Twenty sermons preached at Oxford before His Majesty, and elsewhere

1. By this means we incur the highest presumption: And this is no light thing inconsiderately to be passed over. Shall God offer you such a proffer, and you be so presumptuous, as to think such a one more seasonable? It's high presumption for thee to make thy self wiser then God, to neglect that he prescribes, and that with a promise too, as if thou hadst God at command. If thou resolve to take to morrow, it is requisite that thou have. 1. Space to repent, and

1. By this means we incur the highest presumption: And this is no light thing inconsiderately to be passed over. Shall God offer you such a proffer, and you be so presumptuous, as to think such a one more seasonable? It's high presumption for thee to make thy self wiser then God, to neglect that he perscribes, and that with a promise too, as if thou hadst God at command. If thou resolve to take to morrow, it is requisite that thou have. 1. Space to repent, and

2 Grace to do it. Now neither of these are in thine own hands, if they were, thou hadst ground for a farther delay. If thou hadst power to say, I will live so long, or couldest by thine own might prolong thy life, it were something, but it's otherwise. In refusing Gods proffer, thou refusest him, that hath thy life in his hand. What high presumption is this? See it in Jezebel, Rev. 2.21. I gave her space to repent, but she repented not. As if God should have said, it's I gave it here, I gave her time to live, I might have cut her off in the midst of her Whoredoms. Observe here by the way the reason why God gives us this space; it is to repent. What presumption must that be, when we will go quite contrary ⟨p. 6⟩to God? And because we have space, therefore we will not repent. Why does not God smite thee from heaven, when thou thus audaciously settest thy self against him? Why do's he not strike thee with a thunderbolt? Sure he gives the this space not to spend idly, but to another end; not to follow our lusts, neglecting Gods call, but that thou mayst remember thy self, and return with all thy heart. Remember those words of the Prophet, My times are in thy hand.