mediately, man, and let it be done, that I may see thy face in rest among the saints. The Lord persuade thy heart to strike this covenant without any longer delay: but if thou be hardened unto death, and there be no remedy, yet do not say another day, but that thou wast faithfully warned, and that thou hast a friend that would fain have prevented thy damnation.

CHAP. V.

The second Use, reprehending the general Neglect of this Rest, and exciting to Diligence in seeking it.

SECT. I. I come now to the second use which I shall raise from this doctrine of rest. rest for the saints, why is after it in the world?

If there be so certain and glorious there no more industrious seeking One would think that a man that did but once hear of such unspeakable glory to be obtained, and did believe what he heareth to be true, should be transported with the vehemency of his desires after it, and should almost forget to eat or drink, and should mind and care for nothing else, and speak of and inquire after nothing else, but how to get assurance and possession of this treasure!1

And yet

people who hear it daily, and profess to believe it undoubted, as a fundamental article of their faith, do as little mind it, or care, or labour for it, and as much forget and disregard it, as if they had never heard of any such thing, or did not believe one word that they hear. And as a man that comes into America, and sees the natives regard more a piece of glass, or an old knife, than a piece of gold, may think, Surely these people never heard of the worth of gold, or else they would not exchange it for toys; so a man that looked only upon the lives of most men, and did not hear their contrary confessions, would think either these men never heard of heaven, or else they never heard of its excellency and glory: when, alas! they hear of it till they are weary of hearing; and it is offered to them so commonly, that they are tired with the tidings, and cry out as the Israelites, "Our soul is dried away, because there is nothing but this manna before our eyes." (Numb. xi. 6.) And as the Indians, who live among the golden mines, do little regard it, but are

1 Otiositas iu Dei servitio est vorago, subtilius devorans otiantem.—Wickliff. Trialog. lib. iii. c. 16. fol. 71.

weary of the daily toil of getting it, when other nations will compass the world, and venture their lives, and sail through storms and waves to get it: so we that live where the Gospel groweth, where heaven is urged upon us at our doors, and the manna falls upon our tents, do little regard it, and wish these mines of gold were further from us, that we might not be put upon the toil of getting it, when some that want it, would be glad of it upon harder terms. Surely, though the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting, be the last article in their creed, it is not the least, nor therefore put last, that it should be last in their desires and endeavours.

Sect. II. I shall apply this reproof more particularly yet to four several sorts of men. First, To the carnal, worldly-minded man, who is so taken up in seeking the things below, that he hath neither heart nor time to seek this rest.

66

May I not well say to these men, as Paul to the Galatians, in another case, Foolish sinners! who hath bewitched you?" It is not for nothing that divines use to call the world a witch; for, as in witchcraft men's lives, senses, goods, or cattle, are destroyed by a strange, secret, unseen power of the devil, of which a man can give no natural reason; so here, men will destroy their own souls in a way quite against their own knowledge; and as witches will make a man dance naked, or do the most unseemly, unreasonable actions; so the world doth bewitch men into brute beasts, and draw them some degrees beyond madness. Would not any man wonder, that is in his right wit, and hath but the spiritual use of reason, to see what riding and running, what scrambling and catching, there is for a thing of nought, while eternal rest lies by neglected! What contriving and caring, what fighting and bloodshed, to get a step higher in the world than their brethren, while they neglect the kingly

m Sic errant aliqui, et in tantam oblivionem et spiritualem phrenesin devenerunt, ut tanquam mortui à corde, omnem insumunt operam suam circa carnem ; sic intendentes tabernaculo suo ac si nunquam putent esse casurum. Veruntamen cadat necesse est, atque id quidem in brevi. Annon seipsos nescire videntur, qui sic dediti sunt carni et sanguini, ac si omnino nihil aliud quam carnem solam se esse reputent. Sic in vano accipientes animas suas, tanquam prorsus ignorent animas se habere?-Bern. Serm. 137. Consider, man, thy own nobility; that thou art called to a kingly dignity, a chosen nation, a holy priesthood. For the mystery of Christianity is strange from this world. The conspicuous glory of a king, and riches, are earthly things, corruptible, transitory, and perishing; but that kingdom and riches, are things divine, celestial, and glorious, which shall never perish, never be dissolved for they reign with the heavenly King in the heavenly church; he is the first-begotten from the dead, and they also are the first-begotten.

dignity of the saints! What insatiable pursuit of fleshly pleasures, whilst they look upon the praises of God, which is the joy of angels, as a tiring burden! What unwearied diligence is there in raising their posterity, in enlarging their possessions, in gathering a little silver or gold; yea, perhaps for a poor living from hand to mouth, while, in the meantime, their judgment is drawing near; and yet how it shall go with them then, or how they shall live eternally, did never put them to the trouble of one hour's sober consideration." What rising early, and sitting up late, and labouring and caring, year after year, to maintain themselves and their children in credit till they die; but what shall follow after, that they never think on, as if it were only their work to provide for their bodies, and only God's work to provide for their souls; whereas, God hath promised more to provide for their bodies, without their care, than for their souls, though indeed they must painfully serve his providence for both; and yet these men cry to us, May not a man be saved without so much ado?' And may we not say, with more reason to them, 'May not a man have a little air on earth, a little credit or wealth, without so much ado?' or, at least, 'May not a man have enough to bring him to his grave without so much ado?' How early do they rouse up their servants to their labour! Up, come away to work, we have this to do, and that to do;' but how seldom do they call them, ' Up, you have your souls to look to, you have everlasting life to provide for ; up to prayer, to the reading of the Scripture.' Alas, how rare is this language! what a gadding up and down the world is here, like a company of ants upon a hillock, taking incessant pains to gather a treasure, which death, as the next passenger that comes by, will spurn abroad, as if it were such an excellent thing to die in the midst of wealth and honours! or, as if it would be such a comfort to a man at death, or in another world, to think that he was a lord, or a knight, or a gentleman, or a rich man on earth! For my part, whatever these men may profess or say to the contrary, I cannot but strongly suspect that, in heart, they are flat pagans, and do not believe that there is an eternal glory or misery, nor what the Scripture speaks of the way of obtaining it; or, at least, that they do but

