4. In consequence of this, a prudent Christian will begin betimes, and set out early in the ways of piety; not only that he may have the advantage of the morning, the proper time for travelling, and the satisfaction of serving God in the prime of his age, and the vigour of his strength: but also that he may lengthen his day, and have the more time to serve God in, and to prepare himself for the fruition of him in glory; that he may have the more time before him, to correct his disorders, to fill up his deficiencies, to regulate his passions, to purify his heart, to perfect his habits, to adorn his soul with all Christian virtues; in a word, to compose the state and frame of his mind for happiness, and to put himself in a due order for heaven. For these reasons ’tis Christian prudence to begin betimes, to run the way of God’s commandments, and not to defer that work to the declining part of life, which is the one business of the whole.
5. But if it be prudence, as to keep the commandments of God, so to keep them in the very best manner we can, what shall we think of those who serve God by halves, who halt between two masters, the almost Christians? Because this is so common a case, it may be proper to bestow some reflections upon it. I shall therefore consider more at large,
First, what it is that hinders their rising any higher than to be almost Christians. And
Secondly, The imprudence of this lame way of serving God, of being Christians by halves.
*6. First, The general hindrance to our being more than almost Christians, is the corrupt perverseness of human nature: this it was that made the fair inclinations of King _Agrippa_ proceed no farther than they did: than to extort from him that ingenuous confession, _Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian_. Then, it seems, he was not absolutely persuaded, tho’ he was inclining toward it. Poor _Agrippa_! He had heard St. _Paul_ giving an account of his manner of life from his youth, and of his miraculous conversion to Christianity, with great plainness, modesty and simplicity, and was not a little affected with the discourse; especially with the conclusion, _King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest._ This nearly touched him, and left a very sensible impression upon his heart.
And yet there was something more prevalent within him, that would not suffer him quite to yield. He had a good mind to be a Christian, but fear, interest and prejudice outweighed that inclination, and after some uncertain suspenses, the scale turned on the other side. And this is the case of too many: they have several good thoughts and purposes: but their thoughts and purposes are too much like the endeavours of those that are trying to wake out of a deep sleep, into which they sink back again, overcome by the dead weight that hangs upon them. There is a weight, an impediment in their will, that stops the wheels of virtuous action, so that there can be no motion, tho’ the springs of religion bear ever so hard upon them. Sometimes indeed conscience works so strongly, that she wants but little of gaining her point. But even that little, it seems, is too much; she is like a bowl thrown up against a steep bank, which it nimbly climbs, till it is just about to lodge and settle at the top: but wanting some degrees of force to overcome the resistance, it cannot reach it, and rolls back again.
7. _Thou art not far from the kingdom of_ God, was just such a cast as this: and _yet lackest thou one thing_, was such another. These men’s religion had carried them a good way, and they were well onward in their journey to heaven; but it tired, and grew faint in the latter stages of the road, which was found either too narrow or too long, and so they stopped short, and made an eternal halt, when a little more resolution would have carried them through. The same thing we now see every day; there are many who have a liking to religion, who have had a good natural disposition, assisted by a religious education. Nor are they only inclined to religion, but partly practise it; they do many things, and forbear others. All goes on hopefully toward a thorough conversion; they are already past the most painful part of it, and are now upon the critical point; so that a grain or two more would turn the scale; insomuch, that there begins to be joy in heaven, and the angels are tuning their harps: yet there wants a little more weight on the side of religion, for want of which the counter-weight prevails against it; against reason, religion and divine grace together. They have indeed the workings of religion upon them; they feel several pangs of the new-birth; but after all, they want strength to bring forth.