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ther like ourselves; of the mournful looks and habits, of SERM. all the fad pomps and folemnities attending man unto his XLVII. long home, by minding him of his own frail condition, affect with fome ferious, fome honeft, fome wife thoughts? And if we be reasonable men, we may every day fupply the need of such occafions, by representing to ourselves the neceffity of our foon returning to the duft; dreffing in thought our own hearses, and celebrating our own funerals; by living under the continual apprehenfion and sense of our tranfitory and uncertain condition; dying daily, or becoming already dead unto this world. The doing which effectually being the gift of God, and an especial work of his grace, let us of him humbly implore it, faying after the holy Prophet, Lord, fo teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Amen.

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SERMON XLVIII.

THE DANGER AND MISCHIEF OF DELAYING

REPENTANCE.

PSALM CXix. 60.

1 made hafte, and delayed not to keep thy commandments. SERM. THIS Pfalm (no lefs excellent in virtue, than large in XLVIII. bulk) containeth manifold reflections upon the nature, the

properties, the adjuncts and effects of God's law; many fprightly ejaculations about it, (conceived in different forms of speech; fome in way of petition, fome of thanksgiving, fome of refolution, fome of affertion or aphorifm;) many useful directions, many zealous exhortations to the obfervance of it; the which are not ranged in any ftri& order, but (like a variety of fair flowers and wholesome herbs in a wide field) do with a grateful confufion lie difperfed, as they freely did spring up in the heart, or were fuggested by the devout spirit of him who indited the Pfalm; whence no coherence of fentences being defigned, we may confider any one of them abfolutely, or fingly by itself.

Among them, that which I have picked out for the fubject of my discourse implieth an excellent rule of practice, authorized by the Pfalmift's example: it is propounded in way of devotion or immediate address to God; unto whofe infallible knowledge his confcience maketh an appeal concerning his practice; not as boasting thereof, but as praifing God for it, unto whose gracious inftruction and fuccour he frequently doth afcribe all his performances: but the manner of propounding I fhall not infift

upon; the rule itself is, that speedily, without any pro- SERM. craftination or delay, we fhould apply ourselves to the ob- XLVIII. fervance of God's commandments; the practice of which rule it shall be my endeavour to recommend and prefs.

agimus

unquam.

It is a common practice of men, that are engaged in bad courses, which their own confcience difcerneth and disapproveth, to adjourn the reformation of their lives to a farther time, fo indulging themselves in the prefent commiffion of fin, that yet they would feem to purpose and promise themselves hereafter to repent and take up: few Victuros resolve to perfift finally in an evil way, or despair of being temper, nec one day reclaimed; but immediately and effectually to fet vivimus upon it, many deem unfeasonable or needlefs; it will, they Manil. 4. prefume, be foon enough to begin to-morrow, or next day, a month or a year hence, when they shall find more commodious opportunity, or shall prove better disposed thereto: in the mean time with Solomon's fluggard, Yet, fay Prov. vi. 10 they, a little fleep, a little flumber, a little folding of the hands: let us but neglect this duty, let us but fatisfy this appetite, let us but enjoy this bout of pleasure; hereafter, God willing, we mean to be more careful, we hope that we shall become more fober: fo like bad debtors, when our confcience dunneth us, we always mean, we always promise to pay; if she will stay awhile, fhe fhall, we tell her, be fatisfied; or like vain spendthrifts, we see our estate fly, yet presume that it will hold out, and at length we shall reserve enough for our use. Eis aupiov Tà σяedaia, Plut. in PeLet ferious bufinefs ftay till the morrow, was a faying that lop coft dear to him who faid it; yet we in our greatest concerns follow him.

crede mihi,

fapientis di

vam. Mart.

But how fallacious, how dangerous, and how mischiev- Non eft, ous this manner of proceeding is; how much better and more advisable it is, after the example propounded in our cere, vitext, speedily to betake ourselves unto the discharge of. 16. our debt and duty to God, the following confiderations will plainly declare.

a

Recognofce fingulos, confidera univerfos, nullius non vita fpectat in craftinum; non enim vivunt, fed victuri funt. Sen. Ep. 45.

