20 Behold I [stand] at the door, and knock, &c
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Tanctify thee; in a word, he is that day made ofGodtothee Wisdom, righteousness, sanctification,and redemption," i Cor
"All is yours, for yeare Christ's, and Christ is God's,"
Cor.iii. ult. And thus I have shewed you some of those greatthingsGoddoth for those souls that will but do this one
1. 30.
ا thing for him, viz. open their hearts to receive Christ upon the tenders and terms of the gospel.
に SERMON IV.
REV. iii. 20. Behold I [Stand ] at the door and knock, &c.
THEverb15 here rendered1stand, is of thepreter tense, and would strictly be rendered I have food ; but being joined with averb of the present tense, is here rendered I do
A and, afrequentHebraism in scripture : And it notes the con-
tinued patience and long-suffering of Christ ; I have stood and still do stand, exercising wonderful patience towards obstinate sinners. Which gives us this fourth observation.
Doct. 4. That great and admirable is the patience of Christ, in waiting upon trifling and obstinatefinners.
Thus wisdom, i. e. Christ expresses himself, Prov. i. 24. " I " have called and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand,
" and no man regarded."
Here you have not only Christ's earnest calls, but suitable gestures also, to gain attention . The : stretching out of the hand was a signal given to procure attention, Acts xxi. 40.
Yet none regards; and this the Lord doth not once or twice, but all the day long, Ifa. lxv. 2. shewing forth all long-suffering, as the apostle speaks, 1 Tim. i. 16.
In the opening of this point I will shew you, 1. What divine patience is.
2. Wherein it is evidenced.
3. Why it is exercised towards sinners.
First, Of the nature of divine patience; it is an ability in God not only to delay the execution of his wrath for a time towards some, but to delay it in order to the eternal salvation of others.
Let me speak to the parts of this description of divine patience.
1. It is an ability of power in God, not the effect of impotence, or want of opportunity: All sinners are continually within the reach of the arm of his justice, and he can strike
Mmm 2
England'sDuty. when, andwherehewill. Esau hadarevengefulmind against Jacob, but wanted opportunity, and therefore was forced to delay the execution of his conceived wrath, until the days for mourning for his father were come; and then faith he, " I will slay my brother Jacob," Gen. xxvii. 41.
But in God it is a glorious effect of power, Nah. i. 3. " The Lord is flow to anger, and great in power."
The greatness of his patience flows from the greatness of his power: So the apostle speaks, Rom. ix. 22. "What, if " God willing toshew his wrath, andtomakehispower known,
" endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath, fitted, " or made up to destruction ? " And therefore when Moses prays for the exercise of divine patience towards the provoking Ifraelites, he doth it in this form,Numb.xiv. 17, 18."And " now I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying, the Lord is long-suffer- " ing," &c. He could exercise this Almighty power upon thee, and crush thee by it as a moth is crushed; but behold he exercises it upon himself, in stopping the propenfions of his own justice, which daily follicit him to cut thee off; it is the power of God over his wrath, bridling and restraining it from day to day.
2. This patience is exercised toward such as perish, in a temporary delay of their damnation; and though this be but a mere suspension of his wrath for a time, yet it is a glorious act of patience in him, as that forecited text, Rom. ix. 22. shews.
Is it nothing fora finnercondemnedas soon as born, to be reprieved fo many years out of hell ? Thou hast been provoking him daily, and hourly, to cut thee off, and send thee tothyown place; and yet to be on this side the everlasting burnings, this is wholly owing to the riches of his forbearance.
Ah, how is God to be admired in this his glorious power over his own wrath! when we look abroad into the world, and fee everywhere sinners ripe for destruction,daring the God of heaven to his face, yet for born, how admirable is this power of God!
3. God doth not only exercise this power in a temporary suspension of his wrath against some, who, alas, must feel it at last ; but he delays the execution of his wrath in a design of mercy towards others, that they may never feel it, Isa. xlviii . 8, 9.
Thus he bears with his own elect, all the years of their lives wherein they lay in the state of nature, and went on ina course of rebellion against God; and this long suffering ofGodtowards them proves their salvation, as you
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have it in 2Pet. iii. 15. " And account that the long-suffering " of our Lord is salvation."
What is the meaning of that ?
Ah, Christian, thou mayest easily know the meaning of it, without turning over many Commentaries ; thou art now in Christ, safely escaped out of the danger of wrath to come ; but thou owest this thy salvation to the patience and long-suffering of God towards thee.
For what if he had cut thee off in the daysofthy ignorance and rebellion against him (and thou knowest thou didst give him millions of provocations so to do) where hadst thou now been ? Thou hadst never seen Christ, nor the least dawning hope ofsalvationbyhim. Remember how oftyou lay in those days upon beds of sickness upon the brink of the grave; what was it that saved thee from eternal wrath, but
this admirable patience of Christ ? Well, therefore, may the apostle say," Account the long-suffering ofGodtobesalvation."
This patience of God seems to be a branch springing out of his mercy and goodness; only it differs from mercy in this, that man as miserable is the object of mercy, but man as criminal is the object of patience.
Thus briefly of the nature of divine patience, a power of God over his own wrath, not only to suspend it for a time towards them that perish, but to delay the execution of it in a design of salvation towards others.
Secondly, Next we come to shew the various evidences of this divine patience, or wherein it appears in its glorious manifestations towards provoking sinners; and there are seven full evidences and discoveries of it, which should make the hearts of sinners melt within them, whilst they are founding in their ears.
Ah, methinks, such things as these should meltdown your hard hearts before the Lord!
1. And the first evidence of the riches of his patience shall be taken from the multitude of fins that men and women are guilty of before him, the least of which is a burden too heavy for any creature to bear; the Pfalmist saith, Psal. xl. 12. "In- " numerable evils have compassed me about."
It was true, as applied to the person of David; and though it be there applied to the person of Christ, yet not oneofthem were his own fins, but ours; called his, by God's reckoning or imputing them to him. Men can number vast sums, millions of millions, but no mancannumber his own fins, they pass all account.
There is not a member of the body, though never so small, but hath been the instrument of innumerable evils.
For instance, the tongue, the apostle tells us, is a world of iniquity, Jam. iii. 6.
And if there be a world of fin in one member, what then are the fins of all? How many idle, frothy, vain words, hath thy
England'sDuty. tongue uttered? And yet for them, Christ saith, "Men shall "give an account in the day of judgment," Mat. xii. 36. And what have the sins of thy thoughts been ? " The thoughts of " foolishness is fin," (faith Solomon,) Prov.xxiv. 9. O, who canunderstandhis errors? Yet the patienceofGodhath not failed under such innumerable evils. O glorious patience ! well may it be ushered in the text with a term of admiration, Behold,
Iftand!
2. The second evidence ofthedivinepatience shall be taken from the heinous nature of some fins above others, whereby sinners fly, as it were, in the very face of God; and yet he bears with long-suffering, lets not loose his hands to cut them off.
Allfinsare not of one size; some have a flighter tincture, and some are deeper; called upon that account scarletandcrimson
Lins, Ifa. i. 18. double dyed abominations, fins in grain; such are sins against knowledge, sins committedafterconvictions, and covenants, and rebukes of providence.
