you blame him to deny you what you made light of yourselves. Can you find fault if you miss of the salvation which you slighted? 9. The time is near when Christ and salvation will not be made light of as now they are. When God hath shaken those careless souls out of their bodies, and you must answer for all your sins in your own name; O then what would you give for a Saviour! When a thousand bills shall be brought in against you, and none to relieve you; then you will consider, O! Christ would now have stood between me and the wrath of God: had I not despised him, he would have answered all.' When you see the world hath left you, and your companions in sin have deceived themselves and you, and all your merry days are gone; then what would you give for that Christ and salvation that now you account not worth your labor! Do you think, when you see the judgment set, and you are doomed to everlasting perdition for your wickedness, that you should then make as light of Christ as now? Why will you not judge now, as you know you shall judge then? Will he then be worth ten thousand worlds, and is he not now worth your highest estimation, and dearest affection?

10. God will not only deny thee that salvation thou madest light of, but he will take from thee all that which thou didst value before it. He that most highly esteems Christ shall have him, and the creatures so far as they are good here, and him without the creature hereafter, because the creature is not useful; and he that sets more by the creature than by Christ, shall have some of the creature without Christ here, and neither Christ nor it hereafter.

So much of these considerations, which may shew the true face of this heinous sin.

you

should

What think you now, friends, of this business? Do you not see by this time what a case that soul is in, that maketh light of Christ and salvation? What need then is there that take heed lest this should prove your own case! The Lord knows it is too common a case. Whoever is found guilty at the last of this sin, it were better for that man he had never been born. It were hetter for him he had been a Turk or Indian, that never had heard the name of a Savior, and that never had salvation offered to him. For such men "have no cloak for their sin." (John

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xv. 22.) Besides all the rest of their sins, they have this killing sin to answer for, which will undo them. And this will aggravate their misery, that Christ whom they set light by must be their judge, and for this sin will he judge them. O that such would now consider how they will answer that question that Christ put to their predecessors," How will ye escape the damnation of hell?" (Matt. xxiii. 33;) or "How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation?" (Heb. ii. 3.) Can you escape without a Christ: or will a despised Christ save you then? If he be accursed that sets light by father or mother, (Deut. xxvii. 16,) what then is he that sets light by Christ? It was the heinous sin of the Jews, that among them were found such as set light by father and mother. (Ezek. xxii. 7.) But among us, men slight the Father of Spirits! In the name of God, brethren, I beseech you to consider how you will then bear his anger which now you make light of! You that cannot make light of a little sickness or want, or of natural death, no, not of a toothache, but groan as if you were undone ; how will you then make light of the fury of the Lord, which will burn against the contemners of his grace! Doth it not behoove you beforehand to think of these things?

iii. Hitherto I have been convincing you of the evil of the sin, and the danger that followeth : I come now to know your resolution for the time to come. What say you? Do you mean to set as light by Christ and salvation as hitherto you have done; and to be the same men after all this? I hope not. O let not your ministers that would fain save you, be brought in as witnesses against you to condemn you at least, I beseech you, put not this upon me. Why, sirs, if the Lord shall say to us at judgment, Did you never tell these men what Christ did for their souls, and what need they had of him, and how nearly it did concern them to look to their salvation, that they made light of it?-we must needs say the truth; Yea, Lord, we told them of it as plainly as we could; we would have gone on our knees to them if we had thought it would have prevailed; we did entreat them as earnestly as we could to consider these things: they heard of these things every day; but, alas, we never could get them to their hearts: they gave us the hearing, but they made light of all that we could say to them. O! sad

will it prove on your side, if you force us to such an answer as this.

But if the Lord do move the hearts of any of you, and you resolve to make light of Christ no more: or if any of you say, ' We do not make light of him ;' let me tell you here in the conclusion what you must do, or else you shall be judged as slighters of Christ and salvation.

And first I will tell you what will not serve the turn.

1. You may have a notional knowledge of Christ, and the necessity of his blood, and of the excellency of salvation, and yet perish as neglecters of him. This is too common among professed Christians. You may say all that other men do of him. What Gospel passages had Balaam! Jesus I know, and Paul I know, the very devils could say, who believe and tremble. (James ii.)

2. You may weep at the history of his passion, when you read how he was used by the Jews, and yet make light of him, and perish for so doing.

3. You may come desirously to his word and ordinances. Herod heard gladly; so do many that yet must perish as neglecters of sal vation.

