Friends 2. His comfort in this his hard lot Though all Men forsook him yet Christ stuck by him the Lord stood with me and strengthened me Christians this may be your case and let this be your comfort though none in the World should own you yet stick by Christ and he will stick by you in all your Tribulations 2. Again you must dye Sickness may Arrest you and cast you upon the Bed of Languishing and Death may stand at your Beds-feet and stare you in the face and the Grave will open its mouth for you to swallow you up Stick fast to Christ and look to find him standing by your Beds-side to comfort you O how will it be with you in that hour O I feel my Diseases and Languishing my Flesh wasteth my Bones ake my strength is lost my heart faints mine eyes fail my breath is departing and all tell me that Death is at the door ready to turn me into rottenness But O! where is my God Now for a sight of Christ Those that are gone back from Christ they may look and look and cry where is the Lord where is the Saviour But poor Wretches there 's no Christ to be seen Death comes and the Devil comes and Sin comes and puts a Sting into Death's tail and the poor Sinner is left to grapple with Death alone its gripes its pangs its terrors are upon him but no Redeemer to be had Whatever come upon thee this shall not thou that holdest thee by him shalt see Jesus standing by thee or if thou should'st not see him yet there he will not fail to be though it may be behind the Curtain yet ready to help thee in thy Conflict with this thy last Enemy 3. Yet again after Death thou must be brought to Judgment where thou wilt meet with a Righteous Judge a Malicious Accuser who will have many things to lay to thy charge All the ugly and frightful sins that ever thou hast done in thy life thou maist look to hear of from that Malicious mouth And how wilt thou stand before that dreadful Bar O there thou shalt be sure Even with these Eyes to behold thy Redeemer there he will certainly be for he is the Judge and there he will stick by thee for he is thine Advocate he hath said to thee Rev. 2.10 Be thou faithful to the death and I will give thee a Crown of life Fear not how thy matters shall go in the Judgment I will be there I will secure thee from coming into Condemnation I will give thee the Crown of Life This will be the Portion of those that stick fast to Christ He will certainly stick to them stick to them in all the troubles of their lives stick to them in death and stand by them in the eternal Judgment O Christans stick fast hold fast what you have that no man take your Crown Rev. 2.11 Hold fast your holy Profession hold on your Confidence and your holy Conversation and thence-forth expect that Jesus will give you a Crown of Life 2. Stick closâ— to Christ or else you will never be likely to stick fast By how much the closer our adherence to Christ is by so much the firmer is our standing and the less danger of falling off The root of a Tree if it be loosned from the Earth is more easily plucked up it may be some small strings there may be that keep their hold which maintain it in life but if the main root be loosned it 's the more in danger of being blown down The cleaving of the soul to Christ is set forth by the cleaving together of Husband and Wife Eph. 5.31 For this cause shall a Man leave Father and Mother and shall be joyned to his Wife The word in the Original signifies shall be glued to his Wife What is glu'd together if it shrinks or gapes loses its hold Take heed of warping and shrinking from Christ the glue will give off if you do and when you have once lost your hold you know not whither you may be blown O take heed of growing to a distance of wandring from Christ keep you near him if you would stand firm 4. A confirmed habit of Religion An holy disposition and constitution of soul this is the very heart of the new Creature the Divine Nature whereof Christians are said to be made partakers 2 Pet. 1.4 'T is an holy Spring or Fountain within us which will flow forth in Religious actions and by how much the more maturity it 's ripened up into by so much the more freely will it flow forth An heart that is holily disposed and hath strong and fixed inclinations Heaven-ward will find Religion sweet and easie to it there will be the less need of force and constraint That fear which is so necessary to drive on a servile spirit will be of less use according to the measures that we have attained of this free spirit and ready mind Such Christians have that within them that will save them much of their labour and pains which would be otherwise needful Our work will be easie and we shall go on more prosperously in our way we shall both more abound in the work of the Lord and we shall go on more evenly and steadily in our course Religious acts where there are no Religious habits or where the habit is but weak will be both more seldom and more difficult and when they are done whatever they be for the matter of them yet it will be still questioned whether they be sincerely or savingly Religious Those that are carnally-minded their very Natures do prompt them and carry them on in their fleshly ways there 's the less need of temptation to sin the Devil may save much of his labour their sinful dispositions will carry them on fast enough O Christians let this be in your eye let this be it you aim at and labour for to habituate your selves to Holiness to get up to such a settled holy disposition to such a promptitude and readiness of mind that your hearts may flow forth towards God and Godliness that