SEEKING THE SAINT’S REST. *129 careless course, against the plain evidence of reason and commands of God, and against the light of thy own conscience ?■—Darest thou live as loosely, sin as boldly, and pray as seldom, as before ? Darest thou profane the sabbath, slight the service of God, and! think of thine everlasting state, as carelessly as before, Or dost thou not rather resolve to gird up the loins of thy mind, and set thyself wholly to the work, of thy salvation, and break through the oppositions, and slight the scoffs and persecutions, of the world, and lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth soi easily beset thee, and run with patience the race that is j set before thee ? I hope these are thy full resolutions; Yet, because .I know; the obstinacy of the heart of man, and because I am solicitous thy soul might live, I once more entreat thy attention to the following questions ; and 1 command-thee from God, .that thou stifle not thy conscience, nor resist conviction; but answer them faithfully, and obey accordingly.—I f by being diligent in godliness, you could grow rich, get honour and preferment in the world, be recovered from sickness, or live for ever in prosperity on earth; what lives would you lead, arid what pains would you take in the service of God? And is not the;saint’s rest a more excellent happiness than all this?—I f it were felony to break the sabbath, neglect secret or f n a e mr il o y f w p o e r r s s h o i n p s , o w r o b u e ld loo y s o e u in th y e o n ur b l e iv ? es; A wn h d at is m n a o nt eternal death more terrible than temporal?—I f God usually punished with some present judgment every act of sin, as he did the lie of Ananias and jSapphira; nw a h l at w k ra in th d o fa f r liv mes o w re ou t l e d rri y b o l u e? le ;—ad I f ? o Ane nd of is y n o o u t r et a e c rquaintance should come from the dead, and tell you that he suffered the torments of hell for those sins .you are, guilty of; ,what manner of persons would y in o g u s be of af G te o rwd a a rd ff s ri ? ght H y o o w u m?—uc I h f m y o o r u e s k h n o e u w ld t t h h e at wa th rn is were the last day you had to live, in the world, how would you spend it? And you know not but it 5 11
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