But alas! This is the greatest Inftance of all of our Inconfideration. And instead of repaffing in this Manner every Day upon our Actions, I fear there are many who go on whole Weeks, and Months, and Years, withour ever thinking at all of it; as if it were enough to practise this Duty by the fame Proportions which fome of our modern Cafuifts have prefcribed for that other of the Love of God; fome of which have thought it neceffary to be done only upon Sundays and Holy-days; others not above once a Tear; fome once in Five Years; others at any one Time in our whole Lives; and Laftly, others never at all, either Living or Dying.

But tho' there be then no Time fo proper as the prefent, for the doing of that which cannot without the greatest Danger be deferr'd the leaft Moment; yet fome Seafons there are, which feem more especially to invite us to it.

Thus ift, If old Age be crept upon us, or any Sickness or Danger threaten us with a fpeedy Appearance before God's Tribunal; this ought certainly at the fame Time that it admonishes us of the Shortnefs of our prefent Life, to call us to an immediate providing for the next.

2. Tho' the Hand of God be not just upon us, yet if we fee his Arm lifted up to ftrike; if we have fome juft Caufe to apprehend any Evils or AffliEtions likely to come upon us: Much more if our Country and our Church be in Danger for the Iniquity of her Children and People within her; this alfo may be another Time that feems on Purpose mark'd out to call us to Confideration; to think upon our Ways, and how to prevent both our own, and the publick Defolation. But

But now, 3dly, If thefe Evils are not merely apprehended, but are actually upon us; fo that we already have begun to bear the Punishment of our Sins, and may have juft Caufe to apprehend yet more dreadful Effects of them; this certainly ought yet more strongly to engage us to fuch a Confideration.

Hof. y. 15.

In fuch Circumftances as thefe, the worst of Men naturally become Religious. God himself could fay of the Rebellious Ifraelites, That in their Afflictions they would feek him early. And the Prophet obferved of all Men in general, That when God's Fudgments are in the Earth, then the Inbabitants of the World will learn Righteousness.

Ifa. xxvi. 9.

I will only add, 4thly, And with Reference to the approaching Seafon; That as the Time of Lent has in all Ages of the Church been look'd upon as a Seafon proper for the Bufinefs of Repentance; fo certainly we cannot better prepare for it, than by the Practice of this great Preliminary Duty of Confideration, without which it will be impoffible for us ever to discharge it as we ought to do. And however the Godly Primitive Difcipline of Publick Confeffion and Penance, has for the Hardness of our Hearts, been of late laid afide among us; yet ought we not therefore to be ever the lefs, nay, rather we fhould be the more careful to examine our own Souls, and call our Ways to Remembrance; and by our Private Diligence, make fome Supply of what feems to be acknowledged by our Church, as wanting to our Publick Difcipline.

See the Commination ufed

on Afhwednes

day.

And

And to the End I may the better enforce this Practice, which upon all these Accounts feem fo very proper for us, I will now finally Clofe all,

IVthly, With fome Motives that may ferve to ftir us up to the fulfilling of our Duty, in fo great and neceffary a Part of it.

I have already obferved in the beginning of this Difcourfe, That 'tis the want of Confideration that is really the last universal Cause of all our Sins. And I have just nown fhewn, That till it be removed, it will be impoffible for us to repent of them. And fure then one would think that nothing more need be faid, to engage any fober Man to the Practice of it.

But I must now go yet farther: For to compleat our Obligation to fo neceffary a Practice, Inconfideration is not only to be charged as the Caufe of all our Evils, but the Corrupter of our Good too: It fpoils our very Virtues; infomuch, that were it poffible for the unthinking Man to fulfil every Command, and not deviate in the leaft Degree from the Rules of his Duty, all would be in vain; his Inconfideration alone would ruin him, and his Virtues themselves lofe by it, not only their Praife, but their very Nature too: Would become at moft, but mere indifferent Actions, neither worthy in themfelves, nor deferving of any Reward for the fulfilling of them.

God Almighty, who has given us our Understandings and our Wills on purpose for his Service, requires the Concurrence of them in all our Actions that are intended for that Purpose. His Service mult be reasonable, or it would not be accepted. He is not to be pleased with what we do by Chance; E

where

where his Glory is not defigned, he looks upon it, that neither is it advanced: And that Good which is done without Confidering, is but a mere Natural Action, deferves as little Praife as a Plant for grow> ing, or a Stone for falling down to its Center; and we may as reasonably expect to fee one of these promoted to Heaven for fo doing, as the unthinking Man be judged worthy of it, for any Thing he can do.

But, 2dly, This Incogitancy does not only render us thus obnoxious to God, but it expofes us to the Cenfures of Men too: It does not only deprive us of all our Pretences to Piety, but even to common Wifdom and Difcretion.

He that never confiders in any Thing, all the World will fay is a Fool; and fure I may well add, That he who confiders only in little Things, and never thinks in thofe that are of the highest Importance, is not fo wife as he fhould be. But to pretend to be Chriftians, and to defire Salvation, and yet never reflect what it is to be the one, or how we are to live that we may attain the other; this is certainly fuch a Combination of Folly and Impiety, that were not Sin as great an Enemy to Reason, as it is to Religion, 'twere impoffible that any Man should ever be guilty of it.

And now, when fo many Engagements concur to recommend this Duty, that 'tis impoffible for us to approve our felves either to God or Man without it, what shall I fay more to ftir you up to the Practice of it?

I am, methinks, unwilling fo far to comply with the Melancholly Apprehenfions of very many, and those not altogether without juft Grounds too, as to defire you to think, whether our Circumftances at

this

this Time, be not fuch as may well engage us in the Literal Import of our Text, to be Wife, and confider our latter End, for ought I know, the final End of our felves, and our Religion, if we do not by a Speedy Repentance reverfe that Judgment which God feems ready to pronounce against us for our Incogitancy. I will rather close all with a more excellent Engagement; Bleffed be God, who has made this a Duty as pleafing as it is neceffary; as apt to incite our Practice, as 'tis fit to be practised by us. For certainly to Confider thefe Things, after all the frightful Ideas Men are apt to entertain of it, is not only one of the most useful, but one of the most pleafing Things in the whole World.

Let me appeal to the Experience of those Pious Souls, who by a due Performance of this Exercife, have their Converfation already in Heaven; are elevated above the little Paffions and Interefts that engage the bufy Part of Mankind in fo much Labour and Vanity. Who live in this World, as if they were not of it; Free and Quiet in the midft of its Difturbances; ftill the fame in every Eftate; who love nothing but God and their Duty, fear nothing but to Sin against him, nor defire any Thing but to be Diffolved, and to be with him. Whofe wellgrounded Hopes already fecure them of their future Reward; and a Good Confcience fo fully juftifies them, that neither Death, nor Hell it felf, not any Evils of this Life, or any Terrors of the other, are able to disturb the Peace and Calm that is within them.

O happy State! The bleffed Effect of a serious and frequent Confideration! Where is the Sinner that can pretend to fay, he has ever found in any of his ways of Wickedness, a Pleasure comparable to