A SERMON OF REPENTANCE. 335 them to cast away such thoughts, and turn their minds to other things, they tell me they cannot ;: it is not in their power ; and I have long found that I' may almost as well persuade a broken head to give ,over aching. But when the holy God shall purposely pour out the vials of his wrath 'on the consciences of the ungodly, and open the books, and show them all that ever they have done, with all the aggravations,how, then, shall these worms be able to resist ? And now, I beseech you all, consider, is it not better to remem- ber your sins on earth, than in hell? before your Physician, than before your Judge ? for your cure, than for your torment? Give me leave, then, before I go any further, to address myself to you as the messenger of the Lord, with this importunate request, both as you stand here in your private and your public capacities. In the name of the God of heaven, I charge. you, remember the lives that you have led ! remember what you have been doing in the world ! remember how you have spent your time ! and whether, indeed, it is God that you have been serving, and heaven that you have been seeking, and holiness and righteousness that you have been practicing in theworld till now ! Are your sins so small, so venial, so few, that you can find no employment on them for your memories? Or is the offending of the Eternal God so slight and safe a thing as not to need your consideration? God forbid you should have such atheistical conceits ! Surely God made not his laws for nought; 'nor doth he make such a stir by his word, and messengers, and providences, against an harmless thing; nor doth he threaten hell to men for small, indifferent matters; nor did Christ need to have died, and done all that he hath done, to cure a small and safe disease. Surely that which the God of heaven is pleased to threaten with everlasting punishment, the greatest of you all should vouchsafe to think on, and with greatest fear and soberness to remember. It is a pitiful thing, that with men, with gentlemen, with profess- ed Christians,. God's matters, and their own matters, their greatest matters, should seem unworthy tobe thought on ; when they have thoughts for their honors, and.their lands, and friends ; and thoughts for their children, their servants, and provision ; and thoughts for their horses, and their dogs, and sports. Is God and heaven less worthy than these ? are death and judgment , matters of less moment? Gentlemen, you would take it ill to have your wisdom undervalued, and your reason questioned; for your honor's sake do not make it contemptible yourselves in the eyes of all that are truly wise. It is the nobleness of objects that most ennobles your faculties, and the baseness of objects doth abase them. If brutish objects be your employment and delight, do I need to tell you what you make yourselves? If youwould be noble indeed, let God and everlasting glory be the object of your faculties ; if you
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