live for ever in a State of endless Happiness or endless Mifery. If you will do this, I fhall have a cheerful Hope that One Quarter of an Hour so spent will be the most profitable you ever spent in your Lives; and that God will make the Meditation profitable to your Souls, and the Beginning of eternal Felicity. But, if you will not do this much in an Affair of fuch vaft Moment, I can fay Nothing that will awaken and impress you. Thou, O my GOD! art Witnefs, and all ye that fear GoD are Witneffes, that I have given thoughtless dying Creatures plain and faithful Warning of the Nature and Approach of Eternity; and your own Confciences, O careless, ftupid, Mortals! will bear Witness for me, in the Day of eternal Judgement, that you were forewarned. You will then recollect that you were, again and again, addressed upon this Subject. You will defire to forget it then, but will not be able. May the Spirit of GOD, for whom Nothing is too hard, fo imprefs thefe Things upon your Hearts now, that the Recollection of them then may be joyful and not tormenting to you. I have a cheerful Perfuafion that fome of you, Brethren, are impreffed with these Reprefentations, and will apply your Minds more clofely than before to the great Concerns of Eternity; that you will daily keep all the Powers of your Souls wakeful and active, in order to secure fo vaft a Felicity as the Gospel promiseth. I hope, likewife, that you will, by every friendly Effort, endeavour to fave the Souls of your Relations and Acquaintance. For this Purpose, may may the Grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift be with your Spirits. Amen. (0) To conclude, If I thought it needful to make an Apology to an Aflembly of Immortals for dwelling fo long upon the Subject of Eternity, and being earneft in my Addrefs to them, that Apology fhould be no other than the Answer which a pious Man once made to this Queftion from his Friend: - Why do you spend fo much "Time in Reading, Meditation, and Prayer?" The good Man lifted up his Eyes and Hands to Heaven, and faid, with great Serioufnefs and Solemnity, For ever! For ever! For ever! (0) Gal. vi. 18. THE END. |
