APPLICATION.

In the improvement of this doctrine, I would first direct myself to sinners that are afraid of damnation, in a use of convic­tion. This may be matter of conviction to you, that it would be just and righteous with God eternally to reject and destroy you. This is what you are in danger of: You that are a Christless sinner, are a poor condemned creature: God's wrath still a­bides upon you; and the sentence of con­demnation lies upon you: You are in God's hands, and it is uncertain what he will do with you. You are afraid what will become of you: You are afraid that it will be your portion to suffer eternal burn­ings; and your fears are not without grounds; you have reason to tremble eve­ry moment. But let you be never so much afraid of it, let eternal damnation be nev­er so dreadful, yet it is just: God may nevertheless do it, and be righteous▪ and holy, and glorious in it. Though eternal damnation be what you cannot bear, and how much soever your heart shrinks at the thoughts of it, yet God's justice may be glorious in it. The dreadfulness of the thing on your part, and the greatness of your dread of it, do not render it the less righteous on God's part. If you think otherwise▪ it is a sign that you do not see yourself, that you are not sensible what sin is, nor how much [Page 23] of it you have been guilty of. Therefore, for your conviction, be directed,

First, To look over your past life: in­quire at the mouth of conscience, and hear what that has to testify concerning it. Consider what you are, what light you have had, and what means you have lived under: And yet how have you behaved yourself! What have those many days and nights, that you have lived, been filled up with? How have those years, that have rolled over your heads, one after another, been spent? What has the sun shone upon you for, from day to day, while you have improved his light to serve Satan by it? What has God kept your breath in your nostrils for, and given you meat and drink, from day to day for, that you have spent that life and strength that have been, supported by them, in op­posing God, and rebellion against him?

How many sorts of wickedness have you been guilty of? How manifold have been the abominations of your life? What pro­faneness and contempt of God has been exercised by you? How little regard have you had to the Scriptures, to the word preached, to Sabbaths and sacraments? How profanely have you talked, many of you, about those things that are holy? After what manner have many of you kept God's holy day, not regarding the holiness [Page 24] of the time, not caring what you thought of in it? Yea, you have not only spent the time in worldly, vain, and unprofitable thoughts, but in immoral thoughts; pleas­ing yourself with the reflection on past acts of wickedness, and in contriving new acts. Have not you spent much holy time in gratifying your lusts in your imagina­tions; yea, not only holy time, but the very time of God's public worship, when you have appeared in God's more immedi­ate presence? How have you not only not attended to the worship, but have in the mean time been feasting your lusts, and wallowing yourself in abominable unclean­ness? How many Sabbaths have you spent, one after another, in a most wretched man­ner? Some of you not only in worldly and wicked thoughts, but also a very wick­ed outward behaviour! When you on Sabbath days have got along with your wicked companions, how has holy time been treated among you! What kind of conversation has there been! Yea, how have some of you▪ by a very indecent car­riage, openly dishonoured and cast con­tempt on the sacred services of God's house, and holy day! And what you have done some of you alone, what wicked practices there have been in secret, even in holy time, God and your own conscien­ces know.

[Page 25]And how have you behaved yourself in the time of family prayer! And what a trade have many of you made of absenting yourselves from the worship of the fami­lies you belong to, for the sake of vain company! And how have you continued in the neglect of secret prayer! therein wilfully living in a known sin, going a­breast against as plain a command as any in the Bible! Have you not been one that has cast off fear, and restrained prayer be­fore God?

What wicked carriage have some of you been guilty of towards your parents! How far have you been from paying that honour to them that God has required! Have you not even harboured ill will and malice to­wards them? And when they have dis­pleased you, have wished evil to them? Yea, and shown your vile spirit in your behaviour? And it is well if you have not mocked them behind their backs; and, like the accursed Ham and Canaan, derid­ed your parents nakedness instead of cov­ering it, and hiding your eyes from it. Have not some of you often disobeyed your parents, yea, and refused to be subject to them? Is it not a wonder of mercy and for­bearance, that that has not before now been accomplished on you, in Prov. xxx.17. "The eye that mocketh at his father, and refuseth to obey his mother, the ravens of [Page 26] the valley shall pick it out, and the young eagles shall eat it."

What revenge and malice have you been guilty of towards your neighbours? How have you indulged this spirit of the devil, hating others, and wishing evil to them, rejoicing when evil befel them, and griev­ing at others prosperity, and lived in such a way for a long time! Have not some of you allowed a passionate furious spirit, and behaved yourselves in your anger more like wild beasts than like Christians!

What covetousness has been in many of you? Such has been your inordinate love of the world, and care about the things of it, that it has taken up your heart; you have allowed no room for God and relig­ion; you have minded the world more than your eternal salvation. For the van­ities of the world you have neglected read­ing, praying, and meditation: For the things of the world you have broken the Sabbath: For the world you have spent a great deal of your time in quarrelling: For the world you have envied and hated your neighbour: For the world you have cast God, and Christ, and heaven, behind your back: For the world you have sold your own soul: You have as it were drowned your soul in worldly cares and desires: You have been a mere earth worm, that is never in its element but when grovelling and buried in the earth.

[Page 27]How much of a spirit of pride has ap­peared in you, which is in a peculiar manner the spirit and condemnation of the devil! How have some of you vaunted yourselves in your apparel! Others in their riches! Others in their knowledge and abilities! How has it galled you to see others above you! How much has it gone against the grain for you to give others their due honour! And how have you shown your pride by setting up your wills, and in opposing others, and stirring up and promoting division, and a party spirit in public affairs!

How sensual have you been! Are there not some here that have debased themselves below the dignity of human nature, by wallowing in sensual filthiness, as swine in the mire, or as filthy vermin feeding with delight on rotten carrion? What in­temperance have some you been guilty of! How much of your precious time have you spent away at the tavern, and in drinking companies when you ought to have been at home seeking God and your salvation in your families and closets!

And what abominable lasciviousness have some of you been guilty of! How have you indulged yourself from day to day, and from night to night, in all man­ner of unclean imaginations! Has not your soul been filled with them, till it has be­come [Page 28] an hold of foul spirits, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird? What foul mouthed persons have some of you been, often in lewd and lascivious talk and unclean songs, wherein were things not fit to be spoken! And such company, where such conversation has been carried on, has been your delight. And what un­clean acts and practices have you defiled yourself with! God and your own conscien­ces know what abominable lasciviousness you have practised in things not fit to be named, when you have been alone; when you ought to have been reading, or meditat­ing, or on your knees before God in secret prayer. And how have you corrupted others, as well as polluted yourselves! What vile uncleanness have you practised in company! What abominations have you been guilty of in the dark! Such as the apostle doubtless had respect to in Eph. v. 12. "For it is a shame even to speak of those things that are done of them in se­cret." Some of you have corrupted others, and done what in you lay to undo their souls, (if you have not actually done it); and by your vile practices and examples have made room for Satan, and invited his presence, and established his interest, in the town where you have lived.

What lying have some of you been guil­ty of, especially in your childhood! And [Page 29] have not your heart and lips often disa­greed since you came to riper years? What fraud, and deceit, and unfaithfulness, have many of you practised in your dealings with your neighbours that your own heart is conscious to, if you have not have been noted for it by others!

And how have some of you behaved yourselves in your family relations! How have you neglected your children's souls! And not only so, but have corrupted their minds by your bad examples; and instead of training them up in the nurture and ad­monition of the Lord, have rather brought them up in the devil's service!

How have some of you attended that sa­cred ordinance of the Lord's supper with­out any manner of serious preparation, and in a careless flighty frame of spirits, and chiefly to comply with custom! Have you not ventured to put the sacred sym­bols of the body and blood of Christ into your mouth, while at the same time you lived in ways of known sins, and intend­ed no other than still to go on in the same wicked practices? And, it may be, have sat at the Lord's table with rancour in your heart against some of your brethren that you have sat there with. You have come even to that holy feast of love among God's children, with the leaven of malice and envy in your heart; and so have eat and drank judgment to yourself.

[Page 30]What stupidity and sottishness has at­tended your course of wickedness; which has appeared in your obstinacy under a­wakening dispensations of God's word and providence. And how have some of you backslidden after you have set out in religion, and quenched God's Spirit after he had been striving with you! And what unsteadiness, and slothfulness, and great misimprovement of God's strivings with you, have you been chargeable with, that have long been the subject of them!

Now, can you think when you have thus behaved yourself, that God is obliged to shew you mercy? Are you not after all this ashamed to talk of its being hard with God to cast you off? Does it become one that has lived such a life to open his mouth to excuse himself, or object against God's justice in his condemnation, or to com­plain of it as hard in God not to give him converting and pardoning grace, and make him his child, and bestow on him eternal life! Or to talk of his duties and great pains in religion, and such like things, as if such performances were worthy to be accepted, and to draw God's heart to such a creature! If this has been your manner, does it not shew how little you have con­sidered yourself, and how little a sense you have had of your own sinfulness?

Secondly, Be directed to consider, if God [Page 31] should eternally reject and destroy you, what an agreeableness and exact mutual an­swerableness there would be between God's so dealing with you, and your spirit and behaviour. There would not only be an equality, but a similitude. God declares, that his dealings with men shall be suitable to their disposition and practice. Psalm xviii.25.26. "With the merciful man, thou wilt shew thyself mer­ciful; With an upright man, thou wilt shew thyself upright: With the pure, thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward, thou wilt shew thyself froward." How much soever you dread damnation, and are affrighted and concerned at the thoughts of it; yet if God should indeed eternally damn you, you would but be met with in your own way; you would be dealt with exactly according to your own dealing; God would but measure to you in the same measure in which you mete. Surely it is but fair that you should be made to buy in the same measure in which you sell.

Here I would particularly shew, 1. That if God should eternally destroy you, it would be agreeable to your treatment of God. 2. That it would be agreeable to your treatment of Jesus Christ. 3. That it would be agreeable to your behaviour to­wards your neighbours. 4. That it would be [Page 32] according to your own foolish behaviour towards yourself.

I. If God should for ever cast you off, it would be exactly agreeable to your treat­ment of him. That you may be sensible of this, consider,

1. You never have exercised the least degree of love to God; and therefore it would be agreeable to your treatment of him if he should never express any love to you. When God converts and saves a sin­ner, it is a wonderful and unspeakable manifestation of divine love. When a poor lost soul is brought home to Christ, and has all his sins forgiven him, and is made a child of God, it will take up a whole eternity to express and declare the greatness of that love. And why should God be obliged to express such wonderful love to you, who never exercised the least degree of love to him in all your life? You never have loved God, who is infinitely glorious and lovely; and why then is God under obligation to love you, who are all over deformed and loathsome as a filthy worm, or rather a hateful viper? You have no benevolence in your heart towards God; you never rejoiced in God's happi­ness; if he had been miserable, and that had been possible, you would have liked it as well as if he were happy; you would not have cared how miserable he was, nor [Page 33] mourned for it, any more than you now do for the devil's being miserable: And why then should God be looked upon as obliged to take so much care for your happiness, as to do such great things for it, as he doth for those that are saved? Or why should God be called hard, in case he should not be careful to save you from misery? You care not what becomes of God's glory; you are not distressed how much soever his honour seems to suffer in the world: And why should God care any more for your welfare? Has it not been so, that if you could but promote your private interest, and gratify your own lusts, you cared not how much the glory of God suffered? And why may not God advance his own glory in the ruin of your welfare, not car­ing how much your interest suffers by it? You never so much as stirred one step, sincerely making the glory of God your end, or acting from real respect to him: And why then is it hard if God do nor do such great things for you, as the changing your nature▪ raising you from spiritual death to life, conquering the powers of darkness for you, translating you out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of his dear son, delivering you from eternal misery, and bestowing eternal glory upon you? You do not use to be willing to de­ny yourself for God; you never cared to [Page 34] put yourself out of your way for Christ: Whenever any thing cross or difficult came in your way, that the glory of God was concerned in, it has been your manner to shun it, and excuse yourself from it: You did not care to hurt yourself for Christ, that you did not see worthy of it: And why then must it be looked upon as such a hard and cruel thing, if Christ had not been pleased to spill his blood and be tor­mented to death for such a sinner.

