to the E P H E S I AN S. Motive which the ApoCt!e Peter ufetb: I Pet. 4· 2,3. That he (fpeaking. of a Chri• ~ fiian) jh01dd no longer live the rejl ofhis time;,, the Flejh, to the L1ejls ofMett, b11t to Ser.XXIV, theWill ofGod ; for the time pafl of Oltr Life '"ay jiiffice 11s tohave wro11ght the Will of Lf'V"-J the Gentiles. As ifhe had faid, ifit were fit for you td have the PleafuresofSin. yet you may be content with whatyou have had,let that fuffice you that you have fpent fo much and fo long tinie in itj you owe nothing to the Flelh, therefore it may very wellfuflice that it bath had fo much ofyour time already, that for the ti111e pafi ofyour Life you have wrought the Will ofthe Gentiles (that is, have wrought the Lufls ofthe Gentiles:) Now faith he,you lhould no longer live the reil: of your time in the Flelh to the Lufis of Men, but to the Will ofGod. As it is a firong Motive to be more Holy, the lefs ofa Man's time remaineth in the Flelh, (that's the Apoftles Argument, The day if flmt, faith he, and fo in Heb.Io. by h/J'h> vmch the mort the day approacheth ;) fo it is as firong an Argument, by how muclJ more ofhis time palt bath been lofi unto God. As by how much the lefs is to come (for the time. tocome)lh~uld be a Motive un~oH,olinefs,fo fo much of the time pall: fpent in a vamConverfatton lhould be a Mottve too. In I Pet. I. I 8. having been redeemed from our v•in Converfotion (that's the Apollle's Exprelfion there) therefore (faith he) pafs the time ofyourfojourning here in Fear; iherefore be Holy m he if Holy; That's the Exhortation he makes, and thefe are the Motives he ufeth, compare but the I 5· I6. and I8. verfes together. Such Grounds as lye Fallow, when you till them you expell: the greater Crop from them ; and fo doth Gcid frcim thole who have fpent much oftheir days in Sin: and certainly thatSoyl thatdoth l:iring fortlt Weeds mofi, will alfo be fruitful ofHerbs when it is fown; and this God expefts. Laftly, You may make this Improvement ofthe retnembrance tbat your felvet were once Gentiles in the Flelh(as the Apoflle here fpeaks.)Ha{[ thou any Friends that thou ha{[ prayed for long, that are ilill in theirNatural Condition, and thou thinkeft there is no hope ofthem? Do but remember what thou thy felfonce wert; and how long ; remember how long many ofthofe that are now in Heaven did lie in that Condition ere God called them; Such (faith the Apome, in 1 Cor;G.) lilere fome ofyou. This is a certain Truth,that there is never a Sermon that bath Power in it, but the Devil is afraid of every Man in the Church that is in his Natural Condition, he knows not but that theHoly·Gho{[ may feize upon that Man atthai: time: anfwerably have thou hope at every Sermon,ofthofe whom th<iu haft prayed for. In\2 Tim. 2. 24. fpeaking ofthe Mininers of the Gofpel, he faith, Thepi1Hft be gentle} and apt to teoch, patient, in nmk._nefs inftrul1ing thofe that oppofe themfelves. if God peradventure (faith he) wiUgive them Repentance to the ack..nowledging the Truth. Ifthere be but a peradventure that God may do it, and though they oppofe tOo (for fo the Apo{[Je's Exprelfion is) yet be patient, faith he, wait; fo the Minifrers ofGod lhould do for thofe they preach too ; and fo lhoulde{[ thou do for thofe whom thou praye{[ for,and ha{[ fought Ood to turn them. As Paulfaith to Wives, he bids them not to leave their Hu!bands, (in I Cor.7.I6.) fends them home to the!IJ again with a what kpoweft thou,O Wife,but thou n.ayft hea means to turiz thy H11sband~ So, haft thou prayed, and prayed long, for a Child, for a Hu!band, fdr a Friend, and frill they oppofe (put the cafe fo, for fo Paul cloth in that place ofTimothy) yea fuppofe they have been under a powerful Means, and have not been won by the Word (the ApofllePeter puts that cafe too,in r Pet.q.) yet after all this; wh•t kpoweft thou? Still pray, frill ufeMeans, it may be fome little crofs (tho they have had many to break their Hearts) !hall work more than all the ren,fome by-Speech fpoken may fall into their Hearts, and turn them when many pertinent Exhortati· ons that refpell: their Conditions avail not, tho it may be thou ha{[ wondred how they could fit under fuch Exhortations without being moved.And when they have not been won by theWord (faith Peter) 1 Pet. 3· 2,3. they 1JJay be ll>onby th:; Con• verfation. . And fo much now for this Point,which is indeed aPointofgre:it ufe nntous,and which we are apt when we have lain long in the State ofUnregeneracy to forget, and fail out ofthe fight ofit. You fee the Apo{[Je here exhorts thefeEphcftanJ io the remembrance ofit, and himfelfthe higheft Chri{[ian that ever was, lived in the con-. tinual fight of it : Thefe and fuch like Ufes are tci be made of it. •
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