286 SERMONS UPON TITUS II. 11-14. [SeR. XXII.
not have as much care to save yourselves as to ruin and damn j^our- selves ? You made haste to do evil, as if j'ou could not be damned soon enougli ; now in reason you should be as zealous for God as for Satan. Heretofore we could riot away the day, and card away the night ; and shall not some days be spent in fasting and prayer ? Shall every hour be begrudged that is bestowed upon God ? You will say, It is good reason God should be served as well as the devil ; but the flesh is weak, and how shall we be able to serve God ? But, says the apostle, ' I speak according to the weakness of your flesh.' It is an equitable, modest, and just .proposal that I make, and with condescen- sion to your infirmities, that you should be as earnest and zealous for God, and to grow in grace, as ever you were zealous to increase your guilt and sin. Formerly I never ceased till I got to the top, tdl I was so wicked that I could hardly be more wicked ; why should I not now labour to grow in grace ? Can conversion be right when sin had more of our thoughts than ever God liad ? The apostle's rule holds thus, so much time, so much cost and care, so much love and delight as hath been spent in sin, so much must be spent in the service of God. Oh ! say then, Why should I not be as earnest to grow in grace, to be as zealous and holy as I can ? It is observed of Paul that in his natural condition he was mad against Christ: Acts xxvi. 11, 'I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme, and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities.' Look upon him converted, and see, is he not as earnest and mad for Christ as ever he was against him? 2 Cor. v. 13, Tor whether we be beside ourselves, it is for God.' Do but look back and see what a drudge you have been to sin! with what zeal and self-denial you hazarded your souls ! Oh ! your pace was swift and furious, like Jehu's march, and will you be cold and slow in the work of God ? Nay, it may be this is your case to this very day, you are very busy and painful to undo your souls. Oh ! this active industry that is mis- placed and misemployed, if the object were but changed, would do well for heaven. Who would pay as dear for hell as for heaven? Who would pay as dear for glass as for jewels ? What a stir is there to serve a lust ? Half of this, through the blessing of God, might have conduced to save a soul.
3. It may be you have set out late, and then it is but reason you should mend your pace, and be earnest and zealous for God : 1 Peter iv. 3, ' The time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the gentiles, whilst you lived in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries.' Oh ! it is enough, enough ! Travellers that tarry long in their inn ride faster in an hour when they set forth than in two before. You have tarried long, therefore put forward. We see that slow plants bring forth the most fruit, as if nature would recompense the slowness with the plenty ; so you that were long ere you were called to God, what reason have you to be diligent and earnest, and zealous in the work of the Lord ? You will think this concerns some that are called in the doting time of their age, but all men set forth too late. If we consider God's eternal love, we should be ashamed that we began no sooner. God loved us before we were : ' The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting
VeR. 14.] SERMONS UPON TITUS II. 11-14. 287
to everlasting to them that fear him,' Ps. ciii. 17 ; from one eternity to another. God loved us before we had a being, before we were lovely ; and when we had a*being, he loved us when we knew not that he loved us. We were transgressors from the womb, defiled and polluted creatures in our birth and original ; and afterwards we knew how to offend and grieve him before we knew how to serve and love him. If we have any gratitude to God, we should be ashamed that we began so late. God began early with us ; from all eternity he was our God; as long. as God is God, he is our God; therefore now we should mend our pace, and double our diligence, and be more earnest aad zealous in the ways of God.
4. Consider what Christ hath done in purchasing our salvation. It was no play and sport to redeem the world. Christ was not in jest when he yielded up himself to be tempted, to be persecuted, to be crucified, to be exercised with bitter agonies ; and is all this expense and cost for nothing ? The temptations of Chri.st and the sorrows of his cross they all show tbat it is no ea.sy matter to bring a soul to heaven ; and therefore shall not we be zealous ? Carnal and careless christians do lessen Christ's sufferings interpretatively, as if they were not so great ; they trifle and dally, and compliment in religion, and so do not make it so weighty a matter to sav€ their souls : Luke xxiv. 26, 'Ought not Christ to suffer these things, and to enter into his glory?' and ver. 46, ' Thus it behoved Christ to suffer.' As matters were laid in God's decree, nothing else would serve the turn ; Christ ought to suffer, it was fore-ordained.