The life of faith in three parts, the first is a sermon on Heb.…

Quest. 9. Could you live as merrily, and sleep as quietly in a negligent uncertainty of your salvation, if you had seen these things, as now you do? Could you live at hearts ease, while you know not where you shall be to morrow, or must live for ever? Oh no: Were Heaven and Hell but seen before you, your Consciences would be more busy in putting such questions [Am I regenerate, sanctified, reconciled, justified, or not?] Then any the most zealous Minister is now.

Q•est. 9. Could you live as merrily, and sleep as quietly in a negligent uncertainty of your salvation, if you had seen these things, as now you do? Could you live at hearts ease, while you know not where you shall be to morrow, or must live for ever? Oh no: Were Heaven and Hell but seen before you, your Consciences would be more busie in putting such questions [Am I regenerate, sanctified, reconciled, justified, or not?] Then any the most zealous Minister is now.

Quest. 10. I will put to you but one Question more. If we saw God, and Heaven, and Hell before us, do you think it would not effectually reconcile our differences, and heal our unbrotherly exasper•tions and divisions? would it not hold the hands ⟨p. 37⟩that itch to be using violence, against those that are not in all things of their minds! what abundance of vain controversies would it reconcile! As the coming in of the Master doth part the fray among the School-boys; so the sight of God would frighten us from contentions, or uncharitable violence. This would teach us how to preach and pray better than a storm at Sea can do; which yet doth it better than some in prosperity w•ll learn: Did we see what we preach of, it would drive us out of our man pleasing▪ self-seeking, sleepy strain, as the cudgel drives the beggar from his canting, and the breaking loose of the Bear did teach the affected cripple to find his legs, and c•st away his cutchs. I would desire no better outward help to end our controversies about indifferent modes of worship, than a sight of the things of which we speak: This would excite such a serious frame of soul, as would not suffer Religion to evaporate into formality, nor dwindle into affectation, complement and ceremony: nor should we dare to beat our fellow-servants, and thrust them out of the vineyard, and say, you shall not preach, or pray, or live, but upon these or those unnecessary terms: But the sense of our own frailty, and fear of a severe disquisition of our failings, would make us compassionate to others, and content that necessaries be the matter of our unity, unnecessaries of our liberty, and both of charity.