Recommended from Phil. 2. 12, 13. neglect them rlut ha\'C but a few Days, nay, poffibly but a few Minutes to do them in. But what, is God}ewre ? Is God unjujf, to require fo much Work to bt done in fo little time? No far be it from ns to fay thus: Though our Work be great, yet our Time is long ;nough to perform it in, if it w.ere well ~m proved. We do indeed confume away our precious Days, wafte our L1fe and L1ght, exhauft our Strength, and Jay out uur Endeavours upon Vanities and Trifles, on nothing but Emptincfs and Folly. And that Life which the Prophet telis us, i& bur us. a Tale,. truly we fpend it as a Dream ·: We Oeep and drowfe, and fuffer our precwus Mmutes to run and wafte away doing nothing to any good purpofe, till the Night is fuutting in, till the Night of Darkncfs come upon us, and then the greatnefs of our Work wifl confound us, and caufe Dcfpair rather than excite Endeavours. Have you never known any who at the clofe of their Lives, having neglefred their great \Vork, have fpent that little time t~at they had t_hen left them,_ in crying Ollt for more time? And thus it may be w1th you alfo, 1f· your Confc1enccs be not awakncd fooner than by the Pains and Difquiets of a fick Bed; th~n, with Horror1 you may cry out, More Time, Lord, More Time. But it will not then be granted, the Term is fixed, the lall: Hour is ftruck, the laft Sand is run; and as you and your Work £hall then be found, fo you muft go together into Eternity. This is fuch a Confideration as muft needs prevail with all Men, if they would but lay it to Heart: My Tjme is but lhort and momentary, I ani but of Yefterday, and poffibly I may not be to Morrow, and God hatb fufpended Eternity upon the lmproprovement of this Moment; a few. Hours will determine my everlaftiog State and Condition; according as thefe few, are fpent, fo will my Doom be, either forEternal Happimfs or for Eternal Mi[try. And why Ihould my precious Soul be fo vHe in my own Eyes, as to lofe it for ever through Sloth and NegUgence? WhY lhould I hearken to the Allurements of my own Corruptions, or to the Enticenients and Perfuafions of Satan's Temptations? No, ftand off, for I am working for Eternity, . an Eternity that is but a. few Days hence, a boundlefs, a bottomlefs, an endlefs Etermty, into which I know not how foon I m~y enter; and Woe to me, yea, a thoufand Woes to me that ever I was born, If my great Work be not done before the Days of Eternity come upon me. This is fuch a Motive as methinks lhould make every Man that hears it, and bath but a fenfe what Eurnity is, pre. fently to beftir and rouzc up himfelf, and give God and his Soul no reft till his Jm..; mortal Soul be fccurcd, and well provided for, for Etemity. To me there is no greater Argument of the Witchcraft and Sorcery that Sin and Satan ufeth to bcfot the Reafon and Judgment of ratior.al Creatures, than to hear of fuch Truths, Truths that are not to be denied or doubted of, and yet Men to live at fuch a rate as they do, fa vainly, fo fruitlefsly, fo lazily, fa fecurely and prefumptuoufly, as if their Eternity were to be expeCted and enjoyed here, or that there was none to come hereafter. (2.) Secondly, The confiderat.ion of the Jhortnefs of our Life, may ferve as a great Incouragemcnt to \":ark. The confideration of the burthenfomnefs and trou· ble. of. working for Salvall?n may doubtl~fs fright ma_ny from engaginz therein; Oh ! 1t is a \;v"ork very patnful and labonous, and th1s d1fcourageth them. But know, 0 Sinner! though it be grievous, yet it is bnt fhort Work; it is to laft no longer than our frail, Jhort Life doth laft : And 0! how unreafonable is it to complain, as moft do, of our Work being too long and too. tedious; and of our Lives, as being too Ihort and brittle ? For our Work is to be no longer than our Lives. A Child of God doth not, at leaft he Ihould not, de lire to live longer than his great Work is done: And truly when it is finilhed, it is a great piece of Self-deTJiat in him to be content to abide here in this World any longer : And in the mean while this may fupport him, that it Jhall not be long that he Ihall thus wreftle with Temptations, and thus ftruggla with Corruptions: De~tth will come in to his lielp, and put an end to his Toil and Labour; and though he brings a Dart in one Hand, yet he brings a Reward and Wages in the other Hand; and this may be his great Encouragement. (4-o) Fourthly, My next Argument to prefs this Duty of working out of our own Salvation,· fuall con lift of three or four Gradations. And, · ( •·) F;rjl,
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