his worldly advantage. And as one whose spirits are enfeebled by some pestilential disease; so this man's spirits being possessed by the plague of a worldly disposition, how feeble is he in secret prayer! how superficial in examination and meditation! how poor in heart-watchings! how nothing at all in loving and walking with God, rejoicing in him, or desiring him! -So that both these, and many other sorts of hypocrites, though they will go with you in the easy outside of religion, yet will never be at the pains of inward and spiritual duties.

5. And even the godly themselves are too lazy seekers of their everlasting rest. Alas! what a disproportion is there between our light and heat! our profession and prosecution! Who makes that haste, as if it were for heaven? How still we stand! how idly we work! how we talk, and jest, and trifle away our time! how deceitfully we perform the work of God! how we hear, as if we heard not! and pray, as if we prayed not! and examine, and meditate, and reprove sin, as if we did not! and enjoy Christ, as if we enjoyed him not! as if we had learned to use the things of heaven, as the apostle teacheth us to use the things of the world! What a frozen stupidity has benumbed us! we are dying, and we know it, and yet we stir not; we are at the door of eternal happiness or misery, and yet we perceive it not; death knocks, and we hear it not; God and Christ call and cry to us, "To-day, if ye will hear my voice, harden not your hearts: work while it is day, for the night cometh when none can work: now ply your business, labour for your lives, lay out all your strength and time: now or never!" and yet we stir no more than if we were half asleep. What haste do death and judgment make! how fast do they come on! they are almost at us, and yet what little haste we make! Lord, what a senseless, earthly, hellish thing, is a hard heart! Where is the man that is in earnest a Christian! Methinks men every-where make but a trifle of their eternal state.

They look after it but a little by the bye; they do not make it the business of their lives. If I were not sick myself of the same disease, with what tears should I mix this ink! with what groaus should I express these complaints! and with what heart-grief should I mourn over this universal deadness!

§ 6. Do magistrates among us seriously perform their work? are they zealous for God? do they build up his house? are they tender of his honour? do they second the word? and fly in the face of sin and sinners, as the disturbers of our peace, and the only cause of all our miseries? Do they improve all their power, wealth, and honour, and all their influence, for the greatest advantage to the kingdom of Christ, as men that must shortly give an account of their stewardship?

§ 7. How thin are those ministers that are serious in their work! nay, how mightily do the very best fail in this! Do we cry out of men's disobedience to the gospel in the demonstration of the Spirit, and deal with sin as the destroying fire in our towns, and by force pull men out of it? Do we persuade people, as those should that know the terrors of the Lord? Do we press Christ, and regeneration, and faith, and holiness, believing that, without these, men can never have life? Do our bowels yearn over the ignorant, careless, and obstinate multitude? When we look them in the face, do our hearts melt over them, lest we should never see their faces in rest? Do we, as Paul, tell them, weeping, of their fleshly and earthly disposition? and teach them publicly, and from house to house, at all seasons and with many tears? and do we entreat them, as for their soul's salvation? Or rather, do we not study to gain the approbation of critical hearers; as if a minister's business were of no more weight but to tell a smooth tale for an hour, and look no more after the people to the next sermon? Does not carnal prudence control our fervour, and make our discourses lifeless, on subjects the most piercing?

How gently do we handle those sins, which will so cruelly handle our people's souls! In a word, our want of seriousness about the things of heaven, charms the souls of men into formality, and brings them to this customary careless hearing, which undoes them. May the Lord pardon the great sin of the ministry in this thing! and, in particular, my

own!

