Reader, Let me tell thee, upon him thou livest, by him thou movest, and from him thou hast thy Being. Thou canst not think, or speak, or act in the least, if he should suspend his care of thee; thine Eyes could not see, nor thine Ears hear, nor thy Mouth taste, nor thy Hands or Feet move, if his Providence doth not concur to them. If ⟨p. 329⟩he should but with-draw his manutenency, and the hold he hath of thee for the smallest pittance of time, thou wouldst drop into the bottomless Pit. The flames do not depend more on the Fire, nor the streams on the Spring of water, than thy Life, and all thy Comforts for this and the other World do upon God; and wilt thou provoke him to leave thee? He hath said, with the froward he will show himself froward, Psal. 18.26. That he will walk contrary to them that walk contrary to him,1 and that he will forsake them that forsake him, and pay men in their own Coin;2 and wilt thou venture him any longer? Others have felt the truth of those threatenings, and dost thou think to go unpunished? Surely if common ingenuity will not move thee to remember him night and day, who remembereth thee with Loving-kindness every minute; yet the Divine Severity may fright thee from forgetting him, lest he forget thee for ever. Believe it, if he leave thee, Wrath, and Death, and Hell, and Damnation, and Devils will soon find thee. Thou canst now depart from him, by thy ⟨p. 330⟩neglect of his Worship, and be merry and cheerful notwithstanding; but if once he depart from thee, though but for a moment, thou art undone eternally. Woe be to thee, when I depart from you, Hos. 9.12. Thy Friends, and Relations, and Creature-Comforts may depart from thee, and it may be well with thee; but if the Fountain of thy Life, the God of thy Health, the Father of all Mercies depart from thee, woe will be to thee. Heaven and Earth cannot make him blessed, or hinder him from being extremely cursed, whom God leaves and forsakes. Alas, if the Heavens omit to give us its showers, or the Sun omit to dispense its influences, or the Earth omit to yield its increase; where are we? what can we do? how lamentable is our condition? Those Persons that were purer than Snow, that were whiter than Milk, that were more ruddy than Rubies, or than polished Sapphires, their Visage is blacker than a coal:
Reader, Let me tell thee, upon him thou livest, by him thou movest, and from him thou hast thy Being. Thou canst not think, or speak, or act in the least, if he should suspend his care of thee; thine Eyes could not see, nor thine Ears hear, nor thy Mouth tast, nor thy Hands or Feet move, if his Providence doth not concur to them. If ⟨p. 329⟩he should but with-draw his manutenency, and the hold he hath of thee for the smallest pittance of time, thou wouldst drop into the bottomless Pit. The flames do not depend more on the Fire, nor the streams on the Spring of water, than thy Life, and all thy Comforts for this and the other World do upon God; and wilt thou provoke him to leave thee? He hath said, with the froward he will shew himself froward, Psal. 18.26. That he will walk contrary to them that walk contrary to him,1 and that he will forsake them that forsake him, and pay men in their own Coin;2 and wilt thou venture him any longer? Others have felt the truth of those threatnings, and dost thou think to go unpunished? Surely if common ingenuity will not move thee to remember him night and day, who remembreth thee with Loving-kindness every minute; yet the Divine Severity may fright thee from forgetting him, lest he forget thee for ever. Believe it, if he leave thee, Wrath, and Death, and Hell, and Damnation, and Devils will soon find thee. Thou canst now depart from him, by thy ⟨p. 330⟩neglect of his Worship, and be merry and chearful notwithstanding; but if once he depart from thee, though but for a moment, thou art undone eternally. Woe be to thee, when I depart from you, Hos. 9.12. Thy Friends, and Relations, and Creature-Comforts may depart from thee, and it may be well with thee; but if the Fountain of thy Life, the God of thy Health, the Father of all Mercies depart from thee, woe will be to thee. Heaven and Earth cannot make him blessed, or hinder him from being extreamly cursed, whom God leaves and forsakes. Alas, if the Heavens omit to give us its showers, or the Sun omit to dispense its influences, or the Earth omit to yield its increase; where are we? what can we do? how lamentable is our condition? Those Persons that were purer than Snow, that were whiter than Milk, that were more ruddy than Rubies, or than polished Saphires, their Visage is blacker than a coal:
- 1Lev. 26.24.
- 22 Chron. 15.2.
