The four last things viz. death, judgment, heaven, hell, practically considered and applied in…

It is the worst Perdition to secure our selves by the neglect of our Duty, when we ought to perish for the Glory of our Saviour. He that saves his Life shall lose it.

2. Shame wounds deeper the Breasts of some than Violence. Zedekiah would rather expose his Kingdom and Life to the Fury of the Chaldean Armies, than be himself exposed as an Object of Derision by surrendering it. And Satan who understands the temper of Mens Spirits, suits his Temptations accordingly. The Purity and Holiness of Religion, expressed in the Actions of the Saints, is by the scurrilous ⟨p. 257⟩Reflections and bitter Sarcasms of profane Persons made contemptible. This is as foolish and malicious, as if a Slave should reproach the Son of a King, that he was like his Father in his Countenance and Actions; for by how much the resemblance of God's Holiness appears with more evidence and eminence in their Lives, their Divine Relation is more certainly and justly to be acknowledged. Yet how many are ashamed of this Glory? And Zeal to vindicate the Honour of Religion is traduced and vilified, either as the Effect of designing Faction, or of the Indiscretion and Rashness of a weak Judgment and strong Passions. In every Age the faithful Servants of God are by scornful Titles despised:¹ We are accounted, saith the Apostle, the Off-scouring of the World. But a generous Christian looks upon disgrace for the sake of Christ as his Honour. The Apostles rejoiced that they were accounted worthy to suffer shame for his Name. 'Tis said of the Baptist, He was not that Light, but came to bear Witness to that Light: ²intimating as if that were the next degree of Dignity to it. And our Saviour, speaking of the Proofs of ⟨p. 258⟩his Divine Mission, reckons up the Witnesses of such Dignity, that 'tis not possible for Sacred Ambition to aspire to higher Honour, than to be in Conjunction with them: they are John the Baptist,