4. The love of the world rooted in us, the love of present delights and present contentments. This is so deeply rooted in our nature that here we stick, and are loath to come off kindly to the work of God. In Mat. xxii., when they were invited to the marriage-feast of the king's son, that is, to the privileges of the gospel, what did they plead ? The farm, oxen, merchandise, and one had married a wife; they were loath to be divorced from their dearest lusts, and to renounce the satisfaction which they had in carnal things, that so they might walk with God in ■a way of strict obedience.
Secondly, Let me represent the heinousness of it. Because we are apt to stroke it with a gentle censure, and to speak of this with soft words, let us see what this delay and putting off God is, when he comes with a great deal of importunity and affectionate earnestness, inviting us to partake of his grace.
1. It is flat disobedience to God. You think it is but putting it off for a while ; no, it is flat disobedience. AYhy ? God is as peremp- tory for the time and season as he is for the duty itself God doth not only say, Turn to me, but. To-day, ' even while it is called to-day, harden not your hearts,' Heb. iii. 7, 8. The Lord deals with us as the Koman ambassador dealt with Antiochus, when he was shifting and jHitting off the matter, that he might not give a direct answer to the Homans. The ambassador draws a circle round about him, saith he, Ini)'a Jumc, Let me have an answer before thou passest from hence. So God will not only have an answer, but a present answer. If he saith, To-day, it is flat disobedience for you to say, To-morrow. He saith, Now is the time of salvation. ^Ve are charged in his name and by his authority to do it now, in this instant.
2. It is ingratitude and unthankfulness for God's eternal love : Ps. ciii. 17, ' From everlasting to everlasting thy loving-kindness is great to them that fear thee.' From all eternity God was mindful of us, and before the world was. With revereace we may speak it : ever since he was God he was our God : from eternity to eternity his loving- kindness is great; and shall we adjourn and put him ofi" to an odd corner of our lives, when he thought he could never soon enough think of us ? Shall the whole duration of God be taken up by his love to us, and shall we be content to grieve the Spirit of God, and trample his laws under our feet for all this ? Can you have hearts to abuse such a God, and to deal so unkindly with him ?
3. It is base disingenuity : we do not deal with God as we would have God to deal with us. If we have any business or errand at the throne of grace, we would be heard presently, and are ready to com- plain if we have not a quick despatch : Ps. cii. 2, ' Lord, hear me speedily.' Here is our language when praying for any relief we stand in need of. To-day is a season for mercy, but to-morrow we make always to be the season for duty. ^Ye would have God to tarry our
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146 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR. LXVIII.
sinful leisure, till the heat of our lusts be spent, and fervours of youth be abated ; yet we will not tarry his holy leisure. We are bound, but the Lord is free whether he will answer us or no ; yet we murmur if God come not in at our beck. We are always in haste if in any dan- ger and want any relief ; we cry, How long ? And shall God stand waiting till we turn from our evil ways ? If any cry, How long? God may, as he doth Jer. xiii. 27, ' When shall it once be ? '
4. It is base self-love when we can be content to dishonour God longer, provided that at length we may be saved. Shall I say that this is to prefer our salvation before God ? No, but it is to prefer our sins before God. And it shows that we are not willing to part with sin upon reasons of duty, or any real inclination of heart towards God, but only upon reasons of interest, that we may be saved ; yea, never to part with it at all if you might have your wills. Not but that a man may and ought to eye rewards and punishments. It is part of the exercise of our faith to eye the reward, and also to eye the punishment ; but this manifests an inordinate respect to the reward when we would en- joy our personal happiness, and so that be obtained at length, we care not how God be disobeyed and dishonoured. You do but in effect say to God thus, Let me despise thy commands, and abuse thy mer- cies a little longer ; then I will look after my salvation, when my lusts are satisfied. This is base self-love. Christ did not redeem us only that we might die well, but that we might live well ; not only that we might be safe at last, but glorify God here upon earth ; not only that we might enter into heaven, but do him service, and that all our days : Luke i. 74, ' Being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, we might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness, all the days of our life.'