A Rebuke to Backsliders and a Spur for Loiterers, Sermon (3 of 5)

A Rebuke to Backsliders and a Spur for Loiterers · Sermon (3 of 5)

p. 1112. From the indiſpoſition and unwillingneſs of the Heart to ſeek after a cure. Such untowardneſs and inindiſpoſition there is to this work, that I am afraid that by all that I can ſay, I ſhall not be able to prevail with ſome of you, to make tryal what may be done. May be you acknowledge that we have all need enough of this warning, but I am in much doubt that when you have heard all, your hearts will ſo hang back from the work, that all that can be ſaid will quickly be forgotten, and never effectually ſtir you. If you would take the warning, and ſtir up your hearts▪ and ſet to the work, there I hope you might be recovered; but I tell you again, eſp…cially thoſe that are far gone, that I fear your unwilling and untoward p. 112hearts will be too hard for the word, and will not let you come on to any purpoſe. Conſider what I ſay, and remember it a day or two hence, and ſee if it be not with too many of you according to my fears; and tell me then if you can, I thank the Lord, the word hath prevailed, and I have ſet mine heart to it, and through the Grace of God will not give over till I may ſee it effectually work to my recovery.

3. From that oppoſition that is made againſt our recovery.

1. There is a ſtirring Devil that oppoſeth it.

2. There are ſtirring luſts that oppoſe our recovery.

1. There is a ſtirring Devil that oppoſes your recovery. The Devil is a deſtroyer, that's his name, Rev. 9.11. Abaddon, Apollyon, that is a Deſtroyer; 'tis he that hath brought you into this caſe, that hath deſtroyed that little Grace you had, and is thereby attempting to deſtroy your Souls. When you ſee what waſts have been made upon you, upon your conſciences, upon your comforts; 'tis the Devil that hath made theſe waſts, he is that Fox that hath devoured your Grapes. The Devil is an adverſary, and a buſie adverſary, 1 Pet. 5.8. walking up and down, ſeeking to do you a miſchief; 'tis he that hath brought you down to this low paſs in which you are, and he that hath brought you down will do all he can to hinder you from ever riſing again: The Devil is with you whereſoever you are, he watches you where ever you go; if you go into your Cloſets, go to pray for recovery, the Devil watches you there, and does what he can to diſtract and hinder your prayers. When you come to hear, the Devil watches you in the Congregation, and ſtrives to catch away every word that might do you good. All theſe words which I am ſpeaking to you for your recovery, I am in doubt they may have but little ſucceſs; if the Devil can p. 113help it, there ſhall none of them ſtick upon your hearts: He that hath brought you ſo low will be buſie with you to hold you ſo low, reſiſting and ſtealing away whatever word might help you up. What's become of all the words that have been hitherto ſpoken to this purpoſe, do they abide upon you? have they wrought a cure upon any languiſhing Souls? or what's become of them all? O hath not this adverſarie ſtolen them all away, ſtolen away the warnings, ſtolen away the reproofs, ſtolen away the awakening counſels that have been given you, and ſo hitherto held your Souls faſt aſleep? Now having to do with ſuch a buſie and ſtirring Devil, you had need the more to beſtir your ſelves and look about you, that he do not irrecoverably undo you. Reſiſt the Devil, Jam. 4.7. Be ſober, be vigelant, 1 Pet. 5.8. knowing that your adverſary.— Is he ſo watchful upon you to hinder you and miſchief you? does he lye at the catch to ſteal away this awakening word from you? You had need lye at the catch alſo, catch at every word the Lord ſpeaks to you concerning this matter, lay hold upon them, lay them up in your hearts, forget them not while you live, keep them in memory, let them dwell in you, and hold your thoughts upon them; keep them working in your hearts, and never let them ſlip till they have done the work and your Souls be recovered.

2. There are ſtirring luſts within you that oppoſe your recovery. Your luſts are your diſeaſe, and your diſeaſe reſiſts your remedy. There is a body of Sin within you, there's the ſame evil nature in you that are Chriſtians that there is in Sinners; though the power of ſin be broken, yet there is much of it ſtill remaining. Though the Egyptians be drowned, Sin as a Throne be ſubdued, yet the Canaanite, Sin as a Thorn, is ſtill in the Land. Though Chriſtians have not an Enemy p. 114Enemy to which they are in bondage, yet they have an Enemy that's ſtill fighting againſt their Souls; ſin hath no longer dominion over them, Rom. 6.14. yet it ſtill makes war upon them. Though the head of this Serpent be broken, yet 'tis a Serpent ſtill: And as 'tis ſaid of Daniel, Gen. 49.17. It is a Serpent in the (way,) an Adder in the (path,) it biteth the Horſe heels; it wounds, and vexes, and hinders, though it cannot kill. This Sin is called a Body of Sin, Rom. 6.6. and of this Body there are many members, every luſt of our heart is a Member of our Body of Sin. Our evil nature is this Body, and there our numerous Luſts do meet as in their common root, and thence they ſpring. Now theſe Luſts are they that hinder and ſpoil us.

Friends, theſe are they that have tempted you off from God, and tempted you off from your integrity, and turn'd you to iniquity, and hitherto hindred your returning. Jam. 1.14. Every man when he is tempted, is drawn aſide of his own luſt and enticed. Do not think to lay all the blame upon the Devil, and ſo to excuſe your ſelves; no, your own hearts have joyned with the Devil, you have been acceſſary to your own ruine. Some men when they have run themſelves out of their Eſtates by Riot and Drunkenneſs, they will think to lay all the blame upon their evil company: O this evil company, this evil company have been my Bane, ſure enough they have; and therefore let every wiſe man be warned and ſhun them as the Devil. But yet, let not evil company bear all the blame, 'tis that evil heart of thine, thine own hearts luſt that betrayed thee into thy evil company: What could evil company have done hadſt thou not had an evil heart to go after them? How long might they have enticed thee and never prevailed, if thou hadſt not been drawn aſide by thine own hearts luſt and enticed? p. 115They are thoſe Devils within you, thoſe Luſts that war in your Members, that have given the Devil his advantages againſt you. Some fall a luſting after Money, and this luſt ſets them ſo hard on work for the world, keeps them ſo buſie about their Trades and their Eſtates, that they forget God and their Souls. Others luſt after Pleaſures, and eaſe, and idleneſs, and this keeps them off from thoſe labours and that induſtry which is neceſſary to the maintaining their Souls in life. Some luſt to Pride, others to Envy, others to frowardneſs and contention, and thoſe make ſuch gaſhes in their Hearts, as let out the life bloud of all their Rellgion. 'Tis mens luſts that bring their Souls down, and do devour and eat up all their Religion: and as I ſaid before of the Devil, ſo here of Luſt, that which hath brought them down will hinder their riſing.

And theſe Luſts are ſtirring Luſts, working and warring in our Members, holding us in captivity to the Law of Sin, as Rom. 7.23. and hindering our recovery and redemption. When I would do good, evil is preſent with me, v. 21. that is, to hinder and hold me back from doing any thing that would do me good: And as it was with the Apoſtle, ſo is it more or leſs with every Chriſtian. May we not all ſay after him? When I would do good, evil is preſent with me. Luſt is buſie, luſt ſtands ready to ſpoil me in every duty. Whatever calls we have to duty, to repent, and return to the Lord, to pray and cry unto the Lord: Though the Word calls, remember whence you are fallen, and repent; though Conſcience calls, ſeek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is nigh. Luſt ſtrikes in to ſtop or turn away our Ears from theſe Calls. Why is it that no more of you have anſwered theſe Calls? Remember whence you are fallen, and repent. O 'tis your Luſts that have p. 116ſtopp'd your ears. Whatever need or neceſſity there be lying upon us to hearken to theſe calls, though we ſee all the good that is within us even at deaths door, graces dying, comforts dying, hopes dying, and all our Religion ready to give up the ghoſt, yet our Luſts will not ſuffer us to mind our Neceſſities. Whatever inclinations, or deſires, or purpoſes we have to make an eſcape, to ſeek a remedy for theſe our diſeaſed languiſhing Souls; whatever offers and attempts we make to ſet upon more earneſt praying and crying to the Lord for help and deliverance, to ſet upon a more watchful diligent life; whatever good it be we purpoſe or ſet our ſelves upon, ſtill evill is preſent with us; one luſt or other is ſtill at hand to ſpoil or hinder all, ſo that we cannot do the things that we would, Gall. 5.17. We think to come to it, we hope to come to it while the word is preaching to us, and our hearts are a little touched and affected with it; whilſt we are made to ſtand convinced in our own particulars; This decayed ſtate is evidently my ſtate: and it is an evil and wretched, and dangerous ſtate, and thereupon we take up ſuch thoughts, Well through the grace of God I will amend, I will no longer go on thus, I will ſeek my recovery; yet ſtill Luſt ſtrikes in and fights againſt all ſuch thoughts, ſo that we cannot do the things that we would. Chriſtians, do you not find it thus in your experiences? One luſt or other is perpetually riſing up to hinder any good that's going in your hearts, and bringing it to juſt nothing. O how many good motions are quenched, good purpoſes vacated, good deſires and hopes fruſtrated, good beginnings diſcouraged; your duties ſpoiled, your peace broken, your comforts clouded and loſt, and all by the malign influences of the Body of ſin, and the impetuouſneſs of your luſts its members? Here are thoſe outcries that we ſometimes hear from the p. 117tender-hearted; wo is me that I am conſtrained to dwell in Meſech, to have my habitation in the Tents of Kedar; I am for peace, but they are for war. I am for peace, yet not by a League, but by a conqueſt of mine Enemies, let them dye that I may be at reſt; but ſtill they live and are mighty, whilſt I am for peace they are for war: I can have no reſt in my Spirit, I am weary of my life, becauſe of theſe Daughters of Heth: Wretched man that I am, who ſhall deliver me? Hear Lord, cut down, caſt out theſe Sons of the Bond-woman, that they be no longer a Plague or a Snare unto me. Remember theſe Children of Edom in the day of Jeruſalem; happy ſhould I be could I reward them as they have ſerved me; happy ſhould I be if I could take theſe Children and daſh them againſt the ſtones.

And now you ſee another ground why you have great need to beſtir your ſelves becauſe of theſe ſtirring luſts that hinder and miſchief you.

