thou maiest never forget He wrought in thee to Wil and to do of his good pleasure So that although they who obeyed not the Gospel were condemned through their own Wils yet thou wert saved through the good pleasure and Wil of
God who made thee willing in the day of his power Who hath made thee to differ Is it not the Lord oh take heed of diminishing the grace of God When thou deniest the distinguishing acts of it you do eclipse the Glory of it So much as you take from the Corruption of the Wil so much you take from the eminency of grace Let those who pretend to Regeneration bless the Lord not as having received grace in Common with others but as having received grace in special above others Even as they did Rev. 5.9 They bless the Lord for redeeming them out of the tongues and out of the Nations c. That God vouchsafed more to them then to those amongst whom they lived Oh you may say It was mercy that God offerd us Heaven upon any terms and if he had gone no further it had been enough to convince us that he was gracious Oh but he hath given us what he never gave them viz. hearts to believe and close with his gracious tenders or else we had withstood them also He gave them the Law but he put it in our hearts all our desires after grace are from his superabounding grace and what we are more then others that we are from what God did vouchsafe unto us more then unto them It is not from the improvement of the same Talents and means which he had with others nor from a Compliance with that general Gospel grace which was given to them and us But it was from additional mercy this was distinguishing mercy 'T is by this grace that we are what we are So we can say as the Apostle Gal. 4.9 Although we know God yet it is more proper to say we are known of God Therefore let him have the honour of his own work upon your hearts in converting and turning them to himself let the work be acknowledged his from the beginning to the end of it look on him as the author and finisher of your faith If God hath moved thy heart towards himself and hath met thy endeavours with successe and thou art able in thy experience to say it is good to draw nigh to God take heed of setting up an high opinion of thine own free Will as if that had moved God rather then God had moved it as if what thou hast were rather the recompence of improved Abilities then the fruits of Gods distinguishing Grace If ever you would honour free grace keep up in thy heart a deep sense of its distinguishing acts Vse 6. If it be thus Then above all things look to your Wills and try them whether they be set for heaven and holiness or not And in pursuing this minde these three things First Get a thorow sense of the Corruption of thy Will naturally and of its indisposition to Good For want of the knowledge of the malignity of the will causes deepe security amongst many they think their hearts are as good as any when indeed the reason why they account them good is because they did never yet study the evil of them and many poore souls goe blinded to Hell with the Good opinion of their own Wills Secondly Goe to the Lord and intreat him to take the worke into his hand if the business of thy Salvation be left upon the motion of thy Will thou are lost Tell him that thou hast found which way the Wil of man does naturally bend and if he should leave thy Will to it selfe thou art likely to make the same choyce that others have done who have been so left Tell him thou hast so much Experience of the Corruption of thy Will that thou darest not trust it nor venture thy Eternal interest upon it And whereas others dispute to get the work into their hands do thou pray as hard to get it into the hands of God Thirdly Above all things beg a Will of him Pray earnestly that he would not only put forth his power in Illumination and bare Convictions but that he would reveale this power in bringing over thy Will to himselfe Plead out this above all that he would Convert thee that thou mayst be Converted that he would Incline thy Will unto his Testimonies and that he would draw thee that thou mayst run after him And tell him often that thou standed in need of nothing more then a Will for him and if this be not given in thou art lost Follow the Lord with continuall complaints against the Corruption of thy Will and never leave him till he set up his Image in that till he hath bowed that to his Commands and when thou canst say his Will is thine and thy Will is his then thou art a happy Man or Woman Application of the second Doctrine This day is not measured by the length of our lives but the meanes outward or inward Learne hence that there is more hopes of a people although ignorant and prophane to whom the Gospel is coming then of those who are more knowing from whom the Gospel is departing Gods withdrawing of publick meanes helps of this nature speake his displeasure against a people eminently and tel us plainly that there is but little hopes of such When the Gospel is coming into a dark ignorant prophane place and declares that God hath a people there the day is dawning to them But when it is going away from a people It either argues that God hath no people