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<DATE>2013-02-21</DATE>
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<NAME>Leah Yurasek</NAME>
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<P>MAN's <HI>Great Duty:</HI> OR, A DISCOURSE OF The Care every Man &s;hould take, to make &s;ure the Salvation of his own Soul.</P>
<P>By <HI>Samuel Bold,</HI> Rector of <HI>Styple</HI> in <HI>Dor&s;et&s;hire.</HI></P>
<Q><BIBL>Matt. <HI>XVI. xxvi.</HI></BIBL>
<P>What &s;hall a Man give in Exchange for his Soul?</P></Q>
<P><HI>LONDON.</HI> Printed by <HI>R. Smith,</HI> and are to be Sold by <HI>R. Baldwin,</HI> near the <HI>Oxford-Arms</HI> in <HI>Warwick-Lane.</HI> 1693.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="dedication">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>THE Epi&s;tle Dedicatory.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub"><HI>TO</HI> Mrs. <HI>Mary Cooke,</HI> Widow of that very Learned and Pious Man Mr. <HI>William Cooke,</HI> &s;ometime &s;ince Minister of the Go&s;pel in the City of <HI>Che&s;ter,</HI> and to the rest of the Author<HI>'s</HI> Friends in that City.</HEAD>
<P>I Pre&s;ent this Di&s;cour&s;e to you, as a publick Te&s;timony that I am not unmindful how much I am obli|ged to you all, for your great Love and Re&s;pects to me, from my Infancy to this time: And in an e&s;pecial man|ner to you Mrs. <HI>Cooke,</HI> for the Mo|therly Affection, Care and Tender|ne&s;s you have con&s;tan&s;tly Manife&s;ted towards me, through my Childhood and Youth, and are plea&s;ed &s;till to continue. I forbear receoning up par|ticular
<PB REF="3">Obligations, becau&s;e too nume|rous for &s;o &s;low a Pen. I know you delight more in &s;hewing Kindne&s;s and doing Good, than others would in ha|ving the World told that they do &s;o. The Subject treated of in this little Book, I am &s;ure is very grateful to you all, and I am confident you will not be offended with my Di&s;cour&s;e, becau&s;e &s;o familiar. It is a very &s;ad and afflicting Reflection to a &s;erious Chri&s;tian, that there are &s;uch multi|tudes who plainly appear to take no tolerable care of their own Souls, tho they profe&s;s the be&s;t Religion, and are furni&s;hed with eminent Advantages: For, <HI>The Earth which is &s;o Watered, and beareth Thorns and Briars, is Rejected, and is nigh unto Cur&s;ing, who&s;e end is to be Burned. But Beloved, I am per|&s;waded better things of you, and things that accompany Salvation,</HI> Heb. 6.8, 9. It very much concerns you all to take care I be not mi&s;taken in you, and to u&s;e your utmo&s;t Diligence to bring forth Fruit in &s;ome proportion to the
<PB REF="3">Labour and Pains which have been be&s;towed on you. You have enjoyed the Labours of that eminently holy Per&s;on and faithful Mini&s;ter, Mr. <HI>Cooke,</HI> who&s;e love to, and care of Souls, and zeal for their Salvation was &s;uch, I am not acquainted with any words that are &s;ignificative enough to expre&s;s them. And therefore if you do not much exceed others in Divine Love, and all the Fruits of Righteou&s;ne&s;s and Holine&s;s, you do not fully an&s;wer the Means with which you have been favoured. I am willing to remember you of your <HI>Old Pa&s;tor,</HI> that you may thereby be induced to reflect upon your &s;elves, and be quickned to give &s;uch diligence to make your <HI>Salvation &s;ure,</HI> as he was always pre&s;&s;ing you unto. Were the excellent Treati&s;es he left behind him, Publi&s;hed, they would contribute much to keep tho&s;e things always in your Remembrance, which he mainly in&s;i&s;ted on whil&s;t he was Living, and to e&s;tabli&s;h you in the Truths and Duties you know and
<PB REF="4">have been practi&s;ing. He was the greate&s;t in&s;tance of an indefatigable faithful Mini&s;ter, and practical Belie|ver, I was ever acquainted with. He was diligent and indu&s;trious, even to a Prodigy. His Humility and Mode&s;ty did exceedingly veil his intellectual Me|rits. Few could comprehend the time he &s;pent and the pains he took in his Study, much le&s;s the proficiency he made there. He had &s;trong Natural Parts, a great Memory, a quick Appre|hen&s;ion, was very Thoughtful, and dived very far into what&s;oever he ap|plied his Mind unto. He was the mo&s;t void of all kind of Affectation (&s;o far as my Knowledge doth extend) of any meer Man. His Learning, Mini|&s;terial Labours and exemplary Piety, were &s;uch, could the World be fur|ni&s;h'd with an exact faithful Account of his Life, I am per&s;waded it would yield as grateful and plea&s;ing Enter|tainment to the learned part of the World, and be as profitable to all Peo|ple, who have a &s;erious &s;en&s;e of true
<PB REF="4">Piety, as any thing that can be Pub|li&s;hed. But I doubt tho&s;e who knew him be&s;t, Died before him; and as for tho&s;e who were acquainted with him and do Survive, I &s;u&s;pect &s;ome were not ob&s;ervant enough, and others did not know him long enough to under&s;tand very many of the mo&s;t material Pa&s;&s;ages which would be nece&s;&s;ary for &s;uch a Compo&s;ure. In|deed he did &s;o conceal him&s;elf, I very much que&s;tion whether any Man was ever in a capacity to do him Right. Yet, a &s;ull Collection of the many great things his Friends remem|ber, and which he could not hinder People from ob&s;erving, would be of extraordinary u&s;e unto the Publick: Tho the whole Relation thereof would not comprehend the half of what he de&s;erved &s;hould be &s;aid, to perpetuate his Memory, and encourage a laudable Imitation. If this hint may prompt tho&s;e who knew him, to recollect them|&s;elves, and jointly apply them&s;elves to &s;uch a Work; I &s;hall have this Satis|faction,
<PB REF="5">that I have been in&s;trumental to put them on Acts of Friend&s;hip and true Piety, and have contributed a little to oblige the Publick. You are commanded not to be <HI>Slothful, but fol|lowers of them who through Faith and Patience, are Inheritors of the Promi&s;es,</HI> Heb. 6.12. And I propound unto you Mr. <HI>Cooke,</HI> as a great Pattern you &s;hould imitate in variety of In&s;tances, which are within your reach, and pertain to the Stations you are in, as well as in the whole general tenor of his Conver|&s;ation. I &s;hall therefore pa&s;s over in Silence many very con&s;iderable things I know concerning him, which mu&s;t not by any means be omitted, by one who would attempt to write his Life. I mu&s;t not therefore in&s;i&s;t on his Learn|ing: And indeed he who would do him Ju&s;tice as to that, mu&s;t be fur|ni&s;hed with a much greater mea&s;ure of it, than I can hope to attain unto. Yet, let me take liberty to mention one thing, <HI>viz.</HI> That his skill in the Ori|ental Languages was &s;uch, it procu|red
<PB REF="5">him a re&s;pect above many Per&s;ons of great worth, from the <HI>Famous Bi|&s;hop Walton,</HI> who&s;e eminent Talent lay in that &s;ort of Study. A very worthy Author (whom I am obliged to Love and Honour greatly for his &s;ub&s;tantial &s;olid Learn|ing,<NOTE PLACE="marg">Conformi&s;ts 4th. Plea for Noncon|formi&s;ts. <HI>p. 109.</HI></NOTE> but e&s;pecially on the account of his ex|emplary Piety, and more than common Zeal for the good of Souls) hath told the World, <HI>That Bi&s;hop</HI> Walton <HI>would &s;peak Civilly to Mr.</HI> Cooke, <HI>tho he told him unle&s;s he would Conform, he could not help him.</HI> I have particular rea&s;on to &s;ay, that when he &s;pake tho&s;e words, he did it with in|timations of great Regret; and that among&s;t other rea&s;ons of his Re&s;pect to Mr. <HI>Cooke,</HI> common to others for whom that Great Man had a Kind|ne&s;s, notwith&s;tanding they had dif|ferent Sentiments from him, about &s;ome Matters, it was Mr. <HI>Cooke</HI>'s great knowledge in the&s;e Languages, which did peculiarly commend him to that
<PB REF="6">Bi&s;hop. Here I am to take notice, that Mr. <HI>Cooke</HI> was a <HI>Nonconformi&s;t,</HI> and &s;o had different Sentiments about &s;ome inferior, and le&s;s &s;ub&s;tantial, ra|ther meerly accidental Matters (a|bout which all de&s;erving and good Men have not the &s;ame Apprehen&s;i|&s;ions) from what I have, and many more have, whom I greatly Reve|rence. His differing Judgment about the&s;e Matters, &s;erved him for his own Conduct. But he manag'd his Di&s;&s;ent from Conformi&s;ts, with that Candor and Chri&s;tian Temper, he highly de|&s;erved Love and Re&s;pect from all Con|formi&s;ts who were endowed with true Piety, or indeed had any &s;hare of common Ingenuity. He did not abu&s;e his Di&s;&s;ent to Uncharitablene&s;s and Cen&s;ure; nay, he could not en|dure to hear a de&s;erving Conformi&s;t Reflected on. I remember once, a Per&s;on of no &s;mall Abilities, and Mr. <HI>Cooke</HI>'s particular Friend, happen'd ac|cidentally to reflect on a Conformi&s;t, on the account of his being a Confor|mi&s;t,
<PB REF="6">Mr. <HI>Cooke</HI> immediately reproved him with &s;ome keenne&s;s; the other Per|&s;on replying, <HI>I believe what I &s;aid, is true:</HI> Mr. <HI>Cooke</HI> pre&s;ently Silenc'd him, de&s;iring him the with &s;ome earne&s;tne&s;s of Speech to ob&s;erve the Apo&s;tle's Rule, <HI>Ha&s;t thou Faith? Have it tothy &s;elf,</HI> Rom. 14.22. I mu&s;t al&s;o pa&s;s over in Silence, Mr. <HI>Cook</HI>'s unwearied and indefatigible Labours in the work of the Mini&s;try, in Praying, Preaching, Expounding the Holy Scriptures, Catechi&s;ing, and Per|&s;onal Conver&s;e from Hou&s;e to Hou&s;e; tho in the&s;e things he very well de|&s;erves to be imitated by all Clergy|men of what &s;ort &s;oever. An exact Relation of Mr. <HI>Cooke</HI>'s Loyalty would make a Volume, and repre&s;ent him &s;o con&s;iderable on that account, I do not que&s;tion, but mo&s;t would be apt to &s;u&s;pect the po&s;&s;ibility of finding a com|pleat Parallel in the Records of Hu|man Hi&s;tory. His Loyalty was not like that &s;o much talked and boa&s;ted of &s;ome Years ago, an empty Name, u&s;ed to cover&mdash;. His Loyalty was
<PB REF="7">truly Chri&s;tian. He knew how to &s;uffer with Patience and Meekne&s;s, and with a temper of Soul very agreeable to that of the Holy Je&s;us, who&s;e Amba&s;&s;ador he was, and who&s;e Example he followed. And he did actually &s;uffer in that manner, both <HI>for</HI> and <HI>under</HI> the <HI>&s;ame Government.</HI> True Loyalty is a nece&s;&s;ary property of a good Chri&s;tian and faithful Subject. And I know not any one who hath lived within your Memory, who &s;o well de&s;erved your imitation in this excellent Qualification, as your ancient Pa&s;tor. This is indeed a Topick which de|&s;erves to be enlarg'd on, becau&s;e the thing has been &s;o horribly Counterfeited, and the <HI>Name</HI> &s;o &s;hamefully, yea, more than villain|ou&s;ly Abu&s;ed. But I forbear, becau&s;e &s;hould I expatiate, I may find my &s;elf obliged to drop &s;ome Expre&s;&s;ions which would prove unea&s;ie to certain Per&s;ons, who have hap|pened to bring them&s;elves under &s;uch Cir|cum&s;tances, they perceive it po&s;&s;ible for Men of haughty Spirits, who have ridi|cul'd the plea of Con&s;cience, who have been very daring, contemptuous and tru|culent in their Behaviour and Carriage, to have &s;ome <HI>tender Places.</HI> And I am not willing to exa&s;perate any Man, if I may avoid it, with Innocency. He Governed his Family with great Prudence, and with
<PB REF="7">much Strictne&s;s. I think no Man ever at|tended more diligently to the intere&s;t of Religion in a Private Family, than he did. Every Morning and Evening after he had with his Family briefly implored the Divine a&s;&s;i&s;tance in Prayer and Prai&s;e, and a Ble&s;&s;ing with that part of the Holy Scrip|tures which was then to be read, a P&s;alm, or part of one was Sung, then a Chapter (in the Old Te&s;tament in the Morning, and in the New Te&s;tament in the Evening) was read, which he Expounded, reporting the principal parts of which it did con&s;i&s;t; then he gave an account of the &s;ub&s;tance of it, in as few words as the matter and parts of it would permit, afterwards explained the greate&s;t Difficulties which did occur; and in the la&s;t place &s;hewed, what u&s;eful In&s;tructions were e&s;pecially to be taken notice of. And then he &s;pent at la&s;t a quar|ter of an Hour in Prayer and Prai&s;e, u&s;u|ally improving much of the Chapter that was read, into matter for the one or the other. He was an extraordinary Per&s;on for all the parts of Prayer, tho commonly he did very much abound in confu&s;ion of Sin, in admiring the Divine Excellencies, and in prai&s;ing of God for his Benefits of all &s;orts. On all occa&s;ions he was very impor|tunate for the Church of God, and that
<PB REF="8">the Kingdom of Chri&s;t might be Enlarged. He had no Child of his own, but did freely take into his Family three or four Children, for whom at his own Charge, he provided Food, Lodging and Raiment, and whom he in&s;tructed in Religion and Human Learning, in order to their attaining to &s;erve their Generation according to the will of God. The&s;e and the Servants he Catechi&s;ed twice every Week, explaining every thing with a peculiar ea&s;ine&s;s, for the helping them to under&s;tand every particu|lar. When he could not any longer attend on his publick Mini&s;try, he did not grow Idle, but performed mo&s;t parts of it in his own Family, with the &s;ame care and dili|gence he was accu&s;tomed to u&s;e in Publick, tho there were not one Per&s;on more, than tho&s;e of whom his Family did con&s;tantly con&s;i&s;t. He was a very &s;trict Con&s;ciencious ob&s;erver of the Lord's Day. His Family was con&s;tantly to have their Worldly Bu|&s;ine&s;s di&s;patched by four or five of the Clock in the Afternoon of Saturday. Then he be&s;towed an Hour and an half or more with his Family, in explaining and apply|ing one or more Ver&s;es of &s;ome Chapter in the Bible, (going over the Chapter, and u&s;ually the Book in order) and in Prayer. After that, every one in the Family
<PB REF="8">was to go to his own Apartment for &s;ome time, either to learn the Catechi&s;m, or for private Reading and Devotion. About Eight of the Clock they Supped, and after that, he di&s;mi&s;&s;ed his Family, according to his every days Cu&s;tom. He was always up early on the Lord's Day. Every one read a Chapter in the Morning; he then &s;pent at lea&s;t an Hour and an half in ex|pounding one or more Ver&s;es of a Chapter, and in Prayer. Then he and his whole Family went to Church, (I &s;peak now of the time after his publick Mini&s;try cea&s;ed.) About a quarter of an Hour after they were returned home, he Prayed with his Family, repeated the Sermon they had hear'd in Publick, and Preached and Prayed as he was wont to do in Publick before he was Silenced. A little time being allowed for Dinner, he and his Family went again to Church, and allowing after their return home, more time for every one in Retire|ment, he performed the &s;ame Religious Exerci&s;es he had performed betwixt com|ing from Church in the Forenoon, and going thither in the Afternoon. Every one in the Family having after Sup|per given an account of what they remem|bred, he concluded the day always with &s;inging a P&s;alm, and with &s;olemn enlarged
<PB REF="9">Prai&s;e and Thanksgiving. He went through all this Labour and Work with un|accountable vigor, cheerfulne&s;s, and fervour of Spirit. The Vi&s;its he made were u&s;ually very &s;hort, and mo&s;t of the time was &s;pent in pious Di&s;cour&s;e, or Prayer. He would be exceedingly unea&s;ie if he heard any Per|&s;on &s;poken of Reproachfully. He would not by any Means permit any of his Friends and Acquaintance to u&s;e any har&s;h words concerning any Per&s;on who had unexcu|&s;ably injured him. If he heard of their doing &s;o, he would be &s;ure to reprove them &s;harply. He was very free in reproving his Friends and Relations, and all tho&s;e with whom he was Acquainted, as occa&s;ion required, and in cautioning them again&s;t the appearances of Evil. His Humility was almo&s;t A&s;toni&s;hing; and he fortified him|&s;elf to a &s;trange degree again&s;t every thing he could &s;u&s;pect might &s;o much as have a tendency to tempt him to have even a moderate Conceit of him&s;elf. I wrote to him once and u&s;ed the word <HI>Reverend</HI> to him; he &s;ent me by the next Po&s;t a very Pious Letter, wherein he gave me a Repri|mand for that <HI>word,</HI> and de&s;ired me if I thought fit, to u&s;e that word to others, yet not to u&s;e it any more to him. He was wont to be mightily concerned when ever
<PB REF="9">he heard of the outward Pro&s;perity of his Friends, that they might be provided a|gain&s;t, and &s;ecured from the temptations which attended &s;uch a Condition. And when ever he heard of their Adver&s;ity, or being any way Afflicted, how earne&s;t were his Prayers that their Afflictions might be Sanctified to them! His Ab&s;tinence, Mor|tification, Self-denial, and the &s;trict Watch he kept over him&s;elf, together with the heedful regard he had to Divine Providence in all In&s;tances, would appear truly won|derful, could I give a full Relation of them. He did every Week &s;et apart one whole day for private Fa&s;ting and Humiliation. He kept a con&s;tant Diary for his own pri|vate u&s;e, which he wrote in Latin, but in &s;uch a Character, I am per&s;waded no Man be&s;ide him&s;elf, could read an intire Pa&s;&s;age. His Charity (con&s;idering what he had to live on, and what has been already &s;aid of it by the Bye) was as &s;tupendious as any thing el&s;e. He would &s;train to the utmo&s;t to relieve the Indigent. What multitudes of Catechi&s;ms, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> did he Buy to give to the Poor! And how much Mony he be|&s;towed on poor Families, which he fre|quently Vi&s;ited, that he might In&s;truct, Coun&s;el, Exhort, and Comfort them, none can tell. For he di&s;tributed his Charity
<PB REF="10">with all the Secrecy he could devi&s;e Great numbers of poor People were continually relieved at his Door. I believe no Man was ever more forward than he, to contri|bute to the utmo&s;t of his Ability to promote any Charitable de&s;ign. I never heard that any &s;eemingly poor Per&s;on ever met him, and ask'd an Alms of him, who went away from him without good Advice, and a larger te&s;timony of his being affected with his appearing Poverty, than could rea&s;o|nably be expected from him. But often did he enquire after, and &s;eek out Objects and Opportunities for doing good in this kind. His regard to Righteou&s;ne&s;s and Ju&s;tice, was &s;o exact and tender, peradven|ture the like hath &s;carce been heard of. I could name a Gentlewoman of good Quality in <HI>Che&s;ter,</HI> who offered Mr. <HI>Cooke</HI> &s;ome Monies, at a time when his Circum|&s;tances were indeed very mean, but he re|fu&s;ed to accept of it, which occa&s;ioned her to urge him more earne&s;tly to accept of it, as a te&s;timony of her Re&s;pect to him; but he would not be prevailed with to receive it; telling her at la&s;t, that he under&s;tood her Husband had &s;ome Creditors when he Died, and that they were not all as yet fully &s;atisfied, and he could not in Con|&s;cience receive Mony from her for his own
<PB REF="10">u&s;e, whatever his Straits might be, as long as he knew her Husband's Debts were un|paid. He was a great follower of Peace. He was extraordinary plain in his Habit, and void of every thing that could look like Flattery; but truly Civil, Courteous and Obliging, tho a perfect &s;tranger to that Ceremoniou&s;ne&s;s, which it may be the want of his habitual Hone&s;ty and Integrity, hath brought &s;o far into Fa&s;hion, as even to be e&s;teemed an Accompli&s;hment. He was a great Enemy to the Pomps and Vanities of this evil World, and perhaps the exacte&s;t ob&s;erver of the Bapti&s;mal Vow, that any (at lea&s;t) of the&s;e latter Ages of the World have produced. Thus far have I &s;poken from my own Knowledge of that excellent Per&s;on, and do but put you in remem|brance of what you more fully know. That Mr. <HI>Cooke</HI> continued this cour&s;e of Life, the&s;e Religious Exerci&s;es, and his Weekly Fa&s;t, to the very Week in which he Died, I have been certified by one of you, a little after his Decea&s;e. And that he was very patient and &s;ubmi&s;&s;ive under his la&s;t Vi&s;i|tation, being never heard to utter one com|plaint; that he &s;pent the remainder of his &s;trength and time in Pious Di&s;cour&s;e on certain portionns of Holy Scripture, and in pithy fervent Prayers, till he actually re|&s;ign'd
<PB REF="11">up his Spirit into the hands of his beloved Je&s;us; which was about two or three of the Clock in the Morning of the Third of <HI>July,</HI> 1684. and <HI>73d.</HI> year of his Age.</P>
<P>The more you re&s;emble that holy Man in all tho&s;e In&s;tances which pertain to your &s;elves, and wherein he was a faithful fol|lower of the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, the more &s;uccesfully will you work out your own Salvation. You will be di&s;po&s;ed to yield up your Souls to God in due time, in &s;uch a calm and comfortable manner, he re&s;igned up his Soul. You will be prepared to enter into that Re&s;t and Joy, you have &s;uch a|bundant cau&s;e to conclude he entred into the po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of almo&s;t Nine Years ago. <HI>Tho&s;e things which ye have both learned and received, and heard and &s;een in him,</HI> (agreeable to the Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t) <HI>do, and the God of Peace &s;hall be with you.</HI> This comprehends the be&s;t Advice I can give you, and the &s;ub&s;tance of the &s;incere&s;t Prayer tendred unto God on your behalfs,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED><HI>By your Obliged Faithful Friend and Servant,</HI> Sam. Bold.</SIGNED>
<DATELINE>Styple, <DATE><HI>June 8th.</HI> 1693.</DATE></DATELINE></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="11">
<HEAD>The Preface to the READER.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>Reader,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>WE of this Land have been of late entertained with a con&s;tant Series of Providences, little le&s;s than Miracu|lous. But our Murmuring untractable Temper, our unreformed di&s;obedient Lives, our aver&s;ion to, and our &s;tiff, vehement, and unrea&s;onable Oppo&s;ition against eve|ry thing which hath a tendency to pro|mote the intere&s;t of Peace, Concord and Holine&s;s, do not portend any Good. The Ferment &s;eems daily to grow higher and higher, and who can tell what tremendous Eruptions may follow? As long as our Wickedne&s;&s;es are multiplied, our Dan|gers do most certainly encrea&s;e, appear we ever &s;o Carele&s;s and Indifferent. What astoni&s;hing Calamities and Con|fu&s;ions
<PB REF="12">are at hand, I cannot undertake to Relate, I dare &s;carce adventure to Su|&s;pect. But if God <HI>do whet his glit|tering Sword, and his Hand take hold of Judgment, he will undoubtedly render Vengeance to his Enemies, he will reward them that hate him,</HI> Deut. <HI>32.41.</HI> I muy with good a&s;&s;urance affirm, that the be&s;t Service we can every one do for our &s;elves, is <HI>to make &s;ure the Salvation of our own Souls.</HI> Our do|ing this, will not in the lea&s;t incom|mode the Publick; it may advantage and benefit it greatly. If we do thus, we &s;hall be prepared for what&s;o ever it will plea&s;e our God in his infinite Wi&s;|dom to permit. If we &s;hall not be able to entertain the most frightful Occur|rences, with le&s;s di&s;compo&s;ure than others, we &s;hall most a&s;&s;uredly lo&s;e le&s;s by them than they, becau&s;e our best and chiefest Interests will be &s;afe. For no &s;ooner will a period be put to our pre&s;ent Pilgrimage and Warfare, but an abundant Entrance will be Ministred to us into the everla|sting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour
