A supplement to The Morning-exercise at Cripple-Gate, or, Several more cases of conscience practically…

MOTIVE III.

3. Consider, You have but a little time before you for the performance of this trust. You and your Families shall live together but a while, and if once you are parted by death, it will be too late, whether you die first, or some of them.¹

1. 1[Greek or Hebrew] Theoc. S•es est in vivis, non est spes ulla sepulti•.〈non-Latin alphabet〉 Theoc. S•es est in vivis, non est spes ulla sepulti•.

1. Suppose some of them dye before you, if your Conscience be not feared, and your hearts past feeling, will you not be almost distracted, when you follow them to their Graves, to reflect and consider, here is one dead out of my house with whom I never prayed; we did dwell together, ⟨p. 347⟩and eat together, and work together many years, but we never prayed together: Oh! what if his Soul be gone to Hell through my neglect? What if he be damned, and I be found guilty of his damnation? Prayer was a means appointed by God to have done him good, but I did not do it; who knows, if I had called him to Prayer, and I had been confessing sin, but God might have broke his heart for sin, and given him repentance, of which I saw no sign before he died? And now, Oh! what now, if there be one Soul the less in my house, and one the more in Hell? Oh! this is that which wounds my Soul, this is that for which my Conscience now doth sting me, that when I had him with me, I did not do my duty, and now he is gone, he is gone, and now it is too late: O my child, my child, whither art thou gone? whither art thou gone? O that he may live with me again, were it but for a year or two, a month or two, that we might do together our before neglected duty! If you be wise, timely prevent such uncomfortable reviews.