If God bee the way , the life , and the truth ; he that goeth without him , strayeth ; and he that liveth without him , dyeth ; and he that is not taught by him , erreth .

Well ( saith Saint Augustine ) God is our true , & chiefest life , from whom to revolt , is to fall ; to whom to returne to rise , and in wh●●● to stay , is to sta●● sure .

God is hee fro● whom to depart 〈◊〉 to dye ; to whom 〈◊〉 repaire , is to reviv● and in whom 〈◊〉 dwel , is life for ever ▪ Bee not then of 〈◊〉 number of the●● that beginne not 〈◊〉 live , till they bee r●●●dy to dye : and then , after a foes desert , come to crave of God a friends entertainment .

Some there be that thinke to snatch heaven in a moment , which the best can scarce attaine unto in the maintenance of many years , and when they have glutted themselves with worldly ●●●lights , would j 〈…〉 from Dives dyet , 〈◊〉 Lazarus Crown●● from the service 〈◊〉 Satan , to the sol 〈…〉 of a Saint .

But bee you w●●● assured , that God not 〈◊〉 so penurions 〈◊〉 friends , as to h●● himselfe and 〈◊〉 kingdome scaleab●● for the refuse a●● ●eversions of their ●ives , who have sa●rificed the princi●all thereof to his e●emies , and their ●wne brutish lust ; ●hen onely ceasing 〈◊〉 offend , when the ●bilitie of offending 〈◊〉 taken from them .

True it is , that a ●hiefe may be saved ●pon the crosse , and mercie found at the last gaspe : But 〈◊〉 ( saith Saint Aug 〈…〉 though it bee p 〈…〉 ble , yet it is sc 〈…〉 credible , that 〈◊〉 death should 〈◊〉 favour , whose w 〈…〉 life deserved de●●● and that the rep●●●tance should bee ●●●cepted , that 〈◊〉 for feare of hell , 〈◊〉 love of himself , 〈◊〉 for the love of 〈◊〉 and loathsomnesse of sinne cryeth for mercie .

Wherefore , good Sir , make no longer delayes ; but being so neer the breaking up of your mortall house , take time before extremitie , to pacifie Gods anger .

Though you suffered the bud to bee blasted , though you permitted the 〈◊〉 to bee perished , 〈◊〉 the leaves to dry 〈◊〉 yea , though you 〈◊〉 the boughs to ●●ther , and the bo 〈…〉 of your tree to gr●● to decay ; yet ( ala 〈…〉 keep life in the ro 〈…〉 for feare lest 〈◊〉 whole tree becom● fewell for hell fire ▪ For surely where t●● tree falleth , there shall lye , whether towards the South , or to the North , to heaven , or to hell ; and such sap as it bringeth forth , such fruite shall it ever beare .

Death hath already filed from you the better part of your naturall forces , and left you now to the Lees and remissals of your we 〈…〉 ish and dying day ▪

The remain 〈…〉 wherof as it can 〈…〉 bee long , so doth warne you speed 〈…〉 to ransom your fo●●mer losses ; for wh●● is age , but the 〈…〉 lends of death , a●● what import●●● your present weak●●nesse , but a nearne 〈…〉 of your approchi●● dissolution , you are now imbarked in your finall voyage , and not farre from the stint and period of your course .

Bee not therefore unprovided of such appurtenances as are behoovefull in so perplexed and perilous a journy ; death it selfe is very fearefull , but much more terrible in respect 〈◊〉 the judgment i● summoneth us un●to .

If you were no● laid upon your departing bed , burthened with the heavi● load of your forme● trespasses , and gore● with the sting and pricke of a festered Conscience ; if yo● felt the crampe of death wresting your heart-strings , and ready to make the rufull divorce betweene bodie and soule : If you lay panting for breath , and swimming in a cold and pale sweat wearied with strugling against your deadly pangs , O what would you give for an houres repentance ; at w●●● rate would you 〈…〉 lue a dayes contri●●●on : Then wor〈…〉 would bee wo 〈…〉 lesse in respect of little respite , a sh 〈…〉 truce would see 〈…〉 more precious t●●● the trersures of 〈◊〉 Empire , nothi●● would bee so muc● esteemed as a sh 〈…〉 trice of time , whi●● now by dayes , and moneths ; and years , is most lavishly mis-spent .

Oh how deepely would it wound your woefull heart , when looking back into your former life , you considered many hainous , and horrible offences committed , many pious workes , and godly deeds omitted , 〈◊〉 neither of both ●●●pented , your ser 〈…〉 to God promis 〈…〉 and not perform 〈…〉

Oh how un 〈…〉 solably were 〈◊〉 case , your frie●● being fled , your ●●●●ses affrighted , y●●● thoughts ama●● yor memory d●●cayed , and y●●● whole mind ag 〈…〉 and no part able to performe what it should ; but onely your guilty Conscience pestered with sinne , that would continually upbraid you with many bitter accusations .

