IN the former of these Verses, we find the Church making a double complaint of their Sin, of their Affliction.

1. Of their Sin; there all misery begins, and there all our Complaints should begin. We are all, not an unclean thing, but (as) an unclean thing, Sicut quid inpurum, as the worst of things, as any thing that's most filthy and unclean. There is the Uncleanness of a Toad, a Venemous deadly unclean­ness: Our Uncleanness is as bad as that; our hearts are, as 'tis said the evil tongue is, full of deadly Poyson. There is the uncleanness of a Leaper, a Contagious uncleanness; such is ours, we have in­fected one another, we are all infected. There is the uncleanness of a Serpent, a stinging uncleanness; such is ours, our Sin hath bitten us, and stung us to the heart. There is the uncleanness of a Dunghil, a stinking uncleanness; such is our uncleanness, our Ini­quities [Page 4] have made us to stink before the Lord: Find out any thing that's worse, or more unclean than all these; whatever it be, our Sin hath made us as bad as the worst; nothing can be said too bad of Sin, and none speak worse of it than the People of God, who have the least of it. Those that are all Sin, carry it, as if there were nothing in sin, no hurt in it: We cannot make Sinners understand, or be sensible what evil there is in sin, but Saints feel it.

But it might be replyed by some amongst them, Though we have our Deformity, yet we have our Beauty too; though we have our uncleanness, yet we have a covering for it, we have Righteousness as well as Sin.

What's the Answer to that? Righteousness? What Righteousness have we? O our very Righteousness is as filthy Rags; 'tis but a ragged Righteousness we have, a totter'd, maimed, torn thing; the best we have is but as a Rag, unprofitable as a rag, not a­ble to hide the shame of our nakedness, and as a nasty filthy rag; if we have any thing that looks bet­ter than other, 'tis all naught, our best is a loath­some thing.

2. Of their Afflictions: We all fade like a Leaf, and our Iniquities like the Wind, have driven us away, driven us into Banishment, driven us into Capti­vity, carryed us away from our Country, and from the City of our God; yea, and from the favour and presence of our God, into a strange Land, into our Enemies hands. We all do fade and wither like a Leaf; our sin hath brought us down into a decaying, withering state, and our Iniquities, like the Wind, have driven us away. Withered, faded Leaves, you see how they are blown down the Trees, and carryed away with every Wind, when those that are green and flourishing keep their stand against wind and weather.

[Page 5]In verse 7. we have an additional complaint; they go on yet further, to make a greater and a sadder complaint against themselves: And that is, and yet for all this, as bad as our case is, yet there is none that calleth upon thy Name. Our punishment found us in a polluted and wasted state, and behold we grow worse and worse, we wither daily, Prayer fails: then which, there is not a more deadly symptom of a decayed soul. Prayer is the very breath of a Chri­stian; when Mens breath fails, they dye and turn to their Earth. Here observe: 1. Against whom this Complaint is commenced, that is, against the gene­rality of the People; there is none, that is, none in comparison, very few, if any that call— 2. The matter of this additional complaint; they did not yet call upon God; though their Iniquities had brought them to the dust, yet they had not brought them to their knees; though they had made them a Prey, yet they had not set them a Praying. 3. The immedi­ate reason of this their neglect of God in such a time, they were all asleep, and they did not awaken, or stir up themselves to take hold of God, or to seek af­ter him.

There is none [that calleth upon thy Name.] Calling upon the Name of God, is sometimes taken for Prayer, Psal. 50. Call upon me in the day of trouble; that is, Pray unto God. Sometimes, as Prayer is, so calling upon the Name of God, is put for all Reli­gion. Gen. 4.26. Then, in the days of Enoch, began Men to call upon the Name of the Lord; that is, then Religion began to appear, and to break forth more visibly in the Earth. In the Text, you may take the words as comprehending both senses, Prayer in spe­cial, and all Religion in general; and indeed, that is no Praying that leads not on to all Religi [...]n.

[Page 6]As these words, There's none that calleth upon thy Name: Note the neglect of Prayer; in that sense I have spoken of them elsewhere heretofore, but my present purpose is to speak of them in the latter sense, as the neglect of calling upon the Name of God notes the neglect of all Religion. These several observati­ons I shall hence offer to you.

Doct. 1. The Churches special Complaints are of the Churches Sins, of their own Sins; they cast the first stone at themselves. We are—not Ishmael or Edom, or the Philistins, but the Israel of God, we are as an unclean thing. Its grievous to them to see and hear of the sins of others. I was grieved because of the Transgressors, Psal. 119.158. That the Uncircum­cised among us, the open Enemies of the Gospel are so Wicked, should be a grievous thing to us. The Idolatries and Adulteries, the Drunkenness and shameful Spewing, those floods of filthiness that o­verflow among such, should be a grief of heart to all the Saints. It is not a thing to be made so light of, as it is by us, that there is such a Vile Generation risen up among us, even as if Hell it self were bro­ken loose to affront the God of Heaven, to defile his Holy Name, and to disgrace the Throne of his Glo­ry; this should go near the hearts of all that love Christ and the Holiness of the Gospel: And there is doubtless a great fault among us, and it is our great Sin that we do no more lay it to heart. We tell stories one to another of the Wickednesses that are amongst us, but we do but tell it as matter of News; but who among us are Mourners in secret for all these Abominations? If Mens hatred of Godli­ness, and the Persecutions that they raise against it, do reach even to us, and touch our selves in our own particulars, as far forth as we feel their rage to light upon our selves, in our own Persons or Estates, [Page 7] so far forth we are apt enough to complain against them; but whilst we can escape, and sleep in a whole skin, all is but lightly pass'd over. This is our great Sin, and a great Argument that our hearts are not so much concern'd for God, or Religion, as for our own interest; 'tis what we our selves suffer, not what Re­ligion suffers, that goes so near us. Well, this should be matter of our complaint and grief, that the Enemies of God are so wicked as they are: But yet, if we could but keep all right among our selves, let Enemies be as bad as they will, yet if it were with us as it should be, the matter were not so great; though there be such Flies, and such Lice, and such Frogs, such swarms of Locust-Lusts, and wickednesses upon the Egyptians among us, yet if the People of God were more free from such Verminous sins, though there be such thick darkness over all the Land of Egypt, yet if in Goshen there be light, among the Israel of God, in the Churches of Christ; though we should be as Israel was, held to the Brick-kilns, un­der Oppression and Persecution, yet if we might grow and multiply as they did, if the number of Saints might increase, and if those that are, might grow more holy and strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might; if it were but thus well with us that are Christians, and Professors of Religion, this were a comfort, how wicked soever the World were: But this is our misery, and here should be our special Complaints, and our great Mournings, that our Ini­quities, the Iniquities of the Church, of Professors of Religion, are so great, and so many as they are. [We] are all as an unclean thing; our Enemies are wicked, and we are not upright; we that name the Name of Christ do not depart from our Iniquities. We that pray, and hear, and profess to have sepe­rated our selves from the filthiness of the Land, to the [Page 8] Law of our God; even we have transgressed the Cove­nant of the Lord. What haltings and Hypocrisies are there among us? What Revolters and Backsliders are many of us become! What Heart-Idolatries are there to be found among us? What Pride, and what Covetousness, and what Quarrellings and Contenti­ons do there abound, even amongst us! What Sleepers and Loyterers and Triflers are we? What a luke-warm Generation do we shew our selves? How little of the Purity, and Spirit, and Life of Re­ligion is there going amongst us? Self-love, and Self-seeking, and Flesh-pleasing, and Men-pleasing, and an excessive heat and zeal for our carnal things, how hath it eaten up the Zeal of God, and the Spirit of Christianity, so that we may complain with the Apo­stle, Phil. 2.21. All seek their own, and not the things of Christ: Certainly Friends, this should be our great Lamentation, and let it be for a Lamentation to us before the Lord. Let us complain, let us lament that Religion, which hath so many Enemies, hath so many false Friends; that that which is so hunted by the profane Hunters, so shot at by the Uncircum­cised Archers, doth receive its greatest wounds in the Houses and by the hands of its Friends; that the Circumcision is become as Uncircumcision, that whilst the stripes of the ungodly are upon our backs, our own filthiness is yet in our skirts. Let us lament not only the spreading evils that abound a­mongst the generality of Professors, but let us espe­cially lament, every one of us, that our own hands are also in the Transgression: There's a decay grown amongst Professors, but let us enquire, Lord am not I, even I, one of the decayed souls? There are world­ly greedy Professors, whose hearts are gone after their Covetousness, and O Lord, am not I gone in the Company? There are Hypocrites, there are [Page 9] Idlers, a company of cold and luke-warm souls, and am not I such a one my self? O my my soul! art thou faithful to God? Have I kept my Covenant? Have I kept mine Heart, and kept my Watch, and kept my Way? Have not I wandred with them that wander, and fallen with them that fall? Let this be our Lamenting; let us take up a Lamentation toge­ther, let us joyn our Sighs, and mingle our Tears; let us Lament together, and let us also, as Zech. 12.12. mourn every one of us apart, and our Families apart; our Wives apart, and our Children apart; for our Personal sins, and our Family-sins, that nei­ther we, nor our own Houses have had our hearts so with God, but that the Lord hath a Controversie with us.

Doct. 2. Christians should not palliate or mince their own sins in their Confessions, but give them their due aggravations.

What could the Church say more against them­selves then they do in the Text? We are all as an unclean thing, very Vile, full of Diseases and Sores, and our very Righteousness is as filthy Rags. They do not hide or lessen their sins; they say not, as bad as we are, others are worse; 'tis not, we have been faulty, We are not as good as we should be, we have our spots and our failing, as who have not? But they speak it out with a full mouth, our Iniquities are multiplied, our Iniquities are marked before the Lord, and have mark'd us out for a company of un­clean and polluted souls; we cannot hide it, and we will not hide it; we can neither hide nor lessen it, 'tis too true, 'tis too evident; we must confess it, and we will confess it, that we are a naughty People: not so bad as others? Why others never pretended to any good, never made that Profession that we have made, never had the advantages that we have [Page 10] had; there can be no excuse for us, we should have been better, and we might have been better; but what ever we should have been, or might have been, we are very bad, we are all as an unclean thing: Thus did that great Apostle, when he speaks of Sinners, 1 Tim. 1.15. Of whom (sayes he) I am chief.

Friends, whatever your faults are, do not mince the matter, do not count your errors little Errors, your Sins, little Sins: Be sure of this, that mincing is not the way to mending. Shame your selves before the Lord, abase your selves in his sight; study the great­ness of those you count your little sins; rip open your hearts, and find out what a nest of Wickedness is there; ransack your ways, and see what a course of Folly and Vanity is to be found there, and do not go about to hide them: He that covereth his Sins shall not prosper, Prov. 28.13. Do not go about to hide them, but confess them, and spread them before the Lord, till your soul be ashamed. O that this Word might send us to our homes, every one of us with an aking heart, and a blushing face, that it might make us all fall down before our God, with Ezra's words in our mouth, Ezra 9.6. O my God, I am ashamed, and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God, for our Ini­quities are increased over our head, and our Trespasses are grown up unto the Heavens. Let us blush at our Hypocrisie, let us blush at our Luke-warmness, let us blush at our Worldlines and Carnality; let us blush in our Prayers, let us go blushing home, and weeping as we go; let us acknowledge we all are as an unclean thing, and our Righteousness is as filthy Rags.

Doct. 3. Consumption upon Professors is the high way to Confusion and Dissipation. If we wither and fade as a Leaf, our Iniquities as the wind will scat­ter [Page 11] and drive us away. If grey hairs be upon us, death and destruction is near.

Beloved, you can hardly be ignorant what com­plaints there are, even from all quarters of our Land, what a decay there is grown even every where upon Professors of Religion; and whether this consuming Disease hath not seized upon many of us here, I leave it to your own Consciences to judge; the considera­tion hereof, hath engaged me to enlarge on this sub­ject, beyond what I at first intended; and I beseech you every one, to set your hearts upon the words I shall speak, so as both to make a narrow enquiery each one into himself, whether you be grown into such a decay, and to endeavour for a speedy reco­very. I remember how it hath been with this Con­gregation, when our Assembling together was in one place, what a glorious and hopeful Morning appear­ed? What a Spring-tide there was of Converts flow­ing in to the Lord, and what a day-light of warm and holy affections then brake forth amongst us; whether our day hath continued its brightness, accor­dring to the spring of our Morning, let us sadly con­sider before the Lord.

Now in prosecution of the Doctrine mention'd, I shall first a little open this consuming Disease to you, and shew you, that even Christians may be sadly sur­prized by it; and then shew you, that where it proves Epidemical and General, there this Con­sumption is a fore-runner of confusion.

For the first, know, there is a two-fold decay or consumption in Religion.

• Partial.
• Total.

1. Paertial or gradual, a declining or consuming in some degree; a growing into a worse case than some­times we were; a growing weak and cold, and remiss [Page 12] in our Religion; an abateing or loosing our former care, strength, life, affection, and vigour of soul; and this may be incident to real Christians, who are subject to decay.

• Inwardly.
• Outwardly.

1. Inwardly, in the case and state of their souls in the inward Man; they may be Back-sliders in heart, as the expression is, Prov. 14.14. Particularly,

1. There may be a shaking of their Faith: The principles and foundations of Christianity may be shaken; there may be a failing of the firmness of their belief of the truth of the Gospel, and some declinings towards Infidelity and Atheism. Of Himeneus and Philetus 'tis said, 2 Tim. 2.18. that they erred con­cerning the truth, and overthrew the Faith of some; and as they overthrew the Faith of some, so proba­bly they might shake the Faith of more.

2. There may be a decay or wearing out the sense of the importance of those truths of the Gospel, that they do believe. Though the Gospel may still be received as an undoubted and unquestionable truth, though the evidence of its truth may be so clear as that they can­not contradict or question it, yet the weight of it may not be so much felt upon their hearts; the truths be­lieved may not be so much minded, nor so throughly considered as to leave any powerful impressions of them upon their hearts. Those great things, the worth and value of a soul, the dreadfulness of loosing a soul, the danger that they are in of loosing their souls, the excellency and necessity of Christ, the eter­nal weight of glory, the everlasting Vengeance of God against the Unrighteousness of Men, though all these things be believed and acknowledged, yet they may not for the time be so duly minded and medi­tated on; they may be so much out of their eye, out [Page 13] of their thoughts, that the sense of them, and the effi­cacy of that sense may seem even to be utterly lost, Friends, 'tis not the being of these great things, no, nor the bare believing that they are, but the minding and frequent considering them, the having that height and depth, that life and death in our eye, that will affect and work upon the heart; and Christians, through their own carelesness and heedlesness, may have even lost the sight both of Heaven and Hell. Things present may have so filled and overpower'd their hearts, as to put things to come quite out of mind; the heart may be so bewitch'd by this present world, so surrounded with a croud of carnal pleasures and delights, so swallowed up of worldly cares and contrivances, so intent upon our worldly business and commodity, that we may hereupon drive so hea­vily on in the matters of Eternity, as if we had for­gotten that we had a Christ or a soul to be minded.

3. There may be a decay, as of ther Faith (as before) so of all other their inward Graces and vital operati­ons. Hence 'tis that the Apostle prays so earnestly for them, 1 Pet. 5.10. The God of all grace, who hath called us to his eternal Glory, by Jesus Christ, establish, strengthen, settle you. We should every one of us prove unstable souls, and shall never stand if the God of Grace do not stablish us; we are every one of us weak souls, and shall certainly fall, and come to nothing if the God of grace do not strengthen and set­tle us. And therefore we had need to pray, and that earnestly, every one of us, the God of all grace stregthen me; the God of all grace stablish and set­tle this my weak and unstable soul. Hence also Chri­stians are exhorted, Rom. 3.11. Hold fast what thou hast, keep that good thing which is committed unto thee: And so we had need every one of us to call up­on our selves; hold fast O my soul, hold fast to [Page 14] Christ, hold fast to Holiness; hast thou gotten any Grace, any sound Religion into thine heart? Hold it fast that thou lose it not. Our Candle will burn dim, there is a Thief in the Candle which will wast it away, if it be not carefully snuffed and look'd to. Grace in the heart, is as a spark of fire in the Hearth, it will be cover'd over with Ashes, if it be not kept continually blowing; the rust will eat out our Gold, the Moth will fret out our Garments, the Thief will steal away our Treasure if it be not watchfully main­tained. O what Losses do many Christians actually suffer through their carelesness and negligence; loss in their Love, loss in their Life, and Zeal, and all their holy Affections, that little good that is in them, may grow to such a decay, that it may be ready to dye, and come to nothing; and as their Grace, which is their Life, decays, so their vital operations fail with it. All their sensible and sweet communion with God will be hindred; the warm and lively workings of their hearts upon God, their thoughts and medi­tations on God, their desires after Him, their de­lights in the Lord, the secret entercourses of love be­twixt the Lord and them will much cease when grace flags: Whilst grace is kept alive, the thoughts of God will be many and precious, Psal. 139.17. How precious are thy thoughts to me O Lord? how great is the sum of them? Their Meditations of him will be sweet, a reviving and refreshing to their hearts. Have you none of you sometimes found it so? Have you not poured out your souls into his Bosom, and felt the Lord pouring in his Wine and his Oyle into yours? Have you not walk'd with him upon the Mount, and sate down under his shadow with great delight, and found his Fruits sweet to your tast? Have you not sometimes rejoyc'd in his Presence and felt the joy of the Lord to be your strength? And [Page 15] then, O what Love hath streamed forth, O what Praises have been sent up to His Blessed Name! This, if ever you have experienced such Blessed seasons, hath been maintained from the life of Grace in you; and according as Grace sinks, or gathers rust, and grows dim, so doe not all your vital operations fail with it? I need not spend time to prove that such sinking and decaying of our Spirits, our Graces, and the comfortable operations of them, may be, the experiences of Christians do too fully, and too fre­quently yield us undeniable proofes.

2. There may be outward decays, decays in point of practise. There may be a neglect of the duties of Prayer, Hearing, Meditation, Examining, and taking an account of our selves, Isa. 43.22. Thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob! thou hast been weary of me, O Israel. I can seldom hear of thee; thou [hast] been a Praying People, a Sacrificing People, but thou art grown weary of my worship. How seldom art thou found in thy Closet, or in the Congregation? Thou art become a very Stranger to those duties which once were thy delight: Or if duties be per­formed, yet the heart and the life of them may be lost; their Sacrifices may be without an heart; if they bring their Incense, yet there may be no fire to kindle it; dead Praying, cold Praying must suffice them. O how do our Spirits often freeze in those Devotions which should kindle a fire in us! Some Mens duties serve for nothing, but to keep them a­sleep, and to keep Conscience quiet, which if there should be a total neglect, would flye in there faces and awaken them. There may be a decay in their Conversations; they may decline from a Spiritual to a Carnal conversation, from an Heavenly to an Earthly Life. Those that had once escaped the pollutions of the world, may be again entangled in the world, [Page 16] 2 Pet. 2.20. There may be a declining from a savou­ry, useful, to an unsavoury and unprofitable life; the Salt of the Earth may have lost its savour; those very Tongues, whose speech was used to be with Grace, seasoned with Salt, Ministring Grace to the Hearers, may either be dumb and speak nothing, or else be employed to speak Vanity. How long may we be in some Professors company e're we hear a sa­voury word from their lips; or if any good does come, how heartless and lifeless is it? In what they do, they move like Puppets; in what they speak, they speak like Parrots, that which they have learn'd by rote, but without any true sense of what them­selves do speak.

Such decays as these, both inward decays and out­ward decays may be grown upon Christians. Such declining souls are a miserable Spectacle, the reproach of the Gospel, the disgrace of Religion, that are more like Carkases, or Ghosts, than living souls; Idol Christians, that have Eyes, and see not; Ears, and hear not; Tongues, and speak not; Feet, and walk not: Such, who if they have any thing of Reli­gion in them, no body in the world is like to have the benefit of it, nor themselves the comfort of it. They may be stark dead, and dryed up at the roots, they may be meer Chaff and Stubble for ought any bo­dy else, or themselves either can say to the contrary: These dry Trees, how-ever they stand in the Vine­yard, they may stand there for Fuel for the fire, and not for Fruit. Such miserable Spectacles are wither­ing Professors, and yet what multitudes of them are there to be seen?

Friends, let us consider our selves, with respect to the perticulars mentioned; if we have not deny­ed the Faith, and become down-right Infidels, and Atheists; if we believe God and the Gospel, and the [Page 17] great and wonderful things of the world to come; yet are there not many of us that have lost the sense of the weight and importance of those great things? Have not the lean and ill-favoured Kine eaten up the fat ones? Have not the thin and the blighted Ears smitten and destroyed the full ones? Hath not this Earth, and the businesses thereof, choaked up some of our hearts, and left little sense of God, or Immortality upon us? Particularly consider,

1. Do we live as People that do verily believe we must shortly be in another world, where we must e­ternally reap the fruit of our doings here? Do we live as Men that have that Eternity in our eye, and the lively sense upon our hearts of that Death and Judg­ment, that glorious Reward and eternal Punishment that is before us? Sure we do not: O how few of us do thus live! Do we Pray, and Hear, and Buy, and Sell, and Converse in the World, as Men that see and look for so great a change? Was there never a time when we felt more of the Eternal things upon our hearts than now? Was there never a time when we were more serious, and in good earnest in our Re­ligion? When we were more deeply engaged in lay­ing up Treasure in Heaven, and making an escape from the Wrath to come? Was there never a time, when such serious questions, What must I do to be Saved? What if I should be Damned, shut out of the everlasting Kingdom, shut up in everlasting darkness? What may I do to please God, and to walk worthy of his holy Calling, and to make sure of a part in Christ? Was there never a time when such Questions were more ordinarily put than now, and when we were more solicitous about the having them answered?

2. How is it with our particular Graces, and in­ward vital Operations? Do we retain our first Faith? Do we hold out in our first Love? Where are those [Page 18] warm and lively affections that discovered themselves in the infancy of our new Birth? Time was when some of us were all in a flame of Love, and Life, and Zeal for God, when we had melting affections, mourn­ing, tender hearts, when our spirits were hotly working within us about God, and the things of God; when we could not live, nor be at ease, but under the influences of Heaven, and the illapses and intimations of the Divine Love and good will to our souls; when Communion with God, and enter­courses with Heaven were sweeter to us than our ap­pointed Food; was there never such a time with some of you? And is it so now? Or are not these matters sadly changed with you, from what they once were? May you not say with the Psalmist, Psal. 77.3.5. I remember the days of old, and am troubled? I remember my pleasant things, my plea­sant Houses, the sweet and delightful entercourses I had with the Lord; I remember these things, and am troubled to see what a fall there is from what once I enjoyed?

3. And how is it in your duties and in your lives? Is the old spirit of Prayer kept up with you? Hath the Lord such constant Visits, such affectionate Visits from you as he was wont to have? Are your Sighs, are your Tears, are your Souls poured out in Pray­ing, and in striving and wrestling with the Lord in Prayer, as formerly they have been? And is there such a vein of serious Religion running through your whole lives? Do you eat and drink, work together, and converse together in the Spirituality and single­ness of heart, which the Primitive Christians did, Act. 2.46. and which sometimes some of you did? Is it your care to exhort and quicken, and build up, and provoke one another to love, and to good works? Is there that Watchfulness over your goings, that di­ligence [Page 19] in instructing, in governing, and educating your Families in the fear and knowledge, and wor­ship of God, as hath been? Or must you not take up a Lamentation over your selves, and fall to judg­ing and condemning your selves, some of you at least, upon most of these accounts, and cry out in bitterness, O my soul, how art thou fallen?

Friends, let not these words pass as words of course, let them enter into your hearts, and stick in your sides, and be a wound in your very souls.

Let me, upon all this that hath been said, put the question yet again to you all: How is it with you? How is it with your souls? What, do ye hold your own, or are ye at a loss? What, Prospering or Pe­rishing? Flourishing or Withering? Upon the wing, and mounting upwards as the Eagles, or upon the Dust with the Worms? Friends, pray consider, who among you can say, I thank the Lord, my soul is upon the increasing hand; through the grace of God, my Soul is maintained in Life, and I am reaching for­ward, and getting a little ground Heaven-ward dai­ly; through rich mercy, the Grace that hath been bestowed on me, hath not been bestowed in vain: I cannot deny the goodness of God to me; I have good hopes that it's something better with me than it has been? Some of you, I hope, can speak thus, to the praise of the glory of the grace of God with you: But I fear too many, even of you that are Professors, must give a sadder Answer. How is it with my soul? O the Lord be merciful to me, 'tis but in a poor and pittiful case; Lord I pine, Lord I am fallen, I am fallen. With my outward man 'tis well enough, but O mine inner man withers, my Religion vanish­eth, my poor soul languisheth, my grace perisheth; much of it is lost, and that which remains, is dying daily; I took it all along to be well enough; but [Page 20] now I think on't, O 'tis a miserable decay that is grown upon me.

Beloved, I have told you already what complaints there are of decays from other places; and now con­sider, is not the Moth come into this Congregation? Is not the Worm eating at [our] root also? Com­pare the present spirit and temper that is too gene­rally upon us, with what it was in our first meetings at Seimours Court; sure there appeared another man­ner of warm, lively, serious, affectionate spirit then, than is to be found but in very few of us at this day. What, hath so many years Preaching and Praying, and Sacraments we have had since, had no better suc­cess than this? Have you been hearing all this while to your loss? and Praying to your loss, and had Sa­craments to your loss? O that every one of you now, would lay his hand on his own heart, and faithfully enquire where be the decayed souls among us, Lord is it I? Lord, am not I one of them? Do not think now to excuse the matter; do not tell me, we hope 'tis not so bad, your fear of us is more than you have ground for: O that I were mistaken in you, that it were better with you then according to my Jealou­sies: But I must tell you, if you have not the same fears, some of you, concerning your selves, I doubt 'tis because you have no more observed your selves, nor so throughly considered your selves how 'tis with you.

Well, let these hints humble us, and lay us low before the Lord. Let these words startle us, and a­waken us, and prepare us towards our recovery. Thus much touching the partial decay.

2. There is a total decay, or Apostasie from the Faith. If those that are real Christians do not, yet many high Professors may, ye, and are become Apo­states from Christ. Such as these:

[Page 21]1. Never brought forth any fruit to perfection, Luk. 8.14. Neither the right fruits, nor any ripe fruits, it's rotten before 'tis ripe; and when 'tis at best, it's rotten at the Core.

2. The Fruit they had falls off.

3. Not only their Fruit falls off, but their Leaves: They decline in the practise, and fall off from the profession of Christianity.

4. Their Root is dryed up and withered: The Faith they had, fails, and they become down-right A­theists or Infidels. But I shall not enlarge here.

2. Consumption in Religion, where it proves Epide­mical, is the fore-runner of Confusion. What ever in­fluence the wickedly profane may have upon the re­moval of the Gospel, that which most certainly pro­vokes the Lord to cast off, is the decay and Apostasie of Professors, Rev. 2.5. Remember whence thou art fallen, and do thy first works, or I will come unto thee quickly, and remove thy Candlestick out of its place.

To set home what hath been spoken: You that are Back-sliders, consider this one word; that what­ever become of us, as to our general cases, as to the particular cases of your own souls, this Consump­tion, if it be not speedily recovered, is like to be mortal. You that are sick of this withering Disease, look to it in time, lest your sickness be unto death, even to death Eternal. You that are Back-sliders, think not that your souls are safe, by that of Chri­stianity which you have already attained, but know, that your drawing back may be unto Perdition. You that have begun to fall, tremble to think where this fall may end. You may sink and sink, and fall lower and lower, and never stop till you come to the bot­tom of Hell, and so by your total and final Apo­stacy, you may prove, that what-ever you think, you never had the truth of Christianity in you. O [Page 22] remember this word, and let it awaken you in time.

Now I come to the chief Doctrines intended.

Doct. 1. Its the duty of the People of God, to stir up themselves in the matters of Religion.

Doct. 2. Stirring Religion will take hold of God. I shall handle them both together, and shew,

1. What it is to stir up our selves in the matters of Religion.

2. What need we have to stir up our selves.

3. What 'tis to take hold of God.

4. That stirring Religion will take hold of God.

5. How we should stir up our selves.

1. What 'tis to stir up our selves in the matters of Re­ligion. There is,

1. A stirring up our selves to Religion, or to get Re­ligion where there is none.

2. A stirring up our selves in Religion, where there is something of it already.

1. There is a stirring up our selves to Religion. There are some that are utter strangers to Religion, that have nothing of God or Religion in them. Some men have not the knowledge of God, I speak this to your shame, 1 Cor. 15.34. It is a shameful thing that there should be any in the Churches of Christ, with­out the knowledge of God: Ignorant persons are the shame of Congregations: We may be all ashamed that there are so many among us that have no know­ledge. Thou that art an Ignorant Man, the People of God may be all ashamed of thee, it is a shame to our Congregation that there is such a blind soul a­mongst us; but yet such there are.

Some that have a little knowledge of God, have yet no sense of God or Religion upon them; Men of a Reprobate mind, Rom. 1.28. Sottish senseless souls, voyd of judgment, and voyd of sense. Nothing of God will affect them, or work upon them: Instruct [Page 23] them while we will, Preach to them while we will, nothing will enter into them or move them at all; we cannot beat any sense of God, of their Souls, of Re­ligion into them.

Others, if they have some knowledge and some little sense of God and Religion, yet have no true Religion in them. They know something of God, know something of Religion, yet still are without Christ, and without God in the world. They have something of it in their heads, but nothing of it in their hearts, or their lives. Or if there be some lit­tle touches of it upon them, yet there's no sound or saving work upon them; they are Professors of Re­ligion, but they are Hypocrites, utterly voyd of the Saving grace or work of God: They are among the Disciples of Christ, and go for Disciples, but they are not of them, as 1 John 2.19. They think themselves to be something, think themselves to be Christians, but are nothing, but deceive their own selves. Some have no Religion, and care not whether they have or no; do not at all concern themselves a­bout Religion: It does not enter into their thoughts to mind any such thing; they have no desire to be o­therwise than they are, but are quiet and well con­tented to continue as they are.

How is it with you Sinners, that are here before the Lord? Some of you have not the knowledge of God, are without Christ, are yet in your sins; and O how little sense have you of your need of Christ? How little desire have you to be changed, and deli­vered from this state you are in? Do not you feel that your hearts are at rest in your present case? Are there any hearty wishes? O that the Lord would change my heart! O that I might be brought into Christ, and to fear God in truth? No, you mind not, nor take any care about any such thing; as little of [Page 24] God, or Religion as you have, you care not whither ever you have more than you have.

Now such as these, that have no Religion in them, their work is, to stir up themselves (to) Religion, or to get Religion into them; and this stirring up themselves to Religion, stands in these things.

1. In bethinking themselves how 'tis with them, and what they have to do.

2. In crying out for help, and recovery out of their sin and misery.

3. In taking the Alarm from the Watch-men.

4. In forceing themselves back from their sins, and onwards to Christ.

1. There must be a bethinking themselves how 'tis with them. This is the first step they are to make towards Religion, to bethink themselves how 'tis with them, 1 King. 8.47. If they shall bethink themselves; that's the first work, and then, v. 48. If they shall return unto thee with all their heart, and with all their soul. Sinners must bethink themselves,

• 1. What they are at present.
• 2. What they are to do for the future.

1. Sinners must bethink themselves what they are, and what a woful state they are in. What have I of the fear or knowledge of God in me? Am I a Christian? Have I any thing of saving Religion in me? Am not I a blind, senseless, careless soul, that have not so much as made any profession of Reli­gion? I live without Prayer, never pray in secret, no Prayer in my Family, no such thing as minding God or my Soul. I eat and drink, I lye down and rise up, I work, and trade, and follow my business for this world; but as for the other World, I con­fess I take little care about it; or if I have minded it more than some others, and have made a little pro­fession of Christianity, yet am I not still an Hypocri­tical [Page 25] Professor? Is this my case? Am I without Christ short of saving-Religion? What can I think of my self and my present condition? Sure as little as I have been troubled at it, it is a woful case I am in▪ What, yet in my sins, and under the power of the Devil, and in a state of Damnation? I had need look about me before I be past remedy.

2. They must bethink themselves what they mean to do. What, shall I continue in this case till I dye? or shall I make out after an escape? Sinners, 'tis a fear­ful state you are in, you are miserable souls if you have no Religion in you. But pray now bethink your selves, what do you mean to do for the future? Will you go on as you are? Will you take no more care for your souls then you have done? nor look after no more Religion than you have gotten? What do you mean Sinners? Put your hearts to it, bethink you what you mean to do. What, will you not be perswaded to thus much? Will you not so much as think with your selves, what shall I hence-forth do? Shall I venture it as I am, or shall I make out after an escape, out of this fearful condition? If you were come to this, to bethink your selves what a wretch­ed case your souls are in, and how you may do to escape it; you had then gotten the first step in this work of stirring up your selves to Religion.

2. Crying out for help, and recovery out of this wretched state. When the soul falls a crying once, a crying for help and recovery, then it begins to stir to some purpose; and this kind of stirring stands.

1. In crying out upon [themselves] to seek out for help. When the Sinner, being brought to a sense of his misery and danger, cryes out to himself as those Lepers, 2 King. 7.8. cryes one to another, Why sit we here till we dye? Or as the Marriners to Jonah, [Page 26] Chap. 1.6. Arise Sleeper, call upon thy God, earest thou not that thou perish? Thou art ready to perish O my soul; if I continue as I am, I dye for't; if I can get no more of God, or of Religion and Christia­nity than I have hitherto gotten, I must to Hell, I must burn for ever and ever. Awaken O my sleepy heart; to thy Knees, to thy Prayers, call upon thy God, that thou perish not. Sinners, how often have we been crying to you? Crying upon you to consider your ways; crying upon you to amend your ways, to Repent and return unto the Lord, to get you new hearts, and to betake your selves to a new Life? How often have you heard that word, Ezek. 18.32. Why will ye dye? Turn and live. We have been long crying thus in your ears, but there's scarce a Sinner stirs for all this; but you remain a company of stupid sleepy souls. O Sinners, after all our cry­ing thus upon you, when will you cry out upon your selves? When will you take this word from Mini­sters mouths, when we cry to you, Repent Sinner, go to Christ Sinner, and speak it to your selves, O my soul Repent, hasten thee in to Christ, O my soul? Are there any of you now, whose hearts cry thus to themselves, Away, O my soul, go to God, go to Christ for his help, to save thee out of this wretched state, that thou perish not everlastingly? There would be some more hope in this.

2. In crying out to the Lord, to give help in this time of need Crying out to the Lord for help, is both an Argument that the heart is awakened, that Conscience is stirring, and fears are stirring, and de­sires are stirring, and it is the stirring of the heart. There may be a cold saying, God help me, when the heart is still asleep; but when it cryes out, then 'tis a sign 'tis awakened: When the Psalmist, Psal. 12. had a sight what a wicked world this world was be­come, [Page 27] and was affected with the sight, then he crys out, Help Lord, for the Godly Man ceaseth, the Wicked walk on every side, and the Vilest Men are exalted: And as the sight of such a wicked world was to him, so should the sight of a wicked heart be to a Sinner. O my wicked heart, what a world of wickedness is it! How full of deadly Poyson; Grace is not; the good that was in it, is ceased and perish­ed, and every vile thing is to be found in it, Envy, and Malice, and Lust, and Falshood, and Folly, and Enmity against God; what a Fountain of Wicked­ness is within me? O what an heart have I? Help Lord, save me from this wicked heart, save me, or I perish. This is an hopeful stirring.

Sinners, how is it that you yet stir not? what hearts have you? Open your Eyes, and look a lit­tle inward: Is there not sin within you, with all its Curses and Plagues? Is not that heart of thine be­come like that City of Abominations, Babylon, of which 'tis said, Isa. 13.21. Ziim and Okim dwell there, and all manner of doleful Creatures, the Cor­morant and the Bittern, Owles and Satyrs, and Dra­gons? Is not that heart of thine a very Den of Dra­gons and Serpents? Every Lust of thine heart is a Serpent, a Dragon, and an Adder, which as tame as they lye, that thou feelest them not, are devou­ring thy soul. Every Sinner among you have such an heart; an (heart) full of Serpents, an heart full of Dragons. O how is it that there is not a cry among you, Lord help; save Lord, save me from this miserable heart? But behold for all this, there's scarce a soul stirs; all quiet and fast asleep, and fears nothing. I'le tell you Sinners, if you did but under­stand your hearts, and what there is within you; if we could help you to a sight of those crauling Ser­pents, and stinging Adders, and stinking Ulcers that [Page 28] are within you, 'twould scare you out of your se­curity, and put you to the cry, Lord save, or I am lost.

3. In crying to the Men of God, the Servants and Ministers of Christ. When Ministers have been crying to Sinners, Men and Brethren, save your selves: If our Word stir'd them, we should have them cry­ing to us, What must we do to be saved? How may we escape, and be delivered from the wrath to come? So we find it with those, Act. 2.37. when Peter's word pricked them to the heart, they cryed out, Men and Brethren (what) shall we do? And so the Jay­lor, Act. 16.30. When the Lord Preached to him by an Earth-quake, and shook his heart, he cryed out to the Apostles, (Sirs), what must I do to be saved? Such cryes should we hear from all the Sinners a­mongst you, could our Words once shake your hearts. Help, O men of God, help me out of this miserable state; help by your Prayers, help by your Counsels, Pray for a poor lost Soul, Preach to a poor misera­ble Creature, tell me what I must do; help me to know the Lord, shew me the path of Life. Thus far that wicked one, Simon Magus, was stirred, when Peter had set his sin and his misery home upon him, Act. 8.24. Pray for me, says he, pray to the Lord for me, that none of these things come upon me. What am I in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of Iniquity? For the Lord's sake help me out, Pray to the Lord for me, that I abide not in this Condition.

O how few such stirring Consciences, how few such awakened Sinners can we find among you? When do we hear one of all the Sinners here come­ing to us with such a question, Sirs, what shall I do, what must I do to be saved? When do we hear any such Request to us, Pray for me, O pray me out of [Page 29] the hands of my Drunken Companions, Pray me out of my Covetousness, pray that the Lord would deliver me from this hard heart, from this blind mind, from this froward spirit; pray that the Lord would convince and convert my soul? Sinners, I doubt, that how well soever you sometimes speak of the Preaching you hear, yet I doubt it doth not reach your hearts: For mine own part, I do not remember the time when any one Sinner among you did ever seriously put the question to me, What must I do to be saved.

This is the second thing, wherein Sinners stirring up themselves towards Religion, stands in their cry­ing out for help.

3. In taking the Alarme from the Watch-men. God hath sent forth his Ministers to Alarm this sinful world, Joel 2.1. Blow ye the Trumpet in Zion, sound an Alarm in my holy Mountain, Isa. 48.1. Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy Voyce like a Trumpet, tell my Peo­ple their Transgressions, and the House of Israel their sins. What is the use of an Alarm? Why to awaken, and to declare to People that there is VVar making upon them, that there is an Enemy near, that they are in danger of perishing, if they suddenly look not to themselves. Thus will I do to thee; that is, I Will do terrible things to thee, Therefore prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. That was Amos his Alarm to Is­rael, Amos 4. Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be de­stroyed; that was Jonahs Alarm to Nineveh, Jon. 3.4. The Axe is laid to the root of the Tree, God is making short work with Sinners, Every Tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be cut down and cast into the Fire; that's John-Baptist's Alarm, Mat. 3.10. The times of this Ignorance God winked at, but now he com­mandeth all Men every where to Repent; for he hath appointed a day wherein he will judge the world in [Page 30] Righteousness; that's Paul's Alarm, Act. 17.30, 31. The like Alarms are the Ministers of Christ sounding in Sinners ears every day; Repent, or ye shall Pe­rish, Believe, or ye shall be Damned, be Converted or ye shall never enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. The most of Sinners, for all this, stir not, but sleep on: Hath not the Alarm been sounded amongst you? And yet how few Sinners of you are there, whose souls are not fast asleep to this day? We have cryed unto you as Dalilah to Sampson, Arise Sampson, the Philistins are upon thee: Arise Sinner, the Devil is upon thee, Sin lyes at the door, the Judge stands at the door, Death is ready to dart thee thorow, Hell opens her mouth for thee, and behold nothing will do to awaken you. We give the Alarm, but you will not take the Alarm: This is the stirring of the soul which I am Preaching of, when Sinners are A­larmed, and take the Alarms; when the VVord Preached sets Conscience a Preaching, and thun­dering upon Sinners, when Conscience calls to them, turn to the Lord, break off thy sins by Repentance; thou art a dead Man if thou go on, there's but a step betwixt thee and everlasting death; thou wilt be in, thou wilt be swallowed up of the eternal Furnace if thou suddenly Repent not. When Mens hearts thus take the Alarm, and their Consciences being startled, do fall to work with them, and provoke them to look after God and his Grace: This is another thing wherein this stirring stands.

4. In forcing themselves back from their sins, and onwards to Christ. Though in a proper sense, there can be no coaction of the will, yet such violence may be used towards our selves, as in our common speech, we call forcing of our selves. So Saul, 1 Sam. 13.12. I forced my self, and offered a Burnt-offering. Sinners should lay violent hands as it were [Page 31] upon their hearts, pulling them back from sin, put­ting them on to Christ. Sinners must do by their hearts as the Angels did by Lot, Gen. 19.16. When they were hastening him out of Sodom, they laid hold upon his hand, and upon the hand of his Wife and Children, as they lingred and plaid loath to de­part, and even pulled them out from that burning that was coming. Do your hearts hang back from Christ, do they still hang after your sinful ways? Lay hold on them, pull them along, Mat. 11.12. The Kingdom of Heaven suffereth Violence, and the Violent take it by force. That notes that People are in good earnest for Heaven, and cry mightily to God, wrestle with the most High for admission. This speaks a kind of using Violence with God; but the first Vio­lence Men are to use, is upon themselves: They must first lay violent hands on their own hearts to bring them about towards God; and this must be done by pressing the things which they hear on, upon their hearts, rouzing up their fear, and setting that as a Dogg upon their heels, to hunt them away from their sins, and drive them on to Christ. This fear will be to Sinners as the Avenger of blood to the Man-slayer, 'twill hunt them on their way, and hasten them to Christ. O my Soul, art thou not afraid to continue as thou art? to continue a Drunkard, to continue a Worldling, or a Lyar, or a Sleeper in thy course of Sin? Art thou not afraid of the Devil, art thou not afraid of Death, doth not Hell make thee tremble? Art thou afraid what may come upon thee, and yet wilt thou not stir? Is the Avenger of Blood at thine heels, and yet wilt thou not run for't? Thus should Sinners fright themselves to Christ: If goodness, and kindness, and mercy will not allure you, let your mi­sery, and the danger you are in, scare you; put your finger into the fire, dwell in the considering that [Page 32] VVrath and fiery Indignation, which you are falling into; a sudden transient thought now and then will do little; you must think and think over a­gain and again of these terrible things. And to make such thoughts to work, put the case to your selves, What if these dreadful things should come upon me? What if I (should) fall into that fire? There is danger it may be my case, and what if it should be so? If I should feel the scalding and scorching of those flames, O how should I endure? How should I do to Burn, and to dwell in everlasting Burnings? Think over such thoughts, Sinners, and give not o­ver till you feel these very thoughts begin to scald and scorch you; and then force and fright your selves on to Repent, with such farther questions, VVhat, is turning from sin, and the pains of seeking after Christ, is this more painful than everlasting Death? VVhat, wilt thou do nothing to save thy Life? to keep thee out of the fire? Suppose thy house were falling on fire, how would it startle thee? How busie wouldst thou be to prevent or quench it? How passi­onately wouldst thou cry out, Fire, Fire? How wouldst thou run, and call, and send for all the help thou could'st get, to save thy House out of Ashes? And is not thy soul more to thee than thy House? Will not the Wrath of God burn more fiercely than the fire of thine House? Nay further, Suppose thine House were on fire, and thou wert lock'd in, and couldst not get out, but wert like to burn with thy Goods; O how would'st thou cry out to thy Friends without, O Pitty, Pitty me, and help me out, pull down the Windows, break open the Door and help me out; I Burn, I Burn, break open the Door that I may get out.

Sinners, if you would be perswaded to dwell on such thoughts as these, O they would fright you out [Page 33] of this sleepy and secure state, they would fright you out of your Excuses; now you put it off, its hard to Repent, its hard to change mine heart and my way; your pinching necessity would make you break through difficulties; or at least you would call to your Friends, to your Minister, Break open the door upon me; can you do nothing to break this hard heart of mine? Can you say nothing to awaken this sleepy heart of mine? O help me, help me out of this hardned state.

But what is it we must force our selves to? Why to Christ or Christianity, to Religion or Godliness.

Obj. But God loves not, nor will regard a forc'd Religion, He will have his Followers to follow him freely, and not by constraint or force.

Sol. There is a forceing our selves to the entrance upon Religion, and there is a forceing our selves on in the exercise of Religion; 'tis most ordinary that Men are at first forced upon Religion by their fear; that ordinarily is their first motive to look after Christ, what shall I be Damned? Shall I stand slighting of Christ and following my sins till I dye? O I must come about, I am afraid to continue as I am, O my soul, escape for thy life, and get thee to Christ. But those that thus force themselves in, do after­wards go more freely on. Not but that there is still need of some forceing of our selves; there is still some use of fear, to hold us close to the exercise of Religion, and the following of Christ: But though there be use of fear still, yet then 'tis Love that chiefly leads us on; and the longer, and the fur­ther we have followed Christ, the more freely we shall follow him.

2. There is a stirring up our selves [in] Religion, or to the vigorous exercise of Religion: This concerns the Saints or Professors of Christianity. Sinners have [Page 34] no Religion in them, and their work is to stir up themselves [to] Religion, to get that which they have not: Christians have gotten to some Religion, and their work is to stir up themselves in Religion, to a progress or going forwards in Religion.

Amongst the Saints, some have more Religion in them, do abound in the Grace of God, and in the work of Grace: Others of them have something, but 'tis but little of Religion they have; they are but of little Faith, Mat. 6.30. have but little strength. Some good thing is found in them towards the God of Israel, but yet it is but a day of small things. Of these that have but little, some never had much: We read of Babes in Christ, 1 Pet. 3.1. of Children in understanding; and of these, some are but new born Babes, beginners in Religion; others, who though as Heb. 5.12. for their time they might have been grown up to be Men, to be strong in the Lord; yet after a long time of profession of Christianity, they have not had one Cubit added to their Stature in the grace of God. Though they have been Christi­ans of long standing, yet their souls are as Zacheus his body, of little Stature. Of those that have but little Grace, some never had more, it hath been ever but low with them from the beginning. Others once had more Grace, but they are fallen, and sunk in their Estates; like Naomi, time was when they went out full, but they are returned empty. They have wasted their Talents, and are consumed in their strength; their light burns dim, their flaming Lamp is become but like smoaking Flax, they have little more than the snuff of Religion left them.

Now there's need of stirring up themselves in Re­ligion in all these sorts. Those that have the most of Grace, had need bestir themselves to get more: those that (live) most in the diligent exercise of [Page 35] Grace, that live most spiritually, most circumspect­ly, had need be giving more diligence daily; you that are highest, you are not yet come to your full growth, there is still more to be gotten, and more to be done for God and your souls.

But this duty of stirring up our selves in Religion, most especially concerns those that have but little Re­ligion in them; both such as never had but little, and such as once had more, and now are fallen to decay.

Now to shew you what this stirring up our selves in Religion means, understand

1. By what acts you must stir up your selves.

2. To what pitch of Religion you should strive to attain.

1. By what acts you must stir up your selves.

1. The Saints must begin the stirring up themselves in Religion, where Sinners must begin their stirring up themselves to Religion in bethinking themselves, Hag. 1.5. Now therefore consider your ways, or set your heart upon your ways; see how 'tis with you, take diligent notice how it goes with your souls. Friends, it may be, there's the same reason for you upon a spiritual account, as there was for them upon an out­ward account to consider your ways: VVhy should they consider their ways? why, v. 6. Because ye have Sowne much, and Reap but little; ye eat, but have not enough; ye Drink, but are not filled; ye Cloath you, but there is none warm; ye earn Wages to put into a Bag with holes. May be, upon a Spiritual account, it may be said much to the same purpose concerning some of you; God hath been Sowing much, but hath Reaped but little; He hath been Feeding and Cloath­ing you, but you are empty still, and naked still; all that you have receiv'd from God, doth not keep you warm; what-ever Treasures have been poured out [Page 36] upon you, your hearts have been as bags with holes, the Treasure of the Lord runs out as fast as 'tis pour­ed in; you are leaking Vessels, nothing will stay with you: Therefore consider your selves, consider whether it hath not been thus with you: O how have the In­structions of God, His Counsels and his Comforts slid away, how quickly are they let slip? VVhat be­comes of all your Sermons, and Sabbaths, and Sacra­ments you have had? VVe have brought you ma­ny a rich Treasure; we have been pouring into those hearts of yours, such living Food, such rich VVine and Oyle that might have made you fat and flourish­ing; but what's become of it all? O it still finds an hole in your hearts, at which it runs out as fast as 'tis poured in. Consider Friends, if it be not so with many of you, when you have been instructed and affected with your instructions, when you have been fed and revived, and refreshed with your Food, how soon after is it all run out and lost? Sure Friends, it's grievous to the Ministers of Christ, and a discou­ragement to us in our Administrations, to see how little a while what we bring you from God, abides upon your hearts; the Lord hath Sowne much upon you, but how little is there he Reaps? In some of you there's little springs up, and those in whom there's more springs up, and flourishes for a time in the blade, O how hath it withered and grown to de­day, and will not ripen to the Harvest!