Let me here put in a word of application. You will ſay, But what ſhould the conſideration of theſe ſtirring luſts ſtir me up unto? Why, you have it hinted to you already, to deal by them as they have dealt and will deal by you: Have they given you a fall? wreſtle with them again, till they fall before you: Are they for war? let them have enough of it, war againſt thoſe luſts that war againſt your Souls: Doth the Fleſh luſt againſt the Spirit? let the Spirit luſt againſt the Fleſh. Stretch forth the Spear, and draw not back your hand till they become as the Midianites which periſhed at Endor, and became as the Dung of the Earth. Mortifie, mortifie them; as luſt hath even mortified your Religion, ſo let your Religion mortifie Corruption. Take the Apoſtle for your Patern: O how did that great Apoſtle Paul beſtir himſelf upon this account! what compaſſionate p. 118complaints did he make againſt his luſt, Rom. 7. aforementioned? The good that I would I do not, the evil that I hate that do I; when I would do good, evil is preſent with me: I find a law in my members war ring againſt the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of ſin. Wretched man that I am, who ſhall deliver me from the body of this death! What earneſt prayers did he make? For this I beſought the Lord thrice, 2 Cor. 12.8. I was often upon my knees, begging the Lord that theſe Thorns in my fleſh might be pulled out. What aſſaults and batteries did he make upon them, 1 Cor. 9.26, 27. So fight I, not as one that beateth the Air, but I keep under my body and bring it to ſubjection, leſt that by any means, when I have preached to others, I my ſelf ſhould become a Cast away. What will become of me if I let theſe Luſts live? O they will damn me at laſt. After all my preaching of Chriſt to others, I ſhall be a Reprobate from Chriſt, a Caſt away, if I conquer not mine own ſins; one of the two, they or I muſt die. Paul was a choſen Veſſel, and by the Election of God ſecured from coming into condemnation; but this neceſſary means muſt be uſed, his ſins muſt be ſlain, or his ſoul cannot be ſaved, Acts 27.31. Though God had promiſed him his life, and the lives of all in the Ship; yet, ſays he, unleſs the Mariners abide in the Ship ye cannot be ſaved. And in the caſe of Jonah, if Jonah had not been caſt out of the Ship, the Mariners had all been drowned.

Friends, how often muſt I tell you this? Whatever Faith and Hope in Chriſt you have, whatever profeſſion of Chriſt you have made, whatever ſecurity you think you have for your Salvation, yet if theſe Jonahs be not caſt over board, you will all be drowned in perdition and deſtruction, your luſts will never leave enticing and tempting you from one ſin to another, p. 119from one degree of Apoſtaſie to another, till they have damned your Souls: If you give them Rope and let them alone, they will become ſuch a Rope about your Neck as will drag you to the Pit.

How near have they brought you to it already? are not ſome of you even become as dying men? have not your ſouls and your hopes one foot in the Grave? And if you die thus daily, what can you expect but to be buried in flames? See what your luſts have already done, and tremble to think what they are ſtill a doing; you die outright if you ſave them alive. And will you not yet ſtir? have they eaten up your hearts, and drunk up your ſpirits, and left ſuch leanneſs upon your ſouls? Have they withered your branches, and rotted your fruit, and are theſe worms ſtill gnawing at your root? How can you but cry out, Lord what am I come to? Lord whether am I falling? ſave Lord, or I periſh. Ariſe, O my Soul, cut off the Limbs, and ſmite through the Loyns of the Old Man; nothing but his Death can ſecure his Life.

Friends, how do theſe words take with you? what do they work? what nothing moved for all this? Or do the Sleepers begin to wake? O that it might be ſo! Lord waken them.

3. From the difficulty of holding on, and getting on the way, for thoſe that ſtand. It's hard to keep our way, and much more to make ſpeed on in it; and ſo hard, that unleſs we beſtir our ſelves to purpoſe, we ſhall never come roundly on. The way of Religion is an uphill-way, Prov, 15.24. The way of life is above to the Wiſe, to depart from Hell beneath. The Mark we are making toward, ſtands upon a Hill; there the City of God (in which alone that perfection we are reaching after is to be found) is ſituate: The Holy p. 120Hill of Zion, Jeruſalem which is above. Our Mark we are preſſing to ſtands upon an Hill, and our way to it is all riſing ground, and if we put not our ſelves hard to it we ſhall never get up.

Sinners are all running downward, and therefore 'tis they run ſo faſt: Behold how the whole herd of Sinners are all like that herd of ſwine of the Gaderens, running headlong down, and never like to ſtop till they be choked and drowned in the Lake of Fire and Brimſtone; and the ſame way are Backſliders running, theſe alſo are running down after the herd of Swine.

But now a Chriſtians way is upwards; as 'tis ſaid, Eccl. 3.21. the Spirit of a Man, ſo much more the Spirit of a Chriſtian, aſcends and goes upwards; he does ſo when he dies as the meaning there is, and he muſt do ſo while he lives, that's his duty, Col. 3.1. and his duty is his way that he ſhould go; his courſe is to be from bad to good, and from good to better; from weakneſs to ſtrength, yea, and from ſtrength to ſtrength; from a little to an increaſe of ſtrength. Chriſtians, you are all bound for Heaven, Travellers to the Holy Hill; your progreſs in holineſs is your aſcending and climbing up the Hill; you are getting up the Jacobs Ladder which reaches the Hill-top. Every Holy Day you live, every Holy Duty you perform, every little degree of Grace that's added to you, is your getting up ſo many rounds higher upon that Holy Ladder: And this is it you have to do, to be climbing and climbing, higher and higher, in the Grace of God, and in the Works of Grace.

And this now is the reaſon of our ſo ſlow motion; he that goes up the Hill takes the more time, and the ſhorter ſteps; yea and as one foot goes up the other ſlides back. Our goings up at Hill are more p. 121painful; Facilis deſcenſus—at revocare gradum—hic labor, hoc opus eſt.

And hence is it, that there is ſo much need of the Goad and the Spur to prick us on. Down at hill there's more need of the Bridle than of the Spur. Even Chriſtians have need of the bridle in this reſpect; we need not be driven down to the lower Valleys which we have left, we are too apt to be running back to the gains and the pleaſures here below; 'tis to haſten our motion upward, that we ſo much need the Rod and the Spur.

Yea, and we need to be quickned and warned to look well to the Bridle, to reſtrain us from our croſs and contrary motions: Sure, Friends, our ſo eager running ſtill after this world, running after the riches and pleaſures of this life, evidence it ſufficiently what need we have to be ſtirred up to look well to the Bridle: As the Pſalmiſt ſays, Pſ. 39.1. I will hold my mouth; ſo have we all need to hold our hearts as with a bridle to hold the bridle upon our wills, affections, and appetites. Do not you ſee how apt you are to run too faſt this way? with what ſpeed are ſome Profeſſors riding downwards? what haſte do they make to be rich and to be great in this world? The very Mountains of this Earth, the Mountains of Pride and worldly Greatneſs and Glory, the very Hill tops of Worldlings, are but as low Valleys to a Chriſtian; he is ſtill going down at hill, while he is climbing up theſe worldly Mountains; and therefore he needs the bridle to hold him in. Conſider it, do we not ſtill want to be warned and called upon, and to call upon our ſelves to lay hold upon the bridle? Behold, Friends, how many of us do ſuffer our carnal hearts to run their courſe? how ſeldom do we give check to our fleſhly deſires? how ſeldom do we ſpeak ſuch a word to our ſelves? Stay, O my heart, not too faſt, O my p. 122Soul: How little pains do we take to reſtrain our intemperate affections? How very few ſelf-bridling Chriſtians, ſelf-checking Chriſtians, are here among us? When we do hear ſuch words, I am afraid I am making too much haſte to be rich, I am afraid I allow my ſelf too much liberty for the pleaſing my flew? Or if ſuch a word be now and then let fall, yet how little is it hearkned to? Though we ſometimes fear we run too faſt this way, yet on we let our ſelves run, and do not lay a due reſtraint upon our ſelves: Or if we do a little check our motions earthward, yet do we effectually reſtrain them? 'Tis not enough that you ſay, My heart needs a Bridle; you muſt make uſe of the Bridle: when you have ſtopped your hearts in their carnal courſe, then you have done ſomething

Friends, when you have conſidered and tried the difficulty of preventing your motions downwards, and of ſpeeding your way upwards, then you will ſee farther what need you have to beſtir your ſelves.

Lay altogether: Is it certain that thoſe that fall ſhort of Religion, or fall off from the Religion they have, will be loſt at laſt? Is there ſuch a diſtance betwixt what we are and what we ſhould be? Is it ſo hard to raiſe thoſe that are fallen? Is it ſo hard to diſcern the Soul-conſumption till it be almoſt paſt cure? Is there ſuch an indiſpoſition in conſuming Souls to ſeek, and ſuch an oppoſition made by a ſtirring Devil, and their ſtirring luſts, againſt their obtaining their cure? Is it ſo hard for thoſe that ſtand to get on their way? then certainly every one of us had need to awaken and look to our ſelves. Thus much for the 2d. General.

3. What it is to take hold of God? In anſwer to this 3 things.

p. 1231. Our great Happineſs is in this, that the Lord is in us.

2. Our Happineſs is in this, that the Lord is among us.

3. Our taking hold of God is our continuing the Preſence of God with us, and our preventing his Departure.

1. Our great Happineſs is in this, that the Lord is in us. God is then in us.

1. When the Fear of God is within us.

2. When the Face of God is upon us.

1. When the fear of God is within us. When the Spirit of the Lord, the Image and Holineſs of the Lord, is within us, which come all to one: That Promiſe, Jer. 32.40. I will put my fear into their hearts, is the ſame as thoſe, Jer. 31. and Ezek. 36. I will put my ſpirit within you. A new heart will I give you. Or as Luke 17.21. The Kingdom of God is within you. When God takes up his Habitation, ſets up his Throne in the hearts of his People, undertakes the Government of them bp his Word and Spirit, ſubdues them to himſelf, reigns in righteouſneſs in their Souls, and makes them his voluntary Subjects and willing People; when the Grace of God prevails and bears rule in their Hearts. 'Tis not Gods being in their Mouths, the Grace of God in their Lips, but his being in their Hearts, his dwelling and living in their Hearts, the real and inward Sanctification of them by his Holy Spirit that dwelleth in them.

This is the being of God in his People, and this is the bleſſedneſs or happineſs of his People. When God is within us the Devil is caſt out, ſin is thrown down, the Kingdom of Satan is deſtroyed where the Kingdom of God is ſet up. It is peoples miſery to have the Devil in them, to have Sin bear rule; and therefore 'tis there bleſſedneſs to have theſe Tyrants cut p. 124down and caſt out, and the Kingdom of God ſet up in their ſtead.

2. When the Face of God is upon us; when we live in his fear, and live alſo in the light of his Countenance; when he ſhines and ſmiles upon our hearts; when he loves his Saints, and ſhews them his Loves; when he reveals his good will and good liking of them, and lets them know that they are accepted with him; when he is their Friend, and lets them have the countenance of their Friend towards them; when he is their Father, and cauſes them to feel the Bowels of their Father, the Compaſſions and Kindneſſes of their Father, and hereby makes them to joy in his Love, and to rejoyce in hope of the Glory of God: This is Bleſſedneſs indeed, theſe are Bleſſed Ones, whoſe God is thus their Lord. Bleſſed are the people who are in ſuch a caſe, bleſſed are the people whoſe God is the …, Pſ. 144.15.

Chriſtians, you need not complain whatever you want, if you have no bread in your houſes, no money in your purſes, no health in your Bodies, no reſt in your bones, yet have you the Lord God in your hearts? it is enough, you are bleſſed Souls. Sinners, ye need not boaſt your ſelves and lift up your heads ſo high, you have money in your purſes, you have friends in your houſes, you have health in your bodies, you have marrow in your bones, you can hardly tell what you lack that would pleaſe you; and yet miſerable ſouls are you all, God is not in you, and that, to him that knows what it is, is miſery enough to blaſt all your comforts and your joys. The Devil is where God is not; Sin bears rule where God doth not; and this is the upſhot of your boaſting, and bleſſing, and comforting of your ſelves; this is all you can ſay; matters of this World go well with me, I can live a plentiful, and pleaſant, and merry life; the Sun p. 125ſhines on my Tabernacle, I have the Wind on my ſide, I am on the warm ſide of the Hedge, I proſper, I flouriſh in the Earth, all things go well with me, I have but this one thing to trouble me, my Soul is in the hands of the Devil, there's nothing of God in me, and where God is not, there the Devil bears rule. This, if ye knew it, is miſery enough for you, that whatever you have, God is none of yours; and this is happineſs enough for the Saints, that God is in them of a truth.

