time. Many precious hours, and days, and years are spent and gone, and nothing, or nothing to purpofe, done in them. And for evincing this, I fhall put a few questions to you about the improvement of your time. (1.) What have ye done for God in it? The great bufinefs ye came into the world for, the great defign of your creation, was the advancement of the glory of God: "The Lord hath made all things for himself, and even the wicked for the day of evil," Prov. xvi. 4. Now, are there not old men and old women here, who have lived all their days, and dare not fay, that to this very day they ever had a ferious thought of advancing the glory of God? To fuch we fay, Ye have hitherto done nothing but finned; your whole life has been nothing but one continued tract of fin. As many thoughts, as many words, as many actions, fo many fins. (2.) What have ye done for the church of God? Every one is obliged to do fomething or other for the church, Pfal. cxxii. 6, 7, 8. "Pray for the peace of Jerufalem: they fhall proffer that love thee. Peace be within thy walls, and profperity within thy palaces. For my brethen and companions fakes, I will now fay, Peace be within thee: becaufe of the houfe of the Lord our God, I will feek thy good." Now, are there not old men and old women here, who never fhed one tear for the church of God, who never were concerned for its welfare. I fear there are not a few here, even old people, who have feen many changes, but never had any concern for the church of God. If their private worldly concerns went well with them, it was no matter to them what became of religion; let it fink or swim, it was all one to them. Such are grievous finners before the Lord. (3.) What have ye done for your fouls? The Lord has given every one of us a great work to do. We have our falvation to work out with fear and trembling. He has given us a day to do it in; and that day is to be followed with an evening wherein none can work. Now, what of this work is byhand? Your day is almost spent: is it not the twilight with many of you already? I fear, I fear, there are here old men, over whom the fhadows of the everlasting evening are just ready to be stretched forth, who have their work yet to begin. O fad and mournful condition! A great work to begin! a work that hath coft many waking nights, nights, and fore toil and labour for many years; and this ye have to begin now, when your day is almost gone, when your fun is fetting, is, as it were, going over the hill, and ready immediately to fink down and leave you in eternal night? This cafe were enough even to rend a heart of stone, and to force tears from a rock, if duly confidered. O! what fin, what folly, what mifery, is there here! 4. You have feen many providences, both such as were of a more public nature, and concerned the state of the church of God in general, and fuch as concerned yourfelves more particularly. Now, here I again inquire, (1.) What obfervations have ye made? The providences of God deserve to have a peculiar mark put upon them. Remember that thou magnify his works which men behold," Job xxxvi. 24. is a command of God that extends to all: and it is a grievous fin, for which we find a profeffing people heavily threatened, that they did not regard the Lord's doings: "Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink, that continue until night till wine inflame them: and. the harp and the viol, the tabret and the pipe, and wineare in their feasts; but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither confider the operation of his hand," Ifa. v.11, 12. Now, are there not many providences loft, and therefore as many ins? (2.) What experiences have ye got? Many providences afford many experiences; and they who have managed them to advantage, have reaped nota ble advantages by them, for their confirmation in the ways of God; and if ye have not done so, ye have as many fins as ye have loft experiences. (3.) Where have they left you? nearer or further off from God than they found you? Every providence, mercy, or judgment, that has not brought you nearer to God, has carried you further from him; and confequently therein ye have finned. O what multitudes of fins are here! 5. As you are guilty by committing fins of your own, fo you have contracted much guilt by feeing other men fin, when you have not been fuitably exercifed therewith. That we should be exercifed with other men's fins, the fcripture makes mention exprefsly. Now, that I may let you fee how many ways ye have finned here, I pofe you upon it. (1.) You have feen many 6ns committed; what teftimonies teftimonies have ye given against them? Every one that fees God difhonoured, fhould give a teftimony for him, either by reproving fin, according to the direction of the apostle, Eph. v. 11. "Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them" or, by withdrawing from the fociety of fuch, according to the command of the Spirit of God, who bids us 46 go from the prefence of a foolish man, when we perceive not in him the lips of knowledge," Prov. xiv. 7. For -foinetimes any other reproof, than by withdrawing, may be improper; for the wife man forbids us to reprove a fcorner, leaft he hate us, "Prov. ix. 8. or, if this cannot be got done, without the neglect of moral duties, there is yet another way we may give a teftimony against fin; and that is, by a circumfpect walk, evidencing a regard to God, a belief of his threatenings, and the advantage of religion. Thus Noah reproved or condemned the old world, Heb. x. 7. Now fpeak, old finners, what teftimonies of this fort have ye given against fin? As many as ye have neglected, as many fins ye ftand guilty of before the Lord. (2.) Ye have feen many fins; how many tears have ye fhed? I fear