That it may be better for the future, your first bu­siness is to consider and bethink your selves, if hither­to it be not thus with you: Bethink your selves every one of you, How is it with me? Is mine heart kept full? full of the Knwledge of God, full of Faith, and the fruits of it? Is mine heart kept warm? Is there such an heat wrought into it as holds? Is mine heart a Treasure of good things, and do they abide in me? [Page 37] Do the counsels of the VVord, and the comforts and quicknings of Sacraments stay by me? Have I some standing abiding Treasure within me, something within me to shew that the VVord is not Preached to me in vain? Or do not I do as others, let all slip and dye away with the speaking? Bethink your selves thus, how 'tis with you; is your Grace grown up? Are your souls built up in Faith and Holiness? God hath been building among you, but how doth the building go up? In some of you, hath it not ever been at a stand? If the Foundation hath been laid, yet scarce a stone laid up upon it; and others in whom the Building seemed to be rais'd to some considerable height, is it not broken down, is not your work fallen again? Deal plainly in this matter, bethink your selves, do your souls prosper, or is it but low with you, and hath it not been some time better with some of you than 'tis now?

2. If it be but low with your souls, much more if you have had a long time to increase, since you first believed; and more then that, if heretofore it hath been better with you then 'tis now, then bethink your selves further, Is not this an evil case you are in? Is this a case to be rested in? Do you like it to be as you are? If you had a Child of your natural body, that should be no more able to speak, or go, or feed its self, and had no more understanding at 10. or 20. years old then when 'twas but an Infant, but must be still Suckled and carryed in Armes at those years, as if it had been but in its first year; would not such a Child be a Cross to you, and an Affliction? O how is it that you are not a Cross to your selves, and an Affliction to your selves, that after so long a time as some of you have had of growing, you should yet in matters spiritual not be past Babes or Children? It was an Affliction to the Apostle, 1 Cor. 3.1. that [Page 38] he must still speak to them as to Babes I could not speak unto you as to Spiritual, but as unto Carnal, even as unto Babes in Christ. Here 2 things, 1. To have Christians to continue still as Babes and Children, is an Affliction to their Ministers. The manner of the Apostles speech intimates so much, that it was a trouble to him that he must still speak to them as Babes. 2. By how much the more carnal Christians remain, by how much the less spiritual, by so much the more Childish they continue, to be still carnal, is there said to be the same with being Babes. Dost thou think that thou art grown past a Child? How is it that thou art so carnal still, minding carnal things, and living such a carnal life? Carnally minded Professors, those that are given so much to their carnal things, and are of such a carnal Conversation, if they have any thing of Christ in them, yet 'tis but very little; if they be Christians, they are but Babes in Christ; as they grow up, they will grow more Spiritual and Heaven­ly. Never think your selves to be grown or thriving Christians, till ye can more despise these carnal things and ways, and are come to be more Spiritually-minded, and have gotten this Earth and Flesh more out of your hearts, and under you feet.

VVell, but is it not an Affliction to you to conti­nue thus carnal? Are you well satisfied with that car­nal heart you have, with that carnal life you live? But what do you think of [your] state, that have grown up from being Carnal to be Spiritual, and are now fallen from being Spiritual to be Carnal again? Have you once had the day-light shining in your hearts, and are you now returned to the twi-light a­gain? Did you once live a life of Faith, and a life of Love, and had your Conversation in Heaven? were you once of a tender heart, of a circumspect savoury Life? Did you live in the Spirit, and walk in the [Page 39] Spirit, and are you now fallen back to a more eager minding earthly things, and have lost that sense, that lively sense you had of things Spiritual and Eternal? Bethink your selves Friends, whither this be any of your cases, and whether you like it to be in such a case? Or whether you do not with grief acknowledg it, my soul is but in evil case, and it's time for me to bestir my self, and get me up to a better state?

2. In crying out upon your selves, to be reaching forward to what you have not attained, and to reco­ver what you have lost, as the Psalmist, Psal. 57.8. Awake up my glory; so say you, awake up my Grace, awake up my Love, awake my Fear, awake up my Conscience: And as the Apostle to the Romans, chap. 13.11. Awake O my soul, 'tis high time to awaken out of sleep; 'tis high time to look about me, 'tis high time to bestir me. What, shall I always loyter and trifle as I have done hitherto? Shall I never take more care and more pains, and be more busie for God and my Soul than I have hitherto been? 'Tis high time, 'tis high time to awaken and put on. I may no longer live the (rest) of my time in the Flesh, The time past of my life may suffice me to have wrought the will of the Gentiles; As the Apostle, 1 Pet. 4.2, 3. The time past may suffice me. It is enough, it is long enough that I have liv'd this carnal life? O 'tis more then enough, 'tis too long, 'tis a shame that I have lived under the profession of Christianity so long as I have, and yet my soul be brought to no bet­ter pass: O 'tis time that I awaken and bestir my self to amend my pace. Cry out thus upon your selves, awaken O my soul in time, 'tis time, 'tis high time, 'tis more than time to look about thee; come my lazy heart, up, and be doing: And if it be time to get more Grace than ever I had, sure 'tis high time to set to recovering what once I had and [Page 40] have now lost: Is my soul at a loss, and shall I always sit down by the loss? Much I have lost already, and shall I go on losing and losing, till I have lost all? Friends, we cry unto you, remember whence you have fallen, and Repent, recover your first love, do your first works; and when you will take the cry from our mouths, and cry thus upon your selves, then there's hopes ye will recover.

3. In crying unto the Lord for his help. If Mini­sters cannot stir you, if Conscience cannot stir you, if ye cannot awaken your selves, nor recover your selves, yet the Lord God can do it, the helper of Is­ [...]ael can help you. Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is nigh, Isa. 55.6. Before you be too far gone, before your case grow desperate, whilst the Lord is at hand, calling upon you, now seek out to him. Go to the Physitian of souls, He can cure every Disease, and thy Disease, the Con­sumption of the heart. Behold, thou art in a Con­sumption, not of the Liver, or Lungs, or Reins the Consumption of the Heart is upon thee; and this Consumption no other Physitian can cure but the Physitian of Souls: What-ever other Physitian thou goest to, with the neglect of him, thou wilt find them all Physitians of no value; what-ever other course thou takest, with the neglect of seeking God, he will say to thee, as Jer. 46.11. In vain shalt thou use many Medicines, for thou shalt not be cured. Go to God for thy languishing soul, cry unto Him, lift up thine heart with thy might, pour forth thy very soul in thy Prayers; Lord I am fallen, Lord I pine, my soul languisheth, my Faith faileth, my Beauty is withered, my Spirit is wasted, my Flesh and my Heart faileth, but thou art the strength of mine heart, and my hope is in thee; help Lord, or I dye, I dye for ever.

[Page 41]4. In putting a force upon your selves to do your duty. It is not lying down in the Ditch, and only crying, God help me; you must do your best to help your selves, or God will not help you. All the means un­der Heaven will never do, unless we can bring you to set your hearts on work for your selves; have you any of you taken a fall? Are you down, and would you recover? Count upon it, that it must cost you pains; your hearts hang back, and are loth to come to it; that's your Disease, your loathness to spiritual action, and what must you do to get your selves on? Why, what would you do to your Oxe or your Horse if they lag or grow lazy? O they must feel the Goad and the Spur, and that will quicken them: O Friends, put Spurs to your own sides, prick your selves on to more activity; suffer not your selves to jogg on in Religion, so as you can with ease; easie Religion will never help you: You that are not for pains-taking, there you must lye, and pine, and perish, and there's no help for you. Why lyest thou thus upon thy face? Get thee up, says God to Joshua, Josh. 7.10. Why stand you bewailing and bemoan­ing your selves? Up, and be doing, thou hast sinned thy self into this case, thou hast idled thy self into this loss, and nothing will help thee out without thine own diligence and labour. Go tell your own hearts, there's no hope of recovery without industry, and if they will not hear on't, chide them out of this list­less temper: What, canst thou take pains for Bread, or for Money, and no pains for thy soul? Canst thou take pains to please thy flesh, and yet will be at no pains to please God? O what a wicked, wretched, foolish heart have I? Any labour will down but this necessary labour: Well, thou shalt not 'scape me so, thou art no heart for me, if thou art not an heart for work; never stand excusing or delaying, thou must [Page 42] come to it; fall to thy duty and follow it close, or thou wilt dye the Death. In this manner force your selves on, let not your hearts be quiet within you, till you have engaged in a more active and laborious Life. Thus I have shewed you by what acts you are to stir up your selves.

2. To what pitch in Religion we should stir up our selves.

To this I shall Answer.

1. In General. 'Tis not to amend a little, to get into something a better case than you are, but to come on to purpose, to come on fully after the Lord. May be, some of you may think, if this word should have (some) effect upon you, and make you a little better, that it had done its work upon you; no, no, you are far short of what you should be; and think not that this word hath done its work, though it should make you a little better than you are, unless it also bring you effectually onward towards what you should be. There's no mark short of perfection, that should bound or terminate your aims: But I shall give you three marks on this side the Goal, the better to direct your eye towards it.

1. To such a pitch as is proportionable to your time. You are some of you, Professors of long standing, and yet are come to but little. O labour that your growth may be according to the time you have.

2. Those that are fallen, should strive to get up to that pitch, to which once they had attained. This is the first thing we should have in our eye, to recover what we have lost, to recover our first love, to do our first works which the Church of Ephesus was exhorted to, Rev. 2.5. That which hath been attained, may be attained, and must be striven after. You that are fallen, remember how it hath been with you in your best time; remember the kindness of your youth, [Page 43] and the love of your Espousals, when your hearts were tender, when your love was keen, when your affecti­ons were quick and lively, when the VVord and Or­dinances of God were sweet and powerful, when you came from far, and would go through thick and thin to hear the word of the Lord; when your Me­ditations, when your Communications by the way, as you went and returned, were so savoury and so pleasant to you: Such a time there has been with some of you, such a time of love and of life there has been, are you fallen from this? O recover, recover, and let it be with you as in the days of old.

3. Both those that are fallen, and every one, should strive to get up to the highest pitch of Religion, that is attainable. You should level at perfection of Holi­ness, and no mark short of Perfection should limit or bound your aims, 2 Cor. 7.1. Having these promises, let us cleanse our selves from (all) filthiness of Flesh and Spirit, perfecting Holiness in the fear of God. Though perfect Holiness cannot be attained, yet it must be aimed at; though we cannot reach unto it, yet we must be reaching towards it; though we cannot ob­tain, yet we must be still following after. Because we cannot obtain all that is desirable, but there will be still while we live, something that is before, which we are yet short of; therefore our motion in Reli­gion must be constantly a progressive motion; we must still be going forward, and reaching out to that which is before, that our works may be more, and our hearts may be better at last then at first, Prov. 4.18. The Path of the Just must shine more and more unto perfect day, Grace must be growing up till it be swallowed up of Glory.

2. Particularly.

1. To an hunger and thirst of soul after more of Re­ligion; to a stirring Appetite. Sick men, when their [Page 44] Stomacks come to them, 'tis a good sign of recovery. Hunger and Thirst are eager Appetites, that put us to pain, and are impatient till satisfied; the keenness, or eagerness of the Appetite after the Grace of God, is express'd by Coveteousness, earnest Coveteous­ness, 1 Cor. 12.31. Covet earnestly the best gifts: The Coveteous are greedy souls; but there are degrees of greediness, the hearts of some Covetous ones are more sharp set upon the world than others that are greedy enough. Covet earnestly, let your hearts be as hungry and thirsty after Grace, and the gifts of Grace, as the most greedy Men on earth gapes after the world.

Hunger and Thirst are imperious Appetites, that will command men upon any thing, any labour, any diffi­culties, for the obtaining satisfaction; Hunger will break through Stone walls: A graciously thirsty soul will not sit still, and only say, I Thirst, give me to drink; but he will rise and about, to seek where he may be satisfied; he will out to the Springs and the Brooks, and the Wells of Salvation, where he may draw and drink of the VVater of Life. He will re­fuse no pains nor no hazard, in order to the satisfy­ing his desire. Then you are hungry after Religion, then your souls are Athirst for God, when you are so sharply set, that you must have it, and will stick at no labour and difficulties for the obtaining.

The hunger and thirst of Souls after God, is an at­tainment which is the way to an higher attainment, Mat. 5.6. Blessed are they that hunger after Righte­ousness, for they shall be filled: Are you hungry after Grace? Are you thirsty after God and Godliness? Blessed are you, for ye shall be filled, ye shall have enough; Grace enough for you, Religion and Righ­teousness enough, your souls shall be satisfied with the goodness of the Lord, He will fulfil the Desires [Page 45] of them that fear him, Psal. 145.19. O Christians, were we a more hungry Congregation, were we a more thirsty People, Spiritually hungry, Spiritually thirsty, what an Holy People, what a company of gracious souls should we quickly become? The Lord will fill his hungry souls with his good things; we should be full, and abound, and have all things, even all Grace abundantly towards us, and in us.

'Tis one misery of consuming decayed souls, that they have lost their Appetites: Some Consumptive bodys will be hungry and eat till they dye, but Con­sumptive souls do neither hunger nor thirst. 'Tis an ill sign that thou art dangerously gone in a Consump­tion, who hast lost thine Appetite after God, in whom thy desire fails; 'tis one of the Death-Tokens men­tioned by Solomon, Eccles. 12.5. That desire shall fail. Thou hast lost much of thy strength and thy spirits, the life of Grace is fallen much to decay in thee; but doth thy desire after Grace fail to? Hast thou lost thine hunger and thy thurst after Righteous­ness, doth thy soul cease to pant after the Water­brooks? Canst thou not say I am athirst for God, for the living God? That soul of thine is nigh unto death, if it be not suddenly recovered.

O Friends, how many such dying souls are there among us? Grace hath failed, and desire hath failed in too many among us: Do not deceive your selves with saying, I desire, I desire to be a more Holy and Heavenly & hearty Christian; do not say you desire, nor think you desire what you do not. Appetitus deter­minator ad hoc. If you truly desire Grace & an im­provement herein, then this is the one thing you desire; Grace, and nothing but Grace; Holiness, and nothing but Holiness will satisfie. And if you can say, this one thing I desire, then you will also say, this one thing I will seek. 'Tis not a dull and idle, and in­effectual [Page 46] wish that can be accounted a sincere de­sire, but such a keen and eager Appetite and Thirst after God as will not let you be quiet, or suffer you to rest in such a case. Those that are heartily hungry, they can't sleep for hunger, their hunger will keep them waking. What, are you such drowsie, sleepy souls? Can you take any rest in that poor and empty state you are in? Sure, what-ever you think, you have little thirst for God, 'twould keep you waking (if you had); your souls would have no ease, you could not be in quiet till you obtain.

O what a case is this that thou art in? What, to have so little of God in thee, and yet no greater de­sire after more? What art thou like to come to, whose Bread fails, and when hunger fails to; whose Grace is sunk, and whose desire after Grace fails? What, neither to have, nor to wish thou had'st? or to have so very little, next to nothing, and not to wish for more? What, to have lost so much, and not to weep over thy loss, and wish for thy recovery? Friends, how stands the case with you? Sure you do not know your state; if some of you do, know that it's but very low with you: But what pantings, or thirstings, or workings of your hearts are there af­ter an increase? Do not some of you find a great in­differency grown upon you in this matter? You are not careful, nor much concern'd about the reviving of your souls? If you have any good desires at all, are they not weak desires, dull and cold desires, such as do not at all stir or disquiet your spirits, but that you can go on well enough for all this, in your world­ly designes and fleshly ways? When do ye think to recover into a better case? Are ye ever like to come to any thing in Religion, may you not fear you are quickly like to come to just nothing, if ye hold on a while longer at this pass? O Friends, feel your [Page 47] Pulses every one, (how) do your hearts beat Hea­ven-wards? How very faintly do they beat? What might I do to make you sensible what fainty souls you are? What might I speak to stir up desire to whet your Appetites? If I could but Preach you into hungry ones, and thirsty ones; if I might send you away from this Soul-meal with an Appetite, then there would be hope that the Lord would fill you with his good things.

Well, this is the first thing I would perswade you to, to stir up your Appetites; Get you such an hunger and thirst of soul after the Lord, and the power of Religion: Let your loss make you hungry after a recovery; let your want make you hungry after a supply: Let the worth and excellency of Religion, and the power of Holiness, set you an hungring af­ter it, as sometimes the very fight of good Meat does in our bodily cases. What do ye mean? Will ye Starve and Perish, and Pine away to nothing? What will ye dye away of this consuming Disease? Have you lost so much, and will you lose that little that's left? Are you not yet afraid that you may? That you that have lost so much, may even lose all? Does it never move you? Does it never trouble you to see what Starveling, Pale-faced Christians some of you are become? Sure Friends, if you would consider your selves, if you would lay to heart your weak, and wasted, and wanting state, this would kindle desire after a recovery and revival. And if we could but kindle desire in you, affectionate desires, ardent desires, impatient, painful, working desires, this would be a good step towards that pitch of pros­perous Religion that I am proposing to you to follow after. And therefore pray never be at peace with your selves, nor suffer your hearts to have quiet, till this miserable listlesness and coldness towards God [Page 48] be cured, and you be so awakened out of this dul­ness that you may be able to say with the Church, Isa. 26.8, 9. I wait for thee O Lord, the desire of my soul is to thy Name, and to the remembrance of thee; with my very soul do I desire thee in the night, and my spirit within me shall seek thee early: And with the Psalmist, Psal. 63 1, 2, 3. O God thou art my God, early will I seek thee: I have neglected thee, I have forsaken thee, but now my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in this dry and thirsty state, where no water is. O that I might see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen it, or as o­thers thy Saints do see it? Thy loving kindness is bet­ter than life, my soul followeth hard after thee, let thy right hand help me: Let your souls thus cry out after the living God, Lord help me; help me up to thee, help me on after thee, revive thy work in me, I have gone astray like a lost Sheep; seek the soul of thy Servant, that I may never again forget thy Commandments. Let me be sound in thy Statutes, and let my ways be so directed, that I may keep thy Precepts. O Friends, might you be brought to such a thirsting, longing, desiring, seeking heart, then shall your souls be filled with marrow and fatness, and your mouth shall praise him with joyful lips.

2. To a savour and rellish of Religion. Some are so sick and weak that they cannot eat nor drink what's good for them, have quite lost their [...]ppetites; o­thers can eat and drink, but cannot rellish what they take, have lost their tast VVhen both their Appe­tite is restored and their tast; when they can eat that which is good, and can rellish what they eat, that's a farther token of recovery. When wisdom en­tereth into the heart, and the knowledge of God is [plea­sant] to the soul, as Prov. 2.10. When we receive [Page 49] the knowledge of God, and perceive the sweet savour of his knowledge, this is an argument of soundness and healthfulness. Sickly and weakly souls, their necessity will make them drink in something of the things of God: Religion and Godliness they must en­tertain and embrace, they see they must dye else, as a Sick man sees he must if he do not eat nor drink: And therefore how unpleasant soever it be, it must down; but were it not for necessity, he could be bet­ter contented to let it all alone.

Christians, it may be your Soul-necessities do put you upon something of Religion, hold you to Pray­ing, and to Hearing, and to minding and speaking of the things of God; 'tis well that something will do with you, that your necessity will prevail with you, better so than not at all; but yet it may be, whatever you receive, whatever you do, you can find no savour in it, you have no tast of the sweetness of Religion, it goes down like chips & sticks, and hath no relish in it. You can Pray, but you have no lively affections in prayer; you can hear, & yet find no sweetness in what you hear; you can speak, and maintain discourse about the things of God, but are not at all affected with what you speak; it comes coldly and drily out, and hath no gratefulness in it, neither to your selves or those that hear you; sure this is a sign that you have but little Religion in you, if any at all. When what we receive of Religion, goes deep, enters into the heart; when that which we bring forth of Religion (comes) deep, comes from the heart: VVhen we speak with the heart, it will be more affectionate, and the affection which we express will be an evi­dence that we tast the good things we speak of.

O Friends, get you such a relish of Religion, get you up not only to be knowing and understanding Christians, but savoury Christians, of a savoury [Page 50] spirit, Rom. 8.5. Those that are after the Spirit do mind (the word signifies) do savour the things of the Spirit: Spiritual things are savoury things to Spiri­tual men. Get you to be so Spiritually minded, that you may be spiritually affected; that the knowledge of God, and the thoughts of God, and the worship of God, that communing with God and with your own hearts, and one with another, about the things of God, may be affecting and pleasant to your souls. Lively affectionate Christians, 'tis a fign they have drunk in the Spirit of Religion into their very hearts; and it will be an help to the begetting and warming affections in others; when once you have experimen­tally tasted the sweetness, and are thereby deeply af­fected with Religion, then you are like to hold to it, and prosper in it. This tast and relish of Religion is not to be gotten but by our inward and experimen­tal acquaintance with it, whilst it dwells but in the head and upon the tongue, it will be but a dry and in­sipid thing to you; whilst you dwell upon the surface, and out-side, and are but smatterers and triflers in Religion, you may say of all your Religion, as it was said of Samaria's Idolatry, Hos. 8.7. It hath no Stalk, the Bud yields no Meal; or if it hath any stalk, or seems to yield any meal, yet neither stalk nor meal hath any sweetness in it. Friends, you must go deeper in Religion if ever you will tast the sweetness of it. Get your hearts to be so leavened and seasoned with it, get Religion to be so Natura­lized to you, drink in the spirit of Religion into you, that you may be metamorphised and changed into its own Image and Nature, and then you will find how pleasant it will be to you.

3. To solidity in Religion. Particularly,

1. To solid substantial Religion.

2. To be more solid in Religion.

[Page 51]1. Get up to solid and substantial Religion. VVhat the substance of Religion is, I shall shortly hint to you from two Scriptures, Phil. 3.3. We are the Cir­cumcision which Worship God in the Spirit, and rejoyce in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh: Tit. 2.12. Teaching us, that denying all ungodliness and wordly Lusts, we should live Soberly, Righteously, and Godly in this present world. Out of these two Scrip­tures you may learn wherein the substance of Reli­gion lyes, viz.

1. In worshipping God in the Spirit; or as Joh. 4.24. in Spirit and in Truth. This Notes, 1. The inward worshipping God, our loving, fearing, praising the Lord, &c. 2. Our being real and spiritual in the outward worship of God, our hearing with under­standing, our praying with our Spirits, &c. Our taking heed to it, that our acts of worship be not barely bodily exercise, but the works of our souls; be not shaddows and Images of worship, but the very thing they pretend to be.

2. In rejoyceing in Christ Jesus: That is, as our Mediator, by whom, as we exhibit all our worship, so we expect its acceptance, and all the comforts and fruits of it.

3. In shunning of Iniquity, Denying all ungodli­ness and worldly Lusts. This Notes, 1. The ab­staining from the practise of sin, that we do no Ini­ty, Psal. 119.3. 2. The mortifying the Lusts of sin, the killing of sin within, the Crucifying the flesh, with the affections and Lusts, Gal. 5.24.

4. In the practise of Holiness and Righteousness. Our living Soberly, and Righteously, and Godly in this present world. These are the substance of Re­ligion; he that worships God in Spirit and in Truth, that thus rejoyces in Christ Jesus, that denying all Ungodliness and wordly Lusts, lives Righteously, [Page 52] and Soberly, and Godly in this present world, he is a substantial Christian.

There may be great growth in these substantials, in this solid Religion, where there seems but little in af­fection; & there may be much affection in others that are not solid Christians: there may be Christians that can't weep for sin, as some others can, but yet they can take more heed of sin; they can fear it, and shun it, and conquer the power of it more than those that can more passionately weep for it. There are some that cannot so passionately melt under the VVord, but yet the VVord sticks more upon them, and hath more power over their practise. There are, that can't feel so much of the warm and lively workings of love to God, but they are more tender how they offend or displease God; more bent upon being Serviceable and Faithful to God: And sure there's more of solid Religion in these, than in some others in whom it works more passionately. Friends, look to this, if you be wanting in affection, let it be made up in cir­cumspection; what you want of the delights of Re­ligion, let it be made up in diligence. If you feel not so much of the warm workings of love to Christ, yet can you but keep you close to Christ, and the o­bedience of his will; if whilst you are less lively, you be yet more tender, and heedful, and watchful in your goings; if whilst you can't melt, nor passio­nately mourn for sin, yet you carefully shun and be­ware of sin: if though you be not elevated and raised to those heights and raptures of joys, as some others, yet you are more mortified to sin & the world; if you be dead with Christ, dead to the Fashions, and Lusts, and Pleasures, and Riches of this world; if ye be dead with Christ, though your life and the com­forts of it be yet but hidden, you have gotten the sub­stance of Christianity in you. In these, and such like in­stances, [Page 53] stands the solidity of Christianity, wherein he that groweth most is the best Christian. It's true, when affection and solidity go together, where we are both substantial Christians, and also warm and live­ly Christians, that's incomparably best and most de­sireable. Follow after both, but especially take heed that what-ever be wanting in affection, be made up in solidity. Get to be more understanding experi­enced Christians, get to be more Conscientious, ten­der, strict, and close followers of Christ in all the known and weighty matters of the Law. Be morti­fied to sin, be crucified to the World, be bent upon doing all the good you can in your Generations; this is it I mean by solid Religion.

O Friends, what a deal of light and frothy Reli­gion have we known some years since in our Land, which made a great noise, and a fair shew, and ap­pear'd in a great flush of affection, and had but little it? What tryumphing in Christ, what boasting of the Spirit, what magnifyings of free grace, what pre­tentions to great joyes and confidences were there a­mongst many hot and hasty Professors which have since vanished into meer wind? How comes this to pass? Why there was not the substance of Religion at bottom; the sounding Vessels were hollow, and had nothing in them. Be as affectionate as you can, be as zealous and lively as possible, but be sure that there be substance under all your shews. Be dili­gent Christians, be doing Christians, be mortified Christians; 'tis this which will hold out, and there­fore let this be it you are reaching up unto, to keep you from Iniquity, to keep you close to duty, and hence to be built up through Faith unto Salva­tion.

2. Get to be solid in Religion, to more firmness, to be more [deeply] rooted in the Faith, and more [Page 54] firmly resolved for the obedience of the Gospel; this the Apostle expresses by groundedness and settle­ness, Col. 1.23. If ye continue in the Faith, grounded and setled; and Chap. 2.7. rooted and built up in him, and established in the Faith. In this establishment or rootedness (besides a firm belief of the Gospel) are these 4. things.

• 1. A firm resolution for Christ.
• 2. A firm trust in Christ.
• 3. A firm adherence to Christ.
• 4. A confirmed habit of Holiness.

1. A firm resolution for Christ, and the obedience of the Gospel; every sincere resolution is a firm re­solution, but there are degrees of firmness; firmness may be taken in opposition to

• Fickleness.
• Feebleness.

1. To fickleness. Some Professors are light and unstable souls, they are off and on, sometimes re­solved, and then unresolved; sometimes their faces, sometimes their backs are upon Christ. In this sense, every sincere resolution is a firm resolution. The weakest Christian is unalterably resolved for Christ; though he may be shaken, yet he never comes to be totally unresolved.

2. To feebleness, or weakness of resolution. Some Christians are more strongly resolved, others are un­alterably, but not so strongly. Though they do not go back, yet are they under doubts and fears that they shall, and it may be sometimes (in the day of temptation) put it to the question, Shall I go on, or shall I give off? Now this is the firm resolution I would press you to be reaching towards, which is opposed to feebleness and weakness. But having written more largely to this else-where, I shall say no more of it here.

[Page 55]2. To a settled trust in Christ. Now because this will both prove us to be established Christians, and also mightily conduce to our farther establishment and growth; I shall therefore here a little the more inlarge, and shall shew,

1. What this trust is.

2. That it both proves us established Christians, and makes much for our further improvement and establish­ment.

1. What this trust in Christ is. It is expressed in Scripture by committing our selves to him, 2 Tim. 1.12. I know whom I have believed, that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him, or trusted him with. This committing our selves to Christ, notes,

1. Our laying up our selves, and all our hopes and concerns with him, so as to venture our selves in his custody, to venture our selves upon his faithfulness; to cast all our burthens upon him, Psal. 55.22. Cast thy burthen upon the Lord and he shall sustain thee. To cast all our care upon him, 1 Pet. 5.7. to leave it upon Christ to take the care of us, to put it into his hands, to look to it that nothing be lost, and to help us on through our whole course to the end. Only here, lest we be damnably mistaken, know, that it must be only for his own part that Christ must be trusted, for that which he hath undertaken to do for us, for what he hath undertaken to keep for us. 2. It must be only in his own way, in a way of obedience to Christ, in a way of well-doing: As in respect to God, so in respect to Christ also, we must commit the keeping our selves to him in well-doing, 1 Pet. 4.19. There are some things that we are to do, which Christ never undertook to do for us; we are to Believe, we are to Repent, this we must do our selves: Christ hath never undertaken to Believe or Repent for us; we must believe our selves, and [Page 56] repent our selves. There are some things that Christ never undertook [alone] to keep for us; we must keep Faith and a good Conscience our selves; Christ hath undertaken to help us to Repent, to help us to keep a good Conscience, but never undertook to save us the labour of repenting, of keeping Faith and a good Conscience our selves. And that which Christ hath undertook to keep for us, to keep our souls, to keep us unto Salvation, to preserve us unto his Heavenly Kingdom, He will do it only in his own way; whilst we are walking in Christ's way, in the way of Faith and Obedience to his will, in the way of Holiness and Righteousness we may boldly venture our selves in his keeping.

Sinners will trust Christ with their souls, will com­mit the keeping of their souls to him, but not in a way of well doing; they trust him in a way of evil doing; their trust in Christ they make to be their se­curity in their evil course: They trust in Christ to an­swer for their rejecting Christ; they trust in Christ to answer for their not believing in Christ, for their a­busing and slighting of Christ, for their total and final Impenitence, and hardning themselves against Christ; and from this trust they venture to go on in their sins, and in the hardness and impenitence of their hearts.

Drunkards, how dare you go on in your Drun­kenness? Worldlings, how dare you go on in your Covetousness? Ye Vain and Carnal, and Careless ones, how dare you go on in this carnal Life? How can ye escape the Damnation of Hell? O I trust in Christ for Salvation; and what follows? Why thereupon, behold how boldly thou venturest on in thy neglect of Christ, and thy Rebellion against him; thou wouldst not dare to be such a drunken Beast, thou wouldst not dare to go on in thy Lying, or Covete­ousness [Page 57] and Carnality, but for thy trust in Christ, to save thee at last. Thou goest on to serve thy will, and mind this World, and satisfie thy Lust: and hence thou takest heart and encouragement that thou trust­est in Christ.

But Man, wilt thou trust Christ for that he never un­dertook? Wilt thou trust Christ for that which he never promised? Did Christ ever promise to save thy soul, whether thou wert a Believer or no Believer? Whe­ther thou comest in and be Converted, or standest out, and runnest on thy wicked ways? Turn Sinners, turn to Christ, Repent and be Converted from your sins, or never comfort your selves in your trust in Christ. Christ hath said He will Damn thee if thou Believe not, if thou Repent not; but he never said he will save thee however. Christians, trust in Christ, commit the keeping of their souls to him, but 'tis in Christ's way, in a way of well doing and obedience to his will; they lay out themselves and all their powers in the Service of Christ, and then lay up their souls, and all their hopes in Christ and His custody.

2. Committing to Christ, notes our leaning upon Christ, and dependance on Him in a quiet and confident expectation of his helping us, and holding us on our way, according to his promise. The grounds whereof are our being satisfied concerning His promise, His suf­ficiency and fidelity, Cant. 8.9. Who is this that cometh up out of the Wilderness, leaning on her Beloved? The weak or weary Traveller, if he hath whereon to lean, if it be but a Staff or a Stile, or a Tree, on which he may lean himself, he finds ease and rest. Christians lean and depend on Christ, and this gives them cou­rage for their work, and ease and rest in their spirits; their trust in Christ, notes such a repose of their souls, such a dependance on his sufficiency, on his fi­delity, [Page 58] as quiets, and sustains and stays their hearts in hope of his help, and in peace and comfort; and so 'tis exprest, Isa. 50.10. Let him trust in the Name of the Lord, and stay himself upon his God. Christi­ans have their doubts and their fears, and their dark­ness, and their tempests; even (their) hearts also are sometimes like a troubled Sea; and how sadly are they tossed with the Tempests: But how do they stand under all this? How is it that they are not sunk and over-whelmed, and utterly lost in all this? Their trust is their strength, they stay themselves upon the Lord. I am in a poor case Lord, hard beset, hard bestead, I know not what to do, nor what to make of my self, nor how to help my self; only mine Eyes are towards thee, thou art my Rock and my Refuge. I have given this soul of mine to thee, 'tis thine own, and thereupon I have committed it to thy custody. Look thou to it Lord, thou hast underta­taken for me, and that shall satisfie me, there I will lean, I will stay, I will repose my fearing wearied soul.

2. This trust in Christ makes much for our improve­ment and establishment in Christianity: For,

1. It is our taking hold on Christ. As the Anchor takes hold on the Rock, as the Root takes hold on the Tree, so Faith takes hold on Christ; and the higher our Believing is grown up into affiance or trusting, the stronger is its hold.

2. It will answer to all our doubts and fears, and to all the doubting questions that the anxious soul will be pulling in for resolution and satisfaction, which whilst they remain unresolved, he is never like to go com­fortably or prosperously on his way.

There are amongst Multitudes of others, these three great cases it sees before it, which it must have resolution in.

[Page 59]1. Saith the soul, I have a Wilderness to pass through; this world is a Wilderness, and the time of my Life is my Travelling through this Wilderness, where­in I shall find much work and hard usage: who shall help me through this Wilderness?

2. I have a Jordain to pass over, I must pass through the Vale of the shaddow of Death; I must dye, who shall bring me over Jordain.

3. I have an Inheritance that lyes beyond the River, on the other side Death; who shall give me possession of mine Inheritance? Trust answers to all, to all the doubts that arise in these three cases.

The first case is most immediately proper to our business in hand, but I shall crave leave to speak a few words also to the two latter, which will be, at least of this use, to knock in what I shall speak upon the former.

1. Case. I have a Wilderness to pass through, the time of my life is a passing through the Wilderness; who shall help me through it? And here the soul will put two particular questions.

1. Who shall lead me my way through the VVilder­ness? Here are many ways, many false ways, many cross ways, and but one that is the right way: How shall I hit my may to Heaven, the right way that leads thither-wards? Who will shew me, and lead me in this way? Here Trust answers, Christ will do it, I lean upon him to be my Moses to lead me in the way that I should go. Thou wilt guide me with thy Coun­cel, Psal. 73.24. Christ hath gone the way before his Saints, and he will shew them his steps to direct them: Therefore the Apostle exhorts, Heb. 12.2. Run the Race—looking to Jesus; as for encourage­ment, so for direction; follow not the foot-steps of the Sheep only, but follow the foot-steps of the Shepheard, and walk on as he walked before thee. [Page 60] But how shall I find the way, or the steps wherein Christ walked? Jer. 10.23. It is not in Man that walketh, to direct his steps. How can a Man understand his own ways, Prov. 20.24. There are many hard and intricate cases, where I may be at a stand, and not know which way to take: Their answer is, as Psal. 143.8. In thee do I trust, cause me to know the way wherein I should walk, for I lift up my soul to thee; and v. 10. Thy Spirit is good, lead me into the Land of Ʋprightness; I trust thou wilt, thou wilt guide me by thy Counsel, and bring me to glory.

2. Question, Who shall supply and sustain me in the Wilderness? This World is a dry and barren Land; I must have Bread to strengthen me, I must have water to refresh me, whence shall I be supplyed? Why I trust in Christ for supplyes, He will give me Manna, will rain down Bread from Heaven for me; He will be a springing Rock to me, of whose streams I shall be refreshed: Such a Rock there was in the Wilderness of old; and the Apostle tells me, 1 Cor. 10.4. This Rock was Christ. Christians are sensible that their stock of Provisions which they carry with them, will not last; that little Grace they have, those little Comforts they have, will be quickly spent and wasted if there be not continually fresh sup­plyes: Whence shall I be supplyed? Trust answers as the Apostle in another case, Phil. 4.19. My God will supply all my wants, according to the Riches of his Grace by Christ Jesus. I trust he will. I am often as a dry Tree, my soul within me is as a barren Wil­derness; I have every day my work coming upon me, work for mine own Soul, work for my Family, work for my Friends and Enemies. I have every day my wants coming upon me, I want Faith, I want Love, I want Life, and Zeal, and Strength; O how poor and low is it with me! my Soul hungreth and [Page 61] thirsteth, and fainteth within me, and now what shall I do? I will get me to the Rock, and there will I trust. I will trust in Christ, his Grace shall be suffi­cient for me, 2 Cor. 12.9. of his fulness I hope to receive, even Grace for Grace.

Christians, is this at any time the case of your souls? Are you discouraged by your Poverty and Barrenness? Do you complain how weak and insuf­ficient you are for your work, how low and scant 'tis with you in respect of Grace and Strength? Do you doubt how you shall hold up, and hold on? Do you thirst and faint after the influences of Heaven? Do you fear you shall wast and wither, and consume a­way in your souls Penury? O to the Rock, to the Rock, go to Christ, and trust him for supplies. There are these three things that he looks you should depend upon him for. 1. For the continued influ­ence of his Grace, whereby to hold and maintain your souls in life. 2. For assistance in Duty, for his Spirit to help your Infirmities, and to work your works in you. 3. For all needful and necessary Comforts.

You are yet but Children, and as Children you have not your stock in your own hands, you have but from hand to mouth, every day you will need new provisions: You are Children, and as Children, can't go alone; without me (saies Christ) you can do no­thing, Joh. 15.5. You are apt to be comfortless Children, and 'tis He that hath said, Isa. 51.12. I even I am He that comforteth you: Learn to know your own state, and carry it accordingly. Hast thou Grace? Improve it, preserve it, and make the best of it; but never count you have enough to last you till you come home; you must to the Breasts every day, you must to Christ for your daily Bread, or you will quickly starve. Hast thou a little strength; [Page 62] strength for Duty? Improve it to the utmost, be di­ligent and busie in the work of the Lord, in every good work, in Hearing and Praying, and Watching, and striving against sin, in mortifying the Flesh, in helping and strengthning one another; do what-ever you can, be as active and stirring, and industrious as possible, but go not in your own strength, trust not to the strength you have, but let this be your hold which was the Apostles, Phil. 4.13. I shall be able to do all things through Christ, which strengtheneth me. Trust ye in the Lord Jehovah, trust ye in the Lord Je­sus, for in him is everlasting strength, Isa. 26.4. Have ye comfort in your hearts? Say not as the Psalmist, Psal. 30.5. I shall never be moved, thou Lord of thy goodness hast made my Mountain so strong, but know that you will need to fetch in fresh comforts as you have of daily supplies of strength.

Well, thus this Trust will answer to these and all other the doubting questions that a Christian will have to put in his life-time, whilst he lives in this Wilderness; who will shew me my way, who will sustain me in my way, till I come to my Journeys end, &c. Christ will do it, I trust He will.

2. Case. I have a Jordain to pass over, I must dye, who will bring me over Jordain, who will stand by me in that hour? He is an established Christian who is able to dye; who can say with the Apostle, To me to live is Christ, to dye is gain, none of these things move me. I am ready to be offered up, I desire to depart and to be with Christ. Then is the Life of Jesus most signally manifested in our mortal Flesh, when we can by Faith tryumph over mortality.

But as for me, I am afraid to dye; I am one of their weakly souls, who for fear of death, are all their life-time subject to Bondage. I walk unevenly and uncomelily, because upon this account I walk so [Page 63] uncomfortably. How may I out-grow my fears, and come to a settlement? How shall I do to dye? If I could dye, I could live to better purpose than now I do, or can: What shall I have to comfort me? Whom shall I have to stand by me in that hour? Trust answers, why Christ will stand by me. He that hath taught me to live, will I trust, help me to dye. He hath conquer'd Death, he hath disarm'd, and pluck'd out the sting of Death, He hath broken the head of that Leviathan: 'Twas He that said, Hos. 13.14. O Death, I will be thy death, O Grave, I will be thy destruction. He hath said it, and He hath done it; He himself hath passed over that Jordain, and hath thereby made a way for his Ransomed to pass over. He will send his Angels to conduct me through that shady and dismal passage; He knows what it is to dye, how hard the conflict is with the last Enemy, and what special need I shall have of his help in that hour; and therefore hath said, I will never fail thee nor forsake thee, Heb. 13.5. If I can but hold me by him while I live, I will hang upon him when I dye, and with Confidence say with the Psalmist, Psal. 23.4. Though I walk through the Valley of t [...]e shaddow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me: He hath said, Joh. 11.25. Who­ever liveth, and believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: He hath said, Rev. 20.6. Blessed is he that hath part in the first Resurrection, on him the second death shall have no power. Come on therefore O my soul, fear not to lanch forth into the deep; trust in Christ, He that hath delivered, and doth de­liver, will also deliver in that day, [from] death he will not deliver, it's appointed to all once to dye, there's no repealing that Statute, but He will deliver [in] death, He will by death deliver me from all my fears and sorrows. Who of all His, ever miscarryed in [Page 64] death? Look to this, that thou be one of His, hold thee by Him, cleave to Him, follow Him while thou livest, be faithful to Him to the death, and trust to Him, He will be faithful to thee in death.

3. Case. I have an Inheritance which I hope for in the Land of Promise: And here the question will be, Who shall give me entrance, who shall give me pos­session of mine Inheritance? There is a great Gulf fix­ed betwixt me and Glory; there is a Judgment that I must pass through in my entrance into the Rest of God; and in that Judgment I must pass under a strict and severe examination, and give an account of my self, and of all my ways unto God. O how shall I stand in the Judgments, or who shall stand by me? I am a Sinner, a guilty soul before the Lord, and mine Iniquities are all marked before Him. Once I was an Enemy to Christ, and how much hath he against me for that time? Since I became his Servant, and Solemnly Covenanted and Vowed my self to Him, Vowed Repentance, Vowed Obedience, Vowed Holiness to him, O what a Servant have I been? What an idle and sloathful Servant? What a barren and unprofitable Servant? He hath made me his Child, but O what a wanton, unruly, froward Child have I been? How often have I turn'd aside from him, and serv'd my Flesh and this present World? O my Pride and Hypocrisie, O my trifling and my haltings after the Lord, O the reproaches that have fallen upon his Name by my unworthy, uneven, and uncomely walking before him? How shall I answer for this in the Judgment, or who shall answer for me? Who shall stop the Mouth of my Accuser in that day? Christ I trust will do it; I put my whole Cause into his Hand, He shall be my Advocate a­gainst my Accuser, whom I will trust to plead for me; He hath his Stripes and his Wounds, He hath [Page 65] his Blood and his Death to answer for me. It is Christ that dyed, who shall condemn, Rom. 8.34.

But what shall I have to confirm my trust in Christ? and to secure me, that he will answer for me? There be many that lay claim to Christ amongst the Unbe­lievers & the workers of Iniquity; they will put their trust in Christ, and will call to him, Lord, Lord, open to me, Mat. 7.22, 23. Lord, Lord, answer for me; to whom he will say, Away from me, I know you not. I will not speak a word for you, ye workers of Ini­quity. O what shall I have to secure me from such a repulse, and to assure me that he will be an Advo­cate for me? If I can but get Christ to be mine Ad­vocate, there's no doubt then but my matters will be good, and the cause will go for me; here's the difficulty: What shall I have to prove my title to Christ and his Advocation? and to secure me that he will undertake for me? Why, my very trust (if it be sincere) will prove my Title. He that trusteth in him shall not be confounded. And for the evidencing the sincerity of this trust, a confirmed Christian will have this to say, Through the grace of God, I have the testimony of a good Conscience and an holy Con­versation; my works of Faith, and my labours of Love, my mortified Sins, this crucified and con­quered World, through the Spirit of Christ within me, for whom I have forsaken all and followed Him, these will attest the truth of my trust; though none of these things, none of my Graces, none of my Dutyes can answer for me, or acquit me in the Judg­ment, or open the door of Glory to me, yet they will be good evidences to prove my claim to Christ that can and will do it. When Christ shall plead, I have dyed for Sinners, and thereupon shall challenge Ab­solution and entrance for those that have believed in Him, and obeyed his Gospel; the Accuser will re­ply, [Page 66] But this Man hath not believed, hath not obey­ed the Gospel; but now if I can get that to be evi­denced by the testimony of a good Conscience and my holy Conversation, then the mouth of the Accu­ser will be stopped for ever against me; and so an en­trance shall be administred to me abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom. And here now is the trust of the Saints, and its tryumph over all matters of doubt and difficulties that lye between them and everlasting Glory. From hence may they take up those words of the Apostle, 1 Cor. 15. Death, where is thy Sting? Grave, yea Sin, Hell, Devil, where is your Victory? Thanks be to God, who hath given me the Victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

From what hath been said, learn by the way, 1. That the life of a Christian in this World, is to be a life of trust. 2. That a life of trust is an excellent and desirable life, and worth your reaching after. But these I shall speak to, together.

Christ is to be trusted not only for the world to come, to give us entrance into Heaven, but for this world also to lead and help us on, to be with us in all our way from first to last. Our great difficulty, and our great danger of miscarrying, is not so much in our end, as in our way to it: As hard as 'tis to dye well, 'tis harder to live well: Though the last Ene­my, Death, looks with a more frightful face, yet our Enemies that we meet with all along our lives, Sin, and Lust, and Temptation, do us the most deadly mischief. He that hath conquered Sin, need not fear to encounter Death; do but live an Holy Life, and then be nothing careful how ye shall dye. Those Saints, Heb. 11. Abel, Abraham, Sarah, with the rest of them, 'tis Recorded that they liv'd by Faith; it's said of them, v. 13. They all dyed by Faith, not one amongst them miscarryed in Death, who by [Page 67] Faith kept close to God in their lives.

Now our great difficulty and danger being in our lives, there is the most need of trusting in Christ for his conduct through this World, and this being that which I am now especially directing you to be reach­ing to, that I may more effectually lead you on to such a life of trust, I shall yet more particularly shew you that Christ must be trusted for,

• 1. Our entrance into Religion.
• 2. Our progress in Religion.
• 3. Our perseverance in Religion.

1. It is Christ that must do the first work for us, must bring us in at the straight Gate, and give us entrance into Religion. Who brought Israel out of Egypt? Cut out a passage for them through the Red Sea, and set them into the way of the Promised Land? 'Twas the same Moses that conducted them through the Wilderness. Christians, you that have passed the New Birth, and have broken out of the Womb; you that are escaped out of Egypt, that state of Bondage you once were in, with the rest of this miserable World, and are now gotten safe into the way of life; Who is it that hath helped you hitherto? Are you not beholden to Christ for this? As it was said of the second Resurrection, 1 Cor. 15.22. so 'tis true of the first Resurrection, As in Adam all dye, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. Are there any living souls amongst you? 'Tis Christ who is your Life. And who is it that must help after, and bring in those that are behind, and quicken those that are yet dead? Is it not the same Jesus that must do it? Sinners, you that have been left dead in your sins, some of you have not trod one step towards the New Birth, others of you have been brought to the Birth, but still stick in the Womb: What hope have you, that you shall ever be new Born? If you be not new Born, there's [Page 68] no hope of you, but you must dye for ever; better you had never been Born into this World, then not to be Born a new to Christ: You must dye, there's no help for you, there's no hope of you, you must dye eternally, the second Death will seize upon you, and swallow you up for ever if you be not Born the second time. You are yet without the Gate, and if you dye there, dye in your sins, dye in your igno­rance, in your impenitence and unbelief; if ye dye without the streight Gate, you go down quick into the Pit.

Now what hope is there of your being brought in? Multitudes of your Predecessors in sin, have never come in, have liv'd and dyed, and gone to their Graves, and gone down to Hell in their impenitence, and down you are going apace: What hope is there now, that you may stop before you come there, that you may be brought about, out of that common rode, that broad way that you are going, and brought into the narrow gate, that gate of Life? May be you will say, Christ I trust will do it; and the truth is, that's all you have to say, that's all the hope you have; there's the same Jesus before you, who hath brought in so many others, who says to you all, as Isa. 45.22. Look unto me, and ye shall be saved. None cometh to the Father, but by me; and Joh. 6.37. Him that cometh to me, that will trust upon me, to bring him to God, I will in no wise cast him out. Go to Jesus Sin­ners, tell him, Lord, thou hast told me that none can come to the Father, can turn from his sins and come in unto God, but by thee; this thou hast told me, and I have found it true; I cannot come in of my self, mine own heart hangs back, hangs after my sins, and this world, and hangs back from God. Ministers cannot bring me in, they have been almost all my life long dealing with me; threatning me in, perswading [Page 69] and beseeching me in, but cannot prevail: Poor wretched Creature that I am, after all the means that have been used to bring me in to God, behold I am an hardned impenitent soul to this day, and so I am like to dye for all that they can do to help me: I have nothing left for it, but only thy help, Oh Lord, and thy word for it, that thou wilt help me, and wilt not put me back if I come to thee: This being all mine hope, I come unto thee, I cast my self upon that blessed Word, Help O King of Saints, help O Saviour of Sinners; Christ help, Christ help this poor soul of mine; help me to God, that I may live; having nothing else for it, upon this I must venture, upon thee I must lean; I come to thy door, there I will lye, begging and crying, and hoping that thou wilt put forth thine hand and help me in. Lord open to me, I trust yet thou wilt, and in this trust I will con­tinue crying and begging till thou have Mercy on me, and bring me within this straight gate, the gate of Life.

