life, and sin in conversation.

Neither the devil, nor men of the world, can kill thy righteousness, or
love to it, but by thy own hand; or separate that and thee asunder,
without thy own act. Nor will he that doth indeed suffer for the sake
of it, or out of love he bears thereto, be tempted to EXCHANGE it for
the good will of the whole world.

I have often thought that the best of Christians are found in the worst
times: and I have thought again, that one reason why we are not better
is, because God purges us no more. Noah and Lot, who so HOLY as they
in the time of their afflictions! and yet, who so IDLE as they in the
time of their prosperity?

OF DEATH AND JUDGMENT.

As the devil labours by all means to keep out other things that are
good, so to keep out of the heart as much as in him lies, the thoughts
of passing out of this life into another world; for he knows if he can
but keep them from the serious thoughts of DEATH, he shall the more
easily keep them in their sins.

Nothing will make us more earnest in working out the work of our
salvation than a frequent meditation of mortality; nothing hath a
greater influence for the taking off our hearts from vanities, and for
the begetting in us desires for holiness.

O! sinner, what a condition wilt thou fall into when thou departest the
world; if thou depart unconverted, thou hadst better have been
SMOTHERED the first hour thou wast born; thou hadst better have been