ii i! 19e THE SAINT'S REST IS NOT have any believe you, when they call the Lord your only hope, and speak of Christ as all in all, and of the joy that is in his presence, and yet would endure the hardest life, rather than die and enter into his pre- sence ? What self - contradiction is this, to talk so hard- ly of the world and the flesh, to groan and complain of sin and suffering : and yet fear no day more than that, which we expect should bring our final freedom ! What hypocrisy is this, to profess to strive and fight for heaven, which we were loth to come to; and spend one hour after another in prayer, for that which we would not have ! Hereby we wrong the Lord and his promises, and disgrace his ways in the eyes of the world. As if we would persuade, them to question, whether God be true to his word or not ? whether there be any such glory as the scripture mentions ? When they see those so loth to leave their hold cif present things, who have professed to live by faith, and have boasted their hopes in another world, and spoken disgracefully of all things below in compari- son of things above; how doth this confirm the world in their unbelief and sensuality ? " Sure," say they, " if these professors did expect so much glory, and make so light of the world as they seem, they would not themselves be so loth to change." O how are we ever able to repair the wrong which we do to God and souls ,hy this scandal ? And what an honour to God, what a strengthening to believers, what a con- viction to unbelievers, would it be, if Christians in this did answer their profession, and cheerfully wel- come the news of rest !It also evidently shows that we have spent much time to little purpose. Have we not had all our life -time to prepare to die ? So many years to make ready for one hour, and are we so unready and unwilling yet ? What have we done ? Why have we lived? Had we any greater matters to mind ? Would we have wished for more frequent warnings ? How oft hath death entered the habi- tations of our neighbours ! How oft hath it knocked.
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