they are presently rejected with contempt, as impertinent. The man indeed doth not deny it to be his duty to be concerned about other things; but he thinks it not prefent duty, nay, he thinks it impertinent for him in his prefent condition. He is like one that lives in a besieged city: the enemy has made a breach in the walls, and thréatens a fudden irruption. In which case the man knows very well he is obliged to attend to the duties of his ordinary calling and station; yet in the prefent exigence, he doth not judge it pertinent to look that way; for if the enemy once en. ter at the breach, and fack the city, then he for ever lofes the advantage of any thing that he gains by his other endeavours; therefore he rather turns his thoughts and contrivances to the reparation of the breach, or the pacifying of the enemy, if he find the place not tenable against him. Juft fo is it in the cafe of an awakened finner: he knows, that if the wrath of God overtake him, he is for ever ruined; therefore his thoughts are wholly bent upon this, how he may be delivered from the wrath to come. Thus we fee the Pfalmift employed under fears of impending hazard, Pfal. xiii. 2. How long, fays he, Shall I take counfel in my foul, having forrow in my heart daily? How long fhall mine enemy be exalted over me? The apprehenfions he was under of danger, put him upon many contrivances how he might rid himself of it. This is always the nature of concern; it arrefts the thoughts, and keeps men fixed upon that about which the foul is con

cerned

3. This concern has in it always earneftness of defire after falvation. Defire is ever implied in concern of mind; if a man be concerned how to

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avert a threatned evil, he defires freedom fromit ; if he be concerned how to obtain any good he wants, or retain what already he is poffeft of, the foul ever immixes its concern with defire. This flows from the very nature of man's foul; for defire is nothing else, but the cleaving of the rational foul to that which appears congruous, ufeful, and necessary to its happiness: fo one that is awak ened, and fees his hazard, will certainly defire falvation. Hence it is that we find Christ the Saviour, among the other titles which are given to him in fcripture, obtain that famous one, The defire of all nations, Hag. ii. 6, 7. For thus faith the Lord of hofts, Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens and the earth, and the fea, and the dry land: and I will shake all nations, and the defire of all nations shall come; and I will fill this houfe with glory, faith the Lord of hafts. A faviour will be defired by fuch of all nations as are awakened to fee their need of him.

4. This concern about falvation imports a commotion in the affections. A foul full of thoughts about wrath threatened or felt, will have its affections employed about it, according to the account the judgment gives of it. If wrath be in any meafure felt, it will fill the foul with grief and forrow; if it be looked upon as approaching, it will make the man shake with fear; if it be reprefented as ruining and deftructive to the foul, it will raise the highest hatred and averfion; if there be any apparent poffibility of efcape, it will excite hope in the foul. In one word, in a foul that lays falvation seriously to heart, every one of thefe paffi-, ons will take their turn, according as occafion calls for them, or the prefent exercife of the mind requires and excites them. Were we difcourfing

of

of this concern about falvation only, as it refts in the mind, we fhould hold here; but here we are, confidering it not only as it is in its own nature, but as it doth manifeft itself in its effects; and therefore,

5. We fay, where the foul is thus uneafy for want of falvation, thoughtful about it, and going forth in defires after it; this inward temper and frame of the mind will difcover itself in the words and language. Words are the indications of the thoughts of the mind; and where the mind is fwallowed up of concern about any thing, fo as to have all its thoughts ingroft by it, then of neceffity the words must intimate so much. A man indeed may be concerned about fomething of less importance, and this not hold; but when falvation is laid to heart, then the tongue will be employed as well as the mind. It is ftoried, That the father's hazard made the tongue-tacked child speak; much more would its own hazard have done fo. Our Lord fays, Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth fpeaketh, Matth. xii. 34. and indeed where there is very much concern this way, it will not easily be retained; it will be like a fire that cannot endure to be pent up close in a room, but must have a vent. Thus we fee it was with the jaylor. That which lay nearest the heart, takes the ftart in difcourfe; Sirs, fays he, what must I do to be faved?

6. This inward frame of foul, this concern of mind leads to the ufe of means. As the tongue will be employed in enquiring, and the mind in contriving fo the reft of the man will be employed in following after, and ufing the means that are fuited to give relief. Thus we fee it was with the jaylor; he prefently comes to the apostles, and feeks

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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 falvation; and this makes him addrefs himself to them, as the readieft expedient, the best means to get rid of his fears, and to be folved of the im portant 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 ufe 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! fhall be flain in the streets. 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 close to the diligent use 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 ene my, tender me any relief? But wrath purfued him fo close at the heels, that he durft not stay off on any of thefe 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 know. ing that there he has a peradventure for life, whereas he has not that fame any where else..

8. This concern will discover itself, by putting the foul in an active and waiting pofture, 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 fhall enjoin me; tell me but what I fhall do, and here am I, ready to accept of any propofal that ye fhall in God's name make unto me.

Thus we have unfolded unto you the nature of this concern which a folidly convinced finner will have about falvation, and that from the text. I 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 con. ceive may be given in two or three propofitions.

1. A ftrong defire of felf-prefervation is inlaid in the mind of man, and foclofely woven in with his very frame and make, that there is no getting rid of it. Man may as foon cease 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

must