Part 7
Those three uncertainties of that most certain _blow_, to wit, of the _Time_ when, the _Place_ where, the _Manner_ how it shall come upon us, and dash our _Earthern Pitcher_ all to pieces, I say the consideration of these three, should be a threefold _cord_ to bind us fast to an holy _watchfulness_ for our _departures_, and a _spur_ to quicken us to aboundant _faithfulnesse_ in _doing_ and _suffering_ for the _Lord_ and his _Christ_, it should draw up our minds unto _heavenly objects_, and loosen us from the vexing _vanities_ of this vaine _puffe_ of this present sinfull life.
Oh how weaned, how sober, how temperate, how mortified should our _spirits_, our _affections_, our _desires_ be, when we remember that we are but strangers, converse with _strange companies_, dwel in strange houses, lodge in strange beds and know not whether this day, this night shall be our finall change of this strange place for one far _stranger_, darke and dolefull, except enlightened by the _Death_ and _Life_ of the Son of _God_.
How contented should we be with any _Pittance_, any _Allowance_ of _Bread_, of _Cloaths_, of _Friendship_, of _Respect_, &c.?
How thankfull unto _God_, unto _man_ should we poor strangers be for the least _crum_, or _drop_, or _rag_, vouchsaf'd unto us, when we remember we are but strangers in an _In_, but passengers in a Ship, and though we dreame of long _Summer_ dayes, yet our very life and being is but a swift short _passage_ from the bank of _time_ to the other side or _Banck_ of a dolefull _eternity_?
How patient should our _minds_ and _bodies_ be under the _crossing_, disappointing hand of our all-powerfull _Maker_, of our most gracious _Father_, when we remember that this is the short _span_ of our _purging_ and _fitting_ for an eternall _Glory_, and that when we are _judged we_ are _chastened_ of the _Lord_, that we should not be _condemned_ with the world?
How quietly (without the _swellings_ of _revenge_ and _wrath_) should we bear the daily _injuries_, _reproaches_, _persecutings_, &c. from the hands of men, who passe away and wither (it may be before night) like _grasse_, or as the _smoake_ on the chimnies top, and their _love_ and _hatred_ shall quickly perish?
Yea, how _busie_, how _diligent_, how _solicitous_ should we be (like _strangers_ upon a strange _Coast_) waiting for a _winde_ or _passage_) to get _dispatched_ what we have to doe before wee hear that finall call, _Away, Away_, let us be gone from hence, &c.
How should we ply to get _aboard_ that which will passe, and turne to blessed _account_ in our own _countrey_?
How should we over-look and despise this _worlds trash_ which (as the holy _woman_ going to be burnt for _Christ_ said of money) will not passe in Heaven?
How zealous for the true _God_, the true _Christ_, his _praise_, his _truth_, his _worship_, how faithfull in an humble witnesse against the _lyes_ and cozening delusions of the _Father of lyes_, though guilded o're with _truth_, and that _by_ the hands of the highest or holyest upon the Earth?
How frequent, how constant (like _Christ Jesus_ our _Founder_ and _Example_) in doing good (especially to the _Souls_) of all men, especially to the _Household_ of _Faith_, yea even to our enemies, when we remember that this is our _seed time_, of which every minute is precious, and that as our _sowing_ is, must be our eternall _Harvest_: for so sayeth the Spirit by _Paul_ to the _Galathians_: _He that soweth to the flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption_ or _rottennesse, and he that soweth to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting_.
_FINIS._
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Transcriber's Notes:
Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.
Obvious printer's errors were corrected.
Every effort has been made to replicate this text faithfully, including obsolete and variant spellings, inconsistent and non-standard punctuation, inconsistently hyphenated words, and other inconsistencies.
There are several places where opening or closing parentheses marks appear, and it is not clear from the text where the paired parenthesis would appear. In each case, the single parenthesis was left in place and no opening or closing parenthesis added.
However, where printing issues interfere with readability, and the intent is absolutely clear from the text, changes were made to the transcribed text.
For example: multiple spellings of "Iesus" have been changed to "Jesus".