Well, seeing God hath brought this point to our hands this day, let me but prevail with you so far, as to set some time apart the following week, where you may enter into a serious consideration of eternity, the very thinking of it, will be of great moment to you; for look what the object is, such is the soul, about which it is conversant; high objects lift up the soul to the Lord, and make the mind answerable to them, and low objects make the mind like to them. Now eternity is an high object, and it will work in men high minds; and hence it is, for the want of this consideration, that when a man comes to die, and sees eternity before him, how it doth then so amaze the soul of man? I have seen it by experience: I knew one who said, If it were but for a thousand years, I could bear it, but seeing it is to eternity, this amazeth me. Behold, if you would consider, that after many thousands of years are past, yet you are to begin as at the first; if men did consider this seriously, would they let their eternal estate depend so upon uncertainties. And let them consider this, that are yet strangers to the life of God, that if death should come, they should ⟨p. 166⟩not escape eternal death: it is good to keep our thoughts upon this, and it would make us not to hasten after the things of the world, as we do; and for thy sin thou dotest on so, there are three things to be considered in it: First, the pleasure of it; is as the speckled skin of the Serpent: Secondly, the sting of sin: and thirdly, the eternity of that sting. Now look not thou upon the pleasure of sin, that endures but for a season, but consider the hurt that comes from sin, and then consider the eternity of it: a candle in a dark night makes a great show, but when the Sun comes, it vanisheth, and is nothing; so would all these things that we do so affect now, if they come before eternity in our thoughts: it is great wisdom in this kind to husband our thoughts well, 1 Cor. 7.29, 30, 31.1 Use this world, as not using it, for the fashion of this world passeth away: that is, mind them not much, be not much affected with them, one way or other, either in joy or grief, let them be such as if they were not; for why? they are temporal things, passing things, things that continue not:
Well, seeing God hath brought this point to our hands this day, let me but prevaile with you so farre, as to set some time apart the following weeke, where you may enter into a serious consideration of eternitie, the very thinking of it, will be of great moment to you; for looke what the object is, such is the soule, about which it is conversant; high objects lift up the soule to the Lord, and make the minde answerable to them, and low objects make the minde like to them. Now eternitie is an high object, and it will worke in men high mindes; and hence it is, for the want of this consideration, that when a man comes to die, and sees eternitie before him, how it doth then so amaze the soule of man? I have seene it by experience: I knew one who said, If it were but for a thousand yeares, I could beare it, but seeing it is to eternitie, this amazeth me. Behold, if you would consider, that after many thousands of yeares are past, yet you are to begin as at the first; if men did consider this seriously, would they let their eternall estate depend so upon uncertainties. And let them consider this, that are yet strangers to the life of God, that if death should come, they should ⟨p. 166⟩not escape eternall death: it is good to keepe our thoughts upon this, and it would make us not to hasten after the things of the world, as we doe; and for thy sinne thou dotest on so, there are three things to be considered in it: First, the pleasure of it; is as the speckled skin of the Serpent: Secondly, the sting of sinne: and thirdly, the eternity of that sting. Now looke not thou upon the pleasure of sinne, that endures but for a season, but consider the hurt that comes from sinne, and then consider the eternity of it: a candle in a darke night makes a great shew, but when the Sunne comes, it vanisheth, and is nothing; so would all these things that wee doe so affect now, if they come before eternity in our thoughts: it is great wisdome in this kinde to husband our thoughts well, 1 Cor. 7.29, 30, 31.1 Vse this world, as not using it, for the fashion of this world passeth away: that is, minde them not much, be not much affected with them, one way or other, either in joy or griefe, let them be such as if they were not; for why? they are temporall things, passing things, things that continue not:
- 11 Cor. 7.29, 30, 31.
