Are they zealous for God; do they build up his house; and are they tender of his honour; do they second the word; and encourage the godly; and relieve the oppressed; and compassionate the distressed; and let fly at the face of sin and sinners, as being the disturbers of our peace, and the only cause of all our miseries? Do they study how to do the utmost that they can for God; to improve their power, and parts, and wealth, and honour, and all their interests, for the greatest advantage to the kingdom of Christ, as men that must shortly give an account of their stewardship? Or do they build their own houses, and seek their advancements, and stand upon, and contest for, their own honours; and do no more for Christ than needs they must, or than lies in their way, or than is put by others into their hands, or than stands with the pleasing of their friends, or with their worldly interest? Which of these two courses do they take? And how thin are those ministers that are serious in their work! Nay, how mightily do the very best fail in this above all things! Do we cry out of men's disobedience to the Gospel,f in the evidence and power of the Spirit, and deal with sin as that which is the fire in our towns and houses, and by force pull men out of this fire? Do we persuade our people, as those that know the terrors of the Lord should do? Do we press Christ, and regeneration, and faith, and holiness, as men that believe indeed that without these they shall never have life? o Do our bowels yearn over the ignorant, and the careless, and the obstinate multitude, and men that believe their own doctrine? That our dear people must be eternally damned, if they be not timely recovered? When we look them in the faces, do our hearts melt over them, lest we should never see their faces in rest? Do we, as Paul, tell them, weeping, of their fleshly and earthly disposition; (Phil. iii. 18, 19;) and teach them publicly, and from house to house, night and day with tears;

h

mugit insanum, &c. Quis inter hæc subveniet? Patronus? Sed prævaricatur et decipit judex ? Sed sententiam vendit. Qui sedet crimina vindicaturus, admittit? Et ut reus innocens pereat, fit nocens judex.-Cypr. Epist. 1. ad Donatum.

f Isa. lviii. 1. Jude, ver. 23. 2 Cor. v. 11.

g Matt. ix. 36. Negligentes non sunt negligendi.-Just. Martyr. ad Zenam. h Longe graviori debito tenentur astricti, qui pro multis animabus redituri sunt rationem. Quid ego infelix, quo me vertam, si tantum thesaurum, si pretiosum depositum illud quod sibi Christus sanguine suo pretiosius judicavit, contigerit negligentius custodire? Si stillantem de cruce Domini sanguinem collegissem, essetque repositus penes me, in vase vitreo, quod et portari sæpius oporteret, quid animi habiturus essem in discrimine tanto? Et certè

(Acts x. 20, 21;) and do we entreat them, as if it were indeed for their lives and salvation; that when we speak of the joys and miseries of another world, our people may see us affected accordingly, and perceive that we do indeed mean as we speak ? Or rather do we not study words, and neat expressions, that we may approve ourselves able men in the judgment of critical hearers; and speak so formally and heartlessly of eternity, that our people can scarcely think that we believe ourselves; or put our tongues into some affected pace, and our language into some forced oratorical strain, as if a minister's business were of no more weight, but to tell them a smooth tale of an hour long, and so look no more after them till the next sermon? Seldom do we fit our sermons, either for matter or manner, to the great end, our people's salvation; but we sacrifice our studies to our own credit, or our people's content, or some such base, inferior end. Carnal discretion doth control our fervency; it maketh our sermons like beautiful pictures, which have much pains and cost bestowed upon them to make them comely and desirable to the eye; but life, or heat, or motion, there is none. Surely, as such a conversation is an hypocrital conversation, so such a sermon is as truly an hypocritical sermon. Oh, the formal, frozen, lifeless sermons which we daily hear preached upon the most weighty, piercing subjects in the world! How gently do we handle those sins which will handle so cruelly our people's souls; and how tenderly do we deal with their careless hearts, not speaking to them as to men that must be