n Macarius Homil. xxvii. Curas et cupiditates nostras, quæ nostrum non opprimunt, sed obruunt gaudium, novis curis et votis tueri et alleviare stude

mus.

Nil aliud facimus quam integrum onus pristinum retinere, et pondera nobis nova imponere.-Niremb, de Arte Volunt, lib. ii. c. 7. p. 112.

a little believe it, by the halves, and therefore think to make sure of earth, lest there be no such thing as heaven to be had; and to hold fast that which they have in hand, lest if they let go that, in hope of better in another world, they should play the fools, and lose all. I fear, though the christian faith be in their mouths, lest that this be the faith which is next their hearts; or else the lust of their senses doth overcome and suspend their reason, and prevail with their wills against the last practical conclusion of their understanding. What is the excellency of this earth, that it hath so many suitors and admirers what hath this world done for its lovers and friends, that it is so eagerly followed, and painfully sought after, while Christ and heaven stand by, and few regard them; or, what will the world do for them for the time to come? The common entrance into it, is through anguish and sorrow. The passage through it, is with continual care, and labour, and grief. The passage out of it, is with the greatest sharpness and sadness of all. What, then, doth cause men so much to follow and affect it? O sinful, unreasonable, bewitched men! will mirth and pleasure stick close to you; will gold and worldly glory prove fast friends to you in the time of your greatest need; will they hear your cries in the day of your calamity? If a man should say to you at the hour of your death, as Elias did to Baal's priests, "Cry aloud," &c. Oh, riches, or honour, now help us! will they either answer, or relieve you; will they go along with you to another world, and bribe the Judge, and bring you off clear; or purchase you a room among the blessed? Why then did so rich a man want a drop of water for his tongue; or are the sweet morsels of present delight and honour, of more worth than the eternal rest: and will they recompense the loss of that enduring treasure; can there be the least hope of any of these: why, what then is the matter; is it only a room for our dead bodies, that we are so much beholden to the world for? why, this is the last and longest courtesy that we shall receive from it. But we shall have this, whether we serve it or not; and even that homely, dusty dwelling, it will not afford us always neither it shall possess our dust, but till the great resurrection day. Why, how then doth the world deserve so well at men's

:

• Yet Christ's saying, that it is as hard for a rich man to be saved as a camel to go through the eye of a needle, is not to be understood literally, it being a proverb which the Jews used of a thing very difficult. Vide Christoph. Cart wright, in Præfat. ante Annotat, in Gen.'

hands, that they should part with Christ and their salvation to be its followers? Ah, vile, deceitful world! how oft have we heard thy most faithful servants at last complaining, 'Oh, the world hath deceived me, and undone me! it flattered me in my prosperity, but now it turns me off at death in my necessity! Ah, if I had as faithfully served Christ, as I have served it, he would not thus have cast me off, nor have left me thus comfortless and hopeless in the depth of misery! Thus do the dearest friends and favourites of the world complain at last of its deceit, or rather of their own self-deluding folly, and yet succeeding sinners will take no warning. So this is the first sort of neglecters of heaven which fall under this reproof.

Sect. III. 2. The second sort here to be reproved are, the profane, P ungodly, presumptuous multitude, who will not be persuaded to be at so much pains for salvation as to perform the common, outward duties of religion: yea, though they are convinced that these duties are commanded by God, and see it before their eyes in the Scripture, yet will they not be brought to the constant practice of them. If they have the Gospel preached in the town where they dwell, it may be they will give the hearing to it one part of the day, and stay at home the other; or if the master come to the congregation, yet part of his family must stay at home. If they want the plain and powerful preaching of the Gospel, how few are they in a whole town that will either be at cost or pains to procure a minister, or travel a mile or two to hear abroad, though they will go many miles to the market for provisions for their bodies! The Queen of the South shall rise up in judgment with this generation, and condemn them; for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold a greater than Solomon doth, by his messengers, preach to them. The king of Nineveh shall rise up in judgment with them, and shall condemn them, for he repented at the preaching of Jonas; but when Jesus Christ sendeth his ambassadors to these men, they will scarcely go to hear them. (Matt. xii. 41, 42.) And though they know that the Scripture is the very law of God, by which they must live,

P Utinam et nos assequamur sanitatem qui dissoluti sumus et ad omne bonum opus immobiles; neque habemus hominem, hoc est, humanam rationem, utpote comparati cum jumentis, ut portet nos in piscinam pœnitentiæ lachrymarum in quam qui primus ingreditur, sanatur. Nam qui pœnitentiam differt in tempora posteriora, non festinat hic pœnitere; qui procras tinat, non assequitur sanitatem. Primus igitur festina ingredi, ne mors te præoccupet.-Theophylact, in Joan. c, 5.