your inward stream may run Heaven-ward that you may feel a freedom and enlargement of heart towards Godliness of Life Carnal Professors both those that are wholly such and have nothing of the new Nature in them and those who though they have something of the Spirit yet have much of the Flesh remaining in them O how heavily and slowly do they drive on in the matters of Religion How backward are they to duty how hardly brought to it how quickly weary they had rather be any where then with God about any work than about the work of the Lord not only eating and drinking and playing and taking the pleasures of the Flesh but their hardest fleshly labours Ploughing and Threshing will easilier down with them than Praying or Holy Meditation or otherwise Conversing with God This is a wretched temper but is it not an ordinary temper Consider is it
c. and wilt continue so then look to thy self God will not stay with such a Soul what love your pleasures more than God what love this World more than God even take them for me says the Lord I 'll be no more a God to them This is the first every allowed sin provokes God to depart 2. Stirring Religion will work out sin especially every allowed sin The life of a Christian is a warfare there is a continual conflict betwixt the flesh and spirit Gal. 5.17 The Flesh lusteth lusteth that is fighteth sin fighteth against grace and grace fighteth against sin Sin fights for the Devil to set him up and to lay the governement on his Shoulder and grace fights for God to lift the Lord up and to give him the preheminence in the Soul God will no longer stay in the heart than he may have the preheminence God will not be kept as an underling if he may not have the preheminence he 'll be gone and leave you to the Devil never talk that you hope God is within you where Sin or the World bears rule God is not there Now where the flesh is let alone in its fight against grace much more where the heart takes part with the flesh and nourisheth and cherisheth and maketh provision for it and grace is let lye asleep there sin rises and increases and abounds both in heart and life Where sin is stirring and that little grace that is is let lye and quite out of heart what can be expected how can it be otherwise but the Devil must carry it against God But when grace revives and the heart falls off from sin and takes part with grace nourishing and cherishing and abetting the better part then sin will be put to it and must away Christians your hearts would quickly be too hot for your sins if the grace that is in you be once well rouzed up when the live Coals are blown up into a Flame the Smoke is consumed and vanisheth Do not sluggishly lye down and complain that you cannot master your sins you are proud and cannot help it you are earthly and worldly and cannot help it you are froward and passionate and peevish and cannot overcome your passions Do not say you cannot overcome you cannot prevail if there be grace in your hearts and you will set to it to stir up the grace that is in you this would overcome What do you think if your love to Christ were blown up into a flame would it not quench the flame of lust Friends 't is a sign that religion is asleep grace is asleep conscience is asleep when your carnality and earthliness do thus ride in triumph over you this little David that little good thing that is within you if it gets on its Armour and go forth to the fight will not only put to flight but put to death the Champion of the Philistines Put your grace to it let it but engage heartily and lively in the fight and sin will run the field Loytering and idleness and laziness do beget and nourish evil humours and diseases exercise and activity will subdue and work them out he that lives a stirring life is usually the most strong and healthful Christians if you would be hearty and healthful and overcome those corruptions that are the diseases of your Souls and the offence of your God if you would overcome resolve upon a stirring life pray and let no praying satisfie but stirring prayer sleepy prayers will stand you in no stead let your thoughts be stirring let your affections be stirring let conscience be stirring let your conversations be stirring conversations be not the carkases of Christians that have no life shew forth the Spirit of Christianity as much as possible be all soul and life and spirit and keep you in lively action and then let your sins stand before yov if they can The quick running Rivers keep themselves pure they are the dead and standing Pools that gather most mud and dirt Certainly Friends our Skie would be clearer and more serene if our Spirits as the Wind did rise higher Our thick Mists and unwholesome Fogs that infest and annoy us would much be dispelled if Grace the rays of the Sun of Righteousness did once break forth more in us What will ye do Friends your light grows dim and your day misty your waters are mudded we are a company of dark souls polluted souls such as the Lord can take little pleasure in what must ye do to help it if you will bestir your selves you may help all get Religion to be aflote let that living stream be running let the coals be blowing and then you shall see your mud will be cleansed and your dross will be purged away Never think 't will be better by sitting still and complaining how bad 't is To work Friends to work with these lazy hearts to work with those earthly minds rouze ye up out of sleep up and be doing and see if you find not the same success against your sins as the Lord promised against the Devil Jam. 