A call to delaying sinners. Or The danger of delaying in matters concerning our souls. Being the substance of several sermons from Psal. 119. v. 60. / By Thomas Doolittle, Minister of the Gospel ...

A call to delaying sinners. Or The danger of delaying in matters concerning our souls. Being the substance of several sermons from Psal. 119. v. 60. / By Thomas Doolittle, Minister of the Gospel ...

Table of contents

To the Reader.

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A CALL TO Delaying Si•••••.

Mr. 〈◊〉 Solemn Covenant with God, privately drawn up by himself, and found in his own Manuscript.

To the Reader.

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wise man to lay hold of her sore and not let [...] he here. sorely repent it. But who is the man? says Sol [...]. [...]. 8. [...] how rarely is the Wise man to [...]e found. For the Wise man, saith [...]he, [...] Time and Judgment. That is to say he is able to discern When things are to be done, and therefore its rare [...] such a Wise man; in the [...] to Heaven it is hard to save our [...]. Not one of a thousand but le [...]s [...]. The improving of this therefore [...] a mans greatest Wisdom, Deut. 3 [...]. 20. O that they were Wise, that they under stood this, that they would consider their latter End. The Wise mans heart is said to be in his right hand. That is, [...] Wisdom of his Heart teacheth [...] Manage his Affairs judiciously, and [...] season. That man, who though [...] be never so wise and Prudent in [...] Worldly things, yet if [...] Wisdom to know the Season [...] termed [...] will so appear [...] to all Eternity [Page] [...] will it not (think you) cause [...] greatest Torment and Vexation [...]ginable to that man, who when he [...] to Die, shall be compell'd to say, O never was I wise, who was wise for every thing, but to save my Soul? Laying hold of the present Opportunity in that which facilitates every action and employment, making a [...] a come off smoothly and with [...]. The gracious God, if we embrace an Opportunity, offereth to help us, and work with us. O the goodness of a merciful God, that though he [...] us so light and [...]asie a task, yet offers to work with us too! That Burthen is more light and easie, when two persons assist in the carrying of it, [...] it would be upon the back of [...]. When the Boat has the advantage both of Wind and Tide, to carry [...] forward, it goes easily and pleasantly on. This is the case of that Christian, who seasonably embraces the Offers of Grace and Mercy: He has the Assistance of the Holy Spirit, for the [...] his [...]. To [...] [Page] hold of the present Opportunity, makes every Action [...] beautiful: It makes all [...] with a lovely [...] Grace, Ec [...]l. 3 11. [...] thing beautiful in its [...] know that Fruit gathered in season is the pleasantest Fruit, and [...] a word spoken in [...] [...] a word up on wheels. When the season of [...] Grace is [...] ende [...]vo [...] [...] unpleasant to God, as well [...] for every [...] and neglect; [...] we are [...] Accountable [...] we Commit but [...] the time we do it in, E [...]l. II [...] [...] O young [...] in thy youth [...] thy [...] thee [...]n [...] thy youth, and walk in [...] and in the [...] eyes, [...] know thou that for all [...] will bring thee to Judgment. Where you [...] he shall [...] his [...] [Page] very Christian would lay this seriously to heart, and contemplate thus with himself. O Wretch that I am! How many Holy Sabbaths have I prophaned! And how many Oaths have I Sworn! How many hundred times have I neglected Prayer, to call upon God! How many times have I derided Godliness! How many Lies have I told! And if for every idle word you must give an Account, certainly for every Sermon, Sabbath and Ordinance, under which you have been idle, you shall not escape without a Reckoning.

Moreover, the neglecting of Opportunity, is the greatest Destroyer in the World. 'Tis not so much being Bad, as the delaying to be Good, that destroys the most. It is not flat Denials, but foolish Delayings that ruin [...] Christians, Ec [...]les. 8. 6. Because to every purpose there is Time and Judgment; therefore the misery of man is great upon him. Few deny, but most delay to be saved.

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swallowing a Grape stone, or the cutting of a Corn, have brought some persons to their Grave; we may stumble into it at a Stone in the Street, or a T [...]e from a House may knock us down into it: the strongest Man may be conquered by a Fever in three or four days, or an Apoplexy may dispatch him in so many hours or Minutes: none can tell where when, or by what Instruments he shall pass out of this Life: which, if we consider, and also, that as the Tree falls, so it lies; there is no rectifying the Errours o [...] our Life after our Death, but-we shall for ever continue in the state we die in; we must needs be very careful that Death come not on us unprepared. Solomon bid us, Whatsoever our hand findeth to do, to do it with our might; for there is no Work, not Device, nor Knowledge, nor Wisdom in the Grave whither we go. Now it this Argument be pressing, as it is, that we ought therefore to lay hold of all opportunities for our Souls while [...], because we can do nothing after [Page] we are dead; it may add to our Seriousness to think, that it is uncertain whether a few days may not put an end to our Life, and so to our working. Twill be sad for the expiring Soul to say, Had I thought Death had been so near, I would have given more heed to Gods call to Delaying Sinners, that I might have been prepared for it. And yet his the common Case of the greatest part of mankind to set their last Day, at too great a distance from them.

To what hath been said of the shortness of Life, I might add the suddenness of Christ's coming to Judgment; Yet a little while, and he that shall come, will come, and will not [...]. Now since the Apostles time, 'tis [...] sixteen hundred Years, and therefore, at this day we may well reckon of a little while; indeed 'tis true, With God (as the Apostles expresses it) a thousand years are but as [...] day; and therefore, though it be [...] little while with God till our Lord [...][Page]Coming, yet according to mans computation of time, it may be long according to that of our Saviour, Shall not God avenge his own Elect? Tho' he bear with them long, I tell you, that he will avenge them speedily; but howsoever the term of (little while) may be Interpreted, we have certain tokens that his Coming cannot be far off: St. Paul would not have the Thessalonians be troubled as if the Day of Christ were at hand, and the reason way it could not be so, he tells them, was, because that day should not come, except there came a Falling away first, and that Man of Sin were revealed, the Son of Perdition whom Christ should [...] with the brightness of his Coming. Now I think there is no Christian doubts, but the [...] and Preph [...]e Spirit, that is now in the World, speaks him to be revealed, even that Spirit that rules in the Children of Disobedience.

It were Presumption to limit a [Page] time, seeing of that day and hour knows no man, so as to determine positively and precisely when it shall be; but it were Fool hardiness, to be over confident, that it may not be even in our days; whensoever it is, it will certainly come unexpected of the greatest part of the World, even as a Thief in the night: Our Saviours Parable of the Ten Virgins may well instruct us what influence this day should have upon us; for when at midnight the Bridegroom came, [...]he wise slumbred as well as the foolish, but their Lamps were burning, being furnished with Oyl, and therefore they went in with the Bridegroom to the Marriage; whereas the foolish whose Lamps were gone out, and their Oyl spent, had the door shut upon them; from whence he draws this Exhortation, Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh. They that shall be then alive, are like to have no notice of it, nor shall they have any time to do any thing towards their own salvation, for they shall be changed in a moment, i [...] [Page] the twinkling of an Eye, at the last Trump. Alas for the fruitless Wishes the delaying Sinner shall then make, that he had wrought while it was day; for now he sees an Everlasting Night approaching, wherein he cannot work, but is to receive the Reward of his Sloth. Many times was he called upon by the Watchman to awake out of sleep, but he was still for a little more slumber; and now that the last Trumpet gives the Alarm, he is ro [...]z'd indeed out of his sleep; but before he can bethink himself what to do, being fill'd with horror and despair, he is call'd upon to give an Account what he hath done: the surprize amazeth, & [...] him even besides himself, so that he [...]lls to the Mountains to hide him, as if [...]ey had Ears to hear, or Hearts to pity him; and the Stones less rocky than his [...] Heart, that would never relent at the most earnest beseechings of God by the Ministers of his Word, and their calls to delaying sinners Alas! now the Sinner is to much diverted and taken up with other Lovers, that the Loves of a Saviour are not constraining, nor his Mercies [Page] winning; but then his Greatness will affright, his Terrors take hold, and his Justice seize the Sinner.

To prevent this state of the ungodly and impenitent, is the end of the ensuing Sermons, which have the unhappiness to want the Authors own polishing, for which cause it is but Justice, that what Mistakes are found in them, may not be laid at the Authors door, [...] being altogether ignorant of their Publishing, yet were they taken (as I am informed) by the [...] [...] a ready Writer, and one much acquainted with the Author Preaching; and [...] this just Testimony cannot be denies them, the Spirit and Lineaments of that worthy Person, whose Name they beat in the title is sound upon them. A person whole name needs not Encomiums, having so many Immortal Tombs in the Hearts of many of his Hearers upon whom his Ministry hath made such Impressions, as doubtless will abide with them for ever and carry the blest Effects into the other World

Reader, I shall not detain thee longer in the Porch, but only make these [...] [Page] Requests to thee; That thou wouldst read this small Call over seriously, and with deliberation; and when thou hast done seriously examine thy own Heart, and see if these things concern not thee: And that if you have any in your Family that need an awakening Call, that you would read either this or some other [...] Book to them; That you make a [...] Care and Conscience of reading the [...]oly Scriptures; of Prayer both—Publi [...] [...] Private; of hearing the Word, and [...] other Ordinances commanded by God [...] the holy Scriptures. But above all, neglect not to get a saving Interest in Christ, concluding with this Scripture, Ezek. 33 11. Say unto them, as I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the Death of the Wicked; but that the Wicked turn from his way and Live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil way; for why will ye [...], O House of Israel?

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THere is now in the Press, and will shortly be Published, A Treatise concerning the Lords Supper: With three Dialogues for the more full Information of the Weak, in the Nature and Use of this Sacrament. By the same Author.

[Page] THere will speedily be Published, A Book Entituled, The Fountain Opened: Or, The great [...] Priviledge of having Christ exhibited to Sinful Men. Wherein also is proved that there shall be a National Calling of the JEWS. From Zech. 13. 1. In that day there shall be a Fountain Opened to the House of David, and to the Inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin, and for uncleanness. By the Reverend Mr. Samuel Willard, [...] of a Church in Boston, in [...].

A CALL TO Delaying Si [...].

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PSALM CXIX [...]V‘I made haste, and delayed [...] Commandments.’

TO shew you the [...] these words with those that go before, I shall [...]ay before you these six things worthy of our Imitation, which will bring us with [...] unto the Text.

[Page] 1. You have the wise choice that David made of God to be his Portion. Verse 57. Thou art my Portion, O Lord. Some chuse the world for their portion, some chuse their pleasures for their portion; but alas these are but beggarly portions: Well, says David, let others make choice of what they will, I'le chuse the blessed God, for my portion: I know that God will be [...] portion, a durable portion, a [...] and satisfying portion unto me. [...] makes his appeal unto God, [...] Lord, thou art my Portion

[...] David's fixed Resolution [...] choice, what he was resolution [...] [...]ve said that I will keep thy [...] same Verse.

[...] David's supplication, his [...] to God, that he might be [...] to perform his Resolution, v. 58. [...] [...]reated thy favour with my whole heart, [...] merciful unto me according to thy word, therefore now, upon my knees, I beg thy Grace, that I may perform thy Word. He had resolved that he would keep th [...] Word of God, and therefore he prays the God would help him to keep his Word.

4. You have David's serious Reflection upon his ways and upon his Walkings, [Page] Ver. 59. I thought on my ways. [...] few scarce do so much as seriously [...] on their ways, what they are doing, and whither they are a going? You think of the world, and you think of your Sins, so as to gratifie [...] Lust▪ but when do you seriously think of your way, in order to your turning to God.

5. You have David's resolution after he had thought upon his ways; I will keep thy word: I did wander, but I will not go on in my sin any longer; I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimony.

6. You have David's putting [...] what before he did resolution [...] the Text, I made haste, and [...] keep thy Commandments.

Some men do not so much as resolve; some resolve, but do not pray; some do pray, but they do not consider, before and after prayer, whither they have walked in the ways of God or no; some do consider, but they do not turn; some do purpose to turn, but they do delay But, here is a Copy for you all to writ alter! I delayed not to keep, &c. And so we are come to the Text: The words are plain and easie. The Doctrine that I would speak unto from them is [...] [Page] [...] what the Blessed and Eternal God Commands us to do, is to be done with all possible Speed, with all haste, without delay.

O that you could say as David did, I have made haste, and have not delayed to keep thy Commandments! Sirs, there is no room for delaying and trifling in the matters of your God, and in the concerns of your Souls. Sirs, if any thing in the World requires haste, this does: I will [...] four or five Instances, and I [...] every one may take it as a [...] write after.

[...] is, the instance of Abraham, Gen. 1 [...]. from the second verse to the eighth. There came three men to Abraham, that is, three Angels in the Shape of men, one of which was an increased Angel, the Blessed Son of God. They came to Abraham, and Abraham made haste to give Entertainment unto them, verse [...] When he saw them, [...] meet them, verse 6 Abraham hastened into the [...] of Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly. Sirs, [...] Jesus Christ that is Preached unto you, that is offered unto you in the [...]. [...]word where is the man that runs to meet [Page] with the Blessed Christ! Oh, who is it that speaks unto him, and says, Make ready, O my Soul, make ready quickly, and give the best room in thy heart for this Christ that now stands knocking at the door of thy heart.

2. I would allude to the Practice of the Israelites, that night they went out of Aegypt, Exod 12. 11, 12. Ye shall eat it in haste, it is in the Lords Passover. This is a Figure of poor Sinners being delivered by Christ out of worse than Aegyptian Bondage Hast thou lived in thy Bondage state so long, and God Command thee to come out, and wilt thou not make haste? Exod 12 33 The Aegyptians urge [...] the People to send them out of the Land in haste; for say they We be all dead men; so say I, Sirs, make haste and get out of your Bondage state, or else you will be so many dead men: Mark my words, you will be so many damned souls, Luk. 2. from the 8 to the 17 Ver. There when they heard of Christ, that a Saviour was born, that a Redeemer was come into the world, say they, where is he? and when they were told, they made haste, and came and found our Saviour; and Mary his Mother in a Manger, Verse 16.

[Page] 3. The 3d. is that of Zacheus, who when our Saviour was passing by, ran up and climbed upon the Tree to see him; our Saviour looked up to him and said, Zacheus make hast and come down, for this day I must abide at thy house; and what did Zacheus do? Did he linger, and say, hereafter it will be time enough? No; he made hast and came down, and received him joyfully.

4. A 4th Instance is Mary, who, when she heard that Jesus was nigh, John. 11. [...]6, 29. as soon as she heard that Christ was come, and that he called for her, a [...]ose quickly and came to him: But alas, the poor Ministers of Christ, they come one day after another to you, saying, Sirs the Master is come, the Saviour of Souls is come; he alone that can Redeem you from Hell, is come and he calls for you: but one delays, and another loyters: A third, a twentieth, a hundredth, they make nothing of all this but delay.

Upon this Subject shall be shewn some Reasons; then the Application; but the whole shall be to urge you to make speed and haste, to come to Christ: [...] shall give you five or six Reasons why, [...] should make all possible speed.

[Page] The things that God does command [...] you to do, and set about, [...] possible speed, that they should [...] on in haste without delay [...] Hearers, do you think the great [...] God, speaks to you about toys and [...] Surely you think that they are no be when you linger and loyter, one Sabb [...] after another, one Month after another from Year to Year; you put off the [...] that God commands you to do, wh [...] there is nothing in this World that does so much concern you to do quickly, and with haste, and with speed. Let me entreat you, and beseech you, for Gods sake, seriously to weigh what are the Commands of the glorious [...] on you; then tell me if they do [...] qui [...]e all possible speed: Here [...] things under this Head.

1. The dreadful God commands [...] Sinner, to repent of thy Sin, and [...] thee Thou art damned if thou dost not. And wilt thou still delay and loyter, and linger, and not make hast? Beloved Hearers, you will find it true, That [...] except ye Repent, and that soon too, your Souls will be Damned. Now consider, Sinner must thy Soul be for ever Damned and [Page] [...] Tormented in the Lake of burning Brim [...] and that for ever, except thou [...] and wilt thou yet delay! Wilt [...] make haste to Repent, and that [...]! Ah Sirs, is here room for dally [...] [...] put off this work of Repentance, commanded you by God? to put it off [...] other year still, and the other Month [...], when the Blessed God assures thee, [...] if thou diest without Repentance, thou art lost for ever. Shall not the Gate of Heaven be shut against thy Soul when thou diest, except thou repent whilest thou livest; yet wilt thou linger? Turn and see what Christ says, Luk. 13. 3. Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. [...] think that Christ speaks [...]; for he says again, verse 5. [...] [...] repent, ye shall surely perish

[...] thou art Commanded by God to [...] thy peace with him. This Work [...] upon thy hand, and is yet undone by many of you, and will you still delay? will you not make haste, when it is to make your Peace with God? Oh do it quickly, with all possible Speed: For if thou dost not make thy Peace with God quickly, God and thy Soul will be Enemies for ever. Thou wast born an Enemy [Page] to God, and if thou dost [...] to make thy Peace with God, [...] die an enemy to God. O [...] you did believe there words, as you [...] shortly find them true, you would [...] no longer; but would now make [...] to make your Peace with God. Poor [...]! how canst thou sleep, and eat, and drink in Peace, whilst thy Peace is no yet made with thy God! What dost thou think thou poor delaying trifler? Canst thou make thy Party good with God? canst thou resist Almighty Power? Was there ever a man since the Creation that did harden his Heart against God and prosper? And dost thou think that thou canst do more, than all the men since the World was Created could ever do? Come, I will give thee, a Character; If thou canst stand forth, and buckle on thy Armour; R [...]use up thy self, & play the Man: if God Afflict thee, do not flinch, do not crouch unto him, and take thy Bed. If God Afflict thee with the Gout, Stone, or Collick or if thou be sick at the Heart, do not cry out. What, a stout hearted sinner cry out, when God does but lay his finger upon thee! When God shall Commission thee to the Grave, say, Lord, [...] [Page] [...] And make thy words good [...] canst. When God shall Sentence [...] Hell, say, Lord, I will not be [...]; and make thy words good if [...] canst: When God gives Devils a commission to drag thee to Hell, say to [...], and Devils, that thou wilt not go. [...], poor Sinner! wilt thou thus stand it but against this God, that can turn thee into Hell, and into torments; and will you yet delay, and not make haste to make your peace with God! Rather take advice of Christ, Luke. 14. 31. 32. What King goeth to make War against another King, and fitteth not down first and consulteth, whether with ten thousand, he is able to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Ah, so do you, Sirs! Consider, whether you are able to stand with Almighty strength! And if you are not, send up your Prayers to Heaven; and desire that God would be at peace with you.