<PB REF="12">Je&s;us Christ. If &s;ome of the&s;e Sheets had not been Printed before I knew they were in the Pre&s;s, this Di&s;cour&s;e might have come forth in another form, and a little better Poli&s;hed. But if it &s;hall plea&s;e God to make it (as it is) &s;er|viceable to quicken any of you to, or a&s;&s;i&s;t you in a ju&s;t concern for your own Salva|tion, my de&s;ign is an&s;wered, who&s;e <HI>de&s;ire and Prayer to God for you all is, that you may be Saved.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>S. B.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
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<PB REF="13">
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<HEAD>MAN's <HI>Great Duty:</HI> OR, Every Man &s;hould be principally Con|cerned for the Salvation of his own Soul.</HEAD>
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<Q><BIBL><HI>P&s;alm XXXV. v. 3. Part La&s;t.</HI></BIBL>
<P>Say unto my Soul, I am thy Salvation.</P></Q>
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<P>IT is very evident by this P&s;alm, that <HI>David</HI> (when he Compos'd it) was in very great Danger, in a very afflicted and di&s;tre&s;&s;ed E&s;tate, by rea&s;on of the ex|ce&s;&s;ive Power, inexorable Rage, and im|placable Malice of his Enemies. Being in this condition, he did not depend on any outward Succours, nor would he betake him&s;elf to any unlawful Arts, but applied
<PB N="2" REF="14">him&s;elf to God, committing him&s;elf to his Conduct, Care and Protection, earne&s;tly importuning him to undertake for him, plead his Cau&s;e, maintain his Right, defeat his Adver&s;aries, and to defend, help and deliver him.</P>
<P>Which was undoubtedly the wi&s;e&s;t cour&s;e he could take, con&s;idering the circum&s;tan|&s;tances with which he was at that time clothed: For tho the be&s;t People, tho&s;e for whom God hath a &s;ingular re&s;pect, may be under &s;uch oppre&s;&s;ion and per&s;ecution, their ca&s;e may to outward appearance &s;eem altogether Remidile&s;s, yet their God can &s;oon alter the Scene, effectually re&s;cue and command Deliverance for them.</P>
<P>The&s;e words, <HI>Say unto my Soul, I am thy Salvation,</HI> may be con&s;idered either,</P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> As an affectionate and earne&s;t de|&s;ire, that God would inwardly a&s;&s;ure him, that he would effectually Save and Deli|ver him from tho&s;e external difficulties and dangers with which he was &s;urrounded, and by rea&s;on of which his ca&s;e appeared quite De&s;perate. He was very well &s;atisfied, God could make his Enemies examples of his Vengeance, in proportion to the Malice and Wickedne&s;s they had di&s;covered in their unju&s;t Per&s;ecuting of him, how numerous,
<PB N="3" REF="14">powerful and crafty &s;oever they were. But this was not enough to quiet and pacifie his Mind, and to di&s;pel tho&s;e fears and &s;u|&s;picions which did frequently di&s;order him, and make tho&s;e Burthens others did lay up|on him, much more weighty and in&s;up|portable than otherwi&s;e they would have been. His Spirit would be in a fluctuating and un&s;ettled Frame, till God would a&s;&s;ure him he would undertake his Defence, and cau&s;e him to &s;ee a happy period put to that ungrateful and di&s;ingenious, that rude, yea, barbarous Treatment and Per&s;ecution, with which he had been Exerci&s;ed a long time, which had now almo&s;t tired him, and was ready to overwhelm and &s;ink him.</P>
<P>Or, <HI>Secondly,</HI> As noting his diverting from what he had ju&s;t before been &s;o intent up|on, and vehemently concerned about, and improving his pre&s;ent Troubles and Cala|mities, and his fervent Supplications for help again&s;t, and deliverance from them and their Authors, to excite and quicken him to a more affectionate and ardent Praying, that whatever his portion might be in this World, yet God would be plea&s;ed to cer|tifie him, that his Soul &s;hould be Saved. Which is certainly one of the be&s;t u&s;es we can make of bodily and outward Afflicti|ons.</P>
<PB N="4" REF="15">
<P>We may perceive the P&s;almi&s;t putting a &s;udden &s;top to that mighty Current of De|&s;ire, as expre&s;t in the former part of this Ver&s;e, and the other two which come be|fore it, and turning that Stream into ano|ther Channel, &s;peaking to this effect. Lord! tho I am very &s;en&s;ible of the di&s;tre&s;&s;ed E|&s;tate I am now in, and therefore have been &s;o importunate with thee, to <HI>plead my Cau&s;e, and &s;tand up for my Help,</HI> yet the deliverance I have been begging being but a Temporal Mercy, I dare not be peremptory, or ask it ab&s;olutely at thy Hands; nor indeed would &s;uch a Deliverance fully &s;atisfie me; I there|fore entirely refer that to thy infinite Wi&s;|dom: But yet there is one thing I cannot, I will not be denied; one thing I de&s;ire a|bove all other, and if thou wilt grant me that, I &s;hall have as much as I can wi&s;h; it will fully &s;atisfie me. The thing I thus importunately beg, is, that thou wilt a&s;&s;ure me, <HI>My Soul &s;hall be Saved.</HI></P>
<P>How well would it become us? How much would it be to our advantage to im|prove outward Calamities; to make us emi|nently concerned for the wellfare and hap|pine&s;s of our Souls? To make us more ar|dent in our Prayers, and vigorous in our Endeavours to obtain a good a&s;&s;urance, that God will certainly conduct us into that
<PB N="5" REF="15">ble&s;&s;ed E&s;tate he hath prepared for them; He doth &s;et apart for him&s;elf?</P>
<P>But if there were no room for this la&s;t In|terpretation, and we were certain the words did only relate to the P&s;almi&s;ts deliverance out of that calamitous Condition, in which he was at that time; yet we have ground enough from his being &s;o earne&s;t in Prayer for &s;uch a Deliverance, to mind our &s;elves in what manner we ought to concern our &s;elves, that we may &s;ecure the Eternal Happine&s;s and Salvation of our Souls. Sure we may, we ought to u&s;e the&s;e words, <HI>Say unto my Soul, I am thy Salvation,</HI> according to the mo&s;t Spiritual importance they will admit.</P>
<P>And thus the Words might prompt us to make &s;ome Enquiry. <HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> Concerning the Salvation of the Soul. <HI>Secondly,</HI> Of what con&s;equence it is for a Per&s;on to have a &s;olid a&s;&s;urance that he &s;hall be Saved. <HI>Thirdly,</HI> From whom and how &s;uch &s;atis|faction may be obtained.</P>
<P>But I will confine my Di&s;cour&s;e at this time to this one Point, <HI>viz.</HI></P>
<P><HI>That every Per&s;on &s;hould be very much con|cerned for the Salvation of his own Soul.</HI> We &s;hould all of us be principally bu&s;ied to &s;ecure the Salvation of our own Souls, tho that is the thing which of all other,
<PB N="6" REF="16">is generally mo&s;t neglected. People ordina|rily find a great many matters to employ them&s;elves about, which are of little mo|ment in them&s;elves, and will turn them to &s;mall, or no account at la&s;t. They are &s;o taken up in providing for their Bodies, in|dulging their Appetites, plea&s;ing and gra|tifying their Sen&s;es, and managing their earthly temporary Affairs; they think very &s;eldom and very little of the eternal &s;afety and wellfare of their Souls. How prone are we to &s;uffer almo&s;t any thing to divert and take us off from minding the Salvation of our Souls, with any tole|rable degree of Attention and Seriou&s;ne&s;s; not to &s;ay with &s;uch care and &s;olicitude as the importance and weightine&s;s thereof doth call for and de&s;erve? Other things are more thought of and minded than this; and the means we think proper to obtain them, are more diligently and delightfully u&s;ed than tho&s;e God hath directed us to, to make the Salvation of our Souls &s;ure. But tho we provide our &s;elves other work, this remains our <HI>Duty;</HI> our heedle&s;sne&s;s and o|mi&s;&s;ion is not to be Ju&s;tified; cannot di&s;|charge us from our Obligation; For, <HI>What is a Man profited if he &s;hall gain the whole World, and lo&s;e his own Soul? Or what &s;hall a Man give in exchange for his Soul?</HI> Matt. 16.26.</P>
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<P>In di&s;cour&s;ing of this Doctrin, I will ob|&s;erve this plain and ea&s;ie Method. <HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> I will explain the words in which it is Pro|pounded. <HI>Secondly,</HI> Mind you of &s;ome Rea|&s;ons why every Man &s;hould be &s;o concern|ed for the Salvation of his Soul. <HI>Thirdly,</HI> Take notice of &s;ome Inferences, which the Point will evidently afford, and which may and ought to be improved by us to our great Advantage.</P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> I am to explain the terms of the Propo&s;ition, which may be done by an&s;wer|ing the&s;e two Que&s;tions. <HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> What are we to under&s;tand by the Salvation of the Soul? <HI>Secondly,</HI> What is meant by a Per|&s;on's being very much concerned for it?</P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> What are we to under&s;tand by the Salvation of the Soul?</P>
<P>The Soul is the mo&s;t excellent part of Man; that part on which the Image of God was at fir&s;t principally Stamp'd and Im|printed, which doth di&s;tingui&s;h him from, and dignifie him above all the lower parts of the Creation, and which renders him capable of Knowing, Loving, Serving and Enjoying God, the Sovereign Good. It is an immaterial, &s;piritual Sub&s;tance, which is not like the Body, lyable to Corruption and Death, but when &s;eparated from it, doth enter into a State either of &s;uch Hap|pine&s;s
<PB N="8" REF="17">and Plea&s;ure we cannot at pre&s;ent form an adequate Idea of, or of Mi&s;ery and Torment, altogether unconceiveable. In which E&s;tate it mu&s;t continue unalterably to all Eternity.</P>
<P>The Salvation of the Soul then, is its ex|emption and Freedom, as from all the Sins Temptations and Evils, unto which Man is obnoxious in this Life, &s;o from all the Mi&s;e|ries, Cur&s;es and Plagues Sin doth expo&s;e and make Man lyable to in the next World, and its fruition of God and Chri&s;t, and all that Glory and Ble&s;&s;edne&s;s in Heaven, God hath prepared for, and promi&s;ed thorough Chri&s;t to them, who faithfully accept of, and comply with the terms he hath pro|pounded in his Word, <HI>Rom.</HI> 6.22, 23. <HI>Rom.</HI> 21.6, 7, <HI>&amp;c. Matt.</HI> 25.34.</P>
<P>If any one &s;hould now enquire why the Salvation of the Soul is &s;o much in&s;i&s;ted on, when it is mo&s;t true in it &s;elf, and certain unto Chri&s;tians, that the Body as well as the Soul, will in the next World be in a State of Happine&s;s, or Mi&s;ery for ever? Or why People &s;hould not rather be minded, that it behoves them to take care to pro|vide for the Salvation of their whole Man, than thus to be put in mind of, and excited to concern them&s;elves for the Salvation of one part of them&s;elves.</P>
<PB N="9" REF="17">
<P>It may be pertinently enough replied, That the Soul being the noble&s;t part, is or|dinarily put for the whole Man. So that for a Per&s;on to mind the Salvation of his Soul, is the &s;ame thing with his minding the Salvation of him&s;elf. Our ble&s;&s;ed Savi|our &s;peaking of this &s;ame matter, the Evan|geli&s;t St. <HI>Matthew,</HI> relates his di&s;cour&s;e in the&s;e words, <HI>I or what is a Man profited, if he &s;hall gain the whole World, and lo&s;e his own Soul? Or what &s;hall a Man give in Exchange for his Soul?</HI> Matt. 16.26. St. <HI>Luke</HI> delivers it thus, <HI>For what is a Man advantaged, if he gain the whole World, and lo&s;e him&s;elf, or be ca&s;t away,</HI> Luke 9.25.</P>
<P>Be&s;ides, the Body, when the Soul is depart|ed from it, doth not pre&s;ently pa&s;s unto a State of Torment, or Joy, but is laid in the Grave, where it remains without any &s;en&s;e of either, till the Re&s;urrection, whence it mu&s;t be rai&s;ed up, and fitted for, and united to its own Soul, to &s;hare with in that State to which it was a&s;&s;igned immediately after it was &s;eparated from the Body. The Soul after its departure from the Body, appears before God, and is &s;entenced to a State either of Horror and Torment, or of Satisfaction, Joy, and Plea&s;ure, <HI>Luke</HI> 16.22, 23. <HI>Luke</HI> 23.43. So that the Salvation of the Soul doth note a freedom from Sin, Mi&s;ery, and
<PB N="10" REF="18">Torment, and enjoying a State of eminent Delight and Happine&s;s, immediately upon its departure out of this World. When the Body &s;hall be again united to the Soul, it mu&s;t partake of the &s;ame Happine&s;s with the Soul. The Salvation of the Soul im|plies and comprehends in it the Salvation of the whole Man. The happine&s;s or mi&s;ery of the Body at the Re&s;urrection, depends on the happy or wretched E&s;tate the Soul was con&s;igned to at its departure from the Body. <HI>All that are in the Graves &s;hall hear his Voice, and &s;hall come forth; they that have done good, unto the Re&s;urrection of Life; and they that have done evil, unto the Re&s;urrection of Damnation,</HI> Joh. 5.28, 29. Dan. 12.2.</P>
<P><HI>Secondly,</HI> What is it for a Per&s;on to be very much concerned for the Salvation of his Soul?</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> To be firmly per&s;waded, that it is of extraordinary importance to him, to have his Salvation well &s;ecured; to de&s;ire ardently that it may be &s;o, and to apply his utmo&s;t endeavours to make it &s;ure, by a due, and regularu&s;e of tho&s;e Means God hath appointed for this purpo&s;e. He hath a &s;ound knowledge of what the Salvation of his Soul doth mean. He often thinks with him&s;elf of what con&s;equence and moment it is to him, that he &s;hould be Saved. He
<PB N="11" REF="18">frequently con&s;iders in what State his Soul is, and what he may rea&s;onably concludes would become of it, if it were pre&s;ently to be called away from its earthly Taberna|cle. He &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;iders what cour&s;e he ought to take, that his Soul may a&s;&s;uredly be &s;aved at la&s;t. Such kind of thoughts do often occur to him, and he is careful to en|tertain them, and pro&s;ecute them with &s;e|riou&s;ne&s;s, till they produce &s;ome good ef|fect. What can we think of tho&s;e who ob|&s;tinately neglect to meditate on their future State, and refu&s;e to con&s;ider what a plain and certain tendency the &s;ins and wicked|ne&s;&s;es in which they allow and indulge them&s;elves, have, to make them eternally Mi&s;erable? Who are &s;o very regardle&s;s, they leave their Souls to all adventures? Never &s;eriou&s;ly thinking of, rea&s;oning, and expo|&s;tulating with them&s;elves about the&s;e mat|ters? I &s;ay, what can we think of them, but that they are dangerou&s;ly befotted by <HI>Satan</HI> and their Lu&s;ts, if not dreadfully for&s;aken and given over of God in ju&s;t Judgment, to go on Incon&s;iderately to the Vengeance of the Great Day? We mu&s;t at lea&s;t con|clude they are not much concerned for the &s;alvation of their Souls. We &s;hould certain|ly without any difficulty, make &s;uch a de|termination in another Ca&s;e &s;o circum|&s;tanced.
<PB N="12" REF="19"><HI>He feedeth on A&s;hes, a deceived Heart hath turned him a&s;ide, that he cannot deliver his Soul, nor &s;ay, is there not a Lye in my right Hand?</HI> But if we are really per&s;waded that it is not a matter of indifferency, whether our Souls be &s;aved or not, and that there cannot be any thing of &s;uch extraordinary con&s;equence and moment to us, as having our Salvation &s;ecured, our thoughts will be very much employed about it: And the&s;e will excite and &s;tir up affections in &s;ome proportion to the &s;en&s;e we have of its worth, and how much our imtere&s;t is wrap|ped up therein. So that we &s;hall not be &s;atisfied with any thing, &s;o long as we per|ceive this is in hazard. We &s;hall pant and breath after this, as what is indi&s;pen&s;ably nece&s;&s;ary to our being Happy; That in which our whole welfare con&s;i&s;ts, and with|out which all other things are in&s;ipid, are as nothing, yea burthen&s;om, and vex|atious. <HI>I have longed for thy Salvation O Lord, and thy Law is my delight,</HI> P&s;al. 119.174.</P>
<P>And he who is thus affected towards the &s;alvation of his Soul, will diligently ob&s;erve the directions God hath given, and u&s;e the means he hath appointed, in order to a Per|&s;on's making his Salvation &s;ure. He will be careful to take God's way to &s;ecure his Sal|vation,
<PB N="13" REF="19">for he knows none but God can &s;ave his Soul, and that God will not &s;ave him but in his own way. He penitently, and with great humility and reverence, be|takes him&s;elf to Chri&s;t; faithfully depends on him, and with much fidelity follows his Coun&s;el, being &s;en&s;ible that <HI>no Man cometh to the Father, but by him,</HI> Joh. 14.6. And that there is not any <HI>Name given un|der Heaven but his, whereby we mu&s;t be Sa|ved: Neither is there &s;alvation in any other,</HI> Acts 4.12. With how much greater fer|vour doth he pray for this, than for all other things? <HI>As the Hart panteth after the Water-brooks, &s;o panteth my Soul after thee O God; my Soul thir&s;teth for God, for the living God; when &s;hall I come and appear before God,</HI> P&s;al. 42.1, 2. <HI>O God, thou art my God, early will I &s;eek thee; my Soul thir&s;teth for thee, my Fle&s;h longeth for thee, in a dry and thir&s;ty Land where no water is. Thy loving kindne&s;s is better than Life,</HI> P&s;al. 63.1. And he makes great Con|&s;cience of keeping God's Commandments. <HI>Lord, I have hoped for thy Salvation, and done thy Commandments,</HI> P&s;al. 119.166.</P>
<P>The Salvation of his Soul hath a more &s;ettled prevailing con&s;tant power over him, than all other things have. He gives this the preference above all, and brings all o|ther things to a &s;ubordination to it. This
<PB N="14" REF="20">hath &s;uch a fixed prevailing influence on him through the whole cour&s;e of his Life, that all other things are mea&s;ured, e&s;teem|ed, judged of, approved, or di&s;approved, according to the relation and tendency they have to further or ob&s;truct this. He that is very much and duly concerned for the &s;alva|tion of his Soul, is ordinarily thus affected, thus di&s;po&s;ed, thus re&s;olved.</P>
<P>He will not deliberately give way to, or adventure on any thing, he is &s;en&s;ible will endanger, ob&s;truct, or hinder the Salvation of his Soul, tho he hath never &s;o many in|ducements to it, on other accounts; he dares not adventure his Soul for the plea&s;ures of Sin, the profits of the World, the applau&s;e, approbation, e&s;teem and favour of Men. Shall I pay &s;o dear for the&s;e fading, peri&s;h|ing airy things at pre&s;ent, as to occa&s;ion my &s;ad and mournful repenting of my pur|cha&s;e and bargain to all Eternity? God forbid I &s;hould ever be &s;o infamou&s;ly Sotti&s;h, &s;o execrably Wicked, to pawn my Soul, and &s;take my Salvation at &s;uch a di&s;ingenuous, impious and unworthy rate; to offer &s;uch indignity and contempt to the precious Blood of the Covenant, as to &s;ell it at &s;uch a common and unhallowed Price.</P>
<P>Yea, he will apply him&s;elf with vigor to any thing he under&s;tands from the word
<PB N="15" REF="20">of God; will promote and further his Sal|vation, tho he perceives he &s;hall certainly encounter very formidable di&s;couragements; he will pa&s;s quietly through reproaches, patiently &s;u&s;tain Lo&s;&s;es, and cheerfully en|dure Tribulation, and inhuman Barbarities, rather than omit, or neglect any thing which pertains to, and mu&s;t accompany, and will help forward his Salvation. Tho Bonds and Afflictions abide with me, and wait for me every where, yet none of the&s;e things ought to move me. Lord, let me never count my Life dear to my &s;elf, &s;o that I may but fini&s;h my Cour&s;e with Joy.</P>
<P>When I &s;ay that every Per&s;on ought to be very much concerned for the Salvation of his own Soul; you are not to under&s;tand this as if I did exclude our being obliged to concern our &s;elves for other Peoples Sal|vation: Tho&s;e who are unconcerned for their own Salvation, will not be heartily concerned for the Salvation of other Peo|ples Souls. They may do &s;everal things (being induced thereunto by &s;ome mean and &s;elfi&s;h con&s;iderations) by which others may be much advantaged and a&s;&s;i&s;ted in working out their own Salvation. But they who are altogether regardle&s;s of their own Souls, will be every jot as little concerned for others. But he who is truly &s;en&s;ible of
<PB N="16" REF="21">the great worth of a Soul, and the weigh|tine&s;s of Salvation, and therefore is hear|tily concerned that his own Soul may be &s;aved, will in his mea&s;ure and proportion be concerned that others may be &s;aved too.</P>
<P>Having &s;aid thus much in order to a di|rect explaining of the Doctrin, I am in the next place,</P>
<P><HI>Secondly,</HI> To propound &s;ome Rea&s;ons, why we &s;hould every one be very much concerned for the Salvation of our own Souls? And they are the&s;e,</P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> God hath by his plain and expre&s;s Command, made it our Duty. We can|not but acknowledge, both, that God hath an unque&s;tionable right to appoint us our Work; and that he be&s;t under&s;tands what it is we ought to make our principal Bu&s;i|ne&s;s. So that if he hath enjoyned us to be more concerned for our Salvation than any thing el&s;e; we are obliged unto it by all the re&s;pect we owe unto him, and that defer|ence which is due from us, to his Authori|ty. We cannot be regardle&s;s of Salvation, but we mu&s;t be ju&s;tly reputed guilty of of|fering the mo&s;t horrid and unexcu&s;able Contempt to the Divine Maje&s;ty; of re|nouncing his Authority, and refu&s;ing to obey him in an In&s;tance wherein his Grace
<PB N="17" REF="21">and Love, his regard to, and tenderne&s;s for our chiefe&s;t good, are eminently manife&s;t|ed. God's Command &s;hould &s;way with us in any ca&s;e, more than any thing el&s;e, but e&s;pecially in a ca&s;e of this nature, where we have &s;o evident a Demon&s;tration, that the Command it &s;elf chiefly re&s;pects our highe&s;t Advantage. How can a refu&s;al to comply with and obey &s;uch a Command, e&s;cape being Interpreted, to proceed from a &s;pightfulne&s;s again&s;t God, and an unac|countable hatred and malice to our own Souls? And can any thing be enjoined in plainer terms, in more expre&s;s words, than our Lord hath u&s;ed in commanding us, to concern our &s;elves very much, and to u&s;e our utmo&s;t care and be&s;t diligence, to pro|vide for, and make &s;ure of Salvation, and eternal Felicity in the next World? Could any thing be &s;poken with greater Empha|&s;is, or repre&s;ented with more Earne&s;tne&s;s, and better te&s;tifie the utmo&s;t force and &s;trength of Affection, than what you read, <HI>Deut.</HI> 30.19, 20. <HI>I call Heaven and Earth to record this day again&s;t you, that I have &s;et be|fore you Life and Death, Ble&s;&s;ing and Cur&s;ing: Therefore chu&s;e Life, that both thou and thy Seed may Live; that thou may'&s;t love the Lord thy God, and that thou may'&s;t obey his voice, and that thou may'&s;t cleave unto him; for he is
<PB N="18" REF="22">thy Life and the &s;trength of thy days.</HI> Are you not in expre&s;s terms commanded, <HI>To work out your own Salvation with Fear and Trembling?</HI> Phil. 2.12. <HI>And to give diligence to make your calling and election &s;ure, that an entrance may be mini&s;tred to you abundantly in|to the everla&s;ting Kingdom of our Lord, and Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> 2 Pet. 1.10, 11. <HI>And to &s;eek fir&s;t the Kingdom of God and his Righ|teou&s;ne&s;s,</HI> Matt. 6.33. And to <HI>&s;trive to enter in at the &s;trait Gate,</HI> Luke 13.24.</P>