2. 'Tis Christ that must do all our following works for us. By him we have our entrance, and through him we must make our progress; He must bring us in at the straight gate, must convert our souls, and 'tis He that must help us on in the narrow way, and conduct our souls through all the duties and difficulties of our whole life. The Mother must Nurse the Child as well as bring it forth into the World; the Child must be carryed in Armes, must be Suckled and supported, and must afterward be taught to speak, and taught to go; and though our Children may, yet God's Chil­dren will never be taught to go alone while they live. They must keep by their Fathers side, they must be led by their Fathers hand as long as they live. Christ must do all this for his Children, and He will do it, Isa. 40.11. He will gather his Lambs with his Armes, [Page 70] He will carry them in his Bosom, and gently lead them.

When we are entred into the strait gate, when we are passed the New Birth, the great difficulty is over; Sinners, there are many difficult passages between you and the Kingdom of Heaven, through all which you must pass or perish. There are these three hard passages, the straits of the Womb, or the difficulties of the New Birth; the strait course, or the difficulties of Life; the hard passage at the end, the difficulties at Death. But the great difficulty is the first, when you are once passed the Birth, the great difficulty will be over. If you go on and dye in your sins, then there is not only a difficulty, but an impossibility; there is a great Gulf fixed between Heaven and Hell, Luk. 16. So that they that would, cannot pass from Hell to Heaven. O keep you out of Hell, when once you come there, you cannot escape; thank God, that yet, though it be hard, yet 'tis possible for you to get to Heaven; and you that are Saints, may rejoyce, that with you the great difficulty is o­ver.

But yet the narrow way, in which you must conti­nue, is an hard way. The narrow way, by which you must pass to glory, is that course of Holiness wherein you must hold on to the end: There's no getting to Heaven but by this narrow way, and there's no getting through this narrow way but by help from Christ; and therefore your whole life must be a life of trust, of trust in Christ, Christ must be trusted,

1. For the helping us forward in all his Holy ways.

2. For the helping us through the sufferings we shall meet with in his ways.

[Page 71]1. For the helping us forward in all his Holy ways. 'Tis from Him we must expect to prosper in our way, 'tis He that must lead us on towards, and raise and work us up to that holy Conformity of heart and life to him, wherein our souls prosperity stands. Here I shall shortly shew you,

1. That our progress in Religion is to be measured by the degree of our conformity to Christ.

2. That eminent Conformity to Christ, is that which Christians have, or should have in their eye.

3. That Christians falling so much short of this Con­formity to Christ, fall under many doubts and fears, whether ever they shall attain to it.

4. Their trust in Christ, is their help against all their doubts and fears.

1. Our progress in Religion is to be measured by the degree of our conformity to Christ. There's a double conformity to Christ,

• To his Image.
• To his Will.

Our being renewed according to his Image, in our inner Man, and our being governed by his Word, both in our inward and outward Man. Now by how much the nearer we are made like unto Christ, by how much the more of the Image of his Holiness, there is engraven upon our hearts, and by how much the more compliance there is of our ways with the will and holy word of Christ, so much the more pro­gress have we made in Religion.

2. This holy conformity to Christ is that which Chri­stians have, or should have in their eye and desire. Christ is a Christians Prize, and a Christians pattern. He is the Prize which a Christian runs for; what would you have as the fruit of all your labours and suffer­ings? O Christ, Christ, that Christ may be mine; and he is their Pattern, the pattern that God hath set [Page 72] before them, and that they also have set before them­selves that their eye and their heart is set upon. What is your aim? What is it that you are reaching to­wards, and working up your selves unto? What manner of persons would you be? How would you live? If you may have your wish, or your desire, what is it? What would you be? How would you live? O let me be made conformable to Christ. We may find both these in the Apostles eye, in compari­son of which, he counted all things but loss and dung, Phil. 3.8, 9, 10. that he may win Christ, and that he may be conformable to Christ. For whom I have suf­fered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him; and v. 10. that I may know him, and the power of his Resurrection, and the fellowship of his Sufferings, and be made con­formable to his Death. Every Christian is of the same mind, all is dung in comparison of him; and 'tis not only to be found in Christ, that he so earnestly desires, but also to be made conformable to him. They would live as he lived, and as he would have them live; they would not only, that they may be blessed in Christ, but that Christ may be pleased in them. They never have their wills, but when Christ hath his will of them. It does not suffice me saith a Christian, that I have hopes of getting to Heaven by Christ at last, I must be more holy here; I would live so, that my ways may please Christ: How can I bear it to be so unlike to him, to be so often breaking out, and break­ing loose from him? O that I might hold me close by Him, that I might in my whole course please the Lord. I would fain be a more exact and perfect Christian. All this the Apostle follows so hard after, Phil. 3.12. Not as though I had already obtained, or were already perfect, but I follow after, if I may appre­hend.

[Page 73]Brethren, this is as far forth as you are Christi­ans, and this should be the sum of your desires and aims, to get as near as possible to an exact conformi­ty to Christ, both to his Image, that as he was, so you may be in this World, and to his will, that you may stand compleat in all the wills of Christ.

3. Christians falling so much short of that holy con­formity to Christ, they desire, do fall under many doubts and fears how they shall attain. O how short do I fall of such an holy frame, of such an holy and undefiled course! When I look upon what I would be, and what I am, what a distance is there, how far am I yet behind, how hardly can I reconcile my loose and lazy heart, to such a strict and holy course? My un­toward heart, O how it slugs and hangs back, and will not come on! O how it boggles & breaks loose, how many a step doth it make out of this narrow, into the broad way! O how it lusts after the ease and liberties of the flesh, and how often doth it turn aside from Christ to the vain ways and lying vani­ties of this present World? When I would be to­tally conformed to the Law of Christ, I find another Law in my members, carrying me out to a compli­ance with the Law of Sin. I am warping every day, I am wandring in every duty, I am apt to lose my self in every Company I come into, in every busi­ness I set my self to: I cant but look upon it as a comfortable thing, and as a blessed thing, if mine heart might be ever with the Lord; if I could keep me close by his side, and constantly under his eye: What a mercy, what a joy would it be? but Woe is me, I cannot obtain; I have wished, and hoped, and prayed; I have tryed, and tryed, and still I fall short; O how little hope is there left, that yet I shall ob­tain?

[Page 74]4. Their trust in Christ is their help against all their discouragements and fears. Dost thou say, there's no hope, I shall not obtain? To perfect conformity to Christ thou canst not; but is there no hope of thy becoming a more eminent Christian than now thou art? Rebuke that unbelieving thought with this word, yet I trust in Christ I shall. He is able to save to the uttermost, all that come unto God by Him, Heb. 7.25. Not only to save them from wrath, but to save them from sin; to save them to the uttermost, and to sanctifie them to the uttermost. Do not say, I cannot think how this weak, slippery, loose, unto­ward heart, I cannot think how it should ever come to be setled and fixed in such a severe and holy course; do not say such a word, Can'st thou not think how? Yet he is able to do for thee abundantly above all that thou canst ask or think, Eph. 3.20. His thoughts are not as thy thoughts, his ways are not as thy ways; the Lord Christ can over-do the thoughts of his Peo­ple, can do that for them which they never thought could be done; yea, and if thou wilt trust him, he will do it. Consider and study that Scripture, Psal. 37.5. Commit thy way to the Lord, trust in Him and He will bring it to pass. Thou hast many good things upon thine heart, thou canst not take up with this poor and pittiful, and in and out way of life that thou livest; thou wouldst fain come to a more spiri­tual, Heavenly, active, useful, course of life: This thou proposest to thy self, this thou hast made some offers and attempts upon, but thou canst not bring it to pass, but still thou fallest short; what shouldst thou now do? why commit thy way to the Lord, trust in Him, and he shall bring it to pass; and as v. 4. He shall give thee the desire of thine heart.

Christians, I hope your hearts are set upon this ho­ly conformity to Christ, I hope you will not sit down [Page 75] by what you have already attained; God forbid, that that easie trifling way of Religion, that is all that some of you have attained; God forbid that this should satisfie you, and I hope it does not; I hope you are both wishing for, and reaching towards a more strict and painful course. Are you so? hold on. If you have prayed for it, pray again, pray without ceasing, 1 Thes. 5.17. Never give over till you have it. Have you tryed what you can do, to mend your course, and mend your pace? Try again and again, never sit down as discouraged, but hold you on, keep to the way of the Lord as you can; keep you going, keep striving and labouring with your hearts, with your might, and in so doing, com­mit your way to the Lord, trust in him, and he shall bring it to pass; do what you can, through the grace already received, and what you cannot, trust in Christ, and he will do it for you. 'Tis not an idle trust as I said before, that I exhort you to, such a trust as to save you the labour: Never say I trust in Christ that he will work my work in me, and for me, and so cast off all care your selves; 'tis not an idle trust, but a stirring trust, an encourageing trust, heartening you to the work: Keep doing, keep go­ing, keep striving towards a more holy serviceable life, and then trust in Christ, and he shall bring it to pass, and give you your hearts desire.

Christians, my hearts desire, and prayer for you is, that you may be saved; I would fain help you to Heaven; and that you might be presented by Christ to the Father, without spot or wrinkle; and in order hereto, I would fain see more of the spirit of Chri­stianity, and the holy Image of Christ, breathing forth, and shewing it self more conspicuously in all your ways. I study what I can to Preach so to you, that my words may be effectual to bring you up to [Page 76] an higher pitch of Holiness; and this is my encou­ragement, my trust in the living God; that my labours with you shall not be in vain. I Pray and trust, I Preach and trust, I labour among you and trust; and what is my trust? Why this is it, that the Lord will so second my labours with you, that you may hear and trust, that you may strive and trust, that whilst I strive with you, you may be brought to it, to strive every one of you with your own hearts, putting your trust in the Lord. So shall you find in your experi­ences that this life of trust will be a life of tryumph over all your weaknesses, doubts, and fears.

How Christ helps us to persevere, (which should next come to be spoken of,) will appear in the next particular, and therefore I pass it by here.

2. For the helping us through the sufferings that we shall meet with in his ways. Christ must be trusted here for these two things.

1. To help us in what we are to do, with respect to a suffering state.

2. To perform what he hath undertaken to do for his suffering People.

1. To help us in what we are to do, with respect to a suffering state. There are 4. things that you your selves are to do, to prepare you for a suffering state.

1. You must give up your selves, and all that you have, to be disposed of by him at his pleasure. Say of your selves, I am his own; say of all that you have, all is Christs. As Christ hath said of himself, and all that he hath, 1 Cor. 3.22. All is yours; so say you of your selves, and all that you have, all is thine Lord; this House, and these Lands, and this Money, all is thine, I give thee the full right to it all. Say you so, and be willing that he should say, as in the Parable, Mat. 20.15. May I not do with mine own what I please? If I [Page 77] leave it to thee to enjoy, or if I give it to Strangers for a spoil and a booty, 'tis mine own, and I may be­stow it where ever I please. Say not only as the Psalmist, Psal. 119.94. I am thine, save me; but I am thine, afflict me; bring me low, take from me whatever thou wilt; all that I have is thine, 'tis at thy command, 'tis at thy service; call for it, and use it at thy pleasure; if thou order it for the Spoilers, to the Spoilers let it go; let them strip me naked, and share it amongst themselves if the Lord will have it so.

2. You must keep you fast by Christ, and sit loose from all things else. Give your selves to Christ, and cleave unto Christ; do not say I am thine, and then go a gadding and wandring after Strangers: Stick fast to Christ, be able to say, Ps. 119.31. I have stuck to thy Testimonies. I have stuck to the Lord, and I will stick to thee; I am thine, and nothing shall se­parate between me and thee; stick to Christ, and sit loose from all things else; let not any thing thou hast given him, stick to thy fingers, nor let thine heart hanker after it.

You have Estates some of you; you live in the fa­vour and friendship of Men, you have an esteem and repute among them; but let not these be overmuch prized and valued by you. You that have Estates, be as if you had them not. You that have Friends, and their love and good will, be as if you had none, as the Apostle adviseth, 1 Cor. 7.29. Never speak such a word, I [must] keep mine Estate, I cannot part with it; I must keep my Friends, I cannot dis­oblige them; get your hearts so loose from all, that if Christ should call you to such a bold owning of him, as would sweep away all you have, and leave you ne­ver a Penny, nor never a Friend in all the World, you could chearfully submit. The sitting thus loose [Page 78] from all we have afore-hand, would make it less grie­vous and less difficult, when sufferings come, to lose them all. He, whose heart cleaves to any thing, so that he says, This I cannot part with, this will either part Christ and him, or create him the more torment to part with it, when he sees it must go. Remember Lots Wife, when called out of Sodom, where she must leave all behind her; her heart being left there, and thereupon looking back, as loth to depart, she was smitten into a Pillar of Salt.

3. Reckon upon nothing certain or sure to you under the Sun. Do not think, because you have kept all about you hitherto, that you shall never lose it; count upon it, there may a necessity be laid upon you that all must be parted with. Do not give your selves to Christ, and all that you have, in confidence that he will not take it, or call for it away: Possibly this may be the case of some, they can easily say, I give my self, and all I have to Christ; and for Him, I am content to suffer the loss of all; but 'tis upon this confidence, that they shall never be put to it: They hope they may be Christians, and yet never be call'd out to be suffering Christians: they can easily pass away their right, in hope that Christ will conti­nue them in constant possession. Think no such vain thought, but what you give to Christ, count upon it, that Christ may send some or other to turn you out of Possession; reckon upon it, that you may be quickly in such a case, wherein you may be put to it, either to forsake Christ, or actually to be spoiled of all that you have.

4. Make sure of something: of something that the greatest sufferings cannot prejudice you in, or take a­way from you. This is the goodness of God to his, that whereas there is but one thing needful; this one thing is certain, Luk. 10.41. One thing is needful, [Page 79] Mary hath chosen the good part which shall never be ta­ken from her. There is but one thing needful, and that one thing is certain; That good part could never be taken from her.

To be totally undone and ruined, is intolerable. God never called any of his Servants to it, nor ever will. He never calls for so much, but he still leaves them something which he would not have them part with. They are only the Damned in Hell, whose case this is, they have lost all, and have nothing left them. There is something for you to get and keep, which will be sure to you: O get the Lord God to be your Portion, get Christ to be your Inheritance; get you sanctified Grace, get an upright heart, and a good Conscience, and make them sure. Christians, you cannot possibly be able to bear the loss of all things, unless you may have this something left. Make Christ sure, make your title to everlasting glo­ry sure; get Integrity and Uprightness, a good Con­science, an holy Conversation, to be sure evidences of your title; charily preserve and maintain these evidences, and then the worst Enemies you have ei­ther in Earth or Hell, can never undoe you, no, nor leave you in a worse case than you are: If you should lose your Estates, all your Friends, yea, and your life to boot, you are no losers, whilst you can but keep Faith and a good Conscience.

Well now, these 4. things you are your selves to do, to prepare you for suffering. Give your selves, and all you have, to Christ's dispose, &c. and then you are ready for the Cross; then let the Devil and all his Armies fall on, you are ready to receive their charge without giving an inch of ground.

But who can do all this, or how shall I ever be able to come to it? The first of these I hope you have done already: If ye be Christians, you have given your [Page 80] selves and all you have to Christ; but how shall I do to keep me close to Christ, to sit so loose from all things, to make sure of Christ, to maintain the testi­mony of a good Conscience and an holy Conversa­tion? Woe is me, I am breaking loose from Christ at every turn, I have a fickle and unstable soul that's apt to wander every day; and for things below, though I have given them to Christ, yet I feel mine heart still cleaving to them, and hankering and hanging after them: I can't think of being made Poor, I can't think of being made a Reproach, or a Scorn, or a Prey; I can't think of it with any patience; what shall I do in this case? Why here's that which will do it, trust upon Christ to help you; pray for such a disengaged spirit, pray for such a power, pray for such a frame; reason, and do what you can to perswade your selves into it; press your selves on to such a close conscien­tious, holy Conversation; strive and labour, and be reaching on towards it, and then trust upon Christ to bring you to it. Commit thy way to him, and he shall bring it to pass; he shall put thee into such a condition wherein thou shalt be Cross-proof, whatever thy Crosses be. This is one of Christ's ways, by which he helps his Saints to bear the Cross; he prepares them for it, and he must and will do it if he be sincerely trusted for it: It thenceforth lyes upon him, his faith­fulness stands engaged to work all your works in you where your faith hath put it into his hands.

2. Trust him to perform what he hath undertaken to do for you, What hath he undertaken to do for his suffer­ing People? 1. To support them in their sufferings, Psal. 55.22. Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain or uphold thee; the burthen of thy sorrows, the burthen of thy sufferings, the burthen of thy fears; thou hast Enemies that will bind heavy burthens, and lay them upon thee; burthens of Reproaches, bur­thens [Page 81] of wants, burthens of thornes, pricking and piercing burthens; and it may be thou wilt say, how can I bear all these burthens? I sink, I sink, my spirit fails within me, heavy things there are come upon me; O what shall I do to bear them? Why cast thy burthen upon the Lord, trust upon him, and he will sustain thee, Phil. 4.5, 6. Let your moderation be known unto all Men: Be not over solicitous what you shall do, or how you shall stand; Be careful for nothing, the Lord is at hand. 2. To preserve them from falling; from falling away from Christ, from falling off from their holy profession, Jude 24. He is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the pre­sence of his glory; and as he is able, so he is faithful, 1 Thes. 5.24. Faithful is he that hath called you, and will do it: What will he do? why v. 23. he will pre­serve you blameless unto his coming. Christians, be careful about your present duty, and then never tor­ment your selves with thoughtfulness and fears, how you shall stand your ground under the greatest of suffer­ings, but as the Apostle, 1 Pet. 4.19. Let them that suffer, commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator. And thus I have shew­ed you the second particular, wherein that solidity or establishment in Religion (which I am pressing you to reach after) stands, viz. a firm trust in Christ.

3. Adherence to Christ, or cleaving to the Lord. The two main Roots, whereby a Christian is grounded in Christ, are the two fore-mentioned, Resolution and Trust; and the immediate fruits of this rooting, is clea­ving or sticking fast unto him; and the closer we cleave unto him, the more we are confirmed and esta­blished. The root of a Tree is that by which it cleaves unto the ground; and by how much the deeper it spreads it self, and works its self into the Earth, by so much the faster hold it takes. And there is a mutual [Page 82] hold taken; the root takes hold of the ground, and thereby the ground holds fast the root. A rooted Christian hath gotten hold of Christ, and Christ hath taken hold of him, we have both these together, Phil. 8.12. If I may apprehend that for which I am appre­hended of Christ Jesus.

Christ's hold of a Christian is sure, but not always perceived, Joh. 10.28, 29. My Sheep hear my voyce, and follow me, and I give to them eternal life; they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of my hand. There are many attempts upon the Saints; the World pulls at them, Sin pulls, the Devil pulls, and would pluck them off from Christ, and pluck them up by the roots; but saies Christ, for all that, they are safe e­nough, pluck who will, they shall not be pluck'd away.

But as sure as Christ holds them, they may some­times think he hath let go his hold, and cast them off; and may say as the Psalmist, Psal. 43.2. Why hast thou cast me off Lord? Where am I now? I once had hopes that the Lord was my strength; but woe is me, now I am even cut off, and mine hope is perished from the Lord; I fear, that after all my hopes, I shall prove a lost soul at last.

And as Christ's hold of a Christian, so a Christians hold of Christ is always sure, though he himself al­ways perceive it not. That Prayer of Christ for Pe­ter, is for every particular Christian, that his Faith may never fail; that hand of Faith may grow weak, but shall never wither. It may shake, yet still as the hand of a drowning Man, it keeps its hold. Yet as to his own sense, he may be at a loss, and sometimes come to this conclusion; if ever I had Faith, yet now I am sure I have none.

Well, but however, though a Christian may some­times think I have cast off, and let go mine hold of Christ; and thereupon he hath cast off, and let go his [Page 83] hold of me; yet even then, when 'tis saddest and low­est with him, he still cleaves to Christ.

There are these two things which shall never totally fail. 1. There is a secret stay upon Christ; this he may do, and does, even then when he thinks he does not, nor cannot. There is an hope hidden in his heart, e­ven then when he says, There is no hope: That it may be so, appears from Isa. 50.10. Who is there that walks in darkness, and hath no light, let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay himself upon his God. That is, e­ven then, when he is in darkness and hath no light; at such a time there may be such a stay, God would not command him to impossibilities. What is it to be in darkness, and to have no light? Why no les, then to give up all for lost; to be in the darkness of an un­comfortable and hopeless state, and not to have so much light as to discern his holy habits or actings that should comfort him. Why yet, even then there may be a stay, or else God would never have bid him, even in such a case, to stay himself upon his God. There may be a stay, and there is so; for, do but ask such a poor dark disconsolate Christian, when as to his sense he is most hopeless, and says I have no hope; do but ask him then, why what will you take to give up and forgoe all your hope in Christ? Will you be hired for ever to quit your hope in Christ? O no, not for all the world; look ye there now, though he says he hath no hope, yet all the world shall not hire him to let go that hope he hath.

2. A resolved cleaving to Christ. He doth still when 'tis lowest with him, with purpose of heart cleave unto Him. He thinks here also, that he hath no mind, nor list to follow Christ or Holiness any longer, judging it will be all in vain. I, but ask such a poor Christian, Will you return then to take up your lot with Sin­ners, and give off from serving or following Christ [Page 84] any longer? Will you return to your old Lusts, to your old carnal and fleshly Life? Will you return from Christ to embrace this present World? Since you have no hope to the other World, will you re­turn to make your best of this World? Will you to Ryoting and Drunkenness, will you to your old Co­vetousness and Greediness, will you hence-forth go back and live in a total neglect of Christ, and his ho­ly ways; will you give off hearing, and give off pray­ing, and give off the trouble and care of an holy watchful Life, and let loose the reins to your corrupt Nature, and let it take its own course? Will you do so? Can you do so? O the Lord forbid, sure I will never go back how-ever; if I never come to Heaven, yet I will not return to wickedness. God will speak Peace to his People; but though he never speak Peace to me, yet I will not return to folly. Though I cannot say with Job, cap. 13.15. Though he Slay me, yet will I trust in him: Yet this will I say, though he Slay me, yea, though he Damn me, yet will I serve him: If I must to Hell, yet I am resolved that Holiness shall be my way. I will not allow my self to slight Christ, or to sin against Christ, though I should never have any benefit by Christ. What­ever he will do with me, as to my future state, yet I am resolved to be his Servant while I live. If I may not be a Saint in Heaven, yet I will be, as much as I can, a Saint on Earth. Holiness is good, if I have never so small a spark of it; 'tis a Beam of God, 'tis the Image of Christ: If I may not see God, nor dwell with Christ, yet I will get a little of him here; a little is better than none, though it should last me but a little time. If I may not (behold his Face) in Righteousness, yet I will do what I can to sit at his Feet in Righteousness, whatever he do with me. Ask any poor Christian that is in his darkest [Page 85] state, whether this be not the standing resolution and purpose of his heart.

And is it not evident now, that whatever he thinks of himself, he still cleaves unto Christ? The truth is, such abiding workings of the heart towards Holi­ness, are the souls cleaving to Christ; and it appears though he cannot see it himself, yet to Standers-by, that the root of the matter is still in him; yea, and such holy resolutions in a dark state, are stranger evi­dences of sincerity, than the same resolutions where they are encouraged by the highest sensible enjoy­ments. Certainly, there is more of evidence in it, to be able to say, though he damn me, yet I will serve him, then there is in this, I will serve him be­cause he hath saved me. For mine own part, I should have an higher confidence of a poor dispond­ing and even despairing Christian that's bent upon Holiness, than of many, whose Religion is animated and encouraged by raptures of Joy.

For the close of this, e're I proceed farther, give me leave to put in a word of Exhortation; let me exhort you in the words of Barnabas, Act. 11.23. That with purpose of heart you will cleave unto the Lord. Cleaving Notes,

• Firmness,
• Closeness,

1. Be firm; stick close to Christ. Let it be with you as with the Apostle, Rom. 8.38, 39. Let nothing separate you from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Be sure of this, that he will be with you whilst you are with him, Jam. 4.8. Draw nigh unto God, and he will draw nigh to you. So may I say, stick fast unto Christ, and he will stick fast unto you: Christ is a sure Friend, and he will stick by all his Friends that are faithful to him.

[Page 86]Consider the three fore-mentioned cases as Argu­ments to press this Exhortation. 1. You are in a Wilderness, and must expect troubles to come upon you. Your Faithfulness to Christ may cost you dear; you may be forsaken of your Friends, you may fall into the hands of your Enemies; yet if ye will be Faithful to him, though all men forsake you, though evil men run upon you, yet Christ will stick to you. So he did to Paul, 2 Tim. 1.16, 17. No man stood with me, but all men forsook me, notwithstanding the Lord stood by me and strengthened, and I was delivered out of the mouth of the Lyon; where we have 1. The hard case he was, nd Christians must look to be in. 1. He was in the hands of Enemies, of great Men, who were examining him▪ and before whom he was to answer for his Life. Christians may be brought b fore Rulers, and there Tryed for their Lives, and judged for Malefactors. 2. He was forsaken by his Friends, he had many Friends before; but when it came to the pinch, they all gave him the slip, and shrunk back, and stood aloof, and left him alone. Count upon this hard lot, and count it not strange if it come to be your lot. 'Tis not so much to suffer in Company; as when any particular person is singled out, as a Deer from the Herd, and chased alone; the Hunters are upon him, and the Herd will not shelter him, but shift away from him. That's it you may look for, to be persecuted by Enemies, and not to be owned by your Friends.

2. His comfort in this his hard lot. Though all Men forsook him, yet Christ stuck by him; the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me. Chri­stians, this may be your case, and let this be your comfort, though none in the World should own you, yet stick by Christ, and he will stick by you in all your Tribulations.

[Page 87]2. Again, you must dye; Sickness may Arrest you, and cast you upon the Bed of Languishing, and Death may stand at your Beds-feet, and stare you in the face, and the Grave will open its mouth for you, to swallow you up: Stick fast to Christ, and look to find him standing by your Beds-side to comfort you. O how will it be with you in that hour! O I feel my Diseases and Languishing; my Flesh wast­eth, my Bones ake, my strength is lost, my heart faints, mine eyes fail, my breath is departing, and all tell me that Death is at the door, ready to turn me into rottenness: But O! where is my God? Now for a sight of Christ! Those that are gone back from Christ, they may look, and look, and cry, where is the Lord? where is the Saviour? But poor Wretches, there's no Christ to be seen. Death comes, and the Devil comes, and Sin comes, and puts a Sting into Death's tail, and the poor Sinner is left to grapple with Death alone; its gripes, its pangs, its terrors are upon him, but no Redeemer to be had. What­ever come upon thee, this shall not, thou that hold­est thee by him, shalt see Jesus standing by thee; or if thou should'st not see him, yet there he will not fail to be, though it may be, behind the Curtain, yet rea­dy to help thee in thy Conflict with this thy last E­nemy.

3. Yet again, after Death thou must be brought to Judgment, where thou wilt meet with a Righteous Judge, a Malicious Accuser, who will have many things to lay to thy charge. All the ugly and fright­ful sins that ever thou hast done in thy life, thou maist look to hear of from that Malicious mouth. And how wilt thou stand before that dreadful Bar? O there thou shalt be sure, Even with these Eyes, to behold thy Redeemer; there he will certainly be, for he is the Judge, and there he will stick by thee, for [Page 88] he is thine Advocate; he hath said to thee, Rev. 2.10. Be thou faithful to the death, and I will give thee a Crown of life. Fear not how thy matters shall go in the Judgment, I will be there, I will secure thee from coming into Condemnation. I will give thee the Crown of Life. This will be the Portion of those that stick fast to Christ, He will certainly stick to them; stick to them in all the troubles of their lives, stick to them in death; and stand by them in the eternal Judgment. O Christans, stick fast, hold fast what you have, that no man take your Crown, Rev. 2.11: Hold fast your holy Profession, hold on your Confidence and your holy Conversation, and thence-forth expect that Jesus will give you a Crown of Life.

2. Stick clos [...] to Christ, or else you will never be likely to stick fast. By how much the closer our adherence to Christ is, by so much the firmer is our standing▪ and the less danger of falling off. The root of a Tree, if it be loosned from the Earth, is more easily plucked up; it may be, some small strings there may be that keep their hold, which maintain it in life; but if the main root be loosned, it's the more in danger of being blown down. The cleaving of the soul to Christ, is set forth by the cleaving together of Husband and Wife; Eph. 5.31. For this cause, shall a Man leave Father and Mo­ther, and shall be joyned to his Wife. The word in the Original signifies, shall be glued to his Wife. What is glu'd together, if it shrinks or gapes, loses its hold. Take heed of warping and shrinking from Christ, the glue will give off if you do, and when you have once lost your hold, you know not whither you may be blown. O take heed of growing to a distance, of wandring from Christ, keep you near him if you would stand firm.

[Page 89]4. A confirmed habit of Religion. An holy dispo­sition and constitution of soul; this is the very heart of the new Creature; the Divine Nature, whereof Christians are said to be made partakers, 2 Pet. 1.4. 'Tis an holy Spring or Fountain within us, which will flow forth in Religious actions; and by how much the more maturity it's ripened up into, by so much the more freely will it flow forth. An heart that is holily disposed, and hath strong and fixed in­clinations Heaven-ward, will find Religion sweet and easie to it, there will be the less need of force and constraint: That fear which is so necessary to drive on a servile spirit, will be of less use, according to the measures that we have attained of this free spi­rit, and ready mind: Such Christians have that with­in them that will save them much of their labour and pains which would be otherwise needful. Our work will be easie, and we shall go on more pros­perously in our way; we shall both more abound in the work of the Lord, and we shall go on more even­ly and steadily in our course.

Religious acts, where there are no Religious ha­bits, or where the habit is but weak▪ will be both more seldom and more difficult; and when they are done, whatever they be for the matter of them, yet it will be still questioned whether they be sincerely or savingly Religious. Those that are carnally-minded, their very Natures do prompt them, and carry them on in their fleshly ways; there's the less need of temptation to sin, the Devil may save much of his labour, their sinful dispositions will carry them on fast enough.

O Christians, let this be in your eye, let this be it you aim at, and labour for, to habituate your selves to Holiness; to get up to such a settled holy disposition, to such a promptitude and readi­ness [Page 90] of mind, that your hearts may flow forth to­wards God and Godliness, that your inward stream may run Heaven-ward, that you may feel a free­dom and enlargement of heart towards Godliness of Life.

Carnal Professors, both those that are wholly such, and have nothing of the new Nature in them; and those, who though they have something of the Spirit, yet have much of the Flesh remaining in them, O how heavily and slowly do they drive on in the matters of Religion! How backward are they to duty, how hardly brought to it, how quickly weary; they had rather be any where then with God, about any work, than about the work of the Lord; not only eating and drinking, and playing, and taking the pleasures of the Flesh, but their hardest fleshly labours, Ploughing and Threshing will easilier down with them, than Pray­ing, or Holy Meditation, or otherwise Conver­sing with God: This is a wretched temper, but is it not an ordinary temper? Consider, is it not thus with some of you that are Professors of Re­ligion? Consult your own experiences; how free­ly, and how chearfully can you follow your Trades and worldly business; you can Work and Tra­vail, and Buy and Sell, and follow it night and day; can rise early, and go to Bed late, and eat the Bread of Carefulness, enduring heat and cold, and never complain; but when you come to Praying and communing with your own hearts, or taking a walk by Holy Meditation into the other VVorld; when you come to have to do in any of the matters of God, and serious Religi­on, O how like Drones and Sleepers do you go on? A little of this is enough, and more than you can well bear; your VVheels drug, your [Page 91] Spirits tire, and thereupon you hastily over with this work, and are glad when you have done. How seldom is it that you go into your Closets as willingly as you come out? How well were it if you did as freely fall upon your knees, as you use to rise from them when you have done?

How comes this to pass? O you are yet car­nal, carnally disposed, carnally inclined; your fleshly habits do dispose you to your fleshly ways, and fetter you, and hang on your heels when you should be doing for God and your Souls. O to work Christians, to work; work off these carnal dispositions, and work up your hearts to Spiritu­ality and Heavenliness. Get you to be better temper'd and better disposed; and the way to ha­bituate your selves to Religion, is to hold you closer to the exercise of Religion; if you would but use a little more force upon your selves for a time, and hold you to diligence in your Holy ways; this would by degrees, by the co-operation of the spirit of Grace with you, which you might boldly look for, to come into your help, this your forceing your selves upon a diligent holy life for a while, would bring you to go on after you had been inured to it, with more freedom and alacrity, Heb. 15.14. Those that were strong Christians, steady and established Christians, how came they to be so? O 'tis said, That by reason of use, by having their senses exercised, by this means they grew up to it. Friends, be per­swaded to make tryal; exercise your selves more to Godliness, use your selves to a strict consci­entious Life: If you find it hard at first, yet force your selves upon it, hold your selves hard to it, and by that you have accustomed your selves to this course a while; look for it, you will find it [Page 92] sweet and easie; and when you have thus gotten the habit of Religion, when by reason of use, and having your senses exercised to Godliness, you become Holily disposed and inclined, then what Christians, think you, are you like to be; what thriving Christians, what flourishing Christi­ans, what fruitful Christians, are you then like to become! then your hearts will be streaming hearts, and flaming hearts, and will mount up and ascend in those flames of holy Love and Zeal, above this Earth and Flesh, and a Unity to live in the Light, and Love, and Joy of the Lord. O Friends, would you set your hearts to be reaching out to­wards this holy frame, would the Lord be pleased by the more abundant influences of his Spirit upon us, to work us up to, and settle us in this habit of Holiness, this Spiritual, and willing, and ready mind, then we should become a beautiful Con­gregation; then we should become a blessed Peo­ple, and should grow up as Trees of Righteous­ness, which the Lord hath Planted, and which the Lord hath Blessed.

What Friends, doth not all this stir you? Is there such a Blessed state and frame to be had, and is it not worthy your striving after? Come my Beloved, let's bestir our selves, let us follow after, let us be reaching on with our might to this holy Prize. Be not discouraged at difficulty, be doing, and the Lord will help you. VVe are workers together with God for you, be you workers together with us for your selves, set your hearts to it, and the Lord will work in you, both to will and to obtain of his good plea­sure.

And thus I have shew'd you what that solidi­ty in Religion which I am stirring you up to be [Page 93] reaching after, is, to be well-grounded and settled in the substantials of Christianity. He that wor­shippeth God in the Spirit, rejoyceth in Christ Jesus, and heedfully shunning all Ungodliness and worldly Lusts, hath given himself to a Righteous, Sober, and Godly life; he that being deeply re­solved for Christ, and firmly trusting in Christ, doth with full purpose of heart, cleave unto him, sticking fast to the Lord, and keeping him close by him, till he hath by reason of use, got­ten Holiness to be habitual to him: This is a Pat­tern that I would you would have much before your eyes.

4. To fruitfulness in Religion. There is a readi­ness to good works, mentioned Tit. 3.1. standing in the preparation, or propension, or bent of the soul upon holy action, (whereof before) and there is a fruitfulness in good works, or the souls put­ting it forth in holy action.

All Religion stands in action, either the inward action of the Soul, or the outward action of the Life. 'Tis the doing Christian that is the excellent Christian, the fruitful field which hath a Blessing in it. There is amongst our Corn some that looks fresh and strong, and grows up ranker and taller than the rest, but at best proves to have but lit­tle in the Ear, 'tis grown up all in Stalk, and hath little fruit; we can't say of it as Hos. 7.8 It hath no Stalk; 'tis all Salk, and hath no Ear; 'tis the full Ears of the Field that are its fruitfulness.

That is fruitfulness where there is good fruit brought forth, and much fruit: That ground which either bringeth forth no good fruit, or but very little, we count barren ground. Will you call that a fruitful field which brings forth but here and there an Ear? a few handful of Ears to whole [Page 94] Sheaves of Tares and VVeeds? VVill you call that a fruitful Tree which hath but two or three Berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four or five in the outmost fruitful branches? It is pre­cious fruit, and plenty of it that will give us the account of fruitful Christians.

Fruitfulness in Religion, is the Honour of Re­ligion; Herein is my Father Glorified, that ye bring forth much fruit, Joh. 15 8. And what Glorifies God, God will make glorious before the VVorld. Barrenness is a Reproach; 'tis matter of sorrow and shame: Such Christians which stand as dry Trees, should not stand with dry Eyes. VVe read that Barren Wombs have been the matter of great Affliction: How did Sarah and Rachel take on that they had no Children? And Hannah, when she Prayed for a Child; having yet none, said 1 Sam. 15. I am a Woman of a sorrowful spirit, out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken. But however it be upon the account of Barren Wombs, sure a barren Soul should be a mourning soul. Indeed 'tis too commonly so, that barren souls are usually as barren of sighs and tears, as they are of good fruit. You that are empty Vines, fruitless Fig-Trees, how sel­dom is it that you are upon your knees, bewailing your Barrenness?

The sin of Barrenness is a provoking sin. There are 3. such words spoken against Barrenness in Religion, as (setting aside the sin against the Holy Ghost) there are not more terrible words spoken against any sin. One word you have in the Parable against the barren Fig-tree, Luk. 13.3. Cut it down, why cumbreth it the ground. Another word against another barren Fig-tree, Matth 21.19. Let no fruit grow on thee hence­forth, for ever. A third word is against the barren ground, Heb. 6.7, 8. The Earth that drinketh in the [Page 95] Rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth Herbs, meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth Blessing from God; but that which beareth Briers and Thorns, is rejected, and nigh unto Cursing, whose end is to be burned.

Methinks these words should make some of your souls to tremble: Professor, what art thou? a barren soul? a fruitless Fig-tree? O how canst thou contain thy self from fear? Is not thine heart terrified within thee, at the hearing the words of this Curse? What if this word should have been spoken to thee? Cut this Man down, cut this Woman down, why cumber they the ground? Or what if it should be said to thee, Never fruit grow on thee for ever; never a word of Grace prosper more with thee, live and dye a barren soul; would it not make thine heart shake? And are not these words spoken to thee? I hope not as an irrever­sible Curse; I hope that word is not gone forth against any of you, cut this Man down, never fruit grow on him for ever, let him wither, and perish, and dye, and Burn for his Barrenness; yet if it be not so spoken, as an irreversible Curse, yet to thee it is spoken as a ter­rible Warning: Thus much of it doth belong particu­larly to thee, thou art nigh unto Cursing; and if thou look not the better to it, thine end will be to be burned.

Barrenness is a Reproach, Barrenness is an high Provocation; and fruitfulness is an Honour, and re­ceiveth Blessing from God. Fruitfulness doth both speak Christians grown up to good maturity, and will advance them yet higher and higher. He that lays out most in his life, is still laying up more in his heart; we gather by spending; the more we do, the more we have; no such thriving and flourishing Christians as the diligent doing Christians. There's nothing gotten by holding in the Grace we have, and there's nothing lost by laying it out. A good Man brings forth out of [Page 96] his Treasure, and the more is brought forth, the more it increaseth within. If ever you would make an in­crease in inward grace, let it put forth in vigorous ex­ercise; no such way to grow rich in Faith, as by be­ing rich in good works; Faith without works dyes.

This now is a farther perfection of Religion, that I would press you to be reaching after, fruitfulness in Religion, or Holy action. Be not Hearers or Talkers, but doers of the Word, Jam. 1.25. Who so looketh into the perfect Law of Liberty, and continueth therein, not being a forgetful Hearer, but a doer of the work, this Man shall be blessed in his deed. Be doers of the work, and abound in the work of the Lord. That charge which the Apostle gives, 1 Tim. 6.18. with a particu­lar respect to works of Charity, receive it with respect to every good work; Do good, be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate, laying up in store for your selves a good foundation against the time to come.

O my Brethren, set your hearts upon it, to do all the Honour you can to the Name and Gospel of God, be­fore the world. Wipe off that reproach of Barenness, by shewing your selves examples of fruitfulness. The world say in your reproach, and in the reproach of your God also, What is this Christianity that is so much boasted of, but a meer shaddow? What are these Professors? what ever they talk, what do they more then others? Shew them what you do, which they will never do.

If you ask me what you should do, 'tis too long to tell you the particulars of all your duty; take the A­postles answer, Phil. 4.8. Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report,—these things do, and the God of peace shall be with you.

[Page 97]One Particular I shall instance in, (and but in a word here, intending to speak more largely of it af­terwards) do all you can that more immediately tends to the propagating of Religion in those that have none. Be busie in your Families to propagate reli­gion there: I am willing to take all occasions to incul­cate this Duty, in regard that to the grief of my Soul I find, that after my so often pressing of it there is still so great a neglect even among some high Professors of Christianity. O Friends, if ye will do any thing for God, be doing amongst your own; instruct them, teach them the way of the Lord, Perswade and pro­voke them to Christ: Let Religion be the top care and top business of your houses. Do what you can to make Christians of your Children and Servants; and this not so seldom, or sparely, or heartlesly, as some do, now a little, and a long time after never a word; but be constant, be instant with all yours to bring them to God, that there may be a face of seri­ous Religion appearing upon your whole Families, that a Spirit of Religion may be the very temper and constitution of your houses. Some Professors, what ever they be when amongst other Professors, how much soever of Religion there appears then, yet come into their houses, and there's no more to be seen or heard of God than in the Family of those that make no profession; there's ignorance, and carnality, and vanity, and barrenness, and unsavoryness, and emptiness of all that's good. You that come hither to the Ordinances to kindle religion in your own hearts, to fetch holy fire from the Altar, what you get here carry it home to your houses, instill it into the hearts of your Children and Servants: Here your ho­ly activity must begin; he that is not busily doing for God with his own, is never like to do much good to others.

[Page 98]Next, endeavour to propagate Religion among your Neighbours and Acquaintance; especially be doing good one to another, Christians to Christians; speak often one to another, as they did, Mal. 3.16. speak to the hearts, and lay hold on the hands one of another, and stir up and lead one another in the ways of the Lord.

Friends, I would fain revive and set on foot that Christian Practice of Fruitfulness in Holy Communicati­on or discourse among you: Good words are none of the least of our good works. This one thing would much conduce both to the recovering that of religion which is lost, and to the filling up that which is wanting in our selves or others. This hath been in use amongst some of you, but is it not much fallen and forgotten? Do not many of you that are Pro­fessors converse together as carnally and as unprofita­bly as men that have no religion in them? This is a great shame and of sad consequence; and Religion, which is now so much fallen in the World, is never like much to rise till this holy practice be revived.

You are all ready enough to complain what decays there are in Religion, but are you willing to help to­wards its recovery? We have helped one another down sadly, we have consumed one another by our own coldness; will you help to recover one another, to warm and to quicken one another, as you have help­ed to cool and to deaden?

By this means you will mutually have the benefit of each others graces and experiences; your graces will hereby in a sort become their graces, and their graces become yours: Your candle may light your Brethrens candles, at least you may give light to those that are round about you; but of this more after­wards.

[Page 99]I cannot enlarge further upon the several ways wherein your religious activity should be exercised, you must take these hints: in general Labour to be do­ing Christians, diligent busie Christians, ready to every good work, and fruitful in every good work: Have an eye upon, and be reaching to, this active life; hide not your Talent in a Napkin, put not your Candle under a Bushel, keep not your Religi­on to your selves, your Knowledge, your Graces, your Experiences to your selves: Hath the Lord lighted up a Candle in your Hearts? let your light shine before men that may see your good works, and glorifie your Father which is in Heaven.

5. To evenness and equality both of temper and course:

Evenness of temper is an argument of health and strength; they are the weakly bodies that are apt to change with every change of Air or Weather, and they are but weakly Souls whom every change of their circumstances puts out of frame.

This even frame must and will shew it self in an e­venness of the course. 'Tis an holy life that Christi­ans must live, and not satisfie themselves with some­times an holy duty or day: There must not be only some drops of Religion sprinkled here and there upon their paths, but their life must be an holy stream, and the stream must be constantly running towards God and Heaven. They must run a Race thitherward, Heb. 12.2. He that runs a race keeps on his way step by step in a continued motion: We must neither turn aside, nor go uncertainly on, some­times running, and sometimes but creeping or standing still; we must keep our way and keep our pace; we must not go jumping heavenward, doing some­thing of our duty, and jumping over others, we must take all along in order as we go.

[Page 100]Christians, it may be by the grace already ob­tained there's something done in Religion at times, but how many duties do ye jump over and let them alone? Sometimes you will pray, and sometimes you will jump over your praying seasons: Sometimes you will perform works of piety, but you will jump over works of righteousness and mercy. Sometimes you will be serious and savoury, and then you will leap out into lightness and vanity. Sometimes you will take a leap to Heaven in your retirements to converse with God, and then you will leap down again into the mud and mire. Sometimes you will have some holy fits, and then your proud fits or froward fits. Sometimes ye run, and then stand still; diligent for a start, and then grow resty and idle who knows how long after.

It is uncomfortable to consider, how much this is the Religion of the most of Professors; their Religi­on like a Feaver comes by fits only, as if it were ra­ther their distemper than their temper; 'tis but here and there a little sprinkling, some few drops fall that have any holy savour and tendency. Our stream, our stream! O how, and which way does it run! Sure you had gotten much higher if you had been more con­stantly rising upwards. But whilst there are such ri­sings and falls, such goings on and standings still, or turnings aside; whilst you are such working and loy­tering Souls, no wonder it is so low with you as it is.

Know every one of you, that this in and out course is an argument that yet you have but little, and will never come to much, if it do not come to just nothing at last. Now and then a strait step with so many steps awry; is this ever like to bring you to Heaven? You are travelling up the Hill, but when will ye get you higher, if as one foot steps forward the other slides [Page 101] back. This uncertain unequal going on only as the fit comes, 'tis an easie kind of Religion, if it were but sound: But how can you think your selves sound where you are so divided betwixt something and no­thing? An intermitting Pulse is dangerous if not deadly.

Friends, would you prove your selves to be Christians indeed? would you not that both you and your Religion should prove to be as the chaff before the wind? And when the Lord shall come to purge his floor, would you not that both your souls and your hopes should be blown away as the Chaff, and burn with the chaff in unquenchable fire? would you make it evident that your Religion is not Irreligi­on, and your Christianity Hypocrisie? Then get you up to a more fixed spiritual temper, and hold you on in a more even and continued course; this will prove you to be Christians both in truth and of growth; and hereby you will be making an advance higher and higher, till you shall have perfected holiness in the fear of God: That's the mark that stands at the top of the Mount, which I would, after all that I have said, you should have chiefly in your eye, (perfecti­on of Holiness) and be with your might reaching to­wards.

For the close of this, you now see what that pitch of Religion is that I am pressing you to, even the high­est pitch that is possibly attainable. You see your way before you is an uphill way: You that are yet but at the foot of the Mount, stay not where you are, but get you up by the rising ground till you come to the top: Do not now stand desponding at the height of the Hill, and the steepness of its passage; do not stand complaining of the difficulty of attaining; say not within your selves, I cannot get on, I cannot get me up to this holy, spiritual, fruitful, steady [Page 102] frame and life; with all my soul I would, but O I can­not, I stick still here below, I am among the poorest, and weakest, and hindermost of the Flock; and after all my waiting and hoping to get to this holiness and fruitfulness, behold here am I in this lower ground to this day: A Christian I hope I am, but sure a very mean Christian, a lame and very weakly Christian: God help me, there's but little sign that I have been a Professor so long, a Believer so long; I see I have hitherto gotten but very little ground, and O how little hope is there I should ever get thorow! Do not stand complaining thus, I often give you warning to take heed of this folly, because I doubt it to be ordi­narily a case with very many, who finding their com­plaints to give them a little ease for the time, do thence count them to be the cure of their diseases. Complain if ye will, and as much as you see cause, but let it be in order to the quickning you to dili­gence, and not either to ease you in your sloth, or to discourage you from your duty.

And thus I have at length dispatch'd the first Gene­ral, What 'tis to stir up our selves in Religion; having shew'd both by what acts, and to what pitch of reli­gion we should stir up ourselves.

2. What need there is of stirring up our selves to and in Religion. And here I shall not speak to the parti­cular cases of the unconverted, of the weak, and back­sliding Christians, distinctly and apart, but shall speak promiscuously to them as they fall in my way.

Do you ask then what need there is of stirring up our selves?

I answer: It will appear there is need enough if we consider these two things.

1. Those that fall short of Religion, or carefully maintain not that Religion they have, will be lost at last.

[Page 103]2. Those that stir not up themselves are never like to attain Religion, or to maintain that little they have.

1. Those that fall short of Religion, of true and sound Religion, or that carefully maintain not that Re­lirion they have, will be lost at last. Without religion we cannot be saved, without regeneration, which is the beginning of religion; or without sanctification, which is our progress in Religion; without perseve­rance in religion we cannot be saved, Joh. 3.3. Heb. 12.14. Rev. 2.10. particularly.

