thou think that when thou hast served them night and day with the heat and fervency of all thy affections that he will be put off with a cold sleepy drousie profession Will he not say See such a man pretends to Religion to act for me did he act so heavily and drousily for sin doth he act so for himself in things of self-concernment Away with such pretenders saith the Lord that will not act for me at the same rate that they have acted for the world and for themselves and their own lusts 13. Consider what an honour it is to be employed for God to be called the servant oâ— the most High David envied the very Sparrow that built about the Altar when he was shut out and wilt thou shut out thy self when God cals thee to such honorable employment Psalm 84. the people of God who have known how to value their relations to God have valued the very worst things of Christ and the least imployment for him above the best things in the world as in Moses Heb. 11.24 25 26. Moses refused to be called the Son of Pharaoh's daughter chusing rather to suffer with the people of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season vers 26. Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches then the treasures in Egypt And in David Psalm 84.10 For a day in thy Courts is better than a thousand I had rather be a Door-keeper in the house of my God then to dwell in the tents of Wickednesse Art thou seeking and thirsting after honour and honourable imployments behold here it is to remember thy Creator to be busied about him and for him thou art never like to get so much honour and repute at the last by serving sin and Lust as thou maist get in serving the Lord Rom. 6.21 What fruit had you in those things whereof ye are now ashamed for the end thereof is death You have the two Genuine and Natural fruits of sin Shame and Death and to this we may oppose that of the Wise man Prov. 3.16 Length of dayes is in her right hand and in her left hand riches and honour Prov. 4.8 Exalt her and she shall promote thee shee shall bring thee to honour when thou doest embrace her 14. Consider his great bounty to his Servants You shall alway hear them that are sincere with him speak well of him yea very largely of his freenesse and fulnesse to their Souls I might compasse you with a cloud of Witnesses if I should call in all the Saints in the Old and New Testament to speak out their experience which they would willingly do to commend their Lord and Master to the world but I shall onely call in two or three to speak for all the rest Gen. 32.10 saith Jacob I am not worthy of the least of all thy mercies and of all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy Servant for with my staffe I passed over this Jordan and now I am become two bands He found when he had cast up his accompts he was paid with an over-plus it would be too long a story to hear David tell how good he had found God you have him largely speaking of the bounty and goodness of God to his Soul Psal 34. upon which he spends the whole Psalm yet while he was speaking he feared that men would hardly judge aright of this by hearing they would apprehend more by tasting he calls therefore upon men vers 8. O taste and see that the Lord is good blessed is the man that trusteth in him God is better known by experience then by notion he would perswade them not to content themselves with hear-sayes that God was good but desires them to make triall of him and of his wayes certainly David knew the force of this Argument to draw Souls to be more and more in love with God Ps 66.16 Come and I will declare what God hath done for my soule hearing how liberall and free the Lord is to others encourageth us to expect great things from him also specially if we finde him generally so free We know a Servant is very ambitious to serve a free Master and if he be generally free to all his Servants it encourageth him to expect something in his service if he hears every Servant in the Family to commend him and cry up his bounty Thus it is with God all that are his Servants in deed speak very freely of him David gives a notable hint of this In his Temple doth every one speak of his glory he layeth this down I suppose as an argument to presse to this duty he had used many others from the Works of God he draws one from the practice of his Saints because they do speak well of him and tell large experimentall stories of his glory 15. Consider his faithfulness in his Promises he is yea and Amen with Souls he is at a word what he promiseth he gives and much more then what we can expect David useth this as an argument because there is no unfaithfulness in him there was never any Soul that ventured on any promise of his that ever found him worse then his word nay when he promised and that very largely too and by them hath heightened the desires and expectations of his people he hath reserved to himself a liberty of coming in beyond their expectations 1 Cor. 2.9 Eye hath not seen ear hath not heard neither hath it entred into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them which love him If these considerations were faithfully laid together and seriously weighed and applyed to our spirits would they not perswade us to draw that conclusion which we finde upon the same account Jer. 10.7 Who would not fear thee O King of Nations and if we do not learn the skil of setting the Lord in such considerations as these before us we shal never excel in his fear The second Head follows How this considering and setting God before us doth make way for and advance the fear of God in our hearts I shal explain this in the ensuing particulars First it serves to ballance and six the vain light and frothy unconstant spirit of man it helps much to the putting his heart into a serious frame by setting the glory of the great Omniscient and Omni-present God before him men will be more circumspect in their behaviours when they conceive themselves to be in the presence of some great one the want of this makes men vain and vile in the World Psal 73.11 12. And they say how doth God know and is there knowledge in the most high Behold these are the ungodly who prosper in the world they increase in riches doth God know say they we are not under the eye of the Lord and therefore we need not trouble our thoughts about him and what follows these are the ungodly ungodliness in practice must needs follow those that have cast the thoughts of God farre from them
to out-live them but their wives and children as if there were no God nor no soul to survive their very lives speak the very language of the great Turk when he was dying and his Doctors told him he must prepare to go to another world Is there another world when I am dead he thought all had died with him language fit for those filthy Dreamers of our days those superannuated hypocrites who have worn out all their profession of Religion who say men dye as Cats and Dogs and therefore they live like Beasts But as an Antidote against the evil of their ways carry this along with thee Labour to do those things now which thou wouldst wish thou hadst done when thou comest to dye and leave those things undone which thou supposest will not yeeld comfort in that hour Having laid these things down as considerations to quicken to the duty I shall give some practical directions to guide you in it and to further Souls who would willingly have their hearts set in such a constant frame for God First Direction Have an eye upon thine own heart and that will constantly administer occasions to thee of looking after God thy wants or enjoyments temptations or deliverances hopes or fears will advise thee to draw nigh to him not considering the present frames tempers of our hearts makes them so little God-ward if we were acquainted with our selves we should be lessestrangers to him That man is happy who carries so much an eye over himself as to know in what frame of spirit he is That man shall never defer his going to God for want of an errant for his own self observation will furnish him for matter of duty either for meditation or action and the variety of change with which his heart is clothed wil checker his whole life with prayer and praise God is not like to be far from that mans eye and heart who is not farre from himself who is conversant at home If you will be found in a good and constant frame for God labour to know thy present frame whatever it be the knowing of the frame of thine own spirit doth much conduce to the bettering of it But if thou lookest not after thine own heart but lettest it run at random thou art not like to find it much with God a heart not watcht is lost Secondly When thou hast gotten acquaintance with thy heart and findest it wandring from God labour to ingage it as much as thou canst to this duty lay the weight of the duty before thee with the excellency necessity and benefit of it with the danger of neglect and see what thou canst bring thy heart unto and try whether this wil not engage it to be more with God We have a notable passage for our direction in this case Jer. 30.21 He shall approach for who is he that engages his heart for God God promises to blesse the desires and endeavours of such as take some pains with their hearts in this thing I see saith the Lord such an one what pains such a poor creature takes to draw his heart to me and how he tuggs and labours at it Well saith the Lord does he so and cannot he for all this bring his heart to it Doth he complaine of the difficulty of the duty I will cause him to draw near Jor I have seen how he hath laboured to engage his heart David hath an expression very full