up to their own carnal loose hearts to commit sin with greedinesse Rom. 1.28 As they did not like to retaine God in their knowledge God gave them over to are probate mind c. When the heart is once grown hard and fat that Convictions and Reproofs come not at it or when it is past feeling as they were who are mentioned Eph. 4.19 the next thing is a giving up of themselves to all wickedness When God gives men over to their lusts men wil quickly give themselves over to them You have a very ful place which shews that God does thus give up some men Secondly Why he does it and Thirdly What the effect of this is Psalm 81.11 12. It is said that God gave them up to their own lusts Secondly The reason of this is Because they would not hearken to and embrace the Lord and his counsel And thirdly The effect of this was they walked in their own Counsels The raines were no sooner laid on their necks but they ran away from God Fifthly God goes so far with some that he wil not punish them for sinne here he wil not lose one stroak more upon them he wil not afford them those outward means of humbling which he affords to many others As he says of Israel Hos 4.13 14. Your daughters shal commit whoredom and your spouses shal commit adultery I wil not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom nor your spouses when they commit adultery Oh it is a sad judgement and a dreadful when God says of such a soul I wil not visit him here for sin let him be unclean stil let him be a vile wretch stil a drunkard a lyar a blasphemer a Sabbath-breaker stil I wil seem to take no notice of it I wil not reckon with him til I have him in Hel and then I wil reckon with him for all together Acts 14.16 Acts 17.30 Let him go on and prosper and florish in his body and estate he shal not be crost as other men are that he may bless himself and fal It is one of the saddest and sharpest of the judgements of God that can befal a poor creature not to feele the smart of sin here To lye under this judgement that he shal finde the sweet of sin onely Oh let me tel you it is a great and manifest token of Gods displeasure and that he is implacable when he suffers thee to go on quietly in a way of sinne and neither smites thee by his word nor yet by his providences but lets all things go to thy mind and thee go after thy lusts Sixthly God gives them up to strong delusions so that they who would not believe the Word and Conscience when they spake truth to them shal asterwards believe every delusion of Satan every forgery of their own corrupt hearts and every deceit of sin See that of Isai 66.4 I will choose their delusions saith the Lord because when I called they did not answer but chose the thing in which I delighted not This is a dreadful place for such as wil not hearken to and obey the truth when they are convinced of it see another to confirm this 2 Thes 2.10 11. Because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved for this cause God shall send them strong delusions that they should beleeve a lie that they might be damned c. Oh such a word should make men upon whose consciences God is stirring afraid to dally with it May not the Lord say to such If you wil not listen to the truth to day you shall listen to a lie to morrow I will give Satan leave to tempt and I will give thee up to beleeve whatever he shall propose Because thou wouldest not beleeve me for thy good thou shalt beleeve him for thy hurt and ruine Seventhly They may and do often fall back from most or all of those Convictions which they had upon their spirits of the things of God which I mentioned before whilst the Spirit strove with them as for example First For the knowledge which they had of the truth of God they may beleeve manifest lyes in opposition to them 2 Thes 2.11 Secondly Their Judgements may be so corrupted that they may passe against those things which they did approve of they were in their Judgments for holines now they may be for sin Mal. 3.15 They call the proud happy and whereas before they did approve of things which are excellent yet now they thinke it a vaine thing to serve the Lord and they say with those Apostates Mal. 3.14 What profit is there in serving the Lord Thirdly Whereas he had some convictions under the Word and he made many promises to reforme yet now he may be past feeling as they were Eph. 4.19 His Conscience is past all tenderness and remorse and he is seared with a hot iron 1 Tim 4.2 Fourthly He may lay afide that which he had taken up of the form of Godliness whereas while God followed him with Convictions he used to do something that savoured of Religion and to associate himself with those who made a profession but now let them goe by themselves he is not to be found amongst them Mal. 3.15 16. As soone as the Prophet had taken notice of the apostacy of some he adds presently Then they that feared the Lord spake often together As if he should have said You might afterwards have found the Saints by themselves these men were not to be found in their meetings Fifthly Whereas he had a sweetness in the performance of duty he forgets that and returns to lick up his old vomit again and that is sweeter to him then ever Religion was and the reason of this is because he had pleasure in unrighteousness 2 Thes 2.12 And although they might forget this pleasure while Conscience was heated and find some pleasure in the waies of God by the allaying this heat of Conscience yet Conscience being quiet and cool again they lose the pleasure which they apprehended in the ways of God and imbrace the pleasures of sin afresh Sixthly Whereas they had some Convictions of the powers of the World to come and some sad thoughts of Eternity were darted into their spirits that they could not be quiet the love of the present world the profits pleasures and honours of it eat up all these and they forget that there is such a thing as Eternity to be provided for and they live only as if they were to live to this present World Seventhly Such men do not only fall back from their Couvictions and seeming work of Conversion but they go forward in wickednesse perhaps not known or practis'd by them before This we find mentioned 2 Pet. 2.20 Ifaster they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ they are intangled therein and overcome the latter end with them is worse then the beginning for c. Men that have gone
