TO THE SAINTS REST. 185 it should be so with thee, till thou knowest thy eter- nal state. When thou liest down to take thy rest, methinks the uncertainty of thy salvation should keep thee waking, or amaze thee in thy dreams, and trouble thy sleep. Doth it not grieve thee to see the people of God so comfortable in their way to glory, when thou hast no good hope of ever enjoying it thy- self? How canst thou think of thy dying hour? Thou knowest it is near, and there is no avoiding it, nor any medicine found out that can prevent it. If thou shouldst die this day, (and Who knows what a day may bring forth ?) thou art not certain whether thou shàlt go to heaven or hell. And canst thou be merry, till thou art got out of this dangerous state? What shift dost thou make to preserve thy heart from hor- ror, when thou rememberest the great Judgment -day, and everlasting flames ? When thou hearest of it, dost thou not tremble, as Felix ? If the keepers shook, and became as dead men, on seeing the angel roll back the stone from Christ's sepulchre; how canst thou think of living in hell with devils, till thou hast some well - grounded assurance that thou shalt escape it ? Thy bed is very soft, or thy heart is very hard, if thou canst sleep soundly in this uncertain case. § 3. If this general uncertainty of the world about their salvation were remediless, then it must be borne as other unavoidable miseries. But, alas ! the com- mon cause is wilful negligence. Men will not be per- suaded to use the remedy. The great means to con - quer this uncertainty is self - examination, or the seri- ous and diligent trying of a man's heart and state by the rule of scripture. Either men understand not the nature and use of this duty, or else they will not be at the pains to try. Go through a'congregation of a thousand men, and how few of them shall you meet with, that ever bestowed one hour in all their lives in a close examination of their title to heaven ! Ask thy own conscience, Reader, when was the time and where was the place, that ever thou solemnly tookest thy heart to task, as in the sight of God, and didst examine it by scripture, whether it be renewed
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