Some there are that labour to create jealousies, and beget dis- tastes and prejudices in the souls of men against Christ and his ways ; men that bring up an evil report upon Christ, and strict re- ligion, as that which will beggar them, and expose them to all the miseries of the world : Who instigated by Satan, whis})er such sto- ries into the souPs ear, whom Christ is wooing for himself, that the severity of religion will certainly extinguish all tlitir joys and pleasures ; they shall never laugh more, never be merry more ; beside, it will expose all their comforts upon earth to hazard, their estates and lives must fall a prey to their enemies, and this is the estate in which Christ will jointer them in, if they consent to his
terms : and that this is no groundless jealousy of their own, but that Christ himself hath openly declared as much ; " That he that " will come after Iiim must hate father and mother, wife and chil- *' di-en, yea, and his own life also.'" This is what they must ex- pect as the fruit of their consent to Christ's proposals. But, O what will these men have to answer, and how will they stand be- fore Christ another day, who are such professed enemies to his cross, and set themselves so directly in opposition to the great design Christ is driving on in the world ! Is it not enough that you will not enter yourselves, but you vnll hinder them that Would ? Mat. xxiii. 13. Tims carnal parents discourage their children, one rela- tion another. But, to help souls under this discouragement, I ^vill leave only this one caveat with them. That such seeming friends are their real mortal enemies^ their ijcords are poison to your souls : Satan hath fee'd them to do his work, hu'ed their tongues for his service. But if the serious cares of salvation, and fervent love of Christ be in thy heart, thou wilt resolve, as Jerom did, ' If my
* father who begat me, and my mother who bare me, should hang ' about my neck with tears and entreaties, to keep me from Christ, ' I would fling off my father, and tread upon my mother, to go to
To this head also belong all those scandals and offences which loose and careless professors cast in the way to discourage others from coming unto Christ ; JVo to the world (saith Christ) because qfofi- fences^ Matth. xviii. 7. Wo to the world, this will be their ruin and undoing ; by this means such prejudices will be begotten in their souls against Christ and religion, as they will never be able to free themselves from. "But woe to them by whom such offence " Cometh ; it were better a mill-stone were hanged about their " necks, and they were cast into the bottom of the sea." Chris- tians, look carefully to your conversations ; for besides the evil ef- fects of sin upon yourselves, you see the mischievous effects of it upon others. And thus we may understand those words. Cant. ii. 7. "I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and *' by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love " till he please." Roes and hinds are timorous creatures, the least crack of a stick will startle and fright them away ; such ai'e comers on toward Christ ; young beginners in the ways of religion, how small a matter may damp and discourage them .? O friend, you have sins enough of your own, bring not the sin and ruin of other men upon your account also.
Inf. 5. To conclude, How great is the blindness and ignorance of sinners^ that need so much entreaty and importunity to be mxide happy ? It is your ignorance, sinners, that makes all the gospel-im- portunity necessary ; did you know your own misery, and see Christ
iti his necessity, suitableness, and excellency, all these persuasionfi tnight be spared ; nay, you yourselves would become importunate suitors for Christ : He would not need to be twice offered : there ig a conscience in every man and woman, set there on purpose by the Lord to give them an alarm ; but the alarm goes off for want of a spring, to wit, the knowledge of your sin and misery. Ah soul ! cndst thou but know who it is that sues for thy love, what the bene- fits of union with Christ are, thou wouldst answer his first call in such language as this : Lord Jesus, write down thine own terms ; be they what they will, I am ready to subscribe them with the ful- lest consent of heart and will; and then, how soon would the match be made betwixt Christ and you ! Yea, you would watch for, and hang on half a word of encouragement from Christ's mouth, as Benhadad's servant did on that word of Ahab, My brother Benhadad, 1 Kings xx. 32, 33. There is no need of rhe- toric to persuade a condemned malefactor to accept his pardon, a hungry man to sit down at a full table ; but, alas ! Sin is not felt^ Christ is not known ; therefore the one is not bewailed, nor the other desired.
II. Use^f(yr Exhoriation.
In the next place, the point naturally leads us to an use of exhor- tatkm, to persuade sinners to embrace Chrisf s motion, subscribe his terms, and debate no more with him, but end the treaty in a cordial present consent ; and so close up the match betwixt him and your owti souls. How long sinner, wilt thou be at shall /, shall I ? and thy will hang undetermined betwixt Christ and sin^ bivious and unresolved in so great and deep a concernment? O that Christ's next overture might bring the matter to an issue f Why will you trifle and dally with him at this rate ? There is, indeed, a treaty on foot betwixt Christ and you ; but you may pe- rish for all that; there is no conclusion or agreement made, Christ and you may yet part. The Lord help you therefore to ponder and deliberate, with all speed and seriousness, the terms propounded by Christ in the gospel ; to count the cost, and yet not always to be deliberating neither, but to bring matters to an issue, and that, with all the convenient speed you can : in order whereunto, I will lay two things before you ; weigh and seriously ponder them.
1. What are the advantages you will gain by Christ ?
2. What is the most you can lose by your consent to his terms ? and then bring thoughts to an issue.
Firsi, Ponder well the advantages you will gain by Christ ; these are so great and manifold, that it is impossible for me to enumerate or value them : it shall suffice in this place, to shew you one of
those bunches of the grapes of Eshcol, that by it you may estimate the riches and fertihty of that good land, settled upon you by Christ as a dowry or jointure ; and these are four.
3. The payment of all your. debts to the law. 2. An honour above angels.
8. An eternal inheritance in heaven.
4. A glorious and joyful presentation of you to the Father) in the great day, by Christ, as his spouse and wife.