2. Our happineſs is, that the Lord is among us, that we have the viſible tokens of his preſence, that the Ark of his preſence is among us, that we have his Statutes, and his Ordinances, and his Worſhip among us; that the Doors of his Houſe are open, and the Glory of the Lord filleth his Houſe; that the Ordinances are among us, and are not as a miſcarrying Womb or dry Breaſts, but are fruitful to the propagating an Holy Seed, bringing forth abundance of Children to the Lord, and nurſing up thoſe that are to be fat and flouriſhing. This was that Glory of the Lord which the Pſalmiſt ſo thirſts and longs to ſee, Pſ. 63.2. That I might ſee thy Power and thy Glory, ſo as I have ſeen thee in the Sanctuary. This was that happineſs of the Church which was propheſied, Iſ. 60.2, &c. The Lord ſhall ariſe upon thee, and his Glory ſhall be ſeen in thee. v. 4. Thy Sons ſhall come from far, and thy Daughters ſhall be nurſed up at thy ſide; then ſhalt thou ſee and flow together, and thine heart ſhall fear and be enlarged. v. 8. Who are thoſe that flee as a Cloud, and as the Doves of the Windows? v. 14, 15. They ſhall call thee the City of the Lord, the Zion of the Holy One of Iſrael; and I will make thee an everlaſting Excellency, a Joy of many Generations. v. 21. Thy People ſhall be all righteous, the Branch of my Planting, the Work of my Hands, that I may be glorified. p. 126This you will acknowledge muſt needs be an happy time, and all this is the fruit of the preſence of the Lord among his People. When the Glory of the Lord fills his Houſe, and the off-ſprings of the Lord are numerous and proſperous; when the Golden Candleſticks are ſet up, and the Son of man walks in the midſt of his Candleſticks; when there are not only here and there a flouriſhing Believer, but when there are flouriſhing Churches, flouriſhing companies of Believers; when there are not only a throng of People crowding the Doors of the Lords Houſe, but a throng of Saints worſhipping at his Feet, and walking in the Name of the Lord: Happy would ſuch days be, bleſſed are the People that are in ſuch a caſe, by the preſence of the Lord among them.

Yea, and every degree towards ſuch a State is ſo far forth a degree of peoples happineſs; when the Lord gives his Prophets, and Teachers, and Ordinances, and (any) freedom to attend upon them, and any little ſucceſs to the propagating of holineſs, and the ſincere Profeſſors of it: This is a Token and a Fruit of the preſence of God with them. 'Tis a mercy for people to enjoy their civil advantages, fruitful times and ſeaſons for the good things of the Earth; plenty of Bread, free and flouriſhing Trades, freedom from Oppreſſion, &c. Theſe are Mercies, but theſe may be where the Lord is not as to his gracious Preſence; 'tis freedom and encouragement for Religion, the plentiful raining down of Manna, the bread that comes from Heaven, and our thriving by our Bread; 'tis this that evidences that the Lord is among us.

3. Our taking hold of God is our continuing this Preſence of the Lord with us, and preventing his departure; where I ſhall ſhew 3 things.

1. God may depart from a people with whom he hath been preſent.

p. 1272. 'Tis wo with that people from whom God departeth.

3. This is to take hold of God to prevent his departure.

1. God may depart from his People with whom he hath been preſent: And that,

1. From particular perſons, from whom he may then be ſaid to depart:

1. When he hides his Face from them.

2. When he ſuſpends the influences of his Grace.

3. When he looſens the reins of Government.

4. When he denies them the benefit of his protection.

5. When he turns away his Heart from them and rejects them.

1. When he hides his Face from them, and withdraws the light of his Countenance. Thus he withdrew from that precious Servant of his, David, Pſ. 30.7. Thou didſt hide thy Face, and I was troubled; whom we find praying, Pſ. 4.6. Lord, lift up the light of thy Countenance upon me; and Pſ. 51.12. Reſtore unto me the Joy of thy Salvation, and uphold me with thy free Spirit. Gods Holy Ones may forget God, may grow ſecure, and careleſs, and wanton Children; and the Lord will not countenance the beſt of them in their ſins: If they forget God, he finds a way to remember them of him, by conveying himſelf out of their ſight; the clouds upon his Face, the darkneſs upon their own Spirits, make them remember the light which once they had, and to look the better to it when the light returns.

2. When he ſuſpends the Influence of his Grace, witholds his Spirit from them: This was the caſe of David, when he prayed, Pſ. 51.20. Renew a right Spirit within me. When thoſe dews and ſhowers of his Grace, which are neceſſary to the holding our Souls in a flouriſhing ſtate, are reſtrained; and hereupon p. 122duplicate page p. 123duplicate page p. 124duplicate page p. 125duplicate page p. 126duplicate page p. 127duplicate page p. 128the Grace we have received withers and grows to decay. The former withdrawing of God may conſiſt with the vigour of Grace; God may hide his Face ſometimes from the deareſt of his Saints, to prevent their decay; but the ſuſpending of his gracious influences will be followed with a decay. The Somer Sun-beams ripen the Fruit, but the Winter Sun, when by its diſtance its influences are the weaker, leaves all to fade and wither. It's winter with thoſe Souls, who by their diſtance from Chriſt do loſe the influences of the Sun of Righteouſneſs. When the Sun comes about again, and renews its influences, then it's Spring, and freſh Buds, and Flowers break forth.

O Friends, is it not winter with many of our Souls? Have not the influences from above evidently failed us? We have waſted out our Somer, and driven the Lord to a diſtance; and now behold how our good things die away within us: 'Tis become cold and froſty weather in our Souls, the cold hath withered our Fruit, and the Sun doth not revive it: The Lord God is ſadly withdrawn and gone far off from many of our Souls. If Chriſtians would be ſo wiſe as to keep them near to the Lord, and ſo to keep the Lord near to them, it would be ever Spring and Somer with them, and they ſhould know Winter no more. O let us hold us under the Divine influences; take heed how you put the Lord far off from you; take heed of wandring from the Lord, leſt he puniſh your wandrings from him by removing himſelf from you.

3. When he looſens the Reins of Government, and leaves them to themſelves and their own fooliſh hearts, takes off his bridle from them, and lets them run their own courſe, ſuffers their luſts to rule them, and lets them alone to walk in their own counſels. p. 129Thus he withdrew from Iſrael, Pſ. 81.12. I gave them up to their own hearts luſts, or to the hardneſs or imagination of their own hearts,—And they walked in their own counſels: This is a worſe caſe than the former. It goes ill with thoſe Souls, where the gracious influences of God are ſuſpended: That Field or that Garden is in but poor caſe that wants the Sun and the Showers; but when it wants the care or the eye of the Husbandman too, what good can be expected from it or to it? When grace is reſtrained, and ſin is reſtrained, to what a paſs will ſuch Souls quickly grow?

Gods Government is upheld in Souls, by the upholding of Conſcience in its vigilancy, in its tenderneſs, in its authority. When Conſcience is tender and watchful, and we hold our ſelves under its inſpection and government; whilſt Chriſtians keep them to be conſciencious, whilſt Conſcience tells them of their duty, and warns them of their ſin, and they will hearken to Conſcience, their caſe ſo long is hopeful; though God hides his Face, and leave their Souls in the dark, and ſpeaks not a comfortable word to them, yea and leaves them flat and dead as to the wonted lively operations of his Grace, ſuſpending (as to their ſenſe) both his quickning influences, and his comforting influences; yet as long as Gods Government is kept up in them, as long as conſcience is kept tender, and wakeful, though they want the light of the Lord, yet they keep cloſe to the Law of their God; though his countenance be not towards them, yet they have a good conſcience towards him; though they cannot rejoyce in God, yet they will walk with God; though they cannot now ſee his Face, yet they are ſtill diligent in ſeeking his Face; though the Lord ſeems to have caſt them off, yet they will not caſt him off; ſo long, though their caſe be ſad at preſent, yet it will p. 130be ſafe at laſt, Iſ. 50.10. Who is among you that feareth the Lord and obeyeth the voice of his Servant? though he walk in darkneſs and have no light, let him truſt in the Name of the Lord, &c. Chriſtians, are there any of you in darkneſs and without the light of comfort and of joy in your hearts? hath the Lord hid his Face from you? this you will mourn under; yet do you fear and obey the Lord? do you live under his Government? though you cannot ſee him and rejoyce in him, yet do you ſerve him and follow him? So long 'tis well enough, truſt in the Lord, and ſtay your ſelves upon God, he will be a Sanctuary and ſupport to you, though his Sun ſhine not upon you. But when God hides his Face, with-holds the ſenſible Influences of his Grace, and looſens the Reins of Government too, leaves men to themſelves, and they thereupon follow their own hearts, and walk in their own counſels, then whither will they run?

Friends, whatever befall you, pray that God will ſtill keep you under government; and look to your ſelves that you do not throw off his government. Keep your conſciences tender, and hold you under the government of them; ſuch Backſliders there are who have loſt the ſight of God, & have grown to decay through the failing of divine influences, and alſo have loſt conſcience too; their luſt hath gotten the government of them, the world, the love of the world, and their cares for the world bear the great ſway in their Souls; all the bonds of Religion are looſened, and can take no hold of them farther than their carnal eaſe and intereſt will give leave; if they continue in the number of Profeſſors ſtill, yet they are a ſort of looſe Profeſſors, unruly ones, all the Religion they have will not rule their Tongues, nor rule their paſſions, nor their appetites: When their paſſion is up, religion muſt ſtand by, conſcience muſt hold its peace, or if it ſpeak they p. 131will not hear: Luſt muſt be let alone to controul conſcience, but conſcience may not be ſuffered to controul luſt; the ſins which are for their gain or their pleaſure, they can ſwallow them and not keck at it: The duties that are a wearineſs to the fleſh, they can omit them, or ſhuffle them over; when the world, or their ſloth won't give them leave, they can let praying alone, or reading, or ſo much as ſerious thinking of God, and the things of God; they can let it all alone. So much of religion as will ſerve their turns they will take up, and what's more than that, they can diſpenſe with themſelves in it. If they be told of their faults, and their haltings, and be never ſo ſolemnly charged in the name of the Lord to remember themſelves, and recover out of this wretched ſtate, 'tis all one as if nothing had been ſaid; on they go in their old carnal rode, and will lay nothing to heart: And as they let themſelves alone, ſo God lets them alone too, and will not rebuke them for their ſins; or if there be a rebuke that he ſends ſometimes in their ears, as they ſtand in the crowd amongſt other Sinners; yet he will not ſet it upon their hearts, but lets them alone to ſhift it off as they will, and to harden their hearts againſt it; this is a ſign that the Lord is departed from ſuch Souls.

