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they would not toil for their eafe and pleasures of
fin, which are but for a moment; nor would they
envy the rich gluttons, but rather the poor La-
zarus's, that are defpicable in the eyes of all. Fret
not, when you fee the wicked profper; nor value
poverty, fhame, and contempt; fince the only ex
cellent ones, of whom the world was not worthy,
wandered about in sheep fkins, and goat-fkins;
being deftitute, afflicted, and tormented and the
honourable apoftles, and followers of the Lamb,
were accounted the off scourings of all things. O
if the faints would take time, fit down and confi.
der these things! they would find it fweet to be
conformed, in fufferings, to their Lord, who was
a man of forrows, and acquainted with grief; that
they might alfo be conformed to him in glory. I
fear earthly-mindednefs may be your predomi
nant; therefore frive most against it for how
can one fet their heart upon trafh, and earnestly
defire it, and heaven alfo? I perfuade you, the
only way to have as much of the world, as is ne
ceffary and good for you, is to commit your
temporal lot wholly to Chrift, without the leaft
refervation: this is beft; for nothing can be
committed to him, and go wrong: try him, and
if you do not find, that he will carry you bravely
through, fo that you fhall lack nothing that is
good for you, then call him a liar: yet never any
of the faints could fay, he failed them in a jot
of what he promised them. And how
great are his
promises! as you will find in fcripture: they are
all comprehended in this, The Lord is a fun and
fhield, he will give grace and glory and no
good
thing will he withhold from them that love him,
and walk uprightly. Truft all to him; for whe
ther should you tutor yourfelf, or he? Which

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of you is wifeft? Caft all upon him, to the leaft bit of bread; and ye fhall find a great eafe. They are miferable, who must care for themselves, and what concerns them, and have not a God to run to, on whom they may lay themselves and all. their burdens. O learn to trust in God for all things, temporal and eternal: it is an hid mystery to many faints, in many things, especially, to trust against fenfe, to hope against hope; when there is no human probability, then to rely upon the bare word of him who is true, is a difficulty; where his providence feems to contradict his promifes, or to make his promife a liar. But will you truft him for heaven, and not for a moment of time? think you he will with-hold journey bread, if you be a traveller to the higher Canaan ? It were a great abfurdity, to command any to go a journey, and not to give what is neceffary for it. Go on to heaven, hold your face still thither ward, and Christ will still be fupplying all your wants: indeed he will not fatisfy your carnal difpofition, nor give you more than a pilgrim needs; fo that you fhould forget the race fet before you, by being intangled with a number of fuperfluities. I would fay more, if breath and ftrength would permit you know not what a world you are into; it is full of fnares and difficulties. You will find it hard to keep clean garments, unless you commit yourself unto him, who can carry you, as with eagles wings; and ftrengthen and fupport you, when you are ready to fall. Though you should be the precifeft of all round about you, you will find all little cnough when you come to death: O death is a weighty bufinefs! You have fcarce time to prepare for it all our time is little enough for preparation; though we should cut ourfelves fhort of our Bb3 indifferent

indifferent earthly exercifes. What need had we then to beware to pafs our time vainly? It is precious, every moment of it, having a relation to c ternity. O eternity! eternity! get fome fight of it, and your thoughts fhall be wonderfully chan ged: for I tell you, could you get a glimpse of that maffy thing, called eternity, all the things in time should be no more in your eyes, than a childifh toy, in the eyes of a man. Even the world decked in its beft robes, feems fuch a poor thing to me, that I would not be at the pains to ftretch out my hand, if I had it for the taking up; and fuch will it feem ere long to many. Worldlings are but beafts; and the richest and most flourish. ing of them, could you fee them with my eyes, are but mean dunghill-worms; their meditations cannot flee over time. Then look upon the world as mad, they know not what they are doing; they value only time, and yet they know not how to get it paffed away. Be a great reader of the fcrip tures; for there fhall you find inftruction, to make you wife to falvation; and thereby you may guide your steps warily, in an evil time; there fhall you find threatenings to roufe you up; and promises to comfort and sustain you in the faddeft of con ditions. Reverence the ordinances adminiftered by faithful paftors; for they are the ambaffaders of the Lord, our King: but abhor false prophets, which lead men into deftruction. Alas! that there fhould be any of Christ's servants, who give an ill example to these that are fimple, counselling them, by their practice, to follow thieves and robbers; whofe voice Christ's heep will not hear. Set, at least, three times a day apart for prayer; for when we neglect that, our hearts are cold all the day long and then we are easily fnared with any temptation

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we meet with. Sometimes meditate, and confider yourself and others;, that fo you may not go on in your journey, like the world, who never ponder their way, but are led to deftruction by their earthly defires, rufhing into it, as horfes to the battle. What have you to do here but to mind falvation? Confider this; for death will strip you' naked of all things here; but choose the one thing neceffary, that shall never be taken away. Remember then, that all things here are fubordinate to falvation our time is fhort and uncertain, we Ace away. Death will be upon you ere you be aware; it furprifeth alike all forts of ages, young and old: choose you, whether you will have death fweet or bitter. For my part, I fear not death; my Lord hath faid to me, Son, be of good cheer, thy fins are forgiven thee. O who would not go hence if it were but to ftand at one of the gates of the golden city, and fee the Lord, with all the ranfomed ones, the noble company of priests and -kings, ftanding round about the Lamb, crowned with honour and glory? One hour of heaven, yea, one fight of the face of the Ancient of days, would do more than make up all the bitter afflictions I have swimmed through in time: nay, I think the very forethoughts of glory, do already fwallow up all the impreffions of the tribulations of time that have seized on me: they are nothing now; they are gone, and shall never return again; yea, they are as if they had not been. This fhall be matter of high praises, through endless eternity, for evermore. O valt eternity! but O filly time! no wonder Paul faid, We look not at the things that are Jeen, but the things that are not feen; for the things that are feen, are temporal, but the things that are not feen, are eternal; the things that are

feep,

seen, were not from eternity, neither fhall they be to eternity. O then overlook them: clofe your eyes, as it were, upon them, and you shall fee ftrange fights, which fhall make your course to glory fwift and cheerful. O what think you of Chrift? Is there any like him? is there any but he? If you have him, you have all things: his worth cannot be told. What think you of it, to be faved from everlasting burnings? What think you of it, that finful wretched we, fhould be as happy as can be? even eternally and unconcei vably happy! and all this purchafed by the death and blood of our kindest Lord Jefus? O who would not love fuch an one? Surely, it is impoffible to know him any way aright, and not to love him; he is the ravishment of men and angels. Increated glory fhines through the vail of his human nature; we cannot enjoy God more sweetly, familiarly, and fully, than through him: he is the bleffed Dayfman betwixt God and man; the man Christ Jefus him I wish I could declare evermore; but my laft words, though they were fewer, may have a ftrong impreffion upon you: rud faft, lose not the crown; heaven is well worth an inch of time's running. Crofs corrupt nature's difpofition; as you fow, fo fhall you reap; and confider, that death will teach you, that all that you do is fruitlefs, which tends not to the great falvation all other mercies are not worth, in comparison of this great falvation; and a short time will spend them ail: but it fhall endure for evermore. O but the news of heaven, fuch a fweet heaven to weary pilgrims, fuch a ravishing páradife, to thefe that are in this fmoky dunghill; I fay, they are the greateft news that can be! and his whispered in your ears, Run, for you fball have

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