"[The jailer] brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house" Acts 16:30-31 |
It
is impossible to ask a more weighty Question! It is deplorable that we hear it
asked with no more Frequency, with nor more Agony. The Spirit of Slumber which
the Poison of the old Serpent has brought upon the children of Men is to be
deplored exceedingly. Awaken us out of this [terrible] stupidity, O God of all
Grace, lest we perish [eternally].
My
Design is to bring in a Good and full Answer to this Weighty Question, Oh! how
Thankful ought we to be, for the Glorious Gospel of the Blessed God, that makes
us able to Answer it! The Gospel which we have in our hands, this a Gospel of
such astonishing Mystery, of such Heavenly Majesty, and of such Consummate
Purity, that it can be no other than the Word of God; It must be of a Divine
Original. Oh! highly Favoured People, who know this Joyful Sound! Oh!
Unavoidably and Inexcusably Wretched, if we disregard it. The Devils knew, That
those Excellent Ministers of the Lord Paul and Silas, were come to Philippi,
with a design to answer this Weighty Question. They could
not bear it; they feared it would
issue in a Destruction upon their Kingdom there. They stirred up the minds of
some Wicked People, to abuse and Revile these Ministers, and run them into
Prison. Some Wicked People were afraid lest they should lose a little Money, by
the coming of such Ministers among them; and the Devils inspired these Muckworms
to use incessant Endeavours until they had made these Ministers uncapable of
Preaching any more unto them.
Our Glorious Lord appeared for his Faithful Servants. They Glorified Him in the midst of their Trials. They Sang His Praises under the Stripes and the Stocks which the Satanic Party inflicted on them. Oh, Patient Servants of the Lord! What a symptom have you that you shall one Day Reign in Glory with Him? These poor men Sang unto the Lord; the Lord heard them, and sav'd them! A terrible Earthquake at Midnight shook open the Doors of their Prison. The Keeper that had the now superseded keys of the Prison, was terrified. In his consternation, he falls down at the feet of his Prisoners, he treats them no longer as Prisoners, but rather as Angels. He fervently puts to them the Question, which, Oh! That it were often heard with an equal fervency among us!
Some
Learned men think that the Goaler had from the Traditions of their Philosophers,
conceived some Hope of a better Life; and seeing his Life here in danger, he
does, as distressed Wretches in the Last minutes of their Life use to do, Cry
out for some help to make sure of a Better Life, Or, more probably, the late
words of the possessed Young Woman in the Town about these Ministers; These men
are the Servants of the most High God, who show unto us the way of Salvation;
might run in his mind, and mind him of that Salvation, and make him think,
whether these men were not appointed of God, for the Instruction of others in
the way to that Salvation.
There
is a most important matter which must now be undertaken to be demonstrated. That
whereas there must be something done, by every man that would be saved, it
should be the Sollicitious Inquiry of every man What must be done by him, that
he may be Saved.
We will proceed upon the awakening Demonstrations of this thing; Demonstrations more powerful than any Thunderbolts. Oh! that the issue might be, that the Hearers may be Awakened, with a mighty Impression upon their Souls to make the Enquiry.
I.
You must know, that There is a Great Salvation proposed unto the sinful Children
of men; And you must Know, and Think, That there is Nothing of So Great
Concernment for any man, as to obtain a part in that Great Salvation. Indeed
Knowledge is the first Thing, that is necessary in order to Salvation; And it is
absolutely necessary, Unspeakable Necessary. [Prov. 1] We read Hosea 4:6. of
People Destroyed for the lack of Knowledge.
Ah!
destructive Ignorance, what shall be done to chase thee out of the World! A
world which by thee is rendered a dark World, the Kingdom of Darkness! The
Oracles of Wisdom have assured us The Soul without knowledge is not good; They
assured us, They who know not God shall have a Vengeance in flaming Fire, taken
of them; They have assured us; 'Tis Life Eternal, to know the only true God, and
Jesus Christ whom He hath sent. An Ignorance of the [true] Gospel, is attended
with a long Train of Unknown, but very Evil Consequences. Tis the Gospel of
Salvation; They that are Ignorant of it must needs miss of Salvation. 'Tis an
Erroneous and Pernicious Principle, That a Man may be Saved in any Religion, if
he do but Live according to it. The unerring and infallible Gospel has expressly
taught us otherwise [in] 2 Cor. 4:3 "If our gospel be hid, it is hid unto
them that be lost."