id servandum accepi pro quo mercator non insipiens, ipsa utique sapientia, sanguinem suum dedit. Accedit sane ad solicitudinis cumulum quod cum meam et proximi conscientiam servare necesse sit, neutra mihi satis est nota; utraque abyssus, utraque mihi nox est, at exigitur à me custodia utriusque. -Bern. Serm. 3. de Tempore. I cannot better express my mind to my brethren than in Seneca's words: Non jejuna esse et arida volo, quæ de rebus tam magnis dicentur. Neque enim philos. (theologia) ingenio renunciat. Multum tamen operæ impendi verbis nou oportet. Hæc sit propositi nostri summa; quod sentimus loquamur, quod loquimur sentiamus. Concordet sermo cum vita, ille promissum suum implevit, qui et cum videas illum, et cum audias, idem est. Videbimus qualis sit, quantus: unus sit. Non delectent verba nostra, sed prosint, &c. Non quærit æger medicum eloquentem, sed sanantem. Sed si ita competit, ut idem ille qui sanare potest, compte de his quæ facienda sunt disserat, boni consulet; non tamen erit quare gratuletur sibi quod inciderit in medicum etiam desertum. Hoc enim tale est, quale si peritus gubernator etiam formosus est. Quid aures meas scalpis? Quid oblectas? Aliud agitur; urendus, secandus, abstinendus sum. Ad hæc adhibitus es; curare debes morbum veterem, gravem, publicum. Tantum ne- gotii habes quantum in pestilentia medicus. Circa verba occupatus es? -Seneca Epist. 75. Vide reliqua.

wakened or damned! We tell them of heaven and hell in such a sleepy tone, and flighty way, as if we were but acting a part in a play; so that we usually preach our people asleep with those subjects, which one would think should rather endanger the driving of some beside themselves, if they were faithfully delivered. Not that I commend or excuse that real indiscretion, and unseemly language, and nauseous repetitions, and ridiculous gestures, whereby many do disgrace the word of God, and bring his ordinances into contempt with the people; nor think it fit that he should be an ambassador from God on so weighty a business, that is not able to speak sense or reason. But, in a word, our want of seriousness about the things of heaven, doth charm the souls of men into formality, and hath brought them to this customary careless hearing, which undoes them. The Lord pardon the great sin of the ministry in this thing, and, in particular, my own!

And are the people any more serious than magistrates and ministers? How can it be expected? Reader, look but to thyself, and resolve the question. Ask conscience, and suffer it to tell thee truly. Hast thou set thine eternal rest before thine eyes, as the great business which thou hast to do in this world? Hast thou studied and cared, watched and laboured, and laid about thee with all thy might, lest any should take thy crown from thee? Hast thou made haste, lest thou shouldst come too late, and die before the work be done? Hath thy heart been set upon it, and thy desires and thoughts run out this way? Hast thou pressed on through crowds of opposition towards the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, still reaching forth unto those things which are before? (Mark vi. 21; Phil. iii. 13, 14; Eccles. ix. 10.) When you have set your hand to the work of God, have you done it with all your might? Can conscience witness your secret cries, and groans, and tears? Can your families witness that you have taught them the fear of the Lord, and warned them all with earnestness and unweariedness to remember God and their souls, and to provide for everlasting life? Or that you have done but as much for them, as that damned glutton would have had Lazarus do for his brethren on earth, to warn them that

i Nam et hoc nobis ut non olim per visionem probatum sciatis, quod dormitemus in precibus, nec vigilanter oremus excutiamus itaque et abrumpamus somni vincula, et instanter et vigilanter, oremus. Col. iv. 2.; Luke vi. 12.-Cyprian. Epist. 8, p. 23.

they come not to that place of torment? Can Can your ministers witness that they have heard you cry out, 'What shall we do to be saved?' And that you have followed them with complaints against your corruptions, and with earnest inquiries after the Lord? Can your neighbours about you witness, that you are still learning of them that are able to instruct you? And that you plainly and roundly reprove the ungodly, and take pains for the saving of your brethren's souls? Let all these witnesses judge this day between God and you, whether you are in good earnest about the affairs of eternal rest. But if yet you cannot discern your neglects; look but to yourselves, within you, without you, to the work you have done : you can tell by his work, whether your servant hath loitered, though you did not see him; so you may by yourselves is your love to Christ, your faith, your zeal, and other graces, strong or weak? What are your joys; what is your assurance? Is all right and strong, and in order within you? Are you ready to die, if this should be the Do the souls among whom you have conversed, bless Why, judge by this, and it will quickly appear whether you have been labourers or loiterers.

day?

you?

