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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 serious 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, Pfalm. cxxii. 6, 7. Pray for the peace of Jerufalem; they shall profper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls, and profperity within thy pa laces. For my brethren and companions fakes I will now fay, Peace be within thee: because of the boufe 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 seen many changes, but never had any concern for the church of God. If their private worldly concerns went well with them, it was all a matter to them what became of religion; let it fink or fwim, 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 by hand? 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 shadows 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, and fore tail and labour for many years; and this ye have to begin now, when your day is almost gone, when your Sun is fetting, is as it were going in over the hill, and ready immediately to dump 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 seen many providences, both fuch as were of a more public nature, and concerned the state of the church of God in general, and fuch as concerned yourselves more particularly. Now here I again enquire, (1.) What obfervations have ye made? The providences of God deferve to have a peculiar remark 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. Wo unto them that rife 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 wine are in their feafts; but they regard not the work of the Lord, neither confider the operation of his hands, Ifa. v. 11, 12. Now, are there not many providences loft, and therefore as many fins? (2.) What experiences have ye got? Many providences afford many experiences: and they who have managed them to advantage, have reaped notable advantages by them, for their confirmation in the ways

of

of God: and if ye have not done fo, 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 ye have not been fuitably exercised therewith. That we should be exercised with other mens fins, the fcripture makes mention exprefly. Now, that I may let you fee how many ways ye have finned here, I pofe you upon it. (1.) You have seen many fins committed; what teftimonies have you given against them? Every one that fees God difhonoured, thould give a teftimony for him, either by reproving fin, according to the direction of the apoftle, 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 Go from the prefence of a foolish man, when we perceive not in him the lips of knowlege, Prov. xiv. 7. For fometimes any other reproof, than by withdrawing may be improper; for the wife man forbids us to reprove a fcorner left 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. xi. 7. Now

Speak,

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 groned or cried, for all the abominations that they have seen 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 the man that had the writer's inkhorn by his fide, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of ferufalem, and fet a mark upon the foreheads of the men that fh, and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midft thereof. And in the following ver. the deftroying 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 monftrous fins. I fhall 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 Pfalmist in that 119 Pfal. verfe 53. Horror hath taken hold of me, because transgressors kecp not thy law. It may be old hardened inners think little of this fin; yet God is brought in as it were wondering at it, Jer. xxxvi. 24. when the roll containing Jeremiah's prophecies was burnt, it is noted as a wonderful, a monftrous wickedness, that they were not concerned, that they did not mourn; Yet, H

fays

fays God, they were not afraid, nor rent their gar ments, neither the king nor any of his fervants that heard all these words. I fear, even these who fpeak against 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 purpofe, 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 fin 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 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 scarce where to make an end. I fhall only enquire at you, (1.) Do ye yet know the God of your mercies? Hof. ii. 8. I fear many of you dare not say it. (2.) What improvement have ye made of them? Has the goodness of God led you to repentance, as it fhould do? Rom. ii. 4. (3.) Once more I ask you, Have ye returned to the Lord according to the mercies received? Put but these three queftions home to your own confciences, and I believe they will discover many fins that ye never yet thought of.

7. Old finners, ye have undergone many changes; ye are far decayed: then let me afk you, (1.) Are your fouls renewed, as your outward man perishes? 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 fap.

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