4.7 Resist the Devil and he shall fly from you resist Sin and it shall fall under you Now Friends if ye can but get your sins out if ye can subdue your iniquities so far as that not one of them be allowed and all of them have their power broken and weakned in you if those that are by a specialty your iniquities if your special sins your most beloved lusts those that have most of all taken with you and carried your hearts captive those evils that have been your special hinderances either in holiness or comfort and that your hearts have been most apt to go a whoring after if you get these to be mortified and brought under stirring Religion will do it get it to be done once let nothing be left that offends God but that it also offends you and you shall not be like to have reason to complain the Lord is departed from me that which would have driven him away is now removed 2. Stirring Religion will work up and improve and increase those good things which the Lord will delight in and will not forsake As it will work out iniquity so it will work up grace and holiness There is not the poorest and weakest of Saints but by diligence and industry will be improved Stirring Christians will be thriving Christians 't is for want of action and industry that our souls are in this poor case As they said Gen. 43.10 Except we had lingred we had returned the second time or twice by this time Friends if we had not lingered and loitered we might have had twice so much grace twice so much holiness as now we have 't is our lingering that keeps us so poor we may thank our sloth and our carelesness that there is so little of God in us by our industry we shall advance Stirring lively Christians will be thriving Christians the best of Christians can never keep their stand
speak a word for you ye workers of Iniquity O what shall I have to secure me from such a repulse and to assure me that he will be an Advocate for me If I can but get Christ to be mine Advocate there 's no doubt then but my matters will be good and the cause will go for me here 's the difficulty What shall I have to prove my title to Christ and his Advocation and to secure me that he will undertake for me Why my very trust if it be sincere will prove my Title He that trusteth in him shall not be confounded And for the evidencing the sincerity of this trust a confirmed Christian will have this to say Through the grace of God I have the testimony of a good Conscience and an holy Conversation my works of Faith and my labours of Love my mortified Sins this crucified and conquered World through the Spirit of Christ within me for whom I have forsaken all and followed Him these will attest the truth of my trust though none of these things none of my Graces none of my Dutyes can answer for me or acquit me in the Judgment or open the door of Glory to me yet they will be good evidences to prove my claim to Christ that can and will do it When Christ shall plead I have dyed for Sinners and thereupon shall challenge Absolution and entrance for those that have believed in Him and obeyed his Gospel the Accuser will reply But this Man hath not believed hath not obeyed the Gospel but now if I can get that to be evidenced by the testimony of a good Conscience and my holy Conversation then the mouth of the Accuser will be stopped for ever against me and so an entrance shall be administred to me abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom And here now is the trust of the Saints and its tryumph over all matters of doubt and difficulties that lye between them and everlasting Glory From hence may they take up those words of the Apostle 1 Cor. 15. Death where is thy Sting Grave yea Sin Hell Devil where is your Victory Thanks be to God who hath given me the Victory through our Lord Jesus Christ From what hath been said learn by the way 1. That the life of a Christian in this World is to be a life of trust 2. That a life of trust is an excellent and desirable life and worth your reaching after But these I shall speak to together Christ is to be trusted not only for the world to come to give us entrance into Heaven but for this world also to lead and help us on to be with us in all our way from first to last Our great difficulty and our great danger of miscarrying is not so much in our end as in our way to it As hard as 't is to dye well 't is harder to live well Though the last Enemy Death looks with a more frightful face yet our Enemies that we meet with all along our lives Sin and Lust and Temptation do us the most deadly mischief He that hath conquered Sin need not fear to encounter Death do but live an Holy Life and then be nothing careful how ye shall dye Those Saints Heb. 11. Abel Abraham Sarah with the rest of them 't is Recorded that they liv'd by Faith it 's said of them v. 13. They all dyed by Faith not one amongst them miscarryed in Death who by Faith kept close to God in their lives Now our great difficulty and danger being in our lives there is the most need of trusting in Christ for his conduct through this World and this being that which I am now especially directing you to be reaching to that I may more effectually lead you on to such a life of trust I shall yet more particularly shew you that Christ must be trusted for 1. Our entrance into Religion 2. Our progress in Religion 3. Our perseverance in Religion 1. It is Christ that must do the first work for us must bring us in at the straight Gate and give us entrance into Religion Who brought Israel out of Egypt Cut out a passage for them through the Red Sea and