Gospel Revelation, Treatise 3 · Sermon 9
The Ninth SERMON ON The Excellency of the Soul.
Matthew 16.26. For what is a man profited if hee ſhall gain the whole world, and loſe his own ſoul?
Queſtion.
YOu will ſay, Raſed down to the ground, what is that?
Anſw. By that I mean this.
Firſt, You ſhould bee willing to ſeek to God, and that earneſtly, that hee would never let you bee at quiet in any falſe hope, be earneſt with God in prayer: O Lord, I ſee that the matter of my ſalvation, is a matter of infinite conſequence; if I ſhould miſtake, if I ſhould miſcarry in it, it had been better for mee never to have been born; O Lord! therefore help mee in this thing above all, that I may never reſt my ſalvation upon any falſe hopes, that ſo I may not at the laſt bee diſappointed of my laſt hopes; bee earneſt thus with God, and bee willing to know the worſt of your ſelves; Lord, if thou ſeeſt the work bee not yet done let mee know it, let mee know it now, before it is too late; It is better to know that yet the work is to begin, while you have time to work, than to know it after when the time is gone: And then, bee willing to examine your hopes, to lay them to the rule of the Scripture, and that very narrowly: And if you finde your hopes cannot ſtand with the Word, then reſolve thus with your ſelves, the work is yet to bee done, the very laying of the foundation of that great work, of the ſaving of my ſoul, it is to begin: — I but you will ſay, God forbid this, wee have not lived all this while, to begin to lay the work for the ſaving of our ſouls now, that were an ill thing indeed: — O I would to God it were not ſo! but this very thought that ſome have, that they are not now to begin the …aying of the foundation in ſaving their ſouls, is that that doth deſtroy them, whereas, though a man or woman have lived many years, yea though they have been Profeſſours of Religion, yet if upon examination they can finde that the ſaving work of God is not wrought in their hearts, and upon that can conclude, Lord it is to begin, for ought I know, I muſt begin the work again, and better it is to begin twice, than bee damned once, therefore whatſoever becomes of mee, I will begin again; this were a good ſign: Suppoſe you ſhould begin again, and it may bee you thought too ill of your ſelves, for it may bee there was ſome truth in your hopes, or hearts, that you could not ſee, yet there is no great danger in this, that that was good will hold, though you do not ſee it; it is the ſafeſt way for men and women therefore to bee willing to begin often, yea and ſometimes it is the beſt and the readieſt courſe for people that have loſt their evidences for ſalvation, and they can ſee no clear evidences out of Gods Word to ſettle their hearts upon, for the great matter of their ſalvation; I ſay, it is the readieſt way for them to do as if they were to begin again, rather than to ſpend time in looking out their old evidences; as a man perhaps that hath loſt his evidences may have them renewed with leſs charge and coſt than hee can ſeek them out, and ſo ſometimes it is with the ſoul when it hath loſt its evidences for ſalvation, it may get new in leſs time, and with leſs charge, than to ſeek out the old. It may bee thou lookeſt to ſee whether thou haſt not been an Hypocrite all this while, or formal: Suppoſe upon examination thou canſt not finde any thing to ſatisfie thy ſoul, but that it hath been ſo, yet now, what hinders but that thou mayeſt this inſtant throw thy ſoul upon Jeſus Chriſt? I but I am afraid that when I have come to Chriſt, I have not come rightly. — I but perhaps thou mayeſt come to Chriſt in that time that thou mayeſt know whether thou haſt come rightly, yea or nay: — But now the beſt way for thoſe that are mightily troubled and ſolicitous about evidences whether their eſtate bee right or no, I ſay, let thoſe, rather than ſpend too much time in diſcouraging of their own hearts, begin the work again; let ſuch a one preſent Jeſus Chriſt now as a Saviour for loſt man, whoſe grace is infinitely full, and infinitely free; and there is nothing hinders thee but that thou mayeſt at this very inſtant caſt thy ſelf upon him to bee thy Saviour, both to ſave thee from ſin, and from condemnation.
I but you will ſay, I may preſume, and who hath right to do any ſuch thing?
