*Fancy yourself living in all the ease and pleasure that the world can give you, esteemed by your friends, undisturbed by your enemies, and gratifying all your _natural tempers_. If you could _stand still_ in such a state, you might say that you had got _something_; but alas! every day that is _added_ to such a life, is the same thing as a day taken from it, and shews you that so much happiness is gone from you. For be as happy as you will, you must see it all sinking away from you; you must feel yourself _decline_; you must see that your time _shortens apace_; you must hear of _sudden deaths_; you must fear _sickness_; you must both dread and desire _old age_; you must fall into the hands of death; you must either die in the bitter sorrows of a deep repentance, or in sad gloomy despair, wishing for _mountains to fall upon you, and rocks to cover you_. And is this a happiness to be chosen? Is this all that you can gain by neglecting God, by following your own desires, and not labouring after Christian perfection? Is it worth your while to separate yourself from God, to lose your share in the realms of light, to be _thus happy_; or, I may better say, to be thus miserable even in this life? You may be so blind and foolish, as not to think of these things; but it is impossible to think of them, without labouring after _Christian perfection_. XIV. It may be, you are too young, too happy, or too busy to be affected with these reflections; but let me tell you, that _all_ will be over before you are aware; your _day_ will be spent, and leave you to such a _night_, as that which surprized the _foolish virgins_. _And at midnight there was a cry made, behold the bridegroom cometh, go ye out and meet him¹._ ¹ Matt. xxv. 6. *The _last hour_ will soon be with you, when you will have nothing to look for, but your _reward_ in another life; when you will stand with nothing but _eternity_ before you, and must begin to be something that will be your state for ever. I can no more _reach_ heaven with my hands, than I can describe the sentiments that you then will have; you will then feel motions of heart that you never felt before; all your thoughts and reflections will pierce your soul in a manner, that you never before experienced; and you will feel the immortality of your nature, by the depth and piercing vigour of your thoughts. You will then know what it is to die; you will then know that you never knew it before, that you never thought worthily of it; but that dying thoughts are as _new_ and _amazing_ as that state which follows them.