3. This work lies upon thy hand, to get the pardon of thy Sins: To get off the Guilt that lies upon thy Soul. And this requires haste; quickly, Sirs, or not at all. Art thou not a Sinner? Hast not thou multitude of sins? And are not thy sins [...]? Art thou not guilty of many sins [Page] of Omission? hast thou been always [...] to pray? Would to God thou hadst. [...] you always been wont to walk [...] God? I wish you had. O what [...] you omitted to do that God has Command [...] you? Are not you guilty of many [...] Commission; that God did charge thee up [...] pain of death not to do? Say yea, or [...] if thou sayst no, thy very Tongue [...] prove thee a lyer. O then make haste [...] Christ! besides art not thou guilty of great and hainous sins? Hast, not thou sinned against Knowledge and Conscience? Against Law and Gospel? Hast not thou sinned against the Mercy and Patience of God? How many Oaths hast thou sworn? How many times hast thou been drunk? How many Sabbaths mispe [...]t? How many Sermons slighted? Sinner, tell me, canst thou hear the punishment, that God will inflict upon thee for these sins, except thou wilt speedily return to God? O Si [...]s, I wonder at my heart! I wonder how you can sleep all night and not dream of He [...]! How sleep to securely, and not dream of being [...], when you he down with the guilt of so many sins upon your Souls, and not [...], not one forgiven! I wonder [Page] [...]ow thou canst Drink and Sport, and be [...] so many merry Bouts, when thy [...] not yet forgiven thee!

The Eternal God Commands thee, [...] pain of Damnation, to hasten [...] Christ, to come away unto Christ, and [...] him upon the Gospel Terms: [...] doth not this require haste? Is here [...]oom, Sirs, for delaying! For God's lake, Sirs, consider, you are damned if you do not believe on Christ; Yet will you delay and stand trifling with the Eternal God, whether you shall believe or not! 1 John 3 23. And this is his Commandment, that we should Believe on the Name of the Son of God. O, why do you not haste, and not delay to do this Command of God. See how strictly God charges this upon your Souls, that i [...] you believe not, you must be damned; Ma [...]k 16. 16. Is here any room for trifling? Is here any time to delay, whilst thou art in danger of Damnation, as long as thou dost not believe! The Wrath of God abideth on thee, whilst thou dost not believe in Jesus Christ, John. 3. 36. But he that believeth not, the Wrath of God abideth on him. And is this a ease to be delaying in! Sinner [Page] what tho' thou hast Riches, if thou ha [...] [...] not Christ? What tho' thou hast made haste to get an Estate? What is [...] without Christ? What is this with Sanctifying Grace? What if thou [...] all the Pleasures that the World can [...] ford? if thou hast all that heart can [...] i [...] thou hast not Christ, thou art miserable. Sinner, remember, it is not rich [...] but Christ that must save and keep the [...] out of Hell! Without Christ no Peace. Without Christ no Pardon! Without Christ no Escaping the Damnation o [...] Hell! Without Christ no entring into Heaven! And wilt thou yet delay!

5. Thou hast Death and Judgment [...] prepare for, and dees not this require haste? Will thou yet dally, and delay and not with all possible speed endeavors to be found in careful preparation so Death and Judgment! Tell me, Sirs, at you prepared to Die, if Death should seize you his ensuing Night? Are you prepared to Die? How many of you you were no [...] upon sick beds, conscience would tell you, As yet you are no prepared to Die! No; What, and yet sit still! O what ails thee, Sinner! when dost thou not see that thou art so near [Page] another world! Art thou prepared to [...]ave this world, yet didst never Repent [...] sins? Art thou prepared to Die, [...] go down to thy Grave, yet never [...]. It heartily beg her Christ and grace? [...] thou prepared to die whilst thou [...] in the Gall of Bitterness, and Bond of equity? Whilest a stranger to God and Christ, and Grace, thou art not fit to die. What and wilt thou yet sit still, as if past all danger? Or else canst thou put away the streak of death by force? O that you would see what reason▪ there is [...]o make haste, and not to delay, 2 Pet. [...]. 12. Looking for and hastening to the coming of the day of the Lord Mark, you should be hastening for the coming of [...]he day of the Lord. Do you hasten for he coming of this day? Will you sit till and not make your peace with God? The day o [...] Reckoning is coming and all things will be set straight betwixt God [...]nd your Souls; and will you delay, and not make haste?

6. And Hasty. Thou art yet uncertain whether thou shalt be damned or saved: and does not this require all possible need? Does not his [...] for all the haste [...] thou canst make to get an assurance [Page] of the Love of God, and of Salvation after death? How soon you may be upon a death bed, you cannot tell. Now, suppose thou wast a dying, think, O, I [...] bid farewel to all my Friends! I must t [...] my leave of my Husband, and Wife, of Children, Friends, and Neighbours: I must a [...] but whether I go next, I cannot tell! Th [...] are but two Places to receive Souls after dear [...] Heaven and Hell; but which of these my Son, must be in, I do not know. No! not know, sinner! and sit still and yet delay: when the blessed God has Commanded thee to all diligence to make thy Calling and Election sure? Is this thy diligence, not so much as to go about it one year after another? Is this thy diligence that thou usest? Put this Question to thy Soul, What will become of it when thou leavest this World? For Gods sake arise make haste, Sinner, make haste, least thou be shut out of this kindgdom, which thou takest no care to make sure of.

That is the first Reason or General Head, why the Command of God should be set about with all speed without delay.

II. Make haste Sirs, make haste, delay no longer; for all the time that is before you is little enough for you to do what [Page] God Commands you. He that begins his obedience to God's Commands soonest, [...] at least in his youth, will have time [...] enough to do what God Commands: [...] that are in years, if you had begun [...] work as soon as you began to understand things, you would have found work enough to have done, if so be you [...] a thousand years to live in this World, but being you have but a little time to live, must not this little time be little enough for you to do the work that God set you in the world to do? Have you one Day to spare, or one Hour to spare? O how many of this world do spend their time so as if they had time too much and work too little! When, God knows, your time is of the least.

There are these Live things more under this second Head, which will include you to make haste. To delay not one hour longer. O could! but prevail, but with one sinner resolvedly to go home, and to say, I will delay no longer: I will make haste to keep the Commandments of my God! Consider there one,

1. Thou hast a great Work to do, and therefore should not lose one Minute of time for the doing of it. Thou hast many [Page] strong Lust to overcome: Many a Temptation to resist, Many Duties to perform: Thou hast the knowledge of God and Christ to get, and of thy own heart, th [...] knowledge of thy State now, and of th [...] state hereafter: Many a Prayer to make Many an hour to be spent in searching of thy Heart, and trying of thy State. And is not all the time that thou half before thee if thou begin to day, little enough to do this great Work, that God lays upon thee to do?

2. The Work enjoyned by God it is difficult Work, and hard Work too. The more difficult your Work is, if you be wise, the more time you will take for the doing of it. Is not to set thy heart and thy love upon God, to love him above all, and to please him before all? is not think you, this hard and difficult Work, when the heart of a sinner naturally loves any thing better than God? To have thy will to bow to Christ, and submit to Christ, and accept of Christ, when it is rebellious and stubborn? Is not this hard Work, to change thy heart to break thy hard and stony heart? To reform thy Life, is not this hard and difficult Work? And all commanded by [Page] God. If this Work be not hard, why is it not done? If it be hard why do you not go about it? Consider then that it is difficult work that you have to do.

3. The work that you have to do, in order to another World, it is necessary work: It is work that must be done, or thy Soul will be undone, and that for ever. And wilt thou yet delay, and wilt thou yet stand dallying, and putting it off, whether thou hadst best do it or not! If the work were indifferent, whether to be done, or left undone, I could not blame you for making no more haste; but this is not the Case; this is more necessery than Food, when thou art an hungry, more necessary than Physick, when thou art sick. Beloved people, you must be holy, or you must never see God, but to your Eternal Terrour; you must turn from sin, or burn in Hell! you must repent, or you cannot be saved; so great a Necessity there is for the doing of the work, that God Commands you to do: Is it an indifferent thing, whether thou escape the Damnation of Hell, or no! If not, behold holiness is the way to Heaven! Faith in Christ is the way to Heaven! This must be done, or thy Soul must not [Page] saved, Sirs, if there be any business in this World, that lies upon our hands that is necessary to be done, this is it.

4. This Work that God Commands you to do, it is a Soul work: And I am sure that soul work should not be delayed: Soul-work should be done with all possible speed O that you would resolve and say, It is my Soul that must be Dammed or Saved; therefore I will make haste! It is my Soul that must go to Heaven or Hell therefore I will make haste to look after the Salvation of my Soul. Thou hast but one Soul, one only soul: Wilt thou make haste to feed thy Body, when hungry? Wilt thou make haste to quench thy Thirst, when dry? And to send for a Physician, when in danger of Death, and to cry out to those about thee, O stay not, make haste, bring him away quickly and yet in the mean while never think of thy soul? Is thy Body better then thy Soul? Is not thy Soul far the Better? Wilt thou take care to feed and cloath the Body, and delay the getting an Interest in Christ to save thy Soul? Why so careful for a dying body, that within a little while shall be nothing but a lump of lifeless dust? I do not you know that e're long men shall [Page] carry your bodies on their shoulders to the grave, and lay them in the dust, to have them rotten? What! will you take such care to make provision for a corruptible Body, and yet neglect your Souls! What mean you, Sirs! What mean you! What ails men, that they dally thus with themselves? Are they besides their Wits!

5. And lastly, if you think nothing that has been said is worth regarding, yet I pray consider the work that God Commands you to mind in this World, it is a Work for Eternity! And wilt thou put it off for another year, Month, or Week! Do you think, Sirs, that a short Life upon Earth is not time little enough to prepare for an eternal life, for an endless eternity! is a few years too much to be spent with all diligence, that thou mayest be ready for an everlasting State, to which thou art a hastning. Beloved Hearers, you and I are all before God this day, but how soon, we may be in a unalterable estate is unknown to us; you are now in Time, to morow you may be in Eternity: you may be in an everlasting state What, and yet make no more haste! Death is at your backs, Heaven and Hell [Page] before you, what! and yet delay! What! At the brink of an Everlasting State, and make no more haste to do what God has Commanded thee! Remember man, remember, it is Heaven that must be lost or won for ever! It is Eternal Joy, that thou must have, or go without whenever you shall leave this World! It is Everlasting Torments or Everlasting Blessedness that you must enter into, when you leave this World: Yet will you not make haste to do that Work, that God Commands you to do! Arise Sinner in the Name of God, Awake, be up and doing, as thou lovest thy Soul: Make haste, Sinner, make haste, begin to day, before to morrow: Begin this hour, before the next, to do the Work that God Commands thee; for all the time that is before thee, is little enough to do it in.

1. This Work, Sirs, that God Commands you to do, must be now done, or never. What, and yet sit still, and yet daily! It must be now, or never. Sirs, it you will Repent, you must how Repent, or never to any purpose; if you will make your Peace with God, it [...] be done now or never! God has set [Page] in this World to make preparation for another. God has set us in this Life, that we may make ready for another. We are in this world upon tryal, and according as we behave our selves and mind our work, or let it alone, so it must be with us for ever. This World is the place, this Life the time, when work for Heaven must be done or never be done. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave, whither thou goest, Eccles 9 10. O that every Trifler in the matters of his God, and of his Soul, would write that verse upon his Chamber Door; in which you may mind these three thing, viz.

First it is plainly said, that thou art going to thy Grave; thou art upon thy Journey to thy Grave: Thou art upon thy way to the dust. Whether thou art sleeping or waking, thou art going to thy Grave. Whether working or playing thou art going to thy Grave. Whether drinking or sporting, thou art going to thy Grave. In this Journey thou never standest still? The Child is going [...] its Grave as soon as it is born.

[Page] 2. In the Grave there is no work to be done; no Preaching there, nor no Means nor helps there. Of which more hereafter.

3. Therefore it follows, that what now thou hast to do, it should be done with all thy might, and with all haste and possible speed. What thou hast in thy hand to do, do it with all thy might, for there is no work to do in the Grave to which thou art a going. Jesus Christ did work the more because his Time was but short, I must work the work of him that sent me, whilst it is day; for the night cometh wherein no man can work. Behold your day is passing away! The Night is coming on! O do your work whilst the day lasts, for when the night cometh no man can work. You must Repent savingly now, or never! You must Believe on Christ now, or never! You must be made holy and become the Children of God now, or never! O, methinks, these words, Now or Never. should Alarum the most drousie Sinner! But to set home this, that what God commands must be done Now, or Never, I shall lay before you these Seven things.

[Page] 1. After Death there shall be no offers of Mercy, nor tenders of Pardon to all Eternity, therefore now, or never You must now do what God Commands, or not at all. Now God he calls and Christ he calls, and the Spirit he calls, and Ministers they call, That thou wouldest leave thy Sin: But if thou stop thine ears and harden thy heart till death, after death none of these shall call to thee for evermore! God did never send to Damned Souls; What say you now, will you accept of Mercy now, will you have a Saviour now, and hearken to God now? No, God never took this course as yet, and God will never do it.

2. After Death there i [...] no Repentance nor Believing; therefore this must be done now, or never. When Death hath shut thine Eyes, and separated thy Soul from thy Body, if thou diest an Unbeliever, thou never afterwards shalt have Faith. If thou diest Impenitent, thou never afterwards shalt Repent. Possibly Damned Souls may Repent in Hell that they did not Repent upon Earth; but Repentance in Hell, is but the aggravation of their Misery, it being fruitless Repentance. What think you wi [...] [Page] they that would never be good whilst they lived, be good in Hell! It is true, there are many sins that men commit on Earth, that they shall not commit in Hell: The Drunkard there shall be no more Drunk: The Gamester there shall have no more jolly bouts; therefore Now, or Never.

3. The Soul after Death enters into an everlasting State, where there shall be no alteration for ever; therefore what you do for your Souls, must be done Now, or Never. The Soul, when gone into another World, where is first takes its Lodgings, it will be for ever. There once damn'd, and for ever damned! Once in Hell, and for ever there; therefore it must be Now, or Never. If a man in an Unconverted [...] should dye to day, and tidings be brought to you to morrow, What is become of his Soul? The tidings would be, such a one is Dead, and Damned too. Yea see the Soul enters into an Everlasting state. Luk. 16. 22, 23. There Lazarus he died, and his Soul went unto unalterable Joys: The rich Man he died, and his Soul went unto unchangeable Torments. When a man dies, he goes to his place: Every [Page] Soul has a place he must go to when he leave the body, Acts 1. 25. Judas he died and went unto his own place. Hell is the Unbelievers own place.

4. When a Man dies, Wrath and Justice take their turns, and whilst a Man lives, Mercy and Patience do take their turns; Beloved Hearers, the Attributes of God, as I may so speak, take their turns now Mercy and Patience take their turns. Mercy takes its turn, and says, Sinner, thou art undone: Here is a Christ for thee. Thou art miserable, come to me, and I will help thee. This is Mercy [...]s turn, but the Soul does not yet regard therefore Patience takes its turn, and says till the next Lord's Day; it may be, the sinner will be wise then; it not, [...] stays another it may be, the sinner [...] bethink himself then, and it may be, Patience waits from one Year, to another; from one ten years to another ten years; Yes, the sinner does not hearken nor regard. Then, when the Soul separated from [...] Body, Wrath and Justice take [...] says Mercy, her [...] this than Christ e [...]en as long as he [...], yet I [...] And says [...], Lord, where the Sinner keps his eyes [...][Page]waited upon him, even now to his last gasp; therefore now we Mercy & Patience deliver him up to the hands of Wrath and Justice; take him. We Mercy and Patience has done with this man's Soul for ever.

5. Stay a little longer in thy sins, till Death hath closed thy Eyes; then thy Crys and Calls, and Importunities for Mercy shall never be heard; God will then become a God not to be intreated. Now, if you beg for Mercy, you may have it. If you beg and cry, and call for Pardon to God, upon the conditions of the Gospel, you may have it, but refuse a little longer, then if thou cryest to all Eternity thy Cries shall never be heard, nor regarded: See this, Mat. 25. 1. 2, [...], &c Lord, Lord, [...]en to us. No, says Christ, not I Luk. 13 25, 26. See there [...] strong cries that Men shall make, & [...] vain Luk. 16 26. What strong Requests did the Rich Men put up in Hell, [...] all still denied. Should lest thou beg [...]hen for the least Mercy, as much as one [...] Water, it could not be had.