It
is not unseasonable here, and as Early as may be, to bring in that Admonition.
Knowledge, Knowledge; To get good Knowledge, let that be the First Care of them
that would be Saved. Knowledge, 'Tis a Principal thing; My Child, Get Knowledge;
with all thy might, Get understanding. Oh! That this Resolution might
immediately be made in the minds of all our people; I will get as much Knowledge
as ever I can!
The
Word of God must be Read and Heard with Diligence that so you may arrive to the
Knowledge that is needful for you. The Catechisms in which you have the Word of
God fitted for your more early Apprehension of it must be diligently Studied.
Unto all the other Means of Knowledge, there must be added, Humble and Earnest
Supplications before the Glorious Lord, You must cry to God for Knowledge, and
lift up your Voice to Him for Understanding; Prefer it before Silver, Before any
Earthy Treasures. There may be some so very Ignorant, that they know not how to
Pray. I would advise them to take the Hundred and Nineteenth Psalm. They will
find in it many a Prayer suited unto their circumstances, Take it, Use it, and
particularly those Petitions in it: Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy Statutes;
and Lord, Teach me Good Judgment and Knowledge; and Lord, Give me Understanding,
that I may know thy Testimonies: Give me understanding and I shall Live. Take
Encouragement from that word; and Plead it before the Lord: James 1:5. If any of
you lack of Wisdom, let him ask of God that giveth to all men Liberally, and
upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
And
now to pursue diverse Ends at once, I am to tell you That the Main Things which
'tis necessary for you to know, are the things which concern Salvation. More
Particularly; You must know, first; From What you do need Salvation. And here,
First; You are to know, That the One Eternal and Infinite God who Subsisteth in
Three Persons which His Word call, The Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit
Created our First Parents, in an Holy and Happy State, at the End of the Six
Days, in which He Created all things.
But,
our First Parents hearkening to the Temptations of Wicked Spirits, did Eat a
Forbidden Fruit; and by that sin, they fell from God, and from their Holy and
Happy State; And their Fall has bro't their Children with them, into a State of
Sin and Misery, their Sin was our Sin, from their corrupt nature we are born
into the world envenom'd with such a Nature [heart]. The Death [eternal] which
the Broken Law of God threatened unto them; is due to us all: A Death which
intends all Misery, not only in this World, but in Another, where our Souls
continue Immortal [live forever], after they have left this world.
Then
you are to know; That there is a Law given to us, which, is the Everlasting
Rule, according to which God requires us to glorify Him; a Law of Love to God
and Man, contained in our Ten Commandments. But, that you daily break this Law;
and that every Breach of it Incurs the Wrath of God who is of Purer Eyes than to
behold Evil and cannot look upon Iniquity. Lastly, you are to know, That while
you lie under the Guilt of Sin, you are also under the Reign of Sin, and under
the Reign of Satan too; A most woeful Oppression from the Worst Enemies That Can
Be. God is in Ill Terms with you. He visits you not with His great consolations
All Things are against you; The things that appear for your Welfare, do but
Ensnare you, do but Poison you, do but produce your further Distance from God.
Your very prosperity hurts you; Your Adversary lays the Chains of Death upon you. You are every moment in danger, of being seized by the formidable Justice of God for Eternal Burnings. If you Die Unpardoned, you are sent among Devils. Damn'd unto torments; must undergo a strange Punishment, and a long one which is Reserved in a Future State, for the workers of iniquity [unrepentent sinners]. Oh! Sinner; this, is thy Lamentable Case And Knowing this how canst thou do any other than make that Sollicitious Enquiry;
Knowing
this Terror of the Lord. Oh! Be Perswaded! You must know secondly by Whom you
may have Salvation. And here; You are to know the great mystery of godliness God
manifests in flesh. Your Salvation depends on your knowing of such a Saviour. We
have not the least Intimation in the Book of God, That a unknown Saviour will be
ours. But it is dreadfully intimated, That if People have no Understanding of
Him, He that made them will not have mercy on them and He that formed them will
shew them no Favour. You are then to know; That the Son of God assumed the
Blessed Jesus, the Sinless and Holy Son of a Virgin, into one person with
Himself.