set them into the way of the Promised Land 'T was the same Moses that conducted them through the Wilderness Christians you that have passed the New Birth and have broken out of the Womb you that are escaped out of Egypt that state of Bondage you once were in with the rest of this miserable World and are now gotten safe into the way of life Who is it that hath helped you hitherto Are you not beholden to Christ for this As it was said of the second Resurrection 1 Cor. 15.22 so 't is true of the first Resurrection As in Adam all dye even so in Christ shall all be made alive Are there any living souls amongst you 'T is Christ who is your Life And who is it that must help after and bring in those that are behind and quicken those that are yet dead Is it not the same Jesus that must do it Sinners you that have been left dead in your sins some of you have not trod one step towards the New Birth others of you have been brought to the Birth but still stick in the Womb What hope have you that you shall ever be new Born If you be not new Born there 's no hope of you but you must dye for ever better you had never been Born into this World then not to be Born a new to Christ You must dye there 's no help for you there 's no hope of you you must dye eternally the second Death will seize upon you and swallow you up for ever if you be not Born the second time You are yet without the Gate and if you dye there dye in your sins dye in your ignorance in your impenitence and unbelief if ye dye without the streight Gate you go down quick into the Pit Now what hope is there of your being brought in Multitudes of your Predecessors in sin have never come in have liv'd and dyed and gone to their Graves and gone down to Hell in their impenitence and down you are going apace What hope is there now that you may stop before you come there that you may be brought about out of that common rode that broad way that you are going and brought into the narrow gate that gate of Life May be you will say Christ I trust will do it and the truth is that 's all you have to say that 's all the hope you have there 's the same Jesus before you who hath brought in so many others who says to you all as Isa 45.22 Look unto me and ye shall be saved None cometh to the Father but by me and Joh. 6.37 Him that cometh to me that will trust upon me to bring him to God I will in no wise cast him out Go to Jesus Sinners tell him Lord thou hast told me that none can come to the
Father can turn from his sins and come in unto God but by thee this thou hast told me and I have found it true I cannot come in of my self mine own heart hangs back hangs after my sins and this world and hangs back from God Ministers cannot bring me in they have been almost all my life long dealing with me threatning me in perswading and beseeching me in but cannot prevail Poor wretched Creature that I am after all the means that have been used to bring me in to God behold I am an hardned impenitent soul to this day and so I am like to dye for all that they can do to help me I have nothing left for it but only thy help Oh Lord and thy word for it that thou wilt help me and wilt not put me back if I come to thee This being all mine hope I come unto thee I cast my self upon that blessed Word Help O King of Saints help O Saviour of Sinners Christ help Christ help this poor soul of mine help me to God that I may live having nothing else for it upon this I must venture upon thee I must lean I come to thy door there I will lye begging and crying and hoping that thou wilt put forth thine hand and help me in Lord open to me I trust yet thou wilt and in this trust I will continue crying and begging till thou have Mercy on me and bring me within this straight gate the gate of Life 2. 'T is Christ that must do all our following works for us By him we have our entrance and through him we must make our progress He must bring us in at the straight gate must convert our souls and 't is He that must help us on in the narrow way and conduct our souls through all the duties and difficulties of our whole life The Mother must Nurse the Child as well as bring it forth into the World the Child must be carryed in Armes must be Suckled and supported and must afterward be taught to speak and taught to go and though our Children may yet God's Children will never be taught to go alone while they live They must keep by their Fathers side they must be led by their Fathers hand as long as they live Christ must do all this for his Children and He will do it Isa 40.11 He will gather his Lambs with his Armes He will carry them in his Bosom and gently lead them When we are entred into the strait gate when we are passed the New Birth the great difficulty is over Sinners there are many difficult passages between you and the Kingdom of Heaven through all which you must pass or perish There are these three hard passages the straits of the Womb or the difficulties of the New Birth the strait course or the difficulties of Life the hard passage at the end the difficulties at Death But the great difficulty is the first when you are once passed the Birth the great difficulty will be over If you go on and dye in your sins then there is not only a difficulty but an impossibility there is a great Gulf fixed between Heaven and Hell Luk. 16. So that they that would cannot pass from Hell to Heaven O keep you out of Hell when once you come there you cannot escape thank God that yet though it be hard yet 't is possible for you to get to Heaven and you that are Saints may rejoyce that with