there or none more to gather or that his work is almost done It argues that the Gospel hath been abused or slighted and that the day of grace is drawing apeace to an end to such a people Secondly it in forms us that they who live unprofitably under meanes are in a farre worse condition then those who live without meanes There was more hopes of the Fâ—gtree although it were unfruitfull before it was drest then there was afterwards Before it was dressed the keeper of the Vineyard was in hope that if it were digged it would bear fruit but when the means was used and no good comes of it it leaves him hopelesse Thus when we see men wicked and prophane who live without the Gospel we say oh if God would vouchsafe these poor souls the Gospel there were hopes of them But we know not what to say nor how to hope comfortably concerning those who continue the same persons they were notwithstanding the Gospel which is vouchsafed them There is more hopes of a drunkard and swearer in the dark Corners where they have not the light of the Gospel then there is of such who continue in these things in the very light of the Gospel For there is hope of the drunkard and swearer who hath lived in darkness that his day is not yet begun and that God may give a day yet But we fear that many of you who continue drunkards and swearers c. have past your day that is worn out and yet your souls are not healed Thirdly See here a sad mistake under which many
mercy for these yet God saies he hath wrath and his wrath is revealed from Heaven against all such who hold the knowledg and truth which thou hast of thy duty under such unrighteousnesse 3 When men have had strong convictions of sin and these have made some Reformation in their lives and conversations and have given great hope of their conversion and afterwards they have fallen to grosse pollutions again 2 Pet. 2.20 the case is stated there very clear First there were persons who had been gross sinners they had walked in the pollutions of the world suppose those of drunkennesse and uncleannesse but these had gotten so much of the knowledg of Christ that they had escaped these pollutions they fled from them as it were But these intangled again not with other sins of another nature as the people of God may be and are who are troubled with secret inward corruptions such as the world takes no notice of and as they were never sensible of before as Spiritual pride in duties vain thoughts c. they are not intangled with these but with the same sins which they had escaped And that is not all for a child of God may be intangled in the same sins again that is for one act of sin or the like as David and Peter were But he says they are overcome Satan prevails so far over them that he carries them back to their former accustomed drunkenness and swearing uncleanness and the like If once it be thus with them there is little hopes of them you may judge what the latter end of them wil be it is worse than the former Those men are so visibly and suddenly changed by the strength of bare convictions and have not grace in the heart as wel as knowledge are in a miserable condition because they seldom hold it out long and when they do fal back it is a thousand to one but they fal foulely and when souls fal thus into their old sins which they had escaped it is a thousand to one but they are held under them and grow worse and worse to the end We have a notable passage Matthew 12.45 They enter in and dwel there they take up their rest there The uncleane Spirit went up and down seeking rest and could not find it But now he enters and hath what he was seeking for as intimating in that he pitches here to take up his abode Relapses in the distempers of the body are more dangerous then the first violence of the disease and so are such relapses dangerous to the soul for if thou art a relapsed drunkard Swearer Sabbath-breaker c. thou art in no more danger then those who have alwaies been such and there is more hopes of recovering one who never had any conviction nor pretended to any reformation then of such who have by the light and knowledge of Christ escaped these and are now returned again to their vomit and wallowing in the mire 4 When men after a high profession of Religion and of giving up themselves to Christ fal back to worldly interests and mind and care for that with neglect of the waies and people of God whom they have closed withal before Every one who hath made a profession of Religion and deserts it dos not fal into open prophanenesse and loosnesse it is possible they may retain so much of the light of Nature and the word as may restrain them from grosse evils and yet they may lose all the heat and warmth which seemed to be in their affections to the things of God so that although they wil not follow God and his people yet they wil not tread in the footsteps of the prophane but they strike in with the civiler part of men who do not openly oppose the ways of God although neglect them and they are for the world and their care is how to be great and rich Religion must lie by to attend upon this they are not such who bring forth no fruit but they bring forth nothing to perfection