O Friends, how many rebukes hath the Lord given to Backſliders? how many charges hath he given you to remember and repent, and to ſhake up your ſelves out of your liſtleſs careleſs ſtate? do theſe rebukes ſtick? do theſe charges ſtick? do they work upon you? have they ſet you upon your repenting or recovering work? how hath it been with you? what have you done, ſince the Lord hath been particularly dealing with you in this matter? Are there any of you that have done nothing but ſleep on and continue as you were? O Sirs, let me tell ſuch of you, p. 132that 'tis to be feared the Lord is departed from you, that he hath looſened the reins of his Government, and hath left you to your ſelves to grow worſe and worſe, harder and harder, till you be utterly conſumed and brought to nothing.

4. When he denies the benefit of his protection. Here 2 things.

1. The Lord is the Protector of his people.

2. God then departs from them, when he caſts them out of his protection.

1. The Lord is the Protector of his People, the Keeper of Iſrael, Pſ. 121.5, 7. The Lord is thy Keeper, the Lord is thy ſhade upon thy right hand, the Lord ſhall preſerve thee from all evil; the Lord ſhall preſerve thy Soul. He is not only the Keeper of their Subſtance, of their Flocks, and of their Herds, and of their Houſes; but he preſerves the Souls of his Saints, Pſ. 97.10. 'Tis true, every man is to be his own Keeper, the Keeper of his own Soul; we abuſe and forfeit the protection of God, that thence grow careleſs and neglect the keeping of our ſelves. Commit the keeping of your Souls to him in (well doing,) 1 Pet. 4.19. Doſt thou ſay, the Lord is thee Keeper of my Soul, and I will leave it to him, and will not truſt in my ſelf, in mine own keeping? Thou ſayſt well that thou wilt not truſt thy Soul in thy own keeping; but doſt thou hereupon neglect the keeping of thy Soul? wilt thou not do what thou canſt to keep thy ſelf, but wilt grow careleſs of thine own heart, and leave the whole care upon him? thou herein forfeiteſt Gods protection: The ſame word that promiſes the Lord ſhall preſerve thy Soul, requires, Prov. 4.23. keep thine own Soul, Keep thine heart with all diligence. We muſt be every one of us our own keepers, or God will not; but here is our great ſecurity, when we have done all, that it is the Lord that is our Keeper. The Devil p. 133could tell that well enough, Job 1.10. Haſt thou not made an hedge about Job? He would fain have been doing with him, but God had hedg'd the Devil ſo out, that he could not touch him without his leave: And he that hedg'd the Devil out from Job, hedges him out from all his Saints; and he that hedges the Devil out, hedges the World out with all its temptations and ſnares.

Chriſtians, you whoſe hearts are upright with God, how is it that the world and its temptations are not broken in upon you, and have not totally carried you away from God and his Holy ways, and carried you after your covetouſneſs or your pleaſures, or the honours and preferments of this Earth, as it hath done many others? O you may thank God for this, he hath hedgd the World out: 'Twere well with many, even Profeſſors, if they could find in their experiences as you do find in yours, that God had hedg'd the World out of them. But O how many of theſe, even Profeſſors, are there, that the World hath broken in upon them, broken in upon their hearts, and carried them away after it. Do not ſome of you feel that your hearts are gone, gone after your covetouſneſs, gone after your eaſe, and your pleaſures, gone from God, gone from your Religion as to the ſtrictneſs and power of it; gone from a good conſcience and your tenderneſs of it, gone from your heavenly minds, and ſo you are become of thoſe that mind earthly things? Sure ſome of you do not know your ſelves, do not obſerve your ſelves, nor are acquainted with your own Spirits, if you do not acknowledge, Lord be merciful to me, mine heart is far gone; my conſcience, my tenderneſs, my religion, my love to Chriſt is much loſt by the incroachment of this preſent World. Is it ſo? and how does it ſit upon your hearts? does it not trouble you? does it not make p. 134you afraid? ſure you have reaſon to be afraid, and to ſay within your hearts, I doubt I am none of thoſe Saints of whom God hath undertaken to be the Keeper; or at leaſt, if God had ever an hedge about me, the hedge is broken down, the tempter is broken in, and is carrying away all that little good I had, and will never leave carrying and carrying, till he hath carried away my Soul.

God hath made an hedge about his Saints, not to hedge (all) temptations out; he ſometimes ſuffers the devil & the world, as he did in the caſe af Job, to break over the Hedge: He lets his Precious Ones to fall into divers temptations, but ſtill they are under the protection of his Promiſe, 1 Cor. 10.13. God is faithful, who will not ſuffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will with the temptation make a way to eſcape? Chriſtians may be hard put to it, & may ſuffer many a foyl; we too often feel the Devil is too hard for us, the World too hard for us, and we ſuffer great loſſes and impairings in our grace and comfort: But the promiſe will bring us about again, & fetch us in again, & knock off our fingers from being ſo bold with theſe earthly things. Indeed we can never have aſſurance that we are under the protection of that Promiſe, but are left without the hedge and are none of the Lords; whilſt the world and its temptations do continue to make ſuch a prey of our Souls, and hold us ſuch Slaves and Captives to it, but if we be the Lords, the Promiſe will bring it about again. This is the firſt, God is the Protector of his People.

2. Then God departs from them when he caſts them out of his protection; when he ſays concerning any perſon, as he ſaid concerning his Vineyard, Iſ. 5.5, 6. I will take away the hedge thereof and it ſhall be eaten up, and break down the wall thereof and it ſhall be trodden down; and I will lay it waſte, it ſhall not be pruned nor digged, but bryars and thorns ſhall come up; I will p. 135alſo command the Clouds that they rain no rain upon it. 'Tis one thing for the tempter to be ſuffered to break in over the Hedge, another to have the hedge removed. God had his Hedge ſtill about Job, though he ſuffered the Devil to leap over it; and this Hedge limited him how far he ſhould go, and no further: But when the Wall is removed, and the Hedge broken down, and the Enemy is let alone to make what waſte he will, to eat up, and to trample into dirt the Fruit of the Vineyard, and make it a place for Briars and Thorns to grow up inſtead of the Vine; then the Lord hath caſt off, and is gone from the Vineyard. Sure, Friends, there are ſuch Profeſſors in the world, and look diligently if there be any ſuch among you, about whom the Lord hath broken down his Hedge, whom he hath even given up to the world and given up to the devil, and in whom theſe Enemies have eaten up even all their good, and made their Souls a meer waſte, where grows nothing but Bryars and thorns; in whom religion and righteouſneſs, truth and honeſty, faith and love, and hope and prayer, and all ſenſe of God, and things to come, are devoured and eaten up of the world, and thoſe bryars and thorns of pride and luſt, of envy and intemperance, and all unrighteouſneſs, are ſprung up in their ſtead. My hope is, that there are none of the Profeſſors of this place that are ſo far gone as this; but whether there are none of you that are going, and in a fair way to it, I leave to your conſciences to judge. If the wall be not utterly thrown down, yet are there not ſome ſad breaches made in it at which the Devil and the World have entred? If all be not eaten up, if all be not trodden down, if there be ſomething of Religion left alive, if ſome little minding of God, ſome little care of your Souls, ſome little favour of Chriſtianity be left, (and how very little is there in ſome?) p. 136though all be not eaten up, yet is not this world an eating daily, and a conſuming more and more that little of God that remains? Does not the World grow upon you, and does not Religion waſte, and your Souls go back farther & farther? Is it thus with any of you? look you diligently whether it be or no; if it be thus, though I will not ſay, the Lord is utterly departed from you, the Lord hath rejected you; yet thus much I muſt ſay, God is going away from your Souls; look to it, and lay hold upon him by repenting and ſpeedy turning towards him, or expect no other but that he will throw you off, and caſt you out of his ſight.

5. When he turns away his heart from them and rejects them. The Lord hath rejected thee, ſaid Samuel to Saul; and afterwards, The Lord is departed from me, ſaid Saul to Samuel. God deals with particular perſons that will not be reclaimed as with backſliding Iſrael, concerning whom he ſaid, Iſ. 15.1. Though Moſes and Samuel ſtood before me, yet my mind, or my heart, could not be towards this People; caſt them out of my ſight, and let them go forth. God had ſent Prophet upon Prophet to them, to reclaim and recover them from their Apoſtaſies to their Idols, but when they would not be reclaimed, then this fatal word comes at length, Caſt them out of my ſight, my mind is no longer towards them.

Friends, you that have been Backſliders, that have fallen in your Religion, that have declined from God to the World, God hath ſent many a word to you to recover you, and now he is giving you ſolemn warning again: What will you now do? ſhall this word be loſt and take no effect upon you? will you yet continue to ſleep on and refuſe to be awakened? O take heed, O awaken, who knows, if ye yet refuſe, but God may forthwith ſpeak ſuch a dreadful word concerning you, I have no mind to this backſliding p. 137Soul, I'll be troubled with him no longer, I'll give him a Bill of Divorce, and ſend him away. If you ſhould ask as they did there, Whither will he ſend us? Why, any whither; let them go whither they will for me, I'll own them no longer: Send this man to the World which he hath loved, ſend him to the Devil whom he hath followed; let him be gone from me, I have no mind to him; this backſliding wretch, he hath no mind to me, he hath more mind to the World, to his Money, to his Trade, to his Oxen, then he hath to his God; and I have no more mind to him, than he hath to me. Since he hath ſo much mind to the World, and to the Service of the Devil, let the World take him, let the Devil take him, give him a Bill of divorce and ſend him away. What, falſe to his God, to his Conſcience, to his Religion, to his Covenant? What, an Hypocrite, an Apoſtate, an Idolater? One that has been ſo, and will be ſo? though I have call'd him back, and threatned him back, and cryed unto him, though thou haſt played the Harlot and the Hypocrite theſe many years, yet return to me; and yet none of my Words will ſtir him, nor move him, but on he goes his old way: Away with ſuch a wretch, I have no mind any longer to him, caſt him out of my ſight.

Friends, you that are gone back, do not comfort your hearts with ſuch a thought, However I am no total Apoſtate, I have ſomething of Religion, ſomething of Conſcience left me; but know, that if you be not total Apoſtates, yet your gradual backſlidings are the way to it; and if you look not the better to it, you will never ſtop (as I have often warned you) till you have loſt all. Are you not total Apoſtates? no more were Iſrael; they ſtill acknowledged God, and worſhipped the true God; but though they did but hang betwixt God and their Idols, yet upon their p. 138refuſal to return, God ſent forth this word concerning their utter rejection, Away with them, caſt them out of my ſight. Thou haſt, thou ſayeſt, ſomething of God in thee, ſomething of Religion in thee, but art thou fallen ſo far from God, as to hang betwixt God and the World, and ſhall not this ſolemn warning, which comes to thee in the name of the God of Heaven, ſhall not this ſhake thee up from ſleeping in ſuch a ſtate, and raiſe and recover thee out of that carnality and earthlineſs to ſincerity in Religion and Godlineſs? Shall all theſe warnings be ſpoken to thee in vain, and leave thee ſuch an earthly minded, ſuch a dead-hearted careleſs Soul as they find thee? God forbid, Friends, it ſhould have no more ſucceſs than ſo; and look you to it every one of you that are particularly concern'd in it; look to it, leſt if you continue without an effectual change and recovery, God ſhould ſpeak ſuch a dreadful word to any of you, I have no longer any mind to this man, I have no longer any mind to this woman, give them a Bill of Divorce and ſend them away, caſt them out of my ſight, let them be gone from me.