2. You have slighted and made light of God; and why then may not God justly slight you? When sinners are sensible in some measure of their misery, they are ready to think it hard that God will take no more notice of them; that he will see them in such a lamentable, distressed con­dition, beholding their burthens and tears, and seem to slight it, and manifest no pity to them. Their souls they think are pre­cious: It would be a dreadful thing if they should perish, and burn in hell for­ever. They do not see through it, that God should make so light of their salva­tion. But then, ought they not to con­sider, that as their souls are precious, so is God's honour precious? The honour of the infinite God, the great King of heaven and earth, is a thing of as great importance, (and surely may justly be so esteemed by God) as the happiness of you, a poor little [Page 35] worm. But yet you have slighted that honour of God, and valued it no more than the dirt under your feet. You have been told that such and such things were contra­ry to the will of an holy God, and against his honour; but you cared not for that. God called upon you, and exhorted you to be more tender of his honour; but you went on without regarding him. Thus have you slighted God! And yet, is it hard that God should slight you? Are you more honourable than God, that he must be obliged to make much of you, how light soever you make of him and his glory?

And you have not only slighted God in time past, but you slight him still. You indeed now make a pretence and shew of honouring him in your prayers, and at­tendance on other external duties, and by a sober countenance, and seeming devout­ness in your words and behaviour; but it is all mere dissembling. That downcast look and seeming reverence, is not from any honour you have to God in your heart, though you would have it go so, and would have God take it so. You that have not believed in Christ, have not the least jot of honour to God; that shew of it is merely forced, and what you are driven to by fear, like those men­tioned in Psalm lxvi.3. "Through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves to thee." In the origi­nal [Page 36] it is, "shall lie unto thee;" that is, yield feigned submission, and dissemble re­spect and honour to thee. There is a rod held over you that makes you seem to pay such respect to God. This religion and devotion, even the very appearance of it, would soon be gone, and all vanish away, if that were removed. Sometimes it may be you weep in your prayers, and in your hearing sermons, and hope God will take notice of it, and take it for some honour; but he sees it to be all hypocrisy. You weep for yourself; you are afraid of hell; and do you think that that is worthy that God should take much notice of you, be­cause you can cry when you are in danger of being damned: when at the same time you indeed care nothing for God's hon­our.

Seeing you thus disregard so great a God, is it a heinous thing for God to flight you, a little, wretched, despicable creature; a worm, a mere nothing, and less than noth­ing; a vile insect, that has risen up in con­tempt against the Majesty of heaven and earth?

3. Why should God be looked upon as obliged to bestow salvation upon you, when you have been so ungrateful for the mer­cies he has bestowed upon you already? God has tried you with a great deal of kindness, and he never has sincerely been [Page 37] thanked by you for any of it. God has watched over you, and preserved you, and provided for you, and followed you with mercy all your days; and yet you have continued sinning against him. He has given you food and raiment, but you have improved both in the service of sin. He has preserved you while you slept; but when you arose, it was to return to the old trade of sinning, God, notwithstanding this ingratitude, has still continued his mercy; but his kindness has never won your heart, or brought you to a more grate­ful behaviour towards him. It may be you have received many remarkable mercies, recoveries from sickness, or preservations of your life, when at one time and anoth­er exposed by accidents, when if you had died, you would have gone directly to hell: But you never had any true thankfulness for any of these mercies. God has kept you out of hell, and continued your day of grace, and the offers of salvation, this so long a time; and that, it may be, while you did not regard your own salvation so much as to go in secret and ask God for it: And now God has greatly added to his mercy to you, by giving you the strivings of his Spirit, whereby you have a most precious opportunity for your salvation in your hands. But what thanks has God received for it? What kind of returns have you made for all this kindness? As God has [Page 38] multiplied mercies, so have you multiplied provocations.

And yet now are you ready to quarrel for mercy, and to find fault with God, not on­ly that he does not bestow more mercy, but to contend with him, because he does not bestow infinite mercy upon you, heav­en with all it contains, and even himself, for your eternal portion. What ideas have you of yourself, that you think God is obliged to do so much for you, though you treat him never so ungratefully for his kindness that you have been followed with all the days of your life?

4. You have voluntarily chosen to be with Satan in his enmity and opposition to God; how justly therefore might you be with him in his punishment? You did not choose to be on God's side, but rather chose to side with the devil, and have obstinately continued in it, against God's often repeat­ed calls and counsels. You have chosen rather to hearken to Satan than to God, and would be with him in his work: You have given yourself up to him, to be subject to his power and government, in opposition to God. How justly therefore may God also give you up to him, and leave you in his power, to accomplish your ruin? Seeing you have yielded yourself to his will, to do as he would have you, surely God may leave you in his hands to execute his will upon you If men will be with God's enemy, and on [Page 39] his side, why is God obliged to redeem them out of his hands, when they have done his work? Doubtless you would be glad to serve the devil, and be God's enemy while you live, and then to have God year friend, and to deliver you from the devil, when you come to die. But will God be unjust if he deals otherwise by you? No surely! It will be altogether and perfectly just, that you should have your portion with him with whom you have chosen your work; and that you should be in his possession to whose dominion you have yielded yourself; and if you cry to God for deliverance, he may most justly give you that answer, Judges x.14. "Go to the gods which ye have chosen."

5. Consider how often you have refused to hear God's calls to you, and how just it would therefore be, if he should refuse to hear you when you call upon him. You are ready, it may be, to complain that you have often prayed, and earnestly begged of God to shew you mercy, and yet have no answer of prayer: One says, I have been constant in prayer for so many years, and God has not heard me. Another says, I have done what I can; I have prayed as earnestly as I am able; I do not see how I can do more; and it will seem hard if after all I am denied. But do you consider how often God has called, and you have denied him? God has called earnestly and for a [Page 40] long time; he has called, and called again in his word and in his providence, and you have refused. You was not uneasy for fear you should not show regard enough to his calls. You let him call as loud, and as long as he would; for your part, you had no leisure to attend to what he said; you had other business to mind; you had these and those lusts to gratify and please, and world­ly concerns to attend; you could not af­ford to stand considering of what God had to say to you. When the ministers of Christ that he sent on that errand, have stood and pleaded with you, in his name, Sabbath after Sabbath, and have even spent their strength in it, how little was you moved by it! It did not alter you, but you went on still as you used to do; when you went away, you returned again to your sins, to your lasciviousness, to your vain mirth, to your covetousness, to your intemperance, and that has been the language of your heart and practice. Exod. v.2. "Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice?" Was it no crime for you to refuse to hear when God called; and yet is it now very hard that God does not hear your earnest calls, and that though your calling on God be not from any respect to him, but merely from self-love? The devil would beg as earnestly as you, if he had any hope to get salvation by it, and a thousand times as ear­nestly, and yet be as much of a devil as he [Page 41] is now. Are your calls more worthy to be heard than God's? Or is God more oblig­ed to regard what you say to him, than you to regard his commands, counsels, and in­vitations to you? What can have more justice in it than that, in Prov. i.24, &c. "Because I have called, and ye refused, I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; but ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I will also laugh at your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh; when your fear cometh as desolation, and your de­struction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me."

6. Have you not taken encouragement to sin against God, on that very presumption, that God would show you mercy when you fought it? And may not God justly refuse you that mercy that you have so presumed upon? That has been what you have flat­tered yourself with, and that which has made you bold to disobey God, viz. that though you did so, yet God would shew you mercy when you cried earnestly to him for it: How righteous therefore would it be in God, to disappoint such a wicked presump­tion? It was upon that very hope that you dared to affront the Majesty of heaven so dreadfully as you have done; and can you [Page 42] now be so sottish as to think that God is obliged not to frustrate that hope?

When a sinner takes encouragement to neglect that secret prayer that God has commanded, and to gratify his lusts, and to live a carnal, vain life, and thwart God, and run upon him, and contemn him to his face, thinking with himself, "If I do so, God would not damn me; he is a merciful God, and therefore when I seek his mercy he will bestow it upon me;" must God be accounted hard because he will not do ac­cording to such a sinner's presumption? Cannot he be excused from showing such a sinner mercy when he is pleased to seek it, without incurring the charge of being unjust? If this be the case, God has no liberty to vindicate his own honour and majesty; but must lay himself open to all manner of affronts, and yield himself up to the abuses of vile men, and lot them diso­bey, despise, and dishonour him as much as they will; and when they have done, his mercy and pardoning grace must not be in his own power and at his own disposal, but he must be obliged to dispense it at their call: He must take these bold and vile con­temners of his majesty, when it suits them to ask it, and must forgive all their sins, and not only so, but must adopt them into his family, and make them his children, and bestow eternal glory upon them. What mean, low, and strange thoughts have such men of God, as think thus of him?

[Page 43]Consider that you have injured God the more, and have been the worse enemy to him, for his being a merciful God. So have you treated that attribute of God's mercy! How just is it therefore that you never should have any benefit of that attribute!

There is something peculiarly heinous in sinning against the mercy of God more than other attributes. There is such base and horrid, ingratitude, in being the worse to God, because he is a being of infinite good­ness and grace, that it above all things ren­ders wickedness vile and detestable. This ought to win us, and engage us to serve God better; but instead of that, to sin a­gainst him the more, has something inex­pressibly bad in it, and does in a peculiar manner enhance guilt, and incense wrath; as seems to be intimated in Rom. ii.4.5. "Or despisest thou the riches of his good­ness, and forbearance, and long suffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart, treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God."

The greater the mercy of God is, the more should you be engaged to love him, and live to his glory. But it has been con­trarywise with you; the consideration of the mercies of God being so exceeding great, is the thing wherewith you have en­couraged [Page 44] yourself in sin. You have heard that the mercy of God was without bounds, that it was sufficient to pardon the greatest sinner, and you have upon that very ac­count ventured to be a very great sinner. Though it was very offensive to God, though you heard that God infinitely hated sin, and that such practices as you went on in were exceeding contrary to his nature, will, and glory, yet that did not make you uneasy; you heard that he was a very merciful God, and had grace enough to pardon you, and so cared not how offen­sive your sins were to him. How long have some of you gone on in sin, and what great sins have some of you been guilty of, on that presumption! Your own conscience can give testimony to it, that this has made you refuse God's calls, and has made you regardless of his repeated commands. Now how righteous would it be if God should swear in his wrath, that you should never be the better for his being infinitely merciful!

