after this Generation of Vnconverted Sinners You who are yet in your sins in a state and way of Sin and Death remaining secure and senceless therein who have heretofore and hitherunto slighted neglected and rejected all the Calls of the Gospel and all the Ministerial offers of eternal life through Jesus Christ After all the proposals of life after all the calls commands and perswasions that you have been under to move you to chuse Life You are now this day once more called commanded perswaded yea intreated beseeched and prayed in the Name of the Lord and by the Word of the Lord to chuse Life Our Lord Jesus is most graciously pleased by the Ministry of this Word to exhibit himself in all his fulness and sufficiency of Grace and Life all an Alsufficient Saviour and is crying in this General Assembly unto New-England Sinners to chuse him to come to him that they may have life as once he did by his own personal Ministry in a General Assembly of that People far greater than this John 7.37 In the last and great day of the Feast Jesus stood and cried if any man thirst let him come unto me and drink he that believeth on me c. You have been set and have been continued under an extraordinary improvement of all means in this your day of Grace which is continued and protracted beyond the ordinary date of divine patience by an extraordinary protraction of longsuffering in a way of probation and trial God hath been trying and proving of you and waiting upon you a great while But know that his Spirit shall not alwayes strive Gen. 6.3 He hath limited a certain day beyond which he will not wait Heb. 4.7 and upon a supposition that God hath so limited a certain day whereby he hath dated his patience and longsuffering and the period of the present day of Grace unto this Generation of Sinners you may sadly conclude that you live under the latest and last the final and farewel calls and cries of Mercy by the Ministry of the Word that God will not much longer call and cry after you nor strive with you therefore you are warned to flee from the wrath which is to come Mat. 3.7 12. And now also the Ax is laid to the root of the Tree therefore every Tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewen down and cast into the fire You are in extream danger under the power and working of that spirit of unbelief and disobedience to the Gospel which is the Spirit of the times and whereby the Generation that is the generality of Sinners are so strongly inclined and carried out to refuse Life and chuse Death It is much to be feared that many if not the most have already so done and are accordingly in dreadful judgement given up by God unto that fatal choice Psal 81.12 So I gave them up to their own hearts lusts c. O it is high time then now now if ever because you may fear now or never to chuse life to chuse Spiritual Temporal and Eternal Life to make that great comprehensive unchangeable eternal Choice upon which depends not only the Salvation of your own Souls but even the deliverance and salvation of this People and these Churches If you do thus chuse Life all will be well with New-England but if you should refuse generally to chuse Life you will be likely not only to destroy your selves but all posterity it would be fearfully signal if any sinners should be so prodigiously hardened and heightned in their impenitency and unbelief as to be raised unto that presumptuous and desperate resolution with those in the Prophet Isai 22.13 14. Let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall die I have no other word to leave upon such but that which follows in the next verse And it was revealed in mine ear by the Lord of Hosts surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till you die God is also by this word calling upon his own Servants to chuse Life though you have already made the great and most happy choice of Life for your own Souls last spoken of yet you are further to chuse life that is all the wayes and means of life whatsoever may any way conduce unto the furtherance of the work of Conversion and the progress of Reformation the recovery of the life of Religion Chuse indeed that is chuse it practically make a practical choice of it that is chuse it so as to make it your work You are in this respect not only to chuse life for your selves but for others chuse life for your Families for your Children and Servants Josh 24.15 Chuse you this day whom ye will serve But as for me and my House we will serve the Lord. It was a time wherein all the People were put to their choice and Joshuah chose for himself and his House Again chuse life for the Churches It is with a few of the sincere Servants of God to chuse life for the Churches O chuse the way and work of Church Reformation and all means and helps thereunto Life and Death is in this respect set before Churches if the Servants of God in them chuse life for them the Churches will chuse life Finally chuse life for the People the Servants of God in their several places and stations according to their betrustments ought to chuse life for the People chuse all things that do conduce to the preservation of the life of this People in all the forementioned respects O it is a great thing to be charged and betrusted with the life of a People the visible People of God the publick weal the life of a People hath great dependance upon the Wisdome and Faithfulness of those who are and ought to chuse life and blessing for them Thus God hath set New-England between Ebal Gerazim he hath life and blessing on the one hand death and cursing on the other hand brought us to a Trial what we will chuse it is Gods way and work with us so to do by all his dispensations what the issue will be what exit we shall make upon this trial is awful considerable O that it might be the holy will of the blessed God to chuse life and blessing for us and inable us by his spirit and grace to chuse it for our selves and not suffer us to run upon our own ruin by the fatel woful choice of death Wherein we shall make our selves most inexcusably both sinful and miserable because we have been warned according to the charge that God hath given unto his Watch-men Ezek. 33.3 8. The Trumpet hath been blown and the People have been warned It hath been the greatest care and concernment of those of Gods faithful Watchmen who have had fullest discoveries of our extreamest dangers both by sin and judgement so to discharge themselves as to deliver their own Souls that they might themselves be clear from the blood of all men Hence all
