Christs Love and Affection Towards Jerusalem, Chapter 15
CHAP. 15.
It ſhould be every mans care, in the day of grace, to lay out himſelfe upon thoſe matters that concerne his everlaſting welfare.
Chap. 15 Vſe 1 AND is it ſo, that the time and ſeaſon allotted unto thee for the getting of grace and ſalvation, is in ſpeciall manner thy day? oh then let it bee thy care to lay forth thy ſelfe for thine owne everlaſting wel-fare in this day: this is that which the holy man Iob reſolved upon,aJob 14.14. All the dayes of mine appointed time will I watch, untill my changing ſhall come. This is that which the Pſalmiſt prayes for, in the behalfe of himſelf and others,bPſal. 90.12. Teach us O Lord ſo to number our daies, that we may apply our hearts to wiſdome. This is that which the Prophet enjoynes,cEſay 55.6. Seeke the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is neare unto you. This is that which the Apoſtle preſſeth and exhorteth all unto,dGal. 6.10. While we have time, let us doe good. This is that which Chriſt himſelfe teacheth every one by his owne example,e1 Pet. 4.2. That hence forward he ſhould live ſo much time as remaineth in the fleſh, not after the luſts of men, but after the will of God. And therefore it was ſaid of Apelles fPlin. l. 35. c 10. Nulla dies ſine linea.that famous Painter, that hee was ſo diligent and intentive upon his worke, that hee would not ſuffer a day paſſe over his head without his line, that is, without doing ſomething belonging to his profeſſion: ſo let it be thy care ſo to husband and improve the ſeverall houres of this thy day, that every hour may teſtifie and witneſſe thy care and forwardneſſe in looking after thoſe things that belong to thy peace; there is no part of this day that ſhall goe for nought; account muſt be given, as of every idle word that thou ſpeakeſt, ſo of every idle houre that thou ſpendeſt, becauſe it might have beene taken up with better imployment; for as thou haſt thy day, ſo God will have his day; a day wherein hee will render unto thee according to what thou haſt done; now in this thy day, thou haſt all the doings; God leaves thee in the hand of thine owne counſell, to follow the deſires of thine owne heart; but when this day is ended, there will come another day, that ſhall be none of thine gGerhard. com. in loc. Videmus illud eſſe noſtrū tempus, in quo ea curare poſſumus quae ad pacē noſtrā pertinent, &c. ſuccedent alii dies qui non erunt noſtri., that ſhall be Gods day, and he will have all the doings in that day: and as thou haſt dealt with him in thy day, ſo will he deale with thee in his day: he will then pay thee home in thine own coyne: and what ſhall it then availe thee, that thou haſt had thine owne will, in turning the deaf eare unto God, ſeeing that for this very thing he will have his will upon thee, and ſtop his ears when thou cryeſt unto him? oh how much better were it for thee to follow and mind the things that make for thy peace,Motives exciting to it. now in thy day, that God might be pleaſed to ſpeak peace unto thee in that his day?
1. à poſsibili.And therefore to worke thy affections this way, conſider firſt, that it is a thing poſſible for thee to doe: the date of this thy day is not expired. red. The thiefe upon the Croſſe, though hee had laviſhed out the greateſt part of this day, and was now even come to the laſt houre of it; yet his day it was not paſt, there was yet a doore of mercy ſtood open for him, and hee found mercy, though he came not for it, till the eleventh houre of the day; ſo it was with Jeruſalem here in the text, after the killing of ſo many Prophets; after the ſtoning of them that were ſent unto her; yet ſhee had her day, and there was mercy yet to bee found, if ſhee had ſought for it; and ſo it is with thee, that heareſt mee this day, thy day is not yet paſt, though perhaps a great part of it may bee ſpent; it is not yet too late to return, though it bee high time, yea more than time to thinke upon it: there is yet a doore of hope ſtands open for thee, yet there is grace and mercy to bee had, if ſo bee that even now at length, if ſo be at leaſt in this thy day, thou canſt but yet with purpoſe of heart cleave unto God, and ſeeke for it.
2 And it is no long time of ſeeking that is required,2. à facili. it is not here expreſſed and ſet forth by the long terme of yeares and ages; but onelyonly by the length and duration of a day, and that day, a very ſhort day; if it were ſtretched out to his full length, it is but a ſpanne long, and ſome part of it is already ſpent, and how ſhort the time may bee that is yet to come, how little that is which remaines behinde, who knowes? It may bee this verie day in which thou heareſt mee ſpeake unto thee, it is the laſt day that thou haſt to live, and then it is but the well-husbanding and improving of this day, that ſhall land thee upon the coaſt of Eternity. Oh, if the damned ſpirits were now againe upon the earth, how many daies would they willingly ſpend, and that in the moſt hard and difficult ſervices, if at length they might but yet once againe have that price put into their hands, which ſometimes they had, and are now for ever deprived of? and canſt thou think much then to lay out thy ſelfe for ſo ſhort a time? If it were a longer day, it were no great while, but being ſo ſhort, the leſſe reaſon there is why any ſhould thinke much of it. The Devill knowes how to make his advantage out of the ſhortneſſe of his time, and to take occaſion from thence, ſo much the more to beſtirre himſelfe: it is ſaid, that hee is full of wrath, becauſe he knowes his time is but ſhort hRev. 12.22.: there be ſixteen hundred years of this time paſt already, and for any thing we know, there may bee as many more yet to come; and yet hee thought all this while but a ſhort time: now what is thy ſhort day in compariſon of this? If ſo many hundred yeares bee but a ſhort time, then ſurely thy day it can be little more than nothing at all; & therefore well may it ſet an edge upon thy deſire, to beſtirre thy ſelfe ſo much the more, and the leſſe to intangle thy ſelfe in matters of this life, conſidering thy day it is ſo ſhort. *1 Cor. 7.30.And this I ſay brethren, becauſe the time is ſhort, that they which uſe this world, ſhould be as though they uſed it not.