<P>Now, can any thing be &s;o execrable, as to choo&s;e to de&s;troy and make your &s;elves eternally Mi&s;erable, rather than practically own God's Authority, and obey him in that, wherein he hath given the fulle&s;t di&s;|covery of his having a &s;ingular regard to your greate&s;t and unconceivable Happine&s;s? The Command of God &s;hould &s;way and prevail with us to apply our &s;elves to any thing tho ever &s;o difficult, tho we were perfectly ignorant of the Rea&s;on, why he doth enjoyn and make it our Duty. But how much more then &s;hould his Command influence us, when we evidently perceive the rea&s;on of his Command is mo&s;t expre&s;|&s;ive of his Love, and doth apparently carry with it a wonderful force drawn from Prin|ciples &s;o deeply rooted in our Natures, as are our own Pre&s;ervation and Happine&s;s? His
<PB N="19" REF="22">intere&s;ting his Authority thus in this mat|ter, &s;hould not only prompt us to take no|tice of the tender regard he hath to our perfect Felicity, but al&s;o how prone we are to be carele&s;s of, and neglect it, and with what heedfulne&s;s, care and diligence it behoves us to attend to and follow it, le&s;t we &s;hould fail and mi&s;carry in &s;o impor|tant a Bu&s;ine&s;s.</P>
<P><HI>Secondly,</HI> It is a bu&s;ine&s;s of &s;uch weight and con&s;equence, that it is to render us ca|pable of attending to it, and to a&s;&s;i&s;t and quicken us to carry it on with Succe&s;s; that we are endowed with tho&s;e faculties which are peculiar to us, as we are rational Creatures; and that we are entru&s;ted with Life and Time, after that we arrive to years of Di&s;cretion; and that tho&s;e advantages are afforded us which are &s;ingularly adapt|ed to further us in it. All the&s;e are Talents committed to our tru&s;t; and tho&s;e who will acknowledge them to be &s;uch, mu&s;t needs own, they ought to be employed to the ends for which they are e&s;pecially de|&s;igned. Now, &s;eeing they are peculiarly fitted both in their own Nature, and by divine Appointment, to promote our Sal|vation, it mu&s;t greatly concern us to u&s;e them for that purpo&s;e, for which they were intended. As the Members and parts of
<PB N="20" REF="23">our Bodies are naturally fitted and particu|larly de&s;igned for the pre&s;ervation, nouri&s;h|ment, and perfection of our outward State, &s;o our rational Powers and Faculties are di|rectly and immediately prepared and appoit|ed to be u&s;ed to &s;ecure and advance the good and welfare of our Souls. Our Under&s;tand|ings, Wills, and Affections, are never em|ployed &s;o pertinently, as when they are duly exerci&s;ed about tho&s;e matters, which will contribute mo&s;t effectually to our Sal|vation. This is the noble&s;t and mo&s;t excel|lent u&s;e we can make of them. And if they colud not be improved to this purpo&s;e, it would not be a valuable advantage to be endowed with them. This is al&s;o the great bu&s;ine&s;s for which God doth allot us time in this World. We have in|deed other things to employ our &s;elves a|bout, whil&s;t we are here in the Body, but all other Bu&s;ine&s;&s;es are &s;ubordinate, &s;hould be &s;ub&s;ervient to this. For this is the <HI>one thing nece&s;&s;ary.</HI> Life and Time are not allotted us, meerly to Eat and Drink and take our Plea&s;ure and Pa&s;s-time here; or meerly to drudge and toil for the nece&s;&s;aries or varie|ties of a temporary State, but chiefly to pro|vide for a future and eternal Happine&s;s, by &s;uch ways as God hath pre&s;cribed. For what is to be done by us in order to our
<PB N="21" REF="23">Salvation, mu&s;t be done whil&s;t we have our abode in this World. It will be too late to think of bu&s;ying our &s;elves for our Salvation, when we are removed hence. <HI>The night cometh,</HI> (&s;aith our Saviour) <HI>when no Man can work,</HI> Joh. 9.4. <HI>What&s;oever there|fore thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might, for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wi&s;dom, in the Grave, whether thou goe&s;t,</HI> Eccle. 9.10. <HI>So teach us (O Lord) to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto Wi&s;dom,</HI> P&s;al. 90.12.</P>
<P>Can we imagin it is for any thing el&s;e, but to oblige us to, and a&s;&s;i&s;t us in the minding of our Salvation, and to excite and quicken us to a great, regular, and due concerned|ne&s;s for it, that God doth afford us his Word, Ordinances, and the means of Grace? Are they not all evidently de&s;igned, to mind us that this is that for which we &s;hould be mo&s;t concerned, and to direct, help, and lead us in the true, infallible, and mo&s;t &s;uit|able way unto Salvation? <HI>Tit.</HI> 2.11, 12, 13. And is it not certain, that our neglecting to improve Go&s;pel advantages to this pur|po&s;e, will exceedingly encrea&s;e our Dan|ger, and render our State hereafter, more than ordinarily Dolorous, and Dreadful? <HI>Wo unto thee</HI> Corazin: <HI>Woe unto thee</HI> Beth|&s;ada, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Matt. 11.20, <HI>&amp;c. How &s;hall we
<PB N="22" REF="24">e&s;cape, if we neglect &s;o great Salvation?</HI> Heb. 2.3. Lay a&s;ide the con&s;ideration of the Salvation of the Soul, and People may at|tend to, and follow all their other Bu&s;ine&s;|&s;es and Affairs every jot as well, without the Go&s;pel; as with it.</P>
<P><HI>Thirdly,</HI> The &s;alvation of a Man's Soul, is a matter of the greate&s;t con&s;equence he can po&s;&s;ibly concern him&s;elf about. It is agreeable to the dictates of Rea&s;on, and the Maxims of Prudence, that we &s;hould be mo&s;t concerned for that which doth mo&s;t concern us. And doubtle&s;s, that which is of the greate&s;t worth and excellency in it &s;elf, in which all our Intere&s;ts are wrapt up; and without which, there is no po&s;&s;i|bility of our being &s;afe and happy, is of the greate&s;t Moment imaginable to us; and is that which it behoves and concerns us to u&s;e our utmo&s;t care about; and &s;uch is the Salvation of our Souls.</P>
<P>For if our Souls be &s;afe and happy, it is not po&s;&s;ible we &s;hould be Mi&s;erable. If we are really in the way to Salvation, and have an Intere&s;t in God through Chri&s;t, &s;o that his power becomes engaged to keep us &s;afely unto Salvation, let what will happen unto us here, it cannot make us unhappy. It will not be long before we &s;hall be per|fectly out of the reach of every thing that
<PB N="23" REF="24">can be called <HI>Evil:</HI> And a well grounded hope of Salvation will make any thing Portable which can befall us in this World. And as &s;oon as we have pa&s;s'd through this Wilderne&s;s, and are got from among&s;t the Briers and Thorns which grow here be|low, we &s;hall inherit a Plea&s;ure, a Joy, a Portion; in compari&s;on with which, all that this World can afford, is in every re|&s;pect le&s;s, and more incon&s;iderable than the emptie&s;t Dream, or mo&s;t fleeting Sha|dow we can think of. Why then &s;hould we be afraid of any thing that cannot hin|der us from being for ever Ble&s;&s;ed? We &s;hould not be afraid of any thing but Sin, 'tis that alone which is di&s;plea&s;ing to God; that alone which expo&s;es to eternal Mi|&s;ery: 'Tis only that which can hinder our attaining to the Salvation of our Souls, <HI>Matt.</HI> 10.28.</P>
<P>But if our Souls Mi&s;carry, all other things cannot make us amends. There is no remedy for a lo&s;t Soul. We may be di&s;appointed to a notable degree in our worldly De&s;igns, and Affairs, and Intere&s;ts, and not be <HI>Undone.</HI> But if the Soul be Damned, there is no rever&s;ing that Sen|tance. If the Soul peri&s;h and be &s;ent to Hell, it cannot be redeemed thence. All the Plea&s;ures, Riches Honors, Bravery,
<PB N="24" REF="25">Applau&s;e, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> in the World, tho enjoyed without any Interruption, the whole &s;pace of a Man's abode on Earth, will not avail, or profit, help, or comfort him one jot, will not abate or qualifie his Sorrow and Torment one Moment, when his Soul doth &s;ink under the weight of its own Guilt, and God's ju&s;t Indignation, into unquenchable Flames. For|mer enjoyments are pa&s;t, and ended, what was left behind, will not purcha&s;e one Mi|nutes Ea&s;e: And the remembrance of an|tiquated Delights and Plea&s;ures, will but encrea&s;e and make pre&s;ent Tortures more wracking and vexatious; heighten and in|crea&s;e tho&s;e Torments and Horrors, which do every Minute unconceivably over-weigh all the Jollities of an ill-&s;pent Vitious Life. What can you conceive more terrifying than to hear it &s;aid, <HI>Remember thou in thy Life|time received&s;t thy Good Things,</HI> Luke 16.25.</P>
<P>Be&s;ides a due concernedne&s;s for the Sal|vation of our Souls, is the &s;ure&s;t cour&s;e we can take, to be provided with what is mo&s;t convenient for us, till we arrive at the end of our Faith and Hope, <HI>the Salvation of our Souls.</HI> We have rea&s;on enough to be well &s;atisfied, if we have Journy-provi&s;ion, where we are Strangers and Pilgrims, if as &s;oon as ever our Journy is over, we &s;hall
<PB N="25" REF="25">enter into the Heavenly <HI>Canaan,</HI> and be <HI>for ever with the Lord.</HI> And if we be duly con|cerned for our Salvation, we have as good a&s;&s;urance as can be de&s;ired, to be &s;upplied with what infinite Wi&s;dom &s;hall judge mo&s;t fit and convenient for us, during our Tra|vel. Our allowance of outward things &s;hall be more, or le&s;s, according as our Heaven|ly Father &s;hall &s;ee mo&s;t for our good. <HI>Seek ye fir&s;t the Kingdom of God and his Righ|teou&s;ne&s;s, and all the&s;e things &s;hall be added un|to you,</HI> Matt. 6.33. <HI>The Lord God is a Sun and Shield; The Lord will give Grace and Glory; no good thing will he withold from them that walk uprightly,</HI> P&s;al. 84.11.</P>
<P><HI>Fourthly,</HI> A great concernedne&s;s for the Salvation of the Soul, is the only way to &s;ecure it. Negligence, Sloth and Heedle&s;s|ne&s;s, are not look'd on as the way to great, honourable and comfortable Fruitions, in this World; why then &s;hould they be thought con&s;i&s;tent with a rational expecta|tion of the glorious things which are re&s;er|ved in Heaven? If you are &s;en&s;ible of the worth of your Souls, and do de&s;ire they may be Saved, you mu&s;t needs own you ought to be much concerned for their Sal|vation; or you mu&s;t renounce and depart from the common Rules of Rea&s;on, and from tho&s;e Principles by which all Mankind
<PB N="26" REF="26">do govern them&s;elves, in &s;eeking after wha is of great value in it &s;elf, or what they do magnifie by their own Phancies and Ima|ginations, unle&s;s you do know &s;ome other way, by which their Salvation may be made &s;ure. Now, the Salvation of the Soul de|pending wholly on the free Grace and good Plea&s;ure of God, there cannot be any way to &s;ecure it, but what God hath been plea&s;ed to fix upon and appoint. Can you therefore produce a proof that God hath revealed, and declared, that it is his purpo&s;e to &s;ave any one who is of years of Di&s;cretion, whe|ther he do or do not concern him&s;elf in good earne&s;t for his Salvation? If you can|not produce a Revelation that is very plain and expre&s;s to this effect, you run the great|e&s;t risk imaginable, and act with the great|e&s;t incon&s;i&s;tency that can be, with the Prin|ciples of Rea&s;on and Prudence: If you be not mightily concerned for your Salvation, How unavoidably will all the methods you u&s;e, with re&s;pect to other Matters, upbraid, reproach, and condemn your inadvertency, and regardle&s;sne&s;s as to this, which is of in|finitely greater con&s;ideration an importance to you than all other things can be? More|over, you may remember it hath been pro|ved to you by expre&s;s Scripture, that God hath appointed this as the cour&s;e you mu&s;t take, if you will make your Salvation &s;ure.</P>
<PB N="27" REF="26">
<P>Indeed our concernedne&s;s for the Salva|tion of our Souls, be it ever &s;o great, does not, nor cannot procure their Salvation, by virtue of its own intrin&s;ick worth and ex|cellency. We cannot be our own Saviours. We are wholly beholding to the Lord Je|&s;us Chri&s;t, and to free Grace for &s;alvati|on. But we mu&s;t in obedience to God, ac|quit our &s;elves &s;trenuou&s;ly for our Salva|tion, in u&s;ing tho&s;e means, and following tho&s;e directions he hath appointed and a&s;|&s;igned for this purpo&s;e, depending upon him to Sanctifie and make this obediential com|pliance with his ble&s;&s;ed Will Effectual, for the preparing us for, and bringing us unto that Salvation, whereunto he hath appoint|ed the &s;ame. Our coming to Chri&s;t when we are truly &s;en&s;ible of our Wants and Mi|&s;ery hath no intrin&s;ick Vertue and Excel|lency of its own, to purcha&s;e and procure us Acceptance with him, yet it is the nece&s;|&s;ary and only &s;ucce&s;sfus way, a convinced, &s;en&s;ible, humbled Sinner can take to obtain acceptance with him. This being what he Commands, and that to which he hath an|nexed his compa&s;&s;ionate and merciful Pro|mi&s;e, <HI>Joh.</HI> 6.37. <HI>Matt.</HI> 11.28. The nece&s;|&s;ity there is of our taking the cour&s;e I have been di&s;cour&s;ing of, doth principally ari&s;e from God's appointment: The &s;ucce&s;sful|ne&s;s
<PB N="28" REF="27">of it, ari&s;eth wholly from the vouch|&s;afements of Divine Grace.</P>
<P><HI>Fifthly,</HI> Every Per&s;on's concernedne&s;s is nece&s;&s;ary to the Salvation of his own Soul. I &s;peak to Per&s;ons who are of years of Di|&s;cretion; and my Di&s;cour&s;e is about the Salvation of tho&s;e who are Adult. Other People may and ought to be concerned for your Salvation, in their way, to the utmo&s;t of their Power, according to the Capacities thy have, and the Offices they are in, and the Relations they bear to you. But what others can do, will not profit unto Salva|tion, if you are altogether unconcerned about it your &s;elves. Mo&s;t of your World|ly Bu&s;ine&s;&s;es, may be done for you by others. Other People may Build your Hou&s;es, make your Cloaths, till your Grounds, feed your Cattle, gather in your Harve&s;ts, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> But other People, (excluding your particular per|&s;onal concerning your &s;elves for your Salva|tion) cannot do all that is nece&s;&s;ary to be done, in order to your being Saved. Tho&s;e who have ever &s;o many at work for them, mu&s;t (notwith&s;tanding that) Eat and Drink for them&s;elves, or el&s;e they will &s;oon be Fa|mi&s;hed and Die. Other Peoples Eating and Drinking will not &s;u&s;tain you in Life; their wearing of Cloaths, will not pre&s;erve
<PB N="29" REF="27">you from Cold, or warm and heat you; their Sleeping will not refre&s;h Nature in you. The&s;e are things all People mu&s;t do for them&s;elves; and we are all &s;en&s;ible e|nough of the &s;ame. O that we were every one as fully convinc'd that it is every jot as nece&s;&s;ary, for every particular Per&s;on to be very much concerned for his own Salvation. Other Peoples Knowledge, Faith, Holine&s;s, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> will not &s;ave our Souls. Every one that will be Saved, mu&s;t Repent of his own Sins, mu&s;t him&s;elf believe in Chri&s;t, and be made Holy, and mu&s;t Per&s;onally ob&s;erve and keep God's Commandments.</P>
<P><HI>Sixthly,</HI> The Enemies of our Souls do concern them&s;elves very much to hinder our Salvation. Every Man hath va|riety of Enemies, who in their &s;everal ways do bu&s;ie them&s;elves to hinder the Salva|tion of his Soul, and to make his Dam|nation &s;ure. Does it not therefore behove him to do what he can, that his endeavours to fru&s;trate and defeat their Projects and De&s;igns, may be equal to theirs? <HI>Be &s;ober, be vigilant, becau&s;e your Adver&s;ary the Devil as a roaring Lyon, walketh about &s;eeking whom he may Devour, whom re&s;i&s;t &s;tedfa&s;t in the Faith.</HI> 1 Pet. 5.8, 9. Why &s;hould the Devil hate your Souls more than you love them? &s;hould not you be as much concerned for
<PB N="30" REF="28">their Salvation, as he is for their Damnati|on? Are not you more intere&s;ted in your own Souls, than he is? Doth it not more concern you what will become of your Souls, than it doth him? The Damnation of your Souls, will be no real advantage to him, notwith&s;tanding he &s;eeks and labours for it &s;o indu&s;triou&s;ly; but how unconceiv|able will your Benefit be, if they be Saved? We have Enemies in the World, and Cor|ruption within us, unweariedly labouring to ob&s;truct our Salvation. And &s;eeing we have &s;o many and &s;uch indu&s;trious and indefa|tigable Enemies, waiting to do us a Mi&s;|chief, even the greate&s;t Mi&s;chief imagi|nable, to hinder our Salvation, to de&s;troy and ruin our Souls for ever; in what man|ner will it become us to acquit our &s;elves? How concerned &s;hould we be for the Sal|vation of our Souls, which are thus be&s;et?</P>
<P>If we have any regard to the Authority of Almighty God, or think our &s;elves obliged to employ the be&s;t Talents and Advantages which are committed to our tru&s;t, to the ends for which they naturally &s;erve, and to which they are particularly Ordained; if we believe everla&s;ting Salvation is of any great moment to our &s;elves, and that it is not the effect of Chance, but will be re|gularly di&s;pen&s;ed; if we are &s;atisfied that
<PB N="31" REF="28">we cannot be &s;aved by Proxy, and that it doth behove us to improve the diligence and indu&s;try of our wor&s;t Enemies, to our own greate&s;t Advantage; what hath been di&s;cour&s;ed, may in &s;ome mea&s;ure &s;erve to beget, or awaken in us a per&s;wa&s;ion, that we ought to be very much concerned for the Salvation of our own Souls. And therefore I will now proceed,</P>
<P><HI>Thirdly,</HI> To take notice of &s;ome Inferen|ces which this Doctrin doth evidently af|ford, and even prompt us to take into our con&s;ideration, and of which we may make a profitable U&s;e and Improvement.</P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> The Soul of Man is exceeding pre|cious: 'Tis this on which we &s;hould &s;et the greate&s;t value, and of which we &s;hould take the greate&s;t care. It is of the greate&s;t worth in it &s;elf, and may be improved to our un|expre&s;&s;ible advantage. But if it be finally &s;lighted and neglected, the damage which will follow, will be altogether irreparable. Man con&s;i&s;ts of two Parts, a Body, and a Soul; The former is of a frail and corrup|tible Nature, of very little Excellency, and of no u&s;e at all when the Soul is &s;eparated from it. As long as the Soul continues in it, it is &s;en&s;ible of Plea&s;ure, or Pain, ac|cording as things are proportioned, or di&s;|proportioned to its Organs, Appetites, Frame
<PB N="32" REF="29">or State, but no &s;ooner doth the Soul part from it, but it becomes perfectly &s;tupid and &s;en&s;ele&s;s, and pre&s;ently molders into Du&s;t. Fooli&s;h mi&s;erable Wretches that we are! How unexcu&s;able are we, in being &s;o im|moderately &s;ollicitous about our fading Earthly Part and its little diminutive Inter|e&s;ts, to the extraordinary prejudice and hazard of our Souls, which are Immortal, and evidently our be&s;t and noble&s;t Part! When the Body returns to the Du&s;t, the Soul doth not cea&s;e to be, but then becomes more &s;prightly and active, more apprehen|hen&s;ive of what is Plea&s;ing, or Dolorous, than it was before.</P>
<P>We do all put a difference betwixt things, e&s;teeming &s;ome more Precious than others, and accordingly we proportion our love to, and care of, and concernment for them. But our great fault is this, we are ha&s;ty and incon&s;iderate, we are ra&s;h and precipitate; we ordinarily judge ami&s;s, and value things above their worth; &s;etting a mighty Price upon tho&s;e things which have no intrin&s;ick Excellency, but are intirely beholding to our own Fancies, or vulgar Opinion, for all their reputed worth, and &s;lighting and making no account of that, which is &s;o tran&s;cendently Excellent; we cannot po&s;|&s;ibly advance our e&s;teem for it, to tho&s;e
<PB N="33" REF="29">degrees it de&s;erves. Lord! How &s;hall we duly deplore and bewail our &s;elves, up|braid and reproach our Folly! &s;eeing we have &s;o long extravagantly admired and inordinately doated on empty Impertinen|cies, whil&s;t our Souls, which are of uncon|ceivably greater worth than all the World, have been left unregarded and unminded by us! What vile and ungrateful Wretches are we, thus to di&s;honour our &s;elves, and di&s;|parage and pro&s;titute the Souls God hath entru&s;ted-us with! How loath&s;om may we ju&s;tly appear in the &s;ight of God, and of all his Creatures? 'Tis owing to our Souls, that we are capable of &s;etting a value upon any thing; and having Souls committed to our tru&s;t, could we behave our &s;elves more unworthily, than to ca&s;t off all care of them, and degrade them to the &s;ordide&s;t Drudgery we could devi&s;e? All Worldly and Earthly Enjoyments and Objects, will be as nothing to us; the plea&s;ure and de|light we took in them, will be gone, and tho the things them&s;elves may &s;tay behind, we cannot make any more u&s;e of them, when once our Souls have taken their flight into the other and un&s;een World. And what can we expect will be their lot and por|tion, who have taken no better care of their precious Souls, have &s;o neglected and abu|&s;ed them here?</P>
<PB N="34" REF="30">
<P>Did we rightly under&s;tand, and were we duly affected with the worth and preciou&s;|ne&s;s of our Souls, we could not make &s;o light of them as we do. We &s;hould then certainly concern our &s;elves much to &s;ecure their Salvation. Do I believe my Soul came immediately from God, and that it is of a Divine Extraction; and that the greate&s;t Excellency of my Body, con&s;i&s;ts in its be|ing fitted for the u&s;e and &s;ervice of my Soul, during its abode in it? And can I by any means be reconciled to ca&s;t off all concern for it, and to make &s;uch a Heaven-born Off|&s;pring, a Slave to my dro&s;&s;y and earthly Part? Does not all corporal Beauty and Lu&s;tre, pre&s;ently di&s;appear and vani&s;h, af|ter the Soul is &s;eparated from it? How great a Value &s;hould we &s;et upon our Souls, were we &s;eriou&s;ly and &s;trongly per&s;waded, that as &s;oon as they leave our Bodies, they <HI>mu&s;t return to God, who gave them,</HI> Eccle&s;. 12, 7.</P>
<P>It is true, we cannot at pre&s;ent di&s;tinctly and fully under&s;tand what the Soul is; but we ea&s;ily perceive we have &s;uch a noble and &s;ublime Part, by tho&s;e Actions which are peculiar to it: It Thinks, it Under|&s;tands, it Wills and Chu&s;es; it Loves, it Reflects upon it Self and all its Actings; it conver&s;es with Objects, which are not Ob|jects
<PB N="35" REF="30">of Sen&s;e; it compares &s;en&s;ible Objects one with another, and rai&s;eth notions from them: And we are &s;ure the Body can do none of the&s;e things, when the Soul is gone from it. And tho it is naturally void now of its Primitive Holine&s;s and Purity, yet it &s;till re|tains &s;ome Marks and Characters of the Di|vine Image upon it, and it is &s;till capable of having its fir&s;t Excellency and Beauty Repair|ed, Re&s;tored, Improved. Oh! how large and va&s;t are its Capacities? What work can it do! What Exerci&s;es may it perform: What Ob|jects can it conver&s;e with! What great and glorious things may it be employed about! And what ble&s;&s;ed Privileges may it be ad|vanced unto! It is capable of having the Divine Image again Imprinted on it, with a Lu&s;tre and Glory far exceeding the utmo&s;t our mo&s;t extended thoughts can po&s;&s;ibly comprehend, or reach unto. It is capable of Divine Illumination, and effect|ual Sanctification of a partial, but ble&s;&s;ed and joyful Communion with God at pre&s;ent, and a perfect Fruition of him hereafter.</P>
<P>God forbid, that I &s;hould any longer pro&s;titute, neglect, or make little account of that part of my &s;elf, which is &s;o Spiritu|al in its Nature, which the Great, Holy, and Munificent God hath endued with &s;uch Powers, and already advanc'd to &s;uch Dig|nity!
