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care or labor. Thou didst never perceive so much excellency in the unseen<br />
glory of another world, as to draw thy heart after it, and bring thee to labor<br />
heartily for it. <strong>The</strong> little pains thou bestowest for it is but a secondary effort.<br />
God hath but the world's leavings: only that time and labor which thou canst<br />
spare from the world, or those few cold and careless thoughts which follow<br />
thy constant, earnest, and delightful thoughts of earthly things. Neither<br />
wouldst thou do any thing at all for heaven, if thou knewest how to keep the<br />
world. But lest thou shouldst be turned into hell when thou canst keep the<br />
world no longer, therefore thou wilt do something. For the same reason thou<br />
thinkest the way of God too strict, and wilt not be persuaded to the constant<br />
labor of walking according to the Gospel rule; and when it comes to the trial,<br />
that thou must forsake Christ or thy worldly happiness, then thou wilt<br />
venture heaven rather than earth, and so wilfully deny thy obedience to God.<br />
And certainly, if God would but give thee leave to live in health and wealth<br />
for ever on earth, thou wouldst think it a better state than the rest of heaven--<br />
let them seek for heaven that would, thou wouldst think this thy chief<br />
happiness. This is thy case, if thou art yet an unregenerate person, and hast<br />
no title to the saints' rest.<br />
And as thou takest God for thy chief good, so thou dost heartily accept<br />
of Christ for thy only Savior and Lord, to bring thee to this rest. <strong>The</strong> former<br />
mark was the sum of the first and great command of the law, "Thou shalt<br />
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart." <strong>The</strong> second mark is the sum of the<br />
command of the Gospel, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be<br />
saved." And the performance of these two is the whole of godliness and<br />
Christianity. This mark is but the definition of faith. Dost thou heartily<br />
consent that Christ alone shall be thy Savior, and no further trust to thy<br />
duties and works than as means appointed in subordination to him; not<br />
looking at them as in the least measure able to satisfy the curse of the law, or<br />
as a legal righteousness, or any part of it but consent to trust thy salvation on<br />
the redemption made by Christ? Art thou also content to take him for thy<br />
only Lord and King, to govern and guide thee by his laws and Spirit, and to<br />
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