look not for him, and at an hour when we are not aware.

More particularly, we should take up a present and effectual refolution, not to delay our repentance, and the reformation of our lives, that we may not have that great work to do, when we are not fit to do any thing; no not to difpofe of our temporal concernments; much lefs to prepare for eternity, and to do that in a few moments, which ought to have been the care and endeavour of our whole lives: that we may not be forced to huddle up an imperfect, and I fear an infignificant repentance; and to do that in great hafte and confufion, which certainly does require our wifest and most deliberate thoughts, and all the confideration in the world.

And we fhould provide store of oil in our veffels, wherewithal to fupply our lamps, that they may burn bright to the last; I mean, we should improve the grace which we received in baptifm, by abounding in the fruits of the Spirit, and in all the fubftantial virtues of a good life; that fo an entrance may be miniftred to us abundanily into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Fefus Chrift.

By this means, when we are called to meet the bridegroom, we shall not be put to those miserable and sharking Thifts which the foolish virgins were driven to, of begging, or borrowing, or buying oil; which will all fail us, when we come to depend upon them: and though the dying man may make a hard fhift to fupport himself with thefe falfe comforts for a little while; yet, when the fhort delufion is over, which will be as foon as ever he is stepped into the other world, he will, to his everlasting confusion and trouble, find the door of heaven shut against him ; and that, notwithstanding all his vaft treasure of pardons and indulgences, which have coft him fo much, and are worth fo little, he shall never fee the kingdom of God.

And, laftly, we fhould take great care that we do not extinguifh our lamps, by quitting the profeffion of our holy religion upon any temptation of advantage, or for fear of any lofs or fuffering whatfoever. This occafion will call for all our faith and patience, all our courage and conftancy.

Nunc animis opus, Enea, nunc pectore firmo.

When

When it comes to this trial, we had need to gird up the loins of our minds, to fummon all our forces, and to put on the whole armour of God, that we may be able to stand faft in an evil day, and when we have done all to stand.

And now, my brethren, to use the words of St. Peter, chap. v. 12. I testify unto you, that this is the true grace of God wherein ye ftand. The Protestant reformed religion, which we in this nation profefs, is the very gofpel of Chrift, the true ancient Christianity.

And, for God's fake, fince in this hour of temptation, when our religion is in fo apparent hazard, we pretend to love it to that degree, as to be contented to part with any thing for it, let us refolve to practife it; and to teftify our love to it, in the fame way that our Saviour would have us fhew our love to him, by keeping his commandments.

I will conclude all with the Apostle's exhortation, fo very proper for this purpofe, and to this prefent time, Phil. i. 27. Only let your converfation be as it becometh the gofpel of Chrift; that is, chiefly and above all, take care to lead lives fuitable to the Chriftian religion: and then, as it follows, ftand faft in one fpirit, with one mind, ftriving together for the faith of the gospel and in nothing terrified by your adverfaries, which to them is an evident token of perdition, but to you of falvation, and that of God.

:

Now unto him that is able to ftablish you in the gospel, and to keep you from falling; and to prefent you faultless before the prefence of his glory with exceeding joy to the only wife God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

VOL. II.

T

SERMON

218

SERMON

XXXII.

A thanksgiving fermon for our deliverance by the Prince of Orange.

Preached at Lincoln's-Inn chapel, January 31. 1688.

The EPISTLE DEDICATORY.

To the Worshipful the MASTERS of the BENCH, and the rest of the Gentlemen of the Honourable Society of LINCOLNS-INN.

Hough I was at first very unwilling to expofe to the publick a fermon made upon fo little warning, and fo great an occafion; yet, upon fecond thoughts, I could not think it fit to refift the unanimous and earnest request of fo many worthy perfons, as the Mafters of the Bench of this Honourable Society; to whom I ftand fo much indebted for your great and continued refpects to me, and kind acceptance of my labours among you for now above the space of five and twenty years. In a most grateful acknowledgment whereof, this difcourfe, fuch as it is, in mere obedience to your com→ mands, is now humbly prefented to you, by

Your most obliged and faithful fervant,

Jo. TILLOTSON.

Feb. 28. 1689.

The

219

The SERMON.

EZRA ix. 13. 14.

And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trefpafs, feeing that thou our God haft punifbed us less than our iniquities deferve, and haft given us fuch a deliverance as this:

Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of thefe abominations; wouldst not thou be angry with us till thou hadst confumed us, fo that there fhould be no remnant nor efcaping?

I

Am fufficiently aware, that the particular occafion of these words is, in feveral refpects, very different from the occafion of this day's folemnity. For these words were spoken by Ezra, at a time appointed for publick and folemn humiliation. But I fhall not now confider them in that relation, but rather as they refer to that great deliverance which God had fo lately wrought for them; and as they are a caution to take heed of abufing great mercies received from God; and fo they are very proper and pertinent to the great occafion of this day. Nay, thefe words, even in their faddeft afpect, are not fo unfuitable to it. For we find in fcripture, upon the most folemn occafions of humiliation, that good men have always teftified a thankful fenfe of the goodness of God to them. And indeed the mercy of God doth then appear above measure merciful, when the finner is most deeply fenfible of his own vilenefs and unworthiness. And fo Ezra here, in the depth of their forrow and humiliation, hath fo great a fenfe of the greatness of their deliverance, that he hardly knew how to exprefs it: And haft given us fuch a deliverance as this. And, on the other hand, we find that good men, in their most folemn praises and thanksgivings, have made very serious reflexions upon their own unworthiness. And furely the best way to make men truly thankful, is, first to make them very humble. When David makes his most folemn acknowledgments to God for his great mer

cies to him, how doth he abafe himself before him? Chron. xxix. 14. But who am I, and what is my people? And fo likewife, after he had fummoned all the powers and faculties of his foul to join in the praffes of God, he interpofeth this feasonable meditation, Pfal. ciii. 10. He hath not dealt with us after our fins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. The greater and more lively fenfe we have of the goodnefs of God to us, the more we shall abhor ourselves in dust and afhes; nothing being more apt to melt us into tears of repentance, than the confideration of great and undeferved mercies vouchfafed to us. The goodness of God doth naturally lead to repentance..

Having thus reconciled the text to the prefent occafion, I fhall, for the more diftinct handling of the words, take notice of thefe two parts in them.

1. Here is a cafe fuppofed, Should we: After all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and fince God hath punifhed us less than our iniquities deferve, and hath given us Juch a deliverance as this'; fhould we again break his com

mandments.

2. Here is a fentence and determination in the cafe: Wouldst thou not be angry with us till thou hadst confumed us, fo that there fhould be no remnant nor efcaping? This is not fpoken doubtfully, though it be put by way of queftion; but is the more vehemently pofitive, the more peremptorily affirmative: as if he had faid, It cannot otherwife be in reafon expected, but that after fuch repeated provocations, God should be angry with us till he had confumed us.

First, Here is a cafe fuppofed, Should we: After all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trefpafs, and fince God hath punished us less than our iniquities deferve, and hath given us fuch a deliverance as this; Jhould we again break his commandments, and join in affinity with the people of thefe abominations. In which words,

thefe following propofitions feem to be involved; which I fhall but juft mention, and pafs to the fecond part of

the text.

1. That fin is the cause of all our fufferings: After all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trefpafs. Our evil deeds bring all other evils upon us.

2. That