The Saints' Everlasting Rest

Alas, how little do many godly ones differ from the world, either in their comforts, or willingness to die? and all because they live so strange to the place, and Fountain of their comforts. Besides, a little verbal, or other outside duties, or talking of controversies and doctrines of Religion, or forbearing the practice of many sins, how little do the most of the Religious differ from other men? when God hath prepared so vast a difference hereafter. If a word of Heaven fall in now and then in their conference, alas, how slightly is it, and customary, and heartless? And if their Prayers or Preaching have heavenly expressions, they usually are fetched from their mere invention, or memory, or Books, and not from the experience, or feeling of their hearts. O what a life might men live, if they were but willing and diligent! God would have our joys to be far more then our sorrows; yea, he would have us to have no sorrow, but what tendeth to joy; and no more then our sins have made necessary for our good. How much do those Christians wrong God and themselves, that either make their thoughts of God, the in-let of their sorrows, or let these offered joys lie by, as neglected or forgotten? Some there be that say, It is not worth so much time and trouble, to think of the greatness of the joys above; so we can make sure they are ours, we know they are great. But as these men obey not the Command of God, which requireth them to have their Conversation in Heaven, and to set their Affections on things above; so do they wilfully ⟨p. 842⟩make their own lives miserable, by refusing the delights that God hath set before them. And yet if this were all, it were a smaller matter; if it were but the loss of their comforts, I would not say so much: But see what abundance of other mischiefs do follow the absence of these Heavenly Delights.

Alas, how little do many godly ones differ from the world, either in their comforts, or willingness to die? and all because they live so strange to the place, and Fountain of their comforts. Besides, a little verbal, or other outside duties, or talking of controversies and doctrines of Religion, or forbearing the practice of many sins, how little do the most of the Religious differ from other men? when God hath prepared so vast a difference hereafter. If a word of Heaven fall in now and then in their conference, alas, how slightly is it, and customary, and heartless? And if their Prayers or Preaching have heavenly expressions, they usually are fetcht from their meer invention, or memory, or Books, and not from the experience, or feeling of their hearts. O what a life might men live, if they were but willing and diligent! God would have our joyes to be far more then our sorrows; yea, he would have us to have no sorrow, but what tendeth to joy; and no more then our sins have made necessary for our good. How much do those Christians wrong God and themselves, that either make their thoughts of God, the in-let of their sorrows, or let these offered joyes lie by, as neglected or forgotten? Some there be that say, It is not worth so much time and trouble, to think of the greatness of the joyes above; so we can make sure they are ours, we know they are great. But as these men obey not the Command of God, which requireth them to have their Conversation in Heaven, and to set their Affections on things above; so do they wilfully