3. ab utili & neceſſario.3 And yet there is ſomething more that may quicken thy dulneſſe in this imployment, if it bee well weighed, what it is that depends upon the well or ill improvement of this thy day; for it is an eternall waight of weale, or woe, that lies upon it. When Chriſt here ſpeakes of the day of grace, and the day of thy life, he ſpeakes in the ſingular number, as of one day; but when hee ſpeakes of the miſery that follows the neglect of the ſame, then hee ſpeakes in the plurall number; Verely I ſay unto thee, the daies ſhall come, &c. implying that there is a pluralitie of daies, even daies without number; the daies of darkneſſe are many; yea, ſo many, that they fill up the meaſure of eternity, which ſhall never have end: and ſo on the contrary, the happineſſe purchaſed by thy good care, and well husbanding of this day, it is an everlaſting happineſſe, like the dayes of heaven, which are as farre from end or expiration, as they were upon the firſt day that the heavens were made. The proviſion is made in this day, which feeds and nouriſheth up the ſoule unto all eternity; ſhee hath no other meanes or maintenance to live upon in the world to come, ſave onelyonly that which was provided and laid up in this day: the ſhort and momentany afflictions, which thou ſuffereſt and endureſt for Chriſt and the Goſpell, in this thy day, it cauſeth unto thee ai2 Cor. 4.17. farre more excellent and eternall waight of glorie, which thou ſhalt receive another day.
4 In the meane while,4. à jucundo. there is nothing that ſweetens the dayes of thy life, and makes them comfortable unto thee; nothing that ſhewes thee to bee wiſe for thy ſelfe, ſo much as thy care and providence in laying out thy ſelfe upon the beſt imployments in this thy day, for the well husbanding of this day.
1 It is a reward unto it ſelf, it carries meat in the mouth; there is much ſweet contentment in the very action it ſelfe, in the doing of that which is good. A day well ſpent, yeelds more ſweet peace to the inward man, than a thouſand dayes that are conſumed in the pleaſures of ſinne; according to that of David kPſal. 84.10., One day in thy Courts is better than a thouſand elſe-where: and beſides the inward peace and comfort which accompanies the action of well-doing, and goes along with it; there is comfort in the remembrance of it, when thou lookeſt back upon the day that hath beene well ſpent, ô it is a great ſatisfaction to the minde, it leaves a ſweet reliſh behinde it, it makes thy very ſleepe ſweeter to thee; thou ſhalt reape the Crop and harveſt of it in ſweet meditations every day.
2 And it is the wiſeſt courſe that thou canſt take for thine owne advantage, thus to lay out thy ſelfe in this thy day, becauſe the chiefeſt commodities, in which a Chriſtian deales, as humiliation, repentance, ſorrow for ſinne, &c. they are only currant and availeable for the furtherance of thy good in this day; there is enough of them in Hell, but alas, there they are nothing worth; they are onelyonly profitable and uſefull in this thy day, and therefore the more willing ſhouldſt thou be to have this day ſpent and taken up in the exerciſe of them.
3 The day will runne on with an equall pace, and ſwiftneſſe, upon whatſoever imployment thou beſtoweſt thy ſelfe; whether it bee well or ill doing, both waſte and weare out thy day alike; and therefore ſeeing thou muſt leſſen and cut ſhort the length of this day, by that which thou doeſt, what ever it bee; is it not farre better that it be ſpent in ſuch affaires as may refreſh and raiſe up thy ſpirits, with the apprehenſion and fruition of preſent comfort, and the hope and expectation of future income, than in thoſe things that will afterward terrifie and affright thee upon all occaſions, with the remembrance of that account and reckoning that muſt one day bee made?
When a man is in a ſhip at Sea, he is continually paſſing towards the Haven, whatſoever his imployment bee; but there is no man but will eaſily conceive, that it is a wiſe mans part, rather to buſie himſelfe in ſuch matters, as may ſerve for his further advantage, when hee comes to land, than to be taken up in ſuch practiſes, as may procure his commitment, ſo ſoone as hee comes to ſhore: even ſo it is with thee, the day of thy life is continually paſſing on towards that Haven which will land thee upon the Coaſts of eternitie; and therefore it ſhall bee thy wiſedome, now, in this thy day, to lay out thy ſelfe upon thoſe deſignes, which may make that eternall condition, an eſtate of everlaſting happineſſe unto thee.