still ? and if the " trial of your faith was precious to you here- tofore, yea more precious than gold, because you knew it would be found to your praise and honour and glory, as well as to the praise and honour and glory of your Lord, at his appeariiigV' should it not be alike precious now? If too an assured pro- spect of " a better and an enduring substance in heaven" once made all earthly things appear to you so light, that you could take joyfully the loss of all of them in the prospect of it, is it not of equal value now? or do you think that, when you shall have obtained the enjoyment of it, you will regret the sacrifices which you made with a view to it?" Then I say, " Continue to walk by the rule whereto ye have attained^;" and " look to yourselves that ye lose not the things which ye have wrought, but that ye receive a full reward^."]
Let me improve the subject in a more particular
1. To those who have never yet been illuminated by the Gospel of Christ —
[How painful should the review of former days be to you ! O ! the seasons you have lost ! the mercies you have abused ! the guilt you have contracted ! How differently have your lives been spent from what they would have been if you had been Christians indeed! You would have been fleeing from the wrath to come, and would have so made your light shine before men, as to "condemn the world" around you, even as Noah did when he built the ark : and you would have found in Christ such peace as passeth understanding, and such joy as should have infinitely overbalanced all that you could ever do or suffer for him. But of persecution for righteousness' sake you know nothing; and still less of that high attainment of glorying in tribulation for the sake of Christ. Look back then to the days that are past, and be confounded before God be- cause of your impiety : and pray that " the eyes of your under- standing may be enlightened," and that you may yet be " brought out of darkness into the marvellous light of his Gospel." Be thankful to God that the light yet shines around you : and, " while ye have the light, be careful to walk in the light ;" and " give glory to the Lord your God before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and, while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness. But, if ye will not hear this admonition, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride; and mine eye shall weep sore and run down day and night," because of the awful judgments that await vou'.]
' 1 Pet. i. 7. g Phil. iii. 16.
^ 2 John, ver. 8. i Jer. xiii. 16, 17.