4. Learn hence to account your selves truly miserable, so long as you remain in this separation from God; and let it be an awakening consideration to drive you to be diligent in seeking after, and serious in returning to him: Know then, that all God's Talents must be reckoned for; what you wast away riotously, God will call you to a strict account of it, and woe will be to him in the great day of Judgement, that hath thrown away God's favours upon his own lusts: If the man that hid his Talent in a napkin was so severely dealt withal, what then will be done to him that cannot say here is thine own, but shall be enforced to this confession, I nourished my pride with thy ⟨p. 75⟩favours, I sought mine own credit by the parts and understanding which thou gavest to me, I cherished mine own applause by the honour and power which thou didst afford me among men, I fed my lusts with the creature comfort I enjoyed, my visible privileges and Churchmembership made me secure and careless of my soul, I boasted my self in my wisdom, strength riches, Gospel-favours, and did not seek to make my boast in God alone; will not this be a sad and doleful account? What need have we then to be now very solicitous in endeavouring to get our account cleared, whiles, in way of true Repentance we may obtain this favour through the blood of Jesus Christ, and, whiles we have time and opportunity, to get into a better way of improving our selves? Could men but lay out that time, and strength, and heart for God, which they do upon their lusts, that would turn to their account, and that which is now justly accounted wast, would be found to be the best thrift: this would be the way to be happy in another world; then should we have a Portion to live on, when the foolish worldling hath spent his, we should never be brought to want: Beg then of God to grant you this wisdom, and labour with so much the more diligence to redeem the loss that you have already sustained, who have hitherto been spending away so much without profit, knowing ⟨p. 76⟩that if you wast and expend all now upon the vanities of this life, and the carnal delights of the present time, you will have nothing to live upon in the days of eternity, and then your present wastefulness, will be (too late) found to have laid that unhappy foundation of your utter and eternal undoing.
4. Learn hence to account your selves truly miserable, so long as you remain in this separation from God; and let it be an awakening consideration to drive you to be diligent in seeking after, and serious in returning to him: Know then, that all God's Talents must be reckoned for; what you wast away riotously, God will call you to a strict account of it, and wo will be to him in the great day of Judgement, that hath thrown away God's favours upon his own lusts: If the man that hid his Talent in a napkin was so severely dealt withal, what then will be done to him that cannot say here is thine own, but shall be enforced to this confession, I nourished my pride with thy ⟨p. 75⟩favours, I sought mine own credit by the parts and understanding which thou gavest to me, I cherished mine own applause by the honour and power which thou didst afford me among men, I fed my lusts with the creature comfort I enjoyed, my visible priviledges and Churchmembership made me secure and careless of my soul, I boasted my self in my wisdom, strength riches, Gospel-favours, and did not seek to make my boast in God alone; will not this be a sad and doleful account? What need have we then to be now very sollicious in endeavouring to get our account cleared, whiles, in way of true Repentance we may obtain this favour through the blood of Jesus Christ, and, whiles we have time and opportunity, to get into a better way of improving our selves? Could men but lay out that time, and strength, and heart for God, which they do upon their lusts, that would turn to their account, and that which is now justly accounted wast, would be found to be the best thrift: this would be the way to be happy in another world; then should we have a Portion to live on, when the foolish worldling hath spent his, we should never be brought to want: Beg then of God to grant you this wisdom, and labour with so much the more diligence to redeem the loss that you have already sustained, who have hitherto been spending away so much without profit, knowing ⟨p. 76⟩that if you wast and expend all now upon the vanities of this life, and the carnal delights of the present time, you will have nothing to live upon in the dayes of eternity, and then your present wastfulness, will be (too late) found to have laid that unhappy foundation of your utter and eternal undoing.
