3IAKt,V'G t..tS'UT of CHRIST. 603 Is it not God himself? Shall the God of heaven speak, and men make light of it? You would not slight the voice of an angel, or a prince. 5. Whose salvation is it that you make light of? Is it not your own ? Are you no more near or dear to yourselves than to make light of your own happiness or misery ? Why, sirs, do you not care whether you be saved or damned? Is self-love lost? Are you turned your own enemies? As he that slighteth ltis meat doth slight his life so if yeti slight Christ, whatsoever you may think, you will find it was your own salvation that you slighted. Hear what he saith : " All they that hate me love death;" Prov. viii. 36. 6. Your sin is greater, in that you profess to believe the gospel which you make so light of. For a professed infidel to do it, that believes not that ever Christ died, or rose again or doth not be- lieve that there is a heaven or hell, this were no such marvel ; but for you that make it your creed, and your very religion, and call yourselves Christians, and have been baptized into this faith, and seemed to stand to it, this is the wonder, and bath no excuse. What ! believe that you shall live in endless' joy or torment, and yet make no more of it to escape torment, and obtain that joy ! What ! believe that God will shortly judge you ;' and yet make no more preparation for it ! Either say plainly, ' I am no Christian ; I do not believe thesewonderful things ; I will believe nothing but what I see ;' or else.let your hearts be affected with your belief, and live as you say you do believe. . What do you think when you, repeat the creed,' and mention Christ's judgment and ever- lasting life ? 7. What are these things you set so much by, as to prefer them before Christ and the saving of your souls ? Have you found-a better friend, a greater and surer happiness than this ? Good Lord ! What dung is it that men make so much of, while they set so light by everlasting glory ! What toys are they that they are daily taken up with, while matters of life and death are neglected ! Why, sirs, if you had every one a kingdom in your hopes, what were it in comparison of the everlasting kingdom ? I cannot but look upon all the glory and dignity of this world, lands and lordships, crowns and kingdoms, even as on some brain-sick, beg- garly fellow, that borroweth fine clothes, and plays the part of a king or a lord for an Hour on a stage, and then comes down, and the sport is ended, and they are beggars again. Were it not for God's interest in the authority of magistrates, or for the service they might do him, I should judge no better of them. For as to their own glory it is,but a smoke: what matter is it whether you live poor or rich unless it were a greater matter todie rich than it is ?
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