4. Consider also, Whether you have not as much reason to live a diligent holy life, and seek God and your salvation with all your might, as any of your neighbours have? and therefore whether your own Necessity doth not call aloud to you, to Unite with them and to do as they do? Your Godly neighbours are meditating on the Word of God, when you are thinking of the world or on vanity: they are discoursing of the life to come, when you are talking of your worldly business, or pouring out a ⟨p. 160⟩company of idle words. Ask your conferences now wh•ther you have not as much need to study the Scripture and prepare for the life to come as they Your godly neighbours are at prayer, when you are sinning and drowned in the inordinate cares of the wo•ld, and have no heart to their employment. Let conscience speak whether you have not as much need to pray as they. They abhor sin and are afraid of it, when you boldly venture on it. Let conscience tell you. Whether you have not as much cause to be afraid of sin as they? Yea and an hundred times more; for you are under the guilt and power of it. O wonderful madness of the ungodly world! that the example of the godly should not bring them to some consideration. A man that is converted and reconciled to God, and hath a pardon of all his sins, and is ⟨p. 161⟩in a state of salvation, and walketh humbly and uprightly with God; doth yet think all too little that he can do, but fasteth, and prayeth, and watcheth against temptations, and humbleth his flesh, and followeth after God continually, and lamenteth after all that he is so bad, & can do no more. And his neighbour that liveth by him, is an ignorant stupid sinner, unconverted, and under the guilt of his sin, and under the curse and wrath of God, having no assurance of salvation; nay it is certain that he would be cast into Hell the next hour if he die in that condition; and yet this man feels not any such need of prayer, and holy meditation, and conference, and so religious and strict a life. He that hath lost almost all the time of his life, and is not only quite behind-hand in knowledge and abilities, but is an unsanctified miserable wretch, not sure ⟨p. 162⟩to be out of Hell an hour, this man perceiveth no such necessity of an holy life, nor why he should make so much ado. As if a rich man should be put to daily labour, and a man that hath nothing should think it needless:
4. Consider also, Whether you have not as much reason to live a diligent holy life, and seek God and your salvation with all your might, as any of your neighbours have? and therefore whether your own Necessity doth not call aloud to you, to Vnite with them and to do as they do? Your Godly neighbours are meditating on the Word of God, when you are thinking of the world or on vanity: they are discoursing of the life to come, when you are talking of your worldly business, or pouring out a ⟨p. 160⟩company of idle words. Ask your conferences now wh•ther you have not as much need to study the Scripture and prepare for the life to come as they Your godly ne•ghbours are at prayer, when you are sinning and drowned in the inordinate cares of the wo•ld, and have no heart to th•ir employment. Let conscience speak whether you have not as much need to pray as they. They abhor sin and are afraid of it, when you boldly venture on it. Let conscience tell you. Whether you have not as much cause to be afraid of sin as they? Yea and an hundred times more; for you are under the guilt and power of it. O wonderful madness of the ungodly world! that the example of the godly should not bring them to some consideration. A man that is converted and reconciled to God, and hath a pardon of all his sins, and is ⟨p. 161⟩in a state of salvation, and walketh humbly and uprightly with God; doth yet think all too little that he can do, but fasteth, and prayeth, and watcheth against temptations, and humbl•th his flesh, and followeth after God continually, and lamenteth after all that he is so bad, & can do no more. And his neighbor that liveth by him, is an ignorant stupid sinner, unconverted, and under the guilt of his sin, and under the curse and wrath of God, having no assurance of salvation; nay it is certain that he would be cast into Hell the next hour if he die in that condition; and yet this man feels not any such need of prayer, and holy meditation, and conference, and so religious and str•ct a life. He that hath lost almost all the time of his life, and is not only quite behind-hand in knowledge and abilities, but is an unsanctified miserable wretch, not sure ⟨p. 162⟩to be out of Hell an hour, this man perceiveth no such necessity of an holy life, nor why he should make so much ado. As if a rich man should be put to daily labour, and a man that hath nothing should think it needless:
