my endeavours, and muft my Soul be starved ? I have a Soul that cannot dye, and must not dye, and must shortly appear before God's Tribunal, and shall not I ftudy its fafety and happiness as much as I am able? Lord God! should Death arrest me before I have made my Calling and Election fure, how fearful, how wretched would my condition be? Should it fall to my share to howl in outward darkness, how fhould I curfe the day when first I saw the Light? How should I cry out, Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was faid, There is a Man-Child conceived; let that day be darkness, let not God regard it from above, neither let the Light Shine upon it. Let Darkness and the fhadow of Death ftain it. Let a Cloud dwell upon it. Let the blackness of the day terrifie it. Should those Tortures the Damned feel be inflicted upon me, how fhould I wish that I had liv'd all my days in Deserts and Wildernesses, and fpent my whole time in praying and praifing of God, and given all my Goods to the Poor, and liv'd upon Bread and Water, and undergone the greatest hardships and feverities; out pray'd a Saint, and outfafted a Hermit, rather than ventur'd my foul in fo flight a bottom, as worldly-mindedness muft neceffarily be. Oh! how fhould I wish, that like the Gadarenes Hogs, I had leap'd into the Sea rather, than run into excess of Riot, and precipitated my felf into boyling Caldrons, rather than into the Adulterous Bed, receiv'd burning Coals into my Bofome,

Lufts into my

fome, rather than Partners of my arms, and broiled in flames fooner, than in the unhallowed Paffions, that have brought down Fire and Brimstone on my Folly! Should that burning Lake be my habitation for ever, O how I fhould imprecate all my merry Companions that did allure me to run with them into Folly and Vanity! O how I fhould wish that my Eyes had never seen them; that my Ears had never heard their names; that my tongue had been torn into a thoufand pieces, when first it entertain❜d Difcourfe with them; that my Arms had been cut off, when they embrac'd those pleafures, which like Syrens cheat men into misery and calamity! O how I fhould curfe the place where my Sins were committed, the persons that occafion'd them, the hour that ever I thought of them! O how I fhould with that I had improv'd those opportunities I do now make light of, and believed Mofes and the Prophets that gave me warning, and turn'd to God, while the doors of Grace ftood open, and applied my felf to the Ministers of the Gospel, and taken directions from them what I must do to be fav'd ! How should the poffibility of fuch mifery fright and terrifie me into watchfulness and seriousness? Is not Eternity more to me, than a moment of time? Can that Gold and Silver I enjoy, and do fo much prize and adore, be any motive to the great Judge of Life and Death to absolve me? Can the pleasures of Sin be antidotes against Sin? or my Jollities procure a Pardon in that day, when God fhall Judge men according to

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the Gospel? What makes me thus stupid, that Ifhould forego the Milk and Honey of Canaan, for the pitiful Garlicks and Onions of Egypt? Doth God promife me Purple Robes, and fhall I take up with courfe, and ill wrought Stuff? Doth God offer me a Royal Seat, and thall I prefer a Shepherd's Tent before it? What Devil doth poffefs me, that I fhould prefer Dancing and Revelling for a few hours, before endless joy? Where is my reafon? What's become of my understanding? Am I bewitch'd, befotted, beguil'd, that I should believe a few flattering motions of Flesh and Blood, before all the Oracles and Infpirations of the Holy Ghost? Are there fuch things or no? I do believe there are, why then am I not more affected with them? Can there be any thing more reasonable than Chrift's Precepts? What is there in them that fhould difcourage me? If God had commanded feverer Tasks, is not Heaven recompence enough? If the Prophet had bid me do fome great thing, would not I have done it, how much rather then, when he faith unto me, Wash and be clean ? I that forbear the greatest Delicacies, shun the choiceft Dainties, will not be tempted to eat of the most palatable Dish, when I am fenfible it will bring upon me the pain either of Colick or Strangury; Nay, I that lying under a raging painful Distemper, wish my felf a Beggar, or the poorest Body alive, and would be content toftoop to the meaneft Offices, fo I might be but freed from the Malady which torments me :

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Can I fcruple to obey these Laws, when it is to avoid an eternity of pain and flames? Was not Dives as ftubborn as I can be? and, have not I reason to believe, if he were on Earth again, he would think the Law of Charity the easiest, and the reasonableft Law imaginable? Have not I reason to believe he would go beyond Zachaus, leave himself but juft enough to live on, and study how to do good with the reft? Have not I reason to believe, that the Laws of Chrift would feem very facile and practicable to him? Can I think he would fay, Alittle more fleep, and a little more flumber, and delay his obedience? He that hath felt the mifery of another World, would think nothing too good, nothing too dear, nothing too coftly, to facrifice to him who is the King immortal, invisible, bleffed for evermore. O how glad would he be, that God would accept of it! That God would fmell the sweet favour, and caft a gracious look upon it! God that gave me thefe Laws, and hath entail'd everlasting blifs on my fincere obedience, certainly knew best what was fit and expedient for me; and he that is acquainted with my fitting down, and mine uprifing, and had a hand in my frame, can I think he would prescribe me any thing prejudicial to my happiness? These Precepts, as they are effects of the greatest wisdom, fo they cannot but be highly beneficial, and promote my Spiritual intereft, for they drop from a God that's infinitely good, as well as infinitely wife; so that not to submit to them, is, not only to ftand in my own light, and to hinder

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hinder my Soul from its proper food and nourifhment, but to make my felf wiser than the Almighty, and to extol my reafon above his Omnifcience, and to accufe his immenfe Wif dom of rashness and folly? and, Shall I add blafphemy to my difobedience? Am I afraid God is not enrag'd enough against me, or that his Anger is not red enough? Shall I throw Brimftone into the flame, to make that confuming fire more terrible? Is it fuch a pleasure to have God my Foe? Is it fuch a fatisfaction to have him, that can destroy both Soul and Body into Hell, for my Adverfary? Such Labyrinths, fuch Inconveniences do I caft my felf into by my finful life; and, Are thefe encouragements to continue in it? Is this the Wedding Garment I may triumph in? Shall I fing in Chains, rejoice in Fetters, glory in my Shackles, be proud of the Devil's Service, boast of my Slavery? When is it that I intend to be clean? Shall I delay it one moment longer, that know not but I may be in Hell before the Clock doth strike again? Dull blockish heart, What doft thou mean? Doft thou see, how all these outward things do fade, and leave the Owners miferable, and wilt thou take no warning? Doft thou fee, how Judas droops, though his Purfe be full of Money, and Cain trembles, though he is Master of a spacious Country? Doft not thou see how their hearts fail them for fear, because they have not made God their Friend? Look down into the fatal Gulph, Doft thon ftand upon the Brink of deftruction,