1. Sinners that live and dye in their sins, there's no question concerning them, whither they go, they must all go to the Devil. Those that have no religion, that have not taken up so much as the profession of serious Chri­stianity, and so live and dye; there's as much hope of the salvation of the Devil as of them. You that serve the Devil, and continue to live under the power of the Devil, you shall never come to Heaven un­less the Devil himself be admitted to meet you there: As you have lived with the Devil here, so he and you must be together at the same place for ever; and whatever your hopes and talks are of being saved by Christ, it cannot be. I must tell you, you that come not to Christ, and will be none of his Disciples, you shall have no more benefit by the bloud of Christ than the Devils shall have, and that's none at all. Without sound Christianity you have no part in Christ, and without a part in Christ you can have no Sal­vation.

2. Yea and those that are come so far on to Christ as to take on them the Profession of Christianity, if they dye Hypocrites, will be also certainly lost. Those that are come off from the drunkards, and adulterers, and scof­fers, and total slighters of Christ, and have visibly joyned themselves to the Disciples of Christ, joyn'd [Page 104] in prayer, and hearing, and sacraments with them; how much soever they seem to have of the external fruit and appearance of Religion, how commendable and hopeful soever their profession hath been, if Christ and Christianity be not rooted in their hearts, even these also, after all their hopes and profession, will be lost at last: Hypocrites will have the same lot at last with Infidels and final Impenitents.

3. Yea and those that have sincere religion, if they look not diligently to it, will lose all the religion they have. Whatever security there be for the Saints perseve­rance in religion to the end, there's no security at all, but they will certainly fall off and perish, if they ne­glect the means of their perseverance. And those that are but Children in religion, or are fallen to decay, are backsliders in religion, can never prove to them­selves that they are not Hypocrites, and so can never be secure or have any assurance, but they also will be lost in the end.

2. Those that stir not up themselves, are never like to attain to religion or to prosper in it, yea to maintain that little which any of them have.

All this will be made evident.

1. From the distance we are at, the most of us, from sound and prosperous religion,

2. From the difficulty of recovering those that are fallen.

3. From the difficulty of holding on for those that stand.

1. From the great distance we are at some of us from sound and prosperous religion. There is as great a di­stance betwixt unconverted Sinners and Saints, as be­twixt Heaven and Earth, betwixt Life and Death, 1 Joh. 3.14. We know that we are passed from death to life; that is, from being Sinners to Saints: There is [Page 105] as much difference betwixt the state of these, as be­twixt the living and the dead.

And there is, though not so great, yet a very great distance, betwixt the lowest and unthriving sort of Christians, and flourishing Christians; betwixt those that were ever but low and them, there is as much distance as betwixt a Child and a Man, betwixt a very poor man and a wealthy man: And betwixt backsliders and the prosperous is as much distance, as betwixt a languishing and dying man and a health­ful. The distance betwixt backsliders and the pro­sperous is greater and more hardly reconciled, than of those that are but Children: As you know a man that hath had a good trade and a good stock, but is broken and fallen to decay; there is less hope of his recovering and getting up again, than there is of the raising of a young beginner how small soever his stock be.

That you may more fully understand how great the distance is betwixt what you are and what you should be or might have been, I shall advise you to make this threefold comparison.

1. Compare your selves with some of those that are of your own time and standing, yea with some that came in to Christ many years since some of you. O how far are you left behind some of your company! Yea how much have some younger Christians gotten the start of you! What fruitful Christians, what live­ly Christians, what experienced Christians are there, which never had half the time that some of you have had! Whilst they are shut up and become tall as the Cedars in Lebanon, do not you continue as the under­wood poor starveling Shrubs that prosper not? What a distance is there betwixt a Shrub and a grown Tree! When do ye think ye shall reach to their growth, if ye do not stir up your selves to come on at another [Page 106] rate then hitherto you have done? O let it not suf­fice you that ye have hope that ye are Christians, but get you on to be with the foremost of your company; the top branches are the best.

2. Compare your selves with your selves, what you are now, with what you were in your former time: Are you as good as ever you were? as holy as ever you were? or is there not a fall and a great fall from what you once had attained to? Is not the Sun gone many degrees back with you? Is not much of your light, and your life, and your heat lost? Where be your eyes, Friends, if you do not see what losers you are? where be your senses, if you do not feel your own decays? Sure 'tis a sad sign that you have even lost all your Christianity, if you have not so much of Christianity left as to make you sen­sible how much you have lost. You that are backsli­ding Souls, my preaching to you is like to be in vain; I have little hope that this word should do any thing towards your recovery, if it doth not make you sen­sible how much you have lost, and how far you are grown behind hand. This would be hopeful, if we could see you smiting on your thighs as once Ephraim did, Is. 31.19. Or smiting on your Breast as the poor Publican did, Lord be merciful to me a sinner; Lord be merciful to me a backslider, Lord pardon me, Lord receive me, Lord recover me and help me up, that I utterly lose not that which I have wrought. Know, friends, that if ye be fallen to such a distance from what you once were, you are at a greater di­stance from what you should be. For,

3. Compare your selves with that Copy which I have set before you, to be pressing towards; with that higher pitch of Religion which I have pointed out unto you in the 5 particulars formerly mentioned. Compare your selves with these, and then how great [Page 107] will the distance appear to be betwixt what you are and what you should be? Are you such hungry and thirsty Souls after the highest degree of Religion? Have you panting hearts, longing hearts, can you say, my Soul is a thirst for God, mine heart cryeth out for the living God, O for more of God, for more of the holy Image of God, more of the Life of God, for more of the power of his Grace? Are your Souls such hungring and thirsting Souls, or have you not even lost your appetites, doth not even desire fail with you? And then what savour or relish have you of religion in your hearts? Is wisdom entred into your hearts, is the knowledge and grace of God become [pleasant] to your Souls? Do you taste the sweet­ness of religion? Can you say with the Psalmist, Ps. 84.1. How amiable are thy Tabernacles O Lord? Or as Ps. 19.10. Sweeter than the honey or the honey­comb to my Soul; thy Testimonies are my delight, how precious are thy thoughts to me! A day in thy Courts, an hour in my Closet, my Retirements to the Lord, and my Soul solaces in the secret of his pre­sence; these are the great pleasures of my life, and the very joy of mine heart: Can you say so? do you find it so? Lord, how short, how far short do the most of Professors fall here! Ah wretched hearts! We have tasted so much of the sweetness of this Earth, that we have lost our taste of God; the world is be­come too sweet; our gains, and our pleasures, and our very labours are too sweet; these carnal things put our mouths out of relish of things spiritual and heavenly.

And thus I might lead you through all the Parti­culars, Solidity, &c. by comparing your selves wherewith, you might easily perceive how very great the distance is from that holy, heavenly, tender, fruitful frame which we should be in. And sure, [Page 108] Friends, such a great distance from it makes it evi­dent how much need we have to stir up our selves, to be reaching and making towards it, Phil. 3.12. Not as if I had already attained or were already perfect, but I follow after. The Apostles sense, that he was short of perfection, this was it to stir him up to follow af­ter: And O how hard does he follow? v. 13. Forget­ting what's behind, and reaching forth unto those things that are before, I press to the mark. O if it were thus with this great Apostle one that had out-stripp'd e­ven the rest of the Apostles, and was gotten so much nearer to the mark than they all: If this thought, but I am yet short, I have not yet attained, did so press him to follow after, then sure our sense how greatly we fall short of him, who yet acknowledged himself short of the mark, does evidence how great need we have to bestir our selves.

Do not now think that a little amendment will serve your turns, that a little more care and pains will suffice to help you up and recover you; know that you have a great way to go ere you can attain to this prosperous state, and if ever you do recover to it, it must cost you much; many an importunate Prayer, great watchfulness, much labour, yea many sorrows of heart for your neglects that have been; many a sigh, and may be many a tear: And therefore much need is there that you stir up and awaken your sleepy hearts to it. Fall upon your knees, fall upon your knees, bemoan your selves, be ashamed of your selves that you have sloth'd your selves to this sad pass, and then stir up your selves to make after a recovery.

2. From the difficulty of recovering them that are fallen. It is with the consumption of the heart as with the consumption of the body; there are 3 degrees of a consumption.

[Page 109]In the first degree it's hard to be discern'd and easily cured. If this Disease be but taken in the beginning, a little matter might do the cure; but in our first de­clinings it is not easie to discern them: Consumpti­ons come not as Feavers with any violence, but we waste and waste by degrees; it doth not make men sick at first seizing them, but they consume away in­sensibly: May be some amongst us have but begun to fall. A degree of declining there may be, but they are not sick of it, but take themselves to be healthful and strong Christians; a little while hence they may both see and feel, what they will not suspect nor fear. If you would but understand in time, and seek remedy in time, how much mischief and misery might be prevented!

2. The 2d. degree is easie to be discern'd, but hard to be cured. The farther it grows upon us the more plain our case is, but the more difficult is our recove­ry. Friends, there is a Consumption of the Vitals of Religion upon too many among us, and some are very far gone: There need not be much pains taken to give you the Symptoms or Signs by which you may know it; their backslidings are so visible, that they are manifest even to every eye. The paleness of some of our faces, the shortness of our breath, the wasting of our strength, the unwildiness and inability to labour, and the listlesness thereto discovers how 'tis with us. O what weak and listless souls are some of us! our flesh and our bodies strong and healthful, but how weak are our hearts, how short breath'd, quickly tired with every little of duty? and how pale and wan doth our outward man appear, our very Vi­tals are perished and gone. Friend, thou hopest thou keepest thy stand, but is it indeed with thee as it was wont to be? Dost thou pray, and hear, and live, and love, and labour in the matters of God, and of thy [Page 110] Soul as in thy former days? Open thine eyes, and look a little upon thy self, compare thy self now with what thou wast in thy best estate; and then thou wilt say of thy self as God of Ephraim, Hos. 7.9. Gray hairs are upon me though I knew it not. 'Tis conspicu­ous, man, to every one that observes thee; thy Religi­on, thy conscience, and all that Grace that is in thee, 'tis all grown gray: Gray hairs are upon thee, though thou mindest it not. What say you, Christians, are you all fresh and flourishing? Are you strong Chri­stians, lively Christians? Do your Souls prosper, doth your Religion prosper? or must you not say, I remember the days of Old, when it was better with me than now? such who are so far gone, whose de­cay is so visible, though their recovery be possible, yet they are hard to be recovered.

3. A third degree is, not to be hid and past cure, plain to be discovered, never to be cured: and then the Consumption of souls is ordinarily past cure, when men are past feeling. It is one thing to be without feeling in those that never had any sense of God upon them, and another to be past feeling in those that once had some tenderness of heart: Those that have been chil­ling, and cooling, and hardning so long, till God gives them over to that reprobate sense mentioned, Rom. 1.28. the case of such men is become desperate.

Now you that are fallen into this consuming Dis­ease, consider these things, how difficult your case is, unless it be but in the very beginning, and how it will be growing on to be harder and harder, if yet you prevent it not with speed till it becomes despe­rate. Consider this, and then say, if it be not time to look about you, and to make hastily out to the Physician for cure. Friends take heed, will you yet linger on as you have done! will you be quiet, take your ease, and take no effectual care to recover the [Page 111] health you have lost, the strength you have lost? Tremble to think how suddenly you may be given up to a total and final Apostasie.

But why is the cure so difficult? I answer:

1. Because (as it hath been said) in the beginning it's so hard to be discerned. Who will look after a cure that thinks he ails nothing? This Consumption invades and creeps on by such insensible degrees, that it is not perceived or minded till it grows up to such an height as will scarce admit of a cure. This Consump­tion fretteth out the Heart as a Moth fretteth a Gar­ment. When the Moth first breeds, there it lies un­discovered, till by insensible degrees it eats up the strength of the Garment. If the Moth seized upon any Garment as fire doth, you would shake it off sud­denly; but because it consumes but insensibly and by slower degrees, therefore it's let alone till it hath done its work. Friends, is there not a Consumption upon you? is not the Moth gotten in? I hope not into my Soul. Why there's the misery of it, you will not know you consume till ye be utterly con­sumed.

2. From the indisposition and unwillingness of the Heart to seek after a cure. Such untowardness and in­indisposition there is to this work, that I am afraid that by all that I can say, I shall not be able to pre­vail with some of you, to make tryal what may be done. May be you acknowledge that we have all need enough of this warning, but I am in much doubt that when you have heard all, your hearts will so hang back from the work, that all that can be said will quickly be forgotten, and never effectually stir you. If you would take the warning, and stir up your hearts▪ and set to the work, there I hope you might be recovered; but I tell you again, esp [...]cially those that are far gone, that I fear your unwilling and untoward [Page 112] hearts will be too hard for the word, and will not let you come on to any purpose. Consider what I say, and remember it a day or two hence, and see if it be not with too many of you according to my fears; and tell me then if you can, I thank the Lord, the word hath prevailed, and I have set mine heart to it, and through the Grace of God will not give over till I may see it effectually work to my recovery.

3. From that opposition that is made against our re­covery.

1. There is a stirring Devil that opposeth it.

2. There are stirring lusts that oppose our recovery.

1. There is a stirring Devil that opposes your recove­ry. The Devil is a destroyer, that's his name, Rev. 9.11. Abaddon, Apollyon, that is a Destroyer; 'tis he that hath brought you into this case, that hath de­stroyed that little Grace you had, and is thereby at­tempting to destroy your Souls. When you see what wasts have been made upon you, upon your consciences, upon your comforts; 'tis the Devil that hath made these wasts, he is that Fox that hath de­voured your Grapes. The Devil is an adversary, and a busie adversary, 1 Pet. 5.8. walking up and down, seeking to do you a mischief; 'tis he that hath brought you down to this low pass in which you are, and he that hath brought you down will do all he can to hinder you from ever rising again: The Devil is with you wheresoever you are, he watches you where ever you go; if you go into your Closets, go to pray for recovery, the Devil watches you there, and does what he can to distract and hinder your prayers. When you come to hear, the Devil watches you in the Con­gregation, and strives to catch away every word that might do you good. All these words which I am speaking to you for your recovery, I am in doubt they may have but little success; if the Devil can [Page 113] help it, there shall none of them stick upon your hearts: He that hath brought you so low will be bu­sie with you to hold you so low, resisting and stealing away whatever word might help you up. What's become of all the words that have been hitherto spoken to this purpose, do they abide upon you? have they wrought a cure upon any languishing Souls? or what's become of them all? O hath not this adversarie stolen them all away, stolen away the warnings, stolen away the reproofs, stolen away the awakening counsels that have been given you, and so hitherto held your Souls fast asleep? Now having to do with such a bu­sie and stirring Devil, you had need the more to be­stir your selves and look about you, that he do not irrecoverably undo you. Resist the Devil, Jam. 4.7. Be sober, be vigelant, 1 Pet. 5.8. knowing that your adversary.— Is he so watchful upon you to hinder you and mischief you? does he lye at the catch to steal away this awakening word from you? You had need lye at the catch also, catch at every word the Lord speaks to you concerning this matter, lay hold upon them, lay them up in your hearts, forget them not while you live, keep them in memory, let them dwell in you, and hold your thoughts upon them; keep them working in your hearts, and never let them slip till they have done the work and your Souls be recovered.

2. There are stirring lusts within you that oppose your recovery. Your lusts are your disease, and your dis­ease resists your remedy. There is a body of Sin with­in you, there's the same evil nature in you that are Christians that there is in Sinners; though the power of sin be broken, yet there is much of it still remaining. Though the Egyptians be drowned, Sin as a Throne be subdued, yet the Canaanite, Sin as a Thorn, is still in the Land. Though Christians have not an E­nemy [Page 114] Enemy to which they are in bondage, yet they have an Enemy that's still fighting against their Souls; sin hath no longer dominion over them, Rom. 6.14. yet it still makes war upon them. Though the head of this Serpent be broken, yet 'tis a Serpent still: And as 'tis said of Daniel, Gen. 49.17. It is a Serpent in the (way,) an Adder in the (path,) it biteth the Horse heels; it wounds, and vexes, and hinders, though it cannot kill. This Sin is called a Body of Sin, Rom. 6.6. and of this Body there are many members, eve­ry lust of our heart is a Member of our Body of Sin. Our evil nature is this Body, and there our numerous Lusts do meet as in their common root, and thence they spring. Now these Lusts are they that hinder and spoil us.

Friends, these are they that have tempted you off from God, and tempted you off from your integrity, and turn'd you to iniquity, and hitherto hindred your returning. Jam. 1.14. Every man when he is tempted, is drawn aside of his own lust and enticed. Do not think to lay all the blame upon the Devil, and so to excuse your selves; no, your own hearts have joy­ned with the Devil, you have been accessary to your own ruine. Some men when they have run themselves out of their Estates by Riot and Drunkenness, they will think to lay all the blame upon their evil compa­ny: O this evil company, this evil company have been my Bane, sure enough they have; and therefore let every wise man be warned and shun them as the De­vil. But yet, let not evil company bear all the blame, 'tis that evil heart of thine, thine own hearts lust that betrayed thee into thy evil company: What could evil company have done hadst thou not had an evil heart to go after them? How long might they have enticed thee and never prevailed, if thou hadst not been drawn aside by thine own hearts lust and enti­ced? [Page 115] They are those Devils within you, those Lusts that war in your Members, that have given the De­vil his advantages against you. Some fall a lusting after Money, and this lust sets them so hard on work for the world, keeps them so busie about their Trades and their Estates, that they forget God and their Souls. Others lust after Pleasures, and ease, and idleness, and this keeps them off from those labours and that industry which is necessary to the maintaining their Souls in life. Some lust to Pride, others to En­vy, others to frowardness and contention, and those make such gashes in their Hearts, as let out the life bloud of all their Rellgion. 'Tis mens lusts that bring their Souls down, and do devour and eat up all their Religion: and as I said before of the Devil, so here of Lust, that which hath brought them down will hinder their rising.

And these Lusts are stirring Lusts, working and warring in our Members, holding us in captivity to the Law of Sin, as Rom. 7.23. and hindering our recovery and redemption. When I would do good, evil is present with me, v. 21. that is, to hinder and hold me back from doing any thing that would do me good: And as it was with the Apostle, so is it more or less with every Christian. May we not all say after him? When I would do good, evil is present with me. Lust is busie, lust stands ready to spoil me in every duty. Whatever calls we have to duty, to repent, and re­turn to the Lord, to pray and cry unto the Lord: Though the Word calls, remember whence you are fallen, and repent; though Conscience calls, seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is nigh. Lust strikes in to stop or turn away our Ears from these Calls. Why is it that no more of you have answered these Calls? Remember whence you are fallen, and repent. O 'tis your Lusts that have [Page 116] stopp'd your ears. Whatever need or necessity there be lying upon us to hearken to these calls, though we see all the good that is within us even at deaths door, graces dying, comforts dying, hopes dying, and all our Religion ready to give up the ghost, yet our Lusts will not suffer us to mind our Necessities. What­ever inclinations, or desires, or purposes we have to make an escape, to seek a remedy for these our dis­eased languishing Souls; whatever offers and attempts we make to set upon more earnest praying and crying to the Lord for help and deliverance, to set upon a more watchful diligent life; whatever good it be we purpose or set our selves upon, still evill is present with us; one lust or other is still at hand to spoil or hinder all, so that we cannot do the things that we would, Gall. 5.17. We think to come to it, we hope to come to it while the word is preaching to us, and our hearts are a little touched and affected with it; whilst we are made to stand convinced in our own particu­lars; This decayed state is evidently my state: and it is an evil and wretched, and dangerous state, and there­upon we take up such thoughts, Well through the grace of God I will amend, I will no longer go on thus, I will seek my recovery; yet still Lust strikes in and fights against all such thoughts, so that we can­not do the things that we would. Christians, do you not find it thus in your experiences? One lust or other is perpetually rising up to hinder any good that's go­ing in your hearts, and bringing it to just nothing. O how many good motions are quenched, good pur­poses vacated, good desires and hopes frustrated, good beginnings discouraged; your duties spoiled, your peace broken, your comforts clouded and lost, and all by the malign influences of the Body of sin, and the impetuousness of your lusts its members? Here are those outcries that we sometimes hear from the [Page 117] tender-hearted; wo is me that I am constrained to dwell in Mesech, to have my habitation in the Tents of Kedar; I am for peace, but they are for war. I am for peace, yet not by a League, but by a con­quest of mine Enemies, let them dye that I may be at rest; but still they live and are mighty, whilst I am for peace they are for war: I can have no rest in my Spirit, I am weary of my life, because of these Daughters of Heth: Wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me? Hear Lord, cut down, cast out these Sons of the Bond-woman, that they be no lon­ger a Plague or a Snare unto me. Remember these Children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem; happy should I be could I reward them as they have served me; happy should I be if I could take these Chil­dren and dash them against the stones.

And now you see another ground why you have great need to bestir your selves because of these stirring lusts that hinder and mischief you.

Let me here put in a word of application. You will say, But what should the consideration of these stirring lusts stir me up unto? Why, you have it hinted to you already, to deal by them as they have dealt and will deal by you: Have they given you a fall? wrestle with them again, till they fall before you: Are they for war? let them have enough of it, war against those lusts that war against your Souls: Doth the Flesh lust against the Spirit? let the Spirit lust against the Flesh. Stretch forth the Spear, and draw not back your hand till they become as the Midianites which perished at Endor, and became as the Dung of the Earth. Mortifie, mortifie them; as lust hath even mortified your Religion, so let your Religion mortifie Corruption. Take the Apostle for your Patern: O how did that great Apostle Paul bestir himself upon this account! what compassio­nate [Page 118] complaints did he make against his lust, Rom. 7. aforementioned? The good that I would I do not, the evil that I hate that do I; when I would do good, evil is present with me: I find a law in my members war ring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin. Wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death! What earnest prayers did he make? For this I besought the Lord thrice, 2 Cor. 12.8. I was often upon my knees, begging the Lord that these Thorns in my flesh might be pulled out. What assaults and batteries did he make upon them, 1 Cor. 9.26, 27. So fight I, not as one that beateth the Air, but I keep under my body and bring it to subjection, lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I my self should become a Cast away. What will become of me if I let these Lusts live? O they will damn me at last. After all my preaching of Christ to others, I shall be a Reprobate from Christ, a Cast away, if I conquer not mine own sins; one of the two, they or I must die. Paul was a chosen Vessel, and by the Election of God secured from coming into condemnation; but this necessary means must be used, his sins must be slain, or his soul cannot be saved, Acts 27.31. Though God had promised him his life, and the lives of all in the Ship; yet, says he, unless the Mariners abide in the Ship ye cannot be saved. And in the case of Jo­nah, if Jonah had not been cast out of the Ship, the Mariners had all been drowned.

Friends, how often must I tell you this? Whate­ver Faith and Hope in Christ you have, whatever pro­fession of Christ you have made, whatever security you think you have for your Salvation, yet if these Jonahs be not cast over board, you will all be drow­ned in perdition and destruction, your lusts will never leave enticing and tempting you from one sin to ano­ther, [Page 119] from one degree of Apostasie to another, till they have damned your Souls: If you give them Rope and let them alone, they will become such a Rope about your Neck as will drag you to the Pit.

How near have they brought you to it already? are not some of you even become as dying men? have not your souls and your hopes one foot in the Grave? And if you die thus daily, what can you expect but to be buried in flames? See what your lusts have al­ready done, and tremble to think what they are still a doing; you die outright if you save them alive. And will you not yet stir? have they eaten up your hearts, and drunk up your spirits, and left such lean­ness upon your souls? Have they withered your branches, and rotted your fruit, and are these worms still gnawing at your root? How can you but cry out, Lord what am I come to? Lord whether am I falling? save Lord, or I perish. Arise, O my Soul, cut off the Limbs, and smite through the Loyns of the Old Man; nothing but his Death can secure his Life.

Friends, how do these words take with you? what do they work? what nothing moved for all this? Or do the Sleepers begin to wake? O that it might be so! Lord waken them.

3. From the difficulty of holding on, and getting on the way, for those that stand. It's hard to keep our way, and much more to make speed on in it; and so hard, that unless we bestir our selves to purpose, we shall never come roundly on. The way of Religion is an uphill-way, Prov, 15.24. The way of life is above to the Wise, to depart from Hell beneath. The Mark we are making toward, stands upon a Hill; there the City of God (in which alone that perfection we are reaching after is to be found) is situate: The Holy [Page 120] Hill of Zion, Jerusalem which is above. Our Mark we are pressing to stands upon an Hill, and our way to it is all rising ground, and if we put not our selves hard to it we shall never get up.

Sinners are all running downward, and therefore 'tis they run so fast: Behold how the whole herd of Sinners are all like that herd of swine of the Gaderens, running headlong down, and never like to stop till they be choked and drowned in the Lake of Fire and Brim­stone; and the same way are Backsliders running, these also are running down after the herd of Swine.

But now a Christians way is upwards; as 'tis said, Eccl. 3.21. the Spirit of a Man, so much more the Spirit of a Christian, ascends and goes upwards; he does so when he dies as the meaning there is, and he must do so while he lives, that's his duty, Col. 3.1. and his duty is his way that he should go; his course is to be from bad to good, and from good to better; from weakness to strength, yea, and from strength to strength; from a little to an increase of strength. Christians, you are all bound for Heaven, Travellers to the Holy Hill; your progress in holiness is your ascending and climbing up the Hill; you are getting up the Jacobs Ladder which reaches the Hill-top. Every Holy Day you live, every Holy Duty you perform, every little degree of Grace that's added to you, is your getting up so many rounds higher upon that Holy Ladder: And this is it you have to do, to be climbing and climbing, higher and higher, in the Grace of God, and in the Works of Grace.

And this now is the reason of our so slow motion; he that goes up the Hill takes the more time, and the shorter steps; yea and as one foot goes up the other slides back. Our goings up at Hill are more [Page 121] painful; Facilis descensus—at revocare gradum—hic labor, hoc opus est.

And hence is it, that there is so much need of the Goad and the Spur to prick us on. Down at hill there's more need of the Bridle than of the Spur. Even Chri­stians have need of the bridle in this respect; we need not be driven down to the lower Valleys which we have left, we are too apt to be running back to the gains and the pleasures here below; 'tis to hasten our motion upward, that we so much need the Rod and the Spur.

Yea, and we need to be quickned and warned to look well to the Bridle, to restrain us from our cross and contrary motions: Sure, Friends, our so ea­ger running still after this world, running after the riches and pleasures of this life, evidence it sufficient­ly what need we have to be stirred up to look well to the Bridle: As the Psalmist says, Ps. 39.1. I will hold my mouth; so have we all need to hold our hearts as with a bridle to hold the bridle upon our wills, af­fections, and appetites. Do not you see how apt you are to run too fast this way? with what speed are some Professors riding downwards? what haste do they make to be rich and to be great in this world? The very Mountains of this Earth, the Mountains of Pride and worldly Greatness and Glory, the very Hill tops of Worldlings, are but as low Valleys to a Christian; he is still going down at hill, while he is climbing up these worldly Mountains; and therefore he needs the bridle to hold him in. Consider it, do we not still want to be warned and called upon, and to call upon our selves to lay hold upon the bridle? Behold, Friends, how many of us do suffer our carnal hearts to run their course? how seldom do we give check to our fleshly desires? how seldom do we speak such a word to our selves? Stay, O my heart, not too fast, O my [Page 122] Soul: How little pains do we take to restrain our intemperate affections? How very few self-bridling Christians, self-checking Christians, are here among us? When we do hear such words, I am afraid I am making too much haste to be rich, I am afraid I allow my self too much liberty for the pleasing my flew? Or if such a word be now and then let fall, yet how little is it hearkned to? Though we sometimes fear we run too fast this way, yet on we let our selves run, and do not lay a due restraint upon our selves: Or if we do a little check our motions earthward, yet do we effectually restrain them? 'Tis not enough that you say, My heart needs a Bridle; you must make use of the Bridle: when you have stopped your hearts in their carnal course, then you have done some­thing

Friends, when you have considered and tried the difficulty of preventing your motions downwards, and of speeding your way upwards, then you will see far­ther what need you have to bestir your selves.

Lay altogether: Is it certain that those that fall short of Religion, or fall off from the Religion they have, will be lost at last? Is there such a distance be­twixt what we are and what we should be? Is it so hard to raise those that are fallen? Is it so hard to di­scern the Soul-consumption till it be almost past cure? Is there such an indisposition in consuming Souls to seek, and such an opposition made by a stirring Devil, and their stirring lusts, against their obtaining their cure? Is it so hard for those that stand to get on their way? then certainly every one of us had need to awa­ken and look to our selves. Thus much for the 2d. General.

3. What it is to take hold of God? In answer to this 3 things.

[Page 123]1. Our great Happiness is in this, that the Lord is in us.

2. Our Happiness is in this, that the Lord is a­mong us.

3. Our taking hold of God is our continuing the Pre­sence of God with us, and our preventing his Depar­ture.

1. Our great Happiness is in this, that the Lord is in us. God is then in us.

1. When the Fear of God is within us.

2. When the Face of God is upon us.

1. When the fear of God is within us. When the Spirit of the Lord, the Image and Holiness of the Lord, is within us, which come all to one: That Promise, Jer. 32.40. I will put my fear into their hearts, is the same as those, Jer. 31. and Ezek. 36. I will put my spirit within you. A new heart will I give you. Or as Luke 17.21. The Kingdom of God is within you. When God takes up his Habitation, sets up his Throne in the hearts of his People, undertakes the Govern­ment of them bp his Word and Spirit, subdues them to himself, reigns in righteousness in their Souls, and makes them his voluntary Subjects and willing People; when the Grace of God prevails and bears rule in their Hearts. 'Tis not Gods being in their Mouths, the Grace of God in their Lips, but his being in their Hearts, his dwelling and living in their Hearts, the real and inward Sanctification of them by his Holy Spirit that dwelleth in them.

This is the being of God in his People, and this is the blessedness or happiness of his People. When God is within us the Devil is cast out, sin is thrown down, the Kingdom of Satan is destroyed where the King­dom of God is set up. It is peoples misery to have the Devil in them, to have Sin bear rule; and there­fore 'tis there blessedness to have these Tyrants cut [Page 124] down and cast out, and the Kingdom of God set up in their stead.

2. When the Face of God is upon us; when we live in his fear, and live also in the light of his Countenance; when he shines and smiles upon our hearts; when he loves his Saints, and shews them his Loves; when he reveals his good will and good liking of them, and lets them know that they are accepted with him; when he is their Friend, and lets them have the countenance of their Friend towards them; when he is their Fa­ther, and causes them to feel the Bowels of their Fa­ther, the Compassions and Kindnesses of their Father, and hereby makes them to joy in his Love, and to re­joyce in hope of the Glory of God: This is Blessed­ness indeed, these are Blessed Ones, whose God is thus their Lord. Blessed are the people who are in such a case, blessed are the people whose God is the [...], Ps. 144.15.

Christians, you need not complain whatever you want, if you have no bread in your houses, no money in your purses, no health in your Bodies, no rest in your bones, yet have you the Lord God in your hearts? it is enough, you are blessed Souls. Sinners, ye need not boast your selves and lift up your heads so high, you have money in your purses, you have friends in your houses, you have health in your bo­dies, you have marrow in your bones, you can hardly tell what you lack that would please you; and yet mi­serable souls are you all, God is not in you, and that, to him that knows what it is, is misery enough to blast all your comforts and your joys. The Devil is where God is not; Sin bears rule where God doth not; and this is the upshot of your boasting, and blessing, and comforting of your selves; this is all you can say; matters of this World go well with me, I can live a plentiful, and pleasant, and merry life; the Sun [Page 125] shines on my Tabernacle, I have the Wind on my side, I am on the warm side of the Hedge, I prosper, I flourish in the Earth, all things go well with me, I have but this one thing to trouble me, my Soul is in the hands of the Devil, there's nothing of God in me, and where God is not, there the Devil bears rule. This, if ye knew it, is misery enough for you, that whatever you have, God is none of yours; and this is happiness enough for the Saints, that God is in them of a truth.

2. Our happiness is, that the Lord is among us, that we have the visible tokens of his presence, that the Ark of his presence is among us, that we have his Sta­tutes, and his Ordinances, and his Worship among us; that the Doors of his House are open, and the Glory of the Lord filleth his House; that the Ordi­nances are among us, and are not as a miscarrying Womb or dry Breasts, but are fruitful to the propa­gating an Holy Seed, bringing forth abundance of Children to the Lord, and nursing up those that are to be fat and flourishing. This was that Glory of the Lord which the Psalmist so thirsts and longs to see, Ps. 63.2. That I might see thy Power and thy Glory, so as I have seen thee in the Sanctuary. This was that happiness of the Church which was prophesied, Is. 60.2, &c. The Lord shall arise upon thee, and his Glory shall be seen in thee. v. 4. Thy Sons shall come from far, and thy Daughters shall be nursed up at thy side; then shalt thou see and flow together, and thine heart shall fear and be enlarged. v. 8. Who are those that flee as a Cloud, and as the Doves of the Windows? v. 14, 15. They shall call thee the City of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel; and I will make thee an everlasting Excellency, a Joy of many Generations. v. 21. Thy People shall be all righteous, the Branch of my Planting, the Work of my Hands, that I may be glori­fied. [Page 126] This you will acknowledge must needs be an happy time, and all this is the fruit of the presence of the Lord among his People. When the Glory of the Lord fills his House, and the off-springs of the Lord are numerous and prosperous; when the Golden Candlesticks are set up, and the Son of man walks in the midst of his Candlesticks; when there are not only here and there a flourishing Believer, but when there are flourishing Churches, flourishing compa­nies of Believers; when there are not only a throng of People crowding the Doors of the Lords House, but a throng of Saints worshipping at his Feet, and walking in the Name of the Lord: Happy would such days be, blessed are the People that are in such a case, by the presence of the Lord among them.

Yea, and every degree towards such a State is so far forth a degree of peoples happiness; when the Lord gives his Prophets, and Teachers, and Ordi­nances, and (any) freedom to attend upon them, and any little success to the propagating of holiness, and the sincere Professors of it: This is a Token and a Fruit of the presence of God with them. 'Tis a mercy for people to enjoy their civil advantages, fruitful times and seasons for the good things of the Earth; plenty of Bread, free and flourishing Trades, freedom from Oppression, &c. These are Mercies, but these may be where the Lord is not as to his gracious Presence; 'tis freedom and encouragement for Religion, the plen­tiful raining down of Manna, the bread that comes from Heaven, and our thriving by our Bread; 'tis this that evidences that the Lord is among us.

3. Our taking hold of God is our continuing this Presence of the Lord with us, and preventing his depar­ture; where I shall shew 3 things.

1. God may depart from a people with whom he hath been present.

[Page 127]2. 'Tis wo with that people from whom God de­parteth.

3. This is to take hold of God to prevent his depar­ture.

1. God may depart from his People with whom he hath been present: And that,

1. From particular persons, from whom he may then be said to depart:

1. When he hides his Face from them.

2. When he suspends the influences of his Grace.

3. When he loosens the reins of Government.

4. When he denies them the benefit of his protection.

5. When he turns away his Heart from them and re­jects them.

1. When he hides his Face from them, and with­draws the light of his Countenance. Thus he with­drew from that precious Servant of his, David, Ps. 30.7. Thou didst hide thy Face, and I was troubled; whom we find praying, Ps. 4.6. Lord, lift up the light of thy Countenance upon me; and Ps. 51.12. Restore unto me the Joy of thy Salvation, and uphold me with thy free Spirit. Gods Holy Ones may forget God, may grow secure, and careless, and wanton Children; and the Lord will not countenance the best of them in their sins: If they forget God, he finds a way to re­member them of him, by conveying himself out of their sight; the clouds upon his Face, the darkness upon their own Spirits, make them remember the light which once they had, and to look the better to it when the light returns.

2. When he suspends the Influence of his Grace, witholds his Spirit from them: This was the case of David, when he prayed, Ps. 51.20. Renew a right Spirit within me. When those dews and showers of his Grace, which are necessary to the holding our Souls in a flourishing state, are restrained; and here­upon [Page 122] [...] [Page 123] [...] [Page 124] [...] [Page 125] [...] [Page 126] [...] [Page 127] [...] [Page 128] the Grace we have received withers and grows to decay. The former withdrawing of God may con­sist with the vigour of Grace; God may hide his Face sometimes from the dearest of his Saints, to prevent their decay; but the suspending of his gracious in­fluences will be followed with a decay. The Somer Sun-beams ripen the Fruit, but the Winter Sun, when by its distance its influences are the weaker, leaves all to fade and wither. It's winter with those Souls, who by their distance from Christ do lose the influences of the Sun of Righteousness. When the Sun comes about again, and renews its influences, then it's Spring, and fresh Buds, and Flowers break forth.

O Friends, is it not winter with many of our Souls? Have not the influences from above evidently failed us? We have wasted out our Somer, and driven the Lord to a distance; and now behold how our good things die away within us: 'Tis become cold and frosty weather in our Souls, the cold hath wi­thered our Fruit, and the Sun doth not revive it: The Lord God is sadly withdrawn and gone far off from many of our Souls. If Christians would be so wise as to keep them near to the Lord, and so to keep the Lord near to them, it would be ever Spring and So­mer with them, and they should know Winter no more. O let us hold us under the Divine influences; take heed how you put the Lord far off from you; take heed of wandring from the Lord, lest he punish your wandrings from him by removing himself from you.

3. When he loosens the Reins of Government, and leaves them to themselves and their own foolish hearts, takes off his bridle from them, and lets them run their own course, suffers their lusts to rule them, and lets them alone to walk in their own counsels. [Page 129] Thus he withdrew from Israel, Ps. 81.12. I gave them up to their own hearts lusts, or to the hardness or imagination of their own hearts,— And they walked in their own counsels: This is a worse case than the for­mer. It goes ill with those Souls, where the graci­ous influences of God are suspended: That Field or that Garden is in but poor case that wants the Sun and the Showers; but when it wants the care or the eye of the Husbandman too, what good can be expe­cted from it or to it? When grace is restrained, and sin is restrained, to what a pass will such Souls quick­ly grow?

Gods Government is upheld in Souls, by the up­holding of Conscience in its vigilancy, in its tenderness, in its authority. When Conscience is tender and watch­ful, and we hold our selves under its inspection and government; whilst Christians keep them to be con­sciencious, whilst Conscience tells them of their duty, and warns them of their sin, and they will hearken to Conscience, their case so long is hopeful; though God hides his Face, and leave their Souls in the dark, and speaks not a comfortable word to them, yea and leaves them flat and dead as to the wonted lively ope­rations of his Grace, suspending (as to their sense) both his quickning influences, and his comforting in­fluences; yet as long as Gods Government is kept up in them, as long as conscience is kept tender, and wakeful, though they want the light of the Lord, yet they keep close to the Law of their God; though his countenance be not towards them, yet they have a good conscience towards him; though they cannot rejoyce in God, yet they will walk with God; though they cannot now see his Face, yet they are still dili­gent in seeking his Face; though the Lord seems to have cast them off, yet they will not cast him off; so long, though their case be sad at present, yet it will [Page 130] be safe at last, Is. 50.10. Who is among you that fea­reth the Lord and obeyeth the voice of his Servant? though he walk in darkness and have no light, let him trust in the Name of the Lord, &c. Christians, are there any of you in darkness and without the light of comfort and of joy in your hearts? hath the Lord hid his Face from you? this you will mourn under; yet do you fear and obey the Lord? do you live under his Government? though you cannot see him and re­joyce in him, yet do you serve him and follow him? So long 'tis well enough, trust in the Lord, and stay your selves upon God, he will be a Sanctuary and sup­port to you, though his Sun shine not upon you. But when God hides his Face, with-holds the sensible In­fluences of his Grace, and loosens the Reins of Govern­ment too, leaves men to themselves, and they there­upon follow their own hearts, and walk in their own counsels, then whither will they run?

Friends, whatever befall you, pray that God will still keep you under government; and look to your selves that you do not throw off his government. Keep your consciences tender, and hold you under the govern­ment of them; such Backsliders there are who have lost the sight of God, & have grown to decay through the failing of divine influences, and also have lost con­science too; their lust hath gotten the government of them, the world, the love of the world, and their cares for the world bear the great sway in their Souls; all the bonds of Religion are loosened, and can take no hold of them farther than their carnal ease and inter­est will give leave; if they continue in the number of Professors still, yet they are a sort of loose Professors, unruly ones, all the Religion they have will not rule their Tongues, nor rule their passions, nor their ap­petites: When their passion is up, religion must stand by, conscience must hold its peace, or if it speak they [Page 131] will not hear: Lust must be let alone to controul con­science, but conscience may not be suffered to con­troul lust; the sins which are for their gain or their pleasure, they can swallow them and not keck at it: The duties that are a weariness to the flesh, they can omit them, or shuffle them over; when the world, or their sloth won't give them leave, they can let pray­ing alone, or reading, or so much as serious think­ing of God, and the things of God; they can let it all alone. So much of religion as will serve their turns they will take up, and what's more than that, they can dispense with themselves in it. If they be told of their faults, and their haltings, and be never so so­lemnly charged in the name of the Lord to remem­ber themselves, and recover out of this wretched state, 'tis all one as if nothing had been said; on they go in their old carnal rode, and will lay nothing to heart: And as they let themselves alone, so God lets them alone too, and will not rebuke them for their sins; or if there be a rebuke that he sends sometimes in their ears, as they stand in the crowd amongst other Sin­ners; yet he will not set it upon their hearts, but lets them alone to shift it off as they will, and to har­den their hearts against it; this is a sign that the Lord is departed from such Souls.

O Friends, how many rebukes hath the Lord given to Backsliders? how many charges hath he given you to remember and repent, and to shake up your selves out of your listless careless state? do these rebukes stick? do these charges stick? do they work upon you? have they set you upon your repenting or re­covering work? how hath it been with you? what have you done, since the Lord hath been particularly dealing with you in this matter? Are there any of you that have done nothing but sleep on and conti­nue as you were? O Sirs, let me tell such of you, [Page 132] that 'tis to be feared the Lord is departed from you, that he hath loosened the reins of his Government, and hath left you to your selves to grow worse and worse, harder and harder, till you be utterly consumed and brought to nothing.

4. When he denies the benefit of his protection. Here 2 things.

1. The Lord is the Protector of his people.

2. God then departs from them, when he casts them out of his protection.

1. The Lord is the Protector of his People, the Kee­per of Israel, Ps. 121.5, 7. The Lord is thy Keeper, the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand, the Lord shall preserve thee from all evil; the Lord shall preserve thy Soul. He is not only the Keeper of their Substance, of their Flocks, and of their Herds, and of their Houses; but he preserves the Souls of his Saints, Ps. 97.10. 'Tis true, every man is to be his own Keeper, the Keeper of his own Soul; we abuse and forfeit the protection of God, that thence grow careless and ne­glect the keeping of our selves. Commit the keeping of your Souls to him in (well doing,) 1 Pet. 4.19. Dost thou say, the Lord is thee Keeper of my Soul, and I will leave it to him, and will not trust in my self, in mine own keeping? Thou sayst well that thou wilt not trust thy Soul in thy own keeping; but dost thou hereupon neglect the keeping of thy Soul? wilt thou not do what thou canst to keep thy self, but wilt grow careless of thine own heart, and leave the whole care upon him? thou herein forfeitest Gods pro­tection: The same word that promises the Lord shall preserve thy Soul, requires, Prov. 4.23. keep thine own Soul, Keep thine heart with all diligence. We must be every one of us our own keepers, or God will not; but here is our great security, when we have done all, that it is the Lord that is our Keeper. The De­vil [Page 133] could tell that well enough, Job 1.10. Hast thou not made an hedge about Job? He would fain have been doing with him, but God had hedg'd the Devil so out, that he could not touch him without his leave: And he that hedg'd the Devil out from Job, hedges him out from all his Saints; and he that hedges the Devil out, hedges the World out with all its tempta­tions and snares.

Christians, you whose hearts are upright with God, how is it that the world and its temptations are not broken in upon you, and have not totally car­ried you away from God and his Holy ways, and carried you after your covetousness or your pleasures, or the honours and preferments of this Earth, as it hath done many others? O you may thank God for this, he hath hedgd the World out: 'Twere well with many, even Professors, if they could find in their experiences as you do find in yours, that God had hedg'd the World out of them. But O how many of these, even Professors, are there, that the World hath broken in upon them, broken in upon their hearts, and carried them away after it. Do not some of you feel that your hearts are gone, gone after your co­vetousness, gone after your ease, and your pleasures, gone from God, gone from your Religion as to the strictness and power of it; gone from a good consci­ence and your tenderness of it, gone from your hea­venly minds, and so you are become of those that mind earthly things? Sure some of you do not know your selves, do not observe your selves, nor are acquain­ted with your own Spirits, if you do not acknow­ledge, Lord be merciful to me, mine heart is far gone; my conscience, my tenderness, my religion, my love to Christ is much lost by the incroachment of this pre­sent World. Is it so? and how does it sit upon your hearts? does it not trouble you? does it not make [Page 134] you afraid? sure you have reason to be afraid, and to say within your hearts, I doubt I am none of those Saints of whom God hath undertaken to be the Kee­per; or at least, if God had ever an hedge about me, the hedge is broken down, the tempter is broken in, and is carrying away all that little good I had, and will never leave carrying and carrying, till he hath carried away my Soul.

God hath made an hedge about his Saints, not to hedge (all) temptations out; he sometimes suffers the devil & the world, as he did in the case af Job, to break over the Hedge: He lets his Precious Ones to fall into divers temptations, but still they are under the prote­ction of his Promise, 1 Cor. 10.13. God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will with the temptation make a way to escape? Chri­stians may be hard put to it, & may suffer many a foyl; we too often feel the Devil is too hard for us, the World too hard for us, and we suffer great losses and impairings in our grace and comfort: But the promise will bring us about again, & fetch us in again, & knock off our fingers from being so bold with these earthly things. Indeed we can never have assurance that we are under the protection of that Promise, but are left with­out the hedge and are none of the Lords; whilst the world and its temptations do continue to make such a prey of our Souls, and hold us such Slaves and Captives to it, but if we be the Lords, the Promise will bring it about again. This is the first, God is the Protector of his People.

2. Then God departs from them when he casts them out of his protection; when he says concerning any per­son, as he said concerning his Vineyard, Is. 5.5, 6. I will take away the hedge thereof and it shall be eaten up, and break down the wall thereof and it shall be trodden down; and I will lay it waste, it shall not be pruned nor digged, but bryars and thorns shall come up; I will [Page 135] also command the Clouds that they rain no rain upon it. 'Tis one thing for the tempter to be suffered to break in over the Hedge, another to have the hedge remo­ved. God had his Hedge still about Job, though he suffered the Devil to leap over it; and this Hedge limited him how far he should go, and no further: But when the Wall is removed, and the Hedge bro­ken down, and the Enemy is let alone to make what waste he will, to eat up, and to trample into dirt the Fruit of the Vineyard, and make it a place for Briars and Thorns to grow up instead of the Vine; then the Lord hath cast off, and is gone from the Vine­yard. Sure, Friends, there are such Professors in the world, and look diligently if there be any such a­mong you, about whom the Lord hath broken down his Hedge, whom he hath even given up to the world and given up to the devil, and in whom these Enemies have eaten up even all their good, and made their Souls a meer waste, where grows nothing but Bryars and thorns; in whom religion and righteousness, truth and honesty, faith and love, and hope and pray­er, and all sense of God, and things to come, are de­voured and eaten up of the world, and those bryars and thorns of pride and lust, of envy and intempe­rance, and all unrighteousness, are sprung up in their stead. My hope is, that there are none of the Pro­fessors of this place that are so far gone as this; but whether there are none of you that are going, and in a fair way to it, I leave to your consciences to judge. If the wall be not utterly thrown down, yet are there not some sad breaches made in it at which the Devil and the World have entred? If all be not eaten up, if all be not trodden down, if there be something of Reli­gion left alive, if some little minding of God, some little care of your Souls, some little favour of Chri­stianity be left, (and how very little is there in some?) [Page 136] though all be not eaten up, yet is not this world an eating daily, and a consuming more and more that little of God that remains? Does not the World grow upon you, and does not Religion waste, and your Souls go back farther & farther? Is it thus with any of you? look you diligently whether it be or no; if it be thus, though I will not say, the Lord is utterly departed from you, the Lord hath rejected you; yet thus much I must say, God is going away from your Souls; look to it, and lay hold upon him by repenting and speedy turning towards him, or expect no other but that he will throw you off, and cast you out of his sight.

5. When he turns away his heart from them and re­jects them. The Lord hath rejected thee, said Samuel to Saul; and afterwards, The Lord is departed from me, said Saul to Samuel. God deals with particular per­sons that will not be reclaimed as with backsliding Israel, concerning whom he said, Is. 15.1. Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind, or my heart, could not be towards this People; cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth. God had sent Pro­phet upon Prophet to them, to reclaim and recover them from their Apostasies to their Idols, but when they would not be reclaimed, then this fatal word comes at length, Cast them out of my sight, my mind is no longer towards them.

