and doleful will it be to you, when Chriſt ſhall open the book wherein all your ſins are written, and begin with the ſin of ſlighting the great ſalvation? Thus I invited you, when ye were twelve years old, but you would not come. What will ye anſwer to this? Have ye any thing to ſay? Or, muſt you not ſtand ſpeechleſs before your Judge, when he ſhall put home this challenge unto you? Therefore, think ſeriouſly upon it, how you will anſwer it.
6. Challenge, Will be for your ſinning oftentimes againſt light; and, O! How painful and ſad a challenge will that be at the day of death! when it will be ſaid, thou ſinnedſt with a witneſs in thy boſom that thou waſt doing wrong! Thy conſcience will ſay, oftentimes did I tell thee, this is ſinful, yet wouldſt thou not abſtain from it: and what will ye anſwer to this?
7. Challenge, Oftentimes ye ſinned upon very ſmall temptations, and what will ye anſwer to that? muſt ye not then confeſs it, and ſay, O! how often have I deſerted Chriſt, and embraced my idols upon a ſmall temptation! Now I entreat you, be thinking what ye will anſwer to theſe ſeven moſt material challenges, which certainly ſhall be preſented to you at death. I aſſure you, ye muſt either anſwer all your challenges in Chriſt, elſe ye will not get them well anſwered. Therefore, I would exhort you to embrace the goſpel, and Chriſt in it; and ſo let death propoſe never ſo many challenges unto you, ye may anſwer them all as David did, viz. 'God hath made with me an everlaſting covenant,' (and that will anſwer all your challenges) 'though my houſe be not ſo with God, yet I have the everlaſting covenant to build my ſalvation upon.'
Now to preſs you to make uſe of Chriſt, I ſhall give you theſe four conſiderations
Conſideration 1. If ye embrace not Chriſt now, death will be very unpleaſant unto you. O what elſe can comfort thee, when going through the region of the ſhadow of death, but this, 'I am Chriſt's, I am Chriſt's.' Is there any other thing can comfort