6. What God Commands, it must he [...] never, because when once [...] and gone, it ten never be [...], The last Lords Day will [Page] never come again, Sinner, the time that thou shouldst have Prayed, but didst not, will never come again. All that thou canst give, will not buy back one hour [...]gain. And when thou art Dead and gone out of this World, God will never trust thee with one day more, for to do that which thou didst not do while in this World. God will not say to a Damned Soul in Hell, here was a fooling and 2 delaying Sinner, that did delay to come to God, while upon Earth, that made no haste to come to Christ, whilst Christ might have been had. God will not [...], Come, go thy way again: I will release thee for a while; go and sit under the same Minister again, I will try thee the other Life. O Sirs! this will never be! therefore, Now, or Never, Job. 7. 6. My days are swifter than a Weavers Shuttel, and are spent without hope. The eye of him that seeth me, shall see me no more, &c. Sirs, it is not long that you shall dwell in your Houses. and lodg in your Beds: Death will quickly come and hale you out, and take you out of this world, and you must never come again, Jeb 14. 7. 14. There is hope of a Tree: if it be out down, that is will sprout again but man dyeth & wasteth [Page]away, yea man giveth up the Ghost, & where is he! vers. 12 So man lyeth down, & rises not again, till the world varish away. If a man dye shall be live a rain? i. e. shall [...] live upon Earth again? Shall he come and sit under the means of Grace again [...] No. Heb 9 27 It is appointed for all men once to dye. Mark, a man shall dye but once a natural death: the Soul is but once to be separated from the Body, It is appointed for all men once to dye. O Lord, how well should that work be done that must be done but once! Must you die but once! O then how carefully should that work be done!

7. After death is the time of receiving your wages of Reward; therefore your work must be now done or Never. It thy work be done, thou goest away to Heaven, if not done thou goest away down to Hell. Immediately after Death, the Reward is given, or the Punishment is imflicted. When the Servant of the labouring man is to be reckened with at night, it his work is not done, can he expected Reward? Canst thou look for Heaven when thou hast not believed not repented, [...] closed with Jesus Christ, upon Gospel terms? So when the day of Judgment comes presently after death, thou hast upon [Page] sowed, and canst thou expect to reap Eternal Life? Or shall that be thy Sowing time, that should have been thy Reaping time? Sirs, this is now your Sowing time, your Praying time, and your Repenting time; therefore, do it now without delay, for this must be done now or never. Consider Sirs, you must make hast, there is no room for delay, for what God commands you to do, it must be done now or never.

IV. Therefore, God doth Command you without delay, to yield Obedience to his Commands. The time is set and Commanded by God, as well as the work a [...] duty it self. God does not only tell you what to do, but he tells you when you are to do it. The same God, Sinner, that commands thee to repent, commands thee to repent to day. The same God that commands thee to Believe and accept of his Son, commands thee to do it now at this very instant, The same God that commands thee to leave thy sin, and turn to him, commands thee to do it now, without delay. Where does God give liberty to any man, to put off his Repentance till to morrow? Shew me the place if thou canst? Much less, till thou art a Man: Much less, till thou are [Page] old; yet this is in the thoughts and hearts too of too many. Do not repent as yet, this is the voice of the Devil, and not of God Let Holiness alone for the present, this is the Language of thine Enemy, and of thy cursed corrupted Heart; it is not the voice of God. Where does God allow to spend this day in a natural State? In what Chapter, or what Verse is it, that God gives thee space to slight Christ for one hour, and to neglect God and thy Soul for one hour? Shew me the place if thou canst; then let God alone, and Christ alone, so long as thou hast leave from God so to do; no, but this thou canst not: Will the Blessed and Holy God give you time to rebel against him? For one day will he give you leave so to do? No; but I can shew thee, Sinner one place after another, where God Commands thy speedy Return, [...] 12 1. Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth. Remember him, what to do; to Obey his Commandments, to Fear him: Remember him, to love him; Remember him, to make a speedy and voluntary Resignation of your Souls unto him. Observe in that Verse it is not only said, Remember thy Creator in the days of [Page]thy youth. So you young Ones perhaps may say, you do, and yet stay longer, yet a year or two; but mark, there is one word more, Remember Now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, 2 Cor. 6. 2. Now is the appointed time: Now is the day of Salvation. Sirs, there is not one of you all can say to morrow is the day of Salvation, or the next week, or the next Year shall be the day of Salvation, Mat. 6. 33. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and the Righteousness thereof. How contrary is the Commandment of God to the Practice of men? First for an Estate, then for Holiness, as I was told, was a saying of one that I was lately with, that lies under horrible Distress of Soul that was eagerly bent to get an Estate, quickly; and after he had done he cryed, God for give me, Heb 3. 7, 8. Wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith, To dry of ye will hear his Voice, harden not your hearts, as in the Provocation, in the day of Temptation in the Wilderness, Heb 4 7. Again, he limiteth a certain day, saving, today if you will hear his Voice, harden not your hearts. Now seriously ponder this, then tell me. If there be any room so your delays.

5. The last reason is this, There is no room for your Deliberation in this cause, [Page] whether you will obey the Commands of God or no, and consequently there can be no room for delay; there is no time to be spent, whether you should keep Gods Command or no. ‘There are some things that do not come under mens deliberation, to spend any time to deliberate whether we are to do them or no.’

As for Instance, which of you do deliberate whether you shall Eat or Drink or no: No man would, but for quantity or quality, you may deliberate, but whether Eat or Drink at all, you must not deliberate. So the Ultimate End of man comes not under mans deliberation. No man deliberates whether he shall be happy or no. Now such is your obedience to the Commandments of God. 'Doing that which he Commands you to do, will your spend time to deliberate whether the blessed God should be beloved or no: Will you spend time to deliberate whether the blessed Saviour shall be believed on or no? No, there is no room or deliberation in this Case: No man will have the face to dare to call these things [...] question. Now is there no room for deliberation; yet is there room for your delay: So much for the Reasons; now [Page] for the Application of this Doctrine. And it is but one main Use that I intend upon this Subject, that is a Use of Exhortation.

Must the Commandments, of God be kept without delays With all earnest haste and possible Speed, Oh then Beloved Hearers▪ Be exhorted in the fear of God, without delay, to set about the Work that God commands you to do. Come Sirs, begin this day before to morrow. O come for Gods sake be perswaded to begin this Work, this very hour before the next. Sinner, leave thy sins, just now, for the Eternal God commands thee so to do; forsake thy Wickedness just now, for the Blessed and Glorious God does give it thee in charge so to do. Turn to God, Believe in Christ, just now without delay. O that I could but persuade thee, to look about thee, to be up and doing. If any thing in this World, require haste this does. For your Souls sake arise, and be up and doing. If the Devil tempt thee to delay, do not hearken unto him [...] but say, The Eternal God Command me now to Repent and turn to Christ, and the safety of my Soul work requires that I should do it unto all possible speed. If thy [...] [Page] Companions suggest unto thee, it is time enough yet, reply and say, O it is not so, the Eternal God requires me presently to leave my Sins. It thy own corrupt and slothful heart should say the same, O it is not so, the Eternal God requires me to make haste, and the safety of my Soul requires me so too. O you Young Men, come away, you may not live till you are old: you Young Children, that understand what I say, make haste, for you may die while you are young. You old gray headed Sinner, make haste and do not delay, for your time is almost spent already.

To force this Exhortation, I shall urge it with ten several Arguments.

1. The Danger and the Miserable State that thy Soul is in, whilst thou art unconverted, requires thee to make haste. Thy Estate is wretched, thy Condition deplorable O why dest thou make no more haste to get but of this Condition? Dangers seen and apprehended, do usually [...] up to hasten: Tell me, Sinner, if a Bear were at thy heels, or a Dyon at thy back, what haste wouldest thou make to get away from them, that thou mayst not be torn [Page] in pieces? If thou wast in a wild and desolate Wilderness, that is full of Pits and Serpents, and wild Beasts, and night were coming on thee, what haste wouldst thou make to get out? If thou were in thy Bed, and at midnight a voice should be heard Arise, awake your house is on a flame, wouldst not thou make haste, and not say, There is no need of haste, and turn and sleep, & take the other nap in thy Bed: Behold, thy danger is a thousand times more, whilst in thy sin, all me is not thy Soul better than thy body? Is not thy Soul better than thy goods? & wouldst thou rise in haste to save thy body and thy goods, and wilt not thou make haste to save thy soul, and that from Hell flame: too! Or wilt thou turn thy self like a sluggard upon the bed of carnal Security, and say, Let me alone, disturb me not, there is no such haste, Gen. 19. 15. 16, 1 [...], and [...] verses. The [...] was, that Sodom was to be burnt. which Fire, and the People that were in [...] only God would have mercy upon [...] and some with him; therefore the angel came to hasten him, o get away, because of his danger. This apply, Sinner, thou art in a natural State, in danger [Page] of a worse Fire than that of Sodom, and God Commends thee to make haste left thou be consumed: Still thou lingrest and Joyterest. God sends to us again, saying, Sinner, escape for thy Life, for thy Soul, look not behind thee, after the World, and alter thy Sins, and Lusts, Haste, it is for thy life David, when he was in danger of being seized upon by Soul, made great haste to get our of that danger, [...] his Friend, had given him a sign, by the shooting of an Arrow and world spoken to the Lad that should Such the Arrow, that he should know, whether it was good or evil that was appointed for him, a Sam 20 38, Ah! so say [...] thee Sinner, make Praise, make spend, and every not, thy case is dangerous. [...], when he was in danger, the [...] invaded the Land, he got away in haste. When David was coming against Nabals, house, [...] made haste to pacify and turn away [...] anger. But alas, what was the danger of Let unto thy danger! Or the danger of David, of, Soul, or of Nab [...]ls house to the danger thou are in.

First of all, whilst thou delayest to [...] the Commandments of God. God [Page] himself is thy Enemy. There is Enmity betwixt God and thy Soul. Know then, whilst thou art trifling, God is angry with thee. The Eternal God is provoked by thy Rebellion against his Law. And is this a State to be delayed in! If a Great Man was thy Enemy, what haste wouldst thou make to be reconciled to him? If a Man upon whom is thy dependance and livelihood, should become thy enemy, O how wouldst thou find to get his favour again! Would not the thoughts of his displeasure awaken thee out of thy sleep! Psal. 7. 11 God is angry with the Wicked every day. Mark, God is daily Angry with thee, whilst a Wicked man; Whilst thou breakest Gods Commandments. And is this a condition to be continued in, when God is daily angry with thee? God is angry with the Wicked every day in the week, every day in the year. Verse 12. If he turn not, he will whet his sword, he hath b [...]nt his bow, and made is ready: He [...] also prepared for him the instruments of Death Behold, the angry God hath taken his Bow in his hand, yea, he hath strung, and bent his Boy and he has taken his Arrow out of the Quiver, and put it to the String, and [Page] drawn to the top; and Sinner, if [...] be the Mark that God aims at, if thou art the Butt, he will shoot his [...] in fury, that so it shall strike to the very heart, and who shall heal that wound! Tell me now, is this a State [...] be continued in? O it is, because that [...] dost not know what God's Anger is! Couldst thou speak with Devils, if they would be plain with thee, they could tell thee what God's Anger is. If thou couldst speak with Damned Soul they could tell thee, what God. Anger is O did you know and consider, what God's anger is you would say, O this is not a State for me to abide in a da [...] longer.

Take these Six [...] of this Enemy of thine.

First of all, this Angry [...] Omnipotent: God; and came thou must Almighty Power? Behold, [...] the Mountains to smoth, and the Earth, and Devils to Tremble. This, Sinner, is he that is Angry with thee every day.

Secondly, this God is Omniscient, and thou canst not deceive him as to make him Believe, thou art his friend, then indeed then art no.

Thirdly, This God [...] is Angry [Page] with thee every day, is an Omnipresent God: And then in thy distress, whither canst thou hasten from him? Consider▪ Sirs, you that will not hasten to him, whiter can you hasten from him? You that will not hasten to him, to a Holy Submission, and a voluntary resignation of your selves to God, whither wilt thou hasten from him.

Fourthly, He is a Righteous God that is Angry with thee every day. Thou canst not bribe him with thy Gifts Thy Silver and thy Gold he will [...]

Fifthly, He is Eternal too, and will never die. Behold this God that is Angry every day with thee, shall never [...]. If a man were thy Enemy, thou mayst die, or else he may die, so thou mayst be delivered from his Anger. But this is not the case between God & thy [...]. God ever lives to take vengeance on thee He lives to all Eternity, to punish thee [...] Eternity. To punish thee for [...] [...] against him, And whom thou diest, this does not deliver thee from the Angry God; no, but [...] thou diest then thou faliest more especially into his hands.

[Page] Sixthly, and lastly, This God that is Angry with thee every day, whilst thou, delayest, is an unchangeable God. He will never change to be a Friend to thee, except thou dost change, to become an obedient Subject unto him, and yield obedience to his Commands.

Whilst thou dost delay to keep the Commandments of God, thou art very near kin to the Devil. The Devil is thy father all this while, & thou art his servant & his child. And to you that say you defie the Devil and all his works, why do you yet delay to come off from his service and work? What think you, Sirs, is this Relation to the Devil so, honourable, and is his work so delightful, and will his wages be so desirable that you are so loth to leave him & turn to God? That this is [...] that there is this relation and [...] of kin betwixt the Devil and a wicked [...] see Act. 13. 10. says the [...] there [...] wicked man, Thou Enemy of all Righteous of thou child of the Devil. Ah, Sirs! may you that are [...] of the Devil, be made the Children [...] God, and will we not make [...] have this done? What if God should say to thee at last, Thou likest thy, [Page] Relation well, thou wouldst have the Devil for thy Father; now thou art departed, get thee down to thy Father the Devil, thou shalt have a whole Eternity with him.

3. All the while thou dost delay, thou art under all the Curses of the Book of God; all the Punishments and Threatnings in Scripture thou art liable to, and God may without delay inflict them all upon thee, who dost delay to come to him, Gal. 3 10. Cursed is he that coutinueth not in all things that are written in the Book of the Law to do them. Thou hast not continued to do so much as one thing written in the Law. O then if God shall Curse thee, who shall Bless thee? Sinner, didst thou never read this Book; or if thou hast perused this Book, hast not thou beheld the Threatnings of God against graceless men, and ungodly men, and Delaying Sinners? Or, dost thou despise those sayings, & not make haste to get out of that condition in which thou art exposed to Gods Wrath.

4. Whilst thou delay est to keep the Commandments of God, thou art under the Sentence of the Gospel too. Ah Sirs, if the Gospel condemns you, whither [Page] will you appeal! I do not say, that yet this Sentence is a final Sentence; no, till thy Unbelief is final this Sentence is not final. Ah Sinner, come, Believe quickly, or else thy Unbelief will be a final Unbelief; then this Sentence of the Gospel, will be a final Sentence too The Gospel has its Threatnings as well as the Law, I, and more severe ones too. You that are ready to say, That we are too sharp in our Preaching nothing but Hell, and Damnation: Alas Sirs, I speak no more than I find in the Gospel it self; & that Christ has spoken himself. Do you think Sirs, that we are too sharp, and too tar [...] in our Sermons: alas, you cast the Reproach upon God that tells us what we tell you. We do no more but tell you what this God says, and what you must expect: and where you must shortly be, if you do not make haste and come away to Christ, Mark 16 16. He that Believeth not shall be condemned. This is Christ himself that shall Judge you shortly that tells you so, Joh. 3 36 He that Believeth not on the Son of God, the wrath of God [...] him Heb. 2 3 How shall we [...] if we neglect so great Salvation! Mat. 18 3 Verily, verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, [Page] ye cannot enter into the Kingdom of God, Luk 13 Except ye Repent ye shall all like wise perish Heb. 24 Without Holiness no man shall see the Lord. Now what say you Si [...]s, do we speak more than God speaks? Or have we said more than God himself hath said? If thou canst not bear this Doctrine, tell me; why wast not thou one of Gods Councellors, and why didst not thou advise, and direct thy Maker, to make better Laws, and better terms for Sinners, than in the Gospel he hath done? Should thy Maker ask thee, upon what terms and Conditions thou wouldst be Saved? thou must take his terms, or thou must not be Saved at all, John 3. 18. He [...] believeth not, is condemned already. Mark that Sentence, He that does not believe. Ah poor Sinner, art thou a Condemned Man, yet wilt not thou make haste, and with thou [...] still? And wilt not thou come and beg th [...] thou mayst be Pardoned?

5. All this while that thou dost delay, all thy sins stand uncrossed in the Book of God; and is this a safe condition to be continued in? How many Oaths, Sinner hast thou sworn! How many Holy Sabbaths hast thou Prophaned! How many [Page] times hast thou decided Godliness? How many hundred times hast thou neglected Prayer? To Call upon God: And how many Lies hast thou told, and not one of them Forgiven! Poor delaying Trifler? Dost not thou know, that thou most be Pardoned or Condemned? & Pardoned [...] canst not be, while unsanctified & [...] O what will thou do [...] this World, and standost in [...] God shews [...] the [...] thy Sins [...]

6. While [...] God [...] Stocks under the plain [...] of the Word? But [...] those things are true, as thou wilt [...] know and find them to be, Oh, why dost thou delay still and make [...] more haste out of that condition in whom thou art exposed to so much [...] [...] wood Damnation, what a [...] it make in my cars! If the Word be so dreadful, what is the Thing i [...] self! Yet this is thy longer, while thou delavest to keep the Commandments of thy God, What art [Page] thou in danger of? In danger of a place of [...] Darkness: In danger of a bottomless Pi [...]: In danger of a place of Torment: In danger of a burning fiery Furnace: In danger of a place of continual Torment with Fire, & with Brimstone. Sinner, wh [...] thou [...] down, thou art in danger of Hell, and how knowest not, whether thou shalt awake before thou art in Hell. Sinner, consider how dangerous thou sleepest when thee great to Bed, who dare assure thee, that thou [...] not be in Hell before the Sun [...] again? While thou dost delay, and sit down at thy [...] [Page] see that hour yet in all thy life, in which thou couldst say, now I am past danger of being damned. Now I have a Promise of God, that my Soul shall not be cast into Hell. Sirs, what do you mean! Beloved People, what do you think on! How do you sit here as not concerted! How can you eat and drink, and sleep as if you were not in danger of Hell! Canst thou bear the Wrath of God, the Torments of the Damned! Canst thou endure it Sinner? If thou canst then let Christ alone still! But alas, to led the Torments of Hell will be another thing than to speak of them. O Sirs, hearken to this Counsel, from one that earnestly desires the salvation of your Souls.

I come now to the Second Particular.

