TWO TREATISES THE FIRST, THE Youngman's MEMENTO. Showing 

How  
Why  
When   We should remember GOD. OR The seasonableness and sutableness of this Work to YOUTH.  
THE SECOND, Now if Ever.  
PROVING 

1 That God gives Man a Day.  
2 That this Day often ends while the means of Grace continues.  
3 That when this Day is ended, peace is hid from the Soul.    
Being an Appendix to the former Treatise.  
Both by John Ch●shull, Minister of the Gospel.  
London, Printed by A. N. and are to be sold by F. Eglesfie●d, at the S in St: Paul's Churchyard. 1657.   

The Rock of Ages, or a Treatise of the eighteen Attributes of God, twelve of them communicable, and six incommunicable, being the substance of sundry Lectures, by Thomas Larkham M. A. sometime of Trinity College in Cambridg.  
Vestibu 'em lingue latin, in 8. by William Dugard master of Merchant-Taylors School.  
The English Rudiments of the Latin tongue in 8, by W. Dugard.  
Schools probation in 8, by W. Dugard.  
Satan at Noon, the Second part, by Christopher Four Minister of Reading.  
Hero●es on the golden verses of Bethogaras, teaching a virtuous and holy life, by Jo. Hall of Grays-Inn Esquire.  
Danger of being almost a Christian, by John Chishu●● Minister of Tiverton in Devon.  
Youngman's Memento, by John Chishull.  
Nature's Good night, being a Sermon preached at the Funeral of the blessedness of departed Saints in their immediate enjoyment of God in Glory, by Joseph Row, in 4.  
A●poligetical Letter to a person of Quality, in 4, by Joseph Hall Bishop of Norwich.   

