ftruction, and art thou not afraid? Doft thou fee a Crucified Jefus ftretching forth his Arms to embrace thee, and doft thou feel no warmth, no heat, no zeal, no affection? Doft thou fee the great burning Lake before thee, and dost not thou quake and tremble? Doft thou fee the Revenger of Blood upon thy heels, and wilt not thou run into the City of Refuge? Dolt thou fee the Angel of the Lord preparing to rain down Fire and Brimstone on thee, and wilt thou not save thy self in Zoar? Why shouldst thou stay till the Door of Grace be shut? Why shouldst thou tarry till all the Oyl in thy Lamp be fpent? Why shouldst thou fold thy Arms till Death takes the Fort, and leaves thee in no poffibility of Mercy? Why shouldst thou stand still, till the Enemy lays thy Confcience waste? Why fhouldst thou fleep, till all the Field be overrun with Weeds? Why shouldst thou be idle till the Eleventh hour is paft? Run, run for thy life There is danger near; The Enemy is at hand; The Fort is like to be taken; The Cittadel is almost loft; Thou art almost at the last gasp: Look up, Doft not thou fee thy Saviour fly down from Heaven to lay hold of thee, and wilt not thou make hafte and meet him? Behold the Bridegroom comes, and wilt not thou bid him welcome? Doft not thou fee how the Martyrs, how the Primitive Chriftians fly to Heaven, and wilt thou stay behind? Doft not thou fee, how contented they are, under Tryals of cruel Mockings and Scourgings, yea moreover

of

of Bonds and Imprisonments? Dost not thou fee, how they refufe not to be stoned, to be fawn afunder, to be tempted, to be flain with the Sword, and all that they may obtain a better Refurrection? Doft not thou fee how they croud in at the Gate, and wilt thou not fee what they are doing there? Doft thou think they were all out of their wits, to break thus refolutely through all clogs and obstacles into Glory? If they were not wife men, why do we celebrate their memories? and if they were wife, wilt not thou learn wisdom of them? If they were Fools, why do we commend them? Why do we write Panegyricks to their Names? Why do we admire them? Why do we wish, that we might be as happy as they? if they were not, why wilt thou not be a Follower of them? Doft thou see them concern'd, and can't thou ftand like a Statue? Doft thou fee with what life, and zeal they fall on, and art thou fenilefs? Doft thou fee them bufie and inquifitive, and active about God's Kingdom, and can they inspire no industry into thee? Doft thou see how they prize and value the incorruptible Crown, and is all too little to perfwade thee into a practical esteem of it? What hinders thee? What is it ftops thy progrefs? Art thou still in love with that which will undo thee? Why should Father and Mother, Wife and Children, Brethren and Sisters, Lands and Houses, make thee lose a Crown? Hath God's favour no temptation? Is there no charm in his love? Hath Heaven

no

no beauty? If thou must be miferable, hadst thou not better be fo here, than hereafter? Shall the prefent food flatter thee into eternal hunger? And because the Tree is pleasant to the eye, wilt thou prepare for being expell'd out of Paradise for ever? Will a few pleafant Cups counterballance thy everlasting Thirst? Wilt thou venture an everlasting Storm, for a prefent Calm? and run the hazard of an endlets Tempeft, for a few months Recreation? Behold how Mofes runs away from the World to be faved, and wilt thou plunge thy felf into that dangerous Sea? Behold how Elijah, Elisha, and St John the Baptift retire into the Wilderness, that their eyes may not behold these fublunary vanities, and doft thou long to be in the Croud which wifer men defire to be rid of? Good Lord! Whom do I intend to please, God or the Devil? God I cannot please by it, for he calls to me, Come out from among them, my people, and be ye Separate, and touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you, and fhall I gratifie the Devil then? O Wretch that I am! the Devil was ne ver crucified for me, never fpilt one drop of bloud for me, never endured agonies for me; he never wore a Crown of Thorns for me, he never tafted of the fhameful death of the Cros for me, and shall I fly into his arms? How of ten hath he disappointed me in my hopes and defires, and fhall I fawn upon the Enemy? Lay force upon his Kingdom of darkness, in defpight of all the Bars and Bolts, and Guards which

the

the great King of Heaven puts between me and damnation? I have been abused and cheated by fin these many years, and fhall I be cheated ftill? Does not my blood rife at the very thoughts of it? I that will not be cheated in my Trade or Dealings with men, fhall I fuffer my felf to be impos'd upon by a lying Devil? And when I study how to be revenged on him, that hath fold me a Pebble for a Pearl, a Bristol-Stone for a Diamond, and endeavour to prevent the like deception for the time to come; fhall I, in thefe great concerns of my Soul, where the Cheat is fo apparent, where to discover it, Ineed do no more but open my eyes, where God and his holy Angels, and all the Ministers of the Gospel affure me of the fallacy, where the Cheat is of that dangerous confequence too, and borders upon eternal damnation; fhall I be fo difgenerous, fo base, low-fpirited, as to fuffer my felf to be thus grofly abused and deceived? A Child will not he cheated of his Puppets, a Beast will not be cheated of his Meat, a Dog will not be cheated of his Bone, and fhall I alone be the fport of Devils?? A Creature to whom God hath given Dominion over the Fish of the Sea, and over the Fowls of the Air, and over every thing that moveth upon the Earth? O Monster! Why fo cruel to my own Soul? Why fo barbarous to my immortal part? Why fo inhumane to my fpiritual intereft? Why so mad to run into the fire? Why fuch an Enemy to my own good? Have not I Enemies enough,

but

but I must make my self my greatest Foe? Shall I joyn with that roaring Lyon, and teach him how to devour me? Shall I give him advantages against my felf, firft let him deceive me, and then laugh at me? first let him feduce me into the Net, and then punish me for being taken? I believe my Children, if they tell me, that they have feen fuch a houfe on fire; and believe my Neighbours, if they affure me there are Thieves broke into my houfe; and believe a Physician, who affirms, That such a Powder or Herb is perfect Poyfon; and fhall not I believe that God, who hath prepar'd and fore-ordain'd these everlasting burnings I hear and read of, and must needs know the terrour of them? Shall not I believe him, when he tells me, and protefts upon the word of a God, that if I do not betake my felf betimes to another course of Life, I fhall affuredly fall a Prey to those endless burnings? Say not, falfe heart, how fhall I be fure God hath faid fo. Either profefs thy felf no Christian, or confess it. Haft thou lived fo long under the found of the Gospel, and dar'st thou harbour such a thought? I believe a Servant, that tells me, That fuch a Man is like to run away with the Goods I have intrusted him with; and I believe a Stranger, that gives me warning not to be familiar with a certain fort of Perfons in the Countrey I am going to; and I believe a Traveller, that tells me, that in fuch an Ifland there are Mountains of Fire, and Mines of Sulphur burning continually: