A saint or a brute the certain necessity and excellency of holiness, &c. ...…

Yea more then this, let me have leave to tell you, (for why should I not tell you of your greatest folly, and that which is necessary for you to know?) As long as you neglect the One thing necessary, you are acting the part of the most deadly enemies against your selves. No enemy that you have in all the world, could do that against you, as you do against your selves. You abhor the Devil; and I blame you not; for his malice and enmity deserveth it: But you do much worse against your selves then the Devil himself could ever do. To tempt you to sin is not so much as to Consent to it and commit it. He can but entice you, and not constrain you: It is you that are the neglecters of your Maker and Redeemer, and the wilful rejecters of your own felicity: Satan doth bad enough against you by temptation; but you do worse by yielding and sinning; much worse then all the Devils in hell could do against you. For God hath not given all of them so much power over you, as he hath given you over your selves.

Yea more then this, let me have leave to tell you, (for why should I not tell you of your greatest folly, and that which is necessary for you to know?) As long as you neglect the One thing necessary, you are acting the part of the most deadly enemies against your selves. No enemy that you have in all the world, could do that against you, as you do against your selves. You abhorr the Devil; and I blame you not; for his malice and enmity deserveth it: But you do much worse against your selves then the Devil himself could ever do. To tempt you to sin is not so much as to Consent to it and commit it. He can but entice you, and not constrain you: It is you that are the neglecters of your Maker and Redeemer, and the wilful rejecters of your own felicity: Satan doth bad enough against you by temptation; but you do worse by yielding and sinning; much worse then all the Devils in hell could do against you. For God hath not given all of them so much power over you, as he hath given you over your selves.

Lord, what a distracted case is the ungodly world in! They hate any man else that they do but imagine is their enemy! Though he do but diminish their worldly wealth or honour, they cannot forgive him: If a man give one of them a box on the ear, he cannot bear it: And as for the Devil, who is the common enemy, they spit at his name, and (think they) bless themselves from him: And yet these same men do spend all their care, and time, and labour, in doing more against themselves, then all their enemies could do in earth or hell: and are worse then Devils to themselves; and yet they never fall out with themselves for it; but can forgive themselves as easily as if they did themselves no harm.