to shew how much he had to do with his heart to draw it to God or keep it close with God I have forced my self to keep thy statutes The word that is here translated to engage it signifies to engage by covenanting or to become a Surety for any one so it is used Gen. 44.32 Thy servant became Surety for the Lad so that he intimates that often covenanting with our hearts and often covenanting for them with God is a means to keep them intent upon him and though when we have done all we are too weak to deal with our hearts yet God takes notice of those who deal most with their hearts and blesses it unto the design which they drive which is to draw near unto him Thirdly Observe those clouds which do most of all take God from thy eyes and watch against them and where thou meetest with that which hath once proved a snare to thy Soule and a vail betwixt God and thee walk with a holy fear and wait for a double portion of Grace at such a time What is it that doth lead thy spirit Is it thy employment thy recreation thy passion thy cares of this world thy carnall relations or companions it is something thou meetest withal often or is it something thou dost but seldome meet if it be a constant snare then thou hast need to be alwayes watchfull because of that if it be such a one as seldome molests thee be sure thou be very careful and consider how much grace thou hast need of to wade through that which hath once spoyled thee A man that is robbed by the way side will still remember the place where he lost his Purse and will be sure to look well about him when he passes that way again and go provided to defend himself if we did but weigh every condition and what temptations are in it or may be in it and then consider what grace is needfull to bear up a Soul in the same it would wonderfully help our spirits to a senious watchfulnesse and constancy I am now to go forth in my employment and I find my spirit is ready to be too eager and intent upon the things of this present world that I can hardly keep God in my eye how great care should I have now of my heart it is almost every day lost in that Wildernesse in which I am now travelling I am now to go to my meat yet I finde that in eating and drinking it is hard to set God before me how shal I do for proportionable grace for this So I am going into such company where I have lost my heart and the remembrance of the Lord oh now for suitable grace to this condition Thus if we would weigh the inconveniences of every condition and watch against them for hereafter it would wonderfully help us against a drowsie dead frame of heart Fourthly Call thy heart often to account where it hath been how little with God and why so and by this means thou shalt find out every back-door that thy heart hath to steal out at from God in a day David propounds this amongst his directions to further and to engage men in the fear of the Lord Psalm 4.4 Commune with thine own heart in thy bed do it on the bed then thou mayest be still and quiet thou canst not plead an excuse from distractions then thou mayest argue it out and have leasure enough to do it this employment nor that will not call thee off Do it on the Bed in the end of
more fear he hath Spiritual mercies for your souls Psal 130.4 There is mercy with thee that thou mayest be feared It is impossible that the true fear of the Lord should bee planted and advanced in the heart without this consideration this mercy is pardoning mercy it is Soul mercy other considerations with this are usefull to ballance the Spirit but this is principally attractive this is the very door of the fear of the Lord where this is shut there is no way unto repentance Jerem. 2.25 But thou saidest there is no hope for I have loved strangers and after them I will go And Chap. 18.12 And they said there is no hope but wee will walke after our own devices and wee will every one do the imagination of his evil heart If God had no mercy for men it would be vain to perswade them to fear if men had not some kind of hope they would be hellishly wicked And that I might yet advance this Motive in your Souls take these particulars 1. He is willing to be reconciled to thee although he can destroy thee 2 Cor. 5.20 Now then we are Embassadours for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christ that you be reconciled to God he hath ways enough to make thee stoop without wooing of thee and can dash thee in pieces when he pleaseth yet he beseecheth thee he intreats thee though hee hath no need of thee but thou hast need of him what need hath God of thee more then of the Heathens or Indians or Turks who know him not he could as easily have invited them as thee at this day he invites thee though thou art as the damned thy nature is as corrupt as theirs and thy sins as great as others before they were cast in there Rom. 3.22 23. There is no difference for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God O what impression should these have upon thy soul if thou wouldest give them their full allowance upon thy soul in meditation 2. He moves them to fear him by his mercies he might require it by his power without mercy hee might have called for as much duty and have given no encouragement at all unto it but beloved what heart-ensnaring language doth he speak Isa 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon The Lord might have chosen another manner of Stile then this 3 He offers thee better termes then thou art like to meet withall else-where the world cannot bid so faire nor perform so faithfully as he doth See that Promise which the Lord makes to the returning sinner Isa 55.1 2 Ho every one that thirsteth come yee to the waters and he that hath no money come ye buy and eat yea come buy wine and milk without price vers 2. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread and your labour for that which satisfieth not Hearken diligently unto me and eat yee that which is good and let your soul delight in fatnesse c. Search and finde where the Devil the World and Sin promiseth and when and to whom he gives such a thing as is held out attainable in following God 4 If thou hast tasted of mercy thou canst not but acknowledg that it is an engaging thing Tit. 2.11.12 For the grace of God that bringeth Salvation hath appeared unto all men teaching us that denying all ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world 5. If thou pretendest to Saintship and are not drawn by mercy surely thou hast a frame of spirit much different from the Saints of old for the love of God constrained them 1 Cor. 5.4 they had beseeching spirits which were very much affected with such arguments as I shewed you Rom. 12.1 6. If these are not perswasive motives how then art thou under that promise Hos 3.5 Afterward shall the children of Israel return and seek the Lord their God and David their King and shall feare the Lord and his goodnesse in the latter dayes 7. Is it not reason that thou shouldest do Gods work when he hath provided one to do thine he hath sent a Christ unto thee who offers himself to be thy life and thy strength and he tells thee That he hath left Heaven for a time that he might come down and make such an offer of himself to sinners and wilt thou not leave a little of the world to offer up thy self to him Shall the kind proffers of Christ in the Gospel meet with no returns Canst thou do lesse then offer up all that thou hast or art as a reasonable sacrifice to him who so freely offers thee himself in his Son to be thy righteousnesse wisdom sanctification and redemption In a word to be all and in all to thy soul Canst thou deny him thy time who offers thee Eternity Is thy present time and condition and ability too good to give out to him who offers thee more in Christ then thy present condition is able to bear more then can enter into thine heart to conceive Reserve nothing from him of thy little who gives thee with a reserve for this reason because thy present condition is not capable of all he intends thee Sixthly Consider how quick the Lord is with some men to cut them off without giving them many warnings or suffering them to grow up to such a measure of sin as he does others as he did Nadab and Abihu And that Gods coming to Judgement will appear quick when ever it comes 1. Though thou mayest have a smooth time in sin yet when that time of pleasure in sin is past it will seem very short Ask the old man and he wil tel that his Youth was quickly gone and Age came suddenly upon him Is not the life past like a tale that is told If God should suffer thee to live a full age and then cut thee off in thy sin wouldest not thou seem to go down quickly into hell 2. If you compare the time past with Eternity God is not slack concerning his comming saith the Apostle you will finde him quick enough when he comes Art thou come say the spirits to torment us before the time as some say before the end of the World and I exclude not that but how did the Divel know the end was not yet But it intimates that although the Divel had so many thousand years to tempt yet he thought it too soon to be troubled 3 He may be quick in that he wil be unwelcome and unwelcom guests when ever they come wil come too soon 4 When he cometh latest he will come before thou lookest for him he will come unawares and so wil be quick with thy soul notwithstanding all this patience the evil servant said not I have no Master nor that his Master wil
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
