Recommended from PhiL 2. 1 z, I 3· 60! a prcpollcrons Courfc., and that which will both difcouragc all Endeavours and fill t he Soul with Dcfpair, to look firft to God's Drcrl'n, and then to its own Dz•ty; whereas indeed the right Method is, firft, to perform thy own Dury, and thereby to be led into the knowledge of God's Decreu. Qj.Jeftion not therefore whether thou art EleCted or nor, but firft work for Salvation, and if thy \Vork be good, and thy Obedience true, thereby thou ruayeft come to a certain Knowledge that thou artE/clled. And know this alfo farther, that God whoElctl:s to the End, Elcds alfo to the Means. Now Obedience is the means and way to S:1lvation, and there· fore if thou a1 t ElcfJcd tf> Salvation, thou art alfo EieEfed to Obedience. Say not therefore, if l am EleCted, 1 fhall be faved whether 1 work or not; there is no fuch thing : 1 may bo.ldly fay, if thou art Eletted and doeft not work, it is im. poffible that thy Eletfson fhould favc thee. What fays the Apoftlc, 2 Thelf. God 2 Theff. 2. hath chojCn m, there's ElcCt:ion; chofen us to Salvation, 'there's the End. But ho~? 1 3· through janffijication_ o{ the Spirit, and belief of. the T~uth: Chafe~ us ~o Salvation as to the End, but It IS not an End to be obtained Without SanC\dicatlon. There is indeed an abfolute EleEfion to Salvation whereby God , without rcfpcct of Works, hath chofen fome to Salvation; but there is no EleCtion to Salvation abfolute whereby God bath chofcn any to Salvation without Works, rhat is, whether they work or not. If tberdore you believe heartily and obey fincercly, then your Election to Salvation ftands firm; nay, the Scripture makt;s Lhffion to be termi .. Jlated as well in Obedience as Salvation. Eld1, fays the Apofl:le, unto Obedimce through jA~tflijic4tion of t~e ~p~rit. In the form.er place it was, £..lell r_o S~lvati~n through Sanflijication; but in tlus lt IS, Ele[f to Obedrence through Sanffijicat,on: Nottng, thus much to us, That none are Ele£ted to Salvation, but thofe arc Elctfed to Obedience; and therefore it is unreafonable, yea, it is contradiCtory to fay, If I am EleCl:ed 1 Jhall be faved whether I obey or not, for none are thereunto EleCted but through Obedience. And now having, as I hope, fatisfaB:orily Anfwer'd all Objections and Scruples that may a rife in the Hearts of Men againfl; this DoEfrine, I now proceed to prcfs this Duty of working for Salvation upon t heir Confciences ,; and llhall do it in a Ufe of Exhortation. Be pcrfwaded then, Oh Sinners! To caft off your Sloth and Lazinefs, and to roufe your felv.es from that drowzy Slumber that you have long lain in, and to work for Salvation. But truly wben 1 confider how powerful an Orator, and how mighty a Charmer Sloth is; how eafily it can ftupify and benumb Reafon, and lull Men afieep on the ·top of a M 11ft, and on the brinks of Hell; and though God and Man call upon them, Simun, Sinners, beftir your felvcs, work for your Lives, you perilh cternaJ(y if you do not labour to lay hold on eternal Life, for you arc f£ll ing, and Hdl·fire is under you: Yet truly when we call and cry thus carncftly, how eafily can a carelefs, yawning, wretched Sinner, flight all thefe Arlmoniti~ ons, baffle all thcfe Arguments, Motives and Pcrfuafions, though uq~ed upon them with all vehemency and tendernefs of Affettion that can be, and turn about like a Man befotted falling faft aileep again? VVhen -l confider this, truly lam apt to conclude, that it is but a defperate attempt to prefs Men any more againft their Natures, ;md againft fo many Difadvantages that can foon fruftr<ttC the Efficacy of weaker Words, and to give over in Defpair with that of the Prophet, H e that will be Righteom, l~t him be Rightwu; P.nd he that rvi!i be Wided, Let him be _Wicked· fti/1. And truly, were it not more for Confcience of Duty than for any Hopa of Succefs, l would not fpcak one Word more upon the Subjed; Succcfs, I mean, up~ on tbofe who are altogether Cat:.nal, whofe Hearts Satan hath filled, and whofe Ears Satan hath !topt ; we may call long enough and loud enough c're thefc Men will awake; or if they do fometimcs give a Look upwards, they foon c:lofe their Eyes again and !lumber away into DeftruU:ion. And yet truly, if variety of Motives, if ftrcngth of Arguments and Perfuafions would prevail, we might hope for this fcldom-feen Succefs; why then let us confider thcfe followiilg Particulars. (1.) Firft, Confider Sirmerr, you have a great tmd rv~ighty ~Vork to do , and there. To r:mk fore it is timt, yta, high time that you were up and doing. Believe it Sirs, God bath f(l, StJ/vj_. not placed you here in this World, as the Leviathan in the great \.Vaters, only to tion H « play and fport; were it fo, you might take your Eafc, hold your Arms in your grt~r anJ Bofoms, and follow your Delights and Pleafures; aqd let him be blam'd that :J;f:.•J G g g g g ever
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