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SEAM.

VIII.]

FALLING

SHORT

OF

HEAVEN.

131

divinely warned

of

the

danger

of

riches, how

great

a

snare

they sometimes

prove

to

persons

of

a hopeful cha-

racter.

Fourthly,

We

proceed

now to

the

last thing propos-

ed;

and

that

is,

to

make an address

to

three

sorts

of

persons,

taking

the occasion from the

character

in my

text.

I. Those

who

have any

thing

lovely

or excellent

in

them,

but, .through the power

of

a

carnal

mind,

are

kept

at

a

distance

from

God, and have

no

title to

heaven;

such

are

beloved

of

men,

but not

beloved

of

God.

II.

Those

who

are

weaned,

in

some

good measure,

from this world,

and

have

treasures

in

heaven,

but

are

defective

in

those

qualities

that

might

render

them ami-

able

on

earth;

such

are

beloved

of

God,

but not

of

men.

III.

Those

who

are furnished

with

every good

qua-

lity,

and

every grace,

that

are the

objects

of

the special

love

of

God, and almost every man

loves

them too.

I.

Let

me

address myself

to

those

who

have any

thing

lovely

or excellent

in them, but,

through

the

power

of

a carnal

mind,

are

kept

at

a distance

from

God, and

have

no title to

heaven. Such

was

the

young man in

the

gospel

;

and according

to

the

several good

qualities

that

he possessed,

I

shall

divide

my

exhortation

to se-

veral

persons.

1.

To

such

as

are endowed

with

any

natural

excellen-

cies

of

body

or

mind.

Youth and

beauty, strength

and

health, wit

and

reason,

judgment,

memory,

or sweet

disposition

;

all

these

tare

the

gifts

of God

in the

world

of

nature, and

render

persons

so

far amiable

as

they

are

possessed

of

them.

You

that

flourish

in

the vigour

and glory

of

youth, and

yet

have no saving

acquaint-

ance

with

God

in

Christ, no right

to

eternal

life

;

while

I

behold you,

I

would

mourn over

you

with

much com-

passion.

What

pity

it

is

that

the

flower

of

your

age

should

be

employed

only to

sooth

your

vanity

!

to

adorn

your

guilty passions,

and to

dress

up the

scenes

of

sin

!

That

flower

will

wither

in

old

age,

and

it

leaves no

per

fume

behind, but what arises from

virtue and goodness

;

or,

perhaps,

you will give

it up

to

untimely decay

:

by

indulgence

of irregular

pleasures, you devote

it

to

be

K2