word that cometh out of our lips Prover 15.2 3. The tongue of the wise man useth knowledge aright but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishnesse The eys of the Lord are in every place beholding the evil and the good hee is advising to a discreet and wise ordering of words not only to speak according to knowledge but also according to discretion to do and speak every thing and word seasonably and suitably and to edification and this he urges from this Thou art under the eye of the Lord and what sad effects the want of this consideration hath brought forth let the Scripture beside our sad experience declare Hear what account David gives of this Psalm 10.11 He hath said in his heart God hath forgotten hee hideth his face hee will never see it Hee rips open the heart of the wicked and shews the reason of his practical wickedness We have the very sinews of sin that strengthen the hands of wicked men They slay the widow and the stranger and murther the fatherlesse yet say the Lord shall not see neither shall the God of Jacob regard it If thou wouldest therefore be found walking in an even path and avoid the steps of the wicked keep thine eys upon God and that thou mayest do this First Consider that God will eye thee whether thou eyest him or no it s the commendation of a picture when it is drawn so that the eye of it is upon thee wheresoever thou standest to behold it the Image of God is rightly drawn upon thy soul when thou seest his eye is alwaies towards thee Secondly Consider that thou livest no longer then whilst thou art present with God and God with thee whilst thou walkest without God in thine eye thou liest under a cloud and a damp is upon thy spirit coldness and deadness must needs seize uâ—on thy heart when it is withdrawn from the eye of the sun Psal 16 11. Thou wilt show me the path of life in thy presence is fulness of joy at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore As the Epicure said A man doth live onely whilst he doth enjoy his pleasure So may I say Thou dost live no longer then thou art with God See what the Apostle sayes of such as are strangers to the life of God they have a name to live but are dead or if thou art not altogether dead yet thou livest only in the root as the tree doth in winter when the leaves and fruit fail who can tell whether it be alive or dead there is little difference between a dead one and that So indeed it is with the people of God whilst they neglect this great duty there is little difference betwixt carnal people and them Thirdly Consider how thou art engaged to this duty as thou professest thy self a Christian it is thy duty as a Professor to walk as Christ walked He that saith he abideth in him ought himselfe also to walk even as he walked 1 Joh. 2.6 If thou wouldest know how he walked consult with Psal 16.8 I have set the Lord alway before me because he is at my right hand I shall not be moved And if you doubt whether this be meant of Christ or not see Act. 2.25 For David speaketh concerning him I foresaw the Lord alway before my face for he is on my right hand that I should not be moved You see the fruit which is from hence stability in the ways of God therefore he had assurance that he should not be moved Fourthly Consider this was Davids frame and therefore not onely imitable but attainable also Psalm 25 15. Mine eyes are ever towards the Lord Psalm 139.17 18. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me O God! how great is the summ of them If I should count them they are more then the sands when I awake I am still with thee Why should not this engage us and encourage us to endeavour this thing seeing that the Saints of old have attained unto it why should we not go and do likewise Fifthly Consider such a frame of spirit is very dear unto the Lord and a People that so live are very precious unto him he sets much by such a people who carry him much in their eye Mal. 3.16 Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another and the Lord hearkened and heard it and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon his Name God will be sure to think upon those for good who think much upon him the Lord enters their names upon the List for preservation takes special notice of them Not that we should think that the Lord hath any need of a Register to keep things in remembrance but that the Lord might hereby speaking after the manner of men give his people good assurance that they should not be forgotten by him that whoever were neglected in an evil day these should be provided for these are his Jewels as he calls them Now we know if a house be on fire a man will run and catch the Jewels that he hath in his house or the Children that he hath and save them from the flames Thus will God save his precious ones Oh here you may see how good it is to have God in our thoughts for one thought of him shall not be lost God will not only cause their prayers to return into their bosoms but their thoughts shall come home at such a time Sixthly Consider such a frame will bee very sweet unto thee thou wilt find it at present a very choice frame of spirit to have God much before thee David found sweet refreshments here when he could not find any comfort from any visible thing he then had it in his thoughts within him Psa 94.19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soule Psalm 139.17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me O God! how great is the sum of them David seems to be ravished with the sweetnesse of the thoughts of his heart he does as it were travel with a desire to expresse that sweetnesse which he found in the very thoughts of God and because they were inexpressible he propounds this in a question to the Lord who only was able to give an answer How precious are thy thoughts O God! The worldlings thoughts or the wantons thoughts or the voluptuous mans thoughts are not cannot bee half so sweet unto him as the thoughts of God are to a soul that sincerely converseth with him Seventhly Consider that the more thou conversest with God the sweeter will his name and waies be unto thee when thou hast once made entrance into this duty and hast tasted the sweetnesse of it thou wilt not know where or when to end David speaking in commendation of the ways of God hath this expression I know no end therof And in that Psa 119.96 I have seen an end of all perfection but thy Commandment is exceeding
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
against such particular corruptions or temperations how doth the Lord answer thee in these things What returns hath this day brought forth of prayer if any then there is way made for another duty of praise if it hath brought forth none as yet then there is work for faith to live upon God and to wait for him untill he return and speak peace This was Davids excellency when be had prayed and spred his want before the Lord he had not done with them but he waited to see what would become of his prayer Psalm 5.3 My voice shall thou hear in the morning O Lord in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee and will look up Here is a double care in praying to hit the mark to study his wants and after prayer I will not lose what I have prayed for for lack of looking after it I will wait to see what answer the Lord will give to me according to that Psal 85.8 I will hearken what the Lord God will speake and like a beggar that comes to the door and in begging opens his condition presentâ—y he listens to hear whether any answer him from within or what manner of return is made or as a man that hath made an adventure to Sea waits still to hear what is become of the Ship whether she came safe to the Harbour whether she was bound and he is stil waiting for some good news of a safe returne of adventures why should not men look as much after their prayers they are their adventures to Heaven I am sure there are many of them lost for want of looking after Men think it is enough if they have been a little warmed or enlarged in the duty but look not after their hearts nor prayers after whether God answers them or not and this is a great reason of the unconstancy in the frame of the people of God If we could but follow our prayers as worldly men do their designs we should seldome let the Lord go out of our eye if we could but consider our Petitions and our present tempers and compare them would it not minde us when our hearts are out of frame this is not the frame of spirit which I begged of God this day I sought other things of God when I was before him suerly this is not an answer of my prayers they are lost this day for ought I can see I do not find that humility self-denial heavenly-mindedness that watchfullness zeal c. which I prayed for this day O did I pray for such a cold drousie dead frame of spirit as now I am under If these kinde of reasonings were taken up they would serve to bring our spirits into praying frames again when they are fallen Tenthly Keep an eye and an ear open unto Providences they will hint much of God to thee he is wonderfull in his goings and in every condition if thou art an observer of God thou shalt find a rod or a staff and either of these will administer occasion of drawing nigh to God if thou hast a desire to keep the Fire constantly burning upon the Altar thou needest not to want fuel to keep it alive every Providence and Dispensation of God will if well and wisely improved afford thee somthing to keep thy heart flaming toward God Eleventhly Lose not the Book of the Creatures that is alwayes open before thee and in it much of God to be seen although he be not fully revealed in them yet something of him you may finde there the very Heathens saw something of God in Nature Rom. 1.20 and surely thou maist read enough in the Book