To that I anſwer, that there is nothing can give thee right to Chriſt, but by caſting thy ſoul upon him, by beleeving in him, that right that wee have to Chriſt, it is by beleeving: It is not by any work before beleeving that gives thee right to Jeſus Chriſt: So that by this you ſee what I mean by raſing down the old foundation.
The next is, by laying the new foundation of this great work of thy ſalvation, and bee ſure thou lay that ſure.
You will ſay, lay it ſure, what is it?
Chriſt is the foundation, No other foundation can bee laid but Chriſt himſelf; lay it there: — And then that that is next to Chriſt the foundation, it is the true work of Faith, and the true work of Repentance; the true work of Faith that is next, that is the foundation of what is wrought in our hearts; Chriſt is the foundation firſt, but of any work in our hearts, the work of Faith, Beleeve, and thou ſhalt bee ſaved: Now then, this work of Faith, thou muſt rightly know what it is, and the way of thy beleeving; and how thou doſt receive Jeſus Chriſt in thy beleeving; and the power of thy Faith how that is wrought; and what the work of it is upon thy heart; now thou having laid Chriſt for thy foundation, and underſtood the myſtery of the Goſpel, then when thou comeſt to beleeve, in this great myſtery of the Goſpel, thou muſt conſider what is it that I am now to beleeve; why I am now to beleeve this, that the thoughts of God from all eternity were for the good of the children of men; and therefore hee hath ſent the ſecond Perſon in Trinity into the world to take mans nature upon him, to die an accurſed death for the ſin of man: And for mee in particular, the thoughts of God were thus upon me from all eternity, to ſend his ſon into the world to take my nature upon him, and to bee made a curſe for my ſin, to pay a price for my ſoul, and through him (when I beleeve) I do beleeve all my ſin to bee pardoned, the infinite, holy, dreadful God to bee at peace with mee, my ſoul to bee reconciled; this wretched ſinful ſoul of mine to bee received into mercy, into the love of God, as the love of a Father, to bee made an Heir of God and Eternal life, when thou doſt beleeve, this is the Object of thy Faith; now this is a mighty work, a mighty thing to beleeve ſuch things as theſe are: Conſider therefore what thou doeſt, when thou ſayeſt thou doſt beleeve in Jeſus Chriſt, put that to th… ſoul, canſt thou, O my ſoul, cloſe with theſe things? canſt thou venture thy ſoul upon ſuch things as theſe are? and when thou comeſt to beleeve, what doſt thou? it is not that thou thinkeſt that theſe things are true, but thou doſt in thy beleeving receive Jeſus Chriſt according to the condition of the Goſpel, that is, thy heart doth open to receive into it the King of glory; Oh it is Ch…iſt that is the foundation of the New Wo…ld that God is to raiſe up; It is Jeſus Chriſt that brings in all the good, and happineſs, and glory of God to the children of men, and it is hee that my heart opens to receive in, to imbrace, to bee ſatisfied with all, as all the good and happineſs I expect; and it is Chriſt that my heart opens too to ſave mee from my ſin, as well as from puniſhment, to unite mee to God, to bring mee to union with him, that I may live for ever to the praiſe of the great God; and it is this Chriſt that I take into my heart to bee King and Governour, and now to rule: Sin, Satan, Temptations, Luſts, ſhall not reign as they have done, but Chriſt ſhall ſet up his own Government in my ſoul. — Now then, upon this muſt needs follow wonderful and glorious effects upon the ſoul, the ſoul that doth beleeve ſuch high things as theſe are, and doth open it ſelf to receive Chriſt upon ſuch tearms, certainly, I ſay, there muſt needs bee wonderful effects wrought in that ſoul; ſuch things muſt needs work the ſoul up to God, to live to him in another manner than ever, and that is the reaſon of the Scripture expreſſion,2 Cor. 5.17. Whoſoever is in Chriſt, is a New Creature, all old things are paſt away, and all things are become new. For why? the Lord hath revealed new glorious things to ſuch a ſoul, and the Lord therefore now acts and carries on the ſoul to other manner of objects than ever before it was wont to bee buſied about. — And ſuch a kinde of work of Faith is this, that is the foundation of the great work of ſalvation next to Jeſus Chriſt himſelf, as the old muſt bee raſed down, ſo a new muſt bee raiſed up.
