3. But, _thirdly_, As it is most prejudicial to ourselves and hurtful to others, so it is the greatest instance of ingratitude we can express towards our LORD and Master JESUS CHRIST. For did he come down from heaven, and shed his precious blood, to purchase these hearts of ours, and shall we only give him half of them? O how can we say we love him, when our hearts are not wholly with him? How can we call him our Saviour, when we will not endeavour sincerely to approve ourselves to him, and so let him see the travail of his soul, and be satisfied!
Had any of us purchased a slave at a most expensive rate, and who was before involved in the utmost miseries and torments, and so must have continued for ever, had we shut up our bowels of compassion from him; and was this slave afterwards to grow rebellious, or deny giving us but half his service; how, how should we exclaim against his base ingratitude! And yet this base ungrateful slave thou art, O man, who acknowledgest thyself to be redeemed from infinite unavoidable misery and punishment by the death of JESUS CHRIST, and yet wilt not give thyself wholly to him. But shall we deal with GOD our Maker in a manner we would not be dealt with by a man like ourselves? GOD forbid! No. Suffer me, therefore,
To add a word or two of exhortation to you, to excite you to be not only almost, but altogether christians. O let us scorn all base and treacherous treatment of our King and Saviour, of our GOD and Creator. Let us not take some pains all our lives to go to heaven, and yet plunge ourselves into hell at last. Let us give to GOD our whole hearts, and no longer halt between two opinions: if the world be GOD, let us serve that; if pleasure be a GOD, let us serve that; but if the LORD he be GOD, let us, O let us serve him alone. Alas! why, why should we stand out any longer? Why should we be so in love with slavery, as not wholly to renounce the world, the flesh, and the devil, which, like so many spiritual chains, bind down our souls, and hinder them from flying up to GOD. Alas! what are we afraid of? Is not GOD able to reward our entire obedience? If he is, as the almost christian’s lame way of serving him, seems to grant, why then will we not serve him entirely? For the same reason we do so much, why do we not do more? Or do you think that being only half religious will make you happy, but that going farther, will render you miserable and uneasy? Alas! this, my brethren, is delusion all over: for what is it but this _half piety_, this wavering between GOD and the world, that makes so many, that are seemingly well disposed, such utter strangers to the comforts of religion? They chuse just so much of religion as will disturb them in their lusts, and follow their lusts so far as to deprive themselves of the comforts of religion. Whereas on the contrary, would they sincerely leave all in affection, and give their hearts wholly to GOD, they would then (and they cannot till then) experience the unspeakable pleasure of having a mind at unity with itself, and enjoy such a peace of GOD, which even in this life passes all understanding, and which they were entire strangers to before. It is true, if we will devote ourselves entirely to GOD, we must meet with contempt; but then it is because contempt is necessary to heal our pride. We must renounce some sensual pleasures, but then it is because those unfit us for spiritual ones, which are infinitely better. We must renounce the love of the world; but then it is that we may be filled with the love of GOD: and when that has once enlarged our hearts, we shall, like _Jacob_ when he served for his beloved _Rachel_, think nothing too difficult to undergo, no hardships too tedious to endure, because of the love we shall then have for our dear Redeemer. Thus easy, thus delightful will be the ways of GOD even in this life: but when once we throw off these bodies, and our souls are filled with all the fulness of GOD, O! what heart can conceive, what tongue can express, with what unspeakable joy and consolation shall we then look back on our past sincere and hearty services. Think you then, my dear hearers, we shall repent we had done too much; or rather think you not, we shall be ashamed that we did no more; and blush we were so backward to give up all to GOD; when he intended hereafter to give us himself?