And
this Admirable Person, who is God and Man in one Person, has as our Surety,
fulfilled the Law of God for us; answered the precept of it, in his Righteous
Life; answered the Penalty of it, in His grievious death; suffered the Cross,
and Endured the Curse in our stead. You are to know herewithal; that this mighty
and matchless and Only Saviour of the world, who is also the Govenor of the
World, is Risen from the Dead, and is Enthroned in the Heavens, and will return
to rule and Judge the World; but He will Save unto the utermost All that come
unto God by Him. Oh! Undone Sinner; canst thou hear of such a Saviour and not
make that Sollicitious enquiry, What must I do, that I may have an Interest in
the Only Saviour?
You
must Know, Thirdly; What shall be done for you if you find Salvation. And here;
You are to know that no good thing shall be withheld from the Saved of the Lord.
Wonder wonder. Be swallowed up with wonderment, at this Grace, O self destroyed
ones! There is Proposed unto You A deliverance from all the undesirable
Circumstances, into which you have Run, by your Departure from God. It is
proposed unto you, That you shall No longer be the children of Death, but be
made the Children of God. That you shall be Forgiven and Accepted with a
Reconciled God and be followed with perpetual Testimonies of his Fatherly Love:
That No Iniquity shall have Dominion over you, but you shall become the amiable
Temples, wherein He will dwell, with the sweet Influences of His Good Spirit
forever irradiating of you.
It
is propos'd unto you; That your Spirits, at your Dissolution [death] shall put
on the Garments of Light, and Enter into the Peace a Rest of an Heavenly
Paradise: That your Bodies ere long by a Resurrection shall be Restored unto
your Spirits: but be the Lively, the Lovely, the most Agreeable and Everlasting
Mansions for them: That you shall have a Joyful Portion in the city of God, and
have His marvelous kindness Forever doing unutterable things for you, in that
strong city: There you shall at length be filled with all the Fulness of God and
have God become All in All unto you for ever and ever.
All
this is contained in the Salvation whereof You have a Tender. Salvation, 'Tis a
comprehensive Word as Incomprehensible Good! Eye has not seen, Ear has not
heard, no Heart can conceive, what is laid up in the Salvation of God. Oh!
Ruin'd Sinner; why does it not now become thy Sollicitous Enquiry; What must I
do that I may not lose the vast things whereunto I am invited by my Saviour?
These are the things that must be known. And if these Things Be known, and Own'd, the plain Inference from them will be this; That the Man is forsaken of Reason, Unworthy to be called a Reasonable Man, who is not very solicitously Inquisitive;
But
now, 'tis time to answer that great Enquiry, we will do it by calling in a
Second Proposition.
II.
Something must be done by every man that would not forfeit all claim, Reject all
Hope of the Great Salvation. And this also must be known. You must Know What
must be done. And thereupon it shall be said unto you; Job 13:17. "When you
know these things happy are you If you do them." It is Not Enough to Know;
There must be Practice Joyn'd With your knowledge. Something must be done; Else
it had never been said, Hebrews 5:6 "Christ is the Author of eternal
Salvation, unto all them that Obey him", Something must be done; Else we
had never been told; Hebrews 6:9 "There are the things that accompany
Salvation."
We
are often instructed in the Sacred Writings, That there Is a Way, wherein alone
Salvation is to be Expected, A way called The way of Life; and, The way of
truth; The way of the Lord; and the way of Peace; and The way of Good men; and,
The way of the Righteous. In this way, Something must be done, There are Steps
to be taken that we may Fnd this way, and Keep this way. Tis the Everlasting
way; There is no Altering of it. Something must be done; For we are sure, All
men are not saved. There are some, who are Children of Perdition, There are
some, who are Vessels of wrath; there are some who go away into everlasting
punishment, Something must be done, to distinguish you from that crooked
Generation. We read, Matthew 7:14 "Narrow is the way which leadeth unto
life and Few there be that Find it".
Indeed
there is Nothing to be done by us, to merit our Salvation, But something must be
done to secure our Salvation. Indeed there is Nothing to be done by us, in our
own strength. But something Must be done by us, thro' Christ who strengthens us.
More plainly, Our Blessedness now come not unto us, on the Terms of a Covenant
of works, 'Tis not properly our doings, that is the condition of our
Blessedness. We are to be Saved, by Taking rather than by Doing. The condition
is receive and be saved. It is, approve, and be Saved. Or, Be willing to be
Saved. We speak of Doing, in the Largest sense of the word; and we still say,
something must be done, that we may be Saved. Let the Question then come in.