you the great difficulty is over But yet the narrow way in which you must continue is an hard way The narrow way by which you must pass to glory is that course of Holiness wherein you must hold on to the end There 's no getting to Heaven but by this narrow way and there 's no getting through this narrow way but by help from Christ and therefore your whole life must be a life of trust of trust in Christ Christ must be trusted 1. For the helping us forward in all his Holy ways 2. For the helping us through the sufferings we shall meet with in his ways 1. For the helping us forward in all his Holy ways 'T is from Him we must expect to prosper in our way 't is He that must lead us on towards and raise and work us up to that holy Conformity of heart and life to him wherein our souls prosperity stands Here I shall shortly shew you 1. That our progress in Religion is to be measured by the degree of our conformity to Christ. 2. That eminent Conformity to Christ is that which Christians have or should have in their eye 3. That Christians falling so much short of this Conformity to Christ fall under many doubts and fears whether ever they shall attain to it 4. Their trust in Christ is their help against all their doubts and fears 1. Our progress in Religion is to be measured by the degree of our conformity to Christ There 's a double conformity to Christ To his Image To his Will Our being renewed according to his Image in our inner Man and our being governed by his Word both in our inward and outward Man Now by how much the nearer we are made like unto Christ by how much the more of the Image of his Holiness there is engraven upon our hearts and by how much the more compliance there is of our ways with the will and holy word of Christ so much the more progress have we made in Religion 2. This holy conformity to Christ is that which Christians have or should have in their eye and desire Christ is a Christians Prize and a Christians pattern He is the Prize which a Christian runs for what would you have as the fruit of all your labours and sufferings O Christ Christ that Christ may be mine and he is their Pattern the pattern that God hath set before them and that they also have set before themselves that their eye and their heart is set upon What is your aim What is it that you are reaching towards and working up your selves unto What manner of persons would you be How would you live If you may have your wish or your desire what is it What would you be How would you live O let me be made conformable to Christ We may find both these in the Apostles eye in comparison of which he counted all things but loss and dung Phil. 3.8 9 10. that he may win Christ and that he may be conformable to Christ For whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but dung that I may win Christ and be found in him and v. 10. that I may know him and the power of his Resurrection and the fellowship of his Sufferings and be made conformable to his Death Every Christian is of the same mind all is dung in comparison of him and 't is not only to be found in Christ that he so earnestly desires but also to be made conformable to him They would live as
and their Sorrows and their Complaints to the Lord Ps 38.9 All my desire is before thee and my groaning is not hid from thee Ps 56.8 Put my Tears into thy Bottle If it be well with them then their Praises are sent up if they want any thing then up go their Desires to the Lord for Supply if they ail any thing if they be surprized by Sin swallowed up of Sorrow whatever it be that ails them they pour it out into the Bosom of their Friend Some-Messengers or other are daily sent up and whatever the Messengers be if it be a Prayer or a Sigh or a Tear this is still the Message tell him That I am either sick of love or sick for love for an Heart to love the Lord. Such Entercourses there are betwixt God and his Saints and these are a special part of their Communion with God and a special security against distances and enstrangments betwixt the Lord and them And it is to be observed That whenever there is a parting betwixt God and Souls there is a cessation or failing of these Friendly Entercourses Declining Souls how seldom do they look upwards they are so busie here below that they have no leisure and they grow so carnally-minded that they have no list to have much to do with God they restrain Prayer and restrain Holy Meditations the Lord seldom hears from them and when he does 't is so coldly and so dully that he can take no pleasure in it O Friends 't is a sign that there is a breach betwixt the Lord and you when you are fallen so into a neglect of Spiritual Duties Do your affections Heavenward flag do the fervour of your desires fail are your Prayers shortned and straitned are you so seldom and so remiss and so flat in your retirements to God can you not say at least My sighs and complaints are daily before him and my groanings are not hid from him What danger is there that God and your Souls may utterly part if you have thus lost your Correspondence with him 4. Often reckoning by this our Communion with God and our Friendship with him is maintained Often reckoning keeps long Friends whilst we keep our Account clear and fair so long there 's the less danger of a breach The best of Saints run upon score daily we go upon score for Mercies received from God and we go upon score for Sins committed against God and where there is such scoring there must be often reckoning 1. Our score of Mercies should be answered in our Praises and more abundant Duties