of the Creatures to prevent those Atheisticall thoughts which abound in mens spirits and are the very flood-gates as I have shewed you unto practicall wickedness thon maist suck out something out of one Artribute and something of another and although all these are too weak to declare the Father yet he being revealed in Christ these may be Memento's to thee because they are always before thee I may say as Christ said once Me you have not alwayes with you but the poor you have You have not Christ alwayes nor Saints nor Ordinances always but the creatures you have alwayes with you these are constant Preachers and therefore fit remembrances Psalm 19.1.2 The Heavens declare the glory of God and the Firmament sheweth his handy-work day unto day utereth speech night unto night sheweth knowledg David learns much out of this Book of Nature the Creatures taught him knowledge by conversing with them and observing God â—n them and it is observable that he mentions such Creatures as are most frequently known such as every man converses withall he pitches not upon the great and mighty works of God in the depths he does not send men to the Leviathan to inquire for this knowledge every man cannot find him out neither does he send men into the Wilderness to find the Lion or the Elephant or the Ostridge or any of those creatures little known to men neither does he send men to the Seas because many are strangers to them nor to the Earth because the Sea-man who hath lost the sight of the Land should not say he had lost his teacher but he sends to the Sky and to the Firmament this is seen or known by Sea or by Land But you will say When the day is gone then the night wraps up the Firmament in a Mantle and takes it away from our eyes what shall we converse withall then he answers this Then thou hast the Night that is a creature and who-ever thou art and where-ever thou art thou hast Day or Night Light or Darknesse and these teach knowledge thou canst not want an Instructor or one to minde thee of God so long as the Book of the Creature is before thee and this he proves is never shut night nor day but alwaies legible and in every page there is something to minde thee of the glorious God and surely David got abundance of knowledge and choise affections by observing the Creation and had many sweet frames of spirit and choise breathings from hence and when God was about to instruct Job and to furnish him with an holy and humbling knowledge he opens to him this book of Nature and shewed him abundance of his glory there and although he speaks of many Creatures to whom we are strangers yet of many again which are not so intimating that there was enough to be seen of God among the Creatures most usual and best known to us to mind us and to affect us with the Majesty of the Lord. Twelfthly Compare those daies and hours which thou spendest with God in thine eye and thoughts with those which thou spendest without him and try which of them do bring thee most comfort examine thy heart in thy bed at the end of this day compare a day wherein thou hast walked in a sweet holy humble frame wherein thou hast walked with an active spirit
far in a profession of Religion and seemed to have some power upon them to reform them yet the Corruption of their wils overcomming the light and Convictions which were in their Consciences and finding themselves at liberty they are more vile then ever They are worst at last as is not onely asserted here but in that Parable Mat. 12.43.44.45 If the unclean Spirit be cast out by the power of Conviction alone he will returne to his old habitation he will come and see who keeps house and if it be empty in respect of grace and garnished only with a profession and with natural abilities he will enter againe and he will bring company enough to guard for the future and they shall be none of the best seven Spirits more wicked then himselfe Perhaps hee was a drunkard or swearer or Sabbath-breaker But as he troubled himself about Religion so hee troubled not the professors of it But if he fal back to these sins againe it s ten to one but he proves a scoffer or a persecutor of the wayes and people of God See an instance Mal. 3.14 There where some who pretended to holiness but when they fel off Obs First They did not onely lay aside such duties but struck at them Secondly They scoffed at such as walked humbly with God Thirdly They joyned and so took part with the worst of men They call the proud happie Apostates seldom stand as Neuters Thus I have I hope cleered the two first propositions you have seene it both day and night with the wicked I come now to speak of The Third Proposition viz. That when this day is past and over the things of peace are hid from the soul This is so easily deducible from the two former that I need not speak much to prove it If a day be set to treat with persons and upon terms to conclude a peace if they stand out this day and do nothing the Commission is out of date Thus says the Lord I gave Commission to my Messengers to Conscience and to the Word to plead and strive with you about an agrement and ye would not Now the time is over Conscience and the Word have no Commission to treate with thee againe for I am resolved against peace now Thus God dealt with Jezabel Rev. 2.21 I gave Jezabel space to repent says he But she repented not I am now resolved to take another course with her I will call her c. If the day end any way Peace must needs end with it When God workes as I have shewne you and they come to that passe as hath beene declared we may easily Conclude Peace is hid First if God withdraw from the soule and give over stiring Corruption must needs carry it When God takes away those Convictions which did restaine and bridle the man he will doubtlesse then follow his own lusts and take fil of sinne commit it with greediness But you see it evidently God hath said my Spirit shall not alwayes strive with man Such a man hath desired to enjoy his Lusts quietly and I am resolved he shal have enough of it and where wil such a man stop whom God wil not hinder or when wil he returne whom God will not draw Corruption will doubtlesse Lord it in such a soule Secondly If the Lord leave stiring wtth the soule Satan wil have his wil upon it If the Lord withdraw his inward workings Satan wil draw neere and he will fill up the House If Christ rule not he will Paul sets out the Condition of poore souls who are without Christ thus 2 Tim. 2.26 Satan leads them Captive at his will and Eph. 2.2 He says they walk according to the Prince of the power of the Ayre i. e. according to his mind This is the Condition of every Naturall man Satan hath goten such a power over them that they doe what he Commands But besides this power which Satan hath in men naturally here is a Judiciary delivering up of Souls to the power and will of Satan when their day is over Many who are under the first power of Satan may be recovered but such as come thus under his power are irrecoverably lost and undone 2 Cor. 4.3.4 If our Gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Not to such as are lost in Adam as all men are who are naturally in a lost Condition of which yet some at least shall be repayred But such as are appointed to be destroyed who are lost past Hope In a word when a mans day is over he is lost and peace is hid from him upon a twofold account First In respect of God He withdraws the light and resolves never more to have to doe with such a poore Creature in a way of mercy never to whisper one word of conviction or of Counsell more to him concerning his soule and then he that is filthy must needs be filthy still who will be faithfull to that mans soul or shew him the misery of his Condition or the folly of his waves whom God will Counsell no more The Sunne is set and the day must needs be done Secondly The day being done peace is hid in respect of himself because he had no eyes to see the things of peace They were but shut before either out of prejudice or neglect or wantonness but now they are put out or sealed up so that they shal be opened no more and then although the Sun shine never so Bright yet the eyes being put out he lyes under an impossibility of seeing the things of peace This is as clear as the Sunne when it shines from that of John 12.39 40. Therefore they could not beleeve because he had blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts c. Thus the day of grace and peace you see may be over unto men although the Gospel in respect of the publique administrations doe continue as clear as ever Thus we finde it was with some of the Jewes in Isaiahs time as I have shewn you from Isa 6.9 10. Yet was he the most Evangelical of all the Prophets And thus it was in Christ's time many who lived under the Richest dispensations of the Gospel who heard and saw Christ who spake as never man spake and did what never any did yet were past seeing and Christ saies expressely at last That he did not intend that they should see Mat. 13.10 11 12. Before I come to apply these truths which have been proved I shall clear them from some mistakes or misapprehensions which might arise First Some will say Does not that which hath been spoken strongly infer that Christ died for all Answ The Gospel hath plainly and fully declared that Christ died for sinners and all sinners without exception are invited to come to him and take freely of the waters of life and the promise of Acceptance is cleare None shall be refused who will come to him So that upon this account we have as
