The saints everlasting rest

Answ. Who art thou, O man, that disputest against GOD? Hath GOD charged you to teach your children diligently his word, speaking of it as you sit at home, and as you walk abroad, as you lie down, and as you rise up; and dare you reply, that it is as good let it alone? Why, this is to set GOD at defiance; and as it were to spit in his face, and give him the lie. Will you take it well at your servants, if when you command them to do a thing, they should return you an answer, that they do not see but it were as good let it alone? Wretched worm! darest thou thus lift up thy head against the Lord that made thee, and must judge thee? Is it not he that commandeth thee? If thou believe that this is the word of GOD, how darest thou say, It is as good disobey it? This is devilish pride indeed, when such sottish, sinful dust shall think themselves wiser than the living GOD.

2. But what if some prove bad that are well brought up? It is not the generality of them. Will you say that Noah's family was no better than the drowned world, because there was one Ham in it? Nor David's, because there was one Absalom? Nor Christ's, because there was one Judas?

3. But what if it were so? Have men need of the less teaching, or the more? You have more wit in the matters of this world. You will not say, I see many labour hard, and yet are poor, and therefore it is as good never to labour at all: You will not say, many that go to school learn nothing, and therefore they may learn as much though they never go; or many that are great tradesmen break, and therefore ⟨p. 249⟩it is as good never to trade at all; or many plough and sow, and have nothing come up, and therefore it is as good never to plough more. What a fool were he that should reason thus! And is not he a thousand times worse, that shall reason thus for men's souls? Peter reasons the clean contrary way, If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and sinner appear,