Ido not only speak of outward gross acts off in; for as the school-men well determine, though outward fins are sins of greater infamy, yet inward fins maybe sins of greater guilt: even those fins that never took air to defame thee in the world: but whatever they be (reader) whether outward, or inward, thy conscience is privy to them, and thy soul may stand amazed at the patience of God, in forbearing thee all this while,under such provocations, and horrid rebellions against him; especially, confideringhow many there be this day in hell that never provoked God by fioningwith fuchan high hand as thou hast done.
3. It is yet a greater evidence of the patience of God, in bearing with, and forbearing us under the guilt of that special fin, viz. The flighting and neglecting of Jesus Christ : here isa fin that goes to the very heart of Jesus Christ ; he can bear any other fin rather than that; and yet this hath Christ born from every soul of you. You are the men and women that have spurned at the yearning bowels of his mercies, flighted his grace, trampled his precious blood underfoot, and yet he hath
+ for born you unto this day; read Mat. xxii. 5. and let thy conscience answer, whether thou art not equally deep in the guilt of making light of Christ with those wretches upon whom it is there charged.
Christ hath suffered the wrath of God in thy room, brought home salvation, in gospel-offers, to thy door: and then to be flighted! no patiencebuthisowncouldbear it.
Every fermonand prayer you have fat under with a dead heart ; every motion of his Spirit which you have quenched, what is this but the making light of Christ, and the great salvation !
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here the deepest project of infinite wisdom, and the richest gift of free-grace, wherein God commends his love to men, are vilelyundervalued as small things: and thus have you done days without number; and yet his hand is not stretched out, to cut thee off in thy rebellion : Who is a God like unto thee ! What patience like the patience of Christ !
4. The length of time the patience of Christ hath endured thee, speaks the perfection and riches of patience towards thee.
Confider sinner, what age thou art of, how many years thou canst number, and that all this hath beenatime of patience, for thou wast a tranfgreffor from the womb, Ifa. xlviii. 8, 9. yet for his name fake hath he deferred his anger, and hath not cut thee off. How soon did the wrath of God break forth upontheangelswhenthey finned in heaven! And how long hath itbornewith thee, whilst thou hast been provoking him on earth ? Was there ever patience like the patience of God! Ma by thousands have been sent away to hell since thy day, but thou art yet spared; O that the long-suffering of God might be salvation to thee !
5. It is a great evidence of the power of divine patience that may be drawn from the grievousness of our fins to God, during thewholetimeofhis forbearance : it is true, there is no proper passioninthedivinenature, norealperturbation, his anger is a mild and holy flame; yet the contrariety of fin to the holiness of his nature is what makes his patience miraculous in the eyes of men. The scripture speaking ina condescending language to the understanding of the creature, represents God as wounded to the heart by the fins of men; so in Ezek. vi. 9. " I am
" broken with their whorish heart, which hath departed from " me;" andAmos ii. 13. " Behold I am pressed under you, as a cart is prefsedthat is full of sheaves," when the axle-tree is ready to crack under the load: and 2Chron. xxxvi. 16. it is said, " The wrath of the Lord arose against his people till
" there was no remedy;" his patience would bear no longer, and therefore when he executes his wrath upon provoking sinners, that execution is represented in the nature of an ease or relief to his burdened patience and justice, Isa. i.24. " Ah, faith
"he, I will ease me of my enemies, and avenge me ofmyad- " versaries."
Yet, observe, it comes in with an (ab)with a kind of regret and reluctancy; so in Isa. x. 25.
Yet a very " little while and the indignation shall cease, and my anger is " in their destruction." God could have given ease and rest this way to his anger long ago, but he chuses rather still to bear with thee, thanonthese terms to ease himselfofthee.
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Evidence6. The vast expences of his richesandbountyupon us, during the whole time of his forbearance and patience towards us, speak him unconceivable and infinite in his long-fufferingtowards us, Rom. ii. 4, 5. " Despisest thou the riches of " his goodness, and forbearance, and long-suffering, not know- " ing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance ?" q. d. Vile sinner, canst thou compute the treasures of bounty and goodness, thou hast been riotously spending and wasting all this while ? Dost thou know what vast sums Christ hath spent upon thee to preserve thee so long out of hell? There be two treasures spending upon sinners all the time of God's forbearance of them; there is the precious treasure of thy time wasted, and the invaluable streams of gospel-grace running all this while at the waste spout: thy time is precious ; the whole of thy time, which is betwixt thee and eternity, is but little, and the most thereof has been wasted in fin, and cast away upon vanity : but that is not all, the treasures of gospel-grace have been wafting all this while upon thee. In Zech. iv. 12. it is compared to golden oil, maintaining the lamps ofordinances ; so it is set forth to us in that stately emblem. Who would maintain a lamp with golden oil for wanton children to play by? Yet this hath God done while thy soul hath dallied and trifled with him.
The witnesses and ministers of Christ, in Rev. xi. 3, 4. are compared to those olive-trees that drop their precious oil, their gifts, graces, yea, and their natural spirits with them, into this lamp, to keep it burning; all this while the blood of Christ hath been running in vain, the ministers of Christ preaching and beseeching in vain, the Spirit of Christ striving with you in vain.
You burn away golden oil, and yet your lamp is not gone out. O marvellous patience ! O the riches of God's forbearance !
7. Lastly, The riches of divine patience towards you, are greatly heightened and aggravated by the quick dispatch the Lordhathmadeofother sinners, whilst he hath spared and past over you.
This comparative consideration calls upon you in the apostle's language, Rom. xi. 22." Behold the goodness and " severity of God ; on them which fell, severity; but towards
"thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness, otherwise " thou shalt be cut off."
Some sinners have been cut off in the beginning of their days, many in the very acts of fin, and those not greater than thy fins; they are gone to their own place, and thou still left for a monument of the patience and forbearance of God. The fin ofAchanwas not a greater fin than thy covetousness, and the earthliness of thy heart is; the
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fin of Nadab andAbihu, in offering up strange fire, than thy superstition, and offering up uncommanded services to God : yetthehand of God fell upon them, and smote them dead in the place; in the day and place wherein they fianed, they perished; they were taken away in their iniquities, but thou reserved. O that it might be for an instance and example of the riches of divine patience, which may at last lead thee to repentance!
Thus I havegivenyou seven evidences of the wonderful patience of Christ, who hath stood, and still doth stand at the door and knock.
Next we will enquire into the grounds and reasons of this marvellous patience of Christ, this astonishing long-suffering of God towards fioners; and there are divers obvious reasons of the long-suffering ofGodtowards men.
Reason, 1. The exercise of his patience is a standing testimony of his reconcile able and merciful nature towards sinful man .
This he shewed forth in his patience toward Paul, a great example of his merciful nature, for a pattern to them that should hereafter believe on him, I Tim. i. 16. The long-suffering of God is a special part of his manifestative glory; and therefore when Moses desired a fight of his glory, Exod. xxxiv. 6. he proclaims his name, " The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and " gracious, long-suffering,and abundant in goodness and truth."
He would have poor sinners look towards him as an at on able Deity, a God willing to be reconciled, a God that retaineth not his anger for ever; but if poor sinners will take hold of his
strength, and make peace with him, they may have peace, Isa. xxvii. 4.
This long-suffering is an attribute very expressive of the divine nature; he is willing sinners should know, whatever their provocations have been, there is room for pardon and peace, if they will yet come in to accept the terms.
This patience is a diadem belonging to the imperial crown of heaven ; the Lord glories in it, as what is peculiar to himself, Hos. xi.
9." I will not execute the fierceness of my anger; for I am "God and not man :" q. d.