THE Youngman's Memento,  ECCLESIASTES 12.1. Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth. 
THe words I have read, are an exhortation seasonable and suitable enough, in that they point particularly at some, but include and concern all; they are almost the last breath of the Preacher; and we know if a good Orator hath been pleading in a case of importance, he usually draws up things of the greatest weight in the conclusion, that if many particulars should be lost, yet the last words of the Sermon should stick.  
They are the main use of this Text which he had preached upon; which he proposes, Chap. 1.2. Vanity of vanity, saith the Preacher; vanity of vanities, all is vanity; & proves in the following Chapters by words of Wisdom and Experience two weighty considerations to endear the doctrine to us. He shuts up the proof, Chap. 11. vers. 8. But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all, yet let him remember the days of darkness, for they are many. All that cometh is vanity. And the last argument which he useth, is from the ending and concluding of all these things; there is a certain night of evil and sorrow which will follow the brightest day which we do or can enjoy in the world; if no troubles come with it, yet there is enough comes after it to blast it in our thoughts. From hence he proceeds to Application, and it is to Youngmen, Ch. 11.9. Rejoice O young man in thy youth, and let thine heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: This is not a complying with, but a confuting of the vain foolish resolutions of youth; by this he derides their thoughts, and withal gives them a preservative or antidote against such madness. Know thou that for all these things God will bring thee to judgement.  
In my Text, we have,  
1. The duty, in the whole words; In which which first, the Act, Remember. Secondly, the Object, Creator.  
2. Here is the adjunct of Time, First, more generally, In the days of the youth. Secondly, more specially, now.  
Let us weigh the words themselves, Remember, if we take it in the sense of the Philosopher, for the exercise of the Memory, it than includes three things.  
First, an exercising of the intellectual faculty of the Soul, which is Conservativa specierum, whereby we do receive and keep the forms and impressions of things, and of Truths in our understandings, and so all those manifestations of God which are made out to the soul.  
Secondly, An exercising of the Sensitive part of the Soul, in keeping things, and Actions, and Providences which are past, whereby we register the things that God hath done, either for, or against us and others.  
Thirdly, It contains that which they call Reminiscentiam, which is an endeavouring to call to mind, or recover those things which are fallen from the Memory, which are not razed out of the intellectual part of the soul, being there habitually, but from the sensitive part only: for the present we do not remember them; but I shall show you the use of this in the scripture; there it is taken more largely.  
1. It signifies sometimes to muse upon a thing, Ps. 62.6.  
2. Sometimes to prize, or esteem, or value a thing, Eccles. 9.16.  
3. Sometimes to trust in a thing, or person, Ps. 20.7.  
4. Sometimes it includes all the service of God, Deut. 8.11, 12.  
Indeed the signification of it is, or may be various; it may be used to express any motion or affection which is usually joined to our knowledge, or the exercise of it. Verba cognitionis non solam & nudam 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sed vivam & efficacem significant. A man may be said truly to know no more than he knows with affection, and impression; so remembering, which is nothing else properly but a setting this knowledge at work, and reviving of those notions which we have of things, includes not only the act of the Memory, but the Will: for this is usually moved one way or other by every motion of the Understanding.  
We find very often the motions of the Will and Affections set forth by this word in the Text, Heb. 11.15. Truly if they had been mindful of that Country from whence they came out, i.e. if they had desired to return again, they might have had an opportunity.  
Jon. 2.7. When my soul fainted in me, I remembered the Lord. This is such a remembering, says Junius, as doth not only bring God to our thoughts, but carries the whole soul with the greatest intention to mind him, with the neglect or contempt of all other things. So it is used to express the greatest affection and favour of spirit that may be found amongst God's people, Cant. 1.4. We will remember thy Loves, more than Wine, (i.e.) we will take pleasure in thy loves, and embrace the thoughts of it above all things. So that to remember God, is to do that which we ought to do, when we remember we should desire him, exercise our thoughts and meditations strongly about him, and delight ourselves highly in it. Nay remembering doth not include only the inward acts of the soul, the motion of the Will and Affections to such an object now presented to the Understanding; but it takes in the outward acts too, because the outward behaviour of a man is suited to those impressions which are within. Thus Ahashuerus his rage against Vasti, is expressed by this phrase, Hester 2. 〈◊〉 He remembered Vasti, (i, e.) he talked of her unkindness and rebellion, and resolved to be revenged of her. Thus the wickedness of Israel, and her whoredom in her old age is expressed, by a remembering of the whoredom of her youth, Ez. 23.19. Then persons are said to remember any thing when they express the same in their actions, and do that which speaks out the thoughts of their hearts; so that to remember God, is to do that which becomes a people to do, who do remember God; to have God in our mouths, and God in our lives, this is properly a remembering of God; so that the exhortation here is very full and large, and may be taken either to be,  
1. Of the same extent with that conclusion, v. 13. and a discovery of the fear of the Lord, wherein it doth consist, viz. in a serious constant eyeing of God. Or  
2. The Text is one Branch of the means prescribed to attain the fear of the Lord: which is a setting the Lord before us; the other Branch he handles before; (viz.) the considering of the vanity of the world, and all things in it; and upon these two considerations of the vanity of the Creature, and the excellency of the Creator, he persuades to the fear of the Lord; and he presseth them both in order to that conclusion, vers. 13. Fear God, and keep his Commandments; intimating, That the neglect of God, and of his ways, did arise from a mistake of the world, and from a forgetfulness of God; therefore, Remember thy (Creator.)  
Qu. Why doth he close this title for the Lord, and to present him thus to our considerations?  
A. First negatively, not because this is the most excellent Title or Name of God; for God hath other Names and Titles more glorious than this, although this be full of glory.  
Secondly, Nor that he would bond the thoughts and spirit of man within this knowledge of God, but would allow him to travel farther than the work of Creation, as into the works of Providence, and into the works of Redemption, wherein God hath as it were laid the Top-stone of his glory.  
Thirdly, He chooseth this consideration of God, as being most suitable to the subject of his Discourse; he had been discoursing of the vanity of creatures, and beating men off from them, and in opposition to them nothing more suitable to be set up then the Creator, that they might not fall into that horrid wickedness too common in men's spirits, mentioned Rom. 1.25. Of loving and serving the Creature more than the Creator.  
Fourthly, He mentions this name of God more than any other, because from hence did follow an universal argument, which reached all sorts of people; this was a relation which all stood in towards God; he might not have argued from providence so well; for than it would not have been so strong to the poor as to the rich; nor from Redemption; for then the unconverted, or the doubting Soul could not have made equal use of it with those who saw their interest, and knew it in him through Christ; but as a Creator he stands related to all, good and evil, rich and poor, high and low, young and old, Jew and Gentile; so that he that had least from God, had his being, and God as a Creator challenged respect and service from him; and if he had no more knowledge of God, yet herein he was to remember God; and if more, than not only as a Creator, but in all his glory; as verse the thirteenth, Fear God, and keep his Commandments. Thus the duty; Now the Adjunct of time.  
1. In the days, not in a few spare hours. but in the days; and not in a day, but indefinitely, to exclude none, it must be a constant, a continued work, every day's work; and the nights must not be excluded; for this day is made up of Morning and Evening; Night and Day do but fill up this.  
2. As in the days, so not in what days thou wilt allot for it, and set apart; it must not be put off until thy latter or last days, but it must be in the days of thy youth.  
3. Nor will to morrow, or the next day serve the turn, but it must be this day, the present day, and time is now.  
Of thy youth, or of thy choices; the word here translated Youth, comes from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Elegit, hence is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Electus, Juvenis, Quasi ad omnes operas selectus: and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word here used, The choice or choosing age; the choice than runs thus, When thou art choosing a suitable object for thine eye, or for thy heart, toward which all thy afterdesignes shall bend, Oh then think upon God, and consider whether he be not the best choice.  
The wise man in the Text, and the verse preceding, mentions three parts of Man's life, and expresses them by distinct terms, though in the translation the two latter are confounded. The first 
(a) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉  signifies the New ●orn child. The second 
(b) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉  the time betwixt 
(b) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉  infancy; and maturity; the same word is used to express the twilight, or mixture of light and darkness that is betwixt the time of the night and the sun rising. These says he are vanity, not only vain in the sense that every part of a man's life may be called vain, but vain in comparison of the third part, which follows in the Text. These two parts are empty and void, there is nothing to be expected or found in these, because in them we make no choice, but are pleased with every toy. Present things delight the childish age; we do not fix our spirits upon this or that, as our chiefest good; we drive no designs for hereafter. But when these vain empty days are past, then comes the third part, and this promises something; 
(c) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Juventus; aetas selecta.  this is a choice precious hopeful time in comparison of the former; yea indeed it is almost the only hopeful time of a Man's life; for if he lose this time, it is ten to one that ever be prove good; for now he gins to fix upon some thing or other, toward which he bends afterwards all his endeavours; he sets up a Summum bonum, when he comes to days or years of discretion; then he gins to weigh and value things, and is not contented with what he was, when he meets with any thing of a a more valuable consideration. Now saith the Wiseman, that thou art come to thy riper years, and art weighing things in this balance in order to thy settling and fixing thy spirit upon that which shall appear most considerable, now Remember thy Creator, put him in one scale against all them, and let reason and Judgement determine whether he be not to be chosen before all things; see whether his excellency will not weigh down all these vanities, but do it in the day that thou art choosing, and when reason and judgement are quickest, and least engaged, lest the engaging of these blind thee, that thou wilt not see the scale when it turns. We have a Scripture which will give much light to this, Heb. 11.24, 25. Moses when he came (to years) refused to be called the son of Pharaohs Daughter, and chose rather to suffer with the people of God, then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; when he came to weigh and consider things, and to make his choice, than he refused to be called the son of Pharaohs Daughter, than he threw away the Court Honours and Pleasures but it was in judgement, he chose rather to suffer with the people of God; he saw something of greater importance to him. Before this time he was pleased well enough with Egyptian toys and trifles of the Court, but now comes his choosing time, he must be seted in his spirit, and he weighs all, and upon a serious survey of both sides, he throws away the Rattles which he had played withal before, and he makes another choice; he chose rather to suffer. Thus we have the sum of the words, in the days of thy choice.  
Here is a second word to make it more full. In thy choice days, in the days that thou art fittest for Meditation or Action, than set the Lord before thee; do not put off the thoughts of God till a time when thou shalt be altogether unfit for him, and his Service, till a time wherein thou wilt be fit for nothing; these are the choice days, and thy youth is the choosing time. We have the same word, which in my text is rendered youth, read chosen men, 2 Sam. 6.1. David gathered together the chosen men of Israel, the choicest and fittest men for action; now thou art fittest for the Service of the Lord; and this sense seems to correspond much with the text; for it agrees much with that which is but a Paraphrase upon these words, before the evil days come, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; Do not say in thy heart, I will try what the world will afford me now, and when I have sucked the breasts of her consolation dry, and there no more to be had there, than I will try what is to be had in Religion, what the ways of God will yield; this Religion is a thing only fit for old Men and Women that have nothing else to do, whose palates are grown old, and cannot relish or taste the delights which youth affords, or whose memories are grown weak, and have forgotten the pleasures of their past days; these may begin to think of Heaven now their blood is grown cold, and their senses fail them, that they can hardly distinguish between sweet and bitter; when we have worn out ourselves in the world, and crippled our Bodies, and worn out our Senses in turning every stone, and sucking every flower which will afford us any comfort, then will we creep to our Closets and cloister up ourselves there too, and spend the remainder of our days in praying and sighing; but for our youth, you must excuse us; we will take this time to ourselves to eat, drink, and be merry, and put death and Judgement, and every troublesome thought from us. O say not thus in your heart, but in your choice days begin thus work; for no day nor time is too precious for the Lord.  
I have now briefly opened the words, I shall propound such Observations as will naturally flow from them.  
1. That every man has a choice, or choosing time.  
2, God expects that at that time we should choose him.  
3 It is a great advantage to begin with the Lo●d, before we are too far engaged in other choices.  
4. Remembering and considering, or setting God before our eyes, is a great Duty, and a great help towards the fear of the Lord.  
5. No time so fit for this great work as the youth.  
I shall not handle all these distinctly, but shall draw them into one grand Conclusion, and in handling that, I shall touch and clear up all these as branches of that great Truth which lieth in the words, which is this.  
DOCTRINE.  
That nothing conduces more to the fear of the Lord (as a means on our part) than a seas able and timely setting him before our eyes: A serious and a solemn calling forth of the Attributes of the glorious God, and comparing and weighing them with the vanity of the creatures, does wonderfully conduce to the balancing our spirits, and to the setting and fixing them upon God as our and chiefest good, and at least to over-awe our spirits with a fear of him, if not to draw forth the heart unto a love of him. For it is very clear, that all the wickedness amongst men does arise from a forgetfulness of God. David renders a reason of the wickedness of his enemies, Psal. 54.3. they did not set God before them; For strangers are risen up against me, and oppressors seek after my soul: they have not set God before them. And in that  place, Deut. 8.11, 12. the Lord clearly expounds disobedience and forgetfulness of himself one by the other. I shall not spend time in proving this Truth generally, but shall divide my discourse into these four parts.  
1. To inquire how and what of God is to be set before our eyes, to help forward this work.  
2. How the setting of the Lord before us doth further this fear in our hearts.  
3. How to keep the Lord in our eye when we have him there.  
4. Why the young man especially must set upon this duty.  
For the first, How and what of God is to be set before our eyes, to help forward this work.  
Answ. I'll begin with that in the Text, Consider him as thy Creator; this doth surely reach thee; this reaches Angels, and Men, and Devils; in In ipsa voce creatoris occultum habetur Argumentum; look to thy very being, or to the beings of thy Creature-enjoyments, and Nature will tell thee by these, That God is to be feared, that thou dost owe him homage and service; think what God may challenge from thee as thou art his Creature; the Apostle condemns the Heathen that they did not walk up to this light, Rom. 1.21. Because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God. God complains from hence of unjust measure from his people, Ezek. 16.18, 19 Thou hast set mine Oil and mine Incense before them; my meat also which I gave thee, fine flower, and oil, and honey wherewith I fed thee, thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savour, Hosea 2.8. For she did not know that I gave her wine and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold which they prepared for Baalim. And may not the same complaint be made against us, That we offer up our time, and strength, and parts to the World and Sin, and Lust, and Satan? Did they give you these things? Are these your Creators? Did ●hey give you your being? or your estate? or your precious time? May we not say to all these as the Apostle said, Rom. 8.12. We are not debtors to the flesh, nor to the world, nor sin, we own them nothing; no, but we are debtors to God; we own him our time, and strength, and parts, and estates, and lives, and whatsoever we have, or are; for of him and from him are all things, to him therefore be glory. Not to fear, love, and serve God, is to blot out the notion of a Creator out of our hearts, and to forget we are creatures.  
Secondly, Consider him in his Power; This is frequently in Scripture made an argument to fear the Lord, if we look to his power over the creatures; so David often, Psalm 86.8, 9, 10, 11. Among the gods there is none like to thee, O God. neither are there any works like unto thy works, vers. 9 All Nations whom thou hast made, shall come and worship before thee, O Lord, and shall glorify thy name, vers. 10. For thou art great, and dost wondrous things; thou art God alone. We see David makes choice of God to fear and serve him; because of his greatness in the works of his hands; he concludeth, That surely God was able to do great things for him also.  
Secondly, if we consider his great power, especially over us. Christ makes use of this, Matthew 10.28. Fear not them which are able to kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul, but rather fear him which is able to destroy both body and soul in hell. Doth the world call for thy service, or doth this or that great man's lust call for it? If thou dost refuse them, can they revenge thy neglect of them at that rate which the Lord can? Can they deal with their despisers as the Lord doth with his? Psal. 5.17. The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the Nations that forget God; Or can they reward their servants as God doth his? Have they the Keys of the grave, and Heaven, and Hell at their girdles? Have they a power suitable unto his?  
Thirdly, Consider how infinitely the Lord is above all thy services; not taking this into consideration breeds so many put offs; men think any thing good enough for God, the very dregs of their time and strength, the weak and the lame will serve him, and a little of that too; but didst thou consider the vast disproportion that is betwixt God and thee, thou wouldst not think all thy time too much, nor the choicest of it too good for him who is infinitely above all that thou canst offer up unto him, Psalm 16.2. My goodness extendeth not to thee; whatever thou givest him, thou canst not enrich him, thou canst not add unto him; nay, when thou hast given him all, thou hast given him nothing worthy of him; thou hast very little reason to boast, but rather to wonder that the Lord will give thee leave (such a poor wretch) to take his Name into thy mouth. If this consideration were kept in all duties and addresses unto God, it would make us more frequent in duties, and more serious; it would check those vain thoughts of men, who think the last hour soon enough, and the shortest hour long enough, and the slightest service good enough for the great and infinite God, who shall one day despise their image, Psal. 73.20. As dream when one awaketh, so, O Lord, wh●● thou awakest thou shalt despise their Image.  
Fourthly, Consider how the Lord stands upon points of Honour; his Name is very precious, and he will exalt it either in your souls, or upon them; although you may think it a slight thing, and what injury or wrong is it to him if I go on a little longer, and enjoy this lust or that? the Lord hath made such proffers to thy foul in Christ, that the world cannot parallel, and he stands upon point of Honour in this case; Most he wait and be put off? and every base Lust, and every lying vanity entertained, and his Service laid aside? May not I say as Isaiah to Ahaz, Isa. 7.13. Is it a small thing to weary men, but you must weary my God also? A man will not endure this that has any spirit of a man in him, that has respect to Honour, he will not put it up to be laid aside, and so his inferiors accepted upon unworthy terms, when he is put off, who offered terms more honourable and advantageous? the Lord calls this a double evil, Jer. 2.11, 12, 13. Hath a Nation changed their gods, which yet are no gods? but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit. Be astonished O ye heavens at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the Lord, ver. 13. For my people have committed two evils, they have forsaken me the Fountain of living waters, and hewed them out Cisterns, broken Cisterns that will hold no water. It was one evil, and very dishonourable to God, that his people did forsake him; it was a blemish which the Heathen did not cast upon their gods; but it was a double dishonour to God that they went off upon bad and base terms. Remember all you that are invited daily to come to Christ, and yet come not, notwithstanding those glorious proffers which he makes to souls; and you that pretend to come, but come not in good earnest, your hearts are going another way; O see that you go off upon good terms. God will one day make you know to what loss you go off when you leave him, and how much he takes notice of the dishonour you cast upon him, by going off to things so infinitely beneath him.  
Fifthly, Consider the Mercy of God in Christ; this is the great Argument to draw the Soul unto God; these are the cords of a man, the winning argument to prevail with an ingenuous spirit; I am sure they are strong arguments to Saints, if not to men; Paul knew the weight and strength of this kind of arguing, when he ventured so much duty upon it as the giving up all to Christ, Rom. 12.4. I beseech you brethren by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living Sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  
Now that I might help this consideration to its full weight and value, I shall divide it into two parts.  
1 Consider External and Temporal Mercies; these are Motives; What is there that thou dost enjoy but it is Mercy to thee? and the least of all these hath a voice if thou couldst understand it, and it importunes thee to look up to him from whence is every good gift, Acts 14.17. Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from Heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness: They bear witness that God is merciful, although I do not think with some, that they bear witness of Christ, and of special pardoning mercy by him.  
2. Consider, God hath more mercy, that he might have more fear; he hath Spiritual mercies for your souls, Psal. 130.4. There is mercy with thee, that thou mayest be feared. It is impossible that the true fear of the Lord should be planted and advanced in the heart without this consideration; this mercy is pardoning mercy, it is Soul mercy; other considerations with this are useful to balance the Spirit; but this is principally attractive; this is the very door of the fear of the Lord; where this is shut, there is no way unto repentance. Jerem. 2.25. But thou saidst there is no hope, for I have loved strangers, and after them I will go. And Chap. 18.12. And they said there is no hope, but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart. If God had no mercy for men, it would be vain to persuade them to fear; if men had not some kind of hope, they would be hellishly wicked.  
And that I might yet advance this Motive in your Souls, take these particulars.  
1. He is willing to be reconciled to thee although he can destroy thee, 2 Cor. 5.20. Now than we are Ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ, that you be reconciled to God; he hath ways enough to make thee stoop without wooing of thee, and can dash thee in pieces when he pleaseth; yet he beseecheth thee, he entreats thee though he hath no need of thee, but thou hast need of him; what need hath God of thee more than of the Heathens, or Indians, or Turks, who know him not? he could as easily have invited them as thee; at this day he invites thee, though thou art as the damned (thy nature is as corrupt as theirs, and thy sins as great as others) before they were cast in there, Rom. 3.22, 23. There is no difference; for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. O what impression should these have upon thy soul, if thou wouldst give them their full allowance upon thy soul in meditation!  
2. He moves them to fear him by his mercies; he might require it by his power without mercy; he might have called for as much duty, and have given no encouragement at all unto it; but beloved, what heart-ensnaring language doth he speak, Isa. 55.7. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. The Lord might have chosen another manner of Style then this.  
3 He offers thee better terms than thou art like to meet withal elsewhere; the world cannot bid so fair, nor perform so faithfully as he doth. See that Promise which the Lord makes to the returning sinner, Isa. 55.1, 2, Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money, come ye, buy and eat; yea come buy wine and milk without price vers. 2. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which satisfieth not? Harken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight in fatness, etc. Search and find where the Devil, the World and Sin promiseth, and when and to whom he gives such a thing as is held out attainable in following God.  
4 If thou hast tasted of mercy, thou canst not but acknowledge that it is an engaging thing, Tit. 2.11.12. For the grace of God that bringeth Salvation, hath appeared unto all men, teaching us that denying all ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.  
5. If thou pretendest to Saintship, and are not drawn by mercy, surely thou hast a frame of spirit much different from the Saints of old; for the love of God constrained them, 1 Cor. 5.4. they had beseeching spirits, which were very much affected with such arguments, as I shown you, Rom. 12.1.  
6. If these are not persuasive motives, how then art thou under that promise, Hos. 3.5. Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their King, and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days.  
7. Is it not reason that thou shouldest do Gods work, when he hath provided one to do thine? he hath sent a Christ unto thee, who offers himself to be thy life, and thy strength; and he tells thee, That he hath left Heaven for a time, that he might come down, and make such an offer of himself to sinners; and wilt thou not leave a little of the world to offer up thyself to him? Shall the kind proffers of Christ in the Gospel meet with no returns? Canst thou do less than offer up all that thou hast, or art, as a reasonable sacrifice to him, who so freely offers thee himself in his Son to be thy righteousness, wisdom, sanctification, and redemption? In a word, to be all and in all to thy soul. Canst thou deny him thy time, who offers thee Eternity? Is thy present time, and condition, and ability too good to give out to him who offers thee more in Christ then thy present condition is able to bear, more than can enter into thine heart to conceive? Reserve nothing from him of thy little, who gives thee with a reserve for this reason, because thy present condition is not capable of all he intends thee.  
Sixthly, Consider how quick the Lord is with some men to cut them off without giving them many warnings, or suffering them to grow up to such a measure of sin as he does others, as he did Nadab and Abihu; And that Gods coming to Judgement will appear quick when ever it comes. 1. Though thou mayest have a smooth time in sin, yet when that time of pleasure in sin is past, it will seem very short. Ask the old man, and he will tell that his Youth was quickly gone, and Age came suddenly upon him; Is not the life passed like a tale that is told? If God should suffer thee to live a full age, and then cut thee off in thy sin, wouldst not thou seem to go down quickly into hell?  
2. If you compare the time passed with Eternity; God is not slack concerning his coming, saith the Apostle; you will find him quick enough when he comes. Art thou come, say the spirits, to torment us before the time? as some say, before the end of the World, and I exclude not that; but how did the Devil know the end was not yet? But it intimates that although the Devil had so many thousand years to tempt, yet he thought it too soon to be troubled.  
3 He may be quick in that he will be unwelcome; and  guests, when ever they come, will come too soon.  
4 When he cometh latest, he will come before thou lookest for him; he will come unawares, and so will be quick with thy soul; notwithstanding all this patience, the evil servant said not I have no Master, nor that his Master will not come, but he delayeth his coming, Matth. 24 48, 49. this was the cause of his ungodliness. But what saith Christ? The Master of that Servant shall come in an hour when he looketh not for him; these supposed delays on God's part, breed delays and neglects on our part, Matth. 25.5. while the Bridegroom slept, the good slept as well as the bad; it is a consideration for Saints, as well as for sinners, to quicken up their spirits, and to stir them up to a serious minding of God. The Apostle layeth down a very good preservative against this, James 5.9. Grudge not one against another brethren; behold the judge standeth before the door; at the door of your houses, at your Shop doors, at every Tavern door, and Alehouse, as thou passest in at thy Chamber door, at the door of every day, and night, and providence, and he is ready to come and call thee to account without any warning: Not some Officers or Forerunners, but he himself is coming without notice, 2 Pet. 3.11, 12. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for, and hastening unto the coming of the day of God? the setting this day near us, is a quickening consideration to rouse up the Saints.  
Seventhly, Consider the patience and forbearance of the Lord; and if thou dost rightly weigh them, they will be sufficient Motives to this great work of the fear of the Lord. The wise man doth conclude it as an evidence of a wicked heart to take advantage to himself from the forbearance of the Lord Eccles. 8.11. Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the hearts of the Sons of men is fully set in them to evil; and the Apostle argueth it at least an argument of an ignorant, if not a stubborn spirit, Rom. 2.4. Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness, and forbearance and long suffering not knowing the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? He draws out this Dilemma with which he galls every one that refuseth to return under mercy and patience; either thou despisest the goodness, thou hast a God-despising heart where ever thou art; or at last if we put a fairer gloss on it, and the best which it will bear, thou hast an ignorant heart, which doth not understand the natural tendency of every dispensation of God, and especially this under which thou art, this of patience and forbearance. Here is a consideration which reaches every soul this day before me. And therefore lay it home; you are all under the patience of God, at least now.  
If this consideration do not quicken up to duty, pray read impartially the frames of your spirits in those words last read unto you: And to help this Consideration forward, pray think in yourselves what a base unworthy thing it is to make the great Jehovah to wait upon such a vile wretch as thou art, that he must follow thee at thy heels like a Drudge while thou followest thy pleasures, and walkest in ways which he abominates. Christ used it as a mighty Argument to the Spouse, that he had waited upon her all night, Cant. 5.2. My undefiled for my head is filled with dew, and my locks with the drops of the night: It was too long for him to wait a night; but how many nights and days hath the Lord waited on some of you? How hast thou suffered him to follow thee from Alehouse to Alehouse, and from Tavern to Tavern, and there he hath checked thee; and from thence to thy Bed, and from thence to the Tavern again, and from thence into thy Employment, and from thence to the Ordinance, and hath there convicted thee? and yet thou thinkest it nothing to make the Lord wait as a Drudge at thy heels to this very day; is not this very unworthy dealing with the great God? Nay consider what will be the end of all this; this patience and forbearance of God will cost thee deer which thou dost abuse; it will be said when God upon account will charge thee with so many day's Attandance, so long I waited upon thee in Providences, and so long in ordinances, and you made a Drudge of me, made me to follow you from one Alehouse to another, and from one Tavern to another, and here I checked you, and in your Chamber, and upon your sick-beds, but all this attendance was slighted.  
How wilt thou come off? Dost thou think not to account for this? will it not be a heavy account, when all the patience and forbearance of God will come in against thee? then you shall understand that saying common amongst us, but little considered and less applied, Laesa patientia in furorem vertitur.  
Eightly consider, Although patiented, yet he is just; and although he seem slow, yet he is sure; and without peradvanture he will call thee to an account one day for all thy ways and works whether good or evil. The necessity and use of such a consideration as this we find, 2 Corin. 5.10.11. For me must all appear before the Judgement seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord we persuade men. He propounds this as an engaging Motive to the Saints, to seek for, and to keep a clear sight of their interest in God, or to such a walking before him as may be acceptable to him through Christ.  
And in the second place he lays it down as a pressing consideration to those who are acquainted with the Lord, and with his dispensations, to mind other men with these things, and to use all means by persuasive ways to draw them out of the snares of the Devil; and from this argument he presseth to a speedy repentance. Acts 17.30, 31. And the times of this ignorance God winked at, but now commandeth all men every where to repent. Vers. 31. Because he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the World in righteousness, by that man whom he hath ordained. I wish that this consideration might come as near to you, as it did to Felix, Acts 24, 25. And as he reasoned of Righteousness, Temperance, and Judgement to come, Felix trembled; only thus, that it may have better success, that it may not be so soon shaken off from you as from him. I am sure it is such a consideration that if it were well and seriously weighed, it would be a great help to balance thy spirit when most vain. This we may see by the use that the wise man makes of it, Eccles. 11.9. Rejoice O young man in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes, but know thou that for all these things God will bring thee to judgement. He propounds it to him that was resolved to have no other Counselors but his own eyes and heart, to the young man in the midst of his madness; intimating, that if there were any thing that would prove a remora to his spirit, when he was under full sails of vanity, this was like to do it. If any Cable was strong enough to hold the ship in these rough Seas, it was this, Remember thou shalt come to judgement.  
Ninthly, Consider the Lord in judging shall not only judge men for sins of commission, but sins of omission also; and this shall condemn men before the Lord in the great day. We find the servant condemned for not improving his Talon, Matth. 25.25, 26, and 41, 42. verses. We have the Judgement of the great day passing upon this Indictment; not that sins of commission should be left out; but first, either to show that if men did but truly measure themselves by omissions, there was enough to condemn them.  
Secondly, Or because it was not questioned among the Jews but sins of commission would be charged, and therefore Christ is silent in that point.  
Or thirdly, He insists only upon this as by a surplusage of reason, inferring the other; that if men should perish for not doing good, what should become of those who did evil?  
Fourthly, to meet perhaps with those who contented themselves with a negative righteousness, to meet with the Scribes, and Pharisees, and civil persons.  
Fifthly, That he might condemn that sin of persecution; if men should be damned for not comforting the Saints, what shall become of those that did persecute them?  
Tenthly, Consider that the Lord in judging will not only judge men for outward acts, but for thoughts; also, that the Lord searcheth and tryeth the Reins and Heart, and knoweth thoughts. I need not prove it; I hope it is granted on all hands; and if this be granted, it will follow as I have propounded, that the Lord judgeth for these things, or else why should he search to know them: But if it be not plainly deducible from thence; then consider, that it was part of the Lords charge against the old World, when he proceeded to judgement with it for sin, in such a severe manner, Gen. 6.2. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every imagination of his heart was only evil continually. He makes use of the wickedness of the thoughts,  
1 As a reason of that great plague.  
2 As an argument of the greatness of the sin of man; and when the Lord calls men to repentance, he doth not only invite them to leave their outward gross Idolatries and wicked practices, but he invites them to come in, and leave their evil thoughts behind them, Isai. 55.7. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Now if we did but remember that the Lord is the Judge of our thoughts, it would help to set a hedge about them; and till this be done, how can the great work of remembering the Lord prosper with us?  
Eleventhly, Consider the Holiness of God; it is counsel from the Lord himself, Levit. 19.2. Say unto all the Congregation of Israel, Ye shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy; Pressing to holiness, he uses this as the chief, if not the only Argument; for I the Lord your God am holy. And David presseth the same thing in other terms, Psalms 99.5. Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship him at his footstool, for he is holy. A world of wickedness doth arise in men's hearts from the mistakes which men have of God, Psalm 50.21. These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thyself. There was nothing made the Heathens more bold in sin, than the Fables of their Poets who fastened all manner of wickedness upon their Gods; when they heard how their Gods committed Adultery and Rapes, they thought they might sin by a Law; and there is a marvellous proneness in men, to take up such thoughts of God as may serve to strengthen themselves in sin. There is a necessity of removing such vain and gross conceits of God, in order to the setting up of his fear in our hearts; and there is nothing more needful to be set up then this, viz. the holiness of the Lord; for we frame the worship of God according to the apprehensions we have of him. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; such as God's name is to us, so will his fear be in us, and such worship will he have from us. If we know him by the name of his holiness, than we shall be careful to sanctify that name in his worship; worship the Lord in the beauties of holiness: this leads you to the tenth verse, where he saith, his Name is Holy; and therefore concludes no worship suitable to him but that which is in the beauty of holiness. Oh if we did but carry deep apprehensions of God's holiness with us into all duties and employments, how would it awe our hearts, and cast a lustre and glory upon all our actions? the glory of God's holiness would appear in every thing we set about.  
Twel●thly, Consider that God compares our actings in spiritual things, with our actings in carnal or civil things. If this were thought on, it would put men upon seriousness in the things of God; see how the Lord upbraids Israel for want of this frame, Mal. 1.8. And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? offer it now to thy Governor, will he be pleased with thee or accept thy person, saith the Lord of Hosts? the Lord takes it unkindly and in great disdain, when we are circumspect and careful in our behaviour before men, and careless or less wary and watchful toward him; dost thou study the frame of thy spirit as much when thou comest before the Lord, as thou dost thy outward garb when thou art to appear before some great man? dost thou consult as much before hand for thy acceptation, as thou wouldst in a case of life and death with thy Governor? Thou thinkest when thou hast any thing to present to him, it is never well enough; but any thing for the Lord, if it be but the lame and the blind; a blind devotion, a few lame Prayers and Services, that have never a good leg to stand upon; these are presented in haste to the Lord, & thou thinkest it is all well enough; and dost thou think that the Lord will let all these things pass by without comparing them one with another? Is it not upon this ground that the Apostle exhorts believers after this manner, Rom. 6.19. As you have yielded your members servants to uncleanness, and to iniquity unto iniquity: even so now yield your members servants unto righteousness and to holiness. It is not enough that thou art willing to do some things for God; but art thou as willing to do as much for him as ever thou wert for thyself, for sin, and lust? Dost thou think that when thou hast served them night and day with the heat and fervency of all thy affections, that he will be put off with a cold, sleepy, drowsy profession? Will he not say, See such a man pretends to Religion, to act for me: did he act so heavily and drousily for sin? doth he act so for himself in things of self-concernment? Away with such pretenders, saith the Lord, that will not act for me at the same rate that they have acted for the world, and for themselves, and their own lusts.  
13. Consider what an honour it is to be employed for God, to be called the servant o● the most High. David envied the very Sparrow that built about the Altar when he was shut out; and wilt thou shut out thy self when God calls thee to such honourable employment? Psalm 84. the people of God who have known how to value their relations to God, have valued the very worst things of Christ, and the least employment for him above the best things in the world, as in Moses, Heb. 11.24, 25, 26. Moses refused to be called the Son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to suffer with the people of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, vers. 26. Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt. And in David, Psalm 84.10. For a day in thy Courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a Doorkeeper in the house of my God, then to dwell in the tents of Wickedness. Art thou seeking and thirsting after honour, and honourable employments? behold here it is, to remember thy Creator, to be busied about him, and for him; thou art never like to get so much honour and repute at the last by serving sin and Lust, as thou mayst get in serving the Lord, Rom. 6.21. What fruit had you in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end thereof is death. You have the two Genuine and Natural fruits of sin, Shame, and Death; and to this we may oppose that of the Wise man, Prov. 3.16. Length of days is in her right hand, and in her left hand riches and honour, Prov. 4.8. Exalt her; and she shall promote thee; she shall bring thee to honour when thou dost embrace her.  
14. Consider his great bounty to his Servants. You shall always hear them that are sincere with him, speak well of him, yea very largely of his freeness and fullness to their Souls. I might compass you with a cloud of Witnesses, if I should call in all the Saints in the Old and New Testament, to speak out their experience, (which they would willingly do to commend their Lord and Master to the world) but I shall only call in two or three to speak for all the rest. Gen. 32.10. saith Jacob, I am not worthy of the least of all thy mercies, and of all the truth which thou hast showed unto thy Servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan, and now I am become two bands. He found when he had cast up his accounts he was paid with an overplus; it would be too long a story to hear David tell how good he had found God; you have him largely speaking of the bounty and goodness of God to his Soul, Psal. 34. upon which he spends the whole Psalm: yet while he was speaking he feared that men would hardly judge aright of this by hearing; they would apprehend more by tasting; he calls therefore upon men, verse, 8. O taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man that trusteth in him. God is better known by experience then by notion; he would persuade them not to content themselves with hear-sayes that God was good, but desires them to make trial of him, and of his ways; certainly David knew the force of this Argument to draw Souls to be more and more in love with God. Ps. 66.16. Come and I will declare what God hath done for my soul; hearing how liberal and free the Lord is to others, encourageth us to expect great things from him also, specially if we find him generally so free. We know a Servant is very ambitious to serve a free Master, and if he be generally free to all his Servants, it encourageth him to expect something in his service; if he hears every Servant in the Family to commend him, and cry up his bounty. Thus it is with God; all that are his Servants in deed speak very freely of him; David gives a notable hint of this. In his Temple doth every one speak of his glory: he layeth this down I suppose as an argument to press to this duty; he had used many others from the Works of God, he draws one from the practice of his Saints because they do speak well of him and tell large experimental stories of his glory.  
15. Consider his faithfulness in his Promises; he is yea, and Amen with Souls, he is at a word; what he promiseth he gives, and much more than what we can expect. David useth this as an argument, because there is no unfaithfulness in him; there was never any Soul that ventured on any promise of his, that ever found him worse than his word; nay when he promised, and that very largely too, and by them hath heightened the desires and expectations of his people, he hath reserved to himself a liberty of coming in beyond their expectations, 1 Cor. 2.9. Eye hath not seen, ear hath not heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them which love him. If these considerations were faithfully laid together, and seriously weighed and applied to our spirits, would they not persuade us to draw that conclusion which we find upon the same account, Jer. 10.7. Who would not fear thee, O King of Nations? and if we do not learn the skill of setting the Lord in such considerations as these before us, we shall never excel in his fear.  
The second Head follows; How this considering and setting God before us, doth make way for, and advance the fear of God in our hearts. I shall explain this in the ensuing particulars.  
First it serves to balance and six the vain, light, and frothy unconstant spirit of man: it helps much to the putting his heart into a serious frame by setting the glory of the great Omniscient and Omni-present God before him; men will be more circumspect in their behaviours, when they conceive themselves to be in the presence of some great one; the want of this makes men vain and vile in the World, Psal. 73.11, 12. And they say, how doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most high? Behold these are the ungodly who prosper in the world, they increase in riches; doth God know? say they, we are not under the eye of the Lord; and therefore we need not trouble our thoughts about him; and what follows? these are the ungodly; ungodliness in practice must needs follow those that have cast the thoughts of God fare from them; but would not much of the vanity of our spirits and the formality of our hearts be beaten down, if we could but set the glory of the Lord this day before us? if we did consider with whom we have to do in Worship; would it not advise us to seriousness in our addresses to him? surely it would be a curb and check to the vanity of men's spirits, which doth now wonderfully increase through the neglect of a due and serious remembering of the Lord.  
Secondly, It would much help forward the fear of the Lord, by humbling and abasing of us before him. Humiliation is the very ground work of holiness here; and as this work thrives in the Soul, so doth the work of Sanctification prosper in and upon us; therefore whatsoever doth conduce to the perfecting or advancing the work of humiliation in the Soul, must needs help forward the true fear of the Lord, and the work of Sanctification; but there is nothing that doth more naturally humble the Soul than a true sight of God. This we may see, Isa. 6.5. Then said I, Woe is me, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts. And in Job 42.5, 6. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seethe thee; wherefore I abhor myself in dust and ashes. We see how one glance of God did work upon them; how much more would a continual frame of beholding God in his glory, and as he hath been presented, bring creatures down to lie in the dust? O therefore if you would have much of the power of Sanctification, study the Soul humbling and abasing Truths and Attributes of God; it is a seasonable advice to our times.  
Thirdly, it crucifieth the World, and keeps that always under a cloud before us; and how necessary this is to the furthering of the fear of the Lord, let those speak who have much to do in the world, and any thing to do with their own hearts; they shall find, that the faster the world dies to them, the more they shall live to God. The soul never thrives better in Spiritual things then when the world and the glory of it is vailed to it; for then the affections have liberty to Spiritual things, and the World hath less influence upon them; now this serious consideration of God, helps on these two ways.  
1 By drawing our hearts to look through the Creature unto God. Or,  
2 By directing us to look down from God upon the Creature. If we take it the first way, than it crucifieth the World, by leading the Soul through the visible to the invisible glory of God, Rom. 1 20. For the invisible things of him from the Creation of the World are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal Power and Godhead; it suffers not the Soul to stick and loiter in the surface of any created glory, but it strives to comprehend him who fills this and that Creature with his glory. The Soul useth the Creature as a man useth a pair of Spectacles to look through them; and he is not busy eyeing them, though he looks steadily upon them, but he is taken up in eyeing the letters and words, and things which he discerns through them; this is the true use of the Creature to look through it, and not to be bounded and terminated in it; and the Soul that sets the Lord much before him, learns thus to pass through every thing unto the Lord, who is the centre of his thoughts; and by doing so the affections are fixed with the glory of God, and it takes little notice of the Creature which it passes by, having a more excellent object in his eye.  
If we consider it in the second way propounded, than it crucifieth the world; thus it looks down from the Lord to the Creature, and so it beholds it at a disadvantage; and this view of the Creature either lessens it, or darkens it; as we see, if a man behold any thing from the top of some high Tower, it seems very small to him, what it doth to him that stands level with it; so it is with men that converse with God, and walk with God, they behold the Creature afar off, and much beneath them, and they seem not so big to them as they do to those who stand upon the earth; for by this means the Creature is darkened; as we find by example, That if a man looks steadily on the Sun, he shall find a mist upon every thing that he beholds immediately after; so let a Soul that hath been contemplating, and considering the goodness and glory of God, take a view presently of the Creature, and how cloudy and misty will it appear?  
Fourthly, It stirs up choice breathe, and long after God, and the enjoyment of him; the Soul by lying on God in Christ, gins to see him as the only desirable one, the choice good, the suitable and the satisfying good, and from hence proceeds choice breathe after him; see one of these, Psalm 27.4. One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple. Here was one that was enamoured after God, and his ways; he had seen so much of the beauty and excellency of God that he was wonderfully taken with it, and would wish to spend all his days in the beholding of it; this frame we find the Disciples in when they had but a glance of the glory of Christ, Matthew 17.4. Master, it is good for us to be here; and these experiences beget choice breathe. David would spend all his time not only in beholding but enquiring also; beauty discovered begets breathe suitable to discoveries▪ The more God is seen, the more desired; he did not dream of a contemplative life as some do, wherein we should be only busied in beholding, and be freed from enquiring; he desired no such perfection. We do not find so many choice breathe of any of the Saints recorded as of David; and indeed there is enough spoken of him, to testify him to be a man of the choicest affections; and one reason of this was (as I shall afterward show you from hence) he was a constant eyer of God, he was still in his thoughts; from hence did so many sweet breathe flow; see a few of them, Psal. 42.1, 2. As the Hart panteth after the water-brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God, my soul thirsteth for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God There is panting and thirsting after God; yet he goes higher in his affections, Psalms 84.2. he longeth, yea even fainteth, and yet he exceeds, Psalm 119.20. My soul breaketh for the long that it hath unto thy Judgements. What manner of breathe were these after the Lord, and after his ways! all these did flow from an experimental taste of God, and the excellency of his ways; and when the Soul hath found out the sweetness of the presence of God, and his ways, it will no longer be contented with broken cisterns which will hold no water; it will not live upon that which is not bread, and which satisfieth not, but it flies to God and Christ, and nothing else will satisfy the soul, Isaiah 55.1, 2. It says to itself, as the Lord saith, Wherefore do you spend money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that which satisfieth not? Harken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness; there is bread and water, and marrow, and fatness▪ I will up (says the Soul) to my Father's house, there is bread enough and to spare. Oh, if we did but eye the Lord more, we should be more acquainted with those choice breathe of the Saints.  
Fifthly, It begets an assimilating love; the discoveries of God made out and fastened upon the Soul, in a constant and serious frame of eyeing God, do wonderfully move the Soul to love, raise very strong affections, and these do strongly carry the soul after likeness and conformity to the good which we see and know of God; the Soul would fain be like him, and doth by degrees grow into the Image and likeness of that beauty and glory which it beholdeth in the Lord. 2 Cor. 3.18. But we all with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same Image from glory to glory. Souls that are much conversant with God in Christ, and are much in admiring and beholding God in him, do grow much (although perhaps insensible to themselves) into the Image of Jesus Christ.  
Sixthly, It makes Souls active and fruitful; good thoughts make way for good desires, and they for good actions; how much of time, and of the man do vain and unprofitable thoughts take up? and what is the fruit of them? Psal. 10.4, 6, 7. The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God; God is not in all his thoughts; he hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved, for I shall never be in adversity. Vers. 7. His mouth is full of cursing, and deceit and fraud, and in his tongue is mischief and vanity. Vain thoughts make way for wicked designs and practices; shut him first out of thy thoughts, and next deny him in thy works; so on the other hand, the eyeing of God feeds and furnisheth the soul with sweet Meditations of him, and the fruit of such meditations in a fruitful conversation, Psal. 1.2, 3. His delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his Law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season, and his leaf also shall not whither. He joineth these two together; as jacob's Ewes did conceive by eyeing the Poplars, so doth the soul by eyeing God.  
Seventhly, It brings in a sweet experimental knowledge of God, which is as fatness unto the soul. Now nothing doth so glue the soul to God and his ways, as this taste and relish which the soul gets of them; and the sweetness is gotten very much in meditation, Psalm 104.34. My meditation of them shall be sweet. When he had spent the whole Psalm in beholding the ways and works of God, he draweth this conclusion, My meditation of him shall be sweet; He would not lay aside the thoughts of God; when he had ceased speaking, he would then to another duty which should yield him no small comfort; and what sweetness this was he doth excellently express elsewhere, Psalm 63.5, 6. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips. Vers. 6. When I remember thee on my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. And in the connexion of the fifteenth and sixteenth verses of the one hundred and nineteenth Psal. you shall find delight as a fruit of meditation on the things of God; I will meditate on thy precepts, and have respect to thy ways. Vers. 16. I will delight myself in thy statutes, and will not forget thy word. The heart that sticks close with God, and carries him much in his eye and thoughts, is never weary of beholding of him; all other Objects do breed a loathing and weariness in the soul; but it is not so here; the longer a soul converses with God, the more delight it hath in him; enjoyment breeds hungrings; and those being always satisfying, but not satisfied, breeds an inconceivable delight in the soul.  
Que. 3. How shall I do to keep the Lord in mine eye continually?  
Ans. I shall lay down some quickening considerations, which will both engage us, and assist us in this duty, and then give some practical directions to further it.  
First, Consider that God hath an eye continually upon thee, and this will help thee always to eye him; we know that if we are in any company, and observe amongst all the persons one who does particularly observe us, we are engaged much in our eyes to that party; we shall hardly forbear eyeing such a one as we observe to eye us; thus it would be with us, if we did but consider that the Lords eye runs too and fro, and observes exactly all our ways, it would help us much to seriousness, as being in his presence. I shall propound a few Scriptures to show you what use they make of this consideration; for I am confident that there is very little use made of it on all hands; what manner of men should we be, if we did but walk up and down as a people who are always under his eye? we should be more mindful of him, if we thought he did more mind us. David makes the same use of this consideration which I bring it for, Psalm thirty four, and the fifteenth, The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous; he brings this unto the youngman to press him un●o the fear of the Lord, Vers. 11. Come ye children, harken unto me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord. He lays down the duty in general, and branches it into two particulars, and presses all with this, The eyes of the Lord, etc. There it is principally used to the Saints, and we find this very place quoted by the Apostle, 1 Peter 3.12. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers. And the wise man makes it an universal argument to all sorts, but especially to the young man, Prov. 5.20, 21. And why wilt thou my son be ravished with a strange Woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger? For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his go. Nay, presses from hence not only circumspection in our actions, but in our words too; to watch the tongue, to weigh every word that cometh out of our lips, Prover. 15.2, 3. The tongue of the wise man useth knowledge aright, but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness. The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good; he is advising to a discreet and wise ordering of words, not only to speak according to knowledge, but also according to discretion, to do and speak every thing and word seasonably, and suitably, and to edification; and this he urges from this, Thou art under the eye of the Lord; and what sad effects the want of this consideration hath brought forth, let the Scripture, beside our sad experience, declare. Hear what account David gives of this, Psalm 10.11. He hath said in his heart God hath forgotten, he hideth his face, he will never see it. He rips open the heart of the wicked, and shows the reason of his practical wickedness. We have the very sinews of sin that strengthen the hands of wicked men; They slay the widow; and the stranger, and murder the fatherless, yet say, the Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it. If thou wouldst therefore be found walking in an even path, and avoid the steps of the wicked, keep thine eyes upon God; and that thou mayest do this;  
First, Consider that God will eye thee whether thou eyest him or no: it's the commendation of a picture when it is drawn so that the eye of it is upon thee wheresoever thou standest to behold it; the Image of God is rightly drawn upon thy soul when thou seest his eye is always towards thee.  
Secondly, Consider that thou livest no longer than whilst thou art present with God, and God with thee; whilst thou walkest without God in thine eye, thou liest under a cloud, and a damp is upon thy spirit; coldness and deadness must needs seize u●on thy heart when it is withdrawn from the eye of the sun, Psal. 16▪ 11. Thou wilt show me the path of life, in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore; As the Epicure said, A man doth live only whilst he doth enjoy his pleasure; So may I say, Thou dost live no longer than thou art with God. See what the Apostle says of such as are strangers to the life of God, they have a name to live but are dead; or if thou art not altogether dead, yet thou livest only in the root, as the tree doth in winter, when the leaves and fruit fail; who can tell whether it be alive or dead? there is little difference between a dead one and that; So indeed it is with the people of God; whilst they neglect this great duty, there is little difference betwixt carnal people and them.  
Thirdly, Consider how thou art engaged to this duty as thou professest thyself a Christian: it is thy duty as a Professor to walk as Christ walked. He that saith he abideth in him, ought himself also to walk even as he walked, 1 Joh. 2.6. If thou wouldst know how he walked, consult with Psal. 16.8. I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved: And if you doubt whether this be meant of Christ or not, see Act. 2.25. For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand that I should not be moved. You see the fruit which is from hence; stability in the ways of God; therefore he had assurance that he should not be moved.  
Fourthly, Consider this was David's frame, and therefore not only imitable, but attainable also, Psalm 25 15. Mine eyes are ever towards the Lord, Psalm 139.17, 18. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more than the sands; when I awake I am still with thee. Why should not this engage us, and encourage us to endeavour this thing? seeing that the Saints of old have attained unto it, why should we not go and do likewise?  
Fifthly, Consider such a frame of spirit is very dear unto the Lord; and a People that so live are very precious unto him; he sets much by such a people, who carry him much in their eye, Mal. 3.16. Then they that feared the Lord, spoke often one to another, and the Lord harkened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his Name. God will be sure to think upon those for good, who think much upon him; the Lord enters their names upon the List for preservation, takes special notice of them; Not that we should think that the Lord hath any need of a Register to keep things in remembrance; but that the Lord might hereby (speaking after the manner of men) give his people good assurance that they should not be forgotten by him; that whoever were neglected in an evil day, these should be provided for; these are his Jewels as he calls them. Now we know if a house be on fire, a man will run and catch the Jewels that he hath in his house, or the Children that he hath, and save them from the flames; Thus will God save his precious ones. Oh here you may see how good it is to have God in our thoughts; for one thought of him shall not be lost; God will not only cause their prayers to return into their bosoms, but their thoughts shall come home at such a time.  
Sixthly, Consider such a frame will be very sweet unto thee; thou wilt find it at present a very choice frame of spirit, to have God much before thee; David found sweet refreshments here, when he could not find any comfort from any visible thing; he than had it in his thoughts within him, Psa. 94.19. In the multitude of my thoughts within me, thy comforts delight my soul, Psalm 139.17. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God how great is the sum of them? David seems to be ravished with the sweetness of the thoughts of his heart; he does as it were, travel with a desire to express that sweetness which he found in the very thoughts of God; and because they were inexpressible, he propounds this in a question to the Lord, who only was able to give an answer, How precious are thy thoughts, O God The worldling's thoughts, or the wantoness thoughts, or the voluptuous man's thoughts are not, cannot be half so sweet unto him, as the thoughts of God are to a soul that sincerely converseth with him.  
Seventhly, Consider that the more thou conversest with God, the sweeter will his name and ways be unto thee; when thou hast once made entrance into this duty, and hast tasted the sweetness of it, thou wilt not know where or when to end. David speaking in commendation of the ways of God, hath this expression, I know no end thereof. And in that Psa. 119.96. I have seen an end of all perfection, but thy Commandment is exceeding broad. He speaks out eminently his experience in this thing; that he had seen an end of the perfection of every way but of this. A man may find something sweet in creatures, but he shall quickly come to the end of it; only in the ways of God he finds a large field; there is room enough for his soul; he may travel all his days in them, and never find an end of their perfection here. He was like the L●viathan taking his pastime in the mighty waters; the man that sets his hearton any thing beneath Christ, shall find his bed too short to stretch himself upon; he crowdeth his soul into a narrow room and place where he cannot be at rest; but the soul that is busied about the Lord in meditating upon him, has a large place to walk in; there is no end of his glory, nor of the sweetness of his ways. We may say of them truly, as the wise man saith in another case, The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear with hearing. They were not only David's work, but his recreation, Psalm 119.111. Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage, they are the rejoicing of my heart: And this exceeding sweetness which he found in the thoughts of God, did multiply his thoughts. Psalm 139.17. How precious are thy thoughts, O God and the soul multiplies the thoughts according to what they yield of delight unto it, as the Bee often falls on that flower which yields the most honey.  
Eighthly, Consider how thou hast carried the world in thine eye constantly for many days, and months, and years without intermission; thou didst never walk up and down but thou didst carry thy worldly thoughts with thee; either thoughts of profit, or pleasure, or preferment, thou hast carried them to thy bed, and brought them from thence again, they have companied thee sleeping as well as waking; thou hast had no leisure for God, nor for a serious thought of thy soul, no not so much as under an Ordinance; how many vain, base thoughts hast thou brought to the hearing of the Word, and to other duties! there has been no time nor place wherein thou hast been free from carnal thoughts: Oh now study to keep thy heart, thy thoughts as close to God, as thou didst then to the world; carry as much of God now with thee into the world, as thou didst then bring with thee of the world into the things of God; it is but reason that thou shouldest follow God with the same affections & desires that thou didst then follow thy pleasures and profits; with what face can we profess that we love God, and that our thoughts are upon him, when he is lower in our thoughts, or less in them then other things either are or have been? See the Apostles Argument Rom. 6 19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh; for as you have yielded your members servants unto uncleanness, and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. May I not use the same? is it not a reasonable thing, and plain to the judgement of man, that you should honour God as much in your thoughts as ever you dishonoured him, and give up them to him, as you did formerly give them up to sin and vanity? now remember what the frame of thy spirit was when thou wert vain, thy thoughts constantly so; there was not room for one serious thought of God, when thou wert carnal and worldly, and set upon thy pleasures, thy thoughts were all that way, and always such. O now think it not enough to begin to be serious; but be as serious for God as ever thou wert for the world and sin. Make it thy business and thy design; now labour to keep thy thoughts as busy about the Lord as ever thou didst about any thing in the world; remember the Lord expects a proportionable acting that we act for him, at the rate that we did against him.  
Ninthly, Thou wilt never repent of living near the Lord, when thou comest to die; the time which thou hast spent this way, in e●ing th● Lord, and thy fore-thoughts which thou hast had of Eternity will never trouble thee in that hour, where thou wilt mourn only for those hours which thou hast spent without God in the world, when other men shall tremble at the thoughts of death and of eternity, and at the remembrance of God whom they have not known nor considered nor yet cared to know; then thou shalt rejoice in him whom thou hast known, and loved, and hopest to see, with whom thy thoughts have been long before; when death shall come to surprise others, it shall deliver thee; and when God shall come as a stranger, and an enemy to them, he shall be as a long-experienced friend to thy soul; then thou shalt reap the benefit of thy retirements which men called melancholy thoughts; and he whose thoughts were not as thine, will wish his end might be as thine. When Oecolampadius lay on his deathbed, ask a friend that came to visit him what news he brought, and he told him none? well saith he then▪ I'll tell you news. When all were in expectation what it should be, or how he that had been confined to his chamber, could tell them news, Brevi ero apud Christum Dominum, says he; I shall shortly be with Christ; this was good news to that good man, whose heart had been for him whilst living, and now rejoiced that he should be more with him dying; And indeed the consideration of this did so much affect him, he turned all discourse into this; when they asked whether the light did not offend him because of his weakness? he l●id his hand on his breast, and said, Abunde lucis est, here is much light. It is remarkable that of Paul, 2 Tim. 4.6, 7. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand; I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: what comfort he takes in considering how he had spent his time for God, and how much that consideration did facilitate his assurance; and he adds this as a fruit of welldoing, to love the appearance of Christ: But for a wicked man who hath lived all his time ignorantly, or idly, or profanely, either doing his own things, or other, or evil things, and not regarding the things of the Lord, will he rejoice at the appearance of Jesus? there will be a horrible crying when Christ comes at midnight, and finds them secure, and employed in the works of the night, in surfeiting or in drunkenness. It will be with such as it was with Pope Adrian, who cried out, O my soul, whither art thou going! thou art going where thou shalt never be jovial nor merry more. O my soul whither art thou going! Men do generally shake off these thoughts; but when they come to die, they are easily confuted; they live now as if there were none to outlive them but their wives and children, as if there were no God, nor no soul to survive; their very lives speak the very language of the great Turk when he was dying, and his Doctors told him he must prepare to go to another world; Is there another world when I am dead? he thought all had died with him; language fit for those filthy Dreamers of our days, those superannuated hypocrites, who have worn out all their profession of Religion, who say men die as Cats and Dogs, and therefore they live like Beasts. But as an Antidote against the evil of their ways, carry this along with thee, Labour to do those things now which thou wouldst wish thou hadst done when thou comest to die, and leave those things undone which thou supposest will not yield comfort in that hour.  
Having laid these things down as considerations to quicken to the duty, I shall give some practical directions to guide you in it, and to further Souls who would willingly have their hearts set in such a constant frame for God.  
First Direction. Have an eye upon thine own heart, and that will constantly administer occasions to thee of looking after God; thy wants, or enjoyments, temptations or deliverances, hopes or fears will advise thee to draw nigh to him; not considering the present frames & tempers of our hearts, makes them so little God-ward; if we were acquainted with ourselves, we should be lessestrangers to him. That man is happy who carries so much an eye over himself as to know in what frame of spirit he is; That man shall never defer his going to God, for want of an errand; for his own self observation will furnish him for matter of duty, either for meditation or action, and the variety of change with which his heart is clothed will chequer his whole life with prayer, and praise; God is not like to be far from that man's eye and heart, who is not fare from himself, who is conversant at home. If you will be found in a good and constant frame for God, labour to know thy present frame whatever it be: the knowing of the frame of thine own spirit doth much conduce to the bettering of it. But if thou lookest not after thine own heart, but lettest it run at random, thou art not like to find it much with God; a heart not watched, is lost.  
Secondly, When thou hast gotten acquaintance with thy heart, and findest it wand'ring from God, labour to engage it as much as thou canst to this duty; lay the weight of the duty before thee, with the excellency, necessity, and benefit of it, with the danger of neglect, and see what thou canst bring thy heart unto, and try whether this will not engage it to be more with God. We have a notable passage for our direction in this case, Jer. 30.21. He shall approach; for who is he that engages his heart for God? God promises to bless the desires and endeavours of such as take some pains with their hearts in this thing; I see saith the Lord such an one, what pains such a poor creature takes to draw his heart to me, and how he tuggs and labours at it. Well saith the Lord, does he so? and cannot he for all this bring his heart to it? Doth he complain of the difficulty of the duty? I will cause him to draw near; Jor I have seen how he hath laboured to engage his heart. David hath an expression very full, to show how much he had to do with his heart to draw it to God, or keep it close with God, I have forced myself to keep thy statutes. The word that is here translated to engage, it signifies to engage by covenanting, or to become a Surety for any one; so it is used, Gen. 44.32. Thy servant became Surety for the Lad, so that he intimates that often covenanting with our hearts, and often covenanting for them with God, is a means to keep them intent upon him; and though when we have done all, we are too weak to deal with our hearts, yet God takes notice of those who deal most with their hearts, and blesses it unto the design which they drive, which is to draw near unto him.  
Thirdly, Observe those clouds which do most of all take God from thy eyes, and watch against them, and where thou meetest with that which hath once proved a snare to thy Soul, and a vail betwixt God and thee, walk with a holy fear, and wait for a double portion of Grace at such a time; What is it that doth lead thy spirit? Is it thy employment, thy recreation, thy passion, thy cares of this world, thy carnal relations or companions? it is something thou meetest withal often, or is it something thou dost but seldom meet? if it be a constant snare, than thou hast need to be always watchful because of that; if it be such a one as seldom molests thee, be sure thou be very careful, and consider how much grace thou hast need of, to wade through that which hath once spoilt thee. A man that is rob by the way side, will still remember the place where he lost his Purse, and will be sure to look well about him when he passes that way again, and go provided to defend himself; if we did but weigh every condition, and what temptations are in it, or may be in it, and then consider what grace is needful to bear up a Soul in the same, it would wonderfully help our spirits to a senious watchfulness, and constancy. I am now to go forth in my employment, and I find my spirit is ready to be too eager and intent upon the things of this present world, that I can hardly keep God in my eye; how great care should I have now of my heart! it is almost every day lost in that Wilderness in which I am now travelling; I am now to go to my meat, yet I find that in eating and drinking it is hard to set God before me; how shall I do for proportionable grace for this? So I am going into such company where I have lost my heart, and the remembrance of the Lord; oh now for suitable grace to this condition. Thus if we would weigh the inconveniences of every condition, and watch against them for hereafter, it would wonderfully help us against a drowsy dead frame of heart.  
Fourthly, Call thy heart often to account where it hath been; how little with God, and why so; and by this means thou shalt find out every backdoor that thy heart hath to steal out at from God in a day. David propounds this amongst his directions to further and to engage men in the fear of the Lord, Psalm 4.4. Commune with thine own heart in thy bed; do it on the bed, than thou mayest be still and quiet; thou canst not plead an excuse from distractions; then thou mayest argue it out, and have leisure enough to do it; this employment, nor that, will not call thee off. Do it on the Bed in the end of the day, not to exclude other times and seasons, but especially do it then when the work of the day is done, then call thy heart to account, as Masters use to do their Servants when the work is over; and this time is the most fit and seasonable time for this duty, because in the evening time thou mayst find that which in the morning thou couldst not foresee; the morning is for the engaging and preparing; but the evening for examining the heart; for those holes at which thy heart escapes from thee, in the day, thou couldst not discern; but in the evening by perusing thy heart thou mayest easily discover. A man goes about his house and views it in all parts, but cannot tell where the Thief should break in, or go out, and is very secure, thinks himself strong; but when the house is broken open, and his goods taken away, he traces the Thief by his foot, and he finds which way he is escaped, and he labours to fortify that place which he did not suspect before; so perhaps it may be with some of us, we take a view of our Souls in the morning, and we think all is well; we go forth in the strength of resolution to keep close with God, but the house is broken open, and the heart is gone by some back door, which we neither did nor could foresee: The way to find out this escape, is, to view the house after it is broken open; and by this means thou mayst find that it is easier to find a gap then to foresee it, and when thou hast found it, get it shut; by this means thou mayst in time find out every door and hole, at which thy wand'ring heart goes out from God in the day.  
Fifthly, Take heed of walking contrary to thy own light; for the sinning against that will bring forth cursed effects, which do directly destroy this frame of spirit which I am pressing to.  
The first is this; It blinds the Soul, and by this means in time it will be so that thou wilt want an eye to watch thy wand'ring Soul, and when thou hast put out thine own eyes, thou art like to be a sad Watchman. If we consult with that of the Apostle, Rom 1.22. because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened; we shall find that there is no speedier way to lose our light then to sin against it; the very Heathens sinned away that light they had; and if thou sinnest against more light, thou mayst lose more; a final injury done to the eye makes a man see the worse for a time at least, if it do not endanger the losing it; walking contrary to thy light in small things, may dis-enable thee to see great things for a time; labour so to walk, as fearing to sin away that light in which thou desirest to behold God and thine own soul.  
Secondly, walking contrary to light, although in small things, doth estrange the heart from God; every sin seeks a shelter, but especially sin against light loves not to behold the light; we do not love to look much on them whom we cannot behold without a blush. Gild newly contracted, and fresh in our eyes, doth estrange the soul from God; the creature is unwilling to behold him; as we see in Adam, he hide himself; especially if it arises from sin against light, no sin doth so much separate from God as this; the sense of the sin of our nature, or the persuasion that we have committed sins of ignorance, are not such interrupters of communion with God, as the sin against light; for although they do humble us before God, yet they do not stir up such a fear and shame in us as this does, which obstructs our addresses to God; and the reason is plain; for when a man hath done an injury to his neighbour ignorantly, he can easily go and excuse it; but when he hath no excuse to carry with him, he is then hardly persuaded to draw near. I appeal to experiences of Saints concerning this Truth; whether it be not a hard thing to look upon God, when guilt sticks fresh on the soul? I am sure David found it thus, Ps. 40.12. Mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up.  
Sixthly, Remember that in the midst of all thy designs and endeavours in this thing, that thou live not upon them, but upon Christ; neglect no duty which may facilitate this great duty, but remember to believe as if thou didst use no means. Live upon the strengthening promise; for it is the work of Christ to bring over the heart first to God, and it is his work to keep it close with God. This is the great Gospel-promise, and we are to wait for the fulfilling of it in the use of means, Jer. 31.33. After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my Law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people; And Jer. 32.40. God hath promised to heal the back-slidings of the soul, after promises and endeavours, and engagements, and back-sliding thoughts, and revolts of the heart; thou canst not keep up with God, see what God saith, Jer. 3.22. Return to me ye back sliding children, and I will heal your back-slidings; And in Hos. 14.4. I will heal your back-slidings, I will love you freely: See, what precious promises are these for souls to take hold of: We find how difficult it is to keep close to God; lay these to heart, take these promises and melt them into petitions; who knows but that the Lord may do great things for thee, if thou wilt wait for him in the promise, when he puts out his greatstrength, and communicates a kind of omnipotency to poor souls? what is there too hard for him who knows how to use a promise as a promise? I hint this, Because I find many souls to abuse the promises of God strangely, and therefore reap but little comfort from them; they take the promises and turn them into trials, and only examine themselves by them, and neglect the very end of the promise: As for example, they take a promise, and say, God has promised such and such things in Christ to his people, as to put his Law in their hearts, and to keep them from departing from him, and to heal their back-slidings; but I fear it is not so with me, I do not find these things in my heart, therefore I can take no comfort in the promise. This is a wronging of the Promise, as much as if thou shouldest say, I will believe God when I see his word fulfilled, and not before. The Promise was given thee to comfort thee, and to support thee, when nothing else could; when the Sun is clouded, and thou seest the want of these things, which the promise holds forth, than thou art to believe and rely on the promise; this is to use it as a promise: If thou dost this, thou shalt find them mighty through Christ, and him near at hand to help thee in all thy straits; And be sure remember this, that the use of the promise must not take thee off from other means prescribed; neither must other means take thee off from the promise; but in the use of all means herein lies the great strength, in the strengthening promise.  
Seventhly, Labour for an experimental taste and knowledge of God in Christ; this will be the sweetest and surest means to keep the soul intent upon God; Where your treasure is, saith Christ, there your hearts will be; now no soul can make God and Christ his treasure, but the experimental soul; he that hath not tasted how good the Lord is, cannot set his heart upon him so as to make him his portion and inheritance; But the soul who hath had a taste from God, and seen what engagements are from thence to keep close to God, Phil. 3.7. to 14. Paul quickly cast away all when he had tasted of Christ; but what things were gain to me, those I accounted loss for Christ: his senses were spiritualised, and he does not content himself with a taste, but he would comprehend; but I follow after, that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus; he endeavours to that, So reaching forth to these things which are before, vers. 13. and he presses to the mark, vers. 14. All these show how an experimental relish of the goodness of God doth engage the heart to him. David hints thus much, that there was nothing more conducible to the fear of the Lord, than this taste of him, Ps. 34.8, 9 O taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed be the man that trusteth in him. O fear the Lord ye his Saints, for there is no want to them that fear him: He calls upon to taste and try how good God is, and then to fear him; Plainly implying, that if he could persuade men to make trial of God and his ways, he should engage some of them to fear him, from the experience of the sweetness of them; and the Apostle makes use of this as an argument to press after growth in grace, 1 Pet. 2.2, 3. As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby, if ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious: Intimating, that it could not be but they who had any experience of the grace of God, and of his goodness in Christ, must needs be hungering and thirsting after more communion with God; if you would therefore keep up your hearts close to God, seek for a taste, look out for experimental knowledge; it is this that will endear God to your souls; If we did labour to set up more precious and high esteem, and honourable thoughts of God in our hearts, we should endeavour to break through every condition to him. What is it that draws the carnal heart after the world, but a kind of sweetness which his earthly distemperate palate tastes in it? What is it that made Israel long so much to go back again into Egypt? was it not the garlic, and the fleshpots, and because they had tasted of these, and seen the Land, and the fruitfulness of it? they were going into a Land of which they had heard, but had not seen; therefore they often wished themselves back again; and therefore the Lord commanded Moses to send out some to search the Land, that they might bring of the fruit of it, Numb. 13.21. And they brought a cluster of Grapes, of the choicest to commend the Land. Thus it is with us, whilst we make a profession without experience, it is no wonder that our hearts keep not close to God; we pretend to follow God whom we know not; but the world we know, that is always with us; we have experience of the sweetness of it, and what it yields; therefore we cleave more to that, then to the Lord, until he sends us a cluster of the first ripe grapes, some first fruits of the Kingdom of Heaven; If we have not a little of Heaven in our way to Heaven, we shall never seek it with intention of spirit.  
Eighthly, Labour for a clear sight of interest; Pulchrum & meum, Beauty and propriety do very much engage the heart; things that are beautiful are (very much) attractive; but if we have an interest in them they seem the more beautiful. 'Tis a great help to consider of the excellency and goodness of God and of his ways, above and beyond the World and the pleasures of it; but when we can consider God in relation to ourselves, than he is much more comely and glorious; when we can say not only God is good, but My God is good. Propriety does wonderfully knit, and glue the heart (we see) to its object in all things; and so it will in spiritual things; an interest in Christ revealed and cleared to the Soul, doth marvellously engage it to him, and quickens it in its acting heaven-ward; see for this Colossians 3.1, 2, 3, 4. If ye be then risen with Christ, seek those things that are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God; set your affections on things above, not on things of the earth; for you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God; when Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. The Apostle argues strongly with them unto a Spiritual life, and constant frame of breathing after Christ and Spiritual things, from their interest in Jesus Christ, which was very clear, and without scruple to many of their souls; and we have the same improvement made of this which the Apostle exhorts to here, Phil. 3.20. Our conversation is in heaven from whence we look for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ. An interest in Christ draws the Soul much towards Heaven, to be constantly looking for it, and into it, and this causes the Soul to bend unto it: That Soul cannot be long a stranger to Heaven, who knows a Saviour there: O labour therefore to keep your interest clear and plain, if you would keep your hearts constantly active, and yearning towards Heaven.  
Ninthly, Fellow thy Prayers, and consider what becomes of them; if thou dost so, they will carry thee much to God; consider in the day what thou didst pray for in the morning, and in the night what thou didst ask in the evening, and live as one that waiteth for returns; this will be an excellent means to keep thy heart busy with the Lord either in a waiting believing frame for something thou hast sought of God, and is not yet given in, or else in a thankful frame for some answer of prayer. As you are before prayer to sum up your wants, so after the duty consider of your Petitions, and What you have sought of God for the day, and wait for suitable returns. Hast thou prayed for a holy humble heart, for an active frame of spirit, for strength against such particular corruptions or temperations? how doth the Lord answer thee in these things? What returns hath this day brought forth of prayer? if any, than there is way made for another duty of praise; if it hath brought forth none as yet, then there is work for faith to live upon God, and to wait for him until he return and speak peace. This was David's excellency when be had prayed, and spread his want before the Lord, he had not done with them, but he waited to see what would become of his prayer. Psalm. 5.3. My voice shall thou hear in the morning O Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. Here is a double care in praying to hit the mark; to study his wants, and after prayer I will not lose what I have prayed for, for lack of looking after it; I will wait to see what answer the Lord will give to me, according to that Psal. 85.8 I will hearken what the Lord God will speak; and like a beggar that comes to the door and in begging opens his condition, presently he listens to hear whether any answer him from within, or what manner of return is made; or as a man that hath made an adventure to Sea, waits still to hear what is become of the Ship, whether she came safe to the Harbour, whether she was bound, and he is still waiting for some good news of a safe return of adventures; why should not men look as much after their prayers? they are their adventures to Heaven, I am sure there are many of them lost for want of looking after; Men think it is enough if they have been a little warmed, or enlarged in the duty, but look not after their hearts nor prayers after, whether God answers them or not; and this is a great reason of the unconstancy in the frame of the people of God. If we could but follow our prayers as worldly men do their designs, we should seldom let the Lord go out of our eye; if we could but consider our Petitions, and our present tempers, and compare them, would it not mind us when our hearts are out of frame? this is not the frame of spirit which I begged of God this day, I sought other things of God when I was before him: surly this is not an answer of my prayers, they are lost this day for aught I can see; I do not find that humility, self-denial, heavenly-mindedness, that watchfulness, zeal, etc. which I prayed for this day. O did I pray for such a cold, drowsy, dead frame of spirit as now I am under? If these kind of reasonings were taken up, they would serve to bring our spirits into praying frames again when they are fallen.  
Tenthly, Keep an eye and an ear open unto Providences; they will hint much of God to thee; he is wonderful in his go; and in every condition if thou art an observer of God, thou shalt find a rod or a staff, and either of these will administer occasion of drawing nigh to God; if thou hast a desire to keep the Fire constantly burning upon the Altar, thou needest not to want fuel to keep it alive: every Providence and Dispensation of God will (if well and wisely improved) afford thee something to keep thy heart flaming toward God.  
Eleventhly, Lose not the Book of the Creatures that is always open before thee, and in it much of God to be seen: although he be not fully revealed in them, yet something of him you may find there the very Heathens saw something of God in Nature, Rom. 1.20. and surely thou mayst read enough in the Book of the Creatures to prevent those Atheistical thoughts which abound in men's spirits, and are the very floodgates as I have showed you, unto practical wickedness; thou mayst suck out something out of one Artribute, and something of another; and although all these are too weak to declare the Father, yet he being revealed in Christ, these may be Memento's to thee, because they are always before thee. I may say as Christ said once, Me you have not always with you, but the poor you have. You have not Christ always nor Saints, nor Ordinances always, but the creatures you have always with you, these are constant Preachers, and therefore fit remembrances. Psalm 19.1.2▪ The Heavens declare the glory of God, and the Firmament showeth his handiwork; day unto day utereth speech, & night unto night showeth knowledge David learns much out of this Book of Nature, the Creatures taught him knowledge by conversing with them, and observing God ●n them; and it is observable, that he mentions such Creatures as are most frequently known, such as every man converses withal; he pitches not upon the great and mighty works of God in the depths, he does not send men to the Leviathan to inquire for this knowledge; every man cannot find him out; neither does he send men into the Wilderness to find the Lion, or the Elephant, or the Ostrich, or any of those creatures little known to men, neither does he send men to the Seas, because many are strangers to them; nor to the Earth, because the Seaman who hath lost the sight of the Land, should not say he had lost his teacher; but he sends to the Sky and to the Firmament; this is seen or known by Sea or by Land. But you will say, When the day is gone, than the night wraps up the Firmament in a Mantle, and takes it away from our eyes; what shall we converse withal then? he answers this; Then thou hast the Night; that is a creature; and  thou art, and wherever thou art, thou hast Day or Night, Light, or Darkness, and these teach knowledge; thou canst not want an Instructor, or one to mind thee of God, so long as the Book of the Creature is before thee; and this he proves, is never shut night nor day; but always legible, and in every page there is something to mind thee of the glorious God; and surely David got abundance of knowledge and choice affections by observing the Creation, and had many sweet frames of spirit, and choice breathe from hence; and when God was about to instruct Job, and to furnish him with an holy and humbling knowledge, he opens to him this book of Nature, and shown him abundance of his glory there; and although he speaks of many Creatures to whom we are strangers; yet of many again which are not; so intimating that there was enough to be seen of God among the Creatures most usual and best known to us, to mind us, and to affect us with the Majesty of the Lord.  
Twelfthly, Compare those days and hours which thou spendest with God, in thine eye and thoughts, with those which thou spendest without him, and try which of them do bring thee most comfort; examine thy heart in thy bed, at the end of this day; compare a day wherein thou hast walked in a sweet, holy, humble frame, wherein thou hast walked with an active spirit for God, with another day wherein thou hast been cold and dead, and formal, and careless of thy heart, and forgetful of God, and weigh the fruits of these two days walking together, and see whether there be not a vast difference betwixt these. What joy and rejoicing was in the midst of thy thoughts? those days and hours were sweeter than these which have been spent in vanity; wilt thou not conclude I had more peace with my spirit, and spiritual joy, and rejoicing after every day so spent? yea the very remembrance of those hours doth yield some sweetness to me now when I think of them; but these hours which have been spent without God, Oh they are burdensome to my soul when I remember them; I will therefore return and study to keep close with God, in whom is all my strength and comfort, for it was better with me then, then now.  
Having now finished these three Queries, I come to the fourth and last.  
Fourthly, To inquire why the wiseman directs this to the young man rather than any other? Methinks I hear the young ones saying, This is not counsel fit for us; it is a yoke not suitable to our necks; we are tender and not fit for the yoke as yet; he might well have spared us, and given us the liberty of our youth, before he had put us upon such hard and difficult service as this.  
I shall endeavour now to answer such secret Objections, and to show the equity and reason of the Preachers exhortation; and I shall be the larger in this thing, from these three moving Considerations, which have put me on this discourse.  
First, Because of that common plea which is found in the hearts of young ones; they say as those did by the Prophet, It is not yet time.  
Secondly, Because the Lord hath cast me into a place where there are abundance of young ones, and I fear but a small company of so many that are seriously engaged in their hearts to the Lord and to his ways.  
Thirdly, Because I find very little encouragement from old ones; I see every where that God brings in few of them; they are so settled on their Lees that there is no shaking of them. It is the observation of all men almost in these days, that where the Gospel is preached, the success and encouragement is chief, if not only, on the hearts of young ones; we see that God puts but little of the new wine of the Gospel into old bottles; they are so tainted with their superstition, their carnal compliance, formality, and luke warmness, that God doth generally cast them aside as unuseful; the time is now coming when the Lord is making good that word, Rev. 22.11. Let him that is filthy be filthy still; Let them that have cleaved to their superstitions and will-worship, do so still; let those who have profaned Sabbaths, and Ordinances, do so still; and let those who have sat Sermon proof, and Judgement-proof, and Mercy proof, sit so still. Me thinks the Lord is saying so to abundance in this place, who have not been moved, nor wrought upon, nor changed by all the gracious plead of God in the Gospel; and he is now calling in to himself a generation of young ones to hear his name in this place; and therefore my speech shall be principally to you, the youth of this place to persuade you to set seriously about this work of God, and your poor souls. It is to you that the Lord calls at this time.  
Quest. Why should the youth be set a part especially for God?  
Answ. For these Reasons. 1. Because God hath made choice of this time, typically in the Law, in the first born, Exod. 13.2. Sanctify unto me the first born; whosoever openeth the Womb among the Children of Israel, both of Man and of Beast it is mine. God hath commanded this for himself, because it is the best of our time, as the first born was the prime of the strength, Gen. 19.3. Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power. Now in regard of this it was accounted a great loss to lose the firstborn. God puts this as an ingredient into that plague in Egypt, Exod. 4.23. And I say unto thee, let my Son go that he may serve me, and if thou refuse to let him go, behold I will slay thy Son, even thy firstborn. Oh how do men bring this plague upon themselves, who destroy their firstborn? their youth, the beginning of their strength. It is as bad as the sacrifice of the Israelites who offered their Sons and Daughters to Devils.  
Secondly, The Lord typifieth this in their first fruits, Exod. 34.26. The first of the first fruits of thy Land thou shalt bring into the house of the Lord thy God: Exod. 22.29. Thou shalt not delay to offer the first of the ripe fruits, and of thy liquors, the firstborn of thy Sons shalt thou give unto me. Nay, the Lord was so exact and punctual in this, that he would have no exchange made, Ezek. 48.14. And they shall not sell of it, neither exchange, nor alienate the first fruits of the Land, for it is holy unto the Lord.  
Here may be a Query raised, Why the Lord would not sell those, and yet would suffer, nay commanded that their sons shall be redeemed? Exod. 34.20. All the firstborn of thy Sons shall be redeemed, and none shall appear before me empty.  
Ans. 1. To show how much Equity and Reason there was for that Law, that it is made here with a proviso against any charge.  
2 There was mercy in redeeming the one, and the not redeeming the other.  
3 The Lord by suffering the Sons to be redeemed, did enjoy the ends of that Law; for they were only redeemed from death, they were still his.  
Now I say, as God would not have an exchange in this case, so it is vanity in any of us to think of compounding the business with him; he will have the beginning of thy strength; do not thou say, I will give him the dregs of it; say not the latter days are good enough; for he hath chosen the first; and if thou wouldst be accepted with him, observe his choice: Observe the first Offering that we read of, Gen. 4.3, 4. Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering to the Lord, and Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock, and the Lord respected him and his offering. One brought fruits, the other the first fruits, and he respected the one, and not the other; and yet this was before the special Law of first born, and first-fruits; which shows that it was not ceremonial but moral, and so continues for ever, as a standing rule for a creature to offer up the first and choicest of everything to God.  

