The divine life in three treatises

Were no• Grace the egg, the seed, the earnest of an Eternal glory, it were not so glorious a thing. But O how precious are all those thoughts, desires, delights and breathings of the soul, that bring us on to sweet Eternity! Even those sorrows, and groans, and tears are precious that lead to an Eternal joy! Who would not willingly obey the holy motions of the holy Spirit, that is but hatching and preparing us for Eternity! This is it that makes a Bible, a Sermon, a holy Book, to be of greater value then Lands and Lordships. It is Eternity that makes the illuminated soul so fearful of sinning, so diligent in holy duties, so cheerful and resolved in suffering, because he believeth it is all for an Eternity. A Christian in the holy Assemblies, and in his reading, learning, prayer, conference, is laying up for Everlasting, when the worldling in the Market, in the field or shop, is making provision for a few days or hours: Thou gloriest in thy Riches and preeminence now, but how long wilt thou do so? To day that house, that land is thine; but canst thou say, it shall be thine to morrow? Thou canst not: But the Believer can truly say, My God, my Christ, is mine to day, and will be mine to all Eternity! O Death! thou canst take my friends from me, and my worldly riches from me, and my time, and strength, and life from me! but take my God, my Christ, my Heaven, my Portion from me, if thou canst! My sin is all thy sting and strength! But where is thy sting when sin is gone? and where is thy strength when Christ hath conquered thee? Is it a great matter that thou deprivest me of my sinful weak and troublous friends, when against thy will thou bringest me to my perfect blessed friends with whom I must abide for ever! Thou dost indeed bereave me of these Riches; but it is that I may possess the unvaluable Eternal riches! Thou endest my Time, that I may have Eternity! Thou castest me down that I may be exalted! Thou takest away my strength of life, that I may enter into Life ⟨p. 37⟩Eternal! And is this the worst that Death can do? And shall I be afraid of this? I willingly lay by my clothes at night, that I may take my rest, and I am not loth to put off the old when I must put on new. The bird that is hatched is not grieved because he must leave the broken shell. Nor is it the grief of man or beast that he hath left the womb!

Were no• Grace the egg, the seed, the earnest of an Eternal glory, it were not so glorious a thing. But O how precious are all those thoughts, desires, delights and breathings of the soul, that bring us on to sweet Eternity! Even those sorrows, and groans, and tears are precious that lead to an Eternal joy! Who would not willingly obey the holy motions of the holy Spirit, that is but hatching and preparing us for Eternity! This is it that makes a Bible, a Sermon, a holy Book, to be of greater value then Lands and Lordships. It is Eternity that makes the illuminated soul so fearful of sinning, so diligent in holy duties, so chearful and resolved in suffering, because he believeth it is all for an Eternity. A Christian in the holy Assemblies, and in his reading, learning, prayer, conference, is laying up for Everlasting, when the worldling in the Market, in the field or shop, is making provision for a few dayes or hours: Thou gloriest in thy Riches and preheminence now, but how long wilt thou do so? To day that house, that land is thine; but canst thou say, it shall be thine to morrow? Thou canst not: But the Believer can truly say, My God, my Christ, is mine to day, and will be mine to all Eternity! O Death! thou canst take my friends from me, and my worldly riches from me, and my time, and strength, and life from me! but take my God, my Christ, my Heaven, my Portion from me, if thou canst! My sin is all thy sting and strength! But where is thy sting when sin is gone? and where is thy strength when Christ hath conquered thee? Is it a great matter that thou deprivest me of my sinful weak and troublous friends, when against thy will thou bringest me to my perfect blessed friends with whom I must abide for ever! Thou dost indeed bereave me of these Riches; but it is that I may possess the unvaluable Eternal riches! Thou endest my Time, that I may have Eternity! Thou castest me down that I may be exalted! Thou takest away my strength of life, that I may enter into Life