Had I been as man, the holiest, meekest, and mortifiedst man upon earth, I had consumed them long ago ; but I am God, and not man, my patience is above all created patience; nohusbandcan bear with his wife, no parent with his child, as God hath borne with you. That is one reason of Christ's waiting upon triffing sinners, to give proof of his gracious, merciful, and reconcile able nature towards the worst of sinners .
Reason 2. The Lord exercises this admirable patience towards
VOL . IV.
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England'sDuty. sinners, with design thereby to leadthemtorepentance; that is the direct aim and intention of it.
The Lord desires, and delights to fee, ingenuous relentings and brokenness of heart for fin; and there isnothinglikehis forbearance, and patience, for promoting such an evangelical repentance. Alltheterrorsofthe law will not break the heart of a sinner, as the patience and long-suffering of God will do; therefore it is said, Rom. ii. 4.
" That the goodness, forbearance and long-suffering of God " lead men to repentance:" these are fitted to work upon all those principles of humanity, which inclinemento repentance; reason, conscience, gratitude, feel the influences of the goodness of God herein, and melt under it ; Saul's heart relented in this case, I Sam. xxiv. 17. " Is this thy voice, my son David ?
" and Saul lift up his voice, and wept: and he said to David, " Thou art more righteous than I, for thou hast rewarded me
" good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil."
Thus the goodness and forbearance ofGoddoth, as it were, take a sinner by the hand, leads him into a corner, and faith, come, let thou and I talk together; thus and thus vilehaft thou been, and thus and thus long-suffering and merciful have I been to thee ; thy hearthathbeen full off in, the heart of thy God hath been full of pity and mercy: This puts the sinner into tears, breaks his heart in pieces; ifanythingintheworld will melt a hard heart, this will do it. Ohow good hathGodbeento me ! How have
I tried his patience to the uttermost, and still he waiteth to be gracious, and is exalted that he may have compassion; the fobs and tears, the ingenuous thaws andrelentings ofa sinner's heart, under the apprehenfions of the sparing mercy and goodness of God, is the music of heaven.
Reason 3. The Lord exercises this long-suffering towards sinners, to clear his justice in the damnation of all the obstinate retusers of Christ and mercy.
Christ waits at our doors now, that he may be clear in his sentence against us hereafter.- This patience of Christ takes away all apologies and pleas out of the mouths of impenitent sinners; the more Christ's patience hath been, the less defence or plea they will have for themselves.
Think with thyself, sinner, what wilt thou answer in the great day, when Christ shall say, Did not I stand at thy door from day today, from Sabbath to Sabbath, from year to year, calling, wooing, persuading thee to be reconciled, and accept pardon and mercy in the proper season of them, and, thou wouldst not ? Rev. ii. 21. " I gave her space to repent, and the " repented not."
Well, the Lord gives you time now, a space of repentance, such a space as millions of fouls, gone out of
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time intoamiferable eternity, never had.
With whomsoever Christ hath been quick and severe, to be furehehathnotbeen so with you .
This time of Christ's patience will be evidence enough to clear Christ and condemn you ; men and angels small applaud the sentence as dreadful as it is, and say, righteous art thou, O Lord, injudgingthus.
Reason4. The Lord draws forth and exercises his admirable patience towards sinners for the continuation and propagation of the church.
The church must be continued and propagated from age to age; and if God should be quick in cutting off finnersas foonas ever they provoke him, Whence should the elect of God rise in this world ! There are thousands of God's elect in the loinsofGod's enemies. Many that will heartily embrace
Christ, must rise from such as reject him.
Now ifGodshouldcutofftheseinthebeginningoftheirprovocations, How should the church be continued? Where had good Abijah and Hezekiah been, if wicked Jeroboam and Ahaz had beencutoffin their first transgressions ? The Lord suffers manyawicked parent to stand for a time under his patience; because children are to spring from them who will obey and embracethatChrist whom their wicked parents rejected: yea, the wicked do not only propagate the church, but are useful to preserve and defend it: as the useless chaff is a defence to the wheat.
Rev. xii. 16. " The earth shall help the woman."
Reason 5. To conclude,The Lord exerciseth this long-suffering towards sinners, in a gracious condescension to the prayers of his people. "Were it not that the Lord had left a small
" remnant, we had been as Sodom, we had been like unto
" Gomorrah," Ifa. i. 9.
The prayers and interceffions of the saints are a fkreen betwixt wicked men and the wrath of God for a time, Job xxii.
30. The innocent preserve the island. The world stands by the prayers of the saints; what multitudes of rebellious, Chriftdespising sinners swarm this day in every part of this nation?
Such as declare, by their open practice, they will not have Christ to reign over them, who contemn his offers, despise his messengers ; but blessed be God, yea, and let them bless him too, that there are others mourning to the Lord for them, beseeching his forbearance towards them.
Little do the wicked knowhow much they are beholden to the prayers of the saints .
These and such like realons prevailwiththeLord Jesus to stand in awaiting, patient posture, at the doors of sinners. Ah, how
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England's Duty. loath is he to give them up! We now proceed to the uses of this point by way of, 1. Information.
2. Exhortation.
3. Consolation.
Use 1. And First, This point will be very fruitful for information of our understandings in divers great and useful points, both doctrinal and practical, wherein every foul among you is deeply concerned ; and, therefore, I beseech you, let them be heard and pondered with an answerable attention and seriousness of spirit: And the first inference shall be this.
Infer. 1. If the Lord Jesus do exercise such admirable patience towards sinners, Then how much better is it for poorfinners to be in the hands of Christ, than in the hands of the best and holiest man in the world ? O sinner, it is better for thee to fall into the hands of the meek and merciful Jesus, than into the hands of the dearest friend thou hast upon earth; no creature can bear what Christ bears ; no patience like the patience of Christ : It
: is said of Moses, Numb xi. 12. "Now the man Moses was " meek above all men upon the face of the earth."
There was never such am an born into the world, for patience, meekness,and long-suffering, asMofeswas; and yet, for all that, this mirror of meekneis could not bear the provocations of, Israel :
You rebels, faith he, must I'draw water for you out of the rock ?
Thus was his spirit ruffled with the provocations ofIfrael, and this loft him the land of Canaan.
Jonah was a good man, a prophet of the Lord; yet because the Lord would not be fo quick and severe with Nineveh, as Jonah would have had him, in what uncomely language doth his angry foul returnuponhis
God? Jonah iv. 2. " O Lord, (faith he) was not this my say- " ing when I was yet in my country ? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish, for I knew thou wert a gracious God and merciful, flow to anger, and ofgreatkindness, and repentest thee of the evil ; therefore now, O Lord, take, I beseech thee, my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to " live:" q. d.
Ah, Lord, I knew it would come to this, I knew thy gracious nature, how inclinable thou art to mercy, and that upon the first appearance of their repentance, thou wouldst repent of the evil, and so free-grace would make me as "
a liar among them.
Nay, give me leave to speak a higher word than all this, and let it not seem strange, that the patience of the glorified faints in heaven is nothing to the patience of Christ towards provoking sinners upon earth . Those glorified fouls that be above, though they have patience, among other graces, perfected in its kind, yet till it is but created, finite patience, and it cannot bear
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what Christ's patience bears : Take an instance of it out of Rev. vi. 9, 10, 11. " I saw under the altar the souls of those
* that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony " which they held ; and they cried with a loud voice, saying,
" How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost not thou judge and " avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth : And it
" was said unto them, That they should rest for a little season."
