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

How many Thousands of them which have set a day, in which they would return and repent, have set, ⟨p. 347⟩and set, and set it again, and what with one thing or other they could not be at leisure to repent till they came to Hell; and there indeed they have leisure enough to repent, and they do repent too, if Hell-Repentance would do any thing: I believe that all that come there do repent and believe too more than they did while they were alive; but then it's too late. They that are now in those dreadful Flames, many of them thought, it may be, of repenting before they died as well as you, and did just as you do. O that you would understand your selves before your state be like theirs! how infinitely doth it concern you to improve time, and to comply with the present tender of mercy that are made to you: for ere long it may be too late for you too. O know this therefore, that now thy God makes thee a gracious offer of pardon; and if you refuse now, this may be the last time, this may be the very cast for Eternity. God may say before to morrow, This night thy soul shall be required of thee. Go to therefore, you that talk of trading for the great things of Eternity, I do not know when, thirty or forty years hence, Do you not know that your life is but a blast? When your breath goes out of your Nostrils, you are not sure that you shall draw it in again. What then do you mean to talk of delay? have you not staid long enough already? consider man what thou dost. He that saith he will be good to morrow, he saith he will be wicked to day. And what if God should say, thou shalt have the pleasure of sin to day & the sorrow of sin to morrow? Thou shalt be hardened to day, and damned to morrow? If your house were on fire, you would scare say, I will go and ⟨p. 348⟩sleep four or five hours, and then I will rise and call my Neighbours to help to quench it. If your Child were a drowning, you would scarce say, I must needs stay till I have drunk a flagon or two more, and about half an hour hence it may be I may go and see whether I can get a Boat to help him out. If you were condemned to dye to morrow, you would scarce say, I will have Music, and Sack, and good company all night, and then I will send a Messenger if I can get one to ride a Hundred Mile to try whether he can get a Pardon for me. Yet thus for all the world thou dost do in the great affairs of thy immortal Soul.

How many Thousands of them which have set a day, in which they would return and repent, have set,