The works of George Swinnock, M.A

Thirdly,³ It may be the last opportunity thou mayst ever have of advantaging thy sick neighbours soul. His sick-bed may be his death-bed, and then twill be too late to counsel or advise him. There is no Purgatory in the other world. Diseases both bodily and spiritual, must be purged away before death or never. He that is filthy at death, must be filthy still, even to all eternity; All the tears in hell will not wash out the least spot in the soul; All the fire of hell, will not purge out the least dross; Therefore Christ took the opportunity of dropping good counsel into the heart of the Thief on the Cross, knowing that if he had omitted it a very few hours longer, the soul of the poor Thief had been lost for ever. Hadst thou a friend going to Sea, and never to return again, waiting at a Port for a Wind and then to be gone, and hadst business with him of as great concernment to him as his life, ⟨p. 566⟩thou couldst tell him of a quicksand which he must beware of, or he will be cast away; wouldst thou not be quick and speedy to acquaint him with it, lest he should be under Sail before thou didst see him? would it not cut thee to the heart, if he should miscarry through thy negligence? The Application is easy; The soul of every Neighbour is, or ought to be dearer to thee then the body of thy nearest friend or relation. When thy wicked Neighbour is sick, his soul is launching for ought thou knowest, into the Ocean of eternity, whence he shall never, •ever, return more. He waits only for a wind, a word from God, and he is gone. The sick bed is the passage or path-way to the grave. Thou hast work to do with him, that is more worth to him then his life, that i• of as great value as his immortal soul, and eternal salvation. Now thou mayst acquaint him while he is on the shore, with his danger, and the way of his delivery; but if once he launch into the Main; thou mayst call loud and long enough after him in vain; O will it not pierce thee to the quick, if his soul should be swallowed up in the boundless and bottomless Sea of divine wrath, through thy laziness or unfaithfulness! When the day drew near for the destruction of the Jews, the heart of Haman swelled with hopes, and Esther had then an opportunity to step in and preserve the lives of her Countrymen; Mordecai tells her, Who knoweth whether thou art come to the Kingdom for such a time as this?