Friends, you that have been Backsliders, that have fallen in your Religion, that have declined from God to the World, God hath sent many a word to you to recover you, and now he is giving you solemn war­ning again: What will you now do? shall this word be lost and take no effect upon you? will you yet continue to sleep on and refuse to be awakened? O take heed, O awaken, who knows, if ye yet refuse, but God may forthwith speak such a dreadful word concerning you, I have no mind to this backsliding [Page 137] Soul, I'll be troubled with him no longer, I'll give him a Bill of Divorce, and send him away. If you should ask as they did there, Whither will he send us? Why, any whither; let them go whither they will for me, I'll own them no longer: Send this man to the World which he hath loved, send him to the Devil whom he hath followed; let him be gone from me, I have no mind to him; this backsliding wretch, he hath no mind to me, he hath more mind to the World, to his Money, to his Trade, to his Oxen, then he hath to his God; and I have no more mind to him, than he hath to me. Since he hath so much mind to the World, and to the Service of the Devil, let the World take him, let the Devil take him, give him a Bill of divorce and send him away. What, false to his God, to his Conscience, to his Religion, to his Covenant? What, an Hypocrite, an Apostate, an Idolater? One that has been so, and will be so? though I have call'd him back, and threatned him back, and cryed unto him, though thou hast played the Harlot and the Hypocrite these many years, yet return to me; and yet none of my Words will stir him, nor move him, but on he goes his old way: Away with such a wretch, I have no mind any longer to him, cast him out of my sight.

Friends, you that are gone back, do not comfort your hearts with such a thought, However I am no total Apostate, I have something of Religion, some­thing of Conscience left me; but know, that if you be not total Apostates, yet your gradual backslidings are the way to it; and if you look not the better to it, you will never stop (as I have often warned you) till you have lost all. Are you not total Apostates? no more were Israel; they still acknowledged God, and worshipped the true God; but though they did but hang betwixt God and their Idols, yet upon their [Page 138] refusal to return, God sent forth this word concer­ning their utter rejection, Away with them, cast them out of my sight. Thou hast, thou sayest, some­thing of God in thee, something of Religion in thee, but art thou fallen so far from God, as to hang be­twixt God and the World, and shall not this solemn warning, which comes to thee in the name of the God of Heaven, shall not this shake thee up from sleeping in such a state, and raise and recover thee out of that carnality and earthliness to sincerity in Religion and Godliness? Shall all these warnings be spoken to thee in vain, and leave thee such an earthly minded, such a dead-hearted careless Soul as they find thee? God forbid, Friends, it should have no more success than so; and look you to it every one of you that are particularly concern'd in it; look to it, lest if you continue without an effectual change and recovery, God should speak such a dreadful word to any of you, I have no longer any mind to this man, I have no longer any mind to this woman, give them a Bill of Divorce and send them away, cast them out of my sight, let them be gone from me.

Friends, you must give me leave to speak as plain­ly to you and as closely in this matter as I am able. I know how sad 'twill be with you if the word doth not prevail; and I know this consuming Disease is hard to be cured: Backsliders are ordinarily of hard hearts, and deaf ears, and so hard to be recovered. God knows how it may be with you, whether God may gain any thing, Religion may gain any thing, upon you by this warning; I know it will be hard work to bring you up out of this case, and yet I am loth to lose my labour: I would fain do something for Christ, and something for the help of your poor Souls; and therefore you must bear with me, that I thus set my self to speak over and over thus closely to [Page 139] you; that if it be possible, my words may stick with you. Do not say that I think too hardly of you, and make you worse than you are; I thank God that there are among you those who are faithful, and stand their ground; I thank God that there is so much Religion as there is, even in some of you; I thank God I have hope there is as much of serious Religion continuing in this Congregation, as in the most Congregations about us: But I must tell you, that he is a stranger to us, that doth not perceive at what a low ebb serious Religion is amongst many of us; and he whose heart bleeds not and breaks not at what his eyes may see and his ears may hear, hath but little of the Spirit of Chri­stianity in him. Sure there are too many among us that have declined in great degree, O that this word might find them out, and bring them to their knees first, and then set them upon their Legs, that so there may be a prevention of their utter Rejecti­on.

2. God may depart from his Churches and the Con­gregations of his People; and then he departs from these:

1. When he shuts up his House, and writes upon the Doors thereof; The Glory is departed. When he causes their visions to fail, his Ordinances to cease from among them; when preaching, and praying, and all his spiritual worship fails; when, though the Candle­sticks continue, yet there are few Candles left; and those that are not quite put out, are put under a Bu­shel; when Pastors and Teachers, which were bur­ning and shining Lights, are removed into a Cor­ner.

2. When he pulls down his House: When not only the Candles are carried away, but the Candlesticks are broken in pieces: When he unchurches his People, and scatters his Congregations: When the Societies [Page 140] of the Saints are broken in pieces, and those that went to the House of God in companies, have neither house to go into, nor company to go together. It's promi­sed, Is. 33.20. Ye shall look upon Zion the City of our solemnities; thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet Ha­bitation, a Tabernacle that shall not be taken down, not one of the Stakes thereof shall be removed, neither shall any of the Cords thereof be broken; but there the Glorious Lord will be to us a place of broad Ri­vers and Streams. Now when this word is changed, and our eyes see Jerusalem a troubled habitation, our Tabernacle taken down, its Stakes that pitched it, and its Cords that held it, all removed and broken in pieces; when the Habitation of the Lord is become a desolation, and his Vineyard become a meer Wilder­ness; when the Cormorant and the Bittern, when Owls and Satyrs, when the Beasts and the false Prophets are where once were the Prophets and People of the Lord, then is the Lord departed.

3. When, though his House and his Tabernacle stands, and his Ordinances are continued, though there be Preach­ing and Praying still, yet the Spirit of the Lord is de­parted. When he doth not continue to bless his House, and bless his Ordinances to his People; when that word is fulfilled upon them, Is. 28.13. The Word of the Lord is to them, precept upon precept, line upon line, that they might go and fall backward: When the Chil­dren of Zion are as it was said those that hate Zion should be, Ps. 129.6. as the Grass upon the House top that withereth before it be grown up, whereof the Mower filleth not his hand, nor he that bindeth sheaves his bosom: Even this is a departure, and a grievous departure of the Lord from his People; when he con­tinues not among them to bless them, continues his Word among them, precept upon precept, line upon line, lets them have Sabbath after Sabbath, Meeting [Page 141] upon Meeting, Sermon upon Sermon, but nothing prospers, but they fall and go backward, and wither as the grass upon the House top.

O how many Congregations amongst us are there from whom the Lord is already thus far departed! though he gives us his Word, yet he doth not bless his Word; though the Sowers come forth to sow, yet how is the Seed rotten under the Clods, how little is there that comes up! Though the Planters plant, and the Builders build, how few young Plants do we see coming up? how slowly does the Building rise? does not the Building rather go backward! do not the Plants that are hang their heads and wither, and no more rise in their room? When do we hear of a new convert brought in, and how few do we see of the former planting to flourish? O we fade, we fade, we wither as the Grass upon the House top; our life, and our strength, and our beauty, how is it fallen and withered? the beauty of love, the beauty of humi­lity, the beauty of holiness, how is it even all mar­red? Sure this is a token of the Lords departure from us. Thus you have seen how the Lord departs from his People.

2. It's wo with a people when the Lord departs from them: Wo unto them, saith the Lord, when I depart from them, Hos. 9.12.

1. 'Tis woful to them that have something of Religi­on in them; when their Pastors, and Pastures, and Waters fail, what's like to become of them? even they also are like to pine for want. There are none to whom Famine is so tedeous as to hungry Souls; the living Child will cry for Bread, when those that are dead can want it well enough, and never feel their want: And it will not be woful only to their sense, they will mourn, and lament, and be pierced to the very heart to see such a day; but to some amongst [Page 142] them it will be a worse wo than that. Whilst some mourn for want of the Word, others will pine away for want. Ezek. 24.21, 23. I will profane my San­ctuary, the excellency of your strength, the desire of your eyes, and ye shall pine away for your iniquities. Pro­fessors, there be some among you that have languish­ed and grown to decay in the fulness of all things, by all the Ordinances of the Gospel you have had, by all the Manna that hath fallen among you, by all our Preaching to you, and Praying over you, we can hardly keep life in you; the little good that remains is weak and even ready to vanish away: But what then will become of you in the Day of Famine? when your Manna shall cease, and your Waters fail? O tremble to hear this word spoken concerning you, you shall not mourn nor weep; you won't be much troubled, nor lay it to heart, but ye shall pine away for your iniquities. If in such a day of plenty as you have had you are such pining Souls, what can you ex­pect but you may pine to death in days of want?

2. Especially 'tis woful to those that have no Religion in them, that are blind, and hard, and dead Souls, that remain still without Christ and without God in the World. Sinners, if ye be not brought in to be Believers whilst the Word of Faith is preached to you, if ye be not converted whilst the Word of Repentance is preached among you, if you continue such blind and ignorant Souls whilst you have the light with you, what will ye be in the days of darkness? Sinners con­cern not themselves about any such thing; let the Gos­pel shine or be under a cloud, let Religion flourish or vanish, let God be amongst them or be gone, let there be preaching or no preaching, 'tis all one to them, they are like Gallio, Acts 18.17. they are for none of these things. But, Sinners, let me tell you, as little as you regard it how it goes with the Church of God [Page 143] and the Ordinances of God, whether there be liber­ty or restraint, a plenty or a famine of the word; when ever the Gospel departs, when ever a famine of the word comes, 'tis you are the men that are like chiefly to have the misery of it: 'Tis an affliction to the Saints, and they may be great losers, they may languish and grow to a decay; but you are like to lose your Souls, you are like to dye in your Sins, and to perish for ever; if you are thus hardned under the word, how are you like to be won to Christ without the Word? If the Devil hath such power with you to lead you on in your sins, in your drunkenness, and swearing, and lying, and covetousness, and to hold you under your impenitence, notwithstanding all the instructions, and warnings, and reproofs you have from the word, how fast will he hold you when there's none to resist him? If you never be converted and brought to repentance, you know you must to Hell; and what hope will there be of your conversi­on when the converting word is no more preached to you? Sinners, you had need make better use of the Word while you have it among you, you had need look for another manner of work of God than hither­to hath been upon you: Of all men in the World you especially had need pray, Lord take not the Word of thy Truth from among us; or at least, Lord, delay that dark day, O let my Soul be first wrought upon, O let it first lay hold on me, and recover me from my sins, and from the power of the Devil; let me be­come a Convert to Christ, a Disciple of Christ be­fore that day come: you had need pray thus, and you had need hearken more to the Word while you have it, and hasten in to Christ. That day will stay for none of you when 'tis coming; and O! what if it should come upon you? if the Gospel should be car­ried away, and leave you in that sinful guilty state [Page 144] that now you are in? Look to it Sinners, in the name of God look to it, strike in with Christ presently, make thorow work for your Souls instantly, while it is called to day harden not your hearts; don't any longer stand, shall I, shall I? one day or other I hope I shall: For ought you know, God may be even about to pack up his Treasure, to take down his stand­ing and ready to be gone, and then where are you? O carry this thought upon your heart; if God should go, and his Gospel should go, and leave my Soul at this pass, wo, wo to me poor wretched Soul, what shall become of me for ever? O, if the preaching of the Word leave me under the power of the Devil, sure the Famine of the Word is like to seal me up un­der the hardness of my heart to everlasting condem­nation. Look to it, Sinners, pray that such a Day may not overtake you thus; and O hasten, and take the present season, and this day break off your sins by repentance, and yield your selves to the Lord; be converted that ye may be saved. Fear not but Christ will accept you if you will now come in; he is yet wil­ling, he stands stretching his hands to you, he lifts up his Voice to you, and calls, Come ye poor sinful souls, come unto me, make an adventure for Heaven, come and be my hearty Disciples; let the wicked among you forsake his wickedness, let him return to the Lord and he (shall) have mercy. Fear not but if you will now come in you shall be accepted; but dare not for your lives delay any longer, lest the days of darkness overtake you, lest the Gospel be removed from us, and leave you bound in your sins, and then you be carried down, bound hand and foot into the everlasting Pri­son. The Lord grant that this be not the dismal lot of any of your Souls, and look you to it in time that it be not; lose not the present season, the Sun seems to grow low, it's almost night; O see to it [Page 145] that it be not Sunset among us, before it be Sunrising in any of your Souls. I hope the day is even now dawning upon some poor Sinners among you, that some of your Souls are looking towards Christ, and making towards Christ, and making your escape from your Sins: Is it so with thee? art thou awakened from thy Sins? art thou wishing and waiting for Christ? Even this is the dawning of the day upon thee: O for the Sun rising, for the forming of Christ upon thine heart, look that the work that is, go not back again, but come on, and hold on, that thy little morning light may increase and grow up to perfect day, and that the Evening and the Morning meet not.

3. Our taking hold of God is our continuing the Lord among us, and our preventing his departure. This was their Sin in the Text, they did not take hold of God, that is, they took no course to continue the Lord a­mongst them: God was going from them, and they let him go and look'd not after him, they were too willing to part with God. And this is the case of Back­sliders in heart, they are too well contented that God and they do part; their heart is withdrawn from God, and they matter it not though God withdraws from them.

Our laying hold on God imports these 3 things which are necessary to our continuing him with us.

1. Our letting go our Idols or false Gods. God ne­ver departs, till there be another God taken in with him and set up by him; and God will never continue unless these Idols be cast away, Ezek. 14.5. They are estranged from me by their Idols; they are grown strangers to me, and I must be a stranger to them; they have taken in other Gods besides me: And v. 5. Repent, says God, and turn your selves from your I­dols: [Page 146] If you would have me stay, let them go their way. There is a setting up of Idols in the Congregati­on, a setting up of Stocks and Stones to worship; and there is a setting up of Idols in the Heart, Ezek. 14.3. These men have set up their Idols in their Hearts: Those that have no such Idols as Israel had, those that abhor Image Worship, or worshipping of the Sun and the Host of Heaven, those that would be trembled to see an Idol set up in the House of God, may yet have an heart full of Idols. One of the chief of our Idols is the World, and our great Heart-Idolatry is Covetousness, or the Love of the World, Col. 3.5. And Covetousness which is Idolatry. If God be provo­ked to depart from us, 'tis to be suspected that this is the Idol that drives him away: Our hearts are gone after the World, and thereupon 'tis that the Lord God is so far from our Hearts. Would you lay hold on God? put away your Idols, cast this world out of your Hearts. 'Tis vain to confess we have sinned a­gainst God, 'tis vain to pray, Lord, leave us not: God will never regard your confessions nor your prayers, till your Idols be cast out.

Friends, whatever we suffer, or are like to suffer, 'tis this World, 'tis our Worldliness that hath un­done the most of us; the gains of this World, the pleasures of this World have been taken into our Hearts, and thereupon 'tis that God leaves us to sink and go to ruin as we do. Cease from your Idolatry, away with your Earthly-mindedness and Fleshliness, your hands are full of dirt and ashes, empty them of these, or you can never lay hold on God.

We cry out against the Wickedness of our Age, the Atheism, the Adulteries; the Oaths, and prodigious Profaneness that is among us; and these and suck-like Evils we look on as the reason why God is such a stranger and so angry with us. But besides these [Page 147] Wickednesses of the openly Profane, there are other iniquities to be found even amongst those that profess against this Profaness; and this for one, the Iniquity of our Covetousness that hath thus provoked the Lord against us, Is. 57.17. For the Iniquity of his Cove­tousness I was wrath and smote him, I hid me and was wrath, and yet he went on frowardly in the way of his Heart. Here 3 things:

1. That Covetousness is Iniquity, or Wickedness: Covetous Ones are Wicked Ones, however they may look like Holy Ones; whatever of God or Religion appears, yet their Covetousness, where it is predo­minant, marks them out for Wicked ones. Art thou a Professor of Religion? dost thou Hear? dost thou Pray? dost thou joyn thy self to those that fear God? and yet art thou a Worldling? thou art but a Wic­ked Man whatever thy Profession be.

2. The Iniquity of our Covetousness will make God to withdraw and hide his Face from us. I hid me and was wrath.

3. Covetous men, how dear soever their Covetousness costs them, yet they will go on their way: He went on frowardly, that is, perversly or obstinately in his way. He would not be turned back, he would not give off from following his worldly heart, how angry soever God was with him for it. O this Disease of a worldly Heart, when it is rooted once, it hardly ad­mits of a Cure. Beloved, God hath prescribed you many Remedies, and God hath given you many Warnings, and your Souls have suffered great loss by it: O the impoverishment that hath fallen upon your inward man by your so over eager pursuit of the advantages of our outward man; and yet for all this, who will take warning? How little abatement is there to be seen of the Zeal of our Hearts after Earth­ly things? O 'tis an evil Disease, and a tough Dis­ease, [Page 148] that will hardly be purged away. There are some Humours of the Body that are so tough, that where they abound they can hardly be purged away without the destroying of Nature; and there is no Humour in the Body so tough and hard to be removed as this disease of the Soul.

Well, but yet unless you mean to part with God, yea, and to part with him for ever, you must let this Idol go. And the like may be said of any other of our Idols, any other Sins you have set up in your Hearts. There can be no taking hold of God, but you must let all your Idols go; you are at this point, either these must be parted with, or God and your Souls must part. You that are proud Professors, that Pride must be laid in the Dust; you that are for your pleasure or your ease, you that are for your credit and reputation, you that are given to appetite, whose God is your Belly or your Throats, you must come off from all that your hearts are thus set upon, or else count upon it, that as you have begun to fall as there is a breach between God and your Souls be­gun, so it will grow worse and worse with you, and the breach grow wider and wider, till it become too great to be ever made up.

What, Friends, will ye love this World to the Death? will you love your Pleasures, and your Ease, and your Lusts to the Death? will you sell all that you have, all your Religion, all your Hopes, and your Comforts that you have had in it? will you sell your God, and your Souls, for these vile things? The Young Man in the Gospel foolishly refused to sell what he had in the world for Christ, and will you not refuse to sell Christ and all your Hopes as to the other world, for the trash you have here? do not you see? do (none) of you see how dear they have cost you, and how low they have brought you as to the [Page 149] State of your inward man already? and will you hold on still and never give over till you have lost all, and all hopes of ever recovering what you have lost? O be yet advised and go no farther on, cast ye away, cast ye away your Idols, and yet return to the Lord, and he will return to you.

2. Our laying hold on the Covenant of God. We have no other hold on God but his Covenant with us; we had need keep the Covenant of God inviolable, for there's all the hold we have either for this life, or the life to come. And this is the hold that we find this people of Israel insisted upon, v. 9. of this Chap­ter, Behold, see we beseech thee, we are all thy People; that is, thy Covenant People. See, we beseech thee, or remember, O Lord, what hath passed betwixt thee and us; thou hast said, I will be your God, and ye shall be my People: And this we find more expresly pleaded, Jer. 14.7, 8. We have them ex­postulating the case, O Lord, though our iniquities testifie against us, our backslidings are many, we have sinned against thee; O thou hope of Israel, and the Sa­viour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldst thou be a Stranger? The Lord might have answered, Why should I not be a Stranger, when your Sins and your Backslidings are so many? They reply, v. 21. Yet do not abhor us for thy names sake, do not disgrace the Throne of thy Glory: What would the Heathen say of God if he should cast off his People? Remember, break not thy Covenant with us; 'tis true, we have broken with thee, but yet remember what thou hast said, Ps. 89.31, 32, &c. If they break my Statutes, and keep not my Commandments, I will visit their Ini­quities with a Rod, and their Sin with Stripes; never­theless my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my Faithfulness to fail; my Covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my [Page 150] Lips: O that's a word of hope; Remember Lord, remember, and break not thy Covenant with us.

Our only hope is the Covenant of God, and this is necessary to our laying hold on the Covenant of God, To repent of our Covenant-breaking, and to renew our Covenant with him, and return to our obedience

'Tis a vain pleading from the Covenant of God, from the Faithfulness of God to his people, if they have been false in the Covenant, and will not return; our enga­ging to fidelity to God for the future, and our being faithful to our engagement, this is the surest and our only way to take hold on the Covenant of God.

Friends, you that are backsliders, you have been unfaithful to God, you have broken the Covenant of your Peace; and as to your selves, you have here­by taken the most effectual course to make void the Covenant of God; you have loosened the Almighty from his bond to you; God is far from you (as I may so speak) and may never look after you more, but may depart from you for ever, and leave you to pe­rish in your revoltings: And though God be gracious and abideth faithful, yet unless you will come into new bonds with him, and so lay hold on his old bond to you, you can expect nothing but that he leave you, and forsake you for ever.

This therefore you have to do for recovery: 1. To acknowledge your unfaithfulness to the Lord; Lord, I confess I am a Backslider, and herein am become false to thee; I have covenanted to love thee, and to serve thee with all mine heart, and with all my might; but wo is me, thou hast but half an heart from me, mine heart is divided; O how much of it hath this World carried away from God? instead of Serving thee with my might, I have been an idle Servant; the Lord forgive me, my business hath of late lyen ano­ther [Page 151] way than about God or my Soul; I have been serving my Pride, and my Covetousness; this world hath too much of me, insomuch that many a time I have even forgotten that I have a God to serve; and when I do any thing in the service of God, I do it but by halfs; my strength hath gone out for the world, and wo is me, there hath been but little left for God, but my weakness and weariness; yea, and though I find the sad fruit of this my neglect in those wasts that are grown upon me, though I see my self become a poor, withered, decayed thing, yet I am not much troubled at it, but am still going on in the same busie life for this Earth, and in the same neglect of God: O I have been thus unfaithful, an unfaithful Servant, an un­faithful Steward of the manifold Graces of God; I have so wasted my Talents, that I have almost no­thing left. Thus confess unto God your Covenant breakings.

2. Renew your Covenant and return to your Fidelity. To repent and not return, is but a mock repentance; to confess and not amend, is but a mock confession. Remember that word, Jer. 15.19. If thou wilt re­turn, I will bring thee again, and thou shalt stand be­fore me.

You that confess your backslidings, will you re­turn? you see how it hath been and is with you, shall it be better for the future? what are your minds for hence forward? are your hearts so set upon a reviving the work of God, and a recovering out of your car­nal, earthly, lazy habit and way, that you are wil­ling to renew your Covenant with God? will you promise to the Lord, that through his Grace with you, and the help of his good Spirit, you will hence­forth set your hearts to be more faithful to him? to follow the Lord fully, to stick faster to your Religi­on, to be true to God and your Conscience, and the [Page 152] Covenant of your God? will you so, Friends? will you? O that there were such an heart in you all! This do, and then, though you be gone back from him, yet he will bring you again: Though you be fallen so low, yet he will raise you up, and you shall stand be­fore him.

3. Then trust upon the Covenant of God; return to be faithful to him, and he will not leave you nor cast you off for your former unfaithfulness; trust upon it.

This is your way to take hold of the Covenant of God, and your taking hold of the Covenant, will be your taking hold of God. Friends, after such for­sakings and such declinings as many of us are guilty of, there's reason enough to be afraid lest the Lord casts off such Unfaithful Ones; and there's no hope but he will do so, if you thus return not, he will be lost to you for ever, he will go farther and farther off from you, he will be gracious to you no more, nor accept you nor any of your service, of none of your prayers for your selves, no nor of the prayers of any others for you, but will say concerning you as once, Jer. 14.11, 12. Pray not for this people for their good, and when (they) fast I will not hear their cry, and when they offer an Oblation I will not accept them. Pray while you will, speak to Ministers if you will, and to Christians, Pray to the Lord for me, he will not accept your Prayers, nor any others Prayers for you, unless you will set your hearts to return into faithful­ness to him.

Friends, I tell you again, you that are in this case, and either will not see it, nor confess your unfaithful­ness to God, but will satisfie your selves in your way, and think you are well enough, or at least will excuse your selves, and say, your case is made worse than it is; or if you do confess it, I was a Backslider, I have [Page 153] been unfaithful, yet will not renew your Covenant, and return to be faithful, but hold you at the same pass; look for nothing else but this, that the Soul of the Lord will be utterly loosened from you, and he will say concerning you, Give them a Bill of Di­vorce and send them away; let them alone, let them pine away in their iniquities till they be past recove­ry or redemption. And let me add this farther, if the rest of the Professors of England which are in the same case will not see it, will not confess, will not speedily return and recover; what can be expected, but that the Lord, who hath been for these many years so visibly departing from us, and after many returns, seems at this time again to be removing from us; what can be expected if we speedily repent not, but that he will never return but utterly reject us, and leave us as a dark Land, make us a desolation and astonishment, and write his Ichabod upon the Doors of our Congregations and Habitations; The Glory is departed from England. But if you will yet see, and and will confess and return, I will say to you, as She­caniah said to Ezra concerning that revolting people when they were upon reforming, Ezra 10.2. There is yet hope in Israel concerning this thing; There is yet hope in England concerning these poor Souls, that the Lord will return and continue to dwell in them and among them as in the former days; his Covenant is your hope, lay hold upon it.

3. Our recovering our Communion with God. Our Communion with God stands much in these things.

1. In our mutual Acquaintance, God with us and we with him. God is acquainted with his People, and he requires them to come into his Acquaintance, Job 22.21. Acquaint thy self with God. Acquain­tance stands in our Knowledge of God: We cannot be said to be acquainted with them we know not; & in such experimental knowledge as is gotten by converse [Page 154] together: We cannot say we are acquainted with eve­ry one we know; converse or walking together is ne­cessary to our being acquainted. The nearer and more intimate our Acquaintance with God is, and of the longer continuance by so much the more hold we have of God; God will not easily lose his Acquain­tance, and those that are acquainted with God have tasted so much of the sweetness of walking with him, that they will take the more heed how they lose that Acquaintance. Those that are intimately acquain­ted by their friendly converse together, this Ac­quaintance knits their Hearts together as David's to Jonathan, so that they will not easily be seperated. Hast thou used thy self to intimate converse with God, and thereby gotten into experimental Acquaintance with him? O thine heart will be hereby knit to the Lord, and the Lords Heart knit together with thine. Acquaintance cannot bear strangness; it's grievous to us when our Acquaintants become Strangers to us, and we are unwilling to be strangers from them. Friends, do you suffer your hearts to be estranged from the Lord! can you forget God and keep at a distance from him? can you lose your Intimacy in Heaven? are your delightful thoughts of God re­strained, and is not this grievous to you? 'Tis a shrewd sign that God and you were never well ac­quainted. You that are the Friends of God, keep your acquaintance, take heed of wandrings, take heed of distances and enstrangments; get the experimen­tal delights that arise from your intimacy with him, and that will hold you near him: And you that have lost your Acquaintance, O recover and revive your old Intimacy in Heaven.

2. In mutual Acceptance. This is a special part of our Communion with God, our Complacency in God, and his Complacency in us. Acquaintants [Page 155] take mutual pleasure in one another, their company is grateful and acceptable: God is accepted of his Saints, they have an hearty goodliking to him, and are glad of his Presence; not only all the intimati­ons of his Love and Kindnesses to them, not only such a word spoken to their Hearts, I love thee, mine Heart is towards thee, thou art mine, the dearly beloved of my Soul, I am at peace with thee, my delight is in thee: O how acceptable, O how pleasant are such gracious words! but not only these, but the manifestations of the Will and Counsels of God to them; they accept his Commands, they love that the Lord should tell them of their Duty, His Statutes are my delight, Ps. 119.77. and they accept his Rebukes, and Corrections, and his Punishments of them for their Sins, Levit. 26.41. knowing that he corrects them in love, and that they cannot want his Chastizements, that the very Rebukes of his Countenance are some­times as necessary for them, and as beneficial to them, as the Light of his Countenance.

2. They are accepted with God; he accepts their Persons: Ephes. 1.6. He hath made us accepted in the Beloved; he accepts their approaches to him. Ezek. 20.40, 41. In mine Holy Mountain of the height of Israel there will I accept them; I will accept you with your sweet Savour. Offer your Offerings, lift up your Voices, pour forth your Prayers, they shall be a sweet Savour, a Savour of Rest to me.

Now whilst God finds rest in a People, he will not depart, Ps. 132.14. This is my rest, here will I dwell for ever. Acceptance with God, and rejection from God, are so contrary, that whilst we have the one we need not fear the other; and whilst God is ac­cepted with us, to be sure we are accepted with him; whilst Gods ways please us, our ways will please the Lord, Prov. 16.7. When a mans ways please the [Page 156] Lord, he will make his Enemies be at peace with him; and so long we may be secure that our Friend will not become our Enemy, but will live in love and conti­nue his abode with us.

3. In mutual Correspondence: In frequent and friend­ly entercourses God will be sending down to his Saints Tokens of his Love, & his Saints will be sending up Presents to the Lord, Tokens of their Love to him. There is a Jacobs Ladder betwixt Heaven and Earth; this Ladder is Christ, by which there is con­stant coming and going: There are Spiritual Blessings, the Blessings of Grace, the Blessings of Peace, that are sent down from God to his Saints; and there are Spiritual Duties, Holy Affections, Holy Desires, Holy Prayers and Praises, which by the hand of Christ are sent up before the Lord. 'Tis the very Life of Christians, to be either receiving down, or sending up to Heaven; they must hear often from God, or they cannot live; I will hearken what the Lord God will speak, Ps. 85.8. And whilst they live, God shall hear often from them; there are Messen­gers and Messages that pass daily betwixt God and them: They are often sending up, and the best Pre­sent they have is their Hearts; I lift up my Soul to thee, Ps. 25.1. They will be sending up their De­sires to the Lord, and their Sighs after him; if they have nothing better, they will be sending up their Tears, and their Sorrows, and their Complaints to the Lord, Ps. 38.9. All my desire is before thee, and my groaning is not hid from thee. Ps. 56.8. Put my Tears into thy Bottle. If it be well with them, then their Praises are sent up; if they want any thing, then up go their Desires to the Lord for Supply; if they ail any thing, if they be surprized by Sin, swallowed up of Sorrow, whatever it be that ails them they pour it out into the Bosom of their Friend. Some-Messengers [Page 157] or other are daily sent up, and whatever the Messengers be, if it be a Prayer, or a Sigh, or a Tear, this is still the Message, tell him, That I am either sick of love, or sick for love, for an Heart to love the Lord.

Such Entercourses there are betwixt God and his Saints, and these are a special part of their Commu­nion with God, and a special security against distances and enstrangments betwixt the Lord and them. And it is to be observed, That whenever there is a parting betwixt God and Souls, there is a cessation or failing of these Friendly Entercourses. Declining Souls, how seldom do they look upwards! they are so busie here below, that they have no leisure, and they grow so carnally-minded, that they have no list to have much to do with God; they restrain Prayer, and restrain Holy Meditations; the Lord seldom hears from them, and when he does, 'tis so coldly and so dully, that he can take no pleasure in it: O Friends, 'tis a sign that there is a breach betwixt the Lord and you, when you are fallen so into a neglect of Spiritu­al Duties. Do your affections Heavenward flag? do the fervour of your desires fail? are your Prayers shortned and straitned? are you so seldom, and so remiss, and so flat in your retirements to God? can you not say, at least, My sighs and complaints are daily before him, and my groanings are not hid from him? What danger is there that God and your Souls may utterly part, if you have thus lost your Corre­spondence with him?

4. Often reckoning; by this our Communion with God, and our Friendship with him, is maintained. Often reckoning keeps long Friends; whilst we keep our Account clear and fair, so long there's the less danger of a breach: The best of Saints run upon score daily; we go upon score for Mercies received from [Page 158] God, and we go upon score for Sins committed against God; and where there is such scoring, there must be often reckoning.

1. Our score of Mercies should be answered in our Praises and more abundant Duties; and a reckoning must be kept both of what we have received and what we have returned; of what the Lord hath done for our Souls, and what our Souls have done ever the more for his Name: Thus we should reckon for these; O my soul, the Lord hath done great things for thee, hath brought thee from darkness to light, hath saved thy life from death; when thou wert going on in thy sins, running with the multitude either after thy Co­vetousness or after thy Companions, in the lusts and in the lewdness of thine heart, when thou wert ma­king all the haste thou couldst down to Hell, there Grace met thee, and whilst it let others run on, it singled thee out and brought thee back out of that deaths Rode, and hath brought thee into the way of Life, and of a dead Sinner, hath made thee this living Soul. O what a wonder of Mercy was there! and since, how many a kindness hath it shewed thee? how often hath the same Grace met thee in the House of God and taught thee, and instructed thee, and quickned thee, and comforted thee? how often hath Grace met thee in thine own House, met thee in se­cret, met thee upon thy knees, and hath enlarged thine heart, and helped thee to pour out thy Soul before the Lord, and hath poured in upon thee such a sense of the kindness of God to thee, as hath delight­ed and even ravished thine heart? And what great multitudes of other instances have there been of the renewed Kindnesses of the Lord to thee? O to what a reckoning do thy Mercies rise! hast thou kept the Account by thee? if thou hast, what hath been retur­ned in answer of the loving kindness of the Lord? As [Page 159] 'twas said concerning Mordecai who had saved the Kings Life, Esther 6.3. What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this? Canst not thou say, The Lord hath saved my life from death, and done for me these great things; what honour have I done to the Lord for all this? And if upon thy reckoning made, it be found as 'twas there found in that instance, there hath been nothing done, or but little done, then thou wilt see that there must be more done, or God will be angry.

2. Our score of sins should be reckoned up in order to the getting them crossed by faith in the Bloud of Christ, and repentance from dead works: Thus therefore thou shouldst go on; O my Soul, thou seest what God hath done for thee, but what is it that thou hast done against the God of thy Mercy? how many slights hast thou put upon the Grace of God? how often hast thou abused Mercy? hast thou not grown secure? hast thou not grown wanton? hast thou not been haughty and lifted up in the pride of thine Heart? Remember thy frowardness and quarrellings, thy backbitings and talebearings; hast thou no lies, no false and fraudulent dealing to put down upon thy ac­count? dost thou not use to play the Hypocrite, and come before the Lord with such an hollow heart and such hollow duties, as if thou meanst to mock him to the face? art thou not either a backslider, or a loyterer? if thou hast not lost ground and fallen back­ward, yet hast thou not lost time and not gone on for­ward? hast thou no slothfulness, and negligence, and non-proficiency to write down against thy self? hast thou not somewhat against thy self for thy covetous­ness and over-eagerness upon the World? hast thou no wrongs of thy conscience to be remembred? dost not find much of these and many more evils that thou art run in score with thy God for? and what hath [Page 160] there hitherto been done for the crossing out of the score? Sure if thou goest on thus, thou art like to hear of him in another way than thou wouldst, or it may be not hear from him at all. Beloved, the keep­ing good reckoning betwixt the Lord and us being of so great importance and so necessary to the continu­ing his presence and favour with us, I shall give you some short directions concerning it.

1. Let every one especially look to his own personal reckoning. We must reckon for our people also, how great things God hath done for our Nation and his Churches amongst us; and how great have been the sins of our People: What have our Princes and our Priests, what have our Magistrates and our Ministers done? What have the Sins of Congregations, of our Neighbours, of our Families been? We are, as Mem­bers of the same Body, concerned in all these, and therefore must keep a publick reckoning: But our special reckoning which we must most insist upon, must be our own personal reckoning. Concerning our Mer­cies we must say as the Psalmist, Ps. 66.16. Come, and I'll tell, and reckon up, what the Lord hath done for (my) Soul. For our Sins, we must say to our selves, what Israel was rebuked for not saying, Jer. 8.6. What have I done? there's no man that repented nor said, What have I done? May be we may some of us be telling too much what others have done; the Sins of Princes and great Ones, the Faults of our Neighbours and Acquaintance may be too much in our Mouths; though they be not so much as they should be upon our Hearts, yet our Tongues will run and catch up every evil report, and be spreading it abroad, making it our ordinary talk and discourse, raking up all the evil news we can hear in the Town or Country, as if we were the very Sinks to gather in all the Filth of the Places we live in, and then casting [Page 161] back the stink of it in our discourses. This is a wic­ked practice, which I have more than once warned you of; and O that it were avoided and amended. But whilest we vainly talk, what hath this man or that woman done? how foolishly, how proudly, how frowardly, have they behaved themselves? O how very seldom is it that we mind our own reckoning? Lord, what have I done? O my Soul, what hast thou done? Here our chief business lies, to mind and make our own personal reckoning. Let every man prove his own work, saith the Apostle, Gal. 6.4. Let every man search his own heart, let every man ob­serve and take an account of his own ways and go­ings.

2. Do not under reckon. Do not carelesly or de­ceitfully skip over any of your faults: make a plain and perfect account; deal faithfully betwixt God and your Souls: be not like the unjust Steward, Luke 16. when there's fifty or an hundred owing for, do not take your bill and write down but twenty, or but ten; do not say to your selves as the Lord to the Church in Pergamos, Rev. 2.14. I have a few things against thee: a few small faults I have. God may have many things, and great things against you, and if you will reckon truly, you may find many and great things against your selves.

3. Level your accounts. 1. For your mercies that you have received: the way to level them is to see to it, that ye walk worthy of all the mercies of God, and that you receive none of the grace of God in vain. Let it not suffice you that you live better lives then sinners, that have received no such mercies as you have; I thank God I am not as this Publican, no nor as this Pha­risee; I am no lewd Liver nor no proud Hypocrite; shall that suffice you? You may be as neither of these, and yet God may have much against you, that you [Page 162] are no better then you are. You ought to live up to all the light you have received, to the love you have tasted of, to the experiences you have had of the ma­nifold kindnesses and compassions of the Lord to your souls. There are some of you that God hath done more for, and bestowed more upon, more knowledge, more helps, more grace, then upon multitudes of weaker Christians: your life must be as much above the ordinary rank, your care, and your zeal, and your diligence, and your faithfulness, must be as much above the lower sort of Christians as you have been set above them in what you have received. Some of you will not say, but the Lord hath been abundantly gracious to you; he hath not done by every Christian as he hath done by me, his grace hath abounded, his kindnesses have abounded, O how deeply hath my soul tasted how gracious the Lord is! And what should you hereupon say further? O this you should say, What shall I render? how should I live? Study, O my soul, to walk worthy of all this grace; O let me have my conversation in Heaven; let my conversation be in (all things) as it becometh the Gospel: let me be holy, harmless, lively, fruitful, that I may shew forth the vertues of him that hath called me out of darkness in­to his (marvellous) light. God hath been marvellou­sly gracious to me, he hath shewed me marvellous lo­ving kindness, he that is mighty hath done for me great things; help, Lord, help me, O my God; that as thou hast made me such an instance of thy great mercy, so I may become an instrument of thy greater praise.

2. For your sins, the way to level the reckoning for them is by getting the scores to be crossed, and having them all blotted and struck out of your account. Get them crossed, 1. By repentance, Acts 3.19. Repent ye —that your sins may be blotted out. Whatever sins [Page 163] you find upon your account, there they must stand a­gainst you till by repentance they are blotted out. Repentance is the washing us from our sins, and till they be washed out of your lives, they will never be blotted out of your book. Fall upon repentance eve­ry one of you; have you lived an earthly and world­ly life? O repent that you have. Have you been proud, or self-conceited, or self-willed, of a froward & a contentious spirit? O let your souls and all that is within you say, It repents me, I am grieved at the heart, that ever I have been such a wretch. Have you under all your professions of Christ lived a carnal, care­less, heedless, idle, unsavoury, unprofitable life? what should you say? O it repents me that I have been no more spiritual, and diligent, and savoury, and useful in my generation. Repent and reform, repent and amend; let it grieve you at the heart, that you have lost so much time, that you have lived to so little pur­pose, that you have been such barren vines, such fruit­less figtrees, in the vineyard of the Lord: and now let your root spring forth, let your branches shoot up, let your buds and blossoms appear, and grow up to more fruitfulness: this is repentance, and nothing short of this. Amend your ways, come you to a better life, a more holy and heavenly life, that's the way to have all your former sinfulness and unfuitful­ness blotted out.

2. By faith in the bloud of Christ. 'Tis not your own tears that will wash away your sins, 'tis onely the bloud of Christ, 1 John 1.7. your iniquities must not onely be purged, but be pardoned too; whatever repentance may do towards it, 'tis the bloud of Christ, and faith in his bloud, that must both get them purged and pardoned. Do not onely say, If I have done ini­quity, I hope I shall do so no more: I hope through the grace of God I shall never live as I have lived: but [Page 164] besides this you must get your pardon for what you have done. Now this is your way to level your ac­counts concerning your sins, to repent and amend all your evils, and to sue out your pardon through Faith in the bloud of Christ.

And now you see what 'tis to lay hold on God; to continue his presence with us, by casting away our Idols, by laying hold on his Covenant, by recovering into Communion, getting into an holy acquaintance with God, living so that you will both accept of God, and be accepted with him, maintaining a frequent enter­course betwixt the Lord and your souls, letting him hear often from you, and listening and longing to hear as often from him; by keeping even reckonings be­twixt the Lord and you, keeping a reckoning of your mercies and a reckoning of your sins, by levelling your accounts, by walking worthy of your mercies, by get­ting the scores of your sins crossed, washed away by repentance, and pardoned by the bloud of Christ. Here's that you have to do, if you would take hold of God, and continue his presence with you.

Friends, is the Lord within you? I hope he is in many of you; would you that he abide and continue with you? I know you would; you that are Christi­ans, I know you would all say, Wo to me if the Lord depart from me. I know it is the desire of every sin­cere heart among you, let the Lord dwell in me, and walk in me, as he hath said he will; let Christ dwell in mine heart by faith; Lord, leave me not, take not thy Holy Spirit from me; if all the Friends I have in the world forsake me, if all the comforts I have under Heaven fail me, if mine house must go, and mine estate go, and my health go, and my life go, yet let not the Lord depart from me; let the Lord still dwell in my soul, dwell in me as my Teacher and Instructor, dwell in me as my governour and my guide, dwell in me as my portion and treasure, dwell in me as [Page 165] my Refuge and Protector; let but the Lord God continue with me, and influence me by his Grace, and quicken me by his Spirit, and guide me by his Counsels, and hold me by his Right Hand, and lift up the light of his Countenance upon me, and so long mine heart shall be glad, and my glory shall rejoyce, my flesh also shall rest in hope, in this hope, that he will shew me the Path of Life, I shall behold his Face in Righteousness, and when I awake I shall be satis­fied with his Likeness. Why is this your mind? is this your desire that it may be thus with you? why now you know what you have to do that it may be so.

Beloved, you have much the more reason to hear­ken to these instructions, and hereby to secure the continuance of the Lord in your own hearts, in such a time as this, wherein there are so many tokens of his being about to depart out of our Congregations, to shut up the Doors of his House against us. O how will it be, if when the days shall come wherein we shall lose our opportunities of meeting the Lord in the Congre­gation? how very sad will it be, if we should in such a time not find him within us, if the Word of the Lord should be thrust out from his House, and the Spirit of the Lord should be withdrawn from our Hearts; if with our publick communion we should lose our se­cret communion; if instead of finding comfort in our retirements to God, he should hide his Face from our Souls; if instead of speaking comfortably, he should speak roughly to us; if this should be his Word to us in such a day, Now see what thou hast done, now re­member thy wantonness and thy worldliness, thy hy­pocrisie and thy backslidings, and triflings out thy day of grace; of these things thou hast been warned aforehand, but wouldst not lay them to heart, and now reap the fruit of thy folly; think not to have coun­tenance from me, and comfort from me, in the day [Page 166] of distress, whom thou hast so mocked and slighted in thy prosperity: If men be angry let them be angry, if men will persecute, let them persecute, and look for no relief from me. O what if the Lord should speak thus to any of your Souls in the days of dark­ness that may come, how dreadful dark will it then be! or what if he should say nothing, but leave thee a blind, and hardned, and senseless Soul, wasting a­way and growing worse and worse, and not at all af­fected with his severe providences? How if it should be thus! O Friends, that this may not be your case, that God should depart from his House and your Souls together; know that you are so much the more concerned to give special heed to the Instructions you have received for the laying such hold upon him, that he may continue with your hearts if he should not be intreated, but depart from his House and Con­gregations.

4. Stirring Religion will take hold of God: What might have been said to this is in great part prevent­ed by what hath been said already, yet something I shall add and shew.

1. What's meant by stirring Religion.

2. That stirring Religion will continue the Presence of God with us.

1. What's meant by stirring Religion. 1. Negative­ly, not headiness in Religion, an hot and mistaken Zeal about the lower and more uncertain things of Religion; not such a Spirit of Fire which was in those Disciples, Luke 9.54. who would needs call for Fire from Heaven to destroy and consume those that were not Followers of them; not a stirring up of strife and contention, a making breaches and divisi­ons, and propagating of our own Opinions by cen­suring and judging those that are otherwise minded, and are not in every thing according to our own Size: [Page 167] Such as these are some of those perilous persons which the Apostle warns Christians not to imitate, but to take heed of; of whom he says, 2 Tim. 3.2. they are Proud, Boasters, False Accusers, or make­bates, fierce, despisers of them that are good, heady, highminded, and after all their blustering against o­thers, have but a form of Godliness, denying the power thereof; from such, says he, turn away, take heed of them, and take heed of being leavened with such a Spirit. This then, this headiness, and fierceness, and hot censoriousness upon the account of Religion, this is not the stirring Religion I mean.

2. Positively. An humble, active, lively, zealous prosecuting or pursuing that which is Religion in­deed or the substance of sincere Christianity. Some vain ones there are, who upon the hearing this headi­ness and fierceness, this hot and mistaken zeal blamed and decryed, will turn the edge of such Reproofs against Godly Zeal, and all fervour and activity for God; and every one that goes beyond the drowsie sleepy multitude of Professors, is cried out against, as one of these heady highminded ones. Such is the craft of the Devil, that if he cannot blow up coals of wildfire, that under the pretence of kindling will de­vour all serious godliness; if he cannot make men hot and heady in the propagating their own fancies, will then on the other hand quench and cool that ge­nuine fervency of spirit wherein we ought to serve the Lord: If he cannot make men heady, he will do what he can to make them heartless, and cold, and lukewarm, in all the matters of God.

Friends, take heed of both these extreams, of being heady or fierce on the one hand, or of being cold or lukewarm on the other: Of heady ones, God would have us take heed and turn away from them, and for [Page 168] lukewarm ones, he will spue them out of his Mouth, Rev. 3.16.

The stirring Religion I mean is as I said before, a lively activity of Soul for God, and for the advan­cing in real Godliness. A stirring Spirit is opposite to a drowsie, sleepy, slothful, careless Spirit, which is nothing moved by all that the Scripture speaks, when it presseth us to be fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, Rom. 12.11. To be zealous and amend, Rev. 3.19. To contend for the Faith which was once delive­red to the Saints, Jude 3. To strive to enter in at the strait Gate, Luke 13.24. To be violent and force our selves on in the way of the Kingdom, Mat. 11.12. To fight, to wrestle, to run, to make haste to be fruitful in good works, and the like; after all these pressing and quickning words, there are a sort of slow Bellies, sleepy, lazy Professors, who will but creep on when God would have them run, who will lye down & laze and loyter out their time, when they should be fervent in Spirit; who will be idle when they should work, be silent when they should speak; who let their lazy hearts alone to their own slow & easie pace, and so are over-grown with rust and suffer their Reli­gion to be even strangled and chok'd up by their flesh to which they so much indulge.

This stirring Religion is the opposite to such a sleepy heartless way of Religion, a blowing up the coals which God hath kindled in us; as Timothy is exhorted, 2 Tim. 1.6. Stir up the (Gift) of God. The word is, Blow up the Coals; so Christians are to stir up the Grace of God within them.

I need say the less here, because I have told you so much of it already. It is our being awakened, and putting on vigorously upon that savory, solid, fruit­ful Religion which I have already instructed you in.

[Page 169]Whatever Holy Principles we have received and sucked in from the Word of God, whatever Holy Habits or Dispositions have been begotten and wrought into our Hearts by the Spirit of God; have we any thing of the saving knowledge of God, have we Faith, have we the Fear of God or any Love to the Lord Jesus? these must be all set on work and held to their work, that so the Knowledge of God may bring forth the Life of God; that the Habit of Faith may bring forth a Life of Faith; that the Love of Christ and the fear of the Lord may constrain us and provoke us to walk on in the Law of our God; that the light that is set up within us may break forth and make our Paths to shine; and not only so, but that the Holy Fire that's kindled and blown up in our Hearts, may bring forth a Zeal of God in our Lives; that we may be Christians, and Christians in earnest; busie for God, busie for our Souls, striving against Sin, and striving for the Mastery, fighting against Sin, and fighting to the Victory; ready to every good work and fruitful in good works, doing what we can to rouse up this sleepy World, to raise up the Taber­nacle of David that is fallen, and helping on and buil­ding up one another in our most Holy Faith; laying out our strength in following the Lord, and laying hold every one on the Skirts of his Brother, and lead­ing them on with us; living in love, and all the fruits of Christian love; and hereby adorning our Holy Profession, and walking worthy the Lord unto all pleasing; this is that which I mean by stirring Reli­gion.

