Ito SERMONS upon the SEftM.XV.. Rom. z. 7. To them who by patient continuing in well doing, Peek for glory, honour and immortality, eternal life. Thirdly, The next Grace is Love : Where there is Love, there will be Labour, Heb. 6. i o. For God is not Vnriohteous4 to forget your work and labour of Love : i Tltel r. 3. Remembring without ceafing your work of Faith, and labour of Love, and patience of Hope : Revel. z. 3, 4. And hall born, and hall patience, and for my names fake haft laboured and hall not fainted : Neverthelefs I have famewhat againft thee, becaufe thou halt left thy firfl Love : And Love is raid to endure all thin ?s, r Cor. 13. 7. 'Twas Love made Chrift to fuller Hunger and Wearinefs, and to forbear to refrefh himfelf .for the good of Souls ; 'twas Love made him endure the bitter Agonies of the Crofs : Love puts ftrength and life into the Soul, addeth wings and feet to the Body, fpareth no pains nor toff.. Keep up this Grace, and you hive an over- ruling bent upon your hearts. 2. 'USE, If fpiritual Sloath be fo great an evil, let the Children of God take heed of it, when .firft it beginneth to creep upon their Spirits : As when they begin to Pray without Affe &ion or fervour of Spirit, to Meditate of divine things without any fence, affe &ion or fruit; when they find it difficult to withdraw from carnal Company, or vain Difcourfe, and are hardly perfwaded to return 'unto themlelves, and to confider. their wayes, and can freely let Ionic their thoughts and words to all manner of vanity, and their. Comfort is rather fought in the Creature than in God ; they can rarely fpeak of others, but 'ds in reffe&ing upon them rather than themfelves ; when Reproofs grow burthenfom, and are not entertained as an help, but as an injury ; when they give up themlelves to carnal Sports, and take a li' cenfe for vain Récreations, and fo fly from the labours that are profitable and ne- ceffary for their Souls health ; their Zeal languifheth, their Duties are not fo fre- quent, nor the means of Grace ufed with life, vigour and affe &ion, but they are more coldly affe&ed towards them ; a fatiety and fulnefs creeepeth upon them ; they do not fo Tolicitoufly avoid the caufes of fin, begin to indulge the Body, or the bodily life, to have more admiring thoughts of the Honours, and Pleafures, and Profits of the. World, either negle& or quench the motions of the Spirit : All thefe are the effe &s of a remits Will, or a fainting Heart, that ' beginneth to tire in the wayes of God. 3. V SE, It'fetves to juflifte God in his fudgments upon the carelefs and negli- gent, though they be not groffely Diffolute and Prophane : There is more Contempt of God in negleEers than you can at firft be fenfible of: Hypocrites complain of the feverity of God, the rigour of his Law, the grievoufnefs of his Judgments, they fhould rather complain of the naughtinefs of their own Hearts ; they are con- vinced of more Duty than they are willing to perform, and they are not willing, becaufe they follow after a few paltry Vanities, which is a great difhonour to God. 'Twas not the aufterity and rigidnefs of the Mailer in requiring Improve- ment, that hindred the increafe of his Talent, but his own bafenefs, being wed- ded to fenfual delights : They fay, The wayes of the Lord are not equal; but their hearts are not right with God. Secondly, I come now to the Retortion of his vain Excufe upon himfelf : The damned can have no juft Complaint againft God, they are apt to murmur, and lay their defe&s upon the rigidnefs of Gods Government, or Gods Providence ; but in the ifftie the blame will light upon themfelves, even the things they alledge make againft them : He was convinced the Malter expe&ed Increafe, therefore he fhould have done what he could, Luk. r q. 22. Out of thy 'own Mouth I will condemn thee : So 'tis here, mens Confciences convince them they ought not to live in Idle - nefs, and if they have a Malter, the thought of their Account fhould inforce them, if not 'their own Inclination, efpecially if a revere Malter : Grant the Sinners fup- pofition, it bindeth the Duty upon him, and fo he cuts his Throat with his own Sword ; as they laid. of yob, Chap. r 5. 6. Thine own Mouth condemneth thee, thine own lips teflifte again'? thee. Doff. No excufe Jball ferve the unfaithful and floathful Srrvant at the day of yudg- ment. Let
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