Chap. 10.1 IS NOT ON EARTH. soldier to win the field? and art thou loath to see thy la- bors finished, and to receive the end of thy faith and suf- ferings ? Have thy griefs been only dreams? If they were, yet methinks thou shouldst not be afraid of waking. Or is it not rather the world's delights that are all mere dreams and shadows ? Or is the world become of late more kind ? We may at our peril reconcile ourselves to the world, but it will never reconcile itself to us. O unworthy soul ! who hadst rather dwell in this land of darkness, and wander in this barren wilderness, than be at rest with Jesus Christ ! who hadst rather stay among the wolves, and daily suffer the scorpion's stings, than praise the Lord with the host of heaven !" This unwillingness to die doth actually impeach us of high treason against the Lord. Is it not choosing of earth before him, and taking of present things for our happiness, and consequently making them our very god ? If we did indeed make God our end, our rest, our portion, our trea- sure, how is it possible but we should desire to enjoy him ? it moreover discovers some dissimulation. Would you have any man believe you, when you call the Lord your only hope, and speak of Christ as all in all, and of the joy that :: in his presence, and yet woura endure the hard- est life, rather than die, and enter into his presence ? What self-contradiction is this, to talk so hardly of the world and the flesh, to groan and carnplain of sin and suffering, and yet fear no day more than that which we cYnect should bring our final freedom ! What hypocrisy is this, to pro- fess to strive and fight for heaven, which we are loath 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 eves 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 loath to leave -their hold of present things, who have professed to live by faith, and have boasted of their hopes in another world, and spoken disgracefully of all things below in comparison of things above, how doth this confirm the world in their unbelief and sensuality ! " Sure," say they, "if these professors did expect se much glory, and make so light of the world as they seem, they
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