II. To urge you to make haste, Consider, what haste most do make in the wo [...]ld to sin against God, to break the Commandments of their God; so hast thou done too, is hath been thy practise. O what haste hast thou made to Sin! How fall do many men Swear! How often are many men Drunk! How fast haste do many make to their wicked [...]! How fall does the Whoremonger halt to his Harlot! Shall others [Page] make haste to Hell, and wilt not thou make haste to Heaven! Shall others make such haste to provoke God, and wilt not thou make haste to Please thy God! Here we cannot make you to be slow: Here we would fain have you to stop, to stay, but you will not do it: If we fetch Agruments from God, from the Wrath of God, from the Justice of God, to stop your course in sin, yet you will go on. If we fetch Arguments from the Promises of God, from the Threatnings of God, both [...] for all this, the Sinner will make haste on in his Sin, tho' we tell you, that Sin is the way to Hell, the undoing of your Souls; yet, for all this, you will make haste to Hell; Why Sinner, art thou afraid that thou canst not get to Hell soon enough, or sure enough! Behind, you that make haste to Sin, I Call and Cry his day, Why such haste, Sinner; why poor Sinner, why such haste? Why dost thou hasten so fast to run on in that course that will certainly bring thee to that place of Torment? Stop thy course, stay Sinner, turn back, the place that thou art hastning to, is not a pleasant place; the Torments that thou art hastning [Page] to, are insufferable torments; turn back again then to God, and instead of making haste to Sin, make haste to God. Believe me, Sinner, believe me, if that thou comest to hell forty years hence, thou wilt find that thou art there soon enough. Why then shouldst thou make such haste? O the blindness of Mens hearts, that make more haste to Damn their Souls, than to Save them; that make more haste to hell, than to heaven; that make more haste to Devils, than to God! That Sinners make haste to sin, you have Proof enough in your, own observation, besides the Scripture! Prov 1. 16. Their feet run to Evil, they, make haste to shed blood, Prov. 7. 23. The sinner maketh haste as a bird that [...] from the snare. Mark 6. 25. Horodias Daughter made haste to bring a Charger to have John Baptists head.

III. To press you to make haste Consider, what haste most in the world do make to be Rich upon Earth; as i [...] God sent Men upon Earth to mind nothing so much as the Riches of this World. Do you not see men make haste to get the World, as if they could not be happy without it? As if they were [Page] undone if they were not Rich! Why do these Men make haste for Riches, and wilt not thou make haste sot Grace? Tell me, is not Grace better than Riches, and God, better than Gold? And are not the joys and happiness of the unseen World, a great deal better than the outward enjoyments of this present World. Take Solomon's Counsel, Prov. 3. 14, 15. Wisdom (meaning Christ) is better than Rubies, and all that the heart can wish or desire, are not to be compar'd to him, Phil 3. 7. 1. There Paul counted all things but dross, and no better than dung, in comparison of Jesus Christ. Ah Sinner, when Death shall come, and thou lye on a Bed of Sickness, if thy Conscience be then awakened, or if not, then at the furthest, when thou shalt lye in Flames, thou shalt cry out of thy folly, and say, O wretched Sinner that I was, that made such haste to get the World, but no more haste to get the Favour of my God, that made such haste to get Silver and Gold, but, made no [...] more hast to get the Favour of God, and an Interest in Christ.

IV. Yet consider, when Man was fallen into misery, and was a lost Creature [Page] the blessed God made haste to help him out. When Man had Rebelled, Mercy made haste to Pardon: When Man had lost his way to Heaven, the God of Heaven did make haste, and come himself, and Preach the way of Salvation unto him. O wonderful! That God should make haste to Man, and Man will not make haste to God▪ That God should make haste to come and help Man, and yet Man will not make haste to accept of this help! What would have become of Mankind, if God had delayed, if Mercy had delayed! but Mercy was upon the wing, Mercy fled away apace towards fallen Man: The very same day that Man did sin, God did make haste, that very day, to come and Preach a Saviour unto him: Read Gen. 3. 7, 8. and 15. Verses, There you read of Adam's Sin, how he had Sinned, and it is said, In the cool of the day, God came making [...], to find out lost Adam, saying, Adam, where art thou? The God of Heaven ca [...] to look after the Sinner! As if he should say. Is this the man that I made in my own Image, and is become liable to my Wrath, subject to my Curse, and to the Torments of Hell for ever! O my bowels yearn, I must [Page]make haste to convince him of his sin: and then to Preach a Saviour unto him, Gen. 43. Joseph made ha [...]te, for his bowels yearned towards his brethren, and he sought where to weep, and he entred into his Chamber and wept there. So does Gods bowels yearn towards poor Sinners.

V. To press you to make haste, the time is coming, when thou wilt be in that case, that thou wilt cry and call to God to come and help thee. What dost thou think, Sinner, will sickness never come? Shalt thou never be pained in thy Bowels? Shall thy time of Dying never come? Yes, it will, it will, and it is a hastning. When thou art full of pain with Gent or Stone, if thou canst not rest upon thy Bed, O what will thy sayings sinner, then be! O that God would make haste and ease me, and give me some relief! O this sickness I cannot endure! This will be thy request e're long, and will it not be the breaking of thy heart, if God should say to thee in thy distress, as now thou sayest to God in thy prosperity; God says, make haste to come to me; yes, thou sayest in thy heart, after one year I will, or after t [...]n Years, then I will? then what if [Page] thou, when under such pain shouldst cry to God, Help Lord! God should say, After one year, or ten years, then I will, but till then, thou must lye in thy Distress: Psal. 40. 13. Be pleased O Lord, to deliver me, O Lord make haste to help me▪ Verse 17. Thou art my Help and my Deliverer, make no tarrying O my God. Thou wouldst not have God to tarry then one Day longer, not one Hour longer; thou wouldst begin and end thy Prayer in thy Distress, with this Request, Make haste O God to help me, as the Psalmist does in Psal 71. 12. O God be [...] from me, O God make haste for my help: even a very Pharoah will cry for help, when Judgments are upon him.

VI. All the Provisions and Preparations that the Blessed Glorious God has made to welcome Sinners, when they come to him, do all cry aloud to you, to make all earnest haste. The Eternal God has made a great Preparation for thee: this Blessed God invites thee: Sinner make haste and come to me, thou wilt be Damned if thou dost not; O sinner, make haste, and come quickly unto me; thou wilt perish for ever if thou dost not come quickly unto me; I have [Page] a Pardon for thee, come to me, I have a Heaven for thee, come to me, I have prepared a Kingdom and a Crown for thee, and loe thou shalt dwell with me for ever; though thou hast Rebelled, I will Pardon thee if thou wilt come to me; though thou hast deserved Hell, I will give thee Heaven, if thou wilt come to me: Behold, this Blessed God made haste to send his Son, and Jesus Christ made haste to come and dye, the Spirit makes haste to come and move upon thy Consciences and the Ministers of Christ make haste to come and offer Christ to thee, now shall God make haste, and Jesus Christ make haste, and the Spirit make haste, and Ministers make haste, and wilt not them make haste?

VII. My Seventh Argument shall be, to Consider your time that you have to come to God.

First of all, The time that thou hast allowed thee to come to God in, it is but short, and but a little time, a few more Years or Months, Weeks or Days, and thy Life will be ended. O Sinner, consider where thou standest! Upon the brink of Eternity, upon the Borders of another World; thou art near, exceeding [Page] near to Heaven or Hell, and yet wilt thou make no more haste?

2. This little time that thou hast, it is hastning away quickly. O how swift does yonder Sun in the Firmament move! Sirs do you not see how one Day and one Night [...]ouls away after another, and one Week, one Sabbath goes away after another, and thy time is a hastning, whether thou art a Drinking, or a Sporting? Sinner, except thou canst stop the Suns going of its Race, stay in thy Sins no longer.

3. This hastning time it is very uncertain too, when it shall end, when an end shall be put unto it; Sinner, canst thou tell, that thou shalt live till to Morrow; let the man stand forth, that can say, I am sure I shall live till to Morrow; which is the man amongst you all that can say, This hour I am sure of the next, and this Lord's Day, that can say, I am sure of another? Who knows, but thou art keeping thy last Sabbath, and hearing thy last Sermon? Who knows, but thou art making the last appearance in a publick Congregation? Boast not thy self of to Morrow, for [Page]thou [...]nowest not what a Day may bring forth. Ah Sinner, thou will be found to be the Tool of all Fools, that dost not know how [...] thou mayest depart this World, yet to [...] and delayest, and will not make haste to come to God.

4. Thy time that is past, will never come again; if thou wouldest [...] thousands for Yesterday, it cannot be Recalled: Or for last Lord's day, it cannot be Recalled again: Consider your time, then judge if it be not high [...] for you to make haste, and to delay no longer.

VIII. Yet I pray you consider all the time you no delay, you are abusing the Mercy of God, and busing of the Patience of God; Is this a thing to delay in? Does the Eternal God may yet does not Damn thee, and call thee down to Hell, which he may do every Hour at his Pleasure? And does he tarry and not Punish thee? And dost thou tarry and wilt not come and submit to him? This God is intreating of thee to accept of Mercy, and is loth that thou shouldst Perish, or lose thy poor Soul. Now is offering of the Rich Blessings, Purchased so dear, as by the blood of his own Son; and while thou dost neglect, [Page] What dost thou but say in thy heart [...] care not for God, nor for his Christ neither? Ah Sinner, remember the time is coming, the hour is hastning, that thou wouldst give Ten Thousand Worlds if thou hadst them, for that Grace which now thou despisest, Rom. 7. despisest thou the goodness of God, not considering that the Patience and Long suffering of God should lead thee to repentance!

IX. Thy Delaying has in it a great deal of bold, and blind Presumption. Thou dost presume, Sinner, of such things that thou hast not any grounds to make reckoning of. There are three or [...] things that a trifling Sinner, a [...] Sinner Presumes of.

[...] Thou dost presume that thou shall live danger yet; thou do presume, that thou hast more time to spene in this World; thou dost suppose that thou mayst have another Year yet, another Month [...] another Weeks still; Tell me it this be not in thy Heart? Thou art worse than a mad man indeed, that wilt not make haste & come to Christ? but this is a bold presumption; thou talkest of another Year, when thou mayst not have another Hour.

[Page] 2 Thou dost presume, that thou canst Repent when thou wilt, and turn to God when thou wilt; thou dost presume that thy own will is of thy own strength; but Sinner, either thou canst Repent when thou wilt, or thou canst not, if thou canst and dost not, behold thou art inexcusable; but if thou canst not Repent now, dost thou think thou canst better Repent hereafter, when thou hast hardened thy Heart yet more in Sin?

3 In thy Delaying, thou dost presume, that the Spirit of God will help thee hereafter, as well as now, for if this were not in thy hopes, if thou didst not suppose this, if thou wert not bereaved of thy Understanding, Wouldst not thou Repent now, while the Spirit of God moves upon thy heart? How dost thou know, but hereafter the Spirit of God may let thee alone, and give thee up to the hardness of thy own Heart? God may say to thee, as to Ephraim, Hosea 4 17, Ephraim is joyned to Idols, let him alone. Ah Sinner, if God says once, Let him alone, then all the Sermons in the world will do no good [...] If God would say to the delaying Sinner, My Spirit let him alone, and mine Ordinance[Page]let him alone, and my Ministers let him alone; That tho you have the voice of the Gospel in your Ears, yet God will let thy heart alone.

X. And the last Argument to persuade you to make haste, is this, it may be you may be loth to hear it; I wish, Sinner, that by the yielding to all the rest, thou wouldest give me Reason to for bear to speak it; but if all that has been said, will not move thee to make haste, then know that thy Damnation is hastening, the time of thy lying in Torment is hastening, the hour of thy being thrown down to Devils, and lying in Chains of Darkness, is hastening. Sinner, tho thou slumberest, yet thy Damnation does not slumber, 2 Pet. 2 3. Whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and there Damnation lingereth not. Thou lingerest and loyterest, ay, but thy Damnation does not slumber, Deut. 32. 35. Consider of that place, To me says God, belongeth Vengeance and Recompence; their scot shall slide in due time, for the day of their Calamity is at hand, and the things that shall [...] upon thee maketh haste. Mark, the Day of thy Calamity is at hand, and the [Page] thing the Wrath of God that shall come upon thee maketh haste; the Justice of God that shall overtake thee, makes haste. O then, if thou wouldst make haste to escape, those dreadful things that are hastening, do you make haste and delay not to keep the Commandments of your God.

Thus I have given you many Arguments and Motives; and if I thought that you had made haste & come away to Christ, I would change my Text and go upon another Subject, but I could after all, that thou art lingring; I would therefore yet try to put thee on, and would direct this Exhortation to five sorts of People.

First of all, I would perswade such of you as are Young, that you would make haste and not delay, even you that are Children, little Children, the youngest amongst you that understand what the sense is of any of these things. O do you make haste you young Men in your Youth, make haste and do not delay.

II. I would direct this Exhortation to such of you as are old, old Sinners, for Gods sake make haste, you that are threescore years old and more, make haste.

[Page] III. To such of you as are Strong [...] Healthful of Body.

IV. To you that are Sickly and Crazie Persons, often Sick and seldom Well, for God's sake make haste.

V. To such of you as have been Sick, and now are Well, as have been upon beds of Sickness near to Death, but God hath set thee upon thy Legs again. O make haste, and do not delay to keep the Commandments of God.

First then, You that are young, you that are yet in your Childhood, you young Children, you Young men and Maids; O do you make haste, and do not delay to keep the Commandments of God. I would rather press this Counsel upon you, because you chiefly lie under the temptations of delay; for you Children have very naughty hearts, [...] loth to be good, and come to God; you are apt to think, that you have time enough yet: that you may take your Pleasure and mind your sports now, & think of God hereafter, and think of Heaven and Hell hereafter. But I have Ten Questions to propose to you, you Young ones, and by that time. I have come through these, I hope you will see [Page] that there is no Reason for you to delay, though you are young.

I. Tell me. Are you so young that you may not d [...]e? are you so young that you may not be sick? Are you Young Men exempted from Death and the Grave? Have you not observed, that as young as you, and younger too, have gone down to the Grave? Have you not seen little Infants carried to the Grave? Have not you seen Infants laid in the Dust? Have you not seen many [...] that there is but little different betwixt the Birth and the Grave? If you doubt of this go into some Churchyard, and see if you may not find there Graves of all sizes; an Infant was buried here, another young one was buried there, who was not so tall as I; Very well, if you are not so young, but you may die, are you so young then, that you may not make your peace with God?

II Are you so young that you may not be damned? Has God any where told you in his Word, that no Young Ones shall go to Hell, those that die in their Youth? Tell me, were not you born in Sin? And are you not by Nature Children of Wrath? And by reason [Page] of that sin in which you were [...], are you not liable to the wrath of God, to the Damnad [...] of Hell, and to the Torments of the Damned? Besides, Have not you Young Men many Sins of your own committing, actual Sins? How soon didst thou learn to Lye? How soon did you learn to take God's Holy Name in vain? How soon did you play upon the Lords Day, and so mispend your precious time? By all these you have deserved Death and Hell too? and if you are not so young, but you may be Damned, is there any room [...] to delay, and not to do what God commands you to do?

III. I pray tell me, is it sit that you should give the first of your time to the Devil, rather than unto God; for you first to serve the Devil, then next to serve God, to give your Youth unto him that would devour and destroy your Souls, rather than to God, that would five your Souls, and make them happy? Should you give to [...] the first of your time, that deserves none at all? And Sirs, I tell you, that you deserve to be Damned, if you give one hour. Think of it, What would the World think of [Page] you if you deal with your Parents as you deal with the Eternal God? if you should say, Father I will rebel against you, whole I am Young, I will vex & grieve you, whilst Young, but I will be Dutiful to you when I am Old; Will you in effect say worse to God? And say, We will do what the Devil saith to us now, and we will do what God commands us hereafter. Tell me, Who was it that gave [...] your Being? Who was in that formed you in your Mothers Womb? Who was it that brought you forth? Who [...] it that preserved you, whilst you hung upon your Mothers Breast? Who is it that kept you from Death and Hell to this day, that night have cast you into utter darkness, as soon as you beheld the light of the Sun? Has the Devil done for you as God has done or can you expect he shall or will? [...] all these together, then [...] it [...]e fitting that you should serve the Devil a [...].

IV. Tell me, you [...] are young, Can you be good too thou? O [...] can you have your God too soon? O [...] can you mind your Souls too soon? O [...] can you ( [...] you) he mindful to [...] [...]he Damnation of Hell [...]? Can you be [...] [Page] soon sure of Heaven? Tell me, Wound it do thee any harm to know in thy Youth that thy Soul shall be saved? Would it do thee any harm to believe in Christ, to love God above all, and to understand, whenever thou shalt die, that thy Soul should be received to Heaven? Remember his, that there have been many who have been troubled that did repent too [...] but there was never one in this World that ever repented that be repented too soon. Thousands, and Ten Thousands have [...] they have staid off from Christ to long.

V. Is not Youth, & Young in Years, the usual time for God to Convert Sinners to his Son? especially, those whom he plantech under the Gospel in the time of their Youth. O you that are set under preaching, if you are not converted whilst you are young, it is a thousand to one, if ever you are Converted Pray Sirs, consider, Is it usual for God to Convert Old Sinners? I know, God sometimes may call at the Eleventh Hour, but it is but here and there one, now and then one ▪ & commonly they are such as did not sit under the means of [Page] Grace when they were Young; if you delay whilst Young, you may let slip the very season of Conversion, then your Souls cannot be brought over to God by all the Preaching in the World. Do we not amongst our selves observe, that for one Old Person, one Old Sinner, that is made sensible of sin, and of his lost estate, though never so vile, that does desire the Prayers of a Congregation for them, have we not Twenty, yea Forty that are younger, that desire your Praises for them?

