• The Almoft':"Cbriflian Difcovcrcd. again return to folly! Are not thefe Refolutions an evident Convidion? Ce1 ra;nly you thought you had a power fa to do, and therefore if you do not endeavour eo perform, you are altogether inexcufable. Secondly, Did you never in your whole Lives perform a Duty unto God? Did you never pray? Js there any here fo defperately prophane, fa loft to all fhew of goodnefs., that bath not done this? And to what end have you prayed ? For what. did you perform you r Duty? Was it ·not for Salvation? And did you work for· 3:~lvati on, and yet t hi nk you had no power to work for it? It is impollible; Men's very Works do plainly fhew, that they do think that t hey have a power; fomethino frill muft be done, though it be but formally, flightly, and cold ly; a mere Lord bt~'tl~ mercy upon me'> a cuftomary Lord forgive me ; yet fomething Confcience will require which Men reckon upon, and mo~ke account to be working out their Salvation. Thirdly, Wherefo re it is that you truft unto') and relic upon your good Works, if you think you have no power to work out your Salvation? Would it be fo hard and difficult a matter to take Men off from leaning fo much Upon their Wor.b, if they did not think that they had power to work out their own SJlvation? Men do apprchelid a worth and fufficiency in what themfelves do in order to Eternity, and bid them forgo their Works, and renounce tbeir own Righteoufnefs, and this is a hard Saying; you may almoft perfuade them as foon to renounce all their hopes of Heaven. This is an evident Convict i on~ whatever Notions Men may enter ta in to ftop the mout h of a clamorous Confciencc, when it calls on them for working and labouring, yet they do not believe what they themfelves fpeak concerning their Impotence. Fourthly, Did you never when the Spir it of God was dealing with your Hearts, perfwading you to enter upon a courfe of Duty and Obedience ? Did you never procratlinate, and ufe delays ? Did you nevet ftifle the Breathings, nor quench the Motions of the Holy Spirit, by thinking it was time enough to do it hereafter? What need I begin fo foon, or vex my ftefh, or deny my fe lf the Joys and Pleafures of this Life, even as foon as 1 am come to relifit them? W hen Sicknefs, or grey Hairs admonilh me, and t ell me, I am near unto Etern ity ; when old Age promifeth me that the Severiti es of Religion fita ll be no long trouble, then will I look after the Concernment s of my Sou l ; t hen it will be time enough; then I will repent, believe, obey, and work out that SJlvation that will be then haftuing up.. on me. Tell me truly, Have not t hefe been the foolifit Reafonings of your He arcs? Have you not thus often promifed God and your own Confciences? And doth not chis plainly imply, you thought you had power to do it? Wherefore thou art incxcufabJr, 0 Mar~, whorver t hou Art: It is in vain to plead want of Power, God will confute thee by thy very thoughts. Hadft t hou no Power? Although thou hadll: not , yet thou thoughteft thou hadft, yet wouldft not endeavour to work; therefore thy Ruin is as wilful, and thy Condemnation as juft as if thou hadft a power, and wouldft not work; fo r thou peri!heft merely thorow t he defa ul t of th ine own Will. Anfw. 3· Whether wicked Men have this power or no to work out their own Salvation, I !hall not now ftand to enquire; but if they had ir::, yet t hey would not work with it; and therefore it is a moft vain and infufficient Plta to pretend they wanted power. Now th is appears evidently, becaufe there is no wicked Man, that ever did fo much as he was able to do by the mere ftrengtli of Nature, without the alliftance of fupernatural Grace; and therefore it is not their Inability; but their wilful Sloth that doth deftroy them. Do but anfwer your own Confciences, Was there not one Duty more which you could have performed, nor one Temptation, nor one Corruption more which you could have rcGJted? Could not you have prayed') read, or meditated upon heavenly things, the n when your Iiearts and Thoughts have been va in, worldly, and finfu l, and devilifh? Might not that Time have been fpent in holy Converfe, which you trifled away i n idle, impertinent Difcourfe, or in doing nothing, or that which was much worfe than nothing? What force, what conftraint is laid upon you? Can you think? And if you can, Cannot you think of God as well of the World? As well concerning fulfil .. ling God's Will, and working out your Salvation, as fulfilling your Lufts? Cow you not fpeak? ·And if you can , Can you nol fpeak to God in holy Prayer, and of the things of God in h6ly Difcourfe, as well as of your Trades and Bargains, thofe low and trivial Matters that are not wort hy of Men, much lefs of Chr i.. !tians?
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