men take such pleasure in sin that they will die before they will
return. The Lord Jesus was content to be their Physician, and hath
provided them a sufficient plaster of his own blood: but if men make
light of it, and will not apply it, what wonder if they perish after
all? The Scripture giveth us the reason of their perdition. This,
sad experience tells us, the most of the world is guilty of. It is
a most lamentable thing to see how most men do spend their care,
their time, their pains, for known vanities, while God and glory are
cast aside; that he who is all should seem to them as nothing, and
that which is nothing should seem to them as good as all; that God
should set mankind in such a race where heaven or hell is their
certain end, and that they should sit down, and loiter, or run after
the childish toys of the world, and so much forget the prize that
they should run for. Were it but possible for one of us to see the
whole of this business as the all-seeing God doth; to see at one
view both heaven and hell, which men are so near; and see what most
men in the world are minding, and what they are doing every day, it
would be the saddest sight that could be imagined. Oh how should we
marvel at their madness, and lament their self-delusion! Oh poor
distracted world! what is it you run after? and what is it that
you neglect? If God had never told them what they were sent into
the world to do, or whither they are going, or what was before them
in another world, then they had been excusable; but he hath told
them over and over, till they were weary of it. Had he left it
doubtful, there had been some excuse; but it is his sealed word, and
they profess to believe it, and would take it ill of us if we should
question whether they do believe it or not.

Beloved, I come not to accuse any of you particularly of this crime;
but seeing it is the commonest cause of men's destruction, I suppose
you will judge it the fittest matter for our inquiry, and deserving
our greatest care for the cure, To which end I shall, 1. Endeavor
the conviction of the guilty, 2. Shall give them such considerations
as may tend to humble and reform them. 3. I shall conclude with
such direction as may help them that are willing to escape the
destroying power of this sin. And for the first, consider:--

1. It is the case of most sinners to think themselves freest from
those sins that they are most enslaved to; and one reason why we
cannot