Here you fee glorified souls less able to bear the flow pace of justice towards their enemies, than Christ was.
It is true, here was no sinful impatience, but yet a patience short of Christ's infinite patience. Ah, if you were to depend upon the patience of any creature in heaven or earth, you had worn it out long ago.
I will not execute the fierceness of my anger, for I am God and not man. Ah, it is well we have to do with God ; if a man find his enemy, will he let him go away ? I Sam. xxiv. 19.
No, no, he will reckon before he part with him.
Sinner, the Lord finds thee daily in thy fins, and yet lets thee go; yet beware thou try not his patience too far, lest vengeance overtake thee at last, and pay the justice of God with all the arrears due to his patience.'
Infer. 2. Hence it follows, that convinced and broken-hearted finnersneednot be discouraged in going to Jesus Christ for mercy,
Seeingheexercisesfuch wonderful patience towards obstinate and refufingfinners.
Thisinferencebreathes pure gospel; it is a cordial tochear the heart that is moving towards Christ with fear and trembling. It is a great artifice of the deviltodaunt, and discourage poor convinced sinners, by telling them there is no hope of mercy for them ; that they shall find the arms of mercy closed, the bowels of compassion shut up; that the time of mercy is now past, they come too late. O how busy is satan with such suggestions as these in many of your souls ?
But I am come to tell you this day, that these are but the artifices of the enemy, you are going to the fountain of mercy, patience, goodness, and long-suffering; go on, and you shall find abundantly more than you expect. He will not cast off afoul that comes mourning and panting towards him, and is willing to sub. scribe the gospel-articles of reconciliation : No, he will not shut out such a soul, whatever its rebellions and provocations have been.
Sinner, thou art going to the meek and merciful Jesus, Matth. xi. 28.
Comeuntome all ye that labour and
are heavy laden, and I will give you rest; take my yoke " upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly. " You are going to meekness and mercy itself; he is the Lamb of God,
England'sDuty. that is his name: Go on then, poor trembling sinner, don't stand any longer at, shall 1, shall 1? with Christ ; but make a bold but necessary adventure of faith; try him once, and then reportwhatyou find him to be: Certainly if he exercise such patience towards the vessels of wrath, whilst they are fitting to destruction, as he doth, Rom. ix. 22. he will not want patience for a vessel of mercy, preparing by humiliation and faith for Christ and glory. Doth he forbear those that stand in defiance, and will he fall upon those that are mourning to him upon the knee of submission ?
Shall a damned wretch, that is preparing for hell, findsomuchforbearance, and a poor brokenhearted sinner none ? It cannot be.
If Jesus Christ forbear thee when thy heart was hard as a rock, and could not yield one tear,one sigh for fin, will he execute hiswrathuponthee, will he shew thee no mercy, when thy heart is broken all to pieces with sorrow, and filled with loathing anddetestation against fin, and thyself for fin ?
Did he forbear thee when fin was thy delight? And willhedestroythee now it is thy burden?
It cannot be.
Moreover, if the Lord Jesus had not a mind to shew mercy to thy poor soul, now, now, that thine eyes are opened, and thine heart touched to the quick, why hath heforbornethe execution of his wrath so long ?
He might have taken his own time to cut you offwhenhe would, he might have made any day the execution-day: But sure, among all the days of thy life, the day of thy bumiliation, the day of thy faith, is not like to prove that day.
Again, as great and vile sinners as thyself have adventured upon the grace of Christ, and found it infinitely beyond their expectation.
These the Lord Jesus hath set forth as encouraging examples to all the broken-hearted sinners that are coming after; that they seeing how it hath faredwith their forerunners to Christ, might be encouraged to come on with the more confidence, 1 Tim. i. 16. " But I obtained mercy, that " in me first Christ might shew forth all long-suffering, for a "pattern to them that should hereafter believe on him to life
" everlasting."
Well then, shut your ears against all the whispers of satan, entertain no evil reports of Christ ; the devil loves to draw a false picture of Christ, and represent him in the most discouraging form to poor trembling sinners ; but you will not find him fo.
What can Christ say more to convince and satisfy fouls than he hath done ? He hath left the bosom of the Father, he hath taken union with thy nature, he hath poured out his soul unto death; hehathtold us, " Those that
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**come unto him, he will in no wife cast out."
Thousands are gone before us in the paths of repentance and faith, and found it according to his word; you have been spared all your life to this day of mercy. Odo not stand off now upon such weak objections.
Infer. 3. The long-suffering of Christ towardsfinners, instruct. ethand teacheth his ministers to imitate their Lord ina Chrifthke patience and long-suffering.
Christ is our pattern of patience; if he wait, much more may we: We think it much to stand from sabbath to sabbath, wooing, pleading, and inviting, and are apt to bediscouragedwhenwe fee no fruit follow.
The want of success is apt to cast us under Jeremiah's temptation, " To speak no more in his name; " and to lament with Ifaiah, " That we have laboured in vain."
It is a hard case to Audy, pray and preach, and fee all our labours return in vain.
It is not so much the expending as the returning of our labours upon us in vain, that discourageth our hearts.
Ministers would not die so fast, faith Mr. Lockier on Colof fians, nor begrayheaded so soon, did they fee the fruits of their labours upon their people. But let us look to our pattern in the text, " Behold, I stand at the door and knock."
If the mafterwait, let not the servant be weary: "The fervantofthe " Lord must not strive, but be patient toward all; waiting,
" if at anytime God will give them repentance," 2 Tim. iv.
24.
Though the beginnings be small, our latter endmaygreatly increase: Though we now fish with angles, and takeburnow one, and then another, the time may come, and we hope it is at the door, when we shall spread our nets, and inclose multitudes. Aretius, apiousdivine, comforteth himself thus, under the unfuccefsfulness of his labours, Dabit posterior at as tractabiliores fortaffe animos, mitiora pectora quam noftra ha benttempora. •Future days will afford more tractable spirits,
*and easier tempers of mind, than our present times afford.'
Beside, the fruit of our labours may spring up to a blessed harvest when we are gone, John iv. 37. One man foweth, and another reapeth; but if not, our reward will not be measured by the success, but the sincerity of our designs and labours.
Our zeal for conversion of fouls to Christ will be accepted, but our discouragement in his service will certainly displease him.
IfIfrael be not gathered, yetshallwebeglorious in the eyes of the Lord.
However, let this be a caution to you that hear us, that you cast not our souls under such difcouragements.
If I may speak the sense of others from myownexperience, then I
England's Duty. canassureyou, that the fixedness of your hearts in the ways of fin, and your untractableness to the calls of God, are a greater burden anddifcouragement to us than all the sufferings we have metwithal from the world ; yet are we contented to pray in hope, and preach in hope, encouraging ourselves (the Lord grant it be not without ground) that a crop shall yet spring up, which small make the harvest-men laugh.
Infer. 4. From the patience and long-suffering of Christ, we may learn the invaluable preciousness of souls, and the bigh esteem
Christbathfor them.
Though your souls be cheap in your own eyes, and you are contented to fell them for a trifle, for a little sensual pleasure and ease, some of you will hazard them for a shilling ; yet certainly Jesus Christ hath an high esteem of them, else he would never stand knocking with such importunity, and waiting with such wonderful patience for the salvation of them.
