O my soul, what a case art thou in, if this be so ? Are not all thy sins yet upon thine own score ? Hast not thou made light of Christ, and that precious blood of his, and hitherto persisted in thy rebel- lion against him ? And what can the issue of this be at last, but ruin ? There is abundant mercy indeed for returning sinners ; but the gos- pel speaks of none for persisting and impenitent sinners. And though many who are going on in their sins are overtaken by grace, yet there is no grace promised to such as go on in sin. O ! if God should arrest me by the next storm, and call me to an account for all that I owe him, I must then lie in the prison of hell to all eternity ; for I can never pay the debt ; nay, all the angels in heaven cannot satisfy for it. Being christless, I am under all the curses in the book of God ; a child of Hagar. Lord pity and spare me a little longer ! O discover thy Christ unto me, and give me faith in his blood, and then thou art fully satisfied at once, and I discharged for ever. O require not the debt at my hand, for then thou wilt never be satisfied, nor I ac- quitted. What profit, Lord, is there in my blood ! O my soul, make haste to this Christ, thy refuge city ; thou knowest not how soon the avenger of blood may overtake thee.
A HY sins are debts, God puts them to account ;
Canst tell, poor wretch, to what thy debts amount ?
Thou fill'st the treasure of thy sins each hour.
Into his vials God doth also pour
Proportionable wrath : Thou seest it not ;
But yet assure thyself, there's drop for drop.
For every sand of patience running out,
A drop of wrath runs in. Soul, look about !
God's treasure's almost full, as well as thine :
When both are full, O then the dreadful time
Of reck'ning comes ; thou shalt not gain a day
Of patience more, but there hastes away
Heaven's pursevant, who comes upon the wing
With his commission seaFd, to take and bring.
Dost still reject Christ's tenders ? Well, next storm
May be the bailiff order'd to perform
This dreadful office. O then restless be,
Till God in Christ be reconcil'd to thee.
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The sum is great, but if a Christ thou get,
Fear not, a prince can pay a beggar's debt.
Now if the storm should rise, thou need'st not fear ;
Thou art, but the deUnquent is not there.
A pardon'd soul to sea may boldly go :
He fears not bailiffs, that doth nothing owe.
To save the ship, rich lading's cast au^aij, Thy said is shipwrecTc'd if thy lusts do stay .
In storms and distresses at sea, the richest commodities are cast overboard ; they stand not upon it, when life and all is in jeopardy and hazard, Jonah i. 5. The mariners cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it. And, Acts xxvii. 18, 19- they cast out the ve;ry tacklings of the ship. How highly soever men prize such commodities, yet reason tells them, it v/ere better these should perish, than life. Satan himself could say, Job i. " Skin for skin, and all that a man hath will he give for liis life."
And surely, it is every way as highly reasonable, that men should mortify, cast out, and cut oft' their dearest lusts, rather than their im- mortal souls should sink and perish in the storm of God's wrath. Life indeed is a precious treasure, and highly valued by men : You know what Solomon saith, Eccl. ix. 4. That " a living dog is better than " a dead lion." And we find men willing to part with their estates, limbs, or any outward comfort for the preservation of it. The wo- man in the gospel spent all she had on the physicians for her health, a degree below life. Some men indeed do much overvalue their lives, and part with Christ and peace of conscience for it; but he that thus saves it, shall lose. Now if life be so much worth, what then is the soul worth ? Alas ! life is but " a vapour, which appearetli " for a little while, and then vanisheth away," Jam. iv. 14.
Life indeed is more worth tlian all the world, but my soul is more worth than ten thousand lives. Nature teachetli you to value the first so high, BX\({ grace should teach you to value the second much higher, Mat. xix. 20. Now here is the case : Either you must part with your sins, or with your souls ; if these be not cast out, both must sink to- gether. " If ye live after the flesh, ye must die," Rom. viii. 13. God saith to you in this case, as to Ahab, when he spared Benhadad, 1 Kings XX. 42. " Because thou hast let go a man whom God hath ap- " pointed to destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life." Guilt will raise a storm of wrath, as Jonah did, if not cast out.
264 A NEW COMPASS FOR SEAMEX; OK,
And must sin or the soul perish ? Must my hfe, yea, my eternal life go for it if I spare it ? O then let me not be cruel to mine own soul in sparing my sin ; O my soul, this foolish pity and cruel indul- gence will be thy ruin : If I spare it, God hath said, " He will not " spare me,"" Deut. xxvi. 20. It is true the pains of mortification are sharp, but yet is easier than the pains of hell. To cut off a right hand, or pluck out a right eye is hard ; but to have my soul cut off eternally from God is harder. Is it as easy (O my soul !) to burn for them in hell, as to mortify them on earth ? Surely, it is "profitable " for me, that one member perish, rather than that all be cast into " hell,'" Matt. v. 24. I see the merchant willing to part with rich wares if embarked with them in a storm : And those that have gan- grened legs or arms, willingly stretch them out to be cut off to pre- serve life : And shall I be willing to endure no difficulties for my soul ; Christ reckoned souls worth his blood : And is it not worth my self- denial ? Lord, let me not warm a snake in my bosom, tliat will at last sting me to the heart.
HY soul's the ship, its lading is its lusts, God's judgments, stormy winds, and dangerous gusts ; Conscience the master ; but the stubborn will Goes supra car go ^ and doth keep the bill : Affections are the men. The winds do rise, The storm increases : Conscience gives advice To throw those lusts o'erboai'd, and so to ease The vessel, which else cannot keep the seas. The will opposes, and th' affections say, The master's counsel they will not obey. The case is dangVous, that no man can doubt, Who sees the storm within, and that without. Lusts and affections cannot part ; no, ratlier. They are resolv'd to swim or sink together. Conscience still strives, but they cannot abide That it or reason should the case decide Lust knows that reason, in like cases, still Determines well : Then chuse ye whom ye will. Shall make the devil judge ? This case has been Before him, and he judged that skin for skin, And all men have, they'll part with for their life. Then how unreasonable is this strife.'^ \ They that their sins do with their persons ship. Do for their souls prepare a dreadful whip.
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