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Dò ye learn to do all the words of the Lord; or do

ye endeavour to understand what ye read? In a word, are ye affected with what ye read, or are ye not? If ye be not, then it is evidence enough, that ye are not concerned seriously about falvation: fo that ye are not folidly convinced of fin. If ye either neglect the use of these means of falvation, or prove unconcerned as to the fuccefs of your use of them, it is undoubtedly fure that yet ye have not laid salvation to heart. I do not indeed say, but even the children of God may be more remifs at fome times than at other times, but entirely to neglect or prove unconcerned, they cannot, nor indeed can any that is laying falvation to heart. But,

I come, in the fecond place, to enquire into your diligence in your families and here I fhall fay only two things. (1.) This concern about falvation will make those who have families careful in the performance of family-duties, and these who are members of families careful in attendance upon them. When once a man is ferious about falvation, he will be fure to fet about these duties which may any way contribute to his fafety and eftablishment. (2.) When a person is once concerned about falvation, then there will fome regard be had to the fuccefs of fuch duties, that is, fuch an one will take care to know whether he is better or worfe by the duties he follows. Now, bring these two home to your own confciences: and let me ask you what confcience ye make of performing or of attending to thefe duties? If ye either neglect them, or turn indifferent as to the fuccefs of them, paft all peradventure, ye are in a dangerous condition. A man that fees himself in a ftate of mifery, and thinks feriously of falvati

on,

on, will not be content to trifle in thefe duties which have so immediate, fo remarkable an influence upon his eternal condition. If he neglects them, then he lies open to the fury of God, which, according to the prophet Jeremiah's prayer, will fall upon the heathen, and the families that call not on the name of God, Pfal. lxxix. 6. Jer. x. 25. If he prove remifs, he falls under the wo denounced against the deceiver, Mal. i. 14. Curfed be the deceiver which hath in his flock a male, and voweth and facrificeth to the Lord a corrupt thing. And he thinks his cafe hard enough already, without the addition of that new wrath.

The last fort of means of falvation are fuch as are called public. A concern about falvation will discover itself in reference to these many ways of which we shall only name two or three. (1.5 It will make us lay hold upon every opportunity of this fort. A man that is in great danger, and knows himself to be fo, will be fure to frequent thefe places which promife him fafety. (2.) It will be a fatisfaction and matter of joy to him that there are any fuch opportunities, and that his cafe is not entirely defperate and hopeless. (3.) When he comes to them, he will still have falvation in his eye, and will greedily look what aspect every thing he hears and fees has upon his own falvation. (4.) He will not be fatisfied with any thing unless he fee how he may be faved. Now, is this your carriage, when ye pretend to be concerned about falvation! Do with fatisfaction embrace every opportunity of the ordinances? Do ye joy when they fay to you, Let us go up to the house of God? Do ye keep your eye fixt upon falvation? Or, are ye more intent upon other things? This is a good way to know whether ye

ye

Now, to

be concerned about falvation or not. conclude this mark, I fay, that if ye do neglect, or carelefly use the means of falvation, whether private, fecret or public, it difcovers your unconcernednefs about falvation. A man that has fallen into the fea, and is in hazard of drowning, will hafte toward every thing that may contribute to his fafety; and when he comes near the shore, he will not spend time in obferving the form of the shore, but its usefulness to him. So a man that fees himself in danger of finking in the wrath of God, will look to all the means of falvation; and that which his eye will fix principally upon, will certainly be their ufefulnefs to himfelf. That duty, and that way and manner of performing it, that levels most directly at his falvation, will please him beft. I fhall, in the

7th and last place, Put this one queftion more home to you for trial. Will fmall and inconfiderable difficulties make you lay afide thoughts of falvation, or the ufe of the means? If so, it is a fad fign that ye are not yet arrived at that concern, which is the fruit of found conviction. One that is foundly convinced of fin, and is thence induced to lay falvation to heart, will not stop at any thing he meets with in his way; for he can fee no lion in the way, that is so terrible as that wrath of God he fees purfuing him; nor can he hear of any enjoyment, to make him turn back again, that is fo valuable as that falvation he feeks after, All hinderances that ye can meet with in the way to heaven, I mean, fuch as are proposed for rational inducements, to perfuade you to give over, may be reduced to one of two. The tempter muft either fay, Defift and quite thoughts of fal vation; for ye will run a great hazard if ye ftep

one

one ftep further; or if ye will defift, ye fhall have this advantage or the other; but a folidly convinced finner has two queftions that are enough for ever to confound and filence fuch propofals. The (1.) is this, Ye tell me, That if I hold on, I fhall meet with fuch a hazard; I must be undervalued, reproached, oppofed, and, in fine, meet with all the ill treatment that the devil, the world, and fin can give me: but now, Satan, I have one queftion to propofe to you here. Are all these, taken together, as ill as damnation? if not, then I will hold on. But whereas, O tempter, (2.) Ye fay, That I fhall get this pleasure or the other, if I defift and quite the way that I have efpoufed, I afk you, Is that pleasure as good as eternal falvation? Or will it make damnation tolerable? These two queftions make a foul, that is really concerned about falvation, hold on in the diligent ufe of means. A man if ever he run, will then run, when he has happiness in his eye, and mifery pursuing him; and thus it is with eve ry finner that is throughly awakened, and lays falvation to heart; therefore it is no wonder fuch an one refufe to be difcouraged, or give over, whatever he meets with in the way: but now, are there not among you, not a few who will be startled at the leaft difficulty, and quite thoughts of the means of falvation, for very trifles? This is a fad evidence, that ye are not indeed folidly convinced of fin.

Now I have shortly run through thefe particu lars; and, in the conclufion, I enquire of every. one of you,,

1. Have ye applied these marks to your own confciences, as we went through them? or, have ye carelefly heard them, as if ye had no concern

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ment in them? To fuch of you as have not applied them, I fay only in fo many words. (1.) If ye will not judge yourfelves, ye fhall furely be condemned of the Lord. When perfons will not try their cafe, it is a fure fign that matters are not right with them. (2.) We may fafely enough determine, that ye are unconcerned about falvation and fast asleep in your fins, nay, dead in them. (3.) 'Ye will come to fuch a fenfible determination of your estate ere it be long, as will force think upon these things with seriousness, but not with fatisfaction. But to fuch as have been applying these marks as we went along, in the

you to

2. Place, I propofe this question, Dọ ye find upon trial that ye have indeed been laying falvation to heart above all things, or that yet ye are not in earnest about it? I beg it of you, nay, I obteft you, to deal impartially with your own fouls; and I am fure ye may come to understand how it is with you. This queftion, if fairly appli ed, will divide you into two forts.

1. Such as are not laying' falvation to heart, and fo have not been convinced of fin.

2. Such as are really concerned about falvati on, and are with the jaylor, faying, What must I do to be faved?

I fhall conclude this doctrine in a short address to these two forts of perfons, and then proceed to the apostles answer to the jaylor's question.

I begin with the firft, fuch of you as are not convinced of fin, and therefore do not lay falvation to heart. Are there any fuch miferable wretches here, after all that has been faid? No doubt there are; and I fear that the moft part are fuch. To you I fay,

1. Whence is it that ye are not convinced of

your

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