The Great Concern, Chapter 6
CHAP. VI. Being a Call to all, Good and Bad, Saints and Sinners, to addreſs themſelves to the great work of making all ready for a dying hour.
WHat is the language of all this? Verily it calls aloud upon us all Good and Bad, Saints and Sinners, to make it our great buſineſs to ſet all things right in the matters of our ſouls, and make all ready for a dying hour: And O that we would make this improvement of this great truth, and of God's ſparing goodneſs to us! he ſpares us, and why does he ſpare us, but that we ſhould ſet all things right, and make all things ready? Oh that we would now fall in with the end and deſign of God herein, making it our great care and buſineſs in time to provide for Eternity, in life to make ready for death. Some of you, I verily believe, are about this work, and the Lord proſper you in it: You know you were born for Eternity, and you do endeavour to live for Eternity; your great work in time is to make proviſion for a bleſſed Eternity: O happy ſouls that you are! Others of us, and thoſe, by far, the moſt (I fear) are utterly negligent in this buſineſs; Death and Eternity are little minded by us, but we are in a ſleepy, drowſie, ſecure ſpirit; and to ſuch (methinks) this truth ſpeaks in a language much like to that of the Ship Maſter to Jona…, Jon. 1.6. What meaneſt thou, O ſleeper? Ariſe, and call upon thy God, if ſo be he will think on us, that we periſh not. So what mean you, O you ſleepy, drowſie, ſecure ſouls? ariſe, make ready for a dying hour; ſet all things right, all things in order in your ſpiritual concernments, leſt death come upon you at unawares, and you be loſt for ever: And to ſuch of us I would ſay, as ſometimes God did by the Prophet to Hezekiah, Iſa. 38.1. Set thine houſe in order, for thou ſhalt die, and not live. So ſay I to you, ſet your hearts in order, your ſpiritual concerns in order, make all even between God and you, for you ſhall ſhortly die, and not live; you ſhall ſhortly go hence, and be no more: and why ſhould we not all do ſo? if you be to change your condition in the world, how careful and ſolicitous are you to have all things ready, and in order for that change? Why (my Beloved) you are ſhortly to paſs under that great and laſt Change, a Change from Time to Eternity; and will you have no care, no ſolicitude, to make ready for that Change? if you are to take a journey, though but a few miles, or to make a Voyage into a ſtrange Land, O how are you concerned to have all things ready, all things in a prepared poſture, in order therreunto? And (my Beloved) ſhould not you be more concerned to make ready for your great journey, your laſt and great Voyage? you are making a journey, a voyage out of Time into Eternity; you are juſt launching ſorth into the great Ocean: And what nothing in order, nothing ready, nothing ſet right in order thereunto? That is ſtrange. If you have ſome great buſineſs, a buſineſs of more than ordinary importance to be done, or a Suit at Law to be tryed and determined, O how cloſe do you follow it? and how careful are you to have all things ready in order thereunto? And (my Beloved) ſhould you not be as careful and diligent to prepare, and ſet all things right for the great buſineſs of your ſouls in another world? Have you any buſineſs, any concern of greater importance to you, than the concern of your Souls, and Eternity? if you are to appear before ſome Earthly Judge, eſpecially if it be about a matter that concerns your life, O how thoughtful are you to have all things ready, and in order, in reference thereunto? And (my Beloved) ſhould not you be as thoughtfull and ſolicitous to make all ready, and to ſet all right, in order to your appearing before the Judg of all the Earth; and that about a matter which concerns the life of your ſouls, about a matter of eternal life or death? Well, what ſhall I ſay? will you ſet about this great buſineſs, this great concern? or is it all one with you, whether you live, or die; are ſaved, or damned to Eternity? God yet ſpares you, bleſſed be his Name: Will you now ſet all right, before you go hence and be no more? Sinners, will you ſet about this great buſineſs? your work is wholly yet to do, though, it may be, your day is far ſpent, your Glaſs is almoſt run, your Sun near ſetting, and all your work to do. Oh 'tis high time for you to awake out of ſleep; unleſs you mean to ſleep the ſleep of Eternal Death. Saints, will you ſet about this great buſineſs, while God ſpares you? You have done ſomewhat, but there is much more yet to be done; there is much out of order yet in your ſouls: Grace weak, (it may be) Corruption ſtrong, Peace broken, Evidences blurr'd and blotted, Unbelief powerful within you, the heart much eſtranged from God, little ſuitableneſs to Heaven in your Spirits, and the like; will you now labour to recover ſtrength? how many of us may complain, as that holy man (St. Bernard) once did? I am aſhamed to live becauſe I am ſo unprofitable; and I am afraid to dye, becauſe I am ſo unprepared. Surely this truth concerns the beſt of us all; and if we underſtand our ſelves, we cannot but know it; the Lord help us to know it effectually. And if after all you would indeed addreſs to this great work and buſineſs, then I have ſeveral great and weighty directions to propound to you for your help therein; of which ſome more general, ſome more particular; and I would ſpeak of each diſtinctly.