Advice to Mourners Under the Loss of Dear Relations, Paper 3
PAPER III.
YE will not come unto me that ye may have Life. O the Stupidity of poor, careless and secure Sinners! What, will you not come to Christ, who alone can give you Life, Natural Life, and Spiritual Life, and Life Eternal? We spare no Pains nor Cost to save the Life of the Body; but O what Fools, what sensless and sottish Creatures are we, not to provide for Eternal Life! What is this momentary Life given us for, but to provide for our Departure hence, to labour to get an Interest in God and Christ? Our Time was given us that we might have an Opportunity of working out our Salvation with Fear and Trembling, and that we may make our Calling and Election sure; that we may get some comfortable Hopes that we do belong to the Election of Grace. O get your Title to Heaven cleared, that you are born again, that your Sins are pardoned, that your Person is justified, and that you are truly sanctified and cleansed from all (wilful) Filthiness of the Flesh and Spirit: Don't indulge your self in any known Sin, not in omitting any known Duty, nor in the Commission of any known Sin. The least Sin, without Repentance, is damnable; but the greatest Sin, upon true Repentance, is pardonable: for the Blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all Sins, even those that are of a Crimson Die; If our Sins be as Scarlet, God can make them as white as Snow, if we do but truly repent of them, and forsake them. Let not that Complaint of the Prophet, Hos. 5. 4. be verified in you, that you will not frame your Doings, to turn unto the Lord. What, will you not do what in you lies, to frame your Doing to please the Lord? What, will you not avoid some petty Sins that do highly offend your good God, and may cause him to hide his Face from you? Thus saith the Lord, Seek ye me, and ye shall live. But may not our Conscience condemn us, and tell us, that that precious Time that our good God hath given us to seek him, and to be reconciled to him, and to make our Peace with him, even that Time hath been spent in Sin and very Vanity, in adding Iniquity to Iniquity. We are commanded to keep our selves in the Love of God, looking for the Mercy of our Lord Iesus Christ unto Eternal Life. It is to no purpose to expect Mercy from Christ, or to hope for Eternal Life, if we do not what we can to keep our selves in the Love of God. O then! let it be your Study Day and Night to approve your selves to the Lord, chearfully obey his Commands, patiently submit to Afflictions, thankfully receive Mercies, and make a holy Improvement of them: look to your selves, that you lose not those things which ye have wrought, but that ye receive a full Reward. Allow not your selves in any Sin, though never so small in your own Eyes, lest God should say, as unto the Church of Ephesus, Though thou hast made a Profession of my Name, and hast made conscience of some gross Sins, nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first Love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy Candlestick out of his Place, except thou repent. If our Love to God and his Ordinances be not as fervent as formerly; if our Hatred of Sin, or sinful Courses be lessened; if our Care to please God, and our Fear to offend him, be less than heretofore, we have just Reason to fear that God will deprive us of our forfeited Gospel, or harden our Hearts that we shall not profit by it; (which dreadful Judgment, O Lord, in Mercy prevent.) If our outward Carriage before Men should seem never so well; nay, if we can approve our selves to our own Consciences in many respects, yet the All-searching God may truly say, not only that he hath a few things against us, but many things against us; therefore it is our Wisdom to search and try our selves, and turn again to the Lord, from whom we have too deeply revolted.