A form of Exhortation to the Sick.. the main, y>u b've livrd to this corruptible fiefb, and loved and fought and fervcd the world, before your' God and the h~ppinefi of yoter foul. Ala;, [_riend, did you not lzno,. that you had au immortal foul, that mu{f live tn JOJ er mi[ery for ever ! Didyou not ltnow that ) fJU rPtTt made to Love and ferve and honour yeur mak._er l aml tb.;lt you haJ. the little time uf this life given yo11, to try and prtPRt yo11 for your mdlefs life ? and tb.Jt as you lived here it muft go with you in hu.ven or hell for ever I If y!Ju did not believe theft th~ngJ, whydidyou not come,.andgive yon_r R.ea[ons againft _'hem,. to {ome juJi.._ cious Divii1t that wM able to have fhewedyau the Evtdence of _thur truth? If you d1d behcve them, 4 lar, heP' war it p 1 ffible that you could forr.et tlum l Could you heluve p Heaven and a HeU, and not regard them or fi!ffer any tranfitory worldly vanity, to be more reJtarded by you l Did you know JPhat you had to do' in the world, and yet is it aU mtdone till now l Were you never warned of this day i Did never Preacher) nor Scripture) uor boo!{, nor friead, nor con[cience, tell you of your end ? and tell you what would be the fruit of fln, andof your contempt and flighting of Chri{! and of his grace l Did you lznow that you mu.Jl Love God abov,e thew~rld,_ if evtr you would be faved, and that you nutft t9 that end be p;2rto~tr of Chrift andrmtw~d by hu fpmt, and. yet would you let out your he~rt upon t_h: world, antl. follow tbt bruitijh pleafurtJ of the fltjh, •nd never earneftly feek.. after that Chrif! autl JPml that jhoJtld thtlf renew and fanllijie you l Doyo" not thi•lz now that it bad been wiftr " have f ought Cbrift and groce and {et )•~ur ~~;ffe{fions firft on the tbingJahove, and . to have made fore wor~[9r your_{ortl againfl fuch 4 dtJy as tbis, than tohave hardemd your heart agamft Gods grace, and defpifld Chrijl and He11· ven and your f.Jlv:~Jion, for a thi~tg of noHght l Tou fee HOrP t:Phat it rP•s tbat you preferred before Rea.. ~m1 what haveY'" now got by all your finful Love of the world l where now is all your jltjhly plea– fort ? 1YilJ it all 1JOW fervt t1ern to {ave you from de_ath,_or ~!Je wrath of 6 od? and evtrlafting mifery ? »'iU it mw go n:ith you to another world? Or do you thm~ 11 wtll comfort • {o~tl tn HeD, to remember the wealth which be gathered and left behind him ttpon earth? would it mt now have bem much mort c~m~ fortable to you, if you_could fay [My 1aytJ ?'"' fp_e•t in Holine[s l in t!Je £.uvt of my dear Red:emer? andin the hearty ferv•ce of my God? :n pralfiitg h:m and praytng to hzm, m learnmg and obeyzng bif holy word and wiU; My bufineji in the world was to pleaje God and feek._ a bmtr world l and while I fol– lor.ed my lawful trade or caUing, m_y eye was chiefly on eternal life l I•ftead of pleafing . the flrjb, I de– lighted my foul in the Love a11d praife and fervice of my Redttmer, and in the hop" of my elernal bleffed– nefs; and now I am going to enjoy that God and happinefs which I believ'd and fought.] Would not tbi< be more comfvrtable to you How, than to look.. hac~ on ~our time 41 [pent in a worldly, flejhly life, which you preferred btfore your God a11d ~our falvation l Chrift_ would nut ?ave forfak.!n you in the lime of your extremity, M the world doth, if you had cleaved fat~hfully, to h:m. You httle ltnow JDhiit peace ancl comfort you might h~vc found, even en earth, in aholy life! flow {weet would the word of Goilhavebeen to you l Ho11' jweet would prayer and meditat.ion and holy co~tference h3ve lleen l De you thinJt it il nol more