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
eyes and heart to the young man in the midst of his madnesse intimating that if there were any thing that would prove a remora to his spirit when he was under full sails of vanity this was like to do it If any Cable was strong enough to hold the ship in these rough Seas it was this Remember thou shalt come to judgement Ninthly Consider the Lord in judging shall not only judge men for sins of commission but sins of omission also and this shall condemn men before the Lord in the great day We find the servant condemned for not improving his Talent Matth. 25.25 26 and 41 42. verses We have the Judgement of the great day passing upon this Indictment not that sins of commission should be left out but first either to shew that if men did but truly measure themselves by omissions there was enough to condemn them Secondly Or because it was not questioned among the Jews but sins of commission would be charged and therefore Christ is silent in that point Or thirdly He insists only upon this as by a surplusage of reason inferring the other that if men should perish for not doing good what should become of those who did evil Fourthly to meet perhaps with those who contented themselves with a negative righteousness to meet with the Scribes and Pharisees and civil persons Fifthly That he might condemn that sin of persecution if men should be damned for not comforting the Saints what shall become of those that did persecute them Tenthly Consider that the Lord in judging wil not onely judge men for outward acts but for thoughts also that the Lord searcheth and tryeth the Reins and Heart and knoweth thoughts I need not prove it I hope it is granted on all hands and if this be granted it wil follow as I have propounded that the Lord judgeth for these things or else why should he search to know them But if it be not plainly deducible from thence then consider that it was part of the Lords charge against the old World when he proceeded to judgement with it for sin in such a severe manner Gen. 6.2 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth and that every imagination of his heart was onely evill continually He makes use of the wickedness of the thoughts 1 As a reason of that great plague 2 As an argument of the greatness of the sin of man and when the Lord cals men to repentance he doth not onely invite them to leave their outward gross Idolatries and wicked practices but he invites them to come in and leave their evill thoughts behind them Isai 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts Now if we did but remember that the Lord is the Judge of our thoughts it would help to set a hedge about them and til this be done how can the great work of remembring the Lord prosper with us Eleventhly Consider the Holiness of God it is counsel from the Lord him self Levit. 19.2 Say unto all the Congregation of Israel Ye shall be holy for I the Lord your God am holy Pressing to holiness he uses this as the chief if not the only Argument for I the Lord your God am holy And David presseth the same thing in other terms Psalm 99.5 Exalt ye the Lord our God and worship him at his footstool for he is holy A world of wickedness doth arise in mens hearts from the mistakes which men have of God Psalm 50.21 These things hast thou done and I kept silence thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thy self There was nothing made the Heathens more bold in sin then the Fables of their Poets who fastned all manner of wickednesse upon their Gods when they heard how their Gods committed Adultery and Rapes they thought they might sin by a Law and there is a marvellous pronenesse in men to take up such thoughts of God as may serve to strengthen themselves in sin There is a necessity of removing such vain and grosse conceits of God in order to the setting up of his fear in our hearts and there is nothing more needful to be set up then this viz. the holinesse of the Lord for we frame the worship of God according to the apprehensions we have of him Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name such as Gods name is to us so will his fear be in us and such worship will he have from us If we know him by the name of his holinesse then we shall be carefull to sanctifie that name in his worship worship the Lord in the beauties of holinesse this leads you to the tenth verse where he saith his Name is Holy and therefore concludes no worship suitable to him but that which is in the beauty of holinesse Oh if we did but carry deep apprehensions of Gods holiness with us into all duties and imployments how would it aw our hearts and cast a lustre and glory upon all our actions the glory of Gods holiness would appear in every thing we set about Twelâ—thly Consider that God compares our actings in spiritual things with our actings in carnal or civil things If this were thought on it would put men upon seriousness in the things of God see how the Lord upbraids Israel for want of this frame Mal. 1.8 And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice is it not evil and if ye offer the lame and sick is it not evil offer it now to thy Governour will he be pleased with thee or accept thy person saith the Lord of Hosts the Lord takes it unkindly and in