432 LIFE OF FAITH. resolvedness, fervency,. and constancy of your holy labor? You take up with the picture of sermons and prayers, and with the name of Christianity and holy obedience. A little more religion you will admit than a parrot may learn, or a puppet may exercise. Compare your care, and labor, and -cost for heaven, and for this world. That you believe the flattering, deceitful world, we see by your daily solicitousness about it: you seek it; you strive for it; you fall out with all thatstand in your way ; you are at it daily, and have never done ; but who can see that you seriously believe an- other world? You talk idly, and wantonly, and proudly by the hours ; but you talk of heaven and holiness but by the minutes. You do not turn the glass when you go to your unnecessary recre- ations, or your vain discourse ; or, at least, you Can stay when the glass is run ; but in hearing the most necessary truths of God, or in praying for everlasting life, the hour seems long to you, and the tedious preacher is your weariness and molestation. You do not feast and play by the glass ; but if we do not preach and pray by it exactly, but exceed our hour, though in speaking of, and for eternity, we are your burden, and put your languid patience to it, as if we were doing you some intolerable wrong. In worldly matters, you are weary of giving, but seldom of re- ceiving: you grudgeat the asker, but seldom at the giver. But if the gift be spiritual and heavenly, you are weary to hear tallyof it, and expostulate the case with him that offereth it; and he must showby what authority he would doyou good. If by serious, holy conference he would further your preparations for the life to come, or help yoú, to make sure of life eternal, he is examined what power he hath'tomeddle with you, and promote your salvation. And perhaps he is snappishly told, he is a busy, saucy fellow, and you bid him meddle with his own matters, and let you speed as you can, and keep his compassion and charity for himself: you give him no thanks for his undesired help. The most laborious, faithfulservant you likehest, that will do you the most work, with greatest skill, and care, and diligence. But the most laborious, faithful instructer and watchman for your souls, youmost ungrate- fully vilify, as if he were more busy and precise than needs, and were upon some unproftable work ; and you love a superficial, hypocritical ministry, that teacheth you but to compliment with Heaven, and leads you such a dance of comical; outside, hypocriti- cal worship, as is agreeable to your own hypocrisy. And thus, when you are mocking God, you think you worship him, and mer- it heaven by the abuse. Should a minister or other friend be .but half as earnest with you, for the life of your immortal souls, as you are yourselves for your estates, or friends, or lives in any danger, you would take them for fanatics, and perhaps do by them as his carnal
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