And what a staggering will this be to conscience, when a man shall defer his repentance till Gods judgements seize upon him? We see it is false for the most part: Because such persons that are then humbled, when they recover, they are as bad, or worse then ever they were. Therefore an Ancient saith well. He that is good only under the cross, it never good, it comes not from any change that God works; but merely from self-love. Therefore presently let us repent of those ways that God convinceth our conscience to be evil ways: ⟨p. 94⟩God may strike us suddenly: Those that forget God, and care not for him now, it may be just with God to make them forget themselves, to strike them with frenzy, to take away the use of their memories then, and when sickness comes, we shall have enough to do to conflict with sickness, we shall have enough to do to answer the doubts of conscience, Oh it would upbraid then! We shall think it a hard matter then to have favour from God, whose worship we have despised, the motions of whose Spirit we have neglected and resisted. Conscience after long hardening in sin will hardly admit of comfort,1 it is a harder matter then it is taken for: Therefore even to day, presently you that are young, now in the days of your youth, now in the spring of your years, repent you of your sins, before old-age comes, which indeed as Solomon describes it, is an ill time to repent in. Alas! then a man can hardly perform civill duties, (as we see in Barzillai, he complains that in his old-age, he could not take the comfort of the creatures) Therefore put not off this duty till then. And all, both young and old, now when the judgements of God are abroad in the world, take the advantage, return to God, renew your covenants, make your peace now, now this danger doth warm our hearts a little, let us strike the Iron now while it is hot, let us take the advantage of the Spirit now awakening us with this danger. Our hearts are so false and ⟨p. 95⟩so dull we have need to take all advantages of withdrawing our selves from our sinful courses.
And what a staggering will this be to conscience, when a man shall deferre his repentance till Gods judgements seaze upon him? We see it is false for the most part: Because such persons that are then humbled, when they recover, they are as bad, or worse then ever they were. Therfore an Ancient saith well. He that is good onely under the crosse, it never good, it comes not from any change that God works; but meerely from selfe-love. Therefore presently let us repent of those waies that God convinceth our conscience to be evill wayes: ⟨p. 94⟩God may strike us suddenly: Those that forget God, and care not for him now, it may be just with God to make them forget themselves, to strike them with frenzy, to take away the use of their memories then, and when sickenesse comes, wee shall have enough to doe to conflict with sicknesse, we shall have enough to doe to answer the doubts of conscience, Oh it would upbraid then! We shall thinke it a hard matter then to have favour from God, whose worship we have despised, the motions of whose Spirit we have neglected and resisted. Conscience after long hardening in sinne will hardly admit of comfort,1 it is a harder matter then it is taken for: Therefore even to day, presently you that are young, now in the daies of your youth, now in the spring of your yeares, repent you of your sinnes, before old-age comes, which indeed as Salomon describes it, is an ill time to repent in. Alas! then a man can hardly performe civill duties, (as we see in Barzillai, he complaines that in his old-age, he could not take the comfort of the creatures) Therefore put not off this duty till then. And all, both young and old, now when the judgements of God are abroad in the world, take the advantage, returne to God, renew your covenants, make your peace now, now this danger doth warme our hearts a little, let us strike the Iron now while it is hot, let us take the advantage of the Spirit now avvakening us vvith this danger. Our hearts are so false and ⟨p. 95⟩so dull we have need to take all advantages of withdrawing our selves from our sinful courses.
- 1Conscience after long sinning hardly admits comfort.