〈◊〉 He remembred Vasti i e. he talked of her unkindness and rebellion and resolved to be revenged of her Thus the wickedness of Israel and her whoredom in her old age is exprest by a remembring of the whoredom of her youth Ez. 23.19 Then persons are said to remember any thing when they express the same in their actions and do that which speaks out the thoughts of their hearts so that to remember God is to do that which becomes a people to do who do remember God to have God in our mouths and God in our lives this is properly a remembring of God so that the exhortation here is very ful and large and may be taken either to be 1. Of the same extent with that conclusion v. 13. and a discovery of the fear of the Lord wherein it doth consist viz. in a serious constant eying of God Or 2. The Text is one Branch of the means prescribed to attain the fear of the Lord which is a setting the Lord before us the other Branch he handles before viz. the considering of the vanity of the world and all things in it and upon these two considerations of the vanity of the Creature and the excellency of the Creator he perswades to the fear of the Lord and he presseth them both in order to that conclusion vers 13. Fear God and keep his Commandements intimating That the neglect of God and of his ways did arise from a mistake of the world and from a forgetfulness of God therefore Remember thy Creator Qu. Why doth he close this title for the Lord and to present him thus to our considerations A. First negatively not because this is the most excellent Title or Name of God for God hath other Names and Titles more glorious then this although this be full of glory Secondly Nor that he would bound the thoughts and spirit of man within this knowledge of God but would allow him to travel farther then the work of Creation as into the works of Providence and into the works of Redemption wherein God hath as it were laid the Top-stone of his glory Thirdly He chuseth this consideration of God as being most suitable to the subject of his Discourse he had been discoursing of the vanity of creatures and beating men off from them and in opposition to them nothing more suitable to be set up then the Creator that they might not fal into that horrid wickedness too common in mens spirits mentioned Rom. 1.25 Of loving and serving the Creature more then the Creator Fourthly He mentions this name of God more then any other because from hence did follow an universal argument which reached all sorts of people this was a relation which all stood in towards God he might not have argued from providence so wel for then it would not have been so strong to the poor as to the rich nor from Redemption for then the unconverted or the doubting Soul could not have made equal use of it with those who saw their interest and knew it in him through Christ but as a Creator he stands related to all good and evil rich and poor high and low yong and old Jew and Gentile so that he that had least from God had his being and God as a Creator challenged respect and service from him and if he had no more knowledge of God yet herein he was to remember God and if more then not onely as a Creator but in all his glory as verse the thirteenth Fear God and keep his Commandements Thus the duty Now the Adjunct of time 1. In the days not in a few spare hours but in the days and not in a day but indefinitely to exclude none it must be a constant a continued work every dayes work and the nights must not be excluded for this day is made up of Morning and Evening Night and Day do but fill up this 2. As in the dayes so not in what dayes thou wilt allot for it and set apart it must not be put off untill thy latter or last days but it must be in the days of thy youth 3. Nor will to morrow or the next day serve the turn but it must be this day the present day and time is now Of thy youth or of thy choyces the word here translated Youth comes from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Elegit hence is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Electus Juvenis Quasi ad omnes operas selectus and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word here used The choyce or chusing age the choice then runs thus When thou art chusing a suitable object for thine eye or for thy heart toward which all thy afterdesignes shal bend Oh then think upon God and consider whether he be not the best choice The wise man in the Text and the verse preceding mentions three parts of Mans life and expresses them by distinct termes though in the translation the two latter are confounded The first (a) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies the New â—orn child The second (b) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the time betwixt (b) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 infancy and maturity the same word is used to express the twi-light or mixture of light and darkness that is betwixt the time of the night and the sun rising These says he are vanity not onely vaine in the sense that every part of a mans life may be called vaine but vain in comparison of the third part which follows in the Text. These two parts are empty and void there is nothing to be expected or found in these because in them we make no choice but are pleased with every toy Present things delight the childish age we do not fix our spirits upon this or that as our chiefest good we drive no designs for hereafter But when these vaine empty dayes are past then comes the third part and this promises something (c) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Juventus aetas selecta this is a choice pretious hopeful time in comparison of the former yea indeed it is almost the onely hopeful time of a Mans life for if he lose this time it is ten to one that ever be prove good for now he begins to fix upon some thing or other toward which he bends afterwards all his endeavours he sets up a Summum bonum when he comes to days or years of discretion then he begins to weigh and value things and is not contented with what he was when he meets with any thing of a a more valuable consideration Now saith the Wise-man that thou art come to thy riper years and art weighing things in this ballance in order to thy setling and fixing thy spirit upon that which shal appear most considerable now Remember thy Creatour put him in one scale against all them and let reason and Judgement determine whether he be not to be chosen before all things see whether his excellency will not weigh down all these vanities but do it in the day that thou
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
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
dyed for thee in particular But it is a believing that God is â—ue and that the Record which he hath given of his Son is true From hence we have this expression John 3.33 He that believeth hath put to his seal that God is true And unbelief is described notably 1 John 5.10 He that beleeveth not maketh God a lyar Not that a Beleever cannot know and believe his interest particularly in the death of Christ or be certain of Election but the Gospel cals upon us to prove these things and infer them by reason and experience Yet here ye must not think that Faith lies only in assent of the understanding only but also in the consent of the Will I speak here of it only as it respects the former How do many content themselves with giving a general assent to the truth of the word of God and yet they deny the great and main truths of it and make God a lyar in the great things which he hath spoken concerning eternal life Many men pretend that the reason why they stir no more for salvation is because they know not whether they are elected or not or whether Christ dyed for them or not But alas there is something else really at the botttom They beleeve not the Record which God hath given of his Son If they did believe what God hath spoken concerning mens natural and spiritual estates concerning Christ and sinne Heaven and Hell they would look about them But although these men beleeve not yet it will appeare that this foundation was laid for them also even the truth and faithfullness of God into which the faith of all the Lords people shall bee resolved God proposed such termes of eternall life annext a promise to them The Elect closed with these terms and relyed on the truth of God to make the promise good and was not the truth of God engaged as much to the one as to the other in case they had rested on it Fourthly They have and enjoy the same means God preaches to them by the same messengers he does not send one wiser and more learned or more holy to preach to those who are or shall be saved and one weake and insufficient or less convincing to preach to those who perish But they often heare the same word together from the same person Christ bids his Disciples enter into the house where the Son of Man was not as well as in to the house where he was Luk. 16.5 6. and Christ wrought the same works before the Pharisees that he did before the Disciples Fifthly the Gospel in offering Christ unto thee says nothing of Election makes no difference betwixt elected not elected It speaks not to the Elect as Elect but as fallen as sinners as poor lost undone creatures and so it speaks to thee and to all The Gospel says nothing to thee of election until thou hast past over the first work of Beleeving and if thou art not elected yet this cannot properly be a reason of thy rejecting Christ for the Gospel made no difference betwixt thee and Elect ones in offering Christ unto thee Secondly neither didst thou consider thy Non-Election in thy rejecting Christ Who told thee that thou wert not Elected Nay thirdly Thou didst think that thou wert