But here he could not enter
without great distress of mind; wherefore he cries out for respite,
and time to do the will of God and the work allotted him. So again:
"The pains of hell caught hold upon me, the sorrows of death
compassed me about, and I found trouble and sorrow; then I cried
unto the Lord." Aye, this will make thee cry, though thou he as good
as David. Wherefore learn by his sorrow, as he himself also learned
at last to serve his own generation by the will of God, before he
fell asleep. God can tell how to pardon thy sins, and yet make them
such a bitter thing and so heavy a burden to thee that thou wouldst
not, if thou wast but once distressed with it, come there again for
all this world. Ah, it is easy with him to have this pardon in his
bosom, even when he is breaking all thy bones and pouring out thy
gall upon the ground--yea, to show himself then unto thee in so
dreadful a majesty, that heaven and earth shall seem to thee to
tremble at his presence. Let then the thoughts of this prevail with
thee as a reason of great weight, to provoke thee to study to manage
thy time and work in wisdom while thou art well.
OBEDIENCE REWARDED.
Keep those grounds and evidences that God hath given you of your
call to be partakers of this love of Christ, with all clearness upon
your hearts and in your minds.
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