A treatise on comforting afflicted consciences - The Digital Puritan

26 INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMFORTINGheat and height of thy spiritual harvest, awalce out of thysensual sleep, come to thyself with the prodigal, strike uponthy thigh, and for the poor remainder of a few and evildays address thyself with resolution and constancy to pursuethe one necessary thing, and to treasure up much heavenlystrength and store against thine ending hour. Getthee under the most likely means and a quickening ministry,and there gather grace as greedily as the most gripingusurer graspeih gold ; contend with a holy ambition as earnestlyfor the keeping of (iod's favour, and a humble familiaritywith his heavenly highness by keeping faith and agood conscience, as the proudest Haman for a high placeand pleased face of an earthly prince. And why not infinitelymore"? This was the end for which thou wast sentinto this world, this only is the way to endless bliss, andthis alone will help us and hold out in the evil day.CHAP. Vll.A second and third consideration for the admonition of thosewho are careless.2. That upon the little inch of time in this life dependsthe length and breadth of all eternity in the world to come.As we behave ourselves here, we shall lare everlastinglyhereafter. And therefore how ought we to ply this momentand prize that eternity 1 To decline all entanglement inthose inordinate affections to the possessions and pleasuresof the present, which hinder a fruitful improvement of it tothe best advantage for the spiritual good of our souls, let usbe moved with such reasons as these, which may be collectedfrom the words of a worthy writer, which run thuswith very little variation —; 1. If we could afford ourselvesbut so much leisure as to consider that he which hath mostin the world, hath in respect of the world nothing in it,and that he which hath the longest time lent him to live init, hath yet no proportion at all therein ; setting it either bythat which is past when we were not, or by that time inwhich we shall abide for ever ; I say. if both our proportionin the world, and our time in the world, differ notmuch from that which is nothing, it is not out of any excellencyof understanding, saith he, but out of depth offolly, say I, that we so much prize the one, which hathin effect no being, and so much neglect the other, whichhath no ending ;coveting the mortal tilings of the world as