Heaven upon earth, or, The best friend in the worst of times. Delivered in…

by which match you will be made for ever. O did men and women but know what a Soul is, did they imagine what a dreadful miscarriage of a Soul is, did they but in any measure understand the things of their peace, could they but conceive what God could and would do for their Souls, I need to spend but little time in persuading them to commit their Souls to him, to be acquainted with him, who will be sure to take special care of their Souls, that they may do well, whatever is neglected. O could you but see, did you but know what a sad taking they are in, that go into the other world with a poor naked Soul, and know no body in the world there, and have never a friend that doth take any notice of them, you would then think I spoke what I do with reason enough, and that my words were too short, and my expostulations too faint in a matter of such concernment. O sinners, I tell you, nay, God tells you soul-matters are the greatest matters in the world. I am sure Christ thought so, or else he would not have been at so much cost about them; those that are in their wits and ⟨p. 153⟩understand themselves, they know as much too, and so will you, ere a few years, it may be hours, be past. Those that now make but a pish of all this, when they have been but one quarter of an hour in another world, will say as I do, that a Soul-friend is the only Friend, and that Soul-concerns are the great concerns, things of weight and moment indeed; and that it would have quitted the cost to have taken some pains to have looked out for such a one that could have stood the Soul in some stead in that other world; and that above all, it would have been no folly nor madness to have accepted of the kindness of one that desired earnestly to be acquainted with them, and to do their Soul a good turn. O that they had but been so considerate, as to have embraced such a motion when it was offered! And this brings me to the next Qualification of this Friend.

by which match you will be made for ever. O did men and women but know what a Soul is, did they imagine what a dreadful miscarriage of a Soul is, did they but in any measure understand the things of their peace, could they but conceive what God could and would do for their Souls, I need to spend but little time in perswading them to commit their Souls to him, to be acquainted with him, who will be sure to take special care of their Souls, that they may do well, whatever is neglected. O could you but see, did you but know what a sad taking they are in, that go into the other world with a poor naked Soul, and know no body in the world there, and have never a friend that doth take any notice of them, you would then think I spoke what I do with reason enough, and that my words were too short, and my expostulations too faint in a matter of such concernment. O sinners, I tell you, nay, God tells you soul-matters are the greatest matters in the world. I am sure Christ thought so, or else he would not have been at so much cost about them; those that are in their wits and