2. Stirring Religion will continue the Presence of God with us; for,

1. It will work out and drive away whatever offends or would provoke God to depart: God will never de­part without cause; it must be a great matter that [Page 170] must part such dear Friends as God and the Souls of his Saints: God will never depart from his People till there be some sin entertain'd, and lov'd, and allow'd, that bids him depart. Every sin says to the Lord as those wicked ones, Job 21.14. who said to the Al­mighty, depart from us; but though every sin says thus, yet God will not hearken to its voice unless it be an allowed sin that's suffered to have the command in the heart and life. Sin says to the Lord, Depart, God shall not rule here; and if thou be of the mind that that Sin shall stay with thee notwithstanding, if thou art willing to entertain such a Traitor however, if thou hadst rather venture the displeasing and disobli­ging of God than have thy Sin cast out, this the Lord will not bear, away he will. God says concerning every sin, If ye love me, let these go their way; let this Pride go, let this Covetousness go, let this Froward­ness go; if thou sayest, O with all mine heart, Lord, I would be glad with all my Soul to be rid of them; but wo is me, they are too hard for me, my lusts will dwell in me, and work in me, and hinder me in my work for God do what I can; O my Soul would re­joyce to be well rid of them; O that I might never be proud, or froward, or carnal, or earthly-minded any more: I know it is an offence to the Lord, and sure it is a grief of mind to me, that any thing that offends should abide with me; and though I cannot conquer them, yet through the help of God I will not foster them whilst I live. If these Sons of the Bondwoman must dwell with me, yet through the help of the Lord they shall never dwell in peace with me while I live: if thou sayest thus, and sayest truly, and wilt stand to thy word, God will not depart from thee. God will not depart for unallowed resisted sins: If whilst thy sin says to the Lord, Depart from me, thy Soul says to thy Sin, Depart thou rather; God will hearken [Page 171] to the voice of thy Soul rather than to the voice of thy Sin. Thy Sin says to the Lord, Depart; but if thy Soul say, Lord let me be loosed from my Sins but stay thou with me; God will not depart from thee: But every allowed Sin, every loved Lust and Corruption that thou wilt not hear of parting with; if thou art of a proud heart, and art resolved to maintain thy Pride, if thou art of a Covetous Earthly Heart and Life, and wilt not hear of giving off from thy Covetous­ness, if thou art carnal, and foolish, and froward, &c. and wilt continue so, then look to thy self, God will not stay with such a Soul; what, love your plea­sures more than God? what, love this World more than God? even take them for me, says the Lord, I'll be no more a God to them. This is the first, every allowed sin provokes God to depart.

2. Stirring Religion will work out sin, especially eve­ry allowed sin. The life of a Christian is a warfare, there is a continual conflict betwixt the flesh and spi­rit, Gal. 5.17. The Flesh lusteth—lusteth, that is, fighteth; sin fighteth against grace, and grace fighteth against sin. Sin fights for the Devil to set him up, and to lay the governement on his Shoulder; and grace fights for God to lift the Lord up, and to give him the preheminence in the Soul. God will no lon­ger stay in the heart than he may have the prehemi­nence; God will not be kept as an underling, if he may not have the preheminence, he'll be gone and leave you to the Devil; never talk that you hope God is within you, where Sin or the World bears rule, God is not there.

Now where the flesh is let alone in its fight against grace, much more where the heart takes part with the flesh, and nourisheth, and cherisheth, and ma­keth provision for it, and grace is let lye asleep, there sin rises, and increases, and abounds both in [Page 172] heart and life. Where sin is stirring, and that little grace that is, is let lye and quite out of heart, what can be expected, how can it be otherwise but the Devil must carry it against God? But when grace revives, and the heart falls off from sin, and takes part with grace, nourishing, and cherishing, and abet­ting the better part, then sin will be put to it and must away. Christians, your hearts would quickly be too hot for your sins, if the grace that is in you be once well rouzed up; when the live Coals are blown up into a Flame, the Smoke is consumed and vanish­eth.

Do not sluggishly lye down and complain that you cannot master your sins; you are proud and cannot help it, you are earthly, and worldly, and cannot help it; you are froward, and passionate, and peevish, and cannot overcome your passions: Do not say, you cannot overcome, you cannot prevail; if there be grace in your hearts and you will set to it; to stir up the grace that is in you, this would overcome. What do you think if your love to Christ were blown up in­to a flame, would it not quench the flame of lust? Friends, 'tis a sign that religion is asleep, grace is asleep, conscience is asleep, when your carnality and earthliness do thus ride in triumph over you; this little David, that little good thing that is within you, if it gets on its Armour and go forth to the fight, will not only put to flight, but put to death the Cham­pion of the Philistines: Put your grace to it, let it but engage heartily and lively in the fight, and sin will run the field.

Loytering, and idleness, and laziness do beget and nourish evil humours and diseases; exercise and activity will subdue and work them out; he that lives a stirring life, is usually the most strong and health­ful.

[Page 173]Christians, if you would be hearty and healthful and overcome those corruptions that are the diseases of your Souls, and the offence of your God, if you would overcome, resolve upon a stirring life; pray, and let no praying satisfie, but stirring prayer; sleepy prayers will stand you in no stead; let your thoughts be stirring, let your affections be stirring, let con­science be stirring, let your conversations be stirring conversations; be not the carkases of Christians that have no life, shew forth the Spirit of Christianity as much as possible; be all soul, and life, and spirit, and keep you in lively action, and then let your sins stand before yov if they can. The quick running Rivers keep themselves pure, they are the dead and standing Pools that gather most mud and dirt. Certainly, Friends, our Skie would be clearer and more serene, if our Spirits as the Wind did rise higher. Our thick Mists and unwholesome Fogs that infest and annoy us would much be dispelled, if Grace (the rays of the Sun of Righteousness) did once break forth more in us. What will ye do, Friends! your light grows dim, and your day misty, your waters are mudded, we are a company of dark souls, polluted souls, such as the Lord can take little pleasure in; what must ye do to help it? if you will bestir your selves you may help all; get Religion to be aflote, let that living stream be running, let the coals be blow­ing, and then you shall see your mud will be clean­sed, and your dross will be purged away. Never think 'twill be better by sitting still and complaining how bad 'tis: To work, Friends, to work with these lazy hearts, to work with those earthly minds; rouze ye up out of sleep, up and be doing, and see if you find not the same success against your sins as the Lord promised against the Devil, Jam. 4.7. Resist the De­vil and he shall fly from you; resist Sin, and it shall fall under you.

[Page 174]Now Friends, if ye can but get your sins out, if ye can subdue your iniquities so far, as that not one of them be allowed, and all of them have their power broken and weakned in you; if those that are by a specialty (your) iniquities, if your special sins, your most beloved lusts, those that have most of all taken with you, and carried your hearts captive, those evils that have been your special hinderances either in ho­liness or comfort, and that your hearts have been most apt to go a whoring after, if you get these to be mor­tified and brought under, (stirring Religion will do it) get it to be done once, let nothing be left that of­fends God, but that it also offends you, and you shall not be like to have reason to complain the Lord is de­parted from me, that which would have driven him away is now removed.

2. Stirring Religion will work up, and improve, and increase those good things, which the Lord will delight in, and will not forsake. As it will work out iniquity, so it will work up grace and holiness. There is not the poorest and weakest of Saints, but by diligence and in­dustry will be improved. Stirring Christians will be thriving Christians: 'tis for want of action and indu­stry that our souls are in this poor case. As they said Gen. 43.10. Except we had lingred we had returned the second time, or twice by this time. Friends, if we had not lingered and loitered, we might have had twice so much grace, twice so much holiness as now we have: 'tis our lingering that keeps us so poor; we may thank our sloth and our carelesness that there is so lit­tle of God in us: by our industry we shall advance. Stirring lively Christians will be thriving Christians: the best of Christians can never keep their stand, much less increase their store, without diligence; and the least of Saints shall not be always at a stand if they will be diligent: and whilest your souls flourish in [Page 175] grace, the Lord will never leave you nor forsake you. The more you have of the grace and holiness of God in you, the more the Lord hath to lose; the more gra­cious ones the Lord hath in a Nation, the more he hath to lose among that people; and the more grace there is in any soul, the more he hath to lose if that soul should miscarry; the greater treasure the Lord hath in your hearts, the closer guard will he keep a­bout it that it be not lost. You whose religion hath so abounded, that your souls are filled with the fruits of religion, fear not, God will stand at your right hand, he will not lose such a treasure. If you make the Most High your habitation, and keep his habita­tion clean and well furnished, he will delight to dwell with you. Never any gracious soul, that made it his work to please the Lord, could ever say (unless upon a mistake) the Lord hath forsaken me. Upon a mis­take some of his most precious ones may say so, and have said so: Ps. 77.6, 7. I communed with mine own heart, and my spirit made diligent search; what was it he searched for? why, he searched what was become of his God: he said to his soul, as once his enemy said to him in reproach, Where is thy God? he searched for God, but could not find him; and thereupon conclu­ded, as appears by the following verse, the Lord was departed from him, and had cast him off; for, says he, Will the Lord cast off for ever, and will he be favourable no more? is his mercy clean gone? hath God forgotten to be gracious? This was his thought he had; God had left and forgotten him: but this was his mistake, and so he saw and said afterwards, v. 10. This is my in­firmity to think so, I was mistaken: God was with him still, though at present he hid his face. Keep close to God, keep up the holiness of God, and God will never be gone: if he should at any time hide his face whilest you are walking uprightly before him, [Page 176] and your heart should whisper to you, God is depart­ed, give check to such a thought, and say as the Psal­mist did, this is my infirmity, this is my mistake, the Lord is still with me, and holdeth me by his right hand; and this I do and will believe, though yet I see him not. He hath said, The Lord is with you while you are with him; and how sad soever it be with me, yet I thank the Lord mine heart is with him; to him is all my desire, in him is all my delight, my conscience witnesseth with me, that this is my great care, that I may please and walk with him; and having this witness, that my soul is with God, this is my confidence that the Lord is still with my soul.

5. How we should stir up our selves. To the dire­ctions I have hitherto occasionally given, I shall adde these that follow.

1. Make your advantage of stirring providences.

2. Put you upon stirring thoughts.

3. Get you stirring affections.

4. Get you stirring consciences.

5. Be much conversant in stirring society.

6. Be much exercised in stirring duties.

1. Make your advantage of stirring providences, times of trouble and affliction and persecution, especi­ally such troubles as threaten an eclipse, if not the put­ting out the light of the Gospel, such afflicting threat­ning providences are awakening providences; and that upon a double account:

1. As they are signs of a storm coming.

2. As they are tokens of a night approaching.

1. As they are signs of a storm coming. When work­men in the fields lie loitering or asleep under the cocks, if they espy a storm rising, then they are all up, and every man falls to his work, that they may dispatch before the storm falls, and they be beaten out [Page 177] of the field. Is there no fear of such a Storm? there is a double ground of fear of a Storm coming at this day.

1. May we not see a storm in the angry Face of God?

2. May we not see a storm in the dark providences of God?

1. May we not see a storm in the angry face of God, who is so provoked by us? Do you think you may provoke God at the rate that so many of us have done, as by our manifold iniquities, so by our so little answering the Calls of the Gospel, to repentance and recovering our selves out of that wretched state we are in, and yet God not be angry? Prov. 1.24, 28. Because I have called and ye refused, therefore you shall call and I will not answer. If we be so hard of hearing when God calls, God will in anger be gone out of hearing when we call upon him. God hath been calling to sinners, and calling upon the Professors a­mongst us, and what answer hath there been either of the one or the other? Hath not the Gospel called upon sinners to come in and be converted, and what answer is there of this call? Sinners, how many are there among you who after all that God hath spoken, yet will not answer? Drunkards, you have been called from your drunkenness, called from the Ale­house, called from your Companions, but are you come away? have you cast them off and forsaken them? Yea, every blind and impenitent sinner among you, you have all been called upon to seek the know­ledge of God, to seek after the grace of God, to come to Christ, to be his hearty Disciples, to become new Creatures, to seek the Kingdom of God, and to e­scape out of the snares of the Devil: And yet there you lie, a company of blind, hardned, sensless souls, even as if you had never been preached to; if we had [Page 178] been calling to the Rocks and the Mountains; if we had been calling to the dead that are rotting in their Graves; if we had been preaching to the skulls and bones of those that have been long since dead and rot­ten, we might even have seen as much success of our word upon these bones, and mountains, and rocks, as we do see upon multitudes of impenitent ones. Have you not heard? do you not see that it is even just thus, and yet is not God angry? Dost thou not hear that word in thine ears, Jam. 5.9. Shall I not visit for these things, saith the Lord, shall not my Soul be avenged on such a Nation as this?

2. And what answer is there of the calls of the Gospel upon Professors? The Gospel that hath call'd you in to Christ, hath also call'd you on after him. The Gospel that hath call'd you to the Profession of Christianity, hath call'd you also to come on to the power of Christianity; hath call'd you from your in­differency, from your hypocrisie, from your back­slidings, to a lively fruitfulness in Religion; and what answer is there of these Calls upon you? Are you awakened? are you revived? have all the words that have been of late spoken to you, have they pro­spered? have they prevailed upon you? have they gotten any heat in you, which before were cold? have they brought your Religion to life again, which was almost dead? or have these stirring words stir­red you so much as to say to your selves, Well, I must no longer hold me in this wretched case; I must, and through the help of God, I will set all my might and all my power on work to recover out of this case. What say you, Friends, is there any comfortable success of this kind that you see and feel upon you? I hope there is something done upon some of you: But how many Professors are there upon whom just [Page 179] nothing is done? they still stick in the mud, and the mire, and will not come forth.

What do you think that these so many and so visible neglects of the Calls of the Gospel are like to bring forth? Look towards the Lord; do you not see a storm in his Face? do you not verily believe that God is angry, and angry with (thy) Soul, who art one of these impenitent sinners or hardned backsliders? Is not God angry? Thou art a blind Soul indeed, that either canst not see that God is angry, where there are so great provokings, or that there is a storm com­ing where God is angry.

2. May we not see a Storm coming in the dark Provi­dences of God? Are not the winds risen, the clouds gathering; yea and hath it not begun to drop? The Proverb is, 'Tis a sign 'twill rain, when it begins al­ready. The counsels and designs that have been laid by the adversaries, and the violent pursuance of them, and what hath been already brought forth: The sad things that we see and hear, do they not threaten a storm? and such a storm as may raise a floud to sweep away those advantages of the Gospel which yet have been left us? Is there a storm coming? then sure we had need bestir our selves before it so overtake as to overwhelm us. O let us forthwith answer the Calls of God, whilst yet he continues to call. Sinners, bestir your selves, and get you into Christ out of hand; let not the storm find you, where the thunder and the hail found the hardy amongst the Egyptians, Exod. 9.19. Let it not find you without, hasten into Christ, lest your lot be as theirs, to be destroyed and to pe­rish. Professors bestir you your selves; get you nearer to Christ, keep you closer to Christ, stand ye upon the Rock, and stand fast there, get you in the Ark, and keep you there; and fear, lest if you keep [Page 180] you at this distance, and in these wandrings, the floud come and sweep you also away.

2. Threatning troubles are stirring providences, as they are tokens of a Night approaching, that 'tis almost night: What a stirring Providence this is, will ap­pear if we consider the properties of Night. These are,

1. Night is dark.

2. Night is cold.

3. Night is a time of silence.

4. Night is a time of sleep.

5. Night is no time of work.

1. Night is dark. Night is the dark part of our time, both are joyned together as signifying the same thing, 1 Thes. 5.5. Children of Night and of Dark­ness. 'Tis the dark that makes it night, as 'tis the light, the Sun light, that makes it day. When the Sun is set, the Sun of Righteousness that shines forth in the Gospel, (the light of the Gospel being the very Sun beams of Christ) when this Sun is set, what darkness, spiritual darkness follows? Those parts of the World where the Gospel is not, nor Christ hath appeared, they are the dark places of the Earth; and whenever the light of the Gospel is removed from those parts where it hath shined, darkness overspreads them.

2. Night is cold. The light of the Sun hath heat going with it; as the Sun withdraweth, it grows cold. It was given by Christ, as a sign of night ap­proaching on Jerusalem, Mat. 24.12. The love of many shall grow cold. As the Sun grows low the cold increases; and if when it is but almost night, much more when night hath overtaken us, when its darkness hath overspread us, that's the cold part of our time. What ever heats there are now upon our Spirits any of us, 'tis to be doubted how cold we may [Page 181] grow when night overtakes us. If the love of so ma­ny, if the religion of so many of us be waxen so cold already, when it is but almost night, it should make us tremble to consider, how much colder we are like to grow, when it comes to be quite night with us.

3. Night is a time of silence. The silent night 'tis often called: Those that now speak to you, and call upon you to keep you waking, the night that's com­ing upon us may silence them, and not suffer them to speak any more to you. Rev. 8.1. 'tis said, that at the opening the 7th Seal, there was silence in Hea­ven; that is, say some, there was no Word or Reve­lation came to John for some time: What that si­lence in Heaven meant, though it be hard to deter­mine, yet sure, when there's silence on Earth, when the Watchmen must be silent and hold their peace, that's a sad and dismal time.

4. Night is a time of sleep: 1 Thes. 5.7. They that sleep, sleep in the night. That's like to be the un­happiness of people, that whatever be the miseries of a spiritual night, they are like to fall asleep under all, to be without sense of their unvaluable loss; it will leave men stupid and sensless Souls. You that do not prize nor improve the Gospel light, this is like to be your case; when it's gone, you will not bewail its loss, but your Souls will fall asleep. O if you be such sleepy Souls whilst you have the light with you, if the word of the Gospel will not waken you, what a deep sleep will the want of the Gospel bring upon you? Friends, you have need rouze you up every one of you now whilst the Gospel calls to you; as, Ephes. 5.14. Awaken thou that sleepest: If you will not, but will continue under the preaching of the Gospel a company of drouzy Souls, (I am afraid that all that you have heard hitherto hath left many of you [Page 182] fast asleep) but if you continue such sleepy Souls whilst you have the light among you, if the Gospel do not awaken you, how do you think it will be with you when night overtakes you? The Devil will say to you then, as Christ did once to his sleepy Disciples, Mat. 26.45. Sleep on now: Nay Christ himself may do the same, since ye would not watch in the day whilst ye had the light, now even sleep on while ye will, sleep on to the death. Friends, this sleepiness of Soul, if ye will not yet be awakened, is like to be your death sleep. Christ said to the Damosel, Mat. 19.24. She is not dead but sleepeth; but 'tis to be feared it will then be said concerning you, They are not asleep but dead, dead in their sins. O how many of the dead are there already amongst these sleepy Souls? Sinner, art thou yet asleep in thy Sins? O thou art in a dead sleep; and if this night overtake thee thus, its like to close up thine eyes as the eyes of the dead are closed, never again to be open­ed.

And you that hope you have life in you, and yet will not be awakened by the day light, but will sleep on still, whom neither the lightning nor the thunder of the Word will awaken, pray tell me what dead sleepers you also are like to continue in the dark and silent night?

This, I say, is like to be the misery of people, if such a night overtake us, they are like to be sensless Souls, that will not lay it to heart, nor be affected nor moved at all with the darkness that comes upon them, but will dye away in a sleep; Become of the Gospel, of the Ordinances of the Gospel, of the Sabbath, and all the means of Grace what will, they will not be much moved or lay it to heart.

5. Night is no time for work, John 9.4. night cometh when no man can work. Work there is, that [Page 183] lyes upon every one of you, and such work wherein your life is concerned. I will not say only with the Apostle, 2 Thes. 3.10. He that will not work shall not eat, but he that will not work shall not live; thou shalt dye the death who dost not in the day work out the work which God hath committed to thee to do. You have every one of you your work to do, and 'tis great work and of great consequence: You are to work for your living, for an eternal livelihood; you are to work out your Salvation, that's your work in the general: And in this there are many particular works comprehended; there is the work of Repen­tance and Mortification of Sin, &c. There's Grace to be gotten and improved, there's your Peace with God to be made; have you done these works? have you repented? are your sins mortified? have you grace in your hearts? have you made your peace with God? you that have, there's still all this to be main­tained and carried on, that ye lose not the things which you have wrought. But are all these things yet to do with so many of you? are you yet without re­pentance? are you yet to seek for grace? have you gotten never a drop of the Holy Oil into your Ves­sels? are you without the Knowledge of God, with­out faith in Christ, without repentance? is your peace with God yet to make? doth the wrath of God still abide upon you? what, and yet asleep? what, and yet such idle, careless, loytering souls? What if this work should never be done? if you should ne­ver have more of Christ nor his Grace, never have more of Faith and Repentance than you have now? why then you must go down among the dead. Look ye down, cast an eye down on those chambers of darkness, that place of pitch and brimstone, that place of fire and everlasting burnings; look ye down into that horrible pit and see where you must lie, what [Page 184] your place and your portion must be for ever, if you arise not and work these works of God; ye cannot live but must die, and that's the death you must die, you must burn, you must be tormented night and day for ever and ever.

Well now, you see here's great work to be done, and to be done by every one of you; you see what will follow if it be not done, you must die the death. O methinks now this word should be a stirring word to you; awaken every one of you, arise and to your work, the night cometh when no man can work. And let it not suffice any of you to say, I hope this work is done, and therefore no such danger if I be fallen a­sleep; but know, 1. That if the grace you seem to have does make you grow secure, if you grow bold to be idle and careless upon the confidence that the work is done, that you are converted, have repen­ted, and are made partakers of the grace of God, that confidence of yours is a deadly sign that the work is not done, no nor savingly begun upon you.

2. Whatever work there be done upon you, your life lieth upon it, upon your careful and vigorous carrying it on; if you do not hold out to the end, keep working to the end, ye cannot be saved.

And is not this a stirring word to (you) also that are sleeping and loytering professors? Awake or pe­rish, to your work or be damned? And is not this stirring word seconded by a stirring providence, the appearance of such a night approaching upon us; the light being even ready to vanish from amongst us? If I should not say concerning such a night in the words of Christ, A night comes wherein no man (can) work, yet this I may be bold to say in such a night, few men (will) work. What does our experience speak to this? The shadows of the evening have been stretched out over us; it hath been evening and almost Sunset [Page 185] with us for divers years; and O what lamentable in­fluence has this evening (wherein the word of the Gospel has been more scarce) had upon us? what a woful change is there visible upon the greatest num­ber of Professors in England? are there not multi­tudes among us whose Religion is fallen and almost lost? since it is grown darker, is it not also grown much colder with us? and what sleepy loytering souls are we already become? Friends, if there be such a fall of lively Religion amongst us, while it is but e­vening, do you not tremble to think how much more tis like to be, when the thick darkness of the night hath overshadowed us?

2. Put upon stirring thoughts. Our thoughts are apt to be busie, and too busie where they should not; like little Children which will be busie from morning till night about doing nothing. Keep your thoughts imployed, and well imployed; there are wandring thoughts which are too busie, roving and flying up and down this way and that, which like the eyes of a Fool, Prov. 17.24. are in the ends of the Earth. There are the wandrings of our thoughts after sin, and vanity, and impertinences; we are thinking too much, and too often of what we should not think; and sometimes there are wandrings after good things; sometimes our thoughts wander to Heaven, wander up and down about things Spiritual and Eternal; though we think sometimes of these better things, 'tis but with wandring thoughts; though we light upon them, yet we fix not; we are not like the Bee which wanders from flower, but pitches and stays upon each flower till it hath gotten the Honey; but we are more like the Fly that leaps up and down, that's here and there and every where; sometimes upon a Wall, sometimes on a Flower, and sometimes on a Dunghill, but stays nowhere. Our better thoughts [Page 186] are so transient, and in and out, that they are to no purpose. Sometimes one Scripture comes to mind, but before any thing is made of it, away from that to another, and another, till all be forgotten and be­come unfruitful. Sometimes one Duty is thought upon, then off from that to another; sometimes a little glance heavenward, by and by we fall and pitch upon the earth; one thought thrusts out another, till all that's good be lost: Such hoverings up and down there are from this thing to that, as brings an utter confusion in the heart. These also may be rec­koned among our vain thoughts, which we are cautioned against, Jer. 4.14. How long shall vain thoughts lodge within thee? Not only our thoughts of vanity, but our thinking of good things in vain, and to no purpose, these also are vain thoughts. Exercise your thoughts upon good things, upon the matters of God and your Souls, and exercise them to purpose on them.

That your thoughts may be stirring thoughts, so as to stir up your hearts towards God and Godliness, they must be,

1. Searching thoughts; looking upon, and looking into the things of God. Ps. 77.6. My spirit made diligent search. Searching looks deep into things. There are 3 great deeps that we should be searching into; the deep of the Heart, and what we can find there either of good or evil; the deep of the Pit, the Infernal Pit, for what we may find there to awaken us; and the deep mysteries of God and his Gospel, for what we can find there to keep us doing: If you would be thinking more what there is within you, what a world of wickedness there is in your hearts; if you would be thinking oftner what there is beneath, what a dismal place your sins are preparing for you; if you would be thinking more of the mysteries of [Page 187] God and Godliness, of the Counsels, and instructions, and ways of God, of the kindnesses and compassions of God, of the severities and wrath of God, and look­ing narrowly and deeply into them; such thoughts as these would be awakening stirring thoughts; but then they must be,

2. Working thoughts; looking into these things, and staying, and dwelling, and working upon them. Think upon your evil hearts, and never leave think­ing and thinking, till you be affected with what you find in them; think till your hearts ake for the evil you see in them; think upon your sin till your heatts tremble and turn from your sins. 'Twas said of Peter, Mat. 14.72. When he thought thereon he wept. Psalm 119.59. I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy Testimonies. Think on all your evils, till your hearts be thus affected with them, and there­upon be put to flight, to make an hasty escape from them: Think on God, and on Holiness, and on Grace, till your hearts be athirst for God and his Grace, so as to put your selves upon following hard after him. Think on these things with an applicato­ry eye to yourselves: Yet again, bethink your selves, whether you have escaped, or how you may escape the evils that are within or before you; whether you have obtained, or how you may obtain the good things you desire: Think how 'tis with you, how much you are under the power of sin, how short you are of the Grace of God, or if you have any, how ve­ry low 'tis with your Souls in this respect, how little you have gotten or how much you have lost.

And when you find how bad 'tis, then think farther, Is it good for me? is it safe for me to continue at this pass? is there any hope that I may recover out of this case? is it worth my pains to seek out after an escape? what shall I do? shall I venture on in this [Page 188] idle, trifling, carnal way as I have done? shall I venture an eternal loss, an eternal misery and wo, rather than put my self to it to recover? shall I ven­ture my soul on these Cobwebs, these rotten and de­ceitful Boughs that I have hang'd mine hopes upon? mine heart tells me, I may be saved however, though I have never more grace than I have now, though I never take more care than I do now, I hope for all that it may be well at last; shall I venture all upon such an hope? shall I venture to sin in hope, and sleep in hope, and loyter in hope, that yet I shall obtain mercy? is it not most evident, that the hope that serves for nothing but to secure men in a carnal, sin­ful, careless way, is a lying hope, a damning hope? 'Tis a lye, this carnal hope, 'tis a lye that I have in my right hand, I shall be undone by it for ever and ever; there's no hope, there's no hope, but I shall be lost and perish eternally, unless I shake off my sins, and shake up mine heart to follow on after the Lord.

Friends, would not such thoughts as these be stir­ring thoughts? could you sleep in your sins or under your backslidings, were you more exercised in such thoughts as these? O put upon such thoughts, think of the sad case your Souls are in, and think till you weep over your selves, think of the dreadful things you are in danger of, and think till you tremble, think of the things you have received and heard from the Lord, and think till they pierce and enter into your Souls. The many things that I have spoken to you in this matter, let them not be forgotten, but recover them back to your minds, and call them over in your thoughts, and set your hearts a working thus upon them. All the words I (can) speak, all the counsels I (can) give you for your recovery, they will never do you good nor work a cure, if you set not [Page 189] your hearts on work upon them; as you know your bodily food will never nourish you, nor your Phy­sick cure you, unless nature work both with your Food and Physick.

Friends, I beseech you in the Lord that you deny me not this request, that you will every one of you bestow some such thoughts upon your souls; what, will you deny me in this? will you not grant me thus much? I do not now perswade you to spend your money upon your souls, to be at the charge of all your substance for your souls recovery; this is that at present that I would desire of you, that you would every day spend some serious thoughts about them; and what, will you not do thus much? not spare a few thoughts for your eternal welfare? Is not the scaping the fire worth your thinking of? I know you will say, O 'tis worth thinking, and working, and running, and labouring, all that ever I can, and spending all that ever I have, to save my life, to save my soul; every one of you will say so, and yet for all that, I doubt there are many of you that will not do this little thing, to spend some serious thoughts daily upon it.

Well, whether you will remember this or forget it, that my soul may not be guilty of your eternal mis­carriage, of your dying in your sins, or of your sleep­ing to death in your languishing state, I once again warn you, to bethink your selves how 'tis with you, and every day to bestow such serious thoughts upon the important matters of God and your souls, as may tend to your recovery.

2. Get yon stirring affections.

1. Stir up godly sorrow. The Apostle wrote such a Letter to the Corinthians, as made their hearts ake. 2 Cor. 7.8. I made you sorry with a Letter: and this sorrow, what a stir it made in their hearts? v. 10. it stirred up care, and fear, and indignation, and vehe­ment [Page 190] desire, and revenge upon themselves for their faults and neglects.

O that my preaching to you might have the same effect upon you, that the Apostles Letter had upon them; that I might make you sorry, sorry at the heart, for the woful cases that many of your souls are in: yea set you to it, to stir up this godly sorrow in your selves; think, Friends, what matter of sorrow and grief you have within you and amongst you. The King said to Nehemiah, chap. 2.2. Why is thy counte­nance sad, since thou art not sick? I may say to you, why is your countenance not sad, since you are so sick? what, sick at heart, and yet so merry at heart? Look inwards and see how 'tis with you; rake in your sores and wounds, till you make them bleed and smart. Sure you have forgotten what hath been said, if you yet find not for what to mourn. Remember your selves, is it no matter of sorrow to you to see what your sin hath made? What, is the head sick, and the heart faint, and the whole man become wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores? and is all this nothing to you? what is your Religion, the Gospel, and the name of your God wounded by you, by your hypo­crisies, by your backslidings, by your walking so un­worthy that worthy name, and does not this move you? will you tell the World, that the Children of God are such wanton unruly Children, or such lean and starveling Souls as you appear, who go under the name of his? have you grieved your God by your falls, by your follies, by your falshood to his Covenant, and declining from his Ways? shall your Redeemer weep over you, because of the hardness of your hearts, and the spirit of grace be grieved by whom you have been sealed to the day of Redemption, and will not this grieve your hearts? O study out what matter of sorrow you have, and give not off [Page 191] that study till tears do come. What, is it with you as 'twas with Israel, Jer. 2. are you which were once holiness to the Lord, and as the first fruits of his increase, now laid in common to the World, and the lusts thereof? have you changed your glory for that which profiteth not? v. 11. Have you forsaken the fountain of living waters, and hewed out to your selves cisterns that will hold no water. v. 13. Is the Lord become as a wilderness to you, and as a Land of darkness, and is this world become your Paradise? have you lost the kindness of your youth and the love of your espousals, and is your love to Christ swallow­ed up of your lust after vanity? See, Friends, if this be the case of any of you; and if it be, O make not light of it, but lay it deeply to heart; and as v. 19. let your own wickedness correct you, and your back­slidings reprove you, and know and see, that it is an evil and a bitter thing that you have thus forsaken the Lord, and that his fear is so much departed from you.

Friends, O that my word may put you to grief, and make you sorry. What, art thou not sorry for all this? canst thou not yet say, O I am pained, I am pained at the heart for mine iniquities? my back­slidings reprove me, my foolishness corrects me, and makes my soul within me to mourn? art thou at ease in such a case? is thine heart quiet as if all were well and nothing ailed thee? O how little hope is there then of thee that thou wilt be recovered? If I could but make you sorry, if you would but stir up a godly sorrow in your own souls, O how mightily would this work to your recovery! then what fear would there be of continuing thus any longer, then what indignation against your selves for your own fol­lies, in departing thus from the living God! then [Page 192] what care would there be, and what vehement desire after a speedy escape and recovery!

2. Stir up fear. But what cause have we of fear? search, and you may find cause enough. Is there no matters of fear in your present cases? You that are in your sins, you ignorant, impenitent, ungodly ones, is there no fear of you? are your souls safe? are they not in danger? is there no fear of unbelievers? is there no fear of hypocrites? no fear of the drun­kards, the covetous, the proud, of lyars, of loose livers? art thou such a one, and is there no fear what may become of thee? art thou under condemnation, and yet not under fear? As the penitent Thief said to the other, Luke 23.40. Fearest thou not God? Fear­est thou not God, sinner, who art under condemna­tion? and if thou fearest not God, fearest thou not the Devil neither, fearest not thou Hell neither? O stupid, sensless souls, what under condemnation and yet not afraid?

2. You that hope you have grace, and yet continue low in grace, is there no fear concerning you? no fear of idlers and loyterers? you that have but little and satisfie your selves with that little, is there no fear that that something may be nothing? He that thinketh himself to be something but is nothing, deceiveth his own Soul, Gal. 6.3. Is there no fear that though you think your selves to be something, to have some­thing of Christianity in you, something of saving grace, yet you may at last be found to have nothing, and so be deceived? is there no fear of deceiving your selves in a matter of such importance? are you in such danger of being deceived, and yet not afraid? or if you have something of Christ or Religion in you, is there no fear that you may lose that little you have, and come to nothing at last? What means that ex­hortation, Rev. 3.11. Hold fast what thou hast? [Page 193] what means that caution, 2 John 8. That we lose not the things that we have wrought, what mean these words, if there be no danger of losing what we have?

3. You that are already fallen to decay, that have lost your first love, is there no fear of your loosing all? Is there no fear, but you shall recover all again? or is there no fear of you, whether ever you do recover or no? is there no fear of backsliders, no fear of re­volters, and apostates? where-ever there's danger, there should be fear; what, unbelievers and in no danger? what, hypocrites and in no danger? what backsliders, what Apostates and yet in no danger? what, can you say, there's no danger to men in my case? can you say, I thank God, whoever be in dan­ger, my Soul is out of danger? There's not one of you dares say so, you have lost the understandings of men if you confess not, The Lord be merciful to me, my Soul is in great danger. What, are you in danger, and yet not in fear? what, in such great danger, and yet not afraid? not afraid of the Devil, not afraid of Death, not afraid of Hell when in such great danger of it? When Christ says, Luke 12.4. Fear not them that kill the body, wilt thou say, no, nor will I fear him that can destroy body and Soul? O poor stupid Souls, awaken your fears; open your eyes and see your danger; the Lord open your eyes before it be too late, and make you to see the fearful case you are in, and so make you afraid. If I could rouze up your fears, it would be as the stirring up a nest of Hornets about your ears, which sure would make you run for it. Prov. 28.14. Happy is the man that feareth; if there were more fear in you, there were more hope of you. Friends, I should have done God and your Souls good service this day, if I could but preach you into fear, if I could but make you a­fraid [Page 194] of your selves, if this word might run through all the 3 sorts of you I am dealing with, the Impeni­tent, the Loyterers, and the Backsliders, wo is me wretched creature, I am afraid, I am afraid what will become of me; I am afraid I shall to Hell, I am afraid the Devil will have me at last:, if such a word might come through all your hearts, the next word I should hope to hear, would be this; Well, I see there is no safe abiding thus, I am undone if I conti­nue as I am, arise O my soul, flee away out of this sinful state and get thee into Christ; shake thee out of this sloth, recover out of this languishing state, re­cover thy first love, return to thy first works, or I shall lose my Crown and my Soul. O Friends, stir up such a fear in your selves, do not hide your dan­ger from your own eyes till it be too late; dare not to say such a word, I trust my Soul is in no danger; but deal plainly with your selves, and come to under­stand the truth and the worst of your case; give not over to study your danger till you have stirred up your fear, and when your fear is once up, this, there is hope will stir up all within you to make out after an escape.

3. Stir up desire. Desire is the thirst of the Soul, and thirst is a stirring appetite as I have already shew'd, and therefore shall need to speak the less here. Desire will stir up to labour, therefore 'tis that Solomon says, Prov. 21.25. The desire of the slothful killeth him. 'Tis death to the slothful to la­bour, and yet his desire will prick him on upon it: One thing have I desired that I will seek after, Ps. 27.4. [One thing have I desired] that notes a stirring de­sire; when the motions of the soul run in one cha­nel, & all after one thing, then they run more strongly and impetuously; and this strong desire puts him up­on an earnest seeking the satisfaction of it. Prov. 13. [Page 195] 12. When the desire cometh it is a tree of life: And what is so sweet when it comes, will be the more earnestly pursued before it comes.

Would you be zealous followers of God and fol­lowers of Holiness? get stronger desires after the Lord and his Holiness. Strong desires will pour forth strong cries; your Souls will go on crying after the Lord, crying after his Grace, and the power of his Spirit, if ye do in earnest desire it. Cold desires, or none at all leave the soul as a Ship becalmed that stirs not on; when the Wind is quick, and the Sails are filled, its motion is more swift; but when the Wind lies, it moves not at all. Our slight and slow endea­vours in following of God, if you inquire into the reason of them, 'tis because desire fails.

Stir up your desires, get you quick and strong de­sires and these will not suffer you to be so sluggish: But how must we stir up our desires after God?

1. Suppress and keep under your carnal desires: De­sire Earth less than you do, and you will desire Hea­ven more than you do. A River that is divided into several Chanels, runs more weakly in either; when our streams are united and run all in one Chanel, they are much the stronger. Ʋnite mine heart to fear thy name, says the Psalmist, Ps. 86.11. Let me fear God, and let me fear none but God: So let your Souls say, Unite mine heart to love thy name and to desire after thee; let me love nothing but God, let me desire nothing but God; let me be able to say as the Psalmist, Psal. 73.25. Whom have I in Heaven but thee, and there's none on earth that I desire besides thee: Thou hast all my love, and all my desire is to­wards thy name. When you love nothing but God, when you desire nothing but God, O this will be strong love, these will be strong desires: What you inordinately love or desire besides the Lord, this [Page 196] will abate your love and your desires after him. Friends, your desires after this World, your appe­tite after Meat, and Drink, and Money, and carnal Pleasures, are too eager to have any strong desires af­ter the Lord. Quench your carnal thirst if you would have your Souls to pant after God and spiritual things: Be more indifferent what you have or how 'tis with you in respect of these carnal things; whe­ther you have more or less, whether it be better or worse with you in respect of these; leave it to God, to do with you what he will, to let forth these nether streams, or to dam them up; to make you rich or poor, prosperous or afflicted; and the more patient you are of wanting the nether streams, the more im­patient will be your thirst after the upper streams. Whereas 'tis hard to find any persons in the World, that have a greedy appetite to things below, who have any great or strong desire upwards. If any man love this world, 1 Jo. 2.15. that is, with an ardent and intense love, the love of the Father is not in him: And so if any man desire this world with his most ea­ger and greedy desire, the desire after God is not in him. Methinks this word should shake the hearts of some professors; there are, I doubt, many that go under the name of Christians, that are as excessively hungry after this world, whose Souls are hunting af­ter, and heaping up whatever they can catch of this earthly muck, with as great zeal and ardency of mind, as any of those do, or can, who have nothing of Christianity in them, nor profess, nor pretend to any such thing. He is a covetous worldling indeed, who doth love the world, and wish for the world, and work harder for it, than some of these do which pro­fess religion. It is a shame and a reproach to the Gos­pel that it should be so, and wo be to them by whom the reproach cometh: But yet 'tis too true, there [Page 197] are amongst the number of Professors, some (though not so many as the world say, God forbid there should, for they say all are such) yet some such there are, whose hunger and labour after the world can hardly be overmatch'd by any of those, whose names are written in the earth, and have no part nor porti­on in Christ, nor name in his Churches.

Friends, I pray deal faithfully in this matter, every one of you with your selves; ask your hearts, How stand I affected to this world! are my desires after this earth moderated and limited by my Religion, or are they not so high and impetuous, that they have even swallowed up my desires after God? are you as impatient when you sink and grow to decay in re­ligion, as you think you should be, if you were sunk and fallen to decay in your outward estates? Can you truly say, I am not so much athirst to grow rich in this world, but I am more athirst to grow rich to­wards God? nay, can you say this, I am so much a­thirst for God, that this hath quenched my thirst, and allayed my desires after this world? I am become more indifferent what I have here, whether more or less, my heart sits loose from all below, through the strength of my desires after God? can you say so? O that you could, more of you than I doubt can.

Well know, that 'tis impossible that you should intensely desire God and this World together; one of the two must fall; you must strike sail as to your earthly affections, or your souls will never hoise up sail heavenwards. And this is the first direction for the kindling and quickning your desires heavenward, suppress and allay your carnal and earthly desires.

2. Be sensible of your necessity: Necessity kindles de­sire. Ps. 63.1. My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh, lon­geth for thee. Whence is this thirst and longing? [Page 198] O 'tis from his necessity. I am in a dry Land, where no water is. I have need of thee, Lord, need of (thy) water Brooks, for out of thee I have none; 'tis all a dry Land, there's no water below thee, to quench my thirst.

Friends, would you be quenched in your desires after more Grace? be sensible of your barrenness and your want; do you not want to be in better case than you are? have you grace enough to supply your ne­cessities? those that are very poor outwardly, whose poverty pinches them, their necessity will make them beg. How is it there are so many poor, so many necessitous souls, and yet so few begging souls? even ready to starve for want of bread, and yet cry no more after it? Why, 'tis because, however we are in great necessity, yet we have not a due sense of our necessity; our soul poverty doth not pinch us; men that are extreamly poor in the world, their poverty pinches them; but for souls, the poorer they are, the less they are pinched with it. O friends, if you were more pinched with your spiritual poverty, if those dry and lean souls, did but feel how lean you are, if you were touched with a feeling of your ne­cessities, if your cold wishes, I would I had more grace, were come to, I must have more, I must be more holy, I must be more heavenly-minded, I must be more zealous for God, and more busie and active in following him, a necessity lies upon me, and wo is me if I continue as now I am; the sense of your neces­sity of getting up into a better case, would enlarge your desires after it.

3. Be practically convinced of the excellency of a pro­sperous state in the grace of God. All the world, how eagerly are they wishing after prosperity? men have such high thoughts of worldly prosperity, that eve­ry one would be glad to prosper; as Mal. 3.15. [Page 199] they count the proud happy, so generally, do worldly men, count the rich happy, the prosperous happy: When we hear of men grown up to that plentiful e­state, described Ps. 144.13, 14. Whose garners are full, affording all manner of store, whose sheep bring forth thousands, and ten thousands in their streets, whose Oxen are strong to labour, and there's no complaining in the streets, who have plenty of good things, and no­thing ailing them; how do worldlings cry out, Hap­py are the people that are in such a case; and hence 'tis, that their very Souls are all upon the wing, ma­king all the haste they can after this earthly prospe­rity.

And what if Christians had as great thoughts of soul prosperity; O what a case are they in, whose (hearts) are full of all manner of store, full of wisdom and spi­ritual understanding, full of faith and of power, full of the hidden treasures of eternity; whose mouth is full, that have grace in their hearts and grace in their lips; whose life is full of all the fruits of righteous­ness! what an excellent spirit are they of, what an excellent life do they live! happy are the people, thrice happy are the souls that are in such a case. Do worldlings call the proud happy, the rich happy, the great ones happy ones? Yea rather, Happy are the Souls whose God is the Lord; and those especially, who have the grace of God so abounding towards them and in them. What if you were practically convinced of this, of the excellency, of the happiness of a flourishing prosperous state in the grace of God? If you did not only notionally conclude it so in the general, for that e­very Christian will do, but with a particular respect to your selves, O how happy were it for (me) if I were one of these prospering souls, if I could get (my) soul to be filled with God, and the Spirit of the Lord Jesus; O if I could love as the best of Saints love, O if I could live [Page 200] as I see some Christians live; if from creeping on the earth, and having my foundation on the dust, my soul might get upon the wing, and have its conver­sation in Heaven; if in stead of having fellowship with sinners, I might have fellowship, and live in communion with the Father and the Son; if instead of serving my flesh, I might spend my days in serving the living God; if from being such a sluggard, such a cold and lazy soul, I might get up to be fervent in spirit serving the Lord; O what if there should be such a change made upon me! if from this dead, and dry, and barren case I am in, I might be brought to be a living, lively, fruitful, heavenly, zealous Chri­stian; O what a blessed change would this be! O how should mine heart be filled with joy, and my mouth with praise! Brethren, such sensible appre­hensions of the excellency and blessedness of that pro­sperity in religion, which I have been pressing you to, what would it work, what would it bring forth, less than such strong desires, O let my soul be in such a case; What would I desire more? how would I despise, and trample on the beauty, and glory of the world, and leave such dotages upon the best to be found here, to the men of this world, who know no better things? O how heartily could I then say with the Apostle, Phil. 3.7, 8, 9. What things were gain to me I now count them loss for Christ, yea doubtless and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I am content to suffer the loss of all things, and do count them but dung that I may win Christ, and be found in him, and may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellow­ship of his sufferings, being made conformable to his death. Such ardent desires would a sense of the ex­cellency of Christ, and a prosperous Christian life bring forth; O that I might apprehend, O that I [Page 201] might attain to such a blessed state; and such ardent desires would bring forth a zealous prosecution and following after, if by any means possible, we might attain and get up unto it.

O friends, that you would set to it, thus to stir up your desires: You say, I desire, I desire; I desire to please God, and to follow God more fully, and more freely than I do, but it is so dully, and so coldly that you desire it, that it comes to nothing; and for ought I know, such cold desires may burn with you in Hell at last.

O get an abatement of your carnal desires: never look to desire heartily after an heavenly life, till you have crucified and conquered your earthly desires. Consider more thorowly your necessities, consider the miserable poverty of your souls, and barrenness of your lives; the great power that this World hath still upon you, and your necessity of getting it con­quered; and do not barely say, I could wish it were better with me, wishing will never do it, but bring your hearts to it, to say in good earnest, I must, I must get mine heart into a better frame, I must get me to a better life, a necessity lies on me to look to it, and labour for it: and then look upon the blessedness and comfort of such a prosperous flourishing state of soul, and look till your hearts be enamoured of it; and this is it that will engage you mightily in the effectual following after it.

4. Stir up hope. Maybe you'll say, I do desire it were better with me; I see it would be happy for me, if I could obtain, but the Lord help me, I have little hope of it: I have desired so long, and waited so long, and yet it comes not; but my poor and bar­ren soul after all still abides in the same dead and life­less state as ever, and is so far short, and at so great a distance from that blessed state, that I am even quite [Page 202] discouraged, and am in doubt I shall never obtain. Be not discouraged, hope in God. To stir up this hope consider;

• 1. The promise of God.
• 2. The earnest that you have already received.

1. Consider the promise of God. The hope of the Saints is called Acts 26.6. the hope of the promise of God. The promise, which is the foundation of our hope, is our encouragement against all despondencies. Amongst the many promises that we have for our en­couragement I shall mention one, Matth. 7.7. &c. Ask and it shall be given you, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth, &c. What man of you, if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? &c. If ye being evil, know how to give good things to your Children, how much more shall your Father which is in Heaven, give good things to them that ask it of him! Here I shall shew,

1. The matter of the promise, or what God will give, that is, good things. In Luke 11.13. 'tis ex­pressed, give the holy spirit; there's all that you need in one word. In giving the holy Spirit, is included the giving all good things. What is it you want, to help up your weak and languishing souls? Is it a spirit of Wisdom and Understanding that you want? is it a spirit of Holiness? is it a spirit of Grace and Suppli­cation? is it a spirit of Faith and of Power? is it the teachings, the motions, the quicknings, the conduct, of the Spirit? How is it with them that are taught by the Spirit, led by the Spirit, worship God in the Spi­rit, walk in the Spirit? So shall it be with you, if ye obtain the holy Spirit upon your asking of him. This grace, the grace of the Spirit shall be sufficient for you, to make the dry tree to sprout, and the barren to bring forth fruit.

[Page 203]2. The means of obtaining this promise. Ask, seek, knock; this notes prayer, importunity in prayer, and the use of all means, that must go along with prayer. Ask, seek, knock; pray and pray instantly, and follow on after the Lord, and ye shall have, ye shall obtain; this gracious, this all-sufficient [...]pirit shall be yours.

3. The assurance of prevailing. This is, 1. From the Promise, ye shall have, ye shall find, it shall be opened; Heaven shall be opened, the heart and the hand of the all-sufficient God, the bowels of Christ, the Covenant, all the Treasures of the Gospel shall be opened to you. Thou that art in fear, that the heart of the Lord is streightned towards thee, that the bowels of his compassion are shut up against thee, that the treasures of the Gospel are all lock'd up from thee; ask, and knock, and all shall be opened. If all the help that is in Heaven, if all the riches of Christ, if all the treasures of the Gospel, will recover and raise up that weak and withering soul of thine, take the right course and thou shalt have it; all these trea­sures shall be opened; thou hast my word for it, the word of promise, which God that cannot lye, hath given thee to put thee out of doubt.

2. From experience. Every one that asketh re­ceiveth, &c. There's no man in the world, that hath taken this course, that ever failed; find out any one man if thou canst, that can say, God hath been worse to me than his word; and surely thou mayest boldly say, He that never failed any one of his Servants, I have good hope he will not fail me.

3. From the relation of God to his Saints: He is their Father; whence he reasons thus: If the Fathers of their flesh will not deny the Children of their own bowels, (which of you if his Son ask bread, &c.) if the Fathers of our flesh will not deny the Children of their bowels, any good thing they need and ask, [Page 204] how much less, will your Father in Heaven, who is a God of bowels, of infinite compassion, deny his Ho­ly Spirit to those that ask it of him?

Christians, study this Promise, trust upon this Pro­mise: and whatever your fears and discouragements are, that you shall never obtain, use Gods means, ask, and seek, and knock, follow on instantly, and earnestly in Gods Way, and then hope in God, and be no longer dismayed.