Now when you come to think of ſalvation, that you hope to bee ſaved, you muſt have recourſe to ſuch a kinde of work upon you, as this; how have I felt the power of the Holy Ghoſt raſing down old things? and how have I felt the power of God, even that power by which Jeſus Chriſt was raiſed from the dead, to raiſe ſuch a foundation as this is? — And upon this now followes the work of Humiliation and Repentance, that is, Godly ſorrow; and ſo to mourn, as to have the heart to bee taken from its former courſes and waies, and bee ſet upon the contrary good: — Now when the ſoul finds ſuch workings of God upon it (as certainly theſe things cannot bee, and no notice at all taken of them) when the ſoul takes notice how God comes in with power upon it, and beleeves, that now ſurely the Lord intends ſalvation to mee, the Lord hath laid ſuch a ground-work upon my ſoul, as I dare venture all upon it, and now I have cauſe to hope that the hazard of miſcarrying to all eternity is over. O this is that that is the joy of the Holy Ghoſt, joy unſpeakable and glorious, when the ſoul upon good grounds can have hopes that the hazard of its miſcarrying to all eternity is over; now, My ſoul return unto thy reſt, Pſal. 16.7.ſaith ſuch a one; ſo that that is the next thing, the raſing down of the old, and raiſing up the new foundation.
Ninthly, If thou wouldeſt have thy ſoul ſaved, thou muſt keep thy ſoul under the authority of the Word, and maintain the authority of the Word, and the authority of conſcience over thee; this is the way, if thou meaneſt to go in Gods way for ſalvation.
Firſt, For the Word; The ſoul that God intends to ſave, hee doth reveal unto it a dreadful authority that there is in this Book of God; this is that word, ſaith God to the ſoul, wherein I have revealed my mind to the children of men: Thoſe counſels of my will that concern the eternal good of the children of men are in this book, and all your ſouls are to be caſt by this book, by this word, for eternity: Now this being revealed to the ſoul, the ſoul ſtands in awe of this word, and trembles at this word, fears the authority of it, looks upon every threatning in the Word, every command in the Word, every promiſe in the Word, as having a divine authority ſtampt upon it, ſees the broad Seal of Heaven ſtampt upon every thing in this Book, and dares not wilfully tranſgreſs againſt any thing in the Word, and ſo continues in keeping its ſelf under the dreadful authority of the Word; and that ſoul is in a good forwardneſs to bee ſaved, that is kept under the dreadful authority of Gods Word, in the conſtant courſe of it: Now I appeal to you, you would fain have your ſouls ſaved, but can you ſay thus? Indeed I have many ſins, yet God knows, (that knows all things) that my ſoul it is kept under the dreadful authority of his Word continually, and this I labour to do more and more, and I am willing it ſhould bee ſo, I am not willing to have the authority of Gods Word caſt off, but I am g…ad that ever God did diſcover to mee the dreadful authority that there is in his Word.
