upon a wrong information given by the Tea-' cher, God is refolved to require the feduced Party's Blood at his Hand; fo no Man, that hath a Tongue in his Head to inquire, can with any Juftice excufe himself from inquiring of thefe Men, what it is that the Lord his God requires of him. And were this method followed in the case before us, and did Men ferioufly demand of them, which way to compafs an effectual Confideration of their Soul-concerns; here they might be informed and inftru&ted,and undeceived in the errors of their ways.

The Truth is, fome are so civil as to fend for us, when the Breath is going out of their Body, and give us leave to come and teach them what they must do to be faved, when the Phyfician gives them over, and they are ready to be fummoned to appear before the great Tribunal: They are contented we fhould give them an Epitome of their Duties, when they are past working in God's Vineyard; and furnish their Minds with thoughts of Heaven and Eternity, when their Understandings are as weak as their Bodies, and their inward Man as languid and feeble as their outward. But there needs no great ftore of Arguments to convince any rational Man, that this is meer mocking of God and his Messengers; it's a fign Religion is much like Phyfick to them, which they do not make ufe of but in cafes of neceffity, and when nothing else will do them good; it's a fign they have a pitiful low Efteem of another World, who think Heaven worth no more than a feeble Thought, when they can ferve the Devil

and

and Sin no longer: It's a fign they look upon Eternal Glory, as fome poor beggarly Happinefs, who cannot vouchfafe it a ferious look till their Eyes grow dim, and the Sun and the Moon and the Light and the Stars are darkned, Ecclef. 12. 2.

Would they but fend for us, or come to us, while Marrow is in their Bones, and their Blood brisk and lively in their Veins, their Reason ftrong, and their Understanding in its full Vi gour and Glory, and advise with us about these everlasting things; we would then tell them, what Eternal Life means, and how no Man can be a Man, or be faid to act with common Prudence, that doth not with all diligence make his Calling and Election fure; we would then let them fee how many Thousands perifh for want of thinking of Eternity. We would let them fee how miferable thofe Men's Condition must needs be, who have their Portion in this Life, who after this Life must look for nothing else but everlasting Chains of Darknefs; we would represent to them, that their long Life here on Earth, except it be adorned with Goodness, is but a long preparation for a longer Mifery; and that he that dies full of good Works, though at thirty Years of Age, hath lived much longer, than he that hath lived an hundred, and been a Servant of Sin and fenfual Delights; for he only lives that lives to God, the rest are dead while they live, and rather take up room, than live. We could prove to them that these are not things to be laughed at, but deserve their moft ferious contempla

tions, and that the faving of a Soul is not fo light a thing as they may imagine. We would let them fee, that the Pious Kings, and Princes, and Philofophers, Confeffors, and Saints and Martyrs of old, whofe Memories we adore, were no Fools, when they kept under their Bodies, and brought them into fubjection, left they fhould become caft-aways; when they looked upon all the loffes, and troubles, and miferies that could befal them for righteoufnefs fake, as things not worthy to be compared with the glory which e'er long fhould be revealed in them; when they did not count their own Lives dear for the Gospel of Chrift, and were ready to pass through the most daring Flames to Hea ven. We would let them fee, that thofe Men had Brains, and were Men of Wisdom and Difcretion as well as they, and living fo near the time of Christ and his Apoftles, could not poffibly be ignorant of what was to be done in order to everlasting happiness; and if they had not been very confident of the truth of Chrift's Promises, and known for certain, that without ftrictness, and contempt of the World, and watching against Temptations, there was no entring into their Mafter's Joy, they would never have ftriven fo much to enter in at the ftraight Gate as they did. We fhould let them fee, that they did rightly apprehend the Defign of Chriftianity, which was to make Men out of love with fublunary Objects, and to mind nothing fo much as the things of the Spirit: That it was not Force, but their Choice, that made them swim against the Cur

rent

rent of their fleshly Inclinations, and that what they did, was to inftruct us, how we are to inherit the Promises.

We would let them fee, how different Mens Thoughts are when they come to die, from what they have when they enjoy Strength, and Health, and Liberty; and that a melancholy Thought now and then concerning their finful Life, is not Repentance; nor leaving fuch Sins, which would blemish their Credit and Reputation in the World, doing whatsoever Chrift commands them; nor talking now and then of the Vanity of the World, forgetting what is behind them, or crucifying the World unto themfelves. We would let them fee what the Scripture means, by working out their Salvation with fear and trembling; and how dreadful that faying is, If the righteous be scarcely faved, Where will the wicked and finner appear? We would let them fee, that the Expreffions the Holy Ghoft ufes concerning our travelling to the Land of Promife, imply very great Care and Industry, and do plainly intimate, that God will not part with his Heaven to Men, that do not think it worth feeking, or being at any trouble about it. We would let them fee, that if any thing in the World deferves their Pains and Care, Heaven deferves it infinitely more, as it is of infinitely greater Confequence, than the most boundless Empires or Principalities. We would let them fee, that God is no refpecter of Perfons; and without Holinefs, Heliogabalus is regarded no more than Codrus; and Ptolomy no more than Paufon; Gyges no

more

more than Aglaus; and then, as he hath fitted Religion for all Mens Capacities, infomuch that tho' all cannot be Wife, or Learned, or Great, or Rich, yet all may obey him, and keep themselves unfpotted from the World, fo he will one day fummon every Man to give an account of his Stewardship, and bring every work into Judgment, with every fecret thing, whether it be good or evil. We would let them fee, that what fatisfies Men now, will not give them any great content or fatisfaction then, and tho' now fome fprinklings of Piety may lull them into a conceit of themfelves and of their worth, yet thefe, like blowbails, will then be all, upon the least touch, fhattered into Atoms.

By fuch Difcourfes as thefe, we might by degrees engage them into a serious Confideration of their Spiritual Concerns, and warm them into refolutions,to lay by,for fome time, the thoughts of their Baskets, and of their Store, of their Barns, and of their Fields, and ruminate on things which carry fo much Terror and Majesty with them. And indeed fuch things, were they heard without prejudice, would in fome measure confound and ítartle Men in their Courses; and, if they are not given over to a hard Heart, or to a reprobate Mind, rouze their Spirits into nobler Thoughts and Contemplations; they would difcover to them, that the love they bear to the World defiles their Souls, vitiates their Charity, hurts their Neighbours, wrongs the Almighty, captivates their Minds, and will most certainly deceive them in the end; and that therefore they had better change the Object