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

Talk with them about the renovation of the soul, and the nature of holiness, and the life to come, and you shall find them almost as dumb as a fish, or as dry as a chip, or as erroneous or insensible as those that speak but words by rote, to show you how little they savour or mind the things of the Spirit. The most understand not matters of this nature, nor much desire or care to understand them: If one would teach […] personally, they are too old to be catechized or to learn, though not too old to be ignorant of the matters which they were made for, and are preserved for in the world: They are too wise to learn to be wise, and too good to be taught how to be good •ough not too wise to follow the seducements of the Devil •he world, nor too good to be the slaves of Satan▪ and the dears and enemies of goodness. If they do any thing which the• a serving of God, it is some cold and heartless use of word•ake themselves believe that for all their sins they shall be saved; so that God will call that a serving of their sins and abomination, which they call a serving of God. Some of them will confess that Holiness is good; but they hope God will be merciful to them without it: And some do so hate it, that it is a displeasing irksome thing to them, to hear any serious discourse of holiness, and they detest and deride those as fanatic troublesome Precisians, that diligently seek the One thing necessary. So that if the Belief of the most may be judged by their practices, we may confidently say, that they do not practically believe that ever they shall be brought to Judgement, or that there is any Heaven or Hell to be expected; and that their confession of the truth of the holy Scriptures, and their profession of the Articles of the Christian Faith, are no proofs that they heartily take them to be true. Who can be such a stranger to the world, as not to see that this as the case of the greatest part of men? And which is ⟨p. 46⟩worst of all, they go on in this course against all that can be said to them, and will give no impartial considerate hearing to the truth which would recover them to their wits, but live as if it would be a felicity to them in Hell, to think that they came thither by wilful resolution, and in despite of the remedy. And is it not a sad prospect to a man that believeth the Word of God, and the life to come, to look upon such a distracted world?