VII.

when God calleth, yea wooeth and courteth him to SER M.
repentance, how can he pretend to find fuch favour?
We might add, that fuppofing God in fuperabun-
dance of mercy might be prefumed never to withhold
his grace; yet feeing his grace doth not work by ir-
resistible compulfion; feeing the worfe qualified we
are, the more apt we fhall be to crofs and defeat its
operation; feeing that we cannot hope that hereafter
we fhall be more fit than now to comply with it; yea
seeing we may be fure, that, after our hearts are hard-
ened by perfeverance in fin, we fhall be more indif-
pofed thereto; we by delay of repentance do not only
venture the forfeiture of divine grace, but the danger
of abufing it, which heinously will aggravate our guilt,
and hugely augment our punishment.

We fhould do well therefore most seriously to re-
gard the Apostle's admonition; Exhort one another to- Heb. iii. 13.
day, while it is called to-day, left any of you be hardened
by the deceitfulness of fin. Now that we find ourselves
invited to repent, now that we apprehend fo much
reafon for it now that we feel our hearts fomewhat
inclined thereto; now that we have time in our hands,
and are not barred from hopes of mercy; now that
it is not extremely difficult, or not abfolutely impof-
fible, let us in God's name lay hold on the occafion,
let us speedily and earnestly fet upon the work. Far-
ther yet,

6. We should confider, that we are mortal and frail, and thence any defigns of future reformation may be clipt off, or intercepted by death; which is always creeping toward us, and may, for all we can tell, be very near at hand. You fay you will repent to-morrow: but are you fure you fhall have a morrow to repent in? Have you an hour in your hand, or one minute at your difpofa!? Have you a lease to fhew for any term of life? Can you claim or reckon upon the least portion of time, without his leave, who bestoweth life, and dealeth out time, and ordereth

SER M. all things as he pleaseth m? Can you any wife defcry VII. the just measure of your days, or the bounds of your ap

xiv. 5. vii.

1.

4. XC. 12.

I.

pointed time, without a fpecial revelation from him, Job xii. 10. in whofe hands is your breath; and with whom alonė the number of your months is registered? Boaft not thyPfal. xxxix. felf of to-morrow; for thou knoweft not what a day may Dan. v. 23.bring forth, faith the Wife Man: boast not of it, that Prov. xxvii.is, do not pretend it to be at thy disposal, presume Oix oldas not upon any thing that may befal therein; for whilst Tigere in thou prefumeft thereon, may it not be faid unto thee, imaye as to the rich projector in the Gofpel, Thou fool, this Baf. M.exh night fhall thy foul be required of thee. Doth not, sead Bapt. cluding hidden decrees, every man's life hang upon Lukexii.20. Pa thread very flender and frail? Is it not fubject to

τέξεται ἐπισ

ὅσα μὴ

ὑπαγγέλει

τὰ μὴ σά.

12.

many diseases lurking within, and to a thousand accidents flying about us? How many, that might have promised themselves as fair fcope as we can, have been unexpectedly fnapt away? How many have been cropt in the flower of their age, and vigour of their strength? Doth not every day prefent experiments of fudden death? Do we not continually fee Ecclef. ix. that obfervation of the Preacher verified, Man knoweth not his time as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds are caught in the fnare, fo are the fons of men fuared in an evil time, when it cometh fuddenly upon them? Old men are ready to drop of themselves, and young men are eafily brufhed or fhaken down"; the former visibly stand upon the brink of eternity, the latter walk upon a bottomlefs quag, into which unawares they may flump; who then can any wife be secure? We are all therefore highly concerned to use our life, while we have it; to catch the firft opportunity, left all

Qui pœnitenti veniam fpofpondit, peccanti craftinum diem non promifit. Greg. in Evang. Hom. ix.

Β' Τί γὰρ οἶδας, άνθρωπε ἁμαρτήσας, εἰ ἡμέρας ζήσεις ἐν τῷδε τῷ βίῳ, ἵνα καὶ μετανοήσεις, &c.

Ὅτι ἄδηλα ἡ ἔξοδος σε ἐκ τῶ βία ὑπάρχει, καὶ ἐν ἁμαρτίᾳ τελευτής σαντι μετάνοια ἐκ ἔςαι, &c. Conft. Ap. ii. 12.

op

9.

VII.

opportunity forfake us; to cut off our finning, left's ER M. ourselves be cut off before it and that the rather, becaufe by lavishing, or mifemploying our present time, we may lose the future, provoking God to bereave us of it; for as prolongation of time is a reward of piety; as to obfervance of the commandments it is promifed, Length of days and long life, and Prov. iii. 2. peace fhall be added unto thee; fo being immaturely fnatched hence is the punishment awarded to impious practice: fo it is threatened, that Evil men fhall be Pfal.xxxvii. cut off; that bloody and deceitful men shall not live out Pfal. lv. 23. half their days; that God will wound the head of his Pfal. Ixviii. enemies, and the hairy fcalp of fuch an one as goeth on ftill2 in his wickedness: the very being unmindful of their duty is the cause, why men are thus furprised; for, If, faith God, thou doft not watch, I fhall come upon thee Rev. iii. 3, as a thief; and thou shalt not know when I come upon thee, xvi. 15. And, If, faith our Lord, that fervant doth fay in his Luke xii. heart, My Lord delayeth his coming, &c. The Lord of 45, 46. that fervant will come in a day when he looketh not for bim, &c.

21.

13. xxiv.

If then it be certain, that we must render a strict account of all our doings here; if, by reason of our frail nature and flippery ftate, it be uncertain when we shall be summoned thereto; if our negligence may abridge and accelerate the term; is it not very reasonable to obferve thofe advices of our Lord; Watch, for ye do not know the day, nor the hour, when Matt. xxv. the Son of man cometh: Take heed to yourselves, left at any 42. time your heart be overcharged with furfeiting and drunk- Mark xiii. ennefs, and cares of this life, and fo that day come upon you Lukexii. 15. unawares. Let your loins be girded about, and your lamps 35, 36. burning, and ye yourselves like men that wait for your Lord: and to take the counsel of the Wife Man, Make Ecclus. v.7." no tarrying to turn unto the Lord, and put not off from day to day; for fuddenly fhall the wrath of the Lord come forth, and in thy fecurity fhalt thou be destroyed, and perish in the day of vengeance.

N 4.

Thefe

33.

SERM. These confiderations plainly do fhew how very VII. foolish, how extremely dangerous and deftructive the procraftinating our reformation of life is there are fome others of good moment, which we shall referve.

SERMON

SERMON VIII.

The Danger and Mischief of delaying
Repentance.

PSAL. cxix. 60.

I made hafte, and delayed not to keep thy command

I

ments.

PROCEED to the confiderations which yet re- s ER M., main to be spoken to.

VIII.

φασις ἡ ἀνα

1. We may confider the causes of delay in this cafe (as in all cafes of moment) to be bad and unworthy of a man: what can they be but either ftupidity, that we do not apprehend the importance of the affair; or improvidence, that we do not attend. to the danger of perfifting in fin; or negligence, that we do not mind our concernments; or floth, that'Agyas weikeepeth us from roufing and beftirring ourselves in ex. Simpl. pursuance of what appeareth expedient; or faintheartedness and cowardice, that we dare not attempt to cross our appetite, or our fancy? All which difpofitions are very bafe and fhameful. It is the prerogative of human nature to be fagacious in eftimating Animal hoc the worth, and provident in defcrying the confe- providum, quences of things; whereas other creatures, by im- Cic.de Leg.i. pulfe of fenfe, do only fix their regard on prefent Cic. de Of appearances; which peculiar excellency by ftupidity

and

fagax, &c.

fic. i.