The Saints' Everlasting Rest

And now Christian Friends, I have here lined you out a Heavenly precious Work; would you but do it, it would make you men indeed: To delight in God, is the work of Angels, and the contrary is the work of devils. If God would persuade you now to make conscience of this duty, and help you in it by the blessed influence of his Spirit, you would not change your lives with the ⟨p. 845⟩greatest Prince on the Earth. But I am afraid, if I may judg of your hearts by the backwardness of my own, that it will prove a hard thing to persuade you to the work, and that much of this my labour will be lost. Pardon my jealousy; it is raised upon too many and sad experiments. What say you; Do you resolve on this Heavenly course, or no? Will you let go all your sinful fleshly pleasures, and daily seek after these higher delights? I pray thee hear, shut the Book, and consider of it, and resolve on the duty, before thou go further.—Let thy Family perceive, let thy Neighbours perceive, let thy Conscience perceive, yea, let God perceive it, that thou art a man that hast thy daily Conversation in Heaven. God hath now offered to be thy daily delight: Thy neglect is thy refusal. What? Refuse delight? and such a Delight? If I had propounded you only a course of Melancholy, and Fear, and Sorrow, you might better have demurred on it. Take heed what thou dost; Refuse this, and refuse all: Thou must have Heavenly Delights, or none that are lasting. God is willing that thou shouldst daily walk with him, and fetch in consolations from the Everlasting Fountain; if thou be unwilling, even bear thy loss: And one of these days, when thou liest dying, then seek for comfort where thou canst get it, and make what shift for contentment thou canst: Then see whether thy fleshly delights will stick to thee, or give thee the slip; and then Conscience, in despite of thee, shall make thee remember, That thou wast once persuaded to a way for more excellent pleasures, that would have followed thee through death, and have lasted thee to Everlasting. What man will go in rags, that may be clothed with the best? or feed on pulse, that may feed of the best? or accompany with the vilest, that may be a companion to the best? and admitted into the presence, and favour of the greatest? And shall we delight so much in our clothing of flesh? and feed so much on the vain pleasures of Earth?

And now Christian Friends, I have here lined you out a Heavenly precious Work; would you but do it, it would make you men indeed: To delight in God, is the work of Angels, and the contrary is the work of devils. If God would perswade you now to make conscience of this duty, and help you in it by the blessed influence of his Spirit, you would not change your lives with the