gerly would he apprehend, with what infinite wat~hing, prayings, .fall:ing, would lea · ve that lhort time that he might repent h1m? I know not how effectually te unpro ' · d d · this may work on your hearts, but I am fully perfwaded, 1fany amne creature ha<.1, but the happineffe to hear thts Sermon, you lhould fee ~ow h1s very heart wou}d bleed within him; bleed faid I ? nay, break and fall afunder 111 h1s brell hke. drops or water. Oh with what inflamed attcntwn would he hear and hll:en? With what ,mfattable grafp– . g would he lay hold on Chni1?w1th what ll:reaming Tears would he water h.is checks, m ·rhc would melt himfelf, like Niobe, into a fountain? Bleffed God! how fond are f~~lilh men that never think of this till their time be loll:? we that are alive have only this benefit of opportunity, and if we neglect it, a day will come (we know n.ot how foon) that we !hall be paltit, and c.mnot recnver it, no,. not one hour, if we would ive a thoufand ten thoufand worlds for it. · \Vhat can I fay? reflect on your felves ;(m that have f;uls to favc:you have yet a little time (and the time prefcnt is that time); what then, but fo ufe it now, as when you arc gone, you need not with grief to wilh you here again? Sixthly, yet more lofft, and that is the l?ffe of loffcs, the loffe.ofhis foul ; his rithm lar~ds houjes,friends, time, and all were nothmg to hts foul. Th1s lS that Paragon, Peer, Rore', and Spoufc of our well-beloved Chrilt. How many a tear lhed he to fave it? what groanes, cryes, prayers, tears, an~ bl~od poured he befo:e God, that he might redeem it from the jawes ofSatan? and .1s th1s loft notWl\hi1andmg all thts labour ? 0 fweet Jefu! what a Ioire is this? thou wall: borne, lived, died, and that a lhameful death, (the death of the Croffe) and all this fuffering was to fave poorfouls: yet fee a (on/here loll, and the blood of God, though able, not effectual to redeem 1t. Whofc 'heart would not melt into blood, that but knew this mifery? Suppofe you could fee the jo~el of this wretched worldling, no foon.cr had it left the body, but immediately was it fei·Led on by infernal fiends, now !yes 1t on a bed of fire, tortured, tormented, fcour– ged, and fcorched in thofe furious ~ames; there his confcicnce ll:ings him, his forrow gripes him bis pam fo handles h1m, that he cnes, and roares, Wo, wo, and alnl ,;,mnore. Who now for lhadows of lhort pleafures, would incur thefe forrows of eternal pains? In this world we can weep and wail for a lolfc of trifles : an houfe, a field, an Oxe took from us, is enough to crucia:e us; but how !hall we bewail the Loffc of a foul,which no fooner plunged into that pit.ofhorrour,but it !hall feel a punilh– ment without pity, mifery without mercy, forrow without fuccour~ crying without comfort, torment without cafe, a world ofmifchief, wi.thout all meafureor redrelfe? Such is the loffe of this mansfoul; whilell: he was cheering it with an hmne-bred folace, Soul, thou hajlmuch goods laid up for manyyears: God whifpers in his ears, and tells him other news : What ? of hisfoul : how ? it is req11ired : when ? this night : a fear– ful found, unlookt-for meffage, fpcedy difpatch, no more delayes, nor dayes, only th# night; for then mull his foul be taken from him. 'You fee all his loffcs; and now in the feaventh place, to contraa them, there is one grief more than all, that all is Loft on a fudden, Loffes that come by fucceffion are better born With, but all on afudden is the worll: ofall, yet fuch is the mifery ofman, when he goes, all goes wtth htm, and he and all paffe away on 1t jiedden:As in the d11'yes ofNoah, they eat, and drunk, maroed, andg"ve mmarrzage, andknew nothing till theflood came, t~nd took.,them.all '!'VII!; ~o IS tbe co~mng ofthe Son ofma!J, Mat.24-.3 8. How many have been thus took tnppmg m the1r W1ckcdneffe I Belfhauar in his mirth, Herod in his pride, t~e Phililtines in their banquetting, the men of Zik,!ag in their feall:ing. Jobs chtldren ll1 thm drunkennefs, the Sodomites in their lilthineffc the Steward. in his fecurity, this Churle in his plenty: miferable end, when men ;nd in their fin. Call to m1~d th1~ (0 my I'Oul !) and tremble: fleep not in fin, le!1 the llecp of. death fur– pnze thee: The honr isrertain in nothi~g'bttt JtocertttintieJ ;•for fure thou mull: die; yet thou knowell: not on what _day, nor m what place, nor how thou !halt be dif1'ofed when death mull: be entertamed. Do you not fee moll: die, .wbilcll: they are moft buli<! h_ow to hve.? ~e that once thought but to begin to tlke his eafe, was faine that··very n1ght (whether he would or no) to make his end: Would you have thought this? He but now flonrifhedltk$ agreen Bay-tree, his droughts full of mirth, his foul of •cafe, b~ttif P,affed by,, and loe, he. >vas gone: gone; whither? his body to the grave, his foul to hell m the. ~1ddeft of h1s ~ollity. God threats dell:ruction; Devils, execution; Death: CtrtA m~rs, in~ c~rta !Jor;~. cxpedltlon; and th11$ltke a Swan he fings his funerals. Thece is that faith, I have fo 14 nd rrjl, 1111d now 111111/ Cllt contmnally ofmygo,ds, and_yet he k.,noweth not lVhttt time jhn/1come l!.rc/rf. 1 1, t$1 Ddd ttpon
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