Two Treatises, Treatise 1 · Reason 3 – Reason 8
Reaſon 3.
Becauſe this is thy chuſing time, the day of thy choiſes; this is thy Market-day, and thou art now about to provide for hereafter. As the Husband-man when he goes to a good Fair, or Market, he goes up and down to ſee where he may buy a good penniworth, that he might ſtock his ground for the year following; and when he hath once bought for his turn, he looks not how the Market goes, nor what others do; now thou beginneſt to leave the childiſh age, which is trifled away with toys, and thou beginneſt to look towards hereafter, what thou maieſt faſten upon? What will be moſt beneficial for the time to come; now thou bethinkeſt thy ſelf how to ſpend thy enſuing daies; be very wary, take heed thou doſt not make too raſh a choice; walk up and down the Market, and ſee who ſells the beſt penniworth; Satan will have his ſhop open betimes, and he will offer thee great things if thou wilt beleeve him, the pleaſures, profits, and honours of the World; but take heed of a haſty Market; have an eye to Jeſus Chriſt, and ſee what terms he offers to thee, whether he do not offer better things upon better terms: And to preſs this duty cloſe up-
Firſt, Conſider how dangerous it is to forget God now in thy chuſing time; leſt afterwards pre-engagements to the world blind thee that thou ſee not, or prejudice thy ſpirit that thou ſee with diſadvantage; or bias thee that thou wilt not folow what thou ſeeſt of the things of God; when once the creature is engaged in his Affections to a former choyce, it is a very hard thing to draw ſuch a ſoul off upon any terms almoſt; if thou loſeſt this time of thy youth, thou loſeſt thy choyceſt opportunity, becauſe now thou mayeſt be free in reſpect of many engagements which hereafter may draw thee from following of Jeſus Chriſt.
Secondly, Conſider that if thou ſhouldeſt be brought over unto the Lord afterwards, when this chuſing time is paſt, it will be hard to convince men that thou followeſt him out of choyce; they will rather judge it to be out of neceſſity, if thou lookeſt not toward God till thy old age, they will ſay it is becauſe thou haſt nothing elſe to do at this time; or they will ſay it is the cuſtom of old folks to be a little religious; but if thou giveſt up thy youth to follow the Lord, al men will ſay thou doſt it out of choyce; This man hath choſen the way of the Lord, who had many other ways to go, and all pleaſant, but he forſakes them all, and hath choſen the ways of God; it was a clear evidence that Moſes choſe the Lord and his ways, when he imbraced them at ſuch a time as he might have injoyed the honors and priviledges of Pharoahs Court; By faith Moſes when he was come to years, refuſed to be called the Son of Pharoahs daughter; chuſing rather to ſuffer with the people of God, then to enjoy the pleaſures of ſin for a ſeaſon. If he had ſtaid til he had been old, and til the Court had been weary of him, and had caſt him out, there would have been no notice taken of his cloſing with Iſrael; but now it appeared plain an act of choice.
Thirdly, We find that men have ſeldom above one chuſing time; and if this time be loſt, and they not ſetled upon God, it is a thouſand to one but they are loſt; although the Lord may and does call ſome at every hour, yet he calls moſt at the firſt, few at the third, fewer at the ninth, and feweſt at the laſt. Matth. 20.1, 2, 3. He went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his Vineyard. And when he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he ſent them into his vineyard; and he went out about the third hour, and ſaw others ſtanding idle in the Market-place. We find, he went out intentionally to hire the firſt time, but the reſt ſeem brought in caſually; And therefore Chriſt called one at the laſt hour, that none ſhould diſpair, and he called but one, that none upon that might preſume; take hold of youth while it is in being; old age mny never be to thee; or if it be, yet thy heart may be ſettled in youth, and hardened to thy former engagements which have cauſed thee to paſs by the Lord, and it is a wonder if he do not paſs by thee alterwards; we finde very few brought in to God in the laſt hour of the day.
Reaſon 4.