Friends, you muſt give me leave to ſpeak as plainly to you and as cloſely in this matter as I am able. I know how ſad 'twill be with you if the word doth not prevail; and I know this conſuming Diſeaſe is hard to be cured: Backſliders are ordinarily of hard hearts, and deaf ears, and ſo hard to be recovered. God knows how it may be with you, whether God may gain any thing, Religion may gain any thing, upon you by this warning; I know it will be hard work to bring you up out of this caſe, and yet I am loth to loſe my labour: I would fain do ſomething for Chriſt, and ſomething for the help of your poor Souls; and therefore you muſt bear with me, that I thus ſet my ſelf to ſpeak over and over thus cloſely to p. 139you; that if it be poſſible, my words may ſtick with you. Do not ſay that I think too hardly of you, and make you worſe than you are; I thank God that there are among you thoſe who are faithful, and ſtand their ground; I thank God that there is ſo much Religion as there is, even in ſome of you; I thank God I have hope there is as much of ſerious Religion continuing in this Congregation, as in the moſt Congregations about us: But I muſt tell you, that he is a ſtranger to us, that doth not perceive at what a low ebb ſerious Religion is amongſt many of us; and he whoſe heart bleeds not and breaks not at what his eyes may ſee and his ears may hear, hath but little of the Spirit of Chriſtianity in him. Sure there are too many among us that have declined in great degree, O that this word might find them out, and bring them to their knees firſt, and then ſet them upon their Legs, that ſo there may be a prevention of their utter Rejection.

2. God may depart from his Churches and the Congregations of his People; and then he departs from theſe:

1. When he ſhuts up his Houſe, and writes upon the Doors thereof; The Glory is departed. When he cauſes their viſions to fail, his Ordinances to ceaſe from among them; when preaching, and praying, and all his ſpiritual worſhip fails; when, though the Candleſticks continue, yet there are few Candles left; and thoſe that are not quite put out, are put under a Buſhel; when Paſtors and Teachers, which were burning and ſhining Lights, are removed into a Corner.

2. When he pulls down his Houſe: When not only the Candles are carried away, but the Candleſticks are broken in pieces: When he unchurches his People, and ſcatters his Congregations: When the Societies p. 140of the Saints are broken in pieces, and thoſe that went to the Houſe of God in companies, have neither houſe to go into, nor company to go together. It's promiſed, Iſ. 33.20. Ye ſhall look upon Zion the City of our ſolemnities; thine eyes ſhall ſee Jeruſalem a quiet Habitation, a Tabernacle that ſhall not be taken down, not one of the Stakes thereof ſhall be removed, neither ſhall any of the Cords thereof be broken; but there the Glorious Lord will be to us a place of broad Rivers and Streams. Now when this word is changed, and our eyes ſee Jeruſalem a troubled habitation, our Tabernacle taken down, its Stakes that pitched it, and its Cords that held it, all removed and broken in pieces; when the Habitation of the Lord is become a deſolation, and his Vineyard become a meer Wilderneſs; when the Cormorant and the Bittern, when Owls and Satyrs, when the Beaſts and the falſe Prophets are where once were the Prophets and People of the Lord, then is the Lord departed.

3. When, though his Houſe and his Tabernacle ſtands, and his Ordinances are continued, though there be Preaching and Praying ſtill, yet the Spirit of the Lord is departed. When he doth not continue to bleſs his Houſe, and bleſs his Ordinances to his People; when that word is fulfilled upon them, Iſ. 28.13. The Word of the Lord is to them, precept upon precept, line upon line, that they might go and fall backward: When the Children of Zion are as it was ſaid thoſe that hate Zion ſhould be, Pſ. 129.6. as the Graſs upon the Houſe top that withereth before it be grown up, whereof the Mower filleth not his hand, nor he that bindeth ſheaves his boſom: Even this is a departure, and a grievous departure of the Lord from his People; when he continues not among them to bleſs them, continues his Word among them, precept upon precept, line upon line, lets them have Sabbath after Sabbath, Meeting p. 141upon Meeting, Sermon upon Sermon, but nothing proſpers, but they fall and go backward, and wither as the graſs upon the Houſe top.

O how many Congregations amongſt us are there from whom the Lord is already thus far departed! though he gives us his Word, yet he doth not bleſs his Word; though the Sowers come forth to ſow, yet how is the Seed rotten under the Clods, how little is there that comes up! Though the Planters plant, and the Builders build, how few young Plants do we ſee coming up? how ſlowly does the Building riſe? does not the Building rather go backward! do not the Plants that are hang their heads and wither, and no more riſe in their room? When do we hear of a new convert brought in, and how few do we ſee of the former planting to flouriſh? O we fade, we fade, we wither as the Graſs upon the Houſe top; our life, and our ſtrength, and our beauty, how is it fallen and withered? the beauty of love, the beauty of humility, the beauty of holineſs, how is it even all marred? Sure this is a token of the Lords departure from us. Thus you have ſeen how the Lord departs from his People.

2. It's wo with a people when the Lord departs from them: Wo unto them, ſaith the Lord, when I depart from them, Hoſ. 9.12.

1. 'Tis woful to them that have ſomething of Religion in them; when their Paſtors, and Paſtures, and Waters fail, what's like to become of them? even they alſo are like to pine for want. There are none to whom Famine is ſo tedeous as to hungry Souls; the living Child will cry for Bread, when thoſe that are dead can want it well enough, and never feel their want: And it will not be woful only to their ſenſe, they will mourn, and lament, and be pierced to the very heart to ſee ſuch a day; but to ſome amongſt p. 142them it will be a worſe wo than that. Whilſt ſome mourn for want of the Word, others will pine away for want. Ezek. 24.21, 23. I will profane my Sanctuary, the excellency of your ſtrength, the deſire of your eyes, and ye ſhall pine away for your iniquities. Profeſſors, there be ſome among you that have languiſhed and grown to decay in the fulneſs of all things, by all the Ordinances of the Goſpel you have had, by all the Manna that hath fallen among you, by all our Preaching to you, and Praying over you, we can hardly keep life in you; the little good that remains is weak and even ready to vaniſh away: But what then will become of you in the Day of Famine? when your Manna ſhall ceaſe, and your Waters fail? O tremble to hear this word ſpoken concerning you, you ſhall not mourn nor weep; you won't be much troubled, nor lay it to heart, but ye ſhall pine away for your iniquities. If in ſuch a day of plenty as you have had you are ſuch pining Souls, what can you expect but you may pine to death in days of want?

2. Eſpecially 'tis woful to thoſe that have no Religion in them, that are blind, and hard, and dead Souls, that remain ſtill without Chriſt and without God in the World. Sinners, if ye be not brought in to be Believers whilſt the Word of Faith is preached to you, if ye be not converted whilſt the Word of Repentance is preached among you, if you continue ſuch blind and ignorant Souls whilſt you have the light with you, what will ye be in the days of darkneſs? Sinners concern not themſelves about any ſuch thing; let the Goſpel ſhine or be under a cloud, let Religion flouriſh or vaniſh, let God be amongſt them or be gone, let there be preaching or no preaching, 'tis all one to them, they are like Gallio, Acts 18.17. they are for none of theſe things. But, Sinners, let me tell you, as little as you regard it how it goes with the Church of God p. 143and the Ordinances of God, whether there be liberty or reſtraint, a plenty or a famine of the word; when ever the Goſpel departs, when ever a famine of the word comes, 'tis you are the men that are like chiefly to have the miſery of it: 'Tis an affliction to the Saints, and they may be great loſers, they may languiſh and grow to a decay; but you are like to loſe your Souls, you are like to dye in your Sins, and to periſh for ever; if you are thus hardned under the word, how are you like to be won to Chriſt without the Word? If the Devil hath ſuch power with you to lead you on in your ſins, in your drunkenneſs, and ſwearing, and lying, and covetouſneſs, and to hold you under your impenitence, notwithſtanding all the inſtructions, and warnings, and reproofs you have from the word, how faſt will he hold you when there's none to reſiſt him? If you never be converted and brought to repentance, you know you muſt to Hell; and what hope will there be of your converſion when the converting word is no more preached to you? Sinners, you had need make better uſe of the Word while you have it among you, you had need look for another manner of work of God than hitherto hath been upon you: Of all men in the World you eſpecially had need pray, Lord take not the Word of thy Truth from among us; or at leaſt, Lord, delay that dark day, O let my Soul be firſt wrought upon, O let it firſt lay hold on me, and recover me from my ſins, and from the power of the Devil; let me become a Convert to Chriſt, a Diſciple of Chriſt before that day come: you had need pray thus, and you had need hearken more to the Word while you have it, and haſten in to Chriſt. That day will ſtay for none of you when 'tis coming; and O! what if it ſhould come upon you? if the Goſpel ſhould be carried away, and leave you in that ſinful guilty ſtate p. 144that now you are in? Look to it Sinners, in the name of God look to it, ſtrike in with Chriſt preſently, make thorow work for your Souls inſtantly, while it is called to day harden not your hearts; don't any longer ſtand, ſhall I, ſhall I? one day or other I hope I ſhall: For ought you know, God may be even about to pack up his Treaſure, to take down his ſtanding and ready to be gone, and then where are you? O carry this thought upon your heart; if God ſhould go, and his Goſpel ſhould go, and leave my Soul at this paſs, wo, wo to me poor wretched Soul, what ſhall become of me for ever? O, if the preaching of the Word leave me under the power of the Devil, ſure the Famine of the Word is like to ſeal me up under the hardneſs of my heart to everlaſting condemnation. Look to it, Sinners, pray that ſuch a Day may not overtake you thus; and O haſten, and take the preſent ſeaſon, and this day break off your ſins by repentance, and yield your ſelves to the Lord; be converted that ye may be ſaved. Fear not but Chriſt will accept you if you will now come in; he is yet willing, he ſtands ſtretching his hands to you, he lifts up his Voice to you, and calls, Come ye poor ſinful ſouls, come unto me, make an adventure for Heaven, come and be my hearty Diſciples; let the wicked among you forſake his wickedneſs, let him return to the Lord and he (ſhall) have mercy. Fear not but if you will now come in you ſhall be accepted; but dare not for your lives delay any longer, leſt the days of darkneſs overtake you, leſt the Goſpel be removed from us, and leave you bound in your ſins, and then you be carried down, bound hand and foot into the everlaſting Priſon. The Lord grant that this be not the diſmal lot of any of your Souls, and look you to it in time that it be not; loſe not the preſent ſeaſon, the Sun ſeems to grow low, it's almoſt night; O ſee to it p. 145that it be not Sunſet among us, before it be Sunriſing in any of your Souls. I hope the day is even now dawning upon ſome poor Sinners among you, that ſome of your Souls are looking towards Chriſt, and making towards Chriſt, and making your eſcape from your Sins: Is it ſo with thee? art thou awakened from thy Sins? art thou wiſhing and waiting for Chriſt? Even this is the dawning of the day upon thee: O for the Sun riſing, for the forming of Chriſt upon thine heart, look that the work that is, go not back again, but come on, and hold on, that thy little morning light may increaſe and grow up to perfect day, and that the Evening and the Morning meet not.