and a reckoning must be kept both of what we have received and what we have returned of what the Lord hath done for our Souls and what our Souls have done ever the more for his Name Thus we should reckon for these O my soul the Lord hath done great things for thee hath brought thee from darkness to light hath saved thy life from death when thou wert going on in thy sins running with the multitude either after thy Covetousness or after thy Companions in the lusts and in the lewdness of thine heart when thou wert making all the haste thou couldst down to Hell there Grace met thee and whilst it let others run on it singled thee out and brought thee back out of that deaths Rode and hath brought thee into the way of Life and of a dead Sinner hath made thee this living Soul O what a wonder of Mercy was there and since how many a kindness hath it shewed thee how often hath the same Grace met thee in the House of God and taught thee and instructed thee and quickned thee and comforted thee how often hath Grace met thee in thine own House met thee in secret met thee upon thy knees and hath enlarged thine heart and helped thee to pour out thy Soul before the Lord and hath poured in upon thee such a sense of the kindness of God to thee as hath delighted and even ravished thine heart And what great multitudes of other instances have there been of the renewed Kindnesses of the Lord to thee O to what a reckoning do thy Mercies rise hast thou kept the Account by thee if thou hast what hath been returned in answer of the loving kindness of the Lord As 't was said concerning Mordecai who had saved the Kings Life Esther 6.3 What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this Canst not thou say The Lord hath saved my life from death and done for me these great things what honour have I done to the Lord for all this And if upon thy reckoning made it be found as 't was there found in that instance there hath been nothing done or but little done then thou wilt see that there must be more done or God will be angry 2. Our score of sins should be reckoned up in order to the getting them crossed by faith in the Bloud of Christ and repentance from dead works Thus therefore thou shouldst go on O my Soul thou seest what God hath done for thee but what is it that thou hast done against the God of thy Mercy how many slights hast thou put upon the Grace of God how often hast thou abused Mercy hast thou not grown secure hast thou not grown wanton hast thou not been haughty and lifted up in the pride of thine Heart Remember thy frowardness and quarrellings thy backbitings and talebearings hast thou no lies no false and fraudulent dealing to put down upon thy account dost thou not use to play the Hypocrite and come before the Lord with such an hollow heart and such hollow duties as if thou meanst to mock him to the face art thou not either a backslider or a loyterer if thou hast not lost ground and fallen backward yet hast thou not lost time and not gone on forward hast thou no slothfulness and negligence and non-proficiency to write down against thy self hast thou not somewhat against thy self for thy covetousness and over-eagerness upon the World hast thou no wrongs of thy conscience to be remembred dost not find much of these and many more evils that thou art run in score with thy God for and what hath there hitherto been done for the crossing out of the score Sure if thou goest on thus thou art like to hear of him in another way than thou wouldst or it may be not hear from him at all Beloved the keeping good reckoning betwixt the Lord and us being of so great importance and so necessary to the continuing his presence and favour with us I shall give you some short directions concerning it 1. Let every one especially look to his own personal reckoning We must reckon for our people also how great things God hath done for our Nation and his Churches amongst us and how great have been the sins of our People What have our Princes and our Priests what have our Magistrates and our Ministers done What have the Sins of Congregations of our
the words that have been of late spoken to you have they prospered have they prevailed upon you have they gotten any heat in you which before were cold have they brought your Religion to life again which was almost dead or have these stirring words stirred you so much as to say to your selves Well I must no longer hold me in this wretched case I must and through the help of God I will set all my might and all my power on work to recover out of this case What say you Friends is there any comfortable success of this kind that you see and feel upon you I hope there is something done upon some of you But how many Professors are there upon whom just nothing is done they still stick in the mud and the mire and will not come forth What do you think that these so many and so visible neglects of the Calls of the Gospel are like to bring forth Look towards the Lord do you not see a storm in his Face do you not verily believe that God is angry and angry with thy Soul who art one of these impenitent sinners or hardned backsliders Is not God angry Thou art a blind Soul indeed that either canst not see that God is angry where there are so great provokings or that there is a storm coming where God is angry 2. May we not see a Storm coming in the dark Providences of God Are not the winds risen the clouds gathering yea and hath it not begun to drop The Proverb is 'T is a sign 't will rain when it begins already The counsels and designs that have been laid by the