298 ueffions fxopoundeci to. dloathful Chri- ftianE> Ierddúea , What /hall they do that are Not able i a, carelefnefs ; whar,can(l thou ear,and drink,and fleep,and trade as qua_ erly as if thou wert pall all danger ? And yet thou dolt not know whe- ther thou (halt be damned,or faved, Awake,oh my foul ! route up thy fell, and look after thine eternal hate ; it is no matter whether thou art rich or poor, honourable or contemptible, the great queftion, that with the greater ferionfnefs is robe refolved,is whether thou hJit grace or no,whether (Thrift be. chine or co ; certainly carelefs perlons should be flirted up to look after their eternal flare , and thofe that are dili- gent need forne confiderations to make them more diligent, and there- fore the Apollle Peter wrícerh to thofe that had obtained like precious faith with himfelf, calling upon them , urging and exhorting them to make their calling and eledtion Cure, a Pet. I. to. For this end let me propound there following queiiions ro he that art negligent in this great concernment , and as thou readeff , give thy felt a lober ferious anfwer. 1. Is is nothing to thee, to live in the daily negle& of a comman- ded duty ; is it not the injundlion of thy Lord, whofefervant chou dolt profefs thy leaf to be, that thou fhouldelt give all diligence in this mat- ter, and wilt thou not give any at all ; or not at all proportionable to the weightinefs of thy concernment herein ? might not this raife doubts and je.aloufies in thy foul , that thy condition is not good be- canfe thou art nor diligent to know, and to prove it to be good ? efpa- daily when thou doll confider that thy Lord commands thy diligence herein : Mighteft nor thou queflion the fìncerity of thy obedi- ence to any of Gods commands, for want of the univerfality of it, extending it Pelf to all Gods commands ? Tell me Chriflian, why had) God (given us this charge ? Read 2 Pet. I. ro, l ' erefare, the ra- ther 73 rethrcngive all diligence to make your calling and elec`licn fure ; is it not the fame God that commands thee to pray, that commands thee to make fur,: of Heaven ? didfl thou never read thefe words ; or halt thou read them, and thrown then by, and thought this counfel is nor fit to be followed , nor this command to be obeyed ? What cant thou fay for thy negle& ? Look a little into the Text , what is it that you are commanded to make lure of ;. Houle or Land ? If it had been fo, it is like thou wouldefl have obeyed but it is fomething becter,in- finitely better, whether thou arc eff'e &ually called , and eternally e- le fed ; and is this to be done flothful ly , carelefiy ; or doth not God require thy diligence , thyuttr..oft diligence, nay all thy dili- gence , nay thy fpeedy diligence without delay , thy painful diligence without indulging thy felt in thy floth; thy continual.diligence without wears-
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