6oz Practical Chrifltanity, ever lliould difturh or difcouragc you. I know not whether fame may not think that Y"~ Minifter; arc 'lask·Majlen, aml that we make more ado than needs . No, Sirs, Jt IS God that hath fct you your \Vark; we do only tdl you how great it is and of how great concernmcnt it is to you that it be done; and if you will not d~ it who can help it? We have no Scourges or Scorpions to drive you to your \Vork but God hath to punHh you if you ncgleB: it; and why is it fo generally ncglctteJ but be- ~aufc Men do not ferioufiy confider how great ~t is. Moft ~en acknowledge that 1t mull: be d~:mc; bnt bccaufe ~hey. look upon It as that winch may fpecdily and quickly be dtfpatched, they dnve it before them from Day to Day, and think to hudqle it up atlh€ end of their. Lives: Then when they ar~ fit for no other lmploy. ment, and !call of all fit for this lmployment, then they thtnk to do the Works of God. I fhall here by down Three Particulars to convince Sinners of the greatnefs of this Work, and becallfc it is fo great a Work, it requires that they fuould pre· fently, without delay, fct upon it. Working . (t.J. Firfl:, lt is. a Work in which .sinners ~uft undo'all that they have ~rought fer Stllvn8 m their wnole L1ves before. Oh Snmer, thtnk what haft thou . been dotng this ri(Jn #rh~ twen ty, thirty, forty Years or more! Haft thou not inftead of working out MJ.Ioir,g thine own Salvation with Fear and Trembling, been working out thine own Con· ~;( {orm~r demnation wilhout Fear or Trembling? Haft thou not been working the Works 91 s. of Darknefs? Haft thou not been roorking the Works of thy Fatht ,· the Devil, as our Saviour tells the :Jetvs? Truly this .is not fo much working as making of Work; all this muft be undone again, or you your felves muft be for ever undone; you muft unrip and unravel your whole Lives by a deep and bitter Repentance; you are gone far in the way that leads to Death and Deftrutl:ion, and you muft tread back every Step, and at every Step fhed many fait and briny Tears before ever you come into the Way that leads to Life and Happinefs; and is it not yet time to be~ gin? Can the \\1ork of fo many Years be undone, think you, in one Moment? No, Sin and Satarr make their Works more durable and lafring, than to be fo ealily and fpeedily fpoilcd. It were the Work of an Age, yea, of Eternity it felf if poffibly we could .fo fpend it, rather than of a few faint late Thoughts, to get an Humiliation deep enough, and a Sorrow fad enough, to bear any the leait pro• portion to any of the leaO: Sins that we have committed. Do no!. hope or think that your many great and finful Actions fhaU ever be blown aWa¥ with a night and general Confeffion; or that ever they fhall be walb.'d away with a flight and l)fJt. 6 . 8 . overly Repentance, What fays Holy David.? Thou re/left my W .wderings, put thou. 5 my Tears into the Bottle. Thou haft my Wandnngs by Number, but thou haft alfo my Tears by Meafure. There muft be fame proportion becwix,t the Humiliation and the Sins; great Sins call for great Sorrow, and lonp; continuance in Sin reqnin:s a continued and prolonged Repentance. Is it not then yet high time to begin? ' Have you not alre3.dy made Work enough for your whole Lives, Ihould they be longer than they are like to be? Nay, and will not eve of your Lives make Mat.6 . 34 , Work enough for it f~lf? What fays our SavioUl;?. for the DaJ is the evil , theret~f. Truly the Ev1ls that we every Day comm1t, IS Work for the Sor.. row and Repentance of that Day to undo. Now then begin this undoing V/ ark; the longer you delay, fti\1 the more will lie upon your Hands, ftill the more Sins you have to repent of. We already complain, That the Work God bath fetus is · too hard and too grievous, and yet fuch foolifu Creatures are we that we make it more and more difficult by our Delays, adding to the ftrittnefs of God's Corn· mands the neceffity of a fevere Repentance. And therefore it is Prudence, as well as Duty, to begin this repenting, this undoing Work betimes, that fo the greatnefs of the Work, and the Ihortnefs of the time to do it in, may r.ot at laft difmay and confound us. (2.) Secondly, Confider the great variety of Duties that mull: be . gone through ~;::z;! in the working out of Salvation, and this will evince how great. a Work it is. A be per{or. Chriitian's Work is a Life full of Aftions and lmployments, there Otould be ~o mtd in gap nor void fpace at all in it, but all ihould be filled up with Duties ranked tn J"Dorking their fevcral Orders, that as fo6n as he paffeth through one he fhould enter upon ~~:t£,5·"· another, (hat where one leaves him another may .find him. Thus a C~ri~ian • fhould go from one Duty to another ; from heartng the Word to Meditation, from Meditation unto Prayer, from Prayer to the aCting of Grace, and in all . there
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=