Reason 2.  
This is the choicest of thy time, therefore fittest for such designation, most agreeable to the great work of the Lord; which will appear if you consider these following particulars.  
First, Thy affections are ripe and flourishing; and if thou dost now give up thyself to the work of the Lord, thou mayest in all probability be serviceable to him; but in thine old age, all thy affections will be weakened; especially those which should most of all render thee serviceable to God.  
2 Thy Affection of Love, and Joy, and Zeal, Desire and Hope, which do most of all quicken souls, and honour the work of God in their hands, these will be all fallen, and there will be nothing left but weakness, and faintness, and fear, and passion, and peevishness; and how will these things honour the Lord? O it is very necessary that we should have an eye to our Affections in the great work of God; for if these be lost, the glory of the work falls to the ground; for the affections are the very hands that lay hold on Christ, and the feet that run after him, and the instruments with which we work for him; lose not this time if ever thou wouldst take a time wherein God may be glorified by thee.  
Secondly, Now all thy senses are freshest and quick, and thy soul most active, and thou art best able to taste of that sweetness which is in the ways of the Lord; and although the sweetness of the ways of God do not consist in satisfying the senses external, neither is godliness (as the Familist makes it) a sensual life, yet when the body is decayed, and the soul weakened, as to all its exercises, the soul is not deprived only of the relish which it had of carnal things, but even of spiritual ones also; the reason why we shall enjoy so much more of God in Heaven than we do, or can do here, is, because our bodies shall be fitted to our souls; we shall have none of the encumbrances of flesh, and weakness, and indisposition through sickness and old age, which now do hinder us; and therefore it must needs follow, that the better the soul is Organised and fitted for action, through the strength and vigour of all the faculties, the more capable it is of communion with God, and of tasting the sweetness that is in his ways. Bring a man that is sick and weak never such precious and pleasing meat and drink, he affects them not, because his palate is weak, and he cannot taste the sweetness that is in them. Old Age is the sickness of Nature; then she gins to be feeble, and it cannot be expected that the soul can act at the same rate either in Naturals, or Spirituals, which it did when it was in the midst of its strength; A man cannot do so much work when his assistants and servants are all gone from him, as he could when he had them all at command; the soul wants many of her attendants, they are dead, or drowsy, and very useless; every member of the body, and every faculty of the soul is very weak and lame, and there is little expected from them. If ever thou wouldst highly put a difference between the ways of God, and the ways of sin, and thou wouldst relish the sweetness that is in following the Lord Jesus, make trial in thy youth, whilst thou art in the prime of thy strength; for the breasts of his consolation are full, and require much strength to draw them, they are of so pure and spiritual a nature. If thy senses were so quick and comprehensive as adam's were in innocency, yet there is more then enough in the Lord Jesus, and in his ways to exercise them, and to satisfy them; David speaks largely of his experience in this thing, Ps. 19 They were sweeter than the honey, and the honeycomb. And in Psalm one hundred and nineteen, he commends them beyond all other good things, and speaks elsewhere of this; he sets out the fullness and variety of sweetness which the ways of God afford by this expression, Rivers of pleasure. Psalm 36.8. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house, and thou shalt make them drink of the rivers of thy pleasures. We may have another much like to this, Psalm 16.11. In thy presence is fullness of joy, at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. O what a great mistake is there amongst many, who refuse to give their youth to the Lord, because they cannot spare that from their pleasures; they think that the devoting that unto the Lord would be the spoil of it; let not Saten delude any of your poor souls thus any more; there are pleasures at Gods right hand, and rivers of pleasure for Souls to drink of who follow Jesus Christ, when the summer brooks which Satan leads you to will all be dried up. Le t'him not draw you off from God, with a pretence that there is no pleasure to be had in him; but whenever he draws you after pleasures, tell him how that you have heard, That the w●y of God are sweet, and that you will make trial of them, whether they are so or not, whilst you are in the midst of your strength, and best able to distinguish betwixt sweet and bitter, good and evil; and when thou hast gotten but a taste of the sweetness of the ways of God, thou wilt have an answer at hand for him; when he comes and tells thee, Thy youth is fittest for pleasure, tell him then it is fittest for God at whose right hand are pleasures everlasting, which thou wilt never more exchange for his deceivable lusts.  
Thirdly, Now thou hast an opportunity to deny thyself for Jesus Christ, and to commend the ways of God unto the world, and to set a high price upon them for the enjoyment of Christ in them, when thou dost deny the vain pleasures of sin when thou mayest enjoy them; what a low value dost thou set upon Jesus Christ, and the ways of the Lord, when thou wilt follow him at no other time, but in that which in thy own judgement is fit for nothing else, although in truth it is most unfit for that? This cannot bean act of selfdenial, when we will never come to God till we have nothing to deny, or part withal for him; thou canst not then say that thou forsakest any thing of the world to come unto Christ, when it hath already forsaken thee; what pleasure wilt thou deny to follow God in thy old age, in that day when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in it? here will be no room left for self denial in many things, but now it lies in the way evidently to make out thy self-denial; for now whilst thou art in the strength of thy days, and many temptations to enjoy the world, and many ways to enjoy it also; now to renounce all, and come into Christ, will be an eminent act of self-denial; all men will say, lo here is one who hath left all to follow the Lord; and will not this beget an high esteem in men of the ways of God, when they shall fee thee prising it above all profits, and pleasures, and preferments, and Friends, and Companions? when they see thee casting these under foot, when they are to be enjoyed; will they not say, Surely there is much sweetness in the ways of God, that this man denies himself in all these things to follow them; If ever thou wouldst honour the ways of God, and set them up high in the hearts of men, and be eminent in this act of self-denial, lose not thy youthful days, but begin to follow the Lord Jesus whilst the world and the pleasure of it are following thee; so shalt thou be a true Disciple of the Lord Jesus.  
Fourthly, The work is great which thou art called to, and therefore fittest for thy youth; we know that we use to single out the morning for the choicest employment, which requires greatness of strength, and parts; and truly the work of the Lord is in this sense a morning work; for it will call for the vigour and strength of thy affections; Strive to enter in at the straight gate, Luk. 13.24. Philip. 3.14. I press toward the mark for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Men do wonderfully mistake the ways of the Lord, when they think that the sleeping doting age is good enough for him; truly this is according to those conceits and fancies which they have of the worship of God; and their thoughts are so low, because they are so much strangers to it; but if such souls were set truly about the work, they would find it so much above the strength they have (when strongest) that they would easily be convinced of the vanity of making delays, and putting it off till a time when they must expect less. Oh what folly is there in men's hearts! and how little reason will those delayers have to stand by them at the last day? when they delay the workbecause it seems hard and difficult, and yet they put it off to a time wherein it must needs be much harder than now it is. Friends, take heed of this folly, it is too common amongst us: It is against reason and against our practice in all other things, and if the devil had not a great power over men this deceit of the heart would be discerned; we see men will not do so in other things; they will study the season proper to every work but this of their souls; the Husbandman will not put off his Summer work till Winter, nor his Winter work till Summer; he will choose to do the work that is most painful and laborious before the heat of the day if a man walk by the Sea wall & find a small breach that is made in upon the Land, he will not pass it by, and say let it alone until the next week or year; for says he, it will grow much bigger by that time; he will not make delays when he is sure that delays will make more work; let us but study the seasons for our souls as they do; let us do every thing to the best advantage; the work is great, begin when thou wilt; but the longer it be before thou begin it, the more difficult thou wilt find it, and the less strength thou wilt have to go through with it; therefore begin in thy youth.  
Fifthly, It is a long work, and therefore calls for the morning of thy Age; he that would run this race should set out early. We know if a man have a long Journey to go, or a Race to run upon some forfeiture, he will covet for as much of the day as it is possible for him to enjoy, he will set out very early by the first appearance of day; if we did but know what it is to be a Christian, we should not think our day too long to spare any of it from our work, especially of our choicest hours.  
Three things makes this work long.  
1 Want of knowledge, we have many things to seek after.  
2 Want of experience in those things which we have in notion.  
3 Much employment.  
First in regard of knowledge, we should begin betimes; how many things are we ignorant of? the Gospel is full of Mysteries, & the Worship of God is a Mystery, and we know but in part when we know most, and yet may always know more than we do; If we consider our Natural estate, we are ignorant of every truth of God as it is in Jesus; we know nothing aright, 1 Cor 2.14. The natural man cannot perceive the things of God; therefore seeing there is no true knowledge of God, and of Spiritual things, till we set our faces and hearts Heaven-wards, we had need begin betimes. If we look to our after-knowledge, which is a fruit of conversion, it is so weak and imperfect, and there is so much ignorance in so many of the things of God, that then we should say, O that we had begun sooner with God then might we have been teachers of others, whereas now we have need to be taught the very principles of Christ; if we begin at the first hour of the day, yet we shall find the work so long in this regard, that when the night comes we shall acknowledge that the day hath not been large enough; or we have not been active enough to be acquainted with every Mystery of the Lord, and we must leave some things to learn when we come to Heaven.  
Secondly, In respect of Experience; how many things are there which we get in notion, which we are content withal, and seek not for the experience of it? this requires much time to seek after the experience and power, and conformity to those truths of which we are convicted in our judgements; thou mayst learn many things in a Notional way in a short time; but experience of all these things is not so soon obtained. The Physician reads many things, and they seem rational to him; but this seems not enough to him until he gets some experience of these things, till he hath made trial of them; it will require much time for thee to put every truth so to the touchstone as to be able to speak to it from thine own experimental Knowledge; and this will advise thee to begin betimes with the Lord.  
Thirdly, In regard of employment; O when thou comest into Christ, thou wilt find abundance of work to do, too much for the little time that is allotted thee; if thou lookest upon those without, to labour to bring them in to Christ, thy bowels will sound toward them, and thou will say in thy heart, O that I had come in sooner, that I might have pitied those poor souls sooner; in regard of those who are within, there are some weak, and they call for thee, When thou art converted, then strengthen thy brethren; some are doubting, and call for thee to comfort them; some are fallen, and call for thee to restore them; yea the strong as well as the weak have need of thee; O there is work enough for thee to do amongst the Saints, if there were none in the world, if thou hadst Methusalem's Age to spend. And seeing Jesus Christ hath so much work for poor Souls to do, is it not pity that thou shouldest defer thy coming, when the Master hath need of thee! O that we did but love our work as well as that precious Servant of Christ did, who wept when he was to die, because he should go where he should do no more work, but should only receive his wages! if he mourned that he was to leave working so soon, we should much more lament that we began so late.   

