Achitophel, 2 Sam. xvii. 14. Not that it was good in itself, for it was as wicked counsel as ever was given: for he adviseth Abfalom to do a vile fact, to confirm himself in his rebellion against his father, and to remove the boundaries of good and evil; than which there is not a more desperate undertaking. For a man under pretence of power to controul the rule of right, the measures of heaven, is to divert things from their natures, and to change their natural course; which is as monftrous in morals as in naturals. The mind uncorrupted is a tender thing, and fuffers most by violence, and unnatural use. The scripture speaks of hardness of heart, as a mostmonstrous state, Jer. xiii. 23. Can the ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? These things are naturally impoffible. No more can one that hath abused himself, and made havock of confcience, by accustoming himself to do evil, learn to do well, without the especial grace and favour of God. The coming in of fin is like the coming in of water: it may be stopped by a little turf at the first; but if it once find a way over, itbreaks down all before it. It is much eafier to retaininnocence than to recover a man's felf. Ifa man will venture to do that which is not fit to be done, no body knows where he will end. The practice of iniquity makes men shameless and impudent; the devil is easily let in, but hardly got out. Let us therefore take heed how we betray ourselves, and give way to iniquity. Let us approve ourselves to our home-God. Conscience is always ready to speak to us; let our ear be always ready to hear what it hath to say, and be very care ful 2 : ful never to depart from its counsel, in going against the fenfe of our own minds and judgment. When once a man hath confented to do that which is base and unworthy, as he hath made havock of his own confcience, so he hath broken his credit, which is a further fecurity, and great prefervative against evil. IV. Before and after contracted evil habits, by frequent use and repeated acts of evil, is not alike, as to the concerns of eternity. Men are more what they are used to, than what they are born to ; for cuf- tom is a fecond nature. Every man hath himself as be ufeth himself. When men lose all government of themselves, they soon contract hardness and an injudicious mind; an undifcerning mind, or as it is rendred Rom. i. 28. A reprobate mind and confcience. The mind by abuse of itself, or gross self-neglect, may come to be as falt that hath lost its favour: fo the mind lofes its power of judging and difcerning, and of reproving and controuling. The apostle speaks of some that had their confciences feared as with a hot iron, I Tim. iv. 2. by reason whereof they lose all sense and judgment; and then 'tis no wonder that nothing will work upon them, because, as the apostle speaks, Eph. iv. 19. They are paft feeling; which cafe is represented by the prophet, Ifa. vi. 9. Make the heart of this people fat, and their ears heavy, that they may not hear. And there is no place in all the fcripture fo often referred to as this place ; it is referred to by all the evangelifts, and in the acts ofthe apostles, and in the epistle to the Romans. And when this is the cafe, that men have grofly neglected or abused themselves, and brought themselves by by wicked practices into the love of fin and vice and diflike of goodness; then it comes to pass with them that feeing, they fee not, and do not perceive; and hearing, they hear, and do not understand. And this place is no less than fix times referred to in thenew testament, as giving an account of this place of the prophet. We many times wonder to see men act so Contrary to all advice and counsel, to all foberjudgment, and to plain fcripture, against the true interefts of their fouls, aud bodily health, to the consuming of their eftates, ruin of their credits, to the undoing of their families; and all this without any manner of profit or advantage; so that a man may say to them as the apostle, Gal. iii. 1. Who hath bewitched you? to fee men run on so defperately, and to disclaim all rules of government, and to practise without any manner of confideration: not to be limited by right and justice, against all advice and counsel, against all threatnings too, having neither the fear of God, or regard to man: one would think they are besotted, and act like mad-men. But this is the account: they have brought themselves into an unnatural estate; and are not now as God brought them into the world, nor like to continueso long here as they might have done. But as the wife man faith, Ecc. vii. 17. Be not overmuch wicked, neither be thou foolish, why shouldest thou die before thy time? for want of self-government the wicked are like to die before their time, and often by their own hands too. How shall these men give an account of themselves, when they had a fairer allowance of time, and would not use it? How odious are those that that lay violent hands upon themselves? the law doth not allow them the common place of burial. Now all intemperance is ofthe same nature. Though men do not intend it, yet they take a course to shorten their days, and their fin goes before hand unto judgment. A man would think that rational nature should not be fo depraved; but that we have woful experience of it. Insomuch that the prophet, Jer. vi. 15. says of fome, were they ashamed when they had committed abomination ? nay, they were not ashamed, neither could they blush. All shame is laid afide, and that which is the governor of man, conftituted by God, reason and understanding is dethroned, and brutish sense set up in its stead, and men give up themselves to paffion, malice, envy, fury, and revenge; and are infolent, arrogant, haughty, and unreasonable; whereas God made no such, norever brought any fuch order into the world. These men came into the world upon the fame terms with other men; but they have made themselves such by abuse of themselves. And now they will tell you, they cannot do otherwise; they cannot; why? because they have contracted evil habits, by ill use, custom, and practice; and are not willing to be at the pains to work them off; which through the grace of God, and by a little violence to themselves at the beginning, they might effect. V. The times of God's gracious visitation in mercy and kindness to men's fouls; these are not like those times wherein God fuffers men to walk after their own ways. And to make this out I propose three things. 1. That God is neither at first nor last, wanting David; when the spirit of God was upon him, how doth he defy the armies of the aliens; but at another time, I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul. A vast difference there is, when we are under divine motion, and when not; and therefore every man ought when he is in a good disposition, and well affected, to follow those impressions, forthen that will be done which at another time will not be done. VI. There is a vast difference between the flourishing condition of life, health, and strength; and the hour of fickness, weakness and death. In the former there is the vigour of nature; in the latter 'tis enough for a man to bear his infirmities. The most we can then expect to do, is to bear up against the pangs of death, and dismal apprehenfions of it. And he is mad that hath a days work to do when he is going to bed. We see what great mischief came upon one's being late on his journey, Judg. xix. the Levite being overtaken in the night. Wemust know that the work of conversion is a sober, serious and deliberate work, and ought not to be deferred to fickness and the hour of death, which is an hour of hafte, hurry and confufion. It is the greatest bufinefs of life, and of concernment to eternity; and shall we prefer things that are trifles in comparison, and bestow all our time, and thoughts and care upon them, and leave that which is fundamental to the state of eternity to the last ? especially confidering, First, That no man is sure of warning, or of a moderate, leisurely sickness. Some drop down all on the sudden, and never have the use of reason to fpeak |