Do we thus requite the Lord ? Is this the return we make him for all his admirable kindness, and unparalleled love towards us .'' Certainly Christ can put up a thousand injuries from his enemies, easier than such affronts from his own people. Did you not pro- mise him better obedience ? Did you not engage to more holiness and watchfulness, in the day that you sued out your pardon, and made up your peace ^nth him ? Are all those vows and covenants forgotten ? If you have forgotten them, God hath not.
Exlioj'L 5. Improve the time that remains in this world with double diligence, because you made Christ wait so long, and cast away so great a part of your life, before you opened your hearts to receive him. The morning of your hfe, which was certainly the freshest and freest part of it, w^as no better than time lost with many of us ; all the days of your unregeneracy Christ was shut out, and vanity shut into your hearts ; you never began to live till Christ gave you life, and that was late in the day with many of you. How should this provoke to extraordinary diligence in those few re- mains of time we have yet to enjoy ? It was Austin's lamentation, O Lord it repents me^ (saith he) that I loved thee so late. This consideration excited Paul to extraordinary diligence for Christ. It wade him fly up and down the world, as a Seraphirrii in a flame of
holy zeal for Christ. Those that have much to write, and are almost come to the end of their paper, had need write close. Friends, you have something to do for God on earth, which you cannot do for him in heaven, Isa. xxxviii. 18, 19. You that have carnal relations, have something to do for them here, which you cannot do in heaven. You can now counsel, exhort and pray, in order to their conversion and salvation ; but when you are gone down to the grave, these opportunities of service are cut off.
Exhort. 6. Let us all be ashamed and humbled for the baseness of our hearts and natures, which made Christ wait at the door so long, before we opened to him. O what wretched hearts have we ! that are no more affected with the groans of Christ's heart, than with the groans of a beast, nor so much neither, if that beast were our own. O the vileness of nature, to make the Prince of the kings of the earth, bringing pardon and salvation with him, to stand so long unanswered ! Let who will cry up the goodness of nature I am sure we have reason to look upon the vileness of it with amazement and horror. You could not have found in your hearts to make the poorest beggar wait so long at your door, as you have made Christ wait upon you.
Exhort. 7. Lastly, Let us all bless and admire the Lord Jesus for the continuation of his patience, not to ourselves only, but to that whole sinful nation in which we live. We thought the treaty of peace had been ended with us ; many good men looking upon the iniquities and abominations of these times, considering the vanities and backslidings of professors, the heaven-daring provocations of this atheistical age, concluded in their own hearts, that God would make England another Shiloh. Many faithful ministers of Christ said within themselves, God hath no more work for us to do, and we shall have no more opportunities to work for God : when lo, beyond the thoughts of all hearts, the merciful and long-suffering Redeemer makes one return more to these nations, renews the treaty, and with compassions rolled together, speaks to us this day, as to Ephraim of old, how shall I deliver thee ? Look upon this day, this unexpected day of mercy, as the fruit and acquisition of the intercession of your great Advocate in heaven, answerable to that, Luke xiii. 7, 8, 9- Well, God hath put us upon one trial more ; if now we bring forth fruit, well ; if not, the axe lies at the root of the tree. Once more Christ knocks at our doors, the voice of the bridegroom is heard ; those sweet voices. Come unto me, ope?i to me : your opening to Christ now, will be unto you as the valley of Achor, for a door of hope. But what if all this should be turned into wantonness and formality ? What if your obstinacy and in- fidelity should wear out the remains of that little strength and time
left you, and that former labours and sorrows have left your ministers ? Then actum est de nobis, we are gone for ever : then farewell gospel, ministers, reformation, and all, because we knew not the time of our visitation. What was the dismal doom of God upon the fruitless vineyard ? Isa. v. 5. " I will take away the hedge " thereof, and it shall be eaten up ; and break down the wall " thereof, and it shall be trodden down : I ^vill also command the " clouds that they rain not upon it.'' The hedge and the wall are the spiritual and providential presence of God ; these are the defence and safety of his people ; the clouds and the rain are the sweet influences of gospel-ordinances. If the hedge be broken down, God's pleasant plants will soon be eaten up ; and if the clouds rain not upon them, their root will be rottenness, and their blossom go up as dust ; our churches will soon become as the mountains of Gilboa : therefore see that you know and improve the time of your visitation.
III. Use of Consolation.
I shall wind up this fourth doctrine, in two or three words of consolation, to those that have answered, and are now preparing to answer the design and end of Jesus Christ in all his patience to- wards them, by their compliance with his great design and end therein. O blessed be God, and let his high praises be for ever in our mouths, that at last Christ is like to obtain his end upon some of us, and that all do not receive the grace of God in vain. And there be three considerations able to wind up your hearts to the height of praise, if the Lord hath now made them indeed willing to open to the Lord Jesus.
Consideration 1. The faith and obedience of your hearts make it evident, that the Lord's waiting upon you hitherto hath been in pursuance of his design of electing love. What was the reason God would not take you away by death, though you passed so often upon the very brink of it, in the days of your unregeneracy ? And what think you, was the very reason of the revocation of your gospel- liberties when they were quite out of sight, and almost out of hope ? why surely this was the reason, that you, and such as you are, might be brought to Christ at last. Therefore though the Lord let you run on so long in sin, yet still he continued your lives, and the means of your salvation, because he had a design of mercy and grace upon you. And now the time of mercy, even the set time is come, Praise ye the Loi'd.
Consid. 2. You may also see the sovereignty and freeness of divine grace in your vocation: your hearts resisted all along the most powerful means, and importunate calls of Christ ; and would have resisted stiD, had not free and sovereign grace overpowered them