תמונות בעמוד
PDF
ePub

have us tell thee of thefe Things? Should we be guilty of the Blood of thy Soul, by keeping filent that which God hath charged us to make known? Wouldst thou perifh in Eafe and Silence, and have us to perish with thee, rather than difplease thee, by speaking the Truth? If thou wilt be guilty of fuch inhuman Cruelty, God forbid we fhould be guilty of fuch fottifh Folly. This Kind of Preaching or Writing is the ready Way to be hated; and the Defire of Applaufe is fo natural, that few delight in fuch a displeasing Way. But confider, Are these Things true, or are they not? If they were not true, I would heartily join with thee against any that fright People without a Caufe. But if thefe Threatenings be the Word of God, what a Wretch art thou, that wilt not hear it, and confider it? If thou art one of the People of God, this Doctrine will be a Comfort to thec, and not a Terror. If thou art yet unregenerate, methinks thou fhouldst be as fearful to hear of Heaven, as of Hell, except the bare Name of Heaven or Salvation be fufficient. Preaching Heaven and Mercy to thee, is intreating thee to feek them, and not reject them; and preaching Hell, is but to perfuade thee to avoid it. If thou wert quite paft Hope of escaping it, then it were in vain to tell thee of Hell; but as long as thou art alive, there is Hope of thy Recovery, and therefore all Means must be used to awake thee from thy Lethargy. Alas! what Heart can now poffibly conceive, or what Tongue exprefs, the Pains of thofe Souls that are under the Wrath of God? Then, Sinners, you will be crying to Jefus Chrift, "O Mercy! "O Pity, Pity on a poor Soul!" Why, I do now, in the Name of the Lord Jefus, cry to thee, O have

Mercy, have Pity, Man, upon thy own Soul!" Shall God pity thee, who wilt not be intreated to pity thyself? If thy Horfe fee but a Fit before him,

thou

thou canft fcarcely force him in; and wilt thou fo obftinately caft thyfelf into Hell, when the Danger is foretold thee? Who can stand before the Indignation of the Lord? and who can abide in the Fierceness of his Anger (m)? Methinks thou shouldft need no more Words, but prefently caft away thy Soul-damning Sins, and wholly deliver up thyfelf to Chrift. Refolve on it immediately, and let it be done, that I may fee thy Face in Reft among the Saints. May the Lord perfuade thy Heart to ftrike this Covenant without any longer Delay! But if thou be hardened unto Death, and there be no Remedy, yet fay not another Day but that thou waft faithfully warned, and hadft a Friend that would fain have prevented thy Damnation.

[merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors]

CHAP. VII.

The Neceffity of diligently seeking the Saint's Reft.

§ 1. The Saint's Rest surprisingly neglected; particularly, § 2. by the Worldly-minded, § 3. the prophane Multitude, 4. formal Profeffors, $5-8. and by the Godly themfelves, whether Magiftrates, Minifters, or People. 9. The Author mourns the Neglect, and excites the Reader to Diligence by confidering, § 10. the Ends we aim at, the Work we have to do, the Shortnefs and Uncertainty of our Time, and Diligence of our Enemies; § 11. our Talents, Mercies, Relations to God, and our Aflictions; $12. what Affiances we have, what Principles we profefs, and our Certainty never to do enough; § 13. that every Grace tends to Diligence, that to trifle is loft Labour, that much Time is mifpent, and that our Recompence and Labour will be proportionable; § 14. that striving is the divine Appointment, all Men do or will approve it, the beft Chriftians at Death lament their IVant of it, Heaven is often loft for Want of it, but never obtained without it; § 15. God, Chrift, and the Holy Spirit are in earnest, God is fo in hearing and answering Prayer, Minifters in their Inftructions and Exhortations, all the Creatures in ferving us, Sinners in ferving the Devil, as we were once, and now are, in worldly Things, and in Heaven and Hell 'all are in

earnest.

earneft.

$ 16. The Chapter concludes with propofing Some awakening Questions to the Ungodly, and § 17. aljo to the Godly.

I

§1.TF there be fo certain and glorious a Reft for the Saints, why is there no more induftrious Seeking after it? One would think, if a Man did but once hear of fuch unspeakable Glory to be obtained, and believed what he heard to be true, he should be transported with the Vehemency of his Defire after it, and should almost forget to eat or drink, and should care for nothing else, and speak of and enquire after nothing elfe, but how to get this Treasure. And yet People who hear of it daily, and profess to believe it as a fundamental Article of their Faith, do as little mind it, or labour for it, as if they had never heard of any fuch Thing, or did not believe one Word they hear. This Reproof is more particularly appli cable to the Worldly-minded,-the prophane Multitude, the formal Profeffors, and even to the Godly themselves.

$2. The Worldly minded are so taken up in feeking the Things below, that they have neither Heart nor Time to feek this Reft. O foolish Sinners, who hath bewitched you? The World bewitches Men into brute Beafts, and draws them fome Degrees beyond Madness. See what riding and running, what feram. bling and catching for a Thing of nought, while eternal Reft lies neglected! What contriving and caring to get a Step higher in the World than their Brethren, while they neglect the Kingly Dignity of the Saints! What infatiable Purfuit of flefly Pleafures, while they look on the Praifes of God, the Joy of Angels, as a tiresome Burthen! What unwearied Diligence in railing their Pofterity, enlarging their Poffeffions; perhaps for a poor Living from Hand to Mouth;

while Judgment is drawing near; but, how it fhall go with them then, never puts them to one Hour's Confideration! What rifing early, and fitting up late, and labouring from Year to Year, to maintain themselves and Children in Credit till they die; but, what fhall follow after, they never think on! Yet these Men 66 cry, may we not be faved without fo much "ado?" How early do they rouze up their Servants to their Labour! But how feldom do they call them to Prayer, or reading the Scriptures! What hath this World done for its Lovers and Friends, that it is fo eagerly followed, and painfully fought after, while Christ and Heaven ftand by, and few regard them? or what will the World do for them for the Time to come? The common Entrance into it is through Anguifh and Sorrow. The Paffage through it, is with continual Care and Labour. The Paffage out of it, is the fharpeft of all. O unreasonable, bewitched Men! Will Mirth and Pleasure stick clofe to you? Will Gold and worldly Glory prove faft Friends to you in the Time of your greateft Need? Will they hear your Cries in the Day of your Calamity? At the Hour of your Death, will they either anfwer or relieve you? Will they go along with you to the other World, and bribe the Judge, and bring you off clear, or pur chafe you a Place among the Bleffed? Why then did the rich Man want a Drop of Water to cool his Tongue? Or are the sweet Morfels of prefent Delight and Honour of more Worth than eternal Reft? and will they recompence the Lofs of that enduring Treasure? Can there be the leaft Hope of any of thefe? Ah vile, deceitful World! How oft have we heard thy most faithful Servants at laft complaining; "Oh the "World hath deceived me, and undone me! It flat"tered me in my Profperity, but now it turns me off "in my Neceffity. If I had as faithfully ferved

Christ,

« הקודםהמשך »