adversaries and the violent pursuance of them and what hath been already brought forth The sad things that we see and hear do they not threaten a storm and such a storm as may raise a floud to sweep away those advantages of the Gospel which yet have been left us Is there a storm coming then sure we had need bestir our selves before it so overtake as to overwhelm us O let us forthwith answer the Calls of God whilst yet he continues to call Sinners bestir your selves and get you into Christ out of hand let not the storm find you where the thunder and the hail found the hardy amongst the Egyptians Exod. 9.19 Let it not find you without hasten into Christ lest your lot be as theirs to be destroyed and to perish Professors bestir you your selves get you nearer to Christ keep you closer to Christ stand ye upon the Rock and stand fast there get you in the Ark and keep you there and fear lest if you keep you at this distance and in these wandrings the floud come and sweep you also away 2. Threatning troubles are stirring providences as they are tokens of a Night approaching that 't is almost night What a stirring Providence this is will appear if we consider the properties of Night These are 1. Night is dark 2. Night is cold 3. Night is a time of silence 4. Night is a time of sleep 5. Night is no time of work 1. Night is dark Night is the dark part of our time both are joyned together as signifying the same thing 1 Thes 5.5 Children of Night and of Darkness 'T is the dark that makes it night as 't is the light the Sun light that makes it day When the Sun is set the Sun of Righteousness that shines forth in the Gospel the light of the Gospel being the very Sun beams of Christ when this Sun is set what darkness spiritual darkness follows Those parts of the World where the Gospel is not nor Christ hath appeared they are the dark places of the Earth and whenever the light of the Gospel is removed from those parts where it hath shined darkness overspreads them 2. Night is cold The light of the Sun hath heat going with it as the Sun withdraweth it grows cold It was given by Christ as a sign of night approaching on Jerusalem Mat. 24.12 The love of many shall grow cold As the Sun grows low the cold increases and if when it is but almost night much more when night hath overtaken us when its darkness hath overspread us that 's the cold part of our time What ever heats there are now upon our Spirits any of us 't is to be doubted how cold we may grow when night overtakes us If the love of so many if the religion of so many of us be waxen so cold already when it is but almost night it should make us tremble to consider how much colder we are like to grow when it comes to be quite night with us 3. Night is a time of silence The silent night 't is often called Those that now speak to you and call upon you to keep you waking the night that 's coming upon us may silence them and not suffer them to speak any more to you Rev. 8.1 't is said that at the opening the 7th Seal there was silence in Heaven that is say some there was no Word or Revelation came to John for some time What that silence in Heaven meant though it be hard to determine yet sure when there 's silence on Earth when the Watchmen must be silent and hold their peace that 's a sad and dismal time 4. Night is a time of sleep 1 Thes 5.7 They that sleep sleep in the night That 's like to be the unhappiness of people that whatever be the miseries of a spiritual night they are like to fall asleep under all to be without sense of their unvaluable loss it will leave men stupid and sensless Souls You that do not prize nor improve the Gospel light this is like to be your case when it 's gone you will not bewail its loss but your Souls will fall asleep O if you be such sleepy Souls whilst you have the light with you if the word of the Gospel will not waken you what a deep sleep will the want of the Gospel bring upon you Friends you have need rouze you up every one of you now whilst the Gospel calls to you as Ephes 5.14 Awaken thou that sleepest If you will not but will continue under the preaching of the Gospel a company of drouzy Souls I am afraid that all that you have heard hitherto hath left many of you fast asleep but if you continue such sleepy Souls whilst you have the light among you if the Gospel do not awaken you how do you think it will be with you when night overtakes you The Devil will say to you then as Christ did once to his sleepy Disciples Mat. 26.45 Sleep on now Nay Christ himself may do the same since ye would not watch in the day whilst ye had the light now even sleep on while ye will sleep on to the death Friends this sleepiness of Soul if ye will not yet be awakened is like to be your death sleep Christ said to the Damosel Mat. 19.24 She is not dead but sleepeth but
