But especially if we could see what men do in their secret chambers, how few would you find in a whole town that spend one quarter of an hour, morning and night, in earnest supplication to God for their souls! O how little do these men set by eternal rest! Thus do they slothfully neglect all endeavours for their own welfare, except some public duty in the congregation, which custom or credit engages them to. Persuade them to read

good books, learn the grounds of religion in their catechism, and sanctify the Lord's day in prayer, and meditation, and hearing the word, and forbearing all worldly thoughts and speeches; and what a tedious life do they take this to be! As if they thought heaven were not worth doing so much for.

§ 4, Another sort are formal professors, who will be brought to any outward duty, but to the inward work of religion they never will be persuaded. They will preach, or hear, or read, or talk of heaven, or pray in their families, and take part with the persons or causes that are good, and desire to be esteemed among the godly; but you can never bring them to the more spiritual duties; as to be constant and fervent in secret prayer and meditation; conscientious in self-examination; heavenly minded; to watch over their hearts, words, and ways; to mortify the flesh, and not make provision to fulfil its lusts, to love and heartily forgive an enemy, and prefer their brethren before themselves; to lay all they have, or do, at the feet of Christ, and prize his service and favour before all; to prepare to die, and willingly leave all to go to Christ. Hypocrites will never be persuaded to any of these.-If an hypocrite entertains the gospel with joy; it is only in the surface of

his soul, he never gives the seed any depth of earth: It changes his opinion, but never melts and new moulds his heart, nor sets up Christ there in full power and authority. As his religion lies most in opinion, so does his chief business and conversation. He is usually an ignorant, bold, conceited dealer in controversies, rather than an humble embracer of known truth, with love and obedience. By his slighting the judgments and persons of others, and seldom talking with seriousness and humility of the great things of Christ, he shews his religion dwells in the brain, and not in his heart. The wind of temptation carries him away as a feather, because his heart is not established with Christ and grace. He never in private conversation humbly bewails his soul's imperfections, or tenderly acknowledges his unkindnesses to Christ; but gathers his greatest comforts from his being of such a judgment or party. The like may be said of the worldly hypocrite, who chokes the gospel with the thorns of worldly cares and desires. He is convinced, that he must be religious, or he cannot be saved; and therefore he reads, and hears, and prays, and forsakes his former company and courses; but he resolves to keep his hold of present things. His judgment may say, God is the chief good; but his heart and affections never said So. The world hath more of his affections than God, and therefore is his God. Though he does not run after opinions and novelties, like the former, yet he will be of that opinion which will best serve his worldly advantage. And as one whose spirits are enfeebled by some pestilential disease; so this man's spirits being possessed by the plague of a worldly disposition, how feeble is he in secret

prayer! How superficial in examination and meditation! How poor in heart-watchings! How nothing at all in loving and walking with God, rejoicing in him, or desiring him! So that both these, and many other sorts of hypocrites, though they will go with you in the easy outside of religion, yet will never be at the pains of inward and spiritual duties.

§ 5. And even the godly themselves are too la-, zy seekers of their everlasting rest, Alas! what a disproportion is there between our light and heat!. our profession and prosecution! Who makes that haste, as if it were for heaven? How still we stand! How idly we work! How we talk, and jest, and trifle away our time! How deceitfully we perform the work of God! How we hear, as if we heard not; and pray, as if we prayed not; and examine, and meditate, and reprove sin, as if we did it not; and enjoy Christ, as if we enjoyed him not; as if we had learned to use the things of heaven, as the apostle teacheth us to use the things of the world! What a frozen stupidity hath benumbed us! We are dying, and we know it not, and yet we stir! we are at the door of eternal happiness, or misery, and yet we perceive it not; death knocks, and we hear it not; God and Christ call and cry to us, To-day, if ye will hear my voice, harden not your hearts; work, while it is day, for the night cometh when none can work. Now ply your business, labour for your lives, lay out all your strength and time; now or never;" and yet we stir no more than if we were half asleep! What haste do death and judgment make! How fast do they come on! They are almost at us, and yet what little haste we make! Lord, what a senseless, earthly, hellish

thing is a hard heart! Where is the man that is in earnest a Christian? Methinks men every where make but a trifle of their eternal state. They look after it but a little by the bye; they do not make it the business of their lives. If I were not sick myself of the same disease, with what tears should I mix this ink! With what groans should I express these complaints! And with what heart grief should I mourn over this universal deadness!

6. Do magistrates among us seriously perform their work? Are they zealous for God? Do they build up his house? Are they tender of his honour? Do they second the word? And fly in the face of sin and sinners, as the disturbers of our peace, and the only cause of all our miseries? Do they improve all their power, wealth, and honour, and all their influence, for the greatest advantage to the kingdom of Christ, as men that must shortly give an account of their stewardship?

7. How thin are those ministers that are serious in their work! Nay, how mightily do the very best fail in this! Do we cry out of men's disobedience to the gospel in the demonstration of the spirit, and deal with sin as the destroying fire in our towns, and by force pull men out of it? Do we persuade our people, as those should, that know the terrors of the Lord? Do we press Christ, and regeneration, and faith, and holiness, believing that without these, men can never have life? Do our bowels yearn over the ignorant, careless, and obstinate multitude? When we look them in the face, do our hearts melt over them, lest we should never see their faces in rest? Do we, as Paul, tell them weeping, of their fleshly and earthly disposition; and teach them publicly, and from house to

house, at all seasons, and with many tears? And do we entreat them, as for their soul's salvation? Or rather, do we not study to gain the approbation of critical hearers; as if a minister's business were of no more weight but to tell a smooth tale for an hour, and look no more after the people till the next sermon? Does not carnal prudence controul our fervour, and make our discourses lifeless, on subjects the most piercing? How gently we handle those sins, which will so cruelly handle our people's souls! In a word, our want of seriousness about the things of heaven, charms the souls of men into formality, and brings them to this customary, careless hearing, which undoes them. May the Lord pardon the great sin of the ministry in this thing; and, in particular, my own.

§ 8. And are the people more serious than magistrates or ministers? How can it be expected! Reader, look but to thyself, and resolve the question.

Ask conscience, and suffer it to tell thee truly. Hast thou set thy eternal rest before thine eyes, as the great business thou hast to do in this world? Hast thou watched and laboured, with all thy might, that no man take thy crown? Hast thou made haste, lest thou shouldst come too late, and die before thy work be done? Hast thou pressed on through crowds of opposition, towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, still reaching forth unto those things which are before? Can conscience witness your secret cries, and groans, and tears? Can your family witness, that you taught them the fear of the Lord, and warned them not to go to that place of torment? Can your minister witness, that he has card you cry out, What shall I do to be saved?