The Stewards Summons. + than they were under the law ? Is God lefs merciful ? or hath;he leis intereítin thy estate ? Thou_haft fo many thoufands, What haft thoudone out of this to relieve the poor ? or to fet up chofe in a courfe of traffick, and trade, that want a !lock. Beloved you cannot ( if you look about you ) want obieCts of mercy, and means to further your reckoning at the day of the Lord. And if you would be faithful fiewards to God, fay thus r I have been thus much behind-hand in paying the dde I owe to the poor, to the Church,&c. I will pay it while I lice, and if that benot enough , when I die I will pay it. But I haften. That is the fccond thing, Let every man reckon thus with his own heart. The third thing is, the daily exercifc of repentance upon the fight ofyourformer. t To exsrife evils : God now (faith the Apoftle) calleth all men every where torepentance, becaufe ' Y rePut- he lath appointed a day, in which he will Jude the world in r:t hteoufnefi. Let A ft 3 this then itir us up to repentance. God expcétsthat men Ihould judge themfelves now. Fourthly, If you would [land at that great day of Judgement, when there fha11 4 To get an he filch an mod reckoning. Intereft now your felves in Chrift. There is no way to mtereft to efcape the Judgement to come, but bymaking peace With the Judge now. There is ... Rom. K. a, no condemnation to them that are in Cfrifl 7efüe. This was prefigured in theMercy- Exod,25. zt, feát, that was to be con-malted about with the wings oftie Cherubins, all covering the two tables of the Teftament, one Cherubin to lock toward another: lhewingus thus muela , that there is no covering of our tranfgreffons committed againft the com mandments ofGod, the tables of the Teflmony, but by the great Mercy-feat the Lord Jefus Chrift, upon whom the Fathers of the times before Chrift, and Be- lievers lincelook, expecting the covering of the guilt of their fins trona the wrathof God by no other means, but by this propitiator or Mercy.feat, that covereth the Ark of the Tcítimony. Lafily, it fcrveth allo for inftru&ion its another point, that-is, Toteach us to lead' ç. To lead aí, a holy converfation. This ufe the Apottle Peter Made of the Doébrinof the dayof ationonver- Judgement, Seeing ( faith he ) that we lookfor thefe things, what manner of perfons pet. ought we -tobe in á/1 holy converfation andgodlinefs ? Alas ( beloved ) littledo -you know 'whether this be the laic Sermon that manyof you may hear, whether this be the laft day wherein God will ever call upon you to repent, and amend your lives. There (hall be a fearful diflòlution,and deftrudion ofall things that you fee. There (hall be a naked'repentantance made beforethe Judgeat that day of reckoning : let every man therefore fay within himfelf, How (ball I Rand at that time, at that Judgement ?-All our carefhottld be that oftheApoftiePauls, whether we be dbfent z Cct. ç, 9, from the body, or prelim in the body, we labour that we may be acceptedof the Lord: Whether we live a day longer, or die this day beforethe morrow, that we may found acceptable before the Lord. And for this cattle ( faith he in anotherplace) becaufe there fhall be a refurreélion from the dead, both of the jug andunittf, I Aa5 26, rç, exercife mt felf to have alwayes a confcience void of offence toward God, and toward 16. men. -Look to it in your places, and in your hearts, that you may have a good confcience, void ofoffence toward God and melt : for the time (tall come, that notfUng in the world shall hand you'in head, but a good confcience : and if then when the books are opened, it be found thatyourreckonings are even, and the ac- counts clear, between you and your Maher, hyobedience- and repentance, by works and by faith, happy (hallthatfervant be whom his Mather itt that day/hallfind fo doing. The lafi Ufed's a ufe of comfort to all the fervants of God. Let them quietly,an.yl vJe 3. 'cheerfully fu(ër that portionof mifery, and afllidtion that the hoed dealeth out For Comfort. tmto them. Let themnotgrudge at the profperityofuugodlymen, or at the variety ofchanges, that themfelves are expofed unto becaufe there is a day of reckoning, andaccount,when all things.fhallbemade even.- TheApohle St. james exhorteth' Chrifians to patience upon This very ground, becaufe the day of the Lord draweth James 5. high: Iftherefore you fee wicked men profper, andMing their enterprifes to paf, benot troubled at the matter. A mandoth not much envyan enemy that is now'ini prifop, though he have fol.= good chear there , though he have fome friends that
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