Reason 3.  
Because this is thy choosing time, the day of thy choises; this is thy Market-day, and thou art now about to provide for hereafter. As the Husbandman when he goes to a good Fair, or Market, he goes up and down to see where he may buy a good pennyworth, that he might stock his ground for the year following; and when he hath once bought for his turn, he looks not how the Market goes, nor what others do; now thou beginnest to leave the childish age, which is trifled away with toys, and thou beginnest to look towards hereafter, what thou mayest fasten upon? What will be most beneficial for the time to come; now thou bethinkest thyself how to spend thy ensuing days; be very wary, take heed thou dost not make too rash a choice; walk up and down the Market, and see who sells the best pennyworth; Satan will have his shop open betimes, and he will offer thee great things if thou wilt believe him, the pleasures, profits, and honours of the World; but take heed of a hasty Market; have an eye to Jesus Christ, and see what terms he offers to thee, whether he do not offer better things upon better terms: And to press this duty close up-  
First, Consider how dangerous it is to forget God now in thy choosing time; lest afterwards pre-engagements to the world blind thee that thou see not, or prejudice thy spirit that thou see with disadvantage; or bias thee that thou wilt not follow what thou seest of the things of God; when once the creature is engaged in his Affections to a former choice, it is a very hard thing to draw such a soul off upon any terms almost; if thou losest this time of thy youth, thou losest thy choicest opportunity, because now thou mayest be free in respect of many engagements which hereafter may draw thee from following of Jesus Christ.  
Secondly, Consider that if thou shouldest be brought over unto the Lord afterwards, when this choosing time is past, it will be hard to convince men that thou followest him out of choice; they will rather judge it to be out of necessity, if thou lookest not toward God till thy old age, they will say it is because thou hast nothing else to do at this time; or they will say it is the custom of old folks to be a little religious; but if thou givest up thy youth to follow the Lord, all men will say thou dost it out of choice; This man hath chosen the way of the Lord, who had many other ways to go, and all pleasant, but he forsakes them all, and hath chosen the ways of God; it was a clear evidence that Moses chose the Lord and his ways, when he embraced them at such a time as he might have enjoyed the honours and privileges of Pharoahs' Court; By faith Moses when he was come to years, refused to be called the Son of Pharoahs' daughter; choosing rather to suffer with the people of God, then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. If he had stayed till he had been old, and till the Court had been weary of him, and had cast him out, there would have been no notice taken of his closing with Israel; but now it appeared plain an act of choice.  
Thirdly, We find that men have seldom above one choosing time; and if this time be lost, and they not settled upon God, it is a thousand to one but they are lost; although the Lord may and does call some at every hour, yet he calls most at the first, few at the third, fewer at the ninth, and fewest at the last. Matth. 20.1, 2, 3. He went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his Vineyard. And when he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard; and he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the Marketplace. We find, he went out intentionally to hire the first time, but the rest seem brought in casually; And therefore Christ called one at the last hour, that none should despair, and he called but one, that none upon that might presume; take hold of youth while it is in being; old age mny never be to thee; or if it be, yet thy heart may be settled in youth, and hardened to thy former engagements which have caused thee to pass by the Lord, and it is a wonder if he do not pass by thee alterwards; we find very few brought in to God in the last hour of the day.   

Reason 4.  
Because delays are full of, dangers we find few of those many who allot the Lord a time for this great work hereafter, that do ever see those days they speak of; the Lord ordinarily surprises such souls as are full of To morrows; How did the Lord seize upon that evil servant at unawares who said but in his heart, The Master delays his coming? nay the Lord doth not only declare that such men may be surprised (which were danger enough in running but the hazard) but he hath allotted them this punishment for their dilatory thoughts, that they shall surely be surprised; all those delaiers who are resolved to put off God and Conscience to such a time and such a year, may read the Judgement pronounced against them in that of Matth. 24, 48, 50, 51. and if that evil Servant shall say in his heart, my Lord delayeth his coming, the Lord of that Servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not ware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the Hypocrites, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.   

Reason 5.  
Because delays are full of folly; it is folly to be careless and full of delays, because our times are full of uncertainty; it is folly which thou wilt not be guilty of for thy Body, and yet thou wilt profess it for thy Soul; if thou wert sure a Thief would come such a night, though thou didst not know the hour, thou wouldst watch every hour; but thou art not so wise for thy Soul, thy uncertainty makes thee careless; because thou dost not know the month, nor year when God will call to Judgement, therefore thou sayest in thy heart, not this week, nor this month, nor this year, and from hence thou growest careless, and art surprised in the conclusion.  
Secondly, It is folly to set a time to ourselves which God hath not set before us, he says To day if thou wilt hear my voice, and thou sayest, I will not hear till to morrow; he bids thee remember him in thy youth, and thou sayest, old age shall serve the turn; what folly is this, to set a time that thou hast no assurance of? God hath made thee no promise that thou shalt enjoy to morrow, neither hath he made thee any promise of acceptance to morrow; but what says the Scripture, 2 Cor. 6.2. To day is the accepted time.   

Reason 6.  
Delays are full of deceit; a delaying heart is very deceitful, it is a very gull, a cheat, it speaks one thing, and intends another all the while, its excuses and delays are always deceitful; it will appear thus.  
1 It deceives thee, in telling thee that the work is easy, and thou mayest do it as well in old age; and therefore why needest thou trouble thyself so early, and lay out the prime of thy days in it, when the dregs of it will serve as well▪ Here it lies; for if thou settest about this work, thou wilt find it a hard work which as I have showed will call for all thy strength.  
2 It deceives thee, whilst it tells thee, that thou art willing to the thing, but not to the time; as if the difference were not so great betwixt God and thy Soul as indeed it is. Thy heart tells thee that thou art willing to come to Christ, and thou approvest of, and lovest the ways of God; only thou canst not yet close with them; when indeed it is the very thing as well as the time which thou dost disrelish, and the enmity against God and his ways is discovered by thy delays, as well as in others by a gross denial; were not they who stayed behind upon pretended occasions as well judged enemies? Luke 14.16. as they who said plainly, that they would not have Christ to reign over them? And if ever thy heart were reconciled to the ways of God, thou wouldst make no delays; the thing being once resolved in good earnest, thou wouldst not at all stick at the time.  
3 It deceives thee by concealing thine inability from thee, which is daily increased by thy delays; the longer thou deferrest thy coming in to Christ, the weaker thou growest in soul and in body. Qui non est hodie, etc.  
4 There will be no end of delays; the same reason thou hast to put off seriousness from thy Soul to day, thou wilt have to morrow; thou sayest to morrow will be time enough, and thou wilt say so again to morrow; if thou hadst an eternity to spend here, thou wouldst spend it in delays. Modo & modo non habent modum.   

Reason 7.  
Thou wilt have one Temptation the less to answer, if thou comest in now to Christ; and this is ordinarily one, it is now too late; he that said always before, It was too soon, will as soon as thou art in good earnest tell thee, That it is too late; therefore labour to prevent him in this, let him not have any room for such an Objection against thy Soul; some souls have smarted bitterly under it. Make no more delays, nor put-offs; for the fewer of these thou makest, the less hath he to build upon. When ever he comes to persuade thee to defer the work of the Lord a little longer, Consider, his design; if thou yield to this Temptation, he will build a Battery upon it against thy Soul, if ever it look really toward Christ; and he will terrify thee most with those delays which he hath tempted thee to. It hath been a hard block to some poor souls to get over, Oh, it is now too late; oh, if I had come in to Christ at such a time, when I was under such and such Convictions, at such a Sermon, or such a Providence, if then I had harkened to Christ, I had been accepted; but now I fear it is too late. O take heed that thou dost not administer occasions to Satan to lay such a block in thy way; begin betimes, and the sooner thou dost begin, the less advantage will he have in this point against thy soul.   

Reason 8.  
Because we find that those who have begun with God in their youth, have attained to a great eminency in the things of the Lord. As to begin with Moses, he began with God in his youth, in the prime of his age. Heb. 11.24. By faith Moses when he came to years, refused to be called the Son of Pharaohs daughter; and to what height did he grow in knowledge and experience of the Lord? How did God honour him, in giving him such a wonderful discovery of himself in those days? Exod. 33.11, 19 And the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaketh to his friends. ver. 19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee. God seems to grant him as much as he was capable of on this side Glory, as much as he could bear, if God should have let out more of his glory upon him, it would have consumed him.  
Secondly, See how Samuel proved in the ways of the Lord? with what repute and honour he lived and died amongst the people of God? and he was one of these early beginners with God? we find that the Lord called him betimes and established him for a Prophet in his very Childhood, as you may see at large in the first Book of Samuel, chap. 3. Now how eminent this man proved with God, in regard of his long acquaintance with God; he proved great in prayer, he was a prevailer with God, and therefore David names him as the great Artist this way, Psal. 99.6. Samuel amongst those that call upon him. And the Lord honoured his memory for this, when he was in the Grave, Jerm. 15.1. Though Moses and Samuel stood before me; the Lord brings in these two early beginners together and says, If any were like to prevail with me, it were these my two old friends, who took up acquaintance with me from their youths. We know friendship is dearest and most engaged when it is begun in Childhood, and continued to an old friend.  
Time would fail to tell you of David how eminent he was for God, who grew wiser than his Teachers, and how soon he began with the Lord. And of Jeremiah, and John, who were sanctified in the Womb, and what measures of knowledge and grace they had; and of Timothy, who was instructed from a child in the Scriptures, and how serviceable he proved to the Churches; surely it is not in vain that the Scripture takes so much notice of the come in of so many Saints, and that we find the most eminent of them are mentioned, and to have given up their youth to God. And if we would go by circumstances, we should find that many others of the Patriarches, Prophets, and Apostles, if not all, were called in to give up their Names to God very early; I am sure it is enough to engage us to begin with him in the morning, if we would attain to that height they did.   

Reason 9  
There is a promise to those that seek the Lord early, but there is none to those that seek him late; mistake me not, I would not weaken the hands of any, if God move any old sinner to look after Christ. I do not say but that there is a promise for them that return at whatsoever time it be; a promise to him as a seeker, but not a particular promise to him as a late seeker. But there is a promise particularly to the early seeker, Prov. 8.7. They that seek me early shall find me; And from hence the Apostle presses men to take hold of the opportunity Heb. 3.7.13. And to day if you will hear his voice;; but exhort one another daily, while it is called to day, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin, and the Prophet presses the very same; Isa. 55.6. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; the Lord is near thee in the Promise, and especially to you young ones; because he is near you in the particular Promise, whereas he is near others but in the general promise. O therefore be persuaded to seek him whilst he is thus near to you.  
Use of Caution to young ones not to lose this time; for we may say of youth as David says of the Soul, What shall a man give in exchange for it? there is no price or ransom sufficient to redeem it from God; the following days if thou were sure to enjoy them and give them up to the Lord, are not a valuable consideration for thy youth, nor will any time be so acceptable to God as this. See how the Lord prizes youthful affections, Jer, 2 2.3. Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem saying, Thus saith the Lord, I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals when thou goest after me in a Wilderness in a Land that was not sown. vers. 3. Israel was holiness to the Lord, and the first fruits of his increase, all that devour him shall offend, evil shall come upon them saith the Lord. Times which may follow are either uncertain or not acceptable with God, or not so advantageous to this work, Joh. 9.4. I must work the works of him that sent me while it is day, the night cometh when no man can work. Night will come, and then there will be no working; evening will come, and it will be bad working; but it is good working whilst it is day, whilst it is noonday, when thou hast light upon light, a double light; the Hebrews express noon by such a word that signifieth two lights.  
All these considerations laid together may help us to draw this Conclusion, Lament. 2.27. It is good for a man to bear his yoke in his youth.  
2 To old ones who have neglected, and lost this precious time of their youth; O go home and mourn over this great loss, the loss of your precious and choicest time of your youth; go to your Closets, and weep over your deceitful delaying hearts, which have cheated you so often, and put so many stumbling-blocks in your ways, that you have not found a time to be serious for God, to this veryday: You had need go and shut your doors upon you, and beg earnestly of the Lord, that he would accept of you at last; and be very serious, and never give the Lord over until he hath given you some evidence of owning those dregs and relics of the time, and strength which Sin and Satan hath left you; you have need of abundance of grace to bring you over, and to accept of you when God must go in an extraordinary way of grace toward your soul.  
Secondly, Redeem the time that is lest, let none of that be thrown away, after the rest, 1 Pet. 4.3. For the time passed of our lives may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lust, excess of wine, revel, banquet, and abominable Idolatries.   
The end of the First Part.   

Now if Ever. Or an APPENDIX TO The Youngman's Memento.  
Delivered By Jo. CHISHULL, At Tiverton in Devon.  Heb. 3.13. Exhort one another daily while it is called to day, lef● any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Isa. 55.6. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is nea 
Printed at London by A. N. for F. Eglessield, and are to be sold at his Shop at the Marigold in Paul's Churchyard, 1657.   

To the Right Worshipful Sir Coplestone Bampfield, Baronet.  
SIR,  
I Have presented these few Sermons to you; not for their shelter (for a Patron's name cannot defend the Author from the censure of the Reader) but for your advice. Although you cannot want my counsel (having enjoyed many advantages above others, in education, of godly counsel, and good Examples) yet your age does, seeing you are now in the day of your choices: and if you need none, yet I own to yourself and Family, whatever may be conducible to your or to their good; the engagements which former days have laid upon me to serve the Family of Poltimore, are as fresh upon me as ever, and I should gladly embrace any opportunity of manifesting this.  
The Stock of Prayers which your dear Father (whose memory is precious among the Lord's people) hath put up for you, the many Counsels which you have received from your Governors and Tutor, in former and latter years, with the continued Prayers, Exhortations, and Examples of some very near you, give great hopes that you may stand up in your honoured Father's place, and with his Title and Estate inherit that interest which he had in the hearts of them that fear the Lord. If what I have tendered to you, further or quicken you unto this, I have my end and my joy.  
Above all things beware of delays, the danger of those you shall easily find by perusing of what follows; vouchsafe to read it seriously, and accept kindly, as it is offered out of faithfulness and affection, by him who is, Sir,  
Tiverton, Aug. 24. 1654. Your obliged Servant, Jo. Chishull.   