<PB N="36" REF="31">which may be improved, and a&s;cend in this World to &s;uch Honour and Emi|nency, and is capable of inheriting &s;uch Glorious and incomprehen&s;ible Recompen|ces in the next World! If I be regardle&s;s of &s;uch a Soul, and yet vehemently pur&s;ue, and inordinately prize a few empty Trifles, &s;ome lying Vanities, what &s;hall I al|ledge to excu&s;e my &s;elf? Mu&s;t I not be Self-condemned? Will not all the Ranks and Orders of Beings Condemn me? With what Confu&s;ion mu&s;t my Face be covered? May not the whole Sy&s;tem of Nature Tremble, be A&s;hamed, and Blu&s;h at &s;uch a Pro&s;pect, to have a view of a Rational Creature, one that hath &s;o capacious a Soul, and yet more &s;tupid and blocki&s;h than its mo&s;t &s;ullen and dreggy Part? Lord, let not &s;uch Shame be my Portion! Let me never fall into, nor &s;ink under &s;uch Guilt! What! &s;hall I be voluntarily cruel to, &s;hall I hate and &s;o di&s;honour the noble&s;t part of my Self? Shall I willfully ca&s;t away my Soul, which if I take a due care of, will in a little time mount above the Stars, and be &s;ettled in a State incomprehen&s;ibly Joyous, and full of Glory? No, I will now awake and rou&s;e up all my Powers and Strength, and tho I cannot exactly under&s;tand the worth of my Soul, no more than I can what
<PB N="37" REF="31">it is; yet I will endeavour to be as ju&s;t to it as po&s;&s;ibly I can; I will prefer it above all the Objects of Sen&s;e, above every thing that Time dimini&s;hes! above every thing that hath either Vexation, or Vanity in&s;cri|bed upon it! And I will do all I can in a firm dependance on Divine Grace, that this Soul of mine may a&s;&s;uredly arrive at the full Fruition of all tho&s;e great and ble&s;|&s;ed things which are laid up in &s;tore for truly pious and devout, vertuous and up|right, &s;anctified and religious Souls.</P>
<P>What rai&s;ed thoughts &s;hould I have of a Soul, that is not liable to the Shocks and Violences to which my Body is every Hour &s;ubject! A Soul that cannot be at all impa|red by any of tho&s;e rude A&s;&s;aults, which may Surprize, and which may unexpect|edly and irre&s;i&s;tibly hurry my Earthly part to Du&s;t! Our Souls will endure for ever, let all Created Powers do what they can again&s;t them. They do not yield, they are not &s;ubject to the Alterations which are in|cident to what is is Mortal. They are Im|mortal, they cannot Die, but when their <HI>Hou&s;es of Clay</HI> are Di&s;&s;olved, they pa&s;s and enter into a State more &s;uitable to their Spiritual Nature. They will retain their Beings, Powers and Properties, after that the Worms have glutted them&s;elves with
<PB N="38" REF="32">our Fle&s;h and Humors, after that our Bo|dies have pa&s;t through all the Changes, to which &s;uch Matter is liable.</P>
<P>If I believe my Soul is Immortal, what a value mu&s;t I &s;et upon it? We prize any thing of worth much the more, if it will be of long continuance. How &s;hould I then e&s;teem a Soul, which will abide for ever! What Rea&s;ons can I produce for my having beeen &s;o intent upon the acquiring, and &s;o indu&s;trious and unwearied to obtain things which cannot Satisfie, which may &s;oon Fade, and which mu&s;t certainly Peri&s;h? Mi&s;guided, fooli&s;h and infatuated Wretch! O how do I now bewail my Folly and my Wickedne&s;s! who have &s;o vainly, yea, &s;o impiou&s;ly abus'd my &s;elf, mi&s;imployed my Strength, and &s;quandred away my precious time! Away, you gilded, fal&s;e, you mask'd di&s;guis'd Temptations! Be gone you empty lying treacherous Plea&s;ures of Sen&s;e! You have already cheated and deceived me too long! You have robb'd, abus'd and wrong'd me hitherto! You can never repair the damage you have done me! I now with all Solemnity renounce and ca&s;t you off! I am re&s;olv'd through Grace to de&s;pi&s;e, contemn and vilifie you all I can, and to have no more to do with you whil&s;t I Live! What relation can you pretend to a Soul, which
<PB N="39" REF="32">will continue, live and act, through all the long and undeterminable duration of Eter|nity! I will not any more allow you the Service of a Thought! I loath and dete&s;t you! I earne&s;tly de&s;ire and pray, that as long as I am on Earth, my Heart may be fill'd with an in&s;uperable Indignation a|gain&s;t you all, and again&s;t every thing that cannot be improved to the benefit and ad|vantage of my Immortal Soul! Should I be carele&s;s of my Soul any longer, now that <HI>Life and Immortality are brought to light by the Go&s;pel,</HI> which Go&s;pel I am fa|voured with for the guiding and directing of my Heart and Life, I &s;hould not only be altogether inexcu&s;able, but the very Hea|thens will ri&s;e up in Judgment again&s;t me, to my greater and more terrible Condemn|ation! 'Tis &s;aid of <HI>Pythagoras,</HI> that when he heard of the Immortality of the Soul, He pre&s;ently gave off that diligent attendance to his Body, to which he had addicted him&s;elf, and made it his bu&s;ine&s;s to improve in Knowledge and Vertue. How much more &s;hould I value and endeavour by all means to improve my Soul, who behold and di|&s;cern this Truth in a much clearer Light, than he could? How do I Blu&s;h! and with what Grief and Revenge is my Heart rent, becau&s;e of the folly and vanity, the wick|edne&s;s
<PB N="40" REF="33">of the pa&s;t part of my Life; becau&s;e of my unthankfulne&s;s for the Go&s;pel; and carele&s;ne&s;s of my Soul, to this time, when I read what a <HI>Mahometan</HI> King is reported to have cau&s;ed to be writ on the Gates of his Plea&s;ure-Hou&s;e, <HI>viz. This World will not continue long; its Pride and Lu&s;tre will &s;oon be gone. Remember Brother, and apply thy Heart to Him, who only intended this World for our Inn. Let not thy Life be united to this Bitter Sweet, for it hath Cheated many; fir&s;t Je&s;ted with them, and afterwards Slaughtered them. If thy Soul can but come away from her Pri&s;on Pure and Undefiled, and reach the Mark, it's no great matter whether thou Die&s;t on a Throne, or on a Dung-hill.</HI> O how Sotti&s;h have I been in &s;etting the Riches, Plea&s;ures, Honors and Accommodations of this pre&s;ent World, at &s;o high a Rate, preferring them before my Precious Soul! And &s;hall I &s;till continue to do &s;o? Let &s;o tremendous Folly, &s;uch de|&s;perate Madne&s;s, be far from me: My own experience doth now convince me, that the more I have admired, the more I have toil|ed for the&s;e things, the emptier I am; the more I am di&s;appointed, the further I am from being &s;atisfied! I am &s;ure the&s;e things are vain, yea, and vexatious too! They will fade and Peri&s;h, and are at be&s;t, but of a &s;hort duration! What are the&s;e, and &s;uch brittle decaying, &s;hort-liv'd Enjoyments, to
<PB N="41" REF="33">a Soul, which will abide and Live for ever! Were it not for the levity and &s;ickline&s;s of my mind, what thou&s;ands of con&s;iderations would croud in, to convince and certifie me, that it is my Soul, which of all other things, is of greate&s;t Worth? And can there be a more prodigious Folly, a gro&s;&s;er contradiction, than for a Man to be|lieve, his Soul is Immortal, and of greater value, than his Imagination can extend un|to, and yet be regardle&s;s of it!</P>
<P>As to other things which are of value, but which we do not exactly under&s;tand, we u&s;ually them e&s;teem according as they are better skill'd in them, than we are. Will any di&s;creet and prudent Per&s;on throw a|way a Medal, a Jewel, or Precious-&s;tone, or part with it for a Counter, a piece of Lead, or any &s;uch thing, becau&s;e he doth not know its ju&s;t worth? Or will he not rather enquire of &s;ome one who under|&s;tands &s;uch things, and then e&s;teem and prize it, at therate he a&s;&s;ures him it is really worth? Now we have no rea&s;on at all to que&s;tion, but God who Created our Souls, and the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, who Redeemed and Purcha|&s;ed them, do very well under&s;tond their worth. And by who&s;e determination &s;hould we govern our our &s;elves in this Affair, but by theirs who&s;e Judgment is mo&s;t a&s;&s;u|redly
<PB N="42" REF="34">Infallible? And if we will acquie&s;ce in their Judgment in the Ca&s;e, we mu&s;t cer|tainly e&s;teem our Souls exceeding precious. For if our Souls were not exceeding precious, the Eternal Father would not have given his Son to purcha&s;e them; nor would the only Begotten of the Father have laid down his Life for their Ran&s;om. Had they judged our Souls &s;uch frivolous worthle&s;s things, as we generally appear to e&s;teem them, they would not have been redeemed at all; or if they mu&s;t have been Purcha&s;ed, it would have been with a Price of infinitely le&s;s Va|lue, than the Blood of him who was the Son of God. The mo&s;t that could have been de|manded for them, would have been but a very moderate &s;um of that, with which we buy the nece&s;&s;aries for our Temporal Life. For what poor and trifling things in this World, do People ordinarily pawn and venture their Souls? But God and Chri&s;t, had other thoughts of our Souls than we have. Tho we expo&s;e our Souls for nought, yet if any one Man could purcha&s;e the whole World, with the lo&s;s of his Soul, he would be no Gainer, yea, his lo&s;s would be Irreparable. <HI>What &s;hall a Man give in Ex|change for his Soul?</HI> Matt. 16.26. O! the ine&s;timable price that was paid for the&s;e Souls, which we do &s;o neglect, &s;light, and
<PB N="43" REF="34">di&s;regard! <HI>Ye were not redeemed with corrupt|ible things, as Silver and Gold, but with the precious Blood of Chri&s;t, as of a Lamb without Blemi&s;h, and without Spot,</HI> 1 Pet. 1.18, 19. When my thoughts concerning Rea&s;onable Souls, have mounted as high as ever they can, and when my e&s;teem of them has fol|lowed my Thoughts as clo&s;e as po&s;&s;ible, how far am I from comprehending, and being throughly affected with their full worth? Alas! what are my mo&s;t elevated apprehen&s;ions to the incomprehen&s;ible ex|cellency and merit of that Blood with which they were bought? Wo is me! who have too long neglected and been carele&s;s of my unaccountably precious Soul, as if it had been the only frivolous, u&s;ele&s;s thing in the whole World! If I do any longer make but little account of this Soul of mine, I &s;hall be unavoidably chargeable with an affected undervaluing what is in it &s;elf of un|conceivable worth, and trampling under foot mo&s;t ungratefully the precious Blood of the everla&s;ting Covenant, and offering the mo&s;t in&s;ufferable contumely to the Lord of Glory, who gave him&s;elf a Ran&s;om for my Soul! Can I &s;u&s;tain &s;o great a load? Dare I will|fully ca&s;t away my Soul, to give the great|ed demon&s;tration of Ingratitude, and of &s;ullen Contempt unto Almighty God? Shall
<PB N="44" REF="35">I be &s;o peevi&s;h, &s;o malicious, &s;o revengeful, as to de&s;troy my Soul, and &s;ink my &s;elf un|der the mo&s;t horrid Guilt, becau&s;e my Sa|viour's Love was &s;o &s;tupendous and amaz|ing! Wretch that I am! in that I have till now been &s;o unmindful of my Soul, which co&s;t my <HI>Je&s;us</HI> &s;o dear! My deare&s;t <HI>Je&s;us,</HI> thy Love doth now con&s;train me! Me|thinks I hear thy Sobs, thy Groans, the Prayers and Supplications, which thou did&s;t offer with &s;trong Crying and Tears! Thy earne&s;t Expo&s;tulation on the Cro&s;s, when Dying, to Redeem this Soul! My Heart is pierced now! I mu&s;t! I Grieve! I Mourn! My Indignation now is kindled! I de&s;pi&s;e! I hate! I loath whatever would defraud thee of thy Purcha&s;e! The Beauty, Grandeur, Pomp and Glory of this World, is now as nothing unto me! I neither love, nor prize, nor value any thing but my Soul, and as it's ran&s;omed by thy Blood! O! what &s;hall I do, that I may attain to prize my Soul as it de&s;erves! This, this Soul which co&s;t the Son of God &s;o dear! May I be duly affect|ed with the Travail of my Saviour's Soul, and with the horrors of his Agonies and Death! Let me ever with becoming Ado|ration, meditate on, rightly under&s;tand, and con&s;tantly retain a lively, affectionate, pow|erful, con&s;training &s;en&s;e on my Heart and
<PB N="45" REF="35">Spirit, of Chri&s;t's profounde&s;t Conde&s;cen|tion and &s;uperlative Grace and Kindne&s;s! Would Chri&s;t dwell in my Heart by Faith, and might I be enabled to comprehend with all Saints, the breadth and length, and depth and height of his Love, how &s;hould I abound in Admiring, Prai&s;ing, Glorifying, and giving Thanks unto him! and to what a height would this &s;ort of exerci&s;e rai&s;e my e&s;timation of my Soul, towards which, this great, this glorious, this beneficent and mo&s;t gracious Saviour, hath manife&s;ted a Love, which pa&s;&s;eth Knowledge.</P>
<P>As the be&s;t and greate&s;t Friend to Man|kind hath in &s;o &s;tupendous a manner, Te|&s;tified his love to, and thereby the real and extraordinary worth of Souls, &s;o the mo&s;t envious inveterate and malicious Enemy to Human Race, hath mightily fortified this Truth, That the Soul of Man is exceeding precious, by his indefatigable and unwearied attempts, to de&s;troy our Souls, both in the ways of Subtilty, and Violence. We com|monly acknowledge and bouldly affirm, the Devil is our great Adver&s;ary, and then we mu&s;t likewi&s;e allow and grant, that he de&s;igns to do us the greate&s;t Mi&s;chief; and what can that be, but to prejudice and ru|ine that part of us which is undoubtedly of greate&s;t value? And can any thing be more
<PB N="46" REF="36">apparent and manife&s;t, than that all his me|thods and a&s;&s;aults, are levelled again&s;t our Souls? What a Mon&s;ter &s;hall I appear, if I make little or no account of this Soul, for the ran&s;oming of which, the eternal Son of God laid down his mo&s;t precious Life! And for the ruining of which, the Devil doth not &s;pare any either of his Craft and Arti|fice, or of his Strength and Indu&s;try? Would the Prince of the Powers of the Air, &s;o &s;e|dulou&s;ly contrive and plot, be &s;o very ob|&s;ervant, and con&s;tant upon his Watch, make &s;uch diligent Search after, and take &s;o much pains as he doth to de&s;troy our Souls, if they were &s;uch incon&s;iderable worthle&s;s Trifles, as we &s;eem to reckon them?</P>
<P>We are careful of, and do look accurate|ly after tho&s;e tho&s;e things we really prize, and of which we make a very great account. And were we truly &s;en&s;ible of, and duly affected with the worth, the excellency, the preciou&s;ne&s;s of our own Souls, O! with what &s;eriou&s;ne&s;s &s;hould we bu&s;ie our &s;elves to &s;e|cure their Salvation?</P>
<P><HI>Secondly,</HI> Salvation is an ine&s;timable Mer|cy and Privilege. Salvation! What a &s;weet delicious good word is this? Take all the Letters in the World, and join them toge|ther how you plea&s;e, you cannot frame a
<PB N="47" REF="36">word, that makes &s;o comfortable and charm|ing a Sound as this does! Of all the expre&s;|&s;ions that can be named, this is the mo&s;t proper, and the be&s;t accommodated to our State and Circum&s;tances, to our Ca&s;e and Nece&s;&s;ities! We are in Mi&s;ery, our wants and dangers are greater than our Lips can utter! Who &s;o wretched and forlorn as Sinners and guilty Per&s;ons? None certain|ly excepting them who&s;e Condemnation is already Seal'd and ratified! May &s;uch as we be Saved! is it po&s;&s;ible for us to obtain Sal|vation? May our aggravated Tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions, the horrible Rebellion we have &s;o long and &s;o ob&s;tinately per&s;i&s;ted in again&s;t the Holy God, be Pardoned! May we yet e&s;cape the terrible wrath that is coming apace upon the Wicked and Di&s;obedient! Is the door of Mercy &s;till open? May we yet be re|ceived into favour! Mo&s;t joyful tidings! mo&s;t comfortable and ravi&s;hing News! <Q>Ble&s;|be my Rock, Exalted be the God of my Salvation! Prai&s;e the Lord, O my Soul! and let all that is within me, magnifie his Holy Name! Thy loving kindne&s;s is bet|ter than Life! O Lord! I will prai&s;e thee as long as I Live! Let all the Angels of God, which excel in &s;trength, ble&s;s him! Yea, let all his works in all Places of his Dominion, ble&s;s him! Ble&s;s the Lord, O
<PB N="48" REF="37">my Soul! Oh that Men would prai&s;e the Lord for his Goodne&s;s and for his wonder|ful Works to the Children of Men! Ble&s;&s;ed be the Lord God of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> from Everla|&s;ting, to Everla&s;ting, and let all the Peo|ple &s;ay, <HI>Amen.</HI> Prai&s;e ye the Lord! This is a faithful &s;aying, and worthy of all ac|ceptation, That Chri&s;t Je&s;us came into the World to &s;ave Sinners, of whom we may ju&s;tly repute our &s;elves the greate&s;t!</Q> Let that Me&s;&s;age brought from Heaven by an Angel, (A Me&s;&s;age every way worthy of &s;uch a Me&s;&s;enger) be the chief &s;ubject of my Meditations! And Oh that I might never think of it, but with a Heart rightly affected towards it! powerfully influenced by it, and mightily enlarged in thankful|ne&s;s and prai&s;e for it! <HI>Fear not, for behold, I bring you good Tydings of great Joy, which &s;hall be to all People; for unto you is Born this day in the City of</HI> David, <HI>a Saviour, which is Chri&s;t the Lord,</HI> Luke 2.10, 11.</P>
<P>This Salvation, is indeed a great and ble&s;|&s;ed word, but how little do we know of that which it imports? No created Being can comprehend, and fully under&s;tand the Mer|cy, Good, and Privilege it &s;ignifies. A Ble&s;&s;ing is the le&s;s by its being &s;uch, that any finite Being can reach and know its full Dimen&s;ions. This is a Mercy and Benefit,
<PB N="49" REF="37">which de&s;erves our loude&s;t Prai&s;es, our mo&s;t &s;olemn Acknowledgments, and our &s;ilent Admiration. We cannot po&s;&s;ibly rai&s;e our e&s;timation to its real Value: It is &s;o great, the loftie&s;t Expre&s;&s;ions fall infinitely &s;hort of conveying to our Minds an adequate and exact conception of it. <HI>How &s;hall we then e&s;cape, if we neglect &s;o great Salvation?</HI> Heb. 2.3. Our deliverances are incompleat whil&s;t we are on Earth; we are encom|pa&s;&s;ed and &s;urrounded here, with &s;uch va|riety of dangers, calamities and troubles, we are no &s;ooner re&s;cued out of one, but we feel our &s;elves Arre&s;ted by another Di&s;|a&s;ter, and are in all re&s;pects as unea&s;ie and di&s;&s;atisfied till freed from this, as we were when mourning under the former. Yea, many times our very Deliverance proves but a &s;tep to a Relap&s;e, which &s;inks us deeper into the very &s;ame kind of Trouble and Di&s;quietment we thought we had e&s;ca|ped. We are <HI>Born to Trouble, as the Sparks fly upward.</HI> When one afflicting occur|rence having gorg'd it &s;elf, as we conceive, leaves us, we pre&s;ently become a Booty to another, or el&s;e the former returns with greater eagerne&s;s, and preys on us with more un&s;atiable greedine&s;s and violence. No &s;ooner have we one Deliverance, but we find we do as much need another. We
<PB N="50" REF="38">are not &s;ure but whole Troops of Sorrows will &s;eize on us, and the&s;e &s;o thick and clo&s;e one after another, they will not afford us one plea&s;ant Interval. Our Lives are at be&s;t chequered; and our Deliverances in this World, yield not a &s;atisfaction of any long continuance. But ble&s;&s;ed be God, the Lord Je&s;us <HI>being made perfect, is become the Author of eternal Salvation, unto all them that obey him,</HI> Heb. 5.9. O! the ble&s;&s;edne&s;s of them who partake of this Salvation! who are perfectly freed from every thing that ean offend and mole&s;t! from the wor&s;t of Evils, Sin, and the next <HI>Temptations to it,</HI> and from all the Sufferings, Pains, Di&s;ea&s;es, Doubts and Fears, which here extort our Tears, Complaints, and Moans! <HI>God &s;hall wipe away all Tears from their Eyes, and there &s;hall be no more Death, neither Sorrow, nor Crying, neither &s;hall there be any more Pain, for the former things are pa&s;&s;ed away,</HI> Rev. 21.4. How happy are they who are &s;afe from, and out of the reach of all tho&s;e Torment, and Cur&s;es, to which Sin doth expo&s;e Peo|ple, and under which others mu&s;t eternally roar! who, whil&s;t others fry in unquench|able Flames, and mu&s;t be always to&s;t on the Waves and Surges of the ever burning Lake, endure none of their Angui&s;h, but are filled with a Joy which no Tongue can
<PB N="51" REF="38">relate! O the Honor to which they are ad|vanced! the Glory with which they are Crowned! the Trea&s;ures they enjoy! the Kingdoms they have received, the Delights with which they are, and will be everla|&s;tingly entertained! Our Under&s;tandings and Minds are not capacious and wide e|nough to comprehend, or conceive the great and excellent things that are confer|red on them! <HI>Eye hath not &s;een, nor Ear heard, neither have entred into the Heart of Man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him,</HI> 1 Cor. 2.9. <HI>Beloved, now are we the Sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we &s;hall be; but we know, that when he &s;hall appear, we &s;hall be like him, for we &s;hall &s;ee him as he is,</HI> 1 Joh. 3.2. <HI>In thy pre&s;ence is ful|ne&s;s of Joy, at thy right Hand are Plea&s;ures for ever more,</HI> P&s;al. 16.11. <HI>As for me, I will be|hold thy Face in Righteou&s;ne&s;s; I &s;hall be &s;atis|fied when I awake, with thy Likene&s;s,</HI> P&s;al. 17.15. <HI>Becau&s;e thy loving Kindne&s;s is better than Life, my Lips &s;hall prai&s;e thee. Thus will I prai&s;e thee while I Live; I will lift up my Hands in thy Name. My Soul &s;hall be &s;atisfied as with Marrow and Fatne&s;s, and my Mouth &s;hall prai&s;e thee with joyful Lips,</HI> P&s;al. 63.3, 4, 5.</P>
<P>Can any thing be &s;o de&s;irable to me, as when I die, to have my precious Soul