Your ingratitude has been the greater, that you have not only abused the attribute of God's mercy, taking encouragement from it to continue in sin, but you have thus abused this mercy, under that very notion of its being exercised towards you, in a supposition that God would exercise infinite mercy to you in particular; which consideration should have especially en­deared God to you. You have taken en­couragement [Page 45] to sin the more, from that consideration, that Christ came into the world and died to save sinners; that thanks has Christ had from you, for en­during such a tormenting death for his en­emies! Now, how justly might it be so, that God should refuse that you should ev­er be the better for his Son's laying down his life! It was because of these things that you put off seeking salvation: You would take the pleasures of sin still longer, hardening yourself with that, that mercy was infinite, and it would not be too late, if you sought it afterwards; now, how justly may God disappoint you in this, and order it so that it shall be too late!

7. How have some of you risen up a­gainst God, and in the frame of your minds opposed him in his sovereign dispensations! And how justly upon that account might God oppose you, and set himself against you! You never yet would submit to God; never could willingly comply with it, that God should have dominion over the world, and that he should govern it for his own glory, according to his own wisdom. You, a poor worm, a potsherd, a broken piece of an earthen vessel, have dared to find fault and quarrel with God. Isaiah, .xlv.9. "Wo to him that strives with his mak­er. Let the potsherd strive with the pot­sherds of the earth: Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou?" [Page 46] But yet you have ventured to do it. Rom. ix.20. Who art thou, O man, that repliest against God?" But yet you have thought you was big enough; you have taken up­on you to call God to an account, why he does thus and thus; you have said to Je­hovah, What dost thou?

If you have been restrained by fear from openly venting your opposition and enmi­ty of heart against God's government, yet it has been in you; you have not been quiet in the frame of your mind; you have had the heart of a viper within, and have been ready to spit venom at God: And it is well if sometimes you have not actually done it, by tolerating blasphemous thoughts and malignant risings of heart against him; yea, and the frame of your heart in some meas­ure appeared in an impatient and fretful behaviour.

Now, seeing you have thus opposed God, how just is it that God should oppose you? Or is it because you are so much better, and so much greater than God, that it is a crime for God to make that opposition a­gainst you that you do against him? Do you think you ought to appropriate the lib­erty of making opposition to yourself as being your prerogative, so that you may be an enemy to God, but God must by no means be an enemy to you, but must be looked upon under obligation nevertheless to help you, and save you by his blood, and bestow his best blessings upon you?

[Page 47]Consider how in the frame of your mind you have thwarted God in those very ex­ercises of mercy towards others that you are seeking for yourself. God's exercising his infinite grace towards your neighbours, has put you into an ill frame, and it may be, set you into a mere tumult of mind: How justly therefore may God refuse ever to exercise that mercy towards you! Have you not thus opposed God's shewing mercy to others, even at the very time when you pretended to be earnest with God for pity and help for yourself? Yea, and while you was endeavouring to get something wherewith to recommend yourself to God? And will you look to God still with a chal­lenge of mercy, and contend with him for it notwithstanding? Can you who have such an heart, and have thus behaved yourself, [...] God for any other than mere sovereign mercy?

II. If you should be forever cast off by God, it would be agreeable to your treat­ment [...] Jesus Christ. It would have been just with God if he had cast you off forev­er, without ever making you the offer of a Saviour. But God hath not done that; but has provided a Saviour for sinners, and offered him to you, even his own Son Jesus Christ, who is the only Saviour of men: All that be not forever cast off are saved by him: God offers men salvation through him, and has promised us, that if [Page 48] we come to him, we shall not be cast off. But you have treated, and still treat this Saviour after such a manner, that if you should be eternally cast off by God, it would be most agreeable to your behaviour towards him; which appears by this, viz.

"That you reject Christ, and will not have him for your Saviour."

If God offers you a Saviour from deserv­ed punishment, and you will not receive him, then surely it is just that you should go without a Saviour. Or is God obliged, because you do not like this Saviour, to provide you another? If, when he has given an infinitely honourable and glorious person, even his only begotten Son, to be a sacrifice for sin, in the fire of his wrath, and so provided salvation, and this Saviour is offered to you, you be not suited in him, and refuse to accept of him, is God there­fore unjust if he does not save you? Is he obliged to save you in a way of your own choosing, because you do not like the way of his choosing? Or will you charge Christ with injustice because he does not become your Saviour, when at the same time you will not have him when he offers himself to you, and beseeches you to accept of him as your Saviour?

I am sensible that by this time many per­sons are ready to open their mouths in ob­jection against this. If all should speak what they now think, we should hear a murmuring all over the meetinghouse, and [Page 49] one and another would say, "I cannot see how this can be, that I be not willing that Christ should be my Saviour, when I would give all the world that he was my Saviour: How is it possible that I should not be will­ing to have Christ for my Saviour, when this is what I am seeking after, and pray­ing for, and striving for, as for my life?"

Here therefore I would endeavour to convince you, that you are under a gross mistake in this matter. And, 1st, I would endeavour to shew the weakness of the grounds of your mistake. And 2dly, To demonstrate to you, that you have rejected, and do wilfully reject Jesus Christ.

1. That you may see the weakness of the grounds of your mistake, consider,

1st, There is a great deal of difference between a willingness not to be damned, and a being willing to receive Christ for your Saviour. You have the former; there is no doubt to be made of that: No­body supposes that you love misery so well as to choose an eternity of it; and so doubt­less you are willing to be saved from eter­nal misery. But that is a very different thing from being willing to come to Christ: Persons very commonly mistake the one for the other, but they are quite two things. You may love the deliverance, but hate the deliverer. You tell of a will­ingness; but consider what is the object of that willingness: It does not respect [Page 50] Christ; the way of salvation by him is not at all the object of it; but it is wholly terminated on your escape from misery. The inclination of your will goes no far­ther than self, it never reaches Christ. You are willing not to be miserable; that is, you love yourself, and there your will and choice terminate. And it is but a vain pretence and delusion to say or think, that you are willing to accept of Christ.

2d, There is certainly a great deal of dif­ference between a forced compliance and a free willingness. Force and freedom cannot consist together. Now that will­ingness that you tell of, whereby you think you are willing to have Christ for a Sav­iour, is merely a forced thing. Your heart does not go out after Christ of itself, but you are forced and driven to seek an in­terest in him. Christ has no share at all in your heart; there is no manner of clos­ing of the heart with him. This forced compliance is not what Christ seeks of you; he seeks a free and willing accept­ance, Psalm cx.3. "Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power." He seeks not that you should receive him a­gainst your will, but with a free will. He seeks entertainment in your heart and choice.—And,

If you refuse thus to receive Christ, how just is it that Christ should refuse to re­ceive you? How reasonable are Christ's [Page 51] terms, who offers to save all those that willingly, or with a good will, accept of him for their Saviour! Who can ration­ally expect that Christ should force him­self upon any man to be his Saviour? Or what can be looked for more reasonable, than that all that would be saved by Christ, should heartily and freely entertain him? And surely it would be very dishonourable for Christ to offer himself upon lower terms.

But I would now proceed,

2. To shew that it is really so, that you are not willing to have Christ for a Sav­iour. To convince you of it, consider,

1st, How is it possible that you should be willing to accept of Christ as a Saviour from the desert of a punishment that you are not sensible you have deserved. If you are truly willing to accept of Christ as a Saviour, it must be as a sacrifice to make atonement for your guilt: Christ came in­to the world on this errand, to offer him­self as an atonement, to answer for our de­sert of punishment. But how is it possible that you should be willing to accept of Christ as an atonement for that guilt that you be not sensible that you have? How can you be willing to have Christ for a Sav­iour from a desert of hell? If you have not really deserved everlasting burnings in hell, then the very offer of an atone­ment for such a desert is an imposition up-you on. If you have no such guilt upon [Page 52] you, then the very offer of a satisfaction for that guilt is an injury, because it im­plies in it a charge of guilt that you are free from. Now therefore it is impossible that a man that is not convinced of his guilt can be willing to accept of an offer; because he cannot be willing to accept the charge that the offer implies: That he looks upon as injurious. A man that is not convinced that he has deserved so dreadful a punishment, cannot willingly submit to be charged with it: If he thinks he is willing, it is but a mere forced, feign­ed business; because in his heart he looks upon himself greatly injured; and there­fore he cannot freely accept of Christ, un­der that notion of a Saviour from that guilt, and from the desert of such a pun­ishment; for such an acceptance is an im­plicit owning that he does deserve such a punishment.

I do not say, but that men may be will­ing to be saved from an undeserved punish­ment; they may rather not suffer it than suffer it: But a man cannot be willing to accept one at God's hands, under the no­tion of a Saviour from punishment deserv­ed from him, that he thinks he has not de­served▪ it is impossible that any one should freely allow a Saviour under that notion▪ Such an one cannot like the way of salva­tion by Christ; For if he thinks he has not deserved hell, then he will think that free­dom [Page 53] from hell is a debt; and therefore cannot willingly and heartily receive it as a free gift.—If a king should condemn a man to some exceeding tormenting death, which the condemned person thought himself not deserving of, but looked upon the sentence unjust and cruel, and the king, when the time of execution drew nigh, should offer him his pardon, under the notion of a very great act of grace and clemency, the condemned person never could willingly and heartily allow it under that notion, because he judged himself un­justly condemned.

Now by this it is evident that you are not willing to accept of Christ as your Saviour; because you never yet had such a sense of your own sinfulness, and such a conviction of your great guilt in God's sight, as to be indeed convinced that you lay justly condemned to the punishment of hell. You never was convinced that you had forfeited all favour, and was in God's hands and at his sovereign and ar­bitrary disposal, to be either destroyed or saved, just as he pleased. You never yet was convinced of the sovereignty of God. Hence are there so many objections arising against the justice of your punishment from original sin, and from God's decrees, from mercy shown to others, and the like.

2d, That you be not sincerely willing to accept of Christ as your Saviour, appears [Page 54] by this, That you never have been con­vinced that he is sufficient for the work of your salvation. You never had a sight or sense of any such excellency or worthi­ness in Christ, as should give such great value to his blood and his mediation with God, as that it was sufficient to be accepted for such exceeding guilty creatures, and those that have so provoked God, and ex­posed themselves to such amazing wrath. A saying it is so, and a customary yielding and allowing it to be as others say, is a ve­ry different thing from being really con­vinced of it, and a being made sensible of it in your own heart. The sufficiency of Christ depends upon, or rather consists in his excellency. It is because he is so ex­cellent a person that his blood is of suffi­cient value to atone for sin, and it is hence that his obedience is so worthy in God's sight; it is also hence that his intercession is so prevalent; and therefore those that never had any spiritual sight or sense of Christ's excellency, cannot be sensible of his sufficiency.

