I not repent to-day? and lay hold on Jesus Christ to-day.

Ah, young men, this is your day, this is your season, if you will not now hearken and obey, you may perish for ever. Cesar had a letter given him by Artimedorus that morning he went to the Senate, wherein notice was given him of all the conspiracy of his murderers; so that with ease he might have prevented his death, but neglecting the reading of it was slain, he slipt his season and died for it. Ah, how many for slipping gracious seasons and opportunities, have died for ever! Soul opportunities are more worth than a thousand worlds; mercy is in them, grace and glory is in them, heaven and eternity is in them.

5. Consider, How just it is with God to reserve the dregs of his wrath for them, who reserve the dregs of their time for him. How can a husband embrace that wife in her old age, who hath spent all the time of her youth in following after strangers? Will any man receive such into his service, who have all their days served his enemies, and received such wounds, blows and bruises, that render them unfit for his service.

Ah! young men, do not thus foolishly and unwisely requite the Lord, for all his patient waiting, his gracious wooing, and his merciful dealing with you. Ah! do not put off God to old age; for old, lame, and sick sacrifices, rarely reach as high as heaven. Is not old age very unteachable? in old age are not men very unapt to take in, and as unapt to give out? in old age oftentimes men are men, and no men, they have eyes but see not; cars but hear not; tongues but speak not; feet

but walk not. An aged man is but a moving ana. tomy, or a living mortuary; now how unlovely, how uncomely, how unworthily, nay, how incens. ing, how provoking a thing must this needs be, when men will dally with God, and put him off till their doting days have overtaken them, till their spring is past, their summer overpast, and they arrive at the fall of the leaf, yea, till winter colours have stained their heads with grey and hoary hairs? How provoking this is, you may see in those sad words of Jeremiah, ch. xxii. 21. "I spake unto thee in thy prosperity, but thou saidst, I will not hear, this hath been thy manner from thy youth, and thou obeyedst not my voice." But will God put up this at their hands? no, therefore it follows in the next verse, 66 Surely thou shalt be ashamed and confounded for all thy wickedness."

Oh that young men would let this scripture lie warm every morning upon their hearts that so they may not dare to put off God, and provoke him to their own confusion! Though you are young and in your strength, yet are you stronger than God? Can you make your party good with him? If you must needs be a-provoking, provoke them that are your matches, and do not contend with him that is mightier than you, that can command you into nothing, or into hell at pleasure.

VI. Consider, That the sooner you are good on earth, the greater will your reward be in heaven.

The sooner you are gracious, the more at last you will be glorious. You read in the scripture, of a reward, of a great reward, and of a full reward; now those that are good betimes; that know, seek, serve, and love the Lord, in the spring

and morning of their youth, they are in the fairest way of gaining the greatest and the fullest reward. And this I shall make clear, by that which follows.

1. The sooner any man begins to be really good the more good he will do in this world. Now the more good any man doth on earth, the more glory he shall have in heaven. Therefore my beloved brethren, "Be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as you know, that your labour is not in vain."

Man's wages, man's reward shall be according to his works; he that doth most work here, shall have most reward hereafter. God will at last proportion the one to the other, the reward to the work; "He which soweth sparingly, shall reap sparingly, and he which soweth bountifully, shall reap bountifully," 2 Cor. ix. 6. Though no man shall be rewarded for his works, yet God will at last measure out happiness and blessedness to his people according to their service, faithfulness, diligence and work in this world. Grace is glory in the bud, and glory is grace at the full; glory is nothing else but a bright constellation of graces, happiness nothing but the quintessence of holiness. Grace and glory differ, (non specie, sed gradu) in degree, not kind, as the learned speak. Grace and glory differ very little, the one is the seed, the other is the flower; grace is glory militant, and glory is grace triumphant; and a man may as well plead for equal degrees of grace in this world, as he may plead for equal degrees of glory in the other world. Surely the more grace here, the more glory hereafter, and the more work christians do on

earth, the more glory they shall have in heaven; and the sooner men begin to be good, the more good they will do in this world; and the more they do here, the more they shall have hereafter. Philosophers seem to weigh our virtues with our vices, and according to the preponderation of either, denominate us good or bad, and so deliver us up to reward or punishment. No man can commend good works magnificently enough, saith Luther, for one work of a christian is more precious than heaven and earth, and therefore all the world cannot sufficiently reward one good work. And in another place, saith the same author, "If I might have my desire, I would rather choose the meanest work of a country christian, or poor maid, than all the victories and triumphs of Alexander the great, and of Julius Cesar."

And again, "Whatsoever the saints do, though never so small and mean, it is great and glorious, because they do all in faith, and by the word," saith the same author. To prevent mistakes, you must remember, That the works that Jesus Christ will reward at last are supernatural works: they are, 1. Works of God. 2. Wrought from God. 3. For God. 4. In God. 5. According to God; they are works that flow from supernatural principles, and they are directed to supernatural ends, and performed in a supernatural way; now the sooner a man begins to be good, the more he will abound in these good works, and the more doubtless any man abounds in such good works on earth, the greater reward he shall have in heaven; yet it must not be forgotten, that the best actions, the best works of hypocrites, and all men out of

Christ, are but (splendida peccata) fair and shining sins, beautiful abominations. And as the Phoenix in Arabia gathers sweet odoriferous sticks together, and then blows them with her wings, and burns herself with them; so many a carnal professor burns himself with his own good works, that is, by his expecting and trusting to receive that by his works, that is only to be received and expected from Jesus Christ. Though all that men can do towards the meriting of heaven is no more than the lifting up of a festraw towards the meriting of a kingdom; yet such a proud piece man is, that he is ready enough to say with proud Vega, Cælum gratis non accipiam, I will not have heaven of free cost. A proud heart would fain have that of debt, which is merely of grace, and desires that to be of purchase, which God hath intended to be of free mercy, which made one to say, that he would swim through a sea of brimstone, that he might come to heaven at last: but he that swims not thither through the sea of Christ's blood, shall never come there; man must swim thither; not through brimstone, but through blood, or he miscarries for ever.

2dly, Again, the sooner a man begins to be good, the more serviceable he will be to others, and the more he will provoke others to good; now all the good that you provoke others to, by counsel or carriage, shall be put down to your own account; as all the sins that men provoke others to, are put down to their own accounts: David did but send a letter concerning the death of Uriah, and the charge cometh. Thou hast slain Uriah with the sword. The more I stir up others to sow, the more