Aggravation of sin and sinning against knowledge. Mercy. Delivered in several sermons upon divers…Aggravation of sinne and sinning against knowledge. Mercie. Delivered in severall sermons upon divers…

The use shall be an use of expostulation (as here the Apostle carries it) with men sinful and impenitent, for going on to sin against all this mercy; together with an aggravation of their sinfulness hereby. Men, if young, do usually take the advantage of this their precious time, (which out of so much long suffering is vouchsafed them) and of all those precious opportunities, and blessings they enjoy, to improve them only, in reaping and gathering in to themselves the pleasures of sin; making the time of youth their harvest of sinning, and yet think to escape by repenting, afterwards: and then when old, after they have already enjoyed a long and a fair Sunshine day to turn to God in, and to have sown much seed to the Spirit, the comfort whereof they might now have reaped; yet as they have altogether neglected so to do all their youth, so they go on to do so still, whilst they see they have any day left, be it never so near the setting; and do choose rather desperately to venture their estate in the world to come, upon the riches of his mercy pardoning, (though without all care and endeavour to change their hearts or lives) upon the experience they have had of the riches of his mercy forbearing them in this world, thinking to find him the same in both. With all such, let me reason a little, and from the riches of Gods goodness, patience, &c. spent upon them, at once expostulate with them, for their impenitency, and aggravate to them ⟨p. 19⟩their sinfulness, and also, if possible, prevail with them to go on to despise it thus no longer. And if there be any principle of common ingenuity, any spark (I do not say of grace, but of goodness of nature) left unextinguished, me thinks it should affect you, and do some good on you ere I have done.

The use shall be an use of expostulation (as here the Apostle carryes it) with men sinfull and impenitent, for going on to sinne against all this mercy; together with an aggravation of their sinfulnesse hereby. Men, if young, doe usually take the advantage of this their precious time, (which out of so much long suffering is vouchsafed them) and of all those precious opportunities, and blessings they enjoy, to improve them onely, in reaping and gathering in to themselves the pleasures of sinne; making the time of youth their harvest of sinning, and yet thinke to escape by repenting, afterwards: and then when old, after they have already enjoyed a long and a faire Sunshine day to turne to God in, and to have sowne much seed to the Spirit, the comfort whereof they might now have reaped; yet as they have altogether neglected so to doe all their youth, so they goe on to doe so still, whilst they see they have any day left, be it never so neare the setting; and doe choose rather desperately to venture their estate in the world to come, upon the riches of his mercy pardoning, (though without all care and endeavour to change their hearts or lives) upon the experience they have had of the riches of his mercy forbearing them in this world, thinking to finde him the same in both. With all such, let me reason a little, and from the riches of Gods goodnesse, patience, &c. spent upon them, at once expostulate with them, for their impenitency, and aggravate to them