Elected and yet didst not look after Christ Sixthly They have such termes proposed that if they did come up to them they should be saved Although the Lord hath purposed not to â—ave some men yet we must not conceive that God wills that they should not be saved upon any termes he wills their salvation so far as they will the terms of salvation If they would comply with the way and meanes which he hath proposed and prescribed i.e. Beleeve repent they should be saved upon such terms as these God wills every mans salvation Revel 22.17 And let him that will come if he will come up to the termes of Christ he shal have of the waters of life whoever he be There is a great difference betwixt Gods willing mans salvation upon Gospel termes and his Electing men unto salvation For whom he Elects he absolutely determines to save out of the good pleasure of his will He appoints the meanes as well as the end he resolves to give faith and Repentance to such to incline their hearts and to convert them to himself Thus he wills the salvation of the Elect. But he wills the salvation of all men otherwise viz. upon such and such termes If they wil make use of such meanes as he gives them and come up to his termes they shall be saved otherwise not Nay he gives them so much as to leave them inexcusable at the last day and to make it evident that he wil'd their salvation more then they did It wil be then clear that had many men will'd their salvations upon those terms which the Lord did they had been saved Quest But how does that appear Answ Thus God was willing to give thee salvation if thou wouldest turn to him But thou didst never will it upon such termes Mat. 13.14 15. Thou wert willing to be saved but it was if thou mightest keep thy old Lusts still thou wouldst not buy salvation at so dear a rate as Conversion So that we may say that the reason why many a man is not saved is not because God would not but because they would not There were termes proposed by the Lord and there was nothing that parted the Lord and them but their wills As in the case of the young man in the Gospel whose estate parted Christ and him Was it not his wil that undid him Dare any say that if he had come up to the termes of Christ he had not been saved Christ made him a firm promise upon a condition which only parted Christ and him Mat. 19.21 And what was it that undid Israel Psalm 81.13 Oh that Israel had walked in my wayes c. Did Israel suffer because God was not willing to bless and prosper them Surely no But because Israel did not seek it in the way which God was willing to bestow it Had they will'd their peace in the way that the Lord will'd it they had had it And so in the Text did wicked men wil their own salvation as the Lord does they should be saved Seventhly They have some inward meanes and helps to make their day of peace the cleerer The Spirit of God does strive with them in his word and works and sollicites their return but they will not obey it Gen. 6.3 Thus the Lord strove with the old world until he was weary This was it which Stephen charged upon the Jews Acts 7.51 Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost To this we may add that of 1 Pet. 3.18 19. God did not onely preach by Noah whilst he was preparing the Arke but by his Spirit also convincing them of sinne and warning them to repent Now that you may see how farre the Lords affords inward meanes
as well as outward to many that perish I shal lay down these few particulars First He inlightens their understandings which before were wholly darkned and gives them the knowledg of many Gospel truths yea sometimes in such a manner and measure that they are able to teach and instruct others and to tel others what is to be done when yet they themselves wil not doe what they direct others unto Rom. 2.19.20 Thus Judas and Demas had such gifts and knowledg as made them for a time serviceable to others yet they served not the interest of their own souls Secondly He shews them the equity of his wayes so that he cannot but confesse that what the Lord requires is just and reasonable and so also what he threatens and yet they have no wil to do the same Rom. 1.32 The Heathens were convinced that God would judge their wayes and he would punish them with death and they could not deny the justice of this sentence How much more are many convinc'd strongly of this who live under a searching Ministry To this we may adde that of Rom. 2.18 Thou approvest of the things which are excellent God inlightens them so far that their judgements are for him though their affections are for the Devil and sin Thirdly He moves so far sometimes until he stirre up some kinde of resolutions in them and Conscience grows so hot that nothing wil quiet it but making of promises to do something in answer to such Convictions Acts 24.25 Thus Felix quieted his Conscience when it was in a flame by telling it he would hear Paul and it another time Fourthly He moves so strongly upon the heart of a sinner that he cannot be quiet unlesse he do something for the present in obedience to that word which is set close to him by the Spirit of God Thus Herod heard John Baptist and did many things Mark 6.20 Fifthly He squeezes a sweetnesse out of his wayes upon their spirits sometimes so that they are convinc'd that it is good following of God Thus the stony ground received the Word with joy Matth. 13.20 And They tasted of the heavenly gift Heb. 6.4 They had some peace in their spirits and comfort in the hope that sin was pardoned and this seemed a sweet thing to them Sixthly He gives them some taste of the powers of the World to come as Balaam had Numb 23.10 He had strange Convictions of the povvers of the World to come He â—avv that a mans happinesse did not lie in the things of this life But there vvas another life vvhich vvas principally to be cared for and look't after He knevv that the people of God had a happinesse reserved for them in that life which was more then all the pleasures of this He knevv that they vvould be the happy men vvho had feared and loved the Lord yet he loves not them although he desired their Condition He would have cursed them for wages yet he desired to be blessed with them Thus you see God goes farre to stirre those who are not saved I have now shewne you wherein a wicked mans day consisteth and how farre it does extend to outward and to inward helps and meanes whilst these things continue which I have shewed you it may be sayd It is day with them But as this day of theirs seemes to be some what cleere in respect of meanes yet it is a very uncertaine day whose length is onely known to the Lord. For he causes the Sun to rise and set at his pleasure And although wee cannot by the exactest Calculations finde out precisely how long or short this day is to particular soules yet we may lay down General Rules and make such Scripture proposals as may help men very much in judging concerning this Gospel day at least I doubt not but to shew you so much as will cleere this truth or Second Proposition That a sinners day may end whilst he injoyes the outward means of grace Sometimes the Lord brings the nigth upon a people by taking a way the means of grace wholly from them When the Sun sets it must needs be dark and if the Gospel were taken quite a way he world would be as dark as Hell But I intend not to insist upon the proofe of this I shall grant that a sinner may have all the choyce outward helps that can be injoy'd continued to him and yet this day may be over And that will appeare First Because God may withdraw the Convictions of his Spirit from him notwithstanding he injoyes the word the Lord may say as Gen 6.3 My Spirit shall strive no more with this man And alas when God hath withdrawne his Spirit from the world to what purpose is it Secondly No onely so but the Lord does hold them from seeing and understanding those things which concern their peace as he held the Disciples from knowing him whilst he talked with them so does he these men from knowing any thing savingly Rom. 11.8 10. God hath given them a Spirit of slumber c. When God hath plainly convinc'd of the truth of his Gospel and sollicited their returne by many morall perswasions and stirrings of Conscience and they will not receive the truth in the love of it He then does not onely withdraw the light which shined convincingly upon their Consciences but he dos hold their eyes from seeing or puts the truths of his Gospel into such a dress that they should mistake them Therefore sayes Christ Matth. 13.11 13. I spake to them in parables Thus says the Lord to his Word and Messengers Go and speak to such a people concerning their peace but I wil cast such a vayl upon plaine truths that they shall not understand what is plainly spoken to them for their good Compare Isai 6.9 with Isa 29.10 and tel me whether God does not take up such resolutions as this That the people who would not see at one time shal not see at another And how farre are such a people from night judge you Thirdly He sometimes hardens their hearts and makes them heavy by that word which in it self is a word of healing and softning He hath said the word shall not go forth in vaine and return empty It shal do something either as a savour of life or of death but because they have refused the word as it offers life God in just judgement makes it a killing word to them as we may see Isaiah 6.10 it is a sad thing when the Lord shoots the Gospel as poysoned arrows against the soul which wil surely kil yet this the Lord often does against such as have rejected the saving offers of it as we may see Isaiah 28.12 13. The Lord gave them line upon line and precept upon precept that they might goe and fall backward and be broken c. But the Lord never deales thus with a people but for sins against his word that he might by his word punish their disobedience to it Fourthly He delivers them