And, Oh! Bring it in with all the Solicitude, which were proper for, the
Greatest Concern in the World.
I
have seen this Question Scandalously answered, in Pamphlets that have been
dispersed about our Nation. The One Thing that is needful has been left
unregarded, unmention'd. Perhaps the Observation of certain Superstitious
Holidays has been recommended instead of that one thing. Alas how have the souls
of men been betrayed, by men unskilful in the word of righteousness! How
unskilfully, and unfaithfully have the methods of Salvation been declared by
many who pervert the Gospel of Christ! Not so now I hope! A pure gospel, a sound
doctrine, must be pursu'd, You are now to be treated with nothing but wholesome
Words; nothing but the faithful sayings of God.
I.
And what Better, what other Answer can be given, (Other Foundation can no man
Lay!) to this Question, but what the Apostles of God gave to it of old? When the
poor man said what must I do to be Saved, we read they said Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.
This
is the Sum of the Gospel; This is the Charge given to the Ministers of the
Gospel; Mark 16:15, 16 "Preach the Gospel to every Creature. He that
believeth... shall be saved." Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the
Only Saviour; This, This must be found in all that will be saved. The faith,
which is, A satisfaction of the mind in the way of Salvation by a Glorious
Christ Revealed in the Gospel. The Faith by which we deny our selves, and Rely
on a Glorious Christ, for all Salvation. The Faith by which we Receive a
Glorious Christ, and Rest on Him for Salvation as He is offered unto us.
But
How must this faith operate in all that would be saved? Oh Set! Your Hearts to
these things; they are not vain things; Your Lives, the very Lives of your Souls
are concerned in them. If your Hearts may now fall in with these things, and
form'd and shap'd according to the Evangelical Mold of them lo, This Day
Salvation is come unto your souls. Glorious Lord, incline the hearts of our
People, to do what must be done that so thy Salvation may be bestow'd upon them.
First
this must be done; You must come to be bitterly Sensible, that you want [lack] a
Glorious Christ for your Saviour. We read, John 7:37. "If any Man Thirst
let him come unto me." Truly, no man will come to a Christ, until a Thirst
or a pungent and Painful Sense of the Want of a Christ be raised in him.
You
must feel the Burden of your sin, lying on you; and cry out, Oh' Tis a heavy
Burden too heavy for me! You must see God Angry with you, Sin Binding of you,
Hell gaping for you; and utterly Despair of helping yourselves out of the
confusion that is come upon you. You must be filled with sorrow, for what you
have done; with horror at what you are Expos'd unto. The Cry of your Uneasy
Souls must be that; of Romans 7:24. "O wretched man that I am who shall
deliver me!" You must be no strangers to such soliloquies as these; I have
sinned; I have sinned, and, woe is unto me, that I have sinned, I have lost the
knowledge of God and lost the Image of God, and lost the Favour of God. My Sin
renders me obnoxious to the Vengeance of God. Lust enchants me, enslaves me;
Satan Tyrannizes over me. I am in hourly Hazzard of an Eternal Banishment from
God, into Outer Darkness, into the Place of Dragons.
Oh!
wretched man that I am: I can do nothing to deliver myself. I perish, I perish,
except a Glorious Christ be my deliverer. The Degree of this Distress on the
minds of them that shall be saved is Various. There is a Variety in that
Prepatory Work, which does distress the Elect of God, in their coming to a
Saviour. Converts do sometimes needlessly Distress themselves, and Even deceive
themselves, by insisting too much on the Measure of this Preparation. But so
much of this Work, as will render us restless without a Christ; so much of this
Work, as will render a whole Christ precious to us before there must be so much
in our Experience, if we would be saved.
Secondly;
This must be Done; You must confess yourselves, Unable To Do Anything
Effectually of yourselves, in coming to a glorious Christ, as your Saviour. With
a fearful trembling of Soul, you must make this Profession; Lord thou worketh in
us to Will and to Do, of thy own good Pleasure! Your Profession must be that of
Eph 2:8 "By Grace are ye saved, thro' Faith and that not of yourselves it
is the Gift of God." Your Profession must be that of John 6:65. "No
man can come, except it be given to him." Oh! Lie at the Foot of Soverign
Grace confessing and Imploring Lord, I am justly destroyed. If I do not
sincerely renounce my sin, sincerely embrace my Saviour. But I cannot, Oh! I
cannot! I have deadly fetters upon my Soul; I shall never answer thy gracious
Calls, except thy Soverign Grace enable me. Oh! Quicken me: Oh! Strengthen me:
Oh! Enable me; Turn thou me and I Shall be Turned.
