RULES FOR OBTAINING FORtiGIVENESS. 311 shall be administered to you abundantly into the ever- lasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." ver. 11. You who are now on the borders of that king- dom, who know not whether you belong to it or not, you shall have an entrance into the kingdom of Christ; and all the joy, consolation and glory of it shall be richly administered to you. This is the advice that the Holy Ghost gives in this case ; and this is the blessed promise annexed to following this advice : and this is not to be separated from the former compassionate course of administering consolation. But you will, it- may be, here say, "We are so dead and dull, so chained under the power of corruptions and temptations, that we are not able thus to put forth the fruit of a spiritual life in adding one grace to another." But do you use diligence, study, endeavor all dili- gence, diligence at all times, in all ways by God ap- pointed, all manner of diligence within and without, in private and public, to this end 1 Do you study, medi- tate, pray, watch, fast, neglect no opportunity, keep your hearts, search, try, examine yourselves, fly tempta: fions and occasions of deadening and stifling grace l Do these things abound in you 1 " Alas I" you say, "you cannot do thus, you are so weak, so indisposed.' But, alas! you will not, You will not part with your ease, you will not crucify your lusts, you will not use all diligence ; but you must come to it, or be con- tented to spend all your days in darkness, and lie down in sorrow. By such neglect do many fail of heaven. Do not many bewail the folly of their nature and ways in the morning and evening, and yet scarce stand upon their
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