Luke 8.14 They pray sometimes and hear but the cares and love of the world wil not let them do any thing wel and perfectly it eats up the heart of every duty and in the end choaks their profession As we see it is with the Corn it grows up with the thorns next the thorns overgrow that and lastly the thorns destroy it So is it with such mens profession First it grows up with the World and the love and cares of it he prayes and he hears and he does many things which he did not do before but all this does not crucifie him to the world he loves that as formerly and his heart goes out strongly after it yet his convictions being fresh and strong his profession holds with the world Afterwards as his convictions begin to grow weaker and fainter the World prevails and he is less and less in the duties of Gods worship and he begins to plead excuse for his remisness and slightness in the service of God he cannot spare so much time for prayer and hearing from his Calling his imployments are many and therefore that cannot be expected from him which is from others Now the world hath gotten above his profession and in a little time it choaks it it dies away and comes to nothing Thus it was with Judas he had a covetous heart all the while he followed Christ but at last it got ground of him and he was bought out of all for thirty pieces of silver and thus Demas forsook the service of the Lord in the Gospel when he met with an opportunity of imbracing the present word 2 Tim. 4.10 How many be there in these days which have lost and given up all their profession of Christ this way and have turned back only to mind the things of this present life But such souls who fal off with Judas and Daemas to the World seldom return to Christ the day of grace seems near at an end to such as these Take heed that there be not found among you such as these are who after the pretended giving up your selves to the Lord do fal back to mind earthly things Ph. 3.19 It is a sad sign that God intends to give such their portion in this life 5 When men have sinned away their Convictions and conscience grows quiet this must needs be a symptom of a declining day because the more stupid and grosse conscience grows the nearer men come to hardness of heart and this is called in the Scripture a reprobate mind Rom. 1.28 it is the very mark and brand of a Reprobate of one who is set apart for ruine There is a light in the heart of every natural man which doth direct and counsel him until such time as it be extinguished but if it be not followed it wil go out by degrees Rom. 1.21 But to this light the Lord gives in the light of the Word and some help of the Spirit and if God do in
for there is nothing left for the Word to take hold of Therefore Christ intimates the same thing in that Matth. 6.23 If the light in thee be darkness how great is that darkness It is the more dangerous because it is in the place and stead of light it is that which thou followest and is to guide thee therefore says Christ in Luke 11.35 Take heed that the light in thee be not darkness That man is sad who wants light but he is worse who follows a false light He that is ignorant of God and his ways and was never inlightned is miserable but more miserable is he who hath been inlightned and hath now forsaken the light of the Lord to follow the delusions of Satan and corrupt principles instead of light it is a manifest sign that Satan hath the leading of this man to perdition Thus I have shewn you the sad evidences of approaching night remember I do not speak positively and absolutely of these things I do not say when I see men fall thus and thus that their day is past but these are sad symptoms that it is even at an end When the Physitian sees the symptoms of death in the Patient he looks on him as a dead man according to the course of nature but yet hath some hopes while there is life that he may recover although he sees no reason for it from the Patient He hath perhaps seen some recovered in an unusual way and when they have been past hopes So it may be in this case although men have these spots and tokens upon them yet we dare not be positive God does go sometimes in unusual ways and beyond the common experiences of his people but we have little reason to expect such things in his dispensations God may let men go so far and fal so fouly that al his people may bestartled at it and conclude him a vessel of wrath and yet when such a soul is gone to the very borders of hell and there is nothing expected but his dropping in then may the Lord say return Christ may come at the very Midnight and it may be the darkest time of all before the breaking of the day But this is not Gods usual way so that we cannot say to this man or to that Thy day is over yet we may have such grounds and footings for our fears of some men as may seldom deceive us I cannot say that the day of Grace is past to any one of you in particular yet I am confident it is past to many here and I doubt my fears concerning some opposing hardened sinners and some Apostate professors wil appear at last to have too much footing I could wish that the day of Grace were like to be as long to