Moses his choice with his eye fixed upon Heaven, discovering the happy condition of…

It was a grievous affliction upon Moses, that he came towards Canaan within the sight of it, and yet for one sin, not sanctifying Gods name at the water of Meribah, he was deprived of it, it went to his heart; and so it will be a grievous thing when you shall come towards Heaven, and for one sin, not sanctifying Gods name as you ought, you shall be deprived of heavenly Canaan. Many Prodigals have an inheritance, and at one cast of the Dice lose it; to lose this Inheritance at one cast, is a grievous thing. A man may scape many wounds, and shots in the Wars, and yet may be killed at last with the wound of a Pen-knife, or the wound of a pin or needle: so many that have escaped many gross sins, may by some little secret lust be deprived of the glory of heaven. You that are going on in this way, that tend to the reward, take heed you do not lose all for some one sin.

Thirdly, those that apostatize are to be rebuked; ¹Apostates go far, and lose all this reward, because they do not endure to the end, but go back and decline: You were once in a blessed way, and had a blessed gale, and you were going on apace to heaven, and now you are turned back again; O what have you done! it may be you were near your end, as Christ said to the young man, He is not far from the Kingdom of Heaven: as the Israelites were within a few days journey of Canaan, and yet lost it; so many, though they be near in their profession, and have had as it were the taste of heaven, yet turning back again, they lose all. As if a man were going a rich Voyage, and just as he was entering into the Haven, there should come a gust of wind and blow ⟨p. 640⟩him home again, how does it grieve him? I was just at the Haven, and if I had entered I had been enriched for ever: So many have gone on in the profession of Religion, if they had continued, who knows but that they might have had all this reward? but for want of continuance they have lost all, and they are come short of the glory of God. We may say to them, as the Angel said to Hagar; Hagar, from whence comest thou, and whither goest thou? So it may be said to an Apostate, Poor creature, from whence comest thou, and whither goest thou? Thou comest from heaven and eternal life, and thou art going to hell and eternal death. You know how earnest the Apostle was with the Galatians, when they had once received the faith, and drew back again, says he, Who hath bewitched you? Was there ever such wickedness like this? to receive that faith that brings such happiness, and after you have received it to turn back again; Who hath bewitched you? And this is the fourth Use.