Secondly, And then the next thing is the authority of conſcience; if conſcience have any enlightening, it is that that will diſcover very much of the mind of God unto thee; there is nothing will diſcover Gods mind more unto the heart of a man or woman, than an enlightened conſcience, and it will diſcover it with power; a Miniſter ſpeaks, and his words many times vaniſh in the Air, but when conſcience comes to diſcover Gods mind, it comes with power, and ſpeaks particularly to this ſoul, and the other ſoul, and conſcience (when it hath light) will bee pleading of Gods cauſe, and admoniſhing and plucking the ſoul out of the waies of death and perdition, and it will not eaſily bee put off; you may eaſily put off the counſels of ſuch and ſuch friends, but conſcience will not eaſily bee put off, it will come with ſuch majeſty upon the heart of a ſinner, that there is no gain-ſaying of it; conſcience will not regard the vain ſhifts that people have, but ſtill comes in a commanding power: Oh keep the authority of conſcience, many men and women, becauſe they cannot go on freely in the waies of ſin, where conſcience and the word have much authority over them, therefore they ſeek to caſt off the authority of the word and conſcience, but know this for a truth, that that ſoul that hath caſt off the authority of the word and conſcience, is going apace to Hell, is going apace to deſtruction; All the while the word and conſcience kept thee under, thou wert in ſome forwardneſs towards the way of life, but if thou haſt once caſt off that, then Oh how doth the ſoul grow hardened in ſin! how eaſily are the truths of God rejected! and then it goes with greedineſs to ſatisfie the luſts of the fleſh, and ten thouſand to one but ſuch a ſoul periſhes eternally. Oh, if there bee ever a ſoul in this place that had the authority of Gods word and conſcience to bee over them with power, and now through the violence of their luſts have caſt it off; Oh let ſuch a one take notice of what is ſaid unto them in the Name of God, Oh thy ſoul is going apace to deſtruction; But as for you that begin to feel any authority of the word, or of conſcience upon you, Oh keep it; for this it is that will carry and guide thee in the way that will bring to life at the laſt.
Tenthly, If thou wouldeſt have thy ſoul bee ſaved, take heed of ſinning againſt the price of thy ſoul, againſt the blood of the covenant, and againſt mercy; take heed of theſe three things, take heed of ſinning againſt Jeſus Chriſt that paid the price, againſt the Goſpel, that revealed the price of thy ſoul; Oh take heed above all things of turning the grace of God into wantonneſs! let not the free grace of God revealed in Jeſus Chriſt bee turned to bee a means to harden thy ſoul in ſin, to think thou mayeſt take the more liberty to have the ſatisfaction of the luſts of the fleſh, why, becauſe Jeſus Chriſt came to ſave ſinners; let mee ſay to thee, as Peter to Simon Magus, Oh Pray if it bee poſſible that the thoughts of thy heart may be forgiven thee. If thou haſt ever had ſuch reaſonings in thy heart, why, Jeſus Chriſt came to ſave ſinners; and the grace of the Goſpel, that is free and full enough to ſave ſouls, though they bee never ſuch great ſinners, and upon that thou haſt taken more liberty; Oh thou hadſt need fall down before the Lord, and cry, If it bee poſſible that ſuch a thought of thy heart might bee forgiven thee; if you look into the Epiſtle of Jude, you ſhall finde a dreadful paſſage againſt ſuch as turn the grace of God into wantonneſs; it is made a ſign of a Reprobate, and it is as black a brand of a Reprobate as any one, to turn the grace of God (and eſpecially that grace of God that is in the price that is paid for ſouls, to turn that) into wantonneſs is the moſt dreadful hinderance of ſaving of a ſoul, that poſſibly can bee; Oh take heed of ſinning againſt Jeſus Chriſt the great Saviour of ſouls, but honour Jeſus Chriſt all the waies you can; would you fain have your ſouls ſaved? Chriſt is the great Saviour of ſouls, and you had need honour him, (Kiſs the Son leſt hee bee angry) and love him;Pſal. 2.1…. you had need love his ordinances, and all his members, and all his people; you had need give all the reſpect that may bee to him, becauſe hee is the onelyonly Saviour of ſouls: — And for the blood of the Covenant, take heed you ſin not againſt that, let it not bee accounted as a common thing; Oh do not prize the