turned his face, to the wall, and faid, I beseech thee, O Lord, to remember now how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy fight.. If we do not confider this, we shall be wanting to the true interest of our immortal fouls. We often read in fcripture, of hardness of heart; which is nothing but want of confideration for Mark vi.. 52. we read, that they confidered not the miracle of the loaves, for their heart was hardned: and Exod. vii. 23. we read that Pharaoh did not fet his heart to confider things. But briefly to speak to these particulars. : I. Sooner and later are not alike upon a spiritual account. For the time of life is the day of exercise and time of work for God, and for the publick: for God and the publick have a due of fervice from us all; for we came not into the world to gratify fenfe, and to ferve our lufts, but to ferve God and the publick, not to promote our own ends and little defigns, but the common good, and as we would not neglect our duty, so we must not mifpend our time. We are to be doing our duty to God, ourselves and, others, as foon as we come to the use of reason, and understanding; for, motion of religion doth begin with reason; and fa foon as a man is able to make use of reafon and judgment, he ought to put himself upon motion of religion, for we are as capable of religion, as we are of reason; and indeed no man can use his reason as he ought but religion will be predominant with him,. and over-rule all his motions. Solomon faith, Prov., xvi. 3. That the boary head is a crown of glory; but how? if it be found in the way of righteousness; that is, if a man hath used himself all his days, from the time he came to the use of reafon, to the time of old age, in ways of religion, his grey hairs will be a crown of glory to him. 'Tis of great advantage to begin well, for fo faith Solomon, Prov. xxii. 6. Train up a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it. 'Tis true indeed that fome do degenerate; for these proverbs are not to be taken strictly, but only to fignify what is moft common and likely, and what is to be expected; and this is of that nature; and doth fhew a man to be the greater finner if he depart from a good way that he was early brought into. For we easily do what we have been bred unto, and used to do. It is true, that serious repentance, wherefoever it is, doth alter the cafe; but then you must know, that late repentance is feldom true; and this I am very fure of that there is little or no proof of late repentance, because there is not opportunity to act. And they do mightily abufe themselves, that put off their repentance with hopes of being like the penitent thief, who begun ill, but ended well. But pray confider, that this was an extraordinary cafe, a miraculous work of God's grace; and such as we cannot expect the like again, till the Saviour of the world shall come again, and fuffer. And the apostle tells us, that there can be no more facrifice for fin than that which hath been already offered. Others there are that do abuse that paffage in the xx. of Mat. where we read, that the Lord of the vineyard went forth to hire labourers into his vineyard, and took some at the last hour of the day. But here I will obferve four things. 1. That 1. That they which were hired late, ftood all that time in the market-place in expectation. 2. They were no fooner hired, and appointed, but they went into the vineyard. 3. They had no plea at all for the wages of a day. For it was faid unto them, I will give you what is right. Not the wages of a day: that was left wholly to the Lord's good pleasure. 4. It was beyond their expectation, or at leaft beyond the common ground of expectation. And we find their fellow-labourers were not fatisfied in it, that they fhould have the recompence of a days work when they had not done the work of a day. Therefore let us not be fo much mistaken, as to think we may defer the work of repentance, and making provision for eternity, till the last. They which do so, little understand what fanctification imports; what reconciliation with the nature, mind, and will of God, and the law of heaven, doth fignify. No less than this can we understand by it, to glorify God by a holy and unblameable conversation, and to do good, and ferve God in our generations. For heaven is more a state and temper, than a place. That for the first fooner and later are not alike, II. Times of ignorance and of knowledge, are not alike: for, the time of ignorance, that is as the night, in which no man can work, John iv. 4. And the apoftle tells us, Acts xvii. 30. That, these times of ignorance God winked at. And that if they had been blind, they should have had no fin, John ix. 41. which you are not to understand abfolutely, that thofe that are ignorant and stupid are not guilty; but that they are are not fo great finners as those which pretend to know. And therefore it is faid, that their fin remaineth, that is, it doth remain with all manner of aggravation. For you cannot fay more or worfe of any man, than that he doth evil knowingly, and against his conscience. It is universally acknowledged, that ignorance doth greatly excufe, and therefore we have charity for idiots; and where men have never heard and are without the pale of the church, we leave them to God's mercy, and exclude them not. But it is quite otherwife where men are a law to themselves, as the apostle speaks, Rom. ii. 14. There are three things in which every man that is born into the world, and hath the use of reafon, is a law unto himself; and if he do not observe that law in those particulars, he will be felf-condemned and neither himself nor any other man can justify him. 1. As to the point of fobriety and temperance. That we do moderate our appetites, and not abuse ourfelves, through exceffive and inordinate ufe of the things of this life. 2. A man is a law to himself as to juftice and. righteousness. And he will be felf-condemned if he do not ufe fairnefs and equal dealing with other men: fuch as he would himself receive from others, he is, obliged to give. If a man fail in these particulars, he goes against the law that is connatural to him, and would be felf-condemned though he had no other revelation from God, and had never heard of the bible. 3. A man is a law to himself in respect of that fear fear and reverence which he owes to God. For a man knows nothing more certainly, than that he was not original to his own being, and that he did not make himself; but that he was brought into being by fome agent, that was more able, wife, and powerful than himself. For he that knows how unable he is to continue himself in being, cannot but know that he did not bring himself into being but that he owes his being to another; and that he ought to fear, reverence, and adore him from whom he received it, and if he do it not, he must condemn himself. Therefore I am fure there is no man fhall be condemned by God, that is not firft condemned by himself, in fome or other of thefe particulars that I have named. In fome other, and leffer matters, there may be invincible ignorance, and this may excufe in those particulars; but in the great matters of religion and conscience, there is no invincible ignorance. If men are at any lofs as to these things I have named; their ignorance is affected, and 'tis through grofs felf-neglect, and practice contrary to knowledge. And in these cafes their guilt is aggravated, and their cafe is not compaffionable. And that for the fecond. Times of ignorance, and the times of knowledge are not alike. III. Before and after voluntary commission of fin, is not alike, upon a spiritual account. It is not imaginable the lofs that a man fuftains by confenting to iniquity; how much he spoils his principle, mars his fpirit, and spoils his parts. This you have acknowledged in the counfel of Achitophel, which he gives to Abfalom, which is called the good counsel of Achitophel |