The saints dignity and duty· Together with the danger of ignorance and hardness. /…The saints dignitie and dutie· Together with the danger of ignorance and hardnesse. /…

2. Let me go further, and you shall see more then these cut off from being the sons of Abraham; And surely if Abraham should come down from heaven, he might complain that there were very few of his sons to be found upon the earth. In the next place therefore take a taste of the civilized professors, such as are not as other men; no common swearers, no profaners of the Sabbath, no drunkards, and the like: These men think that they go near indeed to the steps of Abraham, yet give me leave to scan these a little, I pray, and to try them.

2. Let me go further, and you shall see more then these cut off from being the sons of Abraham; And surely if Abraham should come down from heaven, he might complain that there were very few of his sons to be found upon the earth. In the next place therefore take a taste of the civilized professors, such as are not as other men; no common swearers, no profaners of the Sabbath, no drunkards, and the like: These men thinke that they go neer indeed to the steps of Abraham, yet give me leave to scan these a little, I pray, and to try them.

Abraham (you know) did not stick with God when he called him, but was content to be under the command of God and to yield to him in every thing. Take now one that hath not the power of godliness in his heart; he keepeth, it may be, his fingers from filching and stealing, abstains ⟨p. 182⟩from the gross acts of sin, and from open profaneness; but what strength of grace is there in his soul? What mortification shall you find of his secret lusts? What subduing of sin within? Alas, ask him what ruleth him, at whose command he is, at whose call he cometh: I appeal to the souls and consciences of all such men; The command of God calleth, and covetousness calleth, which of these is followed? The Lord saith to the worldling, come out of thy counting-house, and go to prayer, come and hear my word; the Lord calls to the Gentleman, forsake thy pleasures and thy sports, and humble thy self in sackcloth and ashes; and the Lord calleth for these things, the times call for them, who is obeyed? Whose commands do you stoop unto? Is there any command disobeyed but Gods? If a man presume on any it is on the Lord: Profits, pleasures, worldly business must be attended, whether the Lord be pleased or no, or whether the duties he requireth be performed or no. You that are Gentlemen and Tradesmen, I appeal to your souls, whether the Lord and his cause is not the loser this way: Doth not Prayer pay for it? Doth not the Word pay for it? Are not the Ordinances always losers, when any thing of your own cometh in competition? Is it not evident then, that you are not under the command of the word? How do you tremble at the wrath and threatenings of a mortal man? and yet when you hear the Lord thunder judgements out of his Word, who is humbled? When he calls for fasting and weeping, and mourning, who regards it? Abraham, my brethren, did not thus, these were none of his steps; no, no, he went a hundred mile off of this course. The Lord no sooner said to him, Forsake thy country, and thy kindred, and thy fathers house, but he forsook all, neither friend, nor father, prevailed to detain him from obedience, but he stooped willingly to Gods command.