lOa ASAint or 4Brste. Part n • ··fing thy fclf a Scholar t Chriil, with reverence take thyLeffon from him, as that which thou cameO: into the world to Learn and which all thy comforts~ thy hopes, thy fafety and thy everlafring happinefs depend upon. ' - And here in the entrance , I will freely tell you what moveth me to fall upon this fubject, andbe fo earnell with you in this point. One thing is tbe obfervation of the carele[nefs and wil– fulnefs ?f the. mofl:, that live in the negled: of Holinefs and Eyerlafhng Ltfe, for all chat can be faia to perfwade them toa wlfer courfe : While they all profefs themfdves to be Chrifrians, and to take the Sc;:ripture for the Word of God , and confefs this Word in particular to be true, that it is Heaven and Holinefs that are the moil Neceffa ry, and moil: to be defired and fought after, yet will they not be moved ro Liveaccording to thu Pro– feffion, nor to Love that Moft which they confefs to be the Bejf, · nor to feek that firft which they confefs 'to be mofl: Needfttl. They h~ve the cafe here decided by the month of the Lord Jefus Chrift: htmfelf, ~nd as plainly , and fully, and peremptorily decided as they could wiili. If they were Infidels, and unclerftood but the Law of Nature, even Rea{on might t:ell them that there is no doubt of it, but that Eternal Life is more to be fought after then ·. t.tanfitory things : And yet they live as if the cafe liad never been decidecl by Chrifl: or by reafon; or as if they had never heardof _any Life but this: Look in o mofi.Town.s, and fee whether tl}ere be not more at Martha's work, (and worfe) then at MarfJ. Look into mofi families, and fee whether they be not with Mtirtha, troubling themfelves 11ith numy things, when the G'ooa pt~rt is almoft call afide. Even in the Families of Lords, Knights, and Gentlemen, that are doubly oli>liged to God, and pt·etend to be Wlfer then the ignorant Vulgar, the matters of their falvation are turned our of doors, or thrufl: into acorner, and the matters of their bodies do take up the day. How many Martha•s for one Mary, 1hall we find among both R.i£h and Poor 1 Yea that is not the worfi, but they that are fo blind and wicke~ ~s to choofe the worfer pP1-rt themfelves, would haveal! about them .dQffo too; And as Marthagrudged at Marfsprachee,an~eom- . · plaineth to Chrifi againfi her , fo thefe repine at th~ chotce of the Godly, and think them but melancholy crack-bratnd people·, that make more ado for their falvation thea they need : And they ar~ not content to keep fuch ungodly thoughts in their breafts , - .. - . ({)
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