feeks after direction and help from them. No doubt he had heard of them, what the poffeffed damfel, in the 17th verfe of this chapter, cries out, that they were the fervants of the living God, who made it their work to fhew to men the way of fal vation; and this makes him address himself to them, as the readiest expedient, the best means to get rid of his fears, and to be folved of the important fcruple that now lay fo near his heart. 7. Not only will this concern drive to the use of means, but it will ftir up to diligence in the use of them. It will fire the foul with fuch activity, as will carry it over that natural fluggishness that is in the heart of man, as the natural and genuine fruit of the depraved nature. The unconcern ed man, the man that is half awakened, will fay with the fluggard, There is a lion in the way, and I fhall be flain in the ftreets. He will have a thoufand trifling difficulties that will retard him, and keep him back; but when one lays falvation to heart, he will foon get over all these, and fall clofe to the diligent ufe of means, in fpite of all difficulties. Thus it was with thejaylor. He fprang in, and came trembling, and faid, Sirs, what must I do to be faved? He wanted not his own grounds to fear the fuccefs of his attempt. What, might he think, will these men, whom I used fo hardly but the night before, deal fo kindly by me, as to help me in this miferable pinch? And will that God, whom I have provoked to be my enemy, tender me any relief? But wrath pursued him fo clofe at the heels, that he durft not stay off on any of these accounts, but hazards the iffue be what it will. An awakened finner is ever brought to the lepers refolution, 2 Kings vii. 3, 4. He fees an inevitable neceffity of dying if he sit still in his pre : prefent condition, or if he join himfelf to his old friends and therefore he will rather choose to venture all upon the mercy of God and his fervants, whom he takes for his enemies; as knowing that there he has, a peradventure for life, whereas he has not that fame any where else. 8. This concern will difcover itself, by putting the foul in an active and waiting posture, ready to receive any injunction, and to comply with it without delay. One that comes thus to be concerned about falvation, will not ftand to difpute the terms propofed; but will greedily wait for, and readily accept of them, if practicable, if poffible. Thus we fee it is with the poor man in our text. He comes not to make but accept terms. Sirs, fays he, what must I do to be faved? as if he had faid, I am refolved to fcruple nothing ye shall enjoin me; tell me but what I shall do, and here am I, ready to accept of any proposal that ye fhall in God's name make unto me. Thus we have unfolded unto you the nature of this concern which a solidly convinced finner will have about falvation, and that from the text. Ι fhall now proceed, IV. To enquire why it is that a folidly awakened finner does thus lay falvation to heart above all things. An account of this matter we conceive may be given in two or three propofitions. 1. A ftrong defire of felf-prefervation is inlaid in the mind of man, and fo clofely woven in with his very frame and make, that there is no getting rid of it. Man may as foon ceafe to be, as ceafe to defire his own prefervation. No man yet hated his own flesh, but cherisheth it, fays the apoftle, Eph. v. 29. If that hold in the laxer fenfe, when a man's near relation is called his own flesh, it muft 1 muft hold much more, when it is taken in the most strict and clofe fenfe, for a man's felf. 2. The necessary confequence of this defire of felf-prefervation, is an utter abhorrence unto every thing that is contrary to nature, or that appears deftructive of it; and every thing appears more or lefs terrible, as it is more or lefs hurtful to nature. These things which threaten us with utter ruin, cannot but fill the mind with terrible horror. Hence it is that death is called the king of terrors; because it threatens nature, not with fome alterations of lefs importance, but with entire diffolution. Death of all things is the most oppofite to nature; and every other thing is more or less terrible, as it has more or less of death in it. 3. An awakened foul, a folidly convinced finner, fees, by that light that God has let into his foul, the wrath of God, the fecond death, ready to lay hold upon him, and ruin him eternally; therefore cannot but have the greatest aversion poffible to it. What will put a man to flight, if not the fight of inevitable death behind him? Then, if ever, will a man flee, when he fees himfelf brought to that lamentable pinch, that he muft either flee or die. 4. Hence it inevitably follows, that fuch a man who fees himself in danger of utter ruin, in the cafe he is in, will, nay, of neceffity muft, lay himfelf out to the utmost, or be concerned above all, for falvation from threatened ruin or mifery. That principle of felf-preservation, and that abhorrence of what is hurtful to nature, which are the spring of all a man's actions, cannot but carry the whole man, and all the powers of the man, to its affiftance, when it fees that the whole is endangered. Having thus fhortly difcuffed what belongs to the explication of this truth, we proceed now to make fome practical improvement of it. And among many ufes that might be made of it, we fhall only make one, and that is of trial. Is it fo, that a foundly convinced finner will lay falvation to heart above all things elfe? Then here is a touchstone whereby ye may try whether or not ye be indeed convinced of fin, and whether foundly or not; and in the name of God we obteft you to put this to trial; for, 1. Unless ye know whether ye be convinced of fin or not, ye cannot know whether ye have got good of all that we have discoursed to you formerly. This we know, that ye are either bettered or worsted by it; for as the rain cometh down, and the fnow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give feed to the fower, and bread to the eater: fo fhall my word be, faith the Lord, that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me vid, but it shall accomplish that which I pleafe, and it shall profper in the thing whereto Ifend it, Ifa. lv. 10, 11. We have spent many fermons on this defign of conviction; and now ye are concerned to try, and we are concerned to try what has been the fruit of them. If ye be not yet convinced of fin, then ye have loft the advantage of all that has been faid on this head. 2. Try this fairly, we obteft you; for if ye be not convinced, ye are like to lofe the advantage of all that is to be faid from the text we are now en tering upon. We fhall, if the Lord will, from this fcripture hold forth and make offer of Chrift Jefus our Lord, as the only Saviour of loft finners: and if ye be not convinced foundly of fin, ye ye are like to lose the advantage of fuch offers; for none will welcome or entertain them, fave only fuch as are convinced of fin. 3. Try, for the Lord's fake, whether ye be convinced of fin or not; for not a few wofully deceive themselves in this matter. They take that general and unconcerned acknowlegement of fin, which every one is led to by cuftom, education, or fome fuch way, for that folid conviction which is neceffary in order to our cordial acceptance of the gofpel: and this deceit is of most dangerous confequence, because it lies near the foundation; and a crack there muft of neceffity be fatal and ruining. That ye may be at a point in this matter, we fhall again run over the feveral parts of that defcription we gave of this concern about falvation, which we would now have you to try yourselves by. But before we enter upon this trial, there is one fort of perfons we would fet by, as not concerned in it; and that is, fuch as are openly profane, drunkards, fwearers, liars, whoremongers, thieves, and the like. It were grofs folly to make a trial of fuch who have their mark upon their foreheads. These monsters are fo far from being concerned about falvation, that they feem concerned to make their own damnation fure; in as far as they take the plaineft, the furest and straightest course to ruine their own fouls. As their damnation lingers not, fo it will be juft, because they run upon a feen evil. They deferve fcarce compaffion, who can tell that he who doth fuch things is guilty of death; and yet not only do, but take pleasure in them that do them. To endeavour to make a discovery of fuch perfons, by an application of narrow and fearch |