Christ knows their worth, though you do not; he accounts, and so should you, one of your souls more worth than the whole world, Matth. xvi. 26.
The soul of the poorest child, or meanest servant, that hears me this day, is of greater value in Christ's eye than the whole world; and he hath given three great evidences of it, ( 1.) That he thought it worth his heart blood to redeem and save it :
1 Pet. i. 19." You were not re- " deemed with silver and gold, but with the precious blood of " the Son of God."
Had they not been precious in his eyes, he would never have shed his most precious blood to ransom them.
( 2.) Were they not highly valuable in his eyes, he would never wait with such unwearied patience to save them as he doth.
He hath borne thousands of repulses, and unreasonable denials from you : Sinner, Christ hath knocked at thy door in many a sermon, in many a prayer, in many a sickness, in all which thou haft put him off, denied him, or delayed him ; yet still he continues knocking and waiting. Thou couldst not have made the poorest beggar in the world wait at thy door so long as thy Redeemer hath been made to wait, and yet he is not gone ; at this day his voice sounds in thine ears, " Behold,
" I stand at the door and knock."
Here's clear demonstration of thepreciousness of thy soul in the Redeemer's eyes. And then, lattly, when Christ ends the treaty, and gives up the fouls of men for loft, and unperfuadable, with what regret and forrowdoth he part with them !
Never did one friend part from another with such demonstrations of sorrow as Christ parteth with the souls of sinners.
The bowels of his compassion roll together; for he knows what is coming upon them, and what
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that eternal misery is into which their wilful rejection of him will cast them : In Luke xix.42. you find the Redeemer's tears wept over obstinate Jerusalem; " And when he came nigh to " the city, he wept over it, and said, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
" if thou hadst known, at least in this thy day, the things that " belong to thy peace ; but now they are hid from thine eyes."
Like unto this is that expression, Ifa. i. 24.
Ah, I will ease
" me of mine enemies," &c.
Though it be an ease to hisjuftice, yet he cannot give them up without anAh, an interjection of for row; so in Hofea xi. 8. " How shall I give thee up, Eph- " raim ? How shall I deliver thee, Judah ? "
I must do it, but how shall I go about it?
All these expressions shew the greatvalueGod hath for your souls ; and did you know it also, certainly you would not make Christ wait one hour longer.
Infer. 5. Hence it follows, That greater is the fin, andfeverer will be the condemnation of them that perish under the gospel, than of all other people in the world.
Let me speak freely tor you that hear me this day, Jesus Christ hath spent more of the riches of his patience upon you in one year, yea, in this very day, than he hath spent upon the heathen world in all the days of their lives ; they never heard of Christ, and the great salvation; they have had no calls to faith and repentance, as you have had ; don't think God hath dealt at this rate with other nations.
You have his fabbaths, ministers, calls ; he hath not dealt so with other nations, and as for these things they have notknownthem, Psal . cxlvii. 19. God hath dealt in a peculiar way with us, and these special favours will make dreadful accounts.
He told the Jews, among whom he had preached and wrought his miracles, " It would be more tolerable for Sodom
" andGomorrah in the day of judgment, than for them ; " and in his name I will tell you this day, that barbarous Indians and Americans will have a milder hell than you ; Mitius ardent :
And as the Lord told Ezekiel, chap. iii. 5, 6. " Thou art not " sent to a people of a strange speech and of a hard language,
" whose words thou canst not understand; surely had I sent " thee to them, they would have hearkened unto thee : But the " house of Israel would not hearken unto thee, for they will not " hearken unto me: For all the house of Israel are impudent
" and hard-hearted."
Ah, brethren, it is a fad truth, that the ministers of Christ have found more fruit of their labours among the Savage Americans, than in England, people born and bred up under the gospel. Had aheathenish people your fabbaths, your ministers
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England's Duty. and bibles, theywouldnot deal by Christ as you have done.
But look you to it, for certainly the severity of his justice will
at last recompence the expence of his patience : There are two glasses turned up this day, and both almost run down ; the glass of the gospel running down on earth, and the glass of Christ's patience running down in heaven.
Be sure of it, that for every sand of mercy, every drop of love that runs down in vain in this world, a drop of wrath runs into the vial of wrath which is fitting in heaven.
Infer. 6.
If Christ hath exercised such admirable patience and long-suffering towards you, before he could gain entrance into your heart; then you have all the reason in the world to exercise yourpatienceforChrist, and account all long-suffering to be your unquestionable duty. Christ was not weary in waiting upon you, be not you weary in waiting upon him, or for him. Now there are three things wherein the people of God will have much oecafion to exercise their patience with respect to Christ..
(1.) You will need a great deal of patience to wait for the returns and answers of your prayers ; you knock and wait at the door of mercy, and no answer comes; hereupondiscouragement and weariness seizeth your spirits.
Possibly some of "ου have prayers many years gone upon the file in heaven, some upon spiritual accounts, and some upon temporal ; and because the answer is not dispatched, your eyes are ready to fail with waiting : For the Lord may bear long with his own elect, Luke xviii. 7. The feed of prayer lies under the clods, and will at last spring up, " For he never said to the feed of Jacob, seek me in vain : " None seek God in vain, but those that seek him vainly. Now, you should not be too quick and short-breathed in waiting upon God for the returns of prayer,
'considering how long you made Christ wait upon you .
(2.) You will have occasion to exercise your patience in bearing the burden of reproaches, and sufferings for Christ;
" For to you it is given in the behalfofChrift, not only to be- " lieve, but also to suffer for his sake," Phil. i. 29. Sufferings, you fee, are the gifts of Christ, the comfort of suffering is his gift, and so are the abilities to suffer also; and that which will increase your suffering ability, will be the consideration of Christ's long-suffering towards you, and the hard things he endured for you and from you.
(3.) You will have occasion to exercise your patience for the day of your complete redemption and salvation.
If you love Christ fervently, the time of your separation from him will peborne difficultly; vehement love needs the allay of pa-
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47.5 tience, 2 Theff. iii. 5. " The Lord direct your hearts in the " love of God, andintothepatientwaiting for Christ." Others need much patience to die, but such will need as much patience to live; but whatever the exercises of your patience shall be,whether in waiting for the returns of your prayers, in bearing the cross and sufferings of Christ, or in waiting for the day of your complete redemption and enjoyment of Christ : This single consideration, that Christ stood and waited so long upon you, is enough to fortify your patience against all the difficulties it shall encounter.
Infer. 7.
Lastly, If Christ thus patiently wait upon triffling and obstinatefinners ; then let no godly person be discouraged, because their unregenerate relations have not yet made their first
Step towards Christ, in the way of repentance and saving faith.
It may be you have laid up a great stock of prayers for them, the believing husband hath prayed for his unbelievingwife, and the believing wife for her unbelieving husband; godly parents for their ungodly children, and the gracious child for his ungodly parents ; and yet no returns of prayer appear. Many cries are gone up to heaven like that of Abraham, Gen. xvii. 18.
" O that Immael might live before thee."
Well, be not discouraged, Christ is contented to wait, and therefore well may you.
Those cries of parents, Lord, my poor child is in the state of nature, look in mercy upon him, open his eyes, break his heart for fin, draw his will to Christ; these cries may not be loft, though the fruit of them yet appear not : Confider how long Christ waited upon you.
