Now or never the holy, serious, diligent believer justified, encouraged, excited and directed, and…

And is there any thing now left but Ignorance or Wickedness to stand up against thy speedy diligence? Away then with thy delays and slothfulness. If thou wilt serve God with all thy might, let it be seen; If thou wilt be a Christian indeed, let deeds declare it. Christianity is not a dead Opinion. If really thou live in hope of heaven, such hopes will make thee stir for the attainment. Why ⟨p. 127⟩standest thou idle, when thou art born for work, and all thy faculties are given thee for work, and thou art redeemed for work? (for Evangelical work.) If thou be sanctified, thou hast the Spirit of Christ, a quickening working principle within thee; which way canst thou look, but thou mayst see that which would shame a slothful soul, and fire a cold and frozen heart, and call thee up to a speedy industry? what quickening words shalt thou find in Scripture, if thou wilt but bring thy heart thither as one that is willing to be quickened? what powerful commands, what promises, what threatenings, what holy examples of exceeding diligence of Christ and his Apostles? See how the Godly about thee are at work, though the world oppose them and deride them! how earnestly they pray! how carefully they walk! how sadly they complain that they are no better! And hast thou not an immortal soul to save or lose as well as ⟨p. 128⟩they? See what a stir the proud ambitious person makes for less then nothing? what a stir the covetous and the voluptuous make for a sweetened draught of mortal poison? And shall, we be idle that are engaged for Heaven? Is it reason that we should do less for God & our salvation, then they do for sinful pleasure to damnation? You cannot mock them out of their Pride and Covetousness: And shall they mock thee out of thy Religion, and thy hopes of Heaven? All the commands, and promises, and threatenings of God, the most powerful preaching, that, as it were, sets open Heaven and Hell to them, doth not prevail with fleshly men, to leave the most sordid and unmanly sin▪ And shall the words or frowns of creeping dust prevail with thee against the work for which thou livest in the world, when thou hast still at hand unanswerable arguments from God, from thy self, from Heaven and Hell, to put thee ⟨p. 129⟩on? Were it but for thy Life, or the Life of thy children, friend, yea or enemy, or for the quenching of a fire in thy house, or in the Town, wouldst thou not stir and do thy best?