VI. Will it not be easier, for you to repent now, than it will be hereafter, when by long continuance in sin, you have hardned you clears, and seared your Consciences and have been accustomed to do wickedly? Certainly, now, whilst Conscience is tender, and the Heart more tender, it will be easier for you to let go your sin now, and to have your Wickedness now, than it will be [...]orty years hence; for the longer you continue in no, the stronger is Sin upon you, and the stronger your Sin is, the [...] your Heart is, and the harder wast he your Repentance, [...] [...] speaks, Can the Ethiopian change his skin, [Page]or the Leopard his spots? Then may ye that are accustomed to do Evil, learn to do well.

VII. Shall you not prevent a multitude of sins, if you make haste in your Younger Years to come to God? whereas if you go on in your Sins, what a Multitude of sins, how many Thousand sins will you add more and more to the sins that you have already committed? if you [...] still, how many Prayers will you neglect? And how many Sabbaths profane? And how many lies tell, & make no Conscience? And how many Oaths may some of you swear? Whereas, now it you would come to God in your [...], if you would now Believe and Repent, and come to God, O what a number of Sins may you prevent the [...] of! And is not this [...]? You have sinned [...] already, the Youngest amongst you have [...] enough already, you need [...] go [...] and [...] more and more [...] they are not to be [...] already.

VIII. Consider Will not this be [...] pleasing us to [...] it, [...] hasten in [...]. Youth to come [...]o God? [...] is the [Page] [...]; O Christ loves Young Ones indeed, when they will be good, Mark 10. 23, 24. This was a Young man that had but some common good in him; and it is said. That Christ looked upon him and loved him, Jerem 2 2 Sayes God to Israel, I remember the kindness of thy Youth, the love of thy Espousal, Ah, God takes it kindly, and Christ takes it kindly, when you do believe on Christ, and leave your sins be times. O will not you do that which God and Christ will take kindly at your hands! then make haste whilst you are young, and do not stay till you are old. O it is pleasing unto God to see young ones come and Pray, and Believe, to see young ones following after Christ, Eccles. 12 1. Remember thy Creator in the days of thy Youth. Now tell me, Young men, is it not better for you to be pleasing to this blessed God whilst you are young, than to be provoking of him till you are Old? is it not more pleasing to have his Love and Smiles, than to have his Anger and Frowns?

IX. If you make haste whilst you are young, shall you not have the more time to serve you God, and glorify your [Page] Maker? And is not this the End for which thou west born? Is not this the End for which you were made, that you may glorifie him that gave your being unto you? And tell me. Can you begin this Work too soon? Or, can you do this one thing too much? O young men think, will God save you when you die, and will not you serve him whilst you live? Will God glorifie you hereafter in Heaven, and will not you glorifie God whilst you are here upon the Earth? Tell me, Do you think you can honour God in a little time, and in Old Age too; as you may in a great deal, beginning from your youth, to your Elder years? I tell you, that Multitudes of good People upon their Death Beds when they have been going to Heaven, They have been full of Grief upon this account, That they served God so law, and loved God so late; that are going to Heaven to live with God, and have done no more for God when they were here upon Earth.

X. And Lastly, If you now make haste whilst you are young, shall not you have the more time to do the great Work in your own Souls that is there [Page] to be done? O what a great deal of Work does lie within us? What a great deal of Work does lie upon our Hearts to be done! upon our Souls! Is it not more likely that you should do more in Forty years time, than in Five or Ten, or the latter end of your days? O how much knowledge is there to be had of God and of Christ, and the great Mystery of the Gospel! You will have more time to get a greater measure of the Love of God and of Jesus Christ; you will have more time to get Assurance of the Love of God and of Eternal Glory; you will have more time to make your preparation for Death, and the great Account that you have to give unto God after Death. Now take these ten things along with you, and then see, if there be any room or reason for you to delay though young, but make all the haste you can to do that God commands. That is the first Sort.

2. The Sort that I would urge this upon, is, you that are Old. You Old Sinners [...] the Work that you have to do.

I. Of all, you that are old, O make haste? for your time is almost gone, your [Page] Glass is almost run, your Sun is near to setting; in a course of Nature you have not much time to live. Behold! look upon your gray Hairs, and they will tell you, that you are going off the Stage of this World, and are entring into another World. The Age of man, that the most do reach ordinarily, is Threescore and Ten, Psal. 90. 10. The Age of Man is Threescore Years and Ten, O is there not some in this place that have not outlived the usual time? Are not some of you Threescore Years and upwards? Are not some of you Seventy Years and more? O how near, how very near are you to another World! You are almost at your Journeys end. What and sit still whon you are almost at your Journeys end? Some of you are old almost to a wonder. When a person begings to be going onwards to Eighty, People commonly wonder at their Age, What art thou such a one, yet delaying? Art thou old to a wonder, and Wicked to a Wonder too? O consider, it is but a little while that you have to stay in this World; make haste therefore, [...] do not delay.

[Page] II. You that are old, make haste; for some of you have not yet begun your Work: What! and delay still, and be idle still! What do you mean? How many old ones are there here, that have not spent one hour in Threescore Years, in hearty serving of God; I do not say you have not spent an hour in Hearing and in Praying; but some of you possibly have not spent one hour in hearty serving of God; which you that are in a Natural State and Condition never did. O what are you, Sirs, that are old, and never convinced of sin to this day, that are Fifty, Sixty, yea Seventy Years old, & yet strangers to the very first Principles of Religion! Oh how sad is it to see gray Hairs and Ignorance! I have seen a Child of Five or Six Years old that hath known more of God and of Christ than many that I have seen of fifty or sixty; & yet these People sit still? Sirs, are you resolved indeed to go thus to your Grave? Are you resolved indeed to die & to be Damn'd too? To see old people to be careless of God, and careless of their Souls, negligent and slothful, what a shame is it? Age has forced thee to lean upon thy Staff, but it has not forced [Page] thee to lean upon thy Saviour. How may we say of some, wondrous old, & wondrous Wicked; wondrous Old, and wondrous Ignorant? Have every one of you that are Old, fifty or sixty Years Old, got Christ into your Hearts? Would to God you had, I wish you had: Have every one of you repented of sin? O consider, Sirs, What a thing is this, to live Fifty Years, yet be without God? to loiter Sixty Years, and never come to God; to live till you come to that state in which Nature is almost Consumed yet no Faith? May not some of you say, That you have not shed one Penitent Tear for all your sins, no, not in Fifty Years time; but you that are in Years, and have begun your Work, yet there is Reason why you should make haste to do more, and to go forward, and make a greater progress still; Thou that hast loved God and believed on Christ, tell me, Dost thou think in thy very Conscience, that thou hast so much Love to God, as thou mightest have had in Fifty Years standing? Alas [...] who has? I [...] so be, that you have [...] so much Grace as you should have done in so much time, & as you should have [Page] done by the help of so much means as you have had in so many Years. O make haste and do not delay! What think you, Sirs, you that are of Years, you that I may call my Father for Age, what think you, are there not some that are Twenty Years younger than you, Forty Years younger than you, that love God, and fear God, and hate Sin more than you do? is not this a [...]gn that you have loytered too much? O therefore make haste and delay no singer.

III. You that are Ancient, make haste, and delay not; for have not you lost [...] enough already, but you must [...] Have [...] you served the [...] enough, and served your [...]ust long enough? Have not you forgotten God long enough, and neglected Christ. Heaven, and your Souls, long enough already, but you [...] it still and will you proceed and will you do it till you die? What [...] you [...] Sirs, you old Sweare [...]s, and you [...] and old Sabbath [...] of God and [...] you mean, do you mean to [...] your Dying day? Do [...] a little [...] will do so: Do you [...] [Page] give the Devil all your time, and an your strength? You that have lived Threescore Years, I fear should you live the other Threescore Years, you would do so still; you that have lived Fifty Years, I fear, should you live Fifty years longer, you would still be the same. Sinner, Art thou resolved to go to thy Grave without Christ, without a Heart changed? It thou dost, shalt not thou go to Hell too, and to Devils too? What you do, it must be done quickly, or else it will never be done: for you will die before it be done. For shame, Sirs, for shame, love God after so long time, for shame, Sirs for shame, love Jesus Christ, after so long time. Have not you fear a great Deformity in Si [...] after so much time that you have spent in Sin.

IV. You that are old, make haste and do not delay; for if you die Old, and [...] too, if you die Old and Graceless too, the Patience of God that his waited upon you [...] our Old Age will aggravate your Sin and your Condemnation too; I tell you Sirs, that much of you had better to have died in your Childhood, than to have lived to [Page] Old Age; you had better have died as soon as you had been born, than to have lived so long, and go to Hell at last; you had better have died when you could not go, by reason of Infancy, than to live till you could not go, by reason of Age, and die our of Christ at last: if thou diest Old and Wicked, old in thy sin, Hell will be the hotter when thou comest there, though it be the longer till thou comest there; will you yet delay? O you that are Ancient, I pray you make haste, and delay no longer.

V. And lastly, I pray you make haste and delay no longer; for, I pray tell me, Can you give an account of your misspent time already? You shall certainly be called to an Account for every Year you have had, for every Month you have [...] for every Week, Day and Hour that you have had; Time is going and you must be called to an Account how you have spent your time Can you give an Account to God of Fifty Years spent in [...], not know [...] God? Can you give an Account [...] God of Threescore Years spent in a Natural Estate, in which is nothing of God nor ever did one hearty Duty to God [Page] in all this time! O you that are Young, for you are my hopes! I profess that I have more hope of you, than of those that are Old & Wicked. I take it to be my great advantage, that I Preach to so many that are young; think of what has been said to you, & what has been spoken to you, and when you come home, consider, you have heard Ten Things, that there is no room for loytering; and you that are Old, if you are not past feeling, O would to God you were not. This is the Mischief, when People are young, then they think it is too soon; and when they are old, then they say, they have been of this Opinion ever since they were born, and change now they will not. Well, think what you will, change you must, or you must be Condemned. You would think it much to wait upon a Fellow Creature a Day, or Week; yet this Blessed God has waited upon you so many Years, O make haste and come unto God, and do not delay any longer.

III. Then to you that are of a strong and a healthful Constitution, do you make haste and not delay to do what God commands you, though you are [Page] strong and healthful, yet make haste & do not delay; you have need of this Advice, because being strong, and in perfect health, you are apt to put away the day of Death from you, and Repentance too, and Christ too; and the making of your Peace with God, be cause you are not full of Pain, and God does not often cast you upon Beds of Sickness, therefore you think there is no need for you to make haste.

First of all, As strong and as stout as thou thinkest thou art, many have been cut off in a Weeks time, and less; therefore do thou make haste; as strong as thou art; when Death comes it will make thee cry out, O I am Sick, I am Sick; I am Pained, I am Pained! O it will make thee to Tremble: You see often times that Crazy Persons do out live those that are of a Healthful Constitution; therefore do not venture your Soul Eternal State upon it because you are strong.

II. Tell me, Who is it that giveth thee thy strength? Is it God, or Satan? If [...] God that gave thee thy strength; What a disingenious sinner art thou to God, that because God does not fill thy [Page] Body with pain, therefore thou wilt fill thy Body with Sin? What does God give thee Health for, and give thee Strength for? Does God make thee strong, that thou mayest be strong to sin, and spend thy days in sinning against him.

III. Consider, which is the fittest time for you to Repent, and to make your Peace with God, now when you are well and strong, or when you shall be sick and near Death? Alas! How oft have I seen people on their sick-Beds unfit to be discoursed with, that put off their Repentance till the last, till they were sick; then sickness brought its Burthen with it, its Excessive Pain with it that they had no mind to Discourse of any such Things. That is the Third Sort; to those that are strong.

IV. My Exhortation also is to such of you as are sickly and of a weak Temper, that the often sick, and often ill. It is time for [...] to make haste, that live in daily expectation of another World, that daily look for your last Day, and when your last Hour will come, and when you shall draw your last Breath. How oft has God shaked [Page] thee over the Grave? How oft hast thou been in that case upon thy sick bed, that Men could not tell, whether thou shouldst Live or Die? And now God has restored thee, yet thou art weak still and sick still. Is it not time for you to make haste? Behold! The Voice of every Sickness is, Sinner, make haste; The Voice of every Affliction is, Sinner, make haste.

V. And Lastly, My Advice is to such as have been Sick, and now are Recovered; do you make haste & not delay to do what God has commanded you to do; Will you sin again as you did before? Will you slight Christ again, as you did before? and neglect Heaven, and God, and Christ as before? Sinner, Did God give thee thy Life again, that thou shouldest rebel against thy Maker again? Hast thou forgot how thy Soul was filled with amazement and horror when thou thoughtest thy [...] was so near to another World? How didst thou beg, and cry and cal [...] O that God would restore [...] this once! O that God would give me a little more time! O if God would recover me I will become a new Man, I will forsake my sinful Companions, I will[Page]neglect Prayer no more, I will prophane Gods Holy Day no more! These were thy Promises; God has restored thee again, and hast thou so soon forgot what thou didst Promise unto God, and dost thou delay as much as before? O consider, and for Gods sake lay it to Heart. Didst thou tell a Lye to God, when upon thy sick Bed: and didst thou play the Hypocrite with God, when thou didst not know whether thou shouldst live or die? Therefore, you that have been upon the brink of the Grave, and God bid thee look into Eternity, & thou sawest thou wast not prepared, thou beggest a little longer time, & God spared thee, therefore now make haste.

Now it may be thought, that I have said enough upon this Subject; but, alas, I think I have never said enough upon any Subject, till I have gained your Hearts to do what I have Preached upon; when consider, how slothful many Men [...] backward to come to God and [...], how backward to Believe to [...] and be Holy, I think that there is Reason enough to consider [...] what [...] said, to press you to make haste, and I beseech you [Page] to Answer these following Questions, and let Conscience answer as we go along.

First of all, Tell me, Sinner, Who is it that does wait upon thee, while thou dost delay? Is it not the Blessed, and Glorious, and Eternal God? Is it not he that the Angels of Glory make all possible speed to do his commands? Is it not he, Sinner, that might have Damned thee long ago, and cast thee down into Eternal Torments, and thou mightest this day have been among Damned Devils? Dost thou do well to make him carry for thee? Is it not he, that Died for thee, that is infinite in Mercy to save thee, if thou comest in; that is Infinite in Power to Damn thee, if thou refuse? Is it not he, that is infinitely thy Superiour Judge? Now, if it be reason for thee to loyter any longer, do if thou darest; do I say at thy Peril.

Secondly, Who, or [...] thou, Trifler, that this Blessed [...] should wait thus upon thee? If [...] consider thee as thou a [...] Creature, or as thou art [...], why should God so wait upon thee one year after another? As thou art a Creature, is not thy Body [Page] made of dust, and must not thy Body e're long be turned into dust? What art thou, but the better sort of Clay? Dost not thou carry every day a very Dunghill about thee, and must the Blessed God wait upon thee? Besides, if we consider thee, as thou art a Sinner; Art not thou a Hell-deserving Sinner! May not God cast thee this day into Hell if he will, and into Torments, even this very hour if he will? Canst thou be happy without his Favour, and enter into Heaven without his Son, and be saved without his Mercy? Therefore delay any longer at thy Peril.

Thirdly, What is it for, that this God thus waits upon thee? Consider I pray you, What does God give you so much time for, one Week after another, one Month after another, Year after year? Is it not to make your selves Rich in this World? O no, it is about a greater Matter that God waits and stays? Is it not to see if thou wilt mind thy escaping Eternal Damnation! God gives thee thy time for this, that thou mavest escape an Eternity of Torments: is it not for this that God waits, think you?

[Page] 2. That God stays so long, Is it not that thou mayest mind the Everlasting Salvation of thy Soul in Glory, that thou mayst get a Title to his Kingdom, that thou mayst get an Interest in his Son, that thou mayst hereafter dwell with him, with his Son, and with his Spirit, with his Angels and Saints, when thou shalt be taken out of this World.

3. Is it not that God stavs, that thou mayst be Justified, Sanctified, and Pardoned? O Sinner, i [...] God had not stayed for this, he might have Sentenced thee down to Eternal Torments, many years ago.

4. Is it not that God does stay, that of a Captive to Satan, and to Sin, thou mayst be made free?

5. That thou mayst be cured of thy Soul distemper, and of those sinful Maladies that are upon thy Soul; Is it not for this, I say for this, that God waits upon thee.

IV. Tell me, who shall have the worst of it, or who shall be the Sufferer it thou still delayest & dost not make haste to [...], Believe and be Holy? Or who will be the better it that thou make haste to be Holy and Repent? Whose will [Page] the Profit be, and the Advantage be? If thou dost not, Will not the harm be thy own, and will not the wrong be thy own? Sinner, dost thou think that, God thus waits upon thee, because he cannot be happy without thee? Flatter not thy self with this; for this God was happy before thou wast, and if thou art Damned, this God will be infinitely happy and blessed without thee, Job 22 v. 2, 3. Can a Man be profitable to God, as he that is Wise, is profitable to himself: Is it any Pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art Blessed, or is it any gain that thou makest thy self happy? Job 35 6, 7, 8. If thou sinnest, What dost thou against him? Or if thy transgressions be Multiplied, What dost thou to him! Or if thou art Righteous, What dost thou give unto him? Thy Unrighteousness may prejudice a Man as thou art, & thy Righteousness may profit him. It is a matter of Admiration, that the Blessed God should so long wait upon Sinners, or that the foolish Sinner should so long delay to come to God.

V. Tell me, is it not life [...] death that is the issue of thy [...]tering or making here, yet wilt thou loiter and delay, in respect of Eternal Life and Eternal Death too? [Page] If Men will make haste in any thing it will be where their Lives are concerned; then they think it is time for them to make haste; there is no room for loitering then: When thou art sick, how dost thou expect that all about thee should make haste? One maketh haste & runs to the Physician, another maketh haste and runs to the Chirurgeon, another maketh-haste and runs to the Apothecary. O make haste Sinner, thy Soul is in danger, thy Eternal Soul is in danger? Dost not thou know, Sinner, if thou makest haste and comest to Christ, thou shalt have a Life, a Life of Grace, and that is the sweetest Life, the safest Life, the surest Life, the hithest, and the noblest Life, the durablest and the most lasting Life; [...] Life thou shalt have, if thou wilt [...] and [...], and at last a Life of [...], to have with God, to [...] with Christ, to Live with Angels and [...], but on the contrary [...] thou delayest [...] Damnation will he thy Portion. And yet [...] Do it at thy Pe [...]il.