Your
Impotency must not now be made an Excuse for your Impenitency. Your Inability
must Affright you exceedingly. Affect you Exceedingly; It may not Excuse you in
a slothful Negligence. You must Not Remain Careless of doing anything, Because
you can thoroughly do nothing. Having first Cry'd unto God, that He would help
you to do what you have to do, you must now try to do it; now try, whether He do
not help you to do it.
Thirdly;
This must be done; You must Admire, You must Adore, You must Address a Glorious
Christ, in all His offices for all His Benefits. Oh! Hear a Compassionate
Redeemer Calling you; Isai. 45:22 "Look unto me all ye Ends of the Earth,
and be ye Saved."
Comply,
Reply; Lord, I look unto thee, I will be thine, Save me. And here, you are to
Remember that the First Thing you want is Attonement and Acceptance with God.
For this Purpose you must behold a Glorious Christ, as a Priest bringing a
Sacrifice and making a Righteousness for you Accordingly. Your first Address to
Heaven must be this; Lord let my many and horrid sins be Forgiven me for the
sake of that great Sacrifice, which thou hast had in the Blood of Jesus Christ
thy Son, which Cleanseth from all sin. And Lord Let me who am a poor Sinner
utterly hopeless of working out for myself a Righteousness now stand before Thee
in the wondrous Righteousness of that Lord, who is the Head of His church, and
who has wrought out a Spotless Righteousness for us. But Remember to Depend on
this most sufficient Sacrifice and Righteousness, not as Qualified for it by any
good Thing to be observed in yourselves. Do not stay from it on a Prospect anon
to come recommended unto it by some commendable goodness in yourselves first
attained. No Depend, and Venture upon it, as Encouraged by no other
Qualification but this; A most miserable Sinner; yet invited, yet Compelled unto
this Mercy of the Lord.
Well;
If the Faith which has got thus far, be not a counterfeit, it wont stop here.
You must behold a glorious Christ, as a Prophet, and a King. Faith has other
errands unto the Saviour besides that, of a desire to be Justified. A true
Believer will not count himself saved, if he be not Sanctified, as well as
justified. The Saviour puts this demand unto you; Matthew 20:32 What will ye
that I shall do unto you? You answer; O, my great Saviour I come unto thee that
by thy being my Sacrifice and my Righteousness and my Advocate, Everliving to
make Intercession for me, I may be Saved unto the Uttermost.
But
this must not be all. There must be this in the Answer, O my Saviour I come unto
thee for Instruction: Let thy Spirit with thy Word cause me to Know the Things
of my Peace, and keep me from all Delusions. And there must be this in the
Answer, O my Saviour I come unto thee for Government: Let thy Spirit of Grace,
conquer the Enmity of my Heart against the things that are pleasing to God and
make me a conquerer over all my Spiritual Adversaries. This is that Faith,
whereof the End is the Salvation of the Soul. Believe after this manner, and you
believe to the Saving of the Soul.
II.
But we may carry on the Answer, without being reproved for adding anything unto
the words of God. A true Faith, will always have Repentance accompanying of it.
Repentance unto life; Tis a Dead Faith which cannot show it; A Dead Soul that
has it not, A genuine Faith is always a Repenting Faith. We see the two sisters
hand in hand; Acts 20: 21 Repentance towards God and Faith toward our Lord Jesus
Christ. We constantly see it in the Experience of all the Faithful. 'Tis the
Denomination of Repentance; 2 Cor 7:10.
Repentance
to Salvation. It must be found in all the Candidates of Salvation. Well then;
First; This must be done; You must heartily and bitterly Bewail all your Sins.
Your Original Sin, your Actual Sin; the monstrous Aggravation of your Sin; You
must be convinced of it. A contrition must follow this conviction; With a Broken
heart you must cry out, Psalm 38:18 "I will declare my iniquity, I will be
sorry for my Sin." You must mourn for your Sin, and mourn for the Offence
given to God by your Sin, as well as for the Mischief done to yourselves: Mourn,
Mourn, and never count that you have mourned enough.