great disdain when we are circumspect and carefull in our behaviour before men and careless or lesse wary and watchfull toward him doest thou study the frame of thy spirit as much when thou comest before the Lord as thou doest thy outward garb when thou art to appear before some great man doest thou consult as much before hand for thy acceptation as thou wouldest in a case of life and death with thy Governour Thou thinkest when thou hast any thing to present to him it is never well enough but any thing for the Lord if it be but the lame and the blind a blind devotion a few lame Prayers and Services that have never a good leg to stand upon these are presented in haste to the Lord thou thinkest it is all well enough and doest thou think that the Lord wil let all these things pass by without comparing them one with another Is it not upon this ground that the Apostle exhorts beleevers after this manner Rom. 6.19 As you have yeelded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity even so now yeeld your members servants unto righteousness and to holiness It is not enough that thou art willing to do some things for God but art thou as willing to do as much for him as ever thou wert for thy self for sin and lust Dost
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
all these did flow from an experimental taste of God and the excellency of his ways and when the Soul hath found out the sweetness of the presence of God and his ways it wil no longer be contented with broken cisterns which wil hold no water it wil not live upon that which is not bread and which satisfieth not but it flies to God and Christ and nothing else wil satisfie the soul Isaiah 55.1 2. It says to it self as the Lord saith Wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread and your labour for that which satisfieth not Hearken diligently unto me and eat ye that which is good and let your soul delight it self in fatness there is bread and water and marrow and fatness I will up says the Soul to my Fathers house there is bread enough and to spare Oh if we did but eye the Lord more we should be more acquainted with those choise breathings of the Saints Fifthly It begets an assimilating love the discoveries of God made out and fastned upon the Soul in a constant and serious frame of eying God do wonderfully move the Soul to love raise very strong affections and these do strongly carry the soul after likeness and conformity to the good which we see and know of God the Soul would fain be like him and doth by degrees grow into the Image and likenesse of that beauty and glory which it beholdeth in the Lord. 2 Cor. 3.18 But we all with open face beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord are changed into the same Image from glory to glory Souls that are much conversant with God in Christ and are much in admiring and beholding God in him do grow much although perhaps insensible to themselves into the Image of Jesus Christ Sixthly It makes Souls active and fruitful good thoughts make way for good desires and they for good actions how much of time and of the man do vain and unprofitable thoughts take up and what is the fruit of them Psal 10.4 6 7. The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God God is not in all his thoughts he hath said in his heart I shall not be moved for I shall never be in adversity Vers 7. His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud and in his tongue is mischief and vanity Vain thoughts make way for wicked designes and practises shut him first out of thy thoughts and next deny him in thy works so on the other hand the eying of God feeds and furnisheth the soul with sweet Meditations of him and the fruit of such meditations in a fruitful conversation Psal 1.2 3. His delight is in the law of the Lord and in his Law doth he meditate day and night And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in his season and his leaf also shall not wither He joyneth these two together as Jacobs Ewes did conceive by eying the Poplars so doth the soul by eying God Seventhly It brings in a sweet experimental knowledge of God which is as fatness unto the soul Now nothing doth so glew the soul to God and his ways as this tast and rellish which the soul gets of them and the sweetness is gotten very much in meditation Psalm 104.34 My meditation of them shall be sweet When he had spent the whole Psalm in beholding the ways and works of God he draweth this conclusion My meditation of him shall be sweet He would not lay aside the thoughts of God when he had ceased speaking he would then to another duty which should yeeld him no smal comfort and what sweetness this was he doth excellently express elsewhere Psalm 63.5 6. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips Vers 6. When I remember thee on my bed and meditate on thee in the night watches And in the connexion of the fifteenth and sixteenth verses of the one hundred and nineteenth Psal you shall find delight as a fruit of meditation on the things of God I will meditate on thy precepts and have respect to thy ways Vers 16. I will delight my self in thy statutes and will not forget thy word The heart that sticks close with God and carries him much in his eye and thoughts is never weary of beholding of him all other Objects do breed a loathing and weariness in the soul but it is not so here the longer a soul converses with God the more delight it hath in him enjoyment breeds hungrings and those being always satisfying but not satisfied breeds an inconceivable delight in the soul Que. 3. How shall I do to keep the Lord in mine eye continually Ans I shall lay down some quickening considerations which wil both engage us and assist us in this duty and then give some practical directions to further it First Consider that God hath an eye continually