The way to true happiness in a serious treatise /

Oh study thy misery, till thy heart do cry out for Christ, as earnestly, as ever a drowning man did for a boat, or the wounded for a Chirurgeon. Men must come to see the danger, and feel the smart of their deadly sores and sickness, or else Christ will be to them a Physician of no value, Mat. 9. 12. Then the manslayer hastens to the City of refuge, when pursued by the avenger of blood. Men must be even forced, and fired out of themselves, or else they will not come to Christ. 'Twas distress and extremity, that made the Prodigal think of returning, Luke 15. 16, 17. While Laodicea thinks her self rich, increased in goods, in need of nothing, there is little hope. She must be deeply convinced of her wretchedness, blindness, poverty, nakedness, before she will come to Christ for his Gold, raiment, eyesalve, Rev. 3. 17, 18. Therefore hold the eyes of conscience open, amplify thy misery, as much as possible. Do not fly the sight of it, for ⟨p. 147⟩fear it should fill thee with terror. The sense of thy misery is but as it were the suppuration of the wound, which is necessary to the cure. Better fear the torments that abide thee now, than feel them hereafter.

Oh study thy misery, till thy heart do cry out for Christ, as earnestly, as ever a drowning man did for a boat, or the wounded for a Chirurgeon. Men must come to see the danger, and feel the smart of their deadly sores and sickness, or else Christ will be to them a Physician of no value, Mat. 9. 12. Then the manslayer hastens to the City of r•fuge, when pursued by the avenger of blood. Men must be even forced, and fired out of themselves, or else they will not come to Christ. 'Twas distress and extremity, that made the Prodigal think of returning, Luke 15. 16, 17. While Laodicea thinks her self rich, increased in goods, in need of nothing, there is little hope. She must be deeply convinced of her wretchedness, blindness, poverty, nakedness, before she will come to Christ for his Gold, raiment, eyesalve,