you as you think it to be but I am sure out of what hath been spoken from scripture it is plain That it is a hidden uncertain and oftentimes a short day and therefore what I say to one I say to all Harden not your hearts while it is called to day and more esp cially you who by all signs and tokens seems to be near unto darkness But some poor souls may say upon the hearing of these things I fear my day is past I have had Convictions under the Word and I have made strong resolutions but I have not answered them I fear I have lost my day when I lost these Ans Art thou convinced of thy lost estate now and of thy need of Christ Are former convictions revived do they come to thy remembrance afresh and do they make fresh and ful impressions upon thy heart so that thou doest now walk under the weight and burden of sin O if God does open conscience afresh and set it a bleeding under Old and new Convictions it is a sign he hath not shut up the day it is a sign he hath not drawn away the Spirit from the Word but he hath set an edge upon it and it is like a two-edged sword it cuts on every side it enters deeper into the soul than ever it did this is a great argument that the day is not over when there is more light put into the Word for thy soul then formerly Again it is a sign that he hath not done with thee because he puts in more light and tendernesse into thy Conscience if he had wholly lest thee he would have lest the Word and Conscience and have struck the one dumb and the other blind or deaf and have put thee in a condition past feeling yet let me tell thee that notwithstanding these stirrings of Conscience thou maiest perish for these are not things to be rested upon God follows many men with convictions whom he never converts There must be more than thy Convictions to shew for Heaven for these are poor things alone and do speak thus much which is to my purpose that thou hast now an opportunity in thy hand and there is hope concerning thee because God is yet treating with thy Soul about the great affairs of Salvation 2 Art thou convinced of the evil of not listning to former Convictions Doest thou see and art sensible how great an evil it is to lose them Doest thou see into what danger thou didst run thy soul by slighting the first offers which the Lord made thee and how miserable thou hadst been if he had taken the advantage against thee to have gone away and to have returned no more with convictions of thy lost miserable estate thou mightest have been now in Hell And whereas thou art now awakened by the word thou mightst not have been awakened until thou hadst awaked there Art thou sensible of these things and art thou now able to justifie the Lord if he had denied thee the least beam of light for thy Soul here and canst thou now bless the Lord for affording thee a fresh sight and sense of thy condition this is a sign thy day is not over for such kind of workings as these are found in the hearts of the people of the Lord when they have their Consciences opened afresh after such slumbers wherein they had lost the sight and sense of their own conditions ordinarily such Souls smart for the neglect of former convictions and are humbled for not following them And they are lain down before God in acknowledging his mercy in not taking advantage against them for those things and they are much in blessing him for comming near them again in his Word although it be not in a way of comfort they bless him for convincing and awakening light canst thou do thus then thy day is not yet past 3 Does thy former loss of convictions make thee more willing now to come in to Christ and to close fully with him in al things and to labour after a serious redeeming of the time to better advantage does former carelesness lay engagements upon thy heart to future watchfulness do you say as the Apostle does 1 Pet. 4.3 The time past
against such particular corruptions or temperations how doth the Lord answer thee in these things What returns hath this day brought forth of prayer if any then there is way made for another duty of praise if it hath brought forth none as yet then there is work for faith to live upon God and to wait for him untill he return and speak peace This was Davids excellency when be had prayed and spred his want before the Lord he had not done with them but he waited to see what would become of his prayer Psalm 5.3 My voice shall thou hear in the morning O Lord in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee and will look up Here is a double care in praying to hit the mark to study his wants and after prayer I will not lose what I have prayed for for lack of looking after it I will wait to see what answer the Lord will give to me according to that Psal 85.8 I will hearken what the Lord God will speake and like a beggar that comes to the door and in begging opens his condition presentâ—y he listens to hear whether any answer him from within or what manner of return is made or as a man that hath made an adventure to Sea waits still to hear what is become of the Ship whether she came safe to the Harbour whether she was bound and he is stil waiting for some good news of a safe