for, though now thy heart faith it is too foon, yet after a few days delay, it will fay it is too late; it will be apt to conclude, that now thy day is over, and now Chrift will have nothing to do with thee: O why shouldst thou be such an enemy to thy own foul, as to run it upon thefe difadvantages? rather avoid them by falling presently upon foul-work.

Fourthly, Confider the finfulness of Delays, and the horrible guilt they bring upon the foul: as delays are dangerous and difadvantageous, fo they are finful too, exceeding finful, and provoking to the God of heaven. The truth is, were there no danger in them, no difadvantage by them to the foul; yet the finfulness of them is fuch, as should make us afraid of them: in every day's delay to mind, and pursue foul-work, there is pofitive rebellion and disobedience to the will and command of God: for the command is, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, Heb. 3. 7, 8. By delaying therefore, thou rebelleft against the commandment. In every day's delay to mind and purfue foul-work, there is horrible unkindness and ingratitude to God and Chrift; which furely is a black fin, and brings great guilt upon the foul. God spares you time after time, when he might caft you off the next moment. And this he doth, that you may pursue the work of your fouls and

eternity; and O what unkindness, what ingratitude muft it be in us to neglect, and put off this work? In every delay to mind and purfue foul-work, there is much contempt of Chrift and grace; and this is that which makes it be exceeding finful; Chrift offers himself and his grace to you, he offers you life, he offers you peace, he offers you pardon, he offers you righteoufnefs, he offers you strength, he offers you all the treasures of heaven; and withal calls upon you to accept thefe offers, and to take home these things to yourfelves; but you, by your delays, pour contempt upon all; you in effect fay neither Chrift, nor his grace, nor the purchase of his blood, are worth minding, worth looking after. O what contempt is this? and what fin is this? By delays you do in effect fay, there is fomething better than Chrift, and fomething of greater concernment to you than Salvation by Chrift; you plainly fay that in deed you will have Chrift hereafter, and Salvation hereafter; but for the prefent you had much rather have your lufts and worldly pleafures. Oh! tremble at the thoughts of this, and let it affright you out of your delays, and put you immediately upon foul-work.

In a word, never any pretended that they minded the concerns of their fouls; union with Chrift, walking with God, making fure their calling and election fo foon; many have repented that they have

minded these things fo late. I remember a bitter complaint of Austin, in his book of confeffions, I have loved thee too late, faith he, O thou so ancient, and yet so new a beauty, I have loved thee too late. He bewails that he had fo long laid out his love upon the creature, and not given Christ his love.

Could you ask all the faints in heaven, whether ever they repented that they minded the work of Chrift and their fouls fo foon? they would tell you no, they repented of nothing but that they minded it fo late. Once more, therefore, let me call upon you, to fall immediately upon foul-work, and never reft till thy heart cries out to God as Austin did, when God had really fhewed him himself, and made him fenfible of his fins ;-When God, faith he, had fhewed me my fin and mifery, there arose a great ftorm within me, which carried with it a great fhower of tears; and indeed, I let loofe the reins to tears, crying out to God in fuch words as these :O Lord, how long, how long wilt thou be angry? How long fhall it be faid, to-morrow, and to-morrow? Wherefore may it not be now ? Why may there not an end be put to my fin and filthiness this very hour? And indeed, God made that very feafon the season of his converfion: fo labour to fee thy fin and mifery fo far, as thou mayeft cry out with a holy restlefnefs to God-How long fhall, it

be to-morrow, and to-morrow? Why may it not be turned to thee now? Why may not my foul be engaged in the work of heaven and eternity now?

Fifthly; Would you indeed fet all right in your fouls, and make all ready for a dying hour? Then be much and importunate with God in prayer, to teach you fo to number your days, as to apply your hearts to wisdom: this I ground upon Pfalm 90. 12. where Mofes the man of God is found in this practice;-Lord, faith he, teach us to number our days, that we apply our hearts unto wisdom. To number our days, is not to number them in an arithmetical, but in a spiritual way; it is not to caft up how many days the life of man confifts of; that is eafily done; but it is spiritually and practically to confider, and lay to heart, the shortness and uncertainty of our lives, together with the various miferies and calamities that do attend them. So Molleres. It is seriously and fiducially to contemplate the vanity of life, as fhort and uncertain, and as attended with forrows, miferies, and innumerable troubles, and to apply thy heart to wisdom: 'tis to make religion, and the work of a man's foul, his main bufinefs; it is to make it his great bufinefs, and endeavour to get an interest in God and Christ, in the Covenant of grace and eternal life; and in time to provide for, and make fure of a blessed eternity; it

is to fet a man's whole foul to the work of God, and his own falvation. Now, as ever you would indeed make ready for a dying hour, beg of God to teach you thus to number your days, and thus to apply your hearts to wisdom. There are two things i would obferve, and fo clofe this.

First, That fuch a numbering of our days, is what the beft of faints need, and may make great use of. Moses was a very holy man, and he looked upon it as a work ufeful, and of great importance to him to contemplate the vanity of life, and to think of the shortness and uncertainty of his abode here; the most holy fouls need this; the moft holy fouls need humbling, they need weaning from this world, they need quickening unto duty, they need to have their hearts awakened, to mind heaven and a future life; and the right numbering of our days, is that which greatly conduceth thereunto.

Secondly, Obferve, that as this is a work needful and useful for the beft of faints to be employed in; fo it is a work above their own ftrength, and that which they need divine affiftance to enable them unto. Moses was an eminently holy man, and yet as he faw he had need of this, fo he faw it was a work above his power; and therefore he goes to God, and puts, in himfelf amongst the reft, and prays for his teaching herein. Let us do fo like