Secondly;
This must be done You must make a Penitent Confession of your Sins; a Remorseful
confession of them, All your known crimes, you must as particularly as you can,
Enumerate with shame and grief before the Lord. You must be able to say; Psalm
51:3, "I acknowledge my Transgressions and my Sin is ever before me. Your
Acknowledgement of your secret Sins must be only to the Lord: but where your
Sins are Known, where your Neighbors have been either Sufferers by, or Witnesses
of your Miscarriages, they also should Know that you acknowledge them. Thirdly;
This must be done; Every way of Sin must be Abhorr'd, must be Avoided, must be
Forsaken. Amendment is Essential to Repentance: Except you reform you don't
repent. So you are warn'd of God; Prov. 28:13. "He that confesseth and
forsaketh shall find mercy." If you go on in any Evident way of Sin you
will find it a Way of Death, a Path of the Destroyer; it will bring to a
Damnation that slumbereth not. Very tremendous Things will be done to those
Enemies of God, who go on still in their trespasses. Have you done Amiss? You
must say I will do so no more you must not persist in what you have done. And
hence, if you have wrong'd another man in what you have done, you must
Vigorously Endeavour all possible restitution, restitution, a Thing too little
understood, too little exhorted, too little practised; restitution without which
there can be no right repentance. This is the Repentance which is found in every
true believer; It must be found in every one that would be saved.
III.
And, Holiness, Holiness; A patient continuance in will doing. There is No Life
in the Faith, which is not Productive to an Holy Life; 'Tis not a Faith which
will bring to everlasting Life. If the Grace to Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ, be infused into the Soul, the Habit of every other Grace is at the same
Instant infused. I will show you the Motto on the Golden Gates of the Holy City;
Hebrews 12:14. "Without Holiness no man shall see the Lord." An Holy
Life, A Life pressing after Universal and Perpetual conformity to the Rules of
Holiness; This, This is the Royal Path leading to salvation; Yea, tis no little
part of our Salvation. This must be done; You must Resign yourselves up unto the
Holy Spirit of the Lord; Consent, Request, Entreat, That He would Eternally take
Posession of you. From the Dust, cry unto Him; Psalm 141:10. "Thou art my
God thy Spirit is good; lead me unto the land of Rectitude." Cry unto Him;
O Spirit of Holiness, Raise me out of the Ruins that my Sin has brought upon me.
Possess me forever. Cause me to fear God, and Love Christ, and hate Sin, and
slight this World and know myself, and make me meet for the Inheritance of the
Saints in Light; Bring me to be one of them, I pray thee, I pray thee! There is
a good Foundation of Holiness laid in this resignation.
But
then, This must be done; You must Livelily Pursue the Death of Every Sin. You
must fly to the Death of your Saviour, as the purchase and the Pattern of so
great a Blessing; but you must count no Trouble too much to be undergone, that
you may come at such a Blessing. This is that Holiness without which no man
shall see the Lord. This must be done: You must set before yourselves the
Example of your Saviour: Study how He was in the World; Study to walk as He
walked; mightily Delight in every stroke of Resemblance unto Him; Yea, tho' it
be in Sufferings that you resemble him. This is that Holiness, without which no
man shall see the Lord.
This
must be done; You must by a solemn Dedication of yourselves, and your All unto
the Lord, become the Lord's. It must therefore be your Desire to have all your
Talents, all your Posessions, and Enjoyments and Interests employ'd for the
Honour of the Lord: and owning the Lord, as the great Giver, and Owner, the Lord
Proprietor of all that you have, you must be ready to submit unto the will of
God when he pleases with afflictive Dispensations to take any of it from you.
This is the Holiness without which no man shall see the Lord.
This
must be done; You must remember, That the Eye of the omnipotent God is upon you,
You must often bring this to remembrance, God sees me, hears me, knows me, is
acquainted with all my ways, A sense of your being under the Notice of God, and
of the Account unto which you will be called by God must make you afraid of
incurring His Displeasure; Afraid even of Secret Miscarriages. This is that
Holiness without which no man shall see the Lord.
This
must be done: You must make it your Exercise to keep a conscience clear of
Offence towards God and towards Man. You must labour to be Acquainted with your
Whole Duty; and your Acquaintance with the Will of God must be followed with
proportionable Desires and Labours after Obedience to it. You must Pray always
with all Prayer, with secret Prayer, with Household Prayer, with Public Prayer.
