The blessedness of the righteous discoursed from Psal. 17, 15 /The blessednesse of the righteous discoursed from Psal. 17, 15 /

And if, we say we have not been all this while a sleep, we saw the light that shone upon us, we heard the voice that called to us; wherewith shall we then excuse our selves, that our desires were not moved? that our Souls were not presently in a flame? was it then that ⟨p. 342⟩we thought all a mere fiction? that we durst not give credit to his word, when it brought us the report of the everlasting Glory? will we avow this? Is this that we will stand by? or what else have we left to say? have we a more plausible reason to allege, that the discovery of such a glory moved us not to desire it; then that we believed it not? sure this is the truth of our case. We should feel this heavenly fire always burning in our breasts, If our Infidelity did not quench the coal. If we did believe, we could not but desire. But doth not the thoughts of this shake our very souls, and fill us with horror, and trembling? We that should be turned into indignation, and ready to burn our selves with our own flame, and all about us, if one should give us the lie; that we should dare to put the lye upon the Eternal Truth! upon him whose Word gave stability, and being to the world, who made and sustains all things by it. That awful Word! That Word that shivers Rocks, and melts down Mountains, that make the inanimate Creation tremble, that can in a moment blast all things, and dissolve the frame of Heaven and Earth, (which in the mean time it upholds) is that become with us fabulous, lying breath? Those God-breathed Oracles, those Heavenly Records, which discover, and describe this blessed state, are they false and foolish Legends; must that be pretended at last (if men durst) that is so totally void of all pretence? what should be the gain or advantage accruing to that Eternal, All-sufficient being. What ⟨p. 343⟩accession should be made to that infinite self-fullness by deluding a Worm? Were it consistent with his Nature, what could be his design to put a cheat upon poor mortal dust? If thou dare not impute it to him; such a deception had a beginning, but what Author canst thou imagine of it? or what end? did it proceed from a good mind, or a bad? could a good and honest mind form so horribly wicked a design, to impose an universal delusion, and lye upon the world, in the name of the true and holy God? or could a wicked mind frame a design so directly levelled against wickedness?

And if, we say we have not been all this while a sleep, we saw the light that shone upon us, we heard the voice that called to us; wherewith shall we then excuse our selves, that our desires were not mov'd? that our Souls were not presently in a flame? was it then that