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

ere long all your friends will be dead and gone, and if they would help you, they cannot; your estate will be consumed. your houses will all be burnt, all your attendants, except care and fear, will shortly forsake you, your Gold and Silver will not ere long be worth a rush; and what will you do then? nay, the greatest friends that you had will become your enemies. Little do you think, as kind as they seem to be, what your good fellows, the World, and the Devil will do against you; Little do you think how false your friends will prove when it comes to that, that they see that all is going? then they also will help forward your ruin. Those that you durst have trusted your life with, will accuse you and help to cast you. Those which encouraged to sin, will witness against for sin. Your good Fellows, your Confederates in wickedness, your dear Friends, that you loved more then God, that you did not spare to venture your life and soul for. O it will make your heart ache to see such come in against you, which you thought loved you so dearly! O to have a Wife, a Child, a Husband, an old Friend to come before the Judge, and to make known such things as you hoped had been buried for ever. It will make your ears to tingle, to hear one crying our, Lord, if it had not been for him, I had turned and repented; it's long of him that I am in this woeful condition; I was resolved many a time and oft to seek after another world, and to provide for my soul, but he would not let me alone, when I began to be serious, he laughed and jeered me, and would never be at quiet till he had made ⟨p. 244⟩me as bad as himself; he carried me from the Ale-house to the Tavern, from thence to a Play-house, from a Play-house to a Whore-house, from thence to the High-way, from thence to the Gaol, from the Gaol to the Gallows, and from thence I came hither; and I may thank him for all this. O how will men look when they see the best friends that they had, come in thus against them! this 'tis to trust to faithless friends; this 'tis to make light of acquaintance with God. Your Gold and Silver will be a witness against you, and will eat your flesh as with a canker; your Children, Relations good and bad, will speak bitter things against you; your own Family, will curse you, and say, Lord, we never heard any thing of God, except in an Oath from his mouth;

ere long all your friends will be dead and gone, and if they would help you, they cannot; your estate will be consumed. your houses will all be burnt, all your attendants, except care and fear, will shortly forsake you, your Gold and Silver will not ere long be worth a rush; and what will you do then? nay, the greatest friends that you had will become your enemies. Little do you think, as kind as they seem to be, what your good fellows, the World, and the Devil will do against you; Little do you think how false your friends will prove when it comes to that, that they see that all is going? then they also will help forward your ruine. Those that you durst have trusted your life with, will accuse you and help to cast you. Those which incouraged to sin, will witness against for sin. Your good Fellows, your Confederates in wickedness, your dear Friends, that you loved more then God, that you did not spare to venture your life and soul for. O it will make your heart ake to see such come in against you, which you thought loved you so dearly! O to have a Wife, a Child, a Husband, an old Friend to come before the Judge, and to make known such things as you hoped had been buried for ever. It will make your ears to tingle, to hear one crying our, Lord, if it had not been for him, I had turned and repented; it's long of him that I am in this woful condition; I was resolved many a time and oft to seek after another world, and to provide for my soul, but he would not let me alone, when I began to be serious, he laughed and jeer'd me, and would never be at quiet till he had made