46 PREFACE. Or, if you have not a faithful pastor at home, make use of some other in so great a need. Thirdly, When, by reading, consideration, prayer, and ministerial advice, you are once acquail-ited with your sin and misery, with your duty and remedy, delay not, but presently forsake your sinful company and courses, arw turn to God, and obey his call. As you love your soul s, take heed that ye go not on against so loud a call of God, and against your own knowledge and conscience, lest it go worse with you in the day of judgment than with Sodom and Gomorrah. Inquire of God, as a man that is willing to know the truth, and not be a wilful chea ter of his soul. Search tl•e holy Scriptures daily, and see whether these things be so or not: try impartially whether it be safer to trust heaven or earth, and whether it be better to follow God or man, the Spirit or the flesh, and better to live in holiness or sin, and whether an unsanctified state be safe for you to abide in one day longer; and when you have found out which is hest, r esolve accordingly, and make your choice without any more ado. Jf you will be true to your own souls, and do not love everlasting torments ,, I beseech you, as from the Lord, th at you will but take this reasonable advice. 0 what happy towns and countries, and what a happy nation might we have, if we could but persuade our neighbours to agree to such a necessary motion! What joyful men would all faithful ministers be, if they could but see their people truly heavenly and holy; this would be the unity, the peace, the safety, the glory, of our churches; the happiness of our neighbours, and the comfort of our souls. Then how comfortably should we preach pardon and peace to you, and deliver the sacraments, which are the seals of peace to you! And with what love and joy might we live among you! At your deathbed how boldly might we comfort and encourage your departing souls! And, at yo\IT burial, how comfortably might we leave you in the grave, in expectation to meet your souls in heaven, and to see your bodies raised to that glory! But, if still the most of you will go on in a careless , ignorant, fleshly, worldly, or unholy life, and all our desires and labours cannot so far prevail as to keep you from the wilful damning of yourselves, we must then imitate our Lord, who delighteth himself in those few that are jewels, and in a little flock that shall receive the kingdom, when the most shall reap the misery which they sowed. In nature excellent things are few. The world hath not many.suns, or moons; it is but a little of the earth that is gold or silver. Princes and nobles are but a small part of the sons of men: and it
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=