2. Consider the earnest that you have already recei­ved, what pledges God hath given you, for the per­formance of his Promise. What, is nothing of this Promise performed to thee? O I hope there is; some­thing I have gotten from it, but it is so very little, that this discourages me. Why, this little thou hast received, is a great encouragement to hope for more. I say, though you have asked, and sought, and knock'd, and yet but little comes, yet that very little which you have obtain'd, is great ground for you to hope for all that you need. Every little that you receive from the Promise of God, is an earnest to assure you of all that is behind. Have you received but the first fruits of the Spirit, a little Grace, a little Strength, a little improvement in Grace? Is it a lit­tle better with you than it hath been? this is a pledge to you from the Lord, that if ye follow on ye shall have more and more. There is hope, in what the Lord (hath) given you, in what he hath done for your souls; 2 Cor. 1.10. He that hath delivered, and doth deliver, we trust that he will deliver. He that hath supply'd and doth help you, hence you may hope, that he will supply all your needs, out of the riches of his grace, by Christ Jesus. If the clouds from a­bove have yet but dropped upon you, and that grace which your parched Souls, like the thirsty earth hath received, hath come in but drop by drop, you may [Page 205] from those drops, have the more hope of a shower, that shall rain down righteousness upon you, until your souls become as a well-water'd Garden, and as a spring of waters whose waters fail not.

Christian, is thy Soul as the chapp'd ground, open­ing and gasping after the influences of the Lord, and hath it begun to drop? is there something come down? art thou a little quickned, a little revived? those very drops are the forerunners of a shower, that will fill all thy furrows. O look about you Friends, see, after all the means that God hath been using, to quicken and improve your Souls, see if any drops be fallen upon you; if it be a little better, if there be something done to your recovery; be not discoura­ged that 'tis no more, be humbled that 'tis no more, but be not discouraged; he that hath begun, there's so much the more hope, that he will perfect a cure upon you.

Thus stir up your hope in God, by considering the Promise, and any little degree of its performance. But beware, (I cannot too often give you this cau­tion) use not this hope to make you secure, and care­less; say not, for your lives, as bad as 'tis with me, I hope it will be better, and thereupon sleep on, and neglect to follow after: There is no hope for such a Soul, let not your hope secure you in your negli­gence, but establish you against your discourage­ment; let it not secure you against diligence but en­courage you unto diligence. Since the matter stands thus, as great a distance as there is betwixt your pre­sent state, and that prosperous state of Soul, which you desire and wish for, and as great difficulty as you imagine it, ever for you to get up to such a state, since both the Promise and Experience gives you such ground of hope, that even you also, with whom 'tis so very low, may get comfortably up, therefore be [Page 206] encouraged to take all the pains possible hereto. Look on Acts 26.7. and there see how hope will work; Ʋnto which promise, our twelve tribes, instantly ser­ving God night and day, hope to come. Observe it, God gave them a promise, the promise gave them hope, and their hope encourages and provokes them on, instantly to serve the Lord; and this instant ser­ving God is their way to the possession of the Pro­mise.

Friends, let all this that hath been spoken, engage you to all manner of diligence, and fortifie you against all manner of discouragements: come on Christians, come on in the name of the Lord; you have heard many directions that I have given you, and some more there are that yet remain; O set your hearts to the practice of all these words, and how hard soever it may seem to be, take the way prescribed to you, and then commit your way to the Lord; hope in him, and he will bring it to pass, and give you your hearts desire; only when you have done all, and no success appears, yet still wait for the Lord. As there must be the expectation of hope, so there must be the patience of Hope: Wait on the Lord and keep his way; be not weary of well-doing, and in the end ye shall reap if ye faint not.

O Friends, follow on after the Lord, and encou­rage your selves on, by your hope in God: Pray for more grace, pray for more life, and more power, and pray as men of hope. Strive and stir up your sleepy hearts, and strive as men of hope, that as low as 'tis with you, yet there's hope for you to get up. Be encouraged by the promise, be encouraged by every little that you have received. Hath the Lord but begun to awaken you, let that be his security to you, that he will do more, and better things for you: Are you yet a great way short? are there many difficul­ties [Page 207] yet before you to break through? are there any fears and misgivings of heart, that ye shall not obtain? yet do not discourage your selves, hope in God, hope in the promise of God, and in the help the promise of­fers: be not dismayed, put you on after the Lord, and hope in God. Say to your hearts in the words of the Psalmist, Ps. 43. ult. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? why art thou discouraged, O my soul? Hope in God, and thou shalt yet praise him, who will be the health of thy countenance and thy God. Though my flesh and mine heart fail me, yet he is the strength of mine heart, and in him shall be my hope and my trust: there is a promise, before me, and unto this promise, if I can but instantly seek and serve the Lord, I have hope to come.

4. Get a stirring Conscience. God hath made con­science overseer and ruler in the heart; he hath ad­vanced conscience in the heart to the same dominion, that Potiphar advanced Joseph in his house, Gen. 39 4. he made him overseer of his house, and put all that he had into his hand. Or as Pharaoh, Gen. 41.40. advanced him in his Kingdom; to whom he said, Thou shalt be over mine house, and according to thy Word shall all my people be ruled, onely in the throne will I be greater then thou. Conscience is subject to none but God; God is greater then Conscience, 1 Joh. 3.20. God is greater then our hearts, that is, then our Consciences. But next under God, Conscience hath the supreme domi­nion in the Soul; and as the Centurion to his Souldi­ers, so Conscience, where it maintains Authority, says to all the faculties of the Soul, to one go and it goeth, to another come and it cometh, and to every one, do this and it must be done.

Now as Conscience is faithful and diligent, or as it is careless and negligent, so do matters go in the Soul; a faithful watchful conscience sets the whole [Page 208] soul in good order, a negligent sleepy conscience lets all run to ruine: when God hath given men up to a spirit of slumber, when conscience slumbers, the whole soul falls asleep; or, which is worse, runs out into all manner of disorders. When God will awaken sleepy souls, he begins with conscience; awakens conscience first, and that will awaken all their powers. God a­wakens conscience, mostly by frights, as the Gaoler by an earthquake, and Saul by an affrighting voice from Heaven, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? Soul, Soul, what art thou doing? why slightest thou the Lord? why fightest thou against God? There's nothing but such thunder from Heaven that will rouse a sleepy conscience. But though there's none but God that can awaken conscience, yet God ordi­narily does it by our selves; sets the soul on work upon its self, to its own awakening; a word, or it may be but a thought, comes into the heart, which is made to stick into conscience, and to sting it out of sleep: and when conscience is stung, and begins to stir, there's no more sleep, no more quiet in the soul. When the Master of the house is up, and about once, he rou­zes all the Servants: O Friends, get your consciences to be awakened, get your consciences to be stirring, and then all your faculties will up and be doing. That conscience may be a stirring conscience,

• 1. Let Conscience open its ears and hear.
• 2. Let it open its eyes and see.
• 3. Let the mouth of Conscience be open and speak.
• 4. Let it be quick and tender.

1. Let Conscience open its ears and hear what the Lord speaks. Let the voice of the Lord have an im­pression upon conscience; when the Word comes into the thoughts onely, it's quickly gone, and does no­thing; or when it hath some sudden work upon the affections, that wears off; but when it enters into the [Page 209] conscience, when conscience hears the Word of the Lord, when the Word which we preach from God, is as the Apostles word, 2 Cor. 5.11. made manifest in the conscience, then it is in a way to prosper. Let con­science open its ears first; and 2. Let conscience open its eyes and see, see how it is with the Soul, how sad and miserable the state and way of the Soul is; see how it's like to be, to grow worse and worse; see how it should be, and what is to be done that it may be bet­ter. 3. Let Conscience have its mouth open. Sleepy consciences are silent consciences; those that see no­thing will say nothing. Let your consciences speak to you: whatever the Word preaches to conscience, let conscience preach it to the whole heart. O Friends, if we could so preach to you, as to set your conscien­ces a preaching to you the same things; if when we preach to you, repent, and recover your selves out of the snares of the Devil, we could get your consciences to preach repentance to you: if there were such a voice heard within you, I see I must repent, I am lost and undone if I repent not; if when we give a rebuke to you out of the Word, your consciences also would rebuke you; if the Word calls you, thou unbeliever, thou child of the Devil, thou hypocrite, thou loyterer, thou backslider; let but conscience say the same, 'tis true what the Word speaks, I am an unbeliever, I am an hypocrite, a child of the Devil, an idler, a backsli­ding soul; I cannot deny it, 'tis too true what the Word speaks concerning me: If the Word threatens, thou shalt have thy portion with unbelievers and hy­pocrites, thy place among the children of the Devil, if thou speedily repent not, let conscience say the same, this must be my place, and my portion, if I a­mend not; there's no help for me, there's no hope for me, if I continue and go on as I am: If the Word exhorts you, Be converted thou unbelieving soul, put [Page 210] away thine hypocrisie, arise sluggard, return O back­sliding soul, remember whence thou art fallen, and re­cover thy first love, and do thy first works; let con­science speak the same words, go to Christ O my soul, turn from thy sins, make thy peace with God, get thee a new heart, be upright with God, be sound in the Faith, follow the Lord thorowly, follow the Lord fully; as ever thou lookest for mercy do it, as ever thou hopest for pardon do it; wouldst thou ever see the salvation of God, thou must count upon it, to seek af­ter the grace of God, and increase and abound therein unto the end, and then something would be like to be done.

4. Let Conscience be quick and tender.

1. Let the ears of Conscience be open, and let it be quick of hearing.

2. Let its eyes be open, and let it be quick sighted.

3. Let its mouth be open, and let it speak quick & home.

1. Let its ears be open, and let it be quick of hearing. Be not of those fat and gross souls, which are dull of hearing. How many deaf ears do we preach to, that hear nothing, whose hearts will hear no more then the stone of the wall, or the beam of the timber? and of those that will hear something, how many that are dull of hearing? we have much work, and hard work, to beat any thing into them. O get an hearing ear, and be quick of hearing; Swift to hear, as Jam. 1.19.

2. Let the eyes of Conscience be open, and let it be quick sighted; so that it may espy and observe the smallest matter of duty and sin: and let it be tender eyed, and not able to bear the least of evils; some mens eyes can see none but the grossest of evils; can see drunken­ness to be evil, or swearing, or gross lying to be evils; but for ordinary intemperances and excesses, so they do not eat and drink themselves into very beasts and sots; though they sit with the Drunkards, and waste [Page 211] time with them, and their estates with them, and be foolish, and jolly, and carnally merry with them; so they be not downright drunk, they'll tell you, they see no evil in it. Other men, though they can (see) smaller evils, yet their consciences can swallow them; though conscience be never so quick sighted, yet it wants tenderness, and they can dispense with themselves in smaller matters: you will never be Christians of any proof, you will never come to much in religion, unless your hearts be tender of the smal­lest evils.

3. Let the mouth of conscience speak quick and home. I will not say concerning Conscience, as the Apostle concerning the Tongue, Be swift to hear, slow to speak; but let it be swift to hear, and swift to speak. Let it speak quick, and speak home. Let it speak home, and speak aloud; let not your consciences be muzled or meal mouthed; let them speak, and speak closely, and deal plainly with you; let them not whisper out a warning, or a reproof, but if they may not otherwise be heard, let them do as the Prophet was to do, Isa. 58.1. Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet. Let conscience never leave speak­ing and crying, till it be heard; such a conscience as this, is like to be a stirring conscience.

That's a stirring conscience, which will maintain its authority and integrity, whatever difficulties or pains it cost; which will be faithful in instructing, ad­monishing, and rebuking, and will not, that its word or authority be slighted: which will not suffer its self to be slighted, and abused, nor to be baffled, or put off with shifts, and excuses or delays: such a con­science (will) be obeyed, you shall have little ease, it will not suffer you to have any rest or quiet in your minds, if you will not hearken to it. As the Apostle said he will not, 2 Cor. 13.2. so neither will consci­ence; [Page 212] it will not spare them that have sinned. If con­science gives an admonition, or a warning, take heed of pride, take heed and beware of covetousness, or frow­ardness, or suppose, but loytering and coldness in mat­ters of Religion: if conscience gives warning, take heed of this worldly carnal lazy trifling life, and a warn­ing will not do, it will check, and chide, and rebuke, and scourge the heart; if its voice may not be heard, 'twill set in its teeth, 'twill bite, and sting, and wor­ry the soul; if once speaking, or chiding, or scourg­ing will not do, 'twill hold on, and lie at the soul, from day to day, and give no rest till it prevail.

O what stirring Christians should we be, had we such stirring consciences! the reason why we sin, and sink as we do; shuffle in our Religion, turn aside af­ter the world, play the hypocrites or the formallists in our duties, let all run to ruine within us, and suffer our selves to continue asleep, this is much our consci­ences faults: conscience lets us alone, and either does not speak but keep silence, or if it speak, 'tis too soft­ly, it does not chide or scourge us, it does not come to us with a rod to smite us for our faults. You that can go on in your sins, or go so coldly on in your Re­ligion, you with whom the World is so much risen, and godliness is so much fallen, (you can't but confess that this is the case of many of you) how is it with your consciences mean while? what says conscience to you in this case? it may be just nothing, conscience is asleep as well as you. O if we could but awaken your consciences out of sleep, if the stirring words the Lord sends among you, might have but this effect, to stir up conscience, this would awaken you all to ano­ther manner of life, and activity in Religion.

Friends, what's become of all those words, those awakening words, that have been spoken on this sub­ject? have they stirred up any thoughts of heart with­in [Page 213] you, and set these on work? have they stirred up your affections, and set these aworking in you? if they have not, 'tis a sign they have not stirred up con­science; and what hearers have you been, if consci­ence hath been asleep all this time? when shall we e­ver stir your hearts, or mend your ways, if we can­not stir your consciences?

If your consciences will yet hear, then let them speak, and give their judgment on these particulars;

1. If it be not a wretched thing, to be most remiss and negligent in those things, which are your highest concernment; to be so busie and intent about those small matters, about Meat, and Drink, and Money, which all perish with the using, and to be so remiss, and heedless, and heartless, about the most weighty and important affairs? What says conscience to this? Do not you think in your consciences, that this is a wretched thing, and a piece of extream folly?

2. If the matters of this world, be not all but small matters, in comparison of the matters of Religion, the matters of God and the other World; what says conscience to this? Do not you think in your consci­ences 'tis so, that the most prosperous state in this world, is a Toy in comparison of prospering in your Souls, and the matters of Salvation? If that Question be put to you, Mat. 16.26. What shall it profit you if you win the whole world and loose your own souls, would not your consciences say, It would profit me nothing! O 'tis a miserable gain, that's gotten by such an eternal loss; every mans conscience, I doubt not, but must speak thus, if it will speak at all.

3. If yet this be not many of your cases; Is it not the plain truth, that you are more remiss, and heedless, and cold in the matters of Religion, than in the mat­ters of this World? do not some of your consciences [Page 214] tell you, O'twere well for me, if I were but as hear­ty, and lively in Religion, as in my worldly concern­ments; if I could serve the Lord, as hotly and as hear­tily as I serve my flesh; but I cannot say 'tis so well with me; my conscience tells me, and I cannot deny it, I am much more intent about Earth than about Hea­ven.

4. If it be not better for you to rouze up, and recover your selves, out of your remisness and coldness in the matters of God, and to abate your zeal for the World; would it not be well for you if this word might have this effect, to make such a change? do not you think in your consciences 'twould?

5. If it be not necessary for you, thus to rouze your selves up, and recover; doth not conscience tell you, you are in hazard of being undone for ever, if you continue at this pass?

6. If Conscience judges thus in all these particu­lars, and will but speak one word more, then it would be well; if conscience would hereupon, give the word of command, awaken sleepers, arise sluggards, put away your sloth from you, hearken to the word of the Lord, take his warning, stir up your selves, bethink your selves, recover your selves from this dulness and deadness of heart; seek the Lord ear­nestly, serve the Lord instantly; no more such id­ling, and creeping on, be zealous; run the good race, fight the good fight, make sure the good trea­sure, lay hold on eternal life; live not at these ha­zards and uncertainties, but do thy best, put forth thy strength in the work of the Lord, that thou may­est come to a certainty; if your consciences would speak thus to you, and cry thus in your ears night and day, and not suffer you to rest, till you hear and answer its cries; or if you yet linger and delay, if conscience would make use of the rod, and smite and [Page 215] scourge you out of your remisness; if your conscien­ces would fall upon you, and sting you for your neg­lects, and fright you out of your security, by tel­ling you and laying before you, the dreadful reward of sleepers, and such idle servants; would cast in some of that fire into your hearts, which your sin and your sloth is preparing for you; if your hearts would condemn you for your follies, and tell you down right, this my way I am in, is the way of death, these my paths lead down to hell; I am sleeping upon a rock, drowzing on a mast: O the waves are ready to rise, and tumble upon me, and to sweep away this sleeping soul of mine, and drown it in everlast­ing perdition: Had you but such a stirring conscience as this, O what a cure, what a change would it spee­dily make upon you?

Brethren, awaken conscience, that conscience may awaken you; look to your consciences, that con­science may look better to you: Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?? Is it day break? doth sleep begin to depart from thine eyes? what is the Watchman asleep? awake sleeper, 'tis high time to awaken out of sleep. Speak thus to your consciences; and then hear what conscience will speak to you.

Friend, art thou fallen? art thou come to this? so thou canst but grow rich in the world, thou con­siderest not how poor 'tis with thee in thy soul? whilst thou hast been so busie for thy self, and thy flesh, hast thou let fall the care of thine heart? whilst thou hast turned a side after thy pleasures, after thy lovers, hast thou lost the sight of God? have thy carnal corres­pondencies, and compliances made thee such a great stranger in Heaven? What says conscience to this? Ask, Is it peace conscience? is it well? Is it with me, as it hath been? is it with me as it should be? [Page 216] Speak, conscience; go tell this man, I have some­what against thee, thou hast left thy first love, re­member whence thou art fallen, return to thy first husband, for then it was better with thee than now. What hast thou gotten since thy departing from thy God? may be thou hast gotten more of the world a­bout thee, more great friends than heretofore, more esteem and reputation amongst thy friends; but O wert thou not a better man, when thou wert a poorer man? hadst thou not more of a Christian, in the days of old, when thou hadst less of this world? Remem­ber the sweet days that thou hadst, when thou walk­edst humbly with thy God; remember the hopes, and the joys, and the peace that thou hadst, in the secret recesses to thy beloved: Now thou canst snatch at a duty, cast a look heavenward, a word and away, scarce considering what thou dost, or what entertain­ment thou hast with the Lord; thou hast thy long dinners but short duties; long markets but short prayers, and as slight as they are short: What says thy conscience to this? does it not tell thee, thou hast made a dear bargain? 'Tis a great rate that thy riches have cost thee, that thine ease and thy plea­sures have cost thee; better thou hadst kept thee a poor man still, and been holy, and humble, and ten­der, and upright, than to have made a purchase of the world at so dear a rate, as the loss of thine inte­grity and tenderness.

Speak conscience, and speak home in this matter; thou mayest speak where I may not, thy word may be heard, where mine may not.

Conscience, art thou awakened? get thee about and walk the rounds, and speak according to what thou findest. Go into the City, and observe the Pro­fessors there; go into their Chambers, and see if thou find them not in their beds, when they should be [Page 217] on their knees; go into their Wardrobes, search af­ter their gawdy clothing, their antick ornaments and attires, and see if thou find not such habits and dres­ses as are fitter for a Stage player than for a Christian; go into the Parlour, and hear what's going amongst them there, whether there be any more seriousness or savouriness in their discourses together, than there is amongst them that know not God; and whether the Cards and the Dice be not, where the Bible was wont to be. Go to their Tables, and observe their superfluities, and curiosities, how delicately, how sumptuously they fare every day, like that Gentle­man, Luke 16. Go into their Shops, and their Mar­kets, and observe if there be no lying, and deceitful dealing, even as amongst others; observe how little difference thou canst find, betwixt some that are Professors, in their dealings, and those that pretend to no Religion.

Then conscience, from the City go down into the Country, into the Fields, into the Houses, and see how busie they are there; in ploughing, and sowing, in building, and planting, in buying, and selling, lay­ing house to house, and field to field, hasting to be rich, oppressing the poor, working, and sweating, ri­ding, and running, and neglecting nothing, but God and their Souls. See what they do, and see how it fares with them, both in City and Country; what starveling souls thou findest within, under their pam­pered flesh; see conscience how 'tis, and speak ac­cording to what thou seest; reprove them, warn them, worry them; if they will not hear thy voice, set in thy teeth and make them feel.

O Christians, if I could but set on your conscien­ces thus upon your backs, or if you would set them on upon your selves, you would both hear of more that's amiss in you, than now you will acknowledge, [Page 218] and would find no quiet till you set upon amend­ing.

5. Be much conversant with stirring society and ac­quaintance, and be stirring among them. And here I shall endeavour the reviving of that too obsolete pra­ctise, of holy and quickning discourse, the neglect whereof is both a cause, a sign, and an effect, of the decay of Religion among us: For the recovering and promoting of this Holy Practise, I shall give you

1. Directions for the bringing you on upon it, and the better managing of it.

2. An Argument to perswade you to it.

For the Directions, they are these that follow.

1. Get your hearts well filled with the Grace of God. Mat. 12.34. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh. 1. Men ordinarily fetch their words out of their hearts; as 'tis said of a fiery Tongue, Jam. 3.6. It's set on fire of Hell, that is, of that Hell of malice, that is in the heart; so of an holy Tongue it may be said, all the good that comes from it, is kindled from Heaven, from that of Heaven, that is in the heart. Men usually (unless it be the Hypo­crite) speak according to what is in their hearts; the proud heart speaketh proud things, the vain heart speaketh vain things, and the holy heart speaketh ho­ly things. 2. 'Tis the (abundance) of the heart, that's most apt to come forth at the lips. In some hearts there is a little good, but much evil; in others, there is much good and less evil; 'tis that which a­bounds in the heart, that which is most in the heart, that hath the command of the tongue.

See that there be Grace in your hearts, and that the grace of God abound in you; a little grace will not do, to set your tongues agoing, 'tis the abun­dance of the heard, that which most abounds within, that will have the easiest and most ordinary vent: Job [Page 219] 32.18. I am full of matter, my spirit within me con­straineth me; my belly is as wine, which hath no vent, it is ready to burst, like new bottles; I will speak that I may be refreshed, I will open my lips and answer. I am full of matter, and therefore will I speak; an heart full of grace, must and will have a vent by the speech: The holy spirit within us will constrain us; where there is little good coming forth, 'tis a sign there is not so much as there should be within: We may pre­tend inability, and unaptness to speak, as the reason of our barrenness of holy discourse, that sometimes may be something that hinders, but mostly the rea­son is, there wants matter within: We have reason to suspect, that 'tis from want of grace, rather than from want of utterance, that no more savoury, and spiritual, and useful words come from us.

A full heart will be the best help for a stammering tongue. Christians, let us get an increase of inward grace, let us get more of the holy spirit, of a spirit of life and love, and power within us, and our Friends and Acquaintance are like to hear of it oftner, and to bet­ter purpose, than they do. Poor creatures that we are, we are empty, we are empty. our insides have no good filling: Be ye filled with the spirit, faith the Apostle, Ephes. 5.18. speaking to your selves in Psalms, and Hymns, and spiritual Songs; and the more we speak thus to our selves, the more freely shall we speak to others: those that have but little grace, are but Babes in Christ, and Babes are but Infants, that can't speak; when the Infant is grown, then he will find his Tongue: In vain shall I exhort you to use your Tongues more for God, till you be nursed up from Children to more strength in grace: Would you e­ver come to be more fruitful and useful in your Gene­rations? this must be your way to it, get you more inward grace.

[Page 220]2. Let your [thoughts] be working more about holy things: Thinking makes way for speaking; what our thoughts run most upon, that ordinarily our Tongues will run upon. We cannot know each o­thers thoughts, but we may give a near guess at them, by the words that are spoken: Men whose thoughts are most in the Earth, that are still thinking of their Money, or thinking of their Trades, or their Pleasures; they can hardly forbear to be talking of these things: And if our thoughts were more of God, and of our Souls, of Religion, of Righteousness and Holiness, we should certainly have more of God and of Heaven in our Mouths. The Psalmist, who said, Ps. 119.46. I will speak of thy Testimonies, and will not be ashamed, said also, Ps. 119.97. My meditati­on is of thee all the day long.

Christians, get your thoughts to be well exerci­sed, be much in thinking, think of the goodness, and kindness, and holiness, and compassions of the Lord:, think of Christ, of his love, of his life, of his death, of his bowels, and everlasting kindness; think often what great things the Lord hath done for your souls; think what ye would that he should do for you: much thinking on God and his holy things, will leave an holy tincture on your hearts, will by degrees do much to the begetting holy habits and dispositions in you: The Lord uses to convey down much of his ho­ly Image and likeness upon the heart by the thoughts. Friends, such of you who find but little of the impress and image of God upon your hearts, pray consider it, if you be not too great strangers to the thoughts of God: How often in a day are your thoughts in Hea­ven? how very seldom is it, that you are seriously looking, either upwards or inwards? No wonder if your tongues be so silent of God, whilst your thoughts are such strangers from God.

[Page 221]Christians, I doubt there are many of us, that are much faulty here; that our thoughts are no more ta­ken up or working upon things spiritual and heaven­ly; we should make the thoughts of God more pre­cious and delightsom, and more familiar and ordinary with us: we should be able to say of our thoughts of God, as the Psalmist does, Ps. 139.17, 18. How preci­ous are thy thoughts to me, O God; how great is the summe of them? If I should count them, they are more in number then the sand. When I awake I am still with thee. Thus it was with that holy man, and thus it should be with us; we should be much with the Lord in our thoughts; but is it so with us? Friends, do but trace the goings of your souls, for one day to­gether, and ask your hearts in the evening, how much have I been with God this day? how often have I been looking Heavenwards? the Psalmists holy thoughts were so (many) that he could not count them, and it may be some of ours have been so (few) that we cannot count them; we can hardly remember any such thoughts we have had.

I know 'tis hard work to keep your thoughts well imployed, they will be wandering and roving more or less, do what you can; and you that observe your selves, cannot but know it your selves, how hard a work it is; and I am afraid that some of us, because 'tis so hard a work, will let it alone: if their thoughts will gad, and rove, let them gad whither they will; if they will not easily be gotten up to Heaven, let them even stay below, and so we let them take their own course, and run whither they will. I pray, Friends, this once; put your selves every one of you to it, and spend this one thought upon your selves; think which hath most of your thoughts, God or this World; must you not, if you speak truth, speak the quite contrary to what the Psalmist speaks? whilest he said, How pre­cious [Page 222] are thy thoughts to me, O God; how great is the summe of them? Must not you say, how irksom are thy thoughts to (me) O Lord, how small is the summe of them? this argues an evil temper: 'tis sure a car­nal frame your hearts are in, where spiritual thoughts are so rare and difficult: and I shall not wonder, that 'tis so hard to speak, where 'tis so hard to think of any thing that's good: nor shall I hope to prosper in my exhortation, to use your tongues better, till you be perswaded to exercise your selves to better thoughts.

Friends, if you would open your ears to the coun­sels I have given you from the Lord, and put your selves upon such holy thoughts, your ears would open your mouths. I know not what to say, to make my words to stick upon you, and to be reduced into pra­ctice: here I come and preach to you, and you come to hear, and then away, and quickly forget all, and scarce bestow (some of you) a serious thought upon it afterward. O will you be perswaded to try what you can do, to put upon a more thoughtful life; and if you would be once brought to it, to be more seri­ously thinking Christians, you would more easily come to it, to be more savourly speaking Christians. While I was musing, or thinking, saith the Psalmist, Ps. 39. the fire kindled, and then spake I with my tongue.

3. Get a zeal for the honour of Christ, and for doing him the best service you can. Consider often, where­fore hath the Lord made me, this living soul? Ps. 100.3. It is he that hath made us, and not we our selves. But wherefore hath he made us? v. 4, 5. that we should enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise; that we should be thankful unto him, and speak good of his Name. This we are made for; and wherefore am I redeemed? why was that precious bloud shed for me? for what was it that Christ died? 2. Cor. 5.15. That they which live should not henceforth [Page 223] live unto themselves, but unto him that died for them. Wherefore am I called, and sanctified, and separated from the ungodly World, by the Spirit of Christ? why was I not left out among the men of this world? wherefore is it, that I was not left among the Drunk­ards and Profane of the earth, among the Heathens and Infidels, amongst the blind and ignorant Multi­tude? wherefore is it, that I and my brethren in Christ, are called in, and are become a chosen genera­tion, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people, and not left out in common with the World? wherefore is all this? Why, 1 Pet. 2.9. that we might shew forth the vertues of him that hath called us out of darkness into his marvellous light. And then con­sider farther, what shall I do to answer these great ends? to serve the Lord, to live unto Christ, to shew forth his vertues and praises? how happy would it be for me, if I could serve to these holy ends. Is it not my duty thus to live? is not the Lord worthy whom I should serve? is not Christ worthy to whom I should live? what can I do better with my self, then to con­secrate my life to him? O this is a life for a Christi­an, O this is a life for the redeemed of the Lord, so to carry it in their whole conversation, that Christ may be magnified in them. O let my love, and my la­bour, and my care, let the strength of mine heart, let the ardent zeal of my soul be all spent upon this very thing, that Christ may be honoured and magnified in me.

Friends, what if we were brought to this pass, and wrought up to this holy zeal for Christ? what would it bring forth? would it suffer us to dwell in silence? the zeal of our hearts would open our lips, that our mouth would shew forth his praise; the tongue of the dumb would be loosed, the dumb would speak, and speak good of his Name; our delight would be to be [Page 224] speaking of our Beloved. Our excuses and pleas for our sinful silence are, O I am slow of speech, of a stam­mering tongue; I can't speak to any purpose, and therefore as good hold my peace: this may be some­thing, in some persons; but there's a worse cause lies at the bottom; thou dost not so much want a tongue to speak, as thou wantest an heart to speak. Hadst thou more love to Christ, more zeal for Christ within thee, this would open thy mouth: if thou canst but find thee an heart, thine heart would find thee a tongue: if thine heart were as big, and as hot as that holy Prophet was, Jer. 20. [...]. thou wouldest say as he did, I am weary of forbearing. I cannot hold, but I must speak; thou wouldst then be as weary of forbearing, as now thou art weary of speaking. Christians, get you such a zealous heart, let your hearts be once firmly set in you, to do Christ all the honour you can; be more heartily concern'd for the honour of his name, for the glory of his Kingdom, for having your hand in the propagating of his Gospel: Be more throughly possessed and even swallowed up of his love, be more firmly and more passionately devoted to his service, and I need say no more to you in this mat­ter, this would do it, this zeal of your hearts would put grace into your lips.

4. Get more pity and compassion to souls. Jude 22. the Apostle exhorting Christians, to be active for the good of souls, requires, On some have compassion, put­ting a difference; others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire. The meaning is, put a difference in your dealings, betwixt the weak and the willful; on the weak have compassion, deal more pittifully and more gently, and more tenderly with them, but more roughly with those that are willful; save them with fear, fright them out of the fire. Compassion must be either as a means for the restoring of sinners; [Page 225] and thus some must be dealt compassionately and ten­derly with, others more roughly: In this sense there must be compassion exercised towards the weak but not towards the wilfull; that is, we must deal gent­ly with the one, but not so, but must deal roughly with the others: Or else our compassion must be our motive to put us upon dealing with souls: And thus, on all we must have compassion, without making a difference; or if any difference be, the worst of sin­ners must be the object of our greatest compassion. We must have compassion on the most obstinate, and wilfull sinners, upon the wickedest of men; those that will have no compassion on you, if they have you in their power; those that have no compassion on themselves, and their own souls; those that are the most hardned in their sins, towards these especi­ally should be our great compassion; those who are in the greatest misery, in the greatest danger, are the greatest objects of compassion.

There should be compassion in the heart of a Chri­stian towards every sinner; though most to the great­est sinner, yet some compassion to every sinner, even to the sinning Saints that are amongst us; and this our compassion should be an argument fetch'd out of our own bowels, to press us to do the best we can for them. What was it that mov'd Christ, to engage so deep as he did, in saving of Souls? 'Twas his com­passion that mov'd him to it. Is. 63.9. In his love and his pitty he saved them: And such a one, a com­passionate one, it was requisite that our Highpriest and Redeemer should be; one that can have com­passion, on the miserable; and that which was Christs motive to do his part, must be our motive to do our parts, our compassion to souls; nor must we have compassion to sinners only, but one to another, 1 Pet. 3.8. Having compassion one of another.

O Friends, have compassion on one anothers souls, [Page 226] this will open your mouths. Dost thou see a com­pany of poor sinners, held in the snares of the Devil, running headlong to the pit, destroying and damning themselves with all their might? dost thou see a com­pany of blind sinners, of sick sinners, deadly sick, and ready to die of the plague of their hearts? dost thou see the Devil butchering and murthering so ma­ny, and dragging them on, one after another, as the Ox to the Slaughter? Where be thy bowels? hast thou no pity within thee towards such miserable ones? How canst thou say, I pity them, when thou wilt not speak a word to recover them out of their misery? how canst thou say, There's a poor drunk­ard, I pity him that he is so carried away, when thou wilt not speak one word to reform him? how canst thou say, There's a poor, blind, and ignorant soul, I pity his ignorance, when thou wilt not speak a word to instruct him? how canst thou say, There's a poor worldling, I pity him, to see how hee is eaten out of his worldly cares, when thou wilt not speak a word to convince him of his danger? and how canst thou say, concerning sinning Christians, it pities mine heart to see, how some of them do pine away, and consume; what backsliders they are, how cold and careless and dead-hearted they are: How canst thou say, I pity these backsliders, I pity these wasted and decayed souls, when thou wilt not speak a word, to remember them from whence they are fallen, and to help towards their recovery? If thou wouldst be faithful, who knows but thou mayest save poor, lost, and languishing souls? dost thou pity them notwith­standing? wilt thou say, thou hast no pity for them? thou art an hard-hearted one, thou hast shut up thy bowels against them, who shuttest up thy mouth, from yielding that help thou mightest for their reco­very. Be pitiful, Christians; pity poor drunkards, pity poor, blind, and hardned sinners, pity poor, [Page 227] lukewarm, and backsliding Professors; and in your pity, go speak to them; parents, pity your poor igno­rant rebellious Children; Husbands pity your poor carnal Wives, Masters pity your poor Families; eve­ry one of you, pity your poor carnal friends and ac­quaintance; and in your pity labour their Conversion and Salvation.

O the miserys of poor sinners souls cry in your ears, you that have the heart of a Christian, pity me. Whilst Sinners mouths are full of scorns at you, whilst they will laugh and mock at you, for any good they see or hear; yet the miserys their souls are in, cry for your pity, though some of them will reply to you, if you offer them a word to them about the danger of their states, what is that to you? look to your selves, meddle with your own business; yet still the more pity is to be shewd to them. If you would hear the voice of their misery (& bowels have ears to bear that voice) if you could hear the voice of their misery this would be it, O an undone, a lost, a perishing soul; a captive to the Devil, yea and not willing to be delivered, run­ning on upon mine own ruine, almost past recovery. Is it nothing to you that stand by? behold and see if there be any misery like my misery? O be neither deaf nor dumb to me: open your ears and hear the cry of my misery, and then open your mouths and tell me what I must do to be saved; but open your bowels first, and that will most effectually open your ears amd mouths.

5. Go always well provided. Get you well furni­shed with matter for holy discourse, the great hin­drance is the want of an heart, but in some, though they have a heart to speak, yet they are to seek for matter, they know not where to begin, Mat. 15.52. Every Scribe which is instructed to the Kingdom of Heaven, is like an housholder which brings forth out of his treasure, things new and old. Here 3 or 4 [Page 228] things: 1. Good men have a treasure within them; they are well furnished, and have in readiness for all holy uses: Vain men, 'tis no wonder they are vain in their discourses, they have it not in them to be o­therwise than they are; they are empty souls, and therefore have but barren lips. 2. Their treasure is laid in by instruction, by what they have received by instruction, by what they have learned and heard. 3. A good mans treasure is long a gathering; he hath within him, things new and old. 4. A good man doth retain his instruction; old things are not passed away with him; the things that he heard many years ago, they are still with him; he hath hid the word in his heart, as the Psalmist did, Ps. 119.11. and where he hides it there he finds it. Of Mary it's said, Luk. 2.51. that she kept all the sayings of Christ in her heart. 5. Out of this treasure in the heart it is, that he brings forth, for the use and benefit of others: His treasure, though it be hid in his heart, yet 'tis not bu­ried there, but there it lies, ready to be brought forth. Ps. 45.1. My heart is inditing a good matter, I speak of the things that I have made, concerning the King, my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Where observe: 1. He prepares what he had to speak: He did not speak quic quid in buccam, whatever came first to mind, but he meditates and thinks before he speaks. I speak what I have made, made ready for my tongue. 2. He is ready to speak what he had prepared; My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

For want of this provision and preparation, some men are dumb and silent, they have nothing to speak; other men, if they speak, speak nothing to purpose; to prevent both these, both sinful silence and imperti­nent speaking, this is the best course I can advise you to, go always prepar'd and well provided of what to speak: provide your selves,

1. From the Scriptures. When you read a Chap­ter, [Page 229] any special things you read, that may be of most and most frequent use, lay them up in your memo­ries; think with your selves, here's a word, that I may shortly have occasion to make use of, in my Fa­mily, or amongst others, and so remember it that you may have it in readiness against you have occasion.

2. From the Sermons you hear. I have told you for­merly, and now tell you again, that it would be a spe­cial means for the improvement of Ordinances, and a special help to holy discourse, if what you hear preached on the Lords Day, you would make the matter of your discourse the week following; hereby you may the more fix what you hear, in your own hearts, and hence you may be supplied with fresh matter, and so find holy discourse the less difficult to you. How you have observed this direction, since I formerly gave it you, whether you have put it in pra­ctice, I leave it to your consciences to judge. Friends, if you will not take the directions given you, and put them into practice, to what purpose are they preached to you? I therefore exhort you again to practise this useful direction, what you hear on the Lords Days, discourse of on the week days.

3. From your own experiences, of the dealings of God with your own souls, Ps. 66.16. Come and hear all ye that fear God, and I will tell you what he hath done for my soul. Self-observing Christians have many experiences by them, which may be much useful for others. You may be telling one another, what experiences you have had, of the workings of sin in you, and of temp­tations; and what experiences of the workings of grace, and of your victories over corruption and temp­tation, what comforts you have had, and how you come by them; what distresses and fears you have been under, and how you were relieved; what diffi­culties you have found in your work, how long you groaned under them, and how at length you overcame [Page 230] them. Many cases you may have been in, out of which much may be brought forth, for the benefit of o­thers, that are or may be in the same cases.

4. From the consideration of the company, that at such or such a time you may be like to be cast amongst. Some days, it may be, you may see your necessary business leading you amongst sinners: you must work with them, in the same field, or the same shop; or you must travel with them the same journey, and the like: these sinners, whom you foresee in the morning, you must converse with on the day, may be, they may be blind, or ignorant sinners, or profane and lewd sin­ners, or mocking and scoffing sinners; whatever tem­per they are of, the consideration of it, will give you an hint, what to provide: for the ignorant, you must go provided with words of instruction; for the pro­fane, with a word of reproof; for all sorts, such words as you judge most proper for their case, and most like to do their souls good.

Sometimes you may see, your converse is like to be among Christians; and then consider, whether they be weak Christians, and need your help, and what their weaknesses are, and go provided of a word ac­cordingly: a word of comfort to the troubled, a quickning word to the dead hearted, and slothful, a recovering awakening word to the backsliders, &c. or else they may be stronger and more judicious Christi­ans; & then your study should be, to go prepared with such questions, touching your own cases; touching any doubts, or fears, or spiritual wants, or difficulties you are under, that you might receive benefit from them.

These directions are all practicable, and may be exceedingly useful; it will cost you pains to inure your selves to this holy practice, but by pains taking a while, and the help of God with you, it may come to be more easie: and were it but seriously set on foot, and carefully carried on, you cannot easily imagine, [Page 231] what an advance to you it will be in the state of your own soul, and what a blessed expedient 'twill be, to pro­pagate religion where it is not, and to recover it where 'tis fallen, and to raise it where it is but low.

Well, this is the sum of all the Directions hitherto given, Go always with your bow bent, and your arrow upon the string; with an heart will disposed to speak, and a word ready to be spoken.

6. Take a right method, by which you may with the most ease attain to this holy use of your tongues. You will say, 'tis hard service, and so it is; but are you willing to try to come to it? Why what method will you prescribe to us that we may attain?

1. Begin this practice within your selves; speak of­ten to your own hearts, Ps. 4.4. Commune with your own hearts, maintain an holy discourse with your selves. The Cock doth first clap his wings on his own breast to awaken himself, and then he crows to awa­ken others: As the Apostle, Rom. 2.21. Thou that teachest another, teachest thou not thy self? Thou that wouldst instruct another, warn and awaken another, how canst thou do that, if thou dost not first instruct and awaken thy self? Mat. 7.5. Thou Hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly, to pull out the mote out of thy brothers eye. That's the complaint, Is. 64.7. There is none that stirreth up (himself) to take hold on thee. Stir up your selves in the first place, say to your own hearts, A­rise sleeper, there's a God before thee, there's a Christ before thee, there's a Gospel and a Covenant of Grace before thee; lay hold on this God, lay hold on this Covenant, walk worthy of the Lord, and be faithful in the Covenant of thy God. Speak thus to your own Souls, and discourse the matter, reason with them a­bout it, as the Psalmist reasons with his Soul, in his di­stress, Why art thou cast down, O my Soul? hope in God; so do thou reason with thy Soul, in thy deadness, or [Page 232] in thy hardness, or any other case thou art in: Why art thou lifted up, O my Soul! why so hardned? Fear God; why so proud? why so carnal? why so slothful? humble thy self, shake up thy self, quicken and rouze up thine own sleepy heart.

Brethren, here's the original, of all our neglects of our duties to others, our self-neglects, till we stir up our selves more carefully, we shall never do any thing to purpose at stirring up one another. Kindle an holy fire in your own breasts, set your own affections more strongly working upwards; if we can get up our own hearts, into a more serious lively frame, then there's hope we shall more effectually help up others.

2. Next set upon this holy practice in your Families. Inure your selves to be speaking of God among your own, with them you can be more free and bold. There's no such great difficulty for a Father to speak to his Children, for a Master to speak to his Houshold; and by speaking much to these, you will by degrees, grow more free and more able to speak to others. Fall therefore closer upon this practice; Fathers speak of­ten to your Children, Husbands speak often to your Wives, Wives speak to your Husbands, Masters speak to your Servants, Servants speak you one to another. Deut. 11.18, 19. These my words shall be in thine heart, and in thy soul— Speak them to thy self first, and then — ye shall teach them to your Children, speaking of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. Charity begins at home, and so must all Religion; Re­ligion must begin at home, in thine own heart first, and then in thine house, and thence thou wilt get more a­bility, and aptness to diffuse it abroad.

Consider, Beloved, how is it with you at your homes, upon this account? what Religion is there go­ing in your Families? how often do your Children, and your Servants hear any gracious words from you? [Page 233] O Friends, do all you can, to make all yours, Partakers of the Grace you have received. Is the word of the Lord in thine own heart? let your whole houshold hear oftner of it, as you sit at your Tables, as you sit at your fires, or are walking in your houses; 'tis not now any stated way of instruction, by reading the word, repeating Sermons, catechizing, &c. that I am dealing with you about, but that in a way of familiar discourse, you would be often dropping down some gracious words: Friends, have you a conscience towards God? What conscience is that, that will suf­fer you to live in the neglect of so known and necessa­ry a duty? can you with any conscience, withhold bread, or cloths from your own, with what conscience then, can you withhold counsel and instruction? will you make yours partakers of all you have in the world, only they shall have no benefit by the knowledge, or the grace you have received? Let your bowels in­struct you, to be kind to their souls; and if you will by any arguments be perswaded, to be thus kind to your own, you will thereby be prepared, and get such an holy habit, as will make it more familiar, and easie to you to live profitably amongst others.

Beloved, Hearken to me in this thing; will you hearken and try what you can do? if ever you would stand up in your Generations, as persons of any use, or serviceableness to Christ, and the interest of his Gospel; if you would not stand in the companies you come into, as insignificant Cyphers, or as dumb Idols, that have mouths and speak not, be perswaded to use your tongues to better purpose at your homes.

3. Next speak unto your Brethren and fellow Christi­ans, to those that fear the Lord. Mal. 3.16. Those that feared the Lord, spake often (one to another.) Ps. 66.16. Come to me (ye that fear the Lord) and I will tell you. We took sweet counsel together, said the Psal­mist, Ps. 55.14. That is, we that were the Friends of [Page 234] the Lord, or took our selves to be such, we consulted together, or counselled one another in the matters of God. It may be you may be more abashed, and afraid to speak to those that are without; you know not how they will take it; you doubt they may be dogs, that will tear and rend you; or at least that they may be swine, and trample under feet, and scorn and de­spise those holy words, you speak unto them; they may laugh at you, and scoff at your counsels: But now with your Brethren in the Lord you may be more free, in confidence that they will accept, and take in good part, the good words you speak, and will also be tender to you, and bear with your infirmities, if any be in speaking.

Labour for a more profitable converse, Christians with Christians, Believers with Believers; this will be more easie, because you may presume one another to be of the same Spirit; your good words will be unto them acceptable words, and the sense of that, will invite you to speak. Christians have mutual need one of another, to help each other in the Lord; and yet there is a great fault amongst us, that we are not thus mutually helpful. Like those foolish Quakers, we have too many of our silent meetings, (as to our main concern) scarce a serious or savoury word comes from us, when we meet together.

Christians, learn to amend this fault: Let us, as we have opportunity, edifie and build up one another in the most holy Faith. Jude 20. Let us consider one ano­ther, to provoke to love and to good works, Heb. 10.24. Friends, do not tempt one another, (as perhaps too often you do) to be vain as you are vain, to be carnal as you are carnal. Do not chil and damp each others spirits, by your carnal, and frothy, and impertinent discourses; but quicken one another, do what you can to whet and set an edge upon each others spirits, and holy affections. What have you nothing to talk of [Page 235] when you come together, but of your trades, and your fields, or of news, or of the weather, and such-like im­pertinences? Have you not a God? have you not Souls? have you not a Country, whether you are traveling? are you not upon a Journey to that blessed Land? have you not Friends and Kindred above, that are worth the speaking of? have you not enemies and temptations here below, an evil world to travel through, many corruptions and afflictions to conflict withal, and have you not need of mutual counsel, comfort, encouragement, and establishment one from another? How is it that you can find room for so much idle talk, when you have matters of such weight and moment to fill up your time? when do you use to return with most comfort, and satisfaction upon your spirits? when you have been vainly merry to­gether, or when you have been edifying one another in the most holy faith.

4. Then in the next place speak to those which are without, to poor sinners, that are yet in their sins. Ps. 51.13. Then will I teach transgressours thy ways, and sinners shall be converted unto thee. Your special work possibly, may lye amongst the houshold of faith, but as you have opportunity, you must do good to all, Gal. 6.10. All that need you must be made parta­kers of your spirituals, as well as of your temporal things: Those that fear God, it may be, may some­times hear some good words from you, but have you never a word for those that fear not God?

O pity your poor unconverted neighbours, and in your compassion, do what you can to pull them out of the fire; convince them of their sins, warn them of their miseries, perswade them back from the Devil, invite and allure them in to Christ; let them hear of­ten, of grace and sin, of heaven and hell, of death and judgment, from your lips. See how the compassions of the Church, work towards the Heathen world, [Page 236] Cant. 8.8. We have a little sister that hath no breasts, what shall we do for our sister? The poor Gentiles, they have no Scriptures, no Prophets, no Ordinances, no breasts of consolation; we have a poor sister that hath no breasts, what shall we do for her? they piti­ed the poor Gentiles, and in their pity, they consider what they might do for them. And why do not we carry it alike, to unconvered sinners? we have poor children, poor neighbours, that have no eyes, no heart; that have no Christ, no knowledge, no grace; poor blind neighbours, poor hardned ones, poor lost and un­done souls; O what shall we do for these poor chil­dren and neighbours? have I never a word to speak, that might do them good? shall I be silent to them, whilest I see them perishing for want of instruction? Christians, have you the light with you? are there the words of wisdom and instruction with you? is there ever a word of grace, hid and laid up in your hearts, O keep it not in, withhold it not from poor perishing souls; speak to poor sinners, affright them, from their sins, provoke them to repentance, perswade them to pray, to hear, to read, to consider, and to turn from the evil of their ways; and who knows what such words might do to their conversion and salvation?

Thus for the directions for the performance and managing of this holy practice.

2. The argument that I shall use to perswade you to it, shall be, from the advantage of this practice for the reviving and improving our own souls in the grace of God. The advantage will be great,

1. From our necessary preparations to this duty I have told you, that 'tis necessary to the better performance of this duty, to get your own hearts well furnisht with grace, to live more in the affecting thoughts of God; to get a zeal for Christ, to do him all the honour you can; to get more compassion to souls: without these things, whatever our attempts are, to converse more [Page 237] profitably and spiritually one with another, we shall make nothing of it; and these our preparations are our improvements.

2. From the practice of this duty. Holy discourse will keep our graces in action. 'Tis for want of action that our talents grow rusty; by rubbing up the spirits of our brethren, we shall whet our own. Though the edge of your knife will be blunted by long cutting, 'tis not so here, the edge of your spirits will grow keener by use; your very work will be instead of a Whetstone.