upon thee and this will help thee always to eye him we know that if we are in any company and observe amongst all the persons one who does particularly observe us we are engaged much in our eyes to that party we shal hardly forbear eying such a one as we observe to eye us thus it would be with us if we did but consider that the Lords eye runs too and fro and observes exactly all our ways it would help us much to seriousness as being in his presence I shall propound a few Scriptures to shew you what use they make of this consideration for I am confident that there is very little use made of it on all hands what manner of men should we be if we did but walk up and down as a people who are always under his eye we should be more mindful of him if we thought he did more mind us David makes the same use of this consideration which I bring it for Psalm thirty four and the fifteenth The eys of the Lord are upon the righteous he brings this unto the young-man to presse him unâ—o the fear of the Lord Vers 11. Come yee children hearken unto me I will teach you the fear of the Lord. He lays down the duty in general and branches it into two particulars and presses all with this The eys of the Lord c. There it is principally used to the Saints and we find this very place quoted by the Apostle 1 Peter 3.12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his ears are open unto their prayers And the wise man makes it an universal argument to all sorts but especially to the young man Prov. 5.20 21. And why wilt thou my son be ravished with a strange Woman and imbrace the bosome of a stranger For the waies of man are before the eyes of the Lord and hee pondereth all his goings Nay presses from hence not only circumspection in our actions but in our words too to watch the tongue to weigh every
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
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
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
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
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
much liberty in preaching the Gospel and can give as much encouragement to sinners as if we did preach universal Redemption for then men could have no surer footing for faith then the word and promise of God who cannot lie and this word they have now He that beleeveth shall be saved Secondly Who can say that Christ died not for him in particular thou hast no Negative But the Lord hath left thee a foundation for hope yea and for strong Confidence if thou doest not turn thy back upon Christ That he died for sinners is clear that thou art one is as plain and if thou approvest of the terms of the Gospel if thou desirest to partake of the benefit of his death upon the terms of Beleeving and Repenting thou maist undoubtedly have it If thou wilt come God keeps open house and thou maiest assure thy selfe of thy welcom So that as to thy encouragement to come in to Christ it matters not whether he died for many or for all or whether for thee in particular or not for without all dispute He came that all they that Beleeve might be saved And they who say that Christ died for all acknowledge that his death saves none but upon these terms If thou hast a will to Beleeve and Repent thy encouragement is as good as any can be given thee But if thou hast no will to these things it is no matter whether he dyed for thee or not for thou shalt be damned without all Controversie He that believeth not shall be damned so say we and so say they who believe that Christ dyed for thee in particular Secondly But does not this which hath been said suppose that man hath a free wil and power to believe and repent and convert himself Because you say he may be saved if he wil come up to the terms proposed Answ No. This Doctrine which hath been delivered hath no such foundation But I shal lay down as safely and as cautiously yet as plainly as I can what we are to conceive of the abilities and wil of man in this point First It supposeth that men who perish do not do what they can they do not exercise and improve that power which they have I suppose the difference betwixt Natural and spiritual abilities is discovered in the Parable of the Talents He that had the single Talent hid it when they who had double Talents improved them Mat. 25.20 24. Although we may by following Scripture expressions safely say that the Natural mans Abilities fall short in spiritual performances yet we cannot say He hath no power at all in these things He may do more good then he does and he may do that which he doth better although he can do nothing well It is very hard to say how farre he can goe although we can shew how far he cannot go The abilities of nature must be left like a Terra incognita which hath not bin travailed over Because never any natural man did go so far as he was able to go for God Secondly It supposes that no man did ever perish who did his utmost to lay hold upon salvation by Jesus Christ He who hath given such encouragement as to say that he would not break the bruised reed nor quench the smoaking flax wil not refuse any who have laboured with all their might and strength to come to God by him He that says he will in no wise cast out them that come doubtless will not cast off those who take such paines to come He that hath said to sinners James 4.5 Draw neere to me and I wil draw neer to you wil also make it good and meet those more then half way as he did the prodigall Sonne who desire to return to him We have a notable scripture for this Jer. 30.21 He shall approach unto me for who is this that engageth his heart to approach unto me As if the Lord had said Do you not see how such a one tuggs and labours with his heart to draw it God-ward and yet complains that when he had done what he can all wil not do