Sinner, I beseech thee for the Lords sake, deal faithfully with thy poor soul, when all lies at the stake. Wilt thou take the judgement of a swaggering Gallant, or a scoffing, worldly or ungodly Sot, that none of them ever truly tried a state of Holiness: And wilt thou refuse the judgement of God, and of all his servants that have tried it? Go to any Godly man, and ask him which of these ways he hath found by experience to be best? and hear what he will say to thee? He will be ashamed to hear thee make a Question of it. He will tell thee [Alas friend, I was once deceived by sin, and deceived with the pleasures of my flesh, and the glittering glory and riches of this world, as you are now! I once was a stranger to the life of faith, and the Hopes of Heaven, and the Holiness of the Saints. But it was by the mere delusion of the Devil, and it was the fruit of the blindness, and deadness of my heart. I knew not what I did, nor where I stood, nor what I chose, nor what I set light by! I never well considered of the matter, but carelessly followed the sway of my fleshly inclination and desires! But now I see I was the Devils slave, and my Pleasures were my fetters, and my own corrupt affections were my bondage; and I now find that I did but delude my soul; I got nothing by all that the world did for me, but provision for my after-sorrows: I had been now in Torments if I had but dyed in that condition. I would not be again in the case that I was in for all this world, or a thousand such worlds! That life that once I thought the best, hath cost me dear, even the breaking of my heart: and a thousand thousand fold dearer would have cost me, if the dearest blood, and recovering Grace of my dearest Lord had had not prevented it. O had I not been unspeakably beholden to the Mercy of the Lord, even to that Mercy which I then made light of, I had been undone for ever; I had been laid under Everlasting desperation before this. Now I find that there is no life so sweet as that which I then was so loth to choose! Now it is my only grief that I was holy no sooner, and can be no more Holy then I am. O that I had more of that quickening, comforting, saving Grace! O that I were further from my former sinful fleshly state? O that I could get nearer God, though I parted with all the prosperity ⟨p. 122⟩of this world! I now find what I lost by my continuing in sin so long:
Sinner, I beseech thee for the Lords sake, deal faithfully with thy poor soul, when all lies at the stake. Wilt thou take the judgement of a swaggering Gallant, or a scoffing, worldly or ungodly Sot, that none of them ever truly tried a state of Holiness: And wilt thou refuse the judgement of God, and of all his servants that have tryed it? Go to any Godly man, and ask him which of these wayes he hath found by experience to be best? and hear what he will say to thee? He will be ashamed to hear thee make a Question of it. He will tell thee [Alas friend, I was once deceived by sin, and deceived with the pleasures of my flesh, and the glittering glory and riches of this world, as you are now! I once was a stranger to the life of faith, and the Hopes of Heaven, and the Holiness of the Saints. But it was by the meer delusion of the Devil, and it was the fruit of the blindness, and deadness of my heart. I knew not what I did, nor where I stood, nor what I chose, nor what I set light by! I never well considered of the matter, but carelesly followed the sway of my fleshly inclination and desires! But now I seee I was the Devils slave, and my Pleasures were my fetters, and my own corrupt affections were my bondage; and I now find that I did but delude my soul; I got nothing by all that the world did for me, but provision for my after-sorrows: I had been now in Torments if I had but dyed in that condition. I would not be again in the case that I was in for all this world, or a thousand such worlds! That life that once I thought the best, hath cost me dear, even the breaking of my heart: and a thousand thousand fold dearer would have cost me, if the dearest blood, and recovering Grace of my dearest Lord had had not prevented it. O had I not been unspeakably beholden to the Mercy of the Lord, even to that Mercy which I then made light of, I had been undone for ever; I had been laid under Everlasting desperation before this. Now I find that there is no life so sweet as that which I then was so loth to choose! Now it is my only grief that I was holy no sooner, and can be no more Holy then I am. O that I had more of that quickning, comforting, saving Grace! O that I were further from my former sinful fleshly state? O that I could get nearer God, though I parted with all the prosperity ⟨p. 122⟩of this world! I now find what I lost by my continuing in sin so long:
