what will become of me here, and how matters will go with me here in this life; ah, but when is the time to provide for eternity, to get my title to heaven cleared, to get an undeniable interest in Christ Jesus, which will yield me comfort in the greatest worldly distresses? Lord, give some hopes that thou hast avouched me to be thine; and that I have sincerely, without reservation, or power of revocation, avouched thee to be my God.

PAPER II.

honour, and im

Do thou, by a patient continuance in welldoing, seek for glory, and mortality, and eternal life.

well-doing, for in due time

Be not weary of

thou shalt reap,

if thou faint not. Is there glory, honour, immortality, and eternal life set before me, and yet shall I tire and wax weary? Dare I

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be impatient and fret at any of the Lord's dealings towards me? If heaven were oftener in my eye and view, I should be more calm and composed in the midst of all trials, troubles, and afflictions, that do or may overtake me during my abode in this distracting and sin-defiling world.

Is there glory to be had hereafter, and shall not I endeavour to be a sharer therein ? Is there honour to be conferred upon those that are true worshippers of the Lamb, and shall I be dull, and dead, and sluggish, and unmindful of the honour that shall be bestowed upon the saints? Is immortality set before me, and yet am I so glued to this mortal life, that the interests and concernments thereof so fill up my time and thoughts, that these heavenly objects are too seldom thought of, and presented to my mind?

An eternal life is offered in the gospel to all those that by faith lay hold on it; and yet I, fool that I am, so solicitous for this temporal life, this animal, this perishing, this fading life, do too much neglect my precious,

immortal, and never-dying soul! So that should I hereafter be banished thy comfortable presence, and excluded from those joys and pleasures that are enjoyed by those admitted to thy kingdom and glory, I could blame none but myself, who have not in a due manner sought the welfare of my soul. I have a blessed hope of the glorious appearance of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, which I pretend to look, long, and wait for; but do I live as an expectant of such tremendous appearances? Can I, with comfort, and confidence, and hope, look for this glorious appearance of the great God, when he shall come in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know him not, nor obey his gospel? If I be found in this number, how sad and deplorable will my case be!

Help me, O Lord, to search and see how matters go with my soul. If I am not in Christ; if I have not got an interest in God the Father, Son, and Spirit, there will be no blessed hope for me, but a fearful expectation of the fiery indignation that shall consume

his adversaries. O! to be found an enemy to God, and he an enemy to any at death and judgment is an astonishing thing! Therefore fly for refuge, lay hold on the hope set before you. Christ is the only refuge for a poor undone sinner to fly to: in his name, and for his sake, thou mayest be accepted, and not only pardoned, but restored to favour and friendship: not only be delivered from the terrors of hell, but be made an heir of eternal life.

O blessed are those that have secured an interest in the eternal God; for to those he will be a sun and shield, he will give grace and glory and though they may meet with many troubles in this life, many ups and downs in the world, yet if they bear it with patience, heaven will make amends, and will pay for all. I am sensible, O Lord, that I stand in need of a great Almighty power to keep me from falling; let me be kept through faith unto salvation : let me not be frustrated of that blessed hope that thy word reveals, whereof many shall be partakers. O let not

i

me be excluded, but permit me to be a beholder of those glorious appearances that shall be revealed to all those that love, serve, and obey thee. If thou shouldest say unto me, I know thee not, depart from me, thou hast wrought iniquity, and done foolishly, therefore depart, depart into everlasting fire: though this sentence would be severe, it would be but just, for I have deserved a perpetual banishment and separation from thy comfortable presence.

But, Lord, suffer me to plead with thee: Is there not a refuge for poor distressed sinners to fly to, even the blood of Christ, which cries louder for mercy than my sins can cry for vengeance? In him alone I desire to be found; for his sake only I desire acceptance. O let not my name be blotted out of thy book, but give me some comfortable and sure evidence that I am thine, that so I may run the ways of thy commands, and not tire and wax weary, but may, by a patient continuance in well-doing, seek for that glory, honour, and immortality, and that eternal