And that sinners be not convinced that Christ is sufficient for the work he has undertaken, appears most manifestly when they are under great convictions of their sin, and danger of God's wrath. Though it may be before they thought they could allow Christ to be sufficient, (for it is easy to allow any one to be sufficient for our [Page 55] defence at a time when we see no danger) yet when they come to be sensible of their guilt and God's wrath, what discouraging thoughts do they entertain! How are they ready to draw towards despair, as if there were no hope or help for such wicked creatures as they! The reason is, They have no apprehension or sense of any other way that God's majesty can be vindicated, but only in their misery. To tell them of the blood of Christ signifies nothing, it does not relieve their sinking, despairing hearts. This makes it most evident that they are not convinced that Christ is suffi­cient to be their Mediator.

And as long as they are unconvinced of this, it is impossible they should be willing to accept of him as their Mediator and Sav­iour. A man in distressing fear will not willingly betake himself to a fort that he judges not sufficient to defend him from the enemy. A man will not willingly ven­ture out into the ocean in a ship that he suspects is leaky, and will sink before he gets through his voyage.

3d, It is evident that you are not willing to have Christ for your Saviour, because you have so mean an opinion of him, that you durst not trust his faithfulness. One that undertakes to be the Saviour of souls had need be faithful; for if he fails in such a trust, how great is the loss! But you are not convinced of Christ's faithfulness; [Page 56] as is evident, because at such times as when you are in a considerable measure sensible of your guilt and God's anger, you can­not he convinced that Christ is willing to accept of you, or that he stands ready to receive you▪ if you should come to him, though Christ so much invites you to come to him▪ and has so fully declared that he will not reject you, if you do come; as particularly, John, vi.37.: "Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out." Now, there is no man can be heartily will­ing to trust his eternal welfare in the hands of an unfaithful person, or one whose faithfulness he suspects.

4th, You are not willing to be saved in that way by Christ, as is evident, because you are not willing that your own goodness should be set at nought. In the way of salvation by Christ, men's own goodness is wholly set at nought; there is no account at all made of it. Now you cannot be will­ing to be saved in a way, wherein your own goodness is set at nought, as is evident by that, that you make much of it yourself. You make much of your prayers and pains in religion, and are often thinking of them; how considerable do they appear to you, when you look back upon them! And how much are some of you in thinking how much more you have done than some oth­ers, and in expecting some respect or re­gard that God should manifest to what you [Page 57] do: Now, if you make so much of what you do yourself, it is impossible that you should be freely willing that God should make nothing of it. As we may see in oth­er things; if a man is proud of a great estate, or if he values himself much upon his honourable office, or his great abilities, it is impossible that he should like it, and heartily approve of it, that others should make light of these things and despise them.

Seeing therefore that it is so evident that you refuse to accept of Christ as your Saviour, why is Christ to be blamed that he does not save you? Christ has offered himself to you to be your Saviour in time past, and he continues offering himself still, and you continue to reject him, and yet complain that he does not save you.—So strangely unreasonable, and inconsistent with themselves, are gospel sinners!

But I expect that there are many of you that in your hearts still object; Your mouths be not stopped.—Such an objec­tion as this, is probably now in the hearts of many here present.

Object. If it be so, that I am not willing to have Christ for my Saviour, yet I cannot make myself willing.

But I would give an answer to this ob­jection by laying down two things, that must be acknowledged to be exceeding ev­ident.

[Page 58]1. It is no excuse, that you cannot re­ceive Christ of yourself, unless you would if you could. This is so evident of itself, that it scarce needs any proof. Certainly, if persons would not if they could, it is just the same thing as to the blame that lies upon them, whether they can or cannot. If you were willing, and then found that you could not, your being unable would alter the case, and might be some excuse; because then the defect would not be in your will, but only in your ability: But as long as you will not, it is no matter what the ability is, whether you have ability or no ability.

If you be not willing to accept of Christ, it will follow that you have no sincere willingness to be willing; because the will always necessarily approves of, and rests in its own acts. To suppose the contrary would be to suppose a contradiction; it would be to suppose that a man's will is contrary to itself, or that he wills contrary to what he himself wills. So that as you are not willing to come to Christ, and can­not make yourself willing, so you have no sincere desire to be willing; and therefore may most justly perish without a Saviour. There is no excuse at all for you; for say what you will about your inability, the seat of your blame lies in your perverse will, that is an enemy to the Saviour. It is [Page 59] in vain for you to tell of your want of pow­er, as long as your will is found defective. If a man should hate you, and devour you, and exalt himself, and smite you in the face, and tell you that he did it voluntarily, and because he had a mind to, but only should tell you at the same time, that he hated you so much, that he could not help choosing and willing so to do, would you take it the more patiently for that? Would not your indignation be rather stirred up the more?

2. If you would be willing if you could, that is no excuse, unless your willingness to be willing be sincere. That which is hypocritical, and does not come from the heart, but is merely forced, ought wholly to be set aside, as worthy of no considera­tion; and that because common sense teach­es, that that which is not hearty but hy­pocritical is indeed nothing, being only a shew of what is not; but that which is good for nothing, ought to go for nothing. But if you set aside all that is not free, and call nothing a willingness, but a free, hear­ty willingness, then see how the case stands, and whether or no you have not lost all your excuse for standing out against the calls of the gospel. You say you would make yourself willing to accept if you could; but it is not from any good princi­ple that you are willing for that; it is not from any free inclination, or true respect [Page 60] to Christ, or any love to your duty, or any spirit of obedience, or from the influence of any manner of real respect, or tendency in your heart, towards any thing that is good, or from any other principle than such as is in the hearts of devils, and would make them have the same sort of willingness in the same circumstances. It is therefore evi­dent, that there can be no goodness in that woulding to be willing to come to Christ: And that which has no goodness, cannot be an excuse for any badness. If there be no good in it, then it signifies nothing, and weighs nothing, when put into the scales to counterbalance that which is bad.

Sinners therefore spend their time in foolish arguing and objecting, making much o [...] that which is good for nothing, making those excuses that be not worth offering. It is in vain to keep making objections: You stand justly condemned: The blame lies all at your door: Thrust it off from you as often as you will, it will return up­on you: Sew fig leaves as long as you will, your nakedness will appear: You contin­ue wilfully and wickedly rejecting Jesus Christ, and will not have him for your Saviour, and therefore it is sottish madness in you to charge Christ with injustice that he does not save you.

Here is the sin of unbelief! Thus the guilt of that great sin lies upon you! If you never had thus treated a Saviour, you [Page 61] might most justly have been damned to all eternity: It would but be exactly agreea­ble to your treatment of God. But besides this, when God, notwithstanding, has of­fered you his own dear Son, to save you from this endless misery you had deserved, and not only so, but to make you happy eter­nally in the enjoyment of himself you re­fused him, and would not have him for your Saviour, and still refuse to comply with the offers of the gospel; what can render any person more inexcusable? If you should now perish forever, what can you have to say?

Hereby the justice of God in your de­struction appears in two respects.

1. It is more abundantly manifest that it is just that you should be destroyed. Jus­tice never appears so conspicuous as it does after refused and abused mercy. Justice in damnation appears abundantly the more clear and bright, after a wilful rejection of offered salvation. What can an offenc­ed prince do more than freely offer pardon to a condemned malefactor? And if he re­fuses to accept of it, will any one say that his execution is unjust?

2. God's justice evill appear in your greater destruction. Besides the guilt that you would have had if a Saviour never had been offered, you bring that great ad­ditional guilt upon you, of most ungrate­fully refusing offered deliverance. What [Page 62] more base and vile treatment of God can there be, than for you, when justly con­demned to eternal misery, and ready to be executed, and God graciously sends his own Son, who comes and knocks at your door with a pardon in his hand, and not only a pardon, but a deed of eternal glory; I say, what can be worse, than for you, out of dislike and enmity against God and his Son, to refuse to accept those benefits at his hands! How justly may the anger of God be greatly incensed and increased by it! When a sinner thus ungratefully re­jects mercy, his last error is worse that the first; this is more heinous than all his for­mer rebellion, and may justly bring down more fearful wrath upon him.

The heinousness of this sin of rejecting a Saviour especially appears in two things,

1. The greatness of the benefits offered; which appears in the greatness of the de­liverance, which is from inexpressible de­grees of corruption and wickedness of heart and life, the least degree of which is infinitely evil: and from misery that is everlasting; and in the greatness and glo­ry of the inheritance purchased and of­fered, Heb. ii.3. "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?"

2. The wonderfulness of the way in which these benefits are procured and of­fered. That God should lay help on his own Son, when our case was so deplorable [Page 63] that help could be had in no mere crea­ture; and that he should undertake for us, and should come into the world, and take upon him our nature, and should not only appear in a low state of life, but should die such a death, and endure such torments and contempt for sinners while enemies, how wonderful is it! And what tongue or pen can set forth the greatness of the ingratitude, baseness, and perverse­ness that there is in it, when a perishing sin­ner that is in the most extreme necessity of salvation, rejects it, after it is procured in such a way as this! That so glorious a person should be thus treated, and that when he comes on so gracious an errand! That he should stand so long offering him­self and calling and inviting, as he has done to many of you, and all to no purpose, but all the while be set at nought! Surely you might justly be cast into hell without one more offer of a Saviour! Yea, and thrust down into the lowest hell! Herein you have exceeded the very devils; for they never rejected the offers of such glorious mercy; no, nor of any mercy at all. This will be the distinguishing condemnation of gospel sinners, John, iii.18. "He that be­lieveth not, is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

That outward smoothness of your carri­age towards Christ, that appearance of re­spect [Page 64] to him in your looks, your speeches, and gestures, do not argue but that you set him at nought in your heart. There may be much of these outward shews of respect, and yet you be like Judas, that betrayed the Son of man with a kiss; and like those mockers that bowed the knee before him, and at the same time spit in his face.

III. If God should forever cast you off and destroy you, it would be agreeable to your treatment of others; it would be no other than what would be exactly answer­able to your behaviour towards your fel­low creatures, that have the same human nature, and are naturally in the same cir­cumstances with you, and that you ought to love as yourself. And that appears es­pecially in two things.

1. You have many of you been opposite in your spirit to the salvation of others. There are several ways that natural men manifest a spirit of opposition against the salvation of other's souls. It sometimes ap­pears by a fear that their companions, ac­quaintance, and equals, will obtain mercy, and so become unspeakably happier than they. It is sometimes manifested by an uneasiness at the news of others having hopefully obtained. It appears when per­sons envy others for it, and dislike them the more, and disrelish their talk, and avoid their company, and cannot bear to hear their religious discourse, and especially [Page 65] to receive warnings and counsels from them. And it oftentimes appears by their backwardness to entertain charitable thoughts of them, and their being difficult­ly brought to believe that it is really so, that they have obtained mercy, and a for­wardness to listen to any thing that seems to contradict it. The devil hated to own Job's sincerity, Job. i.7. &c. and chap. ii. verses 3.4.5. There appears very often much of this spirit of the devil in natural men. Sometimes they are ready to make a ridicule of others pretended godliness: They speak of the ground of other's hopes, as the enemies of the Jews did of the wall that they built. Neh. iv.3. "Now To­biah the Ammonite was by him, and he said▪ That which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall." There are many that join with Sanballat and Tobiah, and are of the same spirit with them. There always was, and always will be, an enmity betwixt the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman. It appeared in Cain, who hated his broth­er, because he was more acceptable to God than himself: and it appears still in these times▪ and in this place. There are many that are like the elder brother, who could not bear it that the prodigal when he re­turned should be received with such joy and good entertainment, and was put into a fret by it, both against his brother that [Page 66] had returned, and his father that made him so welcome. Luke. xv.

