[4.] It is our advantage to begin betimes, both here and hereafter.
(1.) Here. The sooner you begin to please God, the sooner you have an evidence of your interest in his favour, more experience of his love, more hopes of being with him in heaven ; and these are not slight things. When once j^ou taste the comfort of them, you will be sorry that you had begun no sooner ; as Paul complaineth, ' that he was born out of due time,' 1 Cor. xv. 8. He lost the advantage of seeing Christ in the flesh, and personal conference with him, and so you will lose many sweet visits of love and experiences of grace that otherwise might fall to your
VeR. 5.] SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XI. 67
share : Eora. xvi. 7, ' Who were in Christ before rae.' An early acquaintance with Christ bringeth many benefits with it of peace, and comfort, and joy, and hope, which others that set forth later want. The consolations of God should not be vile and cheap with us ; if you were acquainted with them, you would leave your husks for bread in your Father's house.
(2.) The sooner you begin with God, the greater will your glory be hereafter ; for the more we improve our talents here, the greater will be our reward in heaven : Luke xix. 16-19, ' Then came the first, say- ing, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds ; and he said, Well, thou good servant ; because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities. And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds ; and he said likewise to him. Be thou over five cities,' See Christ's answer, Mat. xx. 23, ' To sit on my right hand and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for wdiom it is prepared of my Father.' There are degrees of glory set forth, by sitting on the right hand to some, and left hand to others; as in hell, there is a hotter and cooler judgment: certainly, they that have long pleased God and made it the whole business of their lives shall have larger measures of happiness.
Use 1. If there be such a necessity of pleasing God, and giving up ourselves to the severities of religion, then it serves for reproof of divers sorts of persons ; as —
1. Those that, though they live as they list ; as if they were sent into the world for no otlier purpose but to gratify their carnal desires, yet lay as bold a claim and title to heaven as the best ; they doubt not but glory belongs to them, though they cannot make good their title. It is true, here in this world is the time of God's patience, and God keeps on open house ; here the wicked, as well as the godly, have some taste and some experience of God's bounty. The world is a common inn for sons and bastards, but heaven is a pure place ; no unclean thing enters there. There are no swine in the upper paradise. At the great assembly and congregation, God will make a separation : Ps. i. 5, ' The ungodly shall not stand in the judgment ; nor sinners in the congrega- tion of the righteous.' Wicked men shall not be able to look Christ in the face, they shall not mingle themselves with that glorious assembly of saints — ' The place of dogs is without,' Eev. xx. 15. There is no point more pressed in religion than the separation God will then make, and no point less granted ; for we all flatter ourselves with general and deceitful hopes of mercy : ' Know ye not,' says the apostle, 1 Cor, 6, 10, ' that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of heaven ? Be not deceived,' &c. We are all apt to deceive ourselves with a gen- eral loose hope. Universal salvation is written in the heart by nature ; that is the reason why we are so prone to hearken to the doctrine of universal grace. Men are apt to deceive themselves with such a lying hope. Our desires do by degrees settle into opinions. Careless people would fain have it so ; they would have God guide and govern the world after another manner ; they would have heaven, and they would not be at the pains of strictness to conquer lusts and subdue unruly affections ; they would not be at the trouble to dedicate and give up themselves to the will of God ; and by little and little their desires
68 SERMONS UPON HEBREWS XL [SeR. XXIII.
ij^iow into hopes. Mea will never be persuaded that God will ever damn his own creatnre; therefore, as ignorant people, they say, He that made me will save me, though there be expi'ess words to the contrary, Isa. xxvii. 11 ; iind therefore they please themselves with a naked hope of mercy, without making good their own interest. Consider, you have no liberty to sin by Christ's death. Christ died to gain you to please the Lord, and walk before him in all lioliness : 1 Peter i. 18, 'Foras- much as you were redeemed not with corruptible things, from your vain conversation,' <fec.