we must "make no provision for the flesh to satisfy the will or lusts thereof;" and must not "walk in gluttony and drunkenness, in chambering and wantonness, in strife and envying," but must "have our hearts where our treasure is," and our conversation in heaven; and being risen with Christ, must seek the things that are above, and set our affections on them, and not on the things that are on earth.

Sirs, will you say that any of this is our singular opinion, or matter of controversy and doubt? Are not all Christians agreed in it? Do you not, your ownselves profess that you believe it? Live then but as those that do believe it, and condemn not yourselves in the things that you confess.

I have done my part to open to you the necessity of serious diligence, and to call up the sluggish souls of sinners to mind the work of their salvation, and to do it speedily, and with all their might. I must now leave the success to God and you. What use you will make of it, and what you will be and do for the time to come, is a matter that more concerneth yourselves than me.

Sirs, the matter is now laid before you. What will you now do? Have I convinced you now, that God and your salvation are to be sought with all your might? If I have not, it is not for want of evidence in what is said, but for want of willingness in yourselves to know the truth.

It is wonderful, to think that learned men, and gentlemen, and men, that pretend to reason and ingenuity, can quietly betray their souls, and do the evil that they have no more to say for, and neglect that duty that they have no more to say against, when they know they must do it now or never. That while they confess that there is a God, and a life to come, a heaven and a hell, and that this life is purposely given us for preparation for eternity, while they confess that God is most wise, and holy, and good, and just, and that sin is the greatest evil, and that the word of God is true, they can yet make shift to quiet themselves in an unholy, sensual, care

less life; and that while they honour the apostles and martyrs, and saints that are dead and gone, they hate their successors and imitators, and the lives that they lived.

Alas! all this comes from the want of a sound belief of the things which they never saw; and the distance of those things, and the power of passion, and sensual objects and inclinations, that hurry them away after present vanities, and conquer reason, and rob them of their humanity; and from the noise of the company of sensual sinners, that harden and deafen one another, and by the just judgment of God forsaking those that would not know him, and leaving them to the blindness and hardness of their hearts. But is there no remedy? O Thou, the Fountain of mercy and relief, vouchsafe these miserable sinners a remedy! O Thou, the Saviour of lost mankind, have mercy upon these sinners in the depth of their security, presumption, and misery! O Thou, the Illuminator and Sanctifier of souls, apply the remedy so dearly purchased!

Poor sleepy sinners, hear us! Though we speak not to you as men would do that had seen heaven and hell; and were themselves in a perfectly awakened frame, yet hear us while we speak to you the words of truth, with some seriousness, and compassionate desire for your salvation. O look up to your God! Look out unto eternity: Look inwardly upon your souls: Look wisely upon your short and hasty time: and then bethink you how the little remnant of your time should be employed; and what it is that most concerneth you to despatch and secure before you die. Now you have sermons, and books, and warnings: it will not be so long. Preachers must have done: God threateneth them, and death threateneth them, and men threaten them, and it is you, it is you that are most severely threatened, and that are called on by God's warnings. "If any

man have an ear to hear, let him hear." Now you have abundance of private helps, you have abundance of understanding gracious companions; you

have the Lord's day to spend in holy exercises, for the edification and solace of your souls; you have choice of sound and serious books: O what invaluable mercies are all these! O know your time, and use these with industry, and improve this harvest for your souls! For it will not be thus always: it must be now or never. You have yet time and leave to pray and cry to God in hope: yet if you have hearts and tongues, he hath a hearing ear; the Spirit of grace is ready to assist you. It will not be thus always: the time is coming when the loudest cries will do no good. O pray, pray, pray, poor needy miserable sinners; for it must be now or never.

You have yet health and strength, and bodies fit to serve your souls: it will not be so always: languishing, and pains, and death are coming. O use your health and strength for God; for it must be

now or never.

Yet there are some stirrings of conviction in your consciences: you find that all is not well with you; and you have some thoughts or purposes to repent and be new creatures. There is some hope in this, that yet God hath not quite forsaken you. O trifle not, and stifle not the convictions of your consciences, but hearken to the witness of God within you. It must be now or never.

Would you not be loath to be left to the despairing case of many poor distressed souls, that cry out, O it is now too late! I fear my day of grace is past; God will not hear me now if I should call upon him: he hath forsaken me, and given me over to myself. It is too late to repent, too late to pray, too late to think of a new life; all is too late.' This case is sad; but yet many of these are in a safer and better case than they imagine, and are but frightened by the Tempter: and it is not too late, while they cry out, 'It is too late;' but if you are left to cry in hell, 'It is too late;' alas, how long and how doleful a cry and lamentation will it be!

O consider, poor sinner, that God knoweth the time and season of thy mercies. He giveth the

spring and harvest in their season; and all his mercies in their season, and wilt thou not know thy time and season, or love, and duty, and thanks to him?

Consider that God, who hath commanded thee thy work, hath also appointed thee thy time. And this is his appointed time. To-day, therefore, hearken to his voice, and see that thou harden not thy heart. He that bids thee "repent and work out thy salvation with fear and trembling," doth also bid thee do it now. Obey him in the time, if thou wilt be indeed obedient; he best understandeth the fittest time. One would think to men that have lost so much already, and loitered so long, and are so lamentably behind hand, and stand so near the bar of God, and their everlasting state, there should be no need to say any more, to persuade them to be up and doing. I shall add but this: You are never like to have a better time.' Take this, or the work will grow more difficult, more doubtful, if through the just judgment of God, it become not desperate. If all this will not serve, but still you will loiter till time be gone, what can your poor friends do but lament your misery! The Lord knows, if we knew what words, what pains, what cost would tend to your awakening, and conversion, and salvation, we should be glad to submit to it: and we hope we should not think our labours, or liberties, or our lives too dear to promote so blessed and so necessary a work. But if when all this is done that we can do, you will leave us nothing but our tears and moans for self-destroyers, the sin is yours, and the suffering shall be yours. If I can do no more, I shall leave this upon record, that we took our time to tell you, that serious diligence is necessary to your salvation; and that God is the "Rewarder of them that diligently seek him," and that this was your day, your only day. It must be now or never.

FIFTY REASONS

WHY A SINNER OUGHT TO TURN TO GOD WITHOUT DELAY.

[With some abridgement.]

HEBREWS III. 7, 8.

To-day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

1. CONSIDER to whom it is that you are commanded to turn; and then tell me whether there can be any reason for delay. It is not to an empty deceitful creature, but to the faithful all-sufficient God; to Him that is the cause of all things; the strength of the creation; the joy of angels; the felicity of the saints; the sun and shield of all the righteous; the refuge of the distressed; and the glory of the whole world. Of such power, that his word can take down the sun from the firmament, and turn the earth and all things into nothing; for he doth more in giving them their being and continuance: of such wisdom, that he was never guilty of mistake; and therefore will not mislead you, nor draw you to any thing that is not for the best: of such goodness, as that evil cannot stand in his sight, and nothing but your evil could make him displeased with you; and it is from nothing but evil, that he