There be three things that encourage hope :
( 1.) That your hearts and theirs were of the same natural complexion and temper; and the same power which opened your hearts can open theirs ; thy understanding was once as dark, thy heart as hard, and thy will as inflexible as thy carnal relations now are.
The fame hand that opened thy heart, can open theirs.
Don't think Christ had an easier talk to win thy heart, than he will have to win theirs .
Almighty power wrought upon you, and the fame power can work effectuallyupon them; the Lord's hand is not shortened.
(2.) You have reason to wait, for as much as it is probable you 2. yourselves have put stumbling-blocks in the way of their souls to Christ , and hindered the returns of your own prayers for the conversion of your carnal relatives. O Christians, there is more due to them than your prayers, prayers must be backed with examples; had they not only heard your cries to God for them, bút seen your suitable encouraging pattern set before them also,
England'sDuty. youandyours mighthaverejoiced together long ago. But (3.) consider thatGodmanytimes makes the fruit of such prayers to spring up after those that sowed them are dead and gone.
The Lord may give life to your prayers when you are dead: certainly your prayers die not with you.
It is the opinion of some, that Paul's conversion was the return of Stephen's prayer,
" Lord, lay not this fin to their charge."
Stephen died, but his prayers lived, and were answered uponone that stood by and consented to his death.
But however it be, wait on; if your prayers come not into their bosoms, they will certainly return intoyourown. Here is duty discharged, love to Christ and their souls manifested ; which will be your comfort, however
God disposes the event.
II. Use.
Secondly, The doctrine of Christ's patience puts a great and serious exhortation intomymouth this day, to press one of the greatest duties upon you that ever I pressed in the whole course of my ministry among you : And could I deliver this exhortationtoyou upon my knees, with tears of blood mingled with my words, might that prevail, I would surely do it. Myexhortation is to all that are in an unregenerate state, that they presume not to try the patience of Christ any longer.
If you have any regard to your eternal happiness, exercite no this patience beyond this hour.
O that this hour might put an end to Christ's waiting, and your danger ! hitherto you have wearied men, but will you weary God also ? Christ hath called, but you have refused; he hath stretched out his hands, but you have not regarded.
Your thoughts have been wandering after vanity, whilst the voice of thegospelhath been founding in your ears; some ofyouhavebeen sottish, and incapable to apprehend spiritual truths, others of you sensual, given up to the pleasures of the world, and abandoning all serious thoughts about the world to come.
Some of you have been buried alive in the cares of the world, and others settled uponadead formality in religion : And to this day Christ hath called upon you in vain.
Now that which I exhort you to, is, that you venture not to try the patience of Christ one day longer ; if you have any regard to the everlasting happiness of your souls, come not under the guilt, and danger ofonedenial, or delay more.
If you ask me why ? Why may we not venture a little longer ? Christ hath borne all this while, and will he not bear a little longer ? May we not take a little more pleasure in fin ? May we not hazard one sermon, or sabbath more, and yet not perich ?
I answer,
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no. "If your souls be precious in your eyes, let there be no more denials, nor delays to Christ's suit.
For , 1. How patient, and long-suffering soever Christ hath been, yet there will be an end of the day of his patience ; a time when he will wait no longer, when his spirit shall strive no more with you.
There is a knock of Christ at the heart, which will be the last knock that ever he will give; and after that no more knocks : a time when the master of the house will rise up, and the door be shut.
You have had to do with a meek, and patient Christ hitherto ; but believe it, sinners, there is a day called the day of the wrath of the Lamb, and that day is dreadful,
Rev. vi. 16. where you find sinners crying to the rocks and mountains to fall upon them, and hide them from the wrath of the Lamb. O if this wrath be once kindled, though but a little ; bleffedare they that trust in him, that have finished their agreement with him.
The day of Christ's patience towards Jerusalem, was a long day, but it had an end, Mat. xxiii. 37. and it ended in their desolation: therefore try the patience of Christ no further ; you know not the limits of it, it may end with your next refusal, and then where are you ? 2. The longer Christ hath exercised his patience already towards you, the more terribly will he avenge the abuse of it in hell upon you.
It is past doubt with me, that there are different degrees of torment in hell; the scriptures are plainly, and clearly for it. Now among all the aggravations of the torments of hell, none can be greater than the reflections of damned fouls upon the abused patience, and grace of Christ : those that had the best means, the loudest calls, and the longeftday under the gospel, will certainly have the hottest place in hell, if the goodness and long-suffering of Christ, do not now lead them to repentance; the cries of such fouls will be heard above the cries of all other miserable wretches that are cast away. " It will be more tolerable for Sodom
" and Gomorrah, than for Capernaum," Mat. xi. 23. O friends, you little know the smart reflections of conscience in hell, upon such hours, as you now enjoy; such wooing, charming voices, and allurements to Christ, as you now hear. There are many thousands of fouls in hell, that came thither out of the dark, heathenish parts of the world, where they never heard of Christ; but your misery will be far beyond theirs, your reflections in ore sharp, and bitter : therefore delay no longer, lest you perish with peculiar aggravation of misery.
3. Try the patience of Christ no further.
I beseech you, forasmuch as you fee everyday the patience of Christ ending towards others : patience coming down, and justice ascending the stage, to triumph
England's Duty. over the abusers of mercy. You donotonlyreadin Scripture the finishing and ending of God's patience with men, but you may fee it everyday with your own eyes.
If you look into Scripture, you may find the patience of God ended towards multitudes of sinners, who possibly had the same presump. tions, andvainhopes, for the continuance of it, that you now have: if you look into 1Pet. iii. 19, 20. you shall there find, that Christ went and preached to the spirits in prison, whichjometimes were disobedient, when once the long-suffering ofGodwaited in the days ofNoah. The meaningofitis this, that in the days before the flood, Christ by his Spirit strove with the disobedient and rebellious sinners in the ministry of Noah, who then were livingmen and women, as now we are, but now are spirits in prison, i. e. damned souls in hell, for their disobedience : and
truly, brethren, you may frequently behold the glass of patience rundown, the very last stand in it spent upon others.
Whenever you fee a wicked, Christless man or woman die, you fee the endofGod's patience with that man or woman ; and all this for a warning to you, that you adventure not to trifle, and dally with it as they did.
4. Lastly, Do not try God's patience any longer (if you love your souls) for this reason, because when men grow bold, and encourage themselves in fin, upon the account of God's forbearance, and long-suffering towards them, therecannotbea more certain fignthat his patience is very near its end towards that foul.
It is time for God to put an end to his patience, when it is made an encouragement to fin; God cannot suffer so vile an abuse of his glorious patience, nor endure to fee it turned into wantonness: this quickly brings up fin to its finishing act, and perfection, and then patience is just upon finishing also. That patience is thus abused, appears from Ecclef. viii. 11. and when it is so abused, look for a sudden change. O therefore beware of provoking God, for now the day of patience is certainly near its end with sinners, Prov. i.
24, 25, 26. " Because I have called, and ye refused, I have " stretched out my hand, and no man regarded ; but ye have
" set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
I also will laugh at your calamity, and mock when your fear " cometh ; when your fear cometh as desolation, and your de- " truction cometh as a whirlwind."
Ah, when sinners scoff, and mock at the threatnings of God, and bear themselves up upon his patience, as that which will never crack under them; then look out for a whirlwind, a sudden tempest of wrath, which will hurry such souls into hell.
Then misery comes like a storm blowing furiously from all quarters.
