48ía The Life of Faith. ofwhich errour, I gave you before, and (hall give you more of it anon.Thcpoor in fpirit,think not a laborious life below them. 2,Wben even have time to fpare: This is a molt evidentmark cf ldlenefs : Por God hath given us no time in vain; but hath given us full work, for all our time. They that have time to play away neediefly, to fleet) away needlcfly, to prate away needlefly, do tell the world that Sodom's Idlenefs is their (in. Efpecially poor fouls, who arc y r unfanétified, and are ftran- gers to a renewed heart and life, ,,nd are utterly unfit to die, O what abundance ofímportant work have thefc to do ? And can they be idle, while all this lycth Undone ? 'Indeed if they are in-dcfpair of being faired, it is nowonder : And one would think by their lives that they did dcfpair : For Purely a man Co neer another world, that mull be in Heaven or Hell for ever, would never live idly, if he had any good hope that his endea- vours (hould not be all in vain. The poor in fpirit have no time to fpare : Labour is their life : Eternity is (till before their eyes : Nccellity is upon them ; and they know the wo that followeth ldlenefs : Repentance for fin, and negligence part, is a confiant fpur to future diligence. And their work is fwcet, and incomparably more plcafant to them than Idlenefs, If the Devil bc fo diligent, becaufe he knoweth that his time is thort, Rev. 12.01. it is a flame to them that are not fo, who call themfelves the fervants ofthe Lord. 3. When wens labour bath but the time that's due to Recrea- tion ; and Recreation and Idlenefs bath the greatpart of tints that's due to labour. The labour ofthe idle Sodomite, is like the Religionof the refervedHypocrite: It is but the leavings of the flefh, or fömewhat that cometh in upon the by. But God is not unconflant in his mercies unto us : He is frig prefcrving us, and maintaining us : The Angels are thVguarding w : The faithful Minifters oChrill are confiant in teaching us(and loth that Satan fhould hinder them, and fave their labour :) Faith- ful Magiftrates al'fo watch continually, to be a terrour to evil doers, and a praife to them 'that do well, as the Minifters of God for our good : And can a fhort and idle kind, of labour- ing then eecufe us ? Chrift' laid, It was bis meat to do bit Fathers will, when he was endeavouring mans falva_ tion, John4. 34, And that be tnuft do the work of hint that feat
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