Thus have many of you been opposite to the salvation of others, that stand in as great necessity of it as you. You have been a­gainst their being delivered from everlast­ing misery, that can bear it no better than you; not because their salvation would do you any hurt, or their damnation help you, any otherwise than as it would gratify that vile spirit that is so much like the spirit of the devil, who, because he is miserable him­self, is unwilling that others should be hap­py. How just therefore is it that God should be opposite to your salvation? If you have so little love or mercy in you as to begrudge your neighbour's salvation, whom you have no cause to hate, but the law of God and nature requires you to love, why is God bound to exercise such infinite love and mercy to you, as to save you at the price of his own blood, that he is no way bound to love, but that have deserved his hatred a thousand and a thousand times? You are not willing that others should be converted, that have behaved themselves injuriously towards you; and yet, will you count it hard if God does not bestow con­verting grace upon you that have deserved ten thousand times as ill of God, as ever any of your neighbours have of you? You are opposite to God's shewing mercy to th [...]se, and those that you think have been [Page 67] vicious persons, and are very unworthy of such mercy. Is others unworthiness a just reason why God should not bestow mercy on them? And yet will God be hard, if, notwithstanding all your unworthiness, and the abominableness of your spirit and practice in his sight, he does not show you mercy? You would have God bestow lib­erally on you, and upbraid not; but yet when he shews mercy to others, you are ready to upbraid as soon as you hear of it; you immediately are thinking with yourself how ill they have behaved themselves; and it may be your mouths on this occasion are open, enumerating and aggravating the sins they have been guilty of. You would have God bury all your faults, and wholly blot out all your transgressions; but yet if he bestows mercy on others, it may be you will take that occasion to rake up all their old faults that you can think of. You do not much reflect on and condemn yourself for your baseness and unjust spirit towards others, in your opposition to their salvation; you do not quarrel with yourself, and con­demn yourself for this; but yet you in your heart will quarrel with God, and condemn him, and fret at his dispensations, because you think he seems opposite to shewing mercy to you. One would think that the consideration of these things should forever stop your mouth.

2. Consider how you have promoted [Page 68] other's damnation. Many of you, by the bad examples you have set, by corrupting the minds of others, by your sinful conver­sation, by leading them into sin, or strength­ening them in sin, and by the mischief that you have done in human society other ways that might be mentioned, have been guilty of those things that have tended to others damnation. You have heretofore appeared on the side of sin and Satan, and have behaved yourself so as much to strengthen their interest, and have been many ways accessory to other's sins, have hardened other's hearts, and thereby have done what has tended to the ruin of their souls.

And without doubt there are those here present that have been in a great measure the means of other's damnation. Though it is true that it is determined of God who he will save, and who not, from all eternity, yet one man may really be a means of oth­er's damnation as well as salvation. Christ charges the scribes and Pharisees with this, Matth. xxiii.13. "Ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering, to go in." We have no reason to think that this congregation has none in it that are cursed from day to day by poor souls that are roaring out in hell, whose damnation they have been a means of, or have greatly contributed to.

[Page 69]There are many that contribute to their own children's damnation, by neglecting their education, and setting them bad ex­amples, and bringing them up in sinful ways: They take some care of their bodies, but take but little care of their poor souls; they provide for them bread to eat, but de­ny them the bread of life, that their fam­ishing souls stand in need of. And are there no such parents here that have thus treat­ed their children? If their children be not gone to hell, it is no thanks to them; it is not because they have not done what has tended to their destruction. Seeing there­fore you have had no more regard to other's salvation, and have promoted their damna­tion▪ how justly might God leave you to perish yourself?

IV. If God should eternally cast you off, it would but be agreeable to your own be­haviour towards yourself: And that in two respects:

1. In being so careless of your own sal­vation. You have refused to take care for your salvation, as God has counselled and commanded you from time to time; and why may not God neglect it, now you seek it of him? Is God obliged to be more care­ful of your happiness, than you are either of your own happiness or his glory? Is God bound to take that care for you, out of love to you, that you will not take for yourself, either from love to yourself, or [Page 70] regard to his authority? How long, and how greatly, have you neglected the welfare of your precious soul, refusing to take pains and deny yourself, or put yourself a little out of your way for your salvation, while God has been calling upon you! Neither your duty to God, nor love to your own soul, were enough to induce you to do lit­tle things for your own eternal welfare; and yet do you now expect that God should do great things, putting forth almighty power, and exercising infinite mercy for it? You was urged to take care for your salvation, and not to put it off: You was told that that was the best time before you grew older▪ and that it might be, if you would put it off, God would not hear you afterwards; but yet you would not heark­en; you would run the venture of it. Now how justly might God order it so, that it should be too late, leaving you to seek in vain? You was told, that you would re­pent of it if you delayed; but you would not hear: How justly therefore may God give you cause to repent of it, by refusing to show you mercy now? If God sees you going on in ways contrary to his commands and his glory, and requires you to forsake them, and tells you that they are ways that tend to the destruction of your own soul, and therefore counsels you to avoid them, and you refuse; how just would it be if God should be provoked by it, hencefor­ward [Page 71] to be as careless of the good of your soul as you are yourself?

2. You have not only neglected your salvation, but you have wilfully taken di­rect courses to undo yourself. You have gone on in those ways and practices that have directly tended to your damnation and have been perverse and obstinate in it. You cannot plead ignorance; you had all the light set before you that you could de­sire: God told you that you was undoing yourself; but yet you would do it: He told you that the path you was going in led to destruction, and counselled you to avoid it; but you would not hearken: How justly therefore may God leave you to be undone! You have obstinately persisted to travel in the way that leads to hell for a long time, contrary to God's continual counsels and commands, till it may be at length you are got almost to your journey's end, and are come near to hell's gate, and so begin to be sensible of your danger and misery; and now account it unjust and hard if God will not deliver you! You have destroyed yourself, and destroyed yourself wilfully, contrary to God's repeat­ed counsels, yea, and destroyed yourself in fighting against God: Now therefore, why do you blame any but yourself if you are destroyed? If you will undo yourself in opposing God, and while God opposes you by his calls and counsels. and, it may be, [Page 72] too, by the convictions of his Spirit, what can you object against it, if God now leaves you to be undone? You would have your own way, and did not like that God should oppose you in it, and your way was to ru­in your own soul: How just therefore is it, if, now at length, God ceases to oppose you, and falls in with you, and lets your soul be ruined; and as you would destroy yourself, so should put to his hand to de­stroy you too! The ways you went on in had a natural tendency to your misery: If you would drink poison in opposition to God, and in contempt of him and his ad­vice, who can you blame but yourself if you are poisoned, and so perish? If you would run into the fire against all restraints both of God's mercy and authority, you must even blame yourself if you are burnt.

Thus I have proposed some things to your consideration, which, if you are not exceeding blind, senseless, and perverse, will stop your month, and convince you that you stand justly condemned before God, and that he would in no wise deal hardly with you, but altogether justly, in denying you any mercy, and in refusing to hear your prayers, let you pray never so earnestly, and never so often, and continue in it never so long; and that God may utterly disregard your tears and moans, your heavy heart, your earnest desires, and great endeavours; and that he may [Page 73] cast you into eternal destruction, without any regard to your welfare, denying you converting grace, and giving you over to Satan, and at last cast you into the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, to be there to eternity, having no rest day nor night, for ever glorifying his justice upon you, in the presence of the holy angels, and the presence of the Lamb.

Object. But here many may still object, (for I am sensible it is an hard thing to stop sinners mouth's,) "God shews mercy to others that have done these things as well as I, yea, that have done a great deal worse than I."

Ans. 1. That does not prove that God is any way bound to shew mercy to you, or them either. If God does bestow it on others, he does not bestow it on them be­cause he is bound to bestow it: He might if he had pleased, with glorious justice, have denied it them. If God bestows it on some, that does not prove that he is bound to bestow it on any; and if he is bound to bestow it on none, then he is not bound to bestow it on you. God is in debt to none; and if he gives to some that he is not in debt to, because it is his plea­sure, that does not bring him into debt to others. It alters not the case as to you at all, whether others have it or have it not: You do not deserve damnation the less, than if mercy never had been bestowed on [Page 74] any at all. Matth. xx.15. "Is thine eye evil, because mine is good?"

2. If this objection be good, then the ex­ercise of God's mercy is not in his own right, and his grace is not his own to give That which God may not dispose of as he pleases, is not his own; for that which is one's own, is at his own disposal: but if it be not God's own, then he is not capable of making a gift or present of it to any one; it is impossible to give a debt.

What is it that you would make of God? Must the great God be tied up to that, that he must not use his own pleasure in bestowing his own gifts, but if he be­stows them on one, must be looked upon obliged to bestow them on another? Is not God worthy to have the same right, with respect to the gifts of his grace, that a man has to his money or goods? Is it be­cause God is not so great, and should be more in subjection than man, that this can­not be allowed him? If any of you see cause to shew kindness to a neighbour, do all the rest of your neighbours come to you, and tell you, that you owe them so much as you have given to such a man? But this is the way that you deal with God, as though God were not worthy to have as absolute a property in his goods, as you have in yours.

At this rate God cannot make a present of any thing; he has nothing of his own [Page 75] to bestow: if he has a mind to shew pecu­liar favour to some, or to lay some particu­lar persons under peculiar obligations to him, he cannot do it; because he has no special gift, that his creatures stand in great need of, and that would tend greatly to their happiness, at his own disposal. If this be the case, why do you pray to God to bestow saving grace upon you? If God does not do fairly to deny it you, because he bestows it on others, then it is not worth your while to pray for it, but you may go and tell him that he has bestowed it on these and those, as bad or worse than you, and so demand it of him as a debt.— And at this rate persons never need to thank God for salvation, when it is be­stowed; for what occasion is there to thank God for that which was not at his own disposal, and that he could not fairly have denied? The thing at bottom is, that men have low thoughts of God, and high thoughts of themselves; and there­fore it is that they look upon God as hav­ing so little right, and they so much.— Matth. xx.1 [...]. "Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own?

3. God may justly shew greater respect to others than to you, for you have shown greater respect to others than to God.— You have shown greater respect to men than to God: You have rather chosen to offend God than offend men. God only [Page 76] shews a greater respect to others, that are by nature your equals, than to you; but you have shown a greater respect to those that are infinitely inferior to God than to him. You have shown a greater regard to wicked men than to God; you have honoured them more, loved them better, and adhered to them rather than to him. Yea, you have honoured the devil, in ma­ny respects, more than God: you have chosen his will and his interest, rather than God's will and his glory: you have chosen a little worldly pelf, rather than God: you have set more by a vile lust than by him: you have chosen these things, and rejected God: You have set your heart on these things, and cast God behind your back: And where is the injustice if God is pleased to shew greater respect to others than to you, or if he chooses others and rejects you? You have shown great respect to vile and worthless things, and no respect to God's glory; and why may not God set his love on others, and have no respect to your happiness? You have shown great respect to others and not to God, that you are laid under infinite obli­gations to respect above all; and why may not God shew respect to others, and not to you, that never have laid him under the least obligation?

