1And thus I have said enough, if not to stir up the lazy sinner to a serious working out his Salvation, yet at least to silence him, and leave him unexcuseable at the Judgment of God. If thou canst, after the reading of all this, go on in the same neglect of God and thy Soul, and draw out the rest of thy life in the same dull and careless course, as thou hast hitherto done, and if thou hast so far conquered and stupefied thy Conscience, that it will quietly suffer thee to forget all this, and to trifle out the rest of thy time in the business of the world, when in the mean while thy Salvation is in danger, and the Judg is at the door. I have then no more to say to thee: It is as good speak to a post or a Rock. Only as we do by our friends when they are dead, and our words and actions can do them no good, yet to test me our affections we weep and mourn for them; so will I also do for these deplorable Souls. It makes my heart sad, and even tremble to think how they will stand sad and trembling before the Lord! and how confounded and speechless they will be, when Christ shall reason with them concerning their negligence and sloth! When he shall say, as the Lord doth in Jer. 2.5, 9, 11, 12, 13. What iniquity have your fathers (or you) found in me, that ye are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity? &c. Did I ever wrong you? or do you any harm? or ever discourage you from following my service? Was my way so bad that you could not endure it? or my service so base that you could not stoop to it? Did I stoop to the fulfilling of the Law for you, and could not you stoop to the fulfilling of the easy Conditions of my Gospel? Was the world or Satan a better friend to you then I? or had they done for you more then I had done? Try now whether they will save you, or whether they will recompense you for the loss of Heaven; or whether they will be as good to you as I would have been. Oh what will the wretched sinner answer to any of this? But though man will not hear, yet we may have hope in speaking to God. —Lord, smite these Rocks till they gush forth ⟨p. 375⟩waters: Though these ears are deaf, say to them, Ephata, be opened: Though these Sinners be dead, let that power speak which sometime said, Lazarus, arise: We know they will be wakened at the last Resurrection: Oh, but then it will be only to their sorrow.
1ANd thus I have said enough, if not to stir up the lazy sinner to a serious working out his Salvation, yet at least to silence him, and leave him unexcuseable at the Judgment of God. If thou •anst, after the reading of all this, go on in the same neglect of God and thy Soul, and draw out the rest of thy life in the same dull and careless course, as thou hast hitherto done, and if thou hast so far conquered and stupified thy Conscience, that it will quietly suffer thee to forget all this, and to trifle out the rest of thy time in the business of the world, when in the mean while thy Salvation is in danger, and the Judg is at the door. I have then no more to say to thee: It is as good speak to a post or a Rock. Only as we do by our friends when they are dead, and our words and actions can do them no good, yet to test me our affections we weep and mourn for them; so will I also do for these deplorable Souls. It makes my heart sad, and even tremble to think how they will stand sad and trembling before the Lord! and how confounded and speechless they will be, when Christ shall reason with them concerning their negligence and sloath! When he shall say, as the Lord doth in Jer. 2.5, 9, 11, 12, 13. What iniquity have your fathers (or you) found in me, that ye are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity? &c. Did I ever wrong you? or do you any harm? or ever discourage you from following my service? Was my way so bad that you could not endure it? or my service so base that you could not stoop to it? Did I stoop to the fulfilling of the Law for you, and could not you stoop to the fulfilling of the easie Conditions of my Gospel? Was the world or Satan a better friend to you then I? or had they done for you more then I had done? Try now whether they will save you, or whether they will recompence you for the loss of Heaven; or whether they will be as good to you as I would have been. Oh what will the wretched sinner answer to any of this? But though man will not hear, yet we may have hope in speaking to God. —Lord, smite these Rocks till they gush forth ⟨p. 375⟩waters: Though these ears are deaf, say to them, Ephata, be opened: Though these Sinners be dead, let that power speak which sometime said, Lazarus, arise: We know they will be wakened at the last Resurrection: Oh, but then it will be only to their sorrow.
- 1§. 25.