O blessed rest; how unworthily art thou neglected! O glorious kingdom; how art thou undervalued! Little know the careless sons of men, what a state they set so light by! If they once knew it, they would surely be of another mind.

CHAP. VI.

An Exhortation to Seriousness in seeking Rest.

I HOPE, reader, by this time thou art somewhat sensible, what a desperate thing it is to trifle about our eternal rest; and how deeply thou hast been guilty of this thyself. And I hope, also, that thou darest not now suffer this conviction to die; but art resolved to be another man for the time to come: what sayst thou, is this thy resolution? If thou wert sick of some desperate disease, and the physician should tell thee, 'If you will observe but one thing, I doubt not to cure you,' wouldst thou not observe it? Why, if thou wilt observe but this one thing for thy soul, I make no doubt of thy salvation; if thou wilt now but shake off thy sloth, and put to all thy strength, and ply the

work of God unweariedly, and be a downright Christian; I know not what can hinder thy happiness. As far as thou art gone from God, if thou wouldst but now return and seek him with all thy heart, no doubt but thou shalt find him. As unkindly as thou hast dealt with Jesus Christ, if thou didst but feel thyself sick and dead, and seek him heartily, and apply thyself in good earnest to the obedience of his laws, thy salvation were as sure as if thou hadst it already; but as full as the satisfaction of Christ is, as free as the promise is, as large as the mercy of God is, yet if thou do but look on these, and talk of them, when thou shouldst greedily entertain them, thou wilt be never the better for them; and if thou loiter when thou shouldst labour, thou wilt lose the crown. Oh, fall to work then speedily and seriously, and bless God that thou hast yet time to do it; and though that which is past cannot be recalled, yet redeem the time now by doubling thy diligence. And because thou shalt see I urge thee not without cause, I will here adjoin a multitude of considerations to move thee; yet do I not here desire thee to take them by number, but by weight; their intent and use is, to drive thee from delaying, and from loitering in seeking rest and to all men do I propound them, both godly and ungodly; whoever thou art, therefore, I entreat thee to rouse up thy spirit, and read them deliberately, and give me a little while thy attention, as to a message from God; and as Moses said to the people, "Set thy heart to all the words that I testify to thee this day; for it is not a vain thing, but it is for thy life." (Deut. xxxii. 46.) Weigh what I here write with the judgment of a man; and if I speak not reason, throw it back in my face; but if I do, see thou entertain and obey it accordingly; and the Lord open thy heart, and fasten his counsel effectually upon thee.

Sect. II. 1. Consider, Our affections and actions should be somewhat answerable to the greatness of the ends to which they are intended. Now the ends of a Christian's desires and

:

Oh, how then should every one of us believe and strive, and lay out our utmost pains in all godly conversation, and hold on in much hope, and suffering, and patience that at least we may be worthy or meet to obtain that heavenly virtue and glory of the Holy Ghost in the inward soul, that so when these bodies are dissolved, we may have that which may cover and quicken us!-Macarius, Homil. 5.

1 In quo quemque invenerit suus novissimus dies in hoc eum comprehendet mundi novissimus dies. Quoniam qualis in die isto quisque moritur, talis in die illo judicabitur.-Aug. Epist. 80. tom. 1. Qualis exieris ex hac vita, talis redderis illa vita.-Aug. in Psal. xxxvi, referente. Jac. Laurentio ip Jacob. v. 8. Ubi hic purgatorium ?