ſatisfying of your own luſts, rather than the blood of the Covenant, and all the good that was purchaſed by that blood; when any wretched ſinner ſhall hear the Goſpel preached to him, and yet ſhall prize the living in any baſe wicked way of ſin, I ſay, ſuch a one doth trample the blood of the everlaſting Covenant under his feet, and the language of his heart and actions is nothing but this, whatſoever is ſpoken concerning the blood of the everlaſting Covenant revealed in the Goſpel, I do prize the ſatisfying the luſts of mine own heart, more than all the good that is in the Covenant; now do you think can ſuch a ſoul as this bee ſaved? now you ſin againſt the blood of the Covenant, when you come hand over head to the Sacrament, and thereby you come to bee guilty of the body and blood of Jeſus Chriſt; People are mighty earneſt about coming to Sacraments, now do but read 1 Cor. 11. It is a Scripture which I know you that are acquainted with Scripture, are not unacquainted with, verſ. 27. Whoſoever ſhall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord unworthily, ſhall bee guilty of the body and blood of the Lord; And what then, verſ. 29. Hee eateth and drinketh his own damnation. When you would have the Sacrament, as the ſeal of the blood of Chriſt, and yet come in your ſin and filthineſs, and do not diſcern the Lords body, you come to bee guilty of the blood of Chriſt, and ſo to bee guilty of your own damnation; and ſo many think to ſeal their ſouls, by eating and drinking, the damnation of their ſouls; for there is nothing ſet out in Scripture that furthers more the damnation of a ſoul, than to ſin againſt the blood of the Covenant: I know ſome make that Scripture their damnation to themſelves, that is, that they are onelyonly to bee reproved and condemned for doing ſo, but wee are to inlarge Scripture to the uttermoſt that may bee; and ſeeing the Scripture hath made the ſin againſt the blood of Chriſt in other places ſo dreadful, wee may very well underſtand that place in the moſt dreadful ſenſe that may bee: Now if in caſe you come unworthily, you hear what the Scripture ſpeaks, it is guiltineſs of the blood of Chriſt, and eating and drinking your own ſouls damnation: — And then take heed of ſinning againſt the mercy of God; let not mercy harden you, but let it ſoften your hearts; Oh that ſoul is in a good forwardneſs to bee ſaved, that every time it thinks of the mercy of God, it findes it ſelf to melt before the Lord, and mourn bitterly for ſin, when as it applies the mercy of God to it ſelf, I, that is a good evidence; but now when you think or ſpeak of Gods mercy, you finde your hearts the more hardened in ſin, Oh this is dreadful! for how can ſuch a ſoul be ſaved, that ſins againſt the mercy and love of Jeſus Chriſt? for who ſhall hear and plead for thy ſoul before God, when as thou art guilty of the blood of Jeſus Chriſt? and what is it that ſhall bee thine attonement before the Father? It muſt bee blood; Without ſhedding of blood there is no remiſſion of ſin: And what blood muſt bee for the remiſſion of thy ſin, when as thou trampleſt the blood of the Covenant under thy feet? and when thou ſinneſt againſt mercy? what is it that muſt recover thee, but the mercy of God, when thou comeſt to God in the anguiſh of thy ſoul? Now if thy caſe bee thus, that Jeſus Chriſt ſhall plead againſt thee, and ſay, Oh Father, Father, avenge thy ſelf upon this wretch, that hath not onelyonly ſinned againſt thy work of Creation, but againſt the work of Redemption, that I went into the world to work; Father, let this ſoul periſh eternally, that hath rejected mee, and received every baſe wretched luſt before mee; now, ſhall that ſoul bee ſaved that ſhall have the blood of the Covenant cry againſt it, and mercy it ſelf cry to the Lord againſt it, Lord, avenge my cauſe, for I have been moſt abominably and curſedly abuſed by this wretch? when not onelyonly the Law of Gods Juſtice, and Satan accuſes thee, but Chriſt, and his blood, and the Goſpel it ſelf, how ſhall ſuch a ſoul bee ſaved? now then, if you would have your ſouls ſaved, take heed of ſinning againſt Jeſus Chriſt, againſt the Goſpel, and againſt the blood of God, and againſt the mercy of God.
Eleventhly, If thou wouldeſt have thy ſoul ſaved, take heed of ſinning againſt the Spirit of Grace, the good Spirit of God, that muſt draw thee to Chriſt, and guide thee in the way of ſalvation, if ever thou beeſt ſaved.
