6o8 Praflical Chriflianity, wick~d \Vark? And fomc~~me~s they a~e more reftlcfs and_ imp:Jtient when they done It, throu!?h the DeVlt s l.cmptations; and yet, notwithil:andir.g thefc Torw menrs, they wtll do them agam. Are there nO\\' more Drudges in the Vlorld than thefe are? Doth God require more Pains in his Ser~ice than thefe Men take? No, he cloth not : \Vou ld but Men do as much for their precious Souls a~ theY do aga inft them ; would thcX do as ~uch to fave the~, as they ~o t~ dcftroy and ~amn the111; tru ly their Salvauon would not l1e tlpon the ir Hands unwronght off. ObjeCt. But fome may Jay in tbcir Hearu, It is true indeed we are convinced thf!t the Work of Sin i& laborioUJ, but yet there is pleaJure in t~at labour: But to the Workt of Obedience lVe find reJu[/,mcy, and to jlrugglc ttgai71ft that M cxceedi11g t'rkfomc and gricvom, and there.. fore we cannot work. ' But is it~o i ndeed? Is it all Peace and Tranquillity with you when you fin? Are your Confc1ences fo utterly fhred as that they make no ReluCtancy, give you no Checks or Reproofs, when you fin? If they do, put that Relufrancy of natural Confcience againft fin, into the Ballance with the Reluctancy of natural Corruption ag~i~1ft Obedience, and the moft profligate ?inner in the. World Jhall find, though thts IS more ftrong and prevalent, yet that Is more vexatious and tormenting. God requires no more Labour from you than you now take; nay, this Labour fhall not put you to fo much Torment as fometimes you now feel: T l1 e fame Labour wit h more content and fatisfaCl:i on, may perfeCt your Salvation, that now t ends only to confummate your DeftruEt ion. \Vhat Madnefs then is it for Men not to be perfuaded to work the WorkJ of G~d, when it will cofl: them lefs Pains, I mean lefs tormenting Pains? You wear your Lives i~ the Service of Sin, and at the end of your Days you go down to Hell; when wtth as much cafe you might inherit Life and Glory, as you thus purchafe Hell and DeflruEfion, And is not this great FoUy and Mad nefs ? Well now, bring all thefe four Gradations together, and look upon them all at once, and we Jhall .find the Argument f~ ftrong as. nothing can refift it, but the perverfe Reafomngs of Mens own Wills; you will not becanfe you will not: You muft work ; !f you work 11ot in God'~ Service,, you will wor~ in :he Dc-vil's Drudgery; if you work Satan s ij(ork, you muft recewc Satan s Wages, whtch ts the Reward of eternal Damnation; and the fame Labour that you take to .damtt your own Souls, might [u.ffi~·e to (a'Ve them. Wherefore then Ihall not God tmploy you as well as the Devit? Hath he not more right to you ? Why Jhould you not work out your own Happinefs, as well ai work out your own M ifery ? Doth it not concern you more ? If Men would but fet their Reafon on work in this particular, if they would bu t Jhe\V themfelves to be Men, they would foon fet Grace on work and Jhew themfelves robe Chriftians alfo: It is but turning the Streams of your ACtions into the right Channel and the Work is done; fince that they will incelrantly flow from you, why Jhould they all fall like 'JordAn ~nto the dead Sea, when they might as well run into the infinite Ocean of all Happwefs, and carry your Souls along with them alfo? But, · . • Mmjbould (5.) Fifthly, Confider this alfo; . the Devil works conllantly and indullrioufiy heM dili- for your Deftruction; and will not you much more work for your own Saivagem to . tion ? See the place of the Apoftic, 1 Pet. He walks about M a roaring Lion, f eeking If:~::" whom he may devour. And therefore when God quefl:ions him, ltVhmce comeft r:e Devil thou, Satan l He anfwers, ·From going up and doron to and fro in the Earth, and tvaJkiHo.ft- ing in it. What Pains doth he take to prompt Men with Temptations, to fui t fl roJ them. Objects and Occafions to their Corruptions? Still he is at their Rizht Hand lay- ' Pet.s . 8 • ing Snares and Traps for them that they might fall as his Prey; and wherefore Job x. s. makes he all this ado? Is it not to fatisfic his Malice and Hatred agaiuft Men's Souls? And fhall Malice and Rancor make the Dt'Vil fo laborious and unwearied to deftroy Souls, and Jhall not your own Happinefs and Salvation make you much more diligent to fave your Souls? Is the D eviL more concern'd in your Ruin, than you your felves are in your own Salvation? Shall the Delth of your Souls be more dear to him, than the Life of your Souls is to your fclves ? Learn from Satan himfelf how to rate and value your own Souls; Did not he know them to be exceeding precious, he would never take fo much Pa ins to get tbetn; and did you but know how precious they are, certainly you would never lofe them fo contentedly. Let the D roil (if you will learn no othcrwife) teach you
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