though they were formerly moft vile and hopeless creatures, yet, on their hearing of John, repented, and became difciples indeed. The fecond reprefents the Priests and Pharifees, who, notwithstanding of their high pretences to religion, yet were indeed ftrangers to it, their practices did not correfpond with their profession. In the text, which concerns the first fon, pointing out the penitent publicans and harlots,, we have two things. 1. The finner's firft answer to the gospel-call; and it is a flort one: I will not. Like Ifrael, Ffal. lxxxi. 11. "But my people would not hearken to my voice, and Ifrael would none of me." The finner fo loves his finful eafe, that he cannot think of the work in God's vineyard. Obferve in this anfwer, (1.) The rudeness of it. The fon remembered not that he was fpeaking to a father, so has not fo much as a fair word to bestow on him. O the rude treatment Chrift meets with at finners hands! They remember not his authority over them, nor do they regard it; but they will be their cwn; who is Lord over them? (2.) The plainnefs of it. He tells the matter plainly; fays not, he cannot, but he will not. It is want of will to the work of religion that is the great ftop. Sinners hearts cannot relish the work of religion: The bent of their hearts lies another way. (3.) The peremptorinefs of it. He is at a point. The hearing of the word raises his heart against it. Let finners hear of the work of religion, and that is enough, they defire no more of it. It is a plain cafe to them, they must not, they will not, engage in fuch a talk. 2. The fecond answer, in which the former bad anfwer is happily retracted: But afterwards he repented, and went. He complies with the call he had had before refufed. The fpring of this was, his heart was touched; he took fecond thoughts of the business, and changed his mind. He fell under after grief, anxiety, and folicitude, as the word fignifies. Confcience, that was filent before, now begins to fpeak, and his blood begins to cool; he calmly confiders what he had answered, and he calls himself beast and fool, that should have adventured fo to treat his Father; and hence he takes up the work of religion, which he had before rejected. From this fubject there arifes this DOCTRINE, That refufing the work of religion is not to be stood to, but retracted, and the finner will fee cause for it, if ever he comes to himself. They who have refufed to comply with the gofpel-call, to engage in the work of the Lord, fhould take their word again, and heartily comply with it; and if ever they be wife, they will do it. In illuftrating this point, I propose to fhew, I. What is that work to which the gofpel calls. and with which finners will not comply? II. Why is it that finners will not comply with a this work?: III. Why this refufal fhould be retracted. I. I AM to fhew, What is that work to which the gofpel calls, and with which finners will not comply? It is the work of practical godlinefs, to which most men are ftrangers. It is a large work, as extenfive as the commandment, which is ex--ceeding broad. I fhall take it up in these two. 1. The gofpel calls you to fall to your falvation-work, Phil. ii. 12" Work out your own falvation with E. 3. with fear and trembling." Sinners, you are in a ruined condition; your fouls are pining away in your iniquities; there is a burden of guilt on you that will fink you; there is a fwarm of living lufts preying on you, that will devour you. O guilty creature! knoweft thou not, that thou art God's enemy, juftice's debtor, the law's criminal, and that the avenger of blood is at your heels? The gofpel is calling you to confider your ways, and fall to the work of your falvation, before it be too late. This work has two parts: (1.) The work of faith, John vi. 29. "Jefus anfwered, and faid, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath fent." Acts xvi. 31. "And they faid, Believe on the Lord Jefus Chrift, and thou fhalt be faved, and thy house." It is not that faith wherewith ye have lived in a good belief all your bypaft days, fo that you had never power to believe an ill tale of your own ftate; that is a faith of the devil's planting, and the gospel will have it rooted up. It is not that faith which confifts in your going on in fin without fear. The devils' faith goes beyond this, for they believe and tremble, Jam. ii. 19. But the work of faith to which the gofpel calls you, is that whereby a finner, sensible of his undone ftate, flees out of himself to the Lord Jefus, to unite with him for righteousness and fanctification, 1 Cor. i. 30. It is that faith, which, when the house, in which the prefumptuous hoped, wherein the fecure finner refted in his fins, is overturned as by an earthquake, makes the fin ner, naked and deftitute, to flee to Jefus Chrift, as the only rock and fhelter. It is that whereby the finner, fenfible that he has loft his two eyes, and therefore cannot guide himself through the wilder nefs to Canaan, gives up himself wholly to Chrift as his leader, prophet, and healer; and, feeing the the flaming fword of justice pursuing him for fin, runs in under the covert of Jefus' blood, faying, This is my reft; and being willing to part with fin, but unable to mafter his lufts, puts himself under the protection of Christ as his King, that he may make havock of his enemies. This, finner, is your work, your foundation-work. Hafte, then, out of your natural ftate, and escape for your life to Jefus Chrift. 2. The work of fanctification. Ezek. xviii. 31. "Caft away from you all your tranfgreffions whereby ye have tranfgreffed, and make you a new heart and a new spirit; for why will ye die, O house of Ifrael?"-Heb. xii. 14. "Follow peace with all men, and holinefs, without which no man' fhall fee the Lord." Sin is the great devourer and deftroyer, and therefore the great falvation is from fin. Jefus faves his people from their fins. To think of being faved in fin, is a contradiction, for to be left in it is ruining. The fick man does not defire the physician to remove death, but yet fparé his disease; yea, but the foolish finner is thus unreasonable in the cafe of his foul; he has no will that his cloaths be burnt, yet he will needs carry fire in his bofom; he wishes not his feet to be burned, yet he will walk on coals of fire. Living lufts will devour the foul; therefore to work, finners, for you must either kill, or be killed. Let not the vineyard of your fouls be any more like that of the fluggard. The finner's foul is overgrown with hurtful lufts, there is no fence about it. O! then, work; feek holiness. 3. The gofpel calls you to your generation-work. Acts xiii. 36. "For David, after he had ferved his own generation, by the will of God, fell on fleep." Wherefore were you fent into the world, and made members of fociety? Was it not to honour honour God, and to be useful to your fellow-fervants? Surely God fent none of us into the world to play ourselves, like the leviathan in the fea; nor to be like mice and rats, good for nothing but to cat that for which others have laboured. Far lefs did he send you to be agents for the devil, to advance his kingdom, and to oppose the work of the Lord in the places where you live; nor yetlike the beafts, only to eat, drink, work, and fleep. To your work, then, your proper work, the fervice of God. Perhaps ye will fay, ye have not been idle; but what have ye done for God in. your day? What have ye done for the good of any foul? What have ye done to pluck any brand out of the burning? I fear, if we reckon our days according to what we have done for God in them, moft of us may reckon our days loft days. Look up to God, who placed you in the world, and fay for what good purpose you have taken up room in his earth. For what use are you in the world?: God has given you a talent, what have you gained? He has placed you in fuch and fuch fituationsand relations, have you done the dries of each ?: -I am to fhew, II. WHY is it that finners will not comply with: this work? 1. Because it is the work to which, of all works, their hearts are most averse. Rom. viii. 7. « Be-cause the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not fubject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." They would rather do any thing than go and work in God's vineyard. It is against the grain with unrenewed minds. The prodigal would rather feed fwine than go back to his father, till he came to himself. Judas would rather go to a halter, than go to Chrift for pardon. It is like cutting |