their everlasting happiness. Now, if you mark them in the company that they come into, if they have any fit opportunity, they are lamenting their former sinful life, or warning others to avoid the way that they were led into, or telling men of the evil of sin, and the need of Christ and grace, or asking help of those that can help them; how to search their hearts; how to overcome the remnant of their sins; and how to carry on the work of God, that they may be ready for death and judgment, and get safe to heaven. You that are carnal, do wonder that men speak so much of these things, and you are weary to hear them, but you know not the change that is made upon their hearts. Can you blame a man to talk of his everlasting condition, and of that which is of greater moment than all the matters of the world? Can you blame a man to talk most of that which he mindeth most, and which his very heart is set upon? If his tongue be of heaven, while his heart is on earth, then he is an hypocrite but would you not have a man's tongue to follow his heart, when his heart is right? Yet some men are so perverse, and so against the things of God, that they are ready to say, Why cannot they keep their religion to themselves? Cannot they be religious in secret, without talking of it so much to others? As if the heart only were made for God, and the tongue for the world, the flesh or the devil. As if a man should talk of nothing but the childish toys and trifles of the world, for fear of seeming an hypocrite, or for fear of troubling these queazy souls. Shall the Holy Ghost make such a change on the heart of a sinner, and shall not the tongue partake of it, or express it? Can Christ and his Spirit dwell in the heart, and the tongue conceal so blessed an inhabitant! Can a man have a taste of heaven upon his heart, and the kingdom of God begun within him, and yet not express his life or joy? Or is it meet for him that hath found the way to heaven, to hold his tongue, and let others quietly post to hell? Should a man that hath narrowly escaped damnation, himself be silent, when he seeth others go in the same way that he had liked to have perished in? Who will not call to another to take heed, that hath escaped a quicksand himself? Or set up a bush, that those that follow may see the danger? Is it not a strange conceit of these men, that would have the : converted so cruel to all that are yet unconverted; so unthankful to God that hath mercifully delivered them; so senseless of matters of the greatest weight, and so serviceable to satan the great deceiver, as to say nothing of such unspeakable things as these? What! have the love of God shed abroad in their hearts, and say nothing of it! Have the pardon of sin in the blood of Christ, and say nothing of it! What! see many hundred souls in danger of damnation, and say nothing, but let them perish! It cannot be; it must not be; it is a most unreasonable thing to desire it. Our tongue is our glory, it is the principal instrument of manifesting our mind, by which man differeth from all other inferior creatures and should we not use it for God and the greatest things? What sottish people are these to think their worldly matters fit for their discourse, and the matters of everlasting life, unfit! To think it no harm to jest and talk foolishly, and tell idle tales, and such a man they take for a pleasant companion, and never find fault with him. But for the things that may honour God, or tend to men's salvation, or to destroy sin and cross the devil, here we must be silent, and keep our religion to ourselves. Did ever these wretches believe Jesus Christ; "that by their words they shall be justified, and by their words they shall be condemned ?" Did they ever believe, or regard the words of the Holy Ghost, Eph. v. 3, 4.? "But fornication, uncleanness or lasciviousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; nor filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jestings, which are not convenient, but rather giving of thanks." And Eph. iv. 29, 30. "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth; but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace to "Let the hearers, and grieve not the Holy Spirit of God." the word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom, teach"Exhort one another ing and admonishing one another"." daily while it is called to-day, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin i." "If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God, that God in all things may be glorified *." Abundance of such passages are in Scripture, which may tell you what to think of the folly of such k g Matt, xii. 37. h Col. iii. 16. i Heb. iii. 13. k 1 Pet, iv. 11. J carnal men; and may assure you that a converted, heavenly heart, will always have a new and heavenly tongue. 5. A changed heart will have change of company, if it may be had. There is somewhat in nature that disposeth all men to delight in that company which is most suitable to their disposition. While their hearts are carnal, they love the company of such: a man that is of their mind and way, and will break a jest, and be merry with them, or talk with them about their worldly matters, is the best companion for them; for the company of mortified and heavenly men, they have no pleasure in it. They do but mar their mirth with putting in words about the evil of sin, and death, and judgment, and everlasting things: they do but trouble them, and cast them into dumps, and therefore they have no mind to their company. But when converting grace hath changed them, their minds in this are changed also. O how sapless and unsavoury then is it to them to sit or walk in the company of such that have never a word of God, or that may help them in the matters that their hearts are set upon! Their merry