Now if Ever.  LUKE 19.42. Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. 
THese words are some of those which the Lord Christ sighed out, when he beheld and considered the sad and lamentable condition of careless Jerusalem; His speech is broken, as if he had spoken out one, and wept out another part of his mind; but such imperfect Language serves to express sorrow to the life; It is easy to see the heart of Christ through these Lines, and you cannot but see him here to be a Man of sorrow. Neither are the streams more visibe than the Fountain from whence they did arise; you need not go fare to search for the Head and rise of this River; look but upon the eye of Christ, see where it is fixed, and you shall not more easily see that he weeps, then for whom he weeps; it was for Jerusalem, who had slighted and forsaken her own mercies, outlived the day of her Peace, and was now under a double sentence of Death, viz Spiritual and Temporal; and although Jerusalem rejoiced in her prosperity, yet he that saw what was written over her head, drops these few words (interrupted and broken through abundance of tears) to show, that the ruin and misery of Her and of poor sinners goes near his heart.  
Many things have been proposed and handled from these words, which I shall not now touch. I purpose to mention now no more of that which hath been spoken from them, then will serve as an Appendix to the foregoing Discourse I shall draw up all that I intent in these three Propositions.  
1 That the Lord does afford men under the Gospel day or time to make and secure their peace with him.  
2 That this is very uncertain (as to us) and unknown, but it often determines and ends whilst the means of Grace do continue amongst us.  
3 When this day is past and over, peace and the things of peace are hid from the soul.  
These three Propositions are built upon these three things, which lie clear in the text. 1. Israel had a day. 2. This day was now past and gone, yet the means continued; the Gospel was not yet carried away. 3. Notwithstanding they had the means, yet peace was hid from their eyes.  
For the First of these, I shall prove, First, that God does give men a day, wherein they have more advantage than at other times, to secure their everlasting peace and interests.  
Secondly I shall come to inquire wherein this day does consist; That men have a particular day, is easy to discern from hence that the Lord is so oft urging sinners in Scripture not to let slip the golden time which he calls the acceptable day, or day of Salvation; see what use the Apostle makes of this Heb. 3.7, 13, 15. Does not the Author speak there as if Salvation did depend upon the improvement of a day? Does he not strongly intimate unto them that there, was no way to prevent their future ruin, but to be careful of their present day! And the Holy Ghost declares the same truth to the same intent by the Prophet, Isai. 55.6. Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near. That exhortation is pressed by these two motives.  
First, That although the Lord was now to be found, yet there might be a time when he would not be found.  
Secondly, That he might be farther off from them then now he was; they would find him at another time as it were out of hearing.  
See what use the Saints have made, and what notice they have taken of this Psalm 69.13. My prayer (says David) is to thee in an acceptable time. He that was resolved to take all advantages in his address to God, knew well enough that this nick of time was none of the least. God loves those who take the first opportunity, whether it be the morning of the day, as Psalm 63.1. or the morning of life, which is youth, Eccles. 12.1. or the morning of the means, who embrace the first tenders of Christ which are made unto them, as those who were called at the first hour.  
Further, see what notice the Lord takes of this, when he answers Christ in this manner, Isai. 49.8. In an acceptable time have I heard thee, in a day of salvation have I helped thee. As if he should have said. Thou speedest well because thou comest in a good hour, in the season of Grace, when I was in the vein to show mercy; God hath his day of salvation, and his time of hearing, and if you will have it you must come in the nick of time. You know Petitioners must wait their opportunities, they must come in seasonable hours, or else they are lke to miscarry.  
This may in general serve to prove that there is such a privileged day. I shall now open the particulars of it; I shall show you many helps and advantages that many men now have who shall perish, and many have had who are now in Hell.  
First, They have the Gospel preached amongst them, which is the word of Reconciliation, 2 Corinth. 5.20. Jesus Christ who is the Mediator betwixt God and Man, is declared, and the way to Life and Salvation by him is preached plainly, that there is no other name given under Heaven, etc. Acts 4.12. It is and hath been often told them, that if they will believe, they shall receive remission of sins, Act. 10.43. but if not, they shall die in their sins▪ John 3.18.  
Secondly, As Christ is, and hath been preached amongst such persons, so he is and hath been preached without any difference or respect of persons; there is no difference put betwixt noble and ignoble, rich and poor, strong and weak, wise and foolish; yea no difference betwixt sinners as to the degrees of sin, great or small, from the least to the chiefest of sinners.  
The Gospel hath been, or is offered so to men that nothing can exclude them from the benefit of it, unless they exclude themselves by rejecting of it. And that I may make this plain, consider  
1 They have the same conditions laid down which others have and had, who are now in Heaven; God did not prescribe harder terms to the one then to the other; Believe and repent were the terms which one refused, and the other embraced.  
Secondly, They have the same promises to encourage them, which drew them to Christ who are now in his bosom. I do not say, that they took the same encouragement from such promises; how many souls hath that promise drawn to Christ, John ●. 37. He that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out? and is not this promise in thy book also? How many souls have ventured upon Christ from the support which they had by that word, Isai. 42 3. He shall not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax? And is not this a word for thee, if thou hadst any will at all to come to Christ?  
How many hath that word drawn to Christ, which we find, Isai. 55.1, 2. yea such as could apprehend no good at all in themselves, who upon this word have gone without money in their hand, as boldly as if they had not gone to beg but to buy? And have not all these things been spread before many who are now in hell, to persuade them to look toward Christ? It must needs be said, that the reason why such came not to Christ, was not because they had no encouragement, but because they had no mind to come.  
Thirdly, They have, or had the same ground to believe that those had who believed to the saving of their souls; they had the truth and faithfulness of God, which is the ground and reason of every ones believing. The faith of the Gospel is not a believing that God hath particularly elected thee to eternal life, or that Christ died for thee in particular; But it is a believing that God is ●ue, and that the Record which he hath given of his Son is true. From hence we have this expression, John 3.33. He that believeth hath put to his seal that God is true. And unbelief is described notably, 1 John 5.10. He that believeth not maketh God a liar. Not that a Believer cannot know and believe his interest particularly in the death of Christ, or be certain of Election; but the Gospel calls upon us to prove these things, and infer them by reason and experience. Yet here ye must not think that Faith lies only in assent of the understanding only, but also in the consent of the Will; I speak here of it only as it respects the former.  
How do many content themselves with giving a general assent to the truth of the word of God, and yet they deny the great and main truths of it, and make God a liar in the great things which he hath spoken concerning eternal life! Many men pretend that the reason why they stir no more for salvation, is because they know not whether they are elected or not, or whether Christ died for them or not. But alas, there is something else really at the botttom. They believe not the Record which God hath given of his Son. If they did believe what God hath spoken concerning men's natural and spiritual estates, concerning Christ and sin, Heaven and Hell, they would look about them; But although these men believe not, yet it will appear that this foundation was laid for them also, even the truth and faithfulness of God, into which the faith of all the Lords people shall be resolved. God proposed such terms of eternal life, annexed a promise to them; The Elect closed with these terms, and relied on the truth of God to make the promise good, and was not the truth of God engaged as much to the one as to the other, in case they had rested on it?  
Fourthly, They have and enjoy the same means. God preaches to them by the same messengers; he does not send one wiser and more learned, or more holy to preach to those who are or shall be saved; and one weak and insufficient, or less convincing to preach to those who perish: But they often hear the same word together from the same person. Christ bids his Disciples enter into the house where the Son of Man was not, as well as in to the house where he was, Luk. 16.5, 6. and Christ wrought the same works before the Pharisees, that he did before the Disciples.  
Fifthly, the Gospel in offering Christ unto thee, says nothing of Election, makes no difference betwixt elected & not elected. It speaks not to the Elect as Elect, but as fallen, as sinners, as poor lost undone creatures, and so it speaks to thee, and to all. The Gospel says nothing to thee of election until thou hast passed over the first work of Believing; and if thou art not elected, yet this cannot properly be a reason of thy rejecting Christ; for the Gospel made no difference betwixt thee and Elect ones in offering Christ unto thee. Secondly, neither didst thou consider thy Nonelection in thy rejecting Christ; Who told thee that thou wert not Elected? Nay thirdly, Thou didst think that thou wert Elected, and yet didst not look after Christ.  
Sixthly, They have such terms proposed, that if they did come up to them, they should be saved: Although the Lord hath purposed not to ●ave some men, yet we must not conceive that God wills that they should not be saved upon any terms; he wills their salvation so far as they will the terms of salvation. If they would comply with the way and means which he hath proposed and prescribed, i.e. Believe & repent, they should be saved; upon such terms as these God wills every man's salvation. Revel. 22.17. And let him that will, come. if he will come up to the terms of Christ, he shall have of the waters of life, whoever he be.  
There is a great difference betwixt God's willing man's salvation upon Gospel terms, and his Electing men unto salvation. For whom he Elects, he absolutely determines to save out of the good pleasure of his will. He appoints the means as well as the end, he resolves to give faith and Repentance to such, to incline their hearts, and to convert them to himself. Thus he wills the salvation of the Elect.  
But he wills the salvation of all men otherwise, viz. upon such and such terms. If they will make use of such means as he gives them, and come up to his terms, they shall be saved; otherwise not. Nay, he gives them so much as to leave them inexcusable at the last day, and to make it evident that he wiled their salvation more than they did. It will be then clear, that had many men willed their salvations upon those terms which the Lord did, they had been saved?  
Quest. But how does that appear?  
Answ. Thus; God was willing to give thee salvation, if thou wouldst turn to him. But thou didst never will it upon such terms. Mat. 13.14, 15. Thou wert willing to be saved, but it was if thou mightest keep thy old Lusts still; thou wouldst not buy salvation at so dear a rate as Conversion. So that we may say, that the reason why many a man is not saved, is not because God would not, but because they would not. There were terms proposed by the Lord, and there was nothing that parted the Lord and them, but their wills. As in the case of the young man in the Gospel, whose estate parted Christ and him. Was it not his will that undid him? Dare any say, that if he had come up to the terms of Christ, he had not been saved? Christ made him a firm promise upon a condition which only parted Christ and him, Mat. 19.21. And what was it that undid Israel? Psalm 81.13. Oh that Israel had walked in my ways, etc. Did Israel suffer because God was not willing to bless and prosper them? Surely no; But because Israel did not seek it in the way which God was willing to bestow it. Had they willed their peace in the way that the Lord willed it, they had had it. And so in the Text, did wicked men will their own salvation, as the Lord does, they should be saved.  
Seventhly, They have some inward means and helps to make their day of peace the clearer. The Spirit of God does strive with them in his word and works, and solicits their return, but they will not obey it. Gen. 6.3. Thus the Lord strove with the old world until he was weary. This was it which Stephen charged upon the Jews, Acts 7.51, Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost. To this we may add that of 1 Pet. 3.18, 19 God did not only preach by Noah whilst he was preparing the Ark, but by his Spirit also, convincing them of sin, and warning them to repent. Now that you may see how fare the Lords affords inward means as well as outward to many that perish, I shall lay down these few particulars.  
First, He inlightens their understandings which before were wholly darkened, and gives them the knowledge of many Gospel truths, yea sometimes in such a manner and measure, that they are able to teach and instruct others, and to tell others what is to be done, when yet they themselves will not do what they direct others unto, Rom. 2.19.20. Thus Judas and Demas had such gifts and knowledge, as made them for a time serviceable to others, yet they served not the interest of their own souls.  
Secondly, He shows them the equity of his ways, so that he cannot but confess that what the Lord requires is just and reasonable, and so also what he threatens, and yet they have no will to do the same, Rom. 1.32. The Heathens were convinced that God would judge their ways, and he would punish them with death, and they could not deny the justice of this sentence; How much more are many convinced strongly of this, who live under a searching Ministry? To this we may add that of Rom. 2.18. Thou approvest of the things which are excellent. God inlightens them so far that their judgements are for him, though their affections are for the Devil and sin.  
Thirdly, He moves so far sometimes until he stir up some kind of resolutions in them, and Conscience grows so hot that nothing will quiet it but making of promises to do something in answer to such Convictions, Acts 24.25. Thus Felix quieted his Conscience when it was in a flame, by telling it he would hear Paul and it another time.  
Fourthly, He moves so strongly upon the heart of a sinner, that he cannot be quiet unless he do something for the present in obedience to that word which is set close to him by the Spirit of God. Thus Herod heard John Baptist, and did many things, Mark 6.20.  
Fifthly, He squeezes a sweetness out of his ways upon their spirits sometimes, so that they are convinced that it is good following of God. Thus the stony ground received the Word with joy. Matth. 13.20. And They tasted of the heavenly gift, Heb. 6.4. They had some peace in their spirits, and comfort in the hope that sin was pardoned, and this seemed a sweet thing to them.  
Sixthly, He gives them some taste of the powers of the World to come, as Balaam had, Numb, 23.10. He had strange Convictions of the powers of the World to come. He ●aw that a man's happiness did not lie in the things of this life; But there was another life which was principally to be cared for, and looked after; He known that the people of God had a happiness reserved for them in that life which was more than all the pleasures of this. He known that they would be the happy men who had feared and loved the Lord, yet he loves not them although he desired their Condition; He would have cursed them for wages, yet he desired to be blessed with them. Thus you see God goes fare to stir those who are not saved.  
I have now shown you wherein a wicked man's day consisteth, and how fare it does extend, to outward and to inward helps and means; whilst these things continue which I have showed you, it may be said, It is day with them.  
But as this day of theirs seems to be some what clear in respect of means; yet it is a very uncertain day, whose length is only known to the Lord. For he causes the Sun to rise and set at his pleasure; And although we cannot by the exactest Calculations find out precisely how long or short this day is to particular souls, yet we may lay down General Rules, and make such Scripture proposals, as may help men very much in judging concerning this Gospel day; at least I doubt not but to show you so much as will clear this truth, or Second Proposition, That a sinner's day may end whilst he enjoys the outward means of grace.  
Sometimes the Lord brings the nigth upon a people by taking a way the means of grace wholly from them. When the Sun sets, it must needs be dark; and if the Gospel were taken quite a way, he world would be as dark as Hell. But I intent not to insist upon the proof of this. I shall grant that a sinner may have all the choice outward helps that can be enjoyed continued to him, and yet this day may be over. And that will appear  
First, Because God may withdraw the Convictions of his Spirit from him, notwithstanding he enjoys the word; the Lord may say, as Gen 6.3. My Spirit shall strive no more with this man: And alas, when God hath withdrawn his Spirit from the world, to what purpose is it?  
Secondly, No only so, but the Lord does hold them from seeing and understanding those things which concern their peace, as he held the Disciples from knowing him whilst he talked with them; so does he these men from knowing any thing savingly. Rom. 11.8, 10. God hath given them a Spirit of slumber, etc. When God hath plainly convinced of the truth of his Gospel, and solicited their return by many moral persuasions, and stir of Conscience, and they will not receive the truth in the love of it; He than does not only withdraw the light which shined convincingly upon their Consciences, but he does hold their eyes from seeing, or puts the truths of his Gospel into such a dress that they should mistake them. Therefore says Christ, Matth. 13.11, 13. I spoke to them in parables. Thus says the Lord to his Word and Messengers; Go and speak to such a people concerning their peace; but I will cast such a vail upon plain truths, that they shall not understand what is plainly spoken to them for their good Compare Isai. 6.9. with Isa. 29.10. and tell me whether God does not take up such resolutions as this, That the people who would not see at one time, shall not see at another. And how fare are such a people from night, judge you?  
Thirdly, He sometimes hardens their hearts, and makes them heavy by that word which in itself is a word of healing and softening. He hath said, the word shall not go forth in vain, and return empty. It shall do something, either as a savour of life or of death; but because they have refused the word as it offers life, God in just judgement makes it a kill word to them: as we may see Isaiah 6.10. it is a sad thing when the Lord shoots the Gospel as poisoned arrows against the soul, which will surely kill; yet this the Lord often does against such as have rejected the saving offers of it; as we may see, Isaiah 28.12, 13. The Lord gave them line upon line, and precept upon precept, that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, etc. But the Lord never deals thus with a people, but for sins against his word, that he might by his word punish their disobedience to it.  
Fourthly, He delivers them up to their own carnal lose hearts to commit sin with greediness, Rom. 1.28. As they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to are probate mind, etc. When the heart is once grown hard and fat, that Convictions and Reproofs come not at it, or when it is past feeling, as they were who are mentioned Eph. 4.19. the next thing is a giving up of themselves to all wickedness; When God gives men over to their lusts, men will quickly give themselves over to them. You have a very full place, which shows that God does thus give up some men. Secondly, Why he does it; and Thirdly What the effect of this is. Psalm 81.11, 12. It is said, that God gave them up to their own lusts. Secondly, The reason of this is, Because they would not hearken to, and embrace the Lord and his counsel. And thirdly, The effect of this was, they walked in their own Counsels. The reins were no sooner laid on their necks, but they ran away from God.  
Fifthly, God goes so far with some, that he will not punish them for sin here; he will not lose one stroke more upon them, he will not afford them those outward means of humbling which he affords to many others. As he says of Israel. Hos. 4.13, 14. Your daughters shall commit whoredom, and your spouses shall commit adultery; I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor your spouses when they commit adultery. Oh it is a sad judgement, and a dreadful, when God says of such a soul, I will not visit him here for sin, let him be unclean still, let him be a vile wretch still, a drunkard, a liar, a blasphemer, a Sabbath-breaker still, I will seem to take no notice of it, I will not reckon with him till I have him in Hell, and then I will reckon with him for all together. Acts 14.16. Acts 17.30. Let him go on, and prosper, and flourish in his body, and estate, he shall not be crossed as other men are, that he may bless himself and fall. It is one of the saddest and sharpest of the judgements of God that can befall a poor creature, not to feel the smart of sin here. To lie under this judgement, that he shall find the sweet of sin only. Oh let me tell you, it is a great and manifest token of God's displeasure, and that he is implacable when he suffers thee to go on quietly in a way of sin, and neither smites thee by his word, nor yet by his providences, but lets all things go to thy mind, and thee go after thy lusts.  
Sixthly, God gives them up to strong delusions, so that they who would not believe the Word and Conscience when they spoke truth to them, shall asterwards believe every delusion of Satan, every forgery of their own corrupt hearts, and every deceit of sin. See that of Isai. 66.4. I will choose their delusions saith the Lord, because when I called they did not answer, but chose the thing in which I delighted not. This is a dreadful place for such as will not hearken to, and obey the truth, when they are convinced of it; see another to confirm this, 2 Thes. 2.10, 11. Because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved, for this cause God shall send them strong delusions that they should believe a lie, that they might be damned, etc. Oh such a word should make men upon whose consciences God is stirring, afraid to dally with it. May not the Lord say to such, If you will not listen to the truth to day, you shall listen to a lie to morrow? I will give Satan leave to tempt, and I will give thee up to believe whatever he shall propose; Because thou wouldst not believe me for thy good, thou shalt believe him for thy hurt and ruin.  
Seventhly, They may and do often fall back from most or all of those Convictions, which they had upon their spirits of the things of God, which I mentioned before, whilst the Spirit strove with them: as for example;  
First, For the knowledge which they had of the truth of God, they may believe manifest lies, in opposition to them, 2 Thes. 2.11.  
Secondly, Their Judgements may be so corrupted, that they may pass against those things which they did approve of; they were in their Judgements for holiness, now they may be for sin. Mal. 3.15. They call the proud happy; and whereas before they did approve of things which are excellent, yet now they think it a vain thing to serve the Lord; and they say with those Apostates Mal. 3.14. What profit is there in serving the Lord?  
Thirdly, Whereas he had some convictions under the Word, and he made many promises to reform, yet now he may be past feeling, as they were Eph. 4.19. His Conscience is passed all tenderness and remorse, and he is seared with a hot iron, 1 Tim: 4.2.  
Fourthly, He may lay afide that which he had taken up of the form of Godliness; whereas while God followed him with Convictions, he used to do something that savoured of Religion, and to associate himself with those who made a profession; but now let them go by themselves, he is not to be found amongst them. Mal. 3.15, 16. As soon as the Prophet had taken notice of the apostasy of some, he adds presently; Then they that feared the Lord spoke often together: As if he should have said, You might afterwards have found the Saints by themselves; these men were not to be found in their meetings.  
Fifthly, Whereas he had a sweetness in the performance of duty, he forgets that, and returns to lick up his old vomit again, and that is sweeter to him then ever Religion was; and the reason of this is, because he had pleasure in unrighteousness, 2 Thes. 2.12. And although they might forget this pleasure while Conscience was heated, and find some pleasure in the ways of God, by the allaying this heat of Conscience; yet Conscience being quiet and cool again, they lose the pleasure which they apprehended in the ways of God, and embrace the pleasures of sin afresh.  
Sixthly, Whereas they had some Convictions of the powers of the World to come, and some sad thoughts of Eternity were darted into their spirits, that they could not be quiet, the love of the present world, the profits, pleasures and honours of it eat up all these, and they forget that there is such a thing as Eternity to be provided for, and they live only as if they were to live to this present World.  
Seventhly, Such men do not only fall back from their Couvictions, and seeming work of Conversion, but they go forward in wickedness, perhaps not known or practised by them before. This we find mentioned, 2 Pet. 2.20. Ifaster they have escaped the pollutions of the world, through the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are entangled therein and overcome, the latter end with them is worse than the beginning; for etc.  
Men that have gone far in a profession of Religion, and seemed to have some power upon them to reform them, yet the Corruption of their wills overcoming the light and Convictions which were in their Consciences, and finding themselves at liberty, they are more vile than ever. They are worst at last, as is not only asserted here but, in that Parable, Mat. 12.43.44.45. If the unclean Spirit be cast out by the power of Conviction alone, he will return to his old habitation, he will come and see who keeps house, and if it be empty in respect of grace, and garnished only with a profession, and with natural abilities, he will enter again, and he will bring company enough to guard for the future, and they shall be none of the best, seven Spirits more wicked than himself. Perhaps he was a drunkard, or swearer, or Sabbath-breaker; But as he troubled himself about Religion; so he troubled not the professors of it. But if he fall back to these sins again, it's ten to one but he proves a scoffer or a persecutor of the ways and people of God. See an instance, Mal. 3.14. There where some who pretended to holiness, but when they fell off, Obs. First, They did not only lay aside such duties, but struck at them. Secondly, They scoffed at such as walked humbly with God. Thirdly, They joined and so took part with the worst of men. They call the proud happy. Apostates seldom stand as Neuters.  
Thus I have I hope cleared the two first propositions, you have seen it both day and night with the wicked. I come now to speak of. The Third Proposition, viz. That when this day is past and over, the things of peace are hid from the soul. This is so easily deducible from the two former, that I need not speak much to prove it. If a day be set to treat with persons, and upon terms to conclude a peace, if they stand out this day, and do nothing, the Commission is out of date. Thus says the Lord, I gave Commission to my Messengers, to Conscience, and to the Word, to plead and strive with you about an agreement, and ye would not; Now the time is over, Conscience and the Word have no Commission to treat with thee again; for I am resolved against peace now.  
Thus God dealt with Jezabel, Rev. 2.21. I gave Jezabel space to repent, says he; But she repent not; I am now resolved to take another course with her, I will call her, etc. If the day end any way, Peace must needs end with it. When God works as I have shown you, and they come to that pass, as hath been declared we may easily Conclude, Peace is hid.  
First if God withdraw from the soul, and give over stirring, Corruption must needs carry it. When God takes away those Convictions which did restaine and bridle the man, he will doubtless then follow his own lusts, and take fill of sin, commit it with greediness. But you see it evidently, God hath said, my Spirit shall not always strive with man; Such a man hath desired to enjoy his Lusts quietly, and I am resolved he shall have enough of it; and where will such a man stop, whom God will not hinder? or when will he return, whom God will not draw? Corruption will doubtless Lord it in such a soul.  
Secondly, If the Lord leave stirring wtth the soul, Satan will have his will upon it. If the Lord withdraw his inward workings, Satan will draw near, and he will fill up the House; If Christ rule not, he will. Paul sets out the Condition of poor souls who are without Christ thus; 2 Tim. 2.26. Satan leads them Captive at his will; and Eph. 2.2. He says they walk according to the Prince of the power of the Air (i. e.) according to his mind. This is the Condition of every Natural man. Satan hath gotten such a power over them, that they do what he Commands. But besides this power which Satan hath in men naturally, here is a Judiciary delivering up of Souls to the power and will of Satan when their day is over. Many who are under the first power of Satan may be recovered, but such as come thus under his power are irrecoverably lost and undone, 2 Cor. 4.3.4. If our Gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Not to such as are lost in Adam, as all men are who are naturally in a lost Condition, of which yet some at least shall be repaired; But such as are appointed to be destroyed, who are lost past Hope. In a word, when a man's day is over, he is lost, and peace is hid from him upon a twofold account.  
First, In respect of God. He withdraws the light and resolves never more to have to do with such a poor Creature in a way of mercy, never to whisper one word of conviction, or of Counsel more to him concerning his soul, and then he that is filthy must needs be filthy still; who will be faithful to that man's soul, or show him the misery of his Condition or the folly of his waves, whom God will Counsel no more? The Sun is set, and the day must needs be done.  
Secondly, The day being done, peace is hid in respect of himself, because he had no eyes to see the things of peace; They were but shut before, either out of prejudice, or neglect, or wantonness, but now they are put out, or sealed up, so that they shall be opened no more; and than although the Sun shine never so Bright, yet the eyes being put out, he lies under an impossibility of seeing the things of peace. This is as clear as the Sun when it shines, from that of John 12.39, 40. Therefore they could not believe, because he had blinded their eyes, and hardened their hearts, etc. Thus the day of grace and peace you see may be over unto men, although the Gospel in respect of the public administrations do continue as clear as ever. Thus we find it was with some of the Jews in Isaiahs' time, as I have shown you from Isa. 6.9, 10. Yet was he the most Evangelical of all the Prophets. And thus it was in Christ's time; many who lived under the Richest dispensations of the Gospel (who heard and saw Christ, who spoke as never man spoke, and did what never any did) yet were past seeing, and Christ says expressly at last, That he did not intent that they should see, Mat. 13.10, 11, 12.  
Before I come to apply these truths which have been proved, I shall clear them from some mistakes or misapprehensions which might arise.  
First, Some will say, Does not that which hath been spoken strongly infer that Christ died for all?  
Answ. The Gospel hath plainly and fully declared that Christ died for sinners, and all sinners without exception are invited to come to him, and take freely of the waters of life, and the promise of Acceptance is clear. None shall be refused who will come to him. So that upon this account we have as much liberty in preaching the Gospel, and can give as much encouragement to sinners, as if we did preach universal Redemption; for then men could have no surer footing for faith then the word and promise of God, who cannot lie, and this word they have now; He that believeth shall be saved.  
Secondly, Who can say that Christ died not for him in particular? thou hast no Negative; But the Lord hath left thee a foundation for hope, yea and for strong Confidence, if thou dost not turn thy back upon Christ. That he died for sinners, is clear; that thou art one is as plain; and if thou approvest of the terms of the Gospel, if thou desirest to partake of the benefit of his death upon the terms of Believing and Repenting, thou mayst undoubtedly have it. If thou wilt come, God keeps open house, and thou mayest assure thyself of thy welcome. So that as to thy encouragement to come in to Christ, it matters not whether he died for many, or for all; or whether for thee in particular or not; for without all dispute He came that all they that Believe might be saved: And they who say that Christ died for all, acknowledge that his death saves none but upon these terms. If thou hast a will to Believe and Repent, thy encouragement is as good as any can be given thee: But if thou hast no will to these things, it is no matter whether he died for thee or not, for thou shalt be damned without all Controversy. He that believeth not shall be damned; so say we, and so say they who believe that Christ died for thee in particular.  
Secondly, But does not this which hath been said suppose that man hath a free will, and power to believe and repent, and convert himself? Because you say he may be saved, if he will come up to the terms proposed.  
Answ. No. This Doctrine which hath been delivered, hath no such foundation. But I shall lay down as safely and as cautiously, yet as plainly as I can, what we are to conceive of the abilities and will of man in this point.  
First, It supposeth that men who perish do not do what they can; they do not exercise and improve that power which they have. I suppose the difference betwixt Natural and spiritual abilities is discovered in the Parable of the Talents; He that had the single Talon hide it, when they who had double Talents improved them. Mat. 25.20, 24. Although we may by following Scripture expressions safely say, that the Natural man's Abilities fall short in spiritual performances, yet we cannot say, He hath no power at all in these things. He may do more good than he does, and he may do that which he doth better, although he can do nothing well. It is very hard to say how fare he can go, although we can show how far he cannot go. The abilities of nature must be left like a Terra incognita which hath not been travailed over; Because never any natural man did go so far as he was able to go for God.  
Secondly, It supposes that no man did ever perish who did his utmost to lay hold upon salvation by Jesus Christ. He who hath given such encouragement, as to say that he would not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax, will not refuse any who have laboured with all their might and strength to come to God by him. He that says, he will in no wise cast out them that come, doubtless will not cast off those who take such pains to come. He that hath said to sinners, James 4.5. Draw near to me, and I will draw near to you, will also make it good, and meet those more than half way, as he did the prodigal Son, who desire to return to him. We have a notable scripture for this, Jer. 30.21. He shall approach unto me; for who is this that engageth his heart to approach unto me? As if the Lord had said; Do you not see how such a one tuggs and labours with his heart to draw it God-ward, and yet complains that when he had done what he can, all will not do; his heart is full of backsliding. I will not suffer such a poor soul to stand off; I will cause him to approach. God hath made an absolute promise to those who labour for Heaven, and take pains as it were for life, Hosea 6.3. Then shall ye know if ye follow on to know the Lord, etc. And the Lord says elsewhere: Then shall ye find me, if you seek me with all your hearts.  
Object. But you will say; is it not said Luke 13.24. Many shall seek to enter, and shall not be able.  
Answ. It is said, many shall seek, not strive, (i. e.) they would enter if it could be with ease. The soldier who dare not or will not venture his life in a storm, would seek for a way to enter without labour or hazard.  
Secondly, Many may strive (as well as seek) but not to the uttermost; and they have no reason to charge God with the loss of their souls, when they have not put out their abilities to the utmost.  
Thirdly, Many strive much, but not in God's way, as the Scribes and Pharises did, and as the Papists and many Legal persons do, who do not strive in Christ and for Christ. But there was never any that did his utmost for life in the Gospel way, that did miss of it.  
The Lord did never give any poor soul occasion to say; Lord, thou hast propounded such a way for poor sinners to come to life and salvation, and thou hast commanded us thus to seek it, and behold I would, but thou wouldst not; I have done my utmost on my part, but thou hast failed on thy part.  
Thirdly, It supposes that no man did perish for want of power, which had a will to Believe and repent. When ever the will of a poor Creature did come over to God, there did always come with it a sufficiency of grace to lead him through all the works of grace. Although there were not abilities suitable to the will, yet they were some way suited to the work of Conversion. Not that I do think with some, That the will of man moves first in the improvement of his abilities, and that the Lord than steps in with more grace & strength as a Reward of this. But I believe that God does by his special grace move the will, and sets that (with what he hath given already) to work, and where he doth by his free grace excite what he hath already given, he doth assist that with more. God is first in the work of Conversion, and his grace moves the will; Psa. 110.3. In the day of thy power thy people shall be willing. And when God doth begin in the will to move that toward Christ, he will not suffer the work to fail for want of power to carry it on. God never starves his own work. Phil. 2.13. He worketh in you to will and to do: There is a necessary Connexion betwixt the will and the deed. If the Lord (in his free grace) give the Will, he will enable to do, if not what we should, or would, yet what he will accept of.  
Fourthly, It supposeth thus much; that it matters not whether thou hast such a power to Believe and Repent, which some plead for. For if thou hast a Will to Believe and Repent, thou shalt not miscarry for want of power. Fellow thy will, and thou mayest expect power confidently from the Lord. But if thou hast no will toward these things, and art resolved not to make use of what thou hast, it is no matter whether thou hast more or less. If thou hast no power of thyself, yet if thou hast a Will, the Lord will not let thee stand out for want of power. And if thou hadst all this power in thy hand, and hast no will to employ and improve it for thy soul, it is all one as to thy salvation. Thou shalt perish.  
Fifthly, It supposes that the Lord doth not condemn men for what they cannot do (although they cannot do what he commands) but because they will not. God commands thee to Believe, to repent, to be humbled for thy sins, and to make thee a new heart, to forsake thy very evil thoughts. Thou canst no more do these things, than the Blackamoor can change his skin, or the Leopard his spots, Jer. 13.23. But this is not that which will damn thee, that thou canst not do them, but this will be thy condemnation, that thou wouldst not do them?— It is true; if thou wert sensible of thine inability, thou mightest plead a cannot now, and make good use of it thus; Lord thou hast commanded that I should keep thy righteous judgements. But I cannot. Oh that my ways were so directed, etc. Thou hast commanded me to make me a new heart, Ezek. 18.31. But I cannot. Therefore Psal. 51.10. Create in me a new heart, and renew aright spirit within me.  
Thou hast commanded me to Believe, but Lord I cannot, I find abundance of base unbelief within me, Mar. 9.14. therefore Lord help my unbelief. Thou hast commanded me to wash and make me clean, but I cannot; I can as soon wash off the spots from the Leopard; Ez. 36.25. Therefore sprinkle clean water upon me, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow, Psalm 51.7. Thou hast commanded me to love thee with all my heart, and with all my strength; But I cannot; I find much of the love of the world creeps into my heart, and intercepts my affections, and I am full of Backslidings. Jerem. 32.40. Therefore Lord put thy Law in my heart, that I may not departed from the; in a word, Thou hast commanded me to cease from evil, and to do good. But I cannot, for I find (Rom. 7.23.) a Law in my members rebelling, etc. Therefore Lord deliver me from the sin of this body, or from this body of sin. This is the use thou shouldest make of thy cannot, and thus improved and pleaded out with God in time, it might be of singular advantage to thee. But it will be vain to think to lay up this plea by thee until the last day, and to think to stop Judgement by it then. For the Lord will proceed with thee upon other terms, and so will frustrate such a plea as this is; For he will not condemn thee because thou couldst not, but because thou wouldst not believe. And when thou art found guilty of stubborn and wilful disobedience, it will be in vain to plead inability. Thy weakness was the reason why thou couldst not believe; but it was not the reason why thou wouldst not believe. If ever thou wouldst have pleaded insufficiency, thou shouldst have done it whilst there was time for it, when it might have been removed. The business then to be proved will be that thou wouldst not believe, and for this thou shalt be condemned. John 3.19. This is Condemnation that light is come into the world, and men love darkness more than light.  
Sixthly, It supposes that a man's cannot is from his Will not. Therefore he cannot because he will not. There is a Twofold Cannot in unbelievers. A first and a second. The first is while the day of grace does continue, of which I am now to speak, and this is from his corrupt will. While God is offering to him terms of peace and reconciliation, he is wilful, and shuts his eyes, and ears, and will not see nor hear what is for his good.  
There is a second Cannot which follows this, a Judiciary Cannot. When man hath shut his eyes, and therefore could not see the things of his peace, the Lord seals them up, and says, From henceforth thou shalt not see any thing for thy good; this is a dreadful Cannot, and when men come to this, they are almost in Hell. But I am to speak of the former of these, (which is so much the more fearful because it leads to this) the Cannot which arises from a man's own will: the will and affections blind the Understanding, and therefore he cannot see; The corruption of mandoth most of all appear in his will, for this is the very seat of it, from whence it issueth forth into every part of him, and defileth the whole man; the will is the Ringleader in good or evil. And that is not misled by the understanding, until the understanding hath been seduced by that. A man is first prejudiced against spiritual things, he wils them not, and therefore he sees not the excellency that is in them. Thus the will blinds the understanding, and that leads the will aside, and so the blind lead the blind, till both fall into the d●tch. Thus we see daily by sad experience, how men's passions or interests do blind them, that they do not see things as they are. Men love or hate things, and then they judge them to be good or evil according to their affections.  
The Natural man hates the ways of Godliness, and then fancies them to be hard and unpleasant; he judges them foolishness, because they cross his lusts, which have gotten his affections, and therefore he cannot receive them. Again, he loves his lusts, and therefore he fancies that they are comely and pleasant, he is not willing to see the deformity of sin. Like some fond Mother, who do ates so much upon her child, that she will hear no evil of it; she is so blinded by affection that she cannot see faults. Thus it was with Balam, who (although he had assurance that Israel should be blest and not cursed) would feign persuade himself (through the extreme love of the wages of iniquity) that he might curse Israel from such or such a place. So also is it with men, although the word of God fly in their faces for sin, and tells them, that if they let it not go, their souls shall go for it; yet the love of sin and their extreme unwillingness to part with it, puts them upon studying some excuse or other for it, and they would fain persuade themselves that there cannot be so much danger as is pretended in keeping this or that sin. So that the reason why they see not the evil and danger of sin, is because they are not willing to see. They are not willing to see what surfeiting and drunkenness will cost them, that they shall have hunger and thirst for them in Hell. They do not willingly see what the Lust of the eyes, the Lust of the flesh, and the pride of life will cost them; that those flames of Lust shall be turned into flames of fire.  
They are loath to see what covetousness, pride, or oppression, etc. will come too, and therefore they consider not the danger and nakedness of their poor Souls. And who is so blind as he that will not see? Surely such a blindness cannot be pleaded before the Lord, When a man is corrupted in his affections, it is hard to set his judgement right; For such a man will see nothing that might weaken his former opinion. Thou lovest thy corruptions, thy bosom lust; the Word bids thee cut it off, if it were a Right Hand, and pluck it out if it were a Right Eye▪ nay it bids thee do it without d●lay. The Devil persuades thee that thou needest not be so strict, thou mayest spare one Lust, the Lord will pardon thee in this one thing, or if thou must cast it away, it is time enough yet, hereafter will serve the turn. Now although the Scripture be plain; and reason tells thee, that if it were possible for thee to be saved, and yet to keep one Lust, or that another time might serve turn to part with it, yet it were the safest way to part with every Lust, yea and that presently also; yet the Love that thou bearest to thy Lust does blind thee, so that thou wilt see or hear nothing to the prejudice of it. Thou art like the deaf Adder that stops his ear, and refuses to hear, Charm the Charmer never so wisely, Psal. 58.5. Some say of the Adder that she is deaf on one Ear, and stops the other to prevent charming: others say that she lays one Ear close to the earth, and stops the other with her Tayl.  
It is true thou canst not hear. But what is the Reason of it? is it not because thou hast stopped thine ear; And thou canst not see; but is it not because thou wilt not? thou hast shut thine eyes. But will this be a good plea?  
It is observable that two Evangelists quoting that passage in Isaiah Chap. 6.9. The one says, Joh. 12.40. They could not because he had blinded their eyes, etc. But another gives the reason of it from their unwillingness to embrace the truth Math. 13.14, 15. For their eyes they have closed etc. So that laying both together, It is plain, that sometimes men cannot because they will not: sometimes again they cannot, because God says they shall not. But the second is a punishment for the first.  
Thus fare I have shown you what kind of Natural abilities this doctrine supposeth in the Creature; I shall add a few things to show you what kind of freedom it supposeth in the wil  
It supposeth that the Lord leaves the Will free, I mean the will of the Natural man (i.e.) he does not determine or incline them to Evil, but leaves them to their own choice, whether it be of good or evil, of life or death, light or darkness. if he should move them to Evil, that could not be true of the Apostle, James 1.13. God tempteth no man to evil. Therefore the Lord tells Israel that he had set life and death before them, that they might choose one. And the reason why men do not choose life when it is set before them rather than death, is not because the will is not free, but because it is corrupted and depraved; For without controversy the Will is so fare free, that what ever a man wills or chooses, he does it freely, the will cannot be forced. But let me not be mistaken here, as if I were pleading for that which some do make to be the liberty of the Wil They would have the Will of man to be free from corruption, and void of Enmity to God and his ways, and to stand indifferent betwixt good and evil. Now I do not say that the Will of man is not corrupted; but I say that the Will hath an Essential Freedom; and this may very well be; for it may be more prone to Evil then to good through corruption, and yet lose none of its Essential Liberty.  
Consider therefore the Freedom of the Will does not consist in an indifferency to good or evil, as some would have it, who place the Will of man Naturally betwixt these two without any inclination to one more than to another. And indeed, they who lay the whole weight of Salvation upon the Will of the Creature, must prove this, or they prove nothing: For if man's Salvation does depend wholly upon his will, as to the perfecting of it, and that Will be biased by Natural Corruption, there is great and eminent danger of such a man's miscarrying. But although the Will be left free, and not determined to Evil by the Lord, yet I shall show you that there is no such freedom of Will as many men dream of, viz. Never any man did stand equally poised betwixt good and evil.  
First Dem. Adam in the state of Innocency had freedom of Will, if ever any had it, yet he did not stand thus at an indifferency betwixt good or evil. But with the liberty of his Will he had a holy inclination to good. He had a holy disposition to good, yet withal a power to choose the contrary. And this inclination to good, was of the perfect freedom of his Wil But if the freedom: of the Will did consist in an indifferency to good or evil, than it must follow, Either that Adam had not a free Will, or that Adam had not the Image of God. For such an indifferency to good or evil, could not consist with the Image of God. For wherein was he like to God, if not in his Will? And if that were inclined no more to good then evil, wherein was he like to God? surely he stood inclinable to good, although not unchangably; so that although there was a holy disposition in Adam's heart to good, yet this did not take away the freedom of it; he willed good the more freely; and for evil he had a liberty to choose it, as he did being tempted.  
Secondly, Man in his fallen estate hath not such a kind of freedom of Will as consisteth in the indifferency of it to good or evil. For besides the liberty of his will, there is corruption in it inclining and byassing it to Evil, which yet he freely wils. And that there is such corruption in the will of man, is plain, in that the Scripture excuses no part, and principally it charges corruption upon the Wil Nay to show how much the Will is inclinable to Evil, he calls the Lusts of men the Wills of the flesh and of the mind, Eph. 2.2. intimating that such abominations as they have lived in, had their rise principally from the corruption of the Will, which did lead to such things. Hence I suppose it is that evil things are called our own things, and the ways of sin our own ways, Acts 14.16. He suffered all Nations to walk in their own ways, (i. e.) in ways of sin and vanity. Hence also the Lusts and lose practices of the Gentiles are called the Will of the Gentiles, 1 Pet. 4.3. To show that their very hearts and affections were in such ways and works, and that what they did was not so much from any thing without, as from the strong and steady bent of their own Wills: Nay the Apostle to show more fully the corruption of the Will, makes but one will betwixt carnal men and the devil, Ephes. 2. Compare the second verse with the third. He says in one, they walked according to the course or inclination of the World, and in the other he says, they walked according to the Prince of the powers of the Air; They fulfilled the Will of the devil and their own at once; And indeed Natural men do incline to evil as he does, only their wills are changeable and may bow towards God, but his is unchangably fixed on evil: so that by this it appears the natural man hath no such freedom or liberty of Will as as was mentioned. God hath left it free, but his own corruption hath not left it indifferent to good or evil, but strongly inclines it to the latter: And if the natural man stood in such an indifferency to good or evil, it is very strange that the Holy Ghost should speak so of the whole lump of Mankind, Rom. 3.10, 11, 12. There is none that seeketh after God: there is none that doth Good, no not one. It is strange that none should choose the right way, if they stood all indifferent.  
Thirdly, We see the renewed man stands not in such an indifferency; For grace which does not destroy the liberty of the will, inclines it to Good. We find that the will renewed is the very seat of Grace and holiness, Rom. 7.18. To will is present. And the same Apostle says, With my mind I serve the Law of God. Surely by his mind he properly means his will: that was strongly moved towards God, and he could see grace there, although he could see it not where else, ver. 18. In my body dwells no good thing Saints see grace in their wills, which doth support them against the corruption which they see in every part beside. And by the Rule of Contraries, if grace be most in the Regenerate Will, Corruption is most in the Unregenerate Will; but this the Natural man will not take notice of. so that its manifest that although Man in Innocency, in his fallen, and in his renewed state, had liberty in their Wills, yet none of them had that liberty which consisted in an indifferency to good or evil.  
First, For Adam in innocency had liberty to choose good or evil, but he was disposed and inclined to good. Eccles. 7.29. God made man upright.  
Secondly, Man fallen chooses evil rather then good, Gen. 6.5. The thoughts of his heart are evil, only evil, and that continually.  
Thirdly, Man in his renewed state, although he hath a corrupt part in him, yet he is more inclinable to good then evil. His Will is principally for God. So that these things considered, we may Conclude that a Man's Cannot is from his Corruption. And if Paul complained of a Cannot, Rom. 7.18. when yet his Will was not indifferent but manifestly inclining to good; surely we do Nature and the Natural man no wrong to say of him, that he cannot, because of his Corruption which does strongly dispose his Will to evil. It is strange that Saints complain of a Cannot, who have grace in their Wills, and yet many will not allow such a Cannot in the Natural man, who hath nothing but Corruption in his Wil  
Having now shown you these things, there lies another scruple to be answered, which is this; Does God go so far as hath been hinted, to make a day of Grace for them that perish, and have they all outward helps in common with them who are saved, and have they so many inward helps as have been mentioned.  
Qu. Wherein does the work of God upon his Elect differ from his workings upon these whilst their day continues.  
Ans. The difference lies principally in this; That all the movings and workings of God upon wicked men, are not upon their Wills to bring them over to himself; but they are upon their understandings, their Consciences, and sometimes upon some of their affections. But the principal work of God upon his Elect is upon their Wills, they come over first and fastest unto God.  
The Lord goes thus far with those whom he converts not; W●l, says he, I will prove you by illumination, I will show you many of the truths of the Gospel, and you shall see what belongs to your peace, so fare that thy judgement shall be for Heaven. Nay I will shake conscience also, and that shall rise against thee by way of conviction, thou shalt see the danger of thy estate in this condition, and I will break in upon thy affections; thou shalt find, not only fears of hell and wrath to solicit thy return, but also some joys in complying with my word and ways. But as for thy will, I will leave that to its freedom, let it choose what pleaseth it best; now let it take life or death, they are both before it. And now if the will were indifferent when Judgement and conscience, and some of its affections are for Believing and Repenting, it would surely strike in, and all these would engage and bring it over to Christ. But notwithstanding all this, the Will falls back, and chooseth vanity and sin, which pleases it best, because of the corruption which is in it. So that whiles corruption remains in the Will, it spews out this knowledge and these convictions, and runs on to folly, which it hath chosen. Rom. 1.28. They did not like to retain the knowledge of God in their hearts. Whatever comes in to check the soul in the way of sin, is an unwelcome guest, so long as the will remains corrupted and tainted, and the will casteth but the light of the understanding, and the convictions of conscience, as the mariners do pump out the water which breaks in upon them. Balaam had a clear knowledge of the happiness of the Saints, but his Will was for Covetousness.  
Felix had a clear conviction of judgement to come, but his will was for his corruption, and therefore he resolves to stop the mouth of Conscience by sending Paul away. The will deals with the light of truth as the sore eye deals with the sun, shuts the window to keep it out because it offends. John 3.17. Men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil. They are set to do wickedly, and they resolve to do it quietly.  
But when God works upon his Elect, he gins with their wills, he sets them at work, and when this gins, the whole man soon follows. For the will commands all, it bids one go, and it goes; and another come and it comes; and though the Lord does thus work upon the Will, yet he takes not away the liberty of it. But what the soul wills it wills freely, and his principal distinguishing works lies in these three things.  
First, he takes off the prejudice that was in the Will, and that averseness which was in it to spiritual things. Before, Corruption did lead it against light and Convictions, now it is otherwise. This was the first work upon Paul, Act. 9.4.5. Christ took off the prejudice he had against the ways and people of Christ; why persecutest thou me, says Christ, these are my ways and my people. Then Paul cries out, Lord what wilt thou have me to do?  
Secondly, The prejudice of the Will being removed there is an easier and fairer way opened to spiritual things, the soul sees execllency now, where it saw none before; and so the understanding gets more light, and is the better able to guide the Will. How did Paul see the truth and Harmony of Scripture to prove Christ to be the Son of God when his prejudice against him was removed. Act. 9.22.  
Thirdly, He does not only remove prejudice, and gives it more light, but he does also sweetly draw the Will by a persuasive power: So that although it comes necessarily, yet it is freely. Therefore says David, who had experienced this work of grace upon himself, Psalm 110.3. In the day of thy power thy people shall be willing. When God does manifest the power of Grace, it is mostly to be seen in the Wills of his people. You have a manifest proof of this, Jer. 31.18, 19 After I was turned I Repent. And what was that turning, but such a power as I have shown you moving the wil And he acknowledges his repentance to be a fruit of his turning to God, or rather of Gods turning him. What is it that David prays for, is it no more than illumination or conviction, Psalm 119.36. Incline my heart unto thy testimonies. And what does the Spouse pray for but this? Cant. 1.4. Draw me and we will run after thee. Does she pray only for a moral drawing? Surely no. She was convinced of the excellency of Christ, and of following of him before, as is plain by the 2d and 3d verses. But she prays for more effectual grace in her will, and indeed here lies the main of the work of grace. For should God let in never so much light and plain Convictions, and yet suspend his influence from the will, that would hang behind, and the soul would be left out of Heaven. It would be sad with God's people if things should be left depending upon their wills, and their wills left to themselves. And if there were no more but a Salvability or possibility for all men to be saved, and this did hang upon their wills embracing or not embracing the Truth according to their Liberty; then, although some would say, here is hopes that every man might be saved, yet there were a stronger probability, that no man might be saved. For this must be granted.  
First, that as all have liberty to choose, so they have liberty to refuse, and so may all be lost.  
Secondly, They are all corrupted, and very likely they may be biased by that, and led aside from the truth.  
Thirdly, They are tempted, and it is Ten to one but this may turn the scale, if the Will stand indifferent; it is a strong probability that Corruption and Temptation together will weigh down the scale.  
Fourthly, Satan prevailed over Adam when he had more grace than we, and none of those corruptions which we have; therefore he may prevail over every particular man il he stand upon his terms.  
Fifthly, He often prevails over the people of God against their wills, which are inclined to good, and by grace disposed for it; How much more may he prevail over those whose wills at best are but indifferent, but as hath been proved are corrupted.  
But some will say yet farther; if there be such a difference betwixt the work of God upon the Elect and others, and God does afford that to one which he does not to another. Qu. How shall all men be left without excuse? shall not those that perish have somewhat to say for themselves, in as much as the Lord did not work upon them as he did upon others?  
Answ. No. Because first he leaves them the casting voice; he goes so fare with them until it comes to this, whether they will believe and repent or not; it lies now upon the motion of their wills. If thy Will did move Heavenward, thou shouldest be saved; if it move otherways, thou art lost. The main thing which stands betwixt thee and Heaven, is thy corrupt wil  
Secondly, Thou hast as much from God to move thee to look Heavenward, as thou hast from Satan to lead thee on in sin. For thou hast light, and Convictions, and many moral persuasions from the Lord, and thou hast no more from Satan; He cannot force thee, he can but persuade; and thus the Lord deals with thee many ways Nay, thou seest oftentimes more reason to come off from the world, and thy Lusts, and to follow Christ, than thou dost to continue in them, and yet thou goest against these persuasions.  
Thirdly, Thou dost follow thy light in all things, except the things of thy soul, thy will follows thy understanding in all carnal things, in profit, honour, and advantage, but it goes contrary to it in the things of thy soul.  
Fourthly, Thou canst not plead thine inability, because thou thinkest that thou hast ability. Thou thinkest thou canst Believe and Repent at pleasure, yet thou dost not set about it, thtrefore thou art inexcusable. As these Jews were, John 9.41. Because you say you see your sin remains.  
Fifthly, Thou abusest so much power as proves that hadst thou more thou wouldst abuse that also. He that will not use that which he hath, would not use more if he had it. Therefore thy not having enough cannot excuse thee. Luke 16.10. He that is unjust in a little is unjust in much. Therefore may it be said of thee as it was of them, Luke 16.31. Neither would they Repent if one risen from the dead. So may I say; if thy Will be against Repenting and Believing, if Angels should come from Heaven, and the damned should be sent from hell to preach to thee, thou wouldst not believe.  
Having dispatched these, I come now to the use of what hath been laid down.  
Use. Is it so then that men have a day, Then how justly will God condemn such Gospel sinners at the last day? God will be justified when he speaks, and clear when he judges, but especially when he deals with such as obey not the Gospel. If that Judgement shall be acknowledged just which shall pass upon the Heathen, because they did not walk up to the light of Nature, which was the only light they had. How much more will thy sentence be just, who doth not obey a light which is fare greater than this. Thou hadst so much light as to make it day to thee when it was night with them: You never heard that any man's Condition who lived not under the Gospel, was called day, but night and darkness, as appears, Math. 4.16. It is said the people sat in great darkness before Christ came and preached to them. And Eph. 5.8. They were called darkness. But if they perish who fall in the night, woe be unto thee if thou fall in the day. Consider of this I beseech you, all you who live under the Gospel. What will you be able to say for yourselves at the last day when Christ shall plead the case with you. When he shall point out some of you before men and Angels, and say, Behold these are the men and women that would have none of me, nor my ways. Time was that I offered them life and salvation, but they would not have it upon my Terms, but now they shall not have it upon any Terms. They chose their Lusts before my ways and Statutes, and now I will choose their ruin and destruction. These poor souls shall have that charge laid against them, which is brought in against Jezabel, Rev. 2.21. I gave them space to Repent, and they Repent not: And what answer can be given to this? Will it not fall heavy when the Lord shall say; You cannot say that I took the first advantage against you. No, I waited long, and you had your time, you were not gathered until your iniquities were full ripe, through my patience, and your perverseness. Wherefore if all these poor wretches should join together to petition for one drop of mercy, it would not be granted unto them; If they should lift up their voices together, and wept bitterly as Esau did for the blessing, yet they should not prevail, because they come too late. Such souls shall be more miserable than Esau was for although he came too late, and the chief blessing was gone, yet he had a lesser instead of the greater. But these who will not have it when it is offered, shall not only lose the blessing, but shall be cursed instead of being blest. Mat. 25.41. Depart from me ye cursed. And what can be more just than this, that they who would not receive the blessing when it was offered them, should now have a curse instead of a Blessing? And what a Gall will this be to their hearts to consider how much they have lost for how little, and what fools they were to neglect that blessedness which is now lost, but did once lie at their feet. Although every condemned sinner shall be sent to Hell convinced of the Justice of the sentence under which he lies, yet none shall go with such shame and confusion to Hell, as those who have had such a day as hath been declared.  
Use 2. If there be such a day, and thy salvation depend upon thy closing with the Gospel, and the offers of it, or thy rejecting of it. Then let not your heads be so much busied about those things which when thou hast found out thou mayest be damned. Thou pretendest that thou art much busied about enquiring whether Christ died for all or not, and that this is a point of such concernment that thou canst not believe unless thou art satisfied about it. Alas when thou hast gotten the greatest satisfaction that may be, thou art as far from Heaven as now, and thou mayest perish notwithstanding. For if thou believest not, if thou art not regenerated and born again, whether he died for thee, or not, thoushalt be damned. It were more profitable abundantly for thee to spend that time which hath been spent in this study in enquiring after the terms of the Gospel. Study Faith and Repentance, Self-denial, and the taking up of the Cross, Go and learn what the meaning of this is; Unless a man be born again bee cannot enter into the kingdom of God. I remember there were some who came to Christ with such a question as this, and although it were not altogether useless, yet because it might have been more practical, he slighted it, and them that brought it unto him, Luke 13.24. Are there few (say they) that shall be saved, Christ would not answer this, lest he should give them encouragement to multiply needless questions to him: But he advises them to Enter in at the straight gate. It were better to be labouring to get in ourselves, then to be busy to know how few or how many shall go in, when it will be all one to us whether they be more or less, if we be excluded.  
Thus again many will busy their heads more about pleading out the abilities of the Natural man in the things of God, than they do in employing and improving what they have for God. It were doubtless much better for thee to spend thy time in the improvement of thy abilities for God, and for thy Eternal good, whether they be more or less, and in praying for an increase of them, then to vindicate and maintain that to be great which thou makest little use of. For whether thy abilities be more or less, yet if they be neglected, thou shalt perish with them.  
Use 3. If there be such a day, etc. then complain not for want of power until thou hast been sensible of, and mourned over the want of a will; for this is the first and principal want of the soul. It is true, A man in his Natural Condition does want power, yet it is not properly that he wants, but he rather wants a will; for he hath power to do more than he will, it cannot be said that want of power stops him, because he goes not to the end of that which he hath; therefore he cannot complain justly and say I cannot, unless he were come so fare as he can. When thou art gone so far as thou canst possibly, than thou mayest complain of thy Cannot; And it may be a good plea. But whilst thou mayst go farther, do not complain of thy Cannot; it is thy Will not which holds thee back. Those complaints are but excuses, and God will so cast them back upon thy teeth at last. Thou sayest as the sluggard did who is not minded to leave his bed, I cannot go, there is a Lion in the way; But how does he know what is in the way when he lies in his bed? so sayest thou I cannot, but thou dost not try whether thou canst or not. Thou dost not attempt it, or at least very carelessy. The plain English of this is, thou wilt not; yet thou deceivest tby self by complaining thus of thine inability, and wouldst have thy will excused, as if there were no fault in it.  
Wicked men have gotten a trick to steal the complaints of God's people, and they take them into their mouths very improperly. For although the people of God who have wills to do more than they can, may complain properly of their cannot, yet this belongs not to thee; for thou canst do more than thou wilt. Complaints of inability do sit the mouths of none but the people of God, because it is not the want of Will, but of power which stops them. Therefore they can say; Lord we would be more spiritual and more holy, we would do more than we do, but we cannot. God hath discovered unto them the corruption of their Wills in their former estate, and hath humbled them for it, and he hath showed them how far they did fall short of their abilities formerly, and laid them in the dust for it, and now the stream of their wills is turned, and they run out infinitely after God. But for thy part thou wert never humbled for the Corruption of thy Will, thou art not therefore fit to complain of a cannot. How canst thou without shame complain for want of power, when thou hast not gone to the end of what thou hast. Go and learn what it is to be humbled for want of a will for God, and when thou hast mourned for want of this, than thou mayst next be pitied when thou complainest for want of power, but until thou hast used all means in thy power, and reach, thou hast no reason to complain of a Cannot; but when thou hast done this, than thou mayest take up this complaint; Lord, thou hast commanded me to do thus, and thus, but I cannot. Behold I have said the means, it sticks not at my Will, for I have given all diligence, but it sticks for want of power. Lord I would if I could.  
This is intimated in that Plea which Paul makes, Rom. 7.18. How to perform that which is good I find not; As if he would say, I do not plead a Cannot for excuse, for it is not an idle one. Though I cannot do what good I would, yet I am not content with willing it, but I am seeking to do it, but I find not to do it, though I inquire after it with all diligence. Saints do not fail of the good they would do for want of Endeavours, but thou ceasest from endeavours and pleadest a Cannot, before thou hast used this. Thy plea is a mistake, and there is a delusion in it; it fits not thy mouth, go thy way home, and study thy will not, and mourn over that; but leave this complaint to those to whom of right it doth belong.  
Use 4. If there be such a day▪ Then labour to improve thy abilities without trusting to them; strive, as knowing that without striving thou shalt not be saved, and yet look unto Christ as having done nothing thyself. Cast away all selfe-confidence. Run, for he that runneth not shall not obtain, yet look for all from free grace, knowing it is not he that willeth, nor he that runneth, but God that showeth mercy, Rom. 9.16. If thou dost perish, it is through thy own default, because thou dost not what thou mayst: But if thou art saved, it is not for any thing wrought by thee, but for the free mercy of God in Christ. This is a great mystery to man, he cannot tell how to act in the way of salvation without relying upon what he does. If it be not (says he) in my power to Believe and repent, why should I act? And if it be in my power, why do you advise me to deny my abilities? Hence come two great miscarriages amongst men: They run into the extreme on either hand. Some have such high opinions of the abilities of the Creature, and take the work of salvation to be so much in the hand of Man, that they know not how to deny themselves in their own actings and wisdom in spiritual things. They give God the honour of putting them into a possibility of being saved; But they take the honour of perfecting their salvation to themselves.  
Others lay the work so upon God, that they excuse themselves from doing any thing. Alas (say they) we are weak, and what can we do? If he will convert us, we shall be converted: These will not know the Doctrine of Duty. There are few that will bring the Doctrine of self-denial and duty together; That will work and yet deny their works; expect God in a way of striving, and yet not rest upon endeavours. But to these I say, Although you cannot do enough to save you, yet you may omit enough to damn you. Therefore improve your abilities, lest ye perish for neglecting them.  
To you who rely upon your own abilities, I say, The denying of your own abilities will do you no harm; for esteeming of them as little, does not make them less; but going out of yourselves to God may make them more. I say in a word to all, You have a day. If in this day thou dost not lay hold of eternal life, thou shalt be damned because thou wouldst not. But if in this time thou dost embrace the terms of Christ, and lay hold on peace, it is not because thou wouldst, but because he would. He did stir up thy will and abilities, and did give in fresh supplies, or else thou hadst perished. Let therefore what you have heard of the abilities of the Natural man provoke you to go as far as it is possible for such a one to go; and let that which you have heard of his inability keep you humble, and teach you to cry after Christ in the language of that poor man, Lord help my unbelief. Join self-denial to all endeavours, be active and humble, Conscientious to use all that thou hast for God and thy soul, and yet look upon all as being nothing, and then thou hast learned this truth aright.  
Use 5. If so. Then let all the people of God admire his distinguishing grace, who hath not only extended his common, but his special mercy to them. He hath given others enough to leave them inexcusable, and enough to aggravate their Condemnation, but he hath given you enough to convert you. It was mercy that God gave others the Gospel, and the offers of it, But what mercy is it that he hath inclined your hearts to embrace the same being offered? He gave them a day to seek, but he set this day apart to seek thee. He set life and death before them, and left it to them to choose. But the Lord himself chose for thee the better part. He wrought upon their understandings or consciences, but he moved upon thy Wil He gave thee a Will to thy power, yea and beyond it, who hadst abilities before beyond thy Wil Here lies the great differencing work of grace which thou mayest never forget: He wrought in thee to Will and to do of his good pleasure. So that although they who obeyed not the Gospel were condemned through their own Wills, yet thou wert saved through the good pleasure and Will of God, who made thee willing in the day of his power. Who hath made thee to differ? Is it not the Lord? oh take heed of diminishing the grace of God. When thou deniest the distinguishing acts of it, you do eclipse the Glory of it. So much as you take from the Corruption of the Will, so much you take from the eminency of grace. Let those who pretend to Regeneration bless the Lord, not as having received grace in Common with others, but as having received grace in special above others. Even as they did, Rev. 5.9. They bless the Lord for redeeming them out of the tongues, and out of the Nations, etc. That God vouchsafed more to them then to those amongst whom they lived. Oh you may say, It was mercy that God offered us Heaven upon any terms; and if he had gone no further, it had been enough to convince us that he was gracious. Oh but he hath given us what he never gave them, viz. hearts to believe and close with his gracious tenders, or else we had withstood them also. He gave them the Law, but he put it in our hearts, all our desires after grace are from his superabounding grace, and what we are more than others, that we are from what God did vouchsafe unto us more than unto them. It is not from the improvement of the same Talents and means which he had with others, nor from a Compliance with that general Gospel grace which was given to them and us; But it was from additional mercy; this was distinguishing mercy; 'Tis by this grace that we are what we are. So we can say as the Apostle, Gal. 4.9. Although we know God, yet it is more proper to say we are known of God. Therefore let him have the honour of his own work upon your hearts, in converting and turning them to himself; let the work be acknowledged his from the beginning to the end of it; look on him as the author and finisher of your faith. If God hath moved thy heart towards himself, and hath met thy endeavours with success, and thou art able in thy experience to say, it is good to draw nigh to God, take heed of setting up an high opinion of thine own free Will, as if that had moved God, rather than God had moved it; as if what thou hast were rather the recompense of improved Abilities, than the fruits of Gods distinguishing Grace. If ever you would honour free grace, keep up in thy heart a deep sense of its distinguishing acts.  
Use 6. If it be thus, Then above all things look to your Wills, and try them whether they be set for heaven and holiness or not; And in pursuing this mind these three things.  
First, Get a thorough sense of the Corruption of thy Will naturally and of its indisposition to Good. For want of the knowledge of the malignity of the will causes deep security amongst many; they think their hearts are as good as any, when indeed the reason why they account them good, is because they did never yet study the evil of them; and many poor souls go blinded to Hell with the Good opinion of their own Wills.  
Secondly, Go to the Lord and entreat him to take the work into his hand; if the business of thy Salvation be left upon the motion of thy Will, thou are lost. Tell him that thou hast found which way the Will of man does naturally bend, and if he should leave thy Will to itself thou art likely to make the same choice that others have done who have been so left. Tell him, thou hast so much Experience of the Corruption of thy Will, that thou darest not trust it, nor venture thy Eternal interest upon it. And whereas others dispute to get the work into their hands, do thou pray as hard to get it into the hands of God.  
Thirdly, Above all things beg a Will of him. Pray earnestly that he would not only put forth his power in Illumination and bare Convictions, but that he would reveal this power in bringing over thy Will to himself. Plead out this above all, that he would Convert thee that thou mayst be Converted, that he would Incline thy Will unto his Testimonies, and that he would draw thee that thou mayst run after him. And tell him often, that thou standed in need of nothing more than a Will for him, and if this be not given in thou art lost. Fellow the Lord with continual complaints against the Corruption of thy Will, and never leave him till he set up his Image in that, till he hath bowed that to his Commands, and when thou canst say, his Will is thine, and thy Will is his, than thou art a happy Man or Woman.  
Application of the second Doctrine.  
This day is not measured by the length of our lives, but the means outward or inward.  
Learn hence that there is more hopes of a people although ignorant and profane to whom the Gospel is coming, then of those who are more knowing, from whom the Gospel is departing. God's withdrawing of public means & helps of this nature speak his displeasure against a people eminently, and tell us plainly that there is but little hopes of such. When the Gospel is coming into a dark ignorant profane place, and declares that God hath a people there, & the day is dawning to them. But when it is going away from a people. It either argues that God hath no people there, or none more to gather, or that his work is almost done. It argues that the Gospel hath been abused or slighted, and that the day of grace is drawing appease to an end to such a people.  
Secondly, it in forms us that they who live unprofitably under means are in a fare worse condition than those who live without means. There was more hopes of the Figtree although it were unfruitful before it was dressed, then there was afterwards: Before it was dressed the keeper of the Vineyard was in hope that if it were digged it would bear fruit, but when the means was used, and no good comes of it, it leaves him hopeless.  
Thus when we see men wicked and profane, who live without the Gospel, we say, oh if God would vouchsafe these poor souls the Gospel, there were hopes of them: But we know not what to say, nor how to hope comfortably concerning those who continue the same persons they were, notwithstanding the Gospel which is vouchsafed them: There is more hopes of a drunkard and swearer in the dark Corners, where they have not the light of the Gospel, than there is of such who continue in these things in the very light of the Gospel. For there is hope of the drunkard and swearer who hath lived in darkness, that his day is not yet begun, and that God may give a day yet. But we fear that many of you who continue drunkards and swearers, etc. have past your day, that is, worn out, and yet your souls are not healed.  
Thirdly, See here a sad mistake under which many poor souls do lie. Some there are upon whose hearts the word of God hath made some impressions, and they have been under some Convictions of Conscience, and they have had some trouble for sin, and some fears about their Eternal state: But these convictions are now abated, and their trouble for sin grows less and less, and they come into a calm they know not how, and they bless themselves in this, as if things were much better than they were. But alas they see not that this is the closing up their day, or of their eyes; they are now quiet indeed, and can sin with less trouble then formerly; the Word comes not near them, and Conscience holds her peace; but this is a miserable sign of a declining soul; look to it you who measure the goodness of your condition by the quietness and calmness of it, not by your experience of the soundness of it. Consider that all things were in peace and quiet whilst the strong man kept the house, and that strong man is the Devil; when Christ came and knocked at the door of thy Conscience it made some disturbance, and the Devil began to bustle and make a noise, but so soon as Christ withdraws, he lies down in his place again, seeing all things safe; as you know if you come to a house in the night and knock at the doors, the Dogs will bark, but when the noise is over, and they perceive you are gone, they will lie down in their kennels again; so is it in this case, when Christ comes near unto thee, and knocks by convictions, and thou art awakened, and seemest to offer at the ways of Christ, and makest a show of reformation, than he roars upon thee and troubles thee; but if he see that thou art willing to lie still, and Christ withdraw, than Satan will be quiet also, and so thy convictions cease; consider (you that bless yourselves in the cessation of convictions and checks of conscience) that the night is the stillest and most silent time, but it is the darkest; So may this time of quiet be the night of thy soul, when the former time of thy conviction was thy day. And dost thou rejoice that thy day is gone, and that night is come upon thee? oh if thou didst but know what thou hast lost in losing a faithful convincing conscience, thou wouldst rather sit down and mourn over thy loss, then rejoice in thy peace; sin prevails over thee and thou art quiet, the word smites and thou feelest it not, duties are neglected and thou art not troubled; oh is this a peace to bless thyself in▪ art thou joyful because quiet? surely thou hast little cause.  
But you will say; Is it not our duty to rejoice in the peace of conscience? and do not the people of God do so?  
Answ. It is one thing to have peace of conscience, and another thing to have quiet of conscience: An enemy comes and appears before a city, and gives it an alarm, and perhaps he withdraws without storming of it. Upon the withdrawing of the enemy there is quiet, they are freed from the fears of a present storm; but there is no peace concluded betwixt them, and the enemy perhaps is but withdrawn to thy loss. If they had come to a treaty and Articles of agreement had been drawn up, and the enemy had departed upon these, than they might have rejoiced in their peace: but a wise man will not say such an enemy is at peace with us; only they are quiet for the time: but there is no cause to be secure concerning such a one so long as an enemy; perhaps he is but stepped back to take a better advantage, as we find he did with Christ, he left tempting of him, that he might tempt him the more dangeroussy. Oh therefore inquire whether your quiet calm estate arise from the slumbering conscience, or from the treaty with it, and agreement; Has it been hearkened to, and answered, and pacified. An enemy may sleep sometimes in his Tent, and he makes no noise, not because he is reconciled, but because he is asleep, yet a sleeping enemy is an enemy, and thou mayst know it when he awakes, that it had been better that he had been kept waking; if thy quiet be from the sleepiness of thy conscience, not from the satisfaction of it, thou shalt find it had been better it had never slumbered, that it will awake like a Giant, and set upon thee with so much the more fierceness. It is one thing to have troubles of conscience removed by satisfying the conscience, and another thing to have them removed by searing the Conscience. A man is in a Lethargy, and he lies still and feels no pain, he complains not, but his friends stand weeping about him, because they know not whether he will awake again or not; but they weep not over one that is in a sleep, because they know that rest is sweet, but the other dangerous, and often deadly: Thus the case is with thee. Thou art now quiet, and Conscience smites thee not, thou complainest not; oh but thy godly friends and relations mourn over thee, they stand by thee as a dying man. Oh says one, I had hopes of my Husband, or my Wife, or my child, or my friend; he or she was under some Convictions for sin, and it seemed to me his eyes began to open, and he struggled for life; I saw an outward change for a time, and I hoped it would be a real effectual work, but oh my hopes are almost dead, I see that conscience gins to be quiet, and he gins to be careless, and see how he is by little and little sliding back into his former ways; oh I am afraid he will fall into a spirit of slumber, and go to hell in it. I had abundantly more hopes of his condition when he had less.  
But these very souls which mourn over thee, rejoice to see another soul quiet: they are glad to hear of the comforts with which God hath comforted some poor doubting souls, because they see that such souls came by their peace in another way. Their peace is like natural sleep to the body, it refreshes their souls, and they are the stronger and the more lively for God, but thine is a disease, and spends and weakens it. God hath given them peace by sprinkling their consciences with the blood of Christ. But thy peace is from the hardness and insensibleness of it, thou art almost past feeling.  
Secondly, It is one thing to measure our condition by our peace, and another thing to measure it by the soundness of this peace. A carnal and wicked man measures his condition by the presence or absence of peace and trouble; If his conscience be troubled, and there be any impressions made for sin, he judges that condition sad, and he labours all ways possible to take off such trouble. As Felix, as soon as ever the word made him tremble, he sends away Paul that he might be quiet. Because he does not see the good which may follow such a trouble. But a gracious heart counts his condition the better for such troubles at first, and counts it a mercy that God would any way awaken him, and although he lie under many fears, yet he expects much good from such troubles, and would not be rid of them, but upon good grounds: and although he doth pray constantly to be delivered from those troubles, yet he would not have been without them for the world, neither would he go back to his former condition, though he were sure thereby to be rid of his troubles.  
Again, when a gracious soul doth get peace, he doth not content himself barely with peace, but he examines what manner of peace he hath gotten; whether it be a holy place yea or no, whether it be better than his trouble; for, says he, although I wanted peace, and I sought for that, yet the Lord-knows that was not all I sought for. I sought for holiness, and for communion with God, and f I know my heart. I had rather be kept without peace in my spirit, and yet close to God, then come nearer to peace and to go farther off from God. Therefore unless he can see his peace is a holy gracious peace, accompanied with the fruits of the spirit, and with communion with God, it will not please him; but if the heart be carnal under trouble, it is careless under a calm, and so it hath freedom from the storm it is enough. It is a mistake therefore when you say that the people of God do measure their conditions by the peaceableness of it. No no, they measure it by the goodness and soundness of the peace that they have, and they suspend their joy till they have proved and tried their peace.  
Thirdly, You mistake the peace of the soul; for it does not consist in a freedom from conviction of sin, nor in a cessation of the tenderness of conscience, and a loss of the sense of the evil of it. But it lies in the evidence of the pardon o● sin, which is spoken in to the conscience, by which it answers all objections that are brought against it. For the people of God, who have most of this peace, have all these things yet remaining; Their peace stands with all these, but thine is built upon the absence and want of these. As first, a gracious heart hath peace, yet it hath convictions of sin. 1 John 1.8. If we say we have n● sin, &. Nay he hath more convictions of sin then before, he sees more sin in himself then ever he saw in all his life. Job 42.5, 6. I have seen the Lord, I abhor myself; and Ezek. 16.63. You shall be ashamed and confounded, when I am pacified towards you. Yes this does not break his peace, because he sees sin and pardon together, and the peace does not lessen the sight of sin, but makes it plainer to him. But your peace is only in the cessation of Convictions; you see not sin as you did, and therefore you are not troubled; if thine eyes were open, and thou didst see thy sin as the people of God do, it would revive thy troubles again. Thy peace is false, because it consisteth not with conviction; if thou hadst a true peace, it would heighten thy Convictions, thou wouldst see more sin than ever yet thou didst, and those more clearly which thou hast seen already, Rom. 7.9. When the Law came, sin revived and I died. This is spoken of Paul after he had obtained the pardon of sin; and he that before saw nothing blameworthy in himself saw afterwards nothing but a body of sin and death.  
Secondly, The soul may be charged for sin, and yet have peace. He may be charged by God as Israel is, Ezek. 16. But this is to humble it. It may be charged by its own conscience; as Paul, Rom. 7.18, 19 In my flesh dwells no good thing.  
He may be charged by Satan, as we find that he is ready to charge the people of God, and tempt them to doubt of their interest. But yet the soul may have an answer to all these in the blood of Christ. A soul may have notwithstanding all that is alleged, peace with Paul, Rom. 8.33, 34. and stand out and say, though I am daily charged, and I cannot but charge myself, yet who shall condemn? it is Christ that hath died. So that you see a Believers peace consisteth with these things. But thy peace is in this; Time was that thou wert troubled for sin, and thou couldst not eat or drink, or sleep quietly for it, but now you thank God it is otherwise. God began to charge thee for sin, and conscience was stirred, and thou wert afraid, and perhaps Satan began to charge thee too. For when God gins to charge for sin, to mind it of Christ, Rev. 3.17. than the Devil he charges to drive the soul to despair, Jerem. 18.12. And you shall see whether the hand of God or Satan be most in the trouble by these two things; whilst the trouble continues; you shall know by observing whether the desires after Christ, or the fears of wrath and hell are the greatest; when the Trouble ends you shall know by the continuation of such desires after Christ. For if God's hand be most In such troubles for good, he will keep up the soul after himself when the trouble is over. But if Satan's hand be principal in them, than they lose all those seeming desires which they had after Christ. Oh you who have lost your seeming zeal for God with your troubles of conscience, Consider, it is to be feared, that Satan only troubled to keep thee off from Christ, he saw that God began to stir in the Word, and he thought it was time for him to stir also; But when he saw that God began to cease striving with thee, and thou beganst to grow cold again, he ceased to trouble thee also, and hence is thy quiet: if Satan should but stir again, he would shake thy peace, and this he would do if he saw any danger of losing thee, but he knows this peace is a likelier way to hold thee then such a trouble; But God's people have a peace in despite of all his molestations.  
A believers peace does not destroy the tenderness of his conscience, nor his sensibleness of the evil of sin: for he is more sensible of sin, than he was before; he sees the evil of it more, though the danger be not so much. He is sensible of the smallest sin, and there is no sin which he now does account so; when he was under terrors of Conscience he looked upon his gross sins, and his fears did arise principally from them, but now he looks upon his secret sins, and his grief is for them. So that he says when a temptation comes, how can I do this thing and sin against God?  
But the carnal man's peace is much built upon his insensibleness, he sees the evil of sin less than he did, he feels Conscience less, and conscience feels sin less; a little thing will not trouble it now, and therefore he hath peace. But I tell you, this is a mistaken peace which is built upon these things; For you see God's people keep these, yea increase some of them as their peace is established; But if thou hadst not lost these, thou hadst not found peace; and it is a miserable peace which is gotten by the loss of the tenderness of the Conscience.  
Fourthly, The people of God would judge themselves for the loss of their troubles, if experience were not left in the place of them: the freedom from trouble would trouble them; they would count it a very il change in their Condition to change trouble for peace, if they could not experience another change with this in their souls. Such a soul would say, Time was that my conscience was awakened, and I was sensible of sin, and when I did step aside I was troubled, and I could not be at quiet for want of the evidences of God's love, and of my eternal interest; but how is it now? there is a calm in my spirit; but if my condition be as bad as it was when I was first troubled, if my troubles be abated, if my condition be not altered, oh then my condition is much worse; so much the worse by how much the more quiet it is. But here is that stays the souls of God's people, and satisfies their spirits. Oh says such a one, I find blessed be God a change in my soul, suitable to this change from trouble to peace. I find I was much troubled before for my sins, But I was ignorant of Christ. But blessed be God he hath revealed him to me for pardon.  
I did perform duty before, but I rested in it, blessed be God for the change, I can do it now and deny it. I was troubled before for the neglect of duty, but I am now more grieved for the want of God's presence in a duty. When I was troubled before, I fled to my duties for ease, but now I go to the promises for it. I was troubled before because I looked upon God in a covenant of works, but now I look upon him in a covenant of grace.  
When I was troubled, than I looked upon my gross sins only, but now I look to my secret sins, and I mourn over that which no eye sees. I was troubled because I was afraid of hell, and I could apprehend no pardon for my sin, but now I am troubled for sin which I am sure is pardoned. I was in much horror of conscience, and I cried out I shall be damned, and my trouble made a noise, yet now I have another manner of trouble for sin, it is as burden some and a bitter to me as ever, and I hate it more than ever, and now I mourn for it, and melt away in the confusion of my face under the discovery of God's free pardon of my sin. Whilst I was in trouble, that kept me close to duty, although it did not make me love the duty, neither did it mortify my corruption; But I find now that my peace kept me close to duty also, yea and it makes duty sweet to me, and it does carry me more after holiness than my fears did. For than I did study so much reformation as might serve to quiet my conscience, but now I labour to be holy as God is holy, 1 John 3.3.  
Thus the gracious soul by comparing his present peace with his past troubles, is comforted by the experience which is lest instead of such and such troubles, under which it was formerly: And if it could find none of these, or such as these, it would judge itself for the loss of such troubles, although thou dost bless thyself for this, that thy troubles are over, and all is quiet, but all this while thou hast no experience of a change in thy soul.  
Fifthly, Saints judge it better to be troubled for sin, then to walk quietly in it; and they had rather want a little peace themselves, than that sin should have too much: It is sin hath gotten peace, thou hast none; sin hath leave to be quiet in thy soul. Thou wert troubled for thy drunkenness, thy swearing, or thy uncleanness, or thy scoffing, and thy Sabbath-breaking, and at the neglecting of duties; because of these things Conscience would not let thee be quiet; but now God hath said to Conscience, let him alone, he loves these sins, though he pretends to be troubled for them, let him go on, and enjoy them quietly; and now thou art a drunkard again and quiet, a swearer and quiet, an unclean person and quiet, a Sabbth-breaker and quiet, thou layst aside duties, and yet are quiet; oh let me tell thee if the people of God were to choose, (although they would not be in thy Condition for a world) yet if they must choose one, they would rather be under thy former troubles, and thereby to be kept out of the Alehouse, and thereby be kept to reading, and prayer, then have thy peace which opens a way to all thy former lose practices again. They judged thee in a better Condition, and had more hopes of thee when thou wert under trouble of spirit and didst make Conscience of sin, than now, that thou hast a peace which gives thee liberty to sin as in former times: The people of God would not have thy peace for the world.  
Lay all these things together, and thou wilt easily see that thy peace is not to be joyed in, and although it be true that God's people do account a quiet Conscience a great mercy, yet it is not such a quietness as thine is, neither is it a bare quietness which they rejoice in, but the goodness of the Conscience: But thine is such a quietness as is a Curse, and arises from a Judgement of God in blinding thine eyes, in hardening thine heart, and withdrawing all his Gospel light from thee: There was a difference betwixt the people of God and thee in the time of trouble, and so there is a vast one now; when they were under trouble of Conscience, yet they had a good Conscience, although it were not quiet; now they have a good Conscience and quiet, so that is much better. Thou hadst an evil Conscience when it was troubled, it was but awakened, it was not sanctified. But now it is quiet and evil, it is the worse. For although it were not then renewed, yet being enlightened it did perform its duty to thee in some measure, which now it neglects, and so thy latter end is like to be worse than thy beginning. Therefore oh man or woman, who hast concluded that it was better with thee then formerly because thou art quieter, thou art under a sad mistake; for thy Condition is not grown better, but thine eyes are grown worse.  
Fourthly, if the day end under means, oh then what reason is there to shake off security, and to give diligent heed lest any thing slip by us that we hear. Men are ready to say to the Word, as Felix did, Come another time: But it is a question whether God will wait upon thee any more or not; perhaps he'll give a Commission to his Messengers to speak no more, he will send them to another people. Or if it do come again, it may never come with that heat and light that it comes now to thee; the Word which i● n●w a spirited Wor●, may be a dead co●d Word ever after to thee. Felix put off the Word when it came in some power; He might have heard many Sermons before he met with such another. Oh let not the probability of enjoying the means make thee secure under it. Thou sayest pehapes, if thou wert likely to have no more of it, thou wouldst then listen to the present word, and the Convictions of it. Oh but what if thou wert sure yet to enjoy the Word, art thou sure to find it a Convincing Word? thou mayest have it then; but if God hath withdrawn the enlightening convincing power from it, what difference will there be betwixt thee and him that hath no word? oh how little is this considered and minded by the greatest part of man! they hear as if they were sure to hear again, and as if there were no danger of being lost under the Word; they say they have the means, and there is no such haste, if we hear it not to day, we may hear it to morrow; we shall have the same Word then, which we have now, and it will be well if we listen to it then: But though you should have the same Word, and the same persons which speak the Word to you then, yet you may find it as another thing to you then; the Word may be now a Convincing Word, there may be some spirit and power in it now, and then it may be otherwise to thee; God may have withdrawn all convincing quickening comforting power from it, and then it will seem to thee that it is not the same Word that it was; thou mayst hear the same things which stir thee now, and not be moved at all, and then if God be withdrawn from his Ordinances, it is all one as if he had taken them away too.  
Oh take this into your Consideration you who do enjoy a constant Ministry, and have the Word constantly preached to you, listen to it as if it were departing from you; for though the Word itself continue, yet if the Spirit depart from it; thy soul is undone. If you had but a little time to live, or but a little time to hear the word, thou wouldst be persuaded to look after it. But oh these may be true, one or both; but suppose neither be true, that thy life be not short, nor the means short, yet let me tell thee, the time in which God will strive with thy soul may be short, yea very short. There is a prefixed time set for thee to come in to Christ, which if thou passest over, if thou didst live to Methuselabs age, and hadst the choicest means under Heaven, yet thou shouldest not be converted. If thou hadst an assurance that any time in thy life would serve the turn, yet thou hast no reason to delay; for thy life is very uncertain, and short for this great work: But the means is more uncertain; thou art not sure that the Gospel shall always sound in thine ●ars. Oh but Gods striving with thy heart is most uncertain; for who knows how soon he will give over to struggle with thee? Thy life is a very inconsiderable thing, because of the shortness of it, it is but a moment in comparison of eternity; Oh but the day of grace is a short thing in comparison of thy life. Take heed of carelessness, as if thou didst know that thy day of grace would bold to the last day of thy life.  
We never read that conversion and death met together in one day, save to one man, which was the Thief on the Cross; it was to one, to prevent despair in them whose eyes are then opened; and it was but to one, that none might presume upon such a time before it come.  
If such a day, and it hath such an end, and it leave men under such an irrecoverable condition, then take hold of the present time, while it is called to day; Because thou art sure only of the present, there is a night coming when no man can work, not only a night of death, but a night of spiritual slumber, wherein thou shalt walk up and down, with eyes blinded, understanding darkened, affections alienated from God, Conscience seared with a black mark of ruin and perdition, upon thy soul; when thou shalt not only be without sense, but past sense, past seeing, and past feeling, and past hopes: when thou shalt think that thou seest, and yet seest not, and think that thou perceivest, and yet shalt be blind as the Mole, having no true understanding of God, nor of thy own condition before him. Oh when this night comes upon thee, woe unto thee, thy work must needs lie behind for ever, If you could but foresee such a thing as this is, and did believe indeed that it would come upon thee, wouldst thou not lay aside all delays, and bethink thyself of improving this inch of time which thou hast for Eternity.  
I beseech you all therefore in the Lord, be persuaded to consider of this thing, it is a great thing that I am treating about, lay it to your hearts, and lay about you as those who have but a little time to mind a great business.  