§ 8. And are the people more serious than magistrates or ministers? How can it be expected? Reader, look but to thyself, and resolve the question. Ask conscience, and suffer it to tell thee truly. Hast thou set thy eternal rest before thine eyes as the great business thou hast to do in this world? Hast thou watched and laboured, with all thy might, that no man take thy crown? Hast thou made haste, lest thou shouldest come too late, and die before thy work be done? Hast thou pressed on through crowds of opposition towards the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, still reaching forth unto those things which are before? Can conscience witness your secret cries, and groans, and tears? Can your family witness, that you taught them the fear of the Lord, and warned them not to go to that place of torment? Can your minister witness, that he has heard you cry out, "What shall I do to be saved?" and that you have followed him with complaints against your corruptions, and with earnest inquiries after the Lord? Can your neighbours about you witness, that you reprove the ungodly, and take pains to save the souls of your brethren? Let all these witnesses judge this day between God and you, whether you are in earnest about eternal rest. You can tell by his work, whether your servant has loitered, though you did not see him; so you may by looking at your own work. Is your love to Christ, your faith, your zeal, and other graces, strong or weak? What are your joys? What is your assurance? Is all in order with you? Are you ready to die, if this should be the day? Do the souls,

among whom you have conversed, bless you? Judge by this, and it will quickly appear whether you have been labourers or loiterers.

§ 9. O blessed rest, how unworthily art thou neglected! O glorious kingdom, how art thou undervalued! Little know the careless sons of men, what a state they set so light by. If they once knew it, they would surely be of another mind. I hope thou, Reader, art sensible, what a desperate thing it is to trifle about eternal rest; and how deeply thou hast been guilty of this thyself. And I hope also thou wilt not now suffer this conviction to die. Should the physician tell thee, If you will observe but one thing, I doubt not to cure your disease; wouldest thou not observe it? So I tell thee, if thou wilt observe but this one thing for thy soul, I make no doubt of thy salvation;-shake off thy sloth, and put to all thy strength, and be a Christian indeed; I know not then what can hinder thy happiness. As far as thou art gone from God, seek him with all thy heart, and no doubt thou shalt find him. As unkind as thou hast been to Jesus Christ, seek him heartily, obey him unreservedly, and thy salvation is as sure as if thou hadst it already. But full as Christ's satisfaction is, free as the promise is, large as the mercy of God is; if thou only talk of these, when thou shouldest eagerly entertain them, thou wilt be never the better for them and if thou loiter, when thou shouldest labour, thou wilt lose the crown. Fall to work then speedily and seriously, and bless God that thou hast yet time to do it. And to show that I urge thee not without cause, I will here add a variety of animating considerations. Rouse up thy spirit, and, as Moses said to Israel, set thy heart unto all the words which I testify unto thee this day; for it is not a vain thing, because it is your life.(h) May the Lord open thy heart, and fasten his counsel effectually upon thee!

§ 10. Consider how reasonable it is, that our diligence should be answerable to the ends we aim

(h) Deut. xxxii. 46, 47.

at, to the work we have to do, to the shortness and uncertainty of our time, and to the contrary diligence of our enemies.-The ends of a Christian's desires and endeavours are so great, that no human understanding on earth can comprehend them. What is so excellent, so important, or so necessary, as the glorifying of God, the salvation of our own and other men's souls, by escaping the torments of hell, and possessing the glory of heaven?-And can a man be too much affected with things of such moment? Can he desire them too earnestly, or love them too strongly, or labour for them too diligently? Don't we know, that if our prayers prevail not, and our labour succeeds not, we are undone for ever?—The work of a Christian here is very great and various. The soul must be renewed; corruptions must be mortified; custom, temptations, and worldly interests, must be conquered; flesh must be subdued; life, friends, and credit, must be slighted; conscience on good grounds be quieted; and assurance of pardon and salvation attained. Though God must give us these without our merit, yet he will not give them without our earnest seeking and labour. Besides, there is much knowledge to be got, many ordinances to be used, and duties to be performed; every age, year, and day; every place we come to; every person we deal with; every change of our condition; still require the renewing of our labour: wives, children, servants, neighbours, friends, enemies, all of them call for duty from us.-Judge, then, whether men that have so much business lying upon their hands should not exert themselves; and whether it be their wisdom either to delay or loiter.-Time passes on. Yet a few days, and we shall be here no more. Many diseases are ready to assault us. We, that are now preaching, and hearing, and talking, and walking, must very shortly be carried, and laid in the dust, and there left to the worms in darkness and corruption; we are almost there already; we know not whether we shall have another sermon, or