3. Our taking hold of God is our continuing the Lord among us, and our preventing his departure. This was their Sin in the Text, they did not take hold of God, that is, they took no courſe to continue the Lord amongſt them: God was going from them, and they let him go and look'd not after him, they were too willing to part with God. And this is the caſe of Backſliders in heart, they are too well contented that God and they do part; their heart is withdrawn from God, and they matter it not though God withdraws from them.

Our laying hold on God imports theſe 3 things which are neceſſary to our continuing him with us.

1. Our letting go our Idols or falſe Gods. God never departs, till there be another God taken in with him and ſet up by him; and God will never continue unleſs theſe Idols be caſt away, Ezek. 14.5. They are eſtranged from me by their Idols; they are grown ſtrangers to me, and I muſt be a ſtranger to them; they have taken in other Gods beſides me: And v. 5. Repent, ſays God, and turn your ſelves from your Idols: p. 146If you would have me ſtay, let them go their way. There is a ſetting up of Idols in the Congregation, a ſetting up of Stocks and Stones to worſhip; and there is a ſetting up of Idols in the Heart, Ezek. 14.3. Theſe men have ſet up their Idols in their Hearts: Thoſe that have no ſuch Idols as Iſrael had, thoſe that abhor Image Worſhip, or worſhipping of the Sun and the Hoſt of Heaven, thoſe that would be trembled to ſee an Idol ſet up in the Houſe of God, may yet have an heart full of Idols. One of the chief of our Idols is the World, and our great Heart-Idolatry is Covetouſneſs, or the Love of the World, Col. 3.5. And Covetouſneſs which is Idolatry. If God be provoked to depart from us, 'tis to be ſuſpected that this is the Idol that drives him away: Our hearts are gone after the World, and thereupon 'tis that the Lord God is ſo far from our Hearts. Would you lay hold on God? put away your Idols, caſt this world out of your Hearts. 'Tis vain to confeſs we have ſinned againſt God, 'tis vain to pray, Lord, leave us not: God will never regard your confeſſions nor your prayers, till your Idols be caſt out.

Friends, whatever we ſuffer, or are like to ſuffer, 'tis this World, 'tis our Worldlineſs that hath undone the moſt of us; the gains of this World, the pleaſures of this World have been taken into our Hearts, and thereupon 'tis that God leaves us to ſink and go to ruin as we do. Ceaſe from your Idolatry, away with your Earthly-mindedneſs and Fleſhlineſs, your hands are full of dirt and aſhes, empty them of theſe, or you can never lay hold on God.

We cry out againſt the Wickedneſs of our Age, the Atheiſm, the Adulteries; the Oaths, and prodigious Profaneneſs that is among us; and theſe and ſuck-like Evils we look on as the reaſon why God is ſuch a ſtranger and ſo angry with us. But beſides theſe p. 147Wickedneſſes of the openly Profane, there are other iniquities to be found even amongſt thoſe that profeſs againſt this Profaneſs; and this for one, the Iniquity of our Covetouſneſs that hath thus provoked the Lord againſt us, Iſ. 57.17. For the Iniquity of his Covetouſneſs I was wrath and ſmote him, I hid me and was wrath, and yet he went on frowardly in the way of his Heart. Here 3 things:

1. That Covetouſneſs is Iniquity, or Wickedneſs: Covetous Ones are Wicked Ones, however they may look like Holy Ones; whatever of God or Religion appears, yet their Covetouſneſs, where it is predominant, marks them out for Wicked ones. Art thou a Profeſſor of Religion? doſt thou Hear? doſt thou Pray? doſt thou joyn thy ſelf to thoſe that fear God? and yet art thou a Worldling? thou art but a Wicked Man whatever thy Profeſſion be.

2. The Iniquity of our Covetouſneſs will make God to withdraw and hide his Face from us. I hid me and was wrath.

3. Covetous men, how dear ſoever their Covetouſneſs coſts them, yet they will go on their way: He went on frowardly, that is, perverſly or obſtinately in his way. He would not be turned back, he would not give off from following his worldly heart, how angry ſoever God was with him for it. O this Diſeaſe of a worldly Heart, when it is rooted once, it hardly admits of a Cure. Beloved, God hath preſcribed you many Remedies, and God hath given you many Warnings, and your Souls have ſuffered great loſs by it: O the impoveriſhment that hath fallen upon your inward man by your ſo over eager purſuit of the advantages of our outward man; and yet for all this, who will take warning? How little abatement is there to be ſeen of the Zeal of our Hearts after Earthly things? O 'tis an evil Diſeaſe, and a tough Diſeaſe, p. 148that will hardly be purged away. There are ſome Humours of the Body that are ſo tough, that where they abound they can hardly be purged away without the deſtroying of Nature; and there is no Humour in the Body ſo tough and hard to be removed as this diſeaſe of the Soul.

Well, but yet unleſs you mean to part with God, yea, and to part with him for ever, you muſt let this Idol go. And the like may be ſaid of any other of our Idols, any other Sins you have ſet up in your Hearts. There can be no taking hold of God, but you muſt let all your Idols go; you are at this point, either theſe muſt be parted with, or God and your Souls muſt part. You that are proud Profeſſors, that Pride muſt be laid in the Duſt; you that are for your pleaſure or your eaſe, you that are for your credit and reputation, you that are given to appetite, whoſe God is your Belly or your Throats, you muſt come off from all that your hearts are thus ſet upon, or elſe count upon it, that as you have begun to fall as there is a breach between God and your Souls begun, ſo it will grow worſe and worſe with you, and the breach grow wider and wider, till it become too great to be ever made up.

What, Friends, will ye love this World to the Death? will you love your Pleaſures, and your Eaſe, and your Luſts to the Death? will you ſell all that you have, all your Religion, all your Hopes, and your Comforts that you have had in it? will you ſell your God, and your Souls, for theſe vile things? The Young Man in the Goſpel fooliſhly refuſed to ſell what he had in the world for Chriſt, and will you not refuſe to ſell Chriſt and all your Hopes as to the other world, for the traſh you have here? do not you ſee? do (none) of you ſee how dear they have coſt you, and how low they have brought you as to the p. 149State of your inward man already? and will you hold on ſtill and never give over till you have loſt all, and all hopes of ever recovering what you have loſt? O be yet adviſed and go no farther on, caſt ye away, caſt ye away your Idols, and yet return to the Lord, and he will return to you.

2. Our laying hold on the Covenant of God. We have no other hold on God but his Covenant with us; we had need keep the Covenant of God inviolable, for there's all the hold we have either for this life, or the life to come. And this is the hold that we find this people of Iſrael inſiſted upon, v. 9. of this Chapter, Behold, ſee we beſeech thee, we are all thy People; that is, thy Covenant People. See, we beſeech thee, or remember, O Lord, what hath paſſed betwixt thee and us; thou haſt ſaid, I will be your God, and ye ſhall be my People: And this we find more expreſly pleaded, Jer. 14.7, 8. We have them expoſtulating the caſe, O Lord, though our iniquities teſtifie againſt us, our backſlidings are many, we have ſinned againſt thee; O thou hope of Iſrael, and the Saviour thereof in time of trouble, why ſhouldſt thou be a Stranger? The Lord might have anſwered, Why ſhould I not be a Stranger, when your Sins and your Backſlidings are ſo many? They reply, v. 21. Yet do not abhor us for thy names ſake, do not diſgrace the Throne of thy Glory: What would the Heathen ſay of God if he ſhould caſt off his People? Remember, break not thy Covenant with us; 'tis true, we have broken with thee, but yet remember what thou haſt ſaid, Pſ. 89.31, 32, &c. If they break my Statutes, and keep not my Commandments, I will viſit their Iniquities with a Rod, and their Sin with Stripes; nevertheleſs my loving kindneſs will I not utterly take from him, nor ſuffer my Faithfulneſs to fail; my Covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my p. 150Lips: O that's a word of hope; Remember Lord, remember, and break not thy Covenant with us.

Our only hope is the Covenant of God, and this is neceſſary to our laying hold on the Covenant of God, To repent of our Covenant-breaking, and to renew our Covenant with him, and return to our obedience

'Tis a vain pleading from the Covenant of God, from the Faithfulneſs of God to his people, if they have been falſe in the Covenant, and will not return; our engaging to fidelity to God for the future, and our being faithful to our engagement, this is the ſureſt and our only way to take hold on the Covenant of God.

Friends, you that are backſliders, you have been unfaithful to God, you have broken the Covenant of your Peace; and as to your ſelves, you have hereby taken the moſt effectual courſe to make void the Covenant of God; you have looſened the Almighty from his bond to you; God is far from you (as I may ſo ſpeak) and may never look after you more, but may depart from you for ever, and leave you to periſh in your revoltings: And though God be gracious and abideth faithful, yet unleſs you will come into new bonds with him, and ſo lay hold on his old bond to you, you can expect nothing but that he leave you, and forſake you for ever.

This therefore you have to do for recovery: 1. To acknowledge your unfaithfulneſs to the Lord; Lord, I confeſs I am a Backſlider, and herein am become falſe to thee; I have covenanted to love thee, and to ſerve thee with all mine heart, and with all my might; but wo is me, thou haſt but half an heart from me, mine heart is divided; O how much of it hath this World carried away from God? inſtead of Serving thee with my might, I have been an idle Servant; the Lord forgive me, my buſineſs hath of late lyen another p. 151way than about God or my Soul; I have been ſerving my Pride, and my Covetouſneſs; this world hath too much of me, inſomuch that many a time I have even forgotten that I have a God to ſerve; and when I do any thing in the ſervice of God, I do it but by halfs; my ſtrength hath gone out for the world, and wo is me, there hath been but little left for God, but my weakneſs and wearineſs; yea, and though I find the ſad fruit of this my neglect in thoſe waſts that are grown upon me, though I ſee my ſelf become a poor, withered, decayed thing, yet I am not much troubled at it, but am ſtill going on in the ſame buſie life for this Earth, and in the ſame neglect of God: O I have been thus unfaithful, an unfaithful Servant, an unfaithful Steward of the manifold Graces of God; I have ſo waſted my Talents, that I have almoſt nothing left. Thus confeſs unto God your Covenant breakings.

2. Renew your Covenant and return to your Fidelity. To repent and not return, is but a mock repentance; to confeſs and not amend, is but a mock confeſſion. Remember that word, Jer. 15.19. If thou wilt return, I will bring thee again, and thou ſhalt ſtand before me.

You that confeſs your backſlidings, will you return? you ſee how it hath been and is with you, ſhall it be better for the future? what are your minds for hence forward? are your hearts ſo ſet upon a reviving the work of God, and a recovering out of your carnal, earthly, lazy habit and way, that you are willing to renew your Covenant with God? will you promiſe to the Lord, that through his Grace with you, and the help of his good Spirit, you will henceforth ſet your hearts to be more faithful to him? to follow the Lord fully, to ſtick faſter to your Religion, to be true to God and your Conſcience, and the p. 152Covenant of your God? will you ſo, Friends? will you? O that there were ſuch an heart in you all! This do, and then, though you be gone back from him, yet he will bring you again: Though you be fallen ſo low, yet he will raiſe you up, and you ſhall ſtand before him.