how many Protestant Churches in Saxony Bohemia Hungaria Poland France and other places have been dissipated and unchurched and that because of their decayings either as to the profession or practice of Religion If the Professors thereof be generally grown Formal and Lifeless it is a sad prognostick that a terrible Persecution is near at hand Upon which account wise men do with some dread behold the present state of the Protestant Interest in the World the names of those that are indeed alive being so very few As for the Churches in this Wilderness I am perswaded Christ will not suffer them to be made a Desolation as yet Though Israel was deeply revolted from the holy wayes of God in the dayes of Jehoahaz it is said 2 King 13.23 And the Lord was gracious unto them and had compassion on them and had respect unto them because of his Covenant with Abraham Isaac and Jacob and would not destroy them nor cast he them from his presence as yet Nevertheless shaking Trials may come We have reason to expect them and God prepare us for them For great Sins are now common in New-England which were rarely if at all heard of but thirty years ago Prophaness groweth bold and is not easily suppressed There is much Hypocrisie and Formality amongst Professors nay and wise Virgins are asleep too It is beyond controversie that the late Judgements which New-England hath been bleeding under were an effect of Divine anger provoked by the sins of Men. But since God hath mercifully removed his hand those very sins the Lord hath been contending for are committed as much nay more than ever before It is a most awful and trembling consideration that the Holy Lord God almighty who though he may bear long will not suffer himself to be abused alwayes hath been mocked and dallied with more than once In the day of our late trouble several things were acknowledged to be Provoking Evils and Reformation in respect of them confessed to be necessary which since are made light of Austin did in his time wish that there might be a Synod called to consider of some effectual course for the suppression of that sin of Drunkenness amongst men in those dayes These Churches have in a very solemn manner met together by their Representatives to enquire into the causes of the Lords displeasure and the expedients for Reformation There was a gracious presence of Christ guiding his Servants in those Enquiries But what doth it all come to more than to leave the present Generation inexcusable before the World and before Posterity and before God in the day of his pleading with those that have known their Masters Will but have not done it The infinitely patient God hath waited for fruit three years since that endeavour and pretence to Reformation was published Our English Historians have Recorded that when the sins of the times brought heavy Judgements upon our fore-Fathers above nine hundred years ago a Synod did convene in order to the redressing of those evils There were thirty Ministers then found faithful who gave their Testimony but it would not be hearkened to so that God quickly sent the cruel Danes who for a long time brought the Land into miserable Bondage and Slavery What hours of Temptation may come upon us we know not Our case is the more dangerous and the Judgements impending like to be the more dreadful when if Repentance prevent not at last they shall fall down in that God hath stirred up the spirits of his Servants in the Ministry full many a time and with great earnestness to protest against the Sins and Apostasies of the times and to press for Reformation before the Decree bring forth but Alas hitherto with little success The words of that honourable Man of God Dr. Owen in his late Sermons in Luk. 13.1 2 3. Page 77. have a great deal of truth and weight in them Let us not saith he pretend that the Repentance and Reformation called for respects the publick enormous sins of the Nation in Atheism Prophaneness Sensuality Luxury Pride Oppression Hatred of the Truth Contempt of the Ministry of the Gospel and the like they do so indeed but not only they respect also the Decays in Faith Love Zeal with love of the World Conformity unto it Luke-warmness that are found amongst the most eminent Professors of Religion This is our present wound here lies our weakness namely in the want of a quick active zealous Ministry to call and stir up Magistrates and People to effectual Repentance and turning to God Unless this be given unto us I fear we cannot be saved If it be otherwise if we have a Ministry that really do attend unto their Duty in this matter then I shall think it the most pregnant sign of approaching Destruction Seeing it is apparent unto all that their Endeavours have neither Fruit nor Success Truly with us it hath been so They that have approved themselves faithful unto Christ and their own Consciences in this matter have indeed inward peace Yet they cannot but be sensible that they lose the good Word and good Will of some Men and are exposed to obloquy and reproaches For as the Excellent Person but now mentioned saith Page 90.91 The hardest and most difficult service that ever God called any of his Ministers unto excepting only Jesus Christ and his Apostles hath been in the endeavouring the Reformation of backsliding or spiritually decayed Churches These are the two Witnesses which in all ages have prophesied in Sack-cloth Such was the Ministry of Elijah which brought him unto that Conclusion and an earnest longing to be delivered by Death from his Work and Ministry 2 King 19.4 So was that of Jeremiah in the like season whereof he complains Chap. 15.10 John the Baptist in the same work lost first his liberty then his life And in after Ages Chrysostom for the same cause was hated by the Clergy persecuted by the Court and at length driven into Banishment where he died Most men care not how little a share they have in such a work as this whose reward will reach them according to the proportion of their engagement in it All Churches all Persons almost would willingly be let alone in the condition wherein they are They that would press them unto due Reformation ever were and ever will be looked on as their Troublers Nevertheless God hath given a spirit of Courage Zeal and Faithfulness unto several of his Ambassadors to discharge their Duty in bearing their Testimony and so to leave the success and their own Names also with that God whose they are and whom they serve And in special this Worthy Minister of Christ whose eminent Accomplishments are known unto all unto whom he himself is known hath a long time approved himself singularly Faithful unto God and the Souls of Men herein The strain of his Ministry in that Congregation where He that holds the Stars hath seen meet to place him hath been to urge Conversion
