PraCtical Chrifiianity, --------------------- nefs of the Work: To work Salvation out is a great Work and rcquircth great Pains. But left the feui ng out the greatnefs of this Work, fuould rather deter and fright Men from it than excite and quicken their Endeavours [O it, 'let me add a fecond Thing; . It il infi· .2. ~nd that is to confider what ~n infinite, incom~arable Mercy it is that God Nire Merq wtll a1low you to work for your Lives, that he fets Ltfe and Death before you and th.u Sin- gives them into your Ha.nds eo t~ke your Choice: If you ~ill indu~ge your Stoth, ners ~"1 then you cboofe Death; but Ltfe may be yours tf you Wlll : It wtll indeed coft ~;;!o~~;n. you much Pains a:1d Labour, bu~ yet it may be yours : An~ is it not infinite Mercy that Salvauon and Happ1nefs may be yours, though upon any T~nns? Wicked Men are apt to fay, 0 how happy had we been if Gud had never cummanded m tu WuYk, if he had never required frum us fuch har/h and difficult Duties; if we were but once freed frum this hard Task and beavy Burden uf Obedience! But alas! Foolij!J Sinmrs, they know not what they fay; as happy as they count this to be, yet if God required no working from them, he fhould then !hew th'::m juft fa much Mercy as he doth to the Devils and damned Spirits, and no more, from whom God requires no Duty as well as from whom he receives no Duty, and unto whom he intends no Mercy. You think it a hard Refl:raint poflibly, .tO be kept under the fl:riCl:: Commands of the Law: Oh! that God required no fuch Obfervances from you. But what do you defire herein but only the unhappy Privilege of the Damned, to be without Law and without Commands? But fhould God fend to the Spirits now imprifon'd, and Jhould he declare to them, That if they would Wotk they Jhould be faved, Oh! h_ow would they l~ap in their Chains at fuch p,Ia?. Tidings as thefe are, and count lt part of Salvauon that there was but a poilibllrty of it. No, but God commands nothing from them, becaufe he intends nothing but VVrath upon them; he will not vouchfafc fa much Mercy to them as to require thofe Duties from them, that you repine and murmer at as grievous. And further· more confider thi~, if you do not now work, .but perilli under your Sloth, in Hell you will think it an infinite Mercy if God would command you more rigid and fevere Obedience than ever he commanded from you on Earth. lt would he a great Mercy there, if it might be your Duty to Repent1 and Pray, and Believe; nay, you would count a Command then to be as comfortable as a Promife; for indeed there is no Command but connotes a Promife: No, but thefe things !hall not fo much as be your Duty in Helt; for there you fuall be freed for ever from this rigo· rous and dreadful LJw of God, that no1v you fo much complain of and murmcr a· gainft. Oh! therefore be perfuaded while you are yet under the Mercy of the Law, (give me leave to call it fa) and while you have fo many Promifescouched in every Command, before God hath left off his merciful Commanding, before the time cf Duty be expiied1 be perfuaded to Work: Delay not; you know not how long God will vouchfafe to require any thing from you; and as foon as that ceafeth, truly you are in Hell. .And this is the fecond Argument to prefs this Duty upon you. Work, and that fpeedily too ; while you m:~y Work there is hope that upon your working you may be faved; and therefore while God calls . upon you, and wbilft he will accept of Obedience from you, it is time for you to begin to work. "fime tu (3.) Thirdly, Conf:der, what a jhort [cantli11g uf Time U aUowed you to do yuur great work for Wurk in. And this I Jhall branch out into two Particulars. ~lll"!atian (r.) Firft, Confider, how fad it will be for your Time tci be run out before jh' rs verJ your great Work be done. Alas ! what are threefcorc Years, if we were all fure ort. to live fo long, from the date of this prefent Moment? How fhort a fp:~ce is it for us to do that which is of Erernal Concernment in, and yet how few of us !hall • live to that which we fo improperly call old Age? Our Candle is lighted, and il is but fmall at the beft; and to how many of us is it already funk in the Socket, and brought to a Snuff? And how foon the Breath of God may blow it out, nei· ther yoH nor l know. Niglit is haftning upon us, the Grave expetl:s us, and bids other Corpfes make room for us: Death is ready to grafp us in its cold Arms an.d to carry us before God's Tribunal; and, alas, how little of our great \Vork rs done ! What can any lhew that they have done? \\There are the aCl:ings of Faith, the labour of Love, the perfeCt Works of Patience? Where are thofe Graces that are either begotten or increafed? Where are the Corruptions that you ha'/e mor .. tify'd? Thefe are Works that require Ages to perform them in, and yet you · neglect
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