The Saints' Everlasting Rest

and to give them but common and outward favours, as they put up but common and outside requests; Yea their cold and heartless prayers do invite God to a flat denial: for among men it is taken for granted, that he who asks but slightly & seldom, cares not much for that he asks. Do not these men judge themselves unworthy of Heaven, who think it not worth their more constant and earnest requests? If it be not worth asking for, it is worth nothing. And yet if you should go from house to house through Town and Parish, and enquire at every house as you go, whether they do morning and evening call their family together, and earnestly and reverently seek the Lord in prayer? how few would you find that constantly and conscionably practice this duty? If every door were marked where they do not thus call upon the name of God, that his wrath might be poured out upon that family, our towns would be as places overthrown by the plague, the people being dead within, and the mark of judgment on the door without: I fear where one house would escape, there's ten would be marked out for death: and then they might teach their doors to pray, Lord have mercy on us; because the people would not pray themselves. But especially if you could see what men do in their secret chambers, how few should you find in a whole Town, that spend one quarter of an hour morning and night in earnest supplication to God for their souls? O how little do these men set by this eternal Rest? Thus do they slothfully neglect all endeavours for their one welfare, except some public duty in the congregation, which custom or credit doth engage them to. Persuade them to read good books, and they will not be at so much pains: persuade them to learn the grounds of Religion in some Catechism, and they think it a toilsome slavery, fitter for Schoolboys or little children then for them: Persuade them to Sanctify the Lords day in holy exercises, and to spend it wholly in hearing the word, and repeating it with their families, and prayer, and meditation, &c. and to forbear all their worldly thoughts and speeches; And what a tedious life do they take this to be? and how long may you preach to them, before they will be brought to it? as if they thought that heaven were not worth all this ado.

and to give them but common and outward favors, as they put up but common and outside requests; Yea their cold and heartless prayers do invite God to a flat denial: for among men it is taken for granted, that he who askes but slieghtly & seldom, cares not much for that he askes. Do not these men judge themselves unworthy of Heaven, who think it not worth their more constant and earnest requests? If it be not worth asking for, it is worth nothing. And yet if you should go from house to house through Town and Parish, and enquire at every house as you go, whether they do morning and evening call their family together, and earnestly and reverently seek the Lord in prayer? how few would you finde that constantly and conscionably practice this duty? If every door were marked where they do not thus call upon the name of God, that his wrath might be powred out upon that family, our towns would be as places overthrown by the plague, the people being dead within, and the marke of judgment on the door without: I fear where one house would escape, ther's ten would be marked out for death: and then they might teach their doors to pray, Lord have mercy on us; because the people would not pray themselves. But especially if you could see what men do in their secret chambers, how few should you finde in a whole Town, that spend one quarter of an hour morning and night in earnest supplication to God for their souls? O how little do these men set by this eternall Rest? Thus do they slothfully neglect all endeavors for their one welfare, except some publike duty in the congregation, which custom or credit doth engage them to. Perswade them to read good books, and they will not be at so much pains: perswade them to learn the grounds of Religion in some Catechisme, and they think it a toilsome slavery, fitter for Schoolboyes or little children then for them: Perswade them to Sanctifie the Lords day in holy exercises, and to spend it wholly in hearing the word, and repeating it with their families, and prayer, and meditation, &c. and to forbear all their worldly thoughts and speeches; And what a tedious life do they take this to be? and how long may you preach to them, before they will be brought to it? as if they thought that heaven were not worth all this ado.