pltafant IQ a true Believer, loread the promifes of emnallife, and "thinlz tind tal~of that blejft1J ftatt, when they fhaUdweU with God in Joy [M evtr, than it was IQ you to tbi•_k •nd l_al~ of worltl/1 trajh and v•nity l If you had ufed the world as a traveUcr dotb the nmjfarm of hH journey, tbt thought of heaven would have.offorded you folid rational comf_ort, aU tbt w~y0 little do J OU lz••,. tbt fweetn<fs of the Love of God;" Chrift ! and how go.od a Chrifttanfi~deth tt, whtn he c.nhut txereife antl inmafi, hi< knowledge and fatth and Love to God, and tbanlifulnefi JOT mercy, and hopu of Heaven, and Ballt with God in a heavtnly converjation ! Do you not n:'ijh now that thif hatl betn your courfe l But that which if done cannot be undone, and time that i1paft can never be caUetl bt~cl(_: Butyet there 'lif a fure Remedy for yBrtr foul, if ) 10U have but a heart to entertain aml ufe it. God [o loved the fl'orld Job. ~.J6J 11. that he ~ave hif only begotten Son, that JJ!'ho{oevtr Believeth in bim fhould not perijh, but have everlafting life. J eflu Chrift being God and Man i6 the Medi11torbetween God 11nd man! His dfath if 11 fofficient Sacrifice fer our {Ins : It il hi< Office to fave aU tho[e that come to God by him : Do but unfeignedly R.epCJ1t of your finfullife, and yet fit your Heart upon the life to come, and Love G1Jd ond Holinefi, better tban the Jf)orld and fltjhly plea{ure, and truft your foul on Chrift aJ your Redeemer, and he .,;u certainly forgive you, and reconcile you unto God, and pre[ent you juftified and fpotleji in hi< fight. 1hink of )''Ur fln tiU you abhor ~our felf: _and thi~lz •f your fln and mifery tiU you feel_that you 4rt Hndone if y;~u have. not a SavJour .: and then thtnk.. IJ'ha~ Love God hatb }hewed you r.n. Chrijl, in t.iving him '" be Jncarnate and d1e for fi~tnert, and offerzng you freely to pardon aU that tVt't" you havedone, and to jufiific and [a_vt you, and bring you to endltfs Glory with IJim[elf, if Y'! as laft_ you wiU hJtt givt up your filf to Chrtft, 11nd atcipt hu mercy and retUrn to God. Wln:t Joyful tJdmgJ u btre now for a finful miferable foul ! Tet thH if the certain ir.utb of God? 7'his is hH very Covenant of grace, which ; 1 fo~n1ed in th~ blood of ChriJ!, and _whic? be Is . now r~ady to make ~ith you and [eal to yo~ by his fpiri< 'R'zthtn tmd hu Sacrament without, if you dobut Heartily and unfcJgncdiy Confent : Beluve in Cbrift and 1urn to G,d, fr•m theworld and the fitjh; and refolve upo~ a Holy lift if you jheuld recovtr, and then I can affure you from <he wordof God, that he wiUfreely pardon you, and tak.! you far hi1 Child, tmd fave )'Ottr foul in t~tdlt[s GJ9ry. A1 l~t.te as it i1, IJt w_iU certainly receive yo11) if you return to hi~ by. Cb':i~ with aU your heart. And doth noi yoUr .heart n?w rejoice in thil unfpeaJtable mercy, trh"h Jl wJUmg t~ j;Jve ynu ~tftcr aUthe fin that TU have commmcd, and after aU the timt that you have loft l Doyou not Love that God that is fo abund.mt in Goodnrfs tind in Love l and that Saviour who h~th purchafed!ou '.hit pardon and falvatirm .? Is it not. bc~ttr think.. you tu Love and praifo and {erve h•m, th11H tn Jwe m firfhly lufts and plea{ures l Ar.d u zt not better to d~cU in Heaven Ja'ith him in. endlefl Joys; than tolive awhile ill thev.tilt delights of finners, and thence tDpa[r to endlfji mifery _; 0 beg of God now to give you a New Htart toBc-lirve in Chrijf, andRepent of fin ar.d Love him th!~t iJ moft Holy, G.,d andgracioU< : And !1/ze heed that you fleight his grace no longer: and thll you do nol no"'
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