Becauſe delays are full of, dangers we find few of thoſe many who allot the Lord a time for this great work hereafter, that do ever ſee thoſe days they ſpeak of; the Lord ordinarily ſurprizes ſuch ſouls as are full of To morrows; How did the Lord ſeiz upon that evil ſervant at unawares who ſaid but in his heart, The Maſter delays his coming? nay the Lord doth not onelyonly declare that ſuch men may be …urpriſed (which were danger enough in running but the hazard) but he hath allotted them this puniſhment for their dilatory thoughts, that they ſhall ſurely be ſurpriſed; all thoſe delaiers who are reſolved to put off God and Conſcience to ſuch a time and ſuch a year, may read the Judgement pronounced againſt them in that of Matth. 24, 48, 50, 51. and if that evil Servant ſhall ſay in his heart, my Lord delayeth his comming, the Lord of that Servant ſhall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and ſhall cut him aſunder, and appoint him his portion with the Hypocrites, there ſhall be weeping and gnaſhing of teeth.
Reaſon 5.
Becauſe delays are full of folly; it is folly to be careleſs and full of delays, becauſe our times are full of uncertainty; it is folly which thou wilt not be guilty of for thy Body, and yet thou wilt profeſſe it for thy Soul; if thou wert ſure a Thief would come ſuch a night, though thou didſt not know the hour, thou wouldeſt watch every hour; but thou art not ſo wiſe for thy Soul, thy uncertainty makes thee careleſſe; becauſe thou doſt not know the month, nor year when God will call to Judgement, therefore thou ſayeſt in thy heart, not this week, nor this month, nor this year, and from hence thou groweſt careleſſe, and art ſurpriſed in the concluſion.
Secondly, It is folly to ſet a time to our ſelves which God hath not ſet before us, he ſays To day if thou wilt hear my voyce, and thou ſayeſt, I will not hear till to morrow; he bids thee remember him in thy youth, and thou ſayeſt, old age ſhall ſerve the turn; what folly is this, to ſet a time that thou haſt no aſſurance of? God hath made thee no promiſe that thou ſhalt enjoy to morrow, neither hath he made thee any promiſe of acceptance to morrow; but what ſays the Scripture, 2 Cor. 6.2. To day is the accepted time.
Reaſon 6.
Delays are ful of deceit; a delaying heart is very deceitfull, it is a very gull, a cheat, it ſpeaks one thing, and intends another all the while, its excuſes and delays are alwayes deceitfull; it will appear thus.
1 It deceives thee, in telling thee that the work is eaſie, and thou mayeſt do it as well in old age; and therefore why needeſt thou trouble thy ſelf ſo early, and lay out the prime of thy days in it, when the dregs of it will ſerve as well▪ Here it lies; for if thou ſetteſt about this work, thou wilt finde it a hard work which as I have ſhewed will call for all thy ſtrength.
2 It deceives thee, whilſt it tells thee, that thou art willing to the thing, but not to the time; as if the difference were not ſo great betwixt God and thy Soul as indeed it is. Thy heart tells thee that thou art willing to come to Chriſt, and thou approveſt of, and loveſt the ways of God; only thou canſt not yet cloſe with them; when indeed it is the very thing as wel as the time which thou doſt diſ-relliſh, and the enmity againſt God and his ways is diſcovered by thy delays, as well as in others by a groſs denial; were not they who ſtayed behind upon pretended occaſions as wel judged enemies? Luke 14.16. as they who ſaid plainly, that they would not have Chriſt to reign over them? And if ever thy heart were reconciled to the ways of God, thou wouldeſt make no delays; the thing being once reſolved in good earneſt, thou wouldeſt not at all ſtick at the time.
3 It deceives thee by concealing thine inability from thee, which is daily increaſed by thy delaies; the longer thou deferreſt thy coming in to Chriſt, the weaker thou groweſt in ſoul and in body. Qui non est hodie, &c.
4 There will be no end of delays; the ſame reaſon thou haſt to put off ſeriouſneſs from thy Soul to day, thou wilt have to morrow; thou ſayeſt to morrow will be time enough, and thou wilt ſay ſo again to morrow; if thou hadſt an eternity to ſpend here, thou wouldeſt ſpend it in delays. Modo & modo non habent modum.