Who is like to grow rich in this world, he that lets his stock lie dead by him, or he that puts it to use, or imploys it in trade? those that occupied with their talents, Luke 19.13, &c. made this return, Thy pound, Lord, hath gained ten pounds, says one; thy pound hath gained five pounds, saith another; but what could he say, that bound up his talent in a napkin? what greater encouragement to diligence in trading, then the hope of increase? the hope of the in gathering of the Husbandman, is his encouragement in his more plen­tiful scattering in sowing. He that soweth plentifully shall reap plentifully, 2 Cor. 9.6. and therefore, Blessed are they that sow beside all waters, Is. 32.20. the com­municative Christian is sowing where ever he comes, and where ever he sows, thence shall he also reap, and gather his sheaves into his own bosom.

Christians, you say you have but little grace, and 'tis like enough you say true: but would you have more? go forth to sow with that little you have. The more you scatter, the more you are like to gather. Would you have more love, and life, and power to serve and glorifie the Lord? be more diligent, in shed­ding abroad what you have Resolve, no longer to keep your Religion to your selves, put not your light under a bushel, put it on a candlestick, that it may give light to others, and God will increase both your light and your life. 'Tis to little purpose, onely to think of [Page 238] hearing more, or of praying more for a better heart, this alone, will never do; converse more like Christians, then ye shall be every day more Christians then ye are Learn of sinners; Drunkards converse like Drunk­ards, Rioters converse like Rioters, profane hearts have ever a profane converse; what do their tongues run of? what is their talk, when they come together, but of their cups, and their harlots, and their sports? and what is their ordinary fruit? why, hereby they not onely propagate their own wicked­ness in others, one Drunkard makes another, and he another, and these more; but also, they every one, improve their own cursed stock; fomenting, and heat­ing, and stirring up their own hearts lusts, and so make themselves twofold more the children of hell then be­fore. Christians, learn of these brutes; do Drunkards converse like Drunkards, do Worldlings converse like Worldlings, do profane hearts use themselves to pro­fane converses? and do you not see how mightily they grow, and improve hereby in their wickedness? what should this teach you? but that Christians con­verse like Christians. Let your Religion be the busi­ness of your communion, and then look for as much advance to your souls in godliness, by this holy con­verse, according as you see sinners to thrive in wicked­ness, by their wicked conversing one with another.

You see, Friends, I have been somewhat large in this direction, but is there not need of more words than these? is not this holy practice sadly let fall amongst us? doth not the world, something or other of it, ei­ther quite shoulder it out, or thrust it into a narrow room? Our heads are so full, and our hearts are so full, and hence our mouths are so full of carnal things, that there's little room left, for a few words of God, and the things of eternity to be interposed: And O what is the fruit? sure that dreadful fall, which is so visible, in the spirit and the whole practice of piety, is [Page 239] both the mother and the off-spring of this grievous ne­glect; we are fallen sick, and therefore are so speech­less; and then we spend and waste more and more by silence: Whilst sick bodies waste by speaking, sick souls waste more by silence.

What shall I say farther in this matter? The Lord heal a poor, barren, languishing people, the Lord touch our hearts with a coal from his Altar, and then touch our lips with a coal from our hearts. Brethren, I hope you come hither to learn your duty, and I hope you have a conscience, that will put you upon the pra­ctice of what you learn; have you yet learn'd, what an advantage 'tis to have lips of knowledge, and what a duty 'tis, that your speech be with grace? Remember what your Master said, John 13.17. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. I would not, that a man of you should be so unhappy, as to know and not to do. Do you know and believe, that holy communica­tion would be an advance to your religion? then what shall be your practice in this matter? have you a ton­gue for the world, a tongue for your flesh, and no ton­gue for God and your Souls? O might I hear that word from your mouths, thy word, O Lord, is within me as fire, I am weary of forbearing, I will speak that I may be refreshed; Lord open thou my lips, and my mouth shall shew forth thy praises.

6. Put upon stirring duties. I shall mention only two.

1. Prayer. 2. Fasting and Prayer.

1. Prayer. Prayer in the text is noted to be a stirring duty; there's none that stirreth up himself, there's none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself. Had they prayed, and prayed as they ought, this would have stirred them up, or have been their stirring up them selves, to take hold of God: But neglecting to pray, they therein neglected to stir up themselves.

Prayer is a stirring duty. 1. 'Tis to stir up the Lord to their help, Ps. 35.23. Stir up thy self and awaken to [Page 240] my judgment, my God and my Lord. Ps. 80.2. O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep, thou that dwellest between the Cherubims, shine forth, stir up thy strength, and come to save us. The God of Israel some­times seems to be, as Elijah once said mocking, of that false God Baal, 1 Kings 18.27. It may be he is asleep, and must be awakened. Though he be the keeper of Israel, and never slumbreth nor sleepeth, yet he sometimes carries it towards them, as if he were asleep, and expects to be awakened by their cries up­on him.

2. Especially, prayer is for the stirring up our sel­ves. There is a sort of praying, dull, and cold, and for­mal praying, that's good for nothing, but to lay our souls asleep. When conscience begins to stir, and run upon sinners, and fright them for their neglect of God, then they will to their prayers and blind devotions; and this must serve them, as a charm to allay and quiet conscience, as Davids Musick did, to drive away that evil spirit, that vexed Saul. Some sinners consciences will not let them be quiet, but dog them, and haunt them, and fright them into something of religion; they dare not live without calling upon God, their consci­ences will not suffer them to be quiet, under a total neglect, and thereupon something must be done, which they can call praying, and then they are at ease, and can go on quietly in their sins, without trouble or di­sturbance; these mens praying serves them for no­thing, but to lull them asleep in their sins.

But prayer rightly performed will stirr and awaken; prayer is said to be, a striving with God, Rom. 15.30. a wrestling with God, Gen. 32, 24. and this is our most effectually striving with God, and wrestling with God, our striving and wrestling with and stirring up our own hearts. Praying is not the saying of some good words but [Page 241] the calling up all our powers, to come in and joyn in seeking the Lord. That you may particularly un­derstand what a stirring duty Prayer is, consider,

1. That in Prayer, we set our selves under the Eye of the great and mighty God of Heaven and Earth. It is a drawing night unto God, a lifting up our Eyes to the Everlasting hills, a presenting our selves before the throne of God, the throne of his Grace; a setting all the Attributes of God be­fore our Eyes, his Allmightiness, his Allsufficiency, his infinite greatness, dreadfulness, goodness and grace, which all make up that fearful Name, the Lord our God, Deut 28.58. and sure Friends, such a sight of the glorious and dreadful God, will be a stirring sight.

2. In Prayer we come to deal with God, about all the wonderful and astonishing things of Eterni­ty; we are to have eternal life and death in our Eye, when we pray; and what will stir us, if Eter­nity, if a sense that we are now treating with the Eternal God, about the eternal things, will not? O a sense of this, that we are begging for our lives, begging for our immortal Souls, begging the ever­lasting Kingdom, seeking our escape from the ever­lasting Fire, a deep sense of this upon our hearts will awaken them.

3 In Prayer there is a ripping open all the affright­ning Evils that are in our Hearts. Confession unbow­els the Soul, and fetches up all the filth and rotten­ness of the Heart, lays open all the deadly Diseases that are in the Heart; every wicked thought, and fil­thy lust, and vile affection; all the falshood and Hy­pocrisie, all the pride and malice, and envy, and fro­wardness of the Heart, are in our confessions brought forth, and laid open before the Lord. The Devils are rouz'd that lodged within us, and were taken [Page 242] too little Notice of; and all the hazard and danger that our Souls are in, by these our wickednesses, will in our confessions be made to stand before our Eyes, and there cannot be such a discovering of our wicked Hearts, and our danger that we are in, but it will affright and awaken us.

4. Prayer is the uniting of all our powers, and the engaging them all, in seeking the Lord. It strains every string, it bends all our forces upon the duty; it sets all our faculties, our understandings, our memories, our wills, our affections, our con­sciences on work; as the Psalmist; Ps. 103.1. Bless the Lord, O my Soul, and all that is within me, bless his Holy Name; Pray to the Lord, O my Soul, and all that is within me, call upon his Name. Prayer is not tongue-work, or knee-work, but Soul-work; bless the Lord, O my Soul; and 'tis not a peice of an Heart, one string of the Instrument, but every string must be strained and struck up; understand­ing, memory, will, affections, all must joyn, all that is within me, bless his holy Name. All our faculties, and all our graces, our faith, our love, our hope, our desires, whatever we have of God within us, all must be called forth to joyn in seeking of him.

5. Prayer is not only the employing and exer­cising our Souls, with all their faculties and graces, but the putting them forth to the height; not only the striking every string, but the straining every string to the height; the word in the original, which is translated Acts. 12.5. Prayer without ceasing, signifies, instant, earnest Prayer; or more properly, according to the notation of the word, strained Prayer, prayer stretched out; and this is that pray­ing which is stirring praying, the pouring forth our Soul in Prayer. With my Soul have I desired thee, Is. 26.9. the straining and working up all within [Page 243] us, every faculty and grace of our Hearts, to the height; the stirring up all our strength in the work; this is that Praying instantly, required Rom. 12.12. that praying fervently. Jam. 5.16. that crying, and crying mightily unto God, unto which the Scriptures promise Audience.

Now when Prayer hath thus rouzed up our sleepy Souls, set all our Faculties and Graces a stirring with­in us, and so gotten an heat in the heart, by the joynt and vigorous exercise of all within us, in the duty, when we have prayed our Souls awake, and all our Graces awake, and our Heart is waxen hot within us, we are therein prepared and put in a readiness and disposedness to, and shall feel our selves bent upon, the practise of every holy duty, in our whole course.

This therefore is my next direction; put upon Praying, and such stirring Praying. Go set the Lord and all his Glory before your Eyes, and get a sense of eternity upon your Hearts; rip open and lay forth to the light, all that filthiness and garbage, and rottenness that is within you; bend all within you to seek the Lord, and go cry unto him, and cry so loud, that your own Souls may be awakened by your cry. Strive so with God in prayer, wrestle so with the Almighty, that your own Soul may find its Hands and Legs. Friends, do not neglect Prayer, and do not deceive and undo your selves by your Prayers, do not pray your Souls asleep, do not pray your consciences asleep, but awaken them.

'Tis a miserable thing to consider, how little some Professors are in secret Prayer; sometimes they pray, and sometimes they can't tend it; their Closet is so seldom visited, that it may be said of the very way to it, as of the way to Zion, Lam. 1.4. the [Page 244] ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the so­lemn Feasts. The Grass grew upon their paths, be­cause they were so little trod. It is a miserable thing that there is so little praying, such seldom Praying as there is; but a worse Evil then this, is that that little which is, is worth nothing; we go to Pray, many of us, as if we had a mind to mock God, and provoke him to his Face, we go to this duty, as if we had a mind to lay our Souls to sleep, rather then to stir up and awaken them; 'tis no wonder there is no more light in our Paths, when there is no more life in our Duties; 'tis no wonder there are so many grey Hairs on the Head, so many wrinkles in the Face of our Religion, when it is so cold at the Heart; when our secret recesses and re­tirements to God, are so Heartless and Spiritless; 'tis no wonder that Sin and Lust and vanity do so swell and abound, that Grace and Holyness do so sink and disappear in our conversations, when that which should kill Sin, and keep Grace alive (the Soul of Duty) is so little to be found.

Friends, if ever you would recover the beauty of your ways, begin in Secret, revive the power of Duty; pray constantly, pray frequently, and be fer­vent in Prayer; pray and strive with God in Pray­er; pray and strive with your own hearts in Prayer, pray and wrestle against the Devil, and the World, and your Sins in Prayer; such praying would make the nest too hot for the Devil, and your Sins; such Praying would cure your colds; such praying in the Morning, might be a means to keep you warm for all day, and such praying in the Evening, would make you awake warm the next Morning.

Therefore Friends, pray hearken to the Word of the Lord; hearken to me in this thing, put your selves to it, put upon constant secret Prayer, and [Page 245] put upon such stirring Prayer, such instant and im­portunate Prayer; what say you, will you do it! will you hearken to me in this thing! I tell you Friends, if I may but prevail with you in this one thing, if you will obey and practise this one dire­ction, this will make all the rest to prosper, you will deny me in nothing, if you will but grant me this; and if you deny me here, if you will go on to satis­fie your selves with cold and perfunctory Devoti­ons, if you will not set to it to be lively and vigo­rous in your secret duties, I shall look upon all else that I have said, as lost, and that which will come to nothing; and therefore pray consider with your selves, what you mean to do in this thing; will you begin this night? go not to pray as at other times, but put on upon the life of the duty, and then I shall hope to see a blessed and a visible change upon the whole frame and face of your con­versation. What say you therefore, will you do it! I am in great earnest with you in this thing, since the success of all that I have said, to the reco­vering the decaying interest of Religion among you, depends so much upon this one thing, and therefore once again, I pray deny me not; and that you may not deny me, take particular notice of this one word more, that I shall add, remember these words anon in the Evening; when you are going to Pray, then remember what I have now spoken from the Lord to you, and accordingly set your Hearts to it, and the Lord grant you the presence of his gracious and Almighty Spirit, to help you herein, to the praise of his Grace, and the comfort and advantage of your Souls.

For the more effectual fixing of this direction upon you, and for your improvement by it, I shall here remember you of two Directions, which I [Page 246] have formerly Preached and published.

1. Be so earnest and intent in this duty, that you may feel your hearts enlarged, in the lively actings and exercise of Grace, and so raised and warmed by your sensible communion with God, as may put you into a spiritual and heavenly frame, that if it be possible, you may come off your knees in a bet­ter and more lively disposition of soul, than you had in your entrance upon your duty.

Do not satisfie your selves with the work done, but let your aims and endeavours be, to get some­thing more of God, that you may have to carry away with you, when you depart; that you may come out of your Closets, as Moses came down from the Mount, Exod. 34.39. whose face did shine, and was a token, that he had been conversing with God. O let there at such times, be a shining and a burning light raised up within you; come from your duties as men coming out of Heaven, with the very Sun-beams shining in your countenances, and with some tincture of Heaven upon your spirits. We come many times with no other spirits from our duties, than we come out of our Shops or Fields; with no more sense and favour of God, than if we had never been near him. O 'tis a sign that thou hast but trifled in thy duties, that thou neither hadst, nor much mindedst to have communion with God in it; certainly sincere communion with God, will leave some divine impressions behind it. Well, every time you go to pray, put hard for it, to get you into such a divine and spiritual frame before you have done.

2. Whatever better or more spiritual frame you are gotten to in duty, be careful to maintain it, and keep it alive afterwards. See to it, that your spirits do not presently sink and cool, and grow dull and car­nal [Page 247] again, when you have been thus quickened and spiritualized; hath there been an holy fire kindled in you? O keep it burning, keep it flaming, and let it not be covered over with ashes; get your hearts to be alive in your duties, and keep them alive from duty to duty. In the Old Testament, though their Sacrifices were offer'd but morning and evening, yet the fire that kindled them, was not to go out night nor day; there must be fire kept alive from the morning Sacrifice, to kindle the even­ing Sacrifice, and fire left from the evening to kindle the morning Sacrifice; O Friends, how often is it, that though at our morning Sacrifice a fire be kind­led, that it's quenched and lost before the evening, through the carelesness and negligence of our hearts; Sin and the World have a whole days time to quench and put out, what an hours duty hath been kindling, and so at the return of our duty-seasons, we find our hearts at the same loss, in the same deadness and hardness as before. Beloved, these two Directions, of getting up our hearts into a lively frame in duty, and of keeping up that holy frame from duty to duty, though there be some difficulty, and it will cost you pains to practise them to purpose, yet the advantage you will hereby gain, will be abundantly worthy all your pains; and therefore I pray remember them; if you do in good earnest intend an advancing in Religion, let these two Directions be before your eyes every day; you have them preached to you, and you have them written for your use, the Lord write them upon your hearts, and hold them before your eyes. This course will be as the whetting our Instruments, and keeping them keen for our work; how much work may be done, and with much more ease, by a cut­ting than a blunted Instrument. Eccl. 10.10. If the [Page 248] Iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, he must put to more strength; 'twill cost you much more pains to make any work in your Religion, whilst your edge is blunted; a dull heart will do little, and that little, not without much pains. By the course prescribed whet your spirits, and keep them with a good edge, and then all your work will be the more easily carried on. To this I shall add,

3. Let your prayers be pursued in your practice. Whatever Grace you pray for, whatever Sin you pray against, follow after the one, and fight against the other, in your daily practice: Let Prayer and Practice joyn hand in hand, and both drive the same way. Think not you have done your whole days work, when you have prayed morning and evening; Religion must be the business of your whole time; ( be thou in the fear of the Lord, be thou at the work of the Lord, all the day long, Prov. 23.17.) and not the business of an hour or two. When you have been praying for an heavenly mind, that God would help you to live in the spirit, to set your affections on things above, to have your con­versation in Heaven; when you have ended your Prayer, what should ye now do? Why then to thinking on heavenly things; let your thoughts run upon and be working more throughout the day, upon these holy things; to pray for an heavenly mind, and never to think more of heavenly things, all the day long, till you come to pray again, what will such praying come to? When you pray for a willing, obedient and fruitful life, what should you do? Go and take pains with your hearts, to bring them on, and to hold them close to your several duties. When you have been praying against Sin, for power over a proud heart, or a froward heart, or a covetous worldly heart, what should you now [Page 249] do? Why then set your watch against your sins; take heed of every proud thought, of every froward word; take heed and beware of all covetous pra­ctices; set your selves to the mortifying of these sins, to restraining your selves from the actings of them, to pray against pride, or to pray against covetous­ness, and as soon as you have done, to leave your hearts loose for them, to carry it as proudly, or as frowardly as before, to be as busie for the world, as eager in hunting after it; what's this but to set your Prayers and your Practices together by the ears, to destroy the things you have been building, to destroy by your Practices, what you have been building by your Prayers? And whilst this hath been the voice of your Prayer, Lord, deliver me from a proud, or froward, or covetous heart, your Pra­ctices say, I care not whether this Prayer be heard or no; I had rather be let alone and left under the power of them. If ever you would that your pray­ing should come to any thing, let your Prayers and Practices drive the same way. Let it not suffice you, to pray for a more gracious and fruitful heart and life, to pray for a more mortified heart, a more self-denying course, but set to it to put your Pray­ers into practice. Let the stream of your care, the stream of your endeavours, run the same way with the stream of your prayers and desires; and that's the stirring Prayer I would have you give your selves to, such as may effectually overpower the stream and course of your life, and carry it on ac­cording to the stream of your Prayers.

O Friends! If of all that I have said, these three last words might be remembred and observed; if in every Prayer you henceforth make, you would diligently strive to get you up into a spiritual and lively frame. If 2. you would carefully maintain [Page 250] this blessed frame afterwards, from duty to duty. If you would 3. set to the practice of those things you pray that God would enable you to, what do you think would be the success? O what a cure would be wrought! O what a blessed change might we expect, to appear upon you and all your Religion!

2. Fasting and Prayer. In the former particular I spake of Prayer, as an ordinary duty, here as an extraordinary, as annexed to that extraordinary du­ty of Fasting and Humiliation. We may say of that evil spirit, that Spirit of slumber and of a deep sleep that's fallen upon us, as Christ said of that Devil, Mat. 17.21. This kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. Extraordinary Diseases must have extraor­dinary Remedies.

Hitherto I have spoken mostly to our personal Cases, now I shall speak with more respect to the publick Case of our People and Age, and shall di­rect you,

1. How you may most effectually stir up a spirit of Prayer, in your days of Humiliation.

2. How you may most successfully perform this duty.

1. How you may most effectually stir up a spirit of Prayer in your days of Humiliation. And so,

1. There's something in the very abstinence, that con­duceth to the stirring up the spirit of Prayer. Absti­nence is pinching upon the flesh, and should be so much, in such days, as may afflict the body first, and thereby the soul. The abstinence of a Fast, should be afflicting abstinence, as far forth as the bo­dy will bear it, without prejudice to its health, and so becoming an hindrance rather than a furtherance of the duty.

There's a two-fold failing too common in our days of Humiliation.

[Page 251]1. In the time: Mostly what we call a Day of Humiliation, comes to no more but a few Hours of Prayer. It's said of a Fast, Lev. 17.31. It shall be a Sabbath of Rest to you, that is, 1. It was to be a whole day, as a Sabbath is. 2. It must be wholly spent in the proper exercises of it, a Sabbath of Rest it must be in this extraordinary duty, there must be a laying aside our ordinary works, and the whole time spent either in the publick or private worship of the day. How seldom is it that we hear of such a Fast! Some Hours, as I said, we some­times spend together in seeking the Lord; but when do we keep a Day to the Lord? The morning of the day, is usually as other mornings; we are as bu­sie at our Callings, and may be, more busie to di­spatch our work out of hand; and so come hot out of our shops and fields, with our heads full, and hearts full of our worldly affairs, and as soon as ever the Publick Duty is over, then away to our work again. Is it such a Fast the Lord hath chosen? will ye call this a Day of Humiliation?

Christians, 'tis well that you spend some Hours of Prayer, but call not That a Day of Humiliation; when ever you set apart a Day for Fasting, let it be a Sabbath of Rest to you: begin it in secret, and separating your selves from all your unnecessary ordinary works, hold you to the duty of the day, (as your strength will bear it) to the end of the day. Let the private part of it, both before and af­ter Publick Exercises, be spent as your Lord's days are, in suitable converses with God. Were this more observed, we might expect more of Spirit and of Power in the duty, and more Fruits afterward.

2. There is also a failing in the Abstinence of the Day. How often have I known it, that the Absti­nence in a day of Humiliation, hath been no more [Page 252] than the sparing of one Meal, which hath been made up by a larger Break-fast, and perhaps a Feast, at least a full Meal at Supper? and sometimes, in the intervals of the duties, Wine, Cake, Sweet-meats, Tobacco, and such like refreshments, are allowed and used. No particular Rules for the degree of Abstinence can be prescribed to all sorts of persons, but this should be observed in the general; 1. That there be such Abstinence used both as to quantity and quality) as may best subserve the Spiritual du­ties of the day, especially that of afflicting the Soul; and therefore 2. That not only our full Meals be forborn, but no Wine or strong Drink, &c. no not so much as a Pipe of Tobacco be allowed, for the present pleasure or refreshment of it: This latter, concerning the use of Tobacco, I the more particu­larly mention, because I suppose it is not so much thought on; many of those that use it much, find great pleasure in the use of it, and it may be can give no good account of their present need of it, and yet will use it at such times. If it be really needed, as in some cases it may, and by some per­sons, let it be used: But if Daniel would eat no pleasant Bread, nor Flesh, nor Wine came into his mouth, Dan. 10.3. If the Jews be reproved, Is. 58.3. that in the day of their Fast they find their plea­sure, then any thing taken as an exhilarating re­freshment, which is not necessary to the present duty, is a transgression.

Well, this will be something towards the stirring us up in Prayer, self-afflicting Abstinence.

2. Especially, a deep consideration of the case we are in, will most effectually do it: Qui nescit orare, discat navigare; Tempests will teach even profane Mariners to pray; if any thing will do it, afflicti­ons will fetch out our very hearts in our Prayers, [Page 253] and is not iniquity an affliction? Sure if it be, we are in an afflicted state; for consider a little again, how grievously iniquity doth abound! I shall not now lead you a voyage over the Seas, and remem­ber you how 'tis abroad; how the Devil drives al­most all the world before him, filling them with all unrighteousness, and what a small handful there are that follow Christ, and how very little of seri­ous Religion or Christianity, and how much iniqui­ty there is in those few.

Let us at present inquire, how 'tis with us at home; may we not take the words of the Text in­to our mouths, and complain, We, even we are all as an unclean thing, and our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; we fade as a leaf, and our iniquities like the wind are taking us away. Who can say, Mine heart is clean, I have kept me from mine iniquity? who of us will not say, My righteousness is as a filthy rag? Or if any will not say thus concerning themselves, must not we say it for them and of them? To put in but a word of the profane Rout, the open enemies of Religion and Righteousness, whose wickedness hath left the shade of the twilight, and the covert of the night, and who are grown up to that impu­dence, as to shew their shame in the Sun-light; not to speak much neither of their Prophets and Tea­chers, amongst whom (though through mercy there are that deal faithfully, yet) some of them can­not, others will not tell them of their transgressions, or heal their hurt; what Snuffs are there in some of the Candlesticks? what dark Lanthorns are many of those, that should be burning and shining lights? Seers without eyes, lame Leaders, sickly Healers of the hurt of the daughter of our people; such some of them are, as if God had said concerning us, as Mi­cah 2.11. If any man walking in the spirit of falshood, [Page 254] do lie and do prophesie of wine and strong drink, he shall be even the Prophet of this people. To let these pass also, let us consider how 'tis with the Sinners in Zion, with those of us who profess to have separated themselves from the follies and filthinesses of the Land, to the Law of their God; may not even these also complain, Even we are as an unclean thing, our filthiness is still in our skirts. What is our Re­ligion? what is our Righteousness? what a totter'd maimed thing is it? Ah, how little Religion is there in our Religion? how little of the Spirit, how little of the power, how glorious soever the form appears? How much unrighteousness is there min­gled with our righteousness? is not our Gold mix'd with Dross, and our Wine with Water? What a spirit of vanity, what hypocrisie, pride, headiness, censoriousness, peevishness, is there to be found, and all cryed up for Religion? What wood, and hay, and stubble is there built upon the founda­tion? Christians and yet carnal, Christians and yet earthly, and sensual, having not the Spirit, how much soever of the Name of Religion in them?

And amongst them that were once better, how many are there that must go on with the complaint, and confess, we all do fade as a leaf, we wither, and wast, and consume, and are even dried away? And it is not here and there a fading leaf; does not the Tree fade? so that 'tis but here and there a leaf, that is not wither'd away. Were it only a few back­sliding persons, the matter were not so sad; but is it not a backsliding Age, may we not be called a backsliding People, for the multitude of Backsliders that are amongst us? scarce living enough to serve for mourners over the dead.

As I said in the beginning, were it only the Wil­derness and Commons of the world, and the Tents [Page 255] of the uncircumcised that we had to complain of, it were sad enough; but O the Field of the Lord, his Floor, his Fold, his Family, his Vineyard! What tares are there in his Fields? what a deal of Chaff in his Floor? what a general bane and rot is there a­mong his Flock, few sound ones left? What an Ho­spital is his House, of blind, and lame, and sick Souls? what wild Vines do fill up his Vineyard?

Friends, should you see your own Houses fallen into ruinous heaps, your fruitful Fields become a prey to the Locusts and the Caterpillars, your Flocks dy­ing away of the rot; if you should see among your poor children, that were once strong, beautiful, healthful, hopeful, one bewitched into a Change­ling, another a Cripple, another a Lunatick, a Fool or Idiot, others possessed of a Devil, O how would such a sight rend your bowels, and tear the very caul of your heart? And is not this lamentable case, the case of the Houshold of God?

But is this all? may we not go on with the com­plaint? And yet there is none (very few) that calleth upon thy Name, that stirreth up himself to take hold on Thee. O what hard work have the poor Ministers of Christ to stir any of these miserable Souls, to bring them to their senses, to bring them to their knees, to awaken them to seek out after their recovery! They will not stir up themselves, no they will not be stirred up by us, by all our cries and callings up­on them; though we call upon them, yet we can­not bring them to it, to call upon God. Some of them will not be brought to know their disease, and those that can't but know it, yet will not consider it, [Page 256] nor concern themselves so much about it, as to seek their cure, but there (poor wretches) they lye, dy­ing away in their sleep themselves, and every one infecting others with the same Lethargy, and going on to rock one another, till even a whole Countrey become a generation of Sleepers.

How often have I heard, some of these sleepy Souls, complaining of this dull and declining age, and yet have not had the Heart to say, am not I one of the sleepers! how many have I known, that have confessed their own declinings, and yet away they go, and quickly forget their own con­fessions; and to day is with them as yesterday, and to morrow is like to be as to day. O England, Eng­land, thou which wert once, as Jerusalem, great among the Nations, and Princess among the Provinces, how art thou fallen? where is thy Glory? thou hast the light still with thee, but where is the love, and the life? where is thy beauty, (the beauty of Holyness) where is thy zeal and thy strength? what are thy Sabbaths, and thy solemn meetings and or­dinances become to thee, but even as a miscarrying Womb and dry Breasts? how few Children are brought forth within thee, and how many of them that are ready to famish at thy feet?

What silly Doves, without an Heart; what wan­dring stars, hollow vessels, what sounding brass and tinkling Cymbals, are most of those become, who boast themselves to be thy Glory? thou hast a few names, who have not defiled their garments, nor stained their Glory, nor reproached the Name of their God, but Lord how few!

How sadly is that Scripture fullfiled in thee. 2 Tim. 3.1. &c. have not those perillous times over­taken thee, wherein Men are, lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to [Page 257] Parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce-brakers, false accusers, or make-bates, inconti­nent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, Heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more then lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. O how art thou fallen?

Yea, and whither art thou falling? thy righteous­ness is become as filthy rags, the yoke of thy trans­gressions is bound upon thee, they are wreathed and come upon thy Neck; thou art faded like a leaf; and dost thou not see, that thine iniquities like the wind are taking thee away? thou mayest say this day, where is my beauty? where is my Glory? and how suddenly mayest thou be forced to take up this for thy lamentation,

O now, where is my God! for these things I weep, mine Eye mine Eye, runs down with water, because the comfort that should relieve me is gone far from me. How hath the Lord covered me with a cloud in his an­ger, and cast down from Heaven to Earth, the beauty of England, and remembred not his foot-stool in the day of his anger? the Lord hath swallowed up all the habita­tions of Jacob, and hath not pityed; he hath brought us down to the ground; he hath polluted the Kingdom, and the Princes thereof; he hath cut off in his fierce an­ger, the Horn of England, and he burneth against it, like a flaming fire, which devoureth round about. He hath violently taken away his tabernacle, he hath de­stroyed his places of the Assembly; he hath caused the solemn Feasts and Sabaths to be forgotten, he hath cast off his Altar, he hath abhorred his Sanctuary, he hath given me up into the hands of the Enemy, and made me a desolation.

Friends, open your Eyes and see, if the Symp­toms of such desolation, be not visible amongst us; go into the City, go into the Villages; go into the Sanctu­ary; [Page 258] go into our Habitations, and see if Death be not come up into our windowes, and desolation ready to enter; how is it, that you that have the Hearts of Christians, your mouths should not be sounding with such Lamentations, My bowels, my bowels, I am pained at my very Heart, my Heart maketh a noise within me, mine Eyes do fail with tears, my Liver is poured out; O that my Head were waters, and mine Eyes were a foun­tain of tears, that I might weep day and Night, for the fal­len daughter of my People.

O do not now any longer go about to palliate or mince the matter; O let not the blind Eye, or the hard Heart, whilst it goes about to excuse, aggra­vate our Sin and our shame. Our diseases are too great to be palliated, and too many to be hid. He is a stranger in our Israel, that sees not how deadly sick we are.

Friends consider it, and make not light of it; pon­der the state we are in, and give not over, till your Hearts break and bleed within you, and so go and pray before the Lord. Methinks it should stir you; O when ye go to pray, carry a deep sense upon your Hearts, and hear the cry in your Ears, of the Sin and the misery of those you are praying for. Hear the cry of the poor blind and hardned Sinners amongst us; these stones cry out, their (misery does) let fall a tear over us, lift up a Prayer for us; Hear the cry of your Enemies, who curse you, and persecute you for Religion sake; their case calls upon you, bless us that curse you, pray for us that despitefully use you, and persecute you; hear the cry of your brethren in the Lord, especially your Sin-sick brethren, your Soul-sick brethren, your decayed and back­sliding brethren; do not their cases cry loud in your Ears, Help, help us, by your Prayers? hear your poor Children and Families crying, what shall (we) [Page 259] do? What will become of us, if there should be a going on in this sinning and sinking, 'till the Gos­pel be taken from us? For our sakes try what ye can do, besiege the Throne of Grace, take hold of the God of Grace, that he leave us not, to die for want of Instruction. Hear Magistrates and Ministers cry­ing, We need your help as much as any; cry mighti­ly unto the Lord for us. Hear a whole Kingdom, yea hear the whole World, crying, Pray to the Lord for us.

O Brethren, how much matter of Prayer have we, how many moving and heart-breaking cases have we before us? Set them before your eyes, lay them deeply to heart, and this will quicken you in Pray­er. All these cases, and multitudes more send in their Bills, and passionately cry in your ears; now try what you can do to help in a time of need; to help a poor languishing Nation, to help poor Ma­gistrates and Ministers, to help poor sinning and dying Souls; you that make mention of the Lord, now keep not silence; bow your knees, call up all your sighs and groans, pour out your tears, pour out your souls, set heart to heart, and prayer to prayer, unite your strength, and cry in the ears of the Almighty, O Lord behold, for we are very vile, we are very low; arise and save us, save, Lord, or we pe­rish.

2. How you may most successfully perform this Duty. In answer to this, take these few following Directi­ons.

1. Make God your Friend, and see that there be no standing controversie betwixt Him and your Souls. See that you be sincere Converts to God, and have a good conscience towards God; see that ye be reconciled to God by the blood of Jesus, and be not aliens and enemies, and that matters be kept [Page 260] fair and clear betwixt God and your Souls. Is it peace betwixt the Lord and you, or is there not a particular controversie that he hath with you? Consider, if the Lord hath not somewhat against you, and such as hath provoked him to anger against you; Get the controversie to be taken up, make your own peace first, and then you will be fit to be Intercessors for others. If I had a Petition to pre­sent to the King, I would not put it into the hands of a Rebel, no nor into his who were under his Princes frown; I would put it into the hands of a Favourite, and so should have the more hope to speed: If you would do your friends a kindness in Heaven, see that you hold your own friendship there; If I regard iniquity in mine heart, God will not hear my Prayer, Ps. 66.18. Pray for whom you will, for your self, or your friends, 'tis like to come to all one, as if you held your peace; God will not hear you, whilst you regard iniquity in your hearts. Hast thou Sin in thee; and Sin that thou allowest in thy self? what ever it be, great or little, open or secret, purge it away, and cast it from thee, or God will not hear thee, Prov. 15.8. The prayer of the up­right is his delight. Give me the holy Souls, the humble, the tender, the watchful, the Jacobs, the Daniels, the Noahs, the plain-hearted, them that walk with God, and are highly favoured of the Most High, to appear before the Lord for me.

Those that are in their Sins, and utterly Stran­gers from God, and those that have declined in Godliness, and are become Wanderers from the Lord, what hope is there of any service that their Prayers will do? God heareth not Sinners; but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doth his will, him he heareth. John 9.31.

Beloved, a poor languishing Nation calls upon [Page 261] you, for the help of your Prayers; but alas, what help is there in them? To have a company of poor hard-hearted, impenitent, and dead Sinners, or of sick and loose and carnal Professors, to have such a company gather'd together to pray; there is as much hope in it, as if the Blind, and the Lame, and the Bed-ridden of a Nation, should be gathered together into an Army to fight; as great success is like to be obteined by such a sinful congregation as­sembled to pray, as would be by such an impotent Army, gather'd together to fight: One sincere up­right hearted Saint, will do more than a whole congregation of praying Sinners. Acts 27. we read of a Ship in a Storm, and a desperate hazard of be­ing cast away; all visible hope of its being saved was cut off: the Mariners could do little more in the Ship, and such a company of profane Wretches could do nothing in Heaven: But behold, one Paul, he prays, and he prevails; the Lord gave him his life, and the lives of all them that sailed with him; the Mariners and the Soldiers might have prayed while they would, but the Ship had been never the more secured from sinking, if Paul had not been with them.

Indeed it's the duty of Sinners to be present in days and in the exercises of Humiliation, and there may be this advantage of it, They may by this means be converted, and so 1. There's one more added to the number of God's Remembran­cers, there's one more Souldier added to the Praying Army: If there were hundreds or thousands of Converts more brought in, so many would there be added to joyn in their strength to wrestle with God. 2. By every new Convert, God's Interest is increased in such a people; by how many more Converts there are, by so much the more hath God [Page 262] to lose, if such a people should miscarry. Well, this is the first Direction, if you would that your pray­ing should be to any purpose, Make God your Friend.

2. Make often use of your Friend in your personal cases, live a Praying life; those that are much in Prayer, are most like to be mighty in Prayer. He that deals much with the Lord in prayer, will have many experiences of God's gracious dealings with him in answer to his Prayers. You will hereby prove, that Prayer is not such an helpless and insig­nificant Duty, as those that disuse themselves to it are apt to distrust it to be; you will never give off your cases for hopeless, whilst there is this way open, to go to God.

He that uses to go before the Lord, will be the more able to go with boldness and confidence be­fore him. He that hath been often heard for him­self, in his personal or Family-necessities, will speak with the more confidence for his friends or people. I have seen how Prayer will help a poor distressed person, a poor distressed family, and why may it not prevail for a diseased and distressed Nation? Since I have found, that the Lord hath heard me, when I have been seeking him for my self, and for mine house, O what hope doth this give, that he will also hear me, now that I am seeking him for his own House.

Beloved, when any of you that fear God, are un­der any pressing straits, and desire the help of Prayer, to whom do you use to seek? you do not call toge­ther the lazy, and the idle, and the careless ones, that use not to call upon God; you do not send to such, to come and pray for you; but you will pick out and call together the praying people, those that are most conversant in this duty; what's the reason of this? [Page 263] why, your consciences tell you, that if there be any whose Prayers are like to help you, these are they, the men of Prayer. Be you such in both these re­spects, be ye thus prepared, Be the friends of God, and be often with God, and then I will add no more, but as the Prophet, Joel 2.15, 16, 17. Then come and sanctifie your Fasts, call your solemn Assemblies; gather the people, sanctifie the congregation, assemble the Elders, let the Bridegroom go forth out of his Chamber, and the Bride out of her Closet; let the Tradesmen come out of their Shops, and the Husbandman out of the fields; let the Ministers and people of the Lord weep before his Altar, and let them say, and cry, and cry aloud, Spare thy people, O Lord, heal thy languish­ing heritage, be not angry with them till thou hast con­sumed them; let not the ungodly say to them in thy re­proach, Where is your God, your Christ, and your Reli­gion? And who knows but the Lord may hear, and what ever evils be upon us, and to whatever distance he is withdrawn from us, he may yet return and re­pent, and leave a blessing behind him, and may be jealous for his Land, and pity his people and heal them.

For a conclusion, let me add a word or two, both to those that have heard, and to them also that read these words. I am unwilling (if I could help it) to make an end before I have done, before the work be done, for which all this hath been spoken and written. Have I been all this while beating the Air, or speaking to the Wind, or writing in Sand? Must I at last sit down with the shame and the grief of the disappointed? Mine heart and mine eye is upon success; I have been plowing in hope, and harrowing and sowing in hope; O thou, who art the hope of Israel, make thy servant partaker of his hope.

[Page 264]Success is of God; Paul may plant, and Apollo may water, but it is God that gives the increase: We are they whom the Lord hath set to watch and give warning, to convince and reprove, to in­struct and exhort, but who is it, that must give the fruit? As hard as our work is, as small success as we yet see, yet therefore we faint not, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour.

Where is the Lord? he, who hath said, My word shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and shall prosper in the thing where­to I sent it. Wherefore hath the Lord spoken? Is it that we may go and fall backward, and be bro­ken, and snared, and taken? Is it for the hardning of those that have sinned, that they may not repent? Is it for the sealing up of the eyes of those that see not, that they may be the more blind? Is it for the searing of brawned spirits, that they may be more hard? Is his Light only to dazle and put out our eyes, and his strokes only to hammer into more sense­lesness, and to drive away his wanderers farther from him? God forbid, God forbid, we hope better things; we long, we wait for better issues; and if the Lord hath any pleasure in us, if utter ruin be not determined upon us, he will give good success, he will recover and revive us, he will humble and heal us. Success is of God, O, our God, we have no might, nor know we what to do, only our eyes are upon thee.

But though it be the Lord that gives success, 'tis we and you all that must seek it, and be working towards it. 'Tis not the best Physician that can cure you, unless you take his Medicines, and follow his Prescriptions; he that reaches down his hand to help you up out of the Pit into which you are fallen, will not lift you out, unless you will do what you can to help your selves.

[Page 265]In order to your seeking and obtaining good suc­cess, let me ask,

1. Thou whose eyes are now upon these words, Art thou one of them whose doleful cases have been here opened and lamented? Art thou a Sleeper, a loyter­ing or back-sliding Soul? Whilst thou hast been looking on this Glass, hast thou not seen thine own face in the company? Hath not this Word found thee out, and said unto thee, even unto thee, as Na­than to David, Thou art the man? Or hast thou so much as asked the question of thy self, Am I not one of them? If thou hast not, read over again; go back before thou read forward, consider again and again, before thou conclude, I am none of them; whoever they be, mine heart (I hope) is right with God, I am free. Put me not off with an (I hope I am none of them) but inquire more narrowly, till thou hast put it out of doubt what thou art.

2. If thou seest thou art one of these wretched souls, art thou content to continue thus? Is it safe, is it com­fortable to thee thus to live? Wilt thou die a Back­slider, or but a Babe? Wilt thou venture it to con­tinue as thou art? Art thou at a point with Christ, that thou wilt no more of him than thou hast; nor shall he have more of thee than at this day? Shall thy flesh and this world still go such great sha­rers with him? Wilt not thou come back, to be on­ly his, to be wholly his? Wilt thou say as those Jer. 2.25. There is no hope; no hope of prevailing with me? Wilt thou say, I have loved strangers, and after them I will go? I love this world, I love my carnal friends, I love my ease, and my idleness, and my liberty, and I can't part with them; the life I live is better than that severe life you call me to. Art thou indeed of this mind, and dost mean to hold thee of the same mind, till thou comest to [Page 266] the Grave? Do thy tender-hearted friends weep o­ver thee, to see what a Child or a Changeling thou art, and dost thou bless thy self in thine own heart, and say thou art well enough? Art thou come from the Fountain to the Cistern, and wilt thou never go back from the Cistern to the Fountain? Wilt thou dwell in thy Fools Paradise, and ven­ture thy shutting out of the Paradise of God? Carest thou not that thou perish, fearest thou not that thy Sickness and thy Sleep may be unto death? Man, what meanest thou? Man, what an Heart hast thou, that either thou wilt not know thou art in an evil case, or dost not regard whether ever it be better with thee? Hast thou never a Tear to let fall over thy miserable Soul? never a Sigh to breath out after Redemption from thy misery? If thou sayest, 'tis not so bad with thee, take heed; How canst thou say, I am not polluted? How canst thou say, I am not degenerated? See thy way in the valley, and know what thou hast done. Jer. 2.23. Trace thy self in all thy goings, and dealings with God in the world. Ask thy Closet, which is so seldom visited; ask thy Bible, which is so seldom look'd into; ask thy companions, and thy unsavou­ry converse with them; ask thy Family, and thy unprofitable converse with them; ask thy Fields and thy Farms, thy Shop and thy Money, with whom thy heart hath so long dwelt; yea and ask thy Conscience a little more strictly than thou usest to do, and see if all will not tell thee, the Charge of the Lord against thee is too true. It cannot be denied, but that thou art come to a very pittiful pass; what, and yet no mind to amendment? When shall it once be? what never, what never? Must we leave you thus? must we continue preach­ing to you, and crying after you so long in vain, till [Page 267] the Lord say to us, Let them alone, speak no more to them, pray no more for them, let them perish in the hardness of their Hearts; Ah Friends, shall this be all the good we can do, to mourn over you, that we can do you no good? or shall there be yet hope among you, concerning this thing, that yet at length ye will repent and return?

The truth is, our spiritual Diseases do so lurk, that they are not easily discerned; and having more of pleasure in them, then of pain, the patient is im­patient of his cure. Those that are sick of a sleepy Evil, are loth to be stirr'd; yet a little more sleep, saith the Sluggard, yet a little more of this easie Idle life. Jer. 4.14. O Jerusalem, wilt thou not be made clean? by the question, it seems they would not, and that which followes, When shall it once be? the sense of it, is not barely, when [shall] it be done? but when wilt thou be willing to have it done? when wilt thou be willing to be made clean? Lord if thou wilt, (sayes the Leper) thou canst make me clean. Sinner, sayes the Lord, if [thou] wilt once, I will, Be thou clean; but though God would, yet Sinners will not.

What Demas is there of you, that hath forsaken the Lord, and embraced this present World; what Diotrephes, that from walking Humbly with God, hath his Heart lifted up, and loveth the prehemi­nence, that do heartily wish, O that my Soul and this World were once again parted? O that the Lord would humble me, and lay me low, and bring my aspiring Heart, to the very dust! I would ra­ther be with poor Lazarus at the Door, with poor Job on the dung-hill, any thing, nothing, any where, no where, rather then be this rich World­ling, or thus proud in a Palace; Oh how few of all that are fallen, are willing to rise? how few of [Page 268] all that are wandred, are willing to return? O how light do they make, of all our calling upon them, and after all we can say to awaken them, do sleep on; after all that we can do to reduce them, do hold on their way? dost thou not see! dost thou not feel, that for thy part, 'tis just thus with thee? thou that art proud, or covetous, or sloth­ful, and whil'st thou canst thus increase in the World, how ever thou decreasest in thy Soul, art thou not at ease, art thou not content in this wretch­ed case? Really Sirs, I much fear, that all that hath been said, and if I had the Tongue of men and of Angels, and should speak all that could be spoken by a creature, 'twould very hardly change your mind and your wayes. I have seen so great disap­pointments hitherto, that I fear how it may be still, and under these fears, my Soul travail thou in pain, and groan being thus burthened.

Lord, have I not call'd upon them? Lord have I not called after them? hath not my very Soul been poured out to them and for them? and after all, have they heard? have they repented? are they recovered? and what they will do, O Lord, thou knowest; but thy Servant is in great doubt, what they will do; Ah Lord, Ah Lord, art not thou he, that canst and must do the cure? when Lord? when shall it once be? O when shall it be said again, He hath made the blind to see, the Deaf to hear, the sick to rise and walk, and the dead to live.

Soul, art thou still content, he should never do so by thee? wouldst thou, that the Lord should leave thee this blind Soul? this secure and senseless and sleepy Creature? wouldst thou be let lye as thou art, or be let run on as thou art going, till thou hast run thy self out of all? wouldst thou live and die in this case: Is there no hope, That yet at [Page 269] length thou mayest be perswaded, and prevailed upon? wilt thou yet say, no, there is no hope? I have loved strangers and after strangers I will go? I have lov'd mine ease, I have lov'd my money, I have lov'd my pleasures, and I cannot leave them? What not for God? what not for a Soul? not for the smiles and sweet embraces of thy God, nor for the peace and prosperity of thy Soul? If thou say­est, God I hope may be mine however, my Soul may be safe however; as bad as you think 'tis with me, yet I hope 'tis not so bad, but that the Lord is still my God, and hath such hold of mine Heart, that it shall never utterly forsake him; Suppose it were so (which thou canst not be sure of) but sup­pose it be so, that the Lord is still thy God, and thy Soul were not in such danger of an everlasting mis­carriage, yet is this dishonour thou dost to his Name, this distance thou livest from his face, this dimness that hath overgrown his image, those de­filements, wherewith thy Soul hath been polluted in the House of thine Idols, that loss that thou art at, in point of truth, tenderness, spirituality, viva­city, which either once thou hadst, or at least might­est have obtained, and that earthlyness, carnality, deadness that is upon thine Heart, is all this re­compenced, and made up to thee? hath thine ease or pleasures, or Worldly gain and greatness, so well paid thee for all this, that it hath either lost thee or pull'd upon thee, that thou art still of the same mind? Wilt thou yet say, I am content to be as I am? Ah, foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you? Ah Friends, are you so foolish, that having begun in the Spirit, you will now think to mend your con­dition, by returning to the flesh? what might I speak to you, to set you into your right minds? would you be but convinced, that you are out of [Page 270] your minds, mad, and distracted Souls, there were the more hope you would come to your wits, and so with the prodigal, return to your Father, from whom you have been wandring.

Carnal Professors, let not these words depart from your Hearts, till they have done their work; till they have shewed you your folly, and learned you the Wisdom which is from above; till your own mouths be forced to acknowledge, I have play'd the Fool, I have wandred from my God, and turned to mine one way, and this my way is my folly; and now through the help of the Lord I will return. Wilt thou so? wilt thou re­turn and recover? I will then add but this one word more, When thou art recovered, do thy best towards the recovery of thy brethren, pitty thy fallen Friends, and help them to arise; jogg thy sleepy neighbours, and call upon them to awaken; who knowes, what a small beginning may rise to in the end? a few returned Persons may fetch in more, and these more; a few Souls raised from the dead, may be the first Fruits of a more glorious resurrecti­on; the light and the life which is sprung up in thine Heart, if it be well improved, may enlighten and enliven many ( your zeal hath provoked very many, 2 Cor. 9.2.) O be solicitous, first for thine own recovery, and then be zealous for the recovery of more; so shall there be, after all our darkness, an hopeful dawning towards a comfortable day; so may we hope, that our shining lights, which now stand so thin, as a Beacon on an Hill, as a Cottage in a Vine-yard, as a Lodge in a Garden of Cucumbers, may grow so numerous, that we may become a Land of Light, and our Jerusalem may be made a praise in the Earth.