Now, take heed of ſleighting the motions of Gods Spirit, oh do not ſleight any motion of the Spirit of God; how doſt thou know, but when there comes in any motion of Gods Spirit, it comes in to ſave thee at this time? thou canſt not tell but that at any time when Gods Spirit doth aſſiſt his Word, thy ſoul may depend upon that time, ſo as God may ſay, had this ſoul followed on the work at this time, it might have been ſaved; but upon its not following it on, it ſhall not bee ſaved; doth Gods Spirit begin to move thy ſoul, when thou art hearing the Word? Oh do not go into wicked company, and ſo loſe all again, but get alone in thy cloſet, and fall down even upon thy face, and cry to God, that hee would follow on the work of his Spirit, that hee hath begun in thee: Oh Lord, I lived a long time in a dead-hearted condition, never minding the good of my ſoul, but thou haſt begun to ſtir mee, and Lord, I hope it is the beginning of thy ſaving work upon my ſoul; Oh that thou wouldeſt go on with it. How many upon their ſick-beds and death-beds, would give a thouſand worlds (if they had them) that they could have ſuch ſtirrings of the Spirit of God, as ſometimes they have felt? Oh now when the Spirit ſtirs, and temptation ſtirs, take heed of liſtening to temptation, and rejecting the motions of Gods Spirit, but think of that that wee read on of the people of Iſrael, when they were going to Canaan, they were very near Canaan, and when they were upon the borders of it, they refuſed to go into the Land, when God would have them, and upon that The Lord did ſwear in his wrath, Pſal 95.10.that they ſhould never enter into his reſt: So when the Spirit of God begins to bring thee near to ſalvation, that it may bee ſaid of thee, as Chriſt to the young man, Thou art not far from the Kingdome of Heaven, O take heed of hearkening to temptation, leſt the Lord ſwear that thou ſhalt never enter into Heaven. The Spirit of God, which is like unto the Dove in the Ark, perhaps it comes into thy heart once, and it comes in again, and thou ſendeſt it out again, but take heed of ſending it out the third time, leſt it ſhould never come in to thee again;Gen. 6.3. but that the Lord ſhould ſay, Spirit, never ſtrive more with ſuch a ſoul: Oh when God begins to ſtir, it doth concern you, to ſay with Samuel, Lord, ſpeak, for thy ſervant hears. You that have been forward heretofore, and have loſt the work of Gods Spirit, you had need look about you, for it is a dangerous thing to draw back; My ſoul, ſaith God,Heb. 10.38. ſhall have no pleaſure in thoſe that ſhall draw back. And if the ſoul of God will have no pleaſure in thee, how ſhall thy ſoul bee ſaved?
Twelfthly, Whoſoever would have their ſouls ſaved, let them take this courſe, account the preciouſneſs of the time of your lives to conſiſt in this, that it is a day of ſalvation; account it therefore a mercy of God that your lives are continued upon this reaſon, not becauſe you may get great eſtates, and live and have your pleaſures and delights, but becauſe God hath appointed the time of mans life here in this world, to bee the time to provide for his eternity; few men and women in the world know how to judge aright of the preciouſneſs of their time, the time of their lives; and that man or woman that comes to know aright how to judge of the preciouſneſs of this time of life, and of what doth depend upon it, ſuch a one is in a good forwardneſs to ſalvation.