SERM. 1. We may confider, that the observance of God's comXLVIII. mandments (an observance of them proceeding from an

13.

habitual difpofition of mind, in a conftant tenor of practice) is our indifpenfable duty, our main concernment, our only way to happiness; the neceffary condition of our attaining falvation; that alone, which can procure God's love and favour toward us; that unto which all real blessings here, and all bliss hereafter, are infeparably annexed: Eccl. xii. Fear God, and keep his commandments, for this is the whole of man; (the whole duty, the whole defign, the whole perfection, the fum of our wisdom, and our happiness.) Matt. xix. If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments: The Pfal. xi. 7. righteous Lord loveth righteoufnefs; his countenance doth Prov. xv. 9. behold the upright: God will render to every man according to his works: thefe are oracles indubitably clear, and infallibly certain; these are immovable terms of justice between God and man, which never will, never can be reMatt. v. 18. laxed; being grounded on the immutable nature of God, Luke xvi. and eternal reafon of things: if God had not decreed, if Pfal. cxix. he had not faid these things, they would yet affuredly be

27.

Rom. ii. 6.

17.

15.

true; for it is a foul contradiction to reason, that a man ever should please God without obeying him; it is a gross absurdity in nature, that a man fhould be happy without being good; wherefore all the wit in the world cannot devise a way, all the authority upon earth (yea, I dare fay, even in heaven itself) cannot establish a condition, befide faithful obfervance of God's law, that can fave, or make us happy: from it there can be no valid difpenfation, without it there can be no effectual abfolution, for it there can be no acceptable commutation; nor, in defect thereof, will any faith, any profeffion, any trick or pretence whatever, avail or fignify any thing: whatever expedient to supply its room fuperftition, mistake, craft, or prefumption may recommend, we shall, relying thereon, be certainly deluded. If therefore we mean to be saved, (and are we fo wild as not to mean it?) if we do not renounce felicity, (and do we not then renounce our wits?) to become virtuous, to proceed in a courfe of obedience, is a work that neceffarily must be performed: and why

then should we not inftantly undertake it? wherefore do SERM. we demur or stick at it? how can we at all reft quiet, XLVIII. while an affair of fo vaft importance lieth upon our hands, or until our mind be freed of all uncertainty and fufpenfe about it? Were a probable way fuggefted to us of acquiring great wealth, honour, or pleasure, fhould we not quickly run about it? could we contentedly fleep, till we had brought the bufinefs to a fure or hopeful iffue? and why with less expedition or urgency fhould we pursue the certain means of our prefent fecurity and comfort, of our final falvation and happiness? In doing fo, are we not ftrangely inconfiftent with ourselves?

3.

Again, difobedience is the certain road to perdition; that which involveth us in guilt and condemnation, that which provoketh God's wrath and hatred against us, that which affuredly will throw us into a state of eternal forrow and wretchedness: The foolish fhall not stand in God's Pfal. v. 5. fight; he hateth all the workers of iniquity: If ye do not Luke xiii. repent, ye shall perish: The wicked shall be turned into hell, Pfal. ix. 17. and all the people that forget God: The unrighteous fhall 1 Cor. vi. 9. not inherit the kingdom of God: The wicked shall go into Matt. xxv. everlasting punishment: thefe are denunciations no lefs 46. vii. 21. fure than severe, from that mouth, which is never opened in vain; from the execution whereof there can be no fhelter or refuge. And what wise man, what man in his right fenfes, would for one minute ftand obnoxious to them? Who, that anywife tendereth his own welfare, would move one step forward in fo perilous and deftructive a courfe? the farther in which he proceedeth, the more he discosteth from happiness, the nearer he approacheth to ruin.

In other cafes common fenfe prompteth men to proceed otherwife; for who, having rendered one his enemy, that far overmatcheth him, and at whofe mercy he ftandeth, will not instantly fue to be reconciled? Who, being seized by a pernicious disease, will not hafte to seek a cure? Who, being fallen into the jaws of a terrible danger, will not nimbly leap out thence? And such plainly is our case: while we perfist in fin, we live in enmity and defiance with

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