his heart is ful of backsliding I wil not suffer such a poor soul to stand off I will cause him to approach God hath made an absolute promise to those who labour for Heaven and take paines as it were for life Hosea 6.3 Then shal ye know if ye follow on to know the Lord c. And the Lord says elsewhere Then shal ye find me if you seek me with all your hearts Object But you wil say is it not said Luke 13.24 Many shall seek to enter and shal not be able Answ It is said many shal seeke not strive i. e. they would enter if it could be with ease The soldier who dare not or wil not venture his life in a storme would seek for a way to enter without labour or hazard Secondly Many may strive as wel as seek but not to the uttermost and they have no reason to charge God with the loss of their souls when they have not put out their abilities to the utmost Thirdly Many strive much but not in Gods way as the Scribes and Pharises did and as the Papists and many Legal persons do who do not strive in Christ and for Christ But there was never any that did his utmost for life in the Gospel way that did miss of it The Lord did never give any poor soul occasion to say Lord thou hast propounded such a way for poor sinners to come to life and salvation and thou hast commanded us thus to seek it and behold I would but thou wouldest not I have done my utmost on my part but thou hast failed on thy part Thirdly It supposes that no man did perish for want of power which had a wil to Believe and repent When ever the wil of a poor Creature did come over to God there did alwayes come with it a sufficiency of grace to lead him through all the works of grace Although there were not abilities suitable to the wil yet they were some way suited to the work of Conversion Not that I do think with some That the wil of man moves first in the improvement of his abilities and that the Lord then steps in with more grace strength as a Reward of this But I believe that God does by his special grace move the will and sets that with what he hath given already to work and where he doth by his free grace excite what he hath already given he doth assist that with more God is first in the work of Conversion and his grace moves the will Psa 110.3 In the day of thy power thy people shall be willing And when God doth begin in the wil to move that toward Christ he wil not suffer the work to fail for want of power to carry it on God never starves his own work Phil. 2.13 He worketh in you to will and to do There is a necessary Connexion betwixt
Evil he cals the Lusts of men the VVils of the flesh and of the minde Eph. 2.2 intimating that such abominations as they have lived in had their rise principally from the corruption of the Wil which did lead to such things Hence I suppose it is that evil things are called our own things and the ways of sin our own wayes Acts 14.16 He suffered all Nations to walk in their own wayes i. e. in wayes of sin and vanity Hence also the Lusts and loose practices of the Gentiles are called the Will of the Gentiles 1 Pet. 4.3 To shew that their very hearts and affections were in such ways and works and that what they did was not so much from any thing without as from the strong and steady bent of their own Wils Nay the Apostle to shew more fully the corruption of the Wil makes but one wil betwixt carnal men and the devil Ephes 2. Compare the second verse with the third He sayes in one they walked according to the course or inclination of the World and in the other he says they walked according to the Prince of the powers of the Ayre They fulfilled the Wil of the devil and their own at once And indeed Natural men do incline to evil as he does only their wils are changeable and may bow towards God but his is unchangably fixed on evil so that by this it appears the natural man hath no such freedom or liberty of Will as as was mentioned God hath left it free but his own corruption hath not left it indifferent to good or evil but strongly inclines it to the latter And if the natural man stood in such an indifferency to good or evil it is very strange that the Holy Ghost should speak so of the whole lump of Mankinde Rom. 3.10 11 12. There is none that seeketh after God there is none that doth Good no not one It is strange that none should choose the right way if they stood all indifferent Thirdly We see the renewed man stands not in such an indifferency For grace which does not destroy the liberty of the wil inclines it to Good We find that the wil renewed is the very seat of Grace and holiness Rom. 7.18 To will is present And the same Apostle says With my mind I serve the Law of God Surely by his minde he properly means his will that was strongly moved towards God and he could see grace there although he could see it no where else ver 18. In my body dwells no good thing Saints see grace in their wils which doth support them against the corruption which they see in every part beside And by the Rule of Contraries if grace be most in the Regenerate Wil Corruption is most in the Unregenerate Will but this the Natural man wil not take notice of so that its manifest that although Man in Innocency in his fallen and in his renewed state had liberty in their Wils yet none of them had that liberty which consisted in an indifferency to good or evil First For Adam in innocency had liberty to chuse good or evil but he was disposed and inclined to good Eccles 7.29 God made man upright Secondly Man fallen chuses evil rather then good Gen. 6.5 The thoughts of his heart are evil only evil and that continually Thirdly Man in his renewed state although he hath a corrupt part in him yet he is more inclinable to good then evil His Wil is principally for God So that these things considered we may Conclude that a Mans Cannot is from his Corruption And if Paul complained of