Oh what would you thinke then , being stripped out of this mortall weede , and turned out both of service , and h〈…〉 room of this wic 〈…〉 world , you are 〈…〉 ced to enter into ●●●couth and stra●●● pathes , and 〈◊〉 unknowne and 〈…〉 ly company to 〈◊〉 convented befo●● most severe Iudg● carrying in y●●● conscience your ●●●ditement , writ●●● in a perfect Regist●● of all your misdeeds , when you shall see him prepared to give sentence upon you , against whom you have so often transgressed , and the same to bee your Vmpire , whom by so many offences you have made your enemies , when not onely the Divel , but even the Angels would plead agai●●● you , and your ow●● selfe , in despight 〈◊〉 your selfe , bee y●●● owne most shar●● appeacher .

Oh what wou●● you doe in th●● dreadfull exige●● when you saw 〈◊〉 gastly Dragon , a●● huge gulph of he●● breaking out wi●● most fearfull flam●● when you heard the weeping , wailing , and gnashing of teeth ; the rage of those hellish monsters , the horror of the place , the terror of the company , and the eternity of all those torments .

Would you then thinke them wise that should delay in so weighty matters , and idlely play a●●● the time alotted , 〈◊〉 preuent these into●lerable calamitie●● Would you then c 〈…〉 it secure to nurse your bosomes many Serpents sinnes ? and to fo●●●● in your souls so ●●●ny malitious ace●●sors , as mortall 〈◊〉 horrible offence ▪ Would you 〈◊〉 ●●●● ●hant , whose traf●ique is toyle , whose wealth is trash , and whose gaine is mi●erie : what interest haue you reaped , that might equall your detriment in grace and vertue ? or what could you find in the vale of teares , that was answerable to the favour of God , with losse whereof , you 〈◊〉 contented to 〈◊〉 it .

You cannot 〈◊〉 be inveigled 〈◊〉 the passions of yo●● which making a 〈…〉 tialitie of things , 〈◊〉 no distance betw●●● counterfeit and ●●rant , for these 〈◊〉 now worne out 〈…〉 force , by tract 〈◊〉 time are fallen i 〈…〉 reproofe by triall of their folly .

Oh let not the crazy cowardnesse of flesh and bloud daunt the prowesse of an intelligent person , who by his wisedome cannot but discerne how much more cause there is , and how much more needefull it is to serve God then this wic●●● world .

But if it bee 〈◊〉 ungrounded ●●●●sumption of 〈◊〉 mercie of God , 〈◊〉 the hope of his ●●●stance at the 〈◊〉 plunge ( which ●●●deede is the ordi●●●ry lure of the div●●● to reclaime sin●●●● from the pursuit 〈◊〉 Repentance . Al●● ●hat is too palpable a collusion to mislead a sound and serviceable man , howsoever it may prevaile with sicke and 〈◊〉 affected iudgements : who would relye upon eternall affaires upon the gliding slippernesse , and running streames of our uncertaine life ? who , but one of of distempered 〈◊〉 would offer 〈◊〉 to the discipher 〈…〉 all thoughts ; 〈◊〉 whom dissembl 〈…〉 may to our cost 〈…〉 to deceive him unpossible .

Shall we estee● it cunning to r 〈…〉 the time from 〈◊〉 and bestow it o 〈…〉 enemies , who 〈…〉 peth tale of the 〈◊〉 minutes , and will examine in the end how every moment hath beene imployed . It is a preposterous kinde of pollicy in any wise conceit to fight against God , till our weapons be blunted , our forces consumed , our limbs impotent , and our best time spent ; & then when we fal for faintness● and have fou●● our selves alm●●● dead to presume 〈◊〉 his mercy .

Oh! no , no , 〈◊〉 wounds of his m 〈…〉 sacred body so 〈◊〉 rubbed , and ren●ed by your sinnes , 〈◊〉 every part and ●●●●cell of our bodies divers , and sim●●●● waies abused , 〈◊〉 be then as so many wherstones & incentives to edge & exasperate his most just revenge against vs .

It is a strange peece of Art , and a very exorbitant course , when the ship is sound , the Pylot well , the Marriners strong , the gale fauourable , & the Sea calme to lye idlely at the road , burni●● so seasonable w●●●ther ; And when 〈◊〉 Ship leaketh , the ●●●lott sicke , the ma●●●●ners faint , the sto 〈…〉 boysterous , and 〈◊〉 Seas a turmoyle 〈…〉 outragious surg 〈…〉 then to launch 〈◊〉 ( hoise up saile ) 〈◊〉 set out for a l●●● voyage into a 〈◊〉 Countrey .