<PB N="52" REF="39">guarded and conveyed by holy and ble&s;&s;ed Angels, through the airy Regions unto <HI>Abraham</HI>'s Bo&s;om, into the kinde&s;t Embra|ces of the holy amiable, and loving Je&s;us! And at the general Re&s;urrection, to have my Body rai&s;ed Incorruptible and Glorious, and every way di&s;po&s;ed for, and united to its happy Soul, that they may be joint and eternal &s;harers in all tho&s;e ble&s;&s;ed Fruitions infinite Grace and Love will vouch&s;afe! How happy &s;hall I be if through Grace I arrive to be for ever with Chri&s;t! What a glorious Change will then be wrought on me! How wonderfully will all the Powers and Faculties of my Soul, be advanced, im|proved, and enlarged! How much more beautiful and capacious will they be made than now they are? O the alteration that &s;hall be made on me, to my unconceivable Advantage! when I &s;hall <HI>&s;hine as the Bright|ne&s;s of the Firmament, as the Stars for Ever and Ever,</HI> Dan. 12.3. Yea, <HI>as the Sun in the Kingdom of my Father,</HI> Mat. 13.43. When this <HI>vile Body &s;hall be Changed, and fa&s;hioned like unto the Glorious Body of My Saviour, the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, according to the working, whereby he is able even to &s;ubdue all things unto him&s;elf,</HI> Phil. 3.21. What account &s;hould I make of &s;uch a Privilege, Honor and Felicity! How &s;hould I prepare, wait
<PB N="53" REF="39">and long for this Great, Holy, and Glorious Change!</P>
<P>The word of that God, who is faithful and true, and cannot Lie, affords us evi|dent and full a&s;&s;urance, that &s;uch a glorious and everla&s;tingly happy State is prepared, and may be obtained, and it likewi&s;e cer|tifies what manner of People they mu&s;t be who &s;hall be admitted to it. The Lord Je&s;us the &s;upream Judge of, and great King over all, will at the la&s;t Day, &s;ay unto them on his right Hand, <HI>Come ye ble&s;&s;ed of my Fa|ther, Inherit the Kingdom prepared for you, from the Foundation of the World,</HI> Matt. 25.34. <HI>He will render to every Man according to his deeds; to them who by patient continuance in Well|doing, &s;eek for Glory and Honor, and Immor|tality, Eternal Life,</HI> Rom. 2.6, 7. <HI>Henceforth</HI> (&s;aith St. <HI>Paul</HI>) <HI>there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteou&s;ne&s;s, which the Lord, the Righteous Judge &s;hall give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto all them al&s;o who love his appearing,</HI> 2 Tim. 4.8. <HI>Ble&s;&s;ed be the God and Father of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, which ac|cording to his abundant Mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, by the Re&s;urrection of Je&s;us Chri&s;t from the Dead, to an Inheritance Incorruptible and Undefiled, and that fadeth not away, re&s;erved in Heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God, through Faith unto
<PB N="54" REF="40">Salvation, ready to be Revealed in the la&s;t Time,</HI> 1 Pet. 1.3, 4, 5.</P>
<P>This Salvation comprehends all that is Great, all that is Honorable, all that is tru|ly Delighting, Good and De&s;irable. O that we may all duly &s;trive, labour, de&s;ire and long to be prepared for, and brought to the actual po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of it! What &s;hould we wi&s;h for on our own behalves, if we have any love for our &s;elves, but that God him&s;elf, the only &s;atisfying good, would be our Portion! That we may have free, Inti|mate, full and everla&s;ting Communion in the highe&s;t Heavens, with the <HI>Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with glorious Angels and all the Saints above! That we may come to the City of the living God, the Heavenly</HI> Jeru&s;a|lem, <HI>and to an innumerable company of Angels, to the general A&s;&s;embly and Church of the fir&s;t Born, which are written in Heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the Spirits of ju&s;t Men made perfect, and to Je&s;us the Medi|ator of the new Covenant, and to the Blood of &s;prinkling that &s;peaketh better things than that of</HI> Abel, Heb. 12.22, &amp;c. Can we de&s;ire and pant after any thing comparable to our beholding our Saviour's Glory, and be|ing for ever with him in his Kingdom, where he Reigns in Glory?</P>
<PB N="55" REF="40">
<P>Were we throughly per&s;waded of, and did we in any mea&s;ure e&s;teem this Salva|tion as we ought, (for indeed we cannot prize it as it de&s;erves) what an happy Change &s;hould we pre&s;ently perceive in our &s;elves! What a mighty power and efficacy &s;hould we feel it have on our Souls! What a &s;weet and con&s;training influence &s;hould we find it &s;hed abroad in our Hearts and Lives! How &s;trangely would it abate and take off our love and affection to this World! Its Pomps! its Plea&s;ures! its Vanities! How much would it rai&s;e us above the Flatteries which have hitherto Deluded us! How would it make us de&s;pi&s;e and contemn the painted Glories, and empty Enjoyments, which we have &s;o unweariedly pur&s;ued, and &s;o pa&s;&s;ionately courted! How indiffer|ent &s;hould we be to Earthly things, and how little impre&s;&s;ion would any Worldly Allurements make on us, if we did &s;teadily <HI>look, not at the things which are &s;een, but at the things which are not &s;een,</HI> 2 Cor. 4.18. And did we affectionately con&s;ider, that <HI>the things which are &s;een are Temporal, but the things which are not &s;een, are Eternal!</HI> How would this engage us to, animate us in, and with what &s;ucce&s;s and vigor would it carry us through all our Duties! Would not our Conver&s;ation be in Heaven, did we
<PB N="56" REF="41">&s;eriou&s;ly look for our Saviour, the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t from thence, to call and take us along with him thither! <HI>I pre&s;s toward the the Mark for the Price of the high Calling of God in</HI> Chri&s;t Je&s;us, <HI>if by any means I might attain unto the Re&s;urrection of the Dead.</HI> What &s;upport would this yield us? With what patience would this po&s;&s;e&s;s our Souls? Yea, with what joy would this fill us in the greate&s;t Tribulations, Di&s;tre&s;&s;es and Per&s;e|cutions, we can po&s;&s;ibly have occa&s;ion to encounter in our pa&s;&s;age toward it? <HI>We glory in the Tribulations al&s;o,</HI> Rom. 5.3. <HI>For which cau&s;e we faint not; but tho our outward Man peri&s;h, the inward Man is renewed day by day; for our light affliction, which is but for a Mo|ment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory,</HI> 2 Cor. 4.16, 17. <HI>I reckon that the Sufferings of this pre&s;ent time, are not worthy to be compared with the Glory which &s;hall be revealed in us,</HI> Rom. 8.18. We read of tho&s;e (Heb. 10.24.) who <HI>took joy|fully the &s;poiling of their Goods, knowing in them|&s;elves, that they had in Heaven a better, and an enduring Sub&s;tance.</HI> Yea, how would this reconcile us to leave the World quite! make us earne&s;tly de&s;ire to Die, and that the time may ha&s;ten apace, when we may actually give up the Gho&s;t, and re&s;ign up our Spirits to Chri&s;t! <HI>Having a de&s;ire to de|part,
<PB N="57" REF="41">and to be with</HI> Chri&s;t, <HI>which is far bet|ter,</HI> Phil. 1.23.</P>
<P>Who can conceive the thou&s;andth, yea, the lea&s;t part of the Happine&s;s of the Spi|rits of Ju&s;t Men made Perfect! With what knowledge, admiration and love, &s;hall we be filled, when we are &s;etled <HI>yonder,</HI> in tho&s;e bright and &s;hining <HI>Thrones!</HI> when we are joined to the <HI>Heavenly Choir,</HI> and bear our part in the <HI>eternal Halelujahs!</HI> and &s;hall be a&s;cribing Honor, Glory and Prai&s;e to him that &s;itteth on Throne, and to the Lamb for ever and ever! With what raptures of Love, Prai&s;e and Joy, &s;hall we be everla&s;tingly entertained, when we become Denizens of that glorious City, of which the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb is the Temple! where we &s;hall &s;ee his Face, and have his Name in our Fore-heads! where there &s;hall be no Night! where we &s;hall need no Can|dle, neither light of the Sun, for the Lord God will give us Light, and we &s;hall reign for ever and ever.</P>
<P>How incomprehen&s;ibly great and good are the things which God hath in &s;tore for them who heartily love and &s;incerely &s;erve him! &s;eeing God will be plea&s;ed to admit &s;uch frail imperfect Mortals as we are, to the full fruition of him&s;elf and his Chri&s;t; &s;urely there is nothing can de&s;erve to be
<PB N="58" REF="42">e&s;teemed and called Ble&s;&s;edne&s;s, but only this. How can I prize and value, how can I affect, &s;trive and long for any thing but this Sal|vation alone! How am I tran&s;ported with admiration and wonder! yet the&s;e do fail me! they flag, they cannot mount high enough by thou&s;ands of Degrees! Salvation is &s;o tran&s;cendent! O let my Love increa&s;e, grow ripe, a&s;cend &s;till higher and higher! How would the Damned value this Salva|tion, might they have but the lea&s;t hopes of ever being admitted to it? What e&s;teem have the Saints above for it? Yea, how do &s;incere Believers here prize it, e&s;pecially when they have a lively vigorous &s;en&s;e of it? St. <HI>Paul</HI> was po&s;itive, that to Die would be his Gain, <HI>Phil</HI> 1.21. <HI>Others were tortured, not accepting; deliverance, that they might ob|tain a better Re&s;urrection,</HI> Heb. 11.35.</P>
<P>O my &s;tupid &s;en&s;ele&s;s Soul! what ails thee, that thou &s;till lie&s;t grovelling here! that thy motion is &s;o &s;low! O! for the &s;tronge&s;t and mo&s;t &s;eraphick flights of Love! for the Exta&s;ies of Pa&s;&s;ion now! What, art thou bereaved of all thy Powers! Ha&s;t thou lo&s;t thy Nature? Art thou Metamorphos'd and chang'd into a lifele&s;s lump of Matter? Rouze and awake! exert and put forth all thy Strength! Tho hitherto thou ha&s;t been deceived by Objects much too little and
<PB N="59" REF="42">un&s;atisfying, here's that which calls for all thy Love, thy Zeal, thy Life! Here is Sal|vation, which much exceeds thy mo&s;t ex|tended thoughts, and reach! Here's that which none could ever e&s;teem according to the fulne&s;s of its worth; the mo&s;t glittering &s;plendid, worldly Triumphs, are at be&s;t but poor, deceitful, treacherous and in&s;ipid Vanities! all the Grandeur, Pomp and Glories here, do &s;oon decay and wither; do quickly dwindle into nothing! but this Salvation is truly great and Glorious; it is &s;ub&s;tantial, durable and &s;atisfying.</P>
<P>Mo&s;t holy, true and ble&s;&s;ed <HI>Je&s;us!</HI> thou ha&s;t expre&s;ly told us, that in thy Father's Hou&s;e there are many Man&s;ions, <HI>Joh.</HI> 14.2.3. That thou art gone to prepare a place for thy faithful People! And that thou wilt come again and receive them unto thy Self! that where thou art, there they may be al&s;o! Thou Prayed&s;t for them with mo&s;t tender and earne&s;t Affection, when thou wa&s;t here! And it is thy will and plea&s;ure, that thy Saints and Servants, tho&s;e whom the Father hath given thee, &s;hall be with thee where thou art, that they may behold thy Glory, <HI>Matt.</HI> 17.24. Thou do&s;t not enjoin them any thing in order to their being Sa|ved, but what thou wilt enable them by thy Spirit to perform! Nor any thing but
<PB N="60" REF="43">what thou can'&s;t make plea&s;ing and delight|ful to them, by the abundance of thy Grace! O Lord, I here ab&s;olutely re&s;ign my &s;elf to be guided by thy Coun&s;el; after|terwards receive me to Glory! Whom have I in Heaven but thee? There is none upon Earth I can de&s;ire be&s;ides thee! Be thou the &s;trength and the joy of my Heart, and my portion for ever! There is not any thing comparable to thy Salvation! Lord, take from me what thou wilt! make me Poor and needy! let me be Scorned and De&s;pi&s;ed! let my Body be Sick, and every part and Joynt of it, Sore and in Pain! let me be af|flicted and Per&s;ecuted! yea, do with me what thou wilt, &s;o that thou wilt grant that Grace and Peace may be multiplied to me at pre&s;ent, through the knowledge of thy &s;elf; &s;o that thou wilt be plea&s;ed, that I may at la&s;t obtain the end of my Faith and Hope, the Salvation of my Soul!</P>
<P><HI>Thirdly,</HI> No Per&s;on can with rea&s;on ex|pect, or hope his Soul &s;hall be Saved, who is not re&s;olvedly diligent in that cour&s;e God hath ordained and pre&s;cribed him for this purpo&s;e. That cu&s;tomary, &s;light, and for|mal cour&s;e, with which too many content them&s;elves, will not &s;uffice to &s;ecure their Salvation. The be&s;t have too much rea|&s;on to complain of them&s;elves, becau&s;e they
<PB N="61" REF="43">are &s;o &s;upine, remi&s;s and carele&s;s, about a bu&s;ine&s;s of &s;o great importance in it &s;elf, and unto which, the Holy and mo&s;t Righ|teous God requires all &s;hould give a diligent Attendance. This is the <HI>one Thing nece&s;&s;ary,</HI> which mu&s;t be minded with the greate&s;t &s;eriou&s;ne&s;s, whatever is Neglected. All o|ther Affairs and Bu&s;ine&s;&s;es, mu&s;t give place to this, if at any time they happen to inter|fere with it. A few accidental thoughts of, &s;ome flitting uncon&s;tant de&s;ires after Sal|vation; a cu&s;tomary ob&s;ervation of &s;ome of the outward parts of Devotion; an over-vehement heat for particular Modes of Wor&s;hip, &s;peculative Opinions, and doubtful Practices, will not avail any Man unto Salvation, but will render his Ca&s;e much more dangerous, if the main bent of his Heart and Affections, is after his Co|vetou&s;ne&s;s, his worldly and fle&s;hly Lu&s;ts, if his Life is blemi&s;hed and polluted with practices diametrically oppo&s;ite to the pow|er, e&s;&s;ence and de&s;ign of all true Religion.</P>
<P>If we will &s;ecure the Salvation of our Souls, we mu&s;t have, and cheri&s;h a com|po&s;edne&s;s, and &s;eriou&s;ne&s;s of Spirit, in &s;ome mea&s;ure &s;uitable to the Nature, Excellency, and Weightine&s;s of that we propound to our &s;elves. We mu&s;t attend to, and indu&s;tri|ou&s;ly pro&s;ecute that cour&s;e of Life and
<PB N="62" REF="44">Practice, which hath &s;ome affinity with, and bears &s;ome proportion to what we aim at. We mu&s;t be re&s;olvedly diligent in the u&s;e of tho&s;e Means God hath in&s;tituted for the furthering of us in it. And if we re|fu&s;e to walk in his way, and follow the method he hath directed us to, our Hope will certainly fail us, and we &s;hall be utterly without Excu&s;e.</P>
<P>Salvation is not to be attained &s;o ea&s;ily as multitudes dream it is, and as too many are enclined to flatter People it is. All would be Saved, and the greate&s;t part would fain be &s;aved in a way very little inconvenient, and contradictory to their &s;enual Lu&s;ts and Intere&s;ts, and then do too readily per&s;wade them&s;elves they may be Saved in &s;uch a way as is agreeable enough to their own extravagant Humours; in &s;uch a way as they would like be&s;t, and would pitch upon, if they were to appoint the way them&s;elves. It is a great unhappine&s;s, that the Chri&s;tian World hath been &s;o long troubled with a &s;ort of Per&s;ons, who pretending they have a right to in&s;truct others in the way to Hea|ven and Salvation, have contributed very much both by their Di&s;cour&s;es and Practi|ces, to reconcile the profe&s;&s;ion of Chri&s;ti|anity to Men's Ungodly Lu&s;ts, rather than to reconcile them they have pretended to
<PB N="63" REF="44">take care of, unto the truth and practice of that Religion they profe&s;&s;ed, who&s;e way to Salvation &s;eems every jot as broad as that our Ble&s;&s;ed Saviour cautioned People a|gain&s;t, a&s;&s;uring them, it would lead unto De&s;truction: Such Per&s;ons may ju&s;tly be reputed <HI>Factors</HI> for the <HI>Prince of Darkne&s;s,</HI> rather than <HI>Amba&s;&s;adors</HI> and <HI>Mini&s;ters</HI> of that Sacred and Divine Per&s;on, who came <HI>to de&s;troy the works of the Devil,</HI> and to &s;ave his People from their Sins. Great Re&s;olution and vigorous con&s;tant Diligence mu&s;t be u&s;ed by us, in order to Salvation, let Flat|tering Soul-de&s;troyers &s;ay what they plea&s;e to the contrary.</P>
<P>If we will be Saved and enter into Life, we mu&s;t keep God's Commandments; we mu&s;t mortifie our Lu&s;ts, be crucified to the World, and have the World crucified to us; we mu&s;t deny our &s;elves, and walk in a way contrary to tho&s;e of this World, who do lye in Wickedne&s;s, and are go|verned by that Spirit, which ruleth in the Children of Di&s;obedience. We mu&s;t ex|pect to meet with Difficulties and Oppo&s;i|tions, and mu&s;t re&s;olvedly through Divine a&s;&s;i&s;tance, encounter and vanqui&s;h them all. We mu&s;t have Grace; and act it &s;trenuou&s;ly and with great &s;eriou&s;ne&s;s and con&s;tancy, u&s;e appointed Means for the &s;trengthning, encrea&s;ing and confirming of our Graces;
<PB N="64" REF="45">and per&s;everingly &s;trive to improve and grow more and more in Knowledge, Faith, Hope, Love, and in all the parts of a truly Godly and Religious Life.</P>
<P>He who is the Author of eternal Salva|tion, the only Saviour of Sinners, did not acquaint them he loved mo&s;t, with any other way to Salvation, but Repenting throughly of Sin, believing in Him, obeying his Laws, and following his Example. He did not give any Indulgence to Peoples Lu&s;ts, nor did he countenance their Sloth. He peremptorily required them to <HI>&s;trive to enter in at the &s;trait Gate,</HI> Luke, 13.24. He is po&s;itive, that <HI>except your Righteou&s;ne&s;s exceed the Righteou&s;ne&s;s of the Scribes and Pha|ri&s;ees, you &s;hall in no wi&s;e enter into the King|dom of God,</HI> Matt. 5.20. He &s;aith, <HI>The King|dom of Heaven &s;uffereth Violence, and the Vio|lent take it by force,</HI> Matt. 11.12. Yea, he warns us again&s;t cheating our &s;elves with fal&s;e and groundle&s;s ea&s;y hopes; and a&s;|&s;ures us with great earne&s;tne&s;s and much &s;olemnity, that we will find our &s;elves mi|&s;taken and deceived, if we think to in&s;i&s;t upon any &s;pecious pretences at the la&s;t day, and will therefore content our &s;elves with what falls &s;hort of doing the Will of his Father which is is in Heaven. <HI>Not every one that &s;aith unto me, Lord, Lord, &s;hall I enter in|to
<PB N="65" REF="45">the Kingdom of Heaven, but he that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven. Many will &s;ay to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not Prophe&s;ied in thy Name? And in thy Name have ca&s;t out Devils? And in thy Name done many wonderful Works? And then will I profe&s;s unto them, I never knew you; depart from me ye that work Iniquity,</HI> Matt. 7.21, 22, 23. His Apo&s;tles afterwards certified the Peo|ple, they mu&s;t <HI>give diligence, to make their Calling and Election &s;ure, if they would be &s;ure not to mi&s;carry and fail,</HI> 2 Pet. 1.10. And that he is the <HI>Author of eternal Salvation, on|ly unto tho&s;e who do obey him,</HI> Heb. 5.9. With what &s;hadow of Rea&s;on can you pre|tend to hope for Salvation, if you will not credit him and his Apo&s;tles, but continue regardle&s;s of what they have &s;o vehemently affirmed indi&s;pen&s;ibly nece&s;&s;ary to your be|ing <HI>made meet to be partakers of the Inheri|tances of the Saints in Light?</HI> Is it not mo&s;t evident and plain, that the precious Pro|mi&s;es pertain only unto them who ap|prove them&s;elves re&s;olvedly diligent in e|&s;chewing what is Evil, and <HI>in perfecting of Holine&s;s in the fear of God,</HI> 2 Cor. 7.1. Is not this undoubtedly the great purport, the main de&s;ign, and the principal bu&s;ine&s;s of the whole Go&s;pel, <HI>viz.</HI> To in&s;truct, direct, oblige and a&s;&s;i&s;t us to <HI>deny all Ungodline&s;s
<PB N="66" REF="46">and worldly Lu&s;ts, and to live Godly, Righteou&s;ly, and Soberly in this pre&s;ent World,</HI> that we may be di&s;po&s;ed for everla&s;ting Salvation in the next World, <HI>Tit.</HI> 2.11, 12. Was not this the cour&s;e the Saints of Old took to make their Salvation &s;ure? Was it not from their having con&s;cienciou&s;ly followed this Me|thod, that they fetched their Evidences, to prove they had a right to hope and look for Savation? Was it not from this that they derived Comfort in their greate&s;t Di&s;tre&s;&s;es, and looked with &s;atisfaction and joy to hereafter, beyond time and days? <HI>This is our rejoicing, the Te&s;timony of our Con&s;ci|ences, that in Simplicity and Godly Sincerity, we have had our Conver&s;ation in the World,</HI> &amp;c. 2 Cor. 1.12. <HI>I have fought,</HI> (&s;aid <HI>St.</HI> Paul) <HI>a good Fight, I have fini&s;hed my Cour&s;e, I have kept the Faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteou&s;ne&s;s, which the Lord, the Righteous Judge will give unto me at that day,</HI> &amp;c. 2 Tim. 4.7, 8. Ought we not now to be followers of them, who through Faith and Patience, are Inheritors of the faithful Promi&s;es? Can any Man now pre|tend with any &s;hew of Rea&s;on, to expect Salvation, &s;o long as he continues Vicious and Immoral, Supercilious and Carele&s;s, Negligent and Slothful? Do you quit your &s;elves like good Chri&s;tians, whil&s;t you pre|&s;ume
<PB N="67" REF="46">on Salvation, in a way which is not con&s;i&s;tent with God's Commands? Whil&s;t you depend on what the Lord Je&s;us hath a&s;&s;ured you, will certainly fail you: Whil&s;t you have not one promi&s;e in all your Bible to countenance and &s;upport your Hope: Whil&s;t the whole Doctrin of Salvation, the entire Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t is again&s;t you: Whil&s;t you keep and continue in a way directly contrary to that, in which all tho&s;e did walk who are already got to Hea|ven?</P>
<P><HI>Fourthly,</HI> How ju&s;tly may they be Expo|&s;tulated with, and what keen Reproof do they de&s;erve who have been all their time regardle&s;s of the Salvation of their Souls? Indeed we are all faulty; we have been very defective and wanting; we have not done what wemight, to further and make our own Salvation &s;ure. What rea&s;on have we all to be deeply Humbled, to &s;mite upon our Brea&s;ts, and cry out again&s;t our &s;elves? Ah! mi&s;erable and ill-de&s;erving Wretches! we are horribly guilty! God be Merciful unto us, who have been &s;o carele&s;s of our own Salvation! How have we cumbered our &s;elves, been careful and troubled about many needle&s;s and unprofitable Matters, and left the <HI>one thing nece&s;&s;ary</HI> unheeded? How thoughtful and &s;ollicitous have we
