520 AN EPISTLE TO THE pitiful sight to you ? If you had once seen the five brethren of Dives on earth, eating, drinking, laughing, and merry, clothed and fairing daily with the best, and at the same time seen their brother's soul in hell, beg- ging in vain for a little ease, and wishing that one from the dead might go warn them, that they came not to that place of torment, would it not seem to you a pitiful sight? Would not pity have made you think, " Is there no way to open these, gentlemen's eyes? No way to acquaint them what is become of their brother, and were Lazarus is, and whither they themselves are going ? No one driveth or forceth them to hell, and will they go thither of themselves! And is there no way to stop them, or keep them back ?" Did you but see yourselves what we see by faith, (believing God,) and at once behold the saints in heaven, the lost despairing souls in hell, and the senseless sensual sinners on earth, that yet will lay none of this to heart, surely it would make you wonder at the stupidity of mankind. Would you not say, O what a deceiver is the devil, that can thus lead on souls to their own damnation ! O what, a cheat is this transitory world, that can make men so jbrget the world where they must live for ever ! O what an enemy is this flesh, that thus - draweth down men's souls from God ! O what a besotting thing is sin, that turneth a reason- able soul into worse than a beast ! What a bedlam is this wicked world, when thousands are so busy la- bouring to undo themselves and others, and gratifying- the devil against their God and Saviour, who would give them everlasting blessed life. And as we have such a sight as this by faith to make us pity you, so we have so much taste of the goodness of God, the sweetness of his ways, and the happiness of believers, as must needs make us wish that you had but once tried the same delights. They wojild turn the pleasures of sin into detestation. God knows we desire nothing more for ourselves than the perfection and eternity of this holiness and happiness which we believe and taste : and should we not desire the same for you ?
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