talk, and fine discourse, is to him but as the crackling of thorns in the fire. It doth but trouble him, and move him to compassionate such empty souls that have no God, no Christ, no heaven to talk of, but mere unprofitable trifles; but the company of those is sweet to him, that will discourse about the matters of his salvation; that will tell him how he may get more grace, and open to him more the mysteries of the Gospel, and speak of the riches of God's love in Christ, or tell him of the dangers that are yet before him, or the duties that he must perform. These matters are now savoury to him, for these he knows do indeed concern him, and are worth the talking of. When a man is in a strange country a thousand miles off, it doth him good to meet with his own countrymen, and talk with them about his friends, and family, and his estate, and inheritance, and home, which he must return to ; one hour of this discourse is sweeter to him, than an hundred with the strangers of the country, about matters that are little to him: so is it here; a Christian that knoweth he is a stranger in this world, and that his God, his salvation, his home, his inheritance are all in the world to come; had rather far discourse with a heavenlyminded man about his Father, and everlasting works and blessedness, than with worldly men about this world. Who loveth not the company of his dearest friends and brethren more than of strangers or enemies? We know, those that fear God are like to be our companions for ever, and therefore we would have them our companions here. You may see by Scripture that it is thus with true Christians. "In his eyes a vile person is contemned, but he honoureth them that fear God." "They take sweet counsel together, and walk to the house of God in company "." They that feared the Lord, spake often one to another ", &c." "I am a compa m nion," saith David, "of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts "." And it is one of the Hebrews' commendations, that they "became companions of them that suffered for Christ P." And on the contrary side, it was feigned to be one of Job's iniquities, to go in company with the workers of iniquity. For men are supposed to be such as their company is; and we are commanded with such, no, not to eat. And "to have no company with them, that they may be ashamed." And Solomon saith, "A companion of fools shall be destroyed t." 6. Another part of the change of the life is this, true conversion makes a man compassionate to those that are unconverted, and very desirous of their conversion, and therefore sets men upon such endeavours as they can use to bring it to pass; yea, it makes men zealous of good works", and very careful and studious to do what good they can. It is the disposition of wicked men to draw others with them into wickedness, and to make others as bad as themselves: 'They not only do that which is evil, but have pleasure in them that do it." They would have others as loose as they, and as careless of their own souls as they, and to make as light a matter of sin as they do. The drunkard would have companions, and the gamester would have companions; every one that hates and derides a godly life, would have all others do so too. Men are loath to go to hell alone; but like men that are running violently down a hill, they draw 1 Psalm xv. 4. • Psalm cxix. 63. r 1 Cor. v. 11. " Tit. ii. 19. m Psalm lv. 14. p Heb. x. 33. s 2 Thess. iii. 14. x Rom. i. 32. n Mal. iii. 16. : Prov. xiii. 20, one another with them. It somewhat comforts them to see most of the world as bad as themselves, because they think then God will not condemn so many as if the number of sinners did extenuate the wrong. And those unconverted men that are not so bad as to wish others as bad as themselves, yet have little zeal for men's recovery: for how can they love other men better than themselves? But when conversion hath given a man a sight and sense of the evil of sin, it makes him pity all that are misled, and earnestly desire their conversion and recovery. O how fain would the gracious soul have others to see the folly of sin, as he hath seen it! How fain would he have them see the need of Christ, that glory above, that felicity that lieth in the favour of God, as he hath seen them! It doth him good to have companions in good: he hath no mind to be happy alone. The number of partakers he knows will not at all diminish his joys. If he could tell how, he would have all the world to be as happy as himself, the more the better. And therefore he prayeth heartily for the conversion of other men he pleadeth with them, and persuadeth them; and fain he would have their eyes to be opened, and their hearts to be softened and turned to God. He remembereth that their case was once his own, and how foolish and froward he was, even as they now are ! He remembereth how miserable he then was, though he knew it not, and would not for all the world be in the same case again; and therefore he cannot choose but pity those that he hath left behind him, and long for their deliverance. : Truly, sinners, it is from hence that men fearing God do trouble you so much in your sins, and make such a stir with you about matters of your souls; and tell you of your danger, and persuade you to turn, and take another course: it is because they are loath to see you perish, if they could help it. You would have them let you alone, but they are loath to let you alone, in such a case and way as that. If some that are running to drown themselves, or do any mischief to themselves, should bid you let them alone, and meddle with yourselves, and take no care for them, you would not let them alone for all that, but would hinder them if you could from making away with themselves. So, if you are angry with men that would keep you out of hell, and bid |