Reaſon 7.
Thou wilt have one Temptation the leſs to anſwer, if thou comeſt in now to Chriſt; and this is ordinarily one, it is now too late; he that ſaid always before, It was too ſoon, will as ſoon as thou art in good earneſt tell thee, That it is too late; therefore labour to prevent him in this, let him not have any room for ſuch an Objection againſt thy Soul; ſome ſouls have ſmarted bitterly under it. Make no more delays, nor put-offs; for the fewer of theſe thou makeſt, the leſſe hath he to build upon. When ever he comes to perſwade thee to defer the work of the Lord a little longer, Conſider, his deſign; if thou yeeld to this Temptation, he wil build a Battery upon it againſt thy Soul, if ever it look really toward Chriſt; and he will terrifie thee moſt with thoſe delays which he hath tempted thee to. It hath been a hard block to ſome poor ſouls to get over, Oh, it is now too late; oh, if I had come in to Chriſt at ſuch a time, when I was under ſuch and ſuch Convictions, at ſuch a Sermon, or ſuch a Providence, if then I had hearkned to Chriſt, I had been accepted; but now I fear it is too late. O take heed that thou doſt not adminiſter occaſions to Satan to lay ſuch a block in thy way; begin betimes, and the ſooner thou doſt begin, the leſſe advantage will he have in this point againſt thy ſoul.
Reaſon 8.
Becauſe we find that thoſe who have began with God in their you…h, have attained to a great eminency in the things of the Lord. As to begin with Moſes, he began with God in his youth, in the prime of his age. Heb. 11.24. By faith Moſes when he came to years, refuſed to be called the Son of Pharaohs daughter; and to what height did he grow in knowledge and experience of the Lord? How did God honour him, in giving him ſuch a wonderfull diſcovery of himſelfe in thoſe days? Exod. 33.11, 19. And the Lord ſpake to Moſes face to face, as a man ſpeaketh to his friends. ver. 19. And he ſaid, I will make all my goodneſſe paſſe before thee, and I will proclaime the name of the Lord before thee. God ſeems to grant him as much as he was capable of on this ſide Glory, as much as he could bear, if God ſhould have let out more of his glory upon him, it would have conſumed him.
Secondly, See how Samuel proved in the waies of the Lord? with what repute and honour he lived and dyed amongſt the people of God? and he was one of theſe early beginners with God? wee finde that the Lord called him betimes and eſtabliſht him for a Prophet in his very Childe-hood, as you may ſee at large in the firſt Book of Samuel, chap. 3. Now how eminent this man proved with God, in regard of his long acquaintance with God; he proved great in prayer, he was a prevailer with God, and therefore David names him as the great Artiſt this way, Pſal. 99.6. Samuel amongſt thoſe that call upon him. And the Lord honoured his memory for this, when he was in the Grave, Jerm. 15.1. Though Moſes and Samuel ſtood before me; the Lord brings in theſe two early beginners together and ſays, If any were like to prevail with me, it were theſe my two old friends, who took up aquaintance with me from their youths. We know friendſhip is deareſt and moſt engaged when it is begun in Childehood, and continued to an old friend.
Time would fail to tell you of David how eminent he was for God, who grew wiſer then his Teachers, and how ſoon he began with the Lord. And of Jeremiah, and John, who were ſanctified in the Womb, and what meaſures of knowledge and grace they had; and of Timothy, who was inſtructed from a child in the Scriptures, and how ſerviceable he proved to the Churches; ſurely it is not in vain that the Scripture takes ſo much notice of the commings in of ſo many Saints, and that we find the moſt eminent of them are mentioned, and to have given up their youth to God. And if we would go by circumſtances, we ſhould find that many others of the Patriarchs, Prophets, and Apoſtles, if not all, were called in to give up their Names to God very early; I am ſure it is enough to engage us to begin with him in the morning, if wee would attain to that height they did.