Vol 16 - TO THE LADY LARGIRIE.

TO THE LADY LARGIRIE.
MADAM,
GRACE, mercy, and peace, be to you! I exhort you in the LORD, to go on in your journey to heaven, and to be content with such fare by the way as CtIRIST and his followers have had before you: for they had always the wind on their faces; and our LORD has not changed the way to us for our ease, but will have us follow our guide. Alas, how does sin clog us in our journey! What fools.are we, to have any other love beside CHRIST It were best for us to seek our own home, and to sell our hopes of this little idol of the earth, where we are neither well summered nor well wintered. O that our souls would think of it, as a traveler does of a drink of water, which is not any part of his treasure, but go away with the using; for ten miles' journey maketh that drink to him as nothing! O that we had as soon done with this world, and could as quickly despatch the love of it! But as a child cannot hold two apples in his little hand, but the one puttetil the other out of its room; so neither can we be masters of two loves. Blessed were we, if we could make ourselves masters of that invaluable treasure, the love of Caaisr; or rather suffer, ourselves to be mastered to CHRIST'S love, so that CHRIST were our all things, and all other things our nothings. O let us be ready for shipping, against the time when our LORD'S wind and tide call for us! Death is the last thief that shall come without din or noise of feet, and take our souls away, and we shall take our leave of time, and face eternity: and our LORD) shall lay together the two sides of this earthly tabernacle, and fold us, and lay us by, as a man layeth by clothes at,night; and put the one half of us in a house of clay, the dark grave, and the other half of us in heaven or hell. Seek to be found of your LORD in peace, and put your soul in order; for CHRIST will not give a nailbreadth of time to our little sandglass. Pray for Zion; and for me his prisoner, that he would he pleased to bring me amongst you again, full of CHRIST, loaden with the blessing of his gospel. Grace, grace be with you!
Yours in his only LORD and Master,
S. R.