64? THE E'I'EICNAï DURATTOI.' OF [DISC. %TTT. obtained the promised felicity, IHeb. vi. 12. Maywe also make our way, by the same motives, through the floods and the fires of affliction, and distress, to reach this everlasting heaven, and to escape everlasting burnings ? In order to confirm our patience, and to animate our zeal, let us survey the blessed example of St. Paul, who was reproached, who was buffetted, who was perse- cuted with stones, and whips, and scourges, and bore a thousand indignitieswho was assaulted with endless strokes of injury and violence, and yet rejoiced in the midst of all his suffering's in the view of his eternal hope. 'The spirit of faith in the midst of all his,sufferings taught him to-sing this divine song, " ,Our light afflictions, which aré but for a moment, are working for us a far ' more exceeding and eternal weight of glory," 2-Cor. iv. 17. "The sufferings of this present time are not wor- thy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed," Rom. viii. 18. Nor are they worthy to be compared with that exceeding and eternal weight of vengeance; from which we are delivered by faith and patient obedi- ence to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Reflec. V. " If the miseries of hell are eternal, we can never have our deliverance from them made too secure." If the danger of any mischief, to which we might be ex- posed, were but slight, and the duration of it short, there might be possibly some excuse for our delay to escape it : But when it is total and irrevocable ruin to which we are liable every móment while we continue in a state of sin, we should fly with all the wings of our souls, and never 'be at ease or quiet till we are got without the reach of danger, and settled in a place of safety, or on the rock of our salvation. (ï could we but perceive a thousandth part of the hor- ror that is contained in an eternal hell, an eternal banish- ment from the face and favour of God, and theeternal impressions of his anger, we should never give ourselves rest one moment, till we had returned to God by a sin- cere repentance, and were reconciled to him that made us; till we fled for refuge to the blood of Jesus, and to his sanctifying. grace, which is the only hope that is set before, us. We should never give ourselves leave to lie down, or awake in quiet, while we were 'destitute of a saving interest in the salvation of Christ, and had at-
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=