And will you not be ashamed, notwith­standing all these things, still to open your [Page 77] mouth, to object and cavil about the de­crees of God, and other things that you cannot fully understand. Let the decrees of God be what they will, that alters not the case as to your liberty, any more than if God had only foreknown. And why is God to blame for decreeing things? How unbecoming an infinitely wise Be­ing would it have been to have made a world, and let things run at random, without disposing events, or fore-ordering how they should come to pass? And what is that to you, how God has fore-ordered things as long as your constant experience teaches you, that that does not hinder your liberty, or your doing what you choose to do. This you know, and your daily practice and behaviour amongst men declares that you are fully sensible of it, with respect to yourself and others: And still to object, because there are some things in Gods dispensations above your understanding, is exceeding unreasonable. Your own conscience charges you with great guilt, and with those things that have been mentioned, let the secret things of God be what they will. Your con­science charges you with those vile dispo­sitions, and that base behaviour towards God, that you would at any time most highly resent in your neighbour towards you, and that not a whit the less for any concern those secret counsels and mysteri­ous [Page 78] dispensations of God may have in the matter. It is in vain for you to exalt yourself against an infinitely great, and ho­ly, and just God. If you continue in it, it will be to your eternal shame and con­fusion, when hereafter you shall see at whose door all the blame of your misery lies.

I will finish what I have to say to na­tural men in the application of this doc­trine, with a caution not to improve the doctrine to discouragement. For though it would be righteous in God for ever to cast you off, and destroy you, yet it will also be just in God to save you in and through Christ, who has made complete satisfaction for all sin. Rom. iii.25.26. "Whom God hath set forth to be a pro­pitiation, through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remis­sion of sins that are past, through the for­bearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness, that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." Yea, God may through this Mediator, not only just­ly, but honourably, shew you mercy. The blood of Christ is so precious, that it is fully sufficient to pay that debt that you have contracted, and perfectly to vindicate the divine Majesty from all that dishonour that has been cast upon it, by those many great sins of yours that have been mention­ed. [Page 79] It was as great, and indeed a much greater thing, for Christ to die, than it would have been for you and all mankind to have burnt in hell to all eternity. Of such dignity and excellency is Christ in the eyes of God, that, seeing he has suffer­ed so much for poor sinners, God is will­ing to be at peace with them, however vile and unworthy they have been, and on how many accounts soever the punishment would be just. So that you need not be at all discouraged from seeking mercy, for there is enough in Christ.

Indeed it would not become the glory of God's majesty to shew mercy to you that have been so sinful and vile a creature, for any thing that you have done, for such worthless and despicable things as your prayers, and other religious performances; it would be very dishonourable and un­worthy of God so to do, and it is in vain to expect it: He will shew mercy only on Christ's account, and that, according to his sovereign pleasure, on whom he pleases, when he pleases, and in what manner he pleases. You cannot bring him under obli­gation by your works; do what you will, he will not look on himself obliged. But if it be his pleasure, he can honourably shew mercy through Christ to any sinner of you all, not one in this congregation ex­cepted.

Therefore here is encouragement for you [Page 80] still to seek and wait, notwithstanding all your wickedness; agreeable to Samuel's speech to the children of Israel, when they were terrified with the thunder and rain that God sent, and their guilt stared them in the face, 1 Sam. xii.20. "Fear not; ye have done all this wickedness; yet turn not aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your hearts."

I would conclude this discourse by im­proving the doctrine, in the second place, very briefly to put the godly in mind of the freeness and wonderfulness of the grace of God towards them. For such were some of you.—The case was just so with you as you have heard; you had such a wicked heart, you lived such a wicked life, and it would have been most just with God for ever to have cast you off: but he has had mercy upon you; he hath made his glorious grace appear in your everlast­ing salvation. You behaved yourself so as you have heard towards God: You had no love to God; but yet he has exercised unspeakable love to you: You have con­temned God, and set light by him; but so great a value has God's grace set on you and your happiness, that you have been re­deemed at the price of the blood of his own Son: You chose to be with Satan in his service; but yet God hath made you a joint heir with Christ of his glory. You was ungrateful for past mercies; but yet [Page 81] God not only continued those mercies, but bestowed unspeakably greater mercies upon you: You refused to hear when God called; but yet God heard you when you called: You abused the infiniteness of God's mercy to encourage yourself in sin against God: but yet God has mani­fested the infiniteness of that mercy, in the exercises of it towards you▪ You have re­jected Christ, and set him at nought; and yet he is become your Saviour▪ You have neglected your own salvation; but God has not neglected it; You have destroyed yourself; but yet in God has been your help. God has magnified his free grace towards you, and not to others; because he has chosen you, and it hath pleased him to set his love upon you.

O! what cause is here for praise? What obligations are upon you to bless the Lord, who hath dealt bountifully with you, and to magnify his holy name? What cause for you to praise him in humility, to walk humbly before God, and to be conformed to that in Ezek. xvi.63.: "That thou mayest remember and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more, be­cause of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord God!" You should never open your mouth in boasting, or self-justi­fication: You should lie the lower before God for his mercy to you. But you have [Page 82] reason, the more abundantly for your past sins, to open your mouth in God's praises, that they may be continually in your mouth, both here and to all eternity, for his rich, unspeakable, and sovereign mercy to you, whereby he, and he alone, hath made you to differ from others.

APPLICATION.

The improvement I would make of the things which have been observed, is to lead the people here present, who have been under my pastoral care, to some re­flections, and give them some advice suita­ble to our present circumstances; relating to what has been lately done in order to our being separated, as to the relation we have heretofore stood in one to another; but expecting to meet each other before the great tribunal at the day of judgment.

The deep and serious consideration of that our future most solemn meeting, is certainly most suitable at such a time as this▪ there having so lately been that done, which, in all probability, will (as to the relation we have heretofore stood in) be followed with an everlasting separation.

How often have we met together in the house of God in this relation? how often have I spoken to you, instructed, counsel­led, warned, directed, and fed you, and administered ordinances among you, as the people which were committed to my care, and whose precious souls I had the charge of? but in all probability, this ne­ver will be again.

The prophet Jeremiah, (chap. xxxv.3.) puts the people in mind how long he had laboured among them in the work of the ministry: "From the thirteenth year of Josiah, the son of Amon, king of Judah, [Page 117] even unto this day (that is, the three and twentieth year) the word of the Lord came unto me, and I have spoken unto you, ri­sing early and speaking." I am not about to compare myself with the prophet Jere­miah; but in this respect I can say as he did, that "I have spoken the word of God to you, unto the three and twentieth year, rising early and speaking." It was three and twenty years, the 15th day of last Februray, since I have laboured in the work of the ministry, in the relation of a pastor to this church and congregation.— And though my strength has been weak­ness, having always laboured under great infirmity of body, besides my insufficiency for so great a charge in other respects, yet I have not spared my feeble strength, but have exerted it for the good of your souls. I can appeal to you, as the apostle does to his hearers, Gal. iv.13. "Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh, I preached the gospel unto you." I have spent the prime of my life and strength in labours for your eternal welfare. You are my witnesses, that what strength I have had, I have not neglected in idleness, nor laid out in prosecuting worldly schemes, and managing temporal affairs, for the ad­vancement of my outward estate, and ag­grandizing myself and family; but have given myself to the work of the ministry, labouring in it night and day, rising early, [Page 118] and applying myself to this great business to which Christ appointed me. I have found the work of the ministry among you to be a great work indeed, a work of ex­ceeding care, labour, and difficulty: Many have been the heavy burdens that I have borne in it, which my strength has been very unequal to. God called me to bear these burdens; and I bless his name, that he has so supported me as to keep me from sinking under them, and that his power herein has been manifested in my weak­ness; so that although I have often been troubled on every side, yet I have not been distressed; perplexed, but not in des­pair; cast down, but not destroyed.

But now I have reason to think my work is finished which I had to do as your minister: You have publicly reject­ed me, and my opportunities cease.

How highly, therefore, does it now be­come us, to consider of that time when we must meet one another before the chief Shepherd? When I must give an account of my stewardship, of the service I have done for, and the reception and treatment I have had among the people he sent me to: And you must give an account of your own conduct towards me▪ and the improvement you have made of these three and twenty years of my ministry. For then both you and I must appear together, and we both must give an account, in order [Page 119] to an infallible righteous and eternal sentence to be passed upon us, by him who will judge us with respect to all that we have said or done in our meetings here, all our conduct one towards another, in the house of God and elsewhere, on Sab­bath days and on other days; who will try our hearts, and manifest our thoughts, and the principles and frames of our minds, will judge us with respect to all the controversies which have subsisted be­tween us, with the strictest impartiality, and will examine our treatment of each other in those controversies: There is no­thing covered, that shall not be revealed, nor hid, which shall not be known; all will be examined in the searching penetrating light of God's omniscience and glory, and by him whose eyes are as a flame of fire; and truth and right shall be made plainly to appear, being stripped of every veil; and all error, falsehood, un­righteousness, and injury shall be laid open, stripped of every disguise; every specious pretence, every cavil, and all false reasoning, shall vanish in a moment, as not being able to bear the light of that day.— And then our hearts will be turned inside out, and the secrets of them will be made more plainly to appear than our outward actions do now. Then it shall appear what the ends are which we have aimed at, what have been the governing princi­ples [Page 120] which we have acted from, and what have been the dispositions we have exer­ercised in our ecclesiastical disputes and contests. Then it will appear, whether I acted uprightly, and from a truly conscien­tious careful regard to my duty to my great Lord and Master, in some former ecclesi­astical controversies, which have been at­tended with exceeding unhappy circum­stances and consequences: It will appear whether there was any just cause for the resentment which was manifested on those occasions. And then our late grand con­troversy, concerning the qualifications ne­cessary for admission to the privileges of members, in complete standing, in the vi­sible church of Christ, will be examined and judged in all its parts and circum­stances, and the whole set forth in a clear, certain, and perfect light. Then it will appear whether the doctrine which I have preached and published concerning this matter be Christ's own doctrine, whether he will not own it as one of the precious truths which have proceeded from his own mouth, and vindicate and honour as such before the whole universe. Then it will appear what is meant by "the man that comes without the wedding-garment;" for that is the day spoken of▪ Matth. xxii.13. "wherein such an one shall be bound hand and foot, and cast into outer dark­ness, where shall be weeping and gnashing [Page 121] of teeth." And then it will appear whe­ther, in declaring this doctrine, and act­ing agreeable to it, and in my general con­duct in the affair, I have been influenced from any regard to my own temporal in­terest, or honour, or desire to appear wiser than others; or have acted from any sin­ister secular views whatsoever; and wheth­er what I have done has not been from a careful, strict, and tender regard to the will of my Lord and Master, and because I dare not offend him, being satisfied what his will was, after a long, diligent, impartial, and prayerful inquiry; having this constantly in view and prospect, to engage me to great solicitude not rashly to determine truth to be on this side of the question where I am now persuaded it is, that such a determination would not be for my temporal interest, but every way against it, bringing a long series of ex­treme difficulties, and plunging me into an abyss of trouble and sorrow. And then it will appear whether my people have done their duty to their pastor with respect to this matter, whether they have shown a right temper and spirit on this occasion; whether they have done me justice in hearing, attending to, and con­sidering what I had to say in evidence of what I believed and taught as part of the counsel of God▪ whether I have been treated with that impartiality, candour, [Page 122] and regard which the just judge esteemed due; and whether, in the many steps which have been taken, and the many things that have been said and done in the course of this controversy, righteousness, and charity, and Christian decorum has been maintained; or if otherwise, to how great a degree these things have been vio­lated. Then every step of the conduct of each of us in this affair, from first to last, and the spirit we have exercised in all, shall be examined and manifested, and our own consciences will speak plain and loud, and each of us shall be convinced, and the world shall know; and never shall there be any more mistake, misrepresenta­tion, or misapprehension of the affair to eternity.