VI. Art thou sure Sinner, or dost thou know that God will wait upon thee one Year, or one Month, or one [Page] Week more? How dost thou know but that this may be the very last hour or day that God will tarry for thy Repentance? It may be God will say, I will wait upon thee, Sinner, no more, I will not stay one Sabbath more, I will not stay the other Sermon, if he refuseth me now. I will hearken to him no more: As he wickedly said a King. 6. 33. Behold this Evil is of the Lord what should I wait upon the Lord any longer? This God may say, This Sinner goes one is sin still, in the hardness of his Heart still, in his refusing of my Sin still, what shall I wait for him any longer?

VII. Tell me, & let Conscience judge & let but Reason speak and give the Answer, Hast not thou spent time enough in Sin already, and yet wilt thou [...] no haste to leave thy Sin? Tell me, Sinner, is the Devils Work so good, and his Wages so desirable, and is the Devil so kind a Master [...] [...] that thou art so loth to have [...] Service, and to come away▪ [...] the Service of thy Sin, to the Service of God? [...] what did the Devil ever [...] or ever give upon thee thou [...] so [...] his Service [...] ask thee, What is thy Name? How long since thou wast born? How old art thou? One may say [Page] Sixteen, another Twenty, another Thirty, it may be some Threescore, What, and graceless still! Out of Christ still! Is not Thirty, Forty, Threescore Years a great while to live in danger of Hell? You Young Men, when you have served your Seven Years time, you expect to be made Free, & will you live twice Seven, three times Seven, five times Seven, in the service of the Devil, and think it not time now to be made Free? O think, Have I served sin twenty years, forty years, and is it not long enough of all Reason? Ay, long enough beyond all reason. Ay Sirs, how long will it be before you turn? God thinks the time long, and Christ thinks the time long, and the Spirit of God thinks the time long, and Ministers think the time long, and all your godly Friends, your godly Relations would fain have your Souls Converted, and Saved, Prov. I. See there how Christ thinks it long till you come to him. v. 21. 22 Wisdom (that is) Christ [...] out in the chief places, in the opening of the Gates of the City, How long ye simple and will ye love your Simplicity, and Fo [...]ls kate Knowledge? &c. Psa 4. 2. O ye Sons of Men, How long will ye turn my Glory into [Page]shame? Jer. 30. Wo to thee, O Jerusalem, wilt not thou be made clean, when will it once be? So God says to thee; Wo to thee thou Drunkard, thou Swearer, thou Unclean Wretch; wilt not thou be made clean, when will it once be?

VIII. Hast not thou committed Sins enough already? Hast not thou Drunkenness enough to answer for already, but thou wilt go on still, & commit sins still? Tell me, thou that art a Swearer, hast not thou sworn oaths enough already? Hast not thou sworn so many in a Day, so many in an Hour, for so many Years, and hast not thou sworn enough? Yet is it not time for thee to leave thy Swearing? You that have neglected Prayer in your Closet, and in your Families? Have you not neglected things that should have been done? Have you not been guilty of Omission? You that have been Profaners of Sabbaths that go faster to H [...]ll on a Sabbath day than all the Week else? Is not a hundred, a thousand Sabbaths enough for thee to Profane?

IX. Seriously weigh, & then tell me. Is not the deserved Punishment of [...] Sin, that is due to thee already, great enough, yet wilt thou make no more [Page] haste? What dost thou think, will the, Pains of Hell be easie Pains, and the Torments of Hell be easie Torments? Dost thou think, that the sins that thou hast committed, will not sink thee deep enough into Hell, and low enough? If not, then go on still. But alas, poor sinner, stay, for if the least sin should be inflicted upon thy Soul, it will make thee cry out and roar, it will make thee cry, I am undone, undone, it will make thee gnash thy Teeth, & tear thy Flesh. Will one Sin do this? What will then all these sins thou hast committed?

X. And Lastly, Tell me, have not Multitudes & Thousands been damned already for delaying: and wilt thou loyter still? Wilt not thou take all their Damnation for a warning? How many Thousands are at this very time, Sirs [...] Preaching and you Hearing, in blackness and [...] of Darkness, that could you speak with them, you should [...] was [...] wretched delaying that did [...] to repent, but did not, [...] to go to Christ & to [...] our Sins; but [...] be to us, Death [...] before that time, & we were damned before that time: Death [...] [...] drew us out of[Page]the World, & Devils came and dragg'd us down to Hell before that purposed time of Repentance came; & here we lie in a Lake of Burning Brimstone, roaring and crying out and are undone. Now, Sirs, Have so many Thousands been Damned for their delaying, and will you delay still? Do it at your Peril. Now, if I did think that there was never a loitering Sinner among you, I would forbear, & go upon some other Subject; but the Lord knows, I am afraid of you; and I have a godly Jealousie over many of you, therefore I will try again, so conclude this Text? Has all that has been said from Sabbath to Sabbath, made you now to resolve to so sake your sins, and give up your Heart and all to God, and to Jesus Christ; Oh that I had grounds to judge so of you! But I doubt there is one, and another, and another and many more, that their hearts are hankering alter sin still, I will try you yet once more; I did propose Ten Questions to the delaying sinner; if thou hast slighted them, yet hearken sinner again; I will propose [...] to thee more, and wilt thou [...] say thou wilt do as thou [...] hast liv'd?

[Page] First of all, Tell me, poor trifling Sinner, tell me, Dost thou purpose in thy Heart, to obey God at all, or dost thou not? Dost thou intend to do the Duty that God enjoyns thee to do, or dost thou not? Say in thy Heart, Ay or No. I am content to stay till thou weighest the Question; but I think it is a Question that is so plain, that there is not a Man that dares to have the Face to say, that he does not purpose to turn to God. Well then, Is it thy purpose to Repent of sin, & turn to God, or is it not? If it be not so much as thy purpose, the God of Heaven pity thee, & shew mercy to thee before it is too late. For, art not thou a Wretch indeed, that hast not so much as a purpose in thy Heart to turn to God? If thou sai [...]t, Yes, I do purpose to do what God commands; then tell me, Why dost thou purpose? Thou art a Rational Creature, why dost thou purpose to obey God, and forsake thy Sin? Is it because thou judgest this to be thy safest course? Is it because thou thinkest thou must be Damned if thou dost not? [...] because thou thinkest thou canst [...] be saved? Is it because that God com [...] thee? Are these thy [...] [Page] hold! All the while that thou dost delay, thou art sinning against thy Conscience and thy Reason: For, thy Conscience tells thee, it is thy safest way to forsake thy sin, & to look after Christ. Well, if it be so, that it be best to leave thy sin, and turn to God, why then dost not thou do it? If it be not best, why dost thou purpose to do it?

Secondly, Art thou Purposed to do what God commands, to obey what he enjoyns? What is it that thou stavest for, and dost not do it then? Dost thou stay, Sinner, to see if God will make new Laws for thee? Dost thou stay to see if God will chalk thee out a more easie way to Heaven, and Salvation, than he has done already in his Word? Dost thou Stay to see if God will make such Laws as shall be pleasing to thee, that thou m [...]t keep thy Sins and go to Heaven too? Flatter not thy self, he will never do it; If thou stayest forty Years longer, the Laws of God will be the same then, as now, the Commands of God will be the same then as now. If thou stayed Forty Years longer, thou must Repent at last, or thou must be damned at last; thou must believe at last, or thou must go to [Page] Hell at last: It is the same way that we are saved now, that Adam was saved by, and that Noah, Abraham, David, & Moses and the Apostles, and all that are in Heaven were saved by, that is, the way of Holiness, and the way of Faith in Christ, Obedience to the Commandments of God, being sanctified, loving God above all. You must not think to dally with God, as with Men in the Market. In the Morning you will not buy, nor at Noon, putting it off till Evening, thinking then that the Prices will all towards the close of the Market. O do no think that God will come to lower Terms at the end of the World, or towards the end of thy Life. You may see, that God has prescribed the same all along, Isaiah 53. 7, 8. Let the wicked forsake his way Pov 28. 13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but be that forsaketh his Sins shall find Mercy. See, there must be a forsaking of Sin, according to the old way of Salvation, Ezekiel 18 31, Cast away all your Transgressions and turn from your Sins, so Inquiry shall not be your Ruine. So [...] Christ's time, Matthew 3 8, 9. John 3 16. So in the Apostles time, I Corinth 6. 9, 10, 11. So it is still, [Page] and so it will be to the end of this World.

Thirdly, Consider this too, and let thy Conscience reply whether thou dost well or no. Tell me, while thou dost delay, dost not thou do worse with the Blessed God, than thou dost with Damned Devils? I say, deal worse with God. Do you loiter thus when the [...] calls? Do you delay thus, when the Devil Tempts you; Hast not thou the very same day that the Temptation has been laid before thee, yielded unto it without delay, and hearkened to the voice of the Tempter? When didst thou say to the Devil as thou hast said to God a hundred times; and yet if God has called thee to Repent, thou hast said in thy Heart, no [...] yet? God has called thee to Believe, thou hast said, not yet, Lord; God has called thee, [...]o Believe on Christ, thou hast said, not yet Lord; but when did the Devil call thee, and tempt thee to Sin, and thou saidst not yet?

Fourthly, Tell me, you that do de [...] do not Repent, yet tell me, [...] you he served so by yours, by [...] that you have a power to Command? [Page] And will you deal worse with God, than you would have others to deal with you? You Fathers and Mothers, if you command your Children to do something for you quickly, would you take it well, if they should say, I will not do it yet this Twelve Months, yet this Ten Years? If you that are Masters, command a Servant to do something, and suppose the lawfulness of the thing, would you be contented, i [...] he should say I will do it when I please, but not yet? I know your Hearts would rise, your Passions would be up. Ah Sinner, were not God a patient God, would he have both this at thy hands? If God were not a patient God, would he have suffered his Creatures to abuse him thus? Consider with me [...] [...] Thing.

I. [...] Distance betwixt you, and your Children; you, and your Servants, is not so great, as betwixt God, and you; to not by a thousand degrees? No, it is not to [...] compared, a God is thy [...], God is infinitely above [...], thou art not so much above a [...] Wo [...]m under thy Foot, as God is [...] thee; [...] not bear the delay thy Children & Servants & yet wi [...] [...] deal thus with God?

[Page] 2. Their dependance is not so much upon thee, as thine is upon God; thy Servants have their Food from thee, but thou hast thy Being, thy Life, and all from God.

3. Consider, That the Work that God commands thee for to do? It is infinitely better than the Work that thou commandest thy Children or thy Servants to do. Suppose thou settest thy Servants about the Work of thy Calling, Is this to be compared with Everlasting Work▪ If the Work be never to mean that you put your Servants to, and [...] them do it quickly, if they do not do it, you are Angry; if thou biddest him but cleanse thy Shoes, if he does not do it, thou art Angry. Behold, The Blessed God commands thee to look after the cleansing of thy Soul, and the cleansing of thy Heart, the getting of an Interest in Christ; and wilt thou be Angry if thy Servant will not do for thee, & wilt thou delay doing for God?

Fifthly, Tell me, delaying Sinner, Tell me, in all Cases that concern thee in [Page] this World. Art not thou for the present time? If thou art sick, wouldst not thou be presently well? If in Pain, wouldst thou not have present ease? When thou art Sick, if it be told thee, that thou canst not have ease this Twelve Months, or Three or Four Months, yet would not this be tedious for thee to consider? Tell me, Art not thou for Riches presently? Wouldst not thou be quickly Rich? Wouldst not thou have a great deal of the World, thou carest not how soon? Or if thou wast in danger of Death, or of thy Grave, how soon wouldst thou he helped, or delivered? And though thou art in Danger of Hell, thou makest no haste to be delivered. Thou blind Fool, thou blind Sinner, Is not God and Heaven, and Christ better than all the Riches in the World? And is not [...] more dreadful than the Grave? And art thou so eager after Riches, and not after Heaven? Do it at thy Peril.

VI. Tell me, By these delays dost not thou put the greatest Work that thou hast to do, upon the greatest hazard in [Page] the World? What hast thou to do in this World more than to make thy Peace with God, to prepare for Death & Judgment? What to do in this World more than to get off the guilt of Sin, to get a holy Heart? And yet to delay! Thou dost put all to a Hazard. Methinks your delaying to do what God commands, it is a putting of things to a venture, it is a putting your Salvation to a venture, it is a putting of your Damnation to a venture, it is a putting the Loss of God, and of Christ to a venture. Methinks, it is as if the Sinner should say, As yet, I will not obey the Commandments of God, and I will put it to a [...], what the Issue will be; I will [...] as yet, look after God, and Christ and Heaven, and venture what will become of it. Alas, poor Sinner! Hast not thou any thing else to make a venture [...]?

Seventhly, Whilst thou dost thus delay, [...], Do not these Delays prove to [...] lovest thy [...] better than God, that thou lovest thy Last better than the God of Glory? [Page] Thou saist, No, I do not: No, Why, then dost thou not forsake thy Sin, if thou dost not love it? Why then dost not thou let it go, when God commands? If thou dost not leave thy Drunkenness, and thy Uncleanness, and thy Wickedness, thou shalt not enter into Heaven. Why then dost not thou let it go? If thou lovest Christ indeed, why then dost not thou receive Christ into thy Heart? Wilt thou pretend that thou lovest Christ, when thou wilt not have him come under the Roof of thy Heart?

Eighthly, Tell me, Are not delays in these Cases, Arguments of great Folly? And is it not a sign of greatest Wisdom for a Man (in such Cases as these are) to make the greatest haste? Is not he a Madman, or a Fool, that mindeth Toys or Trifles when he is in danger of losing his Life? Sirs, Are not you worse when you mind the Toys and Pleasures below, when you are in [...] of losing Souls.

There are five Arguments to prove a Wise Man.

[Page] 1. That he be one that maketh choice of the best good.

2. That he be one that taketh care of the best part.

3. That he be one that walketh in the best way.

4. That he be one that useth the best Means.

5. That he be one that doth all these.

In the first place, this is the Wise Man, Behold, God is the best good, thy Soul is the best part, the way of Holiness is the best way, means appointed by God to get to Heaven, are the only means. But on the contrary, to neglect these it is a sign of the greatest Folly? Wilt thou do it still? Venture on at thy Peril.

Ninthly, Tell me, Do not the Delays of People greatly discourage the Faithful Ministers of the Gospel? Does not your delaying weaken our Hands, and discourage our Hearts, when [...] must Study for you, and pray for you, and Preach to you, and you cast it again [Page] in our Faces? do you think, that we can Preach with Life, when we see no Fruit of our Works? I profess, were it not for some of you, you would even tempt me to Preach no more to you, were it not the Command of God to continue my duty. You see, Isa 49 4 Then I said, I have laboured in vain, and have spent my strength for nought and in vain; When he could not see the fruit of his Preaching. So Ministers may say, ‘Lord, we have laboured in vain, and have spent our strength for nought, and in vain.’ Jerem 20 8, 9 For since I spake, I cried out, I cried Violence and Spoil, because the Word of the Lord was made a Reproach unto me: Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his Name. And by your delaying, when we come Year after Year, and Preach Month after Month, and see many of you in your Sins still, and walk in your wicked ways; Do you think that this is not a great Discouragement unto Ministers? And do you think, that God will not lay this [...] your Change, to weaken the hands of [...] Servants? Do it at your Peril.

[Page] Tenthly, and Lastly, Dost not thou think, O delaying Trifler! Dost not thou know, that every thing that thou settest thy Heart upon, is hastening from thee, and every thing thou lovest is hastening away, and yet, wilt not thou make haste to get something that thou mayst need, when all that now thou lovest will leave thee? Sinner, Dost not thou know, that thy time is a going, thy Health is a going, and that thy Life is a going; and yet wilt not thou make haste? Know, I say, know if thou dost not hasten unto Christ the sooner, without delay, thou shalt e're long be Damned without delay.

Thus you see, I have given you Ten Questions more; Has this done the Work? Are you now resolved to go home, and enter into Covenant so be the Lords? Are you now resolved to forsake your Sins & to let go your Iniquities? I doubt you are not; some of you will keep your Sins still, and will not come to God. Possibly, there are Two Things secret in thy Heart, [...] [...] remove these that bear thee up in thy [Page] delay. Possibly thou thinkest, Why Sir, why such haste? Is not God a merciful God, a long suffering God? Is not God ready to forgive, and has he not promised so to do? And if I repent hereafter, God will Pardon me hereafter? Why such haste then? I answer.

1. It is true, Sinner, that God is a merciful God, else Wo would have been thy Case long ago. It is true, God is a Patient God, a long suffering God, else thou wouldst not have been hearing of a Sermon now, but have been amongst Devils and Damned Souls at this time: But what if it be so, and thou miserable? But I Answer particularly: Tell me,

First, Art thou sure that thou shalt see that time, when thou dost purpose to Repent? If so be that the Devil, or thine own Heart would delude thee, now thou art young, to Repent when thou art a Man, Art thou sure to live till thou become a man? If not, where [...] thy Soul be then? Is it not then better to Repent now without delay?

[Page] Secondly, Art thou sure to have the same means of Grace then as now?

Thirdly, Art thou sure that the Spirit of God will strive upon thy Heart, and move upon thy Heart then, as now he does? If thou art not sure, be not deceived; for though God be patient, yet he may cut in two the Thread of thy Life, before thou seest those days where in thou purposedst to Repent.

Fourthly, I suppose all to be true, that thou may if live longer, and thou mayst Repent at last, and God Pardon thy sin at last? What then? Is this thy Ingenuity, to Sin against God now, because thou hopest that God will be gracious and Merciful to thee hereafter? I thought, thou hadst been a more Ingenious Person: Wouldst thou deal thus with a Friend, with a Man? But you say, what need such haste? Some Repent at the Eleventh Hour; all do not Repent while Young. To this I Answer.