a Cannot Rom. 7.18 when yet his Will was not indifferent but manifestly inclining to good surely we do Nature and the Natural man no wrong to say of him that he cannot because of his Corruption which does strongly dispose his Wil to evil It is strange that Saints complain of a Cannot who have grace in their Wills and yet many will not allow such a Cannot in the Natural man who hath nothing but Corruption in his Wil. Having now shewn you these things there lies another scruple to be answered which is this Does God go so far as hath been hinted to make a day of Grace for them that perish and have they all outward helps in common with them who are saved and have they so many inward helps as have been mentioned Qu. Wherein does the work of God upon his Elect differ from his workings upon these whilst their day continues Ans The difference lies principally in this That al the movings and workings of God upon wicked men are not upon their Wils to bring them over to himself but they are upon their understandings their Consciences and somtimes upon some of their affections But the principal work of God upon his Elect is upon their Wils they come over first and fastest unto God The Lord goes thus far with those whom he converts not Wâ—l says he I wil prove you by illumination I wil shew you many of the truths of the Gospel and you shal see what belongs to your peace so farre that thy judgement shal be for Heaven Nay I wil shake conscience also and that shal rise against thee by way of conviction thou shalt see the danger of thy estate in this condition and I wil break in upon thy affections thou shalt find not onely fears of hel and wrath to sollicite thy return but also some joyes in complying with my word and wayes But as for thy will I wil leave that to its freedome let it choose what pleaseth it best now let it take life or death they are both before it And now if the wil were indifferent when Judgement and conscience and some of its affections are for Believing and Repenting it would surely strike in and all these would engage and bring it over to Christ But notwithstanding all this the Wil fals back and chooseth vanity and sin which pleases it best because of the corruption which is in it So that whiles corruption remains in the Wil it spues out this knowledg and these convictions and runs on to folly which it hath chosen Rom. 1.28 They did not like to retaine the knowledge of God in their hearts Whatever comes in to check the soul in the way of sin is an unwelcome guest so long as the will remains corrupted and tainted and the wil casteth but the light of the understanding and the convictions of conscience as the marriners do pump out the water which breaks in upon them Balaam had a clear knowledg of the happiness of the Saints but his Wil was for Covetousness Felix had a clear conviction of judgement to come but his wil was for his corruption and therefore he resolves to stop the mouth of Conscience by sending Paul away The wil deals with the light of truth as the sore eye deals with the sunne shuts the window to keep it out because it offends John 3.17 Men love darknesse rather then light
because their deeds are evil They are set to do wickedly and they resolve to do it quietly But when God works upon his Elect he begins with their wils he sets them at work and when this begins the whole man soon follows For the wil commands all it bids one go and it goes and another come and it comes and though the Lord does thus work upon the Wil yet he takes not away the liberty of it But what the soul wills it wills freely and his principall distinguishing works lyes in these three things First he takes off the prejudice that was in the Wil and that aversness which was in it to spirituall things Before Corruption did lead it against light and Convictions now it is otherwise This was the first work upon Paul Act. 9.4.5 Christ tooke off the prejudice he had against the wayes and people of Christ why persecutest thou me says Christ these are my ways and my people Then Paul cryes out Lord what wilt thou have mee to doe Secondly The prejudice of the Will being removed there is an easier and fairer way opened to spiritual things the soul sees execllency now where it saw none before and so the understanding gets more light and is the better able to guide the Will How did Paul see the truth and Harmony of Scripture to prove Christ to be the Sonne of God when his prejudice against him was removed Act. 9.22 Thirdly He does not only remove prejudice and gives it more light but he does also sweetly draw the Wil by a perswasive power So that although it comes necessarily yet it is freely Therefore says David who had experienc'd this work of grace upon himself Psalm 110.3 In the day of thy power thy people shal be willing When God does manifest the power of Grace it is mostly to be seen in the Wils of his people You have a manifest proof of this Jer. 31.18 19. After I was turned I Repented And what was that turning but such a power as I have shewn you moving the wil. And he acknowledges his repentance to be a fruit of his turning to God or rather of Gods turning him VVhat is it that David prays for is it no more then illumination or conviction Psalm 119.36 Incline my heart unto thy testimonies And what does the Spouse pray for but this Cant. 1.4 Draw me and we wil run after thee Does she pray onely for a moral drawing Surely no. She was convinc'd of the excellency of Christ and of following of him before as is plaine by the 2d and 3d verses But she prayes for more effectual grace in her wil and indeed here lies the maine of the work of grace For should God let in never so much light and plaine Convictions and yet suspend his influence from the wil that would hang behinde and the soul would be left out of Heaven It would be sad with Gods