Well, the hea
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vensareyet clear over you, but a storm is nigh, and may certainly be presaged from such vile abuses of the glorious patience of Christ towards you.
That is the first exhortation, try not the patience of Christ, by any further delays.
Exhort. 2. Admire Christ's patience and forbearance of you until now, that he hath not cut you off in your fin, but lengthenedout his patience unto this day, and brought about your falvationby his long-suffering towards you. Here now I must change my voice, and turn it unto those whose hearts the Lord hath opened : Stand amazed at the riches of his grace towards you, and fee that you account this long-suffering of God to be your salvation ; for in plain truth it is so: your salvation was bound up in Christ's forbearance.
If Christ had not borne as he did, you had not beenwhereyou are. I could heartily with, that all the time you can redeem from the necessary employments you have in the world, maynowbe spent in an humble, thankful admiration of this admirable grace, and patience of Christ, and answerable duties to the intentions, and ends there of.
To this end, I shall fubjoin divers weighty considerations, which, methinks, should melt every heart wherein the least dram of saving grace is found.
Confid. 1. Bethink yourselves of the great, and manifoldprovocations youhavegiven the Lord to put an end to all further patience towards you ; not only in the days of your vanity, and voregeneracy, but even since your reconciliation to him. Do you not believe thousands of sinners are now in the depths of hell, who never provoked the Lord at a higher rate than you have done ? Were you not herded once among the vilest of fin ners ?
Cor. vi. 1. "And such were some of you;" as vile as the vilest among them: yet you are washed in the blood of
Christ, and your companions roaring in the lowest hell ; or if your lives were more clean, sure your hearts and natures were as filthy as theirs. And certainly, your fins, since the time of reconciliation, have had special aggravations in them, enough to put an end to ali further mercies towards you.
Light and love have aggravated these sins, and yet the Lord will not cast you off.
Confid. 2. How often have you beenuponthe very brink of hell, in the days of your unregeneracy ? Every sickness, and every danger of life which you have escaped in those days, was amarvellous escape from the everlasting wrath of God. Had thy disease prevailed one degree further, thou hadst beenpaft hope, and out of the reach of mercy's arm now.
Doubtless To me of you can remember when, in such and fuchadisease,
England's Duty. you were like a ship riding in a furious stormbyone cable, and two or three of the strands of that cable were snapt asunder.
So it hath been with you, the thread of life how weak soever, hath held till the bonds of union betwixt Christ and your souls are fastened, and the eternal hazard over.
This is admirable grace.
Confid. 3. How often has death come up into your windows, entered into your houses, fetched off your nearest relations ; but had no commission to carry you out with them, because the Lord had adesignofmercy upon your souis ?
This cannot but affect a gracious heart, that God should smiteso near, and yet spare you.
Confid. 4. Lastly, This is affecting, yea, very transporting, that God hath not only given you time beyond others, but in that time the precious opportunities, and means of your salvation, both external, and internal; there is the very marrow, and kernel of the mercy. Had God lengthened out his patience for awhile, but given you no means of salvation, or afforded you the means, but denied you the blessing, and efficacy of them; at the most it could have been but a reprieve from hell : But for the Lord to give you the gospel, and with the gospel to send down his spirit, to persuade and open thy heart to Christ; here is the riches of his goodness, as well as forbearance.
Exhort. 3. This doctrine of the patience of Christ exhorts all that have felt it, to exercise a Christ-like patience towards others ; as you have found the benefit of divine patience yourselves, see that you exercise the meekness , and long-suffering of Christians towards those that have wronged, and injured you.
Who should shew patience more than those that have found it ? Do not be severe, short, and quick with others, who have lived yourselves fo many years upon the long-suffering of God. We are poor, short-spirited creatures, quick to revenge injuries ; butOhadGod been so to us, miserable had our condition been :
Christ hath made this duty the very scope of that excellent parable, Mat. xviii. from ver. 25. onward, where the king takes an account of his servants, reckoning with them one by one, and amongst them finds one which owed him ten thousand talents, and having not to pay, commands him, his wife and children, and all he had to be fold, and payment to be made ; but the servant falling down, and begging patience, his Lord was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and not only forbore, but forgave the debt : One would think the heart of this man should have been a foundation of compassion towards
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others; but fee the deep corruption of nature, the same servant finding one of his fellow-servants which owed him but a hundred pence, laid hands on him, and took him by the throat.
Alas, the wrongs done to us are but trifles, compared with our injuries done to God ; where others have wronged you once, you have wronged God a thousand times. Methinks the patience of Christ towards you, should melt your hearts into an ingenuous easiness to forgive others ; especially, considering that an unforgiving spirit is a dreadful sign of an unforgiven person.
Exhort. 4. Burden not the patience of Christ after your admission of him, and reconciliation to him ; let it suffice that you tried his patience long enough before, give him no new exercises now he is come to dwell in, and with you for ever.
There are two ways wherein God's own people do greatly provõke him after their reconciliation.
1. By fluggishness in duty.
2. By sinning against light.
1. By fluggishness, and deadness of spirit, in the ways of duty and obedience, turning a deaf ear to the calls and motions of Christ's spirit exciting them to the sweet and pleasant duties of religion.
We have had a sad instance of this in the spouse, Cant. v. 2, 3. " It is the voice of my beloved that " knocketh, saying, open tome, my sister, my love, mydove,
डmy undefiled : for my head is filled with dew, and my locks *" with the drops of the night."
One would think that Christ might have opened the heart of his own spouse with less sollicitation, and importunate arguments, than he here useth ; what wife could shut the door upon her own dear husband, and bar him out of his own house ? And yet fee the lazy excuse she makes, ver. 3. " I have put off my coat, how shall I put it on?
** I have wasted my feet, how shall I defile them ? "
Othe fluggishness of the flesh, even in regenerate persons ! those that have opened the door to Christ by regeneration, even they do often shut the door against Christ in the hours and seasons of communion with him.
Strange, that such a suitor as Christ should be put by, moving, and calling to such heavenly, pleasant exercises, as communion with him is; but flesh will be flesh, even in the most spiritual Christians: Little do we know what a grief this is to Christ, and loss to us.
2. Many grieve Christ's spirit, and sorely try his patience, evenafterreconciliation,by sinning against light and love : That caution, Eph. iv. 30. is not without weighty cause. "And
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" grievenottheholy spirit of God, by which you are sealed to " the day of redemption."
Do we thus requite the Lord? Is this the return we make him for all his admirable kindness, and unparalleled love towards us ? Certainly Christ can put up a thousand injuries from his enemies, easier,than such affronts from his own people.
Did you not promise him better obedience ? Did you not engage to more holiness and watchfulness, in the day that you sued out your pardon, and made up your peace with him ? Are all those vows and covenants forgotten ? If you have forgotten them,
God hath not.
Exhort. 5. Improve the time that remains in this world with double diligence, because you made Christ wait so long, and cast away so great a part of your life, before you opened your hearts to receive him. The morning of your life, which was certainly the freshest and freest part of it, was no better than time loft with many of us; all the days of your unregeneracy Christ was shut out, and vanity shut into your hearts : you never began to live till Christ gave you life, and that was late in the day with many of you.
How should this provoke to extraordinary diligence in those few remains of time we have yet to enjoy ? It was Austin's lamentation, OLord, it repents me, faith he, that I loved thee so late.
This consideration excited Paul to extraordinary diligence for Christ.
It made him fly up and down the world, as a Seraphim, in a flame of holy zeal for Christ.