This controversy is now probably brought to an issue between you and me as to this world; it has issued in the e­vent of the week before last: But it must have another decision at that great day, which certainly will come, when you and I shall meet together before the great judg­ment-seat: And therefore I leave it to that time, and shall say no more about it at present.

But I would now proceed to address myself particular to several sorts of per­sons.

I. To those who are professors of godli­ness amongst us.

[Page 123]I would now call you to a serious con­sideration of that great day wherein you must meet him who has heretofore been your pastor, before the Judge whose eyes are as a flame of fire.

I have endeavoured, according to my best ability, to search the word of God, with regard to the distinguishing notes of true piety, those by which persons might best discover their state, and most surely and clearly judge of themselves. And these rules and marks I have from time to time applied to you, in the preaching of the word, to the utmost of my skill, and in the most plain and searching manner that I have been able, in order to the de­tecting the deceived hypocrite, and estab­lishing the hopes and comforts of the sin­cere. And yet it is to be feared, that af­ter all that I have done, I now leave some of you in a deceived deluded state; for it is not to be supposed that among several hundred professors, none are deceived.

Henceforward I am like to have no more opportunity to take the care and charge of your souls, to examine and search them. But still I entreat you to re­member and consider the rules which I have often laid down to you during my ministry, with a solemn regard to the fu­ture day when you and I must meet to­gether before our Judge; when the use of examination you have heard from me [Page 124] must be rehearsed again before you, and those rules of trial must be tried, and it will appear whether they have been good or not; and it will also appear whether you have impartially heard them, and tri­ed yourselves by them; and the Judge himself, who is infallible, will try both you and me: And after this none will be deceived concerning the state of their souls:

I have often put you in mind, that whatev­er your pretences to experiences, discove­ries, comforts, and joys, have been, at that day every one will be judged according to his works; and then you will find it so.

May you have a minister of greater knowledge of the word of God, and better acquaintance with soul cases, and of great­er skill in applying himself to souls, whose discourses may be more searching and con­vincing; that such of you as have held fast deceit under my preaching, may have your eyes opened by his; that you may be undeceived before that great day.

What means and helps for instruction and self-examination you may hereafter have is uncertain; but one thing is cer­tain, that the time is short, your opportu­nity for rectifying mistakes in so impor­tant a concern will soon come to an end. We live in a world of great changes.— There is now a great change come to pass; you have withdrawn yourselves from my [Page 125] ministry, under which you have continu­ed for so many years: But the time is coming, and will soon come, when you will pass out of time into eternity; and so will pass from under all means of grace whatsoever.

The greater part of you who are profes­sors of godliness have, (to use the phrase of the apostle,) "acknowledged me in part:" You have heretofore acknowledged me to be your spiritual father, the instru­ment of the greatest good to you that ever is, or can be obtained by any of the chil­dren of men. Consider of that day when you and I shall meet before our Judge, when it shall be examined whether you have had from me the treatment which is due to spiritual children, and whether you have treated me as you ought to have treated a spiritual father. As the relation of a natural parent brings great obliga­tions on children in the sight of God; so much more, in many respects, does the re­lation of a spiritual father bring great ob­ligations on such whose conversion and eternal salvation they suppose God has made them the instruments of: 1 Cor. iv.15. "For though you have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not ma­ny fathers: for in Christ Jesus▪ I have begotten you through the gospel."

II. Now I am taking my leave of this people, I would apply myself to such a­mong [Page 126] them as I leave in a Christless, graceless condition; and would call on such seriously to consider of that solemn day when they and I must meet before the Judge of the world.

My parting with you is in some respects in a peculiar manner a melancholy part­ing; in as much as I leave you in most melancholy circumstances; because I leave you in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity, having the wrath of God abid­ing on you, and remaining under condem­nation to everlasting misery and destruc­tion. Seeing I must leave you, it would have been a comfortable and happy cir­cumstance of our parting, if I had left you in Christ, safe and blessed in that sure ref­uge and glorious rest of the saints. But it is otherwise, I leave you far off, aliens and strangers, wretched subjects, and cap­tives of sin and Satan, and prisoners of vindictive justice; without Christ, and without God in the world.

Your consciences hear me witness, that while I had opportunity, I have not ceas­ed to warn you, and set before you your danger. I have studied to represent the misery and necessity of your circumstances in the clearest manner possible. I have tried all ways that I could think of tend­ing to awaken your consciences, and make you sensible of the necessity of your im­proving your time, and being speedy in [Page 127] dying from the wrath to come, and tho­rough in the use of means for your escape and safety, I have diligently endeavour­ed to find out and use the most powerful motives to persuade you to take care for your own welfare and salvation. I have not only endeavoured to awaken you, that you might be moved with fear, but I have used my utmost endeavours to win you: I have fought out acceptable words, that if possible I might prevail upon you to forsake sin, and turn to God, and accept of Christ as your Saviour and Lord. I have spent my strength very much in these things. But yet, with regard to you whom I am now speaking to, I have not been successful: But have this day reason to complain in those words, Jer. vi.29. "The bellows are burnt, the lead is con­sumed of the fire, the founder melteth in vain, for the wicked are not plucked away." It is to be feared that all my la­bours, as to many of you, have served to no other purpose but to harden you; and that the word which I have preached, instead of being a favour of life unto life▪ has been a favour of death unto death. Though I shall not have any account to give for the future of such as have openly and reso­lutely renounced my ministry, as of a be­trustment committed to me; yet remem­ber you must give account for yourselves, of your care of your own souls, and your [Page 128] improvement of all means past and future, through your whole lives. God only knows what will become of your poor perishing souls, what means you may here­after enjoy, or what disadvantages and temptations you may be under. May God in mercy grant, that however all past means have been unsuccessful, you may have future means which may have a new effect; and that the word of God, as it shall be hereafter dispensed to you, may prove as the fire and the hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces. However, let me now at parting exhort and beseech you not wholly to forget the warnings you have had while under my ministry.— When you and I shall meet at the day of judgment, then you will remember them: The sight of me your former minister, on that occasion, will soon revive them in your memory; and that in a very affect­ing manner. O do not let that be the first time that they are so revived!

You and I are now parting one from another as to this world; let us labour that we may not be parted after our meet­ing at the last day. If I have been your faithful pastor, (which will that day ap­pear, whether I have or not) then I shall be acquitted, and shall ascend with Christ. O do your part, that in such a case, it may not be so, that you should be forced eternally to part from me, and all [Page 129] that have been faithful in Christ Jesus. This is a sorrowful parting that now is between you and me; but that would be a more sorrowful parting to you than this. This you may perhaps bear without being much affected with it, if you are not glad of it; but such a parting in that day will most deeply, sensibly, and dreadfully, af­fect you.

III. I would address myself to those who are under some awakenings.

Blessed be God that there are some such, and that (although I have reason to fear I leave multitudes in this large congregation in a Christless state) yet I do not leave them all in total stupidity and carelessness about their souls. Some of you, that I have reason to hope are under some awak­enings, have acquainted me with your circumstances; which has a tendency to cause me, now I am leaving you, to take my leave of you with peculiar concern for you. What will be the issue of your present exercise of mind I know not: But it will be known at that day, when you and I shall meet before the judgment-seat of Christ. Therefore now be much in con­sideration of that day.

Now I am parting with this flock, I would once more press upon you the counsels I have heretofore given, to take heed of being slighty in so great a concern, to be thorough and in good earnest in the [Page 130] affair, and to beware of backsliding, to hold on and hold out to the end. And cry mightily to God, that these great changes that pass over this church and congregation do not prove your overthrow▪ There is great temptations in them; and the devil will undoubtedly seek to make his advantage of them, if possible, to cause your present convictions and endeavours to be abortive. You had need to double your diligence, and watch and pray, lest you be overcome by temptation.

Whoever may hereafter stand related to you as your spiritual guide, my desire and prayer is, that the great Shepherd of the sheep would have a special respect to you, and be your guide, (for there is none teacheth like him,) and that he who is the infinite fountain of light, would "open your eyes, and turn you from darkness unto light, and from the power of Satan unto God; that you may receive forgive­ness of sins, and inheritance among them that are sanctified, through faith that is in Christ;" that so, in that great day, when I shall meet you again before your Judge and mine, we may meet in joyful and glo­rious circumstances, never to be separated any more.

IV. I would apply myself to the young people of the congregation.

Since I have been settled in the work of the ministry in this place. I have ever [Page 131] had a perculiar concern for the souls of the young people, and a desire that reli­gion might flourish among them; and have especially exerted myself in order to it; because I knew the special opportuni­ty they have beyond others, and that ordi­narily those whom God intended mercy for were brought to fear and love him in their youth. And it has ever appeared to me a peculiarly amiable thing, to see young people walking in the ways of vir­tue and Christian piety, having their hearts purified and sweetened with a principle of divine love. And it has appeared a thing exceeding beautiful, and what would be much to the adorning and happiness of the town, if the young people could be persuaded, when they meet together, to converse as Christians, and as the children of God; avoiding impurity, levity, and extravagance; keeping strictly to rules of virtue, and conversing together of the things of God, and Christ, and heaven.— This is what I have longed for: And it has been exceeding grievous to me when I have heard of vice, vanity, and disorder among our youth. And so far as I know my heart, it was from hence that I for­merly led this church to some measures, for the suppressing vice among our young people, which gave so great offence, and by which I became so obnoxious. I have fought the good and not the hurt of our [Page 132] young people. I have desired their truest honour and happiness, and not their re­proach; knowing that true virtue and re­ligion tended not only to the glory and felicity of young people in another world, but their greatest peace and prosperity, and highest dignity and honour, in this world; and above all things to sweeten, and render pleasant and delightful, even the days of youth.

But whether I have loved you, and sought your good more or less, yet God in his providence, now calling me to part with you, committing your souls to him who once committed the pastoral care of them to me, nothing remains, but only (as I am now taking my leave of you) earnestly to beseech you, from love to yourselves, if you have none to me, not to despise and forget the warnings and counsels I have so often given you; remembering the day when you and I most meet again before the great Judge of quick and dead; when it will appear whether the things I have taught you were true, whether the coun­sels I have given you were good, and whether I truly sought your good, and whether you have well improved my endeavours.

I have, from time to time, earnestly warned you against frolicking (as it is called,) and some other liberties common­ly taken by young people in the land.— [Page 133] And whatever some may say in justifica­tion of such liberties and customs, and may laugh at warnings against them, I now leave you my parting testimony a­gainst such things; not doubting but God will approve and confirm it in that day when we shall meet before them.