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
did Come another time But it is a question whether God will waite upon thee any more or not perhaps he 'le give a Commission to his Messengers to speake no more he will send them to another people Or if it doe come againe it may never come with that heat and light that it comes now to thee the Word which iâ— nâ—w a spirited Worâ— may be a dead coâ—d Word ever after to thee Felix put off the Word when it came in some power He might have heard many Sermons before he met with such another Oh let not the probability of enjoying the meanes make thee secure under it Thou sayest pehapes if thou wert likely to have no more of it thou wouldest then listen to the present word and the Convictions of it Oh but what if thou wert sure yet to enjoy the Word art thou sure to finde it a Convincing Word thou mayest have it then but if God hath withdrawne the inlightning convincing power from it what difference will there be betwixt thee and him that hath no word oh how little is this considered and minded by the greatest part of man they hear as if they were sure to heare againe and as if there were no danger of being lost under the Word they say they have the meanes and there is no such hast if we here it not to day we may hear it to morrow we shall have the same Word then which we have now and it wil be well if we listen to it then But though you should have the same Word and the same persons which speake the Word to you then yet you may finde it as another thing to you then the Word may be now a Convincing Word there may be some spirit and power in it now and then it may be otherwise to thee God may have withdrawne all convincing quickning comforting power from it and then it will seeme to thee that it is not the same Word that it was thou mayst hear the same things which stirre thee now and not be moved at al and then if God be withdrawne from his Ordinances it is all one as if he had taken them away too Oh take this into your Consideration you who doe enjoy a constant Ministry and have the Word constantly preacht to you listen to it as if it were departing from you for though the Word it self continue yet if the Spirit depart from it thy soul is undone If you had but a little time to live or but a little time to hear the word thou wouldest be perswaded to look after it But oh these may be true one or both but suppose neither be true that thy life be not short nor the meanes short yet let me tell thee the time in which God will strive with thy soul may be short yea very short There is a prefixed time set for thee to come in to Christ which if thou passest over if thou diddest live to Methuselabs age and haddest the choicest means under Heaven yet thou shouldest not be converted If thou haddest an assurance that any time in thy life would serve the turn yet thou hast no reason to delay for thy life is very uncertain and short for this great work But the means is more uncertain thou art not sure that the Gospel shal always sound in thine â—ars Oh but Gods striving with thy heart is most uncertain for who knows how soon he wil give over to struggle with thee Thy life is a very inconsiderable thing because of the shortness of it it is but a moment in comparison of eternity Oh but the day of grace is a short thing in comparison of thy life Take heed of carelesness as if thou didst know that thy day of grace would bold to the last day of thy life We never read that conversion and death met together in one day save to one man which was the Thief on the Crosse it was to one to prevent despair in them whose eyes are then opened and it was but to one that none might presume upon such a time before it come If such a day and it hath such an end and it leave men under such an irrecoverable condition then take hold of the present time while it is called to day Because thou art sure onely of the present there is a night coming when no man can work not onely a night of death but a night of spiritual slumber wherein thou shalt walk up and down with eyes blinded understanding darkened affections alienated from God Conscience seared with a black mark of ruine and perdition upon thy soul when thou shalt not onely be without sence but past sence past seeing and past feeling and past hopes when thou shalt think that thou seest and yet seest not and think that thou perceivest and yet shalt be blinde as the Mole having no true understanding of God nor of thy own condition before him Oh when this night comes upon thee woe unto thee thy work must needs lye behind for ever If you could but foresee such a thing as this is and did believe indeed that it would come upon thee wouldest thou not lay aside all delaies and bethink thy self of improving this inch of time which thou hast for Eternitie I beseech you all therefore in the Lord be perswaded to consider of this thing it is a great thing that I am treating about lay it to your hearts and lay about you as those who have but a little time to mind a great business Think of these things First Some think themselves too great to think on such things they have great cares and many incumbrances Secondly Many think they are not great enough when they are risen to such a height in honour or estate then they wil mind it and some too young another time wil serve All these put it off to another time A death-bed there they appoint Conscience to meet them and debate the business Two great general Deceits run thorow mens hearts First They pretend that they wil comply with the Gospel Few will say in plaine termes We wil not have Christ reign over us or We wil never hear any more of this matter but they wil appoint another time as they judge most convenient not considering that the time they dreame of may not come at all or if it does it may be no time for this the time for this work may be past Secondly They act for the world as if their being rich great did depend upon a day but as if the business of their souls had no dependance on the advantage of time but the Scripture speaks otherwise it has set thee a day for thy soul which if thou neglect thou shalt lose but for the world that may be had in the last place Matthew 6. First seek the kingdom of God and the righteousness thereof Great men mind this you have but a day you may neglect the time and God wil be as strict with you as others in
this and you have many hindrances and lesse helps then others Therefore not many rich c. Secondly To poor you have a day too although not to be rich and honourable yet to be happy if you neglect it not It is a word of exhortation to you al to old ones you have spent a great deal of time and what provision have you made for Eternitie If your day be not over yet you cannot expect that yours will last long you cannot expect to enjoy many daies in the flesh and if this be a truth which you have heard from the Word you are in a great deal of danger and it is high time for you to awake 2 It speaks also to you that are Young ones and bless your selves in the prime of your daies beginning of your strength it speaks to you in that of the Wise-man Ec. 12 1. Remember now thy Creator Do not say In my old Age no but do it in thy Youth nor yet I wil do it in my Youth but not yet but set about it now I say to thee as Christ did to Judas What thou doest do it quickly Do not say Thy Years are but few yet and thy daies are but begun for ought thou knowest the day of Grace may be almost done although the daies of thy life are but begun this Gospel-day is nearer to an end then thou art aware of thou hast no assurance of life but much lesse assurance of this if You didst believe this how would it rouse up your spirits and provoke you to take heed of every opportunity for your souls 5. If it be so then take heed of slighting convictions and the struglings of conscience for these are the critical times of your lives then you are near to making or marring now is the time or never And although thou art called to be serious t all times yet more especially now thy eternal happinesse lies at the stake and when God begins to struggle with thee it will be seen in a short time whether thou wilt be eternally happy or miserable This part of thy life is like to those Critical days which Physitians observe when either the Disease abates and breaks or kills So now either thou wilt grow better or worse after this either the day will break and darknesse will fly away and scatter or else the night will begirt thee and thy darkness will be much blacker then it was Have a care therefore all you who come to the Ordinance and finde any stirrings upon your Consciences lest you neglect this time First Because now God is near unto you I may draw an exhortation out of the Apostles words Acts 17.27 Now feel after God if happily you may finde him for he is not farre from you he is now with you and in you by his enlightning and convincing power now is the time if ever for such a word to take place as we have Isa 55.6 Seek him whiles he may bee found If ever God were neare you in a way of mercy it is now he is not only near you by his Gospel but in it he comes in it and with it he sends the spirit with the Word if thou doest flight these motions thou mayest never find him so near thee if he once go out of his Word and leave thee without a convincing light and power he then will go further and further from you and then wee may say Woe to you when God is departed from you Hos 9.12 This is one of the first steps of Gods forsaking Souls when he forsakes the Word under which they sit and it is in order to that dreadfull sentence Matth. 