Think of these things.  
First, Some think themselves too great to think on such things, they have great cares and many encumbrances.  
Secondly, Many think they are not great enough, when they are risen to such a height in honour or estate, than they will mind it: and some too young, another time will serve. All these put it off to another time. A deathbed, there they appoint Conscience to meet them and debate the business.  
Two great general Deceits run thorough men's hearts.  
First, They pretend that they will comply with the Gospel; Few will say in plain terms, We will not have Christ reign over us, or, We will never hear any more of this matter, but they will appoint another time, as they judge most convenient, not considering that the time they dream of, may not come at all, or if it does it may be no time for this; the time for this work may be past.  
Secondly, They act for the world, as if their being rich & great did depend upon a day; but as if the business of their souls had no dependence on the advantage of time; but the Scripture speaks otherwise, it has set thee a day for thy soul, which if thou neglect thou shalt lose; but for the world, that may be had in the last place. Matthew 6. First seek the kingdom of God, and the righteousness thereof. Great men, mind this, you have but a day, you may neglect the time, and God will be as strict with you as others in this, and you have many hindrances, and less helps than others. Therefore not many rich, etc.  
Secondly, To poor; you have a day too, although not to be rich and honourable, yet to be happy, if you neglect it not.  
It is a word of exhortation to you all; to old ones, you have spent a great deal of time, and what provision have you made for Eternity? If your day be not over, yet you cannot expect, that yours will last long, you cannot expect to enjoy many days in the flesh, and if this be a truth which you have heard from the Word, you are in a great deal of danger, and it is high time for you to awake.  
2 It speaks also to you that are Young ones, and bless yourselves in the prime of your days, & beginning of your strength; it speaks to you in that of the Wiseman, Ec. 12 1. Remember now thy Creator.  
Do not say, In my old Age, no, but do it in thy Youth; nor yet, I will do it in my Youth, but not yet; but set about it now. I say to thee as Christ did to Judas, What thou dost, do it quickly. Do not say, Thy Years are but few yet, and thy days are but begun; for aught thou knowest the day of Grace may be almost done, although the days of thy life are but begun; this Gospel-day is nearer to an end than thou art ware of: thou hast no assurance of life, but much less assurance of this; if You didst believe this, how would it rouse up your spirits, and provoke you to take heed of every opportunity for your souls?  
5. If it be so, then take heed of slighting convictions, and the struggle of conscience, for these are the critical times of your lives, than you are near to making or marring, now is the time or never. And although thou art called to be serious t all times, yet more especially now thy eternal happiness lies at the stake; and when God gins to struggle with thee, it will be seen in a short time whether thou wilt be eternally happy or miserable. This part of thy life is like to those Critical days which Physicians observe, when either the Disease abates, and breaks, or kills: So now, either thou wilt grow better or worse after this, either the day will break, and darkness will fly away and scatter or else the night will begird thee, and thy darkness will be much blacker than it was. Have a care therefore all you who come to the Ordinance and find any stir upon your Consciences, lest you neglect this time.  
First, Because now God is near unto you, I may draw an exhortation out of the Apostles words, Acts 17.27. Now feel after God if happily you may find him, for he is not fare from you; he is now with you, and in you, by his enlightening and convincing power, now is the time if ever for such a word to take place, as we have, Isa. 55.6. Seek him whiles he may be found. If ever God were near you in a way of mercy, it is now; he is not only near you by his Gospel, but in it, he comes in it, and with it; he sends the spirit with the Word, if thou dost flight these motions, thou mayest never find him so near thee; if he once go out of his Word and leave thee without a convincing light and power, he then will go further and further from you, and then we may say, Woe to you, when God is departed from you, Hos. 9.12. This is one of the first steps of Gods forsaking Souls, when he forsakes the Word under which they sit, and it is in order to that dreadful sentence, Matth. 25.41. Depart from me ye cursed, etc. O therefore as you would not hear that dreadful Sentence then, fear it now; lose God now, and thou art like to lose him for ever; But if thou wouldst keep him now and possess him then, so keep and cherish his Convictions: take heed of slighting these, for it is a slighting of God, and if thou slight him while he is near thee, thou wilt drive him further off quickly.  
Be more careful now then ever, because the day spends apace, it hastens away more than ever; you know when the sun comes at the highest, he declines apace; when the days are at their length, they do shorten quickly, & when it is noon, the sun hastens to his bed. This time of Gods stirring with thee by Conviction is as thy Noonday; if thou slight that, thy day will decline apace, it will not be long ere it be night, therefore while it is not only day, but noonday, work; for there is but a little time betwixt Noon and Night. Nay let me tell thee, thy day of Grace is not like the Natural day, or year. You know that the sun is as long descending as ascending, and therefore the afternoon is as long as the forenoon: But it will not be so with thee; thou mayest have a long morning, and a short noon, and a speedy night. It may be long ere God does begin to strive with thee; he may let thee live twenty, thirty, or forty years before he comes thus near thee; all this while is but as thy forenoon; and then he may come near thy Conscience, This is the noon of thy day, and here he may continue struggling with thee for a year, a month, a week, a day, nay perhaps but one hour, as with Felix, with whom God struggled but one hour in one Sermon: and if thou wilt not now hear, the night shall gather upon thee, and thou shall be shut up under darkness, God will resolve to struggle but a little while, and he will not be so long in departing as he was in coming; but if noon be past, night comes suddenly; he may be long a coming, but quickly gone from thee.  
3 Be more careful now because God proportions the length of our day to the clearness of the means which thou enjoyest, and to the strength of thy Convictions. If God give men little means, than he allows them the more time; if he gives them more means, he gives them the less time for this great work. I do believe, that under the Law when things were dark, and in former days, when the Gospel was but little preached to what now it is, God did give men a longer and larger space for Repentance than he does now, Matth. 3.10 he waited longer upon sinners then now he does or will. And as he proportions to the means, so to our Convictions. If he do strive much with a Soul and cause Convictions to fall thick and strong upon it, it is an Argument that he intends to contend but a little while with that soul if he slight them. He will speedly convert that Soul or harden it. As we see in Felix, God did strive but a little while, but it was in a notable way, he made him tremble, but we do not find that he did strive any more after that fit was over. We see something of this in Nature, those places and people who lie directly under the sun, and have most of the heat and fervour of it, have not so long days in summer as they who live more remote from in; as we in England have longer days at Midsummer, than they that live under the Line; and they in Scotland have longer than we: So it is like to be with thee, if thy means be choice, and thy convictions strong, thy nay is like to be shorter; have a care therefore that thou dost not slight the one, or the other.  
4 Be careful now, because thou dost not know whether ever God will strive any more with thee, if now thou slightest these, these may conclude thy day, and seal up thy condition; thou hast no sooner an intimation by these that thy day is begun but thou hast a hint that it may be ending. The same word which gins to open thine eyes, tells thee, that it is not long ere they may be shut again. God stands at thy heart and knocks, he promises thee, That if thou wilt open he will come in, but he does not promise thee to continue knocking; if thou wilt open says he, I will come in; if thou wilt not open, I will be gone. I will leave thee. Say not to the Word, Come again, for perhaps it will never come so again; God will not have thee deal so with thy neighbour, Prov. 3.28. and dost thou think he will be dealt so withal? Is it not a great Mercy that he will come once to thee? Is it not a base and unworthy thing for thee to think that the great God of Heaven and Earth should waith upon such a vile wretcht as thou art? Nay, is it not just that the Lord should resolve to offer thee life no more, and that be should disdainto follow thee any longer, who hast refused him once, and again? therefore be careful, because convictions slighted provoke the Lord to withdraw them, and once withdrawn it is a question whether ever they will come again.  
5 Be careful now, because if this day be lost, all is lost, it is such a loss as include in it all other losses; it is the loss of God, of happiness and comfort of thy Soul, of eternal life, of that salvation which thou hast perhaps hoped for. It is a loss not to be supplied, because when this is past, comes a night, and in it no man can work or walk This night is a very black night indeed, there is no light in it at all. God made a lesser light to rule the night, as well as a greater to rule the day; he did not leave the night wholly destitute; so that although the night be not a time to travel in, yet if a man be cast behind in his journey, he may find his way by the light of the moon, or stars; these do borrow a light of the sun, and they do help in his absence, and give notice that he is not wholly gone: But this night hath no light to rule it; darkness, blackness of darkness rules in it; There is no working in this night, because no light; the word which is left behind gives no light to the foul when God hath withdrawn; he carries away all light with him, all true saving light; so that a man shall never see any thing aright. He leaves no light in providences, in Ordinances, in afflictions; they do not all of them bring a man to see God, or his own condition aright: But all these things do become to the Soul as those false fires in the night, which do lead men out of their way. The word does but harden the herd, and blind the eyes, and misled men, and fill them with false presumptuous hopes, which when they awake will deceive them. O now if there be a day, and after this day a night, and this night may come so suddenly, thou dost not know how soon, and this night have no provision for it, how great folly and indiscretion is it for to spend the light of this precious day, and to neglect those stir of God upon thy conscience, by which thou art solicited to return to him! Now and Ever, Now or never.  
6. If so, then if it be time for some, I am sure it is high time for others; if it were time for them to awake, because salvation was coming nearer to them, than I am sure it is time for them to awake from whom salvation is departing, Rom. 13.11. There is no dallying with light when it comes, because it is uncertain how long it will continue; but there is much less reason to dally with that which is certainly going. There are some that are but in the morning of this day, others are in the noon of it, others again in the wane of it; Now if he that hath but seen the morning of it, may soon be benighted, and he that hath the light of the noon may soon be overshaddowed with darkness, and no man hath reason to be secure because of his day; how much less shalt thou, because in all probability thou art near to night. O therefore, you who have spent much of your time, and have lived long under the means, and yet you are either without any Convictions, or have almost lost those which you have had, if there be any spark of light or affection found stirring in you, blow it up; resolve now to improve that little time that is left; you may possibly do more by that inch which is left, then by all that thou hast enjoyed already; a little time spent for God, and for the interest of thy soul, may be of more advantage to thee, than the many Months, and Years, which have been laid out for the profits, honours, or pleasures of the World; and that I may quicken you to this, Consider, that as every one hath an uncertain time to look after this great work, and it is very uncertain how long or short the day of Grace will be; so there are many of you who certainly have but a short time, by all signs and tokens you are upon the very borders of darkness and death, You have the Symptoms of a people who are even come to the last hour of the day; if your day be not quite done, it is almost; and although we cannot expressly say of particular persons that your day is over, neither would I preach it if I could, yet we may, and show you in what danger you are, that we may warn you. I shall lay down some things which do speak a people near to the night; I beseeeh you go along with me, and make application to your own hearts, and see whether these things do concern you or not, and how far.   

