640 THE ETERNAL DL'EAT!ÓN OP [Dt9C.Y1l1s, are yet standing upon the slippery edge of this burning precipice, and playingwith painted bubbles there, or in warm pursuit of a flying shining feather along the brink of this burning torrent, what fools and madmen should we appear to be even in our own eyes ! And yet we go on to practise this folly, this madness, day after day, in spite of all the warnings of God and man, till at last our foot slips in some dreadful moment, and we vanish oiit of the sight of our companions, and are lost for ever ! III. If the miseries of hell are eternal, " how unrea- sonable a thing is it ever to suffer the loss of any posses- sions or joys which are temporal and perishing, to come into competition with them r'' Surely there is ,nothing that belongs to time that should tempt us to run the risk of the sorrows of eternity, nor allure us to commit one sin against God, which is the fatal spring of such sor- rows ! Stand still, O sinner, and hearken to the voice of wisdom. Do the pleasures of sense, or the gaieties of sight, or the wealth or grandeurs of this life allure thee tomake thy way boldly through any means towards the possession of them, think with thyself, is it by of- fending this great and dreadful God? And wilt thou dare to take one step towards these dangerous and deceitful vanities, and risque thy immortal welfare in the pursuit ? what a foolish bargain wilt thou make to gain the whole world of short-lived perishing trifles, and to lose thy soul in endless perdition ? 117ark viii. 36. Dare any of us venture an eternal state of torment to gain the flattering and delusive joy of a short hour, or a winter's day ? What are all the gratifications of flesh and sense ? What are all the swelling titles of honour amongst men ? What are all the treasures of this perishing world? How short is their duration, and how short is thy possession of them ? All earthly felicities perish in the using, and are no sooner enjoyed, but are quickly lost again, or expire in the enjoyment : But if the ruin of a soul, and a lost heaven be the price of them, how mad is the pur- chase, and how wretched is the purchaser ? IV. " How patiently should we bear all the labours and fatigues, the pains and miseries of this mortal life, when we have any hope of our deliverance from the pains and sorrows of immortality ?" As for our Maladies--
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