Thirteenthly, The laſt thing that I ſhall Name is this, bee ſure to go with thoſe that go in the ſafeſt way, and the ſtraighteſt way; many of you, you queſtion about many things that others do, whether they need do ſo or no; why can none bee ſaved but thoſe that do ſo? but I appeal to your conſciences, do not you think the ſtricteſt way of godlineſs is the ſafeſt way for ſalvation? now, if it bee the ſafeſt, if you did but underſtand the infinite conſequence of the ſalvation of your ſouls, there need bee no other Argument to perſwade you to any ſtrict way of godlineſs, but this; whatever it bee, whether abſolutely neceſſary, or no, I am ſure it is the ſafeſt way; and I am ſure there was never yet any upon his ſick-bed that did repent him that hee was too ſtrict and too preciſe, but I have known many that have repented them of being too looſe, and too careleſs: Now in a matter that is of great conſequence, you will bee ſure to take the ſafeſt way: If there bee any people in the world that walk ſo as your conſciences tell you they are in a more ſtrict way than others, more holy, more cloſe to God, more ſelf-denying, more faithful, it doth concern you to inquire after thoſe, and to walk after thoſe, and joyn with them; ſurely thoſe that go on in the ſafeſt way for the ſalvation of their ſouls, thoſe I will make a pattern to mee; I will not look what the common courſe of the world, and the generality of the world doth; The Scripture tells us that There are but few that ſhall bee ſaved; And therefore the fewneſs of men ſhall never diſcourage mee; bee they never ſo few, bee they never ſo mean, If I am perſwaded in my conſcience it is the ſafeſt way, that is the way that I will walk in, and ſurely it is the way for the ſoul to have comfort at the great day, when it ſhall appear before the great God and our Saviour Jeſus Chriſt. I beſeech you conſider of this, if you were all now to appear before Jeſus Chriſt, to have your eternal eſtates determined of, in what mens conditions would you wiſh your ſelves to be in? if it might bee at your liberty, and Chriſt ſhould ſay, now I am to paſs the ſentence of eternity upon you for your ſalvation or damnation; now what kind of mens eſtates would you wiſh your ſelves to be in? who would you rather be like unto? who would you venture moſt upon, to be dealt withall according as your conſciences do think they are moſt like to bee dealt with? I am perſwaded, if this were the caſe, moſt looſe, and prophane, and ungodly men, would run and cling unto thoſe that now they ſcorn and contemn; unto thoſe that walk with the moſt ſtrictneſs and holineſs in their converſations: Certainly if you would do ſo Then, it is your wiſdome to do ſo Now; that which will bee true then, certainly is true now; and therefore that is a good way for the helping to ſave your ſouls, to joyn with thoſe that walk in the ſtricteſt and the holieſt way, to do that now, that if you were to die, you would wiſh you had done; and to bee with them now, that if you were to have the ſentence of eternity paſt upon you, you would wiſh you had been withall. But this ſhall ſuffice for what is to bee ſaid concerning that great Queſtion, about the preventing the loſs of our ſouls, and what wee ſhould do to bee ſaved: — Now for the concluſion; you have heard divers things already, about the way, and direction for the ſaving of ſouls; I ſuppoſe when firſt the Queſtion was raiſed, every one of you would bee greedy to hear an anſwer; There was never a one in this place but would fain have his ſoul ſaved eternally; what do you mean to do now? what are your thoughts? there hath been a queſtion, and I have indeavoured in the Name of God to anſwer it; Now this is that that I deſire of you even before you ſleep, get into the preſence of God alone, and give in your anſwer to God, what you mean to do, are you reſolved upon it? will you ingage your ſouls now to God (this evening) that that little time that hee will let you live in this world, that your indeavours ſhall bee according to thoſe particulars that have been opened unto you? Oh bleſſed bee God if this bee but in any one ſoul! but can any one think that among ſuch a multitude as this is, but that the Lord would bee pleaſed to dart ſome thing or other into one or more. Let mee conclude at this time, as the ſervant of Naaman ſaid to him, when the Prophet gave him direction what hee ſhould do to bee cleanſed, hee began to bee angry, and was loath to do what the Prophet bid him; why (ſaith his ſervant to him) My Father, If the Prophet had bid thee do ſome great thing, wouldeſt thou not have done it? how much rather then when hee ſaith to thee, waſh and bee clean? So I ſay to you; conſidering what the worth of your ſouls is, and the danger there is of your eternal miſcarrying, how if God ſhould have ſaid this, That ſo your ſouls may bee ſaved, I require of every one of you that you ſhould for forty, fifty years lie as a head-block at the fire burning; I, and if God ſhould have ſaid thus unto us from Heaven, wee had all cauſe to have fallen upon our faces, and have bleſſed God for his mercy towards us; but now God doth not require any ſuch thing as this at your hands, but requires the abandoning of your luſts, and the attending upon him in his Ordinances; and hee requires the keeping of your ſouls under his Word and Conſcience, and the following of the motions of his Spirit, and the beleeving in his Son; ſuch things as theſe the Lord requires, upon which your ſouls may eternally bee ſaved; and will not you accept? well, that ſoul that God intends to ſave, hee will perſwade, and the Lord perſwade your ſouls in theſe things, that ſo you may bee ſaved in the day of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt.