at are not active for him. 'Thou
wicked and slothful servant! out of thine own mouth will I judge thee.
Thou saidst I was thus, and thus; wherefore then gavest thou not my
money to the bank? &c. Take the unprofitable servant, and cast him
into utter darkness, where there shall be weeping and gnashing of
teeth.'

What shall I say? 1. Time runs; and will ye be slothful? 2. Much of
your lives are past; and will you be slothful? 3. Your souls are worth
a thousand worlds; and will ye be slothful? 4. The day of death and
judgment is at the door; and will ye be slothful? 5. The curse of God
hangs over your heads; and will you be slothful? 6. Besides, the
devils are earnest, laborious, and seek by all means every day, by
every sin, to keep you out of heaven, and hinder you of salvation; and
will you be slothful? 7. Also, your neighbors are diligent for things
that will perish; and will you be slothful for things that will endure
for ever? 8. Would you be willing to be damned for slothfulness? 9.
Would you be willing the angels of God should neglect to fetch your
souls away to heaven, when you lie a dying, and the devils stand by
ready to scramble for them? 10. Was Christ slothful in the work of
your redemption? 11. Are his ministers slothful in tendering this unto
you? 12. And lastly, If all this will not move, I tell you God will
not be slothful or negligent to damn you, (their damnation slumbereth
not, 2 Pet. ii. 3;) nor will the devils neglect to fetch thee, nor
hell neglect to shut its mouth upon thee.

Sluggard! art thou asleep still? Art thou resolved to sleep the sleep
of death? Will neither tidings from heaven nor hell awake thee? Wilt
thou say still, yet a little sleep, a little slumber, and a little
folding of the arms to sleep? Wilt thou yet turn thyself in thy sloth,
as the door is turned upon the hinges? O that I was one that was
skilful in lamentation, and had but a yearning heart towards thee, how
would I pity thee! how would I bemoan thee! O that I could with
Jeremiah let my eyes run down with rivers of water for thee! Poor
soul, lost soul, dying soul, what a hard heart have I that I cannot
mourn for thee! If thou shouldst lose but a limb, a child, or a
friend, it would not be so much; but poor man, it is THY SOUL! If it
was to lie in hell but for a day, but for a year, nay, ten thousand
years, it would (in comparison) be nothing; but O it is FOR EVER! What
a soul-amazing word will that be, which saith, "Depar