[4.] I have no power or strength to do good. And what will you have us do ■? This is the excuse of the idle and naughty servant : Mat. xxv. 24, ' I knew that thou wert a hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed.' God sets you about work, but giveth you no strength, is your excuse ; but certainly
126 NO EXCUSE AGAINST A SPEEDY [LUKE IX. 57-G2.
you can do more tlian you do, but you will not make trial. God may be more ready with tlie assistances of his fi^race than you can imagine. The tired man may complain of the length of the way, but not the lazy, who will not stir a foot. If you did make trial, you would not complain of God, but yourselves, and beg grace more feelingly. In short, you are not al)le, because you are not willing. And your im- potency is increased by evil habits contracted, and long custom in sin.
I now proceed to the fourth consideration.
4. None of these excuses are sufficient for not following of Christ. And that —
[1.] Because of his authority. Who requireth this duty from us, or imposeth it on us ? It is the Lord Jesus Christ, to whose sentence we must stand or fall. When he biddeth ns follow him, and follow him speedily, to excuse ourselves is to countermand and contradict his authority: it is flat disobedience, though we do not deny the duty, but only shift off and excuse our present compliance ; for he is as peremptory for the time and season as for the duty. ' Now while it is called to-day, harden not your hearts,' Heb. iii. 7, 8. God standeth upon his authority, and will have a present answer. If he say, To-day, it is flat disobedience for us to say, To-morrow ; or Suffer me first to do this and that business.
[2.] It appeareth from his charge to his messengers. Nothing can take off a minister of the gospel from seeking the conversion and sal- vation of souls. We cannot plead anything to exempt us from this work. To plead that the people's hearts are hard, and that the work is difficult and full of danger, will not serve the turn. No ; ' Their blood will I require at thy hands.' Therefore, all excuses set aside, we must address ourselves to our work. Acts xx. 23, 24 : Paul went bound in the spirit, and the Holy Ghost had told him that in every city bonds and afflictions did abide ancL wait for him ; but, saith he, ' None of these things move me, neither count I my life dear to myself, so as I may finish my course with joy, and the ministry which I have re- ceived of my Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.' He was willing and ready to endure what should befall him at Jeru- salem, and reckoned nothing of it, nor of loss of life, if he might suc- cessfully preach the gospel, and serve Christ faithfully in the office of the ministry. If nothing be an excu.se to us, can anything be an excuse to you ? Should your souls be nearer and dearer to us than to yourselves ?
[3.] It appeareth from the matter of the duty imposed on you, if you consider the excellency and the necessity of it.
To begin first: The excellency. All excuses against obedience to God's call are drawn from the world and the things that are in the world. Now there is no com])arison between the things of the world and following Christ's counsel, that we may be everlastingly happy. The question will soon be reduced to this. Which is most to be re- garded, God or the creature, the body or the soul, eternity or time ? The excuses are for the body, for time, for the creature ; but the in- junctions of duty are for God, for the soul, and for eternity. Sense saith, Favour the flesh : faith saith. Save thy soul ; the one is of ever- lasting consequence, and conduce tli to a happiness that hath no end;
Luke IX. 57-i'>2.] obeying of Christ's call. 127
the other only for a time: 2 Cor. iv. 18, ' Wliile we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen ; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal' One turn of the hand of God separateth the neglected soul from the pampered body, and then whose are all these things?
The necessity: that we may please God and enjoy him for ever. We can never plead for a necessity of sinning ; for a man is never driven to those straits, whether he shall sin more or less ; but some- times duties come in competition — duty to a fjither, and a special in- junction of Christ's to follow him ; one must be subordinated to the other, and the most necessary must take place ; the less give ])lace to the greater. Now, this is much more true of those things which are usually pleaded by way of hesitancy, or as a bar to our duty, as our worldly and carnal satisfoctions. But you will say, we must avoid poverty and shame. But it is more necessary to avoid damnation ; not to preserve our temporal interests, but to seek after eternal life : Luke X. 42, ' One thing is necessary.'