II. If some are then brought in, [...] it is not all that do stand out till then? [Page] No, it is but very few; it is a very rare thing to see Persons Converted, and brought home to Christ at the Eleventh Hour. Sometimes God may do this, and truly, it is but sometimes. Pray, how many is it that you know, that were Converted when they were Old, and [...]ate under the means of Grace while they were Young? I suppose you can tell but of very few. It is but now and then, and wilt thou put it to a Hazard, whether God will make thee such an Example? I could never find it Recorded in the Scripture, but of one Man, that was Converted at last, and that was the Thief upon the Cross? I do not say, there was no more, but no more Recorded, Matth. 20. 6, 7. You Object, that some came in at the Eleventh Hour; I pray view that Scripture, that is, Those that came in at the Eleventh Hour, they were not Called till the Eleventh Hour; Those that were called the Third Hour, came in the Third Hour; And those that were Called the Sixth Hour, came in the Sixth [...] and those that were Called the Ninth hour, came in the Ninth hour; [Page] but those that came in at the Eleventh hour, they were not called at the Third, nor Sixth, nor Ninth, but at the Eleventh hour. Now, what is this to you, that have been Called an Hundred Times over, that have had Call after Call, and Invitation after Invitation? For when Men are called at the Third and Sixth Hours and do not come in, they seldom come in at the Eleventh Hour. What say you beloved Hearers, shall I, after these Sermons, and after almost an hundred things spoken [...] you, and all to this purpose to press you to make haste, and not delay, shall I go away from your Presence and your Sight, and will you turn your back upon God, and say, Yet a little longer, yet I must enjoy my Pleasure, yet I must [...] the World: As if you had no room in your Hearts for God and Christ, or the things above? I would rain prevail; If I could but prevail with some upon this one Subject, whatsoever I should Preach upon, I should have the greater hopes to speed upon those Subjects too. [...] then a little more to move you.

[Page] First of all, If thou wouldst make haste and now keep God's Commandments thou shouldest be Blessed now, thou shouldest be happy now, and will not this make you to make haste? Tell me, Sirs, Have you a mind to go home Happy, to go home with the Love of God? Oh! If you would go Home Happy, Men and Women make haste, delay no longer to keep the Commandments of your God. Christ himself pronounceth you Blessed, if you will but do this, Luk. 11. 27, 28. It came to pass as he spoke these things, a certain Woman of the company lift up her Voice to him (that is, to Christ) Blessed is the Womb that bare thee, & the Pap that gave thee Suck. Ah says she, What a Blessed Woman was that, which bore this Man! But says Christ, Yea, rather blessed are they which hear the Word of God & keep it; that hear God's Commands, & keep them.

Secondly, This keeping of God's Commandments, would be an Evidence to [...] of your Love to God: Wouldest thou know that thou lovest God? Wouldest thou know this? Then do [Page] what God Commands: Keep his Commandments, Obey his Precepts, hereby thou maist know, that thou lovest him, John 14. 21. He that hath my Commandments, & keepeth them, he it is that loveth me, I Joh. 5. 3, 4. This is the Love of God, that we keep his Commandments. Loving of Christ's Person, and keeping of Christ's Commandments, they usually go together. In the Second, Those that love me, and keep my Commandments.

Thirdly, If you will but make haste to keep Gods Commandments, and Believe when he Commands, and close with Christ when he Commands, God will make haste, and hear thy Prayer? when thou pourest out thy Prayer to God, O Lord make haste, & do not tarry; then God will make haste, & hear thy Prayer. Whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his Commandments, by doing those things that are pleasing in his sight, Prov. 1. 24 28. Because I have called, and ye have refused. Remember me, Sirs, that if you [...] dying, and should call to God for Mercy upon a Death Bad, if you should lie [Page] a dying, when your Soul is departing, should call to God to save it, yet he would not hear your Prayer: If you neglect to keep the Commandments of God, and for God to neglect to hear the Prayers of a dying Man, What a dreadful case is this?

Fourthly, If you make haste to keep the Commandments of God, he will make haste actually to keep thee when in Trouble and Temptation. Sirs, if You would make haste to keep the Commandments of God, God would make haste, and would not stay beyond that Hour that Deliverance should be for thy good.

Fifthly, If you would make haste to keep God's Commandments, it would be the readiest way that you could do, to have a Blessing upon your outward Enjoyments, Lev. 26 throughout.

Lastly, If thou wilt do this, thou shalt be saved when thou diest; What dost thou desire more? John 1. Verily, Verily, I say unto you, if any man keep my Sayings, [Page]he shall never see death: That is, he shall never see Eternal Death, he shall never be damned: But you may say, Sir, you press us to make haste to keep God's Commandments; so you may, so we have; you make us a Disobedient Congregation; I wish to God you were not. I say to you, have you kept the Commandments of God? What [...] then the Passion [...] we see? [...] meaneth then the Pride that we [...]? What meaneth then all [...] Neglects of Prayer in your Families, that we know of? What meaneth then your hardness of Heart, your slighting of Christ? What are the Commandments of God? Is it not that you should Repent, Acts 17. 20. Now God Commands all Men every where to Repent: Hast thou kept God's Commandments? What! And not shed one Tear for a Thousand Sins that thou hast Committed? Yet dost thou say, That thou hast kept the Commandments of God? The Commands of God are, That thou shouldst Believe on Christ; turn and see, I John 3 [...] And this is his Commandment, that we should Believe on the Name of his Son Jesus [Page]Christ. Now is Christ kept without door, and hast thou kept Gods Commandments? Christ kept out of thy Heart? Yet, Have you kept the Commandments of God? O that you would do as you say! Make haste & delay no longer to keep the Commandments of God.

In hopes that you will, I shall lay before you Ten Things, that will be the Joy of Angels, the Rejoycing of Ministers, and the Content of the Heart of Jesus Christ.

First of all, It is a Blessed and Joyful sight unto Angels, & to men, to see an Offering God, and a Receiving Sinner; to see a Tendring God, and a Receiving Sinner. In the Covenant of Grace, you may see God making Offers unto poor Souls, making Tenders unto poor Sinners; yea, making great Offers and Tenders of needful things to the Souls of Men. In the Covenant, God offers thee Grace, God offers thee Peace, God offer thee his Spirit, God offers thee his Son, God offers thee his Kingdom, God offers thee Himself: What shall I [Page] say? God offers thee all that thou needest, & God offers thee all that thou canst desire. Oh, by this you may see on God's part, an offering and a Tendring God: Ay, but let us see on the other side also, a Receiving and Accepting Sinner. Methinks, Sirs, that you should heartily receive what God offers you in the Covenant of Grace; Methinks you should say, O Lord, dost thou offer Grace to me? Ah to me dost thou offer no less than thy Self, and thy Son and Spirit? Dost thou offer to me? O Lord I could never believe that thou wouldst offer any such offers unto me, except I had sound it in thy Word: O Lord, I will prostrate my self down at thy foot, thy Spirit I will gladly accept of, and thy Kingdom to be my Portion; but some will and some will not, Job. 1. 11, 12. Jesus Christ, He came unto his own (offering himself unto them) but his own received him not, but to as many as did receive him, to them gave he power to be called the Sons of God, to as many as believed on his Name.

Secondly, It would be a blessed sight [Page] to see an Inviting and Expostulating God, and a Coming and a Praying, and a Weeping Sinner; thus it might be, when ever this Covenant is entred into betwix [...] God and Man; God he calls, and invites, saying, Sinner, here is Mercy for thee, thou art in the way to Death and Destruction, that is not the way to Eternal Happiness, that thou art going in; turn about Sinner, and I will be thy God, and I will shew Mercy to thee. God does not only Invite, but he Pleads and Expostulates the Case with a poor Sinner; Why wilt not thou accept of Mercy? Why wilt thou be so foolish to keep thy Sins? Turn, O Turn, why wilt thou die, O sinful Soul! This you find in Isa. 55. 1. Oh, every one that Thir [...]teth, come ye to [...]he Waters; and he that hath no Money, come, yea Buy and Eat; yea come, buy Wine & Milk, without Money, and without Price. This is Gods Invitation, and his Invitations are large.

Every one of you that hath but a [...] to desire, come; every one of you that has but a longing Soul after Mercy, [Page] come▪ And it is made to those that have no worth nor worthiness in themselves, though you have no Money nor Moneyworth, yet come, and you shall have all free; you shall have Christ free, and you shall have Pardon free, and you shall have Heaven free, without Price: It is true, Christ did not obtain these things for Men without price, his Blood was the price to purchase these things; but there is no price for us remains to pay; we are called to come, and have all free? What shall we have? There is Wine and Milk; Milk for the needful, and every thing necessary for you. But in the second Verse, you have a Pleading God: Wherefore do you spend Money for that which is not Bread, and [...] Labour for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me, incline your Ear and come unto me. Hearken, God is upon his invitation again, Hear, and your Souls shall live? What is all this in order unto? Now, in the Third Verse, And I will make an Everlasting Covenant with you, even the sure Mercies of David That is I will be your God, and you shall be my People; all the Pleadings [Page] of God with Sinners, is in order unto this.

Thus in the Covenant, you see an inviting, pleading God; O that now, in the Congregation, we could see a coming and a Praying Sinner? Oh say therefore, whoever thou art that hast stood out against Terms of Mercy all thy days and wouldst have none of this God for thy God, that never came into thy mind ever since thou wast born, now say, Now Lord I come, Now Lord, since thou art pleased to call and plead with me, behold, I come according as thou callest.

It would be a lovely sight to see Sinners returning to an inviting God; Jer. 3. 22. Return ye backsliding Children, and I will heal your backslidings: behold we come unto thee, for thou art the Lord our God This is the coming of returning Sinners; as God hath pleaded with the [...], so thou must now go and Plead [...]ith God. Oh it is a blessed sight to see a poor Sinner pleading with God, that has been pleading with him; to see [Page] a Sinner upon his Knees with Sorrow in his Soul, and Tears in his Eyes, Lord, I am a poor miserable Wretch, a Hell▪ deserving Wretch, and that many years since might have been cast into Eternal Torments, and this day I might have been amongst deplorable Reprobates; but yet thou hast given me time to seek thy Favour and Mercy: Now Lord, forgive my Sins and renew my Heart, and Sanctifie me throughout; Now Lord, I call unto thee, that thou wouldest enable me to turn, and enable me to believe.

Thirdly, It would be a sight rejoycing Angel [...] and Men, to see a waiting God, and a hastning Sinner: Indeed we see every day a patient God, and a long suffering God, we cannot look upon a gray headed Sinner, but we do see a patient God in the greyness of his Hairs; we cannot see a person grown up, but this we do see, a patient and a waiting God; but it is but now & then, that we see a hastning Sinner; I me [...] not a Sinner hastning to Hell, and hastning to Destruction, and hastning [Page] on the way of Sin: No, these Sights are too common; but a Sinner hastning towards God, and towards Jesus Christ, Luk. 19. 4. 5. Jesus Christ passed by, and looked up to Zacheus on the Tree, and bade him to come down; and it is said, That he made haste and came down, and followed Christ; God has not only given thee a Call, Sinner, but he has stood waiting and knocking at the Door of thy Heart; but how long hast thou delayed? Thou hast made many a fair Promise, I will Repent, and I will Believe, and take God for my God; but thou [...] not do it yet; to see any among [...] to be hastning towards God, while God is waiting upon you: O that would be a joyful sight indeed! Say now, Lord, Lord, thou shalt not wait an hour longer upon me.

Fourthly, it would be a joyful sight to Angels and Men, to see a Promising God, and a Believing Sinner: If this were done, the Covenant were made betwixt God and thy Soul; if as God does Promise, so thou dost believe the Promises, then God would be thy God; [Page] and then thou shouldest be one of his People in the Covenant of Grace. You do see God, to be a promising God, I will, said God, be merciful to all your Unrighteousness, and I will remember your Iniquity or Sins no more; I will put my Laws in your hearts, & cause you to walk in my ways: And Multitudes of such Promises there are. Thus it was with Abraham, when God came to make the Covenant with Abraham, Gen. 17. 1, 2, &c And when Abram was Ninety Years Old and Nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God, walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my Covenant between me and thee, and will Multiply thee exceedingly And Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying, As for me, Behold my Covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a Father of many Nations: Neither shall thy Name any more be called Abram, but thy Name shall be called Abraham, for a Father of many Nations have I made thee; & I will make thee exceeding Fruitful, & I will make Nations of thee, and Kings shall come out of thee. And I will Establish my Covenant between[Page]thee and me, and thy seed after thee, in their Generation, for an Everlasting Covenant; to be a God unto thee, & unto thy seed after thee. And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my Covenant therefore, thou and thy seed after thee, in their Generation, &c.

You read there of God's coming to Abraham; and says he, I make my Covenant with thee; & in thy seed shall all the Nations of the Earth be blessed. This was a Promise made to Abraham when he was Ninety and Nine Years Old; as there was a Promising God, so there was a Believing Abraham, Rom. 4 18, 19, 20. Who against hope, believed in hope that he might become the Father of many Nations; according to that which was spoken, So shall thy Seed be. And being not weak in Faith, he considered not his own Body now Dead, when he was about an Hundred Years Old; nor yet the deadness of Sarah's Womb. He staggered not as the Promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in [...], giving glory to God. When a Soul is enabled by God to make application of the Promises to himself, and [Page] being certain then that he is a Believing Sinner, answering to a Promising God.

Fifthly, In order to your becoming a Covenant People, and God your Covenant God, It would be a joyful fight to Men and Angels, to see a Commanding God, and an obeying Sinner. In the Covenant there are Commands as well as Promises, therefore they must be performed as a Duty, as well as participated of as a Priviledge, Deut. 4. 13 He declared unto you his Covenant that he commanded you to perform. This God comes [...]rth with a Commanding Voice, as well as with a Pleading, Tendring Voice: Now, as there is a Commanding Go, so if there were amongst you an obeying Sinner, then the Covenant would [...] fulfilled, Rom. 11. 8 By Faith Abraham when he was called to [...] into a place which he should after receive for an Inheritance, obeyed, and he went out, not knowi [...] whither he went. God called him [...] his Friend, and from his Family, and he knew not whether he was to go; yet he obeyed God. But God has old you [...] [...] whither [Page] you shall go, yet you will not follow him! God has told you, that Heaven shall be the Place, an Everlasting Kingdom; you shall have Mansions above in Bliss, and Glory shall be the Place that God will lead you to, yet you will not obey God.

Sixthly, To see a Threatning God, and a Trembling Sinner; is: very delightful fight. Not in it self indeed desirable, but in order to your dosing with God upon Covenant terms; for as God does invite a Sinner to take him for his God, and does wait upon him, and does Promise him Heaven, if he will? and as God commands him, [...] take him for his God, so God does t [...]reaten Man too very severely, if he will not come up to Covenant [...]. How frequent are these in the Gospel! He that believeth [...] is Condemned [...] Except [...] shall Perish [...] Holiness no man shall see the Lord, [...] it be to be his Eternal Sorrow.

You may see a Threatning [...] unto those that will not perform is Covenant, [Page] Levi [...]. 26. 11, 12. And I will set my Tabernacle amongst you, and my Soul shall not abhor you, & I will walk amongst you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my People.

Well, but what if Men will not, is there any danger to a Sinner, if he will not take God for his God? Ay, that there is, vers 14, 15, 16, 17, 18. Of that Chapter; But if he will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these Commandments; and if you shall despise my Statutes, or if your Soul abhor my Judgments, so th [...] ye will not do all my Commandments, [...] that ye break my Covenant, I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you Terror, Consumption, and burning Agrees, that shall consume the Eyes, and cause sorrow of Heart, and ye shall [...] your Seen in vain, for your Enemies shall eat it; and I will set my Face against you, and ye shall be slain before Enemies; they that hate you shall Reign over you, and ye shall fle [...] when none pursueth you [...] and if ye will not for all not hearken unto me then I [...] punish [...] seven times more for your fins; So God goes on in many Verses; but [Page] is there any likelihood that a Sinner will take God for his God till he does tremble before this Threatning God; Thy Conscience is sear'd, thou makest nothing to come up to Covenant terms; but where God Threatens, and the Soul Trembles, then it is a sign that that Man will be brought into Covenant with God.

Seventhly, It is a Blessed Sight; rejoycing Angels and Men, to see a Bleeding Christ, and a Weeping Sinner. In [...] Covenant of Grace, you may see the one Bleeding Christ; for Christ Bled to Confirm the Covenant betwixt God and Man. He is the Mediator of the Covenant, & the Surety of the Covenant, & the Blood of Christ, it is the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant; so that on the one side, you may see, a Bleeding Christ; but where is the Weeping Sinner? Where is the Broken Hear [...]ed Sinner? Where is the Contrite, and the Bleeding Sinner? Could we [...] see [...] [...] the Work were done, God were thy God then, and and then one of his People Zech 12 10. [Page] And I will pour upon the House of David, and upon the Inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of Grace and of Supplication, and they shall look upon me, whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only Son, and shall be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness for his First born. Look O my Soul, and see how thy Sins have Pierced the Lord Jesus Christ, till his very Heart blood poured forth. Oh, that he should become a Curse for me! That he should Die, that I might Live! Oh was there ever such Love, and was there ever such Grace! Oh could we but see this, a Weeping Sinner answerable to a Bleeding Christ, and, the March would be made, God would, be thy God, and thou one of his People.

Eighthly, It would be a Blessed sight, to see a striving Spirit, and a yielding Sinner; and this it must be, if ever God becomes your God, and you his People. There must be both of the [...] a Striving Spirit moving upon thy Heart, that must solicit thee for thy [Page] love and be wooing thee for thy consent, to take God for thy God. This the Spirit of God oftentimes does, thou hast felt him knocking at thy Heart, moving upon thy Soul at a Sermon, saying, Sinner, open; O Sinner, thy Danger is great, if thou goest on in thy Sins. The Spirit has been so powerful upon thy Heart, that it has brought thee almost to resolve; but it thou [...] have this God for thy God, thou must yield when the Spirit strives.