Signs that the day is near done.  
First, When persons remain ignorant under the means a long time, and having great means for Conviction, yet slight all; this was Israel's case, Numb. 14.11. God calls this a provocation, when they had enjoyed so many testimonies of the power, and of the truth of God, and yet they would not listen to him, they would not be obedient; the means of Conviction had been so plain and clear, that God could not bear their unbeleef any longer, he threatens therefore to disinherit them. O hath not this been your case? Have you not enjoied the Word in that plainness that you might easily have been convinced long since of your Pride, covetousness, Uncleanness, Drunkness, Sabbath-breaking; nay, thou mightest have seen thy unbelief, and the irregeneracy of thy heart; thou hast had things so planly brought home to thee, that if thou wouldst have used thy Reason, and have suffered conscience to speak, thou hadst been convinced of thy lost condition long ago; and yet thou goest on in those things which the Word condemns, and tells thee That thy ways are not the ways of God's people; yet thou goest on carelessly and securely, and criest peace, peace; this is a provocation. Thou hast been plainly shown what Formality is, and what Unbelief is, and what are the signs of a Regenerate & unregenerate condition, that if thou wouldst but make application to thyself, & bring the Word & thy condition together, thou couldst not but see that thy condition is dangerous; yet thou will not be convinced, thou wilt not examine and try thy heart and come to a result concerning thy Soul; strong security after much plainness in Preaching, and clearness in the means of Conviction, speaks a people near to hardening, and that their day is almost at an end.  
2 When men have clear Convictions of the Truth, and of their condition, and of their duty, and yet hold the truth in unrighteonsness, Rom. 1.18 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such as forcibly hold the Truth, and enslave it, will not suffer it go its own way; the Truth bids them do one thing, and they would do another; they have will of Conscience that would go for God, that would be for Prayer, and for reading the Word, and for hearing; but there is the will of their affections, and that is for the world, and for the Ale house, or for this pleasure, or for that lust; so that these men draw their consciences after them, as you lead a Dog in a slip, he must go your way by force. They have gotten so much of the knowledge of the truth to convince them that it is their duty to pray in the Family, and in the Closet; and conscience minds them of this, and solicits them to go this way, and to begin the day thus; but the affections they go after their covetousness; the thoughts of his Calling comes in, some design for profit calls him off, and he goes away and slights conscience; or the thought of his pleasure comes to him, and he must attend that, so that he imprisons the truth under unrighteousness; and although conscience goes grudgingly up and down, and grumbles at him while he is in the Alehouse, or in his calling in his pleasures, or elsewhere, and tells him that he should have been doing something else that while; yet it is all one, he keeps it under like a slave, and drags it after him, while he satisfies his Lust.  
Such as these are mentioned in two Scriptures; the first is he that keeps it in a Negative unrighteousness, or an unrighteousness of omission, Luke 12.47. who does not follow the truth in those things which are clearly revealed to him, it is said, that he shall be beaten with many stripes.  
The second is, he who holds truth in a positive unrighteousness, or an unrighteousness of Commission, who does not only refuse to follow the light and truth into those duties which it would lead him unto, but runs against the clear light and truth into the contrary practices, which the light and truth do abhor; These are spoken of, Rom. 1.32. Such men carry a conviction of the justice of that sentence which God will pass upon those who walk in such ways, and yet they both do them and delight in them; and if you observe how these men came to the height of wickedness, it was first of all by not walking with & after their light, that they came so boldly at last against it, vers. 21. Thus you see, that this contradicting and forcing the light and truth received into the understanding, borders on this night, for you see it is presently added, after he had given an instance of such as did thus hold the truth in unrighteousness, that they became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened, verse. 21. God punishes this perverseness of the will with blindness of mind, and it is fit that he who would not use no eye should have never an eye. O now bring this home to your own souls.  
Be there not many of you who walk in the Omission of known duties, such things as you cannot but be acquainted withal? How many prayerless Families be there here, and yet the master of the Family knows it is his duty topray with, and for his Family, and to instruct and command them concerning the fear of the Lord? How many prayerless souls be here, that seldom or never seek the Lord in private? O if I should run thorough particular known duties, how many should we find guilty? and if Conscience would stand, it would say, This is a known duty, and yet I live in a constant or general neglect of it; I'll name but one, and it is a great and plain one, 2 Cor. 13.5. Prove yourselves, whether ye be in the faith or not. It is a word spoken to such as had been owned for Saints; there were many strong probabilities that they were such, yet these are advised to make diligent search into their hearts, and to bring themselves to the touchstone. But do you do so? How many be there here that never spent a serious hour in all their lives in debating this question, whether Christ be in them or not? they think it is enough to believe that God is merciful, and that they are Christions; and it is a shorter way to believe then to prove it. It is every man and woman's duty solemnly to search the scripture, and to search their hearts, and bring these two together, and then come to a serious resolution, Is Christ in me or not of a truth? But are there not many here that are so far from searching the scripture in order to this work, that they will not make use of those things which do immediately concern their condition when they are brought to their hands out of the word? how long would it be ere such souls would search the scriptures themselves to find out the state of their souls, who will not make use of them when so plainly proposed; take heed of holding the truth thus in unrighteousness, in neglecting those duties which lie so plain in the wo●d.  
2 Bring the second also home, and take heed of swearing, drunkenness, lying, cheating, add defrauding, of pride, uncleanness, Sabbath-breaking, scoffing; these things cannot but be with some conviction; and although thou sayest, God hath mercy for these, yet God says he hath wrath, and his wrath is revealed from Heaven against all such who hold the knowledge and truth which thou hast of thy duty, under such unrighteousness.  
3 When men have had strong convictions of sin, and these have made some Reformation in their lives and conversations, and have given great hope of their conversion, and afterwards they have fallen to gross pollutions again. 2 Pet. 2.20. the case is stated there very clear; First, there were persons who had been gross sinners, they had walked in the pollutions of the world, suppose those of drunkenness and uncleanness; but these had gotten so much of the knowledge of Christ, that they had escaped these pollutions, they fled from them as it were. But these entangled again, not with other sins of another nature, as the people of God may be and are, who are troubled with secret inward corruptions, such as the world takes no notice of, and as they were never sensible of before; as Spiritual pride in duties, & vain thoughts etc. they are not entangled with these, but with the same sins which they had escaped. And that is not all, for a child of God may be entangled in the same sins again, that is for one act of sin, or the like, as David and Peter were. But he says, they are overcome, Satan prevails so far over them, that he carries them back to their former accustomed drunkenness and swearing, uncleanness, and the like. If once it be thus with them, there is little hopes of them, you may judge what the latter end of them will be, it is worse than the former. Those men are so visibly and suddenly changed by the strength of bare convictions, and have not grace in the heart as well as knowledge, are in a miserable condition, because they seldom hold it out long, and when they do fall back, it is a thousand to one but they fall foully; and when souls fall thus into their old sins which they had escaped, it is a thousand to one but they are held under them, and grow worse and worse to the end. We have a notable passage, Matthew 12.45. They enter in, and dwell there, they take up their rest there. The unclean Spirit went up and down seeking rest, and could not find it; But now he enters, and hath what he was seeking for, as intimating in that he pitches here to take up his abode. Relapses in the distempers of the body are more dangerous than the first violence of the disease; and so are such relapses dangerous to the soul, for if thou art a relapsed drunkard, Swearer, Sabbath-breaker, etc. thou art in no more danger than those who have always been such, and there is more hopes of recovering one who never had any conviction, nor pretended to any reformation, then of such who have by the light and knowledge of Christ escaped these, and are now returned again to their vomit, and wallowing in the mire.  
4 When men after a high profession of Religion, and of giving up themselves to Christ, fall back to worldly interests, and mind and care for that, with neglect of the ways and people of God, whom they have closed withal before. Every one who hath made a profession of Religion, and deserts it, does not fall into open profaneness and looseness, it is possible they may retain so much of the light of Nature, and the word, as may restrain them from gross evils, and yet they may lose all the heat and warmth which seemed to be in their affections to the things of God; so that although they will not follow God and his people, yet they will not tread in the footsteps of the profane, but they strike in with the civiler part of men, who do not openly oppose the ways of God, although neglect them, and they are for the world, and their care is how to be great, and rich; Religion must lie by to attend upon this; they are not such who bring forth no fruit, but they bring forth nothing to perfection, Luke 8.14. They pray sometimes, and hear, but the cares and love of the world will not let them do any thing well and perfectly, it eats up the heart of every duty, and in the end chokes their profession. As we see it is with the Corn, it grows up with the thorns, next the thorns overgrow that, and lastly the thorns destroy it; So is it with such men's profession. First, it grows up with the World, and the love and cares of it; he prays, and he hears, and he does many things which he did not do before; but all this does not crucify him to the world, he loves that as formerly, and his heart goes out strongly after it; yet his convictions being fresh and strong, his profession holds with the world. Afterwards as his convictions begin to grow weaker, and fainter, the World prevails, and he is less and less in the duties of God's worship, and he gins to plead excuse for his remissness, and slightness in the service of God; he cannot spare so much time for prayer and hearing from his Calling; his employments are many, and therefore that cannot be expected from him which is from others. Now the world hath gotten above his profession, and in a little time it chokes it, it dies away and comes to nothing. Thus it was with Judas, he had a covetous heart all the while he followed Christ, but at last it got ground of him, and he was bought out of all for thirty pieces of silver; and thus Demas forsook the service of the Lord in the Gospel, when he met with an opportunity of embracing the present word. 2 Tim. 4.10. How many be there in these days which have lost and given up all their profession of Christ this way, and have turned back only to mind the things of this present life? But such souls who fall off with Judas, and Daemas to the World, seldom return to Christ, the day of grace seems near at an end to such as these. Take heed that there be not found among you such as these are, who after the pretended giving up yourselves to the Lord, do fall back to mind earthly things. Ph. 3.19. It is a sad sign that God intends to give such their portion in this life.  
5 When men have sinned away their Convictions, and conscience grows quiet; this must needs be a symptom of a declining day, because the more stupid and gross conscience grows, the nearer men come to hardness of heart, and this is called in the Scripture, a reprobate mind, Rom. 1.28. it is the very mark and brand of a Reprobate, of one who is set apart for ruin. There is a light in the heart of every natural man, which doth direct and counsel him, until such time as it be extinguished, but if it be not followed it will go out by degrees, Rom. 1.21. But to this light the Lord gives in the light of the Word, and some help of the Spirit, and if God do in judgement send a darkness upon the spirits of them who did not follow the first, what will follow in proportion upon them who quench this light, and put it out? that they may sin with more quiet.  
As soon as light breaks in upon the understanding, especially if it be from the workings of the Spirit, although in its common workings it makes conscience to stir, and that makes a head as it were, against sin, it will not suffer the sinner to go on quietly, and if Grace be not let down upon the will, that labours to cast out this unwelcome guest out of the soul, because it cannot quietly enjoy its beloved sin; and there is a great contest for a time betwixt light and corruption, the Conscience and the Will, who shall carry it; perhaps Conscience while it is under fresh convictions seems resolute, and will not give him leave to commit any known sin with quiet; but at last corruption prevails and carries it; yet not all at once; it gets a little liberty for such a sin which seems to be small, and then for another, and so by degees Conscience grows weak and feeble, and corruption stronger and stronger; and that is fulfilled, Rom. 1.28. That because they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, therefore he gives them up to reprobatenesse of mind; they were weary of the knowledge of God in their hearts when they had it, they could not swear, and be drunk, etc. so quietly, because of it, as they desired, and therefore they desired to be freed from the burden of it, and now it is just with God to take it from them. And what does such a dispensation of God speak concerning such a poor Creature? does it not say, Let sin have his course? Does it not say, Let this man go on, and let none stop him until he come in hell? These souls are in a sad condition, being under the judgement which is written, 2 Cor. 4.4. The god of this world hath blinded their eyes. Thus it is with them who do not make much of Conscience, but they slight it, and grieve it, until they harden it, & when they have put out the eyes of it, they go whither they will, but they are not like to go to Heaven. The conscience is brawny, and hard by such hard usage, as some men's hands are which are used to hard labour; and certainly the sins which are against conscience, do by degrees take away the tenderness of it; and the more it is put to, the less it feels, until it comes to be past feeling, and then it is past hope. The nearer Men and Women come to such a condition; the nearer they are to ruin; the loss of convictions is near the loss of thy soul.  
6 When persons after a profession of Religion, and some trouble for sin, take up such principles as do strengthen them in sin, as too many in our days have done. It is dangerous when men sin against light, but it is more dangerous when that which they call light, by which they walk, leads them to sin. It is sad for men to be led aside by the unruliness of their affections against conscience, which would hold them back: but it is worse when they have no more conscience of sin, and they have sucked in such principles as keep conscience quiet, whilst they fulfil their lusts. The Devil is very cunning, and what he cannot doby troubling the soul with the sight of sin, and by presenting the terrors of the Law, he effects by bringing a false unsound peace into it, which may strengthen it in the way of sin. The Devil would that men should have no peace, or else a sinful one; and therefore we have seen, that when some consciences have been awakened, the Devil who hath had a great hand in their troubles, hath laid a plaster to them, which hath been far worse than the disease. As for example; some are troubled with the thoughts of the day of Resurrection and Judgement, now whereas they ought to have improved these troubles, to the getting of a share in the first Resurrection, he hath distilled this into them as a principle which they have greedily embraced, That the Resurrection is passed already; and these things of Resurrection & judgement, they are things only done within us. This is a short way to shake off the sad thoughts which did arise from the consideration of such a day, and these do exceedingly well serve for Satan's purpose.  
Some troubles arise from the want of communion with God in Ordinances, be cause the soul finds little sweet in them, and it hears that God's people have communion with God in these; Satan observes this, and he presently lays a plaster, but it is a dangerous one; he tells them, That they may enjoy it above and without Ordinances best of all, and this takes off their trouble by taking away the duty.  
Some are troubled with the sense of guilt which lies upon them, from the Omission of duties, and Satan hath a way ready to take off this also, by persuading them that they must not act until they are acted; for if God will have them act he will act them, and therefore it is not their fault if they do omit such duties, & therefore they should not be troubled for it.  
Some are troubled because of sin, Conscience is opened for sin past, and grows very fearful of sin for time to come, and for a time perhaps they are troubled for this; but the Devil studies their trouble, and he hath a plaster, which he applies, and it hath taken some poor deluded souls (viz.) there is nothing sin but what a man thinks is Sin, and that there is no law but the spirit within a man, and that is to be his guide and his rule, and whatsoever this man doth is no sin, if it agree with his light; it is no matter whether it agree with the scripture, yea or no.  
Some are troubled, because they cannot tell whether the workings in their hearts be the workings of God, or some delusions, and workings of their own hearts; perhaps they have been under a searching Ministry, who hath opened to them the counterfeit works of Hypocrites, and Conscience hath been a little startled at these things. Now to take off this, Satan persuades them that God works all in man; yea good and evil, light and darkness is from God, and so there is no difference nor distinction, save to the Creatures apprehension. These and many more such devices hath Satan, to heal men's trouble of spirit, so that he may by it strengthen their hands in sin; and when they are come thus far, they are in a dangerous condition, for they seldom return again.  
The Men and Women which are in such a case, are like those Lepers spoken of, Levit. 13.44. The Priest shall pronounce him utterly unclean, the Leprosy is in his head. If Corruption have gotten into his Principles, such a man is not only unclean, but utterly so, and without all hopes of cleansing; for there is nothing left for the Word to take hold of.  
Therefore Christ intimates the same thing in that, Matth. 6.23. If the light in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness? It is the more dangerous because it is in the place and stead of light, it is that which thou followest, and is to guide thee; therefore says Christ, in Luke 11.35. Take heed that the light in thee be not darkness. That man is sad who wants light, but he is worse who follows a false light; He that is ignorant of God, and his ways, and was never enlightened, is miserable; but more miserable is he who hath been enlightened, and hath now forsaken the light of the Lord, to follow the delusions of Satan, and corrupt principles instead of light; it is a manifest sign that Satan hath the leading of this man to perdition. Thus I have shown you the sad evidences of approaching night; remember I do not speak positively, and absolutely of these things; I do not say, when I see men fall thus, and thus, that their day is past; but these are sad symptoms that it is even at an end. When the Physician sees the symptoms of death in the Patient, he looks on him as a dead man, according to the course of nature; but yet hath some hopes while there is life that he may recover, although he sees no reason for it from the Patient: He hath perhaps seen some recovered in an unusual way, and when they have been past hopes. So it may be in this case, although men have these spots and tokens upon them, yet we dare not be positive. God does go sometimes in unusual ways, and beyond the common experiences of his people, but we have little reason to expect such things in his dispensations. God may let men go so far, and fall so foully, that all his people may bestartled at it, and conclude him a vessel of wrath, and yet when such a soul is gone to the very borders of hell, and there is nothing expected but his dropping in; then may the Lord say, return; Christ may come at the very Midnight, and it may be the darkest time of all, before the breaking of the day. But this is not God's usual way, so that we cannot say to this man, or to that. Thy day is over; yet we may have such grounds and footings for our fears of some men, as may seldom deceive us. I cannot say, that the day of Grace is passed to any one of you in particular, yet I am confident it is passed to many here; and I doubt my fears concerning some opposing hardened sinners, and some Apostate professors will appear at last to have too much footing. I could wish that the day of Grace were like to be as long to you, as you think it to be, but I am sure out of what hath been spoken from scripture, it is plain, That it is a hidden, uncertain, and oftentimes a short day; and therefore what I say to one, I say to all, Harden not your hearts while it is called to day; and more esp cial you, who by all signs and tokens seems to be near unto darkness.  
But some poor souls may say upon the hearing of these things, I fear my day is past, I have had Convictions under the Word, and I have made strong resolutions, but I have not answered them, I fear I have lost my day, when I lost these.  
Ans. Art thou convinced of thy lost estate now, and of thy need of Christ? Are former convictions revived, do they come to thy remembrance afresh, and do they make fresh and full impressions upon thy heart, so that thou dost now walk under the weight and burden of sin? O if God does open conscience afresh, and set it a bleeding under Old and new Convictions, it is a sign he hath not shut up the day; it is a sign he hath not drawn away the Spirit from the Word; but he hath set an edge upon it, and it is like a twoedged sword, it cuts on every side, it enters deeper into the soul than ever it did; this is a great argument that the day is not over, when there is more light put into the Word for thy soul then formerly. Again, it is a sign that he hath not done with thee, because he puts in more light and tenderness into thy Conscience; if he had wholly jest thee, he would have lest the Word, and Conscience, and have struck the one dumb, and the other blind, or deaf, and have put thee in a condition past feeling, yet let me tell thee, that notwithstanding these stir of Conscience thou mayest perish; for these are not things to be rested upon; God follows many men with convictions whom he never converts. There must be more than thy Convictions to show for Heaven, for these are poor things alone, and do speak thus much (which is to my purpose) that thou hast now an opportunity in thy hand, and there is hope concerning thee, because God is yet treating with thy Soul about the great affairs of Salvation.  
2 Art thou convinced of the evil of not listening to former Convictions? Dost thou see, and art sensible how great an evil it is to lose them? Dost thou see into what danger thou didst run thy soul, by slighting the first offers which the Lord made thee? and how miserable thou hadst been if he had taken the advantage against thee, to have gone away, and to have returned no more with convictions of thy lost miserable estate; thou mightest have been now in Hell. And whereas thou art now awakened by the word, thou mightst not have been awakened until thou hadst awaked there; Art thou sensible of these things, and art thou now able to justify the Lord, if he had denied thee the least beam of light for thy Soul here? and canst thou now bless the Lord for affording thee a fresh sight and sense of thy condition? this is a sign thy day is not over; for such kind of workings as these are found in the hearts of the people of the Lord, when they have their Consciences opened afresh, after such slumbers wherein they had lost the sight and sense of their own conditions; ordinarily such Soul's smart for the neglect of former convictions, and are humbled for not following them. And they are lain down before God in acknowledging his mercy, in not taking advantage against them for those things; and they are much in blessing him; for coming near them again in his Word, although it be not in a way of comfort; they bless him for convincing and awakening light; canst thou do thus? then thy day is not yet past.  
3 Does thy former loss of convictions make thee more willing now to come in to Christ, and to close fully with him in all things, and to labour after a serious redeeming of the time to better advantage? does former carelessness lay engagements upon thy heart to future watchfulness? do you say as the Apostle does. 1 Pet. 4.3. The time past may suffice to have been careless and negligent of my own soul, and disobedient to the Gospel, and to the checks of Conscience; as for that which remains, it is little enough for the great work of serving the Lord, and making my Calling and Election sure. Now inquire, Do thy present convictions work thus? do they put thee upon more close and constant pursuance of God, upon endeavouring to walk close with him, and to redeem time for him? this carries yet more light of evidence with it that thy day is not over.  
4 Dost thou find a difference betwixt these convictions, and those which thou hadst formerly? That there is more of the stirring of the will and affections in these than were in them. There is a great difference betwixt the stirring of the conscience, and the stirring of the Will, Conscience may be awakened, and that may move a man strongly after reformation, and the will and affections may move him after his lusts all the while; and where conscience is awakened, and the Will not changed, there the Devil may steal these troubles away upon false grounds, he hath many ways to quiet such men's consciences; but if the Will be moved truly toward God, there is no way to quiet that, but by the enjoiment of its end, which is, the enjoyment of God. Therefore the main thing by which we should judge of the work, and so of the day of Grace is this; by labouring to inform ourselves aright, what difference there is betwixt these and former convictions, and whether these be better than they or no, which did die away, and whether there be more of the will and affections in these than in those we formerly had, for every work is so much the better as it hath more of Will in it, which is indeed the seat of Grace.  
Q. How shall I know whether my stir are of my Conscience, or my Will?  
A. I might give you many things, but I touch it now but occasionally, therefore I shall confine myself to these three short directions: Observe thy 

