iii. 15, 16, "I would thou wert cold or hot; because thou art lukewarm,

and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth:" that is, either be an open infidel, or a holy, downright, zealous christian: but because thou callest thyself a christian, and hast not the life or zeal of a christian, but coverest thy wickedness and carnality with that holy name, I will cast thee away as an abominable vomit. It would make the heart of a believer ache to think of the hypocrisy of most that usurp the name of christians, and how cruelly they mock themselves. What a glory is offered them, and they lose it by their dallying! What a price is in their hands, what mercy is offered them, and they lose it by their dallying! What danger is before them, and they will fall into it by their dallying! Doth not the weight of your salvation forbid this trifling? You might better set the town on fire, and make a jest of it, than jest your souls into the fire of hell. Then you will find that hell is no jesting matter. If you mock yourselves out of your salvation, where are you then? If you play with time, and means, and mercy till they are gone, you are undone for ever. O dally not till you are past remedy. Alas, poor dreaming trifling hypocrites! Is time so sweet, and life so short, and death so sure and near, and God so holy, just, and terrible, and heaven so glorious, and hell so hot, and both everlasting, and yet will you not be in earnest about your work? Up and be doing, as you are men! and as ever you care what becomes of you for ever! Depart from iniquity, if you will name the name of Christ, 2 Tim. ii. 19. Let not a cheating world delude you for a moment, and have the kernel, the heart, while God hath but the empty shell. A mock religion will but keep up a mock hope, a mock peace, and a mock joy and comfort, till Satan have done his work, and be ready to unhood you and open your eyes. Job