returne of adventures why should not men look as much after their prayers they are their adventures to Heaven I am sure there are many of them lost for want of looking after Men think it is enough if they have been a little warmed or enlarged in the duty but look not after their hearts nor prayers after whether God answers them or not and this is a great reason of the unconstancy in the frame of the people of God If we could but follow our prayers as worldly men do their designs we should seldome let the Lord go out of our eye if we could but consider our Petitions and our present tempers and compare them would it not minde us when our hearts are out of frame this is not the frame of spirit which I begged of God this day I sought other things of God when I was before him suerly this is not an answer of my prayers they are lost this day for ought I can see I do not find that humility self-denial heavenly-mindedness that watchfullness zeal c. which I prayed for this day O did I pray for such a cold drousie dead frame of spirit as now I am under If these kinde of reasonings were taken up they would serve to bring our spirits into praying frames again when they are fallen Tenthly Keep an eye and an ear open unto Providences they will hint much of God to thee he is wonderfull in his goings and in every condition if thou art an observer of God thou shalt find a rod or a staff and either of these will administer occasion of drawing nigh to God if thou hast a desire to keep the Fire constantly burning upon the Altar thou needest not to want fuel to keep it alive every Providence and Dispensation of God will if well and wisely improved afford thee somthing to keep thy heart flaming toward God Eleventhly Lose not the Book of the Creatures that is alwayes open before thee and in it much of God to be seen although he be not fully revealed in them yet something of him you may finde there the very Heathens saw something of God in Nature Rom. 1.20 and surely thou maist read enough in the Book of the Creatures to prevent those Atheisticall thoughts which abound in mens spirits and are the very flood-gates as I have shewed you unto practicall wickedness thon maist suck out something out of one Artribute and something of another and although all these are too weak to declare the Father yet he being revealed in Christ these may be Memento's to thee because they are always before thee I may say as Christ said once Me you have not alwayes with you but the poor you have You have not Christ alwayes nor Saints nor Ordinances always but the creatures you have alwayes with you these are constant Preachers and therefore fit remembrances Psalm 19.1.2 The Heavens declare the glory of God and the Firmament sheweth his handy-work day unto day utereth speech night unto night sheweth knowledg David learns much out of this Book of Nature the Creatures taught him knowledge by conversing with them and observing God â—n them and it is observable that he mentions such Creatures as are most frequently known such as every man converses withall he pitches not upon the great and mighty works of God in the depths he does not send men to the Leviathan to inquire for this knowledge every man cannot find him out neither does he send men into the Wilderness to find the Lion or the Elephant or the Ostridge or any of those creatures little known to men neither does he send men to the Seas because many are strangers to them nor to the Earth because the Sea-man who hath lost the sight of the Land should not say he had lost his teacher but he sends to the Sky and to the Firmament this is seen or known by Sea or by Land But you will say When the day is gone then the night wraps up the Firmament in a Mantle and takes it away from our eyes what shall we converse withall then he answers this Then thou hast the Night that is a creature and who-ever thou art and where-ever thou art thou hast Day or Night Light or Darknesse and these teach knowledge thou canst not want an Instructor or one to minde thee of God so long as the Book of the Creature is before thee and this he proves is never shut night nor day but alwaies legible and in every page there is something to minde thee of the glorious God and surely David got abundance of knowledge and choise affections by observing the Creation and had many sweet frames of spirit and choise breathings from hence and when God was about to instruct Job and to furnish him with an holy and humbling knowledge he opens to him this book of Nature and shewed him abundance of his glory there and although he speaks of many Creatures to whom we are strangers yet of many again which are not so intimating that there was enough to be seen of God among the Creatures most usual and best known to us to mind us and to affect us with the Majesty of the Lord. Twelfthly Compare those daies and hours which thou spendest with God in thine eye and thoughts with those which thou spendest without him and try which of them do bring thee most comfort examine thy heart in thy bed at the end of this day compare a day wherein thou hast walked in a sweet holy humble frame wherein thou hast walked with an active spirit