eternity, choose your abode, and now fet your heart upon it, and seek it as your happiness. If all thefe warnings are refused, confcience fhall tell you when you would not hear it, that you were warned. HAd Ad time allowed it, I should meffage to the humble upright! Lord: Lord traft in him and he shall bring it to pass. For the Lord loveth judgement, and forfaketh not his Saints: they are preferved for ever wait on the Lord and keep his way and when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt fee it. Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace.] If you fay, How are they safe that are fo toffed by jufferings? I answer. 1. Is he not fafe that hath the promise of God for his fecurity, and is related to him as his child and hath Chrift for his Head and Saviour? 2. Is he not fafe that is delivered from the wrath of God, and the flames of hell, and dare look before him to eternity with hope and comfort? and fhall live with Chrift in joy for ever? 3. Is he not fafe that hath no enemy, but what is in his Fathers power. 4. And that hath по 1 no hurt but what fhall certainly procure his good? 5. Nor any, but what he may rejoyce in and is fure fhall be the matter of his thanks when it is paft? that fhall lofe nothing but what he hath already forfaken, and efteemeth but as drofs and dung? How oft have we told God in our prayers, that we had rather have the light of his countenance in adverfity, then be ftrange to him in profperity? and that we would not refufe that fate of fuffering, that fhould be bleft to the deftruction of our fins, and the furthering our communion with God, and our affurance of falvation, and in which we might moft ferve and honour him, in the world. Did we live by fenfe, we should mifjudge of our eltate: but feeing we Live by faith, and in the way can fee the end, we can fay we are fafe in the thickeft of our enemies, and will not fear what man can do, while the Almighty is our rock, and for refs: well may we be quiet from the fear of evil, when we are faved from the great everlasting evil! No evil fhall follow us into heaven; no malice fhall there defame us; nor virulent tongue blafpheme our holy profeffion or our Lord for the mifts of hellish blafphemies fhall never afcend to blot the glory of Christ or of his Saints. Who then shall take us out of his hands? who fhall condemn us? it is he that juftifieth us! not only against the calumnies of malice, but also against the accufarions of Satan for our fin. How fate and quiet are thofe millions of fouls, that are now with Chrift? How little are they annoyed, or their joy or melody interrupted, by all the rage of earth or hell? The glory of the fun may fooner be darkened or blemished by obQ3 lopuy, loquy, then their celeftial glory: For they are glorified with the glory of their Lord, and rejoyce with his joy, and live because he liveth. Be of good chear, Chriftians the haven is within the fight of faith: we are almoft there: Adverfity is our speedieft and fureft paffage. And then let fin, and rage, and malice, do their worst. 33~ FINIS. |