there are here old men and old women, who never fighed who never groaned or cried for all the abominations that they have feen committed in our land. It is our duty to mourn for the fins of others. There is a mark of prefervation ordered to be put upon the foreheads of them that mourn for the fins of the land wherein they live, Ezek. ix. 4. "And the Lord faid unto him, (the man that had the writer's ink-horn by his fide,) Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerufalem, and fet a mark upon the foreheads of the men that figh, and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midft thereof." And in the following verfe, the destroying angel is commanded to fpare neither old, nor young, fave only those who have that mark upon them. I fear there are few mourners here, among these who have seen many and monstrous Ans. I shall not now speak of the national abominations which you have feen: but I am fure there are few of you come to age, who have not heard many horrid oaths fworn: you have seen horrid villanies committed; many dreadful provocations. Now, dare ye fay with the Pfalmift, in that 119th Pfalm, ver. 53. Horror hath taken taken hold of me, becaufe tranfgreffors keep not thy law." It may be, old hardened finners think little of this fis; yet God is brought in, as it were, wondering at it, in Jer. xxxvi. 24. when the roll containing Jeremiah's prophecies was burnt, it is noted as a wonderful, a mouftrous wickedness, that they were not concerned, that they did not mourn:" Yet," fays God, "they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, neither the King nor any of his fervants, that heard all these words." I fear, even those who speak against the fins of others, are guilty of them, by not mourning over them. (3.) You have feen many fins ; and how many prayers have ye put up for the pardon of them? There is an exprefs command to this purpose, 1 John v. 16. "If any man fee his brother fin a fin, which is not unto death, he fhall afk, and he shall give him life for them that fu not unto death." It may be, ye have condemned others, and cried out upon them for their fins, while in the mean time ye are partakers with them, becaufe of your not praying for them, according to this command. 6. I fay to you, ye are great finners, for ye have had many mercies, and I fear have abufed mercies. If I fhould begin here to recount particular mercies, I might know where to begin, but fcarce where to make an end. I fhall only inquire at you, (1.) Do ye yet know the God of your mercies? Hof. ii. 8. I fear many of you dare not fay it. (2.) What improvement have ye made of them? Has the goodness of God led you to repentance, as it should do? Rom. ii. 4. (3.) Once more, I ask you, have ye returned to the Lord, according to the mercies received? Put these three queftions home to your confciences, and I believe they will difcover many fins which ye never thought of. 7. Old funers, ye have undergone many changes; ye are far decayed. Then let me afk you, (1.) Are your fouls renewed, as your outward man perifhes? I fear, I fear, there are few among you who are bringing forth fruit in old age, who, when others fade, are fat and full of sap. (2.) Has your love to fin decayed? If this charge were to be obferved, it were a great bleffing; but I fear, that however ftrength may be failed, fo far that ye cannot fulfil your lufts as formerly, yet the old love to them remains. 8. Old finners, ye have feen much of the world; and here here I afk you, are ye not guilty, (1) By neglecting many discoveries of its vanity, which might have been of great ufe to you, if duly observed? (2.) By retaining the fame love to it, after many difcoveries of its uncertainty aud emptinefs. 9. Once more, and I have done with you. Old finners, you have lived long, and death is at the door. God has given you much time to provide for it; and I fear ye are guilty, extremely guilty, by not improving time. And for discovering your fin here, I fhall lay a few questions before you, and I plead that ye may lay them home to your own confciences. (1.) Are ye ftill content to die? it is the indifpenfible duty of all, to be ever content to comply with the will of God in this matter; and, upon a call, to be ready cheerfully to comply with the will of God as to death, the time and manner of it. Now, old finners, are ye content? It may be, fome of you will forwardly enough anfwer, that ye are content: but if ye fay fo, I ask you, (2.) Are ye ready to die? I fear fome are content to die, who are not ready: fome may, in a fit of difcontent at the world, upon the back of fome notable disappointment, be fo well content to die, that they will lay hands upon themselves, who are yet very far from being ready to die. If ye pretend that ye are, then, for difcovering the truth of what ye fay, I inquire, (3.) Are your fins dying? A perfon whofe fins are lively, he is never ready to die. (4.) Are ye in Jefus Chrift? Those who are out of him are never ready to die. It is only these who are ready to "die in the Lord," Rev. xiv. 13. who are ready indeed to die. (5.) Is your pardon fealed? Death will try you; and if your pardon be not fealed, ye will find that ye are scarce ready to die. (6.) I put this one question more to yon: Have you provided your lodg ings? It is high time, when men's houses are falling, to be looking out for new lodgings. This tabernacle is ready to be diffolved: have ye a building of God, not made with hands, fecured to yourselves? God has given you time and means for doing all this; and if ye have not done it, then you have finned against the Lord, and against your own fouls. Now, old finners, if ye lay not to heart this warning, and lay not yourfelves in the duft before God for your |