chiefly to this Great Work And this will be yet more evident if we consider it in the several Parts All the Scripture may be reduced to these Seven Heads The Doctrines the Precepts the Exhortations the Promises the Threatnings the Examples and the Prayers therein Recorded And I shall give an Instance or two how every one of these is chiefly designed to be Subservient to this End This is the Total Sum plac't at the Foot of the Account when the Wisest of Men had Cast it up exactly Let us hear the Conclusion of the whole Matter Fear God and keep his Commandments for this is the Whole of Man For God shall bring every Work to Judgment with every Secret Thing whether it be Good or whether it be Evil Eccles 12.13 14. As if he had said When we have said all that can all that may be said this is in one word the Sum and Substance of the Whole All the several Lines from how different Points soever they are drawn terminate and end in this as their Centre Be Diligent in God's Work What doth the Doctrine teach us but To deny Vngodlyness and Worldly Lusts and to live Righteously Soberly and Godly in this present World Looking for that Blessed Hope and the Glorious Appearing of the Great God and our Saâ—iour Jesus Christ That there is a God Infinitely Glorious in all Perfections who hath made all Things for His Glory and Man especially to pay Him that Tribute of Glory which is due to Him from all His Works That Man hath an Immortal Soul more worth than all the World And that there is an Eternal Estate after this Life an Heaven and an Hell And that Man 's great Business is to attain the One and escape the Other That there shall be a Resurrection both of the Just and Vnjust That God will bring every Work to Judgment and render to every Man according to their Works That They who have done Good shall go into Eternal Life and They who have done Evil into Everlasting Punishment That the Good and Faithful Servant who was Diligent in God's Works shall receive his Master's Euge and be Advanced But the Wicked and Sloathful Sâ—rvant shall be bound Hand and Foot and cast into Vtter Darkness for his Neglecting it What do the Precepts enjoyn us but To Love the Lord with all our Heart and Soul with all our Strength and all our Might To Serve Him with a Perfect Heart and with a Willing Mind To Glorify Him in our Spirits and our Bodies To Work out our own Salvation with Fear and Trembling To Seek for Immortality and Eternal Life by patient Continuance in Well-doing To Strive to Enter the Streight-Gate To Give all Diligence to be admitted into Christ's Kingdom In a word The Sum of them is to Command us to Honour God and be Wise to Salvation And Thou hast Commanded us to keep these Precepts diligently Psal 119.3 As to the Hortatory Swasory Argumentative Part of the Scriptures 't is chiefly imploy'd to allure us to this Work To draw us by the Cords of a Man or to fright us out of our Negligence and drive us as with Whip-Cords To Convince us by the Clearest Light To Advise us by the Wisest Reasons To Beseech us by the Sweetest Mercies To Warn us by the Sorest Dangers To Perswade us by most Cogent Arguments To Oblige us by most Indispensible Engagements In a word To Prevail upon us by what-ever the Frame and Constitution of our Nature is capable of being moved by to mind our Work in Earnest or to leave us for ever inexcusable if we slight it or trifle at it As to the Promises 'T is said in general That Godliness hath the Promise of the Life that now is and of that which is to come And these Promises are for Number many Some who have reckoned them up affirm them no fewer than Six Hundred For Naâ—ure Great and Precious For Certainâ—y Immutable being bottom'd on the Truth of Him who cannot Lye He is Faithful that hath Promised And the Sum of them all is to give the strongest Assurance that God will Reward them that Diligently seek Him and that with exceeding great Rewards A Crown of Glory an Eternal Kingdom an Incorruptible Inheritance Fulness of Joy and Everlasting Life And the Threatnings which are as Terrible as the Promises are Comfortable the severest Wrath of God being Reveal'd from Heaven in them are all Levell'd against those who prefer the Devil's Work before God's or are Remiss and Careless in it How shall we Escape Great Damnation if we neglect so Great Salvation Vpon the Wicked He shall rain Snares Fire and Brimstone and an Horrible Tempest this shall be the Portion of their Cup. A Cup of Trembling indeed a Cup of Bitter and Poysonous Mixture and yet the very Dregs of it shall be wrung out to them and they must suck them up What hot and burning Thunder-bolts are such Sentences as these charg'd with Cursed be the Man that doth the Work of God deceitfully He that Believeth not shall be Damned Vnless ye Repent ye shall all Perish The Ax is laid to the Root of the Tree every Tree therefore which bringeth not forth Good Fruit shall be Cut down and cast into the Fire unquenchable If any Man love not our Lord Jesus Christ let him be Anathema Maranatha The Lord Jesus shall be Revealed from Heaven with His Mighty Angels in flaming Fire taking Vengeance on those who know not God and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall be destroyed with Everlasting Destruction from the Presence of the Lord and the Glory of His Power And Hundreds more which sound and signify as dreadfully as these Thou canst not hear such Sentences pronounc't without Affrightment unless thy Heart be like Leviathans hard as the Nether-Mill-stone And How wilt thou bear the Execution when thou comest to feel it The Histories and Examples to which I Reduce the Parables which are seigned Histories the Scope of all these is to shew God's Care of good Men and the Pleasure He takes in those who delight and love to do His Work with Diligence Such as Abel Enoch and the Holy Patriarchs Noah Abraham Isaac Jacob Joseph Moses Joshua Caleb and after David Jehosophat Hezechias Josiah c. with the Holy Apostles and Saints Recorded in the New-Testament Or His Wrath against Wicked Men and the Vengeance He inflicts upon Ungodly and Unfaithful Ones such as Cain and Cham and the Ten Spyes who brought up an Evil Report on the Good Land and discouraged their Brethrens Hearts from seeking it such as Nadab an Abihu who offered Strange Fire and were paid in their kind with as Strange a Fire which devoured them Such as Hophni and Phineas those Sons of Belial who polluted their Priesthood and caused Men to Abhor Oh horrible Wickedness the Lord's Service Such as Judas Ananias and Saphira Demas the Foolish Virgins Dives and the Slothful Servant and abundance more all
our All. And if it Honour Him so much it cannot Please Him a little and therefore shall not fail of a Sure an exceeding Great and an Everlasting Reward For that He is a Rewarder of them that Diligently seek Him is the First Principle and the very Corner-Stone on which Religion is Built Heb. 11.6 The Next Head from whence we might draw Motives to Diligence is the Evil of Sloath For Contraries expel each other Now Sloathfulness is out of measure Evil. The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Malus Wicked as we commonly render it in its Primary Signification is Ignavus Sloathful to intimate to us that Sloath is the Root and Mother of all Evil. Matth. 25.26 Thou Wicked and Sloathful Servant The Sloathful Servant is the Wicked Servant Sloath is the Devil's Anvil He Forges and Fashions all his Temptations on it And thence produceth and by it induceth Men into the greatest Sins and Dangers As of Idleness comes no Goodness so all Evil issues from it When the Devil had been cast out yet upon return finding the House empty he re-entred with Seven worse than himself Matth. 12.44 And the Last End of that Man is worse than the First If thou hast been Convinc'd and begun to leave thy wicked Wayes and set thy self to be Religious but art Cold Remiss Formal Sloathful in it the Devil will return upon thee with a kind of Revenge for quitting his Work and making an Escape and will clap more Bolâ—s and stronger Irons on thee If a Prisoner should break the Goal and as soon as he is out stand begging at the next Door fit tipling at the next Ale-house lye down and sleep by the High-way-side What would his Escape avail him but cause him to be lock't up faster and be watch't more narrowly and be us'd more hardly Tho thou hast escaped from them who live in Errour and beest of the True Religion and hast a Form of Godliness and resolvest to become a good Man yet if thou be either afraid or asham'd to be Zealous in Religion wilt not add the Power to the Form wilt not be true in thy Practice of thy true Principles it will avail thee nothing Read with Attention 2 Pet. 2. Three last Verses If after they have escaped the Pollutions of the World through the Knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ they are again intangled therein and over-come The Later End is worse with them than the Beginning For it had been better for them not to have known the Way of Righteousness than after they have known it to turn from the Holy Commandment delivered to them But it is happened to them according to the True Proverb The Dog is turned to his own Vomit again and the Sow that was washed to her wallowing in the Mire I will touch the Evil of Sloath as I did the Good of Diligence with respect to Our Selves to Others to GOD. First 'T is most certainly Mischievous yea Destructive to thy Self to be Sloathful in Religion and deal in God's Work with a slack Hand Ther 's a Passage in Prov. 18.9 which well considered may mightily awaken us He that is sloathful in his Work is Brother to him that is a great Waster Let us understand this as a Spiritual Aphorism with respect to the Work which concerns our Souls and then it implys thus much By the great Waster is to be understood a Flagtious Wicked sinner who lives in Sinâ— which waste Conscience as the Schools expresly call gross scandalous Sins committed against common Light Peccata vastantia Conscientiam Blasphemy Swearing Damning Whoredom Debauchery Malicious Slandering those who are Good c. By the Sloathful in Business is meant one who though he be free from Prophaness and the open Excesses of the great Waster yet hath no Heart no Life no Love no Care to be Religious in good Earnest or mind the Work of God but goes on a Dreaming Pace performs a few Customary Duties of Religion for fashion-sake To be Brother to one signifies to be in the same Condition born to the same Inheritance Children of the same Father Members of the same Family Now the Result of this is