25.41 Depart from me ye cursed c. O therefore as you would not hear that dreadfull Sentence then fear it now lose God now and thou art like to lose him for ever But if thou wouldest keep him now and possesse him then so keep and cherish his Convictions take heed of slighting these for it is a slighting of God and if thou slight him while he is near thee thou wilt drive him further off quickly Be more careful now then ever because the day spends apace it hastens away more then ever you know when the sun comes at the highest he declines apace when the days are at their length they do shorten quickly when it is noon the sun hastens to his bed This time of Gods stirring with thee by Conviction is as thy Noon-day if thou slight that thy day will decline apace it will not be long ere it be night therefore while it is not only day but noon-day work for there is but a little time betwixt Noon and Night Nay let me tell thee thy day of Grace is not like the Natural day or year You know that the sun is as long descending as ascending and therefore the after-noon is as long as the fore-noon But it will not be so with thee thou mayest have a long morning and a short noon and a speedy night It may be long ere God does begin to strive with thee he may let thee live twenty thirty or forty years before he comes thus near thee all this while is but as thy fore-noon and then he may come near thy Conscience This is the noon of thy day and here he may continue strugling with thee for a year a month a week a day nay perhaps but one hour as with Felix with whom God strugled but one hour in one Sermon and if thou wilt not now hear the night shall gather upon thee and thou shall be shut up under darkness God wil resolve to struggle but a little while and he will not be so long in departing as he was in coming but if noon be past night comes suddenly he may be long a coming but quickly gone from thee 3 Be more careful now because God proportions the length of our day to the clearnesse of the means which thou enjoyest and to the strength of thy Convictions If God give men lettle means then he allows them the more time if he gives them more means he gives them the lesse time for this great work I do believe that under the Law when things were dark and in former days when the Gospel was but little preacht to what now it is God did give men a longer and larger space for Repentance then he does now Matth. 3.10 he waited longer upon sinners then now he does or will And as he proportions to the means so to our Convictions If he do strive much with a Soul and cause Convictions to fal thick and strong upon it it is an Argument that he intends to contend but a little while with that soul if he slight them He will speedly convert that Soul or harden it As we see in Felix God did strive but a little while but it was in a notable way he made him tremble but we do not find that he did strive any more after that fit was over We see something of this in
promise If thou dost this thou shalt find them mighty through Christ and him near at hand to help thee in all thy streights And be sure remember this that the use of the promise must not take thee off from other means prescribed neither must other means take thee off from the promise but in the use of all means herein lies the great strength in the strengthening promise Seventhly Labour for an experimental taste and knowledg of God in Christ this wil be the sweetest and surest means to keep the soul intent upon God Where your treasure is saith Christ there your hearts will be now no soul can make God and Christ his treasure but the experimental soul he that hath not tasted how good the Lord is cannot set his heart upon him so as to make him his portion and inheritance But the soul who hath had a taste from God and seen what engagements are from thence to keep close to God Phil. 3.7 to 14. Paul quickly cast away all when he had tasted of Christ but what things were gain to me those I accounted loss for Christ his senses were spiritualized and he does not content himself with a taste but he would comprehend but I follow after that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus he endeavours to that So reaching forth to these things which are before vers 13. and he presses to the mark vers 14. All these shew how an experimental rellish of the goodness of God doth engage the heart to him David hints thus much that there was nothing more conducible to the fear of the Lord then this taste of him Ps 34.8 9. O taste and see that the Lord is good blessed be the man that trusteth in him O fear the Lord ye his Saints for there is no want to them that fear him He cals upon to taste and try how good God is and then to fear him Plainly implying that if he could perswade men to make trial of God and his ways he should engage some of them to fear him from the experience of the sweetnesse of them and the Apostle makes use of this as an argument to press after growth in grace 1 Pet. 2.2 3. As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby if ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious Intimating that it could not be but they who had any experience of the grace of God and of his goodness in Christ must needs be hungring and thirsting after more communion with God if you would therefore keep up your hearts close to God seek for a taste look out for experimental knowledge it is this that wil endear God to your souls If we did labour to set up more precious and high esteem and honorable thoughts of God in our hearts we should endeavour to break through every condition to him What is it that draws the carnal heart after the world but a kinde of sweetness which his earthly distemperate pallate tastes in it What is it that made Israel long so much to go back again into Egypt was it not the garlick and the flesh-pots and because they had tasted of these and seen the Land and the fruitfulness of it they were going into a Land of which they had heard but had not seen therefore they often wished themselves back again and therefore the Lord commanded Moses to send out some to search the Land that they might bring of the fruit of it Numb 13.21 And they brought a cluster of Grapes of the choicest to commend the Land Thus it is with us whilst we make a profession without experience it is no wonder that our hearts keep not close to God we pretend to follow God whom wee know not but the world we know that is always with us we have experience of the sweetness of it and what it yeelds therefore we cleave more to that then to the Lord until he sends us a cluster of the first ripe grapes some first fruits of the Kingdom of Heaven If we have not a little of Heaven in our way to Heaven we shall never seek it with intention of spirit Eighthly Labour for a clear sight of interest Pulchrum meum Beauty and propriety do very much ingage the heart things that are beautifull are very much attractive but if we have an interest in them they seem the more beautiful 'T is a great help to consider of the excellency and goodness of God and of his wayes above and beyond the World and the pleasures of it but when we can consider God in relation to our selves then he is much more comely and glorious when we can say not only God is good but My God is good Propriety does wonderfully knit and glue the heart we see to its object in all things and so it will in spiritual things an interest in Christ revealed and cleared to the Soul doth marvellously engage it to him and quickens it in its acting heaven-ward see for this Colossians 3.1 2 3 4. If ye be then risen with Christ seeke those things that are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God set your affections on things above not on things of the earth for you are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God when Christ who is our life shall appear then shall ye also appear with him in glory The Apostle argues strongly with them unto a Spiritual life and constant frame of breathing after Christ and Spiritual things from their interest in Jesus Christ which was very clear and without scruple to many of their souls and we have the same improvement made of this which the Apostle exhorts to here Phil. 3.20 Our conversation is in heaven from whence we look for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ An interest in Christ draws the Soul much towards Heaven to be constantly looking for it and into it and this causes the Soul to bend unto it That Soul cannot be long a stranger to Heaven who knows a Saviour there O labour therefore to keep your interest clear and plain if you would keep your hearts constantly active and yearning towards Heaven Ninthly Follow thy Prayers and consider what becomes of them if thou dost so they will carry thee much to God consider in the day what thou diddest pray for in the morning and in the night what thou didst aske in the evening and live as one that waiteth for returns this will be an excellent means to keep thy heart busie with the Lord either in a waiting believing frame for something thou hast sought of God and is not yet given in or els in a thankful frame for some answer of prayer As you are before prayer to sum up your wants so after the duty consider of your Petitions and What you have sought of God for the day and wait for sutable returnes Hast thou prayed for a holy humble heart for an active frame of spirit for strength