needs convince us that we should be stedfast, and unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.' O hearken, thou sleepy slothful Christian, doth not God call, and conscience call, 'Awake, and up, and be doing, man! for it is for heaven!' Hearken, thou negligent lazy Christian! do not God and conscience call out to thee, O man, make haste and mend thy pace, it is for heaven!' Hearken, thou cowardly faint-hearted Christian! do not God and conscience call out to thee, Arm man, and see thou stand thy ground; do not give back, nor look behind thee; but fall on, and fight in the strength of Christ; for it is for the crown of endless glory!' O what a heart hath that man that will not be heartened with such calls as these! methinks the very name of God and heaven should awaken you and make you stir, if there be any stirring power within you. Remissness in worldly matters hath an excuse, for they are but trifles; but slackness in the matters of salvation is made inexcusable by the greatness of those matters. O let the noble greatness of your hopes appear in the resolvedness, exactness, and diligence of your lives.

4. Consider also, that it is not only low and smaller mercies that you receive from God, but mercies innumerable, and inestimable, and exceeding great; and, therefore, it is not cold affections. and dull endeavours that you should return to God for all these mercies. Mercy brought you into the world, and mercy hath nourished you and bred you up, and mercy hath defended and maintained you, and plentifully provided for you-your bodies live

upon it-your souls were recovered by it-it gave you your being-it rescued you from misery-it saveth you from sin and Satan, and yourselves-all that you have at present, you hold by it-all that you can hope for, for the future, must be from it— it is most sweet in quality—what sweeter to miserable souls than mercy? It is exceeding great in quantity. The mercy of the Lord is in the heavens, and his faithfulness reacheth to the clouds. His righteousness is like the great mountains; his judgments are a great deep.' 'O how great is his goodness which he hath laid up for them that fear him; which he hath wrought for them that trust in him before the sons of men!' • His mercy is great unto the heavens, and his truth unto the clouds.' And O what an insensible heart hath he that doth not understand the voice of all this wondrous mercy! doubtless it speaketh the plainest language in the world; commanding great returns from us of love, and praise, and obedience, to the bountiful bestower of them. With David we must say, 'Blessed be the Lord; for he hath shewed me his marvellous kindness in a strong city. O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth all the faithful.' And, again, 'Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name. I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart; and I will glorify thy name for evermore. For great is thy mercy towards me; and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.' Unspeakable mercies must needs be felt in deep impressions, and be so savory with the gracious

soul, that methinks it should work us to the highest resolutions ;-unthankfulness is a crime that heathens did detest; and it is exceeding great unthankfulness if we have not exceeding great love and obedience, under such exceeding great and many mercies as we possess.

5. Consider that they are exceeding great helps and means that you possess to further your holiness and obedience to God; and, therefore, your holiness and obedience should also be exceeding great. You have all the book of nature to instruct you; every creature may teach you God, and calls loud upon you to persuade your hearts yet nearer to him; every work of disposing providence is an instructor and persuader of you; every leaf and line of Scripture is a guide or spur to you; you have ministers able and willing to help you; you have the help of the communion of saints; the help of the examples of the good; and the warnings of the judgments of God upon the wicked; the helps of sermons; the helps of sacraments; the helps of prayer, and holy meditation, and conference; mercies to encourage you; afflictions to excite you: what more would you have? and yet will you be infants, and do no more with all your helps? But this I touched upon before.

6. It is an exceeding great necessity that is upon you, and therefore your resolutions should be exceeding high, and your diligence exceeding great; for all you are converted, your salvation lieth yet upon your stability and perseverance. Christ hath reconciled you in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy, and unblameable, and

unreproveable in his sight; if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard.' (Col. i. 22, 23.) God will not be an accepter of persons, you must stick to his terms if you will par

take of his salvation! He will not make two words with you; he hath told you what he expecteth of you; and that he will have. Death will not be bribed, nor put by-judgment is coming on there is no shifting out of the hands of God-and, under such pressing necessities as these, what Christians should we be! how stable and abundant in faith and righteousness!

7. It is a great account that you have to make, and therefore a great preparation that should be made. When you shall be brought before the living God, and all your times, and thoughts, and ways, must be called over, and you see what follows, and are waiting for the final doom, then there will be no dull thoughts in your hearts; all will be then lively, and quite above this careless frame. Then even the wicked will have strong desires, 'O that we had taken another course-that we had but prevented this dreadful doom, whatever it had cost us!' And should not believers now be awakened to great and careful preparations for such a day as this?

8. For trifles here are great endeavours used: to climb up into honour or riches in the world; to satisfy the flesh; to lay up a treasure on earth, and labour for the meat that perisheth. O what endeavours then should be used for the heavenly everlasting treasure!

9. Consider also how forward and diligent should those men be that are sure they can never go too high, nor be too diligent, when they have done their best; nay, that are certain that the best do come so abundantly short, that they must after sit down and lament that they were no better. O there is not the holiest saint on earth but will confess, with lamentation, how little his love to God is, in comparison of what it should be! how short all falls below our duty-below the glorious majesty of God-below the precious love of Christ-below the worth of precious souls-below the weight of endless glory-below the mercies that should warm our hearts below the great necessity that is on usand, consequently, below their own desires. Look therefore after greater things while you may attain them.

10. Lastly, Consider what abundance of great engagements are on you that are sincere believers, more than upon others.

(1.) You are more nearly related to Christ than any others are, and therefore you should be more tender of offending him, and more eminent in love and service to him. You are his household servants, and will you not labour for him and stick to him? you are his friends, and should a friend abuse himshould not a friend be faithful? You are his dear adopted children, and his spouse; and should not you be faithful to the death-should not all the love and service that you have be his?

(2.) You have bound yourselves to him by more serious frequent vows and covenants than other men