Those that have much to write, and are almost come to the end of their paper, had need write close.
Friends, you have something to do for God on earth, which you cannot do for him in heaven, Ifa. xxxviii. 18, 19. You that have carnal relations, have something to do for them here, which you cannot do in heaven.
You can now counsel, exhort and pray, in order to their converfionand salvation; but when you are gonedownto the grave, these opportunities of service are cut off.
Exhort. 6. Let us all be ashamed and humbled for the baseness of our hearts and natures, which made Christ wait at the door so long, before we opened to him. O what wretched hearts have we! that were no more affected with the groans of Christ's heart, than with the groans of a beast, nor fomuch neither, if that beast were our own. Othe vileness of nature, to make the prince of the kings of the earth, bringing pardon and salvation with him, to stand so long unanswered ! Let who will cry up the goodness of nature, I'am sure we have reason to look upon the vileness of it with amazement and horror.
You could not have found in your hearts to make the poorest beggar
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wait so long at your door, as you have made Christ wait upon you.
Exhort. 7. Lastly, Let us all bless and admire the Lord Jesus for the continuation of his patience, not to ourselves only, but to that whole sinful nation in which we live. We thought the treaty of peace had been ended with us; many good men look. ingupon the iniquities and abominations of these times, confideringthevanities and backsliding of professors, the heaven-daring provocations of this atheistical age, concluded in their own hearts, that God would make England another Shiloh. Many faithful ministers of Christ said within themselves, God hath no more work for us to do, and we shall have no more opportunities to work for God: when lo, beyond the thoughts of all hearts, the mercifulandlong-suffering Redeemer makes one return more to these nations, renews the treaty, and with com passion rolled together, speaks to us this day, as to Ephraim of old, how shall I deliver thee ? look upon this day, this unexpecteddayofmercy, as the fruit and acquisition of the interceffion of your great advocate in heaven, answerable to that,
Luke xiii. 7, 8, 9.
Well, God hath put us upon one trial more : if now we bring forth fruit, well; if not, the ax lies at the root of the tree.
Once more Christ knocks at our doors , the voice of the bridegroom is heard; those sweet voices, Come unto me, open to me : your opening to Christ now, will be unto you as the valley ofAchor, for a door of hope.
But what if all this should be turned into wantonness and formality ?
What if your obstinacy and infidelity should wear out the remains of that little strength and time left you, and that former laboursand sorrows have left your ministers ? Then actum eft de nobis, we are gone for ever; thenfarewel gospel, ministers, reformation, and all, because we knew not the time of our visitation.
What was the dismal doom of God, upon the fruitless vineyard? Ifa. v. 5." I will take away the hedge thereof, and " it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and " it shall be troddeu down : I will also command the clouds,
" that theyrainnotupon it."
The hedgeand the wall are the spiritual and providential presence of God; these are the defence and safety of his people; the clouds and the rain are the sweet influences of gospel-ordinances.
If the hedge be broken down, God'spleasant plants will soon be eaten up; and if the clouds rain not upon them, their root will be rottenness, and their blossom go up as dust; our churches will soon become as the mountains ofGilboa: therefore see that you know and improve the time of your visitation.
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III. Use of consolation.
I shall wind up this fourth doctrine, in two or three words of consolation, to those that have answered, and are now preparing to answer the design and end of Jesus Christ in all his patience towards them, by their compliance with his great de. design and end therein. Oblessed be God, and let his high praites be for ever in our mouths, that at last Christ is like to obtain his end upon some of us, and that all do not receive the grace of God in vain. And there be three considerations able to windup your hearts to the height of praise, if the Lord hath now made them indeed willing to open to the Lord Jesus.
Consideration 1. The faith and obedience ofyourheartsmakes it evident, that the Lord'swaitingupon you hitherto hath been in pursuance of his design of electing love. What was the reafonGod would not take you away by death, though youpaffed so often upon the very brink of it, in the days of your unregeneracy ? And what, think you, was the very reason of the revocationofyour gospel-liberties when they were quite out of fight, and almost out of hope ? why surely this was the reason, that you, and such as you are, might be brought to Christ at last.
Therefore though the Lord let you run on so long in fin, yet still he continued your life, and the means of your salvation, because he had a design of mercy and grace upon you. And now the time of mercy, even the set time is come, Praise ye the Lord.
Confid. 2. You may also see the sovereignty and freeness of divine grace in your vocation: your hearts resisted all along the most powerful means, and importunate calls of Christ ; and would have resisted still, had not free and sovereign grace overpowered them when the time of love was come. Ah, it was not the tractableness ofthineown will, the easy temper of thy heart to be wrought upon ; the Lord let thee stand long enough in the state of nature to discover that; there was nothing in nature but obstinacy and enmity. Thou didst hear as many powerful sermons, melting prayers, anddidst see as many awakening providences before thy heart was opened to Christ, as thou haft since: yet thy heart never opened till now; and why did it open now ? Because now the spirit ofGodjoined himself to the word; victorious grace went forth in the word to break the hardness, and conquer the rebellions of thy heart.
The gospel was now preached (as the apostle speaks, 1 Pet. i. 12.) " with " the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, which things, (faith
" he) the angelsdefire to look into." Ah friends, it is aglotious fight, worthy ofangelical observation and admiration, to
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behold the effects of the gospel preached, with the Holy Ghost fentdown from heaven; to fee, when the Spirit comes along with the word, the blind eyes of sinners opened, and they brought into a new world of ravishing objects ; to behold fountains of tears flowing for fin, out of hearts lately as hard as the rocks ; to fee all the bars of ignorance, prejudice, custom, and unbelief, Ay open at the voice of the gospel; to fee rebels against Christ laying down their arms at his feet, come upon the knee of submission, crying, " Lord, I will rebel no more ; to see the proud heart centered and wrapt up in its own righteousness, now stripping itself naked, loading itself with all
" shame and reproach, and made willing that its own shame should go to the Redeemer's glory. These, I say, are fights which angels desire to look into.
Certainly your hearts were more tender, and your wills more apt to yield and bend in the days of your youth, than they were now, when fin had so hardened them, and long-continued custom riveted and fixed them, yet then they did not, and now they do yield to the calls and invitations of the gospel. Ascribe all to sovereign grace, and say, " Not unto us, not unto us, but " to thy name give the glory."
The observation and experience of our own hearts will furnish us with arguments enough to resist all temptations of self-glorifying and conceit.
Certainly you were born not of flesh, nor of blood, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Confid. 3. Lastly, This is a comfortable consideration, that he that waiteduponyou so long, and won your hearts at last ; that hath gained you at the expence of so much pains and patience, will not now forsake you.
Poor souls, I question not but there are many fears and jealousies within you, that all this will come to nothing, and you shall perish at last.
Divers things foment thesejealoufies within your hearts : The weakness of your own graces, which alas, are but in their infancy; the sense you have of your own corruptions, and the great strength they still retain: The fubtilty of Satan, who employs all his policies to reduce you ; sometimes roaring after his escaped prey with hideous injections, which make your souls to tremble; sometimes the discouraging apprehenfions of the difficulties of religion,how far the spirituality of active obedience, and the difficulty of passive obedience is above your strength ; sometimes feeling within yourselves sad alterations, by the hiding of God's face, and withdrawment of sweet and sensible communion with him.
These, and such like things as these, cause manyaqualm to come over your hearts ; but chear up,