FIFT'Y REASONS. you~ conversion. 0! little do you linow what you depnve yourselves of every day. If a slave in the galleys or prison might live at court, as a favourite of the prince, in honour, and delight, and ea1>e, would he delay either years or hours? Or would he not rather think within himself, Is it not better to be at ease and in honour, than to be here? As the prodigal said, " How many hired servants of my father have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!" All this while I might be in plenty and delight.-All the while that you live in sin, you might be in favour of God, in the high and heavenly ernployments of the saints; you might have the comforts of daily communion with_Christ and with the saints; you might be laying up for another world, and might look death in the face with faith and confidence, as one that cannot be conquered by it; you might live as the heirs of heaven on earth. All this, and more than this, you lose by your delays; all the mercies of God are lost upon you; your food and raiment, your health and wealth, which you set so much by, all is lost and worse than lost, for they turn to your greater hurt; all our pains with you, and all the ordinances of God which you possess, and all your time is lost and worse. And do you think it, indeed, a wise man's part to live any longer at such a loss as this, and that wilfully and for nothing? If you knew your loss, you would not think so. 47. Nay more, you are all this while doing that which must be undone again, or you will be undone for ever. You are running from GoJ, but you must come back again, or perish when all is done. You are learning a hundred carnal lessons and false conceits, that must be all unlearned again; you are shutting up your eyes in wilful ignorance, which must be opened again: you must learn the doctrine of Christ, the great Teacher of the Church, if you stay never so long, or else you would he cut off from his people. Acts iii. ~~. anJ vii. 37.
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