to let us know that the Condition of both these is alike Miserable alike Hateful to God and Dangerous to themselves alike I mean for Kind though it may be not for Degrees He that is busy in the Devil's Work and he that is sloathful in GOD's Work The Tree which brings forth bad Fruit and the Tree which bears no good Fruit He that is against GOD and he that is not for GOD He that Prophanes His Name and he that will not Glorify His Name are both of the Black Regiment though they may be of different Degrees And their Pay may be more or less yet they have the same Quarters provided for them The One may go to Hell with more Infamy entring the Fore-gate in the View of all Men the Other may slip in at the Back Door with less Noise or Notice but they 'll certainly meet there They are own Brothers and have Title to the same Inheritance Though the Spiritual Hector which hath cast off all Restraints and Sense of GOD may be admitted to an Elder Brother's that is a Double Portion yet the Other will undoubtedly come in for a Child's Portion also Now this Negligence will hurt yea ruin Men Two wayes Naturally or Necessarily Morally or Meritoriously First The Natural and Necessary Consequent of Negligence is Poverty and Want The Desire of the Sloathful killeth him for his Hands refuse to Labour The Sluggard will not Plough by reason of Cold therefore shall he beg in Harvest and have nothing The Grashopper which sings away its Summer dyes for Hunger when the Cold comes I went by the Field of tke Sloathful and by the Vineyard of the Man void of Vnderstanding And lo it was grown over with Thorns and Nettles had covered the Face thereof and the Stone-wall thereof was broken down Then I saw and considered it well I looked upon it and received Instruction Yet a little Sleep a little Slumber a little Folding of the Hands to sleep So shall thy Poverty come as one that Travelleth and thy Want as an Armed Man Prov. 25.30 31 32 33 34. Secondly It ruins Meritoriously It provokes God to destroy as a Just Punishment of Disobedience to the Command that requires Diligence If any Man will not Labour neither let him Eat 2 Thes 3.10 He deserves to be burned who will not hasten out of that House which is on Fire about him There is a dreadful Place Jer. 48.10 Cursed be he that doth the Work of God deceitfully And Mal. 1. is so large and so full to this purpose as nothing can be more 'T is too large to Transcribe I intreat you to turn your Bibles and read it considerately to the End especially from the Sixth Verse It concludes thus after Rebuking them for despising His Name in offering polluted Bread and the
Diligence to know and to make sure Both. How many Scriptures speak the same Sense nay 't is the Scope of all the Scripture with Gal. 6.7 8 9. Whatsoever a Man Soweth that shall he also Reap for he that soweth to his Flesh shall of the Flesh reap Corruption but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap Life Everlasting And let us not be weary in Well-doing for in due Season we shall Reap if we faint not Therefore neither scare thy self from thy Duty nor flatter thy self in thy Negligence by any Decrees of God which are hidden from thee and thou art a Stranger to But quicken and comfort thy self with this Truth which is written as with a Sun-beam from Heaven That no Decree of God shall ever shut him out of Heaven who with sincere Faithfulness and humble Diligence attends God's Work according to his Written Word Neither shall any Decree of God admit him into Heaven who securely and slothfully neglects it And if after thou hast got over that Stumbling-Block of Fear'd Impossibility yet thou stickest and art frighted at the Difficulty Consider 't is no greater than the Wise and Holy God thinks fit to make it and that for Righteous and Holy Reasons and He knows how to proportion every Man's Work to his Abilities And as He will not suffer any of His to be Tempted above their Strength so neither will he task them above their Sufficiency they shall receive from Him And thou may'st Counter-ballance the Hardness of thy Work by weighing its Necessity its Excellency the Assistance He is ready to afford thee the Acceptance He hath promised thee and the Superlative Greatness of the Reward prepared for thee So that thou may'st say I reckon that the Sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the Glory that shall be Revealed in us Rom. 8.18 For our light Afflictions and yet the Patient Bearing them is the hardest peice of our work which are but for a moment work for us a far more Exceeding and Eternal Weight of Glory 2 Cor. 4.17 as Joseph said His Glory in Egypt made him Forget all his Toyl and his Father's House So I may invert the Words Thy Father's House will make thee in one Hour forget all the Toyl of the Brick-Hills and Bondage of the Egypt of this VVorld Though to the Corrupt Sense of Flesh and Blood Wicked Men seem to have the Advantage of Good Men in respect of their Work yet Good Men have the Advantage of them infinitely in respect of their Master The Saints may have Hard Work but they have no Hard Master but One who will help them to do their Work and yet Reward them as if themselves had done it But Sinners have an Hard Master with their Easy Work and one hours Payment of their Wages for the Works of the Flesh will be more Afflictive than the Labour of an whole Life would have been in the Mortifying of them The Third Hinderance of thy Diligence to be a avoyded is a low a mean a base Opinion of the Work as if it deserved it not The Proverb saith That Jupiter is not at leisure to attend little things and the high-soaring Eagle stoops not to catch Flyes Nor will a Wise Man fish with a Golden Hook to take Fish of low Value But a better Authority asks us Wherefore do ye spend Mony for that which is not Bread and your Labour for that which satisfyeth not Isa 55.2 And What Profit hath he who hath laboured for the Wind Eccles 5.16 and Reproacheth them who weary themselves for very Vanity Hab. 2.13 and warns us Not to labour for the Meat that perisheth Joh. 6. And 't is truly a Reproach to a Man to bestow much Pains on that which will not answer it And if the Devil or thy own Heart can mis-perswade thee concerning God's Work and turn the same Weapon against thy Diligence in it which God hath formed against thy Labouring in theirs 't will have the like Effect to make the Miserable which God design'd by the Right Application of it to make the Happy Study therefore the Excellency of this Work which directly tends to rescue thee out of the Basest slavery to Sin and Satan to repair thy Decayed Nature to restore and recover the Image of God and make thee Partaker of the Divine Nature to fill thy Soul with Peace and the Angels of Heaven with Joy to deliver thee from the Hurt and Fear of Death and from Eternal Vengeance and to fit thee for and bring thee to Eternal Glory in God's Kingdom And were there nothing else to be said of it or for it that Work must needs be Excellent which renders them more Excellent than their Neighbours and denominates them the Excellent of the Earth and such as the World is not Worthy of who are Employ'd in it And that Work cannot be Mean or Base which the High and Glorious God injoynes loves to behold us at will reward with Incorruptible Crowns of Glory and differs only in Degree but not in Kind from the Work in which all Great and Noble Souls shall spend or rather enjoy in Eternity with increasing Joy and Satisfaction The Hinderances of your Diligence which I call Real or in Practice and which I warn you to beware of are these Three First Ignorance or Unskilfulness how to set about it or to manage your Work aright There is no Work or Business can be done well without some Skill and Experience not the Meanest or Easiest The Plough-man and the Thresher Isaiah takes notice of Chap. 28.26 His God doth instruct him to Discretion and doth Teach him 'T is an easy thing to Read yet deliver the Book to him that hath not learnt his Letters and bid him Read He saith I am not Learned Isa 29.12 he cannot do it A Man that is Master of his Trade and skilful at it will dispatch more in an Hour without Noise or Bustle than another Man who bungles at it with much Toyl and Sweating in an whole Day A Man that is Instructed to the Kingdom of God brings forth readily out of his Treasury Things New and Old Matth. 13.52 He that knowes his Way goes on cheerfully and rids Ground apace and loses no time by stopping to Inquire or Recover what he had lost by turning into By-paths As Knowiedge is a leading Grace and influenceth all our Work and the Prudence of a Man will direct his Way So Ignorance is the Root of Errour and the most Universally Destructive He cannot do God's Work with any Comfort and Assurance who knows it not but is sometimes right and sometimes wrong alwayes Anxious and uneasy to himself Putting Darkness for Light and Light for Darkness calling Good Evil and Evil Good The Blind swallows many a Fly commits many a Sin he knows not to be Sins and if he doth good 't is but by Chance he loseth the Advantage of it because he knew it not to be so and
