ESSAY .IV. 147 fear and love, prayer and praise ; and you fall under the sen- tence of his broken law for ever, if you have no better plea than this. Under such a charge multitudes wòuld be ready to rise up, and with a thoughtless and inconsiderate pertness would say, " Far be it from us to injure our Maker when we would not injure or wrong a worm :" And this is the common sentiment and language of neighbours and friends when a man dies, even thoughhe were a drunkardor a man of irreligion. " Alas, for him ! poor man ! he has been honest and just ; his soul is at rest, he never did any body an injury buthimself." When such sinners are charged with neglect of religion, they cry out as though they were falsely accused, as those Jews do in Mal. iii. 8. when God complains of them, ,Ye have robbed me, saith the Lord; but they replied with impudence and ignorance, Wherein have we robbed or wronged thee? " Alas, sirs, you are far from innocence in this respect : for you have robbed God of your hearts and best affections ; you have robbed him of your thoughts and serious meditations ; you Were robbed him of your highest love, and chief delight. er all the passions of your souls and powers of nature given you to be employed about the trifles of this world ? Doth not God, in the personof divine wisdom, call to men in the book of Proverbs, My son, give me thy heart; Prov. xxiii. 26. And bath not the world had these hearts of yours given up to it entirely ? Doth not the light of nature, as well as our Saviour, say, Love the Lord your Godwith your whole heart, and your whole soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength? Mark. xii. 30. And bath God had all his share of love from you ? " What time have you ever spent in his service, in secret transactions between God and your own souls? What seasons have you taken for prayer to him, or for speaking his honours ? and yet our time is, all his : And though he gives us sufficient portions of time for all our necessaries and conveniences of life, yet have you not robbed God of much of your time, in neglecting religion so en- tirely as you have done ? Have you lived upon the Lord as your delight and your life? Have you made him your hope and your , all ? Have you daily expected all your comforts and blessings from him, and have you returned all the fruits of your blessings back again to him in away of thankfulness and obedience ? Surely your consciences must answer, no : Then believe it and be afraid ; you have riddled God, you have injured the Almighty, you are far from innocency and you must expect to perish with malefactors, if you have no better plea than this. " O dismal change of ap- prehensions, when God shall make creatures, who thought they were innocent, appear abominable in his sight, guilty of atheism and irreligion and.high ungodliness, and shall judge and sen. x 2
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