You must have an High Value for those two Sacraments of the New Testament, the
Baptism and the Supper of the Lord. You must religiously Observe the Lord's Day.
You must Preserve your own Place and Life and Bed and Wealth and Name: You must,
with the same Sincerity, befriend your Neighbours also in theirs. Love your
Neighbours as yourselves, and Do as you would be Done unto. You must be
especially and mightily conscientious of Relative Christianity. Carry it well in
all the Relations wherein the Lord has placed you, whether Superiors, or
Inferiors, or Equals; with such a Carriage as may adorn the Doctrine of God your
Saviour; such a Carriage as may render your co-relatives the better for you.
Briefly, You must Deny all Ungodliness and Worldly Lusts and Live godily and soberly and righteously in the World. This is that Holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. Methinks a most Obvious Inference may be drawn from these Things, That the Ministry of the Gospel must be attended, and not neglected, by them who would not neglect the great Salvation; A most awful Inference, That it is a dangerous Thing to live without the means of Salvation, which are in the ministry of the [True] Gospel ordinarily to be met withal. The Wells of Salvation are kept open in such a ministry. Oh! Do not undervalue the Blessings of those Upper Springs! There are men, who by the command of a glorious Christ, give themselves up unto the service of the Evangelical Ministry, and are the Preachers of the Gospel unto the rest of the world: An order of men concerning whom our glorious Lord has promised Matthew 28:20, "Lo, I am with you always to the end of the world." If an Angel should come from Heaven unto you as unto Cornelius, once to Speak unto this Question,
He
would unquestionably say, Repair to such a ministry don't think to live without
it. We have settled the Point; Without Faith we can have no Salvation. But I
assume: Romans 10:14, 17 "How shall they believe in Him of whom they have
not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? Faith cometh by hearing
and hearing by the Word of God. Oh! That the Ungospelized Plantations which
live, I should rather say, which die, without the means of salvation, would
consider of it.
Your
Question is answered. O souls in Peril, I may now say unto you; I Cor. 15:2
"You are saved if you keep in memory what I have preached unto you."
And yet I must say unto you, That if after all, you trample upon these things,
it will be good for you that you had never been born; the very mention of them
will dreadfully increase and inflame your condemnation. But the success of all
must be left with the Glorious One.
And
O Father of mercies, Do thou mercifully look down upon the Soul that has heard
these Things. Dispose and assist that soul, to do those Good Things, upon which
thou hast promised the salvation of the soul. I Pray thee, I Pray thee!
Awake
up my soul! the awful day, Is coming swiftly on,
When
thou must leave this House of Clay,
And
fly to Worlds unknown.
Oh!
do not pass thy Life in Dreams, To be surpriz'd by Death:
And
drop unthinking down to Flames, When I resign my Breath.
No:
every day thy Course review, Thy real State to learn:
And
with an ardent Zeal pursue Thy Great and Chief concern.
Rouze
all the man: thy Work is great,
And
all the man demands;
Thine
Head, thine Heart, thy Breath, thy Sweat,
Thy
Strength and both thine Hands.
Oh!
let the important Work be done,
Done
whilst 'tis call'd to Day.
Lest
thou the time of Hope out-run,
And
rue the mad Delay.
Repent
(my soul) Believe and Pray:
Bid
every lust farewell.
To
thy Redeemer haste away,
And
scape from Death and Hell.
To
whom Dear Jesus, should I live
To
whom but Thee alone.
Thou
didst at first my being give,
And
I am all Thine own.
To
Thee I'll then my self devote,
My
Life and all my Pow'rs.
Each
warm affection, busy thought,
And
all my passing Hours.
O
Let those glorious Hopes refine,
And
elevate my Soul.
To
heavenly Things my Heart incline,
And
meaner Joys control.
May
Faith and Hope stretch all their wings,
And
bear me up on high;
And
as I mount may Earthly Things,
Below
unheeded lie.
JESUS
my Saviour and my God,
My
Life and Sacrifice,
My
Hopes deep founded in thy Blood,
Raise
far above the skies.
Prepare
me, Lord, for thy Right Hand,
Then
come the joyful Day:
Come
Death, and come Celestial band,
To
bear my Soul away.
F
I N I S