the dangerous state of this People and of these Churches thereby will admit of no further delay God is hastening in his way and work Zeph. 1.14 The day of the Lord is near it hasteth greatly Christ hath threatned to come against us quickly except we repent and do the first works quickly Rev 2.5 16. In such a case a People must be quick Numb 16.46 47. And Moses said unto Aaron take a Censer and go quickly to the Congregation and make an Attonement for them and Aaron took as Moses commanded him and ran O it was well for the poor People of Israel in that instant of their extream and distressing danger that Moses and Aaron who had the care and charge of their publick Weal were so quick in doing what was to be done for their publick safety and salvation Wherefore Let the general Exhortation be humbly proposed to the Servants of God in the Magistracy Much Honoured It doth in the Name of the Lord by the Word of the Lord in most solemn manner bespeak your utmost help and your very hearts and souls therein for the recovery and preservation of the life of dying Religion It is your greatest Honour that you are betrusted with so much of the care and charge of Religion in the civil concerns of it It will be both your and our Happiness if God shall make you instrumental Saviours of the life of Religion and so of the life of this People and these Churches It is your highest work and although the heaviest yet the happiest part thereof wherein you serve and subserve more directly to the honour and glory of God and highest good of his People and which being fully and faithfully performed will turn to your highest account in the day of Account and add much weight and splendor unto your Crown of glory The General Exhortation It is also proposed to the Servants of Christ in the Ministry the whole Order and Office work of the Ministry it is Religious Ordained by Christ as the great Ordinance for the Ministerial Exercise of his Power for the propagation and preservation of the life of Religion by the progress of the work of Conversion and Edification among men and that in a more direct subordinacy to himself and subserviency to his Name and Glory in the World who is himself the Shepherd and Bishop of Souls it is cause of deep Humiliation unto his Servants that they have been called forth to labour under the sinking discouragement of the decaying state of Religion that Religion should be dying under their hand and they lament lest they should be called to minister under that woful commission given to the Prophet Isai 6.10 Go tell this People hear ye indeed but understand not Make the heart of the People fat lest their Ministry should in just judgment be made penal and judicial and so become a savour of death unto death and so that they should Preach Religion to Death and Preach this People to death Hos 6.5 Therefore I have hewed them by the Prophets and slain them by the words of my mouth The fearful apprehensions of such a danger may move them to labour though lamenting as Gods Servants of old yet with so much the more care love zeal even unto the spending and consumption of their very souls by fervency instancy and constancy in all their prayers and soul-labours throughout their whole work more especially in travelling in birth with Souls until Christ be formed in them until they are born and brought forth to God in a saving work of Regeneration which will be the most certain way and means unto a general Resurrection of Religion in these Churches O how should they then make full proof of their Ministry and approve themselves throughly in their life in their labour in all their ministrations in their whole ministerial Conversations as those who are more than any other Order of Men in the World directly charged and betrusted yea set for the life of Religion and the salvation of Souls The Exhortation it is further proposed as in our Text and Context unto all Israel and Moses made an end of speaking all these words to all Israel It was his final farewel Exhortation to all the whole Covenant People of God The People of these Churches both the passing standing and rising Generations are all the visible Covenant people of God and therefore Religion it is our life we ought generally to care labour pray cry to God for the recovery preservation and continuance of it as for our life You who are sincere Christians are here again moved by this Exhortation not only as before to keep Religion alive in your own hearts but also to discharge your selves fully and faithfully in whatsoever duty or service you may can or ought to labour for the general Resurrection of Religion in these Churches More especially wherein you may be any of you betrusted with any of the concerns of it either Civil or Ecclesiastical Truly Christians the great incumbency the burthen of the work it is upon you the work it is most properly yours Because Religion it is peculiarly yours you are under the most sacred and indispensible obligations both unto God and one unto another to uphold it it is the most general duty of that high holy and heavenly Calling wherewith you are called to be Saints and wherein you are to approve your selves eminently the Servants of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ for the defence and advancement of his Cause Interest Kingdome Name and Glory wherein we shall live and dye as Saints obtaining those glorious promises which Christ made to those who laboured faithfully for the recovery of Religion in those declining Churches of Asia Rev. 2.7 To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life which is in the middest of the Paradise of God and ver 10. And I will give thee a Crown of life ver 17. To him that overcometh I will give to eat of the hidden Manna and will give him a white stone and in the stone a new Name which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it Rev. 3.5 He that overcometh the same shall be cloathed in white Raiment Ver. 12. Him that overcometh will I make a Pillar in the Temple of my God Ver. 21. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me on my Throne c. that is in Heaven O what exceeding great and precious Promises hath our Lord Jesus made for the incouragement of those who are his Sincere Servants to labour to uphold Religion in declining times and Churches we believe and are upon good grounds perswaded that there are many that there are enough Sincere Christians yet remaining in these Churches to do and perform whatsoever is necessary for the recovery and preservation of Religion and that if you would do what you might and ought Religion would not die but live and flourish with much spiritual prosperity Will it not then be a