------ 592 · .Book VI. Chap. 1. ~ea. 6. - - ----from your mourhs as--fa-~-a-s _y_o_u---:fp_e_a_k_,_a_n_d_f_r_o_m_y_o_t_tr-h-e.-l1-.r-s-a-s-faf1:-a~~;-;;: l!.ootttng unto j}cfu.s. Con[ciences writing ( fatth one) "not now legtb!e; M that which ts written with the i~<ice of a Lemmo" u not to reed by day-light, .bHt againff the fire by night yctt may may read it; [o confctences wntmg clmnot now tJc read, but irz tb.u day when heaven and earth are Jet 011 jire,thu bookjhal/ be _opened, and the ~ypher bedifcovercd. Oh what a day will thi• be, when not a fin commmed by any reprobate from the beginning of r!te world, but now it fl1all be rehearfed. 2 • As an account of all fins, fo an account of all temporal gifts which God I 1 ath imparted ro reprobates, muft now be given. Some have the <>tfrs of rhe world as riches honours places of authorjty : orl~ers have .the gifrs otrhe body, as heaith, Jlrengrh, beaury, life; others have the gtfts of rhe mind, as underfianding, wifdom policy, learning; now of all rhefe gifts mufl they give an acco'unr. Come you rha~ are rich ( faith Ch.ri[l J. rena~r yott an account of yo~<r fteward{hip; how have )'Ott JPent your riches? The ltke wtll he fay to the honourable, and to rhote in places of a.urhori– cy; Oh reme~?:ber yott were in amh.ruy, and office, and place, bm what {crvice did you to me, or my members? you had wifdom, and learmng, and kpowledge, and under– ftanding coil[erred Hpon you, but what good had the Church or Common-wetJlth by it? rhe like willlte fay to others according to the talents bellowed on them, You exceHed in flrength, beauty, health of body, length of days; and no1v tell me, mul pub/if/, it to all the world, hew were rhe[e improved.' I belie'e many a fad anfwer will be given ro Cbrill: of tftcfe things, riches mif-fpenr, and healrh mif-fpenr, and wifdom, policy learning , gifts and pans mif.fpent; 0 confider it! if rite Fador afrer many year: fpenr in forreign Countries, at la[! returns home without his reclronings, who will nor blame him for his negligence? bur when his Mall:er calls h;m ro account, and be finds nothing but a bill of expences, this in conning, that infealbng: who laughs not at fo fond a reckoning? Thus m'any pafs the time of their life as a time of mirth, then wlten they return to their Lord again, bebolfi all their accounts are fins, their profits vanities. 3. I fl1all add one thing more; not onely of gifrs teroporal, bur of all bleffings fpi– t·itual, rhc::tgh bur rendred, and offered mull: all give an account. Oh the fad ac– counts that many a foul will make of rhefe things! methinks I bear fomc wicked wretch confeffing rhus to Chrifl; T~1te Lord, I lived atjitch a time when the SHn of the Gofj;el Jhone •bright in my face ; ana m fuch a pl<tce where all WM Gojhen ; I lived unde; ji«h a n:iniftcry, wh•fet before me life and death; many and many .<powerful, and [earchin•. Sermon have !heard; anyone pajfage whereof ( if 1hadnot wick;dly and wi/fi<llyforfake~ my own mercy) might have·been unto me the beginning of the new birth, and everlajfing 11lifs. Sometimes in the u[e of the means I felt ftirrings or ftrong work.jngs in my hc~trt, 11nd then I wasfully purpofed to have been another man, to have cleaved to Chris?-, andt• haveforfooi{_the world; I was almoft refolved to have bem wholly for God, I wa; a/moff per[waded to be "'real Chriftian; oh what thoughts were in my heart, when fuch afaithful Minifter prejfed the trmh home ? methink.,s every Sermon I be,rd then, u now a preaching again; mcthink.J 1 hear ftill the voice of the Minifte>·, mcthink.J I (ee jhll hi< tears dropping down hu cheek.!; oh how frep, u the reproof, admonition, exhortation of (uch, andji~eh a Preacher now in- my mind-? oh how earneftly did he intreat me! with what love and tender compaflion did he befach me ! l>olV did hu bowels yearn over me! how ftrongly did he convin"· f'lle, that all WM not well with· mv fin-fick.. fo•d! ho1v . plainly did he .rip "P all my [ores! and Oj'Cn to me all my. [eGrets, and my whole heart! bllt alas w.rhm a while 1 made a ;eft of all, I hm'derted my heart agamff all, I ft•· fled all hi& conviEfiom ,.·! Jlmt wy trycs againff lu'o difcoverie<; I cared neither for the Minifler, nor any thing ht {aid, or did. AndY<t here u 71ot all, not onely the Mini– jfers of Chriff, bm the Spirit of Cbriff fometimes fPak; to ' mY heart;· I remember at fuch a time Chriff himfc!f (M-it were) condefeended, and bowed the heavens, and came tjown to mtmlt me for my foul;chealth; oh the jlrivings of the Spirit of Chriff, tU if he Rev. 3· 20. had been loath to have tool{_ a denial! 0 Chriff, f.;·emember thy.words, when thuu crirdft to me, upen firmer, open thy he~rt to thy Saviour, and I will come in, and fup with thee, and thott with me. Why jinner, arc thy _!ufts better than I? thy carnal plcajitres better than· I .' thy worldly commoditie.• better than· I .' why finncr , what doff thou mean? how long jha/1 thy vain thottffhts lodge within thee? 0 tak; pity on thy Jejiu! for here I ft.md, and wait at tbe door~~ thy heart, and my head is filled with the den>, and my lock} trith the drops of the night. But alas! I rejijfed Chriff and hio Spirit; 0 thOIS J11dg,e ar.J
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