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

But my business is to go out into the High ways and Hedges, and to invite poor wandering strangers that have nothing to live upon themselves, and that do not know what a noble open house God keeps, that never tasted of his kindness in Christ, to come to this Royal Feast, and to Eat their fill of such food as they can never eat too much of, never be surfeited with. Vuto you, O men, I call, and my voice is unto the sons of men. O ye simple ones, understand wisdom, and ye fools, he ye of an understanding heart, Prov. 8.4, 5. Hear O ye deaf, and see O blind: let the dead hear the voice of God, and live. Then hear what I have been speaking of: I have almost done my message, consider well of these things, as you tender the displeasure of God, as you value your Souls, be serious; remember what it is, that I have been discoursing to you about, Read it over again, and study on it; Read and Pray, Pray and Read, and turn this exhortation into Prayer; take with you words, and say: O that this might be the Sermon that might bring me acquainted with God! O that this might be the man that might bring me to some knowledge of Christ! O that this might be the happy day wherein a Match ⟨p. 265⟩may be concluded between my soul, and the precious Jesus! But alas, alas, where are the hearts that are thus smitten? Where are the Souls that are any white taken with this infinite Beauty? How few have any real love or good-will for Christ? O who hath believed our report, and to whom is the Arm of the Lord revealed? Though I and many hundreds more, have been pleading thus with sinners; though some of the Ambassadors of peace weep bitterly, that their message is no more kindly entertained, though their public Preaching be followed with private Prayers and secret Groans; though they expostulate the case with poor refractory Creatures, with all the earnestness that they can for their lives, though we use the most powerful arguments that we can, and deliver them with all the vehemency, seriousness and compassion that we can for our Souls; Yet how are the greatest part of our hearers unconcerned? Is not a great part of our Auditory as stupid and senseless, as the very stones they tread on? The more is our sorrow; we fear as to the most of them that hear us, what we speak, is lost. It may be they may be a little affected just at the hearing, or for an hour or two;

But my business is to go out into the High ways and Hedges, and to invite poor wandring strangers that have nothing to live upon themselves, and that do not know what a noble open house God keeps, that never tasted of his kindness in Christ, to come to this Royal Feast, and to Eat their fill of such food as they can never eat too much of, never be surfeited with. Ʋuto you, O men, I call, and my voice is unto the sons of men. O ye simple ones, understand wisdom, and ye fools, he ye of an understanding heart,