3. Then truſt upon the Covenant of God; return to be faithful to him, and he will not leave you nor caſt you off for your former unfaithfulneſs; truſt upon it.

This is your way to take hold of the Covenant of God, and your taking hold of the Covenant, will be your taking hold of God. Friends, after ſuch forſakings and ſuch declinings as many of us are guilty of, there's reaſon enough to be afraid leſt the Lord caſts off ſuch Unfaithful Ones; and there's no hope but he will do ſo, if you thus return not, he will be loſt to you for ever, he will go farther and farther off from you, he will be gracious to you no more, nor accept you nor any of your ſervice, of none of your prayers for your ſelves, no nor of the prayers of any others for you, but will ſay concerning you as once, Jer. 14.11, 12. Pray not for this people for their good, and when (they) faſt I will not hear their cry, and when they offer an Oblation I will not accept them. Pray while you will, ſpeak to Miniſters if you will, and to Chriſtians, Pray to the Lord for me, he will not accept your Prayers, nor any others Prayers for you, unleſs you will ſet your hearts to return into faithfulneſs to him.

Friends, I tell you again, you that are in this caſe, and either will not ſee it, nor confeſs your unfaithfulneſs to God, but will ſatisfie your ſelves in your way, and think you are well enough, or at leaſt will excuſe your ſelves, and ſay, your caſe is made worſe than it is; or if you do confeſs it, I was a Backſlider, I have p. 153been unfaithful, yet will not renew your Covenant, and return to be faithful, but hold you at the ſame paſs; look for nothing elſe but this, that the Soul of the Lord will be utterly looſened from you, and he will ſay concerning you, Give them a Bill of Divorce and ſend them away; let them alone, let them pine away in their iniquities till they be paſt recovery or redemption. And let me add this farther, if the reſt of the Profeſſors of England which are in the ſame caſe will not ſee it, will not confeſs, will not ſpeedily return and recover; what can be expected, but that the Lord, who hath been for theſe many years ſo viſibly departing from us, and after many returns, ſeems at this time again to be removing from us; what can be expected if we ſpeedily repent not, but that he will never return but utterly reject us, and leave us as a dark Land, make us a deſolation and aſtoniſhment, and write his Ichabod upon the Doors of our Congregations and Habitations; The Glory is departed from England. But if you will yet ſee, and and will confeſs and return, I will ſay to you, as Shecaniah ſaid to Ezra concerning that revolting people when they were upon reforming, Ezra 10.2. There is yet hope in Iſrael concerning this thing; There is yet hope in England concerning theſe poor Souls, that the Lord will return and continue to dwell in them and among them as in the former days; his Covenant is your hope, lay hold upon it.

3. Our recovering our Communion with God. Our Communion with God ſtands much in theſe things.

1. In our mutual Acquaintance, God with us and we with him. God is acquainted with his People, and he requires them to come into his Acquaintance, Job 22.21. Acquaint thy ſelf with God. Acquaintance ſtands in our Knowledge of God: We cannot be ſaid to be acquainted with them we know not; & in ſuch experimental knowledge as is gotten by converſe p. 154together: We cannot ſay we are acquainted with every one we know; converſe or walking together is neceſſary to our being acquainted. The nearer and more intimate our Acquaintance with God is, and of the longer continuance by ſo much the more hold we have of God; God will not eaſily loſe his Acquaintance, and thoſe that are acquainted with God have taſted ſo much of the ſweetneſs of walking with him, that they will take the more heed how they loſe that Acquaintance. Thoſe that are intimately acquainted by their friendly converſe together, this Acquaintance knits their Hearts together as David's to Jonathan, ſo that they will not eaſily be ſeperated. Haſt thou uſed thy ſelf to intimate converſe with God, and thereby gotten into experimental Acquaintance with him? O thine heart will be hereby knit to the Lord, and the Lords Heart knit together with thine. Acquaintance cannot bear ſtrangneſs; it's grievous to us when our Acquaintants become Strangers to us, and we are unwilling to be ſtrangers from them. Friends, do you ſuffer your hearts to be eſtranged from the Lord! can you forget God and keep at a diſtance from him? can you loſe your Intimacy in Heaven? are your delightful thoughts of God reſtrained, and is not this grievous to you? 'Tis a ſhrewd ſign that God and you were never well acquainted. You that are the Friends of God, keep your acquaintance, take heed of wandrings, take heed of diſtances and enſtrangments; get the experimental delights that ariſe from your intimacy with him, and that will hold you near him: And you that have loſt your Acquaintance, O recover and revive your old Intimacy in Heaven.

2. In mutual Acceptance. This is a ſpecial part of our Communion with God, our Complacency in God, and his Complacency in us. Acquaintants p. 155take mutual pleaſure in one another, their company is grateful and acceptable: God is accepted of his Saints, they have an hearty goodliking to him, and are glad of his Preſence; not only all the intimations of his Love and Kindneſſes to them, not only ſuch a word ſpoken to their Hearts, I love thee, mine Heart is towards thee, thou art mine, the dearly beloved of my Soul, I am at peace with thee, my delight is in thee: O how acceptable, O how pleaſant are ſuch gracious words! but not only theſe, but the manifeſtations of the Will and Counſels of God to them; they accept his Commands, they love that the Lord ſhould tell them of their Duty, His Statutes are my delight, Pſ. 119.77. and they accept his Rebukes, and Corrections, and his Puniſhments of them for their Sins, Levit. 26.41. knowing that he corrects them in love, and that they cannot want his Chaſtizements, that the very Rebukes of his Countenance are ſometimes as neceſſary for them, and as beneficial to them, as the Light of his Countenance.

2. They are accepted with God; he accepts their Perſons: Epheſ. 1.6. He hath made us accepted in the Beloved; he accepts their approaches to him. Ezek. 20.40, 41. In mine Holy Mountain of the height of Iſrael there will I accept them; I will accept you with your ſweet Savour. Offer your Offerings, lift up your Voices, pour forth your Prayers, they ſhall be a ſweet Savour, a Savour of Reſt to me.

Now whilſt God finds reſt in a People, he will not depart, Pſ. 132.14. This is my reſt, here will I dwell for ever. Acceptance with God, and rejection from God, are ſo contrary, that whilſt we have the one we need not fear the other; and whilſt God is accepted with us, to be ſure we are accepted with him; whilſt Gods ways pleaſe us, our ways will pleaſe the Lord, Prov. 16.7. When a mans ways pleaſe the p. 156Lord, he will make his Enemies be at peace with him; and ſo long we may be ſecure that our Friend will not become our Enemy, but will live in love and continue his abode with us.

3. In mutual Correſpondence: In frequent and friendly entercourſes God will be ſending down to his Saints Tokens of his Love, & his Saints will be ſending up Preſents to the Lord, Tokens of their Love to him. There is a Jacobs Ladder betwixt Heaven and Earth; this Ladder is Chriſt, by which there is conſtant coming and going: There are Spiritual Bleſſings, the Bleſſings of Grace, the Bleſſings of Peace, that are ſent down from God to his Saints; and there are Spiritual Duties, Holy Affections, Holy Deſires, Holy Prayers and Praiſes, which by the hand of Chriſt are ſent up before the Lord. 'Tis the very Life of Chriſtians, to be either receiving down, or ſending up to Heaven; they muſt hear often from God, or they cannot live; I will hearken what the Lord God will ſpeak, Pſ. 85.8. And whilſt they live, God ſhall hear often from them; there are Meſſengers and Meſſages that paſs daily betwixt God and them: They are often ſending up, and the beſt Preſent they have is their Hearts; I lift up my Soul to thee, Pſ. 25.1. They will be ſending up their Deſires to the Lord, and their Sighs after him; if they have nothing better, they will be ſending up their Tears, and their Sorrows, and their Complaints to the Lord, Pſ. 38.9. All my deſire is before thee, and my groaning is not hid from thee. Pſ. 56.8. Put my Tears into thy Bottle. If it be well with them, then their Praiſes are ſent up; if they want any thing, then up go their Deſires to the Lord for Supply; if they ail any thing, if they be ſurprized by Sin, ſwallowed up of Sorrow, whatever it be that ails them they pour it out into the Boſom of their Friend. Some-Meſſengers p. 157or other are daily ſent up, and whatever the Meſſengers be, if it be a Prayer, or a Sigh, or a Tear, this is ſtill the Meſſage, tell him, That I am either ſick of love, or ſick for love, for an Heart to love the Lord.

Such Entercourſes there are betwixt God and his Saints, and theſe are a ſpecial part of their Communion with God, and a ſpecial ſecurity againſt diſtances and enſtrangments betwixt the Lord and them. And it is to be obſerved, That whenever there is a parting betwixt God and Souls, there is a ceſſation or failing of theſe Friendly Entercourſes. Declining Souls, how ſeldom do they look upwards! they are ſo buſie here below, that they have no leiſure, and they grow ſo carnally-minded, that they have no liſt to have much to do with God; they reſtrain Prayer, and reſtrain Holy Meditations; the Lord ſeldom hears from them, and when he does, 'tis ſo coldly and ſo dully, that he can take no pleaſure in it: O Friends, 'tis a ſign that there is a breach betwixt the Lord and you, when you are fallen ſo into a neglect of Spiritual Duties. Do your affections Heavenward flag? do the fervour of your deſires fail? are your Prayers ſhortned and ſtraitned? are you ſo ſeldom, and ſo remiſs, and ſo flat in your retirements to God? can you not ſay, at leaſt, My ſighs and complaints are daily before him, and my groanings are not hid from him? What danger is there that God and your Souls may utterly part, if you have thus loſt your Correſpondence with him?

4. Often reckoning; by this our Communion with God, and our Friendſhip with him, is maintained. Often reckoning keeps long Friends; whilſt we keep our Account clear and fair, ſo long there's the leſs danger of a breach: The beſt of Saints run upon ſcore daily; we go upon ſcore for Mercies received from p. 158God, and we go upon ſcore for Sins committed againſt God; and where there is ſuch ſcoring, there muſt be often reckoning.

1. Our ſcore of Mercies ſhould be anſwered in our Praiſes and more abundant Duties; and a reckoning muſt be kept both of what we have received and what we have returned; of what the Lord hath done for our Souls, and what our Souls have done ever the more for his Name: Thus we ſhould reckon for theſe; O my ſoul, the Lord hath done great things for thee, hath brought thee from darkneſs to light, hath ſaved thy life from death; when thou wert going on in thy ſins, running with the multitude either after thy Covetouſneſs or after thy Companions, in the luſts and in the lewdneſs of thine heart, when thou wert making all the haſte thou couldſt down to Hell, there Grace met thee, and whilſt it let others run on, it ſingled thee out and brought thee back out of that deaths Rode, and hath brought thee into the way of Life, and of a dead Sinner, hath made thee this living Soul. O what a wonder of Mercy was there! and ſince, how many a kindneſs hath it ſhewed thee? how often hath the ſame Grace met thee in the Houſe of God and taught thee, and inſtructed thee, and quickned thee, and comforted thee? how often hath Grace met thee in thine own Houſe, met thee in ſecret, met thee upon thy knees, and hath enlarged thine heart, and helped thee to pour out thy Soul before the Lord, and hath poured in upon thee ſuch a ſenſe of the kindneſs of God to thee, as hath delighted and even raviſhed thine heart? And what great multitudes of other inſtances have there been of the renewed Kindneſſes of the Lord to thee? O to what a reckoning do thy Mercies riſe! haſt thou kept the Account by thee? if thou haſt, what hath been returned in anſwer of the loving kindneſs of the Lord? As p. 159'twas ſaid concerning Mordecai who had ſaved the Kings Life, Eſther 6.3. What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this? Canſt not thou ſay, The Lord hath ſaved my life from death, and done for me theſe great things; what honour have I done to the Lord for all this? And if upon thy reckoning made, it be found as 'twas there found in that inſtance, there hath been nothing done, or but little done, then thou wilt ſee that there muſt be more done, or God will be angry.

