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

when they shall be quite despoiled of all that which they prized above the knowledge of God, when all their friends shall appear to be enemies, when all their hopes shall be swept down like a Spiders web, O will they not then be of this mind, that it was no such slight matter that I was so earnest with them about, that acquaintance with God was no such unnecessary thing as they took it to be; and that there was more need of getting an interest in Christ, than of running to a Play-house, or a Whore-house. How will they rend the skies with their fruitless wishes? How will the Mountains echo with their doleful lamentations? O that God would but know them! O that they might not hear that word, Depart! but seeing all that too little purpose, how then will they exclaim against themselves? O that they should be such fools, that they should be so madly besotted, as to neglect the looking after acquaintance with God. Time was, that God would have had them to come to him; he called after them, and sent for them again and again, but they would none of his company, they desired not the knowledge of the most High; they said to him, Depart from us: and now they have what they then desired; now they see that the Ministers had cause enough to say what they did, and a thousand times more. As troublesome as it was to hear of Hell, it's worse to feel it. They see now Must is for the Soul, and not the Body. O ⟨p. 157⟩that men and women would be now as serious in their judgments about these things as they will be shortly? Consider, O man, that as little as thou mindest these things, these are the only things that are necessary. Thou must have a God for thy Friend, a Christ for thy Saviour to save thee from thy fins, or else thou Must be damned, or else thou Must be cursed for ever. Thou mayst lie racked upon thy bed of sickness, where none can help thee; thou mayst rot in a stinking dungeon, where no man can relieve thee; thou mayst be roasted in the flames, and yet for all this be a happy man. Worldly ease, pleasure, health, riches, are none of those absolutely necessary things, A man may go to Hell and have them all, and a man may go to Heaven and want them. Thou mayst have Eternal Rest in another Life. though thou hast scarce a day of ease in this. One may be a Favourite of God, though as miserable as Job. But what will you say, of that man that hath not a God to go to?

when they shall be quite despoiled of all that which they prized above the knowledge of God, when all their friends shall appear to be enemies, when all their hopes shall be swept down like a Spiders web, O will they not then be of this mind, that it was no such slight matter that I was so earnest with them about, that acquaintance with God was no such unnecessary thing as they took it to be; and that there was more need of getting an interest in Christ, than of running to a Play-house, or a Whore-house. How will they rend the skies with their fruitless wishes? How will the Mountains eccho with their doleful lamentations? O that God would but know them! O that they might not hear that word, Depart! but seeing all that too little purpose, how then will they exclaim against themselves? O that they should be such fools, that they should be so madly besotted, as to neglect the looking after acquaintance with God. Time was, that God would have had them to come to him; he called after them, and sent for them again and again, but they would none of his company, they desired not the knowledge of the most High; they said to him, Depart from us: and now they have what they then desired; now they see that the Ministers had cause enough to say what they did, and a thousand times more. As troublesome as it was to hear of Hell, it's worse to feel it. They see now Must is for the Soul, and not the Body. O