people if things should be left depending upon their wils and their wils left to themselves And if there were no more but a Salvability or possibility for all men to be saved and this did hang upon their wils embracing or not embracing the Truth according to their Liberty then although some would say here is hopes that every man might be saved yet there were a stronger probability that no man might be saved For this must be granted First that as all have liberty to choose so they have liberty to refuse and so may all be lost Secondly They are all corrupted and very likely they may be byassed by that and led aside from the truth Thirdly They are tempted and it is Ten to one but this may turn the scale if the Wil stand indifferent it is a strong probability that Corruption and Temptation together will weigh down the scale Fourthly Satan prevailed over Adam when he had more grace then we and none of those corruptions which we have therefore he may prevaile over every particular man il he stand upon his termes Fifthly He often prevailes over the people of God against their wils which are inclined to good and by grace disposed for it How much more may he prevail over those whose wils at best are but indifferent but as hath been proved are corrupted But some wil say yet farther if there be such a difference betwixt the work of God upon the Elect and others and God does afford that to one which he does not to another Qu. How shal all men be left without excuse shal not those that perish have somewhat to say for themselves in as much as the Lord did not work upon them as he did upon others Answ No. Because first he leaves them the casting voice he goes so farre with them until it comes to this whether they wil believe and repent or not it lies now upon the motion of their wils If thy Wil did move Heavenward thou shouldest be saved if it move otherways thou art lost The main thing which stands betwixt thee and Heaven is thy corrupt wil. Secondly Thou hast as much from God to move thee to look Heavenward as thou hast from Satan to lead thee on in sinne For thou hast light and Convictions and many moral perswasions from the Lord and thou hast no more from Satan He cannot force thee he can but perswade and thus the Lord deals with thee many wayes Nay thou seest oftentimes more reason to come off from the world and thy Lusts and to follow Christ then thou doest to continue in them and yet thou goest against these perswasions Thirdly Thou doest follow thy light in all things except the things of thy soul thy wil follows thy understanding in all carnal things in profit honour and advantage but it goes contrary to it in the things of thy soul Fourthly Thou canst not plead thine inability because thou thinkest that thou hast ability Thou thinkest thou canst Believe and Repent at pleasure yet thou doest not set about it thtrefore thou art inexcusable As these Jews were John 9.41 Because you say you see your sinne remains Fifthly Thou abusest so much power as proves that hadst thou more thou wouldest abuse that also He that wilnot use that which he hath would not use more if he had it Therefore thy not having enough cannot excuse thee Luke 16.10 He that is unjust in a little is unjust in much Therefore may it be said of thee as it was of them Luke 16.31 Neither would they Repent if one rose from the dead So may I say if thy Wil be against Repenting and Believing if Angels should come from Heaven and the damned should be sent from hel to preach to thee thou wouldest not believe Having dispatcht these I come now to the use of what hath been laid down Vse Is it so then that men have a day Then how justly wil God condemne such Gospel sinners at the last day God wil be justified when he speaks and cleere when he judges but especially when he deales with such as
may suffice to have been careless and negligent of my own soul and disobedient to the Gospel and to the checks of Conscience as for that which remains it is little enough for the great work of serving the Lord and making my Calling and Election sure Now enquire Do thy present convictions work thus do they put thee upon more close and constant pursuance of God upon endeavouring to walk close with him and to redeem time for him this carries yet more light of evidence with it that thy day is not over 4 Dost thou find a difference betwixt these convictions and those which thou hadst formerly That there is more of the stirring of the wil and affections in these than were in them There is a great difference betwixt the stirring of the conscience and the stirring of the Wil Conscience may be awakened and that may move a man strongly after reformation and the wil and affections may move him after his lusts all the while and where conscience is awakened and the Wil not changed there the Devil may steal these troubles away upon false grounds he hath many waies to quiet such mens consciences but if the Wil be moved truly toward God there is no way to quiet that but by the enjoiment of its end which is the enjoyment of God Therefore the main thing by which we should judge of the work and so of the day of Grace is this by labouring to enform our selves aright what difference there is betwixt these and former convictions and whether these be better than they or no which did die away and whether there be more of the wil and affections in these than in those we formerly had for every work is so much the better as it hath more of Wil in it which is indeed the seat of Grace Q. How shall I know whether my stirrings are of my Conscience or my Will A. I might give you many things but I touch it now but occasionallie therefore I shal confine my self to these three short directions Observe thy 1 Troubles 2 Dâ—sires 3 Endeavours First observe thy Troubles whether they be most for the sense of sin or the