<PB N="68" REF="47">been about our Food and Apparel! What we &s;hould Eat and Drink, and wherewith we &s;hould be Cloathed! With what eager, vehement de&s;ires and affections have we pur&s;ued the little Intere&s;ts of this pre&s;ent World? With what unwearied pains have we laboured for very Vanities! And how have we all this while &s;hamefully forgotten the holy God! &s;lighted the mo&s;t com|pa&s;&s;ionate and loving Je&s;us! not looked af|ter, nor &s;ought for the Kingdom of Hea|ven, and that Righteou&s;ne&s;s which prepares for, and leads us to it, with any tolerable Diligence and Concernedne&s;s! How have we neglected our eternal Salvation! We have not had a due regard to the &s;afety and well fare of our precious and Im|mortal Souls! the duties of Piety and offices of Religion, have either been wholly omitted by us, or el&s;e we have performed them in a very &s;uperficial, cold and heart|le&s;s manner! Who among&s;t us all can vin|dicate and clear him&s;elf from this Charge, before that God who ob&s;erves all our ways, knows our Hearts and tries our Reins? Or, what can we alledge and plead in our own Excu&s;e, if we have been by our own Con|fe&s;&s;ion thus Guilty? Is it not highly rea&s;on|able, and very fit we &s;hould all &s;trive to acquire a true &s;en&s;e of our own Guilt, and
<PB N="69" REF="47">accu&s;e and condemn our &s;elves? Cry im|portunately for Pardon and Mercy, imme|diately re&s;olve, and in a dependance on Divine a&s;&s;i&s;tance, pre&s;ently &s;et upon a faith|ful and mo&s;t vigorous Amendment? Sure it will become us to apply our &s;elves &s;peedi|ly, <HI>To work out our Salvation with fear and trembling, and to give all diligence to make our Calling and Election &s;ure.</HI></P>
<P>And if tho&s;e who have made the greate&s;t proficiency in Religion, have &s;o much oc|ca&s;ion to upbraid them&s;elves, and to ac|knowledge that they de&s;erve to have their Faces covered with Shame and Confu&s;ion; If &s;uch be &s;carcely &s;aved, then what may be &s;aid of others? Where &s;hall the Wicked and Ungodly, the openly Vicious and Pro|phane, the Unrighteous and Unmerciful, the Luxurious and the Covetous, the Form|ali&s;t and the Hypocrite appear?</P>
<P>All People are bu&s;ie and much concern|ed for &s;omething or other. We are con|cerned much for our Bodies, for our Tem|poral Life, Health, and Happine&s;s, for our Ea&s;e, our Plea&s;ure, our Profits; for our Hou&s;es, Lands, Cattle, Wares, Merchan|dize, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> But how few are concerned half &s;o much for their Souls and their Sal|vation, as they are for tho&s;e momentary, tran&s;ient, and uncertain things? Yet
<PB N="70" REF="48">every Man ought to be more concerned for the Salvation of his Soul, than for all other things. Sirs, reflect upon your &s;elves, and with good deliberation con&s;ider your State, and in what manner you have hi|therto behaved your &s;elves, and what is your Di&s;po&s;ition and Carriage? Do you not indulge your &s;elves in your Lu&s;ts and vicious Cour&s;es, tho you have been often admoni&s;hed and warned, and advi&s;ed to the contrary? Are you not indu&s;trious and diligent in providing for, and fulfilling the Lu&s;ts of the Fle&s;h? Do you not conform your &s;elves to the &s;inful fa&s;hions and cu&s;toms of this evil World? Do you not live and per&s;i&s;t in tho&s;e practices you are convinced in your Con&s;ciences, are di&s;allowed and condemned by him who will be your Judge, and which you have at lea&s;t pretended &s;o|lemnly to Renounce? Are you not Ene|mies in your minds to the power of God|line&s;s? Do you not make it appear by your practices, that you are not willing to be re|conciled to a &s;erious, gracious and heavenly cour&s;e of Life? How can you pretend you are concerned for your Salvation, whil&s;t you ob&s;tinately refu&s;e to walk in the only Way which leads unto it? Do you not make light of Chri&s;t? Are you not contentedly ignorant of the great Truths relating to his
<PB N="71" REF="48">Per&s;on, his Natures and his Offices, or at lea&s;t of the practical Improvement you &s;hould make of them? Do you not &s;turdi|ly reject his gracious Invitations, contemn his Authority, and refu&s;e to follow his Ex|ample? Does not the World and your Plea|&s;ures carry away your Affections and Hearts from him? Do you not undervalue the Or|dinances in&s;tituted in the Go&s;pel, and make little or no account of the means of Grace? Are you not altogether Heartle&s;s and Form|al in, and carele&s;s in being made better by the u&s;e of them? Do you not ordinarily allow any thing to excu&s;e you from at|tending on God in them, tho God hath writ to you the great things of his Law, <HI>Ho&s;.</HI> 8.12. Do you not account them as a &s;trange thing? Are you not altogether un|concerned for the due and &s;erious per|formance of the private duties of Religion? Do you not pa&s;s over Days and Weeks, without examining your Hearts, and en|quiring into your Practices and the State and condition of your Souls, without read|ing the word of God, &s;o as to inform your &s;elves thereby in his Mind, and quicken you to your Duties, without praying with &s;uch a compo&s;edne&s;s of Spirit and affecti|onatene&s;s of Soul, as the nature of that Du|ty and your own Ca&s;es call for? Do you
<PB N="72" REF="49">at all delight in &s;erious religious &s;piritual Di&s;cour&s;e? Or, do you make any enquiries for your &s;ound In&s;truction and &s;afe gui|dance in the way to Ble&s;&s;edne&s;s, and for your a&s;&s;i&s;tance towards Salvation? May you not ea&s;ily convince your &s;elves from the&s;e and the like In&s;tances that you do not heartily concern your &s;elves for, but are in|deed regardle&s;s of the Salvation of your Souls? And, will you ob&s;tinately continue &s;o?</P>
<P>O! how extreamly dangerous is your E|&s;tate! How ju&s;tly are you to be reproved, &s;eeing you have pa&s;s'd over &s;o much of your time in a neglect of that which &s;hould have been mo&s;t deeply Imprinted on your Hearts, and &s;hould have had the mo&s;t powerful in|fluence on your whole Practice! Your guilt is exceeding great, and you are ab|&s;olutely without Excu&s;e. You act again&s;t all the principles of Rea&s;on, and dictates of common Prudence. You run counter to your own Profe&s;&s;ion. You tear in pie|ces your mo&s;t &s;olemn and &s;acred Vows. You ca&s;t contempt upon God him&s;elf, and affront, &s;corn, and te&s;tifie your &s;pitefulne&s;s again&s;t the very Commi&s;eration and Love, the Bowels and Blood of his only Begotten Son. In&s;tead of reaping advantage from the Death of Chri&s;t, you do your utmo&s;t
<PB N="73" REF="49">to Crucifie him afre&s;h. You do what you are able to put him to open Shame. You manife&s;tly judge and declare your &s;elves unworthy of Eternal Life. You de&s;troy your own Hopes, and render the Patience and Mercy of God (other Peoples princi|pal Support and Comfort on all occa&s;ions) unconceivably Terrible and Frightful to your &s;elves. You forfeit what you pur&s;ue, and you turn your pre&s;ent Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions, into real Cur&s;es: And when you Peri&s;h ever|la&s;tingly, you will have and inherit your own Choice. You mu&s;t expect your Con|demnation will be much more aggravated than other Peoples. How little a while can you enjoy the Riches, Plea&s;ures and Vanities, you prefer above your Souls, and their Salvation? And whether do you think you can fly for help and comfort, when God and Chri&s;t &s;hall abandon you to the in&s;uperable la&s;hes and accu&s;ations of your own guilty Con&s;ciences? And to the never fading, but incomprehen&s;ible Torments of a Damned State.</P>
<P>You profe&s;s you believe there is &s;uch a ble&s;&s;ed and glorious E&s;tate to be obtained, as that is which the word of God doth give an account of: But you do not heartily be|lieve what you would have the World be|lieve you do. For were you really and
<PB N="74" REF="50">fully per&s;waded of the truth, certainty and excellency of what God hath promi&s;ed to the Faithful and Obedient, you would con|cern your &s;elves in good earne&s;t, to get an intere&s;t in, and right unto the &s;ame. If you had a &s;trong and firm per&s;wa&s;ion of tho&s;e things you would be throughly per|&s;waded, that the way God hath pre&s;cribed, is not only &s;uitable, but ab&s;olutely nece&s;&s;ary. You would be reconciled to follow that cour&s;e of Life, he hath ordained for them to walk in, who &s;hall inherit them. People do con&s;tantly act according to the predo|minancy of their Per&s;wa&s;ion and Belief. Lord! What Multitudes who profe&s;s the Chri&s;tian Faith, are ruined by a &s;ecret, but predominant Unbelief! It is an evil Heart of Unbelief, that makes to depart from the living God, <HI>Heb.</HI> 3.12.</P>
<P>You hehave your &s;elves in this Matter as if you were quite void of Rea&s;on. You are thoughtful enough in all other ca&s;es, pre|tend to be prudent, will think and con&s;i|der, ponder and project how to manage your little Half-penny Affairs to your ut|mo&s;t Advantage, and would not by any means give People occa&s;ion to &s;u&s;pect you incon&s;iderate and weak, &s;illy and indi&s;creet in ordering your Worldly Bu&s;ine&s;s. But as to what concerns your Souls and Eternity;
<PB N="75" REF="50">you live at random, as if the&s;e things were of no moment to you. Whereas, if you did but deliberately weigh your Actions <HI>in the Ballance of the Sanctuary,</HI> con&s;ider what you have done, and what you are about to do, and whether your Practices are con|&s;i&s;tent with, or have any relation to Salva|tion, it would be next to impo&s;&s;ible that you &s;hould continue &s;o unmindful of, and per&s;i&s;t in a cour&s;e of Practice &s;o plainly con|tradictory and fatal to your highe&s;t Inter|e&s;ts. Did you &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;ider on your ways, you would &s;oon perceive invincible Rea&s;ons why you &s;hould pre&s;ently alter your cour&s;e, and betake your &s;elves to a faithful and diligent ob&s;erving of the Divine Te&s;ti|monies, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 119.59. An irreparable mi&s;|carriage, admits of no Excu&s;e; yea, is hor|ribly aggravated, when it appears to be the pure effect of voluntary Incon&s;ideration. How exceedingly will it encrea&s;e a and heighten the torments of Damnation, when a Man &s;hall be nece&s;&s;itated to accu&s;e him|&s;elf, that he never con&s;idered what he did, nor would not think what he was to do, that he might be Saved?</P>
<P>What a groundle&s;s Confidence and de|&s;perate Pre&s;umption do you plea&s;e your &s;elves with, if you provide your &s;elves other claims to Salvation, than God will approve
<PB N="76" REF="51">of? How come you to have rea&s;on to think you have enough to plead for your ad|mi&s;&s;ion into the Kingdom of God, becau&s;e you enjoy outward Privileges, and partake of Go&s;pel Ordinances, whil&s;t you ca&s;t off all care, that the&s;e may have their proper effects on your Hearts and Lives, &s;ee|ing our Saviour, Lord and Judge hath ex|pre&s;ly &s;aid, <HI>Many will &s;ay to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not Prophe&s;ied in thy Name? And in thy Name have ca&s;t out Devils? And in thy Name done many wonderful Works? And then I will profe&s;s unto them, I never knew you; depart from me ye that work Iniquity,</HI> Mat. 7.22, 23. Can a gro&s;&s;er Dotage be imagined, than for People to live pre&s;ump|tuou&s;ly in evil Cour&s;es, and yet buoy up them&s;elves with confident hopes of making amends for their tran&s;gre&s;&s;ing of God's Laws, and of providing them&s;elves a &s;afe pa&s;&s;age to Heaven, when they can tarry no longer upon Earth, by ways of their own, or other Peoples devi&s;ing? This was an Impo&s;ture which prevailed among&s;t the <HI>Phari&s;ees</HI> of Old; it does obtain among&s;t the Super&s;titious in the&s;e days; it is the principal Fancy, which &s;upports the rude, im|moderate and unrea&s;onable Heat, People manife&s;t for tho&s;e matters, of which we read not one Syllable in any of the Divine
<PB N="77" REF="51">Oracles. O! the &s;en&s;ele&s;s delu&s;ions with which Multitudes willingly &s;uffer them|&s;elves to be cheated! and this in a Bu&s;ine&s;s of the greate&s;t Con&s;equence imaginable! With what ea&s;e and readine&s;s do men of ill Lives reconcile them&s;elves to confident hopes of Salvation, per&s;wading them&s;elves, that by a few new-devi&s;ed ways of Corpo|ral Mortifications, and empty Ab&s;tinencies, &s;ome ritual Ob&s;ervances, or at mo&s;t a pe|cuniary Indulgence, they &s;hall make a very good Comutation for all their Immoralities, and purcha&s;e an ea&s;ie Pa&s;sport unto Glory?</P>
<P>Sirs! What rea&s;on can you alledge for your entertaining and hardning your &s;elves in your vicious Cour&s;es with Diaboli|cal &s;ugge&s;tions? Why do you &s;uffer your &s;elves to be &s;o tamely impo&s;ed on, by your grand Adver&s;ary the Devil? He does all he can to lead his Captives on &s;moothly, and with|out any &s;u&s;picion, to that remedile&s;s Perdi|tion, where he de&s;igns they &s;hould be ever|la&s;tingly Lodged. When you plea&s;e your &s;elves that &s;uch &s;eriou&s;ne&s;s of Spirit, &s;uch holine&s;s of Life, &s;uch circum&s;pect Walking as the faithful Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel in&s;i&s;t on, and commend to People, is not nece&s;|&s;ary to your being Saved: Is it not the De|vil who doth furni&s;h you with the&s;e In&s;inu|ations? When you plead the Goodne&s;s and
<PB N="78" REF="52">Mercy of God in expre&s;s contradiction to the whole tenor of his Word. Whence doth this illu&s;ion ari&s;e but from your Minds be|ing darkned with the Vapours and Steams which a&s;cend from the Bottomle&s;s Pit? Why will you &s;o affront God, and abu&s;e his mo&s;t Divine Excellencies, to di&s;gui&s;e the infernal Treachery of the Father of Lies, and great de&s;troyer of Souls? Who but your mo&s;t mi&s;chievous Enemy can prompt you thus to pervert the Declarations of God's Goodne&s;s, to defeat the main intend|ment of the riches of his Grace? Can you exerci&s;e your Rea&s;on, can you Meditate and think in any degree, and yet believe you &s;hall be able to vindicate your tenaci|ous adhering to a Notion which Cancels all the Authority of God's Commands, de|ve&s;ts him of his Truth and Faithfulne&s;s, and transforms his whole Revelation into a plain piece of Fal&s;hod and Impo&s;ture?</P>
<P>How wretchedly does Satan infatuate and befool you, when he per&s;wades you to put off your concerning your &s;elves for the Salvation of your Souls, to <HI>a more con|venient Sea&s;on?</HI> And prevails with you to &s;tifle, efface and vanqui&s;h your pre&s;ent Con|victions, by pretending you may do it with <HI>a better Grace</HI> hereafter; and that a riper and more mature Age, will be much more pro|per
<PB N="79" REF="52">for, and agreeable to &s;o Au&s;tere and Grave a Bu&s;ine&s;s? Whom do you gratifie in neglecting to mind your Salvation, but your wor&s;t and mo&s;t mi&s;chievous Enemy? And will you humor him, when you can|not do it any other way, than by running the mo&s;t Di&s;mal Risk, and rendring your Salvation at lea&s;t next to Impo&s;&s;ible? Can any time be &s;o convenient for this Work, as the pre&s;ent, &s;eeing the pre&s;ent is the only Sea&s;on you can call your own? Seeing you are not &s;ure of more time to mind it in? Seeing the pre&s;ent Sea&s;on is the only time, wherein you can truly hope to attend it with good Succe&s;s? Are you &s;o de&s;titute of Rea&s;on and good Sen&s;e, as not to perceive that if you allow Satan to have &s;uch an a|&s;cendent over you, as to wheedle you at this rate, he will drill you on &s;o long, you will have no time at la&s;t to concern your &s;elves for the Salvation of your Souls, to any purpo&s;e?</P>
<P>Sirs, what do you mean? What is your Purpo&s;e? What are you re&s;olved on? Sure you will not &s;ay, you fully determin to de|&s;troy tho&s;e precious Souls you are entru&s;ted with, and make an Experiment, how much your abu&s;ing Divine Patience, con|temning infinite Mercy, and de&s;pi&s;ing the Riches of God's Grace, will add to the
<PB N="80" REF="53">Horror and Angui&s;h of the Damned. Oh! that you would &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;ider of Mat|ters, and <HI>&s;hew your &s;elves Men,</HI> yea, &s;hew your &s;elves what according to your Profe&s;&s;ion you &s;hould be, <HI>Chri&s;tians,</HI> before the <HI>door of Hope</HI> be quite &s;hut; whil&s;t there remains a po&s;&s;ibility of e&s;caping that <HI>Ven|geance, and fiery Indignation, which &s;hall de|vour the Adver&s;aries!</HI> Do you think you are able to contend with the <HI>Almighty?</HI> Are you equal Matches for that God, who is a <HI>Con&s;uming Fire?</HI> Can you with calm and &s;e|rene Minds, <HI>dwell with Everla&s;ting Burnings?</HI> Alas! how &s;oon may God begin to write again&s;t you <HI>Bitter things?</HI> How &s;oon can he throw your Con&s;ciences into <HI>Convnl&s;ions,</HI> and wound your Souls, by cau&s;ing the In|venomed Darts of his Fury to &s;tick fa&s;t in them? In what a ca&s;e will you be, <HI>When the Lord Je&s;us &s;hall be revealed from Heaven with his mighty Angels, in flaming Fire, taking vengeance on them who know not God, and that obey not the Go&s;pel of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, who &s;hall be puni&s;hed with everla&s;ting De&s;tructi|ou, from the pre&s;ence of the Lord, and from the power of his Glory,</HI> 2 The&s;&s;. 1.7, 8, 9, What will you do, when the <HI>Great and terrible day of the Lord &s;hall come?</HI> Whether will you then fly? How will you then be able to ap|pear before, and look your incen&s;ed Judge
<PB N="81" REF="53">in the Face? What will you then plead for your &s;elves? Where do you think to hide your &s;elves? Rocks and Mountains cannot then conceal you! What can &s;creen you from irre&s;i&s;tible Power? How do you think you &s;hall e&s;cape the effects of Impartial Ju|&s;tice? <HI>Now con&s;ider this, ye that forget God, le&s;t he tear you in pieces, and there be none to deli|ver,</HI> P&s;al. 50.22.</P>
<P>But alas! how difficultly are &s;uch Peo|ple brought to con&s;ider <HI>the things which be|long to their Peace?</HI> What multitudes are there every where who have &s;o habituated them&s;elves to neglect their Salvation, and to tho&s;e cour&s;es which have the plaine&s;t tendency to ruin their Souls Everla&s;tingly; they have hardned them&s;elves again&s;t all Reproof; who&s;e Con&s;ciences are &s;o can|teriz'd, or &s;eared, they can hear the mo&s;t dreadful threatnings Recorded in the Word of God, and their Hearts not be moved or affected at all with them? yea, in expre&s;s defiance of tho&s;e Menaces, can <HI>Ble&s;s them|&s;elves in their Iniquities.</HI> What &s;o &s;trange and &s;o amazing! as that People &s;hould be in &s;o forlorn a State, and yet will not be pre|vailed with by any means to take notice of it! They are &s;en&s;ible of Hunger, Cold, Sickne&s;s, any Corporal wants and pains, of trouble&s;ome Times, worldly Lo&s;&s;es, un|rea&s;onable
<PB N="82" REF="54">Weather, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> But have no &s;en&s;e of their &s;piritual Wants, and the great dan|ger their Souls are in. Tho they are under the wrath of God, &s;tand on the very brink of Hell, and are not certain of being one Hour out of unquenchable Flames, yet they are altogether unconcerned, can Eat and Drink and Sleep, and follow their Sports, and worldly Bu&s;ine&s;&s;es with Eager|ne&s;s, as if they were in no danger, nor had any rea&s;on at all to be afraid. <HI>There is a way that &s;eemeth right unto a Man, but the end thereof are the ways of Death,</HI> Prov. 14.12. O that the carnally &s;ecure and pre|&s;umptuous would ponder, believe, and faithfully apply this Scripture to them|&s;elves! I do not only pity multitudes of ignorant poor People, who mind nothing but a pre&s;ent Livelyhood, but a great many who live in pomp, have huge worldly Po&s;|&s;e&s;&s;ions, do fair Deliciou&s;ly every day, be|&s;tow the mo&s;t of their thoughts, and the greate&s;t portions of their time, and their Wealth, upon their Bodies, which mu&s;t in a little time be laid in the Grave, and at la&s;t, (unle&s;s they come to be of another Mind, and to alter their cour&s;e in due time before they Die) together with their mi&s;erable, guilty, neglected Souls, be Tor|mented in Hell Fire for ever.</P>
<PB N="83" REF="54">
<P><HI>Fifthly,</HI> It is very fit and meet, that eve|ry one &s;hould make a &s;erious, &s;trict and impartial Enquiry into him&s;elf, whether he has been duly concerned for the Salvation of his own Soul, or have hitherto been re|gardle&s;s of, and neglected this mo&s;t nece&s;|&s;ary and important Bu&s;ine&s;s? Let us &s;peedi|ly &s;et apart &s;ome portion of our time for this Work, and employ our calme&s;t and mo&s;t penetrating Thoughts in &s;earching out the State and Condition of our Souls. In con&s;idering what we have been doing? Whether we are going? What will be|come of us, if we &s;hould pre&s;ently be Sum|moned to appear before God's Tribunal? Whither we mu&s;t be Sentenced to that un|quenchable Fire, which is <HI>prepared for the Devil and his Angels,</HI> or to dwell with Chri&s;t in Glory? Whether we &s;hall &s;ee the Face of God with Comfort and Joy, or have our Souls filled with A&s;toni&s;hment and Con|fu&s;ion? Whether we &s;hall hear tho&s;e joyful Words, <HI>Well done thou good and faithful Ser|vant,</HI> or that terrible Thunder, <HI>Depart thou Cur&s;ed, I know thee not thou wicked doer?</HI> It doth behove us to enquire &s;eriou&s;ly, and to get &s;peedily a &s;ound knowledge of the E|&s;tate of our Souls, le&s;t Death and Hell &s;hould &s;urprize us; Death and Judgment are ha&s;tning a pace, and it will be too late