4. You may in a fit of fear having strong desires after a Christ, to ease you, and to save you from God's wrath, as Saul had of David to play before him; and yet you may perish for making light of Christ.

5. You may obey him in many things so far as will not ruin you in the world, and escape much of the pollutions of the world by his knowledge, and yet neglect him.

6. You may suffer and lose much for him, so far as leaveth you an earthly felicity: as Ananias, the young man. Some parcels of their pleasures and profits many will part with in hope of salvation, that shall perish everlastingly for valuing it no more.

7. You may be esteemed by others a man zealous for Christ, and loved and admired upon that account, and yet be one that shall perish for making light of him.

8. You may verily think yourselves, that you set more by Christ and salvation than any thing, and yet be mistaken, and be judged as contemners of him: Christ justifieth not all that justify themselves. VOL. I.

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9. You may be zealous preachers of Christ and salvation, and reprove others for this neglect, and lament the sin of the world in the like expression as I have done this day; and yet if you or I have no better evidence to prove our hearty esteem of Christ and salvation, we are undone for all this.

You hear, brethren, what will not serve the turn; will you now hear what persons, you must be if you would not be condemned as slighters of Christ? O search whether it be thus with your souls,

or no.

1. Your esteem of Christ and salvation must be greater than your esteem of all the honors, profits, or pleasures of this world, or else you slight him no less will be accounted sincere, nor accepted to your salvation: Think not this hard, when there is no comparison in the matters esteemed. To esteem the greatest glory on earth before Christ and everlasting glory, is a greater folly and wrong to Christ, than to esteem a dog before your prince, would be folly in you, and a wrong to him. Scripture is plain in this; "He that loveth father or mother, wife, children, house, land, or his own life, more than me, is not worthy of me, and cannot be my disciple. (Matt. x. 37; Luke xiv. 26.)

2. You must manifest this esteem of Christ and salvation in your daily endeavors and seeking after him, and in parting with any thing that he shall require of you. God is a Spirit, and will not take a hypocritical profession instead of the heart and spiritual service which he commandeth. He will have the heart or nothing; and the chief room in the heart too: These must be had.

If you say that you do not make light of Christ, or will not hereafter; let me try you in these few particulars, whether indeed you mean as you say, and do not dissemble.

1. Will you for the time to come make Christ and salvation the chiefest matter of your care and study? Thrust them not out of your thoughts as a needless or unprofitable subject; nor allow it only some running, slight thoughts, which will not affect you. But will you make it your business once a day to bethink you soberly, when you are alone, what Christ hath done for you, and what he will do, if you do not make light of it; and what it is to be everlastingly happy or miserable; and what all things in this world are

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in comparison of your salvation; and how they will shortly leave you; and what mind you will be then of, and how you will esteem them? Will you promise me now and then to make it your busibusiness to withdraw yourselves from the world, and set yourselves to such considerations as these? If you will not, are not you slighters of Christ and salvation, that will not be persuaded soberly to think on them? This is my first question to put you to the trial, whether you will value Christ, or not.

2. Will you for the time to come set more by the word of God, which contains the discovery of these excellent things, and is your charter for salvation, and your guide thereunto? You cannot set by Christ, but you must set by his word: therefore the despisers of it are threatened with destruction. (Prov. xiii. 13.) Will you therefore attend to the public preaching of this word? Will you read it daily? Will you resolve to obey it whatever it may cost you? If you will not do this, but make light of the word of God, you shall be judged as such as make light of Christ and salvation, whatever you may fondly promise to yourselves.

3. Will you for the time to come, esteem more of the officers of Christ, whom he hath purposely appointed to guide you to salvation; and will you make use of them for that end? Alas, it is not to give the minister a good word, and speak well of him, and pay him his tithes duly, that will serve the turn: it is for the necessity of your souls that God hath set them in his church; that they may be as physicians under Christ, or his apothecaries to apply his remedies to your spiritual diseases, not only in public, but also in private that you may have some to go to for the resolving of your doubts, and for your instruction where you are ignorant, and for the help of their exhortations and prayers. Will you use hereafter to go to your ministers privately, and solicit them for advice? And if you have not such of your own as are fit, get advice from others; and ask them, What you shall do to be saved? How to prepare for death and judgment? And will you obey the word of God in their mouths: If you will not do this much, nor so much as inquire of those that should teach you, nor use the means which Christ hath established in his church for your help, your own consciences shall one day witness that you were such as made light of