1 Troubles,  
2 D●sires,  
3 Endeavours.    
First observe thy Troubles, whether they be most for the sense of sin, or the apprehensions of wrath; if conscience be only awakened, that eyes only the wrath to come, and thinks of nothing else but of escaping, and it takes not sin into consideration, but as it is forced by the necessary connexion betwixt that and judgement; but if the will and affections be wrought over in this trouble, than the greatest trouble is because of the evil of sin, as it dishonours God, and as it hinders the Soul from communion with God, and the soul is troubled at the presence of that, and studies how it may be rid of that. Sin is a heavy burden to a sanctified will, but wrath is the only burden to an entangled, but not renewed conscience.  
2 Observe thy Desires, What do they run out most after. Christ or Comfort, Peace or Purity? if the trouble be only a forced trouble from conscience, than the Soul does ordinarily look no farther than the present trouble, and how to be rid of that; it is peace that conscience looks after; but if the Will be moved, that must have something else besides Peace, it is not a calm wilserve the turn, it must have Christ, and communion with him, or nothing will satisfy.  
3 Look to thy endeavours, when are they strongest and most vigorous, and drawn out most after heaven and heavenly things? in thy troubles, or in thy calms? I have observed some, that when they have been under trouble, and terrors of Conscience, they would then be very stirring, and seem to take much pain for Heaven; but when Conscience is a little quieted, they lay aside their Religion, and there is no more noise of it; this is a sign that their stir were barely from Conscience. But other Souls, whose wills were wrought upon as well as their Consciences, have been more active and stirring in the ways of God, as they have gotten more peace and assurance of God's love; and there is a clear reason for such different effects from their quiet; because quiet and peace was the thing which the inflamed Conscience sought for, but the sanctified will and affections sought for another thing; and although a little Peace may satisfy Conscience, and take off the edge of it, this will set an edge upon the affections; that which calms Conscience, quickens the sanctified Will; for every relish that it hath of grace or peace makes it seek for more. Try yourselves by these things, and if you find that your Convictions are accompanied with the stir of the will and affections, be of good hope, for thy day of grace is not over, if thou hast a will for God, if he strive, and you grow more tender and sensible, fear not to follow thy convictions, and to lay hold of the Promises which suit with thy condition. Let former convictions neglected humble thee, but let them not discourage thee.  
But withal take this word of advice, and so I shall conclude.  
1 Take heed of thy Heart, lest it deceive thee; thou hast had such stir which did look like a work of grace before, but they have died away; be jealous of these, lest they should do so also. Thou knowest how subject the heart is to grow cold, and to shift and put off Convictions, and when it is under them how seemingly willing it is to convert, and return to God; how ready to make promises and vows to God, and how ready to forsake all these again; it hath cheated thee once already, therefore watch it as a deceitful thing, the way not to be deceived, is to expect it, or at least fear it.  
2 Resolve to take the more pains, because thou hast lost so many precious opportunities, knowing, that if thou art not nearer to happiness and eternal life then other men, thou art farther off, and thou hadst need labour to redeem what thou hast lost.  
3 Believe not Satan, who says thy day is over, for he knows it not, and he is a Liar from the beginning. There is abundantly more hope of thee who liest under such fears, than there is of one who lies and lives in sin, and says his day is not yet past. Satan ordinarily tells men, that the day is past, when it does begin to shine upon them, and he tells them who are in darkness, and in the night, that it is day, and it is time enough for them.  
4 Prize thy Convictions highly, and look upon it as a great Mercy, that God will at last look upon thee a poor sinner, an old sinner, an old slighter of convictions, an old back-slider. O what a mercy is it to thee that that dreadful passage is not made good upon thy soul, Prov. 14.14. The back slider in heart shall be filled with his own ways. God might have said to thee, when thou didst cast off Convictions at first, and when thou didst back-slide from the reformation which thou didst begin. Be filled with back-slidings, thou shalt have thy belly full of them, thou shalt never have any more help to return. O what a mercy is it, that after all this he should begin to recover thee, and set thee a fresh about the work of returning to Christ?  
5 Be much in blessing God for what he hath done, that he hath vouchsafed again to visit thy Soul from on high, and to stir up thee again, when perhaps many that are in Hell were in thy case formerly; God hath taken advantage against them for slighting the Word, and Conscience, and he might have done so with thee, if he would have dealt exactly with thee. Who is it that maketh thee to differ? Is it not the Lord? To him therefore be given all honour, and glory, and praise.   
FINIS.   

Reader these Books are in the Press  
ANthologia Biblica, or a Methodical distribution of divine Scriptures, under several heads which will serve for a common place Book, a Concordance, and a Commentary; together with a Praxis, discovering the manifold uses and advantages thereof, in Fol. By that Reverend Divine Mr. John Clark of Fiskerton near Lincoln.  
A learned Comment on the Epistles of St. Paul, by David Dixon, translated into English by William Retchford Minister of St. Alban.  
England's Advancement, a very useful piece of rare secrets in Physic and Chirurgery; by Tho. Collings Practitioner in Physic.  
FINIS.