<PB N="84" REF="55">to think of amending what is ami&s;s, and flying from Wrath, if we leave this World in an unreconciled E&s;tate. Yet you have time and means, and encouragements and helps to di&s;cover the Truth of your Con|dition; yet you may prevent your eternal Mi&s;ery, if you have been unconcerned for your Souls; yet you may e&s;cape the Pu|ni&s;hments you have de&s;erved, if you be truly &s;en&s;ible of your Sin, Guilt and danger, do humbly betake you unto Chri&s;t, reform your Lives, clo&s;e with the offers of Mercy, and lay hold of the Grace which is ten|dred.</P>
<P>You will &s;ay (it may be) you hope well, and you tru&s;t that all will end well. But I pray you, what ground have you for that Hope and Tru&s;t? Groundle&s;s Hope will not Save you. Such Hope is but Pre&s;ump|tion, it hath ruin'd Thou&s;ands and Millions. Examin your &s;elves therefore impartially, &s;earch out what your E&s;tate is, bring this matter to a full determinate I&s;&s;ue. Awake carele&s;s drow&s;ie Soul! plea&s;e not thy &s;elf with fooli&s;h Dreams any longer! Lord of all Grace and Might! pour down thy gra|cious Influences! awake our drow&s;ie, &s;leepy, &s;en&s;ele&s;s Con&s;ciences, make us to attend to, and obey the word of Exhortation!</P>
<PB N="85" REF="55">
<P>Hearken every one, li&s;ten to Advice, and improve the pre&s;ent Opportunity: Know that you are called on, exhorted and warn|ed, and if you continue finally &s;turdy and di&s;obedient, you will be without Excu&s;e. If you Peri&s;h, your Blood will be required at your own Hands. Your Damnation will lye wholly upon your &s;elves. Con&s;ider there|fore,</P>
<P N="1">1. If you have been unconcerned all your time for your Souls and their Salvation, and are under the power of Sin and your Lu&s;ts, and in an unreconciled E&s;tate, you are in a very evil and dangerous E&s;tate. You have been pulling down in&s;upportable loads of Wrath upon your &s;elves. If you per&s;i&s;t and die in this E&s;tate, it will be im|po&s;&s;ible for any thing to interpo&s;e and &s;creen you from the terrible &s;trokes of divine Ven|geance, or to &s;upport and bear you up, un|der that mighty weight of Horror and Torment you have been hailing upon your Selves. What trembling of Heart, failing of Eyes, and &s;orrow of Soul will then &s;eize on you? Is this an e&s;tate to be de&s;ired? Is this an E&s;tate to &s;leep and &s;lumber and re|po&s;e your &s;elves quietly in?</P>
<P N="2">2. This was your E&s;tate once. We are all naturally concluded under Sin and Guilt. <HI>Children of Wrath, dead in Tre&s;pa&s;&s;es and Sins;</HI>
<PB N="86" REF="56">without Holine&s;s, unconcerned for our Souls, Enemies to God, and obnoxious unto his Di&s;plea&s;ure. And every Man continues in this evil E&s;tate, till he is effectually Rege|nerated, and doth heartily entertain the <HI>word of Reconciliation,</HI> by and through Je&s;us Chri&s;t. Till a real, &s;piritual, gracious Change is wrought in him, he is an Enemy to God, is actually provoking of God, and trea&s;uring up Wrath for him&s;elf again&s;t that Great Day, when the Di&s;obedient and Unbelieving, and tho&s;e who are uncon|cerned for their precious Souls, mu&s;t be De&s;troyed, with an utter and an everla&s;t|ing De&s;truction. Tho&s;e who are now in the holie&s;t and happie&s;t E&s;tate, were once in this Guilty and wretched E&s;tate. <HI>Such were &s;ome of you,</HI> &amp;c. 1 Cor. 6.11. We our &s;elves were <HI>&s;ometime fooli&s;h di&s;obedient, &s;erving divers Lu&s;ts,</HI> &amp;c. Tit. 3.3.</P>
<P N="3">3. You have too ju&s;t ground to &s;u&s;pect and fear you are in this dreadful E&s;tate, till you make a faithful enquiry into your E&s;tate. You cannot ordinarily have a &s;ound knowledge, that your Souls are in a good condition, without reflecting upon your &s;elves, and de&s;cending to a &s;trict and faith|ful Examination. If you entertain an opi|nion that all is well and &s;afe, as to your Souls, you have no occa&s;ion to take any
<PB N="87" REF="56">comfort in that Opinion, becau&s;e you have no ground or rea&s;on for it, which you know of. It may be meer <HI>Diabolical Delu|&s;ion</HI> for any thing you know to the contra|ry, having never duly enquired into the Matter. Yea,</P>
<P N="4">4. The more &s;ecure and confident you are, having never made a thorough enquiry into the State of your Souls, the more &s;ad and dangerous your E&s;tate is. For this ar|gues you have &s;inned your &s;elves out of a &s;en&s;e of all your &s;piritual and eternal Con|cernments; and that you have &s;o entirely committed your &s;elves to Satan's Conduct, as to rely on his Word for your Safety and Happine&s;s. 'Tis his Intere&s;t to do what he can to &s;upport and heighten your Pre&s;ump|tion, and to prevent your being prevailed with to &s;earch &s;eriou&s;ly into your E&s;tate. He would deceive but few, did he not flat|ter them with hopes of Heaven at la&s;t. Could you &s;ee from one end and &s;ide of Hell, to the other, what a dreadful Spect|acle would you behold? And among&s;t tho&s;e enumerable multitudes of Damned Wretches which have gone thither in every Age of the World; how few would you &s;ee in compari&s;on of tho&s;e who were &s;e|cure, confident, &s;elf-deluding Sinners when they were on Earth? Who went thither
<PB N="88" REF="57">Blindfold, refu&s;ing to &s;earch into their E|&s;tate, and con&s;ider whether they were go|ing? Who were re&s;olved to Believe well, and Hope well, (as they phras'd it) of them&s;elves, without ever examining their Spiritual E&s;tate, in defiance of all Warn|ings and Exhortations that could be ad|mini&s;tred unto them? What a deplorable thing is it, to con&s;ider how People do at Satan's in&s;tigation, harden them&s;elves a|gain&s;t Fear, and all Con&s;ideration, &s;o that they will not &s;u&s;pect they may be in the way to Hell, till they do irrecoverably drop into it? And,</P>
<P N="5">5. In what a fearful E&s;tate wilt thou be, who ob&s;tinately refu&s;e&s;t to con&s;ider what thy condition really is, if at la&s;t thou be found an unreconciled Sinner, utterly un|concerned for the Salvation of thy Soul? If this be thy ca&s;e when Death hath &s;eized thee, thou mu&s;t pre&s;ently &s;ink into un|quenchable Flames. And then what a mi|&s;erable helple&s;s Wretch wilt thou be for ever? What a dreadful thing will it be to be &s;cared and rafted out of thy Spiritual Slumber and Sleep, by the actual Pains and Agonies of Damnation? Should a Man Sleeping at his own home, be a little mo|ved with the cry of <HI>Fire, Fire!</HI> but without enquiring whether his Dwelling-place were
<PB N="89" REF="57">in Danger, &s;hould compo&s;e him&s;elf again for Sleep, and not awake, till ra&s;ted out of his Sleep by the &s;corching heat and vehe|ment noi&s;e of the Fire burning down his own Hou&s;e, and &s;hould he as &s;oon as his Eyes are open, behold his Bed and all his Room in Flames, how ga&s;tly would he look, being thus affrighted out of his Sleep, and &s;eeing no way to e&s;cape tho&s;e devou|ring Flames, which have &s;eized on every part of his Room? What loud Outcries, and dreadful Schrieks would he utter? How deplorable &s;hould we conceive his condi|tion, &s;hould we &s;ee his ga&s;tly Looks, and hear his Roarings, and his mournful Groans, whil&s;t Burning and Roa&s;ting in the Flames of his own Hou&s;e, not able to fly from that &s;corching Fire, nor any able to come near to help him, becau&s;e compa&s;&s;ed in by tho&s;e furious and mercile&s;s Flames? If this would be &s;o full of Terror to that mi&s;erable unfor|tunate dying Per&s;on, and would fill the Beholders with mo&s;t affectionate Trouble and Grief, what mu&s;t the Dread and Hor|ror of that Sinner be, who &s;leeping &s;ecurely in his Sins, will take no warning, but at la&s;t is rafted out of his Sleep by the Flames of Hell, and finds him&s;elf as &s;oon as ever he awakes, in unquenchable Burnings, and his E&s;tate becomes one dreadful Schriek, conti|nued
<PB N="90" REF="58">(if I may &s;o phra&s;e it) to the utmo&s;t length of Eternity?</P>
<P N="6">6. Remember, we mu&s;t every one be concerned for our own Salvation, and we mu&s;t every one try our &s;elves, and examin our own E&s;tate; for none can do the&s;e things effectually for us without our con|currence, and we mu&s;t every one an&s;wer before God for our &s;elves, and be Saved or Damned in our own Per&s;ons. Others may advi&s;e and coun&s;el us, give rules and directions to a&s;&s;i&s;t us in the Work, but they cannot peremptorily determin the Ca&s;e, for our Hearts may be fal&s;e and rotten, and corrupt, prophane, hypocritical and proud, when we are performing the outward parts of Duties; yea, when we perform them to the great liking and admiration of others. If it appear at la&s;t that we have been un|concerned for our Souls, and died impe|nitently in our Sins, who &s;hall an&s;wer for us? Will any one take off the blame from us? Alas! we mu&s;t an&s;wer for our &s;elves, and bear our own Sins. Witne&s;&s;es and Ac|cu&s;ers there will be enough again&s;t us, but not one Advocate. Not one of all tho&s;e Multitudes who follow &s;ome wicked Mens Corp&s;es to the Grave, either can or dares go along with the Soul to God's Tribunal, to plead for and an&s;wer God on its behalf.
<PB N="91" REF="58">If thou art wicked and unconcerned for thy own Salvation, and die&s;t Impenitent, no other Per&s;on will go to Hell in thy &s;tead, but thou mu&s;t bear thy own guilt, peri&s;h, and be Damned and Tormented everla&s;t|ingly in thy own Per&s;on. Search therefore &s;peedily into your E&s;tate, and leave not Matters of &s;uch weight, to all Adventures, and at Uncertainties. Let us be prevailed with to &s;et about this work in all &s;incerity, and without delay, that we may every one be acquainted with our own E&s;tate, and learn how we are to manage and behave our &s;elves for the future, and what cour&s;e we are to apply our &s;elves unto further, in order to our everla&s;ting Wellfare,</P>
<P>Some of you have pa&s;t over a great many Years, and have no rea&s;on to expect that you &s;hould live many more. Now, if you have been regardle&s;s of your Souls, and have hitherto neglected to examin your E&s;tate, how ought you to be troubled for &s;o great faults? What Sins might you have avoided? What Good might you have done? What Comfort might you have trea&s;ur'd up for your &s;elves, had you begun and faith|fully gone through this Enquiry &s;ome Years ago? Take heed of continuing your Neg|lect; refu&s;e not to comply with this pre&s;ent Entreaty, le&s;t God &s;hould give you over in
<PB N="92" REF="59">Judgment, and you &s;hould be hardned and &s;ealed to a mo&s;t ju&s;t and dreaful Condem|nation. Why will you refu&s;e and &s;in again&s;t your own Mercies? Why will you bring your own <HI>Gray Hairs to the Grave with Sor|row?</HI> Why will you pierce your own Hearts thorough with Sorrow? Why will you ru|in and de&s;troy your own &s;elves? Is it not yet high time for you to know and under|&s;tand what you have been doing? Whom you have been &s;erving? And what is like to become of you for ever?</P>
<P>And you who are not &s;o much &s;tricken in years, even the younge&s;t of you, who are come to years of Di&s;cretion, it behoves you to be very inqui&s;itive about the State of your Souls. What Con&s;ternation and Amazement will &s;eize you, if you &s;hould be cut off in the mid&s;t of your Years, and then eternally upbraid your &s;elves with ha|ving &s;pent the be&s;t of your Years, and the choice&s;t of your Strength, yea, your whole time in a way of Ho&s;tility and War again&s;t God? You have no more a&s;&s;urance of time than the olde&s;t Man has; and if you die in the flower of your Age, in an un-recon|ciled E&s;tate, wholly unconcerned for the &s;alvation of your Souls, you mu&s;t as infal|libly be Sentenced unto Hell, as the olde&s;t and mo&s;t overgrown Sinner in the World.
<PB N="93" REF="59">The infernal Flames will prey as violently on you who are thrown into them in your greener Age, as they will on tho&s;e who are ca&s;t into them in their decayed and wither|ed Age. A &s;trong Fire burns the greene&s;t Log, as well as the drie&s;t, tho the green may make a little more noi&s;e for a while. Whatever your outward State and Circum|&s;tances may be in this World, be you Rich or Poor, High or Low, Learned or Un|learned, Ma&s;ter or Servant, you are equal|ly concerned in this Bu&s;ine&s;s. He that lives and dies in an un-regenerate E&s;tate, wholly regardle&s;s of, and unconcerned for his Sal|vation, will lo&s;e his Soul, his whole &s;elf, and what hath any Man More? Or, if he have, What is all the World to one who is Damned, and in Eternal Torments?</P>
<P>Good Lord, open the Hearts of Sinners now, that they may entertain Advice! And &s;o improve what hath been &s;aid, that it may produce &s;ome good Effect! Let not every one continue in a groundle&s;s Soul-de&s;troying Pre&s;umption! Let not Satan triumph, that he carries all away headlong and unconcernedly unto Hell, in defiance of all per&s;wa&s;ion to Con&s;ideration and En|quiry! Lord, let not the Exhortation be wholly lo&s;t! but cau&s;e &s;ome one Self-delu|ding
<PB N="94" REF="60">Wretch to be awakened, and brought to a right Mind!</P>
<P>Friend! what do&s;t thou intend to do? Wilt thou &s;tubbornly &s;hut thy Eyes and &s;lumber, till Vengeance doth actually &s;eize on thee? Till infinite Wrath come upon thee and &s;urround thee, &s;o that there &s;hall be no e&s;caping? Can&s;t thou be contented to be reproached by multitudes of forlorn undone Souls, that thou art the <HI>Mon&s;ter</HI> that would'&s;t not hearken and con&s;ider, but would'&s;t voluntarily Damn thy Self, in op|po&s;ition to all Per&s;wa&s;ion? Search and try thy &s;elf now at la&s;t, and take heed le&s;t there be in thee a Root that beareth Gall and Wormwood, and do not whil&s;t thou hear|e&s;t the&s;e words, <HI>Ble&s;s thy &s;elf in thy Heart, &s;aying, I &s;hall have Peace, tho I walk in the I|magination of my Heart, to add Drunkenne&s;s to Thir&s;t,</HI> Deut. 29.18, &amp;c. Know thou who ever thou art, the Lord will not &s;pare thee, but the Anger of the Lord and his Jealou&s;ie &s;hall &s;moke again&s;t thee, and all the Cur&s;|es that are written in his Book, &s;hall lye upon thee; the Lord &s;hall &s;eparate thee un|to Evil, according to all the Cur&s;es of the Covenant, that are written in his Book.</P>
<P>Sirs, have &s;ome pity upon your &s;elves! What hurt have your precious Souls ever done you, that you &s;hould thus neglect and
<PB N="95" REF="60">ca&s;t them out of your thoughts, that you &s;hould revenge your &s;elves on them in this manner? How can you think to e&s;cape, if you &s;till neglect this Enquiry? What will you &s;ay for your &s;elves at the Great Day of the Lord? Sure you will not pretend you were never warned, or per&s;waded. And would not tho&s;e Powers and Faculties you employ in examining other matters, &s;erve you to much better purpo&s;e on this account? And hath not God given you a Rule, and &s;et you down Marks and Characters, by comparing your &s;elves with which, you may acquire a di&s;tinct and true knowledge of your E&s;tate? Do not your Bibles tell you very plainly, what &s;orts of People will be &s;hut out of the Kingdom? And how &s;hould you know, whether you be or be not of tho&s;e numbers, if you refu&s;e to examin and make a true judgment of your &s;elves? Pre&s;ume what you plea&s;e of your &s;elves, God cannot be deceived, nor will he be mocked. Death and Judgment will in due time fully di&s;cover the truth of your State, both to your &s;elves, and to all the World. Can you imagin that this Enquiry &s;hould do you any prejudice? If you have been, and are duly concerned for your Salvation, nothing can fill you with a greater and &s;uch rational Joy and Comfort, than to
<PB N="96" REF="61">perceive this atte&s;ted upon a ju&s;t Search, by the word of God; and that an eternal and glorious Inheritance is made &s;ure to you, by the promi&s;e of that God who can|not lye. Whereas a neglect of this Enquiry mu&s;t needs deprive you of the be&s;t and greate&s;t comfort of your Lives. If you have been and &s;till are unconcerned for your Salvation, nothing can more mi&s;chievou&s;ly hinder your recovery out of that dangerous E&s;tate you are in, than your refu&s;ing to try and examin your &s;elves. Make no de|lay therefore, but pre&s;ently betake your &s;elves to what you are per&s;waded unto. O! that you would be &s;o kind to me, to grant me this one reque&s;t! I beg it of you for your own Sakes! I have no Intere&s;t to &s;erve by it but your own, that you may pre&s;ently e|&s;cape out of the &s;nares of the Devil, and be &s;afe from eternal Agonies, that you may not walk any longer in the Broad Road, which ends in Hell, and irre|pairable De&s;truction, but may live in Peace and Comfort here, and Reign with Chri&s;t in Glory for ever.</P>
<P>Rea&s;on then and argue with your &s;elves about this Matter. Cannot you di&s;cour&s;e thus with your &s;elves? How terrible and dreadful a thing will it be, to be found at la&s;t a neglecter of Salvation, one who hath
<PB N="97" REF="61">been all his Life unconcerned for his Soul! To have God and Chri&s;t Enemies, when I mu&s;t appear before their Tribunal! He that commanded me into Being and Life, can with a word &s;peak me into Eternal Mi&s;ery! The Holy God, I mu&s;t needs ac|knowledge, loves Holine&s;s, and cannot but hate Iniquity. He will in his Righteous Judgment, infallibly make a difference be|twixt People. He will a&s;&s;uredly &s;eparate the Holy from the Vile. <HI>Then &s;hall the Righteous be di&s;cerned from the Wicked, and he that &s;erveth God, from him that &s;erveth him not,</HI> Mal. 3.17, 18. I am at pre&s;ent undoubt|edly of one of the&s;e Ranks. And doth it not much concern me to under&s;tand what my E&s;tate is? Carele&s;s negligent Wretch! in omitting an enquiry of &s;uch Importance &s;o long! The time pa&s;t &s;hall &s;uffice, to have lived in &s;o &s;upine and unthoughtful a manner! My Eyes &s;hall not Sleep, nor will I give &s;lumber to my Eye-lids, till I have made a diligent Enquiry, and do know what the Word of the Lord doth &s;ay of, and to me! I dare not lye down to Sleep, till I have examined my E&s;tate! till, if it appear I have been unconcerned hitherto for my Soul and its Salvation; I have &s;ued hearti|ly for Pardon and Peace through the Blood
<PB N="98" REF="62">of Chri&s;t! le&s;t I &s;hould &s;leep the Sleep of Death! le&s;t De&s;truction &s;hould &s;urprize me! And I &s;hould awake in tho&s;e Flames which will never be quenched! Be gone all Ex|cu&s;es, for I have no Bu&s;ine&s;s &s;o nece&s;&s;ary to be attended to, as this! I am not at lei&s;ure to follow any Sports, or to mind Wealth, or Honors, yea, or the Nece&s;&s;a|&s;aries of this pre&s;ent Life, whil&s;t I am Ig|norant of the State of my Soul, and know not whether I have been duly concerned, that my Salvation may be made &s;ure! I will not any longer venture Eternity upon Uncertainties! Now I have been called on, and exhorted to apply my &s;elf to this Exa|mination! Should I refu&s;e to comply, God may ju&s;tly &s;uffer me to be hardned in my Sins. I may never have the like opportu|nity again! Tho I &s;hould find I have hi|therto been unconcerned for the happine&s;s of my Soul, yet eternal Mi&s;ery may be prevented! There yet remains place for Repentance! and &s;ome ground to hope that I may find favour with the Lord! There|fore I am re&s;olved, nothing &s;hall divert me from going through with this Work. Lord! powerfully fix my Re&s;olution! Keep my my Mind and Heart intent on this Bu&s;ine&s;s, and give me the gracious a&s;&s;i&s;tance of thy
<PB N="99" REF="62">holy and powerful Spirit, to guide and car|ry me with &s;ucce&s;s thorough it!</P>
<P><HI>Sixthly,</HI> You who have been carele&s;s of your Souls, and their Salvation, till this time, &s;hould now be prevailed with to concern your &s;elves with all &s;eriou&s;ne&s;s and earne&s;t|ne&s;s, that they may be &s;ecured. Could I &s;et forth a mi&s;erable E&s;tate before you, in the mo&s;t doleful Strains, and with the fulle&s;t account of aggravating Circum&s;tances ima|ginable, I &s;hould not declare the thou|&s;andth part of your Wretchedne&s;s. The Groans and Sobs of the Damned, manife&s;t they cannot &s;peak what they feel; their Shrieks and Clamours are but broken Rela|tions of the Horrors and Pains they &s;ink under. And you are obnoxious to all that Wrath which doth &s;o terrifie and over|whelm them. If you &s;till continue &s;ecure, and cannot bemoan your &s;elves, nor cry heartily for Pity and Mercy, your Danger encrea&s;es. Did you under&s;tand what you are doing, what Vengeance you are trea|&s;uring up for your &s;elves; whom you are Offending; what Souls you are Murther|ing; what a glorious, holy, powerful, ju&s;t God you are Provoking, what a Change would &s;oon appear in you? You would look upon all your Enjoyments as nothing
<PB N="100" REF="63">worth; you would look upon the Plea&s;ures, Riches and Honors of this World, as in|&s;ipid u&s;ele&s;s things. The whole World would be no more to you than a Pri&s;on, or Dungeon, in which you are re&s;erved till the Sentence of Wrath is to be Executed on you. <HI>The wicked is re&s;erved to the day of De&s;truction; they &s;hall be brought forth to the day of Wrath,</HI> Job 21.30. Were you &s;en&s;ible what Love you de&s;pi&s;e; what Salvation you neglect; what Mercy you trample under your Feet; what Grace you reject; what Patience and Goodne&s;s you abu&s;e, and what great things you might lay hold on, what Inheritances you might obtain, what Glory you may be a&s;&s;ured of, if you would but con&s;ider things aright, and approve your &s;elves truly Wi&s;e; what an alteration would &s;oon appear in your Carriage and Con|duct? You will in a little time be convinced fully of the truth of all this. When Death hath executed its Commi&s;&s;ion again&s;t you, and your Souls are dragg'd into another World, continue Infidels if you can. When you have drank a few draughts more, &s;pent a little time more in your Sports and Games, &s;lept a few Nights, drudg'd and toil'd a few days more, you will &s;ee and know, and be convinced of the&s;e things in another man|ner.
