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

But if we should desire still to be so, why may not all others as well as we? And as much expect to be gratified as we? And then we should agree in desiring, that our Redeemers triumph might be deferred, that his Body might yet remain incomplete, that he might still be debarred of the long expected fruit of the travail of his Soul. that the name of God might be still subjected to the blasphemy and and reproach of an Atheistical world, who have long ago said, with derision, where is the promise of his coming? Would we have all his Designs to be still unfinished? and so mighty wheels stand still for us? while we sport our selves in the dust of the earth? And indulge our sensual inclination; which sure this bold desire must argue to be very predominant in us, and take heed it argue not its habitual prevalency.

But if we should desire still to be so, why may not all others as well as we? And as much expect to be gratified as we? And then we should agree in desiring, that our Redeemers triumph might be defer'd, that his Body might yet remain incompleat, that he might still be debarr'd of the long expected fruit of the travail of his Soul. that the name of God might be still subjected to the blasphemy and and reproach of an Atheistical world, who have long ago said, with derision, where is the promise of his coming? Would we have all his Designs to be still unfinisht? and so mighty wheeles stand still for us? while we sport our selves in the dust of the earth? And indulge our sensual inclination; which sure this bold desire must argue to be very predominant in us, and take heed it argue not its habitual prevalency.

At least if it discover not our present sensuality, ⟨p. 315⟩it discovers our former Sloth, and Idleness. It may be, we may excuse our averseness to dye, by our unpreparedness, that is one fault with another (though that be besides the case I am speaking of) what then have we been doing all this while? What were the affairs of thy Soul not thought of till now? Take then thy repro of from a Heathen, that it may convince thee the more. No one, saith he divides away his money from himself, but yet men divide away their very life— but doth it not shame thee (he after adds) to reserve only the relics of thy life to thy self, and to devote that time only to a good mind, which thou canst employ upon no other thing? How late is it to begin to live when we should make an end? and defer all good thoughts to such an Age as possible few do ever reach to. The truth is (as he speaks) we have not little time but we lose much we have time enough were it well employed therefore we cannot say we receive a short life but we make it so, we are not indigent of time, but prodigal, what a pretty contradiction is it to complain of the shortness of time, and yet do what we can to precipitate its course? to hasten it by that we call pastime. If it have been so with thee art thou to be trusted with more time?