Meditation Twenty-ninth.
On the folly of living enemies of God.
I. SINNERS call the saints, who, in this life, fly from honours, riches, and the pleasures of sense, and embrace poverty, contempt and mortification, fools. But, at the day of final retribution, they shall confess that themselves have been fools, in judging the lives of the saints to be folly: We fools esteemed their life madness. Wis. v. 4. And what greater folly can there be than to live without God? which is to live a miserable life in this world, to be succeeded by a still more miserable one in hell. No, I will not wait till the last day to confess my folly; I now confess it: how great has it been in offending thee, my sovereign good! Father, I am not worthy to be called thy son. Father, I am not worthy to receive thy forgiveness, but I hope for it through the blood which thou hast shed for my sake. My Jesus, I am sorry for having despised thee, I love thee above all things.
II. Unhappy sinners; blinded by their sins, they lose all judgment. What would be said of a man who should sell a kingdom for the smallest coin? And what should be said of him who, for a momentary pleasure, a vapour, a caprice, sells heaven and the grace of God? They think only of this life, which will shortly end, and in the mean time deserve hell for that life which will never end. O my God, permit me not to become any more so blind as to prefer, as I have hitherto done, my own unlawful gratifications before thee, and for the sake of them to despise thee, my sovereign good! I now detest them, and love thee above all things.
III. Miserable worldlings! the time will come,
