Page images
PDF
EPUB

Management of State-affairs, than those who firft mind Earth, and Heaven when they have nothing else to do; for his Principles lead him fo to carry himself to Man, as not to affront his God, as to advise his King to nothing but what is truly great and glorious, and beneficial for the Realm he governs: And, as a Prince may confide in fuch a Perfon more than in a sensual Man, so he hath reafon to believe, that all things will profper better in his Hand,than in the others, because he first seeks the Honour of God, and then the Happiness of his King, and the Honour of that Nation he is a Member of; which is a thing fo pleafing to God, that there is nothing more frequent with him, than to bless fuch honeft Endeavours, and to crown them with Success and Prosperity.

And certainly, he that can confider, how to keep himself from the everlafting Evil, may with greater Eafe prevent temporal Mischief and Danger, which depend upon the Imprudence of his Actions; he that can row against the Stream, may with great Facility row with it; he that can chearfully go up the Hill, will find no great Difficulty in going down; he that can do that which his Nature hath more than ordinary Averfion from, may more easily do that which his Nature hath a strong Byafs and Inclination to: And he, whofe Mind will ferve him to turn away the ever burning Wrath of Almighty God, cannot want Judgment and Prudence to prevent the Wrath and Anger of those Men he converses withal: And he that can, by serious Confideration, make sure of a Seat in Heaven, cannot

Bb 3

Want

want Power to confider, how to manage the Estate God hath given him in this World, to God's Glory, and his Neighbour's Good: And though Men, that are very confiderate in their Soul-concerns, do not always use that Prudence we have mentioned in the Concerns of this prefent World; yet it is fufficient, that if they will make use of that Light, and those Arguments, which their Reason, thus improved by Confideration, doth furnish them withal, they may moft certainly arrive to this Wisdom and Difcretion, in fecular Concerns and Bufineffes, which we have been speaking of. Indeed, it's very rational, that he that exercises his Reafon much, and examines the Nature, Ends, Caufes, Circumftances and Confequences of Things, as he must do, that feriously confiders the things that belong unto his everlasting Peace, would arrive to more than ordinary Wifdom in other things; and that he that's prudent in the greater, should be able to proceed prudently in leffer Matters; that he who is faithful in much, Should be faithful in a little alfo; and that he who is juft in the true Riches, should be very just in the Mammon of unrighteousness too, as we read Luke 16. 10, H.

CHAP.

CHAP. VII.

A pathetical Exhortation to Men, who are yet Strangers to a ferious religious Life, to confi der their ways; the wilfulness of their neglect, how dangerous it is; how inexcufable they are, bow inhuman to God, and their own Souls; how reasonable God's requests are, and how justly God may turn that power of Confideration he bath given them, into blindness and hardness of heart, fince they make fo ill a use of it, &c.

A

ND now, Reader, whoever thou art, that doft yet wallow, or allow thy felf in any known Sin, and art not fincerely refolved to clofe with the terms of Chrift's Eternal Gospel, let me adjure thee, by the Mercies of God, not to reject, or fuperciliously to despise what here we have propofed. As thou art a Man, and oweft civility to all Creatures that have the fignature of Man upon them, be but fo kind and civil to this Difcourfe, as to allow it some serious thoughts. Either thou haft a rational Soul, or thou haft not; if thou haft, let me entreat thee, by the Bowels of Jefus, to confider, whether this prefent World be all the Sphere that God intended it fhould move in; if it be not, and if how to secure the happiness of the World to come, be the chief thing this thy Soul is defigned for, Why wilt thou fruftrate God in his expectation? Why wilt thou go contrary to all Creatures, B b 4

and

and wilt not profecute the end for which thy Soul was made, and fhed into thy Body? That there is fuch a thing as a Life to come, and an Eternity of Joy and Torment; the one promised to a strict and heavenly Converfation, the other threatned to a loofe and carelefs, or fenfual Life, cannot be call'd into question by him, that shall impartially reflect upon the Premifes: It's certain, the things which concern that other Life, are not discovered by our Senfes, and therefore thou canst not hope to be affected with them that way. It's thy Reafon only that can and must apprehend that future State, and fo apprehend it, as to work upon thy Affections. But which way is it poflible thy reason should so apprehend it, as to fright thee from thy evil Courses, except it be improv'd by Confideration? Sinner,I do here, in the prefence of God, conjure thee by all that's Good and Holy, by the interest and welfare of thine own Soul, by all the Laws of Self-interest, by the Revelations of the Son of God, by all that God ever did for Mankind, by that love which tranfcends the understandings of Men and Angels, by the groans of those miferable Souls which are now in Hell, by all the joys of Paradife, by the teftimony of thine own Confcience, by all the motions of God's Spirit in thy Heart, by all the Mercies thou doft receive from Heaven, by that Allegiance thou oweft to God, by that faithfulness thou oweft to thine own Soul; I do'most ferioufly conjure thee to tell me, whether thou art not able to confider the evil of thy Courses, the beauty of God's Ways,and the fad confequences of fenfuality; thou denieft thy own Being, denieft

deniest God's Favour to thy Soul, denieft the Glory of thy Creation, denieft the most visible and the most apparent thing in the World, if thou denieft thy Ability in this Point; and if thou art able to confider fo much, What injuftice can it be in God to demand an account of this Confideration? Wherein doth he do thee an Injury, if he demand what thou haft done with this Power? Wert thou in God's ftead, would'st not thou require the fame account of thy Servant, on whom thou hadst bestowed such a Talent? If thou art able and wilt not take thy finfulness into serious Confideration, can there be any thing more juft in the World than thy Damnation? How easie were it for thee to lay home the danger thou art in; and feeing it is fo eafie, How juft is it with God to let thee perish in that danger, thou art refolv'd, in defpight of all God's Endeavours to the contrary, to fall and fink into? O Chriftian, how dreadful will it be for thee, when Christ shall depart from thee, with this doleful exclamation, How often would I have gathered thee, as a Hen doth gather her Chickens under her Wings, and thou wouldeft not? Wouldeft not? This is it that makes thy everlasting torments just. O Sinner, that God fhould invite thee to Heaven, and thou put him off with this Answer, I will not! That God fhould carefs thee to become his Darling, and thou voluntarily and freely lift thy felf in the Catalogue of the Devil's Favourites and Votaries! That God fhould leave no means untried, to melt thy ftubborn Heart, and thou desperately fight against his Heaven! And when he would thruft thee into it, violently

break

« PreviousContinue »