't is to be feared it will then be said concerning you They are not asleep but dead dead in their sins O how many of the dead are there already amongst these sleepy Souls Sinner art thou yet asleep in thy Sins O thou art in a dead sleep and if this night overtake thee thus its like to close up thine eyes as the eyes of the dead are closed never again to be opened And you that hope you have life in you and yet will not be awakened by the day light but will sleep on still whom neither the lightning nor the thunder of the Word will awaken pray tell me what dead sleepers you also are like to continue in the dark and silent night This I say is like to be the misery of people if such a night overtake us they are like to be sensless Souls that will not lay it to heart nor be affected nor moved at all with the darkness that comes upon them but will dye away in a sleep Become of the Gospel of the Ordinances of the Gospel of the Sabbath and all the means of Grace what will they will not be much moved or lay it to heart 5. Night is no time for work John 9.4 night cometh when no man can work Work there is that lyes upon every one of you and such work wherein your life is concerned I will not say only with the Apostle 2 Thes 3.10 He that will not work shall not eat but he that will not work shall not live thou shalt dye the death who dost not in the day work out the work which God hath committed to thee to do You have every one of you your work to do and 't is great work and of great consequence You are to work for your living for an eternal livelihood you are to work out your Salvation that 's your work in the general And in this there are many particular works comprehended there is the work of Repentance and Mortification of Sin c. There 's Grace to be gotten and improved there 's your Peace with God to be made have you done these works have you repented are your sins mortified have you grace in your hearts have you made your peace with God you that have there 's still all this to be maintained and carried on that ye lose not the things which you have wrought But are all these things yet to do with so many of you are you yet without repentance are you yet to seek for grace have you gotten never a drop of the Holy Oil into your Vessels are you without the Knowledge of God without faith in Christ without repentance is your peace with God yet to make doth the wrath of God still abide upon you what and yet asleep what and yet such idle careless loytering souls What if this work should never be done if you should never have more of Christ nor his Grace never have more of Faith and Repentance than you have now why then you must go down among the dead Look ye down cast an eye down on those chambers of darkness that place of pitch and brimstone that place of fire and everlasting burnings look ye down into that horrible pit and see where you must lie what your place and your portion must be for ever if you arise not and work these works of God ye cannot live but must die and that 's the death you must die you must burn you must be tormented night and day for ever and ever Well now you see here 's great work to be done and to be done by every one of you you see what will follow if it be not done you must die the death O methinks now this word should be a stirring word to you awaken every one of you arise and to your work the night cometh when no man can work And let it not suffice any of you to say I hope this work is done and therefore no such danger if I be fallen asleep but know 1. That if the grace you seem to have does make you grow secure if you grow bold to be idle and careless upon the confidence that the work is done that you are converted have repented and are made partakers of the grace of God that confidence of yours is a deadly sign that the work is not done no nor savingly begun upon you 2. Whatever work there be done upon you your life lieth upon it upon your careful and vigorous carrying it on if you do not hold out to the end keep working to the end ye cannot be saved And is not this a stirring word to you also that are sleeping and loytering professors Awake or perish to your work or be damned And is not this stirring word seconded by a stirring providence the appearance of such a night approaching upon us the light being even ready to vanish from amongst us If I should not say concerning such a night in the words of Christ A night comes wherein no man can work yet this I may be bold to say in such a night few men will work What does our experience speak to this The shadows of the evening have been stretched out over us it hath been evening and almost Sunset with us for divers years and O what lamentable influence has this evening wherein the word of the Gospel has been more scarce had upon us what a woful change is there visible upon the greatest number of Professors in England are there not multitudes among us whose Religion is fallen and almost lost since it is grown darker is it not also grown much colder with us and what sleepy loytering souls are we already become Friends if there be such a fall of lively Religion amongst us while it is but evening do you not tremble to think how much more t is like to be when the thick darkness of the night hath overshadowed us 2. Put upon stirring thoughts Our thoughts are apt to be busie and too busie where they should not like little Children which will be busie from morning till night about doing nothing Keep your thoughts imployed and well imployed there are wandring thoughts which are too busie roving and flying up and down this way and that which like the eyes of a Fool Prov. 17.24 are in the ends of the Earth There are the wandrings of our thoughts after sin and vanity and impertinences we are thinking too much and too often of what we should not think and sometimes there are wandrings after good things sometimes our thoughts wander to Heaven wander up and down about things Spiritual and Eternal though we think sometimes of these better things 't is but with wandring thoughts though we light upon them yet we fix not we are not like the Bee which wanders from flower but pitches and stays upon each flower till it hath gotten the Honey but we are more like the Fly that leaps up and down that 's here and there and every where sometimes upon a Wall sometimes