on the Excellency of the Soul. 2'8 t eure either upon patience, or any thing elfe , fo' as to continue in our fins , though God bath been patient thus long, thou dolt not know but that upon thy next ven- ture the cord of mercy may crack , and thou mayeft fink and perish eternally ; that may befall thee in one day , that hash not befallen thee all thy life before ; take heed my brethren of venturing upon patience , for that hath not a word= of prómife to ftrengthen it unto thee : Indeed Faith is a kind of venture , but that ven- tures upon the Word of God, and the Promife of God, and-it is good venturing upon that , but when thou ventureft upon patience, thou haft no word to allure thee that patience will hold ; Thou haft no word to make this good unto thee, that though God bath been patient fo many years, therefore bee will bee fo í}i11. Fourthly, And then a fourth venture that men make, it is to venture upon their own lives ; they are young , and they hope they may live many years yet, I know others they live to bee old men, and why may not I live and have my pleafure as well as they ? and thus they ven- ture ; Oh but what if the threed of thy life fhould bee fnapt afunder, what will become of thee then ! wilt thou venture thy eternal mifcarrying upon fach a brittle and frail thing as thy life is ? Oh it is a defperate ven- ture , when men and women will venture thus ! that if God take away my life now, certainly I muff, perish for ever. - -- Now I put it unto every foul in this place, let this bee the cafe now , do you examine what you. think in your confciences your conditions would bee, if you fhould hear a voice from Heaven Paying unto you pre - fently this foul (hall have no more time to make provi- fion for eternity I am perfwaded that in fuch a place as- this is there cannot but bee many that would in their own confciences fay If God fhould take away my life now, I fear I should bee loft for ever ; I doubt , if wee could go from one to another, and lay our ears to the bofoms of men, and could but hear what the confciences N n of
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