2. Our ſcore of ſins ſhould be reckoned up in order to the getting them croſſed by faith in the Bloud of Chriſt, and repentance from dead works: Thus therefore thou ſhouldſt go on; O my Soul, thou ſeeſt what God hath done for thee, but what is it that thou haſt done againſt the God of thy Mercy? how many ſlights haſt thou put upon the Grace of God? how often haſt thou abuſed Mercy? haſt thou not grown ſecure? haſt thou not grown wanton? haſt thou not been haughty and lifted up in the pride of thine Heart? Remember thy frowardneſs and quarrellings, thy backbitings and talebearings; haſt thou no lies, no falſe and fraudulent dealing to put down upon thy account? doſt thou not uſe to play the Hypocrite, and come before the Lord with ſuch an hollow heart and ſuch hollow duties, as if thou meanſt to mock him to the face? art thou not either a backſlider, or a loyterer? if thou haſt not loſt ground and fallen backward, yet haſt thou not loſt time and not gone on forward? haſt thou no ſlothfulneſs, and negligence, and non-proficiency to write down againſt thy ſelf? haſt thou not ſomewhat againſt thy ſelf for thy covetouſneſs and over-eagerneſs upon the World? haſt thou no wrongs of thy conſcience to be remembred? doſt not find much of theſe and many more evils that thou art run in ſcore with thy God for? and what hath p. 160there hitherto been done for the croſſing out of the ſcore? Sure if thou goeſt on thus, thou art like to hear of him in another way than thou wouldſt, or it may be not hear from him at all. Beloved, the keeping good reckoning betwixt the Lord and us being of ſo great importance and ſo neceſſary to the continuing his preſence and favour with us, I ſhall give you ſome ſhort directions concerning it.

1. Let every one eſpecially look to his own perſonal reckoning. We muſt reckon for our people alſo, how great things God hath done for our Nation and his Churches amongſt us; and how great have been the ſins of our People: What have our Princes and our Prieſts, what have our Magiſtrates and our Miniſters done? What have the Sins of Congregations, of our Neighbours, of our Families been? We are, as Members of the ſame Body, concerned in all theſe, and therefore muſt keep a publick reckoning: But our ſpecial reckoning which we muſt moſt inſiſt upon, muſt be our own perſonal reckoning. Concerning our Mercies we muſt ſay as the Pſalmiſt, Pſ. 66.16. Come, and I'll tell, and reckon up, what the Lord hath done for (my) Soul. For our Sins, we muſt ſay to our ſelves, what Iſrael was rebuked for not ſaying, Jer. 8.6. What have I done? there's no man that repented nor ſaid, What have I done? May be we may ſome of us be telling too much what others have done; the Sins of Princes and great Ones, the Faults of our Neighbours and Acquaintance may be too much in our Mouths; though they be not ſo much as they ſhould be upon our Hearts, yet our Tongues will run and catch up every evil report, and be ſpreading it abroad, making it our ordinary talk and diſcourſe, raking up all the evil news we can hear in the Town or Country, as if we were the very Sinks to gather in all the Filth of the Places we live in, and then caſting p. 161back the ſtink of it in our diſcourſes. This is a wicked practice, which I have more than once warned you of; and O that it were avoided and amended. But whileſt we vainly talk, what hath this man or that woman done? how fooliſhly, how proudly, how frowardly, have they behaved themſelves? O how very ſeldom is it that we mind our own reckoning? Lord, what have I done? O my Soul, what haſt thou done? Here our chief buſineſs lies, to mind and make our own perſonal reckoning. Let every man prove his own work, ſaith the Apoſtle, Gal. 6.4. Let every man ſearch his own heart, let every man obſerve and take an account of his own ways and goings.

2. Do not under reckon. Do not careleſly or deceitfully skip over any of your faults: make a plain and perfect account; deal faithfully betwixt God and your Souls: be not like the unjuſt Steward, Luke 16. when there's fifty or an hundred owing for, do not take your bill and write down but twenty, or but ten; do not ſay to your ſelves as the Lord to the Church in Pergamos, Rev. 2.14. I have a few things againſt thee: a few ſmall faults I have. God may have many things, and great things againſt you, and if you will reckon truly, you may find many and great things againſt your ſelves.

3. Level your accounts. 1. For your mercies that you have received: the way to level them is to ſee to it, that ye walk worthy of all the mercies of God, and that you receive none of the grace of God in vain. Let it not ſuffice you that you live better lives then ſinners, that have received no ſuch mercies as you have; I thank God I am not as this Publican, no nor as this Phariſee; I am no lewd Liver nor no proud Hypocrite; ſhall that ſuffice you? You may be as neither of theſe, and yet God may have much againſt you, that you p. 162are no better then you are. You ought to live up to all the light you have received, to the love you have taſted of, to the experiences you have had of the manifold kindneſſes and compaſſions of the Lord to your ſouls. There are ſome of you that God hath done more for, and beſtowed more upon, more knowledge, more helps, more grace, then upon multitudes of weaker Chriſtians: your life muſt be as much above the ordinary rank, your care, and your zeal, and your diligence, and your faithfulneſs, muſt be as much above the lower ſort of Chriſtians as you have been ſet above them in what you have received. Some of you will not ſay, but the Lord hath been abundantly gracious to you; he hath not done by every Chriſtian as he hath done by me, his grace hath abounded, his kindneſſes have abounded, O how deeply hath my ſoul taſted how gracious the Lord is! And what ſhould you hereupon ſay further? O this you ſhould ſay, What ſhall I render? how ſhould I live? Study, O my ſoul, to walk worthy of all this grace; O let me have my converſation in Heaven; let my converſation be in (all things) as it becometh the Goſpel: let me be holy, harmleſs, lively, fruitful, that I may ſhew forth the vertues of him that hath called me out of darkneſs into his (marvellous) light. God hath been marvellouſly gracious to me, he hath ſhewed me marvellous loving kindneſs, he that is mighty hath done for me great things; help, Lord, help me, O my God; that as thou haſt made me ſuch an inſtance of thy great mercy, ſo I may become an inſtrument of thy greater praiſe.

2. For your ſins, the way to level the reckoning for them is by getting the ſcores to be croſſed, and having them all blotted and ſtruck out of your account. Get them croſſed, 1. By repentance, Acts 3.19. Repent ye —that your ſins may be blotted out. Whatever ſins p. 163you find upon your account, there they muſt ſtand againſt you till by repentance they are blotted out. Repentance is the waſhing us from our ſins, and till they be waſhed out of your lives, they will never be blotted out of your book. Fall upon repentance every one of you; have you lived an earthly and worldly life? O repent that you have. Have you been proud, or ſelf-conceited, or ſelf-willed, of a froward & a contentious ſpirit? O let your ſouls and all that is within you ſay, It repents me, I am grieved at the heart, that ever I have been ſuch a wretch. Have you under all your profeſſions of Chriſt lived a carnal, careleſs, heedleſs, idle, unſavoury, unprofitable life? what ſhould you ſay? O it repents me that I have been no more ſpiritual, and diligent, and ſavoury, and uſeful in my generation. Repent and reform, repent and amend; let it grieve you at the heart, that you have loſt ſo much time, that you have lived to ſo little purpoſe, that you have been ſuch barren vines, ſuch fruitleſs figtrees, in the vineyard of the Lord: and now let your root ſpring forth, let your branches ſhoot up, let your buds and bloſſoms appear, and grow up to more fruitfulneſs: this is repentance, and nothing ſhort of this. Amend your ways, come you to a better life, a more holy and heavenly life, that's the way to have all your former ſinfulneſs and unfuitfulneſs blotted out.

2. By faith in the bloud of Chriſt. 'Tis not your own tears that will waſh away your ſins, 'tis onelyonly the bloud of Chriſt, 1 John 1.7. your iniquities muſt not onelyonly be purged, but be pardoned too; whatever repentance may do towards it, 'tis the bloud of Chriſt, and faith in his bloud, that muſt both get them purged and pardoned. Do not onelyonly ſay, If I have done iniquity, I hope I ſhall do ſo no more: I hope through the grace of God I ſhall never live as I have lived: but p. 164beſides this you muſt get your pardon for what you have done. Now this is your way to level your accounts concerning your ſins, to repent and amend all your evils, and to ſue out your pardon through Faith in the bloud of Chriſt.

And now you ſee what 'tis to lay hold on God; to continue his preſence with us, by caſting away our Idols, by laying hold on his Covenant, by recovering into Communion, getting into an holy acquaintance with God, living ſo that you will both accept of God, and be accepted with him, maintaining a frequent entercourſe betwixt the Lord and your ſouls, letting him hear often from you, and liſtening and longing to hear as often from him; by keeping even reckonings betwixt the Lord and you, keeping a reckoning of your mercies and a reckoning of your ſins, by levelling your accounts, by walking worthy of your mercies, by getting the ſcores of your ſins croſſed, waſhed away by repentance, and pardoned by the bloud of Chriſt. Here's that you have to do, if you would take hold of God, and continue his preſence with you.

Friends, is the Lord within you? I hope he is in many of you; would you that he abide and continue with you? I know you would; you that are Chriſtians, I know you would all ſay, Wo to me if the Lord depart from me. I know it is the deſire of every ſincere heart among you, let the Lord dwell in me, and walk in me, as he hath ſaid he will; let Chriſt dwell in mine heart by faith; Lord, leave me not, take not thy Holy Spirit from me; if all the Friends I have in the world forſake me, if all the comforts I have under Heaven fail me, if mine houſe muſt go, and mine eſtate go, and my health go, and my life go, yet let not the Lord depart from me; let the Lord ſtill dwell in my ſoul, dwell in me as my Teacher and Inſtructor, dwell in me as my governour and my guide, dwell in me as my portion and treaſure, dwell in me as p. 165my Refuge and Protector; let but the Lord God continue with me, and influence me by his Grace, and quicken me by his Spirit, and guide me by his Counſels, and hold me by his Right Hand, and lift up the light of his Countenance upon me, and ſo long mine heart ſhall be glad, and my glory ſhall rejoyce, my fleſh alſo ſhall reſt in hope, in this hope, that he will ſhew me the Path of Life, I ſhall behold his Face in Righteouſneſs, and when I awake I ſhall be ſatisfied with his Likeneſs. Why is this your mind? is this your deſire that it may be thus with you? why now you know what you have to do that it may be ſo.