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on his Riches, to enter into Heaven, am not I frighted with the Expreffion? I find how this Sin deprives me of a Holy Communion with God, and fhall I lofe my greatest comfort and fupport and fatisfaction for it? How doth the Gold become dim! How is the most fine Gold changed through this peftilential Breath! The Life and Senfe I once had of Spiritual Objects, decays and dwindles away in me, and an infipidnefs in Holy things fucceeds; my relish of them perishes, and they become to me as a curious difh to a Perfon of a corrupted Stomach, I nau-, feate the very Dainties of my Heavenly Father: This Sin is enough to damp and kill all the good feed God fows in me. If any Man love the World, the love of the Father is not in him; and can I be contented without the love of God? If God be not my Friend, what doth the Friendship of the whole World fignifie, when my Soul must leave this Tabernacle, and appear before God's Bar? O God, I fhall have fo many Witneffes against me,that Ishall not know what to fay, or whither to betake my self for refuge; the poor will accufe me, because I have not opened my hand and heart to them; my own Confcience will accufe me, because I have not been a good Steward of the means God gave me; the Minifters of God will accufe me, because whatever was laid out upon my Pride and Luft, was thought too little; and the least kindness I fhewed to thofe that wait at God's Altar, too much: The Devils will accufe me, because having a Soul fo great, fo noble, fo precious, I did employ it chiefly in scraping a

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little drofs and dung together; nay, fus will accufe me, becaufe his Example of Contentedness, and Heavenly-mindedness, would not allure me into Imitation; God will accufe me,because having furnished me with all the Motives and Encouragements imaginable, to mind Heaven more than Earth; I preferred this Earth before all the Joys of Heaven; and how shall I bear up under all this weight?

Would the poor deluded Worldling but let fuch Thoughts fink into his Heart, what a damp would it ftrike on his ftrong Defires after the World; and how would it make his immoderate Love to these fublunary Riches, break into Longings after a nobler Inheritance? But negle&ting this, he, Serpent-like, feeds on duft,and prepares for anxiety, difcontent, and vexation of Spirit,and for a miserable death: Like a Hog, lies rooting in the Earth, and buries his Soul in a Chest of Money; defpifes all Admonitions to Charity, and, like the Smith's Dog, can hear the hammering and beating of his Mafter, and endure the Sparks flying about his Ears, without being stirr'd or concerned at it.

Hypocrifie is a Sin, which the painted Chriftian does not easily part withal, yet would he reflect, like a Perfon that hates to few Pillows under his own Elbows: Can I read Chrift's difcourses against the Pharifees and not ask my own Heart, Whether the Pharifees Temper be an emblem of my Complexion? Can I remember that odious Name in the Gospel, and not reflect on the Plagues that are threatned them? And do I know thefe Plagues, and do they dart no

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fear, noterror into my Soul? I am loth to believe I am fo bad a Man; but what if God, and the Great Day, fhould find me fo? Have I no Self-end in my Religious Duty? What is it puts me many times upon doing good, Applaufe from Men, or the Love of God? Do not I pretend God's Glory fometimes, when I aim at nothing but mine own? Donor I draw nigh to God with my Lips, when in my Heart and Converfation I deny him? Do not I, by pretending to please God, neglect my Duty to my Neighbour? And while I am hot for Devotion, hate my Brother in my Heart? I am loth to neglect my Prayer, but am I as loth to neglect relieving fuch a Believer that groans in Prifon, or Poverty? Am not more fevere in preffing the leffer Concerns of Religion, than I am in urging the greater? Do not I commend that in a rich or great Man, which I can reprehend in my Inferiors, or meaner Perfons; Do not 1 require those Duties of other Men, which my felf am loth to practife? Do not I applaud my self for my own Sanctity, while I defpife others, whom I fancy not fo holy as I am? Am not I more curious to know other Mens Conditions, than mine own? Am not I more zealous in publick, than I am in private? Am not I religious for filthy Lucre's fake? Do not I make a gain of Godliness, and ufe Religion as a Cloak to cover my fecret Sins? Do not I make Devotion a Scaffold to erect my own Credit and Profit by? What is Hypocrifie, if this be not? Tho' I can hide it from the fight of Men, can I conceal it from him, who knows my down-fitting, and my up-rifing,

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and understands my thoughts afar off? Can I remember the Fate of Judas, and not think of a ferious Repentance? Can I hear the Son of God call fo often, Woe, woe to the Hypocrites, and hug the Sin in my Bosom? Shall I harbour a Snake there, which will fting me into endlefs gnawings of Confcience? How fhortly will all thefe Delufions be discovered? Before I am a few days older, God may fummon me,and lay open all my deceits and juggles in Religion. Thus others have been ferved; Why should I think to escape? And tho' the Day of Judgment is not come, yet there are Angels, there are Righteous Souls, before whom the Impoftures may be laid open, and discovered to my fhame, and forrow, and astonishment, as foon as my Soul leaves my Body fenfelefs. Do I think to blind the Eyes of him, in whofe Book all my Members are fet down? Is the Portion of Hypocrites no difcouragement? What Promife in the Gospel can I lay hold of, during this condition? They all run to the upright in Heart, and muftI go without thefe Cordials? Muft I fee others run away with these Treasures, while my felf can expect nothing but God's Curfe and Anger? Muft I fee others go to poffefs the Promised Land, while I mult Itay behind in a Wilderness? Muft I fee others gather Manna, and feed upon the rich Clufters of Canaan, while my own Soul must perish for want of that Bread of Life? Lord, who fhallabide in thy Tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy boly Hill? He that walks uprightly, and works righteoufnefs, and fpeaks the truth in his heart. And muft I have no feat in yonder Manfions?

No house in that Jerufalem, which is above? No habitation in this City, whither the Tribes go up, the Tribes of the Lord, unto the Teftimony of Ifrael, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord? O my Soul, behold thy Salvation comes, his reward is with him, and his work before him. Arife, fhine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is rifen upon thee. Away, and hate this garment fpotted by the flesh; these are not the Spots of God's Children; these are not the Characters of God's Favourites: Spots they are, but of Leopards, marks of Wolves that come in Sheeps cloathing, figns of Sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of Dead Men's bones, and all Uncleannefs.

Such serious thoughts would check Hypocrifie; but the vain Man hardens his heart against them, locks them out, will give them no entertainment,and that makes him ferve God to please the Devil, and turn Religion into a meer fhew and formality, burn in Words, and freeze in Deeds; and like that Son in the Gospel, fay, I go Sir, but he goes not.

From the Premiffes, we may eafily guess what to think of other Sins, viz. That the great caufe of them, is want of Confideration; and therefore the Holy Ghoft likens Men that live in any Sin, or indulge themselves in any Tranfgreffion, to a Horse that rushes into the Battel, and confiders not what he doth; ventures among Swords and Arrows,and the greatest Dangers, without recollecting what will be the Iffue of it. Jer. 8. 6. Confideration is the Bridle that muft govern our

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