Bolton - Houston-Packer Collection BV824 .B65 1634

-Andperpetual/ quide. greateft, fpirituall, and eternall good. Let us fuppofe a man to have lived long in a poore Cot· tage, and no.w at length ~o have forpe g~eat and rich Lordllup befallen htm; doe you thmke bee would reafon thus : Why,I have lived f9me thir- . tie or fortie yeeres now alreadie in this low efl:ate , with good contentment, and credit, amongit: my ·· neighbours ; -:and therefore here I will reft, the reft of my dayes ; I am too old now, to change \ ' . ·my formereftate? Would fuch a foole as this, be found in awhole Countrey ? And yet many Countries are full of fuch fooles, in refpeet of · # 1 fpirituall advancement,and the falvation oftheir . foules. Me thinkes, thofe that have long lived in ignoragce,and bl~ndneffe,fhould rather conclude thus: Have I thl~s long and'fo fearefully 'lived / without God in the World, without knowledge ·of his Truth, faith in Chrift, and Confcience of my wayes ? Oh, then it is rpQre than high time :no~wat le,ngth toawake ou.t offleepe,and toopen mine eyes,and to imbrac;ct this glorious Sun-fhine • of the GofpeJ,which the Lord ofhis great mercy bath brought unto me, that fo I may oe enlightened to eternalllife. . ' · . As for profperitJg in ·the World, that is no markeofa good fou te ) nay, it is commonIy the Let of the wicked, not to be plagued like other men,but to bripg th~irenterprifes to paffe, P.f'alme 73. Nay, yet furthe~r: There is nogreater,Curfe can-befall a.Q.Y man, than t9pwfper in the·W orld, and be outoftheway to Heaven• . I,but(willothers fay)totheattainingofeternall OhjeQ. 1~ (f) life,

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=