) doing in the world, if the one thing· neeeffMJ be yet undone,· ·yoH have loft and Abuful aft the _mercies th~t qod hath hejlo"Nea en ;ou: Many a thoafand prettous merctrs have been given ·you: And to what ufe, bur r_o hel~ you to e_verlafiing mercy, and to prevent your everla!hng mtfery ! Tbts is the End and this is the Life and excellency of all your mercies : For ail pre· fent rmrcies bave the Nature of aMeans ro a further End: And the Goodnefs and nature of the Means confifierh in its fitnefs to promote rhe End. And therefore you have lofi all the Mercies that you have received, if you are never the nearer your End for them; and if they have not promoted the Love ofGod, and your falvation. You have had hcalch,and firengrh and time, and peace, and liberty, and fomeofyou alfo wealrh and honour in the world. But you have lof.l: them all, if your fal– va.rion be not furthet:ed by them. Many a pr~fervarion you have bad, when others h&ve been est off before your faces and many a deliverance from dangers known or unknown, and much of the fruit of that Patience ofGod,which bath till now at– tended you in your fin: Many aSermon you have heard,and ma· ny a warning yo1.1 have had , and you have been planted iiJ Godg Vineyard, and daily watered with the Ordinances of grace: But all thefe are loft if theOne thing necelf~ry bath been negle– Ct~d: Nothing in this world doth you good indud, any further then it promoteth your Ef'erlaftinggood. And do you think that you have dealc kjHd/; or juftlJwirhGod, to deal fo con– tempmouily with all his mercies, as to cafi them .away, and .tread them under foot? When.you waNt but food,or rayrnent~ or liberty or healeh, you value them and pray for them ; and when you have the• , what do you with them , but throw them as in the channel, and facrifice them to your lufis and enemies: When Death looketh you in the face, you begin to know the worth ofTime, and then 0 what would you nor give for a linle more, and that God would try you a few years longer : And when you have Time, what_do you with it, _b~t ferve the Devil, at:d cafi it away for nothmg, and fpend It m preparing for everlafring forrows ? H~w can you for fhame cry to God for Mercy in your next d1~refs, when yo\1 ~1ave conternp.ruouily thrown away the Merctes of twenry ,or th1rty, · or forty years already : If your own ~hildren 1hould_ask yod ~~~ 1U!~~ ~£ ~~!!!k,a~t\ w~~~! ~ey h~!~ ~! ~~~14 ~~~~w 1t d~~~~
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=