it is occasioned (where it flows not from the natural constitution) from an excessive love to the world, or some guilt upon the spirit. Itis true, the Lord can so assist weak faith, and so subdue strongfears, as that you may be enabled to stand the shock when it comes : (For, as I noted formerly, our strength lies not in any thing inherent in us, but we are strong or weak, according to the divine presence and assis- tances that we enjoy) but yet if you labour not to mortify this evil, and stir not up yourselves in the use of all appointed means, to rouse your zeal and courage for God, I know no warrant you have to ex- pect such assistances.
Lastly, How many poor Christians among us are to this day dark and cloudy in their evidences for heaven ? Had they walked closely with God, benig laborious in the disquisition and search of their own hearts, they had long since obtained a clearness and satisfaction about the state of their own hearts : But as the case stands with them, how unfit are they for bonds or death. Oh ! it is a sad case, when inward and outward troubles meet together, as you may see. Gen. xlii. 21, 22. when there shall he fightings without, and Jears zvithin : When such a pang as that. Lam. iii. 17, 18. shall come over thy heart, what wilt thou do ?
By all that hath been said, it appears that the most of professors are in a very unready posture for sufferings ; so that as troubles come to an height, we are like to see many sad spectacles : Many offences will come ; religion is like to be wounded in the house of its friends. Oh ! what a day of mercy have we enjoyed ? What helps and choice advantages, above any precedent age, and yet unready .^ How sad and inexcMsable is this ?
Containing another use of the point, hy rcay of exhortation, per- suading all the people of God, whilst the Lord respites, and gra- cioiisly delays their trials, to answer the end of God therein, and prepare themselves for greater trials ; where several motives are propounded to excite to the duty.
\j P then from your beds of sloth, awake from your security. Dye saints, get upon your watch-towers, tremble in yourselves, that ye may rest in the day of evil, Hab. ii. 1, 3, 16. " Put on the whole " armour of God, that ye may be able to stand in the evil day, and " when you have done all, to stand," Eph. vi. 11. O let it never be said of your dwellings, as it is said of the tabernacles of the wicked. Job xxi. 9. " Their houses are safe from fear.'^
Augustus hearing of one that was deeply in debt, who yet slept heartily, sent for his pillow, supposing there was some strange virtue m that pillow. I wonder what pillow ye have gotten, O ye drowsy saints, that you can sleep so quietly upon it, now that all things about
76 PREPARATIONS FOR SUFFERINGS ; OH,
you are conspiring trouble, and threatening danger. Can you sleep like Jonah, when seas of wrath are tumbling and roaring round about you, and threaten to entomb you and all your enjoyments ? Behold, " The stork in the heavens knows her appointed time," Jer. vii. 8. and hath not God made you iche?^ than the'foids of the air, Job xxxv. 11. It may be the sound of some present judgment may a little startle you, like a sudden clap of thunder in the air ; but how soon doth sloth and security prevail, and overcome you again. They say poison by being habituated, may be made innocent : We are so used to, or ra- ther hardened under calamities, that nothing moves or effectually awakens us. Lord, what will the end of these things be .'* Wilt thou surprise thy people at unawares.^ Shall thy judgments find them se- cure, and leave them desperate? O that God would persuade you " to ** gather yourselves together, yea, to gather together," (not in an un- lawful and seditious way, but in the way of duty,) " before the de- " cree bring forth, and the day pass as the chaff," Zeph. ii. 1, 2. O prepare to meet your God, Amos iv. 12. Prepare your faith, love, courage, &c. before God call you to the exercise of them.
And to excite you to this duty, besides all the forementioned be- nefits of a prepared spirit, consider these following particulars by way of motive.
1. Motive. The many calls which God hath given you to this work. The Lord hath uttered his voice, and called from heaven unto you ; will you be deaf to his calls ? He hath called upon you, (1.) By the word : God would have it cry to you first, because he would give the first honour to his word. He hath given all his pro- phets one mouth, Luke i. 70. and they have warned you faithfully. (2.) By the rod : this also hath a loud voice, Mic. vi. 9. Psal. ii. 5. ^len of understanding will hear this voice ; and those that will not hear it shall be lashed by it even till they are sick with smiting, verse 13. (3.) By prodigious and portentous signs in the heavens and earth, such as no age can parallel, these have a loud voice to all that regard the works of the Lord, or the operations of his hands. Euse- bius calls them God''s sermons to the ti)orld *. O that we were wise to consider what God's ends are in these things ! one observes, ' That ' as they are the plainest and most obvious to sense, so they are com- ' monly the last sermons which God intends to preach to nations, ' before he inflicts his punishment on them, if they repent not.' O let not God, speaking in ordinary and extraordinary ways to you, still speak in vain.
Your preparations for sufferings, is the most probable means of preventing your fall and ruin by those sufferings.
2. Motive. Sufferings prove fatal and destructive to some ; but it is to secure and careless ones ; Such as are diligent and faithful in the use of God's means, are secured from the danger. Christ lays our
* Ta TH ka XTi^vy f^ala. Euseb. hist. lib. iii. cap. 8.
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