A Sermon on John 7· 1 9· Fifthly, Of rhe Omiffion of many Holy Duries which rhou oughrefl 10 have performed in the feveral Times and Seafons when God called for them: Canft thou not call to Mind that t~ou ha~ often refrained Prayer from Gcd,' or Charity from Men; thn thou haft not ferved h1m, nor helped them, when thou mightdl ha\1e doni! it? Hafi thou not oegleCled the Ordinances of Jefus Chrift, his Word and S:~cramenrs up· on fmall or fought Occafions, or elf~·fOolHh and gtoundtefs Prejudic~s? Endl;fs it would be eo recount all the Omiffions we are guilty of; which certainly are many more than our Duties, and yet perhaps fJ.r more numerous. Sixthly, All rhy Mifcarriages in rhofe Duries which rhou haft performed, rhc Dutnefs of rhy Affei.l:ions, the Vagrancies of thy Thoughrs, thy HypocrHie and Formali· . ty, all thy Bare and By.ends, which, like dead Flies, corrupt the mofl: pr~dous Oim~ ment, are all Sins, and God's Law cenfures and condemn.s them for fuch. Now, 0 Sinner, having fuch a Load of Guilt upon thy Sou l how daretl: rhou look the Holy and Juft God in rhe Face/ Confider, 0 Wrercb, what a Life is this which thou haft led; that in all the Millions of Thoughts and P '0i1S :b01... hJft ~mplayed thy fclf about, the far greater Part !hould he Sms fm rhe Matter of rhem, and all rhe retl: finful for rhe Manner. Can thy Confcience lye lulled afieep when all thofe Troops and Armies of Pbilijtines be upon thee? Awake yet at lengt h, 0 fl:u pid Soul! Rouze thy felf,. and confider the woful and defperare Eftate in wh ich thou arr; wonder no longer at others that they complain and mourn, and go heJviJy under the: Bunhen of their Sins, and rhe Pangs and Sman of their Convitboos: Mufe not that there fhould be fome few who with Honor cry out they are undone and ruined, etern<Jily undone. Alas, wert thou hut once fhaken . out of thy Lethargy, couldfl thou but look about thee, and fc:riouily view and ponder the infinite Multhude and the Nlturo of thy Sins, nothing hut rbe llrong Coofolations of God could keep rhee from running up and down difirat\ed with the Terrors of the Lord, and with the utmoft Horror and Defpair, crying out thou art damn'd, damn'd already. But tbe Truth is, Men aro dead in Trefpalfes and Sins; thofe Sins which are the Caufe of their Mi!ery keep them from feeling it. But believe it, you mu£t be convinced of your Sins eitber here, or hereafter. ConiCience will revive in you, if not here> yet in Hdl: Nay, it is now writing down your Sins againfi you, and drawing up t.he Bill of your lndi£\- rnent; but as fome ufe fuch Juices that what they wrire !hall not be legible rill held to the Fire, fo do many Mens Ccnfciences write down their Sins, which, alrhougb they cannot perhaps read them now, yet rhey !hall read the long aod black Scroul of them when they hold it againft rbe Flames of Hell. And how fad will ir be then ro know that you are Sinners, when you fhall likewife know ihat you are eternally damn'd for your Sins? When your Confciences, which are now pcacc:ablt! and gentle, fhall then on a fudden rave, and fhriek, and fly in your Faces, and begin then (but then alas too late) to tc:rrifie and affright you, when there is no hope nor poffibility of Remedy. Be perfuaded therefore now tO recognize your Sins while there is yet Hope. The Day ofGrace is not yet fc:t upon you, Mercy and Pardon are yet offerea to you, and thofe Sins which you are convinced of by the StriEtnefs of the Law, you may, ifyou will feek it by uue Repentance, obtain Remiffion of through rhe Grace and Mercy ot the Gofpel. Saond!y, Are all Tranfgrelfors of the Law I Then be re fee a woful Shipwrack of the Hopes and Confidences ofall SelfJufiiciaries. Hence learn, that an Honeft, Quier, Civil Life, tree from the grofs and fcandalous Pollutions of the World, is no fufficiem Plea for Heaven;· yet this alone is that which the Generality of the ignorant Sort efpecially rely upon. Their Lives are Ha<mlefs, their Dealings Juft and Uprighr, none can complain they are Wrong'd by them; and therefore certainly if God will fave any rhey mufi he of the Number. I heartily wifh rhat in 1hefe Words I could have perfonared you, but truly I doubtthat the moft of you are not yet come fO far as Moraliry, nor haveatrained to the Honefiy of thofe who y;t !hall r,u fhort of Heaven. But fuppofe you could really plead this, yer this Plea is invalid: For is there nothing that you know by your felves, either relating to God or Man, wherein you have cflended? Had you never fo much as a Thought in you that fiipp'd awry> . Ha\'e you never uner'd a Word thar fo much as lifp'd contrary to the Holy Law of God? Did you never do any one AEHon which Purity and Innocence itfelf might noc own? Have your Lives in every Point been as ftriEl and holy as the La\v of God commands them to he? If thou dareft to affirm rh is thou makeft not thy fdf rhe more innocent thereby, but the more unpardonable, and art a fenfiers, ft~pid, Wrercb, fvr
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