abused Patience kindle into such Fury as shall burn to the nethermost Hell and none can quench it 'T is hard to stop my running Pen in such a Current but I will check it and refer you to the Sermons for more pressing Arguments These things have been often ecchoed in your Ears enough to make them tingle I now put them into your Hands and Houses and lay them before your Eyes read them attentively consider them Wisely practise them Faithfully and Pray earnestly that God would bless them to you as I shall not cease to do in your behalf and set this little Book in some conspicuous Place that it may be your Remembrancer when you do but glance your Eye upon it and as often as you see it ask your Consciences have I yet obeyed the Errand on which God sent that little Messenger Am I ready for Christ have I finished the work God sent me into this World for bear I such Fruit as God expects from every Tree he plants in the Vineyard of his Church Now the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has so loved us as to give us his dearly beloved Son to Dye for us and will speedily send him again to Judge us That great lover of Souls who hath sworn he desires not the Death of a Sinner but would have all Men to be Saved and come to the Knowledg of the Truth inable you in this your Day to know the things which belong to your Peace before they be hidden from you that when ever he shall come who hath said so often behold I come quickly you may lift up your Heads and not be ashamed and your Hearts may Eccho with Faith and Joy even so come Lord Jesus So Prayes dear Neighbours Your faithful Monitor and Willing Servant in the Things of Christ Anthony Walker Fyfield March 9 1680 1. THE CONTENTS Serm. I. AGainst the Neglect of present Readiness for our Lords Coming Upon St. Luke 12.40 Be ye therefore Ready also In which is shewed wherein our Readiness for Christs Coming consists and the Duty is prest by many Arguments Serm. II. AGainst putting off the finishing our great Work upon St. John 9.4 I must Work the Works of him that sent me while it is Day The Night cometh when no Man can Work In which is shewed what this Work is and Diligence urged because 't is Work and Speed with respect to the Time allowed and limited for the doing of it Serm. III. AGainst the want of present fruitfulness in our Lords Vineyard Upon St. Luke the 13.6 7 8 9. A certain Man had a Figtree planted c. In which the whole Parable is succinctly Opened and Applyed and speedy Fruitfulness proved the only means to prevent cutting down A SERMON PREACHED At St. Buttolphs Algate on Friday the 18th of February 1680 1 at the Funeral of Mr. Nathaniel Duckfeild Citizen of London and Inhabitant of the said Parish St. Luke 12.40 Be ye therefore Ready also T Is the great Design of every faithful Minister to save himself and them that hear him and nothing more naturally contributes to that good Work than a serious preparedness of Heart on the part of the Hearers and on the Preachers a Word seasonably fitted to the Occasion by which God calls them to attend to it And if any thing next to the Grace of God can awaken men to awful Apprehensions of the World to come 't is convincing Evidence of their uncertain Continuance in this World and unavoidable necessity of their certain Departure out of it And this is no where written in more legible Characters than on the Hearses of our Friends with whom we have had familiar and daily Conversation and were a few Days since as likely to have attended us to our long Homes as we were to follow them to their Beds of Silence And for this Reason the wise Man tells us it is better to go to the House of Mourning than to go to the House of Feasting For that is the end of all Men and thâ— Living will lay it to his Heart Eccl. 7.2 Supposing therefore that your Eye hath affected your Heart and that this solemn and mournful Object of our worthy and obliging Friend now shut up from us iâ— the close Confinement of a Coffin hatâ— disposed your Hearts to receive what iâ— Fit and Reasonable to be learn'd from it The Work on my part is to render my Discourse sutable That the Ordinance we are exercised in may answer the Providence which brought us to it That there may be an Harmony in the parts which are to be joyned into one piece For God hath two Books one of his Works another of his Word Both described by David in Psal xix and we are to turn a Page in either of them To learn a Lesson in the School of Nature and in the School of Grace And I desire these may answer each other as the Windows did in Solomons Temple Light over against Light Our Text our Lesson or if you will our Sermon from the Book of Providence is not only to view a man like our selves Mortal and actually dead But a man not past the vigour of his years and strength and t'other day in perfect health summoned to his Tryal to stand at Christ's Tribunal to receive his final doom and sentence And I think no Text in Scripture Ecchoes more vocally to this than the words I have read Be ye therefore Ready also The illative Particle therefore hath an aspect also on the Context and it looks both backward and forward to what went before in the 37. and 39. verses and what follows after in this In the Verses pointed at before the Text are laid down the blessedness of the ready and the misery of the unready Rewards and Punishments are the Instruments of Government Hopes and Fears are the Spurs and Bridles to quicken to Good to restrain from Evil. Therefore if you would injoy the Good 't is Natural to hope for and desire or escape the Evil 't is Natural to fear and fly from Be ready The blessedness of the ready is described by the honour every such servant shall receive from his Lord and Master when he comes He will gird himself and make them sit down to meat and come forth and serve him And for greater assurance like Pharaohs dream 't is doubled v. 37. begins blessed are those servans and v. 38. ends blessed are those servants The misery of the not ready is described by the condition of an Housholder surprized by Robbers who break through his House with the supposed consequences take away his Goods and Life so that the sum is seeing such ready servants shall assuredly be blessed And such unprepared Housholder shall be miserably ruined Let others happiness be your incouragement And let others harms be your warnings that ye be ready But the duty is of such vast importance that 't is prest yet farther with a Reason at the back of it For the son
did Isaac or Esaw Jacob or as a Wolfe doth love a Sheep The Righteous is abomination to the Wicked Prov. xxix 27. And what a kind of Heaven would it be for an unsanctified man to be shut up with such Company as he hates with the worst of Antipathies and vilifies with the bitterest censures and most despightful scorn Nor could the Company of Heaven like him better than he likes them For God is not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness nor shall evil dwell with him Psal v. 4 5. Christ saith to them depart from me ye that work iniquity Matth. vii 23. The Holy Spirit will not entertain him who would never open the door to him knockt he never so earnestly and long but all ways shut him out of his heart 'T is the Offices of the blessed Angels to gather out of the Kingdom all things that offend and them that do iniquity and to cast them into a furnace of fire Matth. xiii 41 42. And they will do their Office impartially As for the Saints as they could give them no Oyl to help them in Matth. xxv 9. So would they give them no countenance should they get in without it Moses accuses them John v. 45. The souls under the Altar cryed against them whilst they lived Revel vi 9. And shall judg them when they dye 1 Cor. vi 2. The whole Herd makes head against a blown Deer Those Loyal Subjects will not harbour such Traitors against their Lord and King Then shall be the great Excommunication and the Church of the first born will put from amongst them every wicked person as 1 Cor. v. 13. injoyns Therefore Oh unsanctified sinner bethink thy self in time To which of the Saints wilt thou turn Job v. 1. Thirdly The Work of Heaven which he hath neither skill to perform nor time nor heart to learn renders an unsanctified man as uncapable of Heaven as either of the former For the Work of Heaven is to serve the Lord incessantly And his servants shall serve him Rev. xxii 3. To do his Will so perfectly that 't is fet as a pattern how to do it on Earth Thy will be done on Earth as 't is in Heaven Mat. vi To love the Lord with perpetual extastes and ravishments of Soul to Worship him that sits upon the Throne and give him glory throwing down their Crowns at his feet and saying thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory and honour and power to sound forth Eternal Hallelujahs and not to cease either day or night from crying Holy Holy Holy to him which was and is and is to come Rev. iv To sing the Song of Moses and the Lamb who redeemed them from the Earth and made them to his Father Kings and Priests to offer up the pure incense of Eternal Praises And such as this being the incessant endless imployment of Heaven I beseech you give me leave with freedom to Appeal to your Consciences who either never Pray nor Praise or slubber over a few formal Devotions for custom sake and to stop the Mouth of Conscience with the greatest weariness as the most irksome task and druggery of your lives and are so tyr'd at a Prayer or Sermon that nothing tries your patience like it or seems so tedious and so much the more as the service is more spiritual and searching what would you do in Heaven what corner would you find to sleep in How many wearyed and longing Eyes would you cast upon that Glass of Eternity which will never be run out How tedious would that everlasting Sabbath seem when you so often ask of these below when will they be gone Amos viii 5. I intreat you therefore be convinced of the indispensible necessity of Sanctification to make you fit to go to Heaven with Christ For either God must change the Nature of Heaven to fit it to thy Phansie which he will never do or thy heart must be made like it even Holy and Heavenly to savour and delight in the things of God or else Heaven it self would be no Heaven to thee In a word without Justification thou canst not go to Heaven as a state of happiness tho thou wouldst and without Sanctification thou wouldst not go to Heaven as a state of Holiness tho thou mightst See Col. i. 12. Giving thanks to the Father who hath made us meet to be partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in light Mark 'T is an Inheritance thou must be made a Son to have a Title to Inherit there 's Justification But 't is an inheritance of the Saints in light and thou must be made a Saint and Child of Light to be meet to enter into the possession of it There 's Sanctification 1 Cor vi 9 10 11. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God be not deceived neither Fernicators nor Idolaters c. shall inherit the Kingdom of God and such were some of you how then came they to be capable But ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the spirit of our God Here you have them both expresly St. Paul again tells you Rom. viii 30. Whom he justified them he also glorified In which place also we have both these the first explicitely you must be justified before you can be glorified the second implicitely for therefore glorified signifies perfectly sanctified Grace is glory in the Bud and Blosom Glory is Grace in the full blown Flower and ripe Fruit Now as no ripe Fruit without a Blosom no full blown Rose without a Bud so no Glory without Grace preceeding From glory to glory 1 Cor. iii. ult That is from Glory inchoate in Grace on Earth to Glory consummate in Bliss in Heaven As child-hood is before man-hood and he that never was a child shall never be a man So he in whose heart Christ was never formed by the immortal seed Who never was born of the Spirit Who never as a new born Babe desired the sincere Milk of the Word to grow thereby shall never arrive at the Stature of the fulness of Christ shall never attain to that perfect Image of the Son of God to which all his are Predestinated to be Conformable shall never be a perfect man in Christ nor appear before him perfect in Zion to follow the Lamb upon that Holy Mountain The Conceptions which the best men have of Heaven are very low obscure and imperfect but certainly those which ignorant and prophane men have of it are strangely absurd and brutish or it were impossible they should ever hope to get thither till their sins be both pardoned and subdued for 't is next to a contradiction to think they can reign with Christ in whose mortal Bodies or immortal Souls sin is allowed and continues to reign For least of all in this sence can corruption inherit incorruption Thirdly Tho the two things we last insisted on are the main to constitute us