Ninthly, It is a blessed sight to see a Preaching Minister, and a serious and a hearkening Sinner. This is as the means appointed by God, to bring Sinners into Covenant with God; therefore Ministers are Ambassadors for God; we stand in Christ's [...] and in Christ's st [...]ad, to propose the terms of peace betwixt God and Man; therefore to see hearkning Sinners as [...] had a mind to have God for their God is a Blessed [...]? See [...] 10 3 [...] 33 34 Send there [...] [...], and call hither [...] Sinners is [...] he is ledged[Page]in the House of Simon a Tanner, by the Sea side, who when he cometh, shall speak unto the: Immediately therefore I sent to thee, and thou hast well done that [...] are come New therefore are we all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee of God. Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons. See, People set themselves as in the sight of God under a Sermon: And, what was it that Peter did Preach? Jesus Christ the Mediator of the Covenant.

Tenthly, and Lastly, which is the Fruit of all; It is a Blessed sight to see a Heaven prepared and a Sinner Saved. This is the fruit of the Covenant, in your taking God for your God, and your becoming his People. This [...]ight we shall see, at the coming of our Lord, a Heaven prepared we shall see; Av, and see Sinners Saved, see Multitudes go in; This we shall see, as the Fruit of this Covenant, Matth. 25. 34. Then shall the King say to them on [...] Come [...] Inherit the [...] for you [...][Page]the Foundation of the World. Now my Advice to you all is, That you would take this God to be your God, and give up your selves unfeignedly to be the People of this God; or wo be to the Sinner, if there be a God, but none of thine; if there be a Blessed God, but thou hast no Interest in him.

Now therefore for God's sake Sinner, for God's sake, and for thine own Souls sake, let me beseech thee, and intreat thee, as ever thou wilt find Mercy at the hand of God another day, come and take this God for thy God; come Sinner, come as yet, it is not too late; as yet Mercy may be had; and as yet, Grace may be round; while the day of mercy lasts, and while the day of thy Life, lasts, come in this Instant, and ruin not thy Back and say, For all this, I will keep my Sins still.

Consider this, If thou wilt not have God for thy God, thou wilt be Condemned by the Covenant of Works, [Page] and thou wilt not be condemned by the Covenant of Grace. Think of this, thou art Condemned by the Covenant of Works; Gal. 3. 10. For as many as are of the Works of the Law, are under the Curse; for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them. Here is thy Doom, Cursed is every one, Man, Woman, and Child, every one, Bond and Free, Master and Servant, Husband and Wife; that continueth, not in all things written in the Book of the Law to do them. Hast thou done so? Hast thou continued in all things? No, not in one thing. Then you see that you are Condemned by the Covenant of Works; What is thy Cure then? O the Covenant of Grace must help me: Ay, but thou art condemned there too, John 3. 18. He that believeth on him is not condemned; (but) Ay, but there is a but come; but he that believeth not, is condemned already. For what? What, Because he hath Broken the Covenant of Works? No, the Law Condemns him for that, for the Breach of God's Commands, and for [Page] the Covenant of Works. What then? because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. The Covenant of Works, that will condemn you for not performing: and the Covenant of Grace, that will condemn you for not Believing.

O methinks, I am loth to leave you, till I see some or other strict Covenant with God and say, O I see I must take God for my God, or else, I am lost and undone, and that for ever; I am accursed by the Covenant of Works, and by the Covenant of Grace, the o [...]e for not Obeying, and the other for not Believing. It is in vain for us to flatter you, you must have this God for your Covenant God, or else, you will come under the Power of the Second Death: Temporal Death, were nothing, if Death Eternal did not follow. See what follows Death, Revel 6 8 I looked and behold, a Pale Horse; and his Name that sate on him, was Death, and Hell followed with him. Ah there it is! There is the Thing that makes Death Terrible! Indeed, [Page] Sinner, Death e're long will get upon his pale Horse, and will be Riding swiftly towards thee; Ay, but Hell follows after; Were it not for this, Death were nothing; but Damnation follows after Death; and it will be the case of every one that will not take God for their God.

Let us a little Consider what is in this Eternal Death, before you take God to be your God. I hope I shall work upon some of your Hearts.

Consider, therefore, There are Two Things in this Eternal Death, and both of them exceeding Dreadful.

I. Exclusion from the Blessed God. Ah Sinner, as sure as thou hearest my Voice, wilt thou be shut out, and excluded from the Blessed God, and Blessed Christ, and Blessed Angels, and Blessed Saints, if thou dost not take God for thy God, Matth. 25. 41. Depart from me [...] Cursed; from me, from the Blessed Jesus Oh! How miserable must that Man be that must be sent [Page] packing away from the Blessed Jesus, This is the Punishment of Loss; but if it were the loss of thy Pleasures only, and the loss of thy Friends only, this were nothing: Ah, but what things wilt thou lose, if thou diest before God [...] thy Soul agree? It will be the loss of a Loving God, the loss of a Blessed Redeemer; This will be th [...] los [...] and thou hadst better lose Ten Thousand Worlds than this one God. And if thou art not in Covenant with God, then

1. Thou wilt lose thy Soul. The loss of a Soul, What shall it profit a Man, if he gain the whole world, & lose his own Soul? It is not a small matter that thou maift lose, if God gain not thy consent, but it is a Soul.

Consider, It is thy own Soul, Sinner, that will be lost, if thou wilt not consent to take God for thy God. I would not be guilty of the Damnation of another Man's Soul for all the World. Tell me Sinner, wouldst thou ruine another Man's Soul? Then, why wilt thou ruine Thine own? Whose Soul wilt thou mind, if not thine own? And whose Soul wilt thou take care of, if not thy own?

[Page] 3. If so be, thou dost not take God for thy God, thou wilt lose thy only Soul. Ah poor Sinner, Hast thou but one only Soul that must be Damned or Saved, and wilt not thou take care for thy own Soul▪

Oh take care and see to it, it is thy only Soul. Sirs, God has given to us every one but one only Soul, lose that, and thou losest all; if that be Damn'd all is Damn'd. Methinks, the thoughts of this should move thee to remember thy Darling, to remember thy only Soul, that when thou hast but one, thou mayst secure the happiness of that one. In the Body God gives us many parts by pairs, Two Eyes, that if we lose one, we may see by the other; Two Ears, Two Hands, two Feet, that if we lose one, we may have the benefit of the other; but God has given Men but one only Soul.

4. It will be the loss of thy precious and immortal Soul. Were it the loss of a mortal Soul that should die, & cease to be, it could not be so much; but when it shall be the loss of an Immortal Soul, that cannot die, that cannot cease to be, thi [...] makes your Punishment the more, that will not come up to the terms of the Covenant. That is the first.

[Page] II. In the Eternal Death, is the Punishment of Sense. All manner of Pain and Torments that a just and Angry God can lay upon thee to all Eternity. If you are willing to take this God upon Covenant terms, he will make you happy; But if you will not, know to your Faces, this Day. That the Eternal God will Plague you for ever, will be thy Avenger and Punisher for ever. Consider the Names by which that Place is called, where all that die without God, must be cast into, I will name but four or five of them, and those briefly.

1. If thou diest without God being thy God thou must to Prison, as sure as thou standest here; so this Place is called, 1 Pet. 3. 19. There by the Prison you read of, is meant the Place of Hell, and the Place of the Damned.

2. Every one that Dies before God is his Covenant God, must be cast into a place of Darkness, into a place of utter Darkness, Matth 8 12. The Children of [...] Kingdom shall be cast into utter Darkness.

3 Every Soul that goes out of this World before God be his God, shall be cast into a Lake of burning Brimstone, Rev 21 8.

4. Every Soul that leaves this World [Page] before God be his God in Covenant will be cast into a Furnace of Fire, Matth. 13. 42. Where you see Hell is set forth by a Furnace of Fire.

5. Lastly, It is indeed a Place of Torment, Luk. 16. 28. Says the Rich Man there, O send to my Brethren, and tell them what I endure, that they may not come to this place of Torment. O have mercy on me, for I am Tormented Day and Night. Now what is this, for which you must be cast into such Torments? What for, For refusing of God?

Why art thou so loth, Sinner, why, to take this God for thy God? Why, will he do thee any hart? Besides, I might have shewn how, that Four Things will make your case exceeding woful? for fain I would prevail, though it were but with. One or Two, to come over to God, and that will say, O Sir, I come with all my heart, to take this God for my God.

First of all, If thou wilt not, thy Pains will be Universal Pains, all over [...] Body, and all over thy Soul, no part of thy Body free, no part of thy Soul free; hereafter in Hell Eyes, and Head, and Heart, and all the Pains of Hell shall be [Page] Universal, every part sinned, and every part shall Suffer.

Secondly, They shall be extream too, Sinner. If thou wilt refuse this God to be thy God, he will inflict upon thee extremity of Pain: Now to have Pain all over, and to be all over in extremity, what a sad case is this?

Thirdly, Then they must be continual, without intermission; not sometimes in Pain, and sometimes at ease; No, no, this is not the case of the Damned; no, there is no intermission, not for an hour, not for one moment in Hell: If so be you have a pain on your Body for an hour or two, or in the night, and in the morning you have ease, what a refreshment is that? But for a Person to lie under the pain of Gout and Stone, and Night and Day cryeth out, no ease, no mitigation, not an hours rest all Night long: O consider, what it will be, not to have an hours rest to all Eternity, not the least intermission!

Fourthly, As it shall have no intermission, so it shall have no cessation. If it were Pain to continue for a Thousand Years, without an Hours Rest between, yea a thousand to that, & a thousand to [Page] that, it would be happy Tidings; but those that will not have God for their God, they must have Pain without ease, and without intermission, and that for ever.

But for one Thing more. Besides all this, Sirs, if you will not have this God for your God, your Covenant God, you will have something to Torment you in Hell, that Thousands of others never shall.

Shall I tell you, Beloved Hearers, shall I tell you, you will have something to Torment you, that Devils shall not have. I say, something lie heavier on you than upon Devils; something to Torment you, that the Heathens have not to Torment them: What is that? O it is the gnawings of a never dying Worm, for the refusing of an offered Christ, of Mercy, while Mercy may be had. When you shall lie in Hell, it God does not prevent you, what will be the gnawings of thy Conscience?

Methinks, I hear poor Damn'd wretches that have sat under the Gospel, accusing themselves alter this manner; It was for the breach of the Covenant of Works that I am in this place; but I might have had [Page]help in the Covenant of Grace; God was offered unto me, and Christ was offered unto me, Ministers Pleaded with me day after day; but said Conscience, this thou wouldst not do, thou said No, to thy dying day. Had I accepted of Mercy, while Mercy might have been had, I need not have come into this place of Torment: But alas, wo is me, the Devils above me, never slighted such Mercy as I have done! Wo is me, the Thousand of Heathens that are above me, never slighted such Mercy as I have done! A Saviour was never offered to Devils; a Saviour was never Preached to the Heathens; But I like a miserable Wretch now, like a Damned Wretch now, might have had mercy, but would not▪ I might have escaped this Place, but would not▪ Wo is me now I am lost for ever! Wo is me now, I am Damned for ever! My Praying time is gone over! I might have had God to have been my God once, but now he will never be offered to me any more.

Thus look to it, it will be worse with you than with Devils & with Heathens if you refuse to take God for your God, and you give not up your selves to be his People.

Mr. [...] Solemn Covenant with God, privately drawn up by himself, and found in his own Manuscript.

[Page]

OH! most Dreadful God, for the Passion of thy Son, I beseech thee accept of thy poor Prodigal, now prostrating himself at thy Door. I have fallen from thee by mine Iniquities, and am by Nature the Son of Death, and a thousand times more the Child of Hell by my wicked Practices; but of thine Infinite Grace, thou hast promised Mercy to me in Christ, if I will turn to thee with all my Heart; therefore upon the Call of the Gospel I am now come in; and throwing down my Weapons, submit my self to thy Mercy: And because thou requirest, as the Conditions of my Peace with thee, that I should put away my Idols, and be at Defiance with all thine Enemies, whom I acknowledge I have wickedly sided with against thee: I do here from the bottom of my Heart renounce them all, firmly Covenanting with thee, not to allow my self in any known Sin; but conscientiously [Page]to use all means that I know thou hast prescribed for the Death and utter destruction of all my Corruptions: And whereas I have formerly inordinately and Idolatrously let out all my Affections upon the World, I do here resign my Heart to thee that madest it, humbly protesting before thy Glorious Majesty, that this is the firm Resolution of my Heart, and that I do Unfeignedly desire Grace from thee, That when thou shalt call me thereunto, I may practice this my Resolution, through thy Assistance, to forsake all that is dear unto me in this World, rather than to turn from thee to the ways of Sin; and that I may watch against all its Temptations, whether of Prosperity or Adversity, lest they should withdraw my Heart from thee, beseeching thee also to help me against the Temptations of Satan, to whose wicked suggestions I resolve by thy Grace never to yield my self a Servant; and because my own Righteousness is but as filthy rags, I renounce all confidence therein, and acknowledge that I am of my self a hopeless, helpless, undone Creature, without Righteousness or Strength.

[Page] And forasmuch as thou hast of thy bottomless Mercy offered most graciously to me, wretched Sinner, to be again through Christ thy God, if I should accept of thee, I call Heaven and Earth to record this day. That I do here solemnly avouch thee for the Lord my God, and with all possible veneration, bowing the Neck of my Soul under the feet of thy Sacred Majesty, I do here take thee the Lord Jehovah, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, for my Portion and chief Good, and do give up my self Body and Soul for thy Servant, promising and vowing to serve thee in Holiness and Righteousness all the days of my Life; and since thou hast appointed the Lord Jesus Christ the only means of coming unto thee, I do here upon the bended knees of my Soul accept of him as the only new and living way, by which Sinners may have access to thee, and do here solemnly joyn my self in Marriage Covenant to him

O Blessed Jesus. I come to [...], and hard bested, Poor and Wretched, Miserable, Blind and Naked, a most [...] Wretch a guilty [...] for over to[Page]wash the Feet of the Servants of my Lord, much more to be married to the King of Glory; but since such is thine unparallel'd Love, I do here with all my power accept thee, and do takes thee for my Lord and Husband, for all times and conditions, to Love, Honour and obey thee before all others, and this to Death; I embrace thee in all thy Offices, I do renounce my own unworthiness, and do here own thee to be the Lord my Righteousness; I renounce my own Wisdom, and do here take thee for my only Guide; I renounce my own Will and take thy Will for my Law.

And since thou hast told me, I must suffer if I will Reign; I do here Covenant to take my Lott as it falls, with thee, and by thy Grace Assisting to run all hazards, with thee verily [...] That neither Life nor Death shall [...] thee and me.

And because thou hast been pleased to give me thy Holy Laws, as Rules of my Life, and the Wayes in which I should Walk [...][Page]willingly put my Neck under thy Yoke, and set my Shoulders to thy Burthen, and subscribing to all thy Laws, as Holy, Just, and Good, I solemnly take them as the Rule of Words; Thoughts and Actions, promising, That though my Flesh Contradict and Rebel, yet, I will Endeavour to order and govern my whole Life according to thy Directions, and will not allow my self in the neglect of any thing that I know to be my Duty.

Only because through the frailty of my Flesh, I am subjected to many Failings, I am bold humbly to protest that unallowed Miscarriages, contrary to the settled bent and resolution of my Heart shall not make void this Covenant; for so thou hast said.

Now Almighty Searcher of all H [...] thou knowest that I make this [...] with thee this day, without any know or [...]servation beseeching thee, that [...] espiest any flaw or falshood therein, wouldest discover it to me, and help [...] do it aright.

[Page] forwards [...] upon as my God and Father) that ever thou shouldst find out such a way for the recovery of undone Sinners, Glory b [...] to thee O God the Son, who hast loved me, and washed me from my Sins with thine own blood, and art now become my Saviour and Redeemer; Glory be to thee, O God the Holy Ghost, who by the singer of thy Almighty Power hast turned about my Heart from Sin to God; O dreadful Jehovah, the Lord Omnipotent, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Thou art now become my Covenant Friend; Amen, So be it: And the Covenant which I have made on Earth, let it be ratified in Heaven.

W. B.

FINIS.

Information about this book

Title statement

A call to delaying sinners. Or The danger of delaying in matters concerning our souls. Being the substance of several sermons from Psal. 119. v. 60. / By Thomas Doolittle, Minister of the Gospel ...

Doolittle, Thomas, 1632?-1707.

Publication

Publisher

Text Creation Partnership,

Place of publication

Ann Arbor, MI :

Date

2007-01.

ID [DLPS]

N29553

ID [TCP]

N29553

ID [STC]

Shipton 39357

ID [STC]

Wing D1880B

ID [NOTIS]

APZ0041

ID [IMAGE-SET]

39357

ID [EVANS-CITATION]

99037657

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This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal. The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.

Series

Early American Imprints, 1639-1800 ; no. 39357.

Notes

(Evans-TCP ; no. N29553)

Transcribed from: (Readex Archive of Americana ; Early American Imprints, series I ; image set 39357)

Images scanned from Readex microprint and microform: (Early American imprints. First series ; no. 39357)

Source

— A call to delaying sinners. Or The danger of delaying in matters concerning our souls. Being the substance of several sermons from Psal. 119. v. 60. / By Thomas Doolittle, Minister of the Gospel ..., Doolittle, Thomas, 1632?-1707., W. B..

Extent

[24], 144 p. ; 14 cm. (12mo)

Printed by Bartholemew Green, and John Allen, for Benjamin Eliot,,. Boston, in N.E. :: 1700.. (Printers' prospectuses follow "To the reader.") ("Mr. B--'s solemn covenant with God, privately drawn up by himself, and found in his own manuscript."--p. 139-144, signed: W.B.)

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