The beatitudes

4. It is a foolish thing to adjourn, and put off mourning for sin; for 1. The longer you put off holy mourning, the harder you will find the work when you come to it. A bone that is out of joint, is easier set at first than if you let it go longer. A disease taken in time is sooner cured than if it be let alone till it comes to a Paroxysm^*. You may easily wade over the waters when they are low, if you stay till they are risen, they will be beyond your depth. O sinner, the more treasons thou committest, the more dost thou incense heaven against thee, and the harder it will be to get thy pardon; the longer thou spinnest out the time of thy sinning, the more work thou makest for repentance. 2. To adjourn, and put off mourning for sin, is folly, in respect of the uncertainty of life; how doth the procrastinating sinner know that he shall live to be old? What is your life? it is but a vapour, James 4.14. how soon may sickness arrest thee, and death strike off thy head? may not thy sun set at noon? Oh then what imprudence is it to put off mourning for sin, and to make a long work, when death is about to make a short work? Caesar deferring to read the Letter sent him, was stabbed in the Senate-house. 3. 'Tis folly to put off all till last in respect of the improbability of finding mercy; though God give thee space to repent, he may deny thee grace to repent. When God calls for mourning and thou art deaf, when thou callest for mercy God may be dumb, Prov. 1.24, 28. Think of it seriously, God may take the latter time to judge thee in, because thou didst not take the former time to repent in. 4. To respite our solemn turning to God till old age, or sickness, is high imprudence, because these late acts of devotion are for the most part dissembled ⟨p. 104⟩and spurious. Though true mourning for sin be never too late,^* yet late mourning is seldom true†. That repentance is seldom true-hearted, which is grey-headed; 'Tis disputable whether these Autumn-tears are not shed more out of fear of hell, than love to God. The Mariner in a storm throws his goods over-board, not but that he loves them, but he is afraid they will sink the ship; when men fall to weeping-work late, and would cast their sins over-board, it is for the most part only for fear lest they should sink the ship and drown in hell;