apprehensions of wrath if conscience be only awakened that eyes only the wrath to come and thinks of nothing else but of escaping and it takes not sin into consideration but as it is forced by the necessary connexion betwixt that and judgement but if the wil and affections be wrought over in this trouble then the greatest trouble is because of the evil of sin as it dishonours God and as it hinders the Soul from communion with God and the soul is troubled at the presence of that and studies how it may be rid of that Sin is a heavy burthen to a sanctified wil but wrath is the only burden to an intangled but not renewed conscience 2 Observe thy Desires What do they run out most after Christ or Comfort Peace or Purity if the trouble be onely a forced trouble from conscience then the Soul dos ordinarily look no farther then the present trouble and how to be rid of that it is peace that conscience looks after but if the Wil be moved that must have something else besides Peace it is not a calm wilserve the turn it must have Christ and communion with him or nothing wil satisfie 3 Look to thy endeavours when are they strongest and most vigorous and drawn out most after heaven and heavenly things in thy troubles or in thy calms I have observed some that when they have been under trouble and terrours of Conscience they would then be very stirring and seem to take much pain for Heaven but when Conscience is a little quieted they lay aside their Religion and there is no more noise of it this is a sign that their stirrings were barely from Conscience But other Souls whose wils were wrought upon as wel as their Consciences have been more active and stirring in the ways of God as they have gotten more peace and assurance of Gods love and there is a clear reason for such different effects from their quiet because quiet and peace was the thing which the inflamed Conscience sought for but the sanctified will and affections sought for another thing and although a little Peace may satisfie Conscience and take off the edge of it this will set an edge upon the affections that which calms Conscience quickens the sanctified Wil for every relish that it hath of grace or peace makes it seek for more Try your selves by these things and if you find that your Convictions are accompanied with the stirrings of the wil and affections be of good hope for thy day of grace is not over if thou hast a will for God if he strive and you grow more tender and sensible fear not to follow thy convictions and to lay hold of the Promises which suit with thy condition Let former convictions neglected humble thee but let them not discourage thee But withal take this word of advice and so I shal conclude 1 Take heed of thy Heart lest it deceive thee thou hast had such stirrings which did look like a work of grace before but they have died away be jealous of these lest they should do so also Thou knowest how subject the heart is to grow cold and to shift and put off Convictions and when it is under them how seemingly willing it is to convert and return to God how ready to make promises and vows to God and how ready to forsake all these again it hath cheated thee once already therefore watch it as a deceitful thing the way not to be deceived is to expect it or at least fear it 2 Resolve to take the more pains because thou hast lost so many precious opportunities knowing that if thou art not nearer to happiness and eternal life then other men thou art farther off and thou hadst need labour to redeem what thou hast lost 3 Beleeve not Satan who says thy day is over for he knows it not and he is a Lyar from the beginning There is abundantly more hope of thee who liest under such fears than there is of one who lies and lives in sin and says his day is not yet past Satan ordinarily tels men that the day is past when it does begin to shine upon them and he tels them who are in darkness and in the night that it is day and it is time enough for them 4 Prize thy Convictions highly and look upon it as a great Mercy that God wil at last look upon thee a poor sinner an old sinner an old slighter of convictions an old back-slider O what a mercy is it to thee that that dreadful passage is not made good upon thy soul Prov. 14.14 The back slider in heart shall be filled with his own wayes God might have said to thee when thou didst cast off Convictions at first and when thou didst back-slide from the reformation which thou didst begin Be filled with back-slidings thou shalt have thy belly ful of them thou shalt never have any more help to return O what a mercy is it that after all this he should begin to recover thee and set thee a fresh about the work of returning to Christ 5 Be much in blessing God for what he hath done that he hath vouchsafed again to visit thy Soul from on high and to stir up thee again when perhaps many that are in Hell were in thy case formerly God hath taken advantage against them for slighting the Word and Conscience and he might have done so with thee if he would have dealt exactly with thee Who is it that maketh thee to differ Is it not the Lord To him therefore be given all honour and glory and praise FINIS Reader these Books are in the Press ANthologia Biblica or a Methodical distribution of divine Scriptures under several heads which will serve for a common place Book a Concordance and a Commentary together with a Praxis discovering the manifold uses and advantages thereof in Fol. By that Reverend Divine Mr. John Clark of Fiskerton neer Lincoln A learned Comment on the Epistles of St. Paul by David Dixon translated into English by William Retchford Minister of St. Albans Englands Advancement a very useful peece of rare secrets in Physick and Chyrurgery by Tho. Collings Practitioner in Physick FINIS
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