to you all the Aâ—mour of God that you may resist the battery of this worst of Satans Engines and defeat the most dangerous of all his stratagems to involve you in Procrastination by giving up your selves speedyly to God and Christ according to what ever convictions have been upon you that you ought and resolutions that you would so do and be ready quickly I would add no more did not one word remain which may seem fit to clinch and rivet that Nail I have been forcing home with so many blows And I shall take it out of your own mouths Methinks I hear some say why so many Arguments in so clear a case and others ready to make the number occasion of their laughter and others 't was good if it had not been so long but it was cruel tedious Well be it so admit it had been delivered at this length which yet by the way it was not let me in cool blood debate the case with these Objectors before we part Is the case so clear in thy opinion that 't is superfluous to multiply Arguments to prove it Out of thy own mouth shalt thou be judged thou sloathful servant Why dost thou continue to Rebel against thy light Why dost thou still delay That 's enough which doth the work it is designed to but that 's too little which doth it not The Motives may be enough to leave thee inexcusable but they are not enow for thee till they effectually persuade thee to leave thy sin and escape thy danger And for the next must I bear your petulent scorn for remembring you of returning to God with such a number and shall it cost you nothing to forget him days without number Do you now laugh because the Motives are so many And what will you do when God shall laugh at your calamity and mock when your fear cometh because these many were too few to make you take warning To make you wise to prevent them and escape them Is it so tedious to you to hear your sins Arraigned and Condemned a long hour And what is it to God to be dishonoured and provoked by them all thy life long Is it a load which breaks the back of thy Patience to hear Motives multiplyed to turn thee Speedily And is it no dangerous tryal of Gods Patience to load him with thy multiplyed sins as a Cart is loaden with Sheaves and pressed down If it be wearisome to hear thy sins reproved How much more Just is Gods complaint They have wearied me with iniquities and made me serve with their sins In a word if I have been thought long in calling you to turn to God how long doth God think your refusing to return And how tedious will it be to bear the eternal reproaches of thy own heart and lashes of thy own enraged Conscience for that refusal Which nothing can exempt thee from but taking the Councel I have so plainly given Consider what I have said and the Lord give us understandings and hearts to close with it that when ever Christ comes He may find us Ready Amen A DISCOURSE Shewing the Sinfulness and Danger of Putting-off our Great WORK BEING The Substance of a Sermon deliver'd at the Funeral of Mr. David Geer at St. Botolph's Aldgate Upon St. JOHN ix.iv. I must work the Works of Him that sent me while it is Day The Night cometh when no Man can work THis Chapter contains the History of one of the chief Miracles which our Blessed Saviour wrought whil'st He was in this World That is His opening the Eyes of the Man which was born Blind And it is Recorded more largely than any of his wonderful Works except his Raising Lazarus from the Dead for it fills a whole long Chapter to declare the Occasion of it the Work it self and what followed upon it and affords Matter of so many useful and choyce Observations 't is some difficulty to pass them by For it did not only Confirm his Mission and Doctrine to be from God but the very Miracle it self was Doctrinal the Man 's being born Blind figuring that Spiritual Blindness under which we are all Born and Christ's Healing him and the Manner of it shewing from whence we must expect the true Eye-Salve But I must confine my self to what the present Solemn Occasion directly minds us of The Words I have read were pronounced by our Lord as an Introduction to the Work when he address'd himself to the Performance of it and discover his Faithful Obedience and Excellent Wisdom in improving the Seasons for fulfilling the Works his Father sent him into this World for And commend to us a Truth of general Use and universal Obligation tho our Lord vouchsafes to apply it to Himself in this particular Case I confess the Words have not the Form of a Precept but they have the Force yea more than the Force of a single Command press the Duty more Home than if it had been said expresly Work while it is Day For First They are an Example given in the Person of him whom we are bound to imitate and follow whose Works are Vocal and whose Actions are our Instructions He being the Son of God and our Lord and Master saying I must work 't is as if a Son in the Family should say to the Servants or a Wealthy fore-handed Man to his poor Neighbours who have nothing but their Hands to Live on What ever you do I must mind my Business I must labour and not squander away one Day after another my Father will not suffer it in me and I should quickly be undone by such a Course Such Words spoken in their own Persons are more awakening more pungent than if they only bid them mind their Business For they smartly and sarcastically reproach their Sloath and upbraid them for their Loytering For if the Master of the Family will not bear it in a Son much less will he in a Servant and if he that 's well before-hand must be industrious to prevent Poverty and Want much more must he that hath but from Hand to Mouth But the quickning Influence of the Example is not all For Secondly The Reason by which it is inforced shews it extends to many For when He had said I must work c. while 't is Day when he comes to give the Reason of it he saith not The Night cometh when I can't work but When no Man can work 't is St. Chrysostome's Note thereby clearly implying that the Duty reaches all whom the Reason of the Duty reaches and amounts to thus much That every Man who hath Work to do which must be done by Day and cannot be done by Night must hasten to dispatch it while the Day lasts lest he be surprized and prevented by the Nights Approach Having thus briefly clear'd my Passage to what I design by shewing that the Words tho spoken by our Lord of Himself yet are fairly Applicable unto others and may have Efficacious Influence both upon
tells you It comes apace it comes quickly Time is painted with long Wings and no Wings are pruned for so swift a flight It flows like a Torrent and sweeps us away with it There 's no stemming this Tyde And 't is as Uncertain as 't is Swift Thy Pulse beats incessantly and thy Breath is puffing out and drawing in each Moment and thou knowest not that the One shall repeat its Stroaks or the Other be Restored thee once more This Night comes like a Thief in the Night When we lye still and sleep that wakes and is in perpetual Motion And this may suffice for the Proof of this Observation That the Consideration of the Work we have to do and the Time allowed and limited for the Doing of it should engage us to the Vtmost Diligence and Speed in doing of it I now proceed to the Vseful Improvement of this Weighty Truth with equal Plainness And if the Work we have to do and the Season allowed and limited for the doing of it in engage us to such Diligence and Speed in the doing of it This serves 1. To Justify those who act according to these Engagements 2. To Condemn those who neglect them or act contrary to them 3. To Exhort and Excite us all to act suitably to them by shewing all Diligence and Speed about our Great Work First This Justifyes the Wisdom and Zeal of those who Live up to and act according to these Engagements And I wish to God the Number were Greater that deserves such Encouragement But because they are so few therefore do they need it the more For Good Company confirms Good Resolutions and when many walk together they embolden each other and mutually strengthen one anothers Hands and Hearts But the Narrow-Way which leads to the Streight-Gate being found and trodden by so few and they meeting with so much Opposition to stop them in it or divert them out of it do greatly need all the Encouragements that can be given them For Prophane Ungodly Men hate them and Proud and Formal Pharisees despise them and reproach them And all that are so busy in doing the Work of another Master are mad against them for their Diligence about their Master's and their Father's Business He that departeth from Evil maketh himself a Prey Isa 59.15 God's Heritage is a Speckled Bird the Birds about her are against her Jer. 12.9 The Law of Enmity betwixt the Two Seeds is more unalterable than the Laws of Medes and Persians It discovered it self betimes in Cain and Abel in Ishmael and Isaac the Two signal Types of the Two Visible kinds of Persecution which have prevailed in the World ever since by the Mouth of the Sword or the Sword of the Mouth Cain who was of that Wicked One slew his Brother and wherefore slew he him Because his own Works were Evil and his Brothers Righteous 1 Joh. 3.12 And Ishmael Mocked Gen. 21.9 which in St. Paul's Language is He that was Born after the Flesh persecuted him that was Born after the Spirit Gal. 4.29 And as the Apostle added for the time in which he wrote as it was then so is it now So may we for the times in which we Live and so will they have cause to do who shall Live after us For the Rule 2 Tim. 3.12 All that will live Godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer Persecution is as Universal for Ages and Places as Persons no Temporary one to expire like an