<PB N="101" REF="63">Then you will have no need of &s;uch Mini&s;ters to tell you of them, who&s;e warn|ings you can now &s;light, who&s;e Exhorta|tions and Coun&s;el you can now reject with Scorn and Contempt. For then you will hear the Sentence of Condemnation from One, the Glory of who&s;e appearing, you will not be able to endure, who&s;e Pre&s;ence will grieve and terrifie you.</P>
<P>But your ca&s;e is not yet quite De&s;perate. If you will now concern your &s;elves heartily for your Souls, and apply your &s;elves in good earne&s;t, to make their Sal|vation &s;ure, there is &s;ome ground for Hope, Mercy may yet be had. The Scepter of Grace is &s;till held forth. Your endle&s;s Mi|&s;ery may yet be prevented. You may yet be made Holy and Gracious, behold God's reconciled Face, and inherit incomprehen|&s;ible Glory and Ble&s;&s;edne&s;s. Nothing will hinder but your wilfulne&s;s, your re&s;olved continuing unconcerned for the&s;e things. What Mercy is it that God will yet be fa|vourable, notwith&s;tanding thou ha&s;t at this time been unconcerned and &s;tubborn in thy Enmity? Will yet, if thou turn &s;in|cerely, pardon and blot out all is pa&s;t? Will receive and honor, love and eternally glo|rifie thee? Who would not &s;eek reconcili|ation
<PB N="102" REF="64">with all his might, with &s;uch a gra|cious conde&s;cending, patient and merciful God? Who would go on to provoke &s;uch a God, and Damn him&s;elf in oppo&s;ition to &s;uch Love, and Grace, and Mercy! What acceptance would&s;t thou find with God? What good would&s;t thou do thy &s;elf? What Happine&s;s would&s;t thou trea&s;ure up for thy &s;elf to all future Generations? What Joy would&s;t thou occa&s;ion in Heaven, would&s;t thou now be prevailed with to come out of thy mi&s;erable &s;inful State, and to con|cern thy &s;elf as thou oughte&s;t for thy Soul, and its endle&s;s wellfare? Peru&s;e carefully the&s;e following Scriptures, <HI>Luke</HI> 15.7. <HI>and</HI> 10, <HI>and</HI> 20, <HI>&amp;c. I&s;a.</HI> 55.7. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 6.2.</P>
<P>Take heed you do not prevent all this to encourage your &s;elves to continue in your unconcernedne&s;s for your Salvation. For if in&s;tead of complying with Calls and En|treaties to accept of, and clo&s;e with the offers of Mercy God is plea&s;ed to make you, you &s;tubbornly refu&s;e to hearken, to yea, abu&s;e them, to harden and embolden your &s;elves in your Sins, your condition will become exceeding Dreadful, yea, quite hopele&s;s, according to that account the holy Scriptures give of People under &s;uch Circum&s;tances; as you may evidently &s;ee,
<PB N="103" REF="64">if you plea&s;e to turn to, and read the following places in your Bibles, <HI>Prov.</HI> 1.24. <HI>&amp;c. Prov.</HI> 29.1. <HI>Heb.</HI> 12.17. <HI>Luke</HI> 19.42. Yea, remember this will render your State in Hell terrible and tormenting to the high|e&s;t degree. In what boi&s;terous Waves of inflamed Wrath &s;hall tho&s;e Per&s;ons be roll'd and to&s;t, who affectedly per&s;i&s;t in their Enmity again&s;t God, and contempt of the riches of his Grace! Why &s;hould you be curious to &s;ecure to your &s;elves the utmo&s;t efforts of Divine Di&s;plea&s;ure? How &s;ad mu&s;t your e&s;tate be if after you have en|joyed the Go&s;pel, and been earne&s;tly per|&s;waded to concern your &s;elves in good earne&s;t for your Salvation, you &s;hould per|i&s;h and reap no advantage from all that Chri&s;t hath done, &s;uffered and purcha&s;ed for repenting, reforming Sinners? What a terrible day will the day of Chri&s;t's ap|pearing be to you, if after all your coming to Church, hearing Prayers and Sermons, and partaking of Sacraments, you remain &s;tubborn and untractable, &s;en&s;ual and worldly in your Minds, loo&s;e, carnal and vicious in your Lives?</P>
<P>Be entreated, dearly Beloved, to lay the&s;e &s;eriou&s;ly to Heart, and forthwith to make a good improvement of them. Plea&s;e not
<PB N="104" REF="65">your &s;elves with purpo&s;es of taking them into con&s;ideration hereafter, le&s;t Satan prove too &s;ubtle for you, and carry you away &s;ecurely to his own Appartments, full fraught with &s;eemingly pious re&s;olves. What multitudes have cried out for Mercy, when it hath been too late! <HI>Mat</HI> 25.11.12.</P>
<P>If you are now willing to do what it be|hoves you to do, that you may &s;ecure the Salvation of your Souls, ob&s;erve and fol|low the&s;e few Directions.</P>
<P><HI>Fir&s;t,</HI> Set your &s;elves to a &s;erious tho|rough con&s;ideration of your pre&s;ent E&s;tate. Weigh and in&s;i&s;t on this till you are fully convinced, your pre&s;ent State is &s;uch, you cannot with any &s;afety continue in it; and do firmly re&s;olve to alter your Cour&s;e; pre&s;s your danger and guilt upon your &s;elves, till your Souls and Con&s;ciences are mighti|ly affected with your pre&s;ent Circum&s;tances, and you become in &s;ome mea&s;ure &s;en&s;ible how much more de&s;irable their Condition is than yours, who have heartily concerned them&s;elves to &s;ecure the Salvation of their Souls. In other ca&s;es, we think it a mighty blemi&s;h, to give occa&s;ion for others to re|pute us incon&s;iderate and ra&s;h. And &s;ure nothing better de&s;erves our be&s;t, our mo&s;t mature and vivid thoughts than this Mat|ter,
<PB N="105" REF="65">becau&s;e it doth &s;o nearly concern us. Can we expect prudently to avoid our Dan|ger, and amend our Mi&s;takes, whil&s;t either ignorant of, or unaffected with them? Se|rious con&s;ideration is a proper, if not the only preparatory expedient to bring us to a right Mind, to furni&s;h us with a ju&s;t No|tion and becoming Sen&s;e of tho&s;e things, which are of eminent Importance, and to di&s;po&s;e us to rectifie pa&s;t Errors and De|faults. When the Prodigal came to him&s;elf, and con&s;idered the evil and dangerous ca&s;e he was in, and how much better the very Servants in his Fathers Family were provi|ded for than he was, he pre&s;ently re&s;olves to go thither, <HI>Luke</HI> 15.17, 18. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 119.59, 60. Set thy &s;elf as in God's Pre&s;ence, call thy &s;elf to account, and revive the re|membrance of thy pa&s;t Carriages. Call to mind how God hath expre&s;ly declared &s;uch or &s;uch Affections of Soul, Speeche Actions, to be dete&s;table abominable Sins, and hath declared from Heaven his Wrath again&s;t them, in &s;uch or &s;uch places of his holy Word. And then apply the &s;ame particu|larly and with all vehemency of affection and faithfulne&s;s to thy &s;elf, till thou feele&s;t the power and efficacy of them in thy own Spirit and Con&s;cience. Is this my E&s;tate?
<PB N="106" REF="66">Doth the word of God &s;peak nothing but Terror and Indignation again&s;t me, whil&s;t I continue in this condition? Is the infinite|ly, holy, powerful ju&s;t God my Enemy? O wretched Creature that I am! What &s;hall I do! Is this an E&s;tate to be re&s;ted in! What is all the World, and all it can af|ford to me, if God &s;hould pour forth the Vials of his Anger upon me! If I mu&s;t pa&s;s from the applau&s;e and favour of Men, from Hou&s;es, Lands and Friends, to dwell with everla&s;ting Burnings! and be a Companion with Devils for ever! O how happy are they who have been wi&s;e for their Souls! who can look with comfort into the Holy Scriptures! and read over all tho&s;e Pa&s;&s;ages with Satisfaction, which Terrifie me, and are as &s;o many Arrows &s;ticking fa&s;t in my Soul! What a Fool have I been all my time! What Mercy and rich Grace mu&s;t be di&s;covered, if ever I e&s;cape Damnation! I cannot e&s;cape it, if I continue in this E&s;tate! A great Change mu&s;t be wrought in me. I mu&s;t be made a new Creature, I mu&s;t lead a new Life! And by God's Grace &s;o I will! Ble&s;&s;ed be the Lord, that he hath given me any &s;ight of my Danger! That he hath brought me to con&s;ider, before my condition is ab&s;olutely pa&s;t remedy!</P>
<PB N="105" REF="66">
<P>O what Trouble and Sorrow, have I been heaping on my &s;elf! How bitter and gnawing now are all the things I counted plea&s;ant! How vile and contemptible are all the things for which I ventured my pre|cious Soul! There is nothing now can re|lieve and do me good, nothing I can ac|count precious, but an Intere&s;t in Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and pardoning Love through him! O the Confu&s;ion I am in! But I wi&s;h not that it were with me as in times pa&s;t! That my vain Pre&s;umption, &s;tupidity and in&s;en&s;iblene&s;s might again return! No, but O that I had &s;ooner &s;een my Danger! and &s;ooner began my Retreat! Here I lye on the very brink of Hell! Had I made one &s;tep further, I might have been among the Damned! and yet I &s;carce know which way to turn! O the proficiency others have made in the way to Heaven, who had no more time, nor outward Calls and Means than I had! O the peace and comfort they have! the Sweets with which their Souls are fea&s;ted! O that I might love the Lord Chri&s;t in &s;incerity! have an intere&s;t in his Merits! a right to his precious Promi&s;es! and that I may dutifully acknowledge his Authority! walk in his Laws! and know by experience what joy is to be found in
<PB N="108" REF="67">Believing! Well, by Divine A&s;&s;i&s;tance, I will up and be doing! I will not loyter any longer! I now ca&s;t away with abhorrence, and lay a&s;ide every weight, and the Sin that hath &s;o ea&s;ily be&s;et me! Lord, do thou enlarge my Heart, and I will run the way of thy Commandments! May I ever have my eye fixed on Je&s;us, the Author and Fini&s;her of a Believer's Faith! To thee holy Je&s;us I flee for Refuge! Help me to lay hold on the Hope thou ha&s;t &s;et before me!</P>
<P><HI>Secondly,</HI> Humble your &s;elves deeply be|fore the Lord, and offer unto him fervent earne&s;t Supplications and Prayers, to com|mi&s;erate and deliver you. No help can come but from Heaven, and it mu&s;t be fetched thence by hearty affectionate Cries and Entreaties. Lay your &s;elves therefore low before the Lord; acknowledge your Sins with Godly Sorrow and Grief: Re|hear&s;e before him your &s;ad E&s;tate; the aggravating Circum&s;tances of your Guilt, your Fears, your Guilt, the dreadful Cur&s;es which hang over you; how &s;en&s;ible you are of his Di&s;plea&s;ure again&s;t Sin, that you are not able to bear his Wrath, and that nothing but Free-Grace can &s;ave and pre|&s;erve you. Ju&s;tifie God in all his Laws, and in all his Threats, and in his executing of them. Confe&s;s heartily thou art a Monu|ment
<PB N="109" REF="67">Monument of his Patience. Break forth into affectionate Admiration, that he hath born with thee &s;o long, whereas, he might have cau&s;ed his Vengeance to have over|taken thee long ago. And then with &s;trong Cries, and Tears too, if thou can&s;t be&s;eech him for his Mercy &s;ake, his name &s;ake, the Son of his love &s;ake, to pity, Pardon, help and &s;anctifie thee. Con&s;ider what encourage|ment thou ha&s;t from the&s;e and the like Scriptures, <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 145.18, 19. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 32.5, 6. <HI>P&s;al.</HI> 50.15. <HI>Matt.</HI> 7.7, &amp;c.</P>
<P>Lord, thou art Great, Holy, Ju&s;t and Powerful, none can &s;et him&s;elf again&s;t thee and Pro&s;per! Thy purity and holine&s;s is &s;uch, thou can&s;t not behold the lea&s;t Iniquity with Approbation! Thou ha&s;t de|clared thy Wrath again&s;t every Sin! And in particular ha&s;t revealed thy Indignation again&s;t this, and that, and the other Wick|edne&s;s; and that thou wilt terribly avenge thy &s;elf of &s;uch Adver&s;aries as live impeni|tently in them! Lord, I am the vile Wretch who have been guilty of the&s;e Tran&s;gre&s;&s;i|ons! I have lived a great while in them, and have often repeated the&s;e acts of Ho|&s;tility again&s;t thee! O my Mi&s;ery, my Guilt, my Wretchedne&s;s! Whither &s;hall I go? What &s;hall I do? I cannot flee from
<PB N="110" REF="68">thy Pre&s;ence! Where ever I am, thy Arm can reach me! I cannot bear thy Frowns! thy Terrors make me afraid! Damnation and Hell are the lea&s;t I have de&s;erved! O the Light, the Love, the Means I have &s;inned again&s;t! I have nothing to &s;ay for my &s;elf! who &s;hall plead for me! Methinks I am now &s;inking! Hell appears ready to &s;wallow me up! Ju&s;t and Righteous art thou O God! No puni&s;hments are too great for &s;o wicked, &s;o ungrateful, &s;o vile and ob&s;ti|nate a Wretch as I am! In the very mid&s;t of my Fears and Angui&s;h, I cannot but wonder that the Sentence of Condemna|tion is not already pronounced again&s;t, and executed on me! O what long-&s;uffering goodne&s;s ha&s;t thou manife&s;ted towards me, the wor&s;t and greate&s;t of Sinners! Ble&s;&s;ed be thy Name for thy Long-&s;uffering Pati|ence towards me! Whither &s;hall I now turn! Will the holy God have Mercy on &s;uch a de&s;perate Sinner! To whom &s;hall I go in the&s;e Straits! Creatures cannot help me! My Lu&s;ts and Sins have brought all this Mi&s;ery upon me! All will fail me, unle&s;s the Lord will be plea&s;ed to look down in Mercy upon me! And it is the Lord I have offended! How &s;hall I go to a provoked God! Yet all my hope mu&s;t be
<PB N="111" REF="68">from him! To the Lord I will go, I will lie at his Feet! I will throw my &s;elf wholly upon his Mercy! Lord, I have heard that thou art Gracious, Long-&s;uffer|ing, &s;low to Wrath, and of great Good|ne&s;s. Thou ha&s;t &s;aid &s;o of thy &s;elf. Thou ha&s;t the words of eternal Life. There is Forgivene&s;s with thee that thou maye&s;t be feared. Thou ha&s;t contrived a way for the glorifying of thy Mercy, in &s;aving the greate&s;t Sinners who truly repent, and turn from the evil of their doings unto thee, with all their Hearts. Lord, here behold a mi&s;erable mouring Sinner, than whom none ever &s;tood more in need of Mercy! Extend thy wonderful Grace to me! I come to thee in thy Son's Name, I depend intirely on his Merits; I plead with thee the only gracious Promi&s;es! Su&s;tain now a &s;inking Soul! I loath and abhor my &s;elf! O let thy Bowels ern over me! Tho I &s;tand on the brink of Hell, let thy Grace pre|vent my falling into that Bottomle&s;s Pit! Say unto this Soul, <HI>Live!</HI> May I, who de|&s;erve to houl for ever under the dreadful te&s;timonies of thy Di&s;plea&s;ure, be effectual|ly delivered from Sin, Guilt and Condemn|ation! May I be Pardoned, made Holy, and &s;ing forth the Prai&s;es of thy rich and abounding Grace to all Eternity! Con&s;ider <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 63.15, 16.</P>
<PB N="112" REF="69">
<P><HI>Thirdly,</HI> If you take pains with your &s;elves, and faithfully perform what you have been advi&s;ed to already, you will ea&s;ily perceive what is further nece&s;&s;ary to be done by you, to make &s;ecure the Salva|tion of your Souls; and you will be di&s;|po&s;ed to urge upon your &s;elves, and im|prove &s;uch Coun&s;el as &s;hall be offered you, and is manife&s;tly pertinent to this purpo&s;e. I will therefore propound the other Directi|ons you are to ob&s;erve altogether, and on|ly give you brief hints for your future Conduct, leaving you to imprint them on your own Hearts, by meditating on, and expo&s;tulating with your &s;elves about them, till you feel they have their proper and due influence on your Souls and Lives. You mu&s;t then endeavour to acquire a &s;ound knowledge of the gracious method God hath been plea&s;ed to pitch on, for the bringing of Sinners into a State of Recon|ciliation and Peace with him&s;elf. You mu&s;t heartily entertain the great Truths he hath revealed concerning the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t. Tho&s;e which concern his Per&s;on, his Natures, and the Commi&s;&s;ion the Fa|ther hath given him. And you mu&s;t &s;in|cerely clo&s;e with Chri&s;t in all his Offices, depending wholly on his Merits, Inter|ce&s;&s;ion,
<PB N="113" REF="69">and Influences; &s;ubmitting to his Authority, diligently following his Exam|ple, and faithfully keeping his Laws, <HI>For there is not Salvation in any other,</HI> Acts 4.12. You mu&s;t labour to under&s;tand di|&s;tinctly the Bapti&s;mal Vow, with Under|&s;tanding and Judgment, &s;olemnly devote, con&s;ign and dedicate your &s;elves to God, through Chri&s;t, and daily addict your &s;elves to the con&s;cientious performing of that Vow, as long as you Live. Therefore you mu&s;t diligently read and &s;tudy the Holy Scriptures, and make them the &s;ole Rule of your Faith, your Wor&s;hip, your moral Conduct, or Practice; for they <HI>are able to make you wi&s;e unto Salvation through Faith which is in Chri&s;t Je&s;us,</HI> 2 Tim. 3.15. Read the word of God daily with a fixed Attention, and holy fervent De&s;ires, that you may find it powerful to &s;ubdue Cor|ruption, and bring you to a &s;aving Ac|quaintance with Chri&s;t, and to nouri&s;h your Souls in all <HI>Godline&s;s of Living.</HI> At|tend diligently on the Mini&s;try of the Word, and wait con&s;cientiou&s;ly on God in tho&s;e Ordinances he hath in&s;tituted for the Conver&s;ion and Edification of Souls. Take heed of Cu&s;tomarine&s;s and Forma|lity in the&s;e. U&s;e them as means God
<PB N="114" REF="70">hath appointed for higher Ends, and be not &s;atisfied till you really perceive they are Sanctified to you, and have &s;uch an effect on you that you do thereby grow in Knowledge, Grace, and practical Holine&s;s. You mu&s;t renounce the Society of loo&s;e and vicious People, and &s;hun the company of tho&s;e who deride and mock at Religion and Holine&s;s, appearing in their Truth and Pow|er, <HI>Prov.</HI> 13.20. And wonderful Advantage will accrue to you, if you do ordinarily accu&s;tom your &s;elves to cro&s;s the de&s;ign of Temptations, and make an Advantage of them, to put you with greater &s;eriou&s;ne&s;s and fervency on acting tho&s;e Graces, and performing tho&s;e Duties which are mo&s;t oppo&s;ite and contrary to the Sins, the Ene|mies of your Souls would draw you unto.</P>
<P>You who have been and are in good earne&s;t concerned for the Salvation of your Souls, mu&s;t diligently attend to what doth peculiarly belong to you, con&s;idering the State you are in. Give God the glory of that Grace he hath vouch&s;afed you. You were Ignorant, Blind, Fooli&s;h and Di&s;obe|dient formerly, as well as others. Prai&s;e and Magnifie God with all your might, that he hath made you know and follow after <HI>the things which belong to your Peace.</HI> How &s;hould you ble&s;s the Lord who hath
<PB N="115" REF="70">made you the Triumph of your Saviour's Love, whereas you might have been Monu|ments of his Anger? Pity, Prayfor, advi&s;e do what you can to convince, awaken, and recover them, who appear altogether care|le&s;s of, and unconcerned for their Salvation. Hold fa&s;t what you have received, proceed forward in the work you have begun. <HI>Grow in Grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI> Watch over, and a&s;&s;i&s;t one another all you are able. <HI>Heb.</HI> 3.12, 13. So run that ye may obtain. Pe&s;evere to the end, and let none take away your Crown, <HI>Rev.</HI> 3.11.</P>
<P>In a word, every Man &s;hould be very much concerned for the Salvation of his own Soul. Then let us all forthwith &s;hake off Sloth, remembring we are ha&s;tning a|pace towards Eternity. <HI>Do the wicked do evil with both hands earne&s;tly,</HI> Mic. 7.3. And &s;hall we fold our Arms, and refu&s;e to take a little pains for the obtaining of that Inheritance, which is re&s;erved in the Hea|vens? We have done too much already to prejudice our Souls; now let us u&s;e all po&s;&s;ible care and indu&s;try to recover and &s;ave them.</P>
<P>Sirs, I be&s;eech you in the Bowels of Chri&s;t, and by all that &s;hould be dear and
<PB N="116" REF="71">valuable to you, to concern your &s;elves &s;o for your Salvation, as in a little time you will certainly wi&s;h you had. What a change will Death quickly make in every one of you? O lo&s;e not Heaven and eternal Glo|ry, for Shadows! Lo&s;e not your Souls for Trifles! <HI>Quit you now like Men. Be watch|ful, &s;erious and diligent. Gird up the loins of your minds, be &s;ober, and hope to the end. My Brethren, dearly beloved and longed for; my Joy and Crown, &s;o &s;tand fa&s;t in the Lord. Fi|nally Brethren, what&s;oever things are true, what&s;oever things are hone&s;t, what&s;oever things are ju&s;t, what&s;oever things are pure, what&s;oe|ver things are lovely, what&s;oever things are of good Report; if there be any Vertue, if there be any Prai&s;e, think on and practice the&s;e things with all your might and affection, and with all per&s;everance. Be ye &s;tedfa&s;t, unmoveable, al|ways abounding in the work of the Lord, for a&s;|much as you know, that your Labour &s;hall not be in vain in the Lord.</HI></P>
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<PB REF="71">
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