V. I would apply myself to the children of the congregation, the lambs of this flock, who have been so long under my care.

I have just now said that I have had a peculiar concern for the young people; and in so saying, I did not intend to ex­clude you. You are in youth, and in the most early youth: And therefore I have been sensible, that if those that were young had a precious opportunity for their soul's good, you who are very young, had, in many respects, a peculiarly precious op­portunity. And accordingly I have not neglected you: I have endeavoured to do the part of a faithful shepherd, in feeding the lambs as well as the sheep. Christ did once commit the care of your souls to me as your minister; and you know, dear children, how I have instructed you, and warned you from time to time: You know how I have often called you together for that end; and some of you, sometimes, have seemed to be affected with what I have said to you. But I am afraid it has had no saving effect as to many of you; [Page 134] but that you remain still in an unconvert­ed condition, without any real saving work wrought in your souls, convincing you thoroughly of your sin and misery, causing you to see the great evil of sin, and to mourn for it, and hate it above all things; and giving you a sense of the ex­cellency of the Lord Jesus Christ, bring­ing you with all your hearts to cleave to him as your Saviour, weaning your hearts from the world, and causing you to love God above all, and to delight in holiness more than in all the pleasant things of this earth: And so that I now leave you in a miserable condition, having no interest in Christ, and so under the awful displeasure and anger of God, and in danger of going down to the pit of eternal misery.

But now I must bid you farewell: I must leave you in the hands of God: I can do no more for you than to pray for you. Only I desire you not to forget, but often think of the counsels and warnings I have given you, and the endeavours I have used, that your souls might be saved from everlasting destruction.

Dear children, I leave you in an evil world, that is full of snares and tempta­tions. God only knows what will become of you. This the Scripture has told us, that there are but few saved; and we have abundant confirmation of it from what we see. This we see, that children die as [Page 135] well as others: Multitudes die before they grow up; and of those that grow up, comparatively few ever give good evi­dence of saving conversion to God. I pray God to pity you, and take care of you, and provide for you the best means for the good of your souls; and that God himself would undertake for you, to be your heavenly Father, and the mighty Re­deemer of your immortal souls. Do not neglect to pray for yourselves: Take heed you be not of the number of those who cast off fear, and restrain prayer before God. Constantly pray to God in secret; and often remember that great day when you must appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, and meet your minister there, who has so often counselled and warned you.

I conclude with a few words of advice to all in general, in some particulars, which are of great importance in order to the future welfare and prosperity of this church and congregation.

1. One thing that greatly concerns you, as you would be an happy people, is the maintaining of family order.

We have had great disputes how the church ought to be regulated; and indeed the subject of these disputes was of great importance: But the due regulation of your families is of no less, and, in some respects, of much greater importance.— [Page 136] Every Christian family ought to be as it were a little church, consecrated to Christ, and wholly influenced and governed by his rules. And family education and or­der are some of the chief of the means of grace. If these fail, all other means are like to prove ineffectual. If these are du­ly maintained, all the means of grace will be like to prosper and be successful.

Let me now therefore, once more, be­fore I finally cease to speak to this congre­gation, repeat, and earnestly press the counsel which I have often urged on heads of families here, while I was their pastor, to great painfulness, in teaching, warning, and directing their children; bringing them up in the nurture and ad­monition of the Lord; beginning early, where there is yet opportunity, and main­taining a constant diligence in labours of this kind▪ Remembering that, as you would not have all your instructions and counsels ineffectual, there must be govern­ment as well as instructions, which must be maintained with an even hand, and steady resolution, as a guard to the religion and morals of the family, and the support of its good order. Take heed that it be not with any of you as it was with Eli of old, who reproved his children, but re­strained them not; and that, by this means, you do not bring the like curse on your families as he did on his.

[Page 137]And let children obey their parents, and yield to their instructions, and submit to their orders, as they would inherit a bles­sing and not a curse. For we have reason to think, from many things in the word of God, that nothing has a greater tendency to bring a curse on persons in this world, and on all their temporal concerns, than an undutiful, unsubmissive, disorderly be­haviour in children towards their parents.

2. As you would seek the future pros­perity of this society, it is of vast import­ance that you should avoid contention.

A contentious people will be a miserable people. The contentions which have been among you, since I first became your pastor, have been one of the greatest bur­dens I have laboured under in the course of my ministry: Not only the contentions you have had with me, but those which you have had one with another, about your lands, and other concerns. Because I knew that contention, heat of spirit, evil-speaking, and things of the like na­ture, were directly contrary to the spirit of Christianity, and did, in a peculiar man­ner, tend to drive away God's Spirit from a people, and to render all means of grace ineffectual, as well as to destroy a people's outward comfort and welfare.

Let me therefore earnestly exhort you, as you would seek your own future good, hereafter to watch against a contentious [Page 138] spirit. "If you would see good days, seek peace, and ensue it." 1 Pet. iii.10.11. Let the contentions which has lately been about the terms of Christian communion, as it has been the greatest of your conten­tion, so be the last of them. I would, now I am preaching my farewell sermon, say to you, as the apostle to the Corinthians, 2 Cor. xiii.11.: "Finally, brethren, fare­well. Be perfect: Be of one mind: Live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you."

And here I would particularly advise those that have adhered to me in the late controversy, to watch over their spirits, and avoid all bitterness towards others.— Your temptations are, in some respects, the greatest; because what has been lately done is grievous to you. But however wrong you may think others have done, maintain, with great diligence and watch­fulness, a Christian meekness and sedate­ness of spirit; and labour, in this respect, to excel others who are of the contrary part. And this will be the best victory: For "he that rules his spirit, is better than he that takes a city." Therefore let nothing be done through strife or vain-glory. Indulge no revengeful spirit in any wise; but watch and pray against it: and, by all means in your power, seek the prosperity of this town: And never think you behave yourselves as becomes Chris­tians, [Page 139] but when you sincerely, sensibly, and fervently love all men, of whatever par­ty or opinion, and whether friendly or unkind, just or injurious, to you or your friends, or to the cause and kingdom of Christ.

3. Another thing that vastly concerns the future prosperity of the town, is, that you should watch against the encroach­ments of error; and particularly Armin­ianism, and doctrines of like tendency.

You were, many of you, as I well re­member, much alarmed with the appre­hensions of the danger of the prevailing of these corrupt principles, near sixteen years ago. But the danger then was small in comparison of what appears now. These doctrines at this day are much more preva­lent than they were then: The progress they have made in the land, within this seven years, seems to have been vastly greater than at any time in the like space before: And they are still prevailing and creeping into almost all parts of the land, threatening the utter ruin of the credit of those doctrines which are the peculiar glo­ry of the gospel, and the interests of vital piety. And I have of late perceived some things among yourselves, that shew that you are far from being out of danger, but on the contrary remarkably exposed. The older people may perhaps think themselves sufficiently fortified against infection▪ [Page 140] But it is fit that all should beware of self confidence and carnal security, and should remember those needful warnings of sacred writ, "Be not high minded, but fear; and let him that stands, take heed lest he fall." But let the case of the older people be as it will, the rising generation are doubtless greatly exposed. These principles are ex­ceeding taking with corrupt nature, and are what young people, at least such as have not their hearts established with grace, are easily led away with.

And if these principles should greatly prevail in this town, as they very lately have done in another large town I could name, formerly greatly noted for religion, and so for a long time, it will threaten the spiritual and eternal ruin of this people, in the present and future generations. There­fore you have need of the greatest and most diligent care and watchfulness with respect to this matter.

4. Another thing which I would advise to, that you may hereafter be a prosperous people, is, that you would give yourselves much to prayer.

God is the fountain of all bessing and prosperity, and he will be sought to for his blessing. I would therefore advise you not only to be constant in secret and family prayer, and in the public worship of God in his house, but also often to assemble yourselves in private praying societies. I [Page 141] would advise all such as are grieved for the afflictions of Joseph, and sensibly affect­ed with the calamities of this town, of whatever opinon they be with relation to the subject of our late controversy, often to meet together for prayer, and to cry to God for his mercy to themselves, and mer­cy to this town, and mercy to Zion and the people of God in general through the world.

5. The last article of advice I would give (which doubtless does greatly con­cern your prosperity) is, that you would take great care with regard to the settle­ment of a minister, to see to it who, or what manner of person he is that you set­tle; and particularly in these two respects.

(1.) That he be a man of thoroughly sound principles, in the scheme of doctrine which he maintains.

This you will stand in the greatest need of, especially at such a day of corruption as this is. And in order to obtain such a one, you had need to exercise extraordina­ry care and prudence.—I know the dan­ger. I know the manner of many young gentlemen of corrupt principles, their ways of concealing themselves, the fair specious disguises they are wont to put on, by which they deceive others, to main­tain their own credit, and get themselves into others confidence and improvement, and secure and establish their own interest, [Page 142] until they see a convenient opportunity to begin more openly to broach and propagate their corrupt tenets.

(2.) Labour to obtain a man who has an established character, as a person of serious religion and fervent piety.

It is of vast importance that those who are settled in this work should be men of true piety, at all times, and in all places; but more especially at some times, and in some towns and churches. And this pre­sent time, which is a time wherein reli­gion is in danger, by so many corruptions in doctrine and practice, is in a peculiar manner a day wherein such ministers are necessary. Nothing else but sincere piety of heart is at all to be depended on, at such a time as this, as a security to a young man, just coming into the world, from the pre­vailing infection, or thoroughly to engage him in proper and successful endeavours to withstand and oppose the torrent of er­ror, and prejudice, against the high mys­terious evangelical doctrines of the religion of Jesus Christ, and their genuine effects in true experimental religion. And this place is a place that does peculiarly need such a minister, for reasons obvious to all.

If you should happen to settle a minister who knows nothing truly of Christ, and the way of salvation by him, nothing experimentally of the nature of vital reli­gion; alas, how will you be exposed as sheep without a shepherd! Here is need of one in this place, who shall be eminently fit to stand in the gap, and make up the [Page 143] hedge, and who shall be as the chariots of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. You need one that shall stand as a champion in the cause of truth and the power of god­liness.

Having briefly mentioned these important articles of advice, nothing remains, but that I now take my leave of you, and bid you all, farewell; wishing and praying for your best prosperity. I would now commend your immortal souls to him, who formerly committed them to me, expecting the day, when I must meet you again before him, who is the Judge of quick and dead. I de­sire that I may never forget this people, who have been so long my special charge, and that I may never cease fervently to pray for your prosperity. May God bless you with a faithful pastor, one that is well acquainted with his mind and will, thoroughly warning sinners, wisely and skilfully searching professors, and conducting you in the way to eternal blessedness. May you have truly a burning and shining light set up in this candle­stick; and may you, not only for a season, but during his whole life, and that a long life, be willing to rejoice in his light.

And let me be remembered in the prayers of all God's people that are of a calm spirit, and are peaceable and faithful in Israel, of whatever opinion they may be with respect to terms of church communion.

And let us all remember, and never forget our future solemn meeting on that great day of the Lord; the day of infallible decision and of the everlasting and unalter­able sentence. Amen.