Antiquated Law but will last while this Evil World lasts and they shall find it in one kind or the other And where the Laws pinion the Hands of Cain the Tongue of Ishmael will be Lawless and where they dare not kill their Bodies their Throats those open Sepulchres will swallow them alive like the Grave and with Black Mouths full of Lyon's Teeth will rend their Names and tear their Reputations till they wound their very Souls If a Volly of Lyes or a Shower of those invenom'd Arrows bitter railing and opprobrious Words will stop you in or fright you from your Work The Father of Lyes hath more Tongues than Argus had Eyes or Briarius had Hands and will find Monstrous Heads enough both whose Ears grow upon one side But let none of these Things move you neither count your Lives nor your Names dear to you so that you may Finish your Course with Joy Act. 20.24 St. James urges to Patience thrice in a Breath with one of the Arguments in our Text. Jam. 5.7 8 9. Be patient Brethren unto the Coming of the Lord. Be patient stablish your Hearts the Coming of the Lord draweth nigh Grudge not behold the Judge standeth at the Door Gratify not the Devil or his Instruments so much as to grow Remiss at your Work for fear of their Reproaches But keep on your Way though the Dogs bark thou 'lt soon be past them and out of the Noise It would be a dear Purchase to buy their Silence at the Price of abating thy Zeal for God St. Peter teaches you a safer and better Way to do it even by Well-doing and by a good Conversation in Christ to make them ashamed to speak Evil of you This is the most Innocent Revenge you can take on them to resolve the more they deride you or reproach you for your Work the more earnestly to mind it and to follow it the more diligently And 't is the best Security for your selves to prevent being disturbed He that minds his Business intently hath no Ears to hear nor Leisure to take notice of what is design'd to interrupt him Convince them you are led by a better Spirit by being able to bear with Meekness their loudest Slanders most spightful Reproaches While they cannot bear the Silent and undesigned Reprehension your Diligence and Zeal reflects upon their Sloath Trifling in the Work of God and their own Souls 'T is an Immutable and Eternal Truth that the glorifying God and saving our own Souls is our Supream Concern and deserves our First and Highest Care and who ever acts according to it shall in spight of Men and Devils be justifyed as a Wise and good Man in so doing And their Master 's Euge Well done good and faithful Servant enter thou into thy Master's Joy will put it out of doubt and controversy for ever And Wisdom shall be Justifyed of her Children though Fools condemn and the Sons of Belial Blaspheme both the Mother and her Off-spring He that hath Truth on his side and Reason on his side and a well-guided Conscience on his side hath God Himself on his side and need not trouble himself who or what-ever is against him And thus 't is certainly with every one who makes Religion his Business in good Earnest And even the Men whose Mouths Reproach you in their Hearts must Reverence you And their Consciences will approve what the Interest of their Lusts provokes them to condemn in others that they might escape being condemned of themselves Be not
Work effectually in others Convince them thou believest thy self the Truth and the Necessity of what thou pressest on them Secondly Ye that are Parents labour to season early the tender Hearts of your Children with a Sense of Religion and their Great Work Youth is the Age of Discipline and the Seed-time for their whole Life Train up a Child in the Way wherein he should go and when he is Old he will not Depart from it The First Impressions are most Lasting 'T is a great Honour to be entrusted with the Education of one Child and to have Opportunity to form it for God's Service As you were the means of their being Born and the Occasions of their being Born in Sin you owe them both in Love and Justice your Best Endeavours that they may be Born again and made Saints The Third and Last Branch of the Exhortation is to All in general though more especially to Young Persons 1. To a Speedy Setting about their great Work 2. To a Diligent Progress in it when it is Begun First To a Speedy Setting about this Work Young Man I say unto thee Arise And Oh! that Christ would vouchsafe to accompany this Word with such a Power of His Spirit as might render it as effectual to some Dead Soul as they were upon the Dead-Son of the Widdow of Naim Luk. 7. Awake thou that sleepest stand forth from the Dead and Christ shall give thee Light Suppose thou heardest God say to thee as in the Parable Son go work to day in my Vineyard this present Day and though thou hast neglected His Call heretofore yet now Repent and go But because it often is with Young Persons if I may make such an Allusion as it was with Lazarus when Christ call'd him forth of his Grave Joh. 11.44 He that was Dead came forth bound Hand and Foot with Grave-Cloaths and his Face bound about with a Napkin Therefore Jesus said unto them Loose him and let him go When they begin to be quickned and have some Sense of the Necessity of speedy Walking in the Wayes of God yet their Heads are bound about they are muffled and blind-folded with Prejudices and cannot see their Way and bound Hand and Foot with Grave-Cloaths hamper'd and shackled with former Customs and Objections that they can neither walk in God's Way nor work for Him I will endeavour to loose them and knock off their Fetters and remove the Lets and Hinderances of their Motion and their Speed and I shall do it briefly For though there may be many Foolish Cavils there can be neither wise nor strong Objections against the present Setting about God's Work that they should either need much Time or Pains to Remove them First then 't is Objected That Religion is too serious a Work for Young People as the Philosopher said Young Men were not fit Hearers of the Precepts of Morality but Postquam deferbuit aetas after the Heats of Youth are boyl'd over after their Lusts and Passions have spent themselves and they have Sow'd their Wild Oats as your Common Phrase is The Heat of Youth is a kind of Sickness and no wise Physitian administers in the Heighth of the Paroxisme but stayes till the Fit be over 'T is a Degree of Drunkenness and we Reprove not the Drunkard 'till he be Sober and come to himself Answer These Comparisons prove nothing and are as easily sleighted as produced For the main Objection 'T is true Religion is a very serious Thing and therefore the fitter to restrain the Extravagancy of Youthful Lusts which by how much the more Impetuous they are by so much the stronger Curbs they need to restrain and keep them in Order And 't is the Excellency of the Word of God and its high Commendation that 't is an Antidote strong enough to purge out such a Poyson Where-with-all shall a Young Man cleanse his Ways By taking heed thereto according to thy Word Psal 119.9 For a Man to indulge his Lusts and profess Religion I confess were a way to desecrate and pollute so Holy a thing But Religion minded in Sincerity will subdue and mortify them And give Subtilty to the Simple to the Young Man Knowledge and Discretion Prov. 1.4 Though Youth hath its Inconveniences which Religion will Correct it also hath its Advantages which Religion will Improve 'T is more Vigorous and Active more Susceptive and Retentive more Free and Dis-engaged more Unprejudiced and Dis-incumbred than the following Stages of Life And therefore most acceptable to God and fittest to be Consecrated to His Work Religion will Relieve against the Incommodities of Youth and give the Prerogatives of Age and make them Men in Knowledge and Gravity who are but Youths in Years For Honourable Age is not that which standeth in Length of Time nor that is measured by Number of Years But Wisdom is gray Hair unto Men and an unspotted Life is Old Age. Wisd 4.8 9. yea gives Prerogatives above it For Young David was Wiser than his Teachers and had more Vnderstanding than the Antients because he kept God's Precepts Yea the Wise King carries the Disproportion very high when he tells us Eccles 4.13 That a Poor and Wise Child is better than an Old and Foolish King Religion therefore is not too serious even for a Child seeing it can make a Child Serious nor in danger to to be prejudiced by the Levity of Youth seeing it can Cloath even Youth with Gravity Secondly A Second Objection against Early Piety is suggested by Superstitious Fear that they shall Dye presently if they grow Devout as some Fools think they must if they once make their Wills Answ How absurdly do Sinners suffer themselves to be abused by the Devil and their own vain Hearts They now begin to be fit to Live therefore they must presently Dye How inconsequent is this Conclusion How Unreasonable such Reasoning As if God would suffer none but Fools and Knaves to Live and those Wicked Men with whom He is Angry every Day and for whom He hath Prepar'd the Instruments of Death and Hath whet His Sword and bent His Bow and made all ready for speedy Execution if they turn not Psal 7.11 12 13. God calls the Righteous Lights and he hath more use for them to Shine in the World than to whelm them Vnder the Bushel of Death as soon as he hath set them up to Shine in a Crooked and Perverse Generation 'T is Bloody and Deceitful Men against whom the Sentence is pronounc't That they shall not Live out half their Dayes But of Wisdom it is said that Length of Dayes is in her Right Hand and in her Left Hand Riches and Honour Prov. 3.16 And St. Peter 1.3 10. He that will love Life and see good Dayes let him refrain his Tongue from Evil and his Lips from speaking Guile Let him eschew Evil and do Good Finally We find this Encouragement given to the Good Man Job 5.26 That he shall come to his Grave in a
an Estate by his own Industry takes more Pleasure in it than Five who stumbled upon it unlook't for and it drop't as we say into their Mouths Labour gets the best Stomach and a good Stomach is the best Sawce and so a good Conscience is the best Feast That Bread is sweetest which we Earn Jus dat Labor Such Bread is not Gritty we Eat it without Regret As a Minister who thrusts himself into that Office as a Trade to get Money as a Means to relieve a Broken Fortune as a Ladder to climb the Pinacle of Honour and neither designs the Glory of God nor Good of Souls If this Man should by chance Convert a Sinner it would yield him no Comfort because his Heart tells him He neither design'd it nor desir'd it So if another whose Soul is set to save them who hear him yet plough upon the Rock and see not the desired Success upon Men yet shall he assuredly find it with God Though Israel be not gathered yet shall I be Glorious in the Eyes of the Lord and my God shall be my Strength Isa 49.5 And St. Paul We are to God a sweet Savour in Christ in them that Perish and in them that are Saved 2 Cor. 2.15 When earnest Endeavours hold the Plow and hearty Desires sow the Land the Crop shall assuredly be Peace and Comfort And Diligence is as Honourable as Comfortable Nothing reflects a greater Glory upon a Man than Sedulity And those who are too Lazy to imitate him will yet either Admire or Envy him and to be Envyed is as Honourable as to be Envious is Base Diligence haâ—h such an Interest in every Man's Conscience that it cannot but obtain Applause and Approbation and they will Praise it who will not Practice it And as the prosperous Success of Good Men's Industry is the Fuel of Bad Men's Envy so let the Envy of such Men more and more kindle and inflame thy Diligence Secondly With Respect to others A Good Man hath no greater Care nor Pleasure next to the saving of his own Soul than to promote the Salvation of others 'T is the Voyce of a Cain Am I my Brother's Keeper He which Converteth another from the Errour of his Wayes shall save a Soul from Death and shall cover a Multitude of Sins Jam. 5.20 And by scattering those Clouds shall himself Shine as the Stars for ever and ever Dan 12.3 One Diligent Man who is active in the Work of God may be as a Soul to put Life and Spirit into a great many Your Zeal hath provok'd many 1 Cor. 9.2 'T is agreat Blessing to be a Blessing to others and he is the greatest Blessing to others who leads them to the Attainment of Eternal Blessedness No Man doth me so much Good as he that makes me Good and no Man doth so much to make me Good as he that gives me good Example He 's most like to have good Servants who himself works with them who saith not Go ye But Come with me or Let us go The spreading and flourishing Estate of Religion was fore-told by the Prophet Zechariah in Chap. 8. 21. in words very remarkable to this purpose The Inhabitants of one City shall go to another saying Let us go speedily to Pray before the Lord and to seek the Lord of Hosts I will go also The Emperour Partiâ—â—x's his word was Militemus A Lyon to their Captain would make an Army of the most fearful Creatures fall on Gideon taught his Souldiers by Exampel Look on me and it shall be that what ye see me do that shall ye do Judg. 7.17 Alexander us'd to March First And Q. Curtius tells us That in storming a City he was the First that leap't down off the Walls amongst the Enemies which made his Souldiers even fly down after him Caesar us'd to leave his Horse and go on Foot in Hard Marches that the Private Souldiers might not be discouraged with those Hardships in which their General bore the First Part. 'T will get a Crazy Man a Stomach to see an Hungry Man feed Be Diligent therefore in this Work of God that thou may'st make others so And besides the Benefit which they shall reap it will redound to thy Advantage All the Good they do shall in some measure be acounted thine beeause thou wert the Occasion of their doing of it Remember that of the Poet Ergo opera ejus mea sunt All the Exploits of Achilles's Valour are challenged by Vlysses because he brought him to the War Thirdly But all that our Diligence can be either to our selves or others is as nothing in Comparison to what it is in God's Account For though next to pleasing God 't is very considerable what Influence it may have upon our own Good or the Good of others yet our main Interest is and our Business ought to be to please Him according to that of the Apostle 2 Cor. 5.9 We labour or are Ambitious as the Original Word signifies that we may be Accepted of Him because we must all appear before the Judgment-Seat of Christ that every one may receive the Things done in His Body according to that he hath done whether it be Good or Bad. Now God esteems our Diligence and Faithfulness in His Work and Service to be our honouring and glorifying Him as is implyed in that Place Sam. 2.30 Him that Honoureth me that is Serves me Diligently which Eli's Sons had neglected and by that Neglect were accounted to despise Him So This People honoureth me with their Lips Matth. 15.8 which was indeed but a Mock-Honour because it was no more but had been Real Honour if it had proceeded from their Hearts And we Glorify God in our Bodies and Spirits 1 Cor. 6.20 when we dedicate both to His Service And Christ saith Hi Father is glorifyed when His Disciples bear much Fruit Joh. 15.8 which is the Effect of Diligence Sloath may do a little but 't is Diligence which doth much And it Honours Him many wayes First His Authority 'T is the Honour of a Lord or Master to have his Servants exactly Obedient and Observant of his Will to go when he bids them come when he calls them and do what he enjoyns them readily and with all their Power as the Israelites promised to Joshua Chap. 1.16 17 18. which was greatly for his Honour So our Diligence in God's Work gives Him the Honour of being a Wise a Righteous a Gracious an All-sufficient a Faithful GOD Fit to Rule us Able to Protect us Careful to Reward us and in all makes His Praise glorious Secondly It Honours His Goodness and Excellency when we declare we prefer the Enjoyment of Him infinitely before all other things and make it manifest we count it worth our utmost Cost and Pains and Care and all that Diligence includes to attain it Proclaiming openly The Pearl is so Precious 't is impossible to purchase it too Dear And we make a good Bargain if we get it though it Cost
let them slip Heb. 2.1 We must be Zealous and Repent We must Believe with all our Hearts We must Love Christ in Sincerity We must Obey from the Heart the Form of Doctrine delivered to us In a word We must do all God's Work as in His Sight remembering He stands by and looks on and as near as may be as the Saints and Angels do in Heaven And to be sure that is Diligently indeed 'T is our Duty Secondly We are bound by Gratitude and Ingenuity which Bond like Silken ones should be the Stronger for its Softness If a Friend lend Money or a Stock to Trade with which he that wanteth cannot Trade at all this is a great Engagement upon those who Receive it to Trade the more Industriously Thus God hath dealt with us hath Trusted us with Talents and with Opportunities and expects the best Improvement of them Why is there a Price put in the Hand of a Fool to get Wisdom seeing he hath no Heart there-to Prov. 17.16 When God sets up His Tabernacle 't is to this End That Men may seek him in it Act. 15.16 17. The Kindness of that Benefactor is abused basely who furnisheth him with Tools who will not use them Leave Opportunity Help to do our Work is as great an Obligation as can be laid on any Ingenuous Man to make him Diligent How oft doth Christ say He that hath Ears to Hear let him Hear Luk. 8.8 10. As we commonly ask What did God give you Eyes and Ears and Hands for but to See and Hear and Work Thirdly We are bound by Interest and 't is our Wisdom to Promote this Work for the Advantage redounds to our selves If thou be Wise thou shalt be Wise for thy self and if thou Scornest thou alone shalt bear it Prov. 9.12 God sets us not to Work as Pharaoh did the Israelites to Make Brick for his Buildings But we work for our selves though He sets us our Work and we shall Suffer Loss if our Work abide not Blessed is the Man that heareth Me watching daily at My Gates waiting at the Posts of My Doors For whoso findeth Me findeth Life and shall obtain Favour of the Lord. But he that sinneth against Me wrongeth his own Soul all they that hate Me love Death Prov. 7.34 35 36. Men are greatly Ambitious to be accounted Wise and 't is the Greatest Wisdom to be Wise to Salvation And so is that Man who understands his own Interest so well as to do his Work with Diligence Do it therefore so and it Shall be thy Wisdom and Vnderstanding Deut. 4.6 The Last Head from which I shall draw Motives to excite your Diligence is Example Than which none can be more fit and proper in this Subject Man is naturally prone to be led by Example especially in Working and the Principal Force of the Text depends upon our Saviour's urging our Duty by His own Example I must work the Works of Him that sent Me. Now we have great Variety and Multitude of Examples to draw us yea provoke us unto Diligence no less than the whole Creation nay more For all the Creatures and the Creatour Himself are our Examples herein God Himself is Purus Actus as the Schools call Him a Spirit an Active Quickening Spirit all Life Activity and Motion who is Eternally Busie never Idle Unimploy'd or Acting Wearily or Faintly My Father hitherto Worketh and I Work saith our Lord. And the whole Creation like its Maker had naturally na Sloathful Piece 'till Sin and Vice had taught them to be such and even since the Worst are Busie in their Wickedness and Diligent in doing Mischief which should Shame us and Provoke us to out-do them in our Better Work But I 'le briefly touch this Argument by Parts And First The Inanimate Creatures What David calls upon them to do Psal 148. they do most Diligently Obey the Law of their Creation Fulfil their Maker's Will and Do the Work He made them for The Sun the Moon and Stars and all the Host of Heaven give both their Light and Influence move Swiftly Regularly and Constantly measure to us Time and Seasons by their Equal Revolutions and never stop unless He bids them and yet one Word of His checks them in their full Career and they Stand or go Back as He commands them The Wind the Rain the Hail the Snow the Storms and Tempests and the Meteors do the like The Sea Ebbs and Flows raises its Billows or smooths its Face at His least Beck The Earth gives forth its Strength for Man and Beasts rests and is quiet or Quakes and Trembles at His Word yea Cleaves asunder under those He bids it swallow down The Trees bring for their Fruit or cast their Leaves at His Appointment and know their Spring and Autumn And all the Bruit Creatures are Strangers to Sloath and Enemies to Disobedience but Patterns of Diligence and Wisdom The Ant the Turtle the Crane and the Swallow keep their Seasons and do their Work in them and the Stolid Ox and Stupid Ass know their Owner and their Master's Crib and will wear His Yoke who Feeds them Secondly The Devil and Wicked Men For Fas est ab hoste Doceri Satan Compasses the Earth and walks about in it goes about continually seeking whom he may devour is alwayes contriving Mischief by his Wiles Depths Methods Stratagems or acting it by Temptations which he multiplyes one after another that if one succeed not another may as he did with our Lord Himself for Forty Dayes together Beelzebub the God of Flyes is more importunate than any Fly desiring to winnow even the Disciples as Wheat is winnowed To sift Men to the Bran a Phrase importing utmost Diligence Alwayes restless never weary and gives not over till Restrain'd and Chain'd up by a strong Hand And Wicked Men are like him They accomplish a Diligent Search they weary themselves to commit Iniquity and cannot Sleep unless they cause some to fall Commit their Wickednesses with both Hands greedily And take more pains to go to Hell than would suffice if well imploy'd to bring them to Heaven And Oh! What a Shame is it that Satan's Envy against God and Malice against Man should make him more Diligent in his Work than our Zeal for God's Glory and Love to our own Souls can make us in the Work of God for our own Salvation And What pity is it that so bad a Master as wicked Men serve should be served with more Vigor Industry and Life than the Lord of Glory whom we pretend to serve and profess we believe to be the Best of Masters Thirdly The Saints and Angels in Heaven They Cease not Day or Night to give Glory to Him that sits upon the Throne crying Holy Holy Holy The Cherubims in Ezekiel's Vision were represented by Wheels and there and alwayes having Wings both Emblems of Velocity and Speedy Diligence And as they be set for our Patterns in the Lord's Prayer while we are taught to
had said I have waited long and come often looking for Fruit and hitherto my expectation hath been disappointed therefore I am weary of forbearing and will suffer the abuse of my patience no longer Cut it down that is execute against it the deserved Judgment And as this is injoyned to his Ministers to be performed by them it implyes 1. That the Fruitless Tree is worthy to be Cut down and is actually under the Sentence of Condemnation tho the Execution may be defer'd by way of Reprieve Every unfruitful sinner under the Gospel is in a state of actual condemnation there is only a small respiting for a while and a short reprieve allowed to afford him time to sue out his pardon according to that from our Saviours own mouth St. John iii. 18. He that believeth not is condemned already So he that repenteth not is condemned already 2. He bids his Ministers Cut them down that is cut them off by sharp reproof and cutting rebukes and Church Censures cast them out of my Vineyard my Church from my Ordinances that they may be ashamed that they may be afraid that they may be awakened 3. To shew the unavoidable certainty of it if they continue impenitent let them know what will certainly be their end Jer. xv 1. Cast them out of my sight declare they shall be cast out and Jer. i. 10. I have set thee over the Nations to root out to pull down to destroy to throw down that is to declare who shall be so dealt with and I will make it good what is bound on Earth shall be bound in Heaven Say to the wicked it shall be ill with him thou also shall be cut off as before the Text you shall all likewise perish that is unless you repent 4. Why cumbreth it the Ground This contains the reason of the Righteous Sentence of cutting down and intimates that God never proceeds to severity without cause And ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it saith the Lord God Eze. xiv 23. 'T is a reproachful upbraiding the Fruitless-tree the word is rend'red variously it signifies to make unprofitable why takes it up a room to no purpose and keeps out a better and robs others both of nourishment and influence by drawing the fatness of the soil and casting a malignant shade And teacheth us that a man who continues in the Church impenitent 1. Robs God of the Glory which would redound to him if he brought forth the Fruits of Righteousness which he ought for Christ saith his Father is glorified when his Disciples bring forth much fruit John xv 8. and commands that our Light shine before men that they may see our good works and glorifie our Father in Heaven And St. Paul tells us that the fruits of Righteousness are by Jesus Christ to the praise and glory of God Phil. i. 11. which Glory God loseth by every Tree which stands on his ground and bears no Fruit. 2. Such a man does abundance of mischief by his bad example imboldens others to be and continue as bad as himself and hinders and discourages them from being better 3. Disparages the Soyl causes the way of truth to be evil spoken of Gods Ordinances to be vilified and his name to be Blasphemed and his faithful Ministers to be reproacht as if they were the causes of all that wickedness which they mourn over and endeavour to reform with all their might As we say of servants or beasts that thrive not look ill are in bad plight they shame their keeper as if he starved them or allowed them not what is sufficient So when you who have been Baptized lead bad lives and go on in impenitency you give great scandal cause much offence and put an excuse into the mouths of those who prophanely neglect and slight Christs Institutions and when they are exhorted to frequent them or reproved for neglecting them they have this answer ready why so much ado about these matters we see those who use them most are never the better but as bad or worse than those who seldom or never meddle with them what a shame is it to be thus reproached and to be so ill furnisht to refute it 'T is a great offence that 's given by this means but wo to the man by whom the offence cometh it had been better for him to have been plunged in the Sea then Planted in the Vineyard For God will severely avenge these many evils which are the Consequences of their unfruitfulness unless speedy and sincere Repentance and amendment prevent the Execution of the denounced Sentence And this may suffice for the meaning of the two first verses of the Text which concern the Lord and Owner of the Vineyard both as to what he did and what he said And may be summed up in this short recapitulation The Great God hath in much mercy admitted you into his Church by Baptism and hath often come to see whether you do and long expected that you should make good that solemn Covenant you then made with him by bringing forth the Fruits of sincere Repentance sound Faith and Universal unreserved new Obedience but hitherto hath not found them but the quite contrary And therefore bids his Ministers and you by them with attention and admiration take notice of his past goodness and that he takes severe notice of your continuing badness and provoking disappointment of his expectation and patience and therefore pronounces Sentence against you to cut you off from his Church by his Spiritual Sword and that he will cut you off from the Land of the Living for your robbing him of his Glory for your hindring others by your bad example to be better or imboldning them to be as bad as your selves and causing his Holy Institutions to be evil thought of and evil spoken of as if they were useless and of no efficacy and his Holy name to be blasphemed I now proceed to the other two which concern the Dresser of the Vineyard the former of which contains his Intercession that it may be spared a little longer and tryed one more if yet it may amend The latter his concession that if it do not then the denounced Sentence take place and be put in execution there remaining no shaddow of pretence for farther arrest of Judgment I shall endeavour the Explication of these with the greatest clearness plainness and brevity I can in order to the Application of them which I again tell you I chiefly intend In the former His Intercession are two particulars First an express Prayer in behalf of the barren tree in which are included two requests one for respiting the Sentence and allowing it more time Lord let it alone this year also The other for leave to bestow more pains and cost about it digging and dunging Secondly An implied promise on his own behalf that if his Lord will give him leave and spare the Tree he will spare neither cost nor
in the Beams of the Gospel can only make this Spiritual Day 'T is not the Twy-light of Nature nor the Glow-Worm-light of Arts and Humane Learning nor the Moon-light of the Law but the Sun-light of the Gospel that produceth it Christ is the true Light Joh. 1.9 And in the next Verse after the Text he saith I am the Light of the World See also St. John 8.12 And in Old Simeon's Song St. Luke 2.32 A Light to lighten the Gentiles and the Glory of thy People Israel And therefore before Christ's Coming the World was over-whelmed with Darkness But as the Prophet Isaiah had long before fore-told upon His Appearing The People which sat in Darkness and the Shaddow of Death saw great Light spring up Matth. 4.16 Therefore Zachary sung at the the Birth of his Son St. John Baptist Thou Child shalt be called the Prophet of the Highest For thou shalt go before the Face of the Lord to prepare His Wayes to give Knowledge of Salvation unto His People by the Remission of their Sins through the tender Mercies of our God which Words are an Excellent Description of the Gospel whereby the Day-spring from on High hath visited us to give Light to them that sit in Darkness and in the Shadow of Death to guide our Feet into the Way of Peace St. Luk. 1.76 77 78 79. Now the Presence of the Day layes a great Engagement upon us to be working Solomon enforceth that Exhortation Eccles 12.1 2. Remember now thy Creatour in the Dayes of thy Youth by this Argument While the Sun or the Light be not darkened While the Vigour of thy Senses and thy Reason last and thy Life is spared to thee And you may see the same Reason improved by St. Paul with Respect to the Day of Grace Rom. 13.12 13. The Night is far spent the Day is at hand Let us therefore put off the Works of Darkness let us put on the Armour of Light Let us walk Honestly as in the Day And Eph. 5.8 Ye were sometimes Darkness but now are ye Light in the Lord Walk as Children of Light and have no Fellowship with the Vnfruitful Works of Darkness And again 1 Thes 5.5 6 7 8. Ye are all Children of the Light and of the Day We are not of the Night nor of the Darkness Therefore let us not sleep as do others but let us watch and be sober For they that sleep sleep in the Night and they that are drunken are drunken in the Night But let us who are of the Day be sober putting on the Brest-plate of Faith and Love and for an Helmet the Hope of Salvation If a Man have Haste of Business he 'll Wake and Rise before the Sun as David Psal 119.147 148. I prevented the Dawning of the Morning and cryed Mine Eyes prevent the Night-Watches At Mid-night will I Rise or eke out the Day by Candle-Light The good House-Wife's Candle goes not out by Night Prov. 31.15 18. But admit it be excuseable to sleep by Night and God may wink at the Closing of our Eyes while Darkness covers us the Time of that Ignorance God winked at Act. 17 30. yet 't is Intollerable to do so when the Sun shines in its full Strength Now he calleth all Men every where to Repent Where-ever the Light of the Gospel shines to shew how much they need it 't is as we use to say a burning Shame to burn Day-light And we cannot upbraid a Sluggard more smartly than by drawing open his Curtains and letting in the Sun upon him and demanding What think'st thou Did God Almighty make that glorious Light to sleep by Secondly A day for Quantity and that both in Extension Limitation First A day Extensively A whole day not a Minute not an Hour The Lord affords you sufficient time to do the Work he hath set you and expects from you A Day is a fair Proportion for a Dayes Work and this Allowance of Convenient Time will leave Sinners very inexcuseable and greatly aggravates the not Fulfilling what 's required of them Rom. 10.21 All day long have I stretched out my Hands to a disobedient and gain-saying People St. Matth. 20.6 Why stand ye here all the day Idle It heightned God's Wrath against Jezabel that He gave her space to Repent of her Fornication and she Repented not Rev. 2.21 The Lord is long-suffering to us-ward not willing that any should perish but that all should come to Repentance 2. Pet. 3.9 And we should Account this Long-suffering Salvation a great Opportunity to promote our Salvation And this Goodness Forbearance and Long-suffering of God should not be despised nor securely trifled away but should lead us to Repentance Rom. 2.4 speedily and quickly And the rather because though God waits to be gracious He will not wait alwayes and though He strive long and knock often He will cease both to strive and knock when He finds it is in vain And though He allow you a whole day yet by way of Limitation Secondly 'T is but a day and that word carryes its Limits with it A day is Pars Temporis mensurata a measured stated Portion of Time Are there not Twelve Hours in a day Joh. 11.9 He saith not a Month a Year an Age lest we should be encouraged and emboldned to Security But a Day And He often puts us in mind of this Heb. 3.13 Exhort one another dayly while it is called to Day Vers 15. Whilst it is said to Day if ye will hear His Voice harden not your Hearts And more expresly Chap. 4.7 Again He limiteth a certain Day saying in David To day after so long a Time as it is said to Day if ye will hear His Voice harden not your Hearts Call'd the Day of this or that Man Oh that thou hadst known at least in this thy Day the Things which belong unto thy Peace Luk. 19.42 And the Day of Visitation Vers 44. and 1 Pet. 2.12 And this Day may be shortned There are Winter-dayes and Dies dimidiati Dayes cut off in the midst when the Sun goes down at Noon-day as is threatned Amos 8.9 And we find most frequent Instances of it in them who Live not out half their Dayes as is threatned against some and fulfilled upon many who are cut short in the Noon in the Morning in the Dawn of their Dayes There are short Graves good store in every Church-Yard And the Arabian Proverb saith The Old Camel carries the Young Camel's Skin to the Market Nay 't is abbreviated and shrunk up into a Moment a punctum Temporis Now Now is the Accepted Time now is the Day of Salvation 2 Cor. 6.2 This is the Second Reason A Day to Work in and but a Day therefore be speedy and diligent lest you be prevented lest you be surprized and benighted For Thirdly The Night cometh wherein no Man can Work That is Death at the farthest which will cut us off from all Opportunities and Possibilities of farther working and
disposeth of every Man according to the State in which it finds him as is figuratively express'd by that of Solomon Eccles 11.3 If the Tree fall toward the South or toward the North in the Place where the Tree falleth there it shall be As the Man is fit to go to Heaven or to Hell when he Dyeth so he must continue unalterably for ever Or 2. This Night may signify the Setting of the Sun of Righteousness the Removal of the Gospel the Taking away God's Kingdom or Candlestick out of its place and leaving us in a dismal Night of Ignorance Error Idolatry destitute of that true Light which alone can guide our Feet into the Way of Salvation Or 3. That woeful Night of God's Departure and giving us up to our own Heart's Lusts to fill up the Measure of our Iniquities for grieving resisting quenching of his Spirit And though God neither take us out of the World nor take away the Means of Grace from the Places we live in Yet if he take his Spirit his Blessing his Grace away from the Means it will be a Woeful Night indeed For He saith Woe be unto them when I depart from them Hos 9.12 We can neither have Heart to work nor Success in working in so dark a Night But this Consideration That Night hastens to over-take us should quicken us to work because Night is 1. A Reckoning Time 2. A Resting Time First A Reckoning Time If no Account were to be given of the Loss or Improvement of our Time our Loytering might be more excusable at least because it would be less Dangerous although it were not less Sinful But every Man must give an Account of himself and of his Work to God Rom. 14.12 And Night is the time when we shall be call'd to that Account Your Servants have the Day to do your Work and at Night you take an Account of them how they have done your Work in the Day St. Matth. 20.8 When Even was come the Lord of the Vineyard saith unto his Steward Call the Labourers and give them their Hire Our Lord will certainly come and take an Account of His Servants for His Talents committed to them Matth. 25.19 After a long time the Lord of those Servants cometh and Reckoneth with them And then Woe be to the Sloathful Servant Vers 25 30. Cast ye the Vnprofitable Servant into utter Darkness He shall have Night enough even the Horror of Eternal Night who had turn'd his Day of Working into a Night of lazy Sleeping Judgment follows Death 'T is appointed to all Men once to Dye and after that the Judgment Heb. 9.29 I beheld a Pale Horse and his Name that sate on him was Death and Hell followed with him Rev. 6.8 Secondly Night is Resting Time The Day is for Labour the Night for Rest Man goeth forth unto his Work unto his Labour until the Evening Psal 104.24 But till the Evening Night is Resting Time In Mercy to Labourers In Justice to Loyterers The First may cease their Labour and have no further Toyl in VVorking The Latter must cease and have no further Opportunity to Finish their VVork First Night is Resting Time in Mercy to them who have Laboured faithfully in the Day They shall not be alwayes toyling and wearying and wearying out themselves with hard Labour But when Night comes They shall rest from their Labours and their Works shall follow them Rev. 14.13 There remaineth a Rest for the People of God Heb. 4.9 After an hot and scorching Day there shall come a cool refreshing Evening They that have born the Heat and Burden of the Day Shall have a Time of Refreshing come from the Presence of the Lord when He shall send Jesus Christ Act. 3.19 20. And They shall rest in their Beds and enter into Peace who have walked in their Uprightness Isa 57.2 As God will not suffer them to be Tempted above their Strength so not to be wrought beyond it Hold out therefore Christians faint not Yet a little while and He that shall come will come and will not tarry Let him that is Righteous be Righteous still and let him that is Holy be Holy still And mark the Incouragement Christ backs this Exhortation with Behold I come quickly and my Reward is with me to give to every Man as his Works shall be Rev. 22.12 And to put it out of doubt he adds Surely I come quickly As if He should say 'T is but a little while a little longer and your Trouble is over your Work is done for ever Christ takes notice of all your Labours in his Service and all your Persecutions and Reproaches and Slanders with which proud formal or prophane Men will load and oppress you if you be sincere and faithful to Him And He will ere long set you out of their reach and the Devil 's too 'T is worth observing that all the Epistles to the Seven Churches begin thus I know thy Works Rev. 2.2 9 13 19. 3. 1 8 15. And such Additions follow Thy Labour thy Patience thy Tribulation thy Dwelling where Satan's Seat is thy Service thy Faith thy Charity And bids them Hold fast and be Faithful to the Death and He will give them a Crown of Life and tells them He will come quickly Is Israel oppressed and shall not God take Notice of it See Exod. 3.7 I have surely seen the Affliction of my People and have heard their Cry by reason of their Task-Masters for I know their Sorrows God's Israel shall not be alwayes in the Egyptian Furnace nor in the Howling Wilderness but He hath a Canaan for them a Promised Land on the other side of Jordan of Death When the Disciples are toyling by reason of contrary Winds and the Ship is tossed Corruptions and Temptations are full in their Faces as they sail Heaven-ward Christ will come to them and they shall have a Calm and the Ship will be presently at the Land whither it was going For the Oppression of the Poor for the Sighing of the Needy I will now now presently arise saith the Lord I will set him in Safety from him that puffeth at him Psal 12.5 You heard before that Work implyes Difficulty It cannot he denyed but there is some Hardness in the Work of Religion 'T is call'd Labour of Love There is Labour though Love sweeten it and ease it The Flesh is weak even where the Spirit is willing Our Life of Christianity is a Warfare and such as admits neither Peace nor Truce but constant either Watching or Fighting against most dangerous Enemies being so subtle so malicious so powerful so restless And God will not hold us alwayes to such hard Service But the Time is hastning when He will say Thy Warfare is accomplished and